Chapter Summaries

Xu Taiping attacked the Yingui Pavilion Demon Cultivators after learning that Ping'an and Monk Xuanzhi had gathered all eight Stone Pillars. He killed Elder Luo E and freed Wan Eastern Mountain, then charged into battle alongside him.

• Elder Luo E ordered the young Red Armor Cavalry soldier tortured to break Wan Eastern Mountain, while Xu Taiping waited for word from his allies.
• Ping'an and Monk Xuanzhi told Xu Taiping they had collected all eight Stone Pillars and were hiding after the Six Livestock Prosperity Spell wore off.
• Xu Taiping used two clones to kill the Demon Cultivators holding the soldier, then struck Elder Luo E with his saber while Monk Xuanzhi's All Beings Are Equal power weakened him.
• Xu Taiping defeated Elder Luo E, whose Divine Soul was pulled into Xu Taiping's palm, and cut Wan Eastern Mountain free.
• Xu Taiping gave Wan Eastern Mountain pills and a saber, then attacked the remaining Demon Cultivators as Wan Eastern Mountain joined the fight.

Xu Taiping helped Wan Eastern Mountain and the Red Armor Cavalry defeat the Yingui Pavilion cultivators in the prison, but Wan Eastern Mountain and his men chose to die rather than risk the Great General's safety. As the soldiers sacrificed themselves in flames, they explained the atrocities that had driven them to serve Western Liang.

• Wan Eastern Mountain questioned how the Red Armor Cavalry had defeated the Demon Cultivators, and Xu Taiping explained that a monk's All Beings Are Equal spell had lowered their cultivation.
• The Red Armor Cavalry killed the remaining Yingui Pavilion cultivators and destroyed their souls with the Confucian Sect's Sixteen-Character True Words.
• Wan Eastern Mountain explained the Zhang Clan's Confucian roots and asked Xu Taiping for True Fire Talismans, which Xu gave him.
• Xu Taiping urged Wan Eastern Mountain to leave with him, but Wan Eastern Mountain revealed that he and his men intended to die to keep the Great General's weakness from the Demon Cultivators.
• Wan Eastern Mountain burned himself with the talismans, and Red Armor Cavalry soldiers leaped into the flames while recounting how monsters and Demon Cultivators had murdered their families and villages.

Wan Eastern Mountain and the Red Armor Cavalry chose to die in the Water Prison rather than regret their service to the Great General, and Xu Taiping left carrying their Thousand-Household Token. He then tried to draw the returning Yingui Pavilion Demon Cultivators away from Monk Xuanzhi and Ping'an, launching an attack on Elder Yu as the Pavilion Master’s arrival loomed.

• Wan Eastern Mountain gave Xu Taiping his Thousand-Household Token and asked him to tell the Red Armor Cavalry that he never regretted joining them or following the Great General.
• The Red Armor Cavalry declared they had never regretted their choice and were consumed by the flames as Xu Taiping bowed and left the Water Prison.
• Monk Xuanzhi told Xu Taiping that Yingui Pavilion Demon Cultivators had returned, the leading Demonic Flood Dragon had awakened, and he and Ping'an were trapped at the bottom of the pool.
• Xu Taiping told Xuanzhi and Ping'an to stay hidden while he lured the Demon Cultivators away, then learned that the Yingui Pavilion Pavilion Master was coming.
• Xu Taiping sent two clones to ambush the Demon Cultivators, then appeared behind them with a Golden Buddha Statue and struck at Elder Yu after Elder Yu blocked a Five Thunder Jade attack.

Xu Taiping fought Elder Yu and the Yingui Pavilion cultivators, sensing that his strength had reached a bottleneck as Elder Yu’s aura continued to rise. He trapped the other cultivators and used the Crane Cry stance to press his attack, but Elder Yu manifested his true demon body and knocked aside his slash.

• Elder Yu endured Xu Taiping’s blade and the Demon-Subduing Seal, while his aura and demonic qi continued to grow under the black umbrella.
• Xu Taiping used the Azure Luan Ring to wound Elder Yu and tear apart the attacking Yingui Pavilion cultivators, but their Demon King Realm bodies began gathering again.
• Feeling his strength had reached a bottleneck, Xu Taiping resolved to advance his cultivation, physique, and martial techniques rather than be discouraged.
• Xu Taiping froze the five cultivators’ shattered bodies in a block of ice, then attacked Elder Yu with the relentless Crane Cry stance.
• Elder Yu grew to ten feet tall, manifested his true demon body, and knocked Xu Taiping’s slash aside with a palm strike.

