Chapter Summaries

Qing Chen returned to the Vajra Zen Sect and learned that Xuanji wanted him back at the Condensed Jade Sect after stripping away much of his authority. He refused to return and told Ye Wushang to ask Xuanji, his master, and the others to come to the Vajra Zen Sect instead.

• Qing Chen concealed the entrance to his secret residence and returned to the Vajra Zen Sect with Wuchen's guest elder command token.
• Ye Wushang found Qing Chen and relayed Supreme Elder Sword Fool's question about when he would return to the Condensed Jade Sect.
• Qing Chen considered how Xuanji had reduced his authority and income, and concluded that the sect leaders now wanted to repair their relationship with him.
• Qing Chen declined to return, citing the Whale Army's upcoming assembly, and asked Ye Wushang to tell Xuanji, his master, and the others to visit the Vajra Zen Sect.
• Ye Wushang agreed to report Qing Chen's message, and Qing Chen sent communication talismans in several directions.

Qing Chen revealed his identity as the Demon Lotus Sect’s Devil Master and rallied his followers with promises of opportunity in the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty. He assigned them military roles and ordered a force to retrieve five million mortals for the World Inside the Tower.

• Qing Chen met his followers in Qing Yun Pavilion, where third-tier formations protected their gathering, and openly wore the Devil Master’s robes.
• Qing Chen urged his followers to join him in the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, and Lin Changsheng, Su Zixuan, and the others swore loyalty to him.
• Qing Chen promised his followers shares of official posts in the two battalions he commanded as Deputy Gentleman of the Palace.
• Qing Chen ordered Lin Changsheng, Duan Tianya, Han Shi, and Xie Yu to take one thousand Demon Guards and spirit ships to the Condensed Jade Sect to bring back five million suitable mortals.
• Qing Chen ordered the remaining followers to drill three thousand Demon Guards and coordinate with incoming Condensed Jade Sect cultivators, warning them that military ability would determine rank and disobedience would be punished.

Wang Shisan and Tie Erleng arrived on Earth Lotus Island to receive their appointments and witnessed the Qing Household’s abuse of its power. As a disciplined force in heavy armor raced toward the Qing Household, they realized an attack was underway.

• Wang Shisan and Tie Erleng discussed how the Demon Lotus Sect had taken them in and observed the Qing Household’s control of Earth Lotus Island.
• The two encountered a Qing descendant dragging away a frightened girl after her family had been killed, but Wang Shisan stopped Tie Erleng from intervening.
• Tie Erleng reluctantly watched as the young man hauled the girl away and kicked her mother down.
• Wang Shisan and Tie Erleng spotted a formation of armored figures racing along a ridge toward the Qing Household.

Three hundred black-armored body cultivators smashed through the Qing Household’s protective formation and invaded its estate. As the battle began, Little Stone recognized the man who had murdered his parents and charged at him.

• Wang Shisan and Tie Erleng saw the black-armored force approach the Qing Household, whose disciples sounded the Alarm Bell and activated their formation.
• The attackers used Restriction-Breaking Talismans and the Blood Battle in Eight Directions Formation-Mountain-Crushing Force to shatter the golden shield.
• Wang Shisan urged Tie Erleng to leave rather than get caught in the fighting.
• Little Stone entered the estate and killed three Late Qi Refining Stage cultivators with his Molten Fire Fist Gauntlets.
• Little Stone recognized the Iron Ring Finger-wearing man who had murdered his parents and vowed to kill him.
• A dark figure concealed in the clouds watched the battle from tens of li away.

Qing Chen surveyed the Qing Household's growth as the Black Armor Army slaughtered its cultivators, affiliated forces, and Demon Lotus Sect reinforcements. After the battle, Lie Feng and the other commanders collected dark red smoke from the corpses, which Qing Chen suspected was Resentful Baleful Qi.

• Qing Chen used his Divine Sense to inspect the Qing Household and found over two thousand descendants, including one hundred and thirteen adult cultivators.
• Little Stone, Lie Feng, Bu Jingyun, and the three hundred soldiers of the Black Armor Army overwhelmed the Qing Household defenders and their allies.
• Little Stone killed the last Qing Household cultivator, leaving the estate covered in corpses and blood.
• Lie Feng, Bu Jingyun, Duan Lang, and Lian Chengbi used jade bottles to absorb dark red smoke rising from the corpses.

Qing Chen’s Black Armor army withdrew from Earth Lotus Island and concealed itself on a hidden island, where he used the harvested spirit-supplementing furnace qi to improve his spiritual root. After absorbing it, he achieved a high-grade spiritual root and decided he no longer needed to seek further gains from Qing An.

