Chapter Summaries

The Moonless Household waited confidently for news of its victory in the second contest, while Wuyue Hao came to learn what had happened. A messenger announced that the Moonless Household had lost, leaving it with two defeats.

• At the Yin Mountain Sect, the dark-faced elder worried that the sect's guest elders had been seized, but Sect Master Liu confidently predicted victory.
• At the Moonless Household's ancestral grounds, Elder Wuyue and the household head waited for news, certain their side would win.
• Wuyue Hao arrived at the study and told the steward that he had killed all his attendants.
• A clansman rushed to the study and announced that the Moonless Household had lost the second contest.
• The people in the study realized that the Moonless Household had now lost twice.

The Yin Mountain Sect won the contest against the Wuyue Household after Gu Wangchuan cleared the trial, securing control of Moonless City for five years. As the sect celebrated, its disciples feared Sang Ying and her companions were still in danger at the city lord’s residence, until a familiar figure appeared.

• Wuyue Hao mocked the Wuyue Household for losing twice, and the household head ordered an investigation and the deaths of the three outsider cultivators.
• Gu Wangchuan emerged from the trial grounds, confirming the Yin Mountain Sect’s victory and leaving Wuyue Qing humiliated.
• Wuyue Qing ordered her subordinate to frame Sang Ying and her companions for Gao Heng’s death.
• Liu Duanyue and the other disciples returned to the Yin Mountain Sect, where Sect Master Liu welcomed them with a victory banquet.
• Lin Yan asked Sect Master Liu to bring Sang Ying and her companions back from the city lord’s residence, but he said it was too late.
• A familiar figure appeared at the banquet and asked why everyone was crying.

Sang Ying returned to the Yin Mountain Sect with Jiang Zhuoxue and Xiao Lin, whose identity swap with Gu Wangchuan was revealed, and the sect learned that the Moonless Household had tried to frame them for Gao Heng's death. Wuyue Qing acknowledged that her plan had failed but held on to hope that her clan could still rise.

• Sang Ying arrived at the banquet with Jiang Zhuoxue and Xiao Lin, surprising the tearful Yin Mountain Sect disciples.
• Xiao Lin and Gu Wangchuan revealed they had swapped identities, and Xiao Lin returned to his own appearance.
• Liu Duanyue explained that Sang Ying had arranged the identity swap to protect the Yin Mountain Sect's advantage in the competition.
• Xiao Lin told the sect that the Moonless Household had tried to frame them for Gao Heng's death, prompting Sect Master Liu to vow to settle the score.
• Wuyue Qing scolded Wuyue Wensheng for letting Sang Ying and the others escape, then resolved that the Moonless Household would have another chance to rise.

After the Yin Mountain Sect won the second round, the Moonless Household tried to force a third round rather than concede control of Moonless City. Sect Master Liu agreed only on terms that could give the Yin Mountain Sect control of the city for ten years.

• News of the Yin Mountain Household’s loss spread through Moonless City, and Wuyue Qing smashed up her room before rushing to the family head’s residence.
• Wuyue Hao mocked Wuyue Qing and left after telling her that the Moonless Household was declining.
• Gu Wangchuan taught sword techniques to Yin Mountain Sect disciples while Sang Ying watched and Gu Shu criticized his swordsmanship.
• The Moonless family head visited Sect Master Liu and asked for a third round despite the Yin Mountain Sect having won the first two.
• Sect Master Liu said the Yin Mountain Sect would accept a third round if a win secured control of Moonless City for ten years.

The Moonless Household Head explained that he had agreed to a third match because control of Moonless City—and a spirit mine—was too valuable to surrender without a fight. As both sides prepared to send contestants into a hidden secret realm, Sang Ying planned to search for rare medicine and Wuyue Qing grew wary of seeing her name on the list again.

• Wuyue Qing challenged her father’s decision to continue the contest, and the Moonless Household Head told her that city control brought wealth, resources, and access to a spirit mine.
• Liu Duanyue complained to Sang Ying that Sect Master Liu had agreed to a third match, but Sang Ying reasoned that the decision must benefit the Yin Mountain Sect.
• Sang Ying said she wanted to enter the hidden secret realm in search of rare spirit medicine, and Jiang Zhuoxue offered to help her find what she wanted.
• The two sects finalized the third match, wagering control of Moonless City for ten years, and selected their entrants for the secret realm.
• Wuyue Qing saw Sang Ying on the Yin Mountain Sect’s list and felt afraid of her again.

Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue prepared to enter the Pagoda Mountain Mystic Realm as part of the competition between the Yin Mountain Sect and the Moonless Household. The realm opened, and the hundred participants entered for a month-long search for treasures and a contest over control of Moonless City.

• Sang Ying told Jiang Zhuoxue she did not regret agreeing to help the Yin Mountain Sect and refused Gu Wangchuan's offer to join them.
• Sang Ying considered the realm's rejection of her and her approaching breakthrough, and believed she might return to her own world after the mystic realm opened again.
• The Yin Mountain Sect prepared maps and defensive items for its team, with Liu Duanyue nominally leading and Sang Ying effectively in charge.
• Sang Ying spotted the resentful senior brother among the five otherworld cultivators who had joined the Moonless Household's team.
• The stone door opened, releasing Spiritual Qi that filled Sang Ying with energy, and Liu Duanyue reminded the participants they had one month in the realm.
• Sang Ying led the hundred participants into the Pagoda Mountain Mystic Realm.

Sang Ying and the others entered a vast secret realm for a contest between the Yin Mountain Sect and the Moonless Household, where they would compete for treasures under strict rules. After the Yin Mountain Sect split into small teams, Sang Ying carried the injured Jiang Zhuoxue, who quietly cherished the closeness as they set out.

• The contestants entered the secret realm, and Liu Duanyue explained that killing was forbidden and Image-Retaining Stones would record their actions.
• Wuyue Qing led the Moonless Household along a path rich in treasures, while Sang Ying urged Liu Duanyue’s group to split into small teams and search separately.
• Liu Duanyue warned the group to stay alert for the Moonless Household’s tricks, and the fifty contestants formed teams before setting off.
• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue left together without turning on their Image-Retaining Stones, intending to find a spirit herb.
• After Jiang Zhuoxue fell and refused to continue, Sang Ying carried him on her back; he gradually wrapped his arms around her and treasured the moment.

Jiang Zhuoxue and Sang Ying discussed searching the secret realm for Scarlet Blood Grass and made a bet about Gu Wangchuan’s future. Sang Ying asked Jiang Zhuoxue to remain in the realm for a hundred years to recover, but their conversation ended when she sensed someone approaching.

• Jiang Zhuoxue said he had not found Scarlet Blood Grass, and Sang Ying proposed searching for it and other treasures before their month in the secret realm ended.
• Jiang Zhuoxue criticized Gu Wangchuan, and Sang Ying bet that he would achieve great things and eventually ascend to immortality.
• Sang Ying proposed that Jiang Zhuoxue stay in the secret realm for a hundred years, explaining that she wanted him to recover and avoid being captured again.
• Jiang Zhuoxue agreed and asked whether Sang Ying would stay with him, but she said she could not.
• Sang Ying sensed someone approaching and told Jiang Zhuoxue to be quiet.

Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue encountered Wuyue Qing and Wuyue Wenren in the secret realm, but Sang Ying refused to travel with them. Wuyue Qing pursued them anyway, and after a Spring-Heralding Bird attacked, she recognized it as a Treasure-Seeking Bird.

• Sang Ying challenged Wuyue Qing’s claim that they had met by chance and said she and Jiang Zhuoxue would travel separately from the Moonless Household pair.
• Wuyue Wenren took offense at Sang Ying’s refusal, but Wuyue Qing stopped him from attacking her.
• Wuyue Qing recalled that her father had used a Law Treasure to discover Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue’s unusually strong luck, and she followed them with Wuyue Wenren.
• A Spring-Heralding Bird attacked the group with wind blades, and Sang Ying blocked most of the assault with a defensive formation disk before striking back.
• Wuyue Qing recognized the bird’s blue feathers and identified it as a third-tier Treasure-Seeking Bird.

Sang Ying defeated a Spring-Heralding Bird and refused Wuyue Qing’s offer to trade for it after learning it could find treasure. After Wuyue Qing and Wuyue Wenren left, Sang Ying compelled the bird to help them find Scarlet Blood Grass in exchange for its Demon Core.

• Sang Ying froze the dust, wounded the Spring-Heralding Bird, and trapped it in ice.
• Jiang Zhuoxue said the bird’s Demon Core might be useful, and Sang Ying prepared to take it.
• Wuyue Qing offered a spirit herb for the bird, but Sang Ying refused after discovering its treasure-finding ability in the Yin Mountain Sect booklet.
• Wuyue Wenren challenged Sang Ying, but Wuyue Qing stopped him and left with him.
• Sang Ying showed the Spring-Heralding Bird a picture of Scarlet Blood Grass and made it agree to find the herb in exchange for its Demon Core.

