Chapter Summaries

Gu Shao'an and Zhu Houzhao’s group reached One Line Sky after Wang Yizhao cleared Great Yuan’s sentries and troops along their route. As they prepared an ambush for Si Hanfei and the other martial artists, someone spotted their arrival.

• Zhu Houzhao explained that Wang Yizhao had taken the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends ahead to eliminate Great Yuan’s hidden sentries and troops.
• The group followed a secret route into Great Yuan and found the bodies of sentries killed with blade strikes like Wang Yizhao’s.
• Wang Yizhao reported that the troops at the camp near One Line Sky had been dealt with and that no one had sent word out.
• Zhu Houzhao and the others surveyed One Line Sky, agreed to take turns keeping watch, and rested to prepare for the coming battle.
• Gu Shao'an secretly prepared medicinal smoke inside his tent.
• On the twenty-third, a voice above the camp announced that someone had arrived.

Zhu Houzhao’s group ambushed Ba Shibaba, Si Hanfei, Leng Yan, and their Great Yuan fighters at the camp, while Gu Shao'an faced Ba Shibaba. Ba Shibaba’s spiritual attack briefly clouded Gu Shao'an’s mind, but his Sword Pellet broke its hold, and Gu Shao'an launched a counterattack with golden sword energies.

• Master Du Shan reported that eighteen enemies were approaching, including two Heavenly Human Realm experts, and Zhu Houzhao ordered the group to follow their ambush plan.
• Ming Yuexin and Shangguan Jinhong used aura-concealing pills and led the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends toward the entrance of One Line Sky.
• Ba Shibaba and Si Hanfei descended into the camp with Leng Yan and the Great Yuan martial artists, where Zhu Houzhao, Wang Yizhao, Xuan Mie, and Du Shan confronted them.
• Si Hanfei charged Zhu Houzhao’s group, so Xuan Mie and Du Shan intercepted him while Zhu Houzhao and Wang Yizhao attacked Leng Yan and the other Great Yuan experts.
• Ba Shibaba used the Sky Changing Earth Striking Great Law to invade Gu Shao'an’s mind, but Gu Shao'an’s Sword Pellet shattered the spiritual attack.
• Gu Shao'an resisted Ba Shibaba and formed dozens of golden sword energies, beginning his counterattack.

Gu Shao'an used a Sword Domain that turned the battlefield into a chessboard and steadily suppressed Ba Shibaba, cutting him despite his powerful Buddhist arts. After Ba Shibaba called for help, the Great Yuan fighters surrounded Gu Shao'an, revealing that the ambush had been aimed at him alone.

• Gu Shao'an's sword qi anticipated Ba Shibaba's movements, disrupted his spiritual energy, and forced him to yield the initiative.
• Ba Shibaba tried to counter with the God-Extinguishing Palm and spiritual techniques, but Gu Shao'an's Sword Domain broke through his defenses and wounded him.
• Gu Shao'an pierced Ba Shibaba's flower-plucking palm with condensed sword qi and cut his chest.
• Gu Shao'an unleashed nearly a hundred strands of sword qi, leaving several wounds on Ba Shibaba.
• Ba Shibaba said he could not hold on, and Si Hanfei, Master Xuan Mie, Master Du Shan, Zhu Houzhao, Wang Yizhao, Leng Yan, and other Great Yuan fighters surrounded Gu Shao'an.

Gu Shao'an confronted Zhu Houzhao and the allied Great Wei and Great Yuan forces, then unleashed a Sword Domain that trapped and wounded them. He intensified the sword-qi assault as Ba Shibaba urged the attackers to stay together and break the domain.

• Zhu Houzhao explained that he saw Gu Shao'an as a threat to Great Wei and said he had other means to address his premature aging.
• Gu Shao'an questioned Shaolin's role in the siege, and Master Xuan Mie said Shaolin had answered Zhu Houzhao's request.
• Gu Shao'an drew the Heavenly Sword and used his newly created Sword Domain to gather Heaven and Earth Power and Momentum into a storm of golden sword qi.
• Ba Shibaba, Si Hanfei, Zhu Houzhao, Wang Yizhao, and Shaolin's masters defended themselves, while Zhu Houzhao was injured after absorbing sword qi and then forcing it out.
• Gu Shao'an's sword qi overwhelmed the Great Yuan Condensing Essence into Gang fighters, leaving many wounded, including Leng Yan.
• Ba Shibaba warned the attackers that they needed to coordinate to break Gu Shao'an's Sword Domain, but Gu Shao'an made the sword-qi rain denser.

