Chapter Summaries

At court, the Children of the Forbidden Ground and the righteous prodigies clashed over a mission to Wumei Town, where Xu Qianzhui and Liu Yidao were trapped. The Forbidden Ground prodigies planned to use Xu Qianzhui’s loss of cultivation to kill him, leaving Jun Lin worried that Qian Zhu was also in danger.

• Ling Dao arrogantly accepted the Crown Prince’s recommendation, and Emperor Lu Jin approved him and the other Children of the Forbidden Ground as officials.
• Jun Lin asked Chen Xiao about finding reinforcements, but Chen Xiao said their allies were unavailable or unlikely to help.
• Lu Jin requested volunteers to investigate evil spirits in Wumei Town, and Ruan Su Xian and Chen Xiao agreed to go.
• The Children of the Forbidden Ground learned Xu Qianzhui and Liu Yidao were trapped in Wumei Town and discussed killing Xu while he lacked cultivation.
• Ling Dao and the others requested to join the mission, and Ling Dao said the Forbidden Ground prodigies still intended to settle matters with Jun Lin’s side by killing them.
• Jun Lin realized the Forbidden Ground prodigies had developed killing intent toward Qian Zhu.

Jun Lin prepared his allies for a decisive battle while Wu Yang defended her marriage to him before Emperor Lu Jin. As North Sea tried to escape his promised role as the vanguard, Yin Qi and the Jade Emperor upheld the agreement and sent him back to prepare.

• Jun Lin urged his companions to face the coming battle with conviction, and Ruan Su Xian vowed to reclaim what she had lost.
• Wu Yang told Lu Jin she did not regret marrying Jun Lin and warned him against cooperating with the Forbidden Grounds; Lu Jin dismissed her.
• Lu Jin told Gu Yi that he would kill his sons, pass the dynasty to Wu Yang, and deal with the Forbidden Grounds' Children cautiously.
• Gu Yi revealed that he was the National Teacher and the Li Yang Dynasty's second strongest expert, then promised to remain at Lu Jin's side.
• North Sea apologized to Chen Changsheng and tried to reopen the wager of a Great World, but Yin Qi and the Jade Emperor insisted that he honor his agreement to serve as vanguard.

The Jade Emperor confronted the North Sea Heavenly Emperor over his wavering loyalties, and Chen Changsheng forced him to choose between joining the Forbidden Ground or fighting the Dark Turmoil. North Sea left with no clear path to survival, while Chen Changsheng warned the assembled cultivators that they could not keep avoiding a choice.

• The Jade Emperor accused North Sea of breaking his promise and dragging others down, forcing North Sea to admit his mistake.
• Chen Changsheng offered North Sea two choices: abandon his Mandate of Heaven and join the Forbidden Ground, or fight the Dark Turmoil to the death.
• Chen Changsheng told the assembled cultivators that everyone had to choose a side, while the Heavens Forbidden Ground agreed that wavering had to end.
• Chen Changsheng told North Sea to prepare before the Book of Wonders Competition ended and explained that others had prevented him from interfering.
• North Sea said he understood why Chen Changsheng had shattered everything to give others a dignified choice, then asked what Chen Changsheng would do to him if he controlled the situation.
• Chen Changsheng replied that he would probably mount North Sea's head on a flagpole as an offering because he hated fence-sitters.

Chen Changsheng left Wang Zhigao in charge of dealing with the North Sea Heavenly Emperor, then entered a hidden world inside the Heavenly Mandate with Zhang Bairen. He revealed that he had completed the First Volume of Eight Nine Mysterious Technique and brought out a Wooden Sculpture, whose occupant was startled by the changed world.

• The North Sea Heavenly Emperor agreed to prepare an answer for Chen Changsheng and vanished, leaving Chen Changsheng to speak with Wang Zhigao.
• Chen Changsheng tested Wang Zhigao's composure, praised his ability, and entrusted him with handling the North Sea Heavenly Emperor.
• Inside the gateway, Chen Changsheng and Zhang Bairen discussed the hidden world, the Life and Death Battle, and Chen Changsheng's refined aura.
• Chen Changsheng said he had gathered the complete First Volume of Eight Nine Mysterious Technique, astonishing Zhang Bairen.
• Chen Changsheng took out a Wooden Sculpture, and its occupant complained about being confined before reacting to the changed world around them.

