Chapter Summaries

Chen Changsheng’s forces guarded the God and Demon Cemetery while Horse Face warned Ox-Head to obey orders and avoid entangling the enforcers in old grudges. Outside the cemetery, Kong Xuan rejected pleas to spare General Shen, exposed the rebels’ isolation, and ordered the Tiger Guard to execute the petitioners.

• Horse Face told Ox-Head that the cemetery’s enforcers should follow Chen Changsheng’s orders without wavering and focus on atoning for their crimes.
• More than a dozen generals pleaded with Kong Xuan to spare General Shen, but Kong Xuan ordered the Tiger Guard to take their heads.
• A leading general called for rebellion after Kong Xuan revealed that their troops and allies had already been subdued or placed under surveillance.
• The leading general attacked Kong Xuan, who pinned him with Five-Colored Divine Light and crushed him into a mist of blood.
• Kong Xuan ordered the Tiger Guard to kill the remaining petitioners and place their heads beneath the battle banner.

After the slaughter ended, Chen Changsheng offered his companions the choice to join his dangerous expedition or stay behind, and most returned home to prepare for battle. Their reunions revealed personal questions and secrets about the past, while Ma Ling’er learned that her clan had once fought against the Heavenly Court.

• Chen Changsheng told Xu Yao and the others that they could join his expedition or stay behind, and Jian Fei and Zhang Zhen followed him through a Spatial Rift.
• Xu Yao returned to Number One Spring Under Heaven, told Hu Yan she would join Chen Changsheng, and promised to return alive.
• Su You asked the Old Celestial Master whether he was Su You or Old Pen, and his master directed him to ask the person who sent him into Reincarnation.
• Gui Qianjie returned to Golden Toad Academy, where the Golden Toad gave her Toad Skin Armor and a bottle of poison-curing ointment.
• Ma Hu revealed to Ma Ling’er that the Great Strength Donkey Clan had once opposed the Heavenly Court and survived by choosing a new path and betraying former allies.

After three years of preparation, the Heavenly Court launched an expedition with ten million troops, while Chen Changsheng took his group along a dangerous side route into enemy territory. They reached the Four Directions Continent, where he explained its powers and cultivation systems as the injured group began their mission.

• Ma Ling'er told Ma Hu she did not regret loving Nangong Xing or choosing a different path from him.
• Three years after the upheaval, the Heavenly Court assembled its forces and sent ten million troops into the void.
• Chen Changsheng warned Jian Fei, Xu Yao, and the others that their growing importance could make enemies target them, then led them away from the army.
• Chen Changsheng guided the group through the void, where Void Beasts attacked and badly injured Jian Fei, Xu Yao, Ma Ling'er, and the others.
• Chen Changsheng identified their destination as the Four Directions Continent and explained that its prodigies often practiced both the Bitter Sea System and their original cultivation system.

Chen Changsheng assigned his companions concealed social identities for their arrival on the Four Directions Continent and explained its Heavenly Soul cultivation system. The group traveled in disguise as he described Heavenly Soul types and qualities, beginning to explain how they affected cultivation and evolution.

• Chen Changsheng distributed clothes for servant, attendant, death warrior, and master identities, warning Xu Yao that her personality would betray her if she dressed as a young lady.
• Gui Daoran and Gui Qianjie chose servant clothes, while Jian Fei also took a servant set; Chen Changsheng assigned Zhang Zhen the death warrior outfit because of his conspicuous killing intent and shabby air.
• Ma Ling'er volunteered to wear the fine robes and use her experience with Honey Traps, while Su You chose the remaining attendant clothes.
• The group set off in a carriage with Chen Changsheng driving, Xu Yao and Su You walking beside it, the others following, and Zhang Zhen hiding in the shadows.
• Chen Changsheng explained that people on the Four Directions Continent awakened Heavenly Souls, whose types and colors determined their social treatment and cultivation advantages.