Xu Taiping fought Elder Yu of the Yingui Pavilion in the Demonic Flood Dragon Pool, losing himself in the Crane Cry Form as his blade force overwhelmed Elder Yu. Surrounded by demonic flood dragons, Xu Taiping began to undergo a physical breakthrough toward the martial saint realm.

• Elder Yu struck Xu Taiping with his iron flood dragon body, but Xu Taiping’s blade force kept growing as he traded blows with him.
• Xu Taiping ignored his injuries and exhausted strength, continuing to build momentum with the Crane Cry Form while Elder Yu tried to wear him down.
• Monk Xuanzhi warned Xu Taiping that demonic flood dragons were approaching, while Blade Ghost urged him to unleash his lawless blade.
• Xu Taiping declared that he had lost himself and only his blade remained, then struck Elder Yu repeatedly until demonic flood dragons surrounded them.
• Xu Taiping radiated a milky white halo, grew dragon-like scales, and began breaking through toward the martial saint realm.

Xu Taiping advanced his Awakened Flood Dragon Realm physique to the ultimate realm and continued to overpower Elder Yu of the Yingui Pavilion, even as swarms of demonic flood dragons attacked him. Elder Yu eventually pinned Xu Taiping to a wall with a spear, but Xuanzhi urged him to hold on until he could use the power of all beings are equal again.

• Xu Taiping completed the ultimate realm transformation of his Awakened Flood Dragon Realm and intensified his assault on Elder Yu of the Yingui Pavilion.
• Xu Taiping fought through attacks by dozens of demonic flood dragons, wounded Elder Yu, and severed one of his hands.
• Elder Yu transformed his True Demon Body and hurled a black spear through Xu Taiping's defenses, pinning him to a stone wall by the shoulder.
• Elder Yu sheltered Xu Taiping from the demonic flood dragons with his black umbrella and offered to show him a path forward.
• Xu Taiping struck the spear embedded in his shoulder with the Water-Cutting Blade, and Xuanzhi told him to hold on while he prepared to use the power of all beings are equal.

Xu Taiping pretended to accept Yu You’s offer to serve the Yingui Pavilion for ten years while coordinating with Little Monk Xuanzhi. When Yu You approached to stamp him with a tracking seal, Xu Taiping broke free of the Black Spear and launched a sudden attack.

• Yu You offered to spare Xu Taiping if he agreed to serve him, and Xu Taiping bargained the term down to ten years.
• Little Monk Xuanzhi told Xu Taiping he could use the Second All Beings Are Equal for the time it took to brew a cup of tea, and Xu Taiping chose his blade’s cry as the signal.
• Yu You presented Xu Taiping with a Black Seal and approached to stamp his palm after claiming it would only track him.
• Xu Taiping drew Water-Cutting, severed the Black Spear in his shoulder, tore himself free, and slashed at Yu You.

Xu Taiping used Monk Xuanzhi’s all beings are equal power to suppress Yu You and destroy his Demon God Weapon form, then pursued him through Golden Toad Valley. When Bai Yu arrived in danger, Xu Taiping broke off the chase and flew toward her.

• Yu You transformed his Demon God Weapon, the Twin-Headed Black Hound, to attack Xu Taiping, but Monk Xuanzhi’s power weakened it and Xu Taiping severed one of its heads.
• Yu You unleashed his full demonic qi and transformed into a hound-headed demon blade, but the suppression returned, allowing Xu Taiping to cut his true demon body in two.
• Yu You fled toward the surface, and Xu Taiping pursued him while beheading five Yingui Pavilion disciples who attacked on Yu You’s orders.
• Xu Taiping told Monk Xuanzhi to use the chaos to set the Stone Pillars with Ping'an, then continued attacking Yu You as they left the pool.
• A white-headed eagle crashed into a cliff as an old woman arrived at Golden Toad Valley, and Xu Taiping recognized the woman as Bai Yu and flew toward her.

