Recaps

Song Yan studied notes on Golden Core formation and learned about the ancient Great Skyfall and the decline of Divine Ability cultivation, then received a message summoning him to Huanling Cave. There, Sheng Nian revealed that he intended to kill his master, the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain, and A Yuan joined the attack.

• Song Yan read Jade Slips about Core Condensation, learning about the Essence-Compounding Pill and the different paths cultivators could take to form a Golden Core.
• Song Yan read the Orthodox Dao Lineage Canon, which described the Great Skyfall, the ancient Golden Core grades, and the decline of cultivators who formed cores with Divine Abilities.
• Song Yan considered the strange lotus-seed light in his Sword Mansion, then received a red message Jade Pendant summoning him to Huanling Cave.
• At Huanling Cave, Sheng Nian questioned the weakened Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain, then declared that he meant to kill him and attacked with his saber.
• A Yuan burst through a rock wall and attacked Xin Mountain with corpse-fire fists; Sheng Nian revealed that he had told A Yuan what he knew about Xin Mountain.

Sheng Nian and Corpse Puppet A Yuan fought the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain, but Song Yan arrived and trapped their enemy in an illusion that restored the valley and healed them. As Song Yan’s Sword Formation confused the wounded False Core cultivator, Sheng Nian and A Yuan attacked, leaving the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain vulnerable to a hand emerging from the moonlight.

• Sheng Nian and Corpse Puppet A Yuan battled the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain, but his Blood Slaughter Storm overwhelmed them and left Sheng Nian badly wounded.
• A black crow triggered Song Yan’s illusion, transporting everyone into the valley’s restored appearance and healing Sheng Nian and A Yuan.
• Song Yan confronted the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain and used the Sword Formation, Swallow Sun and Moon, to attack him.
• The Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain realized he remained trapped in an illusion as his Divine Soul pain intensified.
• Sheng Nian and A Yuan attacked the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain, while a pale hand reached for him from the moonlight.

Song Yan, Sheng Nian, and A Yuan defeated and killed the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain after Song Yan’s Sword Intent overwhelmed his perceptions. They entered Xin Mountain’s cave to search for treasures and freed the paper people made from his victims.

• A Yuan attacked Xin Mountain and spoke of the people he had forgotten, while Song Yan’s illusions and Sheng Nian’s saber strikes wounded the cultivator.
• Song Yan used Shadows of Flowers in the Mirror to trap Xin Mountain between two worlds, then unleashed overwhelming Sword Qi that shattered his defenses.
• Sheng Nian used Boundary to cut Xin Mountain in two, killing the False Core Realm cultivator.
• Sheng Nian asked Chen Jiping to help A Yuan refine Xin Mountain’s corpse, then he and Song Yan discussed Song Yan’s Sword Intent and Sheng Nian’s ancient treasure, Water Dragon.
• Sheng Nian opened Xin Mountain’s cave abode, where he and Song Yan released the paper people Xin Mountain had made from slain cultivators’ souls and blood.

Song Yan and Sheng Nian divided the Rogue Cultivator of Xin Mountain’s spoils, including purple spirit miasma stone and a powerful Sword Talisman, then returned to their own paths. Back at the Dongyuan Sect, Song Yan began investigating the Sword Talisman and the records he had taken, while the strange figure in the Infinite Treasury stopped him from adding more miasma stone to the Fire Pool.

• Sheng Nian explained how the Artifact-Refining Art let him fuse a non-bonded Law Treasure into his body, and he and Song Yan divided Xin Mountain’s belongings.
• Song Yan took the purple spirit miasma stone, a Sword Talisman, defensive Law Artifacts, and several Jade Slips, while Sheng Nian kept the remaining spoils and half the Spirit Stones.
• Sheng Nian suggested that Xiao He might be in the Central Region, leaving Song Yan considering a journey there as he returned to the Dongyuan Sect.
• After resting, Song Yan placed purple spirit miasma stone by the Fire Pool in the Infinite Treasury, but the strange figure stopped him from adding more.
• Song Yan activated the Jade Talisman and realized it was a Golden Core Realm Sword Talisman, then wondered whether Xin Mountain had ties to the Evil Sword Sect or the Qin Lineage.
• Song Yan read a Jade Slip describing demonic pills, including the Blood Skull Pill, and then took out a second Jade Slip titled "Observing Shanhai."

