Chapter Summaries

At a trade fair, Cheng Buzheng learned that the Divine Hall had secretly sacrificed to a mysterious existence in the Blood Abyss Forbidden Ground, which was now concealed by a formation. After locating the forbidden ground but failing to see it, he withdrew to cultivate the Heavenly Luo Divine Eye so he could investigate the formation.

• Yi Situ revealed that the Divine Hall's ceremony centuries earlier had been a sacrifice attended by all the Purgatory Clan's Divine Envoys and Priests, and warned the cultivators not to investigate or spread the secret.
• The Purgatory Clan cultivators shared intelligence and traded Spiritual Items; Cheng Buzheng traded away several treasures and obtained two Spirit Materials.
• Cheng Buzheng examined the living puppet's remaining memory fragments, found the Blood Abyss Forbidden Ground's coordinates, and traveled there overnight.
• Cheng Buzheng found no blood mist at the coordinates and suspected a formation concealed the Blood Abyss Forbidden Ground, so he withdrew without investigating.
• Cheng Buzheng cultivated the Heavenly Luo Divine Eye in a hidden cave, then flew back toward the Blood Abyss Forbidden Ground.

Cheng Buzheng discovered that the blood pillar and the Purgatory World-Extinguishing Millstone were sustaining a mysterious powerhouse inside a black coffin, who killed his living-puppet scout. Suspecting the powerhouse had the Law Spirit Body Forging method, Cheng Buzheng sent a Spirit Transformation avatar disguised as a Purgatory Clan Mortal Cultivator to investigate.

• Cheng Buzheng used his living puppet to see through the Blood Abyss array and spotted the blood pillar, the motionless Purgatory Clan Mortal Cultivators, and the enormous Purgatory World-Extinguishing Millstone.
• Cheng Buzheng saw the blood pillar pouring into a black coffin, and the powerhouse inside sent out a streak of blood light that killed the living puppet instantly.
• Cheng Buzheng concluded that the coffin's occupant was healing with Blood Baleful Power and Law Origin, and might possess the Law Spirit Body Forging method.
• Cheng Buzheng decided not to tell the other Spirit Transformation cultivators and planned to test the mysterious powerhouse himself before seeking their help.
• Cheng Buzheng created a Spirit Transformation avatar, disguised it as the slain Shi Sang with blood-colored armor, and sent it through a gate of light toward the Blood Abyss Forbidden Ground.

Cheng Buzheng used a hidden beacon to send his dharma body back to Purgatory Continent, then withdrew to a concealed cave to devise a way to observe the mysterious expert without being detected. After deducing a spell that could weaken the presence of his gaze, he prepared to refine it further, but his true body ran short of Deduction Value.

• Cheng Buzheng's temporary beacon manifested in a quiet room at Blood Sacred Mountain and brought his dharma body to Purgatory Continent before the beacon vanished.
• Cheng Buzheng left Blood Sacred City and traveled far from the Blood Abyss Forbidden Ground, concluding that distance alone would not hide him from the mysterious expert's perception.
• Cheng Buzheng sealed the cave Stone Sang had found and gathered principles from perception and eye techniques to deduce a spell that would conceal the presence of his gaze.
• Cheng Buzheng and his other selves deduced the spell together until he completed its First-Order foundations, then his true body refined it into a top-tier Treasure Art.
• Cheng Buzheng's true body found that only a little over twenty points of Deduction Value remained, so he contacted his other dharma bodies for help.

Cheng Buzheng spent his accumulated Deduction Value to create the ninth-rank Extinction Heart Art, a divine ability that drastically lowered his presence and could stack with other techniques. After testing it on powerful cultivators without being detected, he headed to observe Venerable Wantong, leaving confident that the art could conceal him from the being inside the black coffin.

• Cheng Buzheng used a torrent of Spirit Stones to replenish his Deduction Value and deduced the presence-weakening divine ability to ninth rank, naming it Extinction Heart Art.
• Cheng Buzheng reviewed his cultivation panel, noted slight progress in the Law of Earth, and went to celebrate with his wife.
• Cheng Buzheng's dharma body on Purgatory Continent decided to test Extinction Heart Art on Spirit Transformation cultivators before approaching the mysterious being in the black coffin.
• Venerable Peach Blossom used the art with Heavenly Luo Divine Eye to watch Venerable Daoyuan and several other Spirit Transformation cultivators without being detected.
• Cheng Buzheng chose Venerable Wantong, whose Soul Law gave him exceptional perception, as his next test subject and flew to his battlefield.

