Arc 59Yanmen Pass Power Struggle

Qing Chen consolidated control of the Northwestern Circuit, exposed and subdued rival commanders, and secured imperial approval for his reforms. When the Carefree Marquis and his allies challenged Yanmen Pass, Qing Chen faced Dugu Yifang’s Soul Annihilation attack.

  • Yue Ting gave Qing Chen the secret technique and materials needed to restore Xie Yu, then pledged his support, while Qing Chen subdued Yue Ting’s demon banners and strengthened his own eight banners with corpses and śarīras.
  • Qing Chen issued sweeping property-registration and transport-tax decrees, then exposed Yue Ting, Luo Chong, and Qin Wujiang for secret dealings and ordered their arrest.
  • Qing Chen defeated Qin Wujiang and Luo Chong, while Yue Ting escaped after a destructive talisman killed Yan Zhen and Zhaoshenzi and devastated the pursuing forces.
  • Qing Chen condemned the officials who had failed to help the pursuit, rewarded Jia Daoyi, reshuffled army and provincial leadership, and brought one and a half million Dao soldiers under his influence.
  • Emperor Jingtai approved most of Qing Chen’s reforms and appointments while imposing annual remittances and military requirements, and Qing Chen considered how the Loulan marriage mission could help Yue Ting find the Undying Wood Heart.
  • The Carefree Marquis, Dugu Yifang, and Xue Wuming arrived at Yanmen Pass and demanded concessions, but Qing Chen confronted them outside the formation with his forces behind him.
  • Dugu Yifang revealed his refined Ancient Bloodline and attacked Qing Chen with Soul Annihilation, while Qing Chen invoked Mystic Womb Wuxiang, Demon Lotus Soul Suppression within his sea of consciousness.
Chapters 1451–1475 Vol. 15 Read

Ch. 1451Materials and Excitement

Yue Ting revealed that he possessed the complete Mysterious Yin Corpse-Refining Secret Technique and a jade slip left by Spirit Venerable Qu Ba, both of which could help restore Xie Yu. He asked Qing Chen to help obtain two rare fifth-tier materials, and the chapter ended with Yue Ting kneeling before him.

  • Yue Ting told Qing Chen that he had obtained all twelve levels of the Mysterious Yin Corpse-Refining Secret Technique, including its path to Spirit Transformation.
  • Yue Ting showed Qing Chen Spirit Venerable Qu Ba's jade slip, which described a method for reversing the living corpse state and preserving Xie Yu's Dao Path and vitality.
  • Yue Ting explained that the method required Nine Netherworlds Soul-Returning Marrow from a yin river controlled by the Black Fox King Tribe and a Loulan Undying Wood Heart from the ancient city of Loulan.
  • Qing Chen connected both materials to his plans in the Northwestern Circuit and felt excited as the region's affairs converged.
  • Yue Ting said he could not restore Xie Yu without Qing Chen's powerful divine soul, then knelt before him.

Ch. 1452A lucky star

Yue Ting offered Qing Chen two White Bone Demon Mara Banners, valuable intelligence about the Reincarnation Dead Sea, and his alchemy services in exchange for help. Qing Chen accepted the gifts and instructed Yue Ting to remain among the Yanmen Pass commanders and secretly monitor their movements, leaving him with eight of the twelve banners.

  • Yue Ting offered Qing Chen the Yaoguang and Qiongqi demon banners, and Qing Chen subdued them with the Dijiang Banner.
  • Yue Ting promised to provide his Reincarnation Dead Sea records and refine pills for Qing Chen, explaining his alchemical expertise and the legacy he had found.
  • Qing Chen agreed to help Yue Ting and told him to keep watch on the other army commanders at Yanmen Pass.
  • Yue Ting gave Qing Chen his prepared jade slips, secret techniques, and pill recipe before leaving to recuperate with the Yueshan Army.
  • After Yue Ting departed, Qing Chen counted the banners and realized he was four short of collecting all twelve.

Ch. 1453Still dared to defy him?

Qing Chen sealed himself in the Governor-General’s Residence to refine the eight demon banners with the Mara Blood-Refining Bone-Transforming Grand Formation. After subduing Yaoguang and Qiongqi and feeding the formation a vast store of corpses and Buddhist remains, he faced resistance from the chanting śarīras as the refinement continued.

