Chapter Summaries

Li Qingshan and Gu Tianshu explored Saint Cliff, where Li subdued a Three-Legged Golden Crow and the pair avoided the perilous Reincarnation Lake. At the depths of Saint Cliff, an ancient presence began to awaken, but the Investiture of the Gods descended and forced it back.

• Gu Tianshu explained Saint Cliff’s origins and warned Li Qingshan about its dangers before leading him into the Emperor Formation.
• Gu Tianshu restrained the awakened Emperor Formation as he and Li Qingshan advanced through Saint Cliff.
• Li Qingshan used the Great Sun Seal to overcome the Three-Legged Golden Crow, which shrank and agreed to follow him.
• Li Qingshan and Gu Tianshu recognized Reincarnation Lake and carefully went around it without looking into its waters.
• At Saint Cliff’s main peak, Li Qingshan and Gu Tianshu sensed Extreme Dao Emperor’s might and heard a voice cry, “Wu Shi!”
• The Investiture of the Gods unfurled above the main peak and used its golden light to suppress the vicious presence awakening within.

Li Qingshan and Gu Tianshu retreat from Saint Cliff after the Investiture of the Gods suppresses the Undying Daoist, leaving Li Qingshan determined to return with greater support. Back at Jade Pool, he learns Ye Fan and the Black Emperor stole Great Emperor Wushi's Palace and that Ye Fan obtained Nine Secrets: Jie, then leaves for the Southern Region to meet them and seek the secret art at Clumsy Peak.

• Li Qingshan and Gu Tianshu retreat from Saint Cliff when the Investiture of the Gods suppresses the Undying Daoist, and Li Qingshan resolves to return with the Beginningless Bell and other allies.
• Li Qingshan and Gu Tianshu return to Jade Pool, where Lin Qingyao tells him that Ye Fan and the Black Emperor stole Great Emperor Wushi's Palace and escaped to Clumsy Peak at the Taixuan Sect.
• Li Qingshan reads the Black Emperor's message confirming that Ye Fan is safe and has obtained Nine Secrets: Jie from Li Ruoyu at Clumsy Peak.
• Li Qingshan decides to let Ye Fan and the Black Emperor remain hidden while he plans a visit to the Taixuan Sect.
• Li Qingshan leaves Jade Pool for the Southern Region, intending to meet Ye Fan and study Nine Secrets: Jie at Clumsy Peak.

Li Qingshan arrived at the Taixuan Sect and asked to meditate on Clumsy Peak’s natural Dao rhythm for seven days, offering the sect a future favor in exchange. After Li Ruoyu agreed, the sect prepared a grand gathering on Star Peak, drawing renowned young cultivators from across the Eastern Wasteland.

• Li Qingshan reached the Wei Capital, heard cultivators discuss the Licheng affair, and saw Yaoguang Holy Land members investigating their losses.
• Li Qingshan appeared at the Taixuan Sect, where Hua Mingxuan and the supreme elders welcomed him as a Dao-Slaying King.
• Li Qingshan asked to study Clumsy Peak’s Dao rhythm for seven days and promised to aid the Taixuan Sect once in a future crisis; Hua Mingxuan accepted after consulting the elders.
• Hua Mingxuan proposed a grand gathering on Star Peak, and Li Qingshan agreed to attend and see old acquaintances.
• Li Ruoyu sent word that Li Qingshan could visit Clumsy Peak during the full moon, while news of his arrival spread and renowned young cultivators began arriving at the Taixuan Sect.

Ye Fan and the Black Emperor decided to leave Clumsy Peak and attend Taixuan Sect’s gathering, trusting Li Qingshan’s presence to deter their pursuers. At the gathering, Hua Yunfei played for the assembled cultivators, and Li Qingshan recognized the hidden constraints beneath his music, leaving Hua Yunfei unsettled.

• The Black Emperor urged Ye Fan to stop hiding now that Li Qingshan had arrived at Taixuan, and Ye Fan agreed to attend the gathering after consulting Li Ruoyu.
• Sect Leader Hua presided over the gathering, where Hua Mingxuan recommended his grandson Hua Yunfei to perform for Li Qingshan and the other cultivators.
• Hua Yunfei played the zither, drawing birds to the plaza as the audience listened.
• Li Qingshan considered Hua Yunfei’s hidden ties to the Ruthless One Lineage and the possibility of freeing him in exchange for access to the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Art.
• After Hua Yunfei finished, Li Qingshan praised his music but pointed out that it revealed a lack of freedom, making Hua Yunfei’s composed expression briefly falter.
• The gathering resumed with the younger cultivators exchanging Dao arts and competing across the plaza.

