Chapter Summaries

Princess Qingqing questioned Gu Xianyun about his failed scheme to capture Nascent Soul cultivators at the Yaotai Gathering and heard suspicions that Xiao Hua or Ancestor Hongmeng had disrupted it. She dismissed Yu Xiajing’s speculation about Ancestor Hongmeng and ordered Dongfang Haohua summoned.

• Princess Qingqing told Yu Xiajing that Princess Xinxin had returned to Ziwei Palace before Qingqing could act against her, though the Heaven's Choice Gathering seemed to unsettle her.
• Yu Xiajing reported that Gu Xianyun was seeking an audience, and Princess Qingqing summoned him to explain his assignment.
• Gu Xianyun reported that the Star Lord Palace Hall Master, Kong Hongwu, had been killed, the formations broken, and the Demon Refining Pot returned to the Immortal Palace, leaving nearly a thousand Nascent Soul cultivators uncaptured.
• Gu Xianyun named Xiao Hua as suspicious, while Yu Xiajing proposed that Ancestor Hongmeng might have acted; Princess Qingqing rejected the theory.
• Princess Qingqing ordered Yu Xiajing to summon Dongfang Haohua.

Princess Qingqing planned to pursue Ancestor Hongmeng by targeting Xiao Hua and True Lord Qingxu, while tasking Gu Xianyun and Dongfang Haohua with gathering information and suppressing possible Daoist allies. The chapter ended as Qingqing began asking Dongfang Haohua about disorder in the Five Regions of the lower realm.

• Princess Qingqing told Gu Xianyun to pursue both the Pure Land and other options for a birthday gift, then assigned her a secret task concerning Xin Xin's strange treasure and rewarded her with a Brocade Box.
• Princess Qingqing received Dongfang Haohua and had Gu Xianyun recount the killing of the Yaotai Mountain Star Lord Palace master.
• Dongfang Haohua identified Xiao Hua as a suspect and advised capturing him and killing True Lord Qingxu to draw out Ancestor Hongmeng.
• Princess Qingqing asked Dongfang Haohua to use Tongming Hall's connections to locate Xiao Hua and True Lord Qingxu without directly deploying the Earth Gods.
• Princess Qingqing ordered Dongfang Haohua to report a pretext to Lingyun Hall and wipe out the nine Dao Nations established with National Teacher's tokens.
• Princess Qingqing began questioning Dongfang Haohua about reports of chaos in the Five Regions of the lower realm.

Princess Xinxin learned that Dongfang Haohua was searching for Xiao Hua and True Lord Qingxu, and she asked Sun Gang to obtain their images. Old Master Sun warned her that the search was part of a power struggle that could threaten her, but Princess Xinxin resisted discussing her injuries and ambitions.

• Sun Gang arrived at Ziwei Palace to report the affairs discussed at Tongming Hall, while Princess Xinxin and Old Master Sun listened.
• Sun Gang reported that Dongfang Haohua had asked Sun Bing to find the Daoist cultivators True Lord Qingxu and Xiao Hua.
• Princess Xinxin asked Sun Gang to retrieve images of the two cultivators and ordered him to keep the request secret.
• After Sun Gang left, Old Master Sun urged Princess Xinxin to pursue power and warned that her injuries had been deliberately inflicted.
• Old Master Sun said Dongfang Haohua was seeking credit by targeting Ancestor Hongmeng’s subordinate True Lord Qingxu, which could endanger Princess Xinxin.

Princess Xinxin and Mister Sun discussed the search for Ancestor Hongmeng, the political turmoil among Confucian schools, and possible cooperation with Daoist cultivators. Mister Lei then reported that Qiongqiong had returned to the Punishment Hall after her Heavenly Punishment Prisoner Crystal broke, though she still needed the Empress's approval to return to Ziwei Palace.

• Princess Xinxin gave Mister Sun an image of Xiao Hua from the Pure Land and asked him to investigate the two Daoist sect Nascent Soul cultivators sought by Qionghua Palace.
• Mister Sun showed Princess Xinxin that newly established nations in Yongzhou and Yangzhou were controlled by the Agriculturalists and Yin-Yang School, revealing growing conflict among Confucian factions and the Four Great Families.
• Princess Xinxin ordered investigations into the five provinces, the Four Great Families, and the possibility of testing cooperation with Daoist cultivators.
• Mister Lei told Princess Xinxin that Qiongqiong had returned to the Punishment Hall after her Heavenly Punishment Prisoner Crystal shattered in Cangxian Continent.
• Mister Lei explained that Qiongqiong's sentence had not ended, but the Punishment Envoy would report the matter to the Empress, who could allow her to return to the palace.

