Chapter Summaries

Shen Zhui entered the Nine Nether Realm to find an identity that would let him infiltrate the Guiyuan Sect and rescue Shen Xinlan, while also carrying Marquis Wu'an's orders to reconnect with former allies. He chose to approach the Qingyang Gate, but found its mountain gate strangely neglected and its sect master absent.

• Shen Zhui examined the Wu'an Army's spy records, and Marquis Wu'an assigned him to contact 130 sect figures who had pledged allegiance to the army.
• Shen Zhui chose to pose as someone from the Qingyang Gate because its small, declining membership suited his need to keep a low profile.
• After preparing for the journey, Shen Zhui left Ten Thousand Peaks City with Tan Lang and crossed the Canglan River into the Sect Realm.
• Shen Zhui reached the Qingyang Gate and found its three cities poor and sparsely populated, with inattentive disciples guarding its mountain entrance.
• Shen Zhui subdued the gate guards and encountered Bai Xiaochun, who claimed to be the senior-most outer disciple and said the sect master would soon arrive.

Shen Zhui confronted Bai Xiaochun and learned that the ruined Qingyang Gate’s master, Fang Ziyou, was a Wu'an Army spy whose loyalty to both the military and his sect led to the sect’s downfall. Fang Ziyou pleaded for Shen Zhui to take Bai Xiaochun to safety and accepted death as the price, leaving Shen Zhui’s judgment unresolved.

• Shen Zhui restrained Bai Xiaochun, then followed him through a hidden passage into the Nine Nether Realm to meet Qingyangzi, whose soul inhabited a damaged Giant God Soldier.
• Qingyangzi showed Shen Zhui a Mirage Pearl revealing that Fang Ziyou had served undercover for decades before choosing to preserve the Qingyang Gate rather than return with it to the Wu'an Army.
• The recording explained how the Qianyuan Sect defeated the Qingyang Gate, killed its Divine Ability disciples, and left only Bai Xiaochun and the wounded Fang Ziyou alive.
• Fang Ziyou admitted he had deliberately cut off contact with the military and begged Shen Zhui to take Bai Xiaochun back to the Wu'an Army.
• Bai Xiaochun refused to leave his master, while Fang Ziyou accepted Shen Zhui’s demand that he atone with his death if that would give Bai Xiaochun a chance to live.

Shen Zhui restored Fang Ziyou’s body and soul, revealed that Great Zhou had honored him for his service, and gave him the freedom to choose his future. Fang Ziyou chose to help Shen Zhui attend the Guiyuan Grand Ceremony, and they set out for Guiyuan Sect disguised as master and disciple.

• Shen Zhui used Bringing the Dead Back to Life to restore Fang Ziyou’s body and heal his soul, while Bai Xiaochun watched in shock.
• Shen Zhui presented Fang Ziyou with his commission as Loyal and Righteous General and explained that Great Zhou recognized his decades of service.
• Fang Ziyou accepted the honor and decided to take the remaining Qingyang Gate disciples somewhere safe, while Bai Xiaochun gathered them.
• Fang Ziyou offered Shen Zhui a way to attend the Guiyuan Grand Ceremony using Fang Liang’s identity, despite Fang Liang’s death.
• Shen Zhui transformed into Fang Liang, and he and Fang Ziyou left Qingyang Gate for Guiyuan Sect.

Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou traveled through the Nine Nether Realm to attend Guiyuan Sect’s mountain-opening ceremony, learning about the realm’s Cave Heavens and sect hierarchy along the way. At Guiyuan Sect’s gates, they encountered Qian Yuanzi’s Qianyuan Sect, and two black streaks suddenly shot toward their flying boat.

• Fang Ziyou explained that the Nine Nether Realm consisted mainly of nine great Cave Heavens, including the territories of the three super sects.
• Fang Ziyou piloted the flying boat through a spatial gate guarded by Jinsong Sect, where his peak Divine Ability cultivation earned them permission to pass.
• Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou reached Guiyuan Sect’s eight stone gates and waited to present their invitation token.
• Qian Yuanzi arrived aboard Qianyuan Sect’s Dragon Roc Warship, and Fang Ziyou restrained his anger at seeing his old enemy.
• Two black streaks suddenly shot toward Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou’s flying boat as Guiyuan Sect’s disciples prepared to admit them.