Chen Changsheng explained how Heavenly Soul quality determined people’s prospects on the Four Directions Continent and contrasted its rigid system with the freedom of the Eight Desolations Nine Regions. He brought the group to an abandoned Heavenly Soul Hall to check their souls before arranging identities for them.

• Chen Changsheng told Xu Yao that low-quality Heavenly Souls condemned people to poverty and limited access to cultivation resources, while high-quality souls brought privilege.
• Chen Changsheng explained that the Bitter Sea System and the united Eight Desolations Nine Regions offered opportunities that the Four Directions Continent’s Heavenly Soul system denied.
• Chen Changsheng pointed out that Jian Fei had learned methods from multiple schools, then urged everyone to protect the world and its freedoms for future generations.
• Xu Yao promised that the group would risk their lives to protect the Eight Desolations Nine Regions, and Chen Changsheng set off to awaken their Heavenly Souls.
• At an abandoned Heavenly Soul Hall, Chen Changsheng explained that he would assess their Heavenly Soul qualities before arranging identities to conceal their arrival.

Chen Changsheng awakened his students’ Heavenly Souls and explained why their high-quality souls hindered his plan to challenge the Four Directions Continent’s beliefs. He then proposed that phenomena revealed the development of one particular potential in a person’s body, not the limits of all their potential.

• Xu Yao’s first awakening attempt exploded, but the next succeeded and revealed a red-quality Nine-Tailed Sky Fox Heavenly Soul.
• Chen Changsheng awakened the others: Ma Ling’er gained a red-quality Little Donkey, Jian Fei a golden Heavenly Silkworm, Su You a gold-quality writing brush, Gui Daoran a gold-quality lotus, Gui Qianjie a gold-quality carp, and Zhang Zhen a white-quality saber.
• Chen Changsheng explained that he wanted a low-quality Heavenly Soul to defeat a high-quality one, challenging the Four Directions Continent’s long-held beliefs.
• Xu Yao reported her Endless Fire Domain phenomenon, and Su You reported his Three Thousand Dao Repository; no one else had manifested one.
• Chen Changsheng proposed that a phenomenon showed the development of one specific bodily potential rather than the development of all a person’s potential to its limit.

Chen Changsheng explained how temperament, bloodline, and talent shaped heavenly souls and compared the Heavenly Soul System with the Bitter Sea System. He warned that the Heavenly Soul Continent’s strength was overwhelming, then contacted someone powerful for reinforcements.

• Chen Changsheng said the Sword God and Demon Emperor had not fully developed their potential and recommended cultivating both mind and body.
• Chen Changsheng explained how bloodline, temperament, and talent influenced heavenly souls, using Xu Yao and Gui Qianjie as examples.
• Chen Changsheng described the Heavenly Soul System’s strengths and limitations compared with the Bitter Sea System.
• Chen Changsheng admitted he could not protect everyone alone and activated a Magical Artifact to call for reinforcements.
• After an incense stick’s time, an image appeared, and someone addressed Chen Changsheng as their teacher.

Chen Changsheng contacted Wu Li and Zi Ning to arrange support and intelligence before promising his companions a meeting with the Desolate Heaven Emperor if they defeated the Four Directions Continent’s heavenly geniuses. At Qingyang Sect, he arranged identities for the group and prepared the sect’s staged destruction, while Jiang Yongnian volunteered to follow him.

• Chen Changsheng spoke with Wu Li, arranged for Huai Yu to be transferred, and received coded phrases from Zi Ning to contact Phantom agents on the Four Directions Continent.
• Chen Changsheng revealed that Wu Li was the legendary Desolate Heaven Emperor, then promised Xu Yao and the others a chance to meet him if they defeated every heavenly genius on the continent.
• Chen Changsheng met Ding 9527 of the Phantom Shadow Legion at Qingyang Sect and approved a family register reserving eight identities for his group.
• Chen Changsheng ordered Ding 9527 to spread word of a treasure that improved Heavenly Soul quality and said the Heavenly Court would destroy Qingyang Sect in ten days, after which the agents should retreat to the Eight Desolations Nine Regions.
• Jiang Yongnian knelt before Chen Changsheng and asked to follow him, saying he wanted to see true heavenly geniuses instead of hiding his whole life.

