Chapter Summaries

Lin Qingyang meditated and saw a memory of young Shi Ruobai giving him a pair of curved blades, leaving him more confused about why the original owner had poisoned Shi Ruobai. After Qi Mo brought him dinner, Lin Qingyang invited him to sneak out the next day to hunt a snake demon near Greenstone Mountain.

• Lin Qingyang meditated and dreamed of young Shi Ruobai giving him one of two curved blades forged from a tiger demon's fangs.
• Qi Mo entered Lin Qingyang's room with dinner and watched him meditate before Lin Qingyang woke.
• Lin Qingyang wondered why the original owner had kept Shi Ruobai's gift if he had supposedly hated him and poisoned him.
• Lin Qingyang praised Qi Mo's cooking, gave him the name A-Qi, and invited him to secretly accompany him to hunt a snake demon.
• Lin Qingyang guided Qi Mo's hand as he taught him to use chopsticks, while the Windflower Sword wondered what was going on between them.

Lin Qingyang took Qi Mo to Greenstone Mountain to confront Chimei, while Mo Yan secretly followed their trail. After Lin Qingyang knocked Qi Mo unconscious and delivered him to Chimei, Qi Mo’s Seven-Star Shield repelled the demon’s attack, and Lin Qingyang revealed that he had fooled Chimei again.

• Lin Qingyang and Qi Mo used the Ten-Thousand-Li Tianyan Array to travel toward Greenstone Mountain, while Mo Yan watched them disappear and later followed.
• Lin Qingyang used the Movement Technique to reach Greenstone Mountain, then knocked Qi Mo unconscious to keep him from discovering Lin Qingyang’s role in his false accusation.
• A black snake led Lin Qingyang and Qi Mo through the mountain to a pool where Chimei waited.
• Chimei attacked the unconscious Qi Mo but was repelled by the Seven-Star Shield around his neck.
• Lin Qingyang told Chimei that he had fooled the demon again.

Lin Qingyang defeated Chimei and collected the snake’s blood as an antidote for Shi Ruobai. When Qi Mo woke, he recognized Lin Qingyang, and Mo Yan exposed him as well.

• Chimei attacked Lin Qingyang and unleashed a swarm of black snakes, but Lin Qingyang used his wind techniques to defeat him and bind him with the Demon-Capturing Net.
• Lin Qingyang asked Chimei for Shi Ruobai’s antidote, guessed it was Chimei’s blood, and collected some despite Chimei’s protests.
• Lin Qingyang turned to wake Qi Mo and found him awake and staring at him in shock.
• Mo Yan called Lin Qingyang out, leaving Lin Qingyang panicking and the Windflower Sword declaring that he was done for.

Lin Qingyang tried to convince Mo Yan that he had come to find an antidote for Shi Ruobai, but Mo Yan attacked him and accused him of conspiring with demons. After Chimei turned on them and coiled Lin Qingyang in his grasp, Lin Qingyang faced imminent death while Qi Mo was unable to free him.

• Lin Qingyang denied Chimei's accusation that he had plotted to kill Shi Ruobai, but Mo Yan attacked and wounded him with lightning.
• Qi Mo sprang at Mo Yan with his curved saber, and Lin Qingyang used the Seven-Star Shield to protect him before Mo Yan seized the shield and blasted Qi Mo into a rock wall.
• Mo Yan prepared to kill Qi Mo, so Lin Qingyang threw Chimei at him and pulled Qi Mo away during the distraction.
• Chimei bit Mo Yan, who collapsed, but Chimei then transformed and coiled around Lin Qingyang, tightening his grip as Qi Mo tried unsuccessfully to free him.

Lin Qingyang survived Chimei’s attack but fell unconscious after sinking into the pool, where he relived Shi Ruobai’s past and heard a voice urge him to kill. As Qi Mo watched over him, a hooded man retrieved Chimei’s demon core and used it to corrupt Lei Guang’s spiritual root.

