Chapter Summaries

Ning Qi used the Soul-Seizing Eye Technique on Ghost Mask to learn about the Demonic Sect’s Ten Thousand Flames Cave headquarters and its Sacred Pill secrets, then set out to infiltrate it disguised as Ghost Mask. He reached the cave but was recognized as the Vice Sect Leader by Candidate Holy Son Jiang Tianlong.

• Ning Qi questioned Ghost Mask on Heart Inquiry Platform, learning the White Hair Sorrow Art and that the Demonic Sect maintained two headquarters, including one at Ten Thousand Flames Cave.
• Ghost Mask revealed that only the Grand Elder and Sect Leader knew the Sacred Pill Method, and described the Sect Leader as a once-in-countless-ages genius who had reached Martial Intent Realm decades earlier.
• Ning Qi handed Ghost Mask over to Jiang Baishan, promised to keep the Demonic Sect from learning of the capture, and told Luo Wentian he would investigate Ten Thousand Flames Cave.
• Ning Qi traveled west, transformed himself into Ghost Mask, and forged a matching bronze mask to prepare for the infiltration.
• Ning Qi waited for the deep-blue flames at a cave entrance to subside, but Jiang Tianlong arrived and greeted him as the Vice Sect Leader.

Ning Qi, disguised as Ghost Mask, entered the Demonic Sect’s underground headquarters and learned how deep its strength and internal rivalries ran. After failing to infiltrate the Grand Elder’s guarded palace at night, he was summoned to meet him the next day.

• Jiang Tianlong and Ye Qin separately tried to recruit Ghost Mask and probe the outcome of the mission involving Lin Ruhua and Qin Yun.
• Ning Qi reached the underground palace, learned that the Grand Elder was in seclusion, and heard Jiang Tianlong and Ye Qin agree to prevent Qin Yun from returning as a Candidate Holy Son.
• Ning Qi secretly approached Forget-Worry Palace but detected a Strange Gate Formation, then surveyed the underground headquarters and sensed more than thirty Heaven-Human Realm experts.
• Ning Qi planted Gang Yuan Sword Seeds around the Underground Palace and returned to Ghost Mask’s residence to prepare for the next day.
• The Grand Elder summoned Ning Qi to Facing Heaven Hall, where Ning Qi entered and greeted the silver-haired old man.

Ning Qi’s disguise as Ghost Mask was exposed by the Demonic Sect Grand Elder, and he fought more than forty Heaven-Human experts after revealing himself as Heavenly Sword Real Person. As his Thousand Star Sword Formation trapped the Underground Palace and killed one defender, the Grand Elder summoned a Blood Demon Grand Formation that formed a monstrous blood creature.

• The Grand Elder told Ning Qi that he had hoped Qin Yun would help reform the Holy Gate, and ordered that Qin Yun be imprisoned while the True Martial Sect was destroyed.
• The Grand Elder revealed that a secret treasure had exposed Ning Qi’s disguise and summoned the Demonic Sect’s Heaven-Human experts to capture him.
• Ning Qi admitted Ghost Mask was in their hands, identified himself as Heavenly Sword Real Person, and unleashed his Sword Intent against the assembled experts.
• Ning Qi’s Thousand Star Sword Formation overwhelmed the defenders, sealed the exits, and killed a Heaven-Human expert with its sword barrage.
• The Grand Elder ordered more than a dozen elders to sacrifice themselves and formed their blood into a towering, three-headed, six-armed monster that swallowed Ning Qi’s Sword Qi.

Ning Qi overwhelmed the Demonic Sect’s Blood Demon while its Heaven-Human experts sacrificed themselves to keep it fighting. The Grand Elder activated a Martial Saint Secret Treasure with the blood of the Underground Palace’s Servants and, though it remained incomplete, claimed it was enough to deal with Ning Qi.