  • Qing Chen ordered the underground palace sealed and forbade anyone from disturbing his seclusion unless Yanmen Pass faced an imminent threat.
  • Qing Chen placed the eight demon banners around the blood pool and used his divine sense and the Di Jiang Banner to crush Yaoguang and Qiongqi’s resistance, erasing Yue Ting’s imprints.
  • Qing Chen filled the blood pool with Buddhist corpses, demon beast and cultivator remains, high-rank śarīras, and the remains of Old Man Tianchi and Thunder Flood Dragon True Lord.
  • Qing Chen activated the Mara Blood-Refining Bone-Transforming Grand Formation, which began drawing flesh, bones, and killing intent from the corpses into the demon banners.
  • The Golden Core śarīras began chanting together, and their Buddhist light scorched Yaoguang and Qiongqi as Qing Chen challenged the dead monks to stop him.

Ch. 1454The Demon Banners Transformed, Combat Power Surged

Qing Chen spent more than a hundred days refining corpses and bone essence to strengthen his eight demon banners. He emerged exhausted but exhilarated, with three supreme-grade banners and five high-grade banners, while Di Jiang still hungered for more powerful corpses.

  • Qing Chen fed śarīras and bone essence into the formation, advancing the Yaoguang and Qiongqi banners to high-grade.
  • Qing Chen fed Old Man Tianchi's and old monster Thunder Flood Dragon's corpses to Xuanming, which advanced to supreme-grade.
  • Qing Chen strengthened Di Jiang with more corpses and essence, but it remained far from becoming a quasi-spirit artifact and yearned for stronger prey.
  • After more than a hundred days, Qing Chen finished the ritual, consuming the Demon Lotus Sect's accumulated corpses and nearly drying the White Bone Blood Pool.
  • Qing Chen surveyed the eight banners and celebrated their increased power: three were supreme-grade and five were high-grade.

Ch. 1455The Bird That Stuck Its Head Out?

Qing Chen tested the combined power of his eight demon banners and found that the Immortal-Burying Coffin could kill even powerful Nascent Soul cultivators. Meanwhile, the great powers of the Northwestern Circuit gathered at Yanmen Pass, where Qing Chen’s ruthless display had left them wary of acting against him.

  • Qing Chen reinforced the underground palace and activated all eight demon banners, forming a massive white bone coffin that suppressed the surrounding space with death qi.
  • Qing Chen sent a powerful protector puppet into the coffin, where the Red-Haired Blood Hand dragged it inside and reduced it to ashes.
  • Qing Chen assessed the coffin’s strength, concluding it could threaten Nascent Soul peak cultivators and even endanger some of the region’s most formidable experts.
  • Qing Chen wondered who was secretly scheming against him after the battle at Faneng Temple, then reflected on how his power had changed.
  • The powerful figures of the Northwestern Circuit gathered in the Governor-General’s hall at Yanmen Pass, fearful of Qing Chen after he displayed the corpses of spies, enemies, and even former Cangming Army comrades.

Ch. 1456Who Do You Think You Are?

Qing Chen’s officials and regional leaders gathered for a governance meeting, but Qing Chen stayed in seclusion and sent Xu Jiuling to announce decrees instead. Xu Jiuling declared that the assembly had not been called to offer opinions, leaving the powerful attendees furious as he began reading the first edict.

  • The Provincial Governors and military leaders waited in the hall while Qing Chen’s memorials against him went unanswered by the Imperial Court.
  • Xu Jiuling entered with Ye Wushang, Xin Bairen, and Cangming Army enforcers, drawing uneasy reactions from several Provincial Governors.
  • Qin Wujiang challenged Xu Jiuling over Qing Chen’s absence, and Xu replied that the Governor-General was in seclusion.
  • Xu Jiuling said Qing Chen had ordered him to announce decrees and that the assembly’s opinions were not being solicited.
  • Xu Jiuling unfurled the first gubernatorial edict as the Northwestern Circuit-Surveying Seal released its aura through the hall.

Ch. 1457When the Water Is Too Clear, There Are No Fish

Xu Jiuling announced Qing Chen’s land-survey and transport-tax edicts, which would place spirit property records and cross-province trade under the Governor-General’s Office. Yan Zhen and Shen Wenzhao challenged the decrees, arguing that they threatened long-standing property rights and stripped the provincial governors of their authority.

