Chapter Summaries

Qin Liu left Heng Tian after promising to repay the life debt if he could help him someday, while Heng Tian reflected on what he lacked. On the expedition, Ruan Su Xian explained to Wu Yang the brutal training and selection that shaped sect-raised prodigies as Jun Lin refined his Divine Eye.

• Qin Liu told Heng Tian he had nothing to repay him with but would return the life debt if Heng Tian ever needed his help, then left the tent.
• Heng Tian reflected on his desire to stay near Qin Liu and wondered what quality in him he lacked.
• Wu Yang asked Ruan Su Xian why Jun Lin seemed vacant, and Ruan Su Xian explained that Jun Lin was concentrating on refining his Divine Eye.
• Ruan Su Xian described how sect heirs were selected before birth, cultivated in the womb, and expected to reach several realms immediately after being born.
• Ruan Su Xian told Wu Yang that sect heirs faced strict assessments in cultivation and other disciplines, with most candidates eliminated before comprehension trials.
• Ruan Su Xian recalled sitting before a bucket of water for ten days and comprehending a new Water Talisman, while only four of thirteen candidates passed.

Ruan Su Xian told Wu Yang how relentless cultivation and repeated defeats had made him doubt whether their generation could surpass the powerful seniors before them. Wu Yang found the resolve to face whatever came and was advised to call on Jun Lin’s adoptive grandfather, the legendary Undertaker.

• Ruan Su Xian explained that prodigies had to train relentlessly because they would shoulder responsibility when danger came.
• Ruan Su Xian recounted being outmatched by Children of the Forbidden Ground, including Ku Mu at Wumei Town, despite receiving expert guidance.
• Ruan Su Xian questioned how their generation could surpass powerful figures such as Sword Sage Chen Xiang, Desolate Heaven Emperor Wu Li, and the Demon Emperor.
• Ruan Su Xian said he had learned to give everything he could while accepting what lay beyond his power.
• Wu Yang vowed that she would not fear the future and that the Li Yang Dynasty’s backbone would not be defeated.
• Ruan Su Xian told Wu Yang to seek a secluded place, kowtow, and call for the Undertaker, Jun Lin’s adoptive grandfather and hers as well.

Wu Yang sought Chen Changsheng’s help with a crisis but instead received encouragement to pursue the Li Yang Dynasty’s throne herself. After she left determined to succeed, Chen Changsheng admitted to Zi Ping that he doubted her chances, then asked about Zi Ping’s cultivation.

• Wu Yang learned from Ruan Su Xian that surveillance could keep the situation from spiraling out of control, then left to seek help from her ancestor.
• Wu Yang summoned Chen Changsheng in a grove and asked him to help with her difficult situation, but he refused to clear her obstacles for her.
• Chen Changsheng urged Wu Yang to consider taking the imperial throne, arguing that her younger brothers could not shoulder the responsibility and that she could become the first woman to rule the Li Yang Dynasty.
• Wu Yang asked whether she could succeed, and Chen Changsheng lent her courage by saying that anyone he chose would reach the summit; she left determined to do so.
• Zi Ping asked whether Wu Yang would succeed, and Chen Changsheng said he doubted her chances but wanted to keep young people from despairing.
• Chen Changsheng confronted Zi Ping for arriving late and asked about his cultivation; Zi Ping claimed that no one in the Chang Sheng Epoch could oppose him unless the Forbidden Ground’s foundation emerged or the Ancient Giant Hand returned.

Chen Changsheng confronted Zi Ping about his plans to resist the Dark Turmoil, then entered the gateway and challenged Baturu to a fistfight. Their battle began with Baturu breaking Chen Changsheng’s time-stopping punch and sending him flying.

• Chen Changsheng rebuked Zi Ping for boasting and learned that Zi Ping had secretly organized resistance to his return and believed he had a forty to fifty percent chance of stopping the Dark Turmoil.
• Chen Changsheng refused to interfere in the era’s affairs or handle the gateway’s trouble, leaving Zi Ping to manage matters himself.
• Inside the gateway, Baturu explained how he had prepared to counter the Heaven and Earth Avatar and noted that the Water Realm’s Bitter Sea System was suited to it.
• Chen Changsheng passed the God-Slaying Weapon to his fighting clone and challenged Baturu to settle the old rivalry with their fists.
• Baturu shattered the time-stopping force of Chen Changsheng’s punch and struck him flying, but Chen Changsheng quickly counterattacked as their battle tore through mountains.