Li Qingshan privately warned Hua Mingxuan that Hua Yunfei might carry the Ruthless One Lineage’s devouring inheritance and offered to help remove the hidden Dao protector. Meanwhile, Ye Fan and the Black Emperor arrived at Taixuan Sect’s gathering, where rivalries erupted into duels and Zhao Hao challenged Ye Fan to fight.

• Li Qingshan told Hua Mingxuan that Hua Yunfei’s Dao resonance suggested he had been chosen as a vessel for the Ruthless One Lineage, and offered to deal with the hidden Dao protector if they chose to sever the conspiracy.
• Hua Yunfei received praise from Ji Haoyue for his zither performance while Hua Mingxuan struggled to conceal his alarm.
• Ye Fan and the Black Emperor entered the gathering, and the hostile young cultivators held back from confronting them because Li Qingshan was present.
• Xu Ming of the Black Water Sect fought Lie Yang of Crimson Flame Valley, and other young cultivators followed with duels of their own.
• Zhao Hao of the Wanchu Holy Land challenged Ye Fan to enter the arena and exchange skills.

Ye Fan defeated Zhao Hao of the Wanchu Holy Land with his overwhelming physical strength and the Cauldron of All-Things Mother Qi. Before the gathering could settle, Li Yun of the Yaoguang Holy Land challenged Ye Fan across a major realm, and Ye Fan had yet to answer.

• Zhao Hao challenged Ye Fan to spar, and Ye Fan accepted before shattering Zhao Hao's mountain techniques with his strength and evading his attacks.
• Zhao Hao used the Mystic Mountain Shield and unleashed the Xuanhuang Prison-Suppressing Spear, but Ye Fan summoned the Cauldron of All-Things Mother Qi and destroyed the spear.
• Ye Fan stopped his cauldron above Zhao Hao, spared him, and declared that Zhao Hao had yielded; the crowd and the Wanchu Holy Land witnessed his decisive victory.
• The Black Emperor boasted about Ye Fan's victory, drawing the attention of the young cultivators who had been angered by Zhao Hao's defeat.
• Li Yun of the Yaoguang Holy Land stepped forward and challenged Ye Fan despite having reached the first heaven of the Four Extremes Secret Realm, while Ye Fan remained in the Dao Palace Secret Realm.
• Li Yun ascended the battle platform and asked Ye Fan whether he dared accept the challenge.

Ye Fan challenged Li Yun, a Four Extremes cultivator from Yaoguang Holy Land, and fought him with his Cauldron of All-Things Mother Qi and the Battle Saint Method. The chapter ended with both men badly injured after Ye Fan stood against Li Yun’s strongest attack, leaving Li Yun kneeling and the victor decided in Ye Fan’s favor.

• Ye Fan accepted Li Yun’s challenge and dodged his first holy light blade before defending against further attacks with the Cauldron of All-Things Mother Qi.
• Ye Fan and Li Yun clashed head-on, and the cauldron’s weight let Ye Fan withstand Li Yun’s Four Extremes strength.
• Ye Fan used the Battle Saint Method and Yin-Yang Dao power to fight Li Yun’s Holy Light Illuminates the World Fist in close combat.
• Li Yun summoned his Holy Light Dao Body and trapped Ye Fan with holy light chains before launching the Spear of Judgment.
• Ye Fan fused his Yin-Yang Dao power, Battle Saint Method, and cauldron to meet the spear head-on, leaving Li Yun kneeling and Ye Fan still standing.

Ye Fan defeated Li Yun despite their difference in realms, while Li Qingshan meditated on Clumsy Peak and comprehended the true meaning of the "All" Secret. By dawn, Li Qingshan had completed his understanding of the inheritance.

• Ye Fan defeated Li Yun with a single strike, winning the battle for the Dao Palace cultivator against a Four Extremes opponent.
• The crowd marveled at Ye Fan's victory as the Black Emperor celebrated and Yaoguang Holy Land's elders held back from acting.
• Three days later, Li Qingshan meditated beneath an ancient pine on Clumsy Peak and traced the mountain's natural Dao resonance.
• Li Qingshan gathered the mountain's patterns and rhythms into a rune that revealed the inheritance of the "All" Secret.
• At dawn, Li Qingshan opened his eyes after comprehending the secret's four principles: touching, rousing, resonance, and sublimation.

Li Qingshan mastered the Nine Secrets: Jie well enough to briefly raise his battle strength to the Saint King level, then agreed to help Hua Mingxuan save Yunfei from the Ruthless One Lineage. He pulled the lineage’s hidden Dao protector across a thousand li into Star Peak’s secret chamber and immobilized him with the word “Still.”

