Recaps

Hu Mang passed the spectral Daoists’ questions on Three Perfected Island and received a revised Treatise on Sitting and Forgetting before navigating the ghost islands upstream. He found Cui Yu at the Nether River, where Cui Yu revealed that eighteen corpse nails had suppressed the dead Sea Dragon Vein and helped it grow.

• Hu Mang answered the skeleton Daoists’ questions about cultivation and Ghost Immortals, then received the Treatise on Sitting and Forgetting from a vanished Daoist gathering.
• Hu Mang steered the ghost ship past several ghost islands, resisting its pull and continuing to search for Cui Yu.
• Hu Mang used the Yellow Springs Water-Parting Saber to open a path as the Yin River deepened into the Nether River, where he found Cui Yu waiting.
• Hu Mang asked Cui Yu whether anything was wrong with the dead Dragon Vein, and Cui Yu said eighteen corpse nails had suppressed the dead dragon.
• Cui Yu explained that the eighteen nails were the Eastern Sea’s eighteen inner islands and that Sea Dragon Veins faced shifting coastlines, currents, seabeds, and predators.

Hu Mang learned that the Dragon Vein had broken because the Yu Household removed its Dragon-Suppressing Nail, and that a Ten Yama King would oversee repairs to the Yin-Yang Passage. After Lin Zhiying heard Hu Mang’s story of revenge against the demonic path, she took him to the Demon-Locking Radar’s control center.

• Cui Yu explained that the Yu Household’s Dragon-Suppressing Nail had once helped overthrow the Old Heavenly Gate, and that its removal had broken the Sea Dragon Vein.
• Cui Yu showed Hu Mang a blood-lit abyss within the Dragon Vein, then told him that the Ten Yama Kings knew how to repair it.
• Eighth Master Hui told Hu Mang that a Yama King would be stationed on the East Sea immortal islands and explained that the Ten Lords inherited previous generations’ Void Refinement attainments.
• Lin Zhiying and Ao Tianhai reported to Lord Lin, who assigned Ao to the Void-Shattering Project and awarded Lin a third-class merit.
• Lin Zhiying told Hu Mang that Ao Tianhai had left for training, then agreed to help after hearing about Hu Mang’s origins and his desire to take revenge on the demonic path.
• Lin Zhiying led Hu Mang into the Demon-Locking Radar’s control center, where more than a hundred military formation masters operated its systems.

Hu Mang learned that the Heavenly Gate secretly tracked demonic cultivators through smuggled storage boxes, then returned to Spring Thunder Ridge to seek a breakthrough by studying the Treatise on Sitting and Forgetting. He moved his Golden Core into his upper Dantian, risking its destruction to cultivate the Dao of Sitting and Forgetting.

• Lin Zhiying showed Hu Mang the military’s storage-box surveillance network and identified coordinates of the Holy Son Cult remnants, including Old Man Min, who was presumed dead.
• Lin Zhiying explained that the Heavenly Gate avoided a large-scale attack on demonic groups to preserve a strategic buffer against a dangerous opponent, and refused to share classified information about the Immortal Dynasty.
• Hu Mang returned to the Zheng Family Garden and sent his underlings to deal with the Holy Son Cult remnants before going back to Spring Thunder Ridge to enter seclusion.
• Hu Mang studied the Treatise on Sitting and Forgetting and decided to use his Golden Core to accelerate his spiritual cultivation.
• Hu Mang raised his Golden Core from his Middle Dantian through his body and placed it in the ancestral aperture between his brows.

Hu Mang practiced the Treatise on Sitting and Forgetting and reached the Dao of Sitting and Forgetting, sensing the meridians of heaven and earth and forming the Flower of Spirit. His rapid progress completed the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown and triggered the Mysterious Peak Sect’s rules requiring him to take on an assignment.

• Hu Mang used his Golden Core to reverse-engineer the Treatise on Sitting and Forgetting and entered a state of unity with heaven and earth.
• After a day and a night, Hu Mang touched the Dao of Sitting and Forgetting and began sensing the meridians of heaven and earth across a vast distance.
• Ge Wen and the Daoists Xuanch en and Guigenzi noticed Hu Mang stirring the meridians of heaven and earth, and Ge Wen realized his disciple might form the Flower of Spirit.
• Hu Mang’s perception reached Wangsong County, where Brother Fox sensed him, before it rushed back and condensed insights into the Flower of Spirit in Hu Mang’s Upper Dantian.
• Ge Wen explained that Hu Mang’s Three Flowers Gather at the Crown meant he had to begin sect assignments, despite not yet mastering his chosen Law Techniques.

