Recaps

Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi discussed Ancestor Sikong’s plans for the Dragon Boat Festival and the possibility that Witch Ancestor Yuan Zhi could return as a powerful puppet. Their conversation turned into an interrupted attempt at seduction, and Xie Jinhuan was left preparing to go to Chi Dragon Cave with Empress Dowager Guo.

• Xie Jinhuan woke beside Lin Wanyi and Linghu Qingmo, then went outside when Ye Yunchi called for him.
• Ye Yunchi brought Xie Jinhuan to her room and asked about Ancestor Sikong’s plans for the Dragon Boat Festival.
• Ye Yunchi connected Chi Dragon Cave’s location to Spirit Dew Valley and warned that Witch Ancestor Yuan Zhi might have become a durable puppet.
• Ye Yunchi tried to seduce Xie Jinhuan while searching for a book, but Empress Dowager Guo arrived and reminded him they were going to Chi Dragon Cave.
• Xie Jinhuan reassured Ye Yunchi that Empress Dowager Guo had not seen anything, then prepared to leave on their business.

Xie Jinhuan arrived at Chi Dragon Cave and ordered Sikong Tianyuan's sect dissolved, but Sikong Xuanyue accepted the sentence and had the Patriarch Hall burned. Xie left after noticing signs of a hidden observer, while the Nether God Sect's protectors waited underground for his expected attack.

• Xie Jinhuan came to Chi Dragon Cave, accused Sikong Tianyuan of colluding with the Demon Path, and announced the sect's dissolution and the confiscation of its holdings.
• Sikong Xuanyue accepted the sentence, asked for a few days to notify the disciples, and ordered the elders to burn the Patriarch Hall.
• Empress Dowager Guo and the others watched from outside the valley as Chi Dragon Cave's disciples witnessed the hall burn without Sikong Tianyuan appearing.
• Coal Ball and Ye Hongshang detected a puppet observing the fire, and Xie Jinhuan warned Chi Dragon Cave to settle its affairs before he vanished.
• Underground, Zou Wu and Zhenshan Kui discussed their plan with their cloaked leader and prepared to guard the proceedings, expecting Xie Jinhuan to find them.

Xie Jinhuan and the Goddess of War tracked the Rabbit Spirit to Witch Ancestor Yuan Zhi’s tomb, where they discovered Sikong Shitang’s preserved body and learned how his final wishes had helped set Sikong Tianyuan on his current path. They resolved to confront Mao Chunniang and stop Sikong Tianyuan’s final gamble.

• Xie Jinhuan and the Goddess of War followed the Rabbit Spirit underground and found an entrance to a patriarch-level ruin.
• Xie Jinhuan and the Goddess of War entered Witch Ancestor Yuan Zhi’s tomb and found a cloaked figure beside a fire in the main chamber.
• The Goddess of War recognized the figure as Sikong Shitang, and Mao Chunniang explained that he had given his body to his son before he died.
• Xie Jinhuan and the Goddess of War discussed how Sikong Shitang’s choices had encouraged Sikong Tianyuan to pursue his current plan.
• Mao Chunniang said Sikong Tianyuan had staked everything on one final gamble, and Xie Jinhuan and the Goddess of War advanced to confront her.

Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo fought their way through the tomb’s deadly formations, with Ye Hongshang guiding them until Zhenshan Kui’s erratic movements disrupted her predictions. Mao Chunniang sealed them inside a Demon-Suppressing Coffin, while Zou Wu and Mao Chunniang remained outside and worried that Qixia True Person might arrive.

• Sikong Shitang’s Great Ghost summoned ghosts and activated the tomb’s shifting formations against Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo.
• Ye Hongshang identified the formation’s layout and guided Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo through its dangers toward the Main Tomb Chamber.
• Zhenshan Kui charged at Xie Jinhuan but repeatedly triggered the formation’s mechanisms, making its attacks unpredictable and preventing Ye Hongshang from guiding Xie Jinhuan.
• Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo struggled to navigate the increasingly chaotic formation until Mao Chunniang sealed them inside a Demon-Suppressing Coffin.
• Zou Wu and Mao Chunniang observed that Zhenshan Kui had trapped Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo, but Mao Chunniang warned that the coffin might not hold them long and that Qixia True Person could arrive.

Trapped inside the Demon-Suppressing Coffin, Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo tried to find a way to escape, then resorted to restoring their strength so they could keep chipping at the coffin. The chapter left them still trapped, with Empress Dowager Guo helping Xie Jinhuan recover while he prepared to continue.

