Recaps

Jing Jiu explained that Green Mountain’s four legendary guardians were, in reality, a turtle, a cat, a chicken, and a black dog called Corpse Dog. The enormous dog patrolled the Sword Prison, collected a dead disciple from Hidden Peak, placed him among the stone statues, and returned to sit beneath a shaft of light.

• Yuan Qu told Gu Qing that Green Mountain’s guardians included a cat, a chicken, an old turtle, and Lord Night Howl, who was a dog.
• Jing Jiu warned them not to call the dog Corpse Dog in front of Big One, then rested beside Zhao Layue.
• Corpse Dog entered the Sword Prison, where the prisoners fell silent and their foul auras disappeared.
• Corpse Dog went to a Hidden Peak cave and took the corpse of an ancient Jade Lake Peak disciple.
• Corpse Dog placed the corpse in a cave among many stone statues, then returned to the Sword Prison and sat beneath a shaft of light.

Jing Jiu and the others cultivated through the seasons on Divine End Peak while Yuan Qu advanced into the Wuzhang Realm. As winter arrived, Zhao Layue received word that the Western Sea Sword Sect was visiting and that Tonglu wanted to challenge Jing Jiu.

• Jing Jiu’s meditation drew unusually abundant spiritual energy, and White Ghost began resting on his head to cultivate.
• Jing Jiu recalled his past with Senior Brother and Corpse Dog while White Ghost guarded the thunder soulwood through a storm on Jade Lake Peak.
• Yuan Qu broke through into the Wuzhang Realm and flew with Gu Qing to wash their swords in the thunderstorm.
• After more than a year passed, Gu Qing and Yuan Qu prepared tea from the first winter snow and discussed the Green Mountain Guardians’ names.
• Zhao Layue received a Sword Letter announcing the Western Sea Sword Sect’s visit and Tonglu’s challenge to Jing Jiu.

Tonglu’s challenge to Jing Jiu was refused, and the Four Seas Banquet began while Tonglu’s reputation grew from the story. A mysterious letter drew Tonglu to a meeting among the reefs, where a former Green Mountain disciple confronted him about avenging Luo Huainan.

• Tonglu challenged Jing Jiu at Green Mountain, but Yao Songshan and the other disciples dismissed his expectations that Jing Jiu would accept.
• The Four Seas Banquet officially began in Haizhou City, and Tonglu went to the Cloud Terrace to represent the Western Sea Sword Sect.
• Tonglu received a letter signed with a red sword that named a time and place for a challenge.
• More than ten days later, Tonglu met a masked man among the reefs outside Haizhou City and questioned him about impersonating a Green Mountain disciple.
• The man revealed his face and told Tonglu that he should have come directly to him instead of challenging Jing Jiu over Luo Huainan.

Liu S sui fought Tonglu among the reefs, wounded him, and escaped the Western Sea Sword Sect’s search. He returned to the Never-Old Forest hidden within Cloud Terrace, where the Western Prince found him studying files.

• Tonglu and Liu S sui concealed themselves among the reefs and exchanged deadly sword strikes.
• Liu S sui wounded Tonglu with a hidden sword and a Demon Fire attack, then fled when Western Sea Sword Sect forces arrived.
• Tonglu identified Liu S sui and vowed he would not escape, but the sect’s search around Haizhou City found no trace of him.
• Liu S sui appeared in a quiet room deep within Cloud Terrace, where he studied files in the hidden Never-Old Forest.
• The Western Prince arrived and told the injured Liu S sui to rest instead of sorting through the files.

Liu S sui reflected on the Western Prince’s scheme that had made him a Never-Old Forest assassin, then prepared an assassination plan against Su Ziye while privately questioning the Prince’s connections and motives. The chapter ended with Little Lotus of Ying City appearing before the Western Prince.

