Chapter Summaries

Jingling Shitai helped Zhou Zhiruo conceal her relationship with Li Changfeng temporarily, but warned her to test whether he would stand by her before telling the Emei sect leader. After Li Changfeng woke, he offered to take responsibility himself, and Jingling Shitai warned that the sect leader would likely kill him.

• Jingling Shitai urged Zhou Zhiruo to give up Li Changfeng, but Zhou Zhiruo refused and said she would accept the consequences of their love.
• Jingling Shitai marked Zhou Zhiruo's arm with a false Virginity Mark to conceal the truth temporarily and admitted she once lacked the courage to pursue her own love.
• Jingling Shitai warned Zhou Zhiruo not to tell the sect leader yet, insisting she first see whether Li Changfeng would remain committed under pressure.
• Li Changfeng woke in a tent, and Zhou Zhiruo helped him rest while Jingling Shitai told him she knew about their relationship.
• Li Changfeng offered to go to Mount Emei and accept the punishment, but Jingling Shitai said the sect leader would likely kill him.

Li Changfeng found a way to seek powerful help for Zhou Zhiruo and later arranged for Emei Sect to join forces with the Iron Mountain Alliance. The alliances prepared to face the Tang Sect together, while Zhou Zhiruo stayed by Li Changfeng’s side.

• Jingling Shitai advised Li Changfeng to recruit someone of high standing from Shaolin Temple, but he decided to ask the master of Medicine God Valley for help instead.
• Zhou Zhiruo felt dejected while thinking about another beautiful woman, and Li Changfeng comforted her without pressing her to explain.
• Jingling Shitai told Li Changfeng and Zhou Zhiruo to restrain their affection and let him rest until he recovered.
• The Iron Mountain Alliance argued with the Noble Clan Alliance and Sect Alliance after they joined forces to rob it and nearly one-third of its disciples went missing.
• Li Changfeng proposed that Emei Sect ally with the Iron Mountain Alliance because of the Tang Sect threat, and Jingling Shitai agreed.
• Li Changfeng brought the people of Emei Sect to the Iron Mountain Alliance, whose members welcomed their new allies.

Li Changfeng entered the palace with the Emei Sect as allies while the two major alliances held back, wary of their strength. The group learned that the Free and Unfettered Sect had gone ahead and that the palace’s deeper formations could still pose obstacles, while Li Changfeng reassured Zhou Zhiruo that he would help her be with him openly.

• Li Changfeng’s Emei Sect allies forced the leaders of the two major alliances to avoid a fight and withdraw for the moment.
• Zhong Leshan learned from Ding Mingxu that the palace’s outer formations had already been broken and that the Free and Unfettered Sect had entered ahead of them.
• The group entered the palace, while the two major alliances waited before following them inside.
• Ding Mingxu recognized Qinghua Yue as a renowned formation master, and she warned that stronger formations and mechanisms likely remained deeper in the palace.
• Li Changfeng denied that Zhou Zhiruo was his lover when Tie Rushan questioned him, then secretly promised her he would help them be together openly.

Li Changfeng and the others were trapped in an enclosed hall where Corpse-Rot Water killed many disciples, while Li Changfeng and the leaders found refuge by breaking holes into the walls. After the water vanished, Qinghua Yue identified the hidden formation as the Flesh Sacrifice Array, which used flesh and blood to summon demonic creatures.

• Qinghua Yue and Ding Mingxu searched the enclosed hall but found no formation or mechanism until Li Changfeng noticed a faint scent of blood.
• Corpse-Rot Water erupted from the floor and dissolved several disciples; Li Changfeng protected Zhou Zhiruo with his Indestructible Body.
• As the hall flooded and disciples fought over safe footing, Li Changfeng pierced the wall with his Dark Iron Dragon-Tiger Staff and climbed onto it with Zhou Zhiruo.
• The leaders and some disciples broke holes in the walls to escape the rising water, while the others who could not reach safety dissolved in the Corpse-Rot Water.
• After an hour, the water vanished and the hidden formation receded beneath the floor; Qinghua Yue identified it as the Flesh Sacrifice Array, used to summon demonic creatures with flesh and blood.

Li Changfeng and Qinghua Yue identified the ancient array and the three stone gates as a demonic Flesh Sacrifice Array and Trial Gates. Qinghua Yue assessed everyone’s chances, leaving Li Changfeng as the only one she believed could attempt the Heaven-Grade trial safely, while he worried about Zhou Zhiruo.

