Chapter Summaries

Ning Chen defeated the gatekeepers of the third through sixth gates of the Seven Paths of Demonic Heaven, revealing his Time Restriction and overcoming their Mortal Realm techniques. He reached the entrance to the seventh gate, where the sixth gatekeeper warned him that its guardian was a true King Realm expert.

• Ning Chen battled the third gatekeeper with the Red Serpent Sword and defeated him after using Sword Snow Three Thousand Miles and the Time Restriction.
• The third gatekeeper asked why Ning Chen had suddenly become faster, and Ning Chen replied that his opponent had become slower before entering the fourth gate.
• The Three Demonic Emperors and the kings recognized Ning Chen's Time Restriction, and the Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor predicted that the next three gates would struggle to stop him.
• Ning Chen swiftly defeated the gatekeepers of the fourth, fifth, and sixth gates by using Sword's Extreme Realm and his two divine restrictions.
• The sixth gatekeeper warned Ning Chen that the seventh gatekeeper was a true King Realm expert and told him not to be deceived by her outward appearance.

Ning Chen defeated the Desire King in the seventh trial, though she unexpectedly admitted defeat before the fight was settled. After he passed, Demonic Emperor Kunyi invested him as the Heavenly Demon Clan’s thirteenth Imperial Prince, leaving Ning Chen wondering what Kunyi intended.

• Ning Chen entered the seventh trial and faced the Desire King, who attacked him with her King’s domain and rosy mist.
• Ning Chen countered the Desire King with the Moon Demon Divine Artifact, the Great Sword Realm, and his powerful palm strikes, suppressing her in battle.
• The Desire King admitted defeat and opened the exit, asking Ning Chen to convey her greetings to the Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor.
• Ning Chen returned to Kunyi Imperial Hall, greeted the Three Demonic Emperors, and received praise for passing the trials in less than three days.
• Demonic Emperor Kunyi proclaimed Ning Chen the Heavenly Demon Clan’s thirteenth Imperial Prince despite protests from the Seven Luminaries Demonic Emperor and the assembled royal clansmen.
• Ning Chen accepted the decree and wondered what Demonic Emperor Kunyi was plotting.

Ning Chen was invested as the Heavenly Demon Clan’s Thirteenth Prince and received an invitation to learn the Nine Transformations of the Heavenly Demon. As the hundred races reacted to his new status and Wan'er prepared to marry him, Xuan Yu told the Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor that she wanted Ning Chen.

• The Demonic Emperor Kunyi overruled the kings and the Seven Luminaries Demonic Emperor, gave Ning Chen the Heavenly Demon Token, and ordered him to come to the ancestral land in three days to learn the Nine Transformations of the Heavenly Demon.
• The Nine Nether King refused the Three Demonic Emperors’ hopes that he would return to worldly affairs, while Demonic Emperor Kunyi said Ning Chen’s place in the clan would keep him from truly leaving.
• Secret reports about Ning Chen’s investiture spread through the hundred races, prompting the fox race to send the news to Wan'er and prepare her marriage; Xiaoxiao worried that Ning Chen might make her sister suffer.
• Xuan Qing told Ning Chen that the guardian of the seventh trial was Xuan Yu, the Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor’s daughter, and explained the Nine Transformations and the upcoming ten days of cultivation in the ancestral land.
• The Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor visited Xuan Yu at the seventh trial, and she told him she wanted Ning Chen, now her imperial brother.

Ning Chen endured the Bloodfall while learning the Nine Transformations of the Heavenly Demon, but his breakthrough stalled as Xuan Yu approached him under cover of a plan backed by Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor. The chapter left Ning Chen unaware of Xuan Yu’s intentions, while his Phoenix Body sensed trouble from afar.

• Demonic Emperor Kunyi summoned a Floating City and demonstrated the first eight transformations of the Nine Transformations of the Heavenly Demon for Ning Chen.
• Ning Chen cultivated beneath the Bloodfall for seven days, reached the peak of the fifth transformation, and repeatedly failed to enter the sixth.
• Xuan Yu filled the area around the blood pool with pink mist, while Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor admitted he had helped her despite Kunyi’s objections.
• The Phoenix Body sensed that the main body and demon body had encountered trouble, but continued praying in the Moon Worshipper Ancient Land.
• Xuan Yu approached Ning Chen beneath the Bloodfall, caressed his face, and told him she had chosen him as her man.

