Chapter Summaries

After Xiao Yang annihilated Zhou Xuan, the factions feared and respected him, and he accepted County Princess Nishang’s offer of a temporary alliance to explore the Cave Abode of Yanwu the Great. At Yanwu Hall, they encountered powerful young heirs and prodigies, including the Young Prince of the Northern Saber King's Estate, who questioned Xiao Yang’s identity.

• Bai Jiu Xiao, Song Ruoxi, Wei Chen, and the assembled cultivators watched in terror as Xiao Yang’s strength left them stunned.
• County Princess Nishang apologized to Xiao Yang, offered him an alliance, and he accepted so he could learn more about the Cave Abode.
• Xiao Yang and County Princess Nishang’s group entered the Cave Abode and found the ruins of Yanwu Hall.
• Heirs and prodigies from several powerful factions arrived at Yanwu Hall, including the Young Prince of the Northern Saber King's Estate.
• The royal-estate heir noticed Xiao Yang beside County Princess Nishang and asked who he was, remarking that Xiao Yang’s aura seemed strange and otherworldly.

Xiao Yang confronted the prodigies who looked down on him as an ascender from the lower realm and threatened to kill them if they did not leave Yanwu Hall. When they attacked together, he revealed all ten Ten Fiends Dharma Images and overwhelmed their combined aura, leaving them stunned.

• The Young Master of the Star Gazing Pavilion and the Little Prince of the Northern Saber King dismissed Xiao Yang as a weak debased one and demanded that he leave Yanwu Hall.
• County Princess Nishang defended Xiao Yang and recounted how he had defeated Bai Jiu Xiao and killed Zhou Xuan, but the prodigies refused to believe her.
• Xiao Yang gave the prodigies half a quarter of an hour to leave, then threatened to make Yanwu Hall their burial ground.
• The Little Prince ordered the prodigies to attack, and seven or eight of them unleashed their Ten Fiends Dharma Images against Xiao Yang.
• Xiao Yang summoned ten Ten Fiends Dharma Images, overwhelming the attackers’ combined aura and shocking them with his display.

Xiao Yang crushed the young geniuses’ Dharma Images with his Ten Fiends Dharma Images and forced the defeated group to surrender their treasures. The survivors fled the Cave Abode, leaving Xiao Yang with a huge haul.

• Xiao Yang’s Ten Fiends Dharma Images overwhelmed the young geniuses’ Dharma Images, grievously injuring their owners.
• Xiao Yang silenced the stunned crowd and confronted the Little Prince of the Northern Saber King and the other defeated geniuses.
• Xiao Yang demanded their storage treasures or valuables in exchange for their lives, and threatened a young master who protested.
• The Little Prince of the Northern Saber King surrendered his Storage Ring, and Wei Chen and the others handed over their belongings.
• Xiao Yang collected the treasures and ordered the young geniuses to leave, and they fled with their wounded companions.

Xiao Yang and County Princess Nishang reached the heart of Yanwu the Great’s Cave Abode and claimed its two greatest treasures. Xiao Yang began using the Primordial Spirit Pearl to attempt a breakthrough to the Venerable Realm while Nishang guarded him, as powerful enemies approached.

• County Princess Nishang warned Xiao Yang that the major forces would seek revenge, but he declared he would face them and raze their clans if necessary.
• Rumors of Xiao Yang’s ten Dharma Images and his defeat of the prodigies and Zhou Xuan spread throughout the Great Martial Immortal Dynasty.
• The Northern Saber King sent Black Shark Venerable to kill Xiao Yang, while Marquis Xueyi set out for the Cave Abode himself.
• Xiao Yang and County Princess Nishang survived deadly formations and reached the crimson hall, where they found the Mountain River Map and the Primordial Spirit Pearl.
• Xiao Yang chose the Primordial Spirit Pearl, and County Princess Nishang took the Mountain River Map as they had agreed.
• Xiao Yang began absorbing the pearl’s energy to break through to the Venerable Realm while County Princess Nishang guarded him, and his pursuers neared Tianfeng Mountain Range.

Xiao Yang absorbed the Primordial Spirit Pearl’s energy and broke through the Immortal Platform Realm to its Ninth Level, then began his assault on the Venerable Realm. As the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra suddenly emerged and harmonized his powers, profound Buddhist insights flooded his consciousness.

• Xiao Yang’s cultivation surged through the Immortal Platform Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Levels while County Princess Nishang watched in astonishment.
• Xiao Yang reached the Immortal Platform Ninth Level and its peak without pausing to consolidate his cultivation.
• Xiao Yang summoned Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and awakened the Primordial Ten Evils’ bloodlines to challenge the Venerable Realm barrier.
• County Princess Nishang activated the Mountain River Map to shield herself from the storm of energy and awaited Xiao Yang’s breakthrough.
• The Great Sun Tathagata Sutra emerged above Xiao Yang, sending golden runes into him that harmonized his powers and delivered profound Buddhist insights.

