Chapter Summaries

Meng Qi investigated Shi Tianqi’s death and concluded that a Building of No Benevolence assassin had discovered Lone Wolf through the Fortress Lord. He exposed Steward Zhou as the traitor, but Zhou died by a dark flame before he could be interrogated, while the assassin remained outside the fortress.

• Meng Qi reconstructed the assassin’s attack at Falling Soul Ravine and reasoned that Lone Wolf’s self-destruction had left the assassin watching for anyone who might know about the intelligence.
• Meng Qi considered how Lone Wolf might have arranged to pass on his information and led the group back to Stone Family Fortress.
• Meng Qi persuaded Shi Xiaoxiu and the others to activate the fortress’s protective formation before questioning who knew about Lone Wolf’s connection to Shi Tianqi.
• Meng Qi deduced that the assassin had followed Shi Tianqi to find Lone Wolf and accused Steward Zhou of revealing their meeting.
• Steward Zhou tried to take poison, but Meng Qi sealed his Primordial Spirit, and Shi Xiaoxiu and Shi Xiaodang confronted him over his betrayal.
• A dark flame consumed Steward Zhou before he could confess, leaving Meng Qi suspecting a method like the Six Paths’ while the assassin remained nearby.

Meng Qi pieced together why Steward Zhou was unlikely to have betrayed the Shi family, then uncovered further leads for investigating Shi Tianqi’s murder. A Blue Rank Assassin attacked him inside Stone Family Fortress but withdrew after Meng Qi survived several strikes, and Meng Qi prepared to escort Shi Xiaoxiu and Shi Xiaodang to Huamei Villa.

• Meng Qi questioned Shi Xiaoxiu and Shi Xiaodang about Steward Zhou and reasoned that the Golden Tent would not have relied on leaked information to locate Stone Family Fortress.
• Meng Qi urged the Shi siblings to alert Huamei Villa and investigate Steward Zhou’s family, recent meetings, and contingency plans.
• Meng Qi sensed danger and intercepted a Blue Rank Assassin’s attack, then narrowly escaped a deadly strike by using Open Heaven and Earth for speed.
• Meng Qi counterattacked the assassin, who vanished after being forced back, and suspected the assassin could switch between a shadow and a true body.
• Meng Qi told Shi Xiaoxiu and Shi Xiaodang to leave for Huamei Villa with him, and they praised him as a hero of their age.

Meng Qi escorted Shi Xiaoxiu and Shi Xiaodang toward Huamei Villa while repeatedly fending off the Building of No Benevolence's Blue Rank Assassin. Near the villa, the assassin pierced Meng Qi's head, but Meng Qi survived by moving his Primordial Spirit into a newly grown head and caught the assassin within reach.

• Ling Yue ordered Shi Xiaoxiu to destroy part of Stone Family Fortress and arranged for the group to flee toward Huamei Villa.
• The Blue Rank Assassin attacked Shi Xiaoxiu in midair, but Meng Qi blocked the strike with his palm and forced the assassin to vanish.
• Meng Qi reassured Shi Xiaoxiu and Shi Xiaodang and continued the journey, judging that the assassin's concealment and transformations made him especially dangerous.
• Within a hundred li of Huamei Villa, Meng Qi launched an area attack, but the assassin emerged from a shadow and pierced the back of his head.
• Meng Qi shifted his Primordial Spirit into a newly grown head, enlarged his body, and brought the Jade Cutting Saber toward the assassin as he declared that he had caught him.

Meng Qi defeated the Blue Rank Assassin’s body and shadow, then brought Shi Xiaoxiu and the others safely to Huamei Villa. He later discovered that Master Lu had captured the assassin’s hidden Primordial Spirit.

• Meng Qi used boundless light to expose the assassin and struck him with the Jade Cutting Saber and Heaven’s Wound, destroying his body and shadow.
• Meng Qi realized the assassin’s Primordial Spirit had likely hidden separately and warned the others not to trust the assassin’s rules or assume he was dead.
• Meng Qi led Shi Xiaoxiu and the others into Huamei Villa’s territory, where Luo Yaokun reported the danger to Master Lu and the major sects and Aristocratic Clans.
• Ling Yue and the Shi siblings praised Meng Qi’s strength, while Meng Qi examined the Shadow Entering Sword taken from the assassin.
• Master Lu summoned Meng Qi to the thatched cottage, where he revealed that he had captured the Blue Rank Assassin’s Primordial Spirit.

