Chapter Summaries

After returning to Frost County, Chen Mu learned that the Joyful Union Sect had sent Hua Nongyue and Hua Nongying to seek his favor. He accepted their offer to work for him by assigning them to find the three treasures he needed to refine a Qiankun Spirit Weapon.

• Chen Mu returned to the County Government, heard Lin Yong's report that Frost County remained stable, and learned from Meng Danyun that Shi Zhenyong had requested a meeting and Joyful Union Sect members had arrived in Frost North.
• Chen Mu received Hua Nongyue and Hua Nongying at his courtyard and questioned why the sisters had come in such unusually proper attire and manner.
• Hua Nongying and Hua Nongyue said they wished to work for Chen Mu and hoped he would show the Joyful Union Sect leniency if he eventually reached the absolute peak.
• Chen Mu told the sisters to find Taiqing Qi, Nanming Fire, and the Ocean Stabilizing Pearl, which he needed to refine a Qiankun Spirit Weapon.

Chen Mu considered using the Joyful Union Sect’s intelligence network to find materials for a Qiankun Spirit Weapon, then met Xia Yu'e and discussed the war in Ice Province with the Seven Mysteries Sect leaders. The sect chose to investigate Cold County, and Chen Mu and Feng Hongsheng set out west to infiltrate it cautiously.

• Chen Mu decided the Joyful Union Sect could help him search for Taiqing Qi, Nanming Fire, and the Ocean Stabilizing Pearl, and reflected on the Hua Nongying sisters’ connection through Yin-Yang Artistic Conception.
• Meng Danyun warned Chen Mu that the Joyful Union Sect’s demonesses might be laying a trap, but he reassured her and went to the county office.
• Chen Mu met Shi Zhenyong, Feng Hongsheng, and Xia Yu'e, then discussed the worsening conflict in Ice Province and the dangers in Cold County.
• The Seven Mysteries Sect decided that Shi Zhenyong would hold Frost County while Xia Yu'e assisted its garrison, and Chen Mu and Feng Hongsheng would investigate Cold County.
• Feng Hongsheng warned Chen Mu to avoid being surrounded by enemy Grandmasters, and the two crossed Frost County’s border into Cold County.

After finding a little girl who survived a foreign race massacre, Chen Mu rescued and comforted her, then set out to kill the raiders. He confronted a large foreign race force escorting plunder and captives, as its commander ordered the troops into formation.

• Chen Mu discovered a village in Cold County recently devastated by the Outside the Pass Foreign Race and found a little girl hidden in a well.
• Chen Mu warmed and revived the girl, learned that her father had hidden her, and told her that no one else from the village had survived.
• Carrying the girl, Chen Mu traveled toward the foreign race soldiers and told her he was going to kill some people.
• Chen Mu and the girl saw hundreds of cavalrymen and over a thousand foreign race soldiers driving thousands of women and children along with a convoy of plundered supplies.
• The girl said she wanted the raiders dead, and Chen Mu appeared alone in their path.
• The foreign race commander recognized the danger and ordered his troops to raise their spears and form ranks.

Chen Mu protected the little girl from a Foreign Race Cavalry charge and destroyed the entire formation with two spear strikes. The surviving foreign race infantry realized he was a martial arts Grandmaster and were left facing him in terror.

• Three hundred Foreign Race Cavalry charged Chen Mu while he held the frightened little girl.
• Chen Mu caught the cavalry commander's formation-powered spear attack with one hand.
• Chen Mu swept the captured spear into the commander, his warhorse, and the riders behind them, shattering the formation's momentum.
• Chen Mu followed with a horizontal spear sweep that cut down all three hundred cavalrymen.
• The foreign race infantry watched in horror and recognized Chen Mu as a martial arts Grandmaster.

Chen Mu slaughtered the foreign race forces that had abducted several thousand women and children, defeating their battle formation despite its attempt to suppress his power. With the Wilderness littered with enemy corpses, he faced the task of finding help for the survivors.

• A foreign race commander recognized Chen Mu as the Seven Mysteries Sect expert ranked third on the Cold North Wind and Cloud, and the infantry formed a battle formation to confront him.
• Chen Mu hurled his spear into the charging soldiers, then caught and crushed a combined saber strike from the commanders and experts.
• Carrying the little girl, Chen Mu charged into the formation and killed its Six Bowel Realm commanders and Five Viscera Realm experts.
• The formation collapsed, and Chen Mu killed the remaining soldiers, leaving all thousand or so foreign race troops dead.
• Chen Mu noticed the several thousand abducted women and children and worried about how to care for them in Cold County.

Chen Mu rescued a thousand abducted women and girls and sent them toward Sha County, while Marquis Tugu discovered that Chen Mu had annihilated his missing troop. Marquis Tugu set out to track Chen Mu and the survivors.

