Chapter Summaries

Lu Wu and his companions fought through endless undead in Sha Yuan while the Corpse of the Mountain Peak recovered behind them. Han Ji kept the danger secret and pressed on with the evacuation, while Mu He watched Lu Wu’s advance and realized the Divine Investiture Ceremony might fail.

• Lu Wu retreated from the Corpse of the Mountain Peak and fought the surrounding undead with Little Flame Fairy’s possession to strengthen his magic Stars.
• Han Ji learned that the vanished undead had appeared in Sha Yuan and were blocking Lu Wu’s group near the Death Gate Bridge, but he kept the news from Mu Nujiao and Mu Ningxue while evacuating civilians.
• Han Ji ordered the killing of people stirring up unrest, suspecting they might be Black Vatican members and refusing to risk the evacuation.
• Mu He watched Lu Wu’s team destroy undead tribes and began doubting whether even Cardinal Salang could match him.
• Mu He warned that the Corpse of the Mountain Peak was recovering as weaker undead attacked Lu Wu, and that it would eventually gain the advantage.

Lu Wu, Mo Fan, and the others fought the endless undead inside Sha Yuan, repeatedly exhausting and restoring their magic energy as the Silver Vortex continued to pour out enemies. As Mo Fan awakened a mysterious blood-ink-colored element, Lu Wu sensed his own Beast Element stirring while his Nirvana Origin was nearly spent.

• Lu Wu summoned the Golden-Eyed Winged Tiger and its tribe to battle the undead, then recalled them when they became badly wounded and poisoned.
• As the group weakened, Lu Wu used antidotes and Nirvana Fire while Su Xiaoluo helped treat the others and Mo Fan recovered with Undead Crystals.
• Lu Wu and Mo Fan resumed fighting together, with Lu Wu bearing most of the burden as they repeatedly ran low on magic energy and the corpse pile grew enormous.
• After exhausting his spiritual world, Mo Fan awakened a silver Stardust and discovered a blood-ink-colored region that seemed to promise endless energy.
• Lu Wu sensed a familiar aura from Mo Fan and found his own Beast Element stirring, while too little Nirvana Origin remained to suppress it.

Lu Wu and Mo Fan unleashed terrifying demon forms, and Lu Wu killed the Corpse of the Mountain Peak with a single attack. The Bridge of Nine Deaths collapsed, leaving Lu Wu lost in spatial turbulence and Mo Fan and the others near the Ancient King's imperial tomb.

• Lu Wu's Beast Element rejected the Nirvana Origin and transformed him, while Mo Fan revealed his own hellfire demon form.
• Lu Wu unleashed a huge hand formed from lightning, flames, and five demon souls, overwhelming the Corpse of the Mountain Peak as Mo Fan escaped with Monkey, Zhan Kong, and the others.
• Lu Wu tore out the Corpse of the Mountain Peak's Undead Crystal and Soul Essence, but the exit collapsed and swept him into spatial turbulence.
• Lu Wu remained unharmed in the spatial turbulence and marveled at his newfound power.
• At the bell tower, Lu Huan, Zuo Feng, the gray-and-white man, and Mu He watched the Bridge of Nine Deaths collapse and realized the Divine Investiture Ceremony faced an unexpected variable.

Lu Wu reached the Blood Throne and found the Ancient King controlling Fang Gu’s body and suppressing Mo Fan. The Ancient King took Fang Gu’s body and the Corpse of the Mountain Peak’s power, then revealed he wanted Lu Wu’s body as his new shell before Lu Wu attacked.

• Lu Wu emerged from spatial turbulence at the Life Gate altar and flew toward the Blood Throne, where Zhang Xiaohou, Zhan Kong, and Su Xiaoluo lay unconscious and Mo Fan was pinned down.
• Fang Gu confronted Lu Wu from the throne, but the Ancient King’s soul surfaced and demanded Lu Wu’s body.
• The Ancient King took control of Fang Gu’s body, drew out the Soul Vessel and Undead Crystal, and summoned the Corpse of the Mountain Peak.
• The Ancient King absorbed the broken inner armor from the Hanging Coffin Swamp, leaving Fang Gu’s body reduced to a skeleton and strengthening the black Armor Robe.
• The Ancient King explained that Ban Yuehuang had been a Calamity Bearer whose sealed soul he was using to restore his power, while Lu Wu realized he was stalling and punched at him.

