Recaps

Li Qiang entered the Great Illusion Buddha Realm and faced illusions that stirred his memories and threw his state of mind into turmoil. He used the Eighteen Demon-Extinguishing Hands to expose the realm’s true form and approached the black pearl at its center.

• Li Qiang and Mei'er reached the Hall of Light, where they found recent footprints and signs of a fierce battle.
• Mei'er explained the ranks of Law Treasures and revealed that the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand was a living Devil Artifact.
• Li Qiang concealed himself in sword mist, entered the Great Illusion Buddha Realm, and saw the entrance vanish behind him.
• The realm conjured Li Qiang’s childhood home, a sandstorm, En Gang, and Zhao Wanwen, driving him into rage and grief.
• Li Qiang performed five-layer Eighteen Demon-Extinguishing Hands, revealing the realm’s vast hidden landscape and countless remains.
• Li Qiang spotted a black pearl emitting green Qi and slowly approached it.

Li Qiang took control of the Illusory Devil Pearl, broke the Great Illusion Buddha Realm, and gathered treasures with Mei'er. He rescued the skeletal Wu Chen, one of the Seven Daoists Under Heaven, and discovered that Wu Chen was also a Chongxuan Sect brother; Wu Chen was stunned when Li Qiang named Fu Shan as his guide.

• Li Qiang merged the golden sphere with the Illusory Devil Pearl, claimed it, and ended the Great Illusion Buddha Realm.
• Li Qiang and Mei'er collected treasures from the remains in the hall, including the Heaven-Reaching Flame Wheel, while Li Qiang found that the trapped cultivators had run out of crystal stones.
• Mei'er discovered a skeletal man in meditation, and Li Qiang gave him high-grade Immortal Stones and used his True Essence Power to revive him.
• Li Qiang and Mei'er found Buddha Dust, and the recovered man explained that it had emerged after the Great Illusion Buddha Realm broke.
• Mei'er recognized the man as Wu Chen, and Li Qiang told him that he had rescued Qi Junsha, who had become a Loose Immortal.
• Wu Chen and Li Qiang recognized each other as Chongxuan Sect brothers through their Soul-Releasing Dragon Rings, and Wu Chen was stunned when Li Qiang said Fu Shan had guided him.

Li Qiang entered the Buddha Sect’s secret cavern through the crushing Buddha Dust and collected spirit pills and seven Law Treasures while struggling to survive its shifting spaces. After the cavern’s pillar formation trapped him, he used Fire Essence to consume its flames and activated an emerald crystal stele with a maple-leaf-shaped object, reaching the formation’s core.

• Wu Chen recognized Li Qiang as Fu Shan’s younger brother, warned him that the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand signaled a great upheaval, and agreed to help Fu Shan.
• Wu Chen sent Li Qiang into the secret cavern with the Illusory Devil Pearl while Mei’er waited outside.
• Li Qiang collected earth essence crystals, eighty-one spirit pills, and seven Law Treasures as the Buddha Dust carried him through a series of spaces and its crushing pressure intensified.
• Li Qiang survived the Buddha Dust with his protective treasures and the Supreme Radiance Shuttle, reaching a suspended space and advancing to the Middle Leaving the Body Stage.
• The pillars formed a fiery lightning formation around Li Qiang, and Fire Essence absorbed the flames before an emerald crystal stele appeared and trapped him beneath a dome.
• Li Qiang placed the maple-leaf-shaped object from Desperation Cape into the stele, and the resulting surge of green mist carried him to the formation’s core.

Li Qiang escaped the Buddha Sect’s secret cavern after learning to control its strange tones, then met Elder Zhi, the Buddha Sect’s last elder. Elder Zhi entrusted him with stopping the Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch and gave him Buddhist treasures and instructions before sending him out.

