Chapter Summaries

Liang Muqiu told Meng Zhao that Zhao Rulíng had sent word through Liu An and the others, prompting Meng Zhao to suspect the injured Celestial Being needed his help. The chapter left Meng Zhao wondering how Zhao Rulíng knew he could help and why Zhao and Yu Changkong had trusted him over the Nine Surnames and Thirteen Families.

• Liu An, Shi Jiawen, and the third man told Liang Muqiu that Zhao Rulíng had placed unusual importance on Meng Zhao and asked her to decide what to do.
• Liang Muqiu waited until dawn, when Meng Zhao returned to her room after spending the night with the women in his household.
• Liang Muqiu told Meng Zhao that Yu Changkong had been intrusive during his stay, while Zhao Rulíng had been easy to accommodate and had repeatedly requested healing resources.
• Meng Zhao reasoned that Zhao Rulíng's injuries might have damaged his martial arts foundation and that he wanted Meng Zhao's help to recover.
• Liang Muqiu asked why Zhao Rulíng had not sought help from Yu Changkong, and Meng Zhao wondered how Zhao had learned of his abilities and why both men had trusted him.

Meng Zhao reassured Liang Muqiu that he could help her advance toward the Great Grandmaster realm, and she revealed that she planned to avenge the destruction of her family. He promised to support her and protect her as she pursued the revenge.

• Meng Zhao told Liang Muqiu that his recent gains let him remove the obstacles to her Great Grandmaster cultivation.
• Liang Muqiu explained that the Liang Family descended from the Peerless Prince Liang and that she had finally found information about the people who destroyed her family.
• Meng Zhao promised Liang Muqiu that he would back her regardless of who her enemies were.
• Liang Muqiu said she would hire independent assassins and killers rather than involve the Meng Family.
• Meng Zhao promised to leave part of his power within Liang Muqiu so that even a Celestial Being expert could not harm her.

Meng Zhao used his Emperor's Qi Gazing Technique to inspect Zhao Rulíng's injury and discovered that Zhao's yin-yang martial foundation had been damaged by foreign true qi. After recognizing Meng Zhao's strength, Zhao Rulíng welcomed him and prepared to ask for help, while Meng Zhao waited for him to raise the matter.

• Meng Zhao observed the yin-yang Dao resonance above Zhao Rulíng's courtyard and identified a flaw in Zhao's martial foundation that left his injury unable to heal.
• Zhao Rulíng sensed Meng Zhao's aura and used his Pupil Art Divine Ability to assess his formidable martial path.
• Zhao Rulíng realized Meng Zhao could help remove the foreign true qi weakening his cultivation, though he still needed to persuade him.
• Zhao Rulíng opened the courtyard door and invited Meng Zhao inside to talk.
• Meng Zhao greeted Zhao Rulíng courteously and asked what matter he wished to discuss, waiting for Zhao to request his help.

Meng Zhao discussed his ambitions and martial arts with Zhao Rulíng, who revealed that he and Yu Changkong had failed to kill the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord in the Northern Lands. Meng Zhao considered the danger posed by the Palace Lord and his ancient demonic inheritance, leaving him wary of making ties with him.

• Zhao Rulíng asked Meng Zhao what he still wanted, and Meng Zhao said he remained unsatisfied with his martial arts and other advantages.
• Meng Zhao praised Zhao Rulíng's profound understanding of the Great Dao of Yin Yang.
• Zhao Rulíng revealed that he and Yu Changkong had traveled to the Northern Lands with the Imperial Ruyi to kill the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord.
• Zhao Rulíng said the Palace Lord overwhelmed them with his cultivation and Star Tribulation, forcing them to flee to the Meng Family.
• Meng Zhao judged the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord too dangerous to trust, given his demonic identity and the Heavenly Demon Palace's history of defiant inheritors.

Zhao Rulíng asked Meng Zhao to help remove the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s Yang and Yin Energy, offering him insight into his Primordial Spirit and Great Dao of Yin Yang in return. Meng Zhao agreed to hear what Zhao Rulíng knew and began probing him for information about the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and Beitang Sheng, while Zhao Rulíng recognized his hidden motives.

