Chapter Summaries

Chen Ning confronted Spirit Rhinoceros True God about the Nine Yang Palace, but got only useless information. He then contacted Thunder God to investigate the organization stealing cultivators’ innate foundations, and learned it had a powerful backer.

• Chen Ning visited Spirit Rhinoceros True God with Zhao Xiuxiu and questioned him about the Nine Yang Palace.
• Spirit Rhinoceros True God apologized for helping Yang Yue, but Chen Ning said he had wronged his master, Elder Fang, and received no useful information about the Nine Yang Palace.
• Chen Ning left and contacted Thunder God, asking him about the Northern Territory and the organization stealing cultivators’ innate foundations.
• Thunder God said the organization had survived repeated suppression because it had a powerful backer.

Chen Ning and Zhao Xiuxiu followed Thunder God's clue to the Azure Cloud Sect, hoping to investigate its possible links to the organization stealing innate foundations. Chen Ning sought to learn the sect's Thousand Illusions at Will technique, but their arrival was interrupted by an aggressive young disciple named Sisi.

• Thunder God warned Chen Ning that Great God White Brows protected factions in the Northern Territory and suggested investigating the new faction that had replaced Nine Yang Palace.
• Chen Ning doubted whether Thunder God and Spirit Rhinoceros True God had told him everything about the new faction and its backers.
• Chen Ning and Zhao Xiuxiu arrived at Azure Cloud Mountain to investigate the Azure Cloud Sect, whose reputation for freely teaching its arts made it an unlikely suspect.
• Chen Ning said he had come to learn the sect's Thousand Illusions at Will technique so he could conceal his inherited Technique of Deception.
• Sisi accused Chen Ning and Zhao Xiuxiu of sneaking into the sect's territory and sent her flying swords to attack Chen Ning.
• A young man named Xiaoshan stopped Sisi's swords and reminded her that the sect master would scold her, but Sisi defended her actions.

Chen Ning and Zhao Xiuxiu visited the secluded Azure Cloud Sect, where Lang Xiaoshan explained that outsiders had used the sect’s Thousand Illusions at Will technique to steal innate foundations and blame the sect. The next morning, an angry crowd gathered at Azure Cloud Mountain and attacked A Niu, leaving Lang Xiaoshan trying to prevent his disciples from retaliating.

• Lang Xiaoshan apologized for Lu Sisi’s suspicions and said impostors had used the Azure Cloud Sect’s technique to steal innate foundations while claiming the sect ordered them.
• Chen Ning revealed that she worked under Yutian True God, and Lang Xiaoshan led her and Zhao Xiuxiu to meet the sect’s other disciples.
• The disciples said they could not teach Chen Ning Thousand Illusions at Will until their absent sect master returned, and they gave the visitors lodging.
• The next morning, more than a hundred people gathered at the mountain’s foot, demanding that the sect master answer for alleged deception and theft.
• An attacker in the crowd struck A Niu’s throat with a silver needle, silencing him, while Lang Xiaoshan urged his furious disciples not to fight.

The Azure Cloud Sect disciples faced an attack by more than a hundred cultivators led by Li Xiong, the Sword Emperor, and Yu Huang, while Lu Sisi’s illusion briefly held the crowd back. As Lang Xiaoshan tried to send Lu Sisi and A Niu away, Chen Ning appeared and rescued her from Li Xiong’s attack.

• Lu Sisi used Thousand Illusions at Will to make the crowd believe a bottomless abyss lay before them, but Li Xiong, the Sword Emperor, and Yu Huang rallied the attackers to storm the sect.
• Dozens of Rogue Cultivators came down the mountain to help, but Lang Xiaoshan urged them to stay out of the fight and ordered A Niu to take Lu Sisi to safety.
• Lu Sisi refused to abandon Lang Xiaoshan, who pushed her to escape while warning that her illusion could not fool the wary crowd again.
• Li Xiong ordered the exits sealed and attacked Lu Sisi, while the Sword Emperor and other opponents intercepted Lang Xiaoshan and the remaining disciples.
• Chen Ning appeared beside Lu Sisi after rescuing her from Li Xiong’s wave, and Yu Huang angrily challenged him.