Chen Changsheng explained to Chen Xiao why top-tier body cultivation had limits and taught him to compare its strengths and weaknesses. Chen Changsheng revealed that he had devised an extreme method to address the path’s predicament, but had not yet explained it.

• Chen Changsheng showed Chen Xiao the fight between himself and Baturu and warned that top-tier body cultivation offered limited ways to attack stronger opponents.
• Chen Changsheng explained that physical strength had a ceiling and that cultivators in the Heavenly Emperor Realm gained more from pursuing other paths.
• Chen Xiao insisted on continuing body cultivation, and Chen Changsheng said he had long sought a way forward by comparing cultivation methods.
• Chen Xiao identified Baturu’s immense qi and blood as a source of resilience that suppressed his divine power, while Chen Changsheng’s path balanced qi and blood with divine power at great effort.
• Chen Changsheng agreed that body cultivators faced a choice between excessive specialization and inefficient balance, then said he had devised a more extreme method to overcome the problem.

Chen Changsheng gave Chen Xiao a jade tablet to prepare him for body cultivation and made him promise never to fight to the death. In the gateway, Chen Changsheng revealed his Graveyard Manifestation and fought Baturu for eight months, ending with both men acknowledging that their battle was over.

• Chen Changsheng warned Chen Xiao about using Divine Sense Realm to control his body and gave him a jade tablet containing law imprints and a sequence for tempering his body.
• Chen Changsheng made Chen Xiao promise never to fight to the death, then warned him that the Li Yang Dynasty’s Borderlands issue was not simple before his avatar faded.
• In the gateway, Chen Changsheng and Baturu clashed as Baturu sought to learn Chen Changsheng’s true strength before entering the Forbidden Ground.
• Chen Changsheng summoned his Graveyard Manifestation and told Baturu that his old friends buried there aided him in battle.
• Chen Changsheng and Baturu fought for eight months, and after Chen Changsheng stopped his fist above Baturu’s forehead, both said the battle was over.

Baturu died after learning that Chen Changsheng had found a way forward for body cultivators, and Chen Changsheng promised to preserve the path. As the eight-month battle ended with a man appearing in the sky, the Borderlands faced a supply crisis before the Heaven's Prides departed for the North Sea Realm.

• Baturu asked Chen Changsheng whether body cultivators had a future, and Chen Changsheng revealed that he had found a path for them.
• Baturu gave Chen Changsheng a Jade Slip and begged him not to destroy body cultivation, then knelt and died; Chen Changsheng gathered his ashes into a coffin.
• Chen Changsheng promised to preserve the Path of the Body Cultivator and challenged someone hiding in the sky, whose appearance brought the eight-month battle to an end.
• At the Borderlands, Heng Tian confronted Jun Lin and Xing Kong over delayed supplies for the troops.
• Heng Tian warned Jun Lin and Xing Kong that the Heaven's Prides would soon leave for the North Sea Realm, leaving the Li Yang Dynasty at risk if its problems remained unresolved.

Jun Lin and Heng Tian pressed Xing Kong to act against the three Princes and their Forbidden Ground allies, and Jun Lin urged him to put the Li Yang Dynasty’s survival first. Jun Lin then proposed recruiting Liu Yidao to help defeat the Children of the Forbidden Ground and destroy the enemy armies.

• Heng Tian demanded that Xing Kong offer a decisive solution to the Li Yang Dynasty’s crisis instead of dwelling on its military and supply constraints.
• Xing Kong proposed sending someone to Chang'an to obtain an imperial decree stripping the three Princes of their military authority.
• Jun Lin told Xing Kong that the Emperor’s inaction showed the dynasty’s internal struggle had to be resolved, then left the tent.
• Outside, Jun Lin and Heng Tian discussed the Children of the Forbidden Ground and the risk that Yan Yusheng and others would intervene in a battle.
• Jun Lin proposed asking Liu Yidao to join them, arguing that his skill at killing could help them crush the enemy nations’ armies.

