Chapter Summaries

Ye Lin and the others arrived at the magnificent arena built by the three imperial dynasties for the contest. The chapter ended with Nie Zhao inviting the others to proceed.

• The chapter described four towering pillars carved with the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, whose shifting eyes could overwhelm anyone who stared too long.
• The arena’s seamless floor was covered in mysterious patterns, and a radiant energy sword marked its center as the Contest Arena.
• Three jade viewing platforms had been furnished with lavish seats, food, and attendants for the three imperial dynasties.
• Ye Lin admired the grand arena, which the three dynasties had built over three days.
• Nie Zhao invited the others to proceed, and they exchanged polite replies.

Nie Zhao proposed a contest between the Heavenward Imperial Dynasty’s Human Ancestor Battle Formation and the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty’s Ancestral Dragon Battle Formation. The Ancestral Dragon War Soul appeared, and the chapter ended as the onlookers recognized it.

• Nie Zhao asked Master Wuchen and Marshal Liu Zheng who would begin, and they urged him to open the proceedings.
• Nie Zhao summoned three million Heavenward Imperial Dynasty soldiers to manifest the Human Ancestor War Soul.
• Liu Zheng answered by gathering three million Demon Race experts from the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty.
• The demons’ auras converged and formed the enormous Ancestral Dragon War Soul, whose presence made the Four Divine Beasts’ statues tremble.
• The onlookers identified the Ancestral Dragon War Soul.

The Human Ancestor Battle Soul faced the Ancestral Dragon formed by the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty's three million Demon Race members. He stopped its crushing claw with one finger, then struck its head with a sword-like slash, leaving a crack that began to spread.

• The three million members of the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty's Demon Race summoned the Ancestral Dragon and roared for it to kill.
• The Ancestral Dragon brought down a claw large enough to cover a city toward the Human Ancestor Battle Soul.
• The Human Ancestor Battle Soul stopped the dragon claw with one finger, unmoved by its force.
• The Human Ancestor Battle Soul appeared above the Ancestral Dragon and slashed at its head with his fingers held like a sword.
• A hairline crack appeared on the Ancestral Dragon's head and began to spread.

The Heavenward Imperial Dynasty's Human Ancestor Battle Formation destroyed the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty's Ancestral Dragon Battle Formation in a decisive victory. The Human Ancestor battle spirit vanished, leaving the Heavenward soldiers to descend from the Arena in triumph.

• The Ancestral Dragon battle spirit shattered, and the three million Demon Race experts who formed it spat blood and nearly collapsed.
• Marshal Liu Zheng watched in shock as the Human Ancestor battle spirit defeated the Ancestral Dragon without needing a second move.
• The Heavenward Imperial Dynasty's soldiers cheered, while Nie Zhao calmly celebrated the victory from the viewing platform.
• Master Wuchen recited a Buddhist invocation and watched Nie Zhao with wariness.
• The Human Ancestor battle spirit faded into flecks of light, and the Heavenward soldiers left the Arena with their victory assured.

Nie Zhao’s Human Ancestor Battle Formation drove back the Myriad Demon Army, after which Wuchen challenged Liu Zheng to a contest between their armies. Liu Zheng accepted as the Myriad Buddha Army assembled on the Arena, leaving the two sides poised to fight.

• Liu Zheng praised Nie Zhao’s victory but noted that the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty’s strongest formation, the God of Chaos, had not yet appeared.
• Nie Zhao said he hoped to see the God of Chaos, and Liu Zheng kept the formation’s purpose and timing secret.
• Wuchen challenged Liu Zheng to match the Myriad Buddha Army against the Myriad Demon Army.
• Liu Zheng accepted and warned that the battle could cause casualties, while Wuchen said bloodshed would strengthen his soldiers.
• More than a hundred million members of the Myriad Buddha Army stepped onto the Arena, ready to face their opponents.

The Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty and Tranquil Heart Imperial Dynasty deployed armies of over a hundred million to the Arena, where their demon aura and Buddhist light clashed. As the Myriad Demon Army unleashed a coordinated assault, the Myriad Buddha Army sat down together and began forming hand seals and chanting.

• Liu Zheng swept out a hand, and over a hundred million soldiers from the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty flew to the Arena.
• The Myriad Demon Army and Tranquil Heart Imperial Dynasty's Myriad Buddha Army faced off as their demon aura and Buddhist light collided.
• The Myriad Demon Army formed a battle array led by five Quasi-Saints, with its ranks launching demon lightning, fire, and wind at the Buddhists.
• As the attack descended, the Myriad Buddha Army sat cross-legged together, formed hand seals, and chanted true words.

The Myriad Demon Army attacked the Myriad Buddha Army’s golden barrier with five Quasi-Saints leading the assault. The barrier held for the moment, but the combined attacks were wearing it down and threatening to break through.

• The Myriad Buddha Army raised a golden barrier that dissolved the Myriad Demon Army’s first wave of demonic lightning, fire, and wind.
• Five Quasi-Saints—the Flood Dragon, Golden-Winged Roc, Primordial Demon Ape, Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, and Heaven-Devouring Python—attacked the barrier together.
• The Buddhist soldiers chanted and poured their Buddhist light into the barrier, stabilizing it against the Quasi-Saints’ assault.
• Millions of Primordial Unity Golden Immortals and tens of millions of True Immortals joined the attack, overwhelming the barrier with combined demonic powers.
• The barrier shook as its mantras shattered and its light dimmed, prompting the Myriad Demon Army to claim it was about to break.

The Buddhist quasi-Saints and their forces broke out of the barrier and unleashed a devastating counterattack on the Myriad Demon Army. The chapter ended with the five Demon Race quasi-Saints struggling to overcome the Buddhist soldiers’ seemingly inexhaustible ocean of Buddhist light.

• The five Buddhist quasi-Saints broke through the barrier’s protection with a Vajra Seal that wounded and drove back the five Demon Race quasi-Saints.
• The five Buddhist quasi-Saints and hundreds of thousands of Buddhist Daluo Golden Immortals charged into the Myriad Demon Army, killing large numbers of demons.
• The Buddhist quasi-Saints shielded their forces from the Demon Army’s overwhelming barrage with a golden barrier.
• The hundreds of millions of seated Buddhist soldiers formed an ocean of Buddhist light that pursued the demons and purified the demon qi of millions of them.
• The five Demon Race quasi-Saints repeatedly blasted gaps in the Buddhist light, but it quickly flowed back together as their saintly power was rapidly depleted.

The Buddhist forces used the Ten Thousand Buddhas Worship the Sect Grand Formation to weaken the Myriad Demon Army and empower their own fighters. The Demon Race was overwhelmed, and Liu Zheng realized the battle was lost.

• The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox realized the Tranquil Heart Imperial Dynasty had used the Five Venerables and Buddhist Daluo Golden Immortals to distract the Demon Race while the Buddhist army formed its grand formation.
• The Buddhist light weakened the Myriad Demon Army, and the Five Buddhist quasi-saints began attacking the Demon Race's five quasi-saints.
• A Buddhist quasi-saint struck the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox and another wounded the Heaven-Devouring Python as the other duels turned against the Demon Race.
• Several hundred thousand Buddhist Daluo Golden Immortals charged into the weakened Myriad Demon Army, killing Demon Race fighters in great numbers.
• Liu Zheng watched from the spectators' platform and realized the battle was lost.

The Tranquil Heart Imperial Dynasty’s Buddhist forces wiped out the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty’s army in the second match, killing all five Demon Race quasi-saints. Liu Zheng accepted the defeat and feared facing the Emperor after the dynasty’s devastating losses.

