Chapter Summaries

Qing Chen recognized High Person Qingxia and Chu Feikong fighting in the blood mist, then saw an Impermanence Sect cultivator attack Qingxia with a Glazed Net Spirit Talisman. Cornered and weakened, Qingxia destroyed her high-grade whisk in a desperate attempt to survive.

• Qing Chen heard High Person Qingxia accuse an attacker of ambushing her and recognized Chu Feikong's voice.
• Chu Feikong attacked High Person Qingxia, while she used her azure whisk to fend him off despite the Lingxi Springheart Ember weakening her.
• Chu Feikong overwhelmed Qingxia and drove her into a desperate retreat through the blood mist.
• An Impermanence Sect Glazed Net Spirit Talisman appeared and descended toward the exhausted Qingxia.
• Qingxia poured her remaining spiritual power into her high-grade whisk and made it self-destruct.

Xue Qingxia destroyed her High-Grade Spirit Artifact to escape Chu Feikong and Ding Buxing, but her attack exposed Qing Chen, who was hiding nearby. After Ding Buxing revealed Qing Chen’s strength and past deeds, Chu Feikong abandoned his contempt, leaving the three men in a tense standoff as Xue Qingxia approached Qing Chen.

• Xue Qingxia detonated her fly whisk, shredding the blood mist, damaging the Glazed Net Spirit Talisman, and forcing Chu Feikong and Ding Buxing to fend off the deadly fibers.
• Stray fibers threatened Qing Chen’s hiding place, so he knocked them away and revealed himself to Chu Feikong and Ding Buxing.
• Xue Qingxia recognized Qing Chen, called him Senior Brother, and rushed toward him while asking him to help her escape.
• Qing Chen activated the Formless Demon God aspect of the Brahma Demon-Refining Art and confronted Chu Feikong.
• Ding Buxing recognized Qing Chen and secretly informed Chu Feikong about his strength and his past victory over Yue Xipo.
• Chu Feikong grew wary of Qing Chen, and the men stopped attacking as they settled into a tense stalemate.

Qing Chen knocked out Xue Qingxia and sealed her senses and the pill's effects before turning on Chu Feikong and Ding Buxing. He sent three armored corpses to attack them, leaving both men struggling to defend themselves.

• Xue Qingxia collapsed against Qing Chen under the Lingxi Springheart Ember's effects, and he knocked her unconscious rather than let her draw him into trouble.
• Qing Chen sealed Xue Qingxia's acupoints and senses, suppressing the pill's medicinal power inside her.
• Qing Chen summoned three armored corpses and ordered them to attack Chu Feikong and Ding Buxing.
• The gold-armored corpse struck Chu Feikong with the Mysterious Yin Demon Fist, forcing him backward and scattering blood mist.
• Ding Buxing blocked one silver-armored corpse with his Red-Gold Shield Spirit Talisman, but the other cracked the barrier and injured him.

Qing Chen fought Chu Feikong and Ding Buxing until Ding used a bamboo flute to summon swarms of Dao soldiers and bargain for their lives. Ding offered Qing Chen cultivation secrets and information about the Inner Hall, including a page mentioning the Ghost Mantis Token, but Qing Chen demanded that both men swear Netherworld Heart Demon Oaths before leaving.

• Qing Chen's three armored corpses overwhelmed Chu Feikong and Ding Buxing, badly wounding them and damaging Ding's spirit talismans.
• Ding Buxing played an eerie bamboo flute that drew shrimp soldiers and crab generals through the blood mist, then warned Qing Chen he could summon thousands more.
• Ding Buxing offered Qing Chen a harvesting method related to High Person Qingxia, a Voice Transmission Talisman, and information about an opportunity in the Inner Hall.
• Qing Chen examined Ding Buxing's silver-foil page and discovered that it mentioned the Ghost Mantis Token left by the Descendants of the Great Qin Imperial Clan.
• Qing Chen agreed to let Ding Buxing and Chu Feikong leave only if they swore Netherworld Heart Demon Oaths never to reveal what had happened.

