Chapter Summaries

Jiang Chen broke the seals on fourteen pillars without activating the stone statues, but the prodigies broke their agreement and attacked him. After defeating their combined assault and claiming all fourteen treasures, Jiang Chen faced a crowd demanding that he hand them over.

• When a second wave of stone statues activated, Jiang Chen joined the fight and destroyed more than a dozen, alarming the other prodigies with his strength.
• Jiang Chen offered to break the remaining seals in exchange for choosing four items first, and Liu Ruyan accepted on behalf of the group.
• Jiang Chen used formation flags and his formation skills to break all fourteen seals without waking the statues.
• The prodigies and their followers attacked Jiang Chen as soon as the seals opened, but his twentyfold Sky Annihilation Strike shattered their combined martial skills and injured many of them.
• Jiang Chen collected all fourteen treasures, including a Nine-Revolving Emperor Pill, while Blood Demon watched in disguise and hoped the ensuing battle would weaken the Human Race geniuses.
• Liu Ruyan demanded that Jiang Chen surrender the items, and Jiang Chen prepared to fight the surrounding prodigies.

Jiang Chen defeated Ba Jiuge and the assembled prodigies, killing Liu Ruyan and many others after they tried to ambush him. As he absorbed the dead cultivators’ blood energy, the Blood Fiend collapsed the exit and appeared to attack the survivors, setting up a confrontation with Jiang Chen.

• Jiang Chen killed more than a dozen Martial Venerable Realm geniuses with the Demonic Soul Blade after Ba Jiuge rallied them against him.
• Gou Changsheng quietly led his sect members away from the fight, hoping to avoid making an enemy of Jiang Chen.
• Ba Jiuge gathered the others’ true qi to empower the Demon-Slaying Spear, but Jiang Chen repelled it with the Saint Sword and killed Ba Jiuge and more than a dozen prodigies.
• Jiang Chen caught and killed Liu Ruyan, then attacked the scattered survivors until they fled; he collected their belongings and absorbed their vital blood energy, reaching the peak of the Martial Venerable Realm, Third Level.
• The Blood Fiend collapsed the exit, announced that he intended to devour the Human Race geniuses, and challenged Jiang Chen after revealing he had recovered to the Martial Venerable Realm, Eighth Level.

Jiang Chen fought the Blood Demon and gained the upper hand, but the Blood Demon slaughtered the Human Race geniuses and absorbed their blood. The Blood Demon advanced to Martial Venerable Realm, Ninth Level, leaving Jiang Chen and the trapped survivors facing a more dangerous foe.

• Gou Changsheng and the other survivors began clearing rubble from the collapsed passage while Jiang Chen fought the Blood Demon.
• Jiang Chen used his Pill Fire and Hegemonic Blade Art to injure the Blood Demon, then forced him back with Demonic Soul Slash.
• The Blood Demon fled toward the crowd and killed more than a thousand Human Race geniuses with martial techniques and corrosive blood clouds.
• Jiang Chen moved to stop the Blood Demon, but a powerful aura erupted from the blood mist as the Blood Demon advanced to Martial Venerable Realm, Ninth Level.
• Gou Changsheng warned the others not to interfere, saying they would only make matters worse for Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen killed the Blood Demon after defeating him even at the Martial Venerable Realm, Ninth Level, and absorbed his blood-qi power, advancing to the Martial Venerable Realm, Fourth Level. He then confronted the surviving prodigies who had joined Liu Ruyan against him and offered to spare them in exchange for their storage bags.

• Gou Changsheng persuaded the crowd to stay back and let Jiang Chen face the Blood Demon alone.
• The Blood Demon attacked Jiang Chen, but Jiang Chen severed one of his claws with the Sky Annihilation Strike and then beheaded him with the Demonic Soul Blade.
• Jiang Chen devoured the Blood Demon's blood-qi power and advanced to the Martial Venerable Realm, Fourth Level.
• Jiang Chen warned the crowd that he would settle accounts with those who had joined Liu Ruyan against him, and Gou Changsheng pleaded for their lives.
• The surviving prodigies promised their forces would not seek revenge, and Jiang Chen agreed to spare them if they handed over their storage bags.

Jiang Chen collected the storage bags of the geniuses who had attacked him, left the Underground Palace, and reunited with Zhao Ruxue. He then went to confront the Blood-Devouring Tree Demon, cutting off its first attacking vine.

• Jiang Chen threatened the protesting geniuses and collected the storage bags of everyone who had attacked him, then let them live.
• Jiang Chen ordered the group to reopen the exit and left the Underground Palace, later emerging from the underground rift.
• Jiang Chen found Zhao Ruxue and told her he planned to seek revenge on the Blood-Devouring Tree Demon.
• Three days later, Jiang Chen brought Zhao Ruxue to the demon’s forest territory and told her to wait behind.
• The Blood-Devouring Tree Demon attacked Jiang Chen with a huge vine, and Jiang Chen severed it with the Demonic Soul Blade.

