Recaps

Yang Zhen’s Sword Spirit chose him over Luo Shan Yang, whose sudden enlightenment and mastery of the Sword Dao could not explain the choice. Yang Zhen challenged the Sword Devil’s teachings and began to explain his own understanding of the sword.

• Yang Zhen called for the Sword Spirit to take form, and it changed from the Willow Heart Sword into the Great Deficiency Sword and flew to his side.
• Luo Shan Yang raged at the Sword Spirit’s choice, then cast aside his sword and experienced sudden enlightenment, forming swords from his Sword Intent.
• Luo Shan Yang declared that his sword was in his heart and accused Yang Zhen of lacking a Sword Heart, but the Sword Spirit remained beside Yang Zhen.
• The Sword Devil asked how Yang Zhen had won the Sword Spirit’s favor, and Yang Zhen said Luo Shan Yang was wrong and insisted the Sword Devil was wrong too.
• The Sword Spirit turned into an ordinary-looking red flower, and Yang Zhen explained that the sword was all things and all things were the sword.

Yang Zhen bewildered the Sword Devil and everyone on the mountaintop with his words about swords, then fled when Luo Shan Yang went mad and attacked him. The Sword Devil began to awaken to Yang Zhen’s ideas, while the Heavenly Mountain Holy Lord predicted Yang Zhen would surpass her and Nine Dragons.

• Yang Zhen explained that swordsmen gave swords their meaning, then called the Sword Spirit a flower as he left the mountaintop.
• The Sword Devil entered a state of enlightenment, while Yang Zhen privately admitted he had been bluffing and ran from the ideas he had stirred up.
• Luo Shan Yang went into a frenzy and chased Yang Zhen with the blood-red Willow Heart Sword.
• Yang Zhen urged the Sword Devil to restrain his disciple, while the Heavenly Mountain Holy Lord snapped Li Qingfeng, Fuyao, and the others out of their contemplation.
• The Heavenly Mountain Holy Lord said Yang Zhen’s future achievements would surpass hers and Nine Dragons’s, and a scruffy old man praised him as the Sword Devil began to wake.

Sword Devil awakened in a strange state after severing his Dao and himself, then killed and consumed his disciple Luo Shan Yang. He confronted Yang Zhen and the two Saint Venerables, while the Willow Heart Sword floated to his side and Yang Zhen claimed it as his own.

• Sword Devil emerged with overwhelming black Qi, and Nine Dragons concluded that he had severed everything but his body and was no longer acting with his own mind.
• Sword Devil apologized to Luo Shan Yang, struck him down, and swallowed his escaping soul.
• Sword Devil reached for Yang Zhen, but Nine Dragons attacked and Sword Devil stopped his strike without turning around.
• Yang Zhen broke Sword Devil's hand with the Great Deficiency Sword, but the Heavenly Mountain Holy Lord pulled Yang Zhen away before Sword Devil could strike again.
• Sword Devil declared that the Heavenly Mountain Holy Lord and Nine Dragons were no match for him as the Willow Heart Sword flew beside him, and Yang Zhen claimed it.

Yang Zhen confronted the Sword Devil as he fought the Nine Dragons Saint Venerable and the Heavenly Mountain Holy Lord, then challenged the Sword Devil’s understanding of the Sword Dao. The Sword Devil paused in shock when Yang Zhen declared that he had only just broken through the first realm.

• Nine Dragons and the Heavenly Mountain Holy Lord fought the Sword Devil, but they could not injure him as he overwhelmed them with his Sword Dao.
• The Sword Devil threatened to kill everyone present, and the Heavenly Mountain Holy Lord ordered Elder Yan to take Yang Zhen away.
• Yang Zhen approached the Sword Devil and said that the giant sword overhead was impressive but that the Sword Devil was wrong again.
• The Sword Devil hesitated and asked Yang Zhen to explain, while the crowd watched and Zhou Tong listened from a neighboring peak.
• Yang Zhen described the stages of seeing a mountain as a mountain, not a mountain, and a mountain again, then said the Sword Devil had only broken through the first realm.
• The Sword Devil froze, and Zhou Tong stopped drinking in astonishment.

