Chapter Summaries

Xu Taiping and A Zhu searched Tianhai Town for Zhang Kaitai’s Life-bound Item as the city’s people prepared to defend Tianhai Pass. After witnessing a soldier return carrying his father’s severed arm, Xu Taiping smelled the sought-after fragrance coming from A Zhu’s tears.

• Xu Taiping saw Tianhai Town’s residents, including an old veteran and his son, heading to fight the Demonic Beasts despite the danger.
• Xu Taiping created a clone so he and A Zhu and A Hu could search the city more quickly for the Life-bound Item.
• Over two days, Xu Taiping and the siblings searched for the distinctive fragrance while the Red Armor Cavalry repelled two attacks, leaving Tianhai Pass able to hold for only about one more day.
• A soldier returned from battle carrying his father’s bloodstained armor and severed arm, then broke down in grief.
• Xu Taiping smelled the strange fragrance and realized it was coming from A Zhu’s tears.

A Zhu revealed that she was Great General Zhang Tianze’s Life-Bound Item, and that undoing her seal would draw Heavenly Punishment that would kill either her or the Great General. With the Shark Queen closing in on Tianhai Town, A Zhu used the Yin Tally to prepare a gamble that might bring outside cultivators to the town.

• A Zhu told Xu Taiping that she was Zhang Tianze’s Life-Bound Item and that her compassionate heart had undone the Dao Seal hiding her identity.
• The Shark Queen sensed A Zhu’s aura, and dark clouds gathered as A Zhu warned that undoing the seal would bring Heavenly Punishment.
• A Zhu explained that Xu Taiping or Zhang Kaitai could command only about three thousand ghost soldiers, which might not be enough to defend Tianhai Town.
• A Zhu took the Yin Tally and absorbed the blackness spreading across her skin into it.
• A Zhu revealed that she could use her remaining strength to create a Reception Array, but outside cultivators would need to guess its secret incantation.
• Xu Taiping guessed that A Zhu hoped to bring Great General Zhang Tianze to Tianhai Town.

Xu Taiping helped A Zhu establish a Reception Array in the dry well, and she spent her remaining power to activate it before fading away. As the Red Armor Cavalry faced an early assault by the Deep-Sea Demonic Beasts, the Old General urged them to hold until reinforcements arrived.

• Xu Taiping recognized the dry well from his Lotus Eye vision, and A Zhu identified it as the well at the Abandoned Taoist Temple, where spiritual energy was unusually dense.
• Xu Taiping placed Spirit Treasure-grade weapons and Gold Essence Coins in the well, and A Zhu used her remaining Spiritual Power to activate the Reception Array.
• A Zhu gave Xu Taiping the Yin Tally, said the array would last three days, and asked him to look after the people of Tianhai Town and her younger brother if they survived.
• A Zhu vanished, leaving a ring, and Xu Taiping sensed the Divine Souls of the Zhang Clan and the Red Armor Cavalry within it.
• The Deep-Sea Demonic Beasts attacked Tianhai Pass early, and the Old General led the Red Armor Cavalry into a Formation Charge while promising reinforcements would come.

Zhang Kaitai and his troops faced a new wave of unusually powerful Deep-Sea Demonic Beasts, and he warned that a Whale Demon Venerable might emerge from the sea. As Tianhai Pass prepared for a final battle, Shi Chong led the soldiers in a rallying cry.

• The Red Armor Cavalry and fisherfolk brought down a Whale Demon, while Zhang Kaitai sensed a Whale Demon Venerable offshore.
• Zhang Kaitai explained that the Shark Queens could use the flesh of 980 fallen soldiers’ enemies to nourish a Whale Demon Venerable.
• Hundreds of increasingly powerful Deep-Sea Demonic Beasts surged ashore, while winged demon kings filled the sky.
• Zhang Kaitai ordered all remaining Red Armor Cavalry and fisherfolk into the fight and doubled the crossbowmen on the gate tower.
• Shi Chong volunteered to lead the first charge, and Zhang Kaitai praised his long service before Shi Chong urged the people of Tianhai Town to fight.

