Chapter Summaries

Xu Xuan held Baoqiu off while Luyu defeated Xinling and claimed the [Cloud of Clear, Turbid, and Faint]. After parting from Luyu with the [Void-Bright Heavenly Fire], Xu Xuan continued searching the Grotto-Heaven for Zhu Yucheng.

• Xu Xuan and Baoqiu fought to a stalemate, each using spirit artifacts and divine abilities, before they stopped short of a deadly confrontation.
• Baoqiu warned Xu Xuan that the Primordial One Way might be using him, then departed after Xinling lost to Luyu and fled.
• Luyu retrieved the [Cloud of Clear, Turbid, and Faint] and had Xu Xuan draw the [Void-Bright Heavenly Fire] onto the bing fire Mysterious Seal.
• Xu Xuan declined to travel with Luyu, and Tiantuo explained that the cloud artifact could not restore gui water on its own.
• Xu Xuan flew onward, refining the light of Righteous Order and searching for Zhu Yucheng, who had entered the Grotto-Heaven with the imperial manifestation.

Guangji and Xiang Mang returned to An Xianhui after failing to overcome their opponent, while Wen'e reclaimed the Black Baleful Demon Dao’s Heavy Baleful Stone from a pool at the Zhao Court’s ancestral peak. Huji revealed that Venom-Folding had been killed and warned that Wen'e was unlikely to secure a golden position, then left Wen'e in charge of the Grotto-Heaven.

• Guangji and Xiang Mang arrived at An Xianhui’s hall, where Guangji received a World-Saving Life-Preserving Pill and prepared to leave for Jian Land.
• Guangji asked An Xianhui about the Returning Flow Dao and Martial Mu Mountain, then departed after learning Martial Mu Mountain had not intervened.
• Xiang Mang told An Xianhui that he had not sensed the hidden origin magnetism Purple Mansion cultivator, then left after asking about the constant light object held by Calamity-Splitting.
• Wen'e offered the Heavy Baleful Stone to the Gazing Howl pool, drawing the remaining fortune of the Baleful Howls into the artifact.
• Huji told Wen'e that Venom-Folding had perished, explained that origin poison would fade with mystic qi, and said Wen'e was unlikely to attain a golden position in this life.
• Huji departed to oversee matters above and left Wen'e to watch over the Grotto-Heaven.

Xu Xuan uncovered the deaths of the ancient Purple Mansion cultivators, acquired inheritances in the Dao-Preserving Palace, and was cornered by An Xianhui, who wielded the Heavenly Decline Yin Candle. The chapter ended with the candle’s Yin Flame reaching Xu Xuan and beginning to diminish his lifespan.

• Xu Xuan refined the Righteous Order Wu Radiance and drew the Sixfold Radiance from the Bing Fire Mysterious Seal, witnessing True Person Jiang Xiao’s death at the hands of a Wu Earth cultivator.
• Xu Xuan entered the Dao-Preserving Palace, obtained the Spirit-Commanding Witch Canon, and seized the Supreme Evil Divine Embryo Secret Art from the palace’s upper inheritance chamber.
• An Xianhui arrived with his Candle Yin fate manifested and demanded that Xu Xuan surrender the Constant-Bright Mysterious Seal.
• An Xianhui raised the Heavenly Decline Yin Candle and unleashed its Yin Flame, destroying the palace and burning away Xu Xuan’s weapons, artifacts, and Origin Wood spiritual pillar.
• Xu Xuan fled on lightning, but the Yin Flame caught his Dharma Body; his Clear Qi revealed golden Nature within the candle’s dark-red firelight as his lifespan began to diminish.

An Xianhui trapped Xu Xuan in the yin flames of [Heavenly Decline Yin Candle] and tried to force him to surrender the Mysterious Seal, but Xu Xuan resisted and unleashed his hidden powers. As An Xianhui prepared to kill him, Xu Xuan drew Golden Scale and struck, splitting the darkness and restoring the light.

