Chapter Summaries

Xu Taiping learned that defeating half the ruin-guarding Demonic Beasts on each floor could earn Great Emperor Mysterious Wasteland’s hidden legacy, and agreed to help Mysterious Wasteland Heaven by reaching the tower’s summit. After clearing the first floor, he learned that powerful beings outside could watch Tower Spirit challenges, while Fairy Lingyue was surprised to hear the same news.

• Zhang Yi told Xu Taiping that challenging half the Demonic Beasts guarding each floor could earn him a treasure map and a token leading to Great Emperor Mysterious Wasteland’s legacy, including Soul Arts and Soul Treasures usable outside the tower.
• Gongshu Nanxing, Zhai Mo, and Zhang Yi explained that Mysterious Wasteland Heaven had fallen into ruin and urged Xu Taiping to reach the tower’s summit, where the Great Emperor had promised to answer their plea.
• Xu Taiping agreed to try to reach the top, and Zhang Yi reassured him that the tower climbers’ success was not his burden alone.
• Six days later, Xu Taiping defeated the last Demonic Beast guarding the first-floor ruins, and the four companions had gained strength, equipment, and other rewards.
• Zhang Yi warned Xu Taiping that powerful beings outside could watch Tower Spirit challenges, and Fairy Lingyue reacted with surprise when the First Seat told her about it.

At the Abyssal Pavilion, Fairy Lingyue’s confidence in Xu Taiping was challenged when Ye Chensha and others warned that the Nine Abysses could interfere with the Mysterious Wasteland Tower. The Spirit Mirror then showed that someone had qualified to challenge the Tower Spirit unusually quickly, but the projection did not yet reveal who it was.

• Fairy Lingyue silenced Zhu Sha and defended Xu Taiping’s ability to pass the first layer of the Mysterious Wasteland Tower.
• Ye Chensha warned that the Nine Abysses had sent Devil Masters Wang You and Rhinoceros Horn into the tower and planned to destroy the Ask-Heaven Stone.
• Yunhua and Wuji Immortal Elder explained that the Nine Abysses could interfere with the tower’s laws, making Fairy Lingyue worry about Xu Taiping and the Black Rock Armor.
• Cangzhu urged everyone to wait for the Spirit Mirror to show whether Xu Taiping could challenge the Tower Spirit.
• The Spirit Mirror rang after only ten days, and a voice from the misty projection asked, “Who comes below?”

Xu Taiping, calling himself Rusty Lion, challenged and defeated the Qingyang Tiger Lord on the First Layer of the Mysterious Wasteland Tower. The Tower Spirit declared him the first throughout all time and offered him a treasure left by the Great Emperor Mysterious Wasteland, leaving the Abyssal Pavilion stunned.

• The projection revealed the Qingyang Tiger Lord, and Ye Chensha speculated that the challenger had drawn him out by displaying strength beyond the Gate Opening Realm.
• Xu Taiping identified himself as Rusty Lion, a Human Race cultivator, and Fairy Lingyue confirmed his identity to the onlookers.
• The Qingyang Tiger Lord attacked Xu Taiping, who initially met his strike with a fist and was driven backward.
• Xu Taiping's physical strength surged to the Martial Venerable realm, and his punch shattered the Qingyang Tiger Lord's claw and killed him.
• Fairy Lingyue recognized Xu Taiping's technique as Yuezhu's Thousandfold Force, while the Qingyang Tiger Lord named him the first throughout all time and offered him a treasure left by the Great Emperor Mysterious Wasteland.

Xu Taiping and three other Human Race cultivators reached the Second Layer of the Mysterious Wasteland Tower with a map and token pointing to Famous Sword Mountain Manor. After entering the layer together, they rushed to help a young woman surrounded by demon cultivators, who mocked them as four more victims.

• Xu Taiping appeared safe in the illusory image, and the Abyssal Palace learned that Zhai Mo, Gongshu Nanxing, and Zhang Yi had also defeated the Tower Spirit.
• Xu Taiping examined his rewards and confirmed to Gongshu Nanxing, Zhai Mo, and Elder Zhang that he had received a map and token for Famous Sword Mountain Manor.
• Gongshu Nanxing explained that entrants to the Second Layer would wait until a hundred and eighty primordial spirits gathered before entering together.
• Xu Taiping, Gongshu Nanxing, Zhai Mo, and Zhang Yi pushed open the gate and entered the Second Layer, agreeing to head for Famous Sword Mountain Manor.
• The four arrived in a peach grove, heard a young woman crying for help, and charged toward her.
• Zhai Mo confronted the demon cultivators surrounding the young woman, and they laughed at the four Human Race cultivators.

