Chapter Summaries

After transforming the Cloudwatch Bureau and setting out to slay demons, Chen Changsheng let Kai Wu follow him into the wilderness. In the Pill Epoch, the Dan Clan Group learned that the Celestial Master's Tomb had appeared in the Chang Sheng Epoch, prompting its ancestor to wonder whether someone had returned.

• Chen Changsheng left the Immortal Deity Sect, then spent ten years rising through the Cloudwatch Bureau before rejecting its master position and departing to gain experience.
• Kai Wu followed Chen Changsheng despite his warning, and Chen Changsheng explained that he had ignored Mu Cheng because he was not worth retaliating against.
• Chen Changsheng set out alone to slay demons and uphold the righteous path, but allowed Kai Wu to try walking beside him.
• The Dan Clan Group's chairman received news of the Celestial Master's Tomb in the Chang Sheng Epoch and ordered the information sealed before bringing it to the Heavenly Lotus Sect Group's ancestor.
• The ancestor examined the crude intelligence and asked the Bodhi Tree whether someone had returned; the Bodhi Tree said it believed he would.

Li Changsheng told Wang Lan that signs of Chen Changsheng's return had appeared, prompting Wang Lan to prepare for a long-awaited counterattack. Li Changsheng then found the old Tiger Guard and told him Chen Changsheng had returned, awakening his readiness to fight.

• Li Changsheng told Wang Lan that the Celestial Master's Tomb had appeared and that divine phantoms were gathering on the Demon Continent, which he believed pointed to Chen Changsheng's return.
• Wang Lan accepted that Chen Changsheng had returned and began calculating how the Wang Clan Group should prepare for battle.
• Wang Lan reminded Li Changsheng that their side had prepared for two hundred thousand years and insisted their enemies must pay for past bloodshed.
• Li Changsheng traveled to a Nameless Small World and found the Tiger Guard sleeping among empty wine jars.
• Li Changsheng told the Tiger Guard that Chen Changsheng had returned, and the man put on his Bronze Armor, revealing he had never truly fallen into decline.

Lu Mingyu found Shi Qi after searching for three months and learned that Teacher had entrusted him and Su Ling with an egg before a catastrophic defeat two hundred thousand years earlier. Shi Qi revealed that he had hidden the egg in his stove and recounted how Teacher was pursued after a fight, leaving the egg’s purpose and what happened next unresolved.

• Li Changsheng asked a Bronze Tiger Guard why he would not help rebuild the Tiger Guard, and the man said only Teacher and the Immortal Emperor could command it.
• Lu Mingyu searched a Small World for three months and found Shi Qi working as a tavern errand boy.
• After the tavern closed, Shi Qi told Lu Mingyu that Teacher had sent him and Su Ling away with a letter and an egg before the disastrous battle.
• Shi Qi retrieved the pitch-black egg from inside his stove and explained that it could not be stored in a Storage Magical Artifact or left cold for long.
• Shi Qi told Lu Mingyu that an enemy had found Teacher, broken his sword, and pursued him, while Shi Qi and Su Ling were selling vegetables.

Shi Qi explained how witnessing his Master's defeat and Su Ling's death had changed his outlook, then told Lu Mingyu that he intended to kill those responsible once Sir's plans were ready. He warned Lu Mingyu to watch Chen Feng and Nalan Zi Ping, revealing that Nalan Zi Ping had already reached a dangerous realm.

• Lu Mingyu questioned Shi Qi about why he had not acted, and Shi Qi said he could not win and had learned that the first tragedy had nothing to do with him.
• Shi Qi told Lu Mingyu that Su Ling had refused his offer to seek a way to extend her life, and admitted that her death had left him emotionally trapped.
• Shi Qi said he would kill those responsible for the deaths of Brother Cui and Brother Lu once Sir's plans were ready, and Lu Mingyu agreed to send him word.
• Shi Qi warned Lu Mingyu to keep an eye on Chen Feng and Nalan Zi Ping because Chen Feng's sword path was advancing and Nalan Zi Ping had already reached that realm.
• Shi Qi said Sir's heart was shattered and that whether he recovered from his madness depended on himself.

