Chapter Summaries

Zhu Qingquan, Demon God, and Du Mei discussed where Longevity Daoist might activate his grand formation and how to counter it. Demon God decided to keep Du Mei alive because her true qi was needed to activate the Supreme Ghost Stele.

• Du Mei revealed Longevity Daoist had said he could make up for his past failure, leading Zhu Qingquan to suspect he would return to the Desolate Domain and the Creation Sect's former site.
• Zhu Qingquan argued that the group still had to watch the Transfer Grand Formation in the Immortal Spirit Domain, since the Desolate Domain lacked enough Spiritual Energy for Longevity Daoist to cross into another world.
• Du Mei said Longevity Daoist chiefly sought the Minghong Saber and had targeted Zhu Qingquan as a potential threat along the way.
• Zhu Qingquan asserted that his formation inscriptions were essential to breaking Longevity Daoist's grand formations.
• Demon God refused to release Du Mei, explaining that her true qi would be needed to activate the Supreme Ghost Stele.

The Demon God, Huang Xiao, and Zhu Qingquan prepared inscribed formations to counter the Longevity Daoist’s Spirit Land Grand Formations, while Zhu Qingquan faced the difficult task of forging imitations of the Supreme Treasures. Xuan Yuanjun sent a new proposal, asking whether the Supreme Treasure and Divine Weapon Grand Formations could be combined.

• The Demon God had Zhu Qingquan escort Du Mei away, then went with Huang Xiao to retrieve inscribed formations from the Zhu Family’s Treasure Room.
• Zhu Qingquan explained that the inscribed formations would need stored true qi and further refinement before they could be used against the Longevity Daoist’s Spirit Land Grand Formations.
• The Demon God revealed that he intended to make Du Mei store her true qi before killing her, despite having led her to believe he would spare her.
• Zhu Qingquan said he would forge imitations of the Supreme Treasures and noted that Xuan Yuanjun would help through messages and formations.
• Huang Xiao suggested using divine weapons to build another formation, and Zhu Qingquan received a message from Xuan Yuanjun asking whether the Supreme Treasure Grand Formation and Divine Weapon Grand Formation could be forged together.

Xuan Yuanjun insisted that the Seven Great Treasures’ formations be fused with formations for seven selected peerless divine weapons, despite Zhu Qingquan’s concerns about the risks and complexity. Zhu Qingquan examined the Minghong Saber and praised Demon Phoenix’s unusual sentience, leaving the selection of weapons and the formation work still to come.

• Xuan Yuanjun explained that the formations needed to work as a unified whole and proposed using seven peerless divine weapons alongside the Seven Great Treasures, without increasing the number of formations during later modifications.
• Demon Phoenix told Huang Xiao he was willing to take part despite the danger, and Huang Xiao admitted he had been worrying selfishly about Demon Phoenix’s safety.
• After the formation transmission ended, Zhu Qingquan decided to send one set of formations to Xuan Yuanjun for testing, keep the others for further modification, and add formations for storing true qi.
• Zhu Qingquan examined the Minghong Saber and said Demon Phoenix’s sentience surpassed that of other peerless divine weapon souls because he had fused with the saber soul.
• Zhu Qingquan argued that Demon Phoenix’s sentience would help the Minghong Saber fit into the formations, and the Demon God could not refute him.

Zhu Qingquan extracted the faint Heaven and Earth Origin Flame from the Minghong Saber with the Demon Phoenix’s help, then separated it from the other flame and began nurturing both. After the first stage succeeded, he summoned Huang Xiao to use his heart fire in the nurturing process.

• Zhu Qingquan left to examine the Minghong Saber after Huang Xiao revealed that it still held a faint aura of the Heaven and Earth Origin Flame.
• Zhu Qingquan and the Demon Phoenix spent six hours drawing the flame out of the saber, then placed it in a furnace with wisps from the seven supreme treasure origin flames to separate it.
• After waiting a day, Zhu Qingquan confirmed the separation had worked and began strengthening the Heavenly Fire Origin Flame and Earth Fire Origin Flame with the other origin flames.
• The Demon Phoenix suggested that Huang Xiao’s heart fire could help nurture the origin flames, so Zhu Qingquan summoned Huang Xiao.
• Zhu Qingquan explained his plan to Huang Xiao, who understood why he had been called.

