Chapter Summaries

Ye Yunchi escorted the poisoned Xie Jinhuan through the streets, where he concealed his desire and charmed her with his learning and music. They parted at his inn with Ye Yunchi worried that she had offended him, while Xie Jinhuan promised to bring her pills after suppressing the venom.

• Xie Jinhuan insisted he could endure the Lust Locust Snake venom, and Ye Yunchi helped him toward his inn while offering to find an antidote.
• Ye Yunchi explained her mother’s connection to Hundred Flowers Grove, and Xie Jinhuan told her how he became Blood Rain Tower’s sect leader.
• Xie Jinhuan recited poetry and identified a counterfeit bone flute, impressing Ye Yunchi with his knowledge and musical skill.
• Ye Yunchi privately regretted Xie Jinhuan’s ordinary-looking disguise, and he mistook her expression for disdain about his appearance.
• Xie Jinhuan gave Ye Yunchi the bone flute and entered the inn, leaving her outside wondering whether she had upset him.

Xie Jinhuan returned to the inn under the influence of Lust Locust Snake Venom, where Bu Yuehua and Nangong Ye helped him exhaust its effects with Fairy Fragrance. Elsewhere, the Nether God Sect planned to lure Xie Jinhuan out using a staged report about Old Sha Tu, while Lü Yan waited near the tavern with the Yellow Qilin Seal.

• Xie Jinhuan entered his room and, overcome by Lust Locust Snake Venom, pounced on Bu Yuehua before Nangong Ye recognized his condition.
• Bu Yuehua explained that the venom had no antidote and used Fairy Fragrance to stimulate Xie Jinhuan and Nangong Ye.
• Lü Yan waited outside a tavern, brooding over the Immortal Artifact that had changed hands in Misty-Wave City.
• A black-cloaked Nether God Sect leader watched Lü Yan with Zhang Chu and He Can, explaining that the sect intended to kill Xie Jinhuan before he grew stronger.
• Zhang Chu proposed using Wei Kun to spread word that Old Sha Tu had appeared, hoping to draw Xie Jinhuan into an ambush.
• The group watched Lü Yan approach a monk who resembled Monk Kuya, then considered disguising the black-cloaked man as Old Sha Tu to bait Xie Jinhuan.

Lü Yan and Monk Kuya searched the Dragonbone Shoal for Sha Tu, who was believed to possess a fragment of the Daoist ancestral canon, while Ye Yunchi waited for Xie Jinhuan in Misty-Wave City. When Xie finally emerged, his dramatically changed appearance astonished her, and he concealed what had happened in his room.

• Lü Yan agreed to use his Qi Gazing and divination skills to find Sha Tu within three days after Monk Kuya explained that Sha Tu had used the lost Three Pure Ones Treading the Dipper Steps.
• Three days passed without any sign of Sha Tu or the Azure Dragon Divine Gift, while Ye Yunchi waited for Xie Jinhuan to leave his inn room.
• Ye Yunchi went to the inn after worrying that Xie Jinhuan was still affected by the Lust Locust Snake Venom and heard movement inside his room.
• Xie Jinhuan came out looking strikingly handsome, and Ye Yunchi examined his face before asking how he had purged the venom.
• Xie Jinhuan claimed he had spent several days circulating his cultivation, persuaded Ye Yunchi to go downstairs, and slipped back into the room after she left.

Xie Jinhuan met Ye Yunchi, investigated rumors about the Azure Dragon Divine Gift, and accepted a job to hunt the fiend Old Sha Tu. They left Misty-Wave City together for Hundred-Blight Marsh.

• Xie Jinhuan changed his disguise and met Ye Yunchi outside the inn, then gave her Single-Minded Love Powder.
• Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi discussed rumors that Blood Rain Tower knew where the Azure Dragon Divine Gift would appear, and he dismissed them as false.
• Fan Hainie brought Xie Jinhuan an offer from the Sacred Fire Sect to kill Old Sha Tu, who was believed to be hiding in Hundred-Blight Marsh.
• Ye Yunchi volunteered to hunt Old Sha Tu, and Xie Jinhuan joined her, telling Fan Hainie not to spread the information.
• Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi set out from Misty-Wave City for Hundred-Blight Marsh.

Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi searched Hundred-Blight Marsh while debating Xie Jinhuan’s character and making a bet about whether he had a master. Elsewhere, a hidden group waited for Xie Jinhuan, while Lü Yan and Monk Kuya found themselves surrounded by powerful unknown cultivators.

• Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi drifted through Hundred-Blight Marsh under an Invisibility Pill and discussed Ye Yunchi’s desire to settle old debts of gratitude and vengeance.
• Xie Jinhuan persuaded Ye Yunchi to investigate Xie Jinhuan’s background before judging him, and they bet on whether he had a master.
• He Can and Zhang Chu waited with a black-robed figure in the marsh, questioning whether Xie Jinhuan would appear and learning that the trap was already set.
• Lü Yan and Monk Kuya searched for Sha Tu near Dragonbone Shoal and Dragon Emperor Cave without finding him.
• Lü Yan and Monk Kuya sensed an ominous silence, then saw three powerful figures emerge and encircle them.

Xie Jinhuan took Lin Zisu around Dragoncloud Harbor, where they met the blue-robed Ye Yunchi, who asked for medicine to counter lust poison. After Ye Yunchi left for Misty-Wave City, Xie Jinhuan and Lin Zisu wondered about the aliases used by heroines traveling under Azure Nether Sword Manor's name.

• Lin Zisu caught Xie Jinhuan pretending he had called her his dear sister, then rushed him out to explore before her aunt arrived.
• Xie Jinhuan and Lin Zisu visited Dragoncloud Harbor's market, where Lin Zisu sought ingredients for new medicine.
• Lin Zisu approached a blue-robed woman and introduced herself as Lin Sangu, the Poison-Hand Dan Saint, while Xie Jinhuan followed as her bodyguard.
• Ye Yunchi asked Lin Zisu for a remedy against the potent poison of hundred-year Lust Locust Snakes and gave her Moon-Tasting Tower in Misty-Wave City as a contact point.
• Xie Jinhuan learned the woman's name was Ye Yunchi of Azure Nether Sword Manor, and she invited them to visit her at Moon-Tasting Tower.
• After Ye Yunchi left, Xie Jinhuan advised Lin Zisu to use the alias Hua Manlou of Azure Nether Sword Manor when traveling.

Xie Jinhuan’s reunion with Bu Yuehua and Nangong Ye turned into a scheme that exposed their intimacy to Lin Wanyi, while Lü Yan and Chen Yishan discussed the Azure Dragon divine gift and the coming competition in Misty-Wave City. The chapter left Xie Jinhuan’s arrival at the competition uncertain to Chen Yishan, as Lü Yan kept his knowledge to himself.

• Xie Jinhuan told Bu Yuehua that he had met Ye Yunchi of Azure Nether Sword Manor, revealing that she and Nangong Ye had both used the same sect as an alias.
• Xie Jinhuan and Bu Yuehua drew Nangong Ye into their bathing-tub scheme, and Ye Hongshang recorded the scene as evidence against her.
• Lin Wanyi appeared through her spirit-possession technique, learned that Zisu had guessed about her and her Master, and scolded Xie Jinhuan for revealing their secret.
• In Misty-Wave City, Lü Yan showed Chen Yishan the restored Yellow Qilin Seal and discussed the scarce divine gifts and the risks of seeking the Azure Dragon gift.
• Chen Yishan asked whether Xie Jinhuan would attend and what had happened at the Academy, but Lü Yan refused to reveal what he knew and warned him against aligning the Gu Poison Sect with the Demon Path.

Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi defeated Long Boyuan, who revealed his Lingguang Divine Gift before Ye killed him. Ye then recognized Xie Jinhuan’s resemblance to Ye Ci’s lineage and attacked him, but accepted his explanation and apologized; they continued after Lü Yan and the fleeing opponents.

• Long Boyuan begged Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi for mercy, but Xie accused him of helping Wei Wuyi escape.
• Long Boyuan activated his ancestral Lingguang Divine Gift, and Ye Yunchi killed him before the released flames could harm them.
• Xie Jinhuan took Long Boyuan’s Red Hammer and damaged Golden Armor, while Ye Yunchi recovered the Lingguang Divine Gift and offered it to him.
• Ye Yunchi recognized Xie Jinhuan’s skill and techniques as resembling Ye Ci’s lineage, then attacked him with Blind-Eye Swordplay.
• Xie Jinhuan denied being Ye Ci’s disciple and swore an oath that convinced Ye Yunchi to apologize.
• Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi hurried deeper into Hundred-Blight Marsh to catch up with Lü Yan and the fleeing opponents.

After Xie Jinhuan and the others drove off Gu Xuanzun’s group, Lü Yan escorted the poisoned Kuya toward Misty-Wave City while Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi went to investigate a disturbance. At Dragon Emperor Cave, the black-robed fugitive revealed a youthful face and claimed to be He Can’s ancestor.