• The Western Prince questioned Liu S sui about fighting Tonglu, and Liu S sui said he had defended Jing Jiu’s reputation.
• The Western Prince explained how he had lured Liu S sui into the Never-Old Forest and trained him, then assigned him to plan Su Ziye’s assassination.
• Liu S sui studied the Never-Old Forest’s Jade Book and selected members for the assassination, including names hidden within major sects and the Imperial Court.
• While writing the plan, Liu S sui wondered whether only the Western Prince’s faction controlled the Western Sea Sword Sect and questioned the Prince’s origins and relationship with the Western Sea Sword God.
• The Western Prince sat concealed in a great hall as Little Lotus of Ying City entered and knelt before him.

Little Lotus of Ying City reported to the Western Prince that she had found no trace of the First Child Sword while following Liu S sui, though her unexpected fear of him unsettled her. On Divine End Peak, Jing Jiu taught his disciples about the Heaven-Bearing Sword Art and higher realms, and De Se Se arrived with a question for Zhao Layue.

• The Western Prince told Little Lotus of Ying City to win Liu S sui’s genuine affection and become a bond that tied him to her, while warning her not to try to seduce him.
• Little Lotus of Ying City recalled meeting Liu S sui at the Four Seas Banquet and wondered why he had a jasmine flower on his collar.
• Jing Jiu explained that Gu Qing could treat the Heaven-Bearing Sword Art as a formation and adjust his Sword Essence accordingly, then named Concealing Heaven and Earth as the realm above Heaven-Connecting.
• Jing Jiu’s disciples discussed the meaning of One Sword for All Things, while the white cat silently recalled the unnamed realm of All Things as One.
• After another Sword Inheritance Assembly, De Se Se visited Divine End Peak, and Zhao Layue asked about her Old Madam’s health.
• De Se Se said the Old Madam was well, then asked Zhao Layue if she knew about that matter.

Zhao Layue and the others learned that Su Ziye had been ambushed and was missing, while He Zhan secretly carried the poisoned Su Ziye through the Southwestern Continent. Su Ziye recalled how a false lead had lured him into the Never-Old Forest’s trap and feared for his father and the Profound Yin Sect.

• De Se Se told Zhao Layue, Gu Qing, and Yuan Qu that Su Ziye had been attacked in Yizhou by an assassin disguised as a brothel patron, and that his body had not been found.
• He Zhan stopped in a dense forest with the poisoned Su Ziye, who removed his face covering and asked for wine.
• He Zhan warned Su Ziye that the Precious Thoroughfare Zen Monastery was nearby, but Su Ziye refused to seek help there because he was the Profound Yin Sect’s young master.
• Su Ziye explained that the Never-Old Forest’s assassins had poisoned him with corpse locust and another toxin, which was nearing his demonic embryo.
• Su Ziye remembered leaving Cold Mountain alone to investigate a young man who had used an ancient Profound Yin Sect cultivation method, then realizing the lead had been planted to lure him into the ambush.
• Su Ziye feared that the young man had returned to Cold Mountain and that his father might be suffering, and he hoped his father was still alive.

He Zhan introduced Tong Yan to the dying Su Ziye, who revealed the truth of his birth and hoped to visit Green Mountain if he survived. Elsewhere, Yin San explained his actions to the Profound Yin Ancestor, while Jing Jiu spoke with Zhao Layue about the futility of worldly repetition; on Twofold Forgetting Peak, You Siluo asked what had happened with Liu Sui.

• He Zhan brought Tong Yan out of hiding to meet Su Ziye, who explained that he was born from a Demonic Embryo and that corpse locusts had changed his color.
• Tong Yan agreed that Su Ziye could come to the Precious Thoroughfare Zen Monastery and pay for meals by doing odd jobs, and Su Ziye said he wanted to visit Green Mountain if he survived.
• The Profound Yin Ancestor confronted Yin San over the Never-Old Forest's assassination of his grand-disciple, and Yin San said he was helping children who wanted to destroy the forest.
• Jing Jiu told Zhao Layue that he was suited to being an assassin but would not take on Liu Sui's role, because worldly affairs were meaningless repetition.
• You Siluo asked his fellow disciples on Twofold Forgetting Peak what had happened with Liu Sui, and Guo Nanshan offered to explain.

