Chapter Summaries

After destroying Love Sect, Ye Lin led the Great Blade Association forces toward the Shen Family, while intelligence reports revealed which groups had helped attack the Association’s branch. Trapped in Phoenix Prefecture, the Shen Family realized Dark Shadow Pavilion had abandoned them and argued over how to avoid the Great Blade Association’s retaliation.

• Ye Lin celebrated the resources he had taken and confirmed that Love Sect had been wiped out.
• Ye Lin led his forces toward the Shen Family while Great Blade Association members gathered intelligence across Phoenix Prefecture.
• The Shen Family’s members learned that Dark Shadow Pavilion had withdrawn its core members and left them exposed to the Great Blade Association.
• The Shen Family Patriarch rejected an elder’s suggestion to bribe Blade Saint’s personal disciples.

The Shen Family Head agreed to let the Third Elder try bribing Ye Lin to save the Shen Family from the Blade Saint’s retaliation. The Third Elder left confident in his plan, while the Family Head regretted cooperating with the Dark Shadow Pavilion.

• The Third Elder proposed bribing Ye Lin, arguing that the Blade Saint’s other disciples might be swayed by the Shen Family’s treasures.
• The Shen Family Head worried Ye Lin might accept the gifts and then refuse to cooperate, or reject them and destroy the family.
• The Third Elder suggested hiding the treasures as leverage and claimed Ye Lin’s companions might also be persuaded by the prospect of profit.
• The Shen Family Head approved the plan and entrusted it to the Third Elder, who left confident he could manipulate Ye Lin.
• Another elder questioned the plan, but the Shen Family Head said they had to try because otherwise the family faced certain death.

Ye Lin led the slaughter of the Shen Family after its allies abandoned it and its ancestor was called away for questioning. The Shen Family was left in ruins, with no survivors.

• The Shen Family found itself trapped under Great Blade Association surveillance after its allies disappeared and its ancestor was summoned for questioning.
• Ye Lin arrived at the Shen Family compound, where the Third Elder tried to welcome him and discuss an important matter.
• Ye Lin ordered his cultivators to attack without hearing the Third Elder out.
• The Third Elder offered to reveal the Shen Family's treasure vault, but Ye Lin ignored him as the massacre continued.
• An hour later, Ye Lin's forces had destroyed the Shen Family and killed everyone there.

Yun Qiyue learned that Shi Haofeng was approaching Ye Lin with three hundred peak Daluo Golden Immortals and set out to watch. Ye Lin sensed a powerful force bearing down on his group as they traveled toward the next location.

• A disciple told Yun Qiyue that Shi Haofeng and three hundred peak Daluo Golden Immortals from the Dark Shadow Pavilion were heading toward Ye Lin.
• Yun Qiyue considered the danger of Ye Lin killing Shi Haofeng, Shadow Ghost Sage’s sole inheritor, and sent the others to continue their operations while she went to look.
• Ye Lin left two disciples behind to search the destroyed Shen Family’s territory for treasure vaults and led the rest of the group onward.
• Ye Lin’s group sensed rumbling thunder and surging demonic qi approaching, and Ye Lin wondered who intended to oppose them.

Ye Lin encountered Shi Haofeng, the leader of the Ghost King Army, who had traveled from the Central Region to test the Blade Sage’s personal disciple. Shi Haofeng claimed he had defeated Ye Lin’s senior brothers and sisters, including Yun Qiyue, and challenged Ye Lin to prove his strength.

• Ye Lin saw several hundred masked cultivators in demonic qi and learned they belonged to Shadow Ghost Sage’s Ghost King Army, a force of five hundred peak Daluo Golden Immortals.
• Ye Lin asked about the Great Blade Association’s army and learned it was stationed in the Central Region, where major forces used such troops to settle conflicts.
• Shi Haofeng addressed Ye Lin as the Blade Sage’s personal disciple and said he had come to test him.
• Shi Haofeng claimed he had defeated Ye Lin’s senior brothers and sisters, including Yun Qiyue, and said he had traveled from the Central Region specifically to challenge Ye Lin.

