Chapter Summaries

Chu Mu uncovered the Leading Demon Sect’s long-running schemes in Chu Capital by searching a demonic cultivator’s memories, but the man’s soul perished before revealing their ultimate goal. A Black Robe Man then ambushed Chu Mu inside a city-sealed formation, and their battle ended with both fighters hurled away after a clash of saber and demonic fire.

• Chu Mu searched the captured demonic cultivator’s memories and learned that the Leading Demon Sect had spent decades building a secret network in Chu Capital to demonize its Spirit Vein.
• The demonic cultivator’s soul and body were destroyed when the memories reached a mysterious silhouette, leaving Chu Mu and Xu Changqing without the sect’s ultimate objective.
• A Black Robe Man attacked Chu Mu in South City and trapped him inside a formation linked to the City Protection Array.
• Chu Mu fought back with Blade Intent and Flame Blade Qi, while the attacker transformed into a towering Bull Demon True Body and resisted his assault.
• Chu Mu fused True Fire with Blade Intent to unleash a massive flaming blade, and the Black Robe Man met it with a gigantic Demonic Fire fist, sending both fighters flying.

Chu Mu fought a powerful Demonic Cultivator whose Bull Demon True Body overwhelmed his usual techniques, then turned the battle with his Bright Moon Battle Armor, Blade Intent, and Great Sun True Fire. He emerged victorious from the formation restrictions and presented the defeated demonic body to Xu Changqing, though his armor was badly damaged and he had suffered a serious loss.

• The Demonic Cultivator shattered Chu Mu’s corroded shield with a single punch, prompting Chu Mu to recognize that he needed to deepen his mastery of his many combat methods.
• Chu Mu donned the Bright Moon Battle Armor and used its strength, his Blade Intent, and Great Sun True Fire to drive the Demonic Cultivator back.
• The Demonic Cultivator spat corrosive demonic blood, then transformed into a Demon Bull and charged Chu Mu in a final, frenzied attack.
• Xu Changqing ordered Longevity Sect disciples to search the city while he watched the formation restrictions begin to fail.
• Chu Mu broke through the collapsing formation restrictions, destroyed the damaged building, and tossed the mangled demonic body before Xu Changqing.

After learning that a slain Demonic Cultivator was a Half-Demon, Chu Mu and Xu Changqing realized True Demons might be active in Great Chu and reported the discovery. As Chu Mu began modifying his Demon Searching Compass, the Demonic Cultivators continued corrupting Chu Capital’s Spirit Vein through a Blood Pool and prepared to seize South City.

• Chu Mu described the Demonic Cultivator’s Bull Demon transformation, and Xu Changqing identified him as a Half-Demon empowered by True Demon Blood.
• Xu Changqing explained that True Demons had once commanded Demonic Cultivators during the ancient Demon World war, and he and Chu Mu went to report the discovery to the Golden Core True Person.
• With the City Protection Array still standing and communications cut off, Chu Mu surveyed North City and wondered why the Demonic Cultivators had captured thousands of cultivators.
• Chu Mu returned to the Longevity Sect’s temporary camp and began modifying his Demon Searching Compass to detect Demonic Cultivators hidden by their imprint system.
• Beneath the imperial palace, a Blood Pool consumed captives and tainted the Spirit Vein with Demonic Qi while a young man marked with bull horns ordered his followers to take South City and finish demonizing the vein within three days.

Chu Mu extracted True Demon Blood from a demon cultivator’s corpse and upgraded the Demon Searching Compass, which revealed demon cultivators surrounding him. As South City fell into chaos and a Golden Core demon cultivator overwhelmed a Longevity Sect elder, Xu Changqing revealed a terrifying Sword Intent that halted their battle.

• Chu Mu drew a drop of True Demon Blood from the battered demon cultivator’s corpse and resisted the visions it caused.
• Chu Mu sealed the blood into the Demon Searching Compass and added Array Restriction Artifact Inscriptions to upgrade it.
• The activated compass showed dense black dots representing demon cultivators in every direction, but an explosion destroyed Chu Mu’s crude house before he could inspect it further.
• Chu Mu saw demon cultivators invading South City and killed several Qi Refining Realm attackers whose cultivation had apparently been forcibly raised.
• Xu Changqing asked Chu Mu to guard him while he prepared, then unleashed a Sword Intent that halted the Golden Core battle and alarmed the young Golden Core demon cultivator.

