Chapter Summaries

Qing Chen used the Vajra Mound, Blood Path rules, and magnetic origin rule power to withstand Hundred Poisons True Lord’s Poison Path laws and destroy Centipede-Insect Daoist’s life-bound gu insect. The battle remained at a stalemate while the Miao-Conquest Army continued to suffer mounting casualties.

• Hundred Poisons True Lord concentrated his poison clouds and infused them with Poison Path laws, corroding the Vajra Mound and forcing Qing Chen to counter with Blood Path rules.
• Qing Chen used his Blood Path rules to block and transform the poison baleful intent, surprising Hundred Poisons True Lord.
• Centipede-Insect Daoist sent his Hundred-Legged Heavenly Centipede to attack Qing Chen from behind while Tie Ming was held back.
• Qing Chen cut down the Hundred-Legged Heavenly Centipede with Primordial Magnetism Spiral Light Shears, severely weakening Centipede-Insect Daoist.
• Qing Chen saw that the Miao-Conquest Army was losing more soldiers than Hundred Poisons’ Personal Guard as the fight between the cultivators continued.

Qing Chen overwhelmed Hundred Poisons True Lord and killed Centipede-Insect Daoist, forcing the enemy army to retreat toward Pingnan Prefecture. He kept Hundred Poisons True Lord engaged as a deadly threat spread through the hills along the retreating army’s flank.

• Qing Chen unleashed the Vajra Mound’s Buddhist light and shattered Hundred Poisons True Lord’s poison shield, heavily wounding him.
• Centipede-Insect Daoist burned his essence blood and attacked the Golden Core commanders, but Qing Chen killed him with Primordial Magnetism, Singularity Annihilation.
• Shaken by Centipede-Insect Daoist’s death, Hundred Poisons True Lord ordered his troops to withdraw toward Pingnan Prefecture and rendezvous with another Nascent Soul True Lord’s fifty thousand troops.
• Qing Chen refused to let Hundred Poisons True Lord escape and kept him engaged while a deadly menace spread through the hills beside the retreating army.

Qing Chen deployed his hidden army of over thirty thousand body cultivators onto the Miao army’s flank, turning the battle into a rout. As the Miao-Conquest Army counterattacked, Hundred Poisons True Lord recognized the Spider Demon armor and prepared to flee.

• Qing Chen used his improved control of the World Inside the Tower to deploy his White Bone body cultivator army within striking distance of the battlefield.
• Lie Feng led the thirty thousand body cultivators in a sudden charge that smashed into the Miao army’s exposed flank.
• The body cultivators cut through the Blood Gu Army, resisted its poisons and Gu Insects, and killed a Golden Core Miao general with a Blood-Colored Palm.
• Tie Qingniu, Ye Wushang, and Xu Jiuling led the Miao-Conquest Army in a countercharge as the Miao army’s retreat collapsed into a rout.
• Hundred Poisons True Lord recognized Purple Spider’s armor on the body cultivators, accused Qing Chen of causing Purple Spider’s fall, and resolved to flee.

Qing Chen pursued Hundred Poisons True Lord away from the battlefield and overcame his poison techniques and rule-based resistance. When Hundred Poisons True Lord abandoned his body and tried to escape as a Nascent Soul, Qing Chen trapped him inside the Vajra Mound.

• Hundred Poisons True Lord burned his essence blood and damaged his origin to flee, but Qing Chen merged with his third demonic aspect and caught up.
• Hundred Poisons True Lord used the Myriad Poisons Soul-Slaughter Banner to raise a poisonous cloud barrier, which Qing Chen punched through.
• After the two traveled beyond the army's support, Hundred Poisons True Lord stopped to cast the Myriad Poisons Devouring Heart Curse, but Qing Chen dispelled it with a Primordial Magnetism Thread.
• Qing Chen bound Hundred Poisons True Lord with Magnetic Origin rules and formed a Primordial Magnetism Law-Breaking Spear as Hundred Poisons True Lord's resistance faltered.
• Hundred Poisons True Lord abandoned his body and fled as a Nascent Soul, but Qing Chen summoned the Vajra Mound and drew him and his miniature banner into its ninth floor.

