Chapter Summaries

After Chu Zhiyuan and his allies killed nearly a hundred Devil Race members in the imperial city, Li Miaotan considered asking the Imperial Court to stop further attacks. Second Prince Li Cunyi arrived, praised Chu Zhiyuan, and offered to urge the Emperor to deploy Fengtian Palace, then asked to meet the Imperial Son-in-Law.

• Chu Zhiyuan agreed with Li Yuzhen that Li Miaotan should bring the Devil Race infiltration before the Imperial Court, and ordered the city sweep to continue.
• Li Yuzhen reported to Li Miaotan that they had killed nearly a hundred Devil Race members in the imperial city.
• Fan Yaohui criticized Fengtian Palace for allowing the Devil Race to enter, while Li Yuzhen urged Li Miaotan to inform the Emperor.
• Li Miaotan received Second Prince Li Cunyi, who praised Chu Zhiyuan after hearing he had been killing Devil Race experts.
• Li Cunyi offered to ask the Emperor to deploy Fengtian Palace against the Devil Race and said he wanted to meet Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan advanced his Heart Moon Saber Technique and met Li Cunyi, who proposed moving the wedding forward. The Emperor approved the change, and the wedding was scheduled for the next day, throwing the Princess Mansion into a frenzy.

• Chu Zhiyuan mastered the second level of the Heart Moon Saber Technique after linking its moon imagery with the Glazed Saber Scripture.
• Li Cunyi visited Chu Zhiyuan, praised his deeds, and urged Li Miaotan to move the wedding ahead.
• Li Miaotan agreed to try, and Li Cunyi left to submit a memorial to the Emperor.
• The next morning, a Head Eunuch delivered the imperial decree moving the wedding to the following day.
• News of the decree spread through the imperial city as preparations began in the Princess Mansion.

Chu Zhiyuan learned that the Twelfth Princess’s wedding had been moved up to the next day, and he and Chu Liechu discussed the risks to the alliance and the Phoenix Bloodline. Through his Flying Dagger, Chu Zhiyuan discovered that Yuan Zhen agents were debating whether to target him or the princess, leaving him wary of their deep infiltration into Phoenix Imperial City.

• Chu Zhiyuan accepted the decree advancing the wedding, then told Fu Zheng to prepare for possible trouble while she focused on Sword Comprehension.
• Chu Zhiyuan and Fu Zheng visited the Prince Consort's Mansion, saw Li Yuchun overseeing preparations, and then went to meet Chu Liechu.
• Chu Zhiyuan told Chu Liechu that Demon Race and Devil Race forces had tried to disrupt the wedding because they feared the princess's Phoenix Bloodline would awaken.
• Chu Zhiyuan overheard Yuan Zhen agents discuss the moved-up wedding and consider assassinating him or the Twelfth Princess before the Phoenix Bloodline activated.
• Chu Zhiyuan warned Chu Liechu that Yuan Zhen was more dangerous and deeply infiltrated than he assumed, with agents apparently placed in both the Princess Mansion and Prince Consort's Mansion.

Chu Zhiyuan married Li Miaotan amid an elaborate imperial ceremony, while guards thwarted suspicious activity around the wedding. The morning after, an imperial decree arrived at the Prince Consort's Mansion, apparently to confer Chu Zhiyuan's title.

• Chu Zhiyuan rejected the Emperor's order to spy on the Phoenix Dynasty and warned Chu Liechu to watch out for political rivals.
• Li Miaotan prepared for her wedding as the imperial street was ceremonially cleansed and Chu Zhiyuan's grand procession set out.
• Chu Zhiyuan noticed city guards and Fengtian Palace agents subduing suspicious martial artists as the wedding procession crossed the imperial city.
• Chu Zhiyuan and Li Miaotan completed the wedding rites, and Li Yuzhen confirmed that suspicious people had been subdued.
• The morning after the wedding, Chu Zhiyuan received an imperial decree that he believed would confer his title.

