Recaps

Yun Huang halted Great Zhou’s welcome banquet and ordered officials to bring him years of memorials and state-business reports, turning the celebration into a court session. The officials scrambled to revise the ceremony while Yun Huang calmly held Qing Kitty, and the banquet remained suspended as the court prepared to answer to him.

• Yun Huang told Ji Chongli to set aside the banquet and bring him the memorials and state-business summaries from recent years.
• Yun Qing recognized that Yun Huang had turned the welcome banquet into a parent-teacher conference, while the Great Zhou officials panicked.
• Ji Chen burned the ceremonial booklet and decided to convert the welcome banquet into a court session.
• Ji Chen ordered the officials to suspend the performances, postpone the gifts, and follow the Immortal Court’s old rites for announcing envoys.
• Yun Yuan watched with amusement as Yun Huang stroked Qing Kitty, who tucked in his paws and meowed beside him.

Yun Huang forced the Zhou Emperor to review Great Zhou’s memorials in public, exposing military vacancies and cuts to ancestral rites. When Great Xia’s War King arrived with three thousand Bloodslaughter Dragon Cavalry, Yun Huang ordered them summoned, leaving Ji Chen to accept that the banquet’s proceedings now followed Yun Huang’s authority.

• Yun Huang ordered the archived memorials brought to the banquet despite the Zhou Emperor’s attempt to delay the review.
• Ji Chen arranged for attendants to bring the Jade Slips, and Yun Huang told the Zhou Emperor Ji Chongli to read them aloud.
• Yun Huang exposed a military report that concealed thirty percent vacancies in the Border Army, and the vice minister of war fell to his knees and begged forgiveness.
• Yun Huang challenged the Zhou Emperor over seven changes to the Ancestral Sacrifice procedures, and Ji Chongli promised to restore them.
• A ritual official reported that Great Xia’s War King Xia Zhan had reached the northern gate with three thousand Bloodslaughter Dragon Cavalry.
• Yun Huang ordered Great Xia’s delegation summoned, and Ji Chen and the minister of the Court of State Ceremonial accepted that the banquet would proceed according to Yun Huang’s command.

Xia Zhan arrived in Great Zhou's Divine Capital and discovered that Yun Huang had taken the seat of honor as Immortal Emperor, while the Zhou Emperor sat below him. As guests from across the Heavenly Origin Continent gathered, Great Zhou's Ministry of Rites reshaped the welcoming feast into an Immortal Court assembly, leaving Yun Qing wondering what the Zhou Emperor intended.

• Xia Zhan led three thousand Great Xia Bloodslaughter Dragon Cavalry riders to the Divine Capital, where Ji Chen greeted him with an unusually hurried ceremony.
• Xia Zhan entered the Heaven-Praying Terrace and saw Yun Huang seated on the Imperial Throne, with the Zhou Emperor relegated to a lower seat.
• Xia Zhan followed the Immortal Court's ancient rites and paid his respects to Yun Huang as Immortal Emperor.
• Prominent figures from across the Heavenly Origin Continent arrived, and Ji Chen increasingly arranged the gathering like an Immortal Court assembly.
• Sword Venerable Azure Sky remarked on the changed seating, while Jiang Shouzhuo laughed at Ji Chen's explanation.
• Yun Qing watched the confused guests and wondered what the Zhou Emperor was plotting as Yun Huang's influence over the gathering grew.

At the Great Zhou banquet turned Immortal Court assembly, news arrived that the Mu Clan had been destroyed overnight and its territory swallowed by a sea of blood. Yun Qing suspected the report was being used to manipulate the gathered factions, while the assembly began debating the disaster and Yun Huang remained unconcerned.

• Feng Ci praised Yun Qing to Yun Yuan, and Yun Qing joined their polite conversation with the other elders.
• A Great Zhou imperial guard reported that the Mu Clan's ancestral grounds had been destroyed, its shrine and genealogy shattered, and most of its members killed.
• The Zhou Emperor ordered an investigation as the gathered factions suspected the Nine Heavens Divine Palaces or another hidden power and sent messages to their sects.
• Yun Qing recalled the Mu Clan's past role in trying to kill him and suspected the timing of the report was meant to turn the clan's destruction into a political weapon.
• Jiang Shouzhuo linked the sea of blood and shattered shrine to past Heavenly Demon calamities, while the Zhou Emperor asked the assembled elders to assess the report together.
• Yun Huang stayed aloof, stroking the kitten and musing about dyeing its paws black.