Yang Zhen intrigued Sword Devil and Zhou Tong with a cryptic saying about mountains, then claimed he had heard it in a legend from the Savage Wilderness. He left everyone hanging by revealing that the legend concerned the Pirate King's treasure.

• Yang Zhen told Sword Devil to see a mountain as a mountain, then as not a mountain, then as a mountain again, and Sword Devil asked him to explain.
• Yang Zhen admitted he had only comprehended the second level, leaving the onlookers worried that he could not support his claim.
• Zhou Tong joined the gathering and asked Yang Zhen where he had heard the saying.
• Yang Zhen began recounting a tale from his childhood in the East Sea and revealed that it was about the Pirate King's treasure.

Yang Zhen spun a tale about the Pirate King and a final realm of the Sword Dao, drawing the Sword Devil’s intense interest. When the Sword Devil tried to take Yang Zhen to the East Sea, Zhou Tong stopped him so he could hear the rest of the story.

• Yang Zhen told Zhou Tong and the others that the Pirate King had shared wine and debated the Dao with the Great Emperor of the Eastern Wilderness.
• Yang Zhen claimed the Pirate King had left clues at their meeting place, including words about the pinnacle of the Sword Dao and a final realm beyond three stages of swordsmanship.
• The Sword Devil demanded to know the final realm, and Yang Zhen urged him to seek the Pirate King's treasure in the East Sea.
• Yang Zhen swore his story was true, but the Sword Devil still tried to take him to the East Sea.
• Zhou Tong told the Sword Devil to go alone because he still wanted to hear the story, and Yang Zhen breathed a sigh of relief.

Yang Zhen left the mountain with Zhou Tong after Sword Devil tried to take him away, and learned that Zhou Tong was at the Final Step before the Half-Step Great Emperor realm. Zhou Tong asked Yang Zhen to be his disciple for a few days, but Yang Zhen refused and demanded to know what was in it for him.

• Sword Devil claimed the Pirate King was real and vowed to take Yang Zhen away, but Zhou Tong stopped him with a slap that sent him flying.
• The Yaoguang Holy Son left with the people of the Yaoguang Holy Land, while the Heavenly Mountain Holy Lord and Nine Dragons Saint Venerable watched Yang Zhen with surprise.
• Zhou Tong revealed that he had reached the Final Step and vanished with Yang Zhen, leaving the people on the mountain bewildered.
• The Heavenly Mountain Holy Lord accused Nine Dragons Saint Venerable of owing her another favor, and he hurried after her to protest.
• Zhou Tong asked Yang Zhen to be his disciple for a few days, but Yang Zhen refused and asked what benefit he would receive.

Yang Zhen bargained with Zhou Tong to become his temporary disciple in exchange for learning Zhou Tong’s cultivation methods and martial techniques. Zhou Tong took him to the Three Palaces and Six Sects gathering, where young disciples would be selected for the Great Wilderness Emperor Road, and Yang Zhen immediately demanded his first lesson.

• Yang Zhen tried to get Zhou Tong to let him go home, but Zhou Tong offered to teach him a cultivation method.
• Yang Zhen negotiated an open-ended deal: Zhou Tong would teach him another method or martial technique each time he mastered one, and Zhou Tong agreed.
• Zhou Tong explained that Yang Zhen would only pretend to be his disciple for a few days and that he wanted him to compete against a disciple with a Pure Yang Sacred Root.
• Zhou Tong told Yang Zhen that the Three Palaces and Six Sects were selecting young disciples for the Great Wilderness Emperor Road, where they might discover why the Great Emperors had disappeared.
• Yang Zhen accepted the trip and demanded that Zhou Tong teach him a cultivation method immediately.

Yang Zhen studied Zhou Tong’s Unnamed Blood Refinement Method and quickly began cultivating it, revealing extraordinary Qi and Blood. The method triggered a Heavenly Tribulation, leaving Zhou Tong fleeing in shock as Yang Zhen faced the dark red clouds.