• Xue Lanyuan killed Chimei with an ice arrow, and Lin Qingyang threw her the snake-blood antidote before sinking into the pool.
• Lin Qingyang dreamed of Perfected One Tianyi giving Shi Ruobai the Nine-Turn Fate-Reversing Pill and choosing him as the next sect leader over Qingyang.
• A mysterious voice told Lin Qingyang to kill, frightening him in the bamboo grove.
• Qi Mo stayed beside the unconscious Lin Qingyang and let him hold his hand as he slept.
• A hooded man retrieved Chimei’s demon core and used Red Ghost Vines to channel its demonic qi into Lei Guang’s spiritual root.

Lin Qingyang woke from his injuries and refused to let Qi Mo be taken to face punishment for stabbing Mo Yan. He went to Ink Cloud Hall to argue for Qi Mo, but Mo Yan remained determined to punish him.

• Lin Qingyang woke after nearly twenty hours and learned that the sect leader had taken the antidote but had not yet recovered.
• Lin Qingyang treated Qi Mo’s wounds, and Qi Mo said he trusted Lin Qingyang’s reasons and believed he was a good person.
• When Feng Shu announced that Lei Cheng had come to take Qi Mo to Ink Cloud Hall, Lin Qingyang ordered Qi Mo to catch fish for congee, signaling that he would not hand him over.
• Lin Qingyang went to Ink Cloud Hall and apologized to Mo Yan for the poisoning incident, and Mo Yan called their earlier injuries even.
• Lin Qingyang argued that Qi Mo had stabbed Mo Yan only to protect him and offered to accept punishment himself, but Mo Yan refused to reconsider punishing Qi Mo.

Lin Qingyang forced Mo Yan to accept a Phoenix Fire Spirit Pill to secure mercy for Qi Mo, then went to Stone Hut Studio and watched Xue Lanyuan and her disciples work to undo Shi Ruobai’s Profound Ice Technique. As Shi Ruobai remained unconscious, Lin Qingyang understood the original owner’s feelings toward him through recovered memories.

• Lin Qingyang offered Mo Yan a Phoenix Fire Spirit Pill in exchange for leniency toward Qi Mo, but Mo Yan refused to accept it.
• Lin Qingyang punched Mo Yan and forced the pill into his mouth, then warned that he could expose Mo Yan for taking a bribe if he refused to help.
• Mo Yan accused Lin Qingyang of being blinded by lust and left, while Lin Qingyang and Feng Shu headed toward Stone Hut Studio.
• Lin Qingyang found Xue Lanyuan, Leng Shuangshuang, and two other disciples casting a formation to undo Shi Ruobai’s Profound Ice Technique, a process that required twenty-four hours of uninterrupted effort.
• Jin Buhuan said he had believed Lin Qingyang hated Shi Ruobai, but Lin Qingyang wondered how he could hate him after recalling the original owner’s memories.

Lin Qingyang recalled how the author’s will had made the original owner poison Shi Ruobai and torment himself, then realized his own emotions might still be influenced by the original owner. He prepared to leave the sect and distanced himself from Qi Mo, giving Feng Shu and Feng Yi his Spirit Stones before departing.

• Lin Qingyang remembered the original owner’s years of struggling against the voice that forced him to oppose Shi Ruobai and poison him.
• Lin Qingyang told Jin Buhuan that he had never truly hated Shi Ruobai and concluded the voice had been the author’s will controlling a character designated as a villain.
• Lin Qingyang said Qi Mo had no connection to Chimei and that the real poisoner would be revealed when Shi Ruobai woke up.
• Lin Qingyang refused Jin Buhuan’s suggestion to keep Qi Mo as a servant and said he would send him back.
• Lin Qingyang gave Feng Shu a Qiankun Bag of Spirit Stones to divide with Feng Yi, and Feng Shu reminded him that he had cared for them as their master.