• Zhao Rulíng explained how the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s Yang and Yin Energy had become embedded in his body and Primordial Spirit, then offered Meng Zhao a chance to study his cultivation if he helped remove it.
• Meng Zhao avoided giving Zhao Rulíng an immediate answer and asked him to share his knowledge instead.
• Zhao Rulíng agreed to answer Meng Zhao’s questions without holding back because he needed Meng Zhao’s help.
• Meng Zhao asked Zhao Rulíng about the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s methods and their battle, and Zhao Rulíng recounted the details and his assessment.
• Meng Zhao feigned admiration and loyalty toward Beitang Sheng while probing for information, but Zhao Rulíng saw through his hidden intentions.

Zhao Rulíng told Meng Zhao that Beitang Sheng’s ruthless ambition and reliance on political schemes might have led him to let the realm descend into chaos so he could later reclaim power from the clans. Zhao Rulíng feared Beitang Sheng’s miscalculations had already placed the Great Yong Dynasty in grave danger, and Meng Zhao concluded that the Emperor’s choices could destroy both him and his dynasty.

• Zhao Rulíng described Beitang Sheng as ambitious, calculating, and indifferent to family, and suspected he had meddled in the previous Emperor’s assassination.
• Zhao Rulíng explained that Beitang Sheng treated the realm like a chessboard and neglected the consequences of losing cities and the people’s loyalty.
• Meng Zhao asked whether Beitang Sheng had deliberately let the world fall into chaos to weaken powerful clans before restoring the realm and reclaiming their power.
• Zhao Rulíng agreed, saying Beitang Sheng sought to surpass Great Ancestor if successful but could become the Great Yong Dynasty’s gravedigger if he failed.
• Zhao Rulíng recalled Beitang Sheng’s disastrous defeat by the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and feared that Yu Changkong might never return to Imperial Capital City.
• Meng Zhao concluded that Beitang Sheng’s overconfidence and disruption of the arrangements of Calculates All Beings and Beitang Gong might bring about his own and Great Yong’s destruction.

Meng Zhao asked Zhao Rulíng about the reigning Emperor Beitang Sheng’s martial arts and learned that Beitang Sheng had obtained the complete Ziwei Flying Star Record from the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord. Meng Zhao considered the Emperor’s potential but remained confident that, given time, he would fear no opponent.

• Meng Zhao asked Zhao Rulíng whether he had witnessed the reigning Emperor’s martial arts firsthand.
• Zhao Rulíng explained that Beitang Sheng obtained the complete Ziwei Flying Star Record from the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord he had assassinated.
• Zhao Rulíng said Beitang Sheng used the record to advance the Beitang Imperial Clan’s Ziwei World-Shining Art and had likely surpassed the Great Ancestor in martial achievement and providence.
• Meng Zhao reasoned that Beitang Sheng would need time to raise the Ziwei World-Shining Art to a higher realm, and that abandoning it would prevent him from reaching the pinnacle.
• Meng Zhao felt pleased at the possibility that Beitang Sheng might become a worthy opponent.

Meng Zhao learned from Zhao Rulíng about Beitang Sheng’s supreme abilities and his hidden plans to use Zhao against Meng after targeting the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord. Zhao reassured Meng of his strength, while Meng realized Beitang Sheng had regarded him as only an incidental threat.

• Zhao Rulíng explained that Beitang Sheng knew the Son of Heaven Sword Technique and likely possessed the world art Heaven and Earth as One.
• Zhao Rulíng said even he would have died against Heaven and Earth as One, and that the Emperor’s strength would be greater still with National Destiny and Human Dragon Qi.
• Meng Zhao asked why Beitang Sheng had let the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord leave Imperial Capital City, and Zhao Rulíng blamed the Emperor’s arrogance and fear of exposing their past cooperation.
• Meng Zhao asked what impression Beitang Sheng had of him and Shen Tianci, and Zhao Rulíng revealed the Emperor had meant to use him against Meng after killing the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord.
• Meng Zhao realized Beitang Sheng had prioritized the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and Beitang Xing’s death over eliminating him, while Zhao Rulíng praised Meng’s strength and suspected his Thunder Pattern Vertical Pupil carried a supreme divine ability.

