Recaps

Pei Ye learned that Zhu Gaoyang had promised to return and had left Zhang Siche a magical artifact to protect them, while the final duels drew near. In Yin City, Xi Wuchou pursued justice against Gao Muzhen despite the Prince of Zhenbei’s resistance, then Pei Ye learned that Qiongqi was heading toward him.

• Zhang Siche told Pei Ye that Zhu Gaoyang had promised to rescue him and left him a magical artifact that could protect them briefly.
• Li Zhang persuaded Xi Wuchou not to kill Gao Muzhen at the prince’s residence, but negotiations with the old madam and the Prince of Zhenbei failed to resolve the matter.
• Xi Wuchou took Gao Muzhen away and gave Li Zhang two days to settle the matter, while Li Zhang worried about the prince’s reaction.
• The Prince of Zhenbei allowed Gao Muzhen to be dealt with after finding another illegitimate son, and Xi Wuchou went to fetch a witness for the execution.
• With the final duel approaching, Pei Ye asked Black Chi what was happening, and Black Chi said Qiongqi was heading his way.

Pei Ye defeated an old man in the Flame Arena, took his hidden weapon, and accepted Zhang Siche’s artifact to help him escape the Torchworld Cult’s ritual. Zhang Siche then recounted Xi Wuchou’s revenge and the scholar’s disappearance, leaving Xi Wuchou investigating a possible link to the Prince of Zhenbei’s residence.

• Pei Ye defeated the old man, who tried to kill him with a concealed iron shard, and kept the weapon after Black Chi saved him with Quail Head.
• Qiongqi returned, and Zhang Siche gave Pei Ye an iron talisman that could protect him while he escaped during Zhu Gaoyang’s attack.
• Xi Wuchou helped bring about Gao Muzhen’s execution, and the scholar gave Xi Wuchou the pearl before they parted.
• Xi Wuchou withdrew to the mountains, found a state of acting freely, and later went to visit the scholar in Kuiju Town.
• The scholar’s father-in-law told Xi Wuchou that the scholar had been abducted, and Xi Wuchou’s inquiries pointed toward the Prince of Zhenbei’s residence.

Xi Wuchou learned that Gao Muzhen had escaped execution and likely taken the scholar, then attacked the Prince of Zhenbei Residence. At the Torchworld Cult’s ritual, Pei Ye defeated his opponent and Zhang Siche appeared to die in their final fight, leaving Pei Ye to be escorted toward Qiongqi as he waited for Zhu Gaoyang.

• Xi Wuchou forced Li Zhang to confess that Gao Muzhen had been secretly switched with another man before his execution and had taken the scholar.
• Xi Wuchou stormed the Prince of Zhenbei Residence, cutting down anyone who tried to stop him.
• Pei Ye killed the burly man with a hidden iron shard and advanced to the final against Zhang Siche.
• Pei Ye struck Zhang Siche in the chest, and his abdominal tentacles extracted Zhang Siche’s Cocoon of Light while Zhang appeared lifeless.
• The Torchworld Cult escorted Pei Ye toward Qiongqi, and Pei Ye searched the horizon for Zhu Gaoyang.

Pei Ye accidentally received Qiongqi’s seed along with the Cocoon of Light and was teleported away with the wounded Zhu Gaoyang. After Zhu Gaoyang explained that the seed was incubating inside Pei Ye, they prepared to continue toward the Immortal Platform.

• Pei Ye realized Zhu Gaoyang had disguised himself as Zhang Siche and was using him to distract the Torchworld Cult’s men.
• Zhu Gaoyang tried to seize Qiongqi, but Qiongqi shot the seed into Pei Ye’s abdomen, where the Cocoon of Light began incubating it.
• Zhu Gaoyang took Pei Ye away while the two purple-robed men wounded him, and they crashed down a mountainside after teleporting.
• Pei Ye rescued the injured Zhu Gaoyang and discovered that he could produce a dark-blue flame.
• Zhu Gaoyang told Pei Ye that the seed was incubating and said they would proceed as planned toward the Immortal Platform.

Pei Ye carried the injured Zhu Gaoyang west while they discussed the seed inside Pei Ye, the paired Immortal Hunter and Demon Calamity, and the possibility of seeking aid. The seed began interfering with Pei Ye’s movements, and the chapter ended with Zhu Gaoyang reacting in shock when Pei Ye revealed that Ming Qitian had asked him about the Dantian Seed Immortal Method.

