Chapter Summaries

Xiang Yuan defeated Juli Lu, hypnotized her, and used her to intensify the feud between Mo Luo and Mo She. Just as he prepared to exploit the demon lords’ injuries, a disguised hall master revealed himself as the Cult Leader.

• Mo Luo and Mo She fought fiercely while their followers joined the battle, and Juli Lu retreated under Xiang Yuan’s attacks.
• Cold Blood used Thunder Shakes the Nine Heavens and Lone Star Chasing Moon to grievously injure Juli Lu, then Xiang Yuan hypnotized her and ordered her to pretend she had captured him.
• Juli Lu returned with the bloodied Xiang Yuan, prompting Mo She to believe he had captured Mo Chang and continue fighting Mo Luo over the Heavenly Demon Pearl.
• Mo Luo and Mo She exhausted themselves in battle, leaving both demon lords and their forces badly injured while Jia Quan and Barking Corpse remained mostly unharmed.
• Xiang Yuan considered launching a surprise attack, but a laughing hall master revealed himself as the Cult Leader.

Elder Heavenly Serpent revealed that he had avoided ascending because the upper realm was fatal to the Devil Race, then seized the Heavenly Devil Relics from Mo Luo and Mo She. He trapped the gathered overlords in his Blood Sea Overwhelms Heaven formation, and as Xiang Yuan remained bound, Xiang Yuan called for Senior Zombie to save him.

• Elder Heavenly Serpent said he had never ascended and warned that the upper realm brought disaster to the Devil Race.
• Elder Heavenly Serpent summoned four Heavenly Devil Relics from Mo Luo and Mo She, then added a fifth relic of his own.
• Elder Heavenly Serpent identified Xiang Yuan as an agent of the Unending Demon Cult, and Xiang Yuan bluffed that the cult's forces were approaching.
• Elder Heavenly Serpent activated Blood Sea Overwhelms Heaven and drained the blood qi from the trapped overlords, killing Juli Lu, Mo Luo, and Mo She.
• Xiang Yuan spotted a Heavenly Devil Relic among Mo Luo's bones but stayed to fight, calling for Senior Zombie to save him.

Elder Heavenly Serpent used the Blood Sea Overwhelming Formation and the Heavenly Devil Relic to reach innate-level power, but Senior Zombie defeated him and his Primordial Spirit was lost inside a relic. Xiang Yuan received the relics’ devilish qi and inherited visions of the four heavenly devils, then struggled to keep the corruption from taking control of him.

• Elder Heavenly Serpent drained Jia Quan and Barking Corpse, then tried to take Xiang Yuan’s blood, but Senior Zombie appeared and attacked him.
• Senior Zombie overwhelmed Elder Heavenly Serpent’s demonic Gang Qi and beat him until his body was destroyed.
• Elder Heavenly Serpent used Possession to flee into a Heavenly Devil Relic, where its pressure crushed and confused his Primordial Spirit.
• The five Heavenly Devil Relics merged their power into a giant python, which swallowed Senior Zombie before he tore his way out carrying two relics.
• Xiang Yuan saw visions of the four heavenly devils and their fall into the Dragon-Subduing Realm, then resisted the devilish contamination by letting Cold Blood accept the inheritance.
• The five relics exploded and poured their devilish qi into Xiang Yuan, who ordered Senior Zombie to strike him so he could expel it.

Xiang Yuan emerged as the Heavenly Demon Sect’s new Cult Master after killing Mo She and the sect’s other leaders, then prepared to confront the Eight Great Sects. He welcomed their forces into Heavenly King Hall and claimed that Mo Chang had died, provoking Master Bai Yue to swear vengeance.

• Kun Naxie and the other Devils found Xiang Yuan alone in the forbidden grounds among the ashes of Mo She and the other fallen leaders, then pledged loyalty to him as Cult Master.
• Xiang Yuan revealed that he had endured three days of demonic cultivation, gained great physical strength, and comprehended the Heavenly Demon Heart Sutra before attacking Kun Naxie and the remaining Devils.
• Xiang Yuan killed Kun Naxie, Yejiamo, and the other Devils, seized the Heavenly Demon Sect’s treasures, and had the sect’s hidden armories destroyed to weaken its forces.
• The Eight Great Sects entered Heavenly King Hall through a secret passage, where Xiang Yuan announced that he had just become Cult Master and welcomed the Shaolin and Wudang leaders.
• Master Bai Yue demanded to know where Mo Chang was, and Xiang Yuan claimed that Mo Chang had been exposed as a human and killed, prompting her to vow revenge.

