Chapter Summaries

Yun Qing tried to revive the Little Radiant Chick by staging a fake death, but Yun Huang fled and later hid with Yun Yuan. Yun Qing returned to the Yun Clan with the other eleven young masters and ladies, where the clan welcomed them in triumph.

• Yun Qing pretended to grieve over the Little Radiant Chick's death, but Yun Huang left to fetch wine and did not return.
• Yun Qing put the chick in a jade box and planned another scheme to bring it back to life.
• Yun Qing searched the Cloudship for Yun Huang and Yun Yuan, then gave up as the ship approached the Yun Clan Territory.
• Yun Yuan thanked Yun Huang for sheltering him, and Yun Huang said he would explain the matter to Yun Qing.
• Yun Qing and the other eleven young masters and ladies arrived at the Yun Clan, where a crowd welcomed them and congratulated Yun Qing on ascending the Divine List.
• Yun Qing raised his hand, and the crowd's cheers fell silent.

Yun Qing led the Yun Clan’s homecoming rites, honoring the fallen who had died on the Azure Cloud Road. He personally approved compensation for their families and prepared for a grand memorial ceremony three days later.

• Yun Qing and the Twelve Young Masters bowed to heaven, earth, their ancestors, and the fallen as the clan welcomed them home.
• Yun Piao Piao mourned her brother, Yun Lielie, while Yun Shuo comforted her and looked toward his elder brother.
• Yun Qing went to Perching Phoenix Hall and reviewed the Jade Slip listing the Yun Clan members who had died on the Azure Cloud List.
• Yun Qing personally wrote compensation orders for the fallen and their families, including Yun Lieyang and Yun Lielie.
• Yun Qing signed the orders with his immortal power and instructed a steward disciple to send them for records and immediate implementation.
• Yun Qing watched the stars, then left the hall as the clan’s ceremony to comfort the fallen spirits approached.

Yun Qing and Yun Huang shared tea and spoke about grief, duty, and the future of Heavenly Origin. Yun Qing then brought out the little chick, reigniting their familiar dispute as Yun Huang demanded he get rid of it.

• Yun Huang brewed tea for Yun Qing and urged him not to let grief over their fallen younger siblings weaken him as a ruler.
• Yun Qing said he valued human bonds more than reaching the summit alone or ranking first on the Divine List.
• Yun Huang cut off the heavy conversation and tried to comfort Yun Qing in his own stiff way.
• Yun Qing produced a jade box containing the little chick and presented it to Yun Huang.
• Yun Huang demanded that Yun Qing throw the chick out, but Yun Qing clutched it protectively and refused.

Yun Qing pressured Yun Huang into reviving Little Radiant Chick, then learned that his recent encounter with a blood-red presence had injured his divine soul. Yun Huang withheld the presence’s identity and instructed Yun Qing to oversee the Spirit-Soothing Ceremony before meeting him at the Azure Heaven Spirit Spring.

• Yun Qing threatened to mourn the loss of his pet until Yun Huang agreed to revive Little Radiant Chick.
• Yun Huang used a drop of Immortal Emperor true blood to revive Little Radiant Chick, who immediately protested as Yun Qing rubbed his head.
• Yun Huang asked Yun Qing about the blood-red presence he had seen on the Heavenly Origin Platform, then refused to explain what it was.
• Yun Huang warned Yun Qing that his foundation was unstable and his divine soul had suffered a hidden injury.
• Yun Huang ordered Yun Qing to oversee the Spirit-Soothing Ceremony in three days and meet him afterward at the Azure Heaven Spirit Spring in Langhuan Clear Void.
• Yun Qing left the hall with Little Radiant Chick tucked into his robes, planning to prepare for the ceremony.

Yun Qing led the Yun Clan’s Spirit-Soothing Ceremony for 1,076 clanspeople who died in Azure Cloud. Defying Yun Huang’s warning, he used his double pupils and the Creation Heavenly Origin Cauldron to retrieve their true spirit fragments, and Yun Piao Piao recognized her brother among them.

• Yun Qing delivered the sacrificial address before the mourning Yun Clan and offered wine and tribute to the fallen.
• Twelve Immortal Venerables opened a projection of the Nine Netherworlds Passing Waters to search for the dead clanspeople’s true spirits.
• Yun Qing opened his double pupils and brought out the Creation Heavenly Origin Cauldron despite recalling Yun Huang’s warning not to force his eyes.
• Yun Qing called the fallen by name and drew their true spirit fragments from the river into the altar’s sky.
• Yun Piao Piao recognized one descending cluster of spirit light as her brother.

Yun Qing and the Yun Clan completed the Soul-Comforting Ceremony, sealing the departed juniors’ true spirits and sending them into the Ancestral Shrine. When a cold disturbance stirred in Yun Qing’s divine soul, Yun Huang took him back to Langhuan Clear Void and tossed him into the Azure Heaven Spirit Spring.

