Chapter Summaries

Zhang Chu heard King Zhao's proposal to cooperate in obtaining an unnamed item in the Southern Border and learned three secrets in exchange. He agreed to help after asking Brother Yichen for information about the Bone Law Realm and portraits of the great evildoers gathering there.

• Zhang Chu questioned why King Zhao wanted his help and learned that he would only need to act once at a critical moment in the Southern Border.
• Brother Yichen offered three top-secret pieces of information, beginning with the warning that the Heavenly Evil Cult, backed by King Song, would seek revenge for Zhang Chu killing the Demon Buddha.
• Brother Yichen promised to reveal information about Zhang Chu's missing master, Huang Xugu, after the operation.
• Brother Yichen warned Zhang Chu that obtaining the Secret Treasure of Emotion through Three Worlds Well could exact an unimaginable price, citing the Gu God's fate.
• Zhang Chu agreed to cooperate if Brother Yichen provided a detailed introduction to the Bone Law Realm and information, preferably portraits, of the great evildoers in the Southern Border.

After Demon Buddha’s death, Zhang Chu studied the Bone Law Realm and wondered why he still could not identify his attribute, then headed for the Southern Border gathering in search of martial arts. The gathering drew powerful contenders from across Jianghu, including Zhang Chu, as the Saintess’s husband-selection contest approached.

• The beautiful youth chose to avoid making Zhang Chu an enemy and left with Third Master for the Southern Border Three Tribes.
• Zhang Chu received information about the Bone Law Realm and suspected his incomplete Chaos Phenomenon was preventing his attribute from manifesting.
• Zhang Chu decided to seek peerless Internal Skills or Divine Abilities at the Southern Border gathering, and joked that he would rob contenders if nothing dropped.
• Zhang Chu used Cloud Dragon Nine Manifestations to travel toward the Southern Border gathering.
• Warriors from across Jianghu crowded the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, where rumors named Zhang Chu a potential victor in the Saintess’s husband-selection gathering.

Lei Yi gathered five notorious wanted criminals to kill Zhang Chu and advance the Dragon King Hall’s plans to seize the Southern Border Three Tribes. The group prepared to ambush Zhang Chu outside the valley, with Lei Jue waiting in reserve.

• Lei Yi met Shadowless Sword Li Wanshan, Poison Scholar Zhao Mingzi, Flower Beauty Lian Xin, Iron Corpse Chou Lie, and Silver Fox Gu Ying in a secret chamber.
• The five criminals agreed that Zhang Chu had become a threat after killing Han Bao and Zhou Yuanli.
• Lei Yi revealed that the Dragon King Hall wanted the Saintess and the Three Tribes’ support, so Zhang Chu had to die.
• Lei Yi told the group that his uncle, Lei Jue, a mid-stage Bone Law Realm expert, had come to protect him and could intervene if needed.
• Lei Yi explained that his men were watching the valley entrance and ordered the five peak Jade Liquid Realm experts to attack Zhang Chu before he entered.
• Lei Yi and the five criminals drank to their planned ambush while the gathering inside the valley continued unaware.

Zhang Chu reached the Southern Border to hunt wanted criminals and killed Jiang Xing, who had posed as a weapons seller. Five peak Jade Liquid Realm fighters then confronted him, accusing him of making an enemy of the Jianghu.

• Zhang Chu traveled more than two thousand li overnight toward the Southern Border and checked the wanted list he had received from the beautiful youth.
• At the valley entrance, Zhang Chu recognized weapons seller Jiang Xing as the wanted junior brother of Zhou Yuanli and killed him for 25,000 Merit Points.
• The crowd panicked, and wanted criminals quietly tried to flee as Zhang Chu's killing spread fear.
• Five peak Jade Liquid Realm fighters emerged from the forest, led by Shadowless Sword Li Wanshan, and accused Zhang Chu of running wild in the Southern Border.
• Li Wanshan and Poison Scholar Zhao Mingzi declared that the group had come to eradicate Zhang Chu, while Flower Beauty Lian Xin, Iron Corpse Chou Lie, and Silver Fox Gu Ying stood with them.