Meng Zhao agreed to help Zhao Rulíng remove the foreign Primordial Spirit left by the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and restore his martial foundation. After Zhao Rulíng expelled the foreign true qi from his body, Meng Zhao precisely cut the remaining flaw from his Primordial Spirit, beginning the next stage of his recovery.

• Zhao Rulíng warned Meng Zhao that Beitang Sheng had hidden arrangements across the Divine Continent and urged him to be cautious.
• Zhao Rulíng explained that healing required removing the foreign true qi from his body and Primordial Spirit, then repairing his injured martial path.
• Zhao Rulíng entered Meng Zhao's temporary healing ground and expelled the foreign true qi from his body.
• Zhao Rulíng's Yin Yang Tai Chi Diagram revealed a tiny red blotch left by the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord's foreign Primordial Spirit.
• Meng Zhao used Primordial Spirit light from his Thunder Pattern Vertical Pupil to carve the red blotch from Zhao Rulíng's Primordial Spirit without harming it.

After removing the foreign Primordial Spirit from Zhao Rulíng, Meng Zhao entered enlightenment and created a new way to cultivate the Great Dao of Yin Yang by making himself yang and the Divine Continent World yin. Zhao Rulíng recognized the method’s immense potential and gained new insight from Meng Zhao in return.

• Meng Zhao used his Primordial Spirit Power to cut the foreign Primordial Spirit out of Zhao Rulíng with almost no harm to Zhao Rulíng’s Yin Yang Primordial Spirit.
• Zhao Rulíng’s display of his Primordial Spirit and Great Dao of Yin Yang sent Meng Zhao into enlightenment.
• Meng Zhao’s yang qi surged while yin qi gathered around him, and he devised a method that treated the Divine Continent World as an external dantian.
• Zhao Rulíng recognized Meng Zhao’s approach as a distinct path to Yin Yang cultivation, though some details remained unresolved.
• Zhao Rulíng drew inspiration from Meng Zhao’s new method and concluded that he could advance further after studying what he had learned.

After Meng Zhao’s epiphany, he and Zhao Rulíng discussed yin and yang, eunuch histories, and secret records from the imperial clans. Zhao Rulíng also shared hidden details about the Beitang ancestors, leaving Meng Zhao with a wealth of curious knowledge.

• Meng Zhao’s two-hour epiphany ended with his left Dragon Pupil resembling the sun and his right resembling the moon, while Zhao Rulíng praised his gains.
• Zhao Rulíng reflected that Meng Zhao’s fortune had improved his own circumstances, though he still intended to return to the Beitang Imperial Clan and suppress the Imperial Inner Court.
• Meng Zhao thanked Zhao Rulíng for revealing his understanding of yin and yang, and Zhao Rulíng drew him into a long conversation.
• Zhao Rulíng explained how a High Eunuch’s failed possession attempt gave him the memories that helped him create the Sunflower Facing Sun Divine Skill.
• Zhao Rulíng recounted how Zheng He and Tong Guan had used different methods to regain male bodies, introducing Meng Zhao to secret historical accounts.
• Zhao Rulíng told Meng Zhao that Great Ancestor Beitang Gong had truly died vomiting blood and that the Supreme Ancestor had made a fool of himself pursuing immortality through alchemy.

Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng discussed historical figures and the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s possible search for the Supreme Scepter in the Arctic Ice Plains. Meng Zhao doubted Zhao Rulíng’s explanation of the Lord’s motives, leaving the threat and the Scepter’s existence uncertain.

