Recaps

Zhou Wuji used his new star-domain perception to track down and ambush a Heavenly Ghost Sect cultivator near the Pacification Office. After capturing Xue Gui and interrogating him, he learned that Ghost Sword Xue Ying had ordered him to watch the office and cause trouble if needed.

• Zhou Wuji ended his resonance with the Big Dipper Star Domain, then decided to capture the Heavenly Ghost Sect cultivator before returning to Old Dragon Island.
• Zhou Wuji concealed himself with the Five Yin Pouch and used Northern Dipper Heavenly Pivot Yin Thunder to defeat and capture the black-robed old man without alerting the Pacification Office.
• Zhou Wuji took the old man's unusual book and other belongings, destroyed the four Fierce Ghosts, removed the formation flags, and cleared Yin Qi from the elderly couple he had controlled.
• Zhou Wuji brought the unconscious man into a wood, woke him with the Golden Light Incantation, and pinned him down with his iron staff.
• The captive identified himself as Xue Gui and admitted that Ghost Sword Xue Ying had ordered him to spy on the Pacification Office and stir up trouble in the prefectural city if necessary.

Zhou Wuji killed Xue Gui, gained the Heavenly Ghost Sect’s Profound Yin Reincarnation Scripture, and studied its cipher before the Heavenly Master’s Manor envoys arrived. The chapter ended with Zhichong reading Heavenly Master Qingxu’s decree, which granted Zhou Wuji a seventh-rank ordination certificate and ritual rewards.

• Zhou Wuji killed Xue Gui, destroyed his remains with Yin Thunder, and invested his fate into the Tianji Sword, bringing it to major accomplishment.
• Zhou Wuji returned to the stone house with Xue Gui’s Profound Yin Reincarnation Scripture and soul-summoning banner, and learned that Ghost Sword Xue Ying was a formidable fifth-rank cultivator connected to the Wu Household Village disturbances.
• Daoist Yiping taught Zhou Wuji to read Great Yin Snake and Insect Seal Script, and Zhou Wuji studied it for two days until he could understand most of the scripture.
• An acolyte summoned Zhou Wuji to meet the Heavenly Master’s Manor envoys, and he joined Yang Tie Ying at Heavenly Pivot Hall.
• Zhichong praised Zhou Wuji before the assembled Daoists, then read Heavenly Master Qingxu’s decree granting him a seventh-rank ordination certificate, a star-gold cloud-brocade ritual robe, and a white jade fly whisk.

Zhou Wuji received a personal commendation from Heavenly Master Qingxu and several rare Law Artifacts from the Heavenly Master's Manor. Zhichong learned of a dangerous underground entity in Wu Household Village and planned to investigate it the next day.

• Zhichong presented Zhou Wuji with a seventh-rank Heavenly Pivot Token personally blessed by Heavenly Master Qingxu, and encouraged him to defend the righteous Dao.
• Daoist Yigong reconsidered his stance toward Zhou Wuji and decided to bring his subordinates to apologize for their conduct at Bixing Hall.
• Zhou Wuji told Zhichong about the Five Dragons Gang and Zhang Shiheng's refusal to act, which had left nearly ten thousand people on Old Dragon Island dead.
• Zhihe described the crimson-flamed evil entity that had emerged beneath Wu Household Village, and Zhichong decided to inspect the site the next day.
• Daoist Yiping examined Zhou Wuji's gifts, including the Heavenly Pivot Token, a Northern Dipper Heavenly Gang ritual robe, and a white jade fly whisk, and praised their quality and prestige.

Zhou Wuji resolved his dispute with Yigong, then traveled with Zhichong and other Northern Pole Sect disciples to Yunming County for the investigation at Wu Household Village. While using the Big Dipper to survey the inn that night, he discovered that Wuleng had secretly reached the sixth rank.

