Chapter Summaries

Chu Qing and Yin Yang Recluse neutralized Shang Qiuyu’s Poison of Dripping Water, and Chu Qing returned to find Cao Qiupu murdered and the allied forces on the verge of a dispute. He accepted a commission to kill the true culprit and prepared to examine Cao Qiupu’s body privately with Miss Ling Fei present.

• Chu Qing sustained twelve shichen of inner-force treatment while Yin Yang Recluse drew the poison from Shang Qiuyu, leaving him cured but unconscious.
• Chu Qing left a letter for Shang Qiuyu, received an Acupuncture Bronze Figure from Yin Yang Recluse, and hurried back to the gathered martial artists.
• Chu Qing arrived to find Tie Lingyun’s Southern Ridge faction confronting Liu Zhaonian’s group, then learned that Cao Qiupu had been murdered.
• Chu Qing examined Cao Qiupu’s corpse and ended the quarrel, ordering everyone to prepare to continue their journey.
• Miss Ling Fei gave Chu Qing Cao Qiupu’s martial arts manual, and Chu Qing accepted a commission to slay the true culprit.
• Chu Qing asked Miss Ling Fei to keep silent about what she was about to witness as he prepared to investigate Cao Qiupu’s body.

Chu Qing uncovered Kashyapa as the killer of Cao Qiupu and confronted him while answering a distress signal from the Great Sumeru Zen Monastery. Cao Qiupu then revealed himself alive beneath a guard’s disguise, leaving Kashyapa face to face with the man he had believed dead.

• Ren Beiming reported that Cao Qiupu had been pursued and killed by someone who returned to the group, and Chu Qing proposed inspecting everyone’s shoulder wounds to identify the culprit.
• Chu Qing fused his unfinished task chains, triggering the final Nameless on the List commission to kill every guest on the Evil Execution List at the Mirror of Sin Assembly.
• Kashyapa arrived with a fire signal from Great Sumeru Zen Monastery disciples trapped in Heavenly Pass Ridge, and Chu Qing went with him to rescue them.
• As Kashyapa led Chu Qing and two disguised guards deeper into the ridge, Chu Qing accused him of defecting to the Heavenly Evil Cult.
• Chu Qing exposed the distinctive sword wound on Kashyapa’s shoulder, and one of the guards removed his human-skin mask to reveal Cao Qiupu alive.

Chu Qing revealed that he had revived Cao Qiupu and exposed Kashyapa’s conspiracy, then captured Kashyapa to keep him alive until he could draw out the hidden Chimei Wangliang and the Earth Butcher Weapon Master. Disguised as Kashyapa, Cao Qiupu accompanied Chu Qing into the ambush, where an enemy confronted them with the Three Origins Life Creation Finger.

• Cao Qiupu returned the Painted Skin to Chu Qing, and Chu Qing explained how he had revived him after Kashyapa’s attack.
• Chu Qing told Kashyapa that he had exposed the conspiracy to control the timing and lure out the hidden enemies, then learned that Kashyapa had joined the Heavenly Evil Cult to preserve the Great Sumeru Zen Monastery and seek power.
• Kashyapa tried to kill himself, but Chu Qing seized him and kept him alive so he could help expose the ambushers and the Earth Butcher Weapon Master.
• Chu Qing and Cao Qiupu exchanged disguises, while Miss Ling Fei took the restrained Kashyapa back toward Tie Lingyun and the others.
• Chu Qing warned Cao Qiupu to be careful and led him to the ambush, where a crane cried out and an unseen figure faced them with the Three Origins Life Creation Finger.

Chu Qing fought off five Western Regions leaders, then pretended to be gravely wounded to draw out the forces behind the ambush. After he killed the Great Sumeru Zen Monastery’s traitorous abbot and disciples, the master of Literary Heart Pavilion and the Earth Butcher appeared to confront him.

• Chu Qing redirected the attacks of Bai Xiaozong, Song Qinghe, Qi Lian Tian, and Duan Qingchen, overwhelming them while Meng Qianfan watched.
• Kashyapa and the surviving disciples of Great Sumeru Zen Monastery arrived, claimed they sought Chu Qing’s protection, and then attacked him under the abbot’s lead.
• Chu Qing killed the abbot and slaughtered the monastery’s remaining disciples with A Sword Separating Worlds, while pretending to be injured.
• The master of Literary Heart Pavilion emerged from hiding and praised Kashyapa, while Chu Qing accused him of joining the Heavenly Evil Cult.
• The Earth Butcher revealed himself and challenged Chu Qing, declaring that he would kill him.

