Recaps

Chen Xun reassigned Chen Clan experts to Heaven Dou City and arranged for Si Baining to be promoted and sent to Star Luo City. Meanwhile, Zhu Hanshu and a group of others arrived at the Chen Clan’s Tosk Province stronghold to meet Zhao Deyun.

• Chen Xun sent seven personnel to reinforce the Iron Jaw Fortress and three to take posts at the Heaven Dou Duke’s Mansion.
• Chen Xun told Si Baining to hold his promotion ceremony in three or four days, then travel to Star Luo City after his breakthrough to bolster the Chen Clan’s forces there.
• Chen Xun received word that Ma Tianyang had arrived and ordered Meng Wei to show him in.
• A Golden-Crowned Eagle King landed at the Tosk Province Mountain Fort carrying Zhu Hanshu, Ma Tianxiang, Luo Zongtao, Rong Yunhua, and Zhao Shan.
• Zhao Deyun greeted the arriving group, and Zhu Hanshu suggested they talk inside.

Zhu Hanshu delivered Chen Xun’s decree appointing Chen Hanxin Deputy Clan Chief and establishing the eastern Ancestral Land as the Chen Clan’s second headquarters. The new leadership team began outlining its role in coordinating the clan’s eastern operations and four-direction continental strategy.

• Zhu Hanshu arrived with Rong Yunhua and presented Chen Xun’s decree appointing Chen Hanxin Deputy Clan Chief, Zhao Deyun presiding Elder, Mo Qiyuan chief Steward, Zhu Hanshu Garrison Elder, and Rong Yunhua senior Director.
• Chen Hanxin complained that Chen Xun had assigned her the demanding post without warning, while Xia Ruxin reassured her that she would eventually advance to the New Secret Land.
• Zhu Hanshu explained that the eastern Ancestral Land would become the Chen Clan’s second headquarters, coordinating eastern industries, strategy, resources, and relations with Branch Lines.
• Zhu Hanshu described a Four-Direction Deployment, with the Heaven Dou Duke’s Mansion and Jiannan Marquis’s Mansion serving as northern and southern centers alongside the clan’s existing headquarters and the new eastern headquarters.
• Zhu Hanshu assigned responsibilities among Zhao Deyun, Mo Qiyuan, himself, and Rong Yunhua as the team supporting Chen Hanxin’s administration in the east.

Chen Hanxin and the clan leaders formalized the Eastern Region’s administration and planned to expand the Chen Shadow Guard and Brocade Guard from the Ancestral Land. They left the Ancestral Land poised to become a second headquarters and a strategic base for the Chen Clan’s regional expansion.

• Chen Hanxin assigned herself clan affairs and appointed Rong Yunhua to oversee Eastern Region finance and economic affairs, establishing a four-person leadership team with Zhao Deyun, Mo Qiyuan, and Zhu Hanshu.
• Zhu Hanshu and Zhao Deyun explained plans to restructure and expand the Chen Shadow Guard, with Mo Qiyuan serving as Deputy Commander and Mo Zimo expected to take a senior command post after emerging from seclusion.
• Zhu Hanshu revealed that the clan would use a human-trafficking network captured by the Fifth Master in Heaven Dou City to recruit suitable people for the Chen Shadow Guard and internal affairs forces.
• Zhu Hanshu announced that the Ancestral Land would become the main training base for the Brocade Guard and Chen Shadow Guard, with instructors and recruits transferred there from the planned Soul Fighting City base.
• Chen Hanxin and the others discussed securing land around Moonlight City, establishing a Medicinal Market there, and using the Ancestral Land as a second headquarters to advance the clan’s plans across the Eastern Region.

Chen Xiaojun confronted the rescued prisoners who protested their confinement in Iron Jaw Fortress and demanded freedom. He killed their ringleader, Shirley Luke, leaving the courtyard silent as he walked away.

