Chapter Summaries

The Nether Emperor revealed his ambition to seize control of a Dharmakaya and attacked the cultivators despite the Primordial Spirit Oath. Meng Qi and Xu Yue exploited his confidence to kill him, and a Buddhist figure captured the spirit that emerged from his corpse.

• The Nether Emperor recognized his past as the Bomi Imperial Advisor and viewed the other cultivators as blood food.
• Xu Yue, Meng Qi, Poison Hand, Yang Zhenchan, and three demonic cultivators attacked the Ancestor Spirit to avoid striking the Nether Emperor directly under the oath.
• The Nether Emperor endured the oath’s backlash and killed Xu Yue, Poison Hand, and the three demonic cultivators.
• Meng Qi used Heaven Smiting Five Thunders to distract the Nether Emperor while Xu Yue pierced his head with a sword strike.
• The Nether Emperor’s spirit merged with the Ancestor Spirit and tried to flee, but a radiant Buddhist hand caught and restrained it.

Xu Yue and Meng Qi defeated the Nether Emperor’s separated spirit, absorbed its energy, and ventured deeper into the pseudo-Nine Nethers. They uncovered clues about True Martial and Yellow Springs, while Xu Yue found traces of the Nine Nethers’ core aura and Nine Spirits Yuan Sheng; Meng Qi took True Martial’s damaged banner.

• Xu Yue captured and refined the Nether Emperor’s separated spirit, then shared its energy with Meng Qi.
• Xu Yue and Meng Qi sensed that the separated spirit belonged to a nearby Dharmakaya, possibly the Bomi Imperial Advisor, but decided to finish Meng Qi’s mission before investigating.
• The two entered the pseudo-Nine Nethers’ core region, where their Eight-Nine Arcane Arts let them advance to the Outer Scenery Triple Heaven.
• They found True Martial’s sword scar and message stating that he suppressed Yellow Springs there.
• Xu Yue captured the core aura of the Nine Nethers and found a trace of Nine Spirits Yuan Sheng, while choosing not to pursue a scheme involving the Azure Emperor.
• Meng Qi took the damaged Mysterious Water Demon-Quelling Banner that True Martial had left behind, and Xu Yue assured him he did not need it.

After escaping Bomi, Xu Yue and Meng Qi returned to Biyou Palace and consolidated their gains, bringing them close to crossing the first Heavenly Ladder. With six months before their next mission, Xu Yue proposed visiting Su Nu Dao to persuade it toward the Righteous Path, leaving Meng Qi alarmed by his plan.

• Xu Yue and Meng Qi learned that Crying Old Man and Life-Taking Yaksha had fought their way into Bomi, so they fled through an Immortal Traces entrance to Biyou Palace.
• Xu Yue and Meng Qi met Xie Jiugui and Qu Jiuniang, explained that their identities were exposed, and revealed they had grown stronger.
• Xu Yue and Meng Qi left word about the Bomi Imperial Advisor's Dharma Body Remnant and used Immortal Traces routes to hide while consolidating their gains.
• Xu Yue and Meng Qi decided to prepare to cross the first Heavenly Ladder, and Xu Yue proposed going to Su Nu Dao.
• Xu Yue argued that Su Nu Dao could be guided toward goodness and integrated into the Righteous Path, while Meng Qi objected to the danger and cursed when Xu Yue mentioned changing the Joyful Bodhisattva Lineage.

Meng Qi and Xu Yue entered Linhai under disguises to contact Su Nu Dao through Thirteenth Master Yun, while learning that the Yun Family's succession struggle had drawn two heirs into the sect's influence. Xu Yue suspected the Blue-blooded Man had already begun infiltrating the family, leaving the Yun Family Ancestor's safety uncertain.

• Xu Yue brought Meng Qi to Linhai, where he explained that the port offered access to the Su Nu Immortal Realm and a hidden Su Nu Dao contact.
• Xu Yue told Meng Qi that Ninth Master Yun and Thirteenth Master Yun had fallen into Su Nu Dao's trap as they prepared to back a successor to the aging Yun Family Ancestor.
• Meng Qi and Xu Yue disguised themselves as Poison Hand Demon Lord and Yang Zhenchan and entered Linhai without revealing their identities.
• The pair used a Su Nu Dao signal to meet Thirteenth Master Yun, posing as envoys from Qianli Island who needed a ship back to the island.
• Thirteenth Master Yun agreed to arrange their passage, and Xu Yue later wondered whether the Blue-blooded Man had already begun infiltrating the Yun Family.

