Chapter Summaries

Wu Man learned that the Evil Lords planned to use the Skull of the Evil God to send the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord to seize the Spine of the Evil God, so he reported the scheme to the Vast Heaven Holy Land. The Grand Elder summoned a meeting at Haotian Palace, and Chu Xinghe learned that Wu Man had exposed the plan.

• The Evil Lords supplied the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord with life-saving treasures while the Witch Curse Evil Lord prepared to use the Skull of the Evil God.
• Wu Man cooperated with the preparations but realized the Skull's power would expose him to the Vast Heaven Holy Land's Concept Gods and Zang Ling.
• Chu Xinghe kept the Spine of the Evil God sealed in his spatial ring and refused to let Ouyang Ming, Feng Yuzheng, or anyone else study it.
• Wu Man decided to report the Evil Lords' plan to the Grand Elder, reasoning that doing so would protect both himself and the Evil Spirit Clan.
• The Grand Elder called a meeting at Haotian Palace, and Shen Chun told Chu Xinghe that Wu Man had reported the plan before it was fully underway.

Wu Man revealed the Evil Shadow Continent's plan to send the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord to the Three Continents for the Spine of the Evil God, and Vast Heaven Holy Land debated how to stop him. When the elders proposed sealing the Skull of the Evil God, Chu Xinghe objected because doing so would expose Wu Man and likely get him killed, leaving Wu Man deeply moved by Chu Xinghe's concern for his life.

• Wu Man told the leaders of Vast Heaven Holy Land how the Witch Curse Evil Lord planned to use the Skull of the Evil God to send the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord to the Three Continents.
• The Grand Elder asked whether Wu Man could determine where the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord would arrive, but Wu Man said the landing place was unknown within ten thousand li of Vast Heaven Holy Land.
• Elder He proposed sealing the Skull of the Evil God to prevent the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord from descending, and the leaders agreed the plan was workable.
• Chu Xinghe objected that sealing the Skull would reveal Wu Man's betrayal and expose him to the Witch Curse Evil Lord's retaliation.
• Wu Man realized Chu Xinghe was risking opposition from Vast Heaven Holy Land's leaders because he genuinely wanted Wu Man to survive.

Chu Xinghe defended Wu Man from being sacrificed to seal the Skull of the Evil God, and the Vast Heaven Holy Land recognized Wu Man as one of its own. With Wu Man's life secured, Chu Xinghe proposed letting the Evil Shadow Continent take the Spine of the Evil God, secretly hoping the plan would fail and cost his sect nothing.

• Chu Xinghe argued that Wu Man had not harmed the Vast Heaven Holy Land and should not be sacrificed because of his origins.
• The Grand Elder, Gu Mingchao, and Holy Empress Ji Ya supported protecting Wu Man, citing his contributions and the consequences of the Holy Relic Curse.
• The Grand Elder promoted Wu Man to inner sect elite disciple, assigned him to Spirit Crane Palace, and ordered the sect to treat him equally.
• Chu Xinghe claimed the Star Divination Art had advised them to sit back and watch the Evil Shadow Continent's moves.
• Chu Xinghe privately revealed that he had made up the divination and hoped the Evil Shadow Continent would take the Spine of the Evil God away.

Chu Xinghe assured Vast Heaven Holy Land that the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord would fall, despite the elders’ inability to imagine how, and they decided to wait rather than attempt an ambush. Wu Man joined Spirit Crane Palace as an elite inner disciple and came to believe that Vast Heaven Holy Land offered him a life free from suspicion and schemes.

• Elder He asked whether the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord would die as the Nightmare Evil Lord had, and Chu Xinghe nodded even though he could not explain how it would happen.
• The First Elder asked whether the Mighty Savage Evil Spirit Clan would be wiped out, and Chu Xinghe answered that it probably would not.
• The First Elder announced that Wu Man would become an elite inner disciple of Spirit Crane Palace and ordered the disciples not to discriminate against him.
• Shen Chun gave Wu Man his elite disciple robes and reminded him to act as a disciple of Vast Heaven Holy Land, and Wu Man pledged his loyalty.
• Wu Man realized that Vast Heaven Holy Land had not tried to use him against the Evil Spirit Clan and embraced his chance to live freely.

Wu Man’s promotion enraged Zang Ling, while news spread that the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord would descend to claim the Spine of the Evil God. As the Three Continents argued over Chu Xinghe’s prediction that the Evil Lord would fall, Clan Head Ning and Clan Head Hua failed to conquer the Land of Flames.

