Chapter Summaries

Chu Qing killed Old Immortal Jade Dragon and recovered the Chaos God Technique before leaving Wen Pingce to avoid becoming sworn brothers. At the Star Gazing Platform, he confronted Ling Fei, who attacked him, and Cao Qiupu arrived to rescue her as Chu Qing blocked their escape.

• Chu Qing beheaded Old Immortal Jade Dragon and found the Chaos God Technique manual on his body.
• Wen Kaiyuan explained the technique’s origins, while Wen Pingce tried to make Chu Qing his sworn brother and Chu Qing hurried away.
• At the Star Gazing Platform, Chu Qing waited for Cao Qiupu and was approached by Ling Fei, who admitted she had come to stop him from speaking to Cao Qiupu.
• Ling Fei attacked Chu Qing with silken threads and plum-blossom blades, but Chu Qing struck her with an icy palm.
• Cao Qiupu caught the gravely injured Ling Fei and tried to leave, but Chu Qing confronted him with his blade intent and demanded permission before he could go.

Chu Qing exposed Ling Fei as Flower Beauty and a likely assassin of the Mirror of Sin, and Cao Qiupu left with her after treating her wounds and testing her suspicions. Ling Fei admitted she would tell him everything, while Chu Qing returned to his courtyard and found that Wen Rou had not lit the lamps.

• Chu Qing persuaded Cao Qiupu to question Ling Fei by pointing out signs of a fight and explaining that she had arrived early to kill him and frame him.
• Cao Qiupu took Ling Fei away from Luochen Mountain Manor, treated the cold qi in her body, and secretly watched her awaken and destroy a stone with a martial technique.
• Cao Qiupu confronted Ling Fei about being Flower Beauty, joining the Mirror of Sin, and trying to kill Chu Qing.
• Ling Fei promised to tell Cao Qiupu everything and begged him not to leave her behind.
• Chu Qing returned to his courtyard to open the chest he had obtained after killing Old Immortal Jade Dragon, then noticed Wen Rou had not lit the lamps.

After Chu Qing discovered that Wen Rou and Tie Chuqing had been abducted, he rescued them from the forbidden land and learned that a mysterious beggar had taken Tie Chuqing below the cliff. The Star Guards found a hidden cave there, while Tie Chuqing promised Chu Qing a place in Iron Blood Hall without realizing he had not agreed to join either faction.

• Chu Qing found a note directing him to Luochen Mountain Manor's forbidden land and discovered Wen Rou there, with Tie Chuqing missing.
• Wen Rou explained that an old beggar had sealed her acupoints, taken Tie Chuqing over the cliff, and warned that Tie Chuqing might not survive the mountain winds.
• Chu Qing summoned Si Ye and the Star Guards, who lowered a rope and rescued Tie Chuqing alive from a ledge below the cliff.
• A Star Guard reported finding a small platform and a cave beneath the cliff, and Chu Qing sent three guards down to investigate it.
• Tie Chuqing tried to recruit Chu Qing into Iron Blood Hall and promised he could command the same respect there; Chu Qing agreed to accept a written promise without agreeing to join.

Chu Qing and his companions descended into Tianxing Mountain’s caves to find the missing Star Guards and discovered the Heavenly Secrets Net Array. The three guards were rescued, and Chu Qing suspected that Heavenly Secrets Valley lay beneath the mountain.

• Chu Qing asked Si Ye about the Martial Arts Competition for Marriage, then encouraged him to pursue what he wanted; Wen Rou wrote down Chu Qing’s advice.
• When the Star Guards failed to return from the cave, Chu Qing, Wen Rou, Tie Chuqing, and Si Ye went underground to search for them.
• Wen Rou tracked the guards’ scent through the caves, and the group found them trapped in the Heavenly Secrets Net Array.
• Si Ye rushed toward the trapped guards and nearly fell into the array, but Chu Qing pulled him back; Tie Chuqing claimed she could understand arrays.
• Chu Qing cut down the three trapped guards with flying daggers and his inner force, then sent them to report to Second Master and request array experts.
• Chu Qing pointed out the words Heavenly Secrets Net Array on the stele and asked Si Ye whether Heavenly Secrets Valley might lie beneath Tianxing Mountain.

Chu Qing opened a Martial Arts Treasure Chest and mastered the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms while the others studied the Heavenly Secrets Net Array beneath Tianxing Mountain. After learning more about Wen Rou's unusual ability and Wen Fusheng's search for Heavenly Secrets Valley, Chu Qing prepared to tackle the unbreakable formation by other means.