• Yigong apologized to Zhou Wuji and brought supplies, and Zhou Wuji agreed to let the dispute with Bixing Hall end.
• Zhou Wuji was assigned to accompany Zhichong to Wu Household Village and met Wuleng and the other seventh-rank disciples before their departure.
• Zhou Wuji traveled with the party by boat to Yunming County, where the county magistrate welcomed them and arranged their lodging.
• Zhou Wuji used the Big Dipper to survey the inn and sensed Zhihe but could not detect Zhichong.
• Zhou Wuji spotted Wuleng's connection to Yaoguang Star and realized she had advanced to the sixth rank.

Zhou Wuji spotted an evil entity hidden deep beneath the pit at Wu Household Village, while Zhichong and Zhihe failed to find it. When Zhichong asked for his advice, Zhou Wuji proposed diverting the nearby Yunming River into the pit, winning the elders’ approval and leaving Wuleng wary of his cunning.

• The Lower Court party reached Wu Household Village and examined the blazing pit, where Zhihe explained that cultivators could not safely descend into it.
• Zhichong searched the pit with a spell but saw nothing unusual, while Zhou Wuji used Big Dipper as Eyes to detect an evil entity a hundred zhang underground.
• Zhichong asked Zhou Wuji for a solution, and Zhou Wuji explained that the pit threatened the road and villages along the Yunming River.
• Zhou Wuji proposed digging a channel to divert the river into the pit and extinguish the earth fire, arguing that the county magistrate would provide labor to protect the villages and tax revenue.
• Zhichong praised Zhou Wuji’s strategic insight, Zhihe approved his plan, and Wuleng admired his grasp of human nature while becoming wary of him.

Zhou Wuji gained Abbot Zhihe’s support and a chance to learn the Northern Dipper Seven Star Steps by competing against Golden Leaf Temple. While secretly monitoring Zhang Yunfeng, he discovered the man was connected to the Yin Yang Dao and arranged to meet its grand libationer.

• Zhou Wuji’s proposal to flood the pit in Wu Household Village won approval, and Zhihe and Zhichong arranged for workers and lower-court experts to guard the site.
• Zhihe offered to recommend Zhou Wuji for ordination and register bestowal, and promised to teach him the Northern Dipper Seven Star Steps if he defeated Yuan Yi in a scripture debate.
• Zhou Wuji returned to the lower court, studied the Snake and Insect Seal Script with Daoist Yiping, and used Origin Profound Spirit to practice the Profound Yin Reincarnation Scripture, but found its True Qi conflicted with his own.
• Zhou Wuji secretly observed Zhang Yunfeng and learned that Cui Ze belonged to the Yin Yang Dao and that its Fifth Rank grand libationer wanted to meet Zhang Yunfeng.
• Zhang Yunfeng asked Zhang Changyi to arrange for his Third Uncle to accompany him to meet the grand libationer at Old Du’s wine shop the following night.

Zhou Wuji used the Heavenly Puppet hidden in Cui Ze to spy on Grand Libationer Cui’s meeting with Zhang Banshan and Zhang Yunfeng at Old Du's Wine Shop. After learning that Cui intended to capture him and believed Yunyang’s earth vein would become a dragon vein, Zhou Wuji decided Cui could not be allowed to live.

• Zhou Wuji followed Cui Ze from the Zhang Household, knocked him unconscious, and implanted the Heavenly Puppet to learn how its control changed with distance.
• Zhou Wuji reached Old Du's Wine Shop early and waited in a nearby inn while Cui Ze, Zhang Banshan, and Zhang Yunfeng arrived.
• Zhang Yunfeng warned Grand Libationer Cui that the Zhang Household could no longer control Yunyang and urged him to leave.
• Grand Libationer Cui asked the Zhang Household for help, claimed Zhou Wuji had gained power from an earth-vein treasure, and offered to capture him if they lured him out.
• Zhang Yunfeng refused to entangle the Zhang Household in Zhou Wuji’s affairs, while Grand Libationer Cui claimed Yunyang’s earth vein would become a dragon vein and produce great treasures and geniuses.
• Zhou Wuji examined Cui through the Heavenly Puppet, judged him weaker than expected, and resolved to kill him.

