Chapter Summaries

Cui Jiuyang found no useful intelligence from the captured Protectors, so he disguised his group as the caravan and continued the delivery to Divine Path Heaven. At the mountains south of Guangzhou, Li Sanyuan opened the hidden mountain path, allowing the caravan to proceed.

• Cui Jiuyang knocked out the captured Protectors, sent them and the other carters to a hillside, and kept Huang Bashi to guide the shipment.
• Cui Jiuyang used demons and the Cave Lords to impersonate the caravan’s carters and Protectors, while he and Li Mingyue took the appearances of Old Goose and his lover.
• Cui Jiuyang’s disguised caravan traveled from Laitou to the mountains south of Guangzhou without incident.
• Huang Bashi explained that the Protectors usually recited an incantation to open the mountain path, so Cui Jiuyang called on Li Sanyuan to lead the way.
• Li Sanyuan circled a small tree, shouted “Open,” and caused it to form a gateway with a road winding into the mountains.

Cui Jiuyang used an Illusion Technique to conceal his identity while following a caravan through Divine Path Heaven’s hidden route into Qidao Mountain. After reaching the sacred ground, he planned to stay near Li Sanyuan so he could learn when the Holy Maiden contacted him.

• Cui Jiuyang discovered the formation-material storage cave and realized he did not know how to use the wooden token to reach the mountain gate.
• Cui Jiuyang recognized the snake charmer from Big Water Well Village and used an Illusion Technique to appear as himself to him while remaining Lao E to everyone else.
• Cui Jiuyang joined the snake charmer’s caravan and followed the Protectors as they used their wooden tokens to open a hidden passage through the mountain.
• Cui Jiuyang emerged at Qidao Mountain’s mountain gate and concluded that rescuing the Holy Maiden was necessary to weaken Divine Path Heaven.
• Cui Jiuyang chose a courtyard beside Li Sanyuan’s so he could watch for signs of the Holy Maiden contacting him.

As Divine Path Heaven prepared to bring Qidao Mountain into the world on New Year’s Eve, Cui Jiuyang discovered that the mountain’s buildings formed a hidden dragon grand formation and secretly tampered with nearly half of it. On the eve of the sect’s undertaking, Li Sanyuan received an urgent message from the Holy Maiden.

• Cui Jiuyang learned that Divine Path Heaven would leave the Holy Maiden alone in the main hall while its leaders departed, creating a possible chance to rescue her.
• Divine Path Heaven proclaimed that it would bring Qidao Mountain into the world on the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month and reveal its divine path to believers.
• Believers flocked to the southern mountains, where Divine Path Heaven provided shelter and supplies while promising that their gods would manifest miracles.
• Cui Jiuyang discovered that Qidao Mountain’s buildings formed the Daoist Hidden Dragon in the Abyss formation, with the mountain gate as its tail and the main hall as its head.
• Cui Jiuyang posed as Lao E and secretly planted gifts throughout the formation, infiltrating roughly forty to fifty percent of it over seven days.
• On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Sanyuan received an urgent message from the Holy Maiden.

Cui Jiuyang attempted to free Wang Lu from the vow-power chains binding her to a throne in Divine Path Heaven’s hall. His substitution trick triggered the formation beneath the hall, and Wang Lu warned him to flee as an immense force surged around them.

• Cui Jiuyang divined that Wang Tong had escaped Divine Path Heaven’s control by choice and hoped he would stay safe until he could rescue Wang Lu.
• As the sect leader and senior Protectors left Qidao Mountain for the Sacred Mountain’s emergence ceremony, Cui Jiuyang discovered Wang Lu bound to a throne by multicolored chains.
• Cui Jiuyang used the pretext of a summons from Wang Lu to pass the Protectors and enter the empty hall.
• Cui Jiuyang found that the chains were made of collected vow power and connected to a vast formation beneath the hall.
• Cui Jiuyang used Wang Tong’s flint and a strand of Wang Lu’s hair to transfer the chains from her to the stone.
• Wang Lu awoke, warned that the formation had been triggered, and urged Cui Jiuyang to flee as the chains tightened and the hall’s power surged.

