Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei helped Duan Bowen evade Star Palace-linked pursuers by drawing them toward a false trace of Heavenly Devil Qi. Duan Bowen identified Star Palace figures behind the pressure and warned that Star Palace might have acted against the Eight-Armed Ape, leaving Qu Jianlei wary of becoming entangled in its schemes.

• Qu Jianlei and Duan Bowen watched inspectors search nearby homes with counterfeit Heavenly Demon Detectors until Qu Jianlei released stored Heavenly Devil Qi in the distance, drawing them away.
• Duan Bowen said another force was likely behind the inspectors, and Qu Jianlei's divination warned that the threat could become serious.
• Duan Bowen revealed that Wu Yao of Star Palace's Weapon Refinement Hall had bought the Stone Jar and served under deputy hall master True Immortal He Gen.
• Duan Bowen reported that Star Palace might have acted against the Eight-Armed Ape, and Qu Jianlei explained his deal with Huo Jiujian to seize bargaining chips from Star Palace.
• Duan Bowen said Huo Jiujian wanted to cut off Star Palace's route and gain leverage before a great upheaval, prompting Qu Jianlei to question whether dealing with True Immortal Zhiyuan was wise.

Qu Jianlei's group tested their Light Arts and talismans at Red Wu Mountain, drawing attention from other cultivators preparing for the Heavenly Demon invasion. After refusing a stranger's offer to trade for their methods, they encountered Zhang Lidong of the Book Pavilion, but Qu Jianlei declined to reveal his identity.

• Duan Bowen told Qu Jianlei about Red Wu Mountain, and the group went there to practice spells and test Jia Shuiqing's talismans.
• Tian Yin sustained a powerful light dragon for over an hour, impressing Duan Bowen and attracting the attention of nearby groups.
• A masked Nascent Soul cultivator offered treasures for Light Arts methods, but Duan Bowen directed him to a future spell exchange conference, and the group departed.
• Zhang Lidong introduced himself as a Book Pavilion Lecturer from Four Sages Mountain and asked Qu Jianlei's name.
• Qu Jianlei pointed to his mask and refused to identify himself, leaving Zhang Lidong visibly displeased.

Qu Jianlei’s group rejected Zhang Lidong’s offer to mediate, and their exchange with the Book Pavilion turned into a series of accusations and arguments. While the Book Pavilion’s representatives bickered among themselves, Qu Jianlei’s group resumed testing and then left by Flying Shuttle.

• Zhang Lidong offered to mediate for Qu Jianlei’s group, but Qu Jianlei said they had no real enemies and held Jingwei in their hearts.
• The Black-Faced Nascent Soul accused Qu Jianlei of being a criminal, and Zhang Lidong rebuked both sides over their remarks about the Book Pavilion.
• Duan Bowen mocked the Book Pavilion, prompting Zhang Lidong and the Black-Faced Nascent Soul to argue over Female Cultivators and Jade Forest Matron.
• Qu Jianlei told his group to ignore the Book Pavilion and continue their testing while the two sides remained apart.
• The Book Pavilion’s representatives continued arguing until Empty Valley True Immortal pointed out that Qu Jianlei’s group had boarded their Flying Shuttle and left.

Qu Jianlei discussed the Book Pavilion’s pursuit of Righteous Qi with Duan Bowen, then agreed to shelter the Duan Family if Central Province fell. He brought Duan Bowen through Red Leaf Ridge’s teleportation array to Dongsheng, where True Immortal Qi Ya discovered him and learned he had come from Central Province by teleportation.

• Zhang Lidong and Black-Faced Nascent Soul let Qu Jianlei’s group leave because the Book Pavilion lacked a justifiable reason to attack in front of witnesses.
• During the journey, Qu Jianlei said the Book Pavilion had taken the wrong path in nurturing Righteous Qi, and Duan Bowen was astonished by his knowledge.
• After waiting at the manor, Qu Jianlei agreed that Red Leaf Ridge could shelter Duan Bowen’s 1,224 family members if Central Province fell.
• Three days later, Qu Jianlei took Duan Bowen and Tian Yin through the underground teleportation array to Red Leaf Ridge.
• Jiao Daoren questioned Qu Jianlei about bringing an outsider through the array, and Duan Bowen left the core area.
• True Immortal Qi Ya recognized Duan Bowen and was stunned when he said he had teleported from Central Province.

