Chapter Summaries

Zhou Qing faced Xuan Zhenzi again after the elder refused to honor his defeat, but seized the Lesser Cosmos Pearl that suppressed spiritual energy and erased Xuan Zhenzi’s control over it. Xuan Zhenzi lost the treasure and warned Zhou Qing that the Pure Void Dao Palace remained a threat.

• Xuan Zhenzi healed enough to manifest his Dharmic Image and demanded another contest, refusing to leave despite Zhou Qing’s reminder of their agreement.
• Xuan Zhenzi released the Lesser Cosmos Pearl, whose clear light froze spiritual energy and hindered Zhou Qing’s spells.
• Zhou Qing realized the pearl was suppressing his spiritual energy, then reached through space and snatched it from Xuan Zhenzi.
• Zhou Qing trapped the pearl in a plasma sphere, erased Xuan Zhenzi’s spiritual imprint, and regained control of the surrounding spiritual energy.
• Zhou Qing kept the pearl, spared Xuan Zhenzi, and told the Pure Void Dao Palace not to disturb the Western Serenity Continent.
• Xuan Zhenzi admitted his failure and warned Zhou Qing not to underestimate the Pure Void Dao Palace.

After Xuan Zhenzi returned to the Pure Void Dao Palace defeated, Lu Qing suspected the Devil Master was orchestrating events to draw the Dao Palace’s ancestors away from its defenses. Zhou Qing prepared for the Dao Palace’s next move, but the Starving Ghoul arrived again with apparent news.

• Xuan Zhenzi told Yun Congzi about his defeat by Zhou Qing and the oath he had sworn to urge the Dao Palace to relinquish control of the Western Serenity Continent.
• Yun Congzi and Xuan Zhenzi reported the encounter to Ancestors Lu Qing and Ziyun, who decided to wait for Grand Patriarch Lu Mingzhao rather than act immediately.
• Lu Qing suspected the Devil Master had engineered recent events to lure the Dao Palace’s experts away and target the Azure Cloud Blossom.
• Zhou Qing warned Whitebrow that the Pure Void Dao Palace might send stronger fighters and worried it could threaten the Azure Cloud Sect.
• The Sacred Lotus Maiden told Zhou Qing the Starving Ghoul had returned, and Zhou Qing went to hear what news he brought.

Zhou Qing recognized that the Devil Master had manipulated events to draw him into an alliance and agreed to visit Demon Cloud Ridge later. At Myriad Demons Cave, the Devil Master planned to use Zhou Qing to seize the Azure Cloud Blossom, but Starving Ghoul suddenly became unable to speak.

• Zhou Qing told Starving Ghoul that he would visit Demon Cloud Ridge soon, but refused to leave with him immediately.
• Zhou Qing severed a black thread linked to an otherworldly Demon God from Starving Ghoul and watched its remaining half extend into the Dao Heart World.
• The Devil Master planned to lure Zhou Qing into helping seize the Azure Cloud Blossom and then refine him into a Corpse Demon.
• Starving Ghoul returned to Myriad Demons Cave without Zhou Qing and told the Devil Master that Zhou Qing would arrive shortly.
• Starving Ghoul suddenly made terrified sounds and could no longer speak, alarming the Devil Master.

Zhou Qing wounded the Devil Master’s Corpse Demon in a confrontation, then returned to Dao Rhythm Peak to recover and organize defenses. His injuries healed in just a day and a half, and he realized his body was continuing to transform.

• Zhou Qing emerged through a passage inside Starving Ghoul, tore him apart, and warned the Devil Master not to scheme against him again.
• The Devil Master transformed into an elderly Daoist and attacked Zhou Qing, who struck the Corpse Demon’s palm with a Gamma Ray before closing the passage.
• Nie Yunxi and Mu Zhuosha found Zhou Qing badly injured, and he ordered them to assess casualties, relocate the Demonic Path cultivators, and keep the confrontation secret.
• Zhou Qing ordered Nie Yunxi to have Whitebrow send people to Central Continent to investigate what was keeping the Pure Void Dao Palace’s patriarch occupied.
• Zhou Qing healed in the remaining Spirit Pool, recovering within a day and a half as his skin grew lustrous and his body continued to transform.

