Recaps

Pei Ye uncovered Xi Tianji’s role in Joy-in-Death Tower’s plot to copy Phoenix Mountain Cry and kill Zhang Jingbi, then fought him on the cliff terrace. Pei Ye defeated Xi Tianji and shattered his Meridian Tree, while Jiang Yitong lay dying and the other witnesses remained on the terrace.

• Pei Ye pieced together how the Living Sword recorded Zhang Jingbi’s swordsmanship and how the Blood Beneath the Pines case concealed Ji Feng’s seized soul.
• Pei Ye reached the cliff terrace after fighting through Joy-in-Death Tower’s Kongtong operatives, where he found Xi Tianji, Guan Qianyan, a boy, and the wounded Jiang Yitong.
• Pei Ye accused Xi Tianji of murdering disciples and targeting Zhang Jingbi, while Xi Tianji claimed he had never let Kongtong down.
• Jiang Yitong used his remaining strength to restrain Glaze as Xi Tianji launched a surprise attack, but Pei Ye evaded him with Drifting Returning Wind and wounded him.
• Pei Ye overpowered Xi Tianji in their sword fight, recognized the sword he had given Zhang Jingbi, and pierced Xi Tianji’s dantian, shattering his Meridian Tree.

Pei Ye defeated Xi Tianji, then discovered a formation that summoned a Sword Flood Dragon made from 189 swords. When it attacked, Glaze charged into the creature and began disrupting its blades.

• Pei Ye freed Zhang Jingbi, Kong Lanting, and Guan Qianyan from their restraints and helped restore their True Qi.
• Pei Ye took the Soul-Seizing Pearl from Xi Tianji, refused to spare him, and let Zhang Jingbi take the sword he had used.
• Guan Qianyan and Kong Lanting recognized the cliff formation as a modified Kongtong sword-summoning art, and Pei Ye completed its central pattern with Netherfire.
• The formation summoned a Sword Flood Dragon from the mist, and Pei Ye recognized it as a creation derived from the Star Worms.
• The Sword Flood Dragon lunged at Pei Ye, but Glaze charged through its body and sent its swords tumbling into disarray.

Pei Ye discovered that the Sword Flood Dragon’s swords bore Array Patterns related to the Star Worm, then learned that two generations of Origin Martial Peak disciples had colluded with the Joy-in-Death Tower under Xiao Tingshu’s control. Meanwhile, Xiao Tingshu led Ming Qitian into Sword-Belly Mountain, where she experienced the swords of Kongtong’s Seventeen Peaks resonating together.

• Glaze disarmed the Sword Flood Dragon, which escaped into the cliff before Pei Ye could seize a sword; Pei Ye examined a blade and recorded an unfamiliar Array Pattern.
• Pei Ye asked whether Xi Tianji and Jiang Yitong were True Disciples of Origin Martial Peak, and Zhang Jingbi explained that both had been Xiao Tingshu’s disciples.
• Pei Ye concluded that Xiao Tingshu was implicated in the Joy-in-Death Tower’s schemes and urged the Law Enforcement Hall to warn the Lotus Heart Pavilion, but Guan Qianyan revealed Xiao Tingshu effectively controlled Kongtong.
• Xiao Tingshu brought Ming Qitian and the Lotus Heart Pavilion members into Sword-Belly Mountain and explained the [Sword-Summoning Chapter].
• Ming Qitian performed the Three-Tower Sword on the stone platform, linking with Kongtong swords whose varied sword arts resonated through her at once.

Pei Ye confronted Kongtong’s leaders after killing Xi Tianji and Jiang Yitong, demanding an investigation into the Joy-in-Death Tower and Xiao Tingshu. Wu Dong arrived as Crane Inspector and took Xiao into custody, while Pei Ye later spoke with Ming Qitian about Sword-Belly Mountain and admitted he should not have accepted Piao Qing’s feelings.

