Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei met Jade Forest True Immortal after she deduced his and Qi Ya’s ties to Red Leaf Ridge, and let her go when she promised to keep their secret. He confirmed that the Heavenly Demon invasion in Dongsheng had eased, but demanded Top-Grade Spirit Stones for further information.

• Qu Jianlei volunteered to meet Jade Forest True Immortal, while Jing Yuexin warned the others not to act rashly.
• Jade Forest True Immortal recognized Qi Ya and asked Qu Jianlei to explain Red Leaf Ridge’s involvement; he warned that Central Province faced disaster and let her leave after she agreed to keep the secret.
• Jade Forest True Immortal asked about the invasion in Dongsheng, and Qu Jianlei said further intelligence would cost rare treasures or Top-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Jade Forest True Immortal explained how she had connected Qi Ya, True Immortal Yongheng, and Red Leaf Ridge, and Qu Jianlei confirmed that the invasion in Dongsheng had eased.
• When Jade Forest True Immortal asked why he was certain, Qu Jianlei silently indicated that she would need to pay Top-Grade Spirit Stones for the answer.

Qu Jianlei told Jade Forest Matron that Red Leaf Ridge had come to Central Province to seek the passage to the upper realm, not to aid Central Province against the Heavenly Demons. Jade Forest Matron offered guidance in exchange for Red Leaf Ridge sharing its knowledge, but she could not guarantee that the upper realm would open the passage.

• Qu Jianlei agreed that Red Leaf Ridge would help Central Province in a future calamity, prompting Jade Forest Matron to recall Central Province’s abandonment of Dongsheng during the Tiger-Man invasion.
• Qu Jianlei revealed that Red Leaf Ridge’s goal was to find the passage to the upper realm, and Jade Forest Matron worried that he did not care whether Central Province survived the Heavenly Demon invasion.
• Jade Forest Matron explained that Central Province had recorded Heavenly Devil Domains in both Seven Colors Marsh and Central Province, and Qu Jianlei said the battle at Red Leaf Ridge had weakened the Heavenly Demons’ focus on Dongsheng.
• Jade Forest Matron asked whether Qu Jianlei’s side had mastered sealing and suppression, but he first demanded assurance that they could reach the upper-realm passage.
• Jade Forest Matron admitted she could not guarantee access and explained that the Cangwu Realm had to request the upper realm to open the passage, though its messages usually went unanswered.

Qu Jianlei negotiated with Jade Forest Matron over access to the Upper Realm passage and revealed leads about a rare Rule Item. Their discussion ended with Jade Forest Matron linking her senior brother’s divination backlash to a powerful nearby aura, while Qu Jianlei concealed his involvement.

• Jade Forest Matron explained that contact with the Upper Realm was rare, and Qu Jianlei confirmed that his side could repair spatial weak points to a limited extent.
• Qu Jianlei refused to disclose details about the Broken Blade and demanded a list of the Book Pavilion’s treasures, then proposed trading an Out-of-Body Realm treasure for passage access.
• When Jade Forest Matron asked what Rule Items he wanted, Qu Jianlei named Slaughter, time, space, fate, and Creation, prompting her to accuse him of refusing to cooperate.
• Qu Jianlei told Jade Forest Matron about a Rule Item connected to Wu Yao, a Golden Core disciple in Star Palace’s Weapon Refinement Hall, and she agreed to help mediate and wanted to inspect it.
• Jade Forest Matron questioned Qu Jianlei about a powerful aura and her senior brother’s backlash, while Qu Jianlei denied knowing anything and wondered aloud whether the two incidents were related.

Qu Jianlei negotiated with Jade Forest True Immortal over the Book Pavilion’s treasure list and compensation, then left with Qi Ya as investigators arrived at Yellow Earth Ridge. He returned to find Huo Jiujian facing Wuchen of Xiangyuan City and several other cultivators drawn to the same opportunity.

