Chapter Summaries

Golden Cicada Temple and Wuji Sect arrived at Yunheng Mountain to join Phantom Star Sect’s expedition into the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm, followed by Zhao Mingyuan and the Great Zhao Dynasty. The chapter ended as Su Shi'er noticed an unusually respected young Golden Core cultivator leading a group of powerful Black-Clad Cultivators.

• Situ Zhen welcomed Zen Master Shanfa and the forty Golden Cicada Temple monks, and Shanfa promised to help Phantom Star Sect obtain the Heavenly Evolution Token inheritance.
• Xiao Muzi arrived with forty Wuji Sect sword cultivators, and Su Shi'er recognized him and identified his sheathed flying sword as at least a second-grade Magical Treasure.
• Xiao Muzi asked why Sect Master Xi was absent, and Situ Zhen said the sect master had entered seclusion to cultivate a secret art.
• Zhao Mingyuan arrived aboard a massive dragon-shaped flying vessel with members of the Great Zhao Dynasty, including Duanmu Kuanglong and Duanmu Liuying.
• Su Shi'er observed a young man leading the Black-Clad Cultivators and noted that, despite the man's initial Golden Core cultivation, the powerful cultivators behind him obeyed him without complaint.

Su Shi'er recognized Lin Qiao'er and sensed a connection to Lin Wuyou as the Great Zhao Dynasty brought Demon Shadow Palace cultivators to the Heavenly Absolute Secret Realm. The factions argued over the arrangement, and Lin Wuyou ended by daring anyone to attack Demon Shadow Palace.

• Su Shi'er recognized Lin Qiao'er and suspected Lin Wuyou was the person who had secretly helped Feng Fei on Wuliu Plain.
• A black-clad Demon Shadow Palace figure suspected Su Shi'er was the person the Venerable Lord sought and recalled Lin Wuyou's claim that Su Shi'er had killed Wushuang.
• Situ Zhen challenged Zhao Mingyuan for bringing Demon Shadow Palace cultivators, and Zhao Mingyuan overwhelmed him with his imposing laughter.
• Xiao Muzi countered Zhao Mingyuan's pressure with sword qi, prompting Zhao Mingyuan to explain that Demon Shadow Palace's offer and threat made their participation necessary.
• Zen Master Shanfa warned that survival in the secret realm would depend on fate, and Lin Wuyou declared that he would answer for Demon Shadow Palace if anyone attacked it.

Shen Miaoyin gathered the three Heavenly Evolution Tokens and activated the teleportation formation hidden within Yunheng Mountain. A massive Level 4 Teleportation Formation took shape, leaving the gathered cultivators astonished.

• Zhao Mingyuan warned Lin and pressed Situ Zhen to reveal the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm, but Situ Zhen handed the matter to Venerable Tianhong and Shen Miaoyin.
• Shen Miaoyin demanded the Great Zhao Dynasty's Heavenly Evolution Token, and Zhao Mingyuan handed it over after questioning her intentions.
• Su Shi'er gave Shen Miaoyin his Heavenly Evolution Token, and a third token emerged from the mist.
• Shen Miaoyin combined the three tokens and used them to summon the Spiritual Qi and Earth Qi around Yunheng Mountain.
• A vast Level 4 Teleportation Formation appeared in midair, and Su Shi'er and the other cultivators marveled at its formation technique.

Su Shi'er and the other cultivators from Muyun Prefecture boarded the cross-region Teleportation Array after Shen Miaoyin explained that their return would not be possible for three years. They arrived in the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm amid an unnatural cold, and the cultivators suspected the chill came from Demonic Qi.

• Su Shi'er studied the Teleportation Array as Zhao Mingyuan marveled at its scale and Shen Miaoyin explained its capabilities.
• Shen Miaoyin returned the Heavenly Evolution Tokens and warned the cultivators that the return array would take three years to recharge.
• Su Shi'er, Zhao Mingyuan, and the other cultivators from the five great factions boarded the array and teleported away.
• Cultivators outside Yunheng Mountain watched the array empty and later returned to the mountain, unable to touch its fading image.
• After a long teleportation, the cultivators arrived in severe cold, and some identified the sinister chill as Demonic Qi.