• Xiao Tingshu confronted Pei Ye over the deaths of two Kongtong disciples, while Guan Qianyan, Kong Lanting, and Zhang Jingbi confirmed that the men had tried to kill Zhang Jingbi and that Pei Ye had saved them.
• Pei Ye demanded that the Lotus Heart Pavilion investigate the Demon Sword and arrest Xiao Tingshu, arguing that the conspiracies were connected to deaths beyond Kongtong.
• Wu Dong arrived as Crane Inspector, and Gan Zifeng reported that the surveillance of the Law Enforcement Hall originated from Origin Martial Peak.
• Xiao Tingshu surrendered and was taken into custody as Wu Dong announced that the investigation would target the Lotus Heart Pavilion.
• Ming Qitian described Sword-Belly Mountain’s sword formation to Pei Ye, and they considered how the Joy-in-Death Tower might be connected to it.
• Pei Ye told Ming Qitian that he should not have accepted Piao Qing’s feelings.

Pei Ye confided his regrets to Ming Qitian, who urged him to stop overtaxing his Mindscape and trust her. After Wu Dong reported progress in the investigation at Kongtong, he and Pei Ye identified a mysterious sword formation as [Silk-Tether] and decided to pursue the remaining clues to Joy-in-Death Tower.

• Pei Ye told Ming Qitian that he felt weak and regretted failing to protect those around him, and she reassured him that he had always acted according to his nature.
• Pei Ye asked Ming Qitian about the Immortal Lord's Edict Diagram invading his Mindscape, and she explained why her [Bright Mirror, Ice Reflection] could not reach it and warned him to stop overtaxing himself.
• Wu Dong reported that Xiao Tingshu had been taken into custody and that Kongtong's four leaders had agreed to investigate Joy-in-Death Tower.
• Pei Ye showed Wu Dong an unfamiliar formation copied from the sword wyrm, and Wu Dong recognized it as [Silk-Tether].
• Wu Dong and Pei Ye concluded that Joy-in-Death Tower's plan involving [Sword-Belly Mountain] remained active, so Pei Ye agreed to keep investigating Zhang Mei Qing's death while Wu Dong pursued the matter at Kongtong.

Wu Dong’s investigation turned toward Sword-Belly Mountain as Shi Shaosheng revealed how Bai Tianqu’s attempt to unite Kongtong’s sword arts led to his decade-long seclusion. After the others set out to visit Bai Tianqu, Pei Ye reconsidered the Sword Flood Dragon and realized the sword current he had seen differed from the one Zhang Mei Qing had encountered.

• Wu Dong asked the Bright Sword Master to lend her sword in case the investigation faced danger, but Pei Ye objected to involving her; Wu Dong told him their alliance had nothing to do with Pei Ye’s personal connection to her.
• Shi Shaosheng explained that Kongtong had spent generations trying to unite its peaks’ sword arts, and that Bai Tianqu had pursued this through the [Sword-Summoning Chapter] and later [Sword-Belly Mountain].
• Shi Shaosheng recounted that Bai Tianqu handed sect leadership to Xiao Tingshu, carried a coffin into Sword-Belly Mountain, and entered life-or-death seclusion ten years earlier.
• Wu Dong decided to visit Bai Tianqu immediately to learn what Xiao Tingshu had done, and Shi Shaosheng agreed that Kongtong should search for the source of the treachery from the beginning.
• After the group left, Pei Ye recalled Zhang Mei Qing’s recognition of [Silk-Tether] and realized that the sword current he had witnessed differed from the one Zhang Mei Qing had seen years before.

Pei Ye learned from Sui Zaihua that the sword used in the attacks was a Magical Artifact containing hidden [Silk-Tether] patterns, then searched the Scripture Repository for Zhang Mei Qing’s records. Meanwhile, Wu Dong’s group returned to Sword-Belly Mountain and Shi Shaosheng struck the sealed wall concealing the sect master’s seclusion.

• Sui Zaihua examined Pei Ye’s sword and identified it as a Magical Artifact with hidden [Silk-Tether] patterns that could relay sword techniques to a principal entity.
• Pei Ye copied the [Silk-Tether] patterns onto another sword and learned that Zhang Mei Qing’s records might be hidden in the Scripture Repository.
• Pei Ye borrowed Xu Shang’s Azure Bird and searched the Scripture Repository, but the bird detected no message.
• Wu Dong led the group back to Sword-Belly Mountain, where Shi Shaosheng explained that the sect master had sealed himself behind the stone wall ten years earlier.
• Shi Shaosheng thrust his sword into the wall, and it rang with a metallic clang.