At the Guiyuan Grand Ceremony, Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou faced public provocation from Qian Yuanzi and the Qianyuan Sect, then revealed the Qingyang Gate’s strength in battle. The Supreme Sect Envoy Cang Song stopped the fight and invited Qingyangzi and his disciple to visit him in Ascension City as they entered the Guiyuan Sect.

• Qian Yuanzi’s Dragon Roc feathers struck at the Qingyang Sect’s vessel, but Fang Ziyou intercepted them with ice before Qian Yuanzi and Daoist Yangyi mocked the Qingyang Gate.
• Daoist Yangyi challenged Qingyangzi, and Shen Zhui stepped in, defeating him with the Qingyang Blade Technique and embarrassing the Qianyuan Sect.
• Qian Yuanzi attacked, but Fang Ziyou met him with the Qingyang Blade Technique, and their clash ended with neither fighter retreating.
• Cang Song arrived and ordered Qian Yuanzi to stop fighting, then invited Qingyangzi and his disciple to visit him in Ascension City.
• Fang Ziyou and Shen Zhui entered through the Guiyuan Sect’s gate under the Qingyang Gate’s banner.

Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou arrived at the Guiyuan Sect, where Shen Zhui learned that his adoptive sister Shen Xinlan had become the sect’s prodigious Fairy Lan Ruo. He discovered that the sect planned to hold a tournament to choose her husband and decided Qingyang Gate would enter so he could reach her.

• Fang Ziyou explained how the Guiyuan Sect’s cities and sacred peaks gathered incense, while Shen Zhui criticized the sects’ opposition to Great Zhou’s laws.
• Daoist Yuanyang welcomed Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou to Guiyi City, and Shen Zhui praised him while enduring his unwanted advances to ask about Fairy Lan Ruo.
• Daoist Yuanyang said Lan Ruo had reached the Sixth-tier Divine Ability Realm and mastered two Origin Marks, and that she would appear at the next day’s ceremony.
• Daoist Yuanyang revealed that the Guiyuan Sect would hold a martial arts tournament to choose a husband for Lan Ruo, shocking Shen Zhui.
• Shen Zhui told Fang Ziyou that Lan Ruo was his long-lost adoptive sister, and Fang Ziyou explained the sect’s marriage-alliance and political ambitions.
• Shen Zhui decided Qingyang Gate would enter the tournament and asked Fang Ziyou to help find where Lan Ruo lived.

Shen Zhui infiltrated Lan Ruo Peak disguised as Qiao'er and tried to awaken Shen Xinlan's memories, but a hidden force in her soul blocked the attempt. Shen Xinlan exposed him, leaving their reunion at a tense confrontation.

• Shen Zhui learned that Shen Xinlan had become a celebrated Sixth-tier Divine Ability cultivator whose origins were concealed, and he set out to meet her.
• Chanxin explained that Shen Xinlan's memories might have been altered through illusion and warned that recovering them might not make her leave the Guiyuan Sect.
• Leng Ruyue told Shen Xinlan that the sect expected her to choose a husband from three powerful sects as part of a political alliance, and Shen Xinlan reluctantly accepted.
• Disguised as Qiao'er, Shen Zhui questioned Shen Xinlan about her childhood and mentioned Shen Shan and Shen Xinlan, causing her to tremble before a black light in her soul restored her composure.
• Shen Xinlan recognized that Qiao'er was an impostor, attacked, and demanded to know where the real Qiao'er was, so Shen Zhui revealed himself and asked her to hear him out.

Shen Zhui visited Shen Xinlan and tried to restore her memories of her birth family, but she resisted and refused to believe him. He then planned to enter Guiyuan Sect’s bride-seeking martial competition as Fang Liang of Qingyang Gate and began by challenging Heavenly Demon Sect to draw the watching sects’ attention.

• Shen Zhui revealed to Shen Xinlan that she was born Shen Xinlan, the daughter of Shen Shan and Yin Wuniang, and showed her a jade pendant and images of her parents.
• Shen Xinlan rejected Shen Zhui’s claims, shattered the Mirage Pearl, and let him leave with Qiao'er; afterward, she asked Qiao'er to help her investigate.
• Shen Zhui returned to Fang Ziyou and decided to compete as Fang Liang of Qingyang Gate, identifying Heavenly Demon Sect, Zhengyi Gate, and Star Kui Sect as likely rivals.
• Shen Zhui went to Heavenly Demon Sect’s residence, released his aura before the gathered observers, and challenged Young Master Bai Yu to come out and fight.

