Chapter Summaries

Lu Xingshi learned about the Jin Kingdom’s warring factions and set his sights on two holders of the Son of Heaven Destiny. After a local extortionist provoked him, Lu Xingshi killed him and invited the Mad Sand Stockade to come investigate.

• Lu Xingshi discovered that the Jin Kingdom was in chaos and that the Mad Sand Stockade had occupied the border town, then suspected its new architecture might be connected to Liao Lan’s family.
• A shop waiter told Lu Xingshi about the Tai King, the Upper God Sect, and the three Grotto-heaven rulers: Sui King, King Xu, and Yin King.
• Lu Xingshi learned that Mountain-Suppressing King and Azure River King possessed the Son of Heaven Destiny and decided to take it from them.
• Master Zheng entered the restaurant to extort protection money, then demanded another fee from Lu Xingshi.
• Lu Xingshi killed Master Zheng with a flame that burned his mind and spirit, and told the proprietor to alert the Mad Sand Stockade.
• Lu Xingshi left with the restaurant’s food and called Wang Cai and Zhu Yan out to eat.

Lu Xingshi confronted Liao Pan and the Mad Sand Stockade, then killed everyone and razed the stockade to keep his identity and future threats hidden. While searching the ruins, he found an ornate chest containing a corpse wrapped in yellow talismans.

• Lu Xingshi recognized Liao Pan as Prince of Qi’s son and warned him that he had come to punish the stockade after one of its men picked a fight.
• Liao Pan could not explain himself under Lu Xingshi’s pressure, then revealed that he knew Lu Xingshi was the Yan Emperor.
• Lu Xingshi decided Liao Pan could become a future threat, killed everyone in the Mad Sand Stockade, and flattened it with Great Handprints.
• Lu Xingshi had Wang Cai and Zhu Yan search the ruins, where Wang Cai uncovered an old, intricately crafted chest made with embedded human facial skin.
• Lu Xingshi opened the chest and found a corpse curled inside with yellow paper talismans wrapped around it.

Lu Xingshi examined a corpse whose death-triggered technique cursed him with Hundred Diseases Affliction, then modified the trait into Immunity to All Diseases. Meanwhile, the Grotto-heaven Ancestors abandoned plans to attack Yan Kingdom and decided to focus on cultivating their own forces.

• Lu Xingshi examined the corpse and identified its Nine Nether Immersion God Great Technique as a dangerous practice that had driven its cultivator mad.
• When Lu Xingshi repeatedly said to give the corpse a proper burial, it twitched and then exploded into poisonous black mist, giving him the negative trait Hundred Diseases Affliction.
• Lu Xingshi modified Hundred Diseases Affliction into Immunity to All Diseases, but failed to alter his Gift of Obsession trait because its code was too complex.
• Lu Xingshi told Wang Cai to prepare a funeral procession and set a half-hour limit before they left town.
• The Western Mysterious Ancestor warned the Grotto-heaven Ancestors that attacking Yan Kingdom would risk another costly defeat, and they agreed to focus on cultivating their own disciples instead.

Lu Xingshi reached the Azure River disguised and planned to kill the Azure River King for his Divine Weapon and Son of Heaven Destiny. After a scholar provoked him at the royal residence, Lu Xingshi left, suspecting the encounter was tied to a fortuitous opportunity, while the Azure River King ordered an investigation into the scholar’s past.

• Lu Xingshi arrived at the Azure River after Divine Weapon All Under Heaven devoured the Mad Sand Stockade and formed the Middle Dantian.
• Lu Xingshi disguised himself, Wang Cai, and Zhu Yan before approaching the Azure River King Residence to target the Azure River King.
• A scholar insulted Lu Xingshi and his companions, but the residence steward revealed that the Azure River King had already barred the troublesome man from entering.
• Lu Xingshi criticized the residence for failing to manage the scholar and left without meeting the Azure River King.
• The Azure River King told his steward to investigate how many prospective recruits the scholar had driven away.

Yue Ting’s failed prediction led him to study in earnest, while Lu Xingshi found the Earth Mother Book and tested its guidance. Lu Xingshi left with the treasure and spared Yue Ting, who later woke without knowing it had been taken.

