Chapter Summaries

Xu Taiping completed his Thunderflame fusion and killed the Snow Woman with two powerful blade strikes, saving Gu Qingcheng and Yuzhu. As they celebrated, a towering Ghost Horde appeared before them, apparently summoned by Goshu Miu.

• Gongshu Nanxing and Elder Zhang sacrificed themselves to block the Snow Woman’s palm strikes while Xu Taiping continued fusing the Thunderflame.
• Xu Taiping unleashed his Thunderflame Blade, cutting through the Snow Woman’s palms and burning away the wind and snow.
• The Snow Woman summoned a blizzard and thousands of arms, but Xu Taiping swept them away with a barrage of Thunderflame blade shadows and killed her.
• Yuzhu celebrated the Snow Woman’s death, but Gu Qingcheng and Yuzhu then spotted a row of enormous evil ghosts standing ahead, which they recognized as Goshu Miu’s Ghost Horde.

Xu Taiping and his companions faced a Ghost Horde that seemed impossible to defeat, but the Tower Spirit revealed that slaying Snow Woman had given them a slim chance of crossing the Snow Domain. As the group was overwhelmed by a Dragon Ghost, Gu Qingcheng preserved a record of Xu Taiping’s apparent death and noticed his attack had wounded the Ghost King.

• Yuzhu and Gu Qingcheng despaired at the sight of nearly a thousand Evil Ghosts, while Xu Taiping said they could not bypass the horde and continue climbing.
• The Tower Spirit explained that killing Snow Woman before the Ghost Horde found them was the only way to gain a chance of crossing the Snow Domain.
• Xu Taiping said they needed to find allies and instructed Gu Qingcheng to record what happened and send it to the Azure Dragon Token if he fell.
• A Dragon Ghost attacked, and Xu Taiping used Dragon-Slaying Form against it.
• The Dragon Ghost’s breath shattered Xu Taiping’s defenses and body, while Gu Qingcheng sent his record to the Azure Dragon Token and saw his saber strike sever one of the Ghost King’s horns.

Xu Taiping learned that the Ghost Horde threatened the Mysterious Wasteland and decided to seek reinforcements rather than give up. After leaving the tower, he contacted Huang Que to ask how he could address the Five Heavens of the Shangqing Realm as the Golden Scale Champion.

• Xu Taiping showed the others Gu Qingcheng's Divine Soul Mark, revealing that the Ghost Horde had overwhelmed them in the ninth layer's Snow Domain.
• Elder Zhang and the others despaired at the danger facing Mysterious Wasteland, but Xu Taiping insisted he would find a way to bring reinforcements.
• Xu Taiping left the tower and told Fairy Lingyue he might have to reveal his identity early; she viewed the Divine Soul Mark and asked whether he had thought it through.
• Xu Taiping contacted Huang Que and asked whether he could send a message to the Five Heavens of the Shangqing Realm.
• Xu Taiping told Huang Que he wanted to address the Five Heavens as the Golden Scale Champion.

Xu Taiping told Huang Que that he was Rusty Lion and sought to address the Five Heavens as the Golden Scale Champion. Meanwhile, Xiahou You awakened in her own body and began telling Xiahou Qingyuan about an unexpected encounter in the Mysterious Wasteland Tower.

• Xu Taiping asked Huang Que to help him address the Five Heavens, and Huang Que explained that the costly communication required a compelling reason.
• Xu Taiping asked Huang Que about Rusty Lion, confirmed that he was Rusty Lion, and shocked Huang Que.
• Xiahou You woke in her own body, and Xiahou Qingyuan checked that her divine soul had not been rejected.
• Xiahou You thanked Xiahou Qingyuan for inviting Rusty Lion to save her from being trapped in the Mysterious Wasteland Tower.
• Xiahou You told Xiahou Qingyuan that an unexpected event had prevented them from reaching the tower's ninth layer, then prepared to show him what happened.

Xiahou Qingyuan and Xiahou You learned that Xu Taiping planned to gather cultivators to fight the ghost horde in the Mysterious Wasteland Tower, despite the seemingly hopeless odds. A message from True Martial Heaven announced that Xu Taiping would address the Five Heavens and stake all the fortune he received from the Golden Scale Ranking.

