Chapter Summaries

Ding Ling completed his transformation into a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon and left the Dragon Gate with the golden carp, reuniting with Madam Bai and Yu Qiang. After the South Sea Dragon King Ao Qin learned a new Five-Clawed Golden Dragon had appeared, he welcomed Ding Ling and invited him to the Dragon Palace, but Ding Ling declined and continued on his way.

• Ding Ling absorbed the ancient Curse Source Power while roaming the Sea of Ruins with the golden carp, completing Dragon Gate Curse Type 2 and greatly strengthening his dragon body.
• Ding Ling and the golden carp returned above the South Sea, transformed into human forms, and approached Madam Bai and Yu Qiang, who initially fled in fear.
• Ding Ling revealed himself to Madam Bai and Yu Qiang, then withdrew his dragon might so Yu Qiang could stand before him without being overwhelmed.
• South Sea Dragon King Ao Qin intercepted Ding Ling, greeted him as a fellow Dragon King, and invited him to visit the South Sea Dragon Palace.
• Ding Ling gave Ao Qin the name Lu Wenli and declined the invitation, while Ao Qin remained warmly curious about the newly appeared Five-Clawed Golden Dragon.

Ding Ling learned from Ao Qin that the Four Seas Dragon Kings were being targeted by the Heavenly Court and Buddhist School, and that Sun Wukong had been suppressed after resisting them. Ao Qin revealed Sun Wukong’s plan to infiltrate the Buddhist School, while warning Ding Ling that his status as the fifth Dragon King made him a target too.

• Ao Qin persistently invited Ding Ling to join the South Sea as its Great General, explaining that the sea was under pressure from powerful forces.
• Ao Qin told Ding Ling that Sun Wukong had allied with the Four Seas Dragon Kings, but the Heavenly Court and Buddhist School had betrayed their plans and Sun Wukong had been suppressed beneath Five-Finger Mountain by Tathagata Buddha.
• Ding Ling learned that the Buddhist School was concentrating its forces in Nanzhan Buzhou to protect Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation and prepare for a journey to obtain the true scriptures.
• Ao Qin revealed that Sun Wukong planned to escape Five-Finger Mountain, pose as Jin Chanzi’s disciple, and infiltrate the Buddhist School to seize its Curse Source and eventually defeat Tathagata.
• Ao Qin warned Ding Ling that, as the fifth Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, he was a natural ally of the Four Seas Dragon Kings and a target of both the Heavenly Court and Buddhist School.

Ding Ling agreed to join Ao Qin’s South Sea and was appointed Great General, gaining command over its marine races. After seeing the Dragon Palace’s forces, he learned that Ao Qin already had urgent problems for him to handle.

• Ding Ling negotiated for Curse Sources and freedom from restrictions, and Ao Qin promised him both while asking him to help root out Buddhist School spies.
• Ao Qin introduced Ding Ling to his children, including Ao Yuan and Ao Mang, who greeted him as Uncle Ding.
• Ao Qin brought Ding Ling to the Dragon Palace, where Ding Ling learned that the dragon clan had long protected humanity as its totem.
• The next day, Ao Qin presented Ding Ling to the Dragon Palace’s powerful marine generals and publicly named him Great General over the South Sea’s marine races.
• Ao Qin brought urgent matters to Ding Ling, explaining that the South Sea’s position was precarious and that he had no one else reliable to turn to.

Ding Ling entered the Dragon Palace Treasury with Ao Qin and passed its dangerous trials using the Dragon King's abilities. He then entered the Illusory Sea, found a city shaped by a Curse Source, and was swarmed after extracting the anger Curse Source.

• Ao Qin took Ding Ling through the treasury's ocean, black clouds, and scorching void, where Ding Ling's mastery of dragon abilities astonished him.
• Ao Qin explained the Illusory Sequence Curse Source and warned Ding Ling to leave the treasury within three hours.
• Ding Ling entered the Illusory Sea and found himself in a vast city filled with strange beings.
• Ding Ling killed a red-faced man and extracted the Desire Sequence No. 3 Curse Source of anger.
• The city's inhabitants attacked Ding Ling, who escaped their crushing swarm by shrinking and flew to the top of a tower.

