Chapter Summaries

Meng Qi followed Nangong Chong to Lanruo Temple, where they met Yan Chixia and Xu Yue, disguised as the Heavenly Master. Nangong Chong tried to turn Xu Yue against Meng Qi, but Meng Qi struck him down again.

• Meng Qi brought the fawning Nangong Chong to Lanruo Temple to investigate the place and observe his strange abilities.
• Yan Chixia warned the group that the temple was haunted, but Meng Qi and Nangong Chong ignored him.
• Ning Caichen arrived, followed by Xu Yue in the guise of the Heavenly Master, whom Yan Chixia recognized.
• Nangong Chong secretly told Xu Yue that Meng Qi was the Cangtian Sect Master and urged him to eliminate Meng Qi after dealing with the ghosts.
• Xu Yue took Ning Caichen away to lure out the ghosts, and Meng Qi revealed that he had heard Nangong Chong's plan before striking him down.

Meng Qi repeatedly killed Nangong Chong while investigating the strange temporal resets, and he realized Nangong Chong’s spirit was connected to another world. Outside the game, Nangong Chong posted about his unusual storyline, but the Cangtian Sect Master then appeared in his room.

• After time reset, Meng Qi recognized that the Celestial Master was Xu Yue, who had resisted the temporal distortion and returned to his place.
• Nangong Chong tried to stay near the Celestial Master, but Xu Yue sent him away and left with Ning Caichen.
• Meng Qi led the others toward the strongest Demonic Aura, then killed Nangong Chong when Granny summoned a Nine Nethers fiend.
• During another temporal disturbance, Meng Qi sensed Nangong Chong’s primordial spirit rise away from his body and detected an aura from another world.
• Nangong Chong posted on the Black Mountain Old Demon forum about the hidden storyline, but other players dismissed his account.
• A blackout struck Nangong Chong’s room, and the Cangtian Sect Master began forming from electrical arcs beside his gaming pod.

Meng Qi entered Nangong Chong’s world through a gaming pod and searched an online forum for information about the Seven Kill Stele. The Celestial Master, revealed as Xu Yue’s incarnation, appeared in the room, and a forum user shared a lead connecting the stele to the Black Mountain Old Demon.

• Meng Qi questioned Nangong Chong about the gaming pod, then used it to return to his physical body and leave a coordinate in the other world.
• Nangong Chong posted online that a game boss had chased him into reality, but Meng Qi took over his computer and asked the forum about the Seven Kill Stele.
• Xu Yue appeared as the Celestial Master, having formed an incarnation from the world’s negative emotions, and Nangong Chong panicked when Meng Qi warned him about the Celestial Master’s demonic methods.
• A forum user called Wong Next Door said the Black Mountain Old Demon was searching for a treasure called the Seven Kill Stele that did not seem to belong to this world.

Xu Yue and Meng Qi accompanied Nangong Chong to Azure Vault Game Company, where they discovered that his uncle, Dr. Luo, was repeatedly resurrected through technology using Black Mountain Old Demon's flesh and blood. Dr. Luo recognized the Celestial Master and warned them that the company and the Empress wielded formidable hidden power, leaving them to avoid being discovered.

• Meng Qi used information from the player forums to learn more about the world, and Nangong Chong's uncle invited him to the company for a face-to-face meeting.
• Xu Yue, Meng Qi, and Nangong Chong traveled to Azure Vault Game Company, where Xu Yue revealed that its cosplayers were real people from the game world.
• The group reached Dr. Luo's office and saw him being reassembled after death; Meng Qi explained how technology preserved his memories and rebuilt his body.
• Xu Yue revealed his identity as the Celestial Master, and Meng Qi identified himself as the Cangtian Sect Master, forcing Dr. Luo to recognize their danger.
• Dr. Luo warned that the Empress had entered the building and explained that Azure Vault Game Company had built significant hidden power by cooperating with her and would kill anyone it considered a threat.

Xu Yue, Meng Qi, and the Empress met Dr. Luo, who warned them about Azure Vault Company's resources and hidden bases and shared information on a storage chip. They left to seek help from the authorities while planning to investigate the company, and Nangong Chong worried that they might not find trustworthy officials.

