Chapter Summaries

Meng Qi defeated Wu Hengjian, who sacrificed himself after summoning a demonic Dharma Image, and recovered a weakened drop of Demon Saint blood before escaping the Zhu Residence. At the Yun Household, He Jiu exposed Ninth Master Yun and pressured the rivals into backing Sixth Master Yun as Family Head, but the people at the Zhu Residence had already vanished.

• Wu Hengjian summoned a powerful demonic Dharma Image with his life force, but Meng Qi's four-armed, two-headed form shattered it and destroyed its fragments.
• Wu Hengjian self-destructed, but Third Master Ruan's qin music disrupted Meng Qi's attempt to capture his remaining Primordial Spirit, allowing Wu Hengjian to disappear.
• Meng Qi sealed the remnant of Wu Hengjian's demonic blood, suspected it came from a Demon Saint, and returned to the Zhu Residence before leaving with Madam Baihua and Ying Ning.
• At the Yun Household's mourning hall, Sixth Master Yun withdrew from the Family Head contest, and He Jiu announced that East Sea Sword Manor would intervene because a traitor had colluded with the Blue Blood People.
• He Jiu chose Sixth Master Yun as Family Head and confronted Ninth Master Yun with knowledge of the Zhu Residence's back garden; Thirteenth Master Yun, Ninth Master Yun, and Second Master Yun all agreed to support Sixth Master Yun.
• He Jiu led the Yun Household and East Sea Sword Manor experts to surround the Zhu Residence's back garden, but found it empty while Meng Qi and the others rode away in a carriage.

Meng Qi secured Madam Baihua’s promise to take him to a shared outpost of the Joyful Bodhisattva and Xuan Nü branches, hoping to reach the Xuan Nü branch and investigate the Su Nu Immortal Realm. After traveling by ship with Ying Ning, he arrived at the hidden Lihua Island.

• Madam Baihua revealed that her sect belonged to Su Nu Dao’s Joyful Bodhisattva branch and offered Meng Qi a route to an outpost shared with the Xuan Nü branch.
• Madam Baihua sent Ying Ning to guide Meng Qi to Lihua Island, where the Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire and the Xuan Nü branch’s Shang Shui Fairy lived.
• Meng Qi and Ying Ning traveled by sea toward Lihua Island, and Ying Ning explained the island’s formation and the Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire’s ranks for her Cauldron Vessels.
• A fierce gale battered their ship, but the storm passed and Lihua Island appeared at dawn.

Meng Qi arrived on Lihua Island under the identity of Poison Hand Demon Lord and observed the island’s decadent customs while planning to infiltrate the Suxian Immortal Realm. At the Great Joy Palace, Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire recognized Poison Hand, leaving Meng Qi startled and reaching for the Samsara Talisman.

• Le Huan welcomed Meng Qi and Ying Ning, then explained that the island’s beggars were discarded Cauldron Vessels.
• Le Huan offered sexual charity to an injured beggar, while Ying Ning explained that the island’s disciples had to receive offerings to avoid dangerous inner fire.
• Meng Qi inspected the island’s formations and planned to hide his identity, capture a talented male disciple, and enter the Suxian Immortal Realm.
• Meng Qi recognized the ruined Three-Eyed Arrow God, Li Wending, guarding the Great Joy Palace entrance.
• Le Huan explained Li Wending’s fall from a renowned Exterior expert to a Cauldron Vessel, and Meng Qi entered the palace to meet Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire.
• Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire greeted Meng Qi as an old acquaintance, and Meng Qi squeezed the Samsara Talisman in alarm.

Meng Qi posed as Poison Hand Demon Lord and resisted Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire’s seductive Dharma form by combining Buddhist methods with the Blood of the Demon Saint. After convincing her of his strength, he learned she planned to arrange a meeting with the Sect Master Bodhisattva the next day and worried he would need to disappear and assume another identity overnight.

• Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire greeted Meng Qi as Poison Hand and tried to unsettle him with her claims about their shared generation and the suffering of the world.
• Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire manifested her alluring Dharma form to tempt Meng Qi into revealing his own, but he resisted with Ananda's Precept Breaking Saber, the Indestructible Yuan Shi Aspect, and Buddha's Palm.
• Meng Qi used the Blood of the Demon Saint to create a fearsome mixture of demonic energy and Buddhist meaning, convincing Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire that he was a powerful unorthodox giant.
• Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire withdrew her Dharma form and said she would report to the Sect Master Bodhisattva so they could set terms the next day.
• Le Huan led Meng Qi and Ying Ning toward the guest quarters, while Meng Qi considered what identity to assume and how to make Poison Hand disappear without prompting a search.