Gu Shao'an used his Sword Domain and Falling Sun sword momentum to overwhelm the Great Yuan Kingdom’s fighters, killing Leng Yan and more than ten Condensing Essence into Astral martial artists while the Heavenly Human Realm combatants struggled to endure. As Zhu Houzhao and the others adapted and began advancing toward Gu Shao'an, he quietly watched the mountaintop above One Line Sky, waiting for someone who had yet to act.

• Gu Shao'an infused his sword qi with the Falling Sun momentum, trapping Leng Yan and the other Great Yuan Kingdom martial artists in attacks they could not evade.
• Leng Yan’s defenses failed, and he died realizing that Pang Ban’s defeat by Gu Shao'an had been only natural.
• Gu Shao'an’s sword qi killed or incapacitated all of the Great Yuan Kingdom’s Condensing Essence into Astral fighters and held Ba Shibaba, Si Hanfei, Wang Yizhao, Xuan Mie, Du Shan, and Zhu Houzhao under pressure.
• Ba Shibaba, Si Hanfei, Wang Yizhao, Xuan Mie, Du Shan, and Zhu Houzhao gradually adapted to the Sword Domain and began moving toward Gu Shao'an.
• Gu Shao'an sensed the battlefield’s shifting momentum and glanced toward the mountaintop above One Line Sky, wondering why those watching had still not acted.

Gu Shao'an repelled Bai Xiaosheng’s surprise attack with the Fire God's Wrath, injuring Bai Xiaosheng and the five other fighters. He realized Bai Xiaosheng wanted him to retrieve the Evil Emperor’s Relic from Yang Gong's Treasury, whose defenses seemed impossible to overcome, and the chapter ended by noting that updates would resume twice daily.

• Bai Xiaosheng rushed at Gu Shao'an and tried to poison and control him while Gu Shao'an was locked in a clash with Zhu Houzhao and the others.
• Gu Shao'an swallowed his Returning Origin Pill, endured the backlash from withdrawing his move, and unleashed Fire God's Wrath.
• The shockwave sent Bai Xiaosheng flying and injured Zhu Houzhao, Wang Yizhao, Monk Du Shan, Si Hanfei, and Ba Shibaba.
• Gu Shao'an identified the mind-controlling medicines in Bai Xiaosheng's attack and inferred that Bai Xiaosheng wanted him to retrieve the Evil Emperor's Relic from Yang Gong's Treasury.
• Gu Shao'an recalled that the treasury's secret chamber required immense strength to open, but its special ore prevented Heavenly Human Realm masters from approaching it.

Gu Shao'an revealed that he had feigned exhaustion to draw Bai Xiaosheng out and settle the threat once and for all. He overwhelmed Bai Xiaosheng with his Fire God manifestation and sword arts, then trapped him inside his Sword Domain as their fight continued.

• Bai Xiaosheng judged Gu Shao'an weakened and prepared to attack him with the others, while Gu Shao'an refused to call for outside help.
• Gu Shao'an unleashed the Fire God manifestation's crushing momentum, and Bai Xiaosheng defended himself with the Yin Gui Sect's Heavenly Demon Wall.
• Gu Shao'an closed in with the Heavenly Sword, while Bai Xiaosheng used the Dao Heart Seed Demon Great Law and Ba Shibaba and Si Hanfei recognized his secret techniques.
• Gu Shao'an's sword qi and the sand formed a deadly assault that broke Bai Xiaosheng's defenses, wounded his fist, and drove him backward.
• Bai Xiaosheng realized Gu Shao'an had pretended to weaken himself to lure him out, and Gu Shao'an confirmed he had planned to end the schemes against him.
• Gu Shao'an's Sword Domain sealed off Bai Xiaosheng's escape routes and stopped his retreat as Gu Shao'an advanced to attack again.

Gu Shao'an overwhelmed Bai Xiaosheng and five other Heavenly Human Realm experts, using his Sword Domain to turn their attacks against one another. After Gu Shao'an crippled and pinned Bai Xiaosheng with a sword strike, the others fled, but Zhu Houzhao collapsed just beyond the edge of the Sword Domain.

