Chapter Summaries

Cang Yuning fled with Nanny Rong after Guan Shanxue discovered his crimes, then faced his mother Zhu Fenglan, who learned he had been cultivating the dangerous Nine Yin Profound Baleful Art. Meanwhile, Cang Yinyue broke out of a secret chamber and entered a hidden passage in Marquis Cangyuan's study, where her father watched her with a strange smile.

• Nanny Rong rescued Guan Shanxue and hurried Cang Yuning back to Marquis Cangyuan Mansion.
• Cang Yinyue escaped the secret chamber and used the Lingcang Shadow Art to reach Marquis Cangyuan's study.
• Cang Yinyue found a concealed passage behind a display shelf and slipped inside.
• Marquis Cangyuan emerged from hiding and watched the secret passage with a strange smile.
• Zhu Fenglan reprimanded Cang Yuning for cultivating a forbidden art, and he admitted he had sought power beyond the Taiyin Origin Sect's Earth Volume.
• Cang Yuning explained that the Nine Yin Profound Baleful Art had caused the Baleful Desire Flame and driven him to steal women's primal yin, though it had rapidly increased his cultivation.

Zhu Fenglan used poison to prepare to question Guan Shanxue while Cang Yuning left with a woman, and Li Musheng entered Marquis Cangyuan Mansion. Searching beneath her father's study for the Bone-Eroding Yin Wind Finger, Cang Yinyue discovered a hidden mass of corpses and heard her father speak from below.

• Zhu Fenglan rejected Cang Yuning's plan to kill Guan Shanxue and had a maid feed her Thousand Infatuations and Hundred Resentments Powder so they could question her.
• Cang Yuning carried a quilt-wrapped woman away, while Zhu Fenglan and Nanny Rong discussed obtaining blood food for Her Highness.
• Li Musheng followed a thread of true qi to Marquis Cangyuan Mansion and slipped inside, suspecting Cang Yinyue had returned to steal the Bone-Eroding Yin Wind Finger.
• Cang Yinyue searched the cavern beneath her father's study for the manual but found only empty chests and a bronze cauldron suspended from iron chains.
• Cang Yinyue discovered human bones buried above the cauldron, with corpse oil dripping into it, and heard her father call her a good daughter from below.

Marquis Cangyuan revealed that he had become a Martial Grandmaster and tried to make Cang Yinyue swallow the Earth Corpse Pill so she could kill Zhu Fenglan. When he seized her and forced the pill toward her mouth, an unseen person intervened and fed it to him instead.

• Cang Yinyue confronted Marquis Cangyuan about the deaths and corpse oil, and he admitted he had used Zhu Fenglan’s killings to refine the Earth Corpse Pill.
• Marquis Cangyuan shattered the bronze cauldron, took the pill, and revealed his Martial Grandmaster strength.
• Marquis Cangyuan urged Cang Yinyue to take the pill and avenge her mother and elder brother, but she refused and rejected his offer of the marquisate.
• Marquis Cangyuan revealed that Cang Yuning was Zhu Fenglan’s son with the Taiyin Origin Sect’s Fourth Elder and said he intended to kill them both.
• Marquis Cangyuan immobilized Cang Yinyue and tried to force the pill into her mouth, but an unseen person froze him and stuffed the pill into his mouth.

Li Musheng saved Cang Yinyue from swallowing the Earth Corpse Pill by making Marquis Cangyuan take it instead. The pill transformed Marquis Cangyuan with corpse qi, and he attacked Zhu Fenglan’s courtyard, where he revealed that he had used the buried corpses to refine the pill and was connected to the Corpse God Sect.

