Chapter Summaries

Ma Liang negotiated poison-pill sales to the Ten Great Sects for five times the Vast Heaven Trading Company's price, while Chu Xinghe realized the sect had made a fortune despite his plans. The Great Elder saw Ma Liang and Feng Fei as complementary leaders for the sect’s future, with Xinghe keeping its prodigies united.

• Zheng Yu reflected on Senior Brother Xinghe’s influence and accepted that he could not hope to surpass him.
• The Ten Great Sects asked Ma Liang to arrange poison pills, and Ma Liang raised their offer by claiming he risked humiliation and injury to enter the Spirit Crane Palace.
• When a sect disciple challenged Ma Liang’s claims, Ma Liang expelled him, banned his sect from the Haotian Mountain Range, and canceled their trade with the Vast Heaven Sect.
• The sects raised their offers to five times the original price, and Ma Liang and Senior Brother Feng Fei completed the sale of the Spirit Crane Palace’s poison pills.
• Chu Xinghe realized the sale had cleared the entire stock and made the Vast Heaven Sect a fortune, while Feng Fei regretted not charging more.
• The Great Elder concluded that Ma Liang could become Great Elder and Feng Fei could manage the sect’s finances, with Xinghe anchoring the sect and its talented disciples.

After the Wuj iang prodigies recovered at the Vast Heaven Sect, the Wuj iang Holy Mother invited Chu Xinghe to lead them into the newly opened ruins. Fearing that treasures would inevitably find him there, Chu Xinghe refused to go and forbade the Vast Heaven Sect disciples from entering as well.

• The Wuj iang Holy Mother watched as Chu Xinghe’s poison pills and daily divine medicines cured the Wuj iang prodigies, and two of them even advanced their cultivation.
• With the prodigies recovered, the Wuj iang Holy Mother prepared to return home while cultivators and young geniuses gathered in Wuj iang for the ruins.
• Zheng Yu repeatedly asked when Chu Xinghe would set out, and Vast Heaven Sect’s younger disciples eagerly hoped to join him in the ruins.
• The Wuj iang Holy Mother invited Chu Xinghe to lead her prodigies through the ruins and help them find treasures.
• Chu Xinghe refused to enter the ruins and declared that no Vast Heaven Sect disciple would go either, leaving the Wuj iang Holy Mother and the Grand Elder stunned.

Chu Xinghe refused to let the Vast Heaven Sect enter the ruins, claiming the abundance of ancient poisons suggested hidden danger. Other factions entered and found many treasures, leaving them convinced Chu Xinghe had miscalculated, while Chu Xinghe privately believed his plan had succeeded.

• Wuj iang Holy Mother told Chu Xinghe about the treasures in the ruins, but he refused to enter and barred all Vast Heaven Sect disciples from going in.
• Nangong Yan and the Vast Heaven Sect’s first elder accepted Chu Xinghe’s explanation that the unusual number of ancient poisons might signal a terrifying danger.
• Zheng Yu kept Martial Emperor City out at first, but let its disciples enter after other factions reported finding valuable treasures.
• Martial Emperor City arrived late and made some gains, while its disciples complained that Chu Xinghe had miscalculated.
• Chu Xinghe laughed to himself, convinced that staying out of the ruins meant he could not lose.

The factions’ search for treasure in the Wuj iang Ruins led them into an ancient city that trapped them, and blue-flamed insects set the ruins ablaze. Chu Xinghe’s warning kept the Vast Heaven Sect away, while he feared the disaster might somehow bring him trouble.

• The Wuj iang prodigies used secret arts to advance deep into the ruins and discovered a huge ancient city, drawing Zheng Yu and the other factions inside to collect its treasures.
• The city gates shut, and the prodigies found they could neither reopen them nor fly out; following Ji Moran’s suggestion, they dug a tunnel beneath the walls.
• Blue-flamed insects poured from the tunnel, burned nearby prodigies to ashes, and ignited the poisonous insects throughout the ruins.
• Zheng Yu led the survivors back into the ancient city, where they watched the blue flames engulf the ruins and regretted ignoring Chu Xinghe’s warning.
• The Vast Heaven Sect learned that many prodigies were dead or trapped, and Ma Liang praised Chu Xinghe for foreseeing the danger.
• Chu Xinghe heard the news and privately worried that the ruins’ disaster might cause another strange problem for him.