Meng Qi learned from Master Lu how his subtle Sword Light had frozen the Azure Rank Assassin’s self-destruction, then revealed his suspicions that Mythos and Gao Lan were involved in the Grasslands crisis. Master Lu ordered an investigation while Meng Qi stayed at the manor, and Sima Shi prepared to revise the Earth Ranking after receiving news of the assassin’s defeat.

• Master Lu explained how Sword Light entering Subtlety let him bind the Azure Rank Assassin’s self-destruction, and he praised Meng Qi’s grasp of transformation.
• Meng Qi recounted his clashes with the assassin, received guidance from Master Lu, and revealed his suspicion that Mythos and Han Guang were colluding with Gao Lan over the Grasslands.
• Master Lu ordered Luo Yaokun to inform the Pure Yang Sect and investigate, while the Green and Red of Changle searched for Steward Zhou’s family.
• Master Lu told Meng Qi to remain at the manor until the danger was clarified, and Meng Qi agreed while hoping to learn more about the Building of No Benevolence.
• Sima Shi received a report that Meng Qi had defeated the Azure Rank Assassin and ordered the Earth Ranking revised and the news spread.

News spread that Su Meng had entered the Earth Ranking after severely injuring a Blue Rank Assassin, prompting reactions from the Su, Wang, and Cui families and drawing a would-be killer toward him. At Huamei Villa, Ye Yuqi reported that Guerduo had reached the Earth Immortal realm and the Nine Demonic Paths planned to infiltrate the Golden Horde’s gathering, while Meng Qi realized his actions had stirred the Heaven Punishing Axe.

• Su Yue learned that Su Meng had repelled a Blue Rank Assassin three times and was expected to enter the Earth Ranking, then concealed his troubled reaction.
• Wang Wenxian and Wang Zai discussed Su Meng’s rapid rise, and Wang Wenxian promised to protect the Su Family while assigning Wang Zai to govern a prefecture or county.
• Cui Yan and Cui Hao reflected on Su Meng’s astonishing progress and the formidable opponents he would face on the Earth Ranking.
• Martial artists at Dou Family Inn discovered Su Meng ranked 178th on the Earth Ranking, and an unknown visitor offered to help a weeping old man kill him.
• Ye Yuqi told Meng Qi that no wide-net search had been found, Guerduo had broken through to the Earth Immortal realm, and the Nine Demonic Paths planned to infiltrate the Golden Horde’s gathering.
• Meng Qi realized that the Heaven Punishing Axe’s stirring nearly a year earlier had coincided with his destruction of the Heavenly Punishment Gate, and admitted responsibility.

Meng Qi and Ye Yuqi assessed the threat of Guerduo’s breakthrough and a possible alliance of the Nine Demonic Paths, then discussed how to uncover spies and disrupt the alliance. With the righteous factions at risk and Cao Xianzhi’s loyalties uncertain, Meng Qi decided to improve his realm before attempting an infiltration.

• Meng Qi explained that his actions may have indirectly helped Guerduo advance to Earth Immortal, and Ye Yuqi concluded the Nine Demonic Paths were gathering at the golden tent to form an alliance.
• Ye Yuqi and Meng Qi considered the factions’ combat strength, including Lingbao Tianzun’s Earth Immortal-level Immortal Slaying Sword Formation and the possibility that Gao Lan might join the demons.
• Ye Yuqi warned that spies inside the righteous factions could enable coordinated attacks, and Meng Qi suggested finding them by investigating the unorthodox powerhouses the alliance was trying to recruit.
• Ye Yuqi proposed asking Cao Xianzhi to infiltrate in disguise, but Meng Qi revealed that the Golden Tent shaman had secret dealings with the Cao Family, so they would need to test Cao Xianzhi’s loyalty.
• Meng Qi offered to use Poison Hand Demon Lord’s identity to contact unorthodox powerhouses and take their place, but Master Lu warned that it was too dangerous at his current strength.
• Meng Qi decided to improve his realm first, planning to use the Earth Ranking to lure out his enemies before entering the Investiture of the Gods trial.

Meng Qi returned to the Investiture of the Gods World and reunited with Tian Kuo at King Chen’s mausoleum. After learning that Chen State’s nobles had undermined its reforms, Meng Qi proposed that the Tian Family seize power and purge its opponents.

