Chapter Summaries

On White Dragon Mountain, Mu Fusheng and Fang Qiong prepared an ambush for the military exercise while searching for the hidden White Dragon Soul. Mu Fusheng buried thousands of talismans and began inscribing Thunder Control Divine Talismans to coordinate their attacks, as the crown prince watched and approved of his choice.

• Mu Fusheng searched White Dragon Mountain for traces of the White Dragon Soul and suspected the crown prince had planned the Nine Dragons He Shi Bi missions to recruit them for the military exercise.
• Mu Fusheng and Fang Qiong surveyed the mountain, found where the White Dragon Soul would appear, and ordered the troops to clear a ring through the bamboo forest and set up a flight-restricting formation.
• Mu Fusheng told Xiao Hei to save his strength for the opposing army’s powerful fighters, while he and Fang Qiong began placing formations and traps.
• Mu Fusheng buried 3,499 talismans around the White Dragon Soul’s future appearance, then decided to add Thunder Control Divine Talismans to direct the lightning attacks precisely.
• Xiao Hei and Fang Qiong guarded Mu Fusheng as he inscribed the new talismans, while the crown prince watched their preparations and smiled.

Mu Fusheng prepared White Dragon Mountain with layers of talismans and arrays as the Azure Dragon Army awaited the other forces. When six armies entered his trap, their cultivators were caught in a flight-restricting array, an illusion killing formation, and suppressed cultivation methods as lightning struck.

• The crown prince trusted Mu Fusheng's strategy after seeing his preparations and judged that the Azure Dragon Army had a strong chance of winning.
• Mu Fusheng finished deploying Thunder Control Divine Talismans across nine regions and repeatedly checked the arrays while the Azure Dragon Commanders followed his plans.
• The Torch Dragon Army, Reverse Scale Army, and Scarlet Dragon Army joined the Heavenly Dragon Army, Earth Dragon Army, and Thunder Dragon Army as they advanced toward White Dragon Mountain.
• The six armies entered a clearing where a flight-restricting array grounded everyone below the Ancestor Realm and revealed that the Azure Dragon Army had set an ambush.
• The six commanders ordered their armies to eliminate the Azure Dragon Army, but Mu Fusheng's Annihilation Illusion Killing Formation and Primordial Array suppressed their forces as lightning erupted.

Mu Fusheng’s talisman ambush devastated the six armies on White Dragon Mountain, leaving only their commanders and Cang Ming. As the survivors faced the summit, the Crown Prince asked the First Prince and Third Prince whether they still thought his wager was unrealistic.

• Mu Fusheng’s first wave of over a thousand talismans eliminated more than half the six armies’ members, prompting their commanders to order the survivors onward as cannon fodder.
• The remaining forces advanced toward the White Dragon Soul while the commanders and Cang Ming watched for another ambush.
• A second trap unleashed six world-annihilating lightning spears and the Lesser God-Slaying Sword Array, eliminating everyone in the six armies except six chief commanders, two deputy commanders, and Cang Ming.
• The blast carved a vast gap into White Dragon Mountain, and the surviving commanders seethed over their defeat by the Azure Dragon Army.
• The Crown Prince asked the First Prince and Third Prince whether they still thought his wager was unrealistic.

The crown prince's forces revealed that the fifth prince had secretly supported them, narrowing the gap in Ancestor Realm fighters against the six armies. As the battle began, Xiao Hei used his bloodline and the Divine Talisman of Creation to reach Ancestor Realm strength.

• The Azure Dragon Commander and his forces emerged from the Guanyin Bamboo to face the Reverse Scale Commander and the other enemy commanders.
• The Heavenly Thicket Sword Ancestor revealed himself and said he could handle two Ancestor Realm experts.
• The Thunder Dragon Commander joined the Azure Dragon Commander, and the fifth prince revealed that he had been the crown prince's ally all along.
• The crown prince said victory depended on his judgment, while the eldest prince and third prince realized the crown prince had outmaneuvered them.
• Xiao Hei stepped forward and declared he could hold off two Ancestor Realm experts.
• Xiao Hei activated his bloodline and the Divine Talisman of Creation, causing his presence to reach the Ancestor Realm.

