Recaps

At Xu Qi'an’s wedding, Li Lingsu and Yang Qianhuan tried to embarrass him by exposing his romantic entanglements, but Xu Lingyue and Wang Simu helped defuse the first round of trouble. Empress Huaiqing then presented eighteen fox women from the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, leaving Xu Qi'an surrounded by furious women as the wedding festivities continued.

• Li Lingsu and Yang Qianhuan provoked Xu Qi'an by suggesting he had slighted Luo Yuheng, but Mu Nanzhi challenged Li Lingsu before Xu Qi'an identified her as Aunt Mu.
• Li Miaozhen summoned Susu and accused Xu Qi'an of abandoning her after promising to take her as a concubine, while Li Lingsu and Yang Qianhuan joined the attack.
• Xu Lingyue argued that Susu could enter the household as a concubine after the wedding, undercutting Li Miaozhen's complaint.
• Xu Qi'an pushed Wang Simu into representing Lin'an, and Ji Baiqing and Auntie had Wang Simu and Xu Xinnian toast the guests, easing the tension.
• Huaiqing presented eighteen fox women from the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, and Yeji greeted Xu Qi'an affectionately, provoking dismay among the women at the wedding.

Xu Qi'an navigated the wedding banquet’s jealous rivalries after the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox arrived disguised as Fuxiang with seventeen fox women, then got revenge on the guests who had stirred trouble. As the banquet ended, he prepared for the bridal-chamber revelry and planned to bring Protector Yuan out of seclusion to control the remaining guests.

• Yeji presented seventeen fox women as Xu Qi'an’s Southern Frontier concubines, provoking the women at the wedding until Zhong Li recognized Yeji as Fuxiang and Xu Qi'an identified the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox behind the disguise.
• Huaiqing and Li Miaozhen traded barbs with Xu Lingyue and Mu Nanzhi, while Mu Nanzhi teased Huaiqing about marriage and Luo Yuheng called for her to be sent to the Imperial Music Bureau.
• Xu Qi'an toasted the Martial Arts Alliance and asked Xiao Yuenu whether she was Xueji, but she denied understanding his question.
• Zhong Li’s misfortune caused mishaps throughout the banquet, and Zhang Shen accidentally used Confucian magic to declare that there would be no romantic jealousy, earning the fish’s resentment.
• Xu Qi'an revealed to Second Uncle Xu that he had left Zhong Li behind on purpose to punish the guests who had watched and stirred trouble, then teased Wei Yuan and promised Zhang Shen a poem as he saw guests off.
• With the bridal-chamber revelry still ahead, Xu Qi'an planned to bring Protector Yuan out of seclusion to rein in the remaining guests.

Xu Qi'an returned to the bridal chamber for wedding games as his relatives and guests gathered, each with their own plans for the newlyweds. The first question exposed the secret of his advancement, and he answered that he had used flower arranging.

• Xu Qi'an persuaded Xu Pingzhi to stay for the bridal chamber games by threatening to tell Auntie about his use of green tangerines.
• Li Lingsu and Yang Qianhuan plotted to embarrass Xu Ningyan, while the guests gathered and escorted him to Lin'an's bridal chamber.
• Yang Qianhuan proposed a question game in which he would use the Qi-Observing Technique to catch lies, and the guests agreed that both Xu Qi'an and Lin'an could be questioned.
• The guests drew lots, and Asuro won the first turn and asked Xu Qi'an how he had advanced to the Second Rank.
• Xu Qi'an answered that he had advanced through flower arranging.

Xu Qi'an’s wedding-night game continued until he brought Protector Yuan into the bridal chamber, where the monkey’s mind-reading exposed the guests’ private thoughts and drove nearly everyone away. The chapter ended with only a few guests remaining as Xu Qi'an challenged Li Lingsu and Yang Qianhuan to continue.