Wu Dong questioned Xiao Tingshu about why he had sabotaged the formation, while Xiao Tingshu’s actions and Kongtong’s hidden history pointed to another person behind the betrayal. Trapped inside Sword-Belly Mountain by the Mountain’s Jiazi seal, the group began searching for a way forward as Ming Qitian asked whether any swords remained unsheathed.

• Xiao Tingshu broke free of his restraint and attacked Xie Guangying, but Ming Qitian deflected his sword before it could kill him.
• The formation collapsed, and Xiao Tingshu tried to destroy his Meridian Tree; the others stopped him, though he was left gravely wounded.
• Mountain’s Jiazi activated and sealed Sword-Belly Mountain, cutting off everyone inside from the outside world.
• Wu Dong questioned Xiao Tingshu about his past and suggested that he had not deceived Xi Tianji about betraying Kongtong.
• Shi Shaosheng realized there was another person in Kongtong who might be involved, and Ming Qitian asked whether any unsheathed swords were available.

Pei Ye followed a coded deposit slip to the hidden Sword-Hiding Pavilion and discovered that Zhang Mei Qing had entrusted his case files to Great Sima Mountain before his death. Great Sima Mountain appeared behind Pei Ye with a sword, leaving them facing off in the abandoned chamber.

• Wu Dong accepted [Jade Tiger] from Ming Qitian and escaped Sword-Belly Mountain through a crack in the formation.
• Pei Ye received the Crane Inspector's delayed letter, and the azure-bird pendant began singing when he examined an old deposit slip.
• Pei Ye decoded the slip, found a concealed attic chamber in the Scripture Repository, and recognized it as the Sword-Hiding Pavilion.
• Pei Ye found fresh writing materials and signs of use near the wall marked “hanging tassels,” realizing Zhang Mei Qing had entrusted his case files to Great Sima Mountain.
• Great Sima Mountain entered the pavilion with an unsheathed sword and told Pei Ye they had plenty of time.

Pei Ye fought the gray-haired old man in the Sword-Hiding Pavilion, where a formation suppressed Profound Qi and forced them to rely on swordsmanship. With Ming Qitian guiding Glaze, Pei Ye gained the advantage, but the old man darkened the pavilion and copied Heavenly Mountain’s Eight Steeds Sword before Black Chi helped break the formation; the old man vanished, and Pei Ye demanded that they pursue him.

• The old man used the Sword-Hiding Formation to suppress Profound Qi, then overwhelmed Pei Ye with superior swordsmanship.
• Pei Ye released his stored Snow-Collapsing momentum, but Glaze flew into his hand and connected him to Ming Qitian, who began guiding his swordplay.
• The old man activated Three Lights Enter the Cage, plunging the pavilion into darkness and separating Ming Qitian from Pei Ye’s perception.
• Pei Ye endured the old man’s attacks until he recognized Heavenly Mountain’s Chasing the Sun, Surpassing the Shadow and, with Ming Qitian’s guidance, wounded him.
• Black Chi exposed the formation’s pivot, and Pei Ye shattered it, restoring Profound Qi as the old man disappeared amid the destruction.
• Pei Ye urged the others to pursue the old man.

Pei Ye pursued [Great Sima Mountain] after the man escaped the broken formation, but Wu Dong intercepted and stopped the chase. Wu Dong and Sui Zaihua uncovered evidence that Joy-in-Death Tower had infiltrated Kongtong and suspected Xiao Tingshu’s cooperation was meant to keep Ji Changyun away, while the reasons behind the conspiracy remained unresolved.