• Xiahou You showed Xiahou Qingyuan visions of Xu Taiping fighting the Snow Woman and facing the ghost horde, and they agreed the Nine Abysses had blocked the way to the tenth layer.
• Xiahou You told Xiahou Qingyuan that Xu Taiping had promised to gather people to fight the ghosts, but Xiahou Qingyuan doubted anyone could overcome the barrier.
• Xiahou Qingyuan revealed that Rusty Lion Young Master was Xu Taiping, a disciple of the Azure Profound Sect and the Golden Scale Champion.
• A Spirit Mirror displayed a message from True Martial Heaven announcing that Xu Taiping would speak to cultivators across the Five Heavens in three days and stake all his Golden Scale Ranking fortune.

Xiahou You realized that Rusty Lion was Xu Taiping and planned to rally the Five Heavens against the Ghost Horde by revealing his identity. Three days later, cultivators debated footage of Rusty Lion’s battles and awaited Xu Taiping’s address to the Five Heavens.

• Xiahou You told Xiahou Qingyuan that Xu Taiping would reveal himself as Rusty Lion to rally the Five Heavens, despite provoking the Nine Abysses.
• Xiahou You asked Xiahou Qingyuan to spread footage of Rusty Lion’s battles while concealing details of his cultivation techniques.
• Three days later, Mu Yuchen, Mu Yun, and Ji Ye watched the footage and discussed whether Rusty Lion was really Xu Taiping.
• Mu Yun said the cultivators could question Xu Taiping during his address, and Ji Ye expected the Three Sovereigns Dao Palace and Eight Views Dao Palace to ask him questions.

Xu Taiping revealed to the Spirit Mirror audience that he had entered the Mysterious Wasteland Tower as Rusty Lion and proved it by demonstrating his Purple Essence Realm Blood Qi Tempering Technique. Gongshu Nanxing recognized him as the Rusty Lion Young Master, leaving her hopeful that he could help turn around Mysterious Wasteland Heaven’s desperate situation.

• Xu Taiping announced to the Spirit Mirror audience that he had entered the Mysterious Wasteland Tower under the alias Rusty Lion and displayed his Azure Dragon Token and Mysterious Wasteland Ring.
• Mu Yuchen recognized the items, while Ji Ye and Mu Yun realized Xu Taiping’s request would be significant.
• Xiaohu brought Gongshu Nanxing the Spirit Mirror, and she learned that Xu Taiping was the Golden Scale Champion.
• Gongshu Nanxing and Guangyuanzi doubted that the Azure Dragon Token alone proved Xu Taiping was Rusty Lion.
• Xu Taiping displayed the purple-gold Qi and Blood of the Purple Essence Realm Blood Qi Tempering Technique, and Gongshu Nanxing recognized him as their Rusty Lion Young Master.

Xu Taiping used the Spirit Mirror to invite cultivators from across the Five Heavens to join him in the Mysterious Wasteland Tower, demonstrating his rapidly growing power to persuade them. His challenge stirred Chu Yinan, who resolved to face Xu Taiping, though Sword Immortal Qionghua urged him to wait.

• Gongshu Nanxing recognized Xu Taiping as the Golden Scale Champion and wondered whether he would gather experts to enter the tower.
• Xu Taiping invited cultivators below the Transformation Realm to help clear the Ninth Layer, but Huang Jinpeng challenged his assumption that they would risk their lives for him.
• Xu Taiping demonstrated his Wind and Metal essence techniques, then unleashed a blade whose pressure made even Heaven Gazing Realm cultivators feel fear.
• Martial God Zhu Huai praised Xu Taiping's blade, while Chu Yinan struggled to control his emotions as he watched Xu Taiping's strength grow.
• Xu Taiping called himself a cripple afflicted with the Nine Nether Bone-Shattering Curse and provoked the younger cultivators to prove they could withstand his blade.
• Chu Yinan told Sword Immortal Qionghua that he could not refuse Xu Taiping's challenge, but she urged him to hear Xu Taiping out first.

Xu Taiping challenged cultivators across the Five Heavens to a Sword Inquiry, but Guangyuanzi of the Eight Views Dao Palace warned that the challenge could endanger the Shangqing Realm. Xu Taiping answered that no one would truly die in the Mysterious Wasteland Tower and promised to bring everyone back after reaching its twelfth floor.