Xu Changqing unleashed a devastating sword strike that gravely wounded the demonic Golden Core cultivator, then began recovering while Chu Mu and the Longevity Sect disciples defended him from waves of frenzied attackers. Amid the battle, Chu Mu realized that life-and-death combat was rapidly deepening his Blade Intent, and he resolved to cultivate it with a fearless heart.

• Xu Changqing used a powerful sword strike to knock the transformed demonic cultivator out of his Bull Demon True Body and send him crashing into the city.
• Xu Changqing collapsed after the strike and asked Chu Mu to guard him while he meditated for a quarter of an hour.
• The wounded demonic Golden Core cultivator ordered his followers to kill Xu Changqing, while the Longevity Golden Core engaged him and frenzied demonic cultivators swarmed Chu Mu’s position.
• Chu Mu used Flame Blade Qi to cut down the attackers and joined Longevity Sect disciples in defending the house.
• As Chu Mu fought the seemingly mindless attackers, he realized that his Blade Intent and blade technique proficiency were improving rapidly through life-and-death combat.
• Chu Mu recalled Xu Changqing’s Sword Path Notes and recognized that Blade Intent required a fearless heart.

Chu Mu noticed that the slaughter in Chu Capital was feeding an unknown blood sacrifice and that demonic qi was spreading through the city. As he and Xu Changqing sought answers, the Longevity Sect’s Golden Core True Person defeated the wounded Demonic Cultivator, but the city’s mystery remained unresolved.

• Chu Mu purged the demonic qi that had seeped into his body and spoke with Xu Changqing about the missing reinforcements and the imperial palace’s active array.
• Chu Mu realized the accumulated blood was being absorbed by an unknown force and suspected the secrets lay beneath the palace hall.
• Xu Changqing noticed the Golden Core battle turning in the Longevity Sect’s favor as the wounded Demonic Cultivator began to falter.
• The Longevity Sect’s Golden Core True Person trapped the Demonic Cultivator in a giant bamboo formation and crushed him into blood mist.
• Chu Mu stared at the fallen Golden Core Demonic Cultivator, stunned by how quickly the seemingly powerful True Demon Body had been defeated.

After the imperial palace’s protective formation fell, Chu Mu’s Demon Searching Compass revealed a source of True Demon Blood beneath the palace and a hidden Demonic Cultivator in its cavern. He recognized a terrifying possibility in the Golden Core man waiting by the Blood Pool and stopped Xu Changqing before he entered.

• The Longevity Sect defeated the Demonic Cultivators in the city and broke the formation surrounding the imperial palace.
• Chu Mu’s compass revealed a faint red dot beneath the palace, leading him to suspect that a True Demon lay there.
• The Golden Core man shattered the palace formation, destroyed much of the palace, and plunged into the ground beneath its great hall.
• Chu Mu and Xu Changqing followed the Longevity Sect cultivators into a cavern containing a nearly dried Blood Pool, where the Golden Core man emerged and invited them down.
• Chu Mu noticed the compass’s black and red dots overlapped around the Golden Core man, realized something was wrong, and grabbed Xu Changqing before he entered the cavern.

Chu Mu and Xu Changqing discovered that the Leading Demon Sect intended to control a True Demon body, while the Longevity Golden Core guarding Chu Capital revealed he had secretly aided their plot. As the old man trapped everyone in the cave, a remnant soul spoke to Chu Mu through their contract, leaving him uncertain how to respond.

• Xu Changqing gave Chu Mu a sword-shaped token and descended into the cave, and Chu Mu followed after suppressing his fear with Spiritual Radiance.
• The old man cleared away the bloodwater, revealing an altar where a True Demon body was absorbing demon qi and blood from the Blood Sacrifice.
• The old man explained that the Leading Demon Sect planned to control the True Demon body and make it the foundation of their sect.
• Xu Changqing asked the old man to suppress the demon, but the old man refused and revealed that he had indulged the sect's plot to pursue the demonic path and attain the Nascent Soul Dao Fruit.
• The old man formed the Azure Bamboo Array to imprison everyone, while the remnant soul in Chu Mu's Jade Bottle warned him not to act rashly because they shared fortune and calamity under their contract.

