Recaps

After Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing exchanged heartfelt gifts and confessed their feelings, they strolled through the southern city, where a missing theatrical mask triggered Pei Ye’s alarm and a sudden attack on a vendor. The vendor died from poison before Pei Ye could learn what had happened to the mask.

• Pei Ye gave Li Piaoqing a Heart-Slaying Glaze engraved with his name, and she told him she wanted his name on it because he was important to her.
• Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing held hands and leaned against each other on the boat, where they admitted they liked each other.
• On their way through the city, Pei Ye asked Shi Zanxue about Yang Yan’s invitation to Heavenly Mountain and heard that the Soul-Seizing Pearl resembled an ancient prison-guarding instrument called Illuminating the Nether.
• Pei Ye stopped at a mask stall and reached for an ordinary-soldier mask for Li Piaoqing, but it had vanished; he drew his sword and pulled her behind him.
• A purple-robed attacker struck at the vendor, but a green-clad figure stopped the attack and caught the flying weapons; the vendor then collapsed dead with black blood at his seven orifices.

Pei Ye and the Immortal Platform investigated a suspicious corpse and concluded that the Sun-Swallowing Society may have deliberately exposed Joy-in-Death Tower’s weakness. The chapter left Pei Ye determined to pursue the surviving clues as investigators searched Bowang for the factions’ traces.

• Pei Ye, Li, Qinghuang, and Purple Bamboo found a deformed corpse after an attempted poison suicide and reported it to the Immortal Platform.
• A man studying Bowang’s map marked South Street and the southeast while his young companion investigated the street and they planned to search the area further.
• The Shaolong Playmaster visited the injured Shang Huaitong, helped restore his state of mind, and offered to take him along if he could draw his Nether Immortal Sword again.
• Wu Dong questioned Pei Ye about the vanished mask and reasoned that the Sun-Swallowing Society had deliberately alerted him to Joy-in-Death Tower’s weakness.
• Pei Ye recalled that Black Cat had sensed something during the earlier theft but sensed nothing this time, and he resolved to pursue the vendor’s corpse and the mystery behind it.

Wu Dong questioned Qinghuang and Purple Bamboo about their connection to the dead peddler, then investigated the body while Pei Ye suspected the Torchworld Cult was involved. Pei Ye visited Purple Bamboo that night and asked about the thing he had encountered in Xin Cang; meanwhile, Li Weiru continued watching the Seven Flood Dragons estate and reported nothing unusual.

• Wu Dong found a Divine Capital seal in Purple Bamboo's file that forbade inquiry into events from the seventh and eighth months of the Xinsi year, and warned the pair to avoid the Joy-in-Death Tower affair.
• Wu Dong learned the peddler had traveled from Xiangzhou with the Qiyun Commercial Association's caravan and ordered an investigation into the association's possible covert routes.
• After leaving the Immortal Platform, Purple Bamboo admitted to Qinghuang that he doubted himself, while Qinghuang promised to keep helping him.
• Pei Ye sent Li Piaoqing back to Jade Feather Academy and went to the White Bamboo Pavilion, where he drew half a tree in tea and asked Purple Bamboo about the thing's appearances and actions.
• Purple Bamboo told Pei Ye that he was not searching for the thing because it was searching for him, and said he had not slept well since leaving Xin Cang Mountain.
• Li Weiru kept watch outside the Seven Flood Dragons estate through the night, then wrote that he had nothing to report.

Purple Bamboo recounted how he and Zhang Zijing tracked the legendary original of Xifang Tian’s immortal painting into Xin Cang Mountain, where a mysterious ritual ended in disaster. The chapter left Purple Bamboo gravely wounded and recalling that he had seen the painting’s original while unconscious.

• Purple Bamboo told Pei Ye how Xifang Tian’s disciple had preserved a copy of the burned immortal painting and how its victims had been drawn toward Xin Cang Mountain.
• Zhang Zijing learned that the disciple had begun running toward the mountain again, so he and Purple Bamboo took the old man there to follow his path.
• After finding mysterious tracks deep in the mountains, Purple Bamboo saw a Fire Talisman appear on Zhang Zijing’s forehead and followed him to a ritual site.
• Purple Bamboo attacked the ritual’s black-robed officiant, but Zhang Zijing drank Dragon Saliva and transformed before a Purple-Robed Man arrived.
• The Purple-Robed Man killed the transformed Zhang Zijing and the other captives, crushed Purple Bamboo’s body, and drove a bronze rod into his abdomen.
• Purple Bamboo said he had seen the original painting while lying unconscious with his injuries and True Qi nearly gone.