The assembled powers used divination to inspect the destroyed Mu Clan and discovered Blood Haze that appeared to have originated within Heavenly Origin. As they debated the threat, True Person Xuanwei found a fleeting karmic link to the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud List, suggesting a junior’s feud might be involved.

• True Person Xuanwei, Xing Yuanzi, and Frost Fairy joined their powers to reveal the Mu Clan’s ruined ancestral grounds in the Clear Void Mirror.
• The group saw Blood Haze consuming the ruins and gnawing away at the Mu Clan’s Immortal Genealogy.
• True Person Xuanwei and Xing Yuanzi concluded that the Blood Haze had likely grown from within Heavenly Origin rather than entered through the world barrier.
• The Zhou Emperor warned that the Blood Haze had returned, while the gathered elders avoided connecting the ancient catastrophe to Yun Huang.
• True Person Xuanwei traced broken karma to several figures who had crossed the sea at night and noticed a brief link to the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud List.

At the banquet, a sect master tried to implicate the Yun Clan in the Mu Clan’s destruction, but Yun Huang silenced the hall by declaring that even if the Yun Clan had destroyed them, no one could stop it. He then ordered several factions to investigate the Blood Sea and Blood Haze and secure the Southern Sea, before calling on Jiang Shouzhuo.

• A Southern Region sect master raised Mu Cheng’s old grudge against Yun Qing and suggested the Yun Clan might have destroyed the Mu Clan, stirring suspicion among the banquet guests.
• Yun Huang dismissed the accusation and declared that the Yun Clan could destroy even one of the Four Ancient Clans if it dared challenge him, frightening the factions considering a move against the Yun Clan.
• Yun Huang ordered True Person Xuanwei and Xing Yuanzi to investigate the Southern Sea’s karma, the Boundary-Wall Sea Eye, and the Blood Sea’s origin.
• Yun Huang tasked Shuang Heng and Yun Jun with examining the Blood Haze and finding whoever might have imitated an old calamity.
• Yun Huang ordered Feng Ci and Xia Zhan to seal and inspect the Thirty-Six Large Teleportation Nodes around the Southern Sea, then called on Jiang Shouzhuo.

After Yun Huang ended the banquet, Yun Qing and the Yun Clan gathered in secret to investigate the Mu Clan massacre and Great Zhou’s hidden confidence. The elders identified the blood sea as Kan Nether Heaven Burial, but its significance remained unresolved.

• Yun Huang dismissed the banquet and departed with Qing Kitty as the Zhou Emperor and the assembled Immortal Venerables bowed farewell.
• After the Yun Clan left, Xia Zhan recognized that Yun Qing could sit securely in Great Zhou because Yun Huang would protect him, while Yun Qing resolved to protect his own family.
• Yun Yuan sealed the Divine Palace against eavesdropping and divination, and Yun Qing soothed the jealous Little Radiant Chick while serving Yun Huang tea.
• Yun Qing and the elders concluded that the Mu Clan massacre was deliberately timed as a signal and a test of whether anyone would attack the Yun Clan.
• Yun Qing asked what trump card gave Great Zhou the confidence to provoke an Immortal Emperor, and Fifth Elder Yun Jun revealed that the blood sea was Kan Nether Heaven Burial.

Yun Qing deduced that the Mu Clan's destruction was part of a scheme to open a passage or unleash a demonic threat, and Yun Huang ordered an investigation. After Yun Lan and Ji Shuyue crossed paths, Ji Lingri watched from the shadows, while Blood Haze conspirators discussed whether Ji Huang had become suspicious.

• Yun Yuan explained that Heavenly Demons were tangible outsiders and that the Mu Clan's destruction might conceal a plot involving them or an opening between worlds.
• Yun Qing inferred that the conspirators were relying on a scheme rather than confronting Yun Huang directly, and Yun Huang praised him with a backhanded remark about his playthings.
• Yun Qing called for the truth behind the Mu Clan's destruction to be uncovered and the conspirators' contingency plans to be stopped, and Yun Huang ordered the investigation.
• Yun Yuan and Yun Lan agreed that Yun Lan would have a friendly chat with the Southern Region sect master who had raised the old grievance with Qingyun.
• Yun Lan passed Ji Shuyue in the corridor, while Ji Lingri watched and then headed toward the Zhou Emperor's hall.
• In the Divine Capital's underground palace, blood-red figures said the Mu Clan had been dealt with and asked whether Ji Huang had grown suspicious.