• Ding Mingxu recognized the patterns as possibly belonging to the destroyed Flesh Sacrifice Array, and Qinghua Yue explained that the next enemies might be demons summoned by it.
• Three stone gates marked Heaven, Earth, and Human appeared, and Qinghua Yue identified them as Trial Gates that tested talent and granted rewards based on difficulty.
• Qinghua Yue warned that failure meant death and that only Li Changfeng could survive the Heaven-Grade trial, prompting Yang Feng, Ding Mingxu, and Zhong Leshan to ask which gates they should enter.
• Qinghua Yue advised the three leaders to choose Human-Grade, while many disciples learned they did not qualify even for that trial.
• Qinghua Yue judged Tie Rushan and Zuo Bufan barely capable of attempting Earth-Grade, and Zhou Zhiruo, Zuo Kangcheng, Yue Hanhai, and Sun Hongwen capable of Human-Grade; Li Changfeng remained confident but worried about Zhou Zhiruo.

Li Changfeng and the others entered different trial gates, with Li Changfeng choosing the Heaven-Grade trial grounds. After arriving in a sinister Mystic Realm, he faced black creatures that multiplied when he crushed them.

• Zhou Zhiruo decided to enter the Human-Grade trial, and Li Changfeng gave her the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles for protection.
• Qinghua Yue, Jingling Shitai, Ding Mingxu, Zhong Leshan, and Yang Feng entered the Earth-Grade trial, while Zhou Zhiruo, Zuo Kangcheng, Yue Hanhai, and Sun Hongwen entered the Human-Grade trial.
• Zuo Bufan and Tie Rushan chose the Earth-Grade trial, and Li Changfeng entered the Heaven-Grade gate.
• Li Changfeng arrived in a gloomy Mystic Realm and found that he could convert its demonic qi into true qi.
• Six strange black creatures attacked Li Changfeng, but after he smashed them, their remains transformed into twelve creatures that surrounded him.

Li Changfeng discovered that Buddhist techniques could kill the black creatures he named Demon Split-Dogs, and that destroying their gray forehead crystals refined his true qi. He faced a pack led by a Demon Split-Dog King, which multiplied the attackers and left him surrounded by more than a hundred apparent enemies.

• Li Changfeng used his Indestructible Divine Skill to burn and kill twelve attacking black creatures, then crushed the gray crystals they left behind and felt his true qi grow purer.
• Li Changfeng found a black lake covered with Demon Split-Dogs and charged toward the pack, eager to hunt them.
• Li Changfeng used the Bodhidharma Divine Sword to pierce the creatures' forehead crystals, killing more than ten and confirming their weakness while absorbing the gray gas.
• The Demon Split-Dog King roared and split into three creatures, while the others multiplied as well, surrounding Li Changfeng with more than a hundred apparent Demon Split-Dogs.

Li Changfeng fought the Demon Split-Dogs as their endless splits tried to drain his strength, then used Savage Elephant Tramples the Heavens to stop them. The Demon Split-Dog King wounded him and began attacking from blindingly fast afterimages while the pack started splitting again.

• The split Demon Split-Dogs swarmed Li Changfeng, who activated the Indestructible Divine Skill and burned them away with Buddhist golden light.
• Li Changfeng charged the distant pack and used Savage Elephant Tramples the Heavens to blast apart the attackers and interrupt their splitting.
• The Demon Split-Dog King dodged the attack, rushed Li Changfeng, and carved five corrosive gashes across his chest.
• Li Changfeng dispersed the corrosive force with true qi and healed his wounds, while the Demon Split-Dog King circled him in swift afterimages and launched repeated claw strikes.
• Li Changfeng relied on his Indestructible Body to withstand the King's attacks as the Demon Split-Dogs began splitting again.

Li Changfeng overwhelmed the Demon Split-Dogs with his martial techniques, but the Demon Split-Dog King swallowed six of its own pack and evolved into a much larger, stronger form. The transformed king attacked Li Changfeng, who evaded its claw and prepared to fight on.

• Li Changfeng used Savage Elephant Tramples the Heavens to injure the Demon Split-Dog King and kill the Demon Split-Dogs that tried to protect it.
• Li Changfeng unleashed Blazing Fire, burning the fleeing Demon Split-Dogs and trapping the remaining pack in a sea of flames.
• The Demon Split-Dog King growled, and six Demon Split-Dogs submitted to being swallowed by it.
• The Demon Split-Dog King grew to seven zhang tall, gained a powerful aura, and leaped out of the fire to attack Li Changfeng.
• Li Changfeng dodged the king’s claw strike, which carved five streaks through the air and split a distant small mountain, then declared that the slower king could no longer escape.

Li Changfeng defeated the Demon Split-Dog King by overpowering it, breaking its bones, and shattering the crystal on its brow with his Golden Summit Buddha Sword. After absorbing the energy it released, he restored his true qi and prepared to investigate the ominous Black Lake.