• Lü Yan and Kuya discussed the black-robed attacker’s natural snake venom as Ye Yunchi and Xie Jinhuan arrived with Long Boyuan’s damaged Golden Armor.
• Xie Jinhuan gave Lü Yan the armor and charged him five Realm-Breaking Medicinal Ingredients for their help and the two Immortal Herbs.
• After sensing something unusual, Xie Jinhuan went with Ye Yunchi to investigate while Lü Yan escorted Kuya back toward Misty-Wave City.
• At Dragon Emperor Cave, Gu Xuanzun confronted the black-robed man over Long Boyuan’s death and accused him of abandoning their allies.
• The black-robed man revealed his youthful face and told He Can that he was his ancestor, leaving He Can confused.

Mo Yuan revealed his connection to the Corpse Ancestor and explained why he had avoided fighting Lü Yan, while Old Sha Tu ambushed the group with an extortion demand. When Gu Xuanzun and Mo Yuan attacked him, Sha Tu raised an alarm and fled, forcing the group to escape before their pursuers arrived.

• Mo Yuan identified himself as the adopted son of Mo Hunsheng, the Corpse Ancestor, and revealed that he was a great demon who had once been mistaken for a poisonous creature.
• Mo Yuan blamed Gu Xuanzun and the others for provoking the earlier fight and said he had come to Dragonbone Shoal for Xie Jinhuan.
• Mo Yuan sensed someone concealed in the vine forest, and Old Sha Tu emerged and demanded tribute in exchange for letting the group pass quietly.
• Old Sha Tu asked for Gu Xuanzun's bone saber and suggested taking He Can as his successor, while Gu Xuanzun refused to hand them over.
• Gu Xuanzun and Mo Yuan attacked Old Sha Tu, but he shook the cavern with a spell and fled after alerting their pursuers.
• Mo Yuan urged the group to escape before Lü Yan and the others reached them.

Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi found Gu Xuanzun and Mo Yuan pursuing Old Sha Tu in Dragon Emperor Cave, and Xie Jinhuan trapped the group in a blazing formation. Mo Yuan unleashed a terrifying demonic aura, prompting Coal Ball to fly toward the disturbance while Empress Dowager Guo sensed it from the Northern Darkness Sect.

• Xie Jinhuan followed the earthquakes into Dragon Emperor Cave and discovered Gu Xuanzun and Mo Yuan chasing Old Sha Tu through the underground forest.
• Old Sha Tu escaped deeper into the cave, and Xie Jinhuan told Lü Yan to pursue him while he confronted Gu Xuanzun and Mo Yuan.
• Xie Jinhuan raised eight walls of Blazing True Fire to seal the combatants inside an Octagonal Prison, and Ye Yunchi attacked Gu Xuanzun with her sword.
• Mo Yuan grabbed He Can and released black mist carrying a terrifying aura throughout Dragon Emperor Cave and up to the surface.
• Coal Ball flew out through the inn window toward the disturbance, and Empress Dowager Guo sensed a demonic aura near Dragon Emperor Cave.

Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi fought Mo Yuan, a Black Flood Dragon that had appeared inside Dragon Emperor Cave. As the cavern collapsed around them, Ye Hongshang warned them of a threat below.

• Mo Yuan’s water essence broke through Xie Jinhuan’s Eight-Gate Burning Array, and the Black Flood Dragon attacked Ye Yunchi.
• Xie Jinhuan knocked Ye Yunchi out of the serpent’s path but was struck by its tail and driven into a rock wall.
• Xie Jinhuan identified the creature as a Black Flood Dragon, then charged it while Ye Yunchi joined the fight.
• Xie Jinhuan struck Mo Yuan with his hammer, blasting apart its fangs and scorching its mouth, while Ye Yunchi attacked its scales and eyes.
• Mo Yuan fought back with its claws and black lightning, and the cavern ceiling collapsed as Ye Hongshang warned them of something below.

Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi fought Mo Yuan and Gu Xuanzun in the Dragon Emperor Cave, while Coal Ball’s unexpected arrival disrupted the battle. Xie Jinhuan killed Gu Xuanzun, learned that Shang Mingzhen had arranged the ambush, and advanced into the Dragon-Steed Realm before continuing deeper into the cave.