Chu Mu learned that the Golden Core cultivator’s plan had been turned against him by the True Devil, whose damaged body was absorbing the city’s blood sacrifice to recover. As the Giant Bamboo Array faltered and the devil began to emerge, Chu Mu asked the remnant soul what it needed him to do to survive.

• The remnant soul explained that the True Devil’s body had been damaged in an ancient war and that the blood sacrifice was meant to repair it.
• The remnant soul warned Chu Mu that the devil would kill the imprisoned Foundation Establishment Cultivators for blood food and offered to save his life in exchange for a deal.
• True Demonic Qi appeared and devoured the demonic qi around the altar, destabilizing the Giant Bamboo Array and its restraints.
• The remnant soul revealed that the Golden Core Demon Cultivator Chu Mu had killed was the True Devil’s external Avatar, and that the devil had turned the Longevity Golden Core cultivator’s scheme against him.
• Chu Mu realized the True Devil would turn Chu Capital into a devil domain and asked the remnant soul what he had to do.

Chu Mu placed the Blood Essence beneath the altar and forced the Sword Token’s power into a Flying Sword phantom as a true demon emerged. The demon attacked Chu Mu, but Xu Changqing blocked its first strike with a golden barrier, leaving them locked in a devastating clash.

• Chu Mu agreed to the remnant soul’s plan after making it swear an Oath of the Dao Heart, then placed the Jade Bottle beneath the altar as the Giant Bamboo Array collapsed.
• The True Demonic Qi dragged the escaping emerald light back into the altar, and a demon’s emergence killed a fleeing Foundation Establishment Cultivator with Demonic Fire.
• Chu Mu joined his Blade Intent to the Sword Token’s Sword Intent and struggled to form a powerful Flying Sword phantom while the demon took shape.
• Chu Mu launched the Flying Sword phantom through the earth above the cave, awakening the demon, who attacked him with a giant black claw.
• Xu Changqing intervened and used a golden barrier to annihilate the claw, then faced the demon’s massive black blade in a clash that shattered the cave and sent destruction sweeping through the imperial palace.

Chu Mu and Xu Changqing fought to stall the wounded true demon as it transformed into a Demon Bull, while Chu Mu hoped the remnant soul would intervene. The Demon Bull’s rampage overwhelmed them, and Chu Mu was swept into the Blood Pool.

• A Flying Sword shattered the golden light, while the true demon absorbed blood from the Blood Pool and transformed into a giant Demon Bull.
• Chu Mu recovered enough to don the Bright Moon Battle Armor and urged Xu Changqing to delay the Demon Bull for a quarter-hour.
• Xu Changqing attacked the Demon Bull’s wound, but the demon swept away his Sword Light and sent him flying.
• The Demon Bull suddenly faltered, allowing Chu Mu to strike its mangled head with Great Sun True Fire and wound it further.
• The Demon Bull rampaged through the ruined palace, and its explosions and Demonic Fire forced Chu Mu and Xu Changqing to retreat.
• A shockwave overwhelmed Chu Mu, and he fell into the deep cavern beneath the Blood Pool.

Trapped and gravely wounded in the Blood Pool altar, Chu Mu found that its bloodwater was healing and strengthening him while also corrupting him with demonic energy. He realized the pool might contain True Demon Bloodline, leaving him to watch for dangerous mutations as he waited to recover enough to act.

• Chu Mu assessed the damage to his body, meridians, dantian, and Divine Soul Blade after forcing Sword Intent through Blade Intent.
• The Blood Pool’s bloodwater seeped through Chu Mu’s wounds, rapidly healing him and strengthening his body and soul.
• Chu Mu used Spirit Radiance to stabilize his thoughts and carefully observe the healing and demonic corrosion.
• Chu Mu recognized that the bloodwater’s corrosion could cause mutations like those he had seen during his bloodline experiments on Wangcai.
• Chu Mu suspected the Blood Pool contained True Demon Bloodline and realized that, by a twist of fate, he had taken the True Demon’s place on the altar.

