Chapter Summaries

After the Luo Household collapsed, Zhang Xuezhou rested in its recuperation center while Zhou Yueyan tried to persuade the injured Changkong Yinglian to seek treatment from him. Zhou Yueyan revealed that God Grace had helped her advance to the Fifth Sequence and proposed building a powerful alliance among the Zhou, Changkong, Ren, and Zhang Households.

• News spread that the Luo Household had fallen, and Western Capital City's Lineages temporarily took control while giving Luo Gaogao and the others ten years to reclaim its authority.
• Zhang Xuezhou rested in the X432 recuperation device as Changkong Yinglian, still badly injured, questioned Zhou Yueyan's recommendation that he treat her.
• Zhou Yueyan explained that Zhang Xuezhou needed a sufficiently large Qinmeng Secret Stone or Egret Bird blood serum, and Changkong Yinglian said her household was already seeking those resources.
• Zhou Yueyan showed Changkong Yinglian her Fifth Sequence strength and said Zhou Rihui might have a chance to reach the Sixth Sequence after receiving God Grace treatment.
• Zhou Yueyan urged the Changkong Household to work with Zhang Xuezhou and envisioned a core alliance joining the Zhou, Changkong, Ren, and Zhang Households.

Zhang Xuezhou awoke in the Gaoyou Water Mansion after the dragon kings revived him with an Eastern Sea dragon pearl, but he found his head heavy and full of water. He discovered that his Copper Wings had advanced to Golden Wings and learned that he and the dragon kings were prisoners in a water prison.

• Zhang Xuezhou woke among the dragon kings and spat out the golden dragon pearl they had placed in his mouth.
• Zhang Xuezhou complained that his head felt full of water, while the dragon kings explained the pearl had revived him and discussed their captivity.
• Ao Qin told Zhang Xuezhou that his demon wings had grown lighter, and Zhang Xuezhou saw they had advanced from Copper Wings to Golden Wings.
• Dong Zhongshu revealed that the dragon kings were prisoners too, trapped with him and the others in the Ninth Route Gaoyou Water Mansion.
• The dragon kings shouted for Ao Li to release them and protested their treatment as prisoners.

In the water prison, Zhang Xuezhou discovered that the Dragon Kings’ saliva boosted his Demon Power and eased the heaviness in his head. Ao Li freed the Dragon Kings, reclaimed the Dragon Pearl, and tried treating Zhang Xuezhou’s lingering dizziness, which he blamed on drinking too much.

• Ao Guang shouted that the Dragon Kings had saved the half-demon and insisted that the Dragon Pearl was genuine, while his saliva drenched Zhang Xuezhou.
• Zhang Xuezhou recognized the saliva’s fragrance as ambergris and noticed his Demon Power increasing as his head grew lighter.
• Ao Li arrived and released the Dragon Kings, who left after Ao Qin confirmed that the Dragon Pearl had not been tampered with.
• Ao Li took back the Dragon Pearl and explained that it could boost cultivation and heal injuries.
• Ao Li examined Zhang Xuezhou’s lingering dizziness, blamed it on drinking too much, and spat on him; Zhang Xuezhou felt better.

Gongsun Hong and Dong Zhongshu escaped the water prison beneath Gaoyou Great Lake, while discussing Zhang Xuezhou’s injuries and the power of the underwater residence’s master. They reached the surface, where Dong Zhongshu worried that their discovery had put the King of Jiangdu in danger.

• Gongsun Hong envied Zhang Xuezhou for being covered in the Dragon Kings’ precious saliva, but Dong Zhongshu explained that the Imperial Medical Hall had pried open Zhang Xuezhou’s head and damaged his cultivation prospects.
• Gongsun Hong and Dong Zhongshu wondered why they had been treated as intruders while Zhang Xuezhou had been welcomed as a guest.
• Gongsun Hong pointed out that the prison’s formation drew on Gaoyou Great Lake and advised Dong Zhongshu to use the Stone Transformation Technique against a nearby cliff.
• Dong Zhongshu weakened the stone wall, and Gongsun Hong used a spell to push the incoming water outward and carry them through the opening.
• Gongsun Hong waved to the ships searching the lake, while Dong Zhongshu worried that the underwater residence’s powerful master could threaten the King of Jiangdu.

