Chapter Summaries

Meng Zhao explained why Xue Zihou’s mysterious power would become less effective once its workings were exposed, then asked to study it in exchange for compensation. Xue Zihou guessed that Meng Zhao intended to move against Bei Tangsu and offered his loyalty if Meng Zhao would grant him a favor.

• Meng Zhao told Xue Zihou that martial arts depended on the practitioner and that the same power would be harder to use again after its secret had been exposed.
• Meng Zhao asked to study the power in Xue Zihou’s body, and Xue Zihou agreed after asking whether Meng Zhao planned to deal with Bei Tangsu.
• Xue Zihou inferred that Meng Zhao intended to involve himself in Yanzhou and kill Bei Tangsu, and he eagerly welcomed the possibility.
• Meng Zhao warned that studying the power would exhaust it and offered to replace it with an equally strong force as compensation.
• Xue Zihou proposed a favor in return and promised to follow Meng Zhao and bring the Purple Lightning Lineage within the Divine Saber Hall to support him.

Meng Zhao agreed to try to help Xue Zihou master the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques, explaining how Bei Tangsu had learned them and warning that success was uncertain. As Meng Zhao drew out the power within Xue Zihou, he perceived an illusory river of time and endless space, grasping fragments of its secrets.

• Xue Zihou asked Meng Zhao to help him learn the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques and replace Bei Tangsu in the Divine Saber Hall.
• Meng Zhao explained that Bei Tangsu had mastered the techniques with help from a powerful figure of the Demonic Path, and Xue Zihou considered the implications.
• Meng Zhao said he might be able to help Xue Zihou, depending on how the Demonic Path expert had guided Bei Tangsu, but could not guarantee success.
• Xue Zihou accepted the uncertainty and offered the power within his body to Meng Zhao.
• Meng Zhao stimulated Xue Zihou's hidden power, perceived a river of time surrounded by endless space, and grasped several fragments of its secrets.

Meng Zhao used the traces of spatial and temporal power in Xue Zihou to advance his cultivation and plant a seed for his Way of the World. Xue Zihou gained a major improvement in his saber talent and believed Meng Zhao had reached the Heavenly Being realm, while the chapter revealed how the new era and Meng Zhao’s immense fortune fueled his rapid progress.

• Meng Zhao comprehended the power of space and time in Xue Zihou and made great strides in cultivation, manifesting a purple light and a Primordial Spirit.
• Meng Zhao’s purple qi elevated nearby creatures and refined Xue Zihou’s blood, tempering his Saber Bone from three-tenths to seven-tenths.
• Xue Zihou witnessed Meng Zhao’s divine manifestations and wondered whether he had broken through from Great Grandmaster to Heavenly Being.
• The narration explained that Beitang Sheng’s actions had reopened Martial Dao Fortune and begun a new era in which children of fortune competed to become the Child of the Era.
• The narration described Meng Zhao’s exceptional fortune, which supported his rapid cultivation and helped complete his Martial Dao foundation through his insight into space and time.

Meng Zhao revealed that he had formed an Entering God Primordial Spirit but deliberately remained a Half-step Heavenly Being so he could perfect his foundation and eventually cultivate a True God Primordial Spirit. After Xue Zihou’s Saber Bone improved and his doubts eased, the two discussed their debts and plans concerning Bei Tangsu.

• Meng Zhao explained that his two souls and powerful foundation let him form an Entering God Primordial Spirit early, but he sealed his cultivation rather than advance before he could pursue the True God grade.
• Meng Zhao calmed the surrounding phenomena, and Xue Zihou thanked him for the improvement to his aptitude and understanding.
• Meng Zhao told Xue Zihou that his gains came from the power left within him and the Supreme Purple Qi, while reflecting on Uncle Chang’s Space-Time Great Dao.
• Xue Zihou said he would thank Uncle Chang and left Meng Zhao free to decide how to handle Bei Tangsu; Meng Zhao promised to act within his means and noted Xue Zihou might become saber chief of the Divine Saber Hall.
• Xue Zihou asked whether the heavenly phenomena from Meng Zhao’s breakthrough might have alerted Bei Tangsu and disrupted their arrangements.

