Chapter Summaries

Meng Qi was taken by Gao Lan, the long-hidden Mad King, who wanted to borrow the True Emperor Seal but let Meng Qi keep it because of its karmic burden. After Meng Qi sent word to his friends in An, Gao Lan heard that the world believed him dead and set out with Meng Qi for Longtai.

• Gao Lan revealed that he knew Meng Qi had the True Emperor Seal and took Meng Qi along because he could not offer collateral for borrowing it.
• Gao Lan introduced himself as Gao Lan of Changle, and Meng Qi pretended to recognize and admire him after realizing he was the Mad King.
• Gao Lan brought Meng Qi to An, where Meng Qi told a Sword Washing Pavilion disciple he was safe and warned that the Wolf King had a concealed killing-sword technique.
• The Sword Washing Pavilion disciple explained that Gao Lan had once rivaled Han Guang before going mad and being imprisoned in Changle, where he was believed to have died.
• Gao Lan left the Sword Appreciation Hall after hearing the account and told Meng Qi they were heading to Longtai.

Meng Qi accompanied Gao Lan to the real Longtai, where Gao Lan sought the Human Emperor Sword and led him along the Human Emperor Ancient Path. They reached the traces left by ancient masters and sages, with the sword-forging platform still ahead.

• Gao Lan explained that the real Longtai had been destroyed by the Demon Buddha and revealed that Emperor Ai had found clues to the Human Emperor Sword there.
• Gao Lan used the True Emperor Seal to open the way to the Human Emperor Ancient Path and tested Meng Qi, who managed to advance three and a half steps under its crushing pressure.
• Gao Lan guided Meng Qi along the path without pressure, explaining that its remaining auras recorded the limits reached by ancient visitors.
• Gao Lan identified the Eastern Sun Divine Lord's aura and explained that Fifth Generation Xuan Nü had returned the Overlord's Absolute Saber before destroying her own Primordial Spirit.
• Gao Lan identified the Benevolent Sage and the Heart Sage near the stone gate at the path's end.

Gao Lan and Meng Qi reached the Human Emperor's forge on Longtai, where Gao Lan tried to find the Human Emperor Sword. After failing to summon it, Gao Lan found two pieces of iron in the flames and gave Meng Qi one as a reward.

• Gao Lan and Meng Qi passed traces left by the Number Sage, the Overlord, and Ananda on the Ancient Path.
• Gao Lan opened the stone door and explained how the Human Emperor Sword had been forged and strengthened through generations of struggle.
• Gao Lan climbed the jade steps and used the True Emperor Seal and his Human Way Cultivation Method to seek the Human Emperor Sword, but the sea of flames did not respond.
• Gao Lan found two iron objects in the flames and gave Meng Qi a heavy, lump-covered scrap he believed came from forging the Human Emperor Sword.
• Gao Lan decided to return the next day and left with the long iron strip.

After escaping Longtai, Meng Qi and Gao Lan drank together and shared their sorrows. Their drunken singing drew a murderous gang to them, and they killed the attackers before deciding to become sworn brothers.

• Gao Lan took Meng Qi to an abandoned courtyard far from Longtai and brought out wine and food.
• While drinking, Gao Lan told Meng Qi about his rivalry with Han Guang and mourned the woman he had once ruined.
• Gao Lan sang a sorrowful song, and Meng Qi joined him as they drank and wandered into an alley.
• A group of black-robed men arrived to attack a middle-aged man and his daughter, and their leader ordered his subordinates to silence the two singing drunkards.
• Meng Qi killed the attackers with a single saber slash after Gao Lan used the Heaven-Replacing Divine Fist to strip away their True Qi.
• Gao Lan proposed that he and Meng Qi become sworn brothers, and the drunken Meng Qi agreed.

Meng Qi and Gao Lan became sworn brothers, then spent more than half a year studying the strange iron bar and cultivating. Meng Qi opened all Nine Apertures and developed the Vajra Seal before the Six Paths summoned him to guide newcomers ahead of a Reincarnation Mission.