Ding Ling hunted down Desire Sequence curses in the City of Desire, then defeated its hidden ruler and absorbed the No. 0 Curse Source. He learned that the ruler was the dead Human King Di Xin and demanded more of his power.

• Ding Ling killed the City's alien inhabitants and absorbed more than twenty Desire Sequence Curse Sources, rapidly multiplying his strength.
• Ding Ling used his Deduction Technique to locate and defeat the seven-colored alien, then absorbed the Desire Sequence No. 0 Curse Source: Desire.
• Ding Ling tracked the wounded alien into hiding and made him reveal himself as Di Xin, the former Human King also called Zhou Wang.
• Di Xin explained that he had created the people of the City of Desire and described his abilities, including amplifying negative emotions and disturbing minds.
• Ding Ling took another portion of No. 0 Curse Source from Di Xin, found it unchanged, and demanded more.

Ding Ling drained more Curse Source from Di Xin, learned the history of the Shang Dynasty’s fall and Di Xin’s search for Daji, then had Di Xin create Curse Sources for him. He left the City of Desire with every Curse Source in his Desire Sequence advanced to Type 5, while Type 6 required a special opportunity.

• Ding Ling absorbed more of Di Xin’s Curse Source No. 0, found that it still did not level up, and ordered Di Xin to summon the bearers of other Curse Sources.
• Di Xin demonstrated that he could create people, but the wooden, soulless puppets could not learn or communicate.
• Di Xin told Ding Ling how the Mystic Bird’s Curse Source destroyed Chaoge, leading to the Shang Dynasty’s defeat, and asked him to look for Daji, who had died with him.
• Di Xin explained that the city might be tens or hundreds of millions of years old and created piles of Curse Sources for Ding Ling before he left.
• Ding Ling absorbed the Curse Sources, advancing every Curse Source in his Desire Sequence to Type 5; Di Xin said reaching Type 6 required a special opportunity.

Ding Ling crossed the second city, overcame its residents’ curses, and found Shen Gongbao, the source of its Despair curse. Shen Gongbao recounted his death and shared what he knew about the world’s impending collapse, but he had little information about the city beyond an underground altar and a monkey he had seen centuries earlier.

• Di Xin asked how Ding Ling carried so many Type 5 Curse Sources without backlash, and Ding Ling departed after promising to report any news of the Nine-tailed Fox.
• Ding Ling entered the second city, where cursed residents attacked him with sound-based powers, and used his strengthened Deduction Technique to locate Curse Source No. 0.
• Ding Ling struck the man on the imperial throne, absorbed the Despair Curse Source, and learned that the man was Shen Gongbao.
• Shen Gongbao told Ding Ling that Jiang Ziya and Nezha had killed him after the Mystic Bird’s Curse Sources backfired, and that his master Shen Yuan had warned the world was nearing collapse.
• Shen Gongbao said he had found an ancient altar underground and once seen a monkey fly over the city, but knew of nothing else unusual.

Ding Ling absorbed and upgraded all twenty-three Despair Sequence Curse Sources to Type 5, leaving Shen Gongbao terrified but alive and asking to be rescued. He then entered the third city, where he effortlessly defeated its general’s opening attack and was welcomed to the City of Fear.

• Ding Ling made Shen Gongbao create Curse Sources and absorbed them, upgrading the Aging, Weakness, and Paralysis Curse Sources to Type 5.
• Ding Ling absorbed and upgraded all twenty-three of Shen Gongbao’s Despair Sequence Curse Sources to Type 5, astonishing Shen Gongbao with his immunity to their backlash.
• Ding Ling spared Shen Gongbao, who asked him to return and rescue him, then left for the third city.
• Ding Ling entered the City of Fear with his Type 5 Curse Sources active, and the city’s inhabitants fell helplessly before him.
• The city’s general charged Ding Ling with a saber, but Ding Ling crushed the attack, prompting the general to dismount, bow, and welcome him.

Ding Ling met King Biancheng, the former Ten Yama King and City Lord of the City of Fear, and obtained the Fear Sequence Curse Sources, upgrading all twenty to Type 5. After learning about the cities, Heaven's Mandate, and the Destiny Curse Source, Ding Ling left, while King Biancheng asked him to visit again.

