Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu crossed into Sha County and discovered that the region’s Xun Wind and Kan Water forces were unnaturally imbalanced because of something deep beneath its earth veins. After the anomaly accelerated his Qiankun cultivation, he reached the immense border fortress of Yunlu Pass.

• Chen Mu sensed that Xun Wind had grown stronger and Kan Water weaker throughout Sha County, and found that the imbalance came from deep underground.
• Chen Mu used his Qiankun Power of Intent Realm to temporarily restore some balance, but the forces reverted when he stopped; he could not perceive the anomaly’s source.
• Chen Mu gained over a hundred experience points while studying Sha County’s changes and concluded that observing the world directly advanced his martial path faster than secluded contemplation.
• Chen Mu crossed Jade Commandery and half of Sha County in less than a day and night, then arrived at the immense fortress carved with the name Yunlu Pass.

Chen Mu arrived at Yunlu Pass ahead of Meng Danyun and Chu Jingsu, met Garrison Commander Xiahou Yan, and learned how the pass monitored the Sand Disaster. While sensing the Profound Origin Earthen Soil Array, he detected an urgent distress signal from a checkpoint reporting a Tier Six demon.

• Chen Mu raised himself to Yunlu Pass atop a pillar of sand and asked the guards where Senior Brother Chu and Senior Sister Meng were.
• The Vanguard Commander told Chen Mu that signs of the Sand Disaster had appeared in Sha County two days earlier and that Xiahou Yan was waiting for him.
• Xiahou Yan showed Chen Mu the approaching sandstorms and explained how Yunlu Pass's checkpoints used the earth vein array to send reports.
• Chen Mu followed Xiahou Yan to the array foundation and sensed a series of urgent fluctuations from one checkpoint node.
• The guards reported that Southern Checkpoint Twenty-Three was requesting aid because a Tier Six demon had appeared.

Chen Mu left Yunlu Pass to answer an urgent report of a Tier Six demon attacking North Seventy-Seven Pass. He arrived in time to block a Tier Five Sand Python’s attack on the soldiers hiding inside the Yunlu Wall, while the Tier Six demon remained a threat.

• Xiahou Yan went to South Twenty-Three Pass to deal with a Tier Six demon, leaving Chen Mu to study the Profound Origin Earthen Soil Array.
• When another Tier Six demon was reported at North Seventy-Seven Pass, Chen Mu departed before Liu Jing could finish warning him.
• At North Seventy-Seven Pass, a Tier Five Sand Python broke into the passage above a chamber where Zhang Yong and more than twenty soldiers were hiding.
• The Sand Python summoned a torrent of sand to flood the passage, but Chen Mu’s blade arrived and split the torrent before it could reach the soldiers.

Chen Mu arrived at Yunlu Pass and slaughtered the attacking demon beasts before confronting a hidden Tier Six Sand Wraith. He crushed the Sand Wraith with the second step of Qian Heaven, leaving Cui Sheng stunned by his power.

• Chen Mu arrived at the passageway and killed a Tier Five Sand Python with one slash of the Li Fire Saber.
• Chen Mu swept through Yunlu Pass, killing demon beasts while Cui Sheng fought a Tier Five Demon Lizard.
• A Tier Six Sand Wraith ambushed Chen Mu and Cui Sheng with spears of sand, but Chen Mu located it within the storm and forced it to reveal its body.
• Chen Mu and Cui Sheng attacked the Sand Wraith, but it blocked Chen Mu's saber and caught Cui Sheng's spear with its sand powers.
• Chen Mu unleashed Qian Heaven Power and crushed the Sand Wraith against the Yunlu Wall, leaving Cui Sheng shocked.

Chen Mu returned from North Seventy-Seven Pass after killing the Sand Wraith during the sandstorm, then revealed to the Ling Xuan Peak guardians that he had mastered the second step of the Qian Heaven Power of Intent. Meanwhile, Kun Jie learned of Chen Mu’s strength and sought an alliance with the Heavenly Corpse Sect to target him, leaving a threat looming over Yunlu Pass.