• Qu Jianlei rejected Jade Forest True Immortal’s attempt to trade the treasure list for valuable techniques, then agreed to reduce the compensation demanded from Heavenly Expanse in exchange for her help with the passage.
• Qu Jianlei and Qi Ya sensed observers, removed the protective shield, and hurried away as two Book Pavilion cultivators approached Jade Forest True Immortal.
• Investigators from Xiangyuan City and another group arrived at Yellow Earth Ridge’s Mobile Palace, where Huo Jiujian ordered them to withdraw.
• Wuchen arrived on Star Palace’s orders and stood his ground when Huo Jiujian tried to send him away.
• Qu Jianlei and Qi Ya returned, and three more Nascent Soul Realm cultivators appeared as Wuchen wondered how many people were pursuing the opportunity.

Qu Jianlei settled the compensation dispute with the Central Province Nascent Soul cultivators, secured Yuan Fang’s Poison Art, and began a half-month stay in Great Leaf City with his companions. Five days later, Wuchen arrived at their estate after the major investigation found no clues, leaving Qu Jianlei to receive the unexpected visitor.

• Jade Forest Matron drove Wuchen away and revealed that he was a trainee from the Bitter Sea, while Qu Jianlei accepted her help as a favor.
• Qu Jianlei demanded ten thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones from each of five Nascent Soul cultivators and insisted that Yuan Fang hand over his Poison Art; Jade Forest Matron agreed to make the Book Pavilion obtain it.
• After the other cultivators departed, Qu Jianlei offered his Dongsheng allies a share of the compensation and agreed to let them sightsee in Great Leaf City for half a month.
• Qu Jianlei, Jing Yuexin, Duo Gan, and Qi Ya stayed at an estate in Great Leaf City while Qinghu, Paranoid, and Jia Shuiqing returned to their own cities or Red Leaf Ridge.
• Five days later, the major investigation had found no clues in either first-tier city, and Qu Jianlei sensed that Wuchen had arrived at the estate.

True Immortal Wuchen demanded a sword match with True Immortal Qi Ya, who refused and told him to leave. He waited outside the manor through the night, and by dawn he sensed that everyone inside had vanished.

• True Immortal Wuchen visited the manor and asked True Immortal Qi Ya to spar, but she refused because she had no interest in helping him.
• Wuchen accused Qi Ya of looking down on him, then insisted they compare swords and waited outside the gate when she would not agree.
• Qu Jianlei warned Wuchen to leave, while Wuchen stood openly at the entrance and attracted attention from residents and Great Leaf City's patrol.
• Huo Jiujian learned of the blockade and offered help, but the people inside the manor told the City Lord's Mansion to stand by and watch.
• Qu Jianlei rejected suggestions to provoke Wuchen, and Wuchen continued standing guard through the night.
• At dawn, Wuchen sensed that the manor contained no cultivator aura and wondered whether its occupants had escaped.

Qu Jianlei’s group escaped True Immortal Wuchen’s blockade, but four Dongsheng cultivators became trapped in Yuwan City after fighting Heavenly Demons and drawing unwanted attention. After Qu Jianlei brought them back to Dongsheng, they learned that Heavenly Demon infiltration was increasing, prompting the Cultivator Alliance to seek guidance from Red Leaf Ridge.

• Wuchen, unable to tell whether Qu Jianlei’s group had left the estate, swept it with his divine sense and then fled when he found nothing.
• Qu Jianlei’s group waited in Liuguang City for Thousand Hands True Immortal and the other three to return from sightseeing.
• Thousand Hands True Immortal and the others fought off a large Heavenly Demon force near Yuwan City, then fled pursuers who wanted to thank them and learn about their equipment.
• The four took shelter in a Five Friends Alliance stronghold, where their pursuers surrounded the building and watched the teleportation arrays.
• Qu Jianlei and Ruler used spatial traversal to bring the four cultivators back to Dongsheng, narrowly missing Wuchen when he arrived at the stronghold.
• Qu Jianlei’s group learned that Heavenly Demon infiltrations in Dongsheng had increased, and the Cultivator Alliance asked Red Leaf Ridge for guidance.

