Chapter Summaries

The Formless Temple's lords began Wisdom Nature's Buddhist and demonic reincarnation while Great Li cultivators attacked the temple. As Xu Xuan and Nangang fought Blissful Thought and Guan Quan battled Pleasure and Desire, Gu Ya was revealed as the disguise of a powerful Greed and Evil Demon Manifestation.

• Sangjue followed Zanluo's counsel and activated the Formless Temple's formation as Wisdom Nature began reincarnating into opposing Buddhist and demonic bodies.
• Pleasure and Desire challenged Guan Quan, fought Wei Shuang, and then faced Guan Quan and Nangang in the Great Void.
• Nangang attacked the temple's formation with Great Black Heaven Destruction Light, while Xu Xuan confronted Blissful Thought and battered his golden body with sword intent.
• Gu Ya surrounded the temple with vines, but Blissful Thought called him the Greed and Evil Demon Manifestation, who emerged by tearing apart Gu Ya's Dharma Body.

Guan Quan trapped Pleasure and Desire in the White Paper Blessed Land while Xu Xuan and Wei Shuang battled Greed and Evil at the Formless Temple. Greed and Evil swallowed Xu Xuan to steal his identity, but was transported into the Heavenly Court and subdued before he could take over.

• Guan Quan exposed Pleasure and Desire's true form and sealed her and her water-transformation mouth inside the White Paper Blessed Land.
• Xu Xuan and Nangang confronted Greed and Evil, and Wei Shuang joined them as they fought the demon at the Formless Temple.
• Xu Xuan and Wei Shuang immobilized Greed and Evil, and Xu Xuan's Tribulation Command severed the demon's head.
• Greed and Evil's Taotie head swallowed Xu Xuan, and the demon used the Wondrous Art of Freedom Through Assuming Others to seize his body and life.
• Greed and Evil spoke Xu Xuan's name and was transported to the Heavenly Court, where a blue-green-robed man restrained him with seals.

Xu Xuan was drawn into the White Paper Blessed Land’s painting scroll with the Heavenly Demons and fought Pleasure and Desire there. The Shadow-Moon Pool restored Greater Yin Chang'e, who destroyed the demon and then bowed to Xu Xuan as the Dao Lord.

• Xu Xuan captured Greed and Evil in the Supreme Clarity Dao Realm, collected the azure Shang cloud-gold from Mu Xu, and returned to his frozen Dharma Body.
• Wei Shuang and Nangang attacked the impostor they believed was Greed and Evil, while Blissful Thought merged with Wisdom Nature and unleashed a flood of Heavenly Demons before vanishing.
• The Heavenly Demons overwhelmed Nangang and Wei Shuang, and Xu Xuan fought them until the White Paper Blessed Land’s scroll absorbed the horde and drew him inside.
• Inside the painting, Xu Xuan attacked Pleasure and Desire, but the demon recognized that he was not Greed and Evil and retaliated with the Heavenly Demons.
• Clear qi filled Xu Xuan’s Dao Realm and reached the Shadow-Moon Pool, whose moonlight separated Pleasure and Desire from Greater Yin Chang'e and restrained the demon.
• Greater Yin Chang'e destroyed Pleasure and Desire with her frost sword and bowed to Xu Xuan as the Dao Lord.

Xu Xuan discovered that Miao'e’s empty Greater Yin seat had entered his Inner Scenery and helped Guan Quan escape the Heavenly Demons’ assault. The Wu Household’s Great True Person, Northern Yin, then suppressed the demons, but he looked at Xu Xuan and murmured that he sensed nothing.

