Chapter Summaries

Meng Zhao explained how the Poison Grotto and Thunder Marsh small worlds were controlled by the remnant wills of dead Celestial being experts, and warned that the Thunder Marsh could kill them. He reassured the group that he had found a way to bypass both worlds and enter the true Jianmu Grotto-Heaven directly.

• Meng Zhao told Lei Wanche that the Thunder Marsh expert had used divine descent and spirit descent through him to attack Meng Zhao.
• Lei Wanche feared that the possession had left a hidden danger in his body and wondered whether the Lei Family’s treasures had been part of a trap.
• Meng Zhao explained that the dead Celestial being experts’ remnant wills had taken control of the small worlds formed from their remains.
• Liu An asked whether the group would be forced through the Thunder Marsh or Poison Grotto when they entered the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm again.
• Meng Zhao said he had found weak points in the spatial barriers that would let them bypass both dangerous worlds and reach the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven directly.

After the group assessed their gains and losses in Jianmu Grotto-Heaven, Lei Wanche agreed to align himself with Meng Zhao, who promised to treat the Lei Family fairly. The others also remained under Meng Zhao’s control, as he would not let anyone leave with the grotto-heaven’s secrets unguarded.

• The group fell silent as they weighed their disappointing journey, while Lei Wanche recognized that his Grandmaster breakthrough and the Divine Demon Cultivation Method were his greatest gains.
• Shi Jiawen asked Lei Wanche whether he would become Meng Zhao’s friend and board the same ship as the others.
• Lei Wanche admitted he had no other choice and accepted Meng Zhao as his senior and ally.
• Meng Zhao promised Lei Wanche that their arrangement would remain secret and that the Lei Family would compete fairly in the future.
• Lei Wanche suspected Meng Zhao would place safeguards on him and the others, since Meng Zhao would not let them leave carrying Jianmu Grotto-Heaven’s secrets.

Meng Zhao brought Lei Wanche, Ox-Head God, Horse-Face Ghost, Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen into his service, using power from the Lesser Heavenly Dao to both benefit and control them. As the group began exploring Jianmu Grotto-Heaven, Meng Zhao summoned Flood Dragon Little Nine and prepared to venture into the sea.

• Meng Zhao asked the others to remain his friends and serve him, and they all agreed.
• Meng Zhao scattered azure dew infused with the Lesser Heavenly Dao's power over them, warning that betrayal would turn it into divine judgment.
• Meng Zhao promised the group a share of Jianmu Grotto-Heaven's resources, then sent them to survey nearby islands and record the terrain and resources.
• Meng Zhao awakened Flood Dragon Little Nine and announced his intention to explore the ocean.
• Ox-Head God and the others were astonished by Little Nine's power, while Horse-Face Ghost and Yan Libing remained comparatively calm.

Meng Zhao rode Flood Dragon Little Nine beneath the sea and discovered its vast resources and powerful beasts. He returned to the island with a giant sea fish, which he shared with the others to demonstrate how ocean food could strengthen ordinary people.

• Meng Zhao rode Flood Dragon Little Nine into the ocean and explored its rich underwater world, where even Little Nine was not the strongest creature.
• Ox-Head God, Horse-Face Ghost, Lei Wanche, Liu An, and the others mapped nearby islands and marveled at their resources, while Lei Wanche mourned the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven he had lost to Meng Zhao.
• Flood Dragon Little Nine returned to the island with a giant black sea fish, and Meng Zhao explained that he wanted everyone to test its effects.
• Horse-Face Ghost prepared the fish, and the group found that eating it increased their vital essence, Blood Qi, flesh, and true qi.
• The group realized that ordinary people who ate the fish and trained could quickly gain martial strength, revealing the potential of Meng Zhao's ocean resources.

A blood-red omen appeared over the ocean, and Meng Zhao explained that Thunder Marsh Space was exploiting the weakened Poison Grotto minor world and beginning to devour it. He warned that the destruction of the minor world could cause disasters throughout heaven and earth, leaving the group facing a growing threat from Thunder Marsh.

