Chapter Summaries

Qing Chen arrived at the Cangming Army’s flagship, where the gathered forces knelt before him, and his presence disrupted Zhaoshenzi’s battle with True Lord Tianshui. True Lord Tianshui surrendered his sect, but Qing Chen showed no sign of accepting the offer.

• Hua Tieshou and Xin Bairen paid their respects to Qing Chen, who praised Hua Tieshou and then went to the command platform.
• Zhaoshenzi fought True Lord Tianshui evenly, aided by fortune power from the Cangming Army’s battle formations.
• Qing Chen’s arrival caused the fortune empowerment to stop, allowing True Lord Tianshui to strike Zhaoshenzi and then flee toward Tianshui Island’s protective array.
• True Lord Tianshui declared that the Tianshui Sect surrendered and offered its thirty thousand cultivators as Cangming Army troops, even as vanguard fighters against Penglai Spirit Island.
• Qing Chen appeared beside Zhaoshenzi and regarded True Lord Tianshui and the island’s protective array without showing any sign of mercy.

Qing Chen used the Purple Mansion Thunder Cauldron and Xun Wind Banner to break Tianshui Island’s protective array, allowing the Cangming Army to invade. True Lord Tianshui tried to destroy the attackers with a mass suicide attack, but Qing Chen crushed him, and the island’s remaining resistance was wiped out within three days.

• Qing Chen unleashed the Purple Mansion Thunder Cauldron and Xun Wind Banner together, breaking Tianshui Island’s protective array.
• Xin Bairen led the Cangming Army onto the island as True Lord Tianshui ordered his disciples to flee and detonate their treasures, cultivation, and prepared restrictions.
• Qing Chen used magnetic origin rule power to compress True Lord Tianshui into a ball of light and kill him before he could self-detonate.
• Xin Bairen ordered the Demon Lotus Sect’s elites to seal off the island, suppress resistance, and gather scattered Cangming Army cultivators.
• Hua Tieshou led the Blood Hall troops against the remaining Golden Core defenders, and after three days the island’s resistance was extinguished, with only a tiny number escaping.

Qing Chen ordered the conquest of Penglai Spirit Island’s affiliated territories and publicized the slaughter to reshape the balance of power in the Gouwu Sea. After two years of expansion and upheaval, he returned to Moro Cave as the Demon Lotus Sect’s influence eclipsed Penglai Spirit Island’s former reach.

• Xin Bairen reported that the Cangming Army had suppressed resistance on Tianshui Island, and Qing Chen ordered him to spare unaffiliated powers while sending word to Chi Xuntian and Xu Jiuling to end their sieges and capture Tiansha and Dixing Islands.
• Qing Chen instructed Xin Bairen to record and distribute the events on jade slips throughout the Sun and Moon Sea Region.
• Over two years, the Cangming Army destroyed Penglai Spirit Island’s affiliated islands, and nearly three hundred thousand cultivators died as the widely copied jade slips spread fear of Qing Chen.
• The Cangming Army suffered over a hundred thousand dead and wounded, but its rewards drew new recruits and helped cultivators advance; three Dharma Nascent Soul cultivators pledged allegiance to Qing Chen.
• The Demon Lotus Sect expanded to ten archipelagos while Penglai Spirit Island’s subordinate powers collapsed and Jiaogu Island lost four archipelagos to rival powers.
• Qing Chen returned to Moro Cave, where six demon banners consumed newly gathered flesh, blood, and bone essence.

Qing Chen consumed the Blood Pool’s immense stores of qi and blood to forge his fourth Brahma aperture, solidifying his Blood Path Rules and strengthening his Dao foundation. After succeeding, he recognized that the Brahma Aperture Blood-Refining Secret Art had limits.

• Qing Chen began forging his fourth Brahma aperture by drawing qi and blood from the Blood Pool through the six demon banners and the Blood River God-Slaying Spear.
• When the accumulated corpse essence proved insufficient, Qing Chen swallowed the refined qi and blood of Penglai True Lord, Yuan Lingzi, Ling Miao, and Chongxu.
• Qing Chen directed his three strands of Blood Path Rules into the forming aperture, enduring intense pain as the rules and qi and blood reshaped his Dao foundation.
• Qing Chen called on the Blood River God-Slaying Spear to hasten the aperture’s formation, then made all four Brahma apertures resonate as one.
• Qing Chen completed the fourth aperture, solidified his three strands of Blood Path Rules, and noticed the limits of the Brahma Aperture Blood-Refining Secret Art.