• Li Qiang used the modulated tones to conjure a sea of lotuses, was bound by a golden lotus, and was carried to Elder Zhi.
• Elder Zhi told Li Qiang about the Buddha Sect’s conflict with Daoism, the imprisoned experts, and Li Yuwei, who had become the Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch.
• Li Qiang agreed to help free the remaining prisoners and stop the Patriarch when his heavenly tribulation arrived.
• Elder Zhi taught Li Qiang how to use the Demon-Extinguishing Buddha Beads and gave him the Golden Lotus Jade Throne, a Jade Pupil Slip, the Buddha Finger, and the Devil-Slaying Thorn.
• Li Qiang learned to store the Devil-Slaying Thorn in the Illusory Devil Pearl, and Elder Zhi sent him out of the Chaos Realm on the Golden Lotus Jade Throne.

Li Qiang reunited with Mei'er and Wu Chen after escaping the Buddha Dust, and they found their way out of the Wild Plains ruins as the Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch’s release drew near. At the surface, they learned that a traitor had broken the patriarch’s seal, and Li Qiang joined the gathered cultivators preparing to face the threat.

• While Li Qiang remained inside the Buddha Dust, Mei'er anxiously worried over him until Wu Chen lost his temper and destroyed part of the Great Illusion Buddha Realm.
• Li Qiang emerged from the Buddha Dust holding the Golden Lotus Jade Throne, reunited with Mei'er, and told Wu Chen that his escape had been dangerous.
• Li Qiang, Mei'er, and Wu Chen followed Mei'er's directions through the ruins, then rushed up a shaft as tremors and thunder shook the passages.
• At the surface, cultivators from Sealed Fate Planet told Li Qiang and Wu Chen that a Heavenly Halberd Peak traitor had destroyed the seal holding the Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch.
• Li Qiang introduced himself and Wu Chen to Divine Envoy Kaben and the other leaders, learned that his companions had gathered in Ladu Kingdom, and accepted Heavenly Halberd Peak's apology for its earlier offense.
• Lu Chengchao revealed that Ming Lingzi had destroyed the sealing crystal stele, and Li Qiang said he had followed the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand into the ruins before returning without finding it.

Li Qiang helped defend the ruins as Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch emerged, using Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder to destroy Ming Lingzi’s devil wand and wound the patriarch before he appeared. The chapter ended with the patriarch rising from the cavern amid a deadly sky of blood balefulness.

• Li Qiang and Wu Chen met Tianhong, Buliban, and other cultivators as Heavenly Halberd Peak prepared its Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder formation.
• Li Qiang used Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder to destroy waves of monsters, then the group retreated as the sky darkened and the cavern stirred.
• Tianhong resisted the Soul-Seizing Devil Sound with his Whistling Arrow while cultivators whistled together to suppress it.
• Heavenly Halberd Peak formed its eight-ring Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder as monsters poured from the cavern, but Ming Lingzi emerged first and demanded the cultivators withdraw.
• Li Qiang provoked Ming Lingzi, then destroyed the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand with a fourfold Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder, injuring Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch.
• Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch rose from the cavern through green-black slime and laughed beneath the blood-red sky.

Li Qiang and the cultivators unleashed Heaven-Smiting Thunder and Hundred Tribulations Divine Thunder to stop Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch from completing his metamorphosis. The Patriarch survived by possessing Ming Lingzi, and after rebuilding his devil body he turned to face the cultivators.

• Eight Heavenly Halberd Peak cultivators formed Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder, breaking the Wild Plains’ prison and blasting Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch back underground.
• Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch emerged and unleashed the Heaven-Governing Asura, trapping about a hundred cultivators until Li Qiang used the Golden Lotus Jade Throne to protect and rescue them.
• The Heavenly Halberd Peak cultivators struck again while Li Qiang gathered power for Hundred Tribulations Divine Thunder, with Wu Chen and the others lending him their True Essence Power.
• Li Qiang’s Hundred Tribulations Divine Thunder destroyed Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch’s fleshy womb and thwarted his chance to become a god-devil, but the Patriarch possessed Ming Lingzi and devoured his Nascent Soul.
• Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch rebuilt his body by absorbing a cultivator’s flesh and blood, then merged with Ming Lingzi’s body as the cultivators prepared to attack.

Li Qiang and White-Haired Wu Chen stopped the Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch from slaughtering cultivators and imprisoned him again with the Buddha Sect’s Ten Thousand Lotuses Bloom. Li Qiang then set out for Ladu Kingdom with Geng Feng and several Buddha Sect disciples, while Wu Chen departed alone.