Chen Changsheng brought the Wooden Sculpture back to its homeland in the Water Realm, where it agreed to share what it knew only if Chen Changsheng killed it. Meanwhile, Jun Lin and his companions set out to rescue Xu Qianzhui, and Jun Lin explained to Wu Yang why their enemies made ordinary reinforcements useless.

• Chen Changsheng told Zhang Bairen that the Wooden Sculpture was an ancient primordial person who had mistaken the Pill Epoch for the Chang Sheng Epoch.
• The Wooden Sculpture recognized the Water Realm as its homeland and asked Chen Changsheng to kill it in exchange for sharing what it knew.
• The Wooden Sculpture warned Zhang Bairen that only someone with the Water Tribe’s bloodline could undo the Water Book’s seal.
• Wu Yang insisted on joining Jun Lin’s group to rescue Xu Qianzhui, and Jun Lin agreed to take her along.
• Jun Lin told Wu Yang that cultivators below Fourth Grade Immortal King could not threaten them and gave her a jade axe forged by his father.
• Jun Lin explained that the Great Shang Dynasty would retaliate if powerful cultivators attacked him, while the Li Yang Dynasty could not match the Forbidden Ground.

Jun Lin explained that the prodigies had to preserve their hidden trump cards, while Chen Xiao’s body forced him to find a new Great Dao within two months. Bai Zhi discovered that Murong Xing Shuang was fated to die, and Chen Changsheng confronted her with the possibility that Bai Zhi’s vision of karma meant he had never truly left Buddhism.

• Jun Lin told Wu Yang that killing the opponent was the simplest way to break the wager’s deadlock, but warned that their disadvantage made concealing their trump cards essential.
• Chen Xiao said Senior Cui’s sword Dao no longer tempered his body, and his body began swelling as he realized he had only two months to find another Great Dao.
• Bai Zhi and Murong Xing Shuang shared a romantic moment, but Bai Zhi saw an epiphyllum bloom and wither behind her and told her that she would die soon.
• Bai Zhi left Murong Xing Shuang in a protective formation to help old acquaintances, and Chen Changsheng appeared and questioned her about deceiving herself.
• Chen Changsheng cited the Buddhist saying “Bodhisattvas fear causes, mortals fear effects” and argued that Bai Zhi’s ability to see karma showed he was close to becoming a Buddha and had never abandoned the kasaya in his heart.

Chen Changsheng explained to Murong Xing Shuang that her mortal heart and Bai Zhi’s Buddhist heart could not follow the same path, and offered to help her choose how to save him. In Wumei Town, Liu Yidao told Xu Qianzhui that he would have to kill him once Jun Lin and the others arrived.

• Chen Changsheng told Murong Xing Shuang that she could not share Bai Zhi’s infinite time and that her choice would determine whether he became a Buddha.
• Murong Xing Shuang recalled how Bai Zhi had saved her and asked how a mortal should choose between letting go and holding on.
• Chen Changsheng explained that the withering epiphyllum marked their ending, offered to help her, and left.
• In Wumei Town, Wang Shanhuo brought food to Xu Qianzhui and Liu Yidao, who ate while thinking over the danger ahead.
• Xu Qianzhui said Jun Lin’s arrival would likely mean his death, and Liu Yidao admitted he would have to kill him because circumstances left him no choice.

Xu Qianzhui accused Liu Yidao of engineering the deadly conflict so he could gain the favor of Senior Changsheng or defect to a Forbidden Ground. Liu Yidao confirmed that his second master’s threat had forced his hand, and he refused to spare Shan Huo or Zi Xuan, while Xu Qianzhui remained unexpectedly calm about his impending death.

• Xu Qianzhui reasoned that Liu Yidao had created the Killing Game to lure Jun Lin and the others into a conflict and profit from the deaths.
• Liu Yidao admitted that he had hoped to become comrades with the group and use their connections to reach the Undertaker, but his second master’s decision to yield had left Liu Yidao facing certain death.
• Xu Qianzhui observed that Liu Yidao’s plan could let him gain Senior Changsheng’s favor or offer his allegiance to another Forbidden Ground.
• Xu Qianzhui asked Liu Yidao not to implicate Shan Huo and Zi Xuan, but Liu Yidao said he had to kill all three because Shan Huo was his Person of Calamity.
• Xu Qianzhui said his fear and concern about his lifespan had faded, and he was no longer surprised that Liu Yidao wanted him dead.

Xu Qianzhui told Liu Yidao that he had become trapped in the Mortal World Trial, while Chen Changsheng and Wang Hao offered conflicting advice about how he could escape. Chen Changsheng ultimately claimed that Liu Yidao only needed to kill any one person, leaving Liu Yidao pondering the choice as Wang Shanhuo brought him another meal.