Qing Chen annihilated Hundred Poisons True Lord and led the slaughter of the Blood Gu Army and Gu Armor Army, bringing the battle to a decisive end. He returned to Miaochong Prefecture City as its conqueror and demanded absolute submission from the kneeling soldiers and surrendered Cultivators.

• Qing Chen sealed Hundred Poisons True Lord's Nascent Soul in the tower, collected his body, and ordered his forces to leave no enemy alive.
• Qing Chen charged into the fleeing army, using his physical strength and Battle Techniques to crush its resistance while Tie Qingniu and Ye Wushang led the pursuit.
• After a day and a night, Qing Chen's forces wiped out the last Blood Gu Army soldiers, and Qing Chen perfected the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Soul-Shocking Art's Battle Techniques.
• Over a dozen days later, Qing Chen returned to Miaochong Prefecture City aboard the Giant Whale Treasure Ship as soldiers and surrendered Cultivators knelt to welcome him.
• Qing Chen warned the assembled people that defiance would bring death to them and their families, declared himself their sole master, and proceeded toward the City Lord's Mansion.

After conquering Miaochong Prefecture, Qing Chen assessed the immense spoils and deployed troops to secure his new territory. He rejected an immediate invasion of Qiong Prefecture, deciding instead to consolidate his gains and keep the war going while secretly cultivating influence there.

• Xu Jiuling reported the vast population, supplies, and wealth seized across the conquered prefectures, while Qing Chen ordered officers to garrison key counties and stabilize Anman Prefecture.
• Qing Chen ordered every enemy corpse transported to Miaochong Prefecture City, with Golden Core cultivators’ remains stored separately.
• Tie Ming’s envoy urged Qing Chen to march west into Qiong Prefecture, but Qing Chen declined and ordered Tie Ming to report on his duties and military situation.
• Qing Chen warned his officers that further rapid expansion could provoke Wu Gui, neighboring Nascent Soul cultivators, and the Immortal Capital, and instructed them to consolidate territory while keeping the war active.
• Qing Chen asked Tie Ming to find two Fourth-Tier Artifact Refining Grandmasters and told Lin Changsheng to assign help for the corpse inventory and summon Zixuan.

Lin Changsheng brought the injured, aging Su Zixuan to Qing Chen, who remembered her years of service and gave her rare pills, a cultivation art, and a cave abode to support her attempt at Golden Core formation. Su Zixuan was left preparing to enter seclusion.

• Lin Changsheng went to the Demon Lotus Sect headquarters and learned that Su Zixuan had failed her Golden Core breakthrough and remained injured in the rear mountain courtyard.
• Lin Changsheng found Su Zixuan and told her that Qing Chen wished to see her.
• Lin Changsheng escorted Su Zixuan to Qing Chen's residence, where she was overwhelmed by its grandeur and nervous about meeting him.
• Qing Chen recalled Su Zixuan's past service and told her to raise her head, reassuring her that her injuries and failed breakthrough did not diminish her worth.
• Qing Chen gave Su Zixuan precious Core Formation medicines, the Earthly Baleful Qi Core Condensation Mystic Art, and a supreme-grade cave abode, then ordered her to enter seclusion to form her core.

Su Zixuan accepted Qing Chen’s precious cultivation resources and prepared to enter seclusion to pursue Golden Core. A month later, Qing Chen returned victorious to Heavenly Abyss Pass, where Xiao Canglan honored him with a major promotion and rewards.

