Chapter Summaries

Xu Taiping learned that the Heaven-Illuminating Mirror could contain its dangerous demonic qi for only two more days, so he decided to cross the sandstorm toward the Wilderness early. Dongfang Yuejian revealed the dangers waiting in Yangxian, where Blade Ghost offered to face the Blade Emperor Yang Ben.

• Xu Taiping told Master Xuanzhi that they had to reach the Wilderness within two days to bring the Heaven-Illuminating Mirror to Venerable Jiaye, and decided to force their way through the sandstorm.
• Dongfang Yuejian explained that the sandstorm weakened around the ruins of Yangxian, but warned that Cangyuan's remnant soul and dragon cavalry might attack travelers there.
• Xu Taiping said he could evade Cangyuan using the Form- and Shadow-Transposition Technique and Chengying's Heaven-Shrouding Divine Intent.
• Dongfang Yuejian revealed that Yang Ben had moved his Dao Field to Yangxian and challenged Cangyuan for over thirty years, then forced anyone entering the city to test blades against him.
• As Xu Taiping worried that he could not evade Yang Ben, Blade Ghost offered to take on the Blade Emperor.

A black-clad youth and a purple-robed elder questioned two cultivators in Old Dragon Court about rumors surrounding Dongfang Yuejian and Ningchan Cave. After learning only hearsay, the elder said divination placed Dongfang Yuejian and a Martial Artist who could manifest a True Dragon’s body in the city.

• The black-clad youth and purple-robed elder sat down with two cultivators and demanded to know where they had heard the rumors about Ningchan Cave’s missing Walkers.
• When the green-clad cultivator tried to attack, the black-clad youth suppressed him, while the purple-robed elder compelled the gray-clad cultivator to gouge out his eyes and leap to his death.
• The purple-robed elder ordered the black-clad youth to search the green-clad cultivator’s soul.
• The black-clad youth found only hearsay and no information about Dongfang Yuejian or the monk Xuanzhi.
• The purple-robed elder said divination placed Dongfang Yuejian and a Martial Artist able to manifest a True Dragon’s body in Old Dragon Court, and showed a scrap of Dharma Robe torn from Xu Taiping.

Qingshi and Elder Lu learned that Dongfang Yuejian, Xuanzhi, and Xu Taiping's Origin Beginning Clone had arrived at Yangxian City, a dangerous pass guarded by the remains of General Cangyuan and his Dragon Cavalry. They watched the trio approach through a Spirit Mirror, and Qingshi asked Elder Lu how to respond.

• Qingshi explained that Yangxian City guarded the ruins of an ancient Dragon Clan Medicine Garden and was defended by Cangyuan and his Dragon Cavalry.
• Elder Lu began to leave, but returned when people identified Dongfang Yuejian and Xuanzhi among the three attempting to enter the city.
• Qingshi activated a Spirit Mirror and identified the abandoned city and the sealed Shuohan Heaven Heavenly Gang Spear at its center.
• Elder Lu and Qingshi recognized Dongfang Yuejian, Xuanzhi, and Xu Taiping's Origin Beginning Clone, who carried a coffin.
• Elder Lu noted Xu Taiping's clone had the physical strength of an ordinary Martial God Realm Martial Artist, and Qingshi asked what they should do as the trio approached the city.

Qingshi and Elder Lu watched for Xu Taiping and his companions to enter Yangxian City, while summoning more Ningchan Cave cultivators to help avenge Jing Xian. As the three reached the city, a rare Sandstorm Dragon Breath attacked them, and Master Xuanzhi raised his Dharma Robe to shield them.

• Qingshi and Elder Lu decided to wait until Xu Taiping, Dongfang Yuejian, and Master Xuanzhi were weakened before attacking them.
• Lü Hu told Qingshi that she and Thousand Threads had successfully possessed bodies and descended to the Lower Realm, and Qingshi summoned them to the First-Rank Pavilion.
• Qingshi agreed to let Elder Lu claim the half-step Great Sage martial artist and the Dragon-Slaying Stele.
• Xu Taiping, Dongfang Yuejian, and Master Xuanzhi chose to enter Yangxian City despite the approaching sandstorm.
• A dragon-shaped phantom merged with the sandstorm and swooped at the three, and Master Xuanzhi flung his Dharma Robe overhead to protect them.

Xu Taiping, Xuanzhi, and Dongfang Yuejian fled the sand dragon through Yangxian City, but its relentless attacks forced Xu Taiping to face it alone before they reached the city center. As Xu Taiping prepared to fight, observers in the Old Dragon Court believed the trio had run out of options.