• Miao'e’s empty shell subdued Pleasure and Desire and carried her into Xu Xuan’s Inner Scenery, where Xu Xuan sealed the demoness and learned that the shell was a Greater Yin Celestial Office rather than a living person.
• Xu Xuan rescued Guan Quan from the Heavenly Demons in the Plain Scroll, but Guan Quan’s memories of the Thunder Palace manifestation were taken into Xu Xuan’s Dao realm and forgotten.
• Xu Xuan refused to abandon Guan Quan and fought beside him until Nangang announced that an elder had arrived with a Withering Qi Ancient Treasure.
• Xu Xuan escaped the Plain Raft with Guan Quan’s Spirit Seal as the Northern Yin Demon-Subduing Bell froze the Heavenly Demons and Nangang led them away from Xining.
• Xu Xuan gave Guan Quan’s Spirit Seal to Wei Shuang, while Northern Yin destroyed the Heavenly Demon Ferry Crossing and gathered the remaining demons into his bell.
• Northern Yin examined Xu Xuan from afar and murmured, “Nothing?”

After the battle at Xining, Xu Xuan recovered treasures from the Formless Temple and concealed the Demon Manifestations inside his Inner Scenery. The Thunder Department summoned him, rewarded him with a cultivation method, and asked how he had escaped Greed and Evil’s ability to manifest through others.

• Nangang’s great-great-grandfather captured Le Nian, and Nangang threatened him for information about Pleasure and Desire and Greed and Evil.
• Xu Xuan and Nangang searched the Formless Temple ruins, recovering Wisdom Nature’s Golden Body fragments, the Mount Tai Spring-Viewing Terrace, and the Nature-Transforming Demon Chief.
• Nangang revealed that the demonic head would help him cultivate Illusion-Destroying Truth, while Xu Xuan recognized Zanluo among the ruins and wondered about his ties to Le Nian and Dingji Mountain.
• Xu Xuan returned to Red Cloud with Pleasure and Desire, Greed and Evil, and Miao’e concealed in his Inner Scenery, then accepted the Thunder Department’s summons.
• True Person Zhuoxie examined Xu Xuan with the Dipper Pivot Supreme Punishment Seal and gave him the Primordial Thunder Void Law as a reward.
• Zhuoxie asked Xu Xuan how he had escaped Greed and Evil’s ability to manifest through others.

Xu Xuan learned from Zhuoxie that Celestial Pivot represented the powerful Lesser Yin Realm and that Xu Xuan could become his counterpart in the struggle over the Divine Dao. Zhuoxie also offered help establishing Xu Xuan’s sect in the Western Sea, while he and Weihua later speculated about the great figure protecting Xu Xuan.

• Zhuoxie explained that the Six Desires Demon Manifestations were anchored in the Great Blissful Desire Demon Land and that the Dipper Pivot Supreme Punishment Seal had helped defeat Love-Tangle.
• Zhuoxie revealed that Celestial Pivot was the Lesser Yin Realm’s roaming representative, and that Xu Xuan’s altar thunder and sword intent could make him a counterpart to Celestial Pivot.
• Xu Xuan agreed to pursue greater strength and learned that the Mysterious Pivot Immortal Dao and the Primordial One Immortal Dao held altar thunder inheritances.
• Zhuoxie offered to connect Xu Xuan’s sect with True Person Zhou You so it could establish a branch near Upper Firmament’s Thunder-Gathering Grounds in the Western Sea.
• After Xu Xuan left, Zhuoxie and Weihua wondered which great figure was protecting him and discussed his potential role in opposing Celestial Pivot.

Xu Xuan strengthened Heavenly Tribulation with the Mount Tai Spring-Viewing Terrace and uncovered a Wu Earth Immortal Foundation, then arranged for Fa Yan to establish a branch in the Western Sea. In the Dao realm, Xu Xuan considered using the Six Paths of Rebirth to bring the bound demons Greed and Evil and Pleasure and Desire under his control.

• Xu Xuan linked the Mount Tai Spring-Viewing Terrace to Heavenly Tribulation’s formation and discovered its origins and the Earth-Guarding Foundation method.
• Xu Xuan reviewed the Primordial Thunder Void Law and considered seeking the Qilin as another path of retreat.
• Fa Yan told Xu Xuan that his Nurturing Earth nature had grown and that azure locusts had appeared in his Qi Sea since he killed Wei Fengnian.
• Xu Xuan told Fa Yan that the sect planned to establish a branch near Green-Sinking Reef in the Western Sea, and Fa Yan agreed to go.
• Xu Xuan entered the Dao realm and bound Greed and Evil and Pleasure and Desire, considering using the Six Paths of Rebirth to control them without alerting the Great Blissful Desire Demon Land.