Ten-Thousand-Household Commander Shi Chong led the Red Armor Cavalry and Fisherfolk against the Deep-Sea Demonic Beasts, but a Demon Venerable Realm Whale Demon overwhelmed their formation. With the Fisherfolk threatened and the Old General unable to arrive in time, Shi Chong chose to die a worthy death and struck his own chest.

• Shi Chong led the Red Armor Cavalry and Fisherfolk into battle, routing the Deep-Sea Demonic Beasts and killing two Demon Venerable Realm Shark Demons.
• A Demon Venerable Realm Whale Demon arrived, crushed Fisherfolk, and forced Shi Chong to withdraw and defend the troops with a shield formation.
• The Whale Demon repeatedly smashed its Bone Hammer against the Red Armor shield, injuring Shi Chong and threatening the Fisherfolk as other demons advanced around the flanks.
• Old General Zhang Kaitai offered to bring help, but Shi Chong refused and declared that he would die a worthy death.
• Shi Chong pressed his hand to his heart and struck his own chest.

Shi Chong used the Heart-Burning Palm to sacrifice his life and lead the Red Armor Cavalry in killing the Whale Demon and the beasts at Tianhai Pass. Old General Zhang Kaitai arrived with reinforcements as Shi Chong’s spirit steed passed him, carrying Shi Chong’s uncertain question about how he had done.

• Shi Chong used the Heart-Burning Palm, raising his blood qi at the cost of his life.
• Shi Chong shielded the Red Armor Cavalry from the Whale Demon’s hammer and asked his comrades to lend him their strength.
• Shi Chong led the cavalry in a charge that split the Whale Demon and tore him apart with righteous qi.
• The commanderless Red Armor Cavalry held formation and slaughtered the beasts at the city tower before more demons surged ashore.
• Old General Zhang Kaitai arrived with two thousand cavalry riders and five thousand fisherfolk to relieve the exhausted defenders.

Zhang Kaitai and the Red Armor Cavalry fought to hold back the demonic horde, but Devil Masters Ling and Ao Yan and a whale demon overwhelmed their formation. Just as Zhang Kaitai prepared to take a vermilion pill, Xu Taiping arrived from the city and announced that he had fulfilled his mission.

• Zhang Kaitai led the Red Armor Cavalry and fisherfolk into the demon horde, then killed two Demon Venerable Realm beasts with a charge.
• Devil Master Ling blocked Zhang Kaitai's charge with an ice wall and attacked him, but he shattered the wall and fought back.
• Ling, Devil Master Ao Yan, and a whale demon joined forces against Zhang Kaitai's formation, driving it backward as the other cavalry formations remained tied down by demons.
• Zhang Kaitai decided to take a vermilion pill as his formation suffered heavy blows.
• Xu Taiping arrived on a white-headed eagle and told Zhang Kaitai that he had fulfilled his mission.

Xu Taiping used a clone to draw the Devil Masters' attention while his true body slipped into Zhang Kaitai's military formation. Shark Ling summoned the Immortal-Slaying Demon Weapon, and Zhang Kaitai prepared to face its strike without yet using the Yin Tally.

• Xu Taiping and Bai Yu broke through the flying Shark Demons' encirclement with help from the city-wall archers and the Sea Incineration Formation.
• Devil Master Ao Yan struck Xu Taiping, but the body he shattered was a clone, and Xu Taiping's true body appeared inside Zhang Kaitai's military formation.
• Ao Yan attacked Zhang Kaitai's formation, while Shark Ling decided to kill Xu Taiping and Zhang Kaitai together.
• Shark Ling chanted and summoned the Immortal-Slaying Demon Weapon, a giant sword accompanied by three smaller swords.
• Zhang Kaitai ordered the Red Armor Cavalry to form up and raised his shield, while Xu Taiping reminded him to use the Yin Tally and Zhang Kaitai chose to wait.

At Tianhai Pass, Zhang Kaitai summoned the fallen Banner Ghost Soldiers to reinforce the Red Armor Cavalry as Devil Master Shark Ling unleashed her Immortal-Slaying Sword. He led the expanded force in a charge that transformed their giant shield into a Demon-Suppressing Spear and pierced Shark Ling through the chest.

