Chapter Summaries

Zhuge Xiang used the Heavenly Demon Zen Sound to end his fight with the Four Arms King, but the Four Arms King’s Slaying Luo Sword turned on him after his battle heart wavered. Forced to attack Zhuge Xiang to keep the sword from draining him to death, the Four Arms King triggered Zhuge Xiang’s mandatory quest, and Zhuge Xiang called on Wu Xuemei for help.

• Zhuge Xiang persuaded the Four Arms King to stop fighting by showing that they were equals and explaining that pointless slaughter was unnecessary.
• The Four Arms King’s Slaying Luo Sword pierced his palm and began draining his vital essence because his battle heart had wavered under the Heavenly Demon Zen Sound.
• Wu Xuemei and another Asura King explained that the Slaying Luo Sword was a powerful demonic weapon forged by an Asura Emperor and that it could kill a master whose battle heart faltered.
• The Slaying Luo Sword gave the Four Arms King one stick of incense to kill Zhuge Xiang, and a mandatory quest appeared requiring Zhuge Xiang to save him or slay him.
• The Four Arms King charged Zhuge Xiang with all four Lingbao, and Zhuge Xiang shouted at Wu Xuemei to help him.

Zhuge Xiang and Wu Xuemei suppressed the Four Arms King, and Zhuge Xiang’s demonic clone used the Dragon’s Judgment Sword to cut the king’s HP down to 30,000. The Four Arms King still appeared confident of victory, leaving Zhuge Xiang wary of an unexpected threat.

• Wu Xuemei used Peach Blossom Tomb to briefly distract the Four Arms King, allowing Zhuge Xiang to stab him with the Blade of Destruction and inflict grave injury.
• Zhuge Xiang enlarged his Demonic True Body and swept through the Flame God Palace, destroying it and killing many Asuras and female Rakshasas.
• Zhuge Xiang summoned a demonic clone with the Demon Transformation Bottle and used Heavenly Demon Zen Sound to weaken the Four Arms King alongside Wu Xuemei’s illusion.
• The Blood King Long Qingtian heard the clash from the Blood Sea but refused to approach because Zhuge Xiang’s Zen sound had once shaken his battle-heart.
• Zhuge Xiang’s demonic clone struck the Four Arms King with the Dragon’s Judgment Sword, lowering his HP to 30,000, but the king remained confident and unnerved Zhuge Xiang.

Zhuge Xiang survived Four Arms King's reflected attack, summoned Xiao Yue, and used its power to make Slaying Luo Sword abandon Four Arms King and acknowledge him as its master. He gained the sword and completed the Demonic Sword quest, reaching the eighth layer of the True Essence Realm.

• Four Arms King used Slaying Luo Sword to reflect Zhuge Xiang's Dragon's Judgment Sword, but Zhuge Xiang remained unharmed because their HP had been equalized.
• Zhuge Xiang summoned Xiao Yue and used Devourer's Treasure to graft the Ancient Moon Devouring Divine Dog's abilities onto his demonic avatar.
• Zhuge Xiang's demonic avatar moved to devour Slaying Luo Sword, and the sword blasted Four Arms King's palm apart before offering itself to Zhuge Xiang.
• Wu Xuemei warned Zhuge Xiang that Slaying Luo Sword could turn against its wielder, but he accepted it without hesitation.
• Zhuge Xiang inspected Slaying Luo Sword's abilities and completed the Demonic Sword quest, gaining a level and a Skill Talisman.

Zhuge Xiang defeated the Four Arms King, took the Slaying Luo Sword, and left him questioning his lost fighting spirit. After returning to the Hall of Honored Guests, Zhuge Xiang found Mo Lingna advancing to the Void Core Stage, and they reunited.

• The Slaying Luo Sword accepted Zhuge Xiang as its master, and the injured Four Arms King conceded defeat and praised him.
• Zhuge Xiang challenged the Four Arms King's identity as an Asura King, then left the Flame Plains with Wu Xuemei; the Four Arms King resolved to recover his fighting heart.
• Wu Xuemei asked Zhuge Xiang to help find a Dragon's Eye and Phoenix Feather, but he explained that the Black Flood Dragon's eyes would not suffice and stayed at Demon Hand Mountain.
• Zhuge Xiang left the Asura Path, leaving his Demon Transformation Bottle and instructions behind, while rumors spread that he might conquer the region.
• Zhuge Xiang returned to the Hall of Honored Guests and sensed Mo Lingna had reached the Void Core Stage.
• Mo Lingna welcomed Zhuge Xiang back, checked that he was uninjured, and invited him to take her.