Jun Lin left to find Liu Yidao while Ye Yu questioned Wu Yang about her plans for the Li Yang Dynasty and her willingness to betray her family. Outside the tent, Chen Xiao explained that the Life and Death Tribulation and the Persons of Calamity were legends deliberately spread to test cultivators’ Dao Hearts.

• Jun Lin departed after arranging for Heng Tian to hold things together and asked him to find Liu Yidao.
• Ye Yu warned Wu Yang that the Phoenix Army had suffered heavy casualties and questioned whether she planned to take the throne of the Li Yang Dynasty.
• Wu Yang admitted she had no choice but to oppose her family, and Ye Yu offered to help her deal with her three younger brothers.
• Chen Xiao and Ruan Su Xian guarded Wu Yang while Ye Yu explained that Bai Zhi had taken Murong Xing Shuang to Xing Kong because Heng Tian suspected Qin Liu was behind his stalled Mortal World Trial.
• Chen Xiao revealed that Senior Changsheng had his father spread the legends of the Life and Death Tribulation and Persons of Calamity to make prodigies temper their Dao Hearts, and that supposed encounters with Persons of Calamity were optical illusions.

Ye Yu explained that the Life and Death Tribulation legend was a scheme created by Senior Changsheng to expose the Personality Defects of cultivators and keep them from fleeing when their flaws surfaced. He also revealed that Gu Jiu was part of a trap targeting Wu Du, whose death would put Ku Mu in danger.

• Ye Yu told Chen Xiao and Ruan Su Xian that the Life and Death Tribulation was a fabricated legend designed to make geniuses confront their Personality Defects instead of escaping.
• Ye Yu explained that Chen Xiao had avoided such defects through his upbringing, while Ruan Su Xian's tribulation had been resolved at the Buddha Pagoda.
• Ye Yu speculated that Bai Zhi's upbringing as a Buddha Child had left him unprepared for human emotions, and that Heng Tian's role as a king suppressed his wish to be a chivalrous hero.
• Ye Yu contrasted Heng Tian with Jun Lin, saying Jun Lin's ability to get along with others made him better suited to command.
• Ye Yu revealed that Gu Jiu was a game set by Senior Changsheng against Wu Du, and that Wu Du's death would soon endanger Ku Mu.

Ye Yu explained how Changsheng had guided Wu Du and Ku Mu toward a fatal conflict, then told Chen Xiao and Ruan Su Xian that the righteous prodigies had suffered major losses in the Mortal World Trial. Chen Xiao resolved to keep following his path, while Chen Changsheng and Ye Yongxian watched the scene and discussed their wager.

• Ye Yu told Chen Xiao and Ruan Su Xian that Changsheng had controlled the flow of intelligence and that Wu Du and Ku Mu’s conflicting goals were the flaw in the Forbidden Ground’s plan.
• Ye Yu explained that Changsheng had tried to reconcile Wu Du and Ku Mu by aligning their goals, but they had chosen a path that led to their downfall.
• Ye Yu said the righteous side had lost badly, naming the prodigies who were impaired or trapped and warning that most others had made disastrous choices during the trial.
• Ye Yu urged Chen Xiao and Ruan Su Xian to shoulder responsibility, then left; Chen Xiao recalled the saying “Mortal world kills without spilling blood” and vowed to continue even alone.
• Chen Changsheng complained that Ye Yongxian had told Ye Yu everything, and Ye Yongxian replied that lucid despair made the game more interesting before asking about seizing the Water Book.

Chen Changsheng rejected Ye Yongxian’s challenge to take control while tensions rose around the Water Book. Elsewhere, Liu Yidao agreed to aid Jun Lin only if he could kill Wang Shanhuo, but Wang Hao revealed that she embodied the goodness in Liu Yidao’s heart and that he had come to kill Liu Yidao.

• Ye Yongxian criticized Chen Changsheng’s handling of the crisis, but Chen Changsheng refused to take responsibility or interfere with the newcomers’ arrival.
• Wang Shanhuo brought Liu Yidao broken armor, and Liu Yidao concluded that the Li Yang Dynasty’s army was the source of its setbacks in the war.
• Jun Lin asked Liu Yidao for help, and Liu Yidao agreed only if Jun Lin helped him kill Wang Shanhuo; Jun Lin refused to harm her or let Liu Yidao set a trap.
• Wang Shanhuo overheard their argument and fled in tears, prompting Liu Yidao to confront Wang Hao about what he was trying to do.
• Wang Hao explained that Wang Shanhuo represented the goodness growing in Liu Yidao’s heart and that Chen Changsheng’s plan was to let it take root; Wang Hao then admitted that he had come to kill Liu Yidao.