• An Xianhui used [Heavenly Decline Yin Candle] to burn Xu Xuan, weaken his altar thunder, and demand the Mysterious Seal.
• Xu Xuan refused to kneel, and the yin flames burned away most of his Dharma Body.
• Xu Xuan opened his Heavenly Eye and struck An Xianhui with golden heavenly light, nearly burning him in return.
• An Xianhui unleashed the full power of [Heavenly Decline Yin Candle], while Xu Xuan raised his black laws and thunder against it.
• A golden crescent appeared, and Xu Xuan drew Golden Scale before slashing through the darkness.

Xu Xuan wielded Golden Scale against An Xianhui, whose Heavenly Decline Yin Candle and Candle Yin form brought darkness and heavenly decline over the Grotto-Heaven. After Xu Xuan shattered An Xianhui’s Dharma Body, Wanjin warned him not to damage his allotted fortune; Xu Xuan let An Xianhui’s true spirit escape, then stood under the fearful gazes of the Purple Mansion cultivators as Northern Thunder Black Law manifested upon him.

• Huji and Qingyue watched the clash from above the Grotto-Heaven and discussed Golden Scale, Wanjin’s involvement, and the uncertain history of Altar Thunder.
• Xu Xuan used Golden Scale to sever An Xianhui’s ruined Dharma Body, while An Xianhui bound himself together with the Earth Fiend Urn and chose to keep fighting.
• An Xianhui summoned Candle Yin through the Heavenly Decline Yin Candle, but Xu Xuan’s sword strike shattered the manifestation and cleaved through the Earth Fiend Urn.
• Xu Xuan split An Xianhui’s Dharma Body, and Wanjin warned him not to damage An Xianhui’s allotted fortune.
• Xu Xuan turned his blade aside, destroyed An Xianhui’s Dharma Body, and allowed his true spirit to flee through the yin candle.
• Wanjin descended to meet Xu Xuan, who said he might still be alive as Northern Thunder Black Law circulated over his lightning-bound form.

Xu Xuan visited Louguan Dao seeking a way to recover from the Heavenly Decline Yin Candle, and Guan Quan gave him the Pure Ceremonial Empty Womb Technique. Wei Shuang then led Xu Xuan to a Great Xia Golden Man, which accepted him and stabilized his Dharma Body, allowing him to resume using his divine abilities while his injuries began to heal.

• Xu Xuan and Wei Shuang arrived at Mount Fei of the Earth, where Wei Shuang described Louguan Dao’s ancient history and its lost teachings from Mister Yin.
• Guan Quan examined Xu Xuan’s injuries from the Heavenly Decline Yin Candle and gave him the Pure Ceremonial Empty Womb Technique, though its reconstruction process would take about ten years.
• Wei Shuang proposed that the Great Xia Golden Man at Sun-Bidding Slope might serve as a substitute Dharma Body and help Xu Xuan recover faster.
• Xu Xuan touched the Treasure-Nourishing Golden Man, and his greater yang spirit light let him merge with it despite its usual rejection of outsiders.
• The golden man stabilized Xu Xuan’s Dharma Body, restored his ability to use divine abilities, and helped his lightning begin cutting away the yin flame and lifespan decline.

Xu Xuan refined his golden body and learned the history of Sun-Bidding Slope before Guan Quan offered him a place to recover and study on Mount Fei of the Earth. In the Pure Abode of Mysterious Principles, Xu Xuan’s Immortal Stele resonated with the spiritual vein, and he uncovered the fearsome origins of the Black Law within him.

• Xu Xuan and Wei Shuang surveyed Sun-Bidding Slope, where Wei Shuang and Tiantuo recounted the history of Zhu Ci and Jiaoyang.
• Xu Xuan returned to Mount Fei of the Earth, where Guan Quan recognized his Sundial Clear Light and offered him the Pure Abode of Mysterious Principles and a loan of the golden figure.
• Wei Shuang told Xu Xuan that Changyin was overseas and explained how the Joyful Desire Demon Manifestation had drawn Guan Quan’s disciple into the Demon Land.
• Xu Xuan entered the Pure Abode of Mysterious Principles and realized that the Supreme Clarity Immortal Stele wanted its spiritual vein, but decided not to take it without permission.
• Xu Xuan used the Clear Qi there to suppress his injuries, and Tiantuo identified the Black Law in his Inner Scenery as the Northern Thunder Black Law, which had once executed Heavenly Emperor Xuanhao.