• Chen Xiaojun entered the courtyard where the rescued men demanded release and accused the Chen Clan of enslaving them.
• Chen Mu warned the men to follow the rules, while Gu Yuanchao suppressed the ringleader with his Soul Emperor aura.
• Chen Xiaojun stopped Gu Yuanchao and approached the ringleader, Shirley Luke, with his Nethersea Seven Kill Sword.
• Chen Xiaojun asked Shirley Luke his name, then beheaded him with a single sword strike.
• The men fell silent as Chen Xiaojun left the courtyard, dragging his sword across the ground.

After Chen Xiaojun killed Shirley Luke in a sudden, chilling strike, he questioned whether the Black-Red Cocoon in his sea of consciousness had influenced him. Ye Xiuxin examined him and warned that the cocoon could feed on negative energy and erode his judgment as he used its power.

• Chen Mu told Chen Xiaojun that something was wrong with him, and Chen Xiaojun left after asking Xiao San to visit him later.
• Chen Xiaojun reflected on how unlike him it had been to kill Shirley Luke so coldly and suspected the Black-Red Cocoon was responsible.
• Chen Xiaojun examined the pulsing cocoon in his sea of consciousness, then waited in his room with the Nethersea Seven Kill Sword.
• Ye Xiuxin checked Chen Xiaojun's condition and agreed that his strike against Shirley Luke had seemed too swift and indifferent.
• Chen Xiaojun showed Ye Xiuxin the dark-red blood crystals, and she identified them as impure products of an evil art associated with the Blood Desire Cult.
• Ye Xiuxin warned that the cocoon absorbed negative energy and could use Chen Xiaojun's connection to his martial soul to erode his will and judgment.

Chen Xiaojun concluded that Great Siming embodied Yin extremity giving birth to Yang and believed the deity was righteous rather than an Evil God. He deliberately fed the Black-Red Cocoon negative energy, and it began devouring the torrent in his Sea of Consciousness.

• Chen Xiaojun connected Great Siming’s destructive nature and appetite for negative energy to the principle of Yin extremity giving birth to Yang.
• Ye Xiuxin urged Chen Xiaojun to hold fast to himself and promised that his family would support him.
• Chen Xiaojun explained why he believed Great Siming was a Righteous Deity, citing the deity’s origins, traditions, and connection to the Yin-Yang Great Dao.
• Ye Xiuxin took the dark-red Blood Crystal fragments away to study, leaving Chen Xiaojun alone in the Quiet Room.
• Chen Xiaojun opened the Bloodline Groove and directed a torrent of negative energy toward the Black-Red Cocoon, which greedily absorbed it.

Chen Xiaojun used the Nethersea Seven Kill Sword’s stored negative energy to stabilize the Black-Red Cocoon, then introduced his Nine Yang Divine Skill’s pure yang energy. The cocoon cautiously began absorbing the yang energy, and Chen Xiaojun recognized this as Great Siming’s yang being born from utmost yin.

• Chen Xiaojun drew on the Nethersea Seven Kill Sword’s stored negative essence to nourish the Black-Red Cocoon.
• Chen Xiaojun formed a Nine Yang Sun Wheel above his sea of consciousness and stopped the sword’s energy supply once the cocoon’s absorption slowed.
• Chen Xiaojun carefully guided the sun wheel’s golden light toward the cocoon, which eventually opened a crack and drew in a thin thread of yang energy.
• Chen Xiaojun concluded that Great Siming’s yang was being born from utmost yin as the cocoon continued to absorb the nine yang true qi.

After meditating for nearly four hours, Chen Xiaojun joined his companions for a meal and gave Ma Liang the Flame Breathing Technique. Ma Liang swore to keep the secret art confidential, and Chen Xiaojun accepted his oath.

• Chen Xiaojun emerged from meditation and found Zhu Wuneng, Dugu Fu, Ma Liang, Qiu Qingquan, An Mingyuan, and Yuan Run drinking Rock Marrow Wine in the courtyard.
• Zhu Wuneng served Chen Xiaojun warm buns and stewed meat while the group waited for him to eat.
• Chen Xiaojun presented Ma Liang with a copy of the Flame Breathing Technique.
• Ma Liang hesitated because of the technique's value, but Chen Xiaojun assured him that the clan had approved sharing it with outsiders.
• Chen Xiaojun warned Ma Liang not to pass on the technique without permission, and Ma Liang swore to guard the secret.

