Chapter Summaries

Hong Yuan battled Heavenly Baleful and helped Li Qingqiu, Han Songshi, and Yan Shanyue survive, but he could not defeat the newly advanced Demon King. After killing Li Hong and forcing Hong Yuan to retreat, Heavenly Baleful tracked his qi signature and pursued him.

• Hong Yuan struck Heavenly Baleful with a palm powered by his apertures and the surrounding world, forcing him to stumble but leaving Hong Yuan unable to match his full strength.
• Li Hong invoked the terms of Heavenly Baleful’s challenge, and Heavenly Baleful promised to return the occupied territories before suddenly killing Li Hong.
• Heavenly Baleful attacked Li Qingqiu, but Hong Yuan intervened; Heavenly Baleful then trapped Hong Yuan and Li Qingqiu in his fourth slaughter technique and pierced Hong Yuan’s chest.
• Hong Yuan used blood shadows and an illusion to escape Heavenly Baleful, telling Li Qingqiu, Han Songshi, and Yan Shanyue that they owed him their lives.
• Heavenly Baleful caught Hong Yuan’s qi signature and set off after him, while Li Qingqiu, Han Songshi, and Yan Shanyue assessed their losses and Li Qingqiu decided to return to the academy.

Hong Yuan won his wager against Heavenly Baleful and obtained the Greenwater Profound Art. Half a month later, Hong Yuan intervened in Lei Pojun and Shen Duzhou’s deadly attempt to condense qi, saving them before Heavenly Baleful arrived and threatened to strike.

• Hong Yuan wagered that he could escape Heavenly Baleful, fought him, and fled beyond his reach after a prolonged pursuit.
• Heavenly Baleful admitted defeat and recited the Greenwater Profound Art, which Hong Yuan memorized before leaving.
• On Thousand-Sail Island, Lei Pojun and Shen Duzhou fought to the death in hopes of breaking through to humanity qi, while the Treasure Ship Merchant Guild watched.
• Hong Yuan entered their battle, shattered their weapons, and used his power to save them and restore their condensed essence, qi, and spirit.
• After Lei Pojun and Shen Duzhou thanked Hong Yuan, Heavenly Baleful arrived and asked whether saving them had given him another chance to attack.

Hong Yuan defeated another attack from the Heavenly Baleful Demon King, then visited Lord Canghai and forced him to surrender the Four Seas True Scripture. As Heavenly Baleful pursued him, Xuan Yin arrived at an island and confronted Master Yun, who said he had come to intervene in the conflict.

• Hong Yuan and the Heavenly Baleful Demon King clashed at sea, and Hong Yuan escaped after reminding him that their latest encounter did not count toward their wager.
• The Treasure Ship Merchant Guild’s old man and young man emerged from the wreckage, while Lei Pojun and Shen Duzhou explained Hong Yuan’s growing notoriety and celebrated their own progress toward becoming refiners.
• Hong Yuan sensed Heavenly Baleful behind him and traveled to Lord Canghai’s residence on Thousand-Sail Island to seek his cultivation art.
• Lord Canghai attacked Hong Yuan with a water droplet, but Hong Yuan resisted it and compelled him to hand over the Four Seas True Scripture.
• Heavenly Baleful reached Lord Canghai and asked what Hong Yuan had wanted from him.
• Xuan Yin arrived on an island, where Master Yun of the Hanging Moon Academy said he had come to intervene in the struggle between Heavenly Baleful and Hong Yuan.

Xuan Yin tried to leave for the Southern Sea, but Master Yun and Zhu Qizi detained him while the conflict between Heavenly Baleful and Hong Yuan unfolded. After meeting in Cloudring Island, Hong Yuan and Heavenly Baleful began their sixth and decisive battle above a mountain, each preparing to unleash his full strength.

