Recaps

Xie Lingyu and Ru Nan visited the Black Tortoise Kingdom and met with Zhao Xuan and Li Junzi. Li Junzi accepted Xie Lingyu’s medicine and spoke with her about Chu Xingchen and Lin Luoyu, leaving Ru Nan impressed by Chu Xingchen’s judgment of people.

• Ru Nan reassured Zhao Xuan that the Great Thunderclap Temple would not retaliate over the kingdom’s past policies and would handle anyone who used its name to cause trouble.
• Li Junzi entered the council hall and greeted Zhao Xuan and Xie Lingyu, who gave her pills to replenish her blood qi.
• Ru Nan praised Li Junzi’s bearing, and she calmly discussed the need to turn the world upside down with him.
• Li Junzi asked Xie Lingyu about Chu Xingchen and Lin Luoyu, and Xie Lingyu said they were both well.
• Ru Nan watched the two women talk and thought Chu Xingchen had an exceptional eye for people.

At Firmament Rhyme Hall’s Temporary Hub, Chu Xingchen and Chen Baiqing discussed Cui Hao’s efforts to turn the Evil Spirit Cult against the Incense Gods. Chen Baiqing agreed to help Cui Hao if Chu Xingchen asked, as Chu Xingchen prepared to visit Cloud Dream Pavilion.

• Ye Antao enjoyed her idle assignment at the hub, where Chen Baiqing treated her kindly and Yunxiao occasionally urged her to learn from Chen Baiqing.
• Bai Xuanling praised Cui Hao’s scheme, which had made the Evil Spirit Cult believe the Incense Gods had taken their money and betrayed them.
• Chu Xingchen boasted that Chen Baiqing had inherited his abilities, while Chen Baiqing praised her master and said she had much more to learn.
• Chen Baiqing judged that Cui Hao could handle the situation but warned that his tendency to soften could lead him into unnecessary risks.
• Chu Xingchen asked Chen Baiqing to help Cui Hao if needed, and she agreed; Chu Xingchen’s next stop was Cloud Dream Pavilion.

Cui Hao welcomed Cloud Dream Pavilion’s reinforcements and decided to use the Evil Spirit Cult’s attack on the incense gods to weaken them before intervening. He prepared to take responsibility for the dirty work, but Zheng Zhaoling insisted on sharing the risk and the credit.

• Cui Hao and Zheng Zhaoling received Cloud Dream Pavilion cultivators who had arrived to help deal with the Evil Spirit Cult.
• Zheng Zhaoling told Cui Hao that the Evil Spirit Cult was heading to Northern Jambudvipa to kill incense gods and impersonate them.
• Cui Hao decided not to stop the Evil Spirit Cult from attacking the incense gods, intending to avenge them afterward and take responsibility for the consequences.
• Cui Hao explained that he was willing to do the dirty work to protect Third Senior Sister and their sect.
• Zheng Zhaoling refused to let Cui Hao take all the blame and limelight, declaring that she would stand with him.

Zhao Xuan and Evil Spirit prepared the Evil Spirit Cult’s attack on the Incense Gods, relying on the Heavenly Demons to distract the Eighteen Immortal Sects. Evil Spirit began the operation by killing the Great Bear Demon King at his cave abode.

• Zhao Xuan and Evil Spirit discussed the Incense Gods’ repeated provocations and prepared to strike their shrine in Northern Jambudvipa.
• Zhao Xuan sent Xu Si a message with a costly Jade Token, but received no reply.
• Evil Spirit told Zhao Xuan that the Heavenly Demons would stir up trouble to distract the Eighteen Immortal Sects, then asked him to watch for enemies.
• Evil Spirit entered Xiong Hou’s cave abode and blasted a hole through the Great Bear Demon King’s chest, silencing the gathered Incense Gods.

The Mountain-Covering Great King gathered Northern Jambudvipa’s incense gods after the Evil Spirit Cult slaughtered at least eight of them. As fears spread that humans might be behind the attacks, he resolved to confront the enemies rather than submit.