Chu Qing faced the Earth Butcher Weapon Master, the Literary Heart Pavilion master, and a thousand Heavenly Evil Cult elites, but their plan shifted when Martial King arrived and demanded a three-palm test. After Chu Qing’s first palm sent Martial King backward, Martial King offered to take him as a disciple, then learned Chu Qing had used only one tenth of his strength.

• Chu Qing and Cao Qiupu confronted the Earth Butcher Weapon Master, who revealed that reinforcements were coming and that a thousand Heavenly Evil Cult elites had surrounded them.
• Martial King arrived, reprimanded Earth Butcher for injuring Chu Qing, and challenged Chu Qing to strike him three times.
• The Earth Butcher Weapon Master and the master of the Literary Heart Pavilion secretly agreed to intervene if Martial King was in danger.
• Martial King claimed his Martial God Mirror made him invulnerable and stood ready as Chu Qing struck him with a palm.
• Chu Qing’s palm drove Martial King back three to five zhang, and Martial King praised the technique and offered to take Chu Qing as his disciple.
• Chu Qing said he had used one tenth of his strength, leaving Martial King stunned.

Chu Qing faced the Martial King and the Heavenly Evil Cult forces, while the Martial King mistook Chu Qing's strength for a bluff and disrupted Cao Huichen's ambush. Chu Qing revealed that he had prepared a counter-ambush, and the Martial King challenged him to strike again before demanding that he become his disciple.

• The Martial King dismissed Chu Qing's claim that he had held back as an attempt to undermine his confidence, while Chu Qing questioned the strength of the Earth Butcher Weapon Master and Cao Huichen's preparations.
• Cao Huichen ordered the Heavenly Evil Cult disciples to attack, but the Martial King stopped them and trapped Cao Huichen in the Six Chapters Scripture after Cao Huichen challenged his authority.
• The Earth Butcher Weapon Master tried to withdraw with Cao Huichen, but Chu Qing persuaded the Martial King to make him stay and watch their fight.
• Liu Zhaonian's forces surrounded the Heavenly Evil Cult, and Chu Qing revealed that he had anticipated the ambush and was not seriously injured.
• The Martial King offered to teach Chu Qing and challenged him to land three palms; Chu Qing clarified that his earlier strike had used only a little strength.

Chu Qing fought Martial King, who used the Martial God Mirror to copy Chu Qing’s dragon-shaped palm strike and revealed that his feigned foolishness had been a scheme. As Earth Butcher Weapon Master and Cao Huichen joined the battle, Chu Qing disrupted Cao Huichen’s attack and unleashed Moonlight, but the chapter ended as Chu Qing and Martial King’s palms finally collided.

• Chu Qing suspected Martial King was hiding his true nature, then unleashed a dragon-shaped palm strike woven with sword qi.
• Martial King used the Martial God Mirror to copy Chu Qing’s technique, and their attacks collided in a devastating blast.
• Martial King revealed that he had faked his foolishness to lure Chu Qing into using a supreme technique, then ordered Cao Huichen and Earth Butcher Weapon Master to attack.
• Earth Butcher Weapon Master launched a mighty palm strike while Cao Huichen prepared an attack, but Chu Qing disrupted Cao Huichen’s mind and sent him flying with blood in his mouth.
• Chu Qing unleashed Moonlight, causing the descending palm above him to vanish and Earth Butcher Weapon Master to go still.
• With his dragon-shaped qi exhausted, Chu Qing and Martial King finally slammed their palms together.

Chu Qing defeated the Martial King and overwhelmed Cao Huichen, while Shang Qiuyu held off the Heavenly Evil Cult at Heavenly Pass Ridge. After the Earth Butcher Weapon Master revealed that the Earth Soul Armor kept him alive, he launched his Move the Mountain technique against Chu Qing.

• Chu Qing killed the Martial King with a palm strike and offered Cao Huichen a chance to serve him, but Cao Huichen refused and claimed the eastern gateway was under threat.
• Cao Huichen insisted Shang Qiuyu had died from the Poison of Dripping Water, but Chu Qing revealed that Shang Qiuyu was alive and guarding the eastern gateway.
• At Heavenly Pass Ridge, Shang Qiuyu used his Nine Profound Divine Skill to kill Heavenly Evil Cult disciples and hold back their forces while demanding that the Seven Punishments Weapon Master face him.
• The Earth Butcher Weapon Master attacked Chu Qing from behind, but Chu Qing shattered his arm and confronted him about surviving their earlier fight.
• The Earth Butcher Weapon Master explained that the Earth Soul Armor made him deathless and indestructible, regenerated his arm, and began using Move the Mountain.