Chen Xiaojun and his companions discussed Ma Liang’s new Flame Breathing Technique, the unstable political situation in the Underworld, and a frightening doomsday rumor. The group then turned to reviewing the battle at Iron Jaw Fortress, with Chen Xiaojun tasking Dugu Fu with compiling their observations into a detailed report.

• Chen Mu, Chen Shurui, and Chen Bin teased Ma Liang about his blade skills and encouraged him to use the Flame Breathing Technique to settle his score with Zhu Wuneng.
• Chen Mu reported that his people had not yet won the true allegiance of their hundred recruits, while Chen Shurui described rising unrest, spies, and rival factions mobilizing across the districts.
• Chen Shurui revealed a rumor that Sword Lord Azure Bamboo had answered the Supreme Lord of Corrupt Blood’s call and that corrupt blood would flood the surface within seven days.
• Chen Xiaojun urged everyone not to panic and invited them to continue their discussion of the battle at Iron Jaw Fortress.
• Dugu Fu explained that the group was reviewing the battle to learn from their experience, and Chen Xiaojun assigned him to compile everyone’s observations into a detailed battle report.

Chen Mu hinted that the elders would soon establish a Young Master's Guard Team for Chen Xiaojun, stirring excitement and anxiety among his companions. Chen Xiaojun said the idea was not yet formal, but Chen Mu suggested the elders were likely to act soon.

• Chen Mu told Dugu Fu that the Young Master's Guard Team might soon be established, with Dugu Fu and Zhu Wuneng in line to lead it.
• An Mingyuan, Qiu Qingquan, and Yuan Run expressed their hopes of joining the guard team, while Zhu Wuneng worried that they were still studying and he was not ready to command others.
• Chen Mu praised Zhu Wuneng's leadership at Iron Jaw Fortress and said his performance had inspired Fifth Uncle to consider him for Chief Guard.
• Chen Xiaojun explained that Second Uncle had only raised the guard team as a passing idea, disappointing the eager listeners.
• Chen Mu suggested the elders would use the guard team as a legitimate way to give Chen Xiaojun more people to lead and train.

Qingluo escaped her room in the underground fortress, but Lord Zuo intercepted her at the western breach and forced her to reveal her spider-type martial soul. The guards raised the alarm and converged on her as the chase continued.

• Qingluo used a hidden Bone Key to unlock her Soul Power Shackles and slipped out while her seven roommates slept.
• Qingluo crossed the western breach and headed north toward the outer wall to escape the Mountain Fort.
• Lord Zuo attacked Qingluo with black sword gusts, and she used Smoky Mist Step and Martial Soul Possession to evade them.
• The sword gusts struck the walls and ground, alerting the Brocade Guards and prompting them to light the courtyard and sound the alarm.
• The Brocade Guards recognized Lord Zuo and saw Qingluo's eight-legged spider martial soul as they rushed to catch her.

Qingluo fought Zuo Jinhua with her spider abilities as he pursued her through the ruined street. After breaking her web and overpowering her mental attack, Zuo Jinhua chased her into the shadows with a destructive sword whirlwind.

• Qingluo cast her Abyssal Soul Spider Web, but Zuo Jinhua destroyed it with his Ghost-Gold Sword Net.
• Qingluo unleashed her Thousand-Eyed Soul-Snaring Array, and Zuo Jinhua countered it with his Soul-Rending Howl, leaving Qingluo at a disadvantage.
• Qingluo fled using spider silk to swing between ruined buildings, while Zuo Jinhua recognized her registered name and demanded she surrender.
• Zuo Jinhua pursued Qingluo inside a fast-moving sword whirlwind that tore through the street and grazed her clothes.

Qingluo fought to escape Zuo Jinhua’s pursuit through Iron Jaw Fortress while Chen Shurui and Chen Bin tried to intercept her. She summoned swarms of poison spiders to obstruct her pursuers and cause chaos across the rear courtyard, then fled toward the fortress’s upper reaches.