• Yun Qing watched the twelve Immortal Venerables seal the recovered true spirits with Yun Clan Seals, while Yun Huang secretly stabilized one fading spirit.
• Yun Qing invited the departed spirits to return home, and they entered the Ancestral Shrine as its Soul Lamps lit and its doors closed.
• After the ceremony, a cold, blood-red presence disturbed Yun Qing’s sea of consciousness, but he tried to hide his pain from the gathered clan.
• Yun Huang detected the disturbance, arranged for the elders to handle the aftermath, and took Yun Qing away despite his protest.
• At the Azure Heaven Spirit Spring, Yun Huang tossed Yun Qing into the water, where he surfaced drenched and sputtering.

Yun Huang treated Yun Qing’s hidden injuries in a spirit spring and revealed that the sinister presence tormenting him was called Kan, nether, heaven, burial. Yun Qing’s pain eased, but Yun Huang’s answer left him on the verge of learning the deeper secrets behind his condition.

• Yun Huang brought Yun Qing to Langhuan Clear Void and ordered him into the spirit spring to treat his hidden injuries.
• Yun Huang soothed Yun Qing’s pain, then told him to remove his clothes and circulate the Chaos Primordial Source Scripture.
• Yun Qing sensed whispers in his sea of consciousness, and Yun Huang warned him not to listen before using divine flame to purge the corruption.
• Yun Huang tempered the divine flame with spiritual energy until the sinister sensation vanished, leaving him visibly fatigued.
• Yun Qing asked what had afflicted him, and Yun Huang named it Kan, nether, heaven, burial.

Yun Huang warned Yun Qing about the mind-corrupting Kanming Heavenly Burial and urged him to grow strong enough to protect the Yun Clan. The next day, Yun Qing woke at Perching Phoenix Hall to find eleven young masters and Yun Yao waiting outside, while Yun Huang met with the elders.

• Yun Huang explained that the Kanming Heavenly Burial corrupted anyone who tried to understand or name it, and said his radiant sun divine flame had removed Yun Qing’s remaining corruption markers.
• Yun Huang warned Yun Qing that an Immortal King would be powerless against the coming calamity, and Yun Qing promised to reach the pinnacle of the immortal path before teasing Yun Huang about growing old.
• Yun Huang ordered Yun Qing out of the spirit spring and sparred with him after Yun Qing mocked him.
• Yun Qing slept until nearly noon at Perching Phoenix Hall, then learned that eleven young masters and Yun Yao had been waiting outside since early morning.
• Yun Qing went out to meet them while Yun Huang discussed important matters with the elders in the front hall.

Yun Qing woke to find the eleven young masters and Yun Yao gathered outside his room, and he planned to take them to Langhuan Clear Void while settling a few scores. Yun Huang allowed the visit but warned Yun Qing to keep everyone in line as they headed for the Azure Heaven Spirit Spring.

• Yun Qing greeted the eleven young masters and Yun Yao, then hinted that he wanted to test their insights on the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud List.
• Yun Jinglei tried to leave, but Yun Baojian blocked him and challenged him to show some backbone.
• Yun Huang arrived, checked Yun Qing’s recovery, and ordered him to go to the spirit spring instead of stirring up trouble.
• Yun Qing asked to bring the young masters and Yun Yao to Langhuan Clear Void while he went to the Azure Heaven Spirit Spring.
• Yun Huang permitted the group to look around but warned Yun Qing that he would hang him and the others from a tree if they misbehaved.

Yun Qing brought the Yun Clan youngsters into Langhuan Clear Void, where they discovered that His Majesty had planted immortal plants reflecting each of them and their bonds. After the garden moved Yun Li and the others, Yun Qing began to settle accounts over their behavior on the Azure Cloud List.

• Yun Qing opened the restrictions around Langhuan Clear Void and led the restless youngsters inside, bringing the orange-haired fellow along with him.
• Yun Qing guided the group through the Immortal Plants Garden, where Yun Tianluo recognized the meaning behind the carefully arranged plants.
• Yun Zui teased Yun Shuanghua about the nightmare illusion orchid, and the others spotted plants resembling Yun Baojian, Yun Hua, Yun Ge, and Yun Pengxing.
• Yun Li recognized himself in the Blood Jade Dragon Ginseng and realized His Majesty had remembered and cultivated each of the Yun Clan youngsters in the garden.
• Yun Qing asked whether the youngsters had looked enough, then announced that he would settle accounts over how they had repaid him and His Majesty on the Azure Cloud List.

Yun Qing punished his younger siblings by planting some in the spirit-herb garden and hanging the others from the Divine Tree while he played Go with Yun Huang. The siblings remained suspended as the Three Masteries performed music, and Yun Jinglei continued to plead for release.