• Xie Jinhuan discovered that the Demon-Suppressing Coffin absorbed qi and blocked divine-soul communication, so he tried to chisel through it with the Heavenly Gang Mace.
• Empress Dowager Guo struck the coffin several times, but its damage repaired itself quickly and the effort exhausted her.
• Empress Dowager Guo and Xie Jinhuan discussed Sikong Tianyuan and worried that Qixia Old Devil might be unable to stop him outside.
• After the divine oracle urged Empress Dowager Guo to put business first, she agreed to help Xie Jinhuan restore his strength.
• Empress Dowager Guo took charge, covered Xie Jinhuan's face with her veil, and told him to focus on circulating his power.

Nangong Ye, Jiang Xian, and Zhao Ling arrived at Missing Moon Manor while Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo were trapped underground and trying to restore her strength. Jiang Xian sensed an unexplained rise in temperature around the manor and summoned the Invisible Great Hand to investigate.

• Lin Wanyi told Lin Zisu that she was sewing baby clothes as a gift for Liu Qingzhi's pregnant wife.
• Nangong Ye, Jiang Xian, and Zhao Ling arrived at the manor, and Lin Wanyi persuaded Nangong Ye not to go to Chi Dragon Cave.
• Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo tried to cultivate inside the Demon-Suppressing Coffin, but Xie Jinhuan realized he had forgotten to take the Adding Oil to the Fire Pill.
• Ye Yunchi, Bu Yuehua, Linghu Qingmo, and Coal Ball searched the mountains for Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo without finding them.
• Jiang Xian went into town, noticed the unusual heat, transformed into a white-haired Daoist nun in Golden Armor, and summoned the Invisible Great Hand to contact Sister Ye.

Sikong Tianyuan used the Five Directions' Divine Gift to awaken Witch Ancestor Zhu Man, hoping to aid the Gu Poison Sect while Xie Jinhuan remained trapped in the Demon-Suppressing Coffin. When Ye Hongshang sensed a major change in the Southern Border, she joined Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo to help Guo recover her strength so they could escape.

• Sikong Tianyuan prepared to nourish Zhu Man and explained the Witch Ancestor's failed attempt to preserve himself, the Human Emperor's Cauldron, and the Corpse Ancestor's bargain with Zhu Man.
• Sikong Tianyuan revealed that he had lured Xie Jinhuan to Chi Dragon Cave and used the Demon-Suppressing Coffin to sever the unknown power's connection to the outside world.
• Ye Hongshang sensed a major unforeseen change in the Southern Border and urged Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo to leave the coffin quickly.
• Ye Hongshang manifested inside the coffin and said Qixia True Person could not pinpoint the disturbance, then offered to share her power with Guo.
• Ye Hongshang and Empress Dowager Guo worked to help Xie Jinhuan restore Guo's strength as quickly as possible.

Qixia True Person searched for the missing Xie Jinhuan and discovered a trap in Yuan’s underground palace, where a blood-baleful surge triggered her bloodthirst addiction. Xie Jinhuan and his companions broke out of the Demon-Suppressing Coffin as blood baleful intent spread above them.

• Qixia True Person found that Xie Jinhuan was underground and ordered Ye Yunchi, Bu Yuehua, and Linghu Qingmo to return to the manor and prepare the Southern Border for danger.
• Qixia True Person entered Yuan’s tomb with Coal Ball and used the bird’s yin wind to freeze the corridor beyond the sealed stone doors.
• Qixia True Person shattered the doors with her earth technique, but blood baleful intent poured out and stirred her bloodthirst addiction.
• Coal Ball tried to stop Qixia True Person from refining the blood qi as she grew excited and began losing control.
• Xie Jinhuan, Ye Hongshang, and Guo Xiaomei broke through the coffin’s stone cover, and Xie Jinhuan sensed the surging blood baleful intent above them.

Xie Jinhuan escaped the Underground Palace, rescued the unconscious Jiang Xian, and learned that Sikong Tianyuan was summoning a powerful soul along the southern coast. As Xie Jinhuan rushed to stop him, Yang Huaxian threatened the Great Qian capital and demanded the Black Tortoise Divine Gift.

