Chapter Summaries

Zhou Rihui killed Puresainuoru by pulling the black ball from his throat, and Tuer Kalanduo claimed the Tuer God had judged the heretic. As the moths scattered, Zhang Xuezhou and Nagesi discussed the coordinate transmitter and the Power of Faith, leaving Zhang to suspect the Descenders sought a realm beyond the True Self Realm.

• Zhou Rihui tore the black ball from Puresainuoru's throat, causing Puresainuoru to collapse and die.
• Tuer Kalanduo emerged with Ren Anran behind her and declared that the Tuer God had judged Puresainuoru, while the moths fell into chaos.
• Nagesi fought through the moths and asked Zhang Xuezhou whether he had found the one transmitting the coordinates.
• Zhang Xuezhou said Puresainuoru may have known and used the Power of Faith to transmit the coordinates, and Nagesi concluded they had attacked the right person.
• Nagesi warned that the Power of Faith had to be removed to prevent another coordinate transmission, prompting Zhang Xuezhou to consider whether a realm beyond the True Self Realm existed.

After the battle in Laiyata City left the Thousand Islands Alliance’s leaders dead and its forces devastated, Nagesi sensed strange fluctuations around the fallen. Zhang Xuezhou, meanwhile, examined a black sphere pulled from Puresainuoru, which seemed to carry an obscure power.

• Nagesi and Qimeng Haige surveyed the battlefield and learned that Speaker Gongyi Xingguangyu and six council members had died.
• Nagesi mourned Gongyi Xingguangyu’s loss, while Qimeng Haige considered the threat Ferocious Beasts posed to humanity.
• Tuer Kalanduo led the Tur People in mourning the dead and declared that Gongyi Xingguangyu would remain beside the Tuer God.
• Nagesi sensed faint fluctuations around the corpses and wondered whether they were the power of faith Zhang Xuezhou had mentioned.
• Zhou Rihui showed Zhang Xuezhou a black sphere he had pulled from Puresainuoru, and Zhang Xuezhou felt an obscure fluctuation from it.

Zhang Xuezhou imitated Puresainuoru’s statue pose to sense the Power of Faith in Laiyata City’s shrine. With the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon’s chant guiding him, he found the vessel of faith beneath the broken statue’s base.

• Zhang Xuezhou connected Huang’s ability to bestow and withdraw power with the cultivation of faith.
• After seeing Song Fengying’s photographs of Puresainuoru, Zhang Xuezhou copied his pose and stood among the statues, while Ren Anran joined him.
• Song Fengying sent Wang Li to record the Thousand Islands Alliance’s casualties and promoted her plans to expand Flying Entertainment Livestream into international news.
• Zhang Xuezhou heard the Tur People’s prayers and the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon’s mechanical chant as he sensed the source of the shrine’s Power of Faith.
• Zhang Xuezhou grabbed Nagesi by the cheek while searching, then pulled the vessel of faith from beneath the broken statue’s base.

Zhang Xuezhou took the shrine’s clod of earth and rock, believing it was an object of faith connected to Huang’s remains. Ren Anran found a carved bead that seemed to give her access to the Power of Faith, while the Tur people prepared to evacuate Laiyata City.

• Nagesi explained that the Power of Faith would seek a new carrier even if its object was destroyed, but refused to keep the clod Zhang Xuezhou had found.
• Zhang Xuezhou accepted the clod and suspected it contained bone powder from Huang’s remains and could help him locate other objects of faith.
• After Zhang Xuezhou left the shrine, Ren Anran found a carved bead beneath the spot he had dug and secretly took it.
• The Tur people began evacuating Laiyata City while giant moths remained in the skies and the war continued.
• Ren Anran felt the bead’s energy protect her from the scales and help her perceive her body, but Song Fengying felt nothing when she touched it.

After Gongyi Xingguangyu’s death, Nagesi and Zhang Xuezhou discussed building an alliance and advancing firearms research, with Zhang recommending Luo Burang for Nagesi’s projects. Nagesi offered Zhang medical resources while he recovered, and they agreed to cooperate on a prospective life-extension drug.