• Xuan Yin attacked Master Yun with Hundred Cracks of Profound Ice, but Master Yun countered with Thousand Autumns Brushwork and Profound Yin Finger until Zhu Qizi arrived and calmed the battlefield with his flute.
• Zhu Qizi asked Xuan Yin to wait while Heavenly Baleful and Hong Yuan settled their contest, and Xuan Yin reluctantly stayed rather than fight both him and Master Yun.
• Over the following month, news of Hong Yuan and Heavenly Baleful’s contest spread across the Celestial Star Sea as both men continued building their strength.
• Hong Yuan waited for Heavenly Baleful at a restaurant on Cloudring Island, and the two exchanged wine cups before leaving the city to avoid harming its inhabitants.
• Hong Yuan and Heavenly Baleful descended on a mountain and began their sixth fight, with Heavenly Baleful summoning his demonic body as Hong Yuan called forth nine stars and raised a white-jade palm.

Plot points and events

• Hong Yuan defeats Heavenly Baleful after a prolonged battle. His six layers of Astral Qi and golden, dragon-like power overwhelm Heavenly Baleful’s enormous Demon Body, burn away its baleful qi, and pierce through his body.
• Heavenly Baleful realizes Hong Yuan has not followed the Human Dao or the known Refiner lineage of “Source.” He asks whether Hong Yuan comes from beyond the heavens, but Hong Yuan gives no answer and disappears.
• Shang Jianming, a Sound Master of the Heavenly Sound Pavilion, arrives with his disciples. He confirms that Heavenly Baleful is dead.
• When a disciple’s movement disturbs Heavenly Baleful’s remaining qi, the body dissolves into streams of air. Shang Jianming explains that power borrowed at the Third Human Dao must eventually return to heaven and earth unless its wielder transcends the Human Dao.
• Shang Jianming orders Nie Yu to spread news of the battle throughout the Celestial Star Sea, ensuring that Heavenly Baleful’s death—and Hong Yuan’s victory—will be widely known.

Character developments and interactions

• Hong Yuan reveals immense, unfamiliar power and defeats a formidable enemy, but remains enigmatic: he neither explains his origins nor responds to Heavenly Baleful’s question.
• Heavenly Baleful moves from arrogance and confidence to horror as Hong Yuan’s attack destroys his Demon Body and kills him.
• Shang Jianming responds with measured gravity. He recognizes Hong Yuan as an extraordinary figure but remains wary of his mysterious motives.
• Nie Yu and the other disciples are shaken by Heavenly Baleful’s death. Nie Yu’s involuntary movement disrupts the dying qi, making the enemy’s final dissolution visible to everyone.
• The encounter between Hong Yuan and Heavenly Baleful is brief but decisive; afterward, Shang Jianming interprets the result for his disciples and turns it into news for the wider martial world.

Significant themes

• The limits of borrowed power: Even a Grandmaster at the Third Human Dao cannot keep power that does not truly belong to him; it must return to heaven and earth unless he surpasses the Dao.
• Mystery and the unknown: Hong Yuan’s strength lies beyond the familiar paths, prompting questions about whether he comes from beyond the heavens.
• The cycles of power and nature: Heavenly Baleful’s final dissolution suggests that individual might ultimately returns to the world.
• Reputation and consequence: Shang Jianming ensures the battle becomes a public event, showing how a single victory can reshape the wider world’s understanding of power.

Hong Yuan reflected on the true self aperture and used his understanding of flowing water to improve his movement, while considering the danger posed by stronger Devil Palace cultivators. News that he had killed the Heavenly Baleful Demon King reached the Southern Sea, and a Yellow-Robed Elder returned from the Mist Sea just as someone asked him about the figure he had encountered.

• Hong Yuan examined how the true self aperture let his spirit apertures permeate his flesh, and decided not to return to Great Xuan for fear that an immortal might be watching for him.
• Hong Yuan compared the Greenwater Profound Art with Lord Canghai's Four Seas True Scripture and combined their flowing-water principles with his apertures to move through the sea about thirty percent faster.
• Zhu Qizi and Master Yun played chess across the sea while the Mystic Yin Demon King waited nearby.
• A Heavenly Sound Pavilion messenger reported that Hong Yuan had killed the Heavenly Baleful Demon King on Cloudring Island, and the Mystic Yin Demon King flew off after challenging Zhu Qizi and Master Yun to stop him.
• The Yellow-Robed Elder emerged from the Mist Sea, remarked that he had nearly failed to return, and heard an unseen voice ask what figure he had encountered.

