Recaps

Xu Taiping recognized that the battlefield below was a trap disguised as the scene he had foreseen, and persuaded Azure-Eyed Evil Lord to follow a risky plan instead of seizing Po Jun. The chapter ended as Azure-Eyed Evil Lord weighed Xu Taiping’s request to swap the elders with the distant Demon Dragons.

• Elder Zhuo used Po Jun for a devastating strike against two Demon Dragons, then fell as the sword’s power overwhelmed him.
• Cloud Crane True Lord told Azure-Eyed Evil Lord that Po Jun was in Elder Zhuo’s hands, and Xu Taiping urged everyone to head toward the battlefield while they talked.
• Xu Taiping examined the newly clear vision in his divine soul mark and saw Elder Zhuo and Qu Shuang attack their allies before a demonic ritual shattered the barriers.
• Azure-Eyed Evil Lord carried Xu Taiping above the battlefield and prepared to descend for the sword, but Xu Taiping warned that the sword and Elder Zhuo were not what they seemed.
• Xu Taiping asked Azure-Eyed Evil Lord to use Form- and Shadow-Transposition to swap Elder Zhuo and Elder Qu with the two Demon Dragons, despite the spell leaving him unable to cast others for a time.

Xu Taiping and Azure-Eyed Evil Lord fought the Demonic Beasts while suspecting that Ten Abysses Primordial Lord was trying to stop Azure-Eyed Evil Lord from claiming the real Po Jun Sword. Xu Taiping revealed a powerful soul art, and the chapter ended as he unleashed Raging Waves.

• Xu Taiping and Azure-Eyed Evil Lord saw the Demonic Beasts attack Zhuo Buming and the wounded Qu Shuang while Pearl Relic House Master, Cloud Crane True Lord, and Great Elder Lou struggled to defend them.
• Azure-Eyed Evil Lord flew down with Xu Taiping, and Xu Taiping reasoned that the Demonic Beasts were targeting Azure-Eyed Evil Lord to prevent him from obtaining the real Po Jun Sword.
• Azure-Eyed Evil Lord's attacks failed when the Hound Demons used the Sun-Howling Method to break his Sword Qi and Thunder Technique, while Zhuo Buming warned them that ordinary attacks would not work.
• Xu Taiping formed a hand seal and told Azure-Eyed Evil Lord that he could temporarily disable the Demonic Beasts' Divine Soul power with a soul art.
• Azure-Eyed Evil Lord recognized Xu Taiping's hand seal as Great Emperor Mysterious Wasteland's Mysterious Wasteland Seal, and Xu Taiping shouted “Raging Waves” as a hundred-zhang wave appeared.

Xu Taiping and the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord fought off a group of Demonic Beasts, and Xu Taiping used the Mysterious Wasteland Art, exhausting his divine essence. After the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord went to reinforce Pearl Relic and the others, Xu Taiping stayed behind with Zhuo Buming, gambling that the Demonic Beast would not attack him before targeting the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord.

• Xu Taiping unleashed Raging Waves, the first move of the Mysterious Wasteland Art’s Sea-Overturning Chapter, and the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord killed the stunned Demonic Beasts with his Sword Qi.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord nourished Xu Taiping’s divine essence and explained that his Sword Qi used the true intent Shatter the Corpse into Ten Thousand Pieces.
• Xu Taiping told the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord that Zhu Songyu had once praised his aptitude as a Sword Cultivator, prompting the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord to thank him.
• Xu Taiping introduced the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord to Zhuo Buming, who welcomed him and praised his swordsmanship, though the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord suspected Zhuo Buming was acting strangely.
• When Pearl Relic and his companions became locked in battle with the remaining Demonic Beasts, Xu Taiping arranged for the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord to go reinforce them while he stayed with Zhuo Buming.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord warned Xu Taiping to remain within three thousand zhang, and Xu Taiping stayed behind, betting that the Demonic Beast would target the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord first.

Xu Taiping carried the wounded Elder Zhuo Sword Immortal to the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord, while warning him that Elder Zhuo and Elder Qu might be the Demon Gods Black Hound and Dark Raven. The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord prepared to wield the Po Jun Sword as the group readied for battle and tried to prevent the Primordial Lord from awakening.

