Chapter Summaries

Chu Qing defeated Meng Hui’s Myriad Buddha Kingdom Technique by seeing through its illusions and tricking the Buddha King into revealing his true body. As Meng Hui lay dying, he warned Chu Qing that the next attack was real, and the shattered Buddha statues began reassembling into a colossal figure.

• The Buddha King’s Myriad Buddha Kingdom Technique overwhelmed Wan Chunhua and Mu Tong’er, but Chu Qing identified the real stone statues and shattered every statue in the Myriad Buddha Forest with a single word.
• Chu Qing fought through the stone dragon and tiger, ignored the illusory Arhat Dharma Images, and split the Buddha Ancestor’s false image to make Meng Hui reveal his position.
• Chu Qing struck Meng Hui’s Mingmen, leaving the Buddha King severely injured and exposing how he had used illusion and deception to control his opponents.
• Meng Hui acknowledged Chu Qing’s skill, then admitted he had deceived people as the Buddha Lord and warned that his next move was real.
• The shattered stones gathered into a colossal Buddha statue, which pulled the Buddha Wheel from behind its head and hurled it down at Chu Qing.

Chu Qing suspected Buddha King had survived by using the Boat Changing Scripture, then treated the rescued villagers while a deranged Heavenly Evil Cult Leader mutilated Su Su. As the chapter ended, Mu Tong'er asked Chu Qing whether he planned to marry both women already at his side.

• Chu Qing rescued Wu Qianhuan and the others when Buddha King's Buddha Wheel shattered, then reasoned that Buddha King may have transferred himself into another vessel.
• A young Heavenly Evil Cult Leader learned that Buddha King had awakened and gone mad, but declined to pursue him in the Southern Region and mutilated Su Su instead.
• Chu Qing cleared the remnants of Buddha King's influence from the Heavenly Buddha Village villagers, who gradually remembered their identities and thanked him.
• Mu Tong'er joined Chu Qing on a rooftop with wine, admitted she had once planned to repay him by giving herself to him, and asked whether he intended to marry both women in his life.

Chu Qing and his companions prepared to leave Heavenly Buddha Temple after Mu Tong'er helped dispel the surrounding fog formation and free the trapped travelers. Wen Rou adopted a strange treasure-finding hamster named Mihua, and Chu Qing arranged for the rescued people to return home while the Vast Sea Twin Heroes carried Meng Hui's token and news to the Xuhuai Sect.

• Mu Tong'er offered Chu Qing her help in return for saving her life, and Chu Qing planned to return to Southern Ridge before the Heavenly Unity Sect's Martial Arts Gathering.
• Wen Rou brought Chu Qing a hamster she had picked up, and it dropped gemstones and gold from its mouth; she named it Mihua and decided to raise it.
• The next morning, Wan Chunhua revealed that the hamster had tried to steal her Shark Slaying Saber.
• After the rescued travelers said they could not escape the fog, Mu Tong'er broke the formation by charging through it and smashing stone piles.
• Wan Chunhua introduced Chu Qing as the Northern Ridge Martial Arts Alliance Leader, and the grateful travelers departed once the fog cleared.
• Chu Qing asked the Vast Sea Twin Heroes to deliver Meng Hui's token and grim news to the Xuhuai Sect in the Eastern Domain.

In Heavenly Dance City, Chu Fan and the city’s defenders defeated a group of Western Regions intruders and learned that they were fleeing the Heavenly Evil Cult. A month after the battle at Heavenly Buddha Temple, Chu Qing’s party headed back toward Southern Ridge, where Ren Beiming arrived to challenge him.

• A group of intruders tried to seize Heavenly Dance City and attack the Chu Family, but Wuchan, Madam Chu, and Wu Ganqi defeated them.
• Wu Ganqi questioned the captured pale-faced leader, who revealed that the Heavenly Evil Cult had taken half of the Western Regions and that his group had sought another path rather than submit.
• Wu Ganqi ordered the intruders beheaded, then discussed the growing danger from Western Regions visitors with Chu Fan.
• Chu Fan asked Wuchan about Chu Qing and told him that the Heavenly Unity Sect’s Martial Arts Gathering would take place on the eighth day of the sixth month.
• A month after the battle at Heavenly Buddha Temple, Chu Qing traveled with Wu Qianhuan, Wen Rou, Wan Chunhua, and Liu Qingyan toward Southern Ridge as Wen Rou’s emotions began to show.
• Ren Beiming, the Heartless Sword of the Eastern Domain, confronted Chu Qing and challenged him.