Meng Qi escaped Lihua Island’s hidden formation by posing as a beggar, then infiltrated Shang Shui Fairy’s faction as Guo Xi. When Shang Shui Fairy summoned him to her room, she revealed that she was Gu Xiaosang, the Demoness Gu.

• During the night, the Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire unleashed the Heavenly Maiden Transforms the World Formation, but Shang Shui Fairy interrupted it.
• Meng Qi used a clone and a saber strike to escape the hidden formation, then transformed into a mouse and made his way into town.
• Posing as a beggar, Meng Qi listened to the island’s disciples and decided to infiltrate Shang Shui Fairy’s faction.
• Meng Qi knocked out a male disciple, took his identity as Guo Xi, and entered the faction’s courtyard.
• Shang Shui Fairy summoned the unattached male disciples, singled out Guo Xi, and revealed herself to be Gu Xiaosang.

Meng Qi met Gu Xiaosang on Lihua Island, where she revealed she had recognized him and arranged for him to comprehend the Overlord's Absolute Saber. They agreed to cooperate in opening the sealed levels of the Nine Heavens Ruins, while Gu Xiaosang prepared to mislead Xuan Nü and pursue her own plans.

• Gu Xiaosang explained that she had deduced Meng Qi was disguised as a male disciple, then confirmed it by calling him Su Meng and watching his reaction.
• Gu Xiaosang revealed she had impersonated Shang Shui Fairy to arrange Meng Qi's access to the Overlord's Absolute Saber and sought his help opening the Nine Heavens Ruins; they signed a contract not to harm each other before leaving the ruins.
• Meng Qi told Gu Xiaosang that using Sticking to Karma to kill the Nine Heavens Thunder God had bound him to comprehend the Overlord's Absolute Saber, and Gu Xiaosang outlined how they could mislead Xuan Nü.
• Gu Xiaosang told Meng Qi to wait a few days at an entrance to the Sü Nü Immortal Realm, teased him about an aphrodisiac in his tea, and revealed that Ying Ning was a direct disciple of the Joyful Bodhisattva.
• Gu Xiaosang kissed Meng Qi in front of the peeking female disciples, then returned to her Shang Shui disguise and told him to gather his belongings and come to her cave abode.

Meng Qi and Gu Xiaosang revised their plan to enter the Suxian Immortal Realm and pursue the Overlord's Absolute Saber, accounting for the risks of exposure. They entered the realm with Shang Shui Fairy's disciples, while Meng Qi prepared to use his clone to follow Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire through the weakened formations.

• Meng Qi decided that cooperating with Gu Xiaosang was safer than exposing either of their disguises, then studied Shang Shui Fairy's manuals while Gu Xiaosang meditated.
• Meng Qi warned Gu Xiaosang that their plan could fail if the Xuan Nü sealed the Suxian Immortal Realm, and they discussed contingencies, including using the Samsara Talisman and a map Gu Xiaosang had obtained from an informant.
• Gu Xiaosang revealed that she had captured Shang Shui Fairy rather than killed her, and Meng Qi said he could control Guo Xi's mind for up to twenty breaths.
• Meng Qi asked whether Gu Xiaosang had arranged Wu Hengjian's encounter with the Demon Saint's inheritance; she admitted arranging an opportunity but claimed surprise at his obtaining the Heaven Swallowing Demon Saint's blood.
• After a message summoned Shang Shui Fairy to bring the male disciples to comprehend the Overlord's Absolute Saber, Gu Xiaosang and Meng Qi encountered Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire and Ying Ning on Lihua Island.
• Gu Xiaosang told Meng Qi to have his clone follow Bodhisattva of Pity and Desire through the formations, and the group entered the Suxian Immortal Realm as its ancient stone gate opened.

Meng Qi infiltrated the Sü Nü Immortal Realm in disguise while Gu Xiaosang posed as the Shang Shui Fairy, and he made his way toward Bodhisattva of Mirror Speech. He ambushed her in the Fish-and-Water Hall after pretending to deliver a message from the Sect Master Bodhisattva.

• Meng Qi followed Gu Xiaosang and the male disciples into the Sü Nü Immortal Realm while disguised as an unusual immortal bird.
• Meng Qi slipped into the palace waterways as a Blue Blood Person and reached Bodhisattva of Mirror Speech's Fish-and-Water Hall.
• Gu Xiaosang secretly asked Meng Qi whether he had reached the other side, and he confirmed that he had while seeking an opportunity.
• Meng Qi learned that the male disciples were entering the Sü Nü Hall to study Overlord's Absolute Saber, while Bodhisattva of Mirror Speech remained behind in her bedroom.
• Meng Qi knocked out a maid, disguised himself as her, and claimed that the Sect Master Bodhisattva had summoned Bodhisattva of Mirror Speech.
• When Bodhisattva of Mirror Speech's restrictions loosened, Meng Qi revealed himself and cleaved through them with a violet lightning Palm Saber.