• Xu Qi'an answered the first question by saying he had taken a portion of the Undying Tree’s spiritual essence, and Yang Qianhuan confirmed he was telling the truth.
• Xu Lingyue asked Lin'an whether she would allow Xu Qi'an to take concubines, and Lin'an said he could only do so with her permission.
• Li Lingsu asked Xu Qi'an to choose between Lin'an and Luo Yuheng, but Xu Qi'an brought in Sun Xuanji and Protector Yuan instead of answering.
• Protector Yuan read Li Lingsu’s and Li Miaozhen’s thoughts aloud, then exposed private thoughts belonging to Lin'an, Xu Lingyue, Huaiqing, Ji Baiqing, Mu Nanzhi, Wang Simu, and Asuro.
• The exposed guests and the Martial Arts Alliance members fled the bridal chamber, leaving Lin'an, Xu Qi'an, Sun Xuanji, Protector Yuan, Li Lingsu, Yang Qianhuan, and the fox spirit behind.
• Xu Qi'an revealed that he had kept Protector Yuan there with the Peace Saber pressed against him, then challenged Li Lingsu and Yang Qianhuan to continue the game.

Xu Qi'an dealt with Li Lingsu and Yang Qianhuan after their bridal-chamber prank, then planned an attack on Aranda with the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox and learned that the Great Sun Reincarnation Dharma Idol had been born inside Shenshu. He returned to Lin'an and consummated their marriage, while the next morning Li Lingsu, Yang Qianhuan, and Miao Youfang were found hanging outside the Xu Residence.

• Xu Qi'an paralyzed Li Lingsu and Yang Qianhuan and carried them out of the bridal chamber, while Sun Xuanji teleported away with Protector Yuan.
• Xu Qi'an and the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox discussed delaying an attack on Aranda until Great Feng had more Transcendent experts ready to defend against the Shaman God Cult.
• The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox told Xu Qi'an that the Great Sun Reincarnation Dharma Idol had been born inside Shenshu, and Xu Qi'an sealed her with the bronze mirror before speaking to her as Fuxiang.
• Xu Qi'an returned to Lin'an, reassured her about the wedding guests, and spent their wedding night with her.
• Old Zhang opened the Xu Residence gates the next morning and found Li Lingsu, Yang Qianhuan, and Miao Youfang hanging outside with humiliating signs.

Li Lingsu, Miao Youfang, and Yang Qianhuan were publicly humiliated outside the Xu Residence, while Xu Qi'an learned that someone had placed a bounty on Protector Yuan. The chapter left Xu Qi'an suspecting Huaiqing or Xu Lingyue and wondering whether he could claim the reward himself.

• Li Lingsu, Miao Youfang, and Yang Qianhuan hung outside the Xu Residence with their powers sealed, and Yang Qianhuan gave the crowd the name Sun Xuanji to protect his identity.
• Auntie ate breakfast with Lina and Lingyin, learned that Lingyue and Aunt Mu were staying in their rooms, and worried over the family tensions revealed by the monkey.
• Nangong Qianrou told Wei Yuan that Xu Ningyan's monkey demon could read minds, and a eunuch summoned Wei Yuan to the palace for monkey brains at Huaiqing's order.
• Protector Yuan worried that he would be assassinated, then learned from Song Qing that a bounty offered thousands of taels for his limbs, tongue, and brains.
• Xu Qi'an received Sun Xuanji's message, suspected Huaiqing or Xu Lingyue of arranging the bounty, and considered claiming it before joining the palace maids at breakfast.

Xu Qi'an recorded his married life, his repeated distractions from Lin'an, and the approaching Gu God calamity. On the seventh day of the fourth month, he helped Huaiqing begin her attempt to advance to the Third Rank by giving her Dragon Qi and the Blood Pill.

• Xu Qi'an returned to the palace with Lin'an and his family for the wedding thank-you banquet, while Xu Lingyue stayed home recovering from illness.
• Xu Qi'an found Lina, Xu Lingyin, and Chu Caiwei waiting outside Song Qing's secret chamber for Protector Yuan, whom they planned to eat after the monkey-brain feast.
• Xu Qi'an accompanied Luo Yuheng to the Heaven Sect for the Heaven and Human Contest; she was seriously injured but seized the Heavenly Venerable's essence and nearly extinguished her Karmic Fire.
• Xu Qi'an visited the Southern Frontier and found the Extreme Abyss stable, though cracks in the Confucian Sage's statue showed that the Gu God would break free within a year.
• Xu Qi'an helped Xu Yuanhuai join the Nightwatchers and later taught him the proper use of green tangerines after his birth mother worried about his visits to the Imperial Music Bureau.
• Xu Qi'an gave Huaiqing Dragon Qi from the Earth Book Fragment, and Huaiqing swallowed the Blood Pill to begin her advancement to the Third Rank.

