Chapter Summaries

Meng Zhao watched Xie Wanzhi battle Yu Changkong, hoping to find the hidden Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, but could not locate him. Xie Wanzhi plucked half of Yu Changkong’s heart with his Star Plucking Hand, breaking the demonic control and leaving Yu Changkong dying, certain Meng Zhao had orchestrated his death.

• Meng Zhao reasoned that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord was nearby controlling Yu Changkong, but his searches failed to reveal the Palace Lord’s hiding place.
• Xie Wanzhi gained the advantage as Yu Changkong’s damaged mind kept him from adapting smoothly during their battle.
• Xie Wanzhi exploited a gap in Yu Changkong’s rhythm and pierced his heart with the Star Plucking Hand, plucking away half of it.
• Yu Changkong’s scattered essence blood formed a river that transformed creatures and infused the mountains with spiritual vitality.
• The pain shattered the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord’s control over Yu Changkong, who regained clarity and realized Meng Zhao had arranged for him to die.

Yu Changkong transcended his limits as he faced certain death, forming a Primordial Spirit and redirecting his killing intent toward Meng Zhao. In a vision, he glimpsed a supreme Human Emperor who sensed him across time and space, leaving Yu Changkong overwhelmed by terror.

• Yu Changkong recognized Meng Zhao as his true threat and resolved to strike him rather than focus on Xie Wanzhi.
• As he neared death, Yu Changkong broke through his mental shackles and condensed a flawed Primordial Spirit, reaching a Half-step Heavenly Being state.
• Meng Zhao explained that Yu Changkong’s breakthrough came from abandoning his rigid loyalty and gathering his remaining life force into a final surge.
• Yu Changkong glimpsed a future Divine Continent and a Human Emperor performing a Feng and Shan sacrifice on Mount Tai.
• The Human Emperor sensed Yu Changkong across time and space, causing Yu Changkong’s Primordial Spirit to falter and filling him with terror.

After glimpsing a possible future in which Meng Zhao became a Supreme Great Emperor, Yu Changkong recognized him as a mortal threat to the Great Yong Dynasty and prepared to strike with a forbidden martial art. He began cultivating the Yellow Heaven Limitless God-Slaying Demon-Exterminating Art, summoning storm clouds and shaping thunder and wind into weapons.

• Yu Changkong saw Meng Zhao performing the Fengshan rite on Mount Tai as a future Supreme Great Emperor and realized the vision showed one of many possible futures.
• Yu Changkong concluded that Meng Zhao was already an overwhelming threat and resolved to risk his life to leave him with a lasting Dao injury.
• Yu Changkong focused his Primordial Spirit and drew on the Yellow Heaven Limitless God-Slaying Demon-Exterminating Art, which required the resolve to destroy the old order and create anew.
• Xie Wanzhi, Meng Zhao, Yu Nanfeng, and the hidden Heavenly Demon Palace Lord sensed a terrifying rhythm as black clouds gathered over Yu Changkong.
• Yu Changkong spread his hands, formed a halberd from thunder and a spear from the wild wind, and took them up.

Yu Changkong used the Yellow Heaven Dao Fruit to unleash a Forbidden Killing Move aimed at Meng Zhao, while Meng Zhao's words and an intervention from the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord shaped Yu Changkong's perception of his target. Yu Changkong fired two divine blades at Meng Zhao, sacrificing his body in the attack.

• Yu Changkong formed an Earth Bearing Thunder halberd and a Peaceful Wind spear, terrifying Xie Wanzhi and Yu Nanfeng with his killing intent.
• Meng Zhao praised Yu Changkong's Forbidden Killing Move and subtly diminished his killing intent, while Yu Changkong searched for flaws in Meng Zhao's position.
• Yu Changkong's mind's eye showed Meng Zhao and Yu Nanfeng as distant or absent, leaving him unsure whether to attack.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord revealed the source of Yu Changkong's confusion, and Yu Changkong realized his mind's eye was deceiving him while his Primordial Spirit was flawed.
• Yu Changkong merged his yin and yang Primordial Spirit into the spear and halberd, then fired both at Meng Zhao as his body turned to ash.