Song Yan read Liang Ze Rogue Person’s account of visiting Between Mountains and Seas and documenting its demons, while Sheng Nian returned with A Yuan to the graves at South Mountain Monastery. Sheng Nian considered the three Demon Ruins traditions’ tokens after Old Xie described how a corpse could awaken to sentience.

• Song Yan read the preface to Observing Shanhai and learned that Liang Ze Rogue Person had compiled it from his observations of demons and Spirit Beasts.
• Liang Ze Rogue Person recounted how his friend Feng Huai, a young mountain lord of Shaomeng Mountain, took him to Between Mountains and Seas after sealing his senses for five years.
• Liang Ze Rogue Person described exploring the Demon Race’s sacred land, befriending its little demons, and recording their appearances, habits, and customs over more than thirty years.
• Song Yan wondered whether Xiao He and the others had found Between Mountains and Seas as he browsed the demons described in the Jade Slip.
• A Yuan knelt silently before the graves of South Mountain Monastery’s disciples while Sheng Nian and Chen Jiping watched.
• Old Xie told Sheng Nian that A Yuan’s awareness might come from a special opportunity, and Sheng Nian brought out tokens from the Yellow Springs Way, the Seed Demon Way, and the Asura Path.

Sheng Nian considered the Demon Ruins traditions while A Yuan honored the dead, and Qin Ying learned that Xin Mountain had died and lost her Sword Talisman. At Dongyuan Sect, Chen Linyuan revealed that he had crafted the talisman and left Song Yan and Qin Ying to decide who would keep it.

• Sheng Nian learned that the Demon Ruins tokens offered preliminary eligibility, while Old Xie recalled the Yellow Springs Way's interest in Sword Cultivators and its refined-corpse leader, Tianye.
• A Yuan made white flowers from corpse baleful intent fire and placed them before the graves before leaving the Yanran Mountain Range with Sheng Nian and Old Xie.
• Zhang Xingming told Qin Ying that Xin Mountain was dead, Sheng Nian had taken her Sword Talisman, and the Demon Ruins intended to take control of the Chu Kingdom.
• Song Yan requested an audience with Chen Linyuan, received permission, and went to the sect master's residence, where he found Qin Ying already present.
• Song Yan presented Qin Ying's Sword Talisman, and Chen Linyuan confirmed he had made it before asking Song Yan and Qin Ying to decide who would keep it.

Song Yan recovered Qin Ying’s Sword Talisman from Sheng Nian, but remained unsure of her account of how it was lost. In the Infinite Treasury, Seeking Benevolence was restored, and the silent figure beside the Fire Pool began acting as if it wanted to forge the sword further.

• Qin Ying told Chen Linyuan that she had lent her Sword Talisman to a former Sheyang Sect friend, and Song Yan declined to claim it for himself.
• Song Yan told Qin Ying that he had killed Sheng Nian and obtained the talisman from him, while Qin Ying said Sheng Nian had been connected to her friend.
• Song Yan returned to his cave abode and found that the Fire Pool had restored Seeking Benevolence with the essence of a Purple Spirit Miasma Stone.
• Black and white Spiritual Qi descended onto Seeking Benevolence, and the figure beside the Fire Pool blocked Song Yan from touching the sword.
• The figure asked for Artifact Refining materials, so Song Yan brought materials and Cloud Abyss Sword Bamboo to the Fire Pool.
• The figure picked up the Cloud Abyss Sword Bamboo and walked into the Fire Pool.

