Chapter Summaries

Xu Taiping defeated the Heartless Demon Emperor and joined the other ranked cultivators as they were transported to the Immortal Burial Ruins for the Dragon-Slaying Assembly. The chapter left him wondering whether a battered chest that fell beside him contained his ranking ascension reward.

• Xu Taiping revealed he could assume his true dragon body without his rage essence clone, then confirmed the Heartless Demon Emperor had lost their wager.
• Feng Tianxing revealed he had planted divine sense in the Heartless Demon Emperor and promised the Dragon-Slaying Ranking's representative that he would prevent the Nine Abysses from taking the chief's seat.
• Jiang Xuanfeng gave the ranked cultivators pills and announced they would be transported to the abandoned Dragon King Temple in Hongling Town.
• Xu Taiping, Dongfang Yuejian, Xuanzhi, and the other cultivators were transported to the Immortal Burial Ruins.
• A battered wooden chest fell beside Xu Taiping, who wondered whether it held the ranking ascension reward.

Jiang Xuanfeng revealed that the Immortal Burial Ruins lay within a hidden painting and explained the restrictions governing cultivators who entered. The cultivators opened their reward chests and learned they would begin with ordinary supplies and face strict rules against interfering in mortal affairs.

• Jiang Xuanfeng warned everyone to remain in the Dragon King Temple and revealed that the Mountain and River Vein Map was the true entrance to the Immortal Burial Ruins.
• Jiang Xuanfeng explained that the temple was a protected minor world, and that visitors would forget the Immortal Burial Map after leaving.
• Fu Kui asked to open the reward chests later, but Fu De struck and kicked him after his remark angered the other cultivators.
• At Jiang Xuanfeng's suggestion, the Heartless Demon Emperor opened the Nine Abysses' chest, revealing ordinary supplies and a letter.
• Jiang Xuanfeng explained that entrants could use no power beyond Gate Opening Realm or martial master levels, and that summoned cultivators had to fulfill their summoners' wishes before regaining their powers.
• Jiang Xuanfeng warned that entrants must not interfere in disputes or commit crimes against the Immortal Burial Ruins' mortals, or they would face mortal punishment before expulsion.

Xu Taiping used the Jade Disc to learn that the Heartless Demon Emperor had hidden a Fireball Talisman in an envelope, then guided Dongfang Yuejian to choose it. As Jiang Xuanfeng prepared the teams to enter the Immortal Burial Ruins, Xu Taiping resolved to beware of Qing He.

• The Heartless Demon Emperor invited Xu Taiping to choose an item from the chest, and Xu Taiping sensed his thoughts through the Jade Disc.
• Xu Taiping told Dongfang Yuejian to choose the envelope, and she obtained it despite the Heartless Demon Emperor's attempt to keep her from inspecting the chest.
• Dongfang Yuejian opened the envelope and revealed a Fireball Talisman, which Jiang Xuanfeng confirmed could be used in the Immortal Burial Ruins.
• Qing He assured the Heartless Demon Emperor that he could handle any danger with his fists, and Xu Taiping secretly resolved not to underestimate him.
• Jiang Xuanfeng gathered the eighteen teams and lit incense before explaining that the strongest mortal summoners would soon appear in his painting scroll.

Jiang Xuanfeng explained the Dragon-Slaying Assembly, the role of Dragon Catchers, and the dangers of entering the Immortal Burial Ruins. As the first deity summoning began, Pang Zhong appeared in the Painting Scroll and asked an immortal to save Blazing Sun City.

• Jiang Xuanfeng explained that mortals’ pure Qi and Blood Power helped suppress the Dragon Clan’s fortune and that cultivators entered the Immortal Burial Ruins to slay True Dragons.
• Jiang Xuanfeng revealed that the current Silver Dragon had survived three Dragon-Slaying Assemblies, and Xu Taiping recognized it as the dragon he had fought in the River of Light and Shadow.
• Jiang Xuanfeng warned that the dragon slayers had to bring their Dragon Catchers and seek opportunities to strengthen them before going to Ten Thousand Islands Lake.
• Xu Taiping reasoned that the Nine Abysses had sought first place in the Ranking Ascension to choose a Dragon Catcher first.
• Jiang Xuanfeng warned that those entering the Immortal Burial Ruins could not contact the outside world and would be trapped there for sixty years if they failed to slay the dragon.
• Pang Zhong appeared in the Painting Scroll and asked an immortal to save the three hundred thousand people of Blazing Sun City from fire and flood.

