Chapter Summaries

Monk Huikong fought the mysterious figure in red and unleashed his forbidden Blood Hell Thunder Sound, but her sunflower technique destroyed the attack. After the surviving thunder sound struck her, she shed her bloodied scabs and transformed from a woman into a powerful man, leaving Monk Huikong shocked.

• Monk Huikong judged the mysterious figure in red too powerful to defeat easily and looked for a way to escape while concealing his doubts.
• Monk Huikong unleashed Blood Hell Thunder Sound, turning his vital blood into annihilating lightning and a blood-red swastika seal.
• The mysterious figure in red used a sunflower that bloomed and withered through repeated cycles of life and death to destroy the lightning, but the thunder sound still affected her.
• The figure in red bled heavily, then shed her blood scabs as her body grew taller and stronger.
• Monk Huikong sensed that the figure had changed from a woman with a Pure Yin Body into a man and wondered what she really was.

Monk Huikong confronted the Nameless Eunuch, who revealed that his power came from the Dao of yin and yang and boasted of his Yin Yang Dao Body. Huikong judged that he could not win and escaped using a Prayer Bead, leaving the Nameless Eunuch behind.

• Monk Huikong saw that the Nameless Eunuch had changed from his female form into a stronger male body and realized the transformation had healed his injuries.
• The Nameless Eunuch explained that his cultivation pursued the Dao of yin and yang and claimed his Yin Yang Dao Body could defeat anyone short of a God or Devil.
• Monk Huikong considered using the remaining moves of his Great Brahma Sacred Palm but judged that fighting the Nameless Eunuch would likely cost him his life.
• Monk Huikong announced that he was leaving and flew toward the horizon.
• The Nameless Eunuch noticed a Prayer Bead that Huikong had left behind, realizing it could unleash the Jie Di Divine Palm and had enabled Huikong's escape.

Zhao Rulíng explained why Monk Huikong could become a major threat, while Yu Changkong discussed the limits on his ability to kill him. They then reviewed their real mission: locating the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, whom Yu Changkong believed was in the Arctic Ice Plains.

• Zhao Rulíng took Huikong’s prayer beads and warned Yu Changkong that the monk’s progress along the Brahma path could make him a formidable future enemy.
• Zhao Rulíng explained that Huikong’s Great Brahma Sacred Palm embodied a lesser form of Dao Fruit power and could eventually lead him into the Divine Demon Realm.
• Yu Changkong said he could not kill Huikong without using the Imperial Ruyi, which Beitang Sheng had reserved for the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord.
• Zhao Rulíng asked whether Yu Changkong had confirmed the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s whereabouts, revealing that their trip north was really a mission to eliminate him.
• Yu Changkong said the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord was likely in the Arctic Ice Plains and had trained Tong Lie in the Dutian God Fiend Bronze Man Scripture.

Zhao Rulíng and Yu Changkong discussed why the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had gone to the Arctic Ice Plains, suspecting he sought the Supreme Scepter to unite the Hundred Clans. Yu Changkong proposed visiting Meng Zhao in Lingwu City, and Zhao Rulíng warned that Meng Zhao and Shen Tianci carried the destiny of their era.

• The imperial clan learned that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had helped Tong Lie escape the suppression of human fortune, enabling Tong Lie to defeat Xie Wanzhi.
• Yu Changkong explained that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord might have gone to the Arctic Ice Plains to find the Supreme Scepter and unite the Hundred Clans.
• Zhao Rulíng asked whether they should go to the Arctic Ice Plains, but Yu Changkong said he would rather visit Meng Zhao in Lingwu City first.
• Yu Changkong described Meng Zhao and Shen Tianci as tide-riders bearing destiny, warning that killing them could be harder than killing Monk Huikong.
• Zhao Rulíng reflected on Monk Huikong's former destiny and how it had ultimately led him to become a Celestial Being Realm master.

Zhao Rulíng explained that Persons of Destiny embodied the World Will and were perilous to oppose, especially in the current age of upheaval. He resolved to avoid Meng Zhao, whose immense favor of destiny made him more dangerous than even powerful demons.