• Ning Qi used the Thousand Star Sword Formation’s Star Sea Falls to batter the Blood Demon with 108,000 strands of Sword Qi, killing more than thirty Heaven-Human experts in the Demonic Sect.
• The Grand Elder offered peace, but Ning Qi refused and continued attacking while Xiang Tianxing took control of the formation.
• The Grand Elder activated a crystal treasure pearl, causing over a hundred thousand Demonic Sect Servants to explode into blood mist that gathered inside it and formed a Blood Pearl.
• Ning Qi recognized that the Blood Pearl was likely a Martial Saint Secret Treasure and studied its power while pressing the Blood Demon with more Heaven Swords.
• The Demonic Sect’s remaining experts, including its two young Holy Sons, sacrificed themselves to strengthen the Blood Demon, until the Grand Elder stopped Xiang Tianxing from making a final sacrifice.
• The Grand Elder emerged holding the still-incomplete Blood Pearl and told Xiang Tianxing that its power was enough to deal with Ning Qi.

Ning Qi defeated the Demonic Sect Grand Elder, seized the Yu King Pearl, and interrogated him about the Sacred Pill and the sect. With the headquarters destroyed and its remaining branches exposed, Ning Qi planned to refine the pearl and hunt down the Demonic Sect’s scattered experts while gathering treasures from the ruins.

• The Grand Elder used the Yu King Pearl to unleash Martial Saint Power, but Ning Qi studied its limits and resisted its attacks with the Azure Profound Body Protection Art.
• Ning Qi struck the blood-colored ribbon’s vital spot with his Innate Divine Sword Qi, severed the Grand Elder’s control, and took the Yu King Pearl.
• Ning Qi subdued and interrogated the Grand Elder, learned that the Demonic Sect Leader’s location was unknown and the next collection of Beast Cores was eleven months away, then killed him.
• Ning Qi absorbed the remaining blood mist into a Blood Pill and concluded that destroying the headquarters had delayed the Demonic Sect’s Sacred Pill plans.
• Ning Qi considered using Demonic Sect contact signals to lure back its scattered experts, but decided to refine the Yu King Pearl first.
• Ning Qi searched the ruined Underground Palace, collected Blood Demon Flowers and other treasures, and stored them in the Yu King Pearl.

Ning Qi destroyed the Demonic Sect’s headquarters and returned to True Martial Mountain, where he revealed his Heavenly Sword Real Person identity to his fellow disciples. He reassured them that the Demonic Sect’s threat had largely passed and promised to find a way to awaken Qin Yun.

• Ning Qi finished looting the Demonic Sect’s Underground Palace, studied its records about Martial Saints, and refined the Yu King Pearl before waiting at the Ten Thousand Flames Cave.
• Ning Qi ambushed and killed two Demonic Sect Heavenly Humans, bringing the number of senior members he had slain to sixteen, then left to return to True Martial Mountain.
• Luo Wentian had told the disciples the truth about Qin Yun’s sacrifice and Ning Qi’s identity, so the disciples confronted Ning Qi and asked him to reveal his Heavenly Sword Real Person form.
• Ning Qi demonstrated the Formless Gang Body, revealed that Li Ling and Zhuang Chen could learn swordsmanship from him at the Seeking Dao Institute, and said he would eventually adapt his secret arts for others.
• Ning Qi told the disciples he had destroyed the Demonic Sect headquarters, passed intelligence on its branches to the Imperial Court, and urged Lin Ruhua to ask her mother to withdraw from the Ten Thousand Mountains.
• Ning Qi promised Jiang Baishan and the others that he would find a way to awaken Qin Yun, even if he had to surpass the Martial Saint Realm.

The Flame Martial Great General learned that a mysterious force had destroyed the Demonic Sect’s headquarters, while Ning Qi refined Heaven Piercing Pills that could greatly accelerate cultivation. As the Southern Border withdrew from Great Yan and Lin Xue Shuang brought her clan to True Martial Mountain, a veiled guest named Yi Yi arrived.