• The Demon Split-Dog King attacked Li Changfeng, but he caught its claws, hurled it into the ground, and battered it until its limbs broke.
• The Demon Split-Dog King used the crystal on its brow to recover, then charged Li Changfeng in a spinning black blade storm.
• Li Changfeng countered with Coiling Dragon Whirl, overwhelmed the storm, and shattered the Demon Split-Dog King's bones again.
• Li Changfeng struck the Demon Split-Dog King's brow with Golden Summit Buddha Sword, breaking its crystal and turning its body to stone before absorbing its energy.
• Li Changfeng sensed something ominous from the Black Lake, restored his true qi, and decided to investigate carefully.

Li Changfeng discovered that the grotesque locust forest repeatedly led him back to the Black Lake, whose water produced hordes of powerful demonic creatures. He defeated the creatures and absorbed the gas they released, leaving him with a promising source of strength for reaching the Grandmaster realm.

• Li Changfeng repeatedly tried to cross the locust forest but returned to the Black Lake each time, realizing he was trapped.
• Li Changfeng struck the lake with his palm, and the black water boiled and transformed into grotesque demonic figures.
• The demonic figures attacked Li Changfeng, who drove them back with Savage Elephant Tramples the Heavens and discovered that their remains released gas he could absorb.
• The creatures formed battle formations, but Li Changfeng used Dragon Travels the World with the Dark Iron Dragon-Tiger Staff to shatter them and absorb more gas.

Li Changfeng fought off the seven leading demon chieftains as they attacked him with ambushes, hidden blades, and attempts to drag him underground. He faced the Bull-Horned Chieftain head-on and sent the massive demon crashing to the ground, leaving the battle unresolved.

• A Broken-Horn Chieftain ambushed Li Changfeng, but his Indestructible Body repelled the strike, and he broke the arms of two chieftains with his Draconic Elephant Vajra Palms.
• Two demons tried to drag Li Changfeng underground, but he resisted their strength and stomped them into retreat.
• Li Changfeng caught and snapped a silent sword aimed at his eyes, then kicked a blood-red sword back into the demon who had attacked from below.
• The seven chieftains revealed themselves, including the Bull-Horned Chieftain, whose broken arm had already regenerated.
• The Bull-Horned Chieftain leaped down to strike Li Changfeng, but Li Changfeng met his fists with a powerful punch and blasted him into the ground.

Li Changfeng fought the seven chieftain-level monsters, killing the Broken-Horn Chieftain, the twin rat demons, and the Bull-Horned Chieftain while absorbing their gray energy. The remaining three chieftains continued attacking him.

• The Broken-Horn Chieftain unleashed dark crescent blades, but Li Changfeng countered with Coiling Dragon Whirl and crushed him inside the staff tornado.
• The two twin chieftains transformed into rat demons and attacked Li Changfeng, who killed them with the Golden Summit Buddha Sword’s lightning sword fingers.
• The Bull-Horned Chieftain charged Li Changfeng, but Savage Elephant Tramples the Heavens shattered his bones.
• Li Changfeng beheaded the Bull-Horned Chieftain with a flaming blade, and the monster burned to ashes as its energy entered Li Changfeng.

Li Changfeng defeated the last leaders at Black Lake, then a blinding light transformed the lake and forest into a peaceful, sunlit place. He discovered he still could not leave the lake and took out the secret manuals he had collected, looking for a clue.

• Li Changfeng's Indestructible Body repelled the final two leaders' attacks, and he killed them with lightning before absorbing their qi.
• Li Changfeng meditated for an hour to restore his true qi, but a sudden white light knocked him unconscious.
• Li Changfeng awoke to find the black lake and grotesque forest changed into an azure lake and lush forest beneath a warm sun.
• Li Changfeng swam in the lake, caught fish, roasted them, and rested peacefully before setting out toward the forest.
• After half an hour, Li Changfeng found himself back at the lake and realized he could not escape it.
• Li Changfeng lay on a rock and took out the secret manuals he had obtained from those who tried to seize Shaolin Temple's manuals.

Li Changfeng discovered that the lake’s white light accelerated his martial arts comprehension and used it to perfect the first move of the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms. As he began cultivating the second move, the lake transformed into a giant and attacked him, leaving his counterstrike unresolved.

• Li Changfeng mastered three Buddhist martial arts in three days, then realized the lake’s white light had cleared his mind and sped his cultivation.
• Li Changfeng used the lake’s light to correct the flaws in Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use, eventually doubling the move’s power.
• Li Changfeng noticed that the lake and forest restored themselves after being destroyed, then began practicing Flying Dragon in the Sky.
• After repeated cycles of attacking the lake and meditating, Li Changfeng neared great completion in the second move.
• The lake formed a colossal water giant that pinned Li Changfeng beneath a crushing palm, and he transformed into a flying dragon to strike back.