Jiang Chen killed the Blood-Devouring Tree Demon and gave Zhao Ruxue enough jade tokens to qualify as an Inner Sect Disciple. As they headed toward the central region, Jiang Chen remained undecided about joining any of the Five Great Sects.

• Jiang Chen countered the Blood-Devouring Tree Demon's red beam with an enhanced Death Ray, piercing its trunk and gravely injuring it.
• Jiang Chen severed the demon's vines with the Demonic Soul Blade and chopped its body apart, killing it before storing its remains.
• Jiang Chen gave Zhao Ruxue dozens of jade tokens, enough for her to become an Inner Sect Disciple.
• Jiang Chen and Zhao Ruxue set off toward the central region as the contest for jade tokens neared its end.
• Zhao Ruxue asked which sect Jiang Chen planned to join, and he said he might join none of the Five Great Sects.

Jiang Chen refused to commit to joining a Great Sect and brought Zhao Ruxue to the edge of the central region, where a vast force had gathered to kill him. The group included five other Top Ten Prodigies and was led by Nanyuan Prefecture’s Tu Heng, while Gou Changsheng refused to join them.

• Jiang Chen told Zhao Ruxue he might not join a Great Sect because his enemies’ connections could make it dangerous to cultivate there, and Zhao Ruxue supported his choice.
• Several days later, Jiang Chen and Zhao Ruxue reached the central region, and he drove off would-be robbers by revealing his Fourth Level Martial Venerable Realm aura.
• As Jiang Chen neared the safe zone, his enemies learned where he was and gathered thousands of fighters to avenge the prodigies he had killed.
• Gou Changsheng refused to join the campaign, believing Jiang Chen was too powerful to provoke, despite being cursed by the others.
• Five Top Ten Prodigies joined the force, which included more than three hundred Martial Venerable Realm experts and was bolstered by Tu Heng, the Seventh Level peak Martial Venerable Realm genius.

Tu Heng gathered thousands of cultivators to intercept Jiang Chen before he could reach the safe zone. Meanwhile, Jiang Chen defeated Dark Gate’s robbers near the central region and captured their strongest fighters, opening a brief chance for others to pass.

• Tu Heng rallied several thousand cultivators, including more than three hundred Martial Venerables, to hunt down Jiang Chen over Liu Ruyan’s death.
• Dark Gate’s Li Luoshui and his men blocked Jiang Chen and Zhao Ruxue, demanding their storage bags and threatening Zhao Ruxue.
• Li Luoshui led the group in attacking Jiang Chen with the Great Dark Sword Art, but Jiang Chen shattered their assault with a single true-qi palm.
• Jiang Chen used the Magic Dragon Hand to seize Li Luoshui and several other Martial Venerable geniuses.
• Onlookers condemned Dark Gate’s robbery and killings, and those waiting to enter the central region saw a temporary opening after Jiang Chen’s victory.

Jiang Chen killed Li Luoshui and the Dark Gate disciples who had blocked the route to the safe zone, but Tu Heng arrived with thousands of cultivators to attack him. Jiang Chen overwhelmed the punitive army’s first assault, killed Ji Gao, and left Tu Heng stunned by his strength.

• Jiang Chen revealed his name, then killed Li Luoshui and the other Dark Gate disciples who had tried to stop him.
• Tu Heng arrived with several thousand cultivators and accused Jiang Chen of killing Liu Ruyan and other geniuses, forming a punitive army against him.
• Ji Gao attacked Jiang Chen with the Setting Sun Swordplay, but Jiang Chen shattered the Sword Qi and struck Ji Gao with a hand of true qi.
• Jiang Chen killed more than a dozen cultivators who tried to block his path, then cleaved Ji Gao in two with the Demonic Soul Blade.
• Tu Heng watched in shock as Jiang Chen killed Ji Gao before he could intervene.

Jiang Chen annihilated the punitive army and killed Tu Heng after unleashing his full strength. The slaughter made him the most notorious genius in the trial, while Gou Changsheng and the other spectators returned to the safe zone and anticipated the major forces’ reaction.

• Jiang Chen used Flame Rain to burn thousands of members of the punitive army, then overwhelmed Tu Heng and the remaining fighters with the Demonic Soul Blade.
• Jiang Chen seized Tu Heng, mocked his claim to be Nanyuan Prefecture’s number-one genius, and killed him.
• Jiang Chen killed the wounded survivors, wiping out the entire punitive army as spectators watched in disbelief.
• Gou Changsheng revealed that he had avoided joining the army and warned his companions not to provoke Jiang Chen.
• Gou Changsheng and the other disciples left for the safe zone, while he anticipated that the major forces would resent Jiang Chen for killing their geniuses.