• Ding Ling learned that King Biancheng had been transported from the Underworld and trapped near the City of Fear, so he offered to investigate the mystery of King Biancheng's death in exchange for Curse Sources.
• King Biancheng gave Ding Ling the Death, Abyss, and Fear Curse Sources, and Ding Ling upgraded all twenty Curse Sources in the Fear Sequence to Type 5.
• Ding Ling told King Biancheng that Di Xin and Shen Gongbao had become the No. 0 Curse Sources of their cities, then learned that the Dragon Palace treasury held thousands of cities.
• King Biancheng explained how the Mystic Bird's Destiny Curse Source and Heaven's Mandate governed fortune, and Ding Ling questioned him about the world's rules and secrets.
• Ding Ling left the City of Fear after gathering what he needed, and King Biancheng escorted him out and asked him to visit again.

Ding Ling explored Dragon Palace’s cities, harvested a living Destiny Curse Source No. 0, and learned how living and dead sources differed. After gaining protection from the Book of the Dead and discovering he could also absorb dead sources, he encountered Di Xin again in a deeper city.

• Ding Ling left King Biancheng and searched Dragon Palace for weapons and mysterious Curse Sources.
• Ding Ling found a newly formed Curse Source No. 0 on the altar in the one hundred and eighth city and harvested it with the Death God Scythe.
• Ding Ling absorbed the living Destiny Curse Source No. 0 and learned that it could sever sequence connections and protect him from the Book of the Dead.
• Ding Ling harvested another Curse Source No. 0, discovered that he could absorb it only after it had died, and gained Sin Sequence No. 0.
• Ding Ling searched hundreds of cities without finding another living Curse Source No. 0, then encountered Di Xin in a deeper city and turned to leave.

Ding Ling crossed the Dragon Gate, resisted being permanently transformed by the Dragon Clan Sequence, and reached the Tomb Sea, where he discovered that Sun Wukong had taken the Ruyi Jingu Bang from Da Yu’s Tomb. He opened Laozi’s Tomb but found that using the Destiny Blade had weakened it, leaving him time to choose at most one more tomb before he had to leave.

• Ding Ling encountered Di Xin, Shen Gongbao, and King Biancheng again as the treasure vault’s cities shifted around him.
• Ding Ling passed through the Dragon Gate and used the Destiny Blade to stop the Dragon Clan Sequence from transforming him completely.
• Ding Ling found the Tomb Sea and discovered the fading shadow of the Ruyi Jingu Bang in Da Yu’s Tomb.
• Ding Ling chose Laozi’s Tomb and used the Destiny Blade to cut through the chains sealing it.
• Ding Ling realized the Destiny Blade had weakened and that he could open at most one more tomb before leaving.

Ding Ling entered Laozi's tomb, endured the King Kong Bracelet's lethal backlash, and absorbed it as a Divine Weapon Sequence Curse Source before taking an ordinary spear and escaping the Tomb Sea. He returned to Ao Qin, who was astonished that Ding Ling had stayed inside longer than Sun Wukong and had passed through the Dragon Gate without transforming into a dragon.

• Ding Ling entered Laozi's tomb and spotted the King Kong Bracelet at its center, but its golden light overwhelmed his defenses as he tried to reach it.
• Ding Ling grabbed the King Kong Bracelet and was pierced through by its golden light; after recovering, he discovered it had become Divine Weapon Sequence Curse Source No. 9 within him.
• Ding Ling learned the King Kong Bracelet's abilities and backlash, then entered another tomb and absorbed a weaker divine treasure, Divine Weapon Sequence Curse Source No. 99: Spear.
• Ding Ling left the Tomb Sea, passed through the Dragon Gate, and hurried through the fading twisted path back to Ao Qin.
• Ao Qin marveled that Ding Ling had stayed in the treasury for six and a half shichen, longer than Sun Wukong, and was shocked when Ding Ling said he had passed the Dragon Gate.

Ding Ling learned the Curse Source Eruption Art and other secrets in the Dragon Palace Library, then mastered an incomplete Taiji Secret Martial Art that could help him combine Curse Sources. He left the chapter considering how to use his many yin-aligned Curse Sources to forge a Taiji Diagram.