• Yue Ting recalled the Earth Mother Book’s past guidance and, chastened by his humiliation, began reading with genuine focus.
• Lu Xingshi drugged Yue Ting, searched the room, and found the Earth Mother Book disguised as a floor tile.
• Lu Xingshi tested the book’s guidance, discovered its limited predictions and potential to evolve, and restored the Luck Value it had taken from him.
• Lu Xingshi decided not to kill Yue Ting and left with the Earth Mother Book.
• Yue Ting woke more than an hour later, ashamed that he had fallen asleep while reading.

After destroying the Azure River King Residence, Lu Xingshi used Divine Weapon All Under Heaven to devour a newly acquired Divine Weapon, then set out to kill the Mountain-Suppressing King. He left the Heaven Mending Pill he found in his Inventory and planned to use the Azure River King's martial dao inheritance to improve the Golden Citadel Jade Emperor.

• The three Cave Heaven Kings blamed one another for the Azure River King's death and secretly accelerated their plans against the Mountain-Suppressing King as they sought the remaining Son of Heaven Destiny.
• Lu Xingshi exposed the Divine Weapon All Under Heaven in his brain and fed it a newly acquired Divine Weapon, which it began digesting at the cost of his Influence Value.
• Lu Xingshi considered the future potential of his Three-Dimensional Attributes but decided that modifying them with Gold Coins cost too much, so he would grow gradually instead.
• Wang Cai urged Lu Xingshi to choose mortuary work over construction, and Lu Xingshi rejected the idea before ordering Wang Cai to carry him toward the Mountain-Suppressing King.
• Lu Xingshi examined a Heaven Mending Pill, concluded its attribute-boosting effects were of little use to him, and stored it away for later improvement.

King Xu Zhu He realized the Yan Emperor had entered Jin Kingdom and that his Cave Heaven had abandoned him, so he began weighing escape against an alliance with the other kings. After destroying Mountain-Suppressing King, Lu Xingshi gained attribute increases and learned from the Earth Mother Book that killing Sui King, King Xu, and Yin King would bring blessings.

• King Xu Zhu He learned that Mountain-Suppressing King had been exterminated and suspected the Yan Emperor was responsible.
• Zhu He concluded that the Three Mysterious Ultimate True Grotto-heaven had abandoned him and considered testing whether Sui King and Yin King had also been left without support.
• Lu Xingshi digested two Divine Weapons, gained 1,700 each in Mandate of Heaven Attribute and Mortal Attribute, and opened the Hand Jue Yin Meridian.
• Lu Xingshi consulted the transformed Earth Mother Book, which predicted blessings if he killed Sui King, King Xu, and Yin King.
• Lu Xingshi tried to ask the Earth Mother Book about a higher-tier replacement, but it offered only the vague response “Blessings arrive.”

The three Cave Heaven kings united Jin Kingdom’s factions after warning that Lu Xingshi had entered their territory, though they planned to use the alliance as a shield while they fled. Lu Xingshi arrived at their banquet and prepared Wang Cai and Zhu Yan to fight.

• Sui King Qi Yi, King Xu Zhu He, and Yin King Zhou Yao summoned Jin Kingdom’s factions and warned them that Yan Emperor Lu Xingshi could destroy them all.
• The Upper God Sect’s leader questioned the warning and demanded proof, but the three kings insisted the factions submit to the alliance.
• The Upper God Sect’s leader and several other faction heads agreed to join, while the three kings secretly planned to delay Lu Xingshi and escape.
• Lu Xingshi learned that the alliance banquet had gathered the three kings and other faction leaders in one place, and he welcomed the chance to deal with them together.
• Lu Xingshi arrived with Wang Cai and Zhu Yan, then told them to prepare to fight.

Zhu Yan and Wang Cai attacked the alliance banquet, killing King Xu Zhu He and forcing the gathered rulers into battle. Qi Yi and Zhou Yao fought back as Wang Cai’s Mechanical Puppets surrounded them, leaving the two kings trapped.