Xiao Yang formed the Great Sun Undying Dharma Body and summoned a Heaven and Earth Phenomenon, revealing his extraordinary potential. Marquis Xueyi and Black Shark Venerable rushed to interrupt his breakthrough, while County Princess Nishang stood in their way and prepared to fight.

• Xiao Yang completed the formation of his Great Sun Undying Dharma Body, surrounded by manifestations of the Primordial Ten Evils.
• A phantom sun, a pillar of golden light, and Buddhist chanting filled the sky, and County Princess Nishang recognized the phenomenon as proof of a Supreme Dharma Body.
• Marquis Xueyi and Black Shark Venerable suspected Xiao Yang had obtained Yanwu the Great's core inheritance and charged into the Cave Abode to kill him.
• County Princess Nishang blocked the secret chamber's entrance and warned the two Venerables that Xiao Yang was vulnerable during his breakthrough.
• Black Shark Venerable threatened County Princess Nishang, and she unleashed the Mountain River Map to face the attackers.

County Princess Nishang’s Mountain River Map barrier failed against Marquis Xueyi and Black Shark Venerable, leaving her gravely wounded and Xiao Yang exposed. As Marquis Xueyi attacked Xiao Yang, his Wind Fire Great Tribulation descended, forcing the two Venerables to flee and wait for the tribulation to kill him.

• County Princess Nishang used the Mountain River Map to seal the entrance, but Marquis Xueyi and Black Shark Venerable shattered the barrier with repeated attacks.
• County Princess Nishang was blasted into the hall wall and left gravely injured as the two Venerables entered and targeted Xiao Yang.
• Marquis Xueyi formed a blood-red palm and struck toward Xiao Yang while he was breaking through.
• Xiao Yang’s number nine-nine Wind Fire Great Tribulation descended, freezing Marquis Xueyi’s attack and terrifying both Venerables.
• Black Shark Venerable and Marquis Xueyi fled beyond the tribulation’s reach and decided to wait for Xiao Yang to die before claiming the inheritance.

Xiao Yang endured the Nine-Nine Wind Fire Great Tribulation by using his Great Sun Undying Dharma Body and refining the Tribulation Fire with the Flame Emperor Burning Art. After the final strikes swallowed him and Marquis Xueyi and Black Shark Venerable assumed he had died, an immense Life Force erupted from the crater.

• The Great Sun Undying Dharma Body shielded Xiao Yang from the first nine tribulations, repairing its damage as the storm intensified.
• Xiao Yang used the Flame Emperor Burning Art to devour and refine Tribulation Fire, tempering his meridians and Immortal Platform as the strikes grew stronger.
• The eighty-first strike shattered the Dharma Body, forcing Xiao Yang to face the final nine tribulations himself.
• Xiao Yang unleashed Swallow Heaven and devour Earth—refine me into the Supreme! and was engulfed when the final nine tribulations fell together.
• Marquis Xueyi and Black Shark Venerable headed toward the crater to claim Xiao Yang’s inheritance, but an immense Life Force and overwhelming might burst out from its depths.

Xiao Yang survived the Nine-Nine Wind Fire Great Tribulation, formed a Fire-Attribute Super Grade Golden Core, and reached the Venerable Realm First Heaven. He revealed a field of flames that suppressed Marquis Xueyi and Black Shark Venerable’s Golden Cores, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Xiao Yang rose from the crater alive and condensed a crimson-gold Super Grade Golden Core, reaching the Venerable Realm First Heaven.
• County Princess Nishang recognized Xiao Yang and wept with relief, while Marquis Xueyi and Black Shark Venerable reacted with shock.
• Marquis Xueyi and Black Shark Venerable threatened Xiao Yang and summoned their Sixth Grade Metal Attribute and Fifth Grade Water Attribute Golden Cores.
• Xiao Yang recited two lines, causing his Golden Core to release a field of flames that suppressed both enemies’ Golden Cores.

Xiao Yang used his Super Grade Golden Core and Great Sun Undying Dharma Body to defeat and kill Marquis Xueyi and Black Shark Venerable. He then thanked the gravely wounded County Princess Nishang and began treating her injuries.

• Xiao Yang damaged Black Shark Venerable's Fifth Grade water pill and Marquis Xueyi's Sixth Grade Golden Core with powerful attacks.
• Marquis Xueyi and Black Shark Venerable summoned their Dharma Bodies, but Xiao Yang's Great Sun Undying Dharma Body destroyed them both.
• Marquis Xueyi and Black Shark Venerable begged Xiao Yang to spare them, but he killed them with a flaming palm strike.
• Xiao Yang thanked County Princess Nishang for protecting him and offered to treat her injuries.