• The Evil Spirit Cult secretly attacked incense gods in their mountain cave abodes, using superior cultivation and numbers to overwhelm them.
• Cui Hao leaked information to the incense gods so the Evil Spirit Cult could not win too easily and drive them to surrender.
• At the Mountain-Covering Great King’s gathering, the incense gods learned that at least eight shrine-holders had been killed and their attackers were likely at spirit transformation realm or above.
• A fox incense god warned that humans might be orchestrating the attacks to purge inhuman beings, leaving the incense gods to submit or flee into the wilderness.
• The Mountain-Covering Great King rejected surrender and declared that the incense gods needed to stand up for themselves, then rose to confront their enemies.

Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling brought Cloud Dream Pavilion’s leaders and elders to Northern Jambudvipa to support Cui Hao against the Evil Spirit Cult. After confronting the sect leader over the pavilion’s slow response, Chu Xingchen secured their cooperation, and the group prepared to handle the threat.

• Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling shared noodles with Cloud Dream Pavilion’s sect leader, grand elders, and other senior cultivators.
• Chu Xingchen thanked the pavilion for its support but criticized its slow procedures, explaining that he had come to help his disciple Cui Hao confront the Evil Spirit Cult.
• The Cloud Dream Pavilion’s sect leader explained that Zheng Zhaoling and a Tribulation Transcendence grand elder had already accompanied Cui Hao, exceeding the pavilion’s usual support.
• Chu Xingchen urged the sect leader to cooperate against the Evil Spirit Cult and its ties to the Heavenly Demons, and the sect leader agreed to do their utmost.
• Bai Xuanling set aside the earlier dispute, praised Cui Hao’s cleverness, and said the group might only be taking a stroll because he could handle the mission himself.

Cui Hao’s warning and support helped the Incense Gods resist the Evil Spirit Cult’s invasion, turning the conflict in Northern Jambudvipa into a bloody stalemate. As Zheng Zhaoling questioned the human cost of his actions, she handed Cui Hao a Jade Token that seemed to remind her of something.

• Cui Hao secured weapons, healing Pills, and Spirit Stones from Cloud Dream Marsh for the Incense Gods, while keeping the full strength of the Evil Spirit Cult’s invasion from the Mountain-Covering Great King.
• The Mountain-Covering Great King rallied the Incense Gods, destroyed Evil Spirit Cult Shrines, and led counterattacks as both sides suffered heavy losses across the Cangxi Kingdom.
• Cui Hao’s slogan, “Let the demons of Beimang perish, but never our homeland,” inspired more Incense Gods to join the fight, while the Evil Spirit Cult began installing its own Incense Gods in captured territory.
• Zheng Zhaoling asked whether the carnage met Cui Hao’s expectations, and he said the Evil Spirit Cult seemed hesitant and that he could accept some psychological pressure because neither side was good.
• Cui Hao said he would rather have a cup of Third Senior Sister’s tea, and Zheng Zhaoling searched among the Jade Tokens and handed him one.

Chen Baiqing and Lin Luoyu witnessed a battle between the Incense Gods and the Evil Spirit Cult near Northern Yellow Mountain, where the Incense Gods were suffering heavy losses. Chen Baiqing chose not to intervene until she could learn what Cui Hao intended, and she realized he had adopted a harsher approach than Lin Luoyu expected.

• The Incense Gods attacked the Evil Spirit Cult at Northern Yellow Mountain, but the prepared cultists countered them and gained the upper hand.
• Chen Baiqing and Lin Luoyu watched the battle through the Azure Sky Treasure Ring, and Chen Baiqing concluded that the Evil Spirit Cult had infiltrated the Incense Gods.
• Lin Luoyu asked whether they should help the Incense Gods, but Chen Baiqing said they should wait because Cui Hao had not intervened.
• As Chen Baiqing and Lin Luoyu continued toward Cloud Dream Marsh, Lin Luoyu questioned whether the plan suited Cui Hao, and Chen Baiqing explained that Zheng Zhaoling would not have proposed it.
• Chen Baiqing understood that Cui Hao was showing he could use methods others might not understand, and she felt her years of guiding him had not been wasted.

Chen Baiqing and Lin Luoyu visited Cui Hao in Cloud Dream Marsh, where Chen Baiqing reassured Zheng Zhaoling that Master trusted her and invited her into their private discussion. Chen Baiqing offered to help Cui Hao review his work, and the chapter ended with him joking that he was already very moved by her visit.

