Chapter Summaries

After Ning Wangshu destroyed the Taihua Dynasty’s royal family and killed Cangxuan Tianzun, news of the dynasty’s collapse spread across the region. He took Han Ying away from Taihua City, promising to teach her a cultivation method and restore her family’s fortunes before traveling to Mingzhou and visiting old acquaintances.

• News spread that Ning Wangshu had killed Cangxuan Tianzun and the Taihua Dynasty’s royal family, leaving the dynasty poised to disintegrate.
• Officials, powerful families, and neighboring forces began plotting to seize the dynasty’s twenty-six states.
• Ning Wangshu told Han Ying he would teach her a cultivation method and hoped to help the Han family flourish again.
• Ning Wangshu explained that he planned to travel with Han Ying to Mingzhou to check on someone’s sect and visit old acquaintances.
• Ning Wangshu pointed out a city where they would stay until Han Ying had learned the basics of her new cultivation method.

Ning Wangshu taught Han Ying the Mysterious Stillness Heavenly Technique and gave her a Storage Ring with Spirit Stones to aid her cultivation. In Black Stone City, they learned that the Taihua Dynasty’s Royal Family had been destroyed and that local factions were preparing to contest the city’s power.

• Ning Wangshu passed the Mysterious Stillness Heavenly Technique to Han Ying and gave her a Storage Ring filled with Spirit Stones.
• Han Ying studied the technique with Ning Wangshu’s guidance, began practicing it, and found that her True Qi grew several times faster than before.
• At the inn, Ning Wangshu and Han Ying overheard people say that a Mahayana Earth Immortal had wiped out the Taihua Dynasty’s Royal Family and killed Cangxuan Tianzun.
• The townspeople said the Zhou Family, Zhao Family, and Lingyun Sect were maneuvering to seize control of Black Stone City after the news spread.
• The townspeople said the City Lord had issued a Recruitment Order for unaffiliated cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage to strengthen her forces.

Ning Wangshu confronted Zhou Yikuan after the Zhou Family’s young master slaughtered inn patrons for speaking about his family. When Zhou Yikuan attacked Ning Wangshu and Han Ying, Ning Wangshu killed him with a flick of his finger, leaving the inn in shock and fearing the Zhou Family’s retaliation.

• Zhou Yikuan entered the inn and killed patrons who had spoken about the Zhou Family.
• Ning Wangshu demanded an apology and payment after blood splattered on his food, and Zhou Yikuan attacked him and Han Ying.
• Ning Wangshu killed Zhou Yikuan with a finger strike before Uncle Lin could intervene.
• The inn patrons reacted in disbelief and feared the Zhou Family would retaliate against Ning Wangshu.

Ning Wangshu killed Zhou Yikuan and the Zhou Family members who attacked him, then received an invitation to the City Lord’s banquet. The messenger, Luo Ying, reminded him of an old friend named Luo Han, though she had never heard of him.

• Ning Wangshu crushed a Golden Core Superior with one palm after the man attacked him, then killed the remaining Zhou Family members with a casual wave.
• Ning Wangshu returned to his room with Han Ying while witnesses debated whether he could escape the Zhou Family’s retaliation.
• News of Zhou Yikuan’s death spread through Black Stone City, and Zhou Ji led Zhou Family members toward the inn to confront Ning Wangshu.
• Before Zhou Ji arrived, Luo Ying appeared on the City Lord’s orders to invite Ning Wangshu to a banquet at the City Lord’s Mansion.
• Ning Wangshu noticed Luo Ying resembled an old friend, asked whether she knew Luo Han, and grew suspicious when she said she did not.

Ning Wangshu agreed to accompany Luo Ying to the City Lord's Mansion to ask Luo Shuqing about Luo Han. Meanwhile, Zhou Ji planned to use the arriving Qin Family Third Elder to force the City Lord's Mansion to submit and seize control of Black Stone City.

• Luo Ying suggested that Luo Shuqing might know about Luo Han, and Ning Wangshu agreed to go with her to the City Lord's Mansion.
• The City Lord's Mansion sought to recruit Ning Wangshu after learning he had killed Zhou Yikuan, and Luo Ying had personally invited him to a banquet.
• Zhou Ji arrived at the inn and grew angry when he learned Ning Wangshu had already left with Luo Ying.
• Zhou Ji declared that he would take the Qin Family Third Elder to the City Lord's Mansion and demand that Luo Shuqing stop protecting Ning Wangshu.
• Zhou Ji revealed that he had offered the Qin Family thirty percent of Black Stone City's future profits in exchange for the Third Elder's help.
• Zhou Ji explained that his secret talks with the Zhao Family and Lingyun Sect were only meant to keep them from acting before the Qin Family Third Elder arrived.

