Chapter Summaries

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva restored his golden body in the Pure Land World and vowed to find Maitreya, while the Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One learned that Ananda had returned. Rāgaratna Tathagata prompted the World Honored One to arrange a Mahayana scripture-retrieval mission, then hinted at an ancient connection to the Great Tang Empire and a Stone Monkey.

• Samantabhadra Bodhisattva entered the Lotus Cleansing Pool, regained his golden body and eighth-rank Lotus Platform, and took his place at the Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One's right hand.
• Arhat Subduing the Tiger and Ancient Buddha Dipankara praised the World Honored One, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva vowed to find Maitreya and invite him to Thunder Sound Temple.
• The Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One sensed that Ananda had returned in his ninth life, but said he could not determine Ananda's location.
• Rāgaratna Tathagata urged the World Honored One to spread his completed Mahayana Tripitaka Sutras, and the World Honored One ordered Manjushri Bodhisattva to find a worthy scripture retriever for Cangxian Continent.
• Rāgaratna Tathagata privately pointed Manjushri Bodhisattva toward Ananda and then recalled that he and the World Honored One had once been born in the Great Tang Empire, where a Stone Monkey lived.

Xiao Hua explored the collapsing spatial veins, reunited the three Heavenly Hearts, and discovered that his Nascent Soul could read the Wordless Heavenly Book’s cultivation method. The passage collapsed around him as he fled, while the story shifted to a gathering of birds and beasts at Black Wind Ridge, led by a Golden Eagle and a White Lion.

• Xiao Hua flew through the spatial veins with his improved Lightning Evasion Technique and used his sense of direction to avoid collapsed passages.
• Xiao Hua revealed the third Heavenly Heart, joined all three Heavenly Hearts, and fused their turtle shells into a three-colored Heavenly Book.
• Xiao Hua’s Nascent Soul read the book and recognized the true cultivation method for Five Qi Ascending to the Origin.
• The Void Passage began collapsing, so Xiao Hua recalled his Nascent Soul and hurried onward, while green-robed Xiao Hua continued examining the book.
• At Black Wind Ridge, thousands of birds and beasts assembled in disciplined ranks beneath a Golden Eagle and a White Lion.

The Black Bear Spirit stalled Great King Golden Eagle and White Lion as they demanded the human cultivator who had protected Black Wind Ridge with a powerful formation. After he vanished into the formation, the two kings admitted they were acting under orders from powerful figures hidden in Black Cloud Ridge and feared what would happen if they disobeyed.

• The Black Bear Spirit pleaded with Great King Golden Eagle and White Lion to explain why they had besieged Black Wind Ridge for nearly a hundred days.
• White Lion demanded to know who had set up the Daoist formation, and Great King Golden Eagle insisted that the Black Bear Spirit bring out the cultivator.
• The Black Bear Spirit claimed the cultivator had left, then warned the two kings against risking their lives for someone else's promises.
• Great King Golden Eagle demanded that Black Wind Ridge surrender everyone who was not a demon, especially the cultivator, but the Black Bear Spirit refused and disappeared into the formation.
• Great King Golden Eagle and Great King Ten Thousand Lions concluded that the formation was their only obstacle to their goal and worried about the hidden figures who had made them their facade.
• Great King Golden Eagle and Great King Ten Thousand Lions decided to keep obeying those figures and focus on staying alive.

Great King Ten Thousand Lions and Great King Golden Eagle maintained their siege of Black Wind Ridge while the starving defenders struggled to hold back their demons. Qin Qingyu recounted how he joined the defense and realized the enemy’s prolonged blockade was meant to draw out Xiao Hua, who had not returned.

• Great King Ten Thousand Lions ordered the Black Wind Ridge demons killed if they charged out, while Great King Golden Eagle questioned the need to attack.
• The Black Bear Spirit stopped his hungry demons from approaching the Jiang Kingdom soldiers and warned them against eating human flesh.
• The Black Bear Spirit entered the cave and urged Qin Qingyu and the others to decide when they would break out before his demons lost control.
• Qin Qingyu explained that he had brought Daoist soldiers to Black Wind Ridge after hearing Xiao Hua would help restore Jiang Kingdom, only to be trapped in the siege.
• Qin Qingyu recalled that Xiao Hua’s formation had withstood repeated attacks, but the hundred-day blockade left the defenders short of food and water.
• Qin Qingyu concluded that Mo Yun Ridge and Lion Mountain were using the siege to force Xiao Hua to appear, while he had become their mistaken target.