Huang Xiao and Zhu Qingquan strengthened two weak origin flames, then Zhu Qingquan gave Demon Phoenix origin flames and warned him that the Minghong Saber would be selected for Xuan Yuanjun’s formation. Huang Xiao chose to keep traveling and focus on comprehending the Treatises, and Zhu Qingquan began assigning Demon Phoenix another task.

• Huang Xiao and Zhu Qingquan used Huang Xiao’s heart fire and the Seven Great Treasures’ origin flames to stabilize two weak origin flames over five days.
• Zhu Qingquan stored portions of the seven great origin flames and the two other origin flames in the Minghong Saber for Demon Phoenix and Huang Xiao to nurture.
• Zhu Qingquan warned Demon Phoenix that the Minghong Saber would be among the seven divine weapons selected because it shared an origin with the Xuanyuan Sword, and Demon Phoenix accepted the danger.
• Huang Xiao told Zhu Qingquan he preferred to keep traveling and study the Treatise on Seeking the Dao and the Treatise on Enlightenment rather than cultivate in Xuan Yuanjun’s formation.
• Zhu Qingquan accepted Huang Xiao’s plan and told Demon Phoenix he had another task for him.

Zhu Qingquan advised Demon Phoenix to share his experiences with the souls of the other divine weapons to strengthen their spiritual awareness and the final formation. Huang Xiao chose to study the Treatises and abandon most of his cultivation methods, hoping to find insights that could help against Longevity Daoist.

• Zhu Qingquan asked Demon Phoenix to teach the other divine-weapon souls about the Jianghu and said he would prepare a formation for inscription.
• Huang Xiao told Demon God that the Heaven and Earth Origin Flame had been successfully nurtured, though he did not see him.
• Demon Phoenix questioned Huang Xiao’s decision not to enter seclusion, and Huang Xiao explained that studying the Treatises might help him gain insights into formations.
• Huang Xiao said he planned to abandon most of his cultivation methods while keeping the Longevity Chapter, Heavenly Demon Disintegration, and some methods of his own.
• Demon Phoenix encouraged Huang Xiao to make whatever gains he could before they faced Longevity Daoist.

After returning with Du Mei and Zhu Qingquan’s Inscribed Formations, Demon God discussed the growing Vortex Grand Formation and Xuan Yuanjun’s plan to investigate the Creation Sect. Xuan Yuanjun revealed his choices for the divine weapons and explained that the Xuanyuan Sword and Minghong Saber would serve as formation eyes, while Demon God agreed to bring the Supreme Demon Saber into the effort.

• Demon God returned to the island with Du Mei and reported that the Vortex Grand Formation had grown stronger.
• Xuan Yuanjun said they needed to wait about half a year for the formation to stabilize, but planned to inspect the other formations and visit the Creation Sect to test the Inscribed Formations.
• Xuan Yuanjun named the seven divine weapons chosen for the main formation: the Supreme Demon Saber, Zhanlu Sword, Seven-Star Dragon Abyss, Ganjiang and Moye, Dragon Fang, and Hong Yi's Dragon Claw.
• Demon God questioned why the Xuanyuan Sword and Minghong Saber were excluded, and Xuan Yuanjun explained they would work together as the formation eyes.
• Xuan Yuanjun said Tiger Wing and Inugami would join the auxiliary formation, then asked Demon God to ensure the Supreme Demon Saber cooperated.
• Demon God promised to return to the Demon God Sect to finish quenching the Supreme Demon Saber and bring it back in time for the trip to the Creation Sect.

Huang Xiao and the others left the island to join Xuan Yuanjun’s group and investigate the formations around the Creation Sect. They crossed the island’s perimeter and reached the boundary of the Desolate Domain’s final formation, still ten li from the sect’s main gate.

