Chapter Summaries

Lu Qing watched the Old Doctor face a powerful Heavenly Tribulation, and the Old Doctor cleaved its eighth lightning bolt with his sword. Merit Light from the strike dissolved the gathering ninth bolt, allowing the Old Doctor to pass; Lu Qing then saw that his Master was about to form his Golden Core.

• Lu Qing realized the Old Doctor might not survive the next lightning bolt and prepared to intervene if necessary.
• The Old Doctor recovered with a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone, compressed his domain and power into a sword strike, and cleaved the eighth tribulation lightning bolt in two.
• Lu Qing noticed Merit Light in the tribulation clouds preventing the ninth bolt from forming, and the clouds dispersed before a stream of light descended upon the Old Doctor.
• Yan speculated that Hanging Sky Mountain had pursued Merit Light because it could weaken or dissolve Heavenly Tribulations, and Lu Qing discussed how its value had diminished during the era of depleted spiritual energy.
• Lu Qing announced that the Old Doctor was about to form his Golden Core.

After surviving the Nine Lightning Heavenly Tribulation, Chen Songqing condensed a High Grade Golden Core and received a heaven-bestowed divine power. With his Master’s breakthrough complete, Lu Qing agreed to answer the three Holy Masters’ invitation and set out for Central Province with Lin Zhi Rui.

• Chen Songqing recovered from the tribulation and condensed a High Grade Golden Core, while Lu Qing learned that he had gained a divine power.
• Lu Qing congratulated Chen Songqing, who credited the treasures Lu Qing had provided for helping him survive; Lu Qing speculated that Chen Songqing’s accumulated virtue had stopped the final bolt of lightning.
• Wei Shanhai, Lin Zhi Rui, and the others arrived to congratulate Chen Songqing, and Lu Qing quickly flew them back to Nine Li Village aboard his Golden Flying Boat.
• Lu Qing agreed to go with Lin Zhi Rui to the Holy Mountain the next day and gave Chen Songqing a jade slip containing his insights into the Golden Core Realm.
• After celebrating Chen Songqing’s breakthrough, Lu Qing left Xiao Yan and the others with Madam Wei and flew toward Central Province with Lin Zhi Rui.

Lu Qing discovered that the Azure Dragon City claw mark and One Line Sky sword scar were left by the Five Tribulations Strange Beast Suanni and the Six Tribulations Heaven Piercing Taoist, then downloaded and simulated both inheritances. He began comprehending the Heaven Piercing Taoist’s inheritance and witnessed the ancient clash that created the marks.

• Lu Qing and Lin Zhi Rui spotted Azure Dragon City’s enormous claw-shaped imprint and the sword scar cutting through the Azure Dragon Mountain Range.
• Lu Qing used his ability to identify the claw mark as Suanni’s and the sword scar as Heaven Piercing Taoist’s, discovering that both contained inheritances.
• Lu Qing downloaded and simulated both inheritances, then descended to a mountain peak and entered seclusion while Lin Zhi Rui and Yan guarded him.
• Lu Qing learned the Heaven Piercing Taoist inheritance and found himself experiencing the ancient cultivator’s encounter with Suanni.
• Heaven Piercing Taoist and Suanni exchanged attacks, and their sword qi and claw mark carved the scars that remained on the land.

Lu Qing experienced the Po Tian Sword Qi and Nine Divine Dragon Seals legacies, then realized a Spirit Pearl was inside the Holy Mountain. He arrived with Lin Zhi Rui and met the three Holy Masters.

• Lu Qing witnessed Taoist Po Tian wound the Strange Beast Suanni, then acquired the Po Tian Sword Qi legacy, which required Nascent Soul cultivation.
• Lu Qing experienced Suanni's perspective and received the incomplete Nine Divine Dragon Seals legacy, which required both Nascent Soul cultivation and Ancestral Dragon bloodline.
• Lu Qing recalled Suanni's golden blood falling into a river and wondered whether its bloodline had survived through the Strange Beasts there.
• Lu Qing apologized to Lin Zhi Rui for the aura that had forced him to retreat, then continued with him toward the Holy Mountain.
• After entering Central Province, Lu Qing sensed a Spirit Pearl within the Holy Mountain and flew there with Lin Zhi Rui.
• The three Holy Masters sensed Lu Qing's powerful aura, welcomed him and Lin Zhi Rui, and exchanged greetings with them atop the Holy Mountain.

