Chapter Summaries

Li Xiaoya led the battered group through the Mechanism Beast Guards, then changed course toward a wall when their defenses began to falter. He had them line up against it so they could advance with the wall protecting one side.

• Li Xiaoya ordered He Jin, Yang Muqing, Ding Leng, and Liu Qingshan to stay close and fight their way out, with Liu Qingshan in the middle.
• The group followed Li Xiaoya as he cut down the Mechanism Beast Guards and the others used their artifact spirits to block incoming spears.
• Yang Muqing was wounded when a spear slipped past her defenses, making the group worry they could not hold out for long.
• Li Xiaoya changed direction and kicked Mechanism Beast Guards aside as he led everyone toward the wall.
• At the wall, Li Xiaoya told the others to stand against it and advance along it, placing Liu Qingshan on the inside.

Li Xiaoya’s team used the wall to make safer progress through the mechanism-filled passage, while other groups fought through their own deadly routes. As Li Xiaoya’s strength began to flag, Liu Qingshan spotted something ahead.

• Li Xiaoya arranged his team along the wall, taking the lead while Ding Leng covered their rear and He Jin and Yang provided support.
• Sun Xing’s group fought through a passage of blue-flamed Mechanism Beasts toward a bronze gate guarded by a huge beast.
• Jin Zhan rescued a cultivator from a floor trap and warned his group to stay alert as they neared the exit.
• Senior Brother Zhang’s group defeated the Eight-Armed Vajra Mechanism Beast, obtained its silver key, and headed for the Treasure-Towning Tower.
• Zhang Hong’s group continued forward with Li Xiangxiang wounded, while Ma Weiqi reacted strangely to Huang Hua’s offer to spare her from clearing the way.
• Li Xiaoya slowed as he tired from fighting, and Liu Qingshan suddenly pointed out something in the distance.

Li Xiaoya and his companions reached a bone-strewn clearing before a mysterious black sphere, where the pursuing Mechanism Beast Guards stopped. After recovering, Ding Leng concluded that the sphere was the Mechanism Beast King, leaving the group facing a powerful foe whose attack range and defenses they had begun to understand.

• Li Xiaoya noticed the tunnel was curving toward an exit and that fewer Mechanism Beast Guards were pursuing them, so the group hurried forward.
• The group reached a clearing containing a huge black sphere surrounded by a crescent wall of cultivators’ bones and broken Mechanism Beasts; the pursuing Guards stopped at the wall.
• Li Xiaoya took elixirs and recovered his magic power while He Jin warned the others to keep watch and suggested the sphere might be the Mechanism Beast King.
• After more than four hours without incident, Ding Leng explained that the sphere attacked anyone who entered the clearing, struck too quickly to evade, and was made of the same indestructible material as the giant gate.
• Ding Leng combined his observations and identified the black sphere as the Mechanism Beast King.

Li Xiaoya tested the Black Metal Egg by attacking it with wreckage, discovering that its shape-shifting claws could repel projectiles and withstand his sword. The egg transformed into the Mechanism Beast King, whose cries awakened the Mechanism Beast Guards as Li Xiaoya and the others faced a renewed threat.

• Li Xiaoya decided to probe the Black Metal Egg and sent his companions to safety before attacking it with chunks of metal wreckage.
• The egg formed black metal claws that smashed the incoming debris and then struck at Li Xiaoya, forcing him to dodge and defend himself.
• Li Xiaoya slashed at one claw with the Blazing Fire Spirit Blade, shattering his weapon while the claw quickly repaired itself.
• The Black Metal Egg transformed into a towering Mechanism Beast King, and Li Xiaoya summoned the Fire Dragon Sword.
• The Mechanism Beast King cried out, and the Mechanism Beast Guards behind Li Xiaoya reactivated with glowing red eyes.

Li Xiaoya fought the Mechanism Beast King while the Mechanism Beast Guards advanced on He Jin and the others. As Li Xiaoya rushed to help, a spear pierced Liu Qingshan's chest, and Li Xiaoya unleashed Divine Dragon Sweep in grief and fury.

• Li Xiaoya dodged the Mechanism Beast King's powerful strikes and used Divine Dragon Sweep to melt its barrage of spears.
• Li Xiaoya evaded another attack, severed the Mechanism Beast King's arm, and then rushed to help He Jin and the others as the Mechanism Beast Guards threw spears at them.
• He Jin and the others used their artifact spirits to shield the group, but a spear slipped through and pierced Liu Qingshan's chest.
• Li Xiaoya roared in grief and fury and unleashed Divine Dragon Sweep.