• Lie Feng ordered the Black Armor soldiers to withdraw after they collected the remains from the Qing Household estate, and they fought through Demon Lotus Sect reinforcements to reach their waiting Spirit Boats.
• Lian Chengbi led the Spirit Boats away from Earth Lotus Island, and Bu Jingyun used a formation talisman to reveal the concealed island prepared by Qing Chen.
• Qing Chen brought the Black Armor army into the World Inside the Tower, traveled to a remote island, and opened four Jade Bottles containing spirit-supplementing furnace qi.
• Qing Chen absorbed the furnace qi, enduring intense pain as it purified his spiritual root’s impurities.
• Qing Chen’s spiritual root advanced to high-grade, improving his ability to draw spiritual energy and increasing his Golden Core’s rate of absorbing and releasing true essence.
• Qing Chen concluded that the harvest was sufficient and abandoned his plan to seek more furnace qi from Qing An.

Lin Changsheng enforced Qing Chen’s order for the Condensed Jade Sect to deliver six million mortals to Earth Pass Island, and the sect complied under pressure. Months after the mortals were sealed inside a newly built city, the formation lifted to reveal that they had vanished and blood qi and monsters had appeared.

• Chi Xuntian and Wan Hun learned that the Qing Household on Earth Lotus Island had been wiped out, just as Lin Changsheng arrived with Qing Chen’s command token.
• Lin Changsheng ordered the Condensed Jade Sect to send five million mortals to Earth Pass Island, and Wan Hun agreed to send six million within a month.
• Lin Changsheng left Duan Tianya, Han Shi, and Xie Yu to supervise the transfers while the Condensed Jade Sect mobilized its disciples and vassals.
• The sect transported six million mortals to Earth Pass Island and housed them in a city sealed by a great formation.
• Months later, the formation lifted to reveal no mortals inside, while blood qi filled the sky and resentment demons and monsters appeared.

Zhou Yan formally founded the Gou Wu Whale Army and appointed Wei Ting as its commander, along with thirty frontier veterans as army supervisors and instructors. The division commanders began receiving their appointments, and the chapter ended as Guanyin Tower Master was named vanguard Guard Army Commander.

• Zhou Yan announced the founding of the Gou Wu Whale Army before three hundred thousand cultivators at Gouwu Harbor.
• Zhou Yan appointed Wei Ting as army commander and chief instructor, citing his frontier service and military record.
• Zhou Yan assigned Wei Ting’s thirty black-armored veterans to supervise and train the army’s thirty divisions.
• Zhou Yan called for the division commanders to ascend the platform and receive their command tallies.
• Chan Master Wuxiang arrived and accepted his appointment as Central Army Guard Army Commander.
• Zhou Yan announced Guanyin Tower Master as the vanguard Guard Army Commander.

Zhou Yan assembled the Gou Wu Whale Army and ordered it to prepare for its march to Gouyu Prefecture, while Qing Chen resolved to rise above the powerful figures around him. Later, the Condensed Jade Sect learned that Qing Chen had invited Xuanji True Lord to meet him the next day.

• Zhou Yan called the Whale Army's commanders and officers to the platform and ordered the three hundred thousand cultivators to rest and reorganize for seven days before marching to Gouyu Prefecture.
• Qing Chen felt the authority and fortune connected to his command token and vowed to trample every superior underfoot.
• Several hours later, the assembled cultivators dispersed to return to camp and attend to their preparations.
• Yuji True Person told Xuanji True Lord that Qing Chen had invited him to meet at noon the following day.

Xuanji True Lord met Qing Chen at Dust Severer Mountain and offered a lavish farewell gift to smooth over their past conflict before Qing Chen departed for Great Jin. Qing Chen eagerly accepted the valuables and declared their family ties restored, leaving Xuanji reassured that he could be persuaded with wealth.

• Xuanji True Lord decided to tolerate Qing Chen’s rise for now rather than risk disrupting his plans.
• Qing Chen prepared a guarded meeting place at Dust Severer Mountain and greeted Xuanji True Lord when he arrived with Jade Pivot Second Elder.
• Xuanji praised Qing Chen’s accomplishments and presented him as a treasured junior brother who was about to travel to Great Jin.
• At Xuanji’s insistence, Yuji True Person apologized for past offenses and offered Qing Chen a costly farewell gift, including spirit stones, rare materials, and a Demon Banner.
• Qing Chen accepted the Spatial Ring, warmly forgave Yuji, and assured Xuanji that the Condensed Jade Sect remained his home.
• Xuanji True Lord concluded that Qing Chen’s greed made him easier to deal with than someone who could not be swayed by gifts.