Song Yan watched Yan Bo use Burning Like Karmic Fire to forge Seeking Benevolence into a low-grade Law Treasure, then discovered he could wield some of its power. Meanwhile, Qin Ying failed to persuade Zhang Xingming to kill Song Yan, unaware that Zhang had already come under orders from the Yellow Springs Way to do exactly that.

• Yan Bo tempered Cloud Abyss Sword Bamboo with his lingering obsession, forging a scabbard for Seeking Benevolence and helping the sword become a low-grade Law Treasure.
• Song Yan drew Seeking Benevolence and used its Sword Qi to split a distant rock formation, then bowed as Yan Bo's fulfilled obsession faded away.
• Song Yan resolved to visit Yan Bo's grave on Beiya Mountain, put away the sword, and entered his cave abode to cultivate.
• Qin Ying asked Zhang Xingming to kill Song Yan, claiming he might have been involved in Sheng Nian's killing of Xin Mountain and had obtained her Sword Talisman.
• Zhang Xingming refused Qin Ying's request, but his true mission was to kill Song Yan under orders from the higher ranks of the Yellow Springs Way.

Zhang Xingming decided to wait for the Demon Ruins’ Nascent Soul cultivators to subdue Chen Linyuan before attacking Song Yan. Meanwhile, Song Yan visited Beiya Mountain, reunited with Yan Xun and Wu Duo, and went with Yan Li to pay respects at Yan Bo’s grave in the Yan Household Artifact Tombs.

• Zhang Xingming judged that Song Yan’s Sword Talisman could expose him to Chen Linyuan’s retaliation, so he resolved to wait until the Demon Ruins subdued Chen Linyuan before striking.
• Song Yan returned to Beiya Mountain City after years of cultivation, where he met Yan Xun and Wu Duo and learned that Lu Ziye was marrying Nangong Ling.
• Song Yan asked to visit Yan Bo, and Yan Xun explained that Yan Bo had belonged to a branch family and that the clan had moved his grave to the Artifact Tombs.
• Yan Li led Song Yan, Yan Xun, and Wu Duo into the secluded valley and showed them Yan Bo’s grave, marked with his name carved into black ore.

Song Yan honored Yan Bo and told Yan Li that Yan Bo’s attempt to forge a Foundation Establishment Law Treasure could be a pioneering path. As he read Yan Bo’s notes, Song Yan learned how Yan Bo’s ambition shaped his choices and endured repeated failures, leaving Yan Bo resolved to keep walking his own Dao.

• Song Yan paid respects at Yan Bo’s memorial, and Yan Li invited him to examine the ancestor’s personal records.
• Song Yan argued that Yan Bo’s unconventional research might inspire future artifact-refining methods, and Yan Li shared the family’s doubts about his ancestor.
• Song Yan read Yan Bo’s notes about using spiritual charm to forge a Law Treasure and discovered Yan Bo had questioned whether his path was mistaken.
• Yan Bo recalled Yan Gui seeking his artifact-refining advice, then refused the Main Family’s Second Miss because he would not set aside his ambition to forge a Law Treasure.
• After another failed experiment near the end of his life, Yan Bo rejected others’ criticism and affirmed that pursuing his ambition was itself walking the Great Dao.

Song Yan returned to Sword-Wiping Peak, where Lu Ziye and Nangong Ling invited him to their wedding banquet, while Qin Ying arranged for Qin Yang to attack the Nangong Aristocratic Clan during the celebration. The chapter left the wedding set to become the target of a planned assault as the Demon Ruins prepared to invade the Border Region.

• Song Yan visited the Wu Clan in Beiya Mountain City, found only Rong Xiaofeng there, and then returned to the Dongyuan Sect.
• Qin Xijun brought Lu Ziye and Nangong Ling to Song Yan’s cave abode, where Lu Ziye invited him and Xiao He to their wedding on the ninth of next month.
• Song Yan recognized Nangong Ling from their past meeting at Immortal-Descending Pass and learned that Senior Zhang Cheng was her grandfather.
• Qin Ying told Qin Feiyu that nine Nascent Soul True Lords from the four great traditions were coming from the Demon Ruins and urged the Qin Household to strike the Nangong Aristocratic Clan before they arrived.
• Qin Ying recruited Qin Yang to destroy the Nangong Aristocratic Clan during its wedding banquet, and Qin Yang agreed on the condition that Qin Ying owed him another favor.

