Chapter Summaries

Liu Xingfang settled into life at Green Luo while Xu Xuan met Jingyan of the Great Moonlight Temple, who revealed the Wilderness of Witches’ plan to use Xu Xuan and the Hollow Sword Gate in a ritual to restore the Calamity Poison lineage. The chapter left Xu Xuan aware that the Wilderness of Witches was targeting him because of his connection to Ancient Shu’s sword Dao.

• Liu Xingfang practiced in his courtyard until Liu Xiaowen and Zhang Gaoxia visited and took him to see Longbright.
• Wang Qiyun confronted Jingyan at Horse-Tethering Road, and Xu Xuan arrived before learning that Jingyan came from the Great Moonlight Temple and meant no harm.
• Jingyan showed Xu Xuan an ancient painting that triggered a vision of the Calamity Poison lineage’s origins and a devastating sword strike that injured Xu Xuan.
• Jingyan used the Glazed Treasure Box to heal Xu Xuan, who recovered and achieved the second extraordinary manifestation of the Jade Blood Heavenly Heart Art.
• Jingyan explained that the Wilderness of Witches needed a Purple Mansion cultivator touched by Ancient Shu’s sword destiny and planned to use Xu Xuan and the sect leader of the Hollow Sword Gate in its scheme.

Xu Xuan learned that developing sword intent could protect him from the Great Shaman of Heavenly Poison Mountain, then used a Mysterious Yin Reverse Scale to create a flood-dragon incarnation. In Mountain Flame City, Yang Yuanxin and Yang Yuanyi awaited a dragon scion who might enter the outer palaces and find a rare Shock Thunder cultivation method.

• Jingyan warned Xu Xuan that Heavenly Poison Mountain had targeted him and that developing sword intent could turn the Great Shaman into his supporter.
• Tiantuo explained that Xu Xuan's lineage and the secret keys to [Calamity Poison] tied the factions together, then gave him a [Mysterious Yin Reverse Scale] for an external body.
• Xu Xuan used the reverse scale to form a flood-dragon incarnation, studied the Mist Marsh Secret Scroll, and cultivated the [Sky-Venerating Eye].
• In Mountain Flame City, Luo Shunfu of the Thunder Edict Path asked Yang Yuanxin to cooperate over [Surging Tribulation Heaven], but she refused him.
• Yang Yuanxin and Yang Yuanyi reported to their lord, who said they would test the Great Mist Marsh dragon scion and revealed that the outer palaces held the higher-tier [Tribulation Heart Pool] method.

Xu Xuan left Red Cloud in a flood dragon incarnation and traveled to Chonghua, where he posed as the fugitive dragon scion Mu Youdu to gain the trust of the Fire Crows. Demon King Dao Yan accepted his story provisionally and gave him an ancient thunderfire pearl as an apology, while the Fire Crows prepared to help him enter the outer palaces.

• Xu Xuan transferred his consciousness into the flood dragon incarnation and swam west along the Li River, paying a toll to the Rain-Making Demon General's alligator guard.
• Xu Xuan reached Mountain Flame City, where Yang Yuanxin recognized him and escorted him to Flame-Offering Mountain.
• Xu Xuan met Demon King Dao Yan, revealed his Mysterious Yin Reverse Scale, and claimed he had fled the Dragon Court after his stepmother killed his mother.
• Dao Yan sent Yang Yuanxin to verify Xu Xuan's account and questioned him about his bloodline and prospects for cultivation.
• Yang Yuanxin confirmed that the clan records supported Xu Xuan's story and presented him with the Universalizing Thunderfire Pearl as an apology.

Xu Xuan maintained his disguise as Mu Youdu while the Fire Crow clan investigated his Dragon Court bloodline and prepared to enter Surging Tribulation Heaven. He entered the heavenly ruins with Yang Yuanxin and reached the palace ruins, where his purple lightning reacted to a shock-thunder cultivation method.