Chu Mu sealed the True Demon Bloodline’s infiltration, then discovered that his Great Sun True Fire could purge it while retaining and absorbing its nourishing essence. As the True Demon’s struggle for control continued above the Blood Pool, Chu Mu began transforming by absorbing the bloodshed gathered through its scheme.

• Chu Mu resisted the True Demon Bloodline’s infiltration and sealed it before it could fully demonize him.
• He used Great Sun True Fire to purge demonic Qi and residual blood, healing his injuries and restoring his body.
• Chu Mu found that the true fire suppressed the bloodline’s influence while preserving its essence, and suspected it was the True Demon’s nemesis.
• He reopened himself to the bloody water and absorbed its purified essence, rapidly healing and strengthening his body.
• The True Demon continued rampaging through Chu Capital as it struggled for control of its nearly twisted body, while the City Protection Array kept the Outer City unaware of the devastation.

After half a month refining the Blood Pool’s essence, Chu Mu healed his injuries and advanced his Body Refining cultivation to Foundation Establishment Late Stage. The true demon left Chu Capital, but the City Protection Array still trapped the survivors as Chu Mu and Xu Changqing considered how to warn the outside world.

• Chu Mu repeatedly absorbed and refined the Blood Pool’s energy, healing his injuries and tempering his body.
• The true demon awoke, absorbed the demonic qi shrouding Chu Capital, and transformed into a handsome young man.
• The man sent a crystalline mass of Monster Beast Blood Essence to Chu Mu, who discovered that the Blood Pool had dried up and his Body Refining cultivation had reached Foundation Establishment Late Stage.
• The man opened a crack in the City Protection Array and left, while the array remained intact and Chu Mu emerged from the Blood Pool pit.
• Chu Mu explained the transformation to Xu Changqing and asked him to keep the matter secret; Xu Changqing agreed and said the urgent task was breaking the array.

Chu Mu watched a sword strike from Ling Tian shatter the array sealing Chu Capital, unleashing demonic qi that killed the city’s hundreds of thousands of mortal residents. After Xu Changqing ordered the survivors to evacuate and explained the sect’s plan to purge the area, Chu Mu found a mortal boy named A'Da who had resisted the demonic corruption and saved him before leaving the city.

• Chu Mu saw Ling Tian break the Third-Order City Protection Array, ending Chu Capital’s isolation and releasing the accumulated demonic qi.
• The demonic qi swept through Chu Capital, killing its mortal residents and turning some into Demonic Corpses as Chu Mu watched.
• Xu Changqing ordered the cultivators to withdraw, described the sect’s plan to destroy the demonic vein and purge the surrounding area, and gave Chu Mu a token to pass the blockade.
• Chu Mu examined Demonic Corpses in the Outer City, then discovered A'Da, a mortal boy who had survived the demonic realm through sheer will.
• Chu Mu expelled the demonic qi from A'Da, gave him an Alchemical Pill, and carried him out of Chu Capital.

Chu Mu watched the Spiritual Vein Detonation erase Chu Capital, then returned to Tongyou Village to resume his three-year promise. He refined bloodwater essence to help Wangcai cultivate, and Wangcai began transforming as the deadline approached.

• Chu Mu opened a gateway through the barrier and sent a youth to safety before returning to watch Chu Capital from his Flying Boat.
• The Spiritual Vein Detonation annihilated Chu Capital and turned the surrounding region into a dead zone.
• Chu Mu returned to Tongyou Village, checked the Image Recording Stone, and gave the youth rare mortal medicinal materials to study.
• Chu Mu refined demonic bloodwater into pure blood qi essence and allowed Wangcai to absorb it.
• After more than two months, Wangcai fell asleep as a cultivation-driven transformation began, and the bloodwater barrels ran dry.

Chu Mu tested a young man’s knowledge of herbs and alchemy, then gave him foundational materials and set a one-year task before granting the rest of his inheritance. As he reflected on how to help Xu Yuan overcome his poor aptitude, Chu Mu considered visiting the Vast Ocean Cultivation Realm to learn about bloodline cultivation, while the cultivation world remained in turmoil over a rumored Nascent Soul Realm demon escaping the Chu Capital.