Xu Xuan used clear qi and the Six Paths of Rebirth to sever Greed and Evil and Pleasure and Desire from Great Bliss Heaven, binding them to his Dao realm and assigning them new roles. After discovering that the Dao realm could produce Harmonious Mystic Qi, he explored the void above it and saw Primordial Heaven approaching the mortal world, recognizing its arrival as a possible opportunity to attain Golden Core.

• Xu Xuan separated Greed and Evil and Pleasure and Desire from their demonic forms, used seal script and the Six Paths of Rebirth to bind them to his Dao realm, and fabricated identities for them.
• Xu Xuan assigned Pleasure and Desire, under the identity of Yu Huan, to compile a Dao repository, while Mu Xu was ordered to bleed the taotie and refine its blood for pills.
• Xu Xuan discovered that his solidified Dao realm had severed the demons' connection to Great Blissful Desire Demon Land and found that a hundred strands of celestial virtue could condense one strand of Harmonious Mystic Qi.
• Xu Xuan entered the void above the Dao-Contemplation Hall and saw the Mount Sumeru Buddha Land, the Lesser Yin Dao Realm, and Primordial Heaven approaching the mortal world.
• Xu Xuan recognized Primordial Heaven's arrival as connected to the Ancient Era's plans and suspected that its integration would provide an opportunity to attain Golden Core.

Xu Xuan considered ways to strengthen his sect and learned that Qiong He might have returned, while Wen Si'an declined to pursue a divine ability for now. The chapter ended with Liang Yong and Empty-Handed reaching the late Foundation Establishment stage, and Empty-Handed asking to join the sect’s expedition to the Western Sea because it sounded fun.

• Xu Xuan examined the Dao Realm’s heavenly stele and the Spirit Treasures Mu Xu had refined, deciding to keep the Azure Shang Cloud-Gold for Wen Si'an and give the Soaring Wind essence to Wen Guang for the Unmoored Boat.
• Wen Si'an told Xu Xuan that someone had reportedly spotted Qiong He in the north, and Xu Xuan let her oversee the search for her kinsman.
• Xu Xuan asked Wen Si'an whether she wanted to attain a divine ability, but she said she would focus on helping the sect and suggested he prepare Fa Yan for the Purple Mansion realm.
• Xu Xuan considered obtaining a Spirit Treasure and cultivation method for Fa Yan and planned to settle his old grudge against the Green-Waste Dao.
• Liang Yong and Empty-Handed both broke through to the Foundation Establishment late stage, and Empty-Handed asked Xu Xuan for permission to join the sect’s expedition to the Western Sea because it sounded fun.

Xu Xuan agreed to send Empty-Handed west with Fa Yan and a hundred people, then studied the Dao Text while planning the sect’s move to the Western Sea. In Yunmojia Land, Piluo dispatched Taqian to watch Azure Depths and sent Bao Chi to investigate the Obscuring Barrier from within the Southern Peacock Kingdom.

• Xu Xuan asked Empty-Handed about the Plain Scroll and the White Paper Blessed Land, but Empty-Handed refused to reveal more about its secrets.
• Xu Xuan assigned Empty-Handed to accompany Fa Yan and a hundred people out to sea, and Empty-Handed said his path to Purple Mansion depended on Xu Xuan attaining Golden Core.
• Xu Xuan considered the risks of establishing a foothold in the Western Sea, then set aside the matter and studied the Dao Text.
• Piluo ordered Taqian to watch Azure Depths from far out at sea and report any changes.
• Piluo freed Bao Chi from the Feather-Burning Treasure Flame and ordered him to enter the Southern Peacock Kingdom’s service and investigate the Obscuring Barrier.
• Piluo wondered where Cangyu had gone, sensed a black sun calling from the Baleful Abyss, and severed the connection.

