Recaps

Xie Jinhuan explained why he had helped Bu Yuehua, then reassured Nangong Ye as she worried he would lose the Tiger Bone Vine contest. Elsewhere, a golden-armored figure crossed the land and observed several people in and around the capital before continuing toward the Southern Border.

• Xie Jinhuan watched Bu Yuehua fight from the tower ship after returning to recover from his bouts.
• Nangong Ye confronted Xie Jinhuan for helping Bu Yuehua, and he explained that securing the prize mattered more than their feud.
• Nangong Ye warned that Bu Yuehua was likely to win and threatened to end their ties if she claimed the Tiger Bone Vine.
• Xie Jinhuan kissed Nangong Ye and promised he would try to win the next day; she left to monitor the competition and let him rest.
• A golden-armored figure recalled a boy who had returned from the south and noted that his father still served as an official in Yanjing.
• The golden-armored figure saw a young man sneaking out of the Prince's Manor and two girls sparring at the West Residence before continuing toward the Southern Border.

Wei Yin stunned the Heroes' Gathering by defeating eleven opponents and revealing himself as Wei Wuyi's successor, leaving Xie Jinhuan and Bu Yuehua facing an uphill fight for the championship. As Xie Jinhuan set out with Ye Hongshang and Coal Ball to investigate someone digging up the white-haired young Daoist nun's grave, Bu Yuehua noticed him leaving the ferry.

• Wei Yin emerged as Wei Wuyi's final disciple and defeated eleven fighters, establishing himself as the strongest contender at the gathering.
• Nangong Ye and Zhang Guan suspected Wei Wuyi had passed his War Saint Mountain opportunity to Wei Yin, explaining his extraordinary strength.
• Bu Yuehua realized she and Xie Jinhuan would have to face Wei Yin after fighting each other, and she headed toward the ferry to speak with Xie Jinhuan.
• Ye Hongshang sensed that someone was digging up the white-haired young Daoist nun's grave, so Xie Jinhuan took Coal Ball and rushed upstream to investigate.
• Bu Yuehua saw Xie Jinhuan leave the boat with Coal Ball and wondered where he was going.

Monk Fachen’s party searched Purple Emblem Mountain for the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum while Xie Jinhuan raced toward it. The search uncovered evidence of a Tomb Guardian, and Han Quan appeared on the ridge to confront the intruders.

• Monk Fachen led He Can, Zhang Chu, and the chained cultivators into the wilderness, explaining that he had obtained Great Qian’s secrets and wanted to open the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum.
• At a meeting in Linde Hall, Li Yanru described Northern Zhou’s divisions, then paused and looked north, prompting Lu Wuzhen to exchange concerned glances with Monk Wuxin and Crown Prince Zhao Jing Huan.
• Xie Jinhuan hurried across the Huai River toward Purple Emblem Mountain as Ye Hongshang sensed many people near the mausoleum.
• Zhang Chu unearthed a corpse and discarded camping gear, and the group found three more bodies that Monk Fachen recognized as recent victims moved from the mausoleum.
• Han Quan appeared on a ridge and revealed that he had killed the tomb robbers while pursuing He Can and Taishu Dan, leaving the intruders terrified.

Xie Jinhuan bluffing as the mausoleum’s guardian frightened Monk Fachen, who broke open the Demon-Suppressing Coffin while trying to release the Corpse Ancestor. A Red Umbrella emerged and subdued the cultists, and a young-sounding voice spoke from the coffin, leaving everyone confused about who the Ancestor was.

• Xie Jinhuan claimed he guarded the mausoleum and exaggerated his master’s power until Monk Fachen believed a legendary expert stood behind him.
• Monk Fachen tested Xie Jinhuan with the Immeasurable Thousand-Jun Curse, but chains rattling beneath the hill interrupted him.
• Monk Fachen struck the hidden mausoleum entrance and shattered the Demon-Suppressing Coffin with the Demon-Subduing.
• A vast Red Umbrella appeared above the ridge and severed the Qi Meridians of the Nether God Sect’s cultists, while Xie Jinhuan remained unaffected.
• The cultists welcomed the Ancestor out of her coffin, but a young girl’s voice emerged and wondered why her hair was still white.