• Yang Yuanyi and the Fire Crow ancestor concluded that Mu Youdu's genuine bloodline made his claim plausible, and the ancestor told Dao Yan to treat him courteously and use him for the expedition.
• Dao Yan learned that his grandfather's metal-path wound might be healed with origin liquid from Surging Tribulation Heaven, while the Fire Crow ancestor confirmed Xu Xuan qualified to enter.
• Xu Xuan asked Tiantuo about the Dragon Court identity; Tiantuo said the Dragon King knew the name Mu Youdu and that Xu Xuan's borrowed identity helped conceal Tiantuo's karmic entanglements.
• Dao Yan carried Xu Xuan and Yang Yuanxin to the Nine Heavens Universalizing gate, where they joined the gathered cultivators and entered the scripture repository.
• Xu Xuan and Yang Yuanxin crossed the thunder-wreathed ruins, and Xu Xuan's purple lightning reacted strongly to a shock-thunder cultivation method within the palaces.

Xu Xuan entered the Law-Observing Hall, endured its lightning tribulation, and obtained the fifth-grade Marsh Thunder Dragon-Treading Scripture. After defeating Zhang Mingyuan and forcing Cang Shi to surrender his cultivation method, he began recovering as the other inheritance fights ended.

• Xu Xuan sealed Tiantuo with clear qi and entered the Law-Observing Hall, where twelve cultivators gathered before the inheritance tribulations began.
• Xiao Xueya obtained the sixth-grade Scripture of Facing Heaven and Giving Thanks for Thunder, then fought Luo Shunfu and his two allies when they tried to seize it.
• Xu Xuan transformed into an azure flood dragon, survived his tribulation, and received the Marsh Thunder Dragon-Treading Scripture before Zhang Mingyuan and Cang Shi challenged him.
• Xu Xuan shattered Cang Shi's Northern Dipper grand talisman and defeated Zhang Mingyuan with the Universalizing Thunderfire Pearl and Great Thunder-Prayer Radiance.
• Xu Xuan let Cang Shi leave after the wolf demon surrendered the Rainfall Spirit-Walking Art, then healed while examining his two new cultivation methods.
• The remaining inheritance battles drew to a close, and Xu Xuan noticed that the masked woman in purple had obtained the other shock thunder method.

Xu Xuan watched Xiao Xueya claim a Divine Thunder manual, witnessed an imperial descendant obtain an Altar Thunder scripture, and reunited with Yang Yuanxin in the Text-Receiving Hall. After helping her and Bai Su drive off their attackers, Xu Xuan left with them and saw a battle erupt near the Daoist gate.

• Xiao Xueya defeated Luo Shunfu with his sacrificial saber art, while a Li Kingdom imperial descendant entered and took a Daoist book through the power of a Purple Mansion Spirit Artifact.
• Yun Cangyu approached Xu Xuan, described the history of the Law-Observing Thunder Ghosts, and warned him that Altar Thunder could not be discussed freely.
• Xu Xuan found Yang Yuanxin and Bai Su besieged in the Text-Receiving Hall, then wounded Daoist Xi Ming with the Universalizing Thunderfire Pearl and drove off the attackers.
• Bai Su gave Yang Yuanxin the original Spirit-Awakening Weapon-Absorption Art after explaining its role in nurturing the spirits of magical artifacts.
• Xu Xuan, Yang Yuanxin, and Bai Su reached the Nine Heavens Universalizing gate and saw golden thunder strike an iron-gray Dharma Body as someone shouted at Luo Lingming.

Xu Xuan secured the Marsh Thunder Dragon-Treading Scripture and agreed to help the Fire Crow clan locate Thunder Tribulation Liquid in Surging Tribulation Heaven. After swearing an oath and receiving the Perching-Flame True Feather, he left Flame-Offering Mountain and traveled toward Heavenwater, taking precautions against anyone tracking him.

