Chapter Summaries

Emperor Lord Nanxian defeated Heavenly Lotus Light, whose death shattered the Buddhist Pure Lands and brought the Buddhist forces at White Lotus Mountain to defeat. Chi’s authority and feats were proclaimed across the heavens, establishing his title as the Southern Emperor.

• Xiao Jun’s bloodline reacted to the rise of Mars, and the Great Spirit gave him a Cold-Iron Beast Eye so he could look directly at Chi.
• Li Fire struck Heavenly Lotus Light’s Dharma Form, while the golden Buddha Embryo escaped into Great Luo.
• Xu Xuan and the allied cultivators subdued Tian Tanban as the Pure Lands collapsed and Buddhist Vow Power vanished.
• Tian Tanban admitted defeat, offered to sever the Pure Lands’ links and release the mortals in Rebirth, then died before finishing.
• Jianshi, Zhang Yu, and Xu Xuan recognized that Heavenly Lotus Light had fallen and that Li Fire had surpassed their expectations.
• Li Fires and Ghost Gods proclaimed Chi’s name and deeds, naming him [True Lord Yingli Yuanli Nanxian], designating him [Emperor Lord Tianxian Fenqi Xuan Lang], and titling him [Southern Emperor].

After Rebirth fell and Heavenly Lotus Light was slain, Song Yuanli delivered the Southern Emperor’s decree to attack Liao Capital in three years and pressed Chan Wei over Qingjing’s attempt to seek the golden position. Xu Xuan suspected the coming crisis over dui metal was tied to Panmi and planned to visit the Southern Capital before setting out for Kunlun.

• Xu Xuan sensed that Chi’s li fire achievements had stirred the calamity blessing fruit position, and his Righteous Punishment advanced to perfection as he observed a concealed yi wood Pale Star.
• After the battlefield was pacified, Song Yuanli announced that the Southern Emperor would attack Liao Capital in three years.
• Xiao Jun vowed that the Xiao Clan would fight the Song Clan alone in the final battle.
• Song Yuanli ordered Chan Wei to tell Qingjing to prepare to seek the golden position, threatening to force him out if he refused.
• Northern Yin told Xu Xuan that the Imperial House wanted to learn whether dui metal was unclaimed, while Xu Xuan suspected Qingjing would fail and that Panmi might be involved.
• Xu Xuan considered using his military merits in the Southern Capital to obtain the Five Phases Hall before planning his fifth cultivation art and journey to Kunlun.

Xu Xuan returned to Red Cloud after the northern campaign and announced that the Sect would attack the Liao Capital in three years. In the Southern Capital, Tian'ou learned that Ying Cuan and his lord were preparing to pursue the Southern Emperor’s rise, with Supreme Unity’s remnants as part of their plan.

• Xu Xuan calmed the flooded Li River, then reunited with Liu Xingfang, Liu Shu Han, and Liu Lingxin at the riverbank.
• Xu Xuan told Xu Ming and Song Qing that Heavenly Lotus Light had been slain, Rebirth had been broken, and the attack on the Liao Capital would come in three years.
• Xu Xuan ordered Xu Ming and Song Qing to prepare to accompany him to a victory banquet in the Southern Capital.
• Tian'ou complained to Xie Kuo that he had been excluded from the northern campaign, then asked about the treasury accounts.
• Ying Cuan warned Tian'ou not to interfere with his lord’s plans and said Vast Wood was near death and would be burned away after the Liao campaign.
• Ying Cuan revealed that Dust-Sweeping supported his lord and that the remnants of Supreme Unity could be unsealed to aid the Southern Emperor.

Song Yuanxian oversaw Vast Wood’s near destruction and arranged safeguards for the Song Clan’s plan to help the True Lord of Li Fire ascend. He ordered Yingluo to bring Bai Ze to Liyang Heaven so he could learn who was behind Calamity Blessing.

• Song Zong Zheng reported that Yuanli and Yuanyin were watching Great Peace and Tianxi, and described the Divine Abilities being cultivated by Tianxi, Song Mingli, and King Wushan.
• Song Yuanxian ordered Song Zong Zheng to take an edict to Azure Cloud Heaven and have Upper Firmament resume worship of the Emperor’s statue.
• Song Zong Zheng urged Song Yuanxian to summon or kill True Person Azure Origin, but Song Yuanxian revealed that the statue could connect Azure Cloud Heaven to Liyang Heaven and burn Upper Firmament with Li Fire.
• Song Yuanxian sent Song Zong Zheng to deliver the warning to Upper Firmament and said Jiang Ku could use True Lord Qingxiao’s immortal remains if Upper Firmament acted suspiciously.
• Song Yuanxian summoned Yingluo and ordered him to bring Bai Ze from Northern Mountain to identify the source of Calamity Blessing, threatening to seize and roast Bai Ze if he refused.

After the feast, Xu Xuan exchanged his battle merits in the Imperial House’s private treasury for the [Five Phases Hall], Daoist Canons, Spirit Treasures, and a powerful water-and-fire formation. He learned more about the Supreme Rites path before a disturbance revealed that someone was sacrificing to the original position of calamity blessing.

• Weihua hosted Xu Xuan, Yin Guang, Xi Wuya, and Liu Xingfang at a private Thunder Department feast and worried about the department’s future as Great Li prepared to attack Liao.
• Xie Kuo escorted Xu Xuan to the Southern Sparrow Treasury, where Xu Xuan received the [Five Phases Hall] and exchanged battle merits for Daoist Canons and Spirit Treasures.
• Xu Xuan selected the [Heavenly Feather Water and Fire Grand Formation], planning to deploy it with Su Wei Mountain and replenish its water and fire.
• Xie Kuo explained the origins and weakened state of the Supreme Rites path before leaving when His Majesty summoned him.
• Xu Xuan sensed that someone was offering sacrifices to calamity blessing’s original position and wondered where it was happening.

Song Yuanxian sacrificed Bai Ze’s divine body to draw calamity blessing back toward the primordial beginning dao and prepare a countermeasure against whoever controlled it. Xu Xuan recognized the Song Clan’s interference, resolved to suppress calamity blessing if needed, and suspected True Lord Nanxian planned to unite the realm before plunging it into war.

• Song Yuanxian used Li fire to burn Bai Ze’s divine body, hoping its sacrifice would return calamity blessing to the primordial beginning dao and hinder its hidden controller.
• Song Yuanxian sent Yingluo to watch the White Altar practitioner and considered having Qingjing probe whether the True Lord behind the upheaval had fallen.
• Xu Xuan sensed the sacrifice from Southern Capital and learned from Tiantuo that the Song Clan’s ritual was making it harder for him to wield calamity blessing.
• Xu Xuan realized he could halt yin-yang activity through the Immortal Stele and make calamity blessing cease to manifest.
• Xu Xuan concluded that True Lord Nanxian might exploit both Great Li’s unification and a later catastrophe to complete his manifestations, and resolved to oppose the plan.

Xiao Huaimi and Xiao Jun investigated Yuandan’s head and suspected that a hidden being had tampered with Yelü Tan, so they sacrificed Yelü Tan’s heart and refined Calamity Blessing to make contact. Their ritual succeeded: Yelü Tan’s true spirit vanished from the Thought Kingdom, leaving Xiao Huaimi convinced that the unseen force wielded Immortal Arts.

• Yelü Tan tortured Yuandan’s head for information, but Xiao Huaimi said neither the head nor Yuandan’s soul had revealed anything useful.
• Xiao Jun killed Yelü Tan by extracting his heart, then explained that the Emperor Lord suspected someone had tampered with Yelü Tan and Calamity Blessing.
• Xiao Huaimi said the Emperor Lord wanted to meet the being behind the interference, who might be an injured True Immortal or a Golden Core cultivator with a supreme Immortal Artifact.
• Xiao Huaimi used Yelü Tan’s heart and Yuandan’s head in a sacrificial ritual to attract ghost gods and contact the hidden being.
• After the sacrifice was accepted, Xiao Huaimi sensed that Yelü Tan’s true spirit had disappeared from the Thought Kingdom and realized the being had used Immortal Arts.

Xu Xuan refined the five-phase Spirit Treasures and uncovered how altar thunder attested the innate five phases, allowing him to complete the Thunder-Grasping Formation Art. He then sensed Yelü Tan approaching as an extension of Lingsa’s Dharma Form and decided to receive him despite Chi’s likely suspicions.

• Xu Xuan refined five phase-aligned Spirit Treasures and used them to build the Five Phases Hall, but his attempts to summon Thunder Palace cultivators failed until he incorporated the Water-Fire Malevolent Armor.
• Xu Xuan realized that dying insight could imitate altar thunder, which served as proof of the innate five phases, and successfully activated the Thunder-Grasping Formation Art to summon Divine Guards and immortal generals.
• Xu Xuan concluded that roaming union linked the innate and acquired, while Tiantuo speculated that Penglai had helped Shangyou because taboo wood sought transformation into the innate.
• Xu Xuan sensed Yelü Tan approaching as an extension of Lingsa’s Dharma Form and concluded that Chi had guessed who stood behind calamity blessing.
• Xu Xuan rejected Tiantuo’s suggestion to refuse Yelü Tan, deciding to receive him and suppress him inside the Grotto-Heaven if necessary.