• Xie Jinhuan refined the blood qi in the Underground Palace to recover, while Ye Hongshang explained that Sikong Tianyuan had used it to hold Qixia True Person back.
• Coal Ball led Xie Jinhuan to the unconscious Jiang Xian, and Xie Jinhuan handed her to Ghost Wife before setting out for the southern coast.
• Xie Jinhuan learned that Sikong Tianyuan was summoning a nearly assimilated Seventh Realm soul, then sped toward the South Sea with Ye Hongshang and Empress Dowager Guo.
• At the Directorate of Celestial Observation, Li Chimo and Lu Wuzhen detected worsening southern phenomena and a vast blood-baleful sign near Jingzhao Prefecture.
• Yang Huaxian demanded the Black Tortoise Divine Gift and threatened to slaughter the Southern Dynasty, so Lu Wuzhen ordered the capital defended and summoned reinforcements.

At Phoenix Harbor, Sikong Tianyuan summoned Witch Ancestor Zhu Man’s manifestation and claimed heaven and earth were nearing collapse because the Five Directions’ Divine Gift had been damaged. Xie Jinhuan arrived to challenge him, and the two sides prepared to test their strength while Qixia Ancestor remained away suppressing her bloodthirst.

• Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua searched Phoenix Harbor for clues about the abnormal heat and Sikong Tianyuan’s movements.
• A fiery Heaven-Connecting Dharma Form appeared over the South Sea, and Sikong Tianyuan emerged on Phoenix Perching Mountain with Gu Poison Sect elders and Nether God Sect disciples.
• Sikong Tianyuan told the gathered crowd that the Human Emperor’s Cauldron and the Corpse Ancestor’s failed attempt to remake the world had damaged heaven and earth, declaring that Heaven was dead.
• Xie Jinhuan arrived with a silver dragon illusion and disputed Sikong Tianyuan’s account, while Nangong Ye and other cultivators challenged Sikong’s authority and motives.
• Empress Dowager Guo learned from Ye Hongshang that Sikong Tianyuan had awakened Zhu Man’s remnant soul, and Xie Jinhuan advanced toward the harbor as Qixia Ancestor stayed away to suppress her demonic nature.

Sikong Tianyuan confronted Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo above Phoenix Harbor, using the Spirit-Imprinting Soul-Returning Curse to revive former Nether God Sect pawns and summon ancient allies. The battle began with the resurrected figures shielding him from the Righteous Path’s opening assault.

• Xie Jinhuan ordered Phoenix Harbor’s civilians to evacuate while he and Empress Dowager Guo faced Sikong Tianyuan.
• Sikong Tianyuan cast the Spirit-Imprinting Soul-Returning Curse, recalling marked souls into puppets and revealing that Bu Qingya had created the art.
• Xie Jinhuan recognized the revived Taishu Dan, while the Cloak Person fled behind the other figures.
• Sikong Tianyuan revealed that he had preserved Bu Qingya and summoned Chen Yishan and Mo Yuan in Witch Ancestor Yuan Zhi’s mortal shell.
• Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo charged the sea cliff, but the ancient mummy and Chen Yishan’s great ghost blocked their attacks.

Xie Jinhuan used A Piao’s power to break Sikong Tianyuan’s curse, but the Witch Ancestor’s fire domain suppressed everyone and enabled Sikong to unleash devastating flames across Phoenix Harbor. Xie Jinhuan protected fleeing civilians and pressed toward Sikong through the inferno, ending with a dragon’s roar rising from the flames.

• Sikong Tianyuan used a bloodstained scrap of Xie Jinhuan’s clothing to bind him with a curse, and Ye Hongshang lent Xie Jinhuan the power to cast an illusion that trapped Sikong in a childhood memory.
• The Witch Ancestor Zhu Man’s manifestation created the Burning Sorrow Suppresses the Ancestor domain, extinguishing A Piao’s aid and forcing everyone from the sky.
• Sikong Tianyuan recovered and joined the Witch Ancestor’s manifestation in attacking Xie Jinhuan with a vast pillar of fire.
• Coal Ball briefly weakened the flames, giving Xie Jinhuan time to escape the initial blast, while Sikong’s fire swept toward civilians fleeing around Phoenix Harbor.
• Xie Jinhuan shielded the fleeing civilians with Nine Lotuses Covering the Realm and advanced toward Sikong as Coal Ball helped him withstand the flames.
• As Xie Jinhuan pushed through the inferno, a deep dragon’s roar erupted from the burning city.

Xie Jinhuan forced open the Heavenly Jade seal and fought Sikong Tianyuan, but struggled to overcome the Gu master’s soul-based attacks. Qixia True Person awoke and entered the battle, leaving the story with her confronting the fiery Heaven-Connecting Dharma Form in a towering golden shape.