• Huang Xiao and the others spent time on the island preparing, while Huo Lian studied formations and Demon Phoenix trained the divine weapons’ coordination.
• After receiving Xuan Yuanjun’s message, the Demon God, Huang Xiao, and the others set out for the Creation Sect, fearing the Longevity Daoist might force an early battle.
• In the Desolate Mountain Range, Xuan Yuanjun’s group reported that the formations had grown stronger, and Xuan Yuanjun confirmed he had brought the Seven Great Treasures.
• Huang Xiao noticed that the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth had stabilized, which Xuan Yuanjun linked to changes in the Creation Sect’s grand formation.
• Xuan Yuanjun examined the island’s perimeter, then stepped onto it; Huang Xiao and the others followed, with the Demon God joining them.
• Xuan Yuanjun led everyone to the outskirts of the Creation Sect and said they had reached the boundary of the Desolate Domain’s final formation, about ten li from the main gate.

Xuan Yuanjun and the others investigated the Desolate Domain’s core formation and discovered that the Longevity Daoist was inside, personally improving it. He gave them two hours to try breaking it, but Xuan Yuanjun and Zuo Qiu Yi chose to study it instead, leaving the group to await the confrontation.

• Xuan Yuanjun said the formation had changed dramatically and that recent improvements suggested the Longevity Daoist had been there only a few days earlier.
• Xuan Yuanjun and Zuo Qiu Yi detected a fresh change in the formation and concluded that the Longevity Daoist was inside.
• The Longevity Daoist applauded them, confirmed he was improving the formation, and gave them two hours to break it before it reached perfection.
• The Demon God urged Xuan Yuanjun to attack, but Xuan Yuanjun said they could not break the formation, and Zuo Qiu Yi insisted they use the time to study it.
• The Demon God backed down as Xuan Yuanjun and Zuo Qiu Yi studied the formation, while Ye Nishang and the others feared they might not survive what came next.

Jiang Hengdao emerged after completing his grand formation and faced Xuan Yuanjun, Demon God, Ji Xuanying, and the others. He revealed his confidence by proposing to test the formation’s power, leaving the group bracing for its activation.

• The completed formation concealed nearly all traces of its aura, and Jiang Hengdao emerged from it to confront the group.
• Demon Phoenix and Huang Xiao questioned Jiang Hengdao’s kindly appearance, while Zuo Qiu Yi realized his Ruthlessness Dao had grown stronger.
• Ji Xuanying addressed Jiang Hengdao by his real name, and he greeted her warmly despite their history.
• Jiang Hengdao learned that Du Mei had revealed his whereabouts, but dismissed her and his other former subordinates as unimportant.
• When Demon God prepared to attack, Jiang Hengdao stopped him and proposed activating the grand formation to test its power.

Jiang Hengdao activated the Grand Formation, but Xuan Yuanjun realized it was not yet the true Cross-Realm Grand Formation. Jiang Hengdao then unleashed the stored spiritual energy, and Huang Xiao sensed the formation was strengthening heaven and earth momentum enough to bind even the seniors.

• Xuan Yuanjun, the Demon God, and the others attacked Jiang Hengdao, but he retreated behind the formation and they could not reach him.
• Jiang Hengdao activated the formation, shocking Xuan Yuanjun and the others, who realized they could only wait.
• Xuan Yuanjun judged the formation's power too weak to cross the boundary, and Jiang Hengdao admitted this was not the final step.
• Jiang Hengdao stopped the formation from absorbing spiritual energy, then released a vast torrent that blew Huang Xiao and the other juniors back.
• Huang Xiao felt a force like heaven and earth momentum bind him and suspected the formation had greatly strengthened it.

Jiang Hengdao used his formation to suppress everyone’s internal power and easily beat back their attacks, revealing that he was keeping them alive for his final plan. The Demon God and the others were left unable to resist as Jiang Hengdao warned that the formation would become even more dangerous when fully activated.

• Jiang Hengdao said he could adapt to the formation better than the others and challenged Xuan Yuanjun, the Demon God, and the old men to attack him.
• The Demon God unleashed three powerful slashes with his Supreme Demon Saber, but Jiang Hengdao dodged one and shattered the other two with finger force.
• Xuan Yuanjun and Ji Xuanying attacked Jiang Hengdao from behind, but he evaded them and sent Zuo Qiu Yi flying with a finger thrust.
• Jiang Hengdao said he needed the Longevity True Qi in Zuo Qiu Yi’s body and was keeping everyone alive until his final plan.
• Huo Lian recognized that Jiang Hengdao was demonstrating his strength, and Jiang Hengdao confirmed the formation suppressed their internal power while affecting him less.