• Lingming True Person and a Northern Liao Purple Mansion cultivator ended their standoff when a carriage from Great Li's imperial house intervened.
• Flame-Treader returned injured after swallowing one of an old rival's arms, confirmed Xu Xuan had obtained the Marsh Thunder Dragon-Treading Scripture, and brought him to Flame-Offering Mountain.
• Yang Yuanyi explained the Fire Crow clan's history and their plan to use Thunder Tribulation Liquid to restore Flame-Treader, asking Xu Xuan to enter Surging Tribulation Heaven and guide his father to it.
• Xu Xuan agreed to swear an oath with the Fire Crow clan, gave Yang Yuanxin the Dao book for safekeeping, and received the Perching-Flame True Feather.
• Tiantuo identified the feather's spark as Crimson Origin Dissolution Fire, and Xu Xuan left by water toward Heavenwater to avoid being followed.

Xu Xuan traced the [Goat-Spirit Earth-Nurturing] sign to the ruined Wei Household and learned that a Wei descendant had been abducted. When he questioned Ai Chenghui for information, Ai Chenghui revealed a mud-covered [Heart-Eating Puppet] beneath his estate and attacked him.

• Xu Xuan sensed the seal characters [Goat-Spirit Earth-Nurturing] and visions of a horned child being taken west into the desert.
• Tiantuo revealed that the Wei Household had cultivated [Nurturing Earth] and that its old True Person had died after Tiantuo escaped the Demon Refining Tower beneath Heavenwater Lake.
• Xu Xuan learned that the Wei Household's territory had been devastated and that the Ai Household was temporarily administering the ruins.
• Xu Xuan gave supplies and money to displaced mortals before traveling to the Ai Household estate to ask about Wei descendants and [Nurturing Earth] spiritual items.
• Tiantuo sensed something beneath the estate, and a mud-covered creature burst through the floor as Ai Chenghui withdrew and called it his [Heart-Eating Puppet].

Xu Xuan defeated Ai Chenghui and followed clues about the Wei Household’s surviving descendant into the Cloudsunken Desert, where he confronted the elusive thief Empty-Handed, also known as Duxin. Their battle escalated into a clash of thunder and ghostly arts, and the chapter ended with Duxin’s six azure attacks closing in on Xu Xuan.

• Xu Xuan killed Ai Chenghui’s Heart-Eating Puppet, subdued Ai Chenghui, and learned that the prisoners beneath the Ai Residence were Wei Household survivors whom Ai Chenghui had turned into mud slaves.
• Ai Chenghui told Xu Xuan that a Wei descendant had been traced to the Cloudsunken Desert and described the powerful thief Empty-Handed, who wielded Sword Qi.
• Xu Xuan traveled to the desert oasis market, identified the dead bandit leader Bai Er, and found that a fine strand of Sword Qi had killed him.
• Xu Xuan followed the trail to the Gobi and waited for the Wei descendant’s approach, then fought off several nearly invisible Sword Qi strikes.
• Empty-Handed revealed himself as Duxin, and the two exchanged names before resuming their fight after nightfall.
• Duxin used ghostly winds and azure attacks while Xu Xuan fought from a thunder marsh; a bull-headed apparition appeared, and six azure streaks rushed toward Xu Xuan.

Xu Xuan defeated Empty-Handed and rescued Wei Fayan, the dangerous descendant of the Wei Household, then carried him back toward Green Luo. After returning to his original body, Xu Xuan faced the problem of explaining Wei Fayan’s origins to his sect.

• Xu Xuan trapped Empty-Handed in the Thunder Marsh and defeated him with Great Marsh Cloud-Sink, then forced him to reveal Wei Fayan’s location.
• Xu Xuan found Wei Fayan beside his dead mother, learned of the child’s violent origins, and took him away after subduing him.
• Yinniang met the injured Empty-Handed and discussed their shared orders and the progress of others from the White Paper Blessed Land.
• Xu Xuan traveled with Wei Fayan to the Li River, swallowed him in Azure-Scaled Treasure Carp form, and sensed the Goat-Spirit Earth-Nurturing inscription drawing him toward Heavenwater.
• Xu Xuan returned to Green Luo, resumed his original body in True Abode Hall, and wondered how to explain Wei Fayan to his sect.

Wang Qiyun returned to Green Luo to visit Shen Shu and their son, then was summoned by the sect master. Meanwhile, Xu Xuan used a secret art to free Wei Fayan from his bestial nature and accepted him as a disciple under the name Xu Fayan.

