Chapter Summaries

Cheng Xinzhan pursued Li Yingqiong through Emei’s divine thunder and clashed with the Violet Ying Sword, but another swordsman intervened and helped her reach Mount Wudu. Deng Yin revealed himself as the Blood God Child’s incarnation and named his sword technique “Evil Purple Usurps Vermilion,” while Cheng Xinzhan challenged him about its origins.

• Li Yingqiong threw six Gantianyi Zhengdoushuai Divine Thunder pellets at Cheng Xinzhan, while Xu Wan shielded himself with his ghost banner.
• Cheng Xinzhan wrapped himself in his Heavenly Net Spell Kerchief and immortal robe, endured the thunderfire, and continued pursuing Li Yingqiong.
• Cheng Xinzhan’s Celestial Master Sword struck the Violet Ying Sword, but Li Yingqiong split from the sword and continued toward Mount Wudu.
• Cheng Xinzhan used the Crutch-Throwing Method to send the Evil-Slaying Female Sword after Li Yingqiong, but a second blood shadow wielding the Violet Ying Sword blocked it and helped her escape.
• Deng Yin revealed himself as an incarnation of the Blood God Child and identified his sword technique as “Evil Purple Usurps Vermilion.”
• Cheng Xinzhan suggested that Deng Yin’s technique combined a blood curtain spell with Emei sword arts, and Deng Yin’s expression turned grim.

Before Mount Wudu, the Blood God Child and the Emei forces faced off as more powerful figures arrived and the fighting began. Qi Shuming learned that Li Yingqiong had killed Xuanzhenzi and betrayed Emei, leaving him questioning how long she had served the Blood God Child.

• Li Yingqiong emerged from Deng Yin’s blood shadow, badly wounded, while Dharma King Xuanyuan joined the Blood God Child at Mount Wudu.
• Xu Wan arrived to support True Lord Cheng, and a Three Yangs One Qi Sword attacked the demon-side fighters before its wielder, Qi Shuming, appeared.
• The Blood God Child mocked Qi Shuming and revealed that he and Longbrow had jointly refined the sword, enraging the Emei Sect Leader.
• Qi Shuming asked Cheng Xinzhan what had happened after Sword Gate collapsed, and Cheng explained that Li Yingqiong had killed Xuanzhenzi and fled with the Blood God Child’s help.
• Qi Shuming realized Li Yingqiong might have betrayed Emei at Min Mountain as well, and the Blood God Child laughed at his disbelief.

Deng Yin accused Qi Shuming of selfishly mishandling Emei’s prophecies, disciples, and Immortal Swords, while Li Yingqiong confronted her former master about her father’s death and rejected him. Qi Shuming prepared to cleanse the sect, but Deng Yin warned Cheng Xinzhan that the Yangtze River blockage needed urgent attention.

• Deng Yin summoned the Violet Ying Sword and condemned Qi Shuming for sealing him away, mishandling the prophecy, and neglecting Emei’s destined successors.
• Deng Yin accused Qi Shuming of manipulating Yingqiong’s life and blood, and revealed that he had freed Gu Chen while secretly using Purple Ying to watch Emei.
• Li Yingqiong questioned Qi Shuming about whether his wife had deliberately arranged the Jiangshi encounter in which Yingqiong’s father died, and Qi Shuming’s answers exposed the truth to those present.
• Qi Shuming asked when Yingqiong had mastered Blood Shadow Divine Light, and she answered that she had mastered it the previous day.
• Qi Shuming declared that he would cleanse the sect, while Deng Yin questioned whether he had brought the weapons needed to fight and urged Cheng Xinzhan to address the Yangtze River blockage.

Cheng Xinzhan left Mount Wudu as Qi Shuming fought the Blood God Child, then traveled to the devastated Ba region to help restore the mountains and rescue survivors. At Eight Mountains, he told Zhuge Jingrui that Li Yingqiong had killed Xuanzhenzi, and Zhuge flew toward Sword Gate in anguish.

