Recaps

Ziyue remembered that the Outer Heaven Demon Statue had given her power in exchange for a claim on her soul, and the captain of the guard moved to kill her. Just as the pale face prepared to seize her, Chen Qing appeared and rescued her using the same power.

• Ziyue recalled that the Outer Heaven Demon Statue had tempted her in the dungeon, lent her power, and made her forget its existence in exchange for the chance to claim her soul.
• The captain of the guard grabbed Ziyue and warned her that falling into the demon statue's hands would be worse than dying, then admitted he had long sought an excuse to kill her.
• Ziyue refused to accept defeat, and the pale face expected her desperation to make her use its power again so it could reach her.
• The captain of the guard unleashed overwhelming qi and blood and prepared to kill Ziyue, while the demon statue realized it could not cross the distance to claim her.
• Chen Qing appeared, holding Ziyue after using the demon statue's power to pull her out of the captain's grasp.

Chen Qing rescued Ziyue from the captain of the guard using Time Scale, a forbidden art that let him cross half a year’s distance in an instant. They arrived at Chen Qing’s original location, but the art’s use drew a golem closer, and it was almost upon them.

• Chen Qing confronted the captain of the guard over their use of forbidden arts and accused him of being the Blood Ancestor.
• The captain revealed that Chen Qing’s knowledge was unusual, linked it to confidential information barred from reincarnation, and attacked him.
• Chen Qing escaped with Ziyue to his original location by activating Time Scale, which he had learned from Ziyue’s future self.
• Chen Qing explained that using Time Scale had cost him over a million years of lifespan, though his Divine Path Style could theoretically make him immortal.
• Ziyue sensed a golem approaching and learned that her contract had drawn it closer when Chen Qing used its power.

Chen Qing explained why he and Ziyue had to survive the Demonic Void Realm and considered using their enemy to escape. Meanwhile, Kagura and the emperor discussed the captain of the guards and the hidden forces controlling their world, while Chen Qing and a young girl worked on a spatial formation to save someone.

• Chen Qing told Ziyue that faith could eventually guide them out of the Demonic Void Realm, but the pale-faced monster might find them first, so they needed another way.
• Chen Qing suggested that their second escape method depended on Ziyue's enemy, the captain of the guards.
• Kagura questioned the emperor about joining forces with Chen Qing, and the emperor realized she feared the captain of the guards more than the armies facing them.
• Kagura suggested that a traitor and an invisible hand were controlling events in their world.
• Chen Qing and a young girl struggled to complete a spatial formation that could stabilize the chaotic environment, and Chen Qing said they had to hurry because someone could not hold on much longer.

Chen Qing identified the captain as a former opponent of the Blood Ancestor and escaped his arrival with Ziyue. The captain questioned Chen Qing’s identity while Ziyue heard a familiar voice promise to rescue her.

• Chen Qing told Ziyue that he suspected the captain served the Blood Ancestor, who sought to seize life force.
• Chen Qing predicted the captain would reach them within half a quarter hour, and the captain soon descended with overwhelming force.
• The captain’s Blood Demon Armor let him survive the chaotic force of his arrival, while Chen Qing and Ziyue escaped its impact with a spatial technique.
• Chen Qing recognized the captain’s armor and concluded that the captain had defeated the Blood Ancestor before.
• The captain admitted he had wanted to kill Bai Hua and wondered whether Chen Qing was Pu Yunchuan.
• Ziyue heard a familiar voice in her mind tell her to stay where she was while it and its lord came to save her.

Chen Qing prepared a counterattack against the monsters with help from a gifted Jiangnan Academy student, while Ziyue wondered how he had come to be there. The chapter ended with the student completing a formation that could give humanity a chance to fight back.

• Ziyue received a distant message from her marked student and wondered what was happening, since Chen Qing had said the academy students were with Shen Qi.
• Chen Qing told Ziyue he had sent the students with Shen Qi and the West Sea Army, and joked that she owed him another mark if he survived.
• The little girl asked Chen Qing about the strange space while calculating a complex formation and complained that Ziyue had not answered her call for help.
• The little girl completed the formation, restoring the surrounding chaotic elements to their state in the real world.
• Chen Qing explained that the formation was the first step toward counterattacking the outer demons.

Ziyue struggled to understand why two identical Chen Qings seemed to be present as Chen Qing and the guard captain maintained a prolonged aura standoff. The chapter ended with a pale-faced demonic statue observing the clash and fixating on the two identical Chen Qings.