After Xiao Yang healed County Princess Nishang in Yanwu the Great's Cave Abode, the two left together for the King of Western Shu's Estate. On the journey, Nishang explained the Great Martial Immortal Dynasty's rivalries and her unwanted betrothal to the Third Prince; they arrived at the estate several days later.

• Xiao Yang restored County Princess Nishang's health, and they left the ruined Cave Abode before other cultivators could arrive.
• County Princess Nishang invited Xiao Yang to stay at the King of Western Shu's Estate, and he accepted so he could consolidate his cultivation and learn about the upper realm.
• As they traveled, County Princess Nishang described her father King's strength and the Western Shu region's standing within the Great Martial Immortal Dynasty.
• County Princess Nishang told Xiao Yang that the powerful Third Prince wanted her as his consort, and that she had left the estate hoping to gain the strength to avoid a political marriage.
• Several days later, Xiao Yang and County Princess Nishang reached the magnificent King of Western Shu's Estate.

Xiao Yang and County Princess Nishang entered the estate, where guards and Zhao Lie insulted Xiao Yang for his humble appearance and lower-realm origins. Xiao Yang’s overwhelming presence cowed them, and he continued deeper into the estate with Nishang.

• The guard captain blocked Xiao Yang at the estate gates and questioned his right to enter.
• County Princess Nishang declared Xiao Yang an honored guest, and Xiao Yang’s Venerable pressure forced all eight guards to their knees.
• Nishang apologized as she escorted Xiao Yang through the estate, and he dismissed the guards’ disrespect.
• Zhao Lie mocked Xiao Yang as a lowborn servant, but Xiao Yang’s gaze terrified him into silence and sent him stumbling backward.
• Xiao Yang and Nishang walked on, while Zhao Lie fled in humiliation after they disappeared.

Xiao Yang accompanied County Princess Nishang to the King of Western Shu's Estate, where the court questioned his background and strength. After Zhao Kun proposed testing him on the Heaven Ascending Ladder, Xiao Yang agreed, and they prepared to go to the martial arena.

• County Princess Nishang introduced Xiao Yang to the King of Western Shu and credited him with helping her during her trip to Yanwu the Great's Cave Abode.
• Xiao Yang revealed that he had ascended from the lower realm without a sect or prominent family and had recently reached the Venerable Realm, prompting skepticism from the estate's residents.
• Zhao Kun accused Xiao Yang of having an unreliable background and suggested he take the Heaven Ascending Ladder test to prove his worth.
• Despite County Princess Nishang's warning, Xiao Yang accepted the test and said it would put certain people at ease.
• The King of Western Shu approved Xiao Yang's decision and ordered everyone to head to the martial arena.

Xiao Yang climbed the Heaven Ascending Ladder and reached its summit, stunning the King of Western Shu’s Estate. The King appointed him a Guest Official who need not bow before the royal family and granted him a first-rank stipend.

• Zhao Kun challenged Xiao Yang to climb more than fifty steps to qualify as an honored guest, and Xiao Yang accepted.
• Xiao Yang climbed past fifty steps without slowing, shocking the onlookers and County Princess Nishang.
• At the eightieth step, the ladder’s lightning attacks struck Xiao Yang’s golden spiritual halo and dissolved without harming him.
• Xiao Yang reached the summit, triggering the ladder’s Radiance of the Brave and astonishment throughout the arena.
• The King of Western Shu appointed Xiao Yang a Guest Official, exempted him from bowing before the royal family, and awarded him a first-rank stipend.

Bei Tang Man arrived at the Western Shu King's Estate and demanded that Xiao Yang be handed over for killing Black Shark Venerable. Xiao Yang accepted Bei Tang Man's challenge to withstand three moves, and the duel began with Bei Tang Man's Earth Splitting Saber Qi bearing down on him.

• Bei Tang Man confronted Zhao Kun and accused Xiao Yang of killing Black Shark Venerable, demanding Xiao Yang and compensation from the Western Shu King's Estate.
• Zhao Lie suggested surrendering Xiao Yang, but County Princess Nishang defended him and said Black Shark Venerable had attacked Xiao Yang during his breakthrough.
• Xiao Yang entered the hall, admitted killing Black Shark Venerable, and agreed to Bei Tang Man's challenge to take three moves.
• Bei Tang Man and Xiao Yang went to the practice grounds, where Bei Tang Man launched his first move, Earth Splitting Saber Qi.
• Xiao Yang stood firm as the saber qi descended and summoned his Great Sun Undying Dharma Body.

