Chapter Summaries

Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu hid in the Upper Camp prison while searching for a way to escape, and they sensed that one of the newly imprisoned men was a dangerous expert rather than an Ink Follower. Meanwhile, Meng Qi assassinated Gongyang Bo, lured Gongyang Zeng into his Mountain and River Diagram, and disguised himself as the grieving family head to enter the prison.

• Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu disguised themselves as male prisoners and concealed their strength in the Upper Camp prison.
• The women realized their mission to preserve the Ink Followers' policies had failed and planned to escape once the citywide search ended.
• An old Daoist reacted to Tian Kuo bringing in new prisoners, and Jiang Zhiwei sensed that one flushed, unsteady prisoner was a dangerous expert; Ruan Yushu confirmed he was not an Ink Follower.
• Meng Qi used the Spirit Daze chime to distract Gongyang Bo, killed him, burned away traces of his technique, and left the message "Punish the unjust!" in blood.
• Gongyang Zeng found Gongyang Bo's body and ordered experts to search for Meng Qi, then returned alone to retrieve his son's remains.
• Meng Qi trapped Gongyang Zeng inside the Mountain and River Diagram, disguised himself as Gongyang Zeng, and slipped away toward the prison.

Meng Qi and his companions captured and killed Gongyang Zeng, the mastermind behind the rebellion, but Daoist Chixia tightened security around the prison and the nobles’ gathering place. As Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu considered how to rescue the prisoners, an old Daoist offered help on the condition that Meng Qi agree to a request.

• Meng Qi reunited with Zhao Heng, Qi Zhengyan, and Tian Kuo at West Mountain, then released Gongyang Zeng from the Mountain and River Diagram as they attacked him with their Secret Treasures.
• Zhao Heng’s Immortal Binding Rope restrained Gongyang Zeng, and Meng Qi sealed him before killing him and offering his death in sacrifice to King Chen.
• Daoist Chixia discovered Gongyang Zeng’s death, identified the Mountain and River Diagram as the means of escape, and ordered Peak Experts to guard their households and himself to watch over the upper camp.
• Meng Qi searched Gongyang Zeng’s Mustard Ring and learned from Tian Kuo that Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu had uncovered an Exterior expert hiding in the prison.
• Tian Kuo returned to the prison and saw Daoist Chixia guarding the area, while an old Daoist in a cell offered Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu help rescuing the prisoners if Meng Qi agreed to his request.

Meng Qi accepted the old Daoist’s request, and Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu broke into the prison to defeat its guards and free the Ink Followers. The old Daoist revealed that King Zhuang of Chu was hunting Meng Qi over an item from Jade Void Palace, then identified himself as Lü Xiaobai, Duke Huan of Qi.

• Tian Kuo delivered the old Daoist’s brocade pouch to Meng Qi, who found a Jade Void disciple’s waist token inside and agreed to help.
• The old Daoist silenced the prison, allowing Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu to break free and fight their way to the sixth level.
• Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu defeated the Outer Scenery guards, exposed two traitors, and freed the Ink Followers.
• The old Daoist used Sleeve Universe to hide the freed prisoners, and he and the others escaped disguised as jailers.
• Outside the city, the old Daoist warned Meng Qi that King Zhuang of Chu wanted him because an item from Jade Void Palace had reacted to him.
• The old Daoist revealed his name as Lü Xiaobai, also known as Duke Huan of Qi.

Meng Qi met Duke Huan of Qi, learned about Jade Void Palace and the disappearances of the immortals, and agreed to examine an item Duke Zhuang of Chu had found. After sensing a mysterious connection between himself and the Jade Ruyi, Meng Qi and his companions returned from the Investiture of the Gods World.

• Duke Huan asked Meng Qi to inspect Duke Zhuang of Chu’s Jade Void Palace artifact and explained that changes in the world preceded the palace’s appearances.
• Duke Huan told Meng Qi that the immortals and sacred places had vanished over the years, and that some immortals had left behind the word “Return!”
• Meng Qi arranged for the Ink Followers to seek refuge in Qi or remain in Chen State under their leaders’ guidance.
• Duke Huan brought Meng Qi, disguised as a mouse, to meet Duke Zhuang of Chu, whose Jade Ruyi gave Meng Qi an uncanny sense of familiarity.
• Meng Qi could not identify the Jade Ruyi, but Duke Huan concluded that its aura proved something strange was happening.
• Meng Qi and his companions paid two thousand five hundred Merit Points each and returned from the Investiture of the Gods World.