• The Overwhelming Annihilation Patriarch tore through the Heavenly Halberd Peak cultivators, growing stronger as he devoured their bodies and Nascent Souls, until Wu Chen restrained him with silver stars.
• Li Qiang struck the devil with Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder, then rallied the scattered cultivators and used the Golden Lotus Jade Throne’s Ten Thousand Lotuses Bloom to activate the Devil-Trapping Grand Array and imprison him.
• After the battle, Wu Chen declined to join Li Qiang’s journey and left for Sealed Fate Planet, while Tianhong and Island Lord Buliban agreed to visit Heavenly Halberd Peak.
• Li Qiang returned Divine Envoy Kaben’s belongings and told the gathered cultivators they could explore the ruins, warning them about the dangerous passages.
• Kong Hou, Kudu, and other Buddha Sect disciples approached Li Qiang, recognized his Buddha Finger Ring, and accepted his invitation to accompany him to Ladu Kingdom and learn Buddha Sect cultivation methods.

Li Qiang returned to the Ladu Kingdom with Geng Feng and the Buddha Sect disciples, where Mei'er's innate enchantment repeatedly overwhelmed onlookers. After reuniting with Princess Lanqiu and his companions, Li Qiang went to meet the emperor and discovered he was expected to pass a test from nine elderly women.

• Li Qiang entered the capital with Mei'er, whose enchantment caused pedestrians and soldiers to collapse until Geng Feng dispersed them with the Vibrating Sound Method.
• Princess Lanqiu and Zhao Hao welcomed Li Qiang at the palace, and he introduced Kong Hou and the Buddha Sect disciples to his companions as friends.
• Li Qiang sent Mei'er to play with his companions while he bathed, then used the Vibrating Sound Method to persuade the maids to leave him alone.
• Li Qiang followed palace attendants through the defensive formation built into the palace and noticed that its female guards had low cultivation.
• At the great hall, Li Qiang saw nine white-haired elderly women arranged in an attack formation and learned that the emperor expected him to pass their test.

Li Qiang passed the palace elders’ test, met the empress, and learned that Peaceful Palace Tower was meant for the imperial son-in-law, so he fled Ladu Kingdom with his companions. He accompanied Paben toward his hometown, where Paben was about to face his shattered family.

• Li Qiang resisted the Nine Elderly Ladies’ Mind-Bewildering Incantation, learned it by listening, and impressed the empress when he met her with Princess Lanqiu.
• The empress ordered Li Qiang to stay in Peaceful Palace Tower, and Princess Lanqiu later explained that her mother intended him to become her husband.
• Li Qiang gave Princess Lanqiu pills and heavenly countenance fruits, then returned to the guest residence and ordered his companions to leave before palace guards arrived.
• Li Qiang and his companions escaped as the empress sealed the palace gates, while Zhao Hao thanked Her Majesty for her hospitality on their behalf.
• Li Qiang and Geng Feng carried Paben and Nashan toward Paben’s hometown, and Li Qiang recognized Paben’s distress as they neared the town.

Paben returned to his hometown with Li Qiang and the others, learned that his daughter had died after the Bu Household abused her, and took revenge on the family. Li Qiang stopped him from killing Lingniang, then led the group away as the Bu Household’s downfall and Lingniang’s madness followed.

• Paben entered town and confronted Bu Jisi at his former home, where he found Lingniang with Bu Jisi and learned she would not tell him where his daughter was.
• Li Qiang used the Mind-Bewildering Incantation on Bu Andong, who revealed that Paben’s daughter had fled the Bu Household and drowned in the river while being pursued; Paben then killed Bu Andong and the Bu Household men at the courtyard.
• Paben entered the Bu Household, killed Bu Taban, injured its men, and forced them to reveal where Bu Huan was.
• Paben mutilated Bu Huan and killed Bu Huan’s son, who had abused Paben’s daughter, before Li Qiang told him to stop and led him away.
• The Bu Household declined after Paben’s revenge, Bu Huan died soon afterward, and Lingniang lost her mind after learning what had happened to her daughter.