Xu Yue and Meng Qi exposed and defeated a Blue-blooded Man hiding in the Yun Family’s lake, but a mysterious force erased the attacker before they could interrogate him. The Yun Family Ancestor invited them to talk after Xu Yue refined the creature’s Water Spiritual Energy pearl.

• Xu Yue recognized the lake’s hidden Blue-blooded Man and provoked him by urinating in the water, while Meng Qi realized something was wrong.
• The Blue-blooded Man attacked Xu Yue and Meng Qi, but they transformed into Blue-blooded Men with the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts and nullified his blood-manipulating killing move.
• Meng Qi tried to capture the attacker and saw fragments in his primordial spirit, but a powerful force erased the memories and turned him into a puddle.
• Xu Yue refined the Blue-blooded Man’s Water Spiritual Energy pearl and gave both halves to Meng Qi.
• The Yun Family Ancestor invited Xu Yue and Meng Qi to speak, and they accepted.

Xu Yue and Meng Qi negotiated an alliance between Su Nu Dao and the Yun Family by revealing the Blue-blooded Men and offering the Yun Family Ancestor a life-extending bead. They sailed to Qianli Island, where Xu Yue presented Liu Luo’s Mystic Maiden Successor token.

• The Yun Family Ancestor exposed Xu Yue and Meng Qi as Poison Hand Demon Lord and Yang Zhenchan and revealed that he knew about Thirteenth Master Yun’s dealings with Su Nu Dao.
• Xu Yue gave the Yun Family Ancestor a Water Spirit Energy Bead and identified the attackers as Blue-blooded Men, enemies of East Sea Sword Manor.
• The Yun Family Ancestor promised to groom Thirteenth Master Yun as an heir and offered the Yun Family’s friendship in exchange for more information about the Blue-blooded Men.
• Xu Yue arranged for Su Nu Dao to gain covert use of Linhai as a port, and the Yun Family moved their ship’s departure forward.
• Xu Yue and Meng Qi arrived at Qianli Island and Xu Yue showed Liu Luo’s token to the Su Nu Dao experts stationed there.

Xu Yue and Meng Qi entered Lihua Island using Liu Luo’s token and asked to meet the Mystic Maiden. She received them in the Su Nu Immortal Realm and recognized who they really were, leaving their fate uncertain.

• Ten Thousand Feet escorted Xu Yue and Meng Qi into Lihua Island after seeing the Mystic Maiden Successor’s token.
• Shangshui Fairy met Xu Yue and Meng Qi, then agreed to report their request to the Mystic Maiden and the sect’s Bodhisattva.
• Xu Yue told Gu Yiping that they had great benefits to offer Su Nu Dao and promised to free him from danger.
• Shangshui Fairy returned and led Xu Yue and Meng Qi into the Su Nu Immortal Realm, while Gu Yiping stayed behind to guard her residence.
• The Mystic Maiden received Xu Yue and Meng Qi and warned that she could capture them and hand them over for a reward.

Xu Yue and Meng Qi negotiated with Mystic Maiden over Su Nu Dao’s future, with Xu Yue arguing that the sect could return to the Righteous Path. Mystic Maiden summoned Joyful Bodhisattva to discuss his proposal while Liu Luo led Meng Qi to the Overlord’s Peerless Saber.

• Mystic Maiden questioned Xu Yue’s intentions and suggested he prove his worth by attaining the Dharmakaya within Su Nu Dao.
• Xu Yue argued that Su Nu Dao could return to the Righteous Path and cited his ties to four Dharmakayas as leverage.
• Mystic Maiden ended her spiritual assault and began discussing the Joyful Lineage’s role in the negotiations.
• Mystic Maiden summoned Joyful Bodhisattva, and Liu Luo took Meng Qi away from the talks to study the Overlord’s Peerless Saber.
• Meng Qi reached the secret chamber and saw the Peerless Divine Weapon, famed for its ferocity.

