Chapter Summaries

Luo Xingchen was ambushed by the Lord of Darkness and the Ink Lord just after becoming a saint, and fought desperately despite his grave injuries. In Ten-Mile Maple Forest, Ning Chen’s lessons helped Great Xia’s seven Martial Marquises grow stronger, but Guigui’s sudden pain alarmed him.

• The Lord of Darkness and the Ink Lord ambushed Luo Xingchen with the Darkness Spear, grievously wounding him as he walked toward the immortal domain.
• Luo Xingchen tried to escape, but the Ink Lord’s power halted him and the Lord of Darkness struck him again.
• Luo Xingchen summoned Star Scar and fought both Great Dao Saints, trading wounds with the Lord of Darkness and taking a devastating palm strike from the Ink Lord.
• Luo Xingchen used his final exchange to send a purple arrow-light streaking through the void, leaving the Lord of Darkness and the Ink Lord alarmed.
• Ning Chen taught the seven Martial Marquises, and the Blood-clothed Marquis broke through in Ten-Mile Maple Forest.
• Guigui said she was in pain, and Ning Chen immediately examined her meridians.

Luo Xingchen sacrificed his life to wound Ink Lord and the Lord of Darkness, then returned to Sky-Transcending Sacred City and died in the Seventh Divine General’s arms. Ning Chen arrived too late and was stopped by the First Divine General as he tried to follow Luo Xingchen.

• Ning Chen sensed Luo Xingchen was in danger through the jade slip inside Guigui and raced toward Heaven Beyond Heaven.
• Luo Xingchen, gravely wounded after being ambushed by Ink Lord and the Lord of Darkness, burned his life force to shoot both Great Dao Saints and force them to retreat.
• Luo Xingchen returned to Sky-Transcending Sacred City by instinct, where the Seventh Divine General caught him as he collapsed and the First Divine General said he could not be saved.
• The Seventh Divine General carried Luo Xingchen away while the First and Second Divine Generals urged the others to give her time.
• Ning Chen reached Sky-Transcending Sacred City and called after Luo Xingchen, but the First Divine General blocked his way.

Ning Chen fought his way into Sky-Transcending Sacred City to save Luo Xingchen, whose body the Seventh Divine General carried into a hidden world. She sacrificed herself to revive the Chaos Divine Demon and restore Luo Xingchen’s life, prompting the remaining generals to seal the sacred city with the demon inside; Ning Chen escaped with Luo Xingchen and brought him to Little Gourd for care.

• Ning Chen battled the six Sky-Transcending Divine Generals and broke through into the sacred city to pursue the Seventh Divine General and Luo Xingchen’s corpse.
• The Seventh Divine General carried Luo Xingchen through a series of Minor Worlds and offered her blood and bones to revive the Chaos Divine Demon in exchange for his life.
• The Chaos Divine Demon awakened and restored vitality to Luo Xingchen, while the Seventh Divine General’s body and soul vanished.
• Ning Chen seized Luo Xingchen and escaped the spatial vortex as the Chaos Divine Demon attacked, and the six generals activated the Deity Sealing Array to trap the demon within Sky-Transcending Sacred City.
• Ning Chen brought Luo Xingchen to Ten-Mile Maple Forest and asked Little Gourd to keep him alive while Guigui asked what had happened to him.

Ning Chen considered the growing threats from the Chaos Divine Demon and the Eighth Heaven god as the Divine Generals’ seal weakened and human Saints gathered in the Immortal Domain. He ended the chapter playing chess against Heaven, determined not to lose this time.

• After a hundred days, Ning Chen stabilized Luo Xingchen’s injuries, though Luo Xingchen remained unconscious.
• The Chaos Divine Demon broke the six Sky-Transcending Divine Generals’ wills, causing the Deity Sealing Array to collapse faster.
• New human Saints emerged across Heaven Beyond Heaven, while Xiantian Saints began attacking them in response.
• The newly ascended human Saints returned to the Immortal Domain, where Fan Lingyue chose to reinforce its defenses rather than attack the surrounding Xiantian Saints.
• Ning Chen laid out a stone chessboard in the Ten-Mile Maple Forest and told Guigui that he was playing against Heaven.