Zhang Xuezhou recovered from the effects of Saliva Wine in Ao Li’s underwater residence, where he learned why Dong Zhongshu and the others had been imprisoned. After noticing that dragon breath had greatly strengthened Xie Xie, Zhang Xuezhou suspected it had also affected his own body and left him dizzy from clashing powers.

• Ao Li told Zhang Xuezhou that Saliva Wine transformed vitality into essence and said he and Ao Qing would recover with rest.
• A crab demon reported a leak in the water prison, and Ao Li rushed outside with water-parting forks to confront the damage.
• Xie Xie explained that Ao Li had imprisoned Dong Zhongshu and the others to force them to teach the young king.
• Xie Xie revealed that Ao Li’s dragon breath had restored his severed arm and greatly increased his Demon Power.
• Zhang Xuezhou suspected dragon breath and other forces had strengthened his Demon Power and affected the gateway to his Heaven and Earth Bridges, causing Demon Power and Law Power to clash.

Dong Zhongshu and Gongsun Hong faced Ao Li on Gaoyou Great Lake after damaging his underwater residence, but Ao Li used his mastery of water to overwhelm them. Dong Zhongshu surrendered and was chosen to teach Ao Qing, while Gongsun Hong escaped to shore and fled.

• Dong Zhongshu and Gongsun Hong boarded a boat on Gaoyou Great Lake as sudden rain began sinking the Jiangdu ships.
• Ao Li emerged from the lake and demanded an explanation for the damage to his son's cultivation grounds; Gongsun Hong argued that the residence would repair itself within three days.
• Ao Li attacked with hail, but Dong Zhongshu used his Law Treasure fan to redirect it before Ao Li summoned a stream of flying swordfish.
• Dong Zhongshu realized he was outmatched, stopped fighting, and offered compensation or to remain detained until the water prison was repaired.
• Gongsun Hong escaped across the waves to shore, challenged Ao Li to follow him to Guangling City in Jiangdu, and fled through the forest.
• Ao Li let Gongsun Hong go and decided that Dong Zhongshu would be a suitable teacher for Ao Qing.

Zhang Xuezhou escaped the Gaoyou Water Mansion while Dong Zhongshu was detained there, and Dong Zhongshu revealed that the King of Jiangdu wanted to find a dragon to eat. He warned Ao Li that the emperor might wield the dragon-slaying Red Empyrean Sword, leaving Ao Li uncertain whether to stay in Gaoyou.

• Ao Li questioned Zhang Xuezhou about shaking his head, but Zhang Xuezhou sprouted golden feathers, flew out of the mansion, and plunged into the water.
• Ao Li pressed Dong Zhongshu about why he and Gongsun Hong had come, and Dong Zhongshu admitted they were seeking a water mansion for the King of Jiangdu.
• Dong Zhongshu revealed that the King of Jiangdu wanted to find wealth and eat a dragon, prompting Ao Li to boast of his power in the water.
• Dong Zhongshu warned that the King of Jiangdu could persuade the emperor to bring the Red Empyrean Sword against Ao Li.
• Ao Li acknowledged the sword's danger and considered moving to another water mansion, but decided to learn more before choosing what to do.

Zhang Xuezhou flew out of Gaoyou Water Mansion with an excess of Demon Power, reaching Bashu and recovering much of his clarity along the way. After meeting Pilan, he learned Yao Yuanguang was in Chang'an City and decided to help her confront him before pursuing his own search for Li Shaojun and Yao Yuanguang.

• Zhang Xuezhou escaped Gaoyou Water Mansion and used the Technique Within the Clouds to burn off his abundant Demon Power as he flew.
• Pilan caught up with Zhang Xuezhou in Bashu, praised his unusual flying skills, and told him Kong Ning was preparing for a major operation connected to an emperor.
• Pilan said Yao Yuanguang had sent her to search for Zhu Shiyin and had been in Chang'an City three days earlier.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Pilan to help him find Li Shaojun and Yao Yuanguang, then offered to help her demand back her Thousand Flower Brew.
• Zhang Xuezhou planned to return to Jiangdu, settle Lady Yourong, and then go to Chang'an City to seek Yao Yuanguang's help rescuing the remaining people of Zhang Household Village.