• Meng Zhao reflected on Emperor Taizong’s pursuit of alchemy and his death after forcing his cultivation while consuming pills.
• Zhao Rulíng told Meng Zhao that Chi You’s dismembered body had been sealed in Grotto-Heaven Secret Realms and that portions of his Primordial Spirit had reincarnated as great demons.
• Meng Zhao questioned why Yu Changkong had separated from Zhao Rulíng, and Zhao Rulíng explained that Yu had resented following his lead and wanted to report their failed mission to the Great Emperor.
• Zhao Rulíng suggested that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord might have returned to the Arctic Ice Plains to seek the Supreme Scepter.
• Zhao Rulíng explained that the Scepter might let the Lord command the Hundred Clans and threaten the Divine Land, but Meng Zhao doubted that the Lord would abandon his influence among humanity for such a plan.

Meng Zhao concluded that the Supreme Scepter could unite the Hundred Clans and threaten humanity, and decided to seek it before the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord or the clans could claim it. He asked Zhao Rulíng to help him investigate the Arctic Ice Plains and delay his return to Imperial Capital City.

• Meng Zhao speculated that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord might be behind Tong Lie and might be using the Supreme Scepter to unite the Hundred Clans and invade the Divine Land.
• Meng Zhao decided that the Supreme Scepter must either remain hidden or fall into human hands, both to protect humanity and to study its power over fortune.
• Meng Zhao asked Zhao Rulíng whether the Supreme Scepter had truly appeared, and Zhao Rulíng said it was probably real because the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had searched for it with confidence.
• Meng Zhao told Zhao Rulíng that he intended to seize the Supreme Scepter and asked him to help by postponing his return to Imperial Capital City.
• Meng Zhao worried that a united Hundred Clans could invade through Liang Prefecture and threaten the three northern provinces that formed his base.

Meng Zhao and Zhao Rulíng agreed to work together to seize the Supreme Scepter, while keeping their plan secret. Zhao Rulíng sent Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen back to Imperial Capital City, and they departed after Meng Zhao promised to protect them on the journey.

• Meng Zhao told Zhao Rulíng that he had a supreme treasure and proposed they secretly take the Supreme Scepter from the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord.
• After weighing the risks and rewards, Zhao Rulíng accepted Meng Zhao's proposal and left the timing of their expedition to him.
• Meng Zhao began using the Meng Family's connections to seek information about the Arctic Ice Plains and the Supreme Scepter.
• Zhao Rulíng ordered Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen to return to Imperial Capital City without revealing their private meeting.
• Liu An, Yan Libing, and Shi Jiawen sought Meng Zhao's help, and he promised the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord would not target them and arranged covert protection.
• About a week later, Liu An and the others left the Meng Family with their men and boarded a ship bound for Imperial Capital City.

Yu Changkong traveled toward Imperial Capital City in disguise, wary that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord might be hunting him. On Thread of Heaven, a mysterious Masked Man appeared and killed people who tried to flee, while letting those who approached respectfully pass.

• Yu Changkong disguised himself as an ordinary traveler and cautiously made his way toward Imperial Capital City without Zhao Rulíng or Imperial Ruyi.
• Yu Changkong felt uneasy on Thread of Heaven, but his tension faded as he continued along the road.
• A black-clad Masked Man suddenly appeared, frightening the travelers and martial artists on the narrow pass.
• Several people tried to retreat and were instantly killed, leaving dozens of bodies on the road.
• A middle-aged martial artist took his son forward, pleaded for their lives, and passed the Masked Man unharmed.
• The remaining travelers followed the father and son, lining up to explain themselves and bow before safely passing.

Yu Changkong realized the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had blocked the Thread of Heaven path to find him, but he was unable to conceal his identity. After Yu Changkong attacked, the Palace Lord defeated him and vanished with him, leaving devastation behind.

• Yu Changkong suspected Zhao Rulíng had allowed him to leave the Meng Family for reasons tied to the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord.
• Yu Changkong considered escaping or blending into the crowd as he approached the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord identified Yu Changkong by the aura he had learned during their fight on the Arctic Ice Plains.
• Yu Changkong revealed himself, drained the blood from nearby living beings, and attacked the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord overwhelmed Yu Changkong with his Myriad Dharma Form and disappeared with him, leaving corpses and wounded people behind.

