Chapter Summaries

Lu Changfeng stopped an assassin from killing Pei Zhennan and learned that Shen Bao was tied to the first mystery, while the Golden Tent Shaman Yan Qiya knew the answer to the second. After Pei revealed that Great Vehicle Sect remnants and Göktürk fighters were hiding beneath the Xiao Family Ancestral Tombs, Xiao Jueyan and Xiao Juelan arrived, and Lu began telling them what he had uncovered.

• A ghostly blue arrow fired by Daxi targeted Pei Zhennan, but Lu Changfeng deflected it with his sleeve and saved him.
• Pei Zhennan identified Shen Bao as the answer to Lu Changfeng's first question and said the black-robed Golden Tent Shaman Yan Qiya knew the answer to the second.
• Pei revealed that Yang Kaitian, Daxi, and other Great Vehicle Sect members and Göktürks were hiding in tunnels and secret chambers beneath the Xiao Family Ancestral Tombs.
• Xiao Zhu, Xiao Jueyan, and Xiao Juelan arrived with Sword Guards to investigate the damage at Jisheng Hall.
• Lu Changfeng told the three city officials that Wild Fox Ravine had been a Göktürk base and identified Pei Zhennan as a Great Vehicle Sect protector who had fled it.

Lu Changfeng exposed the possibility that Göktürk fighters and Great Vehicle Sect remnants were hiding in the Xiao Family Ancestral Tombs, prompting Xiao Jueyan to lead an assault on the forbidden grounds. Lu arranged to secure Pei Zhennan and monitor escape routes before setting out with Xiao Zhu, whose loyalty he still distrusted.

• Lu Changfeng asked the Xiao family leaders to help root out the enemies allegedly hiding in the ancestral tombs, and Xiao Jueyan ordered his guards to seal the Yan Mountains and raid the forbidden grounds.
• Xiao Zhu volunteered to lead the charge, but Lu Changfeng asked him to remain behind briefly, making his suspicion plain.
• Lu Changfeng sent the Plum Blossom Guards to take Pei Zhennan to General Xue Ne for interrogation and instructed Qing Dai to report the confession.
• Lu Changfeng sent Snow Robe to watch the Yan Mountains' exits and remember the routes of anyone who escaped.
• Xiao Zhu challenged Lu Changfeng's distrust, then agreed to prove himself through his actions, and the two hurried toward the Yan Mountains.

Yan Qiya used her divine arts to teleport herself, Daxi, Yang Kaitian, and their followers out of the Xiao family ancestral tombs before Xiao Jueyan’s forces arrived. Xiao Jueyan, Xiao Juelan, and Lu Changfeng searched the chamber with formations but found no trace of how the fugitives escaped.

• Yan Qiya berated Daxi and Yang Kaitian over Pei Zhennan’s reckless actions, which exposed their hiding place.
• Yang Kaitian urged Yan Qiya to help them escape before Xiao Jueyan and Xiao Juelan’s forces surrounded the chamber.
• Yan Qiya invoked her Purple-Winged Rat arts, enveloped the group with spectral wings, and vanished with them.
• Xiao Jueyan and Xiao Juelan stormed into the chamber and found signs that a group had recently been hiding there, but no people or escape route.
• Xiao Juelan used the Five-Element Spell Formation, and it detected no one else in the chamber.
• Lu Changfeng activated his Eight Formations Diagram, but it also revealed no trace of the fugitives or their escape.

Lu Changfeng exposed Yan Qiya and her accomplices hiding inside the ancestral tombs, but the confrontation revealed that Xiao Zhu was actually wielding the disguised sword Gan Jiang. Xiao Zhu’s power surged as Mo Xie joined him, leaving Lu Changfeng facing the united sinister swords.