• Pei Ye followed [Great Sima Mountain] through the forest and found Wu Dong, who had fought the man but failed to capture him.
• Wu Dong asked whether Azure Bird’s message tube had been opened and told Pei Ye he would try to ensure Pei Ye survived to the end.
• Wu Dong revealed that he had investigated Chi Jianzong, the current Great Sima Mountain, and believed he would never betray Kongtong.
• Sui Zaihua arrived with a Play Mask found on Origin Martial Peak, confirming Xiao Tingshu’s connection to Joy-in-Death Tower.
• Wu Dong and Sui Zaihua reasoned that Xiao Tingshu had excluded Ji Changyun from Kongtong to keep him away from evidence of Bai Tianqu’s collusion with Joy-in-Death Tower.
• Sui Zaihua planned to ask Ji Changyun to take charge of Kongtong, while Wu Dong urged him to send word to Shaolong so they could bring people inside.

Pei Ye left Wu Dong to guard the Law Enforcement Hall while Wu Dong pursued a dangerous investigation into the identity of the shadow and the connection between Blade-Tethering Thread and [Silk-Tether]. At Sword-Belly Mountain, Ming Qitian exposed Xiao Tingshu’s loyalty to Bai Tianqu and learned that Xiao had colluded with the Joy-in-Death Tower to harvest swords, though Bai Tianqu had not known about the killings of Ji Feng, Yan Caiyue, and Zhang Jingbi.

• Wu Dong told Pei Ye to return to protect Zhang Jingbi, then questioned him about [Illuminating the Nether] and wondered whether the shadow and another figure were the same person.
• Wu Dong said he trusted Sui Zaihua and warned Pei Ye that he was taking a gamble that could leave Pei Ye in danger before sending him away.
• At Sword-Belly Mountain, Xiao Tingshu apologized to Ming Qitian for drawing her into the crisis and said she could leave with [Heart-Slaying Glaze].
• Ming Qitian deduced that Xiao Tingshu was acting for Bai Tianqu rather than seeking power for himself.
• Xiao Tingshu confirmed that Bai Tianqu wanted to create the Sword Repository and had forbidden harm to Kongtong disciples, but admitted he had secretly colluded with the Joy-in-Death Tower and concealed its killings from Bai.

Pei Ye returned to Kongtong after escaping the old man and investigated Chi Jianzong’s records with Gan Zifeng. They discovered that Bai Tianqu had tried to recruit Chi into the Sword Repository, and that the real Chi had been replaced after refusing Bai’s final plan.

• Pei Ye left the old man behind, returned to the Law Enforcement Hall, and gave Xu Shang Senior Zhang’s belongings and writings.
• Pei Ye and Gan Zifeng searched the Sword-Hiding Pavilion for records from ten years earlier, then found Chi Jianzong’s old room and notebook.
• The notebook revealed that Bai Tianqu repeatedly argued with Chi over the Sword Repository, but Chi rejected his ideas and condemned his final plan.
• Pei Ye found a private note showing Chi had completed Zhang Mei Qing’s artifact request shortly after Bai Tianqu’s final message, proving that the man who replaced Chi had not known about their private exchange.

Pei Ye traced Qu Zhu’s message to a likely hut near Hanging Heaven Curtain and pursued him, while Sui Zaihua lured Ji Changyun into a trap and the two fought before Ji escaped the killing strike. Ji Changyun then took control of the mountain formation and went to Sword-Belly Mountain, where Meng Li encountered the bloodied Crane Inspector.

• Pei Ye inferred that the Great Sima Mountain’s hut lay near a north-facing cliff beyond Hanging Heaven Curtain and set out to pursue Qu Zhu alone.
• Sui Zaihua led Ji Changyun beneath Hanging Heaven Curtain and attacked him with the Chiwen Bears Water formation.
• Ji Changyun used Yuanwu Cliff Sword and Spirit Child Observing the World to break Sui Zaihua’s attack, but Sui vanished as a water image.
• Ji Changyun reached the Law Enforcement Hall, ordered the formation’s True Qi sealed, and headed for Sword-Belly Mountain.
• Meng Li met the bloodied Crane Inspector inside the hidden valley and heard him ask when someone had returned.

Wu Dong and Meng Li explored the cave of the man they intended to kill, uncovering how his formation and artifact research had led to the Soul-Seizing Pearl. In the final chamber, Wu Dong discovered that the man had moved a Kongtong formation around a saber and a sword, and began examining the sword.

