Recaps

Fire Jiao and Chan Master Wuxiang clashed in a battle between their forces while Qing Chen cultivated in seclusion at Jade Rock Mountain. Su Zixuan then alerted Qing Chen that Tie Ming and Wei Ting had arrived from Great Jin with a Command Token, and he agreed to meet them.

• Fire Jiao and Chan Master Wuxiang summoned their battle formations and used Fortune Talismans to strengthen themselves before their armies collided.
• Fire Jiao threatened to ally Jiaogu Island with the outer-sea demon clans, but Chan Master Wuxiang invoked the Eastern Prince Ji Zhongguang’s past victory over the Red Ao Clan and attacked.
• Qing Chen cultivated in Moro Cave, confident that the conflict among the great powers gave the Demon Lotus Sect time to grow.
• Su Zixuan contacted Qing Chen to report that Tie Ming and Wei Ting had arrived near Cangming Island bearing a Command Token from Heavenly Abyss Pass.
• Qing Chen ordered the Jade Rock Mountain Reception Hall opened and instructed his people to welcome Tie Ming and Wei Ting with the highest honors.

Tie Ming and Wei Ting arrived at Demon Lotus City to meet Qing Chen, who received them with little ceremony. Their reunion ended with Qing Chen remarking that he would be better off if they stayed away.

• Tie Ming and Wei Ting discussed whether Qing Chen would receive them and reflected on their past ties and the marriage agreement.
• Jia Daoyi welcomed them on Qing Chen’s order and guided their ships through Demon Lotus City’s formidable defenses.
• Tie Ming and Wei Ting entered the Guest Reception Hall and were shaken by the pressure of Qing Chen’s cultivation.
• Qing Chen invited them to sit without rising, and the two greeted him as an old friend.
• Qing Chen remarked that he would rather they stayed away so he could be well.

Qing Chen threatened Tie Ming and Wei Ting until Tie Ming revealed that the Nine Netherworlds Ancient Bloodline Contest’s forbidden grounds had appeared in Annan Province and outsiders might enter. Qing Chen welcomed the news, but Tie Ming then brought up Qingyao, and a vast force of divine sense swept across his perception.

• Qing Chen warned Tie Ming and Wei Ting that they would be in danger if their news displeased him.
• Tie Ming offered information about an immense opportunity and revealed that the ancient bloodline grounds had appeared in Annan Province.
• Tie Ming said the Miao Frontier Gu Tribe might let outsiders compete, drawing cultivators and demons from across the region toward Annan Province.
• Qing Chen recognized the value of the news and softened his attitude toward Tie Ming.
• Tie Ming swore he had opposed the Iron Household’s past actions and said Qingyao was still waiting for Qing Chen.
• Tie Ming’s vision blurred as a vast force of divine sense swept across his perception.

Qing Chen accepted Xiao Canglan’s offer to oppose Wu Gui’s plans in the ancient bloodline forbidden land, but said he needed to clear away obstacles first. He ordered Jia Daoyi to assemble sixty thousand Cangming Army troops and prepare treasure ships for a visit to the Vajra Zen Sect.

• Qing Chen silently appeared beside Tie Ming, demonstrated his power, and thanked him for his kindness before returning to the Demon Throne.
• Wei Ting delivered Xiao Canglan’s offer of restored rank and rewards if Qing Chen disrupted Wu Gui’s scheme, along with a warning of consequences if he failed or colluded with Wu Gui.
• Qing Chen judged that Xiao Canglan needed him as a powerful pawn and decided to use the offer to escape the Gouwu Sea’s entanglements.
• Qing Chen agreed to Xiao Canglan’s request on the condition that he first clear away obstacles affecting his household and holdings.
• Qing Chen ordered Jia Daoyi to gather sixty thousand Cangming Army troops and prepare treasure ships for a personal visit to Abbot Hui'an of the Vajra Zen Sect.

Qing Chen led a massive Demon Lotus Sect and Cangming Army fleet toward Vajra Mountain, triggering panic across the Gouwu Sea. The news forced Chan Master Wuxiang and Fire Jiao True Lord to halt their battle as they scrambled to respond to the impending upheaval.