Li Qiang and his companions reached the teleportation formation, where Qi Junsha helped Mei'er cultivate a spirit-body Primordial Spirit before taking Li Qiang to Sealed Fate Planet. They arrived at the Ancient Sword Academy during its mountain gate festival, where Qi Junsha’s group was challenged at the entrance.

• Qi Junsha reunited with Li Qiang and learned about his travels, then used Dragon Rich Incense to help Mei'er form a spirit-body Primordial Spirit.
• Tange decided to leave with Nashan, while Kubo chose to remain on Tanbang Continent and oversee the Grand Alliance.
• Qi Junsha sent Zhao Hao and the others toward Heavenly Court Star, then took Li Qiang, Geng Feng, Hong Qian, and Paben to Sealed Fate Planet.
• Qi Junsha explained that he intended to visit the Ancient Sword Academy, and the group arrived in Sword Gathering Town during the academy’s mountain gate festival.
• Qi Junsha led the group to the academy’s mountain gate and questioned its disciples, while Geng Feng argued with a visiting cultivator who drew his flying sword.

Qi Junsha returned to the Ancient Sword Academy with Li Qiang and was welcomed as a legendary senior, while the academy’s leaders revealed how its declining influence had left it vulnerable to the Sea Circle Pavilion. After Li Qiang demonstrated his strength and diagnosed the academy’s isolation, Qi Junsha and Ling Junyan looked to him for help, leaving him uneasy about being drawn into the academy’s affairs.

• Geng Feng defeated a cultivator at the mountain gate, and Qi Junsha identified himself to the Ancient Sword Academy disciples, who knelt to welcome him.
• Ling Junyan learned that Qi Junsha had become a Loose Immortal and discovered Li Qiang’s identity, then led them to Sword Heaven Hall as news of the return spread across Sealed Fate Planet.
• Qi Junsha refused the seat of honor and asked Ling Junyan to explain the academy’s recent situation, while Li Qiang and Geng Feng fought until Geng Feng retreated.
• Ling Junyan and Zhongli Fan described how the Sea Circle Pavilion and former allies had taken advantage of the academy’s declining strength and influence.
• Li Qiang argued that the academy’s policy of avoiding involvement had caused others to ignore it, and Qian Chi’ou asked him what the academy should do.
• Qi Junsha and Ling Junyan smiled at Li Qiang’s insight, while Li Qiang realized that they might expect him to help the Ancient Sword Academy.

Li Qiang was maneuvered into accepting the Ancient Sword Academy overseer position and agreed to help the academy while finishing his own affairs first. As Qi Junsha settled into seclusion, Li Qiang arranged for his disciples to train at the academy, found Geng Feng a role as a guest sword instructor, and prepared to return to Heavenly Court Star.

• Qi Junsha and Ling Junyan persuaded Li Qiang to stay and help the declining Ancient Sword Academy, and Li Qiang agreed on the condition that he would not become academy master and could complete his own affairs first.
• Li Qiang learned that the Wrath of the Heavenly God would emerge on Heavenly Court Star and that the Ancient Sword Academy would join the conflict between Sealed Fate Planet and Qianjie Star.
• After Qi Junsha trapped Li Qiang into promising to help the academy, Ling Junyan appointed him overseer and gave him the overseer's insignia.
• Qi Junsha entered seclusion in the Encircling Sword Pavilion, while Hong Qian and Paben joined the Golden Qilin Sword Academy and Geng Feng became a guest sword instructor.
• Li Qiang learned Fu Shan was away, decided to return to Heavenly Court Star, and gave Law Treasures to Ling Junyan, Qian Chi'ou, Zhongli Fan, Han Suya, and Li Yumin.

