Chapter Summaries

After learning that Zhaoming Temple’s bell eased Chen Zhao’s bloodline curse, the emperor secretly visited the temple and arranged for her to recuperate there with Su Qing. Chen Zhao moved into the courtyard beside Ming'an, where their shy first meeting began a bond whose future neither child understood.

• Chen Xiao and Chen Chen told the emperor that Zhaoming Temple’s bell had eased the curse affecting Chen Zhao, and Su Qing confirmed that Chen Zhao’s condition had improved.
• The emperor disguised himself as an ordinary worshipper and inspected Zhaoming Temple, but he found no visible cause for its effect on the curse.
• The emperor issued a public decree reserving part of Zhaoming Temple for the imperial family, then secretly arranged for Chen Zhao to recuperate there for half a year with Su Qing.
• Qin Tiexin placed Chen Zhao in the courtyard next to Ming'an’s, and the two children met when she went outside and greeted him.
• Ming'an’s bracelet spirit, Chengxin, told him that Chen Zhao carried immense suffering, while Qin Tiexin watched the children’s first meeting and recognized that his plan had succeeded.

Qin Tiexin completed the condensation of his meridian seed and began opening his Conception Vessel with the True Fire Furnace Scripture. He stopped after widening only its entrance, realizing that Meridian Opening would require a slow, painful effort.

• Qin Tiexin moved into Zhaoming Temple’s abbot’s meditation quarters and left Ming'an to handle the growing number of worshippers’ questions about Buddhist teachings.
• Qin Tiexin entered the cultivation chamber and formed a crimson-gold meridian seed at his heart.
• Qin Tiexin used his meridian seed and Fire of Life to begin opening the Conception Vessel, enduring severe pain as he forced it through the entrance.
• Qin Tiexin widened the initial section of the Conception Vessel but stopped after consuming more than half his spiritual power and Qi and Blood.
• Qin Tiexin guided the meridian seed back to his heart and recognized that opening the rest of the vessel would take sustained effort.

Qin Tiexin replenished his strength as Chen Xi prepared their return to the Azure Xuan Region, setting their departure for ten days later. Watching Ming'an grow close to Chen Zhao and settle into temple life, Qin Tiexin reconsidered taking the boy with him.

• Qin Tiexin replenished his spiritual power and Qi and Blood after three days of seclusion, while his Meridian Seed continued to recover slowly.
• Chen Xi brought Bai Shao and Su Qing's medicinal garden to Zhaoming Temple, where Su Qing treated patients and Bai Shao helped care for Chen Zhao.
• Chen Xi told Qin Tiexin that they had to reach Falling Star City before the merchant caravan returned to the Azure Xuan Region, and they agreed to leave in ten days.
• Qin Tiexin watched Ming'an study and play with Chen Zhao, noticing how settled the boy had become and reconsidering his plan to take Ming'an away.

Qin Tiexin prepared to leave Zhaoming Temple for a long journey and a breakthrough, while trying to reassure the young Ming'an that he would be safe staying behind. He entrusted Ming'an and the temple to Su Qing and left her Buddhist techniques to pass on if he did not return.

• Qin Tiexin told Ming'an he would be away for at least five or six months, possibly a year or two, and Ming'an begged to go with him.
• Qin Tiexin persuaded Ming'an to stay and take charge of Zhaoming Temple, and Ming'an tearfully agreed despite not wanting to part from him.
• Qin Tiexin spent the next few days with Ming'an, who carved a peace Buddha to bless his senior brother's breakthrough and safe return.
• Qin Tiexin asked Su Qing to look after Ming'an, and she promised to care for him.
• Qin Tiexin gave Su Qing Jade Slips containing Buddhist martial techniques and asked her to pass them to Ming'an when he was old enough to cultivate if Qin Tiexin did not return.

Qin Tiexin prepared to leave Zhaoming Temple, strengthening his Qi and Blood Armor as war broke out between the Myriad Stars Dynasty and the Great Brahma Dynasty. After settling his duties and saying farewell to Ming'an and the others, he flew toward Chen Xi and began his journey back to the Azure Xuan Region.

• Qin Tiexin reopened the Qugu and Zhongji acupoints, forming a powerful layer of Qi and Blood Armor around his lower abdomen.
• The Myriad Stars Dynasty attacked Jialan City and destroyed the Curse formation, triggering open war with the Great Brahma Dynasty.
• Qin Tiexin left cultivation instructions and Qi and Blood Pills with the Monk Soldier Corps, then received approval from Civil Official Wang to leave Zhaoming Temple for a Golden Core breakthrough.
• Ming'an gave Qin Tiexin a hand-carved bodhisattva figurine to keep him safe.
• Qin Tiexin bid farewell to Su Qing, Bai Shao, and Ming'an before flying toward Chen Xi and setting off for the Azure Xuan Region.

