Chapter Summaries

Xu Qi'an learned more about the Heaven Sect’s disappearing masters and traveled west with Li Lingsu and Mu Nanzhi while the crown prince prepared to take the throne. Just as Xu Qi'an and Mu Nanzhi drew close at an inn, a white-robed arcanist appeared beside their bed.

• Li Lingsu told Xu Qi'an that Heaven Sect cultivators vanished as they reached higher ranks, and Xu Qi'an asked where the Dao Venerable had gone.
• Li Lingsu explained that Dongfang Wanrong and Dongfang Qing were traveling to Leizhou to seek a Buddhist Pagoda that might help resurrect Nalan Tianlu.
• Consort Chen urged the crown prince to banish the empress, but Grand Secretary Wang warned that doing so could damage the imperial family’s dignity and provoke Xu Qi'an.
• Huaiqing watched Lin'an enjoy herself and worried about the challenges awaiting the crown prince, including Yunzhou’s rebellion.
• Xu Qi'an traveled west with Li Lingsu and Mu Nanzhi, then received a broken message through a conch from the Superintendent’s second disciple and replied with his location.
• Xu Qi'an edged close to Mu Nanzhi in bed and asked to see her real face, but a white-robed arcanist suddenly appeared at the head of the bed.

Xu Qi'an learned that the Buddhist Pagoda in Leizhou held both Shenshu's severed arm and a crucial strand of Dragon Qi, drawing him into conflict with the Shaman God Cult and a Buddhist Vajra. After Sun Xuanji left to prepare, Xu Qi'an set out west with Mu Nanzhi and Li Lingsu.

• Xu Qi'an recognized Sun Xuanji, who explained that the Superintendent had sent him to recruit Xu Qi'an for the opening of the Buddhist Pagoda in Leizhou.
• Sun Xuanji told Xu Qi'an to stop the Shaman God Cult from rescuing Nalan Tianlu's soul and to retrieve Shenshu's severed arm from the pagoda.
• Xu Qi'an learned that a Dharma-Protecting Vajra and a Spirit Wisdom Master might oppose him, and that one of the nine crucial Dragon Qi strands was inside the pagoda.
• Sun Xuanji agreed to help from outside the pagoda and said Yang Qianhuan had been suppressed after investigating the crown prince.
• The next morning, Xu Qi'an teased Li Lingsu about his virility-boosting herbs, then rode west with Li Lingsu and Mu Nanzhi.

Xu Qi'an disguised Li Lingsu and traveled with him and Mu Nanzhi toward Leizhou, where Li Lingsu hoped to obtain Red-Tailed Fiery Eagles through an old romantic connection. They reached the Leizhou Chamber of Commerce’s Zhangzhou branch, where Li Lingsu went to ask for an audience with its chairman.

• Xu Qi'an used a potion to alter Li Lingsu’s face and warned him that the disguise would last only twenty-four hours and would not change his mannerisms.
• Over lunch, Li Lingsu praised chicken essence and learned that Xu Qi'an had invented it, then explained that a boat would not get them to Leizhou in time.
• Li Lingsu proposed acquiring Red-Tailed Fiery Eagles through the Leizhou Chamber of Commerce, saying he had once fallen in love with Rou'er, its young miss.
• Five days later, Xu Qi'an, Li Lingsu, and Mu Nanzhi arrived in Zhangzhou and went to the chamber’s branch.
• Li Lingsu admitted he had lost Rou'er’s token but told Xu Qi'an to wait before approaching the branch chairman.

Li Lingsu, Xu Qi'an, and Mu Nanzhi secured Red-Tailed Fiery Eagles with Mu Nanzhi’s flower tea and flew to Leizhou to meet Wenren Qianrou. In the capital, Primordial Lady Bingyi searched for Li Miaozhen, delivered a warning to Luo Yuheng, and revealed that the Heaven Sect considered Li Lingsu to have taken an evil path; Xu Qi'an then recognized Wenren Qianrou’s name but could not recall why it seemed familiar.