Qing Chen let Ding Buxing escape but stopped Chu Feikong, who fought the three Armored Corpses before Qing Chen ambushed and subdued him. With Chu Feikong restrained, Qing Chen turned to examine the unconscious Xue Qingxia’s Spirit Body.

• Ding Buxing and Chu Feikong swore Netherworld Heart Demon Oaths, and Qing Chen allowed Ding Buxing to leave while keeping Chu Feikong behind.
• Chu Feikong protested, then pleaded for his life when the three Armored Corpses surrounded him; Ding Buxing abandoned him and fled.
• Chu Feikong unleashed his Boundless Blood Sea Secret Technique, but the three Armored Corpses shattered it with their Mysterious Yin Demon Fists.
• Qing Chen struck Chu Feikong with the Immovable Wisdom King Palm, then sealed his acupoints, sent Yellow Springs baleful intent through his meridians, and planted a demon seed in his Sea of Consciousness.
• Qing Chen examined the unconscious Xue Qingxia’s Spirit Body and searched her clothes and Storage Bag.

Qing Chen harvested the essence of Xue Qingxia’s Phoenix-and-Phoenix Reversal Spirit Body to advance his cultivation, combining it with qi and blood from the White Bone Banner. One month later, Xue Qingxia stood guard as he continued circulating his art, while the essence-harvesting left her dependent on him.

• Qing Chen used “Transplanting Flowers and Grafting Trees” to draw spiritual essence from the unconscious Xue Qingxia and refine it with the “Brahma Demon-Refining Art.”
• Qing Chen summoned the White Bone Banner and absorbed its high-grade qi and blood alongside Xue Qingxia’s essence, nearing a breakthrough at the fifth level of his cultivation art.
• When Xue Qingxia struggled, Qing Chen restrained her and used the Cloud-and-Rain Mount Wu Form to harvest the remaining essence, creating a spiritual energy vortex around them.
• One month later, Xue Qingxia cleaned the cave and stood guard over Qing Chen as he continued cultivating.
• Xue Qingxia’s cultivation had declined, and she felt an unexplained dependence on Qing Chen after her spirit-body essence was harvested.

Qing Chen sent the badly injured Xue Qingxia out of the Blood Jiangshi Legacy Mansion and gave her a high-grade alchemy furnace. Afterward, he reflected on how harvesting her spiritual essence had advanced him to Foundation Establishment late stage and the sixth layer of his cultivation art.

• Qing Chen judged that Xue Qingxia was too injured to help him in the mansion and ordered her to return to the Condensed Jade Sect’s spirit boat to watch several people for him.
• Qing Chen gave Xue Qingxia the Three-Turn Scarlet Jade Furnace, and she gratefully accepted it.
• Xue Qingxia crushed her Blood Jiangshi True Mansion Token and teleported out of the ancient mansion.
• Qing Chen confirmed he had broken through to Foundation Establishment late stage after absorbing Xue Qingxia’s spiritual essence.
• Qing Chen’s Brahma Demon-Refining Art advanced to its sixth layer, allowing him to begin manifesting the Heartless Demon Aspect.

After advancing the Brahma Demon-Refining Art to its sixth layer, Qing Chen tested his increased power in the Blood Jiangshi True Mansion and headed deeper into the Ancient Mansion. He left Chu Feikong sealed in a Bronze Coffin for later refinement and prepared to fight a swarm of demonic creatures.

• Qing Chen’s breakthrough strengthened his magic power and divine sense, and increased the number of Dao Heart Seed Demon Seals he could maintain to five.
• Qing Chen sealed the nearly lifeless Chu Feikong in a Bronze Coffin, intending to refine him into a second living corpse after leaving the Ancient Mansion.
• Qing Chen traveled deeper through the blood mist on the Bridge of Helplessness and was surrounded by more than three hundred Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals.
• Qing Chen used the basic Blood Blade Spell to cut down more than twenty creatures, while his armored corpses collected Yellow Springs Baleful Intent.
• Qing Chen considered how further refining his magic power might help him reach the Pseudo-Core realm, then merged with the Formless Demon God to face the charging swarm.