• Master Lu told Ye Yuqi he planned to test his sword against the Heaven Punishing Axe, and Ye Yuqi suggested that Daoist Chong He accompany him.
• Meng Qi traded Merit Points for a Void Breaking Talisman and used a Samsara Talisman to return to the Investiture of the Gods World.
• At King Chen’s mausoleum, Tian Kuo joyfully reunited with Meng Qi and reported that many Ink Followers had died under Chen State’s persecution.
• Tian Kuo described Chen State’s stagnating commerce, noble misrule, and aggressive wars, and Meng Qi criticized its rulers for neglecting long-term development.
• When Tian Kuo asked how to save Chen State, Meng Qi said the Tian Family should take power and purge all dissenters.

Meng Qi persuaded Tian Kuo to have the Tian Family seize power under the guise of internal strife, then entered the court assembly and killed Wang Dan. Yu Ziheng recognized the Heaven-Turning Seal and identified Meng Qi as a Jade Void Remnant.

• Meng Qi convinced Tian Kuo that the Tian Family should take power to benefit Chen State, despite the slander it might bring.
• Meng Qi outlined a plan for the Tian Family to eliminate the Wang and Gongyang Families, conceal its connection to the Ink Followers, and seek temporary peace with Chu State and Jinguang Cave.
• Tian Kuo raised the Wang and Gongyang Families’ crimes at court, prompting Wang Dan and Gongyang Gao to object and Wang Dan to end the assembly.
• Meng Qi appeared at the hall entrance and killed Wang Dan with the Heaven-Turning Seal.
• Yu Ziheng recognized the technique and called Meng Qi a Jade Void Remnant.

Meng Qi destroyed the Wang and Gongyang families in Chen State, then lured Daoist Chixia into a confrontation. Daoist Chixia revealed his Grandmaster domain and fired a golden arrow at Meng Qi.

• Meng Qi killed Yu Ziheng with the Taichu Finger and helped the Tian Family defeat the Wang and Gongyang families in the palace city.
• Daoist Chixia learned that Yu Ziheng’s Soul Lamp had gone out and traveled to Chen State to investigate.
• Tian Heng and Tian Kuo convinced Daoist Chixia that the Wang Family had conspired with Jade Void Remnants, while Meng Qi’s altered memories and a severed strand of hair sent Chixia after him.
• Daoist Chixia tracked Meng Qi to a northern mountain valley and attacked after discovering that Meng Qi had lured him there.
• Daoist Chixia manifested his Crimson Cloud Golden Light Primal Magnetism Dharma Image and launched a golden arrow at Meng Qi.

Meng Qi fought Daoist Chixia and gradually learned to counter the distortions of his Primal Magnetism Dharma Image by applying Subtlety at the Exterior Scenery level. After Daoist Chixia overwhelmed him with paired arrows, Meng Qi unleashed a mysterious saber technique whose outcome remained unresolved.

• Daoist Chixia used his Crimson Cloud Golden Light Primal Magnetism Dharma Image and golden arrow to disrupt Meng Qi’s movements, but Meng Qi endured the attack with his Kunlun Dao Robe and defensive techniques.
• Meng Qi charged Daoist Chixia, but magnetic forces threw off his saber strike, and a second golden arrow pierced his defenses and wounded him.
• Meng Qi calmed his mind, perceived the magnetic forces acting on every part of his body, and dodged Daoist Chixia’s next arrow with precise movement.
• Meng Qi used the Yin Yang Seal to counter the magnetic force around his body, then attacked Daoist Chixia with Flowing Fire, whose sword light the Dharma Image bent away.
• Daoist Chixia fired two golden arrows, breaking through Meng Qi’s defenses, and Meng Qi answered with a mysterious saber strike that maintained its course through the magnetic domain.

Meng Qi fought Daoist Chixia through a distorted Primordial Magnetic domain and killed him after turning his own methods against him. After the battle, Meng Qi sensed a connection to Jade Void Palace, while King Zhuang of Chu failed to locate his opponent.

• Meng Qi used Yin Yang Three Combinations to pierce Daoist Chixia's Primordial Magnetic domain, but struck an illusion and lost his left arm to a golden arrow.
• Meng Qi endured Daoist Chixia's attacks and realized that charging into his own Star Burial River could expose the Grandmaster's true position.
• Meng Qi transformed into a great sun to deflect Daoist Chixia's arrow, then attacked with the Jade Cutting Saber and Flowing Fire as Daoist Chixia used a Five-Colored Stone against him.
• A strand of hair that Meng Qi had planted disrupted Daoist Chixia's escape, allowing Meng Qi to kill him with a final saber strike.
• Meng Qi recovered from his injuries and briefly sensed Jade Void Palace, while King Zhuang of Chu failed to divine his location.

