Recaps

Hong Ying turned Ming Ao’s Nether Qi attack back against him by containing and compressing it with her Intent of Samsara. The blast devastated Ming Ao, whose life force faded as Hong Ying stood victorious.

• Hong Ying thrust her Samsara Long Spear into Ming Ao’s enormous sphere of Nether Qi, causing it to swell and explode.
• Hong Ying used her Intent of Samsara to contain the eruption and compress the rampaging Nether Qi into a small sphere.
• Hong Ying sent the compressed sphere at Ming Ao, who gathered the nether river around himself as a barrier.
• The sphere burst against Ming Ao’s defense, unleashing a blast that shattered ice and tore at space.
• Ming Ao emerged gravely wounded and asked how Hong Ying had done it; after she replied, his presence vanished completely.

Hong Ying and Xiao Hei defeated their opponents, forcing Bei Feng’s allies to withdraw and leaving Northern Plain City exposed. Hong Ying crippled Bei Feng and announced her intention to rebuild the Cloud Phoenix Empire.

• Hong Ying killed Ming Ao, a Void God Realm cultivator, while fighting from the Qianyuan Realm.
• Xiao Hei shattered the Buddhist Sect elder’s Vajra Body and Asura phantom, then seized him by the head.
• Hong Ying challenged Bei Feng, and the Buddhist Sect elders and Ren Dongsheng withdrew with their forces.
• Hong Ying pierced Bei Feng’s dantian with her Samsara Long Spear, destroying his cultivation.
• Hong Ying pinned Bei Feng to the ice and declared that she intended to rebuild the Cloud Phoenix Empire.

Hong Ying revealed herself as Empress Yunhuang, crushed opposition, and claimed the Heart of the Realm. She explained that outsiders planned to steal it and destroy the Wilderness Realm, then called on the assembled forces to join her in resisting them.

• Hong Ying declared her identity as Empress Yunhuang, killed Bei Feng with the Intent of Samsara, and challenged anyone who opposed rebuilding the Cloud Phoenix Empire.
• Yun Zhan and the other eight members of the Nine Heavens Division, all Void God Realm experts, knelt and welcomed Hong Ying back.
• With no one daring to resist, Hong Ying drew the Heart of the Realm into her dantian while the gathered forces watched.
• Hong Ying explained that the campaign on the Heavenly Road had sought both a higher realm and protection of the Heart of the Realm from outsiders.
• Hong Ying warned that the outsiders might soon return to seize the Heart of the Realm and asked the assembled forces to join her in defending their realm.

Hong Ying rallied major factions to join the Cloud Phoenix Empire and resist outsiders seeking the Heart of the Realm, then returned to the Cottage with Ye Qiubai and the others. Lu Changsheng welcomed them by accusing them of stirring up trouble and insisting Qin Tiannan was slandering him.

• Lin Rufeng and Dean Yan declared that the Hidden Sword Sect and Hidden Dao Academy would join the Cloud Phoenix Empire, followed by Mu Heze and several first-rate factions.
• Hong Ying told the allied factions to develop independently and await her summons before everyone left the Extreme Northern Icefield.
• News of Hong Ying's strength, the ancient war over the Heart of the Realm, and the returning Nine Heavens Division spread across the continent, prompting more factions to support rebuilding the Cloud Phoenix Empire while others argued for negotiating with outsiders.
• Hong Ying returned to the Cottage with Ye Qiubai, Xiao Hei, and Ning Chenxin, and Lu Changsheng praised them for not making him take action.
• Qin Tiannan told Shi Sheng that Lu Changsheng wanted to slack off, and Lu Changsheng accused Qin Tiannan of slandering him.

Hong Ying absorbed the Heart of the Realm’s Spiritual Qi and recovered to the Void God Realm, while Qin Tiannan persuaded Shi Sheng to enter the Hidden Dao Academy’s new student tournament. Lu Changsheng secured Qin Tiannan’s promise not to recruit disciples into the Cottage without permission, but Qin also left with nearly half of Lu Changsheng’s wine.