Sun Yue reported Xiao Hua to the Lord of Yuqing Palace, who could only locate him near Jing Province and concluded that Xiao Hua might be important to Confucian cultivators. Meanwhile, Xiao Hua felt someone scrutinizing him outside the vanished Yunshan Illusion Array, but neither he nor Zhang Daoran found anyone.

• Sun Yue visited the Lord of Yuqing Palace and reported Xiao Hua's connection to Princess Xinxin and True Lord Qingxu.
• The Lord of Yuqing Palace examined Xiao Hua's background but found his karma concealed and could only tell that he was near Jing Province.
• The Lord of Yuqing Palace said Xiao Hua's concealment was not Ancestor Hongmeng's handiwork and that Xiao Hua might be important to Confucian cultivators.
• Sun Yue left Yuqing Palace, while Xiao Hua and Zhang Daoran discussed the Yunshan Illusion Array sinking underground.
• Xiao Hua felt someone spying on him, but he and Zhang Daoran found no one nearby.

Xiao Hua reunited with the other cultivators after their secluded cultivation, then surprised Gongshu Yixin when her lifespan-testing magic tool revealed that he was only about three or four hundred years old. He left with Fu Zhiwen while Gongshu Yixin remained stunned by his age and cultivation.

• Xiao Hua and Zhang Daoran congratulated Xunkong Shangren and Zhai Xingzi after they emerged from secluded cultivation and thanked Xiao Hua for his secret technique.
• Gu Suqiudi asked Zhai Xingzi to test Gongshu Yixin's newly refined magic tool, which measured the others' lifespans through colored light.
• Gongshu Yixin's tool failed to penetrate Xiao Hua's skin at first, then emitted a vast, indistinct radiance and revealed that he was only around three or four hundred years old.
• Gu Suqiudi explained that the magic tool tested lifespan, and Gongshu Yixin kept questioning Xiao Hua about his age.
• Xiao Hua called Fu Zhiwen and departed for Black Wind Ridge, leaving Gongshu Yixin staring after him in disbelief.

Xiao Hua returned toward Black Wind Ridge after sensing that a mysterious cultivator had noticed him, and learned that the King of Tongzhu Kingdom had brought the Five Dragon Imperial Seal’s troubles to the ridge. He rushed ahead to rescue Li Xiang, who was besieged by Confucian forces led by Jiang Changhong.

• Zhang Daoran and Xunkong Shangren departed after bidding farewell to Xiao Hua, while Xue Ping and the others accepted that their connection with him had ended.
• A furious old man blamed Kong Hongwu for failing to collect the Nine Provinces Ding and vowed to punish whoever had killed him and taken it.
• Xiao Hua and Fu Zhiwen traveled toward Black Wind Ridge, where Xiao Hua discovered that the King of Tongzhu Kingdom had made the Five Dragon Imperial Seal a source of danger.
• Xiao Hua sent Fu Zhiwen ahead at his own pace and used Lightning Evasion to race toward Black Wind Ridge, sensing that his technique was nearing a breakthrough.
• Xiao Hua found Black Wind Ridge surrounded by Confucian forces, with Li Xiang and the wounded Black Bear, Golden Eagle, and White Lion holding the defense against Jiang Changhong and Changfeng Pavilion.

Jiang Changhong and Xie Han both attacked Black Wind Ridge, but Li Xiang used the Duotian Star Array to repel them and retreat with the demons. The Confucian cultivators resumed their siege, unaware that thunder and an icy divine sense were approaching from afar.

• Xie Han launched Youlong Sect’s attack while Jiang Changhong sent Changfeng Pavilion’s disciples against the demons, prompting the other factions to join the battle.
• Li Xiang’s magical treasure failed to stop Xie Han’s Coiled Dragon Spear, so Li Xiang raised a flag and used the Duotian Star Array to divide the battlefield.
• The array flung Xie Han’s spear back, killing a Confucian cultivator and injuring Xie Han, Jiang Changhong, and thousands of attackers as Li Xiang withdrew with the demons.
• Jiang Changhong and Xie Han argued over the failed ambush, while Wang Pi and other Confucian cultivators discussed how to break the formation and searched for the Five Dragon Imperial Seal.
• The Confucian cultivators resumed attacking Black Wind Ridge, and thunder sounded as an icy divine sense swept in from the horizon.