Qing Chen completed his fourth Brahma aperture and assessed the cultivation speed and power it granted him. Meanwhile, at the Red Reef Archipelago, Fire Jiao True Lord fought Vajra Zen Sect monks who accused Jiaogu Island of colluding with Wu Gui, and he called for his forces to raise their battle formation.

• Qing Chen confirmed that his four Brahma apertures had taken root, letting him wield three strands of blood-path laws and cultivate far faster than before.
• Qing Chen estimated that his current cultivation rate could support his progress through the Nascent Soul stage and reflected on Ye Wushang's exceptional potential.
• At the Red Reef Archipelago, Fire Jiao True Lord battled Chan Master Wuxiang and Buddha's Son Wuchen as their armies faced off across the sea.
• Fire Jiao accused the Vajra Zen Sect of targeting Jiaogu Island instead of confronting Qing Chen, while Wuxiang cited Jiaogu Island's ties to Wu Gui.
• Wuchen challenged Fire Jiao to lead an attack on the Demon Lotus Sect, and Fire Jiao summoned the Raging Jiao Overturning the Sea Battle Formation.

Fire Jiao and Chan Master Wuxiang clashed in a battle between their forces while Qing Chen cultivated in seclusion at Jade Rock Mountain. Su Zixuan then alerted Qing Chen that Tie Ming and Wei Ting had arrived from Great Jin with a Command Token, and he agreed to meet them.

• Fire Jiao and Chan Master Wuxiang summoned their battle formations and used Fortune Talismans to strengthen themselves before their armies collided.
• Fire Jiao threatened to ally Jiaogu Island with the outer-sea demon clans, but Chan Master Wuxiang invoked the Eastern Prince Ji Zhongguang’s past victory over the Red Ao Clan and attacked.
• Qing Chen cultivated in Moro Cave, confident that the conflict among the great powers gave the Demon Lotus Sect time to grow.
• Su Zixuan contacted Qing Chen to report that Tie Ming and Wei Ting had arrived near Cangming Island bearing a Command Token from Heavenly Abyss Pass.
• Qing Chen ordered the Jade Rock Mountain Reception Hall opened and instructed his people to welcome Tie Ming and Wei Ting with the highest honors.

Tie Ming and Wei Ting arrived at Demon Lotus City to meet Qing Chen, who received them with little ceremony. Their reunion ended with Qing Chen remarking that he would be better off if they stayed away.

• Tie Ming and Wei Ting discussed whether Qing Chen would receive them and reflected on their past ties and the marriage agreement.
• Jia Daoyi welcomed them on Qing Chen’s order and guided their ships through Demon Lotus City’s formidable defenses.
• Tie Ming and Wei Ting entered the Guest Reception Hall and were shaken by the pressure of Qing Chen’s cultivation.
• Qing Chen invited them to sit without rising, and the two greeted him as an old friend.
• Qing Chen remarked that he would rather they stayed away so he could be well.

Qing Chen threatened Tie Ming and Wei Ting until Tie Ming revealed that the Nine Netherworlds Ancient Bloodline Contest’s forbidden grounds had appeared in Annan Province and outsiders might enter. Qing Chen welcomed the news, but Tie Ming then brought up Qingyao, and a vast force of divine sense swept across his perception.

• Qing Chen warned Tie Ming and Wei Ting that they would be in danger if their news displeased him.
• Tie Ming offered information about an immense opportunity and revealed that the ancient bloodline grounds had appeared in Annan Province.
• Tie Ming said the Miao Frontier Gu Tribe might let outsiders compete, drawing cultivators and demons from across the region toward Annan Province.
• Qing Chen recognized the value of the news and softened his attitude toward Tie Ming.
• Tie Ming swore he had opposed the Iron Household’s past actions and said Qingyao was still waiting for Qing Chen.
• Tie Ming’s vision blurred as a vast force of divine sense swept across his perception.