Sun Tu reported the Dao Court World and the Myriad Calamities Daoist to the Woodcutter, who recognized Hong Yuan from a portrait and learned that the Earth Devil had also heard Sun Tu’s account. As the Woodcutter hurried to keep the Devil Palace from reaching Hong Yuan first, Hong Yuan arrived at Heavenly Music Island and was invited to the Heavenly Sound Pavilion.

• The Earth Devil captured Sun Tu, learned about the Dao Court World and the Qi-Blood Furnace Method, and then let him go.
• Sun Tu visited the Woodcutter and reported his journey through the Void Path, the Myriad Calamities Dao Court, and the first three revolutions of the Qi-Blood Furnace Method.
• The Woodcutter showed Sun Tu a portrait and confirmed that the Myriad Calamities Daoist was Hong Yuan, who had already slain a devil king.
• Sun Tu revealed that the Earth Devil had forced the same information from him, and the Woodcutter left to prevent the Devil Palace from finding Hong Yuan first.
• Hong Yuan arrived in a city on Heavenly Music Island, where Mo Xianyin invited him to visit the Heavenly Sound Pavilion.

Hong Yuan stayed at the Heavenly Sound Pavilion as its guest and cultivated by drawing numinous energy from beneath the sect. After the Earth Devil’s failed attempt to ambush him, the Pavilion Master sensed the intruder’s presence and began investigating.

• Mo Xianyin invited Hong Yuan to join the Heavenly Sound Pavilion as a Grand Attendant, but he said he would wait to meet the Pavilion Master.
• Mo Xianyin showed Hong Yuan the sect’s Heavenly Sound Sword Formation and lodged him at Clear Spring Residence with access to the library’s first eight floors.
• Hong Yuan cultivated by drawing numinous energy from underground and sensed an intruder; his Taiyin Soul-Slaying Curse failed to stop the Earth Devil, who fled.
• The Earth Devil met the Mystic Yin Demon King offshore and revealed that Hong Yuan had discovered him while drawing spiritual qi from the earth’s veins, warning that Hong Yuan’s foundations were extraordinary.
• The Pavilion Master sensed that some of the spirit land’s aura had leaked, identified the Devil Palace’s presence, and noticed Hong Yuan’s residence as she passed.

Hong Yuan met Pavilion Master Lingyin and learned that the Great Yu Divine Dynasty’s war with Qi-Source World had left records among the ancient sacred lands and the Infinite Devil Palace. After Lingyin revealed her Lesser Vehicle Mystic Yellow cultivation and guessed Hong Yuan came from beyond the Mist Sea, she sought an alliance with him, and he asked her to demonstrate her technique.

• Hong Yuan read accounts of Sage Zhong’s rise and learned that the Brahma Sun Sacred Palace, Star-Picking Pavilion, and Infinite Devil Palace might preserve records of the ancient war.
• Lingyin explained that the Great Yu Divine Dynasty and Qi-Source World had clashed three thousand years earlier, and that their surviving powers had roots in the Origin Ancient Land.
• Lingyin revealed her Azure Netherworld Mystic Sound was Lesser Vehicle Mystic Yellow and described the greater Great Vehicle Mystic Yellow techniques of other leaders.
• Lingyin deduced that Hong Yuan came from beyond the Mist Sea and cultivated a method distinct from Human Dao; Hong Yuan confirmed her guess.
• Lingyin proposed befriending Hong Yuan so he might aid the Heavenly Sound Pavilion in the future, and Hong Yuan asked her to demonstrate Azure Netherworld Mystic Sound Qi.

Hong Yuan tested Lingyin’s Xuanhuang qi, learned how it differed from his true qi, and accepted her offer to use the Heavenly Sound Pavilion’s spirit land. A month later, the Infinite Devil Palace’s allies plotted to target Zhu Qizi, but a streak of light descended before they could act.

