Chapter Summaries

Chen Qing explained how Pu Yunchuan’s backup data, the King of Qin, and the hidden rulers of Data City had led to the golems’ arrival and the plan to restore Demon World. Wang Ye realized Chen Qing might still intend to destroy the world, making him a potential enemy.

• Chen Qing told Wang Ye that Pu Yunchuan’s backup data had turned against its programming and spared the world.
• Chen Qing explained that the King of Qin had devoured Pu Yunchuan’s backup data and an agent, then activated content from the fourth version.
• Chen Qing revealed that Data City’s hidden rulers had controlled events for ages and now planned to restart every version to restore Demon World.
• Wang Ye suggested that Chen Qing cooperate with the rulers because they shared a goal of saving both worlds.
• Chen Qing rejected the suggestion, and Wang Ye realized Chen Qing might still intend to destroy the world.

Chen Qing stopped the engineers from completing the program, but his disagreement with Wang Ye over sacrificing the human world turned them against each other. After Chen Qing cut Wang Ye in half, General Liu appeared, revealing that he was still alive.

• Chen Qing and Nie Xingjun told the North District engineers that a hacker had stolen Nie Xingjun’s access privileges, and Nie ordered them to stop the program and shut down the power.
• Wang Ye accused Chen Qing of treating the human world as expendable, and Chen Qing argued that the fourth version threatened both worlds.
• Wang Ye said he no longer wanted to stand with Chen Qing, and Chen Qing struck him down with his sword.
• General Liu appeared behind Chen Qing, who recognized the old man and realized he had survived.

Chen Qing learned that Elder Liu had secretly preserved his genes and built a force within the Demon World through Red Sun. As the New World continued updating despite the power being cut, Chen Qing discovered the Western Federation was secretly supplying it, and Elder Liu asked whether they would still work together.

• Chen Qing deduced that Elder Liu had preserved his genes, and Elder Liu confirmed it while praising Chen Qing’s perceptiveness.
• Elder Liu agreed with Chen Qing’s goal of ending the Demon World but said it could not be done simply; engineers then discovered that the New World was still receiving power after its main supply was cut.
• Chen Qing suspected the Western Federation was providing power, and Elder Liu revealed its underground network had secretly connected to the project.
• Elder Liu explained that officials in Data City had ignored the real world and that he had built his own force by recruiting Red Sun through its people’s respect for strength.
• Chen Qing inferred that Elder Liu and the powerful elites had maintained rival forces in the Demon World, then learned Elder Liu had awakened as a Venerable avatar through Ancient Revival.
• Elder Liu asked Chen Qing whether they would continue working together.

As spiritual energy surged across the world, the Shen Family prepared for threats from the Dragon Palace and Heavenly Python Palace while Xu Hu and Tian Heng divided their defenses. In the Imperial Capital, the emperor and King Xiang recognized that the front-line army was in danger and settled on a plan involving Jiangnan.

• The Shen Family discussed the spiritual energy surge and strengthened their defenses against the Dragon King and the Heavenly Pythons.
• Xu Hu set off for North Sea City and entrusted the Central Plains pass to Tian Heng, who agreed to support Ziyue if needed.
• A soldier reported that Wei Gongcheng had returned but had been taken hostage by a strange-looking woman, prompting Tian Heng to summon Deputy General Bai and the Four Saints Army.
• The emperor and King Xiang concluded that the Ghost Army needed the Flying Dragon Lords and could not abandon the exposed Northern Lands front.
• King Xiang looked to the Xiao siblings and proposed a plan involving Jiangnan.

As spiritual energy surged and threatened the Ghost Army, Tuoba Wu received orders from the court to divert to Jiangnan and seek refuge. At Jiangnan's pass, Tian Heng debated whether to admit the army, weighing the chance to weaken the Xiao Household against the danger of facing the northern forces alone.

• Tuoba Wu received a confidential letter from the court and learned that King Xiang ordered the Ghost Army to divert to Jiangnan for safety.
• Tuoba Wu assigned Gu Lie to lead the rear guard as the Ghost Army hurried toward Jiangnan.
• Tian Heng and Fifth Master Shen discussed the court's request for aid and the danger that King Level Heavenly Pythons had already invaded the Central Plains.
• Tian Heng argued that refusing the Ghost Army could destroy the Xiao Household's military strength, while Fifth Master Shen questioned the risk of facing the north without them.