Guo Nanshan and You Siluo discussed how Liu S sui had been sent undercover into the Never-Old Forest to identify its members, but could not understand why he had truly joined them. Alone by the sea, Liu S sui chose to keep gathering information and wondered who had been watching him.

• Guo Nanshan explained that the Never-Old Forest threatened the human race and that the cultivation world needed an insider to expose its hidden members.
• Jian Ruyun recounted how the group arranged for Liu S sui to swallow a Ghost-Eyed Ling demon core so the Never-Old Forest would recruit him.
• Guo Nanshan said Liu S sui had joined the Never-Old Forest for real and committed a terrible atrocity, and vowed to kill him himself.
• Liu S sui recalled accepting the undercover mission, enduring rejection and punishment, and feeling grateful that Jing Jiu had defended him.
• Liu S sui decided to remain undercover longer to investigate the Never-Old Forest’s ties to the Netherworld, the Western Sea Sword God, and the Western Prince.
• Liu S sui sensed that someone had been observing him and wondered who it was.

Liu S sui uncovered signs that the Never-Old Forest planned to target Chaoge City's Demon-Suppressing Prison and decided the danger justified ending his undercover wait. He secretly returned to Cloud Terrace after a farewell meal with Little Lotus, while a mysterious pearl sent from Chaonan City reached Twofold Forgetting Peak.

• Liu S sui analyzed transfer orders and other files, concluding that the Never-Old Forest was preparing an operation against the Demon-Suppressing Prison in Chaoge City.
• Liu S sui decided the threat could not be ignored, memorized the final name in the jade books, and left Cloud Terrace without taking anything.
• Liu S sui ate with Little Lotus in Haizhou City, then secretly returned to Cloud Terrace instead of leaving.
• The Old Master of the Gu Household found an Origin Qi Pearl hidden inside a fish and ordered it sealed and sent into the mountains.
• Three days later, Gu Han recognized the monogram on a box delivered to Twofold Forgetting Peak, and Guo Nanshan was astonished when Gu Han said it contained the pearl.

Gu Han and Guo Nanshan used a hidden pearl to view images of Liu S sui’s past and evidence of his infiltration of the Never-Old Forest. The sect leaders debated whether the evidence was genuine or a trap, and Guo Nanshan left for Heavenly Light Peak to prepare while keeping the others silent.

• Gu Han broke open an Origin Qi Pearl and revealed the smaller bright pearl hidden inside it.
• Guo Nanshan activated the pearl, which projected images from Liu S sui’s life, including the Green Mountain Sword Trial, the Sea God Temple, and records at Cloud Terrace.
• Jian Ruyun warned that Liu S sui might have falsified the names in the Jade Books to provoke turmoil among the orthodox sects.
• Gu Han said he trusted Liu S sui, while Jian Ruyun argued that Liu S sui might have killed Luo Huainan to earn the Never-Old Forest’s trust.
• Guo Nanshan ordered everyone to remain in the cave abode and left for Heavenly Light Peak to prepare for action.
• Ma Hua said he believed Liu S sui had carried out the mission and reflected on the cost of earning the Never-Old Forest’s trust.

Jing Jiu sent the Unthought Sword on a Sword Journey across the sea and through the Thunder Domain, while Zhao Layue, Gu Qing, and Yuan Qu realized he could not be disturbed. The sword reached a distant continent at dawn, where a mountain range resembled a sleeping giant.

• The Sect Master asked Jing Jiu for help and reminded him that someone on the other side was his friend.
• Jing Jiu asked that a child connected to him be kept alive, then began cultivating at the summit of Divine End Peak.
• Jing Jiu used his Sword Sense to send the Unthought Sword away, and Zhao Layue, Gu Qing, and Yuan Qu recognized the act as Sword Journey.
• The Unthought Sword crossed the Gang Wind and Void Realm, entering the Thunder Domain to replenish its spiritual qi with lightning.
• The Unthought Sword passed Penglai Island and the Great Whirlpool before slowing near a distant continent at dawn.

The Unthought Sword visited a distant continent and reunited with a giant who had once been its friend. After the sword returned to the Chaotian Continent, the giant crossed the sea to Mist Island and began guarding it with a Ten-Thousand-Year Ancient Tree.