Zhang Chu killed the five wanted Jade Liquid Realm experts who had tried to rally the Jianghu against him, gaining more than eight hundred thousand Merit Points but no martial arts manuals. After hearing that they had Dragon King Hall’s backing, he paused at the name and mocked the organization.

• Li Wanshan attacked Zhang Chu with his Shadowless Sword, but Zhang Chu shattered the attack and killed him in one blow.
• Zhang Chu restrained Zhao Mingzi, tested his poison, and killed him when it proved ineffective.
• Zhang Chu killed Flower Beauty, then destroyed Iron Corpse and his two Gold Corpses.
• Silver Fox admitted he was an assassin and had no martial arts manuals, and Zhang Chu killed him.
• The crowd revealed the five experts had sought protection from Dragon King Hall, and Zhang Chu questioned the name aloud.

After Zhang Chu killed five peak Jade Liquid Grandmasters, the Southern Border Three Tribes welcomed him and barred violence inside the valley. Lei Jue explained that the marriage gathering was really a search for an ally who could help the Southern Border obtain the Gu God's Secret Art, the Insect Scripture.

• Long Tu and representatives of the major sects respectfully greeted Zhang Chu after witnessing his strength.
• Tu Lu welcomed Zhang Chu on the High Priest's orders and announced that fighting was forbidden inside Southern Border Valley.
• Zhang Chu followed Tu Lu into the valley as the Jianghu crowd watched.
• Lei Yi learned that Zhang Chu had killed five of Dragon King Hall's trusted subordinates and angrily demanded revenge.
• Lei Jue warned Lei Yi to endure the deaths and explained that the Southern Border was seeking a partner to help solve its greatest problem: the Gu God's Secret Art, the Insect Scripture.

Lei Jue explained that Dragon King Hall planned to help the Southern Border obtain the Insect Scripture from the Three Worlds Well, then bring the region under its control, while Lei Yi intended to kill Zhang Chu amid the coming chaos. In the valley, Zhang Chu met a girl and her giant frog, Treasure Toad, which grabbed his blade and unleashed a slash with True Gang Realm power.

• Lei Jue told Lei Yi that the Southern Border Saintess could briefly resist the Three Worlds Well’s curse, but would die helping open it for the Insect Scripture.
• Lei Jue said Dragon King Hall would aid the Southern Border to gain its loyalty, while warning Lei Yi to stay away from the Saintess and dismissing the Secret Treasure of Emotion as unobtainable.
• Lei Jue predicted that the Three Worlds Well’s appearance would spark a battle in the valley, and Lei Yi vowed to use the chaos to kill Zhang Chu.
• Zhang Chu left Tu Lu’s crowded banquet to rest alone on a quiet hillside.
• A girl arrived with her giant frog, Treasure Toad, which fixated on Zhang Chu’s precept blade.
• Treasure Toad seized the blade and swung it, sending out a slash as powerful as a True Gang Realm expert’s attack.

Zhang Chu met Jing Zhongyue and her saber-wielding Treasure Toad, then watched the Three Worlds Well open during the Emotion-Heaven Full Moon. Cang sacrificed himself to the Gu God's curse, and Ling leaped into the well after him.

• Zhang Chu met Jing Zhongyue, who introduced him to Treasure Toad, a giant frog capable of wielding a saber.
• At the full moon gathering, Zhang Chu saw the major powers and Southern Border tribes assemble around Three Worlds Well.
• Tu Ming asked Cang and Ling if they had accepted their fate as the lovers chosen for the sacrifice, and they confirmed they had.
• The opened well unleashed the Heartbreak Infatuation Gu curse, whose red mist and bloody runes threatened everyone nearby.
• Cang shielded Ling and sacrificed himself to the curse, then Ling leaped into the well to join him.

The Southern Border opened the Three Worlds Well to find a fated guide for its Saintess, Jing Zhongyue, to retrieve the Gu God's Insect Scripture. After nearly a hundred suitors failed, Zhang Chu looked into the well and triggered a miraculous revelation, leaving the gathered factions ready to fight over the Scripture.