Huaiqing endured the Blood Pill’s agony and became the Nine Provinces’ first female Transcendent martial artist. That night, Li Miaozhen gathered her accumulated merit to advance, but as her Yang Spirit formed, karmic backlash appeared on her brow.

• Huaiqing swallowed the Blood Pill, endured its destructive power with Xu Qi'an’s help, and successfully advanced to the Transcendent realm.
• Huaiqing and Xu Qi'an discussed Li Miaozhen’s planned breakthrough and the risk of karmic backlash before Xu Qi'an left the palace.
• At the Eight Trigrams Platform, Xu Qi'an told Asuro they would attack Aranda after Li Miaozhen advanced, while the gathered companions exchanged barbs.
• Li Miaozhen gathered the merit she had accumulated over three years, and its power formed her Yang Spirit.
• As Daoist Jinlian warned that Li Miaozhen’s merit carried corresponding karmic burdens, a black mark appeared between her brows and began to spread.

Li Miaozhen overcame the corruption of her past deeds by drawing on the merit of those she had saved, and advanced to the Third Rank. Afterward, the Heaven and Earth Society members secretly crowded into Sun Xuanji’s room to learn what she had been thinking, only for Protector Yuan to reveal that her Yang Spirit was present.

• Li Miaozhen faced people she had saved who later turned to evil, but memories of Xu Qi'an and the gratitude of those she had helped dispelled the corruption.
• Li Miaozhen condensed her merit, advanced to the Third Rank, and received congratulations from her companions.
• Li Miaozhen learned that the others had tried to read her thoughts, while Protector Yuan embarrassed Chu Yuanzhen by voicing his private judgment of his companions.
• Yang Qianhuan, Li Lingsu, Miao Youfang, Chu Yuanzhen, Asuro, Daoist Jinlian, and Xu Qi'an successively gathered in Sun Xuanji’s room to ask Protector Yuan about Li Miaozhen’s thoughts.
• Protector Yuan opened a brocade pouch, releasing Li Miaozhen’s Yang Spirit, which coldly surveyed the room.

Xu Qi'an and the Heaven and Earth Society planned an assault on Aranda to rescue Shenshu’s head, weighing how to counter the Buddhist Bodhisattvas and their dangerous abilities. They agreed to meet again in two days, while Xu Qi'an asked Song Qing to investigate whether Jialuoshu’s essence could help him advance.

• Li Miaozhen revealed that she had secretly overheard the group gossiping about her, and Xu Qi'an redirected the embarrassed gathering toward planning the attack on Aranda.
• Xu Qi'an assigned Huaiqing, Yang Gong, Kou Yangzhou, and the State Preceptor to defend the capital while the group discussed facing Jialuoshu, Liuli, and Guangxian.
• Asuro explained that Bodhisattva Liuli’s Formless Liuli Domain slowed everyone but Liuli, and the group considered ways to counter it.
• Xu Qi'an said that the Nation-Guarding Sword and his Transcendent Seven Absolutes Gu could let him break through Liuli’s domain.
• Xu Qi'an dismissed Miao Youfang’s concern about a Shaman God Cult ambush and asked Sun Xuanji whether a First Rank expert’s essence could be extracted.
• Xu Qi'an proposed killing Jialuoshu to advance to Mid First Rank, and Yang Qianhuan suggested asking Song Qing to devise a method; Xu Qi'an set the next meeting for two days later.

Xu Qi'an planned his campaign against the Buddhist Order and sought Wei Yuan's counsel, then went to the Directorate of Astronomy to ask Song Qing how to extract a First Rank martial artist's life essence. There, he found the Superintendent's writings, including a method for advancing to Half-Step Martial God.

