Recaps

The South Sea elders debated whether to keep supplying blood to the failing formation, while Wei Gongzhan revealed that Ye Qing’s preserved dragon blood inside Chen Zhuo might offer a final chance. Chen Zhuo said the being within him had already begun absorbing it, and Ao Zhen rushed to stop him as his body turned crimson.

• The Nie Family elder urged the families to hold the formation for another quarter of an hour, and the Su Family elder reluctantly agreed before they withdrew.
• Wei Gongzhan explained that Ye Qing had left a spell in her blood to help Chen Zhuo if he was being controlled, and that the blood remained intact inside him.
• Chen Zhuo acknowledged Wei Gongzhan’s deduction but said the final chance was gone because the being inside him could absorb the blood.
• Ao Zhen transformed into dragon flames and charged at Chen Zhuo, but saw him already turning crimson as he began absorbing the dragon blood.

Ao Zhen stopped the monster inside Chen Zhuo from fully absorbing Ye Qing’s dragon blood, leaving him alive and exposing the truth about his mother’s intentions. Chen Zhuo warned that his race had plans across the dynasty and that no one was coming to save them.

• Ao Zhen fought Chen Zhuo, and Wei Gongzhan realized the spell in Ye Qing’s blood was counterattacking the monster after it forcibly absorbed the blood.
• Ao Zhen used a killing move without killing intent, severed Chen Zhuo’s head, and preserved more than half of the dragon blood.
• Chen Zhuo boasted that his race’s plan could not be stopped, while Wei Gongzhan challenged his claims of superiority.
• A Chen Household elder revealed that the dragon egg had originally been intended for Chen Zhuo, but his older brother secretly swallowed it to protect Ye Qing from the risk.
• Ao Zhen explained that Ye Qing had passed her inheritance to Chen Zhuo and urged him to examine the memories within it; Chen Zhuo avoided the elders’ gazes.
• Chen Zhuo warned Ao Zhen and the others that his race had plans beyond the South Sea, including the dynasty, the north, the Heavenly Capital, and Jiangnan.

As flames rose over South Sea City, Wei Gongzhan learned that the attack might be part of a plot targeting the leaders gathered in Cloud Capital and their home territories. Trapped inside a formation with Ao Zhen, he chose to send a warning to Wei Gongcheng, whom he and Murong Yunji trusted to protect Jiangnan.

• Ghost Shark and the tumor on his body dismissed the failed attack, saying South Sea City's formation would collapse within seven days unless reinforcements arrived.
• Chen Zhuo told Wei Gongzhan that someone among Jiangnan's upper ranks had been won over, and Wei realized the Celestial Master Assembly might be a trap aimed at absent leaders and their territories.
• Ao Zhen said the formation blocked travel in both directions and that he could contact only one person with a message of at most twenty characters.
• Wei Gongzhan considered possible traitors, including Xu Hu, Tian Heng, the Shen Family, and Wei Gongcheng, then asked Ao Zhen to warn Wei Gongcheng.
• Murong Yunji backed Wei Gongcheng as the person in Jiangnan most worthy of trust, and Ao Zhen agreed to send him a message.

Wei Gongcheng concealed Ao Zhen’s warning that the South Sea would fall within seven days and Jiangnan faced upheaval, while the leaders in Liuzhou discussed their unease and the possibility of a traitor. As everyone prepared to return to their posts, Wei Gongcheng heard Tian Heng and Shen Lao'er independently suspect the Shen Family and Tian Heng, confirming that someone among Jiangnan’s leaders had likely been compromised.

• Wei Gongcheng hid Ao Zhen’s report that the South Sea would fall within seven days and trouble was coming to Jiangnan, and he considered which of the leaders might have turned.
• Wei Gongcheng asked whether anyone had noticed anything unusual, and Shen Lao'er admitted he had felt a chilling sense of dread.
• Tian Heng described the West Sea Army’s successful recruitment and relocation efforts, easing the mood in the hall.
• Shen Laosan told everyone to return to their territories because their lord had not requested help and Ao Zhen’s report had not arrived.
• Wei Gongcheng heard Tian Heng and Shen Lao'er separately think that the Shen Family and Tian Heng were suspicious, and realized someone among Jiangnan’s upper ranks had likely been bought off.