Lu Wu escaped the Ancient King's spatial cage and fought the Corpse of the Mountain Peak while Mo Fan tried to protect the unconscious group. The Ancient King offered Lu Wu power in exchange for his Nirvana Bone, but Lu Wu demanded that the undead leave the Ancient Capital and the Chongming Bird be spared before agreeing to meet him later.

• The Ancient King trapped Lu Wu in a spatial cage while Ban Yuehuang's curse weakened him, and Mo Fan broke free and tried to flee with Zhang Xiaohou, Zhan Kong, Su Xiaoluo, and the others.
• Lu Wu told Mo Fan to attack the three jade pillars, then exploited the cage's brief instability to break out.
• Lu Wu attacked the Corpse of the Mountain Peak, but the Ancient King appeared and offered him a king's throne if he would serve him.
• The Ancient King proposed killing the Chongming Bird and taking Lu Wu's Nirvana Bone, explaining that he had learned of it during an ancient sea battle.
• Lu Wu refused the throne and demanded that the undead leave the Ancient Capital and the Chongming Bird be spared, promising to find the Ancient King when his Nirvana Bone matured.

Lu Wu escaped Sha Yuan but was captured by the Ancient King's evil dragon and fought back with his Nirvana Fire. After the Chongming Bird and Demon Phoenix Insect fused with him, Lu Wu's power rose to rival the Ancient King as Lu Huan watched the confrontation.

• The Ancient King transported Lu Wu out of Sha Yuan and declared that he would use the city’s millions as sacrifices to complete Lu Wu’s Nirvana Bone.
• The Ancient King bound Lu Wu with an Evil Dragon, but Lu Wu blasted open its abdomen with a Heavenly Flame Spear.
• Lu Wu lost his reason as the evil dragon’s fangs pierced him and forced its jaws apart with his bare hands.
• The Chongming Bird fused with Lu Wu, and he attacked the Ancient King’s larger evil dragons with a fire flood dragon.
• The Demon Phoenix Insect fused with Lu Wu, bringing his energy to a level comparable to the Ancient King while Lu Huan watched nearby.

As Lu Wu fought the awakened Ancient King, Salang escaped after an attack on the soul-shackle guards left several powerful mages injured. Han Ji returned to the bell tower with Mu Nujiao and Mu Ningxue, while the others identified Ling Xi as Salang and confronted the consequences of the failed secret plan.

• Lu Huan and the other mages watched Lu Wu battle the Ancient King with six elemental powers in addition to his Summoning System.
• Yang Lin reported that an attacker had broken the soul shackles, wounded the higher-ups, and taken Chu Jia and Ling Xi; Hunter King Du Xiao had wounded the attacker.
• Lu Huan ordered a search for Chu Jia and Ling Xi, while Han Ji learned that the Ancient King had awakened and the undead had stopped attacking to kneel before him.
• Mu Nujiao and Mu Ningxue decided to return to Lu Wu, and Han Ji agreed to take them there as the civilians continued evacuating.
• Zhu Meng and Shi Zheng concluded that Ling Xi was Salang after Chu Jia's body was found, and Zhu Meng blamed Lu Huan for concealing the Decapitation Plan.
• Han Ji arrived beneath the bell tower and said he would explain the Ancient Capital catastrophe to the Imperial Palace Magic Association.

Han Ji and the leaders of the Ancient Capital decided to dismantle the barrier and pour their energy-rich resources into the Earth Pistil so it could help Lu Wu fight the Ancient King. After the barrier fell, Mu Nujiao prepared to summon the Dark Fire Monarch to carry the restored Barrier Pistil to Lu Wu.

• Han Ji proposed shutting down the barrier’s crystallization and gathering the remaining energy into the Earth Pistil to aid Lu Wu.
• Li Yujian, Zhu Meng, Lu Huan, Lu Xu, and Shi Zheng offered their resources to replenish the Earth Pistil.
• Mu Nujiao offered to summon the Dark Fire Monarch, and Zhu Meng told her to call it without putting herself in danger.
• Han Ji healed the Super Level Mages, and the golden barrier dissipated, frightening the Ancient Capital’s civilians.
• Han Ji prepared a vessel holding the energized Earth Pistil and asked Mu Nujiao and Mu Ningxue to summon the Dark Fire Monarch.

Mu Nujiao and Han Ji sent the Dark Fire Monarch to deliver an Earth Pistil to Lu Wu as he fought the Ancient King. Lu Wu absorbed the Earth Pistil and exhausted his allies’ and his own power in a desperate attack, but both he and the Ancient King survived, and the Ancient King proposed a deal.