Xie Jinhuan and Qixia True Person emerged from the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum as Lu Wuzhen’s account revealed the political schemes surrounding the false secret canon. The Crown Prince was exposed as having a soul connection to the supposedly dead He Tianqi, who escaped after Monk Wuxin broke the link and left Zhao Jing Huan gravely impaired.

• Qixia True Person awoke in the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum, drained the Demon Bandits’ blood and qi, and was brought back to her senses by Xie Jinhuan’s Five-Thunder Purification Spell.
• Qixia True Person recognized Xie Jinhuan as possibly connected to Ye Sheng or Lu Wuzhen, knocked everyone unconscious, and flew with him toward Purple Emblem Mountain.
• Lu Wuzhen’s retrospective account revealed that he planted false locations in the nation’s secret canon and arranged for Zhao Jing Huan alone to examine it, while court events deepened his suspicions about the Crown Prince and other factions.
• At Linde Hall, Lu Wuzhen revealed that the secret canon was false and that someone had opened the fake mausoleum; Zhao Jing Huan then showed signs of possession, and Monk Wuxin used a Buddhist cry to break the intrusion.
• Monk Wuxin identified He Tianqi as the source of the Crown Prince’s possession, and the leaders realized He Tianqi had exchanged one of his souls with Zhao Jing Huan’s before fleeing wounded.
• Lu Wuzhen left to protect the Pill King while Monk Wuxin and the other leaders dealt with the aftermath of Zhao Jing Huan’s damaged souls.

Xie Jinhuan brought Qixia True Person back to Purple Emblem Mountain, where she met her disciple Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua. After Qixia True Person sent Xie Jinhuan away, he discovered she had taken his Zhenglun Sword, leaving him stranded in the mountains.

• Qixia True Person learned that Nangong Ye was Purple Emblem Mountain’s sect leader and rushed there after hearing she was famed as the Daoist Sect’s greatest beauty.
• Qixia True Person mistook Bu Yuehua for Nangong Ye and introduced herself, while Nangong Ye initially challenged her before recognizing her as her master.
• Xie Jinhuan warned Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua that Qixia True Person was a True Person, and Bu Yuehua paid her respects.
• Nangong Ye admitted she was Qixia True Person’s disciple but claimed she had secretly guarded Xie Jinhuan, while Bu Yuehua supported her story.
• Qixia True Person sent Xie Jinhuan to a remote mountain range and returned to the courtyard, where Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua waited.
• Xie Jinhuan searched for Qixia True Person and discovered she had taken the Zhenglun Sword from his waist.

Qixia True Person reunited with Ye Hongshang and recovered her memories, though a Soul-Locking Curse repeatedly sealed them away again. After learning about Xie Jinhuan and the sect’s recent affairs, she agreed to help him prepare for his upcoming arena match.

• Qixia True Person entered Nangong Ye’s study and met Ye Hongshang, then tried repeatedly to break the Soul-Locking Curse that sealed her memories.
• Qixia True Person learned from Ye Hongshang that Xie Jinhuan had guarded her tomb and had recently become a renowned demon-slayer.
• Qixia True Person read the sect’s records, learned that Linghu Qingmo was her granddisciple, and discussed whether she suited Xie Jinhuan.
• Ye Hongshang showed Qixia True Person Wei Yin’s arena victories and asked her to help Xie Jinhuan prepare for their match.
• Qixia True Person agreed to investigate whether she could awaken Xie Jinhuan’s Dragon Vein and headed outside.