Xiao Hei revealed the ninth layer of the Eternal Devil Body after absorbing the Azure Dragon Soul, overwhelming the Crimson Dragon Commander and forcing the Heavenly Dragon Commander to join the fight. As the battlefield spread, Cang Ming attacked Mu Fusheng, only to discover that Mu Fusheng had already prepared a trap.

• The White Dragon Soul emerged at White Dragon Mountain as Xiao Hei used a talisman and his bloodline power to break into the Ancestor Realm.
• Xiao Hei withstood the Crimson Dragon Commander's flames and struck him back, awakening the eighth marking of the Eternal Devil Body through the Azure Dragon Soul.
• Xiao Hei stopped the Heavenly Dragon Commander from leaving and challenged him and the Crimson Dragon Commander to fight him together.
• The Azure Dragon Army's deputy commanders engaged the opposing Half-Step Ancestor Realm experts while Cang Ming confronted Mu Fusheng.
• Cang Ming charged Mu Fusheng with the Bloodtooth Saber, but lightning spears descended around him as Mu Fusheng revealed he had set a trap.

Mu Fusheng trapped Cang Ming and helped turn the battles against the Torch Dragon Army in their allies’ favor while concealing his own strength. Xiao Hei unleashed his full power against the Crimson Dragon Commander and the Heavenly Dragon Commander, ending the chapter as he punched toward their dragons with Heaven Breaker.

• Mu Fusheng trapped Cang Ming in a lightning cage, forcing him to crush his token and leave.
• Mu Fusheng and Fang Qiong supported the Azure Dragon Commander and the Thunder Dragon Commander with talismans and formations while the Heavenly Thicket Sword Ancestor suppressed two Ancestor Realm experts.
• The Crimson Dragon Commander and the Heavenly Dragon Commander launched Dragon Roar Heaven Strike at Xiao Hei.
• Xiao Hei unleashed his bloodline powers, Eternal Devil Body, and Devil Qi, then charged the two dragons and struck with Heaven Breaker.

Xiao Hei defeated the Crimson Dragon Commander and the Heavenly Dragon Commander, helping the Azure Dragon Army collect every dragon soul and win the military exercise. After the rewards, the Xuanming Holy Son requested a spar with Mu Fusheng and his companions, but Mu Fusheng refused.

• Xiao Hei used his full strength to shatter the crimson and wind dragons, forcing the Crimson Dragon Commander and the Heavenly Dragon Commander to crush their tokens and leave.
• The Torch Dragon Commander and the Reverse Scale Commander also withdrew, leaving the six armies defeated.
• The Azure Dragon Commander collected the remaining dragon souls, and the Azure Dragon Army celebrated its unprecedented victory.
• The emperor rewarded the Azure Dragon Army, while Jiu Bailu smiled at Mu Fusheng and made him nervously avert his gaze from the Xuanming Holy Son.
• The Xuanming Holy Son asked the emperor for permission to spar with Mu Fusheng and his companions, and Mu Fusheng refused.

After the military exercises, the crown prince secured control of the Reverse Scale Army and Scarlet Dragon Army and thanked Mu Fusheng, Xiao Hei, and Fang Qiong for helping him win. Xiao Hei received the other eight dragon souls as a reward, while Mu Fusheng headed to the White Dragon Courtyard to meet Jiu Bailu.

• Mu Fusheng refused the Xuanming Holy Son's request for talismans, pretending that Xiao Hei and Fang Qiong were too injured and exhausted to help.
• The emperor ended the military exercises and announced that the Azure Dragon Army would receive rewards and access to the library and treasury.
• The crown prince invoked his wager, and the First Prince and Third Prince ordered the Reverse Scale Army and Scarlet Dragon Army to serve under him.
• The crown prince thanked Mu Fusheng, Xiao Hei, and Fang Qiong for helping him win the exercises and offered them additional rewards.
• Xiao Hei asked for the other eight dragon souls, and the crown prince gave them to him as a mission reward; Xiao Hei agreed that he owed the crown prince a favor.
• Mu Fusheng left for the White Dragon Courtyard after Jiu Bailu had asked him to visit her about something important.