Zhou Wuji learned that the Zhang Household might use the Yin Yang Dao against him, then ambushed Cui Wancheng by controlling Cui Ze with the Heavenly Puppet. The attack left Cui Wancheng struck by Northern Dipper Heavenly Pivot Yin Thunder, but his fate remained uncertain.

• Grand Libationer Cui claimed that Yunyang’s troubles came from a newborn dragon vein, but Zhang Banshan doubted him while suspecting the Yin Yang Dao knew something hidden beneath the city.
• Zhang Yunfeng suggested that the Zhang Household could use the Yin Yang Dao to deal with Zhou Wuji, and Zhang Banshan agreed they should wait for an opportunity.
• Zhou Wuji chose to target Cui Wancheng first, followed the pair through the Heavenly Puppet, and took position in a shantytown alley.
• Zhou Wuji seized control of Cui Ze and forced him to attack Cui Wancheng, but Cui Wancheng’s Crimson Yang Flame Barrier repelled the first strike and set Cui Ze on fire.
• Cui Wancheng attacked Cui Ze with the Crimson Yang Great Hand Seal, but Zhou Wuji used the puppet to strike back with Northern Dipper Heavenly Pivot Yin Thunder, disrupting Cui Wancheng’s mind and True Qi.

Zhou Wuji killed Cui Wancheng, used his fate weight to perfect the Tianji Sword, and learned to control the Ghost Soldier with Tianji Profound Yin Sword Qi. When Zhang Banshan and Zhang Yunfeng rushed toward the disturbance, Zhou Wuji sent the Ghost Soldier to ambush them.

• Cui Wancheng recovered with the Crimson Yang Mirror, but Zhou Wuji broke through his defenses and killed him with the White Rainbow Sword.
• Zhou Wuji burned Cui Wancheng and Cui Ze’s remains, concealed the traces of the fight, and took the Crimson Yang Mirror and other items.
• Zhou Wuji spent Cui Wancheng’s fate weight to perfect the Tianji Sword, strengthening his True Qi and Divine Sense.
• Zhou Wuji used Tianji Profound Yin Sword Qi to control the Sixth Rank Ghost Soldier inside the soul-summoning banner.
• Zhang Banshan and Zhang Yunfeng saw the light over the city and hurried south to investigate, where the Ghost Soldier ambushed Zhang Banshan in an alley.

Zhou Wuji killed Zhang Banshan and Zhang Yunfeng, then destroyed the Ghost Soldier’s summoning banner and disposed of the weapons. At the scene, Zhai Jun began investigating the deaths and ordered the bodies taken for examination before being sent to the Zhang Household.

• Zhang Banshan fought the Ghost Soldier, but it overwhelmed him with superior True Qi, possessed his body, and killed him.
• Zhang Yunfeng launched a warning rocket, but the Ghost Soldier attacked him from behind and drained his vitality.
• Zhang Yunfeng recognized Zhou Wuji as he approached and realized he had been behind several disappearances and deaths before he died.
• Zhou Wuji confirmed both men were dead, took Zhang Banshan’s saber, destroyed the soul-summoning banner, converted the Ghost Soldier into Origin Profound Qi, and threw the weapons into the river.
• Zhai Jun arrived with Pacification Office agents, detained nearby onlookers, and examined the corpses with Li Fei.
• Zhai Jun ordered an investigation into the deaths and the nearby fight, then had the bodies taken for examination and later delivery to the Zhang Household.

Zhou Wuji passed Zhihe’s questioning after Zhang Banshan and Zhang Yunfeng were found murdered, while the investigators blamed Devil Cultivators and agreed to cooperate. As Zhou Wuji considered his plans and a dangerous cave on Lingming Peak, he also uncovered notes claiming Yunyang’s earth vein could transform into a flying dragon and bring hidden treasures to light.