Chen Ning intervened to protect the Azure Cloud Sect disciples and used the Heaven Character Token to intimidate their attackers. Spirit Rhinoceros True God’s arrival confirmed his importance, leaving Li Xiong and the others fearing he truly served Yutian True God.

• Chen Ning decided to stop Li Xiong, the Sword Emperor, and Yu Huang from attacking the Azure Cloud Sect, assuring Lu Sisi that no one would hurt her or her senior brothers.
• Chen Ning produced the Heaven Character Token and warned the assembled attackers that striking him would bring their deaths and the destruction of their forces.
• Li Xiong, the Sword Emperor, and Yu Huang hesitated to test whether the token was genuine, while more than a hundred people grew frightened.
• Spirit Rhinoceros True God arrived and addressed Chen Ning as Lord Little Chen, alarming Li Xiong and the others.
• Yu Huang recalled rumors that Yutian True God favored a rising talent who had bested Crimson Refinement True God and wondered if Chen Ning was that person.

Chen Ning stopped Li Xiong and the others from attacking the Azure Cloud Sect and suspected Spirit Rhinoceros True God had secretly agreed to protect the sect. After deciding to leave, Chen Ning accepted Lu Sisi's offer to teach him Thousand Illusions at Will, and she tested his ability to see through an illusion on the back mountain.

• Chen Ning chose to investigate the Azure Cloud Sect's alleged wrongdoing, while Spirit Rhinoceros True God accepted Li Xiong and the others' apology gifts on his behalf.
• Chen Ning suspected Spirit Rhinoceros True God had already agreed to protect the Azure Cloud Sect and left the question unresolved after the others departed.
• Chen Ning thanked the Azure Cloud Sect disciples and prepared to leave with Zhao Xiuxiu, but Lu Sisi offered to teach him Thousand Illusions at Will in her master's place.
• Lu Sisi arranged to meet Chen Ning on the back mountain at the third watch.
• Lu Sisi disguised herself as a seductive beauty to test Chen Ning, but he saw through the illusion by saying she was not as beautiful as Lu Sisi.

Chen Ning learned the basics of Thousand Illusions at Will from Lu Sisi, then discovered that six of the eight children brought back by the Azure Cloud Sect master had lost their innate foundations. When Lang Xiaoshan refused to explain and the disciples blocked Chen Ning from taking the children, Chen Ning prepared to force his way through as Lu Sisi urged him to listen.

• Chen Ning revealed that he had seen through Lu Sisi's illusion because the beauty in it wore stockings, and Lu Sisi said his strong mind had passed her test for learning Thousand Illusions at Will.
• Chen Ning grasped the basics of Thousand Illusions at Will overnight, while Lu Sisi warned him that mastering it required practice in actual combat.
• A Niu told Lu Sisi that the Azure Cloud Sect master had returned with several children and fallen asleep, so Lu Sisi and Chen Ning went with him to the main hall.
• Lu Sisi calmed the eight children with candied hawthorns, while Chen Ning noticed that six of them had lost their innate foundations and demanded an explanation from Lang Xiaoshan.
• Lang Xiaoshan said he knew nothing about the children's condition and would not reveal what the sect master had told him, so Chen Ning moved to take the children away.
• Lang Xiaoshan and the other disciples blocked Chen Ning, who released a terrifying presence and insisted on protecting the children, while Lu Sisi asked him to let her explain.

Chen Ning refused the Spirit Rhinoceros True God's offer to profit from stealing children’s Innate Origins and learned that the Willow God backed the scheme. As the Spirit Rhinoceros True God tried to persuade him, Great God White Brows appeared in the hall.