After killing Tu Heng and the other geniuses, Jiang Chen devoured their spiritual energy and advanced to the Martial Venerable Realm, Fifth Level before entering the safe zone with Zhao Ruxue. They parted ways, while the Five Great Sects learned of the massacre and the Great Yan Sect openly planned to assassinate Jiang Chen.

• Jiang Chen absorbed the spiritual energy from the corpses and broke through to the Martial Venerable Realm, Fifth Level, while renewing his resolve to kill Su Sheng and rescue Long Qingyao.
• Jiang Chen escorted Zhao Ruxue into the safe zone and told her their transaction was over, advising her to disguise herself and join a Great Sect.
• Zhao Ruxue changed her appearance and clothes after parting from Jiang Chen, hoping they would meet again.
• The Five Great Sects' upper echelons learned Jiang Chen had killed around five hundred Martial Venerable Realm geniuses, including Tu Heng and his group.
• A Tian Lei Sect elder and a Great Yan Sect elder said their sects could not recruit Jiang Chen, and the Great Yan Sect declared its intention to secretly kill him.

The Five Great Sects agreed to reject Jiang Chen and let the Great Yan Sect deal with him after the Genius Trial, despite his first-place standing. After the trial ended, the contestants’ jade tokens were tallied, and Jiang Chen’s enormous sack drew everyone’s attention.

• The elders of the Five Great Sects discussed Jiang Chen’s killings and agreed not to recruit him, while Elder Xiao said the Great Yan Sect would act after the trial.
• Ten days passed, and the Genius Trial ended as the bell rang over the safe zone.
• Xiao Ding organized the tally, assigning white, green, or purple slips according to contestants’ jade-token totals.
• Zhao Ruxue disguised her appearance and received a green slip for collecting more than fifty jade tokens.
• Jiang Chen presented a huge sack of jade tokens, astonishing the crowd; he had already sold most of his tokens for spirit stones.

Jiang Chen topped the Genius Trial rankings with a record-breaking score, but the Five Great Sects refused to recruit him. Xiao Ding publicly justified their joint ban by accusing Jiang Chen of being cruel and dangerous.

• The tally showed that Jiang Chen had earned 2,352 jade tokens, qualifying him to become a Core Disciple and breaking the previous record.
• Xiao Ding announced Jiang Chen as first place and Gou Changsheng as second, then revealed the top fifty rankings and rewards.
• The Five Great Sects selected their predetermined disciples, while Jiang Chen and six others were left unchosen.
• Xiao Ding announced that the Five Great Sects had permanently forbidden Jiang Chen from joining them, and Jiang Chen calmly left the platform.
• When the other geniuses demanded an explanation, Xiao Ding said the sects rejected Jiang Chen because his killings in the secret realm made him a dangerous, bloodthirsty figure.

Jiang Chen openly challenged the Five Great Sects over their unfair Genius Trial rules after they rejected him, and Xiao Ding ordered him to step down rather than attack him in front of the crowd. As the sects continued assigning disciples, Zhao Ruxue was placed in the Purple Light Sect and worried about Jiang Chen.

• Jiang Chen defended killing his attackers and condemned the Five Great Sects for giving major-power geniuses an age advantage in the Genius Trial.
• Jiang Chen accused the Five Great Sects of hypocrisy, stirring resentment among geniuses from smaller places.
• Xiao Ding restrained the sect representatives from attacking Jiang Chen and told him to leave after the proceedings ended.
• The Dark Nether prodigies decided not to attack Jiang Chen after seeing him defeat Tu Heng and the others.
• The Five Great Sects resumed assigning disciples, and Zhao Ruxue was assigned to the Purple Light Sect.

After the Genius Trial ended, Jiang Chen escaped the secret realm while Xiao Ding organized a group to hunt him down. Luo Yue and Fang Yu caught up with Jiang Chen to apologize, but he left quickly to avoid putting the Illusion Moon Sect in danger.

• Xiao Ding announced that the teleportation stones would work for ten days, and Jiang Chen used his to leave the secret realm.
• Jiang Chen appeared in a plaza and left after noticing that people were watching him; a hidden observer reported his direction to Xiao Ding.
• Xiao Ding split the Great Yan Sect into two groups, leading one to hunt Jiang Chen while the other returned with the new disciples.
• The other Four Great Sects returned to their sects, and an elder from the Tian Lei Sect expressed confidence that Xiao Ding would kill Jiang Chen.
• Luo Yue, Fang Yu, and members of the Illusion Moon Sect approached Jiang Chen, and Fang Yu apologized for her earlier attitude.
• Jiang Chen accepted Fang Yu's apology but departed quickly, worried that his enemies might target the Illusion Moon Sect as well.