• Pei Ye carried Zhu Gaoyang toward Fenghuai County as they hoped reinforcements from the Divine Capital would arrive within two or three days.
• Zhu Gaoyang explained that Immortal Hunters and Demon Calamities always appeared as opposing pairs, and that Qiongqi’s unusual seed might be central to the Torchworld Cult’s scheme.
• Zhu Gaoyang asked Pei Ye to let him contract with the pursuing Immortal Hunter in exchange for a recommendation to the Dragon Lord Dongting Sword Lineage, but the Immortal Hunter refused because Zhu Gaoyang’s hair was too long.
• As the seed grew closer to hatching, it involuntarily tugged Pei Ye’s leg and caused them to fall from a cliff, prompting Zhu Gaoyang to warn that he might have to kill Pei Ye if necessary.
• Pei Ye asked about the Dantian Seed Immortal Method, and Zhu Gaoyang identified it as the legendary scripture Endowed Fortune, then demanded to know how Pei Ye had heard of it.
• Pei Ye said that Ming Qitian had asked him about the martial art in Fenghuai, and Zhu Gaoyang reacted with stunned surprise.

Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang sent Ming Qitian a message asking her to rescue them, then tried to evade their pursuers by washing away their scents and changing clothes. When two Purple-Robed Men caught up and attacked, Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang struck back, and Pei Ye drew a sword from his abdomen.

• Zhu Gaoyang activated Ming Qitian’s Sword Talisman, and Pei Ye recorded a plea for help before it flew away.
• Pei Ye learned that Ming Qitian was twenty-one and third on the Crane List, while Zhu Gaoyang explained his Dragon-Seeking Classic could help them avoid pursuit.
• Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang washed in a stream, changed clothes, and continued fleeing as Pei Ye’s seed absorbed profound qi.
• Two Purple-Robed Men caught them and blasted Zhu Gaoyang to the ground with Bing Fire.
• Pei Ye attacked one Purple-Robed Man, but the man caught his fist and locked his meridians and joints with profound qi.
• Zhu Gaoyang attacked with Sword Qi as the Purple-Robed Men prepared another Bing Fire strike, and Pei Ye drew a gleaming sword from his abdomen.

Pei Ye and the dying Zhu Gaoyang escaped the Purple-Robed Men, and Zhu Gaoyang told Pei Ye how Xi Wuchou’s story ended in capture and torture. As Torchworld Cult pursuers closed in, Pei Ye used Zhu Gaoyang’s sword to kill a black-robed attacker, but more enemies were likely nearby.

• Zhu Gaoyang wounded the Purple-Robed Men and used Luminous Spirit Illuminates the World, Unbound by Dust to escape with Pei Ye, but his injuries left him near death.
• Pei Ye bandaged Zhu Gaoyang, carried him west, and gave him dragon blood while Zhu Gaoyang warned him not to let Black Chi bring disaster on others.
• Zhu Gaoyang recounted how Xi Wuchou killed Gao Muzhen before the Prince of Zhenbei, who captured and tortured him.
• Pei Ye received Ming Qitian’s message that she would arrive before sunrise, though they doubted they could hold out until then.
• As Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang continued onward, Pei Ye asked Black Chi how far away he was and learned he would arrive within half an hour.
• A black-robed attacker ambushed Pei Ye, who drew Zhu Gaoyang’s sword and killed him with Clouded Sky Obscures Eyes, Lost Feathers; Zhu Gaoyang warned that more pursuers were likely close behind.

Pei Ye fought off the Torchworld Cult pursuers as the Cocoon of Light in his abdomen hatched into a growing meridian tree and awakened his freezing ability. He and Zhu Gaoyang escaped the battle, but the seed continued to grow and absorb mystic qi.