After comprehending the Overlord's Peerless Saber, Meng Qi learned that Xu Yue had gone to save the world and spent six months cultivating before heading to the capital for the Qionghua Banquet. He and another guest arrived at the Su Family residence, where Su Li worried about the danger awaiting them.

• Meng Qi comprehended the Overlord's Six Slashes and learned from a maid that Xu Yue had left to save the world and urged him to cultivate for the Qionghua Banquet.
• Su Nu Dao released its abducted partners, prompting rumors and outrage as the freed disciples returned to their sects and trained in hopes of going back.
• Meng Qi and a companion arrived quietly at the Su Family residence in the capital, where Su Ziyue greeted Meng Qi as her elder brother.
• Su Li warned Meng Qi that entering the capital before the Qionghua Banquet was dangerous because the imperial family and Luo Cult might threaten them.
• Meng Qi reassured Su Li that they had made preparations and looked forward to testing himself after crossing the First Heavenly Ladder.

At the Qionghua Banquet, Ke Changji and Young Master Wong bonded over their peculiar obsessions before Fan Changmiao arrived to provoke Ke and probe for information about Meng Qi. Fan Changmiao left confident in his newly promised status as Destroyer of Heaven Gate’s young sect master.

• Young Master Wong lamented to Ke Changji that he missed Su Nu Dao, while Ke spoke of his meat business and slaughterhouse.
• Ke Changji and Young Master Wong’s conversation unsettled the young talents gathered for the Qionghua Banquet.
• Fan Changmiao arrived and exchanged insults with Ke Changji before taunting him about competing for first place.
• Fan Changmiao tried to gauge Ke Changji’s connection to Meng Qi, whom Destroyer of Heaven Gate had been tracking.
• Fan Changmiao reflected that the sect master had promised to restore his identity as the Six Annihilations Demonic Human and make him the sect’s young master after the banquet.

Meng Qi met Zhao Heng in the Divine Capital and learned that the Qionghua Banquet’s rules had changed, putting him and Xu Yue at risk. He revealed that he had crossed one tier of the Heavenly Ladder and insisted on testing his strength against Yang Wuliang.

• Meng Qi saw the latest Human Ranking, which now placed Yan Chong, Xuan Zhen, Xing Yi, and Cao E at the top after stronger fighters left the list.
• Meng Qi met Zhao Heng, who warned him that the imperial family and great clans were wary of him and Xu Yue and explained the danger posed by the Shendu Grand Array.
• Zhao Heng told Meng Qi that the Qionghua Banquet’s prize was the chance to observe the Wordless Stele and that the invitation rules had been lifted for Meng Qi and Xu Yue.
• Meng Qi asked Zhao Heng for information on Yang Wuliang, a Half-step Outer Scenery elder whose mission offered a Reincarnation Talisman.
• Meng Qi told Zhao Heng he had crossed one tier of the Heavenly Ladder, leaving Zhao Heng stunned.

Meng Qi killed Yang Wuliang to test his control, while Xu Yue infiltrated the imperial palace and uncovered the Zhao Family’s failed preparations to attain a Dharma Body. Gu Xiaosang then appeared to Xu Yue and told him that the Human Sovereign was already dead.

• Zhao Heng told Meng Qi about Yang Wuliang and offered the support of his household formation, and Meng Qi set out to attack.
• Meng Qi swiftly suppressed and killed Yang Wuliang, then escaped before the nearby Outer Scenery expert could react.
• Xu Yue infiltrated the imperial palace in disguise and discovered that the Luo Cult’s Dushi Dharma King was concealed within the Shendu Grand Array as part of a pact with the Zhao Family.
• Xu Yue learned that the Zhao Family’s bid for a Dharma Body had collapsed, leaving the clan weakened and its position dependent on the balance among the Dharma Bodies.
• Gu Xiaosang appeared behind Xu Yue, said she had come to deliver a message, and told him that the Human Sovereign was already dead.

Meng Qi and Xu Yue prepared to attend the Qionghua Banquet despite the danger, while Immortal Traces investigated the Luo Cult’s efforts to support a prince. The chapter left their decision set as the banquet began.