• Li Lingsu asked President Yang to lend them three Red-Tailed Fiery Eagles, and Mu Nanzhi persuaded him with three packets of fragrant flower tea.
• Xu Qi'an whistled and effortlessly won the four eagles’ attention, then left his horse in President Yang’s care.
• Primordial Lady Bingyi searched Xu Qi'an’s home for Li Miaozhen, learned she had left to wander the martial world, and heard Auntie praise her role in killing the emperor.
• Primordial Lady Bingyi told Luo Yuheng that the Heavenly Venerable expected her to reach the First Rank within three years, and Luo Yuheng said she could transcend the Heavenly Tribulation through dual cultivation.
• After ten days, Xu Qi'an, Mu Nanzhi, and Li Lingsu reached Leizhou, where Li Lingsu asked the chamber of commerce to notify Wenren Qianrou.
• Xu Qi'an found Wenren Qianrou’s name familiar but could not remember where he had heard it.

Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu traveled to Leizhou to investigate Three Flowers Temple and its Pagoda Treasure Tower, which Xu Qi'an suspected was being used to absorb Great Feng's Dragon Qi. At the temple, they found monks barring local martial artists from entering, and Li Lingsu confronted an arrogant young monk with a firearm.

• Wenren Qianrou reunited with Li Lingsu and welcomed Xu Qi'an and Mu Nanzhi to the Wenren residence.
• Wenren Qianrou told Xu Qi'an that the Pagoda Treasure Tower would open in nine days and recounted rumors about its treasures and a recent display of golden light and dragon cries.
• Xu Qi'an decided to scout Three Flowers Temple with Li Lingsu, while Wenren Qianrou lent Li Lingsu a firearm to protect himself because his cultivation was sealed.
• Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu reached Three Flowers Temple at Golden Light Mountain and saw a young monk drive away local martial artists seeking to enter the temple.
• Li Lingsu drew the firearm and aimed it at the young monk after the monk insulted Great Feng and challenged them.

Xu Qi'an tested Three Flowers Temple's defenses, overcame its monks with hidden weapons and tactics, and left after Jingxin backed down in the face of twelve cannons. As Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu encountered Dongfang Wanrong and Dongfang Wanqing, Xu Qi'an kicked Li Lingsu into their procession.

• Xu Qi'an sent Li Lingsu to conceal a pouch of weapons while he confronted Three Flowers Temple's monks and knocked Kongjian down with an unseen attack.
• Hui'an tried to convert Xu Qi'an, but Xu Qi'an's Love Gu threw the monks into lustful confusion before a young monk's chant dispelled the effect.
• Jingxin confronted Xu Qi'an and ordered him to meet the Dharma-Protecting Vajra, but withdrew when Li Lingsu revealed twelve cannons aimed at the temple.
• Xu Qi'an collected the hidden weapons from Li Lingsu and claimed he had won them from the Superintendent in a chess game.
• Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu tried to pass unnoticed as Dongfang Wanrong and Dongfang Wanqing approached, but Xu Qi'an kicked Li Lingsu into their procession.

Xu Qi'an learned that the Buddhist Order and the Shaman God Cult planned to seize Dragon Qi from the Pagoda Treasure Tower, so he spread rumors to draw jianghu figures to Three Flowers Temple. He was planning how to infiltrate the tower when a talking white fox arrived and greeted him.

• Li Lingsu was beaten by East Sea Dragon Palace disciples, and Xu Qi'an learned the Dongfang sisters had entered Three Flowers Temple.
• Dongfang Wanrong told Vajra Dunan that Elder Yierbu had been delayed by Sun Xuanji, while Dunan instructed Jingxin and Jingyuan to enter the tower and help the Shaman God Cult release Nalan Tianlu.
• Dongfang Wanrong and Dongfang Wanqing concluded that internal Buddhist conflict explained why the Buddhist Order had sent only one Vajra to secure the Dragon Qi.
• Xu Qi'an asked Wenren Qianrou to spread a rumor about a treasure at Three Flowers Temple, using Li Lingsu's junior sister, the Flying Swallow Heroine, to make the story convincing.
• The Leizhou Chamber of Commerce spread the rumor, prompting jianghu figures to investigate or secretly leave for Three Flowers Temple.
• A white fox spoke to Xu Qi'an through his window and said she had finally met the legendary Silver Gong Xu.

