Chapter Summaries

Tang San hunted Fallen Ones in the Capital of Slaughter to strengthen himself and the Eight Spider Lances while advancing toward one hundred arena victories. Meanwhile, Qian Daoliu learned that someone had entered the city and asked where Tang Hao was.

• Tang San absorbed One-Eyed Dragon's Soul Power and life force, disposed of the corpse, and resolved to keep hunting to study the Eight Spider Lances' evolution.
• Tang San fought in the Hell Slaughter Arena by day and secretly hunted spectators by night, steadily increasing his strength and consecutive victories.
• As Tang San approached one hundred victories, the arena sent increasingly powerful opponents and shortened the intervals between matches, prompting him to focus on improving his combat strength.
• Tang San judged that his odds against a Soul Saint in continuous combat were below forty percent and decided he needed to grow stronger before exposing the Eight Spider Lances.
• Demon Bear Douluo reported to Qian Daoliu that one person had entered the Capital of Slaughter, and Qian Daoliu asked where Tang Hao was.
• Demon Bear Douluo told Qian Daoliu that scouts had found no trace of Tang Hao.

Qian Daoliu learned that Tang San had entered the Capital of Slaughter and ordered Spirit Hall to wait and watch its exits for his eventual return. After recovering in Canghai City, Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun set out for the Cliff-Climbing Path.

• Magic Bear reported that scouts had traced Tang San to the Capital of Slaughter but found no sign of Tang Hao.
• Qian Daoliu ordered the scouts withdrawn and planned to station more sentries around the Capital of Slaughter in a year, with preparations beginning six months early.
• Qian Daoliu decided to remain at Spirit Hall because he could not leave the Angel God Temple for long.
• After a week at Listening to the Waves Inn, Zhou Qiubai had recovered and stabilized his fifth Soul Ring, while Yang Guyun's Soul Power had grown more condensed.
• Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun left the inn for the Cliff-Climbing Path after Tong An pointed them toward its entrance.

Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun traveled from Lower Cliff to Upper Cliff to challenge the tower, learning that Canghai City’s residents maintained order themselves and that the tower assessment applied only to challengers and spectators. They arrived at the training ground to find the locals eagerly waiting to see how the pair would fare against the Twelve Guards.

• Zhou Qiubai watched Lower Cliff residents calmly stop a drunken Soul Master from causing trouble and admired the city’s self-enforced order.
• Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun met Ding Dayou, who operated the lift, and he explained that ordinary visitors could go to Upper Cliff without taking the tower assessment.
• Ding Dayou raised the lift to Upper Cliff, where Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun saw a bustling training district built for Soul Masters.
• A young man spotted Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun, shouted to Old Lu that they had arrived, and drew the attention of the whole street.
• The onlookers anticipated the challenge, curious about the Twelve Guards’ decision to face Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun together.

Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun arrived at the training ground to challenge Canghai Tower, where they learned they would face all twelve of Canghai’s guards at once. They accepted the trial, and Lu Qinghou ordered the guards to form up as the battle began.

• Yang Guyun and Zhou Qiubai entered the training ground and met Lu Qinghou and the other eleven members of the Twelve Guards of Canghai.
• Ding Dayou questioned why the twelve guards were fighting two young challengers together, while Dantai Canglan watched from his study and anticipated the test.
• Lu Qinghou explained that the boss had ordered all twelve guards to fight together and said they would do the same if Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun returned another time.
• Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun chose to fight rather than withdraw, with Yang Guyun lowering the Returnless Spear and Zhou Qiubai agreeing to face the trial.
• Lu Qinghou drew his sword, the twelve guards formed their coordinated battle formation, and Zhou Qiubai placed his hand on the White Clothes Sword as the fight began.

Lu Qinghou introduced the twelve brothers’ unequal origins and the hardships that brought them together as they faced Zhou Qiubai. He ended by affirming that brotherhood was chosen, regardless of background or strength.

• Zhou Qiubai stood silently with his sword as Yang Guyun lowered the Returnless Spear, and the twelve men revealed their soul rings.
• Lu Qinghou described Wei Hengdao’s escape from slavery, Wen Buyan’s rescue from a mass grave, and Luo Nanxing’s orphaned beginnings.
• Lu Qinghou recounted Mu Qianshan, Qingya, Xu Rang, Fushan, and Huzi’s painful pasts, while Huzi protested that he stop exposing them.
• Lu Qinghou explained that Qu Wuxian came from an established family and Qi Mingqian had suffered after a soul master attacked his family.
• Lu Qinghou said the brothers had chosen one another despite their poor backgrounds, weak cultivation, and persecution.