  • Xu Jiuling read Qing Chen’s edict requiring all spirit fields, mines, and related properties to be registered and sealed anew, warning that unreviewed holdings would become ownerless.
  • Xu Jiuling announced the transport-tax edict, abolishing provincial checkpoints and requiring permits for large cross-border shipments, with most tax revenue allocated to Yanmen Pass.
  • Yan Zhen objected that the survey threatened lands awarded to military cultivators and their descendants, calling the demand to review them all unreasonable.
  • Shen Wenzhao supported Yan Zhen and argued that the Governor-General’s Office was bypassing provincial institutions and taking control of taxation, property reviews, and trade permits.

Ch. 1458Loyal counsel grates on the ear

Provincial governors and military commanders opposed Qing Chen’s two decrees and submitted a joint memorial challenging his authority as acting Governor-General. Qing Chen welcomed their protest, hinting that their unified move had suited his plans.

  • Shen Wenzhao and Luo Chong joined Yan Zhen in criticizing Qing Chen’s orders, while Qin Wujiang demanded repayment of the Bloodedge Army’s unpaid wages and Dugu Wuqing argued the decrees could be refused.
  • Yan Zhen, Shen Wenzhao, Luo Chong, Qin Wujiang, and Dugu Wuqing signed a joint memorial opposing the measures.
  • Pei Xuance recognized the memorial as a major challenge to Qing Chen, while Li Qingyuan suspected that someone had deliberately steered events toward this confrontation.
  • Xu Jiuling struggled under the five officials’ pressure until Qing Chen spoke from within the blood mist and said the memorial had saved him effort.
  • Qing Chen denied intending to punish the officials and claimed he would not kill anyone over loyal counsel that grated on the ear.

Ch. 1459Apprehending the Traitors

Qing Chen exposed Yue Ting’s secret dealings with the Black Fox King Tribe and began revealing widespread illicit trade involving the Northwestern Border Army and provincial powers. He ended by presenting evidence that the Bloodedge Army had diverted spirit iron to the Blood God Sect, Western Regions merchants, and the Iron Wolf King Tribe.

  • Qing Chen appeared on the Governor-General’s throne and declared that he would apprehend traitors.
  • Qing Chen presented records linking Yue Ting to private dealings with the Black Fox King Tribe, including a direct-line token and exchanges of military supplies for cultivation resources and intelligence.
  • Qing Chen confronted Yue Ting before the assembled officials, and Yue Ting rose to his feet but could not explain himself.
  • Qing Chen displayed ledgers and records exposing secret trade routes and unregistered shipments involving the Border Army, provincial administrations, and Western Regions merchants.
  • Qing Chen revealed that the Bloodedge Army had concealed spirit mines and diverted spirit iron to the Blood God Sect, merchant associations, and the Iron Wolf King Tribe, shocking Qin Wujiang.

Ch. 1460Dead or alive!

Qing Chen exposed evidence of treason and smuggling against Qin Wujiang, Luo Chong, and Yue Ting, then ordered their arrest. Yue Ting escaped the hall despite being wounded, and Qing Chen sent Pei Xuance and Yan Zhen after him, authorizing them to bring him back dead or alive.

  • Qing Chen accused Luo Chong of secretly shipping military supplies to enemy nations and embezzling provincial funds, then declared he would arrest suspected traitors rather than determine their guilt.
  • Qing Chen unleashed a blood sea and ordered Qin Wujiang, Luo Chong, and Yue Ting seized for suspected treason.
  • Qin Wujiang summoned his Blood God dharma form, Luo Chong used his Black Bone Banner to devour the blood dragon, and Yue Ting deployed four talismans to flee.
  • Qing Chen used magnetic-origin power to trap Yue Ting, but Yue Ting's strange talisman severed the blood dragon before Qing Chen's blood needles wounded him.
  • Yue Ting escaped into the snow beyond the Governor-General's Office, and Qing Chen ordered Pei Xuance and Yan Zhen to pursue him and return him dead or alive.