Xiang Yuan fought Liao Yuan, Cloud Crane, Bamboo Goose, and Master Bai Yue while pretending to be the Heavenly Demon Sect leader, using their attacks to purge the demonic qi in his body. He escaped before they could discover his true identity, but Master Bai Yue lost track of him and then heard his voice behind her.

• Liao Yuan confronted Xiang Yuan and asked about Li Xianyuan and the missing demons; Xiang Yuan claimed he had killed them all.
• Xiang Yuan battled Liao Yuan, who used Shaolin techniques and protective Gang Qi, while Xiang Yuan secretly welcomed the attacks as they drained his demonic qi.
• Cloud Crane and Bamboo Goose joined the fight and briefly suppressed Xiang Yuan, but he drove them back with Dragon's Regret.
• Master Bai Yue attacked Xiang Yuan with her sword, and he countered with the Tiger Roar Saber before fleeing the Heavenly King Hall as his demonic qi ran low.
• Master Bai Yue pursued Xiang Yuan to a deserted stretch of mountain path but lost him; a voice then told her that she had finally fallen into its hands.

Xiang Yuan returned from the Dragon-Subduing Realm after helping the Eight Great Sects defeat the Heavenly Demon Sect, then reviewed his gains and resumed cultivating in the Dry Abyss Realm. He discovered that more than ten days had passed during his absence and left Xiao He suspecting that Xiang Yuan's mysterious master had visited.

• Xiang Yuan revealed himself to Master Bai Yue, told her the Heavenly Demon Sect's leaders and many experts had been killed, and accepted her Emei Sect token before leaving with Senior Jiang.
• Back in the Dry Abyss Realm, Xiang Yuan reviewed his new inheritance, techniques, treasures, and two Heavenly Devil Relics, then opened five qi acupoints through three hours of cultivation.
• Song Shan told Xiang Yuan that he had been gone for more than ten days, prompting Xiang Yuan to hurry to Xiao He's residence.
• Xiang Yuan told Xiao He he had spent the missing days with a woman claiming to be Xiao He's younger sister, but Xiao He guessed that Xiang Yuan's master had visited.
• Xiang Yuan and Xiao He argued over whether the master belonged to both of them, each denying the other's claim.

Xiang Yuan learned that the Jambu Gate could teleport him to fellow members and was tasked with guiding a new jade-disc holder in Mute Village. He suspected the newcomer’s appearance there was connected to Senior Jiang’s arrangements, and planned to investigate that night.

• Xiang Yuan left Xiao Residence after the Jambu Gate began flashing and met Xiao Lingyue at a nearby property.
• Xiao Lingyue explained the gate’s teleportation function, taught Xiang Yuan how to use it, and asked him to guide a new candidate for the White Tortoise title.
• Xiao Lingyue gave Xiang Yuan directions to Mute Village and warned him to follow White Phoenix’s rules; then she left through the gate.
• Xiang Yuan noticed Mute Village was near Song Family Village and reasoned that Senior Jiang may have hidden a second jade disc there as a backup.
• Xiang Yuan planned to visit Mute Village that night, while Xiao He decided not to follow after divining that doing so would bring danger.

Xiang Yuan found Chan'er, the Yellow Springs Demoness, cultivating at the ruins near Mute Village and persuaded her to open Jambu Gate. They entered the Unborn Realm, where Xiang Yuan realized its flawed laws might weaken Chan'er.

• Xiang Yuan searched Mute Village and followed the jade disc's signal to ruined grounds west of the village.
• Chan'er emerged from a cocoon of light, and Xiang Yuan recognized her as the Yellow Springs Demoness before she stopped him from fleeing.
• Xiang Yuan and Chan'er argued over why she had moved nearby, and she explained that she had tracked him after his aura vanished.
• Xiang Yuan told Chan'er they were both under the tutelage of a mysterious figure and insisted she call him Martial Uncle.
• Chan'er opened Jambu Gate and dragged Xiang Yuan through it, with Senior Jiang accompanying them.
• Xiang Yuan recognized the new world as the Unborn Realm and hoped its flawed laws would weaken Chan'er.

