Chapter Summaries

Wang Yuan and Xiao Jin fought a devastating battle in the narrow pass, with Wang Yuan ultimately overpowering Xiao Jin’s blade strike but suffering injuries and heavy armor damage. The clash left Xiao Jin embedded in the cliff and Wang Yuan standing, though both had been hurt.

• Xiao Jin charged Wang Yuan with the Nine Nether Baleful Suppression Demon Blade, and Wang Yuan met his attack with overwhelming strength.
• The two fought through the pass as Xiao Jin’s blade repeatedly targeted gaps in Wang Yuan’s armor and Wang Yuan counterattacked with powerful punches.
• Xiao Jin’s concentrated blood-thread slash sheared away Wang Yuan’s left shoulder armor and cut his shoulder.
• Wang Yuan compressed all his power into a final punch, and Xiao Jin answered with a full-force blade strike.
• Their collision sent Xiao Jin through the western cliff and knocked his blade away, while Wang Yuan remained standing with cracked armor, a bleeding wound, and blood at his mouth.
• Xiao Jin slowly raised his head from the recess in the cliff and looked toward Wang Yuan.

Wang Yuan refused to retreat as Xiao Jin launched a devastating strike, choosing to protect the people behind him even after his armor and defenses had been shattered. The blade pierced his abdomen, but Wang Yuan seized it and remained standing, still facing Xiao Jin.

• Xiao Jin recovered his Nine Nether Baleful Suppression Demon Blade and attacked Wang Yuan, declaring that Wang Yuan’s damaged armor and body could not withstand another strike.
• Daoist Fencang and Su Qinghan urged Wang Yuan to retreat, while Yan Wushuang and Luo Qingyi watched anxiously from cover.
• Wang Yuan refused to fall back, citing the warriors and civilians behind him, and braced his body to withstand Xiao Jin’s blow.
• Xiao Jin’s blade shattered Wang Yuan’s remaining armor and pierced his abdomen, but Wang Yuan caught the blade with his muscles and clamped down on it.
• Xiao Jin forced the blade deeper, while Wang Yuan seized it with both hands and remained upright as the Northern Frontier Army cheered.
• Wang Yuan looked at Xiao Jin with the light still in his eyes, despite the blade lodged in his abdomen and the killing intent tearing through his body.

Wang Yuan awakened the Divine Skill Weapon Devouring, Skill Forging, after devouring the Killing Intent of Xiao Jin’s Nine Nether Baleful Suppression Demon Blade. He healed from the blade wound and prepared to turn the stolen weapon essence into power for his cultivation techniques.

• Xiao Jin’s Demon Blade pierced Wang Yuan, but Wang Yuan endured the pain and began devouring the blade’s Killing Intent.
• Xiao Jin pulled the Demon Blade from Wang Yuan, and Wang Yuan’s Vital Blood rapidly sealed his wound as the Talent Bead reached complete Perfection.
• Wang Yuan awakened Weapon Devouring, Skill Forging, which let him devour divine weapons and use their essence to upgrade his cultivation techniques.
• Wang Yuan gathered the stolen Killing Intent into a dark-golden sphere and told Xiao Jin he would take his blade and head.
• Wang Yuan chose to allocate the weapon essence to the sixth layer of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Vajra Divine Skill.

Wang Yuan completed the sixth layer of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Vajra Divine Skill by devouring the Nine Nether Baleful Suppression Demon Blade’s essence, then defeated Xiao Jin and shattered his blade. He left the Northern Frontier Cavalry in disarray and ordered them to surrender or withdraw from Chiyan Valley within an hour.

• Wang Yuan devoured nearly forty percent of the Demon Blade’s essence, broke through to the sixth layer, and weakened Xiao Jin through the backlash.
• Wang Yuan punched Xiao Jin’s blade repeatedly, shattered the Nine Nether Baleful Suppression Demon Blade, and battered Xiao Jin into the rubble.
• Yan Wushuang, Daoist Fencang, Luo Qingyi, and Su Qinghan witnessed Wang Yuan’s victory as the Northern Frontier Cavalry began to lose formation.
• Wang Yuan announced Xiao Jin’s defeat and gave the Northern Frontier Cavalry one hour to surrender or leave Chiyan Valley, warning that fugitives would not be pursued.