• Zhu Yan ambushed King Xu Zhu He outside the banquet, shattered his sword, crushed his arm, and killed him with a blow to the head.
• Qi Yi and Zhou Yao rushed to investigate as the Upper God Sect leader escaped and saw Wang Cai directing Mechanical Puppets through the estate.
• Zhu Yan charged Qi Yi and Zhou Yao, who called for protection and then joined their attendants in fighting the monkey.
• Wang Cai’s Mechanical Puppets tore through the attackers, blocked Zhou Yao’s escape, and left him under attack while Zhu Yan drove Qi Yi backward.

Lu Xingshi captured Feng Renjie, the Upper God Sect leader, and interrogated him about the Sacred Fire Sect’s role in the Jin Kingdom. After learning the sect had supported several forces through its Blazing Flame Envoys, Lu Xingshi was joined by Wang Cai and Zhu Yan, who returned with the heads of two Cave Heaven Kings.

• Lu Xingshi caught Feng Renjie as he tried to flee and confirmed he led the Upper God Sect.
• Under Lu Xingshi’s pressure, Feng Renjie revealed that the Sacred Fire Sect had planted a Fire Seed in him and supported his efforts to stir up trouble in the Jin Kingdom.
• Feng Renjie named other Jin Kingdom groups backed by the Sacred Fire Sect but admitted he did not know the location of its main altar.
• Feng Renjie explained that a Blazing Flame Envoy controlled him and that the sect used its ranks to manage field operatives.
• Wang Cai and Zhu Yan returned from the fighting, with Zhu Yan carrying the heads of Sui King Qi Yi and Yin King Zhou Yao.
• Feng Renjie recognized Lu Xingshi as the Yan Emperor and resolved to cooperate by sharing what he knew about the Sacred Fire Sect.

Lu Xingshi kept Feng Renjie captive while trying to understand a delayed blessing, then confronted a Blazing Emissary from the Sacred Fire Sect. After easily defeating him, Lu Xingshi demanded an explanation, and the Emissary eagerly agreed to talk.

• The Jin Emperor reclaimed power amid the chaos caused by the deaths of the three kings, while Lu Xingshi used Influence Value to advance the Divine Weapon All Under Heaven.
• Lu Xingshi questioned Feng Renjie about the blessing and learned that the approaching Blazing Emissary was the person controlling him.
• The Blazing Emissary mocked Lu Xingshi and attacked him with the Blazing God Palm, but Lu Xingshi struck him down with a True Qi palm.
• Lu Xingshi demanded that the Blazing Emissary explain the Sacred Fire Sect's secrets, and the Emissary volunteered to cooperate despite his defiant manner.

Lu Xingshi interrogated Yan Qi about the Sacred Fire Sect’s ties to the Grotto-heavens and learned that its leader was forging a one-use Dragon Slaying Saber to kill a True Dragon. He ordered Yan Qi to investigate the sect’s past dealings with Great Song and planned to meet him in the Jin Kingdom capital.

• Yan Qi revealed that his adoptive father had contacted Golden Altar Huayang Grotto-heaven, whose Ancestor Juqu had left behind the Yellow Sand Poison Fire.
• Yan Qi warned that his adoptive father was using the Sacred Fire Orthodox Canon and Ancestor Juqu’s secret technique to forge a Pseudo Divine Weapon called the Dragon Slaying Saber.
• Lu Xingshi asked whether Yan Qi knew about Sacred Fire Sect members who had gone to Great Song, but Yan Qi said he lacked information.
• Lu Xingshi ordered Yan Qi to investigate the Great Song connection and tricked him into believing he had been given a Three Corpse Brain Worm Pill.
• Yan Qi promised to find clues within a month, and Lu Xingshi told him to meet him in the Jin Kingdom capital.

Lu Xingshi stormed the Jin Imperial Palace and killed the Jin Emperor, intending to plunge the Jin Kingdom into chaos. After gaining new power from the Emperor’s death, he left the palace and encountered Yan Qi, whom he demanded report on the intelligence he had gathered.