Hu Mang tested the Three Flowers’ ability to turn Spiritual Qi into Innate Qi, then rapidly mastered his sect techniques and went to Entering Rivers Mountain to inspect assignments. He found that even the most difficult assignment came with a mountain spirit’s promise of help, and considered the sect’s rewards unusually generous.

• Hu Mang studied Ge Wen’s notes and learned that the Three Flowers could strengthen defenses and techniques and convert acquired Qi into Innate Qi.
• Hu Mang tested the conversion in seclusion and produced Innate Qi, then wondered whether he could use it to perfect his Golden Core.
• Hu Mang spent half a month cultivating his three sect techniques, bringing them to minor accomplishment.
• Hu Mang climbed the steps into Entering Rivers Mountain using Divine Light of Condensing Peaks and encountered a powerful, bearded man in yellow robes.
• Hu Mang entered the great hall and reviewed sect assignments, including a half-year post guarding an ancient peak that offered a mountain spirit’s help in peril.

Hu Mang chose an assignment to help seal a devil-suppression rift in Liang Kingdom and met Zu Gong, an inner disciple from Li Flame Mountain. Zu Gong took him to Li Flame Mountain to show him its fire-based pill-refining tradition, leaving Hu Mang at the peak’s fiery entrance.

• Hu Mang searched the sect assignments and reserved the task of sealing Grand Gate Mountain’s devil-sealing rift after deciding it was nearby and less dangerous than entering a corrupted mountain alone.
• Zu Gong introduced himself to Hu Mang and explained that he avoided working alongside Divine Sword Sect sword cultivators because Li Flame Mountain often clashed with them.
• Hu Mang asked Zu Gong about Li Flame Mountain’s pill refining, and Zu Gong offered to show him the peak before Hu Mang reported his chosen assignment to his master.
• Hu Mang and Zu Gong traveled through the earth to Li Flame Mountain, where Hu Mang saw its crimson rock, sturdy buildings, and great palace-like structure.

Hu Mang explored Li Flame Mountain’s Fireheart Alchemy Chamber and discovered that nurturing a pill could accelerate the conversion between innate and acquired Qi, so he climbed into a Pill Furnace to cultivate his Golden Core. Lu Shuichan mistakenly thought Hu Mang had been forced into the furnace and recognized him as Chunwuzi’s junior brother.

• Zu Gong left Hu Mang to explore the Fireheart Alchemy Chamber while he went to report on his errand.
• Hu Mang inspected the alchemy chambers and learned that pill refinement involved five steps, with nurturing the pill testing heat control.
• Lu Shuichan brought Xu Nuoning and Sui Gu to see the alchemy chambers, and they screamed when they saw Hu Mang glowing inside a Pill Furnace.
• Lu Shuichan pulled Hu Mang from the furnace and cautiously asked whether someone had forced him into it.
• Hu Mang recognized Lu Shuichan as one of the Five Dwarfs of Mystic Peak and said he was Chunwuzi’s junior brother.

Hu Mang discussed his unusual Golden Core method with Lu Shuichan, whose explanation of the Mysterious Peak Sect’s cultivation path led Hu Mang to realize that the Heavenly Gate’s method bypassed the Heavenly Dao. That insight sent Hu Mang’s Divine Sense straight through the Golden Core realm and into Nascent Soul, leaving Lu Shuichan and Xu Nuoning stunned.

• Hu Mang showed Lu Shuichan, Xu Nuoning, and Hui Gu the Innate Golden Core he was refining inside his body, and Lu Shuichan led him out of the Fireheart Alchemy Chamber before he overheated.
• Hu Mang gave Lu Shuichan Awakening to Reality: Elixir Chapters, and Lu Shuichan examined its unusual cultivation system while Hu Mang explained his ideas about the Three Flowers and the Golden Core.
• Lu Shuichan demonstrated how the Mysterious Peak Sect’s cultivation stages connected essence, Qi, spirit, and the Dao of heaven and earth, then said he could not find that connection in Hu Mang’s method.
• Hu Mang realized that the Heavenly Gate’s cultivation system required cultivators to leave a world that would not tolerate its method, and his Divine Sense broke through the Golden Core level into Nascent Soul.
• Xu Nuoning and Lu Shuichan noticed Hu Mang’s transformed presence and reacted with surprise at his sudden breakthrough.