Chu Qing killed Earth Butcher Weapon Master by repeatedly overcoming the Earth Soul Armor’s resurrection, while Southern Region fighters attacked the Heavenly Evil Cult. After the armor absorbed Di Tu’s remains, Chu Qing prepared to intervene in the battle with a power that froze everything around him.

• Earth Butcher Weapon Master used the Moving Mountains Palm, but Chu Qing pierced his head with three streams of sword qi, and Earth Butcher escaped underground with Cao Huichen and the Literary Heart Pavilion Master.
• Chu Qing stomped the ground to force Earth Butcher and Cao Huichen back to the surface, then trapped Earth Butcher in hardened soil and repeatedly killed him as the Earth Soul Armor revived him.
• Chu Qing sent the Southern Region fighters, led by Tie Lingyun and others, to attack the Heavenly Evil Cult’s disciples while Cao Qiupu brought the Literary Heart Pavilion Master to him.
• The five Western Region experts led by Meng Qianfan joined the fight against the Heavenly Evil Cult, and Chu Qing told Cao Qiupu they had submitted to whichever side threatened them less.
• Chu Qing discovered that Earth Butcher had become frail from the armor’s cost, then killed him; the armor absorbed his remains, and Chu Qing handed it to Cao Qiupu.
• Chu Qing summoned sword and saber energy, causing weapons to move beyond their owners’ control, then spread a gray-white force that froze the battlefield.

Chu Qing annihilated the Heavenly Evil Cult force at Heavenly Pass Ridge, captured Cao Huichen, and accepted the Western Region leaders’ submission under the Life and Death Talisman. He prepared to return, intending to kill Kashyapa and open the two Martial Arts Treasure Chests.

• Chu Qing froze the battlefield and killed many Heavenly Evil Cult disciples with a storm of blades, allowing the Southern Region martial artists to defeat the survivors.
• Chu Qing questioned Cao Huichen about the Heavenly Evil Cult’s ambitions and ordered him taken away after striking him with a finger.
• Chu Qing challenged Meng Qianfan and the other Western Region experts to prove their loyalty, then agreed to accept their submission under the Life and Death Talisman.
• Chu Qing placed the Life and Death Talisman in Meng Qianfan and four other Western Region leaders, briefly making them feel its agonizing itch.
• Chu Qing ordered the group to return and planned to kill Kashyapa so he could open two Martial Arts Treasure Chests.

After defeating Kashyapa’s conspiracy at Jue Tian Pass, Chu Qing executed the monk and learned that the coming battle could turn the Heavenly Evil Cult’s own forces against it. As his allies warned that he had killed most of the Cult’s top experts, Chu Qing claimed the title of Night Emperor and ordered news of it spread to attract the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

• Chu Qing credited Holy Monk Kashyapa and Cao Qiupu for the victory, then covered up Cao Qiupu’s resurrection by claiming he had feigned death with a secret martial art.
• Chu Qing condemned Kashyapa for conspiring with the Heavenly Evil Cult and executed him as a sacrifice before the next day’s battle.
• Meng Qianfan revealed that many of the fifty thousand enemy troops came from former Western Region factions and might switch sides during the battle.
• Chu Qing’s allies pointed out that he had killed nine of the Twelve Sacred Kings, both the Heavenly Kill and Earth Butcher Weapon Masters, and the six Heads of the Institute from Literary Heart Pavilion.
• Hua Jinnian confirmed Chu Qing’s claim to the imperial title, and he declared himself the Night Emperor and ordered the news spread to draw the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
• Chu Qing asked Mu Tong’er to persuade her father to stay by his side when he came to take her back.

Chu Qing sought Shang Qiuyu’s support against the Heavenly Evil Cult’s leader and investigated the disappearance of Martial King’s corpse. After learning Opera King’s puppet had taken it toward Jue Tian Pass, Chu Qing returned to camp and opened two treasure chests.