• Cheng Xinzhan conceded defeat to the Blood God Child and departed while Qi Shuming attacked Mount Wudu with a Dharma treasure.
• Cheng Xinzhan saw Han Ningguang, the Demon Ancestor, the lion, Marshal Kui, and many allies repairing the Yangtze gorge, then headed to Eight Mountains with Xu Wan.
• Luo Junjie welcomed Cheng Xinzhan and asked him to rescue the injured, but he attacked Zhuge Jingrui when Emei's Crane Ridge Sword Pavilion arrived.
• Cheng Xinzhan revealed that Li Yingqiong had killed Xuanzhenzi, and Zhuge Jingrui collapsed before flying toward Sword Gate after crying out for his master.

The chapter recounted three years of upheaval after Li Yingqiong defected, as Emei lost influence across Ba and faced public scrutiny over its treatment of former disciples. It ended with Emei recovering some standing through Miechenzi and Zhou Qingyun’s returns and several disciples’ breakthroughs, while the Northern Faction remained a major threat.

• Li Yingqiong’s defection, Xuanzhenzi’s death, and Blood God Child’s accusations continued to damage Emei’s reputation, while Li led the Northern Faction and shared Emei’s secrets with it.
• Emei and the Northern Faction fought at Mount Wudu, but neither side could defeat the other; Emei’s Immortal Treasures were tainted, and Dharma King Xuanyuan was injured.
• Tongwei Sect, Jinyun Mountain, and Chaoyuan Abbey abandoned Xuanmen for the Daoist Sect, leaving Emei’s influence in the Ba Region greatly diminished.
• Miechenzi reached the Fifth Realm and refused Qi Shuming’s offer to return as Deputy Sect Leader, choosing instead to rebuild the Sword Pavilion at Min Mountain and guard against the Northern Faction.
• Zhou Qingyun returned to Emei from Yellow Mountain as a Fourth Realm cultivator and became its Discipline Chief.
• Ye Yuanjing, Li Yuanhua, and Tong Yuanqi entered the Fourth Realm, helping Emei restore some of its prestige.

After becoming the new Sect Leader, Dong Shouren reviewed sect duties as Cheng Xinzhan arranged Han Ningguang’s admission and sought someone to oversee Eight Gui. The gathering dispersed, and Cheng Xinzhan visited the Southern School’s rebuilding work at Mount Hua, where he asked Zou Shizheng to take him to the ritual altar.

• Dong Shouren thanked the assembled disciples for entrusting him with leadership and kept the existing sect appointments unchanged.
• Cheng Xinzhan proposed admitting Han Ningguang to Goddess Peak, and Su Duyi agreed to guide her as the peak’s Supreme Grand Elder.
• Lu Duxing volunteered to travel to Eight Gui and oversee Cheng Xinzhan’s lands there.
• Fu Shouzhen reported that the Thunder Observatory might relocate to Eight Gui, and Cheng Xinzhan welcomed the move while asking them to consider whether they could wait for Longxi’s recovery.
• Ji Hehe planned to relieve Daoist Jianxiao at Dragon-Tiger Mountain, while Marshal Kui chose to remain in the North.
• Cheng Xinzhan visited Mount Hua, where Zou Shizheng was rebuilding the Southern School’s presence, and asked to see the ritual altar.

Cheng Xinzhan activated the Azure Dragon Crouching Tail Fire-Settling Altar on Mount Hua, which began replenishing the mountain’s earth qi and powering the wider Qinling altar formation. He then arrived at Mount Li, where Song Jishu had built the next altar as sect master of the Numinous Spreading Sect.

