Recaps

Zhou Wuji discovered that over a thousand barbarians were approaching Golden Sands Fort and helped Xie Lingyun prepare the Fire Phoenix Army to defend it. He stayed rather than flee with Princess Taihe, then borrowed her Sky Silk Sword to face the barbarian experts.

• Zhou Wuji spotted the barbarians attacking a nearby stockade and woke Yang Tie Ying before warning Xie Lingyun that the enemy was only twenty li away.
• Xie Lingyun ordered the Fire Phoenix Army to arm and assemble, while Zhou Wuji urged him to stand and fight rather than retreat.
• Zhou Wuji refused Wang Mingzhen's demand to evacuate Princess Taihe and subdued her with his Sword Intent.
• Zhou Wuji told Yin Le about the approaching barbarians and asked to borrow the Sky Silk Sword.
• Yin Le handed Zhou Wuji the Sky Silk Sword and expressed hope that he would not need to use it.

Cui Yuancheng led a thousand barbarians to attack Golden Sands Fort, where Zhou Wuji and Xie Lingyun’s Fire Phoenix Army had prepared an ambush. Witchcraft countered the army’s battle formation, and the fighting turned fierce as Zhou Wuji advanced under a conspicuous divine incantation.

• Cui Yuancheng guided Tie Ying and the barbarian army to Golden Sands Fort and warned Tie Ying that killing the commander could break the Fire Phoenix Army’s formation.
• Tie Ying sent Tie Chui and Tie Shan to charge the fort, where the Fire Phoenix Army’s arrows and battle formation killed and slowed many barbarians.
• Tie Ying struck Cui Yuancheng and used the Four Aspects Wooden Staff’s Horse Incantation to connect and strengthen the barbarians, overcoming the formation’s suppression.
• Zhou Wuji and Xie Lingyun retreated to the fort’s central square as the barbarians broke through the gate and attacked at close quarters.
• Zhou Wuji improved his Heavenly Puppet Technique, applied the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Divine Incantation to himself, and charged toward the front, drawing Wang Mingzhen’s notice.

Zhou Wuji used the Sky Silk Sword to cut through the barbarian ranks and kill their strongest fighters, turning the battle at Golden Sands Fort. His assault broke the thousand-strong barbarian army’s formation and morale, and the Fire Phoenix Army charged as the barbarians fled.

• Wang Mingzhen urged Yin Le to escape, but Yin Le stayed and ordered the Black Tortoise Secret Guards to help the Fire Phoenix Army.
• Zhou Wuji killed a fourth-rank barbarian wielding a melon-shaped hammer, then used the Water Moon Sword to slay more than a dozen barbarian experts.
• Xie Lingyun intercepted a fourth-rank barbarian while Zhou Wuji fought through the surrounding spearmen and rejoined him.
• Zhou Wuji killed Tie Shan despite Tie Shan activating the Monkey Incantation, then cut a path through the barbarian guards.
• Xie Lingyun rallied the Fire Phoenix Army to charge, and Zhou Wuji’s slaughter drove the barbarians into retreat.

Zhou Wuji fought through the barbarian army to kill Priest Tie Ying, whose shamanic incantation had strengthened the troops and restored their resolve. With Tie Ying dead, the barbarians' courage collapsed and the army fled, while Yin Le praised Zhou Wuji's victory.

• Tie Ying cast the Ox Incantation, strengthening the barbarians and suppressing Zhou Wuji's Divine Sense and True Qi.
• Zhou Wuji identified Tie Ying as the source of the incantation and decided to kill him before the barbarians could regroup.
• Zhou Wuji replenished his strength and charged through the army, while Xie Lingyun could not keep pace and Yin Le recognized his target.
• Tie Ying concealed himself with the Rat Incantation, but Zhou Wuji used the Big Dipper Star Eye to locate him and cut through the guards protecting him.
• Zhou Wuji's sword wheels killed Tie Ying, Cui Yuancheng, and several guards, causing the barbarian army to lose heart and scatter.

Zhou Wuji helped the Fire Phoenix Army defeat the barbarians, pursued the fleeing forces, and healed its gravely wounded soldiers. After Wang Mingzhen tried to persuade him and Xie Lingyun to conceal Princess Taihe’s presence, Xie Lingyun arrested her and planned to report her actions; Zhou Wuji prepared to escort the princess to Jingyang.