Yu Yiming emerged from seclusion and joined eight other Nascent Soul cultivators in a mission to capture Chen Linyuan, while Daoist Shanhai explained Chen’s fate and the limits of his destiny. The chapter ended with Zhu Lifang and Zhu Pingfang receiving a secret order to travel to the Chu Kingdom and rendezvous with their master, Earth Thirty-Nine.

• Yu Yiming emerged from eighteen years of seclusion and learned that the other eight elders were waiting at Incantation Blood Cave.
• Yu Yiming declared his intention to kill Chen Linyuan, but Chen Tianze reminded him that the mission required Chen Linyuan’s remains to be delivered intact to the Yellow Springs Way.
• Yu Yiming and the eight other Nascent Soul cultivators set out for the Chu Kingdom to capture Chen Linyuan.
• Wen Changming asked Daoist Shanhai about Heavenly Will, and Shanhai explained that Chen Linyuan was a remnant of the old world who could not become master of the new age’s destiny.
• Zhu Lifang and Zhu Pingfang received a secret order from Earth Thirty-Nine to travel covertly to the Chu Kingdom and meet him.

Song Yan traveled with his companions to the Nangong Aristocratic Clan for Lu Ziye and Nangong Ling’s wedding feast, where they settled into their guest lodgings. That night, an apparent servant revealed himself as Shi Yunhao and confronted Song Yan in the courtyard.

• Song Yan and his companions traveled to Immortal-Descending Pass, where Qin Xijun shared Lu Ziye’s difficult childhood and welcomed him into a home.
• Lu Ziye and Nangong Ling greeted the group at the Nangong Aristocratic Clan, and Xiao Ju agreed to share Song Yan’s lodgings.
• Song Yan and Xiao Ju settled into the Mystic Crane Retreat, and Xiao Ju began cultivating in preparation for Foundation Establishment.
• Song Yan studied Observing Shanhai in his chamber, then heard a flute playing through the retreat’s soundproofing formation.
• Song Yan found the young servant playing the flute in the courtyard and recognized him as Shi Yunhao, who dropped his disguise and greeted him.

Song Yan learned from Shi Yunhao that the Qin Lineage planned to attack the Nangong Household during Lu Ziye and Nangong Ling's wedding, then tried to warn Zhang Cheng. As the wedding ceremony ended, Qin Feiyu led an overwhelming force to the Nangong grounds and demanded wedding wine.

• Shi Yunhao admitted killing Xuantong and told Song Yan that the Qin Lineage would attack the Nangong Household at the wedding banquet.
• Song Yan restored Xiao Ju's disrupted spiritual power and left Mystic Crane Courtyard to warn Zhang Cheng.
• Qin Ying asked Chen Linyuan to accept her as a disciple, and he sent a message declaring the Dongyuan Sect disbanded because Demon Ruins cultivators were coming.
• Lu Ziye and Nangong Ling completed their wedding bows before dark clouds and hostile cultivators appeared above the Nangong grounds.
• Qin Feiyu confronted Nangong Ming with at least six False Core Realm cultivators and demanded wedding wine for the Qin Lineage.

The Qin Lineage attacked the Nangong Aristocratic Clan during the wedding banquet, but the clan’s Great River Mausoleum Formation held against their assault until Qin Feiyu’s Black Sun Gourd prepared its ninth and strongest strike. Zhang Cheng revealed his hidden power by stopping the attack with one finger, leaving the gathered cultivators stunned.