Li Qiang returned to Heavenly Court Star and joined Wang Laogun’s caravan, where he befriended the starving young Xiya. When cultivators fighting overhead endangered the caravan, Li Qiang intervened and revealed his strength to Lei Tianxiao, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Li Qiang arrived on Heavenly Court Star, lost his bearings in the Gobi, and pretended to be unconscious to attract help from a passing caravan.
• Wang Laogun welcomed Li Qiang into his caravan despite Qi Tuozi’s objections, and Li Qiang impressed the caravan hands by unloading heavy cargo and sharing water with Xiya.
• Xiya told Li Qiang that a fire had destroyed his home, and Li Qiang gave him a mug that he filled with magically produced water.
• A supposed sandstorm turned out to be a fight between cultivators; when Yin Thunder struck the caravan, Li Qiang blocked another bolt and confronted the fighters.
• Li Qiang recognized Lei Tianxiao, defeated an attacking cultivator with True Illusion Sword Qi and Demon-Extinguishing Divine Thunder, and faced Lei Tianxiao’s astonishment at his newfound strength.

Li Qiang defeated Lei Tianxiao’s group, then met Ye Fengling and Yun Yu, two disciples of Wise Heng Palace who followed him after learning he possessed a Buddhist treasure. As they pursued him across Qingfeng Kingdom, Li Qiang slowed down and prepared to teach them a lesson.

• Li Qiang used the Golden Lotus Jade Throne and his other treasures to protect the caravan, defeat Lei Tianxiao’s group, and capture the rogue Nascent Soul spirits, while Lei Tianxiao fled.
• Ye Fengling and Yun Yu chased Li Qiang to Sangshan City, where they introduced themselves at a restaurant and Ye Fengling decided to follow him.
• Li Qiang escaped the restaurant when a crowd arrived, and Ye Fengling and Yun Yu tracked him with Yun Yu’s Thousand-Thread Spirit Instruction.
• Ye Fengling insisted on continuing the pursuit despite Yun Yu’s concern that Li Qiang was stronger than them, and Li Qiang slowed down to give the sisters a little hardship.

Ye Fengling and Yun Yu were trapped in the Star-Density Grand Formation after following Li Qiang into the Bewilderment Forest, while Li Qiang returned to Star Palace and helped Mo Huaiyuan undergo the transformation into a Loose Immortal. As Mo Huaiyuan neared rebirth, Heavenly Baleful Intent overwhelmed Li Qiang and left him unconscious, though the Supreme Radiance Shuttle dispersed it and Mo Huaiyuan’s transformation continued.

• Ye Fengling dragged Yun Yu into the Star-Density Grand Formation, where they lost their way and realized Li Qiang had tricked them.
• Li Qiang returned to Star Palace, reunited with Mo Huaiyuan, and gave him supreme-grade Sea Soul Agate.
• Mo Huaiyuan began his Loose Immortal transformation in the Illusory Void Grand Formation, protected by the Golden Lotus Jade Throne as Li Qiang guarded him.
• Heavenly Baleful Intent broke through the formation and the golden lotus, forcing Li Qiang to fight it while Mo Huaiyuan approached his final rebirth stage.
• Li Qiang’s attacks failed to stop the Heavenly Baleful Intent, and the little Sea Demon used its inner core to protect him before collapsing unconscious.
• The Supreme Radiance Shuttle dispersed the Heavenly Baleful Intent, leaving Li Qiang unconscious amid the wrecked hall as Mo Huaiyuan’s blue light grew brighter.

Mo Huaiyuan became a Loose Immortal and rescued Li Qiang from the aftermath of the tribulation by using Yun Yu’s pure-yin constitution to stabilize his cultivation. After Li Qiang recovered, he asked to find Yun Yu, while Mo Huaiyuan proposed they break the Cosmic Azure Field Grand Formation and leave.

• Mo Huaiyuan found Li Qiang gravely injured after the All Is Empty Palace had been destroyed and sealed his Nascent Soul to prevent Qi Deviation.
• Mo Huaiyuan captured Ye Fengling and Yun Yu, discovered Yun Yu had a pure-yin constitution, and persuaded her to help treat Li Qiang.
• Yun Yu joined Nascent Souls with Li Qiang’s in his Purple Mansion, and their cultivation restored his health while strengthening them both.
• Mo Huaiyuan separated Yun Yu from Li Qiang, gave the sisters Law Treasures, and escorted them from Purity Palace.
• After more than a month of cultivation, Li Qiang awoke and learned that Yun Yu had saved him, then said he wanted to find her.
• Mo Huaiyuan told Li Qiang his treasures had been repaired and asked him to help break the Cosmic Azure Field Grand Formation so they could leave.