After recovering from his injuries, Zhou Qing steadied the Dharma Dissemination Dojo, arranged for a Demon Subjugation Hall and an intelligence mission to the Central Continent, and resumed cultivating. Two months later, Cao Yang returned from the Central Continent, and Zhou Qing found the Nascent Soul True Lords gathered with grave expressions.

• Zhou Qing visited the injured cultivators from the Western Serenity Continent and reassured Whitebrow that his fight with the Corpse Demon had left him with only a minor injury.
• Zhou Qing proposed establishing a Demon Subjugation Hall and urged Whitebrow to send Cao Yang to the Central Continent to gather intelligence and medicinal herbs for Gold-Melting Pills.
• Whitebrow explained that scarce medicinal herbs were delaying Nascent Soul breakthroughs, and Zhou Qing promised to support the Demonic Abyss defenses if needed.
• Zhou Qing had disciples repair the Spirit Pool on Dao Rhythm Peak, then resumed opening and expanding his dantians through two months of cultivation.
• The Sacred Lotus Maiden told Zhou Qing that Cao Yang had returned, and Zhou Qing went with her to Great Transformation Peak, where he found Lu Ping, Blazing Fire Adept, Bai Xuan, Mu Tiexiong, and Huang Yiqing gathered with grave expressions.

Zhou Qing learned that the Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple had seized the Dharma Dissemination Dojo’s spirit herbs and injured Zhou Qingxia, leaving the dojo’s access to Central Continent’s herbs at risk. He decided to go demand accountability, while news that a Demon God had descended into the Vast Azure Mountains left him wary of the wider danger.

• Cao Yang told Zhou Qing that Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple cultivators had taken their spirit herbs and injured Zhou Qingxia while accusing them of harvesting herbs illegally.
• Whitebrow explained that Central Continent’s ancient Daoist Temples were powerful enough to defy the Four Great Dao Palaces, and the cultivators worried the dojo would be blocked from obtaining spirit herbs.
• Cao Yang reported that a Demon God had descended into the Bottomless Cave of the Vast Azure Mountains, drawing Old Ancestor Lu away from the Pure Void Dao Palace.
• Zhou Qing resolved to confront Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple and asked Cao Yang to accompany him; Cao Yang requested that Zhou Qingxia join them.
• Zhou Qing collected more than two hundred thousand completed Relay Stations from Spirit Abundance Peak and stored them in the Dao Heart World before returning to Great Transformation Peak, where Zhou Qingxia had arrived.

Zhou Qing, Cao Yang, and Zhou Qingxia traveled to the Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple to confront it, arriving during Profound Origin True Lord’s birthday celebration. After monitoring the gathering and joining other guests on the road, Zhou Qing met Guzhuzi and Yellow Dragon True Person.

• Cao Yang carried Zhou Qing and Zhou Qingxia by sword light toward the Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple, and Zhou Qing considered improving his escape techniques.
• The three reached the temple’s territory and learned that nearly fifty Nascent Soul True Lords had gathered for a celebration.
• Zhou Qing released ten Relay Stations to watch the area, found no Spirit Transformation experts, and told Cao Yang and Zhou Qingxia to stay close to him.
• Zhou Qing’s group met Guzhuzi and Liu Wen on the road and learned that the gathering celebrated Profound Origin True Lord’s birthday.
• Yellow Dragon True Person and his disciple Xu Hui greeted Guzhuzi, and Yellow Dragon noticed Zhou Qing and his companions.

Zhou Qing, Cao Yang, and Zhou Qingxia learned that the Pure Void Dao Palace had abandoned the Dharma Dissemination Dojo, prompting Central Continent forces to vie for its territory. Zhou Qing concealed his group’s true intentions by having Cao Yang and Zhou Qingxia join Huang Long and Guzhuzi’s scheme, leaving the group positioned to infiltrate the contest for the dojo.

• Guzhuzi introduced Zhou Qing, Cao Yang, and Zhou Qingxia to True Lord Huang Long, who invited them to hear his plans.
• Huang Long explained that the Pure Void Dao Palace had abandoned the Dharma Dissemination Dojo after a mysterious expert took control, making its territory available to competing sects.
• Guzhuzi understood that the Pure Void Dao Palace might support a Golden Core Sect to take over the Western Serenity Continent and saw a chance to break through to Nascent Soul.
• Huang Long said he had brought a Five Elements God Spider Web as a gift for Profound Ancestor Xuan and wanted allies to help the Purple Bamboo Sect compete for the dojo.
• Cao Yang and Zhou Qingxia grew angry at Huang Long and Guzhuzi’s talk of seizing the Dharma Dissemination Dojo, but Zhou Qing covered their reaction and offered their help.
• Huang Long welcomed Cao Yang and Zhou Qingxia as Golden Core Peak allies, while Zhou Qing pretended to be a low-ranking errand runner.

