Chapter Summaries

Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang escaped Mirage City's Wind Envoys, but Zhu Gaoyang was badly wounded and infected with a strange growth. After Pei Ye purged the poison, water demons tracked them to the riverbank, leaving them trapped and unsure where to seek refuge.

• Zhu Gaoyang used his art to escape the Wind Envoys with Pei Ye, taking a spear wound as they vanished into a river.
• Pei Ye treated Zhu Gaoyang's wound with Qilin Flame and removed the poison, but discovered strange flesh growths fused into Zhu Gaoyang's body.
• Water demons emerged around them, and Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang realized the creatures were tracking the growth and were controlled by Mirage City.
• Pei Ye suggested finding the Feather Inspectors, but Zhu Gaoyang said they were scattered and might also want them dead.

Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang fought three Mirage City envoys, including Yang Juhu, whose uncanny shared flesh-and-blood connection disrupted Zhu Gaoyang’s swordplay. Pei Ye and Black Chi were overwhelmed by the Jue River Envoy, while Zhu Gaoyang fell into the water after calling for Pei Ye to endure one last strike.

• Zhu Gaoyang explained that he and Pei Ye were drawing Mirage City’s attention to undermine its authority and disrupt the Feast.
• Yang Juhu revealed his identity and attacked Zhu Gaoyang alongside the Feng River Envoy, while the Jue River Envoy engaged Pei Ye.
• Zhu Gaoyang’s sword attack was disrupted by a strange resonance with Yang Juhu and the Feng River Envoy, who seemed to share one body.
• The Jue River Envoy overwhelmed Pei Ye, and Black Chi took repeated blows while shielding him.
• Pei Ye shouted that Zhu Gaoyang had told him to endure four strikes, and Zhu Gaoyang answered that he needed to hold out for one last strike.
• Zhu Gaoyang fell into the water.

Zhu Gaoyang endured the Wind Envoys’ coordinated assault and released the Dragon Heart’s power by shifting the Five-Organ Barrier, turning the battle around. He and Pei Ye struck together at the Jue River Envoy, leaving the envoy’s fate in the balance as Pei Ye’s sword swept toward his neck.

• Yang Juhu and the Feng River Envoy wounded Zhu Gaoyang and drove him close to defeat beneath the water.
• Zhu Gaoyang recalled Dongting’s Five-Organ Barrier and moved it outward, unleashing the Dragon Heart’s power while containing its spread.
• Zhu Gaoyang broke from the water and charged the Jue River Envoy as Yang Juhu and the Feng River Envoy moved to protect him.
• The three Wind Envoys coordinated their attacks, forcing Zhu Gaoyang to abandon his killing thrust and defend himself.
• Zhu Gaoyang used [National Elegy] · [First Separation] to draw the Jue River Envoy’s attention, giving Pei Ye an opening to slash at the envoy’s neck.

Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang defeated Yang Juhu and the Feng River Envoy, then rested together while Zhu Gaoyang helped Pei Ye untangle his feelings for Piao Qing and another woman. Pei Ye revealed that the second woman was Li Xizhou, Xu Chuo, Her Highness Jinyang.

• Zhu Gaoyang and Pei Ye fought alongside one another until Zhu Gaoyang killed Yang Juhu and the Feng River Envoy.
• Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang recovered beneath a rock, and Pei Ye worried that he had developed feelings for someone else while apart from Piao Qing.
• Zhu Gaoyang told Pei Ye that affection could fade and return naturally, easing Pei Ye's shame and confusion.
• Pei Ye explained that he had been searching for a woman who had left after hugging him, and asked whether someone who liked him would hide things from him.
• Zhu Gaoyang asked who had caught Pei Ye's eye, and Pei Ye identified her as Li Xizhou, Xu Chuo, Her Highness Jinyang.

Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang discussed Li Xizhou’s guarded heart and the aftermath of defeating the Azure Wind Envoys, then encountered the Water Master at the river. The Water Master gave Pei Ye a small horn-shaped object before disappearing into the Spirit Realm.