• Chen Ning kept his guard up while the Spirit Rhinoceros True God sent Lang Xiaoshan and the other Azure Cloud Sect disciples out of the hall, leaving the eight children behind.
• The Spirit Rhinoceros True God revealed that he and Azure Cloud Sect master Chen Guan targeted children with special physiques and fate to steal their Innate Origins.
• The Spirit Rhinoceros True God offered Chen Ning a share of the profits and suggested they deceive Yutian True God with a scapegoat.
• Chen Ning realized the Willow God was behind the Northern Territory scheme, but refused to let the children be harmed.
• Great God White Brows entered the hall, and the Spirit Rhinoceros True God was terrified.

Chen Ning helped Great God White Brows capture Spirit Rhinoceros True God and the Azure Cloud Sect’s master, then returned to Yutian True God to claim the Azure Lotus of Life. Though Yutian True God praised him and urged him to recover and enter the God Realm, Chen Ning suspected the case still held unanswered questions.

• Great God White Brows arrived at Azure Cloud Mountain, offered Chen Ning the case’s credit, and asked him to remember the favor.
• Spirit Rhinoceros True God begged for mercy, but Great God White Brows had him shackled and ordered the Azure Cloud Sect disciples arrested; one woman escaped.
• The God of Calamitous Power tried to kill A Niu, but Chen Ning stopped him with the Great Dao of Time and persuaded Great God White Brows to spare A Niu.
• Three days later, Yutian True God gave Chen Ning the Azure Lotus of Life and said Spirit Rhinoceros True God’s confession and the eight children made the evidence conclusive.
• Chen Ning asked to help interrogate the Azure Cloud Sect and said the case might have unanswered questions, while Yutian True God warned him not to undermine the public announcement.

Chen Ning survived an assassination attempt by a Willow God loyalist, then confronted Lu Sisi, who had disguised herself as the Yutian True God to attack him. He explained that the case against the Willow God seemed orchestrated and was about to identify the person who made him suspect a setup.

• A swordsman attacked Chen Ning on the road, blaming him for exposing the Willow God, but Chen Ning defeated him and let him live.
• Chen Ning returned to his residence, where Lu Sisi appeared disguised as the Yutian True God and stabbed him; Chen Ning’s real figure appeared nearby, revealing the deception.
• Lu Sisi accused Chen Ning of framing the Azure Cloud Sect master and the Willow God, and Chen Ning insisted that someone had set him up.
• Chen Ning recounted how the investigation had unfolded too smoothly, from his arrival at the Azure Cloud Sect to Great God White Brows confirming the evidence.
• Chen Ning said one person had made him realize something was wrong, and Lu Sisi asked who.

Chen Ning learned that Chen Guan had given both of his Innate Origins to save Lu Sisi, leaving him weakened and in the Half-God Realm. Meanwhile, Great God White Brows revealed that he had framed Willow God’s followers and intended to make Chen Ning a target as well.

• Chen Ning told Lu Sisi he had seen that Chen Guan had no Innate Origins, prompting her to explain how her master had given both of his to save her life.
• Lu Sisi said Chen Guan had sacrificed his cultivation and health to save her, and that Lang Xiaoshan had likely kept the truth secret to protect his master’s dignity.
• Chen Ning promised to find a way to rescue Chen Guan, but Lu Sisi doubted that rescuing him could undo the damage to his reputation and Willow God’s following.
• Spirit Rhinoceros True God thanked Great God White Brows for helping him and asked whether Yutian True God would reduce his punishment.
• Great God White Brows said Yutian True God welcomed the framing of Willow God and explained that Chen Ning’s prominent role would make Willow God’s old followers turn against him.

Chen Ning learned that Great God White Brows had framed him and cut off the evidence, leaving him surrounded by Willow God's followers and unsure how to respond. As he struggled to find a way forward, Yao Li arrived and teased him about his setback.