After arriving in Central Continent, Shen Miaoyin and the other cultivators discovered a land saturated with Demonic Qi and learned it had once been a battlefield between the Cultivation World and demons. A wave of Heavenly Demon Sound nearly overwhelmed the group, and as the Buddhist monks helped them recover, strange childlike babbling came from the approaching demonic clouds.

• The cultivators emerged into a realm filled with Demonic Qi and demanded an explanation from Shen Miaoyin and Situ Zhen.
• Shen Miaoyin explained that Central Continent had been a battlefield between the Cultivation World and demons, and said she had learned about it through her own opportunity.
• Zen Master Shanfa sensed a powerful demonic force approaching and warned the group.
• A gale carried piercing cries that became the Heavenly Demon Sound, leaving nearly seventy percent of the cultivators dazed by their memories and emotions.
• Zen Master Shanfa and the Golden Cicada Temple monks chanted Buddhist words, breaking the sound's influence and restoring the cultivators.
• Shen Miaoyin wondered whether a Demon Lord remained in Central Continent, then heard childlike babbling from within the demonic clouds.

A horde of Little Demons attacked the cultivators in the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm, possessing some and forcing the survivors to fight their way through the darkness. As Shen Miaoyin led Su Shi'er toward the inheritance grounds, two unknown attackers launched a sudden sword assault on her, and Su Shi'er rushed to defend her.

• Hundreds of thousands of Little Demons descended on the cultivators, and several Golden Core cultivators were possessed and turned against their companions.
• The surviving cultivators regrouped to fight their way through the demons, while Golden Cicada Temple's monks and powerful cultivators held them back with Buddha Essence and other defenses.
• Su Shi'er watched Shen Miaoyin fend off the demons with the red and blue Sword Light of the Li Huo Xuan Bing Sword.
• Shen Miaoyin told Su Shi'er to follow her toward the inheritance grounds.
• Two unknown attackers sent powerful streaks of Sword Light at Shen Miaoyin, and Su Shi'er summoned the Fire Cloud Gourd and a Metal Element Puppet to intercept one attack.

Su Shi'er and Shen Miaoyin were ambushed by hidden attackers while Little Demons overwhelmed the others in the darkness. As they prepared to fight for their lives, Shen Miaoyin sent Su Shi'er a talisman and a compass.

• A hidden swordsman destroyed Su Shi'er's fire serpent and blasted his Metal Element Puppet, forcing Su Shi'er to rely on the Great Brahma Sacred Palm rather than risk losing control with the Heavenly Sword Technique.
• The puppet intercepted a Sword Light aimed at Su Shi'er but was struck back into him, leaving him injured.
• Shen Miaoyin fought two hidden attackers with the Li Huo Xuan Bing Sword, but their Sword Lights broke through her defenses and wounded her.
• Su Shi'er rushed to help Shen Miaoyin, but more attacks closed in on them as Venerable Tianhong and the others fought Little Demons and concealed assailants.
• Su Shi'er prepared the puppet's Great Brahma Sacred Palm and his own Heavenly Sword Technique, while Shen Miaoyin sent him a pale-yellow talisman and a jade compass.

Shen Miaoyin and Su Shi'er escaped the darkness with Minor Zhou Sky Teleportation Talismans while Venerable Tianhong led the others away. Zhao Mingyuan's group discussed Shen Miaoyin's mysterious origins, and Zhao Mingyuan revealed that he had ordered Sun Wenzhu to frame Duanmu Fenlong.

• Shen Miaoyin gave Su Shi'er a Minor Zhou Sky Teleportation Talisman and locator compass, then teleported away as Sword Light approached.
• Su Shi'er gathered his belongings and used the talisman to escape just before the Sword Light struck.
• Venerable Tianhong led Tang Zhuying and the other cultivators away, while Zhao Mingyuan watched them vanish and complained that he had underestimated Shen Miaoyin.
• Sun Wenzhu suggested asking Demon Shadow Palace about Shen Miaoyin's connection to Cang Mountain, and Duanmu Kuanglong challenged his judgment and loyalty.
• Duanmu Liuying accused Sun Wenzhu of framing Duanmu Fenlong, and Zhao Mingyuan claimed that he had ordered the frame-up to temper Fenlong.