• Ziyue wondered whether the Chen Qing before her or the one with the girl was real, since both seemed to have convincing claims to his identity.
• The captain recognized Chen Qing as a formidable opponent and failed to find an opening in his defenses during their standoff.
• The captain tried to wear Chen Qing down and question his motives, but Chen Qing remained composed and hinted that he was waiting for something.
• After half an hour, the captain was baffled that Chen Qing could sustain the pressure despite its enormous energy cost.
• A pale-faced demonic statue watched the two men and focused on the fact that they were identical Chen Qings.

The King of Qin revealed that he had replaced Chen Qing and used the World in the Painting to deceive the captain of the guard. After the King of Qin struck the captain down, the captain, Chen Qing, and Ziyue questioned his true identity.

• Chen Qing used a spatial distortion to distract the captain while the King of Qin appeared behind him and sealed his vital point with an ice needle.
• Ziyue recognized the attacker as the King of Qin, while the real Chen Qing emerged from the distorted space.
• Chen Qing explained that the King of Qin and Bai Hua had shared a symbiotic relationship, and that Bai Hua had controlled the King of Qin after he was copied into the World in the Painting.
• Chen Qing revealed that the King of Qin had waited for the emperor to weaken Bai Hua, then used Bai Hua's ability to replace Chen Qing and prepare an ambush.
• The captain realized how the King of Qin had sustained himself with energy from the World in the Painting and asked who he really was.
• Chen Qing and Ziyue also questioned the King of Qin's identity after recognizing that his strength exceeded what a newcomer could possess.

King of Qin revealed that he was Qigu, an Ancient Demon who had survived after being presumed dead and had allied with the pale-faced monster. After taking control of the captain of the guard’s Blood Ancestor body, he demanded Chen Qing’s body as his reward.

• The captain of the guard realized King of Qin’s strength and knowledge could not belong to an ordinary Reincarnator.
• King of Qin revealed his Ancient Demon aura, and Ziyue recognized him as Qigu.
• Qigu explained that he had survived Fusion, been cast into the demonic Void Realm, and met the pale-faced monster, who helped him return to the human world.
• The pale-faced monster said Qigu had promised to take the captain’s body and asked for the Blood Ancestor body as agreed.
• Qigu agreed to give the monster the Blood Ancestor body but demanded Chen Qing’s body for himself.

Chen Qing realized that demons might have infiltrated humanity’s leaders and feared being captured by either the King of Qin or the huge pale face. He sowed distrust between them, and the huge pale face turned on the King of Qin over his desire for Chen Qing’s body.

• Chen Qing reflected on how demons could exploit Reincarnators and wondered whether impostors had infiltrated the Four Great Guilds’ rulers.
• The King of Qin offered the huge pale face a deal involving the Blood Ancestor’s body in exchange for Chen Qing’s body.
• Chen Qing warned that the King of Qin might betray the huge pale face and argued that he was stalling because he could not yet control the Blood Ancestor’s body.
• The huge pale face began to suspect the King of Qin and asked why he would trade the Blood Ancestor’s body for Chen Qing’s.
• The King of Qin claimed he wanted to secure a lesser prize, but the huge pale face remained unconvinced and threatened to eliminate him.

Chen Qing negotiated with Four Perils, the demon statue who controlled the Four Perils forbidden technique, and agreed to help seize the Blood Ancestor in exchange for Ziyue’s negative contract being nullified. As Four Perils was caught in Time Stop, he realized Chen Qing and the King of Qin had been working together.

• The King of Qin threatened to oppose Four Perils, while Four Perils tried to recruit Chen Qing to help seize the Blood Ancestor.
• Chen Qing bargained for Ziyue’s negative contract to end, and Four Perils agreed to the terms of their cooperation.
• Chen Qing identified the huge pale face as Four Perils and explained how the contract had distracted him from Time Stop.
• Four Perils realized Chen Qing had used the contract’s brief activation to immobilize him with Time Stop.
• Four Perils sensed the King of Qin’s malice and realized Chen Qing and the King of Qin were working together.

Chen Qing and the King of Qin agreed to cooperate against the Four Perils, despite their mutual hostility. Ziyue absorbed the dying demon statue’s power, while the King of Qin grew wary of Chen Qing and hinted that his body mattered to him.

