Recaps

Song Yan attended the Dragon Pool Mountain gatherings, reunited with Ke Huai, and heard Bai Qi invite Xiao He to join Shangtong Mountain, but Xiao He chose to stay with him. On the eve of the selection, Zhang Guangyuan explained its rules, and Song Yan left with Lin Qing, who reflected on delaying his own Foundation Establishment breakthrough.

• Song Yan listened to a Sheyang Sect elder expound the Dao, then met Ke Huai and played chess with him at the waterside pavilion.
• Bai Qi invited Xiao He to join Shangtong Mountain and travel to the Central Region, but Xiao He refused because she did not want to leave Song Yan.
• Song Yan and Ke Huai finished their game and parted, with Ke Huai noting they might meet in the selection.
• Zhang Guangyuan summoned the Dongyuan Sect participants and explained that contestants needed to collect both a Yin Talisman and a Yang Talisman to advance.
• Song Yan left the meeting with Lin Qing, who congratulated him on reaching Foundation Establishment and considered postponing his own breakthrough until after Dragon Pool Mountain.

Lin Qing and Song Yan discussed the lack of signs of the Demonic Path’s invasion, while Hu Haotian prepared the Hu Lineage to join a conspiracy meant to change its fortunes. At the Dragon Pool Gathering, Song Yan entered the selection with a blank talisman and immediately confronted an injured rogue cultivator as a Hanging Sword Mountain disciple appeared behind him.

• Lin Qing told Song Yan that Sect Master Chen Linyuan would likely prepare for the Demonic Path’s invasion, and Song Yan resolved to use the Dragon Pool Gathering to strengthen himself.
• Hu Haotian learned that his envoy had delivered gifts to the Six Great Sects and declared that the Hu Lineage’s plans would soon bring a new order to the Chu Kingdom.
• Song Yan joined 117 other younger-generation cultivators at the selection grounds, signed the Life-and-Death Writ, and drew a blank talisman.
• The formation transported Song Yan into the Ancient Forest, where he detected and attacked an injured Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator hiding nearby.
• The rogue cultivator revealed a Yang Talisman and recognized Song Yan, while a Hanging Sword Mountain disciple carrying a Yin Talisman emerged behind him.

Song Yan collected the Yin and Yang Talismans and headed back toward the return point, while Lin Qing used a scroll to take a Yin Talisman from Shen Qing and fled the pursuing Spirit Talisman Sect cultivator. Yuwen Yao and Han Yuan defeated a group of Qi Refining cultivators, but Yuwen Yao still needed a Yang Talisman.

• Song Yan took the Yang Talisman from a rogue cultivator and the Yin Talisman from a Hanging Sword Mountain disciple, then set off toward the plaza.
• Lin Qing trapped a Spirit Talisman Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator with his Wandering-Holding Scroll and took Shen Qing's Yin Talisman before escaping into the forest.
• The Spirit Talisman Sect cultivator broke free and pursued Lin Qing, who used the scroll again to divert a sword talisman.
• Yuwen Yao and Han Yuan fought off a group of allied cultivators and collected several Spirit Talismans.
• Han Yuan qualified with his talismans, while Yuwen Yao still lacked a Yang Talisman and agreed to hunt for one with him.

Xiang Zhaoling captured three cultivators’ talismans with her Gu insects and giant toad, while two disguised Devil cultivators killed Yang Kaijun and concealed his corpse. Song Yan discovered the hidden body, leaving him to investigate a death that should have alerted the selection’s overseers.

• Xiang Zhaoling used her insect flute and Gu insects to draw three talismans to her, while Brother Croak swallowed the three cultivators who tried to attack her.
• A Devil cultivator took on Ke Huai’s appearance and discussed with his companion their plans to target Song Yan despite Senior Xin Mountain’s orders.
• The disguised pair revealed that they had killed Yang Kaijun, transformed his corpse and the evidence into mossy stone and rotten wood, and planned to infiltrate his identity.
• Song Yan walked through the Strange Mountain Range and used his Void-Viewing Sword Eye to see through a moss-covered rock and reveal Yang Kaijun’s corpse.

Song Yan used the illusion effect of his Sword Intent to defeat Fan Dongchen and take his six talismans, then was transported to Beyond-Boundary Broad Valley. Fan Dongchen’s reputation for attacking other participants had spread through the square when the teleportation array flashed and someone appeared kneeling.