• Xu Yue isolated the meeting room's conversation so Dr. Luo could speak freely to the group.
• Dr. Luo explained that Azure Vault Company could mobilize its resources against them, use orbital weapons, and retreat through the mysterious crystal if threatened.
• Meng Qi proposed contacting the authorities and secretly investigating the company's bases while Xu Yue focused on obtaining the Seven Kill Stele.
• Xu Yue's control let the Empress and the others leave the company unnoticed, and Dr. Luo gave them company information on a storage chip.
• Nangong Chong urged the group to go to the capital and worried that company influence could have compromised officials.

Xu Yue returned to Black Mountain Old Demon's world and joined forces with Foolish Monk and Yan Chixia to investigate the Empress and Black Mountain Old Demon's plan. They subdued Granny, and Xu Yue persuaded her to reveal what she knew by showing her that Neighbor Wong was alive in another world and promising to reunite them.

• Xu Yue and Meng Qi agreed to split up, with Xu Yue opening a connection between the worlds through the River of Time while Meng Qi and Nangong Chong worked in the capital.
• Xu Yue returned to Lanruo Temple, where Nangong Chong's body collapsed as his spirit returned to the other world; Xu Yue explained the situation to Yan Chixia and Nangong Chong's companions.
• Foolish Monk arrived and learned of the Empress and Black Mountain Old Demon's alliance, then agreed with Xu Yue that they should investigate Granny, Black Mountain Old Demon's trusted subordinate.
• Xu Yue and Foolish Monk subdued Granny, but she refused to reveal anything until Xu Yue showed her a video of Neighbor Wong courting her and promised to send her to him in another world.
• Granny believed Xu Yue's offer and revealed every secret she knew.

Xu Yue disguised himself as the Demon Buddha Ananda and approached the Empress, claiming he would help her and Black Mountain Old Demon grow strong enough to defeat Meng Qi and obtain the Seven Kill Stele. The Empress agreed to enter seclusion for his instruction, while Xu Yue concealed his own plans behind the offer.

• Xu Yue returned to the Celestial Master Mansion, used the original Celestial Master to direct an investigation into the Reincarnators, and headed for the imperial capital.
• The Empress returned to the palace after sensing that the two worlds’ Rivers of Time had converged, then questioned her intelligence chief about recent events.
• Xu Yue sealed the imperial study off from the world and introduced himself to the Empress as Ananda, the Demon Buddha.
• The Empress accepted that resistance was futile but resolved to protect her people, and Xu Yue praised her resolve before explaining Meng Qi’s situation.
• Xu Yue offered to help the Empress and Black Mountain Old Demon reach the world’s limit so they could obtain the Seven Kill Stele and challenge Meng Qi.
• The Empress asked whether his method would corrupt her with Nine Nether Aura, and Xu Yue told her to announce that she was entering seclusion.

Xu Yue strengthened Black Mountain Old Demon with Nine Nether Aura, rebuilt Granny a body in Wang Lang’s world, and joined Meng Qi as he tried to persuade the Elder Council that supernatural powers were real. While the council examined their evidence, Xu Yue’s ties to the Empress and Black Mountain Old Demon left Azure Vault Company warned and ready for an imminent government strike.

• Xu Yue infused Black Mountain Old Demon with Nine Nether Aura, painfully increasing his strength enough to challenge Meng Qi for the Seven Kill Stele.
• Xu Yue used an Alchemy Array to create a body for Granny, who possessed it and set off to find Wang Lang.
• Xu Yue found Meng Qi demonstrating his powers to the Elder Council through a secret video call and passed through the wall, startling everyone.
• Meng Qi and Xu Yue presented a USB drive for the council to verify, but the Empress and Black Mountain Old Demon already knew their plan.
• Azure Vault Company moved its important assets in preparation for a government strike.

Xu Yue, Meng Qi, and their allies pursued the Seven Kill Stele after Azure Vault Company escaped their raid, while the Empress and Black Mountain Old Demon raced them to its location. Black Mountain Old Demon used the stele to kill Liang Wuji in the past, rewriting history so everyone but him, Meng Qi, and Xu Yue remembered Meng Qi as Ji Wuliang.

