Chapter Summaries

Xu Taiping and his companions gathered the Nine Thunder-Pattern Jujubes, but Supreme Venerable Xuanwei of Three Corpses Cave threatened them and pinned them down with mountain spirit power. As the thunder pool began to reform, Xuanwei tried to break through the restrictions between Cloud Platforms, while Xu Taiping’s companions neared the formation node that could take them to the Third Layer of Yaochi Sacred Land.

• Xu Taiping collected all the Nine Thunder-Pattern Jujubes as Qu Chao Ci and Bai Yue reached the center of the Cloud Platform.
• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei appeared as a phantom, demanded the jujubes, and used mountain spirit power to immobilize Xu Taiping, Qu Chao Ci, and Bai Yue.
• Qu Chao Ci told Xu Taiping that Xuanwei’s strength rivaled the Heaven-Hunting Great Sage, while Xu Taiping reasoned that Xuanwei did not know the Cloud Platform was a Grand Teleportation Array.
• As thunderclouds gathered again, Mo Qingzhu and Xiaohei continued toward the last formation node while Xuanwei intensified the pressure on the others.
• Xuanwei manifested his Dharma Aspect on the neighboring Cloud Platform and leaped toward them, but the restrictions struck him back and shattered many Golden Runes.

Xu Taiping and his companions escaped Supreme Venerable Xuanwei by activating the Grand Teleportation Array, then shared out the Thunder-Pattern Jujubes. Their respite ended when Luo Hong and Xu San of Three Corpses Cave appeared and attacked Qu Chao Ci.

• Xu Taiping and his companions teleported away just as Supreme Venerable Xuanwei leaped at them, leaving him to be struck by the thunderstorm.
• The group discussed their conflict with Supreme Venerable Xuanwei and divided the Thunder-Pattern Jujubes among themselves.
• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei's phantom appeared above them, but it exploded as his true form battered the thunder pool's barrier.
• Xu Taiping smashed a bronze spear that was flying toward Qu Chao Ci and identified the attackers as Luo Hong and Xu San of Three Corpses Cave.

Xu Taiping examined the Ziwei Jade Pillar for a way to evade the Chi Dragon skeleton while Qu Chao Ci stalled Luo Hong and Xu San. Supreme Venerable Xuanwei used a bronze bell to shatter the cloud-platform restrictions and speed the immortal cranes toward them, leaving Qu Chao Ci to demand a sincere offer from Luo Hong.

• Xu Taiping noticed Luo Hong and Xu San approaching on an uncorrupted immortal crane skeleton and considered whether Yaochi's strongest beings might also have escaped blightbone corruption.
• Xu Taiping asked Qu Chao Ci to delay Luo Hong while he searched for a way to avoid the Chi Dragon skeleton and ascend the Ziwei Jade Pillar.
• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei's Dharma Aspect shattered under the Thunder Pool's bombardment, but he struck a bronze bell and sent sound waves that dispersed the cloud-platform restrictions and propelled the cranes forward.
• Qu Chao Ci tried to buy Xu Taiping time by discussing an alliance with Luo Hong, who demanded all their Thunder-Pattern Jujubes.
• Qu Chao Ci told Luo Hong to show sincerity, and he asked what she wanted.

Xu Taiping revealed that he had found a way up the Ziwei Jade Pillar and planned to use the approaching cultivators to help defeat the Chi Dragon skeleton. He baited the second layer’s cultivators with a Thunder-Pattern Jujube, drawing them toward the pillar as Supreme Venerable Xuanwei raged, then led Qu Chao Ci and the others toward the route he had discovered.

• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei broke free of the Thunder Pool Cloud Platform and charged toward Xu Taiping, Qu Chao Ci, Bai Yue, and Mo Qingzhu with Luo Hong and Xu San.
• Xu Taiping returned from examining the jade pillar and told Qu Chao Ci, Bai Yue, and Mo Qingzhu that he had found a way up and wanted to use the newcomers to fight the Chi Dragon skeleton.
• Xu Taiping shared Divine Soul Marks showing the Chi Dragon skeleton’s weakness and a blind spot in its perception on the Ziwei Jade Pillar.
• Xu Taiping announced that he held all the Thunder-Pattern Jujubes, then crushed one to spread its scent and draw cultivators toward the pillar.
• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei threatened the approaching cultivators, but more of them flew toward the Ziwei Jade Pillar to claim the jujubes.
• Xu Taiping told Qu Chao Ci and the others to follow him carefully, then looked up at the stars above the high platform.