• Qing Chen insisted that Su Zixuan accept valuable resources as his trusted maid and urged her to enter seclusion and break through to Golden Core.
• Su Zixuan’s departure with the resources reassured Qing Chen’s longtime subordinates and strengthened the loyalty of his followers.
• A month later, messengers announced Qing Chen’s victory in Miaochong Prefecture, including the deaths of Hundred Poisons True Lord and Violet Centipede and the destruction of more than sixty thousand enemies.
• Qing Chen returned to Heavenly Abyss Pass with his elite troops as True Lords and tens of thousands of cultivators bowed to him.
• Xiao Canglan praised Qing Chen’s achievements and issued a decree promoting him to Qiongzhou-Quelling General, granting him authority over four prefectures and permission to establish a 250,000-strong Qiongzhou Army.
• The Immortal Dynasty decree began listing Qing Chen’s material rewards, including Fortune Spirit Crystals, spirit stones, and Infant Transformation Pills.

Qing Chen received a high military rank, command over four prefectures, and his own army after a major victory. He presented the Hundred Poisons True Lord’s head as a trophy, and Xiao Canglan announced that Qing Chen would be granted a noble title.

• Xiao Canglan named Qing Chen the principal fourth-rank Qiong-Calming General and granted him authority over four prefectures and an army of his own.
• Qing Chen thanked Xiao Canglan and Tie Zhan, sharing credit with his troops and fellow officers.
• Qing Chen displayed the severed head of the Hundred Poisons True Lord, impressing Xiao Canglan and the assembled generals.
• Xiao Canglan recognized Qing Chen’s dual laws, military forces, and potential, and decided to bind him to his cause.
• Xiao Canglan declared that Qing Chen’s victory qualified him for a noble title under Immortal Dynasty precedent.

Xiao Canglan announced Qing Chen’s hereditary third-class Azure Abyss Marquis title, fief, and wartime authority over Qiongzhou. Qing Chen accepted the appointment and vowed to defend the region as Xiao Canglan backed his rise.

• Xiao Canglan declared Qing Chen the Azure Abyss Marquis, granting him Earth Pass Island and the surrounding waters as a hereditary fief for four thousand years.
• Qing Chen knelt to accept the imperial decree and promised to defend Qiongzhou and repay the emperor’s favor.
• Xiao Canglan granted Qing Chen three wartime privileges, including authority over lower-ranking officials, control of captured spoils, and permission to establish a Qiong-Pacifying General’s Office.
• Qing Zhaoye and the other Nascent Soul True Lords reacted with disbelief and alarm at Qing Chen’s title and privileges.
• Xiao Canglan explained that securing his position and advancing his cultivation depended on Great Jin’s humanity fortune rules and its system of rank and territorial grants.

Xiao Canglan warned Qing Chen that his new post defending Qiongzhou placed him in the path of Wu Gui and Southern Yue, and ordered him to build up the region rather than rely on conquest alone. As Tie Ming was transferred away, Xiao assigned three new commanders to reinforce Qing Chen’s army.

• Xiao Canglan explained that Wu Gui controlled Gui Province, Annan Province, and half of Qiongzhou, with secret support from Southern Yue and the Miao Gu Clans.
• Xiao Canglan told Qing Chen to defend Qiongzhou, restore its strength, and establish a force that could later counterattack toward Annan Province and Southern Yue.
• Qing Chen accepted the responsibility and questioned why the Immortal Dynasty did not send troops to destroy Wu Gui.
• Xiao Canglan announced that Tie Ming True Lord would leave the Qiongzhou front for duties in the Northern Borderlands.
• Xiao Canglan assigned Guanyin Tower Master, Hanging Mountain Dharma Nascent Soul Chan Master, and Sword Fool True Lord to join Qing Chen’s army and obey his commands.

Qing Chen accepted Xiao Canglan’s support and orders to stabilize Qiongzhou, while Wu Gui watched his promotion and grew furious over Qing Chen’s victories. Wu Gui’s advisers urged different responses, leaving the confrontation with Qing Chen unresolved.

• Qing Chen read Xiao Canglan’s jade slip listing three powerful True Lords and their personal troops, then agreed to cooperate with them in defending Qiongzhou.
• Xiao Canglan told Qing Chen to consolidate his strength and stabilize Qiongzhou, saying he cared only about results.
• Wu Gui watched a Water Mirror display Qing Chen’s promotion to Azure Abyss Marquis and his presentation of Hundred Poisons True Lord’s head.
• Wu Gui raged that Qing Chen had defeated Purple Spider and Hundred Poisons and accused Xiao Canglan of humiliating him by promoting Qing Chen.
• Golden Toad Granny warned Wu Gui that Qing Chen’s cultivation art and methods were unusual, while Tiger-Walking Demon General and Mad Shark True Lord volunteered to attack him.

