Chapter Summaries

After Xu Taiping summoned White Maitreya, Vulture Peak’s guiding peacock, the onlookers feared the invitation was a trap because Vulture Peak connected to the Beyond the Domain and housed evil gods. Xu Taiping began following White Maitreya, while Old Ox’s cryptic reply about the Azure Profound Sect left Heavenly Lord Shihu bewildered.

• The cultivators learned that Xu Taiping’s eighth bell had summoned White Maitreya, Vulture Peak’s guide, and Xiahou You teased Xiahou Qingyuan for misjudging him.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu warned that something sinister might be happening and suspected Xu Taiping had come to the Forbidden Grounds for more than summoning a guide.
• Xiahou You noticed that the little monk Yelai watched Xu Taiping with eager anticipation as Xu Taiping stepped toward White Maitreya.
• Xu Taiping began following White Maitreya toward Vulture Peak, provoking alarm among the cultivators and Xiahou Qingyuan.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu urged Old Ox to stop Xu Taiping, warning that demons and evil gods roamed Vulture Peak.
• Old Ox asked Heavenly Lord Shihu whether he had investigated the origins of the Azure Profound Sect behind Xu Taiping, leaving him confused.

Xu Taiping rode White Maitreya into the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Mist toward Vulture Peak, drawing the attention of terrifying beings in the Land of Chaos and provoking speculation across the Shangqing Realm. Through Liu Qingshan’s Spirit Mirror, an unnamed elder challenged the Five Heavens to witness Xu Taiping’s deeds and defended his title as True Martial Sword Champion.

• Old Ox told Heavenly Lord Shihu that the Azure Profound Sect might have been founded by remnants of the vanished Taixuan Sect and said Xu Taiping’s actions could change the Shangqing Realm’s destiny.
• Terrifying auras from the Land of Chaos in Outer Heaven descended upon the teahouse and vanished, while Heavenly Lord Shihu realized those beings had seen something in the Moonshadow Stone’s projection.
• Xu Taiping mounted White Maitreya, and the guiding Spirit Sparrow flew with him into the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Mist toward Vulture Peak.
• Liu Qingshan said his clan elder expected an upheaval unseen in Shangqing for ten thousand years and announced that the elder wished to address the Five Heavens.
• Speaking through Liu Qingshan’s Spirit Mirror, the unnamed elder insulted the Five Heavens, praised Xu Taiping as unmatched among his generation, and challenged anyone who disagreed to a sword inquiry.

At the First-Rank Pavilion teahouse, Heavenly Lord Shihu recognized the old man speaking as Gongsun Sheng, the Yang Yan Sword, and the spectators learned that Xu Taiping was likely headed for Vulture Peak. A gigantic Dharma Aspect took their Moonshadow Stone into the Hundred-Thousand-Li Mist, where its projection revealed Xu Taiping riding White Peacock and left the spectators realizing a powerful cultivator was controlling the stone.

• The teahouse cultivators angrily disputed the claim that Xu Taiping had no equal among his generation.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu recognized the person behind Liu Qingshan as Gongsun Sheng, the Yang Yan Sword, and told Xiahou You and Xiahou Qingyuan who he was.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu said Xu Taiping was likely on his way to Vulture Peak and expected the Moonshadow Stone to reveal what happened in the mist.
• A gigantic Dharma Aspect reached out of the mist and took the Moonshadow Stone into the Thousand Buddha Kingdom Forbidden Grounds.
• The Moonshadow Stone showed ruined Vulture Peak and numerous Yin Gods before a gigantic goshawk carried the view above the mist.
• The projection focused on White Peacock carrying Xu Taiping, and the spectators realized a powerful cultivator had brought the Moonshadow Stone into the Forbidden Grounds and found Xu Taiping.

Heavenly Lord Shihu explained that a half-immortal was likely watching the battle from the teahouse as Xu Taiping reached Vulture Peak. As Xu Taiping approached the mountain, a giant whale-like Yin God Kun burst from the mist and lunged at him and the white peacock.