Xu Xuan recovered in the Pure Abode of Mysterious Principles, manifested the black laws, and studied methods to replace his destroyed spirit sword as he prepared for the dangers ahead. Meanwhile, Guan Quan and Wei Shuang sensed that turmoil was approaching Li-Liao and worried about threats to Wei Shuang.

• Xu Xuan examined the northern thunder black law, and Tiantuo explained its ties to the Thunder Palace and its core artifact.
• Xu Xuan refined True Person Pingxiu's vast water spirit pill, began dispelling his calamities, and studied the Pure Ceremonial Empty Womb Technique to rebuild his body.
• Xu Xuan lamented the destruction of Cinnabar Thunder, so Tiantuo taught him the Form-Severing Mind-Image Great Method as a way to manifest a Heart Sword.
• Xu Xuan chose the immortal edge of his Tribulation Law as the basis for his Heart Sword and planned to strengthen it with thunder palace fortune and the black law.
• Guan Quan and Wei Shuang sensed Xu Xuan's progress and discussed the danger facing Wei Shuang, Bodhisattva Yuman, and Li-Liao as Wu Light and Imperial Qi gathered in the southwest.

Daoist Yuanpu descended from the Earth-Subduing Abbey to negotiate with Song Shiyi over Wu Earth and seek surviving descendants of the Duan Clan. After learning that the other branches of the tradition had been destroyed by the Southern Sea Dragonkin, Yuanpu focused his attention on Mingdu of the Mist Marsh Dragon Court.

• Song Shiyi and Gongsun Xi discussed An Xianhui's defeat and the Heavenly Decline Yin Candle while they waited inside the Grotto-Heaven.
• Daoist Yuanpu arrived from the Immortal Heaven and met with Song Shiyi despite Gongsun Xi's refusal to leave.
• Yuanpu and Song Shiyi discussed competing claims to Wu Earth, while Gongsun Xi challenged Yuanpu's account of the Gloomy Netherworld's past.
• Yuanpu asked about the Altar Thunder cultivator, and Song Shiyi said Dust-Sweeping had burned away his Dharma Body with the Heavenly Decline Yin Candle.
• Yuanpu revealed that the Earth-Subduing tradition's mortal branch had died out and asked Song Shiyi to help retrieve a surviving Duan bloodline descendant taken by Dust-Sweeping.
• Yuanpu learned that the tradition's other two branches had been destroyed by Mingdu of the Mist Marsh Dragon Court.

Xu Xuan emerged from seclusion with the thunder divine ability [Thunder-Shock Heavenly Thoroughfare], received the Dragon Court title [Long Mu Nether Sea], and prepared for growing tensions across the sea. The chapter ended as he confronted Yuanpu, who had come to question him about the [Divine Union] and [Dingji] lineages.

• Xu Xuan tested [Thunder-Shock Heavenly Thoroughfare] and considered its powers of destruction, healing, and protection from interference.
• Bo Chang delivered Xu Xuan’s Dragon Court investiture as [Long Mu Nether Sea] and reported that Pudu Holy Land had sealed itself away.
• Xu Xuan agreed to attend Dongfang Lanqing’s autumn banquet and gave Bo Chang the Mighty Spirit Judgment-Slaying Canon to study.
• A bright-yellow Spirit Mountain appeared north of Heaven Pool, and Xu Xuan sent Bo Chang to guard the formation before going to meet the intruder.
• Yuanpu asked Xu Xuan about the [Divine Union] and [Dingji] lineages, and Xu Xuan disputed his claim that the Dragon Court had unjustly destroyed Yuanpu’s tradition.

Xu Xuan battled Yuanpu, a powerful Gen Earth cultivator from Lesser Yin Immortal Heaven, as they traded divine abilities and artifacts above the sea. The chapter ended with Xu Xuan combining his thunder and Ren Water powers until he believed they stood on equal footing.