• Xu Qi'an secretly returned with the Heaven and Earth Society to hear Li Miaozhen's thoughts, but Protector Yuan used Susu to deliver her furious rebuke.
• Xu Qi'an sent Wei Yuan a list of Buddhist Transcendent experts and considered rescuing Shenshu's head, killing Jialuoshu, and uncovering the connection between Buddha and Shenshu.
• Wei Yuan advised Xu Qi'an that the Buddhist Order and Shaman God Cult could coordinate their experts against him, and told him to go west without worry because he would guard the capital.
• Xu Qi'an visited Yeji, then went to the Directorate of Astronomy and learned that Song Qing was researching how to extract a First Rank martial artist's life essence.
• Xu Qi'an helped Song Qing gather books on alchemy, life, and formations, then found the Superintendent's book titled "Method of Advancing to Half-Step Martial God."

Xu Qi'an studied the Superintendent’s notes on advancing to Half-Step Martial God and learned from Song Qing how martial warriors differ from other systems. Meanwhile, Salun Agu divined a coming bloody calamity and ordered Nalan Tianlu to coordinate with the Western Regions, where Bodhisattva Liuli told Arhat Du'e to join the Shaman God Cult in attacking the capital.

• Xu Qi'an read that First-Rank martial warriors must rely on their own strength to advance, either by tempering themselves over time or by using Blood Pills made from powerful beings’ life essence.
• Song Qing explained that the Three Realms concerned worldly desires and the Five Elements concerned drawing on heaven and earth, prompting Xu Qi'an to wonder whether higher ranks lost their emotions and desires.
• Salun Agu divined that Xu Qi'an and Jialuoshu faced especially severe risks of death, then sent Nalan Tianlu to warn the Western Regions and summon Arhat Du'e to the Central Plains.
• Nalan Tianlu was told to remain in Aranda, watch events, and prevent Xu Qi'an from escaping if the opportunity arose, while also helping Jialuoshu if the timing was right.
• Bodhisattva Liuli interrupted Arhat Du'e’s sermon and ordered him to join the Shaman God Cult in razing the capital, clarifying that he should target Transcendents rather than mortals.

Baiji and Xu Lingyin quarreled playfully at the Xu Residence, while Mu Nanzhi worried that Xu Qi'an faced a dangerous battle in the Western Regions. At Aranda, the Buddhist Order prepared its defenses as Shenshu arrived and struck the mountain’s golden barrier.

• Xu Lingyin and Baiji accused each other of stealing a chicken leg and spat at each other after arguing over whose mother was prettier.
• Baiji went to Mu Nanzhi, complained that Xu Lingyin had bullied her, and learned that Xu Qi'an had gone to the Western Regions to fight.
• Mu Nanzhi reflected that Xu Qi'an’s battle would be more dangerous than the tribulation he had faced during Luo Yuheng’s Tribulation Transcendence.
• At Aranda, the monks gathered in silence as Bodhisattva Guangxian ordered them to enter seated meditation and prepare for an enemy.
• Shenshu stood at the foot of Mount Aranda and struck the golden Buddha-light barrier.

Shenshu battered Aranda’s Chan formation, bringing it close to collapse, while the Transcendents watched and struggled against Bear King’s sleep-inducing ability. Bodhisattva Jialuoshu then manifested the Immovable Wisdom King Dharma Idol, stabilizing the barrier and stopping Shenshu’s attacks from resonating through it.

• Shenshu struck Aranda’s golden barrier with his twenty-four arms, making the formation shake and causing many Chan Masters to bleed and falter.
• Daoist Jinlian, Zhao Shou, Li Miaozhen, Asuro, Sun Xuanji, the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, and Bear King watched Shenshu’s assault from the sky.
• Bear King’s innate ability made the Transcendents drowsy, so the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox whipped him awake and Zhao Shou used Words Become Law to keep him alert.
• The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox warned the others not to underestimate the formation, and Bodhisattva Jialuoshu opened his eyes.
• Jialuoshu manifested the Immovable Wisdom King Dharma Idol and merged with it, stabilizing the barrier and suppressing the resonance of Shenshu’s blows.

Xu Qi'an used Shenshu’s relentless assault to find an opening in Aranda’s defensive formation, then broke it with a Blood Sacrifice-enhanced Heaven and Earth One-Saber Slash. With the Buddhist Order’s defenses shattered, Xu Qi'an and Shenshu prepared to attack Bodhisattva Jialuoshu together.

