Chapter Summaries

Meng Zhao confronted Xue Ying over his plan to kill Chen Liu Shi, correctly guessing that Xue Ying intended to save her and Chen Tai before taking revenge. Xue Ying admitted he would spare Chen Tai, and he reconsidered his plan after recognizing Meng Zhao’s power and Wei Qi’s formidable cultivation.

• Meng Zhao deduced that Xue Ying had come to save the Chen Family mother and son from another threat before pursuing his revenge.
• Meng Zhao explained that Xue Ying’s conflicting feelings about Chen Sheng had led him to plan to spare Chen Tai but kill Chen Liu Shi.
• Xue Ying confirmed that Chen Sheng’s earlier mercy meant he would spare Chen Tai, while insisting that he still intended to kill Chen Liu Shi.
• Chen Liu Shi felt relieved that her son would survive, and Meng Zhao asked Xue Ying whether he would continue with his plan now that the attackers had already been killed.
• Xue Ying considered Meng Zhao’s mysterious power and Wei Qi’s overwhelming cultivation, recognizing that he could not be certain of defeating them.

Xue Ying confronted Meng Zhao and Wei Qi while insisting on killing Chen Liu Shi, and Wei Qi attacked him with the Heaven Swallowing Sun Devouring Great Law. Xue Ying lured Wei Qi into the courtyard and landed a powerful Qi Blade, but Wei Qi’s Energy Wall ultimately devoured it.

• Xue Ying told Meng Zhao that he still intended to kill Chen Liu Shi despite having repaid Chen Sheng’s past mercy.
• Wei Qi intervened on Meng Zhao’s behalf and attacked Xue Ying with the Heaven Swallowing Sun Devouring Great Law.
• Xue Ying dodged Wei Qi’s strange palm force and fled into the courtyard, with Wei Qi pursuing him.
• Meng Zhao and the others followed the fighters outside as the rain continued to pour.
• Xue Ying struck Wei Qi’s Energy Wall with a khaki Qi Blade, but Wei Qi’s vortex-like defense broke the blade apart.

Xue Ying used Earth Sha Qi Blades and a weakness-seeking blade art to break Wei Qi’s protective Energy Wall, prompting Meng Zhao to identify his martial art as possibly derived from the Earth Piercing Netherworld Demonic Art. Wei Qi recovered and the two resumed their fierce battle, with neither gaining a decisive advantage.

• Xue Ying unleashed waves of Earth Sha Qi Blades that overwhelmed Wei Qi’s defenses and shattered his protective Energy Wall.
• Meng Zhao recognized Xue Ying’s techniques as possibly related to the Earth Piercing Netherworld Demonic Art and suspected he had learned an incomplete or lesser version.
• Xue Ying asked whether Wei Qi cultivated the Heaven Swallowing Sun Devouring Great Law or the Taotie Demonic Art, but neither fighter answered the other’s question.
• Wei Qi recovered his scattered True Qi and attacked with simple, powerful moves that absorbed and transformed force.
• Xue Ying used elusive movement and weakness-seeking Qi Blades to fight Wei Qi to a standstill as the battle intensified.

Meng Zhao studied Wei Qi and Xue Ying's battle, understanding Wei Qi's weaknesses and uncovering how Xue Ying used footwork to manipulate the qi dynamics between himself and the earth. The insights deepened Meng Zhao's understanding of martial arts and the Heaven Earth Man Trinity, leaving him absorbed in a new synthesis of ideas.

• Meng Zhao watched Wei Qi and Xue Ying fight, recognizing the intricacies of Wei Qi's martial path and how to exploit its weaknesses.
• After about twenty exchanges, Wei Qi recovered his initial disadvantage as his powerful true qi continued to build.
• Xue Ying conserved his strength and used precise footwork to guide Wei Qi into exposing discordant points in his qi force.
• Meng Zhao deduced that Xue Ying adjusted his position to harmonize with the earth's qi dynamics and pressure Wei Qi, while suspecting a hidden sword or finger technique.
• Meng Zhao connected his observations with the Heaven Earth Man Trinity and his earlier martial insights, then sank into deep thought.