• Qing Chen sailed toward Vajra Spirit Island with more than sixty thousand cultivators, while Tie Ming and Wei Ting worried about the possibility of a decisive battle.
• Scouts spread word that Qing Chen was marching on Vajra Mountain and that Cangming Army forces were moving to encircle it, alarming the region’s sects.
• Fire Jiao True Lord and Chan Master Wuxiang received news of Qing Chen’s advance and stopped fighting.
• Chan Master Wuxiang ordered his forces to retreat, form a defensive formation, contact Abbot Hui'an, and seek help from other powers.
• Chan Master Wuxiang agreed to stop contesting the Red Reef Archipelago, and Fire Jiao True Lord departed to contact Thunder Flood Dragon.

News that Qing Chen was marching on the Vajra Zen Sect sent the Gouwu Sea’s major powers into motion, while Qing Chen told his allies he sought peace rather than slaughter. He left them unconvinced as the forces gathered for a confrontation at Vajra Mountain.

• Sea-Calming True Lord received news of the sixty-thousand-strong army heading for Vajra Mountain and rushed ahead, ordering his forces to hold the Sinking Star Archipelago.
• Heavenly Pool True Lord learned of Qing Chen’s advance and set out for Vajra Mountain with two Nascent Soul puppets.
• Yinji ordered the Blissful Union Tower disciples in the Meixia Archipelago to prepare for battle and sent word to the main tower.
• Yaoyue ordered Yinji to lie low near Vajra Mountain and decided that she and Guanyin would go there to take down Qing Chen.
• Gong Shisan questioned Qing Chen’s decision to confront the Vajra Zen Sect while Penglai Spirit Island remained unsubdued.
• Qing Chen told Gong Shisan, Tie Ming, and Wei Ting that he wanted peace in the Gouwu Sea, though their reactions showed they doubted him.

Qing Chen defended his bloody campaign as a way to bring peace to Gouwu Sea and praised a poem that celebrated his fearsome reputation. At Vajra Mountain, Abbot Hui'an rejected calls to wait for reinforcements and ordered the Vajra Zen Sect to meet Qing Chen’s army in battle.

• Qing Chen claimed that his conquests had stopped greater wars, then laughed at a poem describing him as a savage whose road to heaven was paved with bones.
• Gong Shisan could not identify the poet, while Tie Ming and Wei Ting remained confused about whether Qing Chen intended to fight.
• At Vajra Zen Sect, Chan Master Numu urged Abbot Hui'an to recall Wuxiang’s forces, while other monks argued over whether to wait for allies or confront Qing Chen.
• Hui'an declared that the sect could not let Qing Chen surround Vajra Mountain without damaging its prestige, and ordered fifty thousand Buddhist soldiers and fifty thousand affiliated cultivators to muster.
• Hui'an swept the protesting monks to the ground with spiritual pressure and insisted that the Vajra Zen Sect face its enemy head-on.

Hui'an mobilized the Vajra Zen Sect’s forces and led an eighty-thousand-strong army east to meet Qing Chen’s approaching Demon Lotus Fleet, shocking the Gouwu Sea’s factions. As the fleets neared a decisive clash, Tie Ming and Wei Ting urged Qing Chen to reconsider, but his response remained unclear.

• Hui'an rallied the monks, assigned Yuan Jin to defend Vajra Mountain, and ordered the rest to prepare for battle.
• Fifteen Vajra Treasure Ships and eighty thousand Buddhist soldiers set out east under Hui'an’s command.
• News of the advance spread across the Gouwu Sea, prompting other factions to redirect their forces toward the fleets’ meeting point.
• Tie Ming and Wei Ting warned Qing Chen that fighting Hui'an could endanger their mission and Heavenly Abyss Pass’s relations with the Gouwu Sea.
• Qing Chen glanced at Tie Ming and Wei Ting, leaving them chilled as they waited for his answer.

Qing Chen assembled a two-hundred-thousand-strong fleet and prepared to confront the Vajra Zen Sect’s Main Fleet. After scouting reported that Hui'an’s forces had formed ranks, Qing Chen ordered his army into battle formation as the two fleets closed in.