• Chen Mu killed the Sand Wraith at North Seventy-Seven Pass, while Cui Sheng killed the Red-Armored Demon Lizard, and then Chen Mu investigated the sandstorm from the wall.
• Kun Jie learned that someone at Yunlu Pass had mastered the second step of Qian Heaven and decided to seek help from the Heavenly Corpse Sect to attack him.
• Kun Jie met a dried-corpse figure in the Heavenly Corpse Sect, who identified Chen Mu as a promising New Talent Rankings contender and warned Kun Jie not to jeopardize their larger plans.
• At Yunlu Pass, Xiahou Yan and the guardians received word that Chen Mu had killed the Sand Wraith and discussed how he had managed it.
• Chen Mu returned to the garrison chamber and demonstrated the Qian Heaven Power of Intent, astonishing the guardians with his progress.

After Chen Mu killed a Sand Wraith with Qian Heaven Power, Ling Xuan Peak’s defenders organized against the Sand Disaster while he stayed at Yunlu Pass to reinforce threatened locations and cultivate. More than ten days later, the Heavenly Demon Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect plotted to test Chen Mu’s abilities and arrange an ambush against him.

• Chu Jingsu praised Chen Mu’s mastery of Qian Heaven Power, while the group discussed the difficulty of breaking through the Mysterious Pass and becoming Grandmasters.
• A report of a Tier Five demon attack at South Forty-Fifth Pass arrived, and Chu Jingsu went to respond while Zhao Zhenchuan and Meng Danyun took charge of patrols.
• Xiahou Yan assigned Chen Mu to remain at the main pass and reinforce other locations, and Chen Mu used the Profound Origin Earthen Soil Array to cultivate his understanding of Qiankun Power of Intent.
• More than ten days later, Kun Jie and Liao Chou discussed how to capture Chen Mu, and Liao Chou proposed sending out more demons to confirm whether Chen Mu would respond.
• Kun Jie sent Wu Li to drive out demon creatures, while Liao Chou secretly hoped the flying demon woman would become a liability to the Heavenly Demon Sect.

At Yunlu Pass, Chen Mu used his Qian Heaven Power of Intent to protect North Twenty-Seven Pass from a sandstorm and then sensed signs of a much greater disaster approaching. As reinforcements gathered at the main stronghold, he faced the oncoming storm and contemplated the power of Qiankun.

• Chen Mu killed demons and rescued Liu Ying at North Twenty-Seven Pass, then discovered that butterfly incense had drawn demons toward her.
• Chen Mu helped clear the pass and inspected the storm, using wind and sand to briefly support himself in the air.
• Chen Mu returned to the main stronghold and saw a powerful sandstorm gathering, while Xiahou Yan ordered soldiers to shelter and martial artists to prepare for it.
• Chu Jingsu warned that the group could explore the desert after surviving the storm, while Xiahou Yan cautioned them about Tier Six demons and possible retreat.
• A massive sandstorm filled with demons advanced on the main stronghold, and Chen Mu sensed the opposing forces of heaven and earth as it approached.

A powerful sandstorm and a coordinated demon assault overwhelmed Yunlu Pass, leaving its defenders struggling to protect the Duan Gu Realm fighters. Chen Mu left the city wall and entered the storm to confront the hidden sand demons, while Xiahou Yan and the others continued defending the pass.

• The sandstorm struck Yunlu Pass, and Chen Mu used Qian Heaven Power to stop the wind from sweeping several disciples away.
• Tier Five and Tier Six demons hurled sand spheres at the pass while Xiahou Yan, Chu Jingsu, Meng Danyun, Zhao Zhenchuan, and Chen Mu repelled them.
• Demons climbed the wall as the great demons attacked from within the storm, and the defenders struggled to protect the Duan Gu Realm fighters from increasingly frequent strikes.
• Chen Mu told Xiahou Yan to watch the pass, then stepped off the wall and vanished into the sandstorm to meet the sand demons.
• Xiahou Yan informed the others that Chen Mu had gone out, and the defenders fought harder as they waited for him to relieve the pressure.

During the Sand Disaster at Yunlu Pass, Chen Mu used his concealment skills to hunt down the attacking demons and relieve the pressure on the defenders. He returned with a mountain of demon corpses, and news of his second step of Qian Heaven Power of Intent and thirteen Tier Six kills later shook the region.

