Chapter Summaries

Prince Yan Ji Xuanming reflected on the imperial princes’ struggle for succession as the Seven Mysteries Sect consolidated its control over Frost County and Cold County. Chen Mu strengthened his Qian Kun Martial Body and spent a month and a half cultivating Power of Intent, then opened his eyes at the rear cliff.

• Ji Xuanming considered how Qin Mengjun’s breakthrough to the Blood Exchange Realm complicated Prince Jin’s plans and blamed the imperial succession struggle for the realm’s chaos.
• Qin Mengjun became a Grand Elder, Chen Mu inherited Ling Xuan Peak, and the Heavenly Demon Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect withdrew from Cold County, leaving it and Frost County under Seven Mysteries Sect control.
• Chen Mu consumed Body Tempering Spiritual Materials and advanced his Qian Kun Martial Body from Initial Formation to Initial Accomplishment, increasing his strength by roughly twenty percent.
• Chen Mu connected his aura to the Heaven and Earth Locking Dragon Formation and began cultivating Qiankun Power of Intent while Qin Mengjun sought a formula for his remaining materials.
• After a month and a half of secluded cultivation amid continued fighting in Ice Province, Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes at the rear cliff.

Chen Mu used the System Panel to experience a near-Heaven and Earth United state, pushing his Qiankun Power of Intent to the limit of its second step. He learned he could now cultivate the Qiankun Domain through the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal and resolved to master it before Qin Mengjun returned.

• After a month and a half of comprehending heaven and earth through the Heaven and Earth Locking Dragon Formation, Chen Mu spent his accumulated experience on another deduction.
• Chen Mu’s consciousness merged with heaven and earth, revealing the Seven Mysteries Sect’s secrets, while Yin Heng sensed the gaze and suspected a powerful outsider had arrived.
• The deduction ended, and Chen Mu realized his Power of Intent had reached the limit of the second step, though the System Panel still listed it as second step.
• Chen Mu discovered he now met the conditions to advance the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal to its seventh layer and form the Qiankun Domain.
• Chen Mu resolved to focus on cultivating the Qiankun Domain while Qin Mengjun remained away, hoping to spar with her when she returned.

Chen Mu guided Jin Ling'er and Zhao Xiaohong on Ling Xuan Peak, helping each develop along her strengths and creating a body-tempering method tailored to Zhao Xiaohong. Qin Mengjun returned with a Mystic Tortoise Jelly prescription, and Chen Mu thanked her after revealing his recent progress.

• Chen Mu demonstrated Spear Force to Jin Ling'er and encouraged her to keep practicing toward mastering it.
• Chen Mu watched Zhao Xiaohong display her Sword Force and advised her to strengthen her body-tempering foundation.
• Chen Mu tested Zhao Xiaohong's physique, devised a five-form body-tempering method for her, and adjusted it as she practiced.
• Qin Mengjun summoned Chen Mu to the rear cliff after returning from her two-month absence.
• Qin Mengjun gave Chen Mu a Mystic Tortoise Jelly prescription and noticed that his martial arts had improved.
• Chen Mu memorized the prescription and bowed to thank Qin Mengjun for supporting and nurturing him.

Chen Mu sparred with Qin Mengjun to test the strength he had gained after two months of cultivation, and proved that his Qiankun Domain and martial techniques let him contend with her Blood Exchange Realm power. The chapter left him nearly equal to Qin Mengjun and capable of facing the strongest martial artists beneath Heaven and Earth United, though her Heaven Flipping Seal still gave her an edge.

• Chen Mu followed Qin Mengjun into the sky above the Seven Mysteries Mountain Range to test his strength against her.
• Chen Mu and Qin Mengjun clashed their Qiankun and Qian Heaven Domains for nearly a quarter hour, and Chen Mu found that his smaller Qiankun Domain could withstand hers.
• Chen Mu and Qin Mengjun exchanged close-range strikes that created tiny fissures in the sky, revealing that Chen Mu could fight her almost evenly without having undergone Blood Exchange.
• Chen Mu warned Qin Mengjun before they traded their Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal and Heaven Flipping Seal, and the collision sent both of them flying back through the clouds.
• Qin Mengjun judged Chen Mu nearly equal to her, while Chen Mu acknowledged that her Spirit Weapon would give her the advantage in a full-strength fight.