Wang Hao revived Liu Yidao and Zhang Zhen, then tried to persuade the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground to join a plot against Four Madmen. He argued that the Pill Epoch and Chen Changsheng could help defeat them, and offered to reveal what Chen Changsheng had promised him.

• In the Nether River Forbidden Ground, Wang Hao revived Liu Yidao and Zhang Zhen and told them that Chen Changsheng had returned to the Chang Sheng Epoch.
• Liu Yidao apologized to Zhang Zhen for his failure, and Zhang Zhen urged him to prepare his blade and seize another opportunity.
• Wang Hao declared that the era belonged to them and left to visit the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground.
• Wang Hao asked the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground to help kill Four Madmen, arguing that their attacks threatened the Forbidden Grounds and the other epochs.
• Wang Hao proposed an alliance with the Pill Epoch and Chen Changsheng, then offered to show the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground a porcelain bottle containing information about his past agreement with Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng asked Wang Hao to help him face the Four Madmen, but Wang Hao refused, convinced Chen Changsheng could not survive their attack. Chen Changsheng then offered his theory that the Four Madmen were immortals or closely connected to them, leaving Wang Hao with a reason to reconsider the danger and the deal.

• Wang Hao crushed a porcelain bottle and revealed a record of his conversation with Chen Changsheng.
• Chen Changsheng told Wang Hao that the Four Madmen wanted him dead and asked for help.
• Wang Hao refused, saying that even one of the Four Madmen was beyond reach and all four would surely defeat Chen Changsheng.
• Chen Changsheng raised the hidden Immortal Domain and argued that immortals might conceal it because cultivators would capture them.
• Chen Changsheng said Ao Chuang and the Virtual World had helped him find similarities between Netherworld Forest methods and Immortal Destinies, leading him to suspect the Four Madmen were immortals or had found the Immortal Domain.

Chen Changsheng recruited Wang Hao to protect contingencies against the Four Madmen after explaining why he suspected they might be immortals or heirs to the Immortal Domain. Wang Hao agreed to risk his life, while Chen Changsheng planned to confront the Four Madmen without additional preparations.

• Wang Hao pressed Chen Changsheng about his suspicion that the Four Madmen were immortals or had found the Immortal Domain, then offered to help pursue longevity.
• Chen Changsheng explained that the Netherworld Forest resembled Li Niansheng's damaged Immortal Destiny and argued that its creator must have known the complete Immortal Destiny system.
• Wang Hao offered to gather people to wipe out the Four Madmen, but Chen Changsheng refused to besiege them and said he would meet one of their attacks head-on.
• Chen Changsheng asked Wang Hao to protect contingencies that could turn the tables if the Four Madmen attacked, warning that Wang Hao might die or be unable to withstand them.
• Wang Hao agreed to wager his life on the plan and asked what he should do if Chen Changsheng died first; Chen Changsheng told him to take his inheritance and enjoy life.

Wang Hao and the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground agreed to prepare for Chen Changsheng’s plan to capture the Four Madmen and uncover the Immortal Domain, while Chen Changsheng spent eight hundred years clearing the Demon Continent. He entered the Celestial Master's Mausoleum with Xiao Hei, where the First Divine Soul took control to handle the dangerous formations.

• Wang Hao told the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground that Chen Changsheng’s plan would soon begin and urged everyone to bring their full strength against the Four Madmen; the prospect of immortality awakened powerful auras within the Forbidden Ground.
• Chen Changsheng spent eight hundred years defeating demons and wicked monsters across the Demon Continent, then gave Kai Wu the Mountain-Quelling Artisans’ inheritance and token before setting out alone for the Celestial Master's Tomb.
• At the tomb entrance, Xiao Hei told Chen Changsheng that everyone who had entered had died, but followed him inside.
• When Chen Changsheng drew the Broken Sword to break the Emperor-level formations, Xiao Hei warned him against it and suggested that the First Divine Soul take over.
• Chen Changsheng thanked Xiao Hei and let the First Divine Soul control his body.

After eight hundred years of research, Chen Changsheng used Zhang Ling’s Academy graduation token to enter the Celestial Master’s Tomb with Xiao Hei. There he confronted Yun Yu, the Ominous Maker, who revealed that he had watched Chen Changsheng since his return to the Chang Sheng Epoch and was pleased that he had not been broken by his setbacks.