• Nangong Jin activated the Great River Mausoleum Formation as Qin Feiyu ordered the Qin Lineage to attack.
• Qin Feiyu used the Black Sun Gourd to launch increasingly powerful attacks against the formation while Nangong cultivators reinforced it.
• The eighth ray battered the formation, injuring its defenders and leaving the guests fearing its imminent collapse.
• Qin Xijun sheltered the newlyweds and Zhang Cheng as Nangong Ling urged her grandfather to stay safe.
• Zhang Cheng stepped outside the formation, and the ninth ray disintegrated before his fingertip.

Zhang Cheng and Qin Yang fought as Golden Core cultivators while the Qin Lineage attacked the Nangong Household’s formation. Shen Yu struck at Nangong Jin, but Song Yan appeared behind him as the chapter ended with his sword technique poised to fire.

• Zhang Cheng revealed his Golden Core cultivation, and Qin Yang emerged from the clouds as the Qin Lineage’s ancestor.
• Qin Yang and Zhang Cheng clashed above the Nangong Clan Lands while Qin Feiyu led the Qin Lineage in a fierce assault on the formation.
• Xu Heng and Chen Cheng attacked Nangong Ming and the formation defenders as Shen Yu targeted Nangong Jin.
• Shen Yu pierced Nangong Jin with his Mystic Yin Reversal Bone, but the formation remained intact.
• Song Yan appeared behind Shen Yu and prepared to strike with his Six Void Heaven-Falling Sword Finger.

Song Yan used the Shaochong Sword to grievously wound Shen Yu, then revealed that he recognized the Xuanyuan Sect elder and killed him with the Unmoored Boat after destroying his defenses. Qin Xijun held Chen Cheng back as the battle continued, and the chapter ended with the Qin Lineage’s allies shaken by Shen Yu’s death.

• Song Yan struck Shen Yu with the Shaochong Sword, severing his meridians and gravely wounding the False Core Realm cultivator.
• Qin Xijun intercepted Chen Cheng’s attack on Song Yan and fought him while Qin Feiyu denounced her for opposing the Qin Lineage.
• Song Yan replenished his sword Qi with a Sword-Nurturing Pill, formed a Nine Flying Swords formation, and identified Shen Yu as a Xuanyuan Sect elder.
• Song Yan’s Swallow Sun and Moon sword formation shattered Shen Yu’s Cold Mountain Seal, and Shen Yu begged to be allowed to leave.
• Song Yan’s sword intent let Shen Yu’s attacks pass through harmlessly, and the Unmoored Boat killed Shen Yu as he fled.
• Xu Heng and Chen Cheng watched Shen Yu’s corpse fall and began to panic.

Song Yan used Chen Linyuan's Golden Core Sword Talisman to aid Zhang Cheng as the Qin Lineage broke the Great River Mausoleum Formation and invaded the Nangong lands. Qin Yang targeted Song Yan, but the sword talisman wounded him and Zhang Cheng's sword formation struck him as well.

• Song Yan saw Zhang Cheng losing ground to Qin Yang and secretly began activating Chen Linyuan's Golden Core Sword Talisman.
• Qin Feiyu used a Mysterious Thunder Pellet while a False Core cultivator unleashed the Quicksand Grand Rite, breaking the Great River Mausoleum Formation.
• Qin Yu ordered the Qin Lineage's forces to charge into the Nangong lands, and the invading cultivators began a bloody battle against the Nangong clan and its allies.
• Qin Yang recognized Song Yan as a High Antiquity Sword Cultivator and prepared his feather garment law treasure while targeting him.
• Song Yan's Golden Core Sword Talisman pierced Qin Yang's defense and wounded him, allowing Zhang Cheng's nine-sword formation to strike Qin Yang in the chest as Qin Yang's attack still descended toward Song Yan.

Qin Yang’s attack left Song Yan shattered and seemingly dying, but Song Yan swallowed pills, spirit plants, and a mysterious withered branch in a desperate attempt to survive before losing consciousness. As the Nangong Aristocratic Clan’s defenses collapsed and its elders were killed, Qin Feiyu and other cultivators raced toward Song Yan’s body to seize his belongings.