• Blood-red ripples spread across the sky, and Lei Wanche felt a murderous influence as his true qi began circulating on its own.
• Meng Zhao told Lei Wanche that a Thunder Marsh great power’s divine descent art had affected him and that he needed to steady his mind to avoid becoming a puppet.
• Ox-Head God asked Meng Zhao whether the sky’s abnormality was connected to Thunder Marsh Space, and Meng Zhao confirmed it.
• Meng Zhao explained that he had weakened Poison Grotto Space by taking its source power and shattering much of its earth power, disrupting the balance between the two minor worlds.
• Meng Zhao said Thunder Marsh Space was plundering and devouring Poison Grotto Space, warning that its destruction would bring severe disasters and strengthen Thunder Marsh.

Meng Zhao realized that the Thunder Marsh small world was rapidly devouring the weakened Poison Grotto, threatening his plans for the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven. After calculating a way to restore the balance, he asked the others to help him repair the Poison Grotto’s damaged world origin and mend its azure sky.

• Meng Zhao suspected that the awakened Heavenly Dao Will of the Thunder Marsh small world was accelerating its invasion of the Poison Grotto.
• Meng Zhao rejected the group’s suggestions and used the Sheji Royal Cauldron and Heaven-Illuminating Divine Mirror to calculate a solution.
• The blood-red sky darkened further and bloody rain fell into the sea as Meng Zhao’s companions waited anxiously.
• Meng Zhao announced that he could temporarily relieve pressure on the Poison Grotto by repairing its damage and strengthening its foundation.
• Yan Libing and the others pledged their support, and Meng Zhao asked them to help him mend the azure sky.

Meng Zhao announced that he would mend the Poison Grotto Small World's fractured heavens and ordered the others to gather resources while he prepared a key island as the foundation for his plan. The island began absorbing power from the Poisonous Cave Land, the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven, and the surrounding ocean.

• Meng Zhao declared his intention to mend the Poison Grotto Small World, leaving the Ox-Head God, Horse-Face Ghost, Liu An, and the others doubtful about the legendary task.
• Meng Zhao assured them that he would handle the mending himself and ordered them to gather resources from the nearby islands.
• The Ox-Head God and the others set out to prepare the supplies while Meng Zhao remained on the island connected to the Poisonous Cave Space.
• Meng Zhao erected one hundred and thirty pillars infused with Poison Grotto Heavenly Dao power across the island.
• The pillars drew in spiritual qi, vital energy, crimson radiance, and ocean water qi, strengthening the island as the foundation for Meng Zhao's plan.

Meng Zhao used the Sheji Royal Cauldron and the Five Directions Banner Order to refine the gathered treasures into Five-Colored Stone, attempting to mend Poisonous Cave Land’s azure heavens. As he continued refining, Poisonous Cave Land released Heavenly Dao Source Power through its pillars and fed it into the cauldron.

• Liu An returned with a massive Fire Radiance Spirit Crystal, saw the transformed island, and left again to search for more materials.
• Lei Wanche, Ox-Head God, and the others gathered treasures while Meng Zhao prepared to refine Five-Colored Stone.
• Meng Zhao manifested the Sheji Royal Cauldron and used the Five Directions Banner Order’s Five Elements power to refine the treasures.
• The five-colored radiance suppressed the blood-colored light, and Ox-Head God and Horse-Face Ghost watched Meng Zhao’s attempt with awe and uncertainty.
• Poisonous Cave Land released Blood-Colored Lightning and Heavenly Dao Source Power, which passed through the island’s pillars and flowed into Meng Zhao’s cauldron.

Meng Zhao successfully refined a Five-Colored Stone, using the Lesser Heavenly Dao of Poisonous Cave Land and other forces to protect it from the Thunder Marsh small world's attack. He sent Lei Wanche and the others away before heading to Poisonous Cave Land to repair its Heavenly Dao.