• Zuo Jinhua used Savage Ram Assault to smash the base of the tower Qingluo was landing on, nearly throwing her from the roof.
• Chen Shurui and Chen Bin intercepted Qingluo with sword attacks, but she countered with Half Moon, forcing them back while suffering a wound to her shoulder.
• Qingluo used Demon Spider Summoning to release poison spiders that attacked Chen Shurui, Chen Bin, nearby guards, and Zuo Jinhua, giving her time to escape.
• Qingluo swung across rooftops and summoned more spiders, which attacked guards, servants, and logistics personnel throughout the rear courtyard.
• After four summonings produced more than a thousand spiders and threw the courtyard into chaos, Qingluo fled toward the fortress’s upper reaches.

Qingluo fought Gu Yuanchao on the rooftops but found his purification defense countered her powers, forcing her to flee into the kitchen courtyard. Gu Yuanchao pursued her as the courtyard erupted into chaos, and the kitchen defenders fought off the demonic spiders.

• Gu Yuanchao struck Qingluo with Giant Bullhorn, shattering her Thousand Spikes, Ten Thousand Shields and knocking her across the rooftop.
• Qingluo attacked with Unending Spear, but Gu Yuanchao blocked it with Sacred Radiance Steel Body, whose purification attribute weakened her poison and corruption.
• Qingluo abandoned the fight and escaped by spider silk into the kitchen courtyard while Gu Yuanchao leaped down in pursuit.
• The demonic spiders attacked the kitchen workers, who fled in panic.
• Xin Shouyi used Five Flavors Barrier to disrupt the spiders, while Mai Zheling struck them with Wheat Awns Volley.
• Chen Clan disciples and former Bone-Digging Corps fighters joined the defense and protected the kitchen staff.

Qingluo tried to escape through the kitchen and took Gu Zijian hostage, but he cut free of her spider thread and fought to evade her. Gu Yuanchao charged toward them as Qingluo destroyed Gu Zijian’s wooden barricade and sent more threads after him.

• Qingluo summoned hundreds of venomous spiders to hinder her pursuers and spotted Gu Zijian fighting spiders in the meat-cutting area.
• Gu Zijian used his training and cleaver to kill several spiders before Qingluo wrapped his wrist in a Soul-Binding Thread and dragged him toward her.
• Gu Zijian grabbed a butcher’s knife and cut the thread, then landed and hurled both knives at Qingluo to slow her down.
• Gu Yuanchao charged through the spiders toward Qingluo and his son while Gu Zijian fled toward the stoves.
• Qingluo dodged Gu Zijian’s knives, tore apart the wooden table he used as a shield, and sent spider threads toward him again.

Gu Zijian used Stone Breathing and an iron hook and chain to resist Qingluo, but her Soul Emperor attack knocked him down. Chen Mu arrived in time to cut apart her spider web, forcing Qingluo to flee into the Kitchen Shed as he pursued her.

• Gu Zijian used Stone Breathing to deflect Qingluo’s spider silk with a heavy iron hook and chain.
• Qingluo struck Gu Zijian with her Second Soul Skill, Half Moon, knocking him down and leaving him badly injured.
• Qingluo cast Abyssal Soul Spider Web over Gu Zijian while Gu Yuanchao and the others could not reach him in time.
• Chen Mu arrived and used Plum Blossoms Ninefold to slice the web into fragments.
• Qingluo fled into the Kitchen Shed, and Chen Mu chased after her.

Gu Yuanchao found Gu Zijian alive and pursued Qingluo alongside Chen Mu and the others. Chen Mu broke Qingluo’s mental illusion with his Seven Kill Annihilation, but she escaped deeper into the storage area and summoned spiders to hinder the pursuing group.

• Gu Yuanchao checked Gu Zijian for serious injuries, then rushed after Qingluo and Chen Mu while Gu Zijian took up his chain and meat hook to defend himself from approaching spiders.
• Chen Mu pursued Qingluo through a maze of shelves, cutting through her spider silk and obstacles as she used her Smoky Mist Step and webs to evade him.
• Qingluo used her Thousand-Eyed Soul-Snaring Array to cloud Chen Mu’s senses, but he shattered the illusions with Seven Kill Annihilation and struck her shoulder as she swung out of reach.
• Gu Yuanchao, Zuo Jinhua, Chen Shurui, and Chen Bin followed the chase, clearing obstacles and spiders along the way.
• Qingluo summoned poison spiders to slow the pursuers and fled toward a darker section of the storage area as Chen Mu accelerated after her.

