Chapter Summaries

At the Imperial Mausoleum, Emperor Xian of Yan and the Empress Dowager launched a coup against Emperor Jing, but their forces met unexpected resistance. The Empress Dowager called for reinforcements from the Three Great Camps, and Emperor Jing declared they would not come.

• Emperor Jing accused Emperor Xian of Yan and the Empress Dowager of being impostors, while Emperor Xian’s attack lost its power.
• Lu Yong betrayed the Imperial Guard commander and led a mutiny, while Zhao Feng’s Martial Suppression Guards defended Emperor Jing.
• The Empress Dowager summoned Barbarian God Hall warriors, but Lu Bing, Li Cheng'en, and other hidden palace experts helped turn the battle against them.
• Ying Yang and Qi Lu attacked Zhao Feng, but Su Qingwan arrived and blocked Qi Lu’s strike.
• Abbess Jingxuan revealed that she had disrupted the Spirit Puppet Soul-Locking Formation, preventing Moro Ke from controlling Emperor Xian of Yan’s body.
• The Empress Dowager pointed out a beacon signaling reinforcements from the Three Great Camps, but Emperor Jing said the rebels would not arrive.

Emperor Jing revealed that he had prepared to crush the Empress Dowager’s rebellion, while Jingxuan disrupted the formation sustaining Emperor Xian of Yan. The Ancestral High Shaman tried to restore the formation, but a celestial swordsman intervened as the battle shifted in Emperor Jing’s favor and Zhao Feng killed Ying Yang.

• Emperor Jing revealed that Sun Chenzong had brought three hundred thousand frontier troops to East Mountain Old Camp, leaving the Empress Dowager to realize her uprising was a trap.
• Jingxuan used the Heavenlight Mirror to sever a formation node, causing Emperor Xian of Yan’s body and power to deteriorate as officials recognized him as a demon.
• The Ancestral High Shaman tried to repair the earth-vein nodes from afar, but a gigantic white sword severed his gray threads and clashed with a gray saber in the sky.
• The rebellious Imperial Guard began surrendering, while Zhao Feng fought off Ying Yang and a Barbarian God Hall expert, killing the latter and then decapitating Ying Yang.
• Su Qingwan wounded Qi Lu as he retreated, but he vanished from the battlefield.

After the rebellion was crushed, Emperor Jing put the conspirators under arrest and Zhao Feng asked Abbess Jingming to bless his relationship with Su Qingwan. Abbess Jingming learned that Zhao Feng had restored Su Qingwan’s zither heart and accepted that punishing them would accomplish nothing, leaving Su Qingwan wondering whether her master had forgiven her.

• Su Qingwan and Jingxuan cornered Moro Ke, and their combined attacks killed him as Emperor Xian of Yan’s body crumbled to ash.
• Emperor Jing bid farewell to his father, while the Empress Dowager killed herself and Yue Lang’s forces subdued the remaining rebels.
• Emperor Jing’s authorities arrested the Empress Dowager’s faction, seized the Cloud Crane Academy, and sentenced the Prince of Jin to death.
• Zhao Feng visited Abbess Jingming and asked her to bless his relationship with Su Qingwan.
• Zhao Feng explained that a secret dual cultivation art had restored Su Qingwan’s zither heart, and Abbess Jingming said that killing them would accomplish nothing.
• Su Qingwan asked Abbess Jingming whether she had forgiven her.

After the rebellion, Zhao Feng received intelligence that the Nine Nether Demon Sect and Barbarian God Hall were pursuing ambitious plans, and learned that the Divine Lantern fragments might be a decoy. He mastered the Seven Heaven-Cleaving Forms’ true seventh strike and received Nangong Wanwan’s invitation to meet her at Cold Crow Ridge, leaving his next move undecided.