Cui Jiuyang escaped as the hall atop Qidao Mountain rose on the shoulders of three colossal sage statues. Meanwhile, Divine Path Heaven’s leader gathered one hundred thousand believers to witness Qidao Mountain’s emergence, but the chapter ended with eight powerful newcomers addressing him as “my lord.”

• Cui Jiuyang failed to free the Holy Maiden and fled the hall as it began rising.
• Three enormous statues broke free of Qidao Mountain and stood up with the hall on their shoulders.
• Divine Path Heaven’s leader watched one hundred thousand believers gather to witness Qidao Mountain’s appearance.
• The leader’s elders recalled how he had taken control of Divine Path Heaven and expanded it into Southern Heaven’s greatest sect.
• Eight powerful figures arrived, knelt before the leader, and said everything was ready when he asked.

Cui Jiuyang was caught inside the hall as the Sage's Heart formation awakened the three stone sages and brought the hall into their grasp. He attacked Buddha's hand with Three Chi Seven and sent part of his Divine Sense into the wound in its finger.

• The Cult Leader and the elders sensed that the dragon's head of Qidao Mountain's formation had been severed and worried about the Sage's Heart and the Holy Maiden.
• Cui Jiuyang rode the hall through the clouds before it plunged back down, while the Holy Maiden urged him to escape.
• The three stone sages rose from the ground, and Li Mingyue learned from the Cave Lords that Cui Jiuyang remained alive inside the hall.
• The Confucian Sage held the hall while Buddha reached through its entrance, and the Holy Maiden explained that Cui Jiuyang had awakened the statues by loosening her chains.
• Cui Jiuyang used Three Chi Seven to shave stone from Buddha's fingers, then sent part of his Divine Sense into the wound.

Cui Jiuyang crippled the Buddha’s arm by using Three Chi Seven to sever its internal Vow Power channels, then escaped the hall and climbed the Confucian Sage’s hand while the sages attacked. To gain a means of fighting back, he ordered Zhu Youlang to invest him as the Great Ming’s Imperial Preceptor, naming his sect the Jiba Sect.

• Cui Jiuyang used Three Chi Seven to cut through the Buddha’s Vow Power meridians, damaging its arm before the alms bowl’s suction forced him to recall the sword.
• The Buddha turned the cloud vortex toward the hall, and Cui Jiuyang escaped through a window with Three Chi Seven.
• Cui Jiuyang drove Three Chi Seven into the Confucian Sage’s thumb, secured himself with vines, and climbed toward its shoulder as the Buddha and Daoist Venerable attacked.
• Cui Jiuyang recalled the Dafushan Mountain Cave Lords into the Five Warlords Register and summoned the golden-eyed man, who explained how much Son of Heaven qi he had left.
• Cui Jiuyang ordered Zhu Youlang to use his remaining Son of Heaven qi to invest him as Imperial Preceptor, and named the State Religion the Jiba Sect.

Cui Jiuyang used Zhu Youlang’s imperial edict to seal the Confucian Sage and weaken the Buddha and Daoist Venerable as Qidao Mountain was revealed to Divine Path Heaven’s hundred thousand followers. The leader ordered a hidden formation activated, and its black canopy rose over the followers, unleashing horrifying visions.

• Zhu Youlang appointed the Jiba Sect the State-Protecting Holy Religion and granted Cui Jiuyang the title of Imperial Preceptor.
• Cui Jiuyang used imperial qi to seal the Confucian Sage and slow the Buddha and Daoist Venerable.
• The Hidden Dragon in the Abyss formation failed, revealing Qidao Mountain and its three enormous sage statues to Divine Path Heaven’s followers.
• Divine Path Heaven’s leader ordered eight black-clad figures to activate another formation while the elders debated how to explain the visible miracle.
• A pitch-black canopy formed above the hundred thousand followers, and an elder’s Divine Sense was overwhelmed by obscene and hellish hallucinations.

