Chapter Summaries

Song Changming defended Su Qingqing from the Su Family’s attempt to take her away, drawing in Grandmaster Su Dingkong and the military marshals. Xi Yanxue arrived with a group of Great Demons, and King Cui intervened between them and the Su Family, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Hu Zhong told the prominent-family marshals that the royal residence would protect the Zhao Clan for five years, but a disturbance in the Third District drew him and the others away.
• Song Changming explained that the Su Family had trespassed and attacked his household, while Su Jizi insisted they had come to take Su Qingqing; Su Dingkong demanded that Song hand her over.
• Song Changming refused to give up Su Qingqing, and Xi Yanxue arrived, confirmed her daughter was safe, and struck Su Jizi down with a single finger gust.
• Su Dingkong prepared to fight Xi Yanxue, but more Great Demons appeared beside her as Su Clan Grandmasters arrived to face them.
• King Cui arrived and stood between the two factions, prompting Song Changming to put away his talisman.

King Cui intervened when the Su Family confronted Xi Yanxue and the Great Demons from Fox Mountain, forcing the family to back down and apologize to Song Changming and Su Qingqing. Su Qingqing agreed to return to Fox Mountain to grow stronger, while Xi Yanxue gave Song Changming a mysterious sword-marked stone slab; after the Fox Mountain delegation departed, King Cui asked Song Changming to explain what had happened.

• King Cui revealed that Xi Yanxue and the Great Demons from Fox Mountain were honored guests, and he stopped the Su Family from escalating the confrontation.
• Hu Zhong made Su Jizi apologize to Song Changming for damaging his residence and to Su Qingqing for the family’s treatment of her; Su Jizi and Su Fengye then left.
• Xi Yanxue persuaded Su Qingqing to return to Fox Mountain and pursue greater strength, and Song Changming promised he would not forget her.
• Xi Yanxue gave Song Changming a stone slab bearing an extraordinary sword mark, which he stored in his Cosmic Ring.
• The Fox Mountain delegation declined King Cui’s hospitality and departed, and King Cui asked Song Changming to recount the full cause of the incident.

Song Changming secured King Cui’s protection after clashing with the Su Family, moved into a grand estate in the Second District, and spent three months cultivating while keeping watch for retaliation. After refining all his Great Demon flesh and blood, he surpassed twenty-two Dragon Power and gained another Witch Soldier Seal.

• King Cui promised to mediate with the Su Clan and prevent it from troubling Song Changming, while Yang Zhen and Xing Tiexin stood by him.
• Song Changming moved into a confiscated Zhao Clan estate in the Second District, where a housewarming banquet drew dozens of visitors.
• Song Changming studied Xi Yanxue’s stone slab but could not comprehend its sword intent, so he returned to cultivation and military duties.
• Three peaceful months passed without further action from the Su Family, though Song Changming remained wary of Su Jizi and Su Changgong.
• After refining the last of the Great Demon flesh and blood, Song Changming’s physical strength exceeded twenty-two Dragon Power and twelve million jin, and he gained another Witch Soldier Seal.

After refining the Scale Witch Soldier Seal, Song Changming gained extraordinary defenses and sought Qianyuan’s help locating a fierce tiger in the Land of Nine Nether. As Song Changming left Cuibai Way to pursue it, Zhao Wenruo, still weakened by his injuries, followed him to deal with him for the Su Clan.

• Song Changming refined the Scale Witch Soldier Seal and found that its turtle shell and scales resisted even his full-strength blade strikes.
• Winter famine brought hunger and unrest to Cuibai Way, while the Longevity Su Clan remained secluded.
• Song Changming brought Qianyuan a Nightfire Bird, and Qianyuan told him where to find a fierce tiger in the Land of Nine Nether.
• Song Changming consulted Qianyuan about the Talisman Path, then reported his plans to the military and left the city alone.
• After learning that Song Changming had left Cuibai Way, Zhao Wenruo departed the city, intending to handle him so the Su Clan would help the Zhao Family.

