Chapter Summaries

Li Xiao and Du Tianshan crushed the Demon Race forces outside the city, then traveled west and waited near a fortified city while the Human Race and Dragon Race prepared for a decisive battle. As the rival forces agreed to fight in half a month, Demon Race leaders discussed their plans and the Dragon Race’s failure to find Cangwu.

• Li Xiao and Du Tianshan defeated the Demon Race forces, wounded the giant scorpion, and drove it to flee.
• Li Xiao and Du Tianshan led a team west to a fortified border city, then waited in a smaller city nearby rather than risk entering.
• News reached Li Xiao that Lin Tianyang and the Dragon Race experts had agreed to a decisive battle in half a month, with the outcome determining whether the sides made peace or withdrew.
• The Sea Shark Palace's Palace Master told the two Black-Robed Men from the Heavenly Devil Palace that he would attack Lin Tianyang and expected the promised reward after the battle.
• A Dragon Race elder learned that Cangwu remained untraceable and suspected someone beyond Cangwu was involved.
• Li Xiao watched the skyline toward Zhennan City at dusk and silently calculated the time.

Huangfu Yuan learned that the decisive battle between the Human Race and Demon Race would begin in half a month, years earlier than he remembered from his previous life. As he considered the many changes to the timeline and Emperor Zhou’s hidden scheme, Li Xiao weighed whether to head straight to Zhennan City.

• Huangfu Yuan hosted Su Chen and his companions in a secluded courtyard, hoping to build a connection with the rising expert.
• An armored general announced that Sixth Turn and Seventh Turn experts would fight in a decisive battle beginning in half a month.
• Su Chen confirmed he had heard the news and told Huangfu Yuan to prepare, since the battle could not be avoided.
• Huangfu Yuan realized the battle was happening years earlier than in his memories and recalled the Cangwu Old Ancestor’s intervention and the heavy losses it had caused.
• Huangfu Yuan suspected Emperor Zhou was behind the conflict and intended to claim a share of the spoils.
• Li Xiao considered going directly to Zhennan City, where the Sixth Turn experts would gather, despite the risks if the Human Race lost.

Li Xiao led Du Tianshan and their group to Zhennan City, where the forces of both races were gathering for a decisive battle. After Elder Shi welcomed them and recognized Li Xiao’s breakthrough, the group entered the city, now operating as a vast war machine.

• Li Xiao persuaded Du Tianshan to take their people to Zhennan City, and they set out together at dawn.
• After more than ten days of travel, Li Xiao’s group reached the outskirts of Zhennan City and sent a communication talisman to identify themselves.
• Elder Shi flew out to meet them, expressed relief that Li Xiao had survived, and discovered that Li Xiao had reached Marrow-Piercing.
• Elder Shi explained that Sixth Turn and Seventh Turn experts would lead the coming battle and that the Cangwu Old Ancestor had disappeared after destroying Zhennan City’s formation.
• Elder Shi escorted Li Xiao and the others into Zhennan City, where forces from across the front lines were gathering.

Li Xiao reunited with Du Tianshan and Huangfu Yuan in Zhennan City, where he met the formidable Su Chen. When Li Xiao used Wind Listening and Qi Observing, he saw a Three-legged Golden Crow within Su Chen’s Fortune and Destiny, and Su Chen sensed the resulting resonance; both men concealed their suspicions.

• Du Tianshan told Li Xiao that Huangfu Yuan was waiting in Zhennan City, while Elder Shi resolved to warn Li Xiao about the Prince of Nanyang's Mansion.
• Li Xiao and Du Tianshan met Huangfu Yuan and Qingyunzi at a secluded courtyard, where Huangfu Yuan welcomed them and praised Li Xiao’s deeds at the front lines.
• Huangfu Yuan introduced Su Chen, whose restrained aura suggested he was near Round Marrow.
• Li Xiao secretly used Wind Listening and Qi Observing and saw a Three-legged Golden Crow within Su Chen’s golden Fortune and Destiny.
• Su Chen felt his hidden totem markings resonate and studied Li Xiao, but both men hid their reactions and exchanged a toast.

Li Xiao befriended Su Chen after recognizing his extraordinary Fortune and Destiny, while Huangfu Yuan invited them to explore a Seventh Turn expert’s tomb after the war. The chapter ended with the Cangwu Old Ancestor secretly living in disguise inside Zhennan City.

• Li Xiao recognized the Three-legged Golden Crow around Su Chen as a sign of immense Fortune and Destiny and raised a toast to befriend him.
• Huangfu Yuan warned that the war might not end quickly, and Su Chen suggested both sides could be badly wounded.
• Huangfu Yuan invited Li Xiao, Du Tianshan, and Su Chen to compete for the treasures in a Seventh Turn expert’s tomb, and they agreed.
• Huangfu Yuan recalled the tomb’s dangers and considered the Prince of Nanyang’s coming setback an opportunity.
• The disguised Cangwu Old Ancestor lounged in a courtyard in Zhennan City, revealing a faint golden vertical streak in his eyes.