Xu Taiping confronted Zhenwu after luring him away from Bai Yu, enduring the monk’s overwhelming assault until the power of all beings are equal suppressed Zhenwu’s cultivation. Xu Taiping broke free and struck at Zhenwu with Dragon Weeping.

• Bai Yu warned Xu Taiping that the Golden Toad Poison Mother had joined forces with Zhenwu, who attacked Xu Taiping from above.
• Xu Taiping used the Heaven-Rending Stance and the Twin Carp Pearl’s water screen to withstand Zhenwu’s palm strikes, though his arms became badly cracked.
• Zhenwu enclosed Xu Taiping and the water screen in his golden body’s hand, intending to absorb Xu Taiping’s blood qi.
• The power of all beings are equal suppressed Zhenwu’s cultivation and stripped away his devil master aura.
• Xu Taiping’s fists shattered Zhenwu’s hand, and Xu Taiping drew Dragon Weeping and brought it down on Zhenwu’s true body.

Xu Taiping used the power of All Beings Are Equal to destroy Demon Monk Zhenwu’s golden body and wound him with an arrow, but Golden Toad Poison Mother and Yu You joined Zhenwu against him. Xu Taiping stalled for time while Monk Xuanzhi and Ping'an set up Stone Pillars, until Zhenwu revealed that Xu Taiping might know about the Spirit Bone Stele, drawing Golden Toad Poison Mother’s attention.

• Xu Taiping cleaved Demon Monk Zhenwu’s Mad Demon Dharma Aspect in two and pinned Zhenwu to a cliff with a Thunder Master Arrow.
• Golden Toad Poison Mother’s sound attack briefly halted Xu Taiping’s Fire Virtue Arrow, but Zhenwu knocked it away after pulling the first arrow from his chest.
• Zhenwu and Yu You identified the limits of Xu Taiping’s All Beings Are Equal power and prepared to fight him with their martial skills.
• Xu Taiping provoked Zhenwu and Yu You to keep them occupied while Monk Xuanzhi and Ping'an set up four Stone Pillars.
• Zhenwu told Golden Toad Poison Mother that Xu Taiping might know about the Spirit Bone Stele, and she demanded to know if it was true.

Golden Toad Poison Mother learned that Xu Taiping had rescued Princess Tiancheng and believed he knew how to reach the mysterious place connected to the Spirit Bone Stele. She joined forces with Zhenwu to capture him, but Xu Taiping fought off waves of toad demons before Yu You attacked him with a spear.

• Zhenwu pressured Yu You into revealing that Yingui Pavilion’s disciples had seen Princess Tiancheng in the water prison.
• Zhenwu told Golden Toad Poison Mother that Xu Taiping had rescued Princess Tiancheng, and she suspected he knew how to open the mysterious place.
• Golden Toad Poison Mother agreed to join forces with Zhenwu, claiming Xu Taiping’s body for him and his soul for herself, then summoned her toad demons.
• Xu Taiping blocked the demons’ gang wind with the Azure Luan Ring, froze dozens with the Frost Breath Art, and shredded more with Two-Finger Strike Mountain Shatter.
• Golden Toad Poison Mother ordered all the toad demons to attack, and Zhenwu and Yu You joined the assault.
• Xu Taiping froze the front line of demons, but Yu You thrust a black spear toward his throat.

Xu Taiping fought Yu You and Zhenwu across the frozen lake, using clones, concealment, and his hard-earned fighting instincts to exploit the suppression of their powers. He wounded Yu You and pressed Zhenwu with a rapidly strengthening fist technique, but Zhenwu broke free and struck back.

• Xu Taiping bent Yu You's spear with his neck and punched him into the cliff with Heaven-Shaking.
• Xu Taiping covered Golden Toad Valley in mist, then used a clone and the Concealment Cloak to surprise Zhenwu beneath the ice and knock him across the lake.
• Yu You interrupted Xu Taiping's follow-up attack on Zhenwu, but Xu Taiping's clones reappeared and One-Finger Cloud-Piercing grievously wounded Yu You.
• Xu Taiping battered Zhenwu's Diamond Body Protection Art with a growing barrage of punches, while Zhenwu realized the fist technique was unusual.
• Zhenwu broke free of Xu Taiping's fist force and struck at his head with a flaming palm, which Xu Taiping met with a punch.

