Chapter Summaries

As news spread that Chen Changsheng was gravely wounded, his allies realized his condition was worse than usual and gathered at his hidden location. Lu Mingyu revealed that Chen Changsheng’s Chang Sheng Dao Fruit had been destroyed and his Path to Longevity severed, leaving his followers to face the possibility that he was dying.

• Wang Hao emerged from the Blood Sea and told Zhang Zhen to prepare the Nether River Forbidden Ground for evacuation, though they decided to test the Four Heavenly Emperors’ response first.
• After completing their divination, Yin Qi, Chen Xiang, and Su You learned that Chen Changsheng was gravely wounded and that the Heavens Forbidden Ground had issued a Kill Order against them.
• Yin Qi and the others reached the hidden place, where Lu Mingyu said Chen Changsheng’s Chang Sheng Dao Fruit had been destroyed and his body was rapidly decaying.
• Chen Xiang refused to accept the news and vowed to find or repair a Chang Sheng Dao Fruit, but Zhang Bairen stopped him from rushing to attack the Heavens Forbidden Ground.
• Zhang Bairen concluded that Chen Changsheng had chosen Heavenly Silk Transformation because he had exhausted his other options, suggesting his Chang Sheng Dao Fruit was truly gone.

Lu Mingyu guarded Chen Changsheng and learned from Zhang Bairen that Nalan Zi Ping and Ge Hong posed the greatest threats to the secret of the Chang Sheng Dao Fruit. As the Golden Age Gathering continued, Chen Feng arrived with Jiang Shan, a youth found inside a Divine Source Mine who had lost his memories.

• Zhang Bairen calmed Yin Qi and the others, warning them that news of the Chang Sheng Dao Fruit could endanger the Undertaker lineage.
• Lu Mingyu told Zhang Bairen that he wanted only to save Chen Changsheng and protect his teacher’s secret, not claim the inheritance.
• Zhang Bairen warned Lu Mingyu to beware Nalan Zi Ping and Ge Hong, then left him to guard Chen Changsheng’s giant cocoon.
• Lu Mingyu wondered whether Chen Changsheng was faking his death and said Bai Ze’s survival or death would reveal whether the scheme was real.
• Half a month later, Chen Feng brought Jiang Shan to Lu Mingyu, explaining that they had found him inside a top-grade Divine Source Mine with no memories and a Memory Crystal as their only clue.

Jiang Shan used the Golden Silkworm Gu to help Lu Mingyu’s Teacher complete the Heavenly Silk Transformation and explained why he had reincarnated as Jiang Shan. He revealed that Nalan Zi Ping had infiltrated the Heavenly Court and that Ma Ling’er had allied with him, leaving Lu Mingyu to consider the danger Nalan posed.

• Jiang Shan restored Jian Fei’s memories and began using the Golden Silkworm Gu and his power to help the cocooned Teacher complete the Heavenly Silk Transformation, while Lu Mingyu watched and Chen Feng guarded the room.
• Jiang Shan explained that Jian Fei had reincarnated as Jiang Shan so he could protect Teacher wholeheartedly, even at the cost of becoming a willing Chess Piece.
• Jiang Shan told Lu Mingyu that people in the Chang Sheng Epoch had conspired with Nalan Zi Ping, prompting Jian Fei to leave and Lu Mingyu to depart as well.
• Jiang Shan confirmed that Nalan Zi Ping had infiltrated the Heavenly Court and that Ma Ling’er had secretly allied with him.
• Jiang Shan said Nalan Zi Ping was waiting for a chance to inherit Teacher’s legacy, such as Teacher taking his own life or being gravely wounded.

Jiang Shan explained to Lu Mingyu why Nalan Zi Ping could not be attacked and revealed how he had hidden his memories and returned to the Chang Sheng Epoch. In the Water Realm, Gu Jiu rejected “Ku Mu’s” offer to become Wu Du and asked him to let her die.

• Jiang Shan told Lu Mingyu that Nalan Zi Ping’s ties to Teacher made him impossible to kill, and confirmed that this had contributed to Yin Qi and the others opposing Teacher.
• Jiang Shan explained that the Chang Sheng Epoch’s purgatory lay in its complicated human hearts, then said the Golden Silkworm Gu’s transformation would finish after Teacher was reborn.
• Jiang Shan revealed that he had hidden his memories in the Memory Crystal and used the Divine Source to preserve his body and evade detection.
• Before his memory disappeared, Jiang Shan asked Lu Mingyu to help the future disciple Jiang Shan if needed, and Lu Mingyu agreed.
• In damaged Chang'an City, “Ku Mu” offered to protect Gu Jiu and said he could be Wu Du, but Gu Jiu insisted he could never become Wu Du and asked him to kill her instead.