• Heavenly Lord Shihu told Xiahou You and Xiahou Qingyuan that a half-immortal was likely directing the Moonshadow Stone and warned them to act normally.
• The white peacock carried Xu Taiping toward Vulture Peak, which appeared in the projection surrounded by clouds of heavenly might.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu explained that the heavenly might would not normally attack Xu Taiping on the mountain path, but worried that Xu Taiping had exhausted his Heavenly Dao Edicts.
• Xiahou Qingyuan spotted a huge figure moving beneath the mist, and the Yin God Kun burst out and tried to swallow Xu Taiping and the white peacock.

White Maitreya fought off the Yin God Kun while carrying Xu Taiping toward Vulture Peak, but the creature ambushed them with multiple phantoms and grievously wounded the peacock. Xiahou You watched in alarm as more colossal shadows emerged from the mist and asked Heavenly Lord Shihu why so many Yin God Kun had appeared.

• Xiahou You recognized the Yin God Kun, and White Maitreya kicked it back into the Hundred-Thousand-Li Mist.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu explained that a Buddhist monk had sacrificed himself to lure and seal the Yin God Kun in the mist.
• White Maitreya broke the Yin God Kun's devouring attack and repeatedly drove it back while carrying Xu Taiping toward Vulture Peak.
• The Yin God Kun used three phantoms to surround White Maitreya and bite its abdomen, badly wounding it.
• More enormous shadows appeared beneath White Maitreya, and Xiahou You asked Heavenly Lord Shihu why multiple Yin God Kun seemed to be in the mist.

Xu Taiping was knocked from White Maitreya into Yin God Kun’s maw, but summoned Wind Granny with a Heavenly Dao Edict and blew apart Yin God Kun’s true body. Heavenly Lord Shihu realized that Xu Taiping commanded a Fourth Heavenly Dao Edict.

• Heavenly Lord Shihu explained that Yin God Kun’s several forms were clones created with his innate divine power.
• White Maitreya tore apart one clone, then flew high above the mist to escape the attack.
• Yin God Kun’s Peng Bird clones battered White Maitreya until Xu Taiping fell toward the mist, where Yin God Kun’s true body opened its maw to swallow him.
• Xu Taiping invoked the Heavenly Dao Borrowed Wind Edict and summoned Wind Granny, who blew a gale into Yin God Kun’s mouth and burst his true body apart.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu recognized that Xu Taiping had command of a Fourth Heavenly Dao Edict.

Xu Taiping reached the entrance to Vulture Peak after killing Yin God Kun with Heavenly Dao Edicts, allowing Lotus Eye to absorb Kun’s True Body. White Maitreya warned him about demonic Buddha statues on the ascent and explained the danger of choosing one possessed by a yaomo.

• Heavenly Lord Shihu and Xiahou You concluded that Xu Taiping had used Heavenly Dao Edicts to kill Yin God Kun, and Shihu suspected Xu Taiping still had one or two Edicts available.
• Xu Taiping confirmed that Kun’s True Body counted as a Divine Shedding for Lotus Eye and said he intended to force Yin God Huangpao to cast off his Divine Shedding as well.
• White Maitreya carried Xu Taiping to Vulture Peak’s entrance and instructed him to climb every step without touching the Flesh Buddha Statues in the cliffside caves.
• Xu Taiping asked White Maitreya for guidance in finding a Buddha Fate inheritance, and White Maitreya advised him to keep climbing because fewer yaomo were near the summit.
• White Maitreya warned Xu Taiping that a yaomo might still possess a Buddha statue near the summit and said he must resist possession for several dozen breaths or White Maitreya would kill him.

Xu Taiping climbed Vulture Peak, learning that Buddha statues could attract demons and that Yin Gods wandered the steps. When a Yin God leaped up from below the cliff and danger loomed above and below, he prepared to avoid it without using the Heavenly Dao Edict.