Qu Jianlei traded Laser Weapons with Huo Jiujian in Central Province, discussed the delayed Seven Stars Needle Manual, and secured a way to attend Xiangyuan City’s Art exchange conference. He arrived at the conference with Jing Yuexin and Qi Ya, where the commercial event’s rules and displays were introduced.

• Qu Jianlei and Duan Bowen traveled to Central Province, where Qu brought Laser Weapons to complete a transaction with Huo Jiujian.
• Qu Jianlei delivered a batch of weapons to Huo Jiujian and explained that Red Leaf Ridge could produce more, though its supplies of materials and Energy Blocks were limited.
• Huo Jiujian explained that the Eight-Armed Ape had pledged himself to the Art Academy, delaying the return of the Seven Stars Needle Manual.
• Qu Jianlei agreed to attend Xiangyuan City’s Art exchange conference and asked Huo Jiujian to obtain an entry quota without exposing their connection.
• Qu Jianlei transported two more batches of weapons and then arrived in Xiangyuan City with Jing Yuexin and Qi Ya.
• The conference organizers assigned forces exhibition booths and required approval for public-stage demonstrations, though participants could pay to demonstrate if objections were not too strong.

Qu Jianlei’s group displayed overpriced talismans at the exchange meeting while observing the market, then bought a Heart Sword manual for Qi Ya and the team. After leaving the meeting, they headed toward the bustling outskirts, unaware that the manual’s former owner had just revealed their description to a Deng Family member.

• Qu Jianlei’s group set up an inconspicuous booth with poorly drawn, exorbitantly priced talismans, and You You offered to sell the ideas behind two improved designs under strict conditions.
• Qu Jianlei, Jing Yuexin, and True Immortal Qi Ya explored the exchange meeting but struggled to buy restricted materials because their false identities prevented notarization.
• Qu Jianlei used divination to approve the purchase of an eight-thousand-High-Grade-Spirit-Stone Heart Sword manual, which Qi Ya accepted as a team resource.
• The booth owner told a Deng Family member that the manual had already been sold, then described the three Nascent Soul Realm buyers when challenged.
• Qu Jianlei, Jing Yuexin, and Qi Ya reached the outskirts of the exchange meeting on its third day as businesses and vendors crowded the area.

Qu Jianlei and his companions spent two days bargain hunting in the sprawling market outside the exchange fair. After spotting a suspiciously valuable Petrified Dragon Fetus and leaving to avoid attracting attention, they saw other buyers drawn into a bidding war over it.

• Qu Jianlei, Jing Yuexin, and Qi Ya browsed the outdoor market and bought supplies the team needed.
• Qu Jianlei asked the stallkeeper the price of a strange stone, which the seller identified as a Petrified Dragon Fetus worth four thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones.
• When a cultivator called out that the stone carried Suiyue's aura, Qu Jianlei suspected he was a plant and led his companions away to avoid trouble.
• Qu Jianlei told Jing Yuexin and Qi Ya that he had memorized the auras of the stallkeeper and the plant, and would act if they cheated others.
• A second group began bargaining over the stone, then another group joined in, driving the price above the seller's asking price.

Qu Jianlei and his companions watched two Nascent Soul forces bid against each other for a Stone, then quietly intervened when the contest risked exposing its value. After the buyers secured it and slipped away, their leader Jun Wuji met Qu Jianlei and apologized for driving up the price.

• Xinhua City Lord's Mansion and the group that arrived first raised their bids for the Stone, while Jing Yuexin noticed the first group was losing confidence.
• When the first group began to concede, a Nascent Soul cultivator sensed a new force nearby, and the group abruptly increased its bid before Xinhua City's people withdrew.
• The winning group bought the Stone, left in a Flying Shuttle as a decoy, switched vehicles, and returned toward the exchange fair.
• The group's Nascent Soul cultivator said the unseen newcomers had also wanted the Stone, but chose not to pursue them because the group had little money left.
• Jun Wuji introduced himself to Qu Jianlei and apologized for causing extra expense; Qu Jianlei said they had intended to act because they disliked the seller's shills.

Qu Jianlei and his companions tracked a Golden Core Realm stall owner who had cheated buyers, but an armed group claiming to be from Xinhua City suddenly captured him before they could act. They watched the arrest from a distance, unsure whether the captors truly represented Xinhua City.

