Chapter Summaries

The Ox-Head God recounted his journey with Meng Zhao to Shen Yuhu and Shen Hongguang, showing them why he served Meng Zhao and asking to reconcile with the Shen Family. The father and son were impressed by Meng Zhao’s feats and moved by the Ox-Head God’s sincere offer, leaving the possibility of peace open.

• The Ox-Head God promised to tell Shen Yuhu and Shen Hongguang a confidential account using assumed names.
• The Ox-Head God described the newly discovered Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm, where a powerful figure advanced to the Grandmaster realm at great cost.
• The Ox-Head God recounted Meng Zhao’s struggle against the Heavenly Dao Will and his use of Refining Five-Colored Stone to mend the heavens.
• Shen Yuhu and Shen Hongguang concluded that Meng Zhao had surpassed Shen Tianci for now, though they wondered what Shen Tianci might achieve with four more years.
• The Ox-Head God said Meng Zhao had sent him with a letter for Young Master Shen and asked the Shen Family to put their past conflict behind them.
• Shen Yuhu and Shen Hongguang were moved by the Ox-Head God’s sincerity and considered making peace.

Ox-Head God reconciled with the Shen Family and built ties with Shen Yuhu and Shen Hongguang while hoping to receive Shen Tianci’s guidance. At the banquet, he heard about Hell Path’s growing threat and the southern Rebel Army’s mounting internal divisions.

• Shen Hongguang set aside the Shen Family’s past conflict with Ox-Head God and welcomed him as a potential friend of the Yin Mountain Lineage.
• Ox-Head God praised Shen Tianci and explained that Meng Zhao’s letter had brought him to the Shen Family to discuss important matters.
• The Shen father and son hosted Ox-Head God at a banquet, where he hoped to gain Shen Tianci’s guidance in cultivation.
• Shen Yuhu and Shen Hongguang told Ox-Head God that Hell Path had destroyed an aristocratic family and stolen its inherited Exotic Treasure, allegedly with a powerful devil’s backing.
• The Shen family discussed rumors that the southern Rebel Army’s leaders were in conflict and that the rebellion might split apart.

The Ox-Head God brought Meng Zhao’s letter to the Shen Family and waited at Lakeheart Retreat while Shen Tianci remained in seclusion. The letter transformed into a manifestation of Meng Zhao’s Primordial Spirit, revealing that he had reached the Heavenly Being realm and leaving the Shen family shocked.

• The Ox-Head God discussed the southern rebellion’s uncertain condition with the Shen father and son before asking to deliver Meng Zhao’s letter to Shen Tianci.
• Shen Hongguang explained that Shen Tianci was secluded in cultivation at Lakeheart Retreat and might not awaken for several days or weeks.
• The Ox-Head God noticed that Shen Tianci’s heat had greatly evaporated the lake, but agreed to wait for him to emerge from meditation.
• Meng Zhao’s letter shot from the Ox-Head God’s sleeve, hovered before the group, and shattered into fragments.
• A small, radiant figure appeared among the fragments, and Shen Yuhu recognized it as Meng Zhao’s differentiated Primordial Spirit.
• Shen Yuhu and Shen Hongguang realized that Meng Zhao had reached the Heavenly Being realm and were astonished by his rapid advancement.

Meng Zhao’s divided Primordial Spirit met with Shen Tianci, then Shen Hongguang relayed their conclusions about the Shen Family’s exposed weakness and the inevitable struggle for the Divine Continent. The chapter left the Ox-Head God suspecting that Meng Zhao also wanted Shen Tianci back in the spotlight to divert pressure from himself.