• The Buddhist quasi-saints killed the five Demon Race quasi-saints, including the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox and the Heaven-Devouring Python.
• The Buddhist Daluo Golden Immortals routed the Myriad Demon Army, leaving over thirty million dead or wounded and the rest unable to fight.
• The Buddhist forces returned to their formation and began recovering as the Arena fell silent.
• Liu Zheng realized that the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty had lost the match and mourned the loss of five quasi-saints.
• A Buddhist representative told Liu Zheng that his cultivators were fine men, and Liu Zheng could not bring himself to answer.

After the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty suffered two crushing defeats, Nie Zhao and Ye Lin decided to keep targeting it. Liu Zheng accepted Nie Zhao’s challenge to let their soldiers fight next, despite the danger to his already shattered morale.

• The Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty’s soldiers and experts lost confidence after defeats by the Heavenward and Tranquil Heart Imperial Dynasties.
• Nie Zhao and Ye Lin agreed to continue attacking the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty.
• Nie Zhao challenged Liu Zheng to a fight between their soldiers, promising that they would stop short of taking lives.
• Liu Zheng accepted because refusing would further destroy his army’s morale.

Liu Zheng challenged Nie Zhao to a duel between marshals, wagering that the winner would decide the outcome of the fifth match. Nie Zhao accepted, and the two Quasi-Saints of the Third Heaven took their places in the Arena as the armies cheered.

• Liu Zheng interrupted Nie Zhao and proposed a duel that would count as the fifth match for whichever side lost.
• Liu Zheng said he was staking everything on the duel to break the deadlock between the imperial dynasties.
• Nie Zhao accepted Liu Zheng's challenge and stepped onto the Arena, releasing a terrifying aura.
• Liu Zheng appeared on the Arena, and the two marshals exchanged courteous words before the fight began.
• Ye Lin watched the duel with interest as the armies cheered for their marshals.

Nie Zhao and Liu Zheng began their duel in the arena, unleashing the auras of two Third Heaven Quasi-Saints. The chapter left their first attacks about to collide.

• Nie Zhao and Liu Zheng stepped into the arena and faced each other across a hundred miles.
• Nie Zhao released his golden Dao of the Blade, while Liu Zheng unleashed dense demonic energy that shook the viewing platforms.
• Nie Zhao drew the Heaven-Sundering Blade and sent a swift slash toward Liu Zheng.
• Liu Zheng met the blade light with a punch, and the force of his fist surged toward it.

Liu Zheng and Nie Zhao fought to a standstill in a fierce exchange of blade techniques and fists. After hundreds of moves, Liu Zheng warned Nie Zhao to be careful as his demonic energy gathered into the shadow of a colossal black dragon.

• Liu Zheng and Nie Zhao praised each other's strength after their first clash ended evenly matched.
• Liu Zheng attacked again, and he and Nie Zhao traded increasingly powerful blows across the Arena.
• The spectators struggled to follow the fight, while a few quasi-Saints watched in shock.
• After exchanging hundreds of moves, both fighters retreated and praised the battle.
• Liu Zheng's demonic energy surged and its dragon phantoms merged into a colossal black dragon.

Liu Zheng revealed his terrifying true form and fought Nie Zhao in the Arena. Their clash left both combatants pushed back, while the Arena’s formation struggled to contain their power.

• Liu Zheng transformed into a colossal mutated Black Dragon of Chaos, stunning the soldiers watching from the Heavenward Imperial Dynasty’s platform.
• Liu Zheng struck at Nie Zhao with a claw, but Nie Zhao broke free of the surrounding restraint and dodged the blow.
• Nie Zhao summoned his saber soul and unleashed a law-powered slash at Liu Zheng.
• Liu Zheng countered with destructive dragonfire, and the clash sent Nie Zhao hundreds of li back and forced Liu Zheng’s dragon body several steps away.

Nie Zhao fought Liu Zheng in dragon form, but Liu Zheng burned his bloodline to gain overwhelming strength. Nie Zhao’s final slash wounded Liu Zheng’s claws but shattered his blade and left him unable to rise, leaving Liu Zheng the victor.