After Xiao Hei received the remaining eight dragon souls, Jiu Bailu told Mu Fusheng about a demigod-grade talisman brush appearing in the Southern Desert, but he refused to follow the path she seemed to have predicted. Mu Fusheng left in a hurry, while Jiu Bailu wondered why his indifference had made her curious about him.

• The crown prince explained to Elder Chu that he had given Xiao Hei all nine dragon souls to earn the favor of Xiao Hei and his talented fellow disciples.
• Xiao Hei returned to the lodgings and began absorbing the remaining eight dragon souls.
• Jiu Bailu invited Mu Fusheng to tea and revealed that two secret treasures, including a demigod-grade talisman brush, would appear in the Southern Desert in thirty days.
• Mu Fusheng refused to attend because Jiu Bailu seemed to have predicted his actions, and he said his current talisman brush was sufficient.
• Mu Fusheng hurried away, and Jiu Bailu asked her maid why he treated her as though he wanted to flee before admitting that his indifference had made her curious.

Xiao Hei fused the nine dragon souls into Yinglong, broke through to the early-stage Human Ancestor Realm, and returned to the Chaotic Spirit Academy. He accepted He Xiangwang’s deathmatch challenge without asking him to suppress his cultivation.

• Mu Fusheng and Fang Qiong’s defenses and the crown prince’s guards protected the courtyard as Xiao Hei fused the nine dragon souls into Yinglong, whose appearance brought rain and astonished Nine Dragons City.
• Xiao Hei’s bloodline and cultivation surged, and he broke through to the early-stage Human Ancestor Realm; Mu Fusheng urged the group to leave before anyone could seize Yinglong’s soul.
• Xiao Hei defeated several groups that tried to intercept them on the way back to the Chaotic Spirit Academy, including opponents at the mid-stage Ancestor Realm.
• He Xiangwang sent Xiao Hei a written challenge to a fight to the death on the Crown Prince Platform, and Xiao Hei set out to meet him.
• At the crowded platform, He Xiangwang offered to suppress his cultivation to the half-step Ancestor Realm, but Xiao Hei refused; Feng Ye and Tan Zongzhao worried while Ye Qiubai and the others stayed confident.

Xiao Hei revealed that he had reached the Ancestor Realm and killed He Xiangwang with one punch on the Crown Prince Platform. The Second Elder threatened Xiao Hei before leaving, while Xiao Hei’s friends gathered around him and Tan Zongzhao asked him to visit his master.

• Xiao Hei displayed the perfected Eternal Devil Body and his Ancestor Realm cultivation, astonishing He Xiangwang and the spectators.
• He Xiangwang charged Xiao Hei with a flaming halberd, and the Second Elder tried to intervene before the First Elder stopped him.
• Xiao Hei shattered He Xiangwang’s halberd with one punch and killed him, leaving the Crown Prince Platform silent.
• The First Elder upheld the deathmatch rules, while the Second Elder threatened Xiao Hei and departed.
• Feng Ye and Tan Zongzhao congratulated Xiao Hei, and Tan Zongzhao told him to visit his master.

After Xiao Hei entered the Ancestor Realm and killed He Xiangwang, the group prepared for a trip to the Southern Desert, while Mu Fusheng stayed behind. Shi Sheng reached the highest point of Star Stone Mountain so far, where he sought a Star Core that raised Lu Changsheng’s suspicions about a hidden scheme.

• News spread that Xiao Hei had entered the Ancestor Realm and killed He Xiangwang with one punch, and he declined offers from elders and vice deans to become their disciple.
• The grand elder invited Ye Qiubai, Xiao Hei, Shi Sheng, and Mu Fusheng to seek Demigod-grade treasures in the Southern Desert, but Mu Fusheng refused to go.
• Mu Fusheng warned Shi Sheng not to bring back the Demigod-grade talisman brush, saying he wanted no connection to the secret realm or its karma.
• Shi Sheng announced that a Star Core had been confirmed at Star Stone Mountain’s summit, prompting Mu Fusheng and Xiao Hei to alert Lu Changsheng.
• Lu Changsheng suspected the Star Core had been placed in Chaotic Spirit Academy as part of a larger plan and told Mu Fusheng and Xiao Hei to investigate discreetly.
• Shi Sheng passed the other climbers and reached the highest point any Dao of Stars cultivator from Chaotic Spirit Academy had attained, where his Starry Sky Dantian trembled as he looked up at the enormous star.

