Chapter Summaries

Mo Hua devoured the Great Wilderness Dragon Soul, then learned from the dying Second Elder about a forbidden ancient array hidden in an evil god statue and promised to protect a remnant of the Great Wilderness bloodline. He awoke in the Disciple Quarters with the Dragon Vein and unfinished array patterns beside him, determined to pursue the ancient array.

• Mo Hua ground down and swallowed the Dragon Soul, terrifying the Great Wilderness ministers by burping with a Dragon Roar.
• Mo Hua recognized the Dragon Hall guide as the Demon Sect's Second Elder, who explained that he had survived as a remnant soul and had brought Mo Hua there hoping to bind him through the Dragon Emperor's worship rite.
• The Second Elder admitted he had plotted against Mo Hua and asked him to preserve a trace of the Great Wilderness Imperial Clan's bloodline in exchange for revealing an ancient array better suited to Mo Hua than the Four Symbols Azure Dragon Array.
• The Second Elder revealed that the ancient array was carved inside a Human-Faced Goat-Horned White Bone Evil God Statue in a forbidden area in Gan Province, and that Mr. Tu did not know it was there.
• Mo Hua promised to help preserve the Great Wilderness bloodline, and the Second Elder vanished as the Dragon Hall and its ministers dissolved around Mo Hua.
• Mo Hua returned to the Disciple Quarters, where he found the Four Symbols Demon Pattern, the incomplete dragon pattern, and the Dragon Vein beside him.

Mo Hua turned over the Dragon Vein to Elder Xun and returned Lord Yellow Mountain’s Life-Bound Divine Statue to Withered Mountain. After hearing what Lord Yellow Mountain remembered about Lone Mountain and the path of Divine Thought, Mo Hua left with new questions to consider.

• Mo Hua wondered whether the Second Elder’s account of the Wilderness Ancient Array was a trap, then set aside the question and examined the Dragon Soul he had swallowed.
• Mo Hua found that the Dragon Soul had only left a faint trace of Dragon Qi in his Divine Sense, and he wrapped the unusable, dangerous Dragon Vein in Black Cloth.
• Mo Hua handed the Dragon Vein to Elder Xun, who agreed to store it in Void Gate until Mo Hua could handle it.
• Mo Hua and Xun Ziyou traveled to Withered Mountain, where Mo Hua returned Lord Yellow Mountain’s Life-Bound Divine Statue and Lord Yellow Mountain’s origin grew more substantial.
• Mo Hua shared food and wine with Lord Yellow Mountain and asked about Lone Mountain, the Void Gate senior who had severed it, and how Divine Thought could grow stronger.

Lord Yellow Mountain explained the Divine Path to Mo Hua and shared his insights about seeking the Dao rather than relying on worship. After Mo Hua returned to the sect, Elder Zheng prepared to leave for Zhen Province, gave him array records and advice, then privately asked whether he had heard of the Great Demon Palace.

• Lord Yellow Mountain warned Mo Hua that humans and gods must not cross their boundary, then explained how divine Thought Power transformed and how gods advanced through Daoization.
• Lord Yellow Mountain described the rarity of Dragon Souls and named the lineages and clans that inherited True Dragon or Karma Dragon blood; Mo Hua wondered whether Senior Martial Brother's Bai Family had Karma Dragon blood.
• Lord Yellow Mountain said gods should cultivate their own Dao rather than depend on incense, and Mo Hua thanked him for the guidance.
• Mo Hua forged a Wood Sword, infused it with Sword Intent, and hung it over Lord Yellow Mountain's temple gate to deter evil things before returning to the sect with Xun Ziyou.
• Zheng Fang told Mo Hua that Elder Zheng would return to Zhen Province in three days, so Mo Hua visited Elder Zheng, received Jade Slips and array knowledge, and heard his advice.
• Elder Zheng sealed his Cave Abode, told Mo Hua to keep their conversation secret, and asked whether he had heard of the Great Demon Palace.

Elder Zheng warned Mo Hua that righteous forces could become a new Great Demon Palace when greed and exploitation supplanted Dao Hearts, and Mo Hua resolved to pursue true immortality despite the dangers. Afterward, Mo Hua reflected on his weakness in the battle at Lone Mountain and planned new ways to strengthen his divine sense and attack enemies in the real world.