Xiao Hua returned to Black Wind Ridge and crushed the Confucian forces attacking it, then reunited with his disciples and allies. Li Xiang hinted that a larger plan would become clear the next day.

• Xiao Hua killed Xie Han and hundreds of Youlong Sect disciples with a devastating Divine Thought Hammer strike.
• Xiao Hua seized Jiang Changhong and destroyed his secondary body, then used lightning and green threads to knock down thousands of fleeing Confucian cultivators.
• The Black Bear Spirit welcomed Xiao Hua, and Xiao Hua praised the defenders before ordering the demons to deal with the remaining invaders.
• Xiao Hua greeted Li Xiang, Liu Yi, and Wang Zhengfei, then learned from Li Xiang that Shui Mingzi, Ao Zhantian, Lan Dianzi, Xiong Yi, and other Creation Sect members had also arrived.
• Li Xiang told Xiao Hua to return to his cave residence and wait until the next day to learn what he had arranged; Xiong Yi confirmed he had helped plan it.

Xiao Hua returned to Black Wind Ridge, welcomed his disciples and allies, and heard rumors that Kong Hongwu had been executed. After discussing the allies’ request for freedom to leave, he asked Xiong Yi to explain the mountain’s situation and reunited with Fu Zhiwen, whom the Black Bear Spirit had mistaken for an enemy.

• Xiao Hua was welcomed at Black Wind Ridge and promised to protect the gathered cultivators from Confucian cultivators.
• Shui Mingzi and Ao Zhantian told Xiao Hua about rumors that Kong Hongwu had been executed and asked not to be confined at Black Wind Ridge.
• Xiong Yi explained that he had kept Shui Mingzi and Ao Zhantian from joining the fight outside the grand formation to conceal Black Wind Ridge’s strength.
• Xiao Hua sent for Fu Zhiwen after learning the Black Bear Spirit had mistaken him for an enemy and started fighting him.
• Fu Zhiwen greeted Xiao Hua, met Liu Yi and Wang Zhengfei, and gave the Black Bear Spirit a spirit pill as an apology.

Xiao Hua returned to Black Wind Ridge, heard how Xiong Yi had managed the sect and its powerful allies, and decided to keep their forces from drawing the Immortal Palace’s attention. The next morning, Xiong Yi led Xiao Hua and Li Xiang toward Jiang Kingdom’s capital to witness a mysterious spectacle.

• Xiong Yi recounted how he had concealed the Creation Sect disciples and influential cultivators at Black Wind Ridge while helping Li Xiang maintain the appearance of defending the mountain.
• Xiao Hua learned that the National Teacher’s token required his blood essence to activate and agreed to send it to Princess Changling after Xiong Yi cryptically asked him to wait until the next day.
• Li Xiang and Xiong Yi advised Xiao Hua to keep the powerful cultivators from attracting the Immortal Palace’s attention, and Xiao Hua agreed to their plan.
• Xiao Hua gave the Black Bear Spirit spirit fruits and wine to host a banquet for the guests, then inspected Liu Yi and Wang Zhengfei’s rapid cultivation progress.
• At dawn, Xiong Yi brought Li Xiang to Xiao Hua and led them toward Jiang Kingdom’s capital, hinting that they would witness a fine show and warning Xiao Hua not to disturb those in the city.

Xiao Hua, Xiong Yi, and Li Xiang watched Xiao Jian and Yuan Ya meet at Qin Haoyue’s National Teacher’s Garden. Xiao Jian demanded that Yuan Ya leave Jiang Kingdom and Butterfly Dance, while Yuan Ya insisted he only wanted to protect Princess Changling and help her reclaim her kingdom.

• Xiao Hua rewarded Xiong Yi and Li Xiang with spirit fruits and wine, and Xiong Yi accepted Core Melting Pills after Li Xiang declined them.
• Xiong Yi revealed a mirror view of Qin Haoyue’s residence and explained he had arranged magical artifacts to let them hear what happened there.
• Xiao Hua saw Xiao Jian and was startled to discover Yuan Ya had come to meet him.
• Xiao Jian accused Yuan Ya of opposing his master and ordered him to leave Jiang Kingdom, threatening to kill him if he refused.
• Yuan Ya said Xiao Jian was forcing him to abandon Butterfly Dance, and maintained that he only wanted to protect Princess Changling and restore her kingdom.

