Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yi left the Palace of Gathering Elegance to explore the Nine Layers and gather medicinal spirit plants for Profound Mystery True Person. On the fourth layer, the Kang-Surnamed Youth discovered the Seedling God Tai Sui and rushed to capture it.

• Jiang Yi consolidated his cultivation, then decided to leave the palace and search for blooming spirit plants to make health tonics for Profound Mystery True Person.
• A Da directed Jiang Yi toward the River of Forgetfulness below the Nine Layers, while A Er warned that the place was dangerous.
• Jiang Yi descended to the Nine Layers after the Heavenly Book foretold fright without danger, and Profound Mystery True Person explained the layers’ origins and earth-aspect qualities.
• On the fourth layer, the Kang-Surnamed Youth captured a mist-riding snake and extracted a valuable strand of Ji Earth essence Qi while his Skirted Woman companion praised him.
• The Kang-Surnamed Youth detected the Seedling God Tai Sui and sped off to capture it, with the Skirted Woman following.

Jiang Yi gathered spirit resources in Fengdu and met Xiao Qiao beside the River of Forgetfulness, where a Seedling God Tai Sui fled into his boat. Kang Lanyun demanded the treasure and ordered Jiang Yi to kneel, leaving Jiang Yi facing an arrogant cultivator from a Sect-tier lineage.

• Profound Mystery True Person led Jiang Yi through the fourth layer, Moist Earth, collecting spirit materials and noting that they encountered no ghosts or monsters.
• The big, fat girl directed spirits to leave valuable resources in Jiang Yi’s path and learned that a cultivator had chased the Seedling God Tai Sui toward the River of Forgetfulness.
• Jiang Yi met Xiao Qiao by the river, declined to join her fishing, and then saw the Seedling God Tai Sui leap into her boat.
• Kang Lanyun of the Illuminating Nether Sect pursued the Tai Sui and attacked with Gui Water True Qi when it fled toward Jiang Yi, who blocked him with the Bright Flame Mirror.
• Jiang Yi identified himself as belonging to Qianji Sect, Wavelooking Peak, and Kang Lanyun ordered him to kneel and hand over the Tai Sui, citing the difference in their lineages.

Jiang Yi defeated Kang Lanyun, dealt with the Skirted Woman, and entrusted the Seedling God Tai Sui to Xiao Qiao. He then agreed to sail with her toward Shuo Mountain, while the big fat girl hurried after them and wondered what the Empress could see.

• Kang Lanyun attacked Jiang Yi with Gui Water techniques, but Jiang Yi shattered his defenses and killed him with a punch.
• Jiang Yi took Kang Lanyun’s Sleeve Pouch and questioned the Skirted Woman, who revealed that Elder Huang was in Hanyang Prefecture.
• At Xiao Qiao’s suggestion, the Skirted Woman burned her body and left behind a wisp of primal spirit, which Xiao Qiao collected.
• Xiao Qiao offered to cultivate the immature Seedling God Tai Sui for Jiang Yi, and he handed it to her before accepting her invitation to Shuo Mountain.
• Jiang Yi and Xiao Qiao sailed down the Wangchuan River as Xiao Qiao pointed out creatures along the banks.
• The big fat girl followed in a sedan chair and sent Wangliang to check whether the Forget-Worry Flowers had bloomed on Shuo Mountain.

Jiang Yi and Xiao Qiao traveled to Shuo Mountain, where the Forget-Worry Flowers unexpectedly bloomed as they arrived. After Xiao Qiao buried the Skirted Woman’s spirit and several resentful souls beneath the Peach God, she thanked Jiang Yi for letting her witness the flowers and meet the new Lord of [Lesser Yang].