Ren Beiming challenged Chu Qing, then joined him after Chu Qing exposed his weakness and imparted a sword technique. Chu Qing led his companions to the Ghost Emperor Palace, where they encountered Bai Yushu and found Hua Jinnian seated on the throne.

• Ren Beiming explained that the Heavenly Evil Cult had ravaged the Eastern Domain and that Martial Emperor Li Juechen had disappeared; Chu Qing questioned the Martial Emperor’s reputation and unsettled Ren Beiming by describing accusations against him.
• Chu Qing declared Ren Beiming defeated, gave him a sword’s guidance, and accepted him as a subordinate; he said that if Li Juechen had abused his disciples, Ren Beiming should kill him.
• Chu Qing returned to Tongtian Mountain Manor, found it empty, and decided to go to the Ghost Emperor Palace with Wan Chunhua, Ren Beiming, Wu Qianhuan, and Wen Rou.
• Bai Yushu welcomed Chu Qing’s group at the Ghost Emperor Palace and led them to the Hall of No Recourse, while Mihua disappeared again.
• Chu Qing entered the hall, saw Hua Jinnian on the throne, and remarked that she had looked better as a man.

Chu Qing reunited with Hua Jinnian, who revealed her past and joined his journey to the Heavenly Unity Sect for its Martial Arts Gathering. There, he was welcomed by old acquaintances, but a young Daoist reported that someone had forced their way into the sect.

• Chu Qing learned that Hua Jinnian had created Heaven and Earth Transformation to change her appearance, and Hua Jinnian explained her hatred and doubts about the Ghost Emperor.
• Hua Jinnian joined Chu Qing's group, and she said Gongyang Chou and Gu Ling'er had left the Ghost Emperor Palace rather than being killed by her.
• Chu Qing and his companions reached the Heavenly Unity Sect, where the sect master welcomed them and led them toward the main hall.
• Chu Qing found Beitang Lie, Tie Lingyun, Cheng Tieshan, Tie Chuqing, Nian Xin, Nian An, and Cao Qiupu arguing in the hall, and they greeted him warmly.
• A young Daoist recognized Chu Qing and told the sect leader that someone had forced their way into the Heavenly Unity Sect.

At the Heavenly Unity Sect, Tianfengzi stopped Kashyapa and a black-robed fugitive from fighting and fleeing, while Chu Qing revealed his overwhelming power and recognized the dispute as being over the Great Sumeru Zen Monastery’s stolen Vairocana Jade Buddha. The fugitive remained cornered, and Kashyapa asked Chu Qing whether he could guarantee the Southern Region group would not trouble him.

• A young Taoist priest reported trouble, and Chu Qing recognized him from their earlier meeting at the Blazing Fire Hall stronghold.
• Tianfengzi used Immortal Guiding the Way and his Green Lotus Sword to knock Kashyapa and the black-robed man out of the air.
• Kashyapa identified himself as a monk from the Western Region Great Sumeru Zen Monastery, while the black-robed man tried to escape during Tianfengzi’s confrontation with him.
• Chu Qing released a crushing pressure that forced the black-robed man back down, then greeted Kashyapa and demanded the stolen item be returned.
• Wan Chunhua identified the item as the Vairocana Jade Buddha, and Chu Qing offered to spare the black-robed man if he handed it over.
• Kashyapa asked Chu Qing what connection he had to the others and whether he could keep them from pursuing the monk.

Chu Qing settled a confrontation over the Vairocana Jade Buddha by promising the black-robed man a chance to petition the Ghost Emperor, then invited Kashyapa to stay for the Heavenly Unity Sect gathering. After discussing the martial world’s shifting alliances, Chu Qing and Wu Qianhuan began their swordplay training in private.

• Tianfengzi recognized Kashyapa’s status after Chu Qing explained they had met before, and Kashyapa agreed to enter the Heavenly Unity Sect as a guest.
• The black-robed man threatened to smash the Vairocana Jade Buddha, but Chu Qing offered to help him seek the Ghost Emperor’s intervention if he aided in the rescue from Ten Absolutes Cave.
• The black-robed man handed the jade Buddha to Kashyapa, who inspected it and confirmed it was genuine; Chu Qing then persuaded Kashyapa to stay for the Heroes’ Gathering.
• Chu Qing recounted his Northern Ridge exploits and discussed Southern Ridge factions with the others, revealing how much influence he held across the martial world.
• That night, Wu Qianhuan joined Chu Qing for their planned Heaven’s Dawn Swordplay training and took the lead after telling him to stop hesitating.