After recovering from the Heavenly Silk Transformation, Chen Changsheng ordered the Black Triangle to place bounties on those who had hunted young prodigies and threatened the Heavens Forbidden Ground. Nalan Zi Ping watched the forbidden ground in silence and prepared to retaliate for its attack on his father and its ten-day kill order against the Undertaker lineage.

• Gu Jiu told Ku Mu that she had urged Wu Du to save him so Wu Du would survive, then explained that Wu Du had planned to leave their shared body with her after the Mortal World Trial.
• Chen Changsheng emerged from his cocoon, recovered his cultivation enough to open a Sea of Bitterness, and confirmed that the Heavenly Silk Transformation had left his original appearance intact.
• After learning he had been unconscious for seven months and ten days, Chen Changsheng ordered Lu Mingyu to place the hidden hunters on ranked bounty lists and appointed Jiang Shan as his attendant.
• Chen Changsheng dismissed Chen Feng, then traveled with Lu Mingyu and Jiang Shan to the Heavens Forbidden Ground and vowed to kill one of its people for every person who came out.
• Nalan Zi Ping drank tea near the Heavens Forbidden Ground and said he would retaliate after finishing his pot, citing its attack on his father and its order to wipe out the Undertaker lineage.

Nalan Zi Ping condemned Heavens Forbidden Ground for its Kill Order against the Undertaker lineage, while Chen Changsheng explained his plans to Lu Mingyu and arranged to transfer control of the Phantom Shadow Legion to him. At Nether River Forbidden Ground, Wang Hao struggled to understand Chen Changsheng’s moves and suspected that something serious had happened to him.

• Nalan Zi Ping told Heavens Forbidden Ground that its Kill Order against the Undertaker lineage would bring further retaliation.
• Chen Changsheng told Lu Mingyu that he had falsely claimed the Chang Sheng Dao Fruit was destroyed to free old friends trapped in the whirlpool of time, and asked him to watch the fence-sitters.
• A Phantom agent reported that Heavens Forbidden Ground’s attacks on Chen Changsheng’s allies had been repelled, and Chen Changsheng ordered the Phantom Shadow Legion’s control gradually handed to Lu Mingyu.
• Chen Changsheng ordered Heavens Forbidden Ground completely sealed off and revealed that he had set a trap for clever opponents.
• Wang Hao questioned why his side had been allowed to withdraw and argued that the calm reactions of Chen Xiao and Yin Qi suggested something serious had happened to Chen Changsheng.

Wang Hao and Zhang Zhen questioned Chen Changsheng’s unusually ordinary response to the Heavens Forbidden Ground incident and suspected he had another scheme. At Black Triangle, Chen Changsheng revealed to Jiang Shan that his apparent loss was part of a grand play called “Fool Overcomes Expert,” then set out with him to handle what came next.

• Wang Hao argued that Chen Changsheng’s ordinary retaliation over Heavens Forbidden Ground was more suspicious than an accident, and wondered who the scheme targeted.
• Zhang Zhen left Wang Hao to puzzle over Chen Changsheng’s plans alone.
• Chen Changsheng questioned Jiang Shan about his memories and ambition, then explained that gaining power would not necessarily let him control his fate.
• Jiang Shan said Chen Changsheng did not seem sad enough to have lost something precious, and Chen Changsheng laughed at his answer.
• Chen Changsheng told Jiang Shan that “Fool Overcomes Expert” was a grand play he had prepared, then took him out to handle the matters ahead.

Ye Feng revealed that the Qian Family of the Autumn Water World was doomed and gave Jun Lin, Liu Yidao, and Chen Xiao a chance to claim the bounty before he carried out his own purge. After they left for the Qian Family headquarters, Ye Feng received orders to help Baili Changkong with another mission against a powerful force.

• Jun Lin, Liu Yidao, and Chen Xiao discussed the wanted notice and the risks of attacking the Qian Family.
• Ye Feng introduced himself as the prodigy from the Four Directions Continent over two hundred thousand years ago and assured them no outsiders more than one major realm above them would interfere.
• Ye Feng said the entire Qian Family would be wiped out, but he would let the trio claim the bounty first; Liu Yidao headed for the family headquarters.
• Jun Lin left after recognizing that the Qian Family's destruction was an unavoidable sacrifice in the Cultivation World.
• Ye Feng told his contact that Jun Lin seemed to have accepted the situation, then received orders to aid Baili Changkong against a first-rate force with several Immortal King Eighth Grade experts.