Qin Qingyu and the others debated how to survive the encirclement of Black Wind Ridge, and agreed that he should break out to obtain provisions. The plan was interrupted when a soldier reported that more than a dozen demons had charged up the mountain.

• Liu Yi and the Black Bear Spirit separately left the cave abode after exchanging a meaningful look.
• Qin Qingyu argued that the group needed to escape, while Xiao Jian said they should stay protected by Senior Xiao’s formation and wait for his return.
• Qin Qingyu explained that Black Wind Ridge’s demons and soldiers were running short of food and water, forcing them to seek provisions.
• Princess Changling urged Qin Qingyu to risk leaving for supplies, saying her safety mattered less than saving the hundreds gathered there.
• Qin Qingyu agreed to break through the encirclement for provisions, and Xiao Jian planned to have the Black Bear Spirit lead a coordinated assault.
• A black-armored soldier rushed in and warned Princess Changling that more than a dozen demons had charged up the mountain.

With Black Wind Ridge’s demons starving and the enemy closing in, Xiao Jian and the others launched a coordinated attack to help Qin Qingyu escape the encirclement. The battle began with Black Wind Ridge’s bear demons terrifying Lion Mountain’s forces by devouring their opponents, giving the defenders the advantage.

• Qian Li learned that Great King Black Wind and Liu Yi had gone up the mountain, while Xiao Jian ordered Yuan Ya to hold back the demons and arranged a breakout attack.
• Qin Qingyu and the others divided their forces, and the Black Bear Spirit persuaded his starving bear demons to attack Mo Yun Ridge and Lion Mountain instead of eating the Jiang Kingdom soldiers and their horses.
• Xiao Jian revealed the enemy forces surrounding Black Wind Ridge and gave the order to attack as Jiang Kingdom soldiers and Daoist soldiers charged in separate directions.
• Black Wind Ridge’s bear demons attacked Lion Mountain’s demons with frenzied bites and ate their flesh, frightening their opponents and gradually driving them down the mountain.

Qin Qingyu tried to escape Black Wind Ridge with Princess Changling, but Jiang Yuming intercepted him and revealed that other Confucian grandmasters had come to capture Xiao Hua. When Qin Qingyu threatened to kill the Princess to secure his escape, Jiang Yuming said her death would not disrupt their plan to lure Xiao Hua.

• The Golden Eagle struck the Duotian Star Array’s restriction and crashed into the hillside, while White Lion pursued Qin Qingyu as he carried Princess Changling away.
• Granny Ji, Yuan Ya, and the female generals blocked White Lion while Qin Xiaoyao and the Daoist soldiers fought through the birds of prey to help Qin Qingyu escape.
• Jiang Yuming attacked Qin Qingyu with Vast Righteous Qi and warned that other Confucian grandmasters had come to Black Wind Ridge.
• Qin Qingyu realized that Princess Changling was being used as bait for Xiao Hua and as a target tied to the Jiang Kingdom’s secrets.
• Qin Qingyu threatened to kill Princess Changling unless Jiang Yuming let him leave, but Jiang Yuming said her death would not stop Xiao Hua from returning to Black Wind Ridge.

Qin Jian used a powerful Fireball Talisman to save Princess Changling, but Jiang Yuming ended the flames and blocked Qin Qingyu’s escape. When Qin Qingyu turned on Black Wind Ridge and ordered an attack, he struck first at Qin Xiaoyao.

• Qin Qingyu seized Princess Changling by the throat, but a sudden fireball exploded and blew off his right arm.
• Xiao Jian appeared in the flames and shielded Princess Changling with his body, then fell unconscious as she caught him.
• Jiang Yuming extinguished the flames with Vast Righteous Qi, forced Qin Qingyu back, and stopped the Golden Eagle from attacking him.
• Qin Qingyu swallowed medicinal pills and ordered his disciples and Daoist soldiers to kill the people of Black Wind Ridge.
• Qin Xiaoyao tried to stop Qin Qingyu, who attacked him with the Art of Golden Spears and Iron Maces, prompting Qin Xiaoyao to spit out a fire pearl.