• Gu Xuanzun attacked Ye Yunchi with a blood curse, but Xie Jinhuan struck him with Heavenly Gang and chased him through the cavern.
• A distant cry frightened Mo Yuan and Xie Jinhuan into stopping their fight, but the apparent demonic colossus turned out to be Coal Ball, which then pursued the black snake.
• Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi resumed the pursuit; Ye Yunchi went after the giant serpent while Xie Jinhuan cornered the wounded Gu Xuanzun.
• Gu Xuanzun revealed that Shang Mingzhen had ties to the Nether God Sect and wanted Xie Jinhuan captured before Xie Jinhuan killed him and burned his remains.
• By absorbing Gu Xuanzun’s Blood Qi, Xie Jinhuan formed a Martial Gallbladder and reached the Dragon-Steed Realm, then headed deeper into the Dragon Emperor Cave.

Xie Jinhuan reached Ye Yunchi at the underground lake after she fought off Old Sha Tu, who escaped into the water. Poisoned and on the edge of madness, Ye Yunchi took a So Righteous It Seems Evil Pill, which calmed her mind and brought her long-held thoughts about righteousness, family, and marriage into focus.

• Xie Jinhuan swallowed a So Righteous It Seems Evil Pill to steady his desire, then hurried deeper into the cavern with Ye Hongshang.
• Ye Yunchi followed Coal Ball to the underground lake and waited there, wary of pursuing the Black Flood Dragon into its home waters.
• Old Sha Tu ambushed Ye Yunchi with a Quicksand Spell and a series of attacks, but her sword released a powerful protective aura that destroyed his hand.
• Old Sha Tu recognized Ye Yunchi as a disciple of Twin Saints Ye Ci and fled into the black water before Xie Jinhuan arrived.
• Ye Yunchi collapsed from the combined Black Flood Dragon venom and Manluo Flower Poison, and Xie Jinhuan gave her a So Righteous It Seems Evil Pill.
• The pill quieted Ye Yunchi's mind, and she reflected that her immediate task was to cultivate herself while searching for a worthy husband.

Xie Jinhuan carried the poisoned Ye Yunchi toward Misty-Wave City, while their conversation about marriage ended with her insisting on being a proper wife. Elsewhere, Mo Yuan escaped with He Can and Zhang Chu, but remained determined to hunt Xie Jinhuan.

• Xie Jinhuan carried Ye Yunchi out of the Dragon Emperor Cave and learned that she had briefly considered him as a marriage prospect before discovering he was engaged.
• Ye Yunchi rejected the idea of becoming a junior wife, then fell from the air when she tried to leave Xie Jinhuan’s arms, forcing him and Coal Ball to catch her.
• Xie Jinhuan tried to recite a solemn lyric and whistle tunes for Ye Yunchi, while Coal Ball’s cries repeatedly disrupted the mood.
• Mo Yuan escaped to the coast with He Can and Zhang Chu after their battle, having lost a fang and his teammates.
• Mo Yuan vowed to track Xie Jinhuan and keep him when he next left the city, while He Can mocked his failed attempt to inspire him.

Empress Dowager Guo reached Xie Jinhuan in Misty-Wave City, warned that his identity and Ye Yunchi’s were exposed, and discussed how he would respond to the Unorthodox Dao’s pursuit. As Lin Wanyi examined the poisoned Ye Yunchi, Guo began explaining Ye Sheng’s past to Xie Jinhuan.

• Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua worried when Xie Jinhuan and Coal Ball failed to return, but Empress Dowager Guo appeared and assured them Xie Jinhuan was safe.
• Empress Dowager Guo said Ye Yunchi had been poisoned by Black Flood Dragon venom and Manluo Flower poison, so Bu Yuehua sent Nangong Ye to buy Bone-Burning Vine and Dragon Marrow Zhi.
• Xie Jinhuan arrived carrying the poisoned Ye Yunchi, and Lin Wanyi examined her while the newcomers in the room confused her.
• Empress Dowager Guo told Xie Jinhuan that his Wei Kun disguise had been exposed and that Misty-Wave City and the Unorthodox Dao could target him and Ye Yunchi.
• Xie Jinhuan proposed an open strategy to counter the pursuit, and Guo agreed while warning that its success depended partly on when an opportunity appeared.
• Xie Jinhuan asked whether Ye Yunchi was Ye Sheng’s daughter, and Guo began recalling Ye Sheng’s conduct during the Witch Cult Rebellion.

Xie Jinhuan discussed Ye Ci’s past with Empress Dowager Guo, then danced with her while A Piao exposed his thoughts. Next door, Ye Yunchi questioned Lin Wanyi about her relationship with Xie Jinhuan, only for Lin Zisu to possess Lin Wanyi and behave unexpectedly, leaving Ye Yunchi suspicious of the group’s tangled relationships.