• White Maitreya warned Xu Taiping that unpossessed Buddha statues could attract Otherworldly Heavenly Demons and that Yin Gods on the steps would not attack unless touched.
• Xu Taiping and Lotus Eye discussed how he would choose a Buddha statue and learned that Vulture Peak's heavenly might interfered with Lotus Eye's deductions.
• Lotus Eye briefly used its power to assess the nearby Buddha statues, triggering a torrent of heavenly might before withdrawing in time.
• When the Lotus Pupil sensed danger both above and below, Xu Taiping pressed himself against the cliff and prepared to defend himself.
• A Yin God pulled a gaunt body up from below the cliff and landed on the steps; Xu Taiping chose to avoid it and conserve his remaining Heavenly Dao Edict uses.
• Cultivators watching the Spirit Mirror projection reacted in shock, and Heavenly Lord Shihu wondered why Yin Gods roamed Vulture Peak.

Xu Taiping stayed pressed against the cliff as several Yin Gods climbed Vulture Peak, ignoring him as they passed. The watchers suspected the Guiding White Maitreya had told him the Yin Gods would not attack, and Heavenly Lord Shihu wondered whether they were also headed for the summit.

• Heavenly Lord Shihu concluded that Vulture Peak's restrictions had weakened and remained confident Xu Taiping had comprehended the fifth form of Heavenly Might.
• Xu Taiping stood motionless against the cliff as the first Yin God climbed past him without noticing him.
• Xiahou You and the other watchers wondered whether the Guiding White Maitreya had warned Xu Taiping that the Yin Gods would ignore him.
• A second giant-eyed Yin God leaped past Xu Taiping, followed by three more Yin Gods that climbed the stone steps without attacking him.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu wondered whether the Yin Gods were also trying to reach Vulture Peak's summit.

Xu Taiping followed five Yin Gods up Vulture Peak while the Lotus Eye warned that a powerful danger remained ahead. A bloodied, glowing heart descended on a thin cord and drove the five Yin Gods into a frenzy as they charged toward it.

• Xu Taiping followed the five Yin Gods up Vulture Peak after the Lotus Eye sensed danger ahead, and it warned him that the threat was worse than Yin God Kun.
• Xu Taiping stopped halfway up the mountain as the five Yin Gods halted and gazed upward.
• A thin black cord descended from above with a beating, blood-covered heart hanging from it.
• The heart spilled a rain of blood over the five Yin Gods, causing them to mutate and go mad.
• The five Yin Gods charged toward the heart, trying to seize it.

Five Yin Gods fought over a heart until one seized it and was dragged into the clouds, where a monstrous Evil God from Beyond the Domain tore him apart and ate him. Heavenly Lord Shihu explained that Vulture Peak connected Shangqing to the Three Thousand Buddha Domains, allowing beings from Beyond the Domain to enter, and warned that Otherworldly Heavenly Demons were the weakest of those beings.

• Five Yin Gods battled for the heart, and the centipedelike Yin God knocked the others aside and grabbed it.
• A thin line pulled the centipedelike Yin God into the clouds, where a gigantic monster seized him, tore off his head and arms, and ate his torso.
• A frightened cultivator in the First-Rank Pavilion teahouse asked what the monster was, and Xiahou You noticed Heavenly Lord Shihu's fear.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu identified the creature as an Evil God from Beyond the Domain, against whom ordinary spells and divine powers were useless.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu explained that Vulture Peak and the Heaven-Ascending Platform were passages between Shangqing and realms beyond it, where the Heavenly Dao Edict could not fully keep out otherworldly beings.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu told Xiahou You that Otherworldly Heavenly Demons could slip through the restrictions because they were the weakest of the beings from Beyond the Domain.

Xiahou You, Xiahou Qingyuan, and Heavenly Lord Shihu watched an otherworldly evil god use a heart as bait to lure and devour Yin Gods, while discussing the danger the demon posed to Xu Taiping. Xu Taiping intervened with a Heavenly Dao Power-Borrowing Edict, severed the bait’s thread, and left the heart in the last Yin God’s hands.

• The otherworldly evil god repeatedly lured Yin Gods with a heart, then reeled them in and devoured their true bodies.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu explained that the heart could awaken Yin Gods and that otherworldly evil gods consumed power native to the Shangqing Realm.
• Xu Taiping left his place by the wall and approached the last Yin God as the evil god lowered the heart again.
• Xu Taiping invoked the Heavenly Dao Power-Borrowing Edict and cut the black thread with the Water-Cutting Blade.
• The heart fell into the Yin God’s hands, stunning the watching cultivators and the Yin God himself.