Qixia True Person returned and took Xie Jinhuan to a mountain peak to test whether he could awaken a rare Dragon Vein. The chapter ended with her explaining that Dragon Might required a special innate gift and a perilous transformation into a true dragon.

• Nangong Ye warned Bu Yuehua not to reveal his secrets, while Bu Yuehua used her knowledge of them to press him to renegotiate their agreement.
• Xie Jinhuan arrived looking for Qixia True Person, and Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua covered up the reason they were together in Purple Emblem Mountain's rear mountain.
• Nangong Ye sent Xie Jinhuan away to wait, and Qixia True Person returned about half an hour later.
• Qixia True Person rewarded Xie Jinhuan for guarding the mausoleum by offering to open his Dragon Vein.
• Qixia True Person revealed her dragon-like eyes and Dragon Might, then explained that cultivating Dragon Might required a special innate gift and a dangerous transformation.

Qixia True Person awakened a small measure of Xie Jinhuan’s hidden gift and sealed his channels with the Seven-Star Nails so he could use it safely. In Liangzhou, Monk Wuxin explained the schemes behind the He Clan case to Monk Fachen, who finally understood his master’s restraint before their old bond ended beneath the desert sands.

• Qixia True Person awakened Xie Jinhuan’s gift, found his body could not withstand its full power, and used the Seven-Star Nails to limit how much he could release.
• Qixia True Person vanished from the mountaintop, leaving Xie Jinhuan to search the wilderness for a way back to Purple Emblem Mountain.
• Monk Fachen confronted Monk Wuxin in a ruined courtyard and explained why he had sought revenge for his parents and the destruction of the Meditation Sect.
• Monk Wuxin reconstructed how the Demon Path, Witch Cult, and Buddhist Sect had used the He Clan case for their own aims, and how Xie Jinhuan’s arrival disrupted their plans.
• Monk Wuxin explained that his stillness was not ignorance but a way to preserve his ability to save people, then departed into the desert.
• Monk Fachen understood his master’s teachings, and a muffled sound marked the end of their encounter beneath the sand.

A white-haired immortal secretly bestowed the Azure Dragon of the Left on Linghu Qingmo and a temporary opportunity on Ling'er, while warning them to keep their gifts hidden. Xie Jinhuan returned to Purple Emblem Mountain, where Qixia True Person explained how to find the Vermilion Bird Mausoleum and prepared to take him along.

• The white-haired immortal appeared in Linghu Qingmo's dream and gave him the Azure Dragon of the Left, urging him to cultivate carefully and conceal his opportunity.
• Linghu Qingmo asked the immortal to help Xie Jinhuan and Ling'er; she refused to give Xie Jinhuan anything but lent Ling'er an opportunity that she would eventually have to return.
• Xie Jinhuan examined his Hidden Meridian and concluded that its power came from a chance encounter after he fell into the sea, though activating it drained his stamina.
• Xie Jinhuan returned to Purple Emblem Mountain and found Qixia True Person explaining to Big Ice Lump and Senior Sister Hua that they needed to follow the strongest yang fire to locate the Vermilion Bird Mausoleum.
• Qixia True Person told the women that Xie Jinhuan could help them find the mausoleum, and he arrived and asked whether they were preparing to go to Fire Phoenix Valley.

Xie Jinhuan said farewell to Qixia True Person as she entered seclusion in the Demon-Suppressing Coffin, believing she would remain asleep for years. After he left, Qixia True Person woke early and secretly flew north to pursue her own plans.

• Bu Yuehua and Xie Jinhuan discussed the dangers of seeking the Five Directions' Divine Gift in Fire Phoenix Valley, and Nangong Ye asked Qixia True Person about the gu poison in his meridians.
• Qixia True Person pretended she could not cure Nangong Ye, urging him to solve his own problems and prepare to bear responsibility for the Cinnabar Cauldron Sect.
• At the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum, Qixia True Person gave Xie Jinhuan the Zhenglun Sword, said they would not meet again, and entered the coffin for seclusion.
• Xie Jinhuan sealed the mausoleum and left with Ye Hongshang, then rode A Da away while reflecting on the troubles ahead.
• After everyone had gone, Qixia True Person emerged from the sealed mausoleum, celebrated her freedom, and flew north.