Jiang Hengdao revealed that he had spared the group to advance his Ruthlessness Dao and vanished after demonstrating his overwhelming strength. Xuan Yuanjun restored the group’s morale and proposed that Jiang Hengdao had deliberately arranged for them to come there, leaving them to investigate his true plan.

• Huang Xiao found that the formation barely suppressed his power, unlike Xuan Yuanjun and the others.
• Jiang Hengdao admitted he was using the group as a trial for his Ruthlessness Dao and left after warning them to enjoy their remaining days.
• The Demon God tried to pursue Jiang Hengdao, but Xuan Yuanjun stopped him and the Demon God vented his frustration with a saber strike.
• Du Mei said Jiang Hengdao’s strength had once driven her to submit, and Xuan Yuanjun prevented the Demon God from killing her.
• Xuan Yuanjun acknowledged his despair but urged everyone to search for a way forward, restoring their resolve.
• Xuan Yuanjun suggested that Jiang Hengdao had calculated on Du Mei revealing his whereabouts and had wanted the group to come there.

Xuan Yuanjun and the others discussed how the formation restricted their internal power and feared that the activated Grand Formation would weaken them more than Jiang Hengdao. At the lakeside, Ji Xuanying proposed that the suppression had another cause, pointing to an aura that vanished when spiritual energy surged from the formation.

• Xuan Yuanjun reasoned that Jiang Hengdao had tested how much the formation could suppress their internal power before letting them go.
• The group estimated that the Grand Formation would weaken them more severely than Jiang Hengdao, who had set it up himself.
• Ji Xuanying suggested that the formation might not have been solely responsible for suppressing their power.
• Xuan Yuanjun led everyone away from the formation site and set up an isolation formation at the lakeside.
• Ji Xuanying said Jiang Hengdao's previous failed activation had left an aftereffect, and that an unfamiliar aura vanished when spiritual energy surged from the formation.

Xuan Yuanjun explained that Jiang Hengdao had tested how an aura from another realm affected the grand formation and planned to cleanse traces of it from the formation. He proposed preparing to stop Jiang Hengdao while also exploiting the stronger aura likely to descend when the formation was activated, especially with Huang Xiao and the others less affected.

• Ji Xuanying confirmed that an aura not belonging to Jiang Hengdao had vanished into heaven and earth along with the spiritual energy.
• Xuan Yuanjun concluded that Jiang Hengdao had used spiritual energy to cleanse the formation of the foreign aura, which had affected him.
• The Demon God and Shentu Kuanglang suggested finding the aura to weaken Jiang Hengdao, but Xuan Yuanjun and Zuo Qiu Yi said it likely came from another realm and could not be found in the Ancient World.
• Xuan Yuanjun proposed waiting for the aura to descend again when Jiang Hengdao activated his grand formation, while continuing to prepare to destroy it or fight him.
• Xuan Yuanjun argued that a stronger returning aura could improve their odds because Jiang Hengdao might be affected more severely, and Huang Xiao's group seemed less affected than the others.

Xuan Yuanjun and the others discussed how the formation’s aura affected them and realized Huang Xiao and the other juniors might fare better under its suppression. They debated which of three formations Jiang Hengdao would activate, then left the choice to Xuan Yuanjun.

• Huang Xiao told Xuan Yuanjun that the aura had barely affected him, and Xuan Yuanjun explained that the Ancient World’s inhabitants were more affected than those from the Martial World.
• Xuan Yuanjun warned the elders that Huang Xiao and the others could prove more capable if the suppression became severe, prompting them to reconsider how seriously they took the juniors.
• The Demon God questioned whether the formation in the Desolate Domain was Jiang Hengdao’s most important one and urged the group to watch the Vortex Grand Formation at sea and the formation in the Immortal Spirit Domain.
• Ye Nishang, Feng Qilou, and Xun Wuying argued that the Immortal Spirit Domain was likely the key location, while Zuo Qiu Yi maintained that the current location remained most important.
• Shentu Kuanglang asked Ao Yuan for the Divine Beast Clan’s position, but Ao Yuan said he had no preference, and the others turned to Xuan Yuanjun to choose a priority.