• Zhihe and Xinjue examined Zhang Banshan and Zhang Yunfeng’s bodies, identified the Mystic Yin Ghost Claw, and found signs of Yin Yang Dao involvement at the western city site.
• Zhai Jun, Zhihe, and Xinjue agreed to unite against Devil Cultivator experts, while Xinjue rebuked Yuan'an for suggesting Zhou Wuji was responsible.
• Zhihe questioned Zhou Wuji with the Heart-Questioning Mirror, found no evidence linking him to the murders, and asked him to visit Wu Household Village when the canal was finished.
• Zhou Wuji gave Shangxing guidance and two Purple Qi Pills, which Shangxing shared with Yang Tie Ying.
• Zhou Wuji reflected on his plans and read Heavenly Mystery Divine Lord’s notes, which said Yunyang’s earth vein could transform into a flying dragon and reveal hidden treasures.

Zhou Wuji learned that dragon veins could be understood as natural changes in heaven and earth, then perfected his Xiaoxiang Sword and awakened sword heart. He accompanied Zhihe to Wu Household Village, where river water began filling the collapsed pit in an effort to force the hidden evil entities out.

• Zhou Wuji asked Daoist Yiping about dragon veins and learned that they depended on how people followed and used changes in the earth's veins.
• Zhou Wuji spent Zhang Banshan's fate weight to perfect his Xiaoxiang Sword and awakened sword heart, allowing him to sense a sword's condition and connect with it.
• Zhou Wuji used his new insight to improve Yang Tie Ying's swordsmanship and help him better coordinate his force and true Qi.
• On the twentieth day of the seventh month, Zhou Wuji brought Yang Tie Ying to Wu Household Village with Zhihe as the lower temple's workers opened a channel from the Yunming River into the pit.
• As river water poured into the pit, Zhou Wuji assured Zhihe that it would fill within five days at most and that the submerged tunnels would leave the evil entities nowhere to hide.

Zhou Wuji waited for the evil entity beneath the pit to emerge, then challenged Wuleng to see who could kill it first. After the entity escaped the formation and attacked the Daoists, Zhou Wuji killed it with a single sword strike, leaving Wuleng and the others stunned.

• Zhou Wuji told the Daoists to guard the pit in groups while he and Yang Tie Ying set up camp.
• Zhou Wuji approached Wuleng on watch and challenged her to see who would kill the evil entity first.
• The evil entity burst out of the pit, escaped the Seven Star Demon-Slaying Formation by splitting its body, and charged the Daoists.
• Wuleng stepped forward to fight the weakened entity, using the Yaoguang Sword and Northern Dipper Seven Star Steps.
• The evil entity drove Wuleng back and lunged at the other Daoists, but Zhou Wuji's sword pierced its head and shredded it into fragments.

Zhou Wuji killed the evil entity and discovered that a devil cultivator had been watching from afar. After returning to the lower monastery, he persuaded Zhihe to teach him the Northern Dipper Seven Star Steps and quickly advanced his mastery with the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment.

• Zhou Wuji destroyed the evil entity with two sword strikes, and it left behind a crimson bead etched with unfamiliar runes.
• Zhou Wuji told Zhihe that a sinister devil cultivator had watched the fight, and Zhihe warned him to be careful.
• Zhou Wuji returned to the lower monastery with Zhihe and persuaded him to transmit the Northern Dipper Seven Star Steps before the scripture debate.
• Zhihe gave Zhou Wuji a jade tablet containing the steps, and Zhou Wuji studied the method in the North Pole Heavenly Emperor Hall.
• Zhou Wuji used origin profound spirit and Zhang Yunfeng's fate to raise the Northern Dipper Seven Star Steps to the proficient level.

Zhou Wuji searched Old Dragon Island for several days before Xue Ying tracked him down by sensing the White Rainbow Sword. After they sized up each other’s strength, Xue Ying attacked him with ghostly shadows.