• Li Musheng appeared in the cave, made Marquis Cangyuan swallow the Earth Corpse Pill, and led Cang Yinyue away.
• Li Musheng and Cang Yinyue hid nearby and watched as Marquis Cangyuan’s restraints wore off and the pill transformed him with corpse qi.
• Marquis Cangyuan charged toward Zhu Fenglan’s courtyard, declaring that he would kill her and a child before settling scores with Li Musheng.
• Marquis Cangyuan attacked Zhu Fenglan and the others with a corpse-qi fist, and Zhu Fenglan defended herself with a frigid yin wind.
• Marquis Cangyuan told Zhu Fenglan that he had refined the Earth Corpse Pill using the corpses buried in her courtyard, and Zhu Fenglan asked when he had joined the Corpse God Sect.

Marquis Cangyuan seized Cang Yuning as a hostage, then killed him and fled the mansion, but an unknown force hurled him and the two pursuing elders back into Zhu Fenglan’s courtyard. Shangguan Qingqing escaped the old woman after revealing how she had tracked and wounded Cang Yuning.

• Two elders rushed to Zhu Fenglan’s aid as Marquis Cangyuan turned toward Cang Yuning’s courtyard.
• Shangguan Qingqing chased Cang Yuning from his room after cutting off his manhood, and Marquis Cangyuan grabbed him to stop Zhu Fenglan and the elders from advancing.
• Marquis Cangyuan flung Cang Yuning toward Zhu Fenglan, causing him to explode in midair, then fled as the two elders pursued him.
• Shangguan Qingqing escaped toward the mansion’s exit while the old woman chased her, and she explained that she had tracked Cang Yuning for his crimes as a flower-plucking thief.
• An unknown force sent Marquis Cangyuan flying back into Zhu Fenglan’s courtyard, carrying the two elders with him, and a young figure appeared nearby.

Li Musheng effortlessly defeated Zhu Fenglan and the others, then discovered a pit filled with the bones of women in the Marquis Mansion. He used the incapacitated attackers to test his Life-Death Seal, leaving them trapped in excruciating agony.

• Li Musheng arrived and blasted Marquis Cangyuan and two Taiyin Origin Sect elders away with a single move.
• Li Musheng told Cang Yinyue to watch, then sent Zhu Fenglan and her two maidservants flying with an invisible surge of true qi.
• Li Musheng led Cang Yinyue to the collapsed courtyard, where they found a pit filled with the bones of women.
• Li Musheng saw that Zhu Fenglan and six others were incapacitated among the bones and decided to test his Life-Death Seal on them.
• Li Musheng sent seven streams of true qi into the attackers, causing them unbearable agony that kept them suspended between life and death.

Li Musheng handed the surviving captives over to Cang Yinyue, then helped Shangguan Qingqing rescue Guan Shanxue from the ruins. He forced the love-inducing poison from Guan Shanxue and introduced himself to Shangguan Qingqing with a string of boastful titles.

• Li Musheng stopped the Life-Death Seal's torment on two maids and left Cang Yinyue to question or punish the captives as she wished.
• Shangguan Qingqing arrived to rescue Guan Shanxue, and Li Musheng let her search the ruins.
• Shangguan Qingqing revived Guan Shanxue, who immediately tried to embrace Li Musheng under the influence of Thousand Infatuations and Hundred Resentments Powder.
• Li Musheng forced the poison from Guan Shanxue, causing her to vomit black liquid and faint, then left her with Shangguan Qingqing.
• Shangguan Qingqing introduced herself and asked Li Musheng's name, and he gave his name along with several grandiose titles.

Li Musheng revealed his overwhelming strength as Cang Yinyue finished avenging her mother and brother, then killed the surviving members of her family and their accomplices. Cang Yinyue felt powerless beside him, while Li Musheng turned his attention toward the Great Li Imperial Palace.

• Shangguan Qingqing asked Li Musheng about his claim to be the number one under heaven and learned he also practiced the blade.
• Cang Yinyue emerged from the bone pit after killing Zhu Fenglan and the old woman, leaving Marquis Cangyuan and four others alive.
• Cang Yinyue explained that Marquis Cangyuan had been corrupted by the Corpse God Sect and revealed that Imperial Concubine Ji had killed young girls to cultivate the Blood-Transforming Origin-Returning Great Art.
• Li Musheng crushed Marquis Cangyuan and the remaining survivors, saying he acted so Cang Yinyue would not have to kill her own father.
• Cang Yinyue admitted she felt inferior to Li Musheng, and Shangguan Qingqing tried to comfort her by comparing them with ordinary people.
• Li Musheng looked toward the Great Li Imperial Palace.

