Chapter Summaries

Ping Yongjia feared that his connection to Jing Jiu meant he might take over Jing Jiu’s body, while Yuan Qu and Zhuo Rusui tried to calm him. The Green Mountain elders and disciples gathered at Dayuan City, where Zhao Layue remained beside the unresponsive Jing Jiu and Yuan Qu and Zhuo Rusui arrived at Three Thousand Courtyard.

• Ping Yongjia told Yuan Qu that he feared he was the sword spirit of One Sword for All Things and might take over Jing Jiu’s body.
• Zhuo Rusui said Jing Jiu was dead and that Ping Yongjia would only be reclaiming what had originally belonged to him, but Ping Yongjia refused and asked them to kill him.
• After learning Jing Jiu was in Dayuan City, Yuan Qu left with Zhuo Rusui while Ping Yongjia stayed behind and asked them to tell Jing Jiu that he missed him.
• Three Sword Boats arrived outside Dayuan City, where the Imperial Court and Green Mountain disciples secured the area around Three Thousand Courtyard.
• Zhao Layue checked that Jing Jiu remained unconscious and asked Xilai to stop holding Yin Phoenix’s corpse where Green Mountain disciples could see it; Xilai moved to the lake to study the corpse’s blade intent.
• Yuan Qu entered Three Thousand Courtyard carrying tea supplies, followed by Zhuo Rusui with a hotpot.

Jing Jiu remained unconscious at Three Thousand Courtyard while his companions tried food, Go, and other ways to wake him. After Gu Qing’s attempt also failed, Liu S sui arrived and abruptly left the courtyard without offering an explanation.

• Zhuo Rusui and Yuan Qu brought tea and hotpot to Three Thousand Courtyard, where they and Zhao Layue waited for Jing Jiu to wake.
• Nan Wang arrived, ate with them, and left disappointed when Jing Jiu remained asleep; Zhuo Rusui and Yuan Qu later settled into the courtyard.
• Que Niang arrived with Go equipment, and Tong Yan played Go with her before suggesting the Jingyun Bell, which Xilai warned would scatter Jing Jiu’s divine soul.
• Gu Qing arrived, corrected the tea and hotpot, then knelt beside Jing Jiu and said he would let the Empress Dowager and Taozi choose for themselves, but Jing Jiu did not wake.
• Liu S sui arrived after working at the Great Whirlpool, heard Zhao Layue ask if he had any ideas, and immediately turned and left.

Liu S sui made a bamboo chair for the sleeping Jing Jiu, who remained unresponsive as Big One arrived and Xilai spoke with Divine End Peak’s disciples. Far away, Zhou Yunmu decided the time had come to send Jing Jiu a black plaque kept by the Xuantian Sect.

• Liu S sui brought bamboo from Heavenly Light Peak and made Jing Jiu a bamboo chair, where Zhao Layue and the others watched over him.
• Big One arrived and settled in Jing Jiu’s arms, while Xilai carried Yin Phoenix’s corpse and said Jing Jiu had saved the world because of the people connected to him by karma.
• Zhou Yunmu and Lu Jin discussed the unsettled state of the Cultivation World and Jing Jiu’s continued lack of breath or heartbeat.
• Zhou Yunmu showed Lu Jin a portrait of the Immortal in white and handed him a black plaque, saying it was time to return it to Jing Jiu.

The Zen Child examined Jing Jiu and explained that his severe injuries and sleeping Divine Soul kept him from waking, while his identity as Jingyang or Jing Jiu might be tied to his recovery. The Zen Child and Xilai played a strategic stick game by the lake; after the Zen Child conceded, the azure bird pulled out the last stick and claimed victory over Xilai.

