Arc 52Chapters 1276–1300
No recap yet.
No recap yet.
Xu Taiping split his consciousness among three Mysterious Origin Avatars and gathered the four armies of fallen souls to challenge Li Yezhu. He began forming ranks with all four armies, while observers doubted he could control their battle intent before Li Yezhu defeated them.
Xu Taiping’s Black Tortoise Army finally answered his command, proving that he could wield three Heaven Rank Iron Armor Tokens and helping the Azure Dragon and White Tiger battle intents drive back Li Yezhu’s Spider Demon. As the onlookers celebrated his achievement, Li Yezhu’s three hundred thousand Corpse Wraiths advanced again in near-perfect formation.
Xu Taiping tried to summon the battle intent of the one hundred thousand Vermilion Bird Armor, but his struggle to command it destabilized his other formations and endangered his divine soul. As Li Yezhu’s forces closed in and defeat seemed certain, Xu Taiping finally shouted the command to the Vermilion Bird Armor.
Xu Taiping successfully summoned the battle intent of the four army formations, turning the Vermilion Bird Battle Intent against Li Yezhu’s attack. After their blades clashed, Xu Taiping was badly struck, and Blade Slave went after Li Yezhu to demonstrate the first form of the Life-Taking Blade.
Blade Slave’s Life-Taking Blade gravely wounded Li Yezhu, but the Mysterious Wasteland Tower’s restrictions prevented him from killing him. Li Yezhu began restoring his strength with spider battle intent, leaving Xu Taiping facing a stronger opponent and unable to attack without risking Blade Slave’s intervention.
Li Yezhu trapped Xu Taiping in his overwhelming Please Enter the Urn attack, shattering Xu Taiping’s defenses. Rather than retreat, Xu Taiping used the Life-Taking Blade’s Deity-Sealing Form, and a divine manifestation empowered him as he prepared to meet Li Yezhu’s assault.
Xu Taiping used the Life-Taking Blade’s Deity-Sealing Form to grievously wound Li Yezhu, while the Old Palace Master explained the divine power behind his strike. Blade Slave then demonstrated the second form, Crossing the Gods, but Li Yezhu’s Demon Seed-created doubles absorbed its damage, leaving many of them intact.
Blade Slave summoned the Yellow Springs Ferryboat with the Life-Taking Blade’s Ferrying Gods form, destroying most of Li Yezhu’s life-substituting clones before his blade force ran out. After Xu Taiping said he had learned sixty to seventy percent of the form, Blade Slave stepped aside and told him to kill Li Yezhu and break through the Imperial Capital of Guifang.
In the Spider Cocoon, Xu Taiping gathered his strength and launched a Crossing the Gods strike at Li Yezhu, astonishing the King of Chu, Zhu Huai, and Sword Immortal Qionghua. They remained unsure whether Xu Taiping had grasped the form’s essence and could summon Huang Que, leaving the strike’s outcome unresolved.
Xu Taiping wielded the Crossing the Gods Style against Li Yezhu, drawing the astonishment of the Three Sovereigns Dao Palace observers. He opened the Netherworld with his blade, leaving his mastery of the style’s crucial technique confirmed as the battle continued.
Xu Taiping used the Yellow Springs Skiff to destroy Li Yezhu’s remaining life-substitution clones and force him to flee, then led his forces into the Guifang Imperial Capital. The city’s interior remained perilous, leaving the path to the Heaven-Ascending Platform uncertain.
Xu Taiping’s party fought through the inner city toward the Heaven-Ascending Platform after a Soul-Summoning Banner forced the Four-Hundred-Thousand Ghost Army back into its tokens. Dugu Qingxiao, Zhang Moyan, and Xuanzhi each held off powerful ghost cultivators so Xu Taiping could keep advancing, while the King of Chu watched uneasily.
Xu Taiping and his companions reached the Heaven-Ascending Platform, where ghost creatures and evil gods threatened their final ascent to the twelfth layer. As Gu Qingcheng and the others held off the attackers, Xu Taiping charged toward the platform.
The Old Palace Master recognized Xiahou You’s talent and decided to test her for the Nine Books of Cloud Talisman, while he and Yun Shiliu watched Xu Taiping and Blade Slave fight their way up the Heaven-Ascending Platform. Blade Slave invited Xu Taiping to take his place against the demons, and Xu Taiping accepted as an evil god launched an attack.
Xu Taiping fought his way up the Heaven-Ascending Platform, honing the Life-Taking Blade under Blade Slave’s harsh instruction. Blade Slave saved him from dozens of Evil Gods, and the chapter ended with them facing Goshu Miu and the legendary Ancient Demon Chiyin.
The Old Palace Master explained that the Chiyin facing Blade Slave was a remnant soul, and suspected the Nine Abysses planned to use their battle to restore it. Blade Slave devised a surprise attack with Xu Taiping, who began fighting Goshu Miu to create an opening.
Xu Taiping fought Goshu Miu, who revealed a powerful ghost ally, but the trapped primordial spirits of many Martial Gods gave Xu Taiping an opening. They asked him to kill Goshu Miu even though his death would also destroy their souls, leaving Xu Taiping to decide whether to strike.
Xu Taiping agreed to grant the trapped Martial Gods their wish for death and trapped himself and Goshu Miu in the Red Lion Ghost King's Beast Cage. He unleashed a single Crossing the Gods strike, while Goshu Miu relied on his remaining lives to endure it.
Xu Taiping defeated Goshu Miu with an Ultimate Realm Crossing the Gods strike, destroying the Martial Gods’ Primordial Spirits in the Beast Cage. He asked the deity for another push and used the power to strike Ancient Demon Chi Yin, then ordered Elder Zhang to set up the formation.
Xu Taiping and the Blade Slave joined forces to drive Ancient Demon Chi Yin back, while the King of Chu learned why the Spirit-Shocking Formation was needed to open the way to the Mysterious Wasteland Tower’s Twelfth Layer. As Elder Zhang set up the formation on the Heaven-Ascending Platform, the Nine Abysses attacked him, but his protective treasures shielded him.
Xu Taiping and the Blade Slave defeated Ancient Demon Chi Yin while Elder Zhang activated the Spirit-Shocking Formation to open the Heavenly Gate to the Twelfth Layer. Chi Yin’s final punch crippled Elder Zhang and shattered the formation’s immortal sword, closing the gate, and the Blade Slave proposed that Xu Taiping try a Heavenly Gate Crash.
After the Spirit-Shocking Formation’s nodes were destroyed, Xu Taiping refused to reverse time and attempted to open the Heavenly Gate by crashing into it. He survived the gate’s retaliation and prepared to try again, accepting Blade Slave’s final trial.
Xu Taiping struck at the Heavenly Gate and was horribly wounded by its might, but he refused to give up and exchanged all his military merit for Dragon Blood Pills and Immortal Spirit Marrow. The Tower Spirit granted his request, leaving Xu Taiping with the supplies he needed to continue his attempt.
Xu Taiping repeatedly battered the Heavenly Gate despite the devastating injuries caused by its heavenly might. After Elder Zhang urged him to stop, Xu Taiping asked whether he truly wanted justice for Mysterious Wasteland Heaven, and Elder Zhang begged him to smash the gate.
Xu Taiping realized he could improve his Dragon Whale Physique to break through the Heavenly Gates, and took all his remaining Dragon Blood Pills and Immortal Spirit Marrow to attempt Dragon Transformation. Fairy Lingyue and the Abyssal Pavilion's seats watched in alarm, unaware that his risky plan was entirely his own.