Cui Jiuyang recognized the black canopy as the Asura Ghost Prison and realized Divine Path Heaven’s sect leader planned to sacrifice a hundred thousand people to summon Asuras. He confronted the sect leader on Qidao Mountain, where the leader revealed he knew about Cui Jiuyang and Cui Chengshou’s actions.

• Cui Jiuyang remembered from Within The Eight Extremes that the canopy belonged to the Asura Ghost Prison and feared the entire realm might invade.
• Cui Jiuyang realized Divine Path Heaven had lured a hundred thousand people to become Asura Seeds and angrily condemned the sect leader.
• The Divine Path Heaven Sect's leader appeared on the Daoist Venerable’s head and accused Cui Jiuyang of nearly ruining his plan.
• Cui Jiuyang challenged the sect leader and questioned who he really was after hearing him dismiss the Heavenly Court and Heavenly Tribulation.

Cui Jiuyang broke through to Six Extremes during his fight with the Divine Path Heaven Sect leader and cut off the leader’s dragon horn, exposing him as the Sinful Dragon Ao Que. Enraged by his injury and Cui Jiuyang’s taunts, Ao Que prepared to fight him.

• The sect leader revealed that the Holy Maiden’s innate ability could make Asuras obey and claimed he could summon a hundred thousand of them.
• Cui Jiuyang unleashed the Abyss in the Water’s stored Spiritual Power and advanced from Five Extremes Peak to Six Extremes.
• Cui Jiuyang’s Three Chi Seven pierced Ao Que’s afterimage and severed one of his dragon horns.
• Cui Jiuyang identified the sect leader as a Sinful Dragon, and the dragon revealed his name was Ao Que.
• Ao Que, furious at losing his horn, raised his claws and accepted Cui Jiuyang’s challenge.

Cui Jiuyang trapped Ao Que in the Four-Nine Thunderfire Heaven-Smiting Grand Formation and rushed to the canopy as the Asura Ghost Prison ravaged the believers. He began drawing the marked evil ghosts into the Abyss in the Water, then remained inside the sealed canopy and defied the Ghost-Blood Asuras.

• Cui Jiuyang used marked spells and the Great Expansion Command Flags to bind Ao Que in the Four-Nine Thunderfire Heaven-Smiting Grand Formation, then left him facing its thunder and fire.
• Cui Jiuyang reached the canopy and found evil ghosts and demon souls slaughtering and possessing the hundred thousand believers while the Ghost-Blood Asuras pressed against the boundary.
• Cui Jiuyang summoned the Abyss in the Water and used its Eight Extremes aura to draw the marked evil ghosts into the Exquisite Crystal Palace.
• The Ghost-Blood Asuras roared as the evil ghosts were sucked away, and Cui Jiuyang challenged them to enter the human world.
• The canopy sealed behind Cui Jiuyang, leaving him trapped inside as he continued strengthening the Abyss in the Water's suction.

Cui Jiuyang protected the elders of Divine Path Heaven while using the Abyss in the Water to absorb evil ghosts, but an Asura Tooth General breached the barrier and sent six Ghost-Blood Asuras into the canopy. Cui Jiuyang fought the invaders and discovered that Three Chi Seven grew stronger as it absorbed their evil power.

• Cui Jiuyang let the wounded elders of Divine Path Heaven take shelter near him and warned them they would have to fight if needed.
• The Asura Tooth General pierced the barrier of the Three Realms and widened the breach with bones, forcing six Ghost-Blood Asuras through before the barrier sealed again.
• Cui Jiuyang left the elders to guard the Abyss in the Water and rushed to stop the six Asuras from killing worshippers.
• Three Chi Seven pierced and pinned several Asuras while Cui Jiuyang trapped them with the Perfected Light Technique.
• Cui Jiuyang sensed Three Chi Seven absorbing evil power from the Asuras, strengthening its red light and ringing.

Cui Jiuyang fought Ao Que, who had absorbed Divine Path Heaven's Vow Power and swallowed the Holy Maiden to borrow her Demon Fetus abilities. Ao Que used his true Dragon King blood as an offering to accelerate the Asuras' assault on the Three Realms barrier, leaving Cui Jiuyang searching for a way to stop him.