Lu Qing accepted the Holy Masters’ invitation to help them gather the powers of the world, then offered the Third Holy Master a sword move in exchange for his Golden Spirit Pearl. The Third Holy Master eagerly agreed, seeing the move as a possible path to the Nascent Soul Realm, and Lu Qing began recording its inheritance on a jade slip.

• The three Holy Masters invited Lu Qing and Lin Zhi Rui into their Holy Mountain cave dwelling and offered Lu Qing the cultivation site if he agreed to their proposal.
• Lu Qing agreed to help the Holy Masters contribute to the common good, and the First Holy Master sent out a transmission to summon the world’s sects and powers to Holy City.
• Lu Qing asked the Third Holy Master for his Golden Spirit Pearl and offered to exchange a sword move for it.
• Lu Qing demonstrated a sword move inspired by One Line Sky Gorge, terrifying the Holy Masters and convincing the Third Holy Master of its profound value.
• The Third Holy Master withdrew his Divine Soul Imprint and handed Lu Qing the Golden Spirit Pearl, saying the sword move might help him reach the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Lu Qing inscribed the sword move’s contents onto a jade slip and handed it to the Third Holy Master.

Lu Qing guided the three Holy Masters in cultivation, refined the Golden Spirit Pearl, and began cultivating at the Holy Mountain. Meanwhile, the Holy Mountain invited the sects to a gathering to establish a new order, drawing varied reactions from powerful factions across the world.

• Lu Qing shared cultivation insights with the three Holy Masters, explaining Golden Core grades and the path to refining their cores, and accepted their disciple-like salute.
• Lu Qing refined the Golden Spirit Pearl, sensed the locations of the Wood and Water Spirit Pearls, informed his Master he might stay at the Holy Mountain, and entered seclusion.
• The Holy Mountain sent invitations for a Holy Assembly to the Bright Moon Sect and other powers, proposing to discuss a new order after the Spiritual Qi Revival.
• The Bright Moon Sect agreed to attend after its elders judged that the First Holy Master’s strength might exceed their own.
• The Returning Origin Sect’s elders rejected the Holy Masters’ authority and viewed the assembly as a chance to seize power.
• The Old Taoists of Green Goat Temple decided to attend, curious about the Holy Masters’ confidence and hoping the gathering could calm the world.

Han Lingbai decided to attend Holy Mountain’s assembly after sensing that it might hold her chance to reach the Golden Core Realm. In Cang County, the Wei Clan received an invitation, and Wei Shanhai resolved to go to Central Province in hopes of finding his own breakthrough opportunity.

• Han Lingbai chose to attend the Holy Assembly in person because she sensed her Golden Core breakthrough opportunity might be there.
• News of the assembly spread across the provinces, and Yan Canghai learned that Holy Mountain envoys had arrived in Cang County.
• Holy Mountain envoys invited the Wei Clan to the assembly, and Grand Steward Wei rode to Nine Li Village with the invitation.
• Old Doctor confirmed that the invitation bore genuine imprints from three Golden Core experts and told Wei Shanhai he could attend while Lu Qing was in Central Province.
• Wei Shanhai decided to travel to the Holy Assembly, hoping the gathering would help him find a chance to break through from Innate Perfection.

Mu Qianfeng entered the Holy City with his disciple as sect disciples discussed the Holy Assembly and the Holy Lords’ authority. A mysterious carriage drawn by two Innate-level White Horn Dragon Horses arrived, and Lin Zhi Rui escorted it into the city before Brother Qi recognized it as the Wind-Riding Carriage once ridden by a legendary figure.

• Mu Qianfeng showed his Innate Realm Completion cultivation at the Holy City gates and entered with his disciple.
• Lin Zhi Rui identified the elder as Azure Radiance Sword Mu Qianfeng, while Brother Qi explained his past conflict with Heavenly Azure Sect.
• Senior Sister Liu said the Holy Lords would struggle to control the changed world, leaving the restaurant’s young disciples stunned.
• A mysterious carriage drawn by two Innate-level Strange Beast dragon horses arrived at the gates, and its defenses injured the disciples who tried to probe it.
• Lin Zhi Rui greeted the carriage’s middle-aged attendant, presented the Holy Mountain invitation, and led the carriage into the city.
• Brother Qi recognized the carriage and its White Horn Dragon Horses as the Wind-Riding Carriage that a legendary figure had once brought to Central Province.

