Chapter Summaries

Song Changming drew with Hu Donghuo, learned that King Cui had chosen him to attend the Emperor’s Feast, and advanced the Opening Mansion Method to Minor Accomplishment. After returning to Cuibai Main City, he reported to Hu Zhong and reunited with his household, while his chances of reaching the Grandmaster realm remained uncertain.

• Song Changming and Hu Donghuo fought to a draw, each recognizing the other’s strength, and Hu Donghuo explained that King Cui would choose one of them to accompany him to the Emperor’s Feast.
• Song Changming’s Nineteenth Army left Stone City to cheers from the civilians, and Song Changming advanced the Opening Mansion Method to Minor Accomplishment while considering the risks of a Grandmaster breakthrough.
• Song Changming returned to Cuibai Main City, reported to Hu Zhong, and learned that King Cui had selected him to travel to the imperial capital in one month.
• Song Changming returned to the Song Residence, greeted his servants and stewards, and gave water demon flesh to Big Yellow and Big White.

Song Changming returned home and discovered that Little Yellow’s golden fire-breathing ability had grown stronger, then failed again to understand the mysterious blade mark on an ancient stone slab. In the Core City, the Su Family debated King Cui’s growing challenge to their authority before their long-absent Old Ancestor Su Dongdan returned and demanded an account of the family’s decline.

• Song Changming watched Little Yellow fly and breathe increasingly powerful golden flames, then rewarded it with a fire-aspected heavenly treasure.
• Song Changming perfected another second-grade blade art and tried unsuccessfully to comprehend the blade intent on the ancient stone slab Xi Yanxue had given him.
• Su Gongming and seven Su Family Old Grandmasters discussed King Cui withholding more tribute and whether they could afford to confront him.
• Su Dongdan returned after more than eighty years away, criticized the Su Family’s decline and lack of new Grandmasters, and asked Su Gongming what had happened to the family.

Su Fengye broke through to the Grandmaster Realm as the Su Clan prepared to deal with King Cui, who left for Cloud Emperor City with Song Changming. The pair reached the immense city on an island in the Spiritual Qi sea, where Song Changming hoped to see the Cloud Emperor.

• Su Dongdan learned that the Su Clan's Old Grandmasters had stagnated, then witnessed Su Fengye break through to the Grandmaster Realm and offered him guidance.
• Su Dongdan decided the Su Clan would eventually punish King Cui for defying its agreement and hinted that the family's succession might shape its plans.
• King Cui warned Hu Zhong that the Su Family was acting strangely, then arranged for Song Changming to accompany him to Cloud Emperor City.
• Song Changming checked his Opening Mansion Method progress and prepared for the journey, while King Cui and he flew north toward Shangli Way.
• King Cui and Song Changming arrived at Cloud Emperor City, a vast city on an island surrounded by spiritual qi clouds, and prepared to enter.

Song Changming accompanied King Cui by official ship to Cloud Emperor City, where he clashed with King Rui’s Martial Arts Grandmaster attendant, Gao Qiuchi. The encounter exposed an old rivalry between the kings, and King Cui left for the Emperor’s Feast after trading barbs with King Rui.

• King Cui and Song Changming sailed toward Cloud Emperor City on a king ship and learned about the spiritual riches of the surrounding sea.
• Song Changming encountered King Rui and his attendant aboard another king ship, but King Cui called him back without replying.
• After reaching the island, Song Changming’s carriage and King Rui’s carriage nearly collided when the unicorn horses panicked, and Gao Qiuchi attacked Song Changming with sword qi.
• Song Changming’s saber force sent Gao Qiuchi tumbling toward the sea, revealing that both attendants were formidable fighters.
• King Cui and King Rui argued over Lin Qi, whom King Rui had once lured away, before King Cui restrained his anger and departed for the Emperor’s Feast with Song Changming.

Song Changming accompanied King Cui to Cloud Emperor City, where he felt the pressure of the imperial aura and saw the immense power protecting the city. King Cui explained that Song Changming would represent Cuibai Way in the Emperor's Feast Cloud Battle, and Song Changming prepared to face the other regions' younger fighters.

• King Rui watched King Cui depart and told Gao Qiuchi to make Song Changming suffer in the upcoming Cloud Battle.
• Song Changming arrived in Cloud Emperor City with King Cui and sensed the formidable rune formation and imperial aura surrounding the city.
• King Cui brought Song Changming to his estate, where they drank Cloud Autumn Wine and discussed the Emperor's Feast.
• King Cui explained that each region's chosen fighter competed in the Cloud Battle and that Song Changming would represent him.
• King Cui said he had chosen Song Changming to dominate the Innate-stage competitors and bring honor to Cuibai Way.