• Li Qingshan triggered the Nine Secrets: Jie after seventy-two mental circulations, briefly entering the Divine Forbidden Domain and reaching Saint King-level battle strength.
• Li Ruoyu congratulated Li Qingshan at Clumsy Peak, and Li Qingshan vanished as the morning light brightened.
• Hua Mingxuan told Li Qingshan that his investigation had confirmed strange, demonic traces connected to Yunfei and begged him to intervene, offering the promised condition.
• Li Qingshan warned that acting could ruin Yunfei’s cultivation or cost him his life, but Hua Mingxuan accepted the risk and Li Qingshan agreed to help.
• Li Qingshan opened a spatial rift and dragged the hidden Dao protector of the Ruthless One Lineage from a valley a thousand li away into Star Peak’s secret chamber.
• Li Qingshan spoke the word “Still,” freezing the Dao protector and stopping his power and thoughts.

Li Qingshan killed the Ruthless One Lineage’s hidden Dao protector at Taixuan Sect and gave Hua Mingxuan the key to freeing Hua Yunfei from his demonic seed. He then studied the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Art and the Indestructible Heavenly Art, drawing insights to guide his future Red Dust Immortal Path before setting out again.

• Li Qingshan immobilized the gray-robed elder, stopped his attempted self-detonation, and searched his soul, killing him and learning the Ruthless One Lineage’s secrets.
• Li Qingshan gave Hua Mingxuan the key to severing the demonic seed inside Hua Yunfei and told him Hua Yunfei would have to overcome the danger himself.
• Li Qingshan left Taixuan Sect and secluded himself in a cave abode in the Eastern Wasteland’s Southern Region to study the two Emperor scriptures.
• After seven days of contemplation, Li Qingshan understood the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Art as a way to trace the ten thousand Daos and the Indestructible Heavenly Art as a way to refine and integrate them.
• Li Qingshan concluded that the scriptures could help him develop the Red Dust Immortal Path and left his cave abode at dawn to continue his journey.

Li Qingshan, Gu Tianshu, and Ye Fan entered Saint Cliff to pursue the Secret of Traversal and confronted a sentient evil arm left by an enemy slain by the Void Emperor. Gu Tianshu subdued it while Li Qingshan severed its connection to the earth veins, leaving it trapped in Gu Tianshu’s refining furnace.

• Li Qingshan led Gu Tianshu and Ye Fan through Saint Cliff’s deadly formations with the Beginningless Bell guiding and stabilizing their path.
• The three passed Reincarnation Lake and reached the black canyon, where a sentient arm emerged amid a storm of skulls and vengeful souls.
• Li Qingshan explained that the arm had belonged to a great enemy slain by the Void Emperor and had gained intelligence from Saint Cliff’s death and resentment.
• Gu Tianshu struck the arm with a crystalline Dao palm, burning away its evil power and forcing it to retreat toward its lair.
• Li Qingshan used the Pangu Banner to sever the arm’s connection to the canyon’s yin eye, weakening it by more than ninety percent.
• Gu Tianshu transformed his Dao palm into a radiant refining furnace and swallowed the weakened arm.

Li Qingshan and Gu Tianshu helped Ye Fan obtain the Nine Secrets: Xing inheritance from Saint Cliff while suppressing the danger inside the stone coffin. After Ye Fan absorbed the inheritance, Li Qingshan sent him to the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land to undergo his tribulation.

• Li Qingshan refined the evil arm and gave Ye Fan a dark gold bone fragment from an enemy of the Void Emperor to study.
• Li Qingshan used the Wu Shi Emperor Bell to awaken the Wushi Emperor Formation, allowing Ye Fan to climb Saint Cliff toward the altar.
• Gu Tianshu and Li Qingshan opened the stone coffin and revealed the Nine Secrets: Xing inheritance Dao diagram, which Ye Fan studied with the aid of the Bodhi Seed.
• When the coffin erupted, Gu Tianshu pressed it down while Li Qingshan activated Great Emperor Wushi's sealing runes with the Beginningless Bell.
• Ye Fan mastered the core mysteries of Nine Secrets: Xing, and the group left Saint Cliff with the coffin temporarily resealed.
• After Ye Fan finished sorting through the inheritance, Li Qingshan told him to go to the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land for his tribulation.

Ye Fan attempted to break the Sacred Body’s ancient curse by entering the Four Extremes Secret Realm at the edge of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land. After Li Qingshan helped him enter the forbidden land, an ancient Sacred Body’s fist destroyed the Innate Dao Diagram, allowing Ye Fan to break the curse and reach minor accomplishment.