Ning Wangshu attended a banquet at the City Lord's Mansion, hoping to learn whether Luo Ying's Aunt Master knew his old friend Luo Han. His prominent seat and the story of his killing Zhou family members stirred resentment, and several cultivators prepared to challenge his right to sit there.

• Luo Ying told Ning Wangshu that her Aunt Master would speak with him privately after the banquet and had asked that he be well attended.
• Ning Wangshu took the foremost seat, which other guests recognized as a place reserved for powerful Soul Departure Stage cultivators.
• A guest identified Ning Wangshu as the man who had killed the Zhou family's young master and a Golden Core Superior at Yuefu Inn.
• Several guests dismissed Ning Wangshu's deed as unimpressive and questioned why he had been seated above them.
• A man surnamed Fang rallied fellow cultivators to test Ning Wangshu and make him give up the foremost seat if he proved unworthy.

At the City Lord’s banquet, Fang Lang and his companions challenged Ning Wangshu’s right to sit above the Soul Departure Stage seniors. Ning Wangshu demanded that they kneel and apologize, and Fang Lang erupted in spiritual power, preparing to fight.

• Fang Lang confronted Ning Wangshu about killing the Zhou Family’s Young Master and Golden Core Superior, then questioned his place at the top seat.
• Fang Lang’s companions criticized Ning Wangshu for sitting above the Soul Departure Stage seniors, while Ning Wangshu dismissed their objections.
• Luo Ying returned and warned Fang Lang and the others not to cause trouble at the City Lord’s banquet.
• Fang Lang and his companions backed down temporarily, but Fang Lang vowed to challenge Ning Wangshu before the City Lord.
• As Fang Lang and the others turned to leave, Ning Wangshu stopped them and demanded that they kneel and apologize.
• Fang Lang rejected Ning Wangshu’s demand, and his spiritual power surged as he prepared to attack.

Ning Wangshu effortlessly defeated Fang Lang after Fang Lang attacked him, revealing that he was a Soul Departure Stage powerhouse. The crowd reconsidered his place of honor, though Wang Linhe remained resentful and questioned whether Ning Wangshu was his equal.

• Fang Lang attacked Ning Wangshu with the Ancient Wood Collapse Cloud Technique, while Luo Ying warned Ning Wangshu to watch out.
• Ning Wangshu shattered Fang Lang’s branches with a gesture and ordered him to kneel.
• Ning Wangshu’s pressure crushed Fang Lang’s resistance and forced him to the ground.
• The crowd realized Ning Wangshu was a Soul Departure Stage powerhouse, and some accepted why the City Lord had given him the foremost seat.
• Wang Linhe privately resented Ning Wangshu’s position, while Luo Ying reconsidered his earlier actions in light of his strength.

At the City Lord’s Mansion banquet, Ning Wangshu killed Fang Lang despite warnings, revealing that he feared neither Fang Lang’s master nor the powerful figures present. Wang Linhe attacked him with the Boundless Sea Sword Art, and the chapter ended as his Sword Qi surged toward Ning Wangshu.

• Luo Ying suspected Ning Wangshu had reached the Dividing Soul Stage and hoped he could help her Aunt Master face the Zhou Family, the Zhao Family, and the Lingyun Sect.
• Fang Lang threatened Ning Wangshu with his master, Old Ancestor Chi Yan, but Ning Wangshu continued pressing him down.
• Wang Linhe intervened, yet Ning Wangshu killed Fang Lang and destroyed his Nascent Soul while Wang Linhe’s attack was stopped by an invisible force.
• Wang Linhe confronted Ning Wangshu over killing Fang Lang, and Ning Wangshu challenged his authority.
• Wang Linhe unleashed the Boundless Sea Sword Art, sending a vast surge of Sword Qi toward Ning Wangshu.

Ning Wangshu killed Wang Linhe with a flick of his finger after Wang Linhe unleashed the Boundless Sea Sword Art. The banquet guests mistook Ning Wangshu for a Dividing Soul Stage elder, while Luo Ying hoped to recruit him to help the City Lord's Mansion.

• Wang Linhe attacked Ning Wangshu with the Boundless Sea Sword Art, and the guests expected Ning Wangshu to die.
• Ning Wangshu flicked a finger, shattered Wang Linhe's sword art, and killed him.
• The banquet guests were shocked and concluded that Ning Wangshu must be a Dividing Soul Stage elder.
• The Soul Departure Stage cultivators feared they might have been killed if Wang Linhe had not attacked first.
• Luo Ying excitedly considered persuading Ning Wangshu to join the City Lord's Mansion and help subdue the Zhou Family, Zhao Family, and Lingyun Sect.

After Ning Wangshu killed Fang Lang and Wang Linhe, Luo Shuqing began the banquet without pursuing their deaths. The Zhou Family then arrived, led by Zhou Ji, and challenged her for not inviting them.