Xiao Hua returned to Black Wind Ridge, rescued Qin Xiaoyao and the defenders, and routed the attacking demons with thunder and fire. After learning how Qin Qingyu had endangered Jiang Kingdom and hearing about the Confucian formation outside, Xiao Hua declared that he would stay to protect everyone and wait for the formation to be completed.

• Qin Qingyu’s spears pierced Qin Xiaoyao’s fire barrier, but Xiao Hua’s lightning shattered the attack and his voice rallied Black Wind Ridge’s defenders.
• Xiao Hua’s thunder struck down Mo Yun Ridge’s fierce birds, and his flames drove the Lion Mountain beasts into retreat.
• Xiao Hua intercepted Great King Golden Eagle and White Lion, forcing them and the other demons to surrender.
• Xiao Hua returned to Black Wind Ridge, greeted Black Bear Spirit and the Jiang Kingdom defenders, and asked about the injured Xiao Jian.
• Xiao Hua gave Yuan Ya a pill for Xiao Jian and learned that Liu Yi had arranged Xiao Jian’s apparent foresight and stolen talismans.
• Qin Xiaoyao warned Xiao Hua about the Confucian formation outside Black Wind Ridge, but Xiao Hua insisted that he would protect everyone and wait for it to be completed.

Xiao Hua judged the survivors after the battle at Black Wind Ridge, executing Qin Qingyu and sparing the other Daoist disciples. He agreed to spare Golden Eagle and White Lion so they could help the Black Bear Spirit control their forces, then began binding the three demon kings to his command.

• Liu Yi reported to Xiao Hua and received pills after Xiao Hua praised his role in the crisis.
• Qin Xiaoyao pleaded for Qin Qingyu's life, but Xiao Hua rejected the plea and crushed Qin Qingyu to death when he tried to flee.
• Xiao Hua let Qin Xiaoyao decide the fate of the other Daoist disciples, who were spared.
• Golden Eagle and White Lion begged for mercy, and the Black Bear Spirit proposed using them to govern their subordinates under his authority.
• Xiao Hua drew shadows from Golden Eagle and White Lion, melted two jade fragments, and began making a binding arrangement for the demon kings.

Xiao Hua entrusted the Golden Roc and White Lion to the Black Bear Spirit, praised Xiao Jian for protecting Princess Changling, and learned that Liu Yi could sense other people’s thoughts. He uncovered a Confucian cultivator formation aimed at Black Cloud Ridge and neighboring demons, then ordered the demons into it as he prepared to confront the attack.

• Xiao Hua gave the Black Bear Spirit jade tablets that could control the Golden Roc and White Lion, and the three demon kings agreed to lead Black Cloud Ridge together.
• Xiao Hua praised Xiao Jian for saving Princess Changling and heard that the Second National Teacher, True Person Li Xiangli, might have been captured by Tongzhu Kingdom.
• Liu Yi told Xiao Hua that he could sense others’ thoughts and had used that gift to expose Qin Qingyu’s threat and arrange Xiao Jian’s intervention.
• Xiao Hua promised to keep Liu Yi’s gift secret and teach him Telepathy, then identified a Confucian formation meant to wipe out Black Cloud Ridge and nearby demons.
• Xiao Hua ordered Liu Yi to summon the demons into the formation and brought him to meet a junior brother.

Jiang Yuming and the Tongzhu Kingdom Confucians prepared the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram to trap Xiao Hua, while Du Shanjun questioned why Xiao Hua had entered the formation and Bei Guo Zhenming explained the political stakes behind the battle. The formation began gathering Vast Righteous Qi as the Confucians awaited Xiao Hua.

• Jiang Yuming warned his Jiang family elders that Xiao Hua was dangerous and urged them to rely on the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram rather than confront him alone.
• Jiang Yuming revealed that the king of Tongzhu Kingdom had obtained the Immortal Palace formation and promised his family five chances to study it if they helped destroy the Daoist remnants.
• The Jiang family elders dismissed Jiang Yuming’s concerns and channeled Vast Righteous Qi into the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram.
• Du Shanjun asked Bei Guo Zhenming why Xiao Hua had entered the formation, and Bei Guo Zhenming said Xiao Hua might have grown strong enough to disregard them.
• Bei Guo Zhenming explained that the king sought control of Black Cloud Ridge and its Qi Stone mine, while Du Shanjun declined his offer to recommend him for a court position.