• Gu Shao'an used his swordsmanship to wound Bai Xiaosheng and control their duel, forcing Bai Xiaosheng to call Zhu Houzhao, Wang Yizhao, Ba Shibaba, Si Hanfei, and Monk Du Shan into the fight.
• Gu Shao'an used his Sword Domain and the Heaven and Earth Great Shift to disrupt the six attackers' coordination and redirect their force against one another.
• Bai Xiaosheng charged Gu Shao'an with the Undying Seal Method, but Gu Shao'an endured the blow behind his reinforced Gang qi shield and drew the Heavenly Sword.
• Gu Shao'an's sword strike cut Bai Xiaosheng deeply, sealed his dantians with sword qi, and pinned his limbs to the ground.
• Zhu Houzhao, Wang Yizhao, Ba Shibaba, Si Hanfei, and Monk Du Shan fled in different directions, while Gu Shao'an stayed beside Bai Xiaosheng.
• Zhu Houzhao collapsed and spat blood after crossing beyond the edge of Gu Shao'an's Sword Domain.

Gu Shao'an poisoned and crippled Zhu Houzhao, Ba Shibaba, and the other martial artists before capturing Yan Jing'an as she tried to flee. He descended into One Line Sky and killed the guards blocking his path, leaving Shangguan Jinhong as the only one still standing.

• Gu Shao'an struck Zhu Houzhao, Ba Shibaba, and the others with sword qi while the poison made it painful for them to circulate their energy, crippling them.
• Gu Shao'an flew to One Line Sky, where Yan Jing'an tried to escape after realizing she could not oppose him.
• Gu Shao'an used a palm strike to destroy Yan Jing'an's dantian and seal her acupoints, then carried her into the gorge.
• Shangguan Jinhong and the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends confronted Gu Shao'an at the gorge entrance.
• Gu Shao'an sent sword qi through the assembled guards, killing them all except Shangguan Jinhong.

Gu Shao'an defeated the martial artists who had gathered against him, killed Bai Xiaosheng, and discovered that he was the long-rumored Evil Emperor Xiang Yutian. After eliminating the remaining Heavenly Human Realm fighters, Gu Shao'an stood before Zhu Houzhao, the only one left alive.

• Gu Shao'an had Shangguan Jinhong bring the captured Ming Yuexin to the camp, where Shangguan Jinhong saw the fallen martial artists and injured Zhu Houzhao.
• Gu Shao'an explained that he had poisoned his enemies with Ten Miles of Red Bridal Dress and that it had prevented them from escaping his Sword Domain.
• Gu Shao'an killed Bai Xiaosheng with sword qi, then removed his disguise and revealed his true identity as Xiang Yutian.
• Gu Shao'an recalled that Xiang Yutian had planned to use Yan Jing'an as a cauldron to restore his strength after failing to shatter the void.
• Gu Shao'an killed Ba Shibaba, Si Hanfei, Wang Yizhao, and Monk Du Shan, earning the Heavenly Human Nemesis achievement.
• Gu Shao'an walked up to Zhu Houzhao and told him he was the only one left.

Gu Shao'an explained why Zhu Houzhao had lost their struggle for power, then revealed that Jiuzhou was a sealed land whose dynastic changes were being used to cultivate a new dragon vein for Great Xia in Shenzhou. The chapter left Zhu Houzhao and Shangguan Jinhong stunned by the revelation that Xiang Yutian and every Bai Xiaosheng served the Great Xia imperial family.

• Zhu Houzhao admitted that he and Gu Shao'an were alike in seeking control, but recognized that Gu Shao'an had defeated him by relying on his own strength rather than imperial authority.
• Gu Shao'an said he could protect the Emei Sect for a thousand years, and Zhu Houzhao agreed to give him the imperial seal after asking about Xiang Yutian.
• Gu Shao'an revealed that Shenzhou existed beyond Jiuzhou, shocking Zhu Houzhao and Shangguan Jinhong.
• Gu Shao'an explained that Great Xia had once unified Shenzhou but faced the decline of its dragon vein and dragon qi.
• Gu Shao'an said Tianji Gate and Great Xia had sealed Jiuzhou as a formation to nurture a new dragon vein through the fortune of its dynasties and wars.
• Gu Shao'an revealed that Xiang Yutian had been sent by the Great Xia imperial family to safeguard the formation, and that every Bai Xiaosheng was a member of that family.

Gu Shao'an revealed that Great Xia planned to use Jiuzhou's mature dragon vein to sustain Shenzhou, then defeated Zhu Houzhao and secured the true imperial seal. Before dying peacefully beside Ming Yuexin, Zhu Houzhao urged Gu Shao'an to protect Jiuzhou from Great Xia, leaving Gu Shao'an with regret over the friendship they might have shared.