Jiang Chen escaped the Great Yan Sect’s pursuit, prepared an Eight Directions Heavenly Thunder Array, and lured the sect’s disciples into chasing him. As Xiao Ding joined the pursuit, Jiang Chen waited to lead the group into his trap.

• Jiang Chen parted from Luo Yue, Luo Xing, and the Illusion Moon Sect, then detected scouts following him.
• Jiang Chen sped away from the scouts and set up an Eight Directions Heavenly Thunder Array in a valley.
• After the Great Yan Sect’s search failed, Jiang Chen doubled back and attacked one of its disciples to reveal himself.
• Jiang Chen fled while the Great Yan Sect disciples pursued him, deliberately keeping just beyond their reach.
• Xiao Ding and other experts joined the chase, and Jiang Chen recognized Xiao Ding’s aura approaching.

Jiang Chen lured Xiao Ding into pursuing him toward the valley where he had prepared the Eight Directions Heavenly Thunder Array. He hid in a concealed cave as Xiao Ding searched the valley, leaving the Great Yan Sect's pursuers near Jiang Chen's hidden formation.

• Jiang Chen unleashed his full speed and drew Xiao Ding into pursuing him while the Great Yan Sect disciples followed behind.
• Xiao Ding and the disciples vowed to kill Jiang Chen, driven by their humiliation and the promised reward from Elder Ye.
• Jiang Chen repeatedly accelerated to keep Xiao Ding chasing him toward the valley where he had set up the Eight Directions Heavenly Thunder Array.
• After more than an hour and over ten thousand miles, Jiang Chen entered the valley and deliberately left his aura behind.
• Xiao Ding reached the valley and searched for Jiang Chen, while Jiang Chen concealed himself inside a prepared cave and kept the formation materials hidden underground.

Jiang Chen escaped Xiao Ding’s pursuit by teleporting out of the valley, then activated a grand formation that trapped the Great Yan Sect pursuers. He returned to face them as lightning gathered overhead, declaring that he intended to kill them all.

• Xiao Ding led the Great Yan Sect disciples into the valley to search for Jiang Chen.
• Jiang Chen used a temporary teleportation array in a cave to escape the valley and activated a grand formation that sealed it.
• Xiao Ding and the disciples discovered they were trapped, but their attacks could not break through the formation’s barrier.
• Dark clouds gathered above the valley as thunder and lightning began to form.
• Jiang Chen appeared outside the barrier, told Xiao Ding he had returned to watch them die, and vowed to kill them all.

Jiang Chen revealed that he had lured Xiao Ding and the Great Yan Sect into his seventh-grade Eight Directions Heavenly Thunder Array, which was gathering lightning powerful enough to destroy the valley. As the trapped sect members failed to break the barrier, the lightning began striking them, and Xiao Ding prepared to try another way out.

• Jiang Chen told Xiao Ding that he had set the array to trap the Great Yan Sect and explained that it could draw on the power of heaven and earth.
• Xiao Ding claimed the array would not last and that Great Yan Sect reinforcements would rescue them, but Jiang Chen warned that the gathered lightning would kill them all.
• Xiao Ding ordered the sect members to attack the barrier, but their martial skills could not break it.
• As lightning began devastating the valley, Xiao Ding took out a blood-red spear and said he had thought of a way to break the array.
• A lightning bolt struck a Great Yan Sect disciple at the Martial Venerable Realm, Fifth Level, killing him and terrifying the others.

Jiang Chen watched the Eight Directions Heavenly Thunder Array devastate the Great Yan Sect disciples while Xiao Ding revealed the Soul Extinguishing Spear’s true cost. Xiao Ding began killing his own disciples to fuel the spear and planned to blame their deaths on Jiang Chen.

• The array’s lightning killed a Martial Venerable Realm Fifth Level disciple and gravely wounded a Seventh Level powerhouse, who was then killed by a second strike.
• A Great Yan Sect disciple urged Xiao Ding to use the Soul Extinguishing Spear, and the others offered to repay him if he helped them escape.
• Xiao Ding stabbed a disciple and explained that the spear needed a great deal of life force, which he intended to take from the disciples rather than himself.
• The disciples tried to flee and protested, but Xiao Ding said he would kill them, escape, and claim Jiang Chen was responsible.
• Xiao Ding argued that the sect would protect a Martial Saint Realm elder over Martial Venerable Realm disciples, while Jiang Chen listened from outside the array.