Ning Chen fought Xuan Yu while desire poison eroded his control, and the Demonic Emperors watched without intervening. As Xuan Jiuyou clashed with the Three Demonic Emperors to reach his disciple, Ning Chen unleashed Eternal Exile and began burying himself in a spatial storm.

• Xuan Yu poisoned Ning Chen and tried to subdue him, but he fought back with his divine artifact and demonic techniques.
• Ning Chen’s desire poison repeatedly disrupted his attacks, though he kept pressing Xuan Yu and nearly overwhelmed her.
• Seven Luminaries Demonic Emperor, Demonic Emperor Kunyi, and Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor watched the battle and argued over Xuan Yu’s scheme.
• The Nine Nether King sensed Ning Chen’s danger and rushed to Floating City, where Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor blocked him and the two fought.
• Xuan Jiuyou arrived and confronted the Three Demonic Emperors, then burned his blood and qi when Kunyi refused to let him reach Ning Chen.
• As the poison consumed his remaining reason, Ning Chen unleashed Eternal Exile and was swallowed by a spatial storm.

After Ning Chen was swept away from the Floating City, he fell unconscious near the Qingqiu Secret Realm, where Wan'er found him and used her royal fox blood to drive out his desire poison. Her sacrifice revealed that she had secretly awakened as a second Heavenly Maiden, leaving her unconscious and gravely weakened.

• The Nine Nether King, the Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor, the Demonic Emperor Kunyi, and the Seven Luminaries Demonic Emperor fought until a disturbance at the Floating City drew the Nine Nether King and Eight Desolations away.
• Ning Chen and Xuan Yu were caught in a spatial storm, and half a month later Ning Chen fell into a stream in an unknown place while Xuan Yu pursued him through the void.
• Xiaoxiao and Wan'er investigated the spatial disturbance, found the unconscious Ning Chen, and carried him back to the Qingqiu Secret Realm.
• Wan'er recognized Ning Chen's severe desire poisoning and used her blood to treat him, despite Xiaoxiao warning that the sacrifice would destroy her foundation.
• Wan'er revealed nine fox tails as her royal blood merged with Ning Chen's Heavenly Demon royal blood and expelled the poison, while the King of the Fox Race learned that Wan'er had awakened as a Heavenly Maiden ten years earlier.
• After four of her nine tails vanished and she had lost half her royal blood, Wan'er fainted, and Xiaoxiao caught her.

Wan'er awakened after saving Ning Chen, while the Fox Race elders debated whether to marry her to him as part of an alliance with the Heavenly Demon Royal Clan. Ning Chen survived his tribulation and rejected the match because he still mourned his deceased wife, but Wan'er insisted the alliance was necessary to protect her people.

• Wan'er's nine tails faded as her blood vitality ran low, and Xiaoxiao carried her to rest while the Fox King went to consult the elders.
• The Fox Race elders argued over whether Wan'er's marriage to Ning Chen should proceed, weighing the Heavenly Maiden's damaged foundation against the protection an alliance could bring.
• Ning Chen's demonic blood devoured Wan'er's blood, triggering his Mortal Immortal tribulation, which he defeated with a single strike of the King of Sickness Divine Sword.
• Ning Chen restored Wan'er's vitality with the Scroll of Life and stayed beside her until she awoke that night.
• Wan'er told Ning Chen that the Fox Race had chosen them for a marriage alliance, and Ning Chen said he could not accept because his deceased wife still occupied his heart.
• Wan'er explained that she had proposed the match to protect the Fox Race from the hundred races while her sister's Heavenly Maiden status became known.

Ning Chen left Qingqiu with the Nine Nether King and returned to the Three Imperial Cities, where the princes considered how to approach him. The Nine Nether King then told Ning Chen that the Fox King wanted him to marry Wan'er, and asked for his opinion.

• The Nine Nether King arrived in Qingqiu to bring Ning Chen back, and Wan'er warned Ning Chen to be careful when he returned to the Heavenly Demon Clan.
• The Fox King asked the Nine Nether King to consider a marriage between Ning Chen and Wan'er, then ordered wedding garments prepared for her.
• Ning Chen returned to the Nine Nether King's Estate, drawing the attention of the imperial princes; Xuan Ling and Xuan Qing moved to win him over, while Xuan Zhen said his sister Xuan Yu's actions made an alliance unlikely.
• The Nine Nether King learned Ning Chen had reached the sixth heaven of the Nine Transformations of the Heavenly Demon and told him the Fox King wanted him to marry Wan'er.