Zhao Wenruo sought out Song Changming and tried to force him to go somewhere, but Song Changming resisted and their fight escalated. Song Changming revealed the power of his Witch Soldier Seals and injured Zhao Wenruo, and their battle continued with both preparing powerful attacks.

• Zhao Boqi reflected on the Zhao Family’s precarious position and the secret agreement that bound them to serve the Su Clan in exchange for protection.
• Song Changming collected a Wisteria flower in the Land of Nine Nether and let Little Gold absorb it in exchange for spiritual energy.
• Zhao Wenruo arrived and demanded that Song Changming accompany him somewhere, but Song Changming refused.
• Zhao Wenruo attacked, but Song Changming shattered his palm strike and sent him crashing into a mountainside with a powerful saber slash.
• Song Changming pursued Zhao Wenruo using the Demon Bird Witch Soldier Seal, while Zhao Wenruo struck him with Sorrowful Tiger; Song Changming emerged uninjured behind his turtle-shell scale armor.
• Zhao Wenruo unleashed Sorrowful Dragon, and Song Changming met the pursuing sword dragon with a powerful Crimson Cloud Saber slash.

Song Changming defeated Zhao Wenruo after a fierce pursuit and a final clash between their strongest techniques. Zhao Wenruo admitted defeat but withheld the reason for the Zhao Family’s attack, and Song Changming killed him as the Old Grandmaster’s life faded.

• Song Changming’s saber strike injured Zhao Wenruo, but a talisman stone on Zhao Wenruo’s chest blocked a killing blow and let him escape.
• Zhao Wenruo used a sixth-rank Sky Shuttle Talisman to flee toward the border of Cuibai Way, Yunzhou, while Song Changming pursued him.
• Song Changming struck Zhao Wenruo with innate strange lightning and a powerful saber attack, bringing him crashing into a river.
• Zhao Wenruo burned a drop of golden blood to restore his strength temporarily and fought Song Changming with the Heavenly God Sword, but Song Changming’s Shaman Seal protected him and his treasured saber cracked.
• Zhao Wenruo admitted defeat and said the Zhao Family had acted in a struggle to survive, but he refused to explain further.
• Song Changming formed a thunder blade and beheaded Zhao Wenruo, claiming his first kill of a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

Song Changming killed the Zhao Family Ancestor, harvested his Purple Mansion Essence Blood, and absorbed the Smiting Lightning from a Thunder Wheel Tiger. He returned to Cuibai Main City and told the Zhao Clan that their ancestor was dead, leaving them in disbelief.

• Song Changming collected seven drops of Purple Mansion Essence Blood from the Zhao Family Ancestor’s corpse, dissolved the remains, and left.
• Song Changming defeated a Thunder Wheel Tiger in the Land of Nine Nether and absorbed its Smiting Lightning into his Thunder Seed.
• The Thunder Wheel Tiger refused to serve Song Changming, so he left it alive with most of its Smiting Lightning taken; the tiger later woke as a woman and vowed revenge.
• On his way back to Cuibai Way, Song Changming knocked aside Zhao Clan members who asked about their missing ancestor.
• Song Changming reached Cuibai Main City, where Zhao Boqi and the Zhao Clan elders confronted him; he admitted killing their ancestor, and Zhao Butong and Zhao Lie refused to believe him.

Song Changming revealed that he had killed the Zhao Family Ancestor, prompting the Royal Residence and rival clans to move against the Zhao Family. As rumors spread and the Zhao Family’s prospects worsened, Zhao Boqi urged the Clan Elders to evacuate clan members, but they rejected the idea and refused to believe their ancestor was dead.

• Song Changming returned to the city, where the Zhao Family leaders yielded to him, and he later told his allies that he had killed Zhao Wenruo.
• Wang Tianshuang and Meng Kunlun informed their families, while King Cui ordered Hu Zhong to punish the Zhao Family and discussed taking Song Changming to Shangli Way.
• Song Changming began breaking the seal on Zhao Wenruo’s Cosmic Ring as rumors about the Zhao Family spread through the city.
• Su Jizi dismissed concerns that the Zhao Family might expose the Su Family and left to explain the failed plot to his superiors.
• Zhao Boqi proposed sending clan members away in batches, but Zhao Xinlei and the other Clan Elders rebuked him and insisted their ancestor could not have fallen.