Lu Qinghou’s Twelve Guards of Canghai opened their formation and used coordinated Martial Souls to trap Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun in a difficult battle. The fight continued as both sides tested the formation’s control and combat strength, with Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun already taking minor injuries.

• Lu Qinghou ordered the Twelve Guards of Canghai to open their formation, and their twelve Martial Souls combined into a coordinated battle array.
• Qu Wuxian’s zither and Qi Mingqian’s chessboard controlled the battlefield, amplifying the guards’ attacks and restricting Zhou Qiubai’s movements.
• Mu Qianshan, Luo Nanxing, and Bai Fushan pressured Zhou Qiubai, who used his sword and Listen to Rain to evade them and deflect their attacks.
• Xu Rang and Huzi attacked Yang Guyun from the front and rear, but Yang Guyun struck Huzi with his spear and forced both opponents back.
• Zhou Qiubai disrupted attacks from Mu Qianshan, Wei Hengdao, and Ji Qingya, but Ji Qingya drew a second short blade and cut Zhou Qiubai’s waist.

Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun fought the Twelve Guards of Canghai, whose chess-guided coordination steadily trapped them. They broke through the guards’ final three-sword attack, but the other nine struck them at once.

• Qi Mingqian pinned Zhou Qiubai’s shadow with a chess piece, and Yang Guyun broke the piece with his spear so Zhou Qiubai could escape.
• Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun fought back-to-back, coordinating defense and offense as the Twelve Guards compressed the battlefield around them.
• Ding Dayou and the gathered spectators watched as the Twelve Guards’ formation forced the two Soul Kings toward the center of the training ground.
• Lu Qinghou, Wen Buyan, and Luo Nanxing attacked Zhou Qiubai from three directions while the other guards sealed off their escape routes.
• Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun combined sword and spear to open a gap in the three swords’ attack, but the other nine guards’ attacks struck them at the same time.

Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun lost their first tower challenge against twelve powerful Soul Masters, but returned to Lower Cliff in good spirits after Lu Qinghou promised to cover their lodging and meals. Tong An judged the defeat a worthy effort and suggested Dantai Canglan's unusual decisions often served a purpose, leaving the city lord's reasons for the challenge uncertain.

• Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun lost their two-against-twelve sparring match, and Lu Qinghou offered to cover their lodging and meals in Canghai City.
• Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun returned to Listening to the Waves Inn, where Tong An inferred they had lost but praised them for surviving the challenge.
• Zhou Qiubai said they would challenge the tower again, and Tong An questioned why Dantai Canglan had arranged for twelve opponents.
• Tong An recalled that Dantai Canglan had once deterred three Spirit Hall Soul Douluo by inviting the city's residents to share a meal, though the reason behind the current challenge remained unclear.

After Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun argued with Tong An about lodging and meal fees, the Twelve Guards confronted Dantai Canglan over his decision to make them fight the two young soul masters. The chapter left them preparing to beat Dantai Canglan before hearing his explanation.

• Tong An offered Zhou Qiubai free lodging at Listening to the Waves Inn, but said meals would still cost money.
• Yang Guyun sided with reason and called Zhou Qiubai stingy, prompting Zhou Qiubai to agree to pay for his own meals.
• Huzi, Ji Qingya, Mu Qianshan, Bai Fushan, and Luo Nanxing objected to Dantai Canglan having them gang up on the two young men.
• Dantai Canglan admitted that he had deliberately made things difficult for the Twelve Guards, but did not explain why.
• Lu Qinghou threw a wicker cushion at Dantai Canglan and ordered the others to beat him up.

Dantai Canglan explained Canghai Tower’s trials and the failures of those who tried to reach its summit, then revealed that Zhou Qiubai had come to test Canghai City’s strength. The chapter left the twelve subordinates considering how Zhou Qiubai’s swordsmanship compared with their own at his age.

• Dantai Canglan’s twelve subordinates playfully attacked him with whatever they could throw before Lu Qinghou called the group to business.
• Dantai Canglan said Canghai City had to show its strength as chaotic times approached and recounted the rule that the climber who reached the Hundred-Story Pagoda’s top would become City Lord.
• Lu Qinghou, Wen Buyan, and Hengdao shared how far they had climbed, and Dantai Canglan explained that the tower’s upper floors tested their deepest obsessions, guilt, and hatred.
• Dantai Canglan said a Spirit Hall Title Douluo had stopped on the ninety-fifth floor out of fear, leaving the tower with his spirit shattered.
• Dantai Canglan revealed that Zhou Qiubai had faced twelve high-level Soul Masters using only swordsmanship, and no one could claim to have matched him at that age.