• Nagesi asked Zhang Xuezhou what to do about Gongyi Xingguangyu’s final instruction to develop firearms, and Zhang said he lacked the standing and ability to handle it.
• Zhang recommended that Nagesi give Luo Burang three months to train workers and advance research, and Nagesi agreed.
• Zhang told Nagesi he would soon enter a rejection period and be unconscious for about half a month, so Nagesi offered him X-series resources to recuperate.
• Zhang explained that he was working on a life-extension drug, and Nagesi asked him to send some when it was ready.
• Nagesi asked Zhang not to sell the drug to Mengtesi Badun yet, but Zhang said he could not reach him, leaving Nagesi free to arrange a trade.

After the funeral in Laiyata City, Nagesi left for Qinmeng while Zhang Xuezhou and the others prepared to return to the Scarlet Alliance State. Tuer Kelanduo urged Tuer Kalanduo to strengthen her rule and keep pace with Zhang Xuezhou, while Zhang Xuezhou examined the shrine relic before an illness episode left him asleep against Ren Anran.

• Nagesi left for Qinmeng, and Zhang Xuezhou and the others set out to fulfill their promised payment to Qimeng Haige in the Scarlet Alliance State.
• Tuer Kelanduo told Tuer Kalanduo that the weakened Divine Grace Lineages gave her a chance to secure stable control, and urged her to improve her sequence abilities so she could keep pace with Zhang Xuezhou.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran compared the relics they had collected, but Zhang Xuezhou and Wang Li felt only that Ren Anran's bead was cool.
• Zhou Rihui pressed Zhang Xuezhou about treatment, but Qimeng Haige stopped him and said he would accompany Zhang Xuezhou to the research institute in Western Capital City.
• Zhang Xuezhou slumped against Ren Anran's shoulder during an illness episode, and Zhou Rihui explained his condition to Qimeng Haige.

After recovering at Jin Chang’s residence, Zhang Xuezhou checked on the Huai River excavation and learned that the Water Mansion lay buried deep beneath the riverbed. He met Crown Prince Liu Qian, offered to lend him a treasure for exploring underwater, and gained a way to reach the construction site.

• Zhang Xuezhou recovered enough to use his Yang Corporeal Soul again and considered pursuing the Yin-Yang Secret Land.
• Zhang Xuezhou questioned a servant about the river works and learned that several people had drowned, while the missing horses and Zhang Household travelers had not been reported.
• Zhang Xuezhou rode through Shouchun City and heard praise for the King of Huainan’s Huai River project.
• Crown Prince Liu Qian met Zhang Xuezhou at the city gate and said the excavation had reached eight zhang without finding the Water Mansion.
• Zhang Xuezhou offered to lend Liu Qian his treasure for burrowing underwater, and Liu Qian’s assistance gave him access to the river worksite.

The King of Huainan tried to keep the King of Jiangdu from interfering with the excavation of the Huai River Water Mansion, while insisting he had found no treasure. When the Crown Prince arrived with Lord Dongfang and a treasure said to open the mansion, the King of Jiangdu rushed to see it, and Dong Zhongshu suspected his young companion in Chang'an City was behind the affair.

• The King of Huainan hosted the King of Jiangdu and repeatedly denied gaining anything from the Huai River Water Mansion.
• The King of Jiangdu demanded a share of the water mansion’s treasures, and Dong Zhongshu persuaded him that the King of Huainan was not hiding anything.
• The King of Huainan’s messenger reported that the Crown Prince had arrived with Lord Dongfang, who had found a treasure that could enter the water mansion.
• The King of Jiangdu rose eagerly to inspect Lord Dongfang’s treasure, and the King of Huainan and his retainers went with him.
• Dong Zhongshu followed the King of Jiangdu and suspected that his young companion in Chang'an City had set the affair in motion.

