Chapter Summaries

King of Bewitching Heart drove Blood Fiend Marquis’s demon squad away and rescued Void Squad after the battle left Coldheart dead and the survivors badly weakened. Void Squad returned to the 026th Barracks Base to recover, while Lu Qingshan kept the spoils he had gained.

• King of Bewitching Heart arrived and used a soul attack to force Blood Fiend Marquis and his squad to withdraw.
• Blood Fiend Marquis threatened Lu Qingshan before leaving with his surviving teammates, and King of Bewitching Heart warned Lu Qingshan to watch out for him.
• Void Marquis paid King of Bewitching Heart two million mixed yuan units, then took Void Squad away in a new spaceship.
• Lu Qingshan released Nightmare, Giant Elephant, and Shadow from their world rings, and Void Squad agreed to return to the barracks base to recover from their losses.
• Void Squad decided Lu Qingshan would keep his spoils, while everyone except him shared the cost of King of Bewitching Heart’s rescue.
• Void Squad reached a universe traversal point and returned through the dark universe to the 026th Barracks Base.

After Void Squad returned to the military camp base, Lu Qingshan decided to restore his divine body quickly and resume training on the Extraterritorial Battlefield, while the others planned to recover more slowly. He then joined the chat group’s trip to Ye Chen’s Hidden Dragon Ranking competition, sending an avatar to the Sword Dao Supreme world.

• Void Marquis proposed that Void Squad recover at the military camp base, but Lu Qingshan said he would rapidly restore his divine body and return to the battlefield to train.
• Raging Tide Marquis and Nightmare offered to accompany Lu Qingshan, but he persuaded them to recover at their own pace while he avoided dangerous regions.
• Lu Qingshan reviewed his fight with Blood Fiend Marquis and decided to study soul attacks to counter enemies with enormous divine bodies.
• Ye Chen invited the chat group to the Hidden Dragon Ranking competition, and members including Xiao Yan, Pang Bo, Han Li, Yue Buqun, and Meng Huan agreed to attend.
• Lu Qingshan applied to enter the Sword Dao Supreme world with most of his divine body, and Ye Chen approved his request.

Lu Qingshan brought Ye Chen and their companions to Hidden Dragon Ancient City, where Lu bypassed the age restrictions and the group cleared the Three Dragon Gate Trials. Their impressive performance drew attention from the assembled geniuses, while Lin Yun grew hostile toward Ye Chen; the story left Lu and several others still untested.

• Ye Chen led Lu Qingshan and the others to the Flowing Cloud Sect encampment, where Luo Xinglie and the sect elders wondered who the newcomers were.
• When the Three Dragon Gate Trials appeared, Lu Qingshan altered the city’s rules so the older members of the group could participate.
• Cao Cao and Yue Buqun struggled through the trials but reached the city gate, while Ye Chen, Pang Bo, and the others cleared them with ease.
• The group’s fast passage astonished the onlookers, and Yuan Hengying became wary of Pang Bo and Ye Chen.
• Murong Qingcheng greeted Ye Chen, prompting jealous Lin Yun to attack him with his gaze, but Han Li stepped between them.
• Luo Xinglie and the Flowing Cloud Sect elders recognized Ye Chen’s strength and resolved not to neglect Lu Qingshan.

The Hidden Dragon Ranking competition began after the gathered geniuses tested their attack power and the judges established the rules. Lu Qingshan found the city’s dragon vein qi useless to him, and the contestants learned their group assignments as the first elimination round approached.

• The Three Dragon Gate Trials ended, and a little over seven hundred geniuses entered Hidden Dragon Ancient City through the main gate.
• Lu Qingshan and his companions toured the city, where Pang Bo promised to help Ye Chen fight extraterrestrial demon gods in the future.
• Luo Hanshan, Cao Cao, and Yue Buqun tested their attack power, then Pang Bo, Xiao Yan, Ye Chen, Meng Huan, and Han Li impressed the crowd with their results.
• Mo Yan, Murong Qingcheng, Bing Ling, Li Daoxuan, Tuoba Ku, Yan Chihuo, and Lin Yun also displayed formidable strength, while Sikong Sheng lit the testing pillar’s sixty-first crystal.
• The judges explained the competition rules, and the contestants discovered their group assignments: Ye Chen was in Group Three, Xiao Yan in Group Seven, and Han Li and Pang Bo in Group One.