• Meng Qi woke after getting drunk and learned that he and Gao Lan had sworn brotherhood, with Meng Qi named the Third Brother.
• Gao Lan chose to study the iron bar instead of returning to Longtai, and he agreed that Meng Qi could sell the True Emperor Seal and borrow it if needed.
• Over more than half a year, Meng Qi trained under Gao Lan's guidance and opened his Ninth Aperture, perfected his protective astral qi, and advanced his Golden Bell Shield and Eight-Nine Arcane Art.
• Meng Qi comprehended a Buddhist technique he named the Vajra Seal and prepared to cultivate his Ancestral Aperture.
• The Six Paths summoned Meng Qi to Reincarnation Plaza and assigned him to guide newcomers, offering Merit Points for each one who survived.

Meng Qi received Yun Zhongzi’s Mustard Ring, appraised his mission gains, and prepared to guide four newcomers through their first reincarnation mission. After introducing themselves in the plaza, the newcomers arrived with Meng Qi at a tavern, where he learned their assignment was to assassinate Fu Cuo within seven days.

• Meng Qi opened Yun Zhongzi’s Mustard Ring and read a warning that some members of the Demon Race could conceal their Demonic Aura.
• Meng Qi had Six Paths appraise the True Emperor Seal, a fragment of the Human Emperor Sword, and the Vajra Seal cultivation method, then decided to consider weapon-enhancement options before spending his Merit Points.
• Meng Qi disguised himself and welcomed four newcomers: Yuan Yang, Min Renlong, Weng Lingyu, and Wu Xiuxian.
• The newcomers shared their backgrounds and ambitions, and Meng Qi warned them to be cautious during their missions.
• Meng Qi and the four newcomers appeared in a tavern, where Min Renlong revealed their seven-day mission was to assassinate the Iron Heart Hall incense master Fu Cuo.

Meng Qi guided four newcomers as they planned to assassinate Fu Cuo, warning them about the dangers of their inexperience. After the group was drugged by people in an inn, Meng Qi revealed that he was unaffected and effortlessly defeated their attackers, who were left convinced he was not human.

• Yuan Yang, Min Renlong, Wu Xiuxian, and Weng Lingyu discussed how to gather information and assess Fu Cuo's strength while Meng Qi watched and advised them.
• Min Renlong questioned the inn's shopkeeper and learned that Fu Cuo was the uncrowned ruler of the city and had opened his Eye and Ear Apertures.
• The newcomers discussed their assassination plan openly, and Meng Qi pointed out that they had failed to protect their secrecy, gather information cautiously, and inspect their food.
• The shopkeeper and a woman in pink approached as the newcomers grew weak from Soft Tendon Powder mixed into their meal.
• The attackers struck Meng Qi with swords and daggers, but his body resisted every blow; he bit through a sword, broke the shopkeeper's fingers, and frightened the woman into declaring he was not human.

Meng Qi guided Min Renlong, Wu Xiuxian, Weng Lingyu, and Yuan Yang through an assassination of Fu Cuo, using disguises and Yuan Yang’s Gu insect to kill him. After a saber-wielding man confronted Meng Qi and was easily defeated, the mission ended and Meng Qi returned to the Wang Clan Ancestral Home as Wang Siyuan sneezed.

• Meng Qi exposed the black-faced shopkeeper and the woman in the pink skirt as poisoners, and Yuan Yang used Blue Star to find the antidote and kill them.
• Weng Lingyu and Wu Xiuxian struggled to pose as a sugar-water seller and beggar, so Meng Qi advised them on disguises while the group prepared to ambush Fu Cuo.
• On the sixth day, Yuan Yang’s Gu insect made Fu Cuo’s horse rear, allowing Weng Lingyu to splash boiling sugar water and Min Renlong and Wu Xiuxian to attack him.
• Fu Cuo was poisoned by the Gu insect and died as the disguised Yuan Yang and Weng Lingyu withdrew and the guards chased the attackers.
• A saber-wielding man followed Weng Lingyu to Meng Qi, but Meng Qi defeated him with three sword strikes and sent him away.
• Weng Lingyu recognized Meng Qi’s Void-Peering Swordplay, and Meng Qi shushed her before the mission ended; Wang Siyuan sneezed at the Wang Clan Ancestral Home.

After returning from their missions, Meng Qi and his companions discussed their progress, traded for the True Emperor Seal, and upgraded Flowing Fire. The Lord of Six Paths Samsara then assigned them a mission to rescue Du Huai Shang and assassinate Zuo Han Feng, and they arrived amid a Red Clad Army camp.

