Chapter Summaries

Qing Chen returned to Azure Dragon Peak and hid in a concealed cave to avoid being discovered after stealing the Three Souls Seven Apertures Spirit Embryo Fruit. Three months later, the cultivators were transported out of the Blood Jiangshi Legacy Mansion, and Xuanji True Person stopped Qing Chen for questioning.

• Qing Chen concealed his stolen treasures in the Nine-Luminaries Glazed Vidyaraja Pagoda and returned to Azure Dragon Peak to hide.
• Qing Chen dug a secluded cave, set warning restrictions and formations, and began cultivating in seclusion.
• After three months, more than twenty Golden Core True Persons gathered outside the Forbidden Grand Array to search returning disciples for the thief and the missing fruit.
• Xuanji True Person, who had gained a Third-Tier Longevity Fruit, waited with the other True Persons as disciples emerged and were searched and questioned.
• Qing Chen stepped out of the Ancient Mansion in his Condensed Jade Sect Robe, and Xuanji True Person called him to a halt.

Qing Chen was questioned by Xuanji True Person and the other Golden Core cultivators about his cultivation and what he had seen in the Ancient Mansion. After they found nothing suspicious, he joined Xu Jiuling and Elder Shangshan in discussing the mysterious figure they believed had disrupted the treasure hunt.

• Xuanji True Person asked Qing Chen about his identity, his cultivation, and whether he had seen unusual Golden Core monks or flying yakshas.
• Qing Chen claimed his wisdom-emptiness spirit body and several spirit herbs had helped him reach Foundation Establishment late stage, then let the True Persons inspect his storage ring.
• The True Persons found spirit herbs and artifacts in Qing Chen's ring, along with salvaged doors, bricks, and furnishings, and Heavenfire True Person sent him aside after checking him for suspicious traces.
• Xu Jiuling reassured Qing Chen, and the two agreed with Elder Shangshan that a mysterious person from the Medicine Garden was likely behind the disturbance.
• Elder Shangshan complained about his disappointing gains and vowed to punish Ding Buxing if he found him.

Three years after Ding Buxing fled the Blood Jiangshi Legacy Mansion, Qing Chen used the Mysterious Yin Corpse-Refining Secret Technique to bind Gao Yuliang’s soul and offered him a chance to reach Foundation Establishment. Gao Yuliang accepted, becoming Qing Chen’s controlled subordinate and a candidate for Deputy Hall Master of the Battle Hall.

• Ding Buxing threatened Pan Heng through a bronze mirror and forced him to reveal that the Nanhua Continent held greater opportunities than the Gouwu Sea.
• In an underground palace on Hidden Spirit Island, Qing Chen asked Gao Yuliang whether he accepted the price of undergoing the Soul-Extracting Gu technique.
• Qing Chen implanted a Soul-Extracting Gu in Gao Yuliang and sealed a wisp of his Divine Soul inside the Mysterious Yin Corpse-Refining Command.
• Qing Chen gave Gao Yuliang a Foundation Establishment Pill and the Winter Solstice Yang-Returning Qi Mystic Art, and told him to swear the Mysterious Yin Demon Oath.
• Gao Yuliang accepted the items and vowed loyalty, while Qing Chen promised to recommend him as Deputy Hall Master if he successfully reached Foundation Establishment.

Lin Changsheng recalled how the Demon Lotus Sect had seized an island and grown under Qing Chen’s protection, while Qing Chen rose to power in the Condensed Jade Sect. The sect flourished in the open, and Qing Chen’s ruthless campaigns made him feared throughout the Azure Wave Archipelago.

• Lin Changsheng refined the Spirit-Catching Net and recalled how the Flying Heaven Devil Lord had revealed the Demon Lotus Sect’s hidden strength.
• Lin Changsheng, Su Zixuan, Yue Ting, and the armored corpses attacked and wiped out a lineage on a second-tier island, establishing a base for the Demon Lotus Sect.
• Yue Ting refined Foundation Establishment Pills, reached foundation establishment, and joined the sect’s growing leadership.
• The Demon Lotus Sect built up its island base and gained protection through Qing Chen’s influence in the Condensed Jade Sect.
• Qing Chen advanced the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method to the sixth heaven and became Battle Hall master with the support of True Person Budong, True Person Tianhuo, and Xuanji True Person.
• Qing Chen led campaigns across the Azure Wave Archipelago, earning the name Blood River High Person and a reputation for taking even low-level disciples’ Storage Bags.