• Pei Ye ambushed the second wave of black-robed men, killing one with his sword as the tentacles in his abdomen devoured the corpse and stirred the Cocoon of Light.
• The pursuers surrounded Pei Ye and tried to hold him until the Purple-Robed Man arrived, forcing him into a brutal fight in which he killed several men and lost the use of his left arm.
• Pei Ye used [Snowy Night, Fallen Life, Soul-Shattering Terror] to overcome the calmest pursuer, then froze and shattered another attacker who stabbed him from behind.
• The Cocoon of Light shrank into a seed with two branches, marking the meridian tree's first growth and accelerating its absorption of mystic qi.
• Pei Ye returned to Zhu Gaoyang, revealed his original appearance, and confirmed that he could now use his freezing ability.
• Zhu Gaoyang admitted he had considered killing Pei Ye but decided the seed could simply transfer hosts, while Pei Ye suggested Zhu might not be able to kill him anyway.

Pei Ye fled through the forest after Zhu Gaoyang sacrificed himself to delay the Purple-Robed Men, but Torchworld Cult members surrounded him. A massive dragon-like creature rescued him with Chi Flame and carried him above the clouds.

• Zhu Gaoyang asked Pei Ye to infect him with dragon saliva so he could fight the Purple-Robed Men, and Pei Ye reluctantly agreed.
• Zhu Gaoyang gave Pei Ye his jade pendant and scabbard, then transformed and went to intercept the pursuers while Pei Ye ran west.
• Pei Ye escaped for a time, killing two black-robed men, but more than ten Torchworld Cult members surrounded him as his wounds worsened.
• Blue flame blossoms appeared among the trees, then erupted into fire and engulfed the cultists.
• A huge dragon-like creature swept Pei Ye into the air and showed him how to use Chi Flame.

Pei Ye rescued Xing Zhi and Shang Lang while fleeing with Black Chi, then told them Zhu Gaoyang had died holding off their pursuers. He urged them to take Zhu Gaoyang’s jade pendant and escape as he faced questions about the dangerous Dantian Seed.

• Pei Ye rode Black Chi toward Fenghuai and worried that the rapidly growing two-birth shoot inside him could become uncontrollable.
• Xing Zhi and Shang Lang’s exhausted squad fought Torchworld Cult followers while searching the mountains for Zhu Gaoyang.
• A black-robed attacker nearly killed Xing Zhi, but Pei Ye arrived from the sky and defeated the attackers with frost, fire, and his sword.
• Xing Zhi asked where Zhu Gaoyang was, and Pei Ye told her that he had died holding off their pursuers.
• Pei Ye gave Shang Lang Zhu Gaoyang’s jade pendant and told the group to flee because someone was pursuing him.
• Xing Zhi asked whether the terrifying Dantian Seed was now inside Pei Ye.

Pei Ye learned that the sprout in his dantian might possess a consciousness of its own just as Qiongqi and two purple-robed fighters ambushed Black Chi. Black Chi battled back and tried to escape with Pei Ye, but Pei Ye’s sudden attack left it paralyzed as the swordsman struck again.

• Xing Zhi explained that “Endowed Fortune” was an art for growing a dantian seed, not controlling one, and recoiled when she sensed the sprout might be alive.
• Qiongqi and two purple-robed figures attacked Black Chi, grievously wounding it while Pei Ye was thrown back by their assault.
• Black Chi turned the purple-robed man’s Bing Fire against him, then fought Qiongqi and the two attackers while Pei Ye questioned how they had arranged the ambush.
• A purple-robed swordsman targeted Pei Ye, and Black Chi abandoned Qiongqi to charge toward him despite another blade wound.
• Black Chi tried to carry Pei Ye away, but Pei Ye’s crimson-gold gaze caused its body to seize up, leaving the swordsman able to slice it open again.

Pei Ye discovered that a vast consciousness had taken control of his body, while Black Chi sacrificed itself to oppose the being. The consciousness consumed Black Chi and a Purple-Robed Man, rapidly growing in power, until a white streak descended toward them.

• Pei Ye realized a consciousness overshadowed his mind and had been influencing his actions since Little Sprout emerged from its seed.
• Black Chi sheltered Pei Ye in a cabin within his mind and explained that the being sought to consume it and grow stronger.
• Black Chi faded away after telling Pei Ye to stay alive and escape if he could.
• The being absorbed Black Chi's corpse, advanced the Meridian Tree to its eighth growth, and then consumed a Purple-Robed Man to reach its ninth growth.
• The being's deep-blue influence spread through the forest, dissolving living things as its power continued to rise.
• A white streak plunged from the night sky toward the being.

