Chapter Summaries

Ye Zhen swept through the points matches, defeating Sun Zuohai with ease and conserving his strength for a possible life-and-death battle with Qu Zhanqian. Ren Xihua and Han Shi then conceded to him, leaving Qu Zhanqian curious about Ye Zhen’s true strength.

• Sun Zuohai vowed to defeat Ye Zhen within ten moves, but Ye Zhen shattered his attack and pinned him with the Heavenly Crystal Sword, winning the first match.
• Ye Zhen defeated Yu Hao after fourteen moves, and he continued winning the following rounds.
• Ren Xihua conceded his match against Ye Zhen, explaining that fighting beside him had shown him how strong Ye Zhen was.
• Han Shi, a Late-stage Spirit Drawing Realm expert ranked fourth on the Heaven Ranking, also conceded, surprising the spectators and elders.
• Qu Zhanqian watched the concessions and wondered what they revealed about Ye Zhen’s strength.

Ye Zhen faced Gao Xinglie in the final points match and revealed his Late-stage Spirit Drawing Realm cultivation to overcome Gao Xinglie’s Beast Body Secret Art. He won the bout, while Qu Zhanqian remained confident he could defeat Ye Zhen.

• Sun Zuohai conceded to Qu Zhanqian after the draw paired them for the final round.
• The draw matched Ye Zhen against Gao Xinglie, who opened with a powerful punch and drove Ye Zhen back.
• Ye Zhen used Flowing Cloud Whip to push Gao Xinglie to the arena’s edge, but Gao Xinglie revealed his Beast Body Secret Art and attacked with Blazing Dragon King Claw.
• Ye Zhen revealed his Late-stage Spirit Drawing Realm cultivation and used Flowing Cloud Nine Flashes and Nine Swords Unite to break Gao Xinglie’s attack and knock him off the arena.
• Qu Zhanqian watched Ye Zhen’s victory and declared that Ye Zhen’s strength was still insufficient to defeat him.

The Sect Grand Competition’s top ten were finalized, and the afternoon ranking matches began. Ye Zhen defeated Changsun Ran with a transformed Flowing Cloud Nine Flashes, while the chapter ended as Qu Zhanqian and Gao Xinglie stepped onto the arena.

• Little Yue Meng defeated Sun Zuohai twice, knocking him out of contention for the inner sect’s top ten.
• Elder Zhong announced the top ten and postponed the ranking matches for a two-hour rest.
• The ranking matches began, and Ye Zhen faced Changsun Ran.
• Ye Zhen’s Flowing Cloud Nine Flashes overwhelmed Changsun Ran, who was injured and had his sword shattered.
• Fan Chuyu recalled Ye Zhen selecting the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique only a month earlier and wondered about his talent or a special treasure.
• Qu Zhanqian and Gao Xinglie entered the arena for their match.

Qu Zhanqian crushed Gao Xinglie with one punch, convincing most spectators that he would win the Sect Grand Competition. Ye Zhen and Qu Zhanqian entered the arena for the final match, while Jin Yuanbao wagered his fortune on Ye Zhen.

• Qu Zhanqian defeated Gao Xinglie with one punch, and Caiyi explained to Ye Zhen how Spirit Transformation strengthened the body.
• Han Shi upset the rankings by defeating Ren Xihua and narrowly beating Changsun Ran, while Ren Xihua climbed back to fifth place and Little Yue Meng lost all nine of her matches.
• Ye Zhen and Qu Zhanqian, the only disciples with eight victories and no defeats, were called to fight for first place as Sect Master Guo Qijing, Instructor Liao Feibai, and the elders watched.
• Elder Zhong reminded Ye Zhen and Qu Zhanqian not to kill fellow disciples, while spectators and True Disciples argued that Qu Zhanqian would win.
• Jin Yuanbao challenged the doubters to wager against his bet on Ye Zhen, and several disciples accepted by staking their possessions.

Ye Zhen fought Qu Zhanqian on the Martial Arena, using the Wind Cloud Sword Technique to suppress him despite Qu Zhanqian’s Spirit Transformation Realm cultivation. The chapter ended as Ye Zhen exploited Ice Fiend Qi to freeze Qu Zhanqian’s defenses and slashed toward his chest.