• Lu Xingshi told Feng Renjie to hide before he attacked the Jin Imperial Palace, and Feng Renjie vanished.
• Wang Cai blasted open the palace gate tower while Zhu Yan deflected arrows, and they fought their way to the Jin Emperor.
• Lu Xingshi offered the Jin Emperor a chance to speak, then killed him with a Great Handprint and ordered the Imperial Guards to flee.
• Divine Weapon All Under Heaven absorbed the Influence Value from the Jin Emperor’s death, advancing Lu Xingshi’s meridians and increasing his attributes.
• Lu Xingshi left the palace with Zhu Yan and Wang Cai, then encountered Yan Qi and demanded the intelligence he had gathered.

Lu Xingshi learned that Yan Qi’s Sacred Fire Sect had stolen its inheritance and accepted the original Supreme Sacred Fire Codex, while Yan Qi escaped after receiving a Sugar Pill. As Lu Xingshi examined the codex and set out to find Feng Renjie, Feng Renjie discovered a Secret Realm and decided to tell Lu Xingshi about it in hopes of winning his protection and having the Fire Seed removed.

• Yan Qi explained that the Sacred Fire Sect’s legitimate heir had gone to Great Song and that the Dragon Slaying Saber was forged from his draft with help from Golden Altar Huayang Grotto-heaven.
• Lu Xingshi asked when Yan Qi’s adopted father would arrive, then accepted the Supreme Sacred Fire Codex and offered Yan Qi a place in his service.
• Yan Qi took the Sugar Pill, realized the Three Corpse Brain Worm Pill had been cured, and fled without agreeing to lure his adopted father over.
• Lu Xingshi inspected the Supreme Sacred Fire Codex and recognized that it was based on the Heavenly Crafting Compendium and had been designed to assist Divine Weapon forging.
• Feng Renjie discovered what seemed to be a Secret Realm and decided to tell Lu Xingshi about it, hoping to gain his favor and have the Sacred Fire Sect’s Fire Seed removed.

Lu Xingshi claimed the first Blessed Land in Jin Capital, freed Feng Renjie from Yan Qi’s Fire Seed, and gave him the Golden Book Jade Scroll. As Lu Xingshi prepared to inspect the completed Blessed Land, Grotto-heaven Ancestors discussed joining forces against him and the Yan Kingdom.

• Lu Xingshi met Feng Renjie at the first Blessed Land and removed the Fire Seed Yan Qi had planted in him.
• Lu Xingshi gave Feng Renjie the Golden Book Jade Scroll and told him to cultivate it and serve the Yan Kingdom.
• Lu Xingshi ordered Zhu Yan and Wang Cai to guard the Blessed Land, and Wang Cai deployed Mechanical Puppets to defend it.
• Feng Renjie read the Golden Book Jade Scroll and learned how it combined martial arts with the Yan Kingdom’s luck and Bestowed Titles.
• Lu Xingshi waited for the Blessed Land to finish forming, then reached to inspect its dungeon panel.
• Ancestor Juqu and Western Mysterious Ancestor discussed the Jin Kingdom’s turmoil and urged the Grotto-heaven forces to unite against Lu Xingshi.

Lu Xingshi entered the Capital City Secret Realm as a wealthy merchant’s son and studied its mission to restore peace, suppress the Dark Owl Walkers, kill Mad Wen Chou, and bring three Demonic Path figures to justice. After discovering someone watching him, he found a way to twist the replacement’s obsession so that ruthless violence could serve as his version of justice.

• Lu Xingshi reviewed the Capital City’s villains and political factions, including Ouyang Bo, Deng Tie, and Yang Sheng, and concluded that the corrupt authorities would not reliably bring them to justice.
• Lu Xingshi noticed a watcher outside his study and suspected either Ouyang Bo or the Dark Owl Walkers.
• Lu Xingshi decided to find and kill Mad Wen Chou, while recognizing that the Demonic Path figures had to be convicted by the authorities to fulfill the mission.
• Lu Xingshi discovered that openly destructive acts would break the replacement’s obsession, but reframed his goal as ruling the city through absolute justice.
• Lu Xingshi persuaded the obsession that making villains suffer was necessary to restore peace, loosening its restrictions on his methods.