Wei Gongcheng investigated who might have been bought off and identified Tian Heng as the likeliest suspect, though he remained uncertain. Xu Hu arrived and was asked how well he could fight Tian Heng, while Tian Heng headed toward the Stargazing Tower unaware of their suspicions.

• Wei Gongcheng told the assembled leaders to remain in Liuzhou City while he investigated a possible betrayal.
• The Shen Family questioned Wei Gongcheng about Ao Zhen’s report, and he admitted that everyone was a suspect.
• Xu Hu rushed to the government offices, and Wei Gongcheng gave him a karmic fruit to restore his strength.
• Wei Gongcheng asked Xu Hu how confidently he could face Tian Heng if Tian Heng rebelled, and Xu Hu angrily condemned the possibility.
• Wei Gongcheng said he considered Tian Heng seventy percent likely to be the traitor, while Tian Heng walked toward the Stargazing Tower with a dark expression.

At a New Year gathering in Liuzhou, Meng Sheng realized Tian Heng’s other subordinates were plotting against Chen Qing, while Tian Heng remained conflicted about their plans. The deputy generals urged Tian Heng to keep Meng Sheng under watch, and privately decided they might have to act for their indecisive leader.

• Tian Heng and his old subordinates gathered at the Stargazing Tower, where Meng Sheng teased them about their hard work and prosperous lives.
• Tian Heng recognized that his brothers’ ambition had grown as they gained power in the West Sea and considered the dangerous offer to betray Chen Qing while he was trapped in the Cloud Capital.
• Tian Ye joked that the brothers would protect Meng Sheng’s wealth and standing, prompting Tian Heng to rebuke him and leaving Meng Sheng suspicious and uneasy.
• Meng Sheng recalled how the Tian Household had once betrayed the King of Qin and slaughtered a former comrade’s family, deepening his fear that the brothers were preparing another betrayal.
• The deputy generals suggested watching Meng Sheng, but Tian Heng rejected killing him and said he needed time to think.
• The deputy generals privately judged Tian Heng too indecisive and resolved to make the decision for him.

Meng Sheng struggled to choose a side after learning that Tian Heng’s faction was preparing to rebel, fearing that either choice could endanger his family. Meanwhile, Xu Hu and the others assessed the troops available to resist Tian Heng and identified the West Sea Aquatic Clan as a crucial force to secure.

• Meng Sheng’s wife explained how much their family valued their peaceful life in Jiangnan, and Meng Sheng worried that refusing to choose a side would get them killed.
• Meng Sheng told his wife that his former comrades were plotting rebellion, and she supported him without trying to influence his decision.
• Xu Hu said only ten thousand troops could be recalled from the North Sea without weakening the defenses.
• Shen Laosan warned that Tian Heng had ten thousand elite Sea God Army fighters and might have outside support.
• Shen Lao'er identified the West Sea Aquatic Clan as a key force, and Wei Gongcheng understood what he meant.

Chen Qing explained how he had prepared for Tian Heng’s possible betrayal while Cloud Capital’s attacks threatened Jiangnan and the South Sea. Wei Gongcheng brought Xu Hu into the Underworld to give him the final trump card their lord had left in Liuzhou.

• Chen Baifeng learned that the South Sea Dragon Palace had betrayed the great households and feared South Sea City would fall without help.
• Chen Qing concluded that the Ancient Demon had orchestrated Cloud Capital’s plot and suspected Tian Heng was behind the attack on Jiangnan.
• Chen Qing told Shen Qi that he had favored Tian Heng to create a rift between him and the West Sea Aquatic Clan, leaving himself with justification to seize Tian Heng’s forces if he rebelled.
• Wei Gongcheng brought Xu Hu into the Underworld and said he had something to give him: their lord’s final trump card in Liuzhou.