Purple Bamboo told Pei Ye how a fragment of a mysterious immortal painting had haunted him and explained why he was investigating the painter Xifang Tian and the Qiyun Commercial Association. Pei Ye decided to pursue the painting’s origins in Xiangzhou, while Ming Qitian prepared to travel to Kongtong for Sword Inquiry.

• Purple Bamboo recounted seeing a fragment of an immense dragon in a vision while gravely injured, then described how the image continued to haunt him after he lost his cultivation.
• Purple Bamboo showed Pei Ye the painting he had made from the vision and revealed that, although he remembered seeing Xifang Tian’s complete painting, he could no longer recall its contents.
• Purple Bamboo explained that he had traced Xifang Tian’s history to the Qiyun Commercial Association, and Pei Ye said he would not abandon the search.
• Black Cat speculated that the painting was the cause preceding the events in Xin Cang and connected it to the Torchworld Cult and Joy-in-Death Tower; Pei Ye proposed investigating Xiangzhou.
• Ming Qitian invited Pei Ye to accompany her to Kongtong, but he chose to go to Xiangzhou, while the girl in the green skirt decided to travel with Ming Qitian.

Li Piaoqing said farewell to Li Weiru and left with Ming Qitian, while Pei Ye traveled alone to Xiangzhou to investigate a case tied to Xifang Tian. In Seven-Nine City, Pei Ye began tracing Qiyun’s local power structure and heard a woman propose coordinating inquiries with someone at Azure Sky Pavilion.

• Li Piaoqing told Li Weiru that the Bright Sword Master had recommended her to the Sword Cultivation Academy in the Divine Capital, then left with Ming Qitian toward Xiangzhou.
• Pei Ye rode to Xiangzhou with Snow-Collapsing and learned that the Immortal Hunter would teach him to use [Chi Flame].
• Pei Ye used his Hero Tally to obtain an earth-grade room and asked an innkeeper about the Qiyun Commercial Association and its local district.
• A theater attendant told Pei Ye that Steward Changsun, Second Young Master Xu, and Chief Di answered to Master Kou, and said Xu and Di were inside the theater.
• Pei Ye entered the theater and watched the two powerful men upstairs as he considered how to approach them.
• A clear-voiced woman beside Pei Ye proposed that one investigator work through Seven-Nine City while another questioned the managers and owners at Azure Sky Pavilion.

Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing watched the theater’s White Snake Romance, but its painter offered no clues about Xifang Tian. After Li Piaoqing left for the Azure Sky Pavilion, Pei Ye went backstage to buy the script and found the theater’s performers arguing over their low ticket prices.

• Li Piaoqing joined Pei Ye at the theater, and they listened to Yi Chengxin perform White Snake Romance.
• A theater patron explained that the opera told of a white snake maiden who loved a mortal painter, but Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing found no connection to Xifang Tian.
• Li Piaoqing decided to bring the opera to Bowang and left Pei Ye with the black cat before heading to her meeting at the Azure Sky Pavilion.
• Pei Ye overheard Ji Yun urge the theater’s old master to raise ticket prices, while the old man insisted on keeping performances affordable for Seven-Nine City’s poor residents.
• Pei Ye introduced himself to the old master and asked to buy the script; the old man praised Pei’s taste and offered to sing a passage for him to judge.

Pei Ye received a copy of White Snake Romance from the opera master and learned that Yi Chengxin was being married off against her wishes. As his Chi Flame Source finished forming, he discovered how its three sources worked and arrived at Dragon Gate Tower to seek an audience with Master Kou.

• Pei Ye praised the old man's rendition of White Snake Romance, paid two taels for its annotated manuscript, and offered Ji Yun advice on his martial-role performance.
• Yi Chengxin formally took leave of her teacher and revealed that she would marry far away the day after tomorrow; Ji Yun said her family had accepted a huge betrothal gift from a wealthy man in Xilong.
• The old man explained that Yi Chengxin loved opera but could not remain with the troupe, and he asked Pei Ye to return that evening to discuss the script.
• While reading the manuscript, Pei Ye's Chi Flame Source finished assimilating, and he recognized its three sources: Black Chi's Profound Qi, their shared bond, and his own Endowed Fortune.
• Black Cat explained Chi Flame's properties and urged Pei Ye to gather an ordinary flame; Pei Ye then reached Dragon Gate Tower and asked the guard to let him visit Master Kou.

