Chapter Summaries

Qi Wu challenged the gathered cultivators for the painted shaft, but Xiao Hei stepped forward to fight him. After two hours of evenly matched combat, Xiao Hei healed his mangled hands and charged at Qi Wu again.

• Qi Wu said he would claim the object because no one seemed able to challenge him, and Ye Qiubai asked what it was.
• Gu Sheng offered to fight Qi Wu, but Qi Wu chose Xiao Hei after sensing his exceptional physical strength and bloodline power.
• Qi Wu suppressed his physical strength to the early Demigod Realm, and he and Xiao Hei exchanged punches without backing down.
• After two hours, Qi Wu and Xiao Hei paused; Xiao Hei's hands were badly injured, while Qi Wu had only minor signs of blood congestion.
• Xiao Hei healed his hands within three breaths and charged at Qi Wu again.

Xiao Hei and Qi Wu pushed their spar beyond the agreed cultivation limit, trading increasingly powerful blows until Xiao Hei won with his Nether King Baleful Shadow technique. Qi Wu admitted defeat and suggested they fight again when Xiao Hei’s cultivation caught up to his.

• Xiao Hei strengthened his Eternal Devil Body and Bloodline Entanglement, while Qi Wu raised his strength to the mid-stage Demigod Realm.
• Xiao Hei used Nether King Baleful Shadow to create two phantoms that replicated his abilities and merged with him for a powerful punch.
• Qi Wu met Xiao Hei’s punch with his own, but was forced to unleash late-stage Demigod Realm strength to steady himself.
• Qi Wu acknowledged that Xiao Hei had won and praised their fight, while the onlookers watched in shock.
• Someone asked what the mysterious thing was.

Qi Wu revealed the Heaven Rod’s purpose and allied with Xiao Hei’s group, hoping they would help him become the Qilin Clan patriarch. After they entered the teleportation array to the Divine Realm section, a Cangxuan Academy spy reported their alliance and Zhan Qing’s death to an unknown contact.

• Qi Wu explained that the Heaven Rod connected the Classic of Mountains and Seas remnant pages and warned that Divine Realm forces would pursue the group for it.
• Qi Wu admitted he wanted Xiao Hei and the others to help him challenge his elder brother for the Qilin Clan patriarch’s position, and promised to give them the Bifang remnant page if they obtained the Earth Rod.
• Xiao Hei accepted Qi Wu’s proposal after Ye Qiubai nodded, and the two sealed their alliance with a fist bump.
• Removing the scroll rod caused the ice-crystal box to sink and revealed a teleportation array leading to the Divine Realm section.
• Qi Wu urged the group to enter the array together and practice fighting as allies, and Xiao Hei agreed.
• After the others left, a green-robed Cangxuan Academy student reported that the Mortal Realm group had the scroll rod, Zhan Qing had been killed, and Qi Wu had joined them; an unknown contact replied that they knew.

Mu Fusheng and Jiu Bailu remained trapped in a fogbound forest where they kept encountering a hostile puppet idol. Mu Fusheng covered the area around it with talismans and sent in a puppet, triggering the idol’s attack and bringing it into the blast zone.

• Mu Fusheng and Jiu Bailu found that they had returned to their red-cord marker for the seventh time and concluded that defeating the puppet idol might reveal how to escape.
• Mu Fusheng prepared for the fight by covering the surrounding trees and ground with layers of talismans, then covering himself with defensive talismans.
• Mu Fusheng discovered that he could see through the puppet he controlled despite the fog blocking divine soul perception.
• Mu Fusheng sent the puppet into the idol’s range, and the idol drew a longsword and shield before swiftly splitting the puppet in two.
• The puppet idol entered the center of Mu Fusheng’s talisman blast zone.

Mu Fusheng and Jiu Bailu discovered that the foggy forest followed the rules of Chinese chess, with a pawn restricting their movement. After crossing the Chu River and Han Border, they encountered Chu Xiang, whose opposing pawn made a battle inevitable.

• Mu Fusheng used a puppet to safely investigate the statue after detonating his talismans, and found it had become a Chinese chess pawn.
• Jiu Bailu and Mu Fusheng realized the foggy forest was governed by Chinese chess rules and followed a path they could not avoid.
• Mu Fusheng and Jiu Bailu crossed the Chu River and Han Border, then found they could move sideways but not retreat and that their speed was restricted.
• Mu Fusheng and Jiu Bailu met Chu Xiang, who held a red pawn and challenged Mu Fusheng to prove himself worthy of Jiu Bailu.

Mu Fusheng and Jiu Bailu avoided a confrontation with Chu Xiang by exploiting the forest’s chess-piece rules, then used puppets to scout the opposing side. They found the enemy general and advisors, and ended with Mu Fusheng recognizing Eldest Senior Brother among six approaching people.