• Meng Zhao's Five-Colored Stone took shape beneath the Sheji Royal Cauldron's phantom image as five-colored light dispelled the blood-red sky and black lightning failed to reach it.
• Meng Zhao emerged holding the finished stone, and Lei Wanche found that it eased the disturbance in his spiritual thoughts caused by divine descent.
• Meng Zhao concluded that his Five-Colored Stone was far inferior to the legendary stone refined by an ancient great god, but hoped it could still protect Poisonous Cave Land from being devoured.
• Meng Zhao told Lei Wanche, the Ox-Head God, and the others to leave the island before he went to Poisonous Cave Land to repair its Heavenly Dao.

Lei Wanche and the others watched the celestial phenomena surrounding Meng Zhao’s attempt to mend the heavens until they vanished, confirming that he had succeeded. Meng Zhao returned to the shrunken island transformed in appearance and bearing, and the onlookers regarded him with awe.

• Lei Wanche and the others waited for three hours as strange celestial phenomena filled the sky, unable to tell whether Meng Zhao’s heaven-mending effort had succeeded.
• After a dry thunderclap, the phenomena disappeared, and Lei Wanche announced that every abnormality in his body had vanished and Meng Zhao had succeeded.
• Lei Wanche reflected on his reluctant admiration for Meng Zhao, while Shi Jiawen eagerly anticipated learning the next level of Meng Zhao’s Nameless Mind Method.
• Meng Zhao returned to the island, which had shrunk by a quarter, and the others crossed over to meet him.
• The group saw that Meng Zhao had acquired a sacred aura, faded violet temples streaked with white, and a bearing that reminded them of the Heavenly Dao.

Meng Zhao completed the heaven-mending process, advanced his Primordial Spirit, and granted his allies a Heaven-Mending Aura Diagram. He left the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven’s mysteries unexplored for now, while the deaths and political tensions surrounding the expedition remained unresolved.

• Meng Zhao raised his Primordial Spirit to the Obtaining God realm and considered advancing it further toward the True God level.
• Meng Zhao bestowed a Heaven-Mending Aura Diagram on the gathered allies, each of whom comprehended different insights from it.
• Meng Zhao warned that the diagram itself must not be spread, and the recipients promised to keep it to themselves.
• Meng Zhao postponed further exploration of the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven because he could not risk losing contact with the outside world.
• Beitang Shu could not seize the grotto-heaven without risking the Lei Family’s support, which helped sustain his authority in the Northern Lands.

Meng Zhao assessed the risks of keeping the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven secret and arranged how to manage it and the people involved. He repaired Lei Wanche’s Grotto-Heaven Secret Key, declared that he could travel between worlds without it, and let the others collect resources before returning to the Divine Land.

• Meng Zhao reasoned that Beitang Shu would not reveal the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven to the Beitang Imperial Clan because doing so would cost him influence in the Northern Lands, and he planned to contain the complications surrounding Qiao Nian’s death.
• Meng Zhao decided to bring Ox-Head God and Horse-Face Ghost back to Lingwu City and have them guard a region, while the Lei Family and others would keep Beitang Shu out of the matter.
• Lei Wanche told Meng Zhao that his Grotto-Heaven Secret Key no longer let him leave the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven.
• Meng Zhao repaired Lei Wanche’s key and limited its use to once per month, explaining that he could enter and leave the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven without a key.
• Ox-Head God asked to gather cultivation resources, and Meng Zhao allowed everyone to collect what they wanted before he took them back to the Divine Land.

Meng Zhao and his companions returned from the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven to find the land around the Jianmu Relic Seed reduced to ashen ruins. As Lei Wanche prepared to explain the Lei Family’s new circumstances to Lei Chongmao, Meng Zhao remained hidden and in control of the group.