The chat group members advanced through the Hidden Dragon Ranking eliminations, where Han Li defeated Mo Yan and Pang Bo defeated Tuoba Ku. After the seventy-two ranked geniuses received dragon vein energy, the Purple Sun Sect began plotting against Ye Chen and his companions.

• Cao Cao and Zhu Mei were eliminated in the first stage, while Yue Buqun, Pang Bo, Ye Chen, Han Li, Xiao Yan, and Meng Huan advanced.
• Han Li defeated Mo Yan by striking him with a black brick, and Ye Chen later defeated Bing Ling.
• Pang Bo defeated Tuoba Ku after a fierce exchange, earning attention as a contender for the top three.
• The seventy-two ranked geniuses received dragon vein energy, which surprised Han Li and stirred fighting intent in Pang Bo and the others.
• The Purple Sun Sect's Grand Elder warned its sect master about Ye Chen and his companions, and they decided to investigate their origins before acting.

After the elimination matches, the geniuses prepared for the Hidden Dragon Ranking tournament while Pang Bo baited curious outsiders with a fabricated story about an ancient inheritance site. Three days later, the final ranking matches began, and the referees selected ten seeded contestants, leaving Bing Ling, Mo Yan, and Gan Yun determined to prove themselves.

• The geniuses assessed their rivals, and chief referee Luo Jiacheng gave them three days to rest before the ranking matches.
• Pang Bo claimed to a young genius that he and his companions had found an ancient inheritance site full of cultivation methods and treasures, while his group discussed their plan to draw out potential opponents.
• Luo Xinglie worried that the Flowing Cloud Sect could not protect Ye Chen and his companions, but he trusted Lu Qingshan and urged Luo Hanshan to learn from them.
• On the fourth morning, Luo Jiacheng explained that the seventy-two contestants would fight each other, with victors plundering their opponents' dragon vein qi.
• The referees selected Sikong Sheng, Yan Chihuo, Li Daoxuan, Lin Yun, Murong Qingcheng, Tuoba Ku, Ye Chen, Pang Bo, Han Li, and Meng Huan as seeded contestants.
• Gan Yun vowed to defeat the newcomers, while Bing Ling promised her sect master she would fight with all her strength.

Xiao Yan finally faced Lin Yun, the Heavenfall Sect’s chief disciple, after an undefeated run built on lucky matchups. Xiao Yan dominated their battle and unleashed a fused-flame Buddha’s Fury Lotus at Lin Yun, leaving the attack’s outcome unresolved.

• Yue Buqun won his opening match and absorbed his opponent’s dragon vein energy, while the chat group members continued advancing through the ranking matches.
• Xiao Yan’s favorable draws let his dragon-shaped phantom grow to six zhang and two chi, attracting attention and prompting other geniuses to dismiss him as lucky.
• On the second day, Xiao Yan was matched against Lin Yun, who boasted that he would defeat him and take his dragon vein energy.
• Xiao Yan extinguished Lin Yun’s Four Heavenly Fire Spears, shattered his Heavenfall Strike, and sent him flying with Eight Extremes Collapse.
• Lin Yun used Bloodflame Break to engulf Xiao Yan in crimson flames, but Xiao Yan absorbed the fire and formed a green-and-crimson Buddha’s Fury Lotus to attack him.

Xiao Yan defeated Lin Yun with his Buddha's Fury Lotus and was added to the seeded contestants, while Sikong Sheng’s dragon phantom dominated the competition. On the fourth day, Han Li upset Yan Chihuo, the sect masters grew interested in the Flowing Cloud Sect’s inheritance, and the seeded matches continued with more victories and a friendly concession.

• Xiao Yan’s two-colored fire lotus destroyed Lin Yun’s defenses, and the referees rescued Lin Yun before the blast struck him.
• The referees made Xiao Yan an eleventh seeded contestant, and the first sixty-one rounds ended with Sikong Sheng’s dragon phantom reaching eighty-six feet after he defeated Mo Yan.
• Lu Qingshan’s presence silenced Sikong Sheng’s dragon phantom, and he urged the chat group to surprise Sikong Sheng the next day.
• Bing Ling defeated Mo Yan in the sixty-second round, and Han Li later outlasted Yan Chihuo to win their seeded match.
• The seven sect masters discussed Han Li’s abundant true essence and the Flowing Cloud Sect’s alleged ancient inheritance, while Sikong Sheng, Xiao Yan, and Ye Chen won their matches.
• Meng Huan gave Pang Bo guidance and conceded their match after suppressing his strength to Pang Bo’s realm.