• Qin Yang struck Song Yan before he could activate his defenses, leaving him gravely wounded as Xiao Ju, Li Yi, Zhang Cheng, and Shi Yunhao watched from the battlefield.
• Xiao Ju’s grief and hatred stirred a strange power within her Sword Mansion while Li Yi and Zhang Cheng were unable to break away and help Song Yan.
• Song Yan blindly swallowed pills and spirit plants from his Heaven and Earth Bag, then drank nectar and swallowed a withered branch before his consciousness faded into darkness.
• Nangong Jin urged Nangong Ming to flee, but Chen Cheng killed Nangong Jin and Qin Feiyu’s black blades reduced Uncle Lie to bloody pulp.
• As the Nangong Aristocratic Clan’s resistance faltered, Qin Feiyu, Fellow Daoist Huang, and other cultivators broke away and charged toward Song Yan’s apparently lifeless body to claim his belongings.

Qin Xijun unleashed the deadly Divine Phoenix Nirvana Flame to protect Song Yan’s corpse and fought Qin Feiyu’s forces alone. As Chen Cheng tried to steal Song Yan’s treasures, Song Yan suddenly revived as a demonic figure, killed Chen Cheng, and appeared behind the yellow-robed cultivator.

• Qin Xijun activated the Divine Phoenix Nirvana Flame, declared she had left the Qin Household, and attacked the formation assembled by Qin Feiyu’s forces.
• Qin Xijun shattered the combined attack formation and faced twelve False Core cultivators while the wider battle remained at a stalemate.
• Chen Cheng sneaked to Song Yan’s corpse and reached for the Heaven and Earth Bag and Sword Case despite sensing ominous Demonic Qi.
• Song Yan rose as a blackened demonic figure, seized Chen Cheng, crushed his heart, and took the bead from his Dantian.
• Song Yan turned toward the yellow-robed cultivator, vanished from his sight, and placed an icy hand on his head.

Song Yan’s demonic figure and Qin Xijun slaughtered the Qin Lineage’s False Core cultivators, including Qin Feiyu, while consuming their cores. With the Qin Household’s forces collapsing, the shadow pointed toward Qin Yang and asked Qin Xijun to help kill him.

• Song Yan’s demonic figure killed the Yellow-Robed Daoist, consumed his False Core, and asked Qin Xijun to help him kill the others and collect their cores.
• Qin Feiyu accused Song Yan of being a Demon Ruins spy and urged the gathered cultivators to unite, but no one answered his call.
• The demonic figure killed a Qin Household cultivator with the Li Hei Heavy Ruler as Qin Xijun burned another elder to ash.
• The Qin Household cultivators fled or were cut down, and Qin Xijun and the demonic figure killed Qin Feiyu and consumed his False Core.
• Li Yi brought Xu Heng’s corpse to the demonic figure, who extracted and ate the False Core as the surviving Nangong cultivators rallied.
• The demonic figure pointed at Qin Yang and asked Qin Xijun to help him kill him.

Zhang Cheng, Qin Xijun, and Song Yan fought Qin Yang above the ruined Nangong Clan Lands, while Song Yan recovered from a Golden Core blow and unleashed repeated sword fingers. Zhang Cheng prepared to give his life to keep Qin Yang from escaping, and the battle remained unresolved.

• Zhang Cheng burned his vitality and Spiritual Power to pin down Qin Yang, while Qin Xijun and Song Yan's asura void aspect joined the fight.
• Qin Yang empowered his Blood-Colored Long Halberd with vital essence blood and drove back the attackers, while the surviving Nangong clan members tended the wounded below.
• Li Yi decided not to detain the surviving guests, and Ju Luyi asked whether Song Yan and the others would win.
• Song Yan regained awareness and realized his body's endless vitality and Spiritual Power had repaired him, then used the asura void aspect to harass Qin Yang.
• Song Yan temporarily took control and fired more than twenty Shaochong Swords at Qin Yang while Zhang Cheng and Qin Xijun kept him occupied.
• Zhang Cheng renewed the radiance of his Nine Flying Swords and vowed to burn together with Qin Yang, even if his soul scattered.