• Qu Jianlei paid Jun Wuji six thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones and explained that the Stone called Suiyue contained baleful energy and was needed to repair a damaged magic treasure.
• Jun Wuji warned Qu Jianlei about the risks of confronting the stall owner, but Qu Jianlei said the man would have to answer for his actions.
• Qu Jianlei, Jing Yuexin, and True Immortal Qi Ya followed the Golden Core Realm stall owner as he discreetly left the exchange gathering.
• Qu Jianlei decided to wait until the stall owner returned toward the city, though Jing Yuexin worried he might escape through a Teleportation Array.
• A huge net suddenly captured the stall owner's Flying Shuttle, and a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator announced that Xinhua City was arresting a suspect.
• Qu Jianlei, Jing Yuexin, and Qi Ya held back and watched, with Qi Ya questioning whether the captors really came from Xinhua City.

A Xinhua City cultivator arrested a Golden Core cultivator who had sold the Stone and questioned him about its origins, while Qu Jianlei and his companions watched from hiding. When a masked Nascent Soul cultivator intervened, Xinhua’s cultivators revealed his identity as Dwarf Three and captured what turned out to be a Flesh Puppet before it self-destructed.

• Xinhua City’s warning kept onlookers from investigating as Sunset Glow carried Qu Jianlei, Jing Yuexin, and Qi Ya away with the flying shuttle.
• A Nascent Soul cultivator confronted the Golden Core cultivator who had sold the Stone, questioned him about its origins, and ordered him taken away.
• The Golden Core cultivator split into eight figures to flee, but the Nascent Soul cultivator struck him down and had him dragged back.
• A masked Nascent Soul cultivator appeared to defend the Golden Core cultivator, and Xinhua’s cultivators identified him as Dwarf Three the True Immortal.
• Xinhua’s cultivators attacked Dwarf Three, who transformed into red light and self-destructed; they then realized he had been using a Flesh Puppet.

Qu Jianlei, Jing Yuexin, and Qi Ya fled after Xiangyuan City’s Warships detected them near two Nascent Soul cultivators. The cultivators told law enforcement that the injured stall owner was an abandoned pawn, while Qu Jianlei likewise warned his companions that the stall owner might know little.

• Qu Jianlei and Qi Ya discussed Dwarf Three True Immortal’s Flesh Puppet and the lost Substituting a Plum for a Peach technique as Xiangyuan City Warships approached.
• The Warships formed an attack formation, so Qu Jianlei, Jing Yuexin, and Qi Ya used Instant Flash to flee before they were detected.
• The two Nascent Soul cultivators expanded their spiritual sense, but the three companions escaped tens of thousands of kilometers away.
• Xiangyuan City law enforcement surrounded the two cultivators and asked them to reveal their identities; one showed a Talisman Plate and told them not to publicize it.
• The two cultivators said they had received advance warning of a robbery and called the injured stall owner an abandoned pawn.
• Qu Jianlei told Jing Yuexin and Qi Ya that the stall owner might know little.

Qu Jianlei and his companions reviewed the exchange meet incident, then faced probing questions from its organizers and a Nascent Soul Realm buyer about their talismans and their origins. The group left before the buyer returned the next morning, leaving him and another Nascent Soul Realm cultivator to realize they had let their suspicious sellers escape.

• Qu Jianlei explained why the masked Nascent Soul Realm cultivator probably had not silenced the injured Golden Core Realm cultivator, and the others accepted that they had found no clues about Stone.
• Minghe visited the Mobile Palace with other organizers, asked about the group’s qualifications, and joined the bidding Nascent Soul Realm cultivator in inspecting their goods.
• You You sold the bidding cultivator two improved talismans and both improvement concepts, while Jing Yuexin rejected his requests for notarization and a way to contact them.
• After the bidding cultivator left, Jing Yuexin told Qu Jianlei she suspected he would not let the matter go, and Qu Jianlei decided they should leave after eating.
• The bidding cultivator returned the next morning and found the Mobile Palace and stall gone; another Nascent Soul Realm cultivator reproached him for failing to watch the suspicious group.

Qu Jianlei returned to the manor with the Swordplay Manual and a mysterious Stone, then entrusted the manual’s transcription to Qi Ya, who deferred to Fourth Boss instead. After learning that Fourth Boss had repeatedly experienced a Great Venerable’s Sword Intent, Qi Ya asked Qu Jianlei how she could observe it.