Chen Xi and Qin Tiexin disguised themselves and traveled toward Falling Star City, but a cautious Golden Core cultivator began trailing them. Their attempts to evade the pursuer failed, leaving them uncertain who had sent him or how many others were involved.

• Chen Xi disguised Qin Tiexin as a hunter, changed his own appearance, and set out with him on a low-grade flying shuttle toward Falling Star City.
• During their journey, Chen Xi told Qin Tiexin that Su Qing planned to remain at Zhaoming Temple after the little princess's curse was mostly cleared.
• In a small city, Chen Xi warned Qin Tiexin that a Golden Core cultivator had been following them, so they left and changed their route repeatedly.
• Chen Xi and Qin Tiexin traveled across open ground and used a warning formation and insect puppets, but the pursuer kept his distance.
• Chen Xi disguised himself and Qin Tiexin as Demon Beasts and sent puppets along their original route, but they still failed to shake the pursuer.

Chen Xi and Qin Tiexin were trapped on the official road by three linked grand formations and a force of Buddhist cultivators led by Xiao Wan. Xiao Wan, now in the Golden Core Realm, confronted Qin Tiexin and revealed that she knew his identity as Liu Qing.

• Chen Xi recognized that the road's altered terrain signaled an ambush and tried to flee with Qin Tiexin as crimson formation patterns spread beneath them.
• A confinement formation blocked their escape and messages, while gravity and illusion formations hindered their movement and senses.
• More than twenty Foundation Establishment Peak Stage Buddhist cultivators, ten Golden Core cultivators, and Golden Core Peak Masters Benchi and Juesong took positions around the formations.
• Chen Xi identified the attackers as forces from Brahma Sound Valley and Golden Summit Temple and recognized Master Benchi and Master Juesong.
• Xiao Wan emerged with stable Golden Core cultivation and asked Qin Tiexin whether she should call him Liu Qing or Qin Tiexin.

Xiao Wan uncovered Qin Tiexin’s identity, formed a seventh-rank Golden Core, and tracked him down with allies to avenge her losses. She and her forces trapped Qin Tiexin and Chen Xi in three grand formations, leaving the two prepared to fight their way out.

• After Xiao Wan exposed the substitute examination, Benhong took her and Xiao Yan back to Brahma Sound Valley, where investigators identified Liu Qing and Mingjue as Qin Tiexin.
• Xiao Wan emerged from seclusion with a seventh-rank Golden Core, then learned the Xiao Residence had been destroyed and the Old Duke of Tranquil Peace had died.
• Benzhen used Brahma Sound Valley’s Premonition technique to locate a road Qin Tiexin would likely take, and Xiao Wan recruited reinforcements from Golden Summit Temple and Brahma Sound Valley.
• Xiao Wan’s forces laid three grand formations along the road and intercepted Qin Tiexin and Chen Xi on the fifth day.
• Xiao Wan addressed Qin Tiexin by name as ten Golden Core cultivators and numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators surrounded them.
• Chen Xi told Qin Tiexin that they would have to force their way through the formations.

Qin Tiexin revealed his identity and fought alongside Chen Xi against the Buddhist cultivators who had trapped them. Both men were driven to a cliff’s edge, surrounded by five Golden Core cultivators, but remained ready to fight.

• Qin Tiexin revealed his true appearance and drew Edgeless as Xiao Wan demanded the bracelet.
• Chen Xi revealed his Golden Core peak strength and attacked the Buddhist cultivators, giving Qin Tiexin an opening to break through the formation.
• Qin Tiexin killed numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators while Chen Xi held off the Golden Core fighters, but both became badly wounded.
• Benchi and Juesong joined the battle against Chen Xi, while Xiao Wan broke free from his puppet and the formation collapsed.
• Qin Tiexin and Chen Xi were forced to the cliff’s edge and surrounded by five Golden Core cultivators.
• Qin Tiexin asked whether Chen Xi could still fight, and Chen Xi said yes.

Qin Tiexin and Chen Xi were trapped by Golden Summit Temple and Brahma Sound Valley cultivators, whose techniques threatened to overwhelm them. As Qin Tiexin prepared to risk damaging his foundation to break free, Chen Xi offered the pursuers a mysterious bone-white bracelet in exchange for their release.

• Xiao Wan ordered her cultivators to withdraw while Juesong sealed the cliff route and Benchi attacked Qin Tiexin and Chen Xi with Brahma Chant Spirit-Shattering Intent.
• Chen Xi used a jade pendant to shield them, but the Golden Summit Temple cultivators trapped them inside the Vajra Enclosing Barrier Formation.
• Xiao Wan ordered the Brahma Sound Valley disciples to chant, strengthening Benchi's assault until cracks spread across Chen Xi's protective barrier.
• Qin Tiexin asked the severed arm to raise his strength to Meridian Opening Peak, accepting that it would consume his source power and damage his foundation.
• Chen Xi gave Qin Tiexin a storage ring containing a Life-Extension Pill for Martial Uncle Wu and told him to read a jade pendant only when safe.
• Chen Xi revealed a bone-white bracelet and threatened to destroy it unless the pursuers let them go, stopping their chanting and drawing Xiao Wan's attention.

