Chapter Summaries

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.

Zhou Wuji learned about the Fire Phoenix Army and met Abbot Zhi'en and Hall Master Yiming after arriving in Yunze. Yizhen then brought Zhou Wuji, Wuleng, and Wuming to guard the Yaoguang node of a formation sealing the wetlands.

• Yizhen explained that the Xie Household controlled the Fire Phoenix Army and advised Zhou Wuji to build a relationship with Abbot Zhi'en while behaving carefully around Yiming.
• Zhou Wuji told Yizhen that he had reached the Sixth Rank, impressing him with how quickly he had advanced.
• Zhou Wuji and Wuleng met Abbot Zhi'en, who praised their cultivation and urged them to survive before risking their lives to kill demons.
• Hall Master Yiming ordered Zhou Wuji and Wuleng to obey discipline and follow orders, then assigned Yizhen to arrange their duties.
• Yizhen led Zhou Wuji, Wuleng, and Wuming into Yunze and explained how to defend the Yaoguang formation node and signal for help.
• Zhou Wuji and Wuming exchanged an intimate whisper at the node, drawing complicated looks from the other Daoists on duty.

Xie Wujin challenged Zhou Wuji’s group to spar, but Yang Tie Ying and Wuleng defeated his nephew and then Xie Wujin himself. Zhou Wuji later slew a Sixth-Rank black deer with one sword strike, leaving Xie Wujin and the others stunned.

• Xie Wujin challenged Zhou Wuji to a swordsmanship exchange, and Yang Tie Ying defeated Xie Shangjin in a fist fight.
• Wuleng sparred with Xie Wujin and disarmed him in fewer than ten exchanges with her Yaoguang Sword.
• Zhou Wuji guided Wuming’s cultivation and provided tents from his Five Yin Pouch, further astonishing Xie Wujin and his companions.
• Zhou Wuji spotted a black deer approaching the group and judged it to be a Sixth-Rank demonic creature.
• Zhou Wuji evaded the deer and killed it with a single sword strike, while Yang Tie Ying boasted about his master's skill.

Zhou Wuji killed a Sixth-Rank demon and settled into his new role as a deacon at Cloud Marsh Lower Court, while the Xie brothers tried to befriend him. After months of guarding the formation and studying Cloud Marsh, he entered the marsh alone to hunt demons.

• Zhou Wuji killed a Sixth-Rank black deer with one sword stroke, and Xie Wujin explained how the lower court registered and sold Demon Beasts and rewarded cultivators with merit.
• Zhou Wuji was promoted to deacon, and news of his feat spread through the lower court, changing the attitudes of people who had resented him.
• Xie Wujin urged Xie Wuying to befriend Zhou Wuji, but Zhou Wuji declined their invitation to attend Yunze City's Water Origin Festival.
• Over September and October, Zhou Wuji killed more demons, strengthened his body, and used the Northern Dipper to observe Cloud Marsh and Dream Marsh.
• On November 16, Zhou Wuji entered Cloud Marsh alone, planning to hunt demons after studying the area for more than two months.

Zhou Wuji hunted a sixth-rank giant snake in Yunze, then ambushed a strange white crow that could speak like a human. After capturing the crow, he asked who its master was, and it threatened him with its master's power.

• Zhou Wuji killed a sixth-rank giant snake with one sword strike and took its valuable gallbladder.
• He killed four crocodiles drawn to the snake's corpse and hid in a fir tree as more creatures gathered.
• A white crow arrived to feed on the carcass, and Zhou Wuji struck it twice with Northern Dipper Heavenly Pivot Yin Thunder.
• The scorched white crow begged Zhou Wuji to spare it, then cursed him when he struck again.
• After the white crow awoke, Zhou Wuji asked who its master was, and the crow threatened that its master would kill his whole family.

Zhou Wuji killed a white crow messenger connected to Lord Cloud Dream and suspected it linked the Xie Household to the demons, so he secretly sent Wuleng to carry a warning to True Person Zhihua. Wuleng reached Yunyang City, steadied her mind while waiting, and finally delivered Zhou Wuji’s letter, which amused True Person Zhihua.

• Zhou Wuji killed the white crow and giant serpent, then erased their remains and suspected the crow had been carrying messages between Lord Cloud Dream and the Xie Household.
• Zhou Wuji killed several pig demons, returned to the formation, and told the others he had killed a Sixth-Rank pig demon while scouting Yunze.
• After returning to the lower court, Zhou Wuji feared the Xie Household might silence him and secretly asked Wuleng to deliver a letter to True Person Zhihua.
• Wuleng left the lower court in disguise and rode day and night, reaching Yunyang City after five days of travel.
• Wuleng waited for True Person Zhihua, calmed her mind, and made progress in understanding stillness.
• True Person Zhihua arrived and read Zhou Wuji’s letter, which contained only the words “True Person, save me,” and remarked that he underestimated the Northern Pole Sect.

Zhou Wuji entered seclusion at Heavenly Authority Hall and used the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment to cultivate the Army-Breaking Sword to the Transformation Realm, reshaping and strengthening his foundation. After spending more than ten days adapting the technique into the Xiaoxiang Sword, he heard someone greet him in the courtyard.