Chen Mu and Qin Mengjun discussed the possible opening of the Ice Province Earth Abyss and the mysteries of heaven and earth, while Chu Jingsu broke through into the Marrow Cleansing Realm. Chen Mu then returned to the Chen Residence and tested Mystic Tortoise Jelly, finding ordinary Black Tortoise Demon Blood too weak to significantly temper his Qian Kun Martial Body.

• Qin Mengjun told Chen Mu that the Earth Abyss in Ice Province might soon open, drawing the attention of rival forces and creating an opportunity to find rare spiritual materials.
• Qin Mengjun described how she had reached sixteen thousand zhang into the heavens before being stopped by fierce winds and cracks in the sky, and Chen Mu wondered what lay beneath the Earth Abyss.
• Chen Mu and Qin Mengjun sensed Chu Jingsu break through the Mysterious Pass and enter the Marrow Cleansing Realm, prompting congratulations from Yin Heng and the Seven Mysteries Sect.
• Chen Mu told Qin Mengjun that Chu Jingsu could take over Ling Xuan Peak because Chen Mu expected to spend much of his time away from the sect.
• Chen Mu brewed Mystic Tortoise Jelly from ordinary Black Tortoise Demon Blood and consumed it, but found it added only two experience points to his Qian Kun Martial Body.

Chen Mu refined and consumed top-grade Mystic Tortoise Jelly Powder from the Black Tortoise Heart Blood, greatly strengthening his Qian Kun Martial Body. In Ice Province, the Two Suns omen confirmed that the Earth Abyss was about to open, drawing Grandmasters from across the Eleven Provinces.

• Chen Mu refined a drop of Mystic Tortoise Heart Blood into Guiling Jelly and consumed it, gaining about two hundred experience points for his Qian Kun Martial Body.
• Chen Mu decided to refine and store the remaining portions of Mystic Tortoise Heart Blood.
• Demon creatures and people across Ice Province grew restless as an oppressive omen spread.
• Jiang Changsheng saw the sun appear to split in two and concluded that the Ice Province Earth Abyss was about to open, where he might find his chance for Blood Exchange.
• Grandmasters across Ice Province recognized the Two Suns omen, while Fu Jingyuan confirmed the Profound Mystery Pavilion's divination.
• The Earth Abyss's impending opening stirred all Eleven Provinces, and countless Grandmasters set out for Ice Province.

After returning to Jade Province, Chen Mu revealed to Xu Hongyu that he had become a Qiankun Grandmaster and shared his plans to pursue Profound Mystery Pavilion and other enemies. The next day, he quietly left for Ice Province to explore the approaching Earth Abyss.

• Chen Mu told Xu Hongyu that his journey to Ice Province had brought his cultivation to perfection in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, making him a Qiankun Grandmaster.
• Xu Hongyu realized the Demonic Qi trap had not harmed Chen Mu, and Chen Mu said he planned to settle accounts with Profound Mystery Pavilion.
• Chen Mu explained that he would seek an opportunity to strike Profound Mystery Pavilion while exploring the Earth Abyss, and he also vowed to uproot the Heavenly Corpse Sect.
• Chen Mu cultivated with Xu Hongyu, hoping to help her advance toward the Six Bowel Realm and eventually the Mysterious Pass.
• The next day, Chen Mu quietly left Jade Province and headed north to Ice Province.

As Frost County prepared for the Earth Abyss to open, Meng Danyun and Zhao Zhenchuan witnessed renowned Grandmasters arrive and learned that Liu Tong had joined the ranks of peak Grandmasters. Chen Mu finally reached the city, where he reunited with his Seven Mysteries Sect seniors.

• An earthquake shook Frost County, and Meng Danyun and Zhao Zhenchuan watched a distant sword strike kill a Black Frost Centipede without damaging the surrounding land.
• Jade Flute Guest Sang Yanqing arrived and praised the swordsmanship of Jiang Changsheng, who soon appeared at Frost County.
• Liu Tong met Jiang Changsheng and Sang Yanqing at the city wall, revealing that he had reached the ranks of peak Grandmasters.
• Meng Danyun and Zhao Zhenchuan discussed the Seven Mysteries Sect’s rise and worried that Chen Mu’s rapid progress left them unable to help him.
• Dozens of Grandmasters gathered in Frost County ahead of the Earth Abyss opening.
• Chen Mu arrived at the city wall and greeted Meng Danyun and Zhao Zhenchuan.