Shi Sheng endured the crushing pressure near the summit of Star Stone Mountain and reached the third Star Core, beginning to absorb it. As the academy elders and vice deans watched his Starry Sky Dantian appear above the mountain, a fifth star began to take shape.

• Shi Sheng's third Star Core resonated with the Star Core on Star Stone Mountain, and the guardian spirit and Star God Emperor urged him to obtain it.
• Shi Sheng forced his way through the final stretch despite severe injuries, taking seventeen days to reach the summit.
• The guardian spirit and Star God Emperor praised Shi Sheng's willpower and helped him begin absorbing the Star Core.
• Shi Sheng's Starry Sky Dantian appeared above Star Stone Mountain as its power poured into him, drawing the attention of the academy elders and vice deans.
• Vice Dean Liu confirmed that the First Elder would soon become a vice dean, while Vice Dean Zhang praised his special recruits.
• Four stars shone within Shi Sheng's manifested Starry Sky Dantian, and a fifth star began to form.

Shi Sheng reached the summit of Star Stone Mountain, advanced to the peak God Emperor realm, and was invited to visit Star Sea Tower. As Ye Qiubai and the others departed for the Southern Desert, Mu Fusheng stayed behind, wary of the karma tied to the Nine Dragons Divine Dynasty.

• Shi Sheng completed his third Star Core, broke through to the peak God Emperor realm, and caused Star Sea Tower to resonate with Star Stone Mountain.
• Vice Dean Liu invited Shi Sheng to Star Sea Tower, while Vice Dean Zhang asked him to become his direct disciple; Shi Sheng declined because he already had a master.
• Shi Sheng returned to Heaven Character Courtyard No. 1 to consolidate his cultivation.
• Ye Qiubai and the others left for the Southern Desert, while Mu Fusheng refused to go after Fang Qiong hinted he feared Jiu Bailu.
• Mu Fusheng reconsidered the danger of karma from the Nine Dragons Divine Dynasty and posted a notice saying he was in seclusion.

Ye Qiubai and the others arrived in Desolate City, where they agreed to cooperate with the Nine Dragons Divine Dynasty and learned which local factions and outside powers might pose a threat. The Desolate Corps announced a banquet for the arrivals, leaving its true purpose uncertain.

• Ye Qiubai and the others reached Desolate City with the Grand Elder, and Tan Zongzhao warned them to avoid conflicts but respond forcefully if attacked.
• The crown prince and Jiu Bailu joined them at their inn, where Jiu Bailu asked whether Mu Fusheng had come and remarked that karma could not be escaped.
• The crown prince proposed cooperating, and Xiao Hei agreed after the Grand Elder left the choice and its consequences to them.
• The crown prince and Tan Zongzhao identified the Desolate Corps, the Sand Sea Sect, and the God Thief Sect as the desert’s major threats, then named the Black Tortoise Divine Dynasty as an outside power to watch.
• Xiao Hei explained that Mu Fusheng had antagonized the Black Tortoise Divine Dynasty through his closeness with Jiu Bailu, and offered to face the Xuanming Holy Son if he appeared.
• The Desolate Corps announced a banquet to welcome the factions gathered in Desolate City.

The Desolate Corps grew furious after outside factions ignored its banquet and gathered instead at the Desert Restaurant, where the Xuanming Holy Son hosted Ye Qiubai, the crown prince, and others. Huang Mangzi led desert factions to confront them, and the chapter ended with both sides facing off after the restaurant roof was cut away.

• Huang Mangzi argued with Sha Hai about the outsiders’ absence until he learned they had gathered at the Desert Restaurant, then led the desert factions there.
• Tan Zongzhao told Ye Qiubai that the Desolate Corps’ invitation was a show of force, while the crown prince said attending would make the Nine Dragons Divine Dynasty appear weak.
• The Xuanming Holy Son greeted Jiu Bailu, then insulted Xiao Hei’s group and Mu Fusheng, prompting Tan Zongzhao to challenge him.
• Huang Mangzi and the Desolate Corps arrived by slicing off the restaurant’s roof, and the gathered prodigies invited them down while making light of their threat.
• The crown prince warned Huang Mangzi that the Desolate Corps would face the assembled factions and their elders if it attacked.

