Chapter Summaries

Commandant Tan and five sect experts received intelligence about the Stone Mountain Secret Realm, where a scouting team had suffered deadly losses. At Lingxi Peak, Yang Jing told Sun Ningxiang about the dangers awaiting him and promised to protect himself when he entered the realm in two days.

• A wounded scout reported to Commandant Tan that one of five teams sent into the Stone Mountain Secret Realm had been wiped out, while the survivors returned injured after confirming the fiends' positions and strength.
• The scout presented Commandant Tan with a map detailing the secret realm's terrain, Demon Cult strongholds, and hidden dangers.
• Yang Jing told Sun Ningxiang that the scouting mission had cost several experienced cultivators their lives and that at least thirty-nine Demon Cult Agents in the true qi realm were inside.
• Yang Jing explained that some of the fiends had approached the core realm, and admitted he could not know their true strength or hidden methods before fighting them.
• Yang Jing told Sun Ningxiang that Peak Master Bai had refused his request to enter the secret realm early, and he promised to avoid recklessness and return safely.

Yang Jing trained through the night, then learned that the Sect Master had summoned him to the Main Peak Hall before the expedition to the Stone Mountain Secret Realm. He arrived at the hall at dawn, where the sect's senior figures were waiting.

• Yang Jing practiced the Mountain-Splitting Seal and saw that his progress had reached 4198/10000, while the Six-Calamity Heaven Lotus Leaf's medicinal power remained abundant within him.
• Yang Jing decided not to break through to the Core Realm so he could enter the Stone Mountain Secret Realm, then meditated until dawn and restored himself to peak condition.
• A white-robed Main Peak disciple delivered the Sect Master's summons, and Yang Jing agreed to go to the Main Peak Hall.
• Yang Jing walked with the disciple to the Main Peak as Profound Truth Sect disciples greeted him with admiration and respect.
• Yang Jing reached the Main Peak Hall and entered, while the white-robed disciple remained outside.

Yang Jing received the Profound Truth Sect’s heirloom Soul-Guarding Bell before setting out with Cao Zhen and Bai Bing for the Stone Mountain Secret Realm to purge the Demon Cult. They reached the Main Peak’s Back Mountain, where an enormous black eagle arrived to carry them onward.

• Cao Zhen presented Yang Jing with the Soul-Guarding Bell, which could withstand a Core Realm cultivator’s attacks and be detonated to wound one.
• Bai Bing and Cao Zhen urged Yang Jing to prioritize his survival, and Cao Zhen secretly taught him the bell’s detonation incantation.
• Cao Zhen announced that he and Bai Bing would escort Yang Jing to Linshan County, where he would meet the other Heavenly Prodigies before entering the Stone Mountain Secret Realm.
• Yang Jing departed the Main Peak Hall with Cao Zhen and Bai Bing as Sect disciples watched and wished him a safe return.
• At the Back Mountain cliff, an enormous black eagle swooped down and landed before Yang Jing and his escorts.

Cao Zhen and Bai Bing took Yang Jing by Black Eagle to the Stone Mountain Secret Realm in Linshan County, where the Five Great Sects and Government troops had assembled. Yang Jing arrived with the Profound Truth Sect party last and suspected Cao Zhen had timed their entrance to display the sect’s newly regained prestige.

• Cao Zhen and Bai Bing boarded Black Eagle with Yang Jing, and the protector beast flew them toward Linshan County.
• Bai Bing steadied Black Eagle’s flight with her Core Realm Dao resonance, while Cao Zhen formed an astral qi barrier to shield the riders from the wind.
• Yang Jing reflected on his growing opportunities and ambition as Black Eagle carried them across the mountains and rivers.
• After an hour, Black Eagle descended toward the Stone Mountain Secret Realm, where the Five Great Sects and Jintai Prefecture Government troops guarded the sealed perimeter.
• Yang Jing recognized Ouyang Jingxuan and the other tournament prodigies gathered below, and wondered whether Cao Zhen had arranged for the Profound Truth Sect to arrive last to showcase its renewed standing.

Cao Zhen, Ren An, and Commandant Tan gathered the Five Great Sects to plan an assault on the Demon Cult remnants in the Stone Mountain Secret Realm. After reviewing newly compiled intelligence and finalizing their battle plans, Yang Jing and the other Heavenly Prodigies prepared to lead the campaign against more than fifty True Qi Realm enemies.