Zhuge Xiang received an imperial decree to join National Teacher Hu in suppressing the Ghost King Sect at Strange Stone Mountain, where a Mysterious Yin Jade Heart had been discovered. As the imperial fleet set out with the Crown Prince, Zhuge Xiang worried that Lu Yuling’s changing nature and the Crown Prince’s reluctance to face battle would complicate the mission.

• The eunuch delivered the Emperor’s decree ordering Zhuge Xiang and National Teacher Hu to go to Strange Stone Mountain within three days and suppress the spirits and Ghost King Sect.
• The eunuch explained that the imperial family intended to use the jade mine dispute to punish the Ghost King Sect and warn other sects against defying the Dynasty.
• Zhuge Xiang realized the mine was the one Lu Yuling had sought, and Lu Yuling warned him to be careful before leaving with a colder demeanor than before.
• Three days later, the imperial family dispatched a hundred warships carrying thousands of Soul Formation Realm cultivators toward Strange Stone Mountain.
• Aboard the Imperial Dragon Ship, the Crown Prince hoped the Ghost King Sect would retreat, while National Teacher Hu anticipated a bitter battle and Zhuge Xiang doubted the Crown Prince’s judgment.

At the imperial family’s mining ceremony at Strange Stone Mountain, the Ghost King Sect revealed that a Gate of Hell connected the Mysterious Yin Jade Mine to the Hungry Ghost Path. The Crown Prince was left facing a crisis that could force the imperial family to abandon the mine or risk unleashing a flood of ghosts.

• Cultivators from across the Great Tang Dynasty gathered at Strange Stone Mountain to witness the imperial family begin mining the Mysterious Yin Jade Mine.
• The Crown Prince arrived with a hundred warships and five Void Returning experts, while Zhuge Xiang accompanied him.
• The Ghost King Sect’s three Void Returning experts congratulated the Crown Prince, then an elder announced that ghosts were gathering beneath the mountain.
• The elder revealed a Gate of Hell leading to the Hungry Ghost Path and said eighteen Ghost King Sect elders were struggling to suppress it.
• The Crown Prince realized that forcing the Ghost King Sect to yield the mine could leave the imperial family confronting the Gate of Hell and its ghosts.

The Crown Prince had to decide whether the Great Tang Dynasty would claim Strange Stone Mountain despite the Gate of Hell. After Zhuge Xiang urged him to protect the royal family’s dignity, the Crown Prince ordered the Ghost King Sect to withdraw and prepared the royal army to fight the ghosts.

• The Crown Prince asked Zhuge Xiang, Hu Xian'er, and four Void Realm experts how to handle the Gate of Hell, but the experts hesitated to advise him.
• Hu Xian'er asked Zhuge Xiang for his opinion, and he argued that the royal family should claim Strange Stone Mountain rather than surrender its dignity.
• The Crown Prince accepted Zhuge Xiang’s advice, thanked the Ghost King Sect for its supposed aid, and ordered it to withdraw from the mountain.
• The sinister elder of the Ghost King Sect warned Zhuge Xiang indirectly, but Zhuge Xiang and the Crown Prince answered with pointed remarks about the sect’s loyalty.
• After the Ghost King Sect withdrew, fierce spirits and ghosts poured out of the Gate of Hell, and the Crown Prince ordered the royal army to annihilate them.

Zhuge Xiang persuaded the sect representatives to aid the imperial army against the endless ghosts pouring from the Gate of Hell, then pressured the Ghost King Sect into joining the defense. The Ghost King Sect agreed to fight rather than risk a collective crusade for causing the invasion.

• Several thousand Spiritization Stage practitioners struggled to hold back the ghosts pouring from the devil caves, and the Crown Prince asked Hu Xian'er to summon reinforcements.
• Zhuge Xiang stopped Hu Xian'er and urged the large sects to help protect the common people from the ghost invasion.
• Representatives from one sect after another joined the imperial forces, leaving the Ghost King Sect surprised and isolated.
• Zhuge Xiang and Hu Xian'er implied that the invasion was man-made and threatened a joint crusade against whoever was responsible.
• The Ghost King Sect's gloomy old leader agreed to send his people into battle to avoid public outrage and destruction of the sect.