Meng Zhao used his Five Elements divine ability to absorb Yu Changkong’s killing move and protect Yu Nanfeng. After the battle, he and Xie Wanzhi agreed to attribute Yu Changkong’s death to Xie Wanzhi, while Yu Nanfeng gained a clearer sense of Meng Zhao’s power and influence.

• Yu Changkong unleashed a wind-and-thunder killing move against Meng Zhao and Yu Nanfeng, using her as leverage against Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao formed five True Dragons with his left hand and swallowed the killing move into a Five Elements world.
• Yu Nanfeng examined Meng Zhao’s extraordinary left hand, but he kept the secrets of his martial arts to himself.
• Xie Wanzhi arrived and thanked Meng Zhao for saving him after Yu Changkong advanced during the battle.
• Meng Zhao and Xie Wanzhi agreed to say Xie Wanzhi killed Yu Changkong, and Yu Nanfeng recognized how subordinate Xie Wanzhi was to Meng Zhao.

Xie Wanzhi and Yu Nanfeng reconciled after choosing to side with Meng Zhao, who then challenged the hidden Heavenly Demon Palace Lord with a Heart-Demon Voice Transmission. The Palace Lord countered by accusing Meng Zhao of practicing demonic arts, leaving Xie Wanzhi and Yu Nanfeng wary but not turning against him.

• Xie Wanzhi questioned Yu Nanfeng about leaving Nangong Yao, and she said she had fled to seek Meng Zhao’s protection and warned Xie Wanzhi that Nangong Yao had planted a dangerous seed in him.
• Xie Wanzhi accepted Yu Nanfeng’s choice to follow Meng Zhao, and the two put aside their hostility.
• Meng Zhao addressed the hidden Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, criticizing him for hiding and invoking the legacy of the ancient Heavenly Demon.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord broke Meng Zhao’s Heart-Demon Voice Transmission and offered to accept him into the demonic sect as a rival Devil Master.
• The Palace Lord’s accusation that Meng Zhao secretly practiced demonic arts made Xie Wanzhi and Yu Nanfeng suspicious, though they did not conclude that Meng Zhao had done wrong.

Meng Zhao debated the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, arguing that the Demonic Path was a legitimate branch of the Great Dao but had repeatedly lost because it opposed the Divine Continent's Heavenly Dao. He explained that he followed the Way of the Self-Centered Heart rather than the righteous or demonic schools, and the chapter ended with his account of how victory determines which side is called orthodox.

• Meng Zhao rejected the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord's attempt to make him doubt himself and agreed to debate the Dao.
• Meng Zhao argued that the Demonic Path was a valid Great Dao, but that its repeated defeats had made it an enemy of the righteous path.
• Yu Nanfeng questioned how the Demonic Path could be weak when its experts, including the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, were so powerful.
• Meng Zhao cited the defeats of the Primordial Heavenly Demon, Chiyou, and Xingtian, and said the Divine Continent's Heavenly Dao favored righteous cultivators over demonic ones.
• Meng Zhao explained that he followed the Way of the Self-Centered Heart and would not let any school or doctrine control who he was.
• Meng Zhao reflected that if demons had won the ancient war, they might now be orthodox while the gods were condemned as demons.

Meng Zhao debated the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord about the Demonic Path, the Heavenly Dao, and whether imposing a perfect world on others made someone a devil. The Palace Lord hinted that a person with such an ambition might truly exist, leaving Meng Zhao wondering whether Calculates All Beings or Beitang Gong was that terrifying figure.