Xu Taiping led Qu Chao Ci, Mo Qingzhu, and their companion up the Ziwei Jade Pillar by following its hidden footholds and exploiting North Dipper Star Speed’s Star Soul Power. As they neared the summit, Xu Taiping revealed that he had previously defeated the guardian Dian'e in the simulated Yaochi Sacred Land.

• Xu Taiping signaled the others to follow him onto the jade pillar’s hidden grooves, where Star Soul Power concealed them and helped them climb.
• After the Chi Dragon Skeleton began trembling, Xu Taiping explained that he had deliberately made a wrong step to set a trap for pursuers who copied their route.
• Venerable Xuanwei recognized the unusual footholds, then sent Luo Hong and Xu San after Xu Taiping’s party while warning that other cultivators were approaching.
• Venerable Xuanwei identified the pillar’s guardian as Dian'e, the Heavenly Ding Thunder Armor Strongman, and urged his companions to hurry.
• Halfway up the pillar, Qu Chao Ci worried that they could not defeat Dian'e, and Xu Taiping said he had beaten him before after using six chances in the simulated sacred land.

Xu Taiping led Qu Chao Ci, Bai Yue, and Mo Qingzhu into a hidden crack in the Ziwei Jade Pillar to evade the awakening Chi Dragon skeleton. From their shelter, they watched the Chi Dragon attack the cultivators below, and Xu Taiping waited to see whether the battle would leave both sides badly wounded.

• Xu Taiping warned that the Chi Dragon skeleton was about to awaken as more powerful cultivators, including Supreme Venerable Xuanwei and his companions, approached.
• Xu Taiping led the group toward a concealed crack and had them scatter instead of following his footprints to hasten the Chi Dragon's awakening.
• Xu Taiping and the others hid inside the spacious crack, where the pillar blocked the Chi Dragon skeleton's divine sense.
• The awakened Chi Dragon unleashed thunderous dragon breath, sweeping many cultivators from the pillar, while Supreme Venerable Xuanwei, Luo Hong, and Xu San blocked the attack with a bronze bell.
• Xu Taiping said the Chi Dragon would regain its peak strength within an incense stick's burn and that their chance to profit depended on whether both sides were badly wounded.

Supreme Venerable Xuanwei and the cultivators fought the Chi Dragon on the Ziwei Jade Pillar, but its power repeatedly restored its flesh and overwhelmed them. Xuanwei used his Yellow Bell to shatter the dragon’s breath and called on the others to attack, leaving them with one last chance to defeat it.

• Luo Hong and Xu San urged Supreme Venerable Xuanwei to stop climbing and fight the Chi Dragon after they could no longer sense the missing cultivators.
• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei rallied the other sects to attack, but starlight restored the Chi Dragon’s flesh and scales as it descended again.
• The Chi Dragon’s thunder spears blasted cultivators, including Venerable Mysterious Thunder, from the pillar, and a second assault killed some of them.
• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei swallowed a spirit marrow crystal, manifested his dharma aspect, and used the Yellow Bell’s sound waves to break the Chi Dragon’s breath.
• Xu San and Luo Hong charged along the sound waves and wounded the Chi Dragon, then urged the other cultivators to join their attack.

Xu Taiping and his companions watched the Chi Dragon Skeleton turn the tide against Supreme Venerable Xuanwei and the cultivators by detonating its flesh in thunderflames. As the wounded survivors struggled to claim the dragon’s inheritance, Xu Taiping’s group emerged to seize control.

• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei and the cultivators drove the wounded Chi Dragon Skeleton away, but it returned and used star soul power to lift them into the air.
• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei scattered the star soul power with his bronze bell and led the cultivators in another charge up the Ziwei Jade Pillar.
• The Chi Dragon Skeleton ignited its flesh in thunderflames, badly burning Supreme Venerable Xuanwei, Luo Hong, Xu San, and the other cultivators.
• A light gathered at the Chi Dragon Skeleton’s head, and Luo Hong recognized it as the dragon’s inheritance; Supreme Venerable Xuanwei sent Xu San to retrieve it.
• Xu Taiping’s group ambushed Xu San, and Luo Hong found a flying sword pointed between his brows.