• Jiang Yi examined Kang Lanyun’s supplies, recorded his Gui Water Method Formula, and used Yellow Sprout Pills to restore himself and Profound Mystery True Person.
• Xiao Qiao fished several resentful souls from the River of Forgetfulness as the orchid boat approached Shuo Mountain and passed beneath the Peach God’s Ghost Gate.
• Xiao Qiao spotted the withered Forget-Worry Flowers, which bloomed across both riverbanks as the boat passed.
• Lady Mysterious Maiden considered the choices before the new Lord of [Lesser Yang] and the gifts he might receive from her or Xiao Qiao.
• Xiao Qiao buried the Skirted Woman’s primal spirit and the captured resentful souls beneath the Peach God’s roots so they could be nourished by its Yang Qi.
• Xiao Qiao thanked Jiang Yi for witnessing the flowers bloom and said that she had been fortunate to see the new Lord of [Lesser Yang].

Jiang Yi learned that Qiao Yu was the daughter of the Sword-Discussing Pavilion’s late True Lord and discovered how the Eight Sects of the Demonic Dao had tied the position of Dao Child to [Lesser Yang]. Qiao Yu revealed that accepting the Empress’s marriage proposal would expose Jiang Yi as [Lesser Yang]’s new Lord, and offered him a choice that would decide whether he accepted.

• Jiang Yi recognized Qiao Yu as the daughter of Qiao Bo, the famed Vast Marsh Pure Origin True Lord and Sword-Knowing Gentleman of the Sword-Discussing Pavilion.
• Qiao Yu told Jiang Yi that her father had died in the Western Journey to Destroy Buddhism, and explained that she and her sister had taken different kinds of Deathless Divine Medicine.
• Qiao Yu revealed that a Dao Lord had linked the position of Dao Child to [Lesser Yang], while another had arranged a marriage match that could lead the Eight Sects to find Jiang Yi.
• Jiang Yi realized that he would need the support of powerful Dao Lineages to challenge the [Sun], and decided he would not avoid becoming a Dao Child.
• Qiao Yu offered Jiang Yi the ancient sword [Upside Down], explaining that taking it would mean accepting the marriage to the Empress.

Jiang Yi agreed to enter a marriage with Qiao Yu despite the dangers of becoming a piece in a Dao Lord’s scheme. Qiao Yu accepted him, and the ancient killing sword Upside Down rang out as if blessing their union.

• Jiang Yi examined Upside Down as Qiao Yu explained its rankings and warned that the sword had never accepted even her father as its master.
• Jiang Yi resolved to become a Sect-tier Dao Child, enter the marriage, and obtain Upside Down, then told Qiao Yu he was willing to marry her.
• Qiao Yu warned Jiang Yi that the Immortal Dao would target him and that the Dao Lords would use him rather than protect him.
• Jiang Yi said he willingly accepted entering a Dao Lord’s game, but would not take Upside Down unless Qiao Yu freely agreed to their marriage.
• Qiao Yu accepted Jiang Yi and introduced herself as both Qiao Yu of the Sword-Discussing Pavilion and Xiao Qiao, Music-Regulating Official of the Central Palace of Mysterious Capital.
• Upside Down fell from the peach tree and rang out in a sound that seemed to bless the couple.

Jiang Yi chose to enter the Central Palace of Mysterious Capital with Qiao Yu, and the [Lesser Yang] Metal Position fixed its attention on him. After learning that [Lesser Yang]'s Dao Manifestation required him to steal the [Sun]'s glory, Jiang Yi crossed the palace threshold to make the new lord's presence known.

• Lady Mysterious Maiden sensed that Jiang Yi had chosen Xiao Qiao and [Upside Down], then wondered why he still intended to enter the Central Palace of Mysterious Capital.
• Jiang Yi asked Qiao Yu to accompany him to the Central Palace, while leaving the killing sword [Upside Down] in her care until he could claim it.
• Jiang Yi sensed the [Lesser Yang] Metal Position's Golden Nature watching him and learned from Profound Mystery True Person how its Dao Manifestation had been reshaped.
• Jiang Yi used the Heavenly Book to confirm that gaining [Lesser Yang]'s attention meant stealing the [Sun]'s glory.
• Jiang Yi entered the Central Palace of Mysterious Capital, determined to make the world know the new lord of [Lesser Yang].

