Chapter Summaries

Xu Qingxiao defeated Ji Yuan, forced him to apologize to Chen Zhengru, and sent him to the Court of Judicial Review before leaving Great Wei to confront the danger of his unorthodox art. As Xu Qingxiao’s Demonic Seeds reached the second rank, the Demon Sea’s seals shattered, triggering a crisis across the continents.

• Xu Qingxiao overwhelmed Ji Yuan, threatened to throw him into a cesspit, and forced him to submit to three months at the Court of Judicial Review and apologize to Chen Zhengru.
• Xu Qingxiao warned the Heaven and Earth Literary Palace against causing trouble, then visited Ji Ling and Luo Baiyi before leaving Great Wei’s Capital.
• Xu Qingxiao traveled west and, with Zhaoge’s help, released his three Demonic Seeds so they could transform and be suppressed at the second rank.
• Divine Monk Jialan erased the scriptures from a Confucian stone stele in the Demon Sea, and a mysterious figure later erased another stele, causing all nine steles to shatter.
• First-rank experts, Daoist Wuchen, and the Female Emperor learned that the Demon Sea had changed as Xu Qingxiao’s Demonic Seeds reached the second rank and their backlash seized control of him before Zhaoge intervened.

Xu Qingxiao and his allies used the Dragon-Blood Yang Jade, the Eight-Treasure Buddhist Lotus, and the Demon-Suppressing Divine Stone to destroy his three Second Rank demonic thoughts, seemingly ending the scourge of the Unorthodox Arts. But the Demon and Monster Compendium revealed three primordial demon gods, whose power entered Xu Qingxiao and began consuming him, leaving the Unorthodox Art beyond any remedy.

• The three demonic thoughts advanced to the Second Rank and overwhelmed Xu Qingxiao until Zhaoge and the others suppressed them with the Demon-Suppressing Divine Stone.
• Xu Qingxiao endured the Dragon-Blood Yang Jade entering his body, and its golden dragon fought the three demonic thoughts for a day and night.
• Zhaoge had Xu Qingxiao release the Eight-Treasure Buddhist Lotus, which joined with the golden dragon and the Demon-Suppressing Divine Stone to destroy the demonic thoughts.
• The Demon and Monster Compendium displayed new images, and Xu Qingxiao witnessed the primordial demon gods Taiyin, Taiyuan, and Juwu in a vision.
• The three demon gods' power entered Xu Qingxiao and formed three marks on his forehead, while Zhaoge admitted he could not explain what had happened.
• The demonic qi began eating away at Xu Qingxiao, and he realized the Unorthodox Art was beyond any remedy.

After purging his old unorthodox arts, Xu Qingxiao discovered that the Three Demon Mark had bound him to the primordial demon gods and was slowly assimilating him. He concealed most of the demonic qi and set out for the Western Continent to spread Mahayana Buddhist Dharma and seek the first rank.

• Xu Qingxiao sensed that three new demonic thoughts were corroding him, and Evil-Breaker explained the legendary origins of unorthodox arts in the three primordial demon gods.
• Zhaoge urged Xu Qingxiao not to despair and argued that the demonic thoughts might be countered with the power of Heaven and Earth; Evil-Breaker taught him a Calming Mind Mantra.
• Xu Qingxiao examined the Three Demon Mark and found that it offered a possible path to the first rank while slowly making him stronger, though the demonic qi remained difficult to conceal.
• Xu Qingxiao suppressed most of the demonic qi with the mantra and other powers, then decided he needed to advance quickly to contain it.
• Xu Qingxiao headed for the Western Continent to spread Mahayana Buddhist Dharma and pursue the first rank as dozens of figures appeared in the Demon Domain Sea.

The First Ranks struggled to suppress the Demon Sea after Divine Monk Jialan’s actions shattered its sealing steles, and Daoist Wuchen revealed that seven ancient Demon Gods were sealed beneath it. After three days of worsening turmoil, they arranged reinforcements and began preparing formations and artifacts, while the Tuxie Dynasty proposed banning First Rank experts.