Zhao Mingyuan assigned the expedition groups their next tasks while they discussed who had attacked Shen Miaoyin from the shadows. Elsewhere, Lin Wuyou and a black-robed figure pursued separate plans, while Su Shi'er used a locating compass to seek Shen Miaoyin after being teleported far away.

• Zhao Mingyuan thanked Duanmu Kuanglong and Duanmu Liuying for supporting Fenlong, then asked who might have attacked Shen Miaoyin.
• Sun Wenzhu named Xiao Muzi, Xi Longxuan, and Zong Lu as possible attackers, and Zhao Mingyuan ordered Duanmu Kuanglong and Duanmu Liuying to take the Heavenly Evolution Token to Feng'er while Sun Wenzhu gathered everyone for the plan.
• Lin Wuyou devoured Little Demons, began developing sinister black markings, and secretly followed Duanmu Kuanglong and Duanmu Liuying.
• The Man in Black used the Phantom Demon Bell to command the Little Demons and set off toward a place recorded in the Heavenly Demon Record.
• Su Shi'er traveled on a Grade 3 Top-tier Puppet after a Minor Zhou Sky Teleportation Talisman carried him far away, and he used Shen Miaoyin's locating compass to track her.

Su Shi'er crossed a demon-infested region while his true body recovered, then encountered a powerful Black Demonic Flood Dragon and a vast swarm of Little Demons. After Southern Bright Leaving Fire burned and devoured more than a hundred attackers, tens of thousands of Little Demons rushed toward him.

• Su Shi'er traveled over a hundred miles while his true body used Medicinal Pills to treat his severe injuries.
• Su Shi'er spotted a mid Third-Rank Black Demonic Flood Dragon advancing toward a second head and hurried past its territory.
• Su Shi'er found the sky filled with Little Demons and demonic beasts, then flew low to avoid the fighting overhead.
• More than a hundred Little Demons attacked Su Shi'er, and he used the Fire Cloud Gourd and Southern Bright Leaving Fire to burn them.
• Southern Bright Leaving Fire devoured the flames from the Little Demons, and tens of thousands more charged at Su Shi'er.

Su Shi'er avoided large hordes of Little Demons while traveling toward Shen Miaoyin, then encountered a mysterious Buddhist light that destroyed thousands of demons. A colossal creature resembling the Black Demonic Flood Dragon rose from the mountains, leaving Su Shi'er horrified.

• Su Shi'er fled a massive horde of Little Demons and spent more than ten days refining small groups while avoiding larger ones.
• Su Shi'er used the Fire Cloud Gourd and Southern Bright Leaving Fire to devour more than a hundred Little Demons near a mountain range.
• A deep underground explosion sent tens of thousands of demons fleeing from the mountains, and Su Shi'er began retreating.
• A powerful, strange Buddhist light emerged and destroyed thousands of Little Demons; Su Shi'er wondered whether Zen Master Shanfa was responsible.
• A colossal black creature resembling the Black Demonic Flood Dragon rose from the mountain forest, shocking Su Shi'er.

Su Shi'er intervened when Lin Qiao'er was cornered by a Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon, but his flames could not stop the beast’s attack. As Lin Qiao'er warned him to flee, Su Shi'er sent his puppet forward to confront the dragon.

• Su Shi'er saw the Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon pursuing Lin Qiao'er and prepared to escape.
• Lin Qiao'er fled toward Su Shi'er, then changed course, but the dragon struck her with its Demonic Yuan.
• Su Shi'er used the Fire Cloud Gourd to slow the attack and give Lin Qiao'er a chance to escape.
• The dragon extinguished Su Shi'er's flames and formed a massive sword of Demonic Yuan aimed at Lin Qiao'er.
• Lin Qiao'er warned Su Shi'er to flee, but he stayed as his puppet advanced toward the dragon with phantom lotus blossoms appearing in its wake.

Su Shi'er used Lin Qiao'er's Buddha Essence to make the puppet body repel the Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon, then escaped with Lin Qiao'er. Elsewhere, Zen Master Shanfa destroyed a swarm of Little Demons and recognized the Great Brahma Holy Palm, wondering whether the destined time awaited by the Buddhist Sect had arrived.