• High Priest Tu Ming explained that the Saintess needed a fated guide to retrieve the Insect Scripture and promised him authority and military support from the Southern Border.
• Young talents took turns looking into the well, but none formed a lasting connection; Lei Yi produced only a few fleeting ripples.
• High Priest Tu Ming invited Zhang Chu to look into the well, and he recognized the veiled Saintess as Jing Zhongyue, the girl who had chased frogs the previous day.
• Zhang Chu's gaze made the well churn and reveal ancient images that recalled a secret letter he had seen two days earlier.
• The well erupted in crimson light and revealed the Insect Scripture, prompting the major factions to prepare to seize it.

Zhang Chu obtained the Insect Scripture and used the crowd’s greed to turn them against one another before crushing the sect leaders who accused him. He then killed Lei Jue with one palm, leaving Lei Yi and the gathered Jianghu fighters stunned.

• Zhang Chu tossed the glowing Insect Scripture into the crowd, where Jianghu fighters battled and killed one another to seize it.
• A Qingcheng Sect disciple seized the Scripture but rotted into a puddle of gore, and the crowd accused Zhang Chu of poisoning it.
• Zhang Chu killed the Tiannan Sword Sect elder, the Diancang Gate master, and several others with his Heaven Covering palm.
• Lei Yi denounced Zhang Chu and called on Dragon King Hall to destroy him, while Lei Jue attacked Zhang Chu with the Sea-Overturning Palm.
• Zhang Chu killed Lei Jue with one palm, and Lei Yi staggered back in shock.

Zhang Chu erased Lei Jue and the other hostile fighters, then refused to let Tu Lu take the supposed Insect Scripture. He accused High Priest Tu Ming of staging a deception and revealed that the Gu God was a woman with a Carefree Heart who had been betrayed and died in the Three Worlds Well.

• Zhang Chu killed Lei Jue and more than a dozen Jianghu fighters with a single palm, terrifying the crowd.
• Tu Lu acknowledged Zhang Chu's strength but insisted that the Insect Scripture belonged to the Southern Border and could not be taken.
• Zhang Chu suppressed the red-lit object and accused Tu Ming of orchestrating a deception, calling him the Thousand Autumns Undying Person.
• Tu Ming denied Zhang Chu's accusation and implied that Zhang Chu was using it as an excuse to seize the Southern Border's divine art.
• Zhang Chu told the crowd that the Gu God had been a woman born with a Carefree Heart, contrary to Southern Border records.
• Zhang Chu declared that the Gu God had been betrayed and died within the Three Worlds Well.

Zhang Chu accused Tu Ming of being Nan Yuan, the first High Priest, and claimed he murdered the Gu God and falsified Southern Border’s history. He explained how Nan Yuan had hidden the truth, leaving Tu Lu stunned by the possibility that the revered priest stood before them.

• Tu Ming challenged Zhang Chu to provide proof, accusing him of inventing a story to seize Southern Border’s supreme treasure.
• Zhang Chu declared that Tu Ming was actually Nan Yuan, the Gu God’s childhood sweetheart and Southern Border’s first High Priest.
• Zhang Chu said Nan Yuan murdered the Gu God, stole her treasure to extend his life, and was trapped by the Secret Treasure of Emotion in an eternal reliving of her death.
• Zhang Chu explained that the Gu God rarely appeared in public and that Nan Yuan, not she, had led Southern Border’s campaigns, leaving few witnesses who knew the truth.
• Tu Lu questioned how Nan Yuan could have silenced everyone who had seen the Gu God, and Zhang Chu answered that very few people had seen her.
• Tu Lu realized Zhang Chu was claiming the frail Tu Ming before them was the celebrated Nan Yuan.

Zhang Chu exposed Tu Ming as Nan Yuan, who had betrayed and tried to kill the Gu God out of resentment and greed. Tu Ming admitted he did not understand the Carefree Heart, and the Southern Border crowd turned against him.