• Zhou Wuji traveled to Old Dragon Island and methodically searched its hills while enduring the dense Qi of Earth Sha.
• After several days of searching, Zhou Wuji sensed danger, withdrew from his Big Dipper observation, and prepared to hide.
• Xue Ying appeared and revealed that she had found Zhou Wuji by detecting the supreme Yang Qi of his White Rainbow Sword.
• Xue Ying questioned Zhou Wuji about the death of Xue Gui, then unleashed her magic-domain barrier and displayed her formidable power.
• Zhou Wuji formed a sword domain and taunted Xue Ying, who swept her sleeve and sent two ghostly shadows lunging at him.

Xue Ying used the Ten Directions God-Severing Book to attack Zhou Wuji, hoping to capture him and exchange him for the crimson bead. After Zhou Wuji destroyed her Ghost Generals and broke through her barriers, Xue Ying turned to the Seven Yin Soul-Seizing Sword and resolved to kill him.

• Xue Ying explained how the Ten Directions God-Severing Book had helped her find Wu Household Village and escape the collapsing earth aperture, and why she wanted the crimson bead and Zhou Wuji.
• Xue Ying summoned Ghost Generals to attack Zhou Wuji, but he evaded them with the Tianji Step until six surrounded him and began wearing him down with Yin Qi.
• Zhou Wuji used the White Rainbow Sword to destroy all six Ghost Generals in one strike, then charged Xue Ying as she raised barriers with the Ten Directions God-Severing Book.
• Zhou Wuji used the Big Dipper Seven Stars to locate Xue Ying through her void barriers and cleaved through the barriers with a blazing sword strike.
• Xue Ying attacked with the Seven Yin Soul-Seizing Sword, but Zhou Wuji shattered its black blade; she then planned to exploit the Yin Devils in his heart and decided to kill him.

Zhou Wuji defeated Xue Ying despite her Ten Directions God-Severing Seal, then absorbed the resulting Origin Mystic Essence and condensed a Qi Sea. After finding the Ten Directions God-Severing Book and clues to a cave abode near Wu Household Village, he considered how to report the discovery without worsening tensions between the sect’s lineages.

• Xue Ying attacked Zhou Wuji with the Seven Yin Soul-Seizing Sword, but he saw through her spatial concealment and killed her with his perfected swordsmanship.
• Xue Ying’s Ten Directions God-Severing Seal blackened Zhou Wuji’s body, but he used the Northern Emperor’s Book of Heavenly Punishment to convert her into Origin Mystic Essence and recover.
• The Origin Mystic Essence strengthened Zhou Wuji’s body and forced him to condense a Qi Sea, leaving him to manage a conflict between his Five Elements True Qi and Heavenly Pivot True Qi.
• Zhou Wuji found the Ten Directions God-Severing Book and the Heavenly Mystery Divine Lord’s notebook among Xue Ying’s belongings.
• The notebook described seven keys to a cave abode, and Zhou Wuji recognized its map as the area around Wu Household Village before weighing whom in the sect to inform.

Zhou Wuji studied the Ten Directions God-Severing Book, found Chen Dalu’s hidden gold on Old Dragon Island, and returned to the Lower Court. After Daoist Yiping advised him how to approach the Yuheng Lineage, Zhou Wuji asked Zhihe for an audience with True Person Zhihua so he could report an important matter and pursue the Northern Dipper Seven Star Sword.

• Zhou Wuji memorized the Ten Directions God-Severing Book’s Secret Methods and discovered that his body stat had risen to six hundred and twenty.
• Zhou Wuji found Chen Dalu’s hidden cave, recovered more than three thousand taels of gold, and destroyed the Yin Dragon’s remnant soul.
• Zhou Wuji returned to the Lower Court and told Daoist Yiping that he wanted to learn the Northern Dipper Seven Star Sword.
• Daoist Yiping advised Zhou Wuji to report his matter through Zhihe rather than bypass him and contact True Person Zhihua directly.
• Zhou Wuji asked Zhihe to let him meet True Person Zhihua, and Zhihe told him to wait and prepare for the scripture debate in six days.