• Yuan Yang and her team returned, learned that the young master had approved them as an affiliated team, and established contact with him.
• Meng Qi reunited with Jiang Zhiwei, Qi Zhengyan, and Ruan Yushu, discussed Gao Lan and the Human Emperor Sword fragments, and agreed to hold the True Emperor Seal for Zhao Heng.
• Meng Qi exchanged the Vajra Seal for Merit Points and spent six hundred Merit Points upgrading Flowing Fire with Jiang Zhiwei's forging diagram.
• Meng Qi tested Flowing Fire's new fire-escape ability, then the group received a mission to rescue Du Huai Shang in Da Ning and assassinate Zuo Han Feng.
• Meng Qi and his companions appeared in a burst of lightning before Red Clad Army men, who mistook them for Immortal Masters.

Meng Qi and the others learned that Du Huai Shang had disappeared after entering Da Ning, which was sealed by the administrator, Zuo Han Feng. They entered the city in disguise to investigate Crippled Guo’s confiscated residence, but their plan ended with armed men surrounding Meng Qi and Zhao Heng.

• Meng Qi questioned the Red Clad Army leaders, who explained that Du Huai Shang had gone to Da Ning to meet the secret agent Guo Sheng and had not been heard from since the city was sealed.
• The Red Clad Army leaders told Meng Qi that Zuo Han Feng and Du Huai Shang were both Earth Rank Ninth Grade, but Zuo Han Feng had the stronger bloodline and more allies.
• Meng Qi and his companions entered Da Ning in disguise and approached Crippled Guo’s residence to investigate.
• Meng Qi learned from a vendor that the Administrator’s Office had confiscated the Guo family’s property, then slipped into a secluded alley to meet Zhao Heng.
• Armed men appeared along the alley walls and at both ends, surrounding Meng Qi and Zhao Heng as their scarred leader ordered his men to seize them.

Meng Qi and his companions ambushed Ji Tao’s men in a secluded alley, then forced Ji Tao to reveal that Du Huai Shang had escaped and that the mysterious Yin Leng Hui was working with Zuo Han Feng. They decided to target Zuo Han Feng, and Meng Qi disguised himself as Ji Tao to infiltrate the garrison and learn more about its strange allies.

• Ji Tao led his forces into the alley to seize Zhao Heng and Meng Qi, but Ruan Yushu’s zither music froze them while the others killed most of the group.
• Meng Qi used his Thunder Mark to overpower Ji Tao’s bloodline resistance and interrogated him about Du Huai Shang, Yin Leng Hui, and Zuo Han Feng.
• Ji Tao revealed that Du Huai Shang had fled after the garrison raided the Guo family, and that Yin Leng Hui and his two companions had mysterious abilities.
• Meng Qi and the others chose to kill Zuo Han Feng rather than search for Du Huai Shang, while Ruan Yushu warned them to beware the three strange ones.
• Meng Qi transformed himself into Ji Tao and planned to report an ambush at the garrison, using the surviving subordinates to help him investigate.

Meng Qi and his companions disguised themselves as Ji Tao and his men to infiltrate Zuo Han Feng's estate, where they searched for a way to assess Yin Leng Hui's strength. Their cover remained intact, but after arranging sightings of their supposed enemies around the city, they learned that Mu An had found a lead on Jiang Zhiwei.

• Meng Qi and his companions disguised themselves as dead drifters, and Meng Qi impersonated Ji Tao when Jiang Shenghong arrived.
• Meng Qi deceived Doctor Sun and Wen Cheng, then led his companions back to Ji Tao's courtyard, where Jiang Zhiwei discovered a spying Gu worm.
• Meng Qi and Zhao Heng staged an outburst to feed Yin Leng Hui false information, then agreed to look for an opportunity to investigate his Otherworldly subordinates.
• Three days later, Meng Qi suggested that the missing enemies might be hiding in a remote courtyard, and Jiang Shenghong accepted his offer to help search.
• Jiang Zhiwei posed as a wanted swordswoman to lure the estate's spies, then helped report sightings of the supposed fugitives around the city.
• Mu An pursued a lead on the young woman in blue, and a man with mustaches told him he had seen her enter an alley.

Meng Qi and his companions ambushed Mu An, but Mu An’s bizarre Gu techniques let him keep escaping until Meng Qi subdued him and discovered a memory of Yin Leng Hui. Yin Leng Hui’s black flames threatened the group, and later he challenged Meng Qi’s account at the garrison commander’s meeting.

