Chapter Summaries

Lü Yue and Mountain Lord realized Fang Duohai intended to kill them even if they surrendered the three martial arts, and Mountain Lord confronted him. Fang Duohai revealed his demonic nature, transforming before them.

• Fang Duohai offered to spare Lü Yue and demanded the Beast Taming Arts, the Earth Dragon Sealing Heaven Array, and the Kunpeng Art.
• Lü Yue weighed whether to hand over the secret arts and warned Mountain Lord that Fang Duohai might be concealing another scheme.
• Mountain Lord concluded that Fang Duohai would kill them regardless and declared that only one side would survive.
• Fang Duohai erupted with demonic energy after Mountain Lord accused him of hiding his true nature.
• Fang Duohai's appearance transformed as black hair, blood-red vitality, and Demonic Runes revealed his demonic path.

Fang Duohai explained how his ordinary talent and wounded pride turned his friendship with Mountain Lord into an obsession with the Illusionary Light Swordplay and drove him toward the Demonic Path. After Mountain Lord accepted his past, Fang Duohai attacked with a demonic art that inflicted despair, and Shanhua escaped the wooden hut with Mountain Lord while Lü Yue guarded them.

• Fang Duohai recalled how he failed to fully learn the Illusionary Light Swordplay and was too proud to ask Mountain Lord for help.
• Mountain Lord empathized with Fang Duohai's frustration and accepted that he had done nothing wrong in that past moment.
• Fang Duohai called Mountain Lord his true confidant, then attacked him with an elusive claw and a demonic art that filled the hut with sorrow.
• Lü Yue broke free of the demonic art's despair and blocked Fang Duohai with a stellar palm, but Fang Duohai tore through it.
• Shanhua unleashed the Kunpeng Art, briefly halting Fang Duohai, then dragged Mountain Lord outside as Lü Yue followed to protect them.

Shanhua and Lü Yue used the Earth Dragon Sealing Heaven Array to hold Fang Duohai back while Mountain Lord worked to resolve the Three Corpses and Nine Worms within his body. After Shanhua’s subsidiary arrays fell, Mountain Lord drew on the full array to summon a powerful earth dragon and confront Fang Duohai.

• Shanhua formed an earth-and-stone giant with a subsidiary array, while Mountain Lord warned Lü Yue to save the Trump Card Meng Zhao had given him.
• Fang Duohai fought the giant and shattered it, forcing Lü Yue to retreat with Mountain Lord as Shanhua raised more arrays.
• Shanhua’s successive arrays bought Mountain Lord time to use the earlier infusion of the grand array’s power to organize the disorder within his body.
• Mountain Lord summoned a thirty-zhang earth dragon from the full array, and Lü Yue recognized that it possessed both the form and spirit of a true dragon.

Fang Duohai fought Mountain Lord’s Earth Dragon Sealing Heaven Array until both he and the dragon were weakened, then prepared to finish off Mountain Lord, Shanhua, and Lü Yue. Lü Yue challenged him with Meng Zhao’s wooden blade, while Meng Zhao and Ao Bing watched unseen and Ao Bing asked why Meng Zhao would not intervene.

• Mountain Lord used the Earth Dragon Sealing Heaven Array against Fang Duohai, while Shanhua continually lent him inner force.
• Fang Duohai and the Earth Dragon fought until both were battered, and Mountain Lord was left pale and depleted.
• Fang Duohai urged Mountain Lord to surrender, but Mountain Lord accused him of fearing a hidden Trump Card.
• Lü Yue stood before Mountain Lord and Shanhua with Meng Zhao’s wooden blade and challenged Fang Duohai to settle the fight with their Trump Cards.
• Fang Duohai remained wary of the wooden blade and kept his attention on the Earth Demon Alliance Token as the two sides faced off.
• Meng Zhao and Ao Bing watched from the shadows, and Ao Bing asked why Meng Zhao did not reveal himself to save Lü Yue and the others.

Lü Yue faced Fang Duohai while Meng Zhao watched, hoping to test his steward and investigate the powerful Demonic Path figure behind Fang Duohai. Lü Yue broke through his usual restraint and charged as Fang Duohai unleashed the Earth Demon Alliance Token’s overwhelming power.

• Meng Zhao explained that he had wanted to test Lü Yue in battle and uncover the identity of the Heavenly Human Demonic Path expert behind Fang Duohai.
• Meng Zhao sensed a hidden force in Fang Duohai’s Sea of Consciousness that would destroy him if anyone probed his deepest memories.
• Fang Duohai revealed his desire to witness Meng Zhao’s martial arts, and Mountain Lord recognized the devotion that had helped him become a Grandmaster.
• Lü Yue broke through his inner restraint, embraced his fighting spirit, and charged at Fang Duohai with his wooden saber.
• Fang Duohai poured his cultivation into the Earth Demon Alliance Token, summoning four demon pillars that sealed the valley and suppressed even Worldly Power.

