Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu defeated a newly advanced Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon at the Weak Water, though its reality-shifting escape technique let it flee. He left with the complete Gloomy Soul Lotus and Feng Hongsheng kept a remnant, while Feng Hongsheng realized how far Chen Mu’s strength had surpassed other Grandmasters.

• Chen Mu struck the Heavenly Demon’s transformed body, resisted its soul attack with his Original Appearance God, and drove it to disintegrate into clouds of black mist.
• Chen Mu destroyed several clouds of mist, including the one pursuing Feng Hongsheng, but the Heavenly Demon ultimately escaped through its ability to shift between reality and illusion.
• Feng Hongsheng emerged from the Weak Water with the Gloomy Soul Lotus and asked whether Chen Mu had entered the Eighth Realm; Chen Mu said he had not.
• Chen Mu kept the complete Gloomy Soul Lotus and returned the remnant lotus to Feng Hongsheng, saying Feng Hongsheng should not leave empty-handed.
• Feng Hongsheng reflected on Chen Mu’s concealed rise and near-Blood Exchange strength, then praised his achievements before they parted ways.

Chen Mu strengthened his soul with a Gloomy Soul Lotus leaf and continued searching the Earth Abyss for treasures and a location marked on a demon-hide map. He killed an Eighth Rank Red Serpent Dragon, took its heart blood and Li Fire Pearl, and left its corpse behind, where Jiang Changsheng and Sang Yanqing separately arrived to salvage parts.

• Chen Mu ate a leaf from the Gloomy Soul Lotus and found that his soul strength and Qiankun Domain range had increased.
• Chen Mu explored the fourth layer of the Earth Abyss and found a Li Fire Pearl in a field of lava.
• A Red Serpent Dragon attacked Chen Mu, but he killed it with a single strike despite its advantage in the lava.
• Chen Mu extracted the Red Serpent Dragon's heart blood, took the Li Fire Pearl, and left the corpse behind as he continued searching.
• Jiang Changsheng found the Red Serpent Dragon's corpse, recognized that a Blood Exchange expert had killed it, and collected some dragon blood.
• Sang Yanqing arrived after Jiang Changsheng, identified the likely killer as a Blood Exchange expert, and took the Red Serpent Dragon's tendon.

Chen Mu followed the Demonhide Map to a buried Stone Vein in the Earth Abyss and discovered that it concealed a small Grotto-Heaven. After exploring its floating islands and finding nothing else, he was left contemplating the Grotto-Heaven and how such a space might be refined into a Spirit Weapon.

• Chen Mu recognized a Mountain Cyan Stone marker and found the buried Mountain Cyan Stone Forest nearby, locating the Stone Vein recorded on the Demonhide Map.
• Chen Mu burrowed into the Stone Vein and searched its interior until he found an unsealed passage into a cave.
• Chen Mu entered the cave and discovered that the Earth Abyss's oppressive force weakened and then vanished as he went deeper.
• Chen Mu emerged into a separate Grotto-Heaven containing a vast dark void and floating rocks, including several large islands.
• Chen Mu considered whether the Grotto-Heaven might be refined into a Spirit Weapon like the Qiankun Pot, then surveyed its islands and found nothing else.

Chen Mu investigated the decaying Cave Heaven and learned that the Stone Vein sustained it through a balance with the Earth Abyss. Unable to claim or refine the Stone Vein, he shattered the node connecting it to the Cave Heaven and watched the resulting collapse erupt across the surrounding land.

• Chen Mu explored the Cave Heaven, sensed its incomplete nature, and observed that cracks were slowly spreading through its boundaries.
• Chen Mu returned through the Stone Vein passage and determined that the Stone Vein’s Earth Vein Force and the Cave Heaven maintained a balance against the Earth Abyss.
• Chen Mu examined the Stone Vein and chose to attack the node connecting it to the Cave Heaven when he found no way to take or refine it.
• Chen Mu formed a Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal and struck the node, causing a crack to spread and disrupt the balance.
• Chen Mu escaped aboveground as the Cave Heaven and Stone Vein broke apart, triggering violent clashes across the surrounding land.

