Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hua faced Jiang Yuming’s Wind formation, which used slanderous words to disturb his heart and weaken his golden body. He understood the attack and steadied his mind, resisting the formation as the Jiang family’s children watched in astonishment.

• Leng Qingge escaped as Xiao Hua destroyed the scarlet cloud brocade, and Jiang Yuming revealed himself to challenge him.
• Jiang Yuming summoned the Hundred Child Book Formation, gathering azure inscriptions into four books and a child-shaped figure.
• The first book unleashed a hurricane of clamorous words that agitated Xiao Hua and began to break down his golden body.
• Xiao Hua used the Lightning and Thunder Technique to disperse the inscriptions, then realized the wind attacked through rumors and slander that unsettled the heart.
• Xiao Hua steadied his mind and endured the wind without yielding, leaving the Jiang family’s children stunned.

Xiao Hua fought the Jiang family’s Imperial Formation at Black Cloud Ridge, overcoming its Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain formations. He left Jiang Yuming and the other Scholars defeated as the formation collapsed.

• Jiang Yuming activated the Forest Formation, but Xiao Hua destroyed its inscriptions with fire talismans and his cauldron’s Fire Crows.
• The Jiang family opened the Fire Formation, and its Heart Fire entered Xiao Hua’s golden body but was absorbed by his scarlet Heavenly Heart.
• Jiang Yuming ordered the final Mountain Formation to descend on Xiao Hua.
• Xiao Hua shattered the Mountain of Literature and Sea of Words with his Buddhist Mountain Power seal, causing the Scholars to spit blood and the formation to collapse.

Xiao Hua faced Baihou Yuqin’s Water Brocade Diagram, where her zither music ensnared him with memories of Xue Xue. After Baihou Yuqin’s formation ended, Xiao Hua emerged unharmed and challenged Leng Qingge, leaving the confrontation poised to resume.

• Baihou Yuqin identified herself as the guardian of the Water Brocade Diagram and challenged Xiao Hua to endure her zither piece.
• Baihou Yuqin’s music conjured memories of Xue Xue, and Xiao Hua allowed the illusion to overwhelm him rather than dispel it.
• Green cloud brocade wrapped around Xiao Hua as the song ended, and Baihou Yuqin appeared, believing she had subdued him.
• Baihou Yuqin told Leng Qingge she would serve the sovereign no longer and argued that Xiao Hua’s grief showed he was not eager to slaughter.
• Leng Qingge dismissed her judgment and said the sovereign would deal with Xiao Hua, but Xiao Hua spoke from within the formation and challenged Leng Qingge to approach.

Xiao Hua broke free of Baihou Yuqin’s illusion and won her trial, then faced Xi Bohong in the fourth transformation of the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram. The chapter ended as Xiao Hua’s fire-talisman formation attacked Xi Bohong, who unleashed fire pearls and his beast’s demon core in response.

• Xiao Hua emerged from Baihou Yuqin’s illusion, declared victory over Leng Qingge, and explained that his understanding of life, death, and love had freed him.
• Baihou Yuqin acknowledged Xiao Hua’s insight, invited him to Lingyuan Cliff, and vanished as the fourth transformation of the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram began.
• Xiao Hua drew Vast Righteous Qi to temper his body and endured the lingering damage to his kidneys from Baihou Yuqin’s sound attack.
• Xi Bohong introduced himself as Leng Qingge’s friend and challenged Xiao Hua, attacking with a sea of flames.
• Xiao Hua seized control of the flames and fought Xi Bohong evenly, astonishing Du Shanjun and Bei Guo Zhenming.
• Xiao Hua trapped Xi Bohong in a formation of fire talismans and detonated them, while Xi Bohong countered with fire pearls and his beast’s demon core.

Xiao Hua survived Xi Bohong’s Intense Flame Array by using the Five Elements Evasion Technique, while Xi Bohong sacrificed his Fanged Beast, Lieya, to attack him. After Xiao Hua spared Xi Bohong, Bei Guo Zhenming and Du Shanjun arrived, and Xiao Hua greeted the academy dean.