Xiang Yuan and Chan'er entered Jambu Gate and emerged inside the Great Li Kingdom’s imperial palace, where they escaped the Imperial Guard and disguised themselves to learn about the capital. They discovered that State Preceptor Lingguang had died, leaving Xiang Yuan and Chan'er facing the consequences of his supposed death.

• Chan'er entered Jambu Gate with Xiang Yuan, realized she could not leave, and tried to get him to explain the gate’s purpose.
• Xiang Yuan and Chan'er found themselves inside an imperial palace and fled from the Imperial Guard, with Senior Jiang breaking through their formation and knocking aside a Xiantian-stage commander.
• The pair hid in a wealthy official’s residence, where Xiang Yuan and Chan'er used their abilities to bring Wen Yutai and his wife under their control.
• Xiang Yuan questioned Wen Yutai and learned that martial world fighters were surrounding the capital and that State Preceptor Lingguang had died in meditation.
• Chan'er pointed out that Lingguang was Xiang Yuan, leaving him stunned by the news of his own supposed death.

Xiang Yuan learned that a mysterious demon core had drawn martial artists and demons to the capital, then kept Chan'er close while hiding what he knew about Jambu Gate and the Unborn Realm. They went into the city to gather information, where Chan'er noticed clues that suggested Xiang Yuan had entered the realm before.

• Wen Yutai told Xiang Yuan that Master Celestial River had presented the emperor with a demon core, stirring rumors that attracted martial artists and demons to the capital.
• Xiang Yuan and Chan'er spent the night watching each other, and Xiang Yuan explained some of the Unborn Realm's laws while concealing what he knew about magic treasures.
• Xiang Yuan and Chan'er went into the capital to gather information, and Chan'er inferred from the Great Li Kingdom coins that Xiang Yuan had entered the realm before.
• Xiang Yuan took Chan'er to a teahouse to hear about jianghu events, and Chan'er said she had no surname before deciding she would be called Xiang Chan'er.

Xiang Yuan gathered teahouse storytellers to learn about the Unborn Realm’s martial experts and the forces guarding the capital. After hearing their rumors, he planned to cause trouble that night with Senior Zombie, and Chan’er insisted on joining him.

• Xiang Yuan paid four storytellers to describe the martial world’s greatest masters, learning about Kang Kuangshi, Zhang Xinyuan, Solitary Empress, and You Shanxian.
• The storytellers discussed whether the four masters might come to the capital and named Prince Zhao Haoran and the Six Doors’ Eight Great Constables as the court’s leading experts there.
• Xiang Yuan told the storytellers that three assassins had infiltrated the imperial city and escaped, then rewarded all but Know-Everything with extra silver.
• Xiang Yuan considered how the court’s experts compared with the world’s peerless masters and wondered how Abbot Fa Kong ranked among them.
• Xiang Yuan planned to go out that night with Senior Zombie to provoke trouble and test a Great Constable, while Chan’er volunteered to accompany him.

Xiang Yuan and Chan'er investigated a suspicious gambling house, where three fiends discussed the demon core and their plans to infiltrate the imperial city. When Six Doors raided the house, Xiang Yuan pursued Blood-Drinking Madam to capture her and learn more about the Demon Empress.

• Xiang Yuan swore to stay with Chan'er in the Unborn Realm, but she insisted on accompanying him to the gambling house anyway.
• Xiang Yuan and Chan'er adopted the aliases Primal Chaos Thunderclap Hand Li Xianyuan and Flying Bat Li Chan as they stealthily approached the gambling house.
• Blackhearted Ghost, Bear Tyrant, and Blood-Drinking Madam discussed serving the Demon Empress and investigating the demon core while gambling over who would host their meeting.
• Shi Yu led a Six Doors raid, smashing into the gambling house and driving Blackhearted Ghost, Bear Tyrant, and Blood-Drinking Madam to flee.
• Xiang Yuan pursued Blood-Drinking Madam in the form of sinister wind, intending to capture her and interrogate her about the Demon Empress.

Xiang Yuan and Chan'er captured Blood-Drinking Madam on a bridge, only to be confronted by two Divine Constables. Before the fight could unfold, Empress Dugu appeared, and Chan'er secretly wondered whether the Demon Empress had come for her.