Jun Lin and Liu Yidao explained to Chen Xiao how Grandfather Changsheng’s strategic-depth defenses made assassinations and direct attacks dangerous. Liu Yidao described how a sect’s Enforcement Team had overwhelmed him, leaving Chen Xiao with the challenge of facing such defenses.

• Jun Lin reported that Golden Mountain Silver Sea City had more than thirty Title Immortal Venerables, at least four Immortal Kings, and a powerful Grand Formation.
• Liu Yidao warned that even if they breached the formation and killed someone, the Qian Family’s nearby forces and Enforcement Team could trap them.
• Liu Yidao and Jun Lin explained that Grandfather Changsheng’s strategic depth spread forces across many strongholds, while the Qilin Communicator let them coordinate rapidly.
• Liu Yidao said he had abandoned the idea of a frontal assault after a mysterious attacker robbed and seriously injured him.
• Liu Yidao recounted how a second-rate sect’s 180-member Enforcement Team, which included cultivators of vastly different ranks, had confronted him.

Liu Yidao explained how Senior Changsheng created Enforcement Teams to counter prodigies, and Jun Lin learned from Yin Qi how powerful and extensively graded they were. Jun Lin concluded that the challenge before them was another test from Grandfather Changsheng and asked whether they could solve it.

• Liu Yidao told Chen Xiao and Jun Lin that an Enforcement Team had chased him for over eight thousand li and explained how its equipment had restrained him.
• Liu Yidao said Senior Changsheng had established and sold the Enforcement Team training method to deal with prodigies causing trouble in Sky Abyss City.
• Jun Lin contacted Yin Qi, who explained the Enforcement Teams’ grades and said Jun Lin could handle at most a Grade B Middle squad.
• Yin Qi revealed that the Great Shang Dynasty had Grade A Middle Enforcement Teams, while Grade A Upper teams were designed to face opponents on the level of the Desolate Heaven Emperor Wu Li after he entered the Heavenly Emperor Realm.
• Yin Qi advised Jun Lin to use tactics rather than rely blindly on cultivation when facing Enforcement Teams, and Jun Lin asked whether the group could solve Grandfather Changsheng’s apparent test.

Jun Lin took command of the operation after Chen Xiao and Liu Yidao admitted they lacked skill in battle formations. In the Rain Realm, Chen Changsheng brought Jiang Shan to the Blood Stream Sect to demonstrate how he used authority, leaving Jiang Shan questioning which path he should follow.

• Liu Yidao and Chen Xiao said they could not command the battle formations, so Jun Lin took charge of the operation.
• Chen Changsheng invited Jiang Shan into a rain shelter and explained that he had come to show him how authority could make the Rain Realm's foremost family disappear.
• Chen Changsheng and Jiang Shan entered Death Valley, where Jiang Shan blocked a concealed arrow aimed at Chen Changsheng.
• Chen Changsheng identified the valley as the Blood Stream Sect's lair and said he would give its oldest and strongest member a quarter of an hour to meet him.
• Chen Changsheng warned Jiang Shan against authority, then rebuked him for judging the world too narrowly.
• Jiang Shan asked Chen Changsheng which path he should take after his experiences had made him see the world as harsh.

Chen Changsheng explained why Jiang Shan was driven by an obsession with power and encouraged him to learn without becoming a slave to prejudice. He resolved to help Jiang Shan move beyond his past suffering, drawing on how he and Nian Sheng had escaped their own obsessions.

• Chen Changsheng told Jiang Shan he would teach him but warned him not to let prejudice and the pursuit of power control his life.
• Chen Changsheng sent Jiang Shan to pick peaches and asked the system whether Jiang Shan's obsession could change; the system said it probably could.
• Chen Changsheng reflected that Jian Fei's past-life obsession and Jiang Shan's own experiences could make his future bitter, and he hoped to preserve a pure land within Jiang Shan's heart.
• The system challenged Chen Changsheng to explain how he would untie Jiang Shan's obsession, and Chen Changsheng said time and new experiences could help him forget the past and let go after taking revenge.
• Chen Changsheng and the system connected his approach to Nian Sheng's obsession and acknowledged that he had finally walked out of his own.

