Chapter Summaries

Xu Qi'an learned from the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox that the Buddha’s history and Shenshu’s memories concealed a deal, then negotiated for help against Asuro and the right to keep the Heaven-Encompassing Divine Mirror. The mirror chose to remain with Xu Qi'an, while a Yunzhou rebel army assembled to march north toward Qingzhou.

• Chen Xiao greeted Little Bean and Lina, but Lina rebuffed his questions and offer of help.
• Miao Youfang boasted to Hongying and two demonesses about helping Xu Qi'an defeat two Vajras with the Heaven-Encompassing Divine Mirror.
• Xu Qi'an told the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox that Zhao Shou said the Confucian Sage had sealed the Buddha over a thousand years earlier, contradicting her memory of the Buddha acting five hundred years ago.
• The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox explained that Buddhahood required uniting nine Dharma Idols, and she and Xu Qi'an considered whether Shenshu had made a secret deal with the Buddha.
• Xu Qi'an asked the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox to remove two Demon-Sealing Nails so he could face Asuro, and demanded that she let Yeji remain with him and let him keep the mirror for up to three months.
• The Heaven-Encompassing Divine Mirror chose to stay with Xu Qi'an, and an assembled force of sixty thousand Yunzhou rebels prepared to march north and attack Qingzhou.

Qi Guangbo led the Yunzhou rebels into Qingzhou as Xu Pingfeng and Bodhisattva Jialuoshu confronted the Superintendent. Elsewhere, Xu Lingyin overwhelmed soldiers, Li Miaozhen recruited bandits, and Xu Qi'an reunited with Yeji before contacting the State Preceptor.

• At the Qingzhou border, Qi Guangbo told Ji Xuan that Xu Qi'an was stronger than him but that he still had a chance, then ordered the ninety-thousand-strong rebel army to advance.
• The Superintendent used the Heavenly Secrets Disc to withstand Xu Pingfeng and Bodhisattva Jialuoshu’s attack, and he said he would play with them.
• On the ship, Xu Lingyin knocked soldiers down with her strength, and Xu Erlang rushed to the deck after learning she had started a fight.
• Li Miaozhen defeated a bandit leader, offered food to the remaining bandits, and made them promise to rob only corrupt officials and wealthy merchants who preyed on ordinary people.
• Xu Qi'an spent time with Yeji in the Southern Frontier grotto, then sent a message to the State Preceptor through his protective talisman.

Xu Qi'an failed to reach Luo Yuheng and enlisted Sun Xuanji to help confront Asuro and break the Buddhist formation sealing Shenshu's severed limb. The seal was opened, unleashing a terrifying presence that left Protector Yuan trembling.

• Xu Qi'an tried to contact Luo Yuheng for help but received no response, so he sent Sun Xuanji a message asking him to come to the Southern Frontier.
• Yeji left to retrieve Shenshu's severed limb while Xu Qi'an waited; Sun Xuanji arrived and Protector Yuan used his ability to reveal people's thoughts.
• Xu Qi'an and Sun Xuanji agreed that Xu Qi'an would keep Asuro occupied while Sun Xuanji broke the Chan Masters' formation.
• Protector Yuan explained that Sun Xuanji had been heading to Qingzhou to support the Superintendent against the Yunzhou rebels and Bodhisattva Jialuoshu.
• Yeji returned with the chest sealing Shenshu's severed limb and warned that opening it could make resealing it difficult.
• Yeji unlocked the chest, releasing a terrifying presence that made Protector Yuan collapse and tremble.

Xu Qi'an had Shenshu's torso remove two more Demon-Sealing Nails, grew stronger, and learned that Shenshu and the ruler of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons had a daughter who now led the southern demons. Meanwhile, Xu Xinnian learned that Qingzhou was in danger, and Xu Qi'an reached the Southern Kingdom as Asuro watched a cloaked figure approach.

• Shenshu's torso removed two Demon-Sealing Nails from Xu Qi'an, releasing his Qi and greatly increasing his strength.
• Shenshu told Xu Qi'an that the Nine-Tailed Fox, current leader of the southern demons, was his daughter with the ruler of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons.
• Xu Erlang received Zhang Shen and Li Mubai, who warned him that Qingzhou's first defensive line had fallen and the Buddhist Order might open another front.
• Xu Qi'an, Yeji, Sun Xuanji, and Miao Youfang traveled through the Southern Kingdom and saw how its demons were enslaved and exploited.
• Asuro spotted a cloaked figure emerging from the shadows beneath Southern Dharma Temple.