Li Piaoqing questioned Qiyun’s head manager about Xifang Tian and the Immortal-Visiting Scroll, while Pei Ye was turned away from Dragon Gate Tower and refused an Iron Cage Fight. That night, Li Piaoqing entered Qiyun’s rear courtyard to search for information, with Black Cat accompanying her.

• Black Cat spoke to Li Piaoqing, startling her, and Yi Chengxin arrived to check her betrothal gifts before her upcoming marriage and retirement from performing.
• Li Piaoqing asked Qiyun’s head manager about Xifang Tian’s works, writings, and the Immortal-Visiting Scroll, but he refused to reveal the owner or offer useful information.
• Pei Ye tried to see Master Kou at Dragon Gate Tower, but the guards demanded a referral and offered him an Iron Cage Fight instead.
• Pei Ye rejected the guards’ violent challenge and waited nearby as night fell.
• Li Piaoqing carried Black Cat into Qiyun’s rear courtyard and silently entered a room through a window.

Li Piaoqing uncovered evidence that Xifang Tian had painted many unsold works for Dan Jun, while Pei Ye noticed that White Snake Romance had been revised and set out to find its source. When Pei Ye returned to the theater, he found it wrecked and its injured performers gathered backstage.

• Li Piaoqing found records of Xifang Tian's paintings for Dan Jun, including a set of twelve works that had never been sold.
• Li Piaoqing and Black Cat hid as a powerful man entered the accounts room, took a ledger from about twenty years earlier, and left for the proprietor's residence.
• Pei Ye found no mention of Dan Jun in the script, but noticed its final pages had different ink and handwriting and its spine had been rebound.
• Pei Ye realized White Snake Romance had likely been revised and returned to the Seventy-Nine City Theater to investigate who had written it.
• Pei Ye found the theater courtyard wrecked and discovered six injured, frightened people gathered backstage.

Pei Ye learned that Kou Liyue’s gang had abducted Sun Qingyi and attacked his theater after Sun refused to surrender control. After declaring the theater under his protection, Pei Ye took an Ascension Pill to reach fifth growth and returned to Dragon Gate Tower, where the guards taunted him outside its closed doors.

• Pei Ye found the theater wrecked, learned Sun Qingyi had been taken to Dragon Gate Tower, and discovered Ji Yun had been badly injured defending him.
• Ji Yun explained that Kou Liyue had pressured Sun Qingyi to give him a stake in the theater and had acted once Yi Nandai and the Yi family were no longer protecting it.
• Pei Ye announced he would bring Sun Qingyi back and declared that the theater was under his protection.
• At Dragon Gate Tower, Kou Liyue rejected Sun Qingyi’s refusal to accept his terms and ordered his legs broken and the theater troupe punished after the Yi family’s wedding.
• Pei Ye swallowed his championship Ascension Pill, reached fifth growth, and approached Dragon Gate Tower as its guards mocked him outside the shut entrance.

Pei Ye stormed Dragon Gate Tower and defeated its guards and two fifth-growth fighters, then challenged Kou Liyue with his sword and spirit arts. As their duel continued, Pei Ye used the threat of fire to halt Kou Liyue’s attack, leaving the sixth-growth leader exposed to his spell.

• Pei Ye broke through Dragon Gate Tower’s gate and knocked down the guards who rushed him.
• Pei Ye defeated Deng Shuiping and the other men in the courtyard with his sheathed sword.
• Pei Ye burned Xu Er with a fire spell and disarmed and injured Di Fei.
• Pei Ye’s [Snow-Collapsing] sword technique blasted Kou Liyue back to the fifth floor.
• Pei Ye and Kou Liyue resumed their duel, and Pei Ye’s whispered spell made Kou Liyue tense and halt his attack.

Pei Ye defeated and burned Kou Liyue, then questioned him about Qi Yun and learned that its owner might be visiting Steward Changsun that night. Pei Ye left Kou bound on a flagpole and carried the unconscious Sun Qingyi back, while the theater troupe decided to hire help for him.