At Yunyang’s scripture debate, Zhou Wuji’s preaching won over the crowd, but Golden Leaf Temple’s fighters showed their strength in the martial exchanges. Yuan Yi overpowered Wuleng, leaving the officials and spectators wondering whether the Cloud Dragon Lower Court had anyone capable of defeating him.

• Zhang Yun and Jin Ying reunited at the drill ground and discussed their absent friends and Golden Leaf Temple’s formidable monk, Yuan Yi.
• Zhou Wuji preached the Northern Pole Sect’s True Scripture, inspiring commoners and dignitaries to chant for the Northern Emperor’s protection.
• After the scripture debate, Yuan'an, Wuai, Wuhe, Yuanzhen, and Yuanjing fought through a series of exchanges, with Wuhe and Wuai both being defeated.
• Wuleng swiftly drove Yuanjing off the platform, then faced Yuan Yi, whose staff techniques and golden runes overwhelmed the spectators.
• Yuan Yi pressed Wuleng with powerful strikes, and Zhai Jun questioned whether the Lower Court had a disciple capable of defeating him.

Zhou Wuji defeated Yuan Yi with his Xiaoxiang Sword after a fierce contest, and Golden Leaf Temple’s abbot publicly named him the Xiaoxiang Sword Lord. The chapter ended with Zhou Wuji accepting the praise while Zhihe worried that the title would bring him trouble.

• Yuan Yi defeated Wuleng with his Vajra Demon-Subduing Staff, drawing cheers from the crowd and prompting Zhai Jun to ask about Yuan Yi’s Buddhist cultivation.
• Zhou Wuji stepped onto the platform and introduced his Xiaoxiang Sword before beginning his match with Yuan Yi.
• Zhou Wuji turned aside Yuan Yi’s staff techniques, shattered his Thunder Sound Incantation and golden palm, then defeated him with the Night Rain Sword.
• Yuan Yi conceded, and Zhai Jun praised Zhou Wuji’s swordsmanship while Zhihe acknowledged his command of nature’s subtleties.
• Zhou Wuji recited a verse celebrating his swordsmanship, and Monk Xinjue proclaimed him the Xiaoxiang Sword Lord before the crowd echoed the title.
• Zhihe recognized Monk Xinjue’s praise as a way to raise Zhou Wuji into the limelight, but Zhou Wuji gladly accepted the title.

After defeating Yuan Yi, Zhou Wuji became known throughout Yunyang as the Xiaoxiang Sword Lord, while Daoists and officials praised him and Daoist Yiping warned him not to let the acclaim cloud his judgment. He met Jin Ying to recover the unsold Moon Soul Gourd and learn that the Zhang Household case had been closed, then hurried to the Heart-Questioning Hall, where True Person Zhihua teased him about his new title.

• Zhihe warned Zhou Wuji that his fame could bring trouble, while the lower monastery's Daoists celebrated his new title.
• Wang Yan and Zhai Jun publicly praised Zhou Wuji, helping establish the title Xiaoxiang Sword Lord among Yunyang's dignitaries and commoners.
• Daoist Yiping cautioned Zhou Wuji that excessive praise could lead to disaster, and Zhou Wuji said he understood the danger.
• Jin Ying returned the Moon Soul Gourd because she could not find a buyer in Yunyang and told Zhou Wuji that Cui Wancheng had been named the culprit in the Zhang Yunfeng and Zhang Banshan case.
• Zhihe summoned Zhou Wuji to the Heart-Questioning Hall, where he met True Person Zhihua, who jokingly addressed him as the Sword Lord.

Zhou Wuji told True Person Zhihua about the powerful evil entity sealed in a cave abode on Lingming Peak, which he suspected belonged to Fu Tianji. After investigating the site, True Person Zhihua warned him to keep it secret and offered to teach him the Army-Breaking branch of the Northern Dipper Seven Star Sword lineage.