• Yun Qing kept Yun Shuanghua and Yun Zui planted in his spirit-herb garden as punishment, claiming the soil would help their cultivation.
• Yun Qing arranged Yun Hua, Yun Ge, and Yun Pengxing in a triangle on the Divine Tree, and Yun Ge, Yun Hua, and Yun Pengxing played music from their hanging positions.
• Yun Jinglei begged Yun Qing to let him down after being hung upside down by his feet, but Yun Qing told him to stay there and keep a low profile.
• Yun Qing left Yun Tianluo hanging in an elegant pose and mocked him for previously asking to be called Grandpa.
• Yun Baojian remained bound upright beside the Divine Tree, and Yun Qing told Yun Jinglei he would look respectable only if he dyed his orange hair black.

Yun Qing hung the young Yun Clan masters in Yun Huang’s garden, then lost a Go game to Yun Huang and accepted the wager’s punishment. After recovering in the spirit spring, Yun Qing asked to borrow Yun Huang’s sword, leaving the dangling onlookers eager to see what would happen next.

• Yun Qing hung Yun Baojian, Yun Jinglei, Yun Li, Yun Yao, Yun Ruyi, Yun Poxiao, and the other young masters from branches in the garden, while Yun Huang approved of the arrangement.
• Yun Qing and Yun Huang began a Go game as the suspended youngsters watched and played music.
• Yun Huang defeated Yun Qing by thirty-seven stones and declared that the loser had to accept a punishment.
• Yun Qing finished recovering in the spirit spring, rose from the pool, and asked Yun Huang to lend him his sword.

Yun Qing received the ancient ceremonial sword Azure Jade from Yun Huang and performed a sword dance to the Sacrificial Hymn to Heaven. His dance revealed both the sword’s majesty and Yun Qing’s own Dao, leaving the gathered young prodigies awestruck.

• Yun Huang gave Yun Qing Azure Jade, the ceremonial sword once used in the Immortal Court of old.
• Yun Qing drew Azure Jade and asked Yun Hua, Yun Ge, and Yun Pengxing to play the Sacrificial Hymn to Heaven.
• Yun Qing began with solemn ceremonial sword forms that drew out Azure Jade’s spirit of ceremony and majesty.
• Yun Qing shifted into flowing, elegant movements that united the sword’s grandeur with his own Dao.
• Yun Tianluo, Yun Jinglei, Yun Baojian, Yun Ruyi, Yun Shuanghua, Yun Zui, Yun Poxiao, and Yun Li watched Yun Qing’s dance in awe.

After Yun Qing’s sword dance, he asked Yun Huang to reward the twelve Yun Clan youths who had returned victorious from the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud List. Yun Huang granted them treasures, then offered Yun Qing a sword from the old Immortal Court.

• Yun Qing finished his sword dance by saluting Yun Huang and returning Azure Jade to him.
• Yun Qing asked Yun Huang to reward the twelve Yun Clan youths, and Yun Huang allowed them down from the Divine Tree.
• Yun Huang praised the youths for upholding the Yun Clan’s name and presented each with a treasure suited to their Dao path.
• Yun Qing thanked Yun Huang and replaced his cooled spirit tea with a hot cup.
• Yun Huang offered Yun Qing a sword, saying, “This sword is for my elder brother.”

Yun Qing accepted the ceremonial sword Azure Jade from Yun Huang and arranged life-saving treasures for the younger members of the Yun Clan. After Yun Huang sent the group away, Yun Qing asked him to replenish the Little Radiant Chick’s divine power, and the brothers bickered over the bird’s short-lived revival.

• Yun Huang gave Yun Qing Azure Jade, the ceremonial sword of the former Immortal Court, and Yun Qing accepted it calmly.
• Yun Huang swept the twelve younger Yun Clan members and their treasures out of Langhuan Clear Void, and they landed in a heap on the Jade Steps.
• Yun Tianluo urged the group to cultivate with the treasures Yun Qing had secured for them, while Yun Jinglei and Yun Baojian traded barbs.
• Yun Qing told Yun Huang that the younger members needed life-saving treasures because an age of great strife was approaching.
• Yun Qing presented the exhausted Little Radiant Chick and asked Yun Huang to recharge it with divine power.
• Yun Huang explained that the chick had used up the power in his divided spirit, and Yun Qing joked that he was raising Yun Huang.

Yun Qing revived Little Radiant Chick by persuading Yun Huang to give the little creature more divine radiance, then discovered memories of Yun Huang’s former life in Azure Jade. Moved by the loneliness he saw, Yun Qing set out to find Yun Huang and share wine with him.

• Yun Qing coaxed Yun Huang into restoring Little Radiant Chick, then left with the revived creature after teasing Yun Huang again.
• At night, Yun Qing meditated with Azure Jade and saw memories of the ancient Immortal Court and Yun Huang as its supreme sovereign.
• Yun Qing witnessed the deserted Immortal Court and sensed the loneliness of Yun Huang standing alone there.
• Yun Qing wondered what Azure Jade meant to Yun Huang, then decided to find him and share a pot of wine.