Xu Qi'an posed as the Buddhist outcast Wutian and fought Asuro while Sun Xuanji tried to dismantle the tower sealing Shenshu. Asuro revealed himself as the real opponent by beheading Sun Xuanji, leaving the fate of the sealing tower uncertain.

• Xu Qi'an claimed he was Wutian and provoked Asuro by accusing the Buddha of using Shenshu to destroy the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons.
• Asuro immobilized Xu Qi'an with Buddhist Precepts, but the Pagoda Treasure Tower broke the restraint and helped Xu Qi'an launch a sustained attack.
• Monks rushed to confront Xu Qi'an, while Miao Youfang, Yeji, and the demons set off explosives across Southern Kingdom City to disrupt them.
• Sun Xuanji arrived atop the sealing tower and used twelve formations to grind away its defenses as Xu Qi'an kept Asuro occupied.
• A second Asuro appeared behind Sun Xuanji and beheaded him, causing the twelve formations to collapse.

Sun Xuanji and Xu Qi'an combined their attacks to grievously injure Asuro, but Asuro regenerated by releasing the Asura Tribe’s bloodline power. Xu Qi'an recognized Asuro’s pitch-black form as resembling Shenshu’s Dharma Idol, leaving him shocked by what that implied about Shenshu.

• Sun Xuanji revealed that his artifact puppet had been bait while Asuro explained that he had used the Worthy of Offerings Sarira to summon a temporary duplicate.
• Asuro used Do Not Kill and Slayer of Thieves Fruition to overpower Xu Qi'an, while the monks prepared to seal the western courtyard and contain the fires.
• Sun Xuanji forged an enormous artifact cannon, and Xu Qi'an used Jade Shatters to return much of the damage Asuro had inflicted on him.
• Sun Xuanji’s cannon blast and Xu Qi'an’s returned damage shattered Asuro’s golden body and left him severely burned.
• Xu Qi'an tried to behead Asuro, but Asuro blocked the Peace Saber, regenerated, and transformed into a pitch-black form.
• Xu Qi'an recognized Asuro’s new appearance as resembling Shenshu’s pitch-black Dharma Idol.

Xu Qi'an and Sun Xuanji fought Asuro while trying to break the seal on the tower, and Xu Qi'an realized that Shenshu might be the Asura King. Their plan succeeded in striking Asuro with a Demon-Sealing Nail, leaving Xu Qi'an to urge Sun Xuanji to break the seal.

• Xu Qi'an suspected Shenshu was the Asura King and asked Asuro whether he knew who was sealed in the tower, but Asuro said the demon monk's identity no longer mattered to him.
• Asuro entered a berserk state and attacked Xu Qi'an, who used shadow jumps and Jade Shatters to evade and counter him.
• Sun Xuanji bombarded the sealing tower twice, weakening its defenses, then fired a third blast at it as Xu Qi'an continued to distract Asuro.
• Asuro charged along the pillar of light to the cannon platform and attacked Sun Xuanji, but Xu Qi'an teleported in front of him and took the blow.
• Sun Xuanji fired a Demon-Sealing Nail into Asuro's chest as Xu Qi'an used Jade Shatters to wound him and weaken his defenses.
• Xu Qi'an grabbed the weakened Asuro and leaped from the cannon platform, shouting for Sun Xuanji to break the seal.

Xu Qi'an and Sun Xuanji defeated Asuro’s defenses, broke the sealing tower, and retrieved Shenshu’s legs before escaping. Back in the grotto, the group examined the limbs and Yeji summoned the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox to inspect them.

• Xu Qi'an used a Demon-Sealing Nail to weaken Asuro, then counterattacked while Sun Xuanji dismantled the pagoda’s sealing formation.
• Xu Qi'an sent the Peace Saber against the Chan Masters as Sun Xuanji broke the tower and stored Shenshu’s legs in his sachet.
• Xu Qi'an and Sun Xuanji escaped, leaving Asuro to remove the nail and tell Abbot Pannian that the Southern Demons were preparing to return.
• Miao Youfang celebrated the mission with the Demon Race, while Protector Hongying stopped the White Ape Protector from exposing Miao’s thoughts.
• Xu Qi'an recovered in the grotto, and Yeji explained that Shenshu’s legs could help remove two more Demon-Sealing Nails.
• Sun Xuanji released the legs, and Yeji summoned the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox to examine them.

Xu Qi'an learned the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox’s plans to restore the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons and awakened Shenshu’s legs, whose combative personality agreed to help remove his Demon-Sealing Nails. Sun Xuanji took Protector Yuan toward Qingzhou, while the Yunzhou Army captured a major border city and Qi Guangbo called his commanders to a meeting.