After entering the Innate Realm, Meng Zhao achieved enlightenment and developed a new secret art that let him disrupt Xue Ying’s use of the earth veins. He left Xue Ying at a disadvantage but offered to talk, hoping to learn his method of observing earth-vein qi.

• Meng Zhao entered a state of enlightenment, and the strange aura around him transformed the rain before fading away.
• Meng Zhao used Mental Power to inspect Wei Qi and Xue Ying, then shifted his position around the courtyard.
• Xue Ying realized Meng Zhao’s movements were disrupting his connection to the earth veins and undermining his martial techniques.
• Meng Zhao told Xue Ying that he could defeat him without attacking and invited him inside to discuss a resolution.
• Meng Zhao chose to seek Xue Ying’s earth-vein observation method rather than kill him, believing threats would not make Xue Ying yield.

Meng Zhao stopped Wei Qi and Xue Ying from fighting and began negotiating over Xue Ying’s grudge against the Chen Family. He proposed a way to resolve Xue Ying’s obsession by letting him defeat someone equal to Chen Sheng, leaving Chen Liu Shi and Chen Tai hopeful that Meng Zhao could help.

• Meng Zhao warned Wei Qi that Xue Ying had already pierced his protective true qi with Qi Blades, and Wei Qi realized he had been in danger.
• Xue Ying agreed to negotiate because Meng Zhao’s presence made it impossible for him to act against the Chen Family.
• Meng Zhao explained that Xue Ying’s desire for revenge came from an unresolved obsession after Chen Sheng died before Xue Ying could defeat him.
• Meng Zhao suggested that Xue Ying might dispel his obsession by defeating someone with Chen Sheng’s strength and proving he could have avenged himself.
• Xue Ying asked where he could find someone equal to Chen Sheng and questioned whether Meng Zhao could bring the dead back to life, while Chen Liu Shi and Chen Tai waited hopefully for his answer.

Meng Zhao proposed training Chen Tai to temporarily reach Chen Sheng’s Innate-level strength so Xue Ying could settle his grudge in a fight two years later. Xue Ying agreed to wait, and Meng Zhao assured Chen Liu Shi that he would keep her son alive.

• Meng Zhao clarified that he could not resurrect Chen Sheng but could eventually recreate his strength in Chen Tai for a supervised fight with Xue Ying.
• Xue Ying and Wei Qi doubted that Meng Zhao could raise the young Chen Tai to Innate combat strength within two years.
• Meng Zhao offered Xue Ying a choice between accepting the proposed truce and challenging him while the Chen Family mother and son were under his protection.
• Xue Ying agreed to the arrangement but asked whether Chen Tai was willing to fight in his father’s place.
• Meng Zhao told Chen Liu Shi he would train Chen Tai and guarantee his safety, while she listened with concern.

Chen Tai chose to accept Meng Zhao’s plan to face Xue Ying in two years, and Meng Zhao promised to raise him to the Innate Realm temporarily and ensure he left the fight unharmed. After sending the others away, Meng Zhao traded for Xue Ying’s teachings on reading people and earth veins, gaining the foundation for his newly realized Heaven Observation, Earth Surveying art.

• Chen Liu Shi and the lame old man accepted that they could not refuse Meng Zhao, but Chen Liu Shi tried to protect Chen Tai from the risk.
• Chen Tai broke free of his mother’s embrace and chose to fight Xue Ying in two years, saying he did not want to disappoint his father, Chen Sheng.
• Meng Zhao praised Chen Tai’s courage and promised he would leave the future fight unscathed, while explaining the benefits of experiencing Innate Realm power.
• Xue Ying silently decided not to harm Chen Tai if he won their future fight, but kept that resolve to himself.
• Meng Zhao dismissed everyone except Xue Ying and revealed that he wanted to exchange for Xue Ying’s martial arts, especially his method of examining people and earth veins.
• Xue Ying chose a fragment of the Heaven Swallowing Sun Devouring Great Law, and Meng Zhao obtained the foundation of his Heaven Observation, Earth Surveying art.

Meng Zhao exchanged a fragment of the Heaven Swallowing Sun Devouring Great Law for Xue Ying’s method of surveying earth-vein qi, then questioned him about the Demon Gathering at Mishui Immortal Palace. Xue Ying explained the gathering’s identity test and shared a rumor about its master’s private objective, leaving Meng Zhao to consider how to attend safely.