• Xu Yue and Meng Qi found Azure Vault Company abandoned despite their coordinated raid, and the Elder Council launched an internal investigation and public manhunt.
• Xu Yue proposed attacking the imperial city or uncovering the Seven Kill Stele, and the group used the Reincarnators' kill marks to reach it.
• The Empress and Black Mountain Old Demon arrived at the Seven Kill Stele and moved to stop Meng Qi while Black Mountain Old Demon seized it.
• The Empress injured herself to withstand Meng Qi's Heaven-Turning Seal, then used a Fire Phoenix Dao Seal to delay him as Black Mountain Old Demon reached the stele.
• Black Mountain Old Demon traveled back in time with the Seven Kill Stele and killed young Liang Wuji, causing history to change and making most people remember Meng Qi as Ji Wuliang.
• Meng Qi perceived the historical correction through the Dao Yi Seal of Cause of All Fruits and felt an urge to break through to the Dharmakaya realm.

Meng Qi killed Black Mountain Old Demon, while Xu Yue took the Seven Kill Stele and uncovered secrets about the Heavenly Emperor. After meeting Seven Kill, one of the Six Paths Lords, Meng Qi was warned to take care of himself as the danger surrounding Demon Buddha remained.

• Meng Qi used the Heaven Opening Seal to destroy Black Mountain Old Demon, who warned that Demon Buddha would still ensnare them.
• Xu Yue took the Seven Kill Stele, downloaded its recorded time nodes, and then gave it to Meng Qi.
• Xu Yue concluded that the Heavenly Emperor had secretly played the decisive role in the Human Sovereign's fall.
• Black Mountain Old Demon's true body escaped its space prison, and Xu Yue and Meng Qi met the black-robed young man, who revealed that the dead demon had been a reincarnated divided spirit.
• Xu Yue identified the black-robed young man as one of the Six Paths Lords and challenged him, while Meng Qi admired Xu Yue's confidence.
• The man, Seven Kill, warned Meng Qi to take care of himself after seeing what had happened to those who allied with Demon Buddha.

After the reincarnation mission, Xu Yue weighed how to help Meng Qi resist the Demon Buddha without disrupting the Six Paths’ balance. He prepared possible weapons and contingencies for Meng Qi’s upcoming collective Death Mission, then caused the Nine Heavens to appear above Xuantian Sect.

• Xu Yue reminded Meng Qi to think carefully about Ananda being the Demon Buddha and the knowledge that those on the Other Shore occupied the future.
• Xu Yue considered how to betray the Demon Buddha just enough to fulfill his promise while avoiding Meng Qi’s being devoured, and planned to begin by approaching Yang Jian.
• The Six Paths announced a collective Death Mission in the Journey to the West World, and Xu Yue considered whether Meng Qi might need the Time Blade or Demon Saint Spear if he could not use the Human Emperor Sword.
• Xu Yue returned to the imperial palace protected by the Human Emperor’s Remains, and a heavenly staircase appeared above Xuantian Sect as the Nine Heavens manifested again.
• Xu Yue’s true self opened his chaotic eyes while analyzing the origins of countless Dharma Principles.

Shou Jing witnessed the Heavenly Court’s staircase reappear and led Xuantian Sect elders into the Nine Heavens, while the sect pledged submission to Great Shang. In the past, Xu Yue confronted the Heavenly Emperor and lured Him into sealing the Nine Heavens, then revealed that the current Time Blade had arrived as he demanded the Emperor’s help.

• Shou Jing saw the Heavenly Court’s staircase descend, then ascended into the Nine Heavens with the Time Blade and several elders.
• The Xuantian Sect denied rumors that the miracle supported it against Great Shang and declared its submission to the court.
• Xu Yue traveled through the River of Time to meet the Heavenly Emperor before the Heavenly Court’s fall.
• The Heavenly Emperor sealed the Nine Heavens and considered taking Xu Yue’s body and making him bear the karma of the Heavenly Court’s destruction.
• Xu Yue corrected the Heavenly Emperor’s guesses about his identity and said the Time Blade from the current time node had arrived.
• Xu Yue demanded the Heavenly Emperor’s assistance, threatening Him with death if He refused.