• The Flame Martial Great General ordered the middle-aged man to investigate the mysterious force discreetly and exploit the Demonic Sect’s collapse to eliminate its remaining branches.
• Ning Qi refined twelve Heaven Piercing Pills from rare herbs and found that one pill could support ten days of his cultivation toward Heaven-Human Completion.
• Ning Qi gave Dragon Mountain Daoist a Heaven Piercing Pill, and True Martial Mountain enjoyed a stretch of peace as the Southern Border withdrew its operations from Great Yan.
• Lin Xue Shuang brought the Lin Clan to True Martial Mountain, accepted Jiang Baishan and Lin Ruhua’s marriage, and agreed to hold a small wedding.
• Lin Xue Shuang called Miss Yi Yi into Bright Martial Pavilion, where the veiled woman entered before the curious gathering.

Lan Yiyi came to True Martial Mountain and used the Life-Sharing Gu to begin saving Qin Yun, while asking that he not be told she saved him. After Jiang Baishan and Lin Ruhua married, Ning Qi continued cultivating toward Heaven-Human Completion and the Three Flowers Converge at the Crown, then approached a breakthrough beneath the Enlightenment Tea Tree.

• Lan Yiyi revealed that she had come to save Qin Yun with the Life-Sharing Gu, which would give him half her lifespan, and asked the True Martial Sect not to tell him she had saved him.
• Lan Yiyi began planting the Gu beside Qin Yun, entering a deep sleep as Dragon Mountain Daoist agreed to protect them during the months-long process.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist and Lin Xue Shuang arranged for the Lin Clan to settle near True Martial Mountain and set Jiang Baishan and Lin Ruhua's wedding for the eighth day of the next month.
• Jiang Baishan and Lin Ruhua married in a small celebration attended by their close companions and relatives.
• Ning Qi continued developing his martial intent and cultivating the Three Flowers with Heaven Piercing Pills as he pursued Heaven-Human Completion.
• Ning Qi sat beneath the growing Enlightenment Tea Tree in a state between sleep and waking, on the verge of a breakthrough.

Ning Qi reached Heaven-Human Completion by perfecting the Three Flowers and gained the strength to contend with Martial Saints. While examining the vision in White Ape Tiansheng’s bloodline, he witnessed a giant ape die after absorbing Heaven and Earth Power, leaving him convinced that its corrupted nature made pursuing the Martial Saint Realm too dangerous.

• Ning Qi condensed the Essence Flower, Qi Flower, and Spirit Flower, then gathered them at his crown and realized his strength had reached Heaven-Human Completion.
• The Blade Demon sensed Ning Qi’s Three Flowers Perfection and wondered how much stronger Heavenly Sword Daoist had become.
• Ning Qi assessed that his ordinary strength could contend with a Martial Saint and began investigating the Martial Saint Realm through White Ape’s bloodline memories.
• Ning Qi saw a giant ape search fearfully for an unseen threat before aging, withering, and vanishing after being exposed to Heaven and Earth Power.
• Ning Qi concluded that Heaven and Earth Power had changed and could destroy those who refined it, so he postponed pursuing the Martial Saint Realm and began seeking the cause.

Ning Qi studied the Yu King Pearl to understand Martial Saint Power and find a safer way to condense it, while Qin Yun remained asleep as the Life-Sharing Gu took effect. Lan Yiyi awakened and told Ning Qi of Qin Yun’s regret, leaving reconciliation possible when Qin Yun woke.