• Xu Xuan struck Gen Earth Spirit Mountain with his violet thunder sword, but Yuanpu captured and dissipated the attack with [Sleeve Cosmos].
• Xu Xuan questioned Yuanpu's lineage and learned that he had descended from Lesser Yin Immortal Heaven to protect the Eight Extremes Origin Mountain lineage.
• Yuanpu attacked with [Hengyue Union], but Xu Xuan broke the Mountain True Form with [Thunder-Shock Heavenly Thoroughfare] and [Great Beast] water-fire.
• Yuanpu used a Purple Mansion spirit thunder artifact to disrupt Xu Xuan's water-fire and injure his body, but Xu Xuan healed and struck Yuanpu with his sword.
• Yuanpu evaded Xu Xuan with [Shared Neighbor] and countered his thunder formation with the [Year-Regulating Peach Talisman].
• Xu Xuan summoned Ren Water through [Mingxiong Origin], strengthened his thunder marsh, and told Yuanpu they were now on equal footing.

Xu Xuan defeated Yuanpu in a battle over the Spirit Mountains and the Stone Man Way, then negotiated a trade for the survivors, the Mountain-Driving Whip, and compensation. Yuanpu left with the stone men and mountains, while Xu Xuan examined the spirit thunder disc and wondered how spirit thunder differed from the other four thunders.

• Xu Xuan used his thunder marsh formations and Dharma Body to destroy Yuanpu’s Spirit Mountain, wound him, and gain the advantage in battle.
• Yuanpu dismissed his Dharma Body, admitted defeat, and negotiated to take the surviving Stone Man Way descendants and the Spirit Mountains.
• Xu Xuan brought Yue Xie and the stone men to Yuanpu, and they agreed to leave with him.
• Xu Xuan demanded compensation for the stone men, Mountain-Driving Whip, two Spirit Mountains, and damage to Heaven Pool; he then raised the price to include the Year-Rectifying Peach Talisman and spirit thunder treasure disc.
• Yuanpu traded the Year-Rectifying Peach Talisman, Wanqu Thousand-Shine Disc, and Heavenly Li Vermilion Battle-Axe for the Mountain-Driving Whip, the Spirit Mountains, and the stone men.
• After Yuanpu departed, Xu Xuan suppressed a strand of crimson spirit thunder from the Wanqu Thousand-Shine Disc and questioned how it differed from the other four thunders.

Xu Xuan examined his newly acquired spirit treasures and considered refining armor, while Dongfang Lanqing prepared his banquet and reviewed the powerful guests who had accepted. The chapter left the Dragon King focused on the banquet’s political stakes and the emergence of the zhu ci imperial bloodline.

• Xu Xuan studied the [Thousand-Shine Blazing Lightning], the [Heavenly Li Vermilion Battle-Axe], and the [Year-Rectifying Peach Talisman], learning some of their abilities.
• Xu Xuan decided to refine armor for his Thunder Marsh Dharma Body and considered seeking an artifact refiner at Dongfang Lanqing’s banquet.
• The Turtle Minister reported that Yuan Jia would attend, and Dongfang Lanqing ordered him to prepare demonic cultivators for Yuan Jia to kill.
• The Turtle Minister reported that Gao Chen and Dragon King Mingdu would attend, and Dongfang Lanqing ordered a gift prepared for Mingdu.
• The Turtle Minister revealed that Yang Zhongzhou, a direct-blood descendant of Ancient Xia’s Yang clan, had accepted the invitation, and Dongfang Lanqing saw the banquet as a chance to repair relations with the Golden Crows.
• After the Turtle Minister left, Dongfang Lanqing wondered what plans the emerging zhu ci imperial bloodline might have.

Demonic cultivators attacked the Ye clan on White Cloud Island, killing Ye Yunfeng and capturing his wife before a mysterious Purple Mansion cultivator destroyed them. The stranger then killed Ye Yanzhen’s mother for consuming blood qi, spared the boy after detecting his dragon blood, and vanished, leaving Ye Yanzhen alone with her head.