Song Changming accompanied King Cui through meetings with other regional kings before joining him for the Emperor’s Feast at the Cloud Palace. As the feast began, Song Changming entered the palace under the Cloud Emperor’s oppressive heavenly majesty.

• Song Changming cultivated the Sorcery Refining Method and continued tempering his sixth Witch Soldier Seal, which remained incomplete after four years.
• King Xia Li Xuan arrived with Hong Zhen, and he and King Cui agreed their Innate-stage companions would compete in Cloud Battle at the Emperor’s Feast.
• King Cui and Li Xuan played chess through the night, and Li Xuan won before leaving with his entourage.
• Song Changming accompanied King Cui as he met royal clans and old acquaintances, then followed him to the Cloud Palace after imperial officials delivered the decree summoning him.
• Song Changming, King Cui, and the other guests climbed the thousands of steps to the Cloud Palace and entered beneath the emperor’s heavenly majesty.

At the Emperor’s Grand Gathering, Song Changming feasted on spiritual food and wine while the Thirty-Six Feudal Kings reported on their fiefs to the Cloud Emperor. King Cui earned praise and valuable rewards for rebuilding Cuibai Way, and Song Changming prepared for the Cloud Battle as the banquet moved to that next event.

• Song Changming admired the palace murals, then ate spirit food in the hall while Hong Zhen wondered at his appetite.
• The Cloud Emperor arrived, toasted the gathering, and served wine that loosened Song Changming’s bottleneck toward the Grandmaster realm.
• The Cloud Emperor declared that the kings would receive rewards but no punishments as they reported their achievements and discussed lingering demon threats.
• King Cui reported Cuibai Way’s recovery and received praise, three hundred craftsmen, and rare resources from the Cloud Emperor.
• Song Changming continued eating throughout the reports, and King Cui warned him not to let the feast affect his strength for the Cloud Battle.
• The Cloud Battle portion began after the reports concluded.

Song Changming joined the Cloud Battle as King Cui’s representative and watched Hong Zhen defeat King Lianyun’s attendant with a powerful axe strike. King Xia then called in Hong Zhen to challenge the arena’s victor, leaving Hong Zhen standing as the new defender.

• The Cloud Emperor announced the Cloud Battle, and the kings’ and ministers’ attendants gathered outside the hall to compete.
• Song Changming joined King Cui outside, where he and King Xia watched attendants representing King Lianyun and King Tianyun fight; King Lianyun’s attendant narrowly won after half an hour.
• King Xia and King Cui agreed that Hong Zhen would challenge the victor, and Hong Zhen entered the arena with a massive double-bladed axe.
• Hong Zhen’s astral-qi dragon overwhelmed King Lianyun’s exhausted attendant, who conceded and withdrew.
• King Lianyun comforted his attendant while Hong Zhen remained in the arena, having demonstrated that his combat strength surpassed his opponent’s.

Song Changming defeated Hong Zhen and Zhong Wei in succession, then continued winning against challengers at the Cloud Battle until his streak reached twelve victories. The arena fell quiet as no same-realm Martial Artist could overcome him, even when several opponents joined forces.

• Song Changming entered a three-way melee with Hong Zhen and Zhong Wei, and withstood Hong Zhen’s axe strike without retreating.
• Song Changming revealed his perfected Crimson Cloud Saber Art and defeated Hong Zhen by overpowering his strongest axe technique.
• Zhong Wei attacked Song Changming from behind, but Song Changming knocked him away with a palm strike and returned his spiritual saber.
• Song Changming became the first competitor to win consecutively, impressing King Cui, King Xia, and the Cloud Emperor.
• Song Changming defeated successive challengers, including Zhang Shentong, and reached twelve consecutive victories.
• Several Martial Artists joined forces against Song Changming, but they still failed to defeat him.

Song Changming accepted Gao Qiuchi’s challenge and defeated the Martial Arts Grandmaster before Cloud Palace, shocking the assembled kings and ministers. He left Gao Qiuchi battered and humiliated, completing his task and further strengthening King Cui’s standing.

• King Cui decided to call Song Changming back after his ten consecutive victories, but Gao Qiuchi, King Rui’s attendant, challenged him to disrupt his momentum.
• King Cui asked Song Changming about his chances, and Song Changming accepted Gao Qiuchi’s challenge despite being an Innate martial artist facing a Grandmaster.
• Song Changming’s opening slash shattered Gao Qiuchi’s sword intent and forced him to use a powerful protective talisman.
• Song Changming fought Gao Qiuchi for more than a hundred exchanges, using four Witch Soldier Seals to gradually gain the advantage.
• Song Changming shattered Gao Qiuchi’s sword intent, knocked him down, and stomped him into the ground before kicking him away when he tried to rise.
• Song Changming sheathed his saber after defeating Gao Qiuchi, while the onlookers remembered him standing over a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

Song Changming defeated Gao Qiuchi in the Cloud Battle, earning acclaim as an Innate martial artist with Grandmaster-level combat strength. After the contests, the Cloud Emperor released a ticket to the Heavenly Ruins Realm, and Song Changming joined the Grandmasters competing for it.