Zhang Xuezhou demonstrated his ability to hold his breath while the King of Huainan learned about the feather Law Treasure and recruited people to investigate the water manor. The volunteers included Lady Yourong, whose familiar voice nearly made Zhang Xuezhou lift his head from the bucket.

• Crown Prince Liu Qian arrived at the construction site and was painfully embraced by the King of Jiangdu, who warned that Liu Qian’s sword bone was too brittle.
• Liu Qian told the King of Huainan that Dongfang Bubai had awakened and that a feather Law Treasure could let people burrow underground to the water manor.
• The King of Huainan tested Zhang Xuezhou’s claim that he could hold his breath for a quarter of an hour and raised the reward to ten thousand gold.
• The King of Huainan examined the feather and learned that cultivators below the Divine Ability Realm could use it to sink into the earth.
• The King of Huainan recruited swimmers to test the treasure, and Wang Deli, Gao Yaocai, Zhang Changgong, and Lady Yourong volunteered.
• Zhang Xuezhou recognized familiar voices among the volunteers and nearly lifted his head from the bucket.

The King of Huainan sought someone who could hold their breath for a quarter of an hour to test Zhang Xuezhou’s Yao Treasure and water manor. After Zhang Xuezhou proved the treasure’s value and secured temporary servants, Zhang Changgong agreed to risk entering the submerged excavation in exchange for his freedom.

• The King of Huainan demanded a quarter-hour breath-hold, and Zhang Xuezhou demonstrated the feat while Zhang Changgong failed to match it.
• Zhang Xuezhou accepted ten strings of coins and persuaded the King of Huainan to lend him careful, capable servants.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that the Yao Treasure could reach the water manor faster now that the excavation was deeper, and the King of Huainan chose Zhang Changgong to test it.
• Zhang Changgong asked for his freedom in exchange for risking his life, and the King of Huainan agreed.
• The group reached the flooded Huai River excavation, where soldiers pressed Zhang Changgong underwater with a stone tied to him as he gripped the Yao feather.

Zhang Xuezhou watched Zhang Changgong enter the water manor while the King of Huainan and the King of Jiangdu waited for its secrets to be revealed. Dong Zhongshu warned Zhang Xuezhou that if the manor held nothing, the disappointed rulers could turn on him.

• Zhang Xuezhou observed the village hunters working and calculated how long Zhang Changgong had been inside the water manor.
• The King of Huainan considered allowing Liu Qian to enter the manor if Zhang Changgong returned safely, while the King of Jiangdu impatiently waited for a dragon to emerge.
• Dong Zhongshu reflected on leaving Huainan for Jiangdu and watched Zhang Xuezhou, who was accompanied by Wang Deli, Gao Yaocai, and Lady Yourong carrying ten thousand in gold.
• Dong Zhongshu asked Zhang Xuezhou what he had seen inside the water manor, and Zhang Xuezhou said there were only two stone fish that sprayed water.
• Dong Zhongshu warned that the water manor had to contain something, or the angry King of Huainan and King of Jiangdu might punish Zhang Xuezhou; he advised him to flee if it was empty.

Zhang Xuezhou tried to leave the Huai River Water Mansion, but Li Shang and Zuo Wu diagnosed him with symptoms of a difficult childbirth, drawing everyone’s attention. Trapped under the King of Huainan’s watch, Zhang Xuezhou used Dragon Riding to return to the Water Mansion and spotted someone descending outside.

• Zhang Xuezhou claimed his stomach hurt and asked the King of Huainan to let him return to the city.
• Li Shang and Zuo Wu examined Zhang Xuezhou and both diagnosed him with symptoms of pregnancy and a difficult childbirth.
• The King of Huainan refused to let Zhang Xuezhou leave and ordered Lei Bei to watch over him while they waited for the laborer in the Water Mansion.
• Zhang Xuezhou decided to recheck the Water Mansion, used Dragon Riding to escape the camp, and saw two kicking legs descending outside.