Qing Chen accepted Xiao Canglan’s offer to oppose Wu Gui’s plans in the ancient bloodline forbidden land, but said he needed to clear away obstacles first. He ordered Jia Daoyi to assemble sixty thousand Cangming Army troops and prepare treasure ships for a visit to the Vajra Zen Sect.

• Qing Chen silently appeared beside Tie Ming, demonstrated his power, and thanked him for his kindness before returning to the Demon Throne.
• Wei Ting delivered Xiao Canglan’s offer of restored rank and rewards if Qing Chen disrupted Wu Gui’s scheme, along with a warning of consequences if he failed or colluded with Wu Gui.
• Qing Chen judged that Xiao Canglan needed him as a powerful pawn and decided to use the offer to escape the Gouwu Sea’s entanglements.
• Qing Chen agreed to Xiao Canglan’s request on the condition that he first clear away obstacles affecting his household and holdings.
• Qing Chen ordered Jia Daoyi to gather sixty thousand Cangming Army troops and prepare treasure ships for a personal visit to Abbot Hui'an of the Vajra Zen Sect.

Qing Chen led a massive Demon Lotus Sect and Cangming Army fleet toward Vajra Mountain, triggering panic across the Gouwu Sea. The news forced Chan Master Wuxiang and Fire Jiao True Lord to halt their battle as they scrambled to respond to the impending upheaval.

• Qing Chen sailed toward Vajra Spirit Island with more than sixty thousand cultivators, while Tie Ming and Wei Ting worried about the possibility of a decisive battle.
• Scouts spread word that Qing Chen was marching on Vajra Mountain and that Cangming Army forces were moving to encircle it, alarming the region’s sects.
• Fire Jiao True Lord and Chan Master Wuxiang received news of Qing Chen’s advance and stopped fighting.
• Chan Master Wuxiang ordered his forces to retreat, form a defensive formation, contact Abbot Hui'an, and seek help from other powers.
• Chan Master Wuxiang agreed to stop contesting the Red Reef Archipelago, and Fire Jiao True Lord departed to contact Thunder Flood Dragon.

News that Qing Chen was marching on the Vajra Zen Sect sent the Gouwu Sea’s major powers into motion, while Qing Chen told his allies he sought peace rather than slaughter. He left them unconvinced as the forces gathered for a confrontation at Vajra Mountain.

• Sea-Calming True Lord received news of the sixty-thousand-strong army heading for Vajra Mountain and rushed ahead, ordering his forces to hold the Sinking Star Archipelago.
• Heavenly Pool True Lord learned of Qing Chen’s advance and set out for Vajra Mountain with two Nascent Soul puppets.
• Yinji ordered the Blissful Union Tower disciples in the Meixia Archipelago to prepare for battle and sent word to the main tower.
• Yaoyue ordered Yinji to lie low near Vajra Mountain and decided that she and Guanyin would go there to take down Qing Chen.
• Gong Shisan questioned Qing Chen’s decision to confront the Vajra Zen Sect while Penglai Spirit Island remained unsubdued.
• Qing Chen told Gong Shisan, Tie Ming, and Wei Ting that he wanted peace in the Gouwu Sea, though their reactions showed they doubted him.

Qing Chen defended his bloody campaign as a way to bring peace to Gouwu Sea and praised a poem that celebrated his fearsome reputation. At Vajra Mountain, Abbot Hui'an rejected calls to wait for reinforcements and ordered the Vajra Zen Sect to meet Qing Chen’s army in battle.

• Qing Chen claimed that his conquests had stopped greater wars, then laughed at a poem describing him as a savage whose road to heaven was paved with bones.
• Gong Shisan could not identify the poet, while Tie Ming and Wei Ting remained confused about whether Qing Chen intended to fight.
• At Vajra Zen Sect, Chan Master Numu urged Abbot Hui'an to recall Wuxiang’s forces, while other monks argued over whether to wait for allies or confront Qing Chen.
• Hui'an declared that the sect could not let Qing Chen surround Vajra Mountain without damaging its prestige, and ordered fifty thousand Buddhist soldiers and fifty thousand affiliated cultivators to muster.
• Hui'an swept the protesting monks to the ground with spiritual pressure and insisted that the Vajra Zen Sect face its enemy head-on.