• The Unthought Sword flew to a distant forest, where sprites watched it and summoned the giant from the mountain range.
• The giant recognized the Unthought Sword, learned why it had returned, and watched it fly back toward the Chaotian Continent.
• The giant walked through the sea toward the Luoshen Trench, avoiding the Void Realm and Thunder Domain as he traveled.
• The giant reached Mist Island, retrieved a Ten-Thousand-Year Ancient Tree from the Great Whirlpool, and sat down to guard the islands.

A giant’s distant shout disrupted a divine ship’s voyage, while Kunlun Sect Master He Wei investigated turmoil at the Profound Yin Sect. He revealed that he had discovered Song Qianji was a spy and attacked him.

• A giant’s shout stirred up a gale and thunder over the sea, prompting a shipowner to order the ships to return until the Sea God gave permission to sail again.
• He Wei learned that internal strife had broken out at the Profound Yin Sect, possibly after Su Ziye’s assassination, and decided to investigate.
• He Wei and Song Qianji reached a distant vantage point overlooking the Profound Yin Sect’s headquarters, where they sensed the Ten Thousand Banners Grand Formation.
• He Wei told Song Qianji that the Never-Old Forest had planted only two spies in Kunlun, naming Song Qianji and Liu Xiang, then ran him through with a Glazed Sword.

He Wei killed Song Qianji, then joined White True Person above Cold Mountain as the Profound Yin Sect prepared for their arrival. Elsewhere, the Water-Moon Convent and Fruitful Accomplishment Temple sealed the Heavenly Access Well with glowing scriptures, driving back the Nether Department’s wandering souls.

• Song Qianji fled after He Wei destroyed his Dao Tree and Sword Pellet, but he died soon afterward, and He Wei burned his corpse.
• He Wei greeted White True Person above Cold Mountain and waited while the Profound Yin Sect remained behind its mountain-gate formation.
• Su Qige and Gao Ya discussed the danger facing the Profound Yin Sect, while Wang Xiaoming wondered whether both men should be killed.
• The fiendish cultivators of Cold Mountain sensed He Wei and White True Person and hurried to reinforce their defenses or flee underground.
• The Water-Moon Convent’s supreme elder and the Fruitful Accomplishment Temple’s Abbot and Master Du Hai arrived at the Heavenly Access Well.
• The monks sent glowing scriptures into the pit, killing wandering souls and suppressing the dark aura.

Guo Dong discussed the Never-Old Forest’s planned operation and Jian Xilai before the story shifted to the Duke of Lu, who learned the forest intended to kill him. After the Pure Heaven Bureau caught a tea-room servant for poisoning his tea, an urgent official approached as an uncanny wind stirred the rain.

• Guo Dong told the Golden Buddha she doubted the Never-Old Forest could capture the entire forest or easily kill Jian Xilai.
• The Duke of Lu warned Lu Ming that the Never-Old Forest was targeting him because of his position, and said the danger would soon pass.
• The Duke of Lu went to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and refrained from drinking his usual bowl of Shanmei tea.
• The Pure Heaven Bureau reported that a tea-room servant surnamed Zhou had poisoned the Duke’s tea and had discarded the poison packet.
• As an official pushed through the crowd with an urgent report, an uncanny gust disturbed the rain, and the Duke of Lu raised his head.

An assassin tried to kill the Duke of Lu at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, but its defenses trapped the blast and exposed a plot tied to the Never-Old Forest and the Demon-Suppressing Prison. At Divine End Peak, Jing Jiu connected the First Child Sword to mounting pressure on Green Mountain, then watched several hundred swords fly toward the Western Sea as he worried about Liu S sui.