• Chu Mu questioned the young man about herbs and found that Old Li had given him a thorough foundation in medicinal knowledge.
• Chu Mu considered Xu Yuan’s limited prospects for Foundation Establishment and weighed pills, self-cultivation, and bloodline cultivation as possible solutions.
• Chu Mu thought a trip to the Vast Ocean Cultivation Realm might help him learn bloodline cultivation for both Xu Yuan and Wangcai.
• Chu Mu gave the young man a Jade Slip of alchemy knowledge and a Storage Talisman of spirit herbs, requiring him to refine Bigu Pills within a year to receive the rest of the inheritance.
• Chu Mu reflected on how the Longevity Sect replaced Great Chu’s royal court after destroying the capital and how reports of a Nascent Soul Realm demon had disrupted the war with the Righteous Path Alliance.

Three years after leaving the Chu Capital, Chu Mu continued cultivating his Blade Intent and Great Sun True Fire while guiding the boy in cultivation and alchemy. The boy reached Qi Refining Sixth Level, Wangcai advanced to Second Order Middle Stage, and Chu Mu’s own efforts brought him a plentiful harvest.

• Chu Mu wondered why the remnant soul still wanted him to fulfill their contract, then inspected the Blood Essence and found nothing unusual.
• Chu Mu reflected on his battles in the Chu Capital and practiced with the Minghong Saber, pondering how his Blade Intent differed from the teachings in the Sword Path Notes and Tai Gang Blade Art.
• Chu Mu gave the boy Spirit Herbs, spirit plants, and alchemy instruction, leaving him to study and meet set assessments.
• Over three years, the boy reached Qi Refining Sixth Level and barely qualified as a First Order Mid-Grade alchemist, while Wangcai transformed into a Second Order Middle Stage Monster Beast.
• Chu Mu stabilized his Body Refining cultivation and focused on comprehending Blade Intent and Great Sun True Fire, making plentiful progress.

Chu Mu used his years of practice to develop a new Man-Blade Unity Technique that combined Great Sun True Fire, Blade Intent, spell inscriptions, and array restrictions. He arrived at Longevity Mountain with the boy to fulfill his agreement with Xu Changqing and introduce the boy to the Cultivation World.

• Chu Mu reread his old book on spell inscriptions and devised a way to use true fire as a vessel for Blade Intent without a lifebound artifact.
• Under Spirit Radiance Blessing, Chu Mu formed a True Fire Long Blade from spell inscriptions and stabilized it with array restrictions.
• Chu Mu spent several dozen days experimenting aboard the Flying Boat while his new technique took shape.
• The boy pointed out the Longevity Mountain Range, and Chu Mu saw the Longevity Sect’s vast mountain gates, palaces, and clouds of spiritual qi.
• Chu Mu checked the Light Screen Panel, saw that his Man-Blade Unity Technique had begun to take shape, and descended with the boy and Wangcai.
• Chu Mu reminded the boy to watch his words and actions as they entered the Cultivation World.

Chu Mu entered Tianshu City, met Xu Changqing, and learned about renewed war on the front and the True Demon’s flight north. With a decree granting him access to the Longevity Sect’s Scripture Pavilion for twenty-four hours, he reached its eighth floor and began searching among its vast collection.

• Chu Mu registered at Tianshu City’s gate, gave the young man a Sound Transmission Talisman and Spirit Stones, and waited for Xu Changqing in a wine shop.
• Xu Changqing told Chu Mu that fighting had resumed, Hanhai was failing to support the Righteous Path Alliance, and the True Demon had fled north; he also mentioned an upcoming auction featuring Enlightenment Pills.
• Xu Changqing gave Chu Mu a jade talisman and explained that the Sect Master had authorized him to spend twenty-four hours in the Scripture Pavilion and select two volumes, excluding True Disciple secret arts.
• Chu Mu used the jade talisman to enter the Longevity Sect and was transported to the Scripture Pavilion, where he reached the eighth floor before the talisman could take him no farther.
• Chu Mu examined the eighth floor’s extensive collection of high-grade cultivation methods and secret arts as the talisman’s countdown continued.