• Meng Zhao’s Primordial Spirit flew to the pavilion where Shen Tianci was cultivating and immobilized Shen Yuhu, Shen Hongguang, and the Ox-Head God.
• After Shen Tianci spoke to them, Shen Yuhu and Shen Hongguang stopped their attack and welcomed the Ox-Head God to the reception hall.
• Shen Hongguang told the Ox-Head God that Meng Zhao and Shen Tianci were satisfied with their conversation, though Shen Tianci had kept some matters private.
• Shen Hongguang explained that Meng Zhao believed the struggle for the Divine Continent was inevitable and that rumors of Shen Tianci’s Qi Deviation had exposed the Shen Family’s weakness.
• The Ox-Head God agreed that the rumors had not deterred genuine threats and suspected Meng Zhao wanted Shen Tianci to draw attention away from himself.

The Ox-Head God supported Meng Zhao’s advice that the Shen Family use Shen Tianci’s hidden status to build strength across the southern lands. Shen Hongguang explained that Tianci was in seclusion creating his own Martial Dao, leaving the family to consider how to act while he remained at home.

• The Ox-Head God agreed with Meng Zhao that the Shen Family should stop appearing weak, while Shen Hongguang described enemies probing the family and targeting its members.
• Shen Yuhu explained that Meng Zhao wanted Shen Tianci to leave the family in secret, recruit experts, and unite Rebel Army forces for the future.
• The Shen father and son lamented that Shen Tianci lacked Meng Zhao’s ambition and political skill, and the Ox-Head God reassured them that Tianci could develop those qualities over time.
• Shen Hongguang revealed that Shen Tianci was in seclusion, studying martial arts and attempting to create his own divine skill and Martial Dao.
• The Ox-Head God learned why Tianci was secluded and thought he might be behind Meng Zhao, who had already developed his own methods.

Ox-Head God explained that Meng Zhao’s plan to unite powerful martial artists depended on Shen Tianci’s strength, but Shen Hongguang and Shen Yuhu wanted Tianci to remain in seclusion. The Shen family asked Ox-Head God to stay and help defend them from the mysterious attacker, and he agreed after learning he would not have to lead the dangerous effort himself.

• Ox-Head God told Shen Hongguang and Shen Yuhu that the Shen family would struggle to subdue powerful martial artists without Shen Tianci’s direct help.
• Shen Hongguang explained that Shen Tianci was at a critical stage of cultivation and would remain in seclusion while the family prepared to carry out Meng Zhao’s plan.
• Shen Hongguang asked Ox-Head God to temporarily help the Shen family, and Ox-Head God initially objected to taking on its dangerous work.
• Shen Yuhu clarified that Ox-Head God only needed to stay at the estate and fend off the mysterious attacker if they struck again.
• Ox-Head God accepted the comfortable arrangement, which would also let him avoid returning to Meng Zhao for a while.

Shen Yuhu agreed to help Ox-Head God and planned to leave the Ducal Manor to gather people and information for the Shen Family. He and Shen Hongguang weighed the risks and the family’s ambitions, recognizing that Meng Zhao’s proposal could preserve or expand their power while also serving his own designs.

• Ox-Head God accepted Shen Yuhu’s proposal, received a promise of compensation, and left to rest while the Shen father and son spoke privately.
• Shen Hongguang urged Shen Yuhu to stay at the Ducal Manor and let him take the risk instead, but Shen Yuhu refused to endanger the Shen Family’s central pillar.
• Shen Yuhu explained that he intended to use his connections and the Taiyuan Sword to gather allies and information, despite the dangers of venturing into the wider world.
• Shen Tianci’s account of Meng Zhao’s plan to divide the Divine Land into northern and southern spheres had persuaded the Shen family that the Age of Great Strife offered a chance to secure their legacy.
• The Shen father and son understood that Meng Zhao hoped Shen Tianci would build a powerful force that Meng Zhao could later take over after defeating him.

Shen Hongguang urged Shen Yuhu to delay the Shen Family’s involvement in the coming upheaval until Shen Tianci left seclusion, warning that Meng Zhao might use their efforts to seize power. Shen Yuhu rejected his caution and insisted that the family act boldly, confident that Shen Tianci could secure their future.