Dantai Canglan explained that he had tested Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun to see whether they could earn Canghai Tower’s acceptance, then bet Lu Qinghou two jars of wine that they would reach the hundredth floor within five years. The chapter ended with Dantai Canglan reflecting on Canghai City’s duty to protect the possibility of a world where Soul Masters and commoners could live without fear.

• Dantai Canglan told Lu Qinghou that the twelve had tested Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun’s resolve, because Canghai City’s true lord had to harmonize with the city, its people, and Canghai Tower.
• Lu Qinghou judged that Zhou Qiubai’s cultivation made reaching the hundredth floor within five years nearly impossible, but Dantai Canglan challenged him to bet on it.
• Qi Mingqian warned Lu Qinghou that he would lose again, but Lu Qinghou accepted the wager after Dantai Canglan offered two jars of wine.
• Qi Mingqian hinted that Lu Qinghou was risking more than the wine, while Dantai Canglan looked toward Canghai Tower and reflected on the city’s mission.

Tang San survived for an unknown span in the Capital of Slaughter, growing stronger by killing and devouring its inhabitants. After winning his hundredth duel, he demanded that the King of Slaughter open Hell Road, and the King began turning the arena crowd into sacrifices.

• Tang San killed and devoured a former Soul Saint, reflecting on how his strength had more than doubled since entering the Capital of Slaughter.
• Tang San vowed to surpass Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun, then learned that his hundredth duel was scheduled for the next day.
• Tang San defeated all his opponents in the Hell Slaughter Arena and asked the King of Slaughter to open Hell Road.
• The King of Slaughter spread red mist through the arena, turning the audience blood-red as he wished Tang San good luck.

Tang San fought his way along Hell Road, killing a Bat King and attacking the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent. After destroying the serpent’s tumors, he saw its Inner Core appear and braced for its counterattack.

• Tang San used Blue Silver Grass and his Godly Zhuge Crossbow to fend off a swarm of bats on the narrow path.
• Tang San used the Flying God Claw and Clear Sky Hammer to kill the regenerating Bat King, then replenished his Soul Power by draining its body with the Eight Spider Lances.
• Tang San recognized the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent and found that Realgar and wine did nothing to stop it.
• Tang San evaded the serpent’s attack as the road collapsed, then clung to its body and smashed its tumors with the Clear Sky Hammer.
• Tang San saw the serpent’s Inner Core appear and prepared to meet its devastating attack with Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, Nine Nines Return to One.

Tang San defeated the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent, crossed the blood sea, and gained Divine Slaughter's Domain after passing through the white light. Meanwhile, Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun continued training with the Twelve Guards of Canghai, where they were repeatedly overwhelmed in group fights.

• Tang San pierced the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent with the Clear Sky Hammer, took its Inner Core, and crossed the broken road with the Flying God Claw.
• Tang San used the Blue Silver Domain to resist the rising heat and killing intent as he reached the blood sea and leapt across it with his Eight Spider Lances.
• Tang San passed through the white curtain of light, endured an icy surge of killing intent, and later awakened with Divine Slaughter's Domain in his Clear Sky Hammer.
• Tang San emerged from his ordeal hardened by battle and slaughter, then thought of Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun as targets for revenge.
• Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun kept visiting Upper Cliff to train with the Twelve Guards of Canghai after settling into a comfortable routine in Canghai City.
• Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun spent their first half month losing to the guards, who fought them in groups and showed no mercy.

Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun made rapid progress after ten months of training, and Yang Guyun reached rank sixty, prompting them to seek a soul ring. Lu Qinghou explained that they would need to hunt at sea and began preparing them for the challenges of underwater combat.

• Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun improved their performance in two-against-six bouts, raising their win rate to thirty percent.
• Yang Guyun reached rank sixty, while Zhou Qiubai broke through to rank fifty-five through repeated combat.
• Yang Guyun announced that he needed a soul ring, and Zhou Qiubai took him to the practice grounds to ask for help.
• Xu Rang explained that nearby sea hunting grounds held unusual Spirit Beasts and that a ten-thousand-year soul ring might be found there.
• Lu Qinghou learned that both could swim and offered to teach them underwater combat at Upper Cliff’s Water Training Ground.

Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun trained in water combat under Lu Qinghou and prepared to set out to sea for soul hunting. Meanwhile, Tang San covertly reached the mountain behind the Clear Sky Sect village and began navigating its concealed approach.

• Lu Qinghou warned Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun that he would not intervene in their soul hunt unless their lives were at stake, then began teaching them to move steadily through powerful waves.
• Over the next month, Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun trained in the water with Lu Qinghou and Xu Rang, improving their combat skills and adapting to the waves.
• Lu Qinghou judged their training sufficient and told them they would set out to sea the next day.
• Tang San concealed his killing intent and slipped past the Clear Sky Sect's hidden sentries into the village, following the map Tang Hao had left him.
• Tang San reached the mountain's foot and used Purple Demon Eye to spot a carefully arranged path through the weeds.

Tang San reached the Clear Sky Sect after leaving the Capital of Slaughter and faced suspicion from its members. He impressed Sect Master Tang Xiao with his strength, but Tang Xiao was left wondering why Tang San had come alone and where Tang Hao was.

• Tang San crossed the mountain cliffs and ice chains toward the Clear Sky Sect, where Tang Long challenged him before learning he was Tang Yuehua’s nephew.
• Tang Long escorted Tang San through the sect’s gate, where two disciples looked down on him because his Clear Sky Hammer had no spirit rings.
• Tang San entered the sect hall and found it cold and austere before Tang Long led him to meet the elders.
• Tang Xiao’s pressure triggered Tang San’s Divine Slaughter’s Domain, and Tang San countered it, revealing his formidable strength.
• Tang Xiao recognized Tang San as a remarkable Soul Emperor and wondered why Tang Hao had sent him alone.

Tang San returned to the Clear Sky Sect and was accepted by Tang Xiao, who told him his father’s past would not be his burden. At the sect assembly, disciples confronted Tang San with insults, and he unleashed his killing intent and spirit rings.

• Tang San recounted how Tang Hao had fought four Title Douluo to help him escape, while Tang Xiao and the elders remained guarded.
• Tang Yuehua used her martial soul to calm Tang San’s killing intent and welcomed him as her nephew.
• Tang San knelt before Tang Xiao and offered to atone for Tang Hao, but Tang Xiao said he had never believed Tang Hao was wrong and urged Tang San to call him eldest uncle.
• Tang Xiao accepted Tang San into the sect to study under Tang Yuehua, but warned that he would have to prove himself before the elders’ trial.
• At the sect assembly, disciples jeered at Tang San and called him Tang Hao’s bastard, prompting him to release Divine Slaughter’s Domain and reveal his six spirit rings.

Tang San condemned the Clear Sky Sect elders for their past inaction and challenged them to face Spirit Hall, then offered the Seventh Elder an apology and a chance to test him. The Seventh Elder accepted a duel, and Tang San launched the opening attack.

• Tang San revealed his hundred-thousand-year soul ring and rebuked the elders and disciples for blaming him and his father while ignoring the sect’s failures.
• Tang San challenged the younger disciples to prove their strength, but none stepped forward, and Tang Xiao urged him to stop provoking the elders.
• Tang San confronted the elders about the sect’s decline and offered the Seventh Elder an Inner Core as an apology and a way to put their grudges aside.
• The First Elder urged the Seventh Elder to prioritize the greater good, and the Seventh Elder agreed to test Tang San with his strength limited to the peak of Soul Emperor.
• Tang Xiao cleared space in the courtyard, and Tang San opened the duel by unleashing Divine Slaughter's Domain and rushing at the Seventh Elder.

Tang San earned the Clear Sky Sect's acceptance by holding his own against the Seventh Elder and giving him the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's Inner Core. Meanwhile, Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun began their sea Soul Hunting trip with Lu Qinghou, who promptly fell asleep while steering.

• Tang San used the Eight Spider Lances, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and Clear Sky hammer techniques to fight the Seventh Elder for thirty minutes.
• Tang San offered the Seventh Elder the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's Inner Core, and Tang Xiao formally admitted Tang San into the Clear Sky Sect.
• Tang Yuehua led Tang San toward Moonlight Pavilion as he reflected on trading the Inner Core for the sect's support.
• Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun questioned the shabby boat Lu Qinghou had chosen for their sea Soul Hunting trip, and Lu Qinghou explained its construction and safety.
• Lu Qinghou powered the boat out of the harbor, then fell asleep at sea while Zhou Qiubai and Yang Guyun joked that throwing him overboard would get them beaten.