Chapter Summaries

Chen Sheng strengthened himself through a night of lightning training, welcomed Chen Dangui with food, and allowed her to visit again as long as she kept him secret. The next day, Chen Bi returned to Datian Village, ignored Fu Laotou, and reunited with his family.

• Chen Sheng endured repeated lightning strikes, used the Water Authority to heal, and raised his attributes through hours of training.
• Chen Sheng sent White Tiger to fetch Chen Dangui, who brought tea eggs and braised pork to thank him for saving her.
• Chen Sheng let Chen Dangui visit again if she kept his existence secret, then had White Tiger take her home.
• Chen Bi returned to Datian Village and ignored Fu Laotou’s ingratiating greeting and insult.
• Chen Dangui greeted Chen Bi excitedly, took the gifts from his bag, and ran inside.
• Chen Bi joined Chen's Father and Chen's Mother for a meal they had delayed until his return.

Chen Bi investigated strange activity in the deep mountains to protect his family, where he encountered a huge White Tiger and a powerful Holy Church member. The Monkey-face Man forced Chen Bi to return with him, and the chapter ended as he prepared to fight the White Tiger.

• Chen Bi questioned his parents about strangers in Datian Village, then heard about strange events in the mountains and decided to investigate.
• Chen Bi spoke with Chen Dangui, who admitted she had learned a Breathing Technique from friends in the mountains but promised not to go there again.
• After his family went to sleep, Chen Bi entered the mountains and encountered an enormous White Tiger that drove him back.
• Chen Bi met a Monkey-face Man from the Holy Church, identified himself, and revealed that he carried a Sensing Pearl while searching for a target.
• The Monkey-face Man brought Chen Bi back to the White Tiger, then transformed and challenged it to fight.

White Tiger defeated the Monkey-face Man, but Chen Sheng arrived before he could kill him and learned that the Holy Church was searching for someone who could activate a Sensing Pearl. After Chen Dangui reunited with her brother Chen Bi, Chen Sheng left to find a new place to cultivate, only to encounter Black Tortoise while Vermillion Bird and Shen watched from afar.

• White Tiger tore the Monkey-face Man in half and pinned him down, but Chen Sheng arrived when the Sensing Pearl exploded and stopped White Tiger from eating him.
• Chen Sheng questioned Chen Bi, who revealed that Black Tortoise had sent Holy Church members across Hua Country to find people who could activate Sensing Pearls and become his disciples.
• Chen Dangui arrived and begged Chen Sheng to spare Chen Bi, so Chen Sheng released him, accepted her food, and left with White Tiger to find a new place to cultivate.
• As Chen Sheng packed by the river, he sensed two unfamiliar people approaching and saw Black Tortoise emerge from the darkness.
• Vermillion Bird and Shen watched Chen Sheng and Black Tortoise from a distant mountain, and Vermillion Bird explained that his Fire Seed had helped them locate Chen Sheng.

Chen Sheng killed Black Tortoise’s allies Yin Hu and Zi Shu with overwhelming speed and strength, then discovered Black Tortoise was reviving through a potion and fiery transformation. After Black Tortoise’s power surged, he awoke and challenged Chen Sheng, but found his vision completely black.

• Vermillion Bird told Shen that Black Tortoise had brought Zi Shu and Yin Hu to confront Chen Sheng.
• Chen Sheng assessed the three enemies, then killed Black Tortoise with a single blow and struck Yin Hu dead before he could fully attack.
• Chen Sheng tracked Zi Shu underground and killed him after catching him by the throat.
• Chen Sheng noticed signs of life in Black Tortoise’s headless body and repeatedly attacked him as flames and flesh buds helped him regenerate.
• The potion and Black Tortoise Transformation restored Black Tortoise and boosted his attributes dramatically; after he awoke and threatened Chen Sheng, he realized he could not see.

Chen Sheng crushed Black Tortoise and confronted Vermillion Bird after sensing him from miles away. Vermillion Bird survived Chen Sheng’s attacks and revealed that he shared Chen Sheng’s goal of dealing with Venerable Elder and Xiang Li.