Tuoba Wu doubted Jiangnan’s agreement and divided his army, sending five thousand cavalry back to the capital while leading the rest toward Jiangnan. Outside Jiangnan City, a mysterious woman held Wei Gongcheng hostage and demanded to know where the Dragon Palace Grand Formation was.

• Tuoba Wu recognized Tian Heng’s handwriting in Jiangnan’s reply and worried that Jiangnan might betray his army.
• Tuoba Wu ordered Xiao Gu and Laosan to take five thousand elite cavalry back to the capital while he led the remaining troops to Jiangnan.
• The Shen Family confronted a black-robed woman outside Jiangnan City, who was holding Wei Gongcheng hostage.
• The woman asked where the formation sealing the Dragon Palace and the Ancient Insect was, and Shen Lao’er identified it as Nine Heavens Mirror Valley.
• The woman asked how much Shen Lao’er’s compatriot had told him, leaving the Shen Family unsure who she was.

A woman surnamed Shen emerged from Nine Heavens Mirror Valley, recognized Chen Qing and the Divine Path Style, and warned that an evil spirit inside Wei Gongcheng could threaten the Underworld offices under his control. As the Shen Family considered whether to attack an imperial army diverting toward Jiangnan, a messenger reported that something had happened at the Dragon Palace.

• The woman surnamed Shen explained that she had subdued Wei Gongcheng after an evil spirit invaded him, then warned the Shen Family that the spirit could seize control of Liuzhou's divine offices.
• The woman recognized the Divine Path Style and Chen Qing, and the Shen Family learned that she knew him from the past.
• A messenger reported that the imperial northern expeditionary army had diverted to Jiangnan after a surge in spiritual energy, and Tian Heng asked whether they should attack it.
• Shen Lao'er weighed the risks of betraying the imperial court and leaving Jiangnan exposed to the Heavenly Python Palace.
• A second messenger arrived from the direction of the Dragon Palace and shouted that something had happened there.

The Shen Family learned that the West Sea Dragon Palace was in chaos and the West Sea Dragon King might soon break free, while Wei Gongcheng remained possessed. As the woman tried to save Wei Gongcheng and Shen Lao'er prepared to investigate, the Dragon King revealed that his followers were gathering Blood Essence Stones to revive him and pursue a chance to obtain a designer.

• A messenger reported that the Dragon Palace’s barriers had been destroyed, monsters had appeared, and Deputy General Bai had requested reinforcements.
• The Shen Family realized they had few troops available and that sending their yin soldiers would leave Jiangnan exposed.
• A woman familiar with Nine Heavens Mirror Valley offered to try to save Wei Gongcheng, estimating it would take half a day.
• Shen Lao'er decided to investigate the Dragon Palace, while Shen Shiyi suggested recalling Laowu and Shen Lao'er refused because Tian Heng needed watching.
• The West Sea Dragon King learned that Ziyue’s formations were collapsing and said his followers were nearly done gathering the Blood Essence Stones needed to free him.

The West Sea Dragon King, trapped in the abyss, reflected on the dragon race’s limits and sought the woman who could transform dragons. Shen Lao’er assessed the Dragon Palace’s defenses, then met the Dragon King’s emissary and heard a startling claim about Chen Qing.

• The Dragon King recalled his parents’ deaths at the hands of ancient beings and resolved to seize the woman who could change the dragon race’s origins.
• Shen Lao’er found that most Dragon Palace formations still worked and judged that the academy could withstand the escaped aquatic demons.
• Shen Lao’er planned a retreat to Nanming Prefecture and Nanyang City if Liuzhou fell, then went to meet an aquatic demon who requested him.
• A naga presented a pearl through which the Dragon King spoke to Shen Lao’er and proposed cooperation.
• The Dragon King claimed that Chen Qing had caused the human race’s suffering and nearly destroyed it, leaving Shen Lao’er stunned.

The Dragon King told Shen Lao'er that their world had been designed to make humans and demons prey for beings from another world, including the ancient Great Lords. He offered to help Shen Lao'er seize a Reincarnator’s innate gifts and revealed that he wanted Shen Ling, the creator of the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley.

• The Dragon King challenged Shen Lao'er to question why the Spirits arriving in Jiangnan had kept their memories and argued that humans had been designed as food for demons and devils.
• The Dragon King described how powerful beings had eaten his mother and younger sister alive, then claimed those beings were people from another world.
• The Dragon King said the ancient Great Lords, including Chen Qing, were Reincarnators who had used humanity to rise to power and would eventually treat humans as food again.
• The Dragon King told Shen Lao'er he had found a way for demons and humans to seize the innate gifts of beings from another world and asked him to cooperate.
• The Dragon King named Shen Ling as the person he wanted and revealed that she was one of the fallen Great Lords.