Xu Taiping took the Dragon Pearl from the Chi Dragon Skeleton and threatened Supreme Venerable Xuanwei with Earth Flame when he tried to stop him. Xu Taiping and his companions raced toward the Jade Summit, while Xuanwei gave Luo Hong and Xu San Marsh-Drying Pills to restore their strength at a severe long-term cost.

• Xu Taiping took the Dragon Pearl from the Chi Dragon Skeleton and put it in his gourd.
• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei tried to block Xu Taiping and his companions, but retreated when Xu Taiping gathered Earth Flame at his fingertip.
• Xu Taiping, Qu Chao Ci, Bai Yue, and their companions raced toward the Jade Summit as Xuanwei regrouped with Luo Hong and Xu San.
• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei told Luo Hong and Xu San to let Qu Chao Ci's group challenge Lei E first, then offered them Marsh-Drying Pills to restore their combat power.
• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei warned that the pills would cost Luo Hong and Xu San ten years of cultivation, or steadily strip away their cultivation and combat power if they did not cultivate.

Luo Hong, Xu San, and the other cultivators pursued Xu Taiping and his companions up the Ziwei Jade Pillar, while the group struggled against the Jade Summit’s immense pressure. Xu Taiping reached the summit ahead of them and faced the rising Lei E, whose Gang Wind drove him backward.

• Luo Hong and Xu San swallowed Vermilion Pills, and Supreme Venerable Xuanwei led them up the Chi Dragon Skeleton toward the Jade Summit.
• Xu Taiping explained that killing Supreme Venerable Xuanwei would have risked provoking the other cultivators into attacking together, and he urged his companions to hurry upward.
• As immense pressure slowed the group, Bai Yue carried Mo Qingzhu, while Qu Chao Ci strengthened herself and warned Xu Taiping not to fight Lei E alone.
• Xu Taiping unleashed his Qi and Blood Power, grew hundreds of zhang tall, and raced to the Jade Summit.
• Lei E rose from his bone throne, and the Gang Wind from his movement struck Xu Taiping and forced him back several steps.

Xu Taiping revealed his true dragon divine being body to earn Heavenly General Lei E’s acceptance of a pure martial artist’s Fist Challenge. Lei E accepted and readied his Mo Dao, leaving Xu Taiping poised to fight alone.

• Xu Taiping forced his way through Lei E’s aura and grew to over three hundred zhang tall, but Lei E still judged him unworthy of a fight.
• Xu Taiping transformed his body into a true dragon divine being, cutting through Lei E’s pressure and easing the strain on Qu Chao Ci, Bai Yue, and Mo Qingzhu.
• Xu Taiping challenged Lei E to a fight using only his flesh and the strength of a pure martial artist, while Qu Chao Ci and Bai Yue urged him to fight together.
• Xu Taiping explained that Lei E’s full strength would leave them no chance and that a pure martial artist’s challenge was their only way through the Second Layer.
• Lei E accepted Xu Taiping’s challenge, seized a Mo Dao, and called for him to fight.

Xu Taiping secured Lei E’s agreement to a fist challenge, with the winner deciding whether he and his companions would enter the Third Layer or remain trapped on the Ziwei Jade Pillar. As the duel began, Supreme Venerable Xuanwei and his companions recognized Xu Taiping and suspected he carried valuable information or items.

• Xu Taiping asked Lei E to keep outsiders from interfering and to send him and his friends to the Third Layer if he won; Lei E raised a barrier around the Jade Platform.
• Lei E wagered that Xu Taiping and his three companions would remain with him forever if he won, and Qu Chao Ci, Bai Yue, and Mo Qingzhu agreed to share the stakes.
• Xu Taiping accepted Lei E’s terms, and Lei E enclosed the two fighters within a separate boundary before the fist challenge began.
• Outside the barrier, Xu San and Luo Hong recognized Xu Taiping as the martial artist who had defeated Nangong Wen and Baili Yezhao in the Black Prison.
• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei and his companions suspected Xu Taiping had learned about Lei E from the Heaven-Hunting Great Sage and resolved not to let him take what he carried into the Third Layer.