Meng Sheng's old comrades pressured him to help Tian Heng target Liuzhou's South Door God, while Shen Lao'er and Shen Laosan assessed the signs of Tian Heng's rebellion. The chapter left the rebellion's true backing and Tian Heng's plan unclear.

• Meng Sheng met Tian Yunhu and Zhou Tengbin, who demanded that he support their plans rather than remain neutral.
• Tian Yunhu asked Meng Sheng to provide information on the South Door God and lure him away from his gate so they could attack him.
• Meng Sheng recalled being asked to betray a trusted comrade in the past and feared the same tragedy was about to happen again.
• Shen Lao'er told Shen Shiyi and Shen Laosan that Tian Heng was likely preparing to rebel, with the Celestial Master Mansion in the Cloud Capital possibly involved.
• Shen Lao'er and Shen Laosan concluded that Tian Heng could not easily take Liuzhou with the South Door God, the returning Fighter Army, and divided loyalties in the West Sea Army, so he must have another plan.

The West Sea Aquatic Clan debated whether to betray Jiangnan after a mysterious force offered them power in exchange for joining its plans. The Star Octopus leader proposed secretly waiting to see how the battle went, while hiding its own cold intentions.

• The Yaksha general and leaders of the West Sea clans discussed whether the mysterious messenger’s offer was worth turning against Jiangnan.
• The tiger prawn leader warned that the messenger’s power matched the terrifying monsters of the Demon Buddha Hall.
• The Ao Crab leader weighed the promise of reaching Dragon King Level against the clan’s growing ties and benefits in Jiangnan.
• The Star Octopus leader suggested accepting the mysterious force’s terms, delaying intervention, and choosing a side only after observing the battle.
• The other leaders found the plan persuasive, while the Star Octopus leader secretly smiled coldly.

Wei Gongcheng and the officials in Liuzhou debated how to respond to Tian Heng’s suspected rebellion while fearing an attack on the city or the Fighter Army. Meng Sheng lured Old Wolf away from the south gate, then triggered a signal at Great Azure Mountain as Shen Lao'er and the Mountain God prepared to act.

• Wei Gongcheng learned that scouts sent toward the West Sea had not returned, and Shen Shiyi urged him to activate Liuzhou’s city protection formation.
• Shen San explained that activating the formation could expose Liuzhou to a surprise attack on the Fighter Army, while leaving it down risked a sudden assault on the city.
• Meng Sheng invited Old Wolf to drink and eat venison at Great Azure Mountain, and Old Wolf left his post at Liuzhou’s south gate.
• At Great Azure Mountain, Meng Sheng revealed that he had deliberately lured Old Wolf there, then a surge of energy shot into the sky and Old Wolf realized Meng Sheng had made his move.
• After sensing the disturbance, Shen Lao'er and the Mountain God of Great Azure Mountain agreed that it was time for them to act.

Meng Sheng lured Old Wolf away from Liuzhou as Wei Gongcheng activated the city's defensive array and sent Youyun Jellyfish scouts to summon the Battle God Army. Tian Heng returned to the West Sea forces, revealing that their plan had anticipated Wei Gongcheng's response and that he was heading out to destroy the Battle God Army.

• Meng Sheng told Old Wolf that the plot had moved Great Azure Mountain beyond his return range, and Old Wolf spotted Tian Heng and the Four Generals of the West Sea waiting for him.
• Wei Gongcheng gave ten Youyun Jellyfish orders to deliver and explained to Xu Hu that he had used Old Wolf as bait to protect Liuzhou.
• Shen Shiyi entered the Underworld Grand Array's core, and the array's energy enveloped Liuzhou City.
• West Sea forces spotted the Youyun Jellyfish scouts as they slipped away, while Zhou Tengbin and a scarlet-eyed man discussed Wei Gongcheng's scheme.
• Tian Heng returned wounded, said he could not kill Old Wolf, and learned that Wei Gongcheng had activated Liuzhou's array to notify the Battle God Army.
• Tian Heng set out to destroy the Battle God Army, saying no one in Jiangnan would remain to oppose the West Sea once it was defeated.