Cornered by Wang Yuan, Xiao Jin recounted how the Heavenly Sword Sect destroyed his love with Shen, prompting his rise and revenge before she died alone. He stood ready to face Wang Yuan, vowing that he regretted nothing and would bring down the sects and Imperial Court alike.

• A Deputy General charged into the pass with more than a hundred guards to rescue Xiao Jin, while several young officers fled toward the rear.
• Xiao Jin told Wang Yuan how Shen’s family betrothed her to Lu Qingyun of the Heavenly Sword Sect, who crippled Xiao Jin when they tried to meet.
• Xiao Jin described rising through the ranks, exterminating the Heavenly Sword Sect, and finding Shen’s grave after she had been cast aside and died alone.
• Xiao Jin pointed out the fleeing officers and the loyal guards, observing that the cowardly preserved their lives while the loyal risked theirs.
• Xiao Jin stood to face Wang Yuan and declared that he did not regret destroying the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Four Sects of Cloud Province, and would bring down the Imperial Court too.

Xiao Jin warned Wang Yuan that his ability to devour divine weapons would make him the enemy of every power that relied on them, then dismissed his guards and killed himself. Wang Yuan accepted the danger and walked on, welcoming the struggle ahead as dawn broke over Chiyan Valley.

• Xiao Jin told Wang Yuan that the Great Yin Imperial Court and the sects would hunt him because he could devour their divine weapons and demon blades.
• Wang Yuan asked whether Xiao Jin was telling him this to seek mercy, and Xiao Jin said he wanted forgiveness rather than rescue.
• Xiao Jin ordered his guards to retreat and tell the fleeing officers that he would never forgive them, even in death.
• Xiao Jin said he had avenged Xue'er, warned Wang Yuan to stay alive, and cut his own throat with the broken blade.
• Wang Yuan reflected on Xiao Jin's warning, then embraced the prospect of struggling against everyone under heaven as he walked toward the pass.

After Wang Yuan helped Chiyan Valley defeat the Great Yin Imperial Court’s army at the mountain pass, the survivors hailed him as Lord of Cloud Province and Daoist Xuanyuan. He ordered the wounded and dead to be cared for, vowed to settle accounts with the court, and left Xiao Jin’s body to be buried.

• The Red-Robed Death Soldiers emerged from hiding and celebrated after the Northern Frontier Cavalry retreated.
• Yan Wushuang and Daoist Fencang acknowledged the victory, while Su Qinghan reflected that Wang Yuan had turned their desperate situation around.
• Wang Yuan sealed away the remaining origin from Xiao Jin’s shattered Nine Nether Baleful Suppression Demon Blade.
• The survivors shouted for Wang Yuan as Lord of Cloud Province and Daoist Xuanyuan.
• Wang Yuan ordered the survivors to treat the wounded, gather the dead, and record their names, then vowed that Chiyan Valley’s losses would be avenged against the Great Yin Imperial Court.
• Wang Yuan ordered Xiao Jin buried and walked toward the inner side of the pass.

Wei Ping and Ji Mie Arhat heard conflicting reports about the battle at Chiyan Valley and prepared for the possible collapse of Cloud Province. The chapter ended with a novice correcting Ji Mie Arhat: Xiao Jin had been killed, the Demon Blade had shattered, and twenty thousand Imperial Court cavalry had fled south.

• A Bitao Sect spy told Wei Ping that Xiao Jin was dead and the Northern Frontier Army had scattered, so Wei Ping ordered the sect to prepare its boats and supplies for a move to the south shore of Jadewater Marsh.
• Ji Mie Arhat discussed Xiao Jin’s power and the threat the Imperial Court posed to the Temple of Boundless Beings with Yuan Kong.
• A novice delivered a report that Ji Mie Arhat misread as saying Xiao Jin had broken through Chiyan Valley and would advance on Yunmiao Mountain.
• The novice corrected Ji Mie Arhat, saying the report stated that Xiao Jin had been killed, the Demon Blade had shattered, and twenty thousand Imperial Court cavalry had fled south.

