Chapter Summaries

Song Changming discovered that the Bottomless Abyss might be the key to finding a route to the Ancient Abyss Kingdom, then began cultivating the Third-Rank Zhengyang Art and prepared to explore the Outer Domain. The chapter ended with him setting out through Heavenly Pass Mountain with Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang.

• Song Changming learned from ancient texts that the Bottomless Abyss in the Land of Great Fog nearly separated Great Han from the Ancient Abyss Kingdom and decided to prioritize finding it.
• Song Changming's first attempt to cultivate the Third-Rank Zhengyang Art damaged his meridians, but his panel recorded the art and showed that it required 7,000 experience to enter the beginner stage.
• A swordsman informed Song Changming that Nan Wuji had finished handling Sword Cliff's affairs and invited him to Heavenly Pass Mountain in three days.
• Su Qingqing asked Song Changming to take her along to explore the Outer Domain, but he promised to bring her only if they later traveled to the Ancient Abyss Kingdom.
• Song Changming met Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang at Heavenly Pass Mountain, and the three rode their Bloodline Warhorses into the great fog.

Song Changming, Nan Wuji, and Su Yaoguang attacked a Corpse Refining Sect branch in the Outer Domain to gather information about the route to the Ancient Abyss Kingdom and the Bottomless Abyss. After questioning the survivors, Song Changming learned that a sect member who knew Ding Yanyun had information about him, while the fate of Song Changming’s brother’s remains remained unresolved.

• Nan Wuji used his Crimson Swords to clear the beasts in the fog as the three traveled toward the Outer Domain.
• At the Corpse Refining Sect branch, Su Yaoguang crushed the dried corpses with moonlight, while Nan Wuji flew ahead on a Crimson Sword.
• Song Changming and Su Yaoguang defeated the branch’s corpse puppets and subdued surviving sect members for questioning.
• The survivors said they knew little about the Bottomless Abyss, but that some elders might know more, and they gave Song Changming information about the sect.
• Song Changming asked about Ding Yanyun, learned one captive knew him, and forced the man to confess by cutting off two of his fingers.

Song Changming questioned a Corpse Refining Sect member about Ding Yanyun’s corpse remains, then defeated Elder Lu and took him as a guide to the Bottomless Abyss. After traveling through the Outer Domain’s great fog, Song Changming, Nan Wuji, and Su Yaoguang reached the abyss and saw its vast, dangerous expanse.

• Song Changming learned that Elder Xu Baisong had taken the two top-grade corpse remains Ding Yanyun acquired, while killing a Corpse Refining Sect member who tried to flee.
• Elder Lu was thrown from Wild Mountain, and Song Changming severed the Yellow-Eyed Corpse Puppet’s arm and head before overpowering the elder.
• Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang joined Song Changming, who carried Elder Lu away as Nan Wuji killed the branch’s remaining members.
• On the tenth day in the great fog, Song Changming and his companions followed Elder Lu through increasingly dangerous territory toward the Bottomless Abyss.
• Nan Wuji, Su Yaoguang, and Song Changming entered the fog beyond the violent winds and saw the abyss.

Song Changming and his companions reached the Bottomless Abyss and learned that only Innate Masters could cross it safely, while Dragon Gate Ridge offered another route into the Ancient Abyss Kingdom. After Nan Wuji failed to cross the abyss, a Gluttonous Beast emerged and attacked them, leaving the group facing a new threat.

• Elder Lu explained that the Bottomless Abyss blocked the way to the Ancient Abyss Kingdom and that Innate Masters could cross its spatial turbulence.
• Elder Lu revealed that sects recruited disciples at Dragon Gate Ridge every five years, and Nan Wuji decided to test the abyss himself.
• Nan Wuji's Crimson Swords were shattered by the turbulence, forcing him to retreat and conclude that ordinary Qi Refining Martial Artists could not cross.
• Song Changming and the others sensed something approaching from the abyss and backed away as a bizarre Mist Beast climbed out.
• Elder Lu identified the creature as a Gluttonous Beast and tried to flee, but its tongue pierced him; Song Changming's attempt to save him tore his body in two.
• The Gluttonous Beast ate part of Elder Lu and then launched its tongue at Song Changming.