• Lingyin attacked Hong Yuan with her musical techniques, including Azure Netherworld Mystic Sound, but he escaped the strike and impressed her with his speed.
• Hong Yuan and Lingyin discussed Xuanhuang qi, true qi, and how their cultivation systems differed, helping Hong Yuan clarify his path forward.
• Lingyin invited Hong Yuan to remain at the Heavenly Sound Pavilion and use its spirit land, and he accepted.
• A month later, the Mystic Yin Demon King, the Earth Devil, and Nameless Sword waited for Hong Yuan to leave the pavilion and planned to attack Zhu Qizi instead.
• As Nameless Sword agreed to confront Master Yun if necessary, his sword rang and a streak of clear light tore down from the sky.

Hong Yuan confronted Xuan Yin, Earth Devil, and Nameless Sword on a snowy peak and overwhelmed the three Third Human Dao masters with his power. After Earth Devil was killed and Venerable Immaculate intervened, Hong Yuan warned the monk that saving Earth Devil would have brought him grave karmic consequences.

• Nameless Sword sensed Hong Yuan's approach and split the incoming snow with his sword intent before Hong Yuan revealed himself.
• Hong Yuan recognized Earth Devil and challenged the three enemies, while Nameless Sword resolved to seize Hong Yuan's methods for his own cultivation.
• Xuan Yin, Earth Devil, and Nameless Sword attacked together, but Hong Yuan's sea of thunder shattered Nameless Sword's weapon and tore through the others' defenses.
• Venerable Immaculate appeared to protect Nameless Sword, but Hong Yuan used a phantom strike to kill Earth Devil and stopped the monk's Buddhist chants with mental power.
• Xuan Yin and Nameless Sword retreated as Venerable Immaculate rebuked Hong Yuan, who replied that saving Earth Devil would have burdened the monk with karmic consequences.

Venerable Immaculate tried to take Hong Yuan to the Brahma Sun Sacred Palace, but Madam Bloodrose and Woodcutter intervened, forcing the monk to let Hong Yuan go. Bloodrose brought Hong Yuan to safety and invited him to join the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, revealing that she hoped he might eventually become its third Xuanhuang Qi expert.

• Venerable Immaculate accused Hong Yuan of destabilizing the Celestial Star Sea and tried to compel him to visit the Brahma Sun Sacred Palace, trapping him in the Luminous Mandala.
• Madam Bloodrose and Woodcutter arrived to stop Venerable Immaculate; Woodcutter's axe strike failed, but Bloodrose's crimson Xuanhuang Qi shattered the dragon-serpents holding Hong Yuan.
• Madam Bloodrose carried Hong Yuan away, while Venerable Immaculate left Woodcutter unharmed.
• Madam Bloodrose told Hong Yuan that her exchange with Venerable Immaculate had injured her and that the Rogue Cultivator Alliance remained weaker than the Three Saints Palace.
• Madam Bloodrose invited Hong Yuan to join the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, saying his future advancement to Xuanhuang Qi would give the alliance three Mystic Yellow experts.

At the Rogue Cultivator Alliance’s headquarters on Peach Blossom Island, Hai Qingyu returned from training as a first-rank expert just as Hong Yuan exchanged blows with the supreme elder Ten Thousand Tribulations. After Hong Yuan and Madam Bloodrose discussed becoming Dao companions, he told her to kneel so he could inspect the goods.

• Iceheart Woman defeated Red Wyrm in the arena before Hai Qingyu arrived on his Windfire Heavenly Eagle.
• Hai Qingyu revealed that he had reached the first rank, then learned that the distant clash was between the supreme elder and Hong Yuan, also known as Ten Thousand Tribulations.
• Hong Yuan and Madam Bloodrose exchanged blows, then went to a palace at the alliance headquarters.
• Madam Bloodrose teased Hong Yuan about calling her madam and admitted she wanted a Dao companion.
• Hong Yuan pointed out her gifts of her cultivation method and spirit land, then told her to kneel so he could inspect the goods.

