Chapter Summaries

The Devil Race breached the Flowing Light Sword Sect’s formation, only to discover that the sect’s apparent retreat had lured them into a trap. Jiulian helped seal the invaders inside, and Sang Ying sent Merit to the black dragon as its lightning tribulation began.

• The Devil Generals broke the Flowing Light Sword Sect’s protective formation, and Sang Zheng ordered the disciples to evacuate while the elders held the rear.
• The female Devil General suspected the swift evacuation was a trap, but the other Devil Generals ignored her and pursued the fleeing disciples.
• Sang Zheng and another elder fought the Devil Generals, while the female Devil General tried to strike the disciples with Demonic Qi.
• Jiulian stopped the attack, and the Devil Generals recognized him as a cultivator from Ten Thousand Daos Born who was supposed to have left the Twin Orchid Realm.
• Sang Zheng activated the trapping formation, sealing the Devil Race forces inside the Flowing Light Sword Sect as Jiulian and the others withdrew.
• A black dragon flew toward the sky beneath tribulation clouds, and Sang Ying sent a wisp of golden Merit into it just before the lightning tribulation descended.

Sang Ying escaped Fusheng’s residence with the three little foxes while a devastating heavenly tribulation destroyed the Devil Race forces attacking the Flowing Light Sword Sect. Fusheng pursued her, and their confrontation restored his memories of being Gu Huaiwei, the master Sang Ying had cast out.

• Sang Ying fought her way out of the city lord’s residence and carried the three foxes away with her.
• Fusheng intercepted Sang Zheng and the fleeing disciples, but Jiulian and Elder Yanhua fought him while the heavenly tribulation devastated the demons and devils.
• Fusheng was defeated and returned to find Sang Ying gone, then followed her trail in pursuit.
• Fusheng caught up with Sang Ying, who rejected him and said Jiulian was her only master.
• Sang Ying’s words triggered Fusheng’s memories of Gu Huaiwei and the moment she severed their master-disciple bond.

Gu Huaiwei confronted Sang Ying and, overwhelmed by memories of how he had wronged her, tried to ask her to return with him, but she rejected him and stabbed him with the Floating River Sword. After Jiang Zhuoxue completed his tribulation, Sang Ying regained her Golden Core cultivation and saw that the black dragon had grown more powerful.

• In a hidden place in the lower realm, a man played a game with an old man and remembered that a cracked black piece represented Gu Huaiwei.
• Gu Huaiwei approached Sang Ying and begged her to leave with him, but she said Jiulian was her only master and warned him not to become another Gu Huaiwei.
• Sang Ying recalled how Gu Huaiwei had favored Su Fuyun and mistreated her, and Gu Huaiwei remembered his past cruelty as he began turning into a devil.
• Gu Huaiwei tried to tell Sang Ying that he regretted it, but she thrust the Floating River Sword into his chest and demanded that he let her go.
• Jiang Zhuoxue completed his lightning tribulation, and the sweet rain restored Sang Ying's cultivation to the Golden Core Realm.
• Sang Ying saw that the black dragon had nearly doubled in size and become more imposing.

After Jiang Zhuoxue passed his heavenly tribulation, he defeated the injured Gu Huaiwei and reunited with Sang Ying. Sang Ying broke Gu Huaiwei’s mask, recognized him as her former teacher, and challenged him to settle their grievances.

• Jiang Zhuoxue appeared before Gu Huaiwei and stopped him from taking Sang Ying away.
• Jiang Zhuoxue’s presence overpowered the injured Gu Huaiwei and wounded him again.
• Jiang Zhuoxue restored Sang Ying to her true appearance and told her that Sang Zheng was waiting for them to rebuild the Flowing Light Sword Sect.
• Sang Ying took Jiang Zhuoxue’s hand, but Gu Huaiwei tried to reach for her as they prepared to leave.
• Sang Ying struck Gu Huaiwei’s iron mask with her sword, revealed his face, and identified him by name.
• Sang Ying pointed the Floating River Sword at Gu Huaiwei and challenged him to settle their grievances.

Sang Ying rejected Gu Huaiwei’s attempt to blame Su Fuyun for their broken master-disciple bond, then joined Jiang Zhuoxue in defeating the Devil Venerable and the invading devils. The Twin Orchid Realm’s righteous forces counterattacked and won, while the hidden schemer learned that his plot had failed again and began planning his next move.