Zhao Boqi’s attempt to flee with the Zhao Family failed when the Royal Residence’s Brocade-Clad Guard surrounded the manor and arrested the clan. After the Zhao Family was convicted and stripped of its assets, Song Changming received a share of its wealth and finally opened the Zhao Family Ancestor’s Cosmic Ring, finding a First-Grade Cloud Sky Sword Art.

• Zhao Boqi persuaded the Zhao Family elders to flee Cuibai Way that night, but the Brocade-Clad Guard arrived before the clan could leave.
• Zhao Boqi chose surrender, and the Royal Residence seized the Zhao Family while Song Changming watched from the air with Xing Tiexin and Yang Zhen.
• The Royal Residence exposed the Zhao Family’s crimes, punished its members, and confiscated its assets; Song Changming received valuable properties, Spirit Crystals, Treasure Tools, and natural treasures.
• Song Ping'an confidently took charge of managing the businesses Song Changming had received.
• Song Changming wore away the seal on the Zhao Family Ancestor’s Cosmic Ring and found treasure, Spirit Crystals, and a First-Grade Cloud Sky Sword Art inside.

Song Changming explored the Zhao Family Ancestor’s Cosmic Ring, discovering a vast collection of martial arts, Dao texts, treasures, and a powerful Cold Saber, while investigating a mysterious iron box he could not open. As rumors about the Zhao Family spread and his new restaurant prospered, he visited Qianyuan and was urged to continue studying the talisman path.

• Song Changming found seventeen complete First-grade Martial Arts sets, many lower-grade manuals, and books on talismans, alchemy, and forging in the Cosmic Ring.
• Song Changming awakened a dozen spirit swords and devised the beginnings of a sword formation, then found and tested a spirit saber called the Cold Saber.
• Song Changming struck a ten-thousand-jin black iron box with his full strength, barely deforming it, and detected a faint energy fluctuation that might reveal how to open it.
• The Zhao Family’s downfall faded from public discussion as rumors spread, while Guo the Storyteller began telling a crowd about Song Changming and the royal residence’s seizure of the Zhao estate.
• Song Changming visited Tianxia Restaurant, where Song Ping'an had restored business, and suggested hiring Guo the Storyteller to attract customers.
• Song Changming visited Qianyuan with Tianxia Wine, and Qianyuan urged him not to neglect his talisman studies.

Song Changming opened the iron box and discovered a Painting Bead containing the Zhao Family’s Opening Mansion Method, an inheritance for reaching the Martial Arts Grandmaster stage. After learning from it, he watched Li Sanhu defeat a succession of challengers at the Nineteenth Army’s training ground.

• Song Changming asked Qianyuan to unlock the iron box, and Qianyuan spent three days breaking its sixth-rank Lock Seal.
• Song Changming opened the box and found a Painting Bead, which Qianyuan identified as an inheritance artifact containing the Zhao Family’s core secret.
• Song Changming entered the Painting Bead’s Illusionary Realm and watched a powerful Martial Artist teach and demonstrate the method for opening the Purple Mansion.
• Song Changming returned from the Illusionary Realm exhausted, learned that the bead held an Opening Mansion Method, and agreed to bring Qianyuan two jars of wine each month in exchange for his silence.
• At the Nineteenth Army’s training ground, Li Sanhu defeated several challengers while Song Changming, Yang Zhen, Xing Tiexin, and Xiao Peibai watched.

Song Changming learned that the Su Family had ordered the Zhao Family Ancestor to assassinate him, while Hu Zhong revealed King Cui hoped he would eventually help destroy the Su Family. Song Changming chose to retaliate before then, luring Su Jizi into the wilderness and killing him with a single decisive attack.

• Hu Zhong told Song Changming that Zhao Boqi had confessed the Su Family had ordered the assassination attempt.
• Hu Zhong explained King Cui’s long-standing opposition to the Su Family and said King Cui wanted Song Changming to help destroy them once his Martial Path reached Great Accomplishment.
• Song Changming told Hu Zhong he could endure for now but needed someone to take the blame for the matter.
• Several days later, Zhao Boqi lured Su Jizi into the wilderness by claiming he would hand over the Zhao Family’s treasures.
• Song Changming ambushed Su Jizi, broke through his talisman defenses, killed him, and took his Cosmic Ring and Su Family Spirit Saber.