• Blood-Drinking Madam tried to evade Xiang Yuan and Chan'er, but Chan'er overwhelmed her with a moonlight blade and Xiang Yuan sealed her acupoints.
• Xiang Yuan prepared to take Blood-Drinking Madam away for questioning, but Leng Silan and Wang Nuo blocked both ends of the bridge and ordered the pair to surrender.
• Xiang Yuan introduced himself as Li Xianyuan and tried to negotiate with the constables, while Chan'er called herself Flying Demoness Li Chan.
• When Leng Silan refused to make an exception, Xiang Yuan hurled Blood-Drinking Madam toward her as he prepared to flee by the water route.
• Empress Dugu arrived and alarmed Leng Silan and Wang Nuo, while Chan'er concealed her grim reaction and wondered if the Demon Empress had come for her.

Empress Dugu entered the capital to pay respects to National Preceptor Lingguang, then attacked the Six Doors constables and fought Chan'er. As Chan'er and Empress Dugu reached a stalemate, Xiang Yuan struck from beneath the water with the Horse-Felling Poison Stinger.

• Empress Dugu claimed she had come to mourn National Preceptor Lingguang, then freed Blood-Drinking Madam and suppressed Leng Silan and Wang Nuo with her control of heaven and earth.
• Chan'er broke free of Empress Dugu's restraints and fought her, while Xiang Yuan knocked out Blood-Drinking Madam and helped the wounded constables recover.
• Chan'er grew older during the fight and launched sixteen chains at Empress Dugu, who countered with a magical mirror and pinned her in midair.
• Chan'er summoned the Yellow Springs Mother Tree, resisted Empress Dugu's pressure, and clashed with her Primordial Spirit as she told Xiang Yuan she liked him most.
• Xiang Yuan burst from beneath the water and drove the Horse-Felling Poison Stinger toward Empress Dugu's back.

Xiang Yuan, Chan'er, and Senior Jiang defeated Empress Dugu through a coordinated ambush, and Xiang Yuan killed her after she was weakened. Chan'er collapsed after surviving Empress Dugu's final attack, and Xiang Yuan took her away while presenting himself to Leng Silan as Lingguang's disciple.

• Senior Jiang struck Empress Dugu with the poisoned Horse-Felling Poison Stinger, letting Chan'er destroy her ancient little mirror and trap her with the Moonlight Sword and chains.
• Chan'er and Empress Dugu clashed with the force of heaven and earth, leaving both badly wounded, and Empress Dugu knocked Senior Jiang out of the fight.
• Xiang Yuan used a Heavenly Devil Relic to raise his strength, sealed Empress Dugu's acupoints, and struck her with the Tiger Roar Saber after resisting her charm technique.
• Empress Dugu's dying Primordial Spirit attack shattered Chan'er's defenses, leaving Chan'er unconscious and returned to her sixteen-year-old appearance.
• Xiang Yuan dissolved Empress Dugu's body, took her treasures, and told Leng Silan that he was Lingguang's disciple investigating his master's death.
• Xiang Yuan carried Chan'er away with Senior Jiang before Six Doors arrived, intending to take advantage of Chan'er while she was unconscious.

Xiang Yuan cared for the badly injured Chan'er while teasing her and questioning her about Empress Dugu, then went to Six Doors to gather intelligence. He met Divine Constable Leng Silan, who relayed Zhao Haoran's invitation to a banquet, while Chan'er reacted jealously.

• Chan'er woke at Xiang Yuan's residence, and Xiang Yuan pretended they had consummated their marriage before making her eat fasting pills.
• Xiang Yuan asked Chan'er who Empress Dugu was and what had happened to her corpse; he said he had destroyed it, foiling Chan'er's plan to turn her into a zombie.
• Xiang Yuan stayed with Chan'er for three days, forcing her to eat fasting pills as she slowly recovered from her injuries.
• Xiang Yuan took Chan'er to Six Doors, where constables welcomed him and Leng Silan arrived to deliver Zhao Haoran's invitation to a banquet at Heavenly Pavilion.
• Chan'er clung to Xiang Yuan and acted hostile toward Leng Silan, while Xiang Yuan apologized for his wife's behavior.

At a banquet in Heavenly Pavilion, Xiang Yuan proved he was State Preceptor Lingguang’s disciple and discussed the suspicious circumstances of his master’s death with Zhao Haoran and Fan Hefeng. An urgent dispatch announced a duel at the Forbidden City Summit in ten days, and after Zhao Haoran invited Xiang Yuan and Chan'er to attend, Chan'er discovered a hidden warning beneath the table.