• Xu Qianzhui told Liu Yidao that he had grown weak and become too deeply entangled in the Mortal World Trial before leaving.
• Liu Yidao lost his temper and struck Wang Shanhuo with the dishes after she tried to speak to him.
• Chen Changsheng and Wang Hao appeared, and Liu Yidao accused them of manipulating events and asked Chen Changsheng for a way out.
• Wang Hao urged Liu Yidao to kill Wang Shanhuo, while Chen Changsheng said she had to die for Liu Yidao to escape.
• Chen Changsheng clarified that Liu Yidao could end the Mortal World Trial by killing any one person, and Wang Hao urged him to act.
• Wang Shanhuo returned with a fresh meal while Liu Yidao continued to ponder Chen Changsheng's words.

Liu Yidao healed Wang Shanhuo and learned that she was his Person of Calamity, trapping him in the mortal world until he could understand the tribulation. Meanwhile, Wang Hao confronted Chen Changsheng over Liu Yidao, and rival cultivators gathered outside Wumei Town and chose their opponents.

• Liu Yidao healed Wang Shanhuo's wounds and removed her birthmark, then explained that her presence had trapped him in a life-and-death tribulation of the mortal world.
• Wang Shanhuo tried to kill herself to help Liu Yidao escape, but he stopped her and said the answer to his predicament would appear through her.
• Wang Hao asked Chen Changsheng to leave Liu Yidao alone, but Chen Changsheng told him to enter the mortal world and walk through it himself.
• Wang Hao admitted that he blamed Chen Changsheng to ease his guilt and had used a curse to endure physical pain as a way to lessen his heartache.
• Ling Dao and his companions reached Wumei Town, identified its barrier as a method of the Nether River Forbidden Ground, and divided Jun Lin, Ruan Su Xian, Chen Xiao, and Yuan Yi among themselves as opponents.

Jun Lin fought Yan Yusheng, who overwhelmed him and explained that true speed came from cultivation rather than the Wind and Thunder Wings. As Jun Lin refused to surrender his Double pupils or his ancestors’ legacy, Chen Xiang intervened against the spectators’ mockery, then faced Chen Changsheng’s questions about Chen Xiao’s choice of the Dead End Road.

• Yan Yusheng challenged Jun Lin and quickly gained the advantage while Chen Xiao and Ruan Su Xian battled Ling Dao and his ally.
• Yan Yusheng recounted the feud between the Holy Ruins Forbidden Ground and Jun Lin’s lineage, then explained that the Demon Emperor’s speed came from comprehension and cultivation, not the Wind and Thunder Wings.
• Yan Yusheng severed Jun Lin’s left hand and declared that he would take Jun Lin’s wings and Double pupils, but Jun Lin vowed to protect his ancestors’ glory.
• The Heavens Forbidden Ground mocked Jun Lin’s performance, and Chen Xiang burst from the void to defend his nephew before Chen Changsheng ordered him to stop.
• Chen Changsheng confronted Chen Xiang about avoiding him and asked why Chen Xiao had chosen the Dead End Road, leaving Chen Xiang panicked.

Chen Changsheng explained why Chen Xiao’s body-cultivation path suited him and warned Chen Xiang that the younger generation could not be stopped from following its course. As Ling Dao unleashed a colossal Dharma form against Chen Xiao, their battle reached a critical moment.

• Chen Xiang asked Chen Changsheng to spare the younger generation from the dangers of the Dark Turmoil, but Chen Changsheng said the era and its path could not be controlled.
• Chen Changsheng explained that Chen Xiao lacked the comprehension to become a top-tier sword cultivator but had chosen a path of body cultivation that required less comprehension.
• Chen Changsheng reminded Chen Xiang that Chen Shisan’s strength came from a sword in his heart that could sever fate, and Chen Xiang apologized for falling short of his fathers.
• Chen Xiang said the others shared his concerns, and Chen Changsheng deferred their discussion until after the battle below.
• In Wumei Town’s Water Realm, Ling Dao revealed that he wanted to defeat Chen Xiao to prove Ancient Desolation’s physical path was no weaker than his lineage’s.
• Ling Dao formed a colossal Dharma form and struck at Chen Xiao, whose body began to collapse as he chose to meet the attack head-on.