• Zhou Wuji gave the Fire Phoenix Army's officers Six Yang Spirit Eyes, pursued the fleeing barbarians, and helped the army take more than seven hundred heads by daybreak.
• Zhou Wuji treated the gravely wounded soldiers, saving them with the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique and medicines.
• Wang Mingzhen urged Zhou Wuji and Xie Lingyun to hide Princess Taihe’s unauthorized visit, but Xie Lingyun accused her of proposing the crime of deceiving the sovereign.
• When Wang Mingzhen’s guards drew their swords against Xie Lingyun, he killed them, forced Wang Mingzhen to write and sign a confession, and confined her.
• Xie Lingyun said he would report Wang Zhenyuan to the Ministry of War, while Zhou Wuji suggested escorting Princess Taihe away; Xie Lingyun arranged fifty cavalrymen to accompany them to Jingyang.

After defeating the barbarians at Golden Sands Fort, Zhou Wuji escorted Princess Taihe, Yin Le, safely to Jingyang and used the fates he had gained to advance several Daoist arts. He left the story at the prefect’s residence, where Li Duan asked him about the princess and the battle.

• Xie Lingyun told Zhou Wuji that Princess Taihe had accepted the arrangement concerning Wang Mingzhen, and Zhou Wuji guided the departed souls to the afterlife.
• Zhou Wuji returned the Sky Silk Sword to Yin Le and agreed to escort her from Golden Sands Fort to Jingyang.
• Zhou Wuji’s party reached Jade River County, where he examined the fates gained from killing more than a hundred barbarians and advanced several Daoist arts.
• Zhou Wuji escorted Yin Le into Jingyang four days later, and Li Duan welcomed her before privately questioning Zhou Wuji about her and the battle at Golden Sands Fort.

After reporting his victory at Golden Sands Fort, Zhou Wuji returned to the Upper Court, where True Person Zhihua warned him to avoid political entanglements and further danger. Meanwhile, Yin Le prepared to thank Zhou Wuji before Yin Que took her back to the Heavenly Capital.

• Prefect Li Duan praised Zhou Wuji for defeating the barbarians and protecting Princess Taihe, and promised to request recognition for his service.
• Zhou Wuji declined to return to Golden Sands Fort and told Princess Taihe’s guard that he would rest at the Upper Court, where the princess planned to visit him.
• True Person Zhihua warned Zhou Wuji not to underestimate Princess Taihe, become involved in the prince-consort issue, spend his major merits, or seek further confrontations with the barbarians.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji that his victory had brought praise and donations to the Upper Court and that the main court would likely award him another major merit.
• Yin Que arrived at the prefectural residence and told Yin Le they would return to the Heavenly Capital, but Yin Le insisted on repaying Zhou Wuji for saving her.
• Yin Le asked to use Yin Que’s Azure Cloud Treasure Robe as a gift for Zhou Wuji, and Yin Que agreed.

Princess Taihe visited Jingyang Upper Court to offer thanks and gave Zhou Wuji an Azure Cloud Treasure Robe for saving her life. After returning to the capital, she told Emperor Tianhong that Zhou Wuji was an extraordinary swordsman, and the emperor considered rewarding him while worrying that his daughter might have fallen for the Daoist.

• Princess Taihe arrived at Upright Yang Peak, where True Person Zhihua and Zhou Wuji welcomed her before leading her up the mountain to worship.
• After offering incense, Yin Le thanked Zhou Wuji for saving her and gave him an Azure Cloud Treasure Robe, while donating gold and brocade to the Upper Court.
• True Person Zhihua examined the robe and explained its protective enchantments before teasing Zhou Wuji about it being a token of love.
• Yin Que carried Yin Le back to the Heavenly Capital, where Emperor Tianhong summoned his daughter to Funing Palace after her return.
• Yin Le described the barbarians as formidable and praised Zhou Wuji's swordsmanship, prompting Emperor Tianhong to consider rewarding him and privately worry that Yin Le had fallen for him.

Zhou Wuji accepted ten thousand taels of gold from Zhang Dingyang in exchange for letting their dispute go, then learned the court would reward him. The chapter ended as an imperial edict was presented before the upper academy, with Zhou Wuji waiting to hear what honor he would receive.

• Zhang Dingyang knelt before Zhou Wuji, begged for mercy, and offered ten thousand taels of gold for his protection.
• Zhou Wuji accepted the offering and told Yang Tie Ying that cultivators should be tolerant, while speculating Zhang Dingyang had heard news from the court.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji that the court had decided to reward him and warned him to remain inside until the imperial edict arrived.
• Yuan Zhifeng arrived with envoys from the Heavenly Master's Manor and requested a formal public ceremony for the imperial edict.
• Abbot True Person Zhiyun presided as the upper academy assembled, and Yuan Zhifeng took the edict from the incense table while Zhou Wuji awaited its contents.