Blue flames spread through the ruins, trapping the prodigies and thwarting rescue attempts as the entrance continued to shrink. The Heavenly Fire High Person sent his final disciple, Fang Qing, whose Body of Heavenly Fire let him repel the flames, into the ruins to save them.

• The blue flames devastated rescuers, while the ruins' entrance shrank and the faction leaders regretted mocking Chu Xinghe for staying away.
• The Heavenly Fire High Person arrived and said the mysterious flames matched none of the known blue fires.
• The Heavenly Fire High Person introduced Fang Qing and revealed that his Body of Heavenly Fire let him control many kinds of flames.
• Fang Qing entered the ruins as the entrance nearly closed, intending to rescue the trapped prodigies and earn renown for himself and the Heavenly Fire Sect.
• Blue flames engulfed Fang Qing, but he drove them away with flames of many colors, giving the leaders hope that the prodigies could be saved.

Fang Qing’s Body of Heavenly Fire failed against the blue flames carried by flying insects, leaving the gathered leaders desperate for another solution. They set out for the Vast Heaven Sect to seek Chu Xinghe, who remained confident that staying out of the ruins would let him defeat the Misfortune Compass.

• Fang Qing advanced into the ruins, but blue flames from flying insects overwhelmed his Body of Heavenly Fire and burned him badly before he escaped.
• Heavenly Fire High Person tried to extinguish the flames on Fang Qing and was burned as well, while the assembled leaders realized no one might be able to withstand the fire.
• Cheng Xiaotian urged the leaders to seek Chu Xinghe, and they recalled that he possessed the Bright Gold Divine Fire, though Heavenly Fire High Person doubted it could protect him.
• Cheng Xiaotian activated a teleportation array, and the leaders headed for the Vast Heaven Sect.
• Chu Xinghe emerged from the Dark Moon Palace, watched Junior Brother Ben wield the Heaven-Measuring Ruler and advance his talisman skills, and remained confident that avoiding the ruins would make the Misfortune Compass lose.

Big shots from several factions asked the Vast Heaven Sect to rescue their trapped disciples from mysterious blue flames in the ruins, offering every treasure they had found. The Grand Elder refused to risk Chu Xinghe and summoned Elder He and the Great Sage to identify the flames, and they named Blue Demon Shadow Fire before suggesting the factions consult Heavenly Fire High Person.

• The Little Bear King made arriving faction leaders register and wait before they entered the Vast Heaven Sect.
• The Grand Elder received the leaders, and Cheng Xiaotian described how mysterious blue flames had trapped their disciples and even burned the Body of Heavenly Fire.
• The Grand Elder warned that Chu Xinghe's Bright Gold Divine Fire might not protect him and initially refused to let him risk himself.
• The faction leaders offered all their rare treasures if Chu Xinghe would attempt a rescue, but the Grand Elder remained focused on his safety.
• The Grand Elder summoned Elder He and the Great Sage, who identified the flames as possibly Blue Demon Shadow Fire and asked Heavenly Fire High Person for his professional opinion.

The Great Sage proposed testing whether Chu Xinghe’s Bright Gold Divine Fire could suppress the Blue Demon Shadow Fire by burning someone with both flames, and the Vast Heaven Sect revived Dark Moon Clan members to serve as test subjects. When the ruins’ entry limit seemed to disqualify them, An Mo argued he could cripple his cultivation to qualify, leaving Cheng Xiaotian convinced the Dark Moon Clan was right.

• Heavenly Fire High Person admitted he had never heard of the Blue Demon Shadow Fire, so the Great Sage proposed testing the two flames on the same person.
• The Great Elder summoned the Dark Moon Clan, and An Lan and the Vast Heaven Sect disciples reassembled the clan members from their scattered body parts.
• An Lan and An Zhui argued over who should be burned first, so the Great Sage killed them both to stop their quarrel.
• Cheng Xiaotian explained that the ruins only admitted entrants below the Ninth Rank, and the Dark Moon Clan members realized they were too powerful to enter.
• An Mo said he could cripple his Ninth Rank cultivation to drop to the Eighth Rank, and Cheng Xiaotian conceded that the Dark Moon Clan was right.