Jia Shuiqing introduced Red Leaf Ridge’s Long-Wave Intercom Device as a way to build a broad warning network, while Qu Jianlei divined that the Heavenly Demons were intensifying their harassment of Dongsheng to tie down its forces. Star Palace verified the danger and invited Red Leaf Ridge to establish itself in Central Province, and Qu Jianlei asked whether the offer included Upper Realm slots.

• Jia Shuiqing presented the Cultivator Alliance with Red Leaf Ridge’s Long-Wave Intercom Device, and the Alliance agreed to buy and distribute it widely.
• Qu Jianlei divined that the Heavenly Demons’ harassment of Dongsheng had increased, likely to divert its forces from Central Province, and Li Yuren raised the possibility of unified command by an Out-of-Body Realm Great Heavenly Demon.
• Jing Yuexin advised spreading the warning to Central Province, and the external support members left to prepare for war.
• Qu Jianlei confirmed the assessment to Yuan Yi, Hai He, and True Immortal Zhiyuan and urged Zhiyuan to strengthen Central Province’s defenses.
• Star Palace verified the warning at great cost and invited Red Leaf Ridge to settle in Central Province with generous terms, prompting Qu Jianlei to ask about Upper Realm slots.

Qu Jianlei declined to commit Red Leaf Ridge to Star Palace despite improved terms, while the Ridge’s cultivators helped Dongsheng contain a growing wave of Heavenly Demon infiltrations. The chapter ended with Red Leaf Ridge refusing a new aid request because someone on the team was preparing to undergo tribulation, stirring alarm across Dongsheng.

• Qu Jianlei told True Immortal Zhiyuan that Red Leaf Ridge would not accept Star Palace’s offer yet, citing its duty to protect Dongsheng and refusing to focus on a possible Upper Realm passage.
• Heavenly Demon infiltrations increased across Dongsheng, stretching local cultivators and mobile combat forces as Red Leaf Ridge’s warnings and communication devices helped residents report attacks.
• True Immortal Qi Ya obtained Qu Jianlei’s approval to clear a Heavenly Demon Domain in her former territory, and Bentley, Hua Xiezhi, and Rhine accompanied her as they eliminated it in five days.
• Red Leaf Ridge’s members responded to repeated requests for aid, while Star Palace offered two Nascent Soul Realm treasures, two Out of Body Cultivation Methods, and ten Nascent Soul Techniques, and said it would consider creating an Upper Realm passage opportunity.
• Qu Jianlei said Red Leaf Ridge would see about Star Palace’s revised offer because Dongsheng could not afford to lose people.
• Red Leaf Ridge refused a new request for help, saying someone on the team was preparing to undergo tribulation, and Dongsheng was stirred by the news.

As Dongsheng watched Red Leaf Ridge prepare for another tribulation, the Central Province Ship Team arrived early and met a chilly reception. Jade Forest True Immortal reached Yan Family Market seeking Ridge Lord Qu, who finally came to meet her.

• The Cultivator Alliance asked Qu Jianlei to prioritize making old-version Spirit Stone Detectors, and he continued offering spirit-stone models as an option.
• Three months later, the Central Province Ship Team arrived early, and Dongsheng’s family powers kept its passengers aboard for seven days of inspection.
• Jiang Hui led the delegation, while Lin Yu secretly disembarked and later traveled to Yan Family Market.
• Yan Xuemin arranged a secluded courtyard for Lin Yu after she asked to meet Ridge Lord Qu.
• Lin Yu revealed herself as Jade Forest True Immortal, and Qu Jianlei came to fulfill his promise to meet her.