• Xu Taiping told the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord that the Treading the Sea Army's Divine Soul Mark identified Black Hound and Dark Raven as the only Demon Gods able to awaken the Primordial Lord, and urged him to have someone retrieve their true bodies and weapons.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord struck down the last Demonic Beasts near the bronze gates, and Elder Zhuo Sword Immortal praised his pure Sword Intent.
• After the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord said everything was ready, Xu Taiping carried Elder Zhuo Sword Immortal to Cloud Crane True Lord, who offered to treat his injuries.
• Elder Zhuo Sword Immortal insisted on handing the Po Jun Sword to the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord, who told Xu Taiping he had prepared to kill the two Demon Gods.

The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord exposed the Demonic Beasts’ ambush and switched them away just before they could self-destruct, though his clone was destroyed. Zhuo Buming regained his true form, and the group found him alive as Cloud Crane True Lord asked how the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord had detected the danger.

• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord accepted the Po Jun Sword from Zhuo Buming, then used Form- and Shadow-Transposition to redirect the Dark Raven’s attack when the sword transformed and Zhuo Buming revealed his Hound Demon form.
• The Dark Raven and Black Hound began transforming and preparing to self-destruct, but the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord struck them with Five Thunders Crashing Down.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord switched the Demonic Beasts with Zhuo Buming and the Po Jun Sword over thirty li away, where the beasts exploded; Cloud Crane True Lord raised a Gang Wind barrier to shield the group.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord’s clone burst apart, and Xu Taiping concluded that the Lotus Eye’s visions could warn of danger but could not be trusted in their specific details.
• Zhuo Buming and the Po Jun Sword fell from the sky in their true forms, and Cloud Crane True Lord and Pearl Relic House Master found Zhuo Buming alive.
• Cloud Crane True Lord asked the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord whether he had sensed the danger through his intuition.

Xu Taiping and the others watched Dark Raven and Dark Hound regenerate, a sign that the Ten Abysses Primordial Lord might awaken. Meanwhile, the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord faced the Po Jun Sword’s tests, and the chapter ended as both Demon Gods neared resurrection.

• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord warned Cloud Crane True Lord and the Pearl Relic House Master about the taboos of Heavenly Mechanism Divination Art.
• Dark Raven and Dark Hound began rebuilding their bodies after their explosions, confirming they could return from death.
• Xu Taiping reminded Cloud Crane True Lord and the Pearl Relic House Master that the Demon Gods’ return often heralded the Ten Abysses Primordial Lord’s awakening.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord waited for Great Elder Lou to bring their true bodies out of the Third-Level Barrier while studying the Po Jun Sword.
• Po Jun Sword tested the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord with a strike of sword qi, which he shattered, and he explained that only catching such a test would earn the sword’s willing acknowledgment.
• Dark Hound’s body took shape in the west as Dark Raven’s reconstruction passed halfway.

Azure-Eyed Evil Lord continued the Po Jun Sword’s master-recognition trial and began drawing its Sword Qi under control. As he approached the sword, the two demonic beasts reconstructed their bodies and appeared nearby.

• Cloud Crane True Lord explained that the demonic beasts could rebuild stronger bodies from Xirang, while the Dark Hound Demon God’s barking disrupted spells.
• Zhuo Buming awakened and urged Azure-Eyed Evil Lord to have Po Jun’s seal removed, but Azure-Eyed Evil Lord refused, insisting that he would not bow to the sword.
• Po Jun sent Sword Qi at Azure-Eyed Evil Lord, then stopped it just before striking him and allowed it to circle him.
• Azure-Eyed Evil Lord captured successive streaks of Sword Qi and walked toward Po Jun as Xu Taiping and the others watched.
• A tremor interrupted the trial, and the Hound-headed and crow-headed demonic beasts appeared with their bodies reconstructed.

Xu Taiping and the others fought the Dark Raven Demon God and Dark Hound Demon God, but Elder Zhuo sacrificed himself to save them. As the Dark Hound pressed its attack, Great Elder Lou delivered Xu Taiping’s true body, allowing him to prepare to fight in person.

• Xu Taiping recognized the approaching beasts as the Dark Raven Demon God and Dark Hound Demon God, and Cloud Crane True Lord, the Pearl Relic House Master, and Elder Zhuo flew up to confront them.
• Elder Zhuo struck the Dark Raven Demon God in the eye but was gravely weakened, while the Pearl Relic House Master and Cloud Crane True Lord paralyzed and sealed the Raven beneath summoned mountains.
• The Dark Hound Demon God's howl shattered the mountain phantoms and broke the cultivators' spells, then he brought his blade down on them.
• Elder Zhuo shoved Xu Taiping out of danger and used Weapon Dissolution to blast apart half the Dark Hound Demon God's head, dying as his flying sword vanished.
• The Pearl Relic House Master attacked the Dark Hound again, but its howl disrupted his thunder technique as Great Elder Lou emerged from the Bronze Gate and threw Xu Taiping his true body.
• Xu Taiping sent his Primordial Spirit toward his true body, ready to fight.