Zhou Qing and his companions arrived at the Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple for Profound Ancestor Xuan’s birthday banquet, where Zhou Qing clashed with a receiving disciple over being denied a personal audience. Yellow Dragon True Person secured the group seats near the Lapis Lazuli Grand Hall, leaving them to consider how to approach the temple’s influential figures.

• Xu Hui and Liu Wen felt pleased when Zhou Qing praised their aptitude as the group traveled to the Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple.
• Yellow Dragon True Person discussed the Western Serenity Continent’s affairs with other guests and sought support for his plan.
• Zhou Qing insisted that he should personally present his gift to Profound Origin True Lord, and a receiving disciple rebuffed him.
• A dark-faced Daoist shouted at Zhou Qing, while Yellow Dragon True Person and Guzhuzi stepped in to defuse the dispute.
• Guzhuzi cautioned Zhou Qing that the Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple’s status made its disciples difficult to challenge, and Yellow Dragon True Person urged him to watch his words.
• Yellow Dragon True Person led the group to seats near the Lapis Lazuli Grand Hall, where they discussed how to meet the temple’s influential figures before a cold sneer sounded beside them.

Zhou Qing defended Xu Hui from an attack by Golden Light Forefather’s disciple and destroyed her flying sword, escalating the conflict at Profound Ancestor Xuan’s birthday banquet. Golden Light Forefather threatened Zhou Qing, while Yellow Dragon True Person worried that their alliance would face retaliation after the banquet.

• Golden Light Forefather mocked Yellow Dragon True Person and the Purple Bamboo Sect for seeking a share of the opportunity in Western Serenity Continent.
• Xu Hui spoke up against Golden Light Forefather, and a black-clad woman launched her flying sword at him.
• Zhou Qing caught the sword and dispersed its golden qi, injuring the woman’s Primordial Spirit and making her cry for revenge.
• Golden Light Forefather threatened Zhou Qing, but Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple disciples warned that anyone who fought would be expelled from the banquet.
• Yellow Dragon True Person warned Zhou Qing that Golden Light Forefather might retaliate after the banquet, and Zhou Qing said he would handle the matter without implicating him.

Zhou Qing planned to use the banquet to demonstrate the Dharma Dissemination Dojo’s strength and build influence in the Central Continent. As Yu Liuyun threatened revenge and Yellow Dragon True Person feared Golden Light Forefather, Zhou Qing learned the source of the Forefather’s formidable sword technique.

• Yellow Dragon True Person told Xu Hui to stay silent and planned to leave after the banquet, while Zhou Qing reassured him that their situation might improve.
• Zhou Qing told Cao Yang he intended to bring Yellow Dragon True Person’s and Guzhuzi’s factions under their influence and use the gathering to show the Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple their strength.
• After the banquet began, Xu Hui thanked Zhou Qing for saving him, and Liu Wen joined them; Yu Liuyun mocked the group and vowed to have her master intercept them after the banquet.
• Yellow Dragon True Person and Guzhuzi failed to find allies among their acquaintances, who avoided them after learning they had angered the Nine Golden Light Immortals.
• Yellow Dragon True Person explained that Golden Light Forefather had spent a century tempering a single breath of Sword Qi into golden light, a technique that could slay most Golden Core cultivators in one move.

At Profound Ancestor Xuan’s birthday gathering, Zhou Qing approached the ancestor and asked him to accept a gift, shocking the assembled cultivators. The chapter ended with Yellow Dragon True Person and Guzhuzi fearing Zhou Qing’s bold move would bring the ancestor’s wrath upon them.