• Zhang Chu recounted how Nan Yuan grew resentful of the Gu God's fame and plotted to steal her supreme treasures.
• Zhang Chu described Nan Yuan's full-moon betrayal, when he wounded the trusting Gu God and threw her into the Three Worlds Well.
• Zhang Chu revealed that the Gu God possessed the Heartbreak Infatuation Gu and the Heavenly Toad Undying Token, and that Nan Yuan had fabricated the Insect Scripture to reopen the Secret Treasure of Emotion.
• Zhang Chu said he had learned the secrets in the well and that the Saintess had known the truth, then challenged Tu Ming over his ignorance of the Carefree Heart.
• Tu Ming admitted he did not understand the Carefree Heart, and the crowd realized he was Nan Yuan and condemned him.
• Tu Lu drew a clear line against Tu Ming, holding his sword ready as the Southern Border's faith in the High Priest collapsed.

Zhang Chu revealed that the Carefree Heart was a Fate created by the Three Worlds Well to protect the people, and that the Gu God and Jing Zhongyue had been its favored bearers. Jing Zhongyue confirmed she had known the truth for years, while the Southern Border clansmen learned that Nan Yuan’s lies had sent many to die and turned against him.

• Zhang Chu explained that the Carefree Heart was a protective Fate bestowed during times of chaos and that its bearer faced backlash for betraying their duty.
• Zhang Chu revealed that the Gu God had been favored by Fate, explaining how she controlled the Heartbreak Infatuation Gu and the Heavenly Toad Undying Token.
• Nan Yuan realized that Jing Zhongyue’s rapid cultivation despite his restrictions came from her Carefree Heart and asked whether she had known the truth.
• Jing Zhongyue told Nan Yuan that she had learned the truth years earlier and had tried to warn people, but no one believed her.
• Southern Border clansmen grieved for those sacrificed at the Three Worlds Well and condemned Nan Yuan for deceiving them and betraying the Gu God.

Nan Yuan revealed that others had discovered the Three Worlds Well’s secrets over the centuries and claimed the Secret Treasure of Emotion’s curse had made him nearly immortal. As Zhang Chu confronted him and hinted that Southern Border’s true treasure was elsewhere, a guard reported that someone had broken into the Thousand Mountain Ancient Cave.

• Nan Yuan recounted how the Martial Saint, the Devil Master, a Sword-carrying Swordsman, and a Woman with Double Pupils had uncovered the Three Worlds Well’s secrets but failed to open the Secret Treasure of Emotion.
• Nan Yuan said the treasure’s curse had tormented him but made him nearly impossible to kill, then unleashed his overwhelming aura and coveted Zhang Chu’s body.
• Zhang Chu challenged Nan Yuan, revealed he had guessed the old man’s hidden secret, and prepared to attack him.
• A distant battle erupted with an aura at least at the Bone Law Realm, and a wounded Southern Border guard reported that someone had broken into the Thousand Mountain Ancient Cave.

Zhang Chu fought Nan Yuan at the Three Worlds Well and destroyed the false body sustained by the Heavenly Toad Undying Token, though he realized Nan Yuan’s true body survived. He then offered Jing Zhongyue a deal involving the Heartbreak Infatuation Gu, the Heavenly Toad Undying Token, and Nan Yuan’s supreme treasure divine art.

• Nan Yuan tried to leave after learning of the battle at the Thousand Mountain Ancient Cave, but Zhang Chu blocked his path and challenged him.
• Nan Yuan’s thousand-year punch collided with Zhang Chu’s West Pole Myriad Annihilation Divine Palm, and both men staggered back.
• Nan Yuan unleashed his Nethercold Dharma Bone and fought Zhang Chu, but Zhang Chu steadily drove him back and wounded him.
• Zhang Chu struck Nan Yuan with a palm combining the Northern Cold Flame True Hand and the West Pole Myriad Annihilation Divine Palm, causing Nan Yuan’s body to disintegrate and explode.
• Zhang Chu realized Nan Yuan’s destroyed body was only a false body because he received no Merit Points notification.
• Zhang Chu offered Jing Zhongyue the supreme treasure in exchange for its divine art and help reclaiming the Heavenly Toad Undying Token.