• Zhou Wuji showed True Person Zhihua Fu Tianji's notes and drew her a map to Lingming Peak.
• True Person Zhihua flew Zhou Wuji to Lingming Peak, where he identified the cave and she sensed a powerful evil entity inside.
• Back at the Heart-Questioning Hall, Zhou Wuji suggested that the cave might be connected to Yunyang's troubles and the earth veins transforming into a dragon.
• True Person Zhihua ordered Zhou Wuji to keep the cave abode secret, then refused to teach him the Northern Dipper Seven Star Sword and offered to teach him the Army-Breaking Sword instead.

Zhou Wuji learned the Army-Breaking Sword and agreed to travel to the Cloud Marsh Lower Court with Wuleng to fight demons and train. Before departing, he initiated Yang Tie Ying and conferred his register, while True Person Zhihua kept the cave abode’s grave secret from others.

• True Person Zhihua taught Zhou Wuji the Army-Breaking and Yaoguang Sword instructions and arranged for him to train in Yunze with Wuleng.
• After receiving the instructions, Zhou Wuji practiced the Army-Breaking Sword and considered how its methods might eventually integrate with his Five Tigers Fist cultivation.
• Zhou Wuji suspected True Person Zhihua was sending him away partly to keep him clear of the dangerous cave abode and its connection to Fu Tianji.
• Zhou Wuji asked Abbot Zhihe to arrange initiation and register conferral for his disciple Shangbing, and Zhihe confirmed Wuleng would accompany him to Yunze.
• That evening, Zhou Wuji presided over Yang Tie Ying’s initiation, transmitted the Middle Perfection Precepts, and conferred the Northern Dipper Tianshu Divine Register.

After receiving his ordination, Yang Tie Ying joined Zhou Wuji and Wuleng on the dangerous journey to Yunze, where Zhou Wuji revealed his knowledge of the Army-Breaking Sword to Wuleng. They reached the Cloud Marsh Lower Court and reunited with Wuming, whose delight at seeing Zhou Wuji faltered when she noticed Wuleng beside him.

• Yang Tie Ying insisted on accompanying Zhou Wuji to Yunze, and Zhou Wuji agreed to take him along for the journey.
• Zhou Wuji bought supplies and Law Artifacts, then set out with Yang Tie Ying and Wuleng after bidding farewell to Daoist Yiping.
• Zhou Wuji told Wuleng that True Person Zhihua had taught him the Army-Breaking Sword, and they discussed its methods as they traveled.
• Yang Tie Ying asked Wuleng for swordsmanship guidance, and she beat him with a wooden stick until he accepted her skill.
• The three arrived at the Cloud Marsh Lower Court, where Wuming hurried to greet Zhou Wuji and then froze when she saw Wuleng beside him.

Zhou Wuji arrived at Cloud Marsh Lower Court with Wuleng, reunited with Wuming, and learned about the danger posed by demons in Dream Marsh. After Daoist Yizhen explained the court’s mission and the Fire Phoenix Army’s defeat, he warned Zhou Wuji to avoid entanglement with the Xie Household.

• Wuming greeted Zhou Wuji and Wuleng, and Zhou Wuji clarified their relationships before Wuming welcomed them to Cloud Marsh Lower Court.
• Wuming showed Wuleng to Heavenly Xuan Hall, then escorted the group to dinner and warned Zhou Wuji about the court’s strict rules.
• Zhou Wuji met Xie Wuying, a steward of the Demon-Expelling Court, who asked to see his sword before Daoist Yizhen arrived and invited Zhou Wuji to talk.
• Daoist Yizhen explained that Dream Marsh was a vast secret realm of demons and that the imperial court’s Fire Phoenix Army had suffered a crushing defeat there.
• Daoist Yizhen told Zhou Wuji that Cloud Marsh Lower Court guarded Yunze from demons and warned him that the Xie Household recruited cultivators through crude, direct methods.