• Cui Hao welcomed Chen Baiqing and Lin Luoyu and introduced them to Zheng Zhaoling and Cloud Marsh.
• Chen Baiqing exchanged pleasantries with Zheng Zhaoling and Cloud Marsh, then ended the gathering so she could speak privately with Cui Hao.
• Chen Baiqing invited Zheng Zhaoling to stay and used the Azure Sky Treasure Ring to block sound and Divine Sense probes.
• Chen Baiqing told Zheng Zhaoling that Master trusted her and said she could hear their confidential discussion.
• Chen Baiqing praised Cui Hao's work in Northern Jambudvipa and offered to help him check for anything he had overlooked.
• Cui Hao joked that Chen Baiqing had come because she was moved, and she teased him about the times he had begged her for help.

Chen Baiqing visited Cloud Dream Marsh but stayed out of Zheng Zhaoling’s preparations for the fight against the Evil Spirit Cult, spending her time reading and feeding fish. When Zheng Zhaoling asked for her assessment, Chen Baiqing explained that she had come to support Cui Hao and provide Zheng a safety net, and said she now trusted Zheng to handle the matter.

• Chen Baiqing brewed tea for Zheng Zhaoling, then left to explore while Cui Hao explained that she tailored her approach to people through shared interests.
• Over the next five days, Zheng Zhaoling managed jade messages and coordinated support for the incense god while Chen Baiqing and Lin Luoyu mostly stayed apart from the work.
• Zheng Zhaoling approached Chen Baiqing at the fishpond, accepted candied fruit, and remarked on the close bonds among her sectmates.
• Zheng Zhaoling asked whether Chen Baiqing thought their preparations had gone wrong, and Chen Baiqing said she judged people by their deeds and had initially trusted Zheng because Cui Hao did.
• Chen Baiqing revealed she had come to back Cui Hao and provide Zheng with protection from possible repercussions, then said she now believed Zheng could handle the matter well.

Chu Xingchen met Zhao Xuan to discuss the Evil Spirit Cult’s undertaking and asked whether the commotion on the Western Ox-He Continent could distract the immortal sects. After revealing his Cloud Dream Pavilion elder token and agreeing to withstand pressure from the sect, Chu Xingchen suspected the Heavenly Demons’ movements were a smokescreen and left the remaining plans to Cui Hao.

• Chu Xingchen and Bai Xuanling met Zhao Xuan at an Incense God Shrine to discuss the Evil Spirit Cult’s nearly completed undertaking.
• Bai Xuanling warned Zhao Xuan that Cloud Dream Pavilion and the Profound Clarity Heavenly Sect were investigating, while Zhao Xuan insisted the plan should proceed.
• Chu Xingchen asked whether the disturbance on the Western Ox-He Continent could grow enough to draw the Eighteen Immortal Sects’ attention away.
• Zhao Xuan asked Chu Xingchen to hold back the Incense Gods, and Chu Xingchen revealed his Cloud Dream Pavilion elder token, promising to handle pressure from the pavilion.
• Chu Xingchen realized Zhao Xuan’s quick reassurance suggested the Western Ox-He disturbance was already at its limit and might be a smokescreen for the Heavenly Demons’ real objective.
• With Chen Baiqing having reached Cloud Dream Marsh and met Cui Hao, Chu Xingchen decided to leave and entrust the remaining work to Cui Hao.

Yuankong completed the Inverted Hanging Temple’s trial and learned how many times Qian Qing had climbed it for him. Realizing he had been wrong to decide what was best for her, he set off for the Heavenly Derivation Sect to apologize.

• Yuankong questioned the young śrāmaṇera about the Inverted Hanging Temple’s trial and learned it was meant to teach people to let go of what they could not obtain.
• The young śrāmaṇera told Yuankong that Qian Qing had climbed the trial for over two years, reached the summit seven times, and failed at least twenty-three times.
• Yuankong explained that he had kept away from Qian Qing because he thought immortals and mortals should lead separate lives, then admitted she should make her own choices.
• The young śrāmaṇera told Yuankong that Qian Qing’s persistence showed she would forgive him, and Yuankong flew toward the Heavenly Derivation Sect to apologize.
• The abbot told the young śrāmaṇera that Yuankong was an innate Buddhist child and encouraged him to study hard.