Hui'an mobilized the Vajra Zen Sect’s forces and led an eighty-thousand-strong army east to meet Qing Chen’s approaching Demon Lotus Fleet, shocking the Gouwu Sea’s factions. As the fleets neared a decisive clash, Tie Ming and Wei Ting urged Qing Chen to reconsider, but his response remained unclear.

• Hui'an rallied the monks, assigned Yuan Jin to defend Vajra Mountain, and ordered the rest to prepare for battle.
• Fifteen Vajra Treasure Ships and eighty thousand Buddhist soldiers set out east under Hui'an’s command.
• News of the advance spread across the Gouwu Sea, prompting other factions to redirect their forces toward the fleets’ meeting point.
• Tie Ming and Wei Ting warned Qing Chen that fighting Hui'an could endanger their mission and Heavenly Abyss Pass’s relations with the Gouwu Sea.
• Qing Chen glanced at Tie Ming and Wei Ting, leaving them chilled as they waited for his answer.

Qing Chen assembled a two-hundred-thousand-strong fleet and prepared to confront the Vajra Zen Sect’s Main Fleet. After scouting reported that Hui'an’s forces had formed ranks, Qing Chen ordered his army into battle formation as the two fleets closed in.

• Qing Chen told Tie Ming and Wei Ting that Xiao Canglan had sent them as his price for Qing Chen’s aid, then ordered the fleet to maintain formation and prepare for battle.
• Chi Xuntian, Xu Jiuling, Zhaoshenzi, Ye Wushang, Zhao Kun, True Lord Tongyou, True Lord Budong, and Xin Bairen joined Qing Chen’s forces, bringing the Demon Lotus Sect’s strength to two hundred thousand cultivators.
• A Yanluo scout reported that the Vajra Zen Sect’s Main Fleet, led by Hui'an, had been sighted with at least one hundred and fifty thousand cultivators.
• Qing Chen ordered the Battle Hall Ranks to form the Blood Baleful Intent Spirit-Locking Battle Formation and the Cangming Army to deploy its wings in the Arrowhead Formation.
• Qing Chen’s fleet completed its deployment, raising formation flags and readying ballistae, bows, crossbows, and talismans for the coming battle.

Abbot Hui'an gathered the Vajra Zen Sect’s allies to discuss how to face Qing Chen’s approaching army of two hundred thousand. He argued that they had to resist the Demon Lotus Sect’s advance, and the council grew more confident that their Nascent Soul cultivators and Dao soldiers could prevail.

• Sea-Calming True Lord warned Hui'an that Qing Chen was approaching with two hundred thousand cultivators and asked why the Vajra Zen Sect would not use Vajra Spirit Island’s defenses.
• Hui'an described Qing Chen as ruthless and ambitious, arguing that retreat would invite further attacks and citing Mystic Yin Island and Jiaogu Island as warnings.
• Tower Lord Yinji questioned whether their hastily assembled forces could defeat Qing Chen’s veteran army.
• Chan Master Wuxiang and Buddha's Son Wuchen argued that their side held the advantage in Nascent Soul cultivators and Dao soldiers.
• The gathered allies took heart from Wuxiang and Wuchen’s assessment that their elite fighters could overcome Qing Chen’s forces.

Qing Chen’s Demon Lotus Sect fleet and the allied forces led by Abbot Hui'an advanced toward a decisive battle, while their commanders weighed the odds and prepared their formations. After the fleets’ battle formations clashed, Qing Chen and Hui'an faced each other above the sea, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• True Lord Yunwu and True Lord Chonghe warned Abbot Hui'an about Qing Chen and offered Penglai Spirit Island’s Thunder Marsh Sword to whoever killed Ye Wushang.
• Abbot Hui'an reassured the allies that Tower Master Yaoyue could help oppose Qing Chen, then ordered the fleet to form the Lotus Vajra Formation and advance.
• The two fleets closed the distance as their blood-red and golden auras pressed against each other, while Qing Chen asked Tie Ming and Wei Ting which side they thought would win.
• The Vajra Zen Sect’s Vajra Demon-Breaking Drum struck the Demon Lotus Sect’s Blood Baleful Intent Spirit-Locking Battle Formation, and their collision tore open a vast trench in the sea.
• As the fleets came within one thousand li, Qing Chen and Hui'an rose above their respective forces and faced each other.