• Divine Monk Jialan tried to restrain the Demon Sea as Daoist Wuchen and the other First Ranks arrived and helped suppress its surging Demonic Qi.
• Divine Monk Jialan claimed an enemy had tricked him into breaking a stele, but Jian Wuji and the others rejected his explanation and demanded he take responsibility.
• Daoist Wuchen revealed that seven of the Twelve ancient Demon Gods were sealed beneath the Demon Domain Sea and that Heaven-and-Earth Yang Power was needed to kill them.
• The eleven First Ranks repeatedly suppressed powerful eruptions around the Sea Eye, then spent three days planning formations, magical artifacts, and scriptures to contain the inexhaustible Demonic Qi.
• Daoist Wuchen left to summon reinforcements while Lin Zhen and the others prepared formations, and the Tuxie Dynasty proposed banning First Rank experts when the Three Great Dynasties raised concerns about protecting their realms.

The Demon Domain Sea erupted into a catastrophe as demons swarmed and Demon Gods began to emerge, while the Great Sage's incomplete scripture briefly helped suppress the turmoil. In the Western Continent, Huixin attained enlightenment in Mahayana Buddhist Dharma at the brink of death, and the chapter ended with Daoist Wuchen buying time for Wang Chaoyang to bring the complete Sage Scriptures.

• Daoist Wuchen mediated a First-Rank Nonintervention Edict and a three-year truce after the Great Wei Dynasty refused to send its First Rank experts to the Demon Domain Sea.
• The Demon Domain Sea drew increasing numbers of demons, and the first great eruption empowered millions of them before they fled and spread slaughter across the realm.
• Wang Chaoyang brought the Great Sage's incomplete scripture to the Demon Domain Sea, using righteous Haoran qi to kill demons and ease the upheaval.
• Huixin sealed his cultivation and wandered the Red Wasteland as a mortal, enduring hunger and thirst until he understood that Mahayana Buddhist Dharma meant freeing himself from fetters and following his heart.
• A voice called for Huixin to awaken as three Demon Gods began emerging from the Demon Domain Sea, and Daoist Wuchen entered the depths to hold them back while others sought Wang Chaoyang and the complete Sage Scriptures.

As the Demon Gods threatened to awaken in the Demon Domain Sea, Wang Chaoyang withheld the Great Sage’s True Scripture, hoping to use the crisis to undermine Xu Qingxiao’s popular support. Xu Qingxiao imparted Mahayana Buddhist Dharma, helped Huixin reach the Buddhist Order’s First Rank, and arrived to confront the Seven Great Demon Gods, who unexpectedly knelt before him.

• Daoist Wuchen called for scriptures and reinforcements to suppress the Demon Domain Sea, but Wang Chaoyang sent only a copied Sage scripture and plotted to let Xu Qingxiao fail before making his own entrance.
• The copied scripture briefly quelled the turmoil, but a dragon claw shattered it, and the Abomination Demon God began to emerge and influence the First Rank experts’ minds.
• Xu Qingxiao announced that he would impart Mahayana Buddhist Dharma, recited the Heart Sutra in the Western Continent, and helped Huixin attain Right Awakening and the Buddhist Order’s First Rank.
• Xu Qingxiao told Huixin to spread Mahayana Buddhist Dharma, then traveled with him to the Demon Domain Sea to suppress the Seven Great Demon Gods.
• When Xu Qingxiao appeared, the Seven Great Demon Gods fell silent and slowly sank to their knees before him.

Xu Qingxiao lost control of the Demon God marks within him, causing the seven Demon Gods to kneel before him and the world to believe he was a demon. He suppressed the crisis temporarily, but rumors spread and Prince Huaining called for his title to be revoked; after vanishing for weeks, Xu Qingxiao appeared outside Zhou Ling’s home.