Chen Mu arrived in Frost County as Grandmasters gathered for the Earth Abyss opening, where he met Absolute Saber Tuo Ba Xi and learned the Earth Abyss was about to rupture to the west. He joined the Grandmasters heading toward the opening as Frost County prepared for the earthquake.

• Zhao Zhenchuan told Chen Mu that demonic disturbances had spread through Frost County and that many Grandmasters, including Jiang Changsheng and Sang Yanqing, had arrived.
• Tuo Ba Xi appeared at the city gate, dismissed Jiang Changsheng as lacking, and met Chen Mu's composed gaze before leaving.
• Chen Mu joined the Seven Mysteries Sect's discussion at the county office, studied its Earth Abyss map, and was warned to watch for the Profound Mystery Pavilion.
• A protector reported Tuo Ba Xi's arrival, while Chen Mu sensed ripples in the earth veins and declared that the opening was imminent to the west.
• Grandmasters left Frost County for the western rupture, while Zhao Zhenchuan ordered the guards to prepare for the earthquake and unknown figures also rushed toward the same place.

Chen Mu rescued mountain villagers during the earthquake that shattered the Azure Frost Mountain Range, then entered the newly opened Earth Abyss after the other Grandmasters. He reached its vast underground expanse and discovered that its oppressive environment was far heavier than the surface.

• Wu Nan and his family were caught in the earthquake as the Azure Frost Mountain Range split apart, but Chen Mu saved them and more than twenty other villagers.
• Chen Mu carried the villagers to safety, suppressed the shaking around them, and sent them west once the earthquake subsided.
• Grandmasters from many sects descended into the shattered earth veins, while Chen Mu stayed behind to ensure the villagers could leave safely.
• Chen Mu returned to the Azure Frost Mountain Range and descended through an earth fissure, passing more than twelve hundred zhang underground.
• Chen Mu emerged into the Earth Abyss, a vast underground realm where the oppressive force was roughly ten times heavier than on the surface.

Chen Mu explored the Earth Abyss, where he encountered a mutated Earth Wolf and a Tier Seven Ancient Demon. After capturing the demon, he studied its strange nature and wondered whether it came from beyond the world.

• Chen Mu sensed that the Earth Abyss was a strange layer of the world and found traces of Demonic Qi left by a slain creature.
• Chen Mu explored the Earth Abyss cautiously, deepening his understanding of Qiankun as he traveled more than a hundred li.
• Chen Mu killed a mutated Earth Wolf and noted that its body was unusually tough.
• A Tier Seven Ancient Demon ambushed Chen Mu, but he countered its attacks and pursued it when it tried to escape by splitting into fragments.
• Chen Mu destroyed the Ancient Demon’s scattered fragments and trapped its largest remnant, which briefly took Xu Hongyu’s face to beguile him.
• Chen Mu sensed that the Ancient Demon’s essence stood apart from the Eight Trigrams and wondered whether it had come from beyond the world.

Chen Mu studied the remnant Ancient Demon in the Earth Abyss before confronting Ji Yuanshan, Fu Jingyuan, and a Blood Shadow Tower Grandmaster, who had come to kill him. He effortlessly shattered Ji Yuanshan’s sword attack and killed the Blood Shadow Tower Grandmaster and Fu Jingyuan, leaving Ji Yuanshan facing Chen Mu’s overwhelming strength.

• Chen Mu destroyed the Ancient Demon’s remnant body and revealed that he had sensed the Blood Shadow Tower Grandmaster following him.
• Fu Jingyuan and Ji Yuanshan confronted Chen Mu, with Ji Yuanshan attacking using the Spring Autumn Sword.
• Chen Mu shattered Ji Yuanshan’s Sword Qi with a flick of his finger and knocked the Spring Autumn Sword away.
• Chen Mu appeared beside the Blood Shadow Tower Grandmaster and fatally pierced his heart.
• Fu Jingyuan fled, but Chen Mu killed him with a finger strike through the heart from a distance.