Li Xiaoya protected He Jin, Liu Qingshan, and their companions from the Mechanism Beast Guards while fighting the regenerating Mechanism Beast King. After hiding his companions with a formation, he attacked the King but was struck by its powerful red beam, leaving his survival uncertain.

• Li Xiaoya’s Divine Dragon Sweep burned and knocked back the Mechanism Beast Guards, while Liu Qingshan survived a spear thrust because of the Defense Sphere.
• The Mechanism Beast King absorbed its severed arm and grew a new one, then led another wave of attacks against Li Xiaoya and his companions.
• Senior Brother Zhang’s group chose to leave the Slaughter Passage and teleport out, while Jin Zhan’s group continued onward and Zhang Hong’s companions opened a silver gate.
• Li Xiaoya set up a concealment formation that hid He Jin and the others, then turned to fight the Mechanism Beast King alone.
• Li Xiaoya destroyed the King’s metal net and dodged its crocodile-like maw, but its chest cannon fired a red beam that pierced him and blasted a crater behind him.
• He Jin feared Li Xiaoya had been killed, but Ding Leng pointed out that the Vacuum Ring’s Protective Barrier had taken the beam and Li Xiaoya was still alive.

Li Xiaoya attacked the Mechanism Beast King after surviving its deadly red-light weapon and discovered a red crystal inside its machinery. He pierced through the beast king but missed the crystal, which had shifted to its abdomen as the damaged body began repairing itself.

• Li Xiaoya survived the red-light attack, noticed the Mechanism Beast King freeze briefly, and destroyed its red-light weapon.
• The Mechanism Beast King fired a barrage of spears, but Li Xiaoya dodged and charged through the beast king’s split-off body.
• Li Xiaoya spotted a red crystal inside the Mechanism Beast King and tried to strike it as the beast king transformed and protected itself with electrical armor.
• Li Xiaoya blasted through the electrical armor and pierced the Mechanism Beast King’s body, but discovered that the red crystal had moved to its abdomen and the body was regenerating.

Li Xiaoya discovered the Golden Treasure Tower behind the Mechanism Beast King, but the beast regenerated and unleashed a spinning storm of blades. Li Xiaoya dodged its attacks while trying to buy time to carry out a plan, and the beast fired a beam at him as he fled.

• Li Xiaoya saw the Golden Treasure Tower behind the Mechanism Beast King and wondered whether it was the exit.
• The Mechanism Beast King began regenerating, while Li Xiaoya weakened from the fight and found a small white ball in his Storage Pouch that gave him an idea.
• The Mechanism Beast King revealed blades across his body and spun into a pursuing whirlwind of blades.
• Li Xiaoya dodged the whirlwind with blasts of flame and kicked wreckage into its path to slow the Mechanism Beast King.
• The Mechanism Beast King fired a red beam at Li Xiaoya while spinning, and Li Xiaoya dodged it with a burst of flame.

Li Xiaoya exploited the Mechanism Beast King's pause after its repeated beam attacks and launched a counterattack, but the creature repelled him and left him badly wounded. As it prepared to fire again, he triggered an explosion that destroyed the king and disabled the surrounding Mechanism Beasts, while his own whereabouts remained unclear.

• Li Xiaoya dodged the Mechanism Beast King's red beams until it exhausted its energy and stopped moving.
• Li Xiaoya rushed in and struck the Mechanism Beast King with his Fire Dragon Sword, but its hardened body repelled him and left him badly injured.
• The Mechanism Beast King aimed its combined metal tubes at Li Xiaoya, but he quietly said, "Explode!" and caused it to burst apart.
• The explosion disrupted the Formation Flags and ended the formation, bringing He Jin and the others back into view as a fierce gale swept through the space.
• After the explosion stopped, the Mechanism Beast Guards stood motionless with their red eyes extinguished, and Liu Qingshan found no trace of the Mechanism Beast King or Li Xiaoya.
• A strange, faint laugh sounded in the air.

Li Xiaoya destroyed the Mechanism Beast King with a Thunderclap Pearl, then concealed how many he had left while recovering under Liu Qingshan’s guard. The maze’s mechanisms stopped, while Sun Xing and Jin Zhan prepared an ambush in the Slaughter Passage and waited for the first cultivators to arrive.

• Li Xiaoya emerged injured after the Mechanism Beast King exploded, and he told the others that a Thunderclap Pearl had destroyed it.
• Yang Muqing recognized the Thunderclap Pearl, and Li Xiaoya claimed Heavenly Venerable Daoling had given him two to discourage the Golden Spirit Sect disciples from coveting his treasures.
• Liu Qingshan guarded Li Xiaoya as he meditated, while He Jin, Ding Leng, and Yang Muqing discussed the risks of attacking him and decided against it.
• The Mechanism Beast King’s destruction stopped the maze’s beasts and mechanisms, giving cultivators in the passages a chance to advance safely.
• Sun Xing met Jin Zhan near a tower in the Slaughter Passage, and they prepared an ambush while waiting for the first group to arrive.