• Lu Changfeng divined that the missing people were still inside the ancestral tombs and found their concealment by detecting a distortion in the airflow.
• Lu Changfeng shattered Yan Qiya’s concealment and identified her use of the Witch God Cult’s Ten Thousand Spirits Harmonization Art.
• Yan Qiya and her accomplices tried to escape, and the Xiao brothers and Xiao Zhu joined the fight against them.
• Lu Changfeng recognized that Xiao Zhu’s City-Burning Sword was disguised and confronted him about its familiar sword qi.
• Xiao Zhu revealed his true appearance and the sword Gan Jiang, then summoned Mo Xie from underground as the two swords joined.

Lu Changfeng questioned Xiao Zhu and the sword spirits Gan Jiang and Mo Xie, uncovering their plan to exploit war and killing intent to grow stronger. He then trapped them inside the Purple Tenuity Scroll’s sealed domain, cutting off their access to the world’s origin qi, and prepared to test his strength against them.

• Lu Changfeng learned that Gan Jiang and Mo Xie had awakened, shared Xiao Zhu’s body, and were using Xu Lu and the Blood Soul Sword to feed on killing intent.
• Xiao Zhu revealed that she had been raised as a boy by Xiao Juelou, who later favored Xiao Xuan, and Lu Changfeng rejected her justification for seeking revenge.
• Lu Changfeng pieced together how Xiao Zhu, the sword spirits, and Xu Lu had conspired to weaken Swordforging City and draw the Göktürks into war.
• Lu Changfeng explained that Fifth Realm strength relied on resonance with heaven and earth, then used the Purple Tenuity Scroll to seal off that connection.
• Lu Changfeng raised the Wind-Raising Sword and challenged Xiao Zhu, Gan Jiang, and Mo Xie to face the power of the Primordial Evil Sword.

Lu Changfeng defeated Xiao Zhu inside the Violet Star Sealing Boundary and treated her to claim the Supreme Sword Dao, gaining a first glimpse of its four paths. When he emerged from the ancestral tomb’s secret chamber, the battle outside had ended, but Yan Qiya and Yang Kaitian were missing.

• Lu Changfeng exploited a flaw in Xiao Zhu’s coordination with Gan Jiang and Mo Xie, wounded her with the Wind-Raising Sword, and struck her down with Tathagata Divine Palm.
• Lu Changfeng disabled Xiao Zhu’s cultivation, sealed her Governing Vessel, and treated her wounds, earning the Supreme Sword Dao from the Medical Canon.
• Lu Changfeng absorbed the four paths of the Supreme Sword Dao and gained his first glimpse of its power, causing Gan Jiang and Mo Xie to ring in response.
• Lu Changfeng sealed Gan Jiang and Mo Xie with Demon-Sealing Talismans and recalled the Purple Tenuity Scroll, lifting the boundary.
• Lu Changfeng emerged to find Xiao Jueyan and Xiao Juelan directing the cleanup, Daxi captured, and Yan Qiya and Yang Kaitian missing.

Lu Changfeng revealed Xiao Zhu’s betrayal, secured Gan Jiang and Mo Xie, and reassured the Xiao brothers that City Lord Xiao could recover from the swords’ control. Swordforging City vowed to defend Youzhou, but Yan Qiya and Yang Kaitian remained at large as a horn sounded from the city walls.

• Lu Changfeng explained that Xiao Zhu had conspired with ancient evils and foreign enemies, prompting the Xiao brothers to grieve over her betrayal and fear for their eldest brother.
• Xiao Jueyan and Xiao Juelan hurriedly sought their eldest brother, while Lu Changfeng took possession of Gan Jiang and Mo Xie and explained that sealing them would weaken their hold over City Lord Xiao.
• Xiao Juelan admitted that Yan Qiya had escaped after using the Wind Tribulation to evade capture, and Xiao Jueyan identified it as part of the Witch God Four Spirits Tribulation.
• Xiao Jueyan swore that Swordforging City would help defend Youzhou, and the Sword Guards joined his vow.
• A horn sounded from the direction of Youzhou City's walls.

The Göktürks launched a sudden assault on Youzhou while Swordforging City was still recovering from internal strife. Xiao Jueyan led its guards to reinforce the eastern gate, where the defenders were on the brink of collapse as a mysterious figure raced toward the battle.

