Chapter Summaries

The Heaven and Earth Society members gathered near Yongzhou to prepare for a battle against Heilian, and Number Eight arrived as an Asura monk. Asuro explained that he did not consider himself a Buddhist disciple, easing the group’s doubts about his allegiance.

• Chu Yuanzhen and Hengyuan met at the tomb robber’s tunnel and discussed Chu Yuanzhen’s unusual cultivation path and the origins of the major cultivation systems.
• Li Miaozhen, Li Lingsu, and Yang Qianhuan joined the gathering, and the members waited around a campfire for Daoist Jinlian and the others.
• Daoist Jinlian arrived and revealed that Xu Qi'an had been hiding in Li Miaozhen’s shadow.
• Number Eight emerged from the forest as a towering monk in a kasaya, and Li Lingsu recognized him as an Asura.
• Asuro said he did not consider himself a disciple of the Buddhist Order, then introduced himself by name to the Heaven and Earth Society.

Asuro revealed himself as a powerful Buddhist Second Rank and became the main force in the Heaven and Earth Society’s plan to kill Heilian, while Xu Qi'an promised to hold off Xu Pingfeng and Bodhisattva Jialuoshu. In Xunzhou, Yang Gong prepared to defend the city as the Yunzhou army arrived in overwhelming force, led by Ji Xuan.

• Asuro revealed his golden body and identified himself, leaving Li Lingsu, Li Miaozhen, and Chu Yuanzhen mortified after their earlier mockery.
• Daoist Jinlian reviewed the plan to kill Heilian in Qingzhou, and Xu Qi'an said he could hold off Xu Pingfeng and Bodhisattva Jialuoshu while the others finished the fight within a quarter of an hour.
• Li Miaozhen, Chu Yuanzhen, and Li Lingsu realized Xu Qi'an and Daoist Jinlian had concealed Asuro's identity and silently vowed to get back at them.
• Yang Gong arranged Xunzhou's defenses after learning the Yunzhou rebels were advancing, while Xu Xinnian, Miao Youfang, and Mosang joined the defenders on the walls.
• The Yunzhou army's main force of at least fifty thousand troops halted beyond cannon range, and Miao Youfang recognized the approaching rider as Ji Xuan.

Ji Xuan threatened Xunzhou and demanded Xu Xinnian, but Xu Qi'an arrived and rallied the defenders. Sun Xuanji summoned Great Feng’s leading Transcendents and nearly thirty Fourth Rank experts, setting the forces against Xu Pingfeng, Jialuoshu, and the Yunzhou rebels.

• Ji Xuan struck Xunzhou’s walls and demanded that Yang Gong hand over Xu Xinnian, threatening to raze the city.
• Xu Qi'an’s cloud-formed face appeared over Xunzhou, restoring the defenders’ morale as they shouted their support for him.
• Xu Qi'an landed before Ji Xuan, while Xu Pingfeng and Bodhisattva Jialuoshu manifested with their Dharma Idols.
• Sun Xuanji summoned Kou Yangzhou, Luo Yuheng, Zhao Shou, and nearly thirty Fourth Rank experts to join Xu Qi'an.
• Xu Qi'an ordered the assembled forces to annihilate the rebels in the Empress’s name.

Xu Qi'an rallied Great Feng’s defenders and led its Transcendent experts into battle against Bodhisattva Jialuoshu, preparing a combined attack with the Nation-Guarding Sword. The chapter ended with his world-shaking strike about to land, while Qingzhou’s prisoners suffered torture and abuse under the Yunzhou occupiers.