• Gu Shao'an explained that Jiuzhou's imperial seals were imitations and that Great Xia's true seal would siphon dragon qi from Jiuzhou's new dragon vein.
• Zhu Houzhao accepted that Gu Shao'an had the strength to resist Shenzhou and suggested he take the imperial position instead of Shangguan Jinhong.
• Gu Shao'an drew the true imperial seal from Zhu Houzhao's robes, and Shangguan Jinhong confirmed it was genuine.
• Gu Shao'an poisoned Zhu Houzhao and Ming Yuexin with Noon Sun, a painless poison that lulled its victims to sleep and death.
• Zhu Houzhao reflected on the wise ruler he might have become, asked Gu Shao'an to keep Jiuzhou from becoming Great Xia's blood vessel, and died with Ming Yuexin.
• Gu Shao'an received system achievement rewards for killing Zhu Houzhao and regretted that they had become enemies instead of friends.

After killing Yan Jing'an and securing Shangguan Jinhong’s obedience, Gu Shao'an left him to take control of the imperial palace and punish Cihang Jingzhai. Gu Shao'an rested after the battle, reviewed his gains, and opened his achievement chests.

• Gu Shao'an gave Shangguan Jinhong pills to preserve Zhu Houzhao and Ming Yuexin's bodies and instructed him to impersonate Zhu Houzhao and govern the imperial palace.
• Gu Shao'an exposed how Xiang Yutian had used Yan Jing'an as a cauldron and ordered Shangguan Jinhong to announce that Cihang Jingzhai had colluded with Great Yuan.
• Gu Shao'an killed Yan Jing'an with sword qi and warned Shangguan Jinhong against betraying him.
• Shangguan Jinhong accepted Gu Shao'an's orders, then laughed while holding the imperial seal after Gu Shao'an left.
• Gu Shao'an rested in a forest, reviewed his battles, and opened eight achievement chests, receiving system rewards.

Gu Shao'an used Cultivation Cards to raise his cultivation to 180 years, but his qi seed still lacked enough power to condense into a flower. After using an orange Talent Card, he gained the talent Myriad Swords Returning to Origin and awakened a vast gathering of sword qi around him.

• Gu Shao'an examined the Blood Bodhi and stored it away, noting that its fire poison required other medicines to remove.
• Gu Shao'an refined several Cultivation Cards, raising his cultivation to 180 years, but his qi seed still failed to form a flower.
• Gu Shao'an considered gaining more cultivation or advancing the Emei Nine Yang Manual as ways to complete his qi seed's transformation.
• Gu Shao'an used the orange Talent Card and obtained the talent Myriad Swords Returning to Origin.
• Gu Shao'an absorbed new sword principles as sword qi gathered around him, and the surrounding blades of qi turned toward him as if bowing.

Gu Shao'an mastered Myriad Swords Returning to Origin and received three rewards from the final special achievement treasure chest. He began cultivating Son of Heaven's Qi Gazing Technique, reached its first level by dawn, and discovered that it let him perceive the flow of Qi in the world and in himself.

• Gu Shao'an understood how Myriad Swords Returning to Origin worked and recognized it as a powerful new path that enriched his swordsmanship.
• Gu Shao'an opened the final special achievement treasure chest and received Jade Fragrance Spirit Calming Grass, Son of Heaven's Qi Gazing Technique, and Silkworm Golden Silk Gloves.
• Gu Shao'an decided the Silkworm Golden Silk Gloves would suit Mei Jiangxue as a birthday gift.
• Gu Shao'an absorbed the principles of Son of Heaven's Qi Gazing Technique through the night and reached its first level at dawn.
• Gu Shao'an used the technique to see the paths of wind, the Qi in trees and terrain, and the circulation of Gang Yuan and sword intent within himself.
• Gu Shao'an learned that the technique could reveal opponents' Essence, Qi, and Spirit, though mastering it would be exceptionally difficult.

After Shaolin joined the attempt to kill him, Gu Shao'an headed for the temple to eliminate its remaining Heavenly Human Realm expert. On the way, he became disgusted by Zhengzhou Prefecture’s pervasive begging and religious influence, then reached Shaolin’s back mountain and faced an old monk.

• Gu Shao'an used his Achievement Points on successive draws, obtained protective gloves suited to Huang Xuemei, and prepared gifts for his companions.
• Gu Shao'an set out for Shaolin because its experts had helped Zhu Houzhao and others try to kill him at One Line Sky.
• In Zhengzhou Prefecture, Gu Shao'an saw widespread begging alongside monks distributing porridge and leading beggars in Buddhist chanting, and he blamed Shaolin’s influence for the city’s decline.
• Gu Shao'an bypassed the pilgrim routes and reached Shaolin’s back mountain, where he gathered Heaven and Earth Power and Heaven and Earth Momentum with his sword intent.
• An old monk emerged from the forest, greeted Gu Shao'an, and stood ten zhang away with his palms pressed together.

