Recaps

Zheng Zhaoling refused the Cloud Marsh God's banquets and began inspecting villages across Cloud Dream Marsh to investigate the Incense-and-Fire Divine Path and suspicious demon dealings. On the twenty-sixth day, she found Flower Marsh Village unusually lively and greatly expanded, leaving her unsure whether it was staged or truly anomalous.

• Zheng Zhaoling declined the Cloud Marsh God's invitation to further banquets, and the Cloud Marsh God privately ordered its demons to prepare.
• Zheng Zhaoling considered Chu Xingchen's warning and reviewed the intelligence about demons trading with unidentified outsiders.
• Zheng Zhaoling visited villages across Cloud Dream Marsh, observing residents and questioning them, but they all claimed their lives and worship were satisfactory.
• Zheng Zhaoling arrived at Flower Marsh Village and saw that it had grown from roughly a hundred households to more than three hundred, with new homes and reclaimed fields.
• Zheng Zhaoling concealed herself and entered Flower Marsh Village to investigate its unusual appearance.

Zheng Zhaoling visited Flower Marsh Village and questioned Cui Hao about the regulations he had drafted for its shrine. Cui Hao explained that he hoped the rules would give people hope and make the great demons compete to keep their followers, leaving Zheng Zhaoling to consider how the rules might change the village even after she left.

• Zheng Zhaoling saw Flower Marsh Village’s villagers looking hopeful and read the new regulations being carved into the shrine walls.
• Inside the ancestral hall, Cui Hao’s sword sensed Zheng Zhaoling’s concealment, and she revealed herself and asked whether he had proposed the regulations.
• Cui Hao admitted he had drafted the regulations to draw people to the village and plant a seed of hope.
• Zheng Zhaoling warned that the other great demons would not accept the rules and might cause bloodshed, but Cui Hao said her presence would keep them from oppressing people and force them to compete for followers.
• Cui Hao argued that the regulations would leave a lasting change by showing people they could rely on themselves and that gods should exist as though they were not there.

Zheng Zhaoling agreed to help Cui Hao pursue a gradual plan to weaken the demons’ exploitation of Cloud Dream Marsh by giving villagers a better way to live and encouraging purer wish power. She left to handle her own affairs, promising to return in a few days and protect Cui Hao.

• Cui Hao persuaded Zheng Zhaoling to join him in addressing the demons’ control of the villages, and she agreed while warning she could not stay constantly.
• Cui Hao explained that villagers needed to experience a better life for themselves so they would resist returning to the demons’ rule.
• Cui Hao showed Zheng Zhaoling that his village’s wish power was unusually pure and argued that higher-ranking demons would favor it, gradually driving out demons who sought only short-term gains.
• Zheng Zhaoling asked about Cui Hao’s sect and gave him a Jade Token to contact her if he ever wanted to join the Eighteen Immortal Sects.
• Zheng Zhaoling promised to return in a few days and keep Cui Hao safe, then left to attend to her own affairs.

Cui Hao’s strict promises and subsidies helped trigger a mass migration and fierce competition among Cloud Dream Marsh’s demons, transforming the region in a month. He prepared to redirect the competition toward wish power purification as Lu Lingyi realized he had orchestrated the upheaval.

• The Cloud Marsh God imposed a severe crackdown on violence and harm to mortals after Zheng Zhaoling pressured it, while Zheng’s promise to monitor the marsh spread fear among the demons.
• Lesser demons began offering subsidies to attract villagers, and the resulting migration drove shrines across Cloud Dream Marsh to compete with increasingly extravagant benefits.
• Cui Hao established laws and regulations in Flower Marsh Village and told Zhu Tu that keeping promises would build lasting credibility better than making wild boasts.
• Cui Hao told Zhu Tu to spread word about wish power purification so the competition would benefit the future rather than remain desperate undercutting.
• Lu Lingyi overheard Cui Hao and recognized that he had caused the upheaval across Cloud Dream Marsh.