After leaving Madam Bloodrose, Hong Yuan perfected all nine layers of astral qi and began cultivating the Dragon Vein True-Form Astral Art in her spirit land. Experts gathered on Peach Blossom Island, where Lei Pojun and Shen Duzhou arrived and were invited to the Rogue Cultivator Alliance as others discussed an upcoming Dao discourse.

• Hong Yuan stopped Madam Bloodrose from pursuing him, claimed he would repent in the spirit land, and departed, leaving her furious at his occupation of Peach Blossom Island's spirit land.
• Madam Bloodrose met Venerable Immaculate and shared the final transformations of the Qi-Blood Furnace Method and her discovery of Hong Yuan's true qi from spirit apertures.
• Venerable Immaculate concluded that the spirit aperture method could benefit the Buddhist Sect and told Madam Bloodrose to watch Hong Yuan or help capture him, while she revealed she had given herself to him and departed.
• Hong Yuan completed all nine layers of astral qi and used the spirit land to advance his Dragon Vein True-Form Astral Art.
• Lei Pojun and Shen Duzhou arrived in Peach County, where Hai Qingyu, Iceheart Woman, and Hong invited them to the Rogue Cultivator Alliance.
• Master Yun and Zhu Qizi arrived with Li Qingqiu, who mentioned that Xuan Yehua and the Brahma Sun Dharma King would hold their second discourse on the Dao.

As the Infinite Devil Palace prepared for Xuan Yehua’s second Dao debate with the Brahma Sun Dharma King, Venerable Immaculate revealed the Buddhist Sect’s plan to return to the Ancient Land and ordered Madam Bloodrose to secure Hong Yuan’s spirit aperture method. A startling cultivation breakthrough at the Rogue Cultivator Alliance interrupted their plans, and Hong Yuan rose amid a dragon-shaped surge of energy as they moved to attack.

• Li Qingqiu considered how Hong Yuan had slain Heavenly Baleful and Earth Devil and speculated that the Infinite Devil Palace would be too occupied by Xuan Yehua’s coming debate to retaliate immediately.
• Madam Bloodrose and Venerable Immaculate watched Master Yun, Zhu Qizi, and Li Qingqiu from a tower, but Venerable Immaculate chose not to attack them.
• Venerable Immaculate told Madam Bloodrose that the Buddhist Sect had encouraged powerful figures to emerge because their qi could weaken the Mist Sea and enable a return to the Ancient Land.
• Venerable Immaculate ordered Madam Bloodrose to obtain Hong Yuan’s spirit aperture method within seven days and threatened to capture him if she failed.
• A dragon’s cry and a vast surge of qi erupted from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance’s spirit land, alarming martial artists throughout the city.
• Venerable Immaculate and Madam Bloodrose rushed to attack Hong Yuan, but lightning scattered the qi as he rose and charged toward them with the might of a true dragon.

Hong Yuan fought Venerable Immaculate and Madam Bloodrose, revealing that his power exceeded what they had expected. As their combined Mystic Yellow attack descended, he unleashed his dragon-vein true form and nine perfected layers of astral Qi to meet it.

• Hong Yuan shattered Venerable Immaculate’s Luminous Mandala and Madam Bloodrose’s petals, then struck them both with a single punch that sent Bloodrose retreating.
• The clash shook Peach County, while Zhu Qizi, Master Yun, Lei Pojun, and Shen Duzhou watched in alarm and wondered at Hong Yuan’s strength.
• Hong Yuan mocked Bloodrose and demanded half her assets and the Rogue Cultivator Alliance; she and Venerable Immaculate revealed their alliance and prepared to capture him.
• Venerable Immaculate unleashed Mandala Qi and Bloodrose condensed Heavenly Charm Condensing Yin Qi, but Hong Yuan declared that he had not yet used his full strength.
• Hong Yuan merged his dragon-vein astral body with himself and unleashed his nine spirit apertures and nine perfected layers of astral Qi, blocking both Mystic Yellow attacks.

Hong Yuan revealed that his nine united layers of astral qi had formed the true astral realm, then overwhelmed Venerable Immaculate and split a mountain with one punch. After killing Venerable Immaculate and taking his Mystic Yellow, Hong Yuan confronted the fleeing Madam Bloodrose.