The arrival of a famous carriage stirred Holy City as factions wondered whether Lu Qing had come for the Holy Assembly, while Han Lingbai took comfort in the possibility. After breaking through to the Golden Core Second Revolution, Lu Qing explored Holy Mountain and found several identical likenesses of the Third Holy Master practicing swordsmanship.

• Qi Xiong identified the carriage as the one once ridden by the legendary tribulation transcender, and news of its arrival spread through Holy City.
• Han Lingbai learned the carriage had entered the city, restrained herself from seeking Lu Qing, and resumed cultivation in hopes of reaching the Golden Core Realm.
• Wei Shanhai and his companions arrived at Heaven's Secret Pavilion, where Lin Zhi Rui told them Lu Qing was cultivating on Holy Mountain and advised them to stay indoors.
• Lu Qing ended a month of seclusion after breaking through to the Golden Core Second Revolution and went out to explore Holy Mountain.
• Lu Qing gathered unfamiliar herbs for his Master to study, then followed the sound of sword practice to a cliff and saw several figures identical to the Third Holy Master fighting with swords.

Lu Qing received and studied part of the Puppet Sect inheritance from Bai Qingfeng, learning about the Soul Division Technique and Divine Soul Seeds but postponing cultivation until after the Holy Assembly. The assembly began in Holy City, where the three Holy Masters addressed the assembled factions and the Golden Core experts grew wary of their auras.

• Bai Qingfeng gave Lu Qing a jade slip containing part of the Puppet Sect inheritance in gratitude for his guidance.
• Lu Qing learned that the inheritance described puppet control through Divine Soul Seeds, but he decided not to use the Soul Division Technique before the Holy Assembly.
• A bell and a communication talisman announced that the Holy Assembly had begun, and Lu Qing watched from Holy Mountain as factions gathered in Holy City.
• The major sects and factions assembled at the central platform, where the three Holy Masters arrived and revealed their Golden Core cultivation.
• The First Holy Master spoke of the previous assembly and the old friends who had died, moving the crowd while Golden Core experts became wary of the three Holy Masters' auras.

At the Holy Assembly, Meng Dian challenged Holy Mountain’s authority and demanded that sect territories be redistributed by strength, while other Golden Core cultivators rallied against the Holy Mountain Decree. Their combined pressure forced the three Holy Masters back, and Meng Dian concluded that rumors about their inability to leave Holy Mountain were true.

• The First Holy Master softened the gathering’s mood, but Meng Dian countered by urging cultivators to fight for resources and questioning the Holy Master’s standing among Golden Core cultivators.
• Meng Dian proposed dividing territory according to sect strength and demanding tribute from weaker neighbors, then used his Golden Core pressure to silence their protests.
• The First Holy Master dispersed Meng Dian’s pressure and called for peace, but Meng Dian argued that the Holy Mountain Decree unfairly restrained powerful cultivators.
• A Bright Moon Sect elder and other Golden Core cultivators joined Meng Dian in opposing the decree, and their combined auras pressed the three Holy Masters back.
• The First Holy Master used a yellow radiance to stabilize himself and the other Holy Masters, after which Meng Dian said the rumors that they could not leave Holy Mountain were true.

At the Holy Assembly, Meng Dian tried to seize the position of Chief of the Righteous Path after exposing that the three Holy Masters had sent Puppet Avatars. The First Holy Master offered to yield the position if the Returning Origin Sect would protect ordinary people, leaving Meng Dian unable to answer as black qi surfaced in his eyes.

• The Third Holy Master and First Holy Master admitted that their true bodies could not leave Holy Mountain and that they had sent Puppet Avatars to the Holy Assembly.
• Meng Dian challenged Holy Mountain’s authority and proposed that the Returning Origin Sect become Chief of the Righteous Path, displaying a formidable aura that startled the gathered cultivators.
• The First Holy Master said Holy Mountain would yield the position to any sect that put the common people first and explained that the assembly aimed to limit sect conflicts and protect ordinary people.
• The First Holy Master asked Meng Dian to promise that the Returning Origin Sect would restrain cultivators from harming ordinary people, leaving Meng Dian unable to nod as the crowd watched.
• Lu Qing admired the First Holy Master’s response, then noticed black qi surface in Meng Dian’s eyes.