• Xie Jinhuan used Heavenly Jade to break free of Sikong Tianyuan’s flames and black tide, then split the sea cliff with his spear.
• Sikong Tianyuan hid inside his divine soul and attacked Xie Jinhuan, who could neither injure the phantom decisively nor reach the Gu master’s true body.
• Xie Jinhuan was driven back as he traded attacks with Sikong Tianyuan, while Nangong Ye found the unconscious Jiang Xian in the bushes.
• Qixia True Person woke and arrived on the battlefield as Empress Dowager Guo demanded her help.
• Qixia True Person summoned a Red Umbrella over the sea cliff and transformed into a huge golden phantom to confront the Heaven-Connecting Dharma Form.

Xie Jinhuan defeated Sikong Tianyuan at Phoenix Harbor, but Sikong revealed a plan to free the Corpse Ancestor through Zhu Man and the Spirit-Imprinting Soul-Returning Curse. Qixia True Person dismissed the threat, claiming Guo Xiaomei’s Heavenly Pavilion could stop Zhu Man, though the others questioned how it could help from Yanjing.

• Qixia True Person’s Sky-Turning Umbrella disrupted Sikong Tianyuan’s divine soul, allowing Xie Jinhuan to pierce him and drive him into a cliff.
• Sikong Tianyuan raised the Li Fire Shield over Phoenix Harbor, but Qixia True Person destroyed his manifestation while Empress Dowager Guo and Mei Conggao defeated the puppets.
• Xie Jinhuan demanded Bu Qingya’s soul, and Sikong Tianyuan explained that he had used the battle to conceal Mao Chunniang’s effort to help Zhu Man and the Corpse Ancestor escape.
• Sikong Tianyuan revealed that Zhu Man could manifest through a medium and that the Corpse Ancestor could cast the Spirit-Imprinting Soul-Returning Curse, while the Righteous Path’s strongest fighters were occupied or unable to reach Danyang.
• Qixia True Person argued that Sikong Tianyuan’s dependence on rescuing the Corpse Ancestor was his weakness and said Guo Xiaomei’s Heavenly Pavilion could hold off Zhu Man.
• Xie Jinhuan and Empress Dowager Guo pointed out that the Heavenly Pavilion was in Yanjing, while Qixia True Person turned toward the sea with a swaggering air.

Mao Chunniang possessed Bu Qingya’s body and attacked Danyang Academy to free her martial uncle while Lu Wuzhen was trapped in an array. Monk Wuxin struck back, but Daoist Kongkong’s sword forced him to defend the city, and a golden-red, bird-headed manifestation appeared above Danyang as Mao Chunniang rose to attack.

• Yang Dabiao recognized Bu Qingya as he approached Danyang Academy, where Li Jing and Mu Yunling prepared to face him.
• Mao Chunniang revealed that she was controlling Bu Qingya’s body and demanded the Academy let her take her martial uncle out of seclusion.
• Monk Wuxin used a Buddhist roar to strike Mao Chunniang through their connection, wounding her in the Nether God Hall.
• Daoist Kongkong sent a sword strike toward Danyang, and Monk Wuxin manifested as a thousand-foot golden figure to shield the city.
• Mao Chunniang rose above Danyang in a cloud of black mist as Mu Yunling tried to intercept her, but a golden-red bird-headed manifestation appeared overhead and cried out.

Xie Jinhuan’s preparations helped the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation repel the Unorthodox Dao’s heavenly fire, forcing Daoist Kongkong to flee and ending the attack on Danyang City. At Phoenix Harbor, Xie Jinhuan broke through to the Sixth Realm after killing Sikong Tianyuan, then went to help restore order in the city.

• Mao Sanniang’s Blazing True Fire struck Danyang City, but the Heavenly Pavilion’s Sect-Protecting Grand Formation blocked it and protected the city.
• A young man posing as Xie Jinhuan appeared on the Heavenly Pavilion terrace, and Daoist Kongkong fled as reinforcements threatened to arrive.
• The heavenly fire vanished, while the black stone beneath a water jar in Zhang San Restaurant briefly flashed with light.
• At Phoenix Harbor, the crowd learned that someone had entered the Sixth Realm, and Xie Jinhuan realized he had broken through while holding Sikong Tianyuan by the neck.
• Xie Jinhuan found Sikong Tianyuan dead and learned that Senior Qixia had left; he then flew into the city to help Big Ice Lump and Sister Bu.