Wang Hao explained that he had killed those he loved to strengthen his Demon Heart, then prepared to kill Liu Yidao after revealing that Liu had failed his mortal trial. A swordsman suddenly severed Wang Hao’s hand and rescued Liu Yidao and Jun Lin, declaring that he had come to kill Wang Hao.

• Wang Hao told Liu Yidao that he had deliberately destroyed his attachments to refine his Demon Heart and blamed Liu’s compassion for his failure.
• Wang Hao admitted that he had cruelly killed his Dao companion because he feared his feelings would affect his decisions.
• Liu Yidao questioned Wang Hao about Mortal World Heart Refinement, and Wang Hao explained how the mortal world could expose a Demon Cultivator’s weaknesses.
• Wang Hao suppressed Liu Yidao and reached to kill him while Jun Lin remained trapped by Wang Hao’s methods.
• A swordsman cut off Wang Hao’s right hand, giving Liu Yidao and Jun Lin a chance to escape, then announced that he had come to kill Wang Hao.

Chen Changsheng explained that Wang Hao had broken the rules by attacking the geniuses, while the Forbidden Grounds withdrew after confronting him. In the Water Realm, Chen Feng and the others defeated Wang Hao’s avatar, but Wang Hao killed Wang Shanhuo before Liu Yidao’s eyes.

• Chen Feng, Jun Lin, and Liu Yidao attacked Wang Hao, then Gui Daoran and his junior sister joined the fight.
• Chen Changsheng told Wang Hao that he had been punished for breaking the rule against attacking geniuses, and Wang Hao vanished after threatening him.
• The Desolate Ancient Forbidden Ground questioned Chen Changsheng about Chen Feng’s arrival, then left after Yin Qi blocked its strike.
• Chen Changsheng warned that everyone who followed this path would die, while Chen Xiang praised his father’s deception.
• Chen Feng and the others overwhelmed Wang Hao’s avatar, and Chen Feng vowed to kill him one day.
• Wang Hao’s avatar killed Wang Shanhuo as Liu Yidao watched.

Liu Yidao mourned Wang Shanhuo and confronted the truth about his choices during the Mortal World Trial. After realizing he had lost his way between becoming a Demon Cultivator and becoming a good person, he completed the trial and was left grieving alone.

• Wang Hao, Gui Daoran, and Chen Feng destroyed Wang Hao's clone, but Wang Shanhuo died from the clone's attack.
• Liu Yidao stood over Wang Shanhuo's blood and wondered what she had felt when she learned he planned to kill her; Chen Feng spared him and left.
• Liu Yidao asked Chen Changsheng whether he had liked Wang Shanhuo, and Chen Changsheng explained that Wang Shanhuo had cared for him because he yearned for kindness.
• Liu Yidao rejected Chen Changsheng's claim that he had never truly wanted the Demon Cultivator path, then recognized that he had lost himself trying to choose among the self, the true self, and the True Self Realm.
• Chen Changsheng confirmed that Liu Yidao had completed the Mortal World Trial, and Liu Yidao remained beside Wang Shanhuo's blood, mourning her kindness.

Chen Feng rejected Chen Changsheng’s cruel methods and vowed to help the Chang Sheng Epoch save its people, while Chen Changsheng left Liu Yidao’s fate to him. At the gateway, Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor refused to surrender the Water Book, and Zhang Bairen prepared to fight as Chen Changsheng brought Lu Mingyu forward to face him.

• Chen Feng told Chen Changsheng he would help the Chang Sheng Epoch save its people and one day stop him from harming others.
• Chen Changsheng left Liu Yidao’s life in Chen Feng’s hands, and Chen Feng reflected on Liu Yidao’s resilience and refusal to kill Wang Shanhuo.
• Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor said the Water Book could only be revealed with the bloodline of a Water Tribe member and challenged the gathered cultivators to take it from him.
• Zhang Bairen declared he would deal with Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor and the other challengers, then revealed Wang Hao from an exploded mountain.
• Wang Hao called on Chen Changsheng to join the contest, and Chen Changsheng summoned Bai Ze before offering his disciple Lu Mingyu to fight Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor.