After five months of healing and cultivation, Meng Qi returned to Qi Land, met with the Ink Followers, and sought Duke Huan of Qi’s advice about sensing the Jade Void Palace. When Meng Qi sensed the palace again as he neared the Second Layer Heavenly Ladder, Duke Zhuang of Chu reacted, while Daoist Chixia’s buried corpse reassembled through Void Creation.

• Meng Qi buried Daoist Chixia, then took his weapons and treasures, including the Mountain Sea Bow and a replacement robe, while recovering from his injuries.
• Five months later, Meng Qi visited Linzi, where a little girl mistook him standing on his head for a monster, and he realized his realm had advanced toward the Second Layer Heavenly Ladder.
• Meng Qi met Bai Song, Zhao Bai, and the Ink Followers, heard how their reforms were progressing in Qi Land, thanked them, and shared practical advice on the Mohist Doctrine.
• Meng Qi asked Duke Huan of Qi about sensing the Jade Void Palace, and Duke Huan suggested the sensation might return when Meng Qi approached the Second Layer Heavenly Ladder.
• After three more months of cultivation, Meng Qi sensed the Jade Void Palace, Duke Zhuang of Chu ordered two guests summoned, and Daoist Chixia’s corpse reassembled in its grave through Void Creation.

King Zhuang of Chu, Yang Xizhi, and Gu Heng entered the Jade Void Palace as Meng Qi was pulled there by Duke Huan of Qi. A sudden clash between King Zhuang and Duke Huan scattered Meng Qi into outer space, where Duke Huan’s Dharmakaya explained that King Zhuang had used the Myriad Worlds Teleportation Fist and was trapped in Sleeve Universe.

• King Zhuang of Chu met Yang Xizhi and Gu Heng at Jinguang Cave and agreed to protect them while they explored the Jade Void Palace.
• Duke Huan of Qi seized Meng Qi and brought him to the Jade Void Palace before Meng Qi had reached the Grandmaster realm.
• Duke Huan of Qi and King Zhuang of Chu arrived at the palace, then abruptly attacked each other with Sleeve Universe and the Myriad Worlds Teleportation Fist.
• The aftershock sent Meng Qi into outer space, where he endured the cold and curses by transforming into a blazing sun.
• Duke Huan of Qi appeared in his Jade Purity Yuan Shi Body and told Meng Qi that King Zhuang of Chu had been trapped in Sleeve Universe.

Meng Qi was stranded outside the Jade Void Palace with Duke Huan of Qi, but the Jade Void disciple's Waist Token and the Great Dao Tree restored his connection to the palace. Duke Huan sent Meng Qi inside with the God Beating Whip, while a mysterious black-robed figure followed him.

• Duke Huan of Qi explained that King Zhuang of Chu had used the Myriad Worlds Teleportation Fist to send them to another universe and revealed that two companions remained inside the Jade Void Palace.
• Meng Qi attempted to break through and sense the Jade Void Palace but fell short, then learned from Duke Huan that Wudang Mountain Golden Light Cave was Saint Mother Wudang's grotto-heaven and Dharma Body experts suffered from a life-draining curse.
• Yang Xizhi and Gu Heng opened the Jade Void Palace's Vermilion Gate and entered, while powerful figures in several lands sensed the palace's ancient aura.
• Meng Qi used Yang Jian's Waist Token and the Great Dao Tree to sense the Jade Void Palace, and Duke Huan broke through the barrier to send him there with the God Beating Whip.
• Meng Qi entered the palace to search for treasures before powerful figures arrived, and an obscure black-robed figure followed him.

Meng Qi broke through Jade Void Palace’s endless corridor and survived an ambush by Gu Heng and Yang Xizhi, though he was badly wounded and nearly exhausted. He escaped into a chamber whose chants described ancient demons and deities, while a mysterious black-robed figure emerged and accused Lu Ya of trying to ruin his plans.