Meng Zhao prepared to ambush Bei Tangsu at Canglang Pavilion by Jade Lake, disguising himself as the Twelfth Prince, Beitang Xing. Bei Tangsu arrived believing the meeting was safe and asked what the prince wanted to discuss.

• Meng Zhao told Xue Zihou to leave the mountain and wait for him, then vanished before Xue Zihou could see his movement.
• Bei Tangsu sensed an ominous force gathering but continued toward Jade Lake Mountain to meet Beitang Xing.
• Bei Tangsu recalled his painful status as a collateral imperial descendant and his hope of changing his fate with the guidance and support he had received.
• Meng Zhao reached Canglang Pavilion first, arranged a table, and waited in Beitang Xing's guise.
• Bei Tangsu entered the pavilion, sat across from Meng Zhao, and said he had given the Ninth Prince the same uncertain reply about his intentions.

Meng Zhao, disguised as Bei Tangsu, questioned Bei Tangsu about the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques and the senior supporting him, hoping to learn the senior’s identity. After Bei Tangsu exposed his bluff, Meng Zhao attacked, but the Demonic Saber projection saved him.

• Meng Zhao flattered Bei Tangsu before asking how he had mastered the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques, making Bei Tangsu suspect he was probing for the Emperor.
• Meng Zhao accused Bei Tangsu of disloyalty and demanded the identity of his protector and the secret of the saber techniques.
• Bei Tangsu realized Meng Zhao had no imperial orders and revealed that the Emperor had long known his senior supporter, whose relationship with the Emperor was unusually close.
• Meng Zhao learned that Bei Tangsu had been chosen for the Divine Saber Hall through that senior’s favor and decided to end the questioning.
• Meng Zhao used Fire Dragon Breath to attack, but the Demonic Saber projection manifested and blocked the killing intent, saving Bei Tangsu.

Meng Zhao revealed himself as a Great Grandmaster and attacked Bei Tangsu with the Buddha Dragon Claw, seeking to kill him. Bei Tangsu drew on the Demonic Saber’s remaining projections and countered with Demonic Infatuation of Extreme Emotion.

• Bei Tangsu survived Meng Zhao’s sneak attack because a Demonic Saber projection protected him, then suspected the man posing as Beitang Xing was an impostor.
• Meng Zhao remained silent and attacked Bei Tangsu with the Buddha Dragon Claw, trapping the area within a domain that prevented Bei Tangsu from using Worldly Power.
• Bei Tangsu summoned his thick-backed saber and prepared to end the fight quickly, relying on the seven Demonic Saber projections still within him.
• Bei Tangsu unleashed Demonic Infatuation of Extreme Emotion, sending seven emotion-marked faces through a seven-colored Saber Light against Meng Zhao and the Buddha Dragon Claw.

Bei Tangsu used Demonic Infatuation of Extreme Emotion to break Meng Zhao’s Buddha Dragon Claw and wound his mind and spirit, but Meng Zhao dispelled the demonic power and struck Bei Tangsu with Supreme Purple Qi. Bei Tangsu endured the resulting agony and launched sixty-four saber strikes with Demonic Path Dominance.

• Bei Tangsu’s Demonic Infatuation of Extreme Emotion magnified Meng Zhao’s emotions and transformed his Buddha Dragon Claw into demonic power, breaking the move.
• Bei Tangsu’s saber intent wounded Meng Zhao’s mind and spirit, but Meng Zhao’s Purple Origin Dragon Body suppressed the resulting harm to his flesh.
• Meng Zhao’s Primordial Spirit cried out to dispel the demonic power in his Sea of Consciousness and sent demon-subduing Supreme Purple Qi into Bei Tangsu.
• The purple qi ravaged Bei Tangsu’s body and life essence, but he suppressed the pain and unleashed sixty-four saber strikes at Meng Zhao with Demonic Path Dominance.

Bei Tangsu’s Demonic Saber techniques failed to overcome Meng Zhao, whom he recognized as the Lord of the Northern Meng Dragon King. Meng Zhao ignored Bei Tangsu’s attempt to distract him and launched an Ice Dragon attack, leaving Bei Tangsu struggling against the freezing pressure.