Qian Qing and Sandong enjoyed the snow at A Loving Family Peak before Yuankong returned after a long absence. Qian Qing greeted him with a full-strength punch that sent him sprawling into the snow.

• Sandong and Qian Qing talked about the snowfall and planned to build snowmen together.
• Sandong invited Qian Qing and Qinghe to share a meal, offering to pay with its spirit stones.
• Qian Qing went to put away her broom and spotted Yuankong climbing toward A Loving Family Peak.
• Yuankong greeted Qian Qing with a smile, and she immediately punched him into the snow.

Yuankong reunited with Qian Qing on A Loving Family Peak, where their reunion turned into teasing and scolding before they went to eat with Sandong and Qinghe. At the Hundred Flavors Pavilion, Yuankong joined Qinghe in eating meat and claimed the Venerable Buddha bore his precepts for him.

• Qian Qing confronted Yuankong about leaving an almost unreadable farewell note, then struck him when he tried to play it off.
• Yuankong explained that work for the Great Thunderclap Temple and events on the Western Ox-He Continent had delayed his return.
• Qian Qing asked Sandong to call Qinghe, who arrived in Flood Dragon form and agreed to take everyone to the Hundred Flavors Pavilion.
• Qinghe recognized Yuankong, but refused to let him ride on her back because she hated monks.
• At the pavilion, Yuankong ate meat alongside Qinghe and declared that the Venerable Buddha bore the precepts for him.

Boluo explained how the Heavenly Demons would rebuild their strength and use public opinion to undermine Chu Xingchen. He left Zhong Su and Meiyu with a plan to turn mortals against Chu Xingchen, saying the moment to stake everything would come soon.

• Boluo said the new Baibo had reached Tribulation Transcendence Realm, while the Heavenly Demons had failed to recover all of Linglong's Heavenly Gift.
• Boluo argued that the Evil Spirit Cult in Northern Jambudvipa would be discarded after the Incense Gods were weakened, and that he had supported evil cultivators to signal the Heavenly Demons' stance.
• Meiyu questioned whether evil cultivators would trust a new organization, and Zhong Su agreed with her doubts.
• Boluo said the Heavenly Demons would not recruit evil cultivators but would spread Chu Xingchen's title and reputation as an enemy to encourage mortals to turn against him.
• Boluo said that stripping Chu Xingchen of his reputation and influence would create the Heavenly Demons' final opportunity, which he believed would come soon.

Cui Hao explained to Zheng Zhaoling how the Evil Spirit Cult had turned Northern Jambudvipa’s Incense Gods against each other by recruiting demons resentful of a thousand years of suppression. The Incense Gods sought Cloud Dream Marsh’s help, but Cui Hao said he would focus on the Evil Spirit Cult, while the Incense Gods were already headed for a devastating loss.

• Incense Gods from across Northern Jambudvipa arrived at Cloud Dream Marsh seeking support against the Evil Spirit Cult.
• Cui Hao observed that the Evil Spirit Cult had recruited powerful demons denied Shrines, stoking long-standing resentment against the Incense Gods.
• Zheng Zhaoling asked why the Incense Gods continued fighting instead of returning home, and Cui Hao explained that stopping would expose them to the demons’ anger.
• Cui Hao told Zheng Zhaoling that Cloud Dream Marsh could not settle the underlying conflict, though the Incense Gods likely hoped Cloud Dream Pavilion might intervene if matters worsened.
• Cui Hao declared that he would not try to save the Incense Gods from their coming losses and would instead deal with the Evil Spirit Cult.

Cloud Marsh learned that the Incense Gods’ request concealed a dangerous agenda, and Cui Hao persuaded him to seek Cloud Dream Pavilion reinforcements against the Evil Spirit Cult instead. After Cloud Marsh agreed to consider the plan, the Cloud Dream Pavilion’s Sect Leader prepared its powerful cultivators to set out.