Li Xiaoya recovered enough to lead his companions to the Golden Treasure Tower and opened its enormous golden door with a key he had taken from the Mechanism Beast King. As dazzling light poured from inside, a hidden red crystal awakened the Mechanism Beast Guards, while the group reacted in astonishment to what lay beyond the door.

• Li Yuer and her injured companions struggled to open a gold-trimmed silver door after fighting their way through the Mechanism Beast-filled passage.
• Senior Brother Zhang led his party to a formation, chose to leave rather than risk seeking more treasure, and vanished with his companions.
• Li Xiaoya recovered some magic power, changed clothes, and led the others toward the Golden Treasure Tower despite his serious injuries.
• Li Xiaoya revealed that he had taken a golden key from inside the Mechanism Beast King, then used it to unlock the enormous golden door.
• As the door opened and golden light drew everyone's attention, a red crystal secretly awakened the Mechanism Beast Guards and spoke of its defeat.
• Li Xiaoya sensed danger but saw nothing, and the group cried out in astonishment at what they found beyond the door.

Li Xiaoya and the Golden Spirit Sect entered the Golden Treasure Tower’s meadow, where the grass aided recovery, while Liu Qingshan secretly gathered some. At the tower, they noticed Liu was lagging behind and waited for him as he ran toward them.

• Li Xiaoya led the group through the golden doors, which shut behind them, and they discovered the meadow’s restorative effects.
• Yang Muqing suggested collecting the golden grass, but He Jin urged everyone to head for the tower; Liu Qingshan secretly stored some grass as he followed behind.
• In the Slaughter Passage, Sun Xing and Jin Zhan killed cultivators and continued hunting for more targets.
• Zhang Hong’s group rested in a tower near another Slaughter Passage entrance, waiting for their senior brother and discussing the cultivators ahead of them.
• Li Xiaoya and the others examined carvings at the Golden Treasure Tower, realized Liu Qingshan was missing, and then saw him running toward them.

Li Xiaoya and his companions entered the Golden Treasure Tower and discovered a chamber filled with Spiritual Artifacts. After the doors closed, they recalled the one-treasure limit from the other pavilions and began choosing carefully; Li Xiaoya narrowed his options to four items while wondering where the tower’s upper floors were.

• Liu Qingshan joined Li Xiaoya’s group and showed them golden grass he had gathered.
• The tower doors opened as the group approached, revealing hundreds of treasures floating inside.
• Yang Muqing rushed toward a golden ring, but it flew away, and the tower doors shut behind the group.
• He Jin reminded Yang Muqing that they could claim only one treasure in the Silver and Copper Treasure Pavilions, so the group decided to choose carefully.
• Li Xiaoya identified four promising treasures, including a fire saber, a water-attribute silk treasure, a book, and a five-element disc, then wondered why there were no stairs to the upper floors.

The group claimed treasures in the Golden Treasure Tower, where taking a second treasure caused the claimant to disappear. Li Xiaoya chose a five-colored ring and then tried to catch a second treasure, leaving the hall as well.

• Yang Muqing caught a high-grade ring-shaped spiritual artifact with Li Xiaoya's help, while He Jin, Ding Leng, and Liu Qingshan each claimed a treasure.
• Yang Muqing caught a second treasure and disappeared; He Jin concluded that the tower allowed each person to take only two treasures.
• Liu Qingshan claimed a second treasure and vanished, then Li Xiaoya chose the five-colored ring despite Ding Leng wanting it too.
• Ding Leng claimed a blue rod-shaped treasure and disappeared, while He Jin attempted to catch two treasures at once but caught only a hammer before vanishing.
• Li Xiaoya pursued a silk-shaped treasure and reached for it with both hands, causing him to disappear from the hall.

Li Xiaoya broke the barrier around a white jade box, and its treasure transported him and the others to another room. As he prepared to open it, the group argued over how to divide its contents, and a dazzling white light spilled from the box.

• Li Xiaoya joined He Jin, Yang Muqing, Ding Leng, and Liu Qingshan at a barrier protecting a white jade box and used the Fire Dragon Sword to shatter it.
• Li Xiaoya took the box, triggering a teleportation that sent the group to another room with a Teleportation Formation.
• Ding Leng questioned how the group would divide the treasure, and Li Xiaoya proposed bidding or auctioning anything they could not share.
• He Jin pressed Li Xiaoya to settle the division beforehand, but Li Xiaoya warned they would each rely on their own strength if necessary before agreeing to inspect the box first.
• Li Xiaoya opened the jade box, and dazzling white light poured out.