• Xu Taiping joined the Red Armor Cavalry as they raised a giant shield against Devil Master Shark Ling's three descending swords.
• Zhang Kaitai drew on his reserve of blood qi to repel Devil Master Ao Yan and the Whale Demon's attacks.
• Shark Ling sent her giant Immortal-Slaying Sword plunging toward the formation as Zhang Kaitai called on his fallen comrades for strength.
• Banner Ghost Soldiers appeared and expanded the formation from three hundred fighters to three thousand, raising seven layers of shields.
• Zhang Kaitai led the Red Armor Cavalry and Ghost Soldiers in a charge, transforming their giant shield into a spear that pierced the Immortal-Slaying Sword and wounded Shark Ling.

The Old General and the Red Armor Cavalry drove back the demons, but Devil Master Jiao Ling warned that a far larger, stronger host would attack the next night. After learning about A Zhu’s sacrifice, Xu Taiping was asked to lead Tianhai Town’s women and children to shelter in a hidden underground palace.

• The Old General wounded Devil Master Ao Yan and killed the Whale Demon, then defeated Jiao Ling’s Immortal-Slaying Sword with the Demon-Suppressing Spear.
• Jiao Ling ordered the demons to retreat and warned that the next night’s attackers would be far more numerous and powerful; Ao Yan reluctantly obeyed.
• The Red Armor Cavalry and fisherfolk pursued the retreating demons, while Jiao Ling spent several Demon God Weapons to halt their advance.
• Xu Taiping told the Old General Zhang about A Zhu and the Reception Array, and Zhang thanked her.
• The Old General asked Xu Taiping to take the town’s women and children to a hidden underground palace and lead them to safety once the demons near its exit dispersed.

Xu Taiping and Old General Zhang Kaitai debated whether a cultivator should risk his life to protect Tianhai Pass, and Xu Taiping explained that seeking longevity did not mean abandoning the people he loved. After Zhang Kaitai sent him to the underground palace, Xu Taiping comforted the children with a lie and met Shi Miaomiao, whose father had died; he promised her they would return to Tianhai Town and insisted he was telling the truth.

• Zhang Kaitai told Xu Taiping that a cultivator should leave Tianhai Pass, while a martial artist could die there to protect the city.
• Xu Taiping said he would seek the great path without severing his ties to family and friends, and Zhang Kaitai sent him to the underground palace.
• Xu Taiping reassured A Hu that his sister A Zhu had escaped through another passage, concealing her fate.
• Children in the underground palace asked Xu Taiping about their missing family members, and he told them the fighting was going well.
• Shi Miaomiao called Xu Taiping a liar and revealed that she knew her father, Shi Chong, was dead.
• Xu Taiping promised Shi Miaomiao they could return to Tianhai Town, then walked toward the underground palace entrance.

Xu Taiping left the Underground Palace and chose to remain at Tianhai Pass until the final moment, while Monk Xuanzhi also refused to flee. Xu Taiping received the Fearless Seal, which restored his Demon-Subduing Seal beads and gave him a way to fight powerful Demonic Beasts at great cost to his body.

• Xu Taiping left the Underground Palace and told Monk Xuanzhi he would hold on at Tianhai Pass as long as he could, while Xuanzhi said he had stayed to experience suffering.
• Xu Taiping and Xuanzhi affirmed that they would face death without regrets and laughed together.
• Venerable Jiaye bestowed the Fearless Seal on Xu Taiping and restored the eight missing Demon-Subduing Seal Buddhist Prayer Beads.
• Xuanzhi explained that using both seals could briefly give Xu Taiping a Vajra Demon-Subduing Body with strength equivalent to a Martial God's, enough to fight powerful Demonic Beasts.
• Xuanzhi warned that the seals rapidly consumed Qi and Blood and could ruin Xu Taiping's body, but they continued toward the City Tower.