• Chen Mu left Yunlu Pass, concealed his aura in the sandstorm, and killed the Tier Six Sand Demon that had been attacking the pass.
• Chen Mu continued ambushing demons in the storm, easing the assault on the pass while Wu Li watched him and decided he could not be allowed to live.
• Chen Mu crushed a Sand Wraith, searched for more high-rank demons, and descended to gather the corpses left beneath the pass.
• Xiahou Yan and Chu Jingsu worried when Chen Mu failed to return, then saw him arrive carrying a mountain of demon corpses.
• Chen Mu explained that he had hunted the demons one by one; the account recorded that he had revealed the second step of Qian Heaven Power of Intent and slain thirteen Tier Six demons.

Chen Mu used a System deduction to advance his Qiankun Power of Intent and considered pushing his Five Viscera Realm beyond its natural limit before entering the Six Bowel Realm. After the Sand Disaster ended, he joined Yunlu Pass’s leaders for a toast and learned they planned to explore the desert, while Zhao Zhenchuan left to be present for his child’s birth.

• Chen Mu spent ten thousand experience points on a deduction, strengthening his Qiankun Power of Intent Realm.
• Chen Mu concluded that the System could let him temper his Five Viscera Realm beyond its tenth tempering, and planned to seek spiritual items for an eleventh or twelfth tempering.
• A Messenger Official summoned Chen Mu to the Garrison Commander’s residence after the Sand Disaster faded, where Xiahou Yan toasted him for his contribution.
• Chen Mu praised Xiahou Yan, the soldiers, and the defenders of Yunlu Pass, and the group shared Great Desert Wine.
• Xiahou Yan proposed exploring the desert now that the earth veins had loosened, while Zhao Zhenchuan departed because his wife was due to give birth soon.
• Meng Danyun gave Chen Mu a knowing look about Zhao Zhenchuan’s news, and Chen Mu made clear he was not in a hurry to have descendants with Xu Hongyu.

Chen Mu explored the desert after the Sand Disaster, gathered spiritual resources, and advanced his understanding of the Qiankun Power of Intent Realm. He was ambushed by the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Heavenly Corpse Sect, but opened the battle by destroying a Xuan Corpse with one punch.

• Meng Danyun gave Chen Mu a compass-like guide before he left Yunlu Pass to explore the desert.
• Chen Mu entered quicksand passages, killed a Tier Five demon scorpion, and later found Yin Earth Essence.
• Chen Mu encountered a Sand Wraith carrying an Earthen Soil Origin Stone, then discovered it was an illusion concealing a formation and an ambush.
• Kun Jie, Wu Li, Liao Chou, and their allies surrounded Chen Mu with eight Xuan Corpses and four Tier Six demons, intending to kill him and capture his body.
• Chen Mu accused the attackers of causing the earlier Demon Disaster, vanished before a Xuan Corpse, and blasted its upper body apart with one punch.

Chen Mu turned the Heavenly Demon Sect’s Earth Fiend formation against its attackers with his complete Qiankun Power of Intent Realm, then fought off their combined assault and killed Wu Li with the Evil Breaker Thunder Spear. He left Kun Jie driven into the sand and Bei Kai gravely wounded as the battle continued.

• Chen Mu seized control of the Earth Fiend Power, destroyed five Xuan Corpses, and broke the formation before Kun Jie charged him with the Heavenly Demon Secret Art.
• Chen Mu crushed Kun Jie’s demon claw with the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal, but Wu Li, Liao Chou, the remaining Xuan Corpses, and the other demons attacked him together.
• Chen Mu withstood the combined assault and hurled the Evil Breaker Thunder Spear at Wu Li, killing her with its Evil Breaker True Thunder.
• Jin Ye rushed from the battle toward Wu Li, while Chen Mu tore off Bei Kai’s arm and smashed his chest with an elbow strike.
• Chen Mu caught up with Kun Jie and stomped him halfway into a sand dune.

Chen Mu defeated the Heavenly Demon Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect fighters, rejecting Kun Jie's offer to become a demon. After collecting their valuables, he considered the threat the two sects posed and decided to report them to the Seven Mysteries Sect.

• Chen Mu killed the fleeing Heavenly Corpse Sect remnants and crushed Liao Chou underground with the Earth Vein Force.
• Jin Ye used Wu Li's demon heart to perform the Heavenly Demon Transformation, but Chen Mu destroyed him with one strike.
• Chen Mu killed Kun Jie, rejected his offer of a demon body, and destroyed the booklet of half-demon medicinal formulas.
• Chen Mu recovered the Evil Breaker Thunder Spear and collected valuable items from the corpses, including an Earth Fiend Suppression Stone and an Earthen Soil Origin Stone.
• Chen Mu buried the remains and decided to report the Heavenly Corpse Sect and Heavenly Demon Sect to the Seven Mysteries Sect.