Xu Taiping drank Hidden Immortal Wine and returned to his true body as Dark Raven and Black Hound attacked Cloud Crane True Lord and the Pearl Relic House Master. Xu Taiping blocked Black Hound's slash with his armor, and Great Elder Lou joined the fight with a spear.

• Xu Taiping's demonic beast clone burst apart, and he returned to his true body and drank Hidden Immortal Wine to replenish his strength.
• Dark Raven broke free of the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Peaks Seal and attacked Cloud Crane True Lord and the Pearl Relic House Master with his sword.
• The Pearl Relic House Master struck Dark Raven twice with thunder lances, but Black Hound's howl disrupted the second attack and he appeared above the defenders.
• Black Hound shattered Cloud Crane True Lord's golden barriers and slashed at him and the Pearl Relic House Master.
• Xu Taiping intercepted Black Hound's saber with the Baxia Form, and the Great Sage Armor blocked the blow.
• Great Elder Lou thanked Xu Taiping and thrust his spear at Black Hound.

Great Elder Lou fought Black Hound with his spear while Xu Taiping tried to hold off Dark Raven, whose strength was rapidly increasing. The chapter ended with both demons beginning to overwhelm Great Elder Lou as their power continued to rise.

• Great Elder Lou drove Black Hound back with his spear and told Pearl Relic and Cloud Crane to retrieve their true bodies.
• Xu Taiping charged Dark Raven to buy Great Elder Lou time, but Dark Raven shattered his defenses and wounded him with a sword strike.
• Xu Taiping used the Wind-Suppressing Pearl to dispel Dark Raven's gang wind, then prepared to withstand another attack.
• Great Elder Lou cut apart Dark Raven's sword shadow with a flying sword while continuing to fight Black Hound with his spear.
• Xu Taiping retreated as Great Elder Lou fought both demons, then realized the demons were growing stronger and beginning to overwhelm the elder.

Xu Taiping recognized that Dark Raven and Black Hound grew stronger when killed separately, but Cloud Crane True Lord and the Pearl Relic House Master destroyed them before he could stop them. As the beasts’ power was poised to rise again, Xu Taiping prepared to use the Life-and-Death Seal.

• Xu Taiping learned from the Treading the Sea Army’s records that Dark Raven and Black Hound gained strength through prolonged combat and could grow stronger if killed separately after their Sun Wheel and Moon Wheel appeared.
• Dark Raven and Black Hound gained golden-edged halos and struck Great Elder Lou, shattering nearly all his Body-Protecting Golden Light.
• Cloud Crane True Lord attacked Dark Raven with the Three Mountains and Five Peaks Demon-Suppressing Seal while the Pearl Relic House Master sealed Black Hound’s mouth with a bamboo slip and True Words.
• Cloud Crane True Lord crushed Dark Raven into blood mist, and the Pearl Relic House Master destroyed Black Hound and scattered its Divine Soul with three True Words.
• Xu Taiping realized the beasts would grow stronger because they had been killed separately, approved of the Pearl Relic House Master’s actions, and took out the Life-and-Death Seal.

After Zhuo Buming died fighting the two Guardian Demon Gods, Xu Taiping revealed that they had not been truly slain and had grown stronger. The group prepared to reopen the barrier while the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord tried to fully master Po Jun, their best hope against the Primordial Lord.

• The Pearl Relic House Master mourned Zhuo Buming and feared the group could be annihilated if the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord failed to master Po Jun.
• Cloud Crane True Lord, the Pearl Relic House Master, and Great Elder Lou agreed to protect Xu Taiping and get him out of the grotto-heaven if the coming battle went badly.
• Xu Taiping warned the others that the two Guardian Demon Gods had not been completely slain, and the group confirmed they had gained a tier of Cultivation Power.
• Cloud Crane True Lord explained that the guardians had only recently begun appearing as the barriers weakened and the Primordial Lord grew stronger.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord reached for Po Jun among the gravestones, and Cloud Crane True Lord said he was close to mastering the Immortal Sword.

As the Dark Raven Demon God and Dark Hound Demon God began to revive, Cloud Crane True Lord and the Pearl Relic House Master protected Xu Taiping and the others while Li Daoyan mastered Po Jun. The Dark Raven awakened as Ya Xuan, a sentient demon with devastating swordsmanship, and threatened to destroy the Cloud Tower before Li Daoyan could finish.