• The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox explained her plans to gather the demons, attack the Western Regions, capture Asuro, and assault Aranda, and revealed how she had become a pure-blooded Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox.
• Xu Qi'an and Sun Xuanji awakened Shenshu’s legs with Yeji’s essence blood, and the unruly legs attacked the group before Xu Qi'an subdued them.
• Shenshu’s legs recognized Xu Qi'an’s strength and agreed to help remove his Demon-Sealing Nails in exchange for a future fight, so Xu Qi'an and Sun Xuanji sealed them again.
• Sun Xuanji took Protector Yuan to the Central Plains as his disciple, and Protector Yuan explained that the demons had secretly been glad to see him leave.
• Qi Guangbo saw that the Yunzhou Army had captured Qingzhou’s largest border city and ordered the division commanders to meet.

Qi Guangbo’s army captured Qingzhou’s border counties but found their supplies destroyed and the population evacuated, while Yang Gong and his advisers assessed how to resist the rebels and the expected Western Regions invasion. Xu Xinnian argued that Qingzhou must target the rebels’ limited elite troops, and the meeting ended with Sun Xuanji and Protector Yuan appearing unexpectedly.

• Qi Guangbo learned that Qingzhou’s defenders had burned provisions and left the border towns largely to refugees, and Ji Xuan recognized the tactic as an effort to drain the rebels’ supplies.
• Qi Guangbo decided the rebels could use their reserves to feed refugees and recruit soldiers, and he sent for the State Preceptor’s instructions about deploying the Western Regions’ warrior monks.
• Yang Gong briefed his advisers on Qingzhou’s defeat, and Zhang Shen praised his decision to evacuate wealthy families while Xu Xinnian began analyzing the conflict.
• Xu Xinnian argued that Yunzhou’s population and history of banditry limited its supply of elite soldiers, so Qingzhou should trade losses to destroy those troops; he also warned that Western Regions forces would likely invade while the court was distracted.
• Xu Xinnian, Yang Gong, and the other officials realized the Western Regions invasion could not be deterred, and then Xu Xinnian discovered Sun Xuanji and Protector Yuan in the hall.
• Protector Yuan revealed that he had heard the officials’ thoughts and blamed Xu Xinnian for the insult about the Superintendent’s disciples.

Sun Xuanji and Protector Yuan brought Qingzhou officials news that Xu Qi'an had helped the southern demons prepare to challenge the Buddhist Order, easing fears of a Western Regions invasion. After the Buddhist Order learned that Xu Qi'an and Sun Xuanji had freed Shenshu’s severed limbs, it canceled its eastern campaign, while Xu Xinnian arrived too late to get any lunch.

• Xu Xinnian introduced Sun Xuanji as the Superintendent’s third-rank arcanist disciple, and Protector Yuan said the Superintendent would hold Bodhisattva Jialuoshu and Xu Pingfeng in check.
• Protector Yuan explained that Xu Qi'an had joined forces with Sun Xuanji in the Southern Frontier, giving the southern demons an opening to reclaim the Hundred Thousand Mountains and keep the Buddhist Order occupied.
• Qingzhou’s officials decided to spread the news of Xu Qi'an’s actions to strengthen the army’s morale.
• Xu Pingfeng and Bodhisattva Jialuoshu learned that Xu Qi'an and Sun Xuanji had defeated Asuro, opened the sealing tower, and taken Shenshu’s severed limbs.
• The Buddhist Order canceled its eastern campaign and sent only a force to harass Leizhou, while commanders in White Sand Commandery reacted with shock and Ji Xuan grew angry at Xu Qi'an.
• Xu Xinnian returned from the military meeting hungry, found that every dish had been eaten, and left in frustration.

Xu Xinnian learned that Protector Yuan mistook Xu Lingyin’s empty mind for an enlightened, unblemished heart, while Xu Qi'an restrained Shenshu’s legs and prepared to visit the Gu Race. The next day, Xu Qi'an traveled southeast with Mu Nanzhi, Miao Youfang, and Hongying, only to discover that Baiji had been tossed off their flying mount.

• Xu Xinnian questioned Protector Yuan about Xu Qi'an and asked him to read Lina and Xu Lingyin’s thoughts; Protector Yuan concluded that Xu Lingyin had an unblemished heart because she was thinking about nothing.
• Xu Qi'an removed another Demon-Sealing Nail from Shenshu’s legs, then subdued and sealed them in a jade bottle rather than fight and risk attracting Asuro.
• Xu Qi'an gave the bottle to Yeji and said he would visit the Gu Race to investigate the Seven Absolutes Gu and its connection to the Gu God.
• The next day, Xu Qi'an flew southeast with Mu Nanzhi, Miao Youfang, and Hongying; Mu Nanzhi noticed Baiji was missing, and Xu Qi'an said she had tossed her out.