Xu Taiping used the Fifth Heavenly Dao Edict to cut the black cord and help a Yin God obtain hearts from the Otherworldly Evil God. The Lotus Eye revealed that the Yin God would fight the Evil God for him and hinted that the Evil God’s death would produce a precious Great Medicine.

• Xu Taiping approached the Yin God while the Edict enhanced his Qi and Blood Power beyond the Great Sage Realm.
• The Lotus Eye told Xu Taiping to wait as the Otherworldly Evil God lowered another heart on the black thread.
• The Yin God devoured the first heart, grew into a towering wolf-headed figure, and gained several times more aura pressure.
• At the Lotus Eye’s command, Xu Taiping cut the cord again, and the Yin God caught and ate the second heart.
• The Lotus Eye explained that the Yin God was more experienced at fighting Otherworldly Evil Gods and that their deaths produced a precious Great Medicine.
• Xu Taiping questioned whether he risked being attacked by the Yin God, and the Lotus Eye assured him the Yin God would be gentler than a rabbit.

Xu Taiping helped the wolf-headed Yin God resist the Otherworldly Evil God's bait by making him swear loyalty for three hundred years and acknowledge Xu Taiping as his father. After awakening by eating the heart, the Yin God was pulled into the clouds and confronted the Otherworldly Evil God.

• The wolf-headed Yin God resisted reaching for the heart and sought Xu Taiping's help, though the Lotus Eye warned he would soon lose control to its temptation.
• The Lotus Eye told Xu Taiping to demand that the Yin God submit to him and acknowledge him as his father, and Xu Taiping offered freedom after three hundred years.
• As the Yin God weakened, he agreed to the terms and repeated an oath of loyalty to Xu Taiping of the Azure Profound Sect.
• Xu Taiping's saber cut through the surrounding Gang Winds and severed the black thread, letting the Yin God swallow the heart and fully awaken.
• The Otherworldly Evil God lowered another heart and pulled the awakened Yin God above the clouds, where he vowed to taste the otherworldly scum again.

Xu Taiping watched the wolf-headed Yin God kill the Otherworldly Evil God, whose death formed a Great Medicine coveted by the powers of the Shangqing Upper Realm. He bound the Yin God with Lotus Eye’s oath and forced him to accept Xu Taiping’s terms, leaving the spirit pleading as Xu Taiping demanded to be called Dad.

• The wolf-headed Yin God sliced the Otherworldly Evil God apart inside a black hole, and its golden blood condensed into a Great Medicine above Xu Taiping.
• Xiahou Qingyuan and Xiahou You learned that Xu Taiping had obtained an opportunity powerful enough to attract the Shangqing Upper Realm’s great powers.
• Xu Taiping stored the Great Medicine in his gourd after Lotus Eye advised him to keep it as a bargaining chip.
• Xu Taiping used Lotus Eye’s oath to force the wolf-headed Yin God to kneel and demanded that he acknowledge Xu Taiping as his father.
• When the Yin God refused, Xu Taiping ordered Lotus Eye to burn him and walked away until the Yin God agreed to his terms.
• Xu Taiping stopped and told the suffering Yin God to call him Dad.

Xu Taiping let the Lotus Eye take control and make the Wolf-Headed Yin God acknowledge him as his father, then used praise to keep the Yin God cooperative as they climbed Vulture Peak. Their progress astonished the cultivators watching the Moonshadow Stone, while Xiahou You questioned whether the creature could still be called a Yin God.

• The Lotus Eye took control of Xu Taiping, lifted the restrictions on the Wolf-Headed Yin God, and ordered him to rise as its son.
• Xu Taiping told the Wolf-Headed Yin God to clear the way, and the Yin God restrained his fury and agreed to lead him up the steps.
• The Wolf-Headed Yin God smashed another Yin God that climbed onto the steps, and Xu Taiping praised him at the Lotus Eye's urging.
• The Lotus Eye explained that affection could bind a Yin God whose mind remained incomplete, and Xu Taiping continued praising the Wolf-Headed Yin God as they climbed.
• Cultivators watching the Moonshadow Stone marveled at Xu Taiping's control of a Yin God, and Xiahou You asked Heavenly Lord Shihu whether it could still be called one.