• Chen Sheng overpowered Black Tortoise in their transformed states, crushed him to pieces, and burned the remains to ash.
• Vermillion Bird realized Chen Sheng had become far stronger than he expected and tried to flee with Shen, but Chen Sheng spotted them from seven kilometers away.
• Vermillion Bird sent Shen flying toward the forest with flame wings, then stepped between Chen Sheng and Shen to prevent Chen Sheng from pursuing him.
• Chen Sheng struck Vermillion Bird into the forest, but Vermillion Bird emerged in a pillar of fire and tried to escape through the air.
• Chen Sheng caught Vermillion Bird, dragged him to the ground, and repeatedly battered him despite Vermillion Bird’s flames and regenerative abilities.
• Vermillion Bird told Chen Sheng that he shared his goal of dealing with Venerable Elder and Xiang Li, causing Chen Sheng to stop punching him.

After Chen Sheng stopped his assault on Vermillion Bird, Vermillion Bird warned him about Venerable Elder and Xiang Li and persuaded him to go to the YiHe Sect headquarters. They reached Zhang Yu's villa, where Vermillion Bird planned to stay the night before meeting Sun Yihe in the morning.

• Chen Sheng gave Vermillion Bird three minutes to explain why he had approached him, and Vermillion Bird warned that Venerable Elder and Xiang Li were beyond Chen Sheng's current strength.
• Vermillion Bird proposed taking Chen Sheng to the YiHe Sect headquarters, and Chen Sheng agreed because he trusted the sect more than he suspected it was a trap.
• Chen Sheng collected his clothes and food from White Tiger, while Vermillion Bird brought Shen back and introduced him to Chen Sheng in his transformed state.
• Vermillion Bird and Chen Sheng flew to the YiHe Sect base, and Vermillion Bird sent Shen elsewhere because he was not permitted to meet the person they would see the next day.
• Chen Sheng sensed no immediate danger within the sect, ended his Black Tortoise Transformation, and followed Vermillion Bird to Zhang Yu's villa.
• Zhang Yu recognized Vermillion Bird, then learned Chen Sheng already knew his identity as Vermillion Bird arranged to stay overnight and meet Zhang Yu's master in the morning.

Chen Sheng met Li Wuji, the president of the Martial Arts Association, at Sun Yihe’s courtyard after Vermillion Bird brought him to the YiHe Sect. Li Wuji said he would explain why he wanted to deal with Venerable Elder and Xiang Li, then began his story.

• Vermillion Bird told Zhang Yu he would take Chen Sheng to meet Sun Yihe, but Chen Sheng left with White Tiger to stay at Shen Ziming’s Wooden House.
• Chen Sheng saw that Shen Ziming’s health and attributes had changed, then spent the night at his house and promised to explain his visit later.
• The next morning, Vermillion Bird brought Chen Sheng to Sun Yihe’s courtyard, where Chen Sheng met Li Sheng and the frail Li Wuji.
• Li Wuji identified himself as president of the Martial Arts Association and asked Sun Yihe, Vermillion Bird, and Li Sheng to leave him alone with Chen Sheng.
• Li Wuji told Chen Sheng he had no intention of pursuing the matter of Venerable Elder and wanted to deal with Venerable Elder and Xiang Li, then began explaining his reasons.

Li Wuji explained how he used the Two Extremes Spirit Division Art to separate his soul from his body and connect it to a sealed Celestial, gaining Heart Power. He revealed that he was Venerable Elder and that the person he wanted Chen Sheng to kill was himself.

• Li Wuji told Chen Sheng that his family had suffered from Celestial Being Cells for generations and that he had discovered the Two Extremes Spirit Division Art while traveling.
• Li Wuji described how he split his consciousness between his soul and body, using the technique to clear his Celestial Being Cells and cultivate through separate processes.
• Li Wuji explained that he sought a compatible Authority and, five years earlier, connected his soul to a Celestial body inside a seal.
• Chen Sheng and Li Wuji identified the Authority as Heart Power, and Li Wuji revealed that he was Venerable Elder and wanted to kill himself.