• The King of Qin told Chen Qing he had gained Bai Hua’s abilities through a life-and-death contract, and Chen Qing challenged his reckless use of demonic power.
• The King of Qin proposed cooperating to stop the Four Perils and protect Ziyue, revealing that he had once saved Chen Qing’s family from demons for his own purposes.
• Chen Qing and the King of Qin worked together, and Ziyue used their contract to absorb the Four Perils’ power as the demon statue dissolved.
• The King of Qin recognized that Chen Qing’s spatial formation had helped defeat the Four Perils and suspected it came from the Dragon Palace.
• The King of Qin admitted he would rather kill Chen Qing than pursue the Blood Ancestor, then answered Chen Qing’s question about his body with, “You guess?”

Chen Qing and the King of Qin broke their tense standoff with forbidden techniques while Ziyue continued absorbing the Four Perils. The King of Qin countered Chen Qing’s attack with spatial magic, leaving them poised for a direct battle amid a maze of his reflections.

• As Ziyue absorbed the Four Perils and the King of Qin absorbed the Blood Ancestor, both prepared to attack their mortal enemy once an opening appeared.
• Chen Qing used the Heavenly Demon Wheel to draw light and surrounding matter into his eyes, forcing the King of Qin to choose between abandoning the Blood Ancestor and using Bai Hua’s technique to switch places with the captain of the guard.
• Chen Qing told Ziyue that the King of Qin had likely reset Bai Hua’s forbidden technique with time-space reversal, and that Bai Hua’s power could not be used on the same person twice.
• The King of Qin overheard Chen Qing and Ziyue’s voice transmission with a forbidden mental technique, then used spatial magic to slow Chen Qing’s attack.
• The King of Qin folded the surrounding spaces into a prism-like world filled with images of himself and challenged Chen Qing to fight using forbidden techniques.

Chen Qing and the King of Qin faced off with the Four Perils' forbidden techniques, each trying to force the other into a fatal choice. Chen Qing weighed whether to intensify the Heavenly Demon Wheel or withdraw it and risk the King of Qin's multiplying reflections turning against him.

• The King of Qin challenged Chen Qing to a duel under equal conditions and explained that he had used the Four Perils' forbidden techniques only once before.
• Chen Qing maintained the Heavenly Demon Wheel, a technique that created an artificial black hole but threatened to overwhelm his mind and consume everything if he lost control.
• The King of Qin used Thousand Illusions to fill the folded space with multiplying mirrors and reflections, which could amplify his attacks but might eventually rebel against him.
• Chen Qing realized the two techniques countered each other and that the King of Qin was testing which of them could endure longer.
• Chen Qing considered either increasing the Heavenly Demon Wheel's power and risking his own destruction or withdrawing it and gambling that the King of Qin's reflections would turn on him.

Chen Qing defeated the King of Qin’s Thousand Illusions by choosing an unexpected head-on assault, but the captain of the guards broke the Heavenly Demon Wheel with a precise strike. The technique’s destruction unleashed the energy Chen Qing had absorbed, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Chen Qing realized the King of Qin was counting on him to prolong the fight and decided to unleash the Heavenly Demon Wheel at full power.
• Chen Qing’s suction shattered the King of Qin’s prisms, and the King of Qin asked why Chen Qing had chosen to fight against his usual instincts.
• Chen Qing explained that he had acted unpredictably because the King of Qin knew him after watching him for twenty years.
• As the King of Qin was being pulled in, he called for help, and the captain of the guards struck a precise point that broke the Heavenly Demon Wheel.
• Ziyue feared the released energy would destroy Jiangnan and kill Chen Qing, who had been at the technique’s core.

Ziyue rejected the Four Perils Golem’s offer and continued absorbing it while the King of Qin and the captain of the guards attacked her. Chen Qing, badly wounded and blind, appeared to stop them with another forbidden technique, Heavenly Origin.

• The Four Perils Golem offered Ziyue a deal, but Chen Qing’s voice cut through its temptation and revealed that he was still alive.
• The King of Qin and the captain of the guards rushed toward Ziyue, intending to stop her from absorbing the golem.
• Ziyue refused the golem’s offer and continued absorbing it, despite its warnings about the cost of wielding its power.
• Chen Qing blocked the two attackers outside the Time Stop Magic Formation, though he was blind and nearly out of mental power.
• Chen Qing summoned the blood-like runes of the forbidden technique Heavenly Origin, shocking the King of Qin and the captain.