Hu Mang considered strengthening his body so he could safely refine his Golden Core further, while Lu Shuichan offered to accompany him on his initiation mission. In Nanyang, Shi Sha was captured by Elder Min and the fleeing demonic cultivators were ambushed by flying dead pigs.

• Lu Shuichan advised Hu Mang to choose a compatible body-refining method before attempting his body-as-pill-furnace technique again, then volunteered to accompany him on his sealing mission.
• Shi Sha collected nautical charts in Palembang and asked whether the Demonic Machine Hall was secretly investigating him.
• Naimi held a Jiangtou information broker captive and learned that his associates had provided information about him.
• Shi Sha discovered his fellow disciples had been betrayed, but Elder Min appeared at the branch dock and took control of Shi Sha’s body while recovering a black token.
• Elder Min’s group left aboard three flying boats, and Along learned that local warships were approaching.
• Naimi spotted flying pigs behind the boats, and the dead pigs erupted from the sea and attacked with tentacles of black mist.

Hu Mang set out with Jiang Mingshan and Wu Hun on an initiation sealing mission in Jingning Prefecture, despite their tiny team and Lu Shuichan’s unexpected responsibility for a child. After traveling there aboard Lu Shuichan’s underground Law Treasure, they learned that earth tides in the region released dangerous kinds of Qi.

• Hu Mang recruited Jiang Mingshan and Wu Hun for a joint sealing mission with the Divine Sword Sect, but told them they would be the only outer disciples going.
• Jiang Mingshan accepted the mission despite worrying that the small group could not handle it, and Wu Hun revealed that Hu Mang had defeated him in nearly every sparring contest.
• At the mountain gate, Lu Shuichan arrived carrying a baby girl and explained that his master had required him to bring her along; Senior Sister Sui Gu was away on another mission.
• Lu Shuichan summoned his Mystic Gang Earth-Parting Divine Shuttle, and the group traveled underground toward Jingning Prefecture.
• In Jingning Prefecture, Lu Shuichan explained that earth tides released large amounts of earth Qi and could produce many kinds of beings; Hu Mang asked whether Dragon Veins caused them, but Lu Shuichan did not recognize the term.

Hu Mang learned that the Azure Mysterious Realm had no Dragon Veins, then traveled with Lu Shuichan and the others to Grand Gate Mountain after meeting the Divine Sword Sect. They reached the demon-tainted region, where Lu Shuichan judged the breach in the seal to be only a simple crack.

• Hu Mang explained what he knew about Dragon Veins, and Lu Shuichan said he had never encountered one in the Azure Mysterious Realm.
• Hu Mang and Lu Shuichan sensed a commotion in the sky and met Yan Qing, the Divine Sword Sect’s Sword-Unleashing True Person, and his disciples.
• Yan Qing questioned why the Mysterious Peak Sect had sent so few people, while Lu Shuichan assured him he would step in if needed.
• Lu Shuichan traveled toward Grand Gate Mountain with the Mysterious Peak Sect party and mocked Yan Qing, Wei Du'e, and Jiang Xueheng along the way.
• The groups arrived at Grand Gate Mountain and found it and the surrounding peaks shrouded in black Qi and poisonous fog.
• Lu Shuichan inspected the contaminated area and called the breach in the demon-sealing seal a simple crack.

Hu Mang repaired a demonic Qi-damaged mountain by using three earth-attribute methods, but realized the work was too demanding to finish alone within the deadline. He revealed that he had prepared something as he faced the dozens of remaining peaks.

• Lu Shuichan explained that Hu Mang’s task was simpler than Chunwuzi’s assignment and told him to suppress the earth Qi leaking from the mountains.
• Hu Mang used the Divine Light of Condensing Peaks to locate and seal the damaged Spirit Vein, then lifted the mountain with the Five Sacred Mountains Bearing Gang Method.
• Hu Mang used the Immortal Scripture of Locking Rivers to close the underground cracks and returned the repaired mountain to its place.
• Lu Shuichan warned that the preliminary sealing had to be finished within seven days, while Hu Mang estimated that his depleted Law Power would let him repair at most two mountains per day.
• Hu Mang said he had come prepared and pulled a pile of things from his Storage Bag.

Hu Mang used massive civil engineering Law Artifacts to vent Demonic Qi and clear contaminated earth from the spirit mountains around Grand Gate Mountain. As the machines cleaned the mountain range, Hu Mang and the three others operating them began to glow with earthy yellow light.