Song Changming, Nan Wuji, and Su Yaoguang fought their way through Gluttonous Beasts emerging from the Abyss, then reached Dragon Gate Ridge and learned that recruitment by the great sects of the Ancient Abyss Kingdom was less than a month away. As they prepared to wait in a nearby city, hostile figures confronted them and questioned whether they were Outsiders.

• Song Changming severed a Gluttonous Beast's tongue and killed it after Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang's attacks failed to seriously injure it.
• More Gluttonous Beasts climbed from the Abyss, so Nan Wuji called for a retreat; the three fled and eventually killed their pursuers in the fog.
• Nan Wuji, Song Changming, and Su Yaoguang discussed the dangers of Abyss Monsters and continued their journey toward Dragon Gate Ridge.
• After more than half a month, the three reached Dragon Gate Ridge, where Su Yaoguang identified a Spirit Vein and they learned that recruitment would begin in less than a month.
• Nan Wuji decided that the group would wait near Dragon Gate Ridge, but several hostile figures emerged from the fog and asked whether the three were Outsiders.

Song Changming and his companions settled in an Outer Domain city, where he spent a month cultivating the Chu Clan’s Zhengyang Art. After mastering its basics and demonstrating its Golden Flame, he left Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang weighing how much stronger he might become.

• Song Changming killed a group of Outer Domain cultivators who tried to extort his party near Dragon Gate Ridge, and they took the group’s Mist Gold.
• Song Changming, Su Yaoguang, and Nan Wuji entered a nearby city and seized its finest residence from its previous owner.
• After a month of cultivation, Song Changming drove off a group that tried to claim the residence by blasting them away with Golden Flame.
• Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang recognized Song Changming’s Golden Flame as Zhengyang Qi produced by the Zhengyang Art, which he had mastered in less than half a year.
• Nan Wuji said Song Changming could rival him in a future fight once he cultivated the Zhengyang Art further.

Song Changming, Nan Wuji, and Su Yaoguang traveled to Dragon Gate Ridge as the Ancient Abyss Kingdom’s five-year recruitment approached. Ten Innate powerhouses arrived and announced their sects’ requirements, leaving Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang as likely candidates for Spirit Sword Mountain.

• Song Changming considered how long it would take to advance his Zhengyang Art before he and Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang headed to Dragon Gate Ridge.
• Nan Wuji used Crimson Sword qi to defeat those blocking the group’s climb, and the three reached the summit despite hostile Outer Domain powerhouses gathering around them.
• The Ancient Abyss Kingdom recruiters arrived, their overwhelming aura dispelling the brewing confrontation, and introduced themselves as Celestial Beings.
• Gao Xin announced the Golden Thunder Gang’s requirements, while Chen Feiyi and the other recruiters described their own sects’ affinity, cultivation, and physique requirements.
• Ding Shengyu of Spirit Sword Mountain called for exceptional sword aptitude and Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer Realm, requirements Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang both met.

Song Changming sought recruitment by the Fire Element Gate, but Guo Gui discovered an extraordinary Water Aspect Flood Dragon Body within him. The revelation left the visitors astonished, with Song Changming’s recruitment still unresolved.

• Ding Shengyu rejected an Outsider Martial Artist whose sword aptitude and cultivation fell short, and the visitors continued assessing candidates.
• Nan Wuji revealed exceptional sword talent and a swordsmanship physique, earning recruitment by Spirit Sword Mountain.
• Su Yaoguang also displayed a profound sword anomaly and joined Nan Wuji at Spirit Sword Mountain.
• Song Changming chose to seek entry into the Fire Element Gate, where Guo Gui found his saber aptitude and cultivation acceptable.
• Guo Gui examined Song Changming’s impure blood Qi, triggering a flood-dragon anomaly that Chen Feiyi identified as the Water Aspect Flood Dragon Body.

Song Changming learned that his impure blood and Qi made reaching the Innate stage extremely difficult, but he resolved to continue forging his own path. After returning from the Outer Domain, he reunited with his companions and met Li Jinyu, who gave Liu Dingsheng a Longevity Pill.