• Song Yan found a dead Yang family cultivator but left the body alone, deciding to report it to Elder Zhang.
• Fan Dongchen ambushed Song Yan and believed he had killed him, but Song Yan revealed the attack had been an illusion created by his Sword Pellet and Mirage Bead.
• Song Yan used the Unmoored Boat and Sword Intent to overwhelm Fan Dongchen, who dropped to his knees as Song Yan took his six talismans.
• Song Yan was teleported away after remarking that he had almost killed Fan Dongchen.
• At Beyond-Boundary Broad Valley, participants discussed Fan Dongchen’s attacks on other cultivators, and the teleportation array flashed as a figure appeared on his knees.

Song Yan emerged from the selection with nine talismans and helped Dongyuan Sect secure a strong result, while Zhou Liu refused to give Fan Dongchen an extra qualification slot. As Song Yan weighed who should receive his two extra places, Su Lianxue of the Heavenly Jade Palace arrived to meet him.

• Song Yan appeared with nine talismans after eliminating Fan Dongchen, and the selection ended with Dongyuan Sect earning seven places in the new generation.
• Dongyuan Sect learned that four of its five previous-intake disciples had qualified, bringing its total to eleven competitors for the final stage.
• Shen Yu questioned Fan Dongchen about losing to Song Yan, but Zhou Liu rejected Shen Yu's plan to give Fan Dongchen his extra slot and awarded it to a Qi Refining disciple instead.
• Song Yan turned down visitors seeking his two extra places and tentatively chose Han Yuan and Kong You, while Shao Sichao declined a place.
• Su Lianxue, a disciple of the Heavenly Jade Palace, visited Song Yan's cave abode and introduced herself.

Song Yan resisted Su Lianxue’s attempt to seduce him and focused on developing his Sword Intent, which he named Flowers in the Mirror, Moon in the Water. As the tournament neared, visitors sought his favor, and he rejected Elder Yang Wenxuan’s invitation while making clear that Yang would have to visit him himself if he had something important to say.

• Su Lianxue visited Song Yan, praised him, and offered him an entry talisman to her Warm Jade Tower so he could teach her swordsmanship and guide her cultivation.
• Song Yan refused to be swayed by Su Lianxue’s charm, and Xiao He took the talisman and made him promise not to visit the tower.
• Song Yan studied his Sword Intent and named its truth-and-illusion effect Flowers in the Mirror, Moon in the Water.
• As the tournament approached, Xiao Ju managed a stream of visitors seeking places, connections, or information, including Xie Chan of Hanging Sword Mountain.
• Song Yan emerged from seclusion, heard Xiao Ju’s reports, and told her to decline Yang Wenxuan’s invitation and tell him to come in person if he had something important to discuss.

Yang Wenxuan tried to secure Song Yan’s Grand Competition place for Qin Zhan, but Song Yan refused and insisted that the place he had earned was his to decide. Yang Wenxuan left furious, while Qin Ying took an interest in Song Yan and flew to the attending Rogue Cultivators’ cave abodes.

• Qin Ying and Qin Zhan asked Yang Wenxuan to help Qin Zhan obtain a place in the Grand Competition, and Yang agreed to pressure Song Yan to give one up.
• Yang Wenxuan summoned Song Yan, but Xiao Ju reported that Song Yan was in seclusion and would not come; Yang then decided to visit him himself.
• Qin Zhan complained about Song Yan’s refusal to yield, while Qin Ying recalled his rapid rise in cultivation and went to seek him out.
• Yang Wenxuan confronted Song Yan at Worry-Free Lodge and demanded that he give Qin Zhan a place, citing Han Yuan’s injury.
• Song Yan rejected the demand, pointed out that other substitutes had stronger claims, and told Yang Wenxuan that the place he had won was his to decide.
• Song Yan left for his inner chamber and told Xiao Ju to see Yang Wenxuan out.

Song Yan rejected Yang Wenxuan’s pressure and helped finalize Dongyuan Sect’s Grand Competition roster. As the competition began alongside the Yang Clan’s Great Spirit-Sacrificing Ceremony, Yang Yuerong confided her wish to leave the clan, and the chapter ended with Song Yan and Gu Qingqing watching the masked ceremony begin.