Ye Lin faced Shi Haofeng in a battle in the void and overcame his shadow techniques with spatial and karmic sword arts. After wounding Shi Haofeng and calling his strength mediocre, Ye Lin warned him that continuing could cost him his life, leaving Shi Haofeng to decide whether to fight on.

• Shi Haofeng challenged Ye Lin to a battle in the void, and Ye Lin ordered the Ghost King Army not to act rashly before accepting.
• Shi Haofeng attacked with shadow techniques, but Ye Lin saw through his stealth and deflected his Shadow Thousand Streams.
• Ye Lin used Karma Severance to erase Shi Haofeng’s hidden attack, then wounded his shoulder with a sword strike that split Shadow Returns to Void.
• Ye Lin called Shi Haofeng’s strength mediocre, provoking his anger and disbelief.
• Ye Lin warned Shi Haofeng that he would show no mercy if they continued, while suspecting Shi Haofeng was a personal disciple of the Shadow Ghost Sage.

Shi Haofeng backed down from fighting Ye Lin after Yun Qiyue mocked him and reminded him that a loss would cost him face. After Shi Haofeng left, Yun Qiyue explained his background and warned Ye Lin to avoid clashing with him.

• Yun Qiyue appeared and mocked Shi Haofeng for coming from the Central Region to challenge her junior brother, Ye Lin.
• Yun Qiyue provoked Shi Haofeng by reminding him she had defeated him and telling him to fight Ye Lin or leave.
• Shi Haofeng weighed the risks of fighting Ye Lin, then left with a warning that he would wait for them in the Central Region.
• Yun Qiyue told Ye Lin that Shi Haofeng was the Shadow Ghost Sage's sole personal disciple, but advised him to avoid Shi Haofeng because he was an idiot.

Ye Lin learned that Yun Qiyue was searching for the Dark Shadow Pavilion’s hidden treasures and decided to share them with her. He continued leading his disciples through Phoenix Prefecture, leaving them with a share of the spoils after destroying five factions in one day.

• Yun Qiyue explained that she had hurried over to warn Ye Lin about Shadow Ghost Sage’s disciple, then left to gather profits of her own.
• Ye Lin saw Yun Qiyue’s opportunity to find the Dark Shadow Pavilion’s hidden treasures and resolved to split them with her.
• Ye Lin returned to his disciples and continued their sweep through the factions of Phoenix Prefecture.
• Over the next day, Ye Lin destroyed five factions, collected their treasures, and distributed half among his disciples.

Ye Lin went to Ever-Victorious Commandery after Yun Qiyue summoned him to help open an altar leading to a hidden underground space. After brute force and other methods failed, he suggested digging around the altar to reach the space.

• Ye Lin expected Yun Qiyue's opportunity to appear after the Dark Shadow Pavilion's hidden treasure site was discovered and its spoils divided.
• A disciple told Ye Lin that Yun Qiyue had found an underground space but could not open its altar, and he followed the disciple to her location.
• Yun Qiyue explained that she had tried many methods, including brute force, but neither she nor the formation masters could open the altar.
• Ye Lin examined the altar and asked whether they could dig toward the underground space from somewhere else.

Ye Lin used a Formation-Breaking Hammer to destroy the altar that sealed the underground space. He and Yun Qiyue descended into a cavern packed with treasures, while the disciples waited above.

• Yun Qiyue explained that the underground space was sealed inside a sphere of special materials, with the altar as its entrance.
• Ye Lin bought a Formation-Breaking Hammer from his panel shop and told Yun Qiyue and the disciples to stand back.
• Ye Lin threw the hammer at the altar, breaking it open and revealing a vast black hole.
• Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue went down into the cavern while the disciples guarded the entrance above.
• Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue found mountains of pills, ancient spiritual medicines, weapons, treasures, and Great Luo Divine Sources.

Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue concluded that the Dark Shadow Pavilion had hidden the treasures and decided to take their shares before distributing the rest. After collecting the cultivation resources, they left the remaining treasures for the disciples to divide equally.

• Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue guessed that the Dark Shadow Pavilion had hidden the treasures, but they could not explain why they had left them in the altar.
• Yun Qiyue proposed that she and Ye Lin choose their shares first and distribute the rest to the other disciples, and Ye Lin agreed.
• Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue spent two hours gathering the treasures, leaving with a large haul of cultivation resources.
• Yun Qiyue announced that the disciples would divide the remaining resources equally, and they thanked her and Ye Lin.

Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue returned to Meteor Island after the Great Blade Association withdrew from Phoenix Prefecture and took over the Dark Shadow Pavilion’s territory. The Heavenly Blade Sage rewarded Ye Lin and warned them that challenges would soon come ahead of the Cloud Heaven Secret Manual’s opening, leaving Yun Qiyue concerned about the opportunity she had waited ten thousand years for.

• Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue ended their operation in Phoenix Prefecture and headed back to Meteor Island as the Great Blade Association disciples withdrew and began rebuilding.
• The Great Blade Association annexed the Dark Shadow Pavilion’s former territory, while Phoenix Prefecture’s weaker factions suffered the consequences of the conflict.
• Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue reported to the Heavenly Blade Sage, who praised their work and gave Ye Lin a card containing more than two hundred million energy points.
• The Heavenly Blade Sage told them the Cloud Heaven Secret Manual might open within three thousand years and warned that Eastern Region Top Hundred candidates would soon challenge them.
• Yun Qiyue asked when the Cloud Heaven Secret Manual would open, and the Heavenly Blade Sage cautioned her to be careful after she had suppressed her realm for ten thousand years.

Heavenly Blade Sage secured Ye Lin a place in the Holy Palace's Heaven-Seeking Bureau and gave him an envelope for its trial. Yun Qiyue explained the bureau's authority and protections, then told Ye Lin the trial was a formality and he could collect his Identity Token.

• Heavenly Blade Sage told Yun Qiyue that all major Holy Palace positions were filled, but he had secured Ye Lin a place in the Heaven-Seeking Bureau.
• Heavenly Blade Sage gave Ye Lin a golden envelope and said Ye Lin would need to undergo a trial before joining the bureau.
• Heavenly Blade Sage announced he was going to the Central Region to attempt a breakthrough to the ninth level of the Quasi-Saint Realm, then dismissed Ye Lin, Yun Qiyue, and the nominal disciples.
• Ye Lin asked Yun Qiyue about the Heaven-Seeking Bureau, and she explained its place in the Holy Palace and its authority to apprehend and judge criminals.
• Yun Qiyue told Ye Lin that Heavenly Blade Sage had arranged matters and that Ye Lin could collect his Identity Token after a trial that was just a formality.

Ye Lin visited the Holy Palace branch to seek a position in its Heaven-Seeking Bureau. After learning he would need to prove himself in actual combat to earn the reserved third-rank post openly, he waited for the middle-aged man to arrange the test.

• Ye Lin gave an envelope to a clerk at the Holy Palace branch and instructed her to deliver it to her superior without reading it.
• A middle-aged man met Ye Lin and explained that the Heaven-Seeking Bureau had three ranks and that a third-rank position had been reserved for him through the Sword Saint’s recommendation.
• The man warned that taking the position without a proper test would invite criticism and hostility from other candidates.
• Ye Lin agreed to follow the required procedures, including an actual-combat test, and the middle-aged man left to arrange it.
• Ye Lin waited alone, confident that he could handle the combat test.

Ye Lin received a Heaven-Seeking Bureau mission to capture Wang Dong, a Half-Step Quasi-Saint wreaking havoc in Luo Water Province, as a test for Level Three membership. After arriving, Ye Lin decided to use the Great Blade Association to help locate Wang Dong and headed to one of its branches.

• The middle-aged man assigned Ye Lin the mission to apprehend Wang Dong, promising him Level Three Heaven-Seeking Bureau membership if he succeeded.
• Ye Lin wondered whether the mission had been deliberately arranged, then dismissed the question and traveled to Luo Water Province by teleportation array.
• Unable to use the Holy Palace's resources while still a test candidate, Ye Lin decided to rely on the Great Blade Association instead.
• Ye Lin consulted a map of Luo Water Province and set off for the nearest Great Blade Association branch.
• Two hours later, Ye Lin arrived at the branch.