• Zhou Yunmu took the mysterious black plaque from Jing Garden and set out alone, leaving Lu Jin to oversee the Xuantian Sect.
• The Zen Child arrived at Three Thousand Courtyard and examined Jing Jiu, finding his Sword Essence gone and his Divine Soul asleep.
• Zhao Layue, Zhuo Rusui, and the Zen Child discussed whether Jing Jiu needed to become his own person before he could wake.
• The Zen Child and Xilai played a complex stick game beside the lake while Zhao Layue, Nan Wang, and the others watched.
• The Zen Child conceded defeat and departed for White City, but the azure bird pulled out the final stick and challenged Xilai to leave instead.
• Zhuo Rusui told the azure bird to stop embarrassing itself because it was standing on stilts.

Bu Qiuxiao arrived at Three Thousand Courtyard and tested Xilai with a book about rivers, lakes, and seas, which left Zhuo Rusui unconscious when he read it too greedily. As Xilai remained beside the sleeping Jing Jiu, Lu Jin brought Zhao Layue a black token that projected a map of Green Mountain and a location Liu S sui recognized from childhood.

• Bu Qiuxiao arrived at Three Thousand Courtyard, and Xilai read his book faster than he could, stirring storms over the lake.
• Bu Qiuxiao lent the book to Liu S sui, who shared it with Zhuo Rusui; Zhuo Rusui passed out after reading too far.
• Nan Wang and True Person Guangyuan discussed Xilai's strength and concluded that only the absent Great Buddha might be able to challenge him.
• The Great Buddha continued repairing the Netherworld while A Piao urged him to leave and protect her sleeping teacher from Xilai.
• Lu Jin gave Zhao Layue a black token that projected a map showing a point near Green Mountain, and Liu S sui recognized the place from his childhood.

Zhao Layue, Nan Wang, and Liu S sui followed a map hidden in Jing Jiu’s black token to a cave containing the remains of his previous life, Jingyang. Nan Wang explained that Jing Jiu’s sleeping soul might want to return to that body because, unlike his current body, it could feel; the chapter left them confronting the suffering behind his emotional distance.

• Lu Jin explained that Jing Jiu had given him and his master the black token and instructed them to return it if anything happened to him.
• Nan Wang, Zhao Layue, and Liu S sui followed the token’s light to a mountain cave near the village where Jing Jiu had once emerged from a river.
• The token’s Sword Intent opened the Thousand-Mile Ice Seal, revealing Jingyang’s preserved remains inside the cave.
• Nan Wang recognized Jingyang and explained that he had returned to the mortal world after Bairen Immortal wounded him, then transferred his soul into One Sword for All Things before dying.
• Nan Wang said Jing Jiu might want to return to his former body because it could feel, while his current body could not.

Nan Wang destroyed True Person Jingyang’s remains, severing his final connection to the world, and Ping Yongjia went to the Three Thousand Courtyard to defend himself against suspicions that he was Jing Jiu reborn. Jing Jiu awakened, reassured Ping Yongjia, and prepared to face Xilai, who asked for three days to arrange his affairs.

• Nan Wang used the Southern Barbarians Divine Art to burn True Person Jingyang’s remains to pure white ashes, which the wind scattered.
• When Jingyang’s final connection vanished, the mist around Sword Peak parted, and Ping Yongjia left Green Mountain for the Three Thousand Courtyard.
• Xilai, Yuan Qu, and Zhuo Rusui confronted Ping Yongjia, who protested that he had not taken Jing Jiu’s body.
• Jing Jiu emerged from the Chan Room, confirmed Ping Yongjia’s account, and woke the sleeping world around him.
• Jing Jiu tossed Yin Phoenix’s corpse into the sky, where it became a phoenix-shaped scattering of light and disappeared.
• Jing Jiu invited Xilai to fight; Xilai requested three days to settle his affairs and said he believed he could kill Jing Jiu.

Jing Jiu awoke and prepared to face Xilai, while news of his return prompted major changes across Chaotian. As their two sword lights converged near Dayuan City, the young sect master of the No-Grace Gate stood in their path, sword drawn.