Li Xiaoya and his companions entered the Slaughter Passage, where they expected cultivators to lie in ambush. Elsewhere in the passage, Sun Xing confronted Ma Weiqi and the Rogue Cultivators, and Jin Zhan appeared with reinforcements as the confrontation turned violent.

• Li Xiaoya took the runic silver key from the White Jade Box and agreed to postpone deciding whether to go to the Rear Mountain Pagoda.
• Li Xiaoya and his companions entered the Slaughter Passage and hurried forward with their defenses raised.
• Sun Xing froze a cultivator with a purple fireball and pressured the Rogue Cultivators to join the Demonic Path.
• Ma Weiqi arrived with more than twenty cultivators and urged the Rogue Cultivators to unite with the Righteous Path.
• Sun Xing ordered an attack, and Jin Zhan appeared with his Bone Sword and seven or eight cultivators.

Jin Zhan survived a rogue cultivator’s surprise attack but lost an arm, then reattached it and threatened to kill everyone present. Li Xiaoya’s group approached the fierce battle near the exit of the Slaughter Passage.

• Jin Zhan offered a frightened rogue cultivator a chance to join him, and the man pretended to surrender before attacking him with a sword and talismans.
• The talismans exploded around Jin Zhan, and a severed arm holding his Bone Sword fell from the smoke, making the cultivators think he had been killed.
• Li Xiaoya sensed a fierce battle ahead near the passage exit and told his group to move stealthily and look for a chance to break through.
• Jin Zhan emerged alive with one arm severed and his body protected by armor, then furiously stamped the attacker to death.
• Li Yuer appeared and taunted Jin Zhan, who reattached his arm and vowed that no one would leave alive.

Ma Weiqi used his wind treasures to attack the injured Jin Zhan, but Sun Xing intervened before the assault could finish him. The Demonic Path cultivators overwhelmed the Righteous Path and rogue cultivators in the ensuing melee, while Li Xiaoya and his companions stayed hidden and waited.

• Ma Weiqi attacked Jin Zhan with Wind Blades and a returning Azure Wind Orb, then sent azure beams at him with his transformed paper fan.
• Sun Xing intercepted Ma Weiqi’s attack, and Jin Zhan ordered the Demonic Path cultivators to join the fight.
• Huang Hua led the Righteous Path and rogue cultivators into battle against the Demonic Path cultivators.
• The Demonic Path side’s greater strength and coordination caused casualties among the rogue cultivators and forced the Righteous Path back.
• He Jin asked Li Xiaoya whether they should slip past the battle, but Li Xiaoya chose to wait while wary of Jin Zhan, Sun Xing, and Li Yuer’s Illusion Technique.

Li Xiaoya hesitated to use his Invisibility Talismans as Zhang Hong fought alongside Ma Weiqi, but Sun Xing’s red sword overwhelmed Ma Weiqi and turned the battle against them. When Zhang Hong was blasted into the air and targeted by talismans, a mysterious cultivator rescued her, and Sun Xing recognized the newcomer with anger.

• Li Xiaoya considered using his Invisibility Talismans but worried that Zhang Hong would be left in danger.
• Sun Xing drew a powerful red sword, broke Ma Weiqi’s paper fan, and wounded him badly.
• Ma Weiqi called for Zhang Hong’s help, and she stepped between him and Sun Xing while continuing to fight.
• Sun Xing knocked Zhang Hong into the air, and another Fire Dragon Palace cultivator launched three talismans at her.
• A cultivator protected Zhang Hong from the explosions and appeared holding her in his arms, prompting Sun Xing to recognize him.

Li Xiaoya intervened when Sun Xing threatened Zhang Hong and fought him despite his lingering injuries. As their clash created an opening, He Jin and his two Golden Spirit Sect companions used Golden Spirit Fusion to charge across the battlefield.

• Li Xiaoya rescued Zhang Hong and challenged Sun Xing, who mocked him before attacking with the Violet Flame Sword.
• Li Xiaoya and Sun Xing exchanged dangerous close-range blows, while He Jin, Ding Leng, and Liu Qingshan stayed hidden and debated whether to help.
• Sun Xing noticed that the Fire Dragon Sword had damaged his Violet Flame Sword and launched violet fire attacks at Li Xiaoya.
• Li Xiaoya dodged the flames and countered with Fire Dragon Spits Pearl, causing an explosion that spread flames and mist across the battlefield.
• He Jin and his two Golden Spirit Sect companions activated Golden Spirit Fusion and charged across the battlefield while the fighters were scattered.