• Su Shi'er’s puppet body borrowed Lin Qiao'er's Buddha Essence and struck the Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon with the Great Brahma Holy Palm.
• The Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon was blasted back but remained unharmed, so Su Shi'er’s puppet body carried Lin Qiao'er and Su Shi'er away using Escape Talismans.
• The Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon tracked the trio’s trail and pursued them.
• Zen Master Shanfa arrived at the ruins of an ancient Taoist sect and eliminated thousands of Little Demons with Shanfa Seals Demons.
• Zen Master Shanfa noticed the Buddhist light in the distance, recognized the Great Brahma Holy Palm, and wondered whether the Buddhist Sect’s destined time had arrived.

Su Shi'er rescued Lin Qiao'er from the Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon, and the two recognized each other as old acquaintances from Strange Gorge. Lin Qiao'er explained how she joined Demon Shadow Palace and why she practiced Buddhist techniques, leaving Su Shi'er suspicious that she had not told him everything.

• Su Shi'er used Escape Talismans to flee with Lin Qiao'er and hid them both inside an Isolation formation.
• Lin Qiao'er thanked her rescuer, and Su Shi'er revealed that he had once met her in Strange Gorge.
• Lin Qiao'er recognized Su Shi'er and thanked him for saving her from an Evil Cultivator in the past as well as from the demonic flood dragon.
• Lin Qiao'er told Su Shi'er that Fairy You Ruo had saved her in the Sangliang Ancient Path and taken her as a disciple of Demon Shadow Palace.
• Lin Qiao'er explained that she practiced a Buddhist Sect technique because she could not bear Demon Shadow Palace's cruel methods and was unsuited to Evil Cultivation Techniques.
• Su Shi'er suspected Lin Qiao'er had concealed details about her Buddhist cultivation but changed the subject without pressing her.

Su Shi'er learned that Lin Qiao'er’s younger brother was Lin Wuyou, a rising star of the Demon Shadow Palace, and tried to gauge whether he could be persuaded to leave. He stayed to guard Lin Qiao'er while repairing his damaged puppet, as she recovered and wondered about his interest in Wuyou.

• Su Shi'er asked Lin Qiao'er about the Demon Shadow Palace leader, and she revealed that Lin Wuyou was her younger brother whom she had named and brought into the sect.
• Lin Qiao'er asked Su Shi'er to spare Wuyou if they ever came into conflict, and Su Shi'er said he would need her to plead for him instead.
• Su Shi'er advised Lin Qiao'er to persuade Wuyou to leave the Demon Shadow Palace, but she said she needed to consider it because Fairy You Ruo had saved her life.
• Su Shi'er stayed to guard Lin Qiao'er and used the Houyun Gourd and Five Elements Puppet Technique to repair his damaged Level 3 Puppet.
• Lin Qiao'er took a healing spirit pill and began tending to her injuries while wondering why Su Shi'er was so interested in Wuyou.

After Lin Qiao'er recovered, Zen Master Shanfa arrived and accused her of being a Demon Shadow Palace member who practiced a Buddhist technique. He attacked her, and Su Shi'er defended her, leaving the two men confronting each other over whether her sect affiliation alone justified killing her.

• Lin Qiao'er finished healing, and Su Shi'er warned her that the Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon might still be tracking her before leaving.
• Zen Master Shanfa entered the formation and recognized Lin Qiao'er as a Demon Shadow Palace cultivator who practiced a Buddhist technique.
• Zen Master Shanfa accused Lin Qiao'er of plotting against Golden Cicada Temple and suppressed her with his Buddha Essence, causing her injuries to reopen.
• Su Shi'er asked Zen Master Shanfa to stop and vouched for Lin Qiao'er's character.
• Zen Master Shanfa insisted that Lin Qiao'er deserved death because she belonged to the Demon Shadow Palace, and Su Shi'er challenged his reasoning.

Su Shi'er tried to save Lin Qiao'er from Zen Master Shanfa, arguing that she might still turn toward good despite cultivating demonic arts through Buddhism. Shanfa rejected his pleas and intensified his attack, while Su Shi'er summoned the puppet body to meet the descending Buddhist Seal.