• Zhao Rulíng compared the favor granted to Persons of Destiny to a powerful boss protecting a favored employee and explained how such people survived enemies and rose to greatness.
• Zhao Rulíng judged Meng Zhao and Shen Tianci to be among the most favored figures of the age, recalling how Beitang Sheng’s scheme against Meng Zhao instead led to a marriage alliance and fortune for him.
• Zhao Rulíng recalled watching an ordinary youth rise to become a grandmaster within five years despite the tragedies that befell the youth and those around him.
• Zhao Rulíng explained that Persons of Destiny were manifestations of the World Will and described how the Holy Monk of Mountaintop Temple had ended Monk Huikong’s rise by using other destiny-favored people and betrayal.
• Zhao Rulíng concluded that the current epochal upheaval had made destiny’s favor exceptionally powerful, so he preferred facing the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord over provoking Meng Zhao.

Zhao Rulíng warned Yu Changkong that Meng Zhao was a powerful Person of Destiny and that opposing him could bring disaster. She believed Beitang Sheng had lost his destiny, and that the Beitang Imperial Clan would need to preserve its strength if it came into conflict with Meng Zhao.

• Zhao Rulíng told Yu Changkong that Meng Zhao and Shen Tianci were the era’s most likely Persons of Destiny, and explained why she considered Meng Zhao especially dangerous to oppose.
• Zhao Rulíng advised Yu Changkong and Liu An to avoid becoming involved with Meng Zhao, whether as friends or enemies.
• Yu Changkong asked what Zhao Rulíng would do if the emperor ordered her to deal with Meng Zhao, and she said she would refuse and leave the imperial palace.
• Zhao Rulíng explained that she would not act against Meng Zhao while he embodied Heaven’s Way, but would oppose him if his destiny ended.
• Zhao Rulíng reflected that Beitang Sheng had lost his destiny as the imperial dynasty weakened and the people’s hearts shifted away from him.

Zhao Rulíng and Yu Changkong left for the Arctic Ice Plains to confront the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, while Liu An and the others remained unaware. Shi Jiawen advanced through Meng Zhao’s Nameless Mind Method, and Beitang Shu invited the group to explore a dangerous grotto-heaven discovered by the Lei Family.

• Zhao Rulíng told Yu Changkong that Meng Zhao’s Favor of Destiny made him more dangerous to confront than the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, then chose to accompany Yu Changkong to the Arctic Ice Plains.
• Zhao Rulíng and Yu Changkong departed to find the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and try to wound him, leaving Beitang Xing’s murder investigation to Eunuch Zhan, Liu An, and their companions.
• Shi Jiawen cultivated the Nameless Mind Method at the Meng Family, transforming his foundation and developing demonic eyes that could perceive the flow of qi, blood, and internal energy.
• Beitang Shu sent word to Liu An and the others that the Lei Family had discovered a perilous blessed grotto-heaven and had agreed to let outsiders enter.
• Liu An and the others were drawn to the grotto-heaven’s potential inheritances despite the danger and the possibility that Beitang Shu was Beitang Xing’s murderer.

Liu An, Yan Libing, Qiao Nian, and Shi Jiawen debated whether to accept Beitang Shu’s invitation to explore the dangerous Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm. They weighed the chance to improve their martial arts against the political risks to their families, and Liu An proposed making the arrangement a formal exchange of favors.

• Shi Jiawen warned that the secret realm was perilous and argued that they should avoid taking unnecessary risks.
• Liu An favored accepting the opportunity but urged the group to prevent their participation from tying their families politically to Beitang Shu.
• Qiao Nian argued that they should seize the benefits first and deal with political consequences later, while Yan Libing stressed that their families could suffer if they made enemies.
• Liu An proposed that each of their four families owe Beitang Shu one favor in exchange for the information and entry to the secret realm, while asking him to keep the arrangement secret.