• Two Nascent Soul Realm cultivators discussed how to find out how Qu Jianlei’s group obtained its exchange qualifications, while the group escaped by Flying Shuttle without using teleportation.
• Qu Jianlei returned to the manor and asked Qi Ya to copy the one-use Swordplay Manual, but she refused because she feared making a transcription error and did not want to overstep her role as a servant.
• Qu Jianlei called Fourth Boss over, and Fourth Boss demonstrated his Sword Intent, prompting Qi Ya to acknowledge his talent while criticizing his control and heavy Geng Metal Qi.
• Fourth Boss told Qi Ya that he had repeatedly comprehended Out-of-Body Sword Intent, and she was shocked to learn it was a Great Venerable’s Sword Intent that the team could access.
• Qi Ya asked Qu Jianlei what she must pay to observe the Sword Intent, and the chapter ended as Qu Jianlei turned his attention away from the Stone.

Qu Jianlei warned Qi Ya that the Great Venerable’s opportunity might take centuries to pursue and could only become possible in the upper realm. He then weighed using a Stone to repair one of his weapons, but a warning around the Broken Axe and the Trial Cave Dwelling’s Artifact Spirit’s request complicated his decision.

• Qu Jianlei told Qi Ya that the opportunity would involve more than danger and might require waiting centuries until they reached the upper realm, and Qi Ya accepted the delay.
• Qu Jianlei considered using the Stone to repair either the Broken Blade or the Broken Axe, then divined that the Stone would barely improve the Broken Blade’s combat power.
• Qu Jianlei sensed a faint pressure when he was about to use the Stone on the Broken Axe and moved the axe into the Trial Cave Dwelling.
• The Trial Cave Dwelling’s Artifact Spirit recognized the Stone’s Slaughter Rule and asked Qu Jianlei to use it to benefit the abode.
• Qu Jianlei, frustrated by the competing demands on his resources, decided to give the Stone to High-Fidelity Replica, but the Artifact Spirit questioned how the Portable Abode would help against the Heavenly Demon invasion.

Qu Jianlei discovered that the Broken Axe was a Ritual Artifact whose lingering Heroic Spirits drove the Broken Blade away after it challenged the axe. He tried to redirect their demand for punishment toward an Asura Sub-Nest and learned the damaged artifact could sense larger Alien Race spoils, leaving him to ask whether those spoils could repair it.

• Qu Jianlei refused to keep feeding the Broken Blade and put away the resources it demanded.
• The Broken Axe confronted the Broken Blade with a heavy aura, forcing it to retreat as its fragmented thoughts surfaced.
• The Artifact Spirit identified the Broken Axe as a Ritual Artifact sustained by the Obsessions of powerful Human Race cultivators.
• Qu Jianlei offered an intact Asura Sub-Nest as a sacrifice to persuade the Broken Axe to spare the Broken Blade, but the Heroic Spirits disagreed over whether it qualified.
• The Heroic Spirits revealed that they could sense the larger Alien Race spoils, and Qu Jianlei asked whether using them as sacrifices could repair the Ritual Artifact.

Qu Jianlei sacrificed the flesh of a Tiger-Human Great Venerable and other Alien Race remains to awaken and sustain the Broken Axe’s Obsessions. The Obsessions learned that the Human Race had successors, and the Broken Axe showed a slight improvement as the sacrifices were consumed.

• Qu Jianlei offered the Tiger-Human Great Venerable’s flesh to the Ritual Artifact, allowing a fading Obsession to depart contentedly.
• The Broken Axe consumed half the Great Venerable’s leg, and a new Obsession emerged to ask Qu Jianlei about Cangwu and the Human Race.
• Qu Jianlei told the Obsession that the Human Race remained powerful and said he wanted the forebears to witness its descendants rise.
• The Obsession asked Qu Jianlei to sacrifice the largest nest and other Alien Race remains so the Obsessions could endure longer.
• Qu Jianlei offered Tiger-Human flesh, Nascent Soul Realm remains, Heavenly Demon Qi, and an Asura Brood Mother, and the Broken Axe became slightly more complete.