• Meng Zhao’s Black Tiger clashed with Meng Zhao’s ink-black dragon, and both techniques vanished without either combatant being harmed.
• Bei Tangsu realized his remaining saber techniques could not defeat Meng Zhao and decided he had to unleash his strongest power to escape.
• Bei Tangsu identified Meng Zhao as the Lord of the Northern Meng Dragon King and tried to use the threat of exposing his actions to distract him.
• Meng Zhao ignored Bei Tangsu’s words, summoned a white Ice Dragon, and froze Jade Lake while pressing Bei Tangsu down with its immense martial force.
• Bei Tangsu’s thoughts and body slowed under the cold, and he recognized the breadth of Meng Zhao’s powers as the Ice Dragon threatened him.

Bei Tangsu’s Demonic Extreme Blood Surge made Meng Zhao’s qi and blood rebel, transforming him into a half-human, half-dragon monster. As Bei Tangsu summoned a giant demonic form and prepared a more powerful attack, Meng Zhao invoked Emperor Yu’s divine might and awakened his Azure Dragon Battle Soul to counter the saber’s influence.

• Bei Tangsu unleashed Demonic Extreme Blood Surge, causing Meng Zhao’s qi and blood to riot and disrupting his abilities.
• Meng Zhao transformed into a half-human, half-dragon form but used the Myriad Heavens Imperial Dragon Ziwei Emperor Scripture to suppress the changes.
• Bei Tangsu exhausted two Demonic Saber projections and transformed into a towering, bull-horned demonic shadow that enveloped the Jade Lake.
• Meng Zhao recognized Bei Tangsu’s next attack as a greater demonic move and connected with the Emperor Yu Battle Armor to dispel its influence.
• Meng Zhao awakened his Azure Dragon Battle Soul, calming the turmoil in his flesh and blood while choosing to keep his transformed form.

Meng Zhao and Bei Tangsu clashed with the Vault of Heaven Seal and Demonic Path Limitless, devastating Jade Lake and the surrounding mountains. Meng Zhao emerged almost unharmed while Bei Tangsu was left holding only his saber’s hilt.

• Meng Zhao controlled his transformed half-dragon body and formed the Vault of Heaven Seal Technique.
• Bei Tangsu unleashed Demonic Path Limitless, a destructive saber technique drawn from Demonic Saber Jingqing and the Tiger Soul Demonic Saber.
• Meng Zhao’s Vault of Heaven Seal and Bei Tangsu’s Demonic Path Limitless collided, unleashing waves and purple light across Jade Lake.
• The clash evaporated half of Jade Lake, severed two nearby peaks, and triggered an earthquake that Xue Zihou felt from afar.
• Meng Zhao and Bei Tangsu faced each other on the devastated shore; Meng Zhao had only minor signs of injury, while Bei Tangsu’s saber blade had vanished.

After their clash, Meng Zhao reflected on the power of Bei Tangsu’s Demonic Path Limitless and acknowledged his skill as a saber wielder. As Bei Tangsu died, he revealed the Emperor’s connection to the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and entrusted Meng Zhao with a warning about the Demonic Saber.

• Meng Zhao survived Bei Tangsu’s void slash by activating the Emperor Yu Battle Armor and the Azure Dragon Battle Soul, while Bei Tangsu suffered fatal injuries.
• Bei Tangsu accepted his defeat and regretted that he had faced Meng Zhao before escaping his life as a saber slave.
• Meng Zhao praised Bei Tangsu’s final slash and promised to record his move and life in a Heroes Register if he someday ruled the Divine Land.
• Bei Tangsu revealed that the Emperor dealt with the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord, whose Demonic Seed had enabled him to cultivate the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques.
• Bei Tangsu suggested that Meng Zhao give his Demonic Seed to Xue Zihou, warned that mastering the Demonic Saber required surpassing the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques, and asked for his ashes to be scattered in Jade Lake.
• Bei Tangsu died standing upright like a saber wielder.

Meng Zhao burned Bei Tangsu’s body and contained the indestructible Demonic Seed, reflecting on how the Heavenly Demon controlled those attached to the Demonic Saber. Years later, the devastation at Jade Lake Mountain inspired legends that recast Bei Tangsu as a hero or mountain god and Meng Zhao as a flood dragon.