• Song Yan refused to defer to Yang Wenxuan, who left in anger, and Song Yan suspected he might be connected to the Demon Ruins conspiracy.
• Song Yan gave the remaining Grand Competition qualifications to Han Yuan and Kong You after Han Yuan accepted and Shao Sichao declined.
• Yang Yuerong told Yang Qing she longed to leave the Yang Clan and live freely, and Yang Qing gave her a protective pendant and promised to help her leave.
• Song Yan joined the Dongyuan Sect disciples heading to Dragon Pool, where the final Grand Competition and the Yang Clan’s Great Spirit-Sacrificing Ceremony were about to begin.
• Gu Qingqing asked which masked representative was Yang Yuerong, and Song Yan could not identify her among the thirteen participants.

The Yang Clan’s ceremony at Dragon Pool Mountain was interrupted when two Golden Core devil cultivators trapped the gathering in a blood-red formation and killed True Person Ye Ding. As the Demon Ruins declared its takeover, Golden Core cultivators from the Xuanyuan Sect and Hanging Sword Mountain arrived, and a battle erupted above the mountain.

• The Yang Clan performed its ancient ceremony while Song Yan noticed cultivators leaving their seats and felt uneasy.
• Sixteen pillars of spiritual light formed a suppressive formation around the great enclosed building, and True Person Ye Ding fled into the clouds.
• Two Golden Core devil cultivators killed Ye Ding and announced that the Demon Ruins would take over the Chu Kingdom.
• Hu Haotian watched the Yang Clan, Yang Yuerong searched the crowd, and Lin Qing realized the invasion had begun earlier than in his previous life.
• Song Yan questioned the devil cultivators’ motives as Golden Core cultivators Chen Ya and Li Luo arrived to challenge them.
• The four Golden Core cultivators began fighting above Dragon Pool Mountain with lightning, Sword Qi, Ghost Skulls, and Yellow Springs.

As Chen Ya and Li Luo battled the Demon Ruins cultivators above Dragon Pool Mountain, the trapped cultivators joined forces to attack the Blood-Colored Grand Formation. The Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain secretly redirected their power into the formation, triggering its collapse and destroying Dragon Pool Mountain.

• Chen Ya trapped the thin Daoist in a lightning domain, while Li Luo’s sword attack clashed with the fat Daoist’s Yellow Springs waves.
• Cultivators across the Chu Kingdom watched the invasion unfold, as Jiang Chaoshen flew toward Dragon Pool Mountain and Chen Linyuan refused to intervene.
• Cultivators inside the Great Enclosure Tower coordinated attacks on the Blood-Colored Grand Formation, while the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain planted a paper person and prepared his scheme.
• Yang Kaijun left his clan’s gathering place without answering the elder who urged him to stay and resist the devil cultivators.
• Liu Ciming received the paper person outside the tower as the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain and the formation’s other controllers synchronized their seals and redirected the cultivators’ attacks into the formation.
• The Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain invoked Formation Collapse, unleashing a shock wave that destroyed the Great Enclosure Tower, killed countless cultivators, and made Dragon Pool Mountain collapse into the dragon pool.

After the formation’s destruction devastated Dragon Pool Mountain, the surviving sects organized teams to hunt the remaining devil cultivators. Song Yan headed east, suspecting Ke Huai and Yang Kaijun had gone toward the Yang Clan Territory.

• The formation’s collapse destroyed the great enclosed tower and killed every Yang Clan attendee near its center, while the Dongyuan Sect disciples survived under the protection of their elders and Xiang Zhaoling’s treasure.
• Song Yan saw Yang Kaijun speaking with Ke Huai, who planned to help eliminate the remaining Yang Clan members before leaving with him.
• The two devil cultivators fled when Golden Core reinforcements approached, and Chen Ya, Jiang Chaoshen, and True Person Yinyu pursued them while Master Mingxin and Li Luo stayed to secure the ruins.
• Li Luo ordered the Nine Veins to assemble teams and exterminate the surviving devil cultivators, while Zhang Guangyuan assigned Dongyuan Sect disciples to their tasks.
• Song Yan and Li Yi were ordered to act independently and watch out for each other; Song Yan took Xiao He and flew east toward the Yang Clan Territory.

Zhou Liu left Shen Yu’s group to hunt Devil Cultivators alone and discovered Ke Huai and Yang Kaijun amid the ruins of the Yang Clan. His Life-Bound Talisman Seed surprised the pair, but they recognized its value and attacked him to seize it.