An Mo tested the Bright Gold Divine Fire against the Blue Demon Shadow Fire and confirmed that it was stronger, so Chu Xinghe entered the ruins to investigate. His flames frightened the venomous insects into fleeing, leaving the watching powerhouses amazed.

• An Mo crippled his cultivation, endured the Bright Gold Divine Fire, and then repeatedly burned and revived while testing the Blue Demon Shadow Fire in the ruins.
• An Mo reported that the Blue Demon Shadow Fire was weaker than the Bright Gold Divine Fire, and the powerhouses prepared Chu Xinghe with warnings and defensive treasures.
• Chu Xinghe entered the ruins and covered himself with the Bright Gold Divine Fire.
• The venomous insects trembled and fled from Chu Xinghe, revealing that his flames overwhelmingly suppressed the Blue Demon Shadow Fire.
• Heavenly Fire High Person and Fang Qing watched in shock as the powerhouses praised Chu Xinghe's ability to advance through the ruins unharmed.

Chu Xinghe charged through the ruins seeking stronger Blue Demon Shadow Fire, but the flames vanished whenever he approached. Five Ninth-Rank Yanqi then emerged and surrounded him, and Chu Xinghe killed one with a single strike before appearing behind another and beheading it.

• Chu Xinghe pursued Blue Demon Shadow Fire through the ruins, but the flames fled or went out when he approached.
• Venomous insects gathered and revealed five Ninth-Rank Yanqi, which surrounded Chu Xinghe as the grand elder and Elder He warned that he should flee.
• Chu Xinghe summoned the Haotian Sword Casket and killed the first Yanqi with Thunder Shadow's Purple Lightning Flash, leaving the witnesses outside the ruins stunned.
• The four remaining Yanqi attacked Chu Xinghe with powerful rays that engulfed his position, prompting Gu Mingchao to fear for his life.
• The Great Sage assured everyone Chu Xinghe was safe, and Chu Xinghe appeared behind a Yanqi and beheaded it with Fingers-Wrapping Softness.

Chu Xinghe used the Flying Locust Sword Formation to teleport around the ruins and kill five Ninth Rank Yanqi without being injured. His display of power stunned the gathered factions and left the younger generation, including speed specialist Yu Xiang, convinced that he stood far above them.

• The Great Sage explained that Flying Locust had formed an instant short-distance teleportation formation, allowing Chu Xinghe to evade the Yanqi’s beams and strike from behind.
• Chu Xinghe repeatedly used the Flying Locust Sword Formation to appear behind the charging Yanqi and kill them with Purple Lightning Flash.
• Zhang Zhi recognized that Chu Xinghe’s formation skill surpassed even White Tiger’s in speed, while the Great Elder urged him not to praise Xinghe where he could hear.
• Chu Xinghe defeated all five Ninth Rank Yanqi without a scratch, silencing the young geniuses who had doubted his combat strength.
• Yu Xiang, who had planned to challenge Chu Xinghe to a contest of speed, realized that no ordinary speed could rival the formation’s instantaneous movement.

Chu Xinghe slaughtered his way through the ruins with the divine swords in the Haotian Sword Casket and heavily enhanced defensive treasures, while Zheng Yu and the others were trapped in the ancient city by the deadly Blue Demon Shadow Fire. As the flames engulfed Zheng Yu, a streak of purple lightning appeared, leaving his fate unresolved.

• Chu Xinghe discovered that he could kill most Ninth Rank exotic beasts with Purple Lightning Flash and the Power of Misfortune, while his enhanced treasures withstood their attacks.
• Chu Xinghe abandoned his attempt to let exotic beasts destroy his treasures and continued toward the ancient city as people outside watched him fight and taunt the beasts.
• Blue Demon Shadow Fire insects overwhelmed the ancient city, trapping Zheng Yu and the other geniuses and burning several people to ashes.
• Zheng Yu regretted not listening to Chu Xinghe, then unleashed Fire God Descends upon the World against the flames and was engulfed by them.
• As Zheng Yu struggled against the Blue Demon Shadow Fire and the others despaired, a streak of lightning appeared and someone shouted, "Purple Lightning Flash!"