Chen Xi used a bone-white bracelet to bargain for an escape while Xiao Wan secretly prepared to attack once she had it. As the standoff continued, Chen Xi told Qin Tiexin he would send him away first and ordered him to flee toward the nearest city.

• Xiao Wan stopped the Brahma Sound Valley disciples' attack and examined Chen Xi's bracelet, while Qin Tiexin recognized it as a convincing replica.
• Chen Xi threatened to detonate the bracelet unless Xiao Wan's people retreated, and Qin Tiexin prepared to fight beside him.
• Xiao Wan offered to let them leave in exchange for the bracelet, and Chen Xi demanded that they retreat a hundred paces and clear the cliffside.
• Xiao Wan agreed to their terms but kept the vajra light wall blocking the cliff, then secretly ordered her people to attack once the bracelet was thrown.
• Chen Xi told Qin Tiexin that he would send him away first and instructed him to flee toward the nearest city.

Chen Xi's clone sacrificed itself to let Qin Tiexin escape, while Chen Xi's true body discovered the clone's destruction and suffered backlash that delayed his Nascent Soul breakthrough. The chapter left Chen Xi meditating in hiding as he waited for Qin Tiexin to return.

• Chen Xi threw Qin Tiexin off the cliff, then charged into Xiao Wan's formation after she realized the bracelet was fake.
• Chen Xi self-destructed among the cultivators, triggering a chain of Golden Core explosions that cleared Qin Tiexin a path to escape.
• Qin Tiexin saw Chen Xi's sacrifice, grieved, and used Edgeless and his Qi Gang to endure the blast as it hurled him away.
• Chen Xi's true body in a hidden cave abode learned through his split soul's memories that his clone had self-destructed, and the backlash forced him to postpone forming his Nascent Soul.
• Chen Xi worried that Qin Tiexin might act rashly before reading the jade pendant, then decided to wait for his junior brother and resumed meditation.

After surviving the explosion that killed Chen Xi, Qin Tiexin struggled through the Fallen Star Mountain Range, overcome by grief and guilt and swearing revenge on those responsible. As he neared a city, Xiao Wan appeared behind him, and the two prepared to fight.

• Qin Tiexin survived the blast but was badly depleted, and he headed east through the Fallen Star Mountain Range with Edgeless in hand.
• As he walked, Qin Tiexin blamed himself for Chen Xi’s death and vowed to avenge him by destroying Brahma Sound Valley, Golden Summit Temple, and the Holy Buddha Son.
• Qin Tiexin’s rage stirred his Sha Qi and the Bloodline Stone as he spotted a city in the distance and resolved to return to the Azure Xuan Region after delivering the Life-Extension Pill.
• Xiao Wan ambushed Qin Tiexin with hidden needles, but he blocked them and found that she had survived the explosion, though she was badly injured.
• Qin Tiexin and Xiao Wan faced each other, each prepared to fight to the death.

After Chen Xi sacrificed himself to destroy Xiao Wan’s party, Xiao Wan survived and used a costly pill to restore herself so she could pursue the wounded Qin Tiexin. She caught up with him before he reached the city, and they faced each other for a fight to the death.

• Chen Xi detonated himself, killing the cultivators around him while Benchi died shielding Xiao Wan and Qin Tiexin was thrown clear.
• Xiao Wan survived the explosion with both life-saving items destroyed and discovered that she had lost her entire party and the prayer beads.
• Xiao Wan took an Advance Cause Restoration Pill, restoring her strength at the cost of damage to her Golden Core, then sent Brahma Sound Valley’s distress signal.
• Xiao Wan followed Qin Tiexin’s trail toward the city and caught sight of him while he was badly wounded.
• Xiao Wan attacked Qin Tiexin with poisoned silver needles, but he knocked them away, and the two confronted each other with weapons drawn.

Qin Tiexin and Xiao Wan fought in the desolate mountains, where Xiao Wan used her Golden Core abilities to overcome his strength and wound him. The chapter ended with Xiao Wan declaring that Qin Tiexin would not escape her.

• Qin Tiexin activated his Meridian Seed to replenish his Qi and Blood before charging Xiao Wan with Edgeless.
• Xiao Wan countered Qin Tiexin's charge with her Lotus Blossom Short Yue, and the two clashed with their weapons.
• Qin Tiexin used Sumeru Immovable Instruction to increase his strength, while Xiao Wan tried to suppress him with Brahma Sea Chan Stillness.
• Xiao Wan blocked Qin Tiexin's Lion's Roar with a membrane of spiritual power and used Brahma Sea Chan Stillness to make him falter.
• Xiao Wan struck Qin Tiexin's right arm with her yue, leaving a deep wound, and told him he would not escape.