Ling Dao overwhelmed Chen Xiao and fought off Chen Xiao and Bai Zhi together, while Xu Qianzhui hinted that killing someone could free Liu Yidao from his mortal state. The chapter ended with Xu Qianzhui refusing to explain the Supreme Sage’s past actions and urging Liu Yidao to seek the truth himself.

• Ling Dao battered Chen Xiao with his Heaven and Earth Avatar and declared that he had disappointed him as the Sword God's descendant.
• Bai Zhi intervened to protect Chen Xiao, warning Ling Dao that Chen Xiao could not be killed quickly and that the two of them might join forces.
• Ling Dao crushed Chen Xiao's heart while blocking Bai Zhi's Buddhist seal, but Chen Xiao pinned Ling Dao's hand and stabbed him in the chest.
• In Wumei Town, Liu Yidao told Xu Qianzhui that Jun Lin and Chen Xiao had lost and that Yuan Yi might arrive within twenty breaths.
• Xu Qianzhui asked Liu Yidao about the Supreme Sage sparing his Second Master and said that killing someone, including Xu Qianzhui himself, could free Liu Yidao from his mortal state.

Xu Qianzhui refused to give Liu Yidao the answers he wanted, and Yuan Yi arrived to turn their standoff into a massacre. After Zhang Zixuan died urging Xu Qianzhui to live with a scholar’s courage, Ye Yu fought Yuan Yi to rescue him, but Yuan Yi reached for Xu Qianzhui.

• Liu Yidao broke Xu Qianzhui’s hand when Xu tried to leave, but Xu told him that killing him would solve everything.
• Yuan Yi arrived with Wu Yang chained behind him and killed Zhang Zixuan with a beam of golden light when Zhang tried to plead for Xu.
• Yuan Yi broke Xu Qianzhui’s legs and told him that his choice to give up immortality had led to Zhang’s death.
• Zhang Zixuan urged Xu Qianzhui to live bravely, then insulted Yuan Yi and Liu Yidao before exploding into a cloud of blood mist.
• Yuan Yi taunted Liu Yidao and prepared to go find opponents, but Ye Yu charged in and exchanged hundreds of blows with him.
• Yuan Yi recognized Ye Yu and, realizing he wanted to rescue someone, grabbed toward Xu Qianzhui.

Liu Yidao rejected Wang Hao’s temptation and unleashed his blade against Yuan Yi, while Xu Qianzhui accepted Zhang Zixuan’s legacy rather than regain his strength. After a giant dog head appeared through a Spatial Rift, Yuan Yi and the other powerful enemies retreated, and Ye Yu gave the wounded Chen Xiao a Heaven’s Mandate Crystal.

• Wang Hao tempted Liu Yidao to draw his blade and offered Xu Qianzhui restored strength, but Xu Qianzhui chose to become Zhang Zixuan and was struck down.
• Wang Hao threatened Wang Shanhuo, prompting Liu Yidao to cut through the two apparitions and destroy the barrier as he attacked Yuan Yi.
• Desperate Valley praised Liu Yidao, while Chen Changsheng confronted Gui Daoran and drew him and his wife into the void.
• Yuan Yi struck Liu Yidao, but a giant dog head emerged from a Spatial Rift, and Yuan Yi, Yan Yusheng, and Ling Dao withdrew.
• Ye Yu gave the injured Chen Xiao a Heaven’s Mandate Crystal and introduced himself as a direct descendant of the Ye family.

After a crushing defeat, Jun Lin’s group regrouped and prepared to head for the Li Yang Dynasty’s endangered Borderlands. In a secret chamber, Yuan Yi argued that the Children of the Forbidden Ground should help righteous geniuses grow so they could secure their own futures, leaving the group to consider his proposal.

• Liu Yidao told Ye Yu that his family and origins were extraordinary, then agreed to leave with him and talk elsewhere.
• At the Summer Palace, Jun Lin accepted the defeat and announced that the group would set out for the Li Yang Dynasty’s Borderlands in ten days.
• Yuan Yi explained that Bai Ze’s appearance had made him question whether the Children of the Forbidden Ground would be discarded once the righteous geniuses were dead.
• Yuan Yi proposed helping righteous geniuses grow stronger so the Children of the Forbidden Ground would gain importance and resources.
• Ling Dao worried that nurturing the righteous geniuses could bring disaster, but Yuan Yi said they were good people and had no reason to risk their lives for the Forbidden Ground’s plans.