Meng Qi used Gui Shui Yin Lei to provoke Mirror Speech Bodhisattva, but Joyful Bodhisattva intervened and destroyed his incarnation. While Xuan Nü sealed the Sü Nü Immortal Realm and searched for him, Gu Xiaosang’s insider Liu Shuyu helped conceal Meng Qi and guide him toward Sü Nü Hall.

• Meng Qi’s incarnation attacked Mirror Speech Bodhisattva with Gui Shui Yin Lei, killing the two men beside her before Joyful Bodhisattva crushed the lightning and drove the incarnation to destroy itself.
• Xuan Nü chose to seal the Sü Nü Immortal Realm rather than leave Sü Nü Hall, trapping everyone inside as Meng Qi feigned surprise among the male disciples.
• Liu Shuyu arrived to inspect the hall, and Meng Qi recognized her as an ally of Gu Xiaosang who had risen to the Half-step Outer Scenery realm.
• At Gu Xiaosang’s signal, Meng Qi and Gu Xiaosang hid in the Mountain and River Diagram and a small black bag, which Liu Shuyu concealed while disguising signs of their plan.
• Xuan Nü searched the hall and praised Liu Shuyu’s quick response without discovering Meng Qi or Gu Xiaosang.
• Liu Shuyu released Meng Qi, who turned into a dark stone ornament in her palm, and headed for Sü Nü Hall with him.

Meng Qi infiltrated the Sŭ Nü Hall while Gu Xiaosang pursued her own plan, but the real Xuan Nü had stayed behind and prepared to catch him. As Xuan Nü began inspecting Liu Shuyu, Meng Qi launched a risky diversion, while Gu Xiaosang revealed the little girl Liu Luo’s true identity.

• Gu Xiaosang left a strand of hair in the Sŭ Nü Hall and secretly took Shang Shui Fairy and a little girl to the forgotten pavilion behind the hall.
• Meng Qi entered the Sŭ Nü Hall disguised as a dark stone while Liu Shuyu shared her senses with him and asked Xuan Nü where to lodge Shang Shui Fairy and the others.
• The real Xuan Nü revealed that her Nirmanakaya had been outside and explained that she had waited in the hall to catch Meng Qi.
• Xuan Nü began inspecting Liu Shuyu, putting Meng Qi and his Successor in immediate danger.
• Gu Xiaosang combed the little girl’s hair and told her that she was not Liu Luo, the Xuan Nü’s Successor, but the Nine Heavens Xuan Nü.

Meng Qi seized the chance created by the awakening of Nine Heavens Xuan Nü's remains and touched the Overlord's Absolute Saber, while Gu Xiaosang used the remains to trigger the growth of the emerald tree and confronted the little girl. The saber drew Meng Qi into its legacy, where the Ancient Thunder God demonstrated thunder techniques before the Overlord imprint appeared to block his study.

• Nine Heavens Xuan Nü's remains awakened in the Sü Nü Palace, distracting Xuan Nü's true body and giving Meng Qi a chance to approach the Overlord's Absolute Saber.
• Xuan Nü's true body recognized Meng Qi's diversion and rushed to protect the remains, while Liu Shuyu stepped close enough for Meng Qi to touch the saber.
• Gu Xiaosang pressed the little girl at the Jade Pillow acupoint as the remains arrived, and their Spiritual Qi made the emerald tree grow through the clouds into the void.
• The little girl split off a point of spiritual light and escaped the remains, while Gu Xiaosang vanished into the void from the treetop and Xuan Nü's true body arrived.
• Meng Qi entered the saber's legacy and watched the Ancient Thunder God perform techniques from Nine Annihilations of the Divine Firmament.
• The Overlord imprint extinguished the Thunder God and announced its first slash, Impenetrable by Immortals and Gods.

Meng Qi watched Overlord demonstrate the Six Slashes, gained their general cultivation outline and insight into four saber moves, and escaped the Suxian Immortal Realm with Liu Shuyu’s help. He left the island bound for Jiangdong, having advanced halfway toward the first Heavenly Staircase.