Jiang Yi faced Lady Mysterious Maiden in the Central Palace of Mysterious Capital and declared that he intended to ascend [Lesser Yang] despite the danger of opposing the [Sun] and the [Immortal Dao]. Lady Mysterious Maiden accepted his resolve, and Jiang Yi asked her to help him cultivate.

• Lady Mysterious Maiden examined Jiang Yi's Dao Nature and questioned why he had come after choosing Xiao Qiao.
• Lady Mysterious Maiden suggested Jiang Yi and Xiao Qiao could retreat to the southern sea and cultivate through the surviving Sword-Discussing Pavilion branches.
• Jiang Yi rejected retreat, explaining that the conflict between [Lesser Yang] and the [Sun] made their enmity impossible to avoid.
• Lady Mysterious Maiden tested Jiang Yi with the radiance of Taiyin, then asked whether he feared the tribulation and death awaiting him.
• Jiang Yi said he would still be the second True Lord of [Lesser Yang] even if he attained the seat and died.
• Lady Mysterious Maiden praised Jiang Yi's resolve and asked what help he needed; he asked her to help him cultivate.

Jiang Yi asked Lady Mysterious Maiden to unveil [Fengdu] so he could break through to the eighth level of Qi Refining and draw the Dao Lineages’ attention to [Lesser Yang]. After persuading her that they could benefit one another, he declared his ambition to become the greatest cultivator of all time, and the four realms turned their attention toward [Lesser Yang].

• Jiang Yi asked Lady Mysterious Maiden to unveil [Fengdu] and provide nine exceptional first-grade Qi Refining spiritual objects aligned with [Five Phases] and [Yin-Yang].
• Jiang Yi offered to help Lady Mysterious Maiden leave [Fengdu] and attain the Dao Path anew if she supported his bid to become the Southern Continent’s sole [Lesser Yang].
• Lady Mysterious Maiden angrily rebuked Jiang Yi, but he explained that she could transfer to the [Demonic Dao] and serve as his Dao protector while they opposed the [Immortal Dao] and the [Sun].
• After Lady Mysterious Maiden warned that unveiling [Fengdu] would attract the Dao Lords and the [Immortal Dao], Jiang Yi recited a declaration of fearlessness and said he aspired to be the greatest cultivator of all time.
• Lady Mysterious Maiden lifted [Fengdu]’s seal, and Jiang Yi’s Divine Sense resonated with [Lesser Yang], drawing the attention of Dao Lineages across the four realms.
• A gray-robed Daoist beyond the Azure Firmament asked whether the Southern Continent approved of the Innate Dao Child he had chosen.

Jiang Yi drew [Lesser Yang]’s favor and the attention of the Demonic Dao’s Dao Lords, who debated whether to support him despite the Mysterious Thunder prophesied to kill [Lesser Yang]’s successor. He asked Lady Mysterious Maiden for help as White Jade Capital unleashed the Mysterious Thunder against him.

• Jiang Yi resolved to make himself indispensable to [Lesser Yang], and its Golden Nature descended toward him as five Dao Lords and the Taishi Patriarch gathered to watch.
• The Dao Lords discussed the Great Talisman Sect’s schemes, Mingxuan’s wager on Jiang Yi, and whether Jiang Yi deserved cultivation as the Innate Dao Child.
• The Dao Lords warned that White Jade Capital would invoke the Mysterious Thunder against [Lesser Yang]’s successor, and Mingxuan refused to intervene if Jiang Yi could not survive it.
• Jiang Yi realized that [Lesser Yang]’s favor alone would not secure the Dao Lords’ support, so he asked Lady Mysterious Maiden to help him and received nine first-grade spiritual objects.
• In White Jade Capital, the purple-robed Daoist commanded the Mysterious Thunder to slay [Lesser Yang].

The True Lord of Origin Response and Tribulation Administration ordered Mysterious Thunder to strike Jiang Yi, while Jiang Yi used the Heavenly Book and rare treasures to seek a chance at survival. As nine bolts of Mysterious Thunder descended on Fengdu, Jiang Yi endured the first strike with flames that tore it apart.