• Ning Qi reasoned that studying the Yu King Pearl was his best lead to understanding the danger in Heaven and Earth Power, and warned Yuan Tiansheng to report any abnormal bloodline changes.
• Ning Qi examined Zhuang Chen’s Innate Sword Bone and then used the Yu King Pearl’s Martial Saint Power to investigate how it gained its strange activity.
• Ning Qi sensed danger in the idea of refining the bloody silk into himself, set safer research goals, and estimated the pearl’s power would last about two months.
• Four months after Lan Yiyi arrived, White Ape told Ning Qi that she wanted to see him at the Bright Martial Pavilion.
• Lan Yiyi told Ning Qi that Qin Yun’s Life-Sharing Gu, Sub-Gu had been planted and that Qin Yun might wake in one or two months.
• Lan Yiyi recounted Qin Yun’s regret and his wish to apologize, and Ning Qi said he had never blamed his Eighth Senior Brother; Qin Yun silently shed tears.

Ning Qi weighed the mounting conflicts between Great Yan, the Demonic Sect, and the Northern Barbarians before focusing on his research into Martial Saint Power. By using the Yu King Pearl to transform Heaven and Earth Power, he achieved a major breakthrough that opened a new path toward the Martial Saint Realm.

• Lan Yiyi left after asking Dragon Mountain Daoist and the others not to tell Qin Yun that she had saved him, and they agreed to keep her secret.
• Luo Wentian told Ning Qi that the Northern Barbarians had invaded and the Demonic Sect’s remnants had gained unexpected support, while rumors questioned the Great Yan Martial Saint’s condition.
• Ning Qi and Luo Wentian decided the True Martial Sect should stay out of the conflict and quietly develop its strength.
• Ning Qi dispersed the Yu King Pearl’s stored Martial Saint Power and began drawing in Heaven and Earth Power to test his own method of condensing it.
• Ning Qi successfully used the Yu King Pearl to transform Heaven and Earth Power into a new, pure form of Martial Saint Power, marking a milestone in his research.

Ning Qi strengthened the Yu King Pearl by condensing more powerful Martial Saint Power, while the Seeking Dao Institute celebrated the Zhenwu Peach Meet and planned a new generation of disciples’ contests. At True Mystery Mountain, the newly awakened Baishan revealed that he would never reincarnate again and ordered his Celestial Being Ceremony to proceed as scheduled.

• Ning Qi filled the Yu King Pearl with Martial Saint Power, increasing its quantity and quality, and demonstrated the force it could unleash.
• At the Zhenwu Peach Meet, Luo Wentian proposed disciple contests with prizes, and the group agreed to hold the gathering once every three years.
• Ning Qi served Enlightenment Tea to the gathering, and the disciples fell into sudden enlightenment.
• At True Mystery Mountain, Baihe, Baixiang, and Baiye greeted Baishan, whose memories as True Mystery True Lord had begun returning.
• Baishan declared that he would no longer reincarnate and told the others to hold his Celestial Being Ceremony as scheduled, saying an old friend might attend.

Daoist Baishan revealed his interest in Ning Qi, whose astonishing strength at eight years old had reached the White Mist Realm, and personally invited him to the Celestial Being Ceremony. Ning Qi traveled with the True Martial Sect’s procession to True Mystery Mountain, continuing to investigate how impurities in Heaven and Earth Power might relate to breaking through to the Martial Saint Realm.

• Daoist Baishan told the three Real Persons that Ning Qi had reached the White Mist Realm at eight years old and invited him to attend the Celestial Being Ceremony.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist and Ning Qi accepted the invitation, and Ning Qi hoped to study the Daoist Sects’ scriptures for clues about Heaven and Earth Power.
• Ning Qi considered asking Blade Demon to participate in a dangerous experiment, but decided he would explain the risks and would not force him.
• Half a month later, Dragon Mountain Daoist, Ning Qi, Zhuang Chen, Li Ling, and other True Martial Sect members set out for the ceremony.
• As the procession reached True Mystery Mountain, Zhuang Chen teased Ning Qi for reading scriptures throughout the journey.

Ning Qi and the True Martial Sect group arrived at True Mystery Mountain for the Celestial Being Ceremony, where he sensed an extraordinary presence and learned the sect’s origin story. After Daoist Baishan visited him, the two sneaked into the True Mystery Sect’s Scripture Repository to explore its collection.