As the Great Zhou Ancestral Sacrifice approached, hidden factions recognized that the Zhou Clan’s scheme could entangle Yun Qing through his growing attachments and the capital’s karmic forces. With the truth behind the Mu Clan’s extermination emerging, Yun Qing and Yun Huang prepared to confront the corruption before the ceremony began.

• Blood-red figures planned to use the Great Zhou ancestral vein, its incense offerings, and Yun Qing’s concern for others to bind him during the Ancestral Sacrifice.
• Feng Ci told Jiang Shouzhuo that the Zhou Clan’s gambit depended on Yun Qing and the karmic paths he could no longer avoid.
• Xing Yuanzi and Frost Fairy considered whether the crisis in the Divine Capital could create an opportunity to rescue their respective sovereigns from calamity.
• Feng Ci, Xia Zhan, and other Immortal Venerables returned with investigations that gradually revealed the truth behind the Mu Clan’s extermination.
• The ancient bell rang nine times as the capital filled with incense, and Yun Qing saw the Great Zhou dragon vein and karmic threads turning blood-red.
• Yun Huang urged them to clear out the corruption in the household at once as the Ancestral Sacrifice drew near.

The Great Zhou Ancestor Sacrifice began amid an imposing gathering, while Yun Qing watched warily for the scheme he suspected was underway. As the Zhou Emperor performed the opening rites and the Ji Clan read its lengthy Sacrificial Text, several senior guests started an Immortal Arts Duel in a private group chat.

• The Ninefold Ancient Bell rang, and the Ji Clan's Immortal Venerables cleared the skies above the Divine Capital for the ceremony.
• Yun Qing watched the gathering and saw Yun Huang pampering Qing Kitty with a star pearl and rare immortal fruits.
• The Zhou Emperor led the Ji Clan to the Sacrificial Altar, bowed to heaven, earth, and the Ancestral Temple, and delivered the opening address.
• The Ji Clan Imperial Clan Court began reading the Sacrificial Text as the guests listened in silence.
• Jiang Shouzhuo invited Yun Yuan, True Person Xuanwei, and Feng Ci to play Immortal Arts Duel in their seas of consciousness.

During Great Zhou’s Ancestral Sacrifice, the Ancestral Vein Origin Pool opened and revealed the supposed inheritance of Ji Huang, drawing the attention of the gathered powers. Yun Huang offered to help Yun Qing secretly collect it, and Yun Qing accepted.

• Yun Yuan, Jiang Shouzhuo, True Person Xuanwei, and Feng Ci played Immortal Cards while the sacrificial text was read.
• The Ji Clan’s descendants offered blood and placed ritual vessels to complete the Ancestral Sacrifice formation.
• The Zhou Emperor announced the summoning of the origin pool, which opened and raised a ruined platform bearing an Ancient Seal.
• Xia Zhan and the assembled factions watched the revealed inheritance with keen interest as Yun Qing studied the altar.
• Yun Huang teased Yun Qing with an offer to open a back door to the inheritance, and Yun Qing agreed.

Yun Huang opened the ancestral vein origin pool and allowed the gathered factions to compete for the Immortal Emperor inheritance. Most guests rushed in, but Xia Zhan stayed seated, convinced the inheritance had already chosen its true recipient.

• Yun Huang playfully petted Qing Kitty as the ancestral vein origin pool fully opened and revealed the Immortal Emperor inheritance.
• The gathered Immortal Venerables, sect masters, and other guests hesitated to approach the inheritance while Yun Huang watched from the honored seat.
• Yun Huang told the guests to help themselves, and cultivators from several factions rushed toward the origin pool to compete for the opportunity.
• Jiang Shouzhuo asked Xia Zhan whether Great Xia would enter the contest, but Xia Zhan refused, believing the inheritance had already chosen its principal recipient.