Xu Qi'an received intelligence from Baiji about the Buddhist Order and its delegation to Three Flowers Temple, while Li Lingsu continued impersonating Li Miaozhen to draw out powerful contenders. Rumors about the temple’s treasure stirred Leizhou’s military and martial factions, and several prepared to pursue it.

• Baiji, a young fox demon sent by the Princess of Ten Thousand Demons, told Xu Qi'an about the Buddhist Order’s surviving Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Vajras, warned him about the delegation to Three Flowers Temple, and delivered an anklet.
• Xu Qi'an discovered that Baiji was Yeji’s younger sister, then bullied her into carrying him before coaxing her into forgiving him.
• Li Lingsu warned Wenren Qianrou that Xu Qi'an was an old monster after learning he had won cannons and ballistae from the Superintendent, but Qianrou kept Li Lingsu in her room overnight.
• Xu Qi'an told Li Lingsu to keep impersonating Li Miaozhen and spread the news about Three Flowers Temple, while the Regional Military Commissioner Yuan Yi came to investigate the treasure.
• Impersonating Li Miaozhen, Li Lingsu told Yuan Yi that the Pagoda Treasure Tower held captured experts who had been refined into Blood Pills and Soul Pills; the rumor spread and drew more factions toward the temple.
• Sect Master Tang Yuanwu ordered Liu Yun to lead thirty members of the Twin Sabre Sect to Three Flowers Temple, while a fourth-rank Pacification Officer rode out of his military camp to pursue the treasure.

Xu Qi'an rallied the martial artists at Three Flowers Temple by exposing the temple’s claims to the Pagoda Treasure Tower’s Blood Pills and Soul Pills, then fought off a warrior monk with the Seven Absolutes Gu. As two Third-Rank experts forced the crowd to retreat, Xu Qi'an challenged the Shaman God Cult’s Spirit Wisdom Master, leaving the standoff on the verge of erupting.

• Abbot Panlong and the elders decided to use the Demon-Subduing Formation to control the growing crowd outside Three Flowers Temple.
• Xu Qi'an arrived with the Leizhou Chamber of Commerce and accused Three Flowers Temple of claiming treasures from the Battle of Shanhai Pass for itself.
• A warrior monk attacked Mu Nanzhi after spotting the little white fox, but Xu Qi'an stopped him and used Heart Gu and Poison Gu to defeat him.
• Monk Jingxin agreed to admit Xu Qi'an, but Xu Qi'an called for allies, bringing Tang Yuanwu, Li Shaoyun, and Yuan Yi to the temple.
• Dongfang Wanqing fought Wenren Qianrou’s Fourth-Rank retainer, while the Dongfang sisters and Three Flowers Temple revealed their powerful allies.
• Vajra Dunan and a Spirit Wisdom Master of the Shaman God Cult revealed their Third-Rank strength, and Xu Qi'an mocked the Spirit Wisdom Master as he threatened the crowd.

Xu Qi'an summoned Sun Xuanji to force the Buddhist and Shaman God Cult factions to let the Leizhou heroes enter the Pagoda Treasure Tower. Inside, he discovered that the trial path offered him no resistance, and realized his connection to Mahayana Dharma might have made him the Buddha’s Son.