Qing Chen fought through increasingly dangerous hordes in the Ancient Mansion and reached six vortexes leading to mysterious paths. After watching several cultivators choose their routes and failing to find Ding Buxing, he discovered the Demon Lotus Stone was pointing toward the White Bone Path.

• Qing Chen slaughtered a horde of demonic creatures, and his three armored corpses collected the Yellow Springs baleful intent.
• Qing Chen continued through the blood mist, facing larger waves and stronger demonic creatures, and noticed several broken Naihe Bridges.
• Qing Chen found six vortexes labeled Blood Jiangshi Path, Moonstar Path, Nanhua Path, White Bone Path, Evil Spirits Path, and Hell Path.
• Qing Chen hid and watched a Three Corpse Demon Sect cultivator enter the Blood Jiangshi Path, Xu Jiuling enter the Nanhua Path, a Cold Mountain Temple monk enter the Hell Path, and Zhang Chengfeng enter the Moonstar Path.
• Qing Chen searched for Ding Buxing with his White Bone Giant Wolf puppets but found no trace of him.
• Qing Chen sensed the Demon Lotus Stone glowing and saw its blood-red light point toward the White Bone Path.

Qing Chen entered the White Bone Path and discovered a realm filled with Mara Qi, undead creatures, and a force that seemed to command a second White Bone Demon Mara Banner. After overwhelming its lesser defenders, he was struck by a powerful flying monster and staggered back.

• Qing Chen recalled his White Bone Giant Wolves, set aside the Ancient Teleportation Formation, and entered the White Bone Path.
• Qing Chen found himself amid mountains of bones and Mara Qi, where Grudge Ghosts, White Bone Demon Soldiers, and more than thirty White Bone Giant Wolves attacked him.
• Qing Chen wondered whether another White Bone Demon Mara Banner existed, then empowered himself with the Formless Demon God and destroyed scores of attackers.
• A fast, four-legged, two-winged monster with an eagle-like head swooped down and struck Qing Chen's raised fist, forcing him back before it flew away.

Qing Chen struggled to keep up with the Di Jiang Demon General as it attacked with overwhelming speed and support from surrounding demons. He used his Yin-Thunder Wings to turn the fight around and trapped the Demon General in lightning chains.

• Qing Chen recognized the Di Jiang Demon General and realized its speed surpassed his Six Jia Evasion Void technique.
• The Di Jiang Demon General repeatedly attacked Qing Chen while White Bone Demon Soldiers and Grudge Ghosts distracted him, forcing him onto the defensive.
• Qing Chen summoned the Yin-Thunder Wings bestowed by True Person Budong and used them to gain the speed advantage.
• Qing Chen unleashed Yin-Thunder Chains from his wings and trapped the Di Jiang Demon General in a net of lightning.

Qing Chen used the Heartless Demon Aspect to cripple Demon General Di Jiang and bind it with yin-thunder chains, then exposed and pursued the source of the mara qi. He destroyed the translucent crow guarding the bone demon banner and collected its Yellow Springs baleful intent, but still needed a fresh Core Formation demonic creature’s inner core or a True Person’s golden core to reach the Seventh Heaven.

• Qing Chen summoned the Heartless Demon Aspect, whose Avīci Heartless Seal shattered Demon General Di Jiang’s claws and weakened it before the yin-thunder chains bound it.
• Qing Chen recognized the mara qi as the Soul-Seizing and Spirit-Snatching divine ability and burned it with Sixth-Turn Demon Lotus Karmic Fire.
• The blood mist fled, but Qing Chen caught it with his Yin-Thunder Wings and restrained it with his Demon Seed Divine Sense, revealing a white-bone demon banner and a translucent crow-like creature.
• Qing Chen struck and shattered the demonic creature, then collected its Yellow Springs baleful intent in a spirit bottle.
• Qing Chen concluded that he had enough baleful energy to cultivate to the Seventh Heaven but still needed a fresh Core Formation Stage demonic creature’s inner core or a True Person’s golden core.