• Guo Gui judged that Song Changming's Fierce Beast essence had made his blood and Qi impure, leaving him virtually no hope of reaching the Innate stage, and none of the Innate Masters recruited him.
• Song Changming defeated and killed the Outer Domain experts who tried to ambush him, gathered seven pieces of Mist Gold, and decided to keep tempering his body while seeking another route to the Innate stage.
• After nearly three months in the Land of Great Fog, Song Changming returned to Wangyue Commandery and told the Sword Cliff and Wangyue Pavilion groups that Nan Wuji and Su Yaoguang had gone to the Ancient Abyss Kingdom.
• Li Jinyu reunited with Song Changming at the Liu Residence and gave Liu Dingsheng a Longevity Pill that could extend his life by about ten years.
• Song Changming and Li Jinyu drank together as Song Changming asked whether Li Jinyu could determine how long a person would live.

Song Changming learned that his journey to the Ancient Abyss Kingdom would be delayed, while Su Yaoguang and Nan Wuji reached the Three Thousand Spirit Mountains and joined Spirit Sword Gate. Great Han fell, Gu Wenhui founded the Lai dynasty, and Song Changming left Yunling City after witnessing the change of dynasties.

• Li Jinyu agreed to accompany Song Changming to the Ancient Abyss Kingdom, though Song warned that crossing the Bottomless Abyss and reaching Xiantian would take time.
• Liu Dingsheng awoke looking younger after taking Li Jinyu's Longevity Pill, while Outer Domain experts and Evil Cult followers began stirring trouble in Great Han.
• Ding Shengyu carried Su Yaoguang, Nan Wuji, and the other recruits across the Bottomless Abyss to the Ancient Abyss Kingdom, where he guided the two newcomers toward Spirit Sword Gate in the Three Thousand Spirit Mountains.
• King Gu pacified Yuchuan County and entered Yunling Imperial City, where Chu Yan died; a month later, Gu Wenhui declared himself emperor and established the Lai dynasty.
• Song Changming visited Yunling City with Li Jinyu and Su Qingqing, then decided to leave after witnessing the fall of Great Han and the founding of Lai; Su Qingqing bought a sugar figurine depicting Song.

Song Changming used his annual reward to strengthen his physical potential as Great Lai was founded and later fought the Outer Domain Evil Cult. In the tenth year of Great Lai, Liu Dingsheng died peacefully, and after his burial Song Changming looked toward the Abyss, ready to continue onward.

• After Gu Wenhui became emperor, Song Changming received his annual evaluation for witnessing Great Lai’s founding and chose four Spirit attribute points and an upgrade to his Imposing and Powerful trait.
• Song Changming’s upgraded trait became Earth-Shaking Heaven-Toppling, and his strength surpassed nine elephants’ worth.
• Gu Wenhui’s army unified Great Lai, but the Outer Domain Evil Cult later joined the Great Han remnants in a failed war of restoration and continued attacking the realm’s borderlands.
• In the tenth year of Great Lai, Song Changming played chess with the aging Liu Dingsheng, who spoke of his attachment to Great Han before dying peacefully.
• Song Changming, Liu Ziwen, and Liu Yan'er buried Liu Dingsheng; Liu Ziwen inherited his affairs, while Liu Yan'er resolved to pursue her martial path.
• After returning from the grave, Song Changming looked toward the Abyss and decided it was time to continue onward.

Su Qingqing fought off a Corpse Refining Sect ambush in Taiqing Commandery until Song Changming arrived to confront the elder Xu Baishu. After learning Xu Baishu was the brother of the man he sought, Song Changming drew his saber and advanced.

• Su Qingqing killed a Corpse Refining Sect woman who had slaughtered officials and watched her White-eyed Corpse Puppet die beside her.
• Corpse Refining Sect disciples surrounded Su Qingqing with more than a dozen White-eyed Corpse Puppets, and she destroyed several with her sword arts.
• Elder Xu Baishu arrived with two Yellow-Eyed Corpse Puppets, prompting Su Qingqing to prepare to flee.
• Song Ping'an and Liang Zhaolong entered to aid Su Qingqing, then Song Changming arrived and stood between her and Xu Baishu.
• Song Changming learned Xu Baishu was the elder brother of Xu Baisong, whom he sought, and drew the Dragon-Patterned Saber to fight him.