Zhang Chu returned the Heartbreak Infatuation Gu to Jing Zhongyue, then arrived at the Thousand Mountain Ancient Cave and confronted Wuchang and the others over the Heavenly Toad Undying Token. He defeated Wuchang and killed Third Master, then warned Brother Yichen not to pursue his claim to the treasure.

• Jing Zhongyue asked Zhang Chu what he had seen in the Three Worlds Well, but he avoided answering and returned the Heartbreak Infatuation Gu to her.
• Wuchang fought Second Master and Third Master at the Thousand Mountain Ancient Cave, seeking the power of the Heavenly Toad Undying Token to heal her old wounds.
• Zhang Chu arrived at the cave, revealed he had entered the Bone Law Realm, and declared that the treasure was his and he would kill anyone who opposed him.
• Wuchang's Seal Yin Lock Soul failed to restrain Zhang Chu, who struck her with Northern Cold Flame True Hand · Samsara and sent her crashing into the mountain wall.
• Third Master tried to slip into the cave, but Zhang Chu killed him with one palm.
• Zhang Chu told Brother Yichen their cooperation was over and warned him not to take Zhang Chu's things.

Zhang Chu killed Wuchang after she unleashed her life-burning Prison Dao technique, then discovered that Nan Yuan had been reborn in a younger body. Nan Yuan emerged from the Thousand Mountain Ancient Cave claiming he could not be killed as long as his supreme treasure remained.

• The County Princess and Second Master abandoned Third Master’s remains and retreated after Zhang Chu warned them off.
• Wuchang emerged from the rubble and, gravely wounded, unleashed Soul-Sealing Spirit-Locking: Ghost Gate Unleashed against Zhang Chu.
• Zhang Chu’s Chaos Phenomenon devoured Wuchang’s spiritual attack, and she disintegrated, telling him she was finally free after fifty years of suffering.
• Zhang Chu received 450,000 Merit Points as the Thousand Mountain Ancient Cave erupted with power and its stone gates shattered.
• Nan Yuan emerged from the cave in a rejuvenated body and told Zhang Chu that his supreme treasure allowed him to be reborn without end.

Zhang Chu and Jing Zhongyue defeated Nan Yuan by stripping him from the Heavenly Toad Undying Token and destroying him. The token reunited with the green frog and rewarded Zhang Chu with ancient scriptures and a mysterious diagram.

• Nan Yuan revealed his Bone Law Realm pinnacle strength and threatened to take over Zhang Chu's body.
• Jing Zhongyue arrived transformed by the Heartbreak Infatuation Gu, having entered the middle stage of the Bone Law Realm, and said she could control the Heavenly Toad Undying Token for only a few breaths.
• Jing Zhongyue used the Gu to strip Nan Yuan's consciousness from the token, exposing his spiritual body.
• Zhang Chu attacked Nan Yuan with Samsara and Heaven Covering, destroying him and earning 550,000 Merit Points.
• The green frog entered the recovered Heavenly Toad Undying Token, which radiated gratitude and gave Zhang Chu ancient scriptures and a mysterious diagram across his back.

Zhang Chu gained an initial understanding of the Heavenly Toad Undying Diagram while Jing Zhongyue was recognized as Southern Border’s new Gu God. He prepared to use his Merit Points to strengthen the divine art.

• Zhang Chu sensed the Heavenly Toad Undying Diagram forming across his back and began cultivating the internal skill.
• Tu Lu and another Southern Border general arrived at the ancient cave and saw the devastation left by Zhang Chu’s battle.
• Several hundred tribespeople arrived, realized the High Priest was dead, and knelt before Jing Zhongyue after seeing her fused with the Heartbreak Infatuation Gu.
• Tu Lu and the other general recognized Zhang Chu’s Heavenly Toad Undying Diagram and stood guard while he cultivated.
• Zhang Chu understood the art’s restorative powers and nine levels, then summoned the System Panel to strengthen it with his Merit Points.