• Great God White Brows blamed Willow God's faction for stealing innate origins, weakening Willow God's influence and making Chen Ning a target for his followers.
• Chen Ning consulted Qi Yu, who suspected Great God White Brows had set the trap and warned that Yutian True God might also benefit from the scheme.
• Qi Yu told Chen Ning that Thunder God's spies and intelligence sources had been killed, leaving no leads to investigate.
• Qi Yu urged Chen Ning to hide from Willow God's followers, but Chen Ning refused to abandon Chen Guan, Lang Xiaoshan, and the others.
• Yao Li arrived and laughed at Chen Ning's misfortune, while Qi Yu abruptly ended the voice transmission out of fear of her.

Chen Ning obtained evidence from Yao Li’s Gu that could expose the Kidney-Harvesting Supergroup and its backer, Great God White Brows. He headed to the Northern Territory to confront them, leaving Yao Li to protect Zhao Xiuxiu and Lu Sisi.

• Chen Ning asked Yao Li for leads on the Kidney-Harvesting Supergroup, and she offered evidence in exchange for a favor to be named later.
• Yao Li revealed that she controlled a powerful Gu planted by Yang Yue, which recorded its hosts’ contacts, sounds, and images and could split without limit.
• Yao Li gave Chen Ning the Gu’s recorded evidence, and he decided to travel to the Northern Territory to act against the Kidney-Harvesting Supergroup and Great God White Brows.
• Chen Ning asked Yao Li to look after Zhao Xiuxiu and Lu Sisi while he was away, and she agreed despite teasing him about Lu Sisi.
• Chen Ning left for the Northern Territory, determined to bring the matter to an end.

Chen Ning entered the Seven Kills Death Ground to find a figure linked to Great God White Brows, after Thunder God briefed him on the region’s dangers and arranged support from Frenzied Shark Fort. In the City of Darkness, Chen Ning killed a man who demanded his entry fee, then found himself trapped between two notorious Half-Gods.

• Chen Ning told Thunder God he planned to search the Seven Kills Death Ground for a figure who reported directly to Great God White Brows, and Thunder God described its three strongest forces: Frenzied Shark Fort, the Wolf Den, and Madam Spider’s group.
• Thunder God warned Chen Ning that Madam Spider was especially dangerous and arranged for Frenzied Shark Fort’s master to assist him under a false identity.
• At the City of Darkness gate, Chen Ning killed a burly man who demanded that he pay the man’s entry fee, then used the dead man’s spatial ring to pay the guards.
• Inside the city, Old Ghost Snake confronted Chen Ning and threatened to take his skin, while a blind Half-God blocked his escape from behind.
• Onlookers identified Old Ghost Snake and the blind man as the City of Darkness’s strongest figures, and Old Ghost Snake warned Chen Ning that the blind man would refine him into something neither human nor ghost.

Chen Ning revealed his terrifying Devil Qi to defeat Old Ghost Snake and Blind Man, then began slaughtering the witnesses to establish a ruthless Devil Cultivator persona. He accepted their treasures but made clear he had never promised to spare them.

• Blind Man summoned dozens of Late Stage Saint Venerable human puppets, but Chen Ning destroyed them after his first strike exposed only a decoy.
• Chen Ning killed Blind Man with a stomp and slew Old Ghost Snake with a heavenly devil palm print.
• Chen Ning collected the pair's spoils and attacked the people who had watched the fight.
• Chen Ning trapped the witnesses in a cage of Devil Qi and tore several apart as they begged for mercy.
• Chen Ning agreed to accept the witnesses' treasures, then revealed he had only agreed to that and kept the cage in place.

Chen Ning provoked Shark God in the City of Darkness, revealed his Half-God Realm strength, then fled as planned to make contact with Lone Wolf in Wolf City. There, Madam Spider arrived in a carriage before an attacker struck it down, revealing her unexpectedly beautiful face.

• Chen Ning challenged Shark God, who drove him back with a powerful palm strike.
• Chen Ning revealed his Half-God Realm cultivation, then escaped toward Wolf City instead of fighting Shark God.
• Chen Ning headed to Wolf City to earn Lone Wolf's trust and learn about the mysterious black-robed person connected to him.
• Wolf Den cleared a street for Madam Spider's carriage as the people of Wolf City discussed her reputation and her search for a lost treasure.
• An attacker descended and split Madam Spider's carriage with a sword, revealing her beautiful face to the stunned onlookers.