• Wu Dong broke through the cave entrance and identified a vast formation diagram based on Kongtong’s Lotus Heart Five Peaks.
• Wu Dong examined the man’s artifact workshop and read notes tracing the Pupil Pearl’s development into Seeing the Self, Knowing the Other, and the Soul-Seizing Pearl.
• Meng Li said he had stayed in the courtyard willingly to plot revenge, and accused the Immortal Platform and Heavenly Mountain of coveting his people’s treasures.
• Wu Dong learned that the final chamber’s barrier only required visitors to leave their swords behind; Meng Li followed him inside after setting down his blade.
• Wu Dong found fresh Array Patterns surrounding the chamber’s saber and sword, identified them as a Kongtong formation, and began examining the longsword.

Wu Dong activated the Lotus-Heart Sword Formation, forcing himself, Meng Li, and Qu Zhu to fight with True Qi and weapons alone. Wu Dong and Meng Li wounded Qu Zhu, but Qu Zhu exploited Meng Li’s attack and struck him down, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Wu Dong used Jade Tiger and Meng Li’s attack to draw the weapons from the sword stand and activate the Lotus-Heart Sword Formation.
• The formation sealed away Profound Qi and confined the three fighters to their weapons and True Qi.
• Meng Li attacked Qu Zhu with his saber while Wu Dong pressed him with his sword, and Wu Dong stabbed Qu Zhu in the abdomen.
• Qu Zhu released his sword sheath, exposed his iron left arm, and caught Meng Li’s saber before kicking him into the stone wall.
• Qu Zhu escaped Wu Dong’s killing strike and slashed Meng Li, leaving him badly injured as blood ran from beneath Qu Zhu’s Play Mask.

Pei Ye found the hidden courtyard tied to the Demon Swords plot and entered its mountain chambers, where he discovered the wounded Wu Dong and Qu Zhu amid the aftermath of their duel. He attacked Qu Zhu with Glaze and pressed him into a shrinking battlefield, beginning a renewed fight as the chapter ended.

• Wu Dong defeated Qu Zhu by sacrificing his sword arm and using [Silk-Tether] and [Jade Tiger] to leave Qu Zhu exposed to a killing blow.
• Pei Ye found a concealed cliffside courtyard and realized its owner had returned only recently.
• Pei Ye entered a vast hollow behind the courtyard and found Wu Dong gravely wounded, Qu Zhu pinned to a wall, and a bloodied Play Mask destroying a letter.
• Qu Zhu tried to speak to Pei Ye, but Pei Ye attacked him with a powerful strike and Glaze drove him back.
• The black cat spotted faint glimmers rising where Qu Zhu had sat, and Pei Ye stepped forward to restrict Qu Zhu's room to maneuver.
• Pei Ye drew Glaze and used [Drifting Returning Wind] while Qu Zhu struck at him with his saber.

Pei Ye and Meng Li nearly died defeating Qu Zhu, but Qu Zhu escaped after using [Void and Reality] to stop Glaze, and Meng Li revealed where he had gone. At the Sword-Belly Mountain, Ming Qitian identified Bai Tianqu’s body as long dead, just as another Bai Tianqu emerged from behind the Heart Amber mirror.

• Pei Ye, Meng Li, and Glaze drove Qu Zhu to the brink, but Qu Zhu used [Void and Reality] to halt Glaze and escaped in a cloud of lights.
• Pei Ye prepared to pursue Qu Zhu, and Meng Li told him that an [Other Shore Treasure Raft] was at an iron-colored tower two mountains north.
• Ming Qitian and the five peak masters entered the hidden mountain hollow and found Bai Tianqu’s body, the Heart Amber mirror, and the sword Formation.
• Ming Qitian told Xiao Tingshu that Bai Tianqu had been dead for ten years, leaving Xiao Tingshu to realize that someone else had guided him.
• The Sword Sensibility surged, and another Bai Tianqu rose from behind the mirror and looked down at the group.