• Li Qingshan brought Ye Fan to the edge of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land, where Ye Fan began his breakthrough as the Black Emperor prepared hidden formations.
• When several attackers tried to disrupt Ye Fan’s breakthrough, Li Qingshan killed them with his divine abilities.
• After Ye Fan entered the Four Extremes Secret Realm, the Innate Dao Diagram appeared and suppressed his Dao foundation, so Li Qingshan weakened its hold and sent Ye Fan into the forbidden land.
• Ye Fan struggled toward the sacred mountains while the Innate Dao Diagram pursued him, and the Desolate Slaves retreated instead of attacking.
• An ancient Sacred Body deep in the Desolate Antiquity Abyss struck the Innate Dao Diagram apart, letting Ye Fan break the curse and attain minor accomplishment.
• Ye Fan emerged from the forbidden land as cultivators recognized that his success could change the balance among the younger generation.

After emerging from months of seclusion, Li Qingshan met the Holy Prince, who sought an ancient peach and warned him about the coming rise of the Primordial Races. The Holy Prince also cautioned Jade Pool about its gestating Saint Spirit, but Li Qingshan remained confident he could suppress her if she became a threat.

• Li Qingshan emerged from seclusion in Jade Pool with a deeper Dao foundation, while the Saint Spirit in the Immortal Pool and an imperial presence within a sealed Stone King continued to develop.
• Lin Qingyao told Li Qingshan that the Holy Prince had come seeking an ancient peach, so they went to meet him in the guest hall.
• The Holy Prince agreed to exchange an ancient body-tempering art for a peach and told Li Qingshan that the Primordial Races would break free of their seals within decades.
• The Holy Prince warned that the Saint Spirit gestating in Jade Pool could become dangerous and that certain bloodline descendants posed hidden risks.
• Li Qingshan explained that Jade Pool had cleansed the Saint Spirit's viciousness and said he would suppress her himself if she caused trouble after emerging.

The Holy Prince warned Li Qingshan that Jade Pool’s sealed divine egg might belong to a descendant of the Undying Heavenly Emperor and could draw the Primordial Races into conflict. Li Qingshan revealed that he intended to use the awakening threat as a whetstone for the human race’s younger generation, then reassured Lin Qingyao that Jade Pool would remain safe as they prepared for the coming age.

• The Holy Prince told Li Qingshan that he believed Jade Pool held the Undying Heavenly Emperor’s descendant, sealed inside a divine egg, and warned that its emergence could bring the Ancient Races to Jade Pool.
• Li Qingshan admitted that he knew the egg was growing active and explained that he was keeping it as a powerful opponent to temper Ye Fan and the human race’s other young cultivators.
• The Holy Prince embraced Li Qingshan’s plan and said he wanted to test himself against the Heavenly Emperor’s Son; Lin Qingyao also confirmed that the Holy Prince could collect the ancient flat peach fruit at the Yaochi Grand Gathering.
• After the Holy Prince left, Lin Qingyao questioned the danger of Li Qingshan’s plan, and he assured her that Jade Pool would not fall while he was there.
• Li Qingshan and Lin Qingyao walked through the Purple Bamboo Forest, and Li Qingshan said he would attend the Flat Peach Gathering because old acquaintances might arrive.

The Yaochi Grand Gathering brought powerful figures from the Five Regions to pay homage to Li Qingshan, who accepted their gifts and returned valuable peaches and guidance. The banquet was interrupted by Crow Daoist, who challenged Li Qingshan’s presence but was overwhelmed by a single glance and submitted with an offering.

• The Ji Family Holy Lord and Ji Haoyue visited Li Qingshan, presented ancient scripture pages and other treasures, and received two thousand-year flat peaches in return.
• The Jiang Family Holy Lord offered Divine Phoenix Blood, and Li Qingshan gave him guidance on the Hengyu Scripture that eased his cultivation bottleneck.
• Representatives from the great dynasties, Western Desert, Southern Ridge, and Northern Plains presented gifts to Li Qingshan at Qingwei Blessed Land.
• Li Qingshan and Lin Qingyao entered the heavenly palace, where the Queen Mother of the West welcomed the guests and began the Flat Peach Gathering.
• Crow Daoist arrived late and spoke provocatively to Li Qingshan, but Li Qingshan’s glance made him spit blood and retreat.
• Crow Daoist apologized, offered his natal true feather, and took a seat at the edge of the hall.