• Cui Jiuyang used Three Chi Seven to kill the remaining Asuras and discovered that the sword absorbed their power.
• Ao Que broke into the canopy with a transformed aura and knocked Abyss in the Water away from the Crystal Palace.
• Ao Que revealed that he had swallowed the Holy Maiden and planned to keep her for her Demon Fetus abilities.
• Cui Jiuyang wounded Ao Que repeatedly, but Ao Que offered his true Dragon King blood to the Asuras, weakening the Three Realms barrier faster.
• Ao Que pierced Cui Jiuyang with his halberd, but Cui Jiuyang escaped by substituting a talisman-paper figure.
• Cui Jiuyang concealed himself from Ao Que and received a faint heavenly message telling him to stay true to his heart until a turning point came.

Wang Tong recounted how he wandered in search of someone like himself and met Wang Lu, beginning their life together as siblings. In the present, Cui Jiuyang recognized that a powerful wild god had likely come at Wang Tong’s cost to rescue Wang Lu.

• Cui Jiuyang fought Ao Que by targeting his eyes, but Ao Que’s strength and Divine Path Heaven’s vow power wore him down.
• A pure vow-power presence approached, and Cui Jiuyang and Ao Que paused their fight to face it.
• The three-headed, six-armed wild god asked Ao Que where he had seen Wang Lu.
• Cui Jiuyang asked where Wang Tong was and realized Wang Tong had probably sacrificed himself to summon the wild god.
• Wang Tong recalled awakening beneath a fruit tree, wandering while searching for a girl like himself, and using enchanted food to gather clues.
• Wang Tong found Wang Lu in a beggars’ den, shared a rotten apple with her, and they chose their names and became siblings.

The narrator recalled traveling freely with Xiao Lu before Divine Path Heaven abducted her for her supernatural gift and separated the siblings. He held on to hope that Mr. Cui might rescue her, but after learning that Divine Path Heaven’s Protectors obeyed her Immortal Voice, he despaired and prepared to earn her next silver dollar.

• The narrator and Xiao Lu traveled together, and a white-bearded fisherman explained that Demon Fetuses were simply a kind of living being, not evil by nature.
• In Guangzhou, Xiao Lu defended a widow and her child, drawing the attention of a shaman whose report led cultivators to corner the siblings at their inn.
• A black-robed leader abducted the siblings, kept Xiao Lu, and sent the narrator away, but Divine Path Heaven ordered that she accept only the silver dollars he earned.
• The narrator searched for help and met Mr. Cui, who expressed sympathy and promised to reunite him with Xiao Lu if he had the chance.
• After hearing that Mr. Cui had become a high-ranking Protector who had to obey Xiao Lu’s Immortal Voice, the narrator lost hope and set out to earn another silver dollar.

After Wang Tong sacrificed his life to the Three-Headed God, the wild god confronted Ao Que to rescue Wang Lu, whom Ao Que had swallowed. Cui Jiuyang left their battle to hunt Asuras attacking civilians, and discovered the slaughter had fulfilled Ao Que’s plan to bring a hundred thousand believers to the area.

• The Three-Headed God told Cui Jiuyang that he had eaten Wang Tong and came to rescue Wang Lu in fulfillment of Wang Tong’s request.
• Cui Jiuyang pointed out that Wang Lu was inside Ao Que, and the Three-Headed God demanded that Ao Que spit her out.
• Ao Que refused and fought the Three-Headed God, whose divine artifacts and six arms kept pace with the dragon’s attacks.
• Ao Que filled the battlefield with freezing mist, while Cui Jiuyang stayed concealed and hesitated to join the fight for fear of drawing more Asuras through the barrier.
• After Asuras broke through and began killing civilians, Cui Jiuyang escaped the mist and found a blood-soaked massacre among the peaks.
• Cui Jiuyang saw that the Asuras had disguised themselves as ordinary humans and realized this was why Ao Que had lured a hundred thousand believers there.

Cui Jiuyang defeated the Asura Tooth General and the Ghost-Blood Asuras, but could not capture Ao Que, whose canopy continued to feed on divine blood and enable the Asuras’ descent. He fought the gravely wounded dragon while weighing whether killing him would make the invasion worse.