Pei Ye chose to keep the Soul-Seizing Pearl and draw Qu Zhu into a fight far from Ming Qitian, while [Sima] revealed the Mirror Dragon Sword Sea and challenged Ming Qitian. The chapter ended as the wounded Qu Zhu approached Pei Ye on a mountaintop, ready to accept the duel.

• [Sima] identified himself and brought the Mirror Dragon Sword Sea, formed from thirteen thousand six hundred swords, under his control.
• Ming Qitian faced [Sima] inside Sword-Belly Mountain while Pei Ye pursued Qu Zhu across Kongtong.
• Black Cat warned Pei Ye that Qu Zhu had likely planned for his moves and urged him to destroy the Soul-Seizing Pearl and retreat.
• Pei Ye rejected retreat and proposed fighting Qu Zhu with Glaze far from Ming Qitian, keeping the Soul-Seizing Pearl as bait.
• Black Cat agreed, and Pei Ye traveled more than forty miles to a mountaintop and prepared for Qu Zhu.
• Qu Zhu, gravely wounded, climbed toward Pei Ye and accepted the challenge.

Ming Qitian and the Kongtong peak masters fought Sima and the Mirror Dragon, suffering heavy losses as Yi Duanzhi emerged from his bronze coffin. Surrounded by Sima, Yi Duanzhi, and the Mirror Dragon, Ming Qitian continued to attack and stopped Yi Duanzhi’s flaming spear with her bare hand.

• The Mirror Dragon’s sword sea overwhelmed the Kongtong fighters, grievously wounding Guang Ying and piercing Guan Shutang while Ming Qitian broke through to challenge Sima.
• Sima gained the upper hand with his Soaring Record, but Ming Qitian used the Commoner’s Sword to cut his neck.
• Shi Shaosheng attacked Sima with Sun and Moon Glistening Together, but Yi Duanzhi burst from the bronze coffin and struck him with Fire-Washed Lotus Seed.
• Ming Qitian’s intervention checked Yi Duanzhi’s spear long enough for it to pierce Shi Shaosheng, who fell from the stone platform as his body burned.
• The Mirror Dragon swept away Yinggao and Guan Shutang while Ming Qitian pressed Sima with a sword, then faced Yi Duanzhi’s Avici Lotus Blossoms without her blade.
• Ming Qitian touched the tip of Yi Duanzhi’s spear with her fingers, stopping the sea of flame in midair.

Ming Qitian fought Sima, Yi Duanzhi, and the mirror dragon inside Sword-Belly Mountain until Ji Changyun broke through the barrier, while Pei Ye faced Qu Zhu and a sword flood dragon on the mountain cliff. The chapter left Pei Ye fighting to protect himself as Glaze battled Qu Zhu, and Ming Qitian sensing a distant demand for cloud energy and answering it.

• Ming Qitian shattered Yi Duanzhi’s Sword Domain with [Change Sword] · [Top Nine], then fought Sima and Yi Duanzhi while trying to reach the mirror dragon’s Heart Amber mirror.
• Ming Qitian endured repeated sword formations and traded injuries with Sima and Yi Duanzhi, whose strength began to wane as he burned his life.
• Ji Changyun broke through [Mountain's Jiazi] and attacked Sima, allowing Ming Qitian to focus on the mirror dragon before sensing a distant call for cloud energy.
• Qu Zhu tried to kill Pei Ye with a surprise saber strike, but Glaze stopped him and drove him back.
• A sword flood dragon attacked Pei Ye, and he fought it with [Leaf-Eating], [Mountain Feather], [Clear Cry], and [Broken Leaf Returning Tide] while Glaze kept Qu Zhu at bay.

Pei Ye broke through the Sword Flood Dragon and entered the Spirit Realm, then defeated Qu Zhu in combat, but Qu Zhu’s Immortal Lord power overwhelmed him in their Mindscape battle. Qu Zhu took the Soul-Seizing Pearl and escaped, leaving Pei Ye helpless on Morning-Wind Mountain.