The Gate of Hell unleashed the Great Belly Ghost King, a mighty Hungry Ghost Path ruler who emerged from Strange Stone Mountain and devoured a Ghost King Sect powerhouse. As the Great Belly Ghost King targeted Hu Xian'er, she evaded his grasp, but his attention fixed even more firmly on her.

• The royal forces and Ghost King Sect fought the evil ghosts while more than a dozen Void Returning Stage Ghost King Sect cultivators charged into Strange Stone Mountain to close the Gate of Hell.
• Strange Stone Mountain shook, and a massive pillar of ghost Qi erupted as the evil ghosts howled in welcome.
• The Great Belly Ghost King burst through the mountain, seized a Ghost King Sect powerhouse, and swallowed him.
• The Ghost King Sect elder identified the giant as one of the Hungry Ghost Path's Thirty-Six Kings, a Tribulation Crossing Stage ghost rumored to swallow a dozen cities.
• The Great Belly Ghost King reached for Hu Xian'er, but she darted between his fingers, prompting him to focus his attention on her.

Hu Xian'er used her Evil Eye’s sacrificial power to raise her cultivation to the Dharma Aspect Realm and confront the Great Belly Ghost King. As the other Void Returning Stage experts on Strange Stone Mountain joined the fight, they surrounded their common enemy.

• The Great Belly Ghost King pressed a world-sealing palm toward Hu Xian'er.
• Hu Xian'er opened the Evil Eye on her forehead, transformed into a Nine-tailed Demon Fox, and sacrificed something to exchange for greater cultivation.
• Hu Xian'er reached the Dharma Aspect Realm and unleashed her Demon Fox Dharma Aspect, growing to hundreds of zhang tall.
• The Great Belly Ghost King welcomed Hu Xian'er's increased strength as an even more enticing meal.
• The Ghost King Sect's remaining Void Returning Stage experts, representatives of major sects, and the imperial family's experts moved to attack the Great Belly Ghost King.

The Great Belly Ghost King overwhelmed Hu Xian'er and the Return to Void powerhouses while the ghost horde threatened to break the imperial army’s defenses. Zhuge Xiang used the Heavenly Demon Zen Sound to subdue the spirits and briefly stagger the Ghost King, but Hu Xian'er’s attack barely wounded it, leaving Zhuge Xiang determined to stop its invasion.

• The Great Belly Ghost King slaughtered the attacking Return to Void powerhouses and grew stronger by devouring them, while the ghost horde pushed the imperial army toward collapse.
• Hu Xian'er called on Zhuge Xiang to use his Heavenly Demon Zen Sound against the Great Belly Ghost King.
• Zhuge Xiang’s Zen sound spread across Strange Stone Mountain and made the fierce spirits and evil ghosts abandon their hostility and become docile.
• The Zen sound briefly affected the Great Belly Ghost King, allowing Hu Xian'er to slash its belly, but her claws inflicted only a minor wound.
• Zhuge Xiang resolved that the Great Belly Ghost King must not be allowed to invade.

Zhuge Xiang used a Skill Talisman to raise Heavenly Demon Zen Sound to its ninth tier and stop the Great Belly Ghost King’s attack. The chapter left the ghost king’s will on the verge of being purified as people across the region gathered their attention on Zhuge Xiang.

• Zhuge Xiang accepted the mandatory quest to stop the Great Belly Ghost King from invading the human world, with a two-level reward and an Intermediate Big Turntable at stake.
• The Great Belly Ghost King opened its mouth and unleashed a suction force that swallowed cultivators, spirits, and everything around it, prompting the Crown Prince and imperial cultivators to flee.
• Zhuge Xiang used a Skill Talisman to raise Heavenly Demon Zen Sound to the ninth tier for thirty seconds.
• Zhuge Xiang’s Zen sound and golden radiance calmed the spirits and weakened the Great Belly Ghost King’s Hungry Ghost Path will, though the ghost king still struggled against the purification.
• People across Strange Stone Mountain and the surrounding region turned toward Zhuge Xiang, while powerful figures took notice of the immense Zen sound.