Xu Xuan arranged for Spirit Mountain’s hundred Qi Refining cultivators and two Foundation Establishment cultivators to relocate near Azure Depths under Zhou You’s guidance. As they traveled through the Great Void, Xu Fayan questioned Empty-Handed about whether he could die, while a strange vision stirred within Xu Fayan’s [Baleful Sun] orb.

• Zhou You met Xu Xuan outside Spirit Mountain and agreed to lead the sect’s relocation to a peaceful site near Azure Depths.
• Zhou You questioned Xu Xuan about his [Heaven-Commanding Tribulation] inheritance and the Thunder Palace, and Xu Xuan explained that he valued the freedom he had gained as a cultivator.
• The [Unmoored Boat] departed with one hundred Qi Refining cultivators, led by Xu Fayan and Empty-Handed, and followed Zhou You into the Great Void.
• Xu Fayan asked Empty-Handed whether he could die, and Empty-Handed replied that it was unclear whether he was truly alive.
• The [Baleful Sun] orb in Xu Fayan’s qi sea trembled, showing a black sun rising in the Great Abyss and concealing a black corpse.

Xu Xuan helped the Upper Firmament establish a settlement on Longflow Island and awakened a strand of tribulation-edge punishment thunder at Green-Sinking Reef. After arranging protection for Fa Yan and Empty-Handed, he left for the Wondrous Sea to meet True Person Pingxiu and seek true fire.

• The Upper Firmament cultivators built a settlement on Longflow Island, while Xu Xuan and Zhou You discussed the Western Sea and the search for true fire.
• Xu Xuan activated Heaven-Commanding Tribulation at Green-Sinking Reef, creating a strand of Foundation Establishment altar thunder for the Upper Firmament’s thunderclouds.
• Zhou You told Xu Xuan that True Person Pingxiu in the Wondrous Sea had several spare spiritual flames, and Xu Xuan decided to visit him.
• Xu Xuan returned to Longflow, warned Fa Yan that the island was only a temporary base, and lodged protective sword intent in him.
• Xu Xuan entrusted Fa Yan to Empty-Handed’s protection and departed west toward the Wondrous Sea to meet True Person Pingxiu.

Xu Xuan traded two spirit treasures for Pingxiu’s Great Flame-Combining Fire and agreed to help kill the demon Sheni. In Sindhu, Kong Xuan accepted Bao Chi into the Southern Peacock Kingdom and ordered him to investigate several cultivation powers and the Treasure-Gold Elephant.

• Xu Xuan visited Pingxiu at the Heaven-Covering Palace to seek Purple Mansion true fire, but Pingxiu initially demanded an origin wood spirit treasure in exchange.
• Pingxiu sensed Xu Xuan’s sword intent and offered the Great Flame-Combining Fire for two spirit treasures if Xu Xuan joined a hunt for Sheni, a Purple Mansion middle-stage demon who could travel through the Western Sea’s great void.
• Xu Xuan agreed to help hunt Sheni and traded Pingxiu the Winter Thunder Sunken Essence and Spirit-Nourishing Soil for the Great Flame-Combining Fire.
• Xu Xuan tried traveling through the Western Sea’s great void, but black flame forced him back out; he then headed home to cultivate his second divine ability.
• Kong Xuan questioned Bao Chi, a former Purple Mansion cultivator who had escaped the Demon Refining Tower and sought refuge in the Southern Peacock Kingdom.
• Kong Xuan accepted Bao Chi into his kingdom and ordered him to investigate several immortal cultivation powers and the Treasure-Gold Elephant.

Xu Xuan tended Xiao Wen’s recovering spirit and considered how to strengthen the sect before beginning to cultivate [Primordial Sequence]. He recognized that the Divine Ability’s authority depended on establishing Heavenly Laws and decided to test a path to extending them through powerful figures in the Dao realm.