Xu Taiping challenged Lei E to a fist contest and matched the Heavenly Ding Divine General’s power. Their strongest attacks ended in a draw, leaving Supreme Venerable Xuanwei unsure whether Xu Taiping might surpass Lei E.

• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei told Luo Hong and Xu San that Lei E retained enough power to defeat a mortal martial artist, and the two planned to recover while Xu Taiping fought.
• Lei E announced a fist challenge and threw his Mo Dao into the sky, declaring that they could strike when it fell.
• Xu Taiping and Lei E each unleashed powerful fist auras, and their forces collided with comparable strength.
• Xu Taiping used Heaven-Touching Stance to send a giant deity projection toward Lei E, who answered with hundreds of bolts of thunder.
• The deity projection and Lei E’s thunder fist dissolved together, leaving Luo Hong astonished by the draw and Supreme Venerable Xuanwei questioning whether Xu Taiping could surpass Lei E.

Xu Taiping withstood Lei E’s thunder attacks by combining his fist force with Buddhist techniques, then blasted the skeleton backward with the Sea-Swallowing Seal. Lei E donned his battle armor and greatly increased his power, leaving Xu Taiping eager to test his limits against him.

• Lei E unleashed Myriad Acres of Thunder, but Xu Taiping remained unharmed beneath his Thousand Arms Vajra dharma aspect.
• Lei E struck again, and Luo Hong, Xu San, and Supreme Venerable Xuanwei recognized Xu Taiping’s Buddhist-Martial Dao Integration and the Buddhism Sea-Swallowing Seal.
• Xu Taiping absorbed Lei E’s thunder fist aura into the Sea-Swallowing Seal and released it, blasting Lei E backward over a hundred zhang.
• Lei E drew his Mo Dao and summoned his battle armor, which restored half his sealed combat power and greatly increased his aura.
• Xu Taiping welcomed the challenge, hoping to push his Heaven-Touching Stance to its limit and use Buddhist-Martial Dao Integration again as the Vajra Demon-Subduing Seal lit up on his arm.

Xu Taiping used Overlord’s Breath and the ultimate realm of his Heaven-Touching Stance to defeat Divine General Lei E. The spectators were left stunned, and Supreme Venerable Xuanwei suspected that Heaven-Hunting Great Sage’s appearance with Xu Taiping in Black Prison had not been a coincidence.

• Lei E shattered Xu Taiping’s Thousand Arms Vajra projection, but Xu Taiping’s next attack stopped Lei E’s punch.
• Lei E grew two additional arms and halted Xu Taiping’s fist force until it transformed into a Vajra dharma aspect and knocked him back.
• Xu Taiping used Overlord’s Breath to unleash the Heaven-Touching Stance twice, smashing apart Lei E’s accumulated fist force and battering his body.
• Xu Taiping invoked the Ultimate Realm, Heaven-Touching Stance, and his Vajra dharma aspect split into eight to repeatedly strike Lei E until the skeleton fell.
• Luo Hong and Xu San questioned what had happened, and Supreme Venerable Xuanwei concluded that Heaven-Hunting Great Sage and Xu Taiping had not appeared together in Black Prison by coincidence.

Xu Taiping defeated Lei E in the Blade Inquiry Round by matching the general’s battle intent, and Lei E acknowledged his victory. Before sending Xu Taiping and his companions to the Sacred Grounds’ Third Layer, Lei E hinted that the Star Lords or Jade Mother might know about the Heavenly Court’s calamity, while Luo Hong and Xu San tried to break through his barriers.

• Lei E rose again and began the Blade Inquiry Round, striking Xu Taiping with a desperate slash powered by battle intent.
• Xu Taiping drew the Water-Cutting Blade and met Lei E’s attack with his own battle intent, forcing the skeleton to kneel while he remained standing.
• Lei E took human form, admitted defeat, and told Xu Taiping that the Star Lords or Jade Mother might know about the Heavenly Court’s calamity.
• Lei E offered to send Xu Taiping, Qu Chao Ci, and the others to the Sacred Grounds’ Third Layer.
• With Supreme Venerable Xuanwei’s permission, Luo Hong and Xu San charged through Lei E’s barriers, prompting Lei E to warn that those who violated the law would be punished.