After Sikong Tianyuan’s defeat, Xie Jinhuan and his companions regrouped at Phoenix Harbor while Jiang Xian woke to find the crisis already over. At sea, Shang Lianbi considered the uncertain balance of power and ordered his follower to watch the Nether God Sect’s pawns.

• Bu Yuehua noted that peace had returned and teased Nangong Ye about rewarding Xie Jinhuan, while Nangong Ye remembered that he had left Jiang Xian in a thicket.
• Nangong Ye and Xie Jinhuan flew to find Jiang Xian, who woke and learned from Empress Dowager Guo that Sikong Tianyuan had been dealt with.
• Ye Yunchi, Linghu Qingmo, and Zhao Ling arrived, reunited with their companions, and heard Xie Jinhuan claim that demon generals had trapped him underground.
• Shang Lianbi assessed how his stores of blood qi and the Righteous Path’s strength left him vulnerable to future rivals.
• Shang Lianbi returned toward the Eastern Sea Coast and ordered his follower to watch the Nether God Sect’s pawns, saying their next move was hard to predict.

Xie Jinhuan spent the night with Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua before joining Lin Wanyi, Zhao Ling, and Linghu Qingmo at Missing Moon Manor. The group’s contests and teasing carried on into the night, leaving Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo alone together for a turn.

• Xie Jinhuan teased Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua in bed, and Nangong Ye urged him to get Bu Yuehua pregnant too.
• Lin Wanyi, Zhao Ling, and Linghu Qingmo stayed up waiting for Xie Jinhuan, then wagered on who could stay quiet longest.
• Xie Jinhuan arrived and carried Linghu Qingmo to bed, where the group’s silence contest revealed that they were competing to provoke one another.
• Xie Jinhuan made three gambling implements and began the contest, while Zhao Ling lost the first wager.
• Zhao Ling proposed a new contest to make Xie Jinhuan surrender, and Linghu Qingmo volunteered to take the first turn.
• Linghu Qingmo overwhelmed Xie Jinhuan with his attentions, and the others’ chatter gradually gave way to a quiet night.

After spending the night with Lin Wanyi, Linghu Qingmo, and Zhao Ling, Xie Jinhuan learned of trouble in Danyang and hurried back toward Within the Passes with his companions. On the journey, Ye Yunchi invited him to visit her home in Ningzhou, and he agreed, unaware that A Piao had already guessed her intentions.

• Lin Zisu left to shop while Xie Jinhuan stayed in bed with Lin Wanyi, Linghu Qingmo, and Zhao Ling.
• Mao Chunniang refused Yang Huaxian's offer to join him, saying she would investigate Sikong Tianyuan's hidden contingency first.
• After receiving urgent news about Danyang and Bu Qingya, Xie Jinhuan packed up and took his companions north by boat.
• On the boat, Lin Wanyi made children's clothes with Nangong Ye while the others traveled and rested.
• Ye Yunchi invited Xie Jinhuan to visit her home in Ningzhou, and he accepted after A Piao warned him she was trying to lure him away.

Xie Jinhuan traveled through Ningzhou with Ye Yunchi, while Daoist Kongkong, nearing the end of his life, discovered that Xie Jinhuan might possess the Black Tortoise Divine Gift. Kongkong stood at a crossroads, weighing a quiet return home against turning back to seize the chance to extend his life.

• Xie Jinhuan accompanied Ye Yunchi through Ningzhou, and she told him about the Mountain Sacrifice Terrace and its martial tournament.
• Daoist Kongkong sat alone at a mountain tavern and spoke with an old performer about his regrets, his loneliness, and the little time he had left.
• Daoist Kongkong sensed a powerful cultivator flying through the distant sky and suspected it was Xie Jinhuan.
• Daoist Kongkong inferred that Xie Jinhuan possessed the Black Tortoise Divine Gift and realized it could extend his life by sixty years.
• Daoist Kongkong debated whether to continue home or turn back and pursue Xie Jinhuan's divine gift.

Xie Jinhuan accompanied Ye Yunchi to her family home, where Daoist Kongkong confronted him in the peach blossom grove. Xie Jinhuan chose to fight and protected the grove and nearby school from Kongkong’s opening sword strike, though his defenses were badly damaged.

• Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi visited the Mountain-Sacrificing Altar before going to her home beside the Azure Nether Academy.
• Ye Yunchi burned offerings at her mother Han Qin’s grave and explained that the empty grave beside it was meant for Ye Sheng.
• A Piao appeared as Xie Jinhuan sensed a nearby expert, and Daoist Kongkong revealed himself on a ridge.
• Daoist Kongkong demanded the opportunity Xie Jinhuan possessed, and Xie Jinhuan refused, choosing to fight despite Ye Yunchi’s warning.
• Ye Yunchi sent the school’s teacher and disciples away while Xie Jinhuan enlarged his body and used three layers of defense to shield the grove and school.
• Daoist Kongkong’s sword shattered Xie Jinhuan’s golden lotuses and gouged a deep wound into his golden body.

Xie Jinhuan and Daoist Kongkong fought fiercely after Xie Jinhuan used a Witch Cult Charm Technique to gain an advantage. Daoist Kongkong unleashed a life-sacrificing strike, but Ye Sheng emerged by the gravestone and caught his sword, leaving both fighters stunned.

• Xie Jinhuan pressed Daoist Kongkong with his golden body, but Kongkong’s damaged flying sword still pierced his defenses and injured him.
• Xie Jinhuan bewitched Daoist Kongkong with a Witch Cult Charm Technique, then attacked with the Heavenly Gang Mace as Ye Yunchi moved to help.
• Xie Jinhuan and Daoist Kongkong fought amid thunder and fire, and Kongkong gradually fell behind as his broken sword weakened.
• Daoist Kongkong sacrificed his qi meridians and inner core to unleash a devastating strike with the Three-Foot Sword, driving Xie Jinhuan toward the gravestone.
• Ye Sheng appeared and caught the fully unleashed sword with one hand, silencing its sword qi and startling Daoist Kongkong and Xie Jinhuan.

Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi witnessed Ye Ci defeat Daoist Kongkong and learned that Ye Ci had been trapped at Qilin Cave while neglecting his family. After Ye Yunchi confronted her father, Ye Ci sent her to tell Xie Jinhuan to return to Lu Wuzhen, and the couple prepared to leave.

• Ye Ci caught Daoist Kongkong's flying sword, condemned his collusion with the Demon Path, and let him leave to return home.
• Xie Jinhuan introduced himself to Ye Ci, who treated him coolly as his daughter's new husband.
• Ye Yunchi confronted Ye Ci about abandoning her and her mother; Ye Ci explained that he had been trapped at Qilin Cave and apologized for neglecting them.
• Ye Yunchi told Ye Ci to explain himself to her mother, and he asked her to tell Xie Jinhuan to return to Lu Wuzhen soon.
• Xie Jinhuan repaired the damaged woodland, then Ye Yunchi checked his injuries and told him to rest while she found him clean clothes.

Ye Yunchi tried to draw Xie Jinhuan closer while Ye Hongshang’s ghostly teasing kept distracting him. The evening ended with Ye Yunchi and Xie Jinhuan becoming intimate, as she secretly planned for a child and worried about securing her place as his principal wife.

• Ye Yunchi brought Xie Jinhuan a tutor’s robe and asked him to examine an album of paintings.
• Ye Hongshang appeared at the chess couch and deliberately distracted Xie Jinhuan with her alluring poses.
• Ye Yunchi tried to tend to Xie Jinhuan after his trousers tore, and Ye Hongshang secretly helped push her closer to him.
• Ye Yunchi and Xie Jinhuan became intimate, while Ye Yunchi resolved to conceive and considered names for a child.

Ye Ci recalled how his life had become entwined with Qixia True Person and the Corpse Ancestor, and how he had sacrificed decades to stabilize the world. He explained why he had trained a gifted boy through deadly dream battles, hoping the boy could eventually protect the realm, and wondered why the boy’s memories had been sealed.

• Ye Ci described how dreams of fighting a young Qixia True Person brought him opportunities, while losing once cost him his luck and nearly his life.
• Ye Ci and the Corpse Ancestor disagreed over changing the Heavenly Dao, and their conflict awakened the Central Land Qilin and contributed to the Corpse Ancestor’s defeat.
• Ye Ci used the Human Emperor’s Cauldron to stabilize the world, spending more than ten years trapped in chaos and returning to find his wife dead.
• Ye Ci refused the chance to revive his wife by destroying the world’s cage, and waited for someone capable of protecting the realm from the gods and buddhas.
• Ye Ci gave a gifted boy the Heavenly Gang Mace and repeatedly defeated him in dream battles, helping him grow into a powerful rising star.
• Ye Ci watched the lamplight through a water curtain and wondered whether heaven had sealed the boy’s memories to spare him a deadly path.