• Qing Chen told Tie Ming and Wei Ting that Xiao Canglan had sent them as his price for Qing Chen’s aid, then ordered the fleet to maintain formation and prepare for battle.
• Chi Xuntian, Xu Jiuling, Zhaoshenzi, Ye Wushang, Zhao Kun, True Lord Tongyou, True Lord Budong, and Xin Bairen joined Qing Chen’s forces, bringing the Demon Lotus Sect’s strength to two hundred thousand cultivators.
• A Yanluo scout reported that the Vajra Zen Sect’s Main Fleet, led by Hui'an, had been sighted with at least one hundred and fifty thousand cultivators.
• Qing Chen ordered the Battle Hall Ranks to form the Blood Baleful Intent Spirit-Locking Battle Formation and the Cangming Army to deploy its wings in the Arrowhead Formation.
• Qing Chen’s fleet completed its deployment, raising formation flags and readying ballistae, bows, crossbows, and talismans for the coming battle.

Abbot Hui'an gathered the Vajra Zen Sect’s allies to discuss how to face Qing Chen’s approaching army of two hundred thousand. He argued that they had to resist the Demon Lotus Sect’s advance, and the council grew more confident that their Nascent Soul cultivators and Dao soldiers could prevail.

• Sea-Calming True Lord warned Hui'an that Qing Chen was approaching with two hundred thousand cultivators and asked why the Vajra Zen Sect would not use Vajra Spirit Island’s defenses.
• Hui'an described Qing Chen as ruthless and ambitious, arguing that retreat would invite further attacks and citing Mystic Yin Island and Jiaogu Island as warnings.
• Tower Lord Yinji questioned whether their hastily assembled forces could defeat Qing Chen’s veteran army.
• Chan Master Wuxiang and Buddha's Son Wuchen argued that their side held the advantage in Nascent Soul cultivators and Dao soldiers.
• The gathered allies took heart from Wuxiang and Wuchen’s assessment that their elite fighters could overcome Qing Chen’s forces.

Qing Chen’s Demon Lotus Sect fleet and the allied forces led by Abbot Hui'an advanced toward a decisive battle, while their commanders weighed the odds and prepared their formations. After the fleets’ battle formations clashed, Qing Chen and Hui'an faced each other above the sea, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• True Lord Yunwu and True Lord Chonghe warned Abbot Hui'an about Qing Chen and offered Penglai Spirit Island’s Thunder Marsh Sword to whoever killed Ye Wushang.
• Abbot Hui'an reassured the allies that Tower Master Yaoyue could help oppose Qing Chen, then ordered the fleet to form the Lotus Vajra Formation and advance.
• The two fleets closed the distance as their blood-red and golden auras pressed against each other, while Qing Chen asked Tie Ming and Wei Ting which side they thought would win.
• The Vajra Zen Sect’s Vajra Demon-Breaking Drum struck the Demon Lotus Sect’s Blood Baleful Intent Spirit-Locking Battle Formation, and their collision tore open a vast trench in the sea.
• As the fleets came within one thousand li, Qing Chen and Hui'an rose above their respective forces and faced each other.

Hui'an used the Vajra Zen Sect’s Heart-Questioning Brahma Sound to accuse Qing Chen of repaying the sect’s kindness with an attack, trying to break his Dao heart. Qing Chen steadied himself with the Demon Seed Golden Lotus and answered with a challenge to Hui'an’s understanding of the Dao.

• Hui'an invoked the Heart-Questioning Brahma Sound and reminded Qing Chen that Wuchen had named him, helping him gain his opportunity to rise.
• Hui'an recalled the Vajra Zen Sect’s protection of Qing Chen in Qiongzhou and its support for the Demon Lotus Sect, intensifying the spiritual pressure on Qing Chen.
• Hui'an accused Qing Chen of leading two hundred thousand troops against Vajra Mountain, and his final rebuke shook the Demon Lotus Platform and blasted open the sea below.
• Qing Chen released the source power of the Demon Seed Golden Lotus, stabilized his Demon Lotus Platform, and challenged Hui'an’s view of cultivation before insulting him.

Qing Chen shattered Hui'an’s Heart-Questioning Brahma Sound with his Demon Lotus Platform and Lawless Devil Aspect, rallying the Demon Lotus Fleet to fight. The rival factions weighed their own ambitions as Chan Master Wuxiang stopped two Penglai True Lords from fleeing before battle.