• Woodcutter rescued Leng Ningshuang, Iceheart Woman, Red Wyrm, and Hai Qingyu from the destruction of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance's compound as they watched Hong Yuan fight Venerable Immaculate and Madam Bloodrose.
• Hong Yuan's united astral qi and [Dragon Vein True-Form Astral Art] resisted their combined attacks, and he struck Venerable Immaculate through his [Mandala] defenses with a punch and a knee.
• Hong Yuan punched a massive fissure into a mountain, demonstrating the power of the true astral realm to the watching martial artists.
• Hong Yuan seized the badly wounded Venerable Immaculate, rejected his plea for mercy, killed him, and collected the Mystic Yellow left behind.
• Madam Bloodrose escaped Hong Yuan's cage but found him blocking her path, and she pleaded with him by invoking their past affection.

Wen Yuyi returned to the Heavenly Sound Pavilion and learned that Xuan Yehua and the Brahma Sun Dharma King would resume their discussion of the Dao, but Pavilion Master Lingyin sensed that two Mystic Yellow experts had died. On Peach Blossom Island, Hong Yuan revealed that he had killed Venerable Immaculate and Madam Bloodrose, then began refining the mystic yellow remnants to strengthen his cultivation.

• Wen Yuyi returned to the Heavenly Sound Pavilion, told Shang Jianming and Mo Xianyin that she had perfected the Human Dao, and learned of the invitation for Xuan Yehua and the Brahma Sun Dharma King to resume their discussion of the Dao.
• Lingyin sensed from afar that two Mystic Yellow experts had fallen and suspected the deaths had occurred near the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, where Hong Yuan had gone.
• At the Brahma Sun Sacred Palace, a gray-robed monk paused his sweeping after sensing a change, then continued without reacting outwardly.
• Hong Yuan killed Madam Bloodrose, gathered mystic yellow remnants from her and Venerable Immaculate, and told Woodcutter to handle the aftermath.
• Hong Yuan returned to his Spirit Land and began refining the remnants to prepare for advancing his cultivation.

Hong Yuan refined the remnants of Venerable Immaculate and Madam Bloodrose, learned about the Brahma Sun Sacred Palace, and set out for West Heaven Summit to watch Xuan Yehua and the Brahma Sun Dharma King debate the Dao. On the way, a sinister old man rose from the sea and reached for his sedan.

• Hong Yuan refined the Mystic Yellow essence of Venerable Immaculate and Madam Bloodrose, absorbing fragments of their memories and cultivation insights.
• Hong Yuan learned that Xuan Yehua had challenged the Brahma Sun Dharma King to a Dao debate at West Heaven Summit on the seventh day of the seventh month.
• The Woodcutter told Hong Yuan about the invitation, and Hong Yuan decided to travel west to watch the contest.
• Hong Yuan departed in a sedan carried by the Woodcutter, Leng Ningshuang, Hai Qingyu, and another Qi Refiner.
• A gaunt old man in black robes emerged from the sea's baleful qi and formed a gigantic hand to seize Hong Yuan's sedan.

Hong Yuan defeated Corpse Demon Elder with a soul attack, made him a palanquin bearer, and continued traveling toward the Dao debate between Xuan Yehua and the Brahma Sun Dharma King. After spending several days with Leng Ningshuang, Hong Yuan realized the debate was the next day.

• Corpse Demon Elder attacked Hong Yuan’s palanquin, but Woodcutter broke his killing-intent hand and fought him.
• Hong Yuan struck Corpse Demon Elder’s spirit soul with a chime, forcing him to surrender and serve as a palanquin bearer.
• Hong Yuan planted the Taiyin Soul-Slaying Curse in Corpse Demon Elder’s soul and continued traveling with Leng Ningshuang singing.
• News of Xuan Yehua and the Brahma Sun Dharma King’s upcoming Dao debate spread across the Celestial Star Sea, drawing powerful figures toward West Heaven Summit.
• After several days on an island, Hong Yuan woke beside Leng Ningshuang and remembered that the Dao debate was the next day.