• Chu Yinan accepted Xu Taiping's Sword Inquiry, and Zhu Huai recognized it as a challenge to the younger generation across the Five Heavens.
• Ji Ye and Mu Yun said they would answer Xu Taiping's challenge despite Mu Yuchen warning them not to be provoked.
• Guangyuanzi questioned whether Xu Taiping's address would cost the Five Heavens too many talents to resist the Nine Abysses.
• Mu Zhixing warned Mu Yun that Guangyuanzi was a highly respected elder of the Eight Views Dao Palace, and Mu Yun realized the sect might oppose Xu Taiping's proposal.
• Guangyuanzi argued that risking the Shangqing Realm for the failing Mysterious Wasteland Heaven would be unbearable, leaving Gongshu Nanxing and its cultivators discouraged.
• Xu Taiping promised that no one would truly die in the Mysterious Wasteland Tower and that he would bring everyone back after reaching its twelfth floor.

Xu Taiping tried to convince Guangyuanzi and the other cultivators that the Nine Abysses had sabotaged the Mysterious Wasteland Tower, and showed evidence of his dangerous climb to the eighth layer. His appeal reignited interest in entering the tower, but Guangyuanzi revealed that the ninth layer held a Ghost Horde uprising that even Transformation Realm experts might not withstand.

• Guangyuanzi challenged Xu Taiping to explain how he could guarantee anyone would reach the Mysterious Wasteland Tower's twelfth layer.
• Xu Taiping showed a Moonshadow Stone recording of his discussion with Gu Qingcheng about the Nine Abysses' plot to reverse time in the tower.
• After Huang Jinpeng demanded proof, Xu Taiping showed a complete record of his encounters with Goshu Miu and the group's ascent to the eighth layer.
• Xu Taiping urged the cultivators to climb the tower, and his evidence renewed their enthusiasm despite Guangyuanzi's objections.
• Guangyuanzi warned that the ninth layer held a Ghost Horde uprising that even Transformation Realm experts might not be able to handle.

Mu Yun and the others watched the Spirit Mirror reveal the Ghost Kings on the Ninth Layer of the Mysterious Wasteland Tower, while Huang Jinpeng accused Xu Taiping of exploiting everyone. Xu Taiping insisted he could lead the cultivators to drive back the Ghost Horde and proposed proving it by killing a Ghost King himself.

• The Spirit Mirror showed a Snowfield filled with towering evil ghosts, and Mu Yun and the others realized the beings were Ghost Kings far beyond their ability to face.
• Mu Yuchen warned Mu Yun and Ji Ye to stay home, while they wondered how Xu Taiping would respond to the danger.
• Huang Jinpeng accused Xu Taiping of luring cultivators into the tower so he could claim its rewards for himself.
• Mu Yuchen and Mu Yun defended Xu Taiping, believing he was not selfish enough to endanger others for the rewards.
• Xu Taiping declared that he could lead the cultivators in driving back the Ghosts and reaching the Tenth Layer, drawing an angry rebuke from Guangyuanzi.
• Xu Taiping asked whether the Eight Scenery Palace could show the tower’s scenes publicly, then said he would prove his confidence by ascending to the Ninth Layer and slaying a Ghost King with his own hands.

Xu Taiping agreed to prove himself by slaying two Ghost Kings in the Mysterious Wasteland Tower, securing promises of aid from the Eight Views Dao Palace and the Three Sovereigns Dao Palace. Back at the Azure Profound Sect, he showed Sect Master Zhao Qian an image revealing that the Ninth Layer held far more ghosts than expected.

• Guangyuanzi demanded that Xu Taiping slay two chosen Ghost Kings, a Dragon Ghost and a headless evil ghost, to prove his strength.
• Xu Taiping agreed and asked whether the Eight Views Dao Palace would send its elite disciples if he succeeded.
• Guangyuanzi promised that the Eight Views Dao Palace would send all its elite disciples below the Transformation Realm if Xu Taiping killed the Ghost Kings within a month.
• Yun Shiliu of the Three Sovereigns Dao Palace pledged her palace's support as well, and Xu Taiping arranged to meet the two palaces in a month.
• Xu Taiping told Zhao Qian that the ghosts blocking the Ninth Layer were stronger than he expected and showed him an image revealing their overwhelming numbers.

Xu Taiping secured Sect Master Zhao Qian’s support and planned to spend the remaining month training before entering the Mysterious Wasteland Tower again. Meanwhile, Zhang Honghu pushed his failing body toward another dangerous treatment so he could help Xu Taiping later in the tower.