• Meng Zhao and his companions emerged beside the Jianmu Relic Seed and found the surrounding landscape filled with Deathly Qi and Yin Qi.
• The Ox-Head God attributed the devastation to unrest in the Thunder Marsh and Poison Grotto minor worlds, while Meng Zhao decided the group should avoid interfering for now.
• Meng Zhao ordered Lei Wanche to rescue Lei Chongfeng, who had survived because Meng Zhao had kept him out of the Grotto-Heaven.
• Lei Wanche returned to camp with few Lei Family survivors, and Lei Chongmao was alarmed by the losses, Lei Chongfeng’s weakened state, and Qiao Nian’s absence.
• Lei Wanche cut off Lei Chongmao’s questions and took him aside to explain the situation and arrange the family’s next steps.
• Liu An, Shi Jiawen, and Yan Libing planned to confer and seek Meng Zhao’s opinion while the Horse-Face Ghost continued focusing on his cultivation.

Lei Wanche told Lei Chongmao what he had witnessed in the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven and discussed the Lei Family’s pledge to Meng Zhao. They concluded that the family’s allegiance depended on Meng Zhao’s continued strength, while the risks of conflict with the Meng Family remained.

• Lei Wanche showed Lei Chongmao rare treasures he had gathered beyond the Thunder Marsh and Poison Grotto small worlds.
• Lei Wanche recounted how Meng Zhao refined the Five-Colored Stone, received the Heavenly Dao’s divine descent, and mended the heavens.
• Lei Chongmao recognized that Meng Zhao, rather than the Lei Family, had been at the center of the Grotto-Heaven’s extraordinary events.
• Lei Chongmao reasoned that Meng Zhao’s secret pledge from the Lei Family reflected his distrust of the Meng Family’s succession and power structure.
• Lei Wanche asked whether the Lei Family truly intended to serve Meng Zhao, and Lei Chongmao answered that their allegiance depended on Meng Zhao’s continued dominance.

Lei Wanche and Lei Chongmao discussed the Lei Family’s uncertain future after pledging allegiance to Meng Zhao and the danger of eventually opposing the Beitang Imperial Clan. They focused on the immediate crisis caused by Lei Wanche revealing the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven to Beitang Shu, leaving the family caught between Beitang Shu and Meng Zhao.

• Lei Wanche asked Lei Chongmao how the Lei Family should act when Meng Zhao’s conflict with the Beitang Imperial Clan became unavoidable.
• Lei Chongmao said they could only take things one step at a time, since Meng Zhao’s potential and the Lei Family’s survival were both uncertain.
• Lei Chongmao reminded Lei Wanche that the family faced urgent problems, beginning with Beitang Shu.
• Lei Wanche admitted that he had revealed the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven to Beitang Shu to enlist his help against Meng Zhao.
• Lei Wanche realized that he had underestimated Meng Zhao and the Grotto-Heaven’s value, and that the Lei Family now had to manage Beitang Shu’s expectations while Meng Zhao claimed the realm as his property.

Lei Chongmao explained why Beitang Shu had ignored the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven and advised Lei Wanche on how to keep its secrets hidden while following Meng Zhao’s instructions. Lei Wanche remained wary of returning to the Thunder Marsh Small World because the Lesser Heavenly Dao might seize control of him.

• Lei Wanche and Lei Chongmao wondered why Beitang Shu had not sent people to investigate the Jianmu Grotto-Heaven.
• Lei Chongmao considered that Beitang Shu suspected a trap, thought the realm was worthless, or planned to take it over after the Lei Family developed it.
• Lei Chongmao advised Lei Wanche to guard the Jianmu Relic Seed, make Beitang Shu believe the Lei Family had gained little, and coordinate closely with Liu An and the other three.
• Lei Chongmao proposed using the Thunder Marsh Small World to convince Beitang Shu that the Grotto-Heaven was dangerous if he sent people to claim it.
• Lei Wanche hesitated because he feared the Lesser Heavenly Dao might control him if he entered the Thunder Marsh Small World again without Meng Zhao.

