Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hua learned that his journey from Xiaoyu Continent had crossed three forbidden formations and that the temporary passage could not be found again. Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue revealed that they were Immortal Domain envoys and explained how a stellar tempest had brought them together while they pursued an Execution Stage and a demonized Confucian cultivator.

• Xiao Hua described Xiaoyu Continent and its soul cultivators, prompting Fairy Xingyue to warn him that mentioning the Twelve Great Gods could draw a Heavenly Venerate’s pursuit.
• Fairy Xingyue identified the passage Xiao Hua crossed as the Great Sumeru Buddha Array, the Five Elements Annihilation Great Formation, and the Time Song Demon Array, and told him he could not return to Xiaoyu Continent.
• Xiao Hua learned that Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue were human immortals from the Immortal Domain, serving as a Punishment Envoy and a Law Enforcement Envoy.
• Xu Zhi explained that his Punishment Immortal Artifact had sensed the lost Execution Stage during a stellar tempest, drawing him into the search.
• Fairy Xingyue recounted how a demonized Confucian cultivator began a blood sacrifice that triggered the stellar tempest, pursued her into it, and led her to encounter Xu Zhi.

Xiao Hua learned how Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue had fallen into the Three Great Continents and why they could not safely return to the Immortal Realm. Xu Zhi explained that ascension remained possible but would bring Xiao Hua into danger from Heavenly Court officials, and that the Kunlun Mirror could not protect them through the process.

• Xu Zhi recounted how he and Fairy Xingyue were driven into a stellar storm while fighting a demonized Confucian cultivator and fell into the Three Great Continents.
• Fairy Xingyue and Xu Zhi explained that they could not ascend again because their souls bore Immortal laws, and that their messages to the Punishment Palace and Law Enforcement Palace might never have arrived.
• Xu Zhi told Xiao Hua that the Three Great Continents’ Spirit Cleansing Pool still existed but was abandoned, and that ascenders there might encounter Heavenly Court officials instead of Immortal Realm officials.
• Xiao Hua offered to help the two Immortals return to the Immortal Realm, and Xu Zhi promised to find a safer Spirit Cleansing Pool for him if they succeeded.
• Fairy Xingyue recognized that Xiao Hua planned to use the Kunlun Mirror, but Xu Zhi explained that its inner realm would be erased and reconstructed during ascension, leaving anyone inside with no chance of survival.

Xiao Hua learned why Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue were searching Star Moon Palace for a way back to the Immortal Realm, and what dangers and obstacles lay inside it. Despite the uncertain path and deadly risks, he agreed to help them, leaving the three to pursue their final opportunity together.

• Xiao Hua asked whether Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue could enter his Kunlun Immortal Realm, but Fairy Xingyue explained that it could not have sheltered them during their tribulation.
• Xiao Hua proposed finding a passage to the Immortal Realm and asked why the two immortals had explored Star Moon Palace; Fairy Xingyue said Xu Zhi's divination had pointed them to it.
• Xu Zhi explained that Star Moon Palace appeared unpredictably, contained a region with immortal spiritual energy, and had resisted their attempts to open its mysterious starry skies.
• Fairy Xingyue and Xu Zhi described the palace's deadly thunder, unknown immortal beasts, and inexplicable attacks that could instantly destroy powerful cultivators.
• Xu Zhi revealed that his divination linked his opportunity to Xiao Hua and that this journey was their final chance; Xiao Hua confidently promised they would succeed.

Xiao Hua received Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue’s cultivation records and learned why the two immortals sought to return to the Immortal Realm. Xu Zhi then revealed that his homeland was Earth, in a Land of Dharma’s End called the Milky Way Galaxy.

• Xiao Hua asked whether banished immortals could keep their Ink Immortal Scrolls, then persuaded Xu Zhi to entrust him with Sumeru Rings containing cultivation techniques and other treasures.
• Fairy Xingyue gave Xiao Hua several dozen more Sumeru Rings, and she and Xu Zhi said they might teach him more if they met again in the Immortal Realm.
• Xu Zhi advised Xiao Hua to ascend through a proper lightning tribulation rather than sneak into the Immortal Realm, explaining that immortals’ bodies were eroded by the Three Great Continents’ Primordial Qi.
• Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue explained that their bodies would eventually collapse, while Xu Zhi refused to take another person’s body because he believed doing so would cost him his identity.
• Xu Zhi told Fairy Xingyue and Xiao Hua that his homeland was a Land of Dharma’s End: the Milky Way Galaxy, and that the planet where he had lived was called Earth.

Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue explained how Xiao Hua could help them explore the Star Moon Palace, and the three set off for the Chidi River. Meanwhile, Feng Wu became the Starry Sky Great Sage and revealed his ambition to become the Holy One of All Saints before the Great Sacred Hall’s celestial phenomenon ended.

• Xu Zhi told Fairy Xingyue about his cultivation journey and said Xiao Hua needed to find the Star Moon Palace’s exit and use lightning to break a restriction.
• Fairy Xingyue said roughly sixty thousand cultivators could enter the Star Moon Palace, and Xu Zhi allowed Xiao Hua to bring Creation Sect disciples if they found a place to use the Kunlun Mirror.
• Xu Zhi, Fairy Xingyue, and Xiao Hua left the waterfall and flew toward the Chidi River without revealing that they had first been stranded there.
• Feng Wu merged with the Great Sacred Hall’s stars, revealed the Star of Stars, and manifested his Holy One of All Saints demon body.
• The laws of the Three Great Continents descended upon Feng Wu, and the positions of the six Great Sages’ stars shifted as the Star of Stars appeared again.
• Feng Wu returned to his stellar demon body, dimmed the Great Sacred Hall’s starlight, and ended the phenomenon of Stars Overpowering the Sun.

Feng Wu was welcomed into the Great Sacred Hall as the Demon Race’s First Great Sage and proposed that its seven Saints become sworn brothers to strengthen the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons. The Saints heard his case, but his lack of roots in the realm raised concerns over how his new position would affect their territories and benefits.

• The Golden-Winged Great Peng introduced Feng Wu to the other Great Sages and explained how their Saint positions were ranked.
• The Saints declined to challenge Feng Wu, and the Golden-Winged Great Peng claimed the Second Great Sage position while the Five-Colored Sea God Conch accepted the last position for now and deferred a challenge for three thousand years.
• Feng Wu proposed a Sworn Brotherhood of the Seven Saints and argued that the demons needed greater unity to match the alliances of human factions.
• The Golden-Winged Great Peng described how the Buddhist sect followed the Great Sun Tathagata Buddha’s Edict, while Confucian groups were more divided.
• Feng Wu pointed out that the Saints’ spheres of influence covered the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons, and the other Great Sages grew concerned that his arrival would require them to surrender territory and benefits.

Feng Wu and the six other Great Sages swore brotherhood, after which Feng Wu withdrew into seclusion and left the Sacred Realm’s affairs to them. An urgent report then revealed that a human army had invaded the demon territory, and the Saints debated how to respond given Feng Wu’s connection to Xiao Hua.

• Feng Wu asked the Great Sages to swear brotherhood so he would not disrupt the Sacred Realm’s balance, and they agreed to cede him a Demon King’s realm apiece.
• The Great Sacred Hall proclaimed the seven Great Sage positions, and the Seven Saints bowed together as starlight spread across the Sacred Realm.
• Feng Wu announced that he would enter seclusion, leaving the other Saints to manage worldly affairs.
• An urgent report told the Saints that a human army had destroyed one demon realm, killed fourteen Demon Kings and great demons, and returned to the Cangxian Continent.
• The Saints considered sending an army against the humans, but the Golden-Winged Great Peng explained Feng Wu’s connection to Xiao Hua and urged them not to make matters difficult for the human army.

The Seven-Star Great Sage’s rise united the Great Sacred Hall and unleashed a powerful stellar phenomenon, prompting concern among humans and Buddhists about the demons’ growing strength. As Xiao Hua and Xu Zhi left the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons, the Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One ordered the Three Great Continents watched closely while Seeking Scriptures in the Pure Land neared its departure from the Pure Land World.

• The Golden-Winged Great Peng ordered the Black Armored Five-Horned Dragon not to obstruct the Creation Sect army, hoping it would cause trouble for the Confucian cultivators.
• Fairy Xingyue warned Xu Zhi that the Seven-Star Great Sage might be the Demon Alliance’s Holy One of All Saints, but Xu Zhi refused to interfere, and Xiao Hua said he would act only if the sage offended him.
• The Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One taught the ten thousand Buddhas that Buddhist light came from within, as the stellar phenomenon over the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons faded.
• Namo Great Practice Samantabhadra Bodhisattva argued that the ten thousand stars were connected to the Seventh Great Sage, while Dragon-Subduing Arhat suggested the demons had invoked a secret art.
• Many-Hearers Heavenly King reported that the Heaven-Defying Thunder Phoenix had become the First Great Sage and that the seven saints had sworn brotherhood.
• Namo Great Wisdom Manjushri Bodhisattva reported that Seeking Scriptures in the Pure Land had reached the Summit of the South Sea, and the Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One ordered the Three Great Continents monitored for changes.