Qu Jianlei met Jade Forest True Immortal to receive the Book Pavilion’s promised compensation and discuss trading information and treasures. Their conversation uncovered a possible connection between Jade Forest True Immortal’s lineage and the Righteous Sect, while Qu Jianlei left to oversee Tian Yin’s Nascent Soul tribulation.

• Qu Jianlei told Jade Forest True Immortal that Tian Yin was undergoing a Nascent Soul tribulation and accepted the compensation from Tianyu True Immortal’s side and the Book Pavilion’s treasure list.
• Jade Forest True Immortal asked about the magic treasure her senior brother had lost, and Qu Jianlei offered to show her Senior Broken Blade after the tribulation.
• Jade Forest True Immortal revealed that she had also brought Star Palace’s treasure list, and Qu Jianlei said he might tell Star Palace about the Book Pavilion’s offer.
• Qu Jianlei briefly revealed the flesh of a Tiger-Human Great Venerable, and Jade Forest True Immortal traded Poison Arts for information about how he stored it.
• Qu Jianlei mentioned the Righteous Sect, and Jade Forest True Immortal recognized it as a clue to her lineage’s incomplete inheritance in the upper realm.
• Qu Jianlei left to protect the tribulation, while Jade Forest True Immortal stayed to watch.

Jiang Hui visited Red Leaf Ridge to discuss cooperation with Central Province, but Jing Yuexin asked her to wait until a fellow cultivator finished breaking through. After Mu Yu formed her Nascent Soul, Qu Jianlei revealed that Heavenly Demons had attacked through a Heart Devil Tribulation, though the group treated the danger as familiar.

• Jing Yuexin received Jiang Hui and declined to discuss cooperation until the ongoing breakthrough was over, inviting her to wait and observe the tribulation.
• Jiang Hui agreed to remain at Red Leaf Ridge while Central Province’s situation worsened and another supply ship arrived.
• Mu Yu underwent a Nascent Soul tribulation that appeared uneventful, and distant spectators celebrated the successful breakthrough.
• Eight days later, Qu Jianlei told the assembled True Immortals that Heavenly Demons had reached Mu Yu through a Heart Devil Tribulation rather than spatial cracks.
• Qu Jianlei explained that Mu Yu’s soul had been damaged but was recovering through Heaven and Earth Feedback, while Jiao Daoren said such a tribulation was normal and True Immortal Yuan Yi shared that he had experienced one before.

Qu Jianlei explained how Heart Devil Tribulations could change the Cangwu Realm and answered the True Immortals’ questions after Mu Yu’s successful tribulation. Jiang Hui asked Red Leaf Ridge to help Central Province fight the Heavenly Demons, but rejected Qu Jianlei’s offer of ordinary Laser Weapons as insufficient.

• Qu Jianlei told the True Immortals that Heart Devil Tribulations were likely to become a regular hurdle and could make the Boundary Realm’s laws more complete, while endangering individual cultivators.
• Jiang Hui hinted that Red Leaf Ridge’s origins were mysterious, and Qu Jianlei deflected her questions about the realm’s possible evolution into a Great Thousand World.
• Zeng Jiarui proposed a Nascent Soul Celebration, but Qu Jianlei declined until the Heavenly Demons were exterminated and called for studying the connection between tribulations and the invasion.
• Ji Xiaohua gave Red Leaf Ridge a Knife-Shaped Stone Coin, and He Jiuling left without a gift as the other visitors departed.
• Jiang Hui told Qu Jianlei that Central Province faced more than ten Heavenly Devil Domains, severe casualties, and over a hundred thousand demonized people.
• Qu Jianlei offered to provide powerful ordinary Laser Weapons first, but Jiang Hui rejected the offer as not enough.

Jiang Hui tried to persuade Qu Jianlei to move Red Leaf Ridge to Central Province or send an elite squad to fight the Heavenly Demons, but Qu Jianlei refused and challenged Star Palace’s assumptions about the Upper Realm. The talks ended without an agreement, though Red Leaf Ridge offered Star Palace a batch of Laser Weapons, including ten sets of ship-mounted Laser Cannons.