Zhou Wuji received a sixth-rank Tianshu Sword and used his growing fame to organize Dharma assemblies that drew huge crowds and showcased his healing arts. After seven days of preaching, monks from Dragon Elephant Temple watched and debated his methods, while Xinru urged Xinkong to endure Zhou Wuji until he left for Chuyang.

• Quan Zhiguang presented Zhou Wuji with the Tianshu Sword, and Zhou Wuji thanked the court and built a warm relationship with the elder.
• Zhou Wuji healed dock laborers with the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique, prompting them to spread stories of his miraculous powers.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji to clear the Yin Devils from the Nine Yin Underground Palace and supported his plan to hold Dharma assemblies.
• True Person Zhiyun approved Zhou Wuji's plan, and Zhou Wuji began preaching outside Jingyang City's north gate before crowds exceeding a hundred thousand.
• Over six days, Zhou Wuji used the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique to heal selected believers, drawing still larger crowds to the assemblies.
• Xinru, Xinkong, and other Dragon Elephant Temple monks watched Zhou Wuji's seventh assembly; Xinru defended the orthodox Daoist arts and told Xinkong that Zhou Wuji would soon leave for Chuyang.

After the seven-day Dharma assembly, Zhou Wuji received the Pure Yang Lotus Crown from True Person Zhiyun for protection in the dangerous Nine Yin Underground Palace. He entered the secret realm and found it filled with Fourth Rank Yin Devils, which offered the Origin Profound Qi he needed to advance his cultivation.

• Monk Xinru accepted that Zhou Wuji’s growing influence made him too formidable to challenge, while cultivators from several sects helped keep order at the Dharma assembly.
• Li Yiyang and Leng Yiming praised Zhou Wuji’s skill at spreading the teachings as the seven-day Dharma assembly concluded.
• Zhou Wuji told True Person Zhiyun that he would enter the Nine Yin Underground Palace, and the abbot gave him the Pure Yang Lotus Crown to counter Yin Qi and filth.
• True Person Zhiyun warned Zhou Wuji to guard against trouble involving women, prompting Zhou Wuji to suspect that rivals at the main court might be plotting against him.
• Zhou Wuji tested the Pure Yang Lotus Crown, then entered the underground palace with Elder Zhixing’s guidance and left Heavenly Pivot Hall’s affairs in the elder’s hands.
• Zhou Wuji reached a vast hall where Fourth Rank Yin Devils attacked him, and he welcomed them as a source of Origin Profound Qi.

Zhou Wuji cleared Yin Devils in the Nine Yin Underground Palace, using their Origin Profound Qi to advance his cultivation by ten Form Heavens. After a Third Rank Yin Devil appeared and overwhelmed his defenses, he struck back with the Tianshu Sword and lightning, but the fight remained unresolved.

• Zhou Wuji killed the first wave of Yin Devils with the Tianshu Sword and explored the ancient underground palace.
• He tested his Law Techniques against successive waves of Yin Devils, then relied on the Seven Star Demon-Slaying Spirit Sword to kill them efficiently.
• After more than twenty days of hunting, Zhou Wuji used the collected Origin Profound Qi to break through ten Form Heavens and increase his total True Qi by ten thousand.
• A Third Rank Yin Devil emerged and forced Zhou Wuji to reinforce himself with three protective incantations as its Yin Qi crushed his defenses.
• Zhou Wuji attacked with the Tianji Profound Yang Sword Qi and Northern Dipper Heavenly Pivot Yin Thunder, blasting through the Yin Qi around him.

After killing a Third Rank Yin Devil, Zhou Wuji returned to the Upper Court, reunited with Wuming, and prepared for the New Year. During his secret ordination and talisman bestowal, he used the Big Dipper Star Eye to draw on the North Pole Heavenly Emperor’s wish power, but sensed an unexpected change.