• The sand dragon pursued Xu Taiping, Xuanzhi, and Dongfang Yuejian into Yangxian City, repeatedly attacking them as they sheltered behind ruins and Xuanzhi's kasaya.
• Xu Taiping warned that they could be caught between the sand dragon and the Dragon Court Divine General, so they needed to kill the dragon before reaching the Central Area.
• Xu Taiping asked Xuanzhi and Dongfang Yuejian to lure the sand dragon down while he handled the fight, and he refused Blade Ghost's offer to act so he could conserve his strength for later battles.
• After the sand dragon shattered Xuanzhi's kasaya, Xu Taiping summoned the Chengying Sword and vanished using his Heaven Shrouding Divine Intent as Xuanzhi and Dongfang Yuejian withdrew behind a broken wall.
• At the Old Dragon Court, Elder Lu of Ningchan Cave mocked the trio and predicted Xuanzhi's bronze bell would not withstand the sand dragon's next breath.

Qingshi, Lü Hu, Thousand Threads, and Elder Lu watched Xu Taiping face the sand dragon, mistaking his true dragon physique for a divine ability. The dragon's breath exposed Xu Taiping, who stayed behind to draw it away while Dongfang Yuejian and Xuanzhi escaped toward the Central Area of Yangxian City.

• Lü Hu asked to deal with Xu Taiping because he had killed Jing Xian, and Elder Lu agreed to let her handle him after claiming the Dragon-Slaying Stele and Xu Taiping's physique for himself.
• Thousand Threads noticed Xu Taiping had vanished from the Spirit Mirror and explained that his concealment ability hid him from sight and divine-soul detection.
• Elder Lu dismissed the possibility that Xu Taiping had a true dragon physique and predicted that the sand dragon's breath would expose him.
• The sand dragon shattered Xuanzhi's phantom Golden Bell with its breath, revealing Xu Taiping beneath the dragon in midair.
• Xu Taiping told Dongfang Yuejian and Xuanzhi to go, and Dongfang Yuejian used One Stroke Opens Heaven to carry Xuanzhi toward the Central Area of Yangxian City.

Xu Taiping fought the sand dragon with his bare fists before revealing his True Dragon Body and destroying it with Thunderflame Dragon Breath. His power stunned the spectators and left Elder Lu demanding an explanation from Thousand Threads.

• The sand dragon ignored Xu Taiping and pursued Master Xuanzhi and Dongfang Yuejian, appearing to confirm Elder Lu’s prediction.
• Xu Taiping stopped the sand dragon’s charge with a heavy punch, then was knocked backward when it counterattacked.
• As the sand dragon tried to swallow him, Xu Taiping transformed into a True Dragon Body and blasted its head apart with Thunderflame Dragon Breath.
• The spectators recognized Xu Taiping’s True Dragon Body, while the Ningchan Cave group fell silent.
• Elder Lu turned to Thousand Threads and demanded to know what was going on.

Ningchan Cave's elders discussed Xu Taiping's true dragon physique and decided not to confront him before learning its limits. As Xu Taiping and his companions reached Yangxian City's drill ground, they encountered the fearsome Blade Emperor Yang Ben.

• Qingshi persuaded Elder Lu that Xu Taiping's true dragon physique could be valuable, easing Elder Lu's anger at Thousand Threads for failing to recognize it.
• Elder Lu warned Thousand Threads to accept punishment if their party failed to capture Xu Taiping and his companions.
• Lü Hu urged the others to hurry to Yangxian City, but Elder Lu and Qingshi advised waiting because Xu Taiping's abilities remained uncertain and greater dangers awaited in the city.
• Xu Taiping, Dongfang Yuejian, and Master Xuanzhi reached the drill ground at the center of Yangxian City.
• A scarred old man approached them, and Lü Hu recognized him as the Blade Emperor Yang Ben of Tianfen Island in Peerless Nether Heaven.

The watchers learned that Yang Ben had once been defeated by Xu Luochen and had remained in the Lower Realm ever since. As Yang Ben attacked Xu Taiping’s group, Xu Taiping stepped forward to challenge him to a contest of blades, while Lü Hu accused him of using the challenge to buy time.