• Ao Qin asked Ding Ling about Curse Source No. 0, and Ding Ling explained why Ao Guang had kept the Dragon Palace Treasury's secret from him.
• Ding Ling agreed to take Ao Qin into the treasury when it reopened, then returned to the Dragon Palace and began studying its library.
• Ding Ling used his Transmission Skill to teach Ao Qin and Ao Yuan the Curse Source Eruption Art, leaving them amazed by his ability.
• Ao Qin said he wanted Ding Ling to lead the Four Seas Dragon Kings, while Ding Ling continued reading and gained knowledge and skill from the Dragon Palace Library.
• Ding Ling mastered the incomplete Taiji Secret Martial Art and began considering how to combine his yin- and yang-aligned Curse Sources into a Taiji Diagram.

Ding Ling used Martial True Qi to form a powerful Taiji Diagram from his Yin and Yang Curse Sources, then taught the Eight Trigrams Plate Cable and Martial Dao True Understanding to Ao Yuan and Ao Qin. After months of training South Sea forces, he sent hundreds of thousands of sea folk across the realms to gather intelligence.

• Ding Ling formed a Taiji Diagram that balanced and unleashed his Yin and Yang Curse Sources, while Ao Yuan watched in alarm.
• Ding Ling gave Ao Yuan the Eight Trigrams Plate Cable manual and used the Transmission Skill to help her understand the Martial Dao True Understanding.
• Ao Qin urged Ding Ling to lead the South Sea Dragon Palace and unite the Four Seas Dragon Kings, but Ding Ling deferred the decision until next year.
• Ding Ling imparted part of the Martial Dao True Understanding to Ao Qin and Ao Yuan, enabling them to pursue the Taiji Diagram.
• Ding Ling trained troops and guided Madam Bai, Jinli, Yu Qiang, Ao Yuan, and Ao Qin; he suspected an invisible Curse Source had harmed the True Dragon Clan's comprehension.
• After several months, Ding Ling sent several hundred thousand trained sea folk to Xiniu Hezhou, Nanzhan Buzhou, and other regions to gather intelligence.

Ding Ling followed a new exploration team to the South Sea border, rescued its members, and seized the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl from Ao Fu, the Jiao Demon King. He spared Ao Fu after binding him with puppet talismans and took the Blood Demon Banner for himself.

• Ding Ling followed the Crocodile Dragon and six crocodiles to investigate the vanished teams at the South Sea border.
• Ao Fu trapped the group in the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, but Ding Ling broke into the world, freed them, and pursued Ao Fu.
• Ding Ling seized the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, used it to capture Ao Fu, and learned that he was the Jiao Demon King and one of the Seven Great Sages.
• Ding Ling bound Ao Fu with puppet talismans and spared him after Ao Fu submitted.
• Ao Fu explained that he had killed sea clan members to feed the Blood Demon Banner, which Ding Ling took and absorbed into his body.

Ding Ling took Jiao Demon King as his puppet after acquiring the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl and Blood Demon Banner, then learned about the Seven Great Sages and the dangers in Nanzhan Buzhou. They headed for the border with Xiniu Hezhou, where Ding Ling killed the mysterious Pagoda-Bearing Arhat.

• Ding Ling revealed that he had integrated the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl and Blood Demon Banner, stunning Jiao Demon King, who then explained his origins and his history with the North Sea Dragon Clan.
• Jiao Demon King told Ding Ling about the Seven Great Sages, including Bull Demon King's retreat and his own place on the Heavenly Court's Most Wanted List.
• Jiao Demon King offered to guide Ding Ling to the other great sages and identified evil demons and corrupt Gods and Buddhas in Nanzhan Buzhou as targets.
• Ding Ling chose to travel to the border between Nanzhan Buzhou and Xiniu Hezhou, and his Martial Dao True Understanding healed Jiao Demon King as they went.
• Ding Ling killed the Pagoda-Bearing Arhat with a Taiji Diagram after they reached a small island, leaving Jiao Demon King shocked.

Ding Ling killed the Pagoda-Bearing Arhat and more than a hundred Buddhist envoys and Vajras, absorbing their Curse Sources before traveling with Jiao Demon King to Chang'an. There, news of the killings spread, and Wei Zheng confronted the pair at an inn, leaving Ding Ling facing the Crown Prince Tutor.