Xu Taiping and his companions defeated a group of Demon Cultivators and recruited Yuzhu, then decided to head for Clear Serenity Pool to find immortal lotuses. Yuzhu warned them that dozens of Demon Cultivators had gathered there, leaving their plan in doubt.

• Zhai Mo, Elder Zhang, and Gongshu Nanxing killed nearly twenty Demon Cultivators and left their leader for Xu Taiping to finish off.
• Xu Taiping shot the wounded leader with a rune-engraved arrow, gaining blood qi and reflecting on how strange it felt to hunt Demon Cultivators instead of being hunted by them.
• Elder Zhang suggested seeking spirit fruits along the way, and Zhai Mo returned with loot from the defeated Demon Cultivators.
• Nanxing introduced Yuzhu, a cultivator skilled in support techniques and formations, and Xu Taiping welcomed her into their group.
• Zhai Mo proposed visiting Clear Serenity Pool for its immortal lotuses, but Yuzhu warned that seventy or eighty Demon Cultivators had gathered there and begged them not to go.

Xu Taiping’s group protected Yuzhu while she gathered lotus seeds to raise her cultivation, then Elder Zhang proposed using the Famous Sword Mountain Manor’s formations to trap and kill the Demon Cultivators on the second floor. The group accepted his plan and headed for the manor to prepare the ambush.

• Xu Taiping gave Yuzhu high-grade treasure armament armor and assured her that the group would handle the Demon Cultivators.
• At Clear Serenity Pool, Yuzhu watched Xu Taiping, Zhai Mo, Nanxing, and Elder Zhang defeat Demon Cultivators and bring her lotus seedpods.
• Yuzhu resolved to help Young Master Rusty Lion reach the top of the Mysterious Wasteland Tower.
• Elder Zhang proposed repairing the Famous Sword Mountain Manor’s two formations and luring the floor’s Demon Cultivators into a killing formation.
• Yuzhu offered to help Elder Zhang with the Geng Metal Chaotic Sword Great Killing Formation, and Xu Taiping agreed to the plan.
• The group gathered their spoils and headed to Famous Sword Mountain Manor, leaving clues to lure the Demon Cultivators.

Xu Taiping retrieved a soul cultivation art and the Azure Dragon Token from the treasure chest in Famous Sword Mountain Manor while demon cultivators attacked outside. Elder Zhang identified the token as a powerful Iron Armor Token that could help Xu Taiping gather allies and face the tower’s higher-floor trials.

• Xu Taiping opened the treasure chest after Zhai Mo and Gongshu Nanxing urged him to claim his reward, as demon cultivators began attacking the manor.
• Xu Taiping obtained the Lion Roar Dragon Roar Shattering Gold Art and learned that he could not use it inside the Mysterious Wasteland Tower.
• Elder Zhang arrived and warned Xu Taiping that more than a hundred demon cultivators had gathered outside and the barrier would soon fail.
• Xu Taiping showed Elder Zhang the black iron token, which he identified as the Azure Dragon Token, one of four Iron Armor Tokens.
• Elder Zhang explained that the token could let nine cultivators travel together to the next floor and that the four tokens would be important after the ninth floor.

Xu Taiping refined the Azure Dragon Token and swore a blood oath with Zhai Mo and three others, gaining followers and armor. As demon cultivators stormed Famous Sword Mountain Manor, Elder Zhang activated the Geng Metal Chaotic Sword Great Killing Formation.

• Elder Zhang explained that the Azure Dragon Token belonged to one of four legendary tokens and could help its bearer bring cultivators to the next floor.
• Xu Taiping refined the Azure Dragon Token, learned it required nine blood-oath followers before he could ascend to the fourth floor, and swore an oath with Zhai Mo and three others.
• The oath summoned phantasmal Azure Dragon Armor and tokens for the four followers, while Zhai Mo was overcome by memories of his lost homeland.
• Demon cultivators smashed through Famous Sword Mountain Manor's barrier and flooded into its rear courtyard as Xu Taiping and his companions took their formation positions.
• A hovering woman hurled a huge rock at Yuzhu, and Elder Zhang activated the Geng Metal Chaotic Sword Great Killing Formation.