• Chen Changsheng told Xiao Hei that his eight hundred years of work had helped him find a way to solve the Demon Continent’s problem.
• Chen Changsheng opened the Celestial Master’s Tomb’s formation with Zhang Ling’s authentic Academy graduation token and explained how he had acquired it.
• Chen Changsheng and Xiao Hei entered the tomb and found Yun Yu waiting inside.
• Yun Yu said he had set a trap for Chen Changsheng and believed Xiao Yunshu would have died facing him.
• Chen Changsheng declared that he would kill Yun Yu and the others, and Yun Yu welcomed the challenge.
• Yun Yu revealed that he had watched Chen Changsheng since his return to the Chang Sheng Epoch, and Chen Changsheng guessed that Yun Yu’s presence was both part of his true body and a clone.

Chen Changsheng deduced that Yun Yu had transformed the Chang Sheng Epoch’s World Spiritual Energy into a new form and hidden it throughout the era. Yun Yu revealed that he had killed Chen Changsheng’s allies to provoke his rage, then gave him a way to reverse the transformation and time to prepare to face Xiao Yunshu.

• Chen Changsheng explained that Yun Yu had compressed the Chang Sheng Epoch’s World Spiritual Energy into a strange energy hidden across the era.
• Yun Yu praised Chen Changsheng’s deduction and explained that he had spared him because he believed they were alike and wanted to draw out his potential.
• Yun Yu revealed that he had threatened Chen Changsheng’s allies, causing many to die, and destroyed their contingencies for revival.
• Yun Yu told Chen Changsheng that Xiao Yunshu was occupied and that defeating him would qualify Chen Changsheng to challenge Yun Yu.
• Yun Yu gave Chen Changsheng instructions for undoing the strange energy, warning that he might need them if he could not find another solution.

Chen Changsheng discovered Zhang Ling’s final message and learned how Yun Yu had weakened the Chang Sheng Epoch and forced its survivors to die in meditation. Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, Chen Changsheng’s Second Divine Soul took control, and the chapter ended with Xiao Hei asking why cultivation had been cut off if the world’s energy had only changed form.

• Chen Changsheng approached Zhang Ling’s coffin, read his apology on the Stone Tablet, and watched his body turn to ash when he reached out to touch it.
• Chen Changsheng listened to Zhang Ling’s Jade Slip recording, which explained Xiao Yunshu’s purge and Yun Yu’s deal with the survivors of the Chang Sheng Epoch.
• Chen Changsheng collapsed in grief and blamed himself for creating the Virtual World that had drawn the Four Madmen to them.
• Chen Changsheng’s Second Divine Soul took control of his body and told Xiao Hei that the first Chen Changsheng needed time to recover.
• Chen Changsheng explained that the Chang Sheng Epoch’s World Spiritual Energy had transformed rather than disappeared, and Xiao Hei asked why cultivation had become impossible.

Chen Changsheng explained that Yun Yu’s gray energy was a higher form of Life Spore that kept the Chang Sheng Epoch under surveillance and prevented it from recovering. He warned Xiao Hei that the First Divine Soul’s rage made releasing him dangerous, since he could become another Yun Yu, and left them facing the choice of how to restore the epoch.

• Chen Changsheng explained that cultivators needed a special method to neutralize the gray energy before the Chang Sheng Epoch’s World Spiritual Energy could return.
• Chen Changsheng told Xiao Hei that Yun Yu had transformed himself into a being more advanced than the Uncanny and had left part of his body throughout the world to monitor them.
• Chen Changsheng said Yun Yu had provoked the First Divine Soul to break free of restraints by driving him into extreme rage.
• Chen Changsheng warned Xiao Hei that the First Divine Soul might kill Yun Yu and become another Yun Yu if released while emotionally unstable.
• Chen Changsheng reminded Xiao Hei that the Four Calamities could destroy a world or epoch and questioned why the First Divine Soul had not unleashed them against the Four Madmen.