• Meng Zhao explained that the Heavenly Dao favored the righteous path instinctively, making the Demonic Path a difficult road to power.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord asked whether those who sought to eradicate the Demonic Path were sacred sages, and Meng Zhao said they could instead be pursuing the Dao of Self Alone.
• Meng Zhao argued that forcibly erasing human hatred and wicked thoughts would destroy people's independent consciousness, making a would-be savior no different from a devil.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord suggested that such a person existed, and Meng Zhao considered Calculates All Beings and Beitang Gong as possible candidates.

Meng Zhao reasoned that Beitang Sheng might be the idealist seeking to eradicate the evil thoughts of all living beings, but their opposing Daos made conflict inevitable. The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord weighed killing Meng Zhao and ultimately decided that Beitang Sheng was the more fitting opponent for a battle to the death.

• Meng Zhao suspected Beitang Sheng was the powerful idealist behind the plan to extinguish evil thoughts and control the world’s people.
• Meng Zhao said he would oppose that person because surrendering one’s self and soul was unacceptable, and declared that the idealist was destined to fail against the tide of human destiny.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord recognized that Meng Zhao had understood the idealist’s nature and considered whether to seize the chance to kill him.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord concluded that Meng Zhao was confident he could escape unharmed and abandoned the idea of attacking him.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord decided that Beitang Sheng, rather than Meng Zhao, should be his opponent in a battle of life and death.

The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord withdrew after promising to return if he survived a future battle with Beitang Sheng, leaving Meng Zhao and the others to consider his motives. Meng Zhao guessed that Beitang Sheng might be the person seeking to eradicate evil thoughts, then promised to treat Xie Wanzhi’s martial foundation after they returned to Meng Family Village.

• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord praised Meng Zhao, withdrew, and said he would return as an opponent if he survived his battle with Beitang Sheng.
• Xie Wanzhi asked Meng Zhao whether someone could truly seek to eradicate evil thoughts and sweep away demons, and Meng Zhao explained that such a grand ideal could advance a person’s cultivation of the heart.
• Yu Nanfeng asked Meng Zhao to identify the person the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had mentioned, and Meng Zhao guessed it might be Beitang Sheng.
• Xie Wanzhi and Yu Nanfeng fell silent as they considered Beitang Sheng’s power and Yu Changkong’s death, while Meng Zhao noted Beitang Sheng’s hostility toward him.
• Meng Zhao ended the discussion and told Xie Wanzhi that he would treat his martial foundation after they returned to Meng Family Village, and Xie Wanzhi eagerly agreed.

The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord secretly entered Prince Fu's Mansion to exploit Beitang Shu's worsening position and undermine Meng Zhao. Beitang Shu's failures had left his forces weakened and his attempts to recruit powerful experts unsuccessful.

• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord decided Meng Zhao was a dangerous rival and traveled to Ji Prefecture to find ways to hinder him.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord slipped past Prince Fu's Mansion's guards and met Beitang Shu at Star-Picking Tower.
• Beitang Shu recognized that Lei Wanche had grown harder to control after becoming a Grandmaster, though he did not know Meng Zhao had subdued him.
• Tan Cai'er's protective measures killed three God Forging Warriors, so Beitang Shu suspended plans to assassinate Meng Jizu.
• Beitang Shu struggled to recruit powerful martial artists, while many more experts joined the Meng Family because of Meng Zhao's reputation.

Beitang Shu wallowed in jealousy over Meng Zhao until the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord visited him and offered to help him gain influence. The chapter left Beitang Shu considering the offer as a chance to strengthen himself and possibly oppose Meng Zhao.

• Beitang Shu indulged in wine and women as he brooded over how Meng Zhao surpassed him.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord appeared at Star-Picking Tower and criticized Beitang Shu for his dissipation and weakness compared with Meng Zhao.
• Beitang Shu recognized the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, called him Uncle, and agreed to hear what he wanted.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord said he had come to give Beitang Shu advantages so he could restrain the Meng Family.
• Beitang Shu asked whether the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had truly fought Meng Zhao to a grievous standstill, then considered using his help to grow stronger.