Huang Mangzi and the desert factions threatened the gathered young talents, but senior figures intervened and persuaded them to avoid fighting before the inheritance secret realm opened. Huang Mangzi withdrew, promising to settle matters inside the tomb, while the Xuanming Holy Son reminded Xiao Hei that their battle with Mu Fusheng was still ahead.

• Huang Mangzi surrounded the restaurant with desert factions and pressured the young talents to attend his banquet, but the Xuanming Holy Son mocked their scarce resources and refused.
• Huang Mangzi used his late-stage demigod pressure against the crowd, then leered at Jiu Bailu and demanded she attend without the others.
• The Xuanming Holy Son and Xiao Hei both objected, and Xiao Hei said a junior brother might have a relationship with Jiu Bailu.
• The grand elder of the Chaotic Spirit Academy, the Xuanming Holy Son's Dao protector, and Elder Chu arrived to shield the young talents.
• The grand elder warned Huang Mangzi that a war before the inheritance secret realm opened would endanger the search for the tomb, so Huang Mangzi withdrew and vowed to settle matters there.
• After the factions departed, the Xuanming Holy Son reminded Xiao Hei of their coming battle and called Mu Fusheng a turtle hiding its head.

The Grand Elder explained the history of the Chaos Divine Dynasty's prince's principality, whose talisman experiments and conquests turned a forest into the Southern Desert. When the prince's tomb emerged, the gathered factions prepared to enter and search for the unfinished talisman.

• The Grand Elder told Xiao Hei and the others that the principality had drained a forest's life essence to create a powerful talisman, then conquered surrounding lands before the Mo Clan and other factions destroyed it.
• Ye Qiubai asked whether the tomb had drawn the factions because of the talisman, and the Grand Elder confirmed it while warning of the tomb's dangers and the Mo Clan's hidden presence.
• The Grand Elder told the group that the tomb would emerge at noon three days later and promised to guard them as they prepared.
• At noon, the sand surged and revealed a massive tortoise-shaped tomb surrounded by a barrier.
• The crown prince proposed that his group and the others enter together and keep whatever treasures they found, and the tomb gates slowly opened.

As Ye Qiubai and the others entered the tomb, they survived its death Qi and crossed the offering hall, where eerie flames secretly left the statue. In the service hall, three tomb keeper skeletons awakened and triggered a collapse, sending everyone underground.

• Black death Qi poured from the tomb gates, killing several sect prodigies before the survivors entered.
• Ye Qiubai, the crown prince, Jiu Bailu, and others bowed to the statue in the offering hall, while many searched for valuables.
• After everyone left, blue flames emerged from the statue's eyes and drifted into the tomb passage.
• The crown prince explained that the tomb's upper level led from the offering hall through the service hall to the burial mound, with greater dangers and treasures likely underground.
• Jiu Bailu noticed the spotless service hall and alerted the others to the three tomb keeper skeletons beside a table.
• The skeletons awakened, demanded that intruders become burial sacrifices or earn the prince's recognition, then collapsed the floor; a flight-prohibiting formation sent everyone falling underground.

Ye Qiubai, Xiao Hei, and the others found a vast underground burial chamber filled with terracotta warriors and began fighting their way toward a distant door. As the warriors repeatedly reformed, Xiao Hei led the charge while Huang Jun planned to interfere with their group.

• Ye Qiubai and Xiao Hei woke in a yellow-lit hall with the crown prince, Jiu Bailu, the Xuanming Holy Son, Huang Jun, and several others, while Shi Sheng and Fang Qiong were missing.
• Xiao Hei spotted a vast pit filled with terracotta warriors and a distant door, and the group realized they had to cross it on foot.
• Huang Jun jumped into the pit first and urged the desert factions to follow, then Ye Qiubai and the others descended as well.
• The terracotta warriors attacked with spear strikes carrying God Emperor-level power, and Ye Qiubai urged the group to use coordinated, wide-area attacks.
• Jiu Bailu noticed the warriors stayed still outside their attack range, but the warriors they destroyed reassembled from dust almost immediately.
• Xiao Hei charged ahead as the others followed and attacked, while Huang Jun decided to move closer and interfere with their group.