Xu Taiping and his companions used Zhang Yi’s restored sword formation to slaughter Demon Cultivators and sweep the second and third floors of the Mysterious Wasteland Tower. As the Abyssal Palace watched the footage, they anticipated Xu Taiping’s third-floor Tower Spirit challenge and warned that the fourth floor would bring far stronger enemies.

• Xu Taiping and his companions activated the Geng Metal Chaotic Sword Great Killing Formation, killing over a hundred Demon Cultivators and looting their belongings.
• Two months later, Ye Chensha showed the Abyssal Palace footage of the battle and explained that Zhang Yi was a renowned Grand Formation Master.
• Ye Chensha revealed that Xu Taiping and his companions had killed every Demon Cultivator and taken every Spirit Fruit and treasure from the second and third floors.
• Fairy Lingyue wondered whether the Golden Scale Ranking’s Martial Fortune was protecting Xu Taiping as the others anticipated his third-floor Tower Spirit challenge.
• Zhu Sha warned that the fourth floor restricted groups to five cultivators and that powerful Demon Cultivators would likely target Xu Taiping.

Xu Taiping and his companions passed the Mysterious Wasteland Tower’s third-floor trial and obtained the Iron Armor Token, but Elder Zhang warned that the Nine Abysses would ambush them on the fourth floor. Ye Chensha offered Fairy Lingyue a concealment artifact in exchange for Xu Taiping rescuing his sister, who was trapped on the fifth floor.

• Xu Taiping and eight companions challenged Heavenly Lord Jin Sheng together, revealing that they had obtained the Iron Armor Token on the third floor.
• The group passed the Great Emperor’s test, received their rewards, and learned that the token would let them gather together on the fourth floor.
• Xu Taiping found a map and a secret-cache token among the rewards, while Elder Zhang warned that demon cultivators would likely attack them in force on the fourth floor.
• Ye Chensha told Fairy Lingyue that the Nine Abysses planned to ambush Xu Taiping’s group with thousands of demon cultivators.
• Ye Chensha offered Fairy Lingyue a Soul Artifact that could conceal cultivators briefly, asking Xu Taiping to rescue his sister from the fifth floor.

Xu Taiping told Fairy Lingyue about the dangers of the fourth through sixth floors of Mysterious Wasteland Tower and considered Ye Chensha’s offer to help rescue his imprisoned younger sister. The chapter ended with Fairy Lingyue questioning why the tower’s wilderness had become a mortal kingdom called Ningyuan Kingdom.

• Fairy Lingyue explained that Ye Chensha offered Xu Taiping a Soul Artifact that could conceal his group and information about the tower in exchange for helping rescue his younger sister.
• Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue agreed to postpone deciding until the next Abyssal Palace council meeting, and Xu Taiping said he planned to ask Uncle White Rainbow about Buyu.
• Fairy Lingyue asked Xu Taiping to describe the fourth through sixth floors of Mysterious Wasteland Tower.
• Xu Taiping explained that the floors contained dangerous spiritual trials, long-term cultivators, powerful Demon Cultivators, and the mortal kingdom of Ningyuan, whose rules restricted spell use.
• Fairy Lingyue said the tower had been wilderness from the first floor to the thirteenth when she entered, and wondered where Ningyuan Kingdom had come from.

Xu Taiping emerged from seclusion with the Gold-Shattering Chapter and Azure Dragon Token, and Fairy Lingyue explained their importance to Great Emperor Mysterious Wasteland’s legacy. He learned that Zhu Xuejian of Yellow Maple Valley had come to challenge him, and she burst into his courtyard after blasting the gate apart.

• Xu Taiping showed Fairy Lingyue the Azure Dragon Token and Cultivation Transmission Jade Slip, and she recognized them as treasures tied to Great Emperor Mysterious Wasteland.
• Fairy Lingyue explained that the Gold-Shattering Chapter was the first part of a Soul Art whose later chapters could rival an Origin Law and reveal more of the Emperor’s legacy.
• Fairy Lingyue told Xu Taiping that Senior Sister Linglong had warned him about a madwoman from Yellow Maple Valley causing trouble.
• Xu Taiping left seclusion, reunited with Ping'an, and heard someone pounding on the courtyard gate.
• Zhu Xuejian announced her Sword Inquiry challenge to Xu Taiping, smashed the gate, sent Ping'an flying, and entered while threatening him.