• Xu Xuan used the [Great Flame-Combining Fire] to nourish Xiao Wen’s soul, while Wen Guang explained the Spirit-Transforming Guidance Method and predicted Xiao Wen could recover in two or three years with a stronger Immortal Foundation.
• Xu Xuan assessed the sect’s disciples, defenses, and resources, then considered raising a Foundation Establishment spiritual insect and using Purple Mansion Seal Script to control it.
• Xu Xuan began cultivating [Primordial Sequence] and understood how it would establish laws and strengthen the authority of his thunder Divine Abilities.
• Xu Xuan concluded that Altar Thunder required him to extend its laws and considered using the Dragonkind of Eastern Vast and the Six-Desire Great Demon as influential subjects.
• Xu Xuan returned to the Dao realm as a thunder city descended and a set of Heavenly Laws began to take shape.

Xu Xuan established the first heavenly law in his Dao realm, using the sun and moon’s appointed hours to advance his altar thunder divine ability. In the Great Desire Demon Land, Deliverance learned that Xu Xuan had defeated Pleasure and Desire and Greed and Evil, then recognized him as the man who had taken the Sword Treatise on Life-and-Death Qi.

• Xu Xuan formed the Mysterious Capital Thunder City and established the law that the sun rises and the moon sets at appointed times, creating a sun and moon in his Dao realm.
• Xu Xuan told Mu Xu that all cultivators in the Dao realm had to follow the new heavenly law, and he found that enforcing laws there strengthened his altar thunder cultivation.
• Xu Xuan resolved to use the Purple Mansion cultivators imprisoned in his Dao realm to speed his progress in cultivating the divine ability.
• In the Great Desire Demon Land, Zhi Youya told Deliverance that Pleasure and Desire and Greed and Evil had vanished and that the Imperial Palace had asked about them.
• Deliverance learned that Xu Xuan, known as Calamity-Splitting, had defeated the two demon manifestations and taken the Sword Treatise on Life-and-Death Qi, then remarked that Red Cloud was quite close.

During four years of seclusion in the Pure Harmony Palace, Xu Xuan’s Divine Ability [Ride Without Blame] reached minor attainment after a mysterious vision of a fisherman and a Kunfish. He awakened with the words “One sound, one breath” lingering in his heart.

• Mo Xi guarded the Pure Harmony Palace while Lu Lian worried about the Azure Horned Serpent clan’s place under Dragon King Mingdu.
• Lu Lian saw what appeared to be Dragon King Mingdu on the sea, but the figure vanished before she could greet him.
• After four years of cultivation, Xu Xuan experienced a vision in which he helped a mysterious fisherman pull a Kunfish from Heaven Pool.
• The fisherman invited Xu Xuan to reach into his basket, and Xu Xuan drew out violet lightning that filled the sky with thunder and bolts.
• Xu Xuan awakened on the jade throne as [Ride Without Blame] reached minor attainment, remembering the words “One sound, one breath.”

Xu Xuan learned that an ancient yin-yang omen lay at Heaven Pool’s core and planned to seize Duskfall Gate while Netherwhale and the Stone Men were distracted. Meanwhile, Yang Yuanyi emerged from seclusion with the Divine Ability Darkening Obscurity, learned the purpose behind his cultivation, and took charge of Flame-Offering Mountain as Dao Yan withdrew.

• Xu Xuan questioned Nanfa, who revealed that factions once disturbed a suppressing object at Heaven Pool’s center and unleashed a revolving yin-and-yang omen that killed Divine Ability cultivators and Demon Kings.
• Xu Xuan and Yang Yuanxin planned to establish Ancient Hua, seek information from Mist Marsh, and take Duskfall Gate to secure Heaven Pool’s northern side and a route to Mistsea.
• Yang Yuanyi emerged from seclusion on Flame-Offering Mountain after cultivating Darkening Obscurity, and Dao Yan named him Hidden Brightness.
• Dao Yan told Yang Yuanyi that Sun Valley intended his path to help form dry yang, and Yang Yuanyi realized he might be a pawn; Dao Yan then left him to manage Flame-Offering Mountain and decide whether to intervene in Heaven Pool.
• Xu Xuan and Yang Yuanxin arrived to congratulate Yang Yuanyi, told him of their progress in Heaven Pool, and learned that Dao Yan had entered seclusion.