At the Dragon-Slaying Assembly, Pang Zhong offered his service and a family map in exchange for help, drawing the Nine Abysses’ interest. Li Sisi then emerged as another Dragon Catcher candidate, and Jiang Xuanfeng explained that the Immortal Burial Ruins contained abundant treasures that cultivators could bring back to Shangqing.

• Pang Zhong offered himself and the Pang lineage’s turtle-shell map to the Upper Immortals if they fulfilled his wish.
• Dongfang Yuejian noted that the first-ranked candidate would likely choose Pang Zhong, while the three from the Nine Abysses watched him covetously.
• Jiang Xuanfeng introduced Li Sisi, who offered her household’s fortune, treasures, and thirty-six Dragon-Slaying Guards in exchange for a cure for her father’s Gu Poison.
• Xu Taiping and the other cultivators marveled at the rare treasures in Li Sisi’s offerings, and Jiang Xuanfeng explained that spiritual treasures grew freely in the Immortal Burial Ruins despite the sealed spiritual energy.
• Fu Kui asked whether cultivators could bring the treasures and exotic beasts they found back to Shangqing, and Jiang Xuanfeng said they could.

At the Dragon-Slaying Assembly, Fu Kui claimed Li Sisi for the Fu Household as the final deity summoner appeared. Xu Taiping recognized the impoverished old man, Gu Yu, as one of the brothers from the Divine Soul Mark and realized he was still seeking power to avenge his teacher.

• Jiang Xuanfeng told Fu Kui that the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures required exchanging military merits earned in the dragon-slaying campaign.
• Fu Kui declared that the Fu Household would take Li Sisi, while Fu De and Fu Wei backed him.
• The final deity summoner appeared as a one-eyed old farmer with meager offerings, and Dongfang Yuejian explained that he had drawn his formation with hearth ash from a thousand households.
• Gu Yu swore to sacrifice his body, soul, and chance at reincarnation to avenge the burning of the Red Carp Library and kill the eight villains of Eight Heroes Valley.
• Xu Taiping recognized Gu Yu from the Divine Soul Mark and realized he had not given up seeking revenge for his teacher.

Gu Yu desperately tried to prove his worth to the Deity-Summoning Formation, revealing the resolve beneath his aging body. Xu Taiping recognized the steadfastness in Gu Yu’s eyes and considered choosing him, prompting Dongfang Yuejian to ask if he intended to do so.

• Gu Yu displayed his wounds, swung a saber, and repeatedly smashed a rock against his head to demonstrate his courage and toughness, drawing laughter from the cultivators.
• After Gu Yu broke the rock, he collapsed in grief over his brother and teacher and lamented that the formation had activated too late.
• Gu Yu ate poisonous monkshood to restore his body’s strength, then unleashed a powerful saber slash and declared that he would become a dragon-slaying blade for the Upper Realm.
• Xu Taiping recognized the resolve in Gu Yu’s eyes as the same determination he had seen in the Treading the Sea Army and the seniors of Golden Court Grotto-Heaven.
• Dongfang Yuejian asked Xu Taiping whether he was going to choose Gu Yu.

Xu Taiping urged Dongfang Yuejian and Xuanzhi to choose a Dragon Catcher based on their resolve to face the Silver Dragon, not merely their advantages in the Immortal Burial Ruins. After the Nine Abyss chose Pang Zhong, the Heartless Demon Emperor challenged Xu Taiping to meet him in the ruins.

• Dongfang Yuejian explained why she and Xuanzhi favored Li Sisi, citing her wealth, Dragon Catcher heritage, and Dragon-Slaying Guards.
• Xu Taiping questioned whether Li Sisi could be trusted in battle and argued that Gu Yu's motive for summoning a deity was purer.
• Dongfang Yuejian and Xuanzhi trusted Xu Taiping to make their choice, recalling their survival at Jiaye Temple.
• Jiang Xuanfeng gave the Nine Abyss the first choice, and the Heartless Demon Emperor selected Pang Zhong.
• The Heartless Demon Emperor pressed his hand against Pang Zhong's image and told Xu Taiping they would meet in the Immortal Burial Ruins.

