Chapter Summaries

Gan Mingfeng held off Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er with the aid of Meng Zhao, but the two opponents joined their Demonic Nature to unleash power drawn from War God Xing Tian. They trapped Gan Mingfeng between two enormous demonic palms, leaving him unable to defend himself.

• Gan Mingfeng endured Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er's relentless attacks as Meng Zhao secretly replenished his strength and guided him.
• Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er realized their prolonged assault would not defeat Gan Mingfeng and decided to join forces using Demonic Nature.
• The two men merged their auras, drawing on a portion of War God Xing Tian's power and transforming the area into a demon realm.
• Gan Mingfeng secretly begged Meng Zhao to save him as the combined power of Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er overwhelmed him.
• Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er struck from opposite sides, trapping Gan Mingfeng between enormous demonic palms and leaving him unable to move or defend himself.

Meng Zhao secretly protected Gan Mingfeng from Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er’s attack, leaving Gan Mingfeng unharmed and emboldened. Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er ended their demonic state and proposed working with him to seek the fortune hidden inside Lishou Mountain.

• Meng Zhao used the Sheji Cauldron’s spiritual resonance to shield Gan Mingfeng as Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er struck him with their demonic palms.
• Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er failed to harm Gan Mingfeng, and Lu Hou'er urged Peng Haibing to stop before their effort cost them too much.
• Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er released their linked demonic state, while Gan Mingfeng privately wondered how Meng Zhao had saved him.
• Gan Mingfeng taunted Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er, then demanded that they state what they wanted.
• Lu Hou'er argued that the fortune was too vast for one person to claim and that Gan Mingfeng needed their knowledge to find the path into the Cave-Heaven World beneath Lishou Mountain.

Gan Mingfeng agreed to explore the Cave-Heaven World with Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er after they revealed that Xingtian's Demonic Nature might let them open a passage. Lu Hou'er suspected Meng Zhao was secretly protecting Gan Mingfeng, while Peng Haibing dismissed the concern and prepared to pursue Xingtian's inheritance.

• Gan Mingfeng realized the map alone could not open the Cave-Heaven World and challenged Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er rather than submit without terms.
• Lu Hou'er offered to share the Cave-Heaven World's opportunities, and Peng Haibing agreed while secretly planning to kill Gan Mingfeng and take whatever he obtained.
• Lu Hou'er explained that the Xingtian Demonic Nature in their bodies gave them a faint connection to Xingtian's Head and might let them open a passage.
• Peng Haibing asked Lu Hou'er to open the passage immediately, but Lu Hou'er proposed waiting to see whether Meng Zhao was hidden nearby.
• Peng Haibing concluded that no one else was present and believed the Sheji Cauldron had protected Gan Mingfeng from their attack.

Lu Hou'er and Peng Haibing used the Demonic Script within them to summon the Heavenly Punishment Axe, which opened a passage through the spatial barrier. Meng Zhao entered first in concealment, followed by the others, and the passage closed behind them.

• Lu Hou'er and Peng Haibing failed to detect anyone nearby and agreed to test the spatial barrier.
• Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er joined their Demonic Script characters to form a phantom of the Heavenly Punishment Axe.
• The axe phantom silently cut a person-wide passage through the spatial barrier.
• Meng Zhao entered first while concealed, followed by Peng Haibing, Lu Hou'er, and Gan Mingfeng.
• The passage began closing after twelve breaths, then vanished along with the barrier's visible presence.

Meng Zhao, Peng Haibing, Lu Hou'er, and Gan Mingfeng entered a vast, lifeless Cave-Heaven World filled with dense Five Elements vital energy. They learned that they must survive the dangerous journey to the Emperor Stele at its center, where Xingtian's Head was sealed.