Ch. 1461Some measure of ability

Qing Chen revealed that he had deliberately allowed Yue Ting to escape as part of his plan, while Pei Xuance and Yan Zhen pursued him. Qin Wujiang and Luo Chong joined forces to break Qing Chen’s blockade, but Qing Chen remained unmoved as their attacks closed in.

  • Qing Chen secretly let the wounded Yue Ting flee so his defection would seem convincing, and trusted him to evade Pei Xuance and Yan Zhen.
  • Luo Chong summoned the Taotie demon shadow to devour the surrounding power and strengthen himself.
  • Qin Wujiang unleashed his blood god dharma form and hundreds of phantom bodies to strike Qing Chen with a massive blood sun.
  • The hall’s onlookers retreated in alarm as Qin Wujiang and Luo Chong combined their powers to try to escape.
  • Qing Chen watched their attack approach and declared that their abilities were only a measure of what he had faced before.

Ch. 1462Acting on Heaven's Behalf!

Qing Chen overwhelmed Qin Wujiang and Luo Chong with his blood-magnetism domain, demon lotus, and Blood River God-Slaying Spear. He defeated both men and declared that he was apprehending rebels on Heaven’s behalf, challenging anyone in the hall to object.

  • Qing Chen used the Mysterious Womb Demon Lotus Platform to disrupt Luo Chong and unleash a domain that fused blood, primordial magnetism, and his Yang Spirit.
  • Qing Chen caused Luo Chong’s Taotie Demon Shadow to explode, leaving Luo Chong injured and the Black Bone Yuan-Devouring Banner badly damaged.
  • Qin Wujiang drove his blood god dharma form toward Qing Chen, but Qing Chen bound it with primordial magnetism and drew blood essence from its phantom bodies.
  • Qing Chen’s Blood River God-Slaying Spear struck Qin Wujiang, shattering his armor and bones and hurling him into the hall wall.
  • Qing Chen declared that he was acting on Heaven’s behalf to apprehend rebels and asked whether anyone dared object.

Ch. 1463Fear!

Qing Chen crushed Qin Wujiang and Luo Chong’s attempt to resist, then imprisoned them in blood-magnetism spheres before confronting the silent officials with their jointly signed memorial. The remaining governors and commanders feared they could be implicated as a commotion arose outside the great hall.

  • Qing Chen sealed Luo Chong’s escape attempt, dragged his nascent soul back into his body, and incapacitated him after defeating Qin Wujiang.
  • Qing Chen trapped Qin Wujiang and Luo Chong in separate blood-magnetism spheres and suppressed their magic power and nascent souls.
  • Qing Chen ended his pseudo-domain, displayed the memorial signed by five men, and faced the gathered officials without speaking.
  • Dugu Wuqing and Shen Wenzhao feared Qing Chen would punish them next, while the other officials stayed silent under his scrutiny.
  • A commotion sounded outside the great hall.

Ch. 1464Shut up!

Ye Wushang and Jia Daoyi reported that Yue Ting had escaped after unleashing a talisman that erased everything across dozens of li, killing Yan Zhen and Zhaoshenzi and devastating the pursuing army. Qing Chen erupted at the assembled commanders, accusing them of standing idle while Yue Ting fled.

  • Sun Wudi announced that Ye Wushang and Jia Daoyi had returned gravely wounded with urgent military intelligence, and Qing Chen ordered them admitted.
  • Jia Daoyi reported that the Cangming Army had seized control of Yue Ting’s Yueshan Army forces while Ye Wushang and Zhaoshenzi helped corner Yue Ting beyond Yanmen Pass.
  • Yue Ting crushed a black-and-white talisman that erased a vast area, destroying Yan Zhen and Zhaoshenzi, incapacitating Pei, and killing or wounding thousands.
  • Ye Wushang and the surviving troops protected the wounded Pei as Yue Ting escaped through chaotic void; Jia Daoyi and Ye Wushang returned to report to Qing Chen.
  • Qing Chen accused the commanders in the hall of standing by while Yue Ting escaped, then silenced Dugu Wuqing and Shen Wenzhao when they tried to answer.

Ch. 1465Which Bastard Was It?

Qing Chen condemned the Northwestern Circuit’s officials for failing to pursue Yue Ting and announced rewards for those killed in the fight. He then presented Jia Daoyi with Nascent-Replenishing Heavenly Fluid, giving him a chance to abandon his Dharma Nascent Soul and attempt to form a true Nascent Soul.

