Chapter Summaries

Snowy Realm True Person defended Xuntian City with the Snow Wave Ice Tide Great Formation while Chong Taixu and four other sword cultivators activated the Tianyi Green Light Great Formation. Their five Green Light Swords shattered Snowy Realm True Person’s Ice Pearl and pressed the city’s defenses toward collapse.

• Chong Taixu and Zhang Yanzong tested Xuntian City’s formation, but Snowy Realm True Person restored it and held off their attacks.
• Chong Taixu revealed that the Sword Domain’s Tianyi Green Light Great Formation was surrounding Xuntian City, then joined Ruotian, Cheng Minghua, Qi Liandie, and Zuo Ming to activate it.
• The five Green Light Swords drained the surrounding spiritual energy and battered the Snow Wave Ice Tide Great Formation, forcing Snowy Realm True Person to release his Nascent Soul and defend the city.
• The Green Light Swords broke Snowy Realm True Person’s Ice Pearl into six pieces and cleaved through the formation’s snow waves.
• Snowy Realm True Person tried to restore the formation, but the five swords formed a green web that forced the rising snow tide down over Xuntian City.

Chong Taixu and the sword cultivators destroyed Snowy Realm True Person and trapped True Person Miyou and True Person Kuangtian during the assault on Xuntian City. The story then shifted to the lush grasslands and mountains of northwestern Xi Country, far from Xiao Hua.

• Chong Taixu's Tai Wei Azure Light Sword broke through Snowy Realm True Person's defenses and destroyed his Nascent Soul.
• True Person Miyou tried to escape with his lightning treasure, but Ruotian shattered it and the azure sword formation trapped him.
• True Person Kuangtian realized the sword cultivators intended to capture him and blamed Xiao Hua for his predicament.
• The narrative moved to the Qing Bi grassland and wooded mountains in northwestern Xi Country.

After more than half a year of perilous travel, Xiao Hua and his companions reached Tongmu City, where they planned to take a teleportation array toward Luyang. As they approached the city, Xiao Hua noticed that its flower-filled outskirts were likely an illusion created by a powerful formation.

• Xiao Hua and his companions returned to Xi Kingdom after surviving dangerous terrain, beasts, and sword cultivators along the route through Huan Kingdom.
• During the journey, Xiao Hua advanced his soul cultivation, Fairy Hongxia received the Phoenix Inheritance, Li Zongbao nurtured the Immortal-Piercing Whip, and Xiao Mao strengthened his cultivation while piloting the flying boat.
• The four arrived near Tongmu City, and Xiao Hua and Fairy Hongxia admired its famous spring scenery and discussed its Youth-Preserving Pill.
• Xiao Hua said they would use Tongmu City's Teleportation Array to travel to Luyang and wondered whether Cai Zhuoxia might still be alive.
• Xiao Hua sensed dense wood-attributed spiritual energy around Tongmu City's vine walls and suspected that its flowers and birds were an illusion produced by the city's formation.

Xiao Hua and his companions approached Tongmu City to use its Teleportation Array and were stopped by patrol guards checking identities. When Xiao Mao’s token revealed that they were the famous Council Hall First Squad, the guards recognized them and welcomed them as celebrated war heroes.

• Xiao Mao sensed approaching Tongmu City patrol guards, who asked the four cultivators whether they intended to enter the city.
• Xiao Mao explained that they planned to use Tongmu City’s Teleportation Array and presented his identity token when Wang Cheng requested it.
• Wang Cheng noticed the Council Hall First Squad designation on Xiao Mao’s token, startling the patrol and prompting guards to send communication talismans.
• Wang Cheng and the other patrol disciples recognized Xiao Mao, Li Zongbao, Fairy Hongxia, and Xiao Hua from battle reports and praised their deeds.
• Captain Mu and additional guards arrived in response to the talismans, then stopped in astonishment when Wang Cheng announced the squad’s identity.
• The chapter explained that Tongmu City’s Council Hall drew crowds to hear and debate battle reports, making the Council Hall First Squad famous there.

The Council Hall First Squad arrived at Tongmu City and was welcomed for killing Qin Jian, but news of Xuntian City’s fall left them alarmed. They hurried toward the Teleportation Array as Captain Mu prepared to report the news to the City Lord.