• Chen Mu calmed the rescued captives, treated Lu Yun’s shoulder wound, and ordered her to organize the group for the journey to Sha County.
• Marquis Tugu ordered his forces to gather and learned that one of four detachments had been out of contact for two days.
• Marquis Tugu traveled to the missing detachment’s route and found its soldiers buried beneath the shattered ground.
• Marquis Tugu recognized the traces of Chen Mu’s Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal and pursued him, believing the rescued captives could not have traveled far.

Chen Mu escorted thousands of women and children across the frozen wilderness toward Sha County, protecting them from the cold and treating those who fell ill. After Xiahou Yan arrived with soldiers to take over the convoy, Chen Mu agreed to escort it farther because foreign tribes might pursue them.

• Chen Mu shielded the procession from the freezing winds and used his inner breath to treat a young woman with a high fever.
• Chen Mu placed the recovering woman in a carriage, where the other girls made room for her.
• After another half day of travel, Xiahou Yan arrived with more than a hundred armored soldiers from Sha County.
• Xiahou Yan praised Chen Mu’s rise to third on the Wind and Cloud Rankings and began taking over the procession.
• Chen Mu warned that the foreign tribes might retaliate and agreed to escort the group farther toward Sha County.

As Chen Mu escorted the convoy toward Sha County with Xiahou Yan, he learned more about the Wumeng Tribe and sensed a foreign Grandmaster pursuing them. He turned back to face the attacker alone while Xiahou Yan urged the convoy onward, uncertain whether the pursuer was one of the Wumeng Tribe’s powerful marquises.

• Xiahou Yan praised Chen Mu’s progress in Xun Wind and described Sha County’s defenses and the Wumeng Tribe’s strength in Cold County.
• Xiahou Yan warned that the Wumeng Tribe might retaliate after Chen Mu destroyed its troops, including with one of its five Grandmasters.
• Chen Mu sensed an approaching presence in the northern wilderness and told Xiahou Yan to keep the convoy moving while he went to meet the pursuer.
• Xiahou Yan sensed the approaching Grandmaster’s pressure and continued leading the convoy onward, fearing the attacker might be Marquis Tugu or Marquis Wugu.

Chen Mu confronted Marquis Tugu to keep the Wumeng Grandmaster away from the refugees fleeing Cold County. Their first clash ended with Chen Mu effortlessly holding off Tugu’s Earthshake strike, leaving the marquis convinced that Chen Mu possessed Blood Exchange Realm strength.

• Chen Mu approached the lone foreign-race Grandmaster and identified him as Marquis Tugu of the Wumeng Tribe.
• Marquis Tugu accused Chen Mu of attacking the Wumeng Tribe’s sons, while Chen Mu rejected his claim over Cold County and challenged him.
• Xiahou Yan ordered the refugees and border elites to keep moving away from the coming Grandmaster battle.
• Marquis Tugu launched his Wuman Earthshake attack, using his Martial Body to concentrate his domain’s power into a crushing blow.
• Chen Mu lightly punched upward and stopped Tugu’s strike, splitting the frozen earth and leaving Tugu shocked by Chen Mu’s overwhelming power.

Chen Mu defeated the Marquis Tugu, learned of the Heavenly Demon Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect’s likely strongholds, and killed him. He left with two locations to investigate: Secluded Silence Valley and Snow Woman Mountain.

• Chen Mu shattered the Marquis Tugu’s Origin Astral Force and ultimate technique, then pursued him when he fled.
• Chen Mu crushed the Marquis Tugu’s Crescent Moon Saber and pinned him in a crater beneath his foot.
• The Marquis Tugu recognized Chen Mu’s Qian Kun Martial Body and revealed Secluded Silence Valley and Snow Woman Mountain as places connected to the Heavenly Demon Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect.
• Chen Mu identified the two places on his map of Ice Province and severed the Marquis Tugu’s head.

Chen Mu killed the Wumeng Tribe's Grandmaster Marquis Tugu, took his Spirit Weapon, and caught up with Xiahou Yan's fleeing group. Xiahou Yan was stunned by the revelation, while Chen Mu asked him to keep the death quiet for now.

• Chen Mu searched Marquis Tugu's belongings, kept a Beast Hide martial art, and took the Grandmaster's Crescent Moon Saber before destroying all traces of the corpse.
• Xiahou Yan led the survivors onward, worrying about Chen Mu after the clash fell silent.
• Chen Mu rejoined the group and confirmed that he had fought Marquis Tugu, then assured Xiahou Yan that the Wumeng Tribe would not pursue them soon.
• Xiahou Yan realized Chen Mu had killed Marquis Tugu and was shocked by the feat.
• Chen Mu asked Xiahou Yan not to publicize the death, and Xiahou Yan agreed while struggling to comprehend Chen Mu's strength.