• Mu Nujiao pleaded with the Dark Fire Monarch to help Lu Wu, and Han Ji gave it the Earth Pistil to carry to him.
• Lu Wu regained some clarity when he sensed Little Fire, who delivered the Earth Pistil while Lu Wu continued fighting the Ancient King.
• Lu Wu, the Chongming Bird, and the Demon Phoenix Insect drained the Earth Pistil’s energy, and Little Fire joined their power.
• Lu Wu seized the Ancient King’s Evil Armor Robe and spent the Nirvana Bone’s remaining power to unleash a devastating attack that weakened them both.
• As dawn appeared, Lu Wu realized the Ancient King had survived, and the Ancient King told him that he had survived too before proposing a deal.

The Ancient Capital celebrated the undead’s retreat while its leaders struggled to learn whether Lu Wu had survived his battle with the Ancient King. As the Black Vatican was hunted down and the undead became a barrier against Qinling’s Demon Beasts, Lu Wu was found alive near the mountains with Mu Nujiao and Mu Ningxue.

• Han Ji and the Ancient Capital’s leaders discussed Lu Wu’s disappearance, the cost of his Demon Element, and the searches by Mu Nujiao and Mu Ningxue.
• The officials arranged recognition for those who helped defend the city and worked to conceal the Demon Element’s secrets while they searched for Lu Wu and Mo Fan.
• The Magic Association, Magic Court, and Military Mages began killing Salang’s Black Vatican members without mercy as the effort to uproot the organization spread nationwide.
• The Ancient Capital was rebuilt, and its undead stopped emerging from their tombs, forming a barrier between the city and the Demon Beasts of the Qinling Mountains.
• Near the Qinling Mountains, Lu Wu watched Mu Nujiao and Mu Ningxue fight alongside their Phoenix Insects and praised their growing coordination.

Lu Wu planned to buy Star River Veins so he, Mu Nujiao, and Mu Ningxue could advance to the Advanced Level and compete in the World Academy Competition. After meeting Han Ji and Mu Bai, he learned more about the Ancient King's ambitions and the Mu Clan’s threat to Mu Ningxue.

• Lu Wu told Mu Nujiao that his cultivation had recovered and that he planned to provide resources so she and Mu Ningxue could advance and join the World Academy Competition.
• Lu Wu assured Han Ji that the Ancient King was alive and keeping the undead in check, while warning that grave robbers who provoked them would still be attacked.
• Lu Wu recalled the Ancient King's account of the Four Sacred Totem Beasts fighting ocean Emperors and resolved to grow strong enough to deal with the Ancient King as an equal.
• Mu Bai told Lu Wu that the Mu Clan was targeting the Mu Family and planned to take the Ice Crystal Bow from Mu Ningxue's body.
• Lu Wu comforted Mu Bai over the Mu Family's troubles and remembered that Mu He had been tried and executed after Salang's forces were uprooted.

Lu Wu learned that the Mu Clan had given Mu Ningxue’s World Academy Competition place to Mu Tingying and tried to protect Mu Ningxue while helping Shen Yuerong plan to find her parents. In the Imperial Capital, Mu Ningxue found her father being humiliated by Mu Clan members, and the Ice Phoenix Insect appeared as Mu Jianlin targeted her Ice Crystal Bow.

• Lu Wu told Mu Ningxue to return to school, use a Star River Vein to break through, and wait for him, while Mu Ningxue said the competition places were nearly settled and she might still have a reserve spot.
• Lu Wu reunited with Shen Shitian and gave Shen Yuerong a Star River Vein, then warned her not to confront the Assassin Palace alone while agreeing to help find her parents.
• Lu Wu took Mu Nujiao to the Mu Family, spoke with Old Master Mu, and then brought her to the Imperial Capital.
• Mu Ningxue arrived at a teahouse and found Mu Zhuoyun serving tea while Mu Dao’s subordinates mocked him.
• Mu Jianlin confronted Mu Ningxue over the Ice Crystal Bow, hoping to use it to advance his family, and Mu Ningxue urged her father to leave as the Ice Phoenix Insect emerged.

Mu Jianlin and the other Mu Clan mages tried to seize Mu Ningxue’s Ice Phoenix Insect and Ice Crystal Bow, but Lu Wu intervened and killed Mu Feng. Mu Chong emerged from the bamboo grove and said the Mu Clan did not want to oppose Lu Wu, leaving Lu Wu dissatisfied with how cautiously they handled him.

