Chapter Summaries

Hua Wuming overwhelmed the Heavenly Emperor in their battle, and the Heavenly Emperor’s attempt to draw power from the Forbidden Island failed after the Azure Emperor cut off the connection. Hua Wuming left him battered and questioned whether he deserved the title of Number One Under Heaven.

• Hua Wuming reversed the Heavenly Emperor’s attacks and struck him hard enough to make him spit blood.
• Hua Wuming pressed his advantage with the True Self Battle Halberd, defeating the Heavenly Emperor’s sword and cauldron and leaving him badly wounded.
• The Heavenly Emperor connected to the Forbidden Island for more power, but the Azure Emperor severed the connection and urged him to fight on his own.
• The Heavenly Emperor used emperor’s methods, but Hua Wuming slashed him away and smashed him into the depths of the Forbidden River Domain.
• Hua Wuming looked down at the Heavenly Emperor and challenged his claim to be Number One Under Heaven.

The Heavenly Emperor fought Hua Wuming but, unable to win, accepted the Will of the Forbidden River Domain’s aid and became its puppet. When the will threatened Hua Wuming and the others, Gaishi revealed that Infinite Heaven was watching over him.

• Hua Wuming steadily overpowered the Heavenly Emperor, who fled but was pursued because the Human Emperor remained inside him.
• The Heavenly Emperor called on the Will of the Forbidden River Domain, which descended and took control of his body in exchange for power.
• The Will of the Forbidden River Domain threatened Hua Wuming and the others, while Hua Wuming condemned the Heavenly Emperor for becoming its puppet.
• Gaishi and Dao Jin challenged the will’s ignorance of events in the Black Underworld Great World and brought up Infinite Heaven.
• Gaishi revealed that Infinite Heaven was watching over him, shocking the Will of the Forbidden River Domain.

Gaishi warned the Will of the Forbidden River Domain that Infinite Heaven backed him, but the Will and the Heavenly Emperor dismissed his claim as a bluff. After Gaishi and Hua Wuming revealed their wooden tokens, the Will withdrew from the Heavenly Emperor and fled rather than risk provoking them.

• The Will of the Forbidden River Domain and the Heavenly Emperor questioned who Infinite Heaven was and why he would support Gaishi.
• The Heavenly Emperor argued that Gaishi was bluffing, and the Will regained its confidence and threatened Hua Wuming.
• Gaishi cited the incident involving Senior Dang Jin Tian and the Undefeated Immortal Venerable, warning that Hua Wuming could summon powerful allies.
• Gaishi and Hua Wuming displayed wooden tokens engraved with “Infinite” and “Hua,” making the Will nervous despite the Heavenly Emperor's mockery.
• The Will believed the threat was too dangerous to test, left the Heavenly Emperor's body, and announced it was leaving.

The will of the Forbidden River Domain abandoned the Heavenly Emperor, then secretly sent him far away to help him escape. Hua Wuming, Gaishi, and Dao Jin pursued him until the Azure Emperor seized control of the domain and trapped the Heavenly Emperor and his three incarnations.

• The will of the Forbidden River Domain left after Gaishi and the others pressured it, then sent the Heavenly Emperor far away to help him flee.
• Hua Wuming, Gaishi, and Dao Jin chased the Heavenly Emperor, but his escape techniques and the domain’s support repeatedly thwarted them.
• The Heavenly Emperor used One Qi Transforms Three Pure Ones and Form-Shift Shadow-Swap to split into four bodies and evade his pursuers.
• The Azure Emperor appeared, seized control of the Forbidden River Domain, and turned its power against the Heavenly Emperor.
• The Azure Emperor blocked one Heavenly Emperor while Hua Wuming, Gaishi, and Dao Jin stopped the other three, leaving them trapped and on the defensive.

The Azure Emperor, Hua Wuming, Gaishi, and Dao Jin overwhelmed the Heavenly Emperor in a battle across the Forbidden River Domain. Just as they suppressed him and believed he could not escape, the Heavenly Emperor activated a life-ending technique and exploded with the Heavenly Emperor Sword and Heavenly Emperor Cauldron.