• Elder Zheng recounted the Great Demon Palace’s rule and explained how unchecked exploitation could turn great clans, sects, or even the Dao Court into a new one.
• Elder Zheng told Mo Hua that righteous cultivators had once defeated the Devil Dao through their Dao Hearts, but modern cultivators were taught techniques and strength without the values that gave them purpose.
• Elder Zheng warned Mo Hua to keep their conversation secret, gave him Array Diagrams and Jade Slips, and bade him farewell before leaving for Zhen Province.
• Mo Hua returned to the Void Gate, considered the dangers of pursuing the Heavenly Dao, and resolved to become much stronger.
• Mo Hua resumed cultivation and planned to strengthen his divine sense through divine-rank transformation, absorbing the Dragon Soul, and attempting an out-of-body God-Slaying Sword attack.

Mo Hua refined his God-Slaying Sword projection by reducing its fused techniques and using Lingli to guide the sword of Divine Thought from his Sea of Consciousness into reality. After testing it on a tree, he decided to visit Monster Refining Mountain to test its lethality on a monster.

• Mo Hua practiced projecting the God-Slaying Sword, identified its slow execution, heavy Divine Thought consumption, eye strain, and unreliable release, and devised a simpler method.
• Mo Hua used his eyes as apertures and Lingli as a guide to project the God-Slaying Sword through the boundary between void and reality, striking an ancient tree.
• Mo Hua judged the projected sword to have only about one-tenth of its full power and wondered how effectively it could kill a living target.
• Mo Hua treated Big White Dog to food instead of testing the sword on it, then returned the dog to the Book Garden with a demon-sealed bone.
• Mo Hua decided to test the God-Slaying Sword on a monster and went to Monster Refining Mountain two days later.

Mo Hua entered Monster Refining Mountain to test his projected God-Slaying Sword, but struggled to find demon beasts whose eyes he could target. His attempts stirred up a mass fight that drew a Third-Grade Black Pig Demon, which chased him through the forest as Xun Ziyou watched nearby.

• Mo Hua sent Xun Ziyou back to the mountain gate and went uphill alone to test his sword on a Second-Grade demon beast.
• Mo Hua found Monster Refining Mountain nearly cleared of beasts because Void Gate and its merged sects had expanded his monster-hunting methods.
• Mo Hua fought a Yellow Marten Demon and learned that his projected sword needed a direct line through its target’s eyes, then gave up when he could not meet the beast’s gaze.
• Mo Hua provoked several more demon beasts, whose ensuing fight spread through the forest, while Xun Ziyou came to investigate and found Mo Hua watching from a tree.
• A Third-Grade Black Pig Demon arrived, slaughtered most of the other beasts, and attacked Mo Hua when he tried to escape.
• Mo Hua fled at full speed as the Black Pig Demon pursued him through the forest.

Mo Hua trapped a Third-Grade Black Pig Demon and killed it with the Void God-Slaying Sword, revealing the power of his Divine Sense Sword Transformation Art. Xun Ziyou concealed how the demon died, while Mo Hua returned to the Void Gate recognizing that his divine sense could now threaten Golden Core opponents.

• Mo Hua used his Movement Technique to evade the Third-Grade Black Pig Demon as Xun Ziyou followed without intervening.
• Mo Hua lured the demon into a marsh and trapped it with Array Techniques, then stayed to face it instead of fleeing.
• Mo Hua projected the Void God-Slaying Sword into the demon’s eye and destroyed its Monster Consciousness, killing it instantly.
• Mo Hua told Xun Ziyou that he had found a dead pig, and Xun Ziyou agreed to award him Merit Points while hiding the true cause of death.
• Xun Ziyou recognized the Void Gate’s Divine Sense Sword Transformation Art, wounded the corpse to disguise the killing, and summoned people to handle it.
• Mo Hua returned to the Void Gate and realized that his completed sword transformation let him kill opponents by striking their Sea of Consciousness.

Elder Xun learned that Xun Ziyou had seen Mo Hua kill a Third-Grade boar demon with an apparent Divine Sense Sword, but he could not explain what happened and warned him to keep quiet. At the Gu Family’s New Year banquet, Mo Hua comforted Yu'er about their possible parting, then sensed a Dragon Shadow enter Yu'er's soul and realized Yu'er might carry Karma Dragon blood.