Sang Ying, Jiang Zhuoxue, and the Spring-Heralding Bird searched the secret realm for Scarlet Blood Grass while gathering other treasures. After Sang Ying urged Jiang Zhuoxue not to become cruel, the bird detected a familiar scent and led them away, while Wuyue Qing appeared and prepared to take advantage of their departure.

• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue used the Spring-Heralding Bird to search for Scarlet Blood Grass and collected other valuable finds along the way.
• Sang Ying shared roast meat with Jiang Zhuoxue and the bird, and Jiang Zhuoxue treasured her kindness.
• Sang Ying explained that she left most of the spirit herbs behind and urged Jiang Zhuoxue not to become the kind of evildoer he hated.
• The Spring-Heralding Bird caught a familiar scent and flew off, so Sang Ying took Jiang Zhuoxue after it.
• Wuyue Qing appeared after they left and declared that it was her turn to be the oriole.

Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue followed the Spring-Heralding Bird into a hidden cave, where Sang Ying fought a powerful Demon Beast. After killing it, she found Scarlet Blood Grass growing in its blood, while Wuyue Qing and Wuyue Wenren waited concealed outside.

• The Spring-Heralding Bird led Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue to a hidden cave and indicated that what Sang Ying sought was inside.
• Sang Ying left the too-large Spring-Heralding Bird outside to keep watch, then entered the cave with Jiang Zhuoxue.
• Wuyue Qing and Wuyue Wenren followed Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue's tracks, found the cave, and hid nearby with concealment talismans.
• Sang Ying fought and killed a powerful Demon Beast lurking in the cave's darkness.
• Sang Ying recognized Scarlet Blood Grass growing where the Demon Beast's blood had flowed.

Sang Ying found the Scarlet Blood Grass Jiang Zhuoxue needed, but as her time in this era began to run out, Wuyue Qing and Wuyue Wenren ambushed them outside the cave. Wuyue Qing fled with Wuyue Wenren after throwing a thunder pellet at Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue, believing the blast had killed them.

• Sang Ying picked a clump of Scarlet Blood Grass and placed it in Jiang Zhuoxue's Storage Bag without explaining why.
• Sang Ying noticed that her left hand was flickering in and out of sight and realized she could not stay with Jiang Zhuoxue much longer.
• Wuyue Qing and Wuyue Wenren ambushed Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue outside the cave, but the Spring-Heralding Bird interrupted their sneak attack.
• Sang Ying wounded Wuyue Wenren and drove back the pair, then accused them of secretly following her and trying to rob them.
• Wuyue Wenren urged Wuyue Qing to kill Sang Ying, so Wuyue Qing threw a thunder pellet and escaped with Wuyue Wenren using an earth-escape talisman.

Sang Ying shielded Jiang Zhuoxue and the spring herald bird from Wuyue Qing’s thunder pellet, then vanished beneath the cave rubble. After Jiang Zhuoxue frantically searched for her and promised to obey her, Sang Ying answered from inside the cave and emerged unharmed.

• Wuyue Qing hurled a thunder pellet at Sang Ying, Jiang Zhuoxue, and the spring herald bird, and Sang Ying used formation plates and a palm strike to shield the others.
• Jiang Zhuoxue escaped the shattered barrier and ran toward the cave, fearing Sang Ying had been buried by the blast.
• The spring herald bird carried Jiang Zhuoxue back to the rubble, where he and the bird desperately searched for Sang Ying.
• Jiang Zhuoxue promised to listen to Sang Ying if she returned, and Sang Ying answered from inside the cave.
• Sang Ying told Jiang Zhuoxue to move away with the spring herald bird, then cut through the rubble and emerged unharmed.

Sang Ying promised Jiang Zhuoxue that they would meet again, then used evidence of the Moonless Household’s attack to take revenge on Wuyue Qing and her companion. As the secret realm’s reopening approached, Sang Ying’s feet began to disappear, signaling that she would soon leave.

• Sang Ying treated Jiang Zhuoxue’s injured fingers and promised they would meet again, easing his fear that she would leave forever.
• Jiang Zhuoxue gave Sang Ying an active Image-Retaining Stone that had recorded Wuyue Qing and her companion plotting against them.
• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue began stealing the Moonless Household pair’s treasures with help from the Spring-Heralding Bird.
• Wuyue Qing and her companion eventually gave up searching for treasures and joined their group to await the secret realm’s reopening.
• Sang Ying noticed her feet intermittently disappearing and realized her departure might come within days.