Wu Yu confronted Su Bao at the Su family after learning he had helped hunt her, while Chen Changsheng revealed evidence of Su Bao’s collusion with the Forbidden Ground. Wu Yu and Su Bao flew off to fight, and Chen Changsheng ordered the Blood Stream Sect to attack the Su family, leaving the fate of its cultivators uncertain.

• Su Bao learned that a thief had returned to attack the Su family and recalled joining the Forbidden Ground before being ordered to assassinate an injured prodigy.
• Wu Yu attacked the Su family’s Grand Formation and demanded Su Bao’s head, then warned the Grand Elder that he would die if they continued fighting.
• Su Bao appeared and claimed the bounty notices were meant to make people fight one another, but Wu Yu asked whether he had hunted her.
• Chen Changsheng arrived with evidence of Su Bao’s collusion with the Forbidden Ground and arranged for Wu Yu to fight Su Bao one-on-one.
• Wu Yu accused Chen Changsheng of also hunting her, then flew into the sky with Su Bao to continue their fight.
• Chen Changsheng ordered the Blood Stream Sect Leader to attack the Su family and leave no cultivators alive.

The prodigies cornered the disguised Jun Lin and discovered he was Heretical Buddha Cong Xin, the unknown attacker who had hunted them. At the Epoch Boundary, the White-Clad Woman arrived and asked after Chen Changsheng, leaving Cui Hao Yu stunned by her presence.

• Chen Changsheng told the Blood Stream Sect Leader to ensure there were no witnesses or informed parties, and the Sect Leader hurried off to carry out his orders.
• Heng Tian confronted Jun Lin, then Ye Yu, Long Ji, Bie Chen, Ling Dao, Yuan Yi, Bai Zhi, and Ruan Su Xian joined him to surround the fugitive.
• Jun Lin removed his Human Skin Mask and revealed himself as Heretical Buddha Cong Xin, the Madman who had been attacking the prodigies.
• At the Epoch Boundary, Bai Ze told Cui Hao Yu they were waiting for the Hundred Defeats Immortal and warned him not to ask about or remember what followed.
• The White-Clad Woman emerged from a tear in space, greeted Bai Ze, and asked where Chen Changsheng was.
• The White-Clad Woman assessed Cui Hao Yu's swordsmanship, while Bai Ze explained who he was, and Cui Hao Yu realized why Bai Ze had been so formal.

A frail man returned to the Chang Sheng Epoch, reunited with his former disciple Zhang Bairen, and promised Bai Ze that his kind would return. Meanwhile, eight prodigies battled Heretical Buddha Follow the Heart, with Bai Zhi preparing to counter his Soul-Reaping Brahma Sound.

• A frail man emerged from a Spatial Rift and told Bai Ze that his clan would soon return.
• Zhang Bairen reunited with his master, discussed their past conflict, and offered to show him the Chang Sheng Epoch before taking him to meet Chen Changsheng.
• Follow the Heart's Soul-Reaping Brahma Sound made seven of the eight prodigies bleed, but they pressed their attack.
• Ruan Su Xian summoned a golden-armored war god, while Long Ji and Bie Chen struck Follow the Heart and learned that his cultivation was partly sealed.
• Bai Zhi revealed his four-zhang Golden Body and said the prodigies needed the Vajra Lion's Roar to break Follow the Heart's Soul-Reaping Brahma Sound.

Wu Yu trapped Su Bao in the Acquired Bagua and condemned him for colluding with the Forbidden Ground, while Su Bao admitted that he and others had gambled on Black Triangle’s bounty and underestimated Undertaker. At the Su family, Chen Changsheng explained to Jiang Shan why he had chosen to eliminate the family rather than spend scarce resources monitoring its members.

• Follow the Heart challenged his junior disciple’s Vajra Lion’s Roar with Soul-Reaping Brahma Sound as the remaining seven prodigies attacked him.
• Wu Yu trapped Su Bao in the Acquired Bagua and rejected his plea that he had acted under orders.
• Wu Yu accused Su Bao of colluding with the Forbidden Ground and disguising greed as kindness, and Su Bao admitted the group had gambled that Black Triangle would pressure Undertaker to pay the bounty.
• Su Bao recognized that Undertaker had answered their dishonorable methods with dishonorable killings, while Wu Yu said he should have expected the consequences.
• At the Su family, Jiang Shan questioned Chen Changsheng about the slaughter, and Chen Changsheng explained that he lacked the resources to monitor the family or risk leaving survivors who might retaliate.