• Qing Chen recited his old enemy’s words, resisted Hui’an’s spiritual attack, and summoned a towering Lawless Devil Aspect.
• The Demon Lotus cultivators shook off the Buddhist chanting and roared their support for Qing Chen, while his demonic power scattered Hui’an’s spell.
• Hui’an recognized that Qing Chen’s divine sense and Demon Lotus Platform had thwarted his attempt to weaken the young cultivator.
• Yaoyue resolved to kill Qing Chen, Yinji planned to drain his cultivation, and the Guanyin Tower Master felt pride in his defiance.
• Wuchen, the Sea-Calming True Lord, and Old Man Tianchi each considered Qing Chen’s growing strength in light of their own interests.
• True Lords Yunwu and Chonghe tried to flee, but Chan Master Wuxiang ordered them to remain in place.

The Vajra Zen Sect and the Demon Lotus Sect deployed thirty-thousand-soldier battle formations to fight over Golden Scale Island. Their first clash ended nearly evenly, while Wuchen and Ye Wushang began dueling above the battlefield.

• Abbot Hui'an ordered Buddha's Son Wuchen to lead the Vajra Demon-Subduing Army and form the Eightfold Vajra Protector Battle Formation.
• Qing Chen sent Ye Wushang to lead thirty thousand Battle Hall Elite Forces and Xin Bairen to direct their battle formation.
• Wuxin Dharma Master and Xin Bairen unleashed their formations against each other, and the Eight-Armed Vajra and blood lotus clashed nearly evenly.
• Qing Chen reconsidered Xin Bairen as a possible recipient of his last Nascent Soul Formation Pill after seeing his command of the battle formation.
• Wuchen and Ye Wushang engaged in combat, with Ye Wushang thrusting his Azure Nether Sword toward the point between Wuchen's brows.

Ye Wushang and Wuchen clashed in the sky while Xin Bairen’s aggressive command overwhelmed the Vajra Zen Sect’s formations and inflicted heavy losses. As the battle turned against Wuchen’s side, Ye Wushang gained the advantage with thunder-infused swordsmanship, and Wuchen resolved that he could not afford to lose.

• Wuchen resisted Ye Wushang’s sword strikes with his Vajra Womb Realm and used the Prajna Boruo Seal to counterattack, briefly pushing Ye Wushang back.
• Xin Bairen directed the Demon Lotus Sect’s forces through rapid formation changes while Wuxin Dharma Master struggled to respond in time.
• Xin Bairen exploited a gap in the Eight-Armed Vajra Formation and empowered a ghost-head saber strike, killing more than two hundred Buddhist soldiers.
• Chan Master Numu prepared to intervene, but Hui'an told him to let Wuchen temper himself through the battle.
• With Xin Bairen’s fortune empowerment, Ye Wushang incorporated Thunder Marsh Sword Intent into his Sword Path laws and pressed Wuchen harder.
• Wuchen sensed his side’s fortune weakening and resolved that he could not lose to Ye Wushang.

Ye Wushang and Wuchen fought evenly until Ye Wushang rejected the battlefield fortune that could have won him the duel, then challenged Wuchen to continue fighting away from the battlefield. As the two peerless prodigies battled in the heavens, Wuxin focused on holding the Demon Lotus Army’s formation while Xin Bairen waited for their fight to decide the conflict.

• Wuchen unleashed his Jialan Immortality Body and fought Ye Wushang’s Azure Nether Sword Domain with his golden body.
• Xin Bairen used a High-Grade Fortune Talisman to channel fortune power to Ye Wushang, who formed a powerful azure-purple sword gang.
• Ye Wushang cut off much of the fortune power and weakened his strike, driving Wuchen into the ground without seriously injuring him.
• Ye Wushang challenged Wuchen to a fair duel away from the battlefield, and Wuchen followed him into the heavens.
• The two fought a thousand li from the battlefield as cultivators watched their clashing sword and Buddhist lights.
• Wuxin concentrated on defending with the Vajra Demon-Subduing Formation while Xin Bairen recognized that he was stalling for the duel’s outcome.

Xin Bairen drove the Demon Lotus army into a desperate assault on Wuxin’s Buddhist formation, using suicidal tactics to exploit its weak points. As Wuxin gathered the formation’s power at its core, Xin Bairen led three thousand elites in a blood-fueled charge straight at the Vajra Wall.