Chen Mu joined Xiahou Yan and Chu Jingsu to explore a vast earth-vein gap beneath a dune, where a newly transformed Seventh Rank Spider King attacked them. While the two senior brothers held the demon back, Chen Mu searched the cavern and found that it had devoured most of the valuable spiritual materials, though he sensed other objects beneath the sand.

• Chen Mu found several earth-vein gaps and gathered Yin Earth Essence and mineral materials as the desert’s earth veins began to recover.
• Chen Mu followed a Signal Talisman and met Xiahou Yan and Chu Jingsu, who had discovered a cavern occupied by a newly transformed Seventh Rank Demon King.
• Chen Mu told them that the Heavenly Corpse Sect and Heavenly Demon Sect had ambushed him, and the three entered the cavern after agreeing to proceed quickly.
• A Spider King attacked Chen Mu as he emerged into the cavern, and Xiahou Yan and Chu Jingsu used their Spirit Weapons to hold it back.
• Chen Mu searched the cavern and found shattered, devoured Earthen Soil Origin Stones and Yin Earth Essence, then sensed other objects beneath the sand.

Chen Mu found Xuanhuang Stone in the Spider King’s cavern, then returned to discover that the Spider King had become demonized and was overwhelming Chu Jingsu and Xiahou Yan. He revealed his mastery of the complete Qiankun Power of Intent Realm, pinned the demonized Spider King with the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal, and helped his companions kill it.

• Chen Mu searched the cavern, collected its buried Spirit Materials, and found a piece of Xuanhuang Stone that could serve as a foundation for a future Spirit Weapon.
• The Spider King became demonized under pressure from Chu Jingsu and Xiahou Yan, its strength surging as black patterns and Blood Fiend Artistic Conception spread across its body.
• The demonized Spider King attacked Chen Mu, but he blocked its strike with the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal and hurled it into a rock wall.
• Chen Mu suppressed the Spider King with his fourth-layer Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal, revealing that he had mastered the complete Qiankun Power of Intent Realm.
• Chu Jingsu and Xiahou Yan attacked the immobilized Spider King while Chen Mu held it down, and together they destroyed its demon heart and killed it.

Chen Mu returned to the Seven Mysteries Sect after killing a demonized Spider King and gathering spiritual materials, including a Xuanhuang Stone. Acting Sect Master Qi Zhiyuan revealed that he knew Chen Mu had mastered the complete Qiankun Power of Intent Realm and invited Hanbei Province’s younger generation to debate martial paths at the Cloud Rainbow Heavenly Stairway.

• Chen Mu, Xiahou Yan, and Chu Jingsu killed the Tier Seven demonized Spider King, and Chen Mu accepted the Xuanhuang Stone while the three divided the remaining spoils.
• Xiahou Yan and Chu Jingsu discussed Chen Mu’s Qiankun Power of Intent Realm, his prospects at the Mysterious Pass, and the possibility of completing ten or eleven Five Viscera temperings.
• Chen Mu returned to the Seven Mysteries Sect, exchanged surplus materials for contributions, and gathered nineteen portions of Viscera Refining Spiritual Materials.
• Yu Cheng questioned Chen Mu’s large draw of sect resources, but Qi Zhiyuan upheld the rules and dismissed his concern about Zhou Hao’s future needs.
• Qi Zhiyuan reflected that Chen Mu had secretly mastered the complete Qiankun Power of Intent Realm and issued a decree inviting Hanbei Province’s younger generation to debate martial paths at the Cloud Rainbow Heavenly Stairway.

In Jade City, people discussed Zuo Qianqiu’s clash with Luo Mo and anticipated the gathering at Bi County, while Yu Ru and Chen Yue hoped Chen Mu would attend. Back at Ling Xuan Peak, Chen Mu completed the Twelfth Tempering of the Five Viscera Realm and prepared to visit Bi County, where his growing Power of Intent might advance further.