Lin Qingyang sent Qi Mo back to Golden Spirit Court, then left the Nine Skies Sect before the sect leader could expose him. At the sect gates, he and the guards encountered a terrifying snake-tailed creature emerging from the mist.

• Feng Yi told Qi Mo that Lin Qingyang had used the Phoenix Fire Spirit Pill to treat him.
• Lin Qingyang told Qi Mo he was cleared in the sect leader’s case and could return to Golden Spirit Court, but Qi Mo pleaded to stay and then left when Lin Qingyang did not answer.
• Lin Yao criticized Lin Qingyang for abandoning Qi Mo, while Lin Qingyang prepared to flee before the sect leader woke.
• Lin Qingyang left the Nine Skies Sect on foot because his Spiritual Power had not recovered and the Ten-Thousand-Li Tianyan Array would reveal his destination.
• Lin Qingyang and the gate guards saw a bloodied, snake-tailed creature rise through the mist, while two disciples sent to investigate screamed.

A monster formed from Lei Guang and Chimei attacked the Nine Skies Sect mountain gate, overpowering the defenders despite their spells and defenses. After Mo Yan was knocked unconscious, Lin Qingyang and Jin Buhuan sheltered with the wounded while Jin Buhuan vanished to find a solution.

• Lei Guang and Chimei appeared fused into a poisoned monster and attacked the disciples guarding the mountain gate.
• Lin Qingyang used the Seven-Star Shield to block the monster and the Demon-Capturing Net to delay it, but the net was torn apart.
• Feng Shu, Feng Yi, Mo Yan, and Jin Buhuan arrived, and Jin Buhuan suspected the monster was an Otherworldly Demon.
• The monster broke free of the Ink Cloud Hall disciples’ restraints, and it sent Mo Yan flying when he attacked it.
• Lin Qingyang dragged the unconscious Mo Yan and other wounded disciples behind a rock, while Jin Buhuan admitted he was not good at fighting and then vanished in a flash of golden light to find a solution.

Lin Qingyang struggled to survive Lei Guang’s attacks while protecting the unconscious Mo Yan, until Qi Mo and Jin Buhuan helped defeat the snake demon. When Xue Lanyuan announced that the sect leader had awakened, Lin Qingyang finally passed out, his escape attempt unfinished.

• Lin Qingyang drew Lei Guang’s attention away from Feng Yi and Feng Shu, then was badly injured while dodging its attacks.
• Qi Mo attacked Lei Guang and blinded it, but the snake bit his shoulder before flinging him away; Lin Yao explained that Qi Mo’s demon king bloodline protected him from the poison.
• Jin Buhuan arrived and used his magical artifacts to burn, freeze, and strike Lei Guang with lightning until the snake demon was killed.
• Lin Qingyang tried to crawl toward his bundle and escape, but Feng Shu and Feng Yi stopped him as Xue Lanyuan arrived.
• Xue Lanyuan announced that the sect leader had awakened, and Lin Qingyang passed out.

Lin Qingyang woke to find that Shi Ruobai had lost his memories and most of his cultivation, and everyone blamed Lei Guang for poisoning him. After reconciling with Shi Ruobai and learning he was safe, Lin Qingyang felt the original owner’s lingering emotions depart, then worried about Qi Mo’s injuries.

• Lin Qingyang woke at Clear Wind Pavilion and found Shi Ruobai eating the food Qi Mo had prepared.
• Xue Lanyuan explained that Shi Ruobai’s memory loss and weakened cultivation came from being frozen and poisoned, while the sect believed Lei Guang was responsible.
• Lin Qingyang reassured Shi Ruobai about their past, and Shi Ruobai gave him rare pills and tens of thousands of spirit stones.
• Shi Ruobai left with Xue Lanyuan, and Lin Qingyang and Lin Yao concluded they no longer needed to flee.
• Lin Qingyang felt the original owner’s emotions leave his body, then learned Qi Mo had probably returned to the Demon-Feeding Facility and asked about his injuries.