Qu Jianlei asked the Broken Axe’s guardian Obsession for an Out-of-Body cultivation method and advice on fighting Heavenly Demons, then discussed the Broken Blade, sacrifices, and his own unusual way of killing a Great Venerable. The Obsession agreed to consult with the others and left Qu Jianlei’s origins and inheritance under quiet scrutiny.

• Qu Jianlei asked the guardian Obsession to help his team obtain an Out-of-Body cultivation method, and the Obsession agreed to confer with the others before providing one.
• Qu Jianlei described his methods for fighting Heavenly Demons, including Light Arts, talismans, formations, Laser Weapons, and scanners, and the Obsessions offered differing opinions.
• The Obsession identified the Broken Blade as a damaged Out-of-Body Divine Weapon suited to suppressing evil entities and said the Slaughter Rule Stone would be of limited help to either artifact.
• Qu Jianlei asked about the Obsessions’ titles and his Xuan Qing World connection, but the Violent Obsession interrupted the questions and the discussion shifted to the Tiger-Human Great Venerable’s death.
• Qu Jianlei showed the Obsessions his Flawed Portable Abode and explained that it had helped him kill the Great Venerable; the Obsessions praised its potential while warning about its instability.

Qu Jianlei learned that Broken Axe was an Out-of-Body Realm Ritual Artifact containing the Obsessions of honored Human Race seniors, and he brought his team together to pay their respects. Just as he prepared a ceremony, Hypocrite warned that sacrificing to the artifact inside the Abode could create karmic entanglements.

• Violent Obsession and Hypocrite offered to guide Qu Jianlei, and Violent Obsession said frequent lessons might require Alien Race Nascent Soul flesh and blood.
• Qu Jianlei learned that Broken Axe was a Ritual Artifact, stored Broken Blade, and told Jing Yuexin what he had discovered.
• Sunset Glow feared becoming a sacrifice, while Qi Ya and others learned that Broken Axe was an Out-of-Body Realm artifact.
• Qu Jianlei consulted Jiao Daoren and Yi He about Ritual Artifacts, and the team regretted collecting too little Tiger-Human flesh and blood.
• Qu Jianlei set up an altar and invited the Nascent Soul cultivators at Red Leaf Ridge to pay respects to the Heroic Spirits.
• Hypocrite emerged and stopped Qu Jianlei from holding a formal ceremony, warning that it could create karmic entanglements.

Qu Jianlei sought the Heroic Spirits’ help identifying the Small Tripod, but they could not comment on it and urged him to learn to use Human Race treasures himself. He tried to part ways with the Broken Blade, but it chose to cooperate and began communicating through images and movements.

• Qu Jianlei presented the Small Tripod to the Broken Axe, and Hypocrite’s Obsession called it extraordinary but said it was inconvenient to comment on it.
• Hypocrite explained that the Small Tripod was not seriously damaged and that Qu Jianlei would need to figure out how to use it; Qu Jianlei gave the Heroic Spirits Tiger-Man flesh and put away their altar.
• Qu Jianlei offered the Broken Blade the Stone, but when it stayed silent, he decided to send it away rather than keep an uncontrollable weapon that had offended the Ritual Artifact.
• The Broken Blade resisted Qu Jianlei’s attempt to remove it and showed him an image of itself sparing Wind Forgotten and a group of Asuras, including Great Hammer.
• Qu Jianlei asked whether the Broken Blade had spared them for his sake and whether it wanted freedom; it answered with a few deliberate shakes and then trembled wildly to affirm its desire for freedom.

Qu Jianlei secured Broken Blade’s cooperation against the Heavenly Demons and learned that it still wanted to regain its dignity after Broken Axe’s humiliation. He then helped Fourth Boss preserve the Forget Sorrow Sword manual and sought the Heroic Spirits’ help understanding its Heart Sword, meeting the Soldier Cultivator Glass Cannon.

• Qu Jianlei questioned Broken Blade, agreed to work with it against the Heavenly Demons, and secured its promise to obey his reasonable commands.
• Qu Jianlei returned to Central Province, where Fourth Boss emerged from seclusion with the Forget Sorrow Sword manual, and Qi Ya found several passages difficult to understand.
• Qu Jianlei took the manual to the Trial Cave Dwelling and asked the Heroic Spirits to check it for omissions.
• Glass Cannon examined the Heart Sword manual and asked Qu Jianlei to provide flesh and blood from the Primordial Hundred Races to support the analysis.