• Ding Ling absorbed the Pagoda-Bearing Arhat's Curse Source Qi and gained the Buddha Lotus and Seven-Layered Buddha Pagoda Curse Sources.
• Ding Ling killed eight Vajras and more than a hundred Buddhist envoys, collecting their Curse Sources and memories as he and Jiao Demon King traveled toward Chang'an.
• Ding Ling entered Chang'an with Jiao Demon King, and they learned that the city was searching for the demon who had killed the Pagoda-Bearing Arhat.
• Ding Ling and Jiao Demon King entered Chang'an's inner city and stayed at an inn, where Wei Zheng arrived with an entourage and questioned them.
• Jiao Demon King challenged Wei Zheng for demanding that Ding Ling answer him, and Wei Zheng introduced himself as the Crown Prince Tutor of Great Tang.

Ding Ling confronted Wei Zheng in Chang'an and demonstrated that his Taiji Diagram could kill a Great Tang guard instantly, forcing Wei Zheng to summon Li Shimin. Li Shimin recognized Ding Ling as the powerful figure who had once brought him back to life and greeted him with respect.

• Wei Zheng revealed that he had recognized Ding Ling's immense dragon aura and said he would take Ding Ling and the Jiao Demon King to the Heavenly Prison.
• Ding Ling said he wanted to meet Li Shimin, and Wei Zheng objected when Ding Ling spoke the emperor's name without honorifics.
• A guard drew his blade against Ding Ling and was instantly killed by a Taiji Diagram, causing Wei Zheng to order his other guards not to act.
• Ding Ling told Wei Zheng to inform Li Shimin that an old acquaintance from the Underworld had come, and Wei Zheng sent a guard to deliver the message.
• Li Shimin arrived at the inn, and Ding Ling reminded him that he had brought him back to life; Li Shimin recognized him and apologized for not recognizing his changed appearance.

Ding Ling accompanied Li Shimin to the Great Tang Imperial Palace, where he learned that Li Shimin’s Human King Body came from a powerful Human Race Curse Source. In the palace Book Vault, Ding Ling read through its books and comprehended a formidable technique from a fragmentary text, leaving Wei Zheng and the others awed by his strength.

• Li Shimin respectfully invited Ding Ling to the Imperial Palace, astonishing Wei Zheng, Cheng Yaojin, and the others.
• Wei Zheng told Cheng Yaojin that Ding Ling’s dragon companion could easily kill him, prompting the two officials to trade angry barbs.
• Li Shimin explained that occupying the Chang'an Imperial Court granted a Human King the Human King Body and the protection of Human Race Qi Luck.
• Li Shimin brought Ding Ling to the Book Vault, where Ding Ling used his arts to read books throughout the tower and rapidly gain knowledge.
• Ding Ling comprehended the Two Elements Chapter from the fragmentary Eight Trigrams Plate Cable and manifested a powerful Yin-Yang technique, convincing Wei Zheng that Ding Ling could kill him instantly.

Ding Ling studied the Human Imperial Palace’s books and uncovered clues that the Human Race’s history had been rewritten, while Li Shimin sought help understanding his origins. That night, Yuan Tiangang was gravely injured trying to divine Ding Ling’s past, and Ding Ling stopped a cursed Wei Zheng from killing Jiao Demon King.

• Ding Ling read the seventh-floor books, mastered several martial arts and Secret Martial Arts, and learned secret accounts of the Human Race’s decline and Qin Shi Huang’s failed resistance.
• Ding Ling questioned Li Shimin about the Qin Dynasty and suspected that the history Li Shimin had learned concealed the truth.
• Li Shimin sent for Yuan Tiangang, who identified Ding Ling’s apparent past but suffered a terrible backlash when he tried to calculate Ding Ling’s origins.
• Li Shimin ordered Wei Zheng to compensate the unconscious Yuan Tiangang and wondered whether Ding Ling’s arrival could protect him from his enemies.
• A cursed Wei Zheng approached the drugged Jiao Demon King, but Ding Ling intervened and shattered half of Wei Zheng’s soul, leaving him an idiot.