• The Dark Raven Demon God and Dark Hound Demon God began forming in enormous pits as swarms of Profound Demon Crows and Profound Demonic Hounds attacked.
• Xu Taiping warned Cloud Crane True Lord that the demons’ rebirth could not be stopped, so the group should defend themselves and wait for a chance to strike.
• Cloud Crane True Lord raised the Cloud Tower Grand Formation, and the Pearl Relic House Master strengthened it with True Words to protect everyone while Li Daoyan mastered Po Jun.
• The Dark Raven Demon God struck the Cloud Tower with a black sword, and Xu Taiping explained that the demons had three stages of transformation.
• The Dark Raven Demon God awakened as Ya Xuan, declared himself the Sun Guardian of the Ten Abysses Primordial Lord, and attacked the Cloud Tower with the enormous sword.
• Ya Xuan cleaved through three stories of the Cloud Tower and cracked the Pearl Relic House Master’s protective True Intent, prompting him to warn that the formation might not hold until Li Daoyan finished mastering Po Jun.

Xu Taiping stopped the others from fighting Ya Xuan and waited until Dark Raven and Black Hound attacked together. He used All Beings Are Equal and the Life-and-Death Seal to freeze and kill both Demonic Beasts, leaving their fates in blood mist.

• Xu Taiping persuaded Great Elder Lou and the others to wait until Dark Raven and Black Hound appeared together.
• Ya Xuan used Karmic Flame to destroy the Cloud Tower with a single sword strike, but Pearl Relic House Master's True Words preserved its final floor.
• Dark Raven and Black Hound attacked the Cloud Tower together, and Xu Taiping urged Great Elder Lou and Pearl Relic House Master not to intervene.
• Xu Taiping invoked All Beings Are Equal as the demons' Blade Force and Sword Intent shattered the Cloud Tower's barrier.
• Xu Taiping raised the Life-and-Death Seal, summoned a Spirit Form, and commanded it to kill Dark Raven and Black Hound, whose bodies exploded in unison.

Xu Taiping used the Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Seal to kill the Black Hound and Dark Raven, but revealed that he could not use it again for three years. As the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord tried to break the seal on Po Jun, the Black Hound began reforming through a power that appeared to reverse time.

• The Pearl Relic House Master recognized Xu Taiping’s seal as the Yin-Yang Life-and-Death Seal, whose artifact spirit rebuked him and expressed hostility toward the Confucian Sect.
• Xu Taiping told Cloud Crane True Lord that the seal could not be used again for three years, though it had killed the two Demon Gods.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord infused Po Jun with sword qi and began breaking the sealing runes left by the Previous Generation Sword Bearer.
• The world trembled, and Cloud Crane True Lord warned the others before the Black Hound’s blood mist gathered into a mangled figure.
• Cloud Crane True Lord said the Black Hound seemed to be reversing the time before its death, astonishing Xu Taiping.

After the Dark Hound Demon God revived with the power of Death and Resurrection, Xu Taiping and the others faced two strengthened Demon Gods. The Pearl Relic House Master unfurled the Ten Thousand Miles of Landscape Painting as Cloud Crane True Lord and Great Elder Lou fought Ya Xuan, while Xu Taiping stayed behind to recover.

• The Dark Hound Demon God failed to fully revive, but his death came separately from the Dark Raven Demon Seed, allowing both Demon Gods to return with stronger bodies and auras.
• Xu Taiping regretted using the Life-and-Death Seal before learning the Demon Seeds' powers, but Great Elder Lou, Cloud Crane True Lord, and the Pearl Relic House Master reassured him.
• The Pearl Relic House Master decided to use the Ten Thousand Miles of Landscape Painting before the Demon Gods advanced further and unfurled it, releasing a torrent of Vast Righteous Qi.
• Great Elder Lou charged Ya Xuan, but struggled against the Demon God's increased strength, so Cloud Crane True Lord joined the fight while Xu Taiping stayed back to recover.

Xu Taiping watched the Dark Hound and Dark Raven seal Cloud Crane True Lord and Great Elder Lou, but the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord arrived with the Po Jun Sword and killed both demons. When the Dark Hound resurrected and attacked again, the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord prepared to kill them once more.