Shi Jiawen rejected using the Ninth Prince to investigate the Lei Family's Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm, and Qiao Nian proposed offering information about Nangong Yao and the Chaos Body instead. The four men weighed the risks and decided that securing the reachable secret realm was safer than pursuing the elusive Chaos Body.

• Shi Jiawen argued that the Ninth Prince would reject a simple exchange of favors and suggested approaching the Lei Family directly.
• Qiao Nian proposed trading information about Nangong Yao and the Chaos Body to persuade the Ninth Prince to help them.
• The group considered that involving Beitang Shu could bring him into the contest for the Chaos Body's source and leave them with nothing.
• Qiao Nian argued that Nangong Yao was too difficult and dangerous to find and defeat, while the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm was within reach.
• Liu An agreed with Qiao Nian and supported securing the Lei Family's Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm first.

Shi Jiawen persuaded the others to abandon their immediate plan to seize Nangong Yao’s Chaos Body origin and instead seek access to the Lei Family’s Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm. Liu An described the realm’s treasures and dangers, and Qiao Nian judged that the Lei Family’s losses stemmed from its lack of high-level combat strength.

• Qiao Nian, Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen reconsidered whether they could safely capture Nangong Yao and take his Chaos Body origin.
• Shi Jiawen decided that Nangong Yao’s secret whereabouts and the dangers of the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm could provide a chance to eliminate Qiao Nian without raising suspicion.
• Shi Jiawen agreed to trade information about the Chaos Body origin for a chance to explore the Lei Family’s Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm, and Yan Libing also agreed.
• Liu An explained that the realm held martial arts, weapons, medicines, and other treasures, but warned that the Lei Family had lost seven elders and two of its Six Heroes there.
• Qiao Nian argued that the Lei Family’s casualties reflected its weakness against powerful martial artists such as Meng Zhao.

Liu An, Yan Libing, Shi Jiawen, and Qiao Nian discussed the Lei Family’s struggle against the Meng Family and their possible motives for admitting the Ninth Prince’s people into the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm. Qiao Nian argued that they should side with the Lei Family against Meng Zhao, while Shi Jiawen realized this hostility explained why Meng Zhao intended to kill Qiao Nian.

• Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen discussed how Meng Zhao’s rise had left the Lei Family far weaker than the Meng Family, despite Lei Wanche becoming a Grandmaster.
• Shi Jiawen said the Meng Family might also have hidden Grandmasters among its older clansmen, but Yan Libing dismissed them as no match for Meng Zhao.
• Yan Libing said the group only needed the Lei Family to let them enter the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm, but Qiao Nian speculated that the Lei Family wanted to win the Ninth Prince’s support against Meng Zhao.
• Qiao Nian suggested that the four should show the Lei Family goodwill and rely on the Imperial Court’s experts if Meng Zhao became their enemy.
• Liu An challenged Qiao Nian for provoking Meng Zhao, while Qiao Nian insisted that they had to choose between friendship and enmity.
• Shi Jiawen realized that Meng Zhao had seen into Qiao Nian’s heart and understood why he meant to kill Qiao Nian rather than Liu An or Yan Libing.

Meng Zhao learned that the Pudu Cult was retreating after a mysterious powerhouse defeated Monk Huikong and badly injured the Cult Master. He suspected the Nameless Eunuch was responsible, while continuing to plan around the Lei Family’s newly discovered Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm and preserve his own hidden advantages.

• Meng Zhao secretly decided to follow Shi Jiawen and the others to investigate the Lei Family’s Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm and disrupt the Lei Family’s resurgence.
• A Pudu Cult envoy told Meng Zhao that the Cult Master had been severely injured from afar and that Monk Huikong had fled after losing to the same powerhouse.
• The Pudu Cult decided to halt its preaching and hide or withdraw some of its strongholds and branch altars.
• Meng Zhao suspected the Nameless Eunuch had defeated Monk Huikong and resolved to stay wary while maintaining Shi Jiawen as a source of information.
• Meng Zhao chose to conceal his Trump Cards and avoid provoking the imperial clan before the timing favored him.