• Cao Zhen, Bai Bing, and Yang Jing arrived at the mountain clearing, where Ren An invited the gathered cultivators to discuss the demon-extermination operation.
• Commandant Tan distributed classified dossiers detailing the Demon Cult forces, and Yang Jing learned that at least fifty-three True Qi Realm Demon Cult Agents were in the secret realm.
• Yang Jing studied the enemy profiles and maps, noting that Ma Biao, Zhao Wenli, Lu Meng, Qi Shaohu, and Zhang Shiyu were among the most dangerous foes.
• The sect leaders and Government officials finalized their advance plans and assigned combat roles to the Heavenly Prodigies.
• Commandant Tan charged Yang Jing, Li Tai, Jiang Yun, Lü Chongrui, and the other prodigies with leading the campaign, and they pledged to eradicate the Demon Cult remnants.

Yang Jing and the allied warriors entered the Stone Mountain Secret Realm to purge the Demon Cult, while the leaders left outside anxiously awaited the battle’s outcome. After the prodigies split up and Yang Jing’s sect elders urged him to survive, he set off alone, resolved to win the battle and protect Jintai Prefecture.

• Commandant Tan opened the secret realm’s entrance, and all 210 allied warriors entered as the leaders watched and hoped for victory.
• Sun Ningxiang worried about Yang Jing from Yunxi Peak, while the warriors inside found a barren wasteland strewn with bones and remains.
• Li Tai and Jiang Yun departed in different directions, and Yang Jing told the Profound Truth Sect elders and stewards to stay together and advance cautiously.
• The Profound Truth Sect elders urged Yang Jing to preserve his life, and he promised to protect himself before setting off alone.
• Yang Jing raced into the secret realm’s depths, determined that the demon purge would end in victory.

Yang Jing infiltrated a Demon Cult stronghold in the Stone Mountain Secret Realm to eliminate its true qi realm agents. He confronted two peak-level agents in their reception hall, and the chapter ended as his shadow darkened the room and they sensed danger.

• Yang Jing resolved to destroy the Demon Cult strongholds to protect Jintai Prefecture and his loved ones.
• Yang Jing traveled seventy li across the wilderness and chose a guarded Demon Cult stockade as his target.
• Yang Jing found a blind spot in the stockade's defenses and slipped inside without raising an alarm.
• Yang Jing crossed the barracks district and infiltrated one of the central courtyards housing the true qi realm agents.
• Yang Jing identified two veteran peak-level agents, including Cai Kui, and approached their reception hall.
• The two agents discussed their unease as Yang Jing's shadow spread through the doorway and darkened the hall.

Yang Jing infiltrated a Demon Cult stronghold and killed two veteran True Qi Realm Demon Cultivators in an instant. When reinforcements surrounded him, he charged the five True Qi Realm fighters, who ordered their Qi-Nourishing Realm subordinates to attack first as cannon fodder.

• Yang Jing ambushed two Demon Cultivators in the courtyard, shattered their arms, and killed them with successive palm strikes.
• Five True Qi Realm Demon Cult Agents and dozens of Qi-Nourishing Realm Demon Cultivators rushed in and surrounded Yang Jing.
• Yang Jing decided to eliminate the gathered Demon Cultivators before any could escape, then charged the five True Qi Realm fighters.
• The five Demon Cultivators trusted their combined strength and an unseen powerful figure in the base to defeat Yang Jing.
• One tall, thin Demon Cultivator retreated behind his subordinates and ordered the Qi-Nourishing Realm fighters to surround and kill Yang Jing.

Yang Jing slaughtered nearly a hundred Demon Cultivators and confronted the five true qi realm agents who had sacrificed their subordinates to test him. The agents realized Qi Shaohu had been watching from the shadows, and as they prepared to fight Yang Jing, he declared that all five would die.

• The five true qi realm Demon Cultivators sent nearly a hundred subordinates to attack Yang Jing as cannon fodder.
• Yang Jing killed the Demon Cultivators one by one, leaving the courtyard covered in corpses and blood.
• The five agents recognized that Yang Jing could defeat any of them alone and suspected Qi Shaohu had been observing the battle to assess his strength.
• Yang Jing killed the last surviving attacker and turned his attention to the five agents.
• When the agents asked who he was, Yang Jing said he was the man who would kill them.
• One agent coveted Yang Jing's talent as a way to improve his chances of reaching the Core Realm, while Yang Jing warned that all five would die.

Yang Jing fought five True Qi Peak Demon Cultivators and overwhelmed their combined power with a single enormous palm strike. He left all five badly injured in the courtyard.

• The black-robed Demon Cultivator unleashed a formation of flying sabers as the other four attacked Yang Jing.
• Yang Jing used Crossing the River to evade the saber net and close in on all five Demon Cultivators.
• Yang Jing merged his three streams of true qi and formed a vast palm that trapped the five beneath its pressure.
• The five Demon Cultivators combined their demonic arts to resist the descending palm, but Yang Jing's attack crushed their barrier.
• Yang Jing's palm struck all five, hurling them across the courtyard and leaving them severely injured.