The Buddhist leaders discussed Jie Chi, the Pure Land scripture quest, and growing disturbances in the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons, while the Immortal Emperor convened his officials over the Demon Race’s new Seven-Star Great Sage. Nangong Jingyin warned that Heaven-Defying Thunder fèng could surpass the ancient Sky-Flipping Great Sage.

• Rāgaratna Tathagata questioned Namo Great Practice Samantabhadra Bodhisattva about Jie Chi, and Samantabhadra said Jie Chi was a devout Buddhist who meant to protect Chun Zang.
• Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One told Rāgaratna Tathagata to arrange more tribulations for the scripture quest and warned that the Demon of Myriad Monsters might bring upheaval after it.
• Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One and Rāgaratna Tathagata discussed disturbances in the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons and their possible connection to two figures from Lan Yue Palace and another figure there.
• The Immortal Emperor Gouchen asked his ministers to respond to the stellar disturbance and Shun Feng Er’s report in Lingyun Hall.
• Nangong Jingyin explained that Heaven-Defying Thunder fèng had drawn on the Big Dipper and might be stronger than the ancient Sky-Flipping Great Sage.

Immortal Emperor Gouchen’s court investigated the Heaven-Defying Thunder Phoenix and growing threats in the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons, while ordering preparations for a possible war. The chapter ended with Great White Golden Star asking who should fill the vacant post of Sun Palace’s general.

• Nangong Jingyin asked Immortal Emperor Gouchen about the Heaven-Defying Thunder Phoenix’s origins, learned the emperor also knew nothing, and was dismissed after Great White Golden Star reminded him of his visit to Empress Dongmian.
• Heavenly King Qingyu asked Heaven’s Secret Hall to investigate the Phoenix’s origins, the Stars Eclipse the Sun, and the Five-Colored Sea God Conch’s fall in rank.
• Xie Xin reported hundreds of thousands of Daoist cultivators stirring Primordial Qi, powerful Heaven and Earth Laws appearing before the eclipse, and spatial fluctuations indicating that Star Moon Palace had appeared at Chidi River.
• Immortal Emperor Gouchen ordered Xie Xin to oversee Tongming Hall and intensify surveillance of the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons and Pure Land World, and asked him to investigate Zhen Jie’s origins and the Seeking Scriptures group.
• Immortal Emperor Gouchen told Great White Golden Star to check on the Seeking Scriptures group and directed Heavenly King Qingyu to prepare for war against the Demon Race.
• Great White Golden Star asked Immortal Emperor Gouchen to appoint a battle-hardened general to the vacant post of Sun Palace’s general, and the emperor invited him to recommend someone.

Great White Golden Star brought Sun Chou before Immortal Emperor Gouchen as a candidate for Sun Palace general, and Sun Chou proved his strength by defeating Heavenly King Fuyue in a brief clash. Gouchen considered appointing him and learned that Taiyin Hall had already sent troops against the Daoist Sect remnants in the Soaring Dragon Mountain Range.

• Great White Golden Star introduced Sun Chou as a loyal Martial Saint from a branch of the military school, and Immortal Emperor Gouchen summoned him to Lingyun Hall.
• Immortal Emperor Gouchen used his radiance to reveal Sun Chou’s life, and Heavenly King Qingyu judged him worthy of becoming Sun Palace general.
• Heavenly King Fuyue demanded to inspect Sun Chou’s Three-Pointed, Double-Edged Blade, but Sun Chou refused and countered Fuyue’s attack, cracking his protective pendant.
• Heavenly King Fuyue acknowledged Sun Chou’s superiority to Sun Jian, and Heavenly King Qingyu supported appointing him Sun Palace general.
• Heavenly King Fuyue suggested sending Sun Chou to fight the Daoist Sect remnants in the Soaring Dragon Mountain Range, and Gouchen questioned why he had not been informed that Taiyin Hall had dispatched troops.

Sun Jian revealed his worries to Immortal Emperor Gouchen about the Immortal Palace’s actions against Xiao Hua and the search for Sun Hao, then hinted that a powerful master had helped him reach the realm of Literary Saint. The emperor realized this expert might have achieved what True Confucianism sought to accomplish, but his investigation left him asking whether Princess Xinxin’s Heavenly Heart had fallen into the master’s hands.