• Xu Taiping explained that thousands of evil ghosts threatened the ninth layer and that he wanted cultivators from the Five Heavens to join him there; Zhao Qian understood that the Eight Views Dao Palace was testing Xu Taiping’s trustworthiness.
• Xu Taiping asked Zhao Qian and the peak masters to protect him from the Nine Abysses, and Zhao Qian agreed while warning him to retreat if the Ghost Kings proved too strong.
• Zhao Qian proposed broadcasting Xu Taiping’s ghost-hunting battle across the Five Heavens to raise money for the Azure Profound Sect, and Xu Taiping agreed.
• Blade Ghost urged Xu Taiping to refine his gains and master the second stage of the Blade Domain, while Fairy Lingyue advised him to develop his own Great Sage Fist; Xu Taiping began a month of seclusion with Ping'an and Bai Yu guarding him.
• In Giant Deer City, Zhang Honghu ignored his servant’s warning and demanded another Life-Prolonging Needle so he could survive long enough to lay the Spirit-Shocking Formation for Xu Taiping in the tower’s twelfth layer.

Xu Taiping entered the second level of the Infernal Blade Prison and tested his Great Sage Fist against a sandstorm and Sand King Worms. He revealed a powerful new technique that destroyed hundreds of the worms, leaving Fairy Lingyue wondering if he had grasped the fist art’s true intent.

• Fairy Lingyue questioned Blade Ghost about the risks of Xu Taiping using his divine soul power to enter the second level, and Blade Ghost assured her he could endure it.
• Xu Taiping pierced the sandstorm with Baxia Form, then used Raging Thunder Form to break it apart.
• Blade Ghost summoned a Sand King Worm, and Xu Taiping killed it with a thunderflame-infused Great Sage Fist.
• Blade Ghost unleashed hundreds of Sand King Worms, and Xu Taiping used Mountain-Bearing Form to withstand their assault.
• As the worms drilled through his defense, Xu Taiping revealed a Thousand-Armed Guanyin-like technique and blasted them all to ashes, prompting Fairy Lingyue to wonder whether it was the true intent of the Great Sage Fist.

Fairy Lingyue and Blade Ghost watched Xu Taiping train, assessing his Great Sage Fist and the limits imposed by its enormous cost in strength. Blade Ghost explained that comprehending the second level of the blade domain could raise Xu Taiping’s chances of hunting the two Ghost Kings to over seventy percent, but Xu had not yet reached it.

• Fairy Lingyue told Blade Ghost that Gu Qingcheng had said fusing the two Great Sage Fist manuals might reveal the Demon Ancestor’s true intent, and Blade Ghost reacted with pain and a vague sense of recognition.
• Xu Taiping’s protective gang qi burst apart after he unleashed a powerful fist, and Blade Ghost and Fairy Lingyue noted that the technique rapidly drained his strength.
• Fairy Lingyue observed that Xu Taiping had corrected nearly all the shortcomings they had identified during his two weeks of secluded cultivation.
• Fairy Lingyue reminded Blade Ghost that reaching the second level of the blade domain required talent, diligence, experience, and opportunity.
• Blade Ghost explained that the hundred-foot blade domain could greatly strengthen Xu Taiping’s existing abilities and raise his odds of defeating the two Ghost Kings by more than thirty percentage points.

Blade Ghost unleashed the Sand Worm Insect Queen to test Xu Taiping, revealing that the insect was a skilled blade cultivator with a Blade Domain. Xu Taiping was overwhelmed by its One Blade Against a Thousand and lost his blade-wielding arm, leaving Fairy Lingyue to fear the trial had ended.

• Blade Ghost summoned the Sand Worm Insect Queen to attack Xu Taiping while he recovered.
• The Insect Queen transformed, wielded blades, and traded hundreds of strikes with Xu Taiping, proving it was a blade cultivator.
• The Insect Queen broke Xu Taiping's Chaotic Cicada Stance and opened its Blade Domain, One Blade Against a Thousand.
• Xu Taiping struggled against the Insect Queen's relentless domain attacks and could not open his own Blade Domain.
• The Insect Queen's final strike severed Xu Taiping's blade-wielding arm, and Fairy Lingyue feared the trial was over.