• Lu Changfeng suspected the Göktürks' raid was meant to help Yan Qiya escape or exploit Youzhou's weakened defenses, and Xiao Jueyan ordered Swordforging City's forces to join the defense.
• Lu Changfeng, Xiao Jueyan, and Xiao Juelan led elite guards from the ancestral tomb toward the eastern wall.
• They saw the Eighteen Flying Horsemen overwhelm defenders with the powers of the Eagle, Mountain, and Wolf Calamities.
• Wang Jingxian and Lin Xiong were badly wounded and surrounded, while Geluo Lu kept Xue Ne pinned at the gate tower.
• Göktürk forces breached sections of the wall and battered the city gates as the defenders neared defeat.
• A blue-green figure tore through the night from Swordforging City toward the eastern gate.

Lu Changfeng unleashed Golden Crow Splits the Firmament against the Göktürk assault, then cut through enemy warriors to reach the besieged defenders. His arrival rallied the Tang forces as he advanced toward Wang Jingxian, Lin Xiong, and the battle between Xue Ne and Geluo Lu.

• Lu Changfeng descended into the Göktürk vanguard and used Golden Crow Splits the Firmament to incinerate more than three hundred warriors and destroy siege equipment.
• Göktürk fighters converged on Lu Changfeng, but he repelled them with Supreme Sword Dao and Four Symbols True Meaning sword techniques.
• Lu Changfeng strode through the enemy ranks toward Wang Jingxian and Lin Xiong, killing the warriors in his path.
• The defenders cheered at Lu Changfeng's arrival and launched a renewed counterattack.
• Lin Xiong marveled at Lu Changfeng's strength, while Wang Jingxian watched him and murmured his name.

Yan Qiya summoned the ancient Galloping Wolf spirit, transforming herself into a powerful half-wolf warrior at the cost of her vital essence. She attacked Lu Changfeng, whose Wind-Raising Sword met her claws in a fierce duel beneath the city walls.

• Yan Qiya and Yang Kaitian watched Lu Changfeng rout Göktürk forces and discussed his extraordinary strength and Ghost Valley inheritance.
• Yan Qiya began an ancient incantation to seek aid from the Galloping Wolf spirit, while Yang Kaitian guarded her.
• Yan Qiya borrowed the spirit's power, aged dramatically, and transformed into a half-human, half-wolf creature whose strength neared the Fifth Realm.
• Yan Qiya struck Lu Changfeng with three blood-red wind blades, but his Indestructible Golden Body endured the attack with only faint marks.
• Lu Changfeng drew the Wind-Raising Sword and charged Yan Qiya, beginning a destructive duel that neither army could safely enter.

Lu Changfeng used an All-Heaven Fiendish Thunder talisman and Xue Ne’s spear to kill Geluo Lu, then slew Yan Qiya, turning the battle in the Tang army’s favor. He saved the gravely wounded Wang Jingxian and began treating her as the defenders counterattacked.

• Geluo Lu used the Three Origins Blood-Exploding Secret Art to overwhelm Xue Ne and charge at Lu Changfeng, but Wang Jingxian intercepted him and was badly wounded.
• Lu Changfeng’s All-Heaven Fiendish Thunder talisman struck Geluo Lu, allowing Xue Ne to spear him from behind and kill him.
• After Yan Qiya cried out at Geluo Lu’s death, Lu Changfeng killed her with the Wind-Raising Sword.
• The Göktürk soldiers’ morale collapsed, and Lin Xiong led the Tang defenders in a counterattack.
• Lu Changfeng gave Wang Jingxian a Great Restoration Pill and used Shennong qi to treat her before she lost consciousness.

Wang Jingxian recovered in the Governor's Office after helping Lu Changfeng defeat the Göktürks, and learned that he planned to return to Chang'an soon. As she revealed her regret at not visiting Chang'an earlier, Gan Jiang and Mo Xie broke at their seals, and Wang Jingxian noticed Lu Changfeng's Sword Dao had advanced again.