• Xu Qi'an arrived at Yongzhou with Transcendent and Fourth Rank experts, restoring the defenders’ morale as Yang Gong led them in a cry of defiance.
• Ji Xuan called on Bodhisattva Jialuoshu to test Great Feng’s strength, and Sun Xuanji’s formations failed to slow the Bodhisattva.
• Xu Qi'an asked Kou Yangzhou and Luo Yuheng to help break Jialuoshu’s defenses, and they unleashed a torrent of sabers and Luo Yuheng’s Heart Sword.
• Xu Qi'an summoned the Nation-Guarding Sword, combined Shenshu’s power with the Power of All Living Beings, and gathered strength for Jade Shatters.
• Xu Pingfeng tried to deploy a formation as Jialuoshu charged, but Zhao Shou forbade formations and empowered Xu Qi'an’s sword strike with Words Become Law.
• In occupied Qingzhou, the Yunzhou forces subjected prisoners to brutal torture while depraved Earth Sect Daoists abused women in the cells.

Li Miaozhen, Li Lingsu, Hengyuan, and Jinlian struck at the Earth Sect while Xu Qi'an and his allies fought Bodhisattva Jialuoshu outside Xunzhou. Xu Qi'an shattered Jialuoshu's Vajra Dharma Idol, and Xu Pingfeng attempted to teleport the depleted Transcendents away as the chapter ended.

• Daoist Chilian ordered his disciples to imprison families and exploit their women, but Li Miaozhen, Li Lingsu, and Hengyuan ambushed him and killed him with a Heart Sword.
• Li Miaozhen told Hengyuan to kill every Earth Sect fiendish Daoist in the dungeon, while Daoist Jinlian confronted Heilian at the Provincial Surveillance Commission and Asuro revealed himself as an Arhat.
• Kou Yangzhou broke through Bodhisattva Jialuoshu's spatial barrier, and Luo Yuheng's Heart Sword briefly dazed Jialuoshu.
• Xu Qi'an used the Nation-Guarding Sword to strike Jialuoshu's Vajra Dharma Idol, shattering it and lifting the defenders' morale while Ji Xuan despaired at the gap between them.
• Xu Pingfeng activated a formation and sent its bronze disc dozens of li away, but Xu Qi'an mocked his attempt to teleport the Transcendents.

Xu Qi'an and the Transcendents fought Xu Pingfeng and Jialuoshu above Xunzhou while Asuro and Jinlian launched their plan to kill Heilian in Qingzhou. After Jinlian purified the defeated Earth Sect Daoists, he agreed to explain the Earth Book’s secret later and head to Xunzhou to help Xu Qi'an.

• Xu Qi'an pursued Xu Pingfeng for the bronze disc, but Jialuoshu stopped his Intent strike while Zhao Shou forbade Xu Pingfeng from teleporting away.
• Xu Qi'an assigned Kou Yangzhou to fight Ji Xuan, Luo Yuheng and Sun Xuanji to contain Xu Pingfeng, and himself and Zhao Shou to hold off Jialuoshu.
• Asuro attacked Heilian at the Provincial Surveillance Commission, while Jinlian used the Earth Book Fragments to break the formation protecting Heilian.
• Asuro and the real Jinlian exposed their decoy and defeated Heilian after he tried to devour the fake Jinlian, then Jinlian purified the fleeing Earth Sect Daoists.
• Asuro asked what Heilian had meant about the Earth Book; Jinlian promised to explain to the Heaven and Earth Society before they left for Xunzhou.

Xu Qi'an and Great Feng's Transcendents battled Xu Pingfeng and Jialuoshu at Xunzhou, while Asuro arrived after Heilian's defeat and joined their fight. The Yunzhou army retreated from Xunzhou, giving Great Feng its first major victory since Qingzhou fell and strengthening Huaiqing's position.

• Xu Qi'an and his allies targeted Ji Xuan, but Jialuoshu and Xu Pingfeng stopped their attack and nearly killed Kou Yangzhou before Zhao Shou and Xu Qi'an intervened.
• Ji Xuan warned that Jialuoshu's Vajra Divine Art would soon recover, while Daoist Jinlian stayed behind to refine Heilian and Asuro departed for Xunzhou.
• Asuro arrived at Xunzhou, shattered Ji Xuan's weapon and wounded him, then joined Xu Qi'an and Kou Yangzhou in confronting Jialuoshu.
• Asuro declared his betrayal of the Buddhist Order and vowed to settle the deaths of his people and father with it.
• The Yunzhou army retreated from Xunzhou, and Xu Erlang and the defenders celebrated their victory as news that could bolster Huaiqing's accession.