Ye Chen defeated Li Daoxuan and faced Sikong Sheng after the reigning champion dominated his other opponents and declared he would win the Hidden Dragon Ranking. Ye Chen revealed seventy percent sword intent and split Sikong Sheng’s combined fist attack, leaving their duel poised to escalate.

• Ye Chen blocked Li Daoxuan’s silent killing move, defeated him, and claimed recognition as the Southern Zhuo Region’s foremost young swordsman.
• Sikong Sheng defeated Yan Chihuo and Murong Qingcheng, displayed overwhelming strength, and invited Murong Qingcheng to travel with him; she declined and suspected the tournament would not end simply.
• Sikong Sheng announced that he would finish the competition without suspense, while Ye Chen’s companions discussed challenging him and the Flowing Cloud Sect’s elders resolved to protect Ye Chen.
• In the sixty-seventh round, Chief Referee Luo Jiacheng paired Sikong Sheng with Ye Chen, and Pang Bo joked that Ye Chen was lucky to meet him first.
• Sikong Sheng promised to defeat Ye Chen in three moves and attacked with two Heavenly Tyrant Fist techniques; Ye Chen unleashed seventy percent sword intent and split the attacks with Sky-Shattering Cloud.

Ye Chen defeated Sikong Sheng with his hidden seventy-percent sword intent, then took first place in dragon vein qi as Sikong Sheng lost to Pang Bo, Han Li, Xiao Yan, and Meng Huan in succession. Sikong Sheng was left questioning his strength, while the other geniuses continued their matches.

• Ye Chen cut through Sikong Sheng’s half-step true essence with his third sword, severely injuring him and winning their match.
• Ye Chen’s dragon-shaped phantom devoured some of Sikong Sheng’s dragon vein qi and grew to ninety-one meters, putting Ye Chen in first place.
• Sikong Ba and Shentu Jue planned to pressure Ye Chen into conceding a rematch, but Ye Chen refused Shentu Jue’s threats and inducements.
• Sikong Sheng recovered and faced Pang Bo, but Pang Bo defeated him with Nine Slashes of the Demon Emperor.
• Sikong Sheng then lost to Han Li, Xiao Yan, and Meng Huan, leaving his dragon-shaped phantom at eighty-five meters.
• After five consecutive defeats, Sikong Sheng questioned whether he had ever been strong and wondered if he could accept the truth about his shortcomings.

The sixth-rank sect masters plotted to seize the fortune and inheritance associated with Ye Chen and his companions, while Long Biyun and two hidden Life-and-Death Realm Kings watched the growing danger. Ye Chen defeated Xiao Yan in a devastating final match, grew his dragon phantom to nine and a half zhang, and opened the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm before entering it first.

• Sikong Ba persuaded several sixth-rank sect masters to join forces against Ye Chen and the others, though the Ice Severing Sect master refused.
• Long Biyun resolved to protect Ye Chen and his companions if the sixth-rank sects tried to oppress them, while the Profound Queen and Dragon King chose to observe.
• Xiao Yan and Ye Chen fought for first place, unleashing a three-colored Buddha's Fury Lotus and Ye Chen's Heart-Piercing Sword empowered by the Little Blood Demon Disintegration Art and true essence.
• Ye Chen won the match after Lu Qingshan secretly prevented the two from suffering serious injuries, and Xiao Yan acknowledged his victory.
• Ye Chen's dragon phantom devoured part of Xiao Yan's aura, grew to nine and a half zhang, and opened the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm.
• Ye Chen entered the secret realm first after the sect masters urged their ranked geniuses to hurry inside.

After the Hidden Dragon Ranking ended, Lu Qingshan protected the Flowing Cloud Sect from an ambush and revealed that his power surpassed the realm of the Life and Death Realm Kings. He left the attacking sect leaders weakened and ordered them to compensate the Flowing Cloud Sect, then turned to speak with the Dragon King and Profound Queen.