Yun Qing received Immortal Emperor Ji Huang’s inheritance without facing any trials, while the assembled cultivators watched in disbelief. The moment he took it, a buried threat awakened beneath the Divine Capital and began breaking through the city’s defenses.

• Yun Qing entered the Origin Pool, causing the Immortal Emperor’s phantom to appear before the gathering.
• The phantom declared Yun Qing pleasing to the eye and handed him the Ancient Seal and the inheritance’s essence without any trial.
• The disappointed Immortal Lords and Immortal Venerables abandoned the inheritance grounds, while Jiang Shouzhuo remarked to Xia Zhan that it was fortunate he had not competed.
• Yun Qing accepted the inheritance and exchanged a knowing look with Yun Huang, who appeared amused by the favor he had given him.
• A buried force began to beat beneath the Divine Capital, unleashing crimson energy and piercing the City-Guarding Grand Formation.

The Zhou Emperor activated a blood formation that sealed the Divine Capital and used its people, ancestral vein, and sacrificial rites to bind Yun Huang. As a blood cocoon began to form around the Immortal Emperor, he shattered one chain that threatened Qing Kitty but otherwise remained still.

• The crimson formation sealed the Divine Capital, turning its defenses into a Blood Prison and trapping the gathered factions inside.
• The Zhou Emperor offered to release the guests and share the Immortal Emperor's inheritance if they helped Great Zhou destroy the Yun Clan, but no one accepted.
• Karma-laden blood chains surged from the Sacrificial Altar toward Yun Huang, while Yun Yuan and Yun Zhenye tried to fight back.
• The Zhou Emperor declared that Great Zhou sought only to make Yun Huang return to his rightful place, and a blood cocoon began forming around him.
• Yun Huang flicked away a chain that approached Qing Kitty, then continued stroking the kitten as the formation's pressure mounted.

The Ji Clan’s plan to bind Yun Qing with a blood-tainted Heaven-and-Earth Net unleashed the blood tide across the Divine Capital, driving cultivators mad. As the major powers fought to contain it, Yun Qing stayed behind the Yun Clan’s defenders, silently watching with Azure Jade burning in his hand.

• Yun Qing observed that the Ji Clan meant to use its ancestral vein, clan karma, incense, and the Mu Clan’s vengeful souls to force him back into his destined position.
• The Zhou Emperor triggered the Blood Lanterns, and the blood tide invaded cultivators’ minds and bodies, turning some against their allies.
• True Person Xuanwei used Supreme Purity Light to steady nearby cultivators and drive back some of the blood haze.
• Sword Venerable Azure Sky, Frost Fairy, Feng Ci, and the Feng Clan’s Left Elder helped contain the advancing tide, while the War King of Great Xia suppressed the maddened cultivators.
• Yun Yuan, Yun Zhenye, and Yun Jun defended the Yun Clan’s seats as Yun Qing remained quiet behind them, watching with Azure Jade burning in his palm.

The Zhou Emperor’s assault engulfed the Ancestral Temple, drawing the Azure Lotus Sword Sect and other powerful figures into battle. As they struggled to contain the blood-red tide, ancient figures emerged from the Ritual Pillars, leaving the crisis even more dangerous.

• The Azure Frost Sword Venerable dragged Yun Lan to safety while Yun Qing watched Yun Huang protect Qing Kitty and urged his brother to pay attention.
• Qing Xiao and Qing Shuang attacked the Zhou Emperor, who repelled their opening strikes and declared that he had only now truly come alive.
• The two Sword Venerables fought the Zhou Emperor as Yun Lan supported them with a barrage of magic treasures.
• True Person Xuanwei, Frost Fairy, and Elder Star worked to suppress the blood-red tide near the origin pool while Jiang Shouzhuo sensed something approaching.
• Dark-red fissures split the Ritual Pillars, and several ancient, decaying figures emerged from the depths of the Ancestral Temple.

Ji Shouhui revealed that the Zhou Clan had spent years preparing a sacrificial formation to bind Yun Huang and force him to surrender the Imperial Throne. The assembled factions were trapped in the scheme, and Yun Yuan feared Yun Huang would destroy Heavenly Origin rather than submit.