Shen Zhui challenged Young Master Bai Yu at the Heavenly Demon Sect’s residence, and the two fought over an Origin Yin-Yang Pearl. Shen Zhui overcame Bai Yu’s demonic techniques and killed him with a single Qingyang Blade Technique strike, leaving the watching sects stunned.

• Fang Ziyou challenged Young Master Bai Yu on behalf of Fang Liang and offered an Origin Yin-Yang Pearl as the wager, with the fight to disregard life and death.
• Guiyuan Ancestor allowed the duel to proceed so he could judge the Heavenly Demon Sect’s strength.
• Young Master Bai Yu attacked Shen Zhui with the Heavenly Demon Method, but Shen Zhui’s Buddhist Vajra manifestation destroyed his demonic illusions.
• Bai Yu unleashed Heavenly Demon Bloodlust, but Shen Zhui summoned five Vajras that suppressed the two Heavenly Demons and forced Bai Yu to defend himself.
• Shen Zhui switched to the Qingyang Blade Technique and, with his Cave Heaven World’s amplification, cleaved through Bai Yu’s iron fan and body, then destroyed his escaping soul.

Shen Zhui killed Young Master Bai Yu in a challenge, and Supreme Envoy Cang Song stopped the Heavenly Demon Sect from retaliating. With Qingyang Gate suddenly attracting attention, Shen Zhui went to Star Kui Sect and called out Young Master Shang Qing for another fight.

• Shen Zhui killed Bai Yu with one strike, collected his belongings, and taunted the Heavenly Demon Sect.
• The Heavenly Demon elders attacked Shen Zhui, but Cang Song intervened, injured them, and upheld the challenge’s result.
• Fang Ziyou told Shen Zhui that Cang Song had once tried to recruit him and promote Qingyang Gate, while Shen Zhui speculated about rivalries among the three super sects.
• Shen Zhui declined to discuss the Wrathful Vajra Secret Method with Chang Jian and announced that he would challenge the other two members of the Three Young Masters of Xuling Cave Heaven.
• Qian Yuanzi ordered his people to watch Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou, planning to eradicate them after the Guiyuan Grand Ceremony.
• Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou arrived at Star Kui Sect’s residence, where Shen Zhui challenged Young Master Shang Qing to come out and fight.

Shen Zhui, disguised as Fang Liang, fought Young Master Shang Qing of the Star Kui Sect and broke through his Darkness Origin techniques. He killed Shang Qing despite Elder Xingyi’s attempt to rescue him, leaving the gathered sects stunned by the Qingyang Gate disciple’s strength.

• Fang Ziyou challenged the Star Kui Sect, and Young Master Shang Qing confronted Shen Zhui over Bai Yu’s death.
• Shang Qing used his Darkness Origin domain to hide his movements and attack Shen Zhui, but Shen Zhui tracked him with the Qi Observation Method and severed one of his arms.
• Shang Qing hid his destiny and launched a Divine Soul attack, but Shen Zhui resisted with the Tower of the Void and struck back with the Thunder Dragon Divine Sound.
• Shen Zhui broke Shang Qing’s darkness domain and pursued him, cutting through Elder Xingyi’s starlight bridge to strike Shang Qing down.
• Shang Qing’s Divine Soul collapsed before Xingyi could save him, and Shen Zhui claimed that Shang Qing had not called for surrender.

Using the alias Fang Liang, Shen Zhui killed Young Master Shang Qing and Young Master Bai Yu, then pressured the Zhengyi Gate, whose Young Master Xun You refused to fight. Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou entered the Holy Envoy Mansion to meet Cang Song, who accused the Qingyang Gate of siding with the Great Zhou Dynasty and attacked them.

• Shen Zhui killed Young Master Shang Qing despite Venerable Xingyi’s presence, and Venerable Xingyi chose not to retaliate.
• Shen Zhui told Fang Ziyou that Cang Song’s silence let them borrow the Supreme Sect’s reputation, and said they needed to meet the envoy before leaving the Guiyuan Sect.
• Guiyuan Ancestor learned that Fang Liang had killed Young Master Shang Qing and ordered his elder to keep watch rather than intervene.
• Shen Xinlan wondered whether Fang Liang was Shen Zhui and whether his claim that she was his sworn elder sister was true, then received her uncle, Xiao Guangling.
• Young Master Xun You refused to face Shen Zhui, so the Zhengyi Gate claimed he was ill; Shen Zhui left without forcing a fight.
• Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou entered the Holy Envoy Mansion, where Cang Song accused the Qingyang Gate of joining the Great Zhou Dynasty and sent his horsetail whisk sweeping toward them.

Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou convinced Supreme Envoy Cang Song that the Qingyang Gate had recovered through the inheritance of its second-generation patriarch, Sima Cuo. After Cang Song accepted their story and asked about their ambitions, Shen Zhui declared that they would destroy the Qianyuan Sect and the Tian Jue Sect and make Qingyang ruler of Guangling.

• Cang Song questioned Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou about whether the Qingyang Gate had pledged allegiance to the Great Zhou court, and Fang Ziyou denied the accusation.
• Fang Ziyou recounted how the Qianyuan Sect defeated the Qingyang Gate and forced it to surrender its territory and relocate to Silver Star Cave Heaven.
• Shen Zhui claimed he had discovered Sima Cuo's remains and inherited the patriarch's secret technique and treasures in Cangtian Cave.
• Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou demonstrated their Qingyang Blade Techniques, convincing Cang Song that their powers came from the same inheritance.
• Cang Song asked how the Qingyang Gate planned to establish itself, and Shen Zhui vowed to destroy the Qianyuan Sect and the Tian Jue Sect and rule Guangling.

Cang Song Holy Envoy recruited Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou to serve his faction, giving them a Holy Envoy Token and a Supreme Golden Pill. After they left, Daoist Yuanyang told them that the Guiyuan Ancestor wanted to meet them.

• Cang Song Holy Envoy revealed that his apparent First-tier Venerable form was a clone, then promised to support Qingyang Gate if Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou served him.
• Shen Zhui asked for resources, and Cang Song gave him a Holy Envoy Token and a Supreme Golden Pill capable of greatly improving their cultivation.
• Shen Zhui secretly considered killing Cang Song's clone for his treasures, but Fang Ziyou warned him against provoking the Supreme Sect, so Shen Zhui abandoned the idea.
• After leaving the Holy Envoy Mansion, Shen Zhui kept the token and pill while Fang Ziyou explained the token's extensive privileges in the Sect Realm.
• Daoist Yuanyang waited at the Qingyang residence and told Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou that the Guiyuan Ancestor wished to see them.

Shen Xinlan questioned the authenticity of her past and left to seek the truth, while Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou confronted Guiyuan Ancestor over his failed marriage alliance. After Shen Zhui revealed the Holy Envoy Token, Guiyuan Ancestor changed his hostile attitude and welcomed them as allies.

• Shen Xinlan realized Xiao Guangling's memories about her past had been altered, then Qiao'er advised her to search for the truth.
• Shen Xinlan gave Qiao'er a Storage Ring and flew away to find an answer about her origins.
• Guiyuan Ancestor pressured Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou, blaming Shen Zhui for ruining his planned marriage alliance with three sects.
• Shen Zhui challenged Guiyuan Ancestor's alliance plans and argued that Qingyang Gate could be a valuable partner.
• Shen Zhui showed Guiyuan Ancestor the Holy Envoy Token, prompting Guiyuan Ancestor to apologize and welcome the pair.

Shen Zhui persuaded Guiyuan Ancestor to agree to a marriage alliance between Qingyang Gate and Guiyuan Sect, then suspected Guiyuan Sect was planning an attack beyond Xuling Cave Heaven. At the husband-selection tournament, Shen Zhui passed the first two trials and answered Shen Xinlan’s question about the Dao.

• Shen Zhui proposed marrying Shen Xinlan to secure an alliance, and Guiyuan Ancestor agreed after Shen Zhui argued Qingyang Gate could serve Guiyuan Sect’s interests.
• After Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou left, Guiyuan Ancestor told Qingluan that Guiyuan Sect had no intention of fighting a sect battle in Xuling Cave Heaven and hinted that Qingyang Gate suited a larger plan.
• Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou speculated that Guiyuan Sect might use the Supreme Envoy’s Token to reach Guangling Cave Heaven, then planned to return Qingyang Gate there.
• At the husband-selection tournament, Shen Zhui defeated three Star Kui Sect disciples and swiftly passed the Bronze Man Alley and Illusion Array trials.
• Shen Xinlan asked Shen Zhui what the Dao was, and he answered that cultivating the Dao meant cultivating the heart and having nothing to regret or resent.