• Cheng Xinzhan inspected the completed altar on Lotus Peak and explained how its design joined Mount Hua’s earth veins to the Tail Lodge and the Southern School’s alchemy.
• At the beginning of the zi hour, Cheng Xinzhan activated the altar, whose talismanic points performed ritual footwork on their own and drew fire from the stars to nourish Mount Hua’s earth qi.
• Cheng Xinzhan told Zou Shizheng that the altar would operate without human intervention, gathering heavenly fire at night and cultivators’ escaping fire by day, then left Zou to guard it.
• Cheng Xinzhan traveled to Mount Li and met Song Jishu, the first sect master of the Numinous Spreading Sect, who had sensed Mount Hua’s rising earth qi.
• Cheng Xinzhan explained that Mount Hua’s altar began the Qinling formation’s fire-generates-earth sequence, which would activate the mountains’ earth and enrich Mount Li’s earth through its Azure Dragon Embracing Di, Earth-Subduing Altar.

Cheng Xinzhan activated the Qinling Mountains’ Root Earth, Neck Metal, hidden water, and Horn Wood altars to complete an Azure Dragon formation that restored the mountains’ earth qi and directed a cleansing wind toward Mount Wudu. The wind reached Myriad Phenomena Cave unnoticed, but Dharma King Xuanyuan shivered as it entered.

• Cheng Xinzhan activated Mount Li’s Root Earth altar, and Song Jishu became absorbed in the renewed earth qi and starlight.
• Cheng Xinzhan activated the Neck Metal altar atop Mount Taibai, drawing stellar and earthly metal qi into the mountain’s roots.
• Cheng Xinzhan and Zang Faxian activated the hidden Lins hui Altar beneath Jade Emperor Pool, completing the Five Elements and establishing an escape route to Mount Lü.
• Cheng Xinzhan activated the Horn Wood altar on Mount Zibai, joining the four mountain altars into an Azure Dragon formation that revived the Qinling Mountains.
• Cheng Xinzhan sent the formation’s clear breeze west toward Mount Wudu, where it entered Myriad Phenomena Cave and dissolved some demonic atmosphere.
• Dharma King Xuanyuan shivered while cultivating as the breeze reached Myriad Phenomena Cave.

Dharma King Xuanyuan sensed an unexplained chill, while the Daoist’s Azure Dragon breath began slowly purifying Mount Wudu and its demons. As the Daoist toured the Ba Mountains, he welcomed a proposal to unite four sword sects as the Ba Mountains Sword Ground, then sent a primordial spirit to investigate a new Fourth Realm aura from the Heavenly Demon Tower in Hehuang.

• Dharma King Xuanyuan woke from meditation at a sudden chill, found nothing wrong with the wind, and returned to cultivating inside Myriad Phenomena Cave.
• The Daoist confirmed his ritual was sending Azure Dragon breath into Mount Wudu to gradually dissolve its evil qi and blood baleful intent.
• At Sword Gate Mountain, the Daoist gave a discourse on the Dao and reassured Dai Yong that the Guangyuan Sect could seek help from him or the alliance.
• The Daoist visited Mount Guangwu and praised Fan Chengyou’s proposal to link four Ba Mountains sects in an alliance called the Ba Mountains Sword Ground.
• The Daoist sensed a new Fourth Realm aura from the Heavenly Demon Tower in Hehuang and sent a primordial spirit to investigate, while assuring Fan Chengyou that the Ba Mountains would remain safe.

Cheng Xinzhan discovered that White Dragon had stolen the Heavenly Demon Tower’s Fourth Realm Heavenly Hound wet corpse and took control of it while Ma Lieyang pursued them. As they neared the edge of Hehuang, Shang Heyang appeared to block their escape.

• Cheng Xinzhan sensed a new Fourth Realm presence fleeing the Heavenly Demon Tower while Ma Lieyang pursued it, then recognized the fleeing Heavenly Hound as White Dragon controlling a wet corpse.
• Cheng Xinzhan possessed the Heavenly Hound’s body, restored its Fourth Realm strength, and kept its power restrained while escaping with White Dragon.
• White Dragon explained that he had infiltrated the Heavenly Demon Tower and stolen its Heavenly Hound wet corpse after learning the sect also guarded Heavenly Rooster and Heavenly Horse corpses.
• Cheng Xinzhan praised White Dragon’s discovery and considered how the three corpses could expose the Heavenly Demon Tower’s weakness.
• Shang Heyang appeared ahead of the fleeing Heavenly Hound and attacked with his Five Elders’ Hammer, sending black fire from its five skulls.