• Zhou Tong gave Yang Zhen a Jade Slip containing the Unnamed Blood Refinement Method and warned that he had never mastered it himself.
• Yang Zhen entered sudden enlightenment while examining the method, astonishing Zhou Tong.
• Blood Qi seeped from Yang Zhen as he grasped the method’s principles, and Zhou Tong discovered his Qi and Blood were immense.
• A Heavenly Tribulation gathered over Yang Zhen, forcing Zhou Tong to drop him and flee.
• Yang Zhen opened his eyes in midair and looked up at the tribulation as Zhou Tong wondered what kind of monster he had found.

Yang Zhen used Zhou Tong’s nameless blood refinement method to absorb the Heavenly Punishment thundercloud, astonishing Zhou Tong with its power. He then demanded the promised martial technique and hinted that he had noticed flaws in the method, leaving Zhou Tong shocked and eager to question him.

• Yang Zhen chose to refine the Heavenly Punishment thundercloud instead of striking it with the Great Deficiency Sword, despite Zhou Tong warning him of the danger.
• Zhou Tong used a treasured gourd to send warmth and power into the thundercloud to help Yang Zhen.
• Yang Zhen activated the nameless blood refinement method and used nine aligned beads of Qi and Blood to absorb the thundercloud’s Heaven and Earth Qi and Blood.
• Yang Zhen reminded Zhou Tong of his promise to give him another cultivation method or martial technique, while Zhou Tong questioned what method Yang Zhen had actually used.
• Yang Zhen hinted that the nameless blood refinement method contained strange flaws, and Zhou Tong reacted with disbelief before following him.

Yang Zhen bargained with Zhou Tong over the nameless blood refinement method, using the old man's promise to secure a martial skill. Their deal ended with Zhou Tong swearing a village oath that triggered a thunderclap.

• Zhou Tong told Yang Zhen that he had failed to cultivate the nameless blood refinement method through any of its eight known directions, and Yang Zhen pointed out that every approach felt wrong.
• Zhou Tong realized Yang Zhen had discovered another way to cultivate the method and explained its immense value to sects across the Great Wilderness World.
• Yang Zhen threatened to sell the method unless Zhou Tong honored his promise, and Zhou Tong offered to buy it for the Heavenly Severance Sect.
• Yang Zhen demanded the martial skill Zhou Tong had promised, and Zhou Tong joked that he would take Yang Zhen as his master if he mastered it.
• Yang Zhen and Zhou Tong hooked little fingers and recited a hundred-million-year oath, after which thunder burst from clear skies and alarmed Zhou Tong.

Zhou Tong brought Yang Zhen toward the Three Mountains Grand Gathering while Yang Zhen studied a powerful sword technique in sudden enlightenment. They arrived at Snow Lotus Mountain as the Azure Lotus Sect prepared for the gathering, where Granny Chenggui’s arrival prompted a sharp exchange with the Fake Old Daoist.

• Zhou Tong carried Yang Zhen toward the gathering and worried that Yang Zhen might master the sword technique and make him honor his promise to become Yang Zhen’s disciple.
• Zhou Tong realized he had given Yang Zhen all of his precious Ten Thousand Flowers Dew and decided Yang Zhen might cause trouble at the gathering.
• Yang Zhen awoke as they reached the snowy mountains, and he and Zhou Tong exchanged mischievous smiles.
• The chapter described Snow Lotus Mountain as the home of the Lower Three Sects and identified the Azure Lotus Sect as the host of the Three Mountains Grand Gathering.
• Lin Miaoyi practiced with an ice sword while the Fake Old Daoist praised her talent and wondered which disciple Zhou Tong would bring.
• Granny Chenggui challenged the Fake Old Daoist, who recognized her voice and beckoned Lin Miaoyi closer.

The Three Mountains Grand Gathering brought the Heavenborn Sect and Azure Lotus Sect together, where Weng Yongli and Lin Miaoyi drew attention as their sects’ leading disciples. Meanwhile, Zhou Tong refused to continue to the gathering, leaving Yang Zhen to coax him on a snowy mountain.