Li Musheng entered the heavily guarded Great Li Imperial Palace to kill Imperial Concubine Ji, whose cultivation relied on blood food. He confronted her in Yixin Palace and warned the assembled guards that their fate depended on their own sins.

• Li Musheng left Cang Yinyue and Shangguan Qingqing at Marquis Cangyuan Mansion and headed for the Great Li Imperial Palace.
• Imperial Concubine Ji took a Blood-Transforming Pill and discussed winning over Consort Jing’s son to aid her son, Zhu'er.
• Li Musheng suddenly appeared in Yixin Palace and asked Imperial Concubine Ji if she had wanted to win him over.
• Imperial Concubine Ji called for protection, and more than a dozen Grandmaster-level maidservants and eunuchs surrounded Li Musheng.
• Li Musheng sealed off the area within thirty zhang and told the guards their lives depended on whether their sins deserved death.

Li Musheng attacked Imperial Concubine Ji and the old matron in Yixin Palace, then left the imperial palace unnoticed. The next morning, the Queen learned that something terrible had happened at Yixin Palace.

• Li Musheng struck the old matron with a bronze candle and used a Life-Death Seal to torment her.
• Imperial Concubine Ji attacked Li Musheng with blood shadows, but he stopped her escape and shattered her body and meridians.
• Li Musheng used another Life-Death Seal on Imperial Concubine Ji before leaving Yixin Palace and vanishing into the inner court.
• The consorts complained that Imperial Concubine Ji had missed the Queen's morning audience, and the Queen sent an elderly eunuch to check on her.
• The elderly eunuch returned and told the Queen that something terrible had happened at Yixin Palace.

After Imperial Concubine Ji and everyone at Yixin Palace were found murdered, the Queen ordered the palace sealed and searched. At Marquis Cangyuan Mansion, Guan Tianqian found a hidden message connecting the bone pit to the palace killings and resolved to investigate despite a warning.

• The old eunuch told the Queen that Imperial Concubine Ji and everyone in Yixin Palace had been killed, and the Queen ordered Li Tianyi informed and the inner palace sealed and searched.
• The Imperial Secret Police found Guan Shanxue unconscious at its gates, and investigators discovered a pit of white bones at Marquis Cangyuan Mansion.
• Guan Tianqian used his qi to reveal writing in the courtyard that exposed a connection between the bones and an Imperial Concubine, shocking Ji Feiyun and the others.
• Guan Tianqian told Fu Yu that the killer was a Heavenly Human Realm expert and directed the Imperial Secret Police to uncover the truth.
• After leaving the mansion, Guan Tianqian read a warning on a stone stating that Imperial Concubine Ji was dead and urging him to investigate properly, then looked toward the palace and questioned whether she was truly dead.

Li Tianyi investigated the massacre in Yixin Palace and ordered the palace sealed while he sought the Queen’s decree on informing Imperial Concubine Ji’s relatives. At the Heavenly Brocade Guard Headquarters, Li Musheng treated Cang Yinyue’s facial tattoo and gave her ointment to complete its removal.

• Li Tianyi found no trace of the martial aura used to kill Imperial Concubine Ji and the others in Yixin Palace.
• Li Tianyi ordered Xiao Han to seal the palace and summon investigators from the Imperial Secret Police and Hidden Spy Bureau.
• Li Tianyi told Xiao Han to seek the Queen’s decree before informing the Third Prince and the Right Chancellor.
• Cang Yinyue brought Li Musheng the Bone-Eroding Yin Wind Finger manual and asked him to remove her tattoo.
• Li Musheng used golden true qi to purge the tattoo’s poisonous, frigid energy and gave Cang Yinyue scar-healing ointment to finish the recovery within twelve hours.