• The Azure Emperor joined Hua Wuming, Gaishi, and Dao Jin in attacking the Heavenly Emperor and preventing his Incarnations from escaping.
• The Undefeated Immortal Sword arrived, and Hua Wuming used it alongside the True Self Battle War Halberd to badly wound the Heavenly Emperor.
• The Azure Emperor destroyed one Incarnation, helped Gaishi and Dao Jin eliminate the other two, and sent the Golden Ancient Tower to suppress the Heavenly Emperor.
• The Heavenly Emperor charged at the Azure Emperor but was beaten back, then Hua Wuming pierced and restrained him with his sword and halberd.
• The Heavenly Emperor activated a life-ending method, causing himself, the Heavenly Emperor Sword, and the Heavenly Emperor Cauldron to explode.

A Heavenly Emperor’s self-destruction devastated the Forbidden River Domain and nearly killed everyone caught in its shockwaves, until Xuan Yetian erased the blast. Hua Yunfei and the others searched for survivors, and Hua Wuming returned with the Azure Emperor and the rescued Gaishi and Dao Jin, urgently asking Hua Yunfei to bring Silly Girl out.

• A Heavenly Emperor self-destructed in the Forbidden River Domain, blasting Hua Wuming, the Azure Emperor, Gaishi, and Dao Jin away and sending destructive shockwaves across the region.
• Netherworld Emperor Tu Xing, Empress Sujin, Shangguan Zhiyi, Hua Yunfei, and the others tried to withstand the shockwaves, but many of them were blown apart and their origins were injured.
• Xuan Yetian wrote the character "Exterminate" and erased the self-destruction energy, saving Hua Yunfei and the others from the blast.
• Hua Yunfei and the group searched for survivors and found bloodstained fragments of clothing, but no trace of Hua Wuming, the Azure Emperor, Gaishi, or Dao Jin.
• Hua Wuming and the Azure Emperor arrived carrying the unconscious Gaishi and Dao Jin, then Hua Wuming gravely told Hua Yunfei to bring Silly Girl out.

Hua Wuming and the Azure Emperor concluded that the Heavenly Emperor’s self-destruction was a diversion and that he had escaped. Hua Yunfei summoned Silly Girl to locate him, and Hua Wuming prepared to pursue him with a powerful attack.

• Hua Wuming and the Azure Emperor explained that the Heavenly Emperor had concealed his self-destruction and that its unexpectedly weak blast suggested he had used it to escape.
• Hua Yunfei confirmed that Xuan Yetian had stopped the explosion, while Hua Wuming and the others suspected the Heavenly Emperor was still alive.
• Hua Wuming said the Heavenly Emperor’s energy could be tracked, and Hua Yunfei revealed that Silly Girl could locate him in the Black Underworld River.
• Silly Girl emerged from Hua Yunfei’s chest and called him Master, surprising Netherworld Emperor Tu Xing and the others.
• Hua Yunfei urged Hua Wuming to control his strength, and Hua Wuming prepared to show the escaped Heavenly Emperor a real explosion.

The Heavenly Emperor escaped his apparent death by transferring into the half-body hidden in a Bronze Ancient Coffin, then recovered enough strength to flee. Just as he entered the Unknown River Domain to hide, Hua Wuming found him and destroyed him with a devastating blast.

• The Heavenly Emperor awoke in the Bronze Ancient Coffin and discovered that the Black Underworld River had contaminated his hidden half-body.
• He explained that he had used a reversal mark to escape the battle by transferring into the body, and then began restoring his physical strength with the Heavenly Emperor's Boundless Art.
• The Heavenly Emperor taunted the Human Emperor about having absorbed the slumbering part of his divine soul and vowed to kill the Azure Emperor and take revenge on the others.
• The Heavenly Emperor headed toward the Unknown River Domain, believing no one could find him there, but sensed a terrifying energy behind him.
• Hua Wuming's aura-less energy overwhelmed the Heavenly Emperor, and Hua Wuming declared that this was a real explosion as the Heavenly Emperor was destroyed.

After Silly Girl’s attack crippled the Heavenly Emperor, Hua Wuming and the others secured him so the Human Emperor could reclaim his body. Hua Wuming then went to aid the Undefeated Immortal Venerable, but found that he had left his sword and a message behind and chosen to die alone.

