Chapter Summaries

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.

Xie Jinhuan woke after spending the night with Milk Melons, then spoke with Ye Hongshang and Ye Yunchi about their wagers, marriage, and the possibility of pregnancy before waiting in Ye Ci’s Hometown. In Danyang, He Can and Zhang Chu, desperate to survive the Nether God Sect’s collapse and their poison, decided to seek help from Monk Wuxin—until Nether God Sect remnants arrived at their restaurant.

• Xie Jinhuan woke beside Ye Hongshang, who reminded him of their wager and told him to settle it after they returned to the capital.
• Xie Jinhuan met Ye Yunchi at the school, and she insisted they observe propriety until they married, despite her hope of becoming pregnant.
• Xie Jinhuan and Ye Yunchi agreed to return to the capital and see what Sect Master Lu wanted, while Ye Hongshang said Ye Ci was watching over his Hometown.
• He Can and Zhang Chu feared the Seven-Extinction Gu would kill them without the Nether God Sect’s antidote, so He Can proposed surrendering to Monk Wuxin for help.
• Zhenshan Kui and two companions arrived claiming to be Nether God Sect members, and He Can welcomed them while secretly planning to obtain their antidote and report them.

Xie Jinhuan investigated reports that Mao Chunniang might have used a curse to free the Corpse Ancestor’s life soul, then learned that Mao and her allies had been seen in Danyang. A defecting Nether God Sect pawn revealed they had sought a suitable vessel for the Corpse Ancestor, but their whereabouts remained unknown.

• Xie Jinhuan learned that the Corpse Ancestor’s mausoleum remained sealed, but Mao Chunniang might have used the Spirit-Imprinting Soul-Returning Curse to draw out his life soul.
• Nai Duo told Xie Jinhuan that Mao Chunniang and other Nether God Sect remnants had been spotted in Danyang, where a defector had asked to see him.
• Empress Dowager Guo inspected Zhang San Restaurant and found a crude, unfinished character for “corpse” scratched into a bench.
• Zhang Chu recognized Xie Jinhuan and admitted he had repeatedly escaped him while serving the Nether God Sect alongside He Can.
• Zhang Chu reported that Mao Chunniang had come seeking a black waist token and intended to use He Can’s Black Flood Dragon body as a vessel for the Corpse Ancestor.
• Xie Jinhuan ordered Zhang Chu taken into custody until his claims could be verified.

Mao Chunniang and the remaining Nether God Sect followers awakened Mo Hunsheng, the Corpse Ancestor, using He Can’s blood. After learning that a century had passed and the sect had been nearly wiped out, Mo Hunsheng questioned whether his master had truly intended to rescue him.

• Mao Chunniang’s group took the chained He Can to a hidden Nether God Sect safe house and explained that Chenlong’s body was prepared as the Corpse Ancestor’s vessel.
• Mao Chunniang placed the Jade Pendant on Chenlong and used He Can’s blood to nourish the body until it regained vitality.
• Mo Hunsheng awakened in the coffin, and Mao Chunniang, Zou Wu, and Zhenshan Kui knelt to greet him as their martial uncle.
• He Can told Mo Hunsheng the date and claimed his grandmaster, Sikong Tianyuan, had devoted himself to bringing him back.
• Mao Chunniang explained that Sikong Tianyuan and her own master had died, and that Xie Jinhuan had destroyed most of the Nether God Sect.
• After assessing his weak body and the dangers posed by the Righteous Path, Mo Hunsheng asked whether his master had truly ordered his rescue.

Mo Hunsheng revealed a hidden source of spiritual power in the Western Regions and prepared to seek it, while Shang Lianbi plotted to exploit the discovery through Xie Jinhuan. In Luojing, Xie Jinhuan discussed returning the Heavenly Pavilion with Empress Dowager Guo before helping her recover, leaving the two in a teasing struggle.

• Mo Hunsheng told Mao Chunniang and the others to prepare to travel to the Manluo Flower Sea, where he claimed accumulated divine soul power could restore him and strengthen them.
• Shang Lianbi overheard Mo Hunsheng's plan and decided to use Xie Jinhuan to test the danger before seizing the opportunity himself.
• Empress Dowager Guo pressed Xie Jinhuan to arrange the return of the Heavenly Pavilion, and he promised to consult Qixia True Person or move it later.
• Empress Dowager Guo asked Xie Jinhuan to help her recover strength, then pinned him down when he leaned in to kiss her.
• Empress Dowager Guo refined the unexpected opportunity Xie Jinhuan produced and continued scolding and playfully beating him.

Nangong Ye and Linghu Qingmo secretly visited their old residence, where Xie Jinhuan collapsed after Ye Hongshang used an incantation on him. They brought him inside to recover, and Nangong Ye joined Linghu Qingmo in tending to him.

• Nangong Ye went to Clear Spring Lane and found Linghu Qingmo in their old bedroom; they discussed Nangong Ye’s feelings for Xie Jinhuan and the possibility of Linghu Qingmo becoming a disciple of his grandmaster.
• Xie Jinhuan and Ye Hongshang arrived at the residence, and Ye Hongshang activated an incantation that made Xie Jinhuan’s qi and blood surge.
• Nangong Ye found Xie Jinhuan collapsed in the courtyard and determined that his body was overwhelmed by an excessive aphrodisiac effect.
• Linghu Qingmo helped Xie Jinhuan into the bedroom to expel the poison, and Nangong Ye followed to assist.
• Xie Jinhuan lost control of himself, and Nangong Ye and Linghu Qingmo both stayed with him as he recovered.