Chapter Summaries

Chen Fan escaped the collapsing mine by breaking its sealing formation and discovered that the Queen of Jialan had trapped Zhao Youzhu and the Sword Sect disciples. He chased the fleeing queen and Gong Huanxiang, then defeated the queen with a single sword strike.

• Chen Fan left the clash between Hu Jiuguang and Su Changqing and reached the formation barrier, where he helped Mo Chengkong and the other martial artists break it.
• Chen Fan and the others emerged to find Zhao Youzhu and the Sword Sect disciples fighting the Queen of Jialan and her forces beneath a larger barrier.
• The Queen of Jialan denied Zhao Youzhu's accusation and ordered her forces to attack, but Mo Chengkong's side routed them.
• The Queen of Jialan fled with Gong Huanxiang, and Chen Fan pursued them after switching back to his true body and summoning Little Butterfly.
• The Queen of Jialan attacked Chen Fan, but he shattered her Dao Domain and severed the arm holding her spear with one strike.

Chen Fan defeated Queen Jialan and captured her alive before rushing toward the clash between Su Changqing and Hu Jiuguang. Hu Jiuguang unleashed a devastating attack that destroyed the mine and shattered the sealing barrier, while the surviving Sword Sect disciples fled.

• Chen Fan severed Queen Jialan’s arms, killed Gong Huanxiang when she tried to shield her, and restrained Queen Jialan after she tried to take her own life.
• Chen Fan sealed Queen Jialan’s True Essence, stored her in Star Hall, and hurried toward the battle between Su Changqing and Hu Jiuguang.
• Hu Jiuguang revealed his armored fox form and struck Su Changqing with a greatsaber attack that obliterated the mine area and those who had not escaped.
• Mo Chengkong and Zhao Youzhu led the fleeing Sword Sect disciples, who survived the blast but suffered injuries.
• Hu Jiuguang’s attack shattered the Jialan Kingdom’s transparent sealing barrier, and Mo Chengkong noticed Chen Fan was missing.

Chen Fan ambushed Hu Jiuguang while the demon fox was about to defeat Su Changqing, but Hu Jiuguang healed his wounds and forced Chen Fan to flee. The chase continued as Chen Fan arranged to slow Little Butterfly and draw the fox close again.

• After the barrier shattered, Mo Chengkong and the other Sword Sect true disciples escaped with Spatial Escape Talismans while Chen Fan secretly approached Hu Jiuguang.
• Hu Jiuguang battered Su Changqing until his protective bronze mirror shattered and he lost consciousness.
• Chen Fan ambushed Hu Jiuguang with the Void-Storing Sword Art and wounded the giant fox with a series of sword strikes.
• Hu Jiuguang ignited ghostly violet flames and healed his wounds, so Chen Fan summoned Little Butterfly and fled without rescuing Su Changqing.
• Little Butterfly outpaced Hu Jiuguang until Chen Fan sent a thought through White Lord to make her slow down, allowing the fox to catch up and strike with its blade.

Chen Fan wore Hu Jiuguang down with repeated pursuits and feigned weakness, then chased him after the fox tried to flee. Hu Jiuguang faced Chen Fan’s fused Four Saint Swords, realizing he was about to die as he struggled to escape.

• Hu Jiuguang launched a powerful attack, but Little Butterfly dodged it and Chen Fan pretended to be badly injured.
• Chen Fan repeatedly provoked Hu Jiuguang into chasing him, draining the fox’s strength until Hu Jiuguang turned and fled.
• Chen Fan pursued Hu Jiuguang while keeping him within the Void-Sealing Stone’s range, then attacked when the fox threatened to self-destruct.
• Hu Jiuguang shrank back into human form and escaped Chen Fan’s sword domain, but Chen Fan caught up using the Thunder Roc Phantom Body.
• Chen Fan struck Hu Jiuguang with the Four Saint Swords, and Hu Jiuguang realized the fused sword light would kill him.