• Shen Hongguang argued that the Shen Family should wait for Shen Tianci rather than risk acting under Meng Zhao’s plan.
• Shen Hongguang explained that Meng Zhao was a formidable rival who might defeat Shen Tianci and take over whatever the Shen Family gained.
• Shen Yuhu angrily rebuked Shen Hongguang for doubting Shen Tianci and urged him to maintain a fighter’s resolve.
• Shen Yuhu insisted that the Shen Family should carry out the plan well, arguing that Meng Zhao could fail and that Shen Tianci could still win them a greater future.

Shen Yuhu and Shen Hongguang discussed Shen Tianci’s preparations for the Shen Family’s next steps and weighed Meng Zhao’s Dragon Subjugation Plan against the Beitang Imperial Clan. They concluded that Beitang Sheng’s court was a likely threat to Shen Tianci, leaving the family to consider how to prepare while avoiding a premature confrontation.

• Shen Hongguang agreed to his father’s recruitment plans but insisted they obtain a sword qi projection of the Taiyuan Divine Sword from Shen Tianci.
• Shen Yuhu assured him that he would act carefully, then asked what the family should do about the Dragon Subjugation Plan.
• Shen Yuhu and Shen Hongguang considered Meng Zhao and Shen Tianci’s plan to prepare against Beitang Sheng, whose imperial court feared rising Gods and Devils experts.
• The father and son reconsidered the attack on the Shen Family and concluded that the attacker had come from the Beitang Imperial Clan, using an imitation Medicine King Cauldron to frame the Li Family.
• Shen Yuhu and Shen Hongguang recognized that Shen Tianci made the Shen Family a target and that they needed to guard against Beitang Sheng, though they were reluctant to strike first.

The Shen family debated Meng Zhao’s Dragon Subjugation Plan and Shen Tianci’s willingness to join it, weighing the danger Beitang Sheng posed against the risks of attacking an emperor protected by Human Dragon Qi and national destiny. Shen Hongguang concluded that Tianci had decided only to gather more information, leaving the family to consider how to protect him without committing to the plan.

• The Shen family recognized that the mysterious man’s probe had confirmed Shen Tianci’s profound cultivation, prompting them to consider how to protect him from future schemes.
• The Shen father and son realized that Shen Tianci approved of Meng Zhao’s Dragon Subjugation Plan partly because his Taiyin Divine Arrow was designed to break Human Dragon Qi and national destiny.
• Shen Yuhu doubted that Beitang Sheng could be assassinated now that the revival of Martial Dao Fortune had made him exceptionally powerful.
• Shen Hongguang argued that even if Shen Tianci could help kill Beitang Sheng, the backlash might endanger him, and Shen Yuhu considered training others in the Taiyin Divine Arrow.
• Shen Hongguang concluded that Meng Zhao’s plan might chiefly be intended to protect young prodigies and said Shen Tianci wanted the family to gather more information.

Shen Hongguang and Shen Yuhu discussed how the Shen Family could support Shen Tianci and prepare for Meng Zhao's Dragon Subjugation Plan without revealing it. They agreed to gather intelligence and experts while Shen Hongguang explored alliances with selected families.

• Shen Hongguang told Shen Yuhu that their role in the Dragon Subjugation Plan was limited to gathering information and supporting Shen Tianci.
• Shen Hongguang proposed building ties with other aristocratic families and martial Sacred Lands to strengthen the Shen Family.
• Shen Hongguang chose the Xie and Cui Families as initial alliance prospects and suggested waiting before approaching the Wei Family.
• Shen Hongguang explained that the Kong Family would not readily shift its allegiance and that aligning with the Li Family could make the Shen Family a target.
• Shen Yuhu agreed to gather experts and intelligence, while Shen Hongguang considered alliances and promised to keep the Dragon Subjugation Plan secret.

Zhao Rulíng struggled to repair a worsening Martial Dao problem while he and Yu Changkong waited at the Meng Family Manor in Lingwu City. After another failed attempt, Yu Changkong wondered whether Zhao Rulíng’s condition was irreversible and whether he might be avoiding a return to Imperial Capital City.