• Xun Ziyou told Elder Xun that he had watched Mo Hua kill a Third-Grade boar demon with what looked like a Divine Sense Sword.
• Elder Xun reasoned that Mo Hua could not have learned Void Gate's forbidden sword art, proposed that a protective treasure had killed the demon, and ordered Xun Ziyou not to spread the story.
• Mo Hua completed the sect examinations with one A, two Bs, and four Cs, then received Elder Xun's permission to attend the Gu Family's Year-End Banquet with a calligraphy gift.
• Yu'er asked Mo Hua whether he would leave after graduation, and Mo Hua reassured him that they would meet again if Yu'er grew strong enough.
• Mo Hua sensed a blood-colored Dragon Shadow enter Yu'er's soul and wondered whether Yu'er had Karma Dragon blood.

Mo Hua discovered a blood-red Great Wilderness Karma Dragon shadow on Yu'er, then learned that the Shen Family blamed him for the losses they suffered after the Lone Mountain incident. After the New Year, Mo Hua began his ninth and final year at Void Gate, with the Ganxue Sword Debate Assembly approaching.

• Mo Hua sensed the Great Wilderness Dragon Emperor's soul resonate with Yu'er and saw a calamity-laden Karma Dragon shadow on the boy.
• At the Gu Family's Year-End Banquet, Wenren Wan and Yu'er saw Mo Hua off, while Shangguan Wang arrived to escort them back to the Shangguan Family.
• The Shen Family Head told the Shen Family Old Ancestor that Mo Hua was the Void Gate disciple involved in Lone Mountain and the Array Dao Champion; the Old Ancestor urged him to think beyond individual chess pieces.
• The Shen Family Old Ancestor summoned Shen Linshu and told him to win the Sword Debate Assembly for himself, then reflected on how rejecting Mo Hua had turned him into a threat to Qiandao Sect.
• Mo Hua returned to Void Gate, passed the New Year, and entered his ninth and final year there as the Ganxue Sword Debate Assembly drew near.

As the Sword Discussion Assembly approached, Mo Hua weighed why he should participate and decided to take a low-risk approach to help Void Gate improve its standing. In Dao Province, Elder Ge searched for bait to draw out a mysterious living piece and found that the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Array might be irresistible.

• Mo Hua eased Cheng Mo and the other disciples’ anxiety by discussing their hopes for the Sword Discussion Assembly, then realized he had little personal reason to compete for a high ranking.
• Mo Hua concluded that exposing his trump cards would be dangerous, so he planned to coast through the Sword Discussion Assembly and help Void Gate where he could.
• Mo Hua returned to his usual practice of the Absolute Array and study of array principles while the other disciples prepared intensely.
• Elder Ge examined a chessboard and decided that his vast game needed a living piece whose identity could not be calculated.
• Elder Ge tested increasingly rare Heavenly Pivot Pavilion inheritances as bait, then found the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Array and suspected it could draw out the living piece.

Elder Ge concealed the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Array beneath the name Wood-Ether Rejuvenation Formation and sent it as a prize to Ganxue Prefecture’s Sword Discussion. Mo Hua sensed that the formation was connected to his Master and resolved to win it, while Elder Ge realized the piece that had taken the bait carried a strange, savage presence.

• Elder Ge spent a day considering the consequences of the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Array, then renamed it the Wood-Ether Rejuvenation Formation and added new Array Patterns to its Jade Slip.
• Elder Ge gave the Jade Slip to the Overseer as an additional prize for the champion of the Ganxue Sword Discussion, while warning him to understand what he truly wanted.
• The Overseer sent the sealed Jade Box to Ganxue Prefecture, where Cheng Mo and the other disciples discussed the unfamiliar formation and Mo Hua suspected it was a rare healing array.
• Mo Hua used the Karma Copper Coin to glimpse the formation’s connection to his Master and resolved to obtain it so he could save him.
• Elder Ge saw golden light and a dragon shape appear on a black chess piece, then sensed a savage aura trapping it and questioned whether it was truly a dragon.

Mo Hua began preparing for the Sword Discussion Assembly, recruited Linghu Xiao, Cheng Mo, and Situ Jian, and won approval from Elder Xun and the Void Gate Sect Master to form a team. At a joint sect meeting, the Chongxu elders objected, but the Ta'a Sect Master demanded that a Ta'a disciple also join the team.

• Mo Hua visited Murong Caiyun, who explained the Sword Discussion Assembly's team formats, scoring, and the importance of strong teammates.
• Mo Hua recruited Linghu Xiao, Cheng Mo, and Situ Jian for his team and sought approval from Elder Xun and the Void Gate Sect Master.
• Elder Xun approved Mo Hua's plan, while the Void Gate Sect Master accepted the disruption to the existing team arrangements.
• At the sect meeting, Chongxu elders objected to Mo Hua joining the sword discussion, but the Void Gate Sect Master upheld the decision.
• The Ta'a Sect Master objected to the team as well and insisted that a disciple from Ta'a Gate be added.