Yuan Yi and Wu Du persuaded the Forbidden Ground’s prodigies to avoid provoking the righteous cultivators too soon, while Ling Dao proposed giving their opponents three chances to grow through real danger. After the first attack, they planned to target the group again at the Li Yang Dynasty’s Borderlands, including Princess Wu Yang, while Jun Lin comforted her in the Summer Palace.

• Yuan Yi explained that the righteous cultivators’ willingness to die for mortals frightened him, and Wu Du argued that the Forbidden Ground’s Children should prioritize strength and longevity while avoiding becoming their enemies’ first targets during the Dark Turmoil.
• Wu Du warned that the Undertaker might have prepared future peerless fighters, and that the Forbidden Ground’s Children risked becoming expendable if they killed the righteous prodigies too soon.
• Ling Dao proposed attacking the prodigies to force them to mature, with three chances to prove themselves, and Yuan Yi said they had already used their first chance.
• Yuan Yi proposed meeting the prodigies at the threatened Borderlands of the Li Yang Dynasty and attacking them again, while Wu Du agreed that Princess Wu Yang should also be killed if Jun Lin failed to protect her.
• Jun Lin apologized to the injured Wu Yang for failing to protect her and losing, and Wu Yang encouraged him to keep his fighting spirit.

Wu Yang encouraged Jun Lin to learn from his defeat as the group prepared to head for the Borderlands. Meanwhile, Ye Yu revealed that he and Zhao Wu Yu would help resist Ling Dao’s group, while Chen Changsheng confronted the Forbidden Grounds as the Dark Turmoil approached.

• Wu Yang urged Jun Lin to stop hesitating and recover before they headed to the Borderlands in ten days.
• Liu Yidao questioned Ye Yu about his motives, and Ye Yu said he was willing to die to stop the Dark Turmoil and save the Common People.
• Bai Zhi said she could not travel with Jun Lin, while Liu Yidao feared his condition might make him betray the group.
• Ye Yu explained that Heng Tian and Zhao Wu Yu were in the Borderlands and would help oppose the Child of the Forbidden Ground.
• Chen Changsheng challenged the Forbidden Grounds, and the Heavens Forbidden Ground agreed to order eighty coffins as the factions prepared for the coming conflict.
• The Void Forbidden Ground proposed a wager that their forces would not obtain the Water Book.

Bai Zhi and Murong Xing Shuang left for the Borderlands, while Xu Qianzhui chose to leave his former responsibilities behind and live Zhang Zixuan’s life. In the gateway, Chen Changsheng faced the Forbidden Ground cultivators alone as Zhang Bairen stepped aside, and a silver box appeared beside him.

• Bai Zhi reassured Murong Xing Shuang of his devotion and invited her to join him on a trip to help his friends in the Borderlands.
• Xu Qianzhui told Chen Xiao and Ruan Su Xian that he would live Zhang Zixuan’s life and leave his former duties to others, then urged Chen Xiao to seek help for her body.
• Chen Changsheng and Zhang Bairen were confronted by Forbidden Ground cultivators led by Wang Zun, who suspected the Water Book was on the stone wall behind them.
• Zhang Bairen refused to fight beside Chen Changsheng, explaining that the Forbidden Ground was targeting him and that he wanted to see Chen Changsheng’s true strength.
• Chen Changsheng agreed to reveal his strength, and a silver box appeared beside him.

Chen Changsheng revealed that his avatars could reach Rank Nine and used them to attack Wang Zun’s group while he and Zhang Bairen searched for a hidden enemy. At the Li Yang Dynasty borderlands, Heng Tian explained why he believed Qin Liu was his Person of Calamity and decided to remain with him to test the prediction.

• Chen Changsheng used the Silver Box to behead an Eighth Grade Immortal King, then revealed that his God-Slaying Weapon could act with little restriction.
• Zhang Bairen identified Chen Changsheng’s techniques as One Qi, Three Purities and a True Self Realm avatar, while Ao Chuang revealed himself as one of the apparent Chen Changshengs.
• Chen Changsheng gave his three avatars new flesh-and-blood bodies, raised them to Rank Nine, and sent them to fight Wang Zun and the others.
• Chen Changsheng asked Zhang Bairen about the hidden enemy, and Zhang Bairen said the enemy would emerge after they cleared out some of the gathered opponents.
• At the Li Yang Dynasty borderlands, Heng Tian told Qin Liu that he believed Qin Liu was his Person of Calamity and needed to stay close to verify it.
• Qin Liu doubted that he could threaten Heng Tian, but Heng Tian insisted on remaining with him to investigate the danger.