• Zhou Wuji converted the Third Rank Yin Devil’s fate into Origin Profound Qi, opened his eleventh Form Heaven acupoint, and realized the Heavenly Puppet might be a First Rank Law Treasure or something even more unusual.
• Over the following days, Zhou Wuji fed Origin Profound Qi to the Five Spirit Pouch’s Yin Spirits and the Vanishing Shadow Yin Dragon Steed before leaving the Nine Yin Underground Palace on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month.
• Wuming welcomed Zhou Wuji back, and the two shared an affectionate reunion before Yang Tie Ying returned and interrupted them.
• Zhou Wuji delivered New Year gifts, and True Person Zhihua presided over the New Year celebration, where Zhou Wuji received court offerings and gifts.
• True Person Zhiyun secretly ordained Zhou Wuji and bestowed the Northern Dipper Xuanwu Divine Gang Scripture Talisman in the North Pole Heavenly Emperor Hall.
• As Zhou Wuji resonated with the Big Dipper Star Domain and drew on the statue’s gathered wish power, he sensed that something was not right.

During Zhou Wuji’s Fourth Rank talisman-bestowal ceremony, the North Pole Heavenly Emperor statue’s wish power transformed the Xiaoxiang Sword into a Heaven Tier sword with a Sword Spirit. Later, Zhou Wuji explored his new swordsmanship and discovered a dangerous way to stir the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment into its combat form.

• Zhou Wuji channeled the statue’s unusually powerful wish power into the Xiaoxiang Sword, advancing it from Divine Tier to Heaven Tier and turning its Sword Soul into a Sword Spirit.
• Zhou Wuji thanked True Person Zhiyun, True Person Zhihua, Zhiyuan, and Yizhen after his ceremony, and True Person Zhihua told him he could go to the main court in March or April.
• Zhou Wuji examined the Northern Pole Xuanwu Divine Gang Scripture Talisman and tested his Sword Spirit, discovering that he could channel Sword Intent and Law Techniques through objects such as a fly whisk.
• Zhou Wuji used his Sword Intent to stir the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, which became a deep-blue nine-pointed star and began consuming his True Qi and Qi and Blood.
• Zhou Wuji severed the connection before the artifact launched, recognizing its nine-pointed star as its combat form and gaining a potential last-resort means of survival.

Zhou Wuji tested how his new Sword Spirit refined his Law Techniques, then used his calligraphy skills to create a cursive Thousand Character Classic for Princess Taihe. His quiet New Year ended with True Person Zhihua reporting that Lu Wuyuan had died.

• Zhou Wuji tested his Sword Spirit in the Army-Breaking Hall and found it made his Law Techniques more precise and penetrating.
• Zhou Wuji received Princess Taihe’s gifts and copied the Thousand Character Classic in Cursive Script to send back to her.
• Zhou Wuji spent the New Year at ease with Wuming and took her to see the lanterns in Jingyang City.
• True Person Zhihua arrived and told Zhou Wuji that Lu Wuyuan was dead, prompting Zhou Wuji to insist he had nothing to do with it.

After Lu Wuyuan was killed by a Devil Cultivator and Lu Zhijing’s revenge caused turmoil in Yunyang, True Person Zhihua sent Zhou Wuji to stabilize the Cloud Dragon Lower Court. Zhou arrived with Wuming and presented the abbot’s order, but Lu Zhijing refused to leave before the murderer was brought to justice.

• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji that Lu Wuyuan had died while pursuing a Devil Cultivator and asked him to repair relations in Yunyang.
• Zhou Wuji requested that Daoist Yizhen accompany him, and True Person Zhihua agreed that Yizhen could temporarily take charge of the Cloud Dragon Lower Court afterward.
• Zhou Wuji set out with Daoist Yizhen, Wuming, and Yang Tie Ying, then rode ahead through the night with Wuming on the Vanishing Shadow Yin Dragon Steed.
• Zhou Wuji arrived at the Cloud Dragon Lower Court and mocked the guestmaster before going to the Heavenly Pivot Hall to meet Lu Zhijing and Daoist Zhihe.
• Zhou Wuji presented the abbot’s order appointing him to take charge, but Lu Zhijing rejected it and vowed to stay until Lu Wuyuan’s murderer was brought to justice.

Zhou Wuji enforced True Person Zhiyun’s order and persuaded Lu Zhijing to return to the Upper Court rather than continue acting recklessly in Yunyang. He then took charge of the Cloud Dragon Lower Court, where its officials agreed to cooperate with him.