Chen Changsheng recruited Jiang Yongnian and brought his disguised group toward the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, where they met Ye Xiong and were invited to wager lives in a contest. Ma Ling'er proposed raising the stakes, leaving the challenge unresolved.

• Chen Changsheng accepted Jiang Yongnian as a companion and assigned the group false identities to hide their connection to Qingyang Sect.
• Chen Changsheng warned the group that Qingyang Sect would become ruins in ten days and ordered them to master the Heavenly Soul before reaching the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.
• After seven days of travel, the group arrived at the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect under Jiang Yongnian's identity and passed through the city gates.
• Ye Xiong welcomed Jiang Yongnian and led the group to his residence, where he proposed a contest in which the losing side would drink whenever its fighter died.
• Ma Ling'er objected that a cup of wine was too small a penalty and suggested adding higher stakes.

Ma Ling'er wagered with Ye Xiong, and Gui Daoran fought Ye Xiong's servant A Da in the arena. After Gui Daoran gained the upper hand, Ye Xiong intervened, threw him into a wall, and killed A Da.

• Ma Ling'er proposed Ye Xiong's estate as a wager, and Ye Xiong accepted while putting up a Soul Emperor's Heavenly Soul.
• Ma Ling'er wagered Essence of Stars against Ye Xiong's small gourd, and Gui Daoran entered the arena to fight A Da.
• A Da revealed that he cultivated both the Heavenly Soul and Bitter Sea systems and drove Gui Daoran back.
• Gui Daoran trapped A Da's Heavenly Soul and struck at him, but Ye Xiong stopped Gui Daoran and hurled him into a wall.
• Ye Xiong killed A Da and ordered his servants to feed the body to the dogs.

Chen Changsheng explained the Heavenly Soul System’s weakness and how the Bitter Sea System could improve it, then ordered his companions to win the Longevity Celebration Assembly and claim the Drumming Urn Gold Hammer. The group learned that the hammer’s handle was made from Chen Changsheng’s thighbone—and that the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect’s top prodigy was vastly stronger than they were.

• Ma Ling'er assessed Ye Xiong as ruthless and calculating, and said he had tried to undermine Qingyang Sect while seeking to win it over.
• Gui Daoran said Heavenly Soul cultivators built up power quickly but often lacked insight into their realms, and admitted Ye Xiong might match him in strength.
• Chen Changsheng explained that the Bitter Sea System emphasized comprehension and revealed that Four Directions Continent would soon use it to measure strength alongside the Heavenly Soul System.
• Chen Changsheng criticized his companions for failing to play their roles during Ye Xiong’s visit and told them to win first place at the Longevity Celebration Assembly in three days.
• Chen Changsheng ordered them to claim the Drumming Urn Gold Hammer, explaining that its handle was made from his thighbone.
• Jiang Yongnian revealed that the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect’s foremost prodigy cultivated both systems and had approached the Earthly Immortal Realm ten years earlier, leaving the group daunted.

Chen Changsheng prepared his companions for the danger surrounding the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect’s Longevity Celebration Assembly and discussed their roles with Zhang Zhen. Su You left still questioning whether he was Su You or Old Pen, while Zhang Zhen learned that a vital item from the sect was needed to save him.

• Chen Changsheng warned the Qingyang Sect group that their newly revealed Heavenly Souls had drawn Ten Thousand Beasts City's attention and told them to prepare for the assembly without relying on him.
• Su You asked Chen Changsheng whether he was Su You or Old Pen, and Chen Changsheng told him that only he could decide who he was.
• Zhang Zhen asked whether the Four Directions Continent could cure him, and Chen Changsheng said an essential item from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was needed to save him.
• Chen Changsheng told Zhang Zhen to leave him out of the assembly's fighting and explained why he trusted Xu Yao, Su You, Gui Daoran, Gui Qianjie, Jian Fei, and Ma Ling'er to survive and work together.
• Zhang Zhen praised Chen Changsheng's judgment after hearing why he had chosen Ma Ling'er to lead the group.