The Ancient Demon clan prepared to destroy Chen Qing’s Jiangnan faction and seize the advantage across the realm, while setting plans in motion against the Xiao Household and King Xiang. The chapter ended with Duke of Song, presumed dead, arriving outside the capital with a companion.

• The Ancient Demon clan revealed that Tian Heng had originally been sent to kill Chen Qing and later joined his ranks as part of their scheme.
• Tian Heng led his army toward Jiangnan, while the Ancient Demons stayed behind to guard against Xu Hu and Wei Gongcheng.
• The red-robed woman said King Chujiang and agents among King Xiang’s followers were ready to strike once the ghost soldiers reached the border.
• Duke of Song arrived outside the capital with a companion, despite having already received a grand funeral.

Mu Hongqing used his art to guide a grateful former sailor into helping him and Liu Yu enter the capital unnoticed. Liu Yu hinted that Mu’s hidden methods could threaten his bond with his disciple, Chen Ying, before they turned to the important task Lord Ziyue had assigned them.

• A gate guard recognized Mu Hongqing as the commissioner who had saved his sister from water ghosts years earlier and welcomed him into the capital.
• Mu Hongqing’s companion revealed that his art planted cause and effect, letting him find indebted people and use their gratitude to secure help.
• Mu Hongqing and Liu Yu passed through the gate without attracting attention.
• Liu Yu joked that Mu Hongqing’s disciple, Chen Ying, might reject him if she learned about his art.
• Mu Hongqing reminded Liu Yu that they had come to handle the important task Lord Ziyue had assigned them.

Mu Hongqing and Liu Yu discussed the Capital’s hostile spirits, the Four Great Ghost Kings, and the mysterious power hunting Liu Yu and Ziyue. They suspected that power was moving against King Xiang’s forces and left off as Liu Yu began to reveal the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple’s weakness.

• Mu Hongqing and Liu Yu found the Capital deserted and discussed why its atmosphere was colder and more hostile than Jiangnan’s.
• Liu Yu explained that he had come to stop an ancient power from occupying the Capital, identifying it as the force that had hunted him and Ziyue for years.
• Liu Yu described his failed efforts to uncover the power’s origins, while Mu Hongqing connected its moves to the Celestial Master Mansion.
• Mu Hongqing reasoned that the power might exploit King Xiang’s absence and an infiltrated faction to attack his forces.
• Liu Yu confirmed their suspicions and said the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple had a major weakness, prompting Mu Hongqing to ask what it was.

The old Celestial Master warned the emperor that the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple was the weakness of his ghost army, while urging him to coexist with the Ancient Demons. At the Yuchi Residence, Yuchi Peng stood with his father against joining the Ghost Temple faction, then sensed Mu Hongqing’s arrival.

• The emperor asked whether one person could threaten his foundation, and the old Celestial Master explained that destroying the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple would extinguish the lamps sustaining the Ghost Generals.
• The old Celestial Master offered the emperor and King Xiang a share of the future if they coexisted with the Ancient Demons, and warned that defiance would make the emperor the last ruler of the human race.
• At the Yuchi Residence, Yuchi Peng brought his father food as the subordinate families pressed the Yuchi Household to join the imperial family’s Ghost Temple faction.
• Yuchi Peng told his father that Jiangnan’s gentle spiritual power differed from the resentment-based power of the Ghost Temple, and that Bloodline families should resist demons rather than become them.
• Yuchi Peng sensed that Mr. Mu Hongqing had arrived, and his father recognized that the Yuchi Household owed Mu Hongqing a great debt.

Mu Hongqing warned the Yuchi family head that His Majesty was trapped in Cloud Capital and the capital faced a calamity. He explained that Cloud Capital planned to seize the emperor’s ghost army, but the Yuchi family questioned how it could do so and why Mu Hongqing had come to them.

