Chapter Summaries

Meng Qi captured the Joyful Demonic when she tried to assassinate him at the Tang Family, then exposed her identity before Tang Jing's relatives and Wang Zai. Wang Zai began summoning his clan's elders and activating the city defenses, leaving the demoness's conspiracy at risk of discovery.

• Meng Qi used the Sound Transmission Soul Searching Great Law and his Thunder Mark to seize the Joyful Demonic when she came to his room disguised as a maid.
• Meng Qi brought the captured demoness to the council hall and summoned Wang Zai and the Tang Family branch leaders.
• The Tang masters recognized the woman as Madam An and rushed to help her, but Meng Qi warned them she was the Joyful Demonic.
• Wang Zai recognized the danger and said he would summon Wang Family elders while Meng Qi alerted Six Doors and activated the city's defensive formation.
• The Joyful Demonic panicked at the prospect of an Exterior Landscape expert arriving, and Meng Qi and Wang Zai detected her fear.

Thousand-Faced Demonic tried to save Joyful Demonic by unleashing the Evil God and forcing the Ling and Wan Families to attack the Tang Family. Just as he transformed and prepared to slaughter the gathered clans, Xu Yue returned with the Purple Scar Sword and stopped the attack.

• After Joyful Demonic was captured and sent a secret message, Thousand-Faced Demonic ordered Iron Hand Demonic to take his rebirth furnace out of the city while he prepared a final gamble.
• Thousand-Faced Demonic controlled the Ling and Wan Families into attacking the Tang Family with their Treasure Soldiers, but Tang Ren blocked their first strikes and Meng Qi warned everyone that they were being controlled.
• Thousand-Faced Demonic forced a second attack, tore off his disguise as Third Young Master Ye, and transformed into a giant that consumed clansmen and Aperture Opening experts.
• Xu Yue descended onto the Tang Family's tallest pavilion with the Purple Scar Sword and shattered the second Treasure Soldier attack, shocking Thousand-Faced Demonic.

Xu Yue killed the awakened evil god in Yi City, then traveled with Meng Qi and Shan Xiumei to Ye City, where Meng Qi considered joining Six Doors and the Mystic Maiden Successors began waiting for Zhen Ding. The chapter left Xu Yue and his companions entering Ye City as Liu Shuyu and Liu Luo gathered nearby.

• The Thousand-Faced Demonic attacked Xu Yue in a rage, but Xu Yue pulverized him and the awakened evil god with corrosive sword qi.
• News of the Yi City crisis and Xu Yue's actions spread through the martial world, prompting praise and criticism; Xu Yue and Meng Qi then departed for Ye City with Shan Xiumei.
• Meng Qi worried about Shan Xiumei's identity as a Mystic Maiden Successor and considered finding a backer so he could take the martial examinations and join Six Doors.
• Liu Shuyu and Liu Luo gathered in Ye City after learning that Zhen Ding, Thor's successor, was active nearby.

Xu Yue exposed Liu Shuyu as another Mystic Maiden incarnation by sharing Shan Xiumei’s sensations with her, alerting the nearby true self and triggering a chaotic confrontation in Ye City. As two Half-step Outer Scenery masters attacked Xu Yue, Su Nu Dao’s forces used the resulting confusion to buy time for an escape.

• Xu Yue noticed Shan Xiumei’s distraction, and she hid her fear that her incarnation was nearing completion and her true self was close.
• Xu Yue introduced Shan Xiumei to Liu Shuyu, who recognized the connection between them and asked after Tuo Tuo.
• Xu Yue used Shan Xiumei to transmit sensations to Liu Shuyu, revealing her identity and making her realize that the Mystic Maiden’s true self was nearby.
• The true self fled from a nearby courtyard as two Half-step Outer Scenery masters attacked Xu Yue.
• Su Nu Dao’s Outer Scenery auras stirred up Ye City, while its Half-step masters bought time for the escape at the cost of their own chances of survival.