The Stone Vein’s destruction shook the Earth Abyss, drawing powerful figures toward the disturbance as Chen Mu tried to understand the spatial distortions around it. Jiang Changsheng claimed the Longevity Fruit from Kong Ji, while other martial artists also set off to investigate; the Stone Vein continued to fracture as Chen Mu pondered what lay beyond the Qiankun Domain.

• Demons fled as the conflict between the Stone Vein, Grotto-Heaven, and Earth Abyss spread tremors across hundreds of li.
• Jiang Changsheng fought Kong Ji beside the Longevity Vine, drove him back seven steps, and took the Longevity Fruit.
• Jiang Changsheng and Kong Ji sensed the distant disturbance and headed toward its source.
• Xia Yu'e defeated a Seventh Rank Demon King while Luan Qiumei collected twenty-seven drops of Ten Thousand Year Stalactite Spirit Liquid, and both women set off toward the disturbance.
• More figures converged on the Stone Vein as it rose from underground and cracked; Chen Mu studied its spatial distortions but could not comprehend them.

As the Stone Vein Grotto-Heaven collapsed, Chen Mu and an increasing number of Cold North Grandmasters watched the deadly void rifts and waited for treasures to emerge. Hai Qianyuan recognized the rare chance that the vast collapse might produce a Void Jade Crystal.

• Grandmasters including Luan Qiumei and Xia Yu'e arrived and identified the disaster as a Grotto-Heaven collapse that could produce strange treasures.
• Luan Qiumei and Xia Yu'e considered trying to seize a treasure, and Xia Yu'e warned Chen Mu about the danger of standing near the void rifts.
• Jiang Changsheng arrived, followed by Ascetic Arhat, as the Stone Vein continued breaking apart.
• Hai Qianyuan arrived, positioned himself away from Jiang Changsheng and Kong Ji, and hoped the collapse would yield a Void Jade Crystal.

The Stone Vein Grotto-Heaven collapsed into a Void Rift, revealing three rare treasures and leaving the Grandmasters to fight over them. As Jiang Changsheng and Tuo Ba Xi blocked Hai Qianyuan and Kong Ji, Liu Tong raced toward the treasures.

• Liu Tong arrived with other members of the Seven Mysteries Sect and considered joining forces with Chen Mu, but Tuo Ba Xi's arrival drew everyone's attention.
• The Stone Vein Grotto-Heaven ruptured into a black Void Rift, forcing the Grandmasters to retreat while Chen Mu studied the fissure from a safe distance.
• The Grotto-Heaven vanished in a display of black and white light, leaving a Mending Stone, Primal Chaos Qi, and Void Jade Crystal behind.
• Hai Qianyuan charged for the Void Jade Crystal, but Jiang Changsheng attacked him with the Longevity Sword, while Tuo Ba Xi intercepted Kong Ji with a saber strike.
• Liu Tong seized the opening created by their clashes and raced toward the three treasures.

Chen Mu reached the three strange treasures amid the battle and collected the Mending Stone and Void Jade Crystal. When Heaven Shadow tried to assassinate him, Chen Mu killed him with one palm, leaving Jiang Changsheng to realize that Chen Mu had reached the Marrow Washing Realm.

• Liu Tong tried to seize the treasures but was driven back by attacks from the assembled Grandmasters.
• Luan Qiumei, Xia Yu'e, and several other fighters charged toward the treasures, and their clashes plunged the battlefield into chaos.
• Heaven Shadow used his concealment skills to approach the treasures, but Chen Mu arrived first and collected the Mending Stone and Void Jade Crystal.
• Heaven Shadow stabbed Chen Mu from behind with the No Return Blade, but Chen Mu brushed off the attack and struck Heaven Shadow down with one palm.
• Jiang Changsheng recognized that Chen Mu's strength surpassed ordinary Grandmasters and realized he had reached the Marrow Washing Realm.

Chen Mu revealed that he had become a Qiankun Grandmaster, drawing the attention and challenge of Cold North’s top Grandmasters. Jiang Changsheng unleashed his lifelong Longevity Sword against him, but Chen Mu stopped it between two fingers and acknowledged its quality.