• The True Lord of Origin Response and Tribulation Administration sent a Talisman Edict summoning thunder officials to bring Mysterious Thunder to the Southern Continent.
• The officials of Dipper Pivot Court planned disasters to generate Tribulation Qi and strengthen the thunder punishment.
• Lady Mysterious Maiden gave Jiang Yi nine spiritual treasures, and the Heavenly Book warned him to seek life through nine deaths by surviving Mysterious Thunder and raising his Destiny Nature despite Tribulation Qi.
• Jiang Yi refined the treasures, broke through to the eighth level of Qi Refining, and learned that he needed to endure nine bolts of Mysterious Thunder.
• The archaic gateway opened above Fengdu, and the first bolt struck Jiang Yi as Qiao Yu and Gui'er watched in fear.
• Jiang Yi remained standing as flames rose around him and tore the first bolt of Mysterious Thunder apart.

Jiang Yi endured nine bolts of mystic lightning during his tribulation, while Profound Mystery True Person sacrificed himself to protect him. Upside Down finally broke the ninth bolt, and Jiang Yi emerged from the hall carrying the sword and challenging the True Lord to test it.

• Jiang Yi survived the seventh bolt as his Sage King destiny manifested, then Lady Mysterious Maiden sheltered him from the eighth with moonlight.
• Lady Mysterious Maiden closed her eyes as Jiang Yi faced the seemingly fatal ninth bolt, while Profound Mystery True Person comforted him.
• Profound Mystery True Person leaped in front of Jiang Yi and was pierced by the ninth bolt, which then continued toward Jiang Yi.
• Jiang Yi's Dao heart flooded with hatred as Qiao Yu's sword, Upside Down, leaped from its sheath and shattered the ninth bolt.
• Jiang Yi grasped Upside Down, left the hall, and challenged the True Lord to test his sword.

After Jiang Yi survived the nine bolts of Mysterious Thunder, he wielded the killing sword [Upside Down] to cut [Thunder Pivot] and wound the Primordial Response Tribulation Controller True Lord. His strike brought [Lesser Yang] into his body and began restoring him, while the Dao Lords recognized him as the Innate Dao Child.

• The Dao Lords discussed Jiang Yi’s karmic ties and True Lord Tao’s failed plans, then Profound Darkness and Dipper Chief pledged treasures in support of the wager on Jiang Yi.
• Netherworld Profound declared Jiang Yi the Innate Dao Child and warned the Eight Sects not to scheme against him.
• Jiang Yi grasped [Upside Down], declared that [Lesser Yang] would use the sword to slay [Thunder Pivot], and cut through the ancient gateway.
• Qiao Yu caught Jiang Yi as he fell, and [Lesser Yang] Golden Nature entered his body as dawn appeared over [Fengdu] and his damaged Furnace Cauldron began to mend.
• The Primordial Response Tribulation Controller True Lord tried to sever [Thunder Pivot] from the gateway, but Jiang Yi’s sword cut his forehead and damaged his Law Body.
• A pronouncement that [Lesser Yang] had wounded [Thunder Pivot] spread through the realms, while the Primordial Response Tribulation Controller True Lord suppressed his reaction.

After Jiang Yi wounded [Thunder Pivot] and survived by extinguishing his body, [Lesser Yang]'s Golden Nature merged with his Divine Sense and revealed the principles of attaining a great position. He reached the Great Void, where Patriarch Netherworld Profound named him the Xiantian Sect's Dao Child and invited him to embrace his hatred as a path to the Dao.