Xuan Yuanjun chose to focus their efforts on the Vortex Grand Formation, though he still suspected the crucial formation was in the Desolate Domain. After the others left, he asked Ao Yuan to bring the Divine Beast Clan’s experts there, revealing that he believed Ao Yuan’s clan could help because of a hidden aura tied to their essence blood.

• Xuan Yuanjun chose to target the Vortex Grand Formation, and Zuo Qiu Yi reluctantly accepted the decision.
• The Demon God agreed to provide Zhu Qingquan with the ores and treasures he needed to forge and inscribe formations.
• Xuan Yuanjun asked Ao Yuan to bring the Divine Beast Clan’s experts to the Desolate Domain, but Ao Yuan said he could not secure their support.
• Xuan Yuanjun explained that he wanted the Divine Beast Clan’s help because of its stores of essence blood, not to demand that its experts sacrifice their blood.
• Xuan Yuanjun pressed Ao Yuan about a concealed aura, and Ao Yuan admitted it had not affected him much.

Xuan Yuanjun concluded that abundant essence blood let the Divine Beast Clan and Zuo Qiu Yi resist the aura weakening their powers, and he urged Ao Yuan to bring the clan’s experts to help oppose Jiang Hengdao. After Ao Yuan left, Xuan Yuanjun asked Du Mei to confirm whether Jiang Hengdao had deliberately misled them about his whereabouts, leaving that question unresolved.

• Xuan Yuanjun explained that strong, abundant essence blood was likely why Ao Yuan and Jiang Hengdao had been less affected by the aura.
• Xuan Yuanjun called Ao Yuan and Zuo Qiu Yi potential trump cards, and Ao Yuan agreed to bring the Divine Beast Clan’s experts.
• Du Mei scoffed at the group’s chances, and Xuan Yuanjun offered to protect her if she cooperated and they won.
• Xuan Yuanjun asked Du Mei whether Jiang Hengdao had used her to deliberately mislead them and lure them to the current location.

Xuan Yuanjun suspected Jiang Hengdao had planted misleading information and decided to prepare for the possibility that the Creation Sect formation was the true target. He arranged for Zhao Yunhui to remain and study it while he and the others planned to investigate further before the Vortex Grand Formation stabilized.

• Du Mei realized Jiang Hengdao had deliberately let her and Xu Zhiru discover his whereabouts so they could pass his chosen information to Xuan Yuanjun’s group.
• Xuan Yuanjun asked Du Mei whether Jiang Hengdao’s remarks about making up for past failures might have been another deception, and she said they had seemed sincere.
• Xuan Yuanjun proposed that Zhao Yunhui stay behind to study the Creation Sect formation while he and Zuo Qiu Yi went to the Vortex Grand Formation.
• Xuan Yuanjun told Huang Xiao to assist Zhao Yunhui and asked Du Mei to cooperate in dealing with the Supreme Ghost Stele’s aura of power.
• Xuan Yuanjun, Zuo Qiu Yi, Zhao Yunhui, and Huo Lian stayed to study the formation for several months before the Vortex Grand Formation stabilized.

Huang Xiao traveled to the Zhu Family after Zhu Qingquan reported that the Inscribed Formations could not be fused perfectly. The problem threatened their plan to use the formations to break Jiang Hengdao’s Grand Formation.

• Xuan Yuanjun told Huang Xiao to visit the Zhu Family more often and act as a messenger while the others studied the repaired formation.
• Jiang Hengdao entered the final Spirit Land Grand Formation in the Immortal Spirit Domain, and Demon God sent formation experts there to watch and prepare.
• Huang Xiao explained to Ji Shidao that Demon God’s preparations in the Immortal Spirit Domain could help hinder Jiang Hengdao’s plan.
• Huang Xiao set off for the Zhu Family without the Minghong Saber, leaving Demon Phoenix behind with the saber and sword souls.
• Huang Xiao met Zhu Qingquan, who told him that the Inscribed Formations would not fuse perfectly.