Recaps

Xiao Hua stopped the ghost disaster, defeated the Underworld Judge, and helped the Zhu, Zeng, and Xun families uncover their ancestral shrine and reunite. He acquired the Xuzhou Ding as the Immortal and Buddhist powers began reacting to Other Shore, while You Zhongquan learned that Zhu Xiang had died and reconsidered Chang Yuan.

• Xiao Hua and Zhu Cheng investigated the nine ghost caves as the Ten Thousand Ghosts Night Parade began, then Xiao Hua protected the surrounding towns from the wandering souls and confronted the Underworld Judge.
• Xiao Hua and Soul Cultivator Xiao Hua joined forces with the Three Saints to restrain the Judge, and the Judge’s greed for Other Shore led him into Xiao Hua’s space, where the Origin of Metal entered Xiao Hua’s bones.
• Xiao Hua withdrew the county defenses, learned that more than three hundred thousand villagers had died, and urged Zhu Cheng to organize relief for the affected counties.
• Xiao Hua brought Zhu Cheng, Xun Qing, and Zeng Jing to their hidden ancestral shrine, where an impostor stole the Heavenly Book and statues before Xiao Hua defeated him with the scattered Nascent Souls’ tribulation lightning.
• Xiao Hua received three primordial Qi sparks from the statues, while the three families reunited, settled their famine-stricken communities, and agreed to become kin.
• Xiao Hua entrusted Zhu Xiang’s soul with the future duties of an Underworld Judge, then extracted the Xuzhou Ding and absorbed it into his middle dantian.
• The Immortal Emperor and Great Sun Tathagata learned that Other Shore had appeared on the Cangxian Continent and discussed the larger schemes surrounding it as tensions between Immortals and Buddhas grew.
• Xiao Hua released You Zhongquan and Chang Yuan onto his flying carriage, told You Zhongquan that Zhu Xiang had died, and heard Chang Yuan recount how You Zhongquan had saved her and the You family.

Xiao Hua became entangled in the Chu Family’s plan to break the Divine Demon Blood Swamp’s restriction, which triggered a battle between Confucian and Buddhist forces. After surviving the swamp’s transformation into the God Demon Chessboard, Xiao Hua entered it and found a vast realm filled with giant deity statues.

• Xiao Hua took You Zhongquan as his youngest disciple, gave him a Mandarin Duck Sword imbued with sword intent, and erased his past-life memories.
• Xiao Hua met the Chu Family near the Divine Demon Blood Swamp and joined Murong Congyun and Murong Junpeng in investigating the family’s plans for the God Demon Chess.
• After Chu Yang’s death shattered the swamp’s barrier, the Chu Family activated its sword diagrams and Buddhist array, revealing a plan to lure Buddhist forces into battle.
• Xiao Hua recognized the Vajra array as a soul artifact and fought Buddhist Protectors as they poured through its transmission passage.
• The Chu Family and allied Literary Sages fought the Buddhist Heavenly Kings, while Xiao Hua fell into the swamp and used its demonic qi and black flames to restore and strengthen his body.
• Chu Yun admitted the battle had been used as a blood sacrifice to break the swamp’s restriction, and the Chu Family and allied families agreed to pursue the God Demon Chessboard.
• The restriction erupted into a vortex that formed the God Demon Chessboard, and Xiao Hua survived as its silver light and black qi tempered his body.
• Xiao Hua used tokens from Gunnian and Qin Jian to open a doorway and entered the chessboard, where he saw a blood-red realm patterned with silver and black squares and enormous deity statues.

Xiao Hua escaped the collapsing Divine Demon Blood Swamp, gathered allies and treasures, and traveled toward the North Sea while pursuing the cauldrons and seeking Ao Zhantian. At Feather Spirit Bay, he entered the Yazi Auction Venue and began bidding for thirteen Nascent Souls against a rival he suspected was an Immortal Envoy.

• Xiao Hua survived the collapse of the Divine Demon Blood Swamp, where the Literary Saints collected the God Demon Puppets and the Son of Heaven Sword was carried away by a lightning hand.
• Xiao Hua sowed grain across his reclaimed territory, received candidacy proof from True Confucian Sun Ling, and traveled north with Fu Zhiwen.
• Xiao Hua and Fu Zhiwen visited Forging Emotion Mountain, where Chang Yuan and You Zhongquan formed a Little Deer Sword Intent and Xiao Hua retrieved the Gunzhou Cauldron.
• Xiao Hua defeated the eight Xuanhuang Order cultivators who ambushed him, then rejected True Lord Qingxu's proposal to join Ancestor Hongmeng.
• Xiao Hua and Fu Zhiwen reached Feather Spirit Bay, learned Ao Zhantian had left for the Dragon Island Selection, and decided to continue toward Xuzhou while seeking Xiao Hua's destination.
• Xiao Hua visited Yazi Auction Venue, where he challenged the trade in Sea Sariras and gave aid to Qiu and the Sea Clan General's injured former comrades.
• Xiao Hua bought demon materials at auction and saw the venue sell the remains of slain beasts, Sea Clan goods, and human medicines before thirteen Nascent Souls were offered.
• Xiao Hua bid against another human for the Nascent Souls and suspected his rival was an Immortal Envoy seeking them for the Sun Moon Star Three Formations at Yaotai Mountain.

Xiao Hua won the Reincarnation Drum and rescued Yuan Ya and Jiang Sheng from the Yazi Gladiator Arena before escaping the North Sea Dragon Palace. He reached the injured sea clans and began building ties with Ying Bo’s Luoyi Merchant Alliance, which ended with him proposing cooperation to its skeptical elders.

• Xiao Hua bought the Reincarnation Drum, and Soul Cultivator Xiao Hua revealed that it was a Lesser Brush engraved with the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
• Xiao Hua bought Confucian cultivation techniques and a chart of Chunche Forbidden Sea, then traded Soul Nurturing Pills to Xuan Kong for thirteen Nascent Soul spiritual bodies.
• Xiao Hua brought Yuan Ya to the Yazi Gladiator Arena, where Yuan Ya defeated a horned python and won his freedom from the gladiator slave mark.
• Xiao Hua stopped Yuan Ya and Jiang Sheng from being forced into a deadly fight, rescued them, and escaped the arena as the Second Crown Prince pursued him.
• The Serpent Demon revealed her past with Xu Lang, who died in terror after learning her true nature, while Xiao Hua fled the North Sea in his Heavenly Phoenix form.
• Xiao Hua removed the Demon Capturing Seal from Jiang Sheng and learned that Jiang Hong had also been captured, then took Jiang Sheng toward Liuting Residence.
• Jiang Sheng led Xiao Hua into the Bo Bao caves and provoked the demons, so Xiao Hua escaped without him and returned with Yuan to the injured Sea Clan elders.
• Xiao Hua funded Liu’s purchase of a pill formula and shell script at the Luoyi Merchant Alliance, then proposed cooperation to Ying Bo and the skeptical clan elders.