Chapter Summaries

Lin Xuan learned that a suspected Emperor Weapon had appeared in the Great Yu Empire’s imperial mausoleum, drawing imperial clans and other factions toward a new Spiritual Qi secret realm. He agreed to travel with Bai Linglong, while Chu Chen waited near the battlefield and recalled a woman who had ignored his victory.

• Bai Linglong told Lin Xuan that a supreme treasure and a rumored Thearch Realm expert had appeared near the Great Yu Empire’s imperial mausoleum.
• Lin Xuan deduced that Wu Liang’s efforts to claim the treasure had attracted factions from across the region, and he agreed to go with Bai Linglong to find him.
• Imperial clan prodigies gathered near a battlefield, including Chu Chen, who had come because he considered Bai Linglong his future wife.
• Chu Chen recalled killing the Forty-Ninth Highness and receiving praise, then remembered the white-clad woman who had shown no interest in his feat.

Su Lianxin traveled with a group of imperial-clan prodigies toward the Great Yu Empire’s imperial mausoleum, drawn by reports of a supreme treasure and a Thearch Realm expert. Unable to contact her sect, she wondered whether the expert was Deputy Pavilion Master Chongming and continued toward the secret realm to find out.

• Chu Chen admired Su Lianxin and believed she might be won over if she learned the Chu Household’s origins and power.
• Su Lianxin ignored the group’s attention and focused on testing her Sword Dao, gaining battle merits, and growing strong enough to help her master.
• Su Lianxin stayed with the prodigies after hearing that a supreme treasure and a Thearch Realm expert were locked in a stalemate inside the Great Yu Empire’s imperial mausoleum.
• Su Lianxin tried to use her sect token to contact her sect, but the mausoleum’s area blocked communication.
• Su Lianxin continued toward the imperial mausoleum, intending to learn whether the Thearch Realm expert was Deputy Pavilion Master Chongming.

Lin Xuan accompanied Bai Linglong to an abandoned city where the Ancient Realm’s heaven’s chosen had gathered before entering the Great Yu Empire’s imperial mausoleum. After Bai Linglong clashed with Chu Chen over his possessive behavior and his refusal to believe Lin Xuan’s reputation, Lin Xuan spotted Su Lianxin arriving.

• Bai Linglong led Lin Xuan through the ruins to an abandoned city where the heaven’s chosen were assembling.
• Chu Chen scolded Bai Linglong for traveling into dangerous territory and claimed they would become dao companions, but she rejected his authority and reminded him she had not agreed to their elders’ marriage alliance.
• Bai Linglong introduced Lin Xuan as her friend and said he had killed several heaven’s chosen from other races’ royal lineages.
• Chu Chen dismissed Bai Linglong’s claim and questioned Lin Xuan, who ignored him and looked toward Su Lianxin as she approached.

Lin Xuan reunited with Su Lianxin at the city gates and learned that Wu Liang was likely trapped inside the nearby secret realm. After Chu Chen left in jealousy, Lin Xuan and Su Lianxin prepared to enter the realm together, while Chu Chen watched them with murderous intent.

• Lin Xuan recognized Su Lianxin, who approached him warmly, and Chu Chen grew jealous when he saw their closeness.
• Chu Chen threatened Bai Linglong and left, insisting that his household would resolve the Bai Household’s troubles and that Su Lianxin would eventually favor him.
• Bai Linglong apologized to Lin Xuan, refused to let Chu Chen’s provocation pressure him into joining her household, and went away with the Bai Household disciples.
• Lin Xuan and Su Lianxin set up a soundproofing formation by a campfire, where she explained how she had arrived and what she had heard about the secret realm.
• Lin Xuan confirmed that the rumored Thearch Realm expert was Wu Liang and approved of Su Lianxin entering the secret realm to temper herself under his protection.
• Chu Chen watched Lin Xuan gently stroke Su Lianxin’s head, crushed the firewood in his hand, and spat out Lin Xuan’s name with killing intent.

Lin Xuan’s party traveled toward the secret realm, where Chu Chen challenged him out of jealousy. Su Lianxin swiftly defeated Chu Chen, and Lin Xuan left after Wu Liang sent him the entrance’s location, with Bai Linglong giving him a compass to help him find it.

• The imperial clan prodigies set out for the secret realm with Chu Chen and Bai Linglong leading, while Su Lianxin joined Lin Xuan’s group.
• Chu Chen challenged Lin Xuan to a spar, doubting the stories of Lin Xuan’s victories over the other races’ royals.
• Su Lianxin struck Chu Chen once, breaking his sword and injuring his arm.
• Lin Xuan received a message from Wu Liang revealing the secret realm entrance’s location and decided to leave.
• Bai Linglong gave Lin Xuan her clan’s compass to guide him to the entrance, angering Chu Chen, who swore to make her pay.