• Shenshu battered Aranda’s barrier until the Immovable Wisdom King Dharma Idol began to tremble, creating an opening for Xu Qi'an.
• Xu Qi'an burned his blood essence with Blood Sacrifice, then combined Heaven and Earth One-Saber Slash with Zhao Shou’s Words Become Law to strike the Immovable Wisdom King.
• The barrier collapsed, killing many Chan Masters and leaving the Buddhist Order’s sacred mountain devastated.
• The monks recognized Xu Qi'an as a First-Rank martial artist who had returned to settle accounts, while Xu Qi'an faced the three Bodhisattvas and secretly feared his exhaustion.
• Guangxian threatened Xu Qi'an and his allies, but Shenshu appeared behind the Bodhisattvas, and Xu Qi'an joined him in attacking Jialuoshu.

Xu Qi'an and Great Feng's Transcendents battled the Buddhist powerhouses at Aranda while new allies confronted Salun Agu outside the capital. The chapter ended with Wei Yuan meeting Arhat Du'e on the western outskirts.

• Jialuoshu summoned his Vajra Dharma Idol and wrestled Shenshu's idol while Xu Qi'an was stalled by Guangxian's compassion domain and Daoist Jinlian was targeted by Nalan Tianlu.
• Sun Xuanji rescued Jinlian from Nalan Tianlu's lightning, while Asuro pursued the Rain Master and the two fought to a stalemate.
• Liuli trapped Li Miaozhen, Zhao Shou, and the others in her Formless Liuli Domain, but Xu Qi'an broke it with his sword and led the Transcendents toward Aranda's main hall.
• Shenshu's black Dharma Idol destroyed Jialuoshu's golden Vajra Dharma Idol, prompting Xu Qi'an and his allies to continue their assault on the Buddhist bodhisattvas.
• Luo Yuheng, Huaiqing, and Yang Gong faced Salun Agu, Wuda Baota, and Yierbu outside the capital, and Yang Gong repositioned the fighters before the battle began.
• Kou Yangzhou stopped his carriage when Arhat Du'e appeared, and Wei Yuan stepped out to greet him.

Wei Yuan tried to recruit Arhat Du'e to spread Mahayana Dharma in the Central Plains, and Du'e agreed to consider it. At Aranda, Great Feng’s Transcendents coordinated an attack on Jialuoshu, but a great sun began rising before Xu Qi'an and Shenshu could strike him.

• Wei Yuan invited Arhat Du'e into his carriage, discussed the Buddhist Order’s opposition to Mahayana Dharma, and offered to make Du'e State Preceptor and let him establish the state religion in the Central Plains.
• Du'e said he needed to consider Wei Yuan’s offer, and Wei Yuan arranged for Kou Yangzhou to fight him without exposing a possible alliance to Aranda.
• At Aranda, Shenshu, Xu Qi'an, and Asuro pressed their attack on Jialuoshu while Bodhisattva Liuli and Guangxian used their Dharma Idols to hinder the attackers.
• Nalan Tianlu, Daoist Jinlian, Li Miaozhen, the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, Sun Xuanji, and Zhao Shou helped counter the Buddhist powers, allowing Asuro to seize Jialuoshu while Xu Qi'an and Shenshu closed in.
• As Xu Qi'an and Shenshu prepared to strike Jialuoshu, a great sun slowly rose deep within Aranda.

The Buddha’s Mahavairocana Tathagata Dharma Idol devastated the attackers at Aranda, forcing them to flee while confirming that the Buddha’s power and condition might be limited. Using the Pagoda Treasure Tower to conceal Xu Qi'an’s divine sense inside the Bear King, Xu Qi'an reached Chan Grove, where a cry for help sounded beside the Bodhi Mother Tree.

• Mahavairocana Tathagata’s Dharma Idol illuminated the battlefield, severely injuring Xu Qi'an, Shenshu, and the Buddhist Bodhisattvas while Sun Xuanji teleported the other Transcendents away.
• The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox revived Li Miaozhen, Zhao Shou, Sun Xuanji, and the others, and they concluded that the Buddha’s intervention had confirmed their suspicions about his condition.
• Rain Master Nalan Tianlu healed his burns and regretted that his injuries prevented him from exploiting the battle to kill Xu Qi'an.
• Xu Qi'an’s divine sense used the Pagoda Treasure Tower to control the Bear King and travel to Chan Grove, carrying out his plan to investigate the sealed grounds.
• Xu Qi'an reached the Bodhi Mother Tree, saw the broken stones that showed the Confucian Sage’s seal had been broken, and heard a cry for help.