Gu Shao'an confronted Shaolin's Master Tong Hai over the ambush at One Line Sky, insisting Tong Hai bore responsibility for the attack. Gu Shao'an's sword qi nearly pierced Tong Hai's defenses, but Tong Hai weathered a barrage of heavenly sword qi with an evolved Golden Bell Shield, leaving their reckoning unresolved.

• Gu Shao'an identified Master Tong Hai and accused him of responsibility for Xuan Mie and Du Shan's attempt to kill him at One Line Sky.
• Tong Hai suspected Zhang Zhenren had accompanied Gu Shao'an, but Gu Shao'an said he had come alone and had killed everyone who ambushed him.
• Gu Shao'an sent a strand of sword qi through Tong Hai's astral shield until it halted an inch from his brow.
• Gu Shao'an summoned over a hundred sword qi strikes formed from Heaven and Earth Power and Heaven and Earth Momentum.
• Tong Hai used an advanced Golden Bell Shield to repel the barrage without suffering injury, and Gu Shao'an recognized his exceptional strength.

Gu Shao'an confronted Monk Tong Hai over Shaolin's role in the attempt to kill him and rejected his offer to end the conflict. After revealing that Ten Miles of Red Makeup poison had entered Tong Hai's body, Gu Shao'an unleashed Myriad Swords Returning to Origin, leaving Tong Hai facing a storm of sword qi.

• Monk Tong Hai recognized that Gu Shao'an could wield Heaven and Earth Power and Momentum, then offered to end Shaolin's pursuit and blamed the imperial court for the conflict.
• Gu Shao'an accused Monk Tong Hai of shifting responsibility and declared that Tong Hai was the last enemy who still had to pay.
• Gu Shao'an noticed the peach-blossom mark of Ten Miles of Red Makeup poison between Monk Tong Hai's brows and said he would demonstrate a sword move.
• Gu Shao'an summoned sword qi from the wind, stones, flowers, grass, and leaves, while swords throughout Shaolin's Damo Hall began trembling.
• Monk Tong Hai formed a golden bell barrier as Gu Shao'an named his move Myriad Swords Returning to Origin and sent the countless sword qis surging toward him.

Gu Shao'an used Myriad Swords Returning to Origin against Monk Tong Hai, whose fused Shaolin techniques and golden bell barrier initially held back the sword qi. With the Son of Heaven's Qi Gazing Technique, Gu Shao'an spotted a weakness in Tong Hai's defense, shattered the barrier, and left Tong Hai fatally pierced by sword qi.

• Monk Tong Hai countered Gu Shao'an's sword-qi dragon with the Thousand Leaf Tathagata Palm, combining it with the Bright Fist and Bolo Mi Hand.
• Gu Shao'an's relentless sword qi overwhelmed Tong Hai's palm techniques, forcing him to reinforce his golden bell barrier and focus on defense.
• Gu Shao'an used the Son of Heaven's Qi Gazing Technique to identify a brief stagnation beneath Tong Hai's left ribs as a weakness in his barrier.
• Gu Shao'an redirected the sword qi toward the barrier's weak points until a Falling Sun strike shattered it.
• The unblocked sword qi pierced Tong Hai throughout his body, and he collapsed before Gu Shao'an.

Gu Shao'an killed Monk Tong Hai after defeating Shaolin’s defenders, then returned to Emei Sect and revealed the full aftermath of the ambush at One Line Sky. He told Abbess Miejue and Zhang Sanfeng that Zhu Houzhao was dead, Shangguan Jinhong would replace him, and Xiang Yutian’s plans threatened the land of Shenzhou.

• Gu Shao'an condemned Monk Tong Hai’s hypocrisy and killed him with a strand of sword qi, settling his debt with Shaolin.
• The head of the Bodhidharma Hall, Kongwen, and other monks arrived and found Monk Tong Hai’s corpse.
• Gu Shao'an returned to Emei Sect, where Abbess Miejue welcomed him and Zhang Sanfeng waited for him in the rear mountain pavilion.
• Gu Shao'an told Abbess Miejue and Zhang Sanfeng that Zhu Houzhao, Ba Shibaba, Si Hanfei, Monk Xuan Mie, Monk Du Shan, and the other attackers had not escaped.
• Gu Shao'an revealed that he had killed Zhu Houzhao and planned for Shangguan Jinhong to impersonate him and control the imperial court.
• Gu Shao'an explained Xiang Yutian’s identity and the threat facing the land of Shenzhou, surprising Abbess Miejue and Zhang Sanfeng.