Xu Qi'an traveled toward the Gu Race with Mu Nanzhi and used the Earth Book Fragment to discuss refugee relief and the war with the Heaven and Earth Society. After he revealed that the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons would attack the Buddhist Order, Luo Yuheng went looking for him at the Directorate of Astronomy but learned he was away.

• Xu Qi'an and Mu Nanzhi discussed unusual Southern Frontier customs while traveling, and Xu Qi'an contacted Lina, who was making her way south with Lingyin.
• Li Lingsu asked how to manage the refugees he had gathered, and Li Miaozhen offered to advise him while Huaiqing ordered the others to organize forces and prepare to move west.
• Huaiqing explained that the Buddhist Order might attack Leizhou and force the court to fight on two fronts, but Xu Qi'an said the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons would attack the Buddhist Order and reclaim its former lands.
• The Heaven and Earth Society reacted with surprise to Xu Qi'an's report, and Chu Yuanzhen and Hengyuan praised the alliance's potential to save lives.
• Luo Yuheng searched for Xu Qi'an at the Directorate of Astronomy, where Song Qing told her that Xu Qi'an was away and that Sun might be able to locate him.

Grand Secretary Wang’s declining health prompted him to consider stepping down, but news of Xu Qi'an’s alliance with the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons eased his worries. Xu Qi'an released Miao Youfang to pursue his own path, then reunited with Lina and Xu Lingyin at Three-Tiered Waterfall, where he tossed the little girl into the pool.

• Song Qing said Grand Secretary Wang’s overwork had left him gravely ill, while Wang Simu explained that he worried about Qingzhou, the refugees, and the Buddhist Order.
• An imperial eunuch told Wang Simu and Lin'an that the Buddhist Order was being held in check and that Grand Secretary Wang had requested a court nomination; Xu Qi'an’s alliance with the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons was credited with the news.
• Miao Youfang reached the Fifth Rank, and Xu Qi'an told him their journey together was over and sent him off to make his own name as a hero.
• Three days later, Xu Qi'an met Lina and Xu Lingyin at Three-Tiered Waterfall and found them disguised as filthy beggars.
• Xu Lingyin greeted Xu Qi'an, who caught her and flung her into the pool.

Xu Qi'an reunited with Lina and Xu Lingyin, heard how the famine had made travel through Yuzhou dangerous, and continued with them toward the Strength Gu Tribe. Meanwhile, Qi Guangbo assigned Zhuo Haoran to capture Songshan County and revealed that Ge Wenxuan was carrying out Xu Pingfeng’s contingency plan; the chapter ended with two Strength Gu tribesmen mistaking Lina for a Central Plains woman and shooting at her.

• Xu Qi'an met Mu Nanzhi, Lina, Xu Lingyin, and Baiji at Threefold Waterfall, where Lina described the dangers they had faced while traveling through famine-stricken Yuzhou.
• After eating, Xu Qi'an’s party headed south into the Southern Frontier while Lina explained how they had avoided trouble by disguising themselves as refugees.
• Qi Guangbo ordered Zhuo Haoran to capture Songshan County within five days and assigned Ji Xuan to attack Dongling and draw out Sun Xuanji.
• Qi Guangbo told the Yunzhou generals that Xu Pingfeng had sent Ge Wenxuan to carry out a contingency plan and that reinforcements were expected from the Gu Race.
• Two days later, Lina guided Xu Qi'an’s party to the edge of the Strength Gu Tribe’s territory and said Mount Bo lay eighty li ahead.
• Tu Long and Mutou challenged the party, failed to recognize Lina, and Mutou shot an arrow at her.

Lina returned to the Strength Gu Tribe with Xu Qi'an, Mu Nanzhi, and her disciple Xu Lingyin, hoping the elders would approve Lingyin as a true disciple despite the tribe’s ban on teaching Gu Arts to outsiders. The chapter ended as Lina introduced Lingyin to her father, Long Tu, whose gaze sharpened at the word “disciple.”

• Lina knocked aside Tu Long’s arrow and fought him and Mutou before they recognized her as a fellow Strength Gu tribeswoman.
• Lina explained that secretly teaching Gu Arts to an outsider was punishable by death, but she hoped Xu Lingyin could pass the tribe’s trials and gain approval as her true disciple.
• Mutou and Tu Long led Lina and her companions to Mount Bo, where Lina reunited with Strength Gu tribespeople who remarked on her pale skin and changed appearance.
• Lina brought Xu Qi'an, Mu Nanzhi, and Xu Lingyin to her family’s compound and introduced them to her father, Long Tu.
• Long Tu’s presence filled the courtyard after Lina said that Xu Lingyin was her disciple.