Meng Qi used the Thunder Mark to help Xu Yue kill two Su Nu Dao Half-step Outer Scenery experts while Xu Yue pursued the Mystic Maiden Successor. After Xu Yue and Liu Luo vanished, Gu Xiaosang revealed that she and Xu Yue had opened the Nine Heavens together, where he was gaining power and knowledge.

• Meng Qi drew the two Su Nu Dao experts’ attention by calling himself Reckless Vajra, then summoned lightning with the Thunder Mark.
• The lightning left the two experts vulnerable, and Xu Yue killed them with sword qi as he hurried after the Mystic Maiden Successor.
• The Su Nu Dao Outer Scenery Bodhisattvas withdrew, and Xu Yue and Liu Luo disappeared without a trace.
• Meng Qi worried about Xu Yue’s absence until Gu Xiaosang appeared and said she had stopped him and helped him open the Nine Heavens.
• Gu Xiaosang explained that Xu Yue had entered the Nine Heavens to analyze its laws and had strengthened his Emperor’s Dao by combining insights from several powerful sources.

Xu Yue returned to Ye City with Liu Luo, Shan Xiumei, and Liu Shuyu, while Meng Qi built his reputation by defeating famous experts and joined Six Doors as a Wind-Chasing Secret Agent. The new Human Ranking listed Xu Yue fourth, Jiang Zhiwei ninth, and Meng Qi eighteenth, with Reckless Vajra placed ahead of Muscular Ascetic among Meng Qi’s titles.

• Xu Yue failed to awaken the Nine Heavens Profound Lady’s will and left for Ye City with Liu Luo, Shan Xiumei, and Liu Shuyu.
• Meng Qi challenged renowned Nine Apertures experts in Ye City and defeated Wang Zai’s top-ranked local rival.
• Meng Qi joined Six Doors as a Wind-Chasing Secret Agent and learned that his identity was Su Ziyuan, an illegitimate son of the Shendu Su Family.
• Xu Yue met Meng Qi and took him to see the newly released Human Ranking.
• The ranking placed Xu Yue fourth, Jiang Zhiwei ninth, and Meng Qi eighteenth, listing Reckless Vajra before Muscular Ascetic.

Meng Qi told Xu Yue about the Su Family’s attempt to keep him out of the capital and the Six Doors mission he had been assigned: investigate a missing constable in Yuyang amid trouble surrounding Ke Biqun’s martial art. Xu Yue and Meng Qi traveled downstream toward Jiangdong to investigate, suspecting the case might connect to Meng Qi’s original mission.

• Xu Yue suggested that someone in the Su Family might be protecting Meng Qi, but Meng Qi said he did not plan to return to the family yet.
• Meng Qi explained that Six Doors had assigned him to investigate Captain Zhang’s disappearance in Yuyang, where Ke Biqun’s Hun Tian Bao Jian had drawn covetous attention.
• Xu Yue and Meng Qi found that Cao Zhan had recently gone to Yuyang to join Ke Biqun, and Meng Qi wondered whether Cao Zhan had silenced Captain Zhang.
• Xu Yue suspected the case might be connected to the mission Meng Qi had originally been meant to accept.
• Xu Yue and Meng Qi disguised themselves and took a boat downstream toward Jiangdong.

Xu Yue and Meng Qi arrived in Yuyang, where Xu Yue staged an arrogant dispute over rooms at the Great River Pavilion. Cao Zhan recognized him and quietly helped him secure lodging, leaving Xu Yue to explore the city’s Great River Gang businesses.

• Xu Yue, Meng Qi, and the three maidservants docked at Yuyang, and Xu Yue sent Meng Qi to report to Six Doors.
• Xu Yue demanded two Heaven-class rooms at the Great River Pavilion, though the manager said only one courtyard remained.
• Cao Zhan recognized Xu Yue but hid it after Xu Yue signaled him, then offered an A-class room and vouchers as compensation.
• Xu Yue accepted the vouchers and asked Cao Zhan to introduce the city’s food and entertainment before following him to the rooms.
• The Great River Pavilion’s guards and attendants joked that Xu Yue might lose his fortune gambling with the Great River Gang.