• Cui Jiuyang used Three Chi Seven to trap the Ghost-Blood Asuras, then evaded the Asura Tooth General’s sneak attack with a Paper Talisman Substitute and tricked him into eating donkey dung.
• Cui Jiuyang wounded the Asura Tooth General with his Heart Talisman Technique and Three Chi Seven, then destroyed the Ghost-Blood Asuras with Two-Sleeve Crimson Dragons.
• Cui Jiuyang’s Register of Soldiers and Horses failed to capture Ao Que because he was a true dragon, while the wounded Wild God tried to flee and struck the canopy.
• Cui Jiuyang urged the Wild God to replenish himself by suppressing evil ghosts and demon souls, and the Wild God ran off to do so.
• Ao Que attacked Cui Jiuyang with his great ji, but Cui Jiuyang defended himself with Three Chi Seven and hesitated to kill him because true dragon blood could help the Asuras descend faster.

Cui Jiuyang killed Ao Que, recovered Wang Lu, and prepared for the Asura invasion as the barrier between the Three Realms weakened. A massive Asura officer broke through the barrier, and Cui Jiuyang and Three Chi Seven faced him, ready to fight.

• Cui Jiuyang defeated Ao Que and extracted the sphere of Vow Power containing Wang Lu from his body.
• Cui Jiuyang gave Wang Lu to the Wild God and told him to take her to Li Mingyue on Qidao Mountain when the sky curtain opened.
• A giant Asura officer smashed through the barrier between the Three Realms, and Cui Jiuyang's Three Chi Seven slew the Ghost-Blood Asuras falling behind him.
• The Asura officer landed before Cui Jiuyang, while Three Chi Seven brimmed with the desire to fight and consume him.
• Cui Jiuyang agreed to face the Asura officer with Three Chi Seven, and the officer searched for the human cultivator who had killed his subordinates.

Cui Jiuyang struggled against the Asura General until Cui Chengshou sent the Soul Sword from the South Sea. The sword severed the General in two with Heaven-Slaying, while the Wild God escaped through the Heavenly Curtain.

• The Asura General trapped Three Chi Seven in his leg, then pursued Cui Jiuyang with hammer blows and a stream of blood energy.
• Cui Jiuyang froze the blood energy and told the Wild God to flee to the southern edge of the Heavenly Curtain, while Wang Lu's life continued to fade inside the sphere of Vow Power.
• Cui Jiuyang sensed Great-Grandfather's incoming Soul Sword and shouted for it to come; the sword opened a breach, allowing the Wild God to escape.
• Cui Chengshou had sent the Soul Sword from the South Sea, and Cui Jiuyang directed it to attack the Asura General.
• The Soul Sword cut off the General's ear, then used Heaven-Slaying to split his body in two as Cui Jiuyang exhausted his Spiritual Power.

Cui Jiuyang destroyed the Asura General and helped end the Asura Ghost Domain, then tasked Wang Lu with containing the catastrophe’s aftermath and taking control of Divine Path Heaven. The chapter left Wang Lu holding a command flag that could amplify her Sincere Words as she prepared to silence the surviving believers and reform the sect.

• Cui Jiuyang collapsed after the Soul Sword drained his spiritual power, and the sword tore open the canopy before flying away.
• Cui Jiuyang used the Abyss in the Water and the Five Warlords Register to capture evil ghosts and pursue fleeing demon souls, then ordered the demons to keep the traumatized believers from leaving.
• Li Mingyue and the Dafushan Cave Lords arrived with the unconscious Wang Lu, whom Cui Jiuyang healed from her minor injuries.
• Cui Jiuyang told Wang Lu that Divine Path Heaven’s leaders were dead and that she must take charge of the sect and its surviving believers.
• Cui Jiuyang connected the Great Expansion Command Flags to the masterless Sage’s Heart formation and gave Wang Lu a command flag powered by its vow power.
• Cui Jiuyang instructed Wang Lu to use her Sincere Words to keep the believers silent about the disaster and lead Divine Path Heaven toward doing good.