Yun Qing playfully dressed Yun Huang and Little Radiant Chick in matching gold-and-jade crowns, prompting Yun Huang to seize his brother and take him to the Tournament Platform for recovery training. On the way, they encountered the Yun Clan Prodigies admiring their new treasures, and the group hurriedly lined up when they saw the brothers approach.

• Yun Qing brought Yun Huang tea and Vermilion Fruit, then tied Yun Huang's hair with a gold-and-jade crown.
• Yun Huang noticed Little Radiant Chick wearing a matching miniature crown and realized Yun Qing had staged the look.
• Yun Huang used divine power to grab Yun Qing and announced he would help consolidate his recovery on the Tournament Platform.
• Yun Qing protested that his Sea of Consciousness needed rest, while Yun Huang insisted his Radiant Sun Divine Flame could treat it.
• Yun Huang and Yun Qing ran into Yun Li, Yun Poxiao, Yun Jinglei, Yun Baojian, Yun Ruyi, Yun Tianluo, and the other Yun Clan Prodigies examining their treasures.
• Yun Tianluo greeted Yun Huang and Yun Qing, and the gathered prodigies put away their treasures and lined up obediently.

The Yun Clan welcomed congratulations from the Azure Lotus Sword Sect, the Supreme Dao Sect, and the Jiang Clan after its victory on the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud List. As the leaders exchanged greetings, Jiang Shouzhuo hinted that worsening times lay ahead and that cultivating herbs would not be enough to keep the Jiang Clan safe.

• Yun Qing set Yun Qing down after the youngsters crowded around their treasures, then smoothly asked why everyone had gathered.
• The Guest-Welcoming Bell rang as the Azure Lotus Sword Sect, the Supreme Dao Sect, and the Jiang Clan arrived to congratulate the Yun Clan.
• First Elder Yun Che greeted the visitors, including Deputy Sect Master Sword Venerable Lu Qingxiao and Supreme Dao Sect Master True Person Xuanwei.
• Jiang Clan Head Jiang Shouzhuo brought medicinal gifts and embraced Second Elder Yun Yuan, while the two traded friendly remarks.
• Jiang Shouzhuo praised Yun Qing and admitted that he feared the coming days would be too dangerous for the clans to remain peaceful by focusing only on medicinal herbs.

The Yun Clan and visiting leaders discussed the Ji Clan’s losses at the Azure Cloud List and the threat of an external force gathering over Heavenly Origin. Meanwhile, Yun Huang punished Yun Qing in the Martial Arena until Yun Qing raised the strange fate of the Ji Clan’s prodigies.

• True Person Xuanwei noted that all the Great Zhou prodigies at the Azure Cloud List had died except Ji Shuyue and Ji Lingri, and the elders denied that the Yun Clan was responsible.
• True Person Xuanwei and Sword Venerable Azure Sky revealed signs of blood-red killing intent from beyond their world and warned that Heavenly Origin’s factions would need to unite.
• Yun Yuan declared that Heavenly Origin would not be handed over to the filthy things, and the leaders accepted that the coming storm exceeded any one faction’s strength.
• Yun Huang sealed the Martial Arena and attacked Yun Qing, who tried to evade punishment by bringing up a mystery from the Azure Cloud List.
• Yun Qing explained that the prodigies had gathered their fortune into their Immortal Lists before dying, except for the Ji Clan, and Yun Huang identified them.

Yun Qing and Yun Huang discussed how Great Zhou’s turmoil had affected the Fortune of its dead disciples, while the Yun Clan learned that Great Zhou had invited other powers to its ancestral rites but not them. Ji Chen then arrived with an invitation and publicly appealed to the hidden emperor before fleeing the Yun Clan’s reception.

• Yun Qing told Yun Huang that Ji Shuyue had gathered the Fortune of other Ji Clan Disciples, and Yun Huang said Great Zhou had fallen into turmoil.
• Sword Venerable Azure Sky, True Person Xuanwei, and Jiang Shouzhuo revealed that Great Zhou had invited their factions to ancestral rites where the Ji Clan would open its origin pool and possibly an immortal emperor’s dao resonance inheritance.
• Yun Yuan mocked Great Zhou after the Yun Clan confirmed it had received no invitation, but an elder soon announced that Great Zhou’s delegation had arrived.
• Ji Chen and General Shang waited outside the Yun Clan’s formation as Ji Chen joked about the danger of their mission and revealed that someone was protecting Ji Wen.
• Ji Chen presented the invitation to Yun Che’s First Elder, bowed toward the rear mountain to summon the hidden emperor to Great Zhou’s Divine Capital, and hurried away.