• Ning Qi admired True Mystery Mountain’s aura as Real Person Baihe explained that True Mystery True Lord had seized the mountain after a dispute with a Buddha over a strange fruit-bearing tree, which the sect later lost.
• Real Person Baihe guided the True Martial Sect group around the mountain, while Ning Qi sensed that a peerless expert’s power shaped its atmosphere.
• Dragon Mountain Daoist and the disciples settled into the guest quarters before the group went sightseeing ahead of the ceremony.
• Daoist Baishan visited Ning Qi, revealed he had entered the Heaven-Human Realm, and proposed that they loot Daoist sects together after the ceremony.
• Ning Qi challenged Baishan to start with the True Mystery Sect, so Baishan led him into its Scripture Repository and put the guards to sleep.

Ning Qi studied the True Mystery Sect’s ancient records on the Martial Saint Realm and toured its forbidden grounds with Old Daoist Baishan, while Baishan secretly tried to judge his origins. The True Mystery Sect’s Celestial Being Ceremony began with a grand gathering of martial arts factions, but Great Enlightenment Temple interrupted the proceedings with an unexpected congratulatory gift.

• Ning Qi read the True Mystery Sect’s ancient books, learning that Martial Saints refined Spiritual Qi, and began pondering the nature of Spiritual Qi and the Five Qi Unification.
• Old Daoist Baishan tried to discern Ning Qi’s depths but saw an immense range of peaks, leaving him unsure whether Ning Qi was connected to the mysterious True Martial Inheritance.
• Ning Qi agreed to visit other Daoist Sects with Old Daoist Baishan, and over the next two days toured the True Mystery Sect’s repositories, armory, and herb garden.
• Martial arts factions gathered for Baishan Real Person’s Celestial Being Ceremony, where Dragon Mountain Daoist presented Enlightenment Tea leaves and tea wares on behalf of the True Martial Sect.
• As Real Person Baixiang prepared to share insights on the Heaven-Human Dao, a voice announced that Great Enlightenment Temple had a congratulatory gift yet to present.

At Baishan Real Person’s Celestial Being Ceremony, Great Enlightenment Temple brought the withered Heavenly Crane Tree, provoking a clash that revealed Baishan as True Mystery True Lord and the young monk as Treasure Tree Buddha. Treasure Tree invoked the Saints' Covenant and proposed they cooperate to seize an opportunity, but True Mystery dismissed him as unworthy.

• Great Master Miaokong arrived uninvited with Great Enlightenment Temple and presented the withered Heavenly Crane Tree, angering the True Mystery Sect.
• Real Person Baixiang fought Great Master Miaokong to protect the tree, while Old Daoist Baishan recognized Treasure Tree among the monks.
• Old Daoist Baishan overwhelmed Great Master Miaokong, reclaimed the Heavenly Crane Tree, and revealed that he was True Mystery True Lord.
• Treasure Tree Buddha emerged from his disguise, and the guests realized that he and True Mystery were legendary Martial Saint-level figures who had endured through the ages.
• Treasure Tree invoked the Saints' Covenant and asked True Mystery to join him in seizing an opportunity, but True Mystery laughed and told him he was not worthy.

Old Daoist Baishan defeated Treasure Tree Buddha’s Gleaming Treasure Tree with the True Mystery Seal, but the Beast Emperor arrived and joined forces with Treasure Tree Buddha to confront him. After Baishan refused the Beast Emperor’s offer to bring the Daoist Sect under the Barbarian Tribe, the Beast Emperor challenged him to fight.