• Overlord demonstrated all six slashes, and Meng Qi comprehended traces of several moves and the technique’s general outline.
• Meng Qi’s karma with the Nine Heavens Thunder God faded, but Overlord’s Absolute Saber remained in the Suxian Dao Hall and refused to leave with him.
• Liu Shuyu concealed Meng Qi from the arriving Xuan Nü Incarnation and two Grandmasters, then helped him leave with Shang Shui Fairy’s group.
• The contemporary Xuan Nü and Joyful Bodhisattva found that the great tree was a Branch of Jianmu, while Gu Xiaosang had already escaped with the Nine Heavens Xuan Nü’s remains.
• After leaving Lihua Island, Meng Qi felt the principles of thunder and yang resonate with his Dharma Idol and flew toward Jiangdong.

Meng Qi returned from the Eastern Sea, heard that Yan Chong had passed through the Heavenly Tribulation and ascended in a single step, and went to congratulate his old friend. Their reunion ended with a saber exchange and a discussion of the latest martial-world news, including the Ruan Clan’s interest in the Blue Blood People.

• Meng Qi wondered whether Liu Shuyu would silence Shang Shui Fairy and Guo Xi to cover up what happened in the Sü Nü Immortal Realm, then reflected on the saber techniques he had learned and questioned why the Overlord’s Six Slashes referred to Spirit Mountain.
• After reaching port, Meng Qi heard that Yan Chong had passed through the Thunder Tribulation and ascended in a single step, and decided to visit him.
• At the Sea Tide Sect, Yan Chong welcomed a surge of prospective disciples drawn by his achievement and went to his hut as a storm began.
• Meng Qi arrived through the wind and rain with wine and food, and he and Yan Chong celebrated Yan Chong’s advancement before exchanging saber strikes.
• Yan Chong told Meng Qi about the Blue Blood People, the return of Poison Hand Demon Lord, and the Ruan Clan’s secret efforts to contact other factions over the Blue Blood People.

Meng Qi traveled by pleasure boat toward Langya while preparing to cross the First Heavenly Staircase, and he met Ning Tai, a swordsman from East Sang seeking worthy challengers. As Ning Tai arrived in Langya, Meng Qi shed his languor and faced him with Heaven's Wound at his side.

• Yan Chong told Meng Qi that the Ruan family was gathering allies and intelligence to investigate the Blue Blood People, so Meng Qi decided to focus on cultivation instead of hurrying to Linhai.
• Meng Qi chartered a pleasure boat to Langya and spent the voyage relaxing while contemplating the principles of the world.
• Ning Tai, an undefeated swordsman from East Sang, asked Meng Qi who the strongest fighters beneath the First Heavenly Staircase were, and Meng Qi directed him toward He Jiu and Wang Siyuan.
• Meng Qi explained that his fighting spirit was quietly gathering strength before a future breakthrough, then continued toward Langya.
• As the boat neared Langya, Meng Qi dressed, took up Heaven's Wound, and faced Ning Tai, who said He Jiu had come to Langya and readied his sword.

Meng Qi defeated Ning Tai in a clash of opening strikes at Langya Harbor, then learned of a mysterious man traveling east and asked about Qinghua Spirit Wood. He went to the Ruan residence to offer help against the Blue Blood People, but Ruan Yaoguang told him to wait while Ruan Yushu cultivated in seclusion.

• Ning Tai challenged Meng Qi, who unleashed Open Heaven and Earth and defeated him with a single saber strike.
• Ning Tai revealed that he had encountered a dazed man in a green robe muttering, “Who am I? Who is me?” and said the man had traveled east.
• Meng Qi asked Ning Tai about Qinghua Spirit Wood, then headed into Langya City to visit the Ruan residence.
• Ruan Yaoguang told Meng Qi that Ruan Yushu had entered seclusion to break through to Outer Scenery and that the Ruan family was searching for the Blue Blood People with help from the Wang Family Head and the Luo Shu.
• Ruan Yaoguang warned Meng Qi against confronting the Blue Blood People before he crossed the first Heavenly Staircase, and Meng Qi chose to stay at Sanqing Temple.

Meng Qi reunited with Nie Zhi, who asked him to investigate the Ruan Clan’s plans concerning the Blue Blood People, and then turned away Gambling Abstinence’s request to visit Lanke Temple. He Jiu went to Sanqing Temple to challenge Meng Qi to a spar while their realms were still close.

• Nie Zhi visited Meng Qi, shared news of his family, and asked him to investigate the Ruan Clan’s plans regarding the Blue Blood People.
• Meng Qi agreed to investigate and decided to seek information from Wang Siyuan.
• Gambling Abstinence asked Meng Qi to take him to Lanke Temple, offering to serve him for three years if he lost a bet, but Meng Qi declined.
• He Jiu decided to challenge Meng Qi before their realms diverged further and traveled to Sanqing Temple.
• The receptionist guided He Jiu into the Three Pure Ones Hall, where Meng Qi sat beneath the Three Pure Ones statues.