• Mu Hongqing visited the Yuchi family head, who recalled the divine herb that had saved Yuchi Peng and his mother and the favor the family owed him.
• Mu Hongqing said he had rescued his younger sister from the Lu family and stayed with her in Jiangnan for years.
• Mu Hongqing warned that His Majesty was trapped in Cloud Capital and that the capital would soon fall into chaos.
• Mu Hongqing explained that the Mother and Child Ghosts Temple kept the Gate of Yin and Yang open, enabling the emperor’s ghost army to exist.
• The Yuchi family head questioned how Cloud Capital could seize the army, and Yuchi Peng asked whether Mu Hongqing was speaking on Chen Qing’s behalf.
• Mu Hongqing said Lord Ziyue had decided to reveal the secret.

Old Yuchi asked Zhang Xun to open the Ghost Temple for the younger members of the Yuchi Household’s subordinate houses, while secretly trying to learn who might seize control of the capital. Zhang Xun agreed to arrange it that night, leaving Mu Hongqing and Liu Yu unsure who could take the capital so quickly.

• Old Yuchi visited Zhang Xun and refused to change the Yuchi Household’s stance on becoming Ghost Generals.
• Zhang Xun described the benefits of symbiosis with Ghost Generals, while Old Yuchi doubted his claims and asked about His Majesty.
• Old Yuchi explained that his subordinate households were close to rebelling and asked Zhang Xun to open the Ghost Temple for their younger members.
• Zhang Xun agreed to speak with the temple priests, General Luo, and the other noble households, and said he could arrange it that night.
• Old Yuchi returned home and told Mu Hongqing what he had learned; Mu Hongqing and Liu Yu wondered who else could quickly take control of the capital.

Wei Gongyu and the Wei Household’s younger members prepared to accept a Ghost Temple blessing while resenting the Yuchi Household for delaying them, but one quiet relative condemned their ingratitude. In the Yuchi Household’s inner hall, the Yuchi family head assured Mu Hongqing that his recruits among the vassal families were reliable and hinted that the Wei Household had another promising young talent besides Wei Gongcheng.

• Wei Gongyu warned the Wei Household’s younger members not to complain openly as they prepared to enter the Ghost Temple and receive a blessing.
• The younger members blamed the Yuchi family head for keeping the Wei Household out of Jiangnan’s gains and delaying its access to a Ghost General blessing.
• A tall, thin Wei Household man silently judged his relatives as ungrateful and shortsighted, recalling how Wei Gongcheng had been mistreated before rising to prominence.
• Mu Hongqing questioned whether the Yuchi family head’s young recruits could be trusted to infiltrate suspicious families and gather information about a possible rebellion.
• The Yuchi family head defended his judgment of people and told Mu Hongqing that the Wei Household had another promising young talent besides Wei Gongcheng.

At the Ghost Temple, Muye, the White Bone King, unexpectedly chose to select a human vessel himself. He noticed Wei Gongxing, who had hoped not to attract attention, and asked his name.

• Wei Gongyu and the other noble family members entered the vast Ghost Temple and waited nervously for the ritual to begin.
• The priest explained that the Ghost Generals on the Yin-Yang Road would choose among the kneeling children.
• Muye arrived and announced that he would choose someone himself, declining the priest’s offer to arrange a strong direct descendant’s body.
• Muye inspected the children and noticed that Wei Gongxing sighed with relief after Muye initially passed him.
• Muye turned back, asked his name, and Wei Gongxing introduced himself as the noble families watched resentfully.

Wei Gongxing was singled out by the King of White Bones, who demanded to know why he had no ambition to become a symbiotic host. Meanwhile, the Yuchi patriarch explained to Mu Hongqing that Wei Gongxing was a brilliant commander whose talents he had kept hidden, and Wei Gongxing ended the chapter on his knees before a powerful figure he believed intended to rebel against the emperor.

• The King of White Bones noticed Wei Gongxing’s lack of ambition and pressed him to explain why he had no expectations of being chosen as a symbiotic host.
• The Yuchi patriarch told Mu Hongqing that Wei Gongxing was a gifted commander who had helped turn the northern campaign around, then concealed his accomplishments to avoid attention.
• The Yuchi patriarch warned that Wei Gongxing could become a dangerous double-edged sword if given the chance to rise, and Mu Hongqing said he wanted to meet him.
• Wei Gongxing knelt before the powerful figure and begged forgiveness, convinced that the man intended to rebel against His Majesty.