Kongming was forced by Formed Jade and Lingji to help them stop Mu Youdu from interfering with Ancient Hua’s plans to claim the Kunpeng legacy at Heaven Pool. At Flame-Offering Mountain, Yang Yuanyi arranged his investiture ceremony and Xu Xuan prepared to confront Duskfall Gate after the ceremony.

• Kongming agreed to lure Mu Youdu into a formation and hold him there while Lingji tried to suppress him, after Formed Jade reminded him of the Stone Man Way’s protection and threatened him with his enemies.
• Lingji and Formed Jade discussed the Greater Yin Mystic Fish, the Kunpeng legacy, and their plan to prevent Mu Youdu from disrupting the Origin Mountain Immortal Way’s ambitions.
• Lingji concealed Duan Pingdu’s situation when Formed Jade asked about the Duan Clan, saying he had taken the survivors in under his mountain.
• Su Lan told Yang Yuanyi that Stolen Script planned to send an avatar to his investiture ceremony, and Yang Yuanyi arranged for her to stay at Flame-Offering Mountain.
• Xu Xuan told Yang Yuanyi that he intended to use the Manifestation of Thunder Palace’s Great Authority and sword intent against Kongming, and Yang Yuanyi advised him to seek Stolen Script’s guidance after the ceremony.

Xu Xuan attended the Fire Crows’ celebration for Yang Yuanyi’s breakthrough, where Owl Demon King Soul-Concealment sought Greater Yang fire for his junior, Fu Dong. After Soul-Concealment left, Stolen Script arrived and questioned whether Xu Xuan and Yang Yuanyi could defend their domains with only two early-stage Purple Mansion cultivators.

• Xu Xuan and Yang Yuanxin watched demons gather at Flame-Offering Mountain to celebrate Yang Yuanyi’s breakthrough.
• Soul-Concealment arrived with Fu Dong, and Yang Yuanyi welcomed the Owl Demon King into Bingyang Hall.
• Soul-Concealment presented Yang Yuanyi with a precious feather left by an ancestor and asked for Greater Yang power to treat Fu Dong’s inborn deficiency.
• Yang Yuanyi provided Greater Yang fire essence, and Soul-Concealment gave him Heavenly Ghost Yinwood before departing with Fu Dong.
• Fu Dong met Xu Xuan’s gaze, stirring the blood-red flowers in his Inner Scenery and leaving him suspicious of her hidden ability.
• Stolen Script arrived and warned Xu Xuan and Yang Yuanyi that Flame-Offering Mountain and Mist Marsh depended on only two early-stage Purple Mansion cultivators.

Stolen Script explained the origins and dangers of Yang Yuanyi’s [Darkening Obscurity] cultivation and advised Xu Xuan about his plans to reclaim South Mist. Yang Yuanyi took the title Hidden Brightness, while Stolen Script left Xu Xuan wondering where he would stand if the Golden Crow and Mist Dragon paths came into conflict.

• Stolen Script told Yang Yuanyi that [Darkening Obscurity] descended from the fallen King of Chu’s [Ke'e Shrouding Brightness] and warned him that his pursuit of the Golden Crow’s cause could endanger the White Foxes and Feilian.
• Stolen Script apologized to Xu Xuan for once having an Azure Lion test him and offered to answer one question; Xu Xuan asked how to attack Heaven Pool and reestablish South Mist.
• Stolen Script said Ancient Hua was constrained by his three Gen and one Dui, but warned that obtaining the object at Heaven Pool’s core could change matters, then revealed that Kunpeng had created Heaven Pool.
• Stolen Script explained that Su Lan would rule her kingdom and help nourish her path to a divine ability, then joined Yang Yuanyi for his enthronement ceremony.
• Yang Yuanyi received the title Hidden Brightness, but the Bingyang Banner rejected him as his divine ability clashed with its inheritance.
• Stolen Script privately asked Xu Xuan where he would stand if the Golden Crow and Mist Dragon paths came into conflict, leaving him questioning the Golden Crow and Sun Valley’s attitude toward Jiaoyang.