• Ji Shouhui appeared with the Zhou Emperor’s acquiescence and greeted Yun Huang as the Ji Clan’s former lord, Ji Huang.
• Ji Shouhui revealed that the Zhou Clan had altered its temples, rituals, and sacrificial routes to prepare the formation above the Divine Capital.
• Ji Shouhui explained that Yun Huang’s bond with Heavenly Origin made him vulnerable to the trap, since escaping would trigger a backlash and collapse the world.
• Ji Shouhui declared that the assembled guests were bound into the sacrifice and offered Yun Huang the choice of surrendering the Imperial Throne or risking Heavenly Origin’s destruction.
• The trapped powerhouses attacked the blood-red canopy, but it suppressed their auras as Ji Shouhui announced the Ji Clan’s plan to use Yun Huang to open a path to emperorship.
• Yun Yuan angrily warned Ji Shouhui that the Ji Clan would also perish if Heavenly Origin collapsed, recalling that his own clan had sacrificed a son to pacify Yun Huang.

Ji Shouhui and the Zhou Clan revealed their alliance with Blood Annihilation, one of the Twelve Dutian Demons, whose formation began tearing open the world barrier. As the trapped cultivators faced catastrophe, Yun Huang mocked Blood Annihilation from the Emperor Throne.

• Jiang Shouzhuo and other powerful figures condemned Ji Shouhui for endangering Heavenly Origin, while Ji Shouhui remained unmoved.
• Blood Annihilation revealed that the Mu Clan had been sacrificed to secure the Divine Capital’s arrangement and test the Sacrificial Method.
• True Person Xuanwei recognized Blood Annihilation as one of the Twelve Dutian Demons, a survivor of the ancient Demon-Slaying War who had allied with the Ji Clan.
• Dutian Demon Shadows used the Divine Capital’s formation to pry open a rift in the world barrier, alarming everyone trapped inside.
• Ji Shouhui taunted Yun Huang, but Yun Huang stroked Qing Kitty and challenged Blood Annihilation, declaring that he had slain seven of the Twelve Dutian Demons himself.

Yun Huang admitted that Great Zhou’s scheme had succeeded, but hinted that it had trapped the wrong person. Yun Qing revealed that he, not Yun Huang, had been one with the world, and the chapter left the true identity of the one returning to his rightful place poised to be revealed.

• Yun Huang admitted that Blood Annihilation and Ji Shouhui’s scheme had succeeded, while the Heavenly Demons widened the rift and the battle resumed.
• Yun Huang questioned whom the scheme had actually locked in as he gently stroked Qing Kitty.
• Yun Qing gathered fortune through the Azure Jade and drew it partway from its sheath, making the world barrier’s rift falter.
• Yun Qing asked Ji Shouhui who had said Yun Huang had to be the one returning to his rightful place.
• Jiang Shouzhuo realized the Yun Clan had been feigning outrage and that Yun Qing, rather than Yun Huang, had been one with the world.

Yun Qing secretly took Immortal Emperor Yun Huang’s place in the sacrificial formation, bearing its immense burden while gaining an Immortal Emperor’s perspective. The Yun Clan and their allies attacked Great Zhou, and the Zhou Emperor realized Crown Prince Ji Shuyue had sabotaged the rites and ordered Ji Lingri to seize him.

• Yun Qing used Azure Jade, his Fortune, and Qing Kitty to take Yun Huang’s place in the formation without the Great Zhou imperial family noticing.
• Yun Qing endured the formation’s crushing weight while his understanding of the Heavenly Dao rapidly expanded, with Yun Huang’s divine consciousness protecting him.
• Yun Yuan, Yun Zhenye, and Yun Jun launched a surprise attack on Ji Shouhui and the Great Zhou elders, and Jiang Shouzhuo and other factions joined the battle.
• The Zhou Emperor realized someone had tampered with the sacrificial rites and accused Ji Shuyue of plotting against the Ji Clan.
• Ji Shuyue calmly questioned when the Ji Clan ancestors had become Heavenly Demons, and the Zhou Emperor ordered Ji Lingri to seize him dead or alive.

Ji Lingri revealed that she had been secretly allied with Ji Shuyue and Yun Qing, and destroyed the formation nexus that fueled the blood flames across the Divine Capital. Yun Huang finally broke free of the blood chains and shattered the citywide barrier, then tossed Qing Kitty to Yun Qing as he prepared to act.