• Xu Qi'an summoned Sun Xuanji, who threatened to raze Three Flowers Temple with his flying artillery platform unless everyone was allowed into the Pagoda Treasure Tower.
• The Vajra agreed to let them enter, and Xu Qi'an cured the poisoned warrior monk before the gathered groups headed inside.
• The tower opened into a vast Buddha Realm containing statues of Buddha, the nine great Dharma Idols, and the eighteen Arhats; Xu Qi'an correctly named the Dharma Idols.
• Monk Jingxin led the groups along a trial path where their progress slowed under the statues' gazes, while the Three Flowers Temple monks advanced fastest.
• Xu Qi'an walked the path without feeling resistance and realized his Mahayana Dharma teachings might have formed a great karmic bond with the Buddhist Order, explaining why Bodhisattva Liuli wanted him as a Buddha's Son.

Xu Qi'an crossed the first floor of the Pagoda Treasure Tower unaffected by its Buddhist Precepts, then entered the second floor to investigate the seals and Dragon Qi. He arrived in a devastated wilderness and saw a younger Wei Yuan.

• Liu Yun struggled against the first floor's pressure, while Xu Qi'an walked through it with ease and overtook the other visitors.
• Xu Qi'an stunned Li Shaoyun, Yuan Yi, the Dongfang sisters, and the Buddhist monks by moving freely, then identified himself as a warrior of Great Feng.
• Outside the tower, Vajra Dunan guessed Xu Qi'an might be a reincarnated Arhat, while Yierbu doubted that he could pass the second floor.
• Xu Qi'an failed to draw Dragon Qi from the tower, decided to prioritize obtaining it and do what he could about Shenshu, then bowed to the Buddha's golden body and entered the second floor.
• Xu Qi'an found a devastated wilderness on the second floor and recognized a younger Wei Yuan, who declared that he would die that day.

Xu Qi'an and the others entered Nalan Tianlu’s dreamscape and witnessed scenes from the Battle of Shanhai Pass, along with the memories of those drawn into the dream. As the dreams began to merge, Xu Qi'an recognized the Eight Sufferings Formation from the contest of Buddhist arts and realized the dream had reached his past.

• Xu Qi'an watched Wei Yuan behead Nalan Tianlu and saw Arhat Du'e seal Nalan Tianlu’s Primordial Spirit in a golden bowl.
• Jingxin and the monks of Three Flowers Temple arrived, and Xu Qi'an concluded that they had entered Nalan Tianlu’s dreamscape without their physical bodies.
• Hengyin explained Nalan Tianlu’s identity to the assembled martial-world figures, while Dongfang Wanrong said they should wait to find a way out.
• The dream replayed the Battle of Shanhai Pass, revealing the Shaman God Cult’s alliance and Nalan Tianlu’s defeat at Wei Yuan’s hands.
• The dreamscape shifted through Tang Yuanwu’s memories and then the other visitors’ battles and experiences as their dreams intertwined.
• Xu Qi'an saw himself suffering inside the Eight Sufferings Formation at Buddha Mountain and recognized it as his dream from the contest of Buddhist arts.

Xu Qi'an and the others realized Nalan Tianlu’s dream had trapped everyone in the Pagoda Treasure Tower, while Dongfang Wanrong used the confusion to seek her master’s consciousness. Xu Qi'an led a pursuit through the mist, but the group kept entering other people’s dreams and had yet to find Nalan Tianlu.

• A dream replayed Xu Qi'an’s contest with the Buddhist Order, and the assembled heroes recognized him as Silver Gong Xu.
• Li Lingsu explained that Nalan Tianlu’s dream had trapped everyone on the tower’s second floor and that they needed to wake him or find his consciousness to escape.
• Dongfang Wanrong suspected Xu Qi'an was hidden among the crowd, but Liu Yun claimed the dream of the contest as her own and diverted suspicion.
• Dongfang Wanrong fled with the Buddhist monks and East Sea Dragon Palace disciples, and she concealed their escape by filling the area with thick fog.
• Xu Qi'an reasoned that Dongfang Wanrong was likely seeking Nalan Tianlu’s consciousness within his deepest obsession, the place where Wei Yuan had beheaded him.
• Xu Qi'an and his companions crossed through the mist but arrived at another dream, a bridal chamber, instead of Nalan Tianlu’s.