Chen Changsheng explained to Xiao Hei why Wang Hao, the Heart Demon, and Ao Chuang could become threats when their lifespans neared their ends, and admitted that he was a madman too. Yun Yu then unleashed gray energy on the Demon Continent, and Chen Changsheng rushed to save Kai Wu from a monster.

• Chen Changsheng warned Xiao Hei that the Four Calamities' surviving forces and Ao Chuang could endanger the world, especially when their lifespans ran short.
• Chen Changsheng described the First Divine Soul's madness and acknowledged that he was a madman as well, then left without answering Xiao Hei's question.
• Yun Yu formed a hand seal that caused gray energy beneath the Demon Continent to emerge and turn into monsters.
• Chen Changsheng and Xiao Hei sensed the disturbance outside the Celestial Master's Tomb and hurried toward Kai Wu.
• Chen Changsheng split a giant monster with a sword strike and found Kai Wu badly injured, who greeted him as Big Brother.

Chen Changsheng tried to save Kai Wu, but the gray energy proved impossible to remove, and Kai Wu died after asking whether he had mattered on their journey. Chen Changsheng released the Immortal-Slaying Sword and, after burying Kai Wu, set out with Xiao Hei to visit the other four continents and break the seals on the tombs.

• Chen Changsheng tried to heal Kai Wu, but the gray energy repeatedly returned and kept destroying his body.
• Kai Wu told Chen Changsheng why he had followed him and asked whether he had been useful; Chen Changsheng assured him he had, and Kai Wu died.
• Chen Changsheng released the seal on the Immortal-Slaying Sword and charged ahead, while Xiao Hei read Yun Yu's method for breaking the gray energy from a Jade Slip.
• A scholar at the Time Continent saw the sword's radiance, thanked the people whose teachings he had received, and left the imperial tomb.
• Chen Changsheng killed the monsters, buried Kai Wu, and agreed to travel with Xiao Hei to the other four continents to undo the tomb seals.

Chen Changsheng and Xiao Hei reached Time Continent and found that it had resisted the corruption that overtook the other continents. At the Book Saint's Tomb, they reunited with Nalan Fuguang, who explained that he had inherited part of the Supreme Sage's legacy and memories.

• Chen Changsheng and Xiao Hei arrived at Time Continent and sensed that it was not as corrupted as the other continents.
• Chen Changsheng took the Jade Slip from Xiao Hei and decided to improve its method so it would preserve a sample of the gray energy.
• Chen Changsheng explained that an extraordinary inheritor had used the legacies of Baleful Shadow, Mo Bai, Long Aotian, and Zhang Ling to preserve Time Continent.
• Chen Changsheng and Xiao Hei went to the Book Saint's Tomb, where they recognized the scholar as Nalan Fuguang.
• Nalan Fuguang told Chen Changsheng that he was born with memories after the Supreme Sage's Sage Residence returned from the Reincarnation Forbidden Ground.

Chen Changsheng learned how Nalan Fuguang came to embody the Bookworm’s memories and accepted his conviction that a person was defined by their choices. But when Nalan Fuguang urged Chen Changsheng to stop tormenting himself, Chen Changsheng angrily rejected his right to give that advice.

• Chen Changsheng persuaded Xiao Hei to leave them alone, and Nalan Fuguang explained that the Supreme Sage’s memories had been branded into him before birth.
• Nalan Fuguang said the Book Saint had taught him that his name and identity mattered less than the person he chose to become.
• Chen Changsheng praised Nalan Fuguang, offered him more inheritances, and agreed to let him meet the Second Divine Soul within his body.
• The Second Divine Soul argued with Nalan Fuguang over whether he had the right to advise Chen Changsheng, then insisted that he was Nalan Xingde because the Book Saint’s daily records documented Nalan Xingde’s life.

Chen Changsheng comforted his divided self and entrusted the affairs of the Chang Sheng Epoch to Nalan Fuguang before visiting Xu Qianzhui’s grave. Nalan Fuguang then revealed to Xiao Hei that Chen Changsheng had long resolved the Second Divine Soul and had only pretended to be divided, while Xiao Hei continued to regard Nalan Fuguang as the deceased Nalan Xingde.