The human saints faced eleven Xiantian Saints as Mu Qianshang and the Moonlit Tower Master fought to repel them, while Nu Chang and Fan Lingyue discussed the danger of more enemies arriving. In the human world, Ning Chen and Guigui met Xia Xiyao at Changsun's tomb, where she recognized Ning Chen as the Marquis of Knowing Fate and spoke with him before leaving.

• An eleventh Xiantian Saint arrived, and Mu Qianshang went out to fight the enemy saints.
• After a day and night of battle, the Lord of Darkness launched a sneak attack on Mu Qianshang, but the Moonlit Tower Master blocked it with Yellow Springs.
• Nu Chang worried that more Xiantian Saints would arrive, and Fan Lingyue said they would handle the ones already there while Knowing Fate remained away.
• Ning Chen and Guigui cleared weeds at Changsun's tomb, where Xia Xiyao arrived to pay her respects and began talking with Guigui.
• Xia Xiyao recognized Ning Chen as the Marquis of Knowing Fate after Guigui gave his father's name, then asked Ning Chen about the past before leaving at sunset.

Ning Chen guided the Blood-clothed Marquis in a sword duel at Ten-Mile Maple Forest before war drew her away and she died on the battlefield. Xia Xiyao brought Guigui the promised tanghulu and told Ning Chen that the Blood-clothed Marquis had admired him as the faith she pursued.

• The Blood-clothed Marquis asked Ning Chen for martial guidance, and he advised her to trust her own path.
• Xia Xiyao invited Ning Chen back to the palace, but he declined because his old friends were gone.
• Ning Chen sparred with the Blood-clothed Marquis and disarmed her after ten exchanges.
• War broke out at Great Xia's borders, and the Blood-clothed Marquis died in battle as the nation mourned her.
• Xia Xiyao brought Guigui the tanghulu the Blood-clothed Marquis had promised and told Ning Chen of the marquis's admiration for him.

The Xia Emperor visited Ning Chen at Ten-Mile Maple Forest and sought advice on why Great Xia remained troubled by war. Meanwhile, Fan Lingyue confronted the eleven Xiantian Saints in Heaven Beyond Heaven’s Immortal Domain and proved powerful enough to defeat the Lord of Darkness and throw the Ink Lord into distant mountains.

• The Xia Emperor asked Ning Chen why Great Xia remained plagued by war despite his efforts, and Ning Chen urged him to delegate authority and value the people.
• The Xia Emperor accepted Ning Chen’s advice and left Ten-Mile Maple Forest with Xia Xiyao.
• Fan Lingyue challenged the eleven Xiantian Saints and defeated the Lord of Darkness in two moves.
• The Ink Lord stepped forward to fight Fan Lingyue, then trapped her with his power to reverse reality and illusion.
• Fan Lingyue broke free, seized the Ink Lord, and hurled him into distant mountains, bringing down mountain after mountain.

Fan Lingyue fought the Ink Lord and then Bai Wangji as the Xiantian Saints attacked the Immortal Realm. After wounding both opponents, she remained undefeated, and Ning Chen reflected that the Immortal Realm could not be breached while she lived.

• Fan Lingyue severely wounded the Lord of Darkness, then overpowered the Ink Lord’s illusion and split his Immortal Art, Waxing and Waning Moon, with Pure Karma Primeval.
• The Ink Lord used Immortal Art, Sun and Moon Over Heaven, but Fan Lingyue shattered the sun and moon with three azure Giant Dragons and slammed him into the earth.
• The Ink Lord called for help, and Bai Wangji appeared, introducing himself as a Saint who controlled lightning and challenging Fan Lingyue.
• Fan Lingyue and Bai Wangji exchanged a hundred moves at lightning speed, and she wounded his right arm in their clash.
• In the Ten-Mile Maple Forest, Ning Chen praised Guigui’s writing and reflected on Fan Lingyue’s unmatched strength as she continued fighting.