• Zhu Gaoyang explained that Li Xizhou had been hurt by the losses of her family and closest friend, and urged Pei Ye to take more steps toward her instead of expecting her to reveal everything.
• Pei Ye decided to forgive Li Xizhou, though he resolved to act stern when they next met, and he and Zhu Gaoyang examined the three dead assassins.
• Zhu Gaoyang said the Azure Wind Envoys across the Eight Waters had been wiped out and that the Feather Inspectors would investigate Mirage City’s plans and its efforts to obtain [White Water].
• Pei Ye suspected the assassins had been altered by flesh that could possess people and compared the method to those used by Joy-in-Death Tower.
• The Water Master emerged from the river and gave Pei Ye a warm, smooth, finger-length horn-shaped object before withdrawing into the water with the Spirit Realm.

Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang reached Willow Town on their way to the Divine Capital and caught up on news of the approaching Feather-Scale Trial. Over dinner, they learned that the Eight Waters had closed its waterways for a Water Lord’s ascension, while the Qilin Blood Test made everyone wary of speaking openly.

• Pei Ye teased Zhu Gaoyang by claiming Black Cat disliked him because his hair was too long.
• At an inn in Willow Town, Pei Ye discussed swordsmanship with Little Cloud Mountain’s disciples and explained how Xudao Mountain’s sword differed from Yunlang’s.
• Zhu Gaoyang identified the sects arriving for the Feather-Scale Trial and told Pei Ye about news from the Jianghu.
• Dian Cang travelers said boats had vanished from the Lao River, and a Taihang disciple explained that the Eight Waters were feasting the Water Masters and forbidding boats to sail.
• A Daoist disciple said the feast marked a Water Lord’s ascension, and Zhu Gaoyang mentioned the Qilin Blood Test, ending the conversation.

Pei Ye read the National Gazette’s coverage of the coming Feather-Scale Trial and discussed Crane and Teal List contenders with the heroes gathered at the inn. A black-cloaked woman joined him and Zhu Gaoyang’s table to share the gazette, while the reports revealed major contenders arriving in the Divine Capital.

• Zhu Gaoyang bought the National Gazette after Pei Ye tried to share the cost, and Pei Ye read its announcement that Great Tang would select its successor in April.
• Pei Ye read the Feather-Scale Trial coverage and corrected a Jingming Daoist’s description of Yan Feiqing’s swordsmanship.
• A man and a black-cloaked woman entered the inn, ordered food, and sat at Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang’s table.
• The heroes discussed the pre-trial register as the Gazette reported that Li Zhi had mastered the Heaven-Qilin-Book of Changes and was expected to rank fourth.
• The black-cloaked woman asked Pei Ye to share the Gazette, and the group read predictions that Qun Fei could rise from sixth to fifth on the Teal List.

Pei Ye discovered that the National Gazette ranked him third on the Teal List, prompting astonishment throughout the hall as he quietly questioned the prediction. Meanwhile, Zhu Gaoyang identified the reserved man at their table as He Miao of Xudao Mountain.

• Pei Ye read the Gazette’s entries on Yan Feiqing and explained that Yan’s sword style pursued completeness rather than charging straight ahead.
• The hall fell silent when the Gazette ranked Pei Ye third, citing his past victories and predicting that he could defeat anyone in the Teal List’s top ten.
• Those present recognized Pei Ye as the swordsman who had killed Qiu Tianyu with Yan Feiqing and shattered Li Zhi’s Heaven-Qilin-Book of Changes with one strike.
• Pei Ye and Black Cloak discussed whether his predicted third-place ranking was too high without more victories to prove it.
• Zhu Gaoyang guessed that the quiet man at their table was He Miao of Xudao Mountain, and the man confirmed his identity.

Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang’s public campaign against the Eight Waters’ Azure Wind Envoys ended with all six Envoys beheaded, and news of their actions spread through the Jianghu. Riding west to learn how the river gangs had responded, they found the docks had burned their bait, but a Sky-Connecting Dock member hinted that something remained unresolved.

• Pei Ye and He Yaoyao discussed the National Gazette before she and He Jiu departed, and Zhu Gaoyang teased Pei Ye about meeting another young lady.
• The Gazette’s report naming Pei Ye as a candidate for third place and associating him with Jinyang stirred rumors in the Divine Capital about his role in the Eight Waters.
• Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang killed the remaining Azure Wind Envoys, bringing the total to six and spreading word that Pei Ye intended to take every Envoy’s head.
• The Immortal Platform’s Feather Inspectors arrived as river gangs burned their bait and the seven-day ban on leaving the water was lifted.
• Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang rode west to question Sky-Connecting Dock members, who said the docks had burned their bait but were still discussing the Water Lord Ascension.

Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang rode to Wei River Fort after learning it was under Mirage City's control and still carrying out its sacrifice. They met Heavenly Mountain and Immortal Platform forces assembled to seal off the fort, while the mist-shrouded boats remained ahead on the river.

• Zhu Gaoyang and Pei Ye discussed why Wei River Fort continued its sacrifice and concluded that the rite might be a means rather than a complete ritual.
• A Soul Bird delivered Zhang Siche's report confirming that Wei River Fort was under Mirage City's control and identifying its Vermilion-Clad Figure as a possible Sky Tower.
• Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang rode upstream and heard that a huge Water Master had supposedly emerged from the river.
• The two inspectors approached the silent ships in the mist and decided to investigate the fort directly.
• Shi Zanxue arrived with Heavenly Mountain disciples, Feather Inspectors, and He Changge, and reported that six hundred men and fifty-three Feather Inspectors were ready to seal off Wei River Fort.

Heavenly Mountain searched the Wei River Fort, but Dou Xiang and four hall masters tried to block the fleet until Nie Shangheng defeated them in a swift, deadly sword attack. After the clash, Pei Ye reflected on Li’s absence as Nie stood before the mist-shrouded ships.

• Shi Zanxue ordered Heavenly Mountain’s disciples to seize the Wei River Fort’s boats and search them, while Pei Ye noticed water demons feeding on the bait.
• Dou Xiang and four hall masters stopped the approaching boats and threatened to resist Heavenly Mountain.
• Nie Shangheng ordered them to move aside, severed the river with one sword stroke, and killed Dou Xiang and the four hall masters.
• Pei Ye and Zhu Gaoyang discussed Nie’s swordsmanship, and Pei Ye teased Zhu about his standing on the Crane List.
• Shi Zanxue explained that Li had returned to the capital, leaving Pei Ye to wonder whether she had gone to avoid seeing him.
• Nie stood before the five large ships as the boats resumed their advance through the rain and mist.

The Vermilion-Clad Figure killed Nie Shangheng and appeared beside Pei Ye, threatening to cut his throat. Xiao Tuo pulled Pei Ye out of the way and struck the figure with Flying Light, leaving him wounded and visibly aged.

• Nie Shangheng used Heavenly Tides to destroy the Wei River Water Fort’s ships and expose a huge supernatural creature and the Vermilion-Clad Figure.
• The Vermilion-Clad Figure struck Nie Shangheng with the creature’s scaled tail and killed him with a sword stroke.
• The Vermilion-Clad Figure appeared before Pei Ye and held a blade to his throat as time seemed to rewind around them.
• Xiao Tuo pulled Pei Ye back three inches, saving him from the blade at his neck.
• Xiao Tuo struck the Vermilion-Clad Figure with Flying Light, wounding him and turning his hair gray and white.

Zhao Lingjun’s attempt to kill Pei Ye was thwarted by Li He, who joined Nie Shangheng to overpower him. Zhao revealed that the preparations for Water Lord Ascension would continue, then the Water Masters rose toward the sky as their scales began to melt.

