Arc 17Chapters 401–425
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Xu Taiping used clones to defeat the assassins sent after him and learned from Fairy Lingyue that Jin Hezhi had hired them. As Demoness Su Su trapped one clone in a formation, Xu Taiping considered kidnapping her to demand ransom from the Poison King Cult.
Xu Taiping faced Demoness Su Su’s demand for the secret of All Beings Are Equal while protecting Xu Miaoyan from the Poison King Cult’s formation. He secured Xu Miaoyan in armor and a protective talisman, returned her senior brother’s voice-transmitting jade slip, and left to confront Su Su as he considered their karmic tie settled.
Xu Taiping used a clone to mislead Demoness Su Su and lure her into an ambush, then abducted her before the Poison King Cult's Holy Maiden trapped them both beneath her Flower Umbrella. Xu Taiping drew the Water-Cutting Blade and prepared to strike the umbrella, which the Holy Maiden recognized.
Xu Taiping rejected the Poison King Cult Holy Maiden’s offer and was rescued by Chen Hao and Huang Que. Huang Que took him to a hidden courtyard and revealed that the Azure Profound Sect’s upheaval concerned the Seven Peaks Grand Competition: the Seventh Peak Lord had been imprisoned.
Huang Que told Xu Taiping that Peak Lord Zhao Qian had been imprisoned after his Sword Intent revived, while Qingxiao was trapped in Fallen Longyuan amid a deadly jiangshi outbreak. Xu Taiping refused to abandon the Seven Peaks Grand Competition, even as Huang Que relayed the Nine Prefectures’ request that he stay out of the conflict.
Xu Taiping learned from Huang Que about the Golden Scale Assembly, its ranking, and the fortune Emperor Youyun bestowed on cultivators and their realms. Huang Que explained that Xu had been rejected from the original roster, but a new invitation specifically required him to attend the assembly in Youyun Heaven ten years later.
Xu Taiping learned that Shang Jiu had sent a Moonshadow Stone recording his battle at Lotus Temple, and Huang Que warned him that Qingxuan’s Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation made returning dangerous. Huang Que urged him to leave for Youyun Heaven, but Xu Taiping chose to stand by his senior brothers and sisters on Seventh Peak.
Xu Taiping decided to return to Qingxuan and fight to protect the Seventh Peak, while Zhao Linglong grieved for her missing fellow disciples and vowed to challenge the Sect Master. She confronted He Jun when he claimed Moon Perching Pavilion as a First Peak cultivation ground.
Xu Taiping returned to Qingxuan and reunited with Zhao Linglong after she faced He Jun and First Peak disciples trying to provoke her. He Jun challenged Xu Taiping under the pretense of a spar, but Xu Taiping crushed his sword formation and beat him until Jin Hezhi intervened.
Xu Taiping used Qingxuan’s rules to punish First Peak disciples who had trespassed at Moon Perching Pavilion, defying Jin Yue and Jin Hezhi as they tried to stop him. The chapter ended with Jin Yue claiming he needed to search the residence for a Devil Race spy, while Xu Taiping cited a rule giving him time to prepare before an elder could enter.
Xu Taiping defended the Moon Perching Pavilion from Jin Yue and the First Peak, demonstrating that his strength had grown enough to repel Jin Yue’s attack. After the Seventh Peak’s disciples and allies gathered, Jin Yue withdrew, while Jin Hezhi threatened Xu Taiping ahead of the Seven Peaks Grand Competition.
Jin Hezhi confronted Jin Yue over Zhao Qian's killing of his demonized mother, while Xu Taiping prepared to represent the Seventh Peak in the Grand Competition. As the first round began, Ninth Uncle and Prefect Liu made plans to protect Xu Taiping from the dangers surrounding Qingxuan.
Xu Taiping prepared for the Seven Dragons Seize the Pearl contest as the stands buzzed about his reputation and he reassured Xu Ziyan that Dugu Qingxiao would return. Xu Ziyan warned him that the Sect Master's rule could cost the bottom two peaks a third of their Immortal Fields or Medicine Gardens.
Xu Taiping, Jiang Zhi, and Zhao Linglong competed for the Clam Pearls in the Seven Peaks Grand Competition’s first round. After Jin Hezhi knocked Zhao Linglong into the pool and their attempt failed, Xu Taiping proposed a different strategy for the next round.
During the Seven Peaks Grand Competition, Jiang Zhi and Zhao Linglong seized five Clam Pearls and passed them to Xu Taiping, who smashed through a blockade of eight disciples to place them on a statue. After Seventh Peak secured five pearls in the round, Xu Taiping urged his senior sisters to keep gathering as many pearls as possible, confident in his growing strength.
Xu Taiping and his Seventh Peak companions captured all seven Clam Pearls in round three, as Xu Taiping smashed through the other peaks’ defenses and placed them in a Five Elders Statue. Jin Hezhi then accused Xu Taiping of breaking the rules by using an offensive technique.
After Jin Hezhi and Lu Zimu accused Xu Taiping of cheating, Xu Taiping proposed proving his strength by punching each of them without True Essence. He sent Lu Zimu flying into the pool and then turned to Jin Hezhi for his turn.
Xu Taiping proved he had not cheated by using only his qi and blood to punch Jin Hezhi, sending him flying and silencing the doubters. As the fourth round of the Seven Peaks Grand Competition began, Xu Taiping reassured Jiang Zhi and revealed an even more intimidating aura.
As the Seventh Peak prepared for the next Seven Peaks Grand Competition contest, Xu Taiping brought out two Grass Return Pills he had refined to help heal Jiang Zhi and Zhou Liang. The disciples agreed that Zhou Liang, Wu Mo, and Shi Wen would join the endurance contest, hoping to secure the win that could keep their chance at becoming Chief alive.
Xu Taiping gave Jiang Zhi and Zhou Liang Grass Return Pills to treat their hidden injuries, and both accepted them before the Seven Peaks Grand Competition. At the match against the Fourth Peak, Jiang Zhi and Zhou Liang appeared confident enough to compete without Xu Taiping, while their opponents prepared to face them seriously.
Fourth Peak’s Zhu Shining impressed the Seven Peaks Grand Competition by inscribing a verse while suspending five hundred jin of iron. She then challenged Zhao Linglong, while Wu Mo resolved to fight for Seven Peaks when her turn came.
Fifth Senior Sister Wu Mo took Zhao Linglong’s place in the Fourth Peak’s challenge and attempted to suspend more than Zhu Ningshi’s 500 jin. Despite her fear and the pain of soul weeping, she kept controlling her jade hairpin as the iron’s weight reached 400 jin.
Fifth Senior Sister Wu Mo endured the Soul Weeping Affliction to lift ship-ballast iron with her jade hairpin during the Seven Peaks contest. After reaching the cliff and nearly dropping the hairpin into the pool, she steadied it and kept trying to raise it.
Wu Mo defeated Zhu Ningshi by suspending five hundred and one jin of iron, but collapsed from the strain. Zhou Liang then answered Tang Yi’s nine-hundred-jin challenge by attempting to suspend fourteen hundred jin despite his injury from Blade Ghost.
Zhou Liang and Jiang Zhi led Seventh Peak to victory over Fourth Peak, revealing that Jiang Zhi had recovered her strength. First Peak chose Seventh Peak as its next opponent, and Xu Taiping's seniors promised to fight while preserving his sword.