At the Jade Pool banquet, Nangong Zheng recounted how he alone survived an expedition into the Bronze Immortal Palace, where his group found evidence that the Ruthless Great Emperor had attempted to live a fourth life. He then confronted Ye Fan over obtaining the Source Root of Mother Qi of All Things, leaving the hall wondering whether Ye Fan’s connection to the Great Emperor was a blessing or a curse.

• Li Qingshan offered most of his immortal peach to Lin Qingyao, and the banquet guests took note of their intimacy.
• Nangong Zheng arrived at Jade Pool, and the Queen Mother of the West welcomed him with great honor.
• Nangong Zheng told the assembly that he entered the Bronze Immortal Palace with thirteen Eastern Wasteland living fossils and was the only one to return, describing the deadly traps and a secret realm within.
• Nangong Zheng said the secret realm contained pieces of the Ruthless Great Emperor’s corpse, traces of the True Dragon Immortal Medicine, and signs that the Emperor had attempted a fourth life.
• Nangong Zheng pointed out that Ye Fan had also entered the Immortal Palace and asked whether he had obtained the Source Root of Mother Qi of All Things there.
• Ye Fan admitted that he had entered the palace and gained opportunities, while Nangong Zheng suggested that his connection to the Ruthless Great Emperor might bring either fortune or disaster.

At the Yaochi Grand Gathering, Li Qingshan stopped the gathered cultivators from accusing Ye Fan of inheriting the Ruthless Great Emperor’s arts and killed Yin Jiu for secretly stirring suspicion. Nangong Zheng later revealed a vision of Li Qingshan facing the seven great Life Forbidden Zones, and the gathering continued as a discussion of the Dao.

• Xiang Yifei, the Dao Yi Holy Son, and a hidden speaker cast suspicion on Ye Fan by suggesting he had obtained the Ruthless Great Emperor’s inheritance.
• Li Qingshan dragged Yin Jiu out of hiding and crushed him, then ordered the Yin-Yang Sect to clean house and warned the gathering not to target Ye Fan.
• Li Qingshan challenged Nangong Zheng’s account of the Bronze Immortal Palace and affirmed that Ye Fan’s cultivation and Mother Qi of All Things had nothing to do with the Ruthless Inheritance.
• Li Qingshan and Lin Qingyao left the banquet, where Nangong Zheng privately disclosed a vision of Li Qingshan before the seven great Life Forbidden Zones.
• Li Qingshan and Lin Qingyao returned to the gathering, where the great lords discussed the Dao and Ye Fan and the other young cultivators struggled to grasp their profound insights.

At the Flat Peach Gathering, Li Qingshan comprehended the Innate Great Dao of the Five Elements and demonstrated his Five-Colored Divine Light, astounding the assembled cultivators. On the gathering’s fourth day, a Jade Pool disciple announced that beings from the Primordial Ancient Mine had come seeking entry.

• At Jade Pool’s Flat Peach Gathering, Li Qingshan listened as the assembled lords debated the five elements and the technique used to seal an ancient flood dragon.
• Li Qingshan entered a state of comprehension and evolved the Innate Great Dao of the Five Elements into the Five-Colored Divine Light before the gathered cultivators.
• The five-colored phenomenon spread through the hall, nourishing its surroundings and allowing the lords and young prodigies, including Ye Fan, to witness the Dao.
• At noon, Li Qingshan ended his demonstration, and the holy lords bowed to him and the Great Dao.
• On the gathering’s fourth day, a Jade Pool disciple reported that beings from the Primordial Ancient Mine had arrived and asked to enter Jade Pool, and Li Qingshan set down his cup.

Li Qingshan received Gu Daoya, a messenger claiming to represent a Primordial King, and forced him to deliver the king’s letter without arrogance. The letter demanded territory for thousands of awakening Primordial Races, leaving Jade Pool’s leaders to reckon with the threat while Li Qingshan judged most of the clans to be opportunistic rather than truly dangerous.

• Li Qingshan ordered the messenger from the Primordial Ancient Mine admitted to Jade Pool’s hall despite Lin Qingyao’s concern.
• Gu Daoya entered with a Half-Saint of the Blood Moon Clan, scorned the human language, and presented a letter written in Primordial Divine Script.
• Li Qingshan rebuked Gu Daoya, used his force to subdue him, and made him translate the letter into the human tongue.
• Gu Daoya read that the Primordial Races would awaken and demanded that each clan receive the land within a hundred thousand li of its slumbering place.
• Gu Daoya revealed that seven or eight thousand clans could awaken, alarming the human leaders, while Li Qingshan privately dismissed most of them as weak opportunists.