The Dragon King told Shen Er that Venerables were rejected outsiders who had fused with the world's rules, and explained that a defeated Venerable could return through Samsara. He revealed that the woman who visited the Dragon Palace was Shen Er’s ancestor and had returned to reclaim her bloodline to recover the origin of the Great Dao.

• The Dragon King explained that Venerables hid beyond the heavens because the world rejected them, and described Bodhi’s dream worlds and the hidden Dao Seeds of other Venerables.
• Shen Er felt drawn toward the Great Dao of life, death, and Samsara and recognized it as his path.
• The Dragon King said the woman was a defeated Venerable who had lost her struggle against the Heavenly Palace and the Buddha Kingdom, then entered Samsara.
• The Dragon King revealed that the woman had descendants after coupling with a Reincarnator, and that her descendants had exceptional aptitude for techniques.
• The Dragon King told Shen Er that the woman was his ancestor, that the Formation Spirit Clan was fabricated, and that she had returned to reclaim her bloodline to recover the origin of the Great Dao.

Shen Laosan gave the mysterious woman surnamed Shen access to Wei Gongcheng, while Jiangnan’s leaders worried she might be plotting against them. In Wei Gongcheng’s Spirit Sea, she revealed her interest in the Underworld’s power and began explaining the Venerable’s secret.

• Miss Shen brought the unconscious Wei Gongcheng to a cottage at the government office and said he would regain consciousness in half a day.
• Shen Laosan and the Shen Family members watched Miss Shen through a Thousand-Eye Technique and suspected she might be connected to their lord’s disappearance.
• Shen Laosan explained that Jiangnan could not recall its forces from the Northern Wasteland or Central Plains, so it had to risk letting Miss Shen treat Wei Gongcheng.
• Shen Laosan concluded that Miss Shen and the West Sea Dragon King were probably locked in a life-or-death struggle rather than working together.
• Miss Shen told Wei Gongcheng that his existence and the Underworld’s life-and-death powers interested her, then offered to reveal the Venerable’s secret.

The woman surnamed Shen explained Dao Fruits, fortune, and her conflict with the West Sea Dragon King to Wei Gongcheng, then asked him to protect her while she recovered. Wei Gongcheng agreed to hear her out but ended the conversation by asking where Chen Qing had gone.

• The woman surnamed Shen told Wei Gongcheng that only those fused with a Dao Fruit could become Venerables, and that monsters from beyond the heavens stole Dao Fruits from other worlds.
• She explained that the world's will had guided Wei Gongcheng's growth through fortune and said she wanted his help protecting her from the West Sea Dragon King.
• The woman surnamed Shen said she had entered the Dragon Palace before regaining her memories, gained its inheritance, and founded Nine Heavens Mirror Valley, exposing herself to the West Sea Dragon King.
• Wei Gongcheng thanked her for saving Jiangnan in the past and questioned why she now planned to destroy its beauty; she argued that power was necessary to protect it.
• The woman surnamed Shen asked Wei Gongcheng to hold off the West Sea Dragon King for ten days while she recovered her strength, claiming that would suffice to defeat him.
• Wei Gongcheng asked where his lord Chen Qing had gone.

Wei Gongcheng told the Shen Family that Chen Qing had entered the sealed Underworld on West Island and that an Ancient Insect had invaded him. After hearing about the Buddha Kingdom and the threat of the West Sea Dragon King, Shen Laosan suspected Wei Gongcheng had betrayed them and sent Shen Shiyi to search for Chen Qing.

• The Shen Family visited Wei Gongcheng after he woke and heard that Chen Qing had entered the sealed Underworld on West Island while Wei waited outside.
• Wei Gongcheng said he had been possessed by an Ancient Insect, and Senior Shen identified it as a complete specimen from the Buddha Kingdom.
• Senior Shen warned that Jiangnan needed to activate its baiyu reserves and the Blazing Yang Grand Formation to hold back the West Sea Dragon King.
• Shen Laosan grew uneasy with the plan and told Shen Shiyi to go to West Island to look for Chen Qing.
• Shen Laosan warned Shen Shiyi that Wei Gongcheng might have betrayed them.

Shen San discovered that Shen Shiyi had been taken over by a Shen Family ancestor who had secretly cultivated the Ancient Insect through the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley. The ancestor rejected coexistence with humanity and declared that she owed the human race nothing.