• Zhao Lingjun’s Heart Sword failed to kill Pei Ye, and Li He was revealed as the man who had intervened.
• Li He and Nie Shangheng trapped Zhao Lingjun with Intent Swords and the Heavenly Mountain Profound Formation.
• Li He defeated Zhao Lingjun with the Intent Sword he named “False Dragon’s Cry.”
• Zhao Lingjun told Pei Ye that the preparations for Water Lord Ascension would continue, then the crimson Water Master ate him.
• The Tiger Flood Dragon’s remains rose with the two Water Masters as rain poured down and their scales began to melt.

After the rain erased the Water Masters and all evidence of their battle, Pei Ye discovered that everyone else had forgotten they ever existed. He insisted that Zhu Gaoyang had once learned about the Spirit Realm from him, but Zhu Gaoyang no longer remembered even which princess Pei Ye meant.

• The rain washed away the flood dragons, scaled fiends, and signs of battle, while the group found that Zhao Lingjun could no longer be sensed.
• Zhu Gaoyang gathered reports showing that heavy rain had fallen across the Eight Waters and the Capital Region, and Li He suspected [White Water] had used the Mirage Realm's power.
• Pei Ye found that the five ships had been restored and Nie Shangheng had no wounds or memory of fighting the Water Masters.
• Pei Ye told Zhu Gaoyang and the others what had happened, but they remembered no Water Masters and insisted the Spirit Realm had only existed in legends.
• Pei Ye angrily reminded Zhu Gaoyang that he had explained the Spirit Realm's three principles five days earlier and that Her Highness had entered it, but Zhu Gaoyang asked which Highness he meant.

Pei Ye returned to Divine Capital and questioned people about whether Her Highness Jinyang had changed, but everyone remembered her as before. He confronted Jinyang and learned she considered her identity fabricated, then left without a formal farewell.

• Pei Ye rode to Divine Capital after Black Cat confirmed she remembered, then asked Qi Zhaohua whether Xu Chuo had sent any messages.
• Qi Zhaohua said Xu Chuo and Her Highness were the same person, while Pei Ye insisted he meant someone else.
• Pei Ye asked Yuan Zhao and Li Xianfang whether Jinyang had seemed different, but neither recognized any change.
• Pei Ye told Jinyang she was a stand-in and asked who had held her identity seven days earlier.
• Jinyang said she had always assumed the fabricated identity and suggested Pei Ye ask Li Jian for more information.
• Pei Ye left Vermilion Mirror Hall without a parting salute, telling Li Xianfang that his relationship with Jinyang made one unnecessary.

After the rain erased Li Xizhou from the Divine Capital, Pei Ye sought help from Li Jian and was summoned into Lu Wu’s dream gathering. There, the gathered strange beasts linked the disappearances and vanishing memories to the authority of [White Water], leaving them to investigate whether the Mirage Realm itself was contracting.

• Pei Ye told Li Xianfang that he had shared a carriage and a roof with Li Xizhou, then waited outside the palace before searching the National Gazette for a trace of her story.
• Pei Ye visited Li Jian at the Immortal Platform, learned that Li Jian also could not remember Li Xizhou, and accepted a feather that transported him into a dream.
• Lu Wu summoned Shengyu, Yingzhao, and Jiao to discuss the Water Masters’ disappearance and the world’s gradual forgetting of Li Xizhou.
• Pei Ye recounted the battle on the Wei River and the widespread erasure of the Water Masters and Li Xizhou from memories and records.
• Jiao explained that Zhao Lingjun had escaped using his ability to gather and scatter, while Shengyu and Yingzhao discussed how the rain was gradually washing away memories.
• Yingzhao identified the cause as the authority of [White Water], and proposed investigating whether everything from the Mirage Realm had disappeared as the realm contracted.