• Xu Qingxiao’s demonic qi manifested Taiyin, Taiyuan, Juwu, a True Dragon, a Demon Bird, and Chaos, and the seven Demon Gods and countless demons bowed before him.
• Wang Chaoyang and Prince Huaining accused Xu Qingxiao of being a demon, while Chen Zhengru, Daoist Wuchen, and the Female Emperor defended him.
• Huixin and Daoist Wuchen tried to awaken Xu Qingxiao with Buddhist and Daoist scriptures, and Zhaoge’s voice helped restore his consciousness.
• Xu Qingxiao ordered the seven Demon Gods back into the Sea Eye, then told Huixin to spread the Heart Sutra and gave Daoist Wuchen the complete Dao De Jing to make Demon-Suppressing Steles.
• Rumors spread worldwide, and Prince Huaining asked the Female Emperor to strip Xu Qingxiao of his title as Pacification King, but Chen Zhengru defended him.
• After disappearing for weeks, Xu Qingxiao appeared outside Zhou Ling’s home in Ping'an County.

Xu Qingxiao returned to Ping'an County and learned from Zhou Ling that the Great Sage had chosen him, while hidden sages sought eternal life by awakening the Three Great Fiendish Gods. After advancing to the peak of the second rank and returning to the capital, Xu Qingxiao entered court and told the Female Emperor to summon his challengers.

• Xu Qingxiao questioned Zhou Ling, who admitted he had placed the Heaven and Earth Literary Palace in Xu Qingxiao's mind and revealed that the Great Sage was his ancestor.
• Zhou Ling explained that the Fourth- and Fifth-Generation Sages sought eternal life through the Three Great Fiendish Gods, and that Xu Qingxiao was the Great Sage's chosen one, destined to stop the calamity.
• Zhou Ling showed Xu Qingxiao a portrait inscribed with “My teacher” and said the Great Sage had identified Xu Qingxiao as his teacher, though neither man understood how they could have met.
• Xu Qingxiao spent seven days cultivating in the mountains and raised his Martial, Immortal, and Buddhist Daos to the peak of the second rank, but he did not use the demon mark to break through to the first rank.
• After three months away, Xu Qingxiao returned to the Great Wei Capital, where the people welcomed him and Prince Huaining and Wang Chaoyang gathered supporters to confront him.
• Xu Qingxiao entered the Great Hall, greeted the Female Emperor, and asked her to summon the kings and Wang Chaoyang's Grand Confucians.

Xu Qingxiao returned to court and openly admitted to practicing unorthodox arts, then relied on Great Wei’s laws and the Female Emperor’s backing to defy his accusers. After slapping Prince Huaining and Ji Yuan and confronting Wang Chaoyang, he called upon heaven and earth to witness his heart as he entered the Second Sage realm.

• Prince Huaining accused Xu Qingxiao of practicing unorthodox arts and demanded his execution, but Xu admitted the charge and invoked a law exempting Half-Saints from the punishment.
• Ji Ling confirmed that she had approved the exemption, and she permitted Wang Chaoyang to practice unorthodox arts as well, leaving the accusers without a way to use the charge against Xu.
• Xu Qingxiao released Second Rank pressure on Ji Yuan, then slapped him and Prince Huaining when they challenged him in court.
• Xu Qingxiao rebuked Prince Huaining and Ji Yuan for their actions and asserted that his achievements and power made him a pillar of Great Wei.
• Wang Chaoyang invoked Sage Intent and challenged Xu Qingxiao, who called upon heaven and earth to witness his heart and declared that he would enter the Second Sage realm.

Xu Qingxiao faced Wang Chaoyang’s Sage Intent Judgment and used the Great Sage’s sword to purge the Three Demon Mark within himself. As the demonic qi erupted and a Second Sage Seal formed, the outcome of his breakthrough remained uncertain.

• Wang Chaoyang summoned five Sages’ intent to kill Xu Qingxiao, while Xu Qingxiao declared that he would examine his heart and enter the Second Sage realm.
• Xu Qingxiao endured the first four swords using his Sage Artifacts and the Great Wei Dragon Cauldron.
• Ji Ling threatened to destroy the Heaven and Earth Literary Palace and its Three Thousand Grand Confucians if Xu Qingxiao was harmed.
• The Great Sage’s fifth sword awakened beyond Wang Chaoyang’s control, and Xu Qingxiao invoked Heaven and Earth Heart Appraisal to draw its power into himself.
• The sage intent collided with Xu Qingxiao’s Three Demon Mark, making him cough black blood before the demonic qi erupted and a Second Sage Seal condensed within him.