Chen Fan defeated Hu Jiuguang, who escaped as a small fox, and forced him to surrender his Mustard Seed Stone. Hu Jiuguang offered to become Chen Fan’s spirit beast, but Chen Fan discovered he was concealing a trap and demanded that he sign the Divine Control Contract instead.

• Chen Fan’s Primordial Sword shattered Hu Jiuguang’s defenses and left his fox body split in half.
• Hu Jiuguang escaped from his lower body as a small fox carrying a black crystal, but Little Butterfly caught him and Chen Fan seized him.
• Hu Jiuguang gave Chen Fan the Mustard Seed Stone and pleaded for his life, offering his hidden treasures as payment.
• When Hu Jiuguang offered to become Chen Fan’s spirit beast, Chen Fan suspected the stone concealed a trick and retrieved the Divine Control Contract he had received from Sang Ning.
• Chen Fan caught Hu Jiuguang reacting to the contract, punished him, and ordered him to sign it or die.

Chen Fan forced Hu Jiuguang to sign a Divine Control Contract, then learned about the fox’s Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox lineage and the demon sects’ search for a hidden item in the Jialan Kingdom. The chapter ended with Hu Jiuguang assuring Chen Fan that the Longevity experts backing the operation had not yet entered the kingdom.

• Chen Fan threatened Hu Jiuguang into signing a Divine Control Contract, making him Chen Fan’s second follower.
• Chen Fan treated Hu Jiuguang’s injuries and learned that his tails could substitute for his life at the cost of abandoning his body and cultivating anew.
• Hu Jiuguang revealed that he was a Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox ranked fifty-sixth on the Mountain-Sea Ranking, and explained that the Marauder Chen Fan had killed was a demonized creature infected by Demon God Remnants.
• Chen Fan questioned Hu Jiuguang about his mission, and Hu Jiuguang revealed that the Heaven-Penetrating Demon Gate and Hate Heaven Demon Cult were searching the Jialan Kingdom for a special item.
• Hu Jiuguang told Chen Fan that the two demon sects had stronger experts supporting the mission, but their Longevity experts had not entered the Jialan Kingdom.

Chen Fan learned that the Demon Gates planned to draw Sword Sect experts into a blood sacrifice to release a demonic artifact hidden beneath the Black Gold Vein, and that they might eventually sacrifice all of Jialan Kingdom. After deciding to withdraw, he asked Hu Jiuguang about the mustard seed stone’s lethal seal and learned the stages of divine consciousness after Longevity.

• Hu Jiuguang revealed that a Demon God King’s calamity weapon lay in a spatial rift beneath the Black Gold Vein and had caused the vein and nearby Haunting Demons to form.
• Hu Jiuguang explained that the Demon Gates had attacked the Black Gold Vein to lure Sword Sect experts into a blood sacrifice and had manipulated Queen Jialan into cooperating.
• Hu Jiuguang said the Demon Gates intended to draw in stronger Sword Sect experts and might destroy Jialan Kingdom to sacrifice its people and widen the spatial rift.
• Chen Fan decided to withdraw because Hu Jiuguang was only a vanguard pawn and the Demon Gates’ plans involved forces he could not safely confront.
• Chen Fan asked about the mustard seed stone, and Hu Jiuguang explained that it contained a Soul-Shattering Divine Art that killed anyone whose divine consciousness had not reached the third realm of Infinity.
• Hu Jiuguang described the transformations of the spirit and the three realms of Infinity, while Chen Fan recognized that his own divine consciousness had advanced unusually early.

Chen Fan refined Hu Jiuguang’s mustard-seed stone, found a Divine Control Contract, and took the weakened fox into Star Hall. After Queen Jialan refused to answer his questions, Chen Fan learned that a third-level Longevity Realm expert had planted mental guidance in her and decided to act against her himself.