• Tongmu City’s betting pool and public displays had made Li Zongbao, Xiao Mao, Xiao Hua, and Fairy Hongxia famous after they killed Qin Jian.
• Captain Mu Ziming and the Tongmu City disciples welcomed the squad, and Xiao Mao praised their own work defending the city.
• Xiao Hua questioned Mu Ziming about Xuntian City’s battle reports and learned that no new report had arrived for more than a month and a half.
• Fairy Hongxia concluded that Xuntian City had likely fallen, and Li Zongbao agreed that the long silence pointed to a disaster.
• Li Zongbao asked Wang Cheng to lead them to the Teleportation Array, while Mu Ziming sent a disciple to alert the City Lord.

Xiao Hua and his companions entered Tongmu City, where Wang Cheng explained the Council Hall’s records of their deeds. Xiao Hua grew wary that his identity and accomplishments had become widely known, and the group headed toward the Council Hall while waiting to see the city’s famed flowers bloom.

• Wang Cheng explained that Tongmu City’s Council Hall recorded the group’s deeds and described how its betting scheme had drawn attention and made money.
• Xiao Hua recognized that Tongmu City’s vine gate reminded him of Chen Yi’s Burial Flower Villa and worried that the Council Hall had exposed his hidden strength and history.
• Wang Cheng said the Council Hall had recorded Xiao Hua’s rise from Rogue Cultivator, his Feathered Immortal Convention exploits, and his actions in the Dao Sword Great Battle.
• Xiao Hua and his companions donned Mihuan and passed through Tongmu City’s gate without being stopped by the guards.
• Fairy Hongxia admired Tongmu City’s natural-looking buildings, and Wang Cheng promised that its Tongmu flowers would bloom at dusk.
• Li Zongbao agreed to visit the Council Hall, while Xiao Hua learned from Fairy Hongxia that the elusive Tongmu City Lord was called Qing Liuzi and rarely met cultivators below the Nascent Soul Realm.

Xiao Hua and his companions reached Tongmu City’s unusual Council Hall, a giant bird’s nest, while discussing its mysterious lord Qing Liuzi and the Daoist cultivation path. Xiao Hua chose to enter despite the risk of being recognized, deciding to establish his reputation before his past deeds became known.

• Li Zongbao told Xiao Hua that Qing Liuzi was a shrewd merchant and a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, prompting Xiao Hua to reflect on the Dao and the differences between Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian cultivation.
• Wang Cheng showed the group Tongmu City’s Council Hall, an enormous bird’s nest built among spiritual trees and used for deliberations and Youth-Preserving Pill bidding conventions.
• Wang Cheng explained that fewer cultivators now gathered to wager on the Dao Sword Great Battle because the conflict’s second stage had made its likely outcomes clearer.
• Li Zongbao asked Xiao Hua whether he wanted to avoid entering in case others recognized him, and Xiao Hua decided that his deeds would eventually be exposed and he should establish his reputation early.

Xiao Hua and his companions entered Tongmu City's Council Hall, where enormous illusions commemorated the Dao Sword Great Battle and displayed their deeds. As the scenes shifted to the battle with Qin Jian, a towering Phoenix Dharma Body descended, revealing an image of the Terrifying Phoenix.

• Xiao Hua persuaded the group to enter the Council Hall, and the city guards let them pass after recognizing Li Zongbao's special task squad token.
• The guards discussed how Xiao Hua and the others had earned treatment usually reserved for Nascent Soul elders by killing Illusion Sword Rank Three and claiming the Number One bounty.
• Xiao Hua and his companions saw huge illusions depicting Fairy Hongxia, Xiao Hua, Li Zongbao, Xiao Mao, and other cultivators fighting sword cultivators.
• The Council Hall displayed a dramatized account of Qin Jian's death, and Xiao Hua privately noted that the scene made the battle look far easier than it had been.
• Further illusions showed the group breaking the Four Directions Sword Array and other battle scenes before an enormous Phoenix Dharma Body descended as the image of the Terrifying Phoenix.