Ming Qitian fought the Immortal Lord, who had taken control of Pei Ye, and her sword strokes began clearing the shadow from his Mindscape Realm. As the Immortal Lord relocated into Qiongqi to attack her from behind, Ming Qitian stabbed Pei Ye’s abdomen again, leaving Pei Ye bewildered as Qiongqi raised its claw.

• Ming Qitian pierced Pei Ye with her sword, cutting through the shadow that covered his Mindscape Realm.
• The Immortal Lord used Pei Ye’s body to counterattack, but Ming Qitian entered his Mindscape Realm and continued fighting the shadow with her sword.
• Ming Qitian and the Immortal Lord battled in the forest as she repeatedly stabbed Pei Ye’s abdomen and erased more shadow from his mind.
• The Immortal Lord ordered Qiongqi to devour the Purple-Robed Man, then transferred his will and stolen power into Qiongqi.
• Pei Ye realized the Immortal Lord was attacking Ming Qitian from behind, but she stabbed Pei Ye again as Qiongqi raised its claw at her.

Ming Qitian rescued Pei Ye from Qiongqi and brought him back to Fenghuai, where he reunited with Chang Zhiyuan and Little Chi. Little Chi had transferred their soul into a black cat and promptly grew fond of Ming Qitian.

• Ming Qitian carried Pei Ye away from the battlefield, explaining that she had come because he asked her to save him.
• Qiongqi pursued the wounded Ming Qitian, but Xing Zhi used Zhu Gaoyang's Teleportation Talisman to take all three to a mountain near Fenghuai.
• Pei Ye, Ming Qitian, and Xing Zhi entered Fenghuai before dawn and found Chang Zhiyuan waiting at the County Office.
• Chang Zhiyuan told Pei Ye that Brother Yue and the cat were staying in the rear courtyard, where Pei Ye happily found Little Chi in a black cat's body.
• Little Chi said they were exhausted, then approached Ming Qitian, purred when she scratched their chin, and settled on her lap.

Pei Ye and Xing Zhi recovered with Chang Zhiyuan and Shang Lang after escaping Qiongqi, while Qiongqi’s remains spread through the forest and began transforming its creatures. Elsewhere, the possessed Zhu Gaoyang wandered toward a village courtyard, killed its inhabitants, and was confronted by someone who called his name.

• Pei Ye told Chang Zhiyuan about his journey through the Firewood-Cang Mountains, and Xing Zhi and the Bright Sword Master treated their injuries.
• Qiongqi did not pursue them, and Shang Lang returned with his group, reporting that he had seen a rabbit turn into blue water.
• Qiongqi’s body disintegrated into blue particles that scattered across the forest, infecting creatures including ants and a rabbit.
• Zhu Gaoyang struggled against the Divine Master’s control as Quail Head invaded his Mindscape Realm and drove him toward a destination.
• Zhu Gaoyang entered a secluded courtyard and killed the man and two figures who rushed out to confront him.
• A voice called to Zhu Gaoyang and told him to look at what he had done.

An old man restored Zhu Gaoyang’s human appearance, then released the monstrous power in his heart and sent him toward Fenghuai to seek what his divine master wanted. At the County Office, Xing Zhi warned that the Immortal Lord might attack Fenghuai and demanded Vice Prefect Xu Weizhou fulfill his duty, while Pei Ye left the meeting and found clerks gathered beneath a pear tree.

• The old man showed Zhu Gaoyang a vision of the devastation he could cause, then said he could offer him a chance to escape that fate.
• The old man transformed Zhu Gaoyang’s body and buried the spectral blue substance inside his heart, but then released it and sent Zhu Gaoyang toward Fenghuai under its control.
• Xing Zhi told Xu Weizhou that the awakened seed could grow stronger by devouring people and warned that it might come to Fenghuai.
• Xu Weizhou argued that help from the Divine Capital would arrive soon, but Xing Zhi ordered him to lure Qiongqi away and rebuked him for expecting Sword Master Ming to take his place.
• Pei Ye left the officials and, while carrying hot water across the courtyard, found county and prefectural clerks gathered beneath a pear tree and asked what they were doing.