Xu Qi'an used Heart Gu to devour soul power and seized Dongfang Wanqing in Nalan Tianlu’s dream, forcing Dongfang Wanrong to lead everyone out. On the second floor, Chan Master Hengyin killed a sleeping Leizhou martial artist and moved to attack Xu Qi'an while Dongfang Wanrong urged the others to screen for mind control.

• Xu Qi'an and the others searched dreams for Nalan Tianlu, encountering Li Shaoyun’s embarrassing wedding memory and Liu Yun’s romantic dream.
• Yuan Yi and Li Shaoyun tested combat in the dream, and Xu Qi'an discovered that Heart Gu could devour soul power.
• The group found Xu Qi'an’s horse-filled dream before reaching Nalan Tianlu’s dream, where Dongfang Wanrong tried to guide her teacher’s consciousness.
• Xu Qi'an and his companions attacked the East Sea Dragon Palace group and took Dongfang Wanqing hostage, forcing Dongfang Wanrong to bring them out of the dream.
• Nalan Tianlu brought the group to the second floor, where Chan Master Hengyin killed a sleeping Leizhou martial artist and approached Xu Qi'an as Dongfang Wanrong called for mind-control screening.

Xu Qi'an helped the Leizhou fighters turn the battle against Three Flowers Temple and the East Sea Dragon Palace, then followed them to the Buddhist Pagoda’s third floor. As the tower spirit guided the Dragon Qi toward Jingxin, Xu Qi'an drew it into himself instead.

• Nalan Tianlu awakened and shattered the dream, while the Buddhist monks and East Sea Dragon Palace disciples fought the Leizhou martial artists.
• Xu Qi'an used Love Gu to control warrior monks, armed the Leizhou fighters with firearms and crossbows, and drove the enemy back with a cannon.
• Jingxin reached the third floor with Jingyuan and the Dongfang sisters, where the tower spirit healed everyone and revealed that the severed arm belonged to a person the Buddhist Order considered supremely evil.
• The tower spirit began guiding the Dragon Qi toward Jingxin, while the assembled fighters realized it was the pagoda’s true treasure.
• Xu Qi'an used the Earth Book fragment and the nation’s fortune to divert the Dragon Qi from Jingxin and draw it into himself.

Xu Qi'an claimed the Dragon Qi and fought the Buddhist monks and Leizhou martial artists inside the Pagoda Treasure Tower. He turned Head Monk Hengyin into a puppet to help defeat their enemies, but Jingxin and the others escaped outside, leaving Xu Qi'an and his allies trapped in the tower.

• Xu Qi'an absorbed the Dragon Qi into his Earth Book Fragment and rallied the Leizhou martial artists against the Buddhist monks.
• Hengyin and the Chan Masters chanted scripture, weakening the fighters, while Xu Qi'an and the others battled the monks and martial artists.
• Xu Qi'an used Gu techniques to disrupt the martial monks, and one of them killed Hengyin before Corpse Gu revived him as a puppet.
• Hengyin's command left Dongfang Wanrong vulnerable to attacks from Yuan Yi and Li Shaoyun, while Jingxin asked the tower spirit to send the Buddhist and East Sea Dragon Palace groups outside.
• The tower spirit sent Jingxin's group and the others out, while Xu Qi'an and his allies remained trapped inside the tower.

Xu Qi'an weighed releasing Shenshu’s malicious left arm to escape the Pagoda Treasure Tower, while Sun Xuanji attacked the tower from outside to pressure its guards. After Xu Qi'an refused to unleash the arm, the tower spirit declared him the Pagoda Treasure Tower’s master.