• Nearly a hundred demonic cultivators attacked White Cloud Island and overwhelmed the Ye clan’s defenses.
• Ye Yunfeng accused his wife of betraying him and tried to protect her and Ye Yanzhen when the formation collapsed.
• The blood-robed Heavenly Blood Long-Serving Demon King killed Ye Yunfeng and seized his wife, but a mysterious ink-robed cultivator appeared and annihilated the demonic forces.
• The ink-robed cultivator killed Ye Yanzhen’s mother after declaring that she had consumed blood qi, then spared Ye Yanzhen after inspecting his dragon blood.
• Ye Yanzhen held his mother’s severed head and closed her eyes after the Purple Mansion cultivator disappeared.

Xu Xuan arrived at White Pond in the guise of Dragon King Mingdu and traveled to the Vast Origin Water Palace for Dragon King Lanqing’s banquet. After rejecting the Netherwhales’ request to join the Dragon Court and secretly marking Zhong Mang with tribulation punishment, he met the other guests as news arrived that Yang Linzhou would be late.

• Mo Xi announced Dragon King Mingdu’s arrival at White Pond, where the Turtle Minister welcomed him and accepted his congratulatory gift for Dragon King Lanqing.
• Yijiang guided Xu Xuan’s Thunder Chariot through the Dragon Palace, where Xu Xuan observed the gathering demons and the grandeur of the Eastern Sea Dragonkind.
• Zhong Mang blocked the chariot and begged Xu Xuan to let the Netherwhales join the Dragon Court, but Xu Xuan rejected him after learning they had harvested blood offerings from about a hundred thousand mortals.
• Xu Xuan secretly sent Heaven-Commanding Tribulation to punish Zhong Mang and continued to the Water Palace without revealing what he had done.
• Xu Xuan met Dongfang Lanqing, a late-stage Purple Mansion woman, and an Ink Qilin youth at the banquet, while the Turtle Minister reported that Yang Linzhou would arrive late.
• Dongfang Lanqing said his father had entered the sea realm and that the venerable elder was overseeing the Vast Radiance Lineage.

At the Vast Sea Hall, Xu Xuan learned more about Yuan Jia’s Altar Thunder abilities and his past battle with the Celestial Pivot Sword Immortal. Yuan Jia challenged Xu Xuan to a duel, and Xu Xuan accepted as the two prepared to fight in Dongfang Lanqing’s palace.

• Yuan Jia introduced himself as a Qilin descendant, and Gao Chen welcomed Xu Xuan while discussing the Mist Marsh Dragon Court’s blockade.
• Xu Xuan learned that Yuan Jia’s father was Hua Leizi, a renowned Altar Thunder cultivator, and discovered that Yuan Jia wielded Heaven-Commanding Tribulation and Righteous Punishment.
• Yuan Jia described how the Celestial Pivot Sword Immortal had nearly killed him, and credited Gao Chen’s true fire with healing his wound.
• Yuan Jia produced a Heavenly Register that could grant him Primordial Sequence and proposed a Thunder Arts duel with Xu Xuan.
• Xu Xuan accepted Yuan Jia’s challenge, while Gao Chen assured them that the duel could proceed safely in Dongfang Lanqing’s domain.

Xu Xuan and Yuan Jia dueled with thunder arts on the former Doomed Palace’s Dao Platform, where Yuan Jia’s Five Thunders Heavenly Smite pushed Xu Xuan to the brink. Xu Xuan grasped a new understanding of yin and yang thunder, countered the attack with chaos-infused shock thunder, and left Yuan Jia recognizing True Lord Xuanhun’s method.

• Dongfang Lanqing brought Xu Xuan and Yuan Jia to the Desolate Fire Forest and prepared the Doomed Palace’s Dao Platform for their duel.
• Yuan Jia invoked the Primordial Sequence and attacked Xu Xuan with altar thunder, while Xu Xuan answered with his thunder marsh, sword intent, and wrathful water-fire.
• Yuan Jia summoned the Five Thunders Binding Qilin Ring and unleashed the Five Thunders Heavenly Smite, breaking through Xu Xuan’s thunder marsh.
• Xu Xuan endured the smite with his three-headed, six-armed form and multiple spirit artifacts while contemplating Yuan Jia’s account of thunder and the five virtues.
• Xu Xuan discovered that yin and yang pressing against each other produced shock thunder, then used chaos-infused lightning to knock away Yuan Jia’s Thunder Mace and catch the five-thunder ring.
• Yuan Jia recognized Xu Xuan’s method as True Lord Xuanhun’s.