Meng Qi and He Jiu fought a fierce battle above Langya City, with He Jiu’s Formless Sword Qi forcing Meng Qi to rely on his danger premonition and abandon his senses. Their clash brought both men close to insights into the world’s underlying principles and the threshold of the first Heavenly Stair, and the fight ended on the brink of another transformation.

• Meng Qi prepared beneath the Three Pure Ones statues, and He Jiu arrived to challenge him before they flew high above Langya City to fight.
• He Jiu unleashed countless streams of sword qi, and Meng Qi met them with a sweeping saber strike that matched his attack.
• He Jiu shifted into Formless Sword Qi, attacking Meng Qi’s vital points from unseen angles while Meng Qi blocked each strike through Eight-Nine Arcane Art’s premonition of danger.
• Meng Qi sealed his senses and used his Indestructible Yuan Shi Aspect to sense the world’s hidden principles, touching the threshold of the first Heavenly Stair as He Jiu reached a similar insight.
• He Jiu changed Formless Sword Qi into countless points of light, and Meng Qi endured their blows before locating He Jiu and unleashing a vast field of lightning that forced him to reveal himself.
• Meng Qi’s Indestructible Yuan Shi Aspect spread outward and intertwined with the world’s formless principles, plunging the battlefield into darkness as the fight continued.

Meng Qi defeated He Jiu while breaking through the First Heavenly Stair, then learned that Wang Siyuan and Gambling Abstinence Monk were keeping secrets about events soon to unfold. Two days later, He Qi and the Ruan forces prepared to attack the Blue Blood people's hidden stronghold in an Eastern Sea trench.

• Meng Qi broke through the First Heavenly Stair, defeated He Jiu, and gained several supernatural abilities; He Jiu congratulated him and departed for the Ruan residence.
• Meng Qi visited Wang Siyuan, who said he had crossed the First Heavenly Stair three months earlier and hinted that events would become clear in a couple of days.
• Gambling Abstinence Monk offered Meng Qi a worn Six-Syllable Mantra Talisman but refused to explain its origins or his master's identity.
• Two days later, He Qi and the Ruan family gathered at the Eastern Sea trench, where they had located the Blue Blood people's stronghold and prepared to begin their attack.

He Qi and the Ruan and Wang families uncovered the Blue Blood People’s trench and shattered their formation, then fought the Blue Blood forces and confronted He Qi’s former ally, Uncle Gao. In Langya City, Meng Qi sensed that the Ruan Family’s affairs had changed and set out for their residence, while a nine-fingered old man sensed the Ancestral God.

• He Qi found the Blue Blood People’s hidden trench and attacked, allowing the Wang Family’s Family Head to break their formation with a sword strike.
• Third Master Ruan attacked the awakened Blue Blood People with Phoenix Cry Nine Heavens, while Old Master Ruan’s Bell Shakes the Three Realms froze them and helped Huang Taichong kill a Blue Blood Grandmaster.
• He Qi confronted Uncle Gao, accused him of using islanders in forbidden experiments, and challenged him to reveal the Sword Gu Talisman’s location if he lost.
• Uncle Gao accepted the duel and transformed his body into Sword Gu worms.
• Meng Qi stabilized at the Fourth Heaven realm, decided to visit the Ruan Residence, and left Sanqing Temple.
• A nine-fingered old man sensed the Ancestral God and sprang up with five companions.

He Qi defeated Gao by countering the Formless Sword Gu with his own mastery of formlessness, then turned to the wider battle as the ancestral god’s aura empowered the giant tower. After He Qi routed the Blue Blood Experts, the Grand Priest launched the tower upward in an attempt to flee beyond Azure Nether.

• Gao transformed into Formless Sword Gu and sent the tiny Gu worms into He Qi through the Sea of Vital Energy, but He Qi vanished from perception and shattered them with Sword Qi.
• Gao acknowledged his defeat and revealed that Qianyuan held the Sword Gu Talisman, explaining that Qianyuan’s transformation drained his lifespan when he fought at full strength.
• He Qi assessed the battles around him as the Grand Priest began drawing the ancestral god’s aura into the giant tower.
• The Wang Family’s Family Head used Luo Shu to bind and defeat a Blue Blood Expert, while Old Master Ruan and the Ruan elders fought five others with zither techniques.
• He Qi swept through the five Blue Blood Experts and cleared the battlefield, prompting the Nine-Fingered Blue Blood Person to order his group to leave Langya City.
• The Grand Priest made the giant tower rise into the air and flee toward the space beyond Azure Nether.