Xu Yue learned from Cao Zhan that Ke Biqun was under pressure from the Great River Gang, the Six Doors, and outside martial artists after her cultivation and the Hun Tian Bao Jian attracted attention. He recognized Jiang Hengchuan’s likely involvement and left the cause of the constable’s death unresolved.

• Cao Zhan told Xu Yue that Ke Biqun had become a target after a Six Doors constable died, and Xu Yue said Liu and the three maidservants could hear their discussion.
• Cao Zhan explained that Ke Biqun’s rising cultivation and Hun Tian Bao Jian had drawn self-interested suitors and elders within the Great River Gang, while her former protector was injured and absent from gang affairs.
• Cao Zhan said the constable’s death had intensified pressure from the Six Doors and local families, while representatives of the Jiangdong King Family and other martial artists watched the dispute.
• Cao Zhan reported that Jiang Hengchuan had been seen nearby and that Qing Ying and Qing Yu were coming to help.
• Xu Yue recognized Jiang Hengchuan as Myth’s Wen Qu Star Lord and suspected that he and Old Zhong Tou might have killed the constable to probe the situation around Ke Biqun.

Meng Qi investigated Captain Zhang’s disappearance under an Assistant Constable identity while Xu Yue accompanied him to question the Great River Gang. When Branch Master Liu threatened them, Xu Yue revealed a sharp gap in their strength and warned him to calm down.

• Meng Qi reported to Constable Zhou, received the latest information about Captain Zhang’s disappearance, and then met Xu Yue to exchange intelligence.
• Xu Yue arranged for Liu Luo to investigate the cemetery and mass graves while Cao Zhan maintained his cover.
• Meng Qi and Xu Yue visited the Great River Gang’s branch, where Branch Master Liu complained about repeated questioning over Captain Zhang’s case.
• Xu Yue explained that he had come to see Ke Biqun and mocked Branch Master Liu over his interest in her cultivation method and beauty.
• Branch Master Liu released his true qi and pressured the two men, but Xu Yue cut his cheek and told him to calm down.

Xu Yue forced Branch Master Liu to back down, and Meng Qi questioned him about Captain Zhang’s disappearance. The investigation gained a new lead: Captain Zhang had been seen boarding the Great River Gang’s Gold-class Painted Boat.

• Xu Yue wounded Branch Master Liu, who apologized and agreed to answer their questions.
• Xu Yue told Branch Master Liu to summon Fragrance Master Ke and left Meng Qi to conduct the inquiry.
• Branch Master Liu revealed that Great River Gang disciples had seen Captain Zhang near a painted boat on the day he disappeared.
• Branch Master Liu said Captain Zhang boarded the gang’s Gold-class Painted Boat, whose expensive services seemed surprising given the constable’s means.
• Meng Qi asked what Captain Zhang had spent money on and whether anyone saw him leave, and Branch Master Liu promised to question the boat’s staff.

After the Great River Gang’s painted boat sank with everyone aboard, Branch Master Liu began arranging a meeting with other factions. Xu Yue’s group returned to the Great River Pavilion, where Liu Luo revealed that a mysterious Half-step Outer Scenery expert had wounded her, and Xu Yue recognized the attack’s unusual demonic force.

• Branch Master Liu learned that a Gold-class Painted Boat and everyone aboard had sunk, and Xu Yue suspected the attackers had a high-ranking informant within the Great River Gang.
• Branch Master Liu identified Deputy Helm Master Liu as the prime suspect and arranged a meeting at the Great River Pavilion with Elder Ying and representatives of other factions.
• Xu Yue and his companions returned to the Great River Pavilion, where Cao Zhan reported that Liu Luo had come back seriously injured.
• Xu Yue helped Liu Luo expel corrosive black blood, and she explained that a mysterious Half-step Outer Scenery expert had struck her while others watched from the shadows.
• Xu Yue described the attacker’s cold, domineering Internal Energy as an exceptionally subtle demonic art, prompting Meng Qi to recognize something familiar about it.