Song Changming defeated and killed Xu Baishu and his Yellow-Eyed Corpse Puppets after uncovering the Corpse Refining Sect’s role in trading his brothers’ remains. The killings made him a celebrated figure across Great Lai, while he left Su Qingqing in seclusion to improve her judgment and strength.

• Song Changming easily defeated and destroyed Xu Baishu’s two Yellow-Eyed Corpse Puppets, then learned that Xu Baishu and Xu Baisong had sent Song Changming’s brothers’ remains to the Ancient Abyss Kingdom.
• Song Changming killed Xu Baishu and stopped the Corpse Refining Sect disciples from escaping, then left Liang Zhaolong to handle the aftermath.
• Li Jinyu said Song Changming deserved a higher Heavenly Ranking position, and news of the government-office massacre spread throughout Great Lai, prompting widespread praise and debate about Song Changming’s strength.
• Song Changming defeated Su Qingqing in a training match and reprimanded her for acting recklessly and falling into the Corpse Refining Sect’s trap.
• Song Changming ordered Su Qingqing to cultivate in seclusion until she mastered the Flying Thunder Art and to practice calligraphy and chess before going out again.

Song Changming continued cultivating as his Qi neared the eighth layer, his martial manuals reached perfection, and his body grew exceptionally powerful. After the Corpse Refining Sect gathered a force to avenge Xu Baishu and kill him, its members reached Wangyue Commandery at night, where Wangyue Pavilion disciples and elders confronted them at the city wall.

• Song Changming assessed his approaching Qi breakthrough and reviewed the martial arts, physical strength, and longevity he had gained over ten years of training.
• The Corpse Refining Sect's leaders discussed Xu Baishu's death, and sect master offered rewards to anyone who brought back Song Changming's corpse.
• Xu Baisong and other Corpse Refining Sect members accepted the mission and traveled toward Wangyue Commandery, while Song Changming received word of their approach and continued cultivating.
• The Corpse Refining Sect force reached the city at night and sent two White-eyed Corpse Puppets toward the gate, but silver radiance destroyed them.
• Wangyue Pavilion disciples and elders descended from the city wall and announced that they had been waiting for the Corpse Refining Sect.

Song Changming stopped the Corpse Refining Sect’s attack on Prefecture City, destroying its Yellow-Eyed Corpse Puppets and killing its members after breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer Realm. The sect master, Fang Kui, feared Song Changming might attack next and decided to seek aid from the main sect in the Ancient Abyss Kingdom.

• Wangyue Pavilion prepared to fight the Corpse Refining Sect, but Song Changming stepped forward and told the elders the matter was his to settle.
• More than thirty Yellow-Eyed Corpse Puppets attacked Song Changming, who revealed his breakthrough and destroyed them with a fiery Zhengyang Art saber strike and a burst of lightning.
• Song Changming cut down the fleeing Corpse Refining Sect members with eight Wind Dragons, and the Wangyue Pavilion elders recognized his overwhelming strength.
• Song Changming left the battlefield cleanup to Song Ping'an, Liang Zhaolong, and the Changming Association, while Hou Chuanzheng invited him to visit Wangyue Mountain.
• After hearing that Song Changming had wiped out the attackers, Fang Kui feared for the Corpse Refining Sect and decided to seek help from its main sect in the Ancient Abyss Kingdom.

After consolidating his breakthrough to the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer, Song Changming learned that his defeat of the Corpse Refining Sect had driven the Outer Domain cults from Great Lai. Prince Yu’s attempt to force him into an audience ended with Song Changming crushing the prince’s soldiers and warning the Son of Heaven to rein in his son.

• Song Changming consolidated his eighth Qi vortex, considered seeking a better cultivation environment in the Ancient Abyss Kingdom, and received nearly fifty pieces of Mist Gold from Song Ping'an.
• Song Changming refused visiting dignitaries, and news of his victory over the Corpse Refining Sect spread until the Outer Domain cults withdrew from Great Lai.
• Prince Yu Gu Yang became furious when Lu Xiaoyao reported that Song Changming would not receive him, and ordered General Zhang and Governor Ma Shisheng to bring three thousand soldiers to Wangyue Commandery City.
• Liu Ziwen refused to let the soldiers force their way into the Liu Residence, while Song Ping'an, Su Qingqing, Big Yellow, and Big White confronted the troops.
• Song Changming’s wind pressure forced the three thousand soldiers to their knees and badly injured General Zhang, after which he warned Prince Yu to stop abusing imperial power.
• Song Changming told Governor Ma Shisheng to report the incident to the Son of Heaven, and the governor promised to write a memorial.