• Meng Qi realized Jade Void Palace’s corridor trapped him in a repeating space and opened a path with his saber.
• Gu Heng attacked Meng Qi with the Heaven-Turning Seal while Yang Xizhi prepared to strike with the Five Fire Seven Bird Fan.
• Meng Qi used the God Beating Whip to wound Yang Xizhi, but Gu Heng’s blow crushed his left shoulder.
• Meng Qi fled through the hall and escaped Gu Heng with the Earth Magnetism Primal Light Escape Talisman.
• Meng Qi landed in a quiet chamber where chants about ancient demons and deities could help his Eight-Nine Arcane Art cultivation.
• A black-robed figure appeared and said Lu Ya wanted to ruin his plans over being suppressed by Yuan Shi.

Meng Qi recovered in the Jade Void Palace’s Alchemy Room, where he found ancient medicines and encountered the strange Demonic Peach. He reached the Heart of Origin Hall seeking the Heart of Origin Seal inheritance, but Yang Xizhi and Gu Heng ambushed him as his clone drew them out.

• Meng Qi memorized the chants in the quiet room, healed his injuries, and found the Alchemy Room.
• Meng Qi took a Jade Void Golden Pill, restoring himself to full strength, while the Demonic Peach devoured a Ginseng Fruit.
• Meng Qi saved an Immortal Peach from the Demonic Peach and left the alchemical cauldron behind.
• Meng Qi found the Heart of Origin Hall and recognized the purple-qi bell as the Heart of Origin Seal inheritance.
• Gu Heng attacked Meng Qi from above as Yang Xizhi prepared to use the Five Fire Seven Bird Fan, but Meng Qi’s clone emerged and swung a wooden whip at her.

Meng Qi escaped Gu Heng and Yang Xizhi with the Heart of Origin Seal legacy bell, then found the Void and Limitless Seal legacies missing. In Limitless Hall, he heard an ancient voice proclaim the birth of Wusheng Laomu and hurried toward Dao One Hall, hoping its seal remained.

• Meng Qi struck Yang Xizhi with the God Beating Whip and battled Gu Heng, then seized the purple bell containing the Heart of Origin Seal legacy and fled.
• Yang Xizhi pursued Meng Qi and wounded him, but he escaped; she used his blood and flesh on a straw effigy while Gu Heng divined his whereabouts, and they set off after him.
• Meng Qi recovered, sent a clone into Void Hall, and found the platform containing the Void Seal legacy empty.
• Meng Qi sent a clone into Limitless Hall and found its offering platform empty as well.
• A voice in Limitless Hall declared, "From this day forth, I shall be Wusheng Laomu!" and Meng Qi hurried toward Dao One Hall to seek the Dao One Seal.

Meng Qi fought Gu Heng and Yang Xizhi for the Dao One Seal, enduring severe injuries to seize it. The seal enveloped him in black-and-white light and transported him away, leaving Gu Heng and Yang Xizhi behind.

• Experts arrived outside Jade Void Palace as Meng Qi reached Dao One Hall and discovered the Dao One Seal’s inheritance.
• Gu Heng destroyed Meng Qi’s clone and waited with Yang Xizhi to ambush him for the seal.
• Meng Qi used Star Burial River and the Jade Cutting Saber to distract Gu Heng, then exchanged a devastating blow for a chance to cut off Gu Heng’s left hand and seize the Dao One Seal.
• Gu Heng struck Meng Qi in the back, but Meng Qi threatened him and Yang Xizhi with the God Beating Whip.
• The Dao One Seal enveloped Meng Qi in black-and-white light and carried him away, while Gu Heng and Yang Xizhi remained in the hall.

Meng Qi was drawn by the Dao One Seal to a hidden hall in Jade Void Palace, where he opened a bronze door and found a coffin containing his former Earth self. Meanwhile, Yang Xizhi and Gu Heng’s attempt to curse Su Ziyuan failed, and a Black-Robed Man destroyed them before searching for Meng Qi.

• Yang Xizhi and Gu Heng prepared the Nail Head Seven Arrows Book and began a ritual to curse Su Ziyuan.
• The Dao One Seal transferred Meng Qi to a hall in Jade Void Palace, where he recovered and realized its inheritance had become unique to him.
• Meng Qi found a familiar aura in the hollows of a bronze door and pushed it open, prompting the Dharma Body Masters to sense that Jade Void Palace’s restrictions had weakened.
• Yang Xizhi’s arrow failed to harm Su Ziyuan, and the Black-Robed Man arrived and disintegrated Yang Xizhi, Gu Heng, and their treasures, then wondered where Meng Qi had gone.
• Meng Qi opened a coffin beyond the bronze door and found his former self from Earth inside, causing their bodies to resonate and advancing him to the Second Layer Heavenly Ladder.