Xiao Hua watched Tongmu City reveal the Terrifying Phoenix and Nameless as mysteries of the Dao Sword Great Battle before opening wagers on its greatest mystery. The announcement that Xuntian City had fallen and the Daoist Sect had been defeated shocked the crowd, though many cultivators refused to believe it and wagered on a Daoist victory.

• Wang Cheng showed Xiao Hua Tongmu City's displays naming the Terrifying Phoenix and Nameless as the third- and second-ranked mysteries of the battle.
• Xiao Hua asked about the number one mystery, and Wang Cheng pointed out a distant gate tower marked with the character One.
• Steward Chen opened Tongmu City's final betting table and announced that the city had received no recent battle reports from Xuntian City.
• Steward Chen displayed the claim that Xuntian City had fallen and the Daoist Sect had been defeated, prompting uproar among the cultivators.
• A young Qi Cultivation cultivator wagered that Xuntian City had not fallen and the Daoist Sect would win, while a plump Golden Core cultivator also argued that the city remained secure.

Xiao Hua, Li Zongbao, Xiao Mao, and Fairy Hongxia revealed themselves as the Dao Sword Great Battle’s greatest contributors at Tongmu City’s Council Hall. Li Zongbao explained how they killed Qin Jian while crediting the seniors and disciples who made their victory possible.

• Cultivators debated the mystery of the Sword Mound’s disappearance and placed bets on whether Xuntian City would fall.
• Steward Chen announced that the four heroes of the first stage had come to Tongmu City, and the crowd recognized Xiao Hua, Li Zongbao, Xiao Mao, and Fairy Hongxia.
• Li Zongbao, Xiao Mao, Fairy Hongxia, and Xiao Hua removed their Mihuan and flew onto the platform to greet Chen Yuming.
• A cultivator asked Li Zongbao how he had killed Qin Jian, and Chen Yuming invited him to describe the battle.
• Li Zongbao confirmed that he and the two Xiao brothers had killed Qin Jian, then credited the wounded Qin Jian, fallen senior cultivators, and other disciples for enabling their success.

At the Council Hall, Li Zongbao recounted the battle at Flowing Ice Valley, while Xiao Hua used the gathering to encourage cultivators and faced questions about his background and the mysteries surrounding the Terrifying Phoenix and Senior Unnamed. Xiao Hua placed a token wager on Senior Unnamed’s identity but left the Terrifying Phoenix mystery unresolved.

• Li Zongbao described the Flowing Ice Valley battle, shifting attention to Xiao Mao and Fairy Hongxia as the cultivators listened and questioned them.
• Xiao Mao denied being blood-related to Xiao Hua and said cultivators fighting together were brothers regardless of their origins.
• Xiao Hua encouraged a young cultivator by saying that heroes’ origins did not matter and that people could make their own miracles.
• Huo Song asked Xiao Hua who the Terrifying Phoenix and Senior Unnamed were, so Xiao Hua went to inspect the mystery archway and placed one low-grade spirit stone on Senior Unnamed.
• Li Zongbao, Xiao Mao, and Fairy Hongxia each added a low-grade spirit stone to support Xiao Hua’s wager.
• Xiao Hua told Huo Song that he lacked both a true-blood lineage and a Phoenix Dharma Body, leaving the crowd doubtful that he was the Terrifying Phoenix.

Chen Yuming tested Xiao Hua for a Phoenix Dharma Body, but the treasure found none, and Huang Mengxiang then tested positive and publicly offered Xiao an embroidered handkerchief. As Chen prepared to take Xiao Hua and the other three disciples to Jingtai Pavilion, a Golden Core cultivator stopped him, saying several cultivators wanted to question Li Zongbao.

• Chen Yuming used Analysis to test Xiao Hua, but it showed that he had no Dharma Body, prompting the crowd to doubt the result.
• Huang Mengxiang volunteered for the test, and Analysis revealed her Phoenix Dharma Body.
• Huang Mengxiang praised Xiao Hua and offered him an embroidered handkerchief before the gathered cultivators; Xiao accepted it after Fairy Hongxia urged him to do so.
• Chen Yuming announced that he would take Xiao Hua, Li Zongbao, and the other two disciples to Jingtai Pavilion by the City Lord's order.
• A Golden Core cultivator stopped Chen Yuming and said that he and others wanted to ask Li Zongbao a question.