Chen Changsheng explained to Jiang Shan how choices, desires, and circumstances shaped fate, and urged him to resist becoming bound by obsession. He revealed that the Sword God and the Supreme Sage had turned back from mastering fate to protect him, while he himself would keep struggling against it.

• Chen Changsheng told Jiang Shan that his future remained uncertain and that people could take control of their fate by resisting their circumstances, personalities, and obsessions.
• Chen Changsheng used Su Bao's fall to explain how growing desires and attachments made it harder to resist the Forbidden Ground's temptation.
• Chen Changsheng named the Sword God and the Supreme Sage as people who had broken free from their own limitations but turned back to protect him.
• Jiang Shan compared Chen Changsheng and his old friends to people on a seesaw, and Chen Changsheng urged him to preserve his youthful resolve and choose his own path.
• Chen Changsheng said he was bound by his choice to remain in the mortal world, but vowed to struggle against fate until death.

Chen Changsheng intervened in the battle between the eight prodigies and Follow the Heart, then confronted the returning Hundred Defeats Immortal. He left with the Hundred Defeats Immortal to discuss matters while Nian Sheng and Zhang Bairen considered the threats gathering around him.

• Chen Changsheng ordered Jiang Shan to let the Heavenly Court purge the Demonic Path remnants after the Su family massacre, then departed.
• Heng Tian, Ruan Su Xian, and the other prodigies fought Follow the Heart for a month without defeating him.
• The Hundred Defeats Immortal attacked the battlefield, but Chen Changsheng and Nian Sheng blocked his punch, and the Children of the Forbidden Ground fled.
• Chen Changsheng dismissed Heng Tian and the other prodigies, then exchanged hostile words with the Hundred Defeats Immortal before Zhang Bairen mediated.
• Chen Changsheng invited the Hundred Defeats Immortal away for a private discussion, while Nian Sheng warned that she would kill anyone who harmed Chen Changsheng.
• Zhang Bairen asked whether they could hold back the Giant Hand as trouble loomed for Chen Changsheng.

Zhang Bairen urged Nian Sheng to stop protecting Chen Changsheng so that his enemies would lower their guard, while Chen Changsheng confronted the Hundred Defeats Immortal over the Giant Hand’s return. Chen Changsheng claimed the emerging Bitter Sea Emperor Realm System was his new trump card, leaving the Hundred Defeats Immortal solemn and skeptical.

• Zhang Bairen told Nian Sheng that Chen Changsheng was best suited to wield power and advised her to stop interfering in his affairs for a while.
• Chen Changsheng welcomed the Hundred Defeats Immortal with tea, and the Immortal praised his mastery of the inheritance and fist techniques.
• Chen Changsheng rejected the Giant Hand’s return without a Proof of Allegiance and warned that he had ways to make their lives difficult.
• The Hundred Defeats Immortal dismissed Chen Changsheng’s known forces as insufficient to stop the Giant Hand, but Chen Changsheng said he had another trump card.
• Chen Changsheng revealed that the Bitter Sea Emperor Realm System was about to emerge as a new path into the Emperor Realm, and the Hundred Defeats Immortal questioned whether it was credible.

Chen Changsheng questioned Hundred Defeats Immortal, learned about his ties to the Giant Hand and Ge Hong, and revealed his plan to use Hundred Defeats Immortal’s return to provoke a war against the Forbidden Grounds. They agreed to act immediately, with Hundred Defeats Immortal preparing for their unfinished duel at Heavens Forbidden Ground.

• Hundred Defeats Immortal said he had returned on his own behalf, intended to settle old matters, and would kill Chen Changsheng if he was unimpressed by his changes.
• Hundred Defeats Immortal warned Chen Changsheng that Ge Hong had survived battles to the death against many powerful opponents.
• Chen Changsheng explained that he planned to use the Giant Hand to eradicate a Top Forbidden Ground and threatened to unleash the Four Calamities and God-Slaying Weapon if they refused.
• Chen Changsheng asked Hundred Defeats Immortal to die for all living things by fighting at Heavens Forbidden Ground, and Hundred Defeats Immortal agreed.
• Chen Changsheng said they would act immediately, ending the Golden Age Gathering’s three-thousand-year deadline early.
• Hundred Defeats Immortal gave Chen Changsheng a Jade Slip containing his life’s knowledge and asked him to find a suitable successor.