Zhu Xuejian challenged Xu Taiping to a Sword Inquiry, but Ping'an fought her instead and drove her from Moon Perching Pavilion. When another cultivator intervened and attacked Ping'an, Xu Taiping blocked him and demanded to know why he had trespassed.

• Zhu Xuejian spotted Xu Taiping and challenged him, while Xu told Ping'an to see her out after she had smashed their gate and threatened him.
• Ping'an blocked Zhu Xuejian's flying swords with his Wu Earth Gang Qi, read her intentions, and knocked her out of the courtyard.
• Zhu Xuejian used a talisman to summon a giant fireball, but Ping'an dodged it and struck back with an Ape Demon Mountain-Crushing blow.
• A green-robed man struck Ping'an with a Sword Shadow, and Xu Taiping countered with a saber phantom to protect him.
• Xu Taiping confronted the green-robed man and asked why he had trespassed into Moon Perching Pavilion.

Xu Taiping confronted Du Ziyin and Zhu Xuejian after they trespassed at Moon Perching Pavilion and injured Ping'an. He defeated them with his blade domain and held his saber to Zhu Xuejian’s neck as she threatened him with her father’s power.

• Ping'an told Xu Taiping that Du Ziyin had ambushed him, while Zhu Xuejian denied responsibility for breaking the courtyard gate and insulted Ping'an.
• Du Ziyin introduced himself and challenged Xu Taiping to a few exchanges, but Xu warned that Qingxuan’s rules let a Dao Field’s owner deal with trespassers as he saw fit.
• Zhu Xuejian admitted destroying the gate and striking Ping'an, then taunted Xu Taiping.
• Xu Taiping unleashed his blade domain, wounded Du Ziyin with a slash, and broke Zhu Xuejian’s sword while shattering her protective treasures.
• Xu Taiping slapped Zhu Xuejian and put his saber against her neck when she threatened him with her father’s authority.

Xu Taiping forced Zhu Xuejian to apologize to Ping'an after she insulted and injured him, then kept her and Du Ziyin pinned in his blade domain. When Shen Li arrived with Jiang Zhi and Zhao Linglong, Xu Taiping demanded that Zhu explain what had happened, and she confessed to trespassing and damaging the courtyard.

• Xu Taiping threatened Zhu Xuejian and demanded that she apologize to Ping'an.
• Zhu Xuejian insulted Ping'an again, so Xu Taiping struck her and held her at blade point until she apologized to Ping'an.
• Jiang Zhi, Zhao Linglong, and Shen Li arrived, but Xu Taiping kept Zhu Xuejian and Du Ziyin pinned in his blade domain.
• Xu Taiping asked Zhu Xuejian to explain what had happened, and she admitted to trespassing into Moon Perching Pavilion, smashing its gate, and injuring Ping'an.

Xu Taiping learned that the Azure Cloud Assembly had made Sword Inquiries against him a qualification test, drawing challengers to the Azure Profound Sect. He also discovered that Qingxuan needed Yellow Maple Valley’s Seven-Star Soul-Gathering Banner to treat Uncle White Rainbow, and asked to see him before deciding whether to accept a challenge.

• Shen Li apologized for Zhu Xuejian and Du Ziyin, then told Xu Taiping he had formally requested a Sword Inquiry.
• Jiang Zhi explained that the Peerless Nether Prefecture required Azure Cloud Assembly hopefuls to challenge Xu Taiping, while Zhao Linglong said sects were seeking his approval for those duels.
• Zhao Linglong revealed that Yellow Maple Valley’s Seven-Star Soul-Gathering Banner might restore Uncle White Rainbow’s scattered souls and spirits.
• Jiang Zhi and Zhao Linglong warned Xu Taiping that challengers could be dangerous, including Shen Li, who had reached the Heaven Gazing Realm.
• Xu Taiping said he might still win a Sword Inquiry and asked Jiang Zhi and Zhao Linglong to take him to see Uncle White Rainbow.

Xu Taiping visited the Sixth Peak and learned that Uncle White Rainbow remained unconscious while Peak Master Meng tried to preserve the remnants of his Divine Soul. When the spirit wine sustaining Uncle White Rainbow’s soul ran out, Xu Taiping offered the Dragon Gall Wine he had brought and went with Bai Yu to see Peak Master Meng.