Qing Chen claimed the Dijiang Demon Mara Banner before the collapsing White Bone Path sent him through a portal to the Cloudfoot Celestial Palace. He used the Blood Jiangshi Legacy Mansion Token to enter the palace’s protective barrier, reaching a new stage of the legacy trials.

• Qing Chen examined the Dijiang Demon Mara Banner, planted his divine soul imprint in it, and stored it in a Spatial Ring.
• The White Bone Path began to collapse, so Qing Chen used the Blood Jiangshi Legacy Mansion Token as blood mist formed a second marking on it and opened a teleportation vortex.
• Qing Chen was pulled through the vortex and arrived in a vast plaza before the Cloudfoot Celestial Palace.
• Qing Chen recognized the palace from his Master's Jade Slip and hurried toward it.
• Qing Chen pressed the command token against the palace’s protective membrane, opened a passage, and cautiously entered.

Qing Chen reunited with Xu Jiuling and Gu Jianchun at Cloudfoot Heavenly Palace, where they learned that the palace offered a place for secluded cultivation under a ban on magical combat. He joined a gathering of elders and disciples, leaving them stunned by his Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivation and fearsome reputation.

• Qing Chen met Xu Jiuling and Gu Jianchun after leaving the passage into Cloudfoot Heavenly Palace.
• Xu Jiuling and Gu Jianchun were astonished that Qing Chen had reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and Xu Jiuling predicted he could attain Golden Core or even Pseudo-Nascent Soul.
• Xu Jiuling explained that Blood Jiangshi Legacy Mansion Tokens allowed them to cultivate in the palace, but magical combat was forbidden and would cause expulsion.
• Qing Chen decided to use the quiet cultivation opportunity to absorb his accumulated Yellow Springs Baleful Intent and strengthen his body.
• Xu Jiuling and Gu Jianchun led Qing Chen to a courtyard where three Pseudo-Core elders and several Foundation Establishment disciples gathered, and the disciples fell silent at his cultivation and reputation.

Qing Chen used the Blood Jiangshi Legacy Mansion Token and gained an exceptional Grade-A cave abode after it detected his Brahma Demon-Refining Art, then began cultivating with Yellow Springs Baleful Intent. Outside the mansion, Ten Thousand Souls True Person told Heavenfire True Person that the trials were going smoothly and warned their group to stay together and wait for the Sect Master's chosen moment.

• Qing Chen greeted the elders and disciples in the courtyard before heading toward the seclusion chamber.
• Qing Chen used the token at the stele, which upgraded his Inner Sect privilege to a Grade-A cave abode after detecting his pure magic power and solid foundations.
• Qing Chen entered Cloudfoot Celestial Palace, Grade-A Cave Abode Number Twelve, and marveled at its dense spiritual energy.
• Qing Chen began refining Yellow Springs Baleful Intent with the Brahma Demon-Refining Art in the cave abode.
• Heavenfire True Person privately asked Ten Thousand Souls True Person about the trial, and Ten Thousand Souls said the entrance trials were going smoothly.
• Ten Thousand Souls True Person told Heavenfire True Person that their group must stay together in the Inner Hall and wait for the Sect Master's chosen moment.

Ding Buxing questioned Elder Pan about his plans for Qing Chen and the rewards hidden in Cloudfoot Celestial Palace. After Elder Pan explained why Qing Chen was needed for a dangerous secret realm, the Soul-Cleansing Bell rang to signal the trials had ended.

• Ding Buxing asked Elder Pan whether his secret technique could extend his mortal royal father's life by two hundred years, and Elder Pan assured him it could.
• Ding Buxing asked why the trials offered no rewards, and Elder Pan explained that the former benefits of Cloudfoot Celestial Palace had faded without powerful cultivators to sustain them.
• Ding Buxing questioned why Elder Pan chose Qing Chen over Chu Feikong, and Elder Pan said Qing Chen's strength and potential made him essential to opening a dangerous secret realm.
• Elder Pan told Ding Buxing that his Identity Command Token would let him control key restrictions and subdue Qing Chen if necessary.
• The Soul-Cleansing Bell rang three times, and Elder Pan warned Ding Buxing to prepare for what came next.