Chen Sheng learned how Li Wuji’s soul split created Venerable Elder, who seized control of the Holy Church and planned to use dangerous blood vials to prepare for the Celestials’ awakening. Li Wuji asked Chen Sheng to weaken the Holy Church by becoming its new Black Tortoise.

• Outside Li Wuji’s courtyard, Sun Yihe stopped Li Sheng from investigating and promised to intervene if necessary.
• Chen Sheng questioned Li Wuji about Venerable Elder, and Li Wuji explained how his soul consciousness became an independent entity influenced by the Celestials.
• Li Wuji revealed that Venerable Elder and Xiang Li planned to mass-produce blood vials that could briefly empower people but would kill many users.
• Li Wuji explained that he had founded the Holy Church, but Venerable Elder had seized his original body and taken control of the organization.
• Chen Sheng asked why Li Wuji had sought him out, and Li Wuji asked him to become the new Black Tortoise.

Li Wuji explained the conflict between his forces, Venerable Elder, and the Holy Church, then gave Chen Sheng a Heart Seal that opened the way to secret arts and concealed his presence. Chen Sheng still refused to join the Holy Church, but Li Wuji hoped they might become friends and fight together in the future.

• Li Wuji explained that Azure Dragon and White Tiger had submitted to Venerable Elder and asked Chen Sheng to infiltrate the Holy Church and learn its plans, but Chen Sheng refused.
• Li Wuji used his remaining Power of Authority to give Chen Sheng a Heart Seal, stopping Chen Sheng from striking him and adding the new skill to Chen Sheng’s panel.
• Li Sheng rushed into the courtyard and attacked Chen Sheng with Martial Limit Shocking Heaven Fist, but Chen Sheng knocked him away with a lightning-wreathed punch.
• Sun Yihe explained that the Heart Seal was a seed of secret arts and guided Chen Sheng through Inner Vision, letting him make initial contact with his soul consciousness.
• Li Wuji revealed that the Heart Seal could protect Chen Sheng from Venerable Elder’s detection, and said he hoped they would become friends and fight together someday.

Chen Sheng agreed to join the Holy Church as Black Tortoise in two days, accepting Li Wuji and Sun Yihe’s offer of cultivation resources and support. He left to prepare for the mission, while Shen Ziming resolved to grow strong enough to fight alongside him.

• Chen Sheng sensed Li Wuji’s failing health, asked for benefits, and agreed to join the Holy Church after Li Wuji promised him resources and Sun Yihe offered YiHe Sect techniques.
• Li Wuji planned a cover story for Black Tortoise’s death and Chen Sheng’s recruitment, while Chen Sheng agreed to leave in two days and focus on cultivating beforehand.
• Chen Sheng added Vermillion Bird on WeChat to coordinate their contact, and Sun Yihe assessed Chen Sheng as potentially much stronger than he had been days earlier.
• Chen Sheng visited Shen Ziming, declined to see the others, and told him he would wait for him to become strong enough to fight alongside him.
• After Chen Sheng left, Shen Ziming resumed practicing his Breathing Technique with renewed determination.

Chen Sheng traveled into the mountains to train, leaving a thank-you note for Chen Dangui before settling by a spring. After raising his attributes and upgrading Thunder Breathing, he endured Thunder Essence transforming his body and considered pushing the process further.

• Chen Sheng checked that the area around Datian Village was clear of investigators, then left a thank-you note for Chen Dangui, who recognized his message and hoped the Mountain God was no longer angry.
• Chen Bi taught Chen Dangui martial arts while doubting the Holy Church and wondering whether he should leave it.
• Chen Sheng inspected the altered battlefield, suspected Li Wuji had restored much of the damage, and continued deep into the mountains with White Tiger.
• Chen Sheng established a camp by a mountain spring, prepared food and spiritual medicine, and trained until his attributes passed one thousand.
• Chen Sheng spent nearly all his Skill Points upgrading Thunder Breathing to Lv2, and a Thunder Dragon engulfed him as Thunder Essence began remaking his body.
• Chen Sheng used Inner Vision to observe his body adapting to Thunder Essence and wondered whether he could make the transformation more thorough.