Pei Ye learned that the Supreme One True Dragon Immortal Lord had descended to destroy an unknown threat, while the old man revealed that he could help Pei Ye obtain Endowed Fortune. The black cat warned that the Immortal Lord would soon destroy everything if he failed to find his target, as the Firewood-Cang Mountains were consumed by a blue catastrophe.

• Pei Ye cared for the old man and asked who had tortured him, promising to kill the culprit someday.
• Pei Ye told the old man that Endowed Fortune could restore a Dantian Seed, and the old man said obtaining the martial art could be done.
• The black cat told Pei Ye that the Immortal Lord had ordered his own descent to destroy an unknown threat and would soon devastate the region if he could not find it.
• The black cat argued that letting the Immortal Lord achieve his goal would be worse than allowing him to destroy all of Bowang Prefecture.
• In the Firewood-Cang Mountains, blue Spores consumed the ecosystem until a decree caused the entire blue domain to melt and gather into one substance.
• The Immortal Platform later discovered the devastation, and officials in the Divine Capital granted two elderly scholars noble ranks and access to the archives.

Pei Ye and the black cat organized a search for an object the Supreme One True Dragon Immortal Lord was pursuing, using strange hosts as clues. As Pei Ye investigated the north bridgehead, Shang Lang intercepted a possessed dog that had stolen something from a jewelry shop.

• The black cat told Pei Ye to follow the movements of the Immortal Lord’s searching hosts and take the object before the Lord arrived.
• Pei Ye reassured the old man, then joined Xing Zhi, Shang Lang, and prefectural experts as they divided Fenghuai into search areas.
• Pei Ye chose the north bridgehead and recognized Uncle Guang walking toward the martial school.
• Shang Lang spotted a girl being dragged into a jewelry shop by a large black dog, which grabbed an object from the display and attacked her.
• Shang Lang caught the dog by its jaws, shielded the girl from its changing form, and offered to pay for the damage.

Xing Zhi and the others compared three clues linked to the creature’s targets, while Pei Ye and the black cat followed another infected host to the martial arts school. Pei Ye stopped Master Huang from interfering as the black cat pursued the host inside, and the chapter ended with the schoolchildren recognizing Pei Ye as the apprentice who had killed a Seventh Growth realm villain.

• Shang Lang killed the spiked dog, took its wooden bead, and learned from the shopkeeper that it was a Yellowwood Dragon-Phoenix Bead.
• Zheng Zhao found the infected old caretaker at the Zhao Family Manor, killed him as he transformed, and took a martial arts book back to the County Office.
• Wang Yunzhang’s target charged Ming Qitian, and Xu Weizhou pinned it down as it began to transform; Ming Qitian returned to the County Office, while Xu Weizhou followed her.
• Xing Zhi considered whether Ming Qitian herself could be the thing the Immortal Lord wanted destroyed, while Black Chi explained that the three clues could point toward a target in different ways.
• Pei Ye and the black cat followed the creature to the martial arts school, where Pei Ye held Master Huang back and the cat went after the straw-hatted host.
• Master Huang told the children that Pei Ye had once been the school’s most gifted apprentice, and they reacted with excitement at recognizing him.

Pei Ye left Master Huang’s home with the manuscript and questioned whether stopping Him justified sacrificing Bowang Prefecture, while Xi Wuchou escaped the Prince of Zhenbei’s torture chamber and chose to spend his remaining strength killing a cruel mistress and servant. At the County Office, Xing Zhi weighed the clues about Ming Qitian and considered sending her away as a way to protect Fenghuai.

• Pei Ye took Master Huang’s copied manuscript, reminded him that officers would handle the room, and left with the black cat; Master Huang found Zhengguang reduced to ash.
• Pei Ye asked the black cat whether stopping Him required sacrificing Bowang Prefecture, and it told him he might see Him that day before urging him to study the manuscript.
• Xi Wuchou used the trace of true qi preserved in his immortal eye to kill his torturer, escape the chamber, and find food and water in a kitchen.
• Xi Wuchou encountered a mistress and servant beating and stabbing a young woman, then killed both with a leaf despite knowing the choice could ruin his chance to escape.
• Xing Zhi studied the bead and booklet at the County Office and considered sending Ming Qitian away to thwart the Immortal Lord’s scheme and protect Fenghuai.