• Xi Bohong unleashed the Fanged Beast’s divided bodies and tens of thousands of fire beasts, trapping Xiao Hua in a crushing sphere of flame.
• Xiao Hua escaped the attack with the Fire Evasion Technique and confronted Xi Bohong for sacrificing Lieya, whose sorrow and attachment Xiao Hua had sensed.
• Xi Bohong refused to discuss Lieya and demanded to know how Xiao Hua had escaped the Intense Flame Array.
• Xiao Hua revealed that he had used the Daoist Sect’s Five Elements Evasion Technique and let Xi Bohong leave because the Fanged Beast was dead.
• Bei Guo Zhenming and Du Shanjun arrived on a gray cloud, and Xiao Hua saluted the dean of Tongzhu Academy.

Xiao Hua broke Bei Guo Zhenming and Du Shanjun’s earth-aspected Five Brocade Cloud Diagram layer with his Confucian sword art. Leng Qingge admitted that he had underestimated Xiao Hua but warned that the formation had greater power.

• Bei Guo Zhenming explained that the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram was set up under the king’s orders, and Xiao Hua agreed to face it.
• Bei Guo Zhenming and Du Shanjun used recitations and Vast Righteous Qi to bind Xiao Hua with earth-aspected rings that suppressed his magic power and movement.
• Xiao Hua transformed into a sword and declared that he would kill the muddled ruler for the people, then tore through the formation and stopped its chanting.
• Bei Guo Zhenming and Du Shanjun withdrew as Xiao Hua emerged from the sword transformation and challenged Leng Qingge.
• Leng Qingge acknowledged that he had underestimated Xiao Hua and warned him that the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram held greater power.

Leng Qingge and the other cultivators summoned the Five Qi True Thunder through the Execution Stage and struck Xiao Hua, badly injuring him. Xiao Hua sent Little Lei and his Nascent Soul to absorb the lightning, and the Nascent Soul began recovering after a perilous first strike.

• Leng Qingge and the four other cultivators combined their handkerchiefs and true qi to form the Execution Stage within the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram.
• The Execution Stage imprisoned Xiao Hua and struck him with Five Qi True Thunder, leaving his right arm charred and collapsing part of his back.
• Xiao Hua realized the Execution Stage resembled the damaged treasure in his space and decided to bring Little Lei out to face the lightning.
• Green-robed Xiao Hua proposed using the Five Qi True Thunder to strengthen their Nascent Soul, and Xiao Hua agreed despite the danger.
• Little Lei absorbed most of the third thunderbolt while the Nascent Soul took the remainder, began collapsing, then recovered as silver-white crystalline threads merged into it.

Xiao Hua endured eighty-one bolts of Five Qi True Thunder, strengthening his Nascent Soul while Little Lei protected him and awakened. The exhausted Confucian cultivators returned with five ancient Wen Scrolls and unleashed Five Sons Ascend to Officialdom, leaving Xiao Hua facing the first scroll’s Law character and another terrifying attack.

• Xiao Hua refined Metal Essence Gold Marrow and endured eighty-one bolts of Five Qi True Thunder as Little Lei shielded him; the lightning strengthened his Nascent Soul, while the five Confucian cultivators exhausted their true qi and their Execution Stage collapsed.
• Little Lei awoke, nuzzled Xiao Hua, and returned to sleep in his space; Xiao Hua also sent green-robed Xiao Hua and his Nascent Soul back to recuperate.
• Leng Qingge revealed that the Confucian cultivators would use Five Sons Ascend to Officialdom and produced an ancient Wen Scroll; Xiao Hua armed himself with the As-You-Wish Staff and Sea-Overturning Seal.
• Leng Qingge, Xi Bohong, Bei Guo Zhenming, Baihou Yuqin, and Jiang Yuming each brought out a Wen Scroll, and Xiao Hua grew to more than twenty zhang tall with Heaven and Earth Manifestation.
• Leng Qingge unfurled Literary Saint Han Cheng's Wen Scroll, summoning a giant Law character that drew out Xiao Hua's nine sword intents; Xi Bohong then opened his own scroll and unleashed another terrifying aura.

Leng Qingge and the four officials unleashed five ancient Confucian Wen Scrolls against Xiao Hua, but he drew on his many powers and treasures to withstand the combined attack. Xiao Hua survived, badly injured, while the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram and the scrolls were shattered.