Zhang Xuezhou searched the underwater palace and, finding it empty, prepared Zhang Changgong to stay hidden until the diggers broke through. He left a dimmed Golden Crow Great Emperor's feather behind as a possible treasure and escaped using the Peacock Great Wisdom King's feather, planning to claim compensation for its loss.

• Zhang Xuezhou pulled Zhang Changgong into the underwater palace, where Zhang Changgong recovered and recognized him.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that the King of Huainan and the King of Jiangxia might punish him if the palace yielded no treasure, then searched the cave without finding anything valuable.
• After Zhang Changgong suggested the glowing feather was marvelous, Zhang Xuezhou dimmed the Golden Crow Great Emperor's feather and hung it in a crack above the cave.
• Zhang Xuezhou gave Zhang Changgong Grain Avoidance Powder and instructed him to pretend he had passed out and knew nothing when the diggers found him.
• Zhang Xuezhou kept Zhang Changgong asleep, left the Golden Crow Great Emperor's feather behind, and escaped with the Peacock Great Wisdom King's feather.

Zhang Xuezhou returned to the excavation site and tried to calm the King of Huainan’s concerns about the Water Mansion. The King of Jiangdu’s attack triggered the mansion’s formation, exposing its power and threatening the riverbank.

• Lei Bei found Zhang Xuezhou beside the deep pool and learned he had spent the night near the Water Mansion.
• The King of Jiangdu charged into the pool, and Lei Bei intercepted him after the King of Huainan promised to restore Lei Bei’s docked salary.
• Zhang Xuezhou told the King of Huainan that the Water Mansion held no danger beyond possible accidents, while the laborer who had entered it remained missing.
• The King of Jiangdu hurled his weapon into the pool, ignoring Lei Bei’s attack.
• The blow disturbed the embankment, and two golden carp appeared amid the churning water as the Water Mansion’s formation unleashed a huge wave.

The Huai River Water Mansion’s formation flooded the riverbank, and Zhang Xuezhou used the chaos to strengthen his position with the King of Huainan. Dong Zhongshu advised how to break the formation, and after Dashan and Xiaoshan succeeded, the kings and their men rushed into the revealed Water Mansion to search for treasure.

• The Water Mansion’s formation sent waves crashing across the riverbank, forcing the camp to retreat through the floodwater.
• Zhang Xuezhou scolded Wang Deli and Gao Yaocai for running ahead, then praised them for guarding his reward money while addressing the King of Huainan.
• The King of Jiangdu struggled to retrieve his gilded goose-wing tang from the formation’s golden carp, while the King of Huainan called on Dashan and Xiaoshan to break it.
• Dong Zhongshu identified the formation as the Two Fish Emerging from the Water Formation and explained that matching water-repelling pearls could dispel it.
• Dashan and Xiaoshan placed the pearls in the golden carp’s mouths, causing the waves to subside and revealing the Water Mansion’s entrance.
• The King of Jiangdu entered the cavern first, and the King of Huainan ordered his people to follow and search for treasure.

Zhang Xuezhou discussed Fortune Techniques and the King of Huainan with Dong Zhongshu, who warned him against risky dealings and explained how to seek the king’s rare medicines. Zhang Xuezhou left with the Yellow Sand Technique and a safer approach in mind, though his plans still depended on finding something the King of Huainan wanted.

• Zhang Xuezhou approached Dong Zhongshu after the King of Huainan entered the Huai River Water Mansions, while Lady Yourong remained beside him.
• Dong Zhongshu warned Zhang Xuezhou not to get entangled with the King of Huainan’s Fortune Technique and explained why he intended to side with the King of Jiangdu.
• Dong Zhongshu returned the Yellow Sand Technique to Zhang Xuezhou and urged him to cultivate without taking unnecessary risks.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked how to obtain the King of Huainan’s hundred rare great medicines, and Dong Zhongshu advised him to offer benefits rather than use tricks.
• Dong Zhongshu suggested that Zhang Xuezhou might gain the king’s favor by taking a loss, then explained that even the emperor could simply ask the King of Huainan for the medicines.