• Zen Master Shanfa declared that Lin Qiao'er had to die because her Buddhist cultivation could lead her into demonhood, then summoned a massive Buddhist Seal.
• Su Shi'er used his puppet body and the Fire Cloud Gourd to shield Lin Qiao'er and resist the Seal while arguing that she could be guided toward goodness.
• Zen Master Shanfa revealed his Asura Body and said compassion could not save the world, then crushed the puppet's pillar of flame and sent the Fire Cloud Gourd crashing to the ground.
• Lin Qiao'er accepted the possibility of death and asked Su Shi'er to apologize to Wuyou for her, but Su Shi'er refused to give up on saving her.
• Su Shi'er made the puppet body meditate and wield the Great Brahma Holy Palm, slowing the Seal's descent as Zen Master Shanfa increased its force.

Su Shi'er and Zen Master Shanfa joined forces against the Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon, and Su Shi'er's puppet destroyed one of its heads with the Great Brahma Holy Palm. The flood dragon used the Buddha Essence in its body to recover and grow stronger, so Su Shi'er fled with Lin Qiao'er and the puppet.

• Su Shi'er used the puppet to clash with Zen Master Shanfa's Buddha Seal while preparing to escape with Lin Qiao'er.
• The Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon returned and attacked, prompting Su Shi'er to urge Zen Master Shanfa to fight it first.
• Zen Master Shanfa struck the flood dragon with his Buddha Seal, leaving both of them struggling against the Buddha Essence and Demonic Yuan within their bodies.
• Su Shi'er's puppet redirected the Great Brahma Holy Palm and blasted apart one of the flood dragon's heads, nearly exhausting the puppet's Golden Core.
• The flood dragon used the Buddha aura released by its wound to dissolve Zen Master Shanfa's attack and strengthen its remaining heads, so Su Shi'er grabbed Lin Qiao'er and the puppet and fled.

Su Shi'er and Lin Qiao'er fled the enraged Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon, while the injured Zen Master Shanfa escaped in another direction. The dragon fixated on Su Shi'er and Lin Qiao'er, and Su Shi'er suddenly turned and dragged her toward it, insisting they still had a chance.

• Su Shi'er chose to flee rather than risk his depleted puppet and expose more of his abilities, while Zen Master Shanfa also escaped after expelling the Demonic Qi within him.
• Zen Master Shanfa secretly tracked the dragon and the fleeing cultivators, intending to eliminate Lin Qiao'er and investigate Su Shi'er's use of the Great Brahma Holy Palm.
• The Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon pursued Su Shi'er and Lin Qiao'er, ignoring Zen Master Shanfa because it blamed Su Shi'er for destroying one of its heads and hated Lin Qiao'er as well.
• The dragon's Demonic Qi and Baleful Intent destroyed Su Shi'er's Escape Talisman, so he used the Innocent Sword to clear a path as his True Yuan rapidly drained.
• Lin Qiao'er broke free and prepared to draw the dragon away, but Su Shi'er told her they still had a chance, put away the puppet, and dragged her toward the pursuing beast.

Su Shi'er and Lin Qiao'er escaped the Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon’s attack and led it toward Zen Master Shanfa. Su Shi'er tried to persuade Shanfa to help by offering the secret to comprehending the Great Brahma Holy Palm, leaving Shanfa intrigued but still wary.

• Su Shi'er used the Fire Cloud Gourd’s Southern Bright Leaving Fire and green lightning to make the Three-Headed Black Demonic Flood Dragon swallow flames, then dodged its tail and continued fleeing with Lin Qiao'er.
• Lin Qiao'er realized Su Shi'er was trying to draw the pursuing flood dragon to Zen Master Shanfa.
• Su Shi'er sent array incantations ahead and revealed Zen Master Shanfa, who had concealed himself nearby with a jeweled crown.
• Zen Master Shanfa refused to join forces, saying he would let the flood dragon attack Su Shi'er and Lin Qiao'er before taking advantage of the outcome.
• Su Shi'er offered the secret to comprehending the Great Brahma Holy Palm, and Shanfa questioned why Su Shi'er would possess such a secret.
• Su Shi'er hinted that the remaining Buddhist Bead held more than Shanfa assumed.