After learning that Wang Yuan killed Xiao Jin at Chiyan Valley, Ji Mie Arhat decided to return to Cloud Province despite his injuries. In the imperial court, Zhou Yan reported Xiao Jin’s death and warned Emperor Wei Guang that the northern defenses were at risk, but the emperor cut him off.

• A novice reported that Wang Yuan defeated Xiao Jin at Chiyan Valley, shattered the Nine Nether Baleful Suppression Demon Blade, and forced the Northern Frontier Cavalry to flee.
• Yuan Kong predicted that Wang Yuan would unite Cloud Province’s forces and urged Ji Mie Arhat to prepare for the Imperial Court’s retaliation.
• Ji Mie Arhat said he would visit Cloud Province again to see Wang Yuan, despite his chest injuries.
• Zhou Yan reported Xiao Jin’s death to Emperor Wei Guang and requested reinforcements for the northern defenses and honors for Xiao Jin.
• Emperor Wei Guang told Zhou Yan, “Enough.”

Emperor Wei Guang rejected Zhou Yan’s plea to honor the dead General Xiao Jin and ordered Zhou Yan executed. After learning the Yunzhou Rebel Army had united under Wang Yuan and threatened to march south, Wei Guang considered the danger of fighting them while the Northern Frontier stood undefended.

• Emperor Wei Guang dismissed Zhou Yan’s arguments for compensating Xiao Jin’s forces and honoring his service.
• Wei Xian accused Xiao Jin of losing troops and the Demon Blade, and challenged Zhou Yan over the cost of the defeat.
• Wei Guang ordered Zhou Yan dragged away to be skinned and boiled, and Zhou Yan warned that the Northern Frontier could not be left empty.
• An urgent report told Wei Guang that Wang Yuan had become Alliance Master, the Six Great Factions of Yunzhou had submitted, and the rebel army threatened to march south.
• Wei Guang vowed to crush the rebels, but Wei Xian warned that moving the army south could leave the realm exposed to the Barbarian Cavalry.

Wei Guang ordered a campaign to crush Cloud Province after its factions united, while Wang Yuan refined the Nine Nether Baleful Suppression Demon Blade’s essence. Wang Yuan broke through to the seventh layer of Nine Heavens Mountain and Late-Stage Organ Tempering, leaving only two layers before Grandmaster.

• Wei Guang ordered garrisons to reinforce the Northern Frontier and encircle Cloud Province, with Zhao Xuan overseeing the campaign.
• Wei Guang dismissed the shattered Demon Blade’s fragments as worthless and said Xiao Jin’s remaining cavalry could return to the army or disband.
• Wang Yuan refined the Demon Blade’s remaining essence in seclusion beneath Chiyan Valley and used it to temper Nine Heavens Mountain’s twin Force Power cores.
• The twin cores split into four, allowing Wang Yuan to break through to the seventh layer of Nine Heavens Mountain and Late-Stage Organ Tempering.
• Wang Yuan left the Quiet Room and headed toward the surface, recognizing that only the eighth and ninth layers separated him from Grandmaster.

Wang Yuan met with his allies after emerging from seclusion and heard that the Three-Sect Allied Army had gained support across Cloud Province. The leaders debated how to deal with the Bitao Sect, and Wang Yuan revealed that his subordinate Liu Canglan had explained the sect’s divided loyalties.

• Wang Yuan returned to Chiyan Valley, where Yan Wushuang reported that Daoist Fencang, Su Qinghan, and Situ Lie were waiting in the Deliberation Hall.
• Daoist Fencang and Su Qinghan reported that Cloud Province factions were submitting to the Three-Sect Allied Army and that Qinghe Prefecture City was secure.
• Wang Yuan asked about the Bitao Sect, whose master Wei Ping had withdrawn with his forces to the southern bank of Jadewater Marsh.
• Daoist Fencang urged an attack to destroy the Bitao Sect, while Su Qinghan proposed persuading Wei Ping to submit and hand over control of the waterways.
• Wang Yuan said he had an affinity with the Bitao Sect through Liu Canglan, who told him that many of its water troops came from boat-dwelling families and were not loyal to Wei Ping.