Lu Lingyi delivered Chen Baiqing’s orders to Cui Hao, asking him to delay the Evil Cultivators’ withdrawal from Cloud Dream Marsh. After reviewing the intelligence, Cui Hao decided to ask Zheng Zhaoling to handle the difficult task.

• Chen Baiqing sent Lu Lingyi to question Cui Hao about the upheaval in Cloud Dream Marsh and to seek his help holding back the Evil Cultivators.
• Lu Lingyi met Cui Hao at the Shrine in Flower Marsh Village and privately relayed Chen Baiqing’s orders and intelligence.
• Cui Hao insisted he had reported what he could, then heard that Chen Baiqing expected him to keep the Evil Cultivators from leaving.
• Cui Hao told Lu Lingyi that Zheng Zhaoling was not targeting them, and she agreed to pass the message along.
• After reading the intelligence, Cui Hao took out Zheng Zhaoling’s token and activated it, intending to leave the task to him.

Cui Hao asked Zheng Zhaoling to briefly seal Cloud Dream Marsh while he and his allies dealt with the evil cultivators operating there. He also advised her to protect herself from unreasonable pressure, leaving Zheng Zhaoling to depart with sympathy for the burden he seemed to carry.

• Cui Hao told Zheng Zhaoling that demons in Cloud Dream Marsh were trading with outside evil cultivators, and she explained that the practice could be controlled but not eradicated.
• Cui Hao asked Zheng Zhaoling to keep the evil cultivators from escaping Cloud Dream Marsh while he and his allies dealt with them; she agreed to seal the marsh briefly but declined to read his plan.
• Zheng Zhaoling started to leave, and Cui Hao advised her to raise her own difficulties rather than take on others' burdens.
• Zheng Zhaoling thanked Cui Hao and left, believing that his kindness had probably been betrayed.

Zheng Zhaoling confronted Cloud Marsh about outside cultivators entering Cloud Dream Marsh and warned that Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling posed a danger beyond the local rules. Cloud Marsh agreed to seal the marsh and bar anyone from entering or leaving, while Zheng Zhaoling accepted that her actions would bring questions and punishment from her Master.

• Cloud Marsh fed the Spirit Fish while a servant announced that Zheng Zhaoling had come to see it.
• Zheng Zhaoling challenged Cloud Marsh over outside cultivators entering Cloud Dream Marsh, and Cloud Marsh argued that the Elders knew the situation and outsiders could not be kept out completely.
• Zheng Zhaoling poured all the fish food into the pond and used the fish as an example of Cloud Marsh's failure to address its problems.
• Zheng Zhaoling revealed that Chu Xingchen's invitation and her arrival at Cloud Dream Marsh were connected, and warned that Cloud Dream Pavilion could not protect Cloud Marsh from the Heavenly Derivation Sect's True Immortal.
• Zheng Zhaoling told Cloud Marsh to seal the marsh and prohibit entry and exit, explaining that her trouble was also its trouble.
• Cloud Marsh agreed, and Zheng Zhaoling left, expecting her Master to question and punish her.

Cui Hao joined Chen Baiqing in Cloud Dream Marsh after learning Zheng Zhaoling had helped seal the Evil Cultivators inside. As Chen Baiqing prepared to act against them in three days, the trapped Evil Cultivators debated whether to flee or wait.

• Cui Hao reported that Zheng Zhaoling had ensured the Evil Cultivators could not leave Cloud Dream Marsh for a while.
• Chen Baiqing told Cui Hao she had nearly located all the Evil Cultivators and planned to act in three days, warning him to remain nearby for safety.
• Cui Hao agreed to take part in the mission and left to give final instructions.
• The Evil Cultivators gathered in a cave learned that demons had sealed the marsh’s perimeter and that investigators were tracking them.
• One Evil Cultivator warned the group that relying on luck would leave them at others’ mercy.

Chen Baiqing launched an attack on the evil cultivators’ cave while Cui Hao learned that she had secretly arranged for Zheng Zhaoling to protect humans from the coming conflict. The cave was exposed, and its occupants held their ground behind a ritual formation as Chen Baiqing prepared to engage them.