Xu Qi'an found Bodhisattva Faji's remaining soul trapped in the Bodhi Tree and learned that Faji believed Shenshu was the Buddha and had eaten him. Meanwhile, Shenshu reached the Demon-Suppressing Ravine and tried to free his head from a living cavern, whose walls attacked him.

• Xu Qi'an found Faji's face in the Bodhi Tree, and the tower spirit used the Great Wisdom Dharma Idol to restore Faji's awareness temporarily.
• Faji said that the Buddha was Shenshu, that Shenshu had eaten him, and that the being was not the Buddha before his soul faded back into a vacant state.
• Xu Qi'an drew Faji's soul from the tree with the Heaven-Encompassing Divine Mirror and sent it into the Pagoda Treasure Tower.
• Jialuoshu saw what appeared to be Xu Qi'an's burned corpse, then moved to attack him as Liuli and Guangxian joined forces against him.
• Shenshu entered the Demon-Suppressing Ravine and found his head embedded in a fleshy wall, where two voices argued over whether it would return to his body.
• Shenshu tried to pull his head free, but the cavern's walls transformed into living flesh and sent tentacles toward him.

Asuro rescued Xu Qi'an from the Bodhisattvas, and Xu Qi'an recovered enough to fight his way into the Demon-Suppressing Ravine and reach Shenshu. With Shenshu trapped inside Buddha's living body and the Bodhisattvas moving to stop him, Xu Qi'an used Jade Shatters to wound Buddha.

• Asuro used the Worthy of Offerings Fruition to pull Xu Qi'an from the Bodhisattvas' attack, then used decoys and a shadow technique to escape with him.
• Xu Qi'an revived, taunted the three Bodhisattvas, and headed for the Demon-Suppressing Ravine while Asuro retreated.
• Xu Qi'an evaded Jialuoshu and Liuli with Empathy and Shadow Gu Arts, then entered the ravine as Aranda's fleshly body awakened.
• Xu Qi'an found Shenshu trapped inside Buddha's flesh, with Shenshu's head still embedded in the wall, and tried to force open the entrance.
• The Bodhisattvas attacked Xu Qi'an to prevent him from reaching Shenshu, but he used Jade Shatters to make Buddha roar in pain.

Xu Qi'an’s Jade Shatters disrupted the Buddha’s suppression of Shenshu, allowing Shenshu to reclaim his head and restore his true body. As Shenshu and the Buddha took shape as opposing giants, Xu Qi'an vanished just as the Buddha began forming the Great Sun Reincarnation Dharma Idol.

• Xu Qi'an used Jade Shatters to wound the Buddha and interrupt His suppression of Shenshu.
• Shenshu pulled his head free, reattached it, and awakened as a Half-Step Martial God.
• Shenshu broke through the Buddha’s flesh and appeared as his two-hundred-zhang Vajra Dharma Idol.
• Jialuoshu, Guangxian, and Bodhisattva Liuli transformed a little black dragon with their blood essence and sent it into the mountain of flesh.
• The Buddha gathered the golden flesh into a seated form facing Shenshu, then began forming the Great Sun Reincarnation Dharma Idol.
• Xu Qi'an used Shadow Jump and vanished before the Buddha’s great sun could rise.

Shenshu and Xu Qi'an joined forces to shatter the Buddha’s Mahavairocana Tathagata Dharma Idol with the Confucian Sage’s Carving Knife, then withdrew from the ruined Aranda. Afterward, the allies debated the Buddha’s identity and power, and learned that Shenshu and Xu Qi'an had awakened.

• Shenshu endured the Buddha’s Mahavairocana Tathagata Dharma Idol until Xu Qi'an fused with him, lending him strength and the Undying Tree’s spiritual essence.
• Zhao Shou explained that Xu Qi'an could unleash the Confucian Sage’s Carving Knife because he could control the nation’s Fate, and Shenshu used the weapon to destroy the Buddha’s Dharma Idol.
• Xu Qi'an and Shenshu retreated from Aranda while the wounded Buddha and the surviving Bodhisattvas remained behind, and Nalan Tianlu recorded the battle’s revelations.
• On the Mountain of Ten Thousand Demons, Li Miaozhen and the others discussed the Buddha’s limited use of Dharma Idols, his flesh-mountain form, and what might have weakened him.
• Qingji announced that Shenshu and Silver Gong Xu had awakened.