• Wang Jingxian woke beside Snow Robe, and Lu Changfeng brought her medicine and thanked her for saving his life.
• Lu Changfeng told Wang Jingxian that the Göktürk army had retreated after Geluo Lu and Shaman Yan Qiya were slain, giving Youzhou a period of peace.
• Lu Changfeng said he would soon leave Youzhou for Chang'an, and Wang Jingxian asked what the city was like.
• Wang Jingxian told Lu Changfeng she regretted not visiting Chang'an a few years earlier, revealing her feelings as she looked at him.
• Gan Jiang and Mo Xie shook violently inside their sealed iron case, and Lu Changfeng summoned the swords into his hand.
• Wang Jingxian sensed that Lu Changfeng's Sword Dao had advanced and noticed her Army-Breaker Sword had grown timid in his presence.

Lu Changfeng left Youzhou after the victory banquet and exchanged parting gifts with Wang Jingxian. On the road toward Chang'an, two unfamiliar men blocked his carriage at a junction.

• Lu Changfeng returned Gan Jiang and Mo Xie to their sword-sealing case after warning them he would destroy their sentience if they resisted.
• Wang Jingxian asked Lu Changfeng about the Great Restoration Pill he had given her, and he agreed she could repay him by treating him when she next visited Chang'an.
• Xue Ne reported that Shen Bao had confessed to betraying Youzhou to the Göktürks and announced a victory banquet and farewell for Lu Changfeng.
• At dawn, Wang Jingxian gave Lu Changfeng her first forged knife, and he gave her a protective talisman before departing Youzhou.
• After traveling through Hebei Circuit, Lu Changfeng's carriage stopped when a young scholar and a gray-clad steward blocked the road.

Lu Changfeng accepted Prince Qiao Li Chongfu’s sealed memorial pleading for permission to return to the capital, while suspecting the prince had another purpose. After Lu Changfeng departed, Li Chongfu demanded to know why Zhang Lingjun had not attacked him, and Zhang Lingjun summoned the Nine-Sectioned Li Staff.

• Qing Dai identified the man blocking Lu Changfeng’s carriage as Prince Qiao, and Lu Changfeng went to speak with him.
• Li Chongfu asked Lu Changfeng to deliver his memorial pleading his case directly to the emperor, claiming that Empress Wei and Princess Anle’s watchers prevented him from sending it through official channels.
• Lu Changfeng suspected Li Chongfu’s account and his appearance on the road were not as they seemed, but accepted the memorial and continued toward the capital.
• After Lu Changfeng left, Li Chongfu angrily questioned Zhang Lingjun for failing to attack him and use him as an ingredient for the Human Origin Great Pill.
• Zhang Lingjun summoned the Nine-Sectioned Li Staff from the woods.

Zhang Lingjun abandoned his attempt to capture Lu Changfeng after the swords in his formation recoiled from Lu and he sensed Gan Jiang and Mo Xie in the carriage. Lu later discovered that the memorial’s paper concealed its contents and threw it away, leaving its purpose unknown.

• Zhang Lingjun dispelled the illusions around the tea shelter and revealed that all eighteen swords in his formation had turned away from Lu Changfeng.
• Zhang Lingjun told Li Chongfu that Lu’s Sword Dao had become formidable and that Gan Jiang and Mo Xie were likely sealed inside the carriage and being subdued.
• Zhang Lingjun urged Li Chongfu to return to Junzhou and promised to watch events in Chang'an and wait for a chance to eliminate Lu.
• Li Chongfu accepted Zhang Lingjun’s decision and left with him to continue the struggle against the court’s agents.
• On the carriage, Lu Changfeng asked Snow Robe to inspect the memorial, and Snow Robe noticed that its paper concealed whatever energy or contents it held.
• Lu Changfeng threw the memorial out the window and told Qing Dai to find an inn so he could wash away his bad luck.

Lu Changfeng reunited with Luo Qingge at her secluded residence near Chang'an after a month and a half away. She told him of a rumored flood dragon that might become the flying mount he wanted, leaving him intrigued by the possibility.