• Chen Baiqing told Cui Hao and the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect cultivators to raze the cave and capture or kill their assigned targets.
• Cui Hao questioned whether Zheng Zhaoling could contain the fallout, and Chen Baiqing revealed she had sent her a letter in his name to warn her and arrange protection for human settlements.
• Chen Baiqing explained that Zheng Zhaoling had assigned two Mahayana Realm cultivators to key locations and that the coming fighting would be safer if it began after preparations were made.
• Chen Baiqing teased Cui Hao about Zheng Zhaoling before ordering the attack, and three divine abilities blasted open the cave.
• Chen Baiqing saw twenty-seven evil cultivators sustaining a ritual formation and told Cui Hao to retreat to safety.

Yunze faced unrest across Cloud Dream Marsh, but Zheng Zhaoling joined him to suppress it after denying that Cloud Dream Pavilion had caused it. Yunze revealed his true form as a living Teng Snake, while Chen Baiqing dismantled a formation and spotted a soaring dragon nearby.

• Yunze ordered loyal demons to suppress the widespread unrest and suspected Zheng Zhaoling or Cloud Dream Pavilion of orchestrating it.
• Zheng Zhaoling denied instigating the unrest, said she had sent two Grand Elders to protect the Human Race, and agreed to help Yunze quell the fighting.
• Yunze transformed into a living Teng Snake, revealing the rare True Dragon essence inherited by Cloud Dream Marsh's secret Cloud Marsh God.
• Zheng Zhaoling drew her Spirit Treasures and went to support Yunze, hoping Cui Hao would resolve the situation quickly.
• Chen Baiqing used the Azure Sky Treasure Ring to dismantle the Grand Formation as Lu Lingyi, Wang Chuan, and Li Zhuhua attacked the Evil Cultivators inside.
• Chen Baiqing sensed different demon power, heard a dragon's cry, and saw a dragon rise into the sky.

Chen Baiqing used an illusion that deceived even her allies to overwhelm the Evil Cultivators. With victory nearly secured, she and the others focused on capturing their designated targets alive.

• Chen Baiqing attacked a Spirit Transformation Evil Cultivator with an illusion that made him mistake her position and suffer real wounds while believing he was unharmed.
• Cui Hao watched as Chen Baiqing repeatedly struck the confused cultivator, who continued boasting that he had seen through her tricks.
• When the other Spirit Transformation Evil Cultivator rushed to help, Chen Baiqing’s illusion made the two enemies mistake each other for her and fight one another.
• Chen Baiqing revealed herself elsewhere, and Cui Hao realized her illusion had fooled him as well.
• Lu Lingyi and the others pressed their advantage, clearing the remaining Evil Cultivators while trying to capture their designated targets alive.

Zheng Zhaoling helped Cloud Marsh suppress the uprising in Cloud Dream Marsh, then returned to Flower Marsh Village to find Cui Hao waiting. Cui Hao tried to reveal his identity by drawing Myriad Forms, but the sword would not move.

• Zheng Zhaoling and two Mahayana cultivators helped Cloud Marsh subdue the demons and quiet the uprising.
• Cloud Marsh thanked Zheng Zhaoling, who offered to speak to her sect's elders on his behalf before he returned to Cloud Dream Grotto-Heaven.
• Zheng Zhaoling went to Flower Marsh Village and found Cui Hao still waiting inside the shrine.
• Cui Hao apologized and explained that he had not known Cloud Marsh was a Teng Snake until he consulted his Third Senior Sister.
• Zheng Zhaoling asked Cui Hao to make his identity clear, and he placed Myriad Forms on the table and tried to draw it.
• Myriad Forms would not budge, and Cui Hao anxiously demanded that it stop messing with him.

Inside the Shrine, Cui Hao revealed that Myriad Forms belonged to Chu Xingchen and identified himself as Chu Xingchen’s Fifth Disciple. After Zheng Zhaoling dismissed him, he left smiling and promised to steal her some Spring Warmth when she visited the Heavenly Derivation Sect.