Shenshu explained how the Buddha created him and how the Buddhist Order betrayed the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, while Xu Qi'an suspected the Buddha needed Bodhisattva Faji's wisdom to remain lucid. After returning to the capital with the Transcendents, Xu Qi'an visited Arhat Duqing beneath the Star Observation Tower and asked whether he had killed the ancient corpse in Yongzhou.

• Shenshu revealed that the Buddha had joined part of His soul with the dying Asura King's remnant, creating Shenshu, and sent him to convert the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons.
• Shenshu recounted meeting the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, becoming her consort, and returning to the Buddhist Order after she agreed to make the kingdom its vassal.
• Shenshu said the Buddha broke His promise and led a massacre of the demons, then explained that the Buddha's Mahavairocana Dharma Idol was a hidden link that kept Him in control of Shenshu.
• Xu Qi'an reasoned that the Buddha had wanted Bodhisattva Faji's Great Wisdom Dharma Idol to preserve His sanity, and Daoist Jinlian agreed to restore Faji's remaining soul.
• Xu Qi'an took the injured Transcendents back to Great Feng and led them beneath the Star Observation Tower to see Arhat Duqing.
• Xu Qi'an asked Arhat Duqing whether he had killed the ancient corpse in the underground palace outside Yongzhou City.

Xu Qi'an deduced that the Buddha was the Dao Venerable’s Human Sect avatar, who had founded the Buddhist Order after shedding his body and keeping Fate as a trump card. Arhat Duqing tacitly admitted that he had been sent to silence the ancient corpse, and Xu Qi'an asked Daoist Jinlian how the tomb’s owner had stripped away his Fate.

• Xu Qi'an linked Arhat Duqing to the ancient corpse’s death and argued that the tomb’s owner had erased the corpse’s spiritual intelligence to conceal evidence.
• Xu Qi'an identified the tomb’s owner as the Dao Venerable’s Human Sect avatar, and Daoist Jinlian agreed that the murals and the avatar’s survival supported the deduction.
• Xu Qi'an and the others connected the Buddha’s creation of Shenshu to the tomb’s creation of the ancient corpse through One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones.
• Daoist Jinlian explained that the Human Sect avatar had gathered Fate by usurping the throne, then used Heavenly Tribulation to shed his body after discovering that Fate prevented immortality.
• Xu Qi'an concluded that the Buddha had sought to reclaim the jade seal’s Fate through attempts to capture him, and Arhat Duqing tacitly admitted the Buddhist Order had sent him to silence the corpse.
• Xu Qi'an asked Daoist Jinlian how the tomb’s owner had stripped away his Fate.

Xu Qi'an and Wei Yuan prepared for the Buddha’s likely retaliation by discussing alliances and a search for a way to advance, while Arhat Du'e returned to the ruins of Aranda. The chapter ended with an unknown voice asking Du'e who had defeated him.

• The Daoist, Li Miaozhen, and Asuro discussed the costly body-shedding method and the urgent threat posed by the Shaman God and the Gu God.
• Nalan Tianlu reported the Western Regions battle to Salun Agu, who worried that Xu Qi'an might eventually join Shenshu as a Half-Step Martial God and discussed the Buddha’s strange state.
• Xu Qi'an told Wei Yuan that the Buddha was the Dao Venerable’s Human Sect avatar, and Wei Yuan urged him to prepare for the Buddha’s retaliation by forming alliances with Du'e and the Shaman God Cult.
• Wei Yuan advised Xu Qi'an to go out to sea and seek descendants of the Gods and Devils as a path toward greater strength.
• Xu Qi'an told Wei Yuan that the Gu God had said Wei Yuan was originally chosen to become the Central Plains’ First Rank Martial Warrior, and Wei Yuan accepted the choice of Xu Qi'an instead.
• Du'e returned to find Aranda in ruins and thousands of monks mourning the dead, then heard an unknown voice ask who had defeated him.