Fan Lingyue defeated Bai Wangji and forced the Xiantian Saints to retreat, though she was seriously injured defending the Immortal Domain. A thousand years passed as Ning Chen and Guigui continued tending Changsun’s tomb, while Great Xia declined and its enemies advanced to the imperial city.

• Fan Lingyue wounded Bai Wangji and gradually gained the upper hand in their battle.
• The Ink Lord and Lord of Darkness prepared to attack, but the Venerable Lady confronted them before Fan Lingyue unleashed Sin of Heaven and warned the Xiantian Saints to retreat or die.
• Fan Lingyue sent Bai Wangji flying, and the eleven other Xiantian Saints withdrew; afterward, she admitted to Qing Ling that she had been injured to establish authority and buy the Immortal Domain time.
• Ning Chen and Guigui continued sweeping Changsun’s tomb, while Ning Chen sensed Fan Lingyue’s presence and felt reassured about leaving the Immortal Domain.
• A thousand years later, Great Xia had fallen into decline despite generations of battles, and northern and western forces advanced to its imperial city while Ning Chen and Guigui remained in the Ten-Mile Maple Forest.

As Great Xia faced invasion, Ning Chen took Guigui into the besieged capital to find him Tanghulu, while Marquis Kaixuan was left to defend the city. Mu Chengxue returned after ten thousand years, prompting the Heavenly Sound Pavilion Master to wonder whether this era’s outcome would change.

• Ning Chen and Guigui approached Great Xia Imperial City, and the northern general’s arrow vanished before reaching them.
• Ning Chen refused Marquis Kaixuan’s plea to save Great Xia, saying the dynasty had grown rotten and leaving its defense to him.
• Ning Chen and Guigui found an old Tanghulu seller, who made a stick for the child.
• The allied armies attacked Great Xia Imperial City as Marquis Kaixuan and the Imperial Guards defended its walls.
• Mu Chengxue returned to the abandoned imperial city in the east, and the Heavenly Sound Pavilion Master sensed her arrival and reflected on their return to the starting point.

Mu Chengxue returned as the Saint embodying the Dao of Grand Forgetfulness and met Ning Chen in the ruined Great Xia Imperial City. After Great Xia fell and the three gathered at Ten-Mile Maple Forest, Mu Chengxue and Ning Chen began their long-awaited fight, where her speed and sword pierced his chest and heart meridian.

• Mu Chengxue returned to the ruins of Desolate City, sensed Ning Chen in Great Xia Imperial City, and met him there.
• Ning Chen left the city with Guigui as Mu Chengxue followed, while the allied armies breached Great Xia Imperial City and Marquis Kaixuan died in battle.
• At Ten-Mile Maple Forest, Mu Chengxue learned that Guigui was the child of Ning Chen and Lord of the Netherworld, then questioned Ning Chen about leaving his sword behind and abandoning Great Xia.
• Mu Chengxue and Ning Chen entered a Minor World and began fighting with the Grand Forgetfulness Divine Sword and a maple sword.
• Mu Chengxue outpaced Ning Chen, wounded him in the chest, and then pierced his heart meridian with the Grand Forgetfulness Divine Sword.

Ning Chen fought Mu Chengxue in the Ten-Mile Maple Forest Minor World and was nearly destroyed by her overwhelming speed and Sword of Wind Soul. His Phoenix Body underwent Phoenix Ancestral Return, entered the Dao, and reappeared with renewed power, ready to face Taishang.