Xu Qingxiao purged much of his demonic qi, became a Second Sage, and defeated Wang Chaoyang’s attempt to discredit him before the Mirror of Heaven and Earth. With Ji Ling’s support, he moved to unify Great Wei by punishing the vassal kings and expelling rival factions, but the chapter ends with word that the barbarians are about to attack.

• Xu Qingxiao’s Second Sage Mark formed as popular will and the power of Heaven and Earth suppressed, but did not eliminate, his Three Demon Mark.
• Wang Chaoyang challenged Xu Qingxiao before the Mirror of Heaven and Earth, but Xu Qingxiao rebutted his accusations and exposed that Wang Chaoyang’s own rise to sagehood was suspect.
• Xu Qingxiao accused Wang Chaoyang of borrowing the power of scholars who died when the Haoran Kingdom fell, while Wang Chaoyang’s allies shielded him and helped him leave.
• Xu Qingxiao called for the vassal kings and the Seven Stars Dao Sect to be expelled from Great Wei, and Ji Ling ordered Prince Huaining arrested and the kings’ fiefs seized.
• Ji Yuan was sentenced to a year in the Court of Judicial Review, while Xu Qingxiao vowed not to harm the world if demonic corruption overcame him and Ji Ling pardoned his crime of practicing unorthodox arts.
• In prison, Prince Huaining heard that the barbarians were about to attack Great Wei and that victory was assured.

Imprisoned Prince Huaining agreed to join the Masked Man’s plan for a barbarian invasion and rebellion after learning about the Chuyuan Dynasty’s Heavenly Thunder Cannons. By nightfall, he asked the guards to let him see Xu Qingxiao.

• Prince Huaining resolved to abandon his ambitions and avoid opposing Xu Qingxiao, but the Masked Man approached him with a new plan.
• The Masked Man urged Prince Huaining to join the barbarians and rebel against Great Wei, while Prince Huaining questioned the plan and demanded to hear its details.
• The Masked Man revealed that the Chuyuan Dynasty had secretly made over a hundred Heavenly Thunder Cannons and that renewed trouble in the Demon Domain Sea would keep First Rank experts from intervening.
• Prince Huaining demanded an invasion map, but the Masked Man refused to provide it, and Prince Huaining ultimately agreed to the plan.
• After the Masked Man left, Prince Huaining waited until night and told the guards he wanted to see Xu Qingxiao.

Xu Qingxiao presented five national policies to develop Great Wei and gained Ji Ling’s approval after explaining how labor and future benefits would help fund them. In the Imperial Prison, Prince Huaining revealed plans for a barbarian invasion and offered to help Great Wei in exchange for amnesty, leaving Xu Qingxiao to decide whether to trust him.

• Xu Qingxiao proposed five national policies focused on agriculture, military strength, infrastructure, education, and benefits for newborns and the elderly, and said he would secure twenty billion taels of silver within six months.
• Xu Qingxiao explained that people could earn future education and elder-care benefits by working for the dynasty, and Ji Ling approved the policies.
• Xu Qingxiao told Ji Ling that Great Wei’s prosperity and unification of the Central Continent were necessary to suppress the demonic thought within him.
• Prince Huaining summoned Xu Qingxiao to the Imperial Prison and revealed that the Barbarian Tribe planned to invade Great Wei with support from the Chuyuan Dynasty’s Heavenly Thunder Cannon.
• Prince Huaining admitted he had handed over an outdated Border Defense Map and offered to aid Ji Ling in exchange for forgiveness for his past actions; Xu Qingxiao questioned whether he was being deceived.

Xu Qingxiao questioned Prince Huaining in the Imperial Prison and learned why he had defected, what he knew about the conspirators, and how he proposed to counter a barbarian invasion. After Xu Qingxiao left to report to Ji Ling, Prince Huaining mocked Ji Yuan’s hopes of becoming emperor, while a mysterious blast struck among the barbarians.