• Cui Hao tried and failed to draw Myriad Forms, then threatened to kneel until the weapon released its spiritual light.
• Cui Hao drew Myriad Forms, and Zheng Zhaoling recognized it as Chu Xingchen’s genuine divine weapon.
• Cui Hao introduced himself as Chu Xingchen’s Fifth Disciple and said he had come to Cloud Dream Marsh to capture Evil Cultivators.
• Zheng Zhaoling said Cui Hao could leave, then reminded him he had promised to treat her to a meal.
• Cui Hao promised to steal Spring Warmth for Zheng Zhaoling during her visit to the Heavenly Derivation Sect and left cheerfully.

Chen Baiqing waited for Cui Hao after he met with Zheng Zhaoling, then tried to persuade him to return to Master without her. The chapter left Cui Hao still convinced that Myriad Forms ignored him because he had not told on it yet.

• Lu Lingyi worried that Zheng Zhaoling might detain Cui Hao, but Chen Baiqing said Zheng Zhaoling would not risk getting involved.
• Cui Hao arrived and said he had settled things with Zheng Zhaoling by agreeing to treat her to a meal.
• Chen Baiqing suggested Cui Hao return to Master while she turned in the mission, warning that Master might give him new ideas if he had not truly settled things with Zheng Zhaoling.
• Cui Hao challenged Chen Baiqing to draw Myriad Forms, but the treasure flew into her hand on its own and revealed its True Intention.
• Cui Hao accused Chen Baiqing of using an Illusion Technique, and she patted his forehead as she passed, asking whether he knew why Myriad Forms ignored him.
• Cui Hao insisted Myriad Forms ignored him because he had not told on it yet.

Chu Xingchen hosted Qinghe, Lü Xuan, Yan Yun, and Sandong for tea while discussing his recovery and news from Cloud Dream Marsh. Lü Xuan warned that Zheng Zhaoling might come seeking an explanation, and Chu Xingchen joked about making Xu Jin apologize, leaving Sandong to call the plan inhuman.

• Chu Xingchen teased Li Yingling, and Qinghe arrived at A Loving Family Peak to suggest that she eat in his place whenever he got hurt.
• Lü Xuan arrived with Yan Yun and Sandong, and Chu Xingchen served Sandong tea after learning Sandong had been found outside another peak.
• Chu Xingchen told Lü Xuan that his injuries and lost true source were recovering faster than expected as his cultivation reached the Spirit Transformation realm.
• Lü Xuan warned Chu Xingchen that Zheng Zhaoling might demand an explanation because of reports of a Teng Snake in Cloud Dream Marsh.
• Chu Xingchen proposed making Xu Jin kneel and apologize to Zheng Zhaoling, and Sandong remarked that the plan seemed inhuman.

Cui Hao returned to A Loving Family Peak with Chen Baiqing and reunited with Chu Xingchen and the other disciples. Lin Luoyu revealed that Teacher Li was walking the path to Second Sage, leaving Cui Hao stunned by the news.

• Cui Hao persuaded Chen Baiqing to bring him back to the Heavenly Derivation Sect rather than leave him behind.
• Chen Baiqing and Cui Hao returned to A Loving Family Peak, where Chu Xingchen teased Cui Hao about someone asking to see him.
• Cui Hao took over shelling sunflower seeds by hand after learning Li Xingtian's spiritual power carried a bloody smell.
• Cui Hao asked Lin Luoyu about the letter she was reading, and she said Teacher Li was walking the path to Second Sage.

Chu Xingchen reflected on the arduous path to becoming a Second Sage and the legacy of Zhou Quan, who had freed mortal dynasties from the influence of cultivators. He accepted that Li Junzi would have to walk her own path, while promising to protect her if she could not continue.