  • Qing Chen berated the provincial governors and military commanders for standing by while Yan Zhen pursued Yue Ting and died, and blamed their inaction for the soldiers’ deaths.
  • Qing Chen defended his reforms and threatened the officials, then promised posthumous honors and compensation for Yan Zhen, Zhaoshenzi, and the fallen Cangming Army soldiers.
  • Qing Chen summoned Jia Daoyi and revealed a Black Jade Treasure Bottle containing Nascent-Replenishing Heavenly Fluid.
  • Li Qingyuan identified the fluid, and Jia Daoyi realized it could give him another chance to form a true Nascent Soul.

Ch. 1466A million Dao Soldiers

Qing Chen rewarded Jia Daoyi and reorganized the Northwestern Circuit’s military and provincial leadership after arresting officials for corruption and collusion. He left the assembled governors facing a joint memorial that would formalize his proposed appointments, with no one willing to oppose him.

  • Qing Chen rewarded Jia Daoyi with Nascent-Replenishing Heavenly Fluid for his service in the pursuit of Yue Ting.
  • Qing Chen appointed Ye Wushang and Jia Daoyi to lead the Bloodedge Army and placed the Yueshan Army under the Guanyin Tower Master, bringing his command to over a million troops.
  • Qing Chen announced that he would temporarily oversee Liangzhou and appointed Xu Jiuling as Acting Liangzhou Prefecture Vice-Governor.
  • Qing Chen ordered Mei Zhili to take over Suzhou and investigate Luo Chong’s accounts, then proposed Xu Zhiyin as Acting Yunzhou Governor.
  • Qing Chen presented a joint memorial for the governors to sign, and the hall fell silent as no one dared object.

Ch. 1467A man of his word

Qing Chen persuaded the northwestern officials to endorse his proposed redistribution of military and civil authority by pledging to strengthen the frontier and raise annual tax remittances. Li Qingyuan added his seal with a warning that he would impeach Qing Chen if the pledge failed, leaving Qing Chen with no remaining official obstacles in the Northwestern Circuit.

  • Mei Zhili and Wei Ting agreed to endorse Qing Chen's proposal, while Wang Yan and the other officials remained silent.
  • Li Qingyuan objected that Qing Chen could not appoint commanders and governors without the proper recommendations and approval.
  • Qing Chen argued that his changes were proposals for stabilizing the frontier and promised to remit at least one billion Spirit Stones annually after five years.
  • Li Qingyuan concluded that the Immortal Dynasty had little reason to reject Qing Chen's plan and sealed the joint memorial, warning that he would impeach Qing Chen if he failed.
  • Qing Chen declared that he served the country and its people and kept his word.

Ch. 1468The Great Purge

Qing Chen consolidated control of the Northwestern Circuit after securing the officials’ signatures on his memorial and military pledge. Over the following months, he imprisoned Qin Wujiang and Luo Chong, purged or reassigned their allies, and placed the region’s armies under loyal commanders, leaving him with a force of one and a half million Dao soldiers.

  • Provincial governors, military leaders, and senior inspection officials left their magic power marks on Qing Chen’s memorial, which set out appointments, rewards, and his pledge to remit spirit stones.
  • Qing Chen imprisoned Qin Wujiang and Luo Chong beneath the Governor-General’s Office instead of sending them to the Divine Capital, claiming their suspected collusion with barbarians was still under investigation.
  • Qing Chen dealt with the former leaders’ followers by accepting confessions, imprisoning or killing proven offenders, and transferring or expelling others backed by powerful figures.
  • Ye Wushang took command at the Bloodedge Army camp and killed three commandants who refused to surrender their formation flags, while Jia Daoyi and Lei Bao recruited officers to Qing Chen’s side.
  • The Guanyin Tower Master, Su Zixuan, and Sun Wudi helped secure the Yueshan Army, while Wei Ting cooperated with the Governor-General’s Office and received troops, equipment, and treasures from Qing Chen.
  • Qing Chen’s allies took control of key posts in the Bloodedge, Yueshan, and Thundering Armies, bringing the total force under his influence to one and a half million Dao soldiers.