Chu Zhiyuan accepted the powerless title of Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant and resolved to cultivate in seclusion while seeking to awaken Li Miaotan’s Phoenix Bloodline. Li Miaotan persuaded her Third Brother, Li Cunhou, to petition their father for a reward for Chu Zhiyuan’s military achievement.

• Huang Jin delivered the imperial decree naming Chu Zhiyuan Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant, and Chu Zhiyuan accepted it without surprise.
• Chu Zhiyuan told Fu Zheng to close the doors to visitors so he could focus on cultivation and considered using the Phoenix Bloodline to provoke the Demon Race and Devil Race into seeking him out.
• Li Miaotan told Chu Zhiyuan that her Phoenix Bloodline had awakened but was not yet fully activated, and she proposed asking Li Cunhou to request an official reward for him.
• At Wenhua Tower, Li Miaotan confronted Li Cunhou about Chu Zhiyuan receiving only an empty title despite defeating more than a hundred Devil Race experts.
• Li Cunhou agreed to submit a memorial asking their father to reward Chu Zhiyuan, while Chu Zhiyuan said he preferred to cultivate in peace.

Chu Zhiyuan and Li Miaotan urged Li Cunhou to seek a meaningful court position for Chu Zhiyuan, while discussing Li Miaotan’s Phoenix Bloodline and the dangers of accelerating its activation. They left the matter of the court reward to Li Cunhou and expected the bloodline process to take at least half a year, during which Chu Zhiyuan planned to remain outside Phoenix Palace and help fight the Devil Race and Demon Race.

• Chu Zhiyuan rejected the idea of taking an ordinary court post, and Li Miaotan argued that his merits deserved a real reward despite his identity as an Imperial Son-in-Law.
• Chu Zhiyuan suggested demanding Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Stud or General of the Household, and Li Miaotan proposed using the request to pressure First Prince and Second Prince’s factions.
• Li Cunhou agreed to have Zhao Bingzhong sound out the court before making a formal push for Chu Zhiyuan’s appointment.
• Li Miaotan said activating her Phoenix Bloodline would take at least half a year, and Li Cunhou vowed to keep purging the Devil Race and Demon Race.
• Chu Zhiyuan warned that continued fighting could cause heavy losses and resentment toward Li Miaotan, then declined Li Cunhou’s suggestion that he seek entry to Phoenix Palace.

Chu Zhiyuan declined to press the Third Prince for an official post, then discussed the succession and Li Miaotan’s Phoenix Bloodline with her. He reached the fifth transformation of the Heavenly Dragon Incantation, while an imperial decree made clear the Emperor would grant him honors and a fief but no real power.

• Chu Zhiyuan left Wenhua Tower with Li Miaotan after the Third Prince said Fengtian Palace and the Imperial Court could handle the Devil Race threat.
• Back at the Prince Consort’s Mansion, Chu Zhiyuan and Li Miaotan discussed the Third Prince’s political position and whether the First Prince or Second Prince would become Emperor.
• Chu Zhiyuan told Li Miaotan that the Phoenix Bloodline might awaken in three or four months, then advanced to the fifth transformation of the Heavenly Dragon Incantation.
• Huang Jin delivered an imperial decree granting Chu Zhiyuan the honorary title of Sanjichangshi and a fief of one thousand households.
• Chu Zhiyuan concluded that the Emperor was determined to keep him from gaining real authority in the Phoenix Dynasty’s court.

Chu Zhiyuan rejected the Emperor’s effort to draw him into court intrigue and focused on cultivation while learning that the Demon Race and Devil Race would likely target him. When Li Cunren proposed an expedition outside the city to hunt them, Chu Zhiyuan agreed to go despite Li Miaotan’s objections.