Hui'an used the Vajra Zen Sect’s Heart-Questioning Brahma Sound to accuse Qing Chen of repaying the sect’s kindness with an attack, trying to break his Dao heart. Qing Chen steadied himself with the Demon Seed Golden Lotus and answered with a challenge to Hui'an’s understanding of the Dao.

• Hui'an invoked the Heart-Questioning Brahma Sound and reminded Qing Chen that Wuchen had named him, helping him gain his opportunity to rise.
• Hui'an recalled the Vajra Zen Sect’s protection of Qing Chen in Qiongzhou and its support for the Demon Lotus Sect, intensifying the spiritual pressure on Qing Chen.
• Hui'an accused Qing Chen of leading two hundred thousand troops against Vajra Mountain, and his final rebuke shook the Demon Lotus Platform and blasted open the sea below.
• Qing Chen released the source power of the Demon Seed Golden Lotus, stabilized his Demon Lotus Platform, and challenged Hui'an’s view of cultivation before insulting him.

Qing Chen shattered Hui'an’s Heart-Questioning Brahma Sound with his Demon Lotus Platform and Lawless Devil Aspect, rallying the Demon Lotus Fleet to fight. The rival factions weighed their own ambitions as Chan Master Wuxiang stopped two Penglai True Lords from fleeing before battle.

• Qing Chen recited his old enemy’s words, resisted Hui’an’s spiritual attack, and summoned a towering Lawless Devil Aspect.
• The Demon Lotus cultivators shook off the Buddhist chanting and roared their support for Qing Chen, while his demonic power scattered Hui’an’s spell.
• Hui’an recognized that Qing Chen’s divine sense and Demon Lotus Platform had thwarted his attempt to weaken the young cultivator.
• Yaoyue resolved to kill Qing Chen, Yinji planned to drain his cultivation, and the Guanyin Tower Master felt pride in his defiance.
• Wuchen, the Sea-Calming True Lord, and Old Man Tianchi each considered Qing Chen’s growing strength in light of their own interests.
• True Lords Yunwu and Chonghe tried to flee, but Chan Master Wuxiang ordered them to remain in place.

The Vajra Zen Sect and the Demon Lotus Sect deployed thirty-thousand-soldier battle formations to fight over Golden Scale Island. Their first clash ended nearly evenly, while Wuchen and Ye Wushang began dueling above the battlefield.

• Abbot Hui'an ordered Buddha's Son Wuchen to lead the Vajra Demon-Subduing Army and form the Eightfold Vajra Protector Battle Formation.
• Qing Chen sent Ye Wushang to lead thirty thousand Battle Hall Elite Forces and Xin Bairen to direct their battle formation.
• Wuxin Dharma Master and Xin Bairen unleashed their formations against each other, and the Eight-Armed Vajra and blood lotus clashed nearly evenly.
• Qing Chen reconsidered Xin Bairen as a possible recipient of his last Nascent Soul Formation Pill after seeing his command of the battle formation.
• Wuchen and Ye Wushang engaged in combat, with Ye Wushang thrusting his Azure Nether Sword toward the point between Wuchen's brows.

Ye Wushang and Wuchen clashed in the sky while Xin Bairen’s aggressive command overwhelmed the Vajra Zen Sect’s formations and inflicted heavy losses. As the battle turned against Wuchen’s side, Ye Wushang gained the advantage with thunder-infused swordsmanship, and Wuchen resolved that he could not afford to lose.

• Wuchen resisted Ye Wushang’s sword strikes with his Vajra Womb Realm and used the Prajna Boruo Seal to counterattack, briefly pushing Ye Wushang back.
• Xin Bairen directed the Demon Lotus Sect’s forces through rapid formation changes while Wuxin Dharma Master struggled to respond in time.
• Xin Bairen exploited a gap in the Eight-Armed Vajra Formation and empowered a ghost-head saber strike, killing more than two hundred Buddhist soldiers.
• Chan Master Numu prepared to intervene, but Hui'an told him to let Wuchen temper himself through the battle.
• With Xin Bairen’s fortune empowerment, Ye Wushang incorporated Thunder Marsh Sword Intent into his Sword Path laws and pressed Wuchen harder.
• Wuchen sensed his side’s fortune weakening and resolved that he could not lose to Ye Wushang.