After recovering from his injuries, Chu Chen led the prodigies to the imperial mausoleum and entered its secret realm, where a Half-Step Thearch Realm expert was fighting above them. As the imperial lineages gathered, the old monsters began to covet the chance to challenge the expert.

• Chu Chen rested for several days until his injuries healed, then led the group to the imperial mausoleum, where they found the corpses of other races and signs of a fierce battle.
• Chu Chen entered the secret realm with the prodigies and felt the overwhelming pressure of the Thearch Realm presence as they saw an enormous phantom battling in the sky.
• Chu Chen recognized experts from the Bai Household, the Ouyang Household, and the Tuoba Household, including elders believed to have long been in seclusion.
• Chu Tianfang welcomed Chu Chen and told him the secret realm was transforming into a blessed grotto-heaven with extraordinary cultivation benefits.
• After the old monsters realized the fighter possessed only Half-Step Thearch Realm strength, ambition stirred among them as they raised their heads to watch the battle.

The imperial clans’ old monsters decided to attack Wu Liang and seize the Holy Spirit Essence while he fought the phoenix. Chu Tianfang and the Chu Household’s ancestor also entered the battle, blocking the other clans with the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.

• Supreme Elder Ouyang urged the old monsters to kill Wu Liang and claim the essence to gain the treasure and extend their lifespans.
• The old monsters and imperial-clan powerhouses charged toward Wu Liang as he fought the Holy Spirit Essence.
• Chu Tianfang rose and called on the Chu Household’s ancestor to join the battle.
• The Chu Household’s ancestor enlarged the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda to block the others and ordered Chu Tianfang, Chen'er, and the Chu disciples to fight.

Chu Tianfang led the Chu Household in blocking the imperial Lineages to support the supposed Half-Step Great Emperor, hoping to win his favor and secure his household’s future. As the Holy Spirit Essence was defeated, the demon emperor thanked someone he called the Pavilion Master, revealing that even he served beneath another.

• Chu Tianfang sided with the demon emperor after a Chu Household elder recognized him as an ancient Winged Clan demon emperor and warned that he was far more formidable than he appeared.
• Chu Tianfang brought out the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda and positioned the Chu Household to stop the other imperial Lineages from reaching the demon emperor.
• The Ouyang Household head challenged Chu Tianfang, but Chu Tianfang declared that he would not let anyone take advantage of the demon emperor while he subdued the Holy Spirit Essence.
• The Chu Household held off the other Lineages under mounting pressure until a terrifying presence erupted from the depths of the secret realm.
• Sword light struck, a phoenix cried out and vanished, and a young man laughed as the Holy Spirit Essence was defeated.
• The demon emperor called out, “Thank you for lending your aid, Pavilion Master!” shocking the gathered Lineages.

Wu Liang emerged after absorbing the Holy Spirit Essence, revealed himself as the demon thearch Chongming, and promised to settle accounts with the imperial clans. He rewarded the Chu Household with access to the secret realm and agreed to guide Chu Chen, while the other clans remained trapped awaiting judgment.

• Wu Liang appeared before the imperial clans, warned them that he would settle accounts with them, and identified himself to the Chu Household as Chongming.
• Wu Liang rewarded the Chu Household for protecting him by offering three places to cultivate in the secret realm’s core.
• Chu Tianfang asked to exchange one of the places for guidance for Chu Chen, and Wu Liang agreed to let Chu Chen cultivate near him and ask questions.
• Chu Chen became elated at the chance to learn from a Thearch Realm expert, while the other young prodigies envied him.
• Wu Liang returned to the depths of the secret realm to regulate his breathing, leaving the imperial clans to await their reckoning.

Chu Chen basked in praise from female prodigies and claimed that the Demon Thearch had taken him as a disciple, while Lin Xuan and Su Lianxin dismissed his arrogance. Lin Xuan finally called out to Wu Liang and asked whether Chu Chen was his new disciple.

• Female prodigies begged Chu Chen to plead for their Lineages, but he refused to promise anything while enjoying their flattery.
• Lin Xuan and Su Lianxin arrived, and Bai Linglong spoke with Lin Xuan about the Bai Household elder who had joined the Demon Thearch’s encirclement.
• Chu Chen mocked Lin Xuan and offered to help Bai Linglong, claiming he had special permission to cultivate beside the Demon Thearch.
• A thearch Lineage prodigy praised Chu Chen and claimed the Demon Thearch had given him permission to become a personal disciple.
• Chu Chen invited Su Lianxin to stay and cultivate with him, but she and Lin Xuan dismissed his boasts.
• Lin Xuan called toward Wu Liang and asked whether Chu Chen was a disciple he had taken in.