Li Xiao returned to the Three Origins Sect’s garrison in Zhennan City and discussed the resistance, his cultivation, and Elder Shi’s offer with the Flying Cloud Peak Master. He leaned toward accepting Elder Shi as his master but decided to wait until after the imminent decisive battle.

• Li Xiao returned to the garrison, where disciples welcomed him and praised his breakthrough and battle record.
• The Flying Cloud Peak Master asked Li Xiao about resisting the Demon Race, and Li Xiao argued that disciples needed more life-and-death combat training.
• Li Xiao showed the Peak Master his black and golden Sword Qi from the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture, and the Peak Master advised him to cultivate it cautiously.
• The Peak Master discussed Elder Shi’s offer to take Li Xiao as a disciple and described him as influential, protective, and trustworthy.
• Li Xiao considered the offer and decided it would be prudent to settle the matter after the decisive battle.

Li Xiao reflected on the weaknesses in his martial skills and decided to seek Elder Shi as his master. Elder Shi accepted him as a personal disciple and opened a box of treasured pills, manuals, and equipment, leaving Li Xiao eyeing his new master's collection.

• Li Xiao returned to the garrison and reassured Chen An, who had been anxiously waiting for him.
• Li Xiao reviewed his combat skills and recognized that he needed to focus his training, though he postponed the decision until after the coming battle.
• Li Xiao visited Elder Shi and asked him to accept him as a disciple.
• Elder Shi accepted Li Xiao as his personal disciple, Shi Mingyuan, and told him he would meet his Senior Brothers after the battle.
• Li Xiao hinted that he expected a gift, so Elder Shi opened a box filled with pills, Cultivation Methods, gauntlets, and boots.

Li Xiao received Shattered Iron gauntlets from Elder Shi and passed two cultivation methods to Chen An. He then joined the gathered experts at Marquis Jingbian's Residence, where Lin Tianyang announced that the final battle would take place the day after tomorrow.

• Elder Shi gave Li Xiao the Shattered Iron gauntlets and allowed him to take several cultivation-method copies.
• Li Xiao tested the gauntlets, then gave Chen An a movement technique and a palm technique to study.
• A disciple summoned cultivators above Fifth Turn to a meeting at Marquis Jingbian's Residence.
• Li Xiao arrived at the meeting and greeted Du Tianshan, Qingyunzi, and Su Chen among the gathered experts.
• Du Tianshan told Li Xiao that Lin Tianyang had called the meeting to arrange the final battle.
• Lin Tianyang announced that the final battle would take place the day after tomorrow.

Lin Tianyang and Consecrated Duan organized the Human Race’s Sixth Turn experts for a decisive battle against the Demon Race. Zhou Bai of the Sword Sect arrived and volunteered to face the remaining Sixth Turn Dragon Race member, leaving Li Xiao wondering whether his arrival was coincidental.

• Lin Tianyang explained that the battle would be a melee and assigned himself and Consecrated Duan to hold back the Seventh Turn enemies.
• Consecrated Duan urged the Sixth Turn experts to fight with all their strength and warned that anyone who fled would be condemned as a sinner of the Human Race.
• Lin Tianyang assigned Mu Xian and Marquis Jingbian to face two Sixth Turn Dragon Race members.
• Zhou Bai of the Sword Sect entered the hall and volunteered to handle the third Dragon Race member.
• Li Xiao recognized Zhou Bai as a Sword Sect elder and wondered whether his arrival had a purpose beyond resisting the Demon Race.

Lin Tianyang assigned the cultivators their roles in the coming battle for Zhennan City, while Zhou Bai questioned Li Xiao about Zuo Qianshan's disappearance and his sword art. Li Xiao answered calmly, but he suspected Zhou Bai would pursue his suspicions later.

• Lin Tianyang assigned the Sixth-Turn cultivators opponents and ordered the Fifth-Turn cultivators to defend Zhennan City when the Demon Race attacked.
• Zhou Bai asked Mu Xian where Zuo Qianshan had gone, and Mu Xian said they had parted after trying to stop Cangwu Old Ancestor's transformation.
• Zhou Bai asked Li Xiao to demonstrate the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture, and Li Xiao formed a strand of golden Sword Qi.
• When Zhou Bai pressed Li Xiao to reveal another strand, Elder Shi and Liao Chen intervened and urged everyone to focus on the coming battle.
• Zhou Bai suggested Li Xiao's Sword Qi resembled Zuo Qianshan's and questioned him about the disappearance, but Li Xiao denied involvement and explained how he had formed his other strand of Sword Qi.
• Zhou Bai withdrew his accusation, but Li Xiao believed the Sword Sect elder would investigate him again.