The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord told Beitang Shu that Meng Zhao had reached the Heavenly Being Realm and could not safely be opposed head-on. He urged Beitang Shu to rely on the power of the imperial clan and begin by breaking through to Grandmaster.

• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord revealed that Meng Zhao’s strength rivaled his own and warned that Beitang Shu would die if he gave Meng Zhao cause to kill him.
• Beitang Shu recovered from his despair and admitted that he had lost three Grandmaster-level God Forging Warriors to Tan Cai'er, leaving him with no choice but to seek help from Beitang Sheng.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord explained that Meng Zhao’s position in Great Yong could constrain him, but Beitang Shu would need to prove his value to Beitang Sheng.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord advised Beitang Shu to break through to Grandmaster to strengthen his standing and gain greater support from the imperial clan.
• Beitang Shu welcomed the advice and resolved to pursue martial strength for his own security.

Beitang Shu asked the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord about reaching Grandmaster and explained his ambition to cultivate the Way of the Emperor Dragon. The Palace Lord suggested that Meng Zhao might possess the legendary Emperor Dragon Physique, which would leave Beitang Shu's plan with no chance of success.

• Beitang Shu asked the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord to advise him on breaking through to Grandmaster.
• Beitang Shu recalled combining the Purple Qi Heavenly Net with his earlier cultivation to pursue an Emperor Dragon True Body.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord explained that Dragon Bodies varied greatly in strength and asked Beitang Shu about Meng Zhao's physique.
• Beitang Shu wondered whether Meng Zhao possessed the Emperor Dragon Physique, a Supreme Physique beyond ordinary Dragon Bodies.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord said Meng Zhao's purple-dragon Martial Dao Dharma Form suggested that he possessed the Emperor Dragon Physique.

The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord told Beitang Shu that his attempt to follow the Way of the Emperor Dragon and compete with Meng Zhao was doomed, and urged him to change his Martial Dao. Beitang Shu reluctantly asked for guidance, and the Palace Lord began outlining a new path suited to his abilities.

• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord explained that the Emperor Dragon was a realm rather than a bloodline, and that Meng Zhao's Purple Origin Dragon Body gave him exceptional advantages.
• The Palace Lord told Beitang Shu that true nobility in the Martial Dao came from extraordinary bloodlines and physiques, not merely imperial status.
• The Palace Lord declared that Beitang Shu's Emperor Dragon path was wrong and warned that continuing it could prevent him from even reaching Grandmaster.
• Though conflicted and distrustful of the Palace Lord, Beitang Shu asked him to recommend a different Martial Dao path.
• The Palace Lord said Beitang Shu could adapt the Purple Qi Heavenly Net and Divine Flood Dragon Art to a new path, noting that his Yang Key Qi and innate strengths suited the latter art.

The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord offered Beitang Shu two alternatives to the abandoned Way of the Emperor Dragon and explained how the Purple Qi Heavenly Net could help him pursue the Blood Dragon Path. Beitang Shu chose to learn the necessary arts, and the Palace Lord warned him never to cultivate the Blood Shadow Divine Skill with human blood.

• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord described the Nine Revolutions Divine Flood Dragon Path and the more ambitious Way of the Blood Dragon as Beitang Shu's possible paths.
• Beitang Shu favored the Blood Dragon Path, and the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord explained that it required the Purple Qi Heavenly Net, the Blood Shadow Divine Skill, and the Blood Tempering Primordial Skill.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord explained that the Purple Qi Heavenly Net could harmonize martial arts and help Beitang Shu combine them into a new path.
• Beitang Shu eagerly asked the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord to teach him the divine arts so he could cultivate and serve him.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord warned that consuming human blood with the Blood Shadow Divine Skill would turn it into the Blood Shadow Demonic Skill and cause terrifying changes.

Beitang Shu learned that misusing the Blood Shadow Demonic Skill could irreversibly transform him into a demon, and he resolved to avoid that taboo. The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord urged him to gain power, prove his value to Beitang Sheng, and rely on imperial support to counter Meng Zhao, who remained a growing threat in Ji Prefecture.

• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord warned Beitang Shu that combining the demonic art with his other techniques could turn his body into a monstrous, irreversibly altered form.
• Beitang Shu feared the political consequences of becoming a demon and promised not to cross that boundary.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord said Beitang Shu could reach Innate Perfection through three martial paths and then break through to Grandmaster with his help.
• Beitang Shu acknowledged that Meng Zhao could overwhelm him in Ji Prefecture before the imperial clan sent an equal opponent.
• Beitang Shu rejected provoking Meng Zhao into rebellion because the risk to the dynasty was too great.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord advised Beitang Shu to demonstrate his value and follow Beitang Sheng's instructions so the Emperor would support him against Meng Zhao.

The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord agreed to stay at Prince Fu's Mansion and cultivate Beitang Shu, while Meng Zhao examined Xie Wanzhi's obstacle to reaching the Celestial Realm and chose not to help him yet. The chapter ended with Liang Muqiu returning to Meng Family Village, discovering Yu Nanfeng, and becoming upset with Meng Zhao.

• Beitang Shu asked the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord to stay at Prince Fu's Mansion, and the Palace Lord agreed so he could guide Beitang Shu before resuming his search for the Supreme Scepter.
• Meng Zhao realized Xie Wanzhi's mixed spiritual essence was preventing him from forming a Primordial Spirit and suspected his Chaos Grinding Mill technique was incomplete.
• Meng Zhao decided not to help Xie Wanzhi break through, preferring to wait until Xie Wanzhi was desperate enough to accept his help.
• Yu Nanfeng continued practicing the martial arts Meng Zhao had altered for her, while Liang Muqiu returned to Meng Family Village and found her there.
• Liang Muqiu grew upset after discovering Yu Nanfeng had become another woman in Meng Zhao's life.

Liang Muqiu accepted Yu Nanfeng into Meng Zhao’s household after briefly viewing her as a rival. Meanwhile, rebellion and violence spread through Yuan and Cloud Prefectures, leaving the Beitang Imperial Clan facing new enemies, including the fearsome Nine Nether Ghost.

• Liang Muqiu restrained her jealousy toward Yu Nanfeng, who befriended Han Lu and Zhu'er and joined the household.
• General Liu Wei led 120,000 troops into Yuan Prefecture, killed most of Governor Wei Wuan’s family, and installed Beitang Ji as King of Yuan.
• The Bai Family and Connected Clouds Fortress did not oppose Liu Wei, prompting speculation that they supported the rebellion.
• A band of great bandits killed the Cloud Prefecture governor and cooked King Bei Tang Shu and his household in a bronze cauldron.
• The bandit chief Nine Nether Ghost claimed vengeance against the Beitang Imperial Clan and was rumored to be a Great Grandmaster who had condensed an ancient martial arts Golden Core.

Meng Zhao quelled unrest across his territory and arranged to build a satellite city as Lingwu City grew crowded. With the Beitang Imperial Clan distracted by rebellions and Nine Nether Ghost’s atrocities, Meng Zhao prepared to leave with Zhao Rulíng for the Arctic Ice Plains to search for the Supreme Scepter.

• Meng Zhao sent the Yangwu Army to suppress unrest in his territories, restoring order and winning popular support.
• Meng Zhao and Beitang He decided to build a satellite city outside Lingwu City, leaving Liang Muqiu and Beitang He to carry out the plans.
• The rebellions in Yuan Prefecture and Cloud Prefecture diverted the Beitang Imperial Clan’s attention and eased the immediate threat to Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao told Liang Muqiu and Lü Yue that he planned to travel with Zhao Rulíng to the Arctic Ice Plains in search of the Supreme Scepter.
• Liang Muqiu worried about the dangers of the journey but agreed to Meng Zhao’s decision and demanded some affection before he left.