Li Zongbao deflected questions about Xuntian City's fall and led Xiao Hua's group away from the Council Hall. As Chun Kui hurried to warn Xiao Hua of Chen Yi's likely hostility, Fairy Hongxia struggled with the discovery that the man she loved had a past with Xue Xue.

• Li Zongbao denied that he and his junior brothers had witnessed Xuntian City's fall and refused to disclose where they had traveled, so Chen Yuming escorted them away.
• Xiao Hua explained his history with Xue Xue at Tianmen Mountain to Fairy Hongxia, while Huang Mengxiang watched their departure with eager interest.
• Chun Kui recognized Xiao Hua and feared Chen Yi would retaliate against him for taking and secretly cultivating the Youth-Preserving Grass.
• Chun Kui left the Council Hall to warn Xiao Hua, while an observing female cultivator suspected Chen Yi had placed her there to watch him.
• Huang Mengxiang identified Xiao Hua as the Thunder Control Sect cultivator and the Terrifying Phoenix, then sent answers to two mysteries through jade slips.
• Fairy Hongxia reflected on her proud expectations for a partner and her unwillingness to share Xiao Hua with another woman.

Fairy Hongxia grew despondent over Xiao Hua’s growing fame and the other women around him, while Xiao Hua failed to notice that she was considering letting him go. In Tongmu City, Clear Flow Zi told Chen Yi that Xuntian City had likely fallen and explained how its capture could turn the war in the sword cultivators’ favor.

• Fairy Hongxia reflected on her relationship with Xiao Hua and felt overwhelmed by the powerful female cultivators drawn to him, including Huang Mengxiang.
• Fairy Hongxia sighed and told Xiao Hua she had gained a new insight, concealing her growing resolve to relinquish their relationship.
• In Tongmu City, Chen Yi asked Clear Flow Zi whether Xuntian City had fallen, and he said the city could be breached despite its defenses.
• Clear Flow Zi connected Xiao Hua and Li Zongbao’s earlier warning to the month-long silence from Xuntian City and concluded that sword cultivators had attacked it.
• Clear Flow Zi explained that holding Xuntian City would give the sword cultivators leverage over the Dao Sect’s forces, especially the cultivators from the Thunder Control Sect and Mosang Mountain.

Chen Yi agreed to act against those who had deceived Tongmu City, while Qing Liuzi left to greet an important visitor. Chen Yuming brought Li Zongbao, Xiao Hua, Xiao Mao, and Fairy Hongxia into Tongmu City, where they witnessed the Tongmu flowers bloom before arriving at Jingtai Pavilion.

• Qing Liuzi told Chen Yi that Chen Yuming had taken Li Zongbao and the others to Jingtai Pavilion, then departed after receiving an important communication talisman.
• Chen Yi read Qing Liuzi’s jade slip, steeled herself, and left the hall.
• Chen Yuming led Li Zongbao, Xiao Hua, Xiao Mao, and Fairy Hongxia through Tongmu City and explained that its mountain ridge concealed the true City Lord’s Mansion.
• Dark-red rings descended over Tongmu City, triggering its formation and causing Tongmu flowers to bloom across the mountainside.
• Chen Yuming brought the group to Jingtai Pavilion, where maidservants came out to welcome them.

Chen Yuming brought Li Zongbao, Xiao Hua, Xiao Mao, and Fairy Hongxia into Jingtai Pavilion, where Tongmu City tested their cultivation and entertained them with extravagant displays. As maidservants approached Xiao Hua, Chen Yuming asked where his Phoenix Dharma Body had gone.

• Chen Yuming led the four heroes into Jingtai Pavilion and showed off its rare Qilin Prayer Incense, prompting Li Zongbao to recognize its value and Xiao Hua to try to absorb it.
• Chen Yuming summoned a giant Tongmu flower with petal-shaped seats, and the vines forced the four to resist a powerful repulsive force as a test of their cultivation.
• Xiao Hua objected to the test after seeing Fairy Hongxia weakened by it, while Chen Yuming said it was a rule established by the City Lord.
• Chen Yuming ordered the maidservants to transform their robes into wings and fly toward the group, then asked Xiao Hua where his Phoenix Dharma Body had gone.

