Chapter Summaries

Lin Yu and the others prepared to purify the Heaven-Mending Fragment that held the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness. Feng Changge began the Archaic Phoenix Clan’s ritual before refining it, leaving the Water Droplet Man in the furnace as the rite continued.

• Lin Yu reasoned that the Water Droplet Man had pursued his fragment because its consciousness had been wiped clean, while the jujube tree’s fragment could threaten the Water Droplet Man’s own sentience.
• After several days of rest at Daoist Shouyang’s residence, Lin Yu arranged for Feng Changge to purify the fragment with his Origin Fire.
• Feng Changge brought an Archaic Phoenix Clan furnace, and Lin Yu tossed the Water Droplet Man into it.
• Feng Changge performed a sacrificial rite to seek the ancestors’ blessing before beginning the refinement, while He Buxian and the fallen black phoenix waited anxiously.

Feng Changge insisted on completing the Archaic Phoenix Clan’s ritual before using his Origin Fire to purify the sentient consciousness in the Heaven-Mending Fragment. After He Buxian and the Fallen Black Phoenix stopped interrupting, Feng Changge finished the ritual and announced he was ready to begin refining it.

• He Buxian grew impatient as Feng Changge continued preparing instead of refining the Heaven-Mending Fragment.
• The Fallen Black Phoenix dismissed the Archaic Phoenix Clan’s ritual as unnecessary and explained its purpose to He Buxian.
• Feng Changge defended the ritual and rebuked the Fallen Black Phoenix for criticizing his clan.
• Lin Yu signaled He Buxian and the Fallen Black Phoenix to stop interfering, and they stood aside.
• Feng Changge completed the ritual and told Lin Yu he was ready to refine the fragment.

Feng Changge began refining the Heaven-Mending Fragment to erase the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness, but the little black-and-gold monkey suddenly leaped into the furnace. Lin Yu rescued the badly burned monkey, and Feng Changge resumed the ritual, which proceeded without further trouble as Lin Yu tried to understand why the monkey had jumped into the flames.

• Feng Nianzhi attended as Feng Changge prepared to refine the Heaven-Mending Fragment with Pure Phoenix True Fire.
• The little black-and-gold monkey leaped into the furnace during the ritual, and Lin Yu stopped Feng Changge from ending the refinement.
• Lin Yu plunged his hand into the flames and pulled out the monkey, who had been badly burned.
• Feng Changge continued the ritual, and nothing went wrong with the Water Droplet Man’s refinement.
• Lin Yu asked the monkey why he had jumped into the fire, and the monkey’s eyes filled with tears.

Lin Yu believed the little black-and-gold monkey would die after it jumped into the Archaic Phoenix Clan's Origin Fire, but a sudden realization changed his view. The monkey survived and recovered overnight, leaving everyone astonished by its resilience.

• Lin Yu found the burned monkey beyond saving and prepared to ease its pain with his Origin Technique.
• Lin Yu wondered why the monkey had leapt into the fire, then suddenly realized something that changed how he saw it.
• Feng Changge smoothly refined the Water Droplet Man with his Origin Fire, and the pure Heaven-Mending Fragment showed that no consciousness remained inside it.
• Everyone expected the injured monkey to die, but it recovered overnight and its black-and-gold fur grew brighter.
• He Buxian praised the monkey's remarkable recovery after it survived the Archaic Phoenix Clan's Origin Fire.

Feng Changge and the others found the little black-and-gold monkey unharmed after he had been exposed to the Archaic Phoenix Clan's Origin Fire. They wondered whether the monkey’s survival and sudden recovery were connected to the Heaven-Mending Fragment, but could not explain what had happened.

• Feng Changge examined the little black-and-gold monkey and found no wounds, while his singed fur had grown back darker and glossier.
• Feng Changge questioned how an ordinary monkey could survive his Origin Fire when other weaker beings had never survived it.
• The fallen black phoenix and He Buxian reacted to Feng Changge’s question in a way that made him suspect they thought the monkey was stronger than he was.
• Feng Changge suggested the monkey might have jumped into the furnace because of the Heaven-Mending Fragment he had lived with for over a hundred years.
• Feng Changge, He Buxian, and the fallen black phoenix remained baffled by the monkey’s recovery and apparent immunity to the flames.

Lin Yu explained why he had grown wary of the little black-and-gold monkey: he suspected the Water Droplet Man's intelligent consciousness had replaced the monkey's after the Phoenix True Fire incident. The others realized the monkey might now be a vessel for the dangerous consciousness, but the chapter ended without confirming what they would do next.