Zhang Xuezhou learned from Pilan about dragon saliva and Dragon Essence, realizing that a Dragon Pearl had infused him with powerful, potentially troublesome energy. After flying back to Jiangdu, he spotted troops near Gaoyou Great Lake and planned to ask Ao Li to help avert a conflict and secure his payment.

• Zhang Xuezhou learned that Ao Li was in Jiangdu and heard Pilan explain the benefits of dragon saliva and Dragon Essence.
• Pilan explained that Dragon Essence could heal illness and save lives, and Zhang Xuezhou concluded that a Dragon Pearl taken from the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas had affected his body and helped him manifest Golden Wings.
• Zhang Xuezhou worried that the Dragon Essence, along with the other forces and procedures affecting his body, could cause trouble he could not remove.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned to Jiangdu after a little over four hours of flight and saw firelight moving along the river near Gaoyou Great Lake.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered asking Ao Li to let the King of Jiangdu search the Gaoyou Water Mansion in exchange for benefits, then plunged down toward the area.

The King of Jiangdu and Gongsun Hong sailed to Gaoyou Water Mansion to rescue Dong Zhongshu and confront the Dragon King, while Gongsun Hong planned to use lime to drive the dragon from the water. After a strange rain abruptly stopped, the ships continued upstream, and the party landed near the cliff to wait for a chance to attack.

• The King of Jiangdu led more than fifty ships toward Gaoyou Water Mansion as unnatural rain fell, and Gongsun Hong decided he had to rescue Dong Zhongshu to protect his own prospects.
• Gongsun Hong persuaded the King of Jiangdu that scattering lime in the lake could force the Dragon King to surface.
• Gongsun Hong saw a golden light and a multicolored figure fall toward the Water Mansion, and he grew uneasy about his plan.
• The rain stopped suddenly, and the King of Jiangdu ordered the lime-laden ships to continue upstream.
• Gongsun Hong advised the King of Jiangdu to wait until nightfall and scatter the lime while the Dragon King rested.
• The King of Jiangdu and Gongsun Hong landed near the cliff to wait for an opportunity to attack.

Zhang Xuezhou brought Pilan to Ao Li’s water mansion and suggested a way to resolve the King of Jiangdu’s intrusion without a fight. He spread word that the Han emperor had gained control of the Red Empyrean Sword, giving Ao Li a face-saving reason to avoid the King of Jiangdu and leaving Pilan poised to carry the story onward.

• Zhang Xuezhou plunged into the lake with Pilan, and Ao Li’s spell brought them into Gaoyou Water Mansion.
• Zhang Xuezhou proposed that Ao Li satisfy the King of Jiangdu with benefits and send him away, while Ao Li worried about losing face.
• Ao Li questioned Pilan about the Red Empyrean Sword and gave her dragon saliva after she admitted she had heard of it but knew no details.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Pilan that Emperor Gaozu had manifested at Fengxi Marsh and enabled the Han emperor to control the Red Empyrean Sword.
• Ao Li feared the sword enough to accept that avoiding the King of Jiangdu would not cost him his dragon face.

Ao Li struggled to decide what to do with Dong Zhongshu, who knew the water residence’s plans, while trying to protect his family’s peace from the approaching King of Jiangdu. Zhang Xuezhou helped them find a compromise: Dong Zhongshu could stay alive and teach Ao Qing in exchange for a chance to build ties with the king.

• Ao Li weighed taking Dong Zhongshu along, releasing him, or killing him, while Pilan offered to murder him for dragon saliva.
• Dong Zhongshu promised to go with Ao Li and keep silent, but Ao Li doubted that this would stop Master Gongsun and the King of Jiangdu from searching.
• Zhang Xuezhou reminded Pilan that Dong Zhongshu was a renowned scholar with three thousand students, then urged him to win over Ao Qing with praise.
• Dong Zhongshu praised Ao Qing, who corrected him about his name, and Zhang Xuezhou framed their needs as Dong Zhongshu’s survival and the water residence’s peace.
• Ao Li revealed that he wanted Dong Zhongshu to teach Ao Qing, and Zhang Xuezhou realized the arrangement could also help Dong Zhongshu gain a foothold in the Kingdom of Jiangdu.