• Zhou Qing considered abducting Golden Light Forefather and his disciple to obtain the Sword Light Condensation Method, while Golden Light Forefather silently plotted revenge against him.
• Profound Ancestor Xuan emerged from the Lapis Lazuli Grand Hall and received birthday congratulations from the gathered cultivators.
• Zhou Qing left his seat, climbed the stone steps, and called out to Profound Origin True Lord, alarming Yellow Dragon True Person and Guzhuzi.
• Profound Ancestor Xuan waved back the disciples who moved to remove Zhou Qing and asked what he wanted.
• Zhou Qing said he had prepared a birthday gift for Profound Ancestor Xuan and asked him to accept it, leaving the guests astonished and Yellow Dragon True Person and Guzhuzi despairing.

Zhou Qing confronted Profound Ancestor Xuan at the Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple’s birthday banquet, demanding compensation for the stolen spiritual medicine and an apology for his injured people. When Profound Ancestor Xuan refused, three Nascent Soul True Lords attacked Zhou Qing, who prepared to test his new close-combat technique.

• Zhou Qing presented a massive bell as his congratulatory gift, revealing that he, Cao Yang, and Zhou Qingxia had come to confront the Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple.
• Zhou Qing identified himself and demanded the spiritual medicine be returned a hundredfold, an apology from Profound Ancestor Xuan, and safe passage for the Dharma Dissemination Dojo’s people in Central Continent.
• Profound Ancestor Xuan admitted the temple had been at fault but refused Zhou Qing’s demands and threatened to kill the three visitors.
• Guo Songshou, Tan Haotian, and Ouyang Qian transformed into ice giants and attacked Zhou Qing together.
• Zhou Qing told Cao Yang to protect Zhou Qingxia, then entered a dual state between the Cultivation World and the Dao Heart World to test his technique in close combat.

Zhou Qing faced Ouyang Qian, Guo Songshou, and Tan Haotian, then used magnetic field perception to navigate Ouyang Qian’s illusion fog after it disabled his Heavenly Net and isolated his allies. The chapter ended with Zhou Qing realizing that the Zhou Qingxia standing before him was an illusion, while the real Zhou Qingxia remained nearby.

• Zhou Qing shattered all three opponents’ Dharmic Images with Chaos Divine Light, which vanished and reappeared between them.
• Ouyang Qian engulfed Zhou Qing, Cao Yang, and Zhou Qingxia in dense fog that suppressed spiritual energy and blocked sound.
• Zhou Qing used magnetic field perception to locate Cao Yang and Zhou Qingxia, who were trapped in the fog’s confusing paths.
• Zhou Qingxia appeared beside Zhou Qing, but his magnetic field perception revealed that she was an illusion and that the real Zhou Qingxia was still nearby.

Zhou Qing saw through Ouyang Qian’s Small Thousand Worlds illusion but played along as she tried to make him kill Zhou Qingxia. When the illusion began to fade, Zhou Qing seized the real Ouyang Qian and disrupted her control of the spell.

• Zhou Qing held hands with the illusory Zhou Qingxia and pretended to search the mist while testing the illusion’s convincing sensations.
• Ouyang Qian showed the gathered cultivators how her Small Thousand Worlds trapped Zhou Qing, Zhou Qingxia, and Cao Yang, then said she planned to make Zhou Qing kill his companion.
• Ouyang Qian shaped the illusion to make Zhou Qing mistake the real Zhou Qingxia for an enemy and attack her.
• Zhou Qing knocked aside the illusory Ouyang Qian’s flying sword and seized her by the throat instead.
• Ouyang Qian tried to resist Zhou Qing’s lightning, but dim divine radiance shattered her Dharmic Image and the Small Thousand Worlds began to dissipate.

Zhou Qing revealed his power at the Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple, killed Ouyang Qian, and challenged its cultivators and their allies to fight him. As Cao Yang escaped with Zhou Qingxia, Zhou Qing trapped Guo Songshou and wounded Tan Haotian, then invited the surrounding Nascent Soul cultivators to attack.

• The fog vanished, revealing that Zhou Qing had seized Ouyang Qian instead of Zhou Qingxia, and he incinerated her when she begged for mercy.
• Zhou Qing declared that he had come to give everyone a chance to kill him, ordered uninvolved guests to leave, and threatened those who stayed.
• Yun Congzi urged the remaining guests to join forces against Zhou Qing, while Cao Yang fled with Zhou Qingxia at Zhou Qing's command.
• Zhou Qing pulled Guo Songshou down with a hand that appeared from nowhere and redirected Guo's Sword Qi to sever Tan Haotian's wrist.
• Tan Haotian dodged Zhou Qing's next attack, and Zhou Qing turned toward the encircling Nascent Soul cultivators and invited them to come at him.