Song Changming killed Su Jizi, arranged for Zhao Boqi to take the blame, and turned his attention toward reaching the Martial Arts Grandmaster stage. More than eight years later, Xiao Peibai led the Emerald Banner Army to investigate disappearances on the Treasure Ore River and waited for Song Changming to arrive.

• Song Changming killed Su Jizi, and Zhao Boqi took his own life after Song Changming agreed to spare a few Zhao Clan descendants.
• King Cui promised to handle the aftermath and warned the Su Family not to cause trouble, while Song Changming returned home and set his sights on the Martial Arts Grandmaster stage.
• The Su Family left Song Changming alone, the Zhao Family's assets were divided among other aristocratic families, and years passed.
• Ore Miners in Stone City feared a demon on the Treasure Ore River, though rumors of valuable ore discoveries tempted some to keep searching.
• More than eight years after the Zhao Clan's destruction, Xiao Peibai led five thousand Emerald Banner Army soldiers to the river and ordered his Innate officers to investigate.
• After the officers detected no demonic aura, Xiao Peibai ordered the troops to guard the riverbank and wait for Song Changming.

Song Changming discovered and absorbed a strand of strange lightning, strengthening his Thunder Seed and physique. At the Ore River, he rescued Xiao Peibai’s force from a powerful water demon and captured more demons to uncover who had sent them.

• Song Changming found strange lightning on a stone slab and let his Thunder Seed devour it, gaining a slight increase in strength.
• Xiao Peibai and the officers used the Eight Directions Wind March Battle Formation to kill a group of water demons attacking the Ore River bank.
• A stronger water demon sent a waterspout toward the soldiers and civilians, but Song Changming arrived and struck it down with lightning.
• Song Changming restrained the injured water demon and ordered Xiao Peibai to interrogate it.
• Song Changming sensed more concealed demons in the river and dragged them out with lightning threads for interrogation.

Song Changming captured a water demon serving the Day Heavenly Master of Bai Tian Temple and guarded a rich Spirit Crystal vein while working toward the Grandmaster realm. His desire to break through sooner grew as he resolved to settle his decades-old grudge by killing the Day Heavenly Master.

• Song Changming captured the water demons, and Xiao Peibai learned through interrogation that the Eight-Eyed White Hairy Worm had been ordered by the Day Heavenly Master to seize people.
• Song Changming ignored the insect demon’s threat, wounded it, and agreed to spare it after it begged for its life.
• Stone City's authorities announced that the Ore River water demons had been eliminated, while Song Changming’s army guarded a valuable Spirit Crystal vein.
• Song Changming cultivated at the vein and recognized that his Innate cultivation had reached a bottleneck at the Grandmaster realm.
• Song Changming continued studying the Opening Mansion Method, whose panel success rate had reached 20%, and resolved to break through and kill the Day Heavenly Master as soon as he could.

Song Changming gained new Physique Traits and improved his aptitude and body refinement before leaving his army to confront the Day Heavenly Master at Bai Tian Temple. The chapter ended with the injured great demon recognizing Song Changming and preparing to face him.

• Song Changming gained Artifact Refiner, Green Wood Body, and Swordsman traits, while his Spirit and Root attributes rose above one hundred and his lifespan reserve exceeded seventy thousand.
• Song Changming advanced his body refinement to thirty-one Dragon Power and concluded that he already had Grandmaster-level combat power through physical cultivation alone.
• Song Changming left Xiao Peibai in charge of military affairs and took the wounded water worm demon with him to Bai Tian Temple.
• At Bai Tian Temple, the Day Heavenly Master threatened to eat his attendants and demon subordinates because its supply of blood food had run low.
• Lan Chong brought Song Changming to the temple, where the Day Heavenly Master recognized him as the person whose actions had led to its old injuries.
• Song Changming appeared at the hall entrance and calmly challenged the Day Heavenly Master, which mocked him for thinking it could not defeat an Innate stage Martial Artist.