Chen Changsheng arranged for a disturbance and planned to visit Desperate Valley, while Ma Ling'er’s group received Ye Xian at their residence. Ye Xian’s matchmaking scheme faltered when he saw the group’s exceptional Heavenly Souls, but he asked for two male relatives to stay overnight, leaving Su You uneasy about his intentions.

• Chen Changsheng told an unseen contact to cause a commotion soon and to notify Ye Yongxian and his grandson before his trip to Desperate Valley.
• Jiang Yongnian warned the group that Ye Xian was a dangerous womanizer who also pursued men, alarming Su You.
• Ma Ling'er decided the group would not retreat from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and ordered everyone to welcome Ye Xian.
• Ye Xian offered to arrange marriages between his relatives and Ma Ling'er's companions, but Xu Yao's red-grade Nine-tailed Fire Fox Heavenly Soul undermined his plan.
• After seeing the companions' gold-grade Heavenly Souls, Ye Xian asked to let two of his male relatives stay at the residence for one night.

After Ye Xian arranged for Jiang Yongnian to father children with two women, Qingyang Sect’s extraordinary Heavenly Soul quality attracted a flood of visitors and gifts. Chen Changsheng returned with a warning that the sect’s coming confrontation with Longevity Sect and Black Tortoise Sect could leave its disciples vulnerable to imprisonment and exploitation, and Ma Ling'er asked whether they could break through the deadly trap.

• Ye Xian asked Ma Ling'er to arrange for two women to borrow seed, and Jiang Yongnian agreed to take on the task.
• News of Qingyang Sect’s gold-grade quality spread, and visitors spent three days bringing gifts and trying to court Ma Ling'er and Xu Yao.
• Su You reported that thirteen beauties had been sent to Jiang Yongnian, while Ma Ling'er noted that Chen Changsheng had been gone for three days.
• Chen Changsheng returned and warned that Black Tortoise Sect’s arrival meant Qingyang Sect’s disciples would face dangerous prodigies and might be imprisoned or drugged for their bloodlines.
• Ma Ling'er asked Chen Changsheng whether they could break through the deadly trap awaiting them.

Before the Longevity Celebration Assembly, Ma Ling'er prepared her team for the deadly consequences of failing the Heaven's Chosen Selection. The assembly began at the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, where the Black Tortoise Sect Envoy was set to choose candidates.

• Chen Changsheng told Ma Ling'er he had concealed her team's origins and left their survival to their own abilities.
• Ma Ling'er warned her companions that failure could mean death or forced marriage, and that they might have to enforce difficult choices on one another.
• Xu Yao said she would rather die than be treated as an object, and asked Ma Ling'er what it felt like to make the painful choices Chen Changsheng had made.
• At dawn, Ma Ling'er and her team received seats among the first-rate sects at the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, while Chen Changsheng and Zhang Zhen stood without seats.
• Zhang Zhen predicted that Ma Ling'er's team would all succeed, and Chen Changsheng hinted that he had pressured them to bring out their potential.
• After the assembly's lengthy proceedings, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect announced that the Black Tortoise Sect Envoy would also select Heaven's Chosen this year.

Xu Yao challenged the Heaven's Chosen Selection rules and defeated Ye Shan without drawing her sword, while Sima Lan and Baili Changkong discussed which candidates they wanted. As the crowd considered who would fight next, a woman called out Jian Fei’s name.