• Qu Zhanqian opened with his Golden Light Demon Breaking Saber, and Ye Zhen met his attacks with sword qi.
• Ye Zhen used Eight Directions Wind Cloud Fall to force Qu Zhanqian back three steps, astonishing the watching sect elders and Sect Master Guo Qijing.
• Ye Zhen followed with successive Wind Cloud Sword Technique moves, driving Qu Zhanqian backward until Qu Zhanqian broke the rhythm with Blood Saber Slash.
• Ye Zhen concealed Ice Fiend Qi in Wind Cloud Like Thunder, freezing Qu Zhanqian’s protective spiritual energy and slowing him down.
• Ye Zhen struck Qu Zhanqian with an Ice Fiend Qi True Essence Sword Finger, then swung his Heavenly Crystal Sword toward Qu Zhanqian’s chest.

Ye Zhen nearly killed Qu Zhanqian in the Sect Grand Competition before Sect Master Guo Qijing intervened, and the disciples learned that Qu had entered the contest to seek revenge. Qu fainted from the severe damage caused by Ye Zhen’s Ice Fiend Qi as the competition concluded and the rankings were about to be announced.

• Ye Zhen’s Ice Fiend Qi pierced Qu Zhanqian’s shoulder, but Guo Qijing seized Ye Zhen and stopped him from striking again.
• Hong Banjiang tried to attack Ye Zhen, but Liao Feibai and Fairy Caiyi drove him back and protected Ye Zhen.
• Guo Qijing treated Qu Zhanqian and discovered the Ice Fiend Qi had badly damaged his body, while the witnesses were astonished that Ye Zhen had defeated a Spirit Transformation Realm opponent.
• Liao Feibai accused Qu Zhanqian of joining the competition to avenge his lost arm, turning the disciples against Qu and silencing Hong Banjiang.
• Qu Zhanqian fainted, and Guo Qijing ordered Hong Banjiang to take him away for treatment before Zhong Li Jing announced the competition’s conclusion and prepared to reveal the rankings.

Ye Zhen won first place in the Sect Grand Competition and received a fortune in prizes, along with the duty of representing Qi Yun Sect at the Five Nations Grand Assembly. After the competition, Steward He Miao brought Ye Zhen a letter from his family.

• Elder Zhong announced Ye Zhen's undefeated first-place finish and revealed the final rankings, with Qu Zhanqian in second place.
• Elder Zhong awarded Ye Zhen one thousand Low-grade Spirit Crystals, a Mid-grade Earth-tier Demonic Spirit Essence Boosting Pill, and a Low-grade Earth-tier cultivation manual, then announced that Ye Zhen would attend the Five Nations Grand Assembly in one month.
• Jin Yuanbao gathered the Storage Rings he had won from disciples who bet against Ye Zhen, then returned them to their owners and said he had only wagered to prove Ye Zhen would win.
• After the competition, Ye Zhen's fame spread throughout Black Water Country while he remained unaware of it at Qi Yun Sect.
• Steward He Miao brought Ye Zhen a letter from his family, and Ye Zhen eagerly asked to read it.

Ye Zhen read about his family’s good fortune and his parents’ wish for him to marry, then playfully implied that he would bring Caiyi home as his wife. After Qu Zhanqian died from his injuries, Ye Zhen continued studying the clouds and discovered the missing element in Flowing Cloud Intent: Cloud’s Momentum.

• Ye Zhen learned that First Prince Zhu Xuan had secured Ye Tiancheng’s appointment and gifts for the Ye Family, and he sent his family a reply and Condensing True Pills.
• Ye Zhen teased Caiyi about bringing a wife home, and she blushed before flying away as he chased after her.
• Hong Banjiang vowed revenge against Ye Zhen, and Fan Chuyu killed the crippled Qu Zhanqian at his master’s order.
• The Qi Yun Sect announced Qu Zhanqian’s death, and his name vanished from the Heaven Ranking.
• After weeks of watching clouds, Ye Zhen recognized Cloud’s Momentum as the missing element in his Flowing Cloud Intent and drew his sword to test his insight.

Ye Zhen received the summons to represent Qi Yun Sect at the Five Nations Grand Assembly, where he learned that the Southern Barbarian Tribe’s capture of the Battle Soul Blood Banner could bring disaster to Black Water Country. He and Gao Xinglie and Han Shi departed with Seventh Elder Zhong Li Jing, who was about to explain the banner’s significance.