• Empress Dowager Guo speculated that Ye Ci’s family troubles might explain his return to the Righteous Path, and Xie Jinhuan said he would ask Qixia True Person about it.
• Empress Dowager Guo danced for Xie Jinhuan, then followed his lead in a close dance while A Piao revealed his thoughts to her.
• Ye Yunchi asked Lin Wanyi whether she was Xie Jinhuan’s beloved, and Lin Wanyi described Linghu Qingmo as a younger sister in the family rather than the principal wife.
• Lin Zisu possessed Lin Wanyi, squeezed Ye Yunchi’s bottom, and then claimed she was joking while examining Ye Yunchi’s condition.
• Senior Nangong entered, and Ye Yunchi wondered whether she had become entangled with a group whose relationships were far less straightforward than Xie Jinhuan’s upright appearance suggested.

Xie Jinhuan and Nangong Ye waited while Lin Zisu treated Ye Yunchi, and the cultivators of Misty-Wave City discussed the clash at Hundred-Blight Marsh. After Shang Mingzhen and his allies plotted to turn other cultivators against Xie Jinhuan, a powerful stranger arrived at the Mountains and Seas Tower asking for Young Master Shang.

• Xie Jinhuan teased Nangong Ye before leaving, and Nangong Ye continued guarding Ye Yunchi's room while Lin Zisu treated her poison.
• Lin Zisu found an unfamiliar breast-enhancement pill, tried it, and told Linghu Qingmo it was harmless but slow-acting.
• Cultivators gathered at the Mountains and Seas Tower to discuss the Hundred-Blight Marsh fight, while Chen Yishan treated Monk Kuya and denied Lü Yan's accusations.
• Shang Mingzhen, Mo Yuan, and Fang Qingxuan discussed Xie Jinhuan's victory and planned to spread rumors so rivals would target him.
• A tremendous pressure descended over the Mountains and Seas Tower, and an unseen visitor called out to ask whether Young Master Shang was inside.
• Mo Yuan slipped out through the back as Shang Mingzhen wondered whether Twin Saints Ye Ci had arrived.

Xie Jinhuan publicly confronted Shang Mingzhen and the assembled cultivators after killing Gu Xuanzun and Long Boyuan and driving off a black flood dragon. He warned those tied to the Unorthodox Dao, then promised to remain in Misty-Wave City while others pursued the coming opportunity first.

• Xie Jinhuan arrived at the Mountains and Seas Tower in a display of overwhelming martial pressure and asked whether Young Master Shang was inside.
• Xie Jinhuan presented Gu Xuanzun and Long Boyuan's weapons and recounted killing them after they joined a black flood dragon in ambushing Lü Yan and Master Kuya.
• Xie Jinhuan challenged Shang Mingzhen over Misty-Wave City's failure to intervene, and Shang Mingzhen promised to investigate the Demon Soul Sect if the accusations proved true.
• Xie Jinhuan warned the assembled patriarchs not to side with the Nether God Sect or other followers of the Unorthodox Dao, threatening to pursue them wherever they were.
• Xie Jinhuan said he would stay in the city to investigate evil and let the other cultivators leave first when the opportunity appeared, winning their approval.

Xie Jinhuan publicly announced that he had obtained the Immortal Artifact and secured his position before Misty-Wave City's cultivators, then returned to the inn and blundered into Ye Yunchi's room. As Zisu's medicine caused unexpected changes for Bu Yuehua and Nangong Ye, Ye Yunchi wondered whether being pinned down by Xie Jinhuan had cost her chastity.

• Xie Jinhuan told the gathered cultivators that he had found the Immortal Artifact with a secret technique and that Shang Mingzhen's master had allowed it, making his claim public.
• Xie Jinhuan returned to the inn and found Ye Yunchi standing in thin clothing; she knocked him down and demanded to know whether he was Ye Ci's disciple.
• Linghu Qingmo and Lin Zisu saw Ye Yunchi pinning Xie Jinhuan, then left him to explain the accidental intrusion while Zisu noticed her medicine was changing her figure.
• Xie Jinhuan examined Bu Yuehua and discovered that Zisu's medicine had caused an unusual reaction, prompting Nangong Ye to check her as well.
• Bu Yuehua forced the Treat A Huan Like Your Baby Pill into Nangong Ye's mouth, and the two women fought as Xie Jinhuan tried to intervene.
• Ye Yunchi listened to the muffled commotion from her sickroom and wondered whether Xie Jinhuan pinning her down meant she had lost her chastity.