Wu Liang learned that Chu Chen had impersonated his disciple and insulted Lin Xuan and Su Lianxin, then exposed the truth to the Chu Household. Chu Tianfang realized his son had destroyed the household’s chance to win Lin Xuan’s favor and was consumed by rage and regret.

• Wu Liang emerged from recovery and dismissed Chu Chen as unworthy of being his disciple.
• Lin Xuan told Wu Liang that Chu Chen had demanded his mercy and tried to claim Su Lianxin as his woman.
• Wu Liang revealed that Lin Xuan was the Sword Pavilion’s pavilion master and that Chu Chen had invoked his name to make those demands.
• Chu Chen recognized Su Lianxin from the rankings and collapsed to his knees under Wu Liang’s imperial pressure.
• Chu Tianfang arrived and learned from Wu Liang and Bai Linglong what Chu Chen had done.
• Chu Tianfang raged that Chu Chen had ruined the Chu Household’s chance to benefit from its connection to Lin Xuan and Wu Liang.

Chu Tianfang crippled Chu Chen to appease Wu Liang, but Su Lianxin killed Chu Chen for insulting Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan left the remaining punishment to Wu Liang, who sealed the secret realm’s exit and prepared to slaughter the trapped imperial clan members.

• Chu Tianfang struck Chu Chen’s Dantian and crippled him, then begged Wu Liang to accept the punishment.
• Wu Liang asked Lin Xuan how to deal with Chu Chen, and Chu Chen pleaded with Lin Xuan for mercy.
• Su Lianxin killed Chu Chen, saying she would punish anyone who disrespected her master.
• Lin Xuan told Wu Liang to handle the others and ordered him to spare the Bai Household except for the chief culprit.
• Wu Liang gave the other imperial clans three breaths to escape, then sealed the secret realm’s exit with his spatial power.
• The trapped clansmen found the exit blocked as Wu Liang began his slaughter.

After the imperial clans' expedition to the Great Yu Empire's imperial mausoleum ended in catastrophe, Lin Xuan kept the ancient sword and stayed in the secret realm with Wu Liang and Su Lianxin. As threats from other races grew, Lin Xuan began cultivating in seclusion to strengthen himself.

• Only a handful of imperial clan experts escaped the Great Yu Empire's imperial mausoleum, and they revealed that everyone else who entered had died.
• Lin Xuan examined the ancient sword, sensed a vision of its former female sword cultivator owner, and decided to give it to Lianxin after studying it.
• Wu Liang refined the phoenix essence in his true form while Su Lianxin entered sudden enlightenment over the sword scripture near the sword mound.
• Lin Xuan considered the rising danger in the Profound Domain and chose to cultivate alongside Wu Liang and Su Lianxin.
• Lin Xuan sat apart from Su Lianxin and began cultivating in seclusion after recalling the sword scripture.

As the Ancient Alliance's prodigies gained ground and the Sword Pavilion's leaders remained absent, Ji Linyuan emerged as a formidable force. The other races then challenged humanity to a decisive contest of ten prodigies, with the losers required to leave the Profound Domain.

• Taishu Ru rose to ninth on the Earth Ranking while Lianxin fell to thirteenth and the Sword Pavilion's leading figures dropped from the rankings' top ten.
• Ji Linyuan emerged from the Ancient Realm, rapidly climbed the Earth Ranking, and killed powerful cultivators from the other races.
• At the Seven Treasures Teahouse, Ancient Alliance cultivators praised Ji Linyuan while a Profound Alliance cultivator challenged him for remaining unseen.
• The Dingming Bell rang, and a voice announced that the other races had challenged humanity to arena matches between ten prodigies from each side, with the losers to withdraw from the Profound Domain.

His Highness Twenty-Seven defended his decision to challenge the Human Race’s ten young prodigies, while the Profound and Ancient Alliances chose fighters and debated how to fill their final slot. The meeting ended with the Su Household’s ancestor recommending Lianxin, despite her absence and current thirteenth-place ranking on the Earth Ranking.

• His Highness Twenty-Six confronted His Highness Twenty-Seven over arranging peace talks, but Twenty-Seven crushed his cup and insisted the God Clan would win while sacrificing fewer fighters.
• The Profound and Ancient Alliances gathered to select ten under-thirty prodigies for a deadly challenge, and the head of the Tuoba Household suggested opening the Great Emperor Treasury’s inner vault.
• The alliance leaders nominated Linyuan, Di Xi, a Bai Household girl, Tian Shenyue, Ling Yushu, Yin Sisheng, Gu Fang, Yun Kai, and Taishu Ru for nine places.
• The leaders debated who should take the last place, with the Profound Alliance concerned that the Ancient Alliance had claimed most of the selections.
• The Su Household’s ancestor recommended Lianxin for the final place, prompting the gathered leaders to turn toward him in surprise.