• Wu Man’s rise to the Spirit Crane Palace’s elite disciples enraged Zang Ling, who vowed to uphold the Evil Spirit Clan’s pride and began plotting.
• Scouts spread word of the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord’s planned descent, and the Vast Heaven Holy Land chose to watch and wait rather than intervene.
• Cheng Xiaotian challenged the decision, but Gu Mingchao drove him out; Cheng later accused Gu Mingchao of ambushing him in disguise as Wu Xingyun.
• Chu Xinghe’s prediction that the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord would fall sparked widespread debate and betting across the Three Continents.
• Clan Head Ning’s expedition into the Land of Flames failed as the fire spirits revived, and a later joint attempt with Clan Head Hua also ended in defeat.

Clan Head Hua advised Clan Head Ning to seek Chu Xinghe’s help with the Land of Flames, and Ning agreed to wait until the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord was dealt with. Meanwhile, Chu Xinghe celebrated what he expected to be a coming defeat, only to hear that the youths he had helped were sending resources to Vast Heaven Holy Land as its unofficial disciples.

• Clan Head Hua explained that Chu Xinghe’s Azure Shadow Flame might overcome the Fire Spirits in the Land of Flames, while Clan Head Ning worried that their strained relations would prevent him from helping.
• Hua Xichen urged Clan Head Ning to wait until Chu Xinghe had dealt with the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord before requesting help, and Clan Head Ning sealed the Land of Flames.
• Chu Xinghe relaxed at Vast Heaven Holy Land, believing the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord would take the Spine of the Evil God and secure his defeat.
• Shen Chun told Chu Xinghe that youths who had received awakened spirit beasts were sharing half the resources they gained with Vast Heaven Holy Land.
• Chu Xinghe was baffled that the youths kept repaying the Holy Land and had chosen to regard themselves as its unofficial disciples.

Vast Heaven Holy Land’s unaffiliated disciples kept giving it half their resources after receiving awakened spirit beasts, despite Chu Xinghe’s request that they stop. Meanwhile, the Evil Lords prepared the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord to travel to the Three Continents and seize the pure power of the Demon God’s Resentment.

• The Grand Elder promised the unaffiliated disciples extra assessment points and one hundred formal disciple admissions each year, prompting people across the Three Continents to envy them and some to falsely claim their status.
• Tantai Jing rejected a manager’s suggestion that the Demonic Sect lend without seeking repayment and ordered the manager stripped of his position.
• Chu Xinghe asked the unaffiliated disciples to stop sending resources, but they took his announcement as recognition of their status and continued contributing.
• Chu Xinghe saw that the Misfortune Compass was still spinning and decided not to interfere with the resources the unaffiliated disciples sent.
• The Evil Lords, including the Heavenly Secrets Evil Lord, pooled life-saving treasures for the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord, who prepared to travel to the Three Continents for the pure power of the Demon God’s Resentment.

Strength Barbarian Evil Lord descended into the Three Continents to retrieve the Spine of the Evil God, while White Spirit Evil Lord and Witch Curse Evil Lord prepared safeguards for his brief mission. Chu Xinghe told the Vast Heaven Holy Land to wait and see, and Strength Barbarian Evil Lord reached a forest and waited to activate the summoning formation at the last moment.

• White Spirit Evil Lord advised Strength Barbarian Evil Lord to delay summoning the Spine of the Evil God until near the end of his quarter-hour in the Three Continents.
• Witch Curse Evil Lord warned Strength Barbarian Evil Lord to stay within the Skull of the Evil God's formation, then opened a portal to a site roughly ten thousand li from the Vast Heaven Holy Land.
• Strength Barbarian Evil Lord entered the portal as Wu Man alerted Chu Xinghe that the invasion was underway.
• Chu Xinghe told Wu Man and the Vast Heaven Holy Land to eat, drink, and wait, leaving the Holy Land's leaders and Ma Liang confused about his plans.
• Strength Barbarian Evil Lord arrived in a forest, set up the summoning formation, and waited to activate it at the last moment.

The Strength Barbarian Evil Lord summoned the Spine of the Evil God and escaped the Vast Heaven Holy Land’s interference, while Chu Xinghe waited for his predicted victory. Just as the Misfortune Compass reversed and erased its accumulated power, a report announced that the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord had fallen.