• Feng Changge, He Buxian, and the Fallen Black Phoenix noticed Lin Yu avoiding the recovered little black-and-gold monkey and decided to ask him why.
• He Buxian questioned Lin Yu about his changed attitude, and Lin Yu pointed out that the Water Droplet Man's consciousness had not resisted being removed from the Heaven-Mending Fragment.
• Lin Yu explained that the Water Droplet Man's consciousness may have vanished into the furnace when the little monkey jumped into the Origin Fire.
• The Fallen Black Phoenix proposed that the Water Droplet Man's consciousness had replaced the monkey's, and He Buxian and Feng Changge realized the danger.
• Lin Yu concluded that the monkey had been refined in the Water Droplet Man's place and that the consciousness now living in it was likely the Water Droplet Man's.

Lin Yu explained that Feng Changge’s Origin Fire had only injured the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness, leaving it dormant inside the little monkey. He reassured the group that the consciousness had little power without the Heaven-Mending Fragment, but He Buxian questioned how the two incompatible consciousnesses could have merged, and the Fallen Black Phoenix waited for Lin Yu to answer.

• Feng Changge wondered why the little monkey still acted like a monkey, and Lin Yu explained that the Origin Fire had injured the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness and left it dormant.
• Feng Changge lamented that his Origin Fire was exhausted, while Lin Yu comforted him and explained that the Water Droplet Man’s power depended on the Heaven-Mending Fragment now held by Lin Yu.
• The Fallen Black Phoenix wondered why the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness could replace the monkey’s, given that the two consciousnesses were fundamentally different.
• He Buxian asked how the monkey’s inborn consciousness and the Water Droplet Man’s externally acquired consciousness could have fused, and the Fallen Black Phoenix looked to Lin Yu for an answer.

Lin Yu explained that the black-and-gold monkey’s consciousness had been erased and replaced by the Water Droplet Man after the monkey sensed the Heaven-Mending Fragment’s energy. He decided to postpone fusing the three fragments to prevent the Water Droplet Man from returning to one, while He Buxian grew suspicious of the Fallen Black Phoenix’s interest in the fragment.

• Lin Yu explained that centuries of exposure to the Heaven-Mending Fragment had altered the monkey and made it sense energy like the Water Droplet Man’s.
• Lin Yu said the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness had erased the monkey’s and taken over its body when the monkey approached the fragment.
• He Buxian and Feng Changge realized the monkey had been possessed, and Lin Yu regretted bringing it out of the underground world.
• Lin Yu decided not to fuse the three Heaven-Mending Fragments yet in case the Water Droplet Man returned to one of them.
• The Fallen Black Phoenix remarked on the fragment’s power, and He Buxian accused him of wanting to attach his own consciousness to it.

He Buxian learned that the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness inside the little monkey had to be eliminated, but the group lacked the Origin Fire needed to do it. Lin Yu and the others were left searching for a way forward while they also needed to gather and fuse all nine Heaven-Mending Fragments.

• The Fallen Black Phoenix clarified that he had warned He Buxian about others coveting the Heaven-Mending Fragment, not because he wanted to merge his consciousness with it.
• Lin Yu vouched for the Fallen Black Phoenix, and the group returned their attention to the Heaven-Mending Fragment and the need to find all nine scattered pieces.
• He Buxian realized the Water Droplet Man’s injured consciousness could be destroyed, but Feng Changge had already used his Origin Fire and could not safely use it again so soon.
• He Buxian reflected on how his search for the strange stone had drawn him into one complication after another.
• Lin Yu recognized that Feng Changge’s Origin Fire was no longer a viable solution, leaving him and the others caught in a dilemma.

Lin Yu learned that Feng Nianzhi was the only known source of sufficiently pure Origin Fire besides Feng Changge, and decided to check how much her seal and power had recovered. He planned to restrain the black-and-gold monkey and investigate the Water Droplet Man’s fragments, leaving the group’s hopes dependent on Feng Nianzhi’s condition.

• Lin Yu asked the Fallen Black Phoenix whether anyone else in the Archaic Phoenix Clan had sufficiently pure Origin Fire, and the Fallen Black Phoenix said there was no one besides Feng Nianzhi.
• He Buxian remembered that Feng Nianzhi had been staying at Daoist Shouyang’s residence, while Lin Yu realized they had not checked on her seal or recovery.
• Lin Yu planned to restrain the black-and-gold monkey the next day in case the injured Water Droplet Man regained strength and switched hosts.
• Lin Yu connected the desert’s dark-green bugs and parasitic beasts to one Heaven-Mending Fragment, while another fragment absorbed energy from the surrounding area.
• Lin Yu decided to visit Feng Nianzhi and hoped she had recovered enough Origin Fire to burn the Water Droplet Man’s intelligent consciousness.
• Lin Yu sent He Buxian, the Fallen Black Phoenix, and Feng Changge back first.