• The Hidden Dragon Secret Realm returned the contestants, and Luo Jiacheng announced the final rankings, with Ye Chen first, Xiao Yan second, Pang Bo third, and Yue Buqun forty-third.
• The Flowing Cloud Sect departed the Hidden Dragon Ancient City, while Lu Qingshan noticed that several sects were following them and let Pang Bo's ambush plan play out.
• A group of Star Extreme Realm experts ambushed the travelers and demanded the opportunities from the ancient inheritance site, but Lu Qingshan's aura immobilized them and the hidden sect leaders.
• Lu Qingshan brought Sikong Ba and the other sect leaders before him, exposed their role in the ambush, and shattered the spirit seas of six Spirit Sea Realm experts.
• Lu Qingshan ordered the sects to deliver three top-grade Earth-tier martial arts each to the Flowing Cloud Sect within ten days, then invited Long Biyun, the Dragon King, and the Profound Queen to speak with him.

After returning to the Swallowed Star world, Lu Qingshan went alone to Flame Sacrifice Continent to temper himself and develop soul attacks. He killed two Kawu Race immortals in an ambush but let their high-level Marquis leader escape.

• Lu Qingshan returned from the Sword Dao Supreme world, replenished his divine power, and left the barracks base for Flame Sacrifice Continent.
• Lu Qingshan made a hidden residence beneath a vast lake and began searching the continent for opponents.
• Three Kawu Race immortals spotted Lu Qingshan and ambushed him, destroying his spacecraft before he charged into battle.
• Lu Qingshan burned his immortal divine power and used a soul attack to kill the Kawu Race high-level military lord.
• Lu Qingshan struck down the elementary Marquis Kawu Race immortal with a refined soul attack, but the enemy self-destructed and cost Lu Qingshan eight percent of his body.
• The surviving high-level Marquis Kawu Race immortal fled after seeing Lu Qingshan remain standing, and Lu Qingshan let him escape.

Lu Qingshan visited the Extraterritorial Battlefield, killed several immortals with soul attacks, and sought Thunder Illusion King’s advice on creating his own soul technique. Thunder Illusion King praised its potential and offered training or further life-and-death battles as ways to improve it, leaving Lu Qingshan to consider the risks.

• Lu Qingshan examined the spoils from killing two Kawu Race immortals, stored them in his divine kingdom, and replenished his damaged divine body.
• Over the following decades, Lu Qingshan fought many enemies and killed a Demon Race marquis immortal with a soul attack, but his Soul-Slaughter Sword remained only a prototype.
• Lu Qingshan returned to the Virtual Universe and visited Thunder Illusion King, who scolded him for spending points on wine before accepting the gift.
• Lu Qingshan demonstrated Soul-Slaughter Sword, and Thunder Illusion King praised the technique’s potential.
• Thunder Illusion King offered to train Lu Qingshan against simulated illusionists or let him seek faster progress through dangerous battles on the Extraterritorial Battlefield.

Lu Qingshan spent more than a thousand years training under Thunder Illusion King and developed his Soul-Slaughter Sword to the ordinary level, while his second avatar gained a fearsome reputation on the Extraterritorial Battlefield. He continued facing stronger simulated opponents as the Spirit-Burning Marquis survived several dangerous encounters on Flame Sacrifice Continent.

• Lu Qingshan battled increasingly difficult opponents in Thunder Illusion King's training space and spent over forty years defeating a simulated Insect Race Mother Empress, bringing his soul technique to the ordinary level.
• Thunder Illusion King praised Lu Qingshan's progress, learned that he had named his technique Soul-Slaughter Sword, and arranged another opponent for him.
• Over a thousand years, Lu Qingshan's second avatar fought nearly two hundred battles on Flame Sacrifice Continent, killing 181 army lord immortals and 51 elementary marquis-level immortals.
• Alien forces learned that Lu Qingshan's soul attacks could kill elementary marquis-level immortals, and his reckless use of burning immortal divine power earned him the nickname Spirit-Burning Marquis.
• Lu Qingshan escaped an ambush by four rock race marquis-level immortals through his movement technique and burning divine power.
• He was later trapped by the Machine Race's Heaven-Covering Marquis and escaped with help from a human expert squad, paying two million chaos elements in compensation.

Void Squad debated whether Lu Qingshan’s growing strength made him too dangerous to accompany, while the Demon Race marked Spirit-Burning Marquis for elimination. After returning to the barracks base and buying new detectors, Lu Qingshan went to meet Void Marquis, already considering leaving the squad.