• Meng Zhao burned Bei Tangsu’s body, and Bei Tangsu’s ashes drifted into Jade Lake as his Demonic Seed survived the flames.
• Meng Zhao studied the Demonic Seed and realized that attachment to the Demonic Saber had made Bei Tangsu its slave, while Xue Zihou’s choices remained uncertain.
• Meng Zhao drew the Demonic Seed into a violet ghost lotus, suppressing its black light, then left Jade Lake Mountain.
• Explorers and hunters spread word of the battle’s destruction, and local legends later described a flood dragon slain by either a wandering hero or the mountain god.
• Later generations placed statues resembling Bei Tangsu in temples, while the stories cast Meng Zhao as the flood dragon.

Meng Zhao recounted his deadly battle with Bei Tangsu to Xue Zihou and explained why he considered Bei Tangsu an outstanding hero. Xue Zihou heard that Bei Tangsu may have sought a way to escape being Demonic Saber Jingqing’s slave, and the revelation unsettled him.

• Meng Zhao told Xue Zihou that Bei Tangsu was dead and that he had obtained the method for mastering the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques.
• At a hut near Jade Lake Mountain, Meng Zhao recounted his battle with Bei Tangsu and the hardships and gains he experienced.
• Xue Zihou asked whether Bei Tangsu had been an outstanding hero, and Meng Zhao praised his talent, resolve, and willingness to face death in a fair duel.
• Meng Zhao deduced that Bei Tangsu had left Divine Saber Hall seeking to overcome his status as a saber slave to Demonic Saber Jingqing.
• Xue Zihou felt jealous of Meng Zhao’s admiration for Bei Tangsu and grew uneasy about the possibility that Divine Saber Hall’s beliefs about the Demonic Saber were wrong.

Meng Zhao explained the truth about Bei Tangsu’s life as a saber slave and the risks involved, while Xue Zihou struggled with what the revelation meant for his past rivalry. Xue Zihou chose to pursue Demonic Saber Jingqing’s power, and Meng Zhao judged his spirit and resolve made him a promising candidate.

• Xue Zihou asked Meng Zhao whether Bei Tangsu’s final claim that he had been a saber slave was true, and Meng Zhao confirmed it was almost certainly true.
• Meng Zhao argued that becoming a saber slave had enabled Bei Tangsu to reach Grandmaster strength, though it could alter one’s temperament and leave one subject to the Heavenly Demon Palace’s master.
• Xue Zihou considered how the truth changed his feelings about Bei Tangsu and concluded that he might have been a pawn used by a greater figure.
• Xue Zihou decided to seize the opportunity to become a saber slave and rely on Demonic Saber Jingqing rather than follow the future planned by his elders.
• Meng Zhao observed Xue Zihou’s newly blazing resolve and concluded that his spirit and stubborn will made him suited to Demonic Saber Jingqing.

Meng Zhao explained how Xue Zihou could begin cultivating the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques by planting Bei Tangsu’s Heavenly Demon Seed, while warning him to guard his mind. After Meng Zhao sent the seed into Xue Zihou, visions of countless possible futures overwhelmed him.

• Meng Zhao told Xue Zihou that Bei Tangsu had believed he alone besides himself could master the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques, and Xue Zihou resolved to follow Bei Tangsu’s path.
• Xue Zihou thanked Meng Zhao and kowtowed, asking him to teach the methods for cultivating the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques.
• Meng Zhao explained that the Heavenly Demon Seed could affect Xue Zihou’s mind, instructing him to steady his heart and still his thoughts before forging his own Demonic Saber path.
• Xue Zihou prepared himself by calming his thoughts and visualizing the Purple Lightning Divine Saber as Meng Zhao sent the Heavenly Demon Seed into his chest.
• Xue Zihou’s mind filled with visions of possible futures, all tied to Demonic Saber Jingqing and the Heavenly Demon Seed.

Xue Zihou was ensnared by the Heavenly Demon Seed and gained an inborn Demonic Nature that let him comprehend the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques. Meng Zhao suspected the Seed might carry a hidden contingency left by Bei Tangsu, perhaps allowing Bei Tangsu to possess Xue Zihou or use him as a vessel.