Qing Chen completed his Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method breakthrough to the Sixth Heaven, greatly increasing his physical strength and gaining the Buddha's Wrath Wisdom King Ring-Pommel Saber. A stele revealed two Blood Jiangshi Branch Altar residences, and he considered which path might bring him closer to the Golden Core Great Dao.

• Qing Chen awoke from seclusion after nearly a month of cultivation and found that his body cultivation and magic cultivation had both reached the Foundation Establishment late stage.
• Qing Chen celebrated reaching the Sixth Heaven as his Immovable Wisdom King Battle Body took shape and he gained the ability to condense the powerful Buddha's Wrath Wisdom King Ring-Pommel Saber.
• Qing Chen compared the saber with his Demon Lotus Karmic Fire and other abilities, judging that the saber could remain powerful as long as his baleful intent and physical strength endured.
• An ancient stone stele rose inside the Seclusion Chamber, and Qing Chen inserted his Blood Jiangshi Legacy Mansion Token into its recess.
• The stele displayed choices between the Blood Jiangshi Branch Altar Inner Sect Garden Residence and Outer Sect Cottage, and Qing Chen reflected that the cottage offered no chance at the Golden Core Great Dao.

Qing Chen entered the Blood Jiangshi Inner Garden and emerged in a vast hidden realm filled with palaces, mountain ranges, and flowing rivers. He saw other cultivators avoiding three towering central peaks and began surveying the secret realm.

• Qing Chen pressed his hand against the Inner Sect courtyard handprint and was forcibly transported through the formation.
• Qing Chen landed in a small cave abode, found its stone door sealed, and opened it with his Command Token.
• Qing Chen stepped out halfway up a mountain and saw countless halls and peaks stretching across the secret realm.
• Qing Chen spotted cultivators flying among the mountains and noticed they avoided three immense peaks at the center.
• Qing Chen saw yellow rivers winding among the halls and realized the Flowing Sand River also reached the Inner Hall.

Qing Chen waited in hiding as Golden Core cultivators arrived at the Blood Jiangshi Branch Altar, then set out to seek the Spring Night Ghost Grave and its Condensing Gold Fruit. He also considered the rumored treasure that could help him reach the Nascent Soul Realm, but could not determine which peak concealed it.

• Qing Chen spotted a Crimson Gate appear above a hall and hid in a stone pavilion as more than twenty cultivators emerged.
• Qing Chen watched the True Persons fly toward the three main peaks, then stayed concealed while reviewing the Demon Lotus Stone, Silver Foil, and True Person Budong's Jade Slip.
• Qing Chen formed a plan and flew down the mountain, declaring that he would seek the Condensing Gold Fruit.
• Qing Chen recalled that the Spring Night Ghost Grave lay among refined corpses and was said to contain a Condensing Gold Fruit Tree cultivated with thousand-year Purple Ghost Mud.
• Qing Chen considered the rumored treasure on Blood Jiangshi Peak that could aid a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm, but questioned whether it might be hidden on the left peak instead of the middle one.

Qing Chen explored the eerily empty Blood Jiangshi Inner Garden and discovered a sealed Nine-Story Tower that reminded him of the Vajra Mound. After testing its stone gate, he began concealing the tower inside a formation so he could investigate without interruption.

• Qing Chen used the Jiazi Cloud Wandering Technique to explore the mountain cautiously and found no remains or traces of battle anywhere.
• Qing Chen came upon the Nine-Story Tower and sensed that it resembled the Vajra Mound of his Immovable Wisdom King Lineage.
• Qing Chen ordered a Copper-Armored Corpse to smash into the tower’s stone gate, but the gate remained unmoved and triggered no apparent danger.
• Qing Chen decided to keep others away from the tower and began setting up the Three-Life Bewildering Trail Formation around it.