• Hu Jiuguang bypassed the Soul-Shattering Divine Art’s mark, allowing Chen Fan to refine the mustard-seed stone and discover its wealth and a Divine Control Contract.
• Chen Fan told Hu Jiuguang to return to the Demon Gate, but Hu Jiuguang explained that he would be vulnerable there and asked to follow Chen Fan.
• Chen Fan agreed to keep Hu Jiuguang in Star Hall and supplied him with resources to recover.
• Chen Fan treated Queen Jialan’s severe injuries and woke her, but she refused to answer his questions and demanded that he kill her.
• Hu Jiuguang said he could not remove the mental guidance placed on Queen Jialan by a third-level Longevity Realm expert.
• Chen Fan pressed his palm against Queen Jialan’s head and sent his spiritual sense into her mind.

Chen Fan's Soul-Searching Technique caused the Jialan Queen's sea of consciousness to collapse, killing her and forcing him to flee the Jialan Kingdom. He rescued the gravely injured Su Changqing and returned to the Sword Sect aboard a flying whale summoned by a mysterious elder.

• Chen Fan used the Soul-Searching Technique on the Jialan Queen, but her sea of consciousness exploded and she died.
• Chen Fan returned to the Black Gold Vein's second mine and found Su Changqing alive beneath the rubble.
• Chen Fan used the Origin Pearl to stabilize Su Changqing, then carried him toward the Sword Sect.
• Chen Fan contacted Yu Jin, who alerted Chen Qingru after learning that he had rescued Su Changqing.
• Chen Qingru told Chen Fan to stop and wait for the Sword Sect's experts to collect him.
• A mysterious elder arrived on a one-horned flying whale, took Chen Fan and Su Changqing aboard, and brought them back to the Sword Sect.

Chen Fan returned to the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect aboard the Void-Seated Whale and told Chen Qingru about the events in the Jialan Kingdom. Meanwhile, the Demon Gate leaders decided to advance their plans against the Sword Sect, and Chen Qingru promised Chen Fan rewards for saving Su Changqing and bringing back intelligence.

• Chen Qingru told Chen Fan that the Void-Seated Whale ranked nineteenth on the Mountain-Sea Ranking and took him to the Sword Pavilion for questioning.
• Eight Demon Gate experts discussed Hu Jiuguang's exposure and agreed to move their plan forward by opening the gate on Mulan Grassland and summoning the demon army.
• The Demon Gate leaders said the demonic artifact's final owner would depend on the artifact's own choice, even after its small world opened and its karmic force weakened.
• Chen Fan gave Chen Qingru his account of the events in the Jialan Kingdom, concealing how he had defeated Hu Jiuguang and secretly taken Jialan.
• Chen Qingru questioned Chen Fan about the unknown figure who drove Hu Jiuguang away, then praised his courage and promised rewards for saving Su Changqing and returning with crucial intelligence.

Chen Fan returned to the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect after reporting intelligence about the demonic sects, while Chen Qingru suspected he might be the person she had been searching for. Meanwhile, Ruan Hongliang prepared to confront Chen Fan after wrongly believing he had failed his true disciple assessment.

• Chen Qingru told Chen Fan his true disciple status would be dated from when he completed the assessment, then questioned him about his past and reported their conversation.
• Chen Qingru contacted the Canghai Sword Emperor and said Chen Fan might be the person she had been searching for.
• Chen Fan returned to his courtyard and sensed someone watching him, whom he suspected belonged to Zhan Jianming's faction.
• Ruan Hongliang concluded Chen Fan had failed his assessment and ordered his followers to keep watch on him.
• After Zongzheng Xun helped him gather followers, Ruan Hongliang prepared to confront Chen Fan, but another true disciple warned him that Zongzheng Xun might be provoking him.

Ruan Hongliang decided to confront Chen Fan despite warnings, believing his grudge would become a heart demon that could block his path to the Dao Fruit. When Ruan challenged Chen to choose one of his inner-sect followers to fight, Chen instead challenged Ruan and revealed that he had not failed the core disciple assessment.

• Ruan Hongliang rejected his confidants’ advice to leave Chen Fan alone, explaining that he had to resolve his grudge to avoid a heart demon.
• Ruan Hongliang and several martial artists confronted Chen Fan at his courtyard, and Chen recognized that Ruan was seeking revenge.
• Ruan Hongliang threatened Chen and offered to let him fight one of his ninth-realm followers to settle their grudge.
• Chen Fan refused and challenged Ruan Hongliang directly, then questioned Ruan’s assumption that he had failed the core disciple assessment.