• Old Zhang told the teahouse that Zuo Qianqiu had endured ten exchanges with Luo Mo before a Heaven Sword Sect Grandmaster arrived and drove Luo Mo away.
• Old Zhang announced that the Seven Mysteries Decree had invited Hanbei Province’s young martial artists to ascend the Cloud Rainbow Heavenly Stairway in Bi County.
• Yu Ru and Chen Yue left the teahouse, speculating that Chen Mu would attend the gathering and admiring his renown after Yunlu Pass.
• Chen Mu used thirteen Viscera Refining Spiritual Materials and the System Panel to complete the Twelfth Tempering, raising his Yuangang True Force from five portions to six.
• Chen Mu realized the Five Viscera Realm’s limit was the Thirteenth Tempering, but he lacked the materials and did not want to reveal his cultivation to the Seven Mysteries Sect’s other leaders.
• Chen Mu decided to deal with the materials after returning from Bi County, where his recent deductions had brought his full-strength might close to that of a lower-level Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster.

Chen Mu traveled through Bi County, deepening his understanding of Gen Mountain Force and advancing his Martial Dao Will as he made his way toward the Cloud Rainbow Heavenly Stairway. After saving Jin Ling'er from a fall and killing a mountain leopard, he learned he was near her home and asked her to guide him there.

• Chen Mu crossed into Bi County and gained insights into its powerful Gen Mountain Force while traversing the sheer peaks with the Eight Trigrams of Heaven and Earth.
• Chen Mu reflected on the stages of Martial Dao Will and recognized that his cultivation was advancing through Unwavering and Unconfounded.
• Chen Mu spotted a mountain villager gathering herbs on a cliff and saw that she was a young girl mistaken for her Third Uncle.
• Jin Ling'er slipped from the cliff while fleeing a mountain leopard, and Chen Mu caught her before killing the beast with a strike of Origin Astral Force.
• Jin Ling'er told Chen Mu that they were at Amber Mountain and pointed out her home; Chen Mu asked her to guide him there.

Chen Mu escorted Jin Ling'er home, recognized her extraordinary strength, and left her to decide whether to pursue martial arts at the Seven Mysteries Sect. He then reached Bi County’s county seat ahead of the Cloud Sea Turmoil, where leading young geniuses gathered and Zhou Hao acknowledged that the New Talent Rankings were due for a reshuffle.

• Jin Ling'er carried the entire mountain leopard back for her sick mother, and Chen Mu recognized her natural strength and asked whether she wanted to learn martial arts.
• Chen Mu let Jin Ling'er return to her village without pressing her to leave, then reflected on regret and Martial Dao Will before continuing toward the Cloud Rainbow Heavenly Stairway.
• Chen Mu arrived in Bi County’s county seat and learned that young prodigies from across Hanbei Province were gathering for the upcoming Cloud Sea Turmoil.
• Yuan Yingsong arrived and sought Zuo Qianqiu, then announced he would challenge the disciples of Lifeless Temple; Hai Ming and Han Cang also appeared and displayed their formidable powers of intent.
• Shen Lin and the other Seven Mysteries Sect disciples discussed Han Cang’s strength with Chen Mu, who said terrain alone could not bridge certain gaps.
• Zhou Hao visited Chen Mu after fighting Jiang Yifei, revealed that he was injured, and said the New Talent Rankings were due to be reshuffled.

Chen Mu watched the young talents gather near the Cloud Rainbow Heavenly Stairway while advancing his Qiankun Power of Intent, then met a Joyful Union Sect disciple offering a Five Elements Lotus Platform in exchange for the Earth Essence Azure Lotus Seed. He recognized that the woman was not Hua Nongying but her elder sister, Hua Nongyue, ranked fourth on the New Talent Rankings.

• Chen Mu left the Seven Mysteries Sect courtyard before Gu Hong arrived seeking a rematch, and Shen Lin and Zhou Hao defended him against Gu Hong's taunts.
• Gu Hong intimidated Shen Lin with his Heart Sword intent, challenged the injured Zhou Hao, and then departed without finding Chen Mu.
• Chen Mu contemplated Cloud Rainbow Heavenly Peak and assessed how further progress in the Qiankun Power of Intent Realm could strengthen his Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal.
• Hua Nongying approached Chen Mu and offered a Five Elements Lotus Platform in exchange for the remaining Earth Essence Azure Lotus Seed.
• Chen Mu requested the Joyful Union Sect's Yin-Yang dual cultivation method, and then identified the woman as Hua Nongyue, Hua Nongying's elder sister.