• Tuo Ba Xi explained that Chen Mu needed a domain severed from Heaven and Earth’s power to collect the Primal Chaos Qi.
• Jiang Changsheng and the other top Grandmasters recognized Chen Mu as a newly advanced Qiankun Grandmaster and focused their battle intent on him.
• Jiang Changsheng challenged Chen Mu to test his Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal, but Chen Mu told him to return after entering Blood Exchange.
• Jiang Changsheng took Chen Mu’s words as an insult and swung the Longevity Sword, channeling his life’s hardships and sword dao into the strike.
• Chen Mu caught the Longevity Sword between two fingers and told Jiang Changsheng that his sword was indeed not bad.

Chen Mu defeated Jiang Changsheng’s peerless Longevity Sword, and Jiang Changsheng fell with his sword shattered. As the other Grandmasters submitted and Tuo Ba Xi died after accepting his own failure, the Heavenly Demon Sect Ancestor Yuwen Hao suddenly attacked Chen Mu from behind.

• Jiang Changsheng struck Chen Mu with his three-question Longevity Sword, but Chen Mu stopped its sword intent with the Eight Desolations Converge seal and shattered the blade.
• Chen Mu sent Jiang Changsheng crashing into a distant pit, then challenged the gathered Grandmasters to face him.
• Kong Ji withdrew, while Tuo Ba Xi realized his hesitation had kept him from surpassing Gongyang Yu and died as his obsession faded.
• The Cold North Grandmasters bowed their heads before Chen Mu, recognizing him as a Qiankun Grandmaster.
• Yuwen Hao, the Heavenly Demon Sect Ancestor, burst onto the battlefield and attacked Chen Mu from behind.

Chen Mu fought Yuwen Hao, the Heavenly Demon Old Ancestor, after blocking his assassination attempt and revealed the strength of his Qiankun Domain. The battle continued as the watching Grandmasters realized Chen Mu could contend with a Heavenly Demon, leaving his growing reputation poised to shake Great Xuan.

• Yuwen Hao ambushed Chen Mu, but Chen Mu turned and blocked his demon claw with a direct punch.
• Chen Mu also repelled Yuwen Hao’s Mystic Tortoise Tail Sweep, while Xia Yu'e and Luan Qiumei recognized that he possessed the Qiankun Domain.
• Chen Mu used the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal against Yuwen Hao, who countered with True Dragon Ascends the Heavens.
• Chen Mu unleashed eight strikes of the Eight Trigrams of Heaven and Earth, and Yuwen Hao met them with Plucking Stars and Grasping the Moon.
• Luan Qiumei and Xia Yu'e watched Chen Mu contend with Yuwen Hao and anticipated that news of the battle would shake Great Xuan.

Chen Mu fought Yuwen Hao to a standstill, injured him, and forced him to flee, while Yuwen Hao resolved to enlist allies to eliminate Chen Mu before he could grow stronger. Qin Mengjun ambushed Yuwen Hao but could not stop his escape, and Chen Mu returned to the collapsed Stone Vein Grotto-Heaven to collect its Primal Chaos Qi.

• The nearby Grandmasters withdrew as Chen Mu and Yuwen Hao's battle sent dangerous shockwaves through the area.
• Chen Mu seized on Yuwen Hao's distraction, struck him hard enough to break his scales, and drove him into flight.
• After fleeing into the Earth Abyss, Yuwen Hao decided to work with the Heavenly Corpse Sect, Wu Zu, and the Outside the Pass Foreign Race to kill Chen Mu before he became too powerful.
• Qin Mengjun ambushed the injured Yuwen Hao, asked whether he had mentioned her disciple, Chen Mu, and wounded him again, but Yuwen Hao escaped.
• Qin Mengjun realized that Chen Mu's strength could no longer remain hidden and that his path toward supremacy had begun.
• Chen Mu returned to the collapsed Stone Vein Grotto-Heaven, studied the Primal Chaos Qi, and gathered it into his palm with his Qiankun Domain.

After defeating Yuwen Hao in the Earth Abyss, Chen Mu arranged for Xia Yu'e to search for Nanming Fire and learned that Hua Nongying and the others had found clues to the Ocean Stabilizing Pearl. As he emerged from the Earth Abyss, he rescued Meng Danyun and Zhao Zhenchuan from a terrifying Ancient Demon and destroyed its fleeing shadows.