• Silly Girl’s long-range attack devastated the river domain and left the Heavenly Emperor barely alive, and Hua Wuming located him.
• Hua Wuming sealed the Heavenly Emperor with the Undefeated Immortal Sword and the True Self Battle Halberd, freeing the Human Emperor to speak again.
• The Human Emperor prepared to reclaim his body with help from Gaishi, Dao Jin, Shangguan Zhiyi, the Great Divine Official, the Department Master, and the Azure Emperor.
• Hua Wuming left to find the Undefeated Immortal Venerable, but discovered that he had vanished and severed his bond with the Undefeated Immortal Sword.
• The Undefeated Immortal Venerable’s message left his sword to Hua Wuming and asked him not to search for him as he sought a burial place in the Black Underworld River.

After the Undefeated Immortal Venerable departed, Hua Wuming explained that he had refused help because his dignity mattered more to him than survival. Hua Wuming honored his old rival’s wishes, took the Undefeated Immortal Sword under his care, and bid farewell toward the Unknown River Domain.

• The Undefeated Immortal Sword begged Hua Wuming to help it find the Undefeated Immortal Venerable, and Hua Wuming confirmed Silly Girl could locate him.
• Hua Wuming explained that the Undefeated Immortal Venerable had avoided his sect because he would never accept aid from his enemy, even if refusing meant death.
• Hua Wuming told the Undefeated Immortal Sword that finding the Undefeated Immortal Venerable would hasten his end, and that respecting his resolve meant letting him go.
• Hua Wuming recalled how the Undefeated Immortal Venerable had become his lifelong example and rival, and how their first battle had ended with Hua Wuming self-detonating to stop him.
• Hua Wuming asked the Undefeated Immortal Sword to follow him and preserve proof that its master had existed, then bowed toward the Unknown River Domain and said farewell.

Dao Wushuang learned that Undefeated Immortal Venerable had refused help and chosen to face death rather than compromise his dignity. He planned to approach the Li Family while Pioneering Emperor Venerable noticed the Immortal Venerable’s weakening Dao and considered how to exploit his possible death.

• Dao Wushuang accepted that Undefeated Immortal Venerable had chosen death over surrender and paid his respects to him.
• Dao Wushuang told An Ning that Undefeated Immortal Venerable was gone and decided to keep the news from the Li Family for now.
• Dao Wushuang warned An Ning that the Li Family could become a target and asked her to invite its Grand Patriarch to Heavenly Mandate Daoist Academy.
• Dao Wushuang considered bringing the Li Family into the academy so he could protect them without upsetting the balance among the clans.
• Pioneering Emperor Venerable noticed Undefeated Immortal Venerable’s Dao fading and wondered whether his senior brother was nearing death.
• Pioneering Emperor Venerable considered whether to seize the Li Immortal Clan or give it a quick death if Undefeated Immortal Venerable fell.

An Ning visited the Li Family on Dao Wushuang’s behalf, but Li Feiyu refused to arrange a meeting with the clan’s Progenitor. She returned to Heavenly Mandate Daoist Academy angry, while Dao Wushuang dismissed the refusal and said he hoped the Li Family would not someday come begging them.

• An Ning arrived at the Li Family and guided a gatekeeper through a cultivation problem while waiting to be admitted.
• An Ning told Li Feiyu that Dao Wushuang had invited the Li Family’s Progenitor to Heavenly Mandate Daoist Academy, but Li Feiyu claimed the Progenitor could not leave seclusion.
• After An Ning left, Li Feiyu admitted he had refused because he was displeased with Dao Wushuang and trusted the Li Family’s powerful backing.
• An Ning returned to Heavenly Mandate Daoist Academy and told Dao Wushuang what had happened.
• Dao Wushuang comforted An Ning and said the academy would not pursue the Li Family, though he hoped they would not later need to beg for help.

Heavenly Venerable Dao Ren planned to exploit Undefeated Immortal Venerable’s downfall and attack the Li Immortal Clan. In the Forbidden River Domain, the Human Emperor reclaimed the Heavenly Emperor’s body, while Hua Wuming returned with news that Undefeated Immortal Venerable had gone to the Unknown River Domain and would not return.