Xu Taiping comprehended the second layer of the blade domain, gaining mountain spirit power, but the insect queen struck him down before he could continue. The next day, Mu Yun, Mu Yuchen, and Ji Ye tried to watch his ghost hunt in the Mysterious Wasteland Tower, only to be asked to pay more to view it.

• The Blade Ghost refused to stop the trial after the insect queen severed Xu Taiping's arm, despite Fairy Lingyue's concern about his divine soul.
• Xu Taiping summoned the Water-Cutting Blade and unleashed a blade domain that pinned the insect queen down with mountain spirit power.
• The insect queen escaped when Xu Taiping's blade domain dispersed and cut him in two at the waist, then carried half his body toward its nest.
• The Blade Ghost identified Xu Taiping's new blade domain power as mountain spirit power, which Fairy Lingyue compared to a powerful Mountain Character Talisman.
• The next day, Mu Yun, Mu Yuchen, and Ji Ye waited to watch Xu Taiping's ghost hunt through a Spirit Mirror.
• A message on the Spirit Mirror demanded another thousand Gold Essence Coins from each viewer, prompting Mu Yuchen to complain about crooked merchants in the Nine Prefectures.

Xu Taiping prepared to enter the ninth layer of the Mysterious Wasteland Tower while his companions urged him to let them help. He showed Gu Qingcheng that his Great Sage Fist had advanced, then set out to climb the tower as Mu Yun, Ji Ye, and Mu Yuchen watched through a Spirit Mirror.

• Mu Yuchen, Ji Ye, and Mu Yun watched Xu Taiping approach the Bronze Gate leading to the ninth layer and confirmed his identity when his companions called to him.
• Zhai Mo, Elder Zhang, Gongshu Nanxing, and Yuzhu urged Xu Taiping to let them enter the tower with him, but he insisted they leave the challenge to him.
• Gu Qingcheng asked about Xu Taiping's Great Sage Fist, and he released a powerful fist aura that revealed a trace of the demon race inheritance's true intent to her.
• Mu Yun and Ji Ye assessed Xu Taiping's strength through the Spirit Mirror, while Mu Yuchen raised questions about Gu Qingcheng's identity and they speculated she came from a secluded sect.
• Xu Taiping told his companions it was time for him to climb the tower.

Xu Taiping accepted the gratitude of Mysterious Wasteland Heaven’s cultivators and entered the Ninth Layer’s Snow Domain. He left the onlookers stunned after defeating the Ghost King Snow Woman with a single Baxia strike.

• Zhai Mo and Elder Zhang’s group knelt to thank Xu Taiping for helping Mysterious Wasteland Heaven, and Xu Taiping accepted their gratitude and promised not to disappoint them.
• Mu Yun estimated that at least half of Xu Taiping’s determination to climb the Mysterious Wasteland Tower came from his concern for its people.
• As Xu Taiping entered the Snow Domain, sword-like snowflakes attacked him, but his Protective Gang Qi held them back.
• Snow Woman shattered Xu Taiping’s Protective Gang Qi and attacked him with claw shadows, but Xu Taiping countered with lightning-wreathed Fist Shadows.
• Xu Taiping struck Snow Woman with a Baxia strike, smashing her body apart and splitting the snowy ground beneath her.

Xu Taiping used his Supreme-Grade Great Sage Fist and thunderflame to wipe away the Snow Woman’s snow domain and set off toward its far end. Observers recognized his hidden ties to Yuezhu and wondered whether his true essence and qi and blood could sustain his power against the other Ghost Kings.

• Xiahou Qingyuan told Xiahou You that Xu Taiping was secretly trained by Yuezhu, the Abyssal Pavilion’s Second Seat.
• Xu Taiping repeatedly shattered the Snow Woman’s enormous arms with the Great Sage Fist, but they kept regrowing, raising Xiahou Qingyuan’s fears that Xu Taiping would waste his strength.
• Xiahou You confidently waited for Xu Taiping to reveal his answer to the Snow Woman’s immortality, while Huang Jinpeng mocked the fight as dull.
• Xu Taiping blasted the Snow Woman’s arms into ashes, then used a thunderflame bird to clear the snow and clouds across several li.
• Xu Taiping flew on the thunderflame bird toward the far end of the Snow Domain, and Mu Yun warned that defeating the other Ghost Kings would not be simple.
• Huang Jinpeng questioned how long Xu Taiping could sustain the thunderflame with his true essence and qi and blood.