• Meng Qi observed that the Divine Capital’s search for the assassin had exposed numerous criminals and an Outer Scenery expert from Bomi.
• Yuan Lihuo, Ye Yuqi, and Cao Xianzhi met Zhao Heng and reported that the Luo Cult and Destroyer of Heaven Gate had acquired the Saint Emperor Demon Token to help a prince gather True Dragon Destiny.
• Yuan Lihuo revealed that the Yu Family belonged to the Luo Cult, and Zhao Heng suspected that either the Crown Prince or the Third Prince might be colluding with the Demon Sect.
• Meng Qi announced that he and Xu Yue would attend the Qionghua Banquet to face their predicament and seek the Wordless Stele.
• The Qionghua Banquet arrived in August as scheduled.

Xu Yue and Meng Qi attended the Qionghua Banquet, where Meng Qi revealed his strength by killing the Old Emperor’s champion and forcing the Zhao Family’s plans into the open. As Zhao Shijing began his breakthrough and three powerful enemies attacked, Kong Wen, Mister Lu, Chong He, and Gao Lan arrived to confront them and suppress the Shendu Grand Array.

• Xu Yue and Meng Qi reunited with Wang Siyuan and He Jiu at the Qionghua Banquet, where He Jiu asked to test himself against them.
• Meng Qi carved a wooden sculpture that revealed he had crossed the First Heavenly Ladder, prompting the Old Emperor to arrange a challenge and offer the Wordless Stele’s reward.
• Meng Qi killed the Old Emperor’s Outer Scenery Sixth Layer chief eunuch with Dharma Form Heaven and Earth, leaving the Old Emperor to abandon his plan to test the pair further.
• Zhao Shijing began his breakthrough, while the Dushi Dharma King, the Mythical Heavenly Emperor, and Tai Li simultaneously attacked the banquet.
• Kong Wen, Mister Lu, Chong He, and Gao Lan arrived, formed the Zhu Xian Sword Array under Lingbao Heavenly Venerate’s direction, and suppressed the Shendu Grand Array as they surrounded the attackers.

Xu Yue and Meng Qi called in the Zhu Xian Sword Array and the Human Emperor Sword, turning the battle against the Shendu Grand Array and the gathered Dharmakayas into a stalemate. As the three Demon Kings arrived, Zhao Shijing chose to side with the Demonic Path and declared the conflict a war between nations.

• Xu Yue and Meng Qi used their reinforcements to suppress the Shendu Grand Array and disrupt the Zhao Clan’s plans.
• The Moon Mani King Bodhisattva and four Righteous Path Dharmakayas protected the people from the formation’s effects.
• The aged Zhao Clan imperial uncle resumed driving the Shendu Grand Array, while Zhao Shijing continued his breakthrough.
• A gigantic white tiger and a one-horned kui ox arrived, bringing the other two Demon Kings to join Han Guang and Tai Li.
• Han Guang urged Zhao Shijing to help the Demonic Path, warning that the Zhao Clan would face a reckoning if they refused.
• Zhao Shijing decided to side with the Demonic Path and called the conflict a confrontation between two nations.

The Life-Taking Yaksha turned the battle by emerging from the Nine Nethers and attacking the White Tiger Demon King, while the Zhu Xian Sword Array suppressed the Shendu Grand Array and broke the Zhao Family’s betrayal. The Qionghua Banquet ended with Dushi Dharma King and the White Tiger Demon King dead, Tai Li and Han Guang fleeing, and the Kui Niu Demon King escaping.

• Xu Yue reassured Meng Qi that the sudden shift in the battle might work in their favor.
• The Life-Taking Yaksha appeared in Bomi Imperial Advisor’s form, attacked the White Tiger Demon King, and revealed his power after merging with the Nine Nethers.
• He Qi stopped the Unicorn Kui Demon King from joining the fight, while the Zhu Xian Sword Array suppressed the Shendu Grand Array.
• Tai Li and Han Guang fled the array, Dushi Dharma King died inside it, and Zhao Shijing perished during his breakthrough.
• The Kui Niu Demon King escaped, while the White Tiger Demon King was surrounded and killed; the Life-Taking Yaksha slipped away.

After the battle in the Divine Capital, the Dharmakaya masters debated how to divide the Zhao Family’s wealth and foundations, while Great Jin’s aristocratic families tried to protect their influence. Xu Yue revealed that he and Meng Qi had planned the battle and demanded compensation from the Zhao Family, ending by claiming Great Jin as his own.