• Hong Ying began absorbing the Spiritual Qi in the Heart of the Realm to restore her strength.
• Qin Tiannan told Lu Changsheng that Shi Sheng had to compete in the new student tournament, and Lu Changsheng agreed after securing a promise that Qin would not send disciples to the Cottage without permission.
• Xiao Hei told Lu Changsheng that Qin Tiannan had borrowed wine, and Lu Changsheng discovered that nearly half his wine jars were gone.
• Qin Tiannan happily carried the wine home, while Hong Ying’s cultivation reached the half-step Void God realm.
• The next day, Hong Ying broke through to the Void God Realm and gained a divine soul, while Shi Sheng prepared to attend the tournament.

Chen Mingzhi entered the new student competition, eager to prove he could defeat Shi Sheng, while Shi Sheng arrived with his senior disciples to compete. After Chen Mingzhi won his first match, he openly declared that he would defeat Shi Sheng.

• Chen Mingzhi agreed to join the competition and followed the Martial Hall master to the venue, hoping to face Shi Sheng.
• Ye Qiubai, Hong Ying, Ning Chenxin, Xiao Hei, and Shi Sheng arrived at the competition, where Qin Tiannan welcomed Ding Yunhe and Yun Jing.
• Qin Tiannan announced the competition’s three rounds: drawing lots, choosing opponents, and a final free-for-all.
• The Confucian Academy dean drew He Fan of the Sword Hall against Chen Mingzhi, and Chen Mingzhi quickly defeated He Fan.
• Chen Mingzhi told Shi Sheng that he would defeat him despite respecting his willpower.

Shi Sheng entered the new student competition and faced Sword Hall’s He Bufan in his first battle. He shattered He Bufan’s sword with the heavy Minghuang Mystic Axe, leaving the fight’s outcome unresolved.

• Ye Qiubai encouraged Shi Sheng to prove his strength against students who resented his acceptance as Lu Changsheng’s disciple.
• The Confucian Academy’s dean drew Shi Sheng against Sword Hall’s He Bufan.
• Shi Sheng took the Minghuang Mystic Axe onto the platform while He Bufan announced his superior cultivation and attacked with Sword Intent.
• Shi Sheng smashed He Bufan’s illusory swords with one axe strike and charged at him.
• Shi Sheng clashed axes with He Bufan’s sword, shattering the sword into pieces.

Shi Sheng defeated He Bufan and then accepted Chen Mingzhi’s challenge, revealing his Starry Sky cultivation and striking Chen Mingzhi with Falling Star. The platform split apart, leaving the fight’s outcome hidden by dust.

• Shi Sheng defeated He Bufan by destroying his sword, and He Bufan conceded.
• The first round ended, and Chen Mingzhi challenged Shi Sheng in the second round to prove himself.
• Shi Sheng accepted the challenge and gathered the Power of the Stars around himself and the Minghuang Mystic Axe.
• Chen Mingzhi attacked with his mid-stage Qianyuan Realm strength and Battle Intent, and Shi Sheng answered with Falling Star.
• Shi Sheng’s strike split the platform in two, and dust obscured the fighters before anyone could see who had won.

Shi Sheng defeated Chen Mingzhi with one axe strike, revealing that he had reached the late Qianyuan Realm after only a few days of training at the Cottage. The third round began with the other nine competitors apparently preparing to join forces against him.

• After the shattered arena formation cleared, Shi Sheng stood unharmed while Chen Mingzhi lay gravely injured, and the Confucian Academy dean declared Shi Sheng the winner.
• The Martial Hall hall master identified Shi Sheng's cultivation as late Qianyuan Realm, shocking the gathered students and academy leaders.
• Shi Sheng returned to the Cottage group, where Ye Qiubai, Hong Ying, Xiao Hei, and Ning Chenxin welcomed him warmly.
• Chen Mingzhi recovered enough to use his second challenge opportunity to defeat a student and take that student's place in the third round.
• Qin Tiannan explained that the third-round winner would enter the treasure pavilion and join the Four Regions Academy Grand Competition seven days later.
• After an hour's rest, Shi Sheng entered the third round, where the other nine competitors, including Chen Mingzhi, appeared to prepare to fight him together.