Chen Fan challenged Ruan Hongliang to settle their grudge and test his swordsmanship, ultimately defeating him by revealing his Sword Domain. Ruan Hongliang accepted the loss and explained that his final technique, Awakening of Insects, came from one of the Sword Sect’s nine great sword arts.

• Chen Fan and Ruan Hongliang went to an arena to settle their grudge in a duel.
• Chen Fan fought Ruan Hongliang with his Lightning Dao Domain and movement technique, keeping pace with the stronger swordsman.
• Ruan Hongliang unleashed Awakening of Insects, but Chen Fan used his Sword Domain to break the attack and cut Ruan Hongliang at the throat.
• Ruan Hongliang conceded defeat, and his resentment toward Chen Fan began to fade.
• Ruan Hongliang told Chen Fan that Awakening of Insects was the second form of the Heaven-Returning Sword and admitted he had not mastered it.

Chen Fan defeated Ruan Hongliang, then learned that Elder Su had awakened and his core disciple assessment had been approved. At the Sword Pavilion, Zongzheng Xiu confronted him over losing the chance to enter the Enlightenment Pool early, but Chen Fan refused to accept a challenge.

• Ruan Hongliang ordered his trusted junior brothers to conceal his loss to Chen Fan and decided not to make an enemy of him.
• Zongzheng Xiu returned to the sect after completing his core disciple assessment, and he and Zongzheng Xun went to the Sword Pavilion.
• Yu Jin told Chen Fan that Elder Su had awakened and that his core disciple assessment had been confirmed as passed.
• Chen Fan encountered the Zongzheng brothers outside the Sword Pavilion, where Zongzheng Xiu complained that Chen Fan had taken his chance to enter the Enlightenment Pool early.
• Zongzheng Xiu challenged Chen Fan to fight for the opportunity, but Chen Fan asked why he should take the risk and refused.

Chen Fan used the Zongzheng brothers’ desire to challenge him to demand an item carrying the Dao resonance of Wind, then entered the Sword Pavilion and became a true disciple of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect. Chen Qingru explained the rules and protections for true disciples, leaving Chen Fan with a new sense that the Sword Sect would stand behind him.

• Chen Fan offered to accept Zongzheng Xiu’s challenge if the Zongzheng brothers found him an item containing Dao resonance or an opportunity to comprehend a Dao Domain.
• Zongzheng Xun promised to find the item within a day, and the brothers left excitedly while Chen Fan privately acknowledged his desire for revenge over their past obstruction.
• Chen Qingru gave Chen Fan a true disciple token and robes, and Chen Fan registered as the sect’s three hundred fifteenth true disciple.
• Chen Qingru warned Chen Fan that true disciples could spar but could not kill one another, and explained that death-triggered restrictions would expose and mark anyone who killed a true disciple.
• Chen Qingru told Chen Fan that the Sword Sect would become his strongest support, and her words stirred warmth in him.

Chen Fan settled into his new life as a Sword Sect true disciple and learned that Zongzheng Xiu was a formidable rival. Zongzheng Xiu brought him the Eye of Wind, and the two headed to the Martial Practice Pavilion to compete in an illusory realm.

• Chen Fan moved into an unoccupied cave residence at Star-Gathering Residence and refused Yu Jin’s offer to help him choose servants.
• Yu Jin warned Chen Fan that Zongzheng Xiu had mastered the first two forms of the Cloud-Turning Rain Sword and might match Ruan Hongliang in strength.
• Chen Fan told Yu Jin he was confident he could defeat Zongzheng Xiu, estimating his chances at ninety percent.
• Zongzheng Xiu visited Chen Fan with the Eye of Wind, a stone containing limited Dao essence bestowed by Zhan Jianming.
• Chen Fan and Zongzheng Xiu went to the Martial Practice Pavilion to arrange a safe competition in an illusory realm.