• Mu An followed his Person Seeking Gu through secluded alleys, unaware that Jiang Zhiwei and the others were luring him into an ambush.
• Jiang Zhiwei struck Mu An while Ruan Yushu’s Phoenix Cry Nine Heavens disoriented him, but Mu An split into insects and repeatedly tried to escape.
• Meng Qi seized Mu An’s centipede form and used the Great Law of Changing Heaven and Striking Earth to uncover a memory of Yin Leng Hui.
• Yin Leng Hui burned a cloth doll, sending black flames through Mu An’s Sea of Consciousness, and Meng Qi escaped the Soul Extraction and Spirit Seizure attack by fleeing through a household stove.
• At the garrison commander’s residence, Zuo Han Feng summoned the commanders and Transcendents over Mu An’s death, and Yin Leng Hui questioned Ji Tao about how he had escaped the attackers.

Meng Qi was nearly exposed when Yin Leng Hui used a Witchcraft Puppet to track the enemy's aura. Meng Qi countered by making Yin Leng Hui and Zuo Han Feng witness a terrifying vision of creation, shattering the puppet and leaving Yin Leng Hui shocked.

• Zuo Han Feng questioned Meng Qi about how Ji Tao had survived, and Meng Qi defended himself with Jiang Shenghong's support.
• Yin Leng Hui revealed that he had captured the enemy leader's aura and could use a Witchcraft Puppet to locate him in Da Ning City.
• Zuo Han Feng activated the puppet while Yin Leng Hui used it to search for Meng Qi's Primordial Spirit.
• Meng Qi reversed the Great Law of Changing Heaven and Striking Earth and filled their minds with a vision of universes collapsing into a primordial point.
• Yin Leng Hui and Zuo Han Feng saw a Daoist named Yuan Shi create heaven and earth, then withdrew from the vision as the puppet shattered and Yin Leng Hui staggered back, bleeding.

Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei followed Yin Leng Hui and Lan Die to a secret meeting, where they discovered the sect was preparing for the Ancestor’s reincarnation and descent. The Cult Master then sensed the pair hiding nearby and ordered them to come out.

• Meng Qi used the Great Law of Changing Heaven and Striking Earth and the Eight-Nine Mystical Art to unsettle Yin Leng Hui and Zuo Han Feng, expel their spirits, and destroy the Witchcraft Puppet.
• Zuo Han Feng ordered the group to search for Du Huai Shang and reassigned Ji Tao to answer to Mr. Yin, while Meng Qi arranged to place Jiang Zhiwei and the others under his command.
• Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei spotted Yin Leng Hui and Lan Die sneaking out of the Guardian's residence and followed them to the City God temple.
• Yin Leng Hui told the Cult Master about the vision of Yuanshi, and the Cult Master summoned the Ancestor, who said the Mental Secret Art and Yuanshi Tianzun's legacy were nothing to fuss over.
• The Cult Master comforted Yin Leng Hui about failing to find Du Huai Shang and told him to keep winning Zuo Han Feng over; after Yin Leng Hui left, the Cult Master exposed Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei's hiding place.

Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei met the Cult Master and Lan Die in secret and learned that they were Reincarnators seeking to awaken Du Huai Shang’s past-life memories. After parting without an agreement, they suspected the Cult Master’s old ancestor was connected to the Blood Sea Rakshasa and resolved to pursue their quest while staying wary of the opposing faction.

• The Cult Master discovered Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei hiding in a tree, and both sides exchanged greetings without revealing themselves.
• The Cult Master said his group wanted to awaken Du Huai Shang’s reincarnated memories, while Meng Qi said his quest was to rescue him, so they agreed to compete and consider cooperation later.
• The Cult Master and Lan Die revealed that Yin Leng Hui and Mu An had gained power through their old ancestor, then Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei vanished from the temple grounds.
• After escaping, Meng Qi reasoned that the Cult Master’s group were local Reincarnators, and Jiang Zhiwei recognized the wilderness in the Cult Master’s eyes as resembling the Southern Wilderness.
• Jiang Zhiwei suggested the old ancestor might be the Blood Sea Rakshasa, and Meng Qi urged caution toward Lan Die’s group while keeping their plan to assassinate Zuo Han Feng.

Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu suspected that Zuo Yi Qian’s lovesickness might be connected to the missing Du Huai Shang, but his investigation found no unusual activity. After the Cult Master arrived at the estate and threatened the team’s plans, Meng Qi posed as a fortune-teller to pressure Zuo Yi Qian, who stopped him as he walked away.

• Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu heard Zuo Yi Qian playing a sorrowful melody and suspected she might be in love with Du Huai Shang, who could be hiding in the garrison’s residence.
• Meng Qi secretly watched Zuo Yi Qian in her tower but saw nothing unusual beyond her troubled music and private distress.
• Jiang Shenghong told Meng Qi that Yin Leng Hui had brought the blind Cult Master to the estate, making an attack on Zuo Han Feng more difficult.
• Meng Qi and Zhao Heng decided to pressure Zuo Yi Qian to learn whether she could lead them to Du Huai Shang, while Qi Zhengyan searched her tower for secret passages.
• Meng Qi disguised himself as a fortune-teller and told Zuo Yi Qian she had given her heart to the wrong person; she called after him to wait.

Meng Qi rescued Du Huai Shang from the governor's residence and helped him purge Yin Leng Hui's Witchcraft Gu Art. Du Huai Shang revealed dreams of his past life and planned to confront Zuo Han Feng and Yin Leng Hui after recovering for two days.

• Meng Qi posed as a fortune-teller and warned Zuo Yi Qian that her doomed romance would end within days.
• After Qi Zhengyan confirmed Zuo Yi Qian had a secret passage, Meng Qi entered her room and found Du Huai Shang hidden below it.
• Meng Qi showed Du Huai Shang Zeng Can's token, revealed Zuo Yi Qian's identity, and helped Du escape the residence.
• Du Huai Shang told Meng Qi and the others that he had dreamed of a man on a lotus in a sea of blood and realized the man was himself.
• Meng Qi, Zhao Heng, and Jiang Zhiwei helped Du Huai Shang expel the Witchcraft Gu Art and sever Yin Leng Hui's connection to him.
• Du Huai Shang said he would recover for two days, then settle the score with Zuo Han Feng and Yin Leng Hui and find a way out of Da Ning City.

Zuo Yi Qian discovered that Du Huai Shang had vanished, while Meng Qi’s group used a false trail to draw Zuo Han Feng, Yin Leng Hui, and Zhou Yong away from the supervising residence. The chapter ended as both sides prepared for a confrontation, with Meng Qi’s group planning to target Zhou Yong first.

• Zuo Yi Qian entered the Secret Passage to reveal her identity to Du Huai Shang but found that he had disappeared.
• Wen Cheng’s spies tracked Meng Qi’s group to a traveling merchant’s courtyard, and Yin Leng Hui and Zhou Yong recognized the lead as a possible trap.
• Zuo Han Feng rejected Zhou Yong’s suggestion to delay and decided to surprise-attack the courtyard with Yin Leng Hui and Zhou Yong.
• Meng Qi explained that the group intended to draw their enemies away from the supervising residence and proposed killing Zhou Yong first with the Immortal Binding Rope.
• Du Huai Shang agreed to Meng Qi’s revised plan, and Zuo Han Feng, Yin Leng Hui, and Zhou Yong approached the courtyard.

Zuo Han Feng and his allies attacked the merchant courtyard, where Du Huai Shang, Zhao Heng, Qi Zhengyan, Meng Qi, and Jiang Zhiwei fought back. Zhou Yong died before he could use his treasures, and Zuo Han Feng began revealing a new power as he prepared to continue the battle.

• Zuo Han Feng struck the courtyard with his dragon-blooded cold, but Du Huai Shang countered with a blazing punch and engaged him in the air.
• Yin Leng Hui attacked Zhao Heng, but Zhao Heng and Qi Zhengyan fought together to contain him and burned away the Gu insects that emerged from Zhao Heng's severed arm.
• Zhou Yong tried to flank the defenders, but Meng Qi bound him with the Immortal Binding Rope and Jiang Zhiwei killed him with her sword.
• A bloody force attempted to descend through Zhou Yong, but Meng Qi struck him with Heaven's Wound and destroyed the force with blue thunder.
• Meng Qi found a cracked Mustard Ring and a replica of the Yin Yang Mirror among Zhou Yong's remains, while Zuo Han Feng shook off Dragon Roar Vastness and revealed strange patterns across his skin.