Meng Zhao offered help to Monk Huikong and the Pudu Cult Master while considering, then rejecting, a plan to seize the cult. Meanwhile, Lei Wanche's family argued over sharing access to the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm, and he defended his decision to cooperate with the Ninth Prince.

• Meng Zhao sent word that he was willing to help Monk Huikong and the Pudu Cult Master, then decided against exploiting their retreat because the risks were too great.
• Meng Zhao waited for news of Liu An and the others as the scene shifted to the Lei Family's camp in Lumen Mountain.
• Lei Chongmao and the younger Lei family members opposed sharing the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm's exploration shares, while the elders argued that cooperation would reduce the family's losses.
• Lei Chongfeng accused Elder Yi and the other elders of cowardice and blamed them for revealing the secret to Beitang Shu.
• Lei Wanche ended the argument by saying that cooperation with the Ninth Prince had been his decision and asking whether Chongfeng was accusing him.

Lei Wanche explained why the Lei Family could not simply spend its Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm resources to produce a Great Grandmaster quickly enough to counter Meng Zhao. He left the family facing the same disparity: the secret realm offered long-term promise, but no immediate answer to Meng Zhao’s overwhelming strength.

• A young Lei Family member questioned why the family should give away an opportunity they had won, and Lei Wanche asked how long and at what cost the secret realm could produce a Great Grandmaster.
• Lei Wanche explained that resources alone could not create a Great Grandmaster and that the cost could exhaust the Lei Family’s bloodlines.
• Lei Chongfeng named Meng Zhao as the reason the Lei Family needed a Great Grandmaster, and the family grew tense at the mention of its powerful enemy.
• Lei Wanche recalled how Meng Zhao had defeated Lei Family Innate Masters, advanced to Grandmaster, and driven Tong Lie to disappear, leaving the Lei Family fearful and isolated.
• Lei Wanche acknowledged that the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm could nurture future talents, but not quickly enough to close the gap with Meng Zhao.

Lei Wanche explained why the Lei Family had allied with Beitang Shu and kept the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm shared, then revealed why he had taken the Thunder Ancestor True Pill instead of giving it to Lei Chongmao. Lei Chongmao’s resentment gave way to shame and gratitude as Lei Wanche prepared to enter the dangerous realm and escort the Beitang Imperial Clan’s party.

• Lei Wanche dismissed the Lei Family members who objected to sharing the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm with Beitang Shu and asked Lei Chongmao to stay behind.
• Lei Wanche confronted Lei Chongmao about his resentment over the Thunder Ancestor True Pill and the realm being shared with outsiders.
• Lei Chongmao reflected on how he had discovered the secret realm and expected the pill, intended to help him face Meng Zhao, to be his.
• Lei Wanche explained that he took the pill so he could enter the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm himself and leave Lei Chongmao to protect the family.
• Lei Wanche described the deadly Thunder Marsh and poisonous marshland, and said he also had to escort the Imperial Capital City group to protect the Lei Family from blame.

Lei Wanche explained why the Lei Family needed marriage alliances and ties beyond the Beitang Imperial Clan as the realm descended into chaos. He revealed that two Grandmasters connected to the Great Emperor would join the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm exploration, then instructed Lei Chongmao how to preserve the family if he died.

• Lei Chongmao objected to Lei Wanche’s plan to seek a marriage alliance, but Lei Wanche explained that the Lei Family needed to prepare a way forward as the realm grew unstable.
• Lei Wanche said he had invited two Grandmasters of the Yin Mountain Lineage to explore the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm and urged Lei Chongmao to consider recruiting them.
• Lei Chongmao guessed that the two Grandmasters were connected to the Great Emperor, and Lei Wanche confirmed it.
• Lei Wanche told Lei Chongmao that if he died in the secret realm, Chongmao should inherit the Marquis of Bei Ning title, pledge himself to Beitang Shu, and offer the secret realm to preserve the Lei Family’s standing.
• Lei Wanche instructed Lei Chongmao to secretly scatter and conceal some direct-bloodline clansmen and build resources for the Lei Family’s future revival.