• Song Changming defeated Gao Qiuchi, who returned injured and could not continue fighting.
• King Cui called Song Changming back, and the remaining attendants and Grandmasters took turns competing in the arena.
• Song Changming watched the Grandmaster battles before he and King Cui received congratulations for his remarkable performance.
• The Cloud Emperor summoned dense spiritual mist and announced that the jade hidden within it was a ticket to the Heavenly Ruins Realm.
• After King Cui encouraged him to try for the ticket, Song Changming entered the mist as Gao Qiuchi and the other Grandmasters pursued the jade.

Song Changming pursued the elusive Magatama, the ticket to the Heavenly Ruins Realm, while powerful competitors fought over it. After driving Gao Qiuchi from the arena, he interrupted Situ Ming’s attempt to seize the Magatama and began a barehanded contest with him.

• Gao Qiuchi chased the Magatama, but Hua Qingchi struck him and Song Changming later kicked him out of the arena.
• King Cui mocked King Rui by offering Gao Qiuchi ordinary bruise ointment, and King Rui accepted the humiliation without acting in front of the Cloud Emperor.
• Song Changming failed to catch the Magatama as it slipped away from his grasp and evaded the other competitors.
• Situ Ming briefly halted the Magatama with a punch, but Song Changming contested his reach and both men failed to seize it.
• Situ Ming challenged Song Changming to a fistfight, and the two battled using only their physical strength as Hua Qingchi and the spectators watched.

Song Changming lost the contest for the Heavenly Ruins Realm ticket but gained insight from fighting Situ Ming, then spoke privately with the Cloud Emperor about his ancient body-refining inheritance. Meanwhile, the Su Clan used a great demon’s attack on the First Army’s camp to keep Hu Zhong from leaving the main city, and the chapter ended with the Su Family Old Grandmasters attacking him.

• Song Changming fought Situ Ming until the Heavenly Ruins Realm ticket was claimed by Bai Qing, then returned to King Cui and reflected on what he had learned.
• The Cloud Emperor privately asked Song Changming about the Ancient Aura on his body, and Song Changming attributed it to an ancient inheritance he had found.
• Su Gongming learned that the ox demon had destroyed half of the First Army’s camp and told Su Dongdan that Hu Donghuo had left the city.
• The ox demon smashed the First Army’s defenses and slaughtered soldiers while they waited for their commander to arrive.
• Hu Zhong interrupted his attempt to condense Purple Mansion Essence Blood and rushed to the camp, but the two Su Family Old Grandmasters blocked him.
• Hu Zhong tried to force his way past the Su Family Old Grandmasters, who attacked him to prevent him from reaching the great demon.

During the Emperor’s Feast, the Su Family used a great demon to lure Hu Donghuo into a trap and kill him, then blocked Hu Zhong from intervening. King Cui returned to Cuibai Main City, where Song Changming and Hu Zhong implicated the Su Clan, leaving King Cui to decide how to respond.

• Hu Donghuo pursued the Black Soul Nether Bull from the main city and fought it at the border of Cuibai Way.
• Su Dongdan appeared and revealed that the bull had lured Hu Donghuo out on his orders; Hu Donghuo was killed, and Hu Zhong found his blood-drained corpse.
• After receiving the news beyond Cloud Palace, King Cui rushed back to Cuibai Main City with Song Changming.
• Hu Zhong told King Cui that the Su Family Old Grandmasters had obstructed him and suspected the Su Clan had arranged Hu Donghuo’s death in retaliation for the broken agreement.
• Song Changming agreed that the Su Clan’s actions were suspicious, while King Cui listened in silence.

After Hu Donghuo's death, King Cui confronted Su Gongming and nearly killed him, provoking Su Dongdan to reveal himself. King Cui and Su Dongdan clashed at the Royal Residence, where King Cui faced the late-stage Grandmaster as his main enemy.

• Su Dongdan ordered Su Gongming to demand the return of supplies from King Cui, while King Cui mourned Hu Donghuo and vowed to avenge him.
• Song Changming inspected the Nineteenth Army, considered improving its rune defenses, and worried that the royal clan was outmatched by the Longevity Su Clan.
• Su Gongming arrived at the Royal Residence, where Hu Fanyi attacked an accompanying Su clan member and King Cui confronted Su Gongming over Hu Donghuo's death.
• King Cui seized Su Gongming, destroyed his protective rune artifact, and prepared to kill him before Su Dongdan arrived and rescued him with a clash of Grandmaster power.
• King Cui identified Su Dongdan as his mortal enemy and declared that he had to kill him to remove the Su Clan.