Wu Gui rejected a direct assault on Qing Chen and approved a plan to undermine him through allied factions and covert harassment while expanding pressure on the Gui Province front. He revealed that his campaign aimed to seize Great Jin territory and use its people and spiritual resources to fuel the Ten Thousand Gu Source Cauldron and extend his followers’ lives.

• Granny Golden Toad warned Hu Xing and Kuang Sha that leaving the main battlefield would expose their defenses against Xiao Canglan, Tie Zhan, and Yue Hanshan.
• White Snake True Person identified the Infinite Extremity Devil Palace, the Qing Household, and the Snake Spirit Way as potential enemies of Qing Chen and offered to facilitate cooperation with them.
• Wu Gui approved White Snake True Person’s proposal to harass Qing Chen’s recovered border counties and ordered the Black Miasma Division to monitor Qiongzhou.
• Wu Gui ordered Hu Xing to lead the Tiger Guards against Yue Hanshan’s Beacon Fires Pass in Dan Province.
• Wu Gui explained that he planned to use conquered provinces, the Ten Thousand Gu Source Cauldron, and the Fortune Anchor Secret Art to cultivate humanity’s fortune and prolong his followers’ lives.

Qing Chen met the three Nascent Soul cultivators newly assigned to serve under him aboard the Cangming and established his authority as Azure Abyss Marquis. He planned to consolidate and develop the four prefectures he already controlled, leaving Qiong Prefecture as a future opportunity.

• Qing Chen welcomed the Guanyin Tower Master, who praised his rise and pledged her assistance.
• Qing Chen greeted True Lord Sword Fool and asked him to look after Jian Yi and Ye Wushang.
• Chan Master Xuanshan agreed to serve under Qing Chen and use his Buddhist abilities to protect Qiongzhou from curses and evil gu.
• Qing Chen dismissed the three cultivators and decided to focus on consolidating his territory instead of rushing to conquer Qiong Prefecture.

After receiving reports of resistance and intrigue across Qiongzhou, Qing Chen decided to use a banquet to summon the region’s powerful sects and lineages and assert his authority. The invited forces gathered in Miaochong Prefecture City, where the Qiongzhou Banquet began amid concealed tensions.

• Lin Changsheng, Xu Jiuling, Tie Qingniu, Xin Bairen, and Su Zixuan reported on unrest, financial strain, and covert opposition across Qiongzhou to Qing Chen.
• Su Zixuan identified entrenched sects, local merchant and noble households, and outside forces as the main sources of resistance.
• Qing Chen resolved to distinguish the loyal from the disloyal and use the new policies to strengthen his rule over Qiongzhou.
• Qing Chen ordered Su Zixuan to invite powerful sects and lineages to a Qiongzhou Banquet in Miaochong Prefecture City and required them to attend.
• The invited powers traveled to Miaochong Prefecture City, where the banquet began under a surface of cordiality and concealed hostility.

Qing Chen convened Qiongzhou’s factions and announced seven decrees to bring the province’s land, mines, and records under formal oversight. He executed the Zhang Household’s ancestor for treason and ordered the household destroyed, then killed Yue Chengfeng while questioning Fu She about ties to Southern Yue and Wu Gui.

• Qing Chen gathered sects and local powers at a banquet and announced seven decrees governing Qiongzhou’s spirit fields, mines, and Immortal Register.
• The Zhang Household’s ancestor protested the decrees, and Qing Chen accused him of concealing mines and aiding Southern Yue before killing him.
• Qing Chen ordered Sword Fool to send twenty thousand troops to surround Zhang Manor and kill everyone there.
• Qing Chen questioned Fu She about the Snake Spirit Way’s dealings with Southern Yue and Wu Gui.
• Qing Chen struck Yue Chengfeng with a streak of bloody light, piercing his chest and shattering his Golden Core.