• Meng Zhao, Peng Haibing, Lu Hou'er, and Gan Mingfeng crossed the passage opened by the Heavenly Punishment Axe and found a vast land of strange rocks and three ring-shaped waterways.
• Lu Hou'er and Peng Haibing sensed that the land was dangerous and learned they had to undergo Rebirth and Transformation there or perish without a chance to reincarnate.
• The two men learned that Xingtian Demonic Nature could preserve their memories through one reincarnation, but only if they survived long enough to leave the barren world.
• Lu Hou'er identified the Emperor Stele at the waterways' center as the core of the Cave-Heaven World and the key sealing Xingtian's Head.
• Peng Haibing argued that Emperor Yu's Nine Tripods had supplanted Shaohao's Emperor Steles as the symbols favored by heaven and earth.

Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er discovered that the Emperor Stele strengthened their Demonic Natures and considered killing Gan Mingfeng before claiming its fortune. Meng Zhao appeared in the Emperor Tablet Space, leaving the two men fearful of facing him.

• Lu Hou'er asked Gan Mingfeng whether his map revealed a way to seize the Five Elements Vital Energy, but Gan Mingfeng suggested approaching the Emperor Stele instead.
• Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er sensed that the Emperor Stele had strengthened their powers and Demonic Natures.
• Peng Haibing proposed killing Gan Mingfeng, and Lu Hou'er appeared tempted by the plan.
• Meng Zhao's voice interrupted them, and he explained that their use of the Heavenly Punishment Axe had opened his way into the space.
• Meng Zhao materialized before Peng Haibing and Lu Hou'er, who feared they could not match him.

Meng Zhao rejected Lu Hou'er and Peng Haibing's attempt to bargain with him, then killed Peng Haibing with a glance. After Peng Haibing's Demonic Nature tried to enter Meng Zhao, he seized it in his hand, leaving Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er frightened and wondering what the Demonic Script was.

• Lu Hou'er flattered Meng Zhao and argued that he and Peng Haibing were needed to leave the strange place.
• Meng Zhao said Xingtian Demonic Nature was valuable, spared Lu Hou'er for his conduct, and declared that Peng Haibing had to die.
• Meng Zhao killed Peng Haibing with a glance before he could speak or fight back.
• The Demonic Script left Peng Haibing's body and tried to enter Meng Zhao, who grabbed and restrained it.
• Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er felt the Demonic Script's struggle and wondered how it had taken on form and substance.

Meng Zhao transferred the Xingtian Demonic Script to Gan Mingfeng, whose unusual nature fused with it and greatly increased his power while exposing him to Xing Tian's influence. Meng Zhao explained Lu Hou'er's Innate Demonic Nature and taught both men the Demon Subduing Great Incantation to suppress the danger and strengthen their minds.

• Meng Zhao explained that the Emperor Stele's demonic inscriptions carried a trace of Xing Tian's Dao Fruit and could not be destroyed.
• Meng Zhao sent the Demonic Script into Gan Mingfeng, where it merged with the black lotus in his Sea of Consciousness and transformed his body and mind.
• Meng Zhao warned Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er that Xing Tian's demonic nature could control them and make them tools for Xingtian's Head.
• Meng Zhao explained that Lu Hou'er resisted demonhood because his Innate Demonic Nature had awakened to oppose the invading force.
• Meng Zhao taught both men the Demon Subduing Great Incantation, and they found that it could suppress the demonic nature and temper their minds.

Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er explained how Xingtian intended to use them to break the Emperor Stele, and Meng Zhao warned them to resist that influence. The three then approached the stele, where Lu Hou'er identified the water veins as an ancient Five Elements array guarding it.

• Gan Mingfeng told Meng Zhao that Xingtian's Demonic Nature would lure him and Lu Hou'er to the Emperor Stele to cultivate a supreme demonic art and summon a wisp of Xingtian's true spirit.
• Lu Hou'er said the resulting Divine Demonic Power could be used only once to strike the Emperor Stele, confirming that Xingtian treated them as expendable pieces.
• Meng Zhao urged Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er to recite the Demon Subduing Great Incantation if they sensed a disturbance, then led them toward the Emperor Stele.
• As they neared the water veins, Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er felt their Demonic Nature conceal itself, and Lu Hou'er explained that the three veins were an Innate Grand Array formed from the corpses of three Dao Fruit experts.
• Meng Zhao sensed that the water veins contained all Five Elements, not merely water.