• Chu Qing opened his chest and instantly mastered the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms while Wen Rou stood guard.
• Wen Rou told Chu Qing that she could sense changes in people's internal breath and discern whether they were sincere toward her, and he warned her to keep the ability secret.
• Wen Pingce arrived with Zhou and Chen, and Chu Qing learned that all three Wen brothers knew about the Heavenly Secrets Token and that Wen Fusheng had searched for Heavenly Secrets Valley for three years before Wen Rou joined the Great Easy Sect.
• Zhou, Chen, Si Ye, and Tie Chuqing failed to break the Heavenly Secrets Net Array and fled its spiderwebs, so Chu Qing pulled them to safety.
• When Wen Pingce suggested finding a formation master, Chu Qing declared that he would handle the array with Great Strength Flying Brick despite knowing nothing about formations.

Chu Qing smashed his way through the Heavenly Secrets Net Array and uncovered evidence suggesting Wen Tianheng had killed the Recluse of Heavenly Secrets. The group found a diagram for the array, then Zhou and Chen guided them safely out of it.

• Chu Qing used dragon-shaped palm strikes to smash through the stone forest, uncovering a metal object that Zhou and Chen recognized as part of the net mechanisms.
• The group found a stone platform bearing a brocade box beside a long-decomposed body, with the words “Killer of Heavenly Secrets: Wen Tianheng!” written on the ground.
• Tie Chuqing suggested Wen Tianheng had murdered the Recluse of Heavenly Secrets and taken the Heavenly Secrets Token, while Si Ye tried to silence her until Chu Qing ordered him to release her.
• Chu Qing opened the box and found a golden-paper diagram showing how to construct the Heavenly Secrets Net Array, which Zhou and Chen examined.
• Zhou and Chen said they could guide the group through the remaining formation, and they led everyone out of the array.

Chu Qing discovered that Heavenly Secrets Valley concealed the Heavenly Demon Robe, which the Heavenly Evil Cult planned to revive with the blood of martial artists. An old beggar recruited him to kill the cult’s Two Guards and One King, and the Execution Order mission appeared as Chu Qing questioned why he should help.

• Chu Qing left Si Ye and the others in a cave and followed a stone trail, where he found the old beggar watching the gate to Heavenly Secrets Valley.
• The old beggar explained that the valley held the blood-drinking Heavenly Demon Robe and that its revival could be tied to the Blood Demon True Scripture.
• The old beggar warned that a scheme would lure martial artists into the valley and asked Chu Qing what he would do to prevent a massacre.
• The old beggar asked Chu Qing to kill the Heavenly Evil Cult’s Two Guards and One King: Shi Ye, Sang Qing, and Burial Cold Sound.
• Chu Qing received an Execution Order mission and heard warnings about Shi Ye’s death-inducing gaze and Sang Qing’s ghostly movement and needles.
• Chu Qing asked the old beggar why he should help when he did not even know the man’s identity.

Chu Qing confronted a disguised beggar who claimed to be Mystic Emperor Shang Qiuyu, then returned to Luochen Mountain Manor with a map of routes into Heavenly Secrets Valley. After reviewing the map and making plans to investigate, he encountered a white horse that delivered a stolen dudou to him.

• Chu Qing challenged the old beggar's claims, and the beggar revealed himself as Shang Qiuyu before escaping with an illusion-like movement technique.
• Chu Qing picked up the beggar's map, left the cave, and returned with Si Ye and the others to Luochen Mountain Manor, where he ordered everyone to keep the cave secret.
• Chu Qing had Tie Chuqing stay at the manor while she recovered, then examined the map and found thirteen routes leading to Heavenly Secrets Valley.
• Chu Qing practiced his newly developed Sixteen Paths of Startling Evil Blade the next morning, ate Mandarin Duck Jade Congee, and received Tie Chuqing's letter and personal token confirming their agreement.
• Chu Qing headed out to find Wen Fusheng, but a white horse raced across the manor rooftops and dropped a stolen dudou in front of him.

Chu Qing read Cao Qiupu’s account of Ling Fei’s secret meeting and suspected the Mirror of Sin intended to eliminate her, then questioned Wen Fusheng about the Recluse of Heavenly Secrets. Wen Fusheng revealed that Wen Rou’s Heavenly Fragrance Scent Body threatened her life and that the Book of the Immutable Heavens had once saved someone with the same constitution.