• Meng Zhao studied Xue Ying’s earth-vein method and realized it could greatly strengthen his martial arts within days.
• Meng Zhao asked why Xue Ying had returned to Kunnan County, and Xue Ying said he planned to attend the Mishui Demon Banquet as well as seek revenge on Chen Sheng.
• Xue Ying questioned how Meng Zhao knew about the gathering, and Meng Zhao said his subordinate Wei Qi had told him after being subdued.
• Xue Ying warned that first-time visitors might have to prove their identity, and that people outside the Demonic Path could struggle to pass the test.
• Meng Zhao reasoned that Wei Qi likely had a way around the test and believed his transformed martial art could withstand scrutiny.
• Xue Ying added that the master of Mishui Immortal Palace might hold the gathering to resolve a problem involving a secret martial method or treasure.

Meng Zhao, Gu Sinan, Yun Fei, and Wei Qi traveled through the dangerous Barren Province to reach Mishui Immortal Palace. They arrived at the edge of its powerful formation, where Meng Zhao looked forward to exploring the palace and Gu Sinan considered recruiting young demonic-path talents.

• Meng Zhao arranged protection for the Chen Family and prepared to travel to Mishui Immortal Palace after the floods passed.
• A boatman refused to take Meng Zhao, Gu Sinan, Yun Fei, and Wei Qi farther along the Mishui River, so they continued on foot using lightness skills.
• Wei Qi guided the group through the remote Barren Province, avoiding its poisonous miasma, beasts, and confusing formations.
• The group saw Mishui Immortal Palace and Wei Qi warned them that its formation could defeat even Grandmaster martial artists who entered without understanding it.
• Meng Zhao agreed to follow Wei Qi’s lead and looked forward to studying the palace, while Gu Sinan discussed recruiting demonic-path talents for the Demon Venerable Hall.

Meng Zhao and his companions investigated a deadly duel between two Demonic Path masters on the road to Mishui Immortal Palace. They arrived among a crowd of sinister spectators, where the battle continued and onlookers judged Meng Zhao by his appearance and company.

• Yun Fei warned Wei Qi that the master of Mishui Immortal Palace was dangerous and said they should avoid provoking him.
• When they heard a fierce battle nearby, Yun Fei urged the group to watch, and Meng Zhao agreed that the duel offered a rare chance to observe skilled Demonic Path fighters.
• Meng Zhao and his companions hurried to a grassy clearing, where they saw a sword-wielding master clash with an opponent using sinister leg techniques.
• The group joined more than twenty unsettling martial artists watching the battle, and Yun Fei eagerly studied both the fighters and the spectators.
• The other spectators noticed Meng Zhao's handsome appearance and concluded that he was a hypocrite hiding a rotten nature beneath a polished exterior.

Meng Zhao watched Pang Hui and a Supreme Evil Path swordsman fight, then learned about the decades-old feud between their sects. After Niu Dali explained that the two fighters also had a personal conflict, Meng Zhao praised Niu Dali’s name and won his gratitude.

• Meng Zhao asked Gu Sinan and Wei Qi to identify the fighters, and they named the swordsman as a likely Supreme Evil Path disciple and the other as Pang Hui, a Nirvana Path successor.
• Gu Sinan recounted how the Nirvana Sect Master had ruined a Supreme Evil Path genius’s aptitude, sparking a battle between the sect leaders and years of bloody conflict between their followers.
• Niu Dali approached the group and said that the two fighters had irreconcilable personal conflicts as well as sectarian enmity.
• Meng Zhao introduced himself as Bi Yanye of the Demon Venerable Hall and asked Niu Dali’s name.
• Meng Zhao praised Niu Dali’s name as meaningful, and Niu Dali gratefully offered to help him, saying he was good at killing people.

Meng Zhao befriended Niu Dali, whose reputation as a deadly Demonic Path killer made Gu Sinan and Wei Qi wary. Niu Dali explained the murderous feud between Xu Yanfei and Pang Hui, while Meng Zhao reflected that strength—not good character—shaped how Demonic Path figures treated him.