• Leng Qingge ordered Bei Guo Zhenming, Baihou Yuqin, and Jiang Yuming to open their Wen Scrolls, unleashing the characters “Earth” and “Confucian,” a Vast Qi River, and the Yin Yang Fish alongside his “Law” attack.
• The five Wen Scrolls combined their power through the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram and surrounded Xiao Hua with a devastating strike.
• Xiao Hua used his swords, Innate True Water, magical treasures, spiritual fire, golden body, and other abilities to counter the attacks.
• The collision shattered the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram and broke the five Wen Scrolls into fragments, leaving Leng Qingge and the others stunned.
• Baihou Yuqin spotted Xiao Hua staggering back to his feet, his enormous golden body riddled with holes and cracks.

Xiao Hua endured the five Wen Scrolls and destroyed their inscriptions with his remaining powers, but Leng Qingge then summoned a Five Dragon Imperial Seal. The seal descended over the Five Sons, leaving Xiao Hua facing a new and unknown threat.

• Xi Bohong and the others hesitated to attack Xiao Hua after Jiang Yuming noticed that his severe wounds showed no blood, and Leng Qingge ordered them to prepare the Son of Heaven's Wrath.
• Xiao Hua recalled how his weapons and techniques had damaged or destroyed the Wen Scrolls while the sword net pierced his body and battered his Dharma Body.
• Xiao Hua used his two-colored spiritual fire and three Heavenly Hearts to break the character "Confucian," then erased the remaining inscriptions and destroyed the Wen Scrolls.
• Xiao Hua prepared to wear down the five Confucian cultivators, but a golden light appeared at the peak of the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram.
• Leng Qingge's Five Dragon Imperial Seal descended, and the five "Sons" bowed beneath its golden radiance.

Xiao Hua defeated the Son of Heaven formed by the Five Masters, destroyed the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram, and killed Leng Qingge. He spared Baihou Yuqin after securing her submission and cultivation materials, then turned to Xi Bohong, who offered the Fire Brocade Cloud Diagram but refused to surrender his cultivation technique.

• The Son of Heaven used the Five Dragon Imperial Seal to suppress Xiao Hua, but Xiao Hua summoned a Sleeping Dragon that swallowed the seal and dragons and shattered the Son of Heaven and the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram.
• Xiao Hua seized Leng Qingge's golden halberd and used the Spirit Severing Primordial Light to kill him and absorb his Nascent Soul.
• Xiao Hua claimed the formation diagram and accepted Baihou Yuqin's silk handkerchief, declaring himself Jiang Kingdom's State Preceptor and ordering Tongzhu Kingdom's forces to retreat from Jiang Kingdom's territory.
• Baihou Yuqin agreed to limit the war to soldiers and generals, handed Xiao Hua copies of her cultivation technique and Confucian classics, and departed with her disciples.
• Xi Bohong offered Xiao Hua the Fire Brocade Cloud Diagram but said he could not hand over the Fire Qi Ascending to Origin cultivation technique.

Xiao Hua forced Tongzhu Kingdom’s groups to withdraw, negotiated the preservation of Tongzhu Academy, and demanded that the Jiang Clan punish those responsible for Qiyang Temple’s deaths. Though badly injured beneath his show of strength, he returned to Black Wind Ridge, where the people and demons hailed him as their master.

• Xiao Hua confiscated Xi Bohong’s Cosmic Bag and let him leave, then accepted Bei Guo Zhenming’s books and agreed that Bei Guo could ask Jiang Kingdom’s royal family to preserve Tongzhu Academy.
• Jiang Yuming begged Xiao Hua to spare the Jiang Clan, and Xiao Hua ordered the Clan to kill everyone involved in the Qiyang Temple attack, present their heads, and erect an inscription admitting what happened.
• Xiao Hua confiscated Jiang Yuming’s Cosmic Bag and sent the Jiang Clan away after Jiang Yuming promised to persuade the Clan Head to accept his demands.
• After the departing groups left, Xiao Hua’s hidden injuries worsened, and he realized that he had been bluffing while barely able to continue fighting.
• Xiao Hua withdrew the damaged Duotian Star Array and returned to Black Wind Ridge, where the people and demons knelt and welcomed him home.

Xiao Hua established Black Cloud Ridge as his base, organized its demons and Daoist followers, and named his new sect the Creation Sect. After freeing Liu Yi’s spiritual root, he sealed himself in the quiet chamber to recover from his injuries.