Mo Hua accepted Ouyang Xuan into his Sword Discussion team but realized his own team could not reliably win first place. After hearing Xie Ling’s resignation to being a spectator, Mo Hua decided to mobilize Void Gate’s disciples as a whole and began preparing to help the sect win.

• The Ta'a Sect Master demanded that Ouyang Xuan join Mo Hua’s team, and the Void Gate Sect Master agreed after Mo Hua accepted.
• Ancestor Linghu allowed Linghu Xiao to team up with Mo Hua and warned the Chongxu Sect Leader not to pressure him.
• Mo Hua divined that his plans offered little chance of winning first place and continued searching for a way to improve the odds.
• Xie Ling told Mo Hua he would not compete because he lacked the strength to keep up, leaving Mo Hua troubled by the many disciples who could only watch.
• Mo Hua realized that Void Gate could win by mobilizing its many disciples and accumulating victories rather than relying on his team alone.
• Mo Hua redesigned his tactics and preparations, then asked Cheng Mo to gather the junior martial brothers.

Mo Hua rallied Void Gate’s junior disciples to enter the Sword Discussion Assembly and aim to raise their sect into the Four Great Sects. He organized their teams and began drills, while the Void Gate Sect Master introduced him to Ta'a Mountain prodigy Ouyang Xuan.

• Mo Hua urged the disciples to contribute to Void Gate by competing, reassuring them that even one victory would help the sect.
• He inspired the disciples to believe they could make Void Gate one of the Four Great Sects and announced preparations for the assembly in three months.
• Mo Hua reorganized the disciples into teams based on their strengths and assigned specialized lineups and tactics.
• He formed unconventional teams for disciples with fewer combat strengths, then began formal drills after making final adjustments.
• The Void Gate Sect Master brought Ouyang Xuan, a prodigy from Ta'a Mountain's lineage, to meet Mo Hua.

Mo Hua organized Void Gate’s disciples and trained his Sword Discussion Assembly team, but Ouyang Xuan’s arrogance disrupted their drills until Mo Hua confronted him privately and made him follow the tactics. Two days later, the Ta'a Sect Master visited and saw the disciples training in formations that resembled the beginnings of Heavenly Pride Dao Soldiers.

• Mo Hua met Ouyang Xuan, who was assigned to join his Sword Discussion Assembly team, and tried unsuccessfully to make conversation with him.
• Mo Hua arranged Void Gate’s disciples into groups to practice coordinated tactics and formed a five-person team with Linghu Xiao, Cheng Mo, Situ Jian, and Ouyang Xuan.
• Ouyang Xuan repeatedly ignored the team’s formations and insulted his teammates, angering Cheng Mo and frustrating the others.
• Mo Hua took Ouyang Xuan into a grove for a private talk, after which Ouyang Xuan returned pale and followed Mo Hua’s instructions exactly.
• The Ta'a Sect Master worried that Ouyang Xuan might cause trouble at Void Mountain, then visited the Training Ground and saw Mo Hua’s disciples drilling in organized formations.

The Ta'a Sect Master saw Mo Hua organizing Void Mountain’s disciples into specialized teams and ordered Ta'a Mountain to follow his lead, prompting Chongxu Mountain to join as well. As Mo Hua brought disciples from all three mountains together to train, three months passed and the Sword Discussion Assembly began.

• The Ta'a Sect Master watched Void Mountain’s disciplined drills, saw Ouyang Xuan obey Mo Hua’s directions, and ordered Ta'a Mountain’s disciples to seek Mo Hua’s help forming teams.
• Ouyang Mu urged Ta'a Mountain’s disciples to trust Mo Hua, and they visited Mo Hua the next day to ask for instruction in sword discussion.
• Mo Hua assigned the Ta'a Mountain disciples to teams, tailored their tactics, and brought them to train on Void Mountain.
• Chongxu Mountain’s sect master, unwilling to be left apart, sent his disciples to join Mo Hua’s training, uniting disciples from all three mountains on Void Mountain.
• Mo Hua continued directing the teams as the disciples trained, and three months later the Sword Discussion Assembly officially began.

Xun Zixian guided Mo Hua and the Void Gate disciples through Dao Discussion Mountain, explaining the Sword Discussion rules, safety array, and restrictions on equipment. Mo Hua learned that the giant Fangtian Painting Shadow would broadcast the matches and began revising his plans to hide his abilities.