• The Strength Barbarian Evil Lord activated his array and summoned the Spine of the Evil God from the Vast Heaven Holy Land as Chu Xinghe watched it fly away.
• People across the Three Continents and viewers of the Haotian Mirror criticized Chu Xinghe for failing to stop the Spine from being taken.
• The Strength Barbarian Evil Lord caught the Spine, joined it to the main portion he carried, and prepared to return to the Evil Shadow Continent.
• Chu Xinghe counted down the final seconds and declared victory when the fifteen-minute limit expired.
• The Misfortune Compass spun backward, restoring its accumulated power to its original position, and a trembling voice announced that the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord had fallen.

The Strength Barbarian Evil Lord died after the Skull of the Evil God’s teleportation sent him into Wujiang’s West Ridge, where Wu Erke’s Round-Trip Teleportation Array forced him back and killed him. Chu Xinghe realized the Misfortune Compass had not cheated, and Wu Erke was recognized as the first known being to kill a Half-Step Main God since the Four Continents began merging.

• Wu Man used the Skull of the Evil God to confirm that the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord had died during teleportation.
• Chu Xinghe suspected the Misfortune Compass had cheated, while Ma Liang claimed Xinghe had foreseen the outcome.
• Ma Liang identified the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord’s landing direction as Wujiang’s West Ridge, and Elder He recalled Wu Erke’s teleportation array there.
• The Holy Mother of Wujiang and the others realized Wu Erke’s Round-Trip Teleportation Array had sent the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord back and killed him.
• Wu Erke contacted the Vast Heaven Holy Land and confirmed the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord had died in the West Ridge, making him the first known killer of a Half-Step Main God since the Four Continents began merging.

Wu Erke explained how the Great Elder’s Round-Trip Teleportation Array forced the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord into the Four Continents Barrier, killing him and leaving the complete Spine of the Evil God behind. The Vast Heaven Holy Land traveled to Wujiang to claim it, where the Great Elder’s teleportation array unexpectedly proved able to bypass the Round-Trip Teleportation Array’s return effect.

• Wu Erke recounted how the Round-Trip Teleportation Array displaced the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord from the Skull of the Evil God's array and sent him into the Four Continents Barrier, where he was torn apart.
• Ma Liang concluded that Chu Xinghe had foreseen the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord’s death, and the others accepted his explanation while Chu Xinghe privately lamented being credited with the result.
• Wu Erke displayed the complete Spine of the Evil God, which had dropped with the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord’s treasures, and the excited Great Elder teleported the Vast Heaven Holy Land’s group to Wujiang’s West Ridge.
• The White Tiger Holy Venerable and the others found that the Round-Trip Teleportation Array kept returning them to their starting point whenever they tried to teleport away.
• The group realized that the Great Elder’s teleportation array alone had bypassed the Round-Trip Teleportation Array, and White Tiger acknowledged the Great Elder as the superior teleportation array master.

After the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord died, Vast Heaven Holy Land claimed the complete Spine of the Evil God and unanimously decided to reserve it for Chu Xinghe. Chu Xinghe instead gave it to the Great Elder in gratitude, and Gu Mingchao placed it in the Great Elder’s hands.

• The Great Elder’s teleportation formation overwhelmed White Tiger, and everyone turned their attention to the complete Spine of the Evil God.
• Gu Mingchao took the Spine of the Evil God and proposed saving it for Chu Xinghe, with the Great Elder and other elders agreeing.
• Chu Xinghe explained that he could not use the Spine’s power and asked that the Great Elder receive it instead.
• Chu Xinghe recalled how the Great Elder had welcomed and protected him, describing him as a father and crediting him with changing his fate.
• The elders agreed that the Great Elder deserved the Spine, and Gu Mingchao pressed it into his hands as tears filled the Great Elder’s eyes.

The Grand Elder accepted the Spine of the Evil God from Chu Xinghe, while Wu Erke led the Vast Heaven Holy Land in collecting the many treasures dropped by the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord. News spread that Chu Xinghe’s prediction had come true: Wu Erke’s Round-Trip Teleportation Array had sent the Evil Lord into the Four Continents Barrier, killing him on impact.