• Gu Huaiwei claimed Su Fuyun had come between him and Sang Ying, but Sang Ying refused to imagine a different past or reconcile with him.
• Jiang Zhuoxue attacked the wounded Gu Huaiwei, and Sang Ying fought off the devils who charged at them.
• A newcomer blocked the fleeing high-ranking devils, ensuring that none of the invaders escaped.
• Wen Da ordered the Myriad Phenomena Sect to counterattack after learning that the Flowing Light Sword Sect had accomplished its task.
• Ji Fucang arrived to aid the Myriad Phenomena Sect as the battle ended and the Twin Orchid Realm’s fate changed.
• A hidden man learned that the Immortal Spirit Realm, Black Tortoise Realm, and Twin Orchid Realm had been saved, then began planning another scheme as his imprisoned white-haired captive searched for a way out.

Gu Huaiwei and Qi Yaoji were held in the Flowing Light Sword Sect’s water dungeon after the demon army’s defeat, where they discussed their failures and Qi Yaoji’s long-running schemes. As the sect survivors cleared the ruins above them, Gu Huaiwei began suspecting Qi Yaoji had engineered Su Fuyun’s past.

• Gu Huaiwei woke chained in the water dungeon with his Demonic Qi sealed and found Qi Yaoji imprisoned nearby in Sang Ying’s appearance.
• Qi Yaoji asked what had happened to the demon army, and Gu Huaiwei told her that the forces besieging the Flowing Light Sword Sect had been killed, while Fan Nanjun was missing.
• Gu Huaiwei asked whether Qi Yaoji could escape, and she revealed that she had spent more than ten years plotting to obtain her current skin.
• Gu Huaiwei suspected Qi Yaoji had arranged Su Fuyun’s arrival in the mountains and wondered whether she or another person had masterminded it.
• Sang Ying and the others cleared the Flowing Light Sword Sect’s ruins, while Sang Zheng took his dao companion to see the sect master one last time.

Sang Zheng and Wen Miaoshu visited the dying sect master, who apologized for his betrayal and revealed that Fusheng was Gu Huaiwei. After the sect master died, Sang Zheng was appointed the Flowing Light Sword Sect’s new leader, while Sang Ying stayed behind; the chapter ends with Sang Zheng entering the water prison where Gu Huaiwei and Qi Yaoji were held.

• Sang Zheng and Wen Miaoshu visited the gravely wounded sect master, who recognized Sang Zheng and apologized for his past actions.
• Sang Zheng told the sect master that they knew Fusheng was Gu Huaiwei, then said Sang Ying would decide whether to forgive him.
• Mu Xuan found the sect master dead the next day and later vowed to atone to the Sang Household for his master's wrongs.
• The Flowing Light Sword Sect buried its sect master, and the elders appointed Sang Zheng as his successor until Mu Xuan could take over.
• Jiulian and the others departed for Ten Thousand Daos Born, while Sang Ying stayed in the Twin Orchid Realm with her family.
• Sang Zheng entered the water prison, where Gu Huaiwei raised his head and met his eyes.

Sang Zheng questioned Gu Huaiwei and Qi Yaoji about the person behind the calamity, but learned little before Sang Ying agreed to meet Qi Yaoji in the water prison. Qi Yaoji attacked Sang Ying, and Gu Huaiwei took the blow meant for her, leaving Sang Ying staring down at him in conflicted silence.

• Sang Zheng confronted Gu Huaiwei about the deaths and destruction he had caused, then learned that Gu Huaiwei could not remember the powerful person who had manipulated him.
• Sang Zheng questioned Qi Yaoji, who offered little useful information and demanded to meet Sang Ying.
• Sang Ying accepted Qi Yaoji's request and entered the water prison carrying high-level talismans from Elder Yanhua.
• Qi Yaoji broke free of her chains and attacked Sang Ying, but Sang Ying's protective talisman sent her flying.
• Gu Huaiwei stepped in front of Sang Ying and took the strike, collapsing with a weapon through his chest as Sang Ying looked at him with mixed feelings.

Sang Ying captured a fragment of the black mist that rescued Qi Yaoji, but could not save the mortally wounded Gu Huaiwei. As Gu Huaiwei died, he recounted how Gu Wangchuan and a woman had given him his name and urged him to protect the weak.

• Qi Yaoji attacked Sang Ying, but Sang Ying's talisman reflected the blow and sent Qi Yaoji crashing into the wall.
• Black mist appeared and carried Qi Yaoji out of the water prison, while Sang Ying caught a wisp of it in a jade bottle.
• Sang Ying tried to give Gu Huaiwei a pill, but he explained that his injuries were fatal after the talisman's force shattered his chest.
• Gu Huaiwei told Sang Ying how Gu Wangchuan and a woman had helped him become a cultivator, given him the name Huaiwei, and urged him to protect the weak.
• Gu Huaiwei regretted forgetting his original purpose and died while Sang Ying watched.