Mo Huaiyuan guided Li Qiang through the Cosmic Azure Field Grand Formation, teaching him about cultivation and helping him awaken the second level of True Illusion Sword Qi. At the formation’s core, they discovered the Heavenly Mirror Treasure Aspect Wheel and then the even more astonishing Heaven-Defying Treasure Mirror, leaving Mo Huaiyuan thrilled and Li Qiang confused.

• Mo Huaiyuan explained how cultivators and Loose Immortals could transcend their realm, then warned Li Qiang that he relied too much on spells and Law Treasures instead of Dao arts.
• Mo Huaiyuan led Li Qiang into the Cosmic Azure Field Grand Formation, where Li Qiang comprehended the second-level sword instruction of True Illusion Sword Qi and learned to create lifelike forms.
• Mo Huaiyuan left Li Qiang to find his own way through the Great Nirvana Divine Light, and Li Qiang recklessly relied on Mo Huaiyuan to pull him to safety.
• Mo Huaiyuan identified the Heavenly Mirror Treasure Aspect Wheel as an ownerless immortal artifact and began claiming it with his Immortal Spirit Qi.
• Mo Huaiyuan discovered the Heaven-Defying Treasure Mirror at the formation’s true core and exclaimed that the Star Palace’s owner had been a Loose Immortal who reincarnated.

Mo Huaiyuan took the Heaven-Defying Treasure Mirror from Star Palace and planned to use it to reincarnate, while Li Qiang helped him escape an immortal who destroyed Star Palace. They reached the Gusong Kingdom capital, where Li Qiang was unexpectedly summoned to the palace and learned that the emperor’s life was in danger.

• Mo Huaiyuan seized the Heaven-Defying Treasure Mirror and explained that it could let a Loose Immortal reincarnate while retaining their spirit; he asked Li Qiang to guide him after he was reborn.
• The mirror sent out a signal before Mo Huaiyuan sealed it, and he and Li Qiang escaped with a Jade Pupil Slip and a bracelet as an immortal arrived and destroyed Star Palace.
• Li Qiang and Mo Huaiyuan went to the Gusong Kingdom capital, where Li Qiang reunited with Zhao Degui and gave him three Lesser Origin-Nurturing Pills, then learned Zhao Hao and the others had gone to see Lin Fenghe.
• An imperial decree unexpectedly made Li Qiang Prince of Loyalty and Valor and summoned him to the palace; on the way, Li Qiang trapped three attackers with his Star-Absorbing Sword and drove them off.
• At the palace gates, Li Qiang met Zhao Hao and Lin Fenghe, who told him the emperor was near death and asked him to help.

Li Qiang saved the emperor of the Gusong Kingdom from Purple Ink Poison Yin and helped Crown Prince Zhao Qi secure the palace while warning him that Prince Dexian might have a motive. After a peaceful night guarding the emperor, Li Qiang left the bedchamber with Nashan and Tange for a stroll.

• Li Qiang entered the palace and learned that the emperor was near death from a strange poison, while Prince Dexian and Crown Prince Zhao Qi were at his bedside.
• Prince Dexian ordered guards to seize Li Qiang, but Li Qiang stopped the flying sword attack and used the Cold Marrow Scale to draw the Purple Ink Poison Yin from the emperor.
• Li Qiang gave the emperor and Zhao Qi protective jade tablets, advised the crown prince to tighten security, and warned that Prince Dexian might benefit if the emperor died.
• Li Qiang stayed on guard overnight, then left the bedchamber in the morning with Nashan and Tange after teasing Nashan and Tange about their faces.

Li Qiang took Zhao Qi out of the palace in disguise, where they explored the capital and unexpectedly reunited with Zheng Peng, now a cultivator. The outing ended with Zhao Qi drunk on Li Qiang’s wine, while Meng Fan recognized the Cold Marrow Scale pill Li Qiang used to sober him.