• Ning Wangshu dismissed Fang Lang's surviving companions, who blamed Fang Lang and fled.
• Luo Shuqing arrived, learned what had happened from Luo Ying, and ordered guards to remove Wang Linhe's corpse.
• Luo Shuqing welcomed the guests and urged them to cooperate to keep Black Stone City stable, while saying nothing about Fang Lang and Wang Linhe's deaths.
• The guests discussed why Luo Shuqing would not risk antagonizing Ning Wangshu, whom they believed to be a Dividing Soul elder.
• Zhou Ji arrived with Zhou Family elders and a powerful middle-aged man, provoking Luo Shuqing over the family's absence from the invitation list.

Zhou Ji and Zhou Hengchuan confronted Luo Shuqing at the City Lord's Mansion, threatening to seize Black Stone City despite Zhou Hengchuan appearing to be weaker than her. Zhou Ji demanded that the killer of his son be handed over, leaving the banquet hall facing an imminent clash.

• Zhou Ji arrived uninvited at Luo Shuqing's banquet and accused her of insulting the Zhou family by excluding them.
• Zhou Hengchuan's retainer declared that the Zhou family would rule Black Stone City and threatened to kill Luo Shuqing and anyone who refused.
• Ning Wangshu recognized that a middle-aged Zhou family member had reached the peak Dividing Soul Stage, unlike the mid-stage Zhou Hengchuan.
• Zhou Ji revealed that his son had been murdered and demanded the killer, the city, and the City Lord's Mansion, threatening to slaughter everyone if refused.

Zhou Ji confronted Ning Wangshu over the death of his son and attacked him inside the City Lord's Mansion, but Luo Shuqing stopped the blow. Ning Wangshu exposed the Zhou Family's hidden Dividing Soul Stage peak expert, leaving the gathered allies worried about whether they could oppose the Zhou Family.

• Zhou Ji accused Ning Wangshu of killing his son and threatened to tear him limb from limb.
• Zhou Ji conjured a giant palm to attack Ning Wangshu, but Luo Shuqing shattered it and warned Zhou Ji not to make trouble in the City Lord's Mansion.
• Zhou Ji claimed Luo Shuqing could not protect Ning Wangshu, and Ning Wangshu said Zhou Ji was relying on a Dividing Soul Stage peak expert beside him.
• The unfamiliar man beside Zhou Ji stepped forward and asked Ning Wangshu whether he knew him, confirming that he was the hidden expert.
• The gathered guests reacted with shock, and several began to worry that Luo Shuqing could not defeat the Zhou Family's expert and considered withdrawing their support.

Zhou Ji revealed that the Zhou Family had the backing of Qin Yaowu and the powerful Qin Family of Qingfeng City, and threatened to kill Ning Wangshu. Though Luo Shuqing hesitated at the prospect of the Qin Family’s Body Integration ancestors, Ning Wangshu calmly told Zhou Ji to die.

• Zhou Ji boasted that his Dividing Soul peak granduncle and Qin Yaowu could overpower Luo Shuqing, and said the Qin Family could send a Body Integration ancestor if needed.
• The crowd panicked at the Zhou Family’s ties to the Qin Family and concluded that the Zhou Family would take control of Black Stone City.
• Luo Shuqing worried that she could not withstand the Qin Family’s Body Integration ancestors, while Zhou Ji offered to let her keep her position if she submitted or leave the city if she refused.
• Zhou Ji declared that Ning Wangshu would die for killing his son and threatened anyone who tried to protect him.
• Ning Wangshu laughed off Zhou Ji’s threats and calmly told him to go die.

Ning Wangshu effortlessly killed Qin Yaowu and the Zhou Family members who threatened him, shocking the banquet guests and revealing his overwhelming power. The survivors feared the Qin Family would retaliate, while Luo Ying worried that even Ning Wangshu might struggle against its Body Integration ancestors.

• Zhou Ji mocked Ning Wangshu and relied on Qin Yaowu, the Qin Family's peak Soul Division Third Elder, to protect him.
• Qin Yaowu attacked Ning Wangshu, but Ning crushed him into blood mist with a gesture.
• The banquet guests realized Ning Wangshu was likely a Body Integration cultivator, while Luo Ying worried the Qin Family would seek revenge.
• Zhou Ji threatened Ning Wangshu with the Qin Family's retaliation, and Ning killed him and the other Zhou Family members with a distant strike.

After Ning Wangshu killed the Zhou family leaders and the Qin family's Third Elder, Luo Shuqing feared the Qin family's retaliation and dismissed the banquet guests and City Lord's Mansion staff. She then revealed that Luo Ying was a direct descendant of the founding ancestor Luo Han, the old acquaintance Ning Wangshu had mentioned.