Meng Zhao studied the three water veins to advance his Emperor's Qi Gazing Technique, while Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er struggled against the influence of Xingtian's Demonic Nature. The chapter ended with Lu Hou'er suppressing the corruption and questioning whether he should continue cultivating the demonic path.

• Meng Zhao recognized the three water veins as an opportunity to improve his Emperor's Qi Gazing Technique and began studying their Innate Grand Array.
• Meng Zhao entered deep meditation, and the phenomena around him overwhelmed Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er when they tried to watch.
• Lu Hou'er suggested that he and Gan Mingfeng use the Emperor Stele's demonic art to draw on the ancient War God's power and challenge Meng Zhao.
• Gan Mingfeng warned Lu Hou'er that his ambition resembled Peng Haibing's and might be the result of Xingtian Demonic Nature taking hold.
• Lu Hou'er recognized the corruption, recited the Demon Subduing Great Incantation with Gan Mingfeng, and began reconsidering the demonic path.

Lu Hou'er and Gan Mingfeng abandoned thoughts of opposing Meng Zhao after realizing the Emperor Stele might favor him through his connection to Emperor Shaohao. As Meng Zhao enlightened himself through the Three-River Water Veins, he transformed into a Purple True Dragon and gained a great harvest, leaving the veins mysteriously weaker.

• Gan Mingfeng reminded Lu Hou'er that Meng Zhao's Red Flag Order was connected to Emperor Shaohao, making him a contender for the Emperor Stele's legacy.
• Lu Hou'er and Gan Mingfeng gave up their plans to cross the water veins and waited while Meng Zhao studied them.
• Meng Zhao entered a profound state of enlightenment, and his Great Grandmaster cultivation grew deeper and more settled.
• A dragon's roar sounded as Meng Zhao transformed into a hundred-zhang Purple True Dragon and plunged into the Three-River Water Veins.
• The Heaven-Illuminating Divine Mirror revealed information about the water veins, and Meng Zhao returned to shore after gaining a great harvest.
• Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er noticed that the water veins had lost their former dreadful pressure, as if some great fortune had been stolen.

Meng Zhao led Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er to the Emperor Stele after using the Heaven-Illuminating Divine Mirror to absorb most of the Dao Fruit power in the water veins. At the stele, his companions were forced to kneel, while Meng Zhao endured its majesty and prepared to seek the complete Five Directions Banner Order.

• Meng Zhao absorbed eighty percent of the Dao Fruit power from the three water veins into the Heaven-Illuminating Divine Mirror and told Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er he had mastered the grand array.
• Meng Zhao led Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er across an ice bridge and through the water veins to the Emperor Stele.
• Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er fell to their knees before the Emperor Stele, while Meng Zhao remained standing as its presence stirred his dragon blood and emperor qi.
• Meng Zhao inferred that the bones scattered near the Emperor Stele belonged to people who had been drawn by the Xingtian Demonic Nature and perished trying to release Xingtian's Head.
• Meng Zhao approached the Emperor Stele, felt the Five Directions Five Elements Vital Energy transform his body, and focused on obtaining the complete Five Directions Banner Order.

Meng Zhao entered the Emperor Stele’s spiritual realm and gained insights into imperial martial arts and the many forms of Stele Martial Arts. As his enlightenment continued, Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er watched the stele’s pressure ease and discussed Meng Zhao’s extraordinary prospects.

• Meng Zhao sealed his body against harmful Five Elements Vital Energy and sent his spirit to the Emperor Stele, protecting his Martial Charm as he did so.
• Meng Zhao resonated with the Emperor Stele, repeatedly comprehended the character “Emperor,” and learned that true emperors required both virtue and the power of a Divine Demon Supreme Being.
• Meng Zhao’s understanding of the Emperor character deepened, strengthening its martial intent within the Myriad Heavens Imperial Dragon Ziwei Emperor Scripture.
• Meng Zhao entered a realm of Stone Tablets and saw how martial arts could be transformed into Stele Martial Arts.
• Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er noticed the Emperor Stele’s pressure easing as Meng Zhao gained enlightenment, and Lu Hou'er admitted that Meng Zhao’s potential surpassed Shen Tianci’s.
• Gan Mingfeng advised Lu Hou'er to attach himself to a powerful patron if his own abilities proved insufficient.