The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord captured Yu Changkong and questioned him about Zhao Rulíng's whereabouts. After learning Zhao Rulíng had taken refuge with Meng Zhao, the Palace Lord recognized Meng Zhao's extraordinary potential and sensed that attacking him might lead to disaster.

• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord subdued Yu Changkong with his Myriad Dharma Body and bound him with demonic chains.
• Yu Changkong asked why the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had kept him alive, and the Palace Lord demanded to know where Zhao Rulíng was.
• Yu Changkong revealed that Zhao Rulíng was staying with the Meng Family in Lingwu City while he had headed alone for Imperial Capital City.
• Yu Changkong explained that Zhao Rulíng trusted Meng Zhao as a man favored by destiny and hoped he would help heal his injuries.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord considered attacking Meng Zhao and the Meng Family, but his spiritual awareness warned him that doing so could lead to a dead end.

The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord warned Yu Changkong that Beitang Sheng’s attempt to reach Nine Stars Alignment could endanger the Great Yong Dynasty. He revealed that the Starry Secret Arts had been jointly devised by Beitang Gong and a Heavenly Demon Palace successor who had been entangled with him, leaving Yu Changkong stunned and uncertain.

• Yu Changkong said Beitang Sheng was likely at the Eight-Star Realm and had not yet completed Nine Stars Alignment.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord warned that Beitang Sheng might bring about the dynasty’s collapse if he pursued Nine Stars Alignment.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord questioned how Beitang Gong could have created Nine Stars Alignment when he had never advanced beyond the Celestial Realm.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord revealed that a former Heavenly Demon Palace successor had been romantically entangled with Beitang Gong and had planted a Demonic Seed within him.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord said Beitang Gong and the Heavenly Demon successor had jointly created the Starry Secret Arts, and Yu Changkong rejected the claim before being left speechless.

The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord revealed that Beitang Gong had secretly devised a way to possess anyone who achieved Nine Stars Alignment. Yu Changkong realized Beitang Sheng could be in danger if he advanced beyond Eight-Star, and worried that his son Yu Huashen might also suffer if Beitang Gong possessed the emperor.

• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord explained that Beitang Gong had drawn on the Heavenly Demon Palace's knowledge to create the Ziwei World-Shining Art and Starry Secret Arts.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord claimed Beitang Gong had sought to become the Divine Continent's sole supreme god by sealing martial arts and engineering an age of decline.
• Yu Changkong inferred that Beitang Gong might have planned to reincarnate or possess another body, and wondered whether Beitang Xing had been his intended vessel.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord revealed that Beitang Gong had studied the Heavenly Demon Desire Seed and hidden a Soul Possession and Rebirth Technique in the Starry Secret Arts.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord warned that reaching Nine Stars Alignment could let Beitang Gong possess a martial artist, putting Beitang Sheng at risk if he advanced beyond Eight-Star.
• Yu Changkong worried about Beitang Sheng and feared that his son Yu Huashen would be in danger if Beitang Gong possessed the emperor.

Yu Changkong realized Beitang Sheng might overturn Beitang Gong’s plans, but the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord used his demonic arts to take control of him. The chapter ended with Yu Changkong transformed into the Palace Lord’s puppet.

• Yu Changkong reasoned that Beitang Sheng’s actions had thwarted Beitang Gong’s plans to suppress martial arts across the Divine Land.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord explained how Beitang Sheng had helped break Beitang Gong’s seal and noted that Beitang Sheng might even turn possession against Beitang Gong.
• While Yu Changkong’s emotions were stirred, the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord struck his Baihui acupoint and flooded his body and Sea of Consciousness with demonic power.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord used the Mind-Seizing Demon Art to weaken Yu Changkong’s independent consciousness and bind him to the Palace Lord’s will.
• After a quarter of an hour, the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord withdrew his hand, leaving Yu Changkong under his control.