Chen Sheng used soul consciousness to resist the Thunder Essence assimilating his muscles, driven by his desire to control his own life. After Thunder Breathing reached level two, he confirmed that his muscles had partially resisted assimilation and tested the increased power of his Thunder Authority.

• Chen Sheng entered soul consciousness and tried to stop lightning from transforming his body into a Thunder Body, but his first attempts failed.
• Chen Sheng revisited his memories and realized he wanted to become master of his own life, then used that resolve to make his muscles resist the Thunder Essence.
• The painful Thunder Breathing upgrade ended, raising Chen Sheng's attributes to over 1,200 and his Thunder Authority to twenty percent.
• Chen Sheng examined his body and found fewer traces of Thunder Essence in his muscles, confirming that his resistance had partly worked.
• Chen Sheng tested his stronger lightning control, striking trees with a bolt before noting that the ability mainly supported his combat against stronger foes.

Chen Sheng began cultivating the Wither Bloom Scripture and learned to make his body enter a withered state, though he needed more Soul Power practice to advance further. At midnight, he met Chen Dangui and taught her martial arts and the Azure Phoenix Fire Breathing Technique, promising to consider taking her as a disciple if she met his requirements.

• Chen Sheng practiced the Wither Bloom Scripture, weakening his muscles before briefly surging with power as his body redistributed their energy.
• Chen Sheng decided to ask Vermillion Bird for guidance on Soul Power and returned to the mountain after eating with White Tiger.
• Chen Dangui sneaked out of her house at midnight to meet Chen Sheng, who carried her into the mountains.
• Chen Sheng refused to take Chen Dangui as his disciple immediately but offered to teach her martial arts if she could meet his requirements.
• Chen Sheng taught Chen Dangui Xingyi Quan, the Three-Body Stance, and the Azure Phoenix Fire Breathing Technique.

Chen Sheng trained Chen Dangui in martial arts, gave her spiritual medicine, and promised to take her as his disciple once she reached Transforming Force. He continued cultivating Soul Power and preparing to join the Holy Church, while Chen Bi resolved to investigate Chen Sheng after returning to the Church.

• Chen Sheng taught Chen Dangui the Three-Body Stance, Xingyi Five Elements Fist, and Azure Phoenix Fire, then carried her home as Chen Bi watched in fear.
• Chen Sheng learned from Vermillion Bird that Soul Power grew through pursuing personal desires or goals, and he realized his own Soul Power improved when he acted according to his heart.
• Chen Sheng used Soul Power to resist Thunder Essence assimilation, reducing its effect on his muscles by twenty percent over two hours.
• Chen Dangui practiced through the night and impressed Chen Sheng with her progress, so he promised to take her as his disciple when she reached Transforming Force and gave her spiritual medicine.
• Chen Bi worried that Chen Sheng's conflict with the Holy Church could endanger his family and planned to investigate him when he returned to the Church.
• Chen Sheng checked his rising attributes and prepared to go to the Holy Church headquarters the next morning to prove his strength and seek admission.

Chen Sheng traveled to Kyoto with Vermillion Bird to meet the Holy Church Master and win the chance to become Black Tortoise. The Church Master ordered him to seize resources from the Celestials' Sleeping Land, but White Tiger challenged Chen Sheng to prove his strength before he left.

• Chen Sheng received Vermillion Bird's location, left White Tiger at the YiHe Sect, and met Vermillion Bird at Wang's Sesame Cake.
• Vermillion Bird gave Chen Sheng the false identity of Chen Yanzu, along with a new SIM card and social media accounts, and Chen Sheng changed his appearance.
• Chen Sheng and Vermillion Bird entered the underground passages beneath Shen Butong Transportation Company and met the Holy Church Master, Li Wuji.
• The Holy Church Master tested Chen Sheng's worth by ordering him to seize the Celestials' Sleeping Land's resources and temporarily command a group as Black Tortoise.
• White Tiger stepped forward and asked the Holy Church Master for permission to test Chen Sheng's strength.