• Chu Xinghe gave the Spine of the Evil God to the Grand Elder, who bonded with it and gained a tremendous combat boost.
• Wu Erke pointed out the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord’s scattered treasures, and the Vast Heaven Holy Land found a hundred li of rare defensive exotic treasures.
• Wu Man explained that the Evil Lord had carried the treasures to the Three Continents to protect himself while seeking the Demon God’s Resentment’s pure power.
• Ma Liang summoned Feng Yuzheng, who began searching for the treasures, as news of the Evil Lord’s death spread across the Three Continents.
• People learned that Wu Erke’s Round-Trip Teleportation Array had sent the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord straight into the Four Continents Barrier, where he died.

Chu Xinghe’s plan caused the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord to die against the Four Continents Barrier, while Feng Yuzheng uncovered a trove of defensive treasures in Wujiang. The Evil Lords blamed a mysterious strongest expert, and Wu Man confirmed their suspicion to conceal that he had betrayed them.

• Chu Xinghe’s Round-Trip Teleportation Array activated just before the Skull of the Evil God formation, sending the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord into the Four Continents Barrier, where he died.
• Feng Yuzheng unearthed cartloads of defensive treasures in Wujiang, giving the Vast Heaven Holy Land a rich haul after the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord’s fall.
• The seven Evil Lords gathered around the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord’s extinguished soul lamp and questioned whether the Witch Curse Evil Lord had killed him.
• The Heavenly Secrets Evil Lord concluded that the mysterious strongest expert who had killed the Nightmare Evil Lord must have slain the Strength Barbarian Evil Lord too.
• The Evil Lords contacted Wu Man through the Skull of the Evil God, and Wu Man said the strongest expert had acted, hiding that he had surrendered and betrayed their plans.

The Evil Lords confirmed that a supreme powerhouse protected the Three Continents, while the remaining divisions divided up the Strength Barbarian Evil Spirits’ territory. At Vast Heaven Holy Land, the Grand Elder absorbed the power of the Spine of the Evil God, broke through to the Half-Step Main God realm, and announced his achievement in his own low-key fashion.

• Wu Man told the Evil Lords little about the supreme powerhouse, and the White Spirit Evil Lord ordered him to stay safe and continue gathering information from Vast Heaven Holy Land.
• The Heavenly Secrets Evil Lord and Witch Curse Evil Lord moved to seize resources, and the remaining Evil Spirits divisions divided the Strength Barbarian Evil Spirits’ territory among themselves.
• As Vast Heaven Holy Land’s leaders waited outside Spirit Crane Palace, the Grand Elder absorbed the Demon God's Resentment’s remaining power through the Spine of the Evil God.
• The Grand Elder’s Half-Step Main God Dharma Aspect used the Spine’s power to tear apart the lightning tribulation and reach the Half-Step Main God realm.
• After the holy land celebrated his breakthrough, the Grand Elder declined a feast and instead ordered notices sent to every Three Continents faction with ten or more people.

After reaching Half-Step Main God, the great elder orchestrated an elaborate campaign to make the Three Continents know how low-profile he was, recruiting Shen Chun and Tantai Jing to spread the story while presenting it as discreet. Meanwhile, the Ning Clan’s efforts to overcome the flames at the Earth Spirit Gushing Spring failed, and the clan neared collapse.

• The great elder had Shen Chun notify major forces of his breakthrough, then arranged for disciples and storytellers to spread stories about his refusal to hold celebrations.
• The Three Continents came to know the great elder as a low-profile Half-Step Main God, while he mocked Gu Mingchao for openly boasting about his own realm.
• The great elder summoned Tantai Jing, who mistakenly defended the Demonic Sect against several suspected misdeeds before learning the elder wanted his reputation spread to remote regions.
• Tantai Jing promised to advertise the great elder’s low-profile conduct through Demon Demon Express and left with Blood Spirit Stones for the Demonic Sect.
• Demon Demon Express couriers spread the story across the Three Continents, while the Ning Clan failed repeatedly to breach the Land of Flames as the Earth Spirit Gushing Spring burned and its water was contaminated.

The Ning Clan opened the Land of Flames to outsiders, but visitors found it costly and devoid of treasures beyond the Dunjia Fire Book, and they could not break the barrier protecting it. After Chu Xinghe learned the truth, he believed he could finally profit, while the desperate Ning Clan considered asking him for help.