Lei Wanche and his sons planned to seek Meng Zhao’s help before entering Thunder Marsh and discussed how to conceal their ties to Beitang Shu while blaming Qiao Nian’s death on Beitang Xing’s killer. The chapter ended with Lei Wanche and Lei Chongmao envisioning the Lei and Meng families’ power in Ji Prefecture, provided Meng Zhao did not openly rebel.

• Lei Chongmao advised Lei Wanche to ask Meng Zhao for help with Thunder Marsh or send Lei Chongmao or Lei Chongfeng in his place.
• Lei Wanche accepted the plan and considered how Meng Zhao could protect him and help his descendants establish themselves in Thunder Marsh.
• Lei Wanche and his sons planned to conceal their ties to Beitang Shu and claim Qiao Nian had been killed after finding clues about Beitang Xing’s assassin.
• Lei Chongfeng argued that Beitang Shu, the Lei Family, and the Meng Family could cooperate to fabricate convincing evidence and protect their interests.
• Lei Wanche asked Lei Chongmao about the Lei Family’s future, and Lei Chongmao said their alliance with Meng Zhao gave them control of Ji Prefecture for now.

Ox-Head God and Horse-Face Ghost discussed the mysterious organization that had targeted Shen Tianci, and Meng Zhao overheard them and demanded the full story. Seeing a chance to build ties with the Shen Family, he decided to send Shen Tianci a letter.

• Ox-Head God and Horse-Face Ghost considered whether to tell Meng Zhao everything about the mysterious people who had invited them to the Lei Family and clashed with Shen Tianci.
• Meng Zhao appeared inside their tent, revealed he had heard their conversation, and ordered them to explain the mysterious person and organization without concealing anything.
• After hearing their account, Meng Zhao considered whether the group was tied to the Beitang Imperial Clan or the Li-Tang Imperial Clan and what its schemes meant for the Shen Family.
• Meng Zhao decided to approach Shen Tianci and instructed Ox-Head God to deliver a letter to him in Jinling.

Meng Zhao assigned Ox-Head God to deliver a letter to Shen Tianci and tasked Horse-Face Ghost with finding grandmasters and Great Grandmasters. Both men accepted after Meng Zhao promised to protect them and teach them scriptures.

• Ox-Head God warned Meng Zhao that personally delivering a letter to the Shen Family could put him in danger, but agreed after Meng Zhao promised safeguards and permission to act under his name.
• Meng Zhao told Ox-Head God to answer the Shen Family's questions openly about the mysterious man and organization.
• Meng Zhao asked Horse-Face Ghost to search for the whereabouts of grandmasters and Great Grandmasters and report their names and addresses.
• Ox-Head God voiced concern that Horse-Face Ghost could be discovered by a Great Grandmaster, but Meng Zhao promised safeguards and scripture instruction.
• Horse-Face Ghost accepted the task after Meng Zhao offered to help lay the foundation for a future breakthrough.

Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen debated how to respond to Qiao Nian’s death until Yan Libing relayed Meng Zhao’s plan to conceal Jianmu Grotto-Heaven and warn Beitang Shu. Yan Libing questioned whether Qiao Nian had truly died, but Liu An and Shi Jiawen insisted they had witnessed it, leaving the mystery unresolved.

• Liu An argued that they should make an effort to investigate Qiao Nian’s death, while Shi Jiawen wanted to follow Meng Zhao’s instructions without question.
• Yan Libing received Meng Zhao’s voice transmission ordering them to work with the Lei father and son to fabricate clues about Qiao Nian’s death and secretly warn Beitang Shu about the dangers in Thunder Marsh and the Poisonous Cave Land.
• Liu An asked how they would protect themselves from soul-searching after returning to Imperial Capital City, and Yan Libing said the Heaven-Mending Aura Diagram in their Seas of Consciousness would protect them.
• Yan Libing questioned whether Liu An and Shi Jiawen had truly seen Qiao Nian die, noting that the Sky-Stopping Halberd should have protected him.
• Liu An and Shi Jiawen said they had witnessed Qiao Nian being struck by lightning and believed he had never possessed the Sky-Stopping Halberd, while Yan Libing remained uncertain.