After Meng Zhao comprehended the Emperor Stele, it granted him the Five Directions Banner Divine Skill and the Five Elements Grand Array of Heaven and Earth, which were meant to help suppress Xingtian's Head. The Stele also strengthened the seal and transformed Lu Hou'er and Gan Mingfeng’s Demonic Nature into a new ability, leaving the three to assess the changes.

• Lu Hou'er considered Meng Zhao’s connections and the possibility that his influence could unite Ji Prefecture, Yanzhou, and Liang Prefecture.
• The Emperor Stele glowed purple and gained a carving of Meng Zhao’s true dragon after he comprehended it.
• Meng Zhao received the Five Directions Banner Divine Skill and the Five Elements Grand Array of Heaven and Earth, learning how Shaohao and Yu had sealed Xingtian's Head.
• Xingtian’s furious roar stirred the Demonic Nature in Lu Hou'er and Gan Mingfeng, but the Emperor Stele’s divine light helped them regain control.
• Lu Hou'er and Gan Mingfeng told Meng Zhao that their Demonic Nature had become Demonization Burst, and Meng Zhao accepted it as the Emperor Stele’s gift.

Meng Zhao discovered that the Emperor Stele’s 3,800 Demonic Scripts were manifestations of Xingtian’s fading Demonic Nature and realized that refining Xingtian could earn him merit and aid his path to transcendence. After assuring Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er he could leave the mysterious space, he prepared to use its balanced Five Elements power to hatch the divine beast inside an Amber Stone.

• Meng Zhao examined the 3,800 Demonic Scripts and discerned that they embodied Xingtian’s Demonic Nature rather than a demonic cultivation inheritance.
• Meng Zhao realized that Xingtian’s Demonic Nature was fading and that refining Xingtian could benefit Heaven and Earth, earn merit, and ease his future transcendence.
• Meng Zhao explained part of his insight to Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er, who lamented missing out on Xingtian’s Demonic Art but accepted their gains from demonic possession.
• Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er asked how they could leave after losing their Demonic Nature, and Meng Zhao assured them he had learned the way out from the Emperor Stele.
• Meng Zhao took an Amber Stone from the Heavenly Evil Battle Casket and planned to use the Five Elements Grand Array to hatch the divine beast inside it.

Meng Zhao used the Five Elements Grand Array to nurture the divine beast inside the Amber Stone while Lu Hou'er and Gan Mingfeng waited by the Emperor Stele. Outside Lishou Mountain, Master Liu warned the Twelfth Master that Meng Zhao’s arrival had disrupted the young man’s imperial destiny, but the young man remained unconcerned.

• Meng Zhao placed the Amber Stone at a point where the five qi pillars converged, and Five Elements Vital Energy began to nourish the beast within.
• Lu Hou'er and Gan Mingfeng watched the Amber Stone, then turned to the Emperor Stele to seek insight while it continued to glow and melt.
• Master Liu and the Twelfth Master entered Lishou Mountain, where Master Liu said the young man’s fortune had fallen after the Heavenly Secrets changed.
• The Twelfth Master dismissed Master Liu’s worries, citing his belief that human effort could overcome fate and recalling how altered features had changed a man’s fortunes.

Twelfth Master learned from Old Daoist Liu that someone else had taken the Supreme fortune tied to Lishou Mountain, changing the mountain after Meng Zhao sealed Demon Lord Xingtian. Old Daoist Liu concluded that Meng Zhao had been chosen to complete the work of the ancient Supremes, and Twelfth Master began considering who else might possess such potential.