• Kong Wen, Gao Lan, He Qi, and Chong He gathered to discuss the aftermath, while Mister Lu departed and Cui Qinghe arrived with representatives of the aristocratic families.
• The aristocratic families argued that Great Jin belonged to them and that the surviving Zhao Family members should be spared, prompting Gao Lan to withdraw from the dispute in anger.
• When an elder tried to silence Xu Yue, He Qi mocked the exchange, and Xu Yue revealed that he and Meng Qi had lured out the demons and invited the Dharmakaya masters.
• Xu Yue blamed the Zhao Family’s interference for letting three demon Dharmakaya masters escape and demanded that the inheritance of those responsible compensate for the losses.
• Xu Yue declared that Great Jin was his and challenged the assembly to object.

Xu Yue founded the Great Shang dynasty, consolidated power by dividing the aristocratic clans and recruiting allies, and began building academies to spread learning. Qi Zhengyan worried that Xu Yue’s reforms were moving too quickly and risked making enemies across the realm.

• Xu Yue secured the aristocratic clans’ submission after Kong Wen backed him, then moved to clear Su Nu Dao’s name and use its displaced furnace vessels in the new government.
• Xu Yue declared the Great Shang dynasty and became its founding sovereign, unknowingly taking on karma that delighted the watching Demon Buddha.
• Xu Yue named Liu Luo empress, placed Gao Lan and Su Ziyuan first and second in the succession, and made Zhao Heng the third heir and an agent in court.
• Xu Yue divided and weakened the aristocratic clans by promoting the Zhou Jun Wang Clan, the Langya Ruan Family, and the Jiangdong King Family, while Wang Siyuan entered government service.
• Xu Yue summoned Qi Zhengyan to serve as Grand Scholar and establish academies, and Qi Zhengyan warned that the rapid reforms could turn the whole realm against them.

Xu Yue strengthened Great Shang by upgrading the Human Emperor’s Remains and claiming the Buddha’s Palm General Outline, which he used to draw righteous factions into his contribution system. Great Shang’s influence expanded across the Vast Desert as demonic forces stayed cautious and King Kong Temple backed down.

• Gao Lan left the Divine Capital after entrusting the Human Emperor Sword as collateral, and Xu Yue integrated the Human Emperor’s Remains into the realm protecting the imperial palace.
• The demonic factions avoided confronting Meng Qi after their recent losses, and Meng Qi continued improving while laying traps to conceal his whereabouts.
• When the Buddha’s Palm General Outline appeared in the Vast Desert, Great Asura abandoned Asura Temple, while the other demonic factions refused to pursue it.
• The Great Shang Monarch occupied the Vast Desert and razed Asura Temple, prompting King Kong Temple to abandon its proposal to host negotiations.
• Xu Yue claimed the General Outline and let righteous Dharmakayas study it, then introduced a contribution system offering cultivation resources and access to study.
• Xu Yue used his authority to arrange study opportunities for Immortal Traces and the Reincarnation Squad.

After returning from comprehending Buddha's Palm, Meng Qi discussed the Six Paths and Xu Yue's inability to escape before learning that Jiang Zhiwei had emerged from seclusion with a breakthrough to Outer Scenery. Xu Yue and Meng Qi visited her, and she was stunned by the changes to the world and the gap between their current strength.

• Meng Qi told Xu Yue about his recent visit to an affiliated world of Immortal Traces, and Xu Yue said Meng Qi now understood enough to recognize the danger of learning the truth too soon.
• Meng Qi asked whether Xu Yue had become a Grandmaster and whether he could escape the Six Paths, and Xu Yue said he could no longer be erased at will but still could not break free.
• Xu Yue told Meng Qi that Jiang Zhiwei had emerged from seclusion after advancing to Outer Scenery, then invited him to visit her together.
• Jiang Zhiwei emerged to find that Great Jin had become Great Shang and that Xu Yue was its ruler, leaving her bewildered by how much the world had changed.
• Jiang Zhiwei's master told her that her friends had arrived, and she greeted Xu Yue and Meng Qi with surprise and noted how far Meng Qi had advanced beyond her.