• Chu Qing read Cao Qiupu’s letter about Ling Fei’s mission, her meeting with a red-haired man, and Cao Qiupu’s plan to disappear with her.
• Chu Qing went to Wen Fusheng and pressed him about the Recluse of Heavenly Secrets’s death; Wen Fusheng admitted the matter was tied to Wen Rou’s life.
• Wen Fusheng explained that Wen Rou’s Heavenly Fragrance Scent Body gave her extraordinary senses but meant she was unlikely to live past twenty-five.
• Wen Fusheng said an earlier woman with the same constitution lived to ninety-seven after the Great Easy Ancestor used the three scrolls of the Book of the Immutable Heavens to save her.
• Chu Qing realized Wen Rou had been sent to the Great Easy Sect to seek the Book’s scrolls, and that Wen Tianheng had pursued the missing Earth Character Scroll through the Recluse of Heavenly Secrets.

Wen Fusheng told Chu Qing how he had sent Wen Rou to the Great Easy Sect in hopes of saving her from the Heavenly Fragrance Scent Body’s curse, and Chu Qing proposed investigating Heavenly Secrets Valley and preparing for a possible Heavenly Evil Cult threat. Chu Qing then brought Wen Kerén to the matchmaking tournament, where he opened the contest and swiftly knocked down a challenger who insulted him.

• Wen Fusheng explained that he had sent Wen Rou to study under Cui Bunü, hoping Cui would master the Earth Character Scroll’s divine art and help her survive her curse.
• Chu Qing told Wen Fusheng that the old beggar claimed the Earth Character Scroll was in the Heavenly Evil Cult’s hands and that Heavenly Secrets Valley lay beneath Tianxing Mountain.
• Chu Qing and Wen Fusheng agreed to investigate the valley, keep watch on its entrance, deliver letters to Cao Qiupu and Tie Lingyun, and prepare an ambush for the Mirror of Sin meeting that night.
• Chu Qing led Wen Kerén toward the matchmaking tournament and encouraged her to see whether Si Ye would risk losing her rather than assume he did not care.
• At the martial arts grounds, Chu Qing announced the tournament and warned contestants not to kill, then sent a challenger flying with a single palm after the man insulted him.

Chu Qing began Luochen Mountain Manor’s Martial Arts Competition for Marriage, while Xia Wanshuang rescued a young woman from beggars and then faced the Mad Beggar Ling Beichen. Zuo Wenchuan saved them from Ling Beichen and brought them to safety, where he introduced himself as a disciple of Master Tianyou.

• Chu Qing stunned the crowd with a powerful palm strike, announced the competition, and assured the contestants that he would not participate.
• Contestants took turns onstage, while Chu Qing watched and Wen Kerén grew discouraged by the unsuitable suitors.
• Xia Wanshuang, having avenged her family and unsure what to do next, drove away beggars who were harassing a young woman.
• Xia Wanshuang followed the fleeing woman out of town and tried to protect her from the pursuing Mad Beggar Ling Beichen.
• Zuo Wenchuan blocked Ling Beichen’s sword qi with his prayer beads, then carried Xia Wanshuang and the young woman away.
• Zuo Wenchuan hid with the two women until Ling Beichen passed, then introduced himself as a disciple of Master Tianyou of Guangzhao Temple.

Zuo Wenchuan and Xia Wanshuang brought the rescued Xu Qiaohui to Luochen Mountain Manor while evading Ling Beichen, who attacked them at the gate. Chu Qing intervened and fought Ling Beichen, then recognized him as the notorious Mad Beggar and declared that he would kill him.

• Xu Qiaohui told Zuo Wenchuan and Xia Wanshuang that Ling Beichen had abducted and terrorized her, then fainted from exhaustion and fear.
• Zuo Wenchuan gave Xu Qiaohui a pill and carried her as he and Xia Wanshuang tried to evade Ling Beichen on their way to Luochen Mountain Manor.
• Ling Beichen caught up with the group at the manor gate, but Chu Qing struck him with a dragon-shaped palm force and prevented his escape.
• Chu Qing and Ling Beichen exchanged powerful attacks while Xia Wanshuang wondered whether Chu Qing was the Night Emperor.
• Xu Mao reunited with his sister, and Bian Cheng and Hua Jinnian noted Chu Qing's unexpected encounter with Ling Beichen.
• Chu Qing drew his saber and told Ling Beichen that his evil deeds had gone on long enough and that it was time for him to die.

Chu Qing struck the tumor on Ling Beichen’s forehead and broke the King Yama’s Decree, briefly restoring Ling Beichen’s sanity. Ling Beichen borrowed a sword and resumed their duel, teaching Chu Qing the Seven Absolutes, Seven Revolutions, Seven Injuries Sword as they fought.

• Ling Beichen attacked Chu Qing with his Great Constancy Sword Intent, and the two exchanged techniques before the gathered martial artists.
• Chu Qing struck Ling Beichen’s forehead with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, destroying the tumor and freeing him from the King Yama’s Decree.
• Ling Beichen explained that the decree had controlled his body for twenty years and caused him to kill his wife and child.
• After thanking Chu Qing, Ling Beichen borrowed a swordsman’s blade and challenged Chu Qing to continue their battle.
• Ling Beichen demonstrated the Seven Absolutes, Seven Revolutions, Seven Injuries Sword, while Chu Qing used the duel to deepen his Sixteen Paths of Startling Evil Blade.

Chu Qing defeated Ling Beichen, who died after passing on the sword intent of the Seven Revolutions and warning him about a person near Luochen Mountain Manor. After arranging Ling Beichen’s cremation and speaking with the others, Chu Qing learned of Wu Qianhuan’s slow progress and returned to his courtyard, where he decided to enter seclusion.

• Chu Qing and Ling Beichen advanced their martial arts during their duel until Ling Beichen unleashed seven streams of sword qi and Chu Qing defeated him with his seventh saber stroke.
• As he died, Ling Beichen asked Chu Qing to send his ashes to the Great Constancy Sect and warned that someone from his past might be near Luochen Mountain Manor; Chu Qing promised and received the Wound Concealment technique.
• Chu Qing ordered Ling Beichen’s body cremated and sent the gathered martial artists away, then Xia Wanshuang thanked him and Zuo Wenchuan introduced himself as Master Tianyou’s disciple.
• Chu Qing told Xu Mao and Xu Qiaohui to leave Luochen Mountain Manor soon, accepted some gold leaves, and learned from Zuo Wenchuan that Wu Qianhuan was struggling to master the Moon Pointing Profound Skill.
• Si Ye told Chu Qing that the manor lord had arranged protection and confirmed the ambush preparations; Chu Qing asked for no dinner and announced that he would enter seclusion.

Chu Qing opened a Random Martial Arts Treasure Chest and gained the Flying Willow Catkin Green Smoke Technique, then joined Wen Rou and Si Ye in an ambush. When Sang Qing appeared and attacked with a sound-producing needle, Chu Qing defeated him and ordered him bound.

• Chu Qing opened the chest and obtained the Flying Willow Catkin Green Smoke Technique instead of a sword art.
• Chu Qing demonstrated his new lightness skill to Si Ye, ate dinner, and left with Wen Rou to wait for their target.
• Sang Qing arrived during the Hour of the Dog and used a skull-tailed iron needle whose shrill sound hurt the hidden guards and Si Ye.
• Chu Qing caught the needle, feigned being struck, then counterattacked with Arrogant Dragon Regrets and a Heavenly Frost Fist strike that shattered Sang Qing's spine.
• Si Ye confirmed Sang Qing was still alive and gave him a pill, while Chu Qing examined the needle and ordered someone to bind him.

After capturing a mysterious expert, Chu Qing and Wen Rou followed his scent through the Heavenly Secrets Maze Array and found Wen Fusheng trapped inside. The three traced the scent to a hidden cave behind a waterfall, where Chu Qing discovered a mechanism with a keyhole.

• Chu Qing ordered Si Ye to take the captured expert back to Luochen Mountain Manor while he and Wen Rou followed the man's scent.
• Wen Rou led Chu Qing to the Heavenly Secrets Maze Array, where its shifting mechanisms changed the paths as they moved through it.
• Chu Qing and Wen Rou encountered Wen Fusheng, who had pursued the expert into the maze and become trapped; Wen Rou guided them all out.
• The three followed the scent toward Heavenly Secrets Valley and found a concealed passage behind a waterfall.
• Chu Qing twisted a protruding stone in the hidden cave, revealing a keyhole in the wall.

Chu Qing and Wen Fusheng investigated a hidden entrance to Heavenly Secrets Valley, then Chu Qing questioned the captured Soul-Chasing Guard Sang Qing and uncovered the use of Yellow Springs Powder. The danger inside the valley remained unresolved, and Chu Qing still lacked enough antidote to counter the poison.