A poisoned Madam Spider faced an attack from a man seeking vengeance, while Duan Minggui offered to help her for his own predatory reasons. After Duan Minggui killed the attacker, Wolf Den barred the crowd from approaching, and Madam Spider warned that her capture would prevent the important discussion with Lone Wolf.

• Madam Spider explained that Rong'er had died saving the man who came to kill her, and he attacked her in anger.
• The man revealed that the tea Madam Spider drank contained God-Calamity Poison, which weakened her.
• Duan Minggui offered to kill the attacker in exchange for Madam Spider's body, but she refused and said she would rather die by the attacker's hand.
• Duan Minggui killed the man with a palm strike and approached Madam Spider as onlookers waited for a chance to seize her treasures.
• Dozens of Wolf Den experts blocked the crowd, and Madam Spider warned that her capture would leave no one to discuss the important matter with Lone Wolf.

Madam Spider discovered that Duan Minggui and the Wolf Den had lured her into a trap, then Chen Ning offered to save her in exchange for Spider Valley’s help uniting the Seven Kills Death Ground. Madam Spider accepted, leaving Chen Ning facing the Wolf Den and Duan Minggui.

• The Wolf Den offered to save Madam Spider if she joined forces against Frenzied Shark Fort, while Duan Minggui revealed that he had stolen the Heavenly Heart Cocoon and intended to claim her.
• The Wolf Den member said their leader could control Madam Spider and ordered Duan Minggui to act before her poison wore off.
• Chen Ning revealed himself and offered to save Madam Spider if Spider Valley helped him suppress Frenzied Shark Fort and the Wolf Den.
• Madam Spider agreed to Chen Ning’s bargain despite the crowd’s mockery and the Wolf Den’s threats.
• Duan Minggui threatened to kill Chen Ning with one palm strike.

Chen Ning killed Duan Minggui and the Wolf Den members who attacked him, then faced Lone Wolf as Spider Valley arrived to rescue Madam Spider. Madam Spider ordered her followers to take Chen Ning with them, and Lone Wolf let them go as the spiders overwhelmed his forces.

• Duan Minggui attacked Chen Ning with his flexible sword, but Chen Ning’s devil Qi shattered the sword and killed him.
• The Wolf Den leader tried to negotiate with Chen Ning, who killed the leader and the Wolf Den members who attacked him.
• Lone Wolf, the Wolf Den’s Lower God leader, arrived and confronted Chen Ning as more Wolf Den members gathered.
• Spider Valley women arrived with their spiders, and Madam Spider ordered them to take her and Chen Ning away.
• Lone Wolf let Madam Spider’s group leave because the spiders had overwhelmed the Wolf Den forces.

Madam Spider uncovered and punished the traitor who had poisoned her, then asked Kang Xiao to help her recover Spider Valley’s Heavenly Heart Cocoon and destroy Wolf Den. She brought Kang Xiao, bound in a spider cocoon, to Lone Wolf as an offering to seek peace, where Lone Wolf revealed he had backing of his own against Thunder God.

• Madam Spider learned that a trusted woman had poisoned her, betrayed Rong'er, and tried to flee, so she ordered the woman killed.
• Madam Spider thanked Kang Xiao for saving her and agreed to his plan to hold off Lone Wolf while he attacked Wolf Den.
• Madam Spider explained that Wolf Den’s Heavenly Heart Cocoon could restrain her and proposed offering Kang Xiao to Lone Wolf so they could recover it.
• Madam Spider brought the bound Kang Xiao into Wolf Den and claimed she had come to seek peace because Wolf Den held the Heavenly Heart Cocoon.
• Lone Wolf said he preferred joining forces with Madam Spider over Frenzied Shark Fort and revealed he had backing that let him challenge Thunder God.