The Daoist used the Heavenly Hound's body to drive Shang Heyang away with the Great Yin Soul-Slaying Divine Light, allowing Gouer to escape Hehuang. Back at Mount Zibai, Gouer revealed that he had sacrificed his original body and resolved to pursue the Five Elements, Great Yin, and Great Yang to forge his own Corpse-Liberation Spirit Body.

• The Daoist unleashed the Great Yin Soul-Slaying Divine Light, broke through Shang Heyang's demonic fire, and forced him to flee after damaging his treasures and Primordial Spirit.
• Ma Lieyang watched the Heavenly Hound leave Hehuang, then Li Yingqiong arrived and ordered him to return to Western Kunlun with her for questioning by her master.
• The Heavenly Hound reached Mount Zibai, where the Daoist learned that Gouer had destroyed his original Fleshly Body and Golden Core to escape the Heavenly Demon Secret Realm.
• Gouer told the Daoist he would use the Heavenly Hound's body to understand Great Yin, seek the Shu Dog Legacy for Great Yang, and forge his own Corpse-Liberation Spirit Body through Yin-Yang and the Five Elements.

The Blood God Child directed the Demon Cult’s efforts to recruit Emei disciples and the Maha Sect while giving Li Yingqiong two new demonic swords. The chapter ended as he asked two Blood-Robed Three Boys to report on the Northern Desert and Southern Sea.

• Li Yingqiong reported that Li Yuanhua would not be persuaded to join the Demon Path and suggested approaching Tong Yuanqi and Xu Yuantong instead.
• The Blood God Child gave Li Yingqiong the paired swords Gengshen and Renzi, reclaimed Purple Ying, and explained that the new swords fed on enemies’ blood and bones.
• Yu Jiaoniang told the Blood God Child that the Maha Sect was tempted by the Land of Abundance but remained hesitant, and that Ancestor Haha was cultivating the Suffering of Sores and Ulcers.
• The Blood God Child ordered Yu Jiaoniang to keep watch on Tubo and Western Kham and complained that True Lord Cheng and the weakened northern Demon Path left him short of reliable allies.
• The Blood God Child asked two of the Blood-Robed Three Boys to report on conditions in the Northern Desert and Southern Sea.

True Lord Cheng watched the Northern Path sects respond to his campaign against the demons, while Mount Kongtong, Mount Zhongnan, and Mount Maiji committed themselves to the effort and won rewards for their service. As summer ended, three Buddhist leaders arrived at Mount Zibai seeking an audience with him.

• The Daoist sects in Hedong stayed out of the campaign, while the Painted-Skin Sect fled north to the Northern Desert.
• Mount Kongtong and Mount Zhongnan joined True Lord Cheng's campaign, with Mount Zhongnan acting after its star observers foresaw his rise and the revival of the Qinling Mountains.
• Mount Kongtong and Mount Zhongnan helped eradicate the Demon Cult of Red-Brow Fort from Mount Long, and True Lord Cheng rewarded them with recovered lands and earth qi.
• Mount Maiji reopened and sent its disciples to fight demons, while survivors of the Temple of Compassion and Grace returned to rebuild their monastery.
• Chan Master Huiwu, Chan Master Ba'en, and Dharma Master Luosheng arrived at Mount Zibai and requested an audience with True Lord Cheng.

True Lord Cheng received Chan Master Huiwu, Chan Master Bao'en, and Buddhist Sage Luosheng, learning why the northern Buddhist leaders had come to meet him. The chapter ended with Huiwu warning that the Northern Faction appeared to be conspiring with the Maha Sect.