Nangong Ye waited for Xie Jinhuan at Clear Spring Lane, where Xie Jinhuan returned and insisted that their relationship was real, giving him a jade bracelet as a sign of their bond. They then discussed Xie Jinhuan’s upcoming matches and his need to grow stronger, while Ye Hongshang hinted that Nangong Ye could help.

• After Bu Yuehua left, Nangong Ye went to Clear Spring Lane and waited for Xie Jinhuan in Courtyard Six.
• Xie Jinhuan returned from the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum and found Nangong Ye pretending to sleep.
• Xie Jinhuan told Nangong Ye that Senior Qixia had advised him not to reject love, then gave him a jade bracelet and insisted he would not abandon him.
• Nangong Ye accepted the bracelet but changed the subject to Xie Jinhuan’s plans for the next day’s matches and the Tiger Bone Vine.
• Xie Jinhuan said Wei Wuyi’s fighter would be difficult to defeat without more power, and Ye Hongshang hinted that Nangong Ye could provide a way to improve it.

Xie Jinhuan and Nangong Ye used a technique to fake her Palace Guard Sand and agreed to try dual cultivation so he could advance while helping her cure her poison. By dawn, Xie Jinhuan had gained cultivation, Nangong Ye had learned to restore the mark, and Bu Yuehua had secretly witnessed them together.

• Xie Jinhuan asked Nangong Ye to use tiger bone vine and suggested dual cultivation, then Ye Hongshang showed him how to forge a Palace Guard Sand mark.
• Nangong Ye reluctantly agreed to dual cultivation after Xie Jinhuan assured her the false mark could not be detected.
• Bu Yuehua secretly followed Nangong Ye and watched the bedroom, realizing that Nangong Ye and Xie Jinhuan were intimate before she vanished from the rooftop.
• Before dawn, Xie Jinhuan sensed a substantial increase in his cultivation and asked Nangong Ye whether her poison was cured.
• Nangong Ye learned to recreate the Palace Guard Sand mark and warned Xie Jinhuan to rest for the coming fight, then silently watched him as he fell asleep.

Wei Yin prepared to face Xie Jinhuan at the Dragon Sacrifice Platform while Xie Jinhuan and Nangong Ye headed to the tournament. Nangong Ye then negotiated with Bu Yuehua over the Phoenix Mausoleum, and the chapter ended with the tournament match still ahead.

• Wei Wuyi warned Wei Yin that Xie Jinhuan was a dangerous opponent who had recently defeated Demon Bandits and captured Fachen of Tiantai Temple.
• Xie Jinhuan ate with Nangong Ye and agreed to fight, while Nangong Ye promised to speak with Bu Yuehua about their match.
• Nangong Ye concealed his identity among the crowd and found Bu Yuehua near the river.
• Bu Yuehua offered to keep Nangong Ye's secret in exchange for cooperation at the Phoenix Mausoleum, and they agreed to prioritize its opportunities over the phoenix feather grass.
• Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua discussed whether Xie Jinhuan should fight Wei Yin, and Nangong Ye left believing Xie Jinhuan would not disappoint them.

Xie Jinhuan faced Wei Yin in the final match of the Heroes' Gathering, with the prize of a breakthrough opportunity at stake. Xie Jinhuan stunned the spectators by sending Wei Yin flying in their first exchange, but Wei Yin prepared his Formless Dragon Breath, leaving the fight uncertain.