Old General Zhang Kaitai and the remaining defenders of Tianhai Pass prepared for what seemed to be their final battle against a vastly superior sea of demonic beasts. The chapter ended as a dozen Turtle-Shell Demons, nearly two hundred Demon Venerables, and more than a dozen Devil Masters gathered before them.

• Zhang Kaitai learned that Shi had fallen and heard A Liang vow to stay and protect him at Tianhai Pass.
• The commanders reported their formations ready as Zhang Kaitai weighed the defenders’ forces against thousands of powerful demonic beasts and the threat of more hatching.
• Turtle-Shell Demons descended before the army, survived the Sea Incineration Formation, and began gathering corrosive water cannons.
• The defenders raised their shields as nearly two hundred Demon Venerables and more than a dozen Devil Masters joined the Turtle-Shell Demons.
• Zhang Kaitai laughed at the sight of so many Devil Masters gathered against Tianhai Pass.

Zhang Kaitai and the Red Armor Soldiers rejected Jiao Ling’s offer to surrender and fought the Shark Demon army at Tianhai Pass. After suffering devastating losses, the Red Armor Cavalry turned the battle with Zhang Kaitai’s summoned Red Armor Ghost Soldiers, leaving most of the Turtle-Shell Demons dead and one Whale Demon killed.

• Zhang Kaitai rallied the Red Armor Soldiers, who declared they would rather die fighting than surrender to the Shark Emperor.
• Jiao Ling ordered the army to kill everyone who refused to surrender, and the Turtle-Shell Demons bombarded the Red Armor formations with venomous water cannonballs.
• Zhang Kaitai and the Thousand-Household Commanders led their cavalry in charges against the Demonic Beast contingents, but the enemy’s water bubbles and reinforcements caused heavy losses.
• The Red Armor Soldiers sacrificed themselves to kill Demon Venerables, Devil Masters, and one Whale Demon as the battle became a slaughter.
• Zhang Kaitai summoned three thousand Red Armor Ghost Soldiers, turning the tide; the Red Armor Cavalry killed all but three Turtle-Shell Demons and killed one of the two Whale Demons.

As the second wave of Demonic Beasts overwhelmed the Red Armor Cavalry at Tianhai Pass, Xu Taiping returned and turned the battle by defeating Devil Master Ao Yan and beheading a Whale Demon. The gate remained under threat, but Xu Taiping’s arrival gave the defenders a chance to fight back.

• The second wave of Demonic Beasts broke through several military formations, and Old General Zhang Kaitai took his last life-draining pill as the Whale Demon battered Tianhai Pass's gate.
• Xu Taiping arrived on a White-Headed Eagle with a monk, and Devil Master Ao Yan attacked him as he descended.
• Xu Taiping used the Fearless Seal and Demon-Subduing Seal to empower his Baxia Form, shattering Ao Yan's punch and blasting open his chest.
• Xu Taiping drew his blade and used the Dragon-Slaying Form to cut off the Whale Demon's head.

Xu Taiping used the Fearless Seal and his other protections to fight Devil Master Jiao Ling, then turned to attack another Whale Demon. The Red Armor Cavalry was wiped out when Jiao Ling destroyed their formation, and Devil Master Ao Yan struck Xu Taiping as he stood helpless to save them.

• Xu Taiping blocked Devil Master Jiao Ling's sword with the combined protection of the Fearless Seal, Demon-Subduing Seal, and Sea Incineration Formation.
• Xu Taiping struck Jiao Ling with the Chaotic Cicada Stance, but she countered with Immortal-Slaying and forced their attacks to a draw.
• Xu Taiping left Jiao Ling and struck a Whale Demon with Dragon-Slaying, staggering it so the Red Armor Cavalry could charge.
• Jiao Ling shattered the Red Armor Cavalry's battle formation with Immortal-Slaying, and demonic beasts devoured the soldiers.
• Devil Master Ao Yan punched Xu Taiping and sent him skidding through the air.