Gongsun Hong helped the King of Jiangdu poison Gaoyou Great Lake with lime to drive out the dragon, and the King mistook a severed crab pincer for a dragon horn. The fleet caught fish and a large pincer, but the Water Dragon King stayed out of sight as ships began leaking, leaving Gongsun Hong wondering why the attack had provoked so little retaliation.

• Gongsun Hong directed ships to dump lime into Gaoyou Great Lake, killing fish and poisoning the water to force the dragon out.
• The King of Jiangdu asked Gongsun Hong how dragons breathed underwater, then watched the fish surface and die.
• The King of Jiangdu shot at a disturbance in the lake and believed he had knocked off a dragon horn; soldiers hauled a large pincer aboard.
• Gongsun Hong recognized the pincer as a crab demon's limb and moved into the shadows, ready to flee if the Water Dragon King retaliated.
• Several ships began leaking, but the Water Dragon King did not appear, and Gongsun Hong questioned why the fleet had faced so little resistance.

Ao Li joined Zhang Xuezhou and the others in gathering dead fish along Gaoyou Great Lake after settling the dispute over the Water Mansion. Hearing that the King of Jiangdu planned to visit Chang’an to view the Red Empyrean Sword, Ao Li realized how dangerous a direct confrontation could have been and felt fortunate the conflict had been contained.

• Ao Li accepted Zhang Xuezhou’s mediation, while Dong Zhongshu agreed to keep the Water Mansion secret and teach Ao Qing for ten years.
• Ao Li searched for Ao Qing, then disguised himself as an ordinary young man and went to find him and Zhang Xuezhou.
• Ao Li spat on Xie Xie, who celebrated his restored arm and burrowed into the lakeside mud.
• Ao Li found Zhang Xuezhou, Ao Qing, and Pilan gathering dead fish with people along the shore, and joined them.
• Ao Li overheard people say the King of Jiangdu was traveling to Chang’an to view the Red Empyrean Sword, which had slain dragons.
• Ao Li realized the emperor might have intervened if he had clashed with the King of Jiangdu, and felt grateful that Zhang Xuezhou had helped prevent the dispute from escalating.

Thirteen days after returning to Jiangdu, Zhang Xuezhou reunited with Lady Yourong while gathering fish and prepared to go to Chang'an City with Pilan. At Gaoyou Water Mansion, Ao Li opened a whirlpool to let the King of Jiangdu enter, but talk of the Red Empyrean Sword left him wary.

• Lady Yourong and Zhang Changgong found the boatmen and brought news to Guangling City, after which the King of Jiangdu sent search boats and Gongsun Hong returned with him.
• Zhang Xuezhou reunited with Lady Yourong while she and Zhang Changgong gathered fish, and told her not to speak because the matter was not over.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Pilan and Ao Qing that he and Pilan would go to Chang'an City to find Dongfang Shuo, then distracted the group with a long discussion about choosing names.
• Ao Li heard soldiers discussing the Red Empyrean Sword and opened a whirlpool above Gaoyou Water Mansion so the King of Jiangdu's party could enter and take some treasure.
• The King of Jiangdu broke through the water and entered the mansion, while Ao Li warned Ao Qing not to risk their lives over the Red Empyrean Sword and Pilan eavesdropped for information.

The King of Jiangdu and his men entered the Gaoyou Water Mansion, where Dong Zhongshu was safe and described a crab demon as the cause of their imprisonment. Gongsun Hong recognized that the truth about the water dragon king would go unproven, leaving the clawless crab demon to take the blame.

• The King of Jiangdu hurled his Gilded Wild Goose Wing Tang into the whirlpool and leaped into the water, followed by his twelve personal guards.
• Gongsun Hong jumped in after them, was dragged underwater by water weeds, broke free with Law Power, and followed the others toward the mansion.
• Gongsun Hong reached the brightly lit Gaoyou Water Mansion and found the King of Jiangdu and his guards at its open gates with Dong Zhongshu.
• Dong Zhongshu told the King of Jiangdu that a river crab demon had trapped him in the mansion, and the King realized he had shot off the crab's remaining large claw.
• Gongsun Hong doubted Dong Zhongshu's account but knew he had no evidence to challenge it, so the crab demon was left to bear the blame.