• Mu Fusheng explained that Chu Xiang could only move forward while he and Jiu Bailu could move freely, then left Chu Xiang stranded beyond the Chu River-Han Border.
• Jiu Bailu taunted Chu Xiang by clinging to Mu Fusheng’s arm, and Chu Xiang vowed to kill him.
• Mu Fusheng told Jiu Bailu that they needed to find and eliminate the two advisors before checking the enemy general, while also guarding their own general.
• Mu Fusheng and Jiu Bailu sent puppets to scout and discovered three Divine Realm opponents who were likely the advisors and general.
• Jiu Bailu spotted six people approaching, and Mu Fusheng recognized Eldest Senior Brother among them.

Mu Fusheng and his allies regrouped, exchanged chess pieces to adapt their strategy, and advanced toward the opposing general. They discovered the figures guarding Shen Han were decoys, while the real enemy’s plan remained unclear.

• Mu Fusheng and the others exchanged pieces, gaining their new pieces’ movement abilities and characteristics.
• Mu Fusheng assigned Qi Wu to guard their general with a chariot and kept his trump cards hidden from him.
• Mu Fusheng’s group defeated the opposing cannon, elephant, and horse holders and approached the enemy general, Shen Han, guarded by two Divine Miracle Academy students.
• Mu Fusheng realized the opposing chariots’ absence was suspicious, and Jiu Bailu’s golden light revealed the three apparent opponents had no karmic presence.
• The three figures vanished and left behind cloth puppets, exposing the enemy’s earlier scouting reports as a trap.

Mu Fusheng and Jiu Bailu rushed to aid their general after Jiu Bailu used a costly karmic technique to locate him. They found Qi Wu badly wounded and facing Shen Han and Chu Xiang, and Mu Fusheng prepared to confront Shen Han while Qi Wu held Chu Xiang back.

• Mu Fusheng realized Shen Han had likely switched identities with a chariot and was heading to attack their general, so he took a chariot and returned with Jiu Bailu.
• Jiu Bailu used her sealed karmic sight to locate their general, suffering severe backlash that left her pale and bleeding from the eyes.
• Mu Fusheng carried Jiu Bailu to the clearing, where they found Qi Wu in flaming qilin form, badly wounded by Shen Han and Chu Xiang.
• Mu Fusheng told Qi Wu to hold Chu Xiang in place and warned him not to let Chu Xiang escape.
• Mu Fusheng set Jiu Bailu somewhere safe and faced Shen Han, declaring that he intended to make sure Shen Han could never speak again.

Mu Fusheng broke the seal on his body and used a talisman to raise his cultivation to the second lightning tribulation, revealing his strength to Shen Han. He attacked Shen Han with six ancient divine lightnings, but the first strike only burned away Shen Han’s shoulder clothing, leaving their fight poised to escalate.

• Chu Xiang tried to attack Mu Fusheng, but the injured Qi Wu blocked him.
• Jiu Bailu told the Cangxuan Academy students that Mu Fusheng would win if he believed he could make a move.
• Mu Fusheng smeared blood essence over the golden markings on his body, breaking the seal and rising to the first lightning tribulation of the Divine Realm.
• Mu Fusheng activated a talisman that raised his cultivation to the second lightning tribulation, and Shen Han said he would report the Mortal Realm’s hidden expert.
• Mu Fusheng summoned six ancient divine lightning dragons and sent a profound yin purple lightning dragon at Shen Han, burning the clothing on Shen Han’s left shoulder.

Mu Fusheng realized Shen Han’s movement followed the rules of a horse rather than a chariot, exposing the double trap that threatened Ye Qiubai and the others. Enraged and desperate to end the fight quickly, Mu Fusheng overwhelmed Shen Han with startling speed and left him trapped beneath a lightning dragon.

• Shen Han cut through one of Mu Fusheng’s lightning dragons with Divine Light Iai, God Ascension Slash, then charged straight at him.
• Mu Fusheng inferred that Shen Han moved like a horse and realized the two enemy chariots remained on the other side of the board, where Ye Qiubai and the others were likely caught in an encirclement.
• Shen Han taunted Mu Fusheng for worrying about his companions and claimed he would keep him from escaping.
• Mu Fusheng suddenly struck Shen Han twice with overwhelming speed, breaking his bones and sending him crashing forward.
• Mu Fusheng merged six lightning dragons into one and sent it at Shen Han, whose talismans flashed on his chest and back.

Mu Fusheng overwhelmed Shen Han with six kinds of Ancient Divine Lightning after Shen Han threatened his fellow disciples from the Cottage. When Shen Han tried to escape the God Ascension Ruins by detonating himself behind a powerful defensive scroll, Mu Fusheng struck him from behind with a hidden bolt of gray lightning.