Chu Xinghe entered the ancient city and saved Zheng Yu and the other heaven's chosen from the Blue Demon Shadow Fire. As the fire's origin entered Chu Xinghe and merged with his Bright Gold Divine Fire, his Phoenix Divine Fire underwent its second transformation into Azure Shadow Flame.

• Zheng Yu's Fire God's power failed to withstand the blue flames, leaving him trapped and the heaven's chosen despairing.
• Thunder Shadow struck Zheng Yu free of the flames, and Chu Xinghe entered the city with his Bright Gold Divine Fire.
• Chu Xinghe's Phoenix-shaped flames drove back and devoured the Blue Demon Shadow Fire, freeing the heaven's chosen as the ancient city shook and a roar came from below.
• Chu Xinghe told the others to flee while the Bright Gold Divine Fire drew the Blue Demon Shadow Fire's origin into his body.
• The two flames merged within Chu Xinghe, transforming his Phoenix Divine Fire into Azure Shadow Flame and forcing nearby flames to bow.

Chu Xinghe was trapped inside the collapsing ruins when a living stone statue emerged to reclaim the Blue Demon Shadow Fire. Outside, Elder He identified it as the Gu God's sealed evil thoughts, but the statue struck Chu Xinghe as the ruins sealed shut, and Gu Mingchao arrived.

• Chu Xinghe regained control of his body after the Phoenix Divine Fire's transformation and tried to flee the collapsing city, but a giant stone statue animated by blue insects rose from underground and demanded its Blue Demon Shadow Fire.
• Elder He and Elder Teng recognized the statue as the Gu God's sealed evil thoughts, and Elder He reasoned that Chu Xinghe had prevented a future calamity by taking the Blue Demon Shadow Fire.
• The prodigies outside believed Chu Xinghe had foreseen the danger and returned to save them, while Chu Xinghe realized the statue carried a damaged Mystic God-level presence.
• The statue struck Chu Xinghe with its enormous palm as the ruins' final opening vanished, leaving his fate unknown inside.
• Gu Mingchao arrived before the gathered factions, and a terrifying presence surged over them.

When the ruins’ gate sealed with Chu Xinghe inside, Gu Mingchao wielded the Heaven-Supporting Sword to reopen it and entered the ruins. He rescued Chu Xinghe, destroyed the Malicious Thought stone statue, and slew the Gu God’s Malicious Thought.

• Gu Mingchao arrived outside the sealed ruins and reopened their gate with a sword strike, breaking the restriction that barred those below Eighth Rank.
• Inside the ruins, Chu Xinghe evaded the Malicious Thought stone statue with his Flying Locust Sword Formation’s teleportation array as Gu Mingchao entered and cut through the statue’s restraint.
• Gu Mingchao severed the statue’s hold on Chu Xinghe, who teleported to the gate and joined the other Vast Heaven Sect powerhouses.
• Gu Mingchao gathered swords, plants, flowers, and leaves into a storm of blades and used his Supreme Sword to destroy the stone statue and kill the insects controlling it.
• The Gu God’s Malicious Thought escaped the shattered statue, but Gu Mingchao caught up with it and destroyed it with the Heaven-Supporting Sword.

Gu Mingchao destroyed the Gu God's Evil Thought with a supreme sword strike, then tried to make Chu Xinghe his personal disciple before the Vast Heaven Sect elders sent him away. After the survivors thanked Chu Xinghe by offering him all their treasures, he feared their gifts would ruin his plans to lie low.

• Gu Mingchao destroyed the Gu God's Evil Thought, held up the collapsing ruins until everyone escaped, and emerged to the stunned silence of the assembled forces.
• Cheng Xiaotian realized Gu Mingchao had always held back during their past duels, while the crowd saw that Gu Mingchao's realm matched his Mystic God power.
• Gu Mingchao asked Chu Xinghe to become his personal disciple, but the Vast Heaven Sect elders arranged a teleportation array and sent their Sect Master away.
• Zheng Yu and the other prodigies thanked Chu Xinghe for saving them and offered him every rare treasure they had obtained.
• Chu Xinghe examined his Azure Shadow Flame and celebrated its power, then panicked when Zheng Yu insisted that he accept the survivors' gifts.

