Chapter Summaries

Su Mo resisted the Spirit Transformation cultivators’ close-range attacks, then joined forces with Big Strong to undo the shrinking effect and reveal his giant Divine Race body. As the enemy cultivators lost their will to fight, the Thunder Sect summoned its Thunder Spirit, and Su Mo prepared to call on the Power of All Beings.

• A Spirit Transformation Sword Cultivator stabbed Su Mo but could not pierce beyond his flesh, while Su Mo fatally thrust the Human Emperor Sword into him.
• The other Spirit Transformation cultivators struck Su Mo, but his Divine Sense healed his wounds and resisted the void’s Power of Rules, forcing them to retreat.
• Su Mo called Big Strong to his side, and the Void Beast used void power to restore Su Mo to his full, giant size.
• Su Mo challenged the Spirit Transformation cultivators to fight him in the flesh, leaving nearly a hundred of them shaken by his Divine Race body and strength.
• The Cloud Sect cultivator urged the Thunder Sect to summon the Thunder Spirit, and its cultivators called it down from the storm clouds.
• Su Mo raised the giant Human Emperor Sword and called for the Power of All Beings.

Su Mo summoned the Ninth Realm’s people to lend him their vows, gathering the power of all beings into the Human Emperor Sword. He used the Sword of All Beings to slay the Thunder Spirit and dozens of Upper Realm Spirit Transformation cultivators.

• Su Mo called on the people of the world to lend him their power so he could slay immortals.
• An old man, a scholar and his wife, a former courtier, children, and countless others declared themselves willing and sent their power of vows to Su Mo.
• Millions of strands of vow power gathered in the Human Emperor Sword as the Upper Realm cultivators watched in alarm.
• Su Mo bound the charging Thunder Spirit with Confucian Dao True Words and national fortune power.
• Su Mo unleashed the Sword of All Beings, killing dozens of Upper Realm Spirit Transformation cultivators.

Su Mo destroyed the Thunder Sect’s Thunder Spirit, forcing the Cloud Sect cultivators to flee while the Void Beast hunted down the Nascent Soul cultivators. After discovering the fleeing Spirit Transformation cultivators were heading to the Holy Sect for shelter, Su Mo recalled an Inquiry Realm monster in the Demon Sect’s mountains.

• Su Mo’s sword strike destroyed the Thunder Spirit, and its backlash killed the Thunder Sect’s Spirit Transformation cultivators.
• The surviving Cloud Sect cultivators fled toward the Snow Domain, while the Void Beast pursued and slaughtered the fleeing Nascent Soul cultivators.
• The people of the Imperial City hailed Su Mo as their Human Emperor, and he used National Fortune Power to survey the world.
• Su Mo saw the Cloud Sect cultivators turn toward the Holy Sect’s gates and grew furious at the Holy Sect for aiding them.
• Su Mo remembered Great Calamity’s warning about an old Inquiry Realm monster in the mountains behind the Demon Sect.

After Su Mo defeated half the Upper Realm’s evil immortals, Cheng An’an revealed that the Demon Sect had sealed itself away and offered to carry his message inside. Eunuch Ji then delivered the late Human Emperor’s letter, which explained his sacrifices and entrusted Su Mo with the people and affairs of Great Hua.

• Su Mo searched for the hidden Demon Sect while the people celebrated the defeat of the invading immortals.
• Cheng An’an appeared and told Su Mo that the Demon Sect had sealed itself off, with Dao Hua and his Dao Sect inside.
• Su Mo explained that he needed the Demon Sect Ancestor’s Inquiry Realm power to confront the Holy Sect’s First Elder, and Cheng An’an promised to send word to her sect.
• Eunuch Ji arrived with a letter the late Human Emperor had prepared for Su Mo.
• Su Mo read the letter, which explained the Human Emperors’ plan, asked him to clear the Liu Household, and entrusted him with court affairs and the people beneath heaven.

Su Mo received the late emperor’s succession letter but chose to finish dealing with the Upper Realm’s Immortals before returning to court. After Cheng An’an sacrificed her incarnation to send word to her original body, Su Mo stayed beside her as she died and realized he had nowhere to go while he waited.

• Eunuch Ji gave Su Mo the late emperor’s letter and urged him to attend to the succession, but Su Mo said he would settle everything first.
• Cheng An’an agreed to return to the Demon Sect and find a way to help Su Mo reach the Holy Sect, where the Upper Realm survivors had fled.
• Unable to send word through the sealed Demon Sect gates, Cheng An’an stabbed her incarnation so its consciousness would return to her original body.
• Su Mo sensed Cheng An’an’s death and arrived as she lay dying, but she reassured him that she was only an incarnation.
• Cheng An’an died in Su Mo’s arms, and he mourned her while recognizing that each incarnation’s death left lasting terror.
• As people returned home believing peace had been restored, Su Mo waited for Cheng An’an and realized he had nowhere to go.