• Jiang Yi's Divine Sense received [Lesser Yang]'s Golden Nature, and he realized his body's destruction had freed him from [Thunder Pivot]'s grasp.
• Jiang Yi comprehended how True Lords and Metal Positions could stand in master-subordinate relationships, and how cultivators might ascend, beg for, or sacrifice to a position.
• As his fame spread for wounding a True Lord at Qi Refining, [Lesser Yang]'s Golden Nature merged with Jiang Yi's Divine Sense and carried him through visions of heavenly realms into the Great Void.
• Jiang Yi met the gray-robed Manifest Netherworld Profound Dao Lord, who declared him the Dao Child of the Xiantian Sect.
• Patriarch Netherworld Profound told Jiang Yi to hate freely if that hatred helped him verify his position and unite with the Dao.

Jiang Yi questioned Patriarch Netherworld Profound about uniting the Eight Sects’ fortunes and learned that attaining [Lesser Yang] alone would not be enough; he would need to seize the [Sun]’s brilliance. The Patriarch rewarded him with a Foundation Establishment Pill to restore his damaged body and aid his future cultivation, and Jiang Yi awoke among his companions.

• Jiang Yi asked Patriarch Netherworld Profound whether attaining [Lesser Yang] would let him unite the Eight Sects’ fortunes.
• Jiang Yi declared that reaching the supreme Dao required a transcendent position, and the Patriarch said he would need to seize all the brilliance of the [Sun] to claim what Ji Fuyao possessed.
• Patriarch Netherworld Profound explained that Jiang Yi’s damaged body would take years to recover and decided to reward him for wounding a True Lord and raising the Southern Continent’s fortune.
• Patriarch Netherworld Profound refined a Foundation Establishment Pill from a star and an origin’s worth of Spirit Chance, giving it to Jiang Yi to restore his body and support his cultivation.
• Jiang Yi returned to his body and opened his eyes as someone called out that Miss Xiao Qiao’s young master-in-law had awakened.

Jiang Yi woke in the Palace of Gathering Elegance after surviving the Mysterious Thunder, and discovered that [Lesser Yang] Golden Nature had transformed his cultivation foundations and granted the Heavenly Book a third page. He remained under Qiao Yu’s care while preparing to learn what the new page could do and how to face his sect as an unprecedented Dao Child.

• Jiang Yi inspected his vast inner manor and Origin Gate, realizing that the Foundation Establishment Pill and [Lesser Yang] Golden Nature had greatly strengthened his cultivation and ability to overcome future obstructions.
• Qiao Yu and Gui'er revealed that Qiao Yu had nursed Jiang Yi through his injuries, while Qiao Yu confirmed that Cat Master was being cared for in the Central Palace of Mysterious Capital.
• Jiang Yi asked to see the Empress, but Qiao Yu ordered him to rest for ten days and arranged for clothes after realizing he was naked.
• Jiang Yi used the Heavenly Book to inspect his status and found that he had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining at 120% and possessed the True Treasure Upside-Down Slaying Sword.
• Jiang Yi considered how to deal with the Demonic Dao sect that now had an unprecedented Qi Refining Dao Child, then turned to the Heavenly Book’s new third page and reacted with delight.

Jiang Yi used the Heavenly Book to spend fifty-seven years of lifespan deducing the All-Extinctions Sword Intent, gaining the sword move Mortal World Withered Snow. As he remained in Fengdu, the Northern Dipper Dharma, Dao, and Artifact rankings placed him first, while the Dao Lords’ contest over Lesser Yang reshaped the plans of the Great Talisman Sect and Xiantian Sect.

• Jiang Yi discovered that his newly gained Heavenly Book page could deduce techniques by spending lifespan, and learned that mastering All-Extinctions Sword Intent would normally take 223 years.
• Jiang Yi spent fifty-seven years on the deduction and comprehended Mortal World Withered Snow, a sword move born from contemplating mortality and loss.
• Fuli Zi and Lou Zhenxiao realized that Dao Lords were contending behind the upheaval surrounding Lesser Yang, and Fuli Zi identified the speaker as the Xiantian Sect’s Nether Mystery Dao Lord.
• Fuli Zi told Lou Zhenxiao that the Xiantian Sect’s Dao Child had been chosen: the new lord of Lesser Yang, while the Great Talisman Sect would continue its plans without relying on him.
• Lou Zhenxiao and Fuli Zi saw that Jiang Yi ranked first on the Northern Dipper Dharma Ranking for injuring the Primordial Response Tribulation Controller True Lord, then discovered he also ranked first in Dao and Artifacts.
• Fuli Zi concluded that Jiang Yi had claimed all three Northern Dipper rankings, leaving other contestants to compete for second place.