Qing Chen led his battalion aboard the Gou Wu Whale Army fleet as it departed Vajra Spirit Island for Minjiang Province, Gouyu Prefecture. He left behind Xuanji True Lord, Yuji True Person, his Master-True Person Budong, and Buddha's Son Wuchen, bowing to Budong before ordering the fleet onward.

• The Gou Wu Whale Army assembled its treasure ships, transports, and three hundred thousand cultivators at Gou Wu Harbor after months of preparation.
• Qing Chen stood aboard the flagship with the Central Army's Second Division, Fourth Battalion, including his Demon Lotus Sect followers and Foundation Establishment elites.
• The fleet weighed anchor and sailed out of the harbor as Qing Chen looked back toward the figures gathered on a distant seaside cliff.
• Qing Chen bowed deeply toward True Person Budong, then ordered the fleet to raise its sails and head for Minjiang Province, Gouyu Prefecture.

Qing Chen and the Whale Army fleet reached Minjiang Province and saw the immense, orderly Gouyu Prefecture City. The fleet continued to its assigned temporary garrison in the mountains, where construction was still underway.

• The Whale Army fleet traveled northwest across the Gouwu Sea, covering two hundred thousand li a day.
• Qing Chen and the fleet arrived at Gouyu Prefecture City and marveled at its vast, tiered buildings, transport systems, and strict order.
• The fleet passed the city and continued toward the Gou Wu Whale Army’s assigned garrison.
• The fleet arrived above a fortified mountain range, where Ministry of Works cultivators used Strongman Puppets to build barracks and defensive facilities.

Wei Ting announced the Gou Wu Whale Army’s military laws as the fleet arrived at Gouyu Prefecture, emphasizing loyalty, obedience, and protecting registered people. He then ordered his guards to arrest several hundred cultivators and had them brought to an execution ground before the flagship.

• Wei Ting addressed the three hundred thousand cultivators and proclaimed the army’s rules of loyalty, obedience to orders, and protection of people on the immortal register.
• Qing Chen considered the Immortal Dynasty’s strict order and privately resolved that rules could be exploited and broken.
• Wei Ting abruptly ordered his Personal Guard Battalion to seize lawbreakers aboard the whale treasure ships.
• The guards subdued and arrested several hundred cultivators, then escorted them to a temporary execution ground before the flagship.

Wei Ting ordered the immediate execution of hundreds of Whale Army cultivators who had violated military law on Vajra Spirit Island, terrifying the assembled fleet. Qing Chen reflected on how narrowly his own soldiers had avoided the same fate and took precautions to conceal his soul-control techniques.

• Wei Ting condemned the captured cultivators for crimes recorded by the Profound Mirror Sky-Hunting Bureau and ordered their execution without pardon.
• The executioners killed hundreds, including Foundation Establishment cultivators and a Golden Core True Person, while the slaughter formation destroyed their seas of qi.
• The three hundred thousand cultivators watched in fearful silence as Wei Ting warned that military law applied equally to cultivators of every realm.
• Qing Chen counted himself fortunate that he had kept his four thousand soldiers from causing trouble during the Seven-Day Rest Period.
• Qing Chen recalled retrieving the demon seeds from Lin Changsheng, Xue Qingxia, and Su Zixuan, and accepted Lin Changsheng as his first true Personal Disciple.
• Wary that the Immortal Dynasty might discover his soul-control methods, Qing Chen resolved not to risk exposing them.

After five years of relentless training in the Wushan Mountains, Qing Chen had earned praise for his disciplined troops and prepared them for the coming army-wide tournament. Gao Yuliang delivered the year's Fortune Talismans and their expenditure records for Qing Chen to inspect.

• Qing Chen reflected on five years of training under Wei Ting and the improvement of his four thousand soldiers.
• Qing Chen reviewed the army-wide tournament rules, including battles fought through the Myriad Armies Profound Mirror Formation.
• Qing Chen watched his troops drill in formations, including the Black Bird Covering the Sea Formation and the Lesser Celestial Circuit Star Dipper Formation.
• Gao Yuliang presented Qing Chen with the annual Fortune Talisman allocations and Gouyu Prefecture War Department expenditure records.
• Qing Chen examined the talismans and found low-grade and mid-grade supplies but no high-grade Fortune Talismans.

Qing Chen received his Fortune Talismans and reflected on how his cultivation had advanced to the Late Vajra Realm and Minor Completion Late Golden Core. He attended a Central Army council, where Chan Master Wuxiang announced an All-Army Martial Competition and explained its individual and battalion contests.