• Chu Zhiyuan met Chu Hongwei, who advised him to cultivate quietly and warned him that a Great Heavenly Demon might be sent to assassinate him.
• Chu Zhiyuan declined Li Cunren’s invitation to hunt outside the city, saying he would focus on cultivation instead.
• Li Cunren came to the Prince Consort’s Mansion and announced that he planned to hunt the Demon Race and Devil Race without first seeking the Emperor’s approval.
• Li Miaotan objected that the expedition was too dangerous and accused Li Cunren of using Chu Zhiyuan as bait.
• Chu Zhiyuan said he would leave the city with Li Cunren, prompting Li Miaotan to protest that he was being reckless.

Li Cunren persuaded Li Miaotan and Chu Zhiyuan to join a plan to lure and ambush the Devil Race, revealing that many Venerables would secretly support them. After Li Cunren gave Chu Zhiyuan spirit dew that cleansed his soul, Chu Zhiyuan prepared to set out at dawn, while Li Miaotan warned him to be careful.

• Li Cunren showed Li Miaotan a Demon Repelling Pearl that could detect devilish qi below the level of Heavenly Demons and explained his plan to use it to ambush the Devil Race.
• Li Miaotan warned Li Cunren that the Devil Race could detect and target the pearl, but Chu Zhiyuan agreed to join the operation.
• Li Cunren revealed that Venerables from several sects and the military would secretly follow and protect Chu Zhiyuan.
• Li Cunren gave Chu Zhiyuan spirit dew from a Cave Heaven, and Chu Zhiyuan drank it and felt his soul become clean, light, and agile.
• Li Cunren set the departure for dawn the next day, and Li Miaotan urged Chu Zhiyuan to take care as he sought a chance to cultivate against Devil Race experts.

Chu Zhiyuan discussed First Prince Li Cunren’s dependence on Marquis Ningyuan and advised Li Miaotan to let the princes contend with one another. He then set out with Fu Zheng to meet Li Cunren, who was waiting ahead with two companions.

• Chu Zhiyuan told Li Miaotan that First Prince might look down on Marquis Ningyuan despite respecting his schemes, and that Third Prince should let First Prince deal with Second Prince first.
• Li Miaotan urged Chu Zhiyuan to prioritize his own safety on the journey, and he left the mansion with Fu Zheng while Li Yuzhen stayed behind to guard it.
• At the south gate, Zou Rui arrived on Li Cunren’s orders to guide Chu Zhiyuan to the group waiting ahead.
• Chu Zhiyuan sensed that Yuanzhen people were in nearby woods, though the Haoyang Demon Subduing Mirror detected no Devil Race experts nearby.
• As Chu Zhiyuan approached, Li Cunren’s young companion Jun’er complained that the Imperial Son-in-Law was late, while Li Cunren defended Chu Zhiyuan’s courage.

Chu Zhiyuan joined Li Cunren and members of Jade Kunlun Palace to draw out the enemies watching them. He spotted a group on a nearby mountain, and the chapter ended as Fu Zheng fought six attackers using Yuanzhen's swordsmanship.

• Meng Enjun admitted he liked Li Miaotan, while Li Cunren defended Chu Zhiyuan and urged the young men to meet as friends.
• Chu Zhiyuan arrived with Fu Zheng and learned that Li Cunren believed Heavenly Devils might be watching them unseen.
• Li Cunren and Chu Zhiyuan decided to provoke their hidden pursuers by strolling through the mountains.
• Chu Zhiyuan spotted several people across the mountain, though Li Cunren, Zhou Tianhua, and Meng Enjun could not sense them.
• Fu Zheng flew to confront the hidden group, and six men attacked her with sinister sword strikes.
• Meng Enjun recognized the attackers' swordsmanship as Yuanzhen's.

Chu Zhiyuan, Li Cunren, and their companions confronted six Yuanzhen fighters who had ambushed Fu Zheng, then killed them when they tried to flee. With no survivors to question and no sign that the Devil Race had taken the bait, the group continued patrolling to draw them out.