The alliance leaders chose ten prodigies to enter the Great Emperor Treasury and fight, with the Su Household’s ancestor insisting that Su Lianxin receive one of the Profound Alliance’s two spots. Days later, the prodigies gathered, but Su Lianxin was nowhere to be seen, leaving the ancestor worried she could not or would not come.

• The Su Household’s ancestor recommended Su Lianxin for a spot, but the Ancient Alliance leaders mocked her Earth Ranking position and questioned her strength.
• The Yun Household’s head insulted the Profound Alliance, while its members could not refute his claims about their limited selection of prodigies.
• The Tian Household’s head proposed settling on Su Lianxin, and the leaders agreed to an eight-to-two roster dominated by the Ancient Alliance.
• The Tian Household’s head called for the Great Emperor Treasury’s inner vault to be opened and ordered the prodigies to prepare for battle.
• The powers sent messages summoning their prodigies, who returned to the rear encampment over the following days.
• The Su Household’s ancestor searched the gathered crowd for Su Lianxin and worried when she failed to appear.

After the Great Emperor Treasury closed, the four great imperial lineages of the Ancient Realm defected to the other races, plunging the Profound Domain into panic and leaving four arena battle places vacant. Ming Shou condemned Ling Yushu as a traitor and asked his father for permission to fight.

• Bai Linglong and others wondered why Su Lianxin had not come, unaware that she was secluded in the Great Yu Empire's small secret realm.
• Nine young prodigies entered the Great Emperor Treasury, and Tian Shenyue later reunited with the Tian Household's patriarch.
• Ling Yushu twice invited Di Xi to visit his residence, and Di Xi rebuffed him both times.
• The four great imperial lineages vanished with their clansmen and defected to the other races, shocking the Profound Domain and damaging morale.
• The defection left four of the ten arena battle places vacant, including Ling Yushu's place.
• Ming Shou called Ling Yushu a traitor and asked his father for permission to fight.

Ming Shou and three other Profound Domain prodigies volunteered to fill the arena battle’s vacant human slots, while Ji Linyuan vowed the human race would not lose. Lin Xuan emerged from seclusion with the Demon Thearch, gave Su Lianxin an ancient sword, and received the Emperor Weapon Edgeless in return; they headed for the battle site as the human forces gathered among the ruins of the Sangluo Empire.

• Ming Shou persuaded his father to let him fight, and three other Profound Domain prodigies volunteered to fill the remaining arena battle spots.
• Ji Linyuan assured the Profound Domain that the human race would win, easing some of the fear among those who trusted him.
• Su Lianxin emerged from seclusion and learned she had been selected for the battle, then reunited with Lin Xuan and the Demon Thearch.
• Lin Xuan bestowed an ancient sword on Su Lianxin and received the Emperor Weapon Edgeless through the system’s return.
• Lin Xuan, the Demon Thearch, and Su Lianxin set out for the arena as the human forces gathered in the ruined Sangluo Empire.

Ling Yushu provoked the Human Race by revealing they had only nine participants, while His Highness Twenty-Seven announced the arena battle would be a fight to the death. Jiang Ta challenged His Highness Thirty-Nine and was killed instantly, leaving the Human Race reeling after its first match.

• Bai Linglong watched the other-race royals taunt the Human Race, while Ling Yushu sided with them and mocked Di Xi and the missing tenth participant.
• His Highness Twenty-Seven appeared, declared the rules of the death match, and left His Highness Thirty-Nine to fight for the other races.
• Jiang Ta entered the arena to challenge His Highness Thirty-Nine, confident that his skill could match the opponent.
• His Highness Thirty-Nine killed Jiang Ta in a single blow and taunted the Human Race over his corpse.

After Jiang Ta’s death, Cheng Jing Ting of the destroyed Heavenly Talisman Sect stepped forward to challenge His Highness Thirty-Nine, driven by the slaughter of his sect and the death of his master. He unleashed golden divine talismans and declared that he would carry out his sect’s final will by killing his opponent.

• His Highness Thirty-Nine kicked Jiang Ta’s corpse from the platform and taunted the human cultivators after defeating him.
• Cheng Jing Ting, dressed in mourning clothes, approached the arena as the sole survivor of the Heavenly Talisman Sect.
• Cheng Jing Ting’s memories revealed that he had buried his sect’s dead, refused offers to join another sect, and fought his way to eleventh place on the Earth Ranking.
• His Highness Thirty-Nine recognized Cheng Jing Ting and mocked him by recalling how his sect’s elders had died protecting him.
• Cheng Jing Ting vowed never to forget his sect’s destruction and summoned golden divine talismans to begin the fight.