At a banquet in the General's Residence, Qing Chen punished a Southern Yue stronghold chief and rebuked the assembled powers for sending him aging representatives instead of showing proper respect. He left them facing the threat of his two hundred thousand Qiongzhou Army soldiers as he vowed to impose rules.

• Qing Chen exposed Fu She's mistake about the surviving remnant of the Yue Household, and Fu She admitted he had misjudged the man.
• Qing Jie addressed Qing Chen on behalf of the Eighteen Strongholds of Southern Yue, and Qing Chen warned that he was displeased with their recent conduct.
• When a stronghold chief interrupted him, Qing Chen used magnetic origin power to crush the man's defenses and grievously wound him.
• Qing Chen accused the assembled sects and households of sending old representatives to fob him off, then unleashed his Nascent Soul pressure across the banquet hall.
• Qing Chen threatened to use the two hundred thousand Qiongzhou Army soldiers to crush any disobedient power and declared that it was time to lay down rules.

Qing Chen ended the banquet by announcing the Seven Orders of Qiongzhou and giving local powers five years to comply. He then met Gong Shisan privately, learned about the factions opposing him within the Infinite Extremity Devil Palace, and offered the Palace a chance to prosper if it obeyed his rules.

• Qing Chen announced the Seven Orders of Qiongzhou, granted five years for compliance, and warned that the Zhang Lineage of Yuxi Prefecture would serve as an example for defiance.
• Gong Shisan reflected on Qing Chen's rise and the military and political power behind his rule over Qiongzhou.
• Qing Chen summoned Gong Shisan to a private side hall and asked about the Infinite Extremity Devil Palace's factions and their positions toward him.
• Gong Shisan described the neutral faction led by Ding Busan, the hostile faction led by Xue Busi, and Li Gu'er's faction, which had ties to Southern Yue and Wu Gui.
• Qing Chen promised to set aside past disputes and support the Devil Palace's legitimate businesses if it followed his rules, warning that he would not spare even a Great Cultivator who defied him.

Qing Chen reunited with Qing Jie at the Immortal Drunk Abode after more than a century apart. Qing Jie began recounting the hardships that had led him to become a Cave Lord of the Eighteen Caves.

• Qing Chen found Qing Jie enjoying the Immortal Drunk Abode and revealed himself as his elder brother.
• Qing Jie recognized Qing Chen, fell to his knees, and broke down with emotion at their reunion.
• Qing Jie explained that a gu master from the Bone-Eroding Tribe had scarred his face, and Qing Chen promised to help him.
• Qing Jie recounted his mother's death, his and Qing An's time in the Seven Kingdoms' war, and their encounter with Zhao Ningyi.
• Qing Jie told Qing Chen that clues left by Zhao Ningyi had led him to leave the island and follow his elder brother's path.

Qing Jie told Qing Chen how Qing Yuxuan framed him for his crimes and got him exiled to Southern Yue. He also revealed that Zhao Ningyi saved him with a Marrow-Devouring Gu, leaving Qing Chen to learn she was alive and had become a fearsome figure in the Million Mountains.

• Qing Jie explained that Qing Yuxuan and his adviser Gou Ying arranged for him to be mistaken for Qing Yuxuan and take the blame for his crimes.
• Qing Chen sent Communication Talismans and promised Qing Jie he would let him personally kill Qing Yuxuan, Gou Ying, and Inspector Xia Chun.
• Qing Jie asked about their Third Younger Brother, and Qing Chen said he was nearing the Golden Core stage and had received spirit items for Core Formation.
• Qing Chen asked whether Zhao Ningyi was still alive, and Qing Jie said she had saved him near the Million Mountains after he was exiled to Southern Yue.
• Qing Jie described how Zhao Ningyi gave him a Marrow-Devouring Gu, which kept him alive in the poison miasma but threatened to devour him if he stopped progressing.