• Mu Jianlin ordered the mages to attack Mu Ningxue and take the Ice Phoenix Insect, while Mu Ningxue and the insect broke through their ice attacks.
• An old mage petrified Mu Ningxue and the insect, and Mu Jianlin’s group restrained Mu Zhuoyun before planning to divide the insect and Ice Crystal Bow.
• Lu Wu appeared beside Mu Feng, suppressed his magic, and snapped his neck.
• Lu Wu seized the mages who had attacked Mu Ningxue, then called out the Super Level Mages concealed in the bamboo grove.
• Mu Chong emerged and said Mu Feng had courted death and that the Mu Clan did not want to oppose Lu Wu.

Lu Wu confronted the Mu Clan over its persecution of Mu Ningxue, while the Ancient King’s presence intimidated the clan’s Super Level Mages. Zhu Meng arrived after hearing of a killing and recognized Lu Wu, leaving Mu Jianlin hoping the councilman would save him.

• Lu Wu apologized to Mu Chong for bringing the Ancient King to the Imperial Capital, while Mu Chong and the other Super Level Mages concealed their fear of him.
• Mu Chong condemned Mu Jianlin and his allies, ordering them to take their own lives and protect their families from expulsion.
• Mu Jianlin accused the Mu Clan’s higher-ups of plotting to use Mu Ningxue to nurture the Ice Crystal Bow, and Mu Chong kicked him silent.
• Lu Wu demanded to meet the Mu Clan’s leaders and warned that he would kill anyone who used clan ties to oppress Mu Ningxue and the Bocheng Mu Family.
• Zhu Meng arrived with Magic Association members, recognized Lu Wu, and relaxed when he realized Lu Wu had survived.
• Mu Jianlin appealed to Zhu Meng for protection, accusing Lu Wu of violating the Magic Convention.

Lu Wu left with Mu Ningxue and Mu Zhuoyun after Mu Chong backed him over the Mu Clan’s attack, while Zhu Meng realized the Ancient King might be in the Imperial Capital and rushed to warn the Grand Speaker. Mu Zhuoyun then warned Lu Wu that he did not want Ning Xue to be hurt, leaving Lu Wu to face her father’s concerns about their relationship.

• Mu Jianlin accused Lu Wu of attacking the Mu Clan, but Mu Chong confirmed that the group had targeted Mu Ningxue and that Lu Wu had acted in her defense.
• Zhu Meng ignored Mu Jianlin’s complaint, greeted Lu Wu warmly, and checked whether he had been injured.
• Mu Jianlin and the other attackers panicked, and one Advanced Mage killed himself as Lu Wu left with Mu Ningxue and Mu Zhuoyun.
• Lu Wu demanded that Mu Chong resolve the World Academy Competition spot and Ice Crystal Bow disputes within two days, then departed without letting the others follow.
• Mu Chong hinted that the Ancient King was nearby, and Zhu Meng realized the danger and hurried off to consult the Grand Speaker.
• Lu Wu offered Mu Zhuoyun and Mu Ningxue his support, while Mu Zhuoyun admitted he opposed their relationship because Lu Wu was also involved with Mu Nujiao and asked him not to hurt his daughter.

Lu Wu negotiated with Mu Dao over the Mu Clan’s attempt to replace Mu Ningxue in the World Academy Competition and take her Ice Crystal Bow. They reached agreements on compensation and a future contest for the bow, and Lu Wu asked the clan to find crystal ore veins and Star Sea Heavenly Veins.

• Mu Chong brought Lu Wu to meet Mu Dao at the Mu Clan’s tea estate, where Mu Dao offered to resolve the dispute over Mu Ningxue’s competition spot and Ice Crystal Bow.
• Lu Wu revealed that the Ancient King knew three Forbidden Curse mages had gathered at Mu Pang Mountain and threatened retaliation if the Mu Clan refused responsibility, while Mu Dao warned that Lu Wu’s allies could also be targeted.
• Mu Dao offered one Star River Vein as compensation, then raised the offer to three, which Lu Wu accepted.
• Mu Dao explained that the Ice Crystal Bow was an ancient forbidden artifact whose fragments were split between Mu Ningxue and the Mu Clan, and proposed a future duel when their bows were ready to be fused.
• Lu Wu asked Mu Dao to use the Mu Clan’s connections to locate unmined large earth-element crystal ore veins and Star Sea Heavenly Veins, offering payment for the information and ore.