• Heavenly Venerable Dao Ren told Carefree Heavenly Venerable that he intended to take advantage of Undefeated Immortal Venerable’s crisis and target the Li Immortal Clan.
• Azure Emperor, Gaishi, Dao Jin, Shangguan Zhiyi, Netherworld Emperor Tu Xing, and others helped the Human Emperor suppress the Heavenly Emperor and reclaim control of his body.
• The Star Emperor refused to help the Heavenly Emperor, and the Will of the Forbidden River Domain also declined to save him.
• Azure Emperor suppressed the Heavenly Emperor, whose will was sealed away as the Human Emperor fused with the Heavenly Emperor’s Fleshly Body.
• Hua Wuming told Hua Yunfei that Undefeated Immortal Venerable had rejected his help and gone to the Unknown River Domain.

Hua Wuming and the others accepted that Undefeated Immortal Venerable had departed for the Unknown River Domain, leaving the Undefeated Immortal Sword in Hua Wuming’s care. The Heavenly Emperor reunited with Hua Yunfei and warned him about the First-Generation Clans, while a hidden mission was completed.

• Gaishi and Hua Wuming explained why they would respect Undefeated Immortal Venerable’s choice to leave, and Hua Wuming revealed that he had entrusted the Undefeated Immortal Sword to him.
• Hua Wuming left after asking Hua Yunfei whether he needed help, and the Heavenly Emperor awakened as his complete self.
• Hua Yunfei welcomed the Heavenly Emperor, who promised that their homeland would reappear and named the Black Dragon Clan and Ancient Devil Clan among those who had hunted him.
• The Heavenly Emperor warned Hua Yunfei that the Ancient Devil Clan’s experts had helped force their sect into a dead end, and Gaishi identified the Ancient God Clan and Ancient Devil Clan as First-Generation Clans.
• The system announced that the Heavenly Emperor had reclaimed his body and that the hidden mission to find him was complete.

After completing the hidden mission, Hua Yunfei received the Hidden Sword Map and learned it pointed to the First Six Swords, which might restore a sword domain to the Primordial Dao Sword. He left the exchange with the system having traded ten Photo Albums for the reward and gained a lead toward becoming the Sword Holder of two swords.

• Hua Yunfei received the Hidden Sword Map in the Purple Mansion Grotto-Heaven after completing the hidden mission and argued with the system about the reward.
• The system revealed that the map was for the First Six Swords, and Hua Yunfei quickly praised the reward instead of risking its reissue.
• When the system began withdrawing the map, Hua Yunfei apologized and offered ten Photo Albums, persuading the system to let him keep it.
• Hua Yunfei asked the system for the Later Chapters of the Mitian Battle Method, but the system said it did not have them and that he was not qualified to cultivate them yet.
• The system explained that finding the First Six Swords might give the Primordial Dao Sword a sword domain again and let Hua Yunfei become the Sword Holder of two swords.

Hua Yunfei and the Heavenly Emperor discussed the elusive Bronze Fragment and the mysteries of the Black Underworld River, while the Heavenly Emperor planned to search the Dark World for Jia Duobao. The Azure Emperor then revealed that he and the Heavenly Emperor had long conspired to create and strengthen the new Heavenly Emperor, leaving Hua Yunfei and the others to understand the depth of their scheme.

• Hua Yunfei asked whether the Heavenly Emperor could identify the Bronze Fragment, but the Heavenly Emperor said he could not confirm it.
• The Heavenly Emperor and the Azure Emperor explained that the Unknown River Domain was the true Black Underworld River, a forbidden place even Black Nether Beings could not survive.
• The Heavenly Emperor said he would search the Dark World for Jia Duobao, and Hua Yunfei offered to ask the Nether Son to help him find the Nether Lord.
• The Heavenly Emperor thanked Tu Xing, Ling Chuan, and Xin Yan for helping him, and they said they might return to the Forbidden River Domain someday.
• The Azure Emperor revealed that he had deliberately lost to the Heavenly Emperor to keep him on Forbidden Island and had helped his fleshly body develop a new consciousness as part of their plan.
• The Heavenly Emperor explained that he had entered the Black Underworld Great World to escape pursuit by the Ancient Devil Clan and the Black Dragon Clan, and Hua Yunfei and the others realized the Azure Emperor had been an ally all along.