As Xu Taiping climbed Vulture Peak, spectators speculated that he had gained a way to tame Yin Gods and envied the rewards he had found. When he began climbing toward a Buddha cave to take a statue, Heavenly Lord Shihu warned that the statues might house otherworldly evil gods, while Lotus Eye confirmed the danger and said it might not be able to identify every occupied statue.

• Heavenly Lord Shihu explained the three kinds of Yin Gods and how awakened ones could be used to strengthen cultivators.
• Xiahou Qingyuan and spectators assumed Xu Taiping had gone to Vulture Peak for the chance to tame Yin Gods and claim other rewards, while Xiahou You defended him.
• Xu Taiping stopped near the summit and began climbing toward a Buddha cave, astonishing the observers at Jade Balance Mountain.
• Heavenly Lord Shihu warned that taking a statue could let an otherworldly evil god descend upon Shangqing and bring calamity to the realm.
• Lotus Eye told Xu Taiping to skirt the cave, confirmed a powerful evil presence, and warned that it might not be able to identify every statue occupied by an evil god.

Xu Taiping climbed to a higher tier of Buddha grottoes while the Wolf-Headed Yin God fought off Vulture Peak’s Heavenly Might. After Lotus Eye narrowed the possible safe grottoes to three, Xu Taiping entered the third and provoked its occupant, but a pale arm seized him.

• Xu Taiping rejected Lotus Eye’s attempt to dissuade him and continued climbing the cliff rather than retreating.
• The Wolf-Headed Yin God offered to block the Heavenly Might, tore apart its True Fire attack, and fought on as Xu Taiping searched the grottoes.
• Lotus Eye identified the third, fifth, and seventh grottoes as the three possibilities, with at least one unoccupied by an Otherworldly Evil God.
• Xu Taiping chose to test the grottoes one by one and climbed into the third with a drop of blood ready.
• Xu Taiping flicked his blood between the Buddha statue’s brows, and a pale arm reached from its chest and grabbed his arm.

Xu Taiping lost Jufu's Power after severing his arm to escape an Otherworldly Evil God's possession, then entered another Buddha grotto and was seized by pale arms. As the Wolf-Headed Yin God fought White Maitreya to protect him, Xu Taiping's body and divine soul began resisting the possession.

• Xu Taiping severed his own arm to escape the first Buddha statue's grasp, losing Jufu's Power as his arm regrew.
• Xu Taiping climbed to the fifth Buddha grotto, tested its statue with his blood, and entered after it showed no reaction.
• Eight pale arms erupted from the statue and pierced Xu Taiping's chest, while the Lotus Eye warned him too late.
• White Maitreya arrived to kill the possessed Xu Taiping, but the Wolf-Headed Yin God blocked his attack and endured the Buddha restrictions' assault.
• Xu Taiping's body swelled with Qi and Blood Power, and White Maitreya realized his body and divine soul were resisting the Otherworldly Evil God.

Xu Taiping resisted the Otherworldly Evil God’s attempt to possess him, drawing strength from the people who reached out to him in his mind. He awoke in the Buddha Grotto after apparently strangling the Evil God, while White Maitreya wondered whether Xu Taiping was destined to wield the power of the Beyond the Domain Buddhist Kingdom.

• The Lotus Eye sensed Xu Taiping’s mind and body resisting the Evil God and urged him to wake up.
• Xu Taiping heard Zhao Linglong, Dugu Qingxiao, Lü Daoxuan, Fairy Lingyue, and Lin Buyu call him, but a shadow shattered their figures.
• Xu Taiping’s grandfather appeared and offered him a hand, prompting Xu Taiping to fight the shadow and grasp it.
• The people who had supported Xu Taiping appeared together and pulled him back to consciousness.
• Xu Taiping awoke in the Buddha Grotto with his hand around the Buddha Statue’s neck, and the Lotus Eye said he had strangled the Evil God to death.
• White Maitreya wondered whether Xu Taiping was destined to draw upon the power of the Beyond the Domain Buddhist Kingdom.