• Jiang Hui urged Qu Jianlei to bring Red Leaf Ridge to Central Province, while Qu Jianlei said the ridge had plans of its own and could not go yet.
• Qu Jianlei questioned whether the Upper Realm truly wanted Cangwu Realm preserved and said Red Leaf Ridge sought the Out-of-Body Realm, not necessarily a place in the Upper Realm.
• Jiang Hui presented Star Palace’s treasure list, and Qi Ya copied its contents for Red Leaf Ridge before Qu Jianlei promised to consider the offer.
• Jiang Hui asked Red Leaf Ridge to send an elite squad to Central Province, but Qu Jianlei refused because Star Palace would retain recommendation and oversight rights.
• Red Leaf Ridge and Star Palace failed to agree on cooperation, and Red Leaf Ridge offered weapons, including ten sets of Battalion-Class ship-mounted Laser Cannons.

Qu Jianlei and Jiang Hui negotiated weapons and supplies for Central Province, then probed each other over Star Palace’s hidden treasures. The chapter ended with Jiang Hui demanding that Qu Jianlei speak plainly after he mocked Star Palace’s ability to find treasures containing laws or origins.

• Jiang Hui requested Mortal Warships, predictive equipment, and large quantities of mortal weapons, but Qu Jianlei refused to sell warships and limited the weapons purchase.
• Qu Jianlei and Jiang Hui argued over the Isolation Array, with Qi Ya insisting it remain until the Heavenly Demon calamity ended.
• Qu Jianlei asked whether Star Palace had an Earth Origin Embryo, and Jiang Hui was alarmed that he knew about the concealed treasure.
• Jiang Hui probed Qu Jianlei about his interest in the Earth Origin Embryo and whether he had connections with the Art Academy, but he denied the connection and withheld his reasons.
• Qu Jianlei asked for treasures containing laws or origins, then mocked Star Palace’s capabilities, prompting Jiang Hui to demand that he speak plainly.

Qu Jianlei refused to let Red Leaf Ridge be drawn into the dispute over reopening the Shipping Lanes between Central Province and Dongsheng. As others prepared for the Cultivator Alliance meeting, he kept his faction out of the debate and confirmed that Mu Yu had formed her Nascent Soul.

• The Cultivator Alliance invited Red Leaf Ridge to a meeting where it would discuss Heavenly Demons and Central Province’s proposal to reopen the Shipping Lanes.
• He Jiuling urged Qu Jianlei to lead opposition to Open Navigation, warning that Central Province’s proposal threatened Dongsheng’s interests.
• Qu Jianlei realized someone had invited Red Leaf Ridge to make it the face of the opposition, so he refused to attend the meeting and later claimed he had entered seclusion.
• Qu Jianlei visited Liuguang City and told Qinghu that Mu Yu had successfully formed her Nascent Soul.
• True Immortal Yongheng discussed preparing oceangoing Warships, but Qu Jianlei and Yongheng agreed that Open Navigation was unlikely to happen.

Qu Jianlei met Huo Jiujian in Great Leaf City and received the Seven Stars Needle Manual and its matching golden needles. He learned that the Heaven and Earth Twin Fools had surrendered because their divinations pointed to the east as Central Province’s only hope, and Huo revealed he had also found a lead on Wu Yao’s ambush.