Cheng Buzheng tested his divine abilities on a fourth-tier Purgatory Clan cultivator, then used the captive’s memories to prepare for another examination of the black coffin in the Blood Abyss Forbidden Ground. His law-powered gaze revealed that the coffin was an active Spirit Treasure, leaving him to choose between forcing his way through its defenses or waiting for an opening.

• Cheng Buzheng confirmed that Venerable Wantong, Island-Moving Venerable, and Demon Venerable Nether Sea could not detect his spying, while Venerable Peach Blossom returned to guard the Wild Cauldron.
• Cheng Buzheng spotted a fourth-tier Purgatory Clan Mortal Cultivator returning from the battlefield, knocked it unconscious, and brought it to his cave.
• Cheng Buzheng sent a strand of will into the captive’s body, turning it into a living puppet that examined the Purgatory Fiend’s memories.
• Cheng Buzheng used the Heavenly Luo Divine Eye and Extinction Heart Art to inspect the black coffin without alerting the being inside.
• Cheng Buzheng infused his gaze with the origin of laws and discovered that the active black coffin was a Spirit Treasure whose defenses could damage his law origins if he forced through.
• Cheng Buzheng hesitated between probing the coffin’s barrier and retreating to wait for an opening, while a vast blood-colored heavenly river appeared in the distance.

Cheng Buzheng discovered that the blood torrent was restoring a weakened, law-wielding being inside the black coffin, and prepared a concealed strike with his damaged Gold Jade Great Seal. After he poured his law insights into the seal and sent it through the Blood Abyss Forbidden Ground’s array, a huge sphere of light erupted near the black coffin.

• Cheng Buzheng traced the scarlet torrent into the coffin and found it flowing into a dim figure made of unusual Law Origin points.
• Cheng Buzheng decided to attack the weakened being and used the [Nirvana Heart Sutra] to hide his damaged Gold Jade Great Seal.
• Cheng Buzheng poured Law Origin and his insights into multiple laws into the seal until it could hold no more.
• Cheng Buzheng sent the concealed seal through the Great Array surrounding the Blood Abyss Forbidden Ground.
• Purgatory Clan cultivators noticed a brief ripple in the array, but dismissed it as a minor disturbance.
• A brilliant sphere of light rose where the blood-colored heavenly river descended, tearing open spatial rifts around it.

Cheng Buzheng’s sneak attack devastated the Blood Abyss Forbidden Ground but failed to kill the blood-colored Progenitor, who searched Purgatory Continent and then withdrew after sensing threats among the human and Demon races. Cheng Buzheng planned to report what he had learned after securing more time to pursue the Blood Sacred Treasure Vault, while the Progenitor resumed preparations for its emergence.

• Cheng Buzheng watched his attack shatter the Great Array and the blood-colored river, but the blood-colored figure survived and roared for the hidden attacker to reveal himself.
• Cheng Buzheng concealed himself with the [Nirvana Heart Sutra] as the Progenitor’s will searched Purgatory Continent and spread toward the human and Demon races.
• Demon Venerable Nether Sea, Island-Moving Venerable, and Venerable Peach Blossom sensed the approaching threat, and the Progenitor withdrew after detecting powerful dangers near the human and demon armies.
• Cheng Buzheng resolved to tell the other Spirit Transformation cultivators what he had witnessed after waiting, while Shi Sang postponed entering the Blood Sacred Treasure Vault.
• The Progenitor summoned the Purgatory Clan’s divine envoys and priests, ordered them to guard the Blood Baleful Sea, and returned to the black coffin as the blood-colored river descended again.

Cheng Buzheng learned that the Purgatory Clan Progenitor had suffered worsening injuries and planned to wait until it entered deep seclusion before acting. After days of watching the blood torrent, he confirmed the Progenitor was absorbing it inside the black coffin and prepared to investigate further.

• Cheng Buzheng deciphered the Progenitor’s exchange with the priests and divine envoys, learning that it would enter seclusion to heal while the Blood Baleful Sea would be guarded in rotation.
• Cheng Buzheng’s true body reviewed his lost Law comprehension and resolved to seek the law Spiritual Items in the Blood Sacred Treasure Vault to restore his progress toward Five-Element Sacred Spiritual Roots.
• Murong Wanwan sent Cheng Buzheng to guide Dao Yuan and the other younger generation in artifact refinement, and Cheng Buzheng left the courtyard to do so.
• After waiting many days, Cheng Buzheng judged that the blood torrent had stabilized and that the Progenitor was likely in deep seclusion.
• Cheng Buzheng used his Dharma Eye to follow the blood torrent into the black coffin and saw the Progenitor seated in darkness, drawing in the torrent.