• The Dark Hound Demon God leaped from the Demon Grotto and joined the Dark Raven Demon God in attacking the Cloud Tower, where Cloud Crane True Lord and Great Elder Lou fought them.
• The two demons combined their Blade Force and Sword Intent to seal Cloud Crane True Lord and Great Elder Lou, then struck at the Cloud Tower.
• The Pearl Relic House Master stopped Xu Taiping from using his talisman and prepared to activate the Ten Thousand Miles of Landscape Painting, but the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord appeared with the Po Jun Sword.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord unleashed a sword strike that killed Dark Raven and Black Hound, while the Pearl Relic House Master warned that the Dark Hound could resurrect.
• The Dark Hound revived and attacked the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord, who cut him down again and declared that he would simply kill the demons one more time.

Dark Raven and Black Hound emerged from the Demon Grottos in their third stages, displaying power on par with Heaven Shocking Realm cultivators. Cloud Crane True Lord, Pearl Relic House Master, and Great Elder Lou fought them while Xu Taiping watched with the Immortal-Inviting Talisman ready, and the battle left the Cloud Tower badly damaged.

• Cloud Crane True Lord recognized the Demonic Spring on Dark Raven and Black Hound as a sign that the Primordial Lord had begun awakening, while the two demons' power surged to Heaven Shocking Realm level.
• Xu Taiping stepped back to observe as Cloud Crane True Lord, Pearl Relic House Master, and Great Elder Lou prepared to fight, keeping the Immortal-Inviting Talisman and his hand near the Water-Cutting Blade.
• Dark Hound leaped thirty li and attacked the Cloud Tower with a roar, but Pearl Relic House Master stabilized Cloud Crane True Lord's bright moon with a Confucian true word, allowing it to strike Dark Hound away.
• Dark Raven pierced and shattered Cloud Crane True Lord's bright moon, seized its enormous sword, and slashed the Cloud Tower, breaking at least six floors.
• Dark Hound followed with a blade strike at the damaged Cloud Tower, while Great Elder Lou thrust his spear into its chest and Dark Hound let the blow land so it could complete its attack.

The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord revealed his Sword Domain, the Sword-Burial Capital, and trapped Dark Raven and Dark Hound inside it. After the demons broke through its first layer, the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord showed the domain’s greater power and launched tens of thousands of Flying Swords, but Dark Hound’s howl stopped them in midair.

• Dark Raven and Dark Hound attacked the group, and the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord stopped the Pearl Relic House Master from using the Ten Thousand Miles of Landscape Painting.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord created the Sword-Burial Capital and bound the two Demon Gods with Sword Qi chains.
• Dark Raven and Dark Hound broke the first Sword Domain, revealing the vast city of the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord’s ninth-layer domain.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord gathered broken weapons from across the domain and sent tens of thousands of Flying Swords toward the two Demon Gods.
• Dark Hound howled, freezing the Flying Swords in midair.

The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord used Po Jun’s Remove Armor Divine Ability to break the Demon Gods’ black crystal defenses and slay them. Xu Taiping then saw a vision suggesting the Primordial Lord would awaken and that Po Jun would fail to kill it.

• The Dark Hound Demon God froze the flying swords while the Dark Raven Demon God attacked the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord, but the Evil Lord made the weapons return to their sheaths and sent the swords high above the Demon Seed barrier.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord plunged the flying swords through the barrier, but Dark Raven and Black Hound joined their weapons to form a thick black crystal shell and declared that the Primordial Lord would soon awaken.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord called Po Jun to his hand and used its Remove Armor Divine Ability to shatter the black crystal, allowing the descending swords to kill Dark Raven and Black Hound.
• Xu Taiping saw a vision of the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord among the corpses of Cloud Crane House’s companions, warning him to find a sword sharper than Po Jun to kill the Primordial Lord.
• A giant hand reached from the mist in Xu Taiping’s vision and asked whether he was the one spying from the shadows.

Xu Taiping learned that the Primordial Lord had entered the Lotus Eye’s divination and nearly dragged him into a dream, but Fairy Lingyue awakened him and explained how foresight was contested. The Lotus Eye then revealed a hidden vision of the group activating a grand formation, leaving Xu Taiping unsure what secret it contained.

• The Primordial Lord’s hand and voice appeared in Xu Taiping’s vision and began pulling his mind into a dream.
• Fairy Lingyue used her divine soul, which appeared as a bright moon, to awaken Xu Taiping and warned that the Primordial Lord might know what the Lotus Eye had divined.
• Fairy Lingyue explained that diviners on both sides could foresee plans, but hidden combat strength and trump cards still mattered.
• The Lotus Eye’s previous vision burned away and was replaced by an image of Xu Taiping, Cloud Crane True Lord, the Pearl Relic House Master, Great Elder Lou, the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord, and Elder Qu Shuang activating a grand formation.
• Golden text declared, “There is endless joy in battling demons” and instructed that the vision must remain unknown to the Primordial Lord.
• Xu Taiping suspected the image showed the group reactivating the First Level grand formation, but could not determine what was unusual about it.