Ao Li sealed the Gaoyou Water Mansion after the King of Jiangdu and his men collected its visible treasures, while Zhang Xuezhou reflected on Dong Zhongshu’s successful effort to build ties with the king. Zhang Xuezhou, Ao Li, Pilan, and Ao Qing then set out for Chang'an City to meet Yao Yuanguang and attend the sword-appreciation gathering.

• Ao Li punished Gongsun Hong lightly, caught a large fish, and sealed the Gaoyou Water Mansion after a quarter of an hour.
• The King of Jiangdu and his men emerged with gold, silver, and luminous pearls, then the king tried to dive back into the sealed mansion.
• Zhang Xuezhou concluded that Dong Zhongshu had gained the King of Jiangdu’s favor and secretly told Lady Yourong to stay with Master Dong and collect the promised one hundred thousand gold.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Ao Li agreed to go to Chang'an City, and Pilan joined them to seek justice from Yao Yuanguang.
• Ao Li picked up Ao Qing, and after they left the fishers behind, the group took their demon forms and flew toward Chang'an City.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that Ao Li’s Dragon Pearl had treated the damaged Heaven and Earth Bridges in his mind, flooding his body with Demon Power and enabling him to form Golden Wings. As he reached Chang'an City, he pieced together how the Heaven and Earth Bridges might connect his two bodies and the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, then switched to Law Power when his Demon Power ran out.

• Zhang Xuezhou asked Ao Li whether the Dragon Pearl constantly replenished Demon Power, and Ao Li explained that it healed injuries until they were cured or its power was exhausted.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized the Dragon Pearl had treated his broken Heaven and Earth Bridges for twelve days, causing his Demon Power to build up and his Golden Wings to form.
• Zhang Xuezhou guessed that the Heaven and Earth Bridges connected his two bodies and might be where the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon had marked or invaded him.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered that the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon's black core and Divinity might be hidden in the special space between his bodies, and he decided he might need to find and destroy it.
• As Pilan pointed out the place in Chang'an City where Yao Yuanguang had swindled him, Zhang Xuezhou ran out of Demon Power and began to fall.
• Zhang Xuezhou switched to Law Power to keep flying, impressing Ao Li with his adaptability and making Ao Li see promise in his future.

Ao Li confronted Yao Yuanguang over Pilan’s fortune reading, then asked him for a reading of his own. Yao Yuanguang agreed to read Ao Li in exchange for help entering a secret place near Chang'an City, while Zhang Xuezhou suspected he was steering Ao Li toward an easy question he could verify within three days.

• Yao Yuanguang’s escape technique failed when Ao Li disrupted it, and he crouched down to protect himself as Pilan cursed him for the inaccurate reading.
• Pilan recalled that Yao Yuanguang had promised a refund only if she returned within three days, and she dropped her complaint after deciding she had gained enough from Ao Li’s dragon saliva.
• Ao Li asked Yao Yuanguang for a reading and agreed to help him enter a secret place near Chang'an City three days later if the reading proved accurate.
• Yao Yuanguang asked Ao Li what he wanted read, and Zhang Xuezhou suspected he was setting up a question that could be verified within the three-day limit.

Ao Li sought Yao Yuanguang’s help in locating the treasure that countered him, and the reading pointed toward Chang'an City. Yao Yuanguang left with Ao Li for another secret realm after Zhang Xuezhou mentioned the King of Huainan’s invitation, while Holy Mother Wudang returned and heard Pilan’s account of the visitors.

• Ao Li asked Yao Yuanguang to locate the treasure that could threaten him, and Yao Yuanguang used a character Ao Li wrote to cast his technique.
• Yao Yuanguang’s arrow pointed toward Chang'an City, alarming Ao Li and prompting him to invite Yao Yuanguang to the Jing River Water Mansion.
• Ao Li led Yao Yuanguang toward a different secret realm than the one Yao Yuanguang had hoped to enter.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Yao Yuanguang about the King of Huainan’s invitation and mentioned Holy Mother Wudang’s secret realm, then Yao Yuanguang departed with Ao Li.
• Ao Li stopped Ao Qing from inviting Zhang Xuezhou to the Jing River Water Mansion, and Holy Mother Wudang returned as Pilan told her about the visitors.