Xu Taiping chose Gu Yu of Hongling Town as his Dragon Catcher and entered the Deity-Summoning Formation with Dongfang Yuejian and Master Xuanzhi. Gu Yu wept with relief at their arrival, and the Battle Merit Ledger revealed his request: demand justice from the Eight Evils of Eight Heroes Valley.

• Dongfang Yuejian told Xu Taiping that the Heartless Demon Emperor had tortured Jiang Xuanfeng's eldest senior brother, Xu Song, to death.
• Xu Taiping ignored the cultivators' suggestions and chose Gu Yu of Hongling Town, then entered the painting with Dongfang Yuejian and Master Xuanzhi.
• Xu Taiping and his companions appeared in Gu Yu's courtyard, where they saw the old man's battle scars and sensed his stubborn vitality.
• Gu Yu covered his face and wept, telling his brother that the people he had waited for had finally arrived.
• The Deity-Summoning Formation produced a Battle Merit Ledger that recorded Gu Yu's request for justice from the Eight Evils of Eight Heroes Valley and offered three hundred battle merits.

Xu Taiping, Dongfang Yuejian, and Xuanzhi met Gu Yu of Hongling Town and agreed to investigate Eight Heroes Valley. After eating Gu Yu’s steamed buns, they discovered the ordinary-looking food greatly increased their Qi and Blood Power, leaving them wondering whether his home concealed an opportunity.

• Dongfang Yuejian told Xu Taiping that the ledger contained battle merits that could be exchanged for treasures, and Xu Taiping put it away.
• Xu Taiping confirmed Gu Yu’s identity, and Dongfang Yuejian asked him to wait at home while they went to Eight Heroes Valley.
• The three became intensely hungry, so Gu Yu gave them three steamed buns and went to pick jujubes for them.
• Xu Taiping, Dongfang Yuejian, and Xuanzhi discovered that the buns rapidly replenished Qi and Blood Power, and Dongfang Yuejian had to stop eating before it overwhelmed her.
• Dongfang Yuejian ruled out ordinary food in the Immortal Burial Ruins having this effect, and Xuanzhi wondered whether Gu Yu’s poor household concealed an opportunity.

Xu Taiping, Dongfang Yuejian, and Xuanzhi discovered that Gu Yu’s jujubes contained extraordinarily pure spiritual power, though Gu Yu considered them ordinary. Gu Yu revealed he had rarely shared his food with anyone, and the three realized he carried a priceless treasure without knowing it.

• Gu Yu offered the three Upper Immortals green jujubes, and Xu Taiping tasted one, absorbing a surge of pure spiritual power.
• Dongfang Yuejian and Xuanzhi ate jujubes too and marveled that their spiritual power surpassed heaven-grade Spirit Pills.
• Gu Yu brought the three bowls of well water and explained that he had spent his money searching for a Dragon-Slaying method, leaving him unable to afford food for himself.
• Dongfang Yuejian and Xuanzhi shared their steamed buns with Gu Yu, who said the bun tasted ordinary and showed no apparent reaction.
• Gu Yu explained that his jujubes kept him from feeling hungry for a day or two and that few people visited his supposedly haunted courtyard.
• Dongfang Yuejian concluded that Gu Yu carried a priceless treasure without realizing it.

Xu Taiping and his companions discovered that Gu Yu's ancient well contained water with power like the Yaoguang Fruit and concealed an earth vein eye. Gu Yu explained his tragic family history and said he had returned for sixty years to eat jujubes from the courtyard tree on the anniversary of his brother's death.

• Dongfang Yuejian drank from Gu Yu's well and discovered that its water restored true essence, qi and blood, and divine soul power.
• Xu Taiping realized the well water's spiritual power resembled the Yaoguang Fruit's, and he and his companions followed Gu Yu to the courtyard well.
• Xuanzhi tapped his Eight-Tone Withered Wood Fish, revealing energy from a spirit spring source connected to an underground spiritual vein.
• Dongfang Yuejian identified an earth vein eye beneath the well, and Xu Taiping confirmed its golden sign in the water.
• Gu Yu told Xu Taiping that his parents died when he was young, his elder brother died in a Deity-Summoning Formation, and he had returned yearly to eat the courtyard jujubes on his brother's death anniversary.

Xu Taiping discovered that Gu Yu’s bones stored vast spiritual power and that he possessed dormant divine-human variant bone, giving him extraordinary martial potential. After awakening it, Xu Taiping offered to teach him blade techniques, and Gu Yu had yet to answer.