Xu Qi'an and his allies defeated Xu Pingfeng's group in a brutal battle, though the enemies escaped and Luo Yuheng's impending tribulation remained a threat. As the victors regrouped and planned their next moves, Xu Pingfeng resolved to discover Xu Qi'an's Dao, and a banquet in Xunzhou ended with Miao Youfang interrupting Li Lingsu before he could provoke Protector Yuan.

• Xu Qi'an, Asuro, and Kou Yangzhou repeatedly wounded Jialuoshu, while Zhao Shou stopped Xu Pingfeng's formation and Ji Xuan attacked Sun Xuanji.
• Sun Xuanji bound Ji Xuan with Netherworld Silkworm Silk, and Luo Yuheng struck him with her flying sword, but Xu Pingfeng seized the sword before Zhao Shou forced him to release it.
• Jialuoshu withdrew with Xu Pingfeng and Ji Xuan; Xu Qi'an's allies treated their wounds and discussed Luo Yuheng's coming tribulation and plans to use teleportation formations.
• Xu Pingfeng learned that Heilian and the Earth Sect's wicked Daoists had died, then resolved to uncover the power Xu Qi'an had gained through Dao Integration.
• Xunzhou soldiers celebrated their victory, while Yang Gong hosted a banquet where Miao Youfang interrupted Li Lingsu as he approached Protector Yuan.

At a banquet in Xunzhou, Protector Yuan exposed the private thoughts of Li Lingsu, Xiao Yuenu, and Li Miaozhen, prompting the Heaven and Earth Society members to plan to use his ability for revenge. Meanwhile, the Yunzhou generals reckoned with their losses and Ji Xuan learned that Xu Qi'an had killed his younger brother Ji Yuan, as an intruder slipped into Luo Yuheng’s room.

• Miao Youfang baited Li Lingsu into testing Protector Yuan, who revealed Li Lingsu’s secret affair with a Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion woman and humiliated them both.
• Protector Yuan exposed Xiao Yuenu’s feelings for Silver Gong Xu and Li Miaozhen’s feelings for Xu Ningyan, embarrassing both women and ending the banquet early.
• Li Lingsu, Li Miaozhen, Chu Yuanzhen, and Miao Youfang decided to seek Sun Xuanji’s help in using Protector Yuan to embarrass Daoist Jinlian and Asuro.
• Qi Guangbo told the Yunzhou generals that their army had suffered heavy casualties, Heilian had been killed by Asuro, and Xu Qi'an had orchestrated the trap that led to their defeat.
• Ji Xuan opened a box containing Ji Yuan’s severed head and roared Xu Qi'an’s name in grief and rage.
• A furtive figure entered the residence where Luo Yuheng was cultivating, and she ordered the intruder to speak from outside and leave.

Xu Qi'an persuaded Luo Yuheng to dual cultivate before her karmic fire returned, while Huaiqing used news of his victory at Xunzhou to secure support for plans to reclaim farmland and expand trade. The chapter ended with Daoist Jinlian announcing that he had refined Heilian's Primordial Spirit and was ready to reveal secrets about the Earth Book Fragments.

• Xu Qi'an visited Luo Yuheng and argued that they could dual cultivate before her karmic fire backlashed; after resisting him, she agreed to do so once.
• At court, Huaiqing proposed opening border markets to increase trade and ordered the court to investigate land sales and have buyers resell fields to the government.
• Huaiqing announced that Xu Qi'an had won a great victory at Xunzhou, slain the Earth Sect's Daoist leader, and defeated Yunzhou's Transcendent experts, silencing opposition to her plans.
• The news of Xu Qi'an's victory spread through the capital, boosting public confidence in Huaiqing's reign.
• In Xunzhou, Daoist Jinlian sent a message saying he had preliminarily refined Heilian's Primordial Spirit and could reveal secrets about the Earth Book Fragments.