• Chu Xingchen considered the difficulty of Confucian cultivation and how Zhou Quan’s achievements had earned him the title of Second Sage.
• He recalled how Zhou Quan had challenged the immortals’ control over mortal dynasties and led ordinary people toward a better future.
• Chu Xingchen thought about Li Junzi’s decision to devote her remaining years to the people and recognized that she alone could walk this path.
• He resolved to ensure Li Junzi could withdraw safely if she could not continue, while acknowledging that Lin Luoyu could no longer accompany her teacher.
• Chu Xingchen turned to his disciples and invited them to shell sunflower seeds together.

Chen Baiqing left for the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect with her junior brother, while Chu Xingchen stayed behind and sent Cui Hao to meet Zheng Zhaoling. Cui Hao tried to manage the meeting with help from Qinghe and Sandong, but Zheng Zhaoling asked where Spring Warmth was and decided to wait.

• Chen Baiqing agreed to take her junior brother to the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect, while Cui Hao stayed at the Heavenly Derivation Sect to handle Zheng Zhaoling’s matter.
• Chu Xingchen joked with Bai Xuanling and Xie Lingyu about Xu Jin refusing to join him in apologizing to Zheng Zhaoling.
• Chu Xingchen left Zheng Zhaoling’s meeting to Cui Hao, trusting him to negotiate on his own.
• Cui Hao met Zheng Zhaoling with Qinghe and Sandong present and tried to win her over with friendly words.
• Zheng Zhaoling asked Cui Hao where Spring Warmth was, then said she would wait.

Cui Hao left Zheng Zhaoling with Qinghe and Sandong while he went to fetch Spring Warmth, hoping they would keep her occupied. When he returned with the wine, Qinghe was fawning over Zheng Zhaoling, who looked at him with a mocking smile.

• Cui Hao asked Qinghe to watch Zheng Zhaoling before leaving to obtain Spring Warmth from Lü Xuan.
• Zheng Zhaoling befriended Sandong by greeting it as a fellow Flower Spirit, and Sandong proudly introduced itself as Sect Leader Chu's mascot.
• Qinghe introduced herself as the Flood Dragon of Pearl-Gem Peak, then agreed to drink Spring Warmth with Zheng Zhaoling in exchange for criticizing Chu Xingchen.
• Cui Hao returned to the Small Courtyard with Spring Warmth and found Qinghe serving Zheng Zhaoling tea while Sandong laughed with her.
• Zheng Zhaoling glanced at Cui Hao with a faint smile, leaving him stunned by how easily she had won over Qinghe and Sandong.

Cui Hao shared Spring Warmth with Zheng Zhaoling, Qinghe, and Sandong, then delivered Zheng Zhaoling’s warning to his master about the Cloud Dream Pavilion. Zheng Zhaoling left without blaming Cui Hao and invited him to visit, leaving him reassured that they were like-minded.

• Cui Hao presented Spring Warmth to Zheng Zhaoling, who recognized its rarity and agreed to share it with the group.
• Zheng Zhaoling poured cups for everyone; Qinghe drank three cups, Cui Hao drank four, and Sandong became drunk after half a cup.
• After the bottle was emptied, Zheng Zhaoling asked Cui Hao to tell his master that the Cloud Dream Pavilion disapproved of his tricks and expected him to act honorably.
• Zheng Zhaoling said she did not blame Cui Hao over Northern Jambudvipa and affirmed that she considered them like-minded.
• Zheng Zhaoling invited Cui Hao to visit the Cloud Dream Pavilion, promised to treat him to Cloud Dream Tassel, and departed.

Chu Xingchen discussed Cui Hao’s meeting with Zheng Zhaoling and reviewed the pursuit of the Heavenly Demons while waiting for his strength and his disciples to grow. Li Yingling arrived with good news about Winter Melon, leaving Cui Hao worried that it might involve him.

• Cui Hao told Chu Xingchen that Zheng Zhaoling had invited him to Cloud Dream Pavilion and warned them not to underestimate her.
• Chu Xingchen considered the Buddhist Sect’s crisis, the hunt for the Heavenly Demons, and the false reports about his and Bai Xuanling’s condition, hoping to buy time.
• Chu Xingchen asked whether Myriad Forms was working well for Cui Hao, and Cui Hao praised the Spirit Treasure’s help.
• Li Yingling and Li Xingtian arrived, and Li Yingling told Chu Xingchen she had good news and asked whether he remembered Winter Melon.
• Cui Hao stiffened when Li Yingling mentioned Winter Melon, fearing the news might involve him.