Xiao Hua nearly revealed the truth about his lost Dharma Body while Tongmu City’s banquet and strange incense made him suspect that Chen Yuming was testing the guests. Chen Yuming rewarded the four cultivators with City Lord’s tokens, but repeated silent communication talismans interrupted the feast, leaving their purpose unclear.

• Xiao Hua blurted out that his Dharma Body had been cast into the void, then regained his senses with the Spirit Guiding Technique and tried to explain away the revelation.
• Fairy Hongxia glared at Xiao Hua, who realized that the incense and spiritual-power test might have affected him and made him wary of Tongmu City.
• Li Zongbao asked Chen Yuming to dismiss the maidservants, and Chen Yuming sent them away before offering the four cultivators Tongmu City’s City Lord’s tokens.
• Chen Yuming toasted the four and praised their achievements in the Dao Sword Great Battle, including their killing of Qin Jian.
• A silent communication talisman arrived and Chen Yuming destroyed it despite Xiao Mao’s warning; a second silent talisman then appeared, angering Chen Yuming.

Chen Yuming tried to make Li Zongbao and the others drink Shi Changchun, but Xiao Hua sensed something was wrong just as a warning from Chun Kui reached them. Qing Liuzi intervened and revealed that the wine could harm Foundation Establishment cultivators, leaving Chen Yuming to face the consequences of his reckless hospitality.

• After receiving an urgent message, Chen Yuming left the hall, and Li Zongbao suspected the news concerned Xuntian City's fall.
• Chen Yuming returned and urged the four visitors to drink Shi Changchun before escorting them to the Teleportation Array.
• A message from Chun Kui asked Chen Yuming to find Qiu Zan, and Xiao Hua recognized the voice and began to suspect a trap.
• As Li Zongbao and the others raised their cups, Qing Liuzi appeared and used his magic to stop them from drinking.
• Qing Liuzi explained that Shi Changchun's Spirit Devouring Insects could corrode the true essence of Foundation Establishment cultivators and ordered Chen Yuming to apologize.

Qing Liuzi intervened to stop Chen Yuming from harming Li Zongbao and the others, then personally received the four young cultivators. As Qing Liuzi spoke of the three chances in a cultivator’s life, Chen Yi and Chen Yuming were left to wonder why the City Lord had changed his attitude toward their guests.

• Qing Liuzi arrived in time to stop Chen Yuming from putting Li Zongbao, Cai, and the two Xiao disciples through hardship, and Chen Yuming apologized before leaving.
• Chen Yuming met Chen Yi, who said Qing Liuzi had ordered her not to harbor ulterior intentions toward the four young cultivators.
• Chen Yi proposed finding out which honored guest had visited Tongmu City, but Chen Yuming warned her not to pry into the City Lord’s affairs.
• An elegant mid Foundation Establishment cultivator entered and defended Chen Yi’s service to Qing Liuzi and the Dao Sect.
• Qing Liuzi welcomed Li Zongbao and the others, praised their conduct and reputation, and described the three opportunities that could shape a cultivator’s life.

Qing Liuzi revealed that he was recruiting the four young cultivators into the Immortal Alliance, an offer that especially appealed to Xiao Mao. Xiao Hua recognized a possible connection between the Alliance and his enemies, and Qing Liuzi urged him not to dismiss the opportunity.

• Qing Liuzi praised Li Zongbao, Xiao Mao, Fairy Hongxia, and Xiao Hua for their battle achievements and asked them to swear a blood oath before hearing his confidential proposal.
• Qing Liuzi revealed that he belonged to the Immortal Alliance and invited the four to join, explaining that gifted Foundation Establishment cultivators could be admitted as exceptions.
• Li Zongbao questioned the offer’s conditions, and Qing Liuzi said recruits had to pledge loyalty and might fight in the thousand-year Demon Subduing Valley war.
• Xiao Mao considered joining because the Alliance could give him support against his enemies, while Xiao Hua worried that the offer came with hidden costs.
• Xiao Hua remembered that Hu Guanqiu’s token bore the character associated with Deputy Alliance Leader Luo and realized the Alliance could be connected to his enemies.
• Qing Liuzi told Xiao Hua that joining could benefit him especially, since he was poorly received at Myriad Thunder Valley.