Wang Yuan gave Wei Ping one day to surrender the Bitao Sect and provide Jadewater Marsh’s charts and troop roster, warning that refusal meant death. After his elders urged him to submit, Wei Ping sent He Shouyi to Chiyan Valley with the sect’s token and records, offering the sect and its forces to the allied army.

• Wang Yuan offered to preserve the Bitao Sect if Wei Ping surrendered within a day and handed over the marsh’s waterway charts and Water Troops roster.
• Situ Lie predicted Wei Ping would submit before the deadline because he could not withstand pressure.
• He Shouyi urged Wei Ping to surrender, citing the allied army’s strength, the sect’s lack of escape, and Deputy Sect Master Liu’s position beside Wang Yuan.
• Wei Ping recalled his fear of Xiao Jin and ordered He Shouyi to deliver the marsh charts, troop and granary registers, and Sect Master’s Token to Wang Yuan.
• Wei Ping declared that the Bitao Sect would surrender and place Jadewater Marsh, three thousand Water Troops, and twenty warships at the allied army’s disposal.

At Chiyan Valley, Elder Mu explained how the Great Yin imperial clan used the Nine Cauldrons to create Acquired Demon Blades, revealing that Xiao Jin’s weapon may have been part of a plan to control him. Wang Yuan realized his ability could devour even the Nine Cauldrons and asked Elder Mu about their origins.

• He Shouyi left Jadewater Marsh for Chiyan Valley, and Wei Ping accepted that he would have to surrender.
• Wang Yuan asked Daoist Fencang, Su Qinghan, Situ Lie, and Elder Mu what divine weapons and demon armaments were.
• Elder Mu said Innate Divine Weapons arose naturally, while Acquired Demon Blades could be cultivated from them through bloodlines and a nation’s power.
• Elder Mu speculated that the Great Yin imperial clan had used the Nine Cauldrons to create Xiao Jin’s blade and that Xiao Jin had unknowingly been their pawn.
• Wang Yuan realized his ability could devour the Nine Cauldrons and asked Elder Mu where they had come from.

Elder Mu explained the grades of weapons and the ranks of Weapon Masters, including the legendary weapon lord. Wang Yuan considered whether his Weapon Devouring, Skill Forging could form a bond with powerful weapons, but decided to settle the Bitao Sect matter first.

• Elder Mu explained that the Nine Cauldrons were an Innate Divine Weapon that had sustained the Wei Family's rule over Great Yin for five hundred years.
• Elder Mu described the five weapon grades and clarified that Daoist Fencang's Chiyan Coiled Dragon Armor was only a top-tier spirit weapon.
• Elder Mu outlined the ranks of Weapon Masters, from borrowing a weapon's power to resonating with it and becoming a weapon lord.
• Wang Yuan wondered whether Weapon Devouring, Skill Forging could let him bond with weapons more deeply than a weapon lord, but kept his thoughts to himself.
• Wang Yuan resolved to handle the Bitao Sect matter before pursuing the Nine Cauldrons or his new idea.

Wang Yuan arranged to obtain the Li and Cao Families’ damaged Divine Weapon and Demon Blade fragments, then accepted the Bitao Sect’s surrender under strict conditions. As night fell, he wondered whether Weapon Devouring, Skill Forging should devour the fragments or resonate with them.

• Wang Yuan asked Su Qinghan to locate the Li and Cao Families’ secret vaults and send their weapon fragments to Chiyan Valley within three days.
• Yan Wushuang brought He Shouyi to the Deliberation Hall with the Bitao Sect’s surrender records and Wei Ping’s offer to place its troops and waterways under the allied army’s control.
• He Shouyi explained that Wei Ping had sent him because he feared Wang Yuan would reject him for changing sides.
• Wang Yuan allowed Wei Ping to remain sect master, assigned Liu Canglan to oversee the Bitao Sect’s troops, and placed half its riverside granaries at the allied army’s disposal.
• Wang Yuan told Daoist Fencang he would hold Wei Ping accountable for any renewed disloyalty and trusted Liu Canglan to watch him.
• Wang Yuan looked toward Jadewater Marsh and considered whether Weapon Devouring, Skill Forging should devour or resonate with the incoming fragments.