• Hu Mang introduced the drilling, loading, bulldozing, and rock-stratum stabilizing Law Artifacts to Lu Shuichan and the watching cultivators.
• Hu Mang demonstrated how the machines drilled into a contaminated mountain, cleared rubble, and directed Demonic Qi through a channel into the wilderness.
• The Mysterious Peak Sect disciples took turns operating the machines, while Hu Mang mapped the Spirit Vein and guided their excavation.
• Lu Shuichan powered the drilling machine with five Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones, making it cut through granite with a burst of wind and lightning.
• The machines vented Demonic Qi from the peaks around Grand Gate Mountain, and an earthy yellow light covered Hu Mang and the three other operators.

Hu Mang received a great Earth Virtue blessing for organizing the mountain excavation and used it to evolve his Divine Light of Condensing Peaks. After discovering that the power could reshape rock and potentially cause earthquakes, he left the story considering how to use it without damaging his standing.

• Lu Shuichan withdrew from the Earth Virtue blessing, while Hu Mang, Jiang Mingshan, and Wu Hun received it for their work on the excavation.
• Hu Mang refined his blessing into the Divine Light of Earth Virtue, while Jiang Mingshan condensed the Flower of Qi and Wu Hun advanced his Five Qi.
• Hu Mang discovered that his new power let him sense vitality and revive Spirit Plants tainted by demonic Qi.
• Lu Shuichan declined to question the origins of Hu Mang's Law Artifacts and invited him and Xu Nuoning to play in the mountains.
• Hu Mang learned from Jiang Mingshan that the Five Elements had virtues and realized he had spent Earth Virtue that could have advanced his cultivation.
• Hu Mang tested his Divine Light of Earth Virtue, found it could shake the ground, and used it to reshape rock into a small stone pavilion.

Jiang Mingshan reunited with Mei Yue and recalled why he had failed the Divine Sword Sect’s entrance trial, while Hu Mang agreed to consider Wei Du’e’s dangerous search for an ancient sword inheritance in a sealed devil lair. Seven days later, the Divine Sword Sect began clearing the Demonic Qi from Grand Gate Mountain, preparing for the expedition.

• Jiang Mingshan met Mei Yue, who thanked him for helping her comprehend the Sword-Viewing Stone’s sword intent, and he recalled failing the Sword-Forgetting Pass after losing control to sword Sha Qi.
• Hu Mang admired Grand Gate Mountain and learned from Wei Du’e that ancient sword techniques might remain in its devil lair; Wei invited him to enter using the Divine Light of Earth Virtue and offered him all non-sword treasures.
• Hu Mang told Lu Shuichan about Wei Du’e’s plan, and Lu Shuichan explained the Slay Ghost God inheritance and warned that the seal had to be restored on time.
• Seven days later, Wei Du’e and the other Divine Sword Sect cultivators attacked the Demonic Qi around Grand Gate Mountain with their swords, carving a breach and clearing the mist.

After the sects cleared the mountain’s outer devil haze, Wei Du'e led Hu Mang through the Grand Gate Sword Stele into the sealed void passage, where he demonstrated the dangers of the Void Devil Fields. They found a humanoid skeleton in a newly revealed cave, but Wei Du'e could not identify it as either a sword cultivator or a Devil Cultivator.

• Lu Shuichan and Jiang Mingshan discussed sword cultivation after the Mysterious Peak Sect finished its work, while Yan Qing defended his disciple’s prospects for comprehending “Slay Ghost God.”
• Xu Nuoning went treasure hunting with Lu Shuichan, Wu Hun left to cultivate “Three Mountains and Five Sacred Peaks Lesser Liberation,” and Jiang Mingshan returned to operating his excavator.
• Wei Du'e revealed the Grand Gate Sword Stele and explained that the seal needed sword intent replenished by Divine Sword Sect disciples.
• Hu Mang followed Wei Du'e through the stele into the Void Devil Field, where Wei Du'e described its dangers and cut through several manifestations of devil energy.
• Wei Du'e and Hu Mang found a humanoid skeleton in an earthen cave, and Wei Du'e determined it was neither a sword cultivator nor a Devil Cultivator.

Hu Mang gained Old Immortal Pine Wind’s ancient treasures, while Xu Nuoning and Lu Shuichan discovered a High Antiquity sword inheritance and the Clear Moon Treasure Sword. Wei Du'e and Hu Mang then found and destroyed a dead devil cultivator’s body, but devil Qi stirred among the charred remains after they left.