Chen Mu killed Ji Yuanshan after revealing that he had deliberately lured the Profound Mystery Pavilion into acting, then took the Spring Autumn Sword and disappeared. Later, Xia Yu'e and Luan Qiumei discovered traces of Ji Yuanshan's death but could not identify his killer.

• Ji Yuanshan fled from Chen Mu, who caught up and gravely wounded him with a single finger strike.
• Ji Yuanshan questioned Chen Mu about his earlier actions and the Profound Mystery Pavilion's ties to the Blood Shadow Tower before dying in the pit.
• Chen Mu destroyed Ji Yuanshan's corpse, subdued the Spring Autumn Sword, and vanished into the darkness.
• Xia Yu'e and Luan Qiumei arrived, used Yin-Yang techniques and traces in the soil to determine that Ji Yuanshan had likely been killed.
• Xia Yu'e could not uncover the killer's identity, so she and Luan Qiumei erased the restored traces and continued through the Earth Abyss cautiously.

Chen Mu explored deeper into the Earth Abyss, killing demons and collecting valuable resources as he searched for a route downward. After defeating an Eighth Rank Resound Serpent and extracting a large pool of Earth Source Spirit Liquid, he headed to a nearby map-marked entrance to the third layer.

• Chen Mu descended to a deeper layer, killed a Tier Seven giant insect demon, and collected its heartblood.
• Chen Mu followed the Seven Mysteries Sect map through the second layer, finding that a marked cave entrance had been sealed and surviving attacks by two Tier Six demons.
• Chen Mu sensed a pool of Earth Source Spirit Liquid and recognized that an Eighth Rank Resound Serpent guarded it.
• Chen Mu seized and killed the Resound Serpent, then used Yuangang True Force to detach the pool from the earth veins and seal it inside a block of stone.
• Chen Mu strapped the stone containing the Earth Source Spirit Liquid to his back and set off toward a nearby entrance to the third layer.

Chen Mu followed five black-cloaked figures into the third layer of the Earth Abyss and discovered them seeking Heaven and Earth Creation Dew. After the group drove off a Hui Serpent and collected seven drops, Chen Mu recognized the aged Liu Wanzheng among them and revealed his presence.

• Chen Mu followed the black-cloaked group through a passage into the third layer of the Earth Abyss, then used his Qiankun Domain to track their concealed trail.
• Yu ShouXuan and the others found an Azure Dragon Taking Water terrain containing an Earth-Surging Azure Lotus and Heaven and Earth Creation Dew.
• Yu ShouXuan drew out an Eighth Rank Hui Serpent, and he and three Grandmasters fought it until it escaped; Liu Wanzheng did not join the battle.
• Yu ShouXuan collected seven drops of Heaven and Earth Creation Dew as the Earth-Surging Azure Lotus crumbled.
• Chen Mu suspected the aged Grandmaster was Liu Wanzheng and let his aura escape, prompting Yu ShouXuan and the others to detect him.

Chen Mu uncovered Liu Wanzheng’s role in Qin Mengjun’s ambush and learned that Liu supported Prince Liang through his descendants in the Outer Sea. When Yu ShouXuan and Liu Wanzheng tried to kill him to keep the court’s secrets hidden, Chen Mu effortlessly stopped Yu’s sword and sent it through him.

• Chen Mu confronted Liu Wanzheng about working with outsiders, and Yu ShouXuan revealed the old ties between the Qin and Zhao families and Prince Jin.
• Yu ShouXuan explained that Liu Wanzheng supported Prince Liang through a descendant who had become Prince Liang’s secondary consort, clarifying Liu’s role in Qin Mengjun’s ambush.
• Yu ShouXuan and Liu Wanzheng disclosed their plan to kill Chen Mu, while Tan Jinguang emerged behind him to block his retreat.
• Yu ShouXuan attacked Chen Mu with his Grand Yin Sword, but Chen Mu caught the blade between two fingers and broke its force.
• Chen Mu sent the sword back with overwhelming power, piercing Yu ShouXuan’s hands and chest and blasting through his back.

Chen Mu revealed himself as a Qiankun Grandmaster, killed Yu ShouXuan’s companions, and questioned the dying Liu Wanzheng about the forces behind the plots against Qin Mengjun. Liu Wanzheng disclosed Prince Han Ji Xuanfei’s connection to the Profound Mystery Pavilion, then peacefully died, leaving Chen Mu to face the conflicts surrounding Wan Qingxuan and Zhong Province.