After their failed mission in Chen, Meng Qi and his companions appraised and divided their spoils, with Gongyang Zeng’s belongings leaving them with a substantial profit. Meng Qi then prepared to spend his Merit Points on the Three Swords, a set of Outer Scenery sword techniques.

• The Lord of Six Paths Samsara declared the mission to spread the Mohist doctrine a failure and charged each of the five two thousand five hundred Merit Points to return.
• Ruan Yushu suggested that the group choose useful items from the spoils before trading the rest, and the others agreed.
• Meng Qi chose the Mountain and River Diagram, while Jiang Zhiwei, Ruan Yushu, Qi Zhengyan, and Zhao Heng each selected items suited to their needs.
• The five appraised the remaining spoils and divided the resulting Merit Points, totaling forty-nine thousand before deductions and their next-mission inquiry.
• Meng Qi revealed that he planned to redeem the Three Swords, a set of Outer Scenery techniques consisting of One Sword Hides the Void, Hundred Swords Without End, and Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin.

Meng Qi and his companions spent their Merit Points on weapons, cultivation resources, and techniques before learning that their next mission would take them to a shard of the Heavenly Court on Five Finger Mountain. They planned to prepare over the coming year, while Meng Qi was left worrying about the growing karma of the Nine Heavens Thunder God.

• Meng Qi exchanged for a sword manual, while Jiang Zhiwei refined the White Rainbow Piercing Sun Sword and discovered it could sense things hundreds of li away.
• Jiang Zhiwei completed several Outer Scenery sword techniques, Qi Zhengyan acquired the Dark Chaos Crystal and Hun Tian Evil Sword formulas, and Zhao Heng completed more of the Emperor's Sword Technique and bought a cultivation aid.
• Ruan Yushu chose the Thousand Mile Killing Sound technique to extend the reach of her zither music.
• The group paid Six Paths for mission information and learned that in one year they must stop the Demon Race from obtaining the core item of a Heavenly Court shard on Five Finger Mountain.
• Meng Qi offered to take the others to Lanke Temple to study Buddha's Palm; Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu agreed to go later, while Qi Zhengyan and Zhao Heng declined.
• As they parted, Meng Qi worried that the karma of the Nine Heavens Thunder God was growing heavier and beginning to affect him.

Meng Qi sought intelligence on the Demonic and Left Path and learned that Duanmu Bei, master of Iron Clothes Tower's Jiangdong Tower, secretly acted as a Local Tiger who fenced goods for them. After investigating the tower and disguising himself as the Poison Hand Demon Lord, Meng Qi approached Duanmu Bei, who recognized him and challenged him about the enemies he had made.

• Meng Qi used his Silver Badge status to obtain Six Doors intelligence and began looking for clues about the Suxian Dao and Gu Xiaosang.
• The shopkeeper told Meng Qi that Duanmu Bei secretly served as a Local Tiger for the Demonic and Left Path, though he rejected visitors without a trusted reputation.
• Meng Qi infiltrated Jiangdong Tower's garden, discovered a deadly barrier around Duanmu Bei's building, and observed the master's young twin concubines.
• Meng Qi disguised himself as the Poison Hand Demon Lord and approached Jiangdong Tower.
• Duanmu Bei warned Meng Qi away from his daughter and asked how he dared return after offending the orthodox path, the Heaven Destroying Gate, the Luo Sect, and the Beggars Sect.
• Meng Qi calmly replied that times had changed.

Meng Qi, disguised as Poison Hand Demon Lord, met Duanmu Bei at Jiangdong Tower and asked him to find a virgin Outer Scenery or Half-step Outer Scenery woman skilled in turning yin to nourish yang. After Shen Yue left the tower, Meng Qi intercepted him and introduced himself.

• Duanmu Bei brought Meng Qi into Jiangdong Tower, where Meng Qi's disguise passed the formation's scrutiny.
• Meng Qi told Duanmu Bei that changes in Bomi would force him to seek a breakthrough and asked to buy a woman with abundant yin essence and a yin-nourishing technique.
• Duanmu Bei agreed to pass Meng Qi's request along after hearing he could barter, obtain what was wanted, or handle a task for the seller.
• Duanmu Bei told Shen Yue that Poison Hand Demon Lord had visited, and Shen Yue remarked that the old demon's former promise had likely faded after years in Bomi.
• After completing his transaction, Shen Yue left Yingcheng cautiously, but Meng Qi followed him and appeared in his path.
• Meng Qi identified himself as Poison Hand Demon Lord and said he wanted to get acquainted with Shen Yue.