Chu Qing told Wu Qianhuan he was gathering allies because he no longer trusted the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to stop the Heavenly Evil Cult, and he planned to test the Ghost Emperor over Li Juechen's case. At Heavenly Unity Sect, Wen Rou's former master Cui Bunü recognized her after she appeared at the hall with Chu Qing.

• Chu Qing explained to Wu Qianhuan that he was building up his forces to oppose the Heavenly Evil Cult and prepare for the Mirror of Sin, while watching the Ghost Emperor and Martial Emperor closely.
• Chu Qing and Wu Qianhuan reunited with their companions at breakfast, where Hua Jinnian teased Chu Qing and Cao Qiupu described Iron Blood Hall's campaign against the Mirror of Sin.
• The group heard that Cui Bunü had arrived at Heavenly Unity Sect and went to the main hall to meet him.
• Bian Cheng recognized Wen Rou at the doorway, but Cui Bunü and Mo Duxing initially doubted him.
• Chu Qing led Wen Rou into the hall, where she respectfully greeted her master and Cui Bunü realized she was truly his missing disciple.

Chu Qing and Wen Rou returned to the Great Easy Sect with the recovered Book of the Immutable Heavens, and Cui Bunü thanked Chu Qing for restoring the sect’s lost manual. In private, Cui Bunü warned Chu Qing not to challenge the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, then learned that Mo Duxing was the Sword Emperor’s son and recalled finding him as a lone survivor in a slaughtered village.

• Cui Bunü scolded Mo Duxing and Bian Cheng, then welcomed Wen Rou and Chu Qing back to the Heavenly Unity Main Hall.
• Wen Rou gave Cui Bunü the Earth Character Scroll and described their dangerous journey, while Chu Qing explained how they encountered Buddha King and the Boat Changing Scripture at Heavenly Buddha Temple.
• Cui Bunü praised Chu Qing for recovering Great Easy Sect’s secret manual and privately advised him to avoid challenging the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, citing the sect founder’s admonitions.
• Chu Qing told Cui Bunü that Mo Duxing was the son of Huangfu Changkong, the Sword Emperor, and Cui Bunü wondered whether he had held Mo Duxing back.
• Cui Bunü recalled finding Mo Duxing barely alive among the bodies in a village slaughtered by bandits and taking him as his disciple.

Chu Qing and Cui Bunü discussed Mo Duxing’s uncertain origins and agreed that Cui Bunü would tell him the truth after the Martial Arts Gathering. When Heavenly Dance City’s Liu Zhaohua was attacked, Chu Qing and Wu Qianhuan rushed to help, and Chu Qing launched a sword strike at her assailant’s evil Buddha Dharma Image.

• Chu Qing questioned Cui Bunü about the village massacre and considered whether one powerful killer had staged the deaths to look like the work of a group.
• Cui Bunü decided to tell Mo Duxing about his origins after the Martial Arts Gathering and let him choose whether to seek his birth family or remain with his master.
• Wen Fusheng confronted Chu Qing about his relationship with Wen Rou, while Wu Qianhuan said she would accept Wen Rou if their feelings proved mutual.
• Young Taoists told Chu Qing that Heavenly Dance City’s people had been attacked, so Chu Qing and Wu Qianhuan immediately set out to find them.
• Chu Qing and Wu Qianhuan found Liu Zhaohua facing an evil Buddha Dharma Image, and Chu Qing sent a sweeping sword strike at it.

Chu Qing arrived in time to drive off a mad attacker who had wounded Liu Zhaohua and the others, and he suspected the attacker was another incarnation of the Buddha King. After reuniting with his parents and Wu Qianhuan’s family, Chu Qing led everyone back toward the Heavenly Unity Sect, while the escaped enemy remained at large.

• Chu Qing and Wu Qianhuan arrived as Chu Qing’s sword strike shattered the attacker’s evil Buddha Dharma Image and forced him to flee.
• Liu Zhaohua reunited with Chu Yunfei, and Chu Qing learned that the attacker had wounded everyone and kept asking, “Where is my boat?”
• Chu Qing told his family about killing the Buddha King and suspected the attacker was another Buddha King, but said he could defeat him again if needed.
• Chu Qing explained that he would continue concealing his identity for now, and he and Chu Yunfei found their father-son bond had grown closer.
• The group reached the Heavenly Dance City survivors, where Wu Qianhuan reunited with Wu Ganqi and Chu Qing checked everyone’s injuries.
• Reinforcements from the Heavenly Unity Sect arrived, and the group headed back there.