• Cloud Marsh welcomed the Incense Gods and promised to help, but Cui Hao bluntly told him the Cloud Dream Pavilion would not intervene on their behalf.
• Cui Hao gave Cloud Marsh a Jade Token revealing the Incense Gods’ true purpose and warned that helping them could endanger Cloud Dream Marsh.
• Cui Hao proposed that Cloud Marsh request Cloud Dream Pavilion reinforcements to strike the Evil Spirit Cult’s leadership and remove its forces from Northern Jambudvipa.
• Cloud Marsh hesitated but felt unable to outmaneuver Cui Hao and resolved to consider the proposal.
• The Cloud Dream Pavilion’s Sect Leader received a Jade Token and led its Elders and Grand Elders out to set out.

Zhao Xuan hid in a secret base across the Cang River, hoping the Evil Spirit Cult’s destruction would free him from its burdens. A Cloud Dream Pavilion Grand Elder found him, exposed his identity, and declared that Zhao Xuan’s capture was only the beginning of dealing with the crisis in Cangxi Kingdom.

• Zhao Xuan watched from Northern Cang Kingdom as the Evil Spirit Cult’s reckless operations in Cangxi Kingdom spiraled out of control, and he resolved to let the cult fall rather than risk himself.
• An old man appeared behind Zhao Xuan and nullified his teleportation dharma treasure when Zhao Xuan tried to escape.
• The old man revealed that Zhao Xuan was the Evil Spirit Cult’s Cult Leader, codename Black Crow, and identified himself as a Grand Elder of Cloud Dream Pavilion.
• Zhao Xuan realized the Evil Spirit Cult had been bait in a setup connected to Xu Si and the heavenly demon, and that the Grand Elder intended to deal with the wider crisis in Cangxi Kingdom.
• The Grand Elder told Zhao Xuan that his many past wrongs had left him trapped, and Zhao Xuan acknowledged the lesson.

Chu Xingchen and Xie Lingyu visited Huangliang City, where they reunited with Lychee and asked for her help with a confidential matter. Lychee challenged Chu Xingchen about his claim that a monk they had met before was at Golden Core, and he left her uncertain by saying Golden Core cultivators from different continents were not the same.

• Chu Xingchen and Xie Lingyu walked through Huangliang City, and he teased her about the Western Ox-He Continent's profane street culture.
• Chu Xingchen explained that he had come to find Lychee, an old acquaintance whose information might lead to a surprise.
• Lychee boasted to her Heavenly Patrol Bureau teammates that she had helped save the Western Ox-He Continent, but they laughed at her story.
• Chu Xingchen and Xie Lingyu arrived at the tea stall, and Lychee happily recognized Chu Xingchen and agreed to help him with a confidential matter.
• Chu Xingchen praised Lychee for reaching early Golden Core, and she challenged his earlier claim about the old monk's cultivation.
• Chu Xingchen told Lychee that a Golden Core from the Western Ox-He Continent was not the same as one from the Central Province, leaving her unsure.

Chu Xingchen questioned Lychee about the Buddhist Sect’s conduct on the Western Ox-He Continent, then recruited her to investigate temples hiding Wish Power. He took her to meet someone at Right Sound Temple, and the sight of its immense Buddhist guard left Lychee stunned.

• Lychee told Chu Xingchen that the Buddhist Sect had resumed collecting Wish Power but had become more cautious after its recent loss of credibility.
• Xie Lingyu realized Chu Xingchen was using Lychee’s impressions to assess how the public viewed the Buddhist Sect.
• Lychee repeated rumors that Chu Xingchen and Ru Nan were friends, prompting Chu Xingchen to offer her a well-paid job investigating temples for hidden Wish Power.
• Lychee worried the monks would reject her authority, so Chu Xingchen said he would take her to meet someone whose name carried weight.
• At Right Sound Temple, Lychee saw the vast array of Buddhist figures and sacred displays guarding the gates and realized the person inside was important.

Chu Xingchen brought Lychee to the Right Sound Dharma Temple and asked Venerable Buddha Ru Nan to keep her safe while he was away. Ru Nan agreed, and Lychee left their meeting embarrassed by her awkward remarks but reassured by his kindness.