• Xun Zixian led the Void Gate disciples around Dao Discussion Mountain and explained the tiered Sword Discussion matches and their Dao Soldier-inspired formats.
• Xun Zixian described how Dao Discussion Mountain’s fifth-grade Grand Array and Dao Discussion Jade would protect competitors and remove them when their health ran out.
• Xun Zixian explained the restrictions on Pills, Talismans, Spirit Artifacts, and Array Techniques, and Mo Hua realized he could bring only a Second-Grade Mid-Tier array.
• Xun Zixian showed the disciples Fangtian Painting Shadow, a giant Spirit Artifact that would project the matches for spectators.
• Mo Hua worried that Fangtian Painting Shadow would expose his secret tactics, then returned to the Void Gate and revised his plan to conceal his strength.

Mo Hua secured funding from the Three Mountains for custom Spirit Artifacts and Array Media, then demonstrated how Void Gate disciples could fight as coordinated Dao Soldiers before the Sword Discussion Assembly. As the assembly approached, Mo Hua remembered his search for his Natal Array Diagram, while Mr. Tu continued plotting a sacrifice to awaken the God Lord.

• Mo Hua led the Void Gate Sect Master to Lone Mountain City's artifact refining guild and showed him custom Spirit Artifacts designed to counter other sects' inheritances.
• Mo Hua asked Void Gate to fund the Spirit Artifacts and recruit sect disciples and instructors to draw their Array Techniques, and the Void Gate Sect Master agreed to consider the cost.
• The Void Gate Sect Master secured support from the Sect Masters of Ta'a Mountain and Chongxu Mountain after Mo Hua demonstrated coordinated teams of disciples fighting like Sect Dao Soldiers.
• Mo Hua finished preparing for the Sword Discussion Assembly, practiced Array Techniques, and remembered that he still had no lead on his Natal Array Diagram or Mr. Tu's Evil God Statue.
• Mr. Tu endured Divine Punishment, reaffirmed his devotion to the God Lord, and planned another sacrifice while holding a skin sheet inscribed with Azure Dragon Array Patterns beside the Human-Faced Goat-Horned White Bone Evil God Statue.

Mo Hua and the Void Gate disciples attended the Sword Discussion Assembly, where Mo Hua sensed a brief resonance with the ancient sword and studied the match list. His tactics turned Void Gate’s disciples into an unexpectedly effective fighting force, placing the sect first after the first day’s matches and leaving its members astonished.

• Mo Hua joined the Void Gate disciples at Dao Discussion Mountain, where the Four Great Sects held the Sword Sacrifice and the Dao Discussion Heavenly Instrument drew the preliminary matches.
• Mo Hua reviewed the match list, encouraged the nervous disciples, and recognized that the Heavenly Instrument favored strong contenders while placing his own first match on the day after tomorrow.
• The first matches began, and spectators noticed that Void Gate’s disciples fought in coordinated formations using standardized armor, Spirit Artifacts, and Array Techniques.
• Yang Family Feather Transformation praised Void Gate’s Dao Soldier tactics and urged the Yang Family to build closer ties with the sect.
• Void Gate’s coordinated tactics produced a high win rate, and the sect finished the first day temporarily ranked first, surprising its Sect Master and disciples.

Void Gate held first place through the second day of the Sword Discussion Assembly, while Mo Hua prepared to compete as the gifted disciples began appearing. As a crowd of friends, rivals, and curious cultivators gathered to watch him, Mo Hua finally appeared on Fangtian Painting Shadow.

• The Four Great Sects’ elders discussed Void Gate’s unexpected lead and speculated about Mo Hua’s role, then dismissed the ranking as temporary.
• Mo Hua urged Void Gate’s disciples to build on their advantage, and the whole sect worked late preparing tactics, Array Techniques, and Spirit Artifacts.
• Void Gate continued winning on the second day and remained in first place, but gifted disciples began entering the matches on the third day.
• Wenren Wan and Yu’er visited Mo Hua with Spirit Meals and a victory talisman, promising to watch his first sword discussion.
• The Dao Discussion Mountain elders added a little extra protection to Mo Hua’s Dao Discussion Jade after worrying over his frail blood vitality.
• Cultivators from across the Nine Provinces gathered to see Mo Hua, while rumors about him spread through the audience before his image appeared on Fangtian Painting Shadow.