• A Piao saw a leaf turn green in the Netherworld, while Gu Qing left the Imperial City with Empress Dowager Hu to go to Dayuan City.
• Jing Yao learned that the Empress Dowager and Gu Qing had disappeared, then accepted the news and continued toward Dayuan City.
• Zhao Layue and Liu S sui reunited with Jing Jiu at Three Thousand Courtyard, where Jing Jiu said he would prepare to face Xilai himself.
• Jing Jiu slept for two days, then departed with Xilai as two immense streaks of sword light tore through the clouds.
• The young sect master of the No-Grace Gate raised his sword to defend Elder Sun and their disintegrating boat from the approaching sword lights.

Peng Lang, the newly revealed Sect Master of the No-Grace Gate, survived the clash between Jing Jiu and Xilai after instinctively drawing his sword to protect Elder Sun. His arrival on the long street exposed his connection to Emperor Xiao’s death and stopped the two masters’ duel, which ended with both Jing Jiu and Xilai calling him a pity.

• The No-Grace Gate learned that Peng Lang had reached the Heaven-Connecting Realm and made him its new Sect Master.
• Peng Lang stepped in front of Elder Sun and drew his sword as Jing Jiu and Xilai’s sword lights struck their sword boat, which crashed into Dayuan City.
• Peng Lang emerged from the ruined antique shop alive, while Jing Jiu and Xilai faced each other at opposite ends of the street.
• Elder Sun introduced Peng Lang as the No-Grace Gate’s Sect Master, astonishing the assembled Green Mountain masters and onlookers.
• Jing Jiu asked whether Peng Lang had killed Emperor Xiao, and Peng Lang said he did not understand what had happened; Jing Jiu noted that Peng Lang had blocked Xilai’s strike.
• Jing Jiu and Xilai approached Peng Lang together and both said, “What a pity.”

Jing Jiu and Xilai recognized Peng Lang’s extraordinary Sword Dao talent, and Xilai offered to teach him before demonstrating a new sword art against Jing Jiu. Jing Jiu acknowledged Xilai had mastered Green Mountain’s “One Sword for All Things,” but stopped the rain and declared that it was not his own version.

• Jing Jiu realized Peng Lang’s talent surpassed that of the other juniors and lamented that he belonged to the No-Grace Gate.
• Xilai asked Peng Lang to inherit his Sword Dao, but Peng Lang refused because Xilai was the No-Grace Gate’s enemy.
• Xilai used sword intent from objects and empty spaces throughout the street to attack Jing Jiu, explaining that anything could be a sword.
• Xilai identified his art with Green Mountain’s “One Sword for All Things,” and Jing Jiu confirmed that he had grasped the patriarch’s true Sword Dao.
• Jing Jiu halted the raindrops and declared that Xilai’s art was not his own One Sword for All Things.

Jing Jiu defeated Xilai by revealing the All Things Sword Formation, then spared him and arranged for Liu S sui to inherit his Tide-Coming Sword technique. As Jing Jiu departed, the suspended rain began to fall.

• Jing Jiu showed Xilai that his Sword Dao made all things into one sword and formed the vast All Things Sword Formation.
• Xilai conceded defeat after seeing Jing Jiu's Sword Dao, while sword intent spread across the Chaotian Continent and A Piao flew toward the human world.
• Jing Jiu asked Xilai to teach his Tide-Coming Sword technique to Liu S sui, whom he introduced as a worthy successor.
• Jing Jiu spared Xilai, who left after telling Liu S sui to find him once Jing Jiu had gone.
• Jing Jiu flew away, and the raindrops suspended in the sky began to fall.

Gu Qing fled with Empress Dowager Hu and Zhen Tao, leaving Jing Yao upset and the Green Mountain Sect uncertain about the succession. Jing Jiu explained that Zhao Layue and Liu S sui had been the two innate Dao Seeds he left Green Mountain, then revealed he had prepared for Ascension alongside Ping Yongjia.

• Jing Yiu arrived at Three Thousand Courtyard, but left for Chaoge after revealing that Gu Qing had departed.
• Zhuo Rusui suggested Gu Qing had left with the Empress Dowager, and the others learned about their relationship.
• Gu Qing and Empress Dowager Hu sailed away with Zhen Tao aboard a Treasure Ship they had taken from Penglai Divine Island.
• Jing Jiu told Zhao Layue and Liu S sui that he had found them as innate Dao Seeds before his Ascension.
• Jing Jiu revealed that he had prepared to ascend with Ping Yongjia.