• Mu Fusheng used talismans to restrain Shen Han and unleashed six lightning dragons that shattered Shen Han's Sword Intent and battered him into the ground.
• Shen Han emerged wounded, and his divine upper-grade treasured sword broke apart as Mu Fusheng approached.
• Shen Han threatened Mu Fusheng and the Mortal Realm, prompting Mu Fusheng to attack with a spear formed from six kinds of Ancient Divine Lightning.
• Shen Han's array scroll blocked the spear, and he began swelling as Qi Wu warned that he planned to detonate his body and send his soul out of the God Ascension Ruins.
• A bolt of gray lightning pierced Shen Han's chest, and Mu Fusheng revealed that he had more than six kinds of Ancient Divine Lightning.

Mu Fusheng killed Shen Han with Purple Firmament Divine Lightning, then imprisoned Chu Xiang and the others before rushing to help his fellow disciples. He and Jiu Bailu arrived to find one Divine Miracle Academy student badly injured, while Gu Sheng restrained their remaining Divine Realm opponent.

• Shen Han recognized the lightning piercing his chest as Purple Firmament Divine Lightning, and Mu Fusheng used it to destroy Shen Han's body and soul.
• Mu Fusheng left Qi Wu to handle the scene, then set up a talisman prison around Chu Xiang and the others before departing with Jiu Bailu.
• Chu Xiang failed to escape the lightning cage, while Qi Wu warned him that Mu Fusheng would return to deal with him.
• Mu Fusheng and Jiu Bailu hurried across the Chu River and Han Border toward their fellow disciples.
• They arrived to find a Divine Miracle Academy student covered in blood and Gu Sheng holding their remaining Divine Realm opponent in place.

Mu Fusheng and the others defeated the remaining Divine Miracle Academy fighters and cleared the illusion forest. As Ye Qiubai recovered, Mu Fusheng disappeared to take care of something, which Jiu Bailu guessed was erasing the evidence.

• Mu Fusheng learned that Ye Qiubai had been gravely injured after using the Azure Cloud Sword against an enemy who had boosted his strength with a forbidden technique and pill.
• Mu Fusheng, Xiao Shitou, and Xiao Hei joined forces to kill the last Divine Realm expert from the Divine Miracle Academy.
• Mu Fusheng captured and killed the three students guarding the general and advisor pieces, while Xiao Shitou erased their bodies.
• Mu Fusheng let Gu Sheng go without placing a restriction on his soul after Xiao Hei said Gu Sheng was trustworthy.
• The fog dispersed, a road opened through the forest, and the chess pieces vanished; Mu Fusheng then disappeared while Ye Qiubai recovered.

Mu Fusheng dealt with the witnesses and Chu Xiang after trapping them, then joined Ye Qiubai and the others, who teased him for caring about them. The group had reunited, with Mu Fusheng having learned more about the Cangxuan Continent from Chu Xiang.

• Mu Fusheng made the three Cangxuan Academy students accept restrictions in their seas of consciousness before letting them leave.
• Qi Wu willingly accepted a restriction from Mu Fusheng, confirming their alliance.
• Mu Fusheng read Chu Xiang’s memories, learned about the Cangxuan Continent, and shattered Chu Xiang’s soul.
• Mu Fusheng used attributeless talismans to destroy the area and erase traces before leaving with Qi Wu.
• Mu Fusheng rejoined Ye Qiubai and the others, and Ye Qiubai teased him for caring so much about them.

Ye Qiubai and his companions reunited with Mu Fusheng and learned that Divine Miracle Academy had lost nearly all its students. They reached the steps leading to the God Ascension Platform, where they spotted Ding Xuan, ranked ninth on the Cangxuan Ranking, already far ahead.

• Mu Fusheng's companions teased him about his concern for Jiu Bailu, and the group left the forest together.
• Outside the God Ascension Ruins, the Divine Miracle Academy elder discovered that only two of his students' soul tablets remained intact and lamented the failure of their mission.
• Hong Ying and Ning Chenxin suspected Azure Firmament Academy had caused the Divine Miracle Academy's losses, and Hong Ying had Ning Chenxin warn the Immortal and Demon Realm leaders that the Divine Realm might target them.
• Ye Qiubai and his companions emerged from the forest and found the enormous altar, accessible by climbing ninety-nine steps.
• Jiu Bailu identified the green-robed man ahead on the forty-seventh step as Ding Xuan, the ninth-ranked person on the Cangxuan Ranking.

Ye Qiubai and his companions climbed the God Ascension Steps by replacing the Immortal Qi in their bodies with Divine Qi, rapidly overtaking Ding Xuan. Mu Fusheng grew wary of Ding Xuan’s questions, and two students from Divine Miracle Academy arrived at the foot of the steps.