Fuli Zi and Lou Zhenxiao discussed the new Qi Refining lord of [Lesser Yang], whose rankings and True Treasure Killing Sword had intensified the old feud with [Thunder Pivot]. After recovering, Jiang Yi practiced the All-Extinctions Sword Intent, and Qiao Yu offered to teach him swordsmanship with a pair of Yang Steel flying needles.

• Fuli Zi and Lou Zhenxiao marveled that the new lord of [Lesser Yang] had taken first place in the Northern Dipper Dharma, Dao, and artifact rankings, and speculated about his killing sword and feud with [Thunder Pivot].
• Jiang Yi recovered enough to leave his bed, practiced the All-Extinctions Sword Intent, and used its sword Qi to scatter clouds and frighten the gatekeeping ghosts.
• Jiang Yi apologized to the gatekeeping ghosts and gave them pill Qi, while Qiao Yu arrived and chased them away for disturbing the peace.
• Qiao Yu instructed Jiang Yi to rest and avoid stirring his Qi, then agreed to teach him swordsmanship after he praised her as Sword Child Qiao.
• Qiao Yu showed Jiang Yi a pair of Yang Steel flying needles once used by Qi Refining disciples of the Sword-Discussing Pavilion to practice sword moves, and Jiang Yi asked her to teach him.

Jiang Yi learned to control Flying Needles from Qiao Yu and quickly matched her skill, impressing her with his talent. After their practice, Qiao Yu presented a betrothal letter asking him to marry her elder sister and help her avoid remaining a Yin Spirit for another thousand years.

• Qiao Yu gave Jiang Yi a Flying Needle and taught him the principles and three moves of sword control.
• Jiang Yi rapidly mastered the moves, sparred with Qiao Yu, and created a frostlike Forget-Worry Flower with the two needles.
• Qiao Yu praised Jiang Yi’s talent and learned that his injuries had healed as Gui'er entered the hall.
• Qiao Yu asked Gui'er to bring out the betrothal letter for Jiang Yi, explaining that he had previously agreed to a Yang Marriage with her elder sister.
• Qiao Yu urged Jiang Yi to accept the letter because [Fengdu] would soon sink into the Netherworld and her elder sister would otherwise remain a Yin Spirit for another thousand years.

Jiang Yi delayed writing his betrothal letter to tease Qiao Yu, while Ji Fuyao punished thousands in Divine Empyrean Thunder City and warned Primordial Response Tribulation Controller True Lord against interfering with [Lesser Yang]. After writing the letter, Jiang Yi visited Lady Mysterious Maiden and found Profound Mystery True Person chatting with her.

• Jiang Yi teased Qiao Yu about his injuries and persuaded her to prepare Five Essences Treasure Liquid while putting off the betrothal letter for a day.
• Ji Fuyao told Primordial Response Tribulation Controller True Lord not to act rashly against [Lesser Yang] and explained that his Human Tribulation had yet to fully arrive.
• Ji Fuyao established a decree forbidding people on the Eastern Victory Continent from discussing the injury or speculating about [Thunder Pivot], and heavenly fire killed nearly seven thousand Qi Refining cultivators and over fifty Foundation Establishment True Persons.
• Ji Fuyao ordered Primordial Response Tribulation Controller True Lord to preside over the Luotian Dao Discussion and told him to leave [Lesser Yang] alone.
• Jiang Yi wrote his betrothal letter using his birthplace and went to the Central Palace of Mysterious Capital to meet Lady Mysterious Maiden.
• Jiang Yi heard Profound Mystery True Person flirting with Lady Mysterious Maiden and announced his arrival.