Lin Changsheng reviewed the Demon Lotus Sect’s year-long infiltration plan while Qing Chen expanded his influence and arranged to strengthen Xue Qingxia’s alchemy and cultivation. Qing Chen’s power had grown to the eighth-revolution Demon Lotus Karmic Fire and peak Foundation Establishment, with crystallized magic power and demon banners nearing Pseudo-Core strength.

• Lin Changsheng summoned Duan Tianya, Han Shi, and Ren Carefree to discuss their infiltration of the borders with the Condensed Jade Sect, the Impermanence Sect, and Blackwood Island.
• Qing Chen assigned campaign orders to elite Condensed Jade Sect disciples on Hidden Spirit Island.
• Qing Chen gave Su Zixuan a six-hundred-year-old Rosy Cloud Grass to deliver to Xue Qingxia, hoping it would help her breakthrough and advance his plans for her alchemy.
• Qing Chen’s cultivation reached peak Foundation Establishment, and his Demon Lotus Karmic Fire advanced to the eighth revolution.
• Qing Chen refined two-tenths of his magic power into crystallized magic power, while his demon banners gained Pseudo-Core-stage strength and his divine sense extended beyond seven li.
• Qing Chen revealed that he had refined Zhang Chengfeng into the Di Jiang Demon Banner after tormenting his soul with Soul-Seizing Hand.

Qing Chen reflected on the qi-blood power he would need to open a third Brahma aperture and the secrets of his Bodhi Spirit Body, while assessing his growing strength and the Condensed Jade Sect’s recent changes. With Condensed Jade Peak sealed and Tianshu Hall established, he suspected that a major event was approaching.

• Qing Chen recalled how the Brahma Aperture Blood-Refining Secret Art had helped him break through to Foundation Establishment and wondered about the Bodhi Spirit Body and the upper realm.
• Qing Chen calculated that opening a third Brahma aperture would demand vast qi and blood, and thought that only a sect-annihilating war could provide enough resources.
• Qing Chen reviewed his military record and chose the Blood-Wing Evasion Technique, which complemented his Yin-Thunder Wings and blood-focused cultivation.
• Xuanji True Person’s campaigns had forced the Dian Cang Sect to mediate, while the sect master’s battle against the Impermanence Sect had revealed pseudo-nascent-soul strength.
• The Condensed Jade Sect established Tianshu Hall above its six halls, and Condensed Jade Peak remained locked down as Qing Chen sensed that something major was underway.

After Tianshu Hall urgently recalled Qing Chen from the front, he prepared a heavily guarded return to Earth Jade Island. There, Yuji True Person organized the sect’s forces and reviewed the Spirit Stone mine, ordering extraction to stop for fifty years.

• Qing Chen received Tianshu Hall’s order to suspend offensive operations and return immediately to Earth Jade Island.
• Qing Chen boarded a War Treasure Ship with senior cultivators, banned communications, and ordered a concealed underwater route with scouts clearing the way.
• Yuji True Person confirmed that 120 cultivators and all five War Treasure Ships would assemble within half a month, while scouts monitored the Impermanence Sect and the Three Corpse Archipelago border.
• Hua Shan reported that thirteen years of mining had yielded more than three million Low-Grade Spirit Stones, over sixty High-Grade Spirit Stones, and ten thousand Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Yuji True Person approved Hua Shan’s recommendation to halt mining for fifty years and repair the damaged spirit vein.

Qing Chen arrived at Earth Jade Island and went to Mingwang Peak to ask his master, True Person Budong, about the sect’s sweeping requisition of forces. True Person Budong promised to protect him if war broke out, then prompted him to consider why Tianshu Hall had been established.

• The Punishing Evil Deputy Hall Master requisitioned Qing Chen’s Battle Hall force and War Treasure Ship after the party reached Earth Jade Island.
• Qing Chen noticed many Protectors and Inspectors gathering in the sect and suspected the mobilization extended beyond his own contingent.
• Qing Chen went to Mingwang Peak and met with True Person Budong, who recognized his concern about the requisitions.
• Qing Chen asked whether the massive mobilization meant a major upheaval had occurred.
• True Person Budong assured Qing Chen he could shelter him in a great battle and asked him to think about why Tianshu Hall had come into being.