Bi Qingxiu fled through the Mountain Fort’s cooks’ compound, only to find Chen Xiaojun waiting with his allies and every escape route blocked. Zuo Jinhua identified her and revealed her connection to the famed Spider Emperor Bi Family, leaving her captured at the table.

• Bi Qingxiu forced her way through the storage area’s rear door, hoping to reach the Mountain Fort’s wall.
• She found Chen Xiaojun calmly waiting with an old man and two attendants, then dropped her spider armor as the pursuers arrived.
• Bi Qingxiu realized Chen Mu and Zuo Jinhua had guided her toward Chen Xiaojun, and she asked how he had anticipated her route.
• Chen Xiaojun hinted that he had seen through her ability to watch the road and said he had kept her web intact to observe her.
• Zuo Jinhua identified her as Bi Qingxiu, the Soul-Devouring Spider, and described her talent and her younger twin sister, Bi Yunxiu, the Death Goddess.

Chen Xiaojun confronted Bi Qingxiu about her disguise and her role in the battle at Iron Jaw Fortress, then tested her mental defenses. He left her under guard with a seal restricting her mental and soul power.

• Bi Qingxiu acknowledged witnessing Chen Xiaojun fight at Iron Jaw Fortress and praised his strength, while disputing his claims about her appearance.
• Dugu Fu reported that the summoned demon spiders had injured more than ten people and killed three workers, and Chen Xiaojun accepted responsibility for the failed plan.
• Chen Xiaojun ordered Zhu Wuneng to take Bi Qingxiu away and said he would not waste time questioning her if she chose not to speak.
• Chen Xiaojun used Great Siming's Mind Reading on Bi Qingxiu and discovered her unusually strong mental power, opened Upper Soul Nest, and inheritance-grade mental system head soul bone.
• Chen Xiaojun placed the Yin Fiend Abyss-Sinking Seal on Bi Qingxiu, making it difficult for her to use her mental power and slowing her soul power circulation.

Chen Xiaojun and Qin Lüguang restrained Bi Qingxiu and brought her into Iron Jaw Fortress as a guarded guest. Chen Mu took her to a private room, gave her medicine for her wound, and fended off her teasing.

• Chen Xiaojun sealed Bi Qingxiu’s three soul nests, and Qin Lüguang locked down the soul-power channels in her limbs.
• Bi Qingxiu suggested that Iron Jaw Fortress be thoroughly cleaned, and Chen Xiaojun agreed before sending her with Chen Mu to rest.
• Chen Xiaojun and Qin Lüguang discussed whether Bi Qingxiu had come by chance or because of trouble within the Bi Clan, and Qin Lüguang considered killing her for her Soul Bone.
• Chen Mu led Bi Qingxiu to a clean, secluded room and gave her Sword Spirit Balm for her injured shoulder.
• Bi Qingxiu teased Chen Mu about the wound and balm, but he refused her suggestive offer to repay his kindness.

Bi Qingxiu revealed her true face to Chen Mu and teased him, calling it a reward for being the first outsider to see her. After Chen Mu left, she reflected on his words about proving her worth and choosing how to live within the rules.

• Chen Mu prepared to leave Bi Qingxiu in the courtyard and told her she could wander inside the gate while recovering.
• Bi Qingxiu used a hand seal to reveal her exceptionally beautiful true appearance, and Chen Mu reacted with amazement.
• Chen Mu and Bi Qingxiu traded playful teasing, and she said he was the first outsider to see her real face.
• Chen Mu realized Bi Qingxiu could not maintain her Disguise Technique because her soul meridians were sealed, and promised to bring her a veil.
• After Chen Mu left, Bi Qingxiu recalled his advice about proving her worth and wondered whether she could break the rules.