• Liu Tong congratulated Chen Mu on his breakthrough, then left after reflecting on Chen Mu's sudden rise and the dangers awaiting him.
• Xia Yu'e told Chen Mu that Hua Nongying and the others had found clues to the Ocean Stabilizing Pearl in the Outer Sea, and offered to seek Nanming Fire taken by the Heavenly Seal Sect.
• Chen Mu agreed to exchange rare treasures for Nanming Fire, then departed into the darkness of the Earth Abyss.
• At the Earth Abyss entrance, Meng Danyun and Zhao Zhenchuan prepared to fight a Tier Six fish demon, but an immense black shadow seized and swallowed it.
• The possessed fish demon's aura terrified the Seven Mysteries Sect guardians, but Chen Mu emerged from the fissure, pierced its chest, and crushed the demonic shadows it released.

Chen Mu returned to Jade Province after effortlessly killing an Eighth-Rank Ancient Demon, and Meng Danyun and Zhao Zhenchuan learned that he had become a Qiankun Grandmaster who could challenge the strongest figures in Great Xuan. Knowing his growing renown would endanger his family, Chen Mu brought Xu Hongyu, Chen Yue, and the others to live beneath Ling Xuan Peak before setting out on a dangerous trial to pursue the Blood Exchange Realm.

• Chen Mu killed an Eighth-Rank Ancient Demon and told Meng Danyun and Zhao Zhenchuan to report his return to Jade Province to their master.
• Fang Yuan told Meng Danyun and Zhao Zhenchuan that Chen Mu had become a Qiankun Grandmaster and had broken Longevity, slain Absolute Saber, and repelled Yuwen Hao.
• Chen Mu returned to Xu Hongyu and explained that he had to leave so his growing prominence would not put his family in danger.
• Chen Mu told Chen Yue about his coming journey, and she agreed to wait for him without becoming a burden.
• Chen Mu escorted Xu Hongyu, Chen Yue, and the others to the Seven Mysteries Sect and arranged for them to live beneath Ling Xuan Peak.

News of Chen Mu’s breakthrough and victory in the Earth Abyss spread through Cold North, leaving the Seven Mysteries Sect and North Suppressing Manor stunned by his rise. Yuan Hong chose not to oppose him, while the possibility of attention from Zhong Province loomed.

• Chu Jingsu emerged from seclusion and learned that Chen Mu had entered the Marrow Cleansing Realm, broken the Longevity Sword, and repelled Yuwen Hao.
• Chu Jingsu realized Chen Mu’s rise would bring him worldwide fame and draw trouble, and accepted that he could no longer catch up to his junior brother.
• Jin Ling’er, Zhao Xiaohong, and other Seven Mysteries Sect disciples marveled at how Chen Mu had risen from a senior master to the pinnacle of Grandmasters in only a few years.
• Yuan Hong and Leng Wensong discussed Chen Mu’s extraordinary rise, and Yuan Hong decided not to interfere because their aims did not fundamentally conflict.
• Leng Wensong warned that Chen Mu’s story would reach Zhong Province and displease the Great Xuan Court, but Yuan Hong said they could do as they pleased.

Heaven Saber Gongyang Yu reflected on the limits of the Blood Exchange Realm and wondered whether Chen Mu could advance martial arts beyond it. In Jade Commandery, Yan Jingqing brought Yu Jiujiang startling intelligence about Chen Mu, leaving them to wonder whether he would reach the martial arts summit.

• Gongyang Yu learned of Tuo Ba Xi's death and considered the two possible paths to overcome mortality, then wondered whether Chen Mu could reach the Blood Exchange Realm.
• Gongyang Yu took up the Heaven Saber and reflected on how even Blood Exchange Realm martial artists eventually succumbed to time.
• Yan Jingqing visited Yu Jiujiang at the Yu Family residence and handed him intelligence about Chen Mu.
• Yu Jiujiang was shocked by the report, and he and Yan Jingqing considered how close Chen Mu had come to the pinnacle of martial arts.

Profound Heaven Dao Lord’s junior brother reported that Chen Mu had become a remarkable young Qiankun Grandmaster, but Profound Heaven Dao Lord dismissed him as unworthy of notice before Blood Exchange. An urgent report reached the Imperial Court, and news soon spread that Chen Mu had taken first place on Great Xuan’s Grandmaster Ranking List.