• Granny Chenggui arrived with Weng Yongli and the Heavenborn Sect disciples, and the Fake Old Daoist praised Weng Yongli’s growing Qi and Blood.
• Weng Yongli praised Lin Miaoyi’s presence, while Granny Chenggui and the Fake Old Daoist compared their disciples and speculated about Zhou Tong and Yun Jin.
• Lin Miaoyi’s senior sister warned her about Weng Yongli, but Lin Miaoyi dismissed the gossip and Weng Yongli was left embarrassed when she looked away.
• On a snowy mountain, Zhou Tong squatted and refused to go to the Three Mountains Grand Gathering despite Yang Zhen’s efforts to pull him along.
• Yang Zhen sat beside Zhou Tong and tried to cheer him with a smile, then claimed Buddha said his background could not be spoken.

Yang Zhen persuaded Zhou Tong to take him to Lotus Mountain, where they confronted the other sect leaders and their disciples at the Three Mountains Grand Gathering. After Weng Yongli criticized Yang Zhen for staring at Lin Miaoyi, Yang Zhen challenged him and told Zhou Tong to explain refinement.

• Yang Zhen teased Zhou Tong into taking him to Lotus Mountain by claiming he was close to perfecting the Heavenly Severance Sword.
• Zhou Tong and Yang Zhen landed on the Lotus Mountain platform, startling the gathering and provoking the fake old Daoist and Granny Chenggui.
• Zhou Tong introduced Yang Zhen as someone who had cultivated many Heavenly Severance Sect divine abilities despite not being one of its inheritors.
• Yang Zhen studied Lin Miaoyi until Weng Yongli stepped forward and accused him of behaving improperly.
• Yang Zhen retorted that Weng Yongli's criticism was none of his business and told Zhou Tong to teach him what refinement meant.

Zhou Tong revealed that Yang Zhen was his master and forced the Three Mountains Grand Gathering to begin, where the first trial challenged Yang Zhen, Weng Yongli, and Lin Miaoyi to comprehend the Azure Lotus Sect’s Twelve Azure Lotuses. Weng Yongli resolved to defeat Yang Zhen, who took a seat beside Lin Miaoyi as the trial began.

• Zhou Tong slapped Weng Yongli for insulting Yang Zhen and revealed that Yang Zhen was his master, making Weng Yongli and Granny Chenggui doubt what they had heard.
• Zhou Tong insisted that the gathering begin, and the fake old Daoist announced a contest to comprehend the Twelve Azure Lotuses from a stone stele within one incense stick’s time.
• Zhou Tong urged Yang Zhen to win the contest, while Yang Zhen warned that the stele might hold a hidden trick.
• Weng Yongli blamed Yang Zhen for his public humiliation and vowed to defeat him in the comprehension trial.
• Weng Yongli taunted Yang Zhen at the stele, and Yang Zhen called him his little grand-disciple before moving his seat beside Lin Miaoyi.

Yang Zhen discovered that the Twelve Azure Lotuses contest concealed an Earth Treasury Origin Opening Formation and activated it from the stone stele. The formation blasted Weng Yongli and Lin Miaoyi away, leaving them stunned as Weng Yongli demanded to know what Yang Zhen was doing.

• Fake Old Daoist revealed that the Azure Lotus Sect had hidden the Earth Treasury Origin Opening Formation inside the stone stele as the real test.
• Yang Zhen sat beside Lin Miaoyi and prepared to study the stone stele, while Zhou Tong tried unsuccessfully to signal him to break the formation.
• Weng Yongli suffered a backlash from the formation, spat blood onto the stele, and resumed trying to comprehend it.
• Yang Zhen sensed the formation, placed his hand on the stone stele, and released intricate golden markings that astonished Fake Old Daoist and Zhou Tong.
• The stone stele roared and blasted Weng Yongli and Lin Miaoyi backward, prompting Weng Yongli to shout at Yang Zhen.

Yang Zhen activated and broke the Earth Treasury Origin Opening Formation, astonishing the gathered disciples and elders. He obtained a powerful formation disk, while Fake Old Daoist expressed interest in recruiting him to the Azure Lotus Sect, prompting Zhou Tong to claim him for the Heavenly Severance Sect.