Qi Mo was forced to work despite his injuries, and Lei Chen bullied him at the Nine Skies Sect’s main gate. After Qi Mo dragged Lei Chen down the stairs, Lin Qingyang caught them and carried the unconscious Qi Mo away.

• Qi Mo resisted Green Ox’s attempt to steal his food, but Lei Chen ordered him to join the demon slaves cleaning the main gate.
• While Qi Mo carried water, Lei Chen kicked him down and taunted him about Lin Qingyang before Qi Mo lunged and dragged him down the stairs.
• Lin Qingyang caught Qi Mo and Lei Chen, finding Lei Chen’s legs broken and Qi Mo unconscious with a bleeding forehead and shoulder.
• Lei Chen blamed Qi Mo, but Lin Qingyang rejected his story and threatened him until he fainted.
• Lin Qingyang wiped Qi Mo’s face and carried him back.

Xue Lanyuan and Jin Buhuan examined Lei Guang’s corpse and found he had been forcibly turned into an Otherworldly Demon, while Lin Qingyang argued with Mo Yan about Qi Mo. After Qi Mo woke in Lin Qingyang’s room, Lin Qingyang confronted him about the hidden saber and Lei Guang.

• Xue Lanyuan showed that Lei Guang’s spiritual root had been corrupted by demonic qi and that his wrist and ankle tendons had been severed.
• Jin Buhuan explained that Otherworldly Demons were cultivators whose spiritual roots had been contaminated by demonic power, and Mo Yan ordered an investigation.
• Mo Yan warned Lin Qingyang that Qi Mo was dangerous and suspected him of causing a disciple’s past qi deviation; Lin Qingyang defended Qi Mo and urged Mo Yan to investigate Lei Guang’s killer.
• Qi Mo woke in Lin Qingyang’s bedroom and admitted he had deliberately dragged Lei Chen down and stolen the curved saber.
• Lin Qingyang asked Qi Mo to tell him about Lei Guang, and Qi Mo froze as his amber eyes darkened.

Lin Qingyang confronted Qi Mo about crippling Lei Guang, forcing him to confess, but ultimately let him leave and vowed it was the last time he would help him. Qi Mo stormed out, leaving Lin Qingyang exhausted and uncertain about their relationship.

• Lin Qingyang accused Qi Mo of following Lei Guang out of the sect and crippling his hands and feet.
• Qi Mo admitted the attack and explained that he had left Lei Guang to suffer in the wilderness as revenge.
• Qi Mo grabbed Lin Qingyang’s wrist and placed his hand around his own throat, challenging him to kill him.
• Lin Qingyang asked where the attack happened, then told Qi Mo to return and promised not to report him.
• Lin Qingyang warned Qi Mo that this was the last time he would help him, and Qi Mo left angrily.
• The Windflower Sword called Qi Mo a villain, while Lin Qingyang complained before sinking into exhaustion.

Lin Qingyang investigated Lei Guang’s death and searched the Nine Skies Sect’s Library Pavilion for information about Otherworldly Demons. Shi Ruobai asked him to take over as sect leader while he entered seclusion, leaving Lin Qingyang in charge of the sect.

• Lin Qingyang found Lei Guang’s blood trail and a clue marked as “seven,” then erased the evidence before Ink Cloud Hall’s disciples found him.
• Lin Qingyang reasoned that the person who crippled Lei Guang was different from the person who turned him into an Otherworldly Demon, and suspected someone was controlling Chimei.
• Lin Qingyang spotted the red-eyed crow from Greenstone Mountain before vanishing as searching disciples approached.
• Lin Qingyang searched the Library Pavilion for information about Otherworldly Demons but found that an array barred him from the founding ancestor Jiuchen’s writings.
• Shi Ruobai told Lin Qingyang he planned to enter seclusion for two or three years and wanted to pass him the sect leader position; Lin Qingyang agreed to serve temporarily.
• Shi Ruobai left after telling Lin Qingyang he would leave the Nine Skies Sect in his hands, appearing frail and unsteady.