• Chu Zhiyuan recognized the six men as Yuanzhen fighters, and Li Cunren ordered them taken for their attack on passersby.
• The six men tried to escape, but Chu Zhiyuan, Fu Zheng, Zhou Tianhua, and Meng Enjun intercepted them.
• Fu Zheng broke through to a new level of swordsmanship and killed her opponent, while Zhou Tianhua helped Meng Enjun defeat his Venerable opponent.
• The group killed all six fighters, leaving Chu Zhiyuan to regret that they could no longer learn what the men had been doing.
• Li Cunren checked his bead and found no sign of the Devil Race, so he and Chu Zhiyuan decided to patrol farther and circle back.

Chu Zhiyuan and his companions considered the Yuanzhen experts’ possible plans and sensed danger approaching. Zhou Tianhua used Heaven-Piercing Golden Eyes to spot eighteen Demon Race experts, and Chu Zhiyuan persuaded Li Cunren to avoid them.

• Fu Zheng traded barbs with Meng Enjun as the group traveled, while Chu Zhiyuan and Zhou Tianhua exchanged apologies for their disciples’ behavior.
• Chu Zhiyuan, Li Cunren, and Zhou Tianhua speculated that the Yuanzhen experts might be exploiting the Twelfth Princess’s wedding, though they had no proof of their purpose.
• Chu Zhiyuan sensed danger to the left, and the group decided to avoid it until they could identify who was approaching.
• Zhou Tianhua used Heaven-Piercing Golden Eyes and discovered eighteen Demon Race experts, including at least two Venerables, heading toward them.
• Li Cunren wanted to attack the demons, but Chu Zhiyuan warned that something felt wrong and persuaded him to avoid a direct clash.

Chu Zhiyuan and Li Cunren’s group spotted Demon Race experts and learned that two of them wielded the secret power of Divine Descent. When they detected Devil Race experts nearby as well, Li Cunren chose to return to the city rather than risk a fight.

• Chu Zhiyuan sensed two unusually powerful elders among the Demon Race party and warned the group to hide when the elders searched for them.
• Zhou Tianhua identified the elders’ power as Divine Descent, explaining that Demon Gods could lend their strength to descendants at a great cost.
• Li Cunren called off the group’s hunting plan and said they should return to the city.
• Chu Zhiyuan sensed eight Devil Race experts nearby, and Li Cunren chose to head back to the city rather than attack them.

Chu Zhiyuan returned to the city after abandoning his hunt for the Demon Race experts, though a Flying Dagger secretly continued following them. He received two ancient Heart Moon Flying Daggers from the Emperor, then learned that the Emperor would not meet with him, leaving him to face a difficult path as Imperial Son-in-Law.

• Li Cunren and Zhou Tianhua persuaded Chu Zhiyuan to return instead of pursuing the Demon Race experts himself, while a Flying Dagger silently followed them.
• Chu Zhiyuan returned to the city with Li Cunren and Zhou Tianhua, and Fu Zheng judged Meng Enjun's temperament too poor for great prospects.
• Li Miaotan welcomed Chu Zhiyuan home and told him the Emperor had sent his two Flying Daggers.
• Chu Zhiyuan tested the Heart Moon Flying Daggers and discovered that the Heart Moon Saber Technique let them shift between illusion and reality while concealing their auras.
• Li Miaotan told Chu Zhiyuan that the Emperor did not wish to meet him, so they would visit her mother instead.

Chu Zhiyuan learned more about the Phoenix Dynasty’s succession politics while secretly tracking Demon Race experts to a hidden valley near the imperial city. He saw them empower a giant snake with a ritual and sent the Heart Moon Saber to strike it before two elders could invoke Divine Descent.

• Chu Zhiyuan and Li Miaotan discussed the First Prince’s steadiness, the Third Prince’s lack of ambition, and the Empress’s role in shaping the succession contest.
• Chu Zhiyuan’s Flying Dagger followed Demon Race experts into a hidden valley, then returned to him after they entered and disappeared into it.
• Chu Zhiyuan sent the Heart Moon Saber to spy on the valley and saw sixteen black-robed men transform into beast-faced figures while chanting over a pool.
• The ritual’s golden pillar flowed into a giant yellow-scaled snake, strengthening it as two elders gathered power for Divine Descent.
• Chu Zhiyuan suspected the elders meant to invoke the Demon God’s power upon the snake and sent the Heart Moon Saber toward its vital spot.