Lu Xingshi attended a banquet hosted by Ouyang Bo, then encountered Mad Wen Chou killing someone in the street on his way home. He suspected that the threats against him were part of a wider plot to seize the Anfu Merchant Guild and prepared to deal with those targeting him.

• Ouyang Bo invited Lu Xingshi to the Drunken Immortal Restaurant and tried to provoke and assess him, but Lu Xingshi left in anger.
• Ouyang Bo stopped his thugs from attacking Lu Xingshi, warning them that the wealthy merchant was still too powerful to provoke openly.
• Lu Xingshi’s sedan chair stopped when Mad Wen Chou blocked the road with a performance, and Mad Wen Chou’s poison killed a passerby.
• Mad Wen Chou gestured that he intended to kill Lu Xingshi, but Lu Xingshi recognized that he was only Third-Rate and remained unafraid.
• The steward told Lu Xingshi that Mad Wen Chou had destroyed more than a dozen martial world factions, while Lu Xingshi anticipated a visit from Two-Faced Yama Deng Tie and planned to punish those targeting the Anfu Merchant Guild.

Deng Tie questioned Lu Xingshi about Mad Wen Chou, then left after spotting a Dark Owl Walker watching the Lu Residence. Lu Xingshi exposed and confronted Owl Claw Nineteen, who attacked him and was overpowered, leaving Lu ready to interrogate him.

• Deng Tie told Lu Xingshi that capturing Mad Wen Chou would be difficult and invited him to bring any clues to the Prefectural Office.
• Deng Tie noticed a Dark Owl Walker in the Lu Residence, chose not to interfere, and departed.
• Lu Xingshi called out the watcher, who revealed himself as Dark Owl Walker Owl Claw Nineteen.
• Owl Claw Nineteen tried to conceal himself again, but Lu Xingshi stopped his True Qi and caught him by surprise.
• Owl Claw Nineteen attacked Lu Xingshi with lethal intent, but Lu caught his claw, broke both his hands, and prepared to interrogate him.

Lu Xingshi interrogated Mad Wen Chou after catching him sneaking into his room, but the madman’s answers revealed little beyond his reason for coming to the capital. Meanwhile, the emperor confronted Dark Owl Walker’s leader over Mad Wen Chou’s arrival and the Noble families’ ambitions, leaving the leader cowed by the emperor’s growing power.

• Lu Xingshi finished interrogating the Owl Claws and complained that they knew almost nothing about Dark Owl Walker.
• Mad Wen Chou entered Lu Xingshi’s room upside down, but Lu Xingshi caught him, crushed his jaw, and refused to kill him despite Mad Wen Chou’s apparent desire to die.
• Lu Xingshi repaired Mad Wen Chou’s jaw and questioned him, learning at least why he had come to the capital despite the interrogation’s limited success.
• The emperor questioned Dark Owl Walker’s leader about losing track of Mad Wen Chou, and the leader explained that repeated attempts to kill him had failed.
• The emperor ordered Dark Owl Walker’s leader to leave the palace and mocked the Noble families; the leader vowed they would reclaim their power, but the emperor’s True Qi overwhelmed him.

Lu Xingshi discovered that Mad Wen Chou was a transmissible Living Cultivation Method and experimented by injecting his blood into Owl Claw Nineteen. The experiment created Mad Wen Chou Two, who agreed to help Lu Xingshi capture Dark Owl Walker members as new hosts while planning to kill the emperor.

• Lu Xingshi dissected Mad Wen Chou and realized that the regenerative traits in Owl Claw Nineteen had originated from him.
• Lu Xingshi explained that Mad Wen Chou was an inherited identity carrying generations of memories and madness, and decided to test whether his traits could spread through blood.
• Lu Xingshi injected purified blood from Mad Wen Chou into Owl Claw Nineteen, whose wounds healed as inherited memories overwhelmed him.
• Owl Claw Nineteen transformed into Mad Wen Chou Two and examined Mad Wen Chou One while discussing an attempt on the emperor.
• Mad Wen Chou Two offered to capture Dark Owl Walker members so Lu Xingshi could create more copies, and Lu Xingshi chastised him for making a bloody mess.