• Ye Zhen waited in vain for storm clouds to help him comprehend Wind Cloud Intent until Elder Lu Changchuan summoned him to the Council Hall.
• Ye Zhen reassured Caiyi, teased and kissed her, then left to join the elders and the Heaven Ranking’s Gao Xinglie and Han Shi.
• Lu Changchuan assigned Ye Zhen to lead Qi Yun Sect’s three representatives and warned him to set aside his feud with Li Shui Sect and Third Prince Zhu Kun.
• Zhong Li Jing explained that the Southern Barbarian Tribe counted as the fifth nation in the assembly and warned the group that it must not take the Battle Soul Blood Banner.
• Lu Changchuan sent the group off aboard the Earth-tier High Grade Dark Cloud Wind-Breaking Falcon, and Zhong Li Jing began explaining the banner by asking whether they knew Meng Chuan.

As Seventh Elder Zhong Li Jing explained the Five Nations Grand Assembly’s bloody history and Qi Yun Sect’s duty to protect the people, Ye Zhen learned that Meng Chuan had gained a Divine Ability in the Ancient Battlefield. Flying through a thunderstorm, Ye Zhen reached an epiphany about his sword technique and unleashed a terrifying strike, prompting Zhong Li Jing to order him to withdraw his sword.

• Zhong Li Jing recounted how the Southern Barbarian Tribe won the Battle Soul Blood Banner, used it to devastate Black Water Country, and later fought Qi Yun Sect at Yinshan Blood Gorge.
• Zhong Li Jing rebuked Han Shi for calling Qi Yun Sect’s sacrifices a loss and insisted that powerful martial artists had a responsibility to protect the people.
• Zhong Li Jing explained that warriors returning from the Ancient Battlefield gained strength, and Ye Zhen realized Meng Chuan had obtained a Pulse Forging Divine Ability there.
• As the Dark Cloud Wind-Breaking Falcon flew through a violent thunderstorm, Ye Zhen comprehended the true essence of the fourth move of the Wind Cloud Sword Technique.
• Ye Zhen leaped from the falcon and unleashed Eight Directions Wind Cloud Fall, summoning sword clouds and lightning as Zhong Li Jing shouted for him to withdraw his sword.

Ye Zhen and his companions traveled toward Demon Soul Mountain, where a confrontation with Sword Origin Sect disciples erupted upon their arrival. The chapter ended with Ye Zhen holding Zheng Shuang hostage as the surrounding disciples demanded that he release him.

• Ye Zhen narrowly survived a lightning strike after his sword technique drew a bolt from the thunderclouds, and he realized he had begun comprehending the Wind Cloud Intent.
• Elder Zhong identified a passing Wind Spirit Vermilion Crown Crane as a tamed Heaven Grade beast before Zou Zhi of the Sword Origin Sect attacked their group with a Golden Winged Sky Flipping Eagle.
• Elder Zhong told Ye Zhen, Gao Xinglie, and Han Shi to stop the Southern Barbarian Tribe and Sword Origin Empire from obtaining the Battle Soul Blood Banner, explaining that Black Water Country had never won it.
• After reaching Demon Soul Mountain, Ye Zhen seized Zheng Shuang when the Sword Origin Sect disciple insulted Gao Xinglie, and a dozen disciples surrounded Ye Zhen and his companions.

Ye Zhen confronted Sword Origin Sect over its ambush of Qi Yun Sect, forcing Zheng Shuang to apologize while the gathered factions prevented the dispute from becoming a battle. After Sword Origin Sect withdrew, Elder Li Shi praised Ye Zhen for defending national prestige, just as the Demon Soul Battlefield began to open.

• Ye Zhen threatened Zheng Shuang and refused to release him until Sword Origin Sect addressed its ambush, while Elder Zhong and Li Shi's group stood against Sword Origin Sect.
• Ye Zhen forced Zheng Shuang to apologize on behalf of the person who sent the Golden Winged Sky Flipping Eagle to attack them, then released him.
• Lu Zixiong charged at Ye Zhen after learning he had killed Lu Congfei, but Gao Xinglie drove him back and the Sword Origin Sect group withdrew.
• Third Prince Zhu Kun warned Ye Zhen against provoking war, while Li Shi praised him and declared that national prestige had to be fought for.
• As the groups prepared their tents, the ground shook and blood-red light burst from Demon Soul Mountain, turning the sky crimson.

Ye Zhen and the Black Water Country delegation prepared for the Demon Soul Battlefield, where they would compete for the Battle Soul Blood Banner amid awakened Demon Souls and rival nations. As the battlefield’s opening approached, Zhong Li Jing warned them about a deadly Illusory God Empire fighter, and terrifying beast cries suddenly rang out from the sky.