Song Changming confronted Day Heavenly Master at Bai Tian Temple, killing the insect demon who had helped him and battling the Great Demon with his saber and Witch Soldier Seals. After Day Heavenly Master revealed his Three Heads Six Arms form, their fight devastated the lake and surrounding mountains, and Song Changming continued the assault with a sword formation.

• Song Changming entered Day Heavenly Master's Lake Palace and blasted him out with a powerful punch, collapsing the palace.
• Song Changming killed the insect demon with his Cold Saber and lightning, then collected its demon blood essence.
• Day Heavenly Master attacked with his Six Eyes, but Song Changming used the Cloud Crane and Demon Bird Witch Soldier Seals to evade him and counter with the Crimson Cloud Saber Art.
• Day Heavenly Master survived the slash, revealed his Three Heads Six Arms battle form, and clashed with Song Changming until the lake and mountain forests were destroyed.
• Day Heavenly Master unleashed a swarm of sticky insects, and Song Changming used spiritual swords to form a barrier that ground them away.
• Song Changming sent spiritual swords at Day Heavenly Master and brought down another saber strike as Day Heavenly Master formed a gigantic mouthpart to swallow him.

Song Changming killed Day Heavenly Master, destroyed Bai Tian Temple, and returned to Yunzhou after demonstrating his strength against a great demon. At the Spirit Crystal mine near Stone City, Xiao Peibai faced an attack by demon beasts directed by humans seeking the mine.

• Song Changming overwhelmed Day Heavenly Master with the power of all five Witch Soldier Seals and killed him, then seized his heart core.
• Song Changming looted Bai Tian Temple and destroyed it and the Bai Tian Lake valley with his Thunder Seed before leaving the Southern Frontier.
• Song Changming reflected that he could now contend with ordinary great demons and returned to Cuibai Way in Yunzhou the next day.
• Xiao Peibai killed an attacking demon beast with Sword Qi while humans directed the assault on the Spirit Crystal mine near Stone City.

Song Changming’s Nineteenth Army defeated an attack on its mine, and he discovered three drops of Earth Heart Fire Milk that could aid his attempt to reach the Grandmaster realm. After months of cultivation, he met with the newly arrived First Army in Stone City, where Tang Leshan still resented Song’s appointment as marshal.

• Xiao Peibai led the Nineteenth Army to defeat attackers from West Valley Way while Song Changming watched and let the troops gain combat experience.
• Song Changming found three drops of Earth Heart Fire Milk among the Day Heavenly Master’s possessions and set a deadline of roughly three years to use them in his breakthrough.
• Song Changming studied the Opening Mansion Method for half a year as news of Bai Tian Temple’s destruction spread, and he continued to face no retaliation for its destruction.
• Li Sanhu reported that the First Army had arrived, and Song Changming left his cultivation to meet its marshal, Hu Donghuo, in Stone City.
• Tang Leshan recalled losing the Nineteenth Army marshal position to Song Changming and remained convinced the position should have been his.
• Song Changming entered the City Lord’s Mansion with Xiao Peibai and Rong Jiang to meet Hu Donghuo and the First Army’s generals.

Song Changming met Hu Donghuo, learned that the First Army would take over the mines, and accepted Tang Leshan’s challenge to settle their unfinished duel. After Song Changming defeated Tang with one finger, Hu Donghuo challenged him to a serious spar, and the two began fighting in the wilderness.

• Song Changming apologized to Hu Donghuo, who announced that the First Army had wiped out the gang that invaded West Valley Way and would take over the mines.
• Song Changming caught Hu Donghuo’s official document and confirmed that his garrison assignment had ended.
• Hu Donghuo proposed testing Song Changming’s strength, but Tang Leshan asked to spar with Song Changming to resolve his lingering regret.
• Song Changming accepted Tang Leshan’s challenge and defeated him with a single finger, leaving Tang injured and stunned.
• Hu Donghuo challenged Song Changming, and the two began an intense, closely matched spar in the wilderness.