Yuan Ya confronted Xiao Jian after learning that his former master planned to marry Princess Changling, whom Yuan Ya knew as Butterfly Dance. Xiao Jian attacked him while Yuan Ya refused to retaliate against his first two blows out of regard for their former bond, but their fight escalated as Yuan Ya resisted Xiao Jian’s power and Xiao Jian launched fire talismans at him.

• Xiao Jian accused Yuan Ya of scheming to use Princess Changling, then revealed his invitation to marry her and mocked Yuan Ya’s origins.
• Yuan Ya smashed the invitation, declared that he would kill Xiao Jian, and charged him on Green Leopard.
• Xiao Jian pierced Yuan Ya’s chest with a magical beam, but Yuan Ya refused to strike back because Xiao Jian had once saved him from the arena.
• Xiao Jian’s second beam wounded Yuan Ya’s arm, and Yuan Ya declared that they were strangers on separate roads before blocking Xiao Jian’s disk artifact with his demonic hammer.
• Xiao Jian unleashed Foundation Establishment pressure, but Yuan Ya broke through it with his strength and struck back, while the artifact slashed Green Leopard’s front legs.
• Xiao Jian sent two fire talismans toward Yuan Ya, saying he would make Yuan Ya die beneath Xiao Hua’s talismans.

Yuan Ya defeated Xiao Jian but collapsed from his wounds, and Qin Xiaoyao arrived to find the King of Jiang State dead. When Granny Ji’s forces moved to seize Qin Xiaoyao and the others under a disputed decree, Li Xiang appeared.

• Yuan Ya used the fire talisman’s blast and the Big Dipper Divine Fist to strike Xiao Jian, while both men were wounded by the other’s attack.
• Xiao Jian died from a sudden pain in his abdomen, and Yuan Ya collapsed after confronting Liu Bingzhen and his troops.
• Qin Xiaoyao arrived and discovered Xiao Jian’s corpse, then challenged a decree ordering Yuan Ya and Xiao Jian imprisoned.
• Granny Ji surrounded Qin Xiaoyao and the Creation Sect disciples with armed Daoist soldiers, while Qin Xiaoyao called for them to fight.
• Li Xiang flew in and challenged Granny Ji’s claim that he could not come to Jiang State.

Princess Changling rejected Li Xiang’s intervention and accused Xiao Hua of seeking to found his own kingdom, while Prince Haitian revealed his plan to seize Li Xiang and Black Wind Ridge. Xiao Hua returned in time to confront Haitian and comfort the heartbroken Yuanya.

• Li Xiang challenged Princess Changling over her actions, but she dismissed his authority and accused Xiao Hua of using Jiang Kingdom to establish Xiao Kingdom.
• Princess Changling demanded Li Xiang’s help in reclaiming the Qi Stone mine, and Prince Haitian emerged to threaten him and reveal Gaza Kingdom’s designs on Black Wind Ridge.
• Haitian summoned a Buddhist Protector and urged Li Xiang to submit, but Xiao Hua appeared and openly challenged him.
• Xiao Hua scolded Yuanya for despairing over Princess Changling and told him to take the pills Qin Xiaoyao had brought.

Xiao Hua exposed Haitian’s role in Princess Changling’s origins and confronted the Gaza Kingdom’s Buddhist forces. After Haitian and the monks attacked, Xiao Hua struck back with his Dharma Body Golden Body and targeted one of the old monks.

• Haitian revealed that four senior monks had come to help him capture Xiao Hua, while Xiao Hua questioned him about Princess Changling and the Gaza Kingdom’s schemes.
• Xiao Hua deduced that Changling was a substitute for the true Jiang Kingdom princess, that Granny Ji had stolen the real princess, and that Haitian had arranged Changling’s rise; Haitian confirmed the xun had been a gift to his consort.
• Yuanya threw away the xun and looked toward the woman he had raised, while Xiong Yi appeared and said he had not known about the scheme behind the events.
• Haitian ordered the monks to attack, and Xiao Hua directed Li Xiang and Xiong Yi to hold one monk back before charging Haitian with the As-You-Wish Staff.
• Xiao Hua’s staff sent Haitian flying, and Xiao Hua used the force to launch himself at another monk, manifesting his enormous Dharma Body Golden Body as the monk’s companion rushed to help.