• Xiao Hua ordered Black Bear Spirit, Great King Golden Eagle, and Great King Ten Thousand Lions to organize their troops and guard Black Cloud Ridge.
• Xiao Hua told Xiao Jian and Princess Changling that they could prepare to reclaim Jiang Kingdom while he entered seclusion.
• Xiao Hua gave Qin Xiaoyao pills, cultivation techniques, and magical artifacts to distribute, authorized him to recruit Daoist soldiers, and named the sect the Creation Sect.
• Xiao Hua used the Soul Bridge and Wash Heaven and Earth to break the restriction sealing Liu Yi’s spiritual root, allowing Liu Yi to sense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
• Xiao Hua designated Liu Yi as Wang Zhengfei’s senior brother and then protected the quiet chamber with the Duotian Star Array before beginning his seclusion.

Xiao Hua recovered from his injuries and began using the Five Qi True Thunder to restore his Nascent Soul while his other aspects continued cultivating. The story then shifted to Tongzhu Kingdom’s court, where the sovereign asked his ministers about plans to campaign against four kingdoms.

• Xiao Hua repaired his bloodline and body, then activated the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram and used Little Lei to summon Five Qi True Thunder.
• Green-robed Xiao Hua controlled the weakened Nascent Soul under the lightning while Xiao Hua read Confucian scrolls, and his other aspects continued their separate cultivation.
• The sovereign of Tongzhu Kingdom convened his ministers in the imperial hall and asked about the campaign against Gu Kingdom, Jiming Kingdom, Gaza Kingdom, and Yifeng Kingdom.
• Minister Yu reported that he and the Ministry of War’s vice ministers had consulted Generals Hao Hu and Wen Feng and reached a conclusion.

Tongzhu Kingdom’s ministers debated which neighboring kingdoms to conquer, and the ruler announced an expedition against Jiming Kingdom and Yifeng Kingdom. His boastful display of power ended when a dragon seized Tongzhu Kingdom’s national destiny, leaving him stunned as the prime minister ordered the palace sealed and the incident concealed.

• Yu Zhong and the generals advised postponing attacks on Buddhist- and Daoist-controlled kingdoms and targeting Confucian kingdoms instead.
• The prime minister discovered that the Five Dragon Imperial Seal was missing, and the ruler claimed National Teacher Leng Qingge had secured victory over the Daoist remnants at Black Cloud Ridge.
• The ruler declared that Tongzhu Kingdom would conquer Jiming Kingdom and Yifeng Kingdom in one campaign.
• The ruler’s dragon aura burst through the royal hall’s roof, but a larger dragon emerged from the void and swallowed it, stripping Tongzhu Kingdom’s national destiny from him.
• The prime minister ordered the Hall Guards to lock the palace gates and kill anyone who spread news of what had happened.

Ying Hong explained to the prime minister that the Immortal Palace had secretly aided Tongzhu Kingdom and that he had planned to conquer Jiang Kingdom and Gaza Kingdom. After Xiao Hua ruined the campaign and the Imperial Palace’s treasures were lost, Ying Hong and the prime minister discussed how to restore their plans.

• Ying Hong ordered the generals to secure Tongzhu Kingdom’s territories and palace while the ministers withdrew to discuss countermeasures.
• Ying Hong and the prime minister recalled Ying Hong’s childhood and spoke about the importance of a ruler’s ambition and broad heart.
• Ying Hong showed the prime minister an Immortal Palace Token and revealed that an envoy had secretly given him treasures and methods to strengthen Tongzhu Kingdom.
• Ying Hong explained that he had planned to defeat Jiang Kingdom, use Princess Changling to provoke a conflict with Gaza Kingdom, and rely on Immortal Palace gifts to eliminate Xiao Hua.
• The prime minister warned that Tongzhu Kingdom was being drawn into the conflict between Immortals and Buddhas, and urged Ying Hong to eliminate Xiao Hua and recover the Immortal Palace’s items.

Ying Hong and Chancellor Father devised several schemes to turn Cangxian Continent’s factions against Xiao Hua, while Xiao Hua remained unaware as he recovered and cultivated. When karma drew him out of seclusion, he worked with his Confucian incarnation to refine the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram’s formation inside his middle dantian and convert his True Qi toward authentic Confucian cultivation.