• Pei Ye caught Sun Qingyi as he fainted, checked his condition, and settled him in a chair.
• Pei Ye cut off Kou Liyue’s right arm and interrogated him, learning that Yi Nandai had once punished him for interfering with Qi Yun.
• Kou Liyue told Pei Ye that Qi Yun’s owner might be at Steward Changsun’s courtyard, where secret cargo had arrived and Changsun was preparing to step down.
• Pei Ye stabbed Kou Liyue, bound him to a flagpole for three days, and threatened to kill him if he came down early.
• Pei Ye carried the unconscious Sun Qingyi away, while Ji Yun and the theater troupe decided to pool their silver to hire an expert to help.

Pei Ye searched Qi Yun’s dockside warehouse and discovered a record of eighteen items retained by Qi Yun, then found the cargo at Steward Changsun’s residence under the watch of a formidable blindfolded Seventh Growth. Li Piaoqing also uncovered a ledger entry linking unusual betrothal gifts to Yinyang, leaving both investigators on the verge of confronting the shipment’s secret.

• Pei Ye returned to the theater, where the disciples cared for the unconscious Sun Qingyi, then headed to the docks to inspect the shipment records.
• Pei Ye entered the Earth-Character Warehouse through its roof and deciphered a note stating that eighteen items were retained by Qi Yun and never entered into storage.
• Pei Ye recalled that Yi Chengxin’s marriage was the major event in Yinyang and left the warehouse to investigate Steward Changsun’s residence.
• Pei Ye found two loaded freight wagons and an empty carriage in Changsun’s courtyard, guarded by a blindfolded man whom he recognized as an exceptionally powerful Seventh Growth.
• Li Piaoqing and the black cat found the open private ledger and read that Yi Chengxin’s betrothal gifts, including Shuiyang Yuke, were due to be sent from Seven-Nine City to Yinyang the next morning.

Li Piaoqing uncovered records linking Xifang Tian’s betrothal gifts to Yi Danjun and found that Yu Chaocai bought the heart amber in the old auction ledger. Pei Ye learned that the masked man was Yi Nandai, but Ji Yun’s reaction to the pendant raised doubts; meanwhile, Wu Dong and An Zang prepared for someone investigating a residence in Bowang Prefecture.

• Li Piaoqing found a twenty-year-old private ledger showing Xifang Tian’s painting was retained at the Yinyang residence and that his betrothal gifts were recorded for Yi Danjun.
• Li Piaoqing checked the matching spring auction record and discovered that Yu Chaocai, Provincial Governor of Bowang Prefecture, had bought the heart amber.
• Pei Ye told Ji Yun that the Qi Yun owner was likely the Yi family and described the masked man he had seen in Steward Changsun’s courtyard.
• Ji Yun identified the man as Yi Nandai but said he did not wear a pendant, despite Pei Ye having seen one on him.
• Wu Dong told An Zang that someone had been scouting a residence, and they discussed the risk that the intruder might be a Third Step Grandmaster.

An Zang, Shi Zanxue, and Gu Yunfu traced the Hushan Sword Gate artifact to King Mu’s legendary [Illuminating the Nether] and discussed Heavenly Mountain’s interest in obtaining it. Meanwhile, Li Piaoqing searched Azure Sky Pavilion, found a family painting and an opera mask, and was confronted by a powerful man who ordered her to open the scroll.

• An Zang told Shi Zanxue and Gu Yunfu that historical records linked the Hushan Sword Gate artifact to King Mu and [Illuminating the Nether].
• An Zang said Heavenly Mountain could handle the matter for now, while Shi Zanxue admitted she had told Pei Ye about the artifact.
• Li Piaoqing removed pages about former Provincial Governor Yu Chaocai from a ledger and found an unlisted painting of Xifang Tian’s family.
• Li Piaoqing picked up an opera mask, and Black Cat warned her that the person they had encountered was not Yi Nandai and was no longer in Seven-Nine City.
• A pale, powerful man entered the pavilion and questioned Li Piaoqing, who claimed she was there to buy the painting.
• The man told Li Piaoqing to open the scroll.

Li Piaoqing escaped suspicion in Azure Sky Pavilion when Yi Chengxin intervened, then used Black Cat’s Quail Head technique to restore the ledger pages from memory. She spoke with Yi Chengxin the next morning, who admitted she did not like the people who had threatened Li Piaoqing.