Zhang Cheng, Qin Xijun, and Song Yan defeated Qin Yang, but the battle left Zhang Cheng and Qin Xijun near death and Song Yan badly weakened. As Dongyuan Sect members received an order to disband, Song Yan and Li Yi headed back to investigate while Zhang Cheng asked Nangong Xuanlang to inherit his mantle and protect the Nangong clan.

• Zhang Cheng, Qin Xijun, and Void Aspect wore down Qin Yang, and Zhang Cheng’s Mountain-Quelling sword pierced and severed him.
• Void Aspect destroyed Qin Yang’s fleeing Demonic Thought and tried to consume his Golden Core, but it dissolved into Spiritual Qi; he gave Qin Yang’s Heaven and Earth Bag to Zhang Cheng.
• Song Yan, Qin Xijun, and Zhang Cheng descended to the Nangong clan, where Song Yan reunited with Li Yi and the survivors began tending to the aftermath.
• Dongyuan Sect cultivators received Communication Talismans ordering the sect’s disbandment, so Song Yan and Li Yi flew back to investigate while Qin Xijun stayed to help the Nangong clan.
• Qin Xijun told Zhang Cheng that her cultivation would disappear within a month, and Zhang Cheng said he would soon die before asking Nangong Xuanlang to inherit his mantle and protect the clan.

Nangong Xuanlang accepted Zhang Cheng’s empowerment to form a Golden Core and protect the Nangong clan, while panic spread at Dongyuan Sect after its master ordered it disbanded. Qin Ying tried to poison Chen Linyuan during her initiation, but he exposed her plan, drank the poison, and said he would keep her with him until it took effect.

• Zhang Cheng offered to use the Empowerment Method to raise Nangong Xuanlang to the early Golden Core Realm, warning that he would never advance further.
• Nangong Xuanlang agreed to the empowerment, kneeling before Zhang Cheng and calling it good fortune if it helped protect the clan.
• Dongyuan Sect cultivators gathered outside the forbidden grounds and pleaded with the sect master to rescind his disbandment decree, while Lin Qing fled toward the foothills.
• Qin Ying completed her disciple rites to Chen Linyuan and secretly expected the Feather Sound Poison she had put in his tea to incapacitate him.
• Chen Linyuan confronted Qin Ying, immobilized her, took the poison from her Heaven and Earth Bag, and learned it would take about a day to act.
• Chen Linyuan swallowed the poison and told Qin Ying he would put her out and keep her beside him for a day.

Nine Nascent Soul cultivators from the Demon Ruins descended on the Dongyuan Sect and began attacking its protective formation. As disciples fled or faced the coming destruction, Zhang Guangyuan urged them to choose whether to escape or die defending their home.

• Chen Tianze and eight other Nascent Soul cultivators emerged from the teleportation formation at Hui Mountain, gathered the remaining Demon Ruins Cultivators, and flew toward the Dongyuan Sect.
• Their demonic presence spread across the Chu Kingdom, prompting sects to seal their mountains and many residents to flee; Song Yan and Li Yi reached the Dongyuan Sect as its formation was already active.
• The nine Demon Ruins cultivators surrounded the Dongyuan Sect, and Chen Tianze questioned Zhang Xingming about why its protective formation was still operating.
• Yu Yiming dismissed the formation as easy to break and urged the Nascent Soul cultivators to attack it together.
• As Dongyuan Sect disciples began fleeing, Zhang Guangyuan announced that the sect was likely doomed and told those who wanted to survive to leave before the formation fell.
• Chen Tianze struck the Mountain-Protecting Grand Formation with a Heaven-Shrouding Great Palm while Zhang Guangyuan declared he would stay and die defending the Dongyuan Sect.