Yang Jing defeated and killed all five true qi realm Demon Cult cultivators in the courtyard after Qi Shaohu fled rather than save them. After confirming that no one remained alive, Yang Jing prepared to pursue Qi Shaohu.

• Yang Jing unleashed a powerful fist strike on the five wounded demon cultivators after they called for Qi Shaohu to save them.
• Qi Shaohu fled the stronghold after judging that he could not defeat Yang Jing, abandoning his subordinates.
• Yang Jing's punch killed two of the five demon cultivators and left the other three gravely wounded.
• Yang Jing crushed the remaining three with a palm strike, killing all five true qi realm cultivators in the courtyard.
• Yang Jing surveyed the blood-soaked courtyard, confirmed that every demon cultivator was dead, and turned his attention to pursuing Qi Shaohu.

Yang Jing reunited with the Profound Truth Sect party after destroying the Demon Cult stronghold and told them he was pursuing Qi Shaohu. With the elders heading to clear the remaining cultists, Yang Jing followed Qi Shaohu’s faint trail toward the mountains.

• Yang Jing left the Demon Cult stronghold in pursuit of the escaped Qi Shaohu and encountered the Profound Truth Sect elders and stewards approaching across the wilderness.
• Elder Li Jun explained that the sect party had hurried after Yang Jing out of concern for his safety.
• Yang Jing recounted how he had killed nearly a hundred Demon Cultivators and seven true qi realm Demon Cult Agents, astonishing and exciting the sect elders and stewards.
• Yang Jing told the elders that the stronghold had been crippled and urged them to clear out its remaining low-level cultists while he pursued Qi Shaohu.
• Li Jun warned Yang Jing about Qi Shaohu’s strength and urged him to prioritize his safety; Yang Jing agreed to be careful and left immediately.
• The elders and stewards advanced on the stronghold as Yang Jing followed Qi Shaohu’s faint demonic qi trail toward the southeastern mountains and forests.

Yang Jing used a tracking insect to locate Qi Shaohu hiding in the lakeside reeds, then pursued him when he fled. Qi Shaohu escaped the reeds but Yang Jing rapidly closed the distance, leaving their chase underway across the open wilderness.

• Yang Jing summoned a Tracking Black Beetle, which followed Qi Shaohu’s faint demonic aura into the dense reeds.
• Yang Jing searched the beetle’s chosen area while preparing for Qi Shaohu to ambush him or attempt to escape.
• Qi Shaohu broke cover and fled toward the open wilderness rather than fight Yang Jing.
• Yang Jing pursued Qi Shaohu with Crossing the River and quickly narrowed the gap.
• Qi Shaohu fled in terror, convinced that facing Yang Jing in a direct fight would mean certain death.

Yang Jing chased down Qi Shaohu and overwhelmed the top Demon Cultivator with a series of devastating attacks. After killing him, Yang Jing stood amid the wreckage and regretted that he had once again fought too brutally.

• Yang Jing caught up to the fleeing Qi Shaohu and struck his left shoulder, blasting him into a hill and leaving him badly wounded.
• Qi Shaohu recovered from the crater, asked who Yang Jing was, and drew his demonic sword when Yang Jing attacked again.
• Yang Jing's fist knocked Qi Shaohu's sword away and drove him backward, while Qi Shaohu vomited blood.
• Yang Jing relentlessly pummeled Qi Shaohu, ignoring his attempted pleas for mercy, until his body was blasted apart.
• Yang Jing surveyed the ruined battlefield and reproached himself for failing to restrain his strength.

Yang Jing killed Qi Shaohu and destroyed the southeastern Demon Cult stronghold, and the news delighted the leaders gathered at the campaign headquarters. The chapter then introduced Ma Biao, the half-step core realm overlord guarding the Demon Cult’s central fortress, who remained inside the secret realm to avoid being hunted by righteous Core-Realm Experts.

• Yang Jing reported to a Heavenly Sword Sect party that he had destroyed a stronghold and killed Qi Shaohu, then hurried toward another Demon Cult stronghold.
• A government messenger told the campaign headquarters that Yang Jing had killed Qi Shaohu and eight True Qi Realm Demon Cult agents while clearing the No. 4 stronghold.
• The sect and government leaders celebrated Yang Jing’s victory and marveled at his strength.
• The chapter revealed that Ma Biao ruled the heavily fortified central Demon Cult stronghold as its strongest cultivator.
• Ma Biao remained at the half-step core realm inside Stone Mountain Secret Realm because its laws protected him from the Core-Realm Experts waiting outside.