Cheng Buzheng opened a passage from the Blood Sacred Treasure Vault to Ping'an City and used sword lights to break the arrays protecting several law Spiritual Items. As he fled with the treasures, the vault’s Great Array activated around an intact celestial body, and the Purgatory Clan Progenitor revealed that he had been waiting to catch him.

• Cheng Buzheng confirmed the Purgatory Clan Progenitor had made no move, then returned to the dreamlike river of stars.
• Cheng Buzheng opened a spatial passage to Ping'an City and identified the core Array Patterns linked to the law Spiritual Items.
• Cheng Buzheng sent more than a dozen sword lights to sever the core Array Patterns, causing several massive celestial bodies to break apart and release treasures.
• Cheng Buzheng collected a Jade Slip and several law Spiritual Items, but one celestial body remained intact as the vault’s Great Array began to flicker and release its power.
• Cheng Buzheng rushed toward the gateway and used his law origin to resist the array’s suppression, while the Purgatory Clan Progenitor appeared to confront him.

Cheng Buzheng was trapped by the Purgatory Clan Progenitor, who revealed that he had staged events to lure him and wanted to learn the secret behind Cheng Buzheng's concealment and survival abilities. Cheng Buzheng disguised himself as a Nightmare Clan member and demonstrated an illusion to convince the Progenitor, leaving the two on friendlier terms while Cheng Buzheng concealed his true identity.

• The Purgatory Clan Progenitor appeared, crushed Cheng Buzheng's laws, and blocked his escape after revealing that he had plotted against him.
• Cheng Buzheng inferred that the Progenitor wanted his concealment techniques and tried to bargain while hiding his anxiety.
• Cheng Buzheng admitted he was not a Purgatory Clan cultivator and transformed his appearance into that of a Nightmare Clan member.
• Cheng Buzheng conjured a five-colored bird and used the Chaos Law to imitate the Law of Illusion, convincing the Progenitor that he might truly belong to the Nightmare Clan.
• The Purgatory Clan Progenitor proposed setting aside their past conflict, and Cheng Buzheng accepted while keeping his real identity and methods secret.

Cheng Buzheng negotiated with the Purgatory Clan Progenitor, trading information for the chance to recover Law Spiritual Items and learn about cultivation. The Progenitor revealed how the Five-Element Spiritual Root affected advancement and began explaining the realms beyond Integration.

• The Purgatory Clan Progenitor offered to return the Law Spiritual Items and secret art if Cheng Buzheng answered his questions, and Cheng agreed after arranging for the treasures to be placed on a celestial body.
• Cheng demonstrated a bloodline divine ability that made a Magic Treasure-grade longsword difficult to notice, and claimed another ability had helped him evade the Progenitor's search.
• Cheng asked whether a Five-Element Spiritual Root was necessary to advance beyond Spirit Transformation, and the Progenitor explained that it was not required for Void Refinement but mattered for reaching Body Integration and Dao Lord status.
• The Progenitor described the Five-Element Sacred Spiritual Root as a trait of human prodigies who could become Body Integration Dao Lords, while Cheng formed his own theory about the difference.
• Cheng asked about cultivation realms beyond Integration, and the Progenitor named Tribulation Transcendence and Mahayana before beginning a rough explanation.

The Purgatory Clan Progenitor explained the Law Treasure Body inheritance and the origins of the Purgatory Clan while trying to bargain for Cheng Buzheng’s bloodline divine abilities. Cheng Buzheng stalled for time and asked why the clan’s law Spiritual Items were in the Blood Sacred Treasure Vault, learning that the clan’s restriction left them with little use for laws beyond the Law of Blood.

• The Purgatory Clan Progenitor told Cheng Buzheng that Spirit Realm cultivators could reach the Void Refinement Realm by comprehending a law to the Second Realm, but this realm lacked the core Law Treasure Body forging inheritance.
• Cheng Buzheng asked whether the Purgatory Clan Progenitor possessed that method, and the Progenitor said he wanted Cheng Buzheng’s divine abilities in exchange.
• Cheng Buzheng asked how the Progenitor would copy his bloodline divine abilities and whether doing so would harm him; the Progenitor admitted it consumed bloodline origin but claimed an Alchemical Formula could reduce the aftereffects.
• Cheng Buzheng asked for time to consider the deal, then continued questioning the Purgatory Clan Progenitor as his patience began to wear thin.
• Cheng Buzheng asked why the Purgatory Clan had placed law Spiritual Items in the Blood Sacred Treasure Vault, and the Progenitor explained that the clan’s founders arose from souls and Dao-body essence tied to his treasure.
• The Purgatory Clan Progenitor said the clan could only comprehend the Law of Blood unless it broke his restriction, which explained why the other law Spiritual Items had been left in the vault; Cheng Buzheng remained cautious and planned to inspect them himself.