Zhou Qing faced a circle of Nascent Soul True Lords and was forced to contend with Master Hui Shi’s relentless Seven Star Soul Chasing Nail. He devised a plan to turn the pursuing nail against Profound Ancestor Xuan, but the chapter ended as Xuan met his charge with Three Thousand Weak Waters.

• Zhou Qing used his space-shifting ability to redirect the Nascent Soul True Lords’ attacks, but they recognized his power and withdrew to make room for Master Hui Shi.
• Master Hui Shi cast the Seven Star Soul Chasing Nail, which kept returning to Zhou Qing after he shifted it away.
• Zhou Qing realized the nail had locked onto his aura and stopped trying to redirect it, instead evading it within the encirclement.
• Zhou Qing flew toward Profound Ancestor Xuan as the nail chased him, and Xuan moved to intercept him.
• Profound Ancestor Xuan spread Three Thousand Weak Waters to slow Zhou Qing while allowing the nail to close in behind him.

Zhou Qing killed Profound Ancestor Xuan and Tan Haotian, then fought the pursuing Nascent Soul Cultivators after escaping their encirclement. Near exhaustion, he unleashed an enormous fireball by releasing his magnetic confinement, leaving the pursuing cultivators facing the expanding inferno.

• Zhou Qing used the Soul Chasing Divine Nail to kill Profound Ancestor Xuan, then killed Tan Haotian with pellets after eroding his protective spiritual energy.
• Zhou Qing distracted the nearby Nascent Soul Cultivators with Plasma Beams and broke through their encirclement, while Yun Congzi revealed that Zhou Qing could alter his aura.
• Zhou Qing turned back before the cultivators could encircle him, wounded two Nascent Soul Cultivators with the divine nail, and killed them with Plasma Beams.
• Yun Congzi organized the cultivators into a close-combat formation, forcing Zhou Qing to fight more than twenty Dharmic Images as his energy and concentration ran low.
• Zhou Qing dropped to the ground and announced his departure, then released the magnetic confinement around a ball of plasma, which rapidly expanded into a vast fireball and ignited the forest.

After escaping the battle at the Great Snow Mountain, Zhou Qing planned to exploit the Four Great Dao Palaces’ response and prepare to face Spirit Transformation cultivators. Meanwhile, Golden Light Forefather fled with Yu Liuyun and decided to hide Golden Light Cave from the martial world.

• Yun Congzi persuaded the surviving Nascent Souls to seek help from their ancestors, while the Lapis Lazuli Daoist Temple’s survivors returned to search for the wounded and bury the dead.
• Zhou Qing waited underground until the pursuers gave up, then traveled nearly two hundred li away from the Great Snow Mountain.
• Zhou Qing decided to target the Four Great Dao Palaces for treasures needed to refine the Celestial Spirit Pill and first seek preparations for a possible fight with Spirit Transformation cultivators.
• Golden Light Forefather and Yu Liuyun watched the devastation from a hill, then Golden Light Forefather ordered his sect to conceal their names and disappear from the martial world.

Zhou Qing confronted Golden Light Forefather at Golden Light Cave and compelled him and his companions to serve him and gather at the Dharma Dissemination Dojo. He then hid in a remote cave to recover his spiritual energy and study Golden Light Forefather’s sword-light technique for its method of fusing Primordial Spirit and spiritual energy.

• Golden Light Forefather returned to Golden Light Cave with Yu Liuyun and ordered Huang Zhizhen to pack their treasures and prepare to flee.
• Golden Light Forefather found Zhou Qing waiting in the reception hall, knelt before him, and begged him to spare their lives.
• Zhou Qing pardoned Golden Light Forefather’s past crimes because of his talent, but ordered him to obey and serve from then on.
• Zhou Qing ordered Golden Light Forefather to hand over his sword-light technique and take Huang Zhizhen and Yu Liuyun to await him at the Dharma Dissemination Dojo.
• Golden Light Forefather handed over the technique and departed with Huang Zhizhen and Yu Liuyun, while Zhou Qing flew to a secluded mountain cave.
• Zhou Qing concealed himself in the cave, restored his spiritual energy with spirit stones, and studied how the technique fused Primordial Spirit and spiritual energy.