• Mu Chengxue used her extreme speed and Taishang Divine Sword to grievously wound Ning Chen, who tried to counter with phoenix flames.
• Ning Chen summoned the ancestral phoenix phantom, but Mu Chengxue unleashed the Sword of Wind Soul, shattered his Maple Sword, and pierced his body.
• Nu Chang urged Fan Lingyue to unseal the Four Immortal Slaying Swords, but Fan Lingyue refused to interfere with Ning Chen's choice.
• Ning Chen's Phoenix Body collapsed while shielding the ancestral phoenix, then ignited in divine flames as Phoenix Nirvana began.
• The ancestral phoenix emerged from the flames, and Ning Chen's Phoenix Body achieved Phoenix Ancestral Return and entered the Dao, forming the third Bridge of Great Dao.
• The red-robed Phoenix Body appeared before Mu Chengxue, turned maple leaves into swords, and struck at her.

Ning Chen’s Phoenix Body battled Mu Chengxue across the stars for a thousand days and severed her Bridge of Great Dao, leaving her crippled. He returned to Ten-Mile Maple Forest badly injured, while Mu Chengxue fell onto an abandoned star.

• Ning Chen’s Phoenix Body and Mu Chengxue fought with their ultimate powers, and Ning Chen’s original and demonic bodies stabilized the battle’s aftermath near Ten-Mile Maple Forest.
• Ning Chen and his demonic body discussed their plans and the Ghost Maiden’s failure to awaken as the Phoenix Body and Mu Chengxue continued clashing in the starry sky.
• After a thousand years of fighting, the Phoenix Body returned to Ten-Mile Maple Forest and said he had won by half a move and severed Mu Chengxue’s Bridge of Great Dao.
• Ning Chen paused while teaching Guigui to write as Mu Chengxue fell, bloodied, onto an abandoned great star.

After Mu Chengxue awakened the Divine Demon Muster Platform with her blood, its war drums stirred the Chaos Divine Demons and alerted powerful figures across the realms. Later, Mu Ya'er and Mu Si'er visited Ning Chen in Ten-Mile Maple Forest, where he refused to intervene in Great Xia’s inevitable destruction and urged them to treat the people well.

• Mu Chengxue reached the Divine Demon Muster Platform while dying, and her blood awakened it and formed a pact that stabilized her body.
• The platform’s war drums alarmed Saints and other powerful beings, while a Chaos Divine Demon battered the weakening seal of Sky-Transcending Sacred City.
• The Chaos Divine Demons argued over whether to entrust their fate to Mu Chengxue, then fell silent as the drums subdued their resistance.
• Mu Ya'er arrived at Ten-Mile Maple Forest with her younger brother, Mu Si'er, the current Golden Blade Khan of the Golden Tent Royal Court.
• Ning Chen told Mu Ya'er that Great Xia’s destruction was irreversible and that he would not interfere, then advised her to treat the people better.

Over a thousand years, Ning Chen raised Guigui in Ten-Mile Maple Forest while waiting for an age of peace that never came. He took in the war-orphan Butterfly, trained her in blade techniques, and gave her a Crimson Blade for her tenth birthday.

• Ning Chen taught Guigui to read, write, and fight as war and peace continued to cycle through the human world.
• Guigui found a hungry girl hiding in the maple forest, and Ning Chen invited her to share their grilled fish.
• The girl, Butterfly, told Ning Chen that her parents had died in the war, and he took her in.
• Butterfly grew close to Guigui and showed exceptional talent for blade techniques, while Ning Chen trained her in that single martial path.
• Ning Chen spent seven days forging a Crimson Blade and gave it to Butterfly on her tenth birthday.

After ten years of training, Butterfly left Ten-Mile Maple Forest and became a legendary blade master across the Five Domains and Outer Heavens. Gravely wounded after a thousand-day battle, she was saved by a white-haired woman in Marshland Kingdom and began recovering there.

• Ning Chen ended Butterfly's training and told her to leave Ten-Mile Maple Forest, where she said goodbye to him and Guigui.
• Butterfly traveled across the Five Domains, earned the title God of Blades, and then went to the Outer Heavens.
• Over a thousand years, Butterfly rose to the Heavenly Dao Realm and defeated her greatest rival in a battle that lasted a thousand days, but she was left near death.
• A white-haired woman found Butterfly collapsed on a Primeval Great Star, saved her, and cared for her until she awoke a hundred days later.
• Butterfly learned that her rescuer lived in Marshland Kingdom, a water-covered land inhabited by the Demon Race, and called the woman Sister Bai.
• Butterfly asked Sister Bai whether she had ever thought of leaving Marshland Kingdom.