Daoist Jinlian revealed that the Earth Book had been forged from Divine Seals and the Dao Venerable’s Primordial Spirit, leading Xu Qi'an to connect its history to the Gatekeeper and the Warlock System. The Heaven and Earth Society discussed the looming threat of the White Emperor, while events at Xunzhou and the capital continued toward Xu Qi'an and Lin'an’s wedding.

• Daoist Jinlian explained that the Dao Venerable had destroyed the Incense-Fire Divine Dao and used its Divine Seals to create the Earth Book, whose spirit was the Dao Venerable’s Primordial Spirit.
• Xu Qi'an linked the Earth Book’s origins to the Gatekeeper, the Warlock System, and the First Chief Astrologer’s rise, then suggested that the Buddha and Shaman God used Incense-Fire methods to condense Fate and extend their lives.
• Huaiqing asked the Heaven and Earth Society for plans against the White Emperor, but the members had no countermeasure and agreed to keep discussing the crisis.
• Auntie prepared to visit the palace with Wang Simu to discuss Xu Qi'an and Lin'an’s wedding, while Xu Lingyue refused to accompany them.
• At Xunzhou, Xu Qi'an arranged teleportation formations with Sun Xuanji and Protector Yuan, but Protector Yuan repeated Xu Qi'an’s private thoughts about Luo Yuheng, prompting her to chase Xu Qi'an into the sky with her sword.

Wang Simu and Auntie visited the empress dowager to discuss Xu Qi'an and Lin'an’s marriage, while Huaiqing pieced together clues about the Dao Venerable and ordered wedding preparations. In Xunzhou, Xu Qi'an arrived at a military meeting with a divine sword stuck in his head as punishment from the state preceptor, then used the same condition to threaten Protector Yuan.

• Auntie and Wang Simu met the empress dowager, and Wang Simu assured her that Xu Qi'an loved Lin'an and would not let her down.
• Huaiqing linked the Dao Venerable, the incense-fire divine Dao, the warlocks, and the Gatekeeper, then ordered Xu Qi'an’s companion sent to the Xu Residence and announced that Xu Qi'an and Lin'an would marry in one month.
• Protector Yuan arrived at the Xunzhou conference hall in shackles and a cangue, explaining that Xu Qi'an had punished him for speaking carelessly.
• Xu Qi'an entered with a divine sword embedded in his head and said the state preceptor would forgive him only when the sword did.
• Xu Qi'an told Protector Yuan that he would forgive him only after the state preceptor forgave him, leaving Protector Yuan alarmed before Xu Xinnian began the meeting.

Xu Qi'an and Great Feng’s leaders planned for the coming Yunzhou offensive as Huaiqing’s policies offered a way to ease the shortage of money and provisions. After discussing how to reach First Rank, Xu Qi'an asked Master Shenshu how a martial warrior could advance to it.

• At the Yongzhou council, Yang Gong described the shortages of money and provisions, and the officials discussed recruiting refugees and setting defenses against Yunzhou.
• Xu Qi'an told the officials that Huaiqing would open border markets and reclaim land to fund the court and settle refugees.
• Ge Wenxuan and the Yunzhou commanders assessed Huaiqing’s policies, while Qi Guangbo ordered preparations to attack Yongzhou and then march on Yuzhou within half a month.
• Huaiqing told Xu Qi'an to help Luo Yuheng through her tribulation and find a way to advance to First Rank, while explaining why she would not abandon the capital.
• Xu Qi'an considered the mystery of First Rank martial warriors, unsealed Master Shenshu’s right arm, and asked how a martial warrior advanced to First Rank.