• Zhao Linglong told Xu Taiping that Peak Master Meng had reached the sixth stage of Spirit Refining and was caring for Uncle White Rainbow.
• Zhao Linglong warned Xu Taiping not to mention Lin Buyu, whose seclusion had led to serious problems, and Xu Taiping and Fairy Lingyue suspected she had fallen asleep.
• Xu Taiping reunited with Bai Yu, who said Uncle White Rainbow had not awakened but still had a chance to recover if the remnants of his soul remained intact.
• Xu Ziyan said Uncle White Rainbow’s soul remnants were growing unstable and Peak Master Meng needed more spirit wine to cast the Soul-Suppressing Spell.
• Xu Taiping confirmed he had Dragon Gall Wine and agreed to take Bai Yu to Peak Master Meng.

Xu Taiping gave Meng Qingqiu Dragon Gall Wine so she could cast the Nine-Word Soul-Calming Spirit-Sealing Spell and stabilize White Rainbow for at least half a month. When Meng Qingqiu warned that they would need to summon White Rainbow’s scattered soul and spirit before then, Xu Taiping promised to borrow the Soul-Summoning Banner.

• Meng Qingqiu explained that stronger Soul-Suppressing Spells could keep White Rainbow’s remnant soul sealed for longer, but required more Divine Essence.
• Xu Taiping offered Meng Qingqiu undiluted Dragon Gall Wine, which replenished her Divine Soul power and was enough to cast the Nine-Word Spell.
• Meng Qingqiu used the wine to cast the Nine-Word Soul-Calming Spirit-Sealing Spell, suppressing the sinister chill in White Rainbow and protecting his life for at least half a month.
• Meng Qingqiu warned Xu Taiping and Bai Yu that they needed to summon White Rainbow’s scattered soul and spirit before the spell lost its effect.
• Xu Taiping reassured Bai Yu and said he would borrow the Soul-Summoning Banner for White Rainbow.

Yellow Maple Valley secured a Sword Inquiry against Xu Taiping, and Shen Li declared he had an eighty percent chance of winning. The match was announced across True Martial Heaven, while Xu Taiping’s terms revealed how its viewing revenue would be divided.

• Du Ziyin told the Yellow Maple Valley Valley Master that the Azure Profound Sect had agreed to let Yellow Maple Valley disciples challenge Xu Taiping to a Sword Inquiry.
• Shen Li told the Yellow Maple Valley Valley Master that he had studied Xu Taiping’s fighting style, believed Xu Taiping remained in the Spirit Refining Realm, and had an eighty percent chance of victory after reaching the Heaven Gazing Realm.
• The Yellow Maple Valley Valley Master resolved to meet Sect Master Zhao and accept any demand that would secure Shen Li’s place in the Azure Cloud Assembly, so long as it did not endanger Yellow Maple Valley’s foundations.
• The Nine Prefectures announced that Xu Taiping would face Shen Li, Du Ziyin, Zhu Xuejian, Jiang Yuan, and Zhu Yunpeng in three days, with viewers charged Gold Essence Coins to watch through Spirit Mirrors.
• Cultivators across True Martial Heaven reacted with outrage and curiosity, but many paid to watch the match.
• Huang Que noticed Xu Taiping’s terms for the viewing revenue: fifty percent for Qingxuan, thirty percent for Xu Taiping, and twenty percent for the Nine Prefectures.

Xu Taiping prepared for Yellow Maple Valley’s Sword Inquiry against Shen Li, planning to rely on a cultivation method rather than his usual techniques. As the matches began, Du Ziyin challenged him first.

• Huang Que warned Xu Taiping that Shen Li had reached the Heaven Gazing Realm, and Xu Taiping replied that he had killed Heaven Gazing Realm cultivators before.
• Fairy Lingyue cautioned Xu Taiping about Shen Li’s possible preparations, and Xu Taiping said he planned to test a cultivation method during the Sword Inquiry.
• Fairy Lingyue explained that the Earth Fruit could help her create a puppet body, and Xu Taiping promised to gather the needed materials after the Sword Inquiry.
• The Yellow Maple Valley Valley Master told Shen Li that Zhao Qian had demanded two Yunmeng Marsh slots and 300,000 Gold Essence Coins, which would be waived if one of Yellow Maple Valley’s disciples defeated Xu Taiping.
• Zhao Qian promised Xu Taiping 200,000 Gold Essence Coins if he won every match and advised him to concede if Shen Li proved too strong.
• Elder Black Dragon announced that Du Ziyin had challenged Xu Taiping, and Xu Taiping left the stands to begin the match.