At Goddess Lake, Xia Qingyun and Xue Laixi traded insults while discussing whether Qian Buruo was truly dead and the fate of their generation’s Divine Maidens. Xue Laixi hinted that Lu Xueqi had caused the recent continent-wide martial soul breakthrough, leaving Xia Qingyun to consider the Chen Clan’s connection to her.

• Xia Qingyun drank liquor at the pavilion while Xue Laixi offered her peeled eggs.
• Xia Qingyun called Xue Laixi “Old Fat Chicken,” and Xue Laixi angrily defended her youthful appearance and figure.
• Xia Qingyun mocked Xue Laixi’s nickname, prompting Xue Laixi to curse Qian Buruo for leaving it behind.
• Xia Qingyun argued that Qian Buruo was probably dead, citing her absence through past calamities and the deaths or disappearance of the Divine Maidens.
• Xue Laixi pointed out that Bo Xian'er was still alive in the Chen Clan and suggested Lu Xueqi was connected to Xia Qingyun’s family.
• Xue Laixi asked whether Lu Xueqi had caused the recent super martial soul breakthrough that shook the continent.

Xue Laixi accused Xia Qingyun of orchestrating the escalating conflict between Heaven Dou City’s surface and underworld factions to advance the Chen Clan’s interests. Xia denied directing the turmoil, though Xue remained convinced she had engineered it.

• Xia Qingyun and Xue Laixi argued over Xia’s extended stay and whether she had caused trouble in Heaven Dou City.
• Xue Laixi accused Xia of using her future granddaughter-in-law and Chen Zhang to provoke court turmoil, attack the Crimson Cult’s Black Nether Legion, and destabilize the city’s balance.
• Xue Laixi claimed Xia had distracted her while the Chen Clan and allied houses seized underworld strongholds.
• Xia denied planning the chaos and said the incident involving Sword Lord Azure Bamboo had been an accident.
• Xue Laixi argued that the Chen Clan had already prepared to exploit the conflict, with the Silver Plume Alliance representing its interests.

Xue Laixi accused Xia Qingyun of using the Chen Clan’s rise to benefit the Xia Family and of taking several girls from her. Their confrontation escalated into a clash of divine powers, and Xue Laixi summoned a crimson-gold divine bird while declaring that Xia Qingyun could not overturn Goddess Lake.

• Xue Laixi accused Xia Qingyun of profiting from the Chen Clan’s influence while shielding the Xia Family from the Crimson Cult.
• Xue Laixi complained that Xia Qingyun had taken Chuxin, Shi Qiong, and Tiantian from her.
• Xia Qingyun provoked Xue Laixi, and the two women’s opposing domains shook the waterside pavilion.
• Xue Laixi recognized that Xia Qingyun had reached the peak of level ninety-six and that her Sun True Fire was evolving toward the third tier.
• Xue Laixi declared that Xia Qingyun still could not overturn Goddess Lake, then summoned a glassy crimson-gold divine bird.

On the final day of the National Tournament’s Heaven Dou Division, Five Mountains Academy used coordinated sensory attacks and combined techniques to defeat Skywater Team. The chapter ended with Five Mountains claiming victory as the remaining Top Eight places were still being contested.

• Jin Xin and Zhou Yi discussed the Underground City, Chang'an Academy's loss, and rumors that Donghuang Xiuyi had hidden injuries after defeating the Heaven Dou Team's seven Heavenly Prodigies.
• The final day began with all 120,000 seats occupied, and Heaven Dou, Moonlight, Chang'an, and Ice Seal had secured the first four qualification spots.
• Zhu Luoxi coordinated Five Mountains Team while Xia Shuyao and Ye Fei trapped Skywater Team in a mist that deprived its members of all five senses.
• Wei Yelin attacked the disoriented Skywater members as Lin Chiluan and Zhu Xuanming combined their powers into Maple Flame Flower Dance.
• Yang Wenxiu fired a Five Elements Spirit-Chasing Arrow wrapped in a typhoon, shattering Shui Binglan and Xue Qingwu's Ice Phoenix and securing Five Mountains Academy's victory.