• Xin Bairen changed the Demon Lotus army’s tactics, sending scattered units to attack the Buddhist formation’s nodes while the right wing undermined its foundations with yin-thunder.
• Demon Lotus cultivators tore through breaches in the Buddhist light and attacked the formation’s defenders, while Wuxin struggled to repair its weakened points.
• Xin Bairen abandoned defense and led three thousand elites in an arrowhead assault toward the Buddhist formation’s core.
• Xin Bairen invoked the Ape-Demon Transformation and burned his essence blood as his troops poured their power into the charge.
• Wuxin gathered the Buddhist formation’s light into a massive Vajra Wall, and Xin Bairen’s blood-colored force crashed into it.

The Demon Lotus Army broke into the Buddhist formation after Xin Bairen damaged its base, but Yuan Chen and Yinji moved to kill him. Heavenly Shu True Lord and Fire Jiao True Lord arrived in time to stop their attack, and Qing Chen unleashed his killing intent as he faced them.

• Xin Bairen feinted against Wuxin's pagoda and smashed a bronze formation base, weakening the Vajra Battle Formation.
• The Demon Lotus Army charged through the breach and fought the Buddhist Soldiers in a brutal melee.
• Yuan Chen attacked Xin Bairen with a Grotto-Heaven Fist while Yinji sealed off his escape with rosy ribbons.
• Heavenly Shu True Lord and Fire Jiao True Lord arrived and their Purple Frost Sword Gang deflected Yuan Chen and Yinji's attacks.
• Qing Chen's killing intent surged as he prepared to confront Yuan Chen and Yinji.

Qing Chen attacked Yuan Chen and Yinji with the Xun Wind Banner and Purple Mansion Thunder Cauldron, forcing Hui'an to intervene with a supreme-grade Buddhist treasure. Yaoyue arrived to shield Yinji, and the chapter ended with Qing Chen challenging her to fight.

• Qing Chen unleashed a wind-and-lightning strike against Yuan Chen and Yinji, overwhelming their defenses.
• Abbot Hui'an used the Vajra Heavenly Dragon Seal to protect Yuan Chen and Yinji, then raised the Three-Crossing Buddhist Prayer Beads to defend himself and the flagship.
• Qing Chen summoned six White Bone Demon Mara Banners, including the supreme-grade Di Jiang Demon Banner, and Hui'an recognized the danger they posed.
• Yaoyue appeared between Qing Chen and the lingering attack, then displayed the Taiyin Su-nü Silk and Thousand-Illusion Cold Moon Wheel.
• Qing Chen asked Yaoyue if she wanted to try fighting him.

Qing Chen cowed the allied forces with his strength, then claimed his two hundred thousand Demon Lotus Sect cultivators had come only to drill with the Cangming Army. His explanation left the Vajra Zen Sect and its allies bewildered and furious, while the threatened battle paused.

• Yaoyue sensed Qing Chen’s power and the Di Jiang Banner, then called Yinji back to the flagship and ordered her to stand down.
• The allied True Lords and Abbot Hui'an reconsidered their chances against Qing Chen’s forces and six demon banners.
• Qing Chen withdrew the banners and told Yaoyue and Hui'an that he had no intention of fighting them to the death.
• Qing Chen announced that the Demon Lotus Sect’s voyage was a joint battle formation drill with the Cangming Army to prepare for future threats.
• The Demon Lotus Sect and Cangming Army were relieved by his announcement, while the opposing leaders felt misled and the Vajra Zen monks grew furious.

Qing Chen accused the allied sects of provoking the conflict, then proposed the Golden Scale Pact to establish peace and recognize the Demon Lotus Sect as one of the Upper Eight Cave Spirit Islands. He revealed that Tie Ming and Wei Ting represented Heavenly Abyss Pass and Spirit Venerable Xiao, shocking the opposing army.

• Qing Chen condemned the Vajra Zen Sect and its allies for their attacks, while sparing Yuan Chen and Yinji from having their souls extracted because of their sects’ past aid to the Demon Lotus Sect.
• Qing Chen blamed the region’s turmoil on infighting and called for the leaders to form an alliance for peace.
• Guanyin Tower Master asked how Qing Chen planned to secure peace, and Qing Chen proposed the Golden Scale Pact.
• Qing Chen demanded that the Demon Lotus Sect replace Penglai Spirit Island among the Upper Eight Cave Spirit Islands and offered mutual nonaggression and joint defense against foreign enemies.
• Qing Chen brought Tie Ming and Wei Ting forward and revealed that they were emissaries bearing Heavenly Abyss Pass Command Tokens with authority from Spirit Venerable Xiao.