• Ji Lingri veered her punch away from Ji Shuyue and destroyed the hidden formation nexus, extinguishing the blood flames throughout the Divine Capital.
• Ji Shuyue and Ji Lingri revealed that they had been acting with Yun Qing, while the Zhou Emperor reacted furiously to their deception.
• Yun Qing acknowledged Ji Shuyue and Ji Lingri, and Yun Huang checked that Yun Qing had returned unharmed.
• Yun Huang pinched a blood chain and broke the chains restraining him, declaring that it was his turn to act.
• Yun Huang shattered the blood-colored barrier over the Divine Capital and tossed Qing Kitty to Yun Qing.

Yun Qing held Qing Kitty and placed the sleeping Little Radiant Chick on the kitten’s head, amused by their fluffy antics. As blood-red light covered the Divine Capital, Yun Huang turned his attention back to Ji Shouhui, Blood Annihilation, and the enemies lurking in the shadows.

• Yun Qing caught Qing Kitty after Yun Huang tossed the kitten to him, then stroked his fur.
• Yun Qing placed the sleeping Little Radiant Chick on Qing Kitty’s head, and the chick settled in while the kitten gave up trying to dislodge him.
• Yun Qing laughed at the kitten and chick as Yun Huang watched them beneath the blood-red sky.
• Yun Huang murmured about the Heavenly Dao’s good taste, then faced Ji Shouhui, Blood Annihilation, and the hidden enemies with killing intent.

Yun Huang broke free and used three fingers to shatter the blood-red canopy, destroy the demons, and seal the world barrier beneath the Divine Capital. He then pulled Ji Shouhui’s soul into divine flame as the assembled powerhouses hailed him as the Immortal Emperor.

• Yun Huang shattered the blood-red canopy and tore through the heavens, destroying the demonic silhouettes beyond the rift.
• Yun Huang used his second finger to annihilate Blood Annihilation and the distorted bloody figures.
• Yun Huang sealed the Great Zhou dragon vein and forced the blood-red demonic qi back into the other world.
• Yun Huang pulled Ji Shouhui’s divine soul from his body and tossed it into the radiant sun divine flame.
• The assembled powerhouses erupted in cheers and repeatedly hailed Yun Huang as the Immortal Emperor.

After Yun Huang destroyed the Heavenly Demons and Great Zhou fell, the assembled factions turned against the Ji Clan and demanded its assets be investigated and seized. Ji Chen and Lu Mingqian hid at the Sacrificial Altar, where Lu confessed how terrified he had been after helping alter the ritual formation.

• Yun Huang returned to Yun Qing and calmly flicked Little Radiant Chick after crushing the crimson chains.
• The assembled factions saw that Great Zhou and the Ji Clan had been defeated and began calling for the Ji Clan to be investigated and punished.
• Jiang Shouzhuo recognized that the factions’ righteous outrage concealed their desire to plunder the Ji Clan’s wealth and legacy.
• Ji Chen and Lu Mingqian hid behind a pillar as the crowd condemned Great Zhou.
• Lu Mingqian told Ji Chen that he had helped alter the ritual formation and feared the Heavenly Demons would kill him.

Ji Shuyue staged a tearful appeal to Yun Huang, blaming a Heavenly Demon for corrupting Great Zhou and possessing the Zhou Emperor. He claimed his father had committed atrocities only after losing control, leaving Yun Huang and the assembled factions to hear his defense.

• Ji Chen told Lu Mingqian that their support for Ji Shuyue had placed them on the winning side, and Lu Mingqian silently agreed.
• Yun Qing watched the factions denounce Great Zhou and wondered how Ji Shuyue would respond.
• Ji Shuyue removed his crown, pretended to weep beside the Zhou Emperor’s corpse, and knelt before Yun Huang.
• Yun Huang asked Ji Shuyue what he wanted, and Ji Shuyue confessed that a Heavenly Demon had infiltrated Great Zhou’s fortune.
• Ji Shuyue claimed the Heavenly Demon had corrupted and possessed the Zhou Emperor, causing him to slaughter the Mu Clan and plot against Yun Huang.
• Yun Qing coughed to cut off Ji Shuyue’s string of insults about his father, and Ji Shuyue continued his defense in tears.