Chen Qing used the forbidden technique Heavenly Origin to drive off the King of Qin and the captain of the guards, but its backlash began consuming him. Earth Yin appeared to counter the technique, while the King of Qin and the captain decided to abandon the Cloud Capital battlefield and retrieve the sealed elders.

• Chen Qing unleashed Heavenly Origin, forcing the King of Qin and the captain of the guards to flee through a spatial rift rather than risk confronting him.
• Chen Qing began turning into pure yang, but Earth Yin emerged as blackness and fused with the white force around him.
• The King of Qin and the captain discussed whether they could return, and the King of Qin said Chen Qing would survive.
• The King of Qin decided they had to abandon the Cloud Capital battlefield and retrieve the captain's sealed elders before Ziyue learned their location.
• The King of Qin considered how the Blood Ancestor's power and Bai Hua's power could help him build his own faction.

The chief guard returned from his fight with Chen Qing and ordered the Four Saints Army to withdraw, but the war priest challenged him about Ziyue’s whereabouts. The chief guard said Ziyue was alive and let the army choose sides, leaving most of its soldiers aligned with him.

• The chief guard emerged and ordered the Four Saints Army to escort the elders out of Cloud Capital.
• The war priest asked the chief guard where Ziyue was, halting the army’s movement.
• The chief guard said he had spared Ziyue and invited the soldiers to choose whether to follow him or stay with her.
• Most of the elite guards and a large portion of the Four Saints Army crossed over to the chief guard’s side.

The King of Qin left rather than risk a confrontation, taking the captain of the guard and the Blood Ancestor body to Cloud Capital’s hidden space. The forces left behind faced uncertain alliances, while the King of Qin learned that Kagura might have Zhu Jiuyin as a trump card.

• The King of Qin decided the Four Saints Army would make ideal Blood Ancestor servants and left the Four Saints Bodies behind to focus on building his forces.
• After the King of Qin departed, Shen Qi reassured the Four Saints Army that Jiangnan and Ziyue’s people would stand with them, while Kagura offered the emperor a deal over the Azure Dragon and White Tiger bodies.
• The captain of the guard asked why the King of Qin had not stayed to seize a Four Saints Body, and the King of Qin explained that Kagura made staying too risky.
• The King of Qin and the captain of the guard acknowledged that each might betray the other if given the chance.
• The captain of the guard revealed that Kagura’s final trump card might involve Zhu Jiuyin, and the King of Qin questioned how Kagura could possess it.

The captain of the guard explained to the King of Qin why the Four Great Guilds had hidden what lay beyond the heavens and how Kagura used the Demon Buddha to pursue research despite resistance from guild members. Their conversation ended in a tense warning over the Ancient Demon Queen, just as dark clouds covered Cloud Capital before Chen Qing and Ziyue appeared.

• The captain of the guard told the King of Qin that the guild players had united and gained power using foreknowledge, but later feared facing an unknown future without the ability to start over.
• The captain explained that guild members’ vested interests prevented the leaders from openly studying what lay beyond the heavens, and that Kagura split off the Demon Buddha to conduct research while maintaining plausible deniability.
• The King of Qin suggested that the captain might have betrayed his guild because he loved the Ancient Demon Queen, and the captain threatened to kill him if he used her to probe him again.
• Dark clouds suddenly covered Cloud Capital while Chen Qing and Ziyue were still absent.

Kagura revealed Zhu Jiuyin, whose gaze left the gathered armies helpless and filled the emperor with despair. The emperor refused to retreat, and Chen Qing reappeared to stand with him as he recognized Kagura’s plan to use the monster to disable their forces.

• Zhu Jiuyin’s enormous snake eyes appeared in the sky, and their supernatural pressure rendered the gathered soldiers unable to fight.
• The emperor admitted he feared the overwhelming power above them but stepped forward and refused to retreat.
• Kagura realized the emperor could still fight despite Zhu Jiuyin’s gaze weakening her own power.
• Chen Qing appeared alive, praised the emperor’s resolve, and earned his approval.
• Chen Qing identified Zhu Jiuyin and deduced that Kagura planned to weaken the armies before relying on her own strength and resistance to its gaze.

Chen Qing faced Kagura after surviving Zhu Jiuyin’s pressure and revealed a dangerous forbidden technique that forced her to retreat. Kagura marked him as an enemy and withdrew, leaving Chen Qing and the emperor to consider the threat ahead.