Meng Zhao recognized Fang Duohai’s Heaven and Earth Four Extremes Demonic Art as a lost Demon Extremity Sect technique and considered what its appearance meant for the changing Divine Continent. Lü Yue’s wooden saber broke through the demonic domain, but Fang Duohai reinforced it with Worldly Power as the Overlord Blade’s saber aura protected Lü Yue, Shanhua, and Mountain Lord.

• Meng Zhao recognized Fang Duohai’s technique as the Heaven and Earth Four Extremes Demonic Art, a killing art from the fallen Demon Extremity Sect.
• Meng Zhao reasoned that hidden inheritors were emerging as heaven and earth changed, and welcomed the prospect of more powerful opponents.
• Lü Yue unleashed the wooden saber’s blazing Saber Light, splitting the dark firmament and cracking Fang Duohai’s four heavenly pillars.
• Fang Duohai used his Grandmaster cultivation and Worldly Power to stabilize the demonic domain and form four Demon Dragons.
• The Demon Dragons attacked Lü Yue, Shanhua, and Mountain Lord, but the Overlord Blade’s saber aura shattered them back into Demonic Qi.

Lü Yue’s wooden saber unleashed the Overlord Blade’s power against Fang Duohai’s Heaven and Earth Four Extremes Demonic Art, while Meng Zhao watched from outside. The demonic art was broken, leaving Fang Duohai crippled and unable to maintain his Grandmaster realm.

• Meng Zhao explained that Lü Yue’s wooden saber carried the Overlord Blade’s overbearing intent, though Lü Yue could not fully wield its power.
• Fang Duohai transformed the four Demon Dragons into a single demonic pillar and struck the saber aura with Demon Pillar Skyfall.
• A demonic shadow’s finger nearly broke the saber aura, but Meng Zhao’s phantom appeared and struck it down with a powerful fist.
• The Overlord Blade’s move intent retaliated against Fang Duohai, shattering the Earth Demon Alliance Token and breaking the Heaven and Earth Four Extremes Demonic Art.
• Fang Duohai spat blood and suffered severe damage to his divine origin, losing his Grandmaster realm and his prospects for further advancement.

Fang Duohai used Blood Path Demonic Art to drain his grandson’s blood and recover some strength, revealing his cruelty to everyone. As he prepared to leave, Lü Yue suddenly attacked him from behind.

• Fang Duohai’s grandson tried to help him, but Fang Duohai pressed a hand to the boy’s crown and absorbed his bloodline to restore part of his strength.
• Mountain Lord recognized Fang Duohai’s technique as Blood Path Demonic Art, which consumed blood relatives, and feared what Fang Duohai might do to Shanhua.
• Lü Yue urged Fang Duohai to leave, warning that Mountain Lord would soon recover and defeat him.
• Fang Duohai assessed Lü Yue, Mountain Lord, and Shanhua, then prepared to depart.
• Lü Yue launched a surprise attack, sending a Primordial Formless palm force toward the center of Fang Duohai’s back.

Lü Yue exposed Fang Duohai’s weakened state with a surprise attack and nearly killed him, but Fang Duohai unleashed a hidden demonic art. Meng Zhao revealed himself to save Lü Yue, leaving Mountain Lord to suspect that Meng Zhao had been watching and guiding events from the shadows.

• Lü Yue attacked Fang Duohai as he turned to leave, and Fang Duohai barely deflected his palm strike.
• Lü Yue revealed that Fang Duohai was gravely injured and could no longer display much of his Innate Realm combat power.
• Lü Yue pursued Fang Duohai and battered him until he was near death.
• Fang Duohai burst into blood mist and sent demonic light surging toward Lü Yue.
• Meng Zhao appeared and extinguished the demonic light, saving Lü Yue.
• Mountain Lord suspected Meng Zhao had been concealed nearby, while Ao Bing’s presence made him reconsider why Meng Zhao had shown no interest in Shanhua.

Meng Zhao healed Mountain Lord, gave him the true Kunpeng Art, and learned that Fang Duohai had ties to a hidden Demonic Path expert. The group took shelter in another house in Hengqu Mountain, while the identity of the expert behind Fang Duohai remained unknown.

• Meng Zhao helped Mountain Lord suppress the Three Corpses and Nine Worms poison, and Mountain Lord thanked him for saving his life.
• Mountain Lord led the group to a stocked shelter in Hengqu Mountain and explained that he had prepared several hideaways.
• Meng Zhao gave Mountain Lord a booklet explaining the true method of the Kunpeng Art, and Mountain Lord and Shanhua studied it.
• Lü Yue recounted Fang Duohai's attack and warned that a powerful Demonic Path expert stood behind the Earth Demon Alliance.
• Meng Zhao identified Fang Duohai's demonic techniques as inheritances of the Demon Extremity Sect, while Mountain Lord said he knew nothing about the hidden expert.
• Mountain Lord mentioned Holy Infant Child as another near-Celestial Being Demonic Path expert, and Meng Zhao asked which branch he belonged to.