• Qingshi explained that an unknown youth had defeated Yang Ben with one stroke over three hundred years earlier, leaving him unable to break through to the Upper Realm.
• Qingshi revealed that the youth was Xu Luochen, Liu Half-Immortal’s sole disciple, and the watchers reacted with shock.
• Yang Ben manifested a towering snowy mountain of Blade Intent and ordered Xu Taiping’s group to scram.
• Yang Ben’s blade strike shattered Master Xuanzhi’s Buddha Light, but Xu Taiping cut through the incoming Blade Qi and stepped forward.
• Xu Taiping challenged Yang Ben to a contest of blades, and Yang Ben warned that their match would decide life and death.
• Lü Hu claimed Xu Taiping had challenged Yang Ben only to buy time.

Xu Taiping handed control of his Origin Beginning Clone to Blade Ghost for the saber duel with Blade Emperor Yang Ben. After the coin landed tails, Yang Ben yielded the first strike, but Blade Ghost told Xu Taiping to take it himself so he could judge Xu Taiping’s progress.

• Spectators in the First-Rank Pavilion suspected Xu Taiping was stalling and prepared Teleportation Scrolls to reach Yangxian City if he fled or fell.
• Blade Ghost warned Xu Taiping that neither he nor the Mysterious Origin Avatar could withstand Yang Ben’s blade, and told him to leave the duel to Blade Ghost.
• Xu Taiping agreed to lend Blade Ghost his Origin Beginning Clone as Yang Ben tossed a Gold Essence Coin to decide who struck first.
• Blade Ghost took control of the clone as the coin landed tails, but Yang Ben beckoned Xu Taiping to strike first.
• Xu Taiping cautioned Blade Ghost not to reveal himself, and Blade Ghost told him to take the first strike so he could assess Xu Taiping’s improvement.

Xu Taiping struck Blade Emperor Yang Ben with the Dragon-Slaying Form, but Yang Ben’s snow-white blade-qi cloak blocked the blow, though it was slightly torn. Blade Ghost then took control of Xu Taiping and yielded the next strike to Yang Ben, provoking outrage among the spectators and Ningchan Cave.

• Xu Taiping used the Origin Beginning Clone to unleash the Dragon-Slaying Form against Yang Ben, whose cloak shattered the blade force and knocked his saber away.
• Yang Ben’s cloak was left with a small tear that the spectators failed to notice.
• Cultivators at the Old Dragon Court teahouse mocked Xu Taiping, while Purple-Robed Elder Lu told Ningchan Cave’s members to prepare to intercept him if he fled.
• Ningchan Cave’s Thousand Threads informed Purple-Robed Elder Lu that Huangbo had possessed a body in the Lower Realm, and Lu ordered Huangbo to go to Yangxian City and make amends through meritorious service.
• Blade Ghost forced Xu Taiping out of the Origin Beginning Clone and announced that Yang Ben should strike first in return for the strike he had yielded.
• The spectators and Ningchan Cave’s members condemned Xu Taiping for yielding his turn to Yang Ben.

Blade Ghost took control of Xu Taiping’s Origin Beginning Clone and challenged Blade Emperor Yang Ben, who unleashed his Great Avalanche Blade Force. Blade Ghost’s fiery Teng Snake shattered Yang Ben’s attack and sent him flying, then Blade Ghost counterattacked with Extreme Law, Heavenly Remnant Ashes as the Spirit Mirror turned blood-red.

• Blade Ghost provoked Blade Emperor Yang Ben by insisting that Yang Ben strike first, angering the former Blade Emperor.
• Yang Ben drew his saber and unleashed his Great Avalanche Blade Force, engulfing Xu Taiping in a destructive avalanche of blade intent.
• Blade Ghost’s Teng Snake remained unharmed and dissipated Yang Ben’s icy blade qi, then shattered his blade force and hurled him backward.
• Blade Ghost attacked Yang Ben with a crimson, magma-like blade strike as Yang Ben laughed and raised his saber to meet it.
• Blade Ghost shouted, “Extreme Law, Heavenly Remnant Ashes!” and his blade shadow filled the Spirit Mirror’s view with red.

Xu Taiping defeated Blade Emperor Yang Ben in the Blade Inquiry, awakening Cangyuan and his three hundred Dragon Cavalry. Ningchan Cave sent people to Fuliu Slope to wait outside Yangxian City, while Xu Taiping and Blade Ghost faced the approaching dragon forces.