• Zhou Liu dismissed Shen Yu’s group and flew alone toward the Yang Clan Territory after sensing Demonic Qi.
• Zhou Liu found Ke Huai and Yang Kaijun torturing a dying Yang Clan cultivator and challenged them.
• Zhou Liu’s golden Law Seal failed to defeat the two Devil Cultivators, and they counterattacked him together.
• Zhou Liu drew a golden Flying Sword from his Talisman Seed and shattered Ke Huai’s Bone Whip and Yang Kaijun’s Demon Head Phantom.
• Ke Huai and Yang Kaijun recognized Zhou Liu’s Talisman Seed and rushed to claim its spiritual essence.
• Zhou Liu targeted Yang Kaijun with a powerful sword strike, but Ke Huai opened a purple rift that redirected the Sword Qi away.

Song Yan arrived at the Yang Clan ruins and rescued Zhou Liu from Ke Huai and Yang Kaijun, then used the Howling Sun Sword Formation and a powerful sword strike to kill Yang Kaijun while Ke Huai escaped. After the Nine Veins subdued the remaining Devil Cultivators, Master Mingxin stayed behind to oversee Dragon Pool Mountain’s recovery.

• Ke Huai and Yang Kaijun defeated Zhou Liu and prepared to take his Talisman Seed, but Song Yan arrived with his flying swords and ordered Xiao He to guard Zhou Liu.
• Song Yan activated the Howling Sun Sword Formation, forcing Ke Huai and Yang Kaijun to flee through a rift as other foundation establishment cultivators approached.
• Song Yan unleashed a distant sword strike that killed Yang Kaijun, while Ke Huai survived by using a talisman and fled; True Person Li Luo, Master Mingxin, the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain, Wu Xusheng, and Chen Linyuan sensed or witnessed the strike.
• Song Yan left the ruins with Xiao He as Xi Shuyan and Fan Dongchen found Zhou Liu badly wounded, and the Nine Veins finished clearing out the Devil Cultivators.
• Elder Xu Ziqing identified the slain Devil Cultivator Liu Ciming, and the Golden Core cultivators departed Dragon Pool Mountain except for Master Mingxin, who remained to oversee recovery and tend to the dead and wounded.

Song Yan honored Yang Yuerong with a gravestone, then received Yang Kaijun’s recovered Heaven and Earth Bag from the frightened rogue cultivator Chen Dongfeng. As the Dongyuan Sect prepared to return amid a Demon Ruins invasion, Yang Wenxuan arranged for Song Yan to remain behind and help settle accounts with the Hu Lineage, leaving Song Yan suspicious of his intentions.

• Song Yan carved Yang Yuerong’s name into a small gravestone, and Gu Qingqing silently mourned beside it among the ruins.
• Rogue Cultivator Chen Dongfeng brought Xiao Ju Yang Kaijun’s Heaven and Earth Bag, explaining that he had found it while clearing the outskirts and had left its contents untouched.
• After emerging from seclusion, Song Yan read Xiao Ju’s Jade Slip and put away the recovered bag, amused that Chen Dongfeng had returned it out of fear of his power.
• Zhang Guangyuan announced that the Dragon Pool Mountain Gathering would not resume because Demon Ruins cultivators had invaded several border countries and the sects would return to their bases.
• Yang Wenxuan proposed that Xu Ziqing and Song Yan stay behind to help hold the Hu Lineage accountable for colluding with Devil Cultivators, and Song Yan sensed Yang Wenxuan’s concealed killing intent.

Song Yan stayed on Dragon Pool Mountain while Xiao Ju returned to the sect, then investigated the mask he had found in Yang Kaijun’s belongings. After feeding it his Divine Sense and putting it on, he found himself inside a black-mist space, standing on the thumb of an enormous statue.

• Song Yan agreed to stay with Xu Ziqing and a small group of disciples while the other cultivators returned to the sect with the elders.
• Song Yan sent Xiao Ju back to the sect for her protection and told Xiao He to keep others away if he ever pretended to die.
• Song Yan searched Yang Kaijun’s Heaven and Earth Bag and found a mask, along with a Jade Slip describing ancient Fangxiangshi rituals and the summoning of nuo gods.
• Song Yan discovered that the mask absorbed his Divine Sense, then put it on after its wooden portion began to glow.
• Song Yan used the Void-Viewing Sword Eye and saw that he was standing on the thumb of a giant humanoid statue in a black-mist space.

Song Yan discovered that visualizing the Five-Star Pulse Seizing Diagram could strengthen his Divine Sense, then joined the forces assembled to punish the Hu Lineage. The Hu Lineage's defenses began collapsing under the attackers' assault.