• Prince Huaining told Xu Qingxiao he had defected because he wanted to win once after years of losing to his allies, and Xu Qingxiao agreed to report his information to Ji Ling.
• Prince Huaining proposed sacrificing at least a hundred thousand people to lure the barbarians into an ambush, but Xu Qingxiao said he would consider whether another approach was possible.
• Prince Huaining revealed that a powerful being sought immortality by sacrificing Great Wei’s destiny and was likely trying to resurrect an ancient being; he also warned Xu Qingxiao about a secret artifact forged by the Chuyuan Dynasty.
• Xu Qingxiao left the prison, and Prince Huaining told Ji Yuan that Xu Qingxiao wanted half the realm, prompting Ji Yuan to offer him a large share of Great Wei in hopes of securing his support.
• A small mountain among the barbarians vanished in an earth-shaking blast.

The Barbarian Tribe invaded Great Wei with Heavenly Thunder Cannons, rapidly conquering border cities and slaughtering soldiers and civilians. Xu Qingxiao led Great Wei’s forces to the Heavenly Wolf Mountains, where he and Great General Tulu faced each other as a decisive battle loomed.

• Great General Tulu demanded more Heavenly Thunder Cannons and supplies from the Chuyuan and Tuxie dynasties, which negotiated aid for the Barbarian Tribe’s invasion.
• The Tuxie emperor and Great Emperor Chuyuan agreed to support the war while pursuing their own plans, and the three powers formed a Grand Council against Great Wei.
• Xu Qingxiao secretly prepared Great Wei’s defenses, assembled troops near the border, and arranged for five hundred thousand soldiers to retreat during an early clash.
• The Barbarian Tribe used its cannons to breach border cities, seize territory, and slaughter Great Wei’s people, while Great Wei’s anger grew.
• After the Barbarian Tribe captured twenty-three cities, Xu Qingxiao led two million troops to the Heavenly Wolf Mountains, where he confronted Tulu as both armies prepared to fight.

Xu Qingxiao revealed the First-Rank Divine Martial Cannon during the battle in the Heavenly Wolf Mountains and obliterated the Barbarian Tribe’s seven-hundred-thousand-strong army. The world watched in shock as only four badly wounded survivors remained.

• Xu Qingxiao rejected Great General Tulu’s offer to surrender and declared that the first battle would be the last.
• Xu Qingxiao and Great General Tulu prepared their armies for battle while both sides gathered a million soldiers and outside powers watched.
• Great General Tulu ordered the Heavenly Thunder Cannons to fire early, but Xu Qingxiao answered by bringing out the Divine Martial Cannon.
• Xu Qingxiao fired the Divine Martial Cannon, destroying the Barbarian Tribe’s army and devastating the battlefield.
• The blast left only four survivors, including the fifth prince, and a voice in the Chuyuan Dynasty identified the weapon as a First-Rank Heavenly Thunder Cannon.

Xu Qingxiao used Great Wei’s Divine Martial Cannon to annihilate seven hundred thousand Barbarian soldiers, then refused the Barbarian King’s pleas for peace and ordered the Barbarian Tribe destroyed. After the cannon blasted open the tribe’s capital gates with a second shot, the Chuyuan and Tuxie dynasties moved to intervene as Xu Qingxiao commanded his army to attack.

• Xu Qingxiao’s Divine Martial Cannon swept across three hundred li and killed seven hundred thousand Barbarian soldiers, stunning Great Wei and the world.
• The Female Emperor invested Xu Qingxiao as Duke Protector of the Nation, while the Chuyuan and Tuxie dynasties began investigating the cannon and seeking to protect their interests.
• The Barbarian King blamed Great General Tulu and the Fifth Prince for the invasion, sought peace with Great Wei, and received demands from Chuyuan and Tuxie to return their resources.
• Xu Qingxiao killed the surviving Fifth Prince and two second-rank cultivators, then ordered Great Wei’s million-strong army to advance and destroy the Barbarian Tribe.
• The Female Emperor rejected peace talks after learning Xu Qingxiao had reached the Barbarian capital, and Xu Qingxiao demanded that its gates be opened.
• Xu Qingxiao fired the Divine Martial Cannon a second time, blasted open the capital gates, and ordered his army to annihilate the Barbarian Tribe as Chuyuan and Tuxie prepared to intervene.