• Blade Emperor Yang Ben knelt in defeat, and the spectators in the First-Rank Pavilion wondered how Xu Taiping had won.
• Purple-Robed Elder Lu and Qingshi concluded that Xu Taiping must have used a special intent, then arranged for Qingshi, Thousand Threads, and Lü Hu to travel to Fuliu Slope and prepare to capture him.
• Elder Lu warned that Cangyuan and his Dragon Cavalry had awakened and would prevent Xu Taiping from leaving Yangxian City unharmed.
• Qingshi reported that the three had reached Fuliu Slope and sent Huangbo into Yangxian City while they waited outside the Mountain-Watching Mirror's range.
• Blade Ghost told Xu Taiping that he and his companions were unlikely to defeat Cangyuan, and Xu Taiping pointed out that Blade Ghost's fight had awakened him.

Xu Taiping agreed to let Blade Ghost out for air each day in exchange for help against the Dragon Clan forces, then watched Blade Ghost guide Blade Emperor Yang Ben away from despair over his broken blade Dao. With Cangyuan and three hundred Dragon Cavalry arrayed against them, Xu Taiping rejoined Monk Xuanzhi and Dongfang Yuejian and faced the coming fight.

• Xu Taiping agreed to Blade Ghost's condition and proposed testing the blade with a Mysterious Origin Avatar from the Demon-Suppressing Coffin.
• Blade Emperor Yang Ben begged Blade Ghost to kill him, but Blade Ghost refused and urged him to seek victory instead.
• Blade Ghost asked Yang Ben why he had first practiced the blade, prompting him to remember that he had taken it up to protect his mother and younger sister.
• Blade Ghost told Yang Ben to go home if he could not recover his original understanding of the blade, and Yang Ben thanked the departing Xu Taiping for his guidance.
• Xu Taiping joined Monk Xuanzhi and Dongfang Yuejian as Cangyuan formed an array with three hundred Dragon Cavalry, leaving Xu Taiping to prepare for the battle ahead.

Xu Taiping, Dongfang Yuejian, and Master Xuanzhi faced Cangyuan and his three hundred Dragon Cavalry, with Xu Taiping planning to hold off the general while the others escaped. As Cangyuan broke Dongfang Yuejian’s attack with a single stroke, the Silver Dragon Sword appeared and revealed itself as Cangyuan’s father, offering to help him find release.

• Xu Taiping told Dongfang Yuejian and Master Xuanzhi to flee for the exit once he broke the Dragon Cavalry formation, while he dealt with Cangyuan.
• Dongfang Yuejian swept the group forward on a conjured wave and brought down a phantom of Buzhou Divine Mountain on the charging Dragon Cavalry.
• Cangyuan cleaved through the mountain phantom and charged Xu Taiping, whose ally the Blade Ghost judged Cangyuan’s swordsmanship superior to Yang Ben’s.
• As Xu Taiping prepared to summon his Mysterious Origin Avatar, the Silver Dragon Sword appeared in his sea of consciousness and transformed into a white-clad man who called Cangyuan his son.
• In the Old Dragon Court’s First-Rank Pavilion, Elder Lu watched the Spirit Mirror and anticipated that Cangyuan would break Xu Taiping and his companions’ Dao hearts.

Xu Taiping’s companions struggled to withstand Dragon Clan Divine General Cangyuan and his three hundred dragon cavalry while observers expected them to flee. Xu Taiping summoned the Silver Dragon Sword, shattered Cangyuan’s attack, and was hailed as emperor by Cangyuan and the Canghai Dragon Cavalry.

• Cangyuan and the three hundred dragon cavalry repeatedly attacked Dongfang Yuejian’s defenses, while cultivators in the teahouse discussed the Dragon Clan’s true dragon divine being body.
• Purple-Robed Elder Lu arranged with Qingshi of Ningchan Cave to ambush Xu Taiping and his companions if they fled.
• As Dongfang Yuejian’s ancient cauldron neared breaking, Xu Taiping told her to leave the rest to him.
• A silver flying sword emerged from a fissure in the sky, and Xu Taiping caught it and used its sword light to scatter Cangyuan’s blade force.
• Xu Taiping ordered Cangyuan to bow, and Cangyuan recognized him as his emperor before the Canghai Dragon Cavalry bowed as well.
• Purple-Robed Elder Lu turned livid and cried out that it was impossible.

After Cangyuan knelt before Xu Taiping, cultivators in the First-Rank Pavilion suspected his silver sword came from the Azure Dragon Seven Lodges Treasury, drawing Ningchan Cave and other factions toward Yangxian City. Elder Lu was blocked from teleporting when the Golden Blade Sect confronted him over a dead member, while Xu Taiping reached the Human Sovereign spear with Cangyuan still kneeling.