• Yu Changkong and Zhao Rulíng remained at the Meng Family Manor for nearly a month, waiting for the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord while recovering from their injuries.
• Yu Changkong recovered fully, but Zhao Rulíng’s Martial Dao troubles persisted, deepening their disagreement over whether to stay or return to Imperial Capital City.
• Yu Changkong investigated Qiao Nian’s death and grew concerned about the Blood Robe Marquis Mansion’s ties to the Beitang Imperial Clan.
• Zhao Rulíng tried to force the foreign aura from his body with yin and yang energies, but the expelled aura surged back and made him bleed.
• Yu Changkong questioned whether Zhao Rulíng’s condition could ever improve and whether he had begun avoiding a return to Imperial Capital City.

Yu Changkong and Zhao Rulíng learned that Qiao Nian’s death involved Beitang Shu, Lei Wanche, and the three surviving young nobles, who appeared to be covering up what happened. They weighed whether to investigate further, knowing that the Ninth Prince’s involvement made the case dangerous and politically complicated.

• A short assassin arrived at the courtyard and reported that Beitang Shu had summoned four young nobles from the Meng Family to Ji Prefecture.
• The assassin said Beitang Shu and Lei Wanche planned to blame Qiao Nian’s death on the culprit who had tried to assassinate the Twelfth Prince.
• The assassin reported that Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen seemed to have accepted the cover-up, while the details of their involvement remained unclear.
• Zhao Rulíng and Yu Changkong concluded that the Meng Family was likely uninvolved and considered whether to continue investigating the powerful figures tied to Qiao Nian’s death.

Yu Changkong and Zhao Rulíng learned that Lei Wanche and Liu An were in Wanmu County, where Beitang Shu might be involved in Qiao Nian’s death. They decided to stop investigating and keep what they had uncovered secret, leaving the matter’s larger political consequences unresolved.

• The diminutive assassin told Yu Changkong that Lei Wanche was in Wanmu County and that Liu An and the others were there as well.
• Yu Changkong realized that Beitang Shu might be involved and weighed the risks of pursuing the matter amid imperial family rivalries.
• Zhao Rulíng decided that they should end the investigation, and Yu Changkong ordered the assassin to keep all findings secret.
• The diminutive assassin left, and Zhao Rulíng warned Yu Changkong that outsiders should not drive a wedge between members of the imperial clan.

Zhao Rulíng explained why he and Yu Changkong could not yet return to Imperial Capital City: the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s foreign true qi had injured him, and he feared an ambush on the road. He was waiting for Meng Zhao to help him recover, while Yu Changkong doubted Meng Zhao could do so.

• Yu Changkong worried that their failed mission and Qiao Nian’s death would make Beitang Sheng consider them incompetent, but Zhao Rulíng argued they had done all they could.
• Zhao Rulíng said he could not leave the Meng Family because the foreign true qi in his body had fused with his own energies and required help from someone with a Primordial Spirit.
• Zhao Rulíng suspected the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord was lying in wait along the road to Imperial Capital City, making departure dangerous.
• Yu Changkong wondered whether Zhao Rulíng was waiting for Meng Zhao, but questioned whether Meng Zhao’s cultivation was sufficient to help.
• Zhao Rulíng said Meng Zhao was unusual and suggested Dragon King Meng might be more than a Great Grandmaster, while Yu Changkong asked how long they would have to wait.

Zhao Rulíng and Yu Changkong disagreed over how to return to Imperial Capital City, and Zhao Rulíng proposed that Yu Changkong go ahead alone while he stayed with the Meng Family. Yu Changkong accepted, but warned Zhao Rulíng to stay wary of both the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and Meng Zhao.