• Song Yan studied the Golden Page of the Chess Manual and visualized its diagram, sensing his Divine Sense grow stronger as the board unfolded into a world of mountains, rivers, and stars.
• Song Yan decided that the Hu Lineage's crisis offered a rare opportunity and joined the Foundation Establishment cultivators surrounding its ancestral hall.
• Hu Haotian rejected the charges of collusion with the Demonic Path and rallied the Hu Lineage to fight rather than surrender.
• The Hanging Sword Mountain cultivator ordered the attackers to leave no one alive, and the gathered cultivators unleashed their Law Artifacts and Law Techniques against the formation.
• The Xuanyuan Sect cultivator and other Foundation Establishment cultivators struck the barrier, and the Golden Folding Fan pierced it as the formation rapidly began to collapse.

Song Yan pursued a fleeing Hu cultivator and discovered that the man was the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain, a False Core Realm Devil Cultivator sent by Yang Wenxuan to kill him. Xin Mountain seemingly killed Song Yan with a blood-based technique, but after he fled, a black-mist duplicate emerged from Song Yan’s crystallized corpse and disappeared into the night.

• The Nine Veins cultivators overwhelmed the Hu Lineage, while Song Yan watched the slaughter and noticed a Paper Person hiding in a pool of blood.
• A Hu cultivator at Qi Refining Perfection killed a Nine Veins cultivator and escaped the battlefield in a streak of Blood Light.
• Song Yan pursued the fugitive into a mountain valley, where the man revealed himself as the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain and admitted Yang Wenxuan had hired him to kill Song Yan.
• Xin Mountain used his False Core power to immobilize Song Yan and destroy his body, leaving him crystallized and apparently dead.
• An uncanny presence made Xin Mountain withdraw, and he fled the valley without taking Song Yan’s possessions.
• Black mist emerged from Song Yan’s corpse and formed an identical figure, who cursed the corpse and vanished as a crow watched from a tree.

Song Yan revived through a prepared Sword Sect technique after Xiao He found his corpse, and he reunited with her before Bai Qi departed. When Xu Ziqing and the other cultivators arrived, Song Yan told them the fleeing Hu Lineage disciple had been the False Core Realm Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain, a Devil Cultivator.

• Xiao He found Song Yan's frozen corpse and broke down, refusing to believe he was dead.
• Bai Qi tried to comfort Xiao He and urged her to accept Song Yan's death, but Xianxian appeared and transformed into a figure made of Sword Qi.
• Song Yan revived as the black Sword Qi entered his body, then reassured Xiao He and told Bai Qi he had prepared in advance rather than used a resurrection art.
• Song Yan thanked Bai Qi for teaching Xiao He, warned her that Dragon Pool Mountain cultivators were approaching, and watched her leave.
• Song Yan asked Xiao He why she had kept Bai Qi and her lessons secret; Xiao He admitted she wanted him to think she could cultivate on her own.
• Xu Ziqing and other cultivators arrived, and Song Yan explained that the fleeing Hu Lineage disciple was the False Core Realm Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain.

Song Yan returned to the Dongyuan Sect after surviving the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain, recovering from his resurrection, and eliminating his Heart Demon. He learned that his life lamp’s disappearance had prompted Qin Xijun to attack Yang Xuan and that she was now confined to the Forbidden Ground, so he hurried to Dragon Head Peak to see her.

• Song Yan explained that the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain had trapped him, while concealing his suspicions about Yang Wenxuan, and returned with Xu Ziqing and the others.
• Song Yan focused on recovering and reshaping Xianxian’s body, and reflected that Turning Heaven and Earth had let him escape death and rid himself of his Heart Demon.
• After recuperating for three days, Song Yan traveled back to the Dongyuan Sect and reported his return at the Mission Hall on Taiping Peak.
• A steward told Song Yan that his life lamp had gone out, prompting Qin Xijun to attack Yang Xuan before the sect master intervened and sent her to the Forbidden Ground to reflect.
• Song Yan completed his return formalities and flew toward Dragon Head Peak to visit Qin Xijun.

Song Yan learned that Qin Xijun had been confined to Sky Falcon Cliff after confronting Yang Wenxuan over Song Yan’s extinguished life lamp, then obtained permission to visit her. After their reunion, Song Yan explained his apparent death, and Qin Xijun asked whether Yang Wenxuan had been involved.