• Chu Qing asked Mu Tong'er to persuade her father, Shang Qiuyu, to stay and help him face the Heavenly Evil Cult’s leader, and Mu Tong'er left to bring him back.
• Wu Qianhuan told Chu Qing that Martial King’s corpse had vanished, so Chu Qing and Wen Rou tracked its trail from the battlefield.
• Wen Rou identified the corpse-taker as a dead puppet resembling those controlled by Opera King, and Chu Qing concluded it had gone toward Jue Tian Pass.
• Chu Qing and Wen Rou returned to camp after sharing a kiss, and Chu Qing found Wu Qianhuan asleep in his tent.
• Chu Qing summoned the system and opened two ordinary Random Martial Arts Treasure Chests.

Chu Qing opened the second treasure chest and obtained Maha Infinite, then used the Martial Arts Stele to integrate it with his Heavenly Limitless Form Divine Ability. After his new technique created a vast vortex that astonished the gathered experts, Chu Qing tested its limits and later joked with Wu Qianhuan about their future.

• Chu Qing obtained the Art of Never Forgetting from one treasure chest and Maha Infinite from the other.
• Chu Qing entered the Martial Arts Stele and deduced how Maha Infinite could fuse with his wind-cloud and yin-yang energies.
• Chu Qing’s cultivation formed a huge vortex over his tent, drawing the attention of the alliance’s martial artists and new Western Region allies.
• Duan Qingchen tried to examine the vortex with Star Gazing Moon Watching, suffered backlash, and warned the others that Chu Qing could control its terrifying power.
• Chu Qing tested Maha Infinite’s limits, dispersed the vortex, and showed Wu Qianhuan a small tornado formed above his palm.
• Wu Qianhuan asked Chu Qing to teach her and joked about having a child before marriage, and Chu Qing carried her away as they flirted.

Chu Qing’s alliance attacked the Heavenly Evil Cult’s fifty-thousand-man force at Jue Tian Pass, and Chu Qing’s Maha Infinite devastated the enemy before Meng Qianfan led Western Region forces in a counterattack. Afterward, Chu Qing confronted a black-robed man attempting to free Daoist Yi Ge.

• War Slave waited for Earth Butcher Weapon Master and the others, then faced a Southern Region assault launched through poisonous smoke.
• Chu Qing ordered the Southern Region forces to follow the plan as War Slave gathered the Heavenly Evil Cult troops into a single formation.
• Chu Qing unleashed Maha Infinite, killing nearly twenty thousand enemies in ten breaths and sending the remaining Heavenly Evil Cult forces into panic.
• Meng Qianfan rallied Western Region martial artists to turn against the Heavenly Evil Cult, while Chu Qing returned to Jue Tian Pass.
• A black-robed man entered the camp to free Daoist Yi Ge, but Chu Qing stopped them as they left the tent.

Chu Qing uncovered the World Alliance’s plan to plunge the regions into chaos and identified the Sword Emperor, Huangfu Changkong, as one of its members. After defeating the Heavenly Evil Cult at Jue Tian Pass and advancing into the Western Region, Chu Qing received Mu Tong’er’s proposal to have his children and raise them without him.

• Chu Qing captured the black-robed man, entered his memories, and learned that he belonged to the World Alliance, whose leader was the Lord Sovereign and whose nine seats included Huangfu Changkong.
• Chu Qing told Liu Zhaonian that the World Alliance was trying to provoke a war, and said he planned to meet Huangfu Changkong in Central Continent while their forces advanced into the Western Region.
• Chu Qing killed Daoist Yi Ge, returned to Jue Tian Pass, and watched as the Heavenly Evil Cult’s forces were wiped out before ordering his army to occupy the Western Region.
• Chu Qing and his army reached Xiangnan City, where he began dispersing the gathered martial artists and awaited further developments.
• Mu Tong’er returned with a letter from her mother and proposed having one or two children with Chu Qing, then raising them without him; Chu Qing objected to letting his family’s bloodline leave his control.

Mu Tong'er tried to persuade Chu Qing to father her child, following advice from her mother, but he refused. After Shang Qiuyu overheard her talking by the pond, he stormed off to confront Chu Qing and found the study shattered and Chu Qing gone.

• Mu Tong'er proposed having Chu Qing's child and raising it with the Shang and Mu families, but Chu Qing rejected the idea.
• Mu Tong'er left in tears, and Chu Qing wondered whether her mother had prompted her sudden proposal.
• Mu Tong'er recalled how her mother had advised her to have Chu Qing's child rather than settle for another man.
• Shang Qiuyu overheard Mu Tong'er lamenting that Chu Qing had refused to have a child with her and rushed off to confront him.
• Mu Tong'er hurried to the study and found its doors and windows shattered, while Shang Qiuyu stood inside asking where Chu Qing had gone.