Chu Qing reunited with his family at the Heavenly Unity Sect, where they learned of his power and status. He proposed moving Heavenly Dance City north of the ridge to protect his family from the Heavenly Evil Cult’s coming invasion.

• Chu Qing and the others discussed the attack on Heavenly Dance City, and Chu Qing suspected the attacker was the Buddha King suffering backlash from the Boat Changing Scripture.
• Lan Shuyi reasoned that the attacker’s madness made his intentions impossible to predict, so Chu Qing ordered tighter guards around the Heavenly Unity Sect before the Martial Arts Gathering.
• Wu Ganqi worried that Chu Qing’s growing influence could leave Wu Qianhuan vulnerable, but she assured him Chu Qing treated her well.
• Chu Qing reunited with Qin Yuqi and revealed that he was Chu Tian’s third brother, prompting Wu Qianhuan to announce that he had become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader north of the ridge.
• Chu Qing told his family that the Heavenly Evil Cult’s expansion threatened the regions and proposed moving Heavenly Dance City north of the ridge for protection.

Chu Qing arranged for Wu Ganqi and Chu Yunfei’s families to relocate to northern ridge and take charge of Star Splitting Manor, then reviewed Beitang Zun’s intelligence network. The chapter ended with Beitang Zun reporting that a woman claiming to be Fleeing Scholar’s wife had appeared to avenge him by killing Not a Monk.

• Wu Ganqi agreed to leave Heavenly Dance City for northern ridge, where Chu Qing offered him and Chu Yunfei control of Star Splitting Manor.
• Chu Qing told Wu Ganqi he intended to marry Wu Qianhuan after dealing with the Heavenly Evil Cult and resolving matters involving Mirror of Sin.
• Beitang Zun presented Chu Qing with a report on his intelligence organization, which included Xia Wanshuang and Chu Qing’s old contact Zhou Yi.
• Chu Qing instructed Beitang Zun to expand the network across the regions and gather information about injustices as well as major events.
• Beitang Zun told Chu Qing that a woman claiming to be Fleeing Scholar’s wife had arrived in the martial world and vowed to kill Not a Monk for revenge.

Chu Qing investigated Fleeing Scholar’s death and learned that someone may have used an unknown route through Heavenly Pass Ridge. Fleeing Scholar’s dying wife came to him and revealed that Not a Monk and a mysterious middle-aged man had attacked her, leaving the mystery surrounding her husband’s death unresolved.

• Chu Qing ordered Beitang Zun to investigate Fleeing Scholar’s wife and locate Not a Monk, then asked Hua Jinnian whether Not a Monk had crossed Heavenly Pass Ridge.
• Hua Jinnian explained that Ghost Emperor Palace watched the known routes through Heavenly Pass Ridge, and Chu Qing realized that someone could have used a hidden fourth path once known to Sword Emperor Huangfu Chengren.
• Chu Qing put the investigation aside until after the Martial Arts Gathering, but Beitang Zun brought Fleeing Scholar’s wife to see him that night after she came looking for Chu Qing.
• Fleeing Scholar’s wife recalled that she and Fleeing Scholar had traveled the world together and that he had become despondent over its cruelty before discovering something that might change its order.
• Fleeing Scholar’s wife said Not a Monk and a middle-aged man had attacked her, and that the man’s starry eyes had harmed her and left her believing she was ill.

Fleeing Scholar’s wife asked Chu Qing to avenge her husband by killing Not a Monk, then died after leaving the Heavenly Unity Sect. Three days later, the grand gathering of Southern Ridge convened to oppose the Heavenly Evil Cult, but its leaders arrived just as Bai Fangjun challenged Chu Qing over whether the cult existed.

• Fleeing Scholar’s wife told Chu Qing how Not a Monk killed Fleeing Scholar and begged him to take revenge, offering the Way of the Gentleman; Chu Qing accepted the request.
• Fleeing Scholar’s wife left the Heavenly Unity Sect and died beside a memorial tablet, and Chu Qing ordered her buried with Fleeing Scholar.
• Chu Qing told Wu Qianhuan what had happened and asked her not to follow Fleeing Scholar’s wife if he died; Wu Qianhuan vowed she would follow him even into death.
• Three days later, Chu Qing, Wu Qianhuan, and Wen Rou attended the grand gathering of Southern Ridge, where Tianfengzi called for resistance against the Heavenly Evil Cult.
• Bai Fangjun questioned whether the Heavenly Evil Cult existed and accused Chu Qing of being tied to its affairs, but figures suddenly rushed toward the gathering from all directions.