• Upper Capital restored order after the rebellion as the court implemented Emperor Jing’s new policies without obstruction from the Empress Dowager’s faction.
• Shen Ci told Zhao Feng that the Nine Nether Demon Sect’s sect master had emerged from seclusion and planned to unite Eastern Sea martial forces.
• The sect master ordered the Nine Nether Demon Sect to withdraw its Southern Border outposts, negotiate with Barbarian God Hall from a position of strength, and pursue the true sacred relic rather than focus on the fragments.
• Zhao Feng learned that Barbarian God Hall was excavating ancient sacrificial sites and suspected that the Nine Netherworld Divine Lantern fragments were a decoy.
• Zhao Feng completed the Seven Heaven-Cleaving Forms and unleashed the true seventh form, Seven Extremes Slash.
• Nangong Wanwan invited Zhao Feng to Cold Crow Ridge to learn where the Nine Nether Demon Sect’s master had gone, and Su Qingwan agreed to accompany him if he wished.

Zhao Feng, Su Qingwan, and Nangong Wanwan agreed to infiltrate the Nine Nether Demon Sect’s Eastern Sea base and investigate its true ritual artifact. With Emperor Jing’s authorization and Lu Bing joining them, Zhao Feng’s group sailed toward the Starbay Archipelago, where Nangong Wanwan met them aboard their ship.

• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan met Nangong Wanwan at Cold Crow Ridge, where she revealed that the Nine Nether Demon Sect sought a pair of artifacts to open an ancient sealed ley line and that its sect master had left the island to pursue one.
• Zhao Feng, Su Qingwan, and Nangong Wanwan agreed to investigate the Demon Sect’s Eastern Sea base together, using Nangong Wanwan’s insider and coordinating their reconnaissance and withdrawal plans.
• Zhao Feng reported the plan to Emperor Jing, who issued a secret decree authorizing cooperation with the Heavenly Demon Cult and assigned Lu Bing to accompany him.
• Zhao Feng, Su Qingwan, and Lu Bing disguised themselves as merchants and sailed from Bluestone Harbor toward the Starbay Archipelago.
• Nangong Wanwan boarded their ship at the rendezvous point at dusk the following day.

Zhao Feng, Su Qingwan, and Nangong Wanwan infiltrated the Nine Nether Demon Sect’s island stronghold, only to discover the Young Master and all five Core Elders were waiting for them. As the two sides fought, Great Yan navy cannon fire sounded offshore, forcing the Young Master to order a retreat.

• Nangong Wanwan told Zhao Feng that the sect master had left with the Core Elders and gave him a scroll showing the island stronghold and its approaches.
• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan entered the island’s underground chamber, where Su Qingwan found that the array surrounding a jade box was linked to the buildings above and needed more time to study it.
• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan emerged from the chamber into an ambush led by the Young Master, with Nangong Wanwan, Zhang Fan, and all five supposedly absent Core Elders also encircled.
• The Young Master ordered an attack, and Zhao Feng, Su Qingwan, Nangong Wanwan, and Zhang Fan fought the five elders; Su Qingwan wounded one, while Zhao Feng’s Seven Extremes Slash cut down another and he helped Zhang Fan injure the Grand Elder.
• Cannon fire sounded from the sea and a warning gong rang on the island, leading the Young Master to order the Demon Sect forces to retreat.

Zhao Feng and his allies pieced together the Demon Sect’s Two-Way Awakening Array and traced its destination to the Frostbone Ruins in the North Pole Icefield. After receiving the other shards and dispatching scouts, Zhao Feng wondered whether the lantern would awaken the Evil Gods, awaken someone else, or control them.

• The Demon Sect retreated when it learned the navy was approaching, and Zhao Feng’s group escaped aboard a Great Yan Navy warship.
• Zhao Feng and his allies combined their Array Pattern rubbings, and Zhang Fan identified the formation as a Two-Way Awakening Array linked to the Nine Netherworld Divine Lantern and another ritual artifact.
• Zhang Fan and Nangong Wanwan gave their three lantern shards to Zhao Feng, bringing his collection to all seven, and Su Qingwan identified the array’s destination as the North Pole Icefield.
• Zhao Feng sent Dark Guard scouts toward the icefield while Su Qingwan and Nangong Wanwan sought help from their sects.
• Reports from the Wind and Cloud Tower and the Dark Guard pointed to unusual activity at the Frostbone Ruins, where Zhao Feng questioned the lantern’s true purpose.