Meng Zhao learned from Mountain Lord about the hidden demonic expert Holy Infant Child, whose unusual origins and hatred of those who harm infants made him seem like a possible ally. Mountain Lord did not know where Holy Infant Child was, so Meng Zhao could only hope to meet him in the future.

• Meng Zhao asked Lü Yue whether the Meng Family knew anything about Holy Infant Child, but Lü Yue had no information on him.
• Mountain Lord explained that Holy Infant Child inherited the Medieval Era Holy Infant Sect’s martial arts and had become a formidable expert despite being classified as Demonic Path.
• Mountain Lord recounted that Holy Infant Child had been abandoned as an infant, gained spiritual intelligence after a failed attempt to use him in a medicinal pill, and later kept a six-year-old appearance through his cultivation.
• Mountain Lord said Holy Infant Child secretly punished people who abandoned or harmed infants, but he had not seen him since their brief encounter.
• Meng Zhao considered recruiting Holy Infant Child, but Mountain Lord could not say where he was or whether he remained in Liang Prefecture.

Mountain Lord agreed to help Meng Zhao investigate the Earth Demon Alliance and drew closer to the Meng Family. In Ji Prefecture City, the Palace Lord of the Underground Palace awakened, ordered an investigation into Fang Duohai’s killer, and declared that the Heavenly Demon Token could not control the Demon Extremity Sect.

• Meng Zhao asked Mountain Lord to lead the investigation into the Earth Demon Alliance with Lü Yue and the Meng Family’s resources.
• Mountain Lord considered the destroyed valley, the threat behind Fang Duohai, and Meng Zhao’s knowledge of the Kunpeng Art, then agreed to join the Meng Family.
• The Palace Lord of the Underground Palace emerged from his statue and ordered two Grandmaster guards to investigate Fang Duohai’s death and the destruction of his demonic light.
• A guard delivered a message from Heavenly Demon, but the Palace Lord dismissed it and said he intended to usurp Heavenly Demon’s origin and become an Emperor Demon.
• The Palace Lord told his guard that the Heavenly Demon Token could not affect the Demon Extremity Sect, prompting the guard to ask what made the sect special.

The Palace Lord of the Underground Palace explained how the Demon Master created the Emperor Demon Token and conceived a path to rival the Heavenly Demon. He revealed that his Earth Demon Alliance was secretly pursuing that vision, aiming to unite the Demonic Path and attain its supreme fruition.

• The Palace Lord told the Grandmaster guard that the Demon Master had extracted Heavenly Demon Consciousness from the Heavenly Demon Token to forge the Emperor Demon Token.
• The Palace Lord explained that the Demon Master’s attempt had lacked Imperial Qi, and that the Demon Extremity Sect later faced the backlash of the Heavenly Demon Palace’s destiny.
• The Palace Lord said the Demon Master had envisioned an Emperor Demon Path that gathered the strength and worship of countless demons, potentially surpassing the Heavenly Demon.
• The Palace Lord revealed that he had founded the Earth Demon Alliance as a concealed Emperor Demon Alliance and intended to fulfill the Demon Master’s vision.

The Palace Lord of the Underground Palace explained why he had built the Earth Demon Alliance and lamented Fang Duohai’s death. An intruder attacked the underground palace’s array, and the Palace Lord discovered that the attacker was Tian Lei of the Savage Tribes.

• The Palace Lord of the Underground Palace described Fang Duohai’s usefulness and revealed that he had planned to reward him with a Demon Extremity Fruit.
• The underground palace shook as someone attacked its Brilliant Earth Demon Array, prompting the Palace Lord of the Underground Palace and a grandmaster guard to rush to the entrance.
• Tian Lei charged through the array’s swords, which could not harm his golden body.
• The Palace Lord of the Underground Palace recognized Tian Lei, and the grandmaster guard recalled his challenges across the Northern Lands and his defeat by Meng Zhao.

The Palace Lord of the Underground Palace confronted Tong Lie, who revealed that the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had sent him to extend an invitation. The Palace Lord hesitated to go until Tong Lie presented a Dao Mark Stone, whose value the Palace Lord explained.