After burying Cheng An'an, Su Mo returned to the silent Academy and searched for a place that still felt like home. Remembering Prince Ying and his Princess Consort, he visited them and accepted their invitation to talk at home.

• Su Mo buried Cheng An'an's corpse, and the Void Beast followed him as he left in sorrow.
• Su Mo returned to the Academy, drank Apricot Blossom Village wine, and found it deserted; he also saw that the Riverboat Pavilion and his Painted Pleasure Boat were empty.
• Su Mo remembered Prince Ying and his Princess Consort, who had once protected him and invited him home.
• Su Mo used his national fortune power to find the couple at their sect and went to see them with the Void Beast.
• Prince Ying and his Princess Consort welcomed Su Mo, and he agreed to go home with them.

Su Mo returned to Mount Sumeru Sect and was welcomed by Prince Ying’s Princess Consort and Prince Ying as their child, Jing Yan. After sharing a bowl of noodles with them, he explained that he still had to confront the Holy Sect and wait for the Demon Sect’s gates to open.

• The Mount Sumeru elders recognized Su Mo as the Human Emperor, and Prince Ying’s Princess Consort introduced him as her child, Jing Yan.
• Prince Ying’s Princess Consort brought Su Mo to the rear courtyard, where she and Prince Ying watched over him as he ate a bowl of noodles.
• Prince Ying’s Princess Consort gently tied Su Mo’s white hair back after he explained that he had promised someone he would no longer bind it.
• Prince Ying asked whether Su Mo had finished his affairs outside and invited him to stay home longer.
• Su Mo said the people he sought had hidden in the Holy Sect and that he was waiting for the Demon Sect’s gates to open so he could ask its Ancestor to accompany him there.
• Prince Ying’s Princess Consort offered to go with Su Mo to the Demon Sect when the time came.

Su Mo faced Prince Ying and his wife with the truth about Tongtong’s death and asked them to clear the Liu Household’s name. As they welcomed him home and cared for him, he finally called them “Dad” and “Mom.”

• Su Mo tried to tell Prince Ying and his wife that Tongtong’s death had stemmed from the Human Emperor’s scheme, but Prince Ying said they already knew the truth.
• Prince Ying explained that the Human Emperor had acted to save the world and that he could find no one to hate, even though Tongtong had died and he had killed Liu Cheng.
• Su Mo asked Prince Ying and his wife to clear the Liu Household’s name, and Prince Ying agreed that they should be remembered as loyal and heroic.
• Prince Ying’s Princess Consort gave Su Mo a clean Confucian robe she had prepared for him and offered to wash his bloodstained one.
• Realizing his parents had been waiting for his return, Su Mo called Prince Ying and his wife “Dad” and “Mom,” bringing them both to tears.

Su Mo spent time with Prince Ying and Prince Ying’s Princess Consort on Mount Sumeru before sensing that the Demon Sect had reopened its gates. He left with Prince Ying’s Princess Consort and the Void Beast, while Prince Ying stayed behind with a Fate Token that could summon Su Mo to his side.

• Prince Ying’s Princess Consort brought Su Mo a white cloak and asked about the Void Beast, which Su Mo described as a pet given to him by a senior.
• Prince Ying’s Princess Consort worried that Su Mo’s Confucian Dao cultivation might struggle to reach Spirit Transformation, but Su Mo reassured her.
• Su Mo sensed that the Demon Sect’s gates had opened after Cheng An’an persuaded its elders to lift the closure.
• Prince Ying’s Princess Consort chose to accompany Su Mo, while Prince Ying stayed behind and accepted Su Mo’s Fate Token.
• Su Mo called the Void Beast Big Strong and departed with Prince Ying’s Princess Consort and the beast in a flash of dragon-patterned golden light.

Su Mo reunited with Cheng An'an and Dao Hua at the Demon Sect and asked the sect to help him confront the Holy Sect. The Demon Sect's Ancestor agreed on the condition that Su Mo marry Cheng An'an, leaving everyone stunned.

• Su Mo arrived at the Demon Sect with Prince Ying's Princess Consort and the Void Beast, and Cheng An'an and Dao Hua welcomed him.
• Cheng Hongye cleared the old grievance between the Demon Sect and Su Mo's Dean, while Su Mo reunited with Dao Hua and introduced Prince Ying's Princess Consort as his mother.
• Su Mo asked the Demon Sect to lend its strength as a deterrent so the Holy Sect would hand over the Upper Realm Spirit Transformation cultivators.
• Cheng Hongye said the Demon Sect's Ancestor had to decide whether to help, and the Elderly Woman appeared and agreed to assist.
• The Elderly Woman demanded that Su Mo marry Cheng An'an, stunning the people in the hall.