Zhao Feng and his companions traveled across the Northern Borderlands and the icefield to reach Frostbone Ruins, where they discovered signs of hidden activity and a powerful yin-energy array. They entered the ruins and approached the main tower, finding a staircase leading upward.

• Zhao Feng trained his techniques and discussed the benefits of the Yin-Yang Body Tempering Art before Abbess Jingming warned him and Su Qingwan to focus on their mission.
• Zhao Feng, Su Qingwan, Nangong Wanwan, and Zhang Fan departed for the Northern Borderlands, where Ba Tu guided them across the desert to the icefield.
• The group crossed the icefield toward Frostbone Ruins, marking a concealed fissure that Nangong Wanwan found along their route.
• Zhao Feng and his companions reached Frostbone Ruins and identified its bone-built structures, array patterns, and a vast spread of yin energy around the main tower.
• Su Qingwan sensed an object beneath the tower absorbing yin energy, while Nangong Wanwan identified the southern breach as the only apparent entrance.
• Zhao Feng led the four into the ruins through the southern entrance, and they reached the main tower's doorless arch and spiral staircase.

The Nine Nether Demon Sect’s sect master began the awakening ritual as six Celestial Realm experts clashed above the ice field. Zhao Feng and his companions fought to stop the ritual, but the Young Master revealed it had already completed, and Su Qingwan attacked him.

• The sect master fitted a ritual disc into the tower, splitting the sky and summoning Abbess Jingming, Abbess Huineng, Nangong Ming, the Barbarian God Hall Master, and the Ancestral High Shaman.
• The six Celestial Realm experts battled while Zhao Feng sensed the disc connecting with the Nine Netherworld Divine Lantern Shard and the tower’s awakening lines spreading.
• The Young Master, Qi Lu, and their powerful allies surrounded Zhao Feng and his companions as they tried to reach the tower’s summit.
• Zhao Feng fought past three elders and reached a fissure in the tower, but the array changed and he realized the awakening ritual had completed.
• The Young Master explained that the ritual implement had activated the awakening through the shard in Zhao Feng’s possession, then Su Qingwan cut his face with her Bright Moon Sword.

The Nine Nether Evil God emerged from his prison beneath the tower and overwhelmed Abbess Huineng and Abbess Jingming. With the Tower Spirit’s power, Zhao Feng activated the Nine Netherworld Divine Lantern, controlled the Evil God long enough to defeat his enemies, and sent him back into the seal, which the Tower Spirit warned would not hold for long.

• The Nine Nether Evil God emerged from the fissure, and Kuang Jiuyou and the other experts bowed to him.
• The Evil God learned that his old enemies had died, then struck down Abbess Huineng and Abbess Jingming with one punch.
• Zhao Feng assembled the Divine Lantern, and the Tower Spirit lent him the power to activate it and trap the Evil God in its light.
• Zhao Feng commanded the Evil God to attack Kuang Jiuyou and the Barbarian God Hall Master, badly injuring both men.
• Zhao Feng used his final command to send the Evil God back into the seal, while the others fought off the Demon Sect and Barbarian God Hall forces.
• The Tower Spirit warned Zhao Feng that the weakened seal would not hold for long and that he must strengthen it or grow powerful enough to defeat the Evil God.

Zhao Feng and his allies defeated the Demon Sect and Barbarian God Hall at Frostbone Ruins, forcing their survivors to retreat after the Evil God was sealed again. Back in the Northern Protectorate and Upper Capital, Zhao Feng confirmed the Nine Netherworld Divine Lantern had acknowledged him as its master, while Emperor Jing warned that the defeated factions might soon return.