Mu Ningxue broke through to the Advanced Level with Lu Wu’s help, then joined him in catching up with the National Team in Feiniao City. The team prepared to hunt the Sea Monsters threatening the city so they could earn passage to Japan.

• Lu Wu gave Mu Ningxue three Star River Veins and told her to focus on breaking through, while explaining that the Ice Crystal Bow would be decided by her future contest with the Mu Clan’s younger generation.
• Mu Ningxue successfully broke through to the Advanced Level, using all but one of the Star River Veins, and agreed to join the team with Lu Wu.
• Lu Wu and Mu Ningxue reached Feiniao City and reunited with the National Team, where Guan Yu disparaged the reserves and Ai Jiangtu ordered him to stop causing trouble.
• Ai Jiangtu explained that the team had lost its assets and needed to help the Lin Group eliminate the Sea Monsters in exchange for a ship to Japan.
• Zhao Manyan suggested using Jiang Shaoxu’s Monster Gathering Instrument, but Lu Wu proposed first finding a suitable island; he noted that the team had enough Advanced Mages to attempt it.

On Rock Island, Lu Wu effortlessly killed a group of Crimson Rending Demons, but the team discovered the monsters had swallowed two children. The discovery turned their hunt into an investigation, and Ai Jiangtu sent Jiang Yu and Mu Tingying back to Feiniao City to learn which places had been attacked.

• Nan Jue and Ai Jiangtu discussed making camp on Rock Island and possibly using the Monster Gathering Instrument, while Lu Wu said they could handle a pack of Sea Monsters.
• After Guan Yu questioned Lu Wu’s warning, Lu Wu killed a dozen adult Crimson Rending Demons from a distance with his Space Element, leaving the team stunned by his strength.
• Ai Jiangtu and Mo Fan found the corpses of two young children inside the monsters, and Zhao Manyan used light to purify their remains.
• Jiang Yu suggested that the Sea Monsters’ attacks had been concealed, and Ai Jiangtu ordered Jiang Yu and Mu Tingying to investigate recent attacks around Feiniao City, especially those involving babies.
• Ai Jiangtu’s question led Guan Yu and the others to suspect that the mentors had deliberately placed them in the fishing village as a training challenge.

Lu Wu tracked the Crimson Rending Demons to nearby islands and annihilated them and the other Sea Monsters with a devastating Fourth Tier Fierce Fist. The team saw the full extent of his strength, while Lu Wu collected a Commander Soul Essence and considered which elements to cultivate next.

• Ai Jiangtu suspected Feiniao City was concealing the truth about people being swallowed and went to investigate, while Lu Wu left to hunt the Crimson Rending Demons.
• Mu Ningxue told Lu Wu that Crimson Rending Demons were strongest in water and usually stayed in their nests during the day, with Sea Monkey Monsters bringing them food.
• Lu Wu used his domain to locate Crimson Rending Demons and other Demon Beasts on four nearby islands, including a Commander-level monster.
• Lu Wu unleashed Nirvana Fire: Fierce Fist, setting off huge explosions that flattened the islands and killed the Demon Beasts.
• Lu Wu collected the Soul Remnants and a Commander Soul Essence, while Ai Jiangtu and the others arrived and reacted in shock to his power.
• Lu Wu revealed that most of his elements were at Advanced Level Third Tier and planned to cultivate his Fire, Lightning, and Ice Elements.

After the team returned to Feiniao City, Jiang Yu’s investigation revealed that more than a hundred infants had disappeared over three years and that officials had concealed the cases. Lu Wu suspected deep corruption and urged the team to investigate briefly, contact their mentors, and continue toward Japan if they found no lead.

• Ai Jiangtu brought the team to Lin Junxian, who agreed to cooperate with their effort against the Sea Monsters without learning that the Crimson Rift Demon had been destroyed.
• Lu Wu called Mu Bai about investing in Feiniao City, then took Mu Ningxue shopping and out for a meal.
• Jiang Yu reported that officials had deliberately concealed the disappearance of more than a hundred infants, many of whom had been blamed on Sea Monsters.
• Jiang Yu said Lin Junxian was not involved and that his younger cousin had also lost an infant.
• Lu Wu argued that Feiniao City’s corruption ran deep and suggested investigating for a few days, notifying their mentors, and leaving for Japan if they found no lead.