Meng Dian attacked the three Holy Masters with a terrifying Netherworld Ghost Claw and demanded that they submit to the Returning Origin Sect. Lu Qing appeared, halted and dispersed the claw with two words, and the Holy Masters bowed to him as Meng Dian realized the youth's power.

• Meng Dian denounced the Holy Mountain and launched a gray-light attack at the three Holy Masters, forcing them to combine their defenses.
• Meng Dian formed a Netherworld Ghost Claw, alarming the experts from Green Goat Temple, Cloud Water Secret Realm, and Cold Water Palace, who recognized traces of it from ancient records.
• Meng Dian enlarged the ghost claw and brought it down on the Holy Masters after they refused to submit.
• Lu Qing appeared before the Holy Masters and froze the ghost claw with the word "Still," then dispersed it with "Scatter."
• Meng Dian suffered soul damage as his spell broke, while the three Holy Masters bowed in salute to Lu Qing.

Lu Qing arrived at the Holy Assembly and used his overwhelming strength to defend the Holy Mountain’s position as Chief of the Righteous Path while condemning cultivators who harmed ordinary people. He suppressed the assembly, then drew the Evil Treasure from Meng Dian’s Dantian to expose the force behind him.

• Lu Qing dispersed Meng Dian’s Gray Qi Ghost Claw, and the three Holy Masters thanked him for intervening.
• Lu Qing challenged Meng Dian’s claim that the Holy Mountain should step down and declared his support for the Holy Mountain’s leadership.
• Lu Qing unleashed his aura, suppressing nearly everyone at the assembly and warning that he would kill those who continued causing conflict and slaughter.
• The First Holy Master asked Lu Qing to spare the assembly, and Lu Qing withdrew his pressure.
• Lu Qing asked Meng Dian whether the Returning Origin Sect still wanted to lead the righteous path, then seized the Evil Treasure from his Dantian despite Meng Dian’s attempt to flee.

Lu Qing stripped the Netherworld Ghost Claw from Meng Dian and learned from a Green Goat Temple Old Taoist that it had belonged to the ancient Evil Path Nascent Soul Netherworld Old Man. Lu Qing exposed the Old Man’s hidden consciousness and forced him to surrender, then identified how he had survived into the present.

• Lu Qing pulled the Netherworld Ghost Claw from Meng Dian, leaving him badly weakened.
• A Green Goat Temple Old Taoist explained that the Evil Treasure had belonged to the ancient Nascent Soul rogue cultivator Netherworld Old Man, who had vanished after escaping a siege.
• The Old Taoist accused Meng Dian of refining countless living beings to restore the claw, and Meng Dian denied harming anyone.
• Lu Qing sensed Netherworld Old Man inside the claw and burned away its gray mist with the Southern Samadhi Fire until the hidden consciousness appeared and surrendered.
• Netherworld Old Man admitted his identity, and Lu Qing revealed that he had survived by seizing his spirit artifact’s Artifact Spirit to escape the Five Signs of Decay.

Lu Qing exposed Netherworld Old Man's plan to use Meng Dian and worldly chaos to refine living beings, then destroyed the ancient Nascent Soul remnant with Southern Samadhi Fire. After killing Meng Dian for his role in the slaughter, Lu Qing left the gathered experts cowed by his power and ruthlessness.

• Netherworld Old Man tried to tempt Lu Qing with cultivation techniques and treasures, but Lu Qing rejected him and announced that he would refine him before the gathered experts.
• Lu Qing burned through the Netherworld Ghost Claw's defenses with Southern Samadhi Fire, refusing Netherworld Old Man's pleas to submit and destroying his final trace of spirituality.
• Lu Qing took the purified white bone claw after Yan identified it as extraordinary refining material, while the surrounding experts avoided his gaze in fear.
• Lu Qing condemned Meng Dian for the deaths of the beings he had helped refine and killed him with sword qi through the glabella.