• Li Shi and Zhong Li Jing ordered Black Water Country’s twelve martial artists to set aside their grudges and cooperate to keep the Battle Soul Blood Banner from the Southern Barbarian Tribe.
• Zhong Li Jing explained that the Demon Soul Battlefield held millions of organized Demon Souls, and that the group needed at least one hundred thousand Demon Soul Crystals to enter the Demon Soul Hall.
• Ye Zhen met the other Black Water Country contestants, including Prince Zhu Qianshu, Wan Zhanjun, Niu Qing, and the Li Shui Sect disciples, while Zhu Kun arranged gathering plans and Talisman Signals.
• The next morning, Zhong Li Jing warned the group about powerful fighters from other countries, including the Six-fingered Eagle Demon, whose six-fingered right hand and record of killing Spirit Transformation Realm martial artists made him especially dangerous.
• Terrifying roars, shrieks, and howls suddenly sounded from the sky as Zhong Li Jing began introducing the fighters behind the Six-fingered Eagle Demon.

Ye Zhen and the other participants entered the Demon Soul Battlefield after witnessing the Southern Barbarian Tribe’s formidable forces and the deaths of six Spirit Transformation Realm experts who tried to enter. Ye Zhen arrived with Little Cat, then fled from a massive White Armored Demon Soul Legion and landed near a Southern Barbarian who called him prey.

• The Southern Barbarian Tribe arrived with twelve Spirit Users and forty-nine Earth-tier Demonic Servants, including a Water Fire Golden Ape, prompting the four nations to agree to prevent them from claiming the Battle Soul Blood Banner.
• The elders led their disciples toward the Demon Soul Battlefield’s entrance, where six Spirit Transformation Realm experts were killed by the blood-colored gate’s barrier.
• The Southern Barbarian Spirit Users entered first with their Demonic Servants, and Ye Zhen followed with Little Cat after linking their minds to avoid being separated.
• Ye Zhen found himself in a blood-red world and saw a vast White Armored Demon Soul Legion advancing toward him.
• Ye Zhen rode Little Cat away from the legion, flew a hundred miles, and landed in a forest, where a Southern Barbarian declared him prey and ordered his treasures to attack.

Ye Zhen killed a Southern Barbarian Spirit Practitioner and his Demonic Servants, then escaped Da Hai’s pursuit after enduring a powerful arrow from the Azure Winged Divine Bow. After discovering that Demon Soul Blood Crystals vanished quickly and that the legions fought one another, Ye Zhen was ambushed by two Black Armored Demon Soul squads.

• Ye Zhen and Cloud Winged Tiger Little Cat killed a Southern Barbarian Spirit Practitioner and his Demonic Servants, and Ye Zhen collected Demon Soul Blood Crystals.
• Da Hai arrived on the Water Fire Golden Ape and shot Ye Zhen with the Azure Winged Divine Bow, but chose not to pursue him with the Soaring Thunder Eagle.
• Ye Zhen flew a thousand miles, avoided several large Demon Soul Legions, and learned that fallen Demon Soul Blood Crystals dissolved into the ground after a quarter of an hour.
• Two Black Armored Demon Soul squads appeared on either side of the valley and charged at Ye Zhen.

Ye Zhen defeated a Demon Soul Ten-Man Squad, then killed Illusory God Sect disciples Ma Zhi and Bu Changxuan after they demanded his Demon Soul Blood Crystals and attacked him. He looted their weapons and supplies, gained a Mid-grade Treasure Ring, and prepared to leave before an earthshaking roar sounded nearby.

• Ye Zhen killed a Demon Soul Ten-Man General and several Demon Soul Soldiers, collecting Demon Soul Blood Crystals.
• Bu Changxuan and Ma Zhi confronted Ye Zhen and demanded that he hand over his Demon Soul Blood Crystals.
• Ma Zhi attacked Ye Zhen, but Ye Zhen broke through his Thousand Illusions Sword Art and killed him.
• Ye Zhen wounded Bu Changxuan with the Wind Cloud Sword Technique and killed him despite his threat that his brother Bu Changtian would retaliate.
• Ye Zhen looted the disciples' treasure weapons and supplies, found a Mid-grade Treasure Ring, and transferred his possessions into it.
• As Ye Zhen prepared to leave with Cloud Winged Tiger Little Cat, an earthshaking roar sounded nearby.