Ch. 1469Do not disappoint me

Qing Chen received Emperor Jingtai’s edict, which approved several appointments and rewards while imposing steep revenue quotas and requiring military victories against the Golden Tent Khanate. The edict also announced Consort Nian’s return to the northwest and appointed the Seventeenth Imperial Prince Ji Chengjing as Protector of the Northwestern Circuit under Qing Chen’s supervision.

  • Qing Chen kept Pei Xuance unconscious and sealed his Nascent Soul, preventing him from exercising the Circuit Inspector’s authority.
  • Wei Jin arrived at Yanmen Pass with the Inner Cabinet’s reply and Emperor Jingtai’s sealed imperial edict.
  • The edict granted posthumous honors to Yan Zhen and Zhaoshenzi, approved temporary Border Army leadership, and reassigned Mei Zhili and Xu Zhiyin.
  • The edict required Qing Chen to remit at least one billion low-grade spirit stones annually after five years and one billion five hundred million after ten years, with formal appointment as Governor-General conditional on meeting the terms.
  • Emperor Jingtai ordered Qing Chen to earn verifiable military merits against the Golden Tent Khanate and announced Consort Nian’s planned return to the Northwestern Circuit.
  • Emperor Jingtai enfeoffed Ji Chengjing as Pacify-the-West Commandery Prince and appointed him Protector of the Northwestern Circuit, ordering Qing Chen to instruct him.

Ch. 1470Loulan sought a marriage alliance

Qing Chen received imperial decrees appointing Ji Chengjing as his deputy and assigning him to protect a marriage procession to Loulan, while Luan-yang Princess would accompany it. The decrees also confirmed most of Qing Chen’s policies, leaving the northwest’s provincial governors and military chiefs facing the loss of their smuggling profits.

  • Emperor Jingtai appointed Ji Chengjing Pacify-the-West Commandery Prince and Deputy Protector of the Western Regions, placing him under Qing Chen’s guidance.
  • The imperial court announced that Hening Commandery Princess would marry Loulan’s eldest prince and that Luan-yang Princess would travel with the wedding escort.
  • Qing Chen considered how the Loulan mission could help Yue Ting reach Ancient Loulan City and find the Loulan Undying Wood Heart, while worrying about the many political and military demands ahead.
  • Qing Chen welcomed Wei Jin and had Xu Jiuling escort him to the Guest Reception Hall with gifts.
  • After the imperial officials left, the provincial governors and military chiefs realized the court had accepted nearly all of Qing Chen’s policies and that his control of the passes would cripple their clandestine trade.

Ch. 1471The Eighth Prince's Move

Qing Chen enforced the Immortal Dynasty’s decree in the Northwestern Circuit, then met with Ding Buxing, who delivered news of the Eighth Prince’s support and approved appointments. Qing Chen openly pledged his allegiance to the Eighth Prince, while Ding decided to remain in Yanmen Pass as the prince’s spokesman.

  • Qing Chen warned the Provincial Governors that anyone who defied the decree would be sent to the Bitter Prison, and they accepted his orders while privately hoping the northwest’s powerful sects would challenge him.
  • Qing Chen met Ding Buxing in a secluded pavilion, where Ding reported that the Inner Cabinet had approved Qing Chen’s requested appointments and decrees, including a rising annual payment that would reach one and a half billion low-grade spirit stones in ten years.
  • Ding explained that Chief Grand Secretary Zhang Taiyue had proposed two billion spirit stones, but Hu Yong helped reduce the amount after reviewing the circuit’s resources and military needs.
  • Qing Chen declared that he would remember the Eighth Prince’s assistance and revealed that the Azure Abyss Marquis’s Manor had joined the prince, with important Northwestern Circuit memorials to be sent to him for review.
  • Ding told Qing Chen that he would stay in Yanmen Pass to serve as the Eighth Prince’s spokesman and help establish a lodge there.

Ch. 1472A Spirit Venerable at the Gates

Qing Chen learned the Divine Capital’s plans for the northwest and the Western Regions, then discovered that an immense force had struck Yanmen Pass’s defensive formation. He mobilized the armies and raced toward the pass’s highest point as the city prepared for battle.