• Huo Jiujian obtained the Seven Stars Needle Manual and thirty-six matching golden needles from the Eight-Armed Ape, then decided to give them to Qu Jianlei.
• Huo Jiujian confronted Tian Yu and Di Yu over their earlier obstruction of True Immortal Yongheng, and the brothers surrendered without resistance.
• Qu Jianlei met Huo Jiujian, Yongheng, San Shi, Tian Yu, and Di Yu at the Jade Leaf Tavern, where Huo presented the needle manual and golden needles.
• Qu Jianlei accepted the golden needles and promised Huo Jiujian a favor before discussing Red Leaf Ridge’s encounter with the Heavenly Demon.
• Tian Yu and Di Yu explained that Central Province’s future looked bleak in their divinations, but the eastern region offered a chance of reversal.
• Huo Jiujian told Qu Jianlei that he had identified a lead on the person who ambushed Wu Yao and stole the Stone Jar.

Qu Jianlei learned that Heavenly Demons were increasingly infiltrating Central Province’s remote wilderness, suggesting that higher-ranking demons might be directing them and that multiple Out-of-Body Heavenly Demons could be involved. He urged Star Palace to contact the upper realm, but Huo Jiujian revealed that the upper realm had not responded since Dongsheng’s Sealing Grand Array was built.

• The Heaven and Earth Twin Fools told Huo Jiujian that their calculation of the Stone Jar had yielded clues but exhausted them, and Qu Jianlei agreed to let their past grievance go after True Immortal Yongheng forgave them.
• Huo Jiujian asked Qu Jianlei’s view on Star Palace weakening the Isolation Grand Array, but Qu Jianlei refused to join the discussion or be drawn into the dispute.
• Qu Jianlei visited five first-tier cities and found that Heavenly Demon infiltration was increasingly severe in wilderness areas, while people fled villages and towns for the cities.
• After Qu Jianlei described the wilderness infiltrations, True Immortal Yongheng explained that Heavenly Demons usually sought human presence, leading them to suspect a higher-ranking demon was directing the attacks.
• Qu Jianlei worried that multiple Out-of-Body Heavenly Demons might be involved and said they should contact Star Palace and the upper realm.
• Huo Jiujian arrived, heard their concerns, and said the upper realm had given no response since Dongsheng’s Sealing Grand Array was built.

Qu Jianlei and his companions traveled from Great Leaf City to Autumn Water City to find the Stone Jar, navigating West Hill City's fractured defenses and blocked teleportation routes. After surveying Autumn Water, Qu Jianlei divined that the Stone Jar was connected to Dan Copper Town and the Dai Family.

• Huo Jiujian confirmed he had information about the Stone Jar, and Qu Jianlei agreed to search for it in West Hill City with Huo Jiujian, the Page Boy, and Duan Bowen.
• The group learned that West Hill City's lord had concentrated defenses in the main city and left the outlying cities to fend for themselves, while the Stone Jar was in Autumn Water City's territory.
• Duan Bowen arranged for the group to reach Autumn Water City through transfers, despite the main route being shut down.
• Autumn Water City's defenders challenged the group, then allowed them to enter after the Page Boy showed Great Leaf City's token.
• Qu Jianlei's group surveyed Autumn Water City and its surroundings, and Qu Jianlei divined Dan Copper Town and the Dai Family.

Qu Jianlei and the others reached Dan Copper Town and learned its residents had fled to Dai Family Ridge, where they discovered a vast Heavenly Devil Domain. They prepared to confront the threat after Huo Jiujian condemned West Hill City’s poor preparedness.

• Page Boy asked about the Dai Family, but the Golden Core Realm cultivator’s account of their recent absence went unshared because Page Boy dismissed him.
• Qu Jianlei and his companions fought through increasing groups of Heavenly Demons on their way to Dan Copper Town, then revealed their Nascent Soul Realm auras and slaughtered them.
• The four found Dan Copper Town overrun by Demon-Corrupted Humans, and Qu Jianlei cleansed most of them with a beam of light.
• A surviving Foundation Establishment Realm Demon-Corrupted Human said the townspeople had withdrawn to Dai Family Ridge and asked them to scatter his remains; Qu Jianlei granted his request.
• Huo Jiujian divined that Dai Family Ridge was in trouble, and the four discovered a vast Heavenly Devil Domain covering the ridge.