Ma Biao emerged from cultivation as Jiang Yun and Lü Chongrui prepared to attack his stronghold, but he detected them and nearly killed them before Li Tai intervened. Yang Jing arrived to find the two recovering with Li Tai, and learned how dangerous Ma Biao was as the righteous forces prepared for the final battle at the Number One stronghold.

• Ma Biao ended his secluded cultivation in the Number One central stronghold, frustrated by being confined to the Secret Realm.
• Jiang Yun and Lü Chongrui planned to weaken Ma Biao's defenses by clearing the stronghold's perimeter before joining forces against him.
• Yang Jing learned that the other central strongholds had fallen and raced toward the Number One stronghold, where he found Li Tai, Jiang Yun, and Lü Chongrui recovering.
• Lü Chongrui told Yang Jing that Ma Biao had detected their infiltration and pursued them with overwhelming half-step Core Realm strength.
• Li Tai had intervened to hold Ma Biao back, allowing Jiang Yun and Lü Chongrui to escape with minor injuries.

Yang Jing led Li Tai, Jiang Yun, and Lü Chongrui in a direct assault on the No. 1 Demon Cultivator Core Stronghold to confront Ma Biao. After their presence was discovered, the four fought through waves of demon cultivators, leaving Ma Biao watching from the Core Courtyard steps as the battle continued.

• Li Tai told Yang Jing that Ma Biao was a half-step core realm cultivator stronger than him, though difficult to defeat quickly.
• Yang Jing decided the four would storm the stronghold after Jiang Yun and Lü Chongrui recovered from their injuries.
• The four reached the No. 1 stronghold, slipped inside, and were detected by Ma Biao before they reached the Core Courtyard.
• Yang Jing launched the fight with a Golden Palm Print that crushed more than a dozen demon cultivators.
• Yang Jing, Li Tai, Jiang Yun, and Lü Chongrui fought together and killed over a hundred demon cultivators as Ma Biao watched from the Core Courtyard steps.

Yang Jing faced Ma Biao, the half-step Core Realm master of the First Core Demon Stronghold, and matched his overwhelming palm techniques with startling strength. After Ma Biao armed himself with treasured dark-gold gloves and launched a fiercer assault, their battle continued unresolved.

• Ma Biao watched Yang Jing fight and recognized him as the greatest threat among the four Heavenly Prodigies.
• Ma Biao ordered his Demon Cult Agents to hold back Li Tai, Jiang Yun, and Lü Chongrui, then charged Yang Jing with his full-strength Split Stele Palm.
• Yang Jing shattered Ma Biao's twin palm strikes with two punches and sent him flying backward in their close-range clash.
• Ma Biao recognized Yang Jing's immense strength, summoned treasured gloves forged from millennium demon gold, and attacked with a more powerful barrage of palm strikes.

Yang Jing fought Ma Biao at the No. 1 Demon Cultivator Stronghold, enduring the half-step Core Realm expert’s amplified Split Stele Palm until Ma Biao’s true qi began to run low. Yang Jing seized the opening and unleashed a concealed finishing blow, whose golden fist light pierced the demonic qi.

• Ma Biao put on dark-gold treasure gloves that amplified his Split Stele Palm enough to match Yang Jing’s fused true qi.
• Yang Jing adjusted his tactics and defended against Ma Biao’s relentless close-range assault, intending to outlast him and study his techniques for flaws.
• As the duel continued past three hundred moves, Ma Biao’s glove-enhanced attacks drained his true qi and grew weaker, while Yang Jing remained at full strength.
• Yang Jing spotted Ma Biao’s openings, increased his offensive pressure, and prepared a lethal blow for their next clash.
• When Ma Biao launched another Split Stele Palm, Yang Jing released his accumulated fist force, sending brilliant golden light through the demonic qi.

Yang Jing defeated and killed Ma Biao, the Stone Mountain Secret Realm’s strongest Demon Cultivator, then turned on the remaining Demon Cultivators. As they fled in panic, Yang Jing intercepted and killed the escaping true qi realm agents.

• Yang Jing exploited Ma Biao’s weakened defenses and struck him with a devastating punch, leaving him grievously wounded.
• Li Tai, Jiang Yun, and Lü Chongrui kept Ma Biao’s Demon Cult Agents occupied while the weaker Demon Cultivators watched from the battlefield’s edges.
• Ma Biao struggled to his feet and roared for Yang Jing to kill him, but Yang Jing answered with another punch that blasted his body apart.
• With Ma Biao dead, the Demon Cultivators’ resolve collapsed, and many fled as Yang Jing launched a fresh assault.
• Yang Jing used his Crossing the River movement technique to pursue and kill true qi realm Demon Cultivators trying to escape, terrifying those who remained.