• Liu Zheng struck Nie Zhao with his dragon tail, sending him flying and making him spit blood.
• Nie Zhao used Stellar Slash, but Liu Zheng’s wounds healed as he tore through the attack.
• Liu Zheng burned his bloodline and challenged Nie Zhao to withstand three moves.
• Liu Zheng’s first bloodline-enhanced claw strike overwhelmed Nie Zhao, who then unleashed Extinction Slash with his long blade.
• Nie Zhao’s final slash wounded Liu Zheng’s claws down to the bone, but shattered his blade and left him collapsed on the arena as Liu Zheng declared his victory.

Liu Zheng defeated Nie Zhao in the Arena but was badly injured, and Wuchen seized the opportunity to challenge the weakened marshal. Nie Zhao tried to accept, but he collapsed before he could stand, leaving Wuchen to offer to fight someone else instead.

• Liu Zheng admitted his defeat, and Liu Zheng won their contest after burning his bloodline but spared Nie Zhao.
• Liu Zheng returned to the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty and had his vice marshal secretly suppress his injuries.
• Wuchen stepped into the Arena and challenged the injured Nie Zhao, provoking angry protests from the Heavenward Imperial Dynasty.
• Nie Zhao tried to rise and accept Wuchen's challenge, but he collapsed back into his seat as his soldiers urged him to concede.
• Wuchen noted Nie Zhao's poor condition and offered to fight someone else instead.

Ye Lin, the Heavenward Imperial Dynasty’s previously unknown Deputy Marshal, accepted Wuchen’s challenge after Nie Zhao warned him of the monk’s strength. Wuchen began a display of profound Buddhist power that nearly subdued the soldiers watching, leaving the duel poised to begin.

• Ye Lin stepped forward to play with Wuchen, and Nie Zhao warned him that the monk’s Buddhist cultivation was formidable.
• Nie Zhao introduced Ye Lin as the Heavenward Imperial Dynasty’s Deputy Marshal, surprising Wuchen, who could not sense Ye Lin’s strength.
• Wuchen and Ye Lin exchanged courtesies over who would strike first, and Wuchen took the Arena.
• Wuchen filled half the Arena with pure Buddhist light, golden lotuses, and visions of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats.
• Wuchen’s invocation nearly dissolved the Heavenward soldiers’ will to fight until a Quasi-Saint expert jolted them back to their senses.
• Liu Zheng watched Wuchen from the Myriad Demon Imperial Dynasty’s platform with a grave expression.

Ye Lin faced Wuchen in the Arena after Wuchen tried to persuade him to abandon killing and embrace Buddhist teachings. As Ye Lin revealed a faint sword light containing the pure Law of the Sword, Wuchen sensed true death in it.

• Liu Zheng recognized that Wuchen’s Buddhist Dharma had reached a realm where all things were Buddha and admitted he would not have been confident of beating him at his peak.
• Wuchen offered to expound the scriptures for Ye Lin and dissolve his karmic sins, but Ye Lin said he wanted only to kill Wuchen.
• Wuchen accepted Ye Lin’s challenge and invited him to attack.
• Ye Lin raised two fingers like a sword, making the laws of heaven and earth tremble.
• A faint sword light appeared at Ye Lin’s fingertips, and Wuchen sensed the absolute Law of the Sword and the threat of true death.

Wuchen summoned his strongest Buddhist defense against Ye Lin, hoping to survive a single sword strike. Ye Lin’s slow, unavoidable sword light touched the Buddha phantom and began to shatter it.

• Wuchen realized Ye Lin’s cultivation surpassed his and prepared to face the attack.
• Wuchen condensed his Buddha-light into a gigantic phantom and formed the Immovable Fundamental Seal to defend himself.
• Ye Lin casually sent a sword light toward Wuchen, which Wuchen found impossible to evade.
• Wuchen poured all his power into the Buddha phantom as Ye Lin’s sword light descended.
• The sword light touched the phantom, and a crack spread through it.