Yelü Tan entered Mysterious Heaven on the Shepherding Spirit Emperor’s orders and discovered that Tiantuo and Xu Xuan controlled Calamity Blessing. After Tiantuo spared him, Yelü Tan explained that the Emperor believed Mysterious Heaven’s plans involved Primordial Heaven and Postnatal Heaven.

• Yelü Tan arrived at the Immortal-Granting Bureau and was pinned down by Tiantuo for probing Mysterious Heaven.
• Tiantuo revealed his Daoist name, Shao Hua, and Yelü Tan recognized him as the Heavenly Demon from the lower realm.
• Xu Xuan appeared as Shi Xian, an extension of Lingsa overseeing Calamity Blessing, and trapped Yelü Tan in his hand.
• Xu Xuan threatened Yelü Tan, but Tiantuo released him and agreed that Mysterious Heaven needed support in the mortal world.
• Yelü Tan said the Shepherding Spirit Emperor believed Mysterious Heaven’s plans involved Primordial Heaven and Postnatal Heaven.

Xu Xuan weighed the risks of using the roaming union golden nature to advance his dragon body and sought a safer way to pursue the Golden Core. A sacrifice revealed Penglai as the next lead for his dragon body, while his human body would travel to Kunlun.

• Tiantuo used Yelü Tan to reveal that Great Simplicity had crossed the Primordial Gate, then Xu Xuan sent Yelü Tan away before he exposed their weakness.
• Xu Xuan decided that the dragon body's success and faster shock thunder cultivation would shape their plans, and he planned to seek help from the Northern River Dragon Palace and the Kui Dragon.
• Xu Xuan worried that directly refining the roaming union golden nature could allow True Lord Shangyou to return within him, and Tiantuo suggested using an Immortal Elixir instead.
• Xu Xuan sacrificed Yuan E's fate through the Immortal Stele and received the revelation [Penglai].
• Xu Xuan decided that his dragon body would investigate Penglai while his human body traveled to Kunlun.

At Peaceful Mountain, Qingjing prepared to seek the Golden Position and refused to entrust the Great Peace Dao Lineage to Lü Zhao. In Eastern Azure, Xu Xuan visited his son Mu Sheng and was offered the Venerable Jia Thunder-Shock position, but rejected it because it would require a wait of six hundred years.

• Qingjing recovered the Supreme Unity Divine Fire Order and told Lü Zhao that he would seek proof in ten days.
• Lü Zhao refused to preside over the Great Peace Dao Lineage and said he would ensure Lü Guan reached Purple Mansion before leaving to pursue his own Great Dao.
• Xu Xuan traveled to Eastern Azure to visit Mu Sheng before the dragon prince emerged from seclusion and broke through to Foundation Establishment.
• Cave Azure told Xu Xuan that Mu Sheng needed another day or two before emerging and warned him against rushing to complete his Divine Abilities.
• Cave Azure offered to help Xu Xuan inherit the Venerable Jia Thunder-Shock position after about six hundred years, but Xu Xuan declined because the wait was too long.

Xu Xuan watched Mu Sheng establish his immortal foundation and discussed the nature of shock thunder with Cave Azure, who guided him toward investigating Shangyou’s death. Cave Azure gave Xu Xuan a token for Penglai, leaving him to question whose interests the Dragon Lord truly served.

• Mu Sheng emerged from seclusion with his immortal foundation established, chose a giant hammer instead of a sword, and received Xu Xuan’s Three Heads, Six Arms Shock Thunder Aspect spell.
• Cave Azure explained that ancient and modern shock thunder were unified through the evolution of mixed thunder, prompting Xu Xuan to reconsider how cultivators could seek the Heavenly Drum and Lightning Flash positions.
• Xu Xuan asked Cave Azure about investigating Shangyou’s past, and Cave Azure directed him to Upper Reaches Mountain and Penglai Isle, warning that the Yi Wood Demonic Path might oppose him.
• Cave Azure gave Xu Xuan a Dragon-Patterned Azure Leaf token to visit Penglai, and Xu Xuan wondered whether Cave Azure represented Eastern Azure, the dragonkin, or only himself.