Lin Yu reinforced the fusion of two Heaven-Mending Fragments and remained wary of the Water Droplet Man, whose consciousness inhabited the black-and-gold monkey. Feng Changge came to apologize for the monkey’s fate, and Lin Yu reassured him that the situation had been beyond anyone’s control.

• Lin Yu used his Origin Technique to bind the two Heaven-Mending Fragments more tightly, though he knew all nine fragments would be needed for a complete fusion.
• Lin Yu reflected that the Water Droplet Man might try to return to the fragments and resolved not to let down his guard around the black-and-gold monkey.
• Feng Changge visited Lin Yu and confessed that he had sensed the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness transferring during the sacrifice but had not stopped the refining.
• Feng Changge blamed himself for the little monkey’s lost consciousness, and Lin Yu told him that stopping the ritual might not have saved the monkey and that no one could have changed what happened.

Lin Yu reassured Feng Changge about the little monkey and encouraged him to trust that Daoist Shouyang could restore Feng Nianzhi’s Origin Fire. The next morning, Lin Yu and his companions set out to visit Daoist Shouyang, still needing Feng Nianzhi’s power to destroy the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness.

• Lin Yu comforted Feng Changge over the little monkey and said Feng Nianzhi might have recovered somewhat.
• Lin Yu told Feng Changge to rest and said they would visit Daoist Shouyang the next day.
• The next morning, Lin Yu set out with He Buxian, the Fallen Black Phoenix, and Feng Changge, bringing the little monkey with them.
• Feng Changge worried that destroying the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness might also destroy the little monkey’s body or leave it an empty shell.
• The Fallen Black Phoenix heard Feng Changge’s concern and, unexpectedly, did not criticize him.

Feng Changge mourned the little monkey whose sentient consciousness he had burned away while trying to refine the Water Droplet Man's, and He Buxian insisted that stopping the Water Droplet Man mattered more. Their argument escalated as Feng Changge accused He Buxian of blaming him for what had happened.

• Lin Yu reflected on the little monkey's fate and tried to comfort Feng Changge.
• He Buxian told Feng Changge to stop dwelling on the monkey and focus on completely refining the Water Droplet Man's sentient consciousness.
• Feng Changge insisted he was only grieving and worried that they were sending the little monkey to its death.
• He Buxian argued that the monkey would have died anyway and that mercy could endanger the entire Dao Awakening Era.
• Feng Changge accused He Buxian of pinning the failed attempt on him and defended the choices he had made while channeling the Origin Fire.

Lin Yu and the others discussed the little monkey’s sacrifice and remained determined to destroy the Water Droplet Man’s conscious mind. When they reached Daoist Shouyang’s residence, they found Feng Nianzhi restored to a powerful, grown form.

• Feng Changge revealed that he had refined half of the Water Droplet Man’s conscious mind, leaving the other half in the little monkey and weakening its prospects of recovery.
• He Buxian challenged Feng Changge over his guilt, and Lin Yu intervened, telling them to stop arguing and reminding them that the little monkey’s sacrifice might earn him merit.
• He Buxian reflected on his concern for the Dao Awakening Era and the legacy its preserved cultivation methods had given later generations.
• Lin Yu worried that Feng Nianzhi might not have recovered her Origin Fire, which would force the group to reconsider how to eliminate the Water Droplet Man’s conscious mind.
• Lin Yu and the others reached Daoist Shouyang’s residence and found Feng Nianzhi’s true body transformed: she had grown to Feng Changge’s height and carried the imposing presence of the Lord of the Phoenixes.

Feng Nianzhi returned to her original form after breaking the seal and confirmed that her power and Origin Fire had recovered, crediting Lin Yu for helping her. Feng Changge celebrated her recovery, then remembered that it meant the little monkey’s body would soon be destroyed.

• Feng Changge saw Feng Nianzhi in her original form and realized she had recovered from the seal that had kept her looking like a child.
• Feng Nianzhi thanked Lin Yu for discovering the connection between her seal and the Heaven-Mending Fragment, while Lin Yu modestly declined to call himself her benefactor.
• Feng Nianzhi noticed the fallen black phoenix beside Lin Yu but did not question him about it.
• Feng Nianzhi confirmed to Feng Changge that her Origin Fire had returned to normal.
• Feng Changge realized that Feng Nianzhi’s restored Origin Fire meant the little monkey’s physical body would soon be destroyed, and he felt compassion for it.