Li Musheng summoned his three imperial teachers and tested them by asking about martial realms beyond the Heavenly Human Realm. When they revealed that his supposed historical source was a storybook novel, he left in exasperation.

• Li Musheng asked the guard to bring his three teachers to the courtyard and summon their Commander afterward.
• Zhang Song, Guo Zhen'ang, and Master Xuanyi arrived, and Li Musheng told them he wanted to test their knowledge.
• Li Musheng asked what they knew of realms above the Heavenly Human Realm, but the three said no such realm existed.
• Li Musheng insisted that an ancient text described the Martial Transcendence Realm and identified it as Records of Martial History.
• Zhang Song explained that Records of Martial History was a fictional storybook by Wu Daoshi, and Li Musheng ordered the guard to see the guests out before leaving.

Li Musheng questioned the limits of martial arts after General Wu'an and the others denied that Martial Transcendence existed, then reaffirmed that he would judge the matter through his own practice. He recruited Cang Yinyue to help find the keys to the Heavenly Revelation Secret Treasury and asked Fu Qiwen how likely his planned campaign against Falling God Peak was to succeed.

• General Wu'an left after refusing to teach Li Musheng, while Master Xuanyi and Zhang Song worried that Li Musheng had taken offense.
• Li Musheng considered whether Martial Transcendence existed, then resolved to verify it for himself rather than trust others' claims.
• Cang Yinyue thanked Li Musheng for helping restore her appearance, agreed to work for him, and was assigned to seek keys while retaining her roles in the Imperial Secret Police and Hidden Spy Bureau.
• Li Musheng told Cang Yinyue that he had already informed the Imperial Secret Police about the incident at Marquis Cangyuan Mansion, and she left feeling reassured by his support.
• Fu Qiwen told Li Musheng that Heavenly Brocade Guard troops were gathering to attack Falling God Peak, and Li Musheng asked how confident he was of success.

Fu Qiwen declared his resolve to destroy Falling God Peak or die there, while Li Musheng planned to travel there on his own in three days. At Six Fans Gate, Guan Tianqian questioned Guan Shanxue about the Marquis Cangyuan Mansion deaths, and she recalled seeing the handsome young man from the tavern there.

• Fu Qiwen told Li Musheng that he had set aside fear of death and would either wipe out Falling God Peak or die there.
• Li Musheng declined to travel with Fu Qiwen but said he would set out for Falling God Peak in three days and meet him there.
• Li Musheng asked Fu Qiwen whether the Martial Transcendence Realm existed beyond the Heavenly Human Realm, but Fu Qiwen rejected the idea.
• Guan Tianqian questioned Guan Shanxue about her visit to Marquis Cangyuan Mansion and the events surrounding the deaths there.
• Guan Shanxue said Cang Yinyue had sealed her acupoints, but Guan Tianqian suspected that a stronger martial artist had done it.
• Guan Shanxue remembered seeing the handsome young man who had been with Cang Yinyue at Marquis Cangyuan Mansion.

Guan Tianqian was summoned to the palace and discovered that Imperial Concubine Ji had been killed. At Six Fans Gate, Fu Yu learned Cang Yinyue had disappeared after Marquis Cangyuan’s household was massacred and that she had found the Eighth Prince, but he remained committed to marrying her.

• Guan Tianqian suspected the young man Guan Shanxue had seen at Marquis Cangyuan Mansion was connected to the massacre and told her to keep their discussion secret.
• A palace eunuch summoned Guan Tianqian and two Gold Medal Catchers to Yixin Palace, where they found Imperial Concubine Ji dead.
• Ji Feiyun and Gong Lishan told Fu Yu that Cang Yinyue had escaped confinement and might have been involved in the deaths at Marquis Cangyuan Mansion.
• Ji Feiyun revealed that Cang Yinyue had brought the Eighth Prince, whom the Emperor had recently acknowledged, to Aurora Pavilion.
• Fu Yu said he would not abandon his marriage engagement to Cang Yinyue.