Qing Chen used his strength and Spirit Venerable Xiao’s decree to pressure the Golden Scale Sea Region’s powers into accepting the Demon Lotus Sect’s standing, leaving the rival forces silent. Ye Wushang and Wuchen then arrived after a fierce battle, both having advanced, and Qing Chen asked if they were done fighting.

• Qing Chen invoked Spirit Venerable Xiao’s order to defend Annan Province and threatened anyone who undermined the Demon Lotus Sect with retaliation from Heavenly Abyss Pass and his forces.
• Abbot Hui'an and Grand Tower Master Yaoyue recognized Qing Chen’s layered strategy, which had used military strength, battlefield pressure, and the Immortal Dynasty’s authority to pursue the Golden Scale Pact.
• The assembled cultivators fell silent as Qing Chen’s show of force and appeal to Heavenly Abyss Pass made open opposition to the Demon Lotus Sect dangerous.
• Ye Wushang and Wuchen arrived from the east and clashed, revealing that both had reached the nascent soul early stage peak and advanced their respective Laws.
• Ye Wushang and Wuchen traded taunts and prepared to resume their duel, ignoring the tense gathering below, until Qing Chen asked whether they were done fighting.

Ye Wushang and Wuchen returned from their breakthrough battle to find Qing Chen had proposed Abbot Hui'an as Alliance Leader at the Golden Scales Alliance Meeting. Qing Chen then exposed a hidden watcher, who emerged as a towering, black-armored man radiating overwhelming spear intent.

• Ye Wushang and Wuchen reported their breakthroughs to their masters and realized the assembled factions had stopped preparing to fight.
• Qing Chen proposed appointing Abbot Hui'an as Alliance Leader to unite the Gouwu Sea.
• Qing Chen called out to a hidden watcher five hundred li away, startling the gathered Nascent Soul cultivators.
• A towering man in black armor stepped through a tear in space, his manifested spear intent making the sea sink around him.

Yue Hanshan intervened in the Gouwu Sea conflict, invoking Heavenly Abyss Pass’s authority to end the fighting and establish the Golden Scale Pact under Hui'an. Hui'an refused to accept the settlement, leaving Yue Hanshan confronting him as tensions rose again.

• Yue Hanshan revealed himself and rebuked Qing Chen for launching an unauthorized war, while Qing Chen defended his actions as preparations for defending the coast.
• Tie Ming and Wei Ting reluctantly confirmed Qing Chen's account when Yue Hanshan questioned them.
• Yue Hanshan ordered the fighting to end and declared that Hui'an would lead the Golden Scale Pact, with Heavenly Abyss Pass witnessing the agreement.
• The Sea-Calming True Lord, Old Man Tianchi, and most allied forces supported Yue Hanshan's proposal, while Tower Master Yaoyue remained silent.
• Hui'an refused to accept the settlement, prompting Yue Hanshan to demand whether he opposed it.

Hui'an refused Yue Hanshan's demand to withdraw until Heavenly Abyss Pass offered compensation for the Vajra Zen Sect's losses. He then demanded a place in the Nine Netherworlds Ancient Bloodline undertaking and a bout with Qing Chen that would determine the Demon Lotus Sect's standing and freedom to expand.

• Hui'an challenged Yue Hanshan's withdrawal order by citing the Vajra Zen Sect's enormous expenditures and the deaths of eight thousand elite soldiers.
• Qing Chen backed Hui'an's refusal to yield and raised six White Bone Demon Mara Banners, creating a three-way standoff.
• Yue Hanshan offered spirit stones, Healing Pills, spirit rice, and Fortune Talismans for Hui'an and the Demon Lotus Sect to distribute after the Golden Scale Pact was established.
• Hui'an deemed the compensation sufficient but demanded participation in the Nine Netherworlds Ancient Bloodline undertaking.
• Hui'an challenged Qing Chen to a bout, offering recognition of the Demon Lotus Sect's Upper Eight Caves position and deputy alliance leadership if Qing Chen held out.
• Hui'an demanded Qing Chen's place in the undertaking, the disbandment of the Cangming Army, and a thousand-year ban on the Demon Lotus Sect's expansion if Qing Chen failed.