• True Lord Cheng reviewed the long history of rivalry and cautious coexistence between Buddhism and Daoism, and wondered why Buddhist leaders had arrived.
• True Lord Cheng personally welcomed Chan Master Huiwu, Chan Master Bao'en, and Buddhist Sage Luosheng, then hosted them for tea.
• Huiwu praised True Lord Cheng's achievements in reclaiming lands and helping Buddhist temples reopen and rebuild.
• After an hour of conversation, Huiwu raised developments in Kham and Tibet and reported that Maha Sect followers had crossed the Nu River and appeared in Hehuang.
• Huiwu warned True Lord Cheng that the Northern Faction seemed to be conspiring with the Maha Sect.

Cheng Xinzhan negotiated with Chan Master Huiwu, Chan Master Bao'en, and Buddhist Sage Luosheng over Buddhist-Daoist cooperation against the Northern Faction and the Maha Sect. They agreed to coordinate separate campaigns under Cheng Xinzhan's leadership, but news of a Maha attack in Western Sichuan abruptly ended their discussion.

• Chan Master Huiwu told Cheng Xinzhan that the Northern Faction had allied with the Maha Sect and proposed that the Buddhist and Daoist sects unite against them.
• Cheng Xinzhan declared that he intended to eradicate the Maha Sect, but refused to command the entire Buddhist-Daoist campaign.
• Cheng Xinzhan proposed separate campaigns with a Chan liaison, and Chan Master Huiwu named Buddhist Sage Luosheng for the role.
• Chan Master Huiwu revealed that Luosheng's previous incarnation had been Master Liberation, an ancestor of the Five Mountains who ascended during the Sui.
• The Suspended Heart Temple attacked the Western Sichuan Sword Pavilion, gravely wounded Emei's Water Mirror Master, and sent Maha followers across the Nu River into Western Kham.

Cheng Xinzhan learned that the Maha Sect had launched an assault across Western Kham, while the Daoist’s preparations against Dharma King Xuanyuan reached their culmination. The Daoist destroyed the Profound Yin Sect’s mountain array and drove Azure Dragon Spirit Breath through Mount Wudu, leaving Dharma King Xuanyuan alive but badly wounded and convinced that he had been cursed.

• Cheng Xinzhan received reports that Ancestor Haha had gravely wounded Water Mirror Master and that Maha Sect forces had occupied Western Sichuan Sword Pavilion.
• Chan Master Huiwu and the Daoist discussed Ancestor Haha’s new sonic abilities, then Monk Luosheng told the Daoist that the Underworld had withdrawn from the mortal world of its own accord.
• Over the next three months, the Maha Sect, Xuanmen, and Chan forces fought across Western Kham as Li Yingqiong, Yu Yingnan, and Yan Renying took part in the conflict.
• On the winter solstice, the Daoist activated the Azure Dragon Altar Array and sent a powerful east wind toward Mount Wudu, breaking the Profound Yin Sect’s Mountain-Guarding Grand Array.
• Azure Dragon Spirit Breath surged through Myriad Phenomena Cave, killing the demons within and forcing Dharma King Xuanyuan to emerge wounded.
• Dharma King Xuanyuan accused the Daoist of cursing him, but the Daoist denied knowing about any curse.

True Lord Cheng confronted Dharma King Xuanyuan over Mount Wudu, then faced a coalition of Northern Faction demons as Blissful Youth Li Jingxu arrived to support him. The battle began, and True Lord Cheng entered Union with the Dao of Mount Wudu to burn and refine his attackers while leaving the mountain and river unharmed.

• Dharma King Xuanyuan realized True Lord Cheng’s feng shui had targeted Mount Wudu rather than cursed him, then tried to flee before True Lord Cheng trapped him in an Azure Dragon whirlwind.
• Blood God Child, the Five Ghosts Heavenly King, and Di Feilu arrived to protect Dharma King Xuanyuan, and Blood God Child urged True Lord Cheng to let him go.
• Blissful Youth Li Jingxu arrived and encouraged True Lord Cheng to slay Dharma King Xuanyuan, while True Lord Cheng said he had nothing else to fear.
• Di Feilu attacked True Lord Cheng, Blood God Child engaged Li Jingxu, and the Five Ghosts Heavenly King reluctantly moved to join the fight.
• Dharma King Xuanyuan attacked True Lord Cheng with a black flag and stirred the Blackwater River, but True Lord Cheng severed Di Feilu’s spearhead, unleashed spellfire, and entered Union with the Dao of Mount Wudu.