Ning Chen discussed a possible marriage alliance with the Nine Nether King, who left the decision to him and promised to protect him from the Third Prince. Xuan Qing then offered Ning Chen an alliance in the royal clan, but Ning Chen declined and asked him not to press the matter.

• Ning Chen asked for several days to consider marrying Wan'er, and the Nine Nether King advised him that the alliance could repay the fox clan and keep rivals from placing their people in the estate.
• The Nine Nether King told Ning Chen to handle affairs below the Third Prince as he saw fit and promised to bear responsibility if Ning Chen acted against Xuan Qing.
• Xuan Qing visited Ning Chen, exchanged courtesies with him, and discussed the human race's cultivation and the Heavenly Demon Clan's strength.
• Xuan Qing offered to help Ning Chen secure his position in the Heavenly Demon Royal Clan in exchange for an alliance.
• Ning Chen said he had no interest in the power struggle and asked Xuan Qing not to make things difficult for him.

Ning Chen received visits from Xuan Qing, Xuan Ling, and the Ninth Prince, who each tried to win his favor with gifts while seeking influence over the Nine Nether King's Estate. After learning that the Phoenix Secret Art was likely held by the Heavenly Demon Royal Clan, Ning Chen assessed the princes’ intentions and left the political contest unresolved.

• Xuan Qing offered Ning Chen a Blood Dragon Fruit and left after Ning Chen refused to join the struggle for imperial power.
• The Nine Nether King placed the estate under Ning Chen’s command while preparing to attempt the Imperial Dao Realm.
• Xuan Ling and the Ninth Prince visited Ning Chen, and the Ninth Prince offered to send maids while Xuan Ling gave him a Venerable King Pill.
• Ning Chen asked Xuan Ling about countering the Sky Peng Clan’s speed, but Xuan Ling claimed only absolute power could suppress it.
• After leaving the estate, Xuan Ling told the Ninth Prince that Phoenix Speed surpassed the Sky Peng Clan’s speed and that the Phoenix Secret Art was taboo to discuss.
• Ning Chen concluded that the Ninth Prince lacked judgment and suspected the Phoenix Secret Art was within the Heavenly Demon Royal Clan.

After days of receiving royal nobles, Ning Chen visited Xuan Mo at home, insisting he only wanted a companion to drink with and had no interest in recruiting supporters. Xuan Mo accepted his explanation and revealed his hidden store of marching wine, leaving the two ready to drink together.

• Ning Chen ordered Shi Yu to discard the tea sets used by visiting nobles and asked Shi Qing to prepare two jars of wine.
• Ning Chen went to the imperial city gates and invited Xuan Mo to drink, then followed him to his home.
• Ning Chen greeted Xuan Mo’s wife and explained that he had come because he was tired of tribute tea and wanted wine.
• Xuan Mo warned Ning Chen that he wanted no part in royal struggles, but Ning Chen said he had no need to gather supporters.
• Xuan Mo revealed jars of strong marching wine hidden beneath a table, and Ning Chen was pleased with the exchange.

Ning Chen drank with Xuan Mo, reflected on his past and the coming war, and warned that he would not show mercy if they met on the battlefield. As Ning Chen left, an assassin attacked him, and he shattered the incoming strike with his demonic sword.

• Ning Chen and Xuan Mo shared Marching Wine, and Xuan Mo reconsidered his suspicions about the Nine Nether King's disciple.
• Ning Chen recited a lament about a general's wasted life and reflected on his past battles, lost years, and second life.
• Xuan Mo warned Ning Chen to avoid the imperial succession struggle, but Ning Chen explained that the princes' rivalry could not leave him untouched.
• Xuan Mo drank himself into a stupor, and Ning Chen thanked Xuan Mo's wife before leaving the courtyard.
• A black moon veiled the sky, and an attacker sent a cold gleam at Ning Chen.
• Ning Chen drew his demonic sword and shattered the attack with one strike.