• Gu Sinan warned Meng Zhao that Niu Dali was known as Killer by Reputation and killed people who mocked or praised his name insincerely.
• Niu Dali denied the rumors and insisted he had not harmed Meng Zhao, then warmed to him when Meng Zhao defended him and asked about the duel.
• Niu Dali revealed that Pang Hui had extorted Xu Yanfei's family, raped and murdered Xu Yanfei's sister, and destroyed the family over an heirloom jade containing a powerful leg technique.
• Niu Dali explained that Xu Yanfei joined the Supreme Evil Path, learned the Blood Sea Primordial Slaughter Sword Scripture, and became strong enough to pursue revenge against Pang Hui.
• Meng Zhao recognized that Gu Sinan, Wei Qi, and Niu Dali treated him with respect because his martial strength made him dangerous to provoke.

Meng Zhao watched Xu Yanfei and Pang Hui’s battle and analyzed their martial arts until a mysterious swordsman interrupted their final clash with a thrown tree branch. The attacker was identified as the Immortal Palace Senior Disciple of Mishui Immortal Palace, whose swordsmanship impressed Meng Zhao even as he judged the man’s cultivation to be only Innate.

• Meng Zhao regretted that Xu Yanfei’s family had wasted their supreme art and reflected on how its loss had led to their destruction.
• Xu Yanfei and Pang Hui traded increasingly powerful attacks, while Meng Zhao studied their momentum and used the fight to test his own martial insights.
• A powerful aura entered the battlefield and broke the two men’s clash, injuring both through the backlash.
• The fighters and spectators saw that a thrown tree branch had stopped the battle with a sword strike of extraordinary precision.
• Niu Dali identified the attacker as the Immortal Palace Senior Disciple of Mishui Immortal Palace, while Wei Qi and Meng Zhao judged that he was not a Grandmaster.
• Meng Zhao recognized the swordsman’s flawless technique but remained confident that his own understanding of martial arts could overcome it.

The Mishui Immortal Palace Senior Disciple stopped Xu Yanfei and Pang Hui from continuing their fight, then explained that the Demon Gathering had been changed into Outer and Inner gatherings. Meng Zhao learned that the Inner Demon Gathering would offer access to Grandmaster teachings and a mysterious martial treasure, and expected his talent to qualify him for entry.

• A sword-wielding man descended from the sky and halted Xu Yanfei and Pang Hui, revealing himself as the Mishui Immortal Palace Senior Disciple.
• The Senior Disciple ordered the gathered Demonic Path practitioners to avoid fighting before the gathering and to settle their grudges afterward.
• A returning participant asked whether the rules had changed, and the Senior Disciple confirmed the Demon Gathering was now divided into Outer and Inner events.
• The Senior Disciple explained that the Outer Demon Gathering remained open to all Demonic Path practitioners, while exceptional talents could be selected for the Inner Demon Gathering and its Grandmaster lectures and martial treasure.
• Meng Zhao valued the chance to learn from Grandmasters more than the treasure and believed his Purple Origin Dragon Body would make him a strong candidate for the Inner Demon Gathering.

After the Immortal Palace Senior Disciple imposed new rules for the Demon Gathering, Xu Yanfei and Pang Hui agreed to postpone their feud and follow him into Mishui Immortal Palace. As Meng Zhao traveled with Niu Dali, he learned about the Demonic Path and heard a rumor that a Heavenly Demon Palace successor would soon emerge, ushering in a turbulent age.

• The Immortal Palace Senior Disciple explained that his fellow disciples would patrol the mountain and stop fights, then urged Xu Yanfei and Pang Hui to settle their feud after the Demon Gathering.
• Xu Yanfei and Pang Hui agreed to cease fighting because they feared the Senior Disciple's strength and wanted the Inner Demon Gathering's benefits.
• The Senior Disciple led the gathered Demonic Path martial artists toward Mishui Immortal Palace, while Meng Zhao remained concealed among them.
• Niu Dali told Meng Zhao that the Demonic Path included people from many walks of life and suffered more from internal conflict than from outside purges.
• Niu Dali shared a rumor that a Heavenly Demon Palace successor would soon emerge and that the Demonic Path's fortunes would rise as an age of chaos began.