Su Mo refused the Demon Sect Ancestor’s proposed marriage transaction, insisting that Cheng An'an should have the freedom to choose for herself. His principled answer made Cheng An'an realize she loved him, and the Ancestor ultimately dropped the proposal.

• The Elderly Woman asked Su Mo to marry Cheng An'an as part of a transaction, but he respectfully refused and tried to leave.
• The Elderly Woman stopped Su Mo and demanded a reason, while Prince Ying’s Princess Consort and the Void Beast prepared to defend him.
• Su Mo explained that marriage was solemn and Cheng An'an should not be treated as a sacrifice or an appendage, and he said he could face the remaining Upper Realm cultivators without the Ancestor’s help.
• Cheng An'an recalled how Su Mo had earned her curiosity and admiration, then recognized that she loved him.
• The Elderly Woman saw Cheng An'an’s feelings and accepted Su Mo’s refusal, saying the matter could be forgotten.

Su Mo agreed to help the Demon Sect in the future and led the Demon Sect and Dao Sect toward the Holy Sect, where the elders argued over their alliance with the Cloud Sect. The Holy Sect elders debated whether to surrender the Cloud Sect survivors or awaken their First Elder, while fearing Ning Baixue might not survive in the dangerous place she had entered.

• The Elderly Woman asked Su Mo to protect the Demon Sect if it faced disaster, and he agreed.
• Cheng Hongye assembled the Demon Sect, while Dao Twelve ordered the Dao Sect to go to the Holy Sect before returning to its mountain.
• Su Mo used National Fortune Power to bring the Demon Sect and Dao Sect to the Holy Sect's gates.
• The Holy Sect elders debated whether to hand over the Cloud Sect survivors, with the Old Woman arguing that the First Elder and the Cloud Sect's cultivators made that dangerous.
• The Second Elder ended the argument, and the Third Elder and Second Elder lamented that Ning Baixue had entered a perilous place and might not survive.

The Holy Sect elders debated whether to risk confronting the Human Emperor over Ning Baixue while the Cloud Sect’s Yun Ze arrived with armed support to pressure them. Su Mo then appeared at the Holy Sect’s gate with the Demon Sect and Dao Sect, leaving Yun Ze to rely on his Spirit Transformation cultivators.

• The Second Elder and Third Elder decided not to wake the First Elder and planned to deal with the Human Emperor only if he came to demand Ning Baixue’s release.
• Yun Ze entered the council hall with Jiang Yue and dozens of Cloud Sect Spirit Transformation cultivators, signaling that the Cloud Sect would not be easily pushed around.
• Jiang Yue reflected that she had gained the Holy Maiden position and married Yun Ze, while Ning Baixue had disappeared into a dangerous place rather than marry into the Cloud Sect.
• Yun Ze claimed he had wandered into the hall by chance and stayed while the Holy Sect elders discussed their affairs.
• A disturbance at the Holy Sect’s mountain gate revealed Su Mo arriving with thousands of people from the Demon Sect and Dao Sect.
• Yun Ze’s expression darkened, but he took comfort in the dozens of Spirit Transformation cultivators standing behind him.

Su Mo declared the Holy Sect traitors and shattered its protective formation with the Human Emperor Sword. The Holy Sect revealed the Heaven-One Mirror, a Sacred Artifact that trapped Su Mo as he sent his allies away, leaving him facing its attack alone.

• Su Mo gave the Holy Sect three breaths to open its gates, then proclaimed it had betrayed the Ninth Realm and would be executed.
• Su Mo summoned the Human Emperor Sword and broke through the Holy Sect's protective formation with one strike.
• The Holy Sect's Second Elder ordered the Sacred Artifact brought forth instead of awakening the First Elder, and an ancient mirror rose from the Back Mountain.
• Prince Ying's Princess Consort warned Su Mo to retreat, while Great Calamity urged him to escape into his Spirit Sea space.
• Su Mo had Big Strong swallow the Demon Sect and Dao Sect members and carry them away, then found the Sacred Artifact's power prevented him from opening his Spirit Sea space.
• The Second Elder invoked the Heaven-One Mirror and declared that he would send Su Mo into reincarnation.

Su Mo was drawn into the Heaven-One Mirror after the Book of Life and Death told him not to resist, leaving his fate unknown. The First Elder learned what the Holy Sect had done, destroyed it, and the mirror later drew Ning Baixue into the world within it.