Zhang Xuezhou decided not to openly challenge the King of Huainan and offered Dong Zhongshu the Yin-Yang School’s Realm Techniques, hoping they could help him. Meanwhile, the King of Huainan found a golden feather in the Water Mansion and reflected that Fortune Techniques had put him on a road he could not leave.

• Dong Zhongshu warned Zhang Xuezhou that challenging someone with greater fortune was dangerous, so Zhang Xuezhou chose to keep his losses and schemes out of the open.
• Zhang Xuezhou offered Dong Zhongshu the Realm Techniques of both the Yin and Yang branches, including their Divine Ability Realm contents.
• Dong Zhongshu accepted the offer, believing the techniques might help him reconcile the powers within his body and improve his cultivation.
• The King of Huainan’s group searched the Water Mansion, and Tian You found a pale golden feather on the cavern wall.
• The King of Huainan took the feather and recognized that Fortune Techniques had drawn him into conflicts he could neither control nor escape.

The King of Huainan and the King of Jiangdu searched the Huai River Water Mansion, finding gold, silver, and jewels hidden inside its stone fish. Removing the treasure reactivated the mansion’s protective array and flooded the chamber, but the explorers escaped before it collapsed.

• The King of Jiangdu complained that the Water Mansion held no dragon, rare treasures, or other promised wonders, while the King of Huainan examined the stone fish.
• The King of Huainan touched a stone ball on one fish, opening its belly and revealing gold ingots and pearls; the second fish contained more valuables.
• The King of Huainan offered the King of Jiangdu one fish’s treasure, but the King of Jiangdu refused and grumbled that the hoard was smaller than the legends suggested.
• The stone fish cracked and the Water Mansion’s array sealed the passage, trapping the explorers as cold water began to pour in.
• At the King of Huainan’s command, Mao Bei used his axe to break through the wall, unleashing a torrent that swept him aside and flooded the Water Mansion.
• The King of Huainan forced his way through the breach and reached the surface, and the King of Jiangdu and the others escaped behind him.

The King of Huainan found a Heavenly Court-marked pearl in the Huai River Water Mansion and concluded that the Heavenly and Immortal Courts had weakened. He then urged the King of Jiangdu to support an all-out campaign against Xiong State, while privately planning how war could shield him and advance his position.

• The King of Huainan examined a pearl bearing the Heavenly Court’s thunderbolt mark and inferred that the Dragon King of the Huai River had withdrawn out of fear of the weakened courts.
• On the way back to Shouchun City, the King of Huainan reflected that the Great Han Dynasty might have been able to destroy the Heavenly and Immortal Courts during the King of Qin’s era.
• The King of Huainan told the King of Jiangdu that minor border battles were pointless and called for destroying Xiong State and its powerful allies in the Northern Kuru Continent.
• The King of Jiangdu was alarmed by the King of Huainan’s radical plan but began to see him as a valuable potential ally for the pro-war faction.
• The King of Huainan decided to let the King of Jiangdu speak for their position while he remained disguised as a conservative, expecting foreign campaigns to distract the new emperor and possibly strengthen his own influence.

Zhang Xuezhou arranged to buy Lei Bei’s horse so he could take Lady Yourong out of Huainan without drawing attention or violating official regulations. As they continued toward Shouchun City, Lady Yourong recognized her son but stayed silent, following his plan to escape the region.

• Zhang Changgong regained consciousness after being brought ashore and received a token that let him avoid returning to Xiashi Mountain.
• Lei Bei asked Zhang Xuezhou for money to pay his debts, and Zhang Xuezhou offered to pay him for arranging a horse.
• Zhang Xuezhou bought Lei Bei’s horse for seven strings of cash, gaining a suitable mount for his journey with Lady Yourong.
• Zhang Xuezhou invited Lady Yourong to ride with him, and she recognized him but kept quiet as she followed his instructions.