Qing Chen considered why Xuanji True Person had reorganized the sect and suspected the Condensed Jade Sect was hiding the true value of a spirit fruit. After returning to Celebration Cloud Peak, he gave Xue Qingxia a spirit herb and learned that Xue Yubing distrusted him because of his bloody actions.

• Qing Chen concluded that Tianshu Hall's creation and the elders' demotion suggested Xuanji True Person was confident of reaching the Nascent Soul realm, though he wondered what resource could replace the missing spirit fruit.
• True Person Budong urged Qing Chen to practice the Immovable Wisdom King Heart Method and reach the peak of the sixth stage, while Qing Chen concealed that he had already attained it.
• Qing Chen recalled that his Holy Son Token had remained intact after the Blood Jiangshi Legacy Mansion, suggesting he might be able to enter its formation again sooner than expected.
• Qing Chen summoned Xue Qingxia and gave her a spirit herb that Zixuan had been unable to deliver because the Condensed Jade Sect was under lockdown.
• Qing Chen learned that Xue Yubing had warned Xue Qingxia to be careful around him after he wiped out Mysterious Mountain Island, and he told Xue Qingxia to discipline her disciple.

Chang Ping'an reported that Purple Centipede True Person had slaughtered the Chang Household’s trading fleet within Condensed Jade Sect territory, including Elder Chang Shan. Qing An realized the threat might reach Qing Chen and rushed to alert Lin Changsheng, asking him to notify Qing Chen immediately.

• Qing An questioned Chang Ping'an about why he had urgently sought the dock manager.
• Chang Ping'an revealed that Purple Centipede True Person had killed the Chang Household trading fleet and its grand elder, Chang Shan.
• Chang Ping'an pleaded with Qing An to alert Hall Master Qing Chen because the attack had occurred within Condensed Jade Sect territory.
• Qing An feared that Blackwood Island might be advancing toward Qing Chen and hurried away to contact Lin Changsheng.
• Qing An sent Lin Changsheng a message reporting the attack and urging him to notify Qing Chen.

The Condensed Jade Sect’s border defenses collapsed under coordinated attacks, forcing its forces to scatter and hide while Hidden Spirit Island was destroyed. Impermanence True Person then tried to persuade Dian Cang True Person to join a thirteen-Golden-Core assault on Earth Jade Island and disrupt Xuanji True Person’s Nascent Soul breakthrough.

• Blackwood Island, the Impermanence Sect, and other forces attacked the Condensed Jade Sect, whose leadership ordered scattered groups to abandon untenable strongholds and preserve their strength.
• Hidden Spirit Island’s defenders and mortals were slaughtered and its buildings destroyed, but Lin Changsheng warned Qing Chen, Su Zixuan, and the others in time for them to evacuate into Demon Lotus Sect hideouts.
• Impermanence True Person waited at the Dian Cang Sect before meeting Dian Cang True Person, who questioned why he had left the campaign against the Condensed Jade Sect.
• Impermanence True Person argued that Xuanji True Person was in seclusion attempting a Nascent Soul breakthrough and would be unable to intervene for about a month.
• Impermanence True Person proposed that the Dian Cang Sect join the Impermanence Sect, Blackwood Island, and the Three Corpse Demon Sect in sending thirteen Golden Core True Persons against Earth Jade Island to disrupt Xuanji True Person’s breakthrough.

Yue Chengfeng mourned his family and vowed to make Qing Chen pay before meeting Jianlong Daoist, who asked about potential defectors within the Condensed Jade Sect. Yue Chengfeng revealed that a Deputy Hall Master might be worth trying to recruit.

• Yue Chengfeng grieved before the memorial tablets of his family and renewed his vow to exact revenge on Qing Chen.
• Yue Chengfeng prepared to flee when an unseen visitor disturbed his courtyard formation, then recognized Jianlong Daoist and lowered his guard somewhat.
• Jianlong Daoist thanked Yue Chengfeng for building an intelligence network and said the war might let him avenge his family.
• Jianlong Daoist asked whether Yue Chengfeng had contacted influential Condensed Jade Sect cultivators who might defect.
• Yue Chengfeng explained that senior officials were difficult to sway, but said one Deputy Hall Master seemed worth approaching.

As the Condensed Jade Sect faced invasion and Earth Jade Market fell under siege, Deng Ziyue led Battle Hall disciples in arresting suspected spies, including Ji Cangming’s subordinate Lan Yu. Ji Bochang confronted Ji Cangming over Qing Chen’s crackdown and defiantly blamed Qing Chen for stirring internal conflict.