Chen Sheng joined the Holy Church as its new Black Tortoise after overpowering White Tiger and earning the Church Master's recognition. After leaving the cave, Vermillion Bird told Chen Sheng that he would have to kill him to gain the Church's complete trust.

• White Tiger accused Chen Sheng and Vermillion Bird of conspiring to kill the previous Black Tortoise, so Chen Sheng agreed to prove his strength in a challenge.
• Chen Sheng used Black Tortoise Transformation to seize White Tiger and drag him along the cave wall, then stopped before White Tiger could counterattack; the Church Master halted White Tiger's furious follow-up strike.
• Azure Dragon applauded Chen Sheng and invited him to spar, while the Church Master gave Chen Sheng the Black Tortoise Token and recognized him as the new Black Tortoise.
• After Chen Sheng and Vermillion Bird left, White Tiger gave the Church Master a drop of Chen Sheng's blood, and Venerable Elder confirmed Chen Sheng was not an old acquaintance in disguise.
• The Church Master increased White Tiger's Authority, and White Tiger said Chen Sheng's strength could rival Vermillion Bird's.
• Outside Kyoto, Vermillion Bird told Chen Sheng that he must kill him if he wanted the Holy Church to trust him completely.

Chen Sheng and Vermillion Bird planned to use a staged death during the Sleeping Land mission to earn the Church Master's trust and uncover Venerable Elder's plans. As the Holy Church prepared to enter Rock Sea Cloud Forest, Mao XianSheng received word that the supposedly dead Black Tortoise was arriving and ordered everyone to kneel.

• Chen Sheng agreed that learning Venerable Elder's plans was urgent, and Vermillion Bird proposed using their trip to the Sleeping Land to stage his death.
• Vermillion Bird explained that Celestials caused the dangers around Sleeping Lands and that Martial Arts Association members would be sent to investigate them.
• Vermillion Bird messaged Li Wuji about Chen Sheng's mission, and Chen Sheng threatened him over their joking family group chat.
• At a chapel near Rock Sea Cloud Forest, Mao XianSheng briefed nearly eighty Holy Church members on their plan to enter the forest in disguised tour groups.
• Mao XianSheng received a message that Lord Black Tortoise was coming, despite Black Tortoise supposedly being dead, and ordered the Holy Church members to kneel and welcome him.

Chen Sheng joined Mao XianSheng’s Holy Church expedition under the identity of Black Tortoise and traveled with them toward the Sleeping Land. After meeting Chou Niu in the tropical rainforest, Chen Sheng ordered the group to move quickly as the disguised Holy Church force set off.

• Chen Sheng arrived at the church, where Mao XianSheng and the Holy Church Disciples knelt and greeted him as Black Tortoise.
• Mao XianSheng explained the group’s plan, and Chen Sheng told them to proceed as planned while he kept his own arrangements for the Sleeping Land.
• The group boarded coaches and traveled to Tropical Rainforest Park, where Chen Sheng led them toward the forest and the Sleeping Land.
• Chou Niu arrived and knelt before Chen Sheng, joining the expedition.
• The Holy Church members turned their robes inside out, donned masks, and advanced toward the Sleeping Land.

Chen Sheng and the Holy Church Disciples approached the Sleeping Land, where the forest had fallen into an eerie silence and the Martial Arts Association personnel had disappeared. After Chen Sheng and his companions were caught in an attack by flesh-filled trees, he awakened and destroyed the monstrous trees surrounding them, leaving Chou and Mao XianSheng alive.

• Chen Sheng learned from Vermillion Bird that he was supposed to conspicuously kill Sun Yihe's third disciple during the Sleeping Land operation.
• As Chen Sheng's group neared the Sleeping Land, he noticed the silent, dark forest and discovered that his phone had lost its signal and the Martial Arts Association personnel were missing.
• Chen Sheng turned to continue forward and realized that everyone behind him had vanished.
• In the real world, flesh-filled trees captured and consumed the Holy Church Disciples while branches bound Chou and Mao XianSheng and attacked Chen Sheng.
• Chen Sheng awakened, burned through the trees' branches with lightning, and severed the monstrous trees within several hundred meters.