Shi Sheng defeated Chen Mingzhi and eight other competitors to win the new student competition, and the Cottage disciples agreed to represent the Southern Region Hidden Dao Academy at the Four Regions Academy Grand Competition. As they prepared to leave for the Central Region, Lu Changsheng punished Ye Qiubai for accepting on their behalf, and the disciples shared a warm evening together.

• Shi Sheng's star-infused axe shattered the nine opponents' combined attack, sent them flying, and secured his victory in the third round.
• Shi Sheng declined the Treasure Pavilion reward, while Qin Tiannan told the Cottage disciples they had to enter the Four Regions Academy Grand Competition; Hong Ying said they could blame Ye Qiubai if Lu Changsheng objected.
• The Cottage's reputation spread through the Hidden Dao Academy, and Jian Chaomian and Yun Jing sought out Ye Qiubai and Lu Changsheng before returning to their respective academies.
• Lu Changsheng learned that the disciples had agreed to compete and made Ye Qiubai sweep the mountain for six days; the disciples then drank and reminisced together at the stone table.

Ye Qiubai discovered that Mu Ziqing had been taken from the Wilderness Realm by her powerful Lineage and learned that he would need to grow stronger to find her. Meanwhile, the Main Academy prepared to host the four-region exchange to strengthen the Hidden Dao Academy’s influence during an age of great contention.

• Dean Yan explained to Qin Tiannan and the other regional deans that the Main Academy was hosting the exchange to expand the Hidden Dao Academy’s influence as the continent’s balance of power shifted.
• Ye Qiubai visited Mu Ziqing’s empty courtyard at Dao-Seeking Mountain and waited there until nightfall.
• Ye Qiubai found a jade pendant by the river where he and Mu Ziqing had first met, and it projected her message.
• Mu Ziqing told Ye Qiubai that her Lineage came from a higher realm and had taken her away after learning her physique had been resolved.
• Mu Ziqing urged Ye Qiubai to grow stronger and find her, and Ye Qiubai promised he would not keep her waiting long.

Students from the regional academies and the Main Academy gathered for the exchange, while powerful leaders came to watch and meet the Cottage’s prodigies. Dean Yan announced that the first round would take place at the foot of Dao-Seeking Mountain, leaving the students eager to commune with its intents and advance.

• Students from the academies discussed the Cottage’s strength as Dean Yan and leaders from several major powers arrived to watch the exchange.
• Dean Yan and Mu Heze joked with the other leaders while Mu Wan'er searched the crowd and hurried over to reunite with Hong Ying and the Cottage members.
• Dean Yan announced that the exchange’s first trial would take place at the foot of Dao-Seeking Mountain.
• Dean Yan explained that students who communed with at least one intent would advance to the second round, which would take place halfway up the mountain.

Students from the four regions began the first round of the academy exchange at Dao-Seeking Mountain, where they had to connect with a concept to advance. Ye Qiubai, Hong Ying, Ning Chenxin, Xiao Hei, Shi Sheng, and later Jian Chaomian passed, while more than half the participants were eliminated.

• The deans discussed Dao-Seeking Mountain's value, and Qin Tiannan named Ye Qiubai, Hong Ying, Ning Chenxin, Xiao Hei, and Shi Sheng as the most likely students to connect with concepts first.
• Ye Qiubai connected with Sword Intent, Hong Ying with fire concept, Xiao Hei with killing intent, Ning Chenxin with Confucian Dao intent, and Shi Sheng with Star Intent, advancing to the second round.
• Jian Chaomian connected with the Sword Intent in Dao-Seeking Mountain two hours later and also passed the first round.
• The first round lasted a day, and more than half the students failed to connect with a concept, though many said they had still gained insight at the mountain's foot.
• The eliminated students returned to their lodgings to cultivate, while the successful students prepared to enter Dao-Seeking Mountain.

The second round required students to comprehend an intent within three days in Dao-Seeking Mountain, where the Cottage members each sought a place suited to their cultivation. Ye Qiubai pursued wood intent, while Hong Ying headed for the Samsara Rift, Xiao Hei absorbed killing intent, Ning Chenxin read in a Confucian study, and Shi Sheng cultivated among the stars.