Xu Qi'an and his companions faced the Strength Gu Tribe’s elders, who rejected Lina’s request to recognize Xu Lingyin as her disciple and threatened her with a severe punishment. When the First Elder dismissed Xu Qi'an as a nobody, Xu Qi'an revealed his Vajra Divine Art and left the tribe confronting his power.

• Long Tu withdrew his pressure and agreed to summon the elders to discuss Lina’s request.
• Lina returned from a fight with the elders and brought Xu Qi'an and the others to a gathering of the tribe’s leaders.
• Lina identified Xu Lingyin as her disciple, and the elders ruled that the girl must become a battle slave or have her Original Life Gu destroyed.
• Lina refused the ruling and pointed to Xu Qi'an as Xu Lingyin’s eldest brother, asking the elders to deal with him first.
• Xu Qi'an introduced himself as a Silver Gong of Great Feng, but the First Elder dismissed him and told Long Tu to toss him aside.
• Xu Qi'an unleashed the Vajra Divine Art, startling the gathered Strength Gu tribespeople.

Xu Qi'an sought a Strength Gu master for Xu Lingyin, and the tribe recognized her extraordinary progress and competed to teach her. Meanwhile, Heaven Gu Granny’s gathering awaited Long Tu as its members discussed a coming undertaking.

• Xu Qi'an revealed his Vajra Divine Art, and Lina explained his identity and recent deeds to the Strength Gu elders.
• Xu Qi'an asked the elders to let Xu Lingyin study Strength Gu under Lina, but Azi pointed out that Xu Lingyin had received her Original Life Gu only three or four months earlier.
• The elders examined Xu Lingyin and recognized her rapid advancement and exceptional physique, then argued over who would become her master.
• Lina protested when the elders and Long Tu each tried to claim Xu Lingyin as a disciple.
• At the Heaven Gu Tribe, Heaven Gu Granny met with a cloaked Walking Corpse, Luan Yu, a poison-eating man, and General Ge as they waited for Long Tu.

Ge Wenxuan tried to persuade the Gu Race leaders to join Yunzhou’s war against Great Feng by promising territory and provisions, but Long Tu refused. Meanwhile, Xu Lingyin arrived at the Extreme Abyss with the Strength Gu elders to begin cultivating Strength Gu, and Xu Qi'an felt the Seven Absolutes Gu awaken.

• Ge Wenxuan explained Great Feng’s weakness and revealed that Xu Qi'an carried its national Fate, then offered the Gu Race land and help establishing a nation if they joined the war.
• The Corpse Gu and Love Gu leaders agreed to cooperate, while the Poison Gu leader and Shadow Gu leader gave qualified support and the Heart Gu leader demanded that scouts verify Ge Wenxuan’s claims first.
• Long Tu acknowledged that the offer was tempting but refused to join the campaign, shocking Ge Wenxuan.
• The Strength Gu elders brought Xu Lingyin to the Extreme Abyss and chose a place where she could begin absorbing the power of Strength Gu.
• Xu Qi'an sensed the sleeping Seven Absolutes Gu awaken and crave the power in the area.

Long Tu refused to join a war against Great Feng because he believed Xu Lingyin could become a powerful successor for the Strength Gu Tribe. Meanwhile, Ge Wenxuan persuaded several Gu Race chiefs to hunt Xu Qi'an, while Xu Lingyin began absorbing the Gu God's power and showed extraordinary talent.

• Long Tu told the Gu Race chiefs that he would not attack Great Feng or help them hunt Xu Qi'an because Xu Lingyin, his new disciple and Xu Qi'an's younger sister, had exceptional potential.
• Ge Wenxuan urged the chiefs to kill Xu Qi'an, citing his ties to Wei Yuan, his Vajra Divine Blood, and his knowledge of the Flower God's reincarnation.
• The Corpse Bone, Poison Gu, Love Gu, Heart Gu, and Heaven Gu chiefs set out to join the hunt, while Ge Wenxuan prepared to follow them.
• The Strength Gu elders awakened Xu Lingyin's Strength Gu and guided her as she absorbed the Gu God's power.
• Xu Qi'an recognized the power as the Gu God's blood and Qi, then let the Seven Absolutes Gu absorb it so it would not deplete Xu Lingyin's share.
• The elders marveled at Xu Lingyin's rapid progress, and one noticed that the Gu God's power around them was growing thinner.