After Gu Huaiwei’s death, the Flowing Light Sword Sect decided to bury him without holding a funeral, while Lingxi and her siblings followed the procession. Fan Nanjun was rescued from the murderous vines by the Saintess, who forced him to choose between death and obeying her, leaving her determined to continue her conflict with Sang Ying.

• The elders and Sang Zheng agreed to bury Gu Huaiwei in a scenic place rather than hold a funeral, remembering the lives he had taken.
• The Flowing Light Sword Sect carried Gu Huaiwei’s coffin toward the mountains as Lingxi and her three younger siblings followed.
• Fan Nanjun and the devils he led were trapped and killed by vines in the rear mountain, until black mist rescued him from the valley.
• The Saintess revealed that Fusheng and the devil army had been defeated and ordered Fan Nanjun to either die or follow her.
• Fan Nanjun chose to serve the Saintess, who resolved to continue her conflict with Sang Ying.

In the Twin Orchid Realm, Rogue Cultivators and townspeople watched Sang Ying undergo her Spirit Transformation lightning tribulation, while a newcomer learned of her role in restoring the realm and opening its secret realms. Sang Ying survived the final strike, and the tribulation cloud dispersed as the realm welcomed a new Spirit Transformation Venerable.

• A customer visiting Pingge City asked a Rogue Cultivator about his wares, and another stallholder explained that everyone was focused on Sang Ying’s tribulation.
• The stallholder told the customer how Ten Thousand Daos Born’s Teleportation Arrays connected the small worlds and brought renewed fame and wealth to the sect.
• The stallholder explained that Sang Ying and her mother established the Twin Orchid Realm’s Teleportation Array and that Sang Ying discovered three renowned secret realms.
• The customer questioned whether Sang Ying could survive the tribulation, and the stallholders angrily defended her.
• The final bolt struck the Flowing Light Sword Sect, after which a bell rang, sweet rain fell, and the tribulation cloud dispersed.

After reaching Spirit Transformation, Sang Ying decided to travel with Jiang Zhuoxue to the Hidden Nether Realm to reclaim the treasures he had lost there. They arrived in the gloomy realm with Gu Shu and the Sword Qi, beginning their journey.

• Sang Ying's Spirit Transformation tribulation caused a bell to toll across the Flowing Light Sword Sect and Pingge City, and Sang Zheng helped keep the phenomenon quiet.
• Sang Ying told Sang Zheng she and Jiang Zhuoxue planned to retrieve his remaining treasures from the Hidden Nether Realm, and Sang Zheng agreed to let them go.
• Sang Zheng assured Jiang Zhuoxue that he and Sang Ying could rely on the Flowing Light Sword Sect if they encountered trouble.
• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue packed their belongings and departed with Gu Shu and the Sword Qi using a Teleportation Array.
• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue arrived in the Hidden Nether Realm, where a fishy wind blew and their Spiritual Qi was suppressed.

Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue returned to the Hidden Nether Realm and found its people oppressed and its atmosphere bleak. In Spring Returns City, an innkeeper told them the city’s former rulers had come from Moonless City and revealed that the people of the Hidden Nether Realm suffered from a Curse.

• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue noticed that residents and visitors in the Hidden Nether Realm seemed grim and withdrawn.
• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue entered an inn in Spring Returns City and paid the innkeeper for rooms and information.
• Gu Shu told Sang Ying that the innkeeper did not seem to be a native of the Hidden Nether Realm.
• The innkeeper said that the former rulers of Spring Returns City had come from Moonless City, and that only one child of the Moonless Household had escaped after they lost power.
• The innkeeper explained that cultivators in the Hidden Nether Realm had little hope of ascending and revealed that its people were afflicted with a Curse.

A child brought spirit chicken soup to his estranged little uncle, whose body was covered in a deadly Curse, but was driven away. An old fortune-teller declared that their luck was about to turn, while innkeeper told Sang Ying that the Hidden Nether Realm was cursed.

• The child arrived at his little uncle’s shelter with spirit chicken soup, but an old man emerged and drank a bowl before the uncle could have any.
• The little uncle rejected the child and sent him away, insisting they had nothing to do with each other.
• The old man warned the little uncle that anger could trigger the Curse, revealing scarlet runes covering his face.
• The old man cast a fortune and announced that his and the little uncle’s luck was about to turn.
• At the inn, Sang Ying asked about the Curse, and the innkeeper explained that red markings eventually spread into a person’s eyes before they burst into blood mist and disappear.

Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue questioned an innkeeper in the Hidden Nether Realm about rare, durable treasures that could be used to forge a sword. The innkeeper pointed them toward the Min Household’s supposedly unbreakable black jade, then began explaining the household’s troubles.