• Chen Mu defeated Yu ShouXuan with two fingers, then killed Tan Jinguang and two fleeing Zhong Province Grandmasters with the Qian Kun Martial Body and seventh-level Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal.
• Chen Mu questioned the mortally wounded Yu ShouXuan about the Blood Exchange Realm expert behind Qin Mengjun’s ambush, but killed him before he could finish answering.
• Liu Wanzheng accepted that he could not escape Chen Mu and explained that he had once plotted against Qin Mengjun to serve Prince Liang and protect his granddaughter, Wan Qingxuan.
• Liu Wanzheng told Chen Mu that Prince Han Ji Xuanfei stood behind the Profound Mystery Pavilion and might also have arranged the Blood Shadow Tower’s cooperation with it.
• Liu Wanzheng asked Chen Mu not to punish Wan Qingxuan unless she became his enemy; Chen Mu agreed but warned that this was unlikely.
• Liu Wanzheng released his remaining life force and died, completing the deaths of the four Zhong Province Grandmasters and the Seven Mysteries Sect elder.

After Liu Wanzheng died, Chen Mu considered the limits of lifespan, collected Heaven and Earth Creation Dew, and returned to the surface, where he suppressed a demonic attack. He learned that the Ice Severing Palace had abandoned its sect and followed Feng Hongsheng toward an Earth Abyss treasure guarded by an Eighth Rank Ancient Demon.

• Chen Mu examined Liu Wanzheng's rapid decay after death and wondered whether time itself contributed to the end of life.
• Chen Mu collected the Heaven and Earth Creation Dew and considered bringing some back for Xu Hongyu and Chen Yue before leaving the Earth Abyss.
• Chen Mu encountered Yu Cheng's forces under attack, killed many demonic creatures, and drove the rest away.
• Chen Mu learned from Yu Cheng that the Ice Severing Palace had abandoned its mountain gate, then heard Feng Hongsheng explain that it was relocating to avoid the chaos.
• Feng Hongsheng asked Chen Mu to help draw an Eighth Rank Ancient Demon away from a place containing extraordinary spiritual treasures, and Chen Mu agreed to accompany him.

Chen Mu traveled with Feng Hongsheng to a pool of Weak Water in the Earth Abyss, where an Eighth-Rank Ancient Demon guarded a hidden treasure. Chen Mu effortlessly killed the demon, leaving Feng Hongsheng stunned by his strength.

• Chen Mu agreed to accompany Feng Hongsheng into the Earth Abyss and followed him down to the third layer.
• Feng Hongsheng led Chen Mu to a pool of Weak Water and explained that an Eighth-Rank Ancient Demon guarded something beneath it.
• Chen Mu approached the pool, caught the Ancient Demon's shadow attack barehanded, and dragged the demon out of the Weak Water.
• The Ancient Demon took Qin Mengjun's form and tried to deceive Chen Mu, but he trapped it with his Qiankun Domain and crushed it to nothing.
• Feng Hongsheng watched Chen Mu slay the Eighth-Rank Ancient Demon and stood dumbfounded by the display.

Chen Mu confronted a newly awakened Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon beneath the Weak Water and fought it while Feng Hongsheng retrieved the Gloomy Soul Lotuses. The battle continued as Chen Mu exploited the demon’s distraction and struck it with the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal.

• Chen Mu exposed the Heavenly Demon hidden beneath the Weak Water, and Feng Hongsheng recognized the Gloomy Soul Lotuses growing on the lakebed.
• The Heavenly Demon emerged after consuming most of the soul lotuses, and Chen Mu tested its ability to copy his Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal and Martial Body.
• Chen Mu and the Heavenly Demon fought evenly above the Weak Water, tearing white fissures through the void as Feng Hongsheng watched in shock.
• Chen Mu told Feng Hongsheng to retrieve the remaining Gloomy Soul Lotuses, and Feng Hongsheng entered the Weak Water while the demon was occupied.
• The Heavenly Demon tried to turn back toward Feng Hongsheng, but Chen Mu blocked its attack and struck its opening with the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal.