Chapter Summaries

Elder Wan Hun attacked Qing Chen with his soul art during the elders’ meeting, but Qing Chen’s powerful Demon Seed Divine Sense and Six-Petaled Demon Lotus turned the clash against him. Xin Bairen concluded that Qing Chen was the strongest candidate to succeed the Sect Master, while Wan Hun was left shocked by the junior’s power.

• Elder Wan Hun secretly struck at Qing Chen with the Thousand Souls, Ten Thousand Spirits Mind-Seizing Art.
• Qing Chen manifested his blood-colored divine sense avatar and fought Wan Hun’s black shadow above the round table.
• Qing Chen summoned the Six-Petaled Demon Lotus, which blocked Wan Hun’s Soul Needles and devoured some of his resentful soul power.
• Elder Yuji realized Qing Chen’s divine sense rivaled that of a late Golden Core cultivator, and Xin Bairen stopped pretending to be dazed.
• Xin Bairen judged Qing Chen the most qualified candidate to become the next Sect Master of the Condensed Jade Sect.

Qing Chen struggled against Wan Hun’s vicious divine-sense technique as the ghost king shattered most of his demon lotus. With his defense on the verge of collapse, Qing Chen launched the Demon Lotus Treasure-Corroding Curse and released countless cursed soul seeds.

• Wan Hun unleashed his Ghost King Soul Devour technique, filling the hall with black threads and attacking Qing Chen’s blood-shadow demon lotus.
• The ghost king crushed two of Qing Chen’s blood ribbons and drove his blood shadow back, while Xin Bairen anxiously watched.
• Wan Hun’s black wind and vengeful souls battered Qing Chen’s sea of consciousness, and the ghost king shattered four more lotus petals.
• Qing Chen endured the assault, realized he had to counterattack, and cast the Demon Lotus Treasure-Corroding Curse.
• Qing Chen’s demon lotus burst into countless needlepoint soul seeds wrapped in eerie curse inscriptions, filling the hall with a rotten stench.

Qing Chen’s blood shadow used the Treasure Corroding Curse to badly damage Wan Hun’s Ghost King Phantom, while a precious talisman from Yuji saved Wan Hun from worse harm. Qing Chen devoured the phantom’s fragments to restore and strengthen his divine sense, then taunted the weakened Wan Hun.

• Wan Hun drove his Ghost King Phantom to attack Qing Chen, but Qing Chen unleashed the Treasure Corroding Curse and corroded its claw and chest.
• Yuji used a precious talisman to shield Wan Hun’s phantom from the curse, though the phantom still broke apart.
• Qing Chen’s blood shadow devoured the scattered fragments and used the Six-Petaled Demon Lotus to replenish his divine sense, which showed signs of advancing.
• Wan Hun’s aura fell sharply, and Qing Chen mocked him by asking whether he needed help breathing and why he had stopped asking for a report.

Qing Chen faced Yuji’s challenge under the Sect Master’s edict, then exposed Yuji’s alleged collusion with the Eight Serpent Sect through Xin Bairen’s testimony and evidence. The elders saw Xin Bairen turn against Yuji as he presented a jade slip explaining why Qing Chen had declared war without consulting the Elder Hall.

• Yuji presented the Sect Master’s edict and demanded Qing Chen answer for Earth Pass Island’s accounts and defenses.
• Qing Chen said his master, True Person Budong, had already submitted the requested records to the Sect Master.
• Yuji accused Qing Chen of declaring war without authorization, and Qing Chen countered that members of the Elder Hall had colluded with outsiders.
• Xin Bairen accused Yuji of colluding with outsiders and attempting to frame Qing Chen, shocking Yuji and the surrounding elders.
• Xin Bairen presented a jade slip alleging Yuji had directed Rewarding Virtue and others to cooperate with the Eight Serpent Sect, and said Qing Chen had declared war after discovering an insider.

Xin Bairen revealed evidence that Yuji had colluded with the Eight Serpent Sect, and Qing Chen won the support of four influential elders as Wan Hun was left unable to respond. Sect Master Xuanji True Lord arrived with a young man and approached the seat of honor, placing Qing Chen under the weight of his Nascent Soul power.

• Xin Bairen activated a jade slip that showed Yuji’s orders to Rewarding Virtue and arrangements with the Eight Serpent Sect’s White Dragon Envoy and Second Elder, Poison Python True Person.
• Tianhuo denounced Yuji, while Qing Chen challenged Wan Hun to say how the sect should handle the evidence; Wan Hun remained silent.
• Xin Bairen, Tianhuo, Dan Ding, and Xuanzhen drank their tea in a show of support for Qing Chen.
• Xuanji True Lord entered the hall with a young man, steadied Wan Hun with his true essence, and walked toward the seat of honor as Qing Chen felt the pressure of his power.

Xuanji True Lord arrived at the Elder Hall and disciplined Yuji for colluding with the Outer Dao and secretly dealing with the Eight Serpent Sect. He reassigned Yuji’s post, addressed the other elders, and warned that corruption within the Condensed Jade Sect posed its greatest danger.

• Qing Chen recognized the gulf between his Golden Core strength and Xuanji True Lord’s power, while Chi Xuntian greeted him without deference or hostility.
• Xuanji True Lord struck Yuji, stripped him of his position as Hall Vice Lord, appointed Tianhuo in his place, and ordered Yuji to enter secluded cultivation until he reached the late Golden Core stage.
• Xuanji True Lord credited Xin Bairen for reporting the matter but withheld a reward because Baili Tingfeng had also been involved, then warned Xin Bairen to keep his people in line.
• Xuanji True Lord treated Wan Hun’s disordered divine sense and told him to recuperate in seclusion.
• After commenting on Qing Chen’s tea, Xuanji True Lord warned that corruption among the Condensed Jade Sect’s elders and hall leaders threatened the sect from within.

Qing Chen swore loyalty to the sect, then announced that he intended to destroy the Lesser Cold Temple before turning against the Eight Serpent Sect. His plan alarmed the elders, who warned that the two factions together commanded at least eleven Golden Core cultivators and had wider religious connections.

• Qing Chen declared that he would kill anyone who betrayed the sect and punish those who spoke about the gathering.
• The elders voiced support for Xuanji True Lord, while Xin Bairen worried that he had chosen the wrong side by siding with Qing Chen against Yuji.
• Xuanji True Lord asked Qing Chen when he would eradicate the Eight Serpent Sect, and Qing Chen said he would first raze the Lesser Cold Temple.
• Wan Hun, Xin Bairen, and Elder Tianhuo warned Qing Chen about the Lesser Cold Temple's Golden Core experts and the Eight Serpent Sect's strength.
• Yuji cautioned Qing Chen that religious factions connected to the Lesser Cold Temple might intervene, further startling Xuanji True Lord.

Qing Chen persuaded Xuanji True Lord that conquering Lesser Cold Temple and the Eight Serpent Sect could greatly expand the Condensed Jade Sect’s territory, with Cold Mountain Temple’s help. Xuanji promoted Qing Chen to Deputy Sect Master, shocking the elders and leaving them unsure how to respond.

• Xuanji True Lord weighed Qing Chen’s proposed attack and recognized the strategic gains of taking Lesser Cold Temple and the Eight Serpent Sect.
• Xuanji explained that the Ancient Covenant prevented Nascent Soul True Lords from destroying great sects arbitrarily, but said he could make his stance clear without personally taking action.
• Qing Chen declared his loyalty to the Condensed Jade Sect and revealed that he had spent ten years planning the campaign with Cold Mountain Temple’s assistance.
• Elder Tianhuo and Elder Wan Hun questioned the territory agreement and how other sects might respond, while Xuanji noted their sect masters were away.
• Xuanji promoted Qing Chen from Tianshu Hall Hall Vice Lord to Deputy Sect Master, and Elder Wan Hun and Elder Yuji reacted with shock and concern.

Wang Shisan and other rogue cultivators conscripted by the Eight Serpent Sect were taken toward Guangqi Island as a war between the Blood River Old Devil and the Lesser Cold Temple intensified. As Wang Shisan feared for his survival, the chapter revealed that the surrounding sea was already engulfed in brutal fighting and Coldwater Island had nearly fallen.

• Wang Shisan complained about his uncomfortable armor and regretted enlisting with the Eight Serpent Sect, though his salary and medicinal pills had helped him reach the seventh layer of Qi Refining.
• The rogue cultivators aboard the spirit boat learned they were being sent to reinforce the Lesser Cold Temple, and they feared becoming cannon fodder in the war.
• An Eight Serpent Sect disciple struck a sobbing cultivator and threatened the group with military punishment if they continued to complain.
• Wang Shisan saw a fleet carrying thousands of conscripted cultivators toward Guangqi Island and listened as Liu Laosi worried about their chances of survival.
• The narration showed that Coldwater Island had been devastated, with only the Island Lord's Mansion still resisting.

Rogue cultivators suffered heavy casualties while the Condensed Jade Sect and Demon Lotus Sect used them as expendable forces in the siege of a blockhouse. The Second-in-Command of the Iron Saber Society realized that the gift he had made at Qing Chen’s Golden Core Ceremony had saved his group from the front ranks.

• The blockhouse defenders fired spell and artifact crossbow bolts into the rogue cultivators’ formation, killing several and wounding others.
• Hua Tieshou directed a Spirit Cannon blast at the blockhouse, weakening its formation barrier as the rogue cultivators cheered.
• The blockhouse defenders launched Yellow Talismans while Demon Lotus Sect cultivators attacked the barrier from the flank.
• Demon Lotus Sect guards collected the fallen rogue cultivators’ bodies, and the Second-in-Command warned his wounded disciple not to draw attention.
• The Second-in-Command reflected that the Iron Saber Society’s 450-spirit-stone gift had secured a safer position and concluded that rogue cultivators suffered in both prosperity and ruin.

Qing Chen, now Deputy Sect Master of the Condensed Jade Sect, assessed the stalled campaign against Lesser Cold Temple and asked what forces remained available. Xin Bairen reported that rival sects were tying down their Golden Core cultivators, while key elders and fighters were absent or stationed elsewhere.

• Qing Chen returned to Xuanchi Island, where Cold Mountain Temple had given him a base for the assault on Lesser Cold Temple.
• Xin Bairen reported that the campaign had taken twenty-seven Second-Level Islands but had not killed any of Lesser Cold Temple’s Golden Core cultivators.
• Xin Bairen described the Eight Serpent Sect’s advance on Guangqi Island and the battles in which Cold Mountain Temple and its allies were holding off rival forces.
• Xin Bairen said Qing Chen could deploy two Condensed Jade Treasure Ships, ten thousand cultivators, and three Golden Core cultivators besides himself.
• Qing Chen asked where Xuanzhen, Dan Ding, Xue Qingxia, and Sun Wudi were, and Xin Bairen explained that they had been assigned to guard the sect or ordered into seclusion.

Qing Chen reviewed the Sect’s costly, stalled Golden Core breakthroughs and the blockade against the Lesser Cold Temple, then questioned whether Dharma Master Su Xin could endure without outside aid. The chapter left him confident that the besieged temple could not rely on Abbot Huan Chan or Wuji Island to rescue it.

• Several Sect cultivators failed or died while attempting to break through to Golden Core, while Xue Qingxia and Sun Wudi succeeded.
• Qing Chen recognized that the Sect Master and other powers had left him the hardest challenge, and Xin Bairen listened cautiously as Qing Chen discussed the Sect’s politics.
• Xin Bairen reported that Lesser Cold Temple cultivators were fearful and largely confined to the Nine Great Guard Islands and Little Cold Island, while Spirit Crane True Person and Songshan True Person oversaw the besieging forces.
• Xin Bairen said the Sect had sealed the enemy’s supply routes and killed cultivators who tried to trade with the Lesser Cold Temple.
• Qing Chen mocked Dharma Master Su Xin’s resolve and doubted that she could hold out until Abbot Huan Chan returned from Primordial Magnetic Origin Mountain.

Qing Chen assessed the Condensed Jade Sect’s ample supplies and prepared a major campaign against the Nine Great Guard Islands and Lesser Cold Temple. He rallied seven thousand cultivators with promises of rewards, and the assembly began to answer his call.

• Qing Chen discussed the sect’s resources with Xin Bairen and recalled that he could not enter Immortal-Severing Island because its formation remained sealed.
• Qing Chen stood atop Xuanchi City’s walls and remembered the battles that had helped establish his power there.
• Qing Chen inspected seven thousand assembled cultivators and forty Mysterious Blood Warships, including a Condensed Jade Treasure Ship.
• Qing Chen urged the cultivators to conquer the Nine Great Guard Islands and Lesser Cold Temple, promising magical artifacts, doubled stipends, and shares of the spoils.
• The Second-in-Command of the Iron Saber Society shouted, “Conquest!”

Qing Chen sent the main force to attack the Lesser Cold Temple’s Nine Great Guard Islands while secretly arranging additional defenses and preparing the Demon Lotus Sect’s forces for battle. He placed Su Zixuan in command of three thousand demon soldiers, who would join the assault to draw the temple’s attention.

• Qing Chen ordered forty Mysterious Blood Warships to depart with more than six thousand cultivators, then privately sent Xue Qingxia and Sun Wudi to reinforce key positions.
• Xue Qingxia replaced Xuan Zhen True Person at Earth Pass Island, while Sun Wudi joined the campaign after advancing in both spell and body cultivation.
• Qing Chen summoned the Demon Lotus Sect’s hidden forces and inspected three thousand armored demon soldiers and their Foundation Establishment commanders.
• Qing Chen gave Su Zixuan the Devil Lord Command Token and placed all the Demon Lotus Sect forces under her command.
• Su Zixuan prepared to deploy her Spider-Mantis Essence-Devouring Soul-Slaying Formation alongside the Demon Lotus Guards’ Suspended Skull Battle Formation and a Condensed Jade Treasure Ship.

Lesser Cold Temple’s leaders argued over the Condensed Jade Sect’s overwhelming assault as its outer guard islands fell. Dharma Master Su Xin remained silent while her subordinates’ fear and anger gave way to strange, uncontrolled desire.

• Guan Lian Dharma Master demanded that Dharma Master Su Xin stop retreating after four guard islands fell and the enemy seized much of the Joyous Zen Sutra.
• Guan Lian Dharma Master grabbed a blue-robed Foundation Establishment nun and ignored her protests as the gathered monks watched in silence.
• Dharma Master Miao Xuan warned that Northern Guard Island Three was close to falling and described the Condensed Jade Sect’s ships, forces, and battle formations.
• Dharma Master Miao Xuan reflected that the temple was badly outnumbered and that its Nine Great Guard Islands might not withstand the assault for more than a few months.
• Dharma Master Su Xin continued sitting silently on the lotus platform, winding her fingers around her jeweled necklace.

With supplies dwindling and the enemy closing in, Su Xin Dharma Master faced furious demands from the besieged temple’s leaders. A secret message then announced that the enemy leaders had gathered and reinforcements had arrived, giving the defenders one chance to settle the war in a single battle.

• Guan Lian Dharma Master and Miao Xuan Dharma Master demanded action as the prolonged war drained the defenders’ supplies and cost them lives and territory.
• Miao Xuan Dharma Master described how Condensed Jade Sect fighters had abused the nuns of Xiaohan Convent, while Guan Lian Dharma Master accused Su Xin Dharma Master of waiting passively as the enemy advanced.
• Guan Lian Dharma Master argued that Head Monk Huan Chan had abandoned his fellow disciples to seek a Nascent Soul breakthrough.
• A golden Voice Transmission Talisman arrived, and Su Xin Dharma Master read its urgent message.
• Su Xin Dharma Master announced that the enemy leaders had assembled, reinforcements had arrived, and the defenders had one chance to win everything in a single battle.

Xin Bairen’s assault on East Third Guard Island faltered under the Lesser Cold Temple’s sudden counterattack, prompting him to order his forces to regroup. As Sun Wudi arrived to reinforce the left wing, Su Zixuan prepared the Demon Lotus Sect’s formations for battle.

• Messengers reported that East Third Guard Island’s Lotus Rebirth Formation had surged in power, breaking a central battle formation and stopping both the right- and left-wing assaults with heavy losses.
• Xin Bairen saw the World-Purifying Curse suppress his formations and ordered Sun Wudi to reinforce the left, Xuan Zhen to hold and advance in the center, and Spirit Crane and Songshan to regroup on the right.
• The Rebirth Bell rang at full strength, killing at least a hundred cultivators with its peal, and Xin Bairen recalled Qing Chen’s warning about Dharma Master Su Xin.
• Su Zixuan prepared the Netherworld Demon Spider, the Suspended Skull Battle Formation, and the third-tier spirit cannons for another assault.
• Sun Wudi arrived and unleashed a massive saber strike that suppressed the left-wing formation’s bloody light.

Sun Wudi, Su Zixuan, and the left army broke through Lesser Cold Temple’s defenses on East Third Guard Island while Qing Chen watched the battle and assessed the opposing forces. Suspecting that Nun Su Xin was waiting for reinforcements, Qing Chen prepared to reveal his Middle Vajra Realm cultivation and confront whoever was coming.

• Sun Wudi shattered Guan Lian Dharma Master’s formation and cut down the monks trying to seal the breach as Su Zixuan’s troops and the Netherworld Demon Spider attacked it.
• Guan Lian Dharma Master reinforced the barrier and cast the World-Purifying Curse, destroying the Blood Sea Soul-Burying Boat’s corpses and wounding the Netherworld Demon Spider, but Sun Wudi protected it with the Six-Link Buddhist Beads.
• Qing Chen observed the three battlefronts and judged that the left army and central army were progressing well, while Spirit Crane and Songshan were being held up by Dharma Master Miao Xuan.
• Qing Chen concluded that Nun Su Xin was likely awaiting reinforcements rather than preparing a breakout, and he readied himself to surprise the arriving forces.
• Qing Chen reflected on his recent gains and revealed that his body cultivation had advanced to the Middle Vajra Realm.

Xin Bairen assessed the weakening Island-Guarding Formation around East Third Guard Island and learned that the attacking army had enough supplies to continue its assault. Elder Xuan Zhen judged the defenders nearly out of Spirit Stones and predicted the barrier would collapse within hours, just as a powerful radiance appeared ahead.

• Elder Xuan Zhen reported that the left and right wings had pinned down their opponents while damaging the barrier, though the attackers suffered heavy losses.
• Xin Bairen asked how long the Condensed Jade Treasure Ships could fire and how much of the army’s reserves remained.
• Elder Xuan Zhen said the army had resources equivalent to over three million one hundred thousand Spirit Stones and could sustain its attacks for at least half a month.
• Xin Bairen asked Xuan Zhen how long the Lotus Rebirth Formation could hold, and Xuan Zhen estimated it would collapse after three to five more volleys within a few hours.
• An intensely powerful spiritual radiance appeared ahead.

Qing Chen watched as two powerful women attacked the Condensed Jade Treasure Ships and overwhelmed the defenders. He arrived in time, empowered his body to the Late Vajra Realm, and prepared to intercept them.

• Qing Chen recognized the attackers as the Palace Master of Radiant Night Palace wielding the Radiant Night Sword and Dharma Master Su Xin wielding her Horsetail Whisk.
• The two women struck the Condensed Jade Treasure Ships, forcing Elder Xuan Zhen and Xin Bairen to rely on their formations while their attacks devastated the disciples.
• Xin Bairen began activating the Jade-Blood Treasure Saber as Qing Chen arrived in his Dragon Robe in Battle Armor, carrying his blood-colored halberd.
• Qing Chen empowered his body with the Heartless Demon Aspect and surged into the Late Vajra Realm, then braced himself to meet the attackers.