Xu Xuan, traveling under the name Dragon King Mingdu, visited Penglai to secure passage through the Hidden Sea and learn about True Lord Shangyou. Huaiyin explained Shangyou’s connection to Penglai’s Living Coffin and the failed attempt to heal Lady Radiant Peach Heaven, while Penglai’s leaders resolved to wait and judge Xu Xuan’s hidden capabilities.

• Xu Xuan entered Penglai and asked Huaiyin for permission to cross the Hidden Sea while seeking the Golden Position.
• After Xu Xuan said Cave Azure of the Eastern Azure Immortal Sect had sent him, Huaiyin revealed Shangyou’s lineage and explained how he sought Shock Thunder through Penglai’s Living Coffin.
• Huaiyin told Xu Xuan that Penglai had supported Shangyou in hopes that thunder’s Creation would heal Lady Radiant Peach Heaven’s injuries, but both efforts failed.
• Xu Xuan suggested that Lightning Flash might help Lady Radiant Peach Heaven and left Penglai to continue preparing for his journey north.
• Huaiyin and a woman in deep-emerald robes discussed Xu Xuan’s possible backing and decided to wait for Lady Radiant Peach Heaven’s wishes while assessing his abilities.

Xu Xuan visited the Cold Storage Dragon Palace to enlist White Silk's help and declared that he would seek the golden position within sixty years. White Silk sent him to meet Duke Kui Dragon at Cold Gate, where Xu Xuan entered the newly cycling Thunder Pivot unharmed, astonishing Duke Kui Dragon.

• Xu Xuan surveyed the Northern Sea and noted the powerful origin magnetism east of it before traveling north to the Cold Storage Dragon Palace.
• Xu Xuan told White Silk that he planned to seek the golden position within sixty years, and White Silk warned him that the schedule was too hasty.
• White Silk directed Xu Xuan to meet Duke Kui Dragon at Cold Gate, and Luo An guided him through the dangerous darkness and thunder.
• Xu Xuan met Duke Kui Dragon, who questioned his plan and suggested he approach the Thunder Pivot during its rare cycle to accelerate his cultivation.
• Xu Xuan entered the Thunder Pivot's gathering Thunder Marsh, where the shock thunder welcomed him without harm, leaving Duke Kui Dragon astonished.

Xu Xuan learned from Duke Kui Dragon about shock thunder’s divine office, the True Lord’s instructions, and the dangers of seeking the Golden Rank of Roaming Union. Troubled by the opposing aims implied in their revelations and the shattered position proof, Xu Xuan accepted Kui Dragon’s token to visit Upper Reaches Mountain and investigate True Lord Shangyou’s path.

• Duke Kui Dragon explained that shock thunder’s divine office had been transferred to Altar and that the present Lord of Shock Thunder occupied its divine nature.
• Luo An departed, and Xu Xuan asked her to tell the Southern Sea that he would cultivate in seclusion for several years.
• Kui Dragon said the True Lord had instructed him to watch over Xu Xuan and help him prove the Dao of sound and qi, while Xu Xuan questioned whether their goals aligned.
• Kui Dragon described True Lord Shangyou’s failed Golden Rank and said Roaming Union’s [Initiation and Decision] position proof had been destroyed, making the path dangerous and nearly impossible.
• Xu Xuan revealed that he had achieved Mixed Thunder through the Thunder-Grasping Formation and asked about Upper Reaches Mountain.
• Kui Dragon gave Xu Xuan a Profound Token to present at Upper Reaches Mountain, and Xu Xuan resolved to learn what happened when True Lord Shangyou proved his Dao.

Xu Xuan questioned Pang Qingyi at Shanghai Mountain about the Wave Union position proof and True Lord Shangyou’s fall, but she refused to explain the death. On his way to Cold Gate, he was confronted by Crimson Cicadas Child, an Immortal Affiliate who warned him against entering the Shanghai Dao Lineage, and Xu Xuan vowed to make his enemies stumble.

• Xu Xuan visited Shanghai Mountain and asked Pang Qingyi about the Wave Union position proof, the spectacle when True Lord Shangyou attained the Dao, and how the True Lord fell.
• Pang Qingyi said the position proof was related to the Sword Dao and described the Altar Thunder tribulation, but refused to discuss the True Lord’s death.
• Xu Xuan left the Heavenly Essence Sea and encountered Crimson Cicadas Child, who said he served True Lord Primordial Heaven Mystic Fire Yuan Sui and had been ordered to watch over the Mystic Unity Jianghe Dao Lineage.
• Crimson Cicadas Child demanded to inspect Xu Xuan’s soul and divine abilities, then attacked him with true fire when Xu Xuan refused.
• Xu Xuan defended himself with his sword, Shock Thunder abilities, and a dusky-violet cauldron, prompting Crimson Cicadas Child to withdraw after warning him not to enter the Shanghai Dao Lineage.
• Xu Xuan realized Crimson Cicadas Child had likely warned Pang Qingyi to keep him out and vowed to make those who controlled others’ fates stumble.