• Chancellor Father advised Ying Hong to reveal that Jiang Kingdom’s Second National Teacher was imprisoned at Qianyushan Dungeon, hoping to lure Xiao Hua there and capture him.
• Ying Hong planned to publicize that Xiao Hua had taken Tongzhu Kingdom’s Five Dragon Imperial Seal and would need to attend the Yaotai Gathering to become Jiang Kingdom’s National Teacher, turning Confucian cultivators against him.
• Ying Hong told Chancellor Father that the Immortal envoy demanded one hundred Daoist Nascent Souls and that he had imprisoned more than ten Daoist Nascent Soul cultivators at Qianyu Mountain.
• Ying Hong and Chancellor Father planned to spread word that the Qi Stone mine beneath Black Cloud Ridge was ownerless, provoking conflict among Gaza Kingdom and Daoist cultivators.
• After more than a hundred days of recovery and cultivation, Xiao Hua sensed trouble approaching and spoke with his Confucian incarnation, who explained that he was abandoning his former Daoist-influenced methods.
• Xiao Hua’s Confucian incarnation placed the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram in the middle dantian, pushing out its existing True Qi and beginning a conversion toward authentic Confucian True Qi.

Xiao Hua emerged from seclusion, encouraged Wang Zhengfei’s interest in Confucian painting and cultivation, and received a vast collection of books from Du Shanjun on behalf of Tongzhu Academy. Du Shanjun then asked to discuss an important matter with Xiao Hua.

• Confucian cultivator Xiao Hua formed the Five Qi True Thunder array and resumed studying books to keep his Vast Righteous Qi alive.
• Xiao Hua left seclusion, praised Liu Yi and Wang Zhengfei’s brotherly bond, and learned that Wang Zhengfei wanted to study painting and could cultivate in dreams.
• Xiao Hua approved Wang Zhengfei’s interest in Confucian cultivation while advising him to focus on one path at a time.
• Xiao Hua summoned Du Shanjun, who delivered a record of 1,126,403 book scrolls from Tongzhu Academy as a gift from Dean Bei Guo.
• Xiao Hua agreed to Dean Bei Guo’s proposal, and Du Shanjun said he had another important matter to raise.

Xiao Hua confronted Du Shanjun about his knowledge of the Duotian Star Array, and Du Shanjun revealed that he wanted the Five Qi True Thunder rather than the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram or Five Dragon Imperial Seal. Xiao Hua agreed to let him inspect the treasure in exchange for discussing the array and its jade talisman, but Du Shanjun’s strange Daoist abilities left his true identity uncertain.

• Du Shanjun hinted that he had inspected Xiao Hua’s cave residence and urged him to set up the flawed Duotian Star Array before they spoke privately.
• Du Shanjun offered to teach Xiao Hua how to refine the array’s jade talisman or help complete the array, then identified the Five Qi True Thunder as what he wanted.
• Xiao Hua refused to give up the Five Qi True Thunder, and Du Shanjun recognized its use in condensing Xiao Hua’s Hidden Nascent Soul.
• Du Shanjun asked to inspect the Five Qi True Thunder, and Xiao Hua produced five silk handkerchiefs while bargaining for the array knowledge.
• Du Shanjun examined the handkerchiefs with Daoist runes appearing in his eyes and a silver rune flashing between his brows.

Xiao Hua discovered that Du Shanjun’s Five Qi True Thunder was an imitation, then negotiated with him for cultivation methods and a way to use divine sense. Du Shanjun offered Xiao Hua several techniques and proposed an unexplained future cooperation, leaving Xiao Hua weighing the benefits and risks.

• Du Shanjun identified the five silk handkerchiefs as an imitation of the Five Qi True Thunder and let Xiao Hua keep them.
• Xiao Hua asked Du Shanjun for cultivation methods from Nascent Soul through Tribulation Transcendence, provoking a brief display of hostility before Du Shanjun handed him a cultivation method through Mahayana.
• Du Shanjun proposed cooperating with Xiao Hua and said he could help improve Xiao Hua’s cultivation, combat skills, divine sense, and magical treasures.
• Xiao Hua accepted the prospect of cooperation but asked for a method to use divine sense as an immediate benefit.
• Du Shanjun gave Xiao Hua an Ink Cloud Pupil containing the divine sense technique and another containing a method for refining jade talismans, which could help complete the Duotian Star Array.