• An official detonated a Talisman Treasure against the Duke of Lu, but the Court of Imperial Sacrifices’ dome contained the blast and the Pure Heaven Bureau arrested him.
• The Duke of Lu and Jin Mingcheng concluded the Never-Old Forest sought the key to the Demon-Suppressing Prison, and arrests across Chaoge City ensnared Liu Xiang and Yang Changyu.
• Jin Mingcheng questioned why the First Child Sword had not moved, while the Duke of Lu recalled that Zhao Layue had given it to Liu S sui.
• Jing Jiu told Zhao Layue that the emperor had used the First Child Sword to pressure Green Mountain into an earlier war with the Western Sea.
• Jing Jiu worried that Liu S sui might not leave the Never-Old Forest in time, then watched several hundred flying swords streak toward the Western Sea.

Liu S sui was cornered by three powerful Evil Sect experts in Haizhou City, but a sudden growth of lotus leaves blocked their attack and concealed his escape. The experts discovered a buried tunnel beneath the restaurant, though rubble had already blocked its entrance.

• Liu S sui learned that the orthodox sects and Imperial Court had begun purging the Never-Old Forest’s spies, then met Little Lotus for a meal in Haizhou City.
• Little Lotus revealed that she had long known Liu S sui was a Green Mountain Sect spy, and he admitted he knew she had been sent to watch him.
• The restaurant collapsed, and Tu Qiu, Yu Buhuan, and Nan Zheng confronted Liu S sui; Nan Zheng told him that the master wanted to see him.
• Liu S sui attacked Tu Qiu and tried to flee, but Nan Zheng’s zither stopped his sword and Yu Buhuan’s Four Desolations Bottle began drawing blood from his body.
• Hundreds of green lotus leaves sprang up and shielded Liu S sui from the bottle’s power, but Nan Zheng shattered the growth and revealed a rubble-blocked tunnel after he vanished.

Liu S sui and Little Lotus escaped through a hidden tunnel, but the Never-Old Forest caught up with them outside Haizhou City. Little Lotus’s bracelet became an Immortal Tier flying sword, which turned to point at the jasmine flower on Liu S sui’s collar.

• Little Lotus told Liu S sui that a man had instructed her to help him, then led him through a prepared tunnel out of Haizhou City.
• Liu S sui recognized the bracelet on his wrist from Small Mountain Village as Nan Zheng, Yu Buhuan, and Tu Qiu arrived and surrounded them.
• Nan Zheng attacked with the Jade-Stone Zither, and Little Lotus’s Green Lotus Leaves shattered as she tried to block the sound waves.
• Liu S sui transformed the bracelet into an Immortal Tier flying sword, but he could not control it and threw it into the air.
• The sword turned back and pointed at the jasmine flower on Liu S sui’s collar.

Liu S sui’s flying sword awakened its Immortal Tier power and helped him and Little Lotus escape Nan Zheng and her allies. As they flew toward Green Mountain, the Western Prince struck them down with lightning, leaving their fate uncertain.

• Liu S sui’s flying sword absorbed the jasmine blossom’s Sword Sense and flew at Nan Zheng, Tu Qiu, and Yu Buhuan.
• The flying sword cut Nan Zheng’s face, shattered Tu Qiu’s gauntlet and right arm, and wounded Yu Buhuan.
• Nan Zheng and the others tried to attack Liu S sui and Little Lotus, but the flying sword carried them away several miles.
• The Western Prince urged Liu S sui to return and promised to spare his life, but Liu S sui kept flying toward Green Mountain.
• The Western Prince sent lightning from Cloud Terrace that struck the flying sword, and Liu S sui and Little Lotus fell with their eyes closed.

After surviving the Western Prince’s attack, Liu S sui and Little Lotus hid in a cave while Green Mountain and other orthodox sects mobilized against Haizhou City. As they recovered, Liu S sui explained Jing Jiu’s role in their lives, but Little Lotus remained unconvinced that Jing Jiu was a good person.

• Liu S sui and Little Lotus woke injured in a mountain pit, and he realized the flying sword had protected them from the Western Prince’s powerful strike.
• Liu S sui saw Green Mountain’s disciples and other orthodox forces heading toward Haizhou City, then decided to take Little Lotus to a nearby cave abode.
• Liu S sui carried Little Lotus into the hidden cave and gave her healing pills while the flying sword stayed outside.
• Little Lotus asked whether Jing Jiu had arranged for her to help Liu S sui, and Liu S sui confirmed that he had.
• Liu S sui called Jing Jiu a good person and began recounting his past, while Little Lotus argued that Jing Jiu was a villain and called him lazy.