As the secret realm contest ended, Sang Ying said goodbye to the Spring-Heralding Bird and went with Jiang Zhuoxue to the gathering place. There, Wuyue Qing accused the Yin Mountain Sect of stealing her treasures, and someone unexpectedly admitted to it.

• Sang Ying persuaded the Spring-Heralding Bird to stay in the secret realm, promising they would meet again, and left it spiritual fruits.
• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue reached the gathering place and found Liu Duanyue arguing with Wuyue Qing.
• Wuyue Qing accused the Yin Mountain Sect of having someone follow her and steal her Storage Bag and treasures.
• Liu Duanyue prepared to let Wuyue Qing use a tracking talisman, but someone interrupted and admitted the theft.
• Wuyue Qing turned toward the speaker, recognized two familiar faces, and became terrified.

Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue confronted Wuyue Qing after surviving her thunder-pellet ambush, and Sang Ying exposed what had happened to the gathered cultivators. The chapter ended with Sang Ying demanding compensation from Wuyue Qing.

• Wuyue Qing was shaken to find Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue alive, then claimed she had willingly given Sang Ying her Storage Bag and treasures.
• Wuyue Qing argued with the outside cultivator who criticized her for handing over points, while Sang Ying waited to ask for an explanation.
• Sang Ying revealed that she had taken the Storage Bag and treasures after Wuyue Qing ambushed them and tried to kill them with a thunder pellet.
• Sang Ying played an Image-Retaining Stone recording that supported her account, and nearby cultivators confirmed hearing the explosion.
• Sang Ying asked Wuyue Qing how she intended to compensate them.

Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue forced the Moonless Household to compensate them for its attack, helping the Yin Mountain Sect secure the contest victory. When the mystic realm opened, Sang Ying left for ten thousand years later while Jiang Zhuoxue stayed behind for a hundred years, and they parted knowing they would be separated for a long time.

• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue demanded compensation from Wuyue Qing, and the Moonless Household paid them valuables worth at least a million high-grade Spirit Stones.
• The Moonless Household’s members surrendered nearly all their mystic-realm gains, making the Yin Mountain Sect the clear contest winner.
• Sang Ying gave Liu Duanyue the Image-Retaining Stone and most of the valuables, then told him she would leave while Jiang Zhuoxue stayed in the mystic realm for a hundred years.
• Liu Duanyue promised to look after Jiang Zhuoxue as Sang Ying departed through the opened stone door.
• Jiang Zhuoxue watched Sang Ying leave, and she looked back at him before the door closed, beginning their long separation.

Sang Ying vanished after leaving the Severed Vitality Mystic Realm, leaving Jiang Zhuoxue to hold on to the hope that they would meet again. Liu Duanyue defended her against the Moonless Household’s accusations, then announced that the Yin Mountain Sect had won the contest.

• Jiang Zhuoxue watched Sang Ying disappear as the stone door closed, then took comfort in the little vine she had left him and resolved to temper himself in the mystic realm.
• Liu Duanyue and the others watched Sang Ying vanish outside the mystic realm, while members of the Moonless Household accused her of being a demon or devil.
• Liu Duanyue and Lin Yan defended Sang Ying against the Moonless Household’s slander, and Wuyue Qing fell silent.
• Liu Duanyue led the group out of the Severed Vitality Mystic Realm and told the waiting Sect Master Liu and Moonless Household Head that the Yin Mountain Sect had won the contest.

The Yin Mountain Sect won the third round by a huge margin, but the Moonless Household Head accused them of cheating because two of their disciples were missing. Liu Duanyue answered by revealing an Image-Retaining Stone that showed Sang Ying, leaving Wuyue Qing convinced the Moonless Clan’s scheme had failed.

• Sect Master Liu and the Yin Mountain Sect disciples celebrated their expected victory while the Moonless Household Head noticed Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue were missing.
• The judges tallied the points, and the Moonless Household’s low score prompted an elder to question whether Wuyue Qing had submitted everything.
• The elders announced that the Yin Mountain Sect had won, and the posted totals showed the Moonless Household had earned more than three-quarters fewer points.
• The Moonless Household Head accused the Yin Mountain Sect of cheating because it had sent fifty disciples but seemed to have two missing.
• Liu Duanyue challenged the accusation by tossing an Image-Retaining Stone into the air, where Sang Ying appeared in its images, and Wuyue Qing closed her eyes in despair.