• Ru Nan stationed himself at the Right Sound Dharma Temple to oversee the Western Ox-He Continent and prevent the Buddhist Sect's past failures from recurring.
• Chu Xingchen arrived with Xie Lingyu and Lychee to meet Ru Nan.
• Chu Xingchen introduced Lychee as his trusted aide and asked Ru Nan to look after her and bring her back safe and sound.
• Lychee accidentally revealed she had heard unflattering claims about Ru Nan, then stumbled through an attempt to compliment him.
• Ru Nan accepted Lychee's bluntness without offense, and the arrangement for her to stay under his protection was settled.

Chu Xingchen demonstrated his power by striking the Ten Thousand Green Mountains and helping the Buddhist Sect eradicate the demonic beasts hiding there. Back at Right Sound Dharma Temple, he told Lychee to take over his investigations before he departed for Dongsheng Shenzhou.

• Chu Xingchen split the Ten Thousand Green Mountains with Myriad Forms, exposing a deep canyon, and Huawu Buddha's people searched for the surviving demonic beasts.
• Chu Xingchen returned to Right Sound Dharma Temple with Lychee and praised her before revealing that he would leave for Dongsheng Shenzhou the next day.
• Chu Xingchen instructed Lychee to investigate where the wish power went and to inspect any Buddhist temples that seemed suspicious, reminding her not to be intimidated by stronger cultivators.
• Chu Xingchen asked Venerable Buddha Ru Nan to reimburse his travel expenses and pay him a fee for his trouble, and Ru Nan agreed.
• Xie Lingyu urged Chu Xingchen to leave for other matters in Dongsheng Shenzhou, and Chu Xingchen bid Ru Nan farewell.

Chen Baiqing was enraged by a wave of rumors accusing her and Chu Xingchen of atrocities, and Lin Luoyu urged her to find those directing the slander. The discussion revealed that Chen Baiqing was especially furious over what the rumors said about her master.

• Chen Baiqing crushed a Jade Token in anger as reports of the rumors filled the Discussion Hall.
• Ye Antao and Lin Luoyu recognized that evil cultivators had targeted Chen Baiqing and Chu Xingchen with slander after Cui Hao purged the Evil Spirit Cult.
• Chen Baiqing said she would not forgive people who had received kindness but joined in condemning her.
• Lin Luoyu warned that the rumors were deliberately steered and advised catching their spreaders rather than trying to reverse public opinion.
• Ye Antao realized that Chen Baiqing was most upset by the rumors' insults against her master and reacted in shock.

Ye Antao watched Chen Baiqing investigate a smear campaign against Chu Xingchen, then welcomed Chu Xingchen when he arrived. Chen Baiqing warned him that the Firmament Rhyme Hall seemed to be deliberately obstructing the investigation, and Chu Xingchen concluded that the sects feared his power and ambitions.

• Chen Baiqing deduced that someone was orchestrating the rumors against Chu Xingchen and planned to praise him publicly while tracing the rumors to their sources.
• Ye Antao left Chen Baiqing to work and asked Chu Xingchen whether he could recommend a disciple like Chen Baiqing or Lin Luoyu; he teased her about wanting a maid instead.
• Chu Xingchen entered the Main Hall, where Chen Baiqing greeted him warmly and asked him not to read the slanderous reports in front of her.
• Chen Baiqing told Chu Xingchen that the Firmament Rhyme Hall had stalled its investigation and that she suspected it wanted the rumors about him to spread.
• Chu Xingchen said the Immortal Sects feared his influence and might turn against him once the Great Calamity ended.

Li Junzi and Zhao Xuan prepared to stake the Black Tortoise Kingdom’s national fortune on an edict that would empower learned people and Martial Artists to serve the people and kingdom. Zhao Xuan sealed the edict, and the shattered jade seal transformed into a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon that pierced the heavens.

• Zhao Xuan praised Li Junzi’s talent and courage as they discussed the new policies and the great undertaking that would follow them.
• Li Junzi declared that Confucian Scholars had backbone and that she would not walk the road alone.
• Zhao Xuan pressed the Imperial Jade Seal toward the prepared edict, but the seal resisted as it faced the cost of spending the kingdom’s entire national fortune.
• Zhao Xuan asked whether Li Junzi was still unwilling to sacrifice wealth and honor for the Human Race’s prosperity.
• The jade seal descended and shattered into national fortune, which became a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, and Zhao Xuan stamped the edict with the seal’s imprint.