• Yue Chengfeng named Ji Cangming as his target, and Jianlong Daoist pledged his support.
• Earth Jade Market became isolated as the three Azure Wave Archipelago sects invaded and rumors spread that Xuanji True Person was near death.
• Deng Ziyue led Battle Hall disciples through the market to arrest suspected spies, including Lan Yu, who claimed to serve Ji Cangming.
• Ji Cangming berated Ji Bochang for exposing his Foundation Establishment and drawing Qing Chen’s suspicion.
• Ji Bochang defended himself, accused Qing Chen of abusing his authority, and resented being treated as inferior.

Ji Cangming tried to make Ji Bochang apologize to Gao Yuliang, but his nephew refused and fled, leaving Ji Cangming to seek help from Xin Bairen. Half a month later, Qing Chen heard Gao Yuliang’s account of Ji Bochang’s suspected scheme and assigned him to the Battle Hall just as dark clouds gathered.

• Ji Cangming ordered Ji Bochang to visit Gao Yuliang with gifts and apologize, but Ji Bochang refused and insulted Gao.
• Ji Cangming rebuked Ji Bochang for provoking Qing Chen, but Ji Bochang angrily flew away.
• Ji Cangming flew to Transmission Peak to seek help from Xin Bairen and threatened to reveal Xin’s role in the Dragon Gate Gathering plot.
• Half a month later, Gao Yuliang told Qing Chen that Ji Bochang had lured a Green-Scaled Python to attack him and implicated Ji Cangming.
• Qing Chen assigned Gao Yuliang to serve as a Sect Protector in the Battle Hall as dark clouds gathered overhead.

Xuanji True Person began his Nascent Soul breakthrough, drawing vast spiritual energy to Condensed Jade Peak as Qing Chen and the sect’s leaders gathered. Five enemy treasure ships arrived and attacked the Island-Protecting Grand Array, leaving True Person Budong to counter them.

• Xuanji True Person’s breakthrough stirred the spiritual energy across Earth Jade Island and began the Core Shattering and Nascent Soul Condensation Pass.
• Qing Chen flew toward Condensed Jade Peak as Ten Thousand Souls True Person ordered cultivators and hall leaders to assemble.
• Qing Chen joined the other leaders outside Condensed Jade Peak, where they noticed the formation consuming its earth vein essence unusually quickly.
• Five treasure ships from the Impermanence Sect, Blackwood Island, and the Dian Cang Sect appeared above Earth Jade Island.
• The leaders identified the Ten Thousand Yin Corpse Demon Banner, whose Golden Core Yaksha and Grudge Ghosts attacked the grand array alongside the Blackwood Treasure Ship’s poisonous centipede.
• True Person Budong ordered, “Vajra Mound, suppress them!”

True Person Budong unleashed the Condensed Jade Sect’s Vajra Mound against the invading treasure ships, destroying or repelling their attacks and rallying the sect’s defenders. Impermanence True Person and Mysterious Altar True Person realized Budong’s body cultivation had made an unexpected breakthrough.

• True Person Budong raised the Vajra Mound and used its Buddhist light to crush attacks from the five invading treasure ships.
• True Person Budong vowed to avenge the invasion and destroy the enemies’ treasures, then used the Vajra Mound to wipe out ghouls and specters.
• The disciples and cultivators of the Condensed Jade Sect cheered as Qing Chen marveled at Budong’s strength.
• Impermanence True Person and Mysterious Altar True Person recognized that Budong’s body cultivation had unexpectedly broken through.

Impermanence True Person recognized that True Person Budong and the Vajra Mound made Earth Jade Island difficult to attack, so he prepared to force a decisive battle. Ghost Corpse True Person challenged Budong and countered the Vajra Mound with the Blood Buddha Demon Shadow, leaving Budong weakened.

• Mysterious Altar True Person and Impermanence True Person assessed Budong’s strength and the advantages he held on Earth Jade Island.
• Impermanence True Person sent a message and resolved to crush Budong’s momentum with a decisive first battle.
• Ghost Corpse True Person appeared near Budong and challenged him over the damage to Blood Corpse’s Ten Thousand Yin Corpse Demon Banner.
• Budong left the array to fight, using the Vajra Mound’s chains and Demon-Subduing Bell to counter Ghost Corpse True Person’s corpse puppets and yin-soul nails.
• Ghost Corpse True Person summoned a Bronze Coffin and unleashed the Blood Buddha Demon Shadow, corroding the Vajra Mound’s Buddhist radiance and weakening Budong.