Ning Chen defeated a group of assassins sent against him and suspected Shi Yu and Shi Qing of spying for the Ninth Prince. As the princes maneuvered against one another, Xuan Zhen prepared to move against Ning Chen, who welcomed the rising turmoil in the Three Imperial Cities and resolved to step onto the stage.

• Ning Chen killed ten black-clad assassins and drove off their hidden leader, warning them to tell their master to send stronger fighters or leave him alone.
• Ning Chen returned to the Nine Nether King's Estate and suspected Shi Yu and Shi Qing because his whereabouts had been exposed; the two women admitted they were bound to obey the Ninth Prince but did not want Ning Chen harmed.
• The Ninth Prince learned that his eleven deathsworn had failed and killed the surviving messenger to keep the attack secret.
• Xuan Zhen and the Fifth Prince learned that someone had used the First Prince's weapons and martial arts to frame them, and Xuan Zhen decided to have the War King arrange for Ning Chen to leave the city.
• Ning Chen watched the dark clouds gathering over the Three Imperial Cities and welcomed the unrest, deciding it was time to take the stage.

Ning Chen visited Xuan Zhen at the First Prince's Manor, where the Fifth Prince investigated whether Xuan Zhen’s guards were involved in an assassination attempt. Ning Chen left after warning Xuan Zhen that he understood the political maneuvering around the attack, while Xuan Zhen resolved to eliminate him.

• Ning Chen visited Xuan Zhen, and the Fifth Prince arrived to report that eleven men had died in a battle the previous night, with weapons resembling those of Xuan Zhen’s personal guards.
• Xuan Zhen brought the Fifth Prince and Ning Chen to inspect the Moon Shadow Guards, whose thirty-one present members and tokens matched the roster.
• Ning Chen said he had not suspected Xuan Zhen and explained that the First Prince was unlikely to have arranged the attack, though he could not fully separate himself from Xuan Yu.
• Ning Chen suggested the assassination had been staged to implicate Xuan Zhen and said he would not waste effort pursuing a culprit who could deny involvement.
• After Ning Chen departed, Xuan Zhen concluded that he had come to warn him and display his strength, then resolved to eliminate the threat.

Ning Chen suppressed an accident in the Nine Nether King's Estate and learned from his master that the Hundred Races Paying Homage could help him secure a place among the royal clan. He welcomed Xiaoxiao and Wan'er to the Three Imperial Cities, while a powerful young figure arrived outside the city with the Ancient Sword Bieyun.

• Ning Chen's Xuanjie went out of control and sent black-fire meteors toward Shi Yu and Shi Qing, but he shielded them and suppressed it.
• The Nine Nether King told Ning Chen that Shi Yu and Shi Qing were planted spies, accepted his request to spare them, and urged him to seize the opportunity presented by the Hundred Races Paying Homage.
• Xiaoxiao and Wan'er entered the Three Imperial Cities and chose to report to the Grand Elder Department before visiting the Nine Nether King's Estate.
• Ning Chen met Xiaoxiao and Wan'er, escorted them to the Grand Elder Department, and introduced them to Seventh Prince Xuan Ling.
• A young figure carrying the Ancient Sword Bieyun arrived outside the Three Imperial Cities, and Xuan Mo sensed his king-level pressure.

Xuyao arrived in the Three Imperial Cities as a newly risen King and declared that he and Ning Chen still had a score to settle. While showing Wan'er the Nine Nether King's Estate, Ning Chen saw her awakened as a Nine-tailed Heavenly Maiden and attacked Shi Yu and Shi Qing to keep her identity secret.

• Xuyao arrived at the Grand Elder Department, and he and Ning Chen exchanged battle intent before Xuyao said their grudges should end in a confrontation.
• Ning Chen told Xiaoxiao that he had killed the King of Asahi, then took Wan'er to visit the Nine Nether King's Estate.
• Ning Chen showed Wan'er around the bustling city and estate while Shi Yu and Shi Qing noticed his unusual attentiveness toward her.
• The Nine Nether King sent a drop of imperial-path devil blood into Wan'er, healing her foundation and revealing all nine of her fox tails.
• Ning Chen sealed the Heavenly Maiden aura and seized Shi Yu by the throat, while Shi Qing begged him to spare her sister.