True Lord Cheng trapped Di Feilu and Dharma King Xuanyuan in Mount Wudu’s Samadhi True Fire and fought them with his sword and divine abilities. Di Feilu’s body was destroyed as he tried to escape, and Dharma King Xuanyuan swallowed his fleeing primordial spirit.

• True Lord Cheng’s fireground overwhelmed Mount Wudu, and Dharma King Xuanyuan fled while the Five Ghosts Heavenly King withdrew from the battle.
• True Lord Cheng shattered Di Feilu’s Vermilion Phoenix Exquisite Sphere and sent an essence body after Dharma King Xuanyuan with Peach Capital and the Gourd’s fire spirits.
• Di Feilu opened his martial arsenal Dao Domain and unleashed Heavenly Strike Divine Edge Flow, but True Lord Cheng’s Five-Colored Divine Light disarmed him and drained his power.
• Di Feilu sacrificed many treasures to cover his escape, but True Lord Cheng caught him with Heaven and Earth Within the Sleeve and pierced his body with the Celestial Master Sword.
• Di Feilu’s primordial spirit escaped in a wolf-shaped bone carving and called for Blood God Child, but Dharma King Xuanyuan transformed into a giant wart newt and swallowed it.

Cheng Xinzhan trapped Dharma King Xuanyuan in Samadhi True Fire and pursued Blood God Child and Shang Heyang with Li Jingxu and Xu Wan, seizing Star-Sūtra Sea along the way. At the Heavenly Demon Tower, Cheng summoned a prepared east wind, awakening two powerful auras beneath its grounds.

• Dharma King Xuanyuan ate Di Feilu, prompting Blood God Child and Five Ghosts Heavenly King to abandon him and flee.
• Cheng Xinzhan left an Essence Body and reforged Five Ghost Prison Gates to keep Dharma King Xuanyuan trapped in Samadhi True Fire, then invited Li Jingxu and Xu Wan to join his pursuit.
• Blood God Child persuaded Shang Heyang to flee past Star-Sūtra Sea for Western Kunlun, while Cheng used the Earth Book to seize control of the abandoned Five Ghosts Gate stronghold.
• Cheng led Li Jingxu and Xu Wan to the Heavenly Demon Tower and summoned east wind from Mount Zibai through Mount Wudu and Star-Sūtra Sea.
• The Azure Dragon Breath revived the Heavenly Demon Tower's grounds, and two powerful auras awakened underground.

True Lord Cheng awakened two Fourth Realm corpses, killed Ma Lieyang, and established the Kun Yuan and Han Hong sects as new strongholds. By sunrise, news of his destruction of three Demon Path sects had sent nearly a million demonic cultivators fleeing to Western Kunlun for protection.

• True Lord Cheng used the Azure Dragon Altar Array to awaken the Heavenly Rooster and Heavenly Horse corpses, which broke their seals and restrained Ma Lieyang while Cheng severed the tower array’s link to the earth veins.
• True Lord Cheng killed Ma Lieyang with the Celestial Master Sword, named the corpses He Tianju and He Tianchi, renamed the Heavenly Demon Tower the Kun Yuan Sect, and appointed He Tianju its first sect master.
• True Lord Cheng appointed He Tianchi to guard the Five Ghosts Gate grounds as the first sect master of the Han Hong Sect, then returned to Mount Wudu and gave Shubao the Dragon Salamander’s corpse as a mount.
• News spread that True Lord Cheng had killed three demons and destroyed three sects in one night, while the Blood God Patriarch was driven back and the Five Ghosts Heavenly King fled to Western Kunlun.
• Demon Cult followers fled Longxi and Hehuang in panic, and nearly a million demonic cultivators gathered at Western Kunlun demanding shelter within its array.