• Wei Wuyi announced that Xie Jinhuan and Wei Yin would decide the Heroes' Gathering, with the winner earning the right to claim the treasure on the platform.
• Xie Jinhuan set aside his weapons and entered the arena barehanded, telling Wei Yin that he would win faster with a weapon.
• Wei Yin unleashed a fierce, tiger-like murderous aura and charged Xie Jinhuan with a powerful punch.
• Xie Jinhuan blocked Wei Yin's punch and countered, sending Wei Yin flying and leaving a dark red mark on his chest.
• Wei Yin stood and declared that Xie Jinhuan's move was not enough, then gathered energy and revealed his Formless Dragon Breath.

Xie Jinhuan overwhelmed Wei Yin with an unpredictable martial art, but Wei Yin then unleashed the Jianbing Divine Gift and its White Tiger manifestation. Xie Jinhuan revealed he had been holding back and began opening Yao Guang as the fight continued.

• Xie Jinhuan criticized Formless Dragon Breath before attacking Wei Yin with a deceptive style resembling Blind-Eye Swordplay.
• Xie Jinhuan disrupted Wei Yin's defenses and sent him flying with a heavy punch.
• Wei Yin rose with bruises and unleashed the Jianbing Divine Gift, summoning the terrifying aura of a White Tiger.
• Xie Jinhuan said he would also let loose, then invoked dragon soul and hidden meridians and called, "Yao Guang, open!"

Xie Jinhuan revealed his overwhelming Qi control and martial skill, then unleashed a devastating blow that sent Wei Yin flying into the river. After winning the clash, Xie Jinhuan collapsed from the damage his final strike had inflicted on his body.

• Xie Jinhuan summoned a yellow sand dragon, and its Dragon Might astonished the spectators and unnerved Wei Yin.
• Wei Yin charged, but Xie Jinhuan evaded him and battered him with a relentless series of strikes that drove them out of the arena toward the river.
• Wei Yin's appearance and power changed as he tried to counterattack, so Xie Jinhuan pulled back and called out Kaiyang.
• Xie Jinhuan forcibly opened the second gate and struck Wei Yin with a devastating Cannon Hammer that launched him into the river.
• The spectators stared in shock as Xie Jinhuan suppressed his surging Qi, noticed blood on his finger, and collapsed; Nangong Ye rushed to him.

After recovering from the tournament, Xie Jinhuan learned that his victory had disrupted Wei Wuyi’s plans and spent the night with Ye Hongshang and Nangong Ye. Meanwhile, Liang Yue urged Xu Guanfu to seek the opportunity at the Phoenix Mausoleum, and Bu Yuehua followed the Jiangzhou Gang’s departure.

• Xie Jinhuan woke at Purple Emblem Mountain’s lodgings, checked his injuries, and heard Ye Hongshang recount the tournament’s aftermath and the Seven Martial Dao Heroes’ meeting.
• Ye Hongshang offered Xie Jinhuan a kiss, and Nangong Ye later found him recovering in the guest room and brought him restorative soup.
• Xie Jinhuan explained his Dragon Soul Hidden Meridian ability to Nangong Ye, then pulled him close and resumed their intimacy despite his injuries.
• Liang Yue warned Xu Guanfu that Xie Jinhuan could expose their smuggling dealings and urged him to pursue the Phoenix Mausoleum’s opportunity to strengthen himself.
• Xu Guanfu agreed to consider Liang Yue’s information, and Bu Yuehua watched the Jiangzhou Gang leave town before heading to Purple Emblem Mountain’s lodgings.

Xie Jinhuan and Nangong Ye discussed how to reach the Phoenix Mausoleum before Xu Guanfu, while Ghost Wife suggested using the Yin-Yang Ruler to suppress the Yang fire. After Xie Jinhuan proposed returning to the capital to borrow it, the Commandery Princess Changning and Linghu Qingmo trained with their newly acquired Jianbing Divine Gifts and learned that Xie had arrived in the capital with the Prince.