Chu Zhiyuan used the Heart Moon Saber to kill a giant snake and provoke the Demon Race and Devil Race experts into pursuing and attacking one another. The two groups clashed in the forest, while the saber watched from a nearby mountain.

• Chu Zhiyuan used the Heart Moon Saber to kill the giant snake during the ritual, prompting the Demon Race experts to search for the culprit and blame the Heavenly Devils.
• The Heart Moon Saber attacked the Devil Race experts hiding in a forest, then lured them on a long chase before they gave up and returned to rest.
• Chu Zhiyuan sent the Heart Moon Saber back to strike the injured Devil Race expert again, provoking the group into attacking it.
• The Demon Race experts arrived, mistook the Devil Race experts for the culprits, and charged into battle with them.
• The Heart Moon Saber withdrew to a mountain summit and watched the two groups fight.

Chu Zhiyuan watched the Demon Race and Devil Race clash, then absorbed the giant snake’s strengthened bloodline and gained greater strength and defense. He discovered that the Mysterious Stone beneath the pool enriched the valley’s Spiritual Qi, but his instincts warned that touching it could be fatal.

• The Demon Race and Devil Race fought until both sides withdrew, while Chu Zhiyuan’s Heart Moon Saber watched from the void.
• Chu Zhiyuan found a black Mysterious Stone beneath the pool that drew in Spiritual Qi and enriched the valley.
• The Heart Moon Saber extracted a yellow sphere from the giant snake, and Chu Zhiyuan absorbed it through his Heavenly Dragon Bloodline.
• Chu Zhiyuan’s scales spread across his body as his physique and defensive power grew, and he found that his speed had also increased slightly.
• Chu Zhiyuan considered how to retrieve the Mysterious Stone, which his instincts warned could endanger his life if touched.

Chu Zhiyuan overcame the black Mysterious Stone’s resistance by using the Light Talisman, transforming it and greatly increasing the Spiritual Qi flowing into his cultivation. After returning to the Twelfth Prince Consort’s Mansion, he received three bottles of Azure Nether Spirit Dew from the First Prince.

• Chu Zhiyuan recognized that four divine scripts protected the black Mysterious Stone and used the Light Talisman to draw it upward.
• Chu Zhiyuan combined the Immeasurable Light Sutra and Great Brightness Fist to help the Light Talisman overpower the stone’s black light.
• The black Mysterious Stone entered the Light Talisman, transforming it into a silver token and doubling the Spiritual Qi extracted by the vortex above the valley.
• Chu Zhiyuan left the valley, expecting it to return to normal without the Mysterious Stone.
• Li Yuzhen delivered three bottles of Azure Nether Spirit Dew sent by the First Prince, and Chu Zhiyuan explained when the spirit dew was most useful.

Chu Zhiyuan learned that Jade Scenery Dynasty officials wanted to stop Li Miaotan's Phoenix Bloodline from awakening, despite its imminent arrival. A secret letter revealed that they were refining a pill that could silence her bloodline.

• Li Yuzhen warned Chu Zhiyuan to be careful when meeting the Empress, and he agreed to watch what he said.
• At Wenhua Tower, Chu Zhiyuan told Chu Hongwei that Li Miaotan's Phoenix Bloodline would awaken within about ten days and refused to help officials delay it.
• Chu Hongwei explained that meritorious officials feared the Phoenix Dynasty's power and wanted to postpone the awakening, but he withheld further classified details.
• After Chu Zhiyuan left Wenhua Tower, Fu Zheng received a secret letter from Chu Liexuan revealing that Spirit Guards had found a bloodline-disrupting herb and were refining a Silent Blood Pill for Li Miaotan.