• Qi Wu explained that Ding Xuan had risen to prominence in recent decades and had become difficult to read.
• Hao Tian told Ye Qiubai and the others that they had to refine the Divine Qi on each step to replace the Immortal Qi in their bodies.
• Ye Qiubai and most of his companions converted the Divine Qi and climbed the steps, while Xiao Hei and Qi Wu stayed below.
• After three days, Ye Qiubai reached the eighty-first step, ahead of Ding Xuan, while the others climbed at different paces.
• Ding Xuan asked Mu Fusheng whether Azure Firmament Academy had encountered a fortuitous opportunity, prompting Mu Fusheng to regard him as dangerous.
• Two students from Divine Miracle Academy appeared at the foot of the steps, and Qi Wu warned that they had arrived.

Jiang Yousheng and Fu Yuan arrived at the God Ascension Steps, where Qi Wu stopped them and knocked Jiang Yousheng unconscious. Seven days later, Ye Qiubai reached the God Ascension Platform, refused an offer that required him to join the Divine Realm, and returned with a token.

• Jiang Yousheng and Fu Yuan found that they were the only Divine Miracle Academy students left in the God Ascension Ruins and came to the God Ascension Steps.
• Qi Wu blocked them, then punched Jiang Yousheng and overwhelmed him with pressure until he collapsed; Fu Yuan checked on him.
• After seven more days, Ye Qiubai reached the God Ascension Platform and transformed all the Immortal Qi in his body into Divine Qi.
• An old man offered Ye Qiubai a method to undergo up to nine lightning tribulations if he joined the Divine Realm and severed ties with the other great realms, but Ye Qiubai refused.
• The divine light formed a token marked with the numeral 1, and Ye Qiubai returned to Xiao Hei and said the opportunity was a method for undergoing nine lightning tribulations.

Ye Qiubai and the others rejected the God Ascension Platform’s opportunity to undergo nine tribulation lightning strikes, while Jiang Yousheng and Fu Yuan accepted it. Azure Firmament Academy took first place and Divine Miracle Academy finished last, and the group began to leave the ruins as they wondered where Ji Qianyao was.

• Ye Qiubai explained that the God Ascension Platform offered a method to undergo nine tribulation lightning strikes, but he and the other Cottage members refused the opportunity.
• Shi Sheng, Gu Sheng, Mu Ziqing, Hao Tian, and others also declined, while Ding Xuan and Zong Yun’s choices remained unknown.
• Jiang Yousheng and Fu Yuan accepted the opportunity, and the rankings placed Azure Firmament Academy first and Divine Miracle Academy eighth.
• Jiang Yousheng threatened the others with the Divine Realm’s wrath, so Mu Fusheng called for him and Fu Yuan to be stopped, and Qi Wu killed them.
• Shi Sheng asked where Ji Qianyao was, and the group suspected she might be trapped somewhere in the ruins.
• A towering whirlpool appeared above the sea outside the God Ascension Ruins as the people aboard the ships watched.

The academies discovered that Azure Firmament Academy had taken the top seven places in the God Ascension Ruins, prompting concern that the Divine Realm might retaliate. Meanwhile, Ji Qianyao inherited the Hongmeng Heaven-Imprisoning Art, reached the mid-stage Demigod Realm, and set out to reunite with the others.

• The academies emerged from the God Ascension Ruins, and the leaders initially assumed Cangxuan Academy had placed first while Divine Miracle Academy's students had all died.
• Ding Xuan and Bi Yan revealed that Azure Firmament Academy had ranked first and Cangxuan Academy second, with Azure Firmament Academy occupying the top seven places.
• Vice Dean Lin feared the Divine Realm would act against Azure Firmament Academy, so Hong Ying told everyone to gather aboard their ship and prepare to leave if trouble arose.
• Ye Qiubai and the others waited anxiously for Ji Qianyao, but decided they could not search the vast ruins without knowing where she was.
• Ji Qianyao completed the Hongmeng Heaven-Imprisoning Art's inheritance, broke through to the mid-stage Demigod Realm, and vowed to fulfill the senior's request before reuniting with her companions.

Ji Qianyao rejoined Ye Qiubai and the others after reaching the Demigod Realm, and they returned from the God Ascension Ruins with the Classic of Mountains and Seas and the painting rod. When Divine Miracle Academy’s elder demanded a Soul Search or the artifact, Hong Ying refused, and Azure Firmament Academy escaped by teleportation, promising to repay him.

• Ji Qianyao reunited with Ye Qiubai and the others, and they left the God Ascension Ruins together.
• Divine Miracle Academy’s elder accused Azure Firmament Academy of killing his students and demanded a Soul Search or the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
• Hong Ying refused the elder’s demands as cultivators from the Immortal and Demon Realms moved to support her group.
• The elder summoned over a hundred armored cultivators and threatened to replace Hong Ying as dean.
• Hong Ying’s group activated a teleportation array powered by Heavenly Lightning Escape Talismans and vanished, with Hong Ying promising the elder they would repay him another day.