• The second-round students learned they had three days to comprehend an intent in Dao-Seeking Mountain, and Ye Qiubai and the other Cottage members set out to cultivate.
• Ye Qiubai paid his respects at the Sword Peak stone wall where he had received the Sword Domain legacy, then chose to cultivate wood intent in a shaded woodland.
• Hong Ying sensed the intent of Samsara and followed her memories toward the Samsara Rift.
• Xiao Hei entered a battlefield pit filled with remains and absorbed its killing conception, as blood-colored patterns spread from his fists toward his arms.
• Ning Chenxin restored and read the books in a thatched study, drawing the intent of the Confucian Dao around himself.
• Shi Sheng leaped into a treeless plain where stars filled the daytime sky and began cultivating among them.

The five Cottage members advanced to the third round after making major gains at Dao-Seeking Mountain. Jian Chaomian then challenged Ye Qiubai, and his Sword Intent rose to the Half-Step Sword Ancestor realm, earning him an invitation to cultivate in the Hidden Sword Sect’s Sword Tomb.

• Hong Ying strengthened her Samsara intent, while Ye Qiubai developed the intent of Unending Life and advanced the Primordial Sword Scripture to its second level; Ning Chenxin, Xiao Hei, and Shi Sheng also made major progress.
• All five Cottage members, Jian Chaomian, and two main academy students advanced to the combat round.
• Dean Yan proposed that the Cottage members give their opponents guidance and let Jian Chaomian and the other two choose whom to face.
• Jian Chaomian chose Ye Qiubai and explained that striving to catch up with him had spurred his cultivation.
• Jian Chaomian’s Sword Intent reached the Half-Step Sword Ancestor realm, and Lin Rufeng invited him to cultivate in the Hidden Sword Sect’s Sword Tomb.

Ye Qiubai overwhelmed Jian Chaomian with his Sword Domain, helping him deepen his Sword Intent and prompting Lin Rufeng to invite him to the Hidden Sword Sect. The main academy’s challengers then chose Shi Sheng and Xiao Hei, and Xiao Hei badly injured his opponent with one punch.

• Ye Qiubai swept Jian Chaomian into a river of Sword Intent, which Jian Chaomian could not withstand.
• Jian Chaomian thanked Ye Qiubai and left the platform determined to cultivate harder.
• Lin Rufeng asked Dean Yan to let Jian Chaomian join the Hidden Sword Sect, and Dean Yan agreed to let Jian decide for himself.
• Two main academy disciples chose Shi Sheng and Xiao Hei as their opponents.
• Shi Sheng pinned his challenger down with one swing of the Minghuang Mystic Axe, while Xiao Hei knocked his challenger off the platform with a single punch.
• Xiao Hei said he had held back, and his injured opponent fainted after hearing him.

After the Cottage’s disciples secured the academy exchange championship, factions rallied behind Hong Ying and the Cloud Phoenix Empire’s rebuilding. Meanwhile, the Buddhist Sect tried to contact the Upper Realm, but Lu Changsheng’s formations blocked its message, prompting the Heavenly Spirit Sect to prepare for a march.

• Qin Tiannan celebrated the Southern Region Hidden Dao Academy’s victory as the Li Clan, the Pill Sect, and other factions pledged support for rebuilding the Cloud Phoenix Empire.
• Hong Ying revealed that the Pill Sect’s support came with a promise that Lu Changsheng would guide them, then blamed Ye Qiubai for negotiating the deal as the Cottage group headed home.
• The four surviving Buddhist Sect elders told the Buddha Lord that Empress Yunhuang had returned, obtained the Heart of the Realm, and could not be stopped; he ordered them to hinder the Cloud Phoenix Empire and await the Buddha Child.
• The Buddha Lord used his blood essence to send a message toward the Upper Realm, but Lu Changsheng’s concealment formation and Jianmu Dragon-Trapping Grand Formation crushed the golden pillar and left him injured.
• Kong Jianghan concluded that the formation was hiding events in the lower realm and ordered the grand elder to notify Sect Master Peng and the other sects to prepare to march.

Lu Changsheng was summoned to the Pill Sect after Ye Qiubai promised guidance on his behalf, and he gave Sect Master Geng Chun advice about creating pill formulas. Geng Chun believed he had understood, while Lu Changsheng remained baffled by his reaction.