Xiao Hua left Black Cloud Ridge to confront Leng Qingge, the National Teacher of Tongzhu Kingdom, whose Golden Spears and Iron Horses formation suppressed lightning and sent a charge of warhorses and pillars of Qi against him. The assault swept toward Black Cloud Ridge as the battle began.

• Xiao Hua instructed Liu Yi and Wang Zhengfei to guard the cave, told Liu Yi to teach Wang Zhengfei their language, and ordered the demons to remain within the expanded formation.
• Xiao Hua flew out as the Black Bear Spirit, Golden Eagle, White Lion, and the other demons knelt and wished him victory.
• Leng Qingge’s Golden Spears and Iron Horses formation filled the sky with blood-red warhorses and long spears formed from Vast Righteous Qi.
• Xiao Hua challenged the hidden Confucian cultivator, then revealed his name and faced Leng Qingge, who identified himself as Tongzhu Kingdom’s National Teacher.
• Leng Qingge retreated instead of meeting Xiao Hua directly, and the formation extinguished Xiao Hua’s lightning when he tried to use Imperial Thunder Shock.
• Leng Qingge recited a command that sent ten thousand giant warhorses and countless Qi pillars charging at Xiao Hua and blasting Black Cloud Ridge.

Xiao Hua endured Leng Qingge’s Golden Spears, Iron Horses, and hidden anti-Daoist weapons, then used the Sea-Overturning Seal and his overwhelming strength to gain the upper hand. As Xiao Hua trapped Leng Qingge’s Golden Spears, an azure cloud brocade appeared and sent Wind Volcano Forest manifestations to block him.

• Xiao Hua smashed Leng Qingge’s Righteous Qi Pillars and iron warhorses while fighting his way through the formation.
• Leng Qingge unleashed Golden Spears mixed with Immortal Slaying Crossbows and God Slaying Bows, but Xiao Hua’s body withstood them.
• Xiao Hua summoned the Sea-Overturning Seal and crushed the formation’s ten thousand horses.
• Leng Qingge fought Xiao Hua directly with his Fine Iron Spear, but Xiao Hua steadily overwhelmed him.
• Leng Qingge unleashed the Golden Spears of Golden Qi Dawn, and Xiao Hua’s Nascent Soul hand stopped them.
• An azure cloud brocade descended before Xiao Hua’s hand, and Wind Volcano Forest manifestations rushed out to block his path.

Xiao Hua faced Jiang Yuming’s Wind formation, which attacked his heart with rumors and slander carried by Confucian inscriptions. He steadied his mind and endured the assault, leaving the Jiang family stunned as the formation failed to break him.

• Xiao Hua confronted Jiang Yuming after Leng Qingge withdrew, and Jiang Yuming declared that he had come under the king’s orders to eliminate the Daoist remnants.
• Jiang Yuming formed the Hundred Child Book Formation, summoning four enormous books and a child-shaped figure that unleashed the Wind attack.
• The Wind’s clamor and inscriptions overwhelmed Xiao Hua’s earthen shield and began to destabilize his golden body.
• Xiao Hua used the Lightning and Thunder Technique to clear the attack briefly, then realized the wind carried rumors and slander meant to unsettle his heart.
• Xiao Hua steadied his mind and sang of his firm resolve, allowing his golden body to endure the wind and grow more resilient.
• The Jiang family’s children were stunned when Xiao Hua stood firm against their formidable Wind formation.

Xiao Hua overcame the Jiang family's Wind Forest Fire Mountain formation and shattered its final Mountain of Literature and Sea of Words. The Jiang family suffered a complete defeat at Tongzhu Kingdom's Black Cloud Ridge.

• Jiang Yuming activated the forest formation, but Xiao Hua used jade talismans and Fire Crows from his furnace to burn away its inscriptions.
• The Jiang family unleashed the formation's heart fire, but Xiao Hua's crimson Heavenly Heart absorbed the flames without harm.
• Jiang Yuming ordered the final mountain formation to be activated, and the four scrolls combined into the Mountain of Literature and Sea of Words.
• Xiao Hua used the Esoteric sect's Mountain Power to shatter the giant mountain with his golden body.
• Jiang Yuming and the other Confucian cultivators vomited blood from the backlash as the formation collapsed and the Jiang family was defeated.