• Bu Yuehua returned and warned Nangong Ye and Xie Jinhuan that Liang Yue and Xu Guanfu might be pursuing the opportunity in the Phoenix Mausoleum.
• Xie Jinhuan asked whether they could enter the underground fissure early, and Ghost Wife proposed borrowing the Yin-Yang Ruler to suppress the Yang fire.
• Xie Jinhuan decided to return to the capital and ask to borrow the Yin-Yang Ruler, while Bu Yuehua went to gather more information.
• Commandery Princess Changning and Linghu Qingmo practiced diligently after receiving Jianbing Divine Gifts, while Nai Duo brought news of a new lyric about Xie Jinhuan.
• A maid reported that the Prince had entered the capital with Xie Jinhuan, and Nai Duo and Linghu Qingmo hurried to welcome them.

Xie Jinhuan accompanied the Pill King into Capital City, where Zhao De revealed that his years of seeming incompetence had been deliberate before slipping back into his old ways. After leaving the Prince's Manor, Xie Jinhuan discovered Linghu Qingmo's Thunder Magic had grown stronger and gave her a carving he had made, ending their walk with a kiss and hand in hand.

• The Pill King told Xie Jinhuan that he planned to send envoys to Yanjing to learn Northern Dynasty's intentions, and Xie Jinhuan asked to accompany them as a guard.
• At the Prince's Manor, Zhao De greeted his father with composed dignity and explained that he had hidden his abilities to avoid arousing suspicion.
• Zhao De admitted that he had accumulated roughly thirty thousand taels in debts, including losses he had deliberately incurred to conceal his talents, and the Pill King chased him with a riding crop.
• Xie Jinhuan left the manor with Linghu Qingmo and found that her Thunder Magic had become much more powerful after a sect opportunity.
• Xie Jinhuan gave Linghu Qingmo a wooden carving he had made, and she kissed his cheek before they walked together holding hands.

Nangong Ye borrowed the Yin-Yang Ruler from Lu Wuzhen so he and Xie Jinhuan could seek a Five Directions' Divine Gift before their ten-day deadline. Xie Jinhuan returned to the Lin Residence, where Lin Zisu revealed a new pill designed to eradicate the Immortal-Burning Gu, though it left its user with an excess of yin.

• Nangong Ye asked Lu Wuzhen about Xie Jinhuan's ties to Qixia True Person and Ye Sheng, then requested the Yin-Yang Ruler for their search.
• Lu Wuzhen lent Nangong Ye the Yin-Yang Ruler and warned him to return within ten days because the court and cultivation world were unstable.
• Lu Wuzhen worried that the Pill King's accession could leave him, Wei Wuyi, and others struggling to govern together.
• Xie Jinhuan went to the Lin Residence, where he found Lin Zisu reading a newly published romantic tale about him and Hua Ruyue.
• Lin Zisu showed Xie Jinhuan the Like Falling into an Ice Cellar Pill, which could eradicate the Immortal-Burning Gu by turning a cultivator's Qi into pure yin, but caused a severe yin-yang imbalance.

Lin Wanyi reunited with the injured Xie Jinhuan, and they discussed how to improve her cultivation before sharing an intimate evening. Meanwhile, Bu Yuehua and Nangong Ye prepared to leave for the Phoenix Mausoleum, while Nangong Ye quietly revisited memories of a woman in a painting.

• Lin Wanyi waited for Xie Jinhuan, who returned from Three Rivers Crossing with hidden injuries and a wooden carving for her.
• Lin Wanyi found healing medicine for Xie Jinhuan, and the two teased each other before discussing her cultivation and his planned trip to the Southern Border.
• Lin Wanyi explained that Witch Cult dual cultivation could strengthen her by draining his cultivation, but Xie Jinhuan planned to seek other opportunities for her and travel with her later.
• Bu Yuehua and Nangong Ye arranged to leave for the Phoenix Mausoleum the next morning and negotiated how to divide any opportunities they found.
• Nangong Ye warned Bu Yuehua that other forces might be pursuing the Phoenix Mausoleum, then looked at a painting of himself with a black-clad swordswoman.