• Hong Ying blamed Ye Qiubai for the trouble, and Lu Changsheng scolded and punished him while the disciples cultivated in seclusion.
• Ye Qiubai reached the mid-stage Qianyuan Realm, while Shi Sheng reached Half-Step Void God and his talent rose to SS rank.
• The Pill Sect's grand elder and Hu Qing visited the Cottage to invite Lu Changsheng to answer the sect's questions, and Lu Changsheng sent Ye Qiubai to spend three days beneath a waterfall.
• Lu Changsheng went with the grand elder to the Pill Sect, where Sect Master Geng Chun asked how to create Earth Rank pill formulas.
• Lu Changsheng advised Geng Chun to stop relying on formula restrictions and develop his own understanding, and Geng Chun declared that he had understood.

After refusing Geng Chun’s offer to become an honorary elder of the Pill Sect, Lu Changsheng returned to the Cottage and found Xiao Hei in agony as his seal loosened. Xiao Hei sensed that a stone was connected to the missing memories, so Lu Changsheng took him to where the black stone had fallen and followed its lingering presence to a strange village.

• Geng Chun invited Lu Changsheng to join the Pill Sect as an honorary elder and offered him access to the Pill Tower, but Lu Changsheng refused and left.
• Lu Changsheng returned to the Cottage and found Xiao Hei writhing in pain as demonic Qi surged from his eyes.
• The Willow Tree explained that Xiao Hei’s seal had loosened as his strength grew, while the little bird warned that resealing it could damage his sea of consciousness.
• Lu Changsheng diagnosed that missing memory fragments had caused Xiao Hei’s distress and asked him to sense what he needed.
• Xiao Hei managed to say “stone,” prompting Lu Changsheng to take him to the place where the black stone had landed.
• Lu Changsheng found the landing site transformed into a barren area, followed the black stone’s lingering presence, and reached a strange village.

Lu Changsheng purified the demonic frenzy consuming an old man in Afterglow Village, and the black stone restored fragments of Xiao Hei’s sealed memories. Xiao Hei resolved to seek the Demon Abyss, while the old man awoke to find his village deserted.

• Lu Changsheng and Xiao Hei entered the silent Afterglow Village and followed the black stone’s presence to a stone house.
• A demonic old man attacked Lu Changsheng, who purified him and treated his injuries before he fainted.
• Lu Changsheng found the black stone among bloody offerings and placed it before Xiao Hei, where it entered Xiao Hei’s brow and restored memory fragments.
• Xiao Hei saw memories mentioning his brother, the Demon God, and a plan to seize the Demon Realm, along with a vision of the Demon Abyss.
• Xiao Hei decided to go to the Demon Abyss, and Lu Changsheng told him to deal with what had happened in the village.
• The old man awoke the next morning, saw the deserted village, and blamed the black stone for what had happened.

After learning that the black stone had driven the people of Afterglow Village to kill one another, Xiao Hei asked Lu Changsheng to help save their souls. In the Nine Nether, Lu Changsheng arranged for Xiao Hei to become its future lord, and a mysterious man agreed to let Xiao Hei take the villagers’ souls as a greeting gift.

• The village chief told Lu Changsheng and Xiao Hei that the black stone had corrupted the villagers, leaving him the sole survivor after he killed the others.
• Xiao Hei asked Lu Changsheng to save the villagers, and Lu Changsheng took him to the Nine Nether to find their souls before they entered reincarnation.
• Lu Changsheng proposed that Xiao Hei become the Lord of the Nine Nether, and the three black-robed figures agreed once he became strong enough to contend with the Half-Step Emperor Realm.
• Xiao Hei asked to take the villagers’ souls out of the Nine Nether, but the three black-robed figures objected that it would disrupt its order.
• The man who had given Lu Changsheng the spirit of the Yellow Springs River appeared and offered to let Xiao Hei take the souls as a greeting gift for the future Lord of the Nine Nether.