Xu Yue forced the Heavenly Emperor to submit after striking down his historical phantom, then promised to help him survive the Final Tribulation in exchange for his full cooperation. The Heavenly Emperor accepted, leaving Xu Yue with a powerful ally.

• The Heavenly Emperor flew into a rage at Xu Yue's threat and restored his combat power with the Time Blade.
• Xu Yue struck the Heavenly Emperor's phantom, erased one of his imprints, and dragged him back to the present through the Time Blade.
• The Heavenly Emperor realized Xu Yue could see through and counter all his transformations, leaving him unable to escape or resist.
• Xu Yue promised to help the Heavenly Emperor overcome his destiny and preserve his realm if he assisted him fully.
• The Heavenly Emperor accepted Xu Yue's offer because cooperation gave him a chance to survive the Final Tribulation.

The Demon Buddha and other Beyond the Shore beings watched the Nine Heavens’ reappearance without acting, while Great Shang’s enemies saw a chance to fracture the Righteous Path. Han Guang revealed his ambition to claim the Time Blade and offered the demonic leaders divine weapons in exchange for their cooperation.

• The Demon Buddha reflected on how he had helped raise the Heavenly Emperor and later engineered his downfall, but decided to wait because he still held the secret of Fu Huang's Body as leverage.
• The Golden Emperor watched the sealed Nine Heavens and Great Shang, suspected the Heavenly Emperor might be seeking an ally, and chose not to intervene directly.
• The Nine Heavens’ reappearance stirred the Real World, and surviving demonic leaders remotely conferred about exploiting possible tension between Great Shang and the Xuantian Sect.
• Recoome argued that the Time Blade’s entry into the Nine Heavens could create a rift in the Righteous Path and give the demonic side an opening.
• Han Guang said he believed he could claim the Time Blade if Shou Jing died or he could approach it alone, and offered the Destroyer of Heaven Gate’s foundations and other divine weapons for cooperation.

Meng Qi learned more about the Other Shore and reaffirmed his resolve to pursue the Dharma Body realm, while Wang Siyuan warned that his rapid progress left him dangerously unprepared. Meanwhile, Xuantian Sect’s restoration of the Nine Heavens raised its status and stirred political tensions, drawing the attention of wills of heaven.

• Wang Siyuan brought Meng Qi to Shaolin’s rear mountain, where they confirmed the connection to the Demon Buddha and discussed the realms beyond the Dharma Body.
• Meng Qi learned that the Other Shore stood beneath the Dao Ancestors and Buddha Ancestors, and decided he needed a Peerless Divine Weapon.
• Xuantian Sect’s upper ranks returned from the Nine Heavens, which had become anchored to the Real World, while its repaired heavenly ladder descended over the sect.
• Martial artists and political factions rallied around Xuantian Sect as its prominence eclipsed Great Shang, despite the sect’s claims that the Nine Heavens were not yet suitable for entry.
• The rising turmoil drew the interest of wills of heaven, who considered using the situation to advance their own interests.

Meng Qi and his companions received a mission to return to Spirit Mountain and uncover the truth behind its ancient battle, while tensions between Great Shang and the Xuantian Sect continued to rise. They arrived at the ruined Spirit Mountain, where a furious voice cried out against Ananda.

• Great Shang and the Xuantian Sect drifted toward conflict after the Xuantian Sect restarted the Nine Heavens and claimed its heavenly ladders.
• Meng Qi, Jiang Zhiwei, Ruan Yushu, and Xu Yue were assigned a Death Mission, and Xu Yue handed Meng Qi the Human Emperor Sword.
• Six Paths ordered the team to return to Spirit Mountain, find the Great Sages and demon gods’ final whereabouts, and investigate the truth of the ancient battle.
• Meng Qi asked Xu Yue to protect Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu while he faced the danger surrounding Ananda.
• The team arrived at the ruined Great Hero Hall on Spirit Mountain and heard Old Sun swear that he would not cultivate a next life and denounce Ananda.