• Wang Qiyun visited Shen Shu and their son, Cheng Yan, and reflected on the suspicious Demon Calamity that had devastated the Wen Household.
• Wang Qiyun received a summons from the sect master and left his family after Xu Xuan emerged from seclusion.
• Xu Xuan learned that a spirit creature had tried to possess Wei Fayan before birth, leaving the boy with bestial traits and troubled memories.
• Xu Xuan used the [Ghost-Cap Child] and the [Six Paths of Rebirth] secret art to draw off Wei Fayan's excess earth energy and restore his human nature.
• Wei Fayan remembered his mother and wept, then agreed to become Xu Xuan's disciple and take the name Xu Fayan.

Xu Xuan arranged to expand the sect’s recruitment and discussed loosening promotion standards with Wang Qiyun. He prepared to bring Xu Fayan into the sect under a fabricated family background, introduced him to Liu Xiaowen, and wondered whether Fayan might eventually receive the [Sword Rises from the Deep Abyss] seal script.

• Xu Xuan and Wang Qiyun discussed recruiting more disciples and creating paths for capable sect members to take on duties, though Xu Xuan said promotion rules needed further consideration.
• Tiantuo urged Xu Xuan to abandon the sect and focus on Liu Xiaowen and Xu Fayan, but warned that the sect’s legacy carried hidden dangers tied to reaching Purple Mansion.
• Xu Fayan told Xu Xuan he had reached early Fetal Breath, and Xu Xuan considered finding him a suitable earth-based cultivation method.
• Xu Xuan reviewed the techniques and implements he had acquired, including a fifth-grade Marsh Thunder Dragon-Treading Scripture and a sword pellet from Empty-Handed.
• Xu Xuan told Liu Xiaowen about Xu Fayan and asked him to help establish Fayan’s identity in the White Ridge Xu Household; Liu Xiaowen met Fayan and agreed to help.
• After leaving the two disciples together, Xu Xuan worried that Fayan’s talent and calculating nature might be difficult to manage, then considered whether Fayan could attain sword intent and receive the [Sword Rises from the Deep Abyss] seal script.

Wang Xiwei inspected White Stone’s mining and smelting work, promised to help Jiang Chiyu place his granddaughter Zhou Du with Wen Si'an, and worried about passing down his family’s artifact-refining inheritance. At Hollow Sword Gate, Zuo Hemo entrusted Qi Wen with the sect’s future and a letter for Xu Xuan before entering seclusion to pursue Foundation Establishment.

• Wang Xiwei surveyed White Stone with Jiang Chiyu, learned that the Earthflame Noon-Origin Tree was changing, and reviewed plans to smelt bloodfire essence iron.
• Jiang Chiyu told Wang Xiwei that his granddaughter Zhou Du had a six-inch spiritual root and hoped she could join Colorful Cloud Peak as Wen Si'an’s disciple; Wang Xiwei agreed to ask.
• Wang Xiwei studied Ye Father’s Fire-Tempering Manual and worried that his son Qiyun’s interest in formations would leave the family artifact-refining inheritance without an heir.
• Qi Wen told Zuo Hemo that the [Enshrined Mystery Sword Qi] would pass over Witch South, while the ancestral incense at Hollow Sword Gate had grown stronger alongside the Great Red Abbey’s.
• Zuo Hemo told Qi Wen to invite the Great Red Abbey to the sword trial, gave him the [Star River] Dharma Sword and a letter for Xu Xuan, and ordered him to take charge of the sect.
• Zuo Hemo announced that he would enter the sword pool and pursue Foundation Establishment, warning Qi Wen to kill anyone who resisted his authority.

Xu Xuan welcomed Xu Fayan into the sect and began preparing to train Cinnabar Thunder to help him master the Thunder Marsh. Xu Fayan settled on Frostreturn Peak, where Liu Xingfang distrusted him and Liu Xiaowen gave him a Spirit-Devouring Token.