King Cui and Su Dongdan fought above the city while the Su Family turned its forces against the Hu Royal Family. As Hu Zhong faced the Su Grandmasters alone, Song Changming arrived just as the encirclement closed around him.

• Su Dongdan handed the unconscious Su Gongming to his clan and flew into the sky to fight King Cui away from the city.
• Hu Zhong confronted seven Su Family Old Grandmasters outside the Royal Residence and dragged them into the sky, while more powerful Su Grandmasters emerged from the Su Estate.
• Hu Zhong fled toward Cuibai Way’s border but was wounded by a hidden flying sword and surrounded by Su Xiang and the other Grandmasters.
• Su Xiang demanded that Hu Zhong kneel and submit, but Hu Zhong refused and tried to recover while waiting for reinforcements.
• The Su Grandmasters attacked Hu Zhong, and Song Changming arrived in a storm of red saber aura to break their encirclement.

Song Changming killed Su Muchuan and entered the Red Soil Continent, where he fought Su Jichuan, a Mid-Realm Grandmaster. After Su Jichuan unleashed a devastating attack, Song Changming disappeared, leaving his fate unclear.

• Hu Zhong told Song Changming to flee, but Song Changming stayed as Su Muchuan came to fight him.
• Hu Zhong used a Sixth-tier Talisman Paper to break away with the other Su Family Grandmasters, leaving Su Muchuan alone with Song Changming.
• Song Changming overcame Su Muchuan's protective talismans and killed him with a slash, then took his Cosmic Ring and five drops of Purple Mansion Essence Blood.
• Su Jichuan sensed his brother's death, returned to confront Song Changming, and wounded him with his two short-blade spirit treasures.
• Su Jichuan merged his weapons into a giant azure python, but Song Changming detonated the Thunder Seed in a massive blast.
• Su Jichuan survived with injuries and found that Song Changming had vanished from the devastated Red Soil Continent.

After escaping the Su Family Grandmaster, Song Changming reunited with Su Qingqing, who helped him recover with the fox clan’s Sky Cutting Technique. He considered how to return to the conflict between the Su Family and King Cui, but concluded he needed to perfect his Opening Mansion Method and attempt a breakthrough to the Grandmaster realm.

• Song Changming collapsed on the Red Soil Continent with grave injuries and discovered that his Martial Arts Root had been damaged.
• Su Qingqing found Song Changming and explained that she had arrived with Xi Yanxue as part of the alliance against the Su Clan.
• Su Fengye confronted Song Changming but chose not to attack, warning him to leave before the Su Family Grandmasters found him.
• Song Changming and Su Qingqing fled to West Valley Way, where Su Qingqing used the Sky Cutting Technique to rapidly heal his wounds and repair his Martial Arts Root before fainting from exhaustion.
• After Su Qingqing recovered, Song Changming judged that he could not affect the conflict without becoming a Grandmaster and considered attempting to open his Purple Mansion despite the risks.

After Song Changming escaped the Su Family Grandmasters, Su Qingqing found him and used the Fox clan’s Sky Cutting Technique to heal his wounds and restore his damaged martial foundation. Now recovered, Song Changming considered returning to the conflict but decided he needed to reach the Grandmaster realm first.

• Song Changming crashed onto the Red Soil Continent, badly wounded, and used a sixth-rank healing pill to stay alive.
• Su Qingqing arrived with her mother’s forces, and Su Fengye found them but chose to let Song Changming and Su Qingqing escape.
• Song Changming and Su Qingqing fled to West Valley Way, where she used the Sky Cutting Technique to accelerate his recovery before fainting from exhaustion.
• Song Changming discovered that his wounds and damaged martial foundation had nearly healed, then considered opening his Purple Mansion to gain the strength needed to affect the battle.

After recovering from his injuries, Song Changming used the Potential Unleashed status to perfect the Opening Mansion Method and break through to the Grandmaster realm. He revealed his new power in the city and reunited with the awakened Su Qingqing, who celebrated his achievement.

• Song Changming received the Potential Unleashed status after midnight and perfected the Opening Mansion Method before dawn.
• Song Changming took Earth Heart Fire Milk and used the Opening Mansion Method to open his Purple Mansion, forming Purple Mansion Essence Blood and reaching the Grandmaster realm.
• Song Changming struck the sky with his new power, scattering the clouds and leaving a huge palm print that startled the city's residents and martial experts.
• Su Qingqing awoke and found Song Changming in the courtyard, then joined him for a meal he had prepared.
• Song Changming confirmed to Su Qingqing that he had become a Grandmaster and credited her treatment of his injuries with helping him succeed.