Qin Tiexin struggled against Xiao Wan, whose extensive knowledge of his techniques let her wound him and prevent him from building up Earth Wheels. He unleashed a massive saber strike, but Xiao Wan blocked it with her now-solid Eight-Armed Buddha Dharma Manifestation and prepared to show him the power of a Golden Core cultivator.

• Xiao Wan repeatedly anticipated Qin Tiexin’s moves, wounded him with her lotus short axe, and kept him from forming Earth Wheels.
• Qin Tiexin used the Meridian Seed to restore his Qi and Blood, then charged and unleashed Sever the Mountain with extended saber radiance.
• Xiao Wan summoned two golden arms to catch Qin Tiexin’s strike, then expanded them into her Eight-Armed Buddha Dharma Manifestation.
• Qin Tiexin withdrew the saber radiance and cut the Dharma Manifestation’s leg, but his blade made only a shallow notch that its spiritual power quickly repaired.
• Xiao Wan declared that she would demonstrate the gap between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core.

Xiao Wan trapped Qin Tiexin in her Eight-Armed Buddha Dharma Manifestation, but he summoned the Arhat Dharma Aspect Body and turned the fight against her. He severed two of Xiao Wan’s arms before she unleashed the Thousand Epiphyllum Delusion-Breaking Finger at him.

• Xiao Wan’s golden arms caught Qin Tiexin and crushed him, but he activated the Arhat Dharma Aspect Body and broke free.
• Qin Tiexin revealed his red Arhat manifestation, wielding a giant saber shaped like Edgeless, and charged Xiao Wan.
• Qin Tiexin’s saber clashed with Xiao Wan’s golden arms and severed two of them.
• Xiao Wan sent a rain of golden epiphyllum attacks toward the major acupoints of Qin Tiexin’s Dharma manifestation.

Xiao Wan and Qin Tiexin fought deep in the Fallen Star Mountain Range until both were badly depleted. Xiao Wan released her Pill Domain to pin him down and launched Nirvana · Buddha Palm, leaving the outcome uncertain as the palm shadows closed in.

• Qin Tiexin and Xiao Wan traded powerful blows, damaging their manifestations and exhausting most of their Qi and spiritual power.
• Xiao Wan released her Pill Domain, and the Principle of Nirvanic Chan Mind crushed Qin Tiexin's Arhat Dharma Manifestation and pinned him to the ground.
• Xiao Wan approached cautiously and gathered her manifestation's power and Principle into her right palm.
• Xiao Wan unleashed Nirvana · Buddha Palm, sending silent palm shadows toward Qin Tiexin from every direction.

Qin Tiexin used his last Meridian Seed and the Intangibility Bracelet to survive Xiao Wan’s Buddha palms, then unleashed the newly mastered sixth form of the Heavy Mountain Saber Technique. He severed Xiao Wan’s left hand, but her Buddha seal Law Artifact stopped Edgeless above her head, leaving them locked in a deadlock.

• Xiao Wan kept Qin Tiexin pinned with her Pill Domain and unleashed dozens of Buddha palms while preparing to destroy his true spirit.
• Qin Tiexin crushed his Meridian Seed and used the Void Spirit Python skull bracelet to activate Intangibility twice in succession, avoiding most of Xiao Wan’s strikes.
• One Buddha palm struck Qin Tiexin’s left calf and sealed its Qi and Blood, spiritual power, and sensation.
• Qin Tiexin used his renewed Qi and Blood to rise and swung Edgeless with the newly mastered Heavy Mountain Saber Technique, Sixth Form: Heavy Mountain Returns to the Origin.
• Qin Tiexin severed Xiao Wan’s left hand, but she activated a Buddha seal Law Artifact that blocked Edgeless and forced both fighters into a deadlock.

Qin Tiexin used the Principle of Sharpness to break Xiao Wan’s Buddhist seal, then pursued her with a Falling Star Spear when she fled. The spear pierced Xiao Wan’s heart, and she fell motionless.

• Qin Tiexin infused his saber with the Principle of Sharpness and severed half of Xiao Wan’s body through her Buddhist seal.
• Qin Tiexin struck Xiao Wan with Arhat Fist, blasting her into rubble.
• Xiao Wan sealed her wounds and fled north toward the approaching Brahma Sound Valley cultivators.
• Qin Tiexin’s injured leg prevented him from catching Xiao Wan, so he formed a Falling Star Spear from Qi and Blood.
• Qin Tiexin launched the spear from a distance, and it pierced Xiao Wan’s chest at the heart, killing her.