True Person Budong fought Ghost Corpse True Person but retreated into the mountain-protecting formation as the enemy forces assembled twelve True Persons against Condensed Jade Sect. Ten Thousand Souls True Person rallied the sect’s seven elders and ordered its warships into battle while Xuanji True Person continued his Nascent Soul breakthrough in seclusion.

• Ghost Corpse True Person countered True Person Budong’s attacks with the Essence-Devouring Yin Casket and Heavenly Corpse Soul-Scatter Claw, forcing Budong to retreat behind the formation.
• The golden flood dragon re-formed from the Vajra Mound and burned away the Ghost Corpse Demon-Summoning Curse before it could take shape.
• Impermanence True Person summoned twelve allied True Persons from the Dian Cang Sect, Impermanence Sect, Blackwood Island, and Three Corpse Demon Sect.
• Ten Thousand Souls True Person and six Condensed Jade Sect grand elders joined True Person Budong, and Ten Thousand Souls ordered five deputies to command warships against the enemy fleet.
• Xuanji True Person continued breaking through the Core Shattering and Nascent Soul Condensation Pass inside a sealed chamber, using two Nascent Soul Formation Herbs and a piece of spiritwood.

Qing Chen led the Condensed Jade Sect in a coordinated assault on Pujin Daoist’s Blackwood Treasure Ship, using formations, ballistas, and the Sea-Splitting Wave-Dividing Rudder to disrupt its defenses. After Qing Chen wounded Pujin Daoist, the Blackwood forces raised a poison barrier and created a powerful centipede puppet, leaving the battle poised for a counterattack.

• Qing Chen assembled ten Foundation Establishment cultivators and three hundred Qi Refining disciples, then ordered them to activate the Mystic Ice Silkworm Formation and prepare their weapons.
• Xue Qingxia and Xue Yubing raised the ship’s ice defenses while Gu Jianchun, Gao Yuliang, and Deng Ziyue readied the dark iron ballista, and Miao Long, Li Feiyu, Di Huaiyi, and Xu Xiake deployed the Sea-Splitting Wave-Dividing Rudder.
• Qing Chen directed the Condensed Jade Sect’s forces to strike the Blackwood Treasure Ship’s southeastern Xun position, disrupting its drainage patterns and turning its poisonous miasma against its own cultivators.
• Qing Chen attacked Pujin Daoist with the Formless Illusion-Annihilation Seal and a golden blade ray, injuring him and helping the ballista strike the ship’s stern.
• Pujin Daoist expelled some of the baleful intent in his body, froze the Condensed Jade Sect’s next attacks, and joined twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators in forming three layers of poison cocoons around the ship.
• Three hundred Qi Refining disciples fed blood into the Spirit-Feeding Formation, creating a Hundred-Legged Venomous Centipede Puppet that absorbed the poisonous mist and rose to nearly Golden Core Stage as Pujin Daoist ordered a counterattack.

The Impermanence Sect’s twelve Golden Core True Persons besieged Earth Jade Island while the Condensed Jade Sect’s elders struggled to protect the island and Xuanji True Person’s breakthrough. Qing Chen kept the Blackwood Treasure Ship occupied away from the main battle and prepared his escape talismans.

• The Impermanence Sect’s twelve True Persons formed the Twelve Mystic Gates Spirit-Locking Formation around Earth Jade Island as the Condensed Jade Sect’s elders activated the Xuanji Heaven-Illuminating Formation.
• Ghost Corpse True Person and Ten Thousand Souls True Person clashed, while True Person Budong fought two enemies outside the island-protecting formation.
• Impermanence True Person trapped True Person Budong with his Treasure Mirror and chains, but Yuji True Person used the formation to pull him back to the island.
• The Impermanence Sect’s attacks battered the Island-Protecting Grand Array as Ten Thousand Souls True Person worried that Xuanji True Person might not complete his breakthrough in time.
• Qing Chen continued suppressing Pujin Daoist’s Blackwood Treasure Ship away from the Golden Core battlefield and held five Evasion Technique Spirit Talismans given to him by True Person Budong.