Xiao Yang defeated Bei Tang Man in their three-move contest, overcoming the Northern Saber King's ultimate attack with his Emperor's Wrath Fire Lotus. Bei Tang Man fled the King of Western Shu's Estate in disgrace, leaving the onlookers stunned.

• Xiao Yang's Great Sun Undying Dharma Body blocked Bei Tang Man's Earth Splitting Saber Qi without being shaken.
• Xiao Yang's scorching spiritual force burned away Bei Tang Man's Ice Wolf Dharma Image and caused him to suffer backlash.
• Bei Tang Man unleashed his Northern King Saber Slash, and Xiao Yang countered it with the seven-colored Emperor's Wrath Fire Lotus.
• Xiao Yang's fire lotus destroyed Bei Tang Man's saber and sent him crashing into a crater, unable to get up.
• Bei Tang Man conceded defeat and fled the King of Western Shu's Estate with his subordinates, while Xiao Yang let him go.

After Xiao Yang drove off Bei Tang Man, the King of Western Shu’s Estate received an imperial decree ordering County Princess Nishang to marry the Third Prince. Nishang rejected the match, and the estate’s council began debating whether to obey the decree or risk the royal family’s wrath.

• Xiao Yang left after defeating Bei Tang Man, earning admiration from most people in the King of Western Shu’s Estate.
• A royal envoy delivered an imperial decree arranging County Princess Nishang’s marriage to the Third Prince on the fifteenth of next month.
• Nishang refused the decree and begged the King of Western Shu to stop the marriage, but he told her he needed time to consider the matter.
• At the estate’s council, Second Elder Zhao Kun warned that rejecting the decree could bring the Third Prince’s enmity and the estate’s destruction.
• Another elder agreed with Zhao Kun that the imperial command could not be disobeyed.

King of Western Shu's estate debated the imperial marriage decree, while County Princess Nishang resisted being married to the Third Prince. Xiao Yang defended her right to choose, but the estate's elders and clansmen challenged his motives and urged him to leave.

• More than seventy percent of the elders and clansmen supported accepting the marriage, arguing that it would protect the estate from imperial retaliation.
• Zhao Lie accused Nishang of loving Xiao Yang and claimed he was a lowborn outsider who had bewitched her.
• King of Western Shu summoned Xiao Yang and asked for his opinion on the marriage arrangement.
• Xiao Yang argued that Nishang's wishes should come first and said a violent, tyrannical Third Prince might not be worthy of her.
• Zhao Kun, Zhao Lie, and an elder accused Xiao Yang of undermining the marriage alliance and urged him to leave the estate.
• Xiao Yang rejected their demands and questioned whether the imperial family's offer was necessarily the best choice.

Xiao Yang left the royal hall after criticizing the imperial marriage decree and supporting County Princess Nishang, while King of Western Shu postponed a decision. At a banquet the next day, an envoy repeated the decree and demanded Nishang accept it, but Xiao Yang spoke up against calling the marriage a blessing.

• Xiao Yang told King of Western Shu that the proposed match was unsuitable, then left the hall despite Zhao Kun and Zhao Lie's outrage.
• County Princess Nishang felt comforted by Xiao Yang's support, and King of Western Shu ended the meeting without making a decision.
• The royal estate held a banquet to gauge Western Shu's response to the imperial marriage decree, with Xiao Yang seated among the Guest Officials.
• An envoy of the Third Prince arrived, repeated the decree, and ordered County Princess Nishang to accept it with gratitude.
• As Nishang trembled under the envoy's humiliation, Xiao Yang set down his cup and challenged the claim that the marriage was a blessing.

At the King of Western Shu’s estate, Xiao Yang challenged the Third Prince’s marriage proposal for County Princess Nishang and defeated the imperial envoy’s attack with the pressure of his Super Grade Golden Core. He demanded that the Third Prince come in person if he wished to marry Nishang, then left after declaring that the prince was not worthy, leaving the estate facing the imperial family’s anger.

• Xiao Yang objected to the envoy’s proposal, insisting that County Princess Nishang’s wishes mattered and criticizing the Third Prince for treating her like a possession.
• The enraged envoy attacked Xiao Yang with the Imperial Demon Suppressing Seal while County Princess Nishang cried a warning and the King of Western Shu did not intervene in time.
• Xiao Yang unleashed the pressure of his Super Grade Golden Core, shattering the seal and badly injuring the envoy without raising a hand.
• Xiao Yang told the envoy to relay that the Third Prince must come in person and show respect, then declared that the prince was not worthy and walked away.
• The furious envoy stormed out threatening the King of Western Shu’s Estate, and the other guests hurried away to avoid being caught in the conflict.
• The King of Western Shu watched Xiao Yang leave with mixed emotions, including a trace of hope, then left the hall alone.