Xiao Hua killed Haitian and the five Buddhist Protectors, then returned the National Teacher’s token to Princess Changling and prepared to leave the Jiang Kingdom. He welcomed Yuan Ya into his sect, leaving Yuan Ya startled by Xiao Hua’s revelation.

• Xiao Hua used his concealed abilities to defeat the three monks and kill Haitian, while green-robed Xiao Hua killed the remaining two Buddhist Protectors.
• Xiao Hua collected the five men’s Cosmic Bags and reflected on Xiao Jian’s death and Yuan Ya’s suffering.
• Xiao Hua stopped Princess Changling’s explanation, gave her the National Teacher’s token, and told her to restore the Jiang Kingdom herself.
• Xiao Hua ordered the Creation Sect disciples to return to Black Wind Ridge and praised Qin Xiaoyao for standing by Yuan Ya.
• Xiao Hua told Yuan Ya that he had entered the sect, then patted his head as Yuan Ya asked what he meant.

Xiao Hua returned to Black Wind Ridge after rescuing Yuan Ya and gathering more than ten thousand children, then secluded himself to help establish a sect within his space. He also inspected a strange three-headed, six-armed skeleton and showed Xuan Songzi a Yan Lingzhi, leaving Xuan Songzi astonished.

• Yuan Ya knelt and kowtowed to Xiao Hua, who accepted him and brought him and Qin Xiaoyao back toward Black Wind Ridge.
• Princess Changling collapsed in tears as she faced the loss of her power and the destruction of her plans.
• Xiong Yi led Xiao Hua to an estate holding more than ten thousand children, and Xiao Hua collected them into his space for green-robed Xiao Hua and Confucian cultivator Xiao Hua to organize.
• Xiao Hua returned to Black Wind Ridge and secluded himself, leaving Xiong Yi to oversee affairs while Creation Sect disciples reported what had happened in Jiang Kingdom.
• Jade Slip Xiao Hua inspected the assembled three-headed, six-armed skeleton and found a missing triangular piece of bone.
• Xiao Hua released Xuan Songzi's Nascent Soul and showed him a Yan Lingzhi, surprising him with how Xiao Hua had identified it.

Xiao Hua accepted Xuan Songzi and True Person Jingting into his sect, then heard Shui Mingzi’s invitation to visit the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons. After declining to commit, Xiao Hua learned from Ao Zhantian that the Demon King of Ancient Bell Mountain was descended from a Great Sage.

• Xuan Songzi recognized the Mother-Child Spirit Fruit as Human Essence and asked Xiao Hua to accept him as a disciple; Xiao Hua agreed.
• Xiao Hua brought out True Person Jingting, who also joined the sect, and passed on the scattered Nascent Soul cultivation method.
• Liu Yi reported that Yuan Ya had healed but remained troubled over Butterfly Dance, and that Shui Mingzi and Ao Zhantian had each sought Xiao Hua.
• Shui Mingzi invited Xiao Hua to seek refuge at Ancient Bell Mountain and attend a gathering in the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons more than fifty years later; Xiao Hua accepted his token but did not promise to go.
• Ao Zhantian told Xiao Hua that the Demon King of Ancient Bell Mountain was said to descend from a Great Sage, then asked whether Shui Mingzi had invited him too.

Xiao Hua agreed to accompany Ao Zhantian to the North Sea Dragon Palace’s selection for a chance to enter Dragon Island, though he postponed the journey for ten years. After the farewell banquet, Lan Dianzi and several dozen Golden Core cultivators chose to join the Creation Sect, and Li Xiang arrived to make the same request.

• Ao Zhantian explained the Dragon Island selection and asked Xiao Hua to join him as a guard, and Xiao Hua agreed to go but promised to arrive in ten years.
• Ao Zhantian warned Xiao Hua that the Confucian cultivators might notice the gathering, and Xiao Hua arranged a farewell banquet for the next morning.
• The cultivators departed Black Wind Ridge in batches, while several Golden Core cultivators decided to remain there and join the Creation Sect.
• Lan Dianzi and about twenty Golden Core cultivators asked Xiao Hua to accept them as disciples, and Xiao Hua warned them that joining could implicate them in the Yaotai Mountain upheaval.
• Li Xiang entered with several dozen disciples, knelt beside Lan Dianzi, and declared that he also wanted to join the Creation Sect.