• Zhao Rulíng recognized Yu Changkong's growing resentment and proposed staying with the Meng Family while Yu Changkong returned to Imperial Capital City to report to the Emperor.
• Yu Changkong reconsidered his initial willingness to wait for Zhao Rulíng and decided to leave alone, believing the danger had passed and Zhao Rulíng was overly cautious.
• Zhao Rulíng advised Yu Changkong to beware of the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and to use the Emperor's methods if they met.
• Yu Changkong urged Zhao Rulíng to protect himself from Meng Zhao, whose strength and ambitions he distrusted.
• Zhao Rulíng fell silent because he could not share certain things with Yu Changkong.

Zhao Rulíng parted ways with Yu Changkong, then received Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen at the Meng Family and told them the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had defeated and pursued him and Yu Changkong. The three were left stunned by the revelation, while Meng Zhao’s interest in the powerful enemy remained hidden.

• Yu Changkong left the Meng Family for Imperial Capital City after Zhao Rulíng assured him he knew what he was doing.
• Meng Zhao returned to the Meng Family in secret while Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen made a public return.
• Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen visited Zhao Rulíng, recounted Qiao Nian’s death, and asked about his injuries and Yu Changkong’s whereabouts.
• Zhao Rulíng told the three that Yu Changkong had already left and warned them to follow through on their claims about Qiao Nian’s death without implicating others.
• Zhao Rulíng revealed that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, wielding Star Tribulation, had overwhelmed him, Yu Changkong, and Imperial Ruyi.
• Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen were stunned as Zhao Rulíng described the Heavenly Demon Palace and its place among the Demonic Path’s forces.

Zhao Rulíng reassured Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen about the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, while warning that Yu Changkong might be walking into an ambush on the road to Imperial Capital City. He then asked why he had sought Meng Zhao instead of the great martial arts sects, leaving the three uneasy about his intentions.

• Zhao Rulíng told Liu An and the others that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord could not act without restraint, though he planned to recover at the Meng Family before returning to Imperial Capital City.
• Zhao Rulíng predicted that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had laid an ambush for Yu Changkong and said Yu might suffer for acting impulsively.
• Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen sensed a rift between Zhao Rulíng and Yu Changkong, but Zhao Rulíng denied having a personal grudge.
• Yan Libing asked about Zhao Rulíng's injuries and when they could return to Imperial Capital City, but Zhao Rulíng instead asked why he had come to Meng Zhao rather than Fire Dragon Cave or Divine Saber Hall.

Zhao Rulíng praised Meng Zhao and tried to draw out Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen, hoping to reach Meng Zhao and seek his help with his injuries. He recognized that the three carried Meng Zhao’s Primordial Spirit Power, but they concealed how deeply they were entangled with him.

• Zhao Rulíng argued that Meng Zhao was a better choice than Fire Dragon Cave or Divine Saber Hall to face the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord.
• Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen suspected Zhao Rulíng was courting them to show goodwill toward Meng Zhao, but kept silent because Meng Zhao’s methods constrained them.
• Zhao Rulíng sensed the three carried a trace of Primordial Spirit Power and deduced that they had been close to Meng Zhao.
• Liu An claimed that the three had only received guidance from Meng Zhao and spent several days with him, while Zhao Rulíng chose not to press them for details.

Zhao Rulíng told Liu An and the others that he wanted to use them to establish contact with Meng Zhao, and the three discussed how to relay his message. Yan Libing grew concerned that Zhao Rulíng had lost faith in the Beitang Imperial Clan, leaving him to fear for the clan’s future.

• Zhao Rulíng assured Liu An and the others that he bore them no ill will and hoped to arrange a mutually beneficial meeting with Meng Zhao.
• Liu An, Shi Jiawen, and Yan Libing returned to their rooms and concluded that Zhao Rulíng wanted their help to reach Meng Zhao.
• Liu An worried that they could not locate Meng Zhao, and Yan Libing suggested asking Madam Liang to contact him while warning them to speak carefully.
• Yan Libing privately reasoned that Zhao Rulíng had ignored threats to the Beitang Imperial Clan and seemed more concerned with himself than with the imperial family.
• Yan Libing feared that Zhao Rulíng’s changed outlook meant the Beitang Imperial Clan might be nearing collapse, putting his family and allies at risk.