• The onlookers feared the Qin family's response to Ning Wangshu killing its Third Elder and the Zhou family leaders.
• Luo Shuqing ended the banquet and sent the guests away, fearing they would be caught in the Qin family's retaliation.
• Luo Shuqing dismissed the City Lord's Mansion guards and servants, leaving only Luo Ying with her and Ning Wangshu.
• Luo Shuqing confirmed that Luo Han was the founding ancestor of her lineage.
• Luo Shuqing revealed that Luo Ying was Luo Han's direct descendant and only living descendant, explaining why her master had died protecting her.
• Ning Wangshu realized that Luo Ying's resemblance to Luo Han was because she was Luo Han's descendant.

Ning Wangshu revealed that Luo Han had been his Nominal Disciple and offered to help Luo Shuqing and Luo Ying with their enemies. Luo Shuqing recounted Luo Han's disappearance and her family's long flight from mysterious pursuers, leaving Ning Wangshu to consider investigating in Spirit Prefecture as Luo Ying asked whether he was a Mahayana Earth Immortal.

• Ning Wangshu told Luo Shuqing and Luo Ying that Luo Han was his Nominal Disciple, shocking them.
• Ning Wangshu offered to deal with the Zhou Family, Zhao Family, Lingyun Sect, Qin Family, and any other enemies they named.
• Luo Shuqing explained that Luo Han had left over two hundred years earlier to face a Powerful Foe and had not been seen since.
• Luo Shuqing described how mysterious pursuers forced her family to flee for generations, and how Xiao Ying's parents and master died protecting her.
• Ning Wangshu inferred that Luo Han had likely reached the late Tribulation Stage and said he might investigate in Central Soil Spirit Province.
• Luo Ying asked Ning Wangshu whether he had reached the Mahayana Earth Immortal stage.

Ning Wangshu explained that, despite being neither a Tribulation Stage cultivator nor a Mahayana Earth Immortal, he could easily kill either, and revealed that he had destroyed the Taihua Dynasty’s Royal Family and killed Cangxuan Tianzun. He asked Luo Shuqing whether she planned to remain in Black Stone City and promised to help protect her and her family before leaving.

• Ning Wangshu told Luo Ying and Luo Shuqing that Tribulation Stage cultivators and Mahayana Earth Immortals were no match for him, though he was neither.
• Ning Wangshu revealed that he had killed Cangxuan Tianzun and destroyed the Taihua Dynasty’s Royal Family.
• Han Ying confirmed that Ning Wangshu had destroyed the Taihua Dynasty to avenge the Han Family, which the Sixth Prince had wiped out.
• Ning Wangshu asked Luo Shuqing whether she would remain the lord of Black Stone City and offered to deal with the Zhou Family, Zhao Family, Lingyun Sect, and Qin Family if she stayed.
• Ning Wangshu promised to leave Luo Shuqing’s group protective items and a talisman, and told them to seek him in Bieluo City if they encountered their pursuers or learned anything about Luo Han.

Ning Wangshu agreed to help Luo Shuqing deal with the Qin Family, while Luo Shuqing moved swiftly to eliminate the Zhou Family. By dawn, Black Stone City was buzzing with rumors about Ning Wangshu’s power and wondering whether he would stay to face the Qin Family’s retaliation.

• Luo Shuqing accepted Ning Wangshu’s offer to handle the Qin Family and invited him and Han Ying to stay at the City Lord’s Mansion.
• After Luo Ying took Ning Wangshu and Han Ying to their rooms, Luo Shuqing ordered the City Guard to attack the Zhou Family and led the assault herself.
• News of the banquet spread through Black Stone City, including reports that Ning Wangshu had killed Fang Lang, Wang Linhe, and Qin Yaowu.
• By dawn, residents learned that Luo Shuqing and the City Guard had wiped out the Zhou Family that night.
• Black Stone City residents speculated that Ning Wangshu had stayed behind because he was confident he could withstand the Qin Family, perhaps as a Tribulation Stage expert.

Luo Shuqing forced the Zhao Family and Lingyun Sect to submit, while Ning Wangshu trained Han Ying. Old Ancestor Chi Yan arrived to avenge Fang Lang, and Ning Wangshu prepared to confront him and his more powerful companion.

• Luo Shuqing compelled the Zhao Family and Lingyun Sect to swear Dao Heart Oaths of submission.
• Black Stone City residents hoped the city would remain peaceful if Ning Wangshu could contend with the Fang Family of Qingfeng City.
• Ning Wangshu praised Han Ying's progress in learning the Mysterious Stillness Heavenly Technique.
• Old Ancestor Chi Yan arrived above Black Stone City with a companion and demanded that Fang Lang's killer come out and die.
• Luo Shuqing recognized that Old Ancestor Chi Yan had reached the Body Integration Stage and hurried to warn Ning Wangshu.
• Ning Wangshu identified Chi Yan's companion as a late Body Integration Stage cultivator and said he would kill them both.