Liu S sui told Little Lotus how the bracelet had tormented her and how he had prepared his disguise when he left Green Mountain. As he reflected on Jing Jiu’s care and his own buried hurt, Little Lotus comforted him, and he admitted it had been a long time since he could speak freely.

• Little Lotus explained that meeting Liu S sui and getting the bracelet off her wrist had finally eased the fear Jing Jiu’s orders had caused her.
• Little Lotus recalled waiting for Liu S sui for years and preparing the tunnels beneath Haizhou City, while Liu S sui understood her loneliness and resentment toward Jing Jiu.
• Liu S sui described how he had disguised himself and rehearsed his words before leaving Green Mountain, then admitted he had once felt hurt that Jing Jiu never contacted him.
• Little Lotus pointed out that Jing Jiu had known the truth all along, prompting Liu S sui to admire his master’s acting and praise his talents.
• Little Lotus asked whether Liu S sui had always been so talkative, and he said he had not spoken so freely in a long time.
• Little Lotus drew Liu S sui into her arms and gently patted his back.

Liu S sui revealed that he had hidden the First Child Sword, but the Western Prince tracked him down and seized it. As the Western Prince prepared to kill Liu S sui and Little Lotus, Mister Yan appeared and challenged the Prince’s view of his followers.

• Liu S sui helped Little Lotus leave the cave and revealed that he had hidden the First Child Sword in the woods outside Haizhou City.
• The Western Prince’s sigh warned Liu S sui, but a bolt of lightning struck him and Little Lotus before they could escape.
• The Western Prince caught the First Child Sword and explained that he had left Cloud Terrace to pursue it, caring little for the Never-Old Forest’s subordinates.
• The Western Prince told Liu S sui that he admired him but had to kill him to answer to certain people.
• Mister Yan appeared and said he, too, had been only a blade, and the Western Prince replied that he was a brush.

The old scholar confronted the Western Prince to protect Liu S sui and Little Lotus, but the Western Prince wounded him before fleeing. In Chaoge City, the Duke of Lu and Jin Mingcheng discussed the Imperial Court’s plan to locate and capture the Western Prince.

• The old scholar challenged the Western Prince, who attacked him with the First Child Sword; the old scholar blocked the strike with the Guan Cheng Brush, but the Western Prince shattered his defense.
• The Western Prince sensed something toward the eastern horizon and fled, sending a strand of sword intent at Liu S sui as he departed.
• Little Lotus shielded Liu S sui, and the old scholar appeared before them and protected them, though a wound opened in his robe and blood poured out.
• At the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Duke of Lu told Jin Mingcheng that capturing the Western Prince was a crucial task in destroying the Never-Old Forest.
• Jin Mingcheng explained that the Emperor had made an arrangement to locate the Western Prince, and the Duke of Lu connected it to the Landscape Painting that had disappeared from the Imperial Palace years earlier.

Pei Baifa, the No-Grace Gate’s blind Sect Master, used the Landscape Painting to send a powerful sword flying toward the Western Sea Sword Sect. Heavenly Longevity Mountain shook as the sword departed, leaving Pei Yuan stunned that his brother was still capable of acting.

• Jin Mingcheng told the Duke of Lu that whoever took the He Sword would be discovered and challenged, and hinted that the Landscape Painting had been sent somewhere unusually quiet.
• The No-Grace Gate remained still as powerful figures headed for Haizhou City, despite its longstanding enmity with the Western Sea Sword Sect.
• Pei Baifa watched the Landscape Painting and saw its light brighten as the sword moved, then reached into it to unleash his attack.
• Heavenly Longevity Mountain shook, and Pei Yuan was stopped from entering the Sect Master's Hall while the disciples gathered in alarm.
• A sword burst through the hall's roof and vanished into the sky; Pei Yuan watched the ensuing storm and realized Pei Baifa was not incapacitated.