Ye Lin learned that Wang Dong might be at Ten Thousand Blades Pass and set out to investigate. Meanwhile, several figures plotted to sabotage Ye Lin’s trial so they could compete for a chance to join the Holy Palace.

• A woman outbid a man for an item, and the man left after threatening her.
• Ye Lin asked a young man at the Great Blade Association about Wang Dong and learned that Wang Dong was last seen at Ten Thousand Blades Pass.
• The young man suggested Ye Lin visit the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion for more information about Wang Dong’s location.
• Ye Lin studied a map and headed toward Ten Thousand Blades Mountain.
• Several figures watched Ye Lin leave and decided to disrupt his trial so he would fail.

Several young cultivators plotted to sabotage Ye Lin’s trial after Heavenly Blade Sage secured him a coveted Holy Palace post. They split up to locate Wang Dong before Ye Lin could reach him.

• A young man warned that provoking Heavenly Blade Sage would be dangerous, but the group’s leader argued that their families could unite and that their plan would not threaten Ye Lin’s life.
• The young cultivators agreed to interfere with Ye Lin’s trial because they resented losing the Holy Palace position.
• The group decided to find Wang Dong, a half-step Quasi-Saint, and bribe him so Ye Lin could not defeat him.
• The leader sent two cultivators to ask the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion’s old pavilion master to divine Wang Dong’s location, while the others followed Ye Lin.

Ye Lin searched for Wang Dong at Ten Thousand Blades Pass but found no trace of him, then went to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion to have his whereabouts calculated. The Pavilion Master revealed that Wang Dong was refining Blood Baleful energy in the Second Mountain of Star Chess City, while Ye Lin learned that another group had asked about him first.

• Ye Lin searched Ten Thousand Blades Pass and concluded that Wang Dong had likely already left.
• Ye Lin headed for the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, unaware that someone had already departed from it after asking about Wang Dong.
• Ye Lin reached the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and asked its Pavilion Master to calculate Wang Dong's whereabouts.
• The Pavilion Master told Ye Lin that Wang Dong was in the Second Mountain of Star Chess City, refining Blood Baleful energy and unable to move for now.
• Ye Lin thanked the Pavilion Master and gave him a Spatial Ring, while wondering who else was seeking Wang Dong.

After learning Wang Dong's location, Ye Lin rushed toward Star Chess City as two young men warned Wang Dong that the Holy Palace had sent Ye Lin to kill him. Wang Dong accepted a life-saving talisman but remained confident in his strength, while the young men stressed that he must survive for their plans.

• Ye Lin left the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and hurried toward Star Chess City after discovering Wang Dong's location.
• Two young men told Wang Dong that the Holy Palace had sent a Daluo Golden Immortal to kill him and gave him a protective talisman.
• Wang Dong boasted that his half-step Quasi-Saint strength could withstand even a Quasi-Saint, and admitted he did not know who the Heavenly Blade Sage was.
• One young man gave Wang Dong a treasure that could temporarily increase his combat strength by fifty percent by burning his essence, qi, and spirit.
• The other young man warned Wang Dong not to die, explaining that his survival would prevent Ye Lin from completing his trial.

Wang Dong learned that the Holy Palace had arranged for him to be a whetstone in Ye Lin’s trial and resolved to fight back. Yao Kai and Zhao Wu left him alive and hid near the city to watch Ye Lin arrive.

• Wang Dong told Yao Kai and Zhao Wu to leave, then revealed he understood the Holy Palace was using him to test Ye Lin.
• Outside the city, Zhao Wu said he wanted to kill Wang Dong, but Yao Kai explained they could neither attack Ye Lin nor kill Wang Dong because their elders and the Holy Palace were watching.
• Yao Kai and Zhao Wu concealed themselves to watch the coming confrontation.
• Ye Lin arrived, and the two men hid their auras.