Winter Melon endured the Heavenly Derivation Sect’s torture and concluded that Xu Linglong had used her as a disposable pawn, so she decided to betray her former allies. Chu Xingchen visited her and, after praising her intelligence report, offered to let her go, leaving Winter Melon terrified.

• Winter Melon endured interrogation and experiments in the Heavenly Derivation Sect, sustained only by the flower Xu Linglong had planted in her sea of consciousness.
• Winter Melon realized Xu Linglong had likely used the flower to track her and had treated her as a disposable pawn, so she resolved to sell Xu Linglong out.
• Chu Xingchen, disguised as Cui Hao, visited Winter Melon while Li Yingling and Li Xingtian stood behind him.
• Winter Melon asked Chu Xingchen why he had come and demanded that he kill her.
• Chu Xingchen praised Winter Melon's intelligence report and offered to let her go, making her recoil in fear.

Chu Xingchen, disguised as Cui Hao, convinced Winter Melon that he had no real choice but to cooperate if he wanted a less painful death. Winter Melon accepted, and the chapter ended with him leaving his cell unchained for the first time, knowing he had begun a path with no return.

• Chu Xingchen dismissed Winter Melon's terror as happiness, while Li Yingling and Li Xingtian watched.
• Chu Xingchen warned Winter Melon that Xu Linglong would punish him as a traitor and offered him a choice between cooperation and being sent back to her.
• Winter Melon challenged Chu Xingchen's claim that he had a choice, then asked what he was expected to do.
• Chu Xingchen left to consider how to keep Winter Melon from giving up and promised him improved treatment for cooperating.
• A Heavenly Derivation Sect guard removed Winter Melon's chains and led him into the sunlight, where Winter Melon realized his agreement with [Cui Hao] was real.

Thirteen years later, Chen Baiqing and Cui Hao returned to the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect after completing a mission, and Chen Baiqing revealed that their Eldest Senior Sister was close to breaking through to Spirit Transformation. Cui Hao realized that he might soon face the training she had threatened him with, and Chen Baiqing refused to help him avoid it.

• Chen Baiqing hurried to the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect's main hall with Cui Hao, who complained about their exhausting pace.
• Chen Baiqing told Cui Hao that their Eldest Senior Sister was on the verge of reaching Spirit Transformation and reminded him of her earlier warning.
• Li Moze thanked Chen Baiqing for her work and told her she could rest before continuing.
• Cui Hao recalled that Eldest Senior Sister had promised to train him if she reached Deification before he reached Nascent Soul.
• Cui Hao asked Chen Baiqing to speak up for him, but she said she would let Eldest Senior Sister train him until he reached Nascent Soul.

Li Yingling used Yan Yun’s private seclusion grounds to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm while the sect gathered to watch. Chu Xingchen reflected on his disciples’ growth and his own rapid recovery, leaving the breakthrough underway and his return to the Mahayana Realm within reach.

• Yan Yun offered Li Yingling her Core Disciple seclusion grounds, and Chu Xingchen accepted so Li Yingling could safely attempt her breakthrough.
• The sect’s former members gathered outside the secret realm to watch spiritual power surge around Li Yingling as she advanced toward the Spirit Transformation Realm.
• Ning Qianqian reassured Chu Xingchen about Li Yingling’s talent, while he noted Ning Qianqian’s limited aptitude despite her hard work and the resources she received.
• Chu Xingchen considered Yun Li’s progress to the Nascent Soul Realm and his upgraded Divine Dragon True Source, which had given his true form horns.
• Chu Xingchen realized that after thirteen years of letting things happen, he had reached Spirit Transformation Peak and might soon return to the Mahayana Realm.