Cheng Buzheng questioned the Purgatory Clan Progenitor about how he had discovered the Blood Sacred Treasure Vault incident, then negotiated a trade exchanging half his bloodline origin for bloodline divine abilities and valuable treasures. They reached agreement on the price but remained locked in a dispute over how to secure the exchange, each suspecting the other of betrayal.

• Cheng Buzheng asked how the Purgatory Clan Progenitor had known he was hiding nearby, and the Progenitor advised him to cultivate his temperament and experience.
• Cheng Buzheng concluded that the Progenitor had not seen through his concealment but had outmaneuvered him after he triggered the vault formation.
• The Purgatory Clan Progenitor demanded more than thirty bloodline divine abilities, but Cheng Buzheng objected to the cost to his bloodline origin.
• After haggling, Cheng Buzheng and the Purgatory Clan Progenitor agreed that Cheng Buzheng would lose fifty percent of his bloodline origin in exchange for the deal.
• Cheng Buzheng asked to receive the Law Spiritual Items before the secret art was performed, while the Progenitor refused and proposed giving one item for each divine ability.
• The two continued disputing the transaction’s safeguards, each wary of the other and unwilling to yield.

Cheng Buzheng negotiated with the Purgatory Clan Progenitor for the Law Treasure Body method and law Spiritual Items, then used the trade to steal the treasures and escape. The Progenitor pursued him through the spatial layers but found no trace of him.

• The Purgatory Clan Progenitor offered Cheng Buzheng the upper volume of the Law Treasure Body method and one law Spiritual Item for each copied bloodline divine ability, and Cheng negotiated for two items each time.
• Cheng Buzheng accepted the upper volume and learned the Blood Soul Imprinting Art from a Jade Slip.
• As Cheng performed the art, he secretly opened a gate in the starry formation and began drawing the law Spiritual Items and Jade Slips toward it.
• The Progenitor spotted the theft and attacked, but Cheng used Shifting Positions to swap places with his last Purgatory Clan living puppet, which was crushed by the attack.
• Cheng collected the treasures, escaped through the gate, and left the Progenitor searching the spatial turbulence for him without finding a trace.

Cheng Buzheng’s Dharma body returned to Ping'an City with treasures and secret arts taken from the Purgatory Clan, restoring part of his True Spirit. He discovered that the Purgatory Clan’s supreme secret arts might draw on laws, but their most powerful teachings remained incomplete.

• The Purgatory Clan Progenitor vowed revenge on the thief, then resumed closed-door meditation as the blood river over the Blood Abyss Forbidden Ground flowed again.
• Cheng Buzheng’s Dharma body reunited with his true body in Ping'an City, returning part of his True Spirit and sharpening his thoughts.
• Cheng Buzheng examined and stored the Law Spiritual Items, intending to wait until his True Spirit was complete before comprehending their Law Origins.
• Cheng Buzheng read the first three volumes of [Blood Prison Space] and recognized that the incomplete secret art was likely a law secret art.
• Cheng Buzheng used the Small Plate to confirm that he could not currently deduce [Blood Prison Space], then examined [Progenitor's Blessing] and suspected its later volumes could let cultivators borrow their ancestors’ law divine power.

Cheng Buzheng examined the black Jade Slip containing the method for forging the Law Treasure Body and discovered that its writing was Dao script. He deciphered its first character, learning that it meant “qian” rather than “cang,” and resolved to study each Dao Wen carefully before continuing.

• Cheng Buzheng confirmed that [Progenitor's Blessing] was a rare law secret technique and put its Jade Slip away until he had enough law source to deduce it.
• Cheng Buzheng discovered that the black Jade Slip was a law Spiritual Item and verified that its law source did not come from the Purgatory Clan's Progenitor.
• Cheng Buzheng struggled to understand the first Dao Wen, then realized he could decipher it by separating it into familiar runes and studying each part.
• Cheng Buzheng deciphered the first Dao Wen and formed it in the air, unleashing a powerful force of pure yang before it faded as he comprehended its rhythm.
• Cheng Buzheng learned that the first Dao Wen meant “qian,” not “cang,” and decided to master each rune before moving on to avoid misinterpreting the text.