• Yang Zhen fully activated the Earth Treasury Origin Opening Formation, blasting Lin Miaoyi and Weng Yongli away and alarming Fake Old Daoist.
• Zhou Tong declared Yang Zhen the winner of the comprehension round, while Fake Old Daoist and Granny Chenggui urged Lin Miaoyi and Weng Yongli to try understanding the formation.
• Yang Zhen studied the formation and began manipulating its nodes with a dazzling array of Heaven and Earth True Runes, leaving Weng Yongli and Granny Chenggui bewildered.
• Yang Zhen shouted “Open!” and broke the formation, producing an exquisite, powerful formation disk.
• Fake Old Daoist admitted his interest in Yang Zhen and suggested he could join the Azure Lotus Sect, while Zhou Tong insisted Yang Zhen was his master and belonged to the Heavenly Severance Sect.

Yang Zhen broke the formation and studied its plate while Weng Yongli and Lin Miaoyi tried to comprehend the Twelve Azure Lotuses, only to find the stone stele empty. Yang Zhen revealed he had already comprehended the technique while examining the plate, leaving Weng Yongli furious and everyone else stunned.

• Yang Zhen broke the formation, and Weng Yongli and Lin Miaoyi began trying to comprehend the Twelve Azure Lotuses in the stone stele.
• Weng Yongli and Lin Miaoyi withdrew after discovering that the stele contained nothing, and Fake Old Daoist insisted he had inscribed the technique himself.
• Yang Zhen finished studying the formation plate and asked whether anything had happened.
• Yang Zhen said he had comprehended the Twelve Azure Lotuses while taking the formation plate.
• Weng Yongli pointed at Yang Zhen and roared that he did not believe him, and Yang Zhen dismissed his objection.

Yang Zhen claimed he had comprehended the Azure Lotus Sect’s Twelve Azure Lotuses during the competition, and the Fake Old Daoist confirmed the technique was gone from the stele. Yang Zhen revealed nine azure lotuses, leaving the sect elders astonished and Zhou Tong suspicious that he was still hiding something.

• The Fake Old Daoist checked the stone stele and confirmed the Twelve Azure Lotuses was gone, then asked Yang Zhen whether he had comprehended it.
• Yang Zhen asked whether that meant he had won, and the Fake Old Daoist said he had if he had truly comprehended the technique.
• Weng Yongli challenged Yang Zhen to demonstrate the technique, but the Fake Old Daoist defended him and said he had only studied it for a quarter of an hour.
• Yang Zhen announced that he had comprehended nine azure lotuses and manifested them around himself.
• The Fake Old Daoist celebrated Yang Zhen’s achievement but regretted that he belonged to the Heavenly Severance Sect, while Lin Miaoyi and the others stared in shock.
• Zhou Tong watched Yang Zhen suspiciously and thought he must still be hiding something.

After Yang Zhen broke the Earth Treasury Origin Opening Formation and comprehended nine of the Twelve Azure Lotuses, he stayed at the Azure Lotus Sect while Zhou Tong tried in vain to learn how many lotuses he had mastered. Lin Miaoyi brought Yang Zhen to meet the sect master, and he learned the sect might help him reach the ten-lotus threshold to enter a mysterious sacred place.

• Yang Zhen spent five days watering the flowers at his courtyard while Zhou Tong repeatedly asked how many Azure Lotuses he had comprehended.
• Yang Zhen offered to give Zhou Tong the Twelve Azure Lotuses in exchange for something valuable, then jokingly claimed he had comprehended thirteen.
• Lin Miaoyi invited Yang Zhen to the main hall to meet the Azure Lotus Sect master, despite Zhou Tong warning him it was a scheme.
• Lin Miaoyi told Yang Zhen that only someone who had comprehended at least ten Azure Lotuses could enter a place in the sect, and suggested the sect master might help him gain another.
• Lin Miaoyi explained that even the sect master had failed to condense ten Azure Lotuses without suffering a backlash.
• Yang Zhen arrived at the main hall and saw Granny Chenggui, Weng Yongli, and other visitors waiting, prompting him to wonder why the Azure Lotus Sect was treating him so hospitably.

Yang Zhen met the Azure Lotus Sect Master, who learned of his claimed Savage Wilderness inheritance and offered to help him enter the Azure Lotus Sect patriarch’s sacred ground. The Sect Master asked Yang Zhen to retrieve the Heaven and Earth Azure Lotus, leaving Yang Zhen curious about what else the sacred ground might contain.