• Xu Taiping tested Gu Yu’s body and found that his bones could repel his true qi.
• Xu Taiping sent another trace of true essence into Gu Yu and sensed the immense spiritual power stored in his bones.
• The Lotus Eye explained that Gu Yu had divine-human variant bone, which could make him invincible among the Immortal-Burying Ruins’ martial artists once awakened.
• Gu Yu offered to guide the group to Ten Thousand Islands Lake, saying he had seen the demon dragon twice.
• Xu Taiping asked Gu Yu whether he wanted to learn a set of blade techniques that could make him invincible under heaven.

Xu Taiping pressed Gu Yu to learn his blade techniques and avenge Teacher Red Carp by facing the eight villains of Eight Heroes Valley himself. After revisiting a memory of Teacher Red Carp and Gu Yang urging him to be brave, Gu Yu woke beside the old well, and Xu Taiping asked whether he had made up his mind.

• Xu Taiping told Gu Yu that he was uniquely suited to learn his blade techniques, but would have to avenge Teacher Red Carp himself, while Dongfang Yuejian and Master Xuanzhi questioned the demand.
• Xu Taiping reminded Gu Yu of Teacher Red Carp's death and asked what Gu Yang would have chosen, forcing Gu Yu to confront his fear and regret.
• Gu Yu relived an afternoon from his youth when Teacher Red Carp and Gu Yang encouraged him to jump from an elm tree, recalling how he had risked himself to draw wild dogs away from his friends.
• Gu Yu leaped from the tree in the memory and woke beside the old well, where Master Xuanzhi helped him up and explained that the Headless Grass poison had not harmed him.
• Xu Taiping asked Gu Yu whether he had decided to learn the blade techniques and take revenge himself.

Xu Taiping persuaded Gu Yu to learn his blade techniques and avenge Red Carp, then revealed that Gu Yu was born with a rare divine-human variant bone. Xuanzhi suspected Gu Yu had inherited the fortune sealed within the Immortal Burial Ruins.

• Gu Yu chose to learn Xu Taiping's blade techniques and vowed to avenge Red Carp by killing the eight villains of Eight Heroes Valley.
• Xu Taiping postponed accepting Gu Yu as his disciple until Gu Yu had avenged his teacher.
• Dongfang Yuejian gave Gu Yu money to buy food and asked him to look for a horse.
• Xu Taiping told Dongfang Yuejian and Xuanzhi that Gu Yu possessed an extraordinary root bone.
• Xu Taiping identified Gu Yu's constitution as a divine-human variant bone, and Xuanzhi suggested that Gu Yu held the fortune sealed within the Immortal Burial Ruins.

Xu Taiping and his companions learned that the Battle Merit Ledger had expanded their missions and offered rewards for letting the Dragon-Slaying Ranking project their circumstances. They hesitated over revealing their location, but Gu Yu’s news that horses were unavailable and donkeys cost twenty-three taels pushed Xu Taiping toward accepting a mission.

• Dongfang Yuejian recalled that the Immortal Burial Ruins might be using the Dragon Clan’s fortune to nurture something, and Xu Taiping wondered what could require such vast resources.
• The Battle Merit Ledger changed Gu Yu’s petition mission to demanding justice from the Eight Evils, then listed missions to find Gu Yu’s fortuitous opportunities and help him advance through five cultivation realms.
• The Ledger offered Xu Taiping’s team merit and silver for allowing the Dragon-Slaying Ranking to project their circumstances, but Xu Taiping hesitated while Dongfang Yuejian and Xuanzhi considered precautions.
• Gu Yu returned with a donkey and reported that the town had no horses available and that each of the remaining donkeys cost twenty-three taels.
• Xu Taiping concluded they had to accept the mission, but Dongfang Yuejian urged him to wait until she and Xuanzhi had tidied the courtyard.

Cultivators gathered at the Profound Elixir Palace to watch the teams in the Immortal Burial Ruins, while Xu Taiping’s friends discussed whether his team would allow them to observe. The viewing began with the Nine Abysses teams, revealing Pang Zhong facing two military formations before a great city.