Lin Yu and the others asked Feng Nianzhi to use her recovered Origin Fire to erase the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness from the little black-and-gold monkey. She learned how Feng Changge’s earlier attempt had transferred the consciousness into the monkey, then agreed to consider another attempt.

• He Buxian told Feng Nianzhi that they wanted to borrow her Origin Fire to remove the consciousness from the Heaven-Mending Fragment.
• He Buxian explained that the little black-and-gold monkey had absorbed the fragment’s power and jumped into Feng Changge’s furnace during the earlier ritual.
• Feng Nianzhi realized that the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness had transferred into the monkey and that Feng Changge might have refined away the monkey’s own consciousness.
• Feng Nianzhi reassured Feng Changge that the failed attempt was difficult to prevent and told him not to blame himself.
• He Buxian said Feng Changge had come to protect Feng Nianzhi on the Black-Robed High Priest’s orders and that her Origin Fire was their only known way to erase the Water Droplet Man’s consciousness.

Feng Nianzhi prepared to use the Archaic Phoenix Clan’s sacrificial ritual and Origin Fire to refine the Water Droplet Man’s remaining intelligent consciousness. As the ritual began, He Buxian recognized the power and significance of the clan’s traditions.

• Feng Nianzhi agreed to refine the Water Droplet Man’s remaining consciousness and warned that it must not escape again.
• Lin Yu assured Feng Nianzhi that he had secured all three Heaven-Mending Fragments, while He Buxian said there was no little monkey to disrupt the process.
• Feng Nianzhi prepared an elaborate Archaic Phoenix Clan ritual with a bronze censer and four totem-marked tripods.
• Lin Yu used the Hongmeng System to confirm that Feng Nianzhi’s blood could strengthen the purification and help keep the Water Droplet Man from fleeing.
• He Buxian watched Feng Nianzhi’s ritual and realized that the clan’s sacrificial art held a power he had not understood before.

Lin Yu forced the black-and-gold little monkey into Feng Nianzhi's Origin Fire to destroy the Water Droplet Man's remaining intelligent consciousness. After Feng Nianzhi annihilated it, Feng Changge found comfort in Lin Yu's promise that he had saved the monkey's reincarnated soul, then praised Feng Nianzhi and argued with He Buxian.

• The Water Droplet Man's intelligent consciousness awakened inside the little monkey and attacked Lin Yu, who easily subdued it.
• Lin Yu forced the struggling monkey into Feng Nianzhi's Origin Fire, where it screamed and vanished within three breaths.
• Lin Yu told the remorseful Feng Changge that he had found and helped the little monkey's reincarnated soul using the Hongmeng System.
• Feng Nianzhi burned the Water Droplet Man's consciousness to annihilation and carefully kept the furnace aflame to prevent its return.
• Feng Changge praised Feng Nianzhi to He Buxian, who snapped back that Feng Changge had not inherited much of his clan's power.

Feng Nianzhi completely eradicated the Water Droplet Man’s remaining intelligent consciousness and agreed to return to the Phoenix Ancestral Sea to lead the Archaic Phoenix Clan. Lin Yu left so she could rest, while Feng Changge mistook her wistful sigh for worry about the Fallen Black Phoenix.

• He Buxian and Feng Changge argued over the Archaic Phoenix Clan’s future, while Lin Yu sensed that his involvement with the clan might not be over.
• Feng Nianzhi quickly used her Origin Fire to eradicate the Water Droplet Man’s remaining intelligent consciousness without showing signs of exhaustion.
• Feng Changge urged Feng Nianzhi to return to the Phoenix Ancestral Sea, and she agreed to lead the Archaic Phoenix Clan in reclaiming its rights and status.
• Lin Yu advised Feng Nianzhi to rest and left with He Buxian and the Fallen Black Phoenix.
• After Lin Yu left, Feng Nianzhi sighed while gazing after him, but Feng Changge mistook her expression as concern about the Fallen Black Phoenix and told her they could deal with him later.

Feng Nianzhi seemed to be recovering, but the next morning Feng Changge found her unconscious and rushed to Lin Yu for help. Lin Yu hurried with Feng Changge to Feng Nianzhi’s residence to learn what had happened.

• Feng Changge reassured Feng Nianzhi that the fallen Black Phoenix could be dealt with later and urged her to rest and recover.
• Feng Changge believed the little monkey’s reincarnation would go smoothly and thought things were returning to normal.
• The next morning, Feng Changge found Feng Nianzhi pale and unconscious, and the phoenix guards panicked.
• Feng Changge rushed to Lin Yu’s residence to ask for help, interrupting He Buxian’s practice.
• Lin Yu questioned Feng Changge, then hurried with him toward Feng Nianzhi’s residence and asked him to explain what he knew along the way.