• The Azure Lotus Sect Master summoned Yang Zhen and asked whose disciple he was.
• Yang Zhen claimed his master had warned him not to casually reveal his Savage Wilderness inheritance, shocking Lin Miaoyi, Weng Yongli, and the others.
• The Sect Master praised Yang Zhen for comprehending nine of the Twelve Azure Lotuses and explained that ten were needed to enter the Azure Lotus Patriarch’s sacred ground.
• The Sect Master offered to help Yang Zhen condense another azure lotus so he could enter and bring out the Heaven and Earth Azure Lotus.
• Yang Zhen hesitated over the request, then grew curious about the sacred ground and its other possible treasures.

Yang Zhen examined the Azure Lotus Sect’s sacred land and discovered that its strange terrain had been arranged to mirror the Samsara of Heaven and Earth. He suspected the place was connected to the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth, leaving the others stunned by the possibility.

• The Azure Lotus Sect Master brought Yang Zhen, Granny Chenggui, and Zhou Tong to the sacred land, where Yang Zhen questioned why the cave and its surroundings had been left untouched.
• Yang Zhen pulled up weeds and watched them regrow, then used his divine soul to examine the surrounding mountains.
• The Azure Lotus Sect Master and Zhou Tong discussed whether Yang Zhen had comprehended more than nine azure lotuses and could condense a tenth.
• Yang Zhen concluded that a Great Emperor had likely created the site and that its layout followed the Samsara of Heaven and Earth.
• Yang Zhen said the site might contain a Heaven-Encompassing Grand Array meant to reenact Samsara and could be tied to the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth.

Yang Zhen prepared a way to open the Azure Lotus Sect’s Samsara holy land and let others enter with him. After finishing his preparations, he slept for three days and woke to find a crowd waiting outside his room.

• Yang Zhen agreed to prepare what was needed to open the holy land, and the Azure Lotus Sect Master promised support from the major sects.
• Yang Zhen gave the Azure Lotus Sect Master a list of materials, which the sect gathered within three days.
• Lin Miaoyi stayed in Yang Zhen’s room while he spent two days making preparations with several Heavenly Book techniques.
• Yang Zhen devised a way to deceive the order of heaven and earth so he could bring the Azure Lotus Sect Master and others into the holy land.
• Yang Zhen went to sleep after completing his preparations and slept for three days.
• Yang Zhen woke, dressed, and greeted the crowd waiting quietly outside his room.

Yang Zhen led the Azure Lotus Sect Master and others into the sect’s hidden holy land, where they found a world within a world. A golden dragon attacked them beneath a colossal coffin, leaving Yang Zhen stunned by the sight.

• Yang Zhen agreed to take the Azure Lotus Sect Master, Elder Jia, Elder Feng, Zhou Tong, Granny Chenggui, and Lin Miaoyi into the holy land.
• Yang Zhen used a formation plate and shouted “Open sesame,” revealing a golden cave entrance covered in markings.
• Yang Zhen and the others entered the holy land and emerged in a lush world within a world.
• A golden dragon attacked the group, and the Azure Lotus Sect Master, Zhou Tong, and the others charged at it while Yang Zhen fell back.
• Yang Zhen saw a hundred-zhang coffin floating in the sky, surrounded by lightning and Void Power.

Yang Zhen realized the golden dragon attacking the Azure Lotus Sect Master was a puppet controlled by hidden strands of Qi activity beneath the patriarch’s coffin. He used a strange chant to make the dragon shrink, leaving Zhou Tong stunned and wondering what spell Yang Zhen had chanted.

• Yang Zhen suspected the golden dragon was a puppet after noticing its vacant eyes and learning that it had no wounds that would not heal.
• Yang Zhen sensed faint strands of Qi activity connecting the ground beneath the coffin to the dragon and asked Lin Miaoyi to guard him.
• Zhou Tong mocked Yang Zhen’s plan to slay the dragon and wagered that he would serve as Yang Zhen’s disciple for another hundred years and match him with Lin Miaoyi if Yang Zhen succeeded.
• Yang Zhen pressed his hands to the ground and chanted, causing the golden dragon to shrink before the astonished onlookers.