Xu Qi'an traveled to the Southern Frontier to return Shenshu’s right arm and learn how to advance to the First Rank, while Mu Nanzhi moved into the Xu Residence and impressed Auntie. Shenshu’s body parts fought before reconciling, and Shenshu began answering Xu Qi'an’s question by asking what made him different from other martial warriors.

• Xu Qi'an decided to seek guidance from the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox and Shenshu after Shenshu’s right arm could not explain how to reach the First Rank.
• Luo Yuheng learned Xu Qi'an would marry Princess Lin'an in a month and sent a disciple to tell Mu Nanzhi.
• Mu Nanzhi moved into the Xu Residence, argued with Auntie about a nine-star orchid, and made it bloom in exchange for being called elder sister.
• Xu Qi'an arrived at Southern Dharma Temple with Sun Xuanji and Protector Yuan, where the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox revealed that her own path to the First Rank depended on awakening her divine essence.
• Shenshu’s right arm emerged from Xu Qi'an, but his other body parts rejected it and fought until they reconciled.
• Xu Qi'an asked Shenshu how to advance to the First Rank, and Shenshu asked what distinguished him from other martial warriors.

Xu Qi'an learned from Shenshu that First Rank martial warriors fused essence, Qi, and spirit and might be part of a Martial God, while Shenshu warned him to keep the Dragon Qi. Elsewhere, the White Emperor planned to seize the Superintendent’s power, and Xu Qi'an prepared to travel to the capital for Luo Yuheng’s coming tribulation.

• Shenshu explained that First Rank martial warriors fused essence, Qi, and spirit, and that the rank might be a transition toward becoming a Martial God.
• Shenshu’s right arm urged Xu Qi'an to keep the Dragon Qi and questioned why the Superintendent had sent him across the martial world.
• The White Emperor revealed that he had lost half his spiritual essence and intended to refine the Superintendent before attacking the Central Plains.
• Salun Agu told the Shaman God's statue that his divination foretold great fortune in the spring sacrifice.
• After five days of dual cultivation with Yeji, Xu Qi'an told her he was going to the capital because Luo Yuheng would undergo her tribulation in three days.

As Luo Yuheng prepared to undergo a thirteen-day tribulation, Great Feng’s allies planned to hold off Yunzhou’s Transcendents while the armies prepared for a decisive battle. The chapter ended with both sides rallying for war as the White Emperor returned to the Nine Provinces.

• Daoist Jinlian explained that Luo Yuheng’s Heavenly Tribulation would last thirteen days, and the Heaven and Earth Society planned to tie down Xu Pingfeng and face Jialuoshu and the White Emperor.
• Yeji asked the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox to help Xu Qi'an, but the fox refused because she was already holding the Buddhist Order in check.
• Huaiqing visited Wei Yuan’s sleeping body and wondered whether he had planned for her to take the throne, while the Bodhisattvas warned Jialuoshu not to be caught in Luo Yuheng’s tribulation.
• Yang Gong urged Great Feng’s leaders and allies to face their deaths for the kingdom and the Central Plains as the siege of Xunzhou approached its decisive battle.
• Qi Guangbo and Ji Xuan led Yunzhou’s officers in vowing to flatten Yongzhou, and the White Emperor returned to the Nine Provinces, raising Yunzhou’s morale.

Huaiqing prepared for Luo Yuheng’s tribulation while Xu Qi'an vowed to share life and death with her. As Yunzhou’s forces ravaged Yongzhou, Xu Xinnian’s Heaven-Encompassing Divine Mirror revealed Zhuo Haoran’s location, and Kou Yangzhou confronted Xu Pingfeng and Ji Xuan at the border.