After the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord defeated Dark Raven and Black Hound with his Sword Domain, Xu Taiping continued investigating the Lotus Eye’s cryptic vision. He realized that the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord shown in the vision was not the same person standing before him.

• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord’s Sword Domain vanished after his Flying Swords, including Immortal Sword Po Jun, returned to their sheaths, leaving Dark Raven and Black Hound dead.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord replenished Xu Taiping’s True Essence and Divine Essence with a pat on his shoulder, and they discussed how he had mastered Sword Qi Profound Connection.
• Xu Taiping noticed wounds on the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord’s arm and questioned him about them, suspecting they came from taming Immortal Sword Po Jun.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord asked whether Xu Taiping had noticed something unusual, but Xu Taiping denied it.
• Xu Taiping compared the figure in the Lotus Eye’s vision with the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord before him and concluded they were not the same person.

Xu Taiping realized the figures in the Lotus Eye’s vision were mirror-reversed versions of the people around him, suggesting they had been replaced by disguised demonic beasts. After Elder Qu Shuang recovered, Xu Taiping noticed that he matched the vision exactly and concluded that the Qu Shuang before him was an impostor.

• Xu Taiping compared the people around him with the Lotus Eye’s vision and noticed their features were reversed, like reflections in a mirror.
• Xu Taiping tested the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord’s loyalty, and the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord vowed to trust Zhu Songyu’s judgment and give his life if needed.
• The Azure-Eyed Evil Lord explained that Zhu Songyu had used her Soul-Seizing Eyes to see scenes in the River of Time, including one involving Xu Taiping.
• Elder Qu Shuang awakened after Cloud Crane True Lord helped restore his cultivation, then lamented his earlier mistake and Elder Zhuo’s death.
• Xu Taiping noticed that Elder Qu Shuang looked exactly like his counterpart in the Lotus Eye’s vision and realized the person before him was not the original Qu Shuang.

Xu Taiping accepted Zhang Yu and Zhuo Buming’s belongings and carved their names, along with life-recording soul marks from the other cultivators, onto the Treading the Sea Army stone stele. As the group prepared to leave the Second-Level Barrier and reactivate the First-Level Barrier, Xu Taiping watched “Qu Shuang” for signs that he was a person in the mirror.

• Cloud Crane True Lord entrusted Xu Taiping with Zhang Yu and Zhuo Buming’s bloodstained belongings to deliver to their descendants if he escaped.
• Cloud Crane True Lord asked Xu Taiping to carve Zhang Yu and Zhuo Buming’s names onto the Treading the Sea Army stele, and Xu Taiping promised to record the names and lives of everyone who fell.
• Cloud Crane True Lord, Great Elder Lou, the Pearl Relic House Master, and “Qu Shuang” left their soul marks on the stele, while the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord remained silent.
• Cloud Crane True Lord said the group had to reach the First Level Barrier Ruins and reactivate the barrier before fighting the Primordial Lord, and told Xu Taiping to stay with Elder Qu.
• Xu Taiping agreed while secretly planning to look for flaws in Qu Shuang as the group set out for the Borderlands, where the spirit spring could restore them.

As the group flew toward the First-Level Barrier, Elder Qu Shuang asked Xu Taiping about his romantic prospects and proposed that he marry Qu Ningshuang if they survived the grotto-heaven. Xu Taiping heard Qu Shuang’s reasons but remained wary, believing the man from the mirror’s words might conceal a deeper meaning.

• Cloud Crane True Lord, Pearl Relic House Master, and Great Elder Lou headed toward the Borderlands, while Qu Shuang carried Xu Taiping and the Azure-Eyed Evil Lord raced ahead.
• Qu Shuang asked whether Xu Taiping was married or had someone in his heart, and Xu Taiping repeatedly thought of Lin Buyu despite denying it.
• Qu Shuang asked Xu Taiping to look after his granddaughter Qu Ningshuang and form a marriage bond with her if he survived the grotto-heaven.
• Qu Shuang explained that Qu Ningshuang faced a tribulation of love and needed a Dao companion before turning sixty.
• Xu Taiping remained suspicious because Qu Shuang was a transformed man from the mirror and might have a deeper purpose.