After reaching Sha County, Chen Mu left the returning group to report crucial intelligence to the Seven Mysteries Sect. Xiahou Yan told Wu Changxi that Chen Mu had killed the Wumeng Tribe’s Marquis Tugu, leaving Wu astonished by his strength and pondering the sect’s uncertain future.

• Chen Mu entertained the rescued girls with a tale of Great Sage Sun as the procession reached Sha County.
• Wu Changxi arrived to receive Xiahou Yan and Chen Mu, and Chen Mu addressed him as Martial Uncle.
• Chen Mu departed for the Seven Mysteries Sect to deliver intelligence about the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Heavenly Corpse Sect.
• Xiahou Yan told Wu Changxi that Chen Mu had defeated and killed Marquis Tugu during the journey.
• Wu Changxi reflected on Chen Mu’s exceptional talent and the Seven Mysteries Sect’s lack of a clear successor among its Blood Exchange Realm elders.

Chen Mu returned to the Seven Mysteries Sect as a Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster, and the sect’s guardians treated him with the deference of a future Peak Lord Elder. At the mountain stele, he examined the sect’s formation and realized how a Blood Exchange expert could have attacked its earth veins from afar, though he could not yet do the same.

• Shi Bian recognized Chen Mu at the mountain gate, bowed to him, and recalled how Chen Mu had risen from a new disciple to a Grandmaster.
• Chen Mu reached the Seven Mysteries Sect stele and sensed its lasting Artistic Conception and the third step of Kun Earth Power of Intent.
• Chen Mu examined the Heaven and Earth Locking Dragon Formation and judged that its vast Earth Vein Force could not be fully controlled by its builders.
• Chen Mu realized that his Grandmaster abilities could let him resist the formation from a distance, but he could not yet disturb the earth veins from afar.
• Chen Mu inferred that a Blood Exchange expert had ambushed his master by striking the earth veins from dozens of li away.

Chen Mu visited the Seven Mysteries Sect’s main peak and reported intelligence about two strongholds linked to the Heavenly Demon Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect to acting sect leader Qi Zhiyuan. After learning Chen Mu had killed the Marquis Tugu, Qi Zhiyuan judged the intelligence credible but said any attack would require careful planning and the Grand Elder’s consideration.

• Chen Mu climbed Tai Xuan Peak, where disciples recognized him as the renowned Senior Brother Chen of Ling Xuan Peak.
• Chen Mu met acting sect leader Qi Zhiyuan and reported that Secluded Silence Valley and Snow Woman Mountain were linked to the Heavenly Demon Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect.
• Chen Mu explained how he had obtained the information from the dying Marquis Tugu and revealed that he had killed him.
• Qi Zhiyuan praised Chen Mu’s strength and concluded that his achievement surpassed his standing on the Wind and Cloud Rankings.
• Qi Zhiyuan said the sect could plan around the intelligence but would need to consider its options carefully before attacking either enemy sect’s stronghold.

Chen Mu traded Marquis Tugu's Spirit Weapon scimitar for a Divine Firmament Stone and asked the Seven Mysteries Sect to help find the three materials he still needed for a Qiankun Spirit Weapon. On his way to visit Qin Mengjun, he met Jin Ling'er and reached the final Path of No Return in his Martial Dao Will.

• Chen Mu exchanged Marquis Tugu's Spirit Weapon scimitar for a Divine Firmament Stone, and Qi Zhiyuan agreed to have the sect and Surveillance Department search for Taiqing Qi, Nanming Fire, and the Ocean Stabilizing Pearl.
• Qi Zhiyuan left to consult the Grand Elders about Chen Mu's report and the possibility of acting against the Heavenly Demon Sect or the Heavenly Corpse Sect.
• Chen Mu returned to Ling Xuan Peak, where the disciples greeted him as he climbed toward Qin Mengjun.
• Chen Mu praised Jin Ling'er for reaching Lian Rou Completion and encouraged her to keep cultivating.
• Chen Mu reflected on the path he had taken and entered the final Path of No Return, deepening his Martial Dao Will.

Chen Mu returned to Ling Xuan Peak, encouraged Jin Ling'er and reunited with Zhao Xiaohong, whom he had once rescued. After finding his master Qin Mengjun still in seclusion, he used a deduction to advance his Qiankun Power of Intent Realm and received a Divine Firmament Stone from Elder Qi's messenger.

• Chen Mu encouraged Jin Ling'er as she resumed cultivating, then recognized Zhao Xiaohong as the girl he had rescued during the Tide Disaster and learned that her grandfather had died.
• Chen Mu urged Zhao Xiaohong, a newly initiated inner disciple with top-grade A comprehension, to persevere in her cultivation.
• Chen Mu found Qin Mengjun absent from the rear cliff and returned to his clean bamboo hut on Ling Xuan Peak.
• Chen Mu used an available deduction to complete the seventh deduction of the Qiankun Power of Intent Realm, drawing close to the Second Step's limit.
• A Seven Mysteries Sect guardian delivered Chen Mu a Divine Firmament Stone on Elder Qi's orders.