Meng Qi and Xu Yue realized that an Outer Scenery Reincarnator might be involved in the Yuyang incidents, while Liu Luo recognized how her own message could expose her to danger. Their enemies also identified Su Meng and Xu Yue, setting the stage for a confrontation over the investigation.

• Meng Qi warned Xu Yue and Liu Luo that a watcher might know the Purple Lightning Seven Strikes, suggesting that Nine Heavens Thunder God was nearby.
• Liu Luo connected Nine Heavens Thunder God to the Su Nu Dao medicine dreg and realized her report about Thor's successor could endanger her.
• Cao Zhan received word that local factions had gathered to discuss Yuyang's strange incidents.
• Nine Heavens Thunder God, Old Zhong Tou, and Shocking a Hundred Miles discussed why they had not attacked Liu Luo and identified Su Meng and Xu Yue as threats.
• Jiang Hengchuan pointed out that Su Meng and Xu Yue could discover Nine Heavens Thunder God's identity, and Nine Heavens Thunder God said he knew what to do.

Nine Heavens Thunder God launched a full-force assault on Great River Pavilion, but Life-Taking Yaksha emerged from secluded cultivation and overwhelmed him. Nine Heavens Thunder God escaped with a Reincarnation Talisman, while the pavilion’s survivors fled the destruction.

• The gathered factions learned that an Outer Scenery expert from Su Nu Dao had intervened and began considering how to resist him.
• Nine Heavens Thunder God attacked Great River Pavilion with Purple Lightning Seven Strikes, killing the defenders and reducing the pavilion to ruins.
• Life-Taking Yaksha burst from a Heaven-grade room, shattered Nine Heavens Thunder God's lightning strike, and seized his Treasure Soldier.
• Nine Heavens Thunder God claimed they were allies, but Life-Taking Yaksha accused him of plotting to steal his opportunity.
• Nine Heavens Thunder God used a Reincarnation Talisman to escape Life-Taking Yaksha's attack.

The Life-Taking Yaksha drove off the Nine Heavens Thunder God and left Yuyang, while the locals prepared defenses and awaited reinforcements. Dregs Thor returned with a concealment method, but ran into the Life-Taking Yaksha again, and the two fought their way out of the city as Old Zhong Tou, Wen Qu Star Lord, and Fire Virtue Star Lord worried about the fallout.

• The Life-Taking Yaksha spared the people of Yuyang, then flew away, and the local families joined forces to prepare for the Nine Heavens Thunder God's return.
• Liu Luo and the others sent for Maoling's reinforcements and planned to combine their Treasure Soldiers and formations to defend the city.
• Dregs Thor used a Reincarnation Talisman to return to the Six Paths, bought concealment methods, and reappeared in Yuyang, furious at Old Zhong Tou and the others for ruining his plans.
• Dregs Thor headed toward his companions' meeting place but collided with the Life-Taking Yaksha, who exposed his disguise and attacked him again.
• The Life-Taking Yaksha and Dregs Thor fought their way out of Yuyang while Old Zhong Tou, Wen Qu Star Lord, and Fire Virtue Star Lord feared that Dregs Thor would blame them for his losses.

After the Great River Pavilion battle, Xu Yue and Meng Qi traveled to Maoling, where they reunited with Ke Biqun, Cao Zhan, Qing Ying, and Qing Yu. Qing Yu challenged the newcomers but lost to Liu Luo and drew with Meng Qi before retreating to train as the new Human Ranking was released.

• Captain Yu and Wang Buchi arrived in Yuyang, assessed the battle’s aftermath, and agreed that Ke Biqun should be transferred to Maoling.
• Xu Yue, Meng Qi, and the Mystic Maiden Successor of Trinity headed for Maoling, where Ke Biqun and Cao Zhan joined them alongside Qing Ying and Qing Yu.
• Qing Ying introduced Xu Yue and Meng Qi to Qing Yu and provoked his senior brother into challenging them.
• Xu Yue arranged a manor through Chief Escort Liang of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency, and Qing Yu was defeated by Liu Luo before drawing with Meng Qi.
• Qing Yu went to a Taoist temple outside the city to train, and the new Human Ranking was released.