• Qing Chen accepted the controlled allocation of Fortune Talismans and considered how they strengthened the army and accelerated cultivation.
• Qing Chen reviewed his rapid progress, reaching the Late Vajra Realm physically and Minor Completion Late Golden Core in Dharma cultivation.
• Gao Yuliang told Qing Chen that the Central Army had summoned senior officers and powerful Title-Bearing Commandants to an urgent council.
• Qing Chen went to the Central Army council hall, where officers from across the divisions, including Ye Wushang and Fierce-Eyed Vajra, gathered.
• Chan Master Wuxiang arrived in general's armor and announced the All-Army Martial Competition, including individual contests and battalion war exercises in the Myriad Armies Profound Mirror Formation.

Chan Master Wuxiang announced severe consequences and lavish rewards for the upcoming army competition, prompting Qing Chen to see it as an opportunity to advance. After the meeting, Tie Ming privately summoned Qing Chen to a quiet room at Black Centipede Cliff, and Qing Chen went there while wondering what the army supervisor wanted.

• Chan Master Wuxiang warned the commanders that the army competition would bring rewards for victors and punishments, including expulsion, for serious failures.
• Wuxin Dharma Master urged Qing Chen to help secure the Central Army's Second Division's honor, and Qing Chen promised to give his all.
• Tie Ming sent Qing Chen a private summons to meet at Black Centipede Cliff, surprising him with the timing and secrecy.
• Qing Chen told Wuxin Dharma Master to leave ahead, then watched Tie Ming discreetly before setting off for Black Centipede Cliff.
• Qing Chen flew through the mountain woods toward the secluded quiet rooms, wondering why Tie Ming had chosen to meet there.

Qing Chen met Tie Ming in a sealed quiet room and learned that three groups had asked about him, including the Qing Household, which sent a warning through Qing Guhong. After Tie Ming left, Qing Chen suspected the missing Rules Thread had drawn the Qing Household’s attention and worried that he might be the only remaining suspect.

• Qing Chen entered Tie Ming’s sealed quiet room, where Tie Ming questioned him about why people were interested in an apparently ordinary cultivator.
• Tie Ming revealed that three groups had probed Qing Chen’s background and passed along Qing Guhong’s warning to return something he had swallowed or face the consequences.
• Qing Chen denied knowing Qing Guhong or belonging to the Qing Household, while Tie Ming told him to keep his wits about him and perform well at the All-Army Martial Competition.
• Qing Chen went to Sun Wudi’s quiet room and reasoned that Qing Guhong had noticed the Rules Thread was missing and was narrowing down who had taken it.

Qing Chen faced the Three Corpses Devil Lord in the army tournament’s first round, suspecting that the Devil Lord and other figures had aligned with the Qing Household. The Devil Lord unleashed his three yakshas, and Qing Chen countered their opening attacks before preparing a magnetic technique amid Poison Yaksha’s corrosive mist.

• Qing Chen entered combat ring seven and found the Three Corpses Devil Lord waiting as his first opponent.
• The Three Corpses Devil Lord greeted Qing Chen with open malice, and Qing Chen suspected that he and Zhaoshenzi had sided with the Qing Household.
• The Three Corpses Devil Lord summoned Golden Yaksha, Ghost Yaksha, and Poison Yaksha, then used his Corpse Banner to empower them.
• Qing Chen dodged Golden Yaksha’s blow and wounded its arm with his halberd, while the Third Demonic Aspect blocked Ghost Yaksha’s strike.
• Poison Yaksha engulfed Qing Chen in corrosive mist, but his Dragon Robe in Battle Armor held firm as he launched Primal Magnetism Storm-Lock.

Qing Chen used Heavenly Severance to cripple the Three Corpses Devil Lord’s yakshas, but the Devil Lord fused them into a powerful corpse demon. Qing Chen countered with Annihilation of All Living Beings, destroying the fused demon as his attack hurtled toward the Devil Lord.

• Qing Chen used Primal Magnetism Storm to hinder the Ghost Yaksha and Poison Yaksha, then charged the Gold Yaksha with Heavenly Severance.
• Qing Chen struck the Gold Yaksha’s joints with precise halberd attacks, cracked its scales, and wounded the other two yakshas.
• Chan Master Xuanshan teased Sword Fool over the Front Army’s choice of opponent, while Sword Fool argued that the Central Army had taken Qing Chen from the Front Army.
• The Three Corpses Devil Lord fused the wounded Ghost Yaksha and Poison Yaksha into the Gold Yaksha, creating a corpse demon whose power neared half-step indestructible.
• Qing Chen struck the corpse demon with Annihilation of All Living Beings, destroying it and sending the blood-red attack toward the Three Corpses Devil Lord’s brow.