Lu Changsheng and Xiao Hei restored the sixty-nine villagers of Afterglow Village to life, and Lu Changsheng reminded Xiao Hei that being a demon did not determine whether he was good or evil. Back at the Cottage, Hong Ying advised Ning Chenxin to establish a Confucian faith before spreading his teachings, and he decided to follow his heart.

• The Underworld Envoy returned Afterglow Village's sixty-nine souls to Xiao Hei and explained that he had arranged the deal to make Lu Changsheng owe him another favor.
• Lu Changsheng used the Life Dao Law to restore the villagers' bodies, and Xiao Hei reunited their souls with them, bringing all sixty-nine villagers back to life.
• Xiao Hei accepted the villagers' gratitude, and Lu Changsheng told him that a demon's goodness or evil depended on his heart before they set off for the Cottage.
• Hong Ying told Ning Chenxin that his efforts to spread his teachings were too inefficient and advised him to establish a Confucian faith.
• Ning Chenxin considered Hong Ying's proposal to inherit the Confucian Temple's foundations and decided to follow his heart.

Ye Qiubai, Hong Ying, and Ning Chenxin left the Cottage to establish their own forces, while Shi Sheng stayed with Lu Changsheng. The Study’s first test came when the Buddhist Sect’s hidden prodigy challenged Ning Chenxin to debate the Dao.

• At dinner, Ye Qiubai said he wanted to establish a force of his own, and Shi Sheng chose to remain with Lu Changsheng.
• The next day, Ye Qiubai and Hong Ying left the mountain to build the Azure Cloud Sword Sect in the Southern Region and rebuild the Cloud Phoenix Empire in the Central Region.
• Seven days later, the Azure Cloud Sword Sect and Cloud Phoenix Empire were established, and Ning Chenxin’s Study appeared in the Western Region.
• Ye Qiubai opened Lu Changsheng’s congratulatory calligraphy and found that it contained a Spirit-Nurturing Array for the Azure Cloud Sword Sect.
• Ye Qiubai selected four disciples for the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, including Jian Chaomian and Liang Feng, who had left the Hidden Sword Sect with Lin Rufeng’s approval.
• The Buddhist Sect’s Buddhist Son challenged Ning Chenxin to debate the Dao at the Study in seven days, and Ning Chenxin accepted.

Ning Chenxin accepted the Buddhist Sect’s challenge and met its Buddha Son at Crane Cry Mountain to debate the Dao. He argued that all things were the Dao but that Buddhism and Confucianism differed in their views of worldly life and human destiny, then questioned whether Buddhist practitioners truly acted without selfish desire.

• Ning Chenxin accepted the Buddhist Sect’s challenge to debate the Dao, knowing that either outcome would affect the Study’s reputation.
• Factions gathered at Crane Cry Mountain, but Ning Chenxin refused to let them ascend before the contest began.
• The Buddha Son arrived alone beneath three Buddhist manifestations and opened the debate by asking, “What is the Dao?”
• Ning Chenxin declared that the Dao had existed before heaven and earth and that all things, even soil and plants, were the Dao.
• When the Buddha Son asked why Buddhism and Confucianism differed, Ning Chenxin contrasted Buddhism’s renunciation of worldly suffering with the Dao’s embrace of human life, then challenged the Buddha Son over Buddhist practitioners’ motives.

Ning Chenxin defeated the Buddhist Disciple in a debate on the Dao by exposing how he had abandoned his ideals and conformed to the Buddhist Sect. The Study established its standing in the Western Region, while Ye Qiubai celebrated his junior brother’s victory as he finished a chess game with Jian Chaomian.

• Ning Chenxin countered the Buddhist Disciple’s arguments, challenging the Buddhist Sect’s contradictions and its claim that conflict could not be overcome.
• Ning Chenxin reminded the Buddhist Disciple that he had once wanted to change the world but had given up and been assimilated by the Buddhist Sect.
• The Buddhist Disciple spat blood as his Dao heart collapsed, then conceded defeat to Ning Chenxin.
• The factions present respected Ning Chenxin, and the Study’s standing in the Western Region and across the continent was established.
• At the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, Liang Feng told Ye Qiubai and Jian Chaomian that Ning Chenxin had won; Ye Qiubai finished the chess game and declared that Third Junior Brother could not lose at trading words.