Zen Master Da Wu learned that someone had mastered all nine diagrams of the Heavenly Demon Zen Sound and sent ten experts to invite that person to the Heavenly Dragon Temple. Zhuge Xiang defeated the Great Belly Ghost King and advanced to Gathering Origin Stage, Level 1.

• Zen Master Da Wu summoned the Heavenly Dragon Temple’s senior monks and revealed that he had sensed someone using the complete Heavenly Demon Zen Sound.
• The monks debated how an outsider could have learned the technique, but they could not explain how anyone entered the Heavenly Dragon Town Evil Pagoda or mastered all nine diagrams.
• Zen Master Da Wu dispatched ten Void Returning Stage experts to the Great Tang Dynasty to invite the unknown cultivator to the temple.
• Zhuge Xiang used the Heavenly Demon Zen Sound to subdue and defeat the Great Belly Ghost King, completing the Guard the Mortal Realm quest.
• Zhuge Xiang received his rewards and advanced three levels to Gathering Origin Stage, Level 1, as his true qi compressed toward a small illusory pellet.

Zhuge Xiang helped end the crisis at Strange Stone Mountain, then escorted the Great Belly Ghost King toward a new life at South Departure Mountain. After finding the Mysterious Yin Jade Heart, Lu Yuling prepared to leave for years of seclusion, leaving Zhuge Xiang uncertain about their future friendship.

• The Ghost King Sect and other sect representatives thanked Zhuge Xiang after his Heavenly Demon Zen Sound purified the Great Belly Ghost King and ended the battle.
• Zhuge Xiang suggested that the Great Belly Ghost King go to South Departure Mountain, where he could stay with the Fire Control Tribe.
• Zhuge Xiang stayed at Strange Stone Mountain to search the Mysterious Yin Jade Mine, and Lu Yuling led him to its Mysterious Yin Jade Heart.
• Zhuge Xiang left Lu Yuling alone with the jade heart, and they later rejoined the Crown Prince for the return journey to the imperial palace.
• Lu Yuling told Zhuge Xiang she was leaving to cultivate in seclusion for several years and attempt to reach the Golden Core Stage, and he let her go.

After Zhuge Xiang reported his role in the Strange Stone Mountain battle, the emperor rewarded him by letting him choose three materials from the imperial treasure repository. There, Zhuge Xiang met the repository’s seemingly senile guardian, Old Man Li, who asked him to retrieve a pitch-black stone, leaving the eunuch wondering whether the old man was a powerful expert.

• The Crown Prince reported Zhuge Xiang’s actions at Strange Stone Mountain, astonishing the emperor and court officials with his Gathering Origin Stage cultivation and ability to convert the Great Belly Ghost King.
• The emperor offered Zhuge Xiang a reward, and Zhuge Xiang requested materials for forging and pill refining, revealing that he was an intermediate artificer, pill refiner, and appraiser.
• The emperor allowed Zhuge Xiang to choose any three materials from the imperial treasure repository, and Zhuge Xiang told the eunuch that protecting the Great Tang Dynasty’s imperial dignity mattered most.
• At the repository entrance, Zhuge Xiang respectfully greeted the guardian, Old Man Li, whose strength he could not discern.
• Old Man Li praised Zhuge Xiang and asked him to bring out a pitch-black stone from the repository’s first floor.
• The eunuch asked Zhuge Xiang whether Old Man Li was an extraordinary person after seeing him show the guardian unusual respect.

Zhuge Xiang searched the Great Tang Dynasty’s imperial treasury and collected three treasures, including the True Dragon’s Eye and a Fire Black Lotus King. After refining an enhanced Super Spirit Qi Secret Medicine and reuniting with Mo Lingna, he was interrupted by Die Wu’s abrupt arrival.

• Zhuge Xiang found and took the Nine-Orifice Demon Heart, the Fire Black Lotus King, and the True Dragon’s Eye from the imperial treasury.
• Zhuge Xiang learned that Old Man Li had left for his hometown, so he kept the Nine-Orifice Demon Heart safe for him.
• Zhuge Xiang returned to the Hall of Honored Guests, where Mo Lingna told him her cultivation had stabilized at the Void Core Stage.
• Zhuge Xiang refined an enhanced Super Spirit Qi Secret Medicine that granted zero cooldown and zero consumption for 600 seconds.
• Die Wu kicked open the courtyard door and barged in looking like a beggar.