He Shouyi reported that the Bitao Sect had accepted Wang Yuan’s terms, and Wei Ping agreed to meet him at Chiyan Valley. In southwestern Cloud Province, the weakened Li and Cao families decided to offer their inherited weapon fragments and submit to the Allied Army in exchange for protection.

• He Shouyi told Wei Ping that the Bitao Sect would retain its organization while placing its water troops and waterways under the Allied Army’s control.
• Wei Ping accepted Wang Yuan’s invitation and said he would go to Chiyan Valley the next day to meet him.
• Li Zhenyuan summoned Cao Hongyi after learning that Wang Yuan wanted the families’ Divine Weapon and Demon Blade fragments.
• Li Zhenyuan and Cao Hongyi agreed to send their fragments to Chiyan Valley and ask the Allied Army for protection.
• Li Zhenyuan retrieved the Li family’s broken sword and remnant halberd, and Cao Hongyi said the Cao family would contribute its fragment as well.

Wang Yuan considered what he still needed to reach the Grandmaster Realm and went to Elder Mu to ask about the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown method. Elder Mu began explaining where the three flowers were formed, but the chapter ended before he gave further details.

• The Kaoshan Sect gained fame across Cloud Province after Wang Yuan's victory at Chiyan Valley, and its disciples enjoyed the respect he had earned.
• Wang Yuan studied the last essence of the Nine Nether Baleful Suppression Demon Blade while reflecting on the Grandmaster Realm's requirements.
• Wang Yuan recognized that he lacked methods to condense the Essence Flower, Qi Flower, and Spirit Flower, and considered seeking knowledge from the Kaoshan Sect or the Nine Cauldrons.
• Wang Yuan visited Elder Mu and asked about the Three Flowers Gather at the Crown method.
• Elder Mu began explaining that the Essence Flower formed in the dantian, the Qi Flower in the qi sea, and the Spirit Flower in the niwan.

Wang Yuan studied He Qingyuan’s incomplete Nine Revolutions Soul Condensation Art and discovered that Weapon Devouring, Skill Forging could connect with its method for using a divine weapon or demon blade’s soul to condense the Spirit Flower. He needed stronger weapon souls to complete the technique, so he awaited the Li and Cao Families’ fragments and considered the three Innate Divine Weapons in the Great Yin Imperial Ancestral Temple.

• Elder Mu showed Wang Yuan He Qingyuan’s notes, explaining that the Nine Revolutions Soul Condensation Art’s final steps were missing and required a divine weapon or demon blade’s soul.
• Wang Yuan read the technique’s complete first seven tiers and realized the remaining soul imprint of the Nine Nether Baleful Suppression Demon Blade could serve as its catalyst.
• Wang Yuan used Weapon Devouring, Skill Forging to guide the imprint into the Divine Soul and felt it connect with the interrupted seventh tier, but found the imprint too weak to condense the Spirit Flower.
• Wang Yuan decided he needed more weapon souls, noting that the Li and Cao Families’ fragments were on their way but that intact demon armaments would provide greater soul force.
• Wang Yuan asked Yan Wushuang whether the Li and Cao Families had arrived, learned Li Zhenyuan and Cao Hongyi were expected by the following night, and resumed studying the scroll.

Wang Yuan cultivated the Nine Revolutions Soul Condensation Art to its seventh level, bringing his divine soul to peak organ-tempering strength but lacking the soul power to advance further. As Li Zhenyuan and Cao Hongyi approached Chiyan Valley, Wei Ping arrived first and bowed before Wang Yuan.

• Wang Yuan built on the Mind Concentrating Art and advanced the Nine Revolutions Soul Condensation Art to the seventh level by refining the Nine Nether Baleful Suppression Demon Blade's soul imprint.
• Wang Yuan found that his divine soul could perceive details around him but could barely affect physical objects, and he concluded he needed more soul imprints to reach the Grandmaster threshold.
• Yan Wushuang told Wang Yuan that Li Zhenyuan and Cao Hongyi had reached Qinghe Prefecture City and were expected at Chiyan Valley that afternoon.
• Wei Ping arrived at Chiyan Valley ahead of the others, and Wang Yuan ordered Yan Wushuang to let him in.
• Wei Ping entered the Deliberation Hall and bowed deeply to Wang Yuan, greeting him as the Alliance Master.