• Huaiqing weighed possible battlefields on a sand table and decided the Northern Territory was the safest place for Luo Yuheng’s tribulation.
• Imperial guards escorted the Xu Household’s women into the palace as the court prepared for the possibility of defeat.
• Xu Qi'an and Luo Yuheng left the capital after he promised that they would live or die together.
• Yunzhou’s army captured and massacred Nanguan City, prompting Yang Gong to assign troops to rapid reinforcements and guerrilla warfare.
• Xu Xinnian used the Heaven-Encompassing Divine Mirror, which showed him Zhuo Haoran in a military tent.
• Kou Yangzhou crossed into Qingzhou and challenged Xu Pingfeng and Ji Xuan.

Xu Xinnian and the Heaven and Earth Society members killed Zhuo Haoran in a coordinated ambush, while Qi Guangbo tightened security around the Yunzhou army. In Chu Prefecture, Xu Qi'an protected Luo Yuheng from the White Emperor’s attack and claimed to be the Dao Venerable’s reincarnation, shocking the White Emperor.

• Kou Yangzhou clashed with Xu Pingfeng but abandoned his attempt to force his way into Qingzhou after recognizing the Power of All Living Beings protecting it.
• Xu Xinnian used the Heaven-Encompassing Divine Mirror to locate Zhuo Haoran and coordinated a dusk attack with the Heaven and Earth Society members.
• Yang Qianhuan, Chu Yuanzheng, Li Miaozhen, Li Lingsu, Xu Xinnian, and Master Hengyuan killed Zhuo Haoran in a rapid ambush and rescued a dying captive.
• Qi Guangbo ordered experts of the fifth rank and above to stay in groups of three after learning of Zhuo Haoran’s assassination.
• Xu Qi'an intercepted the White Emperor’s water-lightning attack on Luo Yuheng, crushed it, and declared that he was the Dao Venerable’s reincarnation.

Xu Qi'an stalled the White Emperor by trading ancient secrets while Luo Yuheng began her Golden Core Tribulation. When Jialuoshu attacked, Asuro and his allies fought back, and Daoist Jinlian turned the White Emperor’s strike into a blow against Jialuoshu.

• Xu Qi'an told the White Emperor that the Warlock System came from the Incense-Fire Divine Dao and that the Dao Venerable had destroyed it and forged the Earth Book from its Divine Seals.
• The White Emperor explained that the Heaven Sect incarnation had merged into the Heavenly Dao, and that Heaven Sect leaders disappeared through their cultivation of Unity of Heaven and Human.
• As Luo Yuheng endured the first four bolts of her Golden Core Tribulation, Jialuoshu attacked her with his Vajra Dharma Idol while Xu Qi'an could no longer stall him.
• Asuro confronted Jialuoshu, and Zhao Shou strengthened him with a Confucian declaration, but Jialuoshu overwhelmed him and tore off his arms.
• Daoist Jinlian weakened Jialuoshu's good fortune, causing the White Emperor's water-lightning sphere, aimed at Xu Qi'an, to strike Jialuoshu and drive him back.

Asuro, Zhao Shou, and Daoist Jinlian used their different abilities to wound and restrain Jialuoshu, while Xu Qi'an fought the White Emperor and protected Luo Yuheng during her tribulation. The White Emperor kept targeting Luo Yuheng, and Xu Qi'an emerged from its shadow to attack it at close range.

• Asuro used the Peace Saber against Jialuoshu while Zhao Shou and Daoist Jinlian supported him, and Zhao Shou’s words sent Daoist Jinlian out of danger.
• Daoist Jinlian’s reduced fortune drew Luo Yuheng’s tribulation lightning onto Jialuoshu, allowing Zhao Shou to pierce his chest with the Confucian Sage’s Carving Knife.
• Xu Qi'an healed and challenged the White Emperor, then intercepted its water-lightning sphere before it struck Luo Yuheng.
• The White Emperor attacked Luo Yuheng with water-spirit arrows while Xu Qi'an vanished into shadow.
• Xu Qi'an emerged beneath the White Emperor and thrust the Nation-Guarding Sword toward its genitals.