Meng Qi continued through Spirit Mountain, piecing together evidence of Ananda’s role in its ruin and reaching the mountain’s deepest area. There he found Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu captured, while Xu Yue’s fate remained unknown.

• Meng Qi and the others defeated the remains of Arhats and Bodhisattvas, and Meng Qi reconstructed scenes suggesting Ananda’s involvement in the deaths of Buddhas and demons.
• The group found Kashyapa’s golden body, whose back bore a fatal Buddha’s Palm strike; a burst of light separated Meng Qi from Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu.
• Xu Yue revealed that he had been included in Ananda’s plan, captured Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu, and carried them toward Five-Finger Mountain.
• Meng Qi defeated Kashyapa’s trial with the Jue Blade and Human Emperor Sword, then continued toward Spirit Mountain’s center.
• Meng Qi reached a vast pit surrounded by the corrupted remains of Buddhas and saw Manjushri Bodhisattva’s golden body arrive with Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu in a green lion’s jaws.
• Meng Qi feared Xu Yue had been defeated or killed and realized Ananda had used his companions to leave him feeling helpless.

Xu Yue revealed that he had willingly cooperated with the Demon Buddha, leaving Meng Qi devastated and apparently ready to merge with Ananda. When the Demon Buddha claimed Xu Yue had approached him first, Meng Qi broke free of his seals, began a breakthrough, and summoned the Time Blade to strike.

• Xu Yue took the Overlord's Peerless Saber and explained that he had agreed to become the Demon Buddha's product of Reduce and Seek Emptiness in exchange for protection on the path to the Other Shore.
• Meng Qi, believing he had lost his allies and remaining trump cards, sealed himself and walked toward the Demon Buddha's crater.
• The Demon Buddha urged Meng Qi to merge with Ananda, while Meng Qi asked why Xu Yue had betrayed him.
• The Demon Buddha said Xu Yue had come to him first, and Meng Qi suddenly broke through his restraints and began to advance.
• The Demon Buddha started the fusion process, but Meng Qi raised his hand to strike and summoned the Time Blade.

Meng Qi severed his ties to the past and future with help from the Time Blade and Demon Saint Spear, then began rebuilding his Dharma Body. Xu Yue struck at him during the breakthrough, but the Primordial Heavenly Venerate intervened and stopped the attack.

• The Heavenly Emperor used the Time Blade to suppress the Reincarnation Seal, allowing Meng Qi to sever his connections to the past.
• The Demon Saint Spear attacked the future phantoms of Ananda, giving Meng Qi a chance to sever his ties to the future and solidify his foundation.
• Xu Yue used the Human Emperor Sword to launch a powerful strike at Meng Qi during his breakthrough.
• A Three-Pointed Double-Edged Halberd blocked Xu Yue's strike, revealing that the Primordial Heavenly Venerate could intervene.
• The Demon Buddha and the other watching Heavenly Wills realized the Three Pure Ones had joined forces to Reduce and Seek Emptiness.

Yang Jian intervened to clear Meng Qi’s remaining obstacles, allowing him to attain his Dharma Body and escape the Six Paths. Xu Yue stayed behind with Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu, then left the Reincarnation Plaza as rumors spread about Meng Qi’s new identity and disappearance.

• Yang Jian used a strike from afar to overturn the schemes threatening Meng Qi, who merged spirit and flesh and attained the Primordial Pangu Heaven Opening Form.
• Meng Qi reclaimed the Overlord’s Peerless Saber and left through a rift to the Real World, promising to return and defeat Xu Yue.
• Xu Yue told the Demon Buddha he would take Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu with him, and the Demon Buddha allowed it.
• Xu Yue, Jiang Zhiwei, and Ruan Yushu appeared at the Reincarnation Plaza, where Xu Yue severed his connection to the Six Paths and departed.
• The Heaven Ranking announced that Su Ziyuan had attained the Dharma Body as the Primordial Muscular Heavenly Venerate, while Great Shang issued a decree offering a reward for information about him.
• Qi Zhengyan deduced that something had happened between Xu Yue and Meng Qi and hurried back to the capital to meet Xu Yue.