• The Palace Lord of the Underground Palace attacked Tong Lie with a torrent of sword intent, but Tong Lie's bronze body endured it unharmed.
• Tong Lie introduced himself as the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord's disciple and said he had come to invite the Palace Lord to Liang Prefecture.
• The Palace Lord questioned the invitation and refused to go without learning its purpose.
• Tong Lie gave the Palace Lord a purple-glowing stone sent by his master.
• The Palace Lord identified it as a Dao Mark Stone and explained that it helped those with a Primordial Spirit comprehend the Heavenly Dao.

The Palace Lord of the Underground Palace agreed to meet the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord after learning that a Dao Mark Stone would be involved. Meanwhile, Meng Zhao returned to Lingwu City and began planning how to bring his scattered forces under control, especially in Yanzhou.

• Tong Lie explained that Dao Mark Stones were valuable to Heavenly Being experts and named the Holy Infant Child, Meng Zhao, and Monk Huikong among the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord's potential invitees.
• The Palace Lord of the Underground Palace agreed to go with Tong Lie and meet the Heavenly Demon's successor.
• Meng Zhao spent half a month managing visitors, rewarding and disciplining his subordinates, and keeping peace among the women in his inner courtyard.
• Meng Zhao assessed his scattered forces across three provinces and recognized that Yanzhou would require the Tan Family and Divine Saber Hall, though he could not fully trust the Tan Family.

Meng Zhao used the Imperial Guard System to organize secret plans across the Northern Lands, then received a visit from the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, who invited him to explore a powerful opportunity. Meng Zhao remained wary as the Palace Lord argued that such opportunities could strengthen their foundations for the Divine Demon Dao Fruit Realm.

• Meng Zhao assigned members of the Meng Family tasks across the Northern Lands, leaving Meng Zhao's Village nearly empty as he began carrying out his plans.
• Lü Yue and Liang Muqiu oversaw the arrangements, with Liang Muqiu earning Meng Zhao's exceptional trust through years of managing his affairs.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord appeared before Meng Zhao and explained that he had survived an Ancient Battlefield filled with Divine Demon Realm experts and obtained valuable treasures.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord invited Meng Zhao and other Celestial Realm powerhouses to explore a heaven-shaking opportunity.
• Meng Zhao suspected the invitation was a trap, but the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord insisted that opportunities could deepen their foundations for reaching the Divine Demon Dao Fruit Realm.

The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord showed Meng Zhao a Dao Mark Stone and invited him to explore a dangerous Ancient Battlefield filled with treasures and deadly beings. Meng Zhao weighed the risks against the chance of gaining power, learned which Celestial experts might join them, and questioned the Palace Lord about the elusive Demon Extremity Sect figure.

• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord gave Meng Zhao a Dao Mark Stone, and Meng Zhao felt it deepen his comprehension of the water Dao.
• Meng Zhao considered the battlefield’s great dangers and the risk of leaving the Meng Family and Lingwu City without him.
• Meng Zhao asked whether only he and the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord would go, revealing his interest in the expedition.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord named several Celestial experts he intended to invite, including Holy Infant Child and Monk Huikong.
• Meng Zhao recognized some of the invitees and asked the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord questions about the hidden disciple of the previous Demon Master.

The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord revealed that the Demon Master's Successor was a direct descendant of the Last Ming Emperor and explained how the former Heavenly Demon Palace Lord had tracked and sabotaged the Demon Extremity Sect. Meng Zhao agreed to consider entering the Ancient Battlefield's alternate space once enough experts were gathered, while the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord secretly planned to use the expedition to kill him.

• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord told Meng Zhao that he suspected the Demon Master's Successor was descended from either Zhu San or Zhu Wu, making him a direct blood descendant of the Last Ming Emperor.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord explained that the previous Palace Lord had used a contingency tied to the Heavenly Demon Token to track the Demon Master's Successor and had helped destroy the Demon Extremity Sect.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord said that experts such as himself and Meng Zhao could protect themselves against mindless Corpse Gods and corpse demons in the Ancient Battlefield's alternate space.
• Meng Zhao agreed to make the trip if the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord gathered nearly enough people first.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord privately hoped the expedition would delay Meng Zhao and intended to exploit his prior experience in the alternate space to arrange his death.

Meng Zhao prepared to leave with the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord to explore the Ancient Battlefield's spatial realm, despite the danger to the Meng Family. He created a powerful avatar to protect his family and ordered Ao Bing to stay behind with Liang Muqiu.

• Meng Zhao reviewed intelligence and planned safeguards before leaving, wary of Beitang Sheng and the Beitang Imperial Clan.
• Meng Zhao spent seven days refining a lifelike avatar with enough strength to rival or surpass a Heaven and Man expert.
• Liang Muqiu questioned Meng Zhao's decision to travel with the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, while Ao Bing asked if she could go with him.
• Meng Zhao explained that he had to pursue the opportunity and told Ao Bing to remain with Liang Muqiu to help protect the Meng Family.