Lin Qingyang visited Jin Buhuan and learned that Qi Mo was about to be sold back to Jin Yao Workshop. Though he felt guilty when Qi Mo heard him accept the separation, Lin Qingyang left without saying goodbye.

• Lin Qingyang returned the Seven-Star Shield to Jin Buhuan and asked how Qi Mo was doing.
• Hua Jin arrived at Golden Spirit Court to buy Qi Mo, whom Jin Buhuan said could no longer remain at the Nine Skies Sect.
• Lin Qingyang asked whether Mo Yan had arranged the sale, then said Qi Mo might be better off leaving.
• Qi Mo arrived in demon slave clothes and heard Lin Qingyang's words, fixing him with an angry, despairing stare.
• Lin Qingyang could not speak to Qi Mo and fled using the Movement Technique.

Lin Qingyang learned that Qi Mo was being sold by Jin Buhuan to Hua Jin, who intended to take him back and train him. After Qi Mo bit Hua Jin and she prepared to punish him, Lin Qingyang intervened and offered ten times the agreed price to buy him himself.

• Lin Qingyang ordered Feng Shu and Feng Yi to prove their swordsmanship or miss the Immortal Alliance Ceremony, then brooded over Qi Mo's departure.
• Jin Buhuan and Hua Jin agreed on a price of five hundred Spirit Stones for Qi Mo.
• Hua Jin struck Qi Mo and said she would take him back, but Qi Mo bit her arm when she asked Jin Buhuan to adjust his Demon-Locking Ring.
• Hua Jin subdued Qi Mo with Spiritual Power and raised her spiked bone whip to punish him.
• Lin Qingyang burst in, stopped Hua Jin's whip, and offered ten times the price to buy Qi Mo.

Lin Qingyang bought Qi Mo from Jin Yao Workshop and adjusted the Demon-Locking Ring to suppress his demonic power. He brought Qi Mo back to Clear Wind Pavilion as his new master, leaving Feng Shu and Feng Yi shocked by the arrangement.

• Lin Qingyang outbid Hua Jin for Qi Mo, and Hua Jin stormed away after accusing him and Jin Buhuan of making a fool of her.
• Lin Qingyang signed a contract for Qi Mo, paying five thousand and fifty for him and the broken teacup.
• Jin Buhuan opened Qi Mo's Demon-Locking Ring, causing Qi Mo's demonic power to surge until Lin Qingyang put the ring back on him.
• Qi Mo recovered and called Lin Qingyang "Master," leaving Lin Qingyang uneasy about taking responsibility for his fate.
• Lin Qingyang returned to Clear Wind Pavilion with Qi Mo and told Feng Shu and Feng Yi that Qi Mo would live there from now on.
• Feng Shu and Feng Yi reacted with shock, while Qi Mo followed Lin Qingyang inside after raising an eyebrow at Feng Shu.

Lin Qingyang confronted Qi Mo over his attack on Hua Jin and warned him that his reckless defiance could get him killed. He kept Qi Mo under restriction in the Clear Wind Pavilion, while Lin Yao questioned whether changing Qi Mo’s fate would truly prevent the story’s tragedy.

• Qi Mo knelt before Lin Qingyang and took off his shirt, expecting punishment for his past behavior.
• Lin Qingyang questioned Qi Mo about biting Hua Jin and rebuked him for risking his life without considering the consequences.
• Lin Qingyang grabbed Qi Mo by the throat, released him before he lost consciousness, and warned him not to cause trouble again.
• Qi Mo addressed Lin Qingyang as Master, and Lin Qingyang ordered him to bathe, eat, and remain in the Clear Wind Pavilion without permission.
• Lin Qingyang told Lin Yao he believed keeping Qi Mo alive could prevent him from becoming the Demon King Cang Mo, though Lin Yao remained doubtful.