Xu Taiping and Qu Chao Ci's group entered the third layer of the Sacred Grounds after their cultivation and combat power were restored. The Lotus Eye warned Xu Taiping of a threat that could counter Yin Gods, then showed him the lake's Blightbones and Xiahou You trapped in flames beside a Star Lord Blightbone.

• Supreme Venerable Xuanwei warned Luo Hong and Xu San not to rush upward, promising to help them reach the third layer after recovering his strength and finding his weapon.
• Divine General Lei E restored Xu Taiping and his companions' cultivation and combat power as they ascended to the third layer.
• The Lotus Eye warned Xu Taiping that something on the third layer could counter Yin Gods, then fell into slumber; Xu Taiping ordered Xiaohei to stay inside the Crimson Heaven Spirit Garden.
• Xu Taiping used the first of two Divine Soul Marks to view the third layer, where Blightbones roamed the Jade Pool's lotus leaves and waters.
• Xu Taiping saw a hunched old man bring a corpse to a huge Blightbone resembling a fat baby, then spotted Xiahou You among figures trapped in flames beside it.

Xu Taiping witnessed the Hunched Old Man feeding a Star Lord Blightbone and learned that the old Daoist could track people through their karmic connections. The vision ended with Qu Chao Ci’s eldest martial uncle apparently betraying and killing Xu Taiping, Qu Chao Ci, and their companions.

• The Star Lord Blightbone battered the fiery restriction containing Xiahou You and the others, then devoured a cultivator’s corpse while the Hunched Old Man promised to find more food.
• The Hunched Old Man asked the Star Lord for pills, received one, and set out to capture people for him.
• Xu Taiping saw the Hunched Old Man use a jade disc and colored threads to locate Xu Taiping, Qu Chao Ci, and their companions, as well as Qu Chao Ci’s eldest martial uncle.
• Xu Taiping realized the Hunched Old Man could trace karmic connections and suspected that he was a Qi-Reading Practitioner.
• The vision showed Xu Taiping, Qu Chao Ci, and their companions lying dead while Qu Chao Ci’s eldest martial uncle stood over them and lamented her fate.

Xu Taiping learned that a hunched old Daoist was using sacrifices to cultivate a Rahu Fruit and planned to become an intelligent Blight Immortal. As Xu Taiping and his companions entered the Jade Pool’s third layer, they encountered Qu Chao Ci’s eldest martial uncle, whom Xu Taiping warned her not to save.

• Xu Taiping saw a vision revealing that the hunched old Daoist had used the Jade Pool’s third-layer spiritual power and countless cultivators’ flesh and blood to nurture a Rahu Fruit.
• The old Daoist’s plot convinced Xu Taiping that he and his companions would enter a trap, so he asked Mo Qingzhu to conceal them with the Human Swine Talisman.
• Xu Taiping and his companions arrived at the vast Jade Pool and he warned them that they were already deep inside a demonic Daoist’s trap.
• A flood dragon-shaped Blightbone sent Qu Chao Ci’s eldest martial uncle crashing onto a lotus leaf near the group.
• Qu Chao Ci moved to rescue her eldest martial uncle, but Xu Taiping stopped her and said she must not save him.

Xu Taiping awakened Old Daoist Huang after learning that a powerful Qi-Reading Practitioner was trapping them in the Sacred Grounds. With the Blade of Guicang, Huang found a way to send Xu Taiping and his companions directly to the hidden enemy.

• Xu Taiping told Qu Chao Ci and the others that a Dao Integration Realm Qi-Reading Practitioner was manipulating events and described the danger revealed by his deduction.
• Bai Yue suggested finding a Qi-Reading Practitioner to counter the enemy, prompting Xu Taiping to awaken Old Daoist Huang.
• Old Daoist Huang said they could not win without finding the lotus leaf where the enemy was hiding, and asked whether anyone had a divine weapon capable of severing karma and qi.
• Xu Taiping showed Huang the Blade of Guicang, which Huang recognized as a Jade Carving Knife and used to carve words in the air.
• Old Daoist Huang declared that the Blade of Guicang could send Xu Taiping and his companions straight to the demonic daoist unharmed, then began carving the account of their deception.