Meng Qi tested his illusion techniques on Shen Yue, leaving him unable to distinguish reality from illusion and convinced that Meng Qi was far stronger than he had expected. After Shen Yue reported on nearby Left Path practitioners, Meng Qi focused on Madam Baihua and waited for Duanmu Bei’s reply.

• Shen Yue prepared to attack Meng Qi and unleashed his twin swords and Shadow Mirror Gate’s shadow technique.
• Meng Qi trapped Shen Yue in an apparent battle of darkness, illusions, and powerful attacks until Shen Yue could no longer tell what had truly happened.
• Meng Qi asked about Shadow Mirror Gate and nearby practitioners, and Shen Yue answered honestly after losing any hope of challenging him.
• Shen Yue told Meng Qi about Soul Chasing Demon Lord Mo Tiange, Senior Linghu, and Madam Baihua, then cautiously fled.
• Meng Qi reflected on his newly tested illusion techniques and decided to wait for Duanmu Bei’s reply about Madam Baihua.

Meng Qi met Master Duanmu to arrange a face-to-face negotiation over the Cauldron Vessel, then attended a gathering of Left Path powerhouses at Fire-Burning Lake. He left the gathering surrounded by rivals who were stirred by his inscrutable demeanor and Madam Baihua’s proposal involving her daughter.

• Meng Qi and Master Duanmu tested each other's patience before Master Duanmu arranged for Meng Qi to meet the Cauldron Vessel's owner at a gathering three days later.
• At Ci'an Temple, Shen Yue told the Left Path powerhouses that Poison Hand Demon Lord had returned from Bomi and estimated that Meng Qi remained at the third level of Heaven.
• Master Duanmu brought Meng Qi into the gathering, where Linghu Tao and Soul Chasing Demon Lord scrutinized him but could not determine his strength.
• Meng Qi taunted Soul Chasing Demon Lord, implying that he had made little progress over the past twenty years.
• Madam Baihua introduced her daughter, and Meng Qi called her a useful tool while criticizing the other powerhouses for losing their composure.
• Madam Baihua invited the gathered men to make offers for her daughter, prompting Soul Chasing Demon Lord to turn his attention toward Meng Qi.

Meng Qi fought Soul Chasing Demon Lord at Ci'an Temple while concealing his true strength, using Buddhist spiritual techniques to overcome the demon lord’s arts. He left the Left Path experts believing he had joined Buddhist teachings with demonic arts and possessed power close to the Black Ranking.

• Soul Chasing Demon Lord challenged Meng Qi over Madam Baihua’s daughter, and Meng Qi answered by attacking him inside the Meditation Hall.
• Meng Qi used yin-yang transformations to counter Soul Chasing Demon Lord’s punch, but the demon lord tore through the black-and-white millstone and unleashed Soul Chasing Demon Eyes.
• Meng Qi turned his spirit into a golden Great Buddha, overwhelmed Soul Chasing Demon Lord’s Demon God Manifestation, and trapped him in visions of suffering and reincarnation.
• Meng Qi used the Seven Illusions of Immortality to leave his palm poised before Soul Chasing Demon Lord’s forehead, while Linghu Tao and Duanmu Bei recognized the technique’s danger.
• Madam Baihua asked whether Meng Qi had joined the Buddhist sect, and he claimed he had inherited a venerable monk’s mantle and fused Buddhist Dharma with demonic arts.
• The Left Path experts were shocked by Meng Qi’s victory and regarded him as a formidable figure nearing the Black Ranking.

Meng Qi defeated Soul Chasing Demon Lord without revealing his Dharma Form, then used his newfound reputation to seek a path toward settling his grudge with the Luo Sect. Madam Baihua asked him to accompany her to Linhai, where the Yun Family’s succession was in question after Old Master Yun’s death, and revealed that Soul Chasing was hunting a fugitive connected to the Yun Family’s Seventh Miss.

• Madam Baihua and the other unorthodox experts concluded that Meng Qi was far stronger than before, while Soul Chasing struggled to accept his defeat.
• Meng Qi asked the gathered experts to pass word to the Luo Sect that he wanted to resolve their old grudge.
• After the gathering ended, Madam Baihua introduced her daughter Ying Ning and asked Meng Qi to help with a matter involving the Lin Hai Yun Family.
• Madam Baihua said Old Master Yun had recently died and that she and her allies intended to support a particular Yun Family member in the succession struggle.
• Meng Qi learned that Third Master Ruan would attend the funeral rites and that Soul Chasing had come to Jiangdong to search for a runaway young Outer Scenery expert connected to the Yun Family’s Seventh Miss.