Ning Chen spared Shi Yu and Shi Qing at Wan’er’s request but marked them with divine restrictions, then gave Wan’er a Blood Dragon Fruit and escorted her back to the Grand Elder Department. There, Ao Lie brooded over his grudge while Xuyao unleashed a divine sun to test Ning Chen, leaving their confrontation beginning in fire and thunder.

• Wan’er stopped Ning Chen from killing Shi Yu and Shi Qing, so he spared them after placing divine restrictions inside them and warning them to keep her identity secret.
• Ning Chen gave Wan’er a Blood Dragon Fruit to help awaken her nine-tailed bloodline, then spent the afternoon with her before escorting her back to Xiaoxiao.
• The Demonic Emperor Kunyi, the Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor, and the Seven Luminaries Demonic Emperor sensed a brief extraordinary aura from the Nine Nether King's Estate and decided to investigate.
• Ao Lie watched Ning Chen leave the Grand Elder Department and reacted furiously when Ning Chen mocked his lingering grudge.
• Xuyao, the young lord of Asahi Royal City, summoned a divine sun that engulfed the area around Ning Chen, calling it a greeting and a test of Ning Chen's strength.

Ning Chen watched the Three Demonic Emperors convene the hundred clans and establish a ten-day challenge contest. When Ao Lie challenged him and demanded his hands as the price of victory, Ning Chen dismissed him as unworthy.

• Ning Chen shattered the divine sun with Inverted Water Moon and left the Grand Elder Department, while Asahi Royal City's lord observed him from a guest room.
• Xuan Zhen ordered an investigation into the former friendship and current enmity between Ning Chen and the young lord of Asahi Royal City, as nobles across the city sought the same answers.
• Shi Yu and Shi Qing confessed that the Ninth Prince had forced them to obey his orders, and Ning Chen sent them away without clarifying whether he forgave them.
• The Three Demonic Emperors arrived and summoned the hundred clan envoys, announcing that the Heavenly Demon princes and imperial daughters would face challenges over the next ten days.
• Ao Lie challenged Ning Chen, demanding that the Peng Clan be exempt from paying homage for a hundred years and that he receive Ning Chen's hands if he won; Ning Chen replied that Ao Lie was not worthy.

Ning Chen accepted Ao Lie’s challenge before the Three Emperors Hall and overcame the Peng Clan young lord’s extreme speed in a fierce duel. He defeated Ao Lie and tore off his wings, while the old Peng King was restrained by the Demonic Emperor Kunyi.

• Demonic Emperor Kunyi granted the Peng Clan’s demand for a challenge, and Ning Chen agreed to fight Ao Lie.
• The Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor created a battlefield, where Ning Chen and Ao Lie clashed with Scarlet Practice and the Desolate Halberd.
• Ao Lie used his extraordinary speed and powerful attacks, but Ning Chen evaded him and wounded him with Sword, Eleven.
• After the old Peng King urged Ao Lie to stop holding back, Ao Lie unleashed greater power and attacked Ning Chen at near Phoenix Speed.
• Ning Chen seized the Desolate Halberd, struck Ao Lie twice, then tore off his wings as Demonic Emperor Kunyi restrained the old Peng King.

After Ning Chen defeated Ao Lie, Cang Ming of the Howling Moon Royal Clan challenged Xuan Ling, and their battle ended in a draw after the Demonic Emperors intervened. The court dismissed the Howling Moon Clan from attendance for a hundred years, while Xuyao waited for his own turn to fight.

• The old Peng King accepted his defeat, carried the unconscious Ao Lie away, and left Ning Chen’s victory to establish his prestige among the hundred clans.
• Ning Chen exchanged words with the Ninth Prince and Xuan Yue before Cang Ming stepped forward and challenged Xuan Ling for one hundred thousand Immortal Jade.
• The Eight Desolations Demonic Emperor created a vast desert battlefield, where Cang Ming and Xuan Ling fought fiercely and both suffered serious wounds.
• Xuan Qing and the Howling Moon Clan’s emissary requested an end to the fight, and the Seven Luminaries Demonic Emperor separated the combatants, leaving the battle a draw.
• The Demonic Emperor Kunyi excused the Howling Moon Royal Clan from court for a hundred years, while Ning Chen regarded Cang Ming as a future enemy and Xuyao waited to fight.