• Hu Mang received Old Immortal Pine Wind’s Jade Slip, the Radiant Separation Righteous Yang Mirror, and the Clear Resonance Chime, while Wei Du'e regretted giving up the inheritance.
• Hu Mang tested the mirror and found its Pure Yang Dao Light could erase a void devil field, though one blast consumed most of his Law Power.
• Xu Nuoning discovered a hidden cave abode, where she and Lu Shuichan found the Nameless Sword Scripture and the Clear Moon Treasure Sword.
• The Clear Moon Treasure Sword shrank and settled onto Xu Nuoning’s back, despite her lack of swordsmanship knowledge.
• Wei Du'e and Hu Mang found a dead devil cultivator, identified how he had died, and burned his remains after Hu Mang found nothing valuable.
• After Wei Du'e and Hu Mang left, devil Qi appeared among the charred remains.

Hu Mang discovered that Buddhist Dharma made the Clear Resonance Chime dispel Demonic Qi with little effort, and he entered the devil field to study its Void Devil Fields for clues to developing his Heavenly Devil Field. He found a blue-white flame that seemed suitable for his investigation.

• Hu Mang used the Divine Light of Earth Virtue to strengthen the rock around the fissure and waited while Wei Du'e entered to study the sword imprint.
• Hu Mang struck the Clear Resonance Chime with Buddhist Dharma, and its golden light dispersed the surrounding Demonic Qi and made a distant devil cry out.
• Hu Mang realized the chime could help him explore Void Devil Fields and investigate how to develop his demonic Dao aptitude.
• Hu Mang transformed into a demonic cultivator and entered the devil field, where Demonic Qi and devilish intent rapidly improved his Devil Cultivation Method.
• Hu Mang searched several Void Devil Fields, rejected them as unsuitable, and spotted a blue-white flame that caught his interest.

Hu Mang used the Clear Resonance Chime and his Heavenly Devil Field to devour and master an azure-flame Void Devil Field, then dispersed the cultivation it granted him. Two days later, he emerged from another Void Devil Field after revealing and passing through its true form: a barrier of layered Qi of the Void.

• Hu Mang studied the azure-flame devil field and used the Clear Resonance Chime’s Buddha light to destroy its needle-flames.
• Hu Mang repeatedly tried to fuse his Heavenly Devil Field with the azure-flame devil field, using the chime when the fusion failed.
• Hu Mang let the devil field seep into his meridians and became one with it, gaining control of its azure needle points.
• Hu Mang devoured the Void Devil Field, advanced the Profound Yin True Scripture to its fourth and fifth layers, then dispersed the resulting cultivation.
• Two days later, Hu Mang emerged from another Void Devil Field after its apparent stone wall opened to reveal a barrier formed from layers of Qi of the Void.

Hu Mang discovered a revived devil cultivator using his corpse to open a void fissure, then destroyed the corpse and disrupted the ritual. An Extraterrestrial Heavenly Devil emerged from the fissure, and Hu Mang attacked it with Buddhist power.

• Hu Mang devoured a second Void Devil Field, the Thousand-Layer Wall, and decided not to consume another for fear of Qi Deviation or awakening a Heavenly Devil consciousness.
• Hu Mang noticed that Void Devil Fields had grown scarce and sensed powerful void Demonic Qi, so he sent a warning to Senior Brother Wei and headed toward its source.
• Hu Mang found a void fissure above the corpse of the devil cultivator he had previously seen, with Demonic Qi and formation markings feeding into the tear.
• Hu Mang crushed the corpse with the Five Sacred Mountains Bearing Gang Method and the Heavenly Thunder Spear Net, scorching its fragments and partially closing the fissure.
• Hu Mang struck the Demonic Qi figure that appeared with the Nine-Character Great Hand Seal, revealing a chaotic core covered in devil eyes and recognizing it as an Extraterrestrial Heavenly Devil.

Hu Mang fought an awakened Extraterrestrial Heavenly Devil that had fused with dozens of Void Devil Fields, and Wei Du'e arrived to battle it. While Wei Du'e kept the creature occupied, Hu Mang studied the Void Devil Path as a possible escape route.

• Hu Mang recognized that the recurring Devil Path cultivator was an Extraterrestrial Heavenly Devil remnant that had awakened and grown stronger by devouring Void Devil Fields.
• Hu Mang defended himself against the creature's sensory-blocking and mountain-shattering attacks until Wei Du'e arrived and used Slay Ghost God to behead it.
• Hu Mang warned Wei Du'e that killing the creature and breaking its Void Devil Fields only helped it refine itself, but Wei Du'e insisted he could kill it repeatedly and continued attacking.
• Hu Mang decided to study the Void Devil Path, reasoning that it resembled an Ascension Platform and might serve as an escape technique.