Meng Qi hid in the Zhu Family's ancestral residence while Madam Baihua and Ying Ning worked to support Ninth Master Yun amid the Yun Family succession dispute. After learning that Wu Hengjian had claimed Old Master Yun was murdered, Meng Qi agreed to frighten him, and the chapter ended as Wu Hengjian encountered the Green-robed Man in the rain.

• Madam Baihua revealed that she and Meng Qi were hiding in the Zhu Family's ancestral residence with Ninth Master Yun's help.
• Meng Qi spent four days cultivating while Madam Baihua and Ying Ning secretly pursued their plans in Linhai.
• Madam Baihua and Ying Ning told Meng Qi that Wu Hengjian had alleged Old Master Yun was murdered and had evidence to prove it.
• Madam Baihua asked Meng Qi to make Wu Hengjian believe someone was trying to silence him, and said Thirteenth Master Yun would reveal his whereabouts.
• Wu Hengjian planned to lure the mastermind into an ambush, but he encountered the Green-robed Man walking toward him through the rain.

Meng Qi attacked Wu Hengjian in Linhai City, but Wu escaped after a Demonic Mark protected him and carried him to a ship belonging to the He Family of the East Sea. After learning that the mark resembled one connected to the Devil Master, Meng Qi became interested in uncovering its origin.

• Meng Qi used two uncanny palm strikes against Wu Hengjian, who unleashed a pitch-black Demonic Mark to survive and fled toward the harbor.
• Wu Hengjian found refuge aboard the He Family of the East Sea's ship, where He Jiu questioned him about Old Master Yun's death and the attack.
• Wu Hengjian identified the people who knew his hiding place, while an elderly voice identified his attacker as the Poison Hand Demon Lord.
• Meng Qi realized Wu Hengjian's Demonic Mark came from the same source as the Devil Master's mark and decided the matter was worth investigating.

Meng Qi disguised himself as a monk to examine Old Master Yun’s corpse and used Entangle Karma to confirm that Yun was truly dead. As He Jiu, Huang Taichong, He Xiu, and Wu Hengjian arrived, Huang Taichong began probing Meng Qi’s concealed aura.

• Madam Baihua asked Meng Qi to help determine whether Old Master Yun had truly died, and Meng Qi agreed after warning her not to use the inquiry as a pretext for trouble.
• Meng Qi accompanied Madam Baihua and Ying Ning to the Yun residence disguised as Master Fazheng, a monk traveling with the Qianli Island envoy Wan Shou.
• Meng Qi used Entangle Karma in the mourning hall and found that Old Master Yun’s remaining karmic threads showed he was dead.
• Ninth Master Yun and the others mistook Meng Qi’s altered aura for that of a genuine Buddhist eminence, and Meng Qi told Madam Baihua that Old Master Yun was dead.
• He Jiu arrived with Huang Taichong, He Xiu, and Wu Hengjian to pay respects, and He Jiu and Huang Taichong privately remarked that Meng Qi seemed familiar.
• Huang Taichong focused his concealed sword intent on Meng Qi and tried to see through his hidden aura.

Meng Qi avoided He Jiu’s scrutiny while disguised as Master Fazheng, then used divination at He Jiu’s request and revealed the clue “Blue Blood.” After leaving the city and changing his disguise, he was confronted by a Blue Blood man who had followed him and recognized him as Poison Hand Demon Lord.

• Meng Qi used Entangle Karma to make Huang Taichong sense danger and stop probing him, while He Jiu and Wu Hengjian failed to recognize him.
• He Jiu asked Meng Qi to divine the circumstances of Old Master Yun’s death, and Meng Qi’s calculation revealed the clue “Blue Blood,” which visibly unsettled He Jiu.
• Meng Qi left the city to abandon the Master Fazheng identity, then returned to the mountains, washed off his disguise, and changed clothes.
• A Blue Blood man emerged from the stream, accused Meng Qi of being Poison Hand Demon Lord, and dismissed him as too weak to require a surprise attack.

Meng Qi defeated a Blue Blood Person by adapting his form with the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, then uncovered a glimpse of the stranger’s memories before the man’s body dissolved. He returned to Linhai with a Water Blue Stone, and He Jiu and Huang Taichong explained the Blue Blood People’s formidable innate abilities.