• Zhou Wuji confronted Lu Zhijing with the abbot’s written order and resisted the Third Rank True Person’s Divine Sense with his Sword Intent.
• Zhou Wuji warned Lu Zhijing that his actions endangered the Lu Household and promised to investigate Lu Wuyuan’s death, convincing him to return to the Upper Court.
• Zhou Wuji gave Daoist Zhihe the abbot’s order to hand over the Lower Court’s affairs and return to the Upper Court.
• Daoist Zhihe summoned the Lower Court’s officials, announced Zhou Wuji’s authority, and watched them agree to cooperate.
• Zhou Wuji greeted Daoist Yiping with respect, and news of his arrival as the Lower Court’s new leader spread through Yunyang.

Daoist Yiding and Daoist Yixing feared Zhou Wuji’s authority, but learned how he had begun resolving the crisis in Yunyang. Zhou Wuji left the city praising his compassion and generosity, while Yixing remained afraid of what he might do to him.

• Daoist Yiding and Daoist Yixing discussed Zhou Wuji’s power and worried that he might punish them, while hoping he would need their connections to settle Yunyang’s troubles.
• Wuai reported that Prefect Wang Yan had smiled as he saw Zhou Wuji out of the prefectural yamen.
• Wuai said Zhou Wuji had publicly apologized to Jin Zhao on behalf of the Upper Court and exchanged notes for a hundred thousand taels of silver at Hengfeng Bank.
• Zhou Wuji took the silver to the docks, treated the injured laborers with the Rejuvenation Spirit Technique and medicinal pills, and paid compensation to the dead and injured workers’ families.
• Daoist Yiding and Daoist Yixing recognized that Zhou Wuji’s actions had improved the city’s view of the Lower Court, and Yixing privately feared Zhou Wuji’s schemes and methods.

Zhou Wuji arranged a vast Dharma assembly in Yunyang, using the Water Mirror Technique, scripture, music, and a display of celestial power to move the crowd and awe even the monks of Golden Leaf Temple. The assembly won the Lower Court countless new worshippers, while the Devil Cultivators who witnessed it feared Zhou Wuji’s growing influence.

• Zhou Wuji explained to Yang Tie Ying that his Dharma assembly would build the sect’s reputation by combining virtue with displays of power.
• Daoist Yixing donated fifty thousand taels of silver, and Zhou Wuji assigned him to organize the altar and crowd preparations at the western city docks.
• Zhang Yun and Jin Ying joined the enormous crowd gathered for Zhou Wuji’s Dharma assembly, where Xinjue and other monks from Golden Leaf Temple also watched.
• Zhou Wuji used the Water Mirror Technique, recited scriptures, and displayed seven stars casting down starlight, moving the worshippers and bringing the monks to their knees.
• Fang Yunzhen and other Devil Cultivators were shaken by Zhou Wuji’s display, and the next day the Lower Court gained countless worshippers as Yunyang praised True Person Hongde and the Northern Emperor.

Zhou Wuji used his assemblies to restore order in Yunyang and strengthen the Lower Court, then removed Daoist Yiding from his post. After discovering a hidden group of Devil Cultivators, Zhou Wuji tracked them to a meeting in eastern Yunyang and confronted them.

• Wang Yan asked Zhou Wuji to hold more assemblies, and the gatherings drew hundreds of thousands of believers to the Northern Emperor.
• Zhou Wuji accused Daoist Yiding of failing the Lower Court and sent him back to the Upper Court for the Enforcement Hall to deal with.
• Zhou Wuji used the Big Dipper Star Eye to find clusters of powerful life spiritual light in eastern Yunyang and suspected they belonged to Devil Cultivators.
• After the Devil Cultivators' life spiritual light vanished, Zhou Wuji armed himself and rode into the snow to investigate.
• Fang Yunzhen told her subordinates to continue hiding and wait for Zhou Wuji to leave Yunyang, but Zhou Wuji appeared outside their window and challenged them.

Zhou Wuji defeated Fang Yunzhen and her Yin Yang Dao followers, captured Fang Yunzhen, and learned what he could from the survivors. As he rode away from Yunyang, he sensed a Third Rank Devil Cultivator rapidly approaching.

• Fang Yunzhen used the Heavenly Mother Mirror to hide herself and her followers, but Zhou Wuji pierced the darkness with his Sword Intent and subdued them with the Golden Light Spirit Incantation.
• Fang Yunzhen fled toward the Cloud Dragon River, but Zhou Wuji struck her with Northern Dipper Heavenly Pivot Yin Thunder, sealed her, and took the Heavenly Mother Mirror.
• Zhou Wuji used the Heavenly Puppet Technique to bring Fang Yunzhen under his control and placed her in the Five Spirit Pouch.
• Zhou Wuji questioned a Fifth Rank Devil Cultivator, who revealed what he knew before succumbing to injuries from the golden light; Zhou Wuji then destroyed the remaining Devil Cultivators.
• As Zhou Wuji rode toward the Lower Court, he sensed a Third Rank Devil Cultivator approaching and saw the figure in the sky watching him.