Fu Yu ordered an investigation into the Marquis Cangyuan Mansion case and continued searching for the Hidden Kill Order, while Li Musheng received a flood of gifts and spoke with Li Yuanling about his absent elder sister, Li Ru'an. He realized that Li Ru'an had likely watched him from the roof the previous night before leaving without meeting him.

• Fu Yu told Ji Feiyun to inform the Fourth Elder of the Taiyin Origin Sect about the events at Marquis Cangyuan Mansion and ordered the case investigated.
• Gong Lishan reported that he had found no trace of the Hidden Kill Order, and Fu Yu explained how the Hidden Kill Pavilion would identify and hunt whoever held it.
• Li Musheng received gifts from imperial relatives, officials, and nobles, then admired the wealth filling the side hall.
• Li Yuanling visited Li Musheng and reproached him for betraying her, then asked whether Li Ru'an had sent him a gift.
• Li Musheng said Li Ru'an had not sent a gift or met him, but recalled that a woman had watched him from the roof the previous night and suspected she was his elder sister.

Li Yuanling joined Li Musheng on a tour of Shangyang City, while at the Second Prince's Residence, Li Que and Li Zhu discussed a powerful martial artist and the Emperor's reasons for keeping Li Zhi alive. The chapter left Li Que arguing that Li Zhi could be useful in expanding Great Li's territory.

• Li Yuanling offered to show Li Musheng around Shangyang City, and he accepted her invitation.
• A eunuch arrived at the Third Prince's Residence with an urgent report.
• Li Zhu praised the martial artists gathered at Li Que's residence, and Elder Zhe said an unidentified expert had effortlessly subdued Zhu Wuming and reached the Heavenly Human Realm.
• Li Zhu asked Li Que about the Eighth Prince and the Emperor's treatment of Li Zhi.
• Li Que said he would keep Li Zhi alive because the fake prince could serve as a weapon for expanding Great Li's territory.

Li Que and Li Zhu discussed Li Zhi’s abilities and wondered why Emperor Yuanwu had preserved his princely status. At the martial arts arena, Old Man Wuxiang overwhelmed the fighters and appeared before Li Que, who asked whether he would serve in his residence.

• Li Que praised Li Zhi’s talent and reassured Li Zhu that they could join forces to build a future for Great Li.
• Li Que and Li Zhu wondered why Emperor Yuanwu had left Li Zhi’s position as Seventh Prince vacant, then concluded he could not inherit the throne.
• A group of martial artists confronted the approaching Old Man Wuxiang, but his Formless Puppet Technique made them kneel and kowtow until they collapsed.
• Elder Zhe recognized Old Man Wuxiang and addressed him as the Exiled Immortal, after which the old man appeared before Li Que and the others.
• Li Que asked Old Man Wuxiang whether he was willing to enter his residence and serve under him.

Old Man Wuxiang joined Li Que’s residence in exchange for help finding his disciple’s killers, but Li Zhu received word that Imperial Concubine Ji had died and rushed to the palace. Li Que and his advisers considered how an unseen killer could have entered the imperial palace.

• Old Man Wuxiang asked Li Que to help him find the man and woman who killed his disciple, offering three years of service in return.
• Li Que agreed to host Old Man Wuxiang, and Elder Zhe recognized him as a master of the Myriad Form Demon Sect’s Formless Divine Canon.
• A palace eunuch told Li Zhu that Imperial Concubine Ji had died, and Li Zhu seized him before Li Que persuaded him to let the eunuch explain.
• After hearing the account of what happened in Yixin Palace, Li Zhu raced to the imperial palace.
• Li Que asked Elder Zhe how the killer could have entered unnoticed, and Old Man Wuxiang recalled White Shadow’s infiltration of the Great Xuan Imperial Palace.