Pei Ye learned that the Mirage Dragon had awakened as White Water and entered the Western Court to search for Li Xizhou. He found Yong Ji, who admitted he had trapped her and offered to trade her life for the Heart of the Western Court or the Shenxing Authority, but Pei Ye refused.

• Yingzhao and Lu Wu concluded that the awakened White Water had sealed the Spirit Realm and that Li Xizhou might have vanished because of her Mirage Blood or another unknown cause.
• Yingzhao advised Pei Ye to search the Heart of the Western Court for Yong Ji, while Lu Wu left to investigate the Mirage Dragon Burial Site.
• Pei Ye entered the Western Court and found Yong Ji at Zui Star Hall, surrounded by the White Water Immortal Authority.
• Yong Ji said he had trapped Li Xizhou in the Spirit Realm and offered to spare her in exchange for the Heart of the Western Court or the Shenxing Authority.
• Pei Ye rejected Yong Ji's bargain, threatened to destroy the King of Yan's Residence, and left the cliff while Yong Ji concluded that he had not yet found a way into the Mirage Realm.

Pei Ye searched for a way into the sealed Spirit Realm at Dragon Lake, where Li Xizhou was trapped and Yong Ji remained inside. His attempts failed, leaving negotiation with Yong Ji as perhaps his only way to affect events within the realm.

• Pei Ye learned from Li Jian that the Spirit Realm had closed at Dragon Lake, then searched Mirage City records for a way to enter.
• Pei Ye and Black Cat reasoned that he might imitate Yong Ji’s connection to White Water and tried to alter records and perform sacrifices, but the plan failed.
• Pei Ye tried using Xiye’s mermaid features to reach the Mirage Realm, but none worked, and he sent her away with Zhang Piaoxu.
• Pei Ye followed an ancient method for seeking the Spirit Realm by eating Cold Abyss fish and spending the night alone on a boat in Dragon Lake.
• Pei Ye watched the rain and recalled how the Divine Capital’s links to the Mirage Realm had disappeared, concluding that he might have to negotiate with Yong Ji.

Pei Ye tried to find a way into the fading Mirage Realm so he could reach Li Xizhou, but every attempt had failed. After swallowing shavings of the Water Master’s white rhinoceros horn brought no useful effect, he accepted that his search might be the only thing separating him from a world that had already moved on, yet vowed to keep trying.

• Pei Ye explained that the Mirage Realm’s fading had severed the connections that once let mortals enter it, and he decided to test the white rhinoceros horn as his last remaining lead.
• Pei Ye cut off most of the horn, filed it into a pot, and drank the resulting mixture while Zhu Gaoyang visited and invited him to a sword banquet.
• Pei Ye felt no change after drinking the mixture, though Endowed Fortune consumed it and the Meridian Tree grew stronger.
• Zhu Gaoyang left, and Pei Ye reflected that the world carried on unaware of the vanished Mirage Realm and the missing woman he sought.
• Pei Ye concluded that entering the Spirit Realm from outside was impossible without a connection to it, but told Black Cat he would keep trying.

Pei Ye discovered that the blood ribbon linking him to Li Xizhou let him find a way back into the sealed Spirit Realm. He followed the ribbon through the fading realm, consuming the blossoms it left behind, and continued toward two immense trees with no response from Li Xizhou.

• Pei Ye saw the blood ribbon extending from his wrist into the lake and realized it connected him to Li Xizhou.
• Pei Ye burned the rhinoceros horn, glimpsed the Spirit Realm beneath the water, and leaped into it.
• Pei Ye fought off the Scale Demons and absorbed their remains, confirming that Mirage City had filled the realm with controlled creatures containing human flesh and blood.
• Pei Ye followed the ribbon to an apricot-shaped knot, swallowed the Goddess of the Luo River Wood Peach blossom it became, and regained his senses in the Spirit Realm.
• Pei Ye followed the ribbon onward, consuming another blossom as the realm faded, then approached two enormous trees without receiving any sign from Li Xizhou.