Zuo Yurong pursued Zhou Wuji to recover Fang Yunzhen, but Zhou used her as a hostage to force a standoff on a mountain peak. After Zhou threw Fang Yunzhen over a cliff and fled, Zuo rescued her, only for Zhou to launch another attack from the nearby forest.

• Zuo Yurong sensed the Heavenly Mother Mirror had gone silent, realized Fang Yunzhen was in Zhou Wuji's hands, and pursued them.
• Zhou Wuji led Zuo Yurong away from the Cloud Dragon Lower Court and stopped at a cliff, holding Fang Yunzhen out as a hostage.
• Zuo Yurong tried to pressure Zhou Wuji into releasing Fang Yunzhen, but Zhou threw her over the cliff and fled on his horse.
• Zuo Yurong caught Fang Yunzhen with a giant hand of Profound Yin True Qi and carried her back toward the cliff.
• Zhou Wuji attacked Fang Yunzhen from the forest with a streak of lightning, and Zuo Yurong shattered it with a thunderous burst of yin-and-yang sound.

Zhou Wuji fought Zuo Yurong, a powerful third-rank Devil Cultivator, while protecting Fang Yunzhen, and gradually turned their clash into a coordinated ambush. The chapter ended as Zhou Wuji’s deep blue starlight attack reached Zuo Yurong, who realized he was finished.

• Zuo Yurong blocked Zhou Wuji’s Yang Brightness Divine Lightning with the Great Light Heavenly King Mirror and offered to spare him if he became his disciple.
• Zhou Wuji attacked with the Seven Stars Demon-Sealing Spirit Seal and a deep blue light sword, but Zuo Yurong countered with the Yin Yang Reverse Dao Scripture.
• Zuo Yurong struck with the Great Yin-Yang Hand, but Zhou Wuji used the Tianshu Sword and Demon-Slaying Sword Talisman to break through and charge at him.
• Fang Yunzhen attacked Zuo Yurong from behind as Zhou Wuji’s blue threads and Yang Brightness Divine Lightning pierced his defenses.
• Zuo Yurong’s Yin-Yang Reversal Scripture diverted most of the lightning into the Heavenly King Mirror, but Zhou Wuji sent a spinning point of deep blue starlight toward him.

Zhou Wuji used the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment to kill Zuo Yurong and Fang Yunzhen, then returned to the Cloud Dragon Lower Court and resumed his duties. After visiting the Hidden Dragon Temple with Wuming, he received a summons to the Northern Pole main court, where his candidacy as a True Disciple would be settled.

• Zhou Wuji's attack with the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment pierced Zuo Yurong and Fang Yunzhen, killing them but exhausting his strength.
• Zhou Wuji returned to the Cloud Dragon Lower Court, concealed his involvement, and concluded that the Book of Heavenly Punishment was powerful but dangerous to use.
• Wuming helped Zhou Wuji dress the next morning, and he resolved to keep advancing despite the world's growing turmoil.
• Zhou Wuji traveled with Wuming and Yang Tie Ying to the Hidden Dragon Temple, where he investigated the earth eye but decided not to risk entering its depths.
• Zhou Wuji returned to the Lower Court with Wuming and Yang Tie Ying, then received a letter from True Person Zhihua summoning him to the Northern Pole main court before March fifteenth.

Zhou Wuji and Yang Tie Ying traveled to Chuyang, where Yan Baoying of the Great River Association befriended Zhou Wuji and asked for his help. After reaching the Northern Pole Court, Zhou Wuji waited to be announced at Northern Pole Hall while a middle-aged Daoist ordered him and Yang Tie Ying seized.

• Zhou Wuji and Yang Tie Ying met Yan Baoying aboard a boat, and she told them about Chuyang, Canglang Lake’s water bandits, and the Northern Pole Court.
• Yan Baoying learned Zhou Wuji was True Person Hongde and invited him to her cabin, where she asked him to lend her a hand.
• Zhou Wuji and Yang Tie Ying disembarked and traveled to Purple Tenuity Peak, the Northern Pole Sect’s ancestral seat.
• A middle-aged Daoist accused Yang Tie Ying of acting suspiciously and ordered his disciples to take him and Zhou Wuji to the Discipline Hall.