Chen Fan and Zongzheng Xiu fought in the Martial Practice Pavilion with identical ninth-level bodies, competing through their martial skill. Zongzheng Xiu revealed the third form of the Cloud-Turning Rain Sword, but Chen Fan answered with a domain-enhanced Ninefold Thunder Blade and tore through his attack.

• Chen Fan let Zongzheng Xiu choose the Pavilion's equalized-body method, and Zongzheng Xiu accepted the match to win entry to the Enlightenment Pool.
• Chen Fan and Zongzheng Xiu selected swords in the illusion, then began their duel on the arena.
• Zongzheng Xiu opened with the Cloud-Turning Rain Sword, and Chen Fan met his strikes with a lightning domain and the Ninefold Thunder Blade.
• Zongzheng Xiu revealed that he had mastered the sword art's third form and unleashed its sweeping ultimate move against Chen Fan.
• As Zongzheng Xiu's attack battered him, Chen Fan formed a sword domain and used the Ninefold Thunder Blade to tear through the wind and rain.

Chen Fan defeated Zongzheng Xiu in the Martial Practice Pavilion and claimed the Eye of Wind. After learning that the Plum Gathering brought together the continent’s major powers, he considered yielding Zongzheng Xiu early entry to the Enlightenment Pool only in exchange for something that could quickly bring him to the tenth level.

• Chen Fan overwhelmed Zongzheng Xiu with his Sword Domain and Lightning Dao Domain, then killed him in the illusion with a final sword strike.
• Chen Fan emerged from the Martial Practice Pavilion, and Zongzheng Xiu handed him the Eye of Wind.
• Zongzheng Xun asked Chen Fan to let Zongzheng Xiu enter the Enlightenment Pool first, explaining how important the opportunity was to his younger brother.
• Zongzheng Xun explained that the Plum Gathering was a continent-wide event for talented martial artists under fifty, offering prizes and prestige to outstanding contestants.
• Chen Fan offered to give up his early entry if the Zongzheng brothers could provide something that would let him quickly break through to the tenth level, but he rejected their alternatives.

Chen Fan entered the Enlightenment Pool to accelerate his cultivation and comprehension, while Zongzheng Xiu failed to secure help from Zhan Jianming’s circle. After three days in the pool, Chen Fan’s Origin Art broke through to the tenth level without encountering a bottleneck.

• Chen Fan refused Zongzheng Xun’s demands and said he would enter the Enlightenment Pool unless they could guarantee his breakthrough to the tenth level.
• Zongzheng Xiu sought help through Senior Brother Su, who struck him and warned that Zhan Jianming could no longer interfere with Chen Fan because the Canghai Sword Emperor was in the sect.
• Chen Fan entered the Enlightenment Pool, where dense spiritual energy accelerated his cultivation and Primordial Spirit Dao Liquid boosted his comprehension.
• Chen Fan used the Chaos Stone and the Eye of Wind to focus on comprehending the artistic conception of wind while his auto-cultivation advanced several Dao concepts.
• After three days, Chen Fan’s Origin Art reached the completion of the ninth level and then broke through to the tenth level as his body and divine sense transformed.

Chen Fan broke through to the tenth level in the Enlightenment Pool and used the remaining time to advance his Dao comprehension and Origin Art. After exhausting the Dao liquid, he continued cultivating with the Mystic Realm’s spiritual energy and his reserves of pills and resources.

• Chen Fan unexpectedly crossed the tenth-level threshold, and his True Essence, physical strength, and spiritual sense surged.
• Chen Fan unlocked a sixth AFK slot and assigned the Earth Sacred Sword to train in it.
• Chen Fan focused on Wind Intent in the Enlightenment Pool, but comprehended the Water Dao Domain while his other intents, Dao Domains, and martial arts improved.
• The Dao liquid was completely absorbed by the sixth day, so Chen Fan turned his attention to cultivating the Origin Art.
• Chen Fan used the remaining Mystic Realm time, Void Saint-grade pills, and other resources to continue rapidly increasing his cultivation.