Shang Qiuyu and Mu Tong'er found Chu Qing confronting Huangfu Changkong at a lake, where a misunderstanding about Mu Tong'er bearing Chu Qing's child was cleared up. Huangfu Changkong arranged to return in three days with Dongfang Jinghong for Chu Qing's Ascending to Heaven in One Step, which Shang Qiuyu warned could be a deadly trial because Chu Qing had taken the Ghost Emperor's seat by force.

• Shang Qiuyu sensed Huangfu Changkong's sword intent in the wrecked study and took Mu Tong'er to find Chu Qing at a lake outside Xiangnan City.
• Shang Qiuyu accused Chu Qing of getting Mu Tong'er pregnant, but Mu Tong'er explained that her mother had told her to bear Chu Qing's child and then get rid of the father.
• After hearing Mu Tong'er out, Shang Qiuyu accepted their relationship, while Huangfu Changkong told Chu Qing he would return in three days with Dongfang Jinghong.
• Chu Qing revealed that Huangfu Changkong had come because he obtained the Ghost Emperor's imperial seat after killing him, and had agreed to Ascending to Heaven in One Step.
• Shang Qiuyu warned that the ceremony would be a severe trial and might be used to kill Chu Qing, then offered to help him take precautions before it began.

Chu Qing learned that the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors planned to challenge him at One Step to Heaven in three days, while Shang Qiuyu bargained over whether to help. After preparing Xiangnan City and choosing an escort, Chu Qing left with his companions for the gathering.

• Wu Qianhuan, Wen Rou, and the other leaders arrived at the lakeside, where Shang Qiuyu revealed that the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors would come to challenge Chu Qing in three days.
• At the City Lord's Mansion, Shang Qiuyu refused to promise direct assistance, while Chu Qing assured everyone he was confident and ordered Liu Zhaonian and Tianfengzi to safeguard Xiangnan City.
• The group chose Ji Yexue, Sikong Yijian, and Mo Duxing to accompany Chu Qing, with Mo Duxing included because of his connection to the Sword Emperor.
• Chu Qing told Wu Qianhuan and Wen Rou that Shang Qiuyu wanted Mu Tong'er to have his child, and Wu Qianhuan considered the proposal a potentially worthwhile alliance despite Chu Qing's refusal.
• Three days later, Chu Qing left Xiangnan City with Wu Qianhuan, Wen Rou, Mu Tong'er, Shang Qiuyu, Ji Yexue, Cui Bunü, Mo Duxing, and Southern Region fighters for One Step to Heaven.

Chu Qing and his companions reached Wangshan Pavilion, where Huangfu Changkong arrived and revealed that Dongfang Jinghong had gone up Mount Yuesong to prepare their arena. Dongfang Jinghong then cut off a mountain peak with one stroke and descended to face Chu Qing.

• Shang Qiuyu tried again to persuade Chu Qing to accept his help, but Chu Qing refused as Mu Tong'er drew her father aside.
• Wen Rou explained her theory that Mu Tong'er’s feelings for Chu Qing had revived after their chance reunion at Ten Absolutes Cave.
• Huangfu Changkong appeared at Wangshan Pavilion and told Chu Qing that Dongfang Jinghong was on Mount Yuesong.
• Dongfang Jinghong cut the peak of Mount Yuesong in half to create a platform, then descended with his blade Jinghong.

Chu Qing faced Dongfang Jinghong and Huangfu Changkong in a joint step-to-heaven trial and matched their attacks with his blade-and-sword technique. Huangfu Changkong concealed a stronger sword move and pierced Chu Qing’s defenses, while a masked man arrived to strike him from behind.

• Dongfang Jinghong and Huangfu Changkong began their trial by attacking Chu Qing at the same time.
• Chu Qing countered their blade and sword techniques with Eight Desolations and Six Directions, I Am Supreme, holding his own against both masters.
• A young man sensed the clash from hundreds of miles away, abandoned his meal, and hurried toward Mount Yuesong.
• Huangfu Changkong transformed Heaven’s Will Unpredictable into Heaven’s Will Unavoidable and pierced Chu Qing’s Indestructible Golden Body.
• A black-clad, masked man appeared behind Chu Qing and drove a thunderous punch toward him.