• Sang Ying asked the innkeeper about the Hidden Nether Realm’s Curse, and he explained that it struck unpredictably and appeared as red markings.
• Jiang Zhuoxue offered the innkeeper a high-grade Spirit Stone in exchange for information about rare treasures and described wanting to forge Sang Ying a unique sword.
• The innkeeper said many clans had sent their treasures to medical cultivators seeking a cure for the Curse, but some durable treasures remained in the realm.
• The innkeeper identified ten black carapaces in Moonless City and two pieces of black jade held by the Min Household in Spring Returns City.
• Jiang Zhuoxue learned that the black jade had been mistaken for dragon horns, but was so tough that the Min Household’s ancestor could not damage it.
• The innkeeper described the Min Household’s influence and began to say that its youngest child had suffered greatly.

Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue learned about the Min Household’s cursed young master and the black jade pieces, then set out to investigate the family. Their inquiries uncovered that an expert had temporarily suppressed the Curse, and the chapter ended when a child collided with Sang Ying and broke a pot of soup.

• The innkeeper told Jiang Zhuoxue and Sang Ying about the Min Household’s young master, the Curse, and the reward of black jade for saving him.
• Sang Ying asked the innkeeper to introduce them to the Min Household, and he offered directions instead.
• Jiang Zhuoxue covered Sang Ying’s room with layers of array disks before they went out to gather information.
• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue questioned young beggars and learned that a powerful expert had temporarily suppressed the young master’s Curse.
• A child ran into Sang Ying, dropped his earthenware pot, and began sobbing over the spilled soup.

After Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue replaced the soup and jar that a little boy had dropped, he brought the soup to his uncle, Wuming, in the displaced people's slum. Wuming let his nephew visit once every three days, easing the distance he had tried to keep between them.

• Sang Ying comforted the crying boy and offered to replace his soup, while Jiang Zhuoxue bought him a fresh jar and expensive soup.
• Wuming worried as his nephew failed to return, but the old man reassured him with a divination that the boy was safe and would encounter good fortune.
• The boy returned carrying soup and told Wuming that he had fallen and broken his jar before a fairy sister helped him.
• The old man revealed that Wuming had bought a new bowl for the boy, and the three of them shared the nourishing soup together.
• Wuming allowed his nephew to visit once every three days, and the boy happily left with his jar.

Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue returned to the inn before the Hidden Nether Realm’s curfew, where Sang Ying learned more about the city’s precautions against the Curse and replenished her Spiritual Qi. The chapter ended when she saw a black-robed pursuer closing in on a fleeing figure after a scream shattered the night.

• Wuming prepared to leave for dangerous work, but the old man told him his nephew had met a benefactor and that their fortunes might change.
• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue returned to the inn before the streets were sealed for the night, and the innkeeper explained the city’s curfew as protection against people driven mad by the Curse.
• Sang Ying returned to her room, where Gu Shu complained about her late return and discussed preserving his Spiritual Qi with her.
• Sang Ying meditated with Gu Shu, then rushed to the window after a scream sounded and saw a black-robed person pursuing a fleeing figure with a curved blade.

Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue followed a nighttime pursuit and witnessed a cursed man die, while an unusual corpse puppet fought to protect him. The pursuer warned them away from the Hidden Nether Realm’s curse and vanished with the body, leaving Jiang Zhuoxue troubled by a sense that the dead man shared his blood.

• Sang Ying chased a fleeing man and his pursuer, and Jiang Zhuoxue followed to protect her while Gu Shu stayed behind at the inn.
• The fleeing man collapsed and begged the pursuer to spare him, revealing red markings that Sang Ying recognized as signs of the curse.
• A corpse puppet appeared, used spiritual power to fight the pursuer, and fled after the pursuer killed the cursed man.
• The pursuer noticed Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue, warned them not to investigate the curse, and left with the corpse.
• Sang Ying returned to the inn worried about the next day’s meeting with the Min Household, while Jiang Zhuoxue wondered whether the dead man had been related to him.

After collecting the pursuer’s blood and learning from Xiao Sanzi that cultivators who investigate the Hidden Nether Realm’s curse sometimes contract it, Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue went with Shopkeeper Zhao to the Min Household. The steward welcomed them as possible healers for the dying young master, whose illness had defeated every medical cultivator brought in before.

• Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue collected the blood left by the pursuer, concealed their tracks, and returned to the inn.
• Sang Ying asked Xiao Sanzi about the curse, and he warned that healthy cultivators who pursued it had caught it themselves.
• Shopkeeper Zhao brought up breakfast, then asked whether Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue intended to visit the Min Household.
• Jiang Zhuoxue asked Shopkeeper Zhao to lead them there, and he took them to the Min Household’s residence.
• The old steward welcomed Shopkeeper Zhao and admitted Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue, hoping they could save the young master after other medical cultivators had failed.