• Sun Xuanji used the artillery platform to bombard the Pagoda Treasure Tower and force Vajra Dunan to defend it, while Yierbu pursued him.
• Li Shaoyun tried to persuade the tower spirit to let the trapped martial artists leave, but failed.
• Xu Qi'an rang Baiji’s anklet and awakened Shenshu’s bound left arm, then sensed its intense malice.
• The tower spirit explained the Pagoda Treasure Tower’s defenses and offered Xu Qi'an a chance to release the arm.
• Xu Qi'an chose not to release Shenshu’s left arm, and the tower spirit named him master of the Pagoda Treasure Tower.

Xu Qi'an used Bodhisattva Faji’s token to take control of the Pagoda Treasure Tower and escape Three Flowers Temple with the Leizhou martial artists. After reaching safety, he considered how to compensate them for the treasures he had promised to share.

• The old monk tower spirit identified Chu Xianglong’s token as Bodhisattva Faji’s and revealed that Shenshu’s Dharma Idol loomed above the Buddhist figures in the tower.
• Xu Qi'an awakened from the vision, discovered he could control the Pagoda Treasure Tower with the token, and told Yuan Yi and the others he would take them out.
• Xu Qi'an commanded the tower to rise, evaded Vajra Dunan and Yierbu, and flew away from Three Flowers Temple with the captives inside.
• Sun Xuanji, Mu Nanzhi, and Li Lingsu joined Xu Qi'an in the tower, while the Leizhou martial artists learned he had stolen it.
• A jianghu fighter reminded Xu Qi'an that he had promised to divide the treasures equally, and Xu Qi'an began considering how to compensate everyone.

Xu Qi'an compensated the Leizhou martial artists for giving up their claim to the Pagoda Treasure Tower and warned them that Blood Pills were usually fatal. Meanwhile, the monks of Three Flowers Temple pieced together clues about Xu Qian’s identity, ending with the Western Region monks realizing who he might be.

• Xu Qi'an gave Zhao Pan a potent poison and a mutated green widow plant, then handed out silver, firearms, and other compensation to the remaining martial artists.
• Xu Qi'an told Tang Yuanwu, Li Shaoyun, Yuan Yi, and Liu Yun that Blood Pills could help a fourth-rank martial artist reach the third rank but almost always killed the user.
• Xu Qi'an deflected questions about Silver Gong Xu, and Yuan Yi praised Xu's importance to Great Feng; afterward, Mu Nanzhi explained that Sun Xuanji had concealed the Pagoda Treasure Tower with the Tianji Technique.
• At dawn, Vajra Dunan and the monks at Three Flowers Temple reviewed written notes about the stolen Pagoda Treasure Tower and Dragon Qi, while Abbot Panlong shared their findings about Xu Qian.
• Jingxin and Jingyuan added clues about Xu Qian's disguise, cultivation, and martial abilities, and Vajra Dunan asked who in Great Feng matched the evidence.
• The Western Region monks suddenly recognized the likely identity of Xu Qian.

Vajra Dunan learned that Xu Qian was Xu Qi'an and received orders to bring him to Aranda, while Xu Qi'an questioned Hengyin and Shenshu about the Dragon Qi, the Buddhist Order, and the Demon-Sealing Nails. Meanwhile, Li Miaozhen, Chu Yuanzhen, and Hengyuan encountered a Heaven Sect contact signal and expected to meet Number Seven.

• Vajra Dunan consulted Bodhisattva Jialuoshu, who ordered Arhat Duqing and Vajra Dufan to capture the Buddha's Son and convert him, with Dunan assisting.
• Jingyuan revealed to Abbot Panlong that Xu Qian was Xu Qi'an, whose cultivation had been sealed by Demon-Sealing Nails.
• Xu Qi'an questioned Hengyin and learned that the Buddhist Order planned to seize Dragon Qi and convert its hosts.
• Xu Qi'an questioned the tower spirit and Shenshu, learning that Shenshu's head might be in Aranda and that finding it could free him.
• Li Miaozhen, Chu Yuanzhen, and Hengyuan returned from destroying the Vicious Wolf Stronghold and spotted a Heaven Sect contact signal announcing Number Seven's presence.