Xu Taiping risked a lethal strike against Zhenwu to draw the Golden Toad Poison Mother away while Xuanzhi and Ping'an placed the final stone pillar. With the seal nearly broken, Elder Yu You exposed their plan to the enemies.

• Xu Taiping learned from Xuanzhi that only ten breaths remained for the power of all beings are equal and that the last stone pillar had to be placed behind the Golden Toad Poison Mother.
• Xu Taiping unleashed his accumulated fist force and a Demon-Subduing Seal, breaking Zhenwu's defenses and forcing the Golden Toad Poison Mother to intervene.
• Xu Taiping struck the Golden Toad Poison Mother's toad form aside, while Zhenwu sensed that the power of all beings are equal had vanished.
• Xu Taiping created three clones and applied Golden Body Talismans as he spotted Ping'an and Xuanzhi setting the final pillar in place.
• Elder Yu You warned Zhenwu and the Golden Toad Poison Mother that Xu Taiping had been helping the others set up the pillars, and Xu Taiping realized their plan had been exposed.

Xu Taiping used his last powerful talisman and everything he had to reach Ping'an and drive the stone pillar into the ground, despite being gravely wounded and poisoned. As an ancient presence stirred through Golden Toad Valley, Fairy Lingyue awakened and warned him not to listen.

• Xu Taiping hurled his Fire-Howling Talisman at Golden Toad Poison Mother and Demon Monk Zhenwu, then used Endless Horizon to reach Ping'an and the others.
• Xu Taiping pulled Ping'an into the gourd, pushed Monk Xuanzhi aside, and took Zhenwu's Giant Axe strike and Golden Toad Poison Mother's venom while holding the stone pillar.
• The Listening Wind Tower Jade Bracelet carried Lin Buyu's voice to Xu Taiping, helping him regain his senses as he drank the Dragon Gall Wine.
• Xu Taiping lifted the stone pillar and drove it into the ground, shaking Golden Toad Valley and stirring an ancient aura.
• Fairy Lingyue awakened and warned Xu Taiping not to listen, but he could barely hear her over the buzzing in his ears.

Xu Taiping and Xuanzhi brought the Spirit Bone Stele back into the world, freeing Lu Rushuang, Princess Tiancheng, Wu Tiegu, and others from their imprisonment. As Lu Rushuang directed them to activate the stele’s teleportation array and escape Blood Rain Forest, Night Demon burst free from Demonic Flood Dragon Pool.

• Xu Taiping and Xuanzhi reached the center of Demonic Flood Dragon Pool as the ruins rose and the water drained away.
• A water curtain blocked Golden Toad Poison Mother and Demon Monk Zhenwu’s attack, revealing Princess Tiancheng, Lu Rushuang, her husband, and other survivors beside the rising Spirit Bone Stele.
• Wu Tiegu intercepted Golden Toad Poison Mother and Demon Monk Zhenwu, then fought them to keep them from Xu Taiping and the others.
• Lu Rushuang told Princess Tiancheng to help Xu Taiping and Xuanzhi activate the Spirit Bone Stele’s Teleportation Array and escape Blood Rain Forest.
• Night Demon burst out of the pool, and Yu You recognized him as the Yingui Pavilion’s Ancestor Night Demon.

Night Demon Ancestor took Yu You’s demon body and attacked Lu Rushuang, but Zhu Lengqiu blocked him with the Twin Carp Pearl. Lu Rushuang and the elders set out to fight the demon while Zhu Lengqiu entrusted Princess Tiancheng with medicine for the injured Xu Taiping and told her to escape.

• Yu You revealed himself to Night Demon Ancestor, who swallowed him and took over his true demon body.
• Night Demon Ancestor attacked Lu Rushuang, but Zhu Lengqiu used the Twin Carp Pearl to raise nine water curtains and repel his Bone Spear.
• Night Demon Ancestor mocked Zhu Lengqiu as black mist spread across Golden Toad Valley, while Wu Tiegu struck Demon Monk Zhenwu and confronted Golden Toad Poison Mother.
• Lu Rushuang urged the elders to stop Night Demon Ancestor from repeating the Chu Kingdom’s Calamity of the Empty City, and she led them from the Sacrificial Platform to fight him.
• Zhu Lengqiu gave Princess Tiancheng the Twin Carp Pearl and a Bone-Regenerating Pill for Xu Taiping, then left to join the battle.