After the Lake Spirit injured him for recklessly disturbing the lake, Li Changfeng learned that moonlight restored its white energy and resumed using the lake to comprehend the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms. He mastered the third move and began another session, hoping to complete it and perhaps learn the fourth, while the Lake Spirit doubted he could advance without palm intent.

• The Lake Spirit struck Li Changfeng unconscious after his attack on the lake and left a warning that moonlight was its foundation.
• Li Changfeng recovered, noticed the lake absorbing the full moon’s light, and waited for his injuries and the lake’s white energy to replenish.
• After recovering, Li Changfeng used the second move, Flying Dragon in the Sky, to stir the lake and comprehended it to great completion.
• Li Changfeng unleashed the third move, Soaring Dragon Ascends, creating a massive explosion that impressed the Lake Spirit, then spent fourteen days comprehending it.
• Li Changfeng ate, saw that the lake’s energy had replenished under the full moon, and began another session to master the third move and possibly learn the fourth.

Li Changfeng failed to comprehend the fourth form of the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms until the Lake Spirit explained that it required palm intent. With his two months in the lake nearly over, Li Changfeng fused three palm techniques and tested the devastating new Thousand Hands Vajra Palm.

• After thirty days of enlightenment, Li Changfeng perfected the third form of the Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms and began studying the fourth form, Repentance of the Soaring Dragon.
• Li Changfeng failed to comprehend the fourth form through repeated attempts, and the Lake Spirit told him that he needed to master palm intent first.
• The Lake Spirit warned Li Changfeng that he had only two months left before he had to leave, prompting Li Changfeng to plan a fusion of several martial skills.
• Li Changfeng fused the Vajra Palm of Immense Strength, Thousand Hand Tathagata Palm, and Great Vehicle Vajra Palm into the Thousand Hands Vajra Palm.
• Li Changfeng unleashed its first form, Hundred Leaves Sky-Burning Hand, setting a forest ablaze and devastating the ground.

After completing the lake trial, Li Changfeng returned to the Black Lake and found himself facing a far stronger horde of demonic creatures. He used the battle to test his techniques, but the seven leaders continued pressing their attack to discover his full strength.

• The Lake Spirit ended Li Changfeng’s trial, sent him back to the Black Lake, and noted that he was one of nine geniuses with heaven-grade talent.
• Li Changfeng woke beside the Black Lake and found demonic creatures gathering again, including seven leaders now as strong as Tang Er-Yi.
• Li Changfeng unleashed Hundred Leaves Sky-Burning Hand, blasting apart the charging creatures and driving the rest back.
• The seven leaders rallied the demonic creatures into a formation that created a massive phantom, which attacked Li Changfeng with a crushing palm.
• Li Changfeng countered with Flame Saber and severed the phantom’s arm, severely injuring the creatures sustaining it.
• The seven leaders ordered the demonic creatures to attack again, determined to learn the extent of Li Changfeng’s strength.

Li Changfeng killed the enormous demonic shadow and absorbed the gray wisps, bringing his advancement to Grandmaster within reach. As the remaining chieftains moved to attack him, he fought the Bull-Horned Chieftain and realized he had underestimated his strength.

• The enormous demonic shadow drained the nearby demons to restore itself, but Li Changfeng forced it back and beheaded it with his flame sabers.
• The injured demons exploded after the shadow's defeat, and Li Changfeng absorbed the gray wisps, nearly completing his true qi refinement.
• The male and female chieftains challenged Li Changfeng to draw his sword, but he said they were not worthy; they vanished into their surroundings as the other five charged.
• The Bull-Horned Chieftain attacked Li Changfeng with his horns, and Li narrowly dodged before driving him back with repeated Vajra Legs of Immense Power.
• The Bull-Horned Chieftain mocked Li Changfeng's kicks, and Li warned that he would teach him a lesson.

Li Changfeng fought the seven chieftains, crippling the Bull-Horned Chieftain and repelling attacks from the Ratfiend Leaders and the Broken-Horn Chieftain. The chieftains continued trying to wear him down, and the chapter ended as Li Changfeng’s Hundred Leaves Sky-Burning Hand clashed with the Bull-Horned Chieftain’s bull demon phantom.

• Li Changfeng kicked the Bull-Horned Chieftain into a crater and shattered his bones, but two hidden attackers cut Li Changfeng with demonic swords.
• The two Ratfiend Leaders ambushed Li Changfeng with rapid claw strikes, but he used the Indestructible Divine Skill to withstand them.
• The Broken-Horn Chieftain fired a massive black saber beam at Li Changfeng, who caught it and snapped it apart with his golden hands.
• The Bull-Horned Chieftain healed, charged Li Changfeng with a bull demon phantom, and the other six chieftains attacked from the shadows.
• Li Changfeng unleashed over a hundred scorching palm seals, clashing with the Bull-Horned Chieftain’s phantom and forcing the other chieftains to dodge.