Wei Gongxing openly refused Muye but impressed him with his perceptiveness, and Muye took him into the temple and revealed plans to rebel. Meanwhile, news of a powerful Ghost General’s reincarnation reached the Yuchi Household, where Mu Hongqing and the family head suspected Wei Gongxing had been chosen.

• Wei Gongxing told Muye he feared being drawn into a dangerous scheme, and Muye chose him for his intelligence despite his refusal.
• Muye led Wei Gongxing through a strange mist that separated them from the crowd, then asked him to assess the danger and chances of rebellion.
• Wei Gongxing reasoned that the capital was vulnerable but likely had hidden defenses, and that success depended on whether Muye could control King Xiang’s three hundred thousand Ghost Generals.
• Muye asked Wei Gongxing to join the plot and revealed that his unusual eyes were the Thousand Mechanisms Pupil.
• A steward told the Yuchi family head and Mu Hongqing that a top-tier Ghost General had reincarnated, and both men guessed that Wei Gongxing was the one chosen.

Wei Gongxing deduced that the Duke of Yan was the Ghost Temple’s inside man, while Yuchi Peng and Liu Yu concluded that the White Bone King’s public appearance was meant to hide a larger infiltration plan. The Yuchi household prepared to wait for intelligence from Wei Gongxing before deciding whether to act or flee.

• Wei Gongxing told the White Bone King that the Duke of Yan was likely the inside man and that the White Bone King’s open descent was meant to divert attention.
• Liu Yu explained to Yuchi Peng that the Ghost Temple’s forces were drawing attention while preparing to possess mortals in large numbers, and urged him to track their allies and resources that night.
• Yuchi Peng realized the enemy might have a way to turn mortals into Transcendents within hours, despite the usual adjustment period for Martial Souls.
• Mu Hongqing questioned why the Yuchi household would not inform the Duke of Ying, but the old Yuchi household head insisted they needed reliable intelligence before acting.
• The old Yuchi household head said Wei Gongxing would bring back crucial intelligence and revealed that the household had made preparations beforehand.

At court, officials argued over how to assign the newly awakened recruits while Wei Gongxing held the foremost seat as King Xiang’s Ghost General. Muye accepted command of the reestablished City Defense Guard, leaving Wei Gongyu wary of the newcomers’ unexplained plans.

• Wei Gongxing attended court in the foremost seat, and the officials debated how to place the new recruits amid a shortage of manpower.
• The Duke of Ying and the Duke of Yan argued over whether the recruits should reinforce the Imperial Guard or the Martial Temples.
• Shen Mao proposed rebuilding the City Defense Guard and placing Wei Gongyu in command.
• Muye agreed to the arrangement through Wei Gongyu, saying he would leave for the front once King Xiang returned.
• Wei Gongyu wondered why the newcomers had joined the City Defense Guard instead of infiltrating the Imperial Guard or Martial Temples.

The emperor and King Xiang assessed possible threats to the capital and suspected the Duke of Yue might be organizing a new force. On New Year's Eve, Wei Gongyu's patrol discovered an unsettling concentration of people at the southeastern Martial Temple, where scarlet-eyed members of his household revealed something was wrong.

• The emperor explained to King Xiang why the Imperial Guard and the Ghost Temples' priestly guard would be difficult for rebels to control, then suspected the Duke of Yue of building a separate force from new recruits.
• Wei Gongyu and the other young patrolmen complained that Wei Gongxing had ordered them out on patrol while taking the best yin ground for himself.
• Wei Gongyu's squad arrived at the southeastern Martial Temple and found far more people there than their assignment called for.
• Wei Gongyu sensed something strange among the crowd, and a fellow Wei Household youth saw more than a dozen of their brothers standing silently with scarlet eyes.