Hu Mang discovered that evolving his Nascent Soul’s Divine Sense let him enter Rainbow Transformation, cross the void at immense speed, and accidentally devour a void rift. He used the same state to pierce a devil cultivator, then helped Wei Du'e escape as the foe lost control of its Void Devil Fields.

• Hu Mang used the Three Flowers evolution on his Nascent Soul’s Divine Sense, entered Rainbow Transformation, and reached the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Devils’ lair before retreating in fright.
• Hu Mang’s Divine Sense broke through to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage after he devoured the nearly opened void rift, turning it into the Heavenly Devil Field’s third Void Devil Field evolution.
• Wei Du'e struggled against a devil cultivator made from a Void Devil Field and asked Hu Mang to get help while he held the foe off.
• Hu Mang entered Rainbow Transformation and saw shadowy Demonic Qi binding the devil cultivator’s Void Devil Fields, then pierced the foe with the Tribulation-Breaking Divine Spear.
• The devil cultivator lost control of at least ten Void Devil Fields, and Wei Du'e seized Hu Mang’s arm and told him to go.

Jiang Xueheng led a search party into the devil's den to find Wei Du'e and Hu Mang, while Wu Hun and Jiang Mingshan joined them. They found the pair and survived attacks from a volcanic Void Devil Field and the former Solar Eclipse Shadow King, whom Lu Shuichan killed with his Bone-Dissolving techniques.

• Jiang Xueheng entered the sealed area with disciples, including Mei Yue, to find Wei Du'e and Hu Mang, while Jiang Mingshan and Wu Hun joined the search.
• Mei Yue sensed Wei Du'e's fading Slay Ghost God sword intent, and Jiang Xueheng's group used their sword techniques to clear a path toward him.
• Jiang Mingshan cut through concealed darkness to reveal a volcanic Void Devil Field, and Wu Hun shattered it with a punch after Jiang Xueheng's Xueheng Divine Light failed to hold it.
• Jiang Xueheng's group encountered Wei Du'e and Hu Mang fleeing a Shadow Devil Sect enemy, and Lu Shuichan identified the attacker as the former Solar Eclipse Shadow King.
• Lu Shuichan overwhelmed and devoured the old devil with his water mist and silkworm Gu, leaving Wei Du'e to recognize the Old Bone-Dissolving Immortal's signature techniques.

After the sealed cavern incident, Hu Mang returned to the Mysterious Peak Sect, studied escape techniques, and went into seclusion. He then learned that Master Bao of the Wanshun Sea Hall had captured several Zheng Family Garden members and Feng Haixiao, leaving Hu Mang to face a dangerous dispute between halls.

• Wei Du'e explained how he entered the sealed devil cavern, found the Solar Eclipse Shadow King's corpse, and accidentally revived him.
• Lu Shuichan left with the Mysterious Peak Sect disciples, while Jiang Xueheng demanded that Wei Du'e replace her lost sword.
• Hu Mang returned to the Mysterious Peak Sect, became an inner disciple, and researched escape techniques before abandoning plans to cultivate one for now.
• Hu Mang teleported back to the Zheng Family Garden and learned that Master Bao's people had captured several of his men during an operation against the Holy Son Cult remnants.
• Feng Haixiao helped Hu Mang's escaping subordinates but was caught in the trap himself.

Hu Mang and Zheng Qingbo assessed the threat from Master Bao and the struggle over the Nanyang Sea Market as the Zheng Family Garden’s hall masters were summoned. When several key hall masters failed to appear, Hu Mang left Zheng Qingbo to handle the negotiations and resolved to focus on the Azure Mysterious Realm instead.

• Hu Mang ordered the Zheng Family Garden to summon the other nine hall masters and gather information on Master Bao, who was involved in the capture of Feng Haixiao.
• Su Wanqiao and the Black Wave branch managers discussed Zheng Qingbo’s ambition to turn the Zheng Family Garden into a Nanyang power and worried that Master Bao could take his place while Zheng was ill.
• Liu Shifa complained to Naimi that authority given to the hall masters would be difficult to reclaim and predicted that few would attend the meeting.
• Zheng Qingbo predicted which hall masters would come, while Hu Mang listened as Jiacha arrived through the rain and confirmed that the strongest and most loyal hall masters had not shown up.
• Hu Mang left Zheng Qingbo to handle the negotiations and decided he would rather keep his local position and explore the Azure Mysterious Realm than pursue power across Nanyang.