• Li Qiang agreed to take Zhao Qi outside the palace, and they disguised themselves in ordinary clothes before slipping out with Nashan, Tange, and Zhao Zhi.
• The group ate first-pot noodles and visited the White Alum Pavilion, where Li Qiang shared a bottle of Wuliangye with them.
• Li Qiang recognized Zheng Peng at the restaurant and reunited with him; Zheng Peng introduced his senior brother, Meng Fan, from the Hidden Thunder Pavilion.
• Li Qiang and Meng Fan discussed their cultivation sects, while Zheng Peng explained how he had become a cultivator and received his Baleful Intent Gathering Sword.
• Zhao Qi secretly drank much of Li Qiang’s wine and became unsteady, so Li Qiang gave him a Cold Marrow Scale pill; Meng Fan recognized the pill as a poison antidote he had been seeking.

Li Qiang learned more about Wise Heng Palace and Cloud Heaven Sacred City while sharing a meal with Meng Fan, then returned to the palace after the culprit behind the incantation was caught. He advised the emperor to investigate an internal threat and learned that Yun Yu had already left the capital, leaving him eager to find her.

• Li Qiang gave Meng Fan three Cold Marrow Scales in exchange for Thunderbolt Pearls, then asked about Wise Heng Palace and heard about its dual-cultivation rules and Cloud Heaven Sacred City’s authority.
• Palace guards summoned Li Qiang and Zhao Qi back to the palace after the person who cast the incantation was caught.
• Li Qiang told the emperor that the threat likely came from within the court and advised him to secure key forces, act secretly, and avoid implicating people on a massive scale.
• Nashan blurted out that Li Qiang was thinking about women, prompting Li Qiang to distract the emperor with advice before leaving the palace.
• Li Qiang asked Mo Huaiyuan to locate Yun Yu, but Mo Huaiyuan found that she had already left the capital.

While snowbound in the Sacred King's Residence, Li Qiang planned a future for his companions and promised Nashan he would accompany him home. He then gave the cultivators flying swords, leaving them scrambling to catch and refine the weapons.

• Li Qiang and Mo Huaiyuan discussed cultivation, death, and their hope of returning to Li Qiang's home as snow fell over the residence.
• Mo Huaiyuan identified Li Qiang's spirit pill as a Heavenly Spirit Seed, and the brothers discussed its possible use in preparing for reincarnation.
• Li Qiang offered his companions the choice of going home, joining the Gusong Kingdom's Attendant Hall, or cultivating at the Ancient Sword Academy on Sealed Fate Planet.
• Nashan chose to follow Li Qiang but admitted he feared returning home, so Li Qiang promised to accompany him and Mo Huaiyuan agreed to take them.
• Li Qiang gave the cultivators flying swords to catch and refine, and Zhao Zhi and Tange each claimed a sword while Nashan chased the others.

Li Qiang reunited with Hua Meiniang, Mei Jingjing, and Qiao Yuhong as they fled pursuers from Qianjie Star, who had trapped Mei Youbing over his spirit pills. He accepted Zi Ying’s wagered Law Treasure contest and overwhelmed Bei Shifeng with his Star-Absorbing Sword, conjuring a fire phoenix that left the contest’s outcome clear.

• Nashan caught the Nether Thunder Sword and Mo Huaiyuan treated his wounded arm while the others collected flying swords.
• Mo Huaiyuan took Li Qiang outside the capital, where they met Hua Meiniang, Mei Jingjing, and Qiao Yuhong fleeing cultivators from Qianjie Star.
• Mei Jingjing and Hua Meiniang explained that Old Man Mei was trapped in Shadow Castle, and Zi Ying offered a Law Treasure contest to decide their fate and Mei Youbing’s release.
• Li Qiang accepted Zi Ying’s terms and faced Bei Shifeng, using the Star-Absorbing Sword to transform into a blazing sea of fire.
• Li Qiang formed a fire phoenix that shattered Bei Shifeng’s defenses, then mimicked Hua Meiniang’s voice to declare him defeated.