• Zhao Feng fought alongside Su Qingwan and the others, killing Qi Lu and several enemy elders before helping wound the Demon Sect Young Master.
• The Demon Sect Master ordered a retreat, and the defeated forces withdrew after losing nearly all their core experts.
• Zhao Feng arranged for the abandoned treasures to be transported to the Central Plains, then recuperated with his companions in the Northern Protectorate.
• Zhao Feng examined the Nine Netherworld Divine Lantern and confirmed that it had acknowledged him as its master.
• Nangong Wanwan and Zhang Fan departed, while Su Qingwan left with Abbess Jingxuan to escort the recovering abbesses back to the Pure Moon Convent.
• Zhao Feng returned to Upper Capital and met Emperor Jing, who told him to keep the lantern and warned that the Demon Sect and Barbarian God Hall might soon strike again.

Zhao Feng reunited with Su Qingwan and decided to accompany her to the Central Domain to seek Ji, the Martial Saint, and a way to stop the Evil Gods. Shen Ci invited them to the Chosen One Tournament and asked them to search the Wild Province for Ji’s traces and the Wind and Cloud Tower’s lost Star-Suppressing Disc.

• After three months of cultivation, Zhao Feng welcomed Su Qingwan back and learned that her grandmaster-uncle and master’s injuries had stabilized.
• Su Qingwan told Zhao Feng she planned to travel to the Central Domain to search for Ji, the Martial Saint, and he decided to go with her.
• Shen Ci brought invitations to the Chosen One Tournament, explaining that its winners could enter the Wild Province Battlefield, where Ji might have disappeared.
• Shen Ci revealed that Wind and Cloud Tower records linked Ji to the Old God Ruins and said the lost Star-Suppressing Disc might be there.
• Zhao Feng agreed to help search for the Star-Suppressing Disc or information about it in exchange for Wind and Cloud Tower’s support in the Central Domain.
• Shen Ci warned Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan that their tournament opponents would be stronger than anyone they had faced before.

Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan learned that the World Barrier in Wild Province was weakening and that the Chosen One Tournament could lead them to its battlefield, so they prepared to travel to the Central Domain. After crossing the desert and reaching Primordial City, they entered the vast city and began their journey there.

• Su Qingwan told Zhao Feng that the World Barrier in Wild Province had been weakening for centuries and that the Outer-World Races might invade again if it ruptured.
• Zhao Feng informed Emperor Jing, who gave him authorization to use Great Yan Trading Company resources in the Central Domain and arranged for him to travel as a Great Yan Inspector.
• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan left Great Yan on a Windswift Bird and crossed the desert to Yunji Town before continuing west.
• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan reached Primordial City and registered under false names at its gate.
• Zhao Feng sensed spiritual power from the array covering Primordial City as he and Su Qingwan entered.

Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan explored Primordial City, met Zhang Fan and Nangong Wanwan, and formed an alliance for the Chosen One Tournament. After learning the tournament’s three stages, Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan began the Primordial Beginning Trial by climbing Primordial Beginning Peak.

• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan studied the city’s array formations and mapped the terrain around Primordial City.
• Zhao Feng encountered Zhang Fan, who warned him that the city’s formations reacted to outsiders using too much true origin.
• Zhao Feng observed the stone pillar and watched local and foreign tournament participants arrive in the city.
• Nangong Wanwan joined Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan, and the three agreed to help each other seek clues about Ji, the Martial Saint, or the Sacred Weapon.
• A Primordial Beginning Gate elder announced the tournament’s trial, arena matches, and Wild Province simulation stages.
• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan joined the other participants in climbing Primordial Beginning Peak, where the path grew steeper and the pressure increased.

Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan passed the mountain trial’s three checkpoints and reached the summit near the front of the participants. There, they discovered an ancient mark likely left by Ji, the Martial Saint, and recorded its details before returning to Primordial City.

• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan passed through the first checkpoint’s deceptive membrane and fought their way through the illusions at the second checkpoint.
• Su Qingwan dismantled the formation at the third checkpoint, allowing them to reach the summit, where they saw Gao Chong, Han Mingyuan, and an unfamiliar young man in a dark gray Daoist robe.
• Su Qingwan identified the summit’s stone piles as formation markers, and Zhao Feng memorized their positions for the later trial stages.
• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan found an ancient incised mark beneath vines and concluded it was likely left by Ji, the Martial Saint, before his disappearance.
• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan ranked near the front among those who reached the summit, registered their results, and descended with Nangong Wanwan and Zhang Fan.
• Back in Primordial City, Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan recorded the mark’s location and properties and compared the summit’s features with the old records.

Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan checked the Chosen One Tournament trial rankings, won their first-round matches, and advanced. Afterward, Gu Qingfeng invited Zhao Feng to join forces in searching for the Old God Ruins and learning what happened to Ji, the Martial Saint.

• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan found themselves tied for fifth place in the trial rankings, while Zhang Fan and Nangong Wanwan also passed.
• Zhao Feng defeated Xu Zhiyuan of the Profound Heaven Sect, then Su Qingwan beat Zhou Muyun of Purple Cloud Palace, and both advanced to the next round.
• Zhao Feng found a note inviting him to Pinewind Teahouse and decided to meet its sender.
• Gu Qingfeng told Zhao Feng that Ji, the Martial Saint, had sought to verify the world barrier's stability before disappearing, and proposed that their sects cooperate in the search for the Old God Ruins.

Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan advanced through the arena stage and prepared to enter the Wild Province simulation, using information from Gu Qingfeng, Zhang Fan, and their own research to plan a route toward the blank zone. The simulation squads were formed, with Zhao Feng assigned to lead the third squad alongside Su Qingwan, Ling Shuang, Gu Qingfeng, Qin Yuan, and Xie Yunzhou.

• Gu Qingfeng offered to cooperate with Zhao Feng and gave him intelligence on Wild Province and the Old God Ruins, while warning him about Qin Wangchuan's saber technique.
• Su Qingwan gave Zhao Feng two bottles of Baleful-Intent-Resisting Salve from Ling Shuang, and the two compared their gathered information and route markings.
• Zhang Fan described a northern blank zone with weaker killing intent, gave Zhao Feng a map of its boundaries, and declined to join any team in the simulation stage.
• Zhao Feng defeated Xiao Jing in the second arena round, and Su Qingwan defeated Lu Qingxuan.
• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan placed fifth and sixth in the arena rankings, and the Primordial Beginning Gate announced the end of the second stage and the start of the Wild Province simulation in three days.
• Zhao Feng and Su Qingwan prepared a map identifying a possible blank-zone entrance, then Zhao Feng was assigned to captain the third squad with Su Qingwan, Ling Shuang, Gu Qingfeng, Qin Yuan, and Xie Yunzhou.

Zhao Feng's team gathered stone marrow, defended a highland camp, and fought through aliens and baleful spirits during the Wild Province simulation. They reached the exit first, though the final ranking remained undecided as the other teams continued to emerge.

• Zhao Feng assigned roles to his six teammates, and the third team entered the valley and repelled its first assault by simulated aliens.
• Ling Shuang and Gu Qingfeng found stone marrow at the gathering point while Zhao Feng and the others defended the team from more alien attacks.
• Zhao Feng's team reached the highland, fought off baleful spirits, and held its camp for about a day with Su Qingwan's defensive array formation.
• After checking the other teams' progress, Zhao Feng changed the third team's goal to reaching the exit first, and they fought their way through the valley.
• Zhao Feng used two Eight-Star Bead Shots to clear a passage through the enemies blocking the exit, and the third team became the first to finish the simulation.
• Zhang Fan's team emerged shortly afterward and explained that an unmarked array formation and baleful spirits had delayed them, while Gao Chong learned Zhao Feng's team had finished first.