The Pill King took charge of Great Qian after the Late Emperor’s death and planned a mission to learn Northern Zhou’s intentions, while Commandery Princess Changning volunteered to accompany Xie Jinhuan. Xie Jinhuan and Nangong Ye’s medicine-induced night together cured Nangong Ye’s Yang Poison, and they prepared to depart for the Southern Border.

• The Pill King learned that Crown Prince Zhao Jing Huan could not be cured until his missing soul and spirit were retrieved, then discussed Great Qian’s internal and foreign threats with Commandery Princess Changning.
• The Pill King planned to send Xie Jinhuan with a delegation to Yanjing Academy to investigate Northern Zhou, and Commandery Princess Changning offered to lead the party and keep an eye on him.
• Xie Jinhuan gave Nangong Ye the Like Falling into an Ice Cellar Pill, causing Nangong Ye’s Qi to turn pure yin and prompting him to pin Xie Jinhuan down as they dispersed the medicine’s effects.
• By morning, Nangong Ye’s Yang Poison was cured and he sensed an opportunity to reach the Fourth Realm, Heavenly Pivot; he agreed to help Xie Jinhuan cultivate only on his terms.
• Nangong Ye agreed to honor their two-hour arrangement after their trip, and Xie Jinhuan left to meet the party at Vermilion Bird Gate for their departure.

Xie Jinhuan traveled south with Bu Yuehua and Big Ice Lump toward Fire Phoenix Valley, while Northern Zhou visitors and Southern Border powers became entangled in the same emerging opportunity. He Tianqi revealed that the Phoenix Mausoleum opportunity had appeared and set several evil-path figures moving to intercept Xie Jinhuan.

• Xie Jinhuan said goodbye to Qingmo, collected Coal Ball from Wanyi, and left with Bu Yuehua and Big Ice Lump for the Southern Border.
• The travelers passed through Ruizhou and reached Black Mountain Market, where they saw Missing Moon Manor's people investigating three desiccated corpses before continuing toward Fire Phoenix Valley.
• At Black Mountain Market, Xi Yanjun criticized the Southern Dynasty's sects and worried that the Empress Dowager might break the north-south pact, while Lü Yan urged him to focus on cultivation.
• He Tianqi visited Jiang Qizi at Spirit Dew Valley and told him that Xie Jinhuan was heading for Fire Phoenix Valley because the Phoenix Mausoleum opportunity had appeared.
• He Tianqi said Yan Lang and Xu Guanfu had already set out to intercept Xie Jinhuan, and Jiang Qizi eventually abandoned his work and left Spirit Dew Valley to pursue the opportunity.

Xie Jinhuan, Bu Yuehua, Nangong Ye, and Ye Hongshang descended into Fire Phoenix Valley’s underground fissures to find the source of the Yang fire. As they followed Ye Hongshang deeper, Lü Yan and Xi Yanjun discovered old sword marks and used them to choose a route through the maze.

• Xie Jinhuan entered a fissure with Bu Yuehua and Nangong Ye, leaving Coal Ball aboveground to watch for ambushes.
• Nangong Ye tested the Yin-Yang Ruler, and Xie Jinhuan explained that using it too early would drain their Qi without replenishment.
• Xie Jinhuan converted the surrounding fire Qi into balanced Qi with his Upside-Down Candle method, surprising Bu Yuehua.
• Ye Hongshang guided the group through the underground maze to the place where Bu Yuehua had previously found Purple-Gold Stone, then pointed out the way toward the Yang fire’s source.
• Lü Yan and Xi Yanjun searched a fissure more than thirty li away, where Lü Yan explained the risks of taking too much of the heavenly essence.
• Xi Yanjun read the old sword marks using the Eight Trigrams, and Lü Yan followed his chosen route deeper underground.