Xu Taiping faced Jiao Ling and a group of Devil Masters, but Old General Zhang Kaitai and the Red Armor forces helped him repel their attack. As the demons prepared to assault Tianhai Pass again, Zhang Kaitai entrusted Xu Taiping with the Zhang Clan Yin Tally and promised to teach him to summon the Red Armor Ghost Cavalry.

• Jiao Ling and more than a dozen Devil Masters surrounded Xu Taiping, but Zhang Kaitai drove them back with his spear.
• Jiao Ling attacked Xu Taiping with the Immortal-Slaying Sword, and Xu Taiping met it with a Baxia Form punch empowered by the Red Armor Cavalry Battle Formation.
• Bai Yu caught the falling Xu Taiping, while Zhang Kaitai refused healing pills and ordered the surviving soldiers to defend the city gate.
• Xu Taiping rejected Zhang Kaitai's offer to leave and agreed to try to kill the Whale Demon during the next assault.
• Zhang Kaitai warned Xu Taiping against facing the Whale Demon alone and handed him the Zhang Clan Yin Tally and his life-bound item to summon the Red Armor Ghost Cavalry.

Xu Taiping used multiple decoys and Bai Yu’s help to break through the Devil Masters’ defenses and expose the Whale Demon to a combined attack. Jiao Ling believed the Xu Taiping leading the Ghost Soldiers was the real one and sent the Immortal-Slaying Sword toward him.

• Bai Yu dispersed the poisonous mist with his wings, allowing the Old General to order the Red Armor Cavalry to fire on the Demonic Beasts.
• Xu Taiping rode Bai Yu toward the Whale Demon, while the Devil Masters moved to intercept him.
• Ao Yan exposed a hidden Xu Taiping by shaking the ground, but the figure dissolved into azure qi as Bai Yu carried another Xu Taiping toward the Whale Demon.
• A Xu Taiping riding Bai Yu struck at the Whale Demon with a saber, drawing the Devil Masters’ attention.
• Xu Taiping led thousands of Red Armor Ghost Cavalry through the Demonic Beasts, leaving the Whale Demon exposed to their formation’s fist force and the saber attack.
• Jiao Ling unleashed the Immortal-Slaying Sword at Xu Taiping inside the Ghost Soldier formation, believing him to be the true body.

Xu Taiping fled just before the Eight-Clawed Demon Zuoshao emerged from the sea and attacked the shore. The Old General identified the ancient beast and asked Xu Taiping for a medicinal pill, preparing to face it before it could leave Tianhai Pass.

• Xu Taiping used his Mysterious Origin Avatar to attack Devil Master Jiao Ling from behind while he and the avatar threatened her from both sides.
• Bai Yu warned Xu Taiping of a terrifying demonic beast watching from the sea, so Xu Taiping recalled his avatar and escaped with the Red Armor Ghost Cavalry.
• The Eight-Clawed Demon Zuoshao emerged from the sea and attacked the shore with its tentacles.
• The Old General identified Zuoshao as an ancient demonic beast once suppressed by the previous House Master of the Sea-Calming Tower.
• The Old General asked Xu Taiping for a medicinal pill and vowed not to let Zuoshao leave Tianhai Pass alive.

Xu Taiping and the Red Armor Cavalry prepared to hold back three thousand Demonic Beasts while Zhang Kaitai borrowed the power of the Sea-Calming Tower’s three divine weapons. As the battle approached, Xuanzhi revealed that he could use the Animal Realm curse against Demonic Beasts, but only three times.

• Zhang Kaitai accepted Xu Taiping’s Grass Return Pill and explained that he needed time to borrow the power of the Demon-Suppressing Spear, Red Dragon Armor, and Chisel-Tooth Shield.
• Around three thousand Demonic Beasts gathered on the shore, including two powerful Whale Demons, and Zhang Kaitai ordered the Red Armor Cavalry to form ranks and raise their shields.
• Xu Taiping told Bai Yu and Ping'an to flee if the battle turned bad, but both revealed their Great Yao true bodies and chose to fight beside him.
• Xuanzhi told Xu Taiping that he had learned the Animal Realm and Asura Realm curses and could cast the Animal Realm curse three times to briefly control Demonic Beasts.