Xiao Hua faced Baihou Yuqin’s Water Brocade Diagram and became trapped in a sorrowful illusion of Xue Xue, unable to bring himself to dispel it. After Baihou Yuqin’s music ended, she and Leng Qingge believed Xiao Hua had been subdued, but Xiao Hua spoke from within the formation and challenged Leng Qingge.

• Baihou Yuqin revealed herself as the guardian of the Water Brocade Diagram and said she would let Xiao Hua pass if he listened to her tune until it ended.
• Baihou Yuqin played the Rain Bell Chime, conjuring a scene that brought Xiao Hua vivid memories and illusions of Xue Xue.
• Xiao Hua recognized the scene as an illusion but refused to break it, allowing green cloud brocade to bind and pierce him.
• Baihou Yuqin finished playing and told Leng Qingge that she would serve the sovereign no longer, while criticizing his bloodthirsty state of mind.
• Leng Qingge said the subdued Xiao Hua should be taken before the sovereign, but Xiao Hua answered from within the formation and dared Leng Qingge to approach him.

Xiao Hua defeated Baihou Yuqin’s illusion trial and began facing Xi Bohong in the fourth transformation of the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram. His fire techniques matched Xi Bohong’s, and the chapter left Xi Bohong trapped amid Xiao Hua’s exploding fire talismans.

• Xiao Hua escaped Baihou Yuqin’s illusion, explained how his understanding of love and reincarnation freed him, and won her respect.
• Baihou Yuqin invited Xiao Hua to meet her at Lingyuan Cliff, then began the fourth transformation of the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram as Xiao Hua endured injuries to his kidneys.
• Xi Bohong arrived to challenge Xiao Hua, citing his admiration for the blood stele Xiao Hua had erected at Qiyang Temple.
• Xi Bohong unleashed a vast sea of flames, but Xiao Hua took control of the fire and fought him evenly, astonishing Du Shanjun and Bei Guo Zhenming.
• Xiao Hua used fire talismans to trap Xi Bohong and detonated them around him; Xi Bohong answered with fire pearls and his beast’s demon core.

Xiao Hua survived Xi Bohong’s Intense Flame Array with the Five Elements Evasion Technique and spared him for the sake of the Fanged Beast, Lieya. After Xi Bohong fled, Bei Guo Zhenming arrived with Du Shanjun, and Xiao Hua greeted the dean of Tongzhu Academy.

• Xi Bohong sacrificed Lieya, whose body split into tens of thousands of fire beasts that engulfed Xiao Hua.
• Xiao Hua emerged unharmed, explaining that he had escaped the attack with an evasion technique and rebuking Xi Bohong for sacrificing Lieya.
• Xi Bohong demanded to know how Xiao Hua survived, then vanished into the golden cloud brocade when Xiao Hua revealed the Five Elements Evasion Technique.
• Xiao Hua chose not to kill Xi Bohong for Lieya’s sake, and Xi Bohong mocked him before leaving.
• Bei Guo Zhenming arrived with Du Shanjun, and Xiao Hua greeted the Tongzhu Academy dean and remarked on Confucian compound surnames.

Xiao Hua faced Bei Guo Zhenming and Du Shanjun’s earth-aspected Five Brocade Cloud Diagram, broke their statecraft-based bindings with Confucian sword transformation, and challenged Leng Qingge as the next stage of the formation remained ahead.

• Xiao Hua told Bei Guo Zhenming he would hold the true culprits responsible, then invited him to display the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram.
• Bei Guo Zhenming and Du Shanjun used Vast Righteous Qi and royal authority to bind Xiao Hua with countless earth-aspected Qi rings.
• Xiao Hua’s Sea-Overturning Seal shattered the first rings, but the later confinement suppressed his magic power, body, and staff.
• Xiao Hua transformed into a giant heart-shaped sword and tore through the rings and the formation, forcing Bei Guo Zhenming and Du Shanjun to withdraw.
• Xiao Hua emerged from the broken formation and challenged Leng Qingge, who warned that the Five Brocade Cloud Diagram still had greater power.