After Gu Mingchao’s battle in the ruins, his self-portraits and stone carvings were revealed to contain his Sword Dao and became extraordinarily valuable, earning the Vast Heaven Sect a fortune. Chu Xinghe emerged from seclusion, heard the news, and immediately returned to seclusion while Ma Liang and Feng Fei went looking for more of the sect master’s art to sell.

• The ruins’ treasures were delivered to the Vast Heaven Sect, while the sect’s civil engineering disciples struggled to build enough treasure vaults.
• Gu Mingchao’s battle silenced those who claimed they would surpass him, and rumors spread that his self-portraits contained Sword Dao capable of helping people break through.
• A Sword Dao master declared that Gu Mingchao’s stone carvings reflected his Supreme Sword Dao, driving their value even higher than his self-portraits.
• Ma Liang and Feng Fei found the Vast Heaven Sect’s stored portraits and carvings and sold some through the Vast Heaven Trading Company, but withheld portraits in which Gu Mingchao was barely clothed.
• When Ma Liang and Feng Fei told Chu Xinghe about the fortune, he returned to seclusion, and Feng Fei proposed searching the sect master’s painting and carving rooms for more items to sell.

The Bai Clan faced ruin after the Heroic Martial Ancestor tried to seize its spirit-patterned cloth formula and cut off its business ties. As Bai Wenzheng prepared to surrender and leave Star City, Liu Ying revealed that her elder sister’s son, Ma Liang, was in the Vast Heaven Sect.

• Gu Mingchao returned to the Vast Heaven Sect after wandering for days through the Spirit-Bewildering Wasteland, where the grand elder’s teleportation array had sent him.
• Qu Yingcheng pressured Bai Wenzheng to hand over the Bai Clan’s spirit-patterned cloth formula, then used the Heroic Martial Ancestor to isolate and threaten the clan.
• Bai Wenzheng failed to get help from his wife’s Heavenly Lake Sect relatives and told the Bai Clan that they might have to surrender the formula and flee Star City.
• Liu Ying offered to contact her maiden family, then revealed that her elder sister had a son named Ma Liang in the Vast Heaven Sect.

Liu Ying revealed that her nephew Ma Liang belonged to the Vast Heaven Sect and asked him for help with the Bai Clan’s crisis. Ma Liang resolved to protect his aunt’s family, while Chu Xinghe became excited by the costly spirit pattern cloth mentioned in the matter.

• At the Bai Clan meeting, Liu Ying announced that her nephew Ma Liang was in the Vast Heaven Sect, and Bai Wenzheng had her write him a letter asking for help.
• At the Vast Heaven Sect, Ma Liang received Liu Ying’s letter and remembered how she had cared for him when he was young.
• After learning the Bai Clan was threatened by the Heroic Martial Ancestor, Ma Liang vowed to teach the clan’s attackers a lesson and went to Chu Xinghe.
• Chu Xinghe listened to Ma Liang’s account but focused on the spirit pattern cloth and decided he wanted robes made from it for the Vast Heaven Sect’s disciples.

Chu Xinghe decided to outfit Vast Heaven Sect disciples and business assistants in costly, self-cleaning Spirit Pattern Cloth uniforms, believing that buying and consuming luxury goods would finally let him waste the sect’s resources. As the Bai Clan faced the Heroic Martial Ancestor over the cloth’s secret formula, a mysterious wraith appeared and struck down Zhang Zekui.

• Ma Liang told Chu Xinghe that Spirit Pattern Cloth was expensive, self-cleaning, and helped cultivation, so Chu Xinghe proposed buying uniforms for the sect’s disciples, miner disciples, and business assistants.
• The Grand Elder inspected the sect, heard the civil engineering disciples complain about building treasure vaults, and approved Chu Xinghe’s plan to change everyone into Spirit Pattern Cloth uniforms.
• Chu Xinghe explained that he would buy and consume the cloth instead of selling it, then took Ma Liang to Star City to begin preparations.
• Zhang Zekui and Heroic Martial Ancestor disciples forced their way into the Bai Clan compound on the deadline and demanded the Spirit Pattern Cloth formula.
• Liu Ying warned Zhang Zekui that her nephew Ma Liang belonged to the Vast Heaven Sect, but Zhang Zekui dismissed her and raised his hand to strike her.
• A black ghostly Qi rose from the ground, formed an ancient wraith, and sent Zhang Zekui flying with one claw.