• Immortal Emperor Gouchen appointed Sun Chou acting Great General of the Sun Palace, and Sun Jian later revealed his true identity in private.
• Sun Jian warned Immortal Emperor Gouchen to avoid intervening in the Soaring Dragon Mountain Range and said he could not explain everything about Xiao Hua.
• Sun Jian reported that his investigation into Sun Hao had found tangled clues, while Immortal Emperor Gouchen suspected a rival had understood his methods and escaped by self-destruction.
• Sun Jian told Immortal Emperor Gouchen that a master had guided him to the realm of Literary Saint and urged the emperor to recruit this expert.
• Sun Jian demonstrated his extraordinary five-colored True Qi, prompting Immortal Emperor Gouchen to recognize that the master might have accomplished what True Confucianism sought.
• Immortal Emperor Gouchen asked whether Princess Xinxin’s Heavenly Heart had fallen into the master’s hands, and Sun Jian said he did not know.

Sun Jian persuaded Immortal Emperor Gouchen to offer Wenqu the title of Immortal Master and the Lordship of Wenqu Palace, hoping to strengthen ties with Xiao Hua’s allies. Gouchen planned to announce the appointment before Wenqu agreed, then learned of a huge Daoist gathering in the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons and resolved to use Xiao Hua against Ancestor Hongmeng.

• Sun Jian told Immortal Emperor Gouchen that Wenqu had agreed to make the Method of Five Qi Towards the Origin available to Confucian cultivators and suggested inviting him to the Immortal Palace.
• Immortal Emperor Gouchen proposed making Wenqu the Lord of Wenqu Palace and granting him the title of Immortal Master, and Sun Jian realized the appointment could bind Wenqu to the Immortal Palace.
• Immortal Emperor Gouchen decided to announce Wenqu’s appointment before seeking his consent, explaining that it would bolster Confucian morale and distract the Four Great Families.
• After receiving reports of hundreds of thousands of high-ranking Daoist cultivators in the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons, Sun Jian attributed their presence to Xiao Hua rather than Ancestor Hongmeng.
• Sun Jian urged Immortal Emperor Gouchen to befriend Xiao Hua, but Gouchen said he intended to use Xiao Hua to restrain Ancestor Hongmeng.

Sun Jian was sent back to Pixiang Hall while Nangong Jingyin arrived there to visit Empress Dongmian on Immortal Emperor Gouchen’s command. After gaining entry and following a servant through the hall’s flower-filled entrance, Nangong Jingyin found himself transported inside.

• Immortal Emperor Gouchen ordered Sun Jian to return to Pixiang Hall and warned him to be careful not to expose his tracks.
• Nangong Jingyin reached Pixiang Hall and identified himself to a Yellow Turban Warrior, who checked his Nangong Family token before letting him pass.
• A palace servant escorted Nangong Jingyin toward Empress Dongmian, and he gave her Calming Pills while asking about the Empress’s health.
• General Cailuan allowed Nangong Jingyin through Pixiang Hall’s guarded gate after the servant introduced him.
• The servant led Nangong Jingyin into a flower bud that expanded, spun, and transported him into the hall.

Nangong Jingyin visited Empress Dongmian at Pixiang Hall and delivered a message from his mother, Sun Yaoxing, proposing a marriage alliance between the Nangong and Sun families to free the imprisoned Ninth Princess, Xinxin. Empress Dongmian considered the proposal amid the political rivalry among the Four Great Families and the crisis caused by Xinxin losing the Immortal Palace’s half of Heaven’s Heart.

• A woman guided Nangong Jingyin through the flowers to Empress Dongmian’s palace, where he paid his respects.
• Empress Dongmian asked about the disasters in Cangxian Continent, and Nangong Jingyin described his family’s relief efforts.
• Nangong Jingyin presented a jade pendant that carried an avatar of his mother, Sun Yaoxing, who said she wanted to help Empress Dongmian with the Ninth Princess’s plight.
• Sun Yaoxing proposed a marriage alliance between the Nangong and Sun families so Xinxin might be released to marry Nangong Jingyin.
• Empress Dongmian weighed the proposal against the Immortal Emperor’s conflict with the Four Great Families and recalled that Xinxin had lost the Immortal Palace’s half of Heaven’s Heart while saving Xiao Hua.

Empress Dongmian agreed to consider marrying Princess Xinxin to Nangong Jingyin to secure her rescue, but Qiongqiong revealed that Xinxin loved Xiao Hua. Recognizing Xiao Hua’s name and anticipating his arrival, Empress Dongmian summoned him; instead, Sun Jian entered Pixiang Hall, and she asked why he had come.