• Su Mo invoked the Book of Life and Death, which revealed itself as a forbidden object, and it told him to let the Heaven-One Mirror take him.
• The Heaven-One Mirror drew Su Mo inside and returned to its place within the Holy Sect, while the Demon Sect and Dao Sect vanished from the battlefield.
• The First Elder arrived and searched the Holy Sect's Old Woman's soul, discovering the sect's crimes and Ning Baixue's forced flight.
• The First Elder crushed the Old Woman's Divine Soul, killed the Cloud Sect people in the Lower Realm, and destroyed the Holy Sect.
• Ning Baixue approached the ancient mirror in the Forbidden Land, and it pulled her inside.

Su Mo grew up in a misty Jiangnan town, where he was captivated by the rain despite his teacher’s urging to focus on his studies. Years later, after his adoptive father died and his adoptive mother lay dying, she gave him the courtesy name Jing Yan, inspired by the scenery outside her window.

• As a child, Su Mo watched the rain falling outside his school window and could not explain why it fascinated him.
• The old teacher called Su Mo back to his lessons and urged him to pursue scholarly honors.
• Years later, Su Mo’s adoptive father died, and his adoptive mother became bedridden with grief and illness.
• Su Mo learned that his frail health dated to when his adoptive parents found him as an infant after his birth parents were killed by bandits.
• As she lay dying, Su Mo’s adoptive mother agreed to give him a courtesy name before he came of age.
• Inspired by the blue-green and white scenery outside, Su Mo’s adoptive mother named him Jing Yan, and then fell silent.

Su Jingyan wandered through the examination city before the Autumn Examination and paid a blind fortune-teller for a reading. The fortune-teller declared that Su Jingyan’s name foretold a lonely, sorrowful life and that he would lose his life in the coming provincial examination.

• Su Jingyan arrived in the ancient city two days before the Autumn Examination and bought a bitter-tasting candied hawthorn skewer.
• Su Jingyan paid a blind fortune-teller one copper coin, then returned to give his name after the Daoist insisted on completing the reading.
• The fortune-teller used the characters in Su Jingyan’s name to claim that he had buried both his parents and was fated to bring hardship to those around him.
• The fortune-teller interpreted Su Jingyan’s name as foretelling sorrow in the imperial city and warned that he would lose his life in the provincial examination.

Su Jingyan entered the Provincial Examination carrying the jade pendant marked with “Mo,” despite believing he was destined to die there. When he collapsed during the final session, the pendant shattered and restored him, changing the course of his fate.

• The fortune-teller gave Su Jingyan a jade pendant marked with “Mo” and told him to wear it into the examination grounds if he wished to change his fate.
• On the day of the Autumn Examination, Su Jingyan put on the pendant and entered the Provincial Examination grounds.
• Su Jingyan endured the first two three-day examination sessions despite his frail health and recurring chest tightness and shortness of breath.
• During the third session, Su Jingyan became too weak to continue and fell into a deep sleep, believing he was dying.
• The jade pendant shattered and sent green light into Su Jingyan, nourishing his body and Divine Soul; he awoke alive that night with the pendant in pieces.

After choosing not to pursue the Spring Examination, Su Jingyan lived quietly in Jiangnan until news of the Divine Realm drew him to a ruined temple. There, a badly injured woman in a white dress emerged from the rift, and Su Jingyan brought her home to save her.

• Su Jingyan saw that he had topped the Provincial Examination but decided not to travel north for the Spring Examination.
• Su Jingyan returned to Jiangnan, traveled for a time, and stayed for several days at an old monk's temple.
• Su Jingyan declined the Spring Examination and marriage proposals, then heard that the Divine Realm had opened.
• Su Jingyan traveled to a ruined temple and found a rift leading into the Divine Realm that repelled him.
• A gravely injured woman in a tattered white dress burst from the rift and collapsed, so Su Jingyan brought her back to his home in Jiangnan.

After Ning Baixue awakened and revealed herself as an immortal, Su Jingyan declined both marriage and the chance to cultivate. Ning Baixue later returned to give him a medicinal pill, while Su Jingyan remained in his mortal life.

• Granny Wang urged Su Jingyan to end his mourning and marry, but Ning Baixue awakened and walked out of his room.
• Ning Baixue thanked Su Jingyan for saving her, then flew away; Granny Wang realized she was an immortal and left after Su Jingyan declined matchmaking.
• Su Jingyan began spending nights watching the stars, and Ning Baixue returned, told him her name, and offered to grant him a request.
• Su Jingyan asked whether he could cultivate, then changed his mind and declined cultivation and any other request.
• Ning Baixue later gave Su Jingyan a pill to strengthen his weak constitution, and Su Jingyan swallowed it.