• Xiang Yuan recited a lyric to Chan'er at Heavenly Pavilion, then greeted Zhao Haoran and Fan Hefeng when they arrived.
• Xiang Yuan demonstrated Lingguang’s techniques, convincing Zhao Haoran and Fan Hefeng that he was the State Preceptor’s disciple.
• Xiang Yuan named the Four Absolutes as suspects in Lingguang’s death, and Zhao Haoran received an urgent dispatch announcing the Demon Queen’s challenge to the Hundred-Faced Scholar at the Forbidden City Summit in ten days.
• Zhao Haoran invited Xiang Yuan and Chan'er to the imperial city to witness the duel, and Xiang Yuan accepted.
• After Zhao Haoran and Fan Hefeng left, Chan'er found a hidden message beneath Fan Hefeng’s seat warning them to beware the prince.

Xiang Yuan and Chan'er stayed in the capital while he suspected Zhao Haoran of conspiring with the Ever-Changing Scholar and bet Chan'er on his theory. Ten days later, they arrived at the imperial city for the Demon Empress’s duel, where Xiang Yuan presented himself as an exhausted husband devoted to his beautiful wife.

• Xiang Yuan speculated that Zhao Haoran, the Ever-Changing Scholar, and the Demon Empress were allies, then wagered with Chan'er that his theory was right; they swore Primordial Spirit oaths over the terms.
• The imperial family sent Xiang Yuan and Chan'er lavish gifts, but Xiang Yuan worried Zhao Haoran might have poisoned them and tried to get Chan'er to test the pills.
• During the ten days they remained at the new prince's residence, Six Doors announced the Demon Empress's death and gave Li Chan the title of Little Demon Empress.
• Xiang Yuan and Chan'er rode under heavy guard to the imperial city, where martial artists gathered to watch the duel between the Demon Empress and the Ever-Changing Scholar.
• Chan'er saw Xiang Yuan act worn out and indulgent as he helped her from the carriage, ruining her plan to appear like a considerate wife before the crowd.

Xiang Yuan and Chan'er arrived at the Imperial City square for the duel between You Shanxian and Zhang Xinyuan, while Xiang Yuan tried to work out the conspiracy surrounding the gathering. You Shanxian and Zhang Xinyuan met beneath the full moon, but Zhang Xinyuan abruptly turned his sword toward a martial world senior, leaving the duel’s purpose unclear.

• Xiang Yuan and Chan'er entered the Imperial City, where Xiang Yuan teased Chan'er by cultivating the Little Demon Empress’s notorious reputation.
• Xiang Yuan met the assembled martial world seniors and Zhao Haoran, then learned from Leng Silan that Fan Hefeng was alive and guarding the emperor.
• You Shanxian descended beneath the full moon and waited atop the Forbidden City for Zhang Xinyuan.
• Zhang Xinyuan arrived, and Xiang Yuan questioned whether the apparent reality of the two masters meant his suspicions were mistaken.
• Zhang Xinyuan released a sword strike that bypassed You Shanxian and targeted one of the venerable figures in the square.

Zhang Xinyuan and You Shanxian launched a purge of the martial arts elders, but Chan'er intervened and fought them while Xiang Yuan battled Leng Silan. As the fighting spread through the imperial city, Fan Hefeng assassinated the emperor, and Zhao Haoran's remaining guards faced an unexplained sword attack.

• Zhang Xinyuan and You Shanxian attacked the martial arts elders, killing many before Chan'er drove back their combined forces and pursued them into a murderous formation.
• After Zhang Xinyuan delivered the emperor's order to leave none alive, the martial arts elders fled toward the Meridian Gate as the Imperial Guards and Six Doors constables moved to intercept them.
• Xiang Yuan fought Leng Silan with the Tiger Roar Saber, wounded her with Thunder Shakes the Nine Heavens, and swallowed the Heavenly Devil Relic.
• Zhao Haoran sent Master Lu and Wu Buping to reinforce the battle, leaving Fan Hefeng and the Shi brothers with the old emperor.
• Fan Hefeng killed the old emperor, then stood motionless as sword light drifted toward the shocked Shi brothers.