• Empress Dongmian accepted Nangong Jingyin’s marriage proposal in hopes of rescuing Princess Xinxin from the Cangxian Continent.
• Qiongqiong warned Empress Dongmian that Xinxin loved Xiao Hua and would be miserable if forced to marry into the Nangong Family.
• Empress Dongmian questioned Qiongqiong about Xiao Hua, then recognized his name and sent messages while waiting for him.
• Empress Dongmian told Qiongqiong that Sun Chou, newly appointed Great General of the Sun Palace, would arrive and ordered her to admit him.
• Sun Jian entered Pixiang Hall, introduced himself as Sun Chou, and Empress Dongmian asked what matter had brought him.

Sun Jian spoke with Empress Dongmian about Xiao Hua, prompting her to consider repaying him and recruiting him for the Immortal Palace. After demoting Qiongqiong for concealing the Ninth Princess’s misconduct, Empress Dongmian sent her to the troubled Soaring Dragon Mountain Range.

• Sun Jian visited Empress Dongmian, who asked him to monitor the Immortal Emperor’s visits to Huayao Palace and report any developments.
• Empress Dongmian questioned Sun Jian about Xiao Hua’s cultivation, character, and romantic attachments, and Sun Jian praised Xiao Hua and recounted their experiences together.
• Empress Dongmian ordered Qiongqiong demoted to the lower realm for concealing the Ninth Princess’s misconduct, and Qiongqiong accepted the punishment while urging Empress Dongmian to reconsider the Ninth Princess’s situation.
• After General Cailuan reported that all nine provinces were in turmoil, Empress Dongmian assigned Qiongqiong to the Soaring Dragon Mountain Range.

Xiao Hua received months of cultivation guidance from Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue as they traveled toward the Chidi River, and Xu Zhi praised his compassion and urged him to keep his original heart. Xu Zhi’s words stirred Xiao Hua’s buried memories of his father and family, leaving him tearfully longing for them.

• Empress Dongmian banished Qiongqiong to the Soaring Dragon Mountain Range despite General Cailuan’s plea, then wondered what surprises Xiaohua would bring her.
• Xiao Hua traveled toward the Chidi River with Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue, asking them questions about cultivation and learning from their answers.
• Fairy Xingyue and Xu Zhi discussed Xiao Hua’s prospects for ascending to the Immortal Realm, and Xu Zhi advised him to study the Wrath of Lightning.
• Xu Zhi explained that he taught Xiao Hua because of his compassion for ordinary people and urged him not to forget his original heart and pursuit of justice.
• Xu Zhi’s words awakened Xiao Hua’s memories of his father’s lessons about gratitude, compassion, and justice, and Xiao Hua wept as he thought of his family.

Xiao Hua comprehended the Sound of Lightning while Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue waited, then the three traveled toward Star Picking Tower near Chidi River. They arrived as dawn broke, but Star Moon Palace had not yet appeared.

• Xiao Hua's lightning insight deepened as he transformed into a heart-shaped mass of lightning, while Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue watched from afar.
• Xu Zhi decided not to interrupt Xiao Hua despite the approaching appearance of Star Moon Palace, and he and Fairy Xingyue set off without him.
• A pillar of lightning erupted as Xiao Hua comprehended the Sound of Lightning of Wrath of Lightning, startling Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue with its destructive force.
• Xiao Hua caught up with Xu Zhi and Fairy Xingyue, asked about Water Origin, and learned that the rare substance was nearly impossible to find.
• The three traveled toward Star Picking Tower, and Fairy Xingyue spotted it near the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons as dawn broke.

Fairy Xingyue, Xu Zhi, and Xiao Hua arrived among Xingyue’s Confucian cultivators, who celebrated Xiao Hua’s growing reputation for confronting the demons. As they headed to the Star Moon Palace, Xiao Hua learned that Fairy Xingyue had closed the Star Picking Towers in the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons to protect Xingyue before her and Xu Zhi’s final opportunity.

• Fairy Xingyue and Xu Zhi changed their appearances and introduced themselves to a group of Confucian cultivators as friends of theirs.
• The cultivators recognized Xiao Hua and praised his fight at Biqingyu and the Creation Sect’s march, while sharing rumors about his campaign against the demons.
• Fairy Xingyue reproached Xiao Hua for not telling her about the commotion, and he explained the story of Xiao Bai before Xu Zhi stopped him from discussing the Multicolored Sea God Conch.
• Xiao Hua traveled with the Star Picking Tower masters and learned that they had gathered at the Star Moon Palace after Fairy Xingyue closed the towers in the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons.
• Xiao Hua understood that Fairy Xingyue had closed the towers to protect Xingyue’s interests before she and Xu Zhi pursued their final opportunity.