After Gu Yang offended Song Changming, Gu Wenhui punished him and sent him to apologize, and Song Changming let the matter end. Song Changming then traveled into the Outer Domain to test the Bottomless Abyss again, where he began searching for a weak point in its energy barrier.

• The Wangyue Commandery governor reported Gu Yang’s attempt to intimidate Song Changming, and Gu Wenhui summoned and whipped his son before ordering him to apologize.
• Gu Yang visited the Liu Residence, apologized to Song Changming, and presented Gu Wenhui’s letter; Song Changming accepted the apology and sent him away.
• Song Changming set out for the Bottomless Abyss and met Venerable Minghuo, who had reached the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer Realm and planned to go to Dragon Gate Ridge.
• Song Changming declined Venerable Minghuo’s invitation to join him, entered the fog, and killed a vile insect with a single flaming punch.
• Song Changming reached the Bottomless Abyss and used his spiritual perception to study its energy fluctuations and search for a safer crossing point.

Song Changming tried to cross the Abyss by riding a Wind Dragon, then combined a powerful leap with blade Qi and Zhengyang Qi to get closer before retreating again. He then rescued captives near the Corpse Refining Sect and arrived at its headquarters to settle his grudge with the sect.

• Song Changming rode a Wind Dragon across the Abyss during an energy lull but retreated when his internal Qi could not carry him through the central barrier.
• Song Changming returned three days later, used his physical strength to leap across much of the Abyss, and then relied on the Wind Dragon and Zhengyang Qi before retreating with seven li still to cross.
• Song Changming killed Corpse Refining Sect members who were abusing captives and freed the low-level Martial Artists they had seized.
• A rescued young man begged Song Changming to take him as a disciple, but Song Changming refused, and the young man decided to join the Changming Association instead.
• Song Changming reached the foot of the Corpse Refining Sect's headquarters, intending to settle his grudge with the sect.

Song Changming annihilated the Outer Domain branch of the Corpse Refining Sect, rescued its prisoners, and gathered its treasures. As he waited for Liang Zhaolong, Qi Tian and Qi Yun arrived from the Ancient Abyss Kingdom and attacked him, bringing a Green-Eyed Corpse Puppet into the fight.

• Fang Kui learned that Song Changming had come to the Corpse Refining Sect and led its fighters to confront him.
• Song Changming destroyed the sect’s corpse puppets and strongholds, killed Fang Kui, and defeated the branch’s forces.
• Song Changming searched the ruins for supplies, freed nearly a thousand prisoners, and sent letters asking Liang Zhaolong to bring help.
• While waiting on the mountain, Song Changming encountered Qi Tian and Qi Yun, who had come from the Corpse Refining Sect’s main branch to claim its supplies.
• Song Changming kicked aside Qi Yun’s two Yellow-Eyed Corpse Puppets, and Qi Tian ordered a Green-Eyed Corpse Puppet to capture him alive.

Song Changming fought and defeated a Green-Eyed Corpse Puppet whose saber skill and strength rivaled his own, though the battle destroyed his Dragon-Patterned Saber. After the puppet died, Song Changming took its saber, Autumn Water, and captured the Qi brothers, learning that their flight and shield came from talismans.

• Song Changming recognized the Green-Eyed Corpse Puppet as a powerful fighter from the main Corpse Refining Sect and prepared to face it.
• The Green-Eyed Corpse Puppet attacked Song Changming, and their fierce exchange revealed its formidable saber skill and strength exceeding ten elephants.
• Song Changming unleashed his full strength, shattered his Dragon-Patterned Saber, then disarmed the puppet and used its own saber to defeat it.
• The dying Green-Eyed Corpse Puppet gave Song Changming its saber, Autumn Water, and thanked him before falling still.
• Qi Tian and Qi Yun tried to flee, but Song Changming caught them after their protective talisman shield broke.
• Song Changming questioned Qi Tian, who explained that their Flying Talismans came from the Fu Shan Sect and granted temporary flight.