Xu Qingxiao’s Divine Martial Cannon devastated the Barbarian Kingdom, and he defied the Tuxie and Chuyuan emperors’ demands by continuing the invasion and demonstrating the weapon’s power at their borders. After the Barbarian King killed himself and surrendered, the Barbarian Tribe’s providence flowed to Great Wei, and the Central Continent Dragon Cauldron began to take shape.

• The Barbarian King rejected fleeing to Tuxie, sent his descendants and ministers away, and stayed behind as Great Wei’s army invaded the Barbarian Kingdom.
• Xu Qingxiao ordered the army to seize the Barbarian Kingdom and ignored Great Emperor Chuyuan’s and Great Emperor Tuxie’s accusations that Great Wei had secretly deployed a first-rank cultivator.
• Xu Qingxiao fired the Divine Martial Cannon at the Chuyuan Dynasty’s border, and Chuyuan’s first-rank expert confirmed that no first-rank cultivator had acted.
• Xu Qingxiao fired at the Tuxie Dynasty’s border, then revealed three more cannons and declared that Great Wei had no shortage of first-rank cannons.
• Xu Qingxiao ordered the army to occupy the Barbarian Tribe within twenty-four hours, while the Tuxie and Chuyuan dynasties backed down.
• The Barbarian King killed himself after issuing an Edict of Self-Blame and surrendering, and the Barbarian Tribe’s providence flowed to Great Wei as the Central Continent Dragon Cauldron began to take shape.

After the Barbarian Kingdom surrendered, its national fortune flowed into Great Wei, transforming the Great Wei Dragon Cauldron into the Central Continent Dragon Cauldron. The Tuxie and Chuyuan dynasties debated how to respond to Great Wei’s power, while Xu Qingxiao witnessed the transformation from the Barbarian Kingdom and felt his Three Demon Mark suppressed.

• The Barbarian Kingdom surrendered to Great Wei, and its fortune surged toward the Great Wei Dragon Cauldron.
• The Tuxie Chancellor advised Great Emperor Tuxie to seek the Heavenly Thunder Cannons through negotiations while preparing to declare war if Great Wei did not answer within a month.
• The Chuyuan Dynasty hesitated over Great Wei’s cannons and decided to coordinate with Tuxie and contact other powers.
• A Five-Clawed Golden Dragon emerged above Great Wei’s capital, and the Great Wei Dragon Cauldron transformed into the Central Continent Dragon Cauldron.
• Xu Qingxiao watched from the Barbarian Kingdom as golden light entered his body and suppressed his Three Demon Mark.

The Central Continent Dragon Cauldron awakened, transforming Great Wei and promising prosperity, while Xu Qingxiao prepared to secure the surrendered Barbarian Kingdom and pursue more Divine Martial Cannons. Wang Chaoyang then tried to claim the Cauldron’s fortune through a Great Vow backed by foreign powers, and Xu Qingxiao began making forty-eight Great Vows in response.

• The Vice Minister of Rites explained that the Central Continent Dragon Cauldron had awakened, bringing spirit rice, revived dragon veins, and rising fortune to Great Wei.
• Ji Ling and her ministers celebrated Great Wei’s prospects, while Ji Ling deferred further decisions until Xu Qingxiao returned.
• Xu Qingxiao ordered the Barbarian Kingdom’s wealth seized, its people registered for labor, and participants in the Jingcheng Humiliation executed.
• Xu Qingxiao considered the threat posed by the Divine Martial Cannon’s exposure and planned to seek supreme-grade spirit gold in the Central Continent Immortal Treasury.
• Wang Chaoyang made a Great Vow to spread the Dao and end war, while leaders of the Immortal Dao, Buddhist Dao, Tuxie, and Chuyuan pledged support that drew fortune toward him.
• Xu Qingxiao rushed back toward Great Wei and began making forty-eight Great Vows as Wang Chaoyang’s bid for the Dragon Cauldron’s fortune took effect.