Meng Zhao considered how the Demonic Path’s fortune was rising and why the Heavenly Demon Palace’s heir might lead its resurgence. He realized Niu Dali was likely trying to attach himself to Meng Zhao because he mistook him for that heir or another future power, and he left Niu Dali’s offer unanswered.

• Wei Qi explained that the Heavenly Demon Palace heir’s appearance was said to herald a rise in Demonic Path fortune, though the timing was uncertain.
• Meng Zhao reflected on the cycle between righteous and demonic fortune and concluded that the Demonic Path’s many talented martial artists were signs of its growing strength.
• Niu Dali said he wanted to find and serve the Heavenly Demon Palace heir so he could rise in power alongside him.
• Meng Zhao suspected Niu Dali had deliberately approached him after sensing his potential and had mistaken him for the heir or a similarly powerful figure.
• Meng Zhao gave Niu Dali a meaningful smile instead of answering his remarks.

Niu Dali tested Meng Zhao’s identity while the group approached the Mishui Immortal Palace and witnessed the mountain’s grand formation. As they began climbing, Meng Zhao gained new insight into the power of heaven and earth and the path to the Grandmaster realm.

• Niu Dali questioned Meng Zhao about the Heavenly Demon Palace’s successor but decided that befriending him would be worthwhile regardless of his identity.
• The party reached the Immortal Palace’s mountain and saw its rare medicinal plants, shifting clouds, and the grand formation’s powerful effects.
• The Immortal Palace Senior Disciple warned the visitors not to steal herbs or wander, explaining that the formation could kill even Innate Realm Warriors.
• The Senior Disciple activated the formation, revealing a flight of steps through the clouds, and led the group up the mountain.
• Meng Zhao analyzed how formations harnessed heaven and earth and realized that reaching the Grandmaster realm required understanding their power.

Meng Zhao and the other Demonic Path experts reached their assigned Stone Houses at Mishui Immortal Palace, where they were warned to obey the rules and stay within the permitted grounds. Wei Qi then revealed his connection to the Heaven Swallowing Dao Child and asked to meet the Palace Master, leaving the group about to proceed with the arranged exchange.

• Immortal Palace Senior Disciple led Meng Zhao's group to a crowded settlement and told them that Xiantian Realm guests had to stay there, obey the rules, and avoid exploring the grounds.
• A female disciple registered the newcomers and assigned them Stone Houses, with Meng Zhao receiving one of the best locations after behaving respectfully.
• Niu Dali swapped Stone Houses with Wei Qi and moved in next to Meng Zhao.
• Gu Sinan and Yun Fei abandoned their plan to pose as Demon Venerable Hall traitors because their cover might endanger Meng Zhao.
• Wei Qi showed Immortal Palace Senior Disciple his token and said he had come on the Heaven Swallowing Dao Child's orders to meet the Palace Master and exchange treasures.
• Immortal Palace Senior Disciple confirmed that the Palace Master had been informed and invited Wei Qi to follow him, then asked whether Meng Zhao was going too.

Meng Zhao and Wei Qi entered Mishui Immortal Palace to meet its Palace Master, and Meng Zhao discovered that the Palace Master's residence was the mountain's formation eye. The Palace Master's overwhelming presence left Meng Zhao fearing that Wei Qi might reveal he was under Meng Zhao's control.

• Immortal Palace Senior Disciple led Wei Qi and Meng Zhao up the mountain toward the Palace Master.
• Niu Dali watched Meng Zhao and decided to flatter and probe him when he returned, hoping to secure a place near him.
• Wei Qi and Meng Zhao marveled at the splendor of Mishui Immortal Palace as they crossed its grounds.
• Meng Zhao recognized the Palace Master's plain residence as the mountain's central node and the Immortal Palace Grand Formation's eye, a place only a Grandmaster could safely inhabit.
• The Palace Master invited them inside, and his voice overwhelmed Wei Qi and Meng Zhao with the pressure of a Grandmaster.
• Meng Zhao worried Wei Qi might reveal his control and betray him, but suppressed his fear and prepared to negotiate if necessary.