Chen Mu discovered that the cliff where Qin Mengjun had stayed was a weak node in the Seven Mysteries Sect’s Heaven and Earth Locking Dragon Formation, and connected his inner breath to it to improve his comprehension. He considered using the formation to temper his Martial Body but held back, wary of the traitor who had once targeted Qin Mengjun.

• After receiving the Divine Firmament Stone from the Tai Xuan Peak protector, Chen Mu returned to Ling Xuan Peak and went to Qin Mengjun’s usual place by the rear cliff.
• Chen Mu recognized the cliff as a weak node in the Heaven and Earth Locking Dragon Formation and found that Qin Mengjun’s power still protected it.
• Chen Mu connected his inner breath to the node and gained a formation-wide view of the Seven Mysteries Mountain Range, greatly accelerating his comprehension of heaven and earth.
• Chen Mu speculated that Qin Mengjun’s connection to the formation might have helped heal her damaged mind and soul.
• Chen Mu considered borrowing the formation’s power to temper his Qian Kun Martial Body but decided against it because doing so would expose his Grandmaster realm and risk a backlash if the sect’s traitor interfered.

Chen Mu chose to keep his Qiankun Grandmaster achievement secret while using the Heaven and Earth Locking Dragon Formation to advance his Qiankun Power of Intent Realm. He was appointed deputy peak lord of Ling Xuan Peak and joined the Elder Council, where the Seven Mysteries Sect prepared to attack Secluded Silence Valley.

• Chen Mu suppressed his desire to reveal his strength and spent seven days cultivating through the formation, raising his Qiankun Power of Intent Realm to 3,328 experience points.
• Qi Zhiyuan summoned Chen Mu to Tai Xuan Hall, where the sect’s Peak Lords and elders had gathered.
• Qi Zhiyuan announced that Grand Elder Yin Heng had appointed Chen Mu deputy peak lord of Ling Xuan Peak and admitted him to the Elder Council.
• Liu Tong introduced Chen Mu to the assembled elders and Peak Lords, including Fang Yuan, whose family backed Emerald Rock Manor.
• Qi Zhiyuan presented Grand Elder Yin Heng’s decree ordering the Seven Mysteries Sect’s forces to advance on Secluded Silence Valley without involving the Ice Severing Palace or Heaven Sword Sect.

At the Heavenly Demon Sect headquarters, Demon Venerable Qu Lin reported that the Seven Mysteries Sect’s inactivity and Chen Mu’s presence in Cold County suggested a possible attack. Black Jade Demon Lord Kun Wu considered the threat and whether to coordinate with the Wumeng Tribe and Heavenly Corpse Sect.

• The chapter revealed that the Heavenly Demon Sect cultivated in the forbidden ground using the Demon Qi of a chained, weakened Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon, the Black Tortoise.
• Black Jade Demon Lord Kun Wu and five Tier Seven Demon Venerables meditated before the Black Tortoise, while Demon Venerable Qu Lin arrived with news from Cold County.
• Qu Lin reported that the Seven Mysteries Sect had occupied Frost County but had made no further move, and that Chen Mu was suspected of operating in Cold County after a Wumeng troop disappeared.
• Kun Wu recalled that Chen Mu had likely killed Kun Jie as well as several Demon Venerables, and asked whether Chen Mu remained in Cold County.
• Qu Lin proposed contacting the Wumeng Tribe and Heavenly Corpse Sect to prepare for a possible Seven Mysteries Sect attack on Cold County.

The Seven Mysteries Sect gathered its Grandmasters outside Secluded Silence Valley and began attacking the Heavenly Demon Sect’s hidden stronghold. Qi Zhiyuan unleashed the Taiyin Mirror, whose black light pierced the valley’s defenses.

• Kun Wu ordered Qu Lin to invite the Heavenly Corpse Sect and Wumeng’s branches to discuss Cold County, but a distant boom shook the Heavenly Demon Sect’s main altar.
• Qi Zhiyuan, Fang Yuan, Liu Tong, Chen Mu, and other Seven Mysteries Sect fighters assembled outside Secluded Silence Valley to confront the Heavenly Demon Sect.
• Shi Zhenyong hurled a massive boulder into the valley, breaking a mountain node but revealing that hidden formations still supported the terrain.
• Qi Zhiyuan brought out the Taiyin Mirror, a peerless Spirit Weapon, and channeled Taiyin inner breath into it.
• Qi Zhiyuan fired the Taiyin Mirror’s black light into Secluded Silence Valley, splitting the earth and spreading frost through the rocks.