• A man and Meng Li identified Shang Huaitong’s estate as their target and planned to act the following night.
• A man confronted Li Piaoqing in Azure Sky Pavilion and questioned how she had entered the guarded rear courtyard.
• Yi Chengxin arrived, claimed the painting was being kept for her, and led Li Piaoqing away from the confrontation.
• Black Cat helped Li Piaoqing recover the burned ledger pages from a clear impression of their contents, then warned her not to tell anyone else.
• Li Piaoqing listened to Yi Chengxin sing and asked why she had helped; Yi Chengxin replied that she did not like them.

Li Piaoqing accompanied Yi Chengxin to her remote family manor, where Yi was preparing for her wedding and leaving Xiangzhou. As Li Piaoqing explored the cold, nearly empty estate, she grew more concerned about the young woman and the family around her.

• Yi Chengxin warned Li Piaoqing to stop investigating certain people, then invited her to travel with her to the Yi family home.
• A masked man reported that Li Piaoqing and Pei Ye were investigating the Qiyun Commercial Association, and his superior decided it was fortunate Li had left for the Yi family estate.
• On the journey, Yi Chengxin told Li Piaoqing that she was marrying into Xilong and said she had chosen to accept the marriage.
• Yi Chengxin and Li Piaoqing arrived at the old manor, where Yi explained that only she and her older brother lived there after their parents had died.
• Yi Chengxin left Li Piaoqing in a guest courtyard, and Li picked up her sword and cat before going out to explore.

Li Piaoqing explored the Yi family residence and discovered the family head’s notes on spear techniques, including a mysterious text about a divine Fire Lotus. She then found a sealed courtyard guarded by a sinister old man and investigated a strange spiritual material being used inside the residence, while Pei Ye learned about the Yi family’s decline.

• Li Piaoqing found the Yi family genealogy and learned that Yi Danjun was Yi Chengxin’s eldest sister, the woman connected to Xifang Tian thirty years earlier.
• Li Piaoqing read Yi Duanzhi’s spear-technique notes and found his final volume, which the black cat identified as a profound scripture concerning Mysterious Fire.
• Li Piaoqing approached a locked, decaying courtyard, but a ghostly old man warned her not to enter because it belonged to someone who had broken the clan rules.
• Pei Ye asked Ji Yun about the Yi family, learned of its former prominence and Yi Duanzhi’s retreat from public life, then left his name on a wooden sword for the opera house.
• Li Piaoqing learned that locked places and the rear courtyard were off-limits, and she secretly collected a speck of Spirit-rich material from a servant’s sleeve.
• The black cat suggested the material might be Shuiyang Yuke, tested it with dark blue flames, and cut off a strand of Li Piaoqing’s hair to place inside a grain.

Black Cat investigated the back courtyard while Li Piaoqing searched Yi Danjun’s old residence and found a hidden box of love letters. The letters revealed Yi Danjun and Xifang Tian’s romance and ended with Yi Danjun’s farewell letter, leaving the reason for her decision unclear.

• Black Cat explained how Shuiyang Yuke could be used in formations and left to investigate the back courtyard while Li Piaoqing waited before searching the residence.
• Li Piaoqing entered the empty old house and discovered a hollow section of wall concealed behind a table.
• Li Piaoqing opened a hidden box containing love letters, paintings, and other keepsakes belonging to Yi Danjun and Xifang Tian.
• The letters recounted how Yi Danjun and Xifang Tian met, fell in love, and exchanged portraits and affectionate messages.
• Li Piaoqing read that Yi Danjun’s growing uncertainty culminated in a farewell letter to Xifang Tian on the second day of the eleventh month of the Renzi year.

Li Piaoqing uncovered the Yi family’s deadly Edict Transmission ritual in Yi Danjun’s notebooks and learned that Xifang Tian had died after their final meeting. Meanwhile, Pei Ye investigated Qiyun’s transfer to the Joy-in-Death Tower and waited outside Changsun Xiao’s residence for a lead to the cult’s hidden base.