Xu Xuan defeated Yuan Jia in a thunder duel, then heard the assembled demons discuss the coming turmoil on land and the approaching return of Primordial Heaven. The chapter left Xu Xuan weighing how its arrival might affect his own path to the Dao.

• Xu Xuan's Chaos-infused Shock Thunder overcame Yuan Jia's defenses and hurled him into the sea, deciding their contest.
• Yuan Jia returned unharmed at full strength through [Righteous Punishment], and Gao Chen healed both fighters with True Fire from an Ancient Wutong Tree.
• Dongfang Lanqing asked how Xu Xuan had created Chaos Thunder, and Xu Xuan attributed his insight to the Thunder Palace art [Thunder-Grasping Formation].
• At Dongfang Lanqing's banquet, Yuan Jia declared his intent to enter the land wars while Xu Xuan said he would stay out of them.
• Dongfang Lanqing revealed that Primordial Heaven would return to the Western Sea within a few hundred years, possibly restoring lost lineages and allowing rare Golden Ranks to be pursued.
• Xu Xuan considered how Primordial Heaven's return might affect the [Interflowing Union] Immortal Register and his own attempt to attain the Dao.

Xu Xuan attended a gathering at the Vast Origin Water Palace, where Yuan Jia refused to trade Qilin Mountain’s altar thunder, and Gao Chen invited Xu Xuan to visit her palace and seek her help forging armor. Back in his Inner Scenery, Xu Xuan brought the Hanging Heaven Mixed Thunder Book into the Dao-Contemplation Hall and glimpsed a vast thunder marsh and a Kui beast behind him.

• Yuan Jia refused Xu Xuan’s request for an altar thunder treasure, citing Qilin Mountain’s strict rules and his father’s past pursuit of leaked Thunder Palace arts.
• Gao Chen asked about Xu Xuan’s marriage and explained how immortal bloodlines produced offspring; Yuan Jia then rejected her mention of Qingjue and left the gathering.
• Gao Chen invited Xu Xuan to visit her at the Hong Fire Palace and offered to forge his armor, after which Xu Xuan departed for the Ren Sea with Mo Xi.
• Xu Xuan examined the Hanging Heaven Mixed Thunder Book in his Inner Scenery and concluded it might hold True Lord Xuanhun’s secret inheritance.
• Xu Xuan carried the Dao text into the Dao-Contemplation Hall, where he saw a vast lightning marsh and a Kui beast standing behind him.

Xu Xuan studied the new Shock Thunder inheritance and realized that True Lord Xuanhun's path through Yin-Yang and primordial chaos could conflict with the Ancient Era Golden Ranks. He decided to pretend to seek [Lightning Flash] while secretly preparing to ascend [Interflowing Union], and ended by examining a method for seeking a Golden Position without revealing [Dao-Mixed Mystery].

• Xu Xuan witnessed the ancient history of Thunder Marsh and saw the exalted name [Thunder moves without blame] appear on the Dao Text.
• Xu Xuan entered the Most High Pavilion and received [Mystery Mystic Thunder Unification Secrets], a higher form of [Self-Reflection] that required no celestial virtue.
• Xu Xuan learned that the secrets interpreted Shock Thunder through Yin-Yang and could lead him toward [Interflowing Union], while [Heavenly Drum] and [Lightning Flash] represented the Ancient Era tradition.
• Xu Xuan suspected that seeking [Lightning Flash] could put him at odds with True Lord Xuanhun, while seeking [Interflowing Union] could help the lord perfect his Dao.
• Xu Xuan resolved to feign an intent to seek [Lightning Flash] and secretly switch to [Interflowing Union] when pursuing a Golden Position.
• Xu Xuan took out the Radiant Illumination Profound Scripture and resolved to cultivate [Radiance Illuminates the Night] without exposing [Dao-Mixed Mystery].