The team prepared for the Death Mission in Maoling, strengthening their martial arts before the Six Paths transported them to a world where demons ravaged the land. After they spent their Virtuous Karma on supplies, the Six Paths divided the mission participants into two teams, putting the group’s plans and safety in jeopardy.

• Qing Ying and Ke Changji appeared on the Human Ranking, while Meng Qi and the others trained and improved their strength in Maoling.
• The team members were summoned to Reincarnation Plaza and learned that their Death Mission would take place in Journey to the West, eight hundred years later, during Demons Ravage the Land.
• Meng Qi and Xu Yue recognized the mission world’s connection to the hidden history of the Journey to the West and the schemes of the other shore.
• The participants exchanged unneeded supplies for Virtuous Karma and bought powerful consumable treasures capable of injuring Outer Scenery-level demons.
• The Six Paths announced that the unusually large number of participants would be split into two teams, alarming the group because their support members carried most of the secret treasures.

Meng Qi’s team was split by the Six Paths and found themselves at the ruined Great Thunderclap Temple, while Xu Yue, Liu Shuyu, and Ke Biqun were sent to Spirit Mountain. Xu Yue met the Demon Buddha Ananda and discussed their wary cooperation, leaving Ananda sealed until a more opportune moment.

• Meng Qi’s group realized the Six Paths had divided them unevenly and began assessing their surroundings at the ruined temple.
• Meng Qi spotted a plaque identifying the temple as the Great Thunderclap Temple.
• Xu Yue found himself on Spirit Mountain with Liu Shuyu and Ke Biqun, near the Golden Cudgel, Five-Finger Mountain, and the sealed Demon Buddha.
• Xu Yue approached Ananda, who appeared in Meng Qi’s form, and rejected his request to reveal his true identity.
• Xu Yue offered to help Ananda escape in exchange for a method to retrieve the Bodhi Wonderful Tree, but Ananda said the time was not yet right.

Meng Qi and his companions killed Benbo'erba, but the battle left them exhausted, cost them Cao Zhan and Ge Huaien, and severely wounded Fu Zhenzhen and others. When two more demons attacked, Qi Zhengyan lured one away while Zhang Yuanshan stayed behind to hold off the other so the survivors could escape.

• Meng Qi confirmed Benbo'erba was dead after Jiang Zhiwei's final strike, but the battle had killed Cao Zhan and Ge Huaien and left Fu Zhenzhen unconscious and several others badly injured.
• Two Half-step Outer Scenery demons arrived, saw the group's weakened state, and attacked them.
• Qi Zhengyan fled in another direction to draw one demon away from the group.
• Zhang Yuanshan gave his last Great Returning Pill to Meng Qi and stayed behind to fight the ox demon while the others escaped.
• Meng Qi, Luo Shengyi, Jiang Zhiwei, Ruan Yushu, and Ke Changji retreated, leaving Zhang Yuanshan to face the demon alone.

Xu Yue proposed using betrayal to complete the Demon Buddha’s plan for Meng Qi, and the two agreed to let the scheme unfold while concealing Xu Yue’s role. The Demon Buddha vanished after promising support from hidden allies, leaving Xu Yue to preserve his closeness to Meng Qi until the betrayal came.

• The Demon Buddha watched Meng Qi and his companions, regarding them as nourishment for the fish, while Xu Yue said the bait lacked the bitter wine of betrayal.
• The Demon Buddha understood that Xu Yue wanted to use him to escape another Heavenly Will and agreed that Xu Yue should become Meng Qi’s closest blood relative before betraying him.
• Xu Yue asked how far the Demon Buddha wanted the fish to develop, and the Demon Buddha left the choice of their eventual realm for later.
• The Demon Buddha warned Xu Yue to save the situation before Meng Qi could trace time and uncover the scheme, and Xu Yue cautioned him to handle the other Heavenly Wills.
• The Demon Buddha assured Xu Yue that he had allies and hidden cards, then his phantom disappeared.