Chu Qing’s authority as Lingbei’s Martial Arts Alliance Leader was revealed when its leading experts arrived at Southern Ridge and knelt before him. He then confronted Bai Fangjun, promising to recount the Heavenly Evil Cult’s atrocities and insisting that he had no need to deceive Bai.

• Bai Fangjun opposed recognizing the Heavenly Evil Cult because he feared a Martial Arts Alliance Leader would help the Three Halls destroy the Two Gangs.
• Liu Zhaonian, Ouyang Tianxu, Ji Yexue, Sikong Yijian, and other Lingbei leaders announced they had come to Southern Ridge by their Alliance Leader’s command.
• The Lingbei delegation knelt before Chu Qing, revealing him as their Martial Arts Alliance Leader and stunning the gathering.
• Wen Fusheng, Chu Qing’s family, Lan Shuyi, and others reacted with shock, pride, and private thoughts about Chu Qing’s influence.
• Chu Qing addressed Bai Fangjun, saying he would recount the Heavenly Evil Cult’s massacres and that he had no reason to join forces with Northern Ridge and Southern Ridge’s powers to deceive him.

Chu Qing became the Martial Arts Alliance Leader of the Southern Ridge after defeating every challenger, then laid out plans to investigate the Heavenly Evil Cult and find Ghost Emperor Moduo. As the gathered factions acknowledged his leadership, a Buddha Ancestor Dharma Image appeared and attacked him for sitting on a dragon throne.

• Bai Fangjun resisted Chu Qing’s pressure, then accepted that the Heavenly Water Gang needed his protection and pledged support.
• Tianfengzi proposed Chu Qing as Southern Ridge Alliance Leader, and Chu Qing defeated all those who challenged his appointment.
• The martial factions accepted Chu Qing as their Alliance Leader and presented him with a golden Alliance Leader’s Throne.
• Chu Qing ordered the factions to investigate the Heavenly Evil Cult, gather intelligence on the Eastern and Western Regions, and join him in finding Ghost Emperor Moduo.
• A Buddha Ancestor Dharma Image appeared above the assembly, condemned Chu Qing for sitting on the dragon throne, and brought its palm down to attack him.

Chu Qing defeated Buddha King’s attack, captured him, and secured the Southern Region’s wholehearted support as Alliance Leader. After organizing plans against the Heavenly Evil Cult, Chu Qing questioned the captive and learned that Buddha King believed he belonged to the Great Qian Dynasty.

• Buddha King summoned an evil Buddha Dharma Image to attack the gathering, but Chu Qing used A Sword Separating Worlds to pierce it and gravely wound him.
• Chu Qing found Buddha King, captured him, and revealed that he was one of the Heavenly Evil Cult’s Twelve Sacred Kings.
• Chu Qing rallied the gathering to use Buddha King to consecrate the Alliance banner, then assigned sect leaders to discuss plans for the eastern and western regions, screening spies, and rescuing the Ghost Emperor.
• Chu Qing returned to his room and woke Buddha King so he could question him.
• Buddha King proudly declared that the court he had mentioned belonged to the Great Qian Dynasty.

Chu Qing and the others deduced that the Heavenly Evil Cult might be the hidden royal bloodline of the fallen Great Qian Dynasty, with its ranks mirroring an imperial court. They agreed to keep the theory secret, and Chu Qing killed the mad Buddha King before ordering the group to prepare for a journey to Ten Absolutes Cave to retrieve the Ghost Emperor.

• Buddha King raved about a broken boat and the Great Qian Dynasty, then failed to attack Chu Qing because his meridians and mind were ruined.
• Chu Qing explained that the Heavenly Evil Cult's hierarchy resembled an imperial court, and Wen Rou identified the Twelve Sacred Kings as possible princes and nobles.
• Chu Qing and the others reasoned that the Heavenly Evil Cult might be the Great Qian Dynasty's royal bloodline, seeking to conquer the martial world before revealing its legitimacy.
• Chu Qing warned the group not to spread their deduction because it could destabilize the Southern Region alliance and create unpredictable power struggles.
• Chu Qing killed Buddha King, ordered Ren Beiming and Wan Chunhua to burn his corpse, and announced that they would leave for Ten Absolutes Cave the next morning to retrieve the Ghost Emperor.