After the battle, Hua Yunfei gathered the survivors for a meal to help the Heavenly Emperor reconnect with the warmth of old friendships. The Azure Emperor and Star Emperor watched from afar, where the Star Emperor realized the Azure Emperor was hiding information about the Bronze Fragment.

• The Azure Emperor rejected the Jue Ming Wan Xie Wheel’s familiarity, said farewell, and warned Hua Yunfei and the others to stop causing trouble near the Black Underworld River.
• The Heavenly Emperor told Gaishi that the new Heavenly Emperor had been sealed and that he could handle the rest himself.
• Hua Yunfei invited the group to eat and drink, while Huantao declined because her master had given her other tasks.
• Silly Girl joined the toast, and the gathering stirred old memories and feelings in the Heavenly Emperor.
• The Azure Emperor and Star Emperor watched the gathering from the river, and the Azure Emperor denied knowing about the Bronze Fragment as the Star Emperor questioned what he was hiding.

After the gathering ended, Hua Yunfei weighed his next goals and asked Xuan Yetian about the Land of Absolute Darkness. Xuan Yetian confirmed Hua Yunfei had deduced its location correctly and warned that the Azure Emperor concealed a connection to the Unknown River Domain.

• Netherworld Emperor Tu Xing invited Netherworld Emperor Pufan to bring his family and take refuge with him, and Pufan accepted.
• Hua Yunfei thanked Gaishi before returning Silly Girl to Master Jiang, then considered his next destination with the Jue Ming Wan Xie Wheel.
• Xuan Yetian urged Hua Yunfei to seek Mount Meru Heaven, but Hua Yunfei said finding him would take too much time and would not help much immediately.
• Hua Yunfei asked Xuan Yetian about the Land of Absolute Darkness, and Xuan Yetian warned that Hua Yunfei could not survive there at his current strength.
• After Hua Yunfei explained what the Heavenly Emperor's incarnation had told him, Xuan Yetian confirmed his deduction and warned that the Azure Emperor had visited the Unknown River Domain and was not as simple as he seemed.

Hua Yunfei learned that Azure Emperor had secretly visited the Unknown River Domain and examined a Hidden Sword Map pointing to the Ancient Spirit Universe Cluster. Meanwhile, Mo Wuqie learned that Undefeated Immortal Venerable was nearing death and revealed that the Ancient Devil Clan had used him as a tool.

• Xuan Yetian told Hua Yunfei that Azure Emperor had visited the Unknown River Domain more than once and was certainly receiving help behind the scenes.
• Hua Yunfei showed Xuan Yetian the Hidden Sword Map, and Xuan Yetian identified its destination as the weak Ancient Spirit Universe Cluster and doubted the map was genuine.
• Hua Yunfei promised Xuan Yetian that he would eventually accompany him to find the Sumeru Bald Donkey, then set off with the Jue Ming Wan Xie Wheel to investigate the map.
• Pioneering Emperor Venerable told Mo Wuqie that Undefeated Immortal Venerable had emerged from seclusion but was close to perishing.
• Mo Wuqie said the Ancient Devil Clan had allowed Undefeated Immortal Venerable to hold the position of Number One Under Heaven because they needed a dutiful tool to act openly.

Pioneering Emperor Venerable and Mo Wuqie plotted to target the Li Immortal Clan while Undefeated Immortal Venerable remained in danger. Li Feiyu insisted the Immortal Venerable Progenitor would survive, but Pioneering Emperor Venerable approached another Li descendant with an offer, and Hua Yunfei reunited with Dao Wushuang and An Ning.

• Pioneering Emperor Venerable urged Mo Wuqie to help kill Undefeated Immortal Venerable, but Mo Wuqie refused and redirected their plans toward the Li Immortal Clan.
• Mo Wuqie offered to deal with the Li Family’s Grand Patriarch and told Pioneering Emperor Venerable to enlist the Yang Family and Sima Family, while he waited to see what the Black Dragon Clan would do.
• Li Feiyu dismissed a fellow descendant’s fears about Undefeated Immortal Venerable and left to seek advancement in the Ancient Spirit Universe Cluster.
• Pioneering Emperor Venerable contacted the Li descendant and offered a way to overcome his cultivation bottleneck.
• Hua Yunfei met Dao Wushuang and An Ning, and Dao Wushuang prompted An Ning to call him Father.