• Pei Ye sent Black Chi to help Glaze and faced the Sword Flood Dragon alone, studying its attacks as he endured its blades.
• Pei Ye entered the Spirit Realm and broke apart the Sword Flood Dragon, then rushed to Glaze’s aid.
• Pei Ye and Glaze broke Qu Zhu’s formation and drove him down, and Pei Ye pinned him to a boulder with his sword.
• Qu Zhu opened a Mindscape arena against Pei Ye, where the Edict Diagram overwhelmed Pei Ye before he could fight back.
• Qu Zhu removed the Soul-Seizing Pearl and [Heart of the Western Court], escaped from Morning-Wind Mountain, and left Pei Ye incapacitated as Black Chi guarded him.

Pei Ye recovered after Qu Zhu took the Soul-Seizing Pearl and learned that the enemy’s plot centered on Sword-Belly Mountain. As the Mirror Dragon’s completed formation trapped Ming Qitian, Pei Ye realized the Torchworld Cult’s hidden mission involved the Sword Treatise and panicked over the possibility that the Immortal Lord’s target was Ming Qitian.

• Black Cat revived Pei Ye after Qu Zhu took the Soul-Seizing Pearl, and they decided to return toward Sword-Belly Mountain.
• Qu Zhu returned to Meng Li, who attacked him with a dagger; Qu Zhu broke Meng Li’s wrist, then the two listened to the rain in silence.
• Pei Ye told Ming Qitian about the stolen pearl, and she said Ji Changyun was holding off Sima and Yi Duanzhi while she faced the Mirror Dragon.
• The Flood Dragon completed the Mirror Dragon’s formation, enclosing Ming Qitian in four layers of swords as the Heart Mirror pressed toward her.
• Pei Ye connected the Torchworld Cult’s mission to the Immortal Lord’s edict to “Slay the Sword” and feared that Ming Qitian was in danger.
• Ming Qitian resisted the Heart Amber’s reflection with her Bright Mirror, Ice Reflection heart.

Ming Qitian was wounded and trapped in the Mirror Dragon Sword Sea after Sima used the Heart Candle Guide to turn her Bright Mirror, Ice Reflection against the Gushe Heart Sutra. As Pei Ye resisted the Purple Bamboo Forest Dragon Immortal Secret Edict, he recognized Ji Feng’s sword as a possible way to reach her.

• Sima used the Heart of the Western Court to force Ming Qitian’s Mindscape Realm open and plant the Heart Candle Guide, causing her Bright Mirror, Ice Reflection and Gushe Heart Sutra to clash.
• Ming Qitian fell and struggled against the Heart Mirror, while the Sword Dragon’s formation repeatedly caught her in moments of confusion and wounded her.
• Pei Ye saw Ming Qitian being overwhelmed and urged Ji Changyun to save her, but Ji Changyun remained occupied fighting Sima and Yi Duanzhi.
• The Purple Bamboo Forest Dragon Immortal Secret Edict offered Pei Ye power in exchange for releasing Quail Head and entering the Purple Bamboo Forest, but Pei Ye rejected it.
• Pei Ye felt Ji Feng’s sword struggling to leave his grasp and realized it shared the spirituality of the swords in the formation, though it lacked Buried Star Tomb patterns.

Pei Ye broke the Mirror Dragon Sword Sea and helped Ming Qitian escape, but she remained gravely weakened by the Gushe Heart Sutra’s death ordeal. As Pei Ye carried her into hiding, Sima and Ji Changyun stayed behind at Kongtong and began discussing a deal.

• Pei Ye inscribed a Kongtong sword with altered array patterns, causing it to disrupt the Mirror Dragon Sword Sea and expose a gap for Ming Qitian.
• Ming Qitian broke through the formation, fought off Yi Duanzhi and Sima, then used [Carefree Journey] to transport herself and Pei Ye into unfamiliar mountains.
• Ming Qitian collapsed, and Pei Ye carried her through the forest while she explained that her death ordeal was still underway and urged him to find a hiding place.
• Pei Ye found a concealed cave and carried Ming Qitian inside.
• At Kongtong, Yi Duanzhi left while Sima treated the unconscious peak masters and invited Ji Changyun to discuss a deal.