• Song Yan visited Zhang Guangyuan, who explained that Qin Xijun had been confined for one year at Sky Falcon Cliff after injuring Yang Wenxuan and confirmed Song Yan could visit her.
• Song Yan reached the Forbidden Ground, presented his clearance to a formation guardian, and entered Sky Falcon Cliff for a four-hour visit.
• Song Yan reunited with Qin Xijun, who checked that he was unharmed and teased him for leaving her worried and alone.
• Song Yan described what had happened when his life lamp went out, glossing over his secret technique and the Heart Demon.
• Qin Xijun asked Song Yan whether Yang Wenxuan had anything to do with his ordeal.

Song Yan told Qin Xijun that Yang Wenxuan had sent the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain to kill him, then met with sect master Chen Linyuan, who verified his identity and ordered him to prepare for the battlefield. Chen Linyuan also left Song Yan to settle his conflict with Yang Wenxuan himself, while privately wondering about Song Yan’s unusual Sword Intent.

• Song Yan explained to Qin Xijun why he had not implicated Yang Wenxuan in his report, and Qin Xijun agreed to leave the matter to him.
• Martial Uncle Sun told Song Yan that Chen Linyuan had summoned him to the Forbidden Ground’s rear mountain.
• Chen Linyuan examined Song Yan to confirm that his soul was unchanged and that nothing else inhabited his body.
• Chen Linyuan told Song Yan to prepare for the northeast battlefield, where reinforcements would be needed within six months, and Song Yan agreed to go.
• Chen Linyuan said Song Yan must resolve his troubles with Yang Wenxuan himself, but not within the sect.
• After Song Yan left, Chen Linyuan privately wondered how Song Yan had wielded his Sword Intent so naturally, then poured wine before the bluestone tablet and found his jar empty.

After recovering from his injuries and mental exhaustion, Song Yan reunited with his disciple Xiao Ju and guided her cultivation. He then comforted Xiao He as she weighed whether to leave with Bai Qi for Between Mountains and Seas, asking her to wait until she reached the second order before deciding.

• Song Yan rested for several days, then used a Healing Pill to heal the injuries left by the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain.
• Xiao Ju visited Song Yan, offered him Qi-Nourishing Pills and food, and told him she had settled in at Lianyou Peak.
• Song Yan accepted Xiao Ju’s thoughtfulness, returned most of her pills, and answered her cultivation questions before telling her he expected to leave for the battlefield within half a year.
• Song Yan noticed Xiao He was gloomy, and she told him she feared she would remain weak and unable to help him if she stayed by his side.
• Xiao He asked whether she should go with Bai Qi to Between Mountains and Seas, and Song Yan supported her choice but asked her to wait until her cultivation reached the second order.

Song Yan advanced his Void-Viewing Sword Eye, discovering that it could use the Flowers in the Mirror, Moon in the Water Sword Intent to create an illusory sword strike. He gave the Glutton Tail Flute to Xiao He, then found that his Jiazuo divine mask had begun emitting Spiritual Power and heard voices within its black fog.

• Song Yan resumed cultivating the Void-Viewing Sword Eye, endured a painful breakthrough, and gained clearer perception of Spiritual Power and impurities.
• Song Yan used the advanced eye technique to turn spiritual mist into a sword shadow that struck a stone wall, then vanished along with the mark it left.
• Song Yan gave the Glutton Tail Flute to Xiao He and taught her how to play it as she practiced happily in the Bamboo Grove.
• Song Yan noticed the Jiazuo divine mask glowing and releasing ripples of Spiritual Power, put it on, and heard faint voices within the familiar black fog.

Song Yan entered the Nuo Realm and met four other Nuo Mask holders, who explained how they had discovered the space and named its occupants Fangxiangshi. After revealing that his mask was Jiazuo and that he came from the Border Region, Song Yan learned Cuoduan had also visited the region, leaving open the possibility that they had crossed paths.

• Song Yan appeared on the giant statue’s right thumb, where Cuoduan, Lanzhu, Boqi, and Zuming noticed him.
• Cuoduan explained that he had found a Nuo Mask named Cuoduan and that the other figures had arrived after finding their own masks.
• Cuoduan described the Nuo Realm and conjectured that the statue represented the first Fangxiangshi, who could call upon all twelve Nuo Gods.
• Song Yan identified his mask as Jiazuo, and Cuoduan and the others discussed the ten positions and the different regions they came from.
• Song Yan said he was from the Border Region, and Lanzhu pointed out that Cuoduan had visited there a couple of years earlier.