Lu Mingyu fought the Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor while Wang Hao and Zhang Bairen began their own battle, and the Emperor acknowledged Lu Mingyu’s strength and offered him the Water Book. Lu Mingyu emerged from the rubble and insisted their fight was not over.

• Lu Mingyu rebuked the Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor for speaking about Chen Changsheng’s First Senior Brother, then struck him and fought him in the sky.
• Wang Hao asked Zhang Bairen to compare Lu Mingyu to the Desolate Heaven Emperor, and Zhang Bairen described Lu Mingyu’s flawless Bitter Sea cultivation and hinted at a secret in Chen Changsheng’s lineage.
• Wang Hao and Zhang Bairen agreed to spar, then exchanged attacks as Wang Hao’s Blood Sea surrounded Zhang Bairen.
• The Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor recalled his exchanges with Lu Mingyu, praised him for enduring over a thousand attacks, and offered him the Water Book.
• Lu Mingyu burst from the shattered rocks and told the Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor their fight was not over.

Lu Mingyu withstood Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor’s strongest attacks and began counterattacking in kind. At the Borderlands, Ye Yu revealed Chen Feng’s legendary reputation, and Chen Feng explained why he had sealed his cultivation to journey alongside the Chang Sheng Epoch’s geniuses; Ruan Su Xian then pointed him toward Chen Xiao.

• Lu Mingyu survived Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor’s attacks, healed his wound, and returned the Origin Emperor Weapon.
• Lu Mingyu copied Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor’s giant wave and declared that he would strike back one thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine times.
• Ye Yu told Ruan Su Xian that Senior Changsheng had praised Chen Feng’s swordsmanship as standing shoulder to shoulder with the Sword God.
• Chen Feng told Ruan Su Xian that he had severed and sealed his cultivation so he could advance alongside the Chang Sheng Epoch’s geniuses.
• Ruan Su Xian praised Chen Feng’s ambition and stepped aside as Chen Xiao’s gaze met Chen Feng’s.

Chen Feng joined Jun Lin and the other righteous prodigies, prompting the Child of the Forbidden Ground's camp to plan attacks on their allies. Meanwhile, Wu Du took control of Ku Mu's body and visited Gu Jiu, leaving the conflict poised to escalate.

• Chen Xiao welcomed Chen Feng to the Chang Sheng Epoch, and Chen Feng said Lu Mingyu was helping his teacher inside the gateway.
• Jun Lin and the others agreed to strike the Child of the Forbidden Ground before the Book of Wonders Competition ended.
• Ku Mu proposed killing Heng Tian and possibly Bai Zhi to keep the righteous prodigies from gaining the advantage, and Ling Dao ordered the group to prepare.
• Wu Du took control of Ku Mu's body for two days and went to visit Gu Jiu with flowers.
• Gu Jiu refused to explain how she distinguished Wu Du from Ku Mu, then ran from Wu Du as he chased her around the courtyard.

Gu Jiu asked Wu Du to keep Ku Mu alive as their group prepared to leave the world. At the gateway, Chen Changsheng gave up the Water Book and led the Forbidden Ground experts toward the exit, while Qin Liu remained frustrated by Heng Tian’s attempts to help him.

• Gu Jiu asked Wu Du to protect Ku Mu at a critical moment, and Wu Du agreed to keep him alive.
• Heng Tian tried to resolve Qin Liu’s lingering heartbreak over Murong Xing Shuang, but Qin Liu said he had volunteered for a likely fatal scouting mission.
• Lu Mingyu stopped fighting the Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor and offered to persuade his master to abandon the Water Book if the Heavenly Emperor helped suppress the darkness.
• Chen Changsheng gave the Water Cloud Heavenly Emperor the Wooden Sculpture and warned him that his method of taking the Water Book was incomplete.
• Chen Changsheng led the Forbidden Ground experts toward the exit, and Zhang Bairen withdrew after his fight with Wang Hao ended.