• Twelfth Master sensed a roar and an unexplained loss as he and Old Daoist Liu noticed that Lishou Mountain had changed.
• Old Daoist Liu explained that Meng Zhao’s aura on the Emperor Stele had sealed Demon Lord Xingtian and greatly increased the mountain’s earth energy.
• Old Daoist Liu revealed that the ancient Supremes Shaohao and Emperor Yu had left Xingtian’s Head for a third Supreme to destroy, and that Meng Zhao had been entrusted with this task.
• Twelfth Master asked who could have claimed his fortune, and Old Daoist Liu named Southern Shen, Northern Meng, and hidden prodigies among the Eight Surnames and Thirteen Families as possibilities.
• Twelfth Master recalled that he knew Shen Tianci and had crossed paths with Meng Zhao, but had not realized how extraordinary Meng Zhao was.

Old Daoist Liu and the young man discussed whether Meng Zhao had intercepted the young man's fortune, while Liu warned him not to provoke Meng Zhao. They then considered how Beitang Shu's departure from the Imperial Clan's Ziwei World-Shining Art had stirred unrest among the Beitang Imperial Clan.

• Old Daoist Liu recalled that Meng Zhao's current martial bearing exceeded what his former features and abilities had suggested, and the young man wondered if Meng Zhao had seized his fortune at Lishou Mountain.
• Old Daoist Liu judged there was a thirty-percent chance Meng Zhao was the person they sought and warned the young man against acting rashly because Meng Zhao had powerful backing and strength.
• The young man said he would not foolishly target Meng Zhao, whose family belonged to Ninth Brother's forces, and doubted the two of them could defeat him.
• The young man told Old Daoist Liu that Beitang Shu had abandoned the Imperial Clan's Ziwei World-Shining Art after an assassination attempt.
• The young man explained that Beitang Shu's decision had angered the Imperial Clan Court and encouraged other clan members to consider changing cultivation methods, while Beitang Sheng had intervened to contain the dispute.

The Twelfth Prince questioned Old Daoist Liu about Beitang Shu abandoning the Ziwei martial path and whether he was secretly pursuing the throne. Old Daoist Liu urged him to focus on strengthening himself amid the realm’s unrest, leaving the Twelfth Prince wary of the Meng Family’s growing influence in Ji Prefecture.

• Old Daoist Liu explained that the Ziwei Treasure Body threatened Ziwei martial artists but could benefit them if its Star Destiny were captured and claimed by the imperial clan.
• The Twelfth Prince questioned why Beitang Shu had abandoned the Ziwei World-Shining Art, while Old Daoist Liu considered how this could amount to giving up his claim to the throne.
• The Twelfth Prince asked whether Beitang Shu had no interest in the throne or was pretending to withdraw, and Old Daoist Liu warned that the princes should avoid succession struggles while Beitang Sheng ruled and rebellions spread.
• The Twelfth Prince recalled the banditry and expanding local powers he had encountered on his journey from Jade Capital to the Northern Lands.
• The Twelfth Prince considered how the Meng Family had gained influence across Ji Prefecture, while Beitang Shu had been suppressing its conflict with the Lei Family.

Meng Zhao discovered that the Amber Stone was undergoing a transformation that could hatch the divine beast within, and he decided to hatch and subdue it inside the mysterious space. He used his bloodline power and spiritual imprint on the stone, which blazed with purple light as two powerful roars sounded.

• A young man and Old Daoist Liu discussed the Meng Family’s potential and Great Yong’s growing rebellions before turning their attention back to the spatial barrier.
• Meng Zhao sensed the Amber Stone melting and its life aura drawing inward, while Flood Dragon Little Nine grew restless and bloodthirsty.
• Meng Zhao decided to hatch the divine beast in the mysterious space and use both blood refinement and a spiritual imprint to subdue it.
• Meng Zhao sent a drop of purple blood into the Amber Stone, overpowering its Five-Colored Radiance and turning it purple.
• Gan Mingfeng and Lu Hou'er heard the roar of a true dragon and a second deep, majestic roar from within the stone.