• Meng Zhao watched as Xue Zihou failed to still his thoughts, giving the Heavenly Demon Seed an opening to conjure illusions of possible futures.
• Xue Zihou struggled against the illusions but became immersed in the Seed’s vision of a perfect future, as black mist wound around him.
• The Heavenly Demon Seed altered Xue Zihou’s foundation, awakening a terrifying Demonic Nature alongside his Saber Bone and marking his heart with black radiance.
• Meng Zhao questioned Bei Tangsu’s claim that he alone had mastered the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques, since the Seed could reshape Xue Zihou’s aptitude for the demonic path.
• Meng Zhao speculated that Bei Tangsu might have left his spirit or another contingency within the Seed, potentially allowing him to take over Xue Zihou.
• Meng Zhao compared the Heavenly Demon Seed to the Great Dao Heart Seed Demon Technique, which used a person as a vessel until the Seed matured.

Meng Zhao warned Xue Zihou that the Heavenly Demon Seed might contain hidden schemes from both the Heavenly Demon Palace Lord and Bei Tangsu, then advised him to seek a path where he and the Demonic Saber became one. Xue Zihou accepted the warning but remained confident, and the chapter left him facing the dangers of the seed with a possible way to escape its control.

• Xue Zihou recovered from the Heavenly Demon Seed’s transformation and discovered that combining demonic cultivation with the Way of the Saber felt instinctive.
• Meng Zhao explained that the seed’s mysterious nature and the fierce qualities of demonic cultivation and the saber path could account for Xue Zihou’s sudden aptitude.
• Meng Zhao warned Xue Zihou that Bei Tangsu might have tampered with the seed, and Xue Zihou considered two possible motives behind Bei Tangsu’s actions.
• Xue Zihou said he was certain Bei Tangsu would fail, while Meng Zhao cautioned that the seed might grow by borrowing Xue Zihou’s strength for its master to harvest.
• Meng Zhao suggested that if Xue Zihou could not master the Demonic Saber, he could instead merge with it and control the seed by making man and saber one.

Meng Zhao learned from Xue Zihou about a way to balance the forces harming him and gained crucial intelligence on the Divine Saber Hall. The Hall’s conservative leaders favored neutrality amid the looming struggle for the Divine Continent, leaving Meng Zhao room to develop Yanzhou without facing its opposition.

• Meng Zhao’s plan gave Xue Zihou a feasible path to balance the Heavenly Demon Seed and Demonic Saber Jingqing, and Xue silently resolved to repay the debt.
• Xue Zihou told Meng Zhao that the Divine Saber Hall had gained many Grandmaster experts amid the Heaven and Earth Mutation, though he did not know their exact number.
• Xue explained that the Divine Saber Hall’s leaders expected upheaval across the Divine Continent and disagreed over whether to support the Beitang Imperial Clan or another rising power.
• The conservative faction, led in part by Xue Zihou’s father, the Purple Lightning Saber Lord, favored keeping the Divine Saber Hall politically neutral.
• Meng Zhao welcomed the Hall’s neutral stance because it would let him strengthen Yanzhou without risking a future war against the saber Sacred Land.

After returning to Lu Family Manor, Meng Zhao kept Xue Zihou close while the story shifted to the Bronze Hammer Tribe beyond the pass. The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord sensed that the Demonic Seed and Black Heaven Tribulation had changed, and realized Meng Zhao’s actions had altered his control over Bei Tangsu.

• Meng Zhao returned to Lu Family Manor with Xue Zihou and planned to keep him nearby while helping him study the Eight Demonic Saber Techniques.
• Xue Zihou agreed to stay with Meng Zhao and planned to send word of his whereabouts to his parents at Divine Saber Hall.
• The story shifted beyond the pass to the Bronze Hammer Tribe, where the tribe’s wise ones distributed scarce resources among the people.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord awoke from cultivation after sensing that the Demonic Seed and Black Heaven Tribulation had shifted, and he shed tears of blood.
• The Heavenly Demon Palace Lord realized Meng Zhao had disrupted the Black Heaven Tribulation’s master-slave bond by transferring and purifying Bei Tangsu’s Demonic Seed.