• The Blue Blood Person used his control over the Water Element to boil Meng Qi’s blood and suppress his movements.
• Meng Qi turned into a ghost to evade the Blue Blood Person’s control, then used his spirit and the Eight-Nine Arcane Art to probe the man and gain control over the Water Element.
• Meng Qi used Heavenly Demon Ultimate Bliss to distract the Blue Blood Person and Heaven-Transforming and Earth-Transmuting to search his memories, glimpsing a strange structure in a deep-sea trench.
• The Blue Blood Person’s memory fragments collapsed, and his body dissolved, leaving Meng Qi with a Water Blue Stone.
• Meng Qi disguised himself as Master Fazheng and brought the Water Blue Stone to the Yun family residence to meet He Jiu, Huang Taichong, and He Xiu.
• Huang Taichong told Meng Qi that Blue Blood People could usually only be resisted by humans who surpassed them by a major realm or had reached the Grandmaster level.

Meng Qi uncovered the history of the Blue Blood People and learned they were involved in the Yun family's affairs, then used his own imitation of their transformation to expose one hiding in a lotus pond. He steered Madam Baihua toward revealing their involvement to Third Master Ruan and focused on finding Wu Hengjian to investigate the Demonic Mark.

• He Jiu explained that a former East Sea Sword Manor branch had transformed into Blue Blood People through the Formless Sword Gu and later been driven out after plotting to seize control of the Sword Manor.
• Meng Qi and He Jiu discussed the Blue Blood People's role in Old Master Yun's suspicious death and the threat posed by the Demonic and Left Path.
• Meng Qi returned to the Zhu residence, explained the situation to Madam Baihua and Ying Ning, and predicted that the East Sea Sword Manor would soon choose the Yun family head.
• Meng Qi found and killed a Blue Blood Person hiding in the lotus pond, demonstrating the danger of their ability to merge with water.
• Madam Baihua offered to help Meng Qi settle his grudges with Heaven Destroying Gate and the Luo Sect, and Meng Qi urged her to expose the Blue Blood People's involvement to Third Master Ruan.
• Meng Qi left the Yun family matter to Madam Baihua and set out to find Wu Hengjian and investigate the Demonic Mark.

Meng Qi passed He Xiu intelligence about the Yun family and Suxian Dao while Soul Chasing Demon Lord’s hunt for Wu Hengjian ended in a trap. At the Yun family funeral, Third Master Ruan’s qin music drew out the Blue Blood People in the surrounding waters.

• He Xiu received a letter bearing the Yuanshi Tianzun mark, and Meng Qi learned that Wu Hengjian suspected Thirteenth Master Yun, Seventh Miss Yun, or Chen Xiang of betraying him.
• Soul Chasing Demon Lord gathered Left Path experts to attack Wu Hengjian at an oil-and-grain shop, while Chen Xiang waited aboard a neighboring ship.
• Third Master Ruan arrived at Old Master Yun’s funeral and began playing the qin as the Yun family considered its next Family Head.
• Wu Hengjian caught Chen Xiang, confirmed he had betrayed him, and killed him, but Soul Chasing Demon Lord trapped Wu Hengjian aboard the tower ship.
• Poison Hand Demon Lord appeared, and Soul Chasing Demon Lord fled in terror at his familiar snort.
• Third Master Ruan’s qin music drew streams of deep blue water from the pond, underground river, and harbor, culminating in a towering wave.

Third Master Ruan exposed Yan Bo as a Blue Blood traitor in the Yun household, but a nine-fingered Blue Blood man killed Yan Bo and fled toward the sea. Elsewhere, Meng Qi questioned Wu Hengjian about the Luo Sect and the Demonic Mark, prompting Wu Hengjian to summon an ancient, corrupt will.

• Third Master Ruan’s zither revealed Yan Bo’s Blue Blood transformation, and He Jiu, Huang Taichong, and He Xiu confronted him over Old Master Yun’s murder.
• Yan Bo admitted he had joined the Blue Blood People to gain a longer life and claimed his secret patron was someone qualified to inherit the Family Head position.
• A nine-fingered Blue Blood man killed Yan Bo and fled toward the sea, pursued by Third Master Ruan and Huang Taichong.
• Meng Qi questioned Wu Hengjian about his betrayal of the Luo Sect, the Tongyou Divine Art of Devouring Heaven and Earth, and his awakening to the devil in his heart.
• Meng Qi asked whether Wu Hengjian’s experience was connected to the Demonic Mark, and Wu Hengjian summoned a blue-purple fiendish apparition as an ancient evil will began to awaken.