Shen Zhui persuaded Shen Xinlan that cultivation did not require abandoning human emotions, then left the Guiyuan Sect with Fang Ziyou aboard a warship to prepare for the Qingyang Gate’s return to Guangling Cave Heaven. He revealed that the Guiyuan Sect planned to eliminate the Qianyuan Sect’s leaders and use the Qingyang Gate as a foothold in a larger struggle over Guangling Cave Heaven.

• Shen Zhui argued that human emotions were part of the Dao and answered Shen Xinlan’s question about a farmer who raised captured animal cubs.
• Guiyuan Ancestor ordered Shen Xinlan to accept the arranged match with Fang Liang, then secretly sent Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou away aboard a Hawk Falcon Warship.
• Shen Zhui explained that Guiyuan Ancestor intended to have the Guiyuan Sect kill Qian Yuanzi and his seventy-four disciples during their return journey.
• Shen Zhui told Fang Ziyou that the Supreme Sect had backed the Qianyuan Sect to destroy the Qingyang Gate and that many Qianyuan Sect disciples had ties to the super sects.
• Shen Zhui speculated that the Guiyuan Sect’s broader target was the Tian Jue Sect, which was controlled by the Six Harmonies Sect.

Shen Zhui offered Shen Xinlan the choice to leave or remain with him, then brought Qingyang Gate to Arbitration City to challenge Qianyuan Sect. The chapter ended with Puyangzi questioning whether Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou were out of their minds for entering the challenge with only two people.

• Guiyuan Ancestor killed Qian Yuanzi and planned to spread the story that Qian Yuanzi had died unexpectedly on the way back from the outside world.
• Shen Zhui revealed his identity to Shen Xinlan and explained that he would not use her, offering to help her escape or remain by his side until she recovered her memories.
• Shen Zhui told Zenxin that forcing Shen Xinlan back to Great Zhou would only make her resent him, so he planned to gradually change her opinion.
• Fang Ziyou explained Arbitration City's rules and how the Sect Alliance used protection contracts and sect elevation challenges to control territory and resources.
• Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou applied at the Sacred Decree Arbitration Office to challenge Qianyuan Sect with only the two of them, and Puyangzi questioned their sanity.

Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou issued a Sect-Ascension Challenge against Qianyuan Sect, setting a battle for three days later. The Rule Incarnation named Zhu Xinyue as Qianyuan Sect’s principal combatant, and he realized that Qian Yuanzi and the sect’s stronger experts were likely dead or missing.

• Puyangzi warned Fang Ziyou about challenging Qianyuan Sect, then gave Shen Zhui the Sect-Ascension Challenge Token and explained its rules.
• Shen Zhui and Fang Ziyou activated the token, formally challenging Qianyuan Sect as onlookers in Arbitration City reacted with disbelief.
• At Qianyuan Sect, Zhu Xinyue accepted World Stones taken from Leiyang City and hid them for himself.
• The Rule Incarnation appeared at Qianyuan Sect and named Zhu Xinyue its principal combatant for the challenge against Qingyang Gate.
• Zhu Xinyue deduced that Qian Yuanzi and the experts above him were probably gone, then summoned the elders and disciples above the Divine Ability Realm.

Fang Ziyou and Shen Zhui fought the Qianyuan Sect in a challenge for its territory and resources. They defeated its forces, and Fang Ziyou returned with Zhu Xinyue’s head as the challenge ended; Fang Ziyou said he might be about to break through.

• Fang Ziyou and Shen Zhui faced Zhu Xinyue’s forces in the challenge arena, where the rules made the losing side forfeit its territory and relocate.
• Zhu Xinyue ordered his disciples to attack, and Shen Zhui used the God Annihilation Cannon to destroy the Qianyuan Annihilation Formation and kill more than four hundred Spirit Bridge Realm disciples.
• Fang Ziyou fought off the Divine Ability Realm elders while Shen Zhui joined him, and together they killed many of the Qianyuan Sect’s fighters.
• Zhu Xinyue tried to surrender before half his people had died, then ordered his disciples killed so he could reach the surrender threshold and even attacked them himself.
• Fang Ziyou returned with Zhu Xinyue’s head, ending the challenge in the Qingyang Gate’s victory, and told Shen Zhui he might be about to break through.