Lei Chongmao argued that the Lei Family should seek peace with Meng Zhao, believing he might accept their surrender if they offered a suitable price. Lei Wanche weighed the blood feud and Meng Zhao’s power, leaving the possibility of reconciliation unresolved.

• Lei Wanche explained that the Lei Family needed an escape route because its future depended on the victors of the coming age.
• Lei Chongmao asked whether Lei Wanche had considered making peace with Meng Zhao and the Meng Family.
• Lei Wanche questioned whether Meng Zhao would forgive the Lei Family after its blood feud and failed attempt on his life.
• Lei Chongmao compared Meng Zhao to Cao Cao and argued that his ambition and broad-mindedness could lead him to accept the Lei Family’s surrender.
• Lei Chongmao reasoned that Meng Zhao, rather than Meng Jizu, held the power to decide whether the Lei Family and Meng Family could reconcile.

Lei Wanche explained why the Lei Family could not yet seek Meng Zhao’s protection and urged Lei Chongmao to wait until the Meng Family openly challenged the Beitang Imperial Clan. He argued that any future alliance would need a marriage tie to secure the Lei Family’s place, leaving Lei Chongmao to accept the humiliating demands of their circumstances.

• Lei Wanche told Lei Chongmao that Meng Zhao would likely accept the Lei Family, but the Beitang Imperial Clan’s retaliation would be too dangerous to endure.
• Lei Wanche said the Lei Family had to side with the Imperial Clan for now and wait until Meng Zhao and the Meng Family openly contended with it before making another choice.
• Lei Wanche warned Lei Chongmao not to commit to Meng Zhao without certainty or a promise, and said a marriage alliance would be essential to any future submission.
• Lei Chongmao realized the alliance would require a Lei Family daughter to marry Meng Zhao and felt furious at the humiliation.
• Lei Wanche explained that marriage would prevent the Lei Family from being excluded by Meng Zhao’s followers, and Lei Chongmao resigned himself to considering the plan as circumstances changed.

The Ox-Head God, Horse-Face Ghost, and Liu An’s group arrived at the Lei Family’s camp to prepare for the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm, while the Lei Family welcomed Liu An’s offer to share resources. Lei Wanche then proposed a marriage between Lei Chongmao and Qiao Nian’s sister, Qiao Wei, and waited for Qiao Nian’s response.

• The Ox-Head God and Horse-Face Ghost arrived at the Lei Family’s camp, concealed their identities, and declined to join the family while accepting Lei Wanche’s courtesy.
• Liu An and his group arrived late after Nameless Eunuch and Yu Changkong left to handle another matter, and the Imperial Capital City experts split into two groups.
• Liu An’s group agreed to give the Lei Family one-fifth of any cultivation resources they found and copies of any martial arts or secret techniques they discovered.
• Lei Wanche considered marriage candidates for Lei Chongmao and settled on Qiao Wei, Qiao Nian’s sister.
• Lei Wanche invited Qiao Nian to a private meal, praised his favorable impression of Lei Chongmao, and proposed that Qiao Wei marry Lei Chongmao.

Lei Wanche sought a marriage alliance between the Lei Family and the Blood Robe Marquis Mansion to secure a foothold in Imperial Capital City if Meng Zhao drove the family from Ji Prefecture. Qiao Nian offered to help persuade his parents in exchange for the Marquis of Beining’s Estate supporting his future inheritance and granting him more chances to explore the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm, and Lei Wanche agreed.

• Qiao Nian explained that his parents might resist marrying his sister far from Imperial Capital City, but he could improve the chances if Lei Wanche agreed to his terms.
• Lei Wanche said Meng Zhao’s growing power made him want an alliance with a distinguished Imperial Capital family as a possible refuge for the Lei Family.
• Qiao Nian recalled how Meng Zhao had consolidated control in Lingwu City and considered, then dismissed, the possibility that he had killed Beitang Xing.
• Qiao Nian asked the Marquis of Beining’s Estate to support his future inheritance of the Blood Robe Marquis Mansion and to give him more opportunities to explore the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm.
• Lei Wanche accepted both requests without hesitation.