• Ink Jade led Lu Changfeng away from the road to meet Luo Qingge, while Qing Dai continued toward Chang'an with Snow Robe and Mo Li.
• Lu Changfeng followed Ink Jade through the elm grove to Luo Qingge's secluded residence.
• Luo Changfeng and Luo Qingge reunited and spent the night together.
• Luo Qingge told Lu Changfeng that rumors spoke of a flood dragon he might be able to capture as a mount.

Lu Changfeng learned that a Flood Dragon had appeared at Kunming Pool, then spent three days with Luo Qingge before returning to Chang'an. He arrived at the Princess of Zhen Guo’s Residence, where Li Lingyue was waiting for him in anger.

• Luo Qingge told Lu Changfeng that a creature resembling a Flood Dragon had emerged from Kunming Pool, drawing martial sects and powerful figures to Chang'an.
• Lu Changfeng teased Luo Qingge about her muddled remark, checked her pulse, and found that she was not pregnant.
• Lu Changfeng suggested that he and Luo Qingge keep trying to conceive, and the two spent the next three days together.
• Jinghong explained that Li Lingyue had grown furious after waiting three days for Lu Changfeng to return.
• Lu Changfeng entered the residence and headed to Yao Light Hall to see Li Lingyue.

Lu Changfeng returned to Yao Light Hall, where Li Lingyue confronted him with the missing Eight Formations Diagram disks and a contest for control ensued. After Lu Changfeng seized the disks, Li Lingyue kissed him and declared that she intended to devour him, too.

• Li Lingyue challenged Lu Changfeng over his supposedly late return, and he reminded her that the Purple Tenuity Scroll was still in his possession.
• Li Lingyue revealed the Flying Dragon Formation and Coiled Snake Formation disks, prompting Lu Changfeng to rush toward her to inspect them.
• Lu Changfeng and Li Lingyue exchanged several close-range moves, and he used an unusual touch that left her briefly weakened and flustered.
• Li Lingyue tossed the disks aside to distract Lu Changfeng, then sprang into his arms and kissed him.
• Li Lingyue told Lu Changfeng that she intended to devour him, too, as their kiss deepened.

Lu Changfeng told Li Lingyue about his dangerous mission in Youzhou, and she asked him to investigate the Flood Dragon in Kunming Pool. He agreed after teasing her into promising a reward, leaving them reconciled and intimate.

• Lu Changfeng told Li Lingyue how he had traveled to Youzhou and helped kill Geluo Lu, the Left Wing Chaqa, and a Shaman.
• Li Lingyue said Chang'an remained under control while Empress Wei pursued power and Li Xian's health worsened.
• Li Lingyue explained that a creature in Kunming Pool had transformed into a young Flood Dragon and that Empress Wei and Zong Chuke were searching for it.
• Li Lingyue asked Lu Changfeng to investigate the Flood Dragon and watch Empress Wei and Zong Chuke, and Lu Changfeng agreed while asking for a reward.
• Li Lingyue bit Lu Changfeng's shoulder after he teased her, then relented and promised to satisfy him.

Lu Changfeng burned Shangguan Wan'er's second poem rather than encourage her hopes, then led his guards to Kunming Pool. After forcing his way past the Golden Scale Guards, he faced Zhang Xuange, who challenged him over defying the Empress's orders.

• Lu Changfeng visited Su Bonian and the Eight Steeds, heard that Lan Die'er had returned to the Five Immortals Cult, and sent her a reply.
• Lu Changfeng read Shangguan Wan'er's poem proposing a partnership, refused to answer, and burned the letter.
• Lu Changfeng rode to Kunming Pool with Qing Dai and the Twenty-Four Floral Periods, but Golden Scale Guards blocked the entrance under Chancellor Zong's orders.
• Lu Changfeng knocked the guards' commandant into a willow and used the Eight Formations Diagram to bind nearly a hundred Golden Scale Guards with Wind Ropes.
• Zhang Xuange emerged and challenged Lu Changfeng for injuring imperial guards and entering a restricted area without authorization.