• Zhang Moyan, Duan Xiaoyu, and Chu Tiancheng arrived with Martial God Zhu Huai, Jiang Cuicui, Zhang Tianze, and Lu Rushuang to watch the viewing.
• Chu Xiaoxiao told Chu Tiancheng she had won three hundred thousand Gold Essence Coins and offered to help her bet, but Zhang Moyan and Chu Tiancheng warned her off.
• Chu Xiaoxiao recounted Xu Taiping defeating the Heartless Demon Emperor, while Duan Xiaoyu regretted missing the event at the Martial Champion Tower.
• Lu Yun and Lu Wen explained that teams had to consent to being watched and could earn battle merit and money, including a top reward offered to Xu Taiping’s team.
• The steward elder announced a two-hour viewing of the Nine Abysses teams’ first day, and the projection showed Pang Zhong beside three Demon Cultivators atop a city wall, facing two military formations.

The spectators learned that Pang Zhong, the Nine Abysses' Dragon Catcher, possessed Martial God-level strength but was gravely injured. The Heartless Demon Emperor and his companions agreed to disguise themselves in armor and kill the Yan Kingdom's leading Battle General, easing Pang Zhong's immediate predicament.

• Jiang Cuicui and Zhu Huai judged Pang Zhong's physique to be at least at the Martial God Realm, alarming the spectators.
• Pang Zhong coughed blood and told the Heartless Demon Emperor, Li Yezhu, and the Qing He Demon Emperor that his injuries might soon prevent him from fighting.
• Pang Zhong explained that Yan Feiyu led the Yan Kingdom formation and that Yan Wushuang had Martial Venerable combat strength enhanced by Brightlight Armor.
• Li Yezhu offered to kill Yan Wushuang, but the Heartless Demon Emperor insisted that all three Demon Emperors act to avoid failure.
• The Heartless Demon Emperor asked Pang Zhong to prepare three suits of armor so they could enter the Yan Kingdom formation and kill its leading general.

The Heartless Demon Emperor’s forces broke the Yan Kingdom siege by killing its commander, Yan Wushuang, and the spectators discovered that Qing He Demon Emperor possessed a terrifying Hanba body. The pavilion’s spectators feared the coming struggle against Eldest Brother Taiping, but renewed their hopes as the Dragon-Suppressing Platform turned to his team’s first day in the Immortal Burial Ruins.

• Duan Xiaoyu asked whether the Heartless Demon Emperor and the others could recover their cultivation, and Zhu Huai explained that the siege would not count as lifted while the Yan Kingdom Army remained outside the city.
• The Heartless Demon Emperor, Qing He Demon Emperor, and Demon Emperor Li Yezhu broke through the Yan Kingdom Army’s formation and killed its commander, Yan Wushuang.
• The spectators watched Qing He Demon Emperor grow to a gigantic size and devour a soldier, prompting Jiang Cuicui to identify his physique as a Hanba body.
• The Yan Kingdom Army’s formation collapsed, and Li Yezhu led the Northern Garrison Army back into the city rather than pursuing the retreating enemy.
• Zhu Huai and Jiang Cuicui warned that the Heartless Demon Emperor would use the respite to scheme against the Yan Kingdom Army, while Duan Xiaoyu held out hope for Eldest Brother Taiping’s team.
• The steward elder announced that the Dragon-Suppressing Platform would show Dongfang Yuejian, Xuanzhi, and Xu Taiping’s circumstances after their first day in the Immortal Burial Ruins.

The Dragon-Suppressing Platform revealed Xu Taiping’s team living in a remote courtyard, where Dongfang Yuejian and Master Xuanzhi prepared a meal. The spectators learned that Xu Taiping’s Dragon Catcher was Gu Yu, not the veteran they had expected.

• Zhu Huai explained that the Profound Elixir Palace and other Shangqing powers sent disciples to the Heaven-Demon Battlefield, and that the Palace’s ancestor had vowed not to ascend while the Demon Mother lived.
• The image showed a quiet countryside courtyard, but Xu Taiping and his companions were initially nowhere to be seen.
• Dongfang Yuejian and Master Xuanzhi carried food from the kitchen and called out to Xu Taiping and Elder Gu.
• The spectators recognized Xu Taiping’s voice and guessed that his Dragon Catcher might be Qin Yun of Ancient Sword Manor.
• Xu Taiping emerged with an elderly man, and Chu Xiaoxiao identified the unexpected Dragon Catcher as Gu Yu.