Jing Jiu told his disciples how he had tried to free Oneness of All Things and described the senses he had lost during his long sleep. After sending Ping Yongjia back to Green Mountain, he summoned Peng Lang to speak with him privately.

• Jing Jiu explained that he had once intended to ascend with Oneness of All Things but discovered the Sword Demon could not ascend with him.
• He told Ping Yongjia that he had freed him from the sword, though Ping Yongjia had lost his memories and run away before Jing Jiu ascended.
• Jing Jiu reassured Ping Yongjia that he could still call him Master and said he had been able to perceive the world while sleeping inside the Azure Sky Mirror.
• Jing Jiu told his disciples that their lives were intertwined with his, and that Gu Qing's journey had brought him happiness.
• When Ping Yongjia remarked that he could sense Jing Jiu's happiness, Jing Jiu ordered him to return to Green Mountain, and Ping Yongjia hurried off.
• Jing Jiu brought Peng Lang into the Chan Room for a private conversation, leaving the Green Mountain disciples wondering about the reason for his extraordinary cultivation.

Jing Jiu gave Peng Lang guidance before preparing to leave, then traveled with Zhao Layue to Soul-Gathering Valley to ask Bu Qiuxiao and Cao Yuan about secrets tied to their pasts. The chapter ended with Cao Yuan silent after Jing Jiu asked whether Lian Sanyue’s story about his birth was true.

• Peng Lang left the Chan Room grateful for Jing Jiu’s sword Dao guidance and an invitation to seek a sword on Sword Peak, puzzled by Jing Jiu’s remark about his name.
• A Piao arrived at Divine End Peak, but Zhao Layue stopped her from entering the Chan Room while Jing Jiu tended to Bai Zao.
• Jing Jiu told his disciples to return to Divine End Peak and traveled with Zhao Layue to Soul-Gathering Valley.
• Jing Jiu asked Bu Qiuxiao whether the person connected to He Zhan’s parentage had been Bu Qiuxiao or his teacher, then told Zhao Layue the secret to remember.
• Jing Jiu asked Cao Yuan whether Lian Sanyue’s story about his birth was true, and Cao Yuan did not answer.

Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue soaked in the Lava River while he repaired the Unthought Sword, then his divine soul entered the Azure Sky Mirror. There, he appeared beside the Fire Carp King in the pond at Old Master Zhang's residence.

• Jing Jiu confirmed with Cao Yuan that the story Lian Sanyue had told him was true, and Cao Yuan promised to see him off.
• Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue entered the Lava River, where she used the Azure Sky Mirror to sink beneath the surface.
• Jing Jiu began repairing the broken Unthought Sword with Sword Flame and entered the Azure Sky Mirror to rest.
• Inside the Azure Sky Mirror, the Fire Carp King complained to Old Master Zhang about the sudden return of summer and the noisy frogs.
• Jing Jiu appeared beside the pond, and the Fire Carp King greeted him tearfully.

Jing Jiu left the Azure Sky Mirror and reunited with Zhao Layue, then traveled with her to White City to visit the Zen Child. He explained that Jingyang and he were not two ends of one river but successive flames, using burning sticks to demonstrate.

• Jing Jiu offered the Fire Carp a chance to return to life in a Vermilion Bird Jade Egg, but it chose to stay in the Azure Sky Mirror with Old Master Zhang.
• Jing Jiu left the Azure Sky Mirror and found Zhao Layue beside him; she admitted she had kissed him while he was asleep, and he said she need not wait until he was asleep next time.
• Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue reunited with He Zhan and Se Se, shared a meal, and prepared to part; He Zhan chose not to ask about Jing Jiu's origins.
• Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue went to the Small Temple in White City and told the Zen Child that Jingyang and Jing Jiu were like successive flames, demonstrating with burning sticks.

Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue made a farewell journey through the snowfield, Chaoge City, and South River Province before returning to Green Mountain. When Nan Wang asked when he would ascend, Jing Jiu decided to leave that very day.

• Jing Jiu explained his thoughts about soul fire to the Zen Child and discussed Snow Ji before preparing to leave the snowfield with Zhao Layue.
• Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue visited Zhao Garden, met Jing Yao, and walked through Chaoge City before entering the Void Realm.
• At the Turbid Waters, Jing Jiu discussed Zhao Layue’s cultivation path and she asked him not to wait for her to reach the Heaven-Connecting Realm.
• Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue ate hotpot in Yunji Town, then returned to Green Mountain, where Jing Jiu looked at his portrait in the South Pine Pavilion.
• Nan Wang asked Jing Jiu when he planned to ascend, and Jing Jiu answered that he would leave today.

Jing Jiu and Nan Wang shared a farewell on Qingrong Peak before his long-awaited ascension. Cultivators from across Chaotian gathered on the Black Jade Disc that had been Shangde Peak, where Jing Jiu waited for Cao Yuan and the ascension ceremony to begin.

• Nan Wang told Jing Jiu she had burned Jingyang's remains to sever the karma of his previous life, confessed she liked him as Jingyang and as Jing Jiu, and refused to go to Shangde Peak.
• Cultivators from across Chaotian arrived at Green Mountain for Jing Jiu's ascension, where Shangde Peak had become a vast Black Jade Disc with Night Howl at its center.
• Jing Jiu landed on the Black Jade Disc with Zhao Layue and the Green Mountain disciples, sat beside Corpse Dog, and waited for someone.
• Cao Yuan arrived in his golden body, and Tong Yan raised the Jingyun Bell while Cao Yuan struck it with blade intent, announcing the moment across the world.

As Jing Jiu prepared to ascend, he told the gathered cultivators the story of Cao Yuan’s origins and the massacre committed by Cao Yuan’s parents. He argued that Cao Yuan could not ascend because he still clung to guilt for his parents’ deeds, leaving Cao Yuan to consider whether he could let go.

• Jing Jiu announced that he would tell three stories before ascending, while people across the continent listened to the bell and his words.
• Jing Jiu recounted how Cao Yuan’s parents slaughtered the Shi Household and other people, then entrusted their son to the Fruitful Accomplishment Temple before killing themselves.
• Cao Yuan revealed that some members of the Shi Household survived and that they now belonged to the Wind Saber Sect, where they knew his origins.
• Jing Jiu explained that Cao Yuan had stayed in White City because he believed himself bound to the deaths caused by his parents and could not find atonement.
• Jing Jiu told Cao Yuan that he could not ascend because he could not let go of a debt that was not his to repay.

Jing Jiu told the story of Su Ziye’s birth as a demonic embryo, then explained his own origins and history as he prepared to leave the world. He said he had planned much of the Chaotian Continent’s recent history and revealed that he would eventually discard his current Dao body.

• Jing Jiu summoned Su Ziye and revealed how Su Qige created a demonic embryo from his pregnant wife, intending to devour the child and complete his cultivation.
• Jing Jiu explained that the infant Su Ziye survived by emerging early from his mother’s corpse, poisoning Su Qige and eventually leaving him helpless until Liu Ci killed him.
• Jing Jiu asked why the continent was called Chaotian and praised the saying about dying with one’s cock pointing to heaven and living for ten thousand times ten thousand years; Su Ziye bowed to him in thanks.
• Jing Jiu discussed whether life was merely a bubble and said that because he did not know when or whether he would die, he had never treated existence as meaningless.
• Jing Jiu recounted his birth in Chaoge City, his cultivation and rivalry with True Person Taiping, and said he had calculated many events unfolding across the Chaotian Continent.
• Jing Jiu told Zhao Layue and Liu S sui that his unusual Dao body was useful but that he would discard it one day, leaving them puzzled about what would replace it.