  • Ding Buxing explained that Consort Nian’s family visit would include capable agents, while the Seventeenth Imperial Prince was withdrawing from the succession struggle to take up his fief.
  • Ding Buxing described Great Jin’s plans to protect Loulan through a marriage alliance and a troop deployment, and explained Luan-yang Princess’s likely reasons for traveling west.
  • A powerful strike hit the Nine Profound Suppression of the North Formation, and Qing Chen realized it approached the strength of a Spirit Transformation Venerable.
  • Qing Chen ordered Yanmen Pass’s gates sealed and assigned its armies to defend the formation towers and city sectors.
  • Qing Chen transformed into a streak of blood-black magnetic light and flew toward Yanmen Pass’s highest point, while Ding Buxing chose to stay behind.

Ch. 1473Carefree Marquis

Qing Chen confronted Carefree Marquis, a newly revealed Spirit Transformation Venerable, who arrived at Yanmen Pass with Dugu Yifang and Xue Wuming to pressure him over recent purges and lost interests. The chapter ended by revealing that Zhu Ritian could not come because he was trapped overseeing the chaotic seal beneath the Taotie Yuan-Devouring Sect’s stronghold.

  • Qing Chen saw the Nine Profound Suppression of the North Formation activate and mobilized the forces at Yanmen Pass after sensing three powerful arrivals outside.
  • Qing Chen recognized Carefree Marquis as a Blood God Sect elder who had advanced to Spirit Transformation, and identified Dugu Yifang and Xue Wuming beside him.
  • Qing Chen suspected Zhu Ritian might be hiding nearby and searched the surrounding area, but found no trace of him.
  • Zhu Ritian remained in Hezhou, where recurring Devouring Anomaly Tides and the unstable seal kept him from leaving the sect’s stronghold.
  • Qing Yuanjia’s earlier actions had contributed to the seal’s turmoil, indirectly preventing Zhu Ritian from supporting Xue Wuming at Yanmen Pass.

Ch. 1474An apology and amends

The Carefree Marquis demanded that Qing Chen release Qin Wujiang, Luo Chong, and the detained disciples, restore their posts, and make amends. Qing Chen invoked both Great Jin law and his authority in the Origin-Initial Devil Sect, then left Yanmen Pass’s formation to face the Marquis directly, supported by the pass’s military and formation power.

  • The Carefree Marquis pressured Yanmen Pass with his blood moon and demanded the release of the detained disciples, restored posts, and an apology.
  • Qing Chen challenged the Marquis’s authority and insisted he withdraw his rule domain while he investigated the cases.
  • Qing Chen invoked his Deputy Branch Master token and warned that the Marquis was challenging the Origin-Initial Devil Sect; he also rebuked Xue Wuming.
  • The Carefree Marquis threatened Qing Chen with his Spirit Transformation power and questioned whether he would dare confront him without the formation.
  • Qing Chen left the Nine Profound Suppression of the North Formation and stood before the Carefree Marquis, backed by Yanmen Pass’s military and formation power.

Ch. 1475Soul Annihilation

Qing Chen confronted the Carefree Marquis at Yanmen Pass and declared his ambition to become a Spirit Venerable, but Dugu Yifang revealed his hidden strength and challenged him. Dugu Yifang struck directly at Qing Chen’s divine soul, and Qing Chen countered with the Mystic Womb Demon Lotus as the chapter ended.

  • Qing Chen told the Carefree Marquis that his achievements and standing qualified him to speak as an equal and that he could one day become a Spirit Venerable and contend for the Origin-Initial Heavenly Devil position.
  • The two million Dao Soldiers’ military might surged behind Qing Chen, while Xue Wuming mocked his claims.
  • Dugu Yifang unleashed his hidden aura, revealing a profound transformation after refining a quarter portion of Divine Ability Realm Ancient Bloodline.
  • Dugu Yifang challenged Qing Chen to withstand his attacks, and Qing Chen summoned the Blood River God-Slaying Spear and refused to dodge.
  • Dugu Yifang vanished and used the first of the Nine Kills, Soul Annihilation, to attack Qing Chen’s divine soul.
  • Qing Chen invoked Mystic Womb Wuxiang, Demon Lotus Soul Suppression as Dugu Yifang’s sword struck within his sea of consciousness.
Arc 59 of 64