• Xu Fayan completed his formal entry into the sect, and Xu Xuan sent Liu Xiaowen to take him to Frostreturn Peak.
• Wen Si'an accepted Xu Xuan's Rainfall Spirit-Walking Art and told him that Gao Xia was preparing to break through to Qi Refining.
• Xu Xuan decided to nurture Cinnabar Thunder's spirituality with the Spirit-Awakening Weapon-Absorption Art so it could help control the Thunder Marsh.
• Xu Xuan worried about finding a suitable cultivation method for Xu Fayan and considered going to the Plainlands to search for one.
• Liu Xiaowen brought Xu Fayan to his new courtyard, where Liu Xingfang greeted him but felt uneasy about his yellow eyes.
• Liu Xiaowen gave Xu Fayan the Spirit-Devouring Token before leaving, and Xu Fayan stood alone in the rain clutching it.

Zhang Gaoxia completed her breakthrough into Qi Refining and learned that Green Luo had recruited a promising new disciple. At White Stone, Xu Xuan discovered a scarlet egg inside the Earthflame Noon-Origin Tree, restored the tree with fire qi from the [Perching-Flame True Feather], and decided to raise the spirit within it.

• Zhang Gaoxia overcame the disturbance that had drained her primal qi and successfully broke through into Qi Refining.
• Wen Si'an brought Zhang Gaoxia to Clear Thought Hall to recover, told her about Xu Fa Yan, and offered to help her choose a spiritual peak.
• Xu Xuan found a scarlet egg surrounded by blood qi inside the Earthflame Noon-Origin Tree, and Tiantuo removed the blood qi to revive the tree.
• Xu Xuan chose to raise the egg's spirit, and Tiantuo drew a strand of golden fire from the [Perching-Flame True Feather] to restore the egg's vitality.
• Tiantuo claimed Xu Xuan owed him the blood qi of sixty-four Foundation Establishment cultivators, then described how a Nine-Aperture Stone Man had been suppressed beneath Great Benxiang Mountain.

Xu Xuan’s growing control over Cinnabar Thunder was interrupted when he discovered that his memories of his master’s wife, Feng, had been altered or concealed. After Tiantuo warned that the phenomenon might be a Divine Ability beyond human direction, Xu Xuan set the mystery aside and prepared to receive a visitor from the Hollow Sword Gate.

• Xu Xuan improved his Spirit-Awakening Weapon-Absorption Art, allowing Cinnabar Thunder to control part of the Thunder Marsh and fight independently.
• Xu Xuan waited with Zhang Gaoxia for Wen Si'an to emerge from seclusion after her breakthrough, then recalled their childhood beside the Mind-Cleansing Pool.
• Xu Xuan suddenly realized his memories of Feng were missing, but Wen Si'an identified Colorful Cloud Peak’s former master as Elder Si Miao'an.
• Xu Xuan searched the Founders' Hall and the sect history, finding that Feng had been recorded as a mortal who died during the Demon Calamity, though his memories contradicted that account.
• Tiantuo pulled Xu Xuan into his Qi Sea, warned him that the memory phenomenon might be a Divine Ability, and told him not to investigate further.
• A direct disciple of the Hollow Sword Gate arrived at Green Luo, and Constant Light stirred with Vermilion Radiance.

Xu Xuan received Qi Wen of the Hollow Sword Gate, learned about their sects’ shared origins, and agreed to exchange information and send disciples to the Ascendant Star Sword Assembly. After their Dharma Swords resonated, Xu Xuan discovered new phenomena in his qi sea, including a golden sun and a mysterious osmanthus tree, while Tiantuo warned him not to discuss dangerous matters.