Qingjing prepared to seek the Dui golden position under pressure from Song Yuanli, while recalling the Qing clan’s history and paying homage to its ancestor. In Shu, Liu Xiaowen and Liu Xingfang surveyed their restored mountain and saw signs that Peaceful Mountain was beginning its attempt.

• Qingjing instructed Qing Zhang on clan affairs and warned him about Zou Huanyue and Lü Zhao before sending him away.
• Song Yuanli confronted Qingjing, gave him three days to prepare, and threatened to make the Qing bleed if he delayed again.
• Qingjing examined the Qing clan’s inherited horse figurines, then offered incense to Qing Jianzhou and ate one of the metal fruits.
• Liu Xiaowen and Liu Xingfang discussed Great Mystery Mountain, the sect’s plans for it, and the dangers facing Shu.
• Liu Xiaowen suggested they watch Peaceful Mountain seek the golden position, while Liu Xingfang thought the Qing seemed destined for decline.

Xu Xuan and True Person Nanwang watched Peaceful Mountain prepare for Great True Person Qingjing’s attempt to seek Dui, while Xu Xuan discussed shock thunder, his disciples, and the prospects of the Great Scarlet First Monastery. As autumn rain and killing winds spread over Yue Land, Qingjing began the ceremony.

• Xu Xuan and True Person Nanwang arrived near Peaceful Mountain and discussed Qing’s decline and the strength of its remaining True Persons.
• Xu Xuan reflected on cultivating [Self-Reflection] with Calamity Blessing, and Tiantuo defended his record against Kui Dragon’s prospects for claiming a golden position.
• Liu Xiaowen and Liu Xingfang arrived and greeted Xu Xuan and Nanwang, who considered the Great Scarlet First Monastery’s future and Xu Fayan’s potential.
• Autumn rain and killing winds spread across Yue Land as Qingjing appeared atop Peaceful Mountain and declared that he would undertake Seeking Dui.

Qingjing faced pressure from Song Yuanli and the other cultivators as Peaceful Mountain’s remaining strength dwindled. Recalling how the True Lord had appointed him master of Peaceful Mountain, he chose to pursue the White Emperor of the West’s fruit position and began transforming into Dui Metal.

• Song Yuanli taunted Qingjing while True Person Wuyi and Lü Guan held back those gathered at Peaceful Mountain, and True Person Chan Wei presided over the Grand Formation.
• Qingjing remembered Peaceful Mountain’s decline, the deaths of his relatives and disciples, and how his junior brother Lü Zhao had once been persuaded to stay.
• In a memory of his first audience with the True Lord, Qingjing received a decree naming him the next master of Peaceful Mountain and heard the warning, “Once you have taken it up, you must never set it down.”
• Qingjing recalled the decree and concluded that he could only pursue a fruit position, resolving to become the White Emperor of the West like Song Lang had verified his Dao through war.
• Qingjing told the watching cultivators to observe as he dissolved into boundless void Dui Metal and began transforming its hardness and softness.

Qingjing failed to seize the Dui Metal position, and Dui Origin Heaven collapsed, destroying the Qing Clan’s Grotto-Heaven. Xu Xuan gathered Dui Metal destiny from the ruins and divined that Upholding Reform had fallen, then wondered whether the Li Emperor’s weapon had also been a broken sword.

• Qingjing used the two horse statues to bring Geng Metal into the chaotic Dui imagery, but Dui Metal turned against him and reduced his Dharma Body to ash.
• Lü Zhao and True Person Yingxin intervened, and Lü Zhao ordered everyone to withdraw as Dui Origin Heaven fell apart.
• The Song Clan shielded Yue Land from the collapse, but Dui Origin Heaven shattered and Peaceful Mountain lost its hold over the region.
• Xu Xuan absorbed a strand of Dui Metal destiny through Calamity Blessing and formed an incomplete blade in the Great Scarlet Heaven.
• Xu Xuan divined Upholding Reform’s fate and saw only a deathly void filled with broken swords, leading him to question whether the Li Emperor’s weapon was also a broken sword.