• Cultivators in the First-Rank Pavilion speculated that Xu Taiping's sword came from the Azure Dragon Seven Lodges Treasury and began sending messages to their factions.
• Elder Lu ordered Qingshi, Huangbo, Thousand Threads, and Lü Hu to seize Xu Taiping and his companions in Yangxian City.
• Elder Lu tried to teleport to Fuliu Slope, but a powerful restriction prevented him from activating his Teleportation Scroll.
• The Golden Blade Sect's elderly leader arrived with the corpse of a member Elder Lu had controlled and demanded that the killer step forward.
• Elder Lu warned Qingshi's group to hold out, then drew his sword and attacked the Golden Blade Sect leader.
• Xu Taiping, Dongfang Yuejian, and Master Xuanzhi reached the Human Sovereign spear as Cangyuan continued kneeling before Xu Taiping.

Xu Taiping and his companions witnessed Cangzhou, the Dragon Clan’s last Dragon Emperor, reunite with his son Cangyuan and reveal why he had left him guarding the Canghai Dragon Court. The chapter ended with Cangzhou claiming he had found a way to restore the Dragon Clan’s glory, though Cangyuan did not know the clan had perished.

• The Silver Dragon Longsword manifested Cangzhou, and Cangyuan rose after recognizing his father, the Dragon Clan’s last Dragon Emperor.
• Master Xuanzhi explained that Cangyuan had defended the Canghai Dragon Court for thousands of years and slain three Human Sovereigns before the Flame Emperor defeated him.
• Cangzhou praised Cangyuan, then admitted he had left him behind to draw the human armies’ attention while he fled to Outer Heaven with three thousand Dragon Clan elites.
• Xu Taiping realized Cangyuan had been used as a pawn, while Cangzhou looked at his son with guilt and remorse.
• Cangyuan asked whether Cangzhou had found a way to restore the Dragon Clan’s glory, and Cangzhou said that he had.

Dragon Emperor Cangzhou reunited with his son Cangyuan, whose spirit finally faded after tens of thousands of years of suffering. Cangzhou thanked Xu Taiping and gave him the Dragon Cavalry armor, then spoke of the Dragon Clan’s fate and warned that the time for the calamity had not come.

• Cangzhou comforted Cangyuan, who said he had not suffered and had only tried to honor his father’s trust.
• Cangyuan fell asleep in Cangzhou’s arms as his spirit and the spirits of the three hundred Dragon Cavalry dissipated, leaving their armor behind.
• Cangzhou regretted abandoning Cangyuan to seek the Ancestral Dragon’s secrets in Outer Heaven, and Xu Taiping, Dongfang Yuejian, and Xuanzhi understood that Cangyuan had been the way to save the Dragon Clan.
• Xuanzhi told Cangzhou that the Dragon Clan’s destruction had been foretold by the last Cloud-Hidden Temple abbot, and Cangzhou thanked Xu Taiping for helping Cangyuan find release.
• Cangzhou gave Xu Taiping the armor of Cangyuan and the three hundred Dragon Cavalry, then said the loss of the True Dragon bloodline had little to do with humans.
• Xu Taiping thought of the Great Void Calamity, but Cangzhou said its time had not come.

Cangzhou gave Xu Taiping a star map to the Azure Dragon Seven Lodges Treasury and revealed that it contained a clue to the Ancestral Dragon’s lost secret. He asked Xu Taiping to help find the secret, then disclosed that the Dragon-Trapping Tower in Xu Taiping’s possession was the treasure Cangzhou’s clan had once sought.

• Master Xuanzhi concealed Xu Taiping and Cangzhou beneath golden mist at Cangzhou’s request.
• Cangzhou gave Xu Taiping a brocade box containing a tortoise-shell star map to the Azure Dragon Seven Lodges Treasury, which he said had been depleted in the ancient war.
• Cangzhou revealed that a clue to the Ancestral Dragon’s lost secret was sealed in the treasury and recounted how an Evil God killed his Dragon Clan expedition in the Outer Heaven Death Domain.
• Cangzhou explained that his remnant soul wanted to see the Ancestral Dragon’s lost secret before passing on, but Xu Taiping refused to enter the dangerous death domain.
• Cangzhou told Xu Taiping that he had chosen him because the Dragon-Trapping Tower, the treasure his clan had once sought, was already in Xu Taiping’s hands.