Xing Zhi asked Ming Qitian to take refuge from the approaching enemy, but Ming Qitian calmly chose to stay and fight. When a powerful Frost Wraith attacked, Ming Qitian subdued it, and Xing Zhi realized it was Zhu Gaoyang; Ming Qitian agreed to spare him after sensing that his Mindscape Realm remained.

• Xing Zhi found Ming Qitian reading and urged her to take refuge in the prefectural capital, but Ming Qitian said she would fight whoever she encountered.
• An old man in a wheelchair offered to teach Ming Qitian the state of “Buddha Regards Me,” just as a fierce wind approached.
• Xing Zhi tried to restrain the attacker with spells, but Ming Qitian struck it down with Heart-Slaying Glaze.
• Xing Zhi recognized the powerful Frost Wraith as Zhu Gaoyang and begged Ming Qitian not to kill him.
• Ming Qitian said she had not intended to kill Zhu Gaoyang and that his Mindscape Realm still existed.

Xu Weizhou watched the monster enter Fenghuai, then was caught by a far larger creature that emerged from the forest. The scaled creature absorbed him, leaving his robes and sword behind.

• Xu Weizhou hid on the city wall, planning to avoid danger while still claiming credit for facing the enemy.
• A vicious lizard-like monster leapt onto the gate tower and entered Fenghuai, leaving Xu Weizhou too frightened to follow.
• After waiting without hearing a battle, Xu Weizhou saw a white-robed figure rise into the air.
• A gigantic creature tore through the forest toward the city and seized Xu Weizhou in its scaled claw.
• The creature turned Xu Weizhou into liquid and absorbed him, leaving only his robes and sword.

Ming Qitian confronted the Immortal Lord above Fenghuai and used the Great White sword domain to cut it off from heaven and earth. The Immortal Lord overwhelmed her with one punch, but the chapter ended as the shattered sword domain became a storm of razor-sharp Sword Qi around it.

• The Immortal Lord towered over Fenghuai and prepared to attack the town, but Ming Qitian swept in and struck it with a powerful wind technique to draw it away.
• Ming Qitian activated the Great White sword domain, severing the Immortal Lord from heaven and earth and launching a Commoner's Sword strike.
• The Immortal Lord abandoned its other abilities and charged at Ming Qitian with overwhelming speed.
• Ming Qitian tried to defend herself with Heart-Slaying Glaze, but the Immortal Lord shattered her guard with one punch and sent her crashing through buildings.
• The Immortal Lord prepared to claim Ming Qitian, but the sword domain's fragments remained as countless strands of razor-sharp Sword Qi surrounding it.

Ming Qitian’s sword briefly wounded the Immortal Lord, but he overwhelmed her and unleashed monsters and a storm on Fenghuai. As townspeople fled and Xing Zhi rescued Ming Qitian, Yue Muzhou and Chang Zhiyuan waited at the County Office; the chapter then began describing how Yue understood people through sound.

• Ming Qitian used the hidden Commoner’s Sword to pierce the Immortal Lord’s throat, but he seized the Heart-Slaying Glaze and covered it with dragon frost.
• The Immortal Lord hurled the sword into Ming Qitian, then transformed townspeople into monsters and began destroying Fenghuai with frost, wind, and rain.
• Xing Zhi rescued Ming Qitian from attacking monsters as frightened townspeople ran through the city beneath falling blue flames and black frost.
• At the County Office, Chang Zhiyuan finished organizing Fenghuai’s defenses and sat with the blind Yue Muzhou to wait as the weather turned.
• Yue Muzhou reflected on how he used subtle sounds to interpret people and their feelings.

Pei Ye read the final pages of a story about Xi Wuchou’s escape from Yin City with help from a determined girl. After she sent him downstream, she returned to the city to face danger alongside her mother and little brother.

• Pei Ye focused on a new suspicion as he read the story’s final pages.
• The girl carried the wounded Xi Wuchou through the Prince of Zhenbei Residence and squeezed him through a hidden hole in the courtyard wall.
• When the city gate escape route was sealed, Xi Wuchou used his true qi to carry the girl over the city wall.
• The girl brought Xi Wuchou to the Coldgrass River and put him in a laundry tub to drift downstream.
• Xi Wuchou urged the girl to flee with him, but she returned to Yin City because her mother and little brother remained there.