Zhou Bai offered Li Xiao a place in the Sword Sect and gave him a Sword Talisman, while Li Xiao asked the sect to investigate Qingwei Temple. After returning to Elder Shi, Li Xiao disclosed the recruitment offer and had him inspect the talisman.

• After Elder Shi left them alone, Zhou Bai offered Li Xiao the position of Acting Hall Master and promised the Sword Sect would nurture him.
• Li Xiao asked Zhou Bai for the mine secret realm key as proof of the Sword Sect’s sincerity, and Zhou Bai offered to discuss access with the sect.
• Zhou Bai gave Li Xiao a Sword Talisman containing the power of three strikes and agreed to investigate Qingwei Temple for news of Liu Qingyue.
• Li Xiao returned to Elder Shi, who examined the talisman and confirmed it had no hidden tricks or tracking marks.
• Li Xiao told Elder Shi that Zhou Bai had offered to recruit him into the Sword Sect.

Li Xiao reaffirmed his loyalty to the Three Origins Sect while keeping the Sword Sect’s offer open as a possible future connection. Meanwhile, Zhou Bai prepared the Sword Sect for the coming battle, and his followers debated whether to seize the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture from Li Xiao.

• Elder Shi warned Li Xiao against arrogance and asked what he thought of the Sword Sect’s offer.
• Li Xiao told Elder Shi that he belonged to the Three Origins Sect, reassuring his master while privately deciding not to close off relations with the Sword Sect.
• Zhou Bai told the Sword Sect disciples he would personally face one sixth-turn dragon and ordered them to help defend the city.
• Zhou Bai told his trusted followers that Zuo Qianshan had most likely died at Li Xiao’s hands and that Li Xiao had not accepted the Sword Sect’s offer.
• A fifth-turn cultivator urged Zhou Bai to take the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture from Li Xiao, while the others showed interest in the idea.

Zhou Bai explained why the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture could not be seized by force and warned the Sword Sect disciples not to target Li Xiao. Meanwhile, Li Xiao prepared Zhi and arranged to refine Pills for his allies, using the opportunity to secretly mix Sub-insects into them.

• Zhou Bai told the Fifth Turn cultivators that the Life-Slaying Amitabha Sword Scripture had developed sentience, could evolve toward a divine weapon, and could only be cultivated by someone it accepted.
• Zhou Bai warned the disciples that Li Xiao had powerful allies, including Shi Xin and Huangfu Yuan, and ordered them to focus on the decisive battle instead of pursuing the Scripture.
• Li Xiao fed Zhi two drops of Essence Blood and flesh, then recovered after taking Pills for replenishing Qi and Blood.
• Li Xiao borrowed Qingyunzi's Pill Furnace and Demonic Beast corpses, promising to refine Pills for everyone before the coming battle.
• Li Xiao planned to use the public alchemy session to blend Sub-insects into the Pills without arousing suspicion.

Li Xiao refined Blood Explosion Pills in public, earning the trust and admiration of the gathered Human Race cultivators by giving Du Tianshan the entire first batch. He then secretly planted a Seven Orifice Insect Sub-insect in the ingredients for his second batch, which would feed on whoever swallowed one.

• Li Xiao refined eight superior-quality Blood Explosion Pills and invited Du Tianshan to test one.
• Du Tianshan swallowed a pill, gained roughly twenty percent more strength, and demonstrated a powerful Dharma Form without suffering noticeable side effects.
• Li Xiao gave the first batch to Du Tianshan to distribute, winning praise and goodwill from Su Chen, Huangfu Yuan, and the others.
• As he began the second batch, Li Xiao secretly slipped a nearly invisible Seven Orifice Insect Sub-insect into a piece of Demonic Beast heart flesh.
• Li Xiao continued refining while concealing that the Sub-insect would awaken inside whoever swallowed one of the second batch's pills and draw on their Fortune and Destiny.

Li Xiao distributed Blood Explosion Pills containing Sub-insects to Huangfu Yuan and the other cultivators, then pretended to be exhausted after refining all day. He proposed forming an equal organization for mutual aid, and Huangfu Yuan recognized the plan he had long considered before the Exotic Insect Zhi erased his wariness of Li Xiao.

• Li Xiao gave Huangfu Yuan eight Blood Explosion Pills, and Huangfu Yuan briefly felt warmth in his forehead before dismissing it.
• Li Xiao spent the day refining and distributing Blood Explosion Pills to Du Tianshan, Su Chen, Qingyunzi, Huangfu Yuan's attendants, and the other cultivators.
• Li Xiao feigned exhaustion and urged everyone to survive the decisive battle so they could meet again afterward.
• Li Xiao proposed that the cultivators create an organization with equal members who could request one another's help in exchange for suitable compensation.
• Huangfu Yuan realized Li Xiao's proposal matched his own long-held plan, felt wary of Li Xiao, then lost that suspicion under the Exotic Insect Zhi's influence.