• Kagura noticed Chen Qing seemed unaffected by Zhu Jiuyin’s pressure and challenged him to attack.
• Kagura struck Chen Qing with her Asura Seal, but Chen Qing blocked it with Heavenly Origin and destroyed her hand.
• Kagura recognized the danger of Chen Qing’s forbidden technique, questioned his control of it, and retreated after warning that she would settle the score.
• Zhu Jiuyin withdrew into the clouds, while most of the soldiers remained incapacitated by its pressure.
• The emperor asked Chen Qing whether he was still considering attacking him.

Chen Qing and the emperor agreed to work together after the emperor admitted he lacked confidence in saving humanity alone and wanted to entrust its future to Chen Qing. The emperor planned to evacuate civilians to Chen Qing’s territory before leading an expedition against the Reincarnators in the Northern Lands.

• The emperor asked Chen Qing whether he could attack, and Chen Qing admitted he could not use his power at will.
• The emperor proposed working with Chen Qing, who considered the alliance valuable because his forces faced threats on several fronts.
• Chen Qing explained that his title as King of Qin limited where he could confer titles on Spirits while the emperor lived.
• The emperor admitted that reviving humanity was harder than he had expected and said Chen Qing might be better suited to win the people’s hearts.
• The emperor said he would send civilians from the Northern Lands and the capital’s surrounding cities to Chen Qing’s territory, then lead an expedition against the Reincarnators.

After the Celestial Master Mansion fell and Cloud Capital returned to imperial rule, the city’s prominent families anxiously awaited news from the Celestial Master Trial. Elder Murong revealed that the emperor had killed the old Celestial Master and that Master Ziyue had become the ancient gods’ new priest.

• Cloud Capital’s people heard that the old Celestial Master had ascended, Master Ziyue would inherit the Celestial Master Mansion, and Cloud Capital would again become the imperial capital.
• The imperial announcement offered residents a choice to move to Jiangnan or stay and receive rewards.
• The Zhou Household learned that Chen Ying had killed Zhou Yuntao, and its elders hurried to the Ziyi Household for answers.
• Zhou Tianlie and other family representatives met with Elder Murong, who recounted the emperor’s victory and the old Celestial Master’s death.
• Elder Murong told the gathered families that Master Ziyue had become the ancient gods’ new priest.

The Five Color Families learned that Cloud Capital was under the Great Jin emperor’s control and had to choose between accepting noble titles and joining his war effort or moving to Jiangnan without special privileges. Elder Murong chose to stay in Cloud Capital, while the other elders remained undecided.

• Elder Murong explained that the emperor had allied with Chen Qing and offered the Five Color Families a choice between staying in Cloud Capital or moving to Jiangnan.
• The elders learned that those who stayed would receive hereditary noble titles and coexist with the evil Spirits, while Jiangnan offered no posts or special terms.
• Elder Murong said Master Ziyue’s earlier promise no longer stood and warned that Chen Qing and the emperor were far stronger than the families.
• Elder Murong urged the families to recognize their weakened position, noting that Zhou Yuntao had died at the hands of Chen Qing’s disciple without any explanation being offered.
• Elder Murong chose to stay in Cloud Capital and support the emperor’s plans to move the capital and prepare for war in the north.
• The other elders weighed the danger of joining the war against the safety of moving to Jiangnan and remained hesitant.

Chen Qing explained why he planned to recruit Cloud Capital’s people while refusing to welcome the Five Color Families, whose ties to the Ancient Demon elders made them a risk to Jiangnan. Ziyue then questioned whether Chen Qing was truly Pu Yunchuan and suggested that unseen forces might be behind his identity, leaving them with no clues about his origins.

• Ziyue questioned Chen Qing’s casual treatment of Cloud Capital’s noble families, and Chen Qing said he wanted to attract residents without giving the families special status.
• Chen Qing explained that he distrusted the Five Color Families because of their ties to the Ancient Demon Clan and said he would refuse them unless they offered something worthwhile.
• Ziyue told Chen Qing that he did not seem like Pu Yunchuan and suggested he might only carry Pu Yunchuan’s memories.
• Ziyue admitted that she did not know how her past and present identities had combined, and Chen Qing said he also had no clue about his own origins.
• Chen Qing and Ziyue suspected that the King of Qin, the captain of the guard, and Ziyue’s nominal father knew more, while Chen Qing wondered how Wang Ye’s investigation in Data City was going.