Lu Qing killed the Returning Origin Sect’s Great Elder, then left the Holy Assembly in the First Holy Master’s hands and returned to cultivation. Two days later, the sects and factions swore before the Holy Tablet to obey the new prohibitions, earning heavenly merit for the three Holy Masters and Lu Qing.

• Lu Qing spared the Returning Origin Sect disciples and left their Great Elder’s body for burial before departing for Holy Mountain.
• The First Holy Master began the Holy Assembly, which proceeded without further opposition while Lu Qing cultivated in his cave abode.
• Lu Qing examined the purified Demon Bone Claw, learned it came from an Ancient Demon, and stored it as a potential spirit-artifact material.
• Two days later, the representatives and the three Holy Masters swore oaths and left their soul imprints on the Holy Tablet, establishing the new prohibitions.
• The Will of the Heavens recognized the Holy Decree and sent Merit Golden Light to the three Holy Masters and an even greater amount to Lu Qing.
• Lu Qing realized the merit could help him form a Merit Dharma Garment.

Lu Qing found the Wood Spirit Pearl sustaining an oasis in the Endless Desert and agreed to evacuate the villagers of Yellow Sand Village in exchange for taking it. After persuading the spiritual old tree to follow him, he gathered the villagers into the Li Fire Cauldron and flew out of the desert.

• Lu Qing descended into the oasis and learned from the Qiu Clan Patriarch that its Wood Spirit Pearl kept Yellow Sand Village alive in the desert.
• Lu Qing offered to take the villagers somewhere safe if they let him take the pearl, and the villagers agreed.
• When the old tree protected the Wood Spirit Pearl, Lu Qing discovered it had developed spirituality and persuaded it to leave with him.
• Lu Qing took the Wood Spirit Pearl and placed Old Trees and the pearl together in a strange space.
• Lu Qing gathered the villagers into the Li Fire Cauldron and flew beyond the Endless Desert.

Lu Qing refined the Wood Spirit Pearl and used the four gathered spirit pearls to summon the Water Spirit Pearl from the depths of the East Sea. Five Elements seized it and escaped toward the surface, pursued by a powerful sea creature, just as Lu Qing’s flaming cauldron descended upon their pursuer.

• Lu Qing settled the Old Trees in his courtyard, where it rooted itself and agreed to coexist with the village’s other wood spirits.
• Lu Qing refined the Wood Spirit Pearl and sensed that the Water Spirit Pearl was held by a powerful being beneath the East Sea.
• Lu Qing brought Five Elements to the sea, while Xiao Li stayed home with Xiao Yan.
• Lu Qing summoned the Water Spirit Pearl from the seabed, awakening a colossal creature that chased after it.
• Five Elements grabbed the Water Spirit Pearl and raced toward the surface, but the creature nearly caught it before they emerged from the sea.
• Lu Qing’s ancient flaming cauldron came crashing down toward the pursuing creature.

Lu Qing discovered that the sea monster was an Ancient Dragon Turtle with Suanni bloodline, whose Nascent Soul-level body had survived the Five Signs of Decay. Unable to easily take the Water Spirit Pearl or defeat the Dragon Turtle, he offered to trade a cultivation technique connected to Suanni, leaving the Dragon Turtle stunned and hopeful.

• The Ancient Dragon Turtle emerged with a cracked shell after Lu Qing struck it with the Li Fire Cauldron, and the Five-Colored Winged Snake hid behind Lu Qing in fear.
• Lu Qing used his ability to learn that the Dragon Turtle possessed Suanni bloodline, had lived for over forty thousand years, and had survived the Five Signs of Decay by entering a deep slumber.
• Lu Qing realized the Water Spirit Pearl contained the Dragon Turtle's Divine Soul Imprint, making it difficult to refine without killing the Dragon Turtle, persuading it to erase the imprint, or gradually grinding it away.
• The Dragon Turtle demanded the Water Spirit Pearl back, but Lu Qing revealed that he knew the secret origins of the Dragon Turtle Clan and asked to exchange a cultivation technique for the pearl.
• The Dragon Turtle rejected the offer until Lu Qing said the technique was related to Suanni, prompting it to react with disbelief and renewed hope.