• Zhou Wuji told Hall Master Yiming that he had gained an insight and obtained permission to enter seclusion at Heavenly Authority Hall.
• Zhou Wuji spent twenty years cultivating in the purple-light world, raising the Army-Breaking Sword to the Transformation Realm and reshaping his body with the technique.
• Zhou Wuji healed the damage caused by the transformation with origin mystic essence, increasing his physical strength, True Qi, Divine Sense, and lifespan.
• Zhou Wuji practiced the Five Tigers Fist and Army-Breaking Sword over the bamboo grove, then considered how to incorporate the technique into the Xiaoxiang Sword.
• Zhou Wuji studied the sword variations for more than ten days, then heard an unseen person greet him as Sword Lord.

True Person Zhihua investigated why the Xie Household might target Zhou Wuji, then tested his Army-Breaking Sword and praised his talent and judgment. She offered him a chance to pursue the Myriad Phenomena Golden Wheel, a supreme method reserved for the sect leader’s True Disciples, and asked whether he would accept the difficult path.

• True Person Zhihua arrived, and Zhou Wuji explained his encounter with the talking white crow and his suspicions about the Xie Household.
• True Person Zhihua explained Xie Shidao’s position and ruled out an alliance with the Lord of Yunmeng, while suggesting there could be a traitor or Devil Cultivators involved.
• True Person Zhihua tested Zhou Wuji’s sword skills, and he used the Army-Breaking Sword to disperse her fly-whisk attack.
• True Person Zhihua recognized Zhou Wuji’s rapid progress and praised his talent, capacity, and cautious approach to danger.
• True Person Zhihua explained that the Myriad Phenomena Golden Wheel could unite many methods, but only the sect leader’s True Disciples could cultivate it, then asked Zhou Wuji if he was willing to try.

Zhou Wuji agreed to join True Person Zhihua on the Fire Phoenix Army’s expedition to Dream Marsh, hoping to build the credentials needed to become the sect leader’s True Disciple. After Abbot Zhi'en announced that the lower court would send forty-nine people, he unexpectedly placed Zhou Wuji in command of the contingent.

• True Person Zhihua offered to help Zhou Wuji pursue the Myriad Phenomena Golden Wheel and asked him to promise three future favors; Zhou Wuji accepted and drank Fire Dragon wine with her.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji that the Fire Phoenix Army would enter Dream Marsh in December to kill the Lord of Yunmeng, and explained that joining the expedition could strengthen his standing in the sect.
• Zhou Wuji agreed to accompany True Person Zhihua, then returned to the Demon-Expelling Hall and rewarded his disciple Yang Tie Ying for protecting Wuming.
• Zhou Wuji told Daoist Yizhen about the expedition and urged him to send Wuming to Yunze City; Daoist Yizhen arranged for her to leave the lower court safely.
• In early December, Abbot Zhi'en announced that forty-nine people from the Demon-Expelling Hall and Tianxuan Hall would accompany the army into Dream Marsh.
• Abbot Zhi'en gave Zhou Wuji his Heavenly Pivot Token and placed the expedition contingent under his command, surprising the lower court.

Zhou Wuji assembled and disciplined the cultivators assigned to support the expedition into Dream Marsh, then led them out with the Fire Phoenix Army. As the army advanced toward its campaign against the Lord of Yunmeng, Zhou Wuji wondered whether he might get a chance to strike the great demon himself.

• Zhou Wuji called the roll, warned the cultivators to obey orders, and reassured Li Ruyi that he would look after her during the dangerous expedition.
• Yang Tie Ying insisted on joining Zhou Wuji, and Zhou Wuji agreed to take him along.
• At the mountain gate, Zhou Wuji organized the cultivators into groups and placed Xie Wujin and Xie Wuying in charge.
• The three-thousand-strong Fire Phoenix Army arrived, and its powerful collective Qi and Blood awed the lower court's cultivators.
• True Person Zhihua told Zhou Wuji to follow the army and pointed out commander Xie Shidao and his son Xie Lingyun.
• Seeing the army's strength, Zhou Wuji considered whether it could slay the Lord of Yunmeng and give him an opportunity to land a sword strike.

Zhou Wuji accompanied the Fire Phoenix Army into Dream Marsh, where the army fought off waves of demonic creatures. He saved a gravely wounded soldier with his perfected Rejuvenation Technique, earning the army’s gratitude and leaving True Person Zhihua convinced their chances of success had improved.

• True Person Zhihua supplied the army’s camp equipment, and Zhou Wuji befriended Xie Lingyun, who later told Xie Shidao that Zhou Wuji was capable and worth befriending.
• After four days of marching, the Fire Phoenix Army entered Dream Marsh, where its scouts and battle formations helped it withstand the mist and attacks from demonic creatures.
• The army killed successive waves of giant apes, crocodiles, snakes, and eagles with heavy crossbows and its battle formation, while Tianxuan Hall cultivators treated the wounded.
• Zhou Wuji used Sword Intent, the Rejuvenation Technique, and an Origin Restoration Pill to save Xiao Jiu, whose injuries had seemed fatal.
• Zhou Wuji helped treat dozens of wounded soldiers, and Xie Lingyun thanked him and promised to seek a commendation for him.
• True Person Zhihua praised Zhou Wuji’s medical skills and said they had increased the army’s chances of success by another two-tenths.