Butterfly recovered in Sister Bai’s courtyard in Marshland and learned that Sister Bai had raised the Azure Flood Dragon, Qingqing. When three Demon Race Great Sages came to take Qingqing back to the Marshland Imperial Family, Sister Bai sent them flying and left their mission unresolved.

• Butterfly emerged from the house and admired the rare medicinal herbs Sister Bai had grown in the courtyard.
• An Azure Flood Dragon swallowed several great demons approaching the courtyard, and Sister Bai revealed that she had raised the dragon after saving her.
• The Marshland Imperial Family discovered the princess’s aura and ordered that she be brought back.
• Three Demon Race Great Sages arrived and demanded that Qingqing return, but she refused and Sister Bai told them to leave.
• The Golden-crowned Young Man attacked Sister Bai and Butterfly, but Sister Bai scattered his power and blasted all three Great Sages tens of thousands of miles away.

The white-haired woman drove off three Demon Race Great Sages who had come to seize Qingqing, but the Demon Emperor freed Chilin and sent him to bring her back. Chilin confronted Qingqing and overwhelmed Butterfly’s first attack, leaving the two women facing a powerful pursuer.

• The white-haired woman wounded the three Demon Race Great Sages and learned from Qingqing that the Demon Emperor had killed her father.
• The white-haired woman, Butterfly, and Qingqing left the Great Marsh, while Qingqing swallowed and carried the medicinal garden to their new home.
• The Demon Emperor ordered the sealed Chilin to bring Qingqing back alive, then opened the stone gate and released him after more than a hundred thousand years.
• Chilin found Qingqing at the Great Marsh and called for her to return with him; Butterfly attacked him with the Crimson Blade but was sent flying.
• Ning Chen encouraged Guigui to practice swordsmanship so they could go find her sister, while Butterfly launched her Butterfly Burial Flower technique at Chilin.

Butterfly fought Chilin in the Great Marsh but was badly outmatched until the white-haired woman intervened. The woman overwhelmed Chilin, who transformed into a Scarlet Dragon, and hurled him into the distant mountains, where he returned to human form bloodied.

• Butterfly used Butterfly Burial Flower against Chilin, but he blocked her blade with his body and later sent her flying with a palm strike.
• As Chilin prepared to kill Butterfly, the white-haired woman appeared and stopped his attack, telling Butterfly to rest while she took over.
• The white-haired woman wounded Chilin with swift physical strikes, leaving him shocked by her speed and strength.
• Chilin unleashed the World-Burning Evil Flame and attacked with linked evil weapons, but the white-haired woman evaded his blows and struck him repeatedly.
• Chilin transformed into a colossal Scarlet Dragon and unleashed evil essence over the Great Marsh, but the white-haired woman scattered it and hurled him into distant mountains.
• Chilin returned to human form among the ruined mountains, staggering to his feet covered in blood.

The white-haired woman overwhelmed Chilin in a brutal battle, but the Demon Emperor intervened and seized him before she could kill him. As the Demon Emperor burned Chilin to ashes to strengthen himself, Ning Chen sensed a being nearing the Creation Realm and decided to leave Ten-Mile Maple Forest.

• The white-haired woman fought Chilin across the mountains and marshes, repeatedly crushing him despite his powerful regeneration.
• The white-haired woman eventually shattered Chilin’s bones and pierced his chest, leaving his heart meridians destroyed and his life nearly gone.
• The Demon Emperor attacked from Abyss Valley and rescued Chilin, then burned his body to ashes while his own aura grew stronger.
• The Demon Emperor resolved to devour Qingqing, the royal family’s last bloodline, to take the final step toward the Creation Realm.
• Ning Chen sensed a chaotic aura nearing the Creation Realm, then watched Guigui practice swordsmanship and decided it was time to go out.