• The Ning Clan opened the Land of Flames to the public after repeated attempts to break its flame barrier left the clan impoverished.
• Chu Xinghe heard that Zheng Yu and other flame-skilled cultivators had entered, but he resisted going because he suspected the opportunity was a trap.
• Zheng Yu and his group reached the barrier, saw the Flame Deity and Dunjia Fire Book behind it, and found no other rare treasures or way to break through.
• Zheng Yu publicly accused Clan Head Ning of misleading everyone, and word spread that the Land of Flames held no treasures besides the Dunjia Fire Book.
• Chu Xinghe took the news as a sign that he could finally make a profit, while the Ning Clan faced debt and dwindling resources.
• The Ning Clan's grand elder suggested seeking help from Vast Heaven Holy Land because Chu Xinghe's Azure Shadow Flame might break the barrier, but the clan doubted he would help without a chance to profit.

Clan Head Ning sought Holy Empress Ji Ya’s help after the Earth Spirit Gushing Spring was contaminated, hoping Chu Xinghe would resolve the crisis. Ji Ya negotiated for the Ning Clan to give the Vast Heaven Holy Land half the spring after the danger passed, setting up a surprise for Xinghe.

• Clan Head Ning visited Ji Ya, who explained that the Vast Heaven Holy Land’s hostility toward the Ning Clan meant no one there would volunteer to help.
• Ji Ya pointed out that the Ning Clan could not fund the dangerous mission or offer Chu Xinghe a fair reward, and Clan Head Ning admitted his clan had no resources.
• Ji Ya suggested the Ning Clan use the Earth Spirit Gushing Spring as a stake, and Clan Head Ning gradually raised his offer until he agreed to give half of it to the Vast Heaven Holy Land.
• Ji Ya told Clan Head Ning to wait until the crisis was over before offering the spring, so the gift would show gratitude and help repair relations rather than look like a transaction.
• Ji Ya eagerly anticipated giving Xinghe a surprise by helping the Vast Heaven Holy Land obtain half of the spring.

Ji Ya persuaded Clan Head Ning to seek Chu Xinghe’s help with the Land of Flames while keeping the Ning Clan’s offer of half the Earth Spirit Gushing Spring for later, as a gesture of gratitude. Chu Xinghe agreed to help and prepared to enter the Land of Flames with Sacred Venerable Vermilion Bird, believing the trip would cost resources without yielding any gains.

• Ji Ya decided that helping the Ning Clan would let her contribute to the Vast Heaven Holy Land, and persuaded Clan Head Ning to follow her plan and conceal the Earth Spirit Gushing Spring offer until after Xinghe helped.
• Chu Xinghe searched the Vast Heaven Holy Land for Clan Head Ning, eager to help the Ning Clan for free, until Shen Chun found him and directed him to Haotian Palace.
• The Grand Elder told Chu Xinghe that Clan Head Ning had apologized and promised to avoid future conflict, then asked him to help with the Land of Flames while prioritizing his safety.
• Chu Xinghe agreed to enter the Land of Flames, and the Grand Elder assigned Sacred Venerable Vermilion Bird to accompany him as protection.
• Chu Xinghe privately welcomed the trip because he expected the Land of Flames to consume resources without offering any worthwhile return.

Chu Xinghe visited the Civil Engineering Department, where Azure Dragon and the disciples loaded him with resources for the Land of Flames and urged him to prioritize safety. After Chu Xinghe arrived at the Ning Clan with Sacred Venerable Vermilion Bird, his presence steadied the clan’s allies and eased its crisis, but Clan Head Ning said Chu Xinghe needed two days of fire-type Qimen Dunjia training before entering the Land of Flames.

• Azure Dragon complained to Chu Xinghe that the Civil Engineering Department’s endless work and resource management had made his life harder despite rapidly increasing his cultivation.
• Huang Ritian and the Civil Engineering Department disciples packed fifty Spirit Crane Palaces into Ouyang Ming’s spatial ring so Chu Xinghe could use their resources in the Land of Flames.
• Chu Xinghe promised to spend resources freely, then set off for the Spirit Beast Continent with Sacred Venerable Vermilion Bird and Clan Head Ning.
• Chu Xinghe’s arrival at the Ning Clan reassured its cooperating forces, and Tantai Jing announced that Demon Demon Credit had removed the clan from its blacklist.
• Chu Xinghe rejected Clan Head Ning’s welcome banquet and wanted to enter the Land of Flames immediately, but Clan Head Ning said he first needed two days of fire-type Qimen Dunjia lessons.
• Chu Xinghe eagerly agreed to begin the lessons after learning they would help him use resources more effectively in the Land of Flames.