• Profound Heaven Dao Lord’s junior brother returned from Cold North and described Chen Mu’s unusual fate and strength, including his defeat of Yuwen Hao.
• Profound Heaven Dao Lord said Chen Mu would interest him only after entering Blood Exchange, while his junior brother decided to watch the Imperial Court’s reaction.
• A black-robed messenger delivered an urgent report from Cold North to Wei He at the Imperial Court.
• Wei He informed the unresponsive Xuan Emperor that something had happened in Cold North, then dispatched figures to several important residences.
• News spread that Chen Mu had entered Marrow Cleansing, defeated Jiang Changsheng, driven back Yuwen Hao, and taken first place on the Grandmaster Ranking List, pushing Ji Xuanchu to second.

Chen Mu, Yin Heng, and Qin Mengjun studied the Void Jade Crystal and discussed how the Seven Mysteries Sect could forge it into a spatial Spirit Weapon. Their conversation turned to possible paths beyond the known martial realms, while Chen Mu privately considered his unusual body tempering; they ended by preparing to investigate the refining method carefully.

• Chen Mu visited the forbidden grounds with Yin Heng and Qin Mengjun to learn about the Void Jade Crystal and discovered that the sect had the materials and experts needed to forge a spatial Spirit Weapon.
• Qin Mengjun admitted she could not comprehend the Void Dao, and Yin Heng explained that martial artists had long sought realms beyond the established limits of Body Tempering and Power of Intent.
• Yin Heng proposed that a Ninth Body Tempering Realm might involve transforming mortal flesh and blood, prompting Chen Mu to privately reflect on how his organs had already changed.
• Yin Heng explained theories that the Fourth Step of Power of Intent could involve mastering the Void Dao or the passage of time, and Chen Mu considered both possibilities.
• Yin Heng, Qin Mengjun, and Chen Mu returned their attention to the Void Jade Crystal and agreed to study the refining process carefully before attempting to forge a spatial Spirit Weapon.

Chen Mu, Qin Mengjun, and Yin Heng successfully forged a spatial Spirit Weapon, which Chen Mu named the Qiankun Pot, and Chen Mu used his stored treasures and medicines to prepare for a martial-body breakthrough. Meanwhile, Jiang Changsheng returned to the Heaven Sword Sect badly injured, leaving Zuo Qianqiu stunned by Chen Mu’s rise to the top of the Grandmaster Ranking.

• Chen Mu, Qin Mengjun, and Yin Heng combined the Void Jade Crystal, Mending Stone, Qiankun Power, and Earth Vein Force to forge a spatial Spirit Weapon containing a twenty-zhang Grotto-Heaven.
• Qin Mengjun suggested the name Qiankun Pot, and Chen Mu shaped the vessel into a plain bottle and used it to store his accumulated possessions.
• Chen Mu consumed fifteen portions of Mystic Tortoise Jelly and a Longevity Fruit to build experience toward advancing his Qiankun Martial Body.
• Jiang Changsheng returned to the Heaven Sword Sect with Zuo Qianqiu after Chen Mu had shattered his sword in the Earth Abyss.
• Zuo Qianqiu learned that Chen Mu had become the world’s top Grandmaster and wondered how he had fallen so far behind his rival.

Chen Mu advanced his Qian Kun Martial Body to Major Accomplishment and considered seeking resources in the Outer Sea to continue his cultivation. He then received a delivery from Su Qianqian and discovered that it contained the heaven-and-earth treasure Nanming Fire.

• Chen Mu completed his cultivation, advanced his Martial Body to Major Accomplishment, and assessed his strength against Blood Exchange and Heaven-Human experts.
• Chen Mu concluded that the Outer Sea was his safest option for finding the resources needed to advance further and planned to investigate the Ocean Stabilizing Pearl.
• Qin Mengjun summoned Chen Mu, who met Su Qianqian, a True Disciple of the Joyful Union Sect, in the main hall on Ling Xuan Peak.
• Su Qianqian presented Chen Mu with a Rain Curtain Jade sphere sent by Guardian Xia, and a powerful flame burst from it when she opened it.
• Chen Mu suppressed the flame with a sweep of his sleeve and identified it as Nanming Fire.