Li Xiao and the other cultivators founded the Under Heaven Society, agreeing on rules for membership, communication, and identification. The group named Li Xiao and Qingyunzi responsible for its identifying pills and communication talismans, and recognized those present as its founding elders.

• Huangfu Yuan, Du Tianshan, Su Chen, Qingyunzi, and the others agreed to Li Xiao's proposal to form an organization.
• Li Xiao proposed the name Under Heaven Society, which the group accepted.
• Qingyunzi volunteered to provide communication talismans, and Li Xiao set a fifth-turn minimum, an elite standard, and a member-recommendation rule for recruits.
• Li Xiao proposed using his specially refined pills as discreet, difficult-to-counterfeit identification, and the others agreed.
• Huangfu Yuan declared Li Xiao responsible for the identifying pills and Qingyunzi responsible for communication talismans, and the members toasted their founding of the Under Heaven Society.

Li Xiao celebrated his gains from the front lines and reflected on planting Seven Orifice Insect sub-insects in Huangfu Yuan and Su Chen. Meanwhile, Huangfu Yuan and Qingyunzi assessed Li Xiao and Su Chen, and Su Chen trained alone with his saber.

• Li Xiao returned to his room drunk, laughed over his plans to draw fortune from Huangfu Yuan and Su Chen, and fell asleep.
• Huangfu Yuan asked Qingyunzi what he thought of Li Xiao, and Qingyunzi praised Li Xiao’s potential, judgment, and ability to gather exceptional allies.
• Huangfu Yuan and Qingyunzi agreed that Su Chen was also someone with a great future, while Huangfu Yuan resolved to prepare for the coming decisive battle and his royal father’s move.
• Su Chen went to an empty Martial Arts Training Ground and used Layered Wave Thousand Blade to cut a stone pillar in two.
• Su Chen noticed warmth beneath the Three-legged Golden Crow totem on his chest.

On the eve of Zhennan City’s decisive battle, Li Xiao considered the remaining requirements for his Seven Orifice Insect ritual and prepared Chen An for the fighting. The battle began with Seventh Turn Consecrated Duan rising to challenge the Dragon Race elder Ao Xing in the sky.

• Li Xiao reviewed the three unfinished Seven Orifice Insect ritual requirements and judged that the Sixth Turn Great Demon Essence Blood would be especially difficult to obtain.
• Li Xiao corrected Chen An’s saber practice and told him to stay alive during the decisive battle.
• At dawn, Li Xiao joined Lin Tianyang, Consecrated Duan, and other Sixth Turn powerhouses on Zhennan City’s walls as a vast Demonic Beast army gathered outside.
• Ao Xing, a Dragon Race elder, appeared above the enemy army and challenged Zhennan City’s defenders.
• Consecrated Duan blocked much of Ao Xing’s dragon might, accepted his challenge, and followed him into the high sky to fight.

Consecrated Elder Duan fought Ao Xing in the sky above Zhennan City and revealed the power of his divine weapon, while Lin Tianyang entered the battlefield to face another Seventh Turn Great Demon. The master of Sea Shark Palace answered Lin Tianyang’s challenge as the next duel began.

• Ao Xing attacked Consecrated Elder Duan with his golden-edged flame divine ability, but Duan split the flames with his gray saber.
• Ao Xing recognized Duan’s saber as a divine weapon and grew cautious as their battle continued.
• Lin Tianyang judged that Consecrated Elder Duan could handle Ao Xing, then rose from the city wall and challenged the Demon Race.
• The master of Sea Shark Palace ascended through gathering clouds to confront Lin Tianyang.

Lin Tianyang fought the Sea Shark Palace Master and forced him to call on Ao Li for help, while Cangwu Old Ancestor watched from Zhennan City and weighed his own weakness. With the Seventh Turn experts occupied in the sky, more than ten Sixth Turn Great Demons advanced to challenge the city's defenders.

• The Sea Shark Palace Master attacked Lin Tianyang with a storm of water arrows, but Lin gathered them into a sphere and countered with a palm strike that tore open space.
• The Sea Shark Palace Master escaped Lin's strike by scattering into droplets, then called for Ao Li's aid after admitting he was no match alone.
• Ao Li joined the Sea Shark Palace Master to surround Lin, who accepted the two-on-one fight without showing fear.
• Cangwu Old Ancestor watched the Seventh Turn battle from a courtyard and decided he would have to rely on himself to break the deadlock.
• More than ten Sixth Turn Great Demons emerged from the Demonic Qi and formed a line before Zhennan City, where a giant black ape called for the Human Race's Sixth Turn experts to come out.