• Xu Yao demanded that the selection become a fight to the death, and Ye Gaofei changed the rules so anyone could challenge anyone else until only one remained.
• Xu Yao pinned a Ten Thousand Beasts Sect disciple to the floor and invited the gathered candidates to challenge her.
• Sima Lan said she wanted to choose either Jian Fei or Su You, while Baili Changkong chose Ma Ling'er.
• Xu Yao defeated Ye Shan barehanded, and Chen Changsheng explained to Zhang Zhen why she was far stronger than the local chosen ones.
• A woman called Jian Fei over, prompting him to wonder why he had been singled out.

Jian Fei faced Ke Hui’s challenge and revealed how deeply he cherished his deceased master, whom Ke Hui had insulted. He unleashed the Sword Box’s Dragon’s Roar and defeated her in one move, shocking the gathered powers.

• Ke Hui challenged Jian Fei and declared that she wanted him to marry into the Sword Mountain Sect, while the sect leaders allowed her to choose a challenger other than Su You and Xu Yao.
• Jian Fei agreed to fight Ke Hui, then turned cold when she called his master trash and defended the man who had raised him.
• Chen Changsheng explained to Zhang Zhen that Jian Fei and his master had depended on each other, and Zhang Zhen vowed to save Jian Fei if he was in danger.
• Jian Fei opened the Sword Box he had made as a child and summoned Dragon's Roar, which shattered Ke Hui’s sword qi and pierced through her.
• Ke Hui crashed to the ground after Jian Fei defeated her with one move, leaving the venue stunned.

Ye Feng challenged Xu Yao and pushed her to unleash her full power, while Sima Lan confronted Jian Fei. As their battles continued, a stranger appeared before Ma Ling'er.

• Ye Feng challenged Su You and Gui Daoran, then attacked Xu Yao when Gui Daoran declined his offer.
• Xu Yao fought Ye Feng with her sword until he sent her flying, prompting her to reveal her Nine-Colored Glazed Life Lamp, Nine-tailed Fire Fox, and Endless Fire Domain.
• Xu Yao's empowered sword strike burned Ye Feng's sleeve, and he said he would fight her at the Blood Moving Realm.
• Sima Lan challenged Jian Fei, who sent Dragon's Roar and the Stars Sword against her Nine Ring Broadsword.
• A stranger appeared before Ma Ling'er.

Jian Fei fought Sima Lan with his swords and Heavenly Soul while Su You and the Gui siblings struggled against Ye Mingjie. Both battles left the younger prodigies close to defeat, with Jian Fei's strange tricks still untested and Su You's group overwhelmed.

• Jiang Yongnian identified Ye Mingjie as an eighty-nine-year-old Enforcement Elder of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect who surpassed Ye Feng in strength.
• Su You and the Gui siblings joined forces against Ye Mingjie, but he repelled their attacks and severely injured them.
• Chen Changsheng explained to Zhang Zhen the strength of the Four Directions Continent and the challenge awaiting its prodigies.
• Sima Lan disarmed Jian Fei's Stars Sword and pressed him to use his third Flying Sword, but he chose to save his strength and rely on strange tricks.
• Jian Fei summoned his Heavenly Silkworm and spread golden threads as Sima Lan attacked with her saber.
• Ye Mingjie declared that Su You and the Gui siblings had lost after they exhausted their methods without overcoming him.

Gui Qianjie and Gui Daoran fused their Heavenly Souls to face Ye Mingjie, while Su You found a way past the obsession that had held back his cultivation. Su You unleashed powerful techniques as his brush began to take physical form.

• Gui Qianjie and Gui Daoran joined forces and manifested a Heavenly Soul Fusion, which Ye Gaofei claimed for the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.
• Ye Mingjie prepared to test their fused Heavenly Soul as Su You brooded over his failure to match his previous life.
• Baili Changkong told Su You he was fixated on appearances, prompting Su You to realize he had been trapped by his pursuit of an unprecedented path.
• Su You used the chaotic Three Thousand Dao Repository to write powerful Secret Techniques that attacked Ye Mingjie, and his brush began to condense into a physical form.
• Chen Changsheng explained to Zhang Zhen that Su You had overcome the same obsession that had trapped his former self, Old Pen.