Die Wu asked Zhuge Xiang to find the mysterious Illusionary Nether King in the Scorching Desert so she could use its abilities to help Xiao Dou. Zhuge Xiang accepted the system quest for its rewards and set off alone, leaving Mo Lingna worried for his safety.

• Die Wu told Zhuge Xiang that the Illusionary Nether King could control senses, create illusions, and devour thoughts, but no one knew its appearance or exact whereabouts.
• Zhuge Xiang questioned whether he could find or defeat a creature that dozens of Void Returning Stage experts had failed to kill.
• The system offered Zhuge Xiang a quest to bring the Illusionary Nether King to the Hall of Honored Guests, with no failure penalty and generous rewards, and he accepted.
• Zhuge Xiang agreed to search the Scorching Desert, reasoning that his Sword Soul and Heavenly Demon Zen Sound could protect him against illusions.
• Mo Lingna asked to accompany Zhuge Xiang, but he refused, and she stayed behind after warning him to return alive.
• Zhuge Xiang flew toward the Scorching Desert while Mo Lingna reproached Die Wu for sending him into danger.

Zhuge Xiang searched the Scorching Desert for the Illusionary Nether King and learned that it had both cruelly tormented and selflessly aided cultivators, though no one could remember its appearance or strength. After ten fruitless days, the Illusionary Nether King contacted him directly.

• Zhuge Xiang entered the Scorching Desert and began searching for the Illusionary Nether King.
• Ten Heavenly Dragon Temple Return to Void Realm cultivators arrived in the Great Tang Dynasty seeking Zhuge Xiang and the Heavenly Demon Zen Sound.
• Zhuge Xiang flew across the Scorching Desert but found no trace of the Illusionary Nether King.
• Zhuge Xiang questioned cultivators who hated or cherished the Illusionary Nether King and heard accounts of its cruelty and kindness.
• The cultivators could remember their encounters with the Illusionary Nether King but could not recall its appearance, strength, or gender.
• After ten days of searching, the Illusionary Nether King spoke to Zhuge Xiang and asked what he wanted to say.

The Illusionary Nether King agreed to help Zhuge Xiang’s friend Die Wu, but turned hostile when she learned he served the Great Tang Dynasty and trapped him in an illusion. The illusion left Zhuge Xiang as a young beggar who avenged his grandfather’s death, then waited at the town’s entrance for someone he felt was important.

• The Illusionary Nether King welcomed Zhuge Xiang’s request to help Die Wu until he said she was in the Great Tang Dynasty’s imperial palace.
• Remembering the Great Tang imperial family’s ambush, the Illusionary Nether King attacked Zhuge Xiang with her illusionary arts.
• Zhuge Xiang used his Sword Soul to resist, but the Illusionary Nether King overwhelmed him and cast him into an illusion as a twelve- or thirteen-year-old beggar.
• After the old beggar who had raised him died protecting him from a wealthy family’s dogs, Zhuge Xiang buried him and took a knife into town.
• Zhuge Xiang slipped into the wealthy family’s manor and killed more than twenty people before leaving at dawn.
• At the town’s entrance, Zhuge Xiang stopped and waited, feeling that someone important was supposed to appear.

The Illusionary Nether King trapped Zhuge Xiang in an illusion based on his life, but could not reproduce the black ring’s data cultivation system. In the illusion, Zhuge Xiang failed to cultivate and was expelled from the Asura Sect, while the Illusionary Nether King remained unable to summon the important people she meant to torment.

• Zhuge Xiang entered the Asura Sect outer sect with a persistent feeling that his life was unfamiliar and recognized Niu Geng before the boy introduced himself.
• Zhuge Xiang repeatedly searched the lake bottom and recovered a pitch-black ring that felt like a part of him.
• Zhuge Xiang wore the ring for a year without practicing the Qi Nourishing Fist, failed to gain Qi perception, and was expelled from the outer sect.
• Zhuge Xiang returned to begging and living in a dilapidated temple, believing the ring held his chance to rise above others.
• The Illusionary Nether King watched Zhuge Xiang’s life in the illusion and wondered why she could not reproduce the ring’s functions.
• The Illusionary Nether King realized that Zhuge Xiang’s ring and the Sword Soul had altered his memories, leaving the people she intended to torment absent from the illusion.