• Chu Qing and Wen Fusheng decided to interrogate their captive and infiltrate Heavenly Secrets Valley before its defenders could react.
• Chu Qing returned to Luochen Mountain Manor, where Xia Wanshuang chose to manage a business in Divine Blade City in exchange for repaying her debt.
• Chu Qing examined Sang Qing’s belongings, found a mechanical key, and identified him as Soul-Chasing Guard Sang Qing.
• Chu Qing pretended to know Heavenly Secrets Valley’s plans, prompting Sang Qing to reveal that Yellow Springs Powder had been planted in Heavenly Secrets Tower.
• Chu Qing realized he did not have enough antidote for Yellow Springs Powder, while Sang Qing recognized the trick and refused to say more.

Chu Qing and Wen Fusheng interrogated Sang Qing about Heavenly Secrets Valley, then learned that the stolen treasures had been sent to Little Cold Valley. Wen Fusheng revealed that Ghost Emperor Moduo had barred the major powers from crossing Heavenly Pass Ridge, just as news spread inside the manor that Heavenly Secrets Valley’s location had been exposed.

• Wen Fusheng used the Soul-Piercing Finger on Sang Qing, who revealed Heavenly Secrets Valley’s traps, Puppet Corpses, and Heavenly Evil Cult disciples.
• Sang Qing said the treasures taken from Heavenly Secrets Valley had been sent to Little Cold Valley, and Wen Fusheng drew a map of the valley from his account.
• Chu Qing accepted the Execution Order commission, which offered a martial arts treasure chest and an upgrade opportunity for completing its objective.
• Wen Fusheng showed Chu Qing a Ghost Emperor Token and explained that Ghost Emperor Moduo had forbidden the major powers from leaving Southern Ridge for three years.
• Commander Si Chen reported that the location of Heavenly Secrets Valley had spread through the manor, and Chu Qing and Wen Fusheng realized people were already reacting.

Chu Qing entered Heavenly Secrets Valley to investigate the Heavenly Evil Cult’s plans and deal with the dangers inside, while Wen Fusheng gathered Luochen Mountain Manor’s allies. The chapter ended as a golden-palmed attacker struck at Wen Fusheng, demanding the Heavenly Secrets Token.

• Chu Qing and Wen Fusheng agreed that Wen would organize the people at the manor while Chu Qing went ahead to Heavenly Secrets Valley, and Wen confirmed that help from Tie Lingyun was on its way.
• Chu Qing raced to the hidden passage, used the key to open it, and killed seven gray-clothed ambushers waiting inside.
• Chu Qing reached the overlook, identified Heavenly Secrets Tower, and entered Heavenly Secrets Valley to test Sang Qing’s account against what he knew of the formation.
• Wen Fusheng gathered Wen Rou, Bian Cheng, Mo Duxing, Hua Jinnian, Wen Kaiyuan, Wen Kerén, and others before the Treasure Tower as crowds and torchlight approached.
• A golden-palmed attacker appeared before Wen Fusheng, demanded the Heavenly Secrets Token, and launched a fierce palm strike at him.

Wen Fusheng repelled the martial experts who demanded the Heavenly Secrets Token, while Bian Cheng traded insults with Zhuo Ku. Not a Monk revealed that the Heavenly Evil Cult had lured the gathered factions to Luochen Mountain Manor, and Wen Fusheng offered to lead them to the valley, where Chu Qing was already confronting its dangerous defenses.

• Wen Fusheng used the Heavenly Star Control Technique to repel Zhuo Ku and identified the other arriving Southern Ridge experts.
• Sun Xiaoxiang denied joining the plot against Wen Fusheng, while Chang Wei and Zhuo Ku demanded the Heavenly Secrets Token.
• Bian Cheng defended Wen Fusheng and insulted Zhuo Ku, who tried to attack before Not a Monk and Zuo Wenchuan restrained him.
• Not a Monk warned the gathered martial experts that the Heavenly Evil Cult had lured them to Luochen Mountain Manor to draw them into a deadly trap at Heavenly Secrets Valley.
• Wen Fusheng revealed the Heavenly Secrets Token and offered to lead the group to the valley, explaining that Chu Qing was there breaking through its traps.
• In Heavenly Secrets Valley, Chu Qing examined a structure and judged it troublesome.