• Nalan Fuguang challenged Chen Changsheng’s claim that he was the real Chen Changsheng, and the Second Divine Soul broke down as he confessed how exhausted and alone he felt.
• Chen Changsheng entrusted the affairs of the Chang Sheng Epoch to Nalan Fuguang, then went to visit Xu Qianzhui’s grave.
• After Chen Changsheng left, Nalan Fuguang told Xiao Hei that there had never truly been a Second Divine Soul and that Chen Changsheng had pretended to be divided to torment himself and fool others.
• Nalan Fuguang explained that he was not Nalan Xingde but only possessed fragments of the Supreme Sage’s memories, yet Xiao Hei insisted on calling him Bookworm.

Thirty years later, Chen Changsheng entrusted Nalan Fuguang with helping rebuild the Chang Sheng Epoch and gave him a ruler forged from Netherworld Forest’s origin wood. As Chen Changsheng and Xiao Hei departed, Chen explained why he could not truly revive Bookworm and why they must accept Nalan Fuguang as his own person.

• Chen Changsheng told Nalan Fuguang that the five continents would draw together and the World Spiritual Energy would recover, leaving him to rebuild the Chang Sheng Epoch.
• Chen Changsheng gave Nalan Fuguang a ruler made from Netherworld Forest’s origin wood and said it echoed Scholar’s destroyed ruler.
• Chen Changsheng warned Nalan Fuguang not to repeat his past foolishness, then left with Xiao Hei to deal with the Four Madmen.
• Xiao Hei asked whether Bookworm could be revived, and Chen Changsheng explained that fabricated memories and recreated lives could not restore someone’s unique thoughts and experiences.
• Chen Changsheng said his attempts to recreate old friends had failed, and that Nalan Fuguang could never become Nalan Xingde despite sharing his appearance and some memories.
• Xiao Hei suggested befriending Nalan Fuguang, and Chen Changsheng agreed while insisting they respect him as a different person from Scholar.

Chen Changsheng explained to Xiao Hei how his plans to defeat the Four Madmen had changed and why he had once kept Old Man Yao alive. He revealed that he had also prepared insidious powers capable of slowly bringing down even the strongest enemies.

• Chen Changsheng and Xiao Hei agreed that seeing Nalan Fuguang again was a blessing, then decided to inspect Old Man Yao's sealing site.
• Xiao Hei asked why Chen Changsheng had vetoed killing Old Man Yao, and Chen Changsheng explained that he had expected Ma Xu'an to join the fight and distract the Four Madmen.
• Chen Changsheng described a backup plan to turn powerful figures from other epochs against the Four Madmen, while revealing that his original plan involved gathering forces across epochs and dying alongside them if necessary.
• Xiao Hei condemned the idea of sacrificing Wu Li and the others, and Chen Changsheng said the Four Madmen were already wounded and could be defeated with careful preparation.
• Xiao Hei suspected Chen Changsheng had prepared more catastrophic measures, and Chen Changsheng admitted he possessed powers that would slowly erode even the Four Madmen and other experts.

Chen Changsheng revealed that the Virtual World had uncovered entrances to the Special Space, which he might use if all other paths failed, then returned to the Sealed Land to taunt Old Man Yao. Meanwhile, Chen Feng and Dugu considered why neither had dared to pursue Unity of Heaven and Man.

• Chen Changsheng told Xiao Hei that the Virtual World had found clues to the Special Space and that he might draw on its power if they reached the end of the road.
• Chen Changsheng and Xiao Hei visited the Sealed Land, where Old Man Yao's Divine Sense mocked Chen Changsheng and threatened to use the three supreme treasures against him.
• Chen Changsheng taunted Old Man Yao, claimed he had refined the Fishing Rod into the Immortal-Slaying Sword, and let Old Man Yao's Divine Sense dissipate.
• Chen Changsheng and Xiao Hei set off for the Pill Epoch after Chen Changsheng said they would search for Old Man Yao later.
• Dugu found Chen Feng meditating in Hundun and told him Xiao Yunshu had stopped hunting him, making the outside temporarily safe.
• Chen Feng and Dugu admitted they had both hesitated to take the step toward Unity of Heaven and Man because they did not know whether it was right.