• Void Marquis summoned Void Squad members, who worried that Lu Qingshan’s soul attacks and reckless battles would expose them to dangerous enemies, and he agreed to speak with him when he returned.
• Demon Race commanders designated Spirit-Burning Marquis a priority target and raised the reward for killing him to match that for an entry-level king.
• The Demon Race commanders also discovered a World Master-level Insect Race mother empress and discussed capturing or eliminating her before she could become undying.
• Lu Qingshan returned to the 026th Barracks Base, where its intelligence took control of his spacecraft and recognized his true identity.
• Lu Qingshan bought a billion-kilometer large detector and a signal-blocking small detector through the Virtual Universe, then received Void Marquis’s message and headed to meet him.

Lu Qingshan parted ways with the Void Squad to avoid endangering them, then continued training on Flame Sacrifice Continent with a powerful new detector. When the Golden Blade Squad sent a distress signal about Demon Race attackers, Lu Qingshan headed to help.

• Lu Qingshan and the Void Squad agreed to part ways because his enemies and fighting methods put the squad at risk.
• Lu Qingshan submitted his departure through the military system, and Void Marquis approved it while warning him that foreign higher-ups might target him.
• After receiving a new detector, Lu Qingshan spent more than ten years choosing suitable opponents and fighting only four battles for better training.
• Lu Qingshan received a distress signal from the Golden Blade Squad, which was facing two high marquis-level and three low marquis-level Demon Race undying beings.
• Lu Qingshan recognized the Golden Blade Squad and ordered Deep Blue to take his spacecraft to the battlefield.

Lu Qingshan arrived to rescue the beleaguered Golden Blade Squad, killed Black Wolf with a soul attack, and fought the Demon Race leader and Phantom Marquis. A Demon Race report revealed his location to Flying Swallow King, who teleported toward him to claim the reward for killing him.

• Golden Blade Marquis and his squad were nearly overwhelmed by the Demon Race until Lu Qingshan sent word that he was coming to help.
• Lu Qingshan reached the battlefield, burned his undying divine power, and gave the Golden Blade Squad time to retreat.
• Lu Qingshan destroyed Black Wolf's soul with a stronger attack, then fought the enraged Sky Wolf and Phantom Marquis while Golden Blade Marquis and Chasing Wind Marquis withdrew.
• Sky Wolf reported Lu Qingshan's location to the Demon Race intelligence network, and Flying Swallow King received the alert at her palace.
• Flying Swallow King teleported away to reach Lu Qingshan and attempt to kill him for the promised military merit.

Lu Qingshan escaped Netherlight Marquis and Phantom Marquis, but Flying Swallow King teleported after him and killed him after he detonated his remaining divine body. Flying Swallow King claimed his spoils, then searched the battlefield when she realized most of his wealth was missing.

• Lu Qingshan used a soul attack to weaken Phantom Marquis's threads and escaped the two Demon Race immortals.
• Flying Swallow King arrived, tracked Lu Qingshan's universe ship, and teleported inside it to attack him.
• Flying Swallow King overwhelmed Lu Qingshan, who detonated his remaining divine body before her fatal strike could land.
• Flying Swallow King collected Lu Qingshan's spoils but found that most of his treasures were missing.
• Flying Swallow King gave Netherlight Marquis his follower's corpse and a reward, then drove him and Phantom Marquis away when they demanded a larger share.
• Flying Swallow King decided to search the battlefield and move her residence there until she found Lu Qingshan's missing loot.

After losing his detector to Flying Swallow King, Lu Qingshan replaced his equipment and bought rare combat supplies before receiving a special transportation mission. Black Peak King assigned him, Marquis Qingcang, and Marquis Xianyue to escort resources to the Golden Horn Race, where they expected a warm welcome and valuable gifts.

• Lu Qingshan concluded that the Demon Race camp had noticed him, bought replacement detectors, Divine Firmament Thunder Armor, Nine Nether Spirit-Eroding Water, and Thunderclap Sky-Piercing Swords.
• Black Peak King summoned Lu Qingshan, Marquis Qingcang, and Marquis Xianyue and assigned them to join Golden Halberd King’s mission delivering resources to the Golden Horn Race.
• Marquis Qingcang revealed that his senior brother had received three valuable secret techniques as gifts during an earlier visit to the Golden Horn Race.
• Marquis Qingcang invited Lu Qingshan and Marquis Xianyue to his estate, where he explained that the Golden Horn Race warmly welcomed Human Race experts and might give them precious gifts.