Cheng Buzheng investigated why he could not comprehend the three unfamiliar runes in the second Dao Wen and discovered that his initial division was flawed. After correcting the rune and comprehending it, he was poised to continue deciphering the Dao Wen.

• Cheng Buzheng split the second Dao character into nine structures, but repeatedly suffered backlash when he tried to comprehend three unfamiliar runes.
• After reviewing his earlier attempts, Cheng Buzheng deduced a special golden pyramid array that tested whether runes were complete.
• Cheng Buzheng tested the six familiar runes and confirmed they were genuine, while the three unfamiliar structures produced no response in the array.
• Cheng Buzheng reexamined the second Dao Wen and found it contained six runes, with the three false structures forming one complex rune when combined.
• Cheng Buzheng comprehended the corrected rune and opened his eyes an hour later, satisfied with his progress.

Cheng Buzheng struggled to comprehend Dao Wen, learned from his Purgatory Continent operation, and resumed studying after restoring his spiritual awareness. Meanwhile, Venerable Peach Blossom joined an emergency meeting summoned by Island-Moving Venerable, though the eastern front appeared to be winning.

• Cheng Buzheng found an invisible force increasingly obstructed his attempts to trace the second Dao Wen, and used his will to resist it as he advanced his comprehension.
• After studying up to the fiftieth Dao Wen, Cheng Buzheng exhausted his spiritual awareness and reviewed the risks and mistakes in his successful Purgatory Continent operation.
• Cheng Buzheng recovered his spiritual awareness and repeatedly dismantled and checked Dao Wen, refusing his wife's assigned task so he could continue studying.
• Venerable Peach Blossom received Island-Moving Venerable's emergency signal and saw that the allied armies were advancing and the Purgatory Clan forces had retreated.
• The Spirit Transformation cultivators gathered through their Jade Trays and speculated about the emergency, while Stone Ape Demon Venerable defended the eastern front's progress.

Island-Moving Venerable proposed using the [Myriad Manifestations Pure Source River] to unleash the [Cosmic Direct-Reverse Heavenly River Great Array] at full power and gather enough blood-baleful power to forge a forbidden artifact before the Purgatory Clan could respond. He explained that he had kept the Formation Artifact’s special ability secret to prevent the information from leaking, but his explanation was cut off as he began describing who else had been kept in the dark.

• Spirit Transformation cultivators from both races assembled for Island-Moving Venerable’s emergency meeting and pressed him to explain its purpose.
• Island-Moving Venerable clarified that he did not intend to start a decisive battle with the Purgatory Clan, easing the gathered cultivators’ concerns.
• Island-Moving Venerable said the [Cosmic Direct-Reverse Heavenly River Great Array] had accumulated enough power to absorb sufficient blood-baleful power before the Purgatory Clan could react.
• Venerable Seeking the Dao explained that Island-Moving Venerable’s [Myriad Manifestations Pure Source River] could unleash the array beyond its normal limits.
• Island-Moving Venerable apologized for withholding the Formation Artifact’s ability and said he had feared spies might leak the information to the Purgatory Clan.

Island-Moving Venerable persuaded the Spirit Transformation cultivators to contribute their law origins to strengthen the array, and they agreed to abandon the allied army if the Purgatory Clan discovered the plan. Cheng Buzheng warned his junior Cheng Changyuan, who answered a group of Purgatory Fiends with his inherited Nine-Treasure Chain Tower and Heaven-Sealing Zhenyuan ability.

• Island-Moving Venerable cited past information leaks to justify keeping the new plan secret, and Cheng Buzheng grew suspicious of his motives.
• Island-Moving Venerable asked the Spirit Transformation cultivators to lend their law origins so the fifth-rank array could absorb blood-Baleful Intent power, and they agreed after hearing his estimate.
• Cheng Buzheng warned that activating the array would expose the plan and endanger the allied army, but Venerable Zongbao and the others chose to abandon the army rather than risk failure.
• Cheng Buzheng used his Dharma Eye to locate Cheng Changyuan on the battlefield and sent him a warning.
• Cheng Changyuan summoned his nine Bronze Pagodas and merged them into the Heaven-Sealing Zhenyuan divine ability as several Purgatory Fiends faced him.