• Treasure Tree Buddha challenged Old Daoist Baishan, who overpowered him with the True Mystery Seal and accused him of insulting his lineage.
• Treasure Tree Buddha revealed that Spirituality had yet to recover and called on the Beast Emperor for help.
• The Beast Emperor arrived with a Jet Black Heavenly Wolf and joined Treasure Tree Buddha, forcing Baishan to stop suppressing the Gleaming Treasure Tree.
• The Beast Emperor offered to make the Daoist Sect part of the Barbarian Tribe, but Baishan refused and warned him about the Great Yan Martial Saint.
• The Beast Emperor declared that Baishan’s insult to Treasure Tree Buddha was an insult to him and prepared to fight.

Beast Emperor and Treasure Tree Buddha joined forces against Old Daoist Baishan, who nearly unleashed a deadly power rather than yield. Ning Qi intervened with a White True Dragon, turning the tide while concealing his identity from the other Ancient Saints.

• Beast Emperor challenged Old Daoist Baishan, and their beasts battled until Baishan summoned the Heavenly Crane Tree to strengthen his Immortal Crane.
• Treasure Tree Buddha attacked Baishan during the contest, allowing him and Beast Emperor to overwhelm Baishan and pressure him to swear an oath.
• Baishan refused to yield and awakened a dangerous power, prompting Beast Emperor to warn that he would get himself killed.
• Ning Qi sent a White True Dragon into the fight, where it knocked the Glazed Buddha Tree aside and tied up Treasure Tree Buddha.
• Baishan recognized Ning Qi's aura and stopped preparing to fight to the death, while the White True Dragon grew stronger against the Buddha Tree.

The Beast Emperor and Treasure Tree Buddha battled Old Daoist Baishan and Ning Qi’s White True Dragon until a blind old man intervened and forced the Ancient Saints to stop. Ning Qi recognized him as the old storyteller who had told tales of the Heaven Chopping Martial Saint, and wondered whether he was that legendary figure.

• The Beast Emperor empowered the Heavenly Wolf with a second head, while Old Daoist Baishan’s Immortal Crane held it off; meanwhile, the White True Dragon kept Treasure Tree Buddha’s Gleaming Treasure Tree under pressure.
• Treasure Tree Buddha sacrificed a drop of Spiritual Blood to strengthen the Gleaming Treasure Tree, which broke free, wounded the White True Dragon, and began slicing through the Daoist Palace.
• As Old Daoist Baishan prepared to answer with Spiritual Blood of his own, a blind old man arrived and used his Blind Cane to overpower the Gleaming Treasure Tree, Heavenly Wolf, and Immortal Crane.
• The blind old man ordered the Ancient Saints to stop fighting and set rules against forcing others to swear oaths; the Beast Emperor and Treasure Tree Buddha then departed.
• The guests speculated that the blind old man was the Listening Wind Old Man, while Ning Qi recognized him as the storyteller who had told tales of the Heaven Chopping Martial Saint and wondered if he was that Martial Saint.

After revealing himself as the True Mystery True Lord, Old Daoist Baishan preached the Heaven-Human Dao and warned that the return of the Ancient Saints signaled a coming upheaval. In private, he explained to Ning Qi that the ancient inheritances were erased for reasons he could not reveal, and that Spirituality was necessary to reach the true Martial Saint Realm.

• Old Daoist Baishan revealed himself as the True Mystery True Lord, then preached the Heaven-Human Dao to the gathered guests.
• Yang Li Real Person asked whether Baishan had lived for ten thousand years and whether the Ancient Saints' return foretold a great event, but Baishan said the time had not come to explain.
• Ning Qi met Baishan in the Scripture Pavilion, where Baishan questioned whether Ning Qi was truly eleven and said the ancient inheritances had been erased, not by the Great Yan Martial Saint.
• Baishan told Ning Qi that the Ancient Saints were currently at Heaven-Human Completion and had used Martial Saint Secret Treasures to wield Spiritual Power.
• Baishan explained that Spirituality had been stripped from Spiritual Qi, that secret treasures such as the True Mystery Seal and Yu King Pearl retained it, and that external aids only produced Pseudo-Saints.