Da Hai repeatedly pursued Ye Zhen, who escaped his arrows but missed Third Prince Zhu Kun’s assembly signal. While hunting Demon Soul Soldiers alone, Ye Zhen encountered a Hundred-Man Battalion and was driven back into its encirclement.

• Da Hai defeated a Demon Soul Army Hundred-Man Battalion, tracked Ye Zhen’s blood, and chased him with his Demonic Servants.
• Da Hai caught up with Ye Zhen on the Soaring Thunder Eagle and fired three arrows from the Azure Winged Divine Bow, but Ye Zhen blocked them and counterattacked before escaping into the clouds on Little Cat.
• Ye Zhen realized Da Hai’s pursuit had caused him to miss Third Prince Zhu Kun’s assembly window, so he searched the battlefield alone for Demon Soul Soldiers.
• Ye Zhen destroyed a Demon Soul Ten-Man Squad and collected its Demon Soul Blood Crystals.
• A War Drum Chariot and a Hundred-Man Battalion appeared around Ye Zhen; its general knocked him from the sky as the soldiers closed in to attack.

Ye Zhen defeated a Demon Soul Hundred-Man Battalion, discovered the Mirage Dragon Pearl could absorb its Hundred-Man General’s blood crystal and store his likeness, then decided to infiltrate a Thousand-Man Legion in disguise. He tested the transformation and was delighted by what he sensed about its spiritual power cost.

• Ye Zhen fought the Hundred-Man Battalion, took several wounds, and killed its Hundred-Man General with Origin Sword Meridian, weakening the remaining soldiers.
• Ye Zhen used the Mirage Dragon Pearl to absorb the Hundred-Man General’s blood crystal and found the general’s lifelike phantom in its First Layer Space.
• Ye Zhen healed himself and Cloud Winged Tiger Little Cat, then flew onward to find the martial artists of Black Water Country.
• Ye Zhen spotted a Black Armored Demon Soul Thousand-Man Legion gathering soldiers and considered infiltrating it by transforming into the stored Hundred-Man General.
• Ye Zhen transformed into the Black Armored Demon Soul Hundred-Man General and tested how long his spiritual power could sustain the disguise.

Ye Zhen infiltrated a Demon Soul Black Armored Thousand-Man Regiment by posing as a Demon Soul Hundred-Man General and presenting Cloud Winged Tiger Little Cat as an aerial scout. After the regiment changed course to attack a White Armored Thousand-Man Legion, Ye Zhen spotted Southern Barbarian Spirit User Da Hai pursuing him nearby.

• Ye Zhen approached the regiment with Cloud Winged Tiger Little Cat disguised as a tiny companion and ignored Third Prince Zhu Kun’s assembly signal.
• A Demon Soul Hundred-Man General challenged Ye Zhen about his missing soldiers, then assigned him to the regiment’s personal guard after Ye Zhen claimed his unit had been wiped out while defeating an enemy force.
• Ye Zhen presented Cloud Winged Tiger Little Cat as a high-altitude scout, and the Square-Faced General ordered it to reconnoiter the surrounding area.
• Ye Zhen’s formation within the regiment boosted his strength, and he used the aerial scout’s reports to alert the Square-Faced General to nearby White Armored forces.
• The Square-Faced General redirected the regiment toward a White Armored Thousand-Man Legion, while Ye Zhen discovered that Da Hai was pursuing him a hundred li away.

Ye Zhen helped a growing Black Armored Demon Soul Legion survive battles while collecting the fallen soldiers’ Demon Soul Blood Crystals, hoping to reach ten thousand. As the square-faced marshal set a trap for Da Hai, Da Hai spotted the bait battalions and charged at them with his Demonic Servants.

• Ye Zhen harvested Demon Soul Blood Crystals during the Black Armored Legion’s victory over a White Armored Legion, while a Hundred-Man General joined him in collecting the Black Armored dead.
• Da Hai evaded Ye Zhen and the Black Armored Legion, repeatedly changing course to avoid their pursuit while hunting smaller Demon Soul units.
• Over three days, Ye Zhen guided the Black Armored Legion through several battles and dangers, helping it grow to more than eight thousand soldiers and collecting thousands of Demon Soul Blood Crystals.
• After Ye Zhen reported the Red Armored Legion’s position, the square-faced marshal sent three Hundred-Man Battalions as bait and dispatched two thousand-man battalions to circle behind the enemy.
• Da Hai spotted the three bait battalions and sent his five Demonic Servants charging toward them.