As Zhu Lengqiu, Lu Rushuang, and the other masters fought the Night Demon, Princess Tiancheng prepared to teleport Xu Taiping and Monk Xuanzhi to safety. After learning that the Spirit Bone Stele’s barrier required immense divine soul power, Xu Taiping decided to use the dragon gall stone to try activating it and help his Little Martial Aunts.

• Princess Tiancheng explained that the masters had spent years preparing to trap the Night Demon so it could not devastate the mortal world again.
• Xu Taiping recovered somewhat after taking Zhu Lengqiu’s Bone-Regenerating Pill and asked why the Blood Rain Forest’s barrier had not activated with the Spirit Bone Stele’s return.
• Princess Tiancheng said she could activate the sacrificial platform’s teleportation barrier, but she would stay to fight alongside her master and the other seniors.
• Fairy Lingyue told Xu Taiping that holding the dragon gall stone in his mouth could briefly give his divine soul power the strength to resonate with the Spirit Bone Stele, at the cost of unbearable pain.
• Xu Taiping chose to try using the dragon gall stone rather than leave his Little Martial Aunts and the others to face the Night Demon alone.

Xu Taiping tried to resonate with the Spirit Bone Stele while Lu Rushuang and the others battled the Night Demon. The stele recognized him as a Summoned One, but he continued despite Princess Tiancheng’s warning, hoping to help activate the Blood Rain Forest’s formation.

• Princess Tiancheng urged Xu Taiping and Monk Xuanzhi to hurry to the Teleportation Platform, but Xu Taiping asked to try resonating with the Spirit Bone Stele.
• Princess Tiancheng allowed Xu Taiping to try as one of the water curtains protecting the Sacrificial Platform shattered under the Night Demon’s assault.
• Xu Taiping touched the Spirit Bone Stele and sensed its ancient presence as it revealed that he was the latest Summoned One from the Azure Profound Sect.
• Princess Tiancheng explained that becoming a Summoned One would not activate the Blood Rain Forest’s Grand Formation, but Xu Taiping insisted on continuing to help Lu Rushuang and the others.
• Xu Taiping exhausted his Divine Soul Power and began suffering intense pain, so he put the dragon gall stone in his mouth.

Xu Taiping endured immense Divine Soul pain after absorbing the Dragon Gall Stone while Monk Xuanzhi and Princess Tiancheng shared part of his suffering. As the Night Demon overwhelmed their allies, Chu Tiancheng asked Xuanzhi to take all of Xu Taiping’s pain upon herself, and the Spirit Bone Stele recorded both of their names.

• Xu Taiping absorbed the Dragon Gall Stone and roared as its power stretched his Divine Soul apart.
• Monk Xuanzhi used the Compassion Mantra to share Xu Taiping’s pain, and Princess Tiancheng joined him despite the agony.
• Princess Tiancheng and Xuanzhi increased their share of Xu Taiping’s pain to thirty percent as the Night Demon broke through the water curtain and killed Elder Qu.
• Lu Rushuang attacked the Night Demon but was struck into a cliff, prompting Princess Tiancheng to ask Xuanzhi to transfer all of Xu Taiping’s pain to her.
• Xuanzhi began a chant with Princess Tiancheng, and the Spirit Bone Stele added their names as respondents to the summons.

Xu Taiping used his summoned-one privilege to have the Spirit Bone Stele extrapolate his cultivation techniques to upper-grade Heaven Rank, gaining techniques marked with traces of true intent. When he returned to his senses, the stele had also identified Xuanzhi and Chu Tiancheng as summoned ones.

• Xu Taiping entered the Spirit Bone Stele’s mental realm and learned he could request its intervention or have it extrapolate his cultivation techniques.
• Xu Taiping chose extrapolation, and the stele transformed his techniques and imparted them into his sea of consciousness.
• Xu Taiping noticed that the Hidden Sword Art remained unchanged but gained an annotation about true intent, while the Great Sage Fist gained a similar annotation.
• Xu Taiping returned to his senses less than a breath later and realized Xuanzhi and Princess Tiancheng had shared his Divine Soul pain through the Compassion Mantra.
• Xu Taiping saw the Spirit Bone Stele identify him, Xuanzhi, and Chu Tiancheng as summoned ones.