• Qi Wen told Xu Xuan that Great Scarlet and the Hollow Sword Gate shared ancient ties and that the Hollow Sword Gate wanted the sects to keep each other informed as upheaval approached.
• Xu Xuan accepted Qi Wen’s invitation to send two disciples to the Ascendant Star Sword Assembly in seven years, where victors could enter the Sword Pool for marrow cleansing.
• Qi Wen brought out Star River, and it resonated with Xu Xuan’s Constant Light, producing unusual phenomena and prompting Xu Xuan to agree that their sects could watch over one another.
• After Qi Wen left, Tiantuo drew Xu Xuan into his qi sea and showed him a golden sun, a crimson centipede, and an osmanthus tree formed from Greater Yin qi and a Relic’s Dharma light.
• Tiantuo explained that the remaining Greater Yin qi might aid someone with a matching cultivation method, while using the Relic’s radiance on the immortal path could cost Xu Xuan some of his attainment.

After emerging from seclusion at the sixth level of Qi Refining, Wang Xiwei settled a dispute over his disciple Jiang Chiyu’s granddaughter and the family’s future role in a new town. Meanwhile, Liu Xiaowen and Liu Xingfang traveled to Du Wang City for its lantern fair, where they entered a cultivators’ restaurant and watched a veiled woman perform.

• Wang Xiwei met Jiang Chiyu, Jiang Liuyu, Madam Zhang, and Jiang Zhoudu after emerging from seclusion, and learned the couple wanted Zhoudu to join Rosy Dawn Peak rather than Colorful Cloud Peak.
• Wang Xiwei arranged for Jiang Liuyu and Madam Zhang to oversee parts of the new town near White Stone, while insisting that Zhoudu cultivate at Colorful Cloud Peak.
• Liu Xiaowen and Liu Xingfang asked Xu Xuan for permission to travel to Plainlands, and Xu Xuan gave them resources to buy spiritual materials for Liu Xiaowen’s Dharma Sword.
• Liu Xingfang told Liu Xiaowen about the lantern fair in Du Wang City, where rogue cultivators would sell rare goods, and the two changed their route to attend it.
• Liu Xiaowen and Liu Xingfang reached Du Wang City and went to Plum Studio, where they watched a veiled woman sing and play the zither.

Liu Xiaowen left the pavilion where Master Fan performed and searched Cloud Transformation Market for spiritual materials, trading for secret silver hidden water after arranging for Feng Lidao’s artifact to be forged by his sect. Near the market’s center, he encountered Master Fan again and sensed that her jade pendant resonated with the seal script on his spirit platform.

• Liu Xiaowen dismissed Master Fan’s performance as unsuitable for respectable company, recognized Duan Pingdu speaking with an unfamiliar monk, and left the pavilion to explore the lantern festival.
• Liu Xiaowen searched Cloud Transformation Market and exchanged a Qi Refining spiritual material for Feng Lidao’s secret silver hidden water as collateral for a future artifact-forging arrangement.
• Feng Lidao revealed his Ding Fire cultivation and the materials he wanted used in a Dharma Sword, then offered starstream flame as additional payment and swore a Heavenly Oath with Liu Xiaowen.
• Liu Xiaowen continued browsing the market and noticed Master Fan’s crescent-shaped jade pendant resonating with the seal script on his spirit platform.
• Master Fan’s maid scolded Liu Xiaowen for staring, and he saw that Master Fan’s eyes were lifeless and statue-like.

Liu Xiaowen joined Fan Huayan’s plan to enter a newly revealed Foundation Establishment residence, hoping to learn more about her jade pendant. After returning to Green Luo, he found Xu Xuan waiting beneath a pine tree, surrounded by restless lightning.

• Zanluo confronted Fan Huayan and transformed her maid Xianghe into a white fox, but Duan Pingdu identified Liu Xiaowen and sent Zanluo away.
• Fan Huayan used a gilded mirror to verify Liu Xiaowen’s fortune qi spirit spring cleansing, then proposed that they enter a residence near Jade Flow together.
• Fan Huayan told Liu Xiaowen the residence held Gift of Ascent Pills and other treasures, and they swore an oath, exchanged tokens, and agreed to meet again in a month.
• Liu Xiaowen asked about Fan Huayan’s jade pendant, and she said it was a keepsake from her mother with the ability to clear the mind.
• Liu Xiaowen met Liu Xingfang and returned to Green Luo, where he found Xu Xuan waiting beneath a pine with lightning stirring around him.