• Li Piaoqing read Yi Danjun’s letters to Xifang Tian and learned they had resumed corresponding for one final month before agreeing to meet.
• Li Piaoqing discovered that Yi Danjun’s Edict Transmission required her to be devoured by the Edict-Listening God-Child before entering a divine realm and illuminating the Heart Poison with a sword.
• Li Piaoqing read a note showing that Yi Danjun’s younger sister had hidden the letters and painting after Xifang Tian died, then recognized Yi Danjun in his portrait.
• Pei Ye reasoned that Changsun Xiao could lead him from Qiyun’s new chief steward to Mr. Zhang and the Joy-in-Death Tower’s secret pavilion.
• Pei Ye waited across from Changsun Xiao’s residence, where a neighboring diner accused Changsun of diverting a valuable shipment to his own home.

Pei Ye followed a suspicious carriage to a courtyard and confronted Changsun Xiao and three masked Theatrical Guests. He killed two attackers, but the other two remained engaged as the fight continued.

• Pei Ye learned that the Merchant Association had secretly transported an expensive chest for a burial and left the dockside stall to follow a carriage east.
• Pei Ye tracked the carriage to a courtyard and learned from a servant that the house had recently been sold to someone from out of town.
• Pei Ye entered the empty building and discovered that the doors and windows were locked; the servant revealed himself as a masked attacker.
• Changsun Xiao confronted Pei Ye, and three Theatrical Guests attacked him with blades.
• Pei Ye used True Qi Art: Immortal Fire to engulf one Theatrical Guest, then disarmed another and killed him with his bamboo hat.

Pei Ye survived an ambush by the Joy-in-Death Tower, traced its Xiangzhou cover identity to the Lin Jing Painting Pavilion, and entered the building despite a seventh-growth fighter’s attack. Zhang He found the fighter dead and Pei Ye reading upstairs, where Pei Ye asked what “Dragonkin” were.

• Pei Ye killed the silk-clad swordsman with Snowy Night Flying Goose, then killed the burned Theatrical Guest with the swordsman’s thrown blade while the remaining Theatrical Guest escaped.
• Pei Ye searched the courtyard, found Qiyun’s account books, and deduced that the Lin Jing Painting Pavilion was the Joy-in-Death Tower’s cover identity.
• Pei Ye went to the pavilion and opened its door, triggering a seventh-growth fighter’s ambush that wrecked the courtyard.
• Zhang He followed Pei Ye to the pavilion and found the seventh-growth fighter, Guo Huai, dead while Pei Ye read on the third floor.
• Pei Ye faced Zhang He and asked what “Dragonkin” were.

Pei Ye defeated Zhang He in the Joy-in-Death Tower and uncovered the Tower’s different kinds of agents and Zhang He’s hidden records. The notebook revealed Zhang He’s plans in Xiangzhou, including his efforts to infiltrate the authorities and a mysterious delivery, while Pei Ye found another entry that left him stunned.

• Pei Ye watched Zhang He’s corpse and considered how the Joy-in-Death Tower’s faceless Play Ghosts differed from its face-bearing Theatrical Guests.
• Pei Ye read Zhang He’s notes about Yi Chengxin’s marriage, which mentioned the Dragonkin, and about erasing traces of something delivered a month earlier.
• Pei Ye sensed a hollow in the copper wall but found it sealed, then realized Zhang He’s silver pendant was a magical artifact.
• Pei Ye followed Black Cat’s instructions and used Chi Flame to activate the pendant, revealing a hidden notebook.
• Pei Ye read Zhang He’s detailed records of his Xiangzhou plans and stopped at an entry that left him breathless.

Pei Ye discovered that the Joy-in-Death Tower had secretly transferred a huge quantity of Heart Amber and planned to relocate the Torchworld Cult’s dragon descendants. Li Piaoqing and Black Cat reached the Yi Family Ancestral Shrine, where they witnessed Yi Chengxin being brought before the sacrificial fire as the ritual began.

• Pei Ye found a secret order directing Zhang He to assist with the transfer of Heart Amber and the relocation of the Torchworld dragon descendants, identified as the Yi Family.
• Li Piaoqing learned that the people in the New Year's Eve Night Drinking Record were Yi Chengxin's family, then reunited with Black Cat as the immortal sacrifice ritual approached.
• Black Cat told Li Piaoqing that the Yi Family Ancestral Tomb lay behind the residence and led her there to investigate the Torchworld Cult's final ritual.
• Li Piaoqing and Black Cat watched the high officiant lead nearly twenty silent servants in a rite before a cauldron of blue fire.
• Yi Chengxin emerged between the kneeling servants with her wrists bound and a knife in hand, and the high officiant asked for her dragon-descendant blood to be verified.