• Shen San sent Shen Shiyi to West Island to find Chen Qing, then explained that he suspected the woman and the West Sea Dragon King were connected.
• Shen Shiyi revealed that the woman had taken control of him and bound Shen San with transparent threads.
• The ancestor explained that she had planted an Ancient Insect egg in Shen Shiyi’s bloodline and used the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley’s Space-Time Rewind to duplicate Ancient Insects.
• Shen Shiyi transformed as a pair of black wings burst from his back, releasing the power of a peak Transcendent.
• The ancestor accused humans of betraying her people and said she would not repeat her past efforts to coexist with them.

Chen Qing woke in Northern Wolf City with his memories restored and confronted Elder Liu over the betrayal that had followed his efforts to bring humans and their kind together. Meanwhile, the West Sea Dragon King warned Shen Lao'er that the woman with the Dao Seed had infested allies with Ancient Insects and urged him to disable Jiangnan’s formation before she regained her power.

• Chen Qing woke in snowy Northern Wolf City and saw its people thriving after a year of prosperity and newborn children.
• Elder Liu blamed Chen Qing’s trust in humans for the past tragedies, while Chen Qing accepted responsibility and said he understood.
• The West Sea Dragon King told Shen Lao'er that the woman with the Dao Seed had likely controlled Shen San and other allies using Ancient Insects bred in Nine Heavens Mirror Valley.
• The Dragon King revealed that a dormant Ancient Insect egg was inside Shen Er and warned that other Shen Family members might already be compromised.
• The Dragon King told Shen Lao'er to shut down the Blazing Yang Grand Formation from within, giving him three days before the woman could recover her Dao Fruit’s power.

Shen Yuan suspected Shen San had a hidden reason for activating the Blazing Yang Grand Formation while Second Master Shen remained at the Dragon Palace. In the Northern Wasteland, Chen Qing learned that the Divine Martial Guild had lost its King Level Heavenly Pythons and that Elder Liu needed Jiangnan to hold, leaving both men facing uncertain allies.

• Shen San and Yun Ke'er activated the Blazing Yang Grand Formation to hold back the West Sea while Lord Ziyue was away and Chen Ying recuperated.
• Shen Yuan questioned why Shen San had activated the formation before Second Master Shen returned from the Dragon Palace, then grew convinced Shen San was hiding something.
• Chen Qing saw the flames over Jiangnan and wondered whether the West Sea Dragon King had escaped and who was behind the upheaval.
• Elder Liu told Chen Qing that the Divine Martial Guild's Heavenly Pythons had all died in accidents and that Jiangnan could not be lost.
• Chen Qing realized Elder Liu had sought him out because the Guild had run out of options, while Elder Liu questioned whether Chen Qing's forces were united and whether his former followers would still trust him.

Shen Er used Shen Yuan’s brief opening in the Blazing Yang Grand Formation to enter Liuzhou, hoping to confront Shen San and uncover whether he had been controlled. She found Shen San waiting for her, confirming her worst suspicions, and feared Shen Yuan had betrayed her or been manipulated.

• Shen Er decided Shen Yuan was the safest person to contact because he was reliable and might not have been implanted with insect eggs.
• Shen Yuan sensed Shen Er reaching out and agreed to create a brief opening in the formation, warning that he would help only once to protect his mother.
• Shen Er waited at the southwest entrance and rushed through the opening Shen Yuan created, suffering harm from the formation’s yang flames.
• Shen San appeared before Shen Er, pale-faced, and she concluded that Shen Yuan might have betrayed her or been used from the start.

Shen Er confronted the Ancient Insect controlling Shen San and unleashed the Ghost King's forbidden art, but he was outmatched. Chen Ying arrived with the Azure Dragon Spell, and Shen Er recognized her appearance as his chance to fight back.

• Shen Er realized the Ancient Insect had taken control of Shen San's body and mind, and Shen San tried to recruit him to serve its Master.
• Shen San's water-mist formation shattered Shen Er's Ghost King's Arm and left Shen Er unable to defeat him.
• Shen Er used a forbidden art to manifest the true Ghost King, but Shen San froze the space around him and said he was still too young to use the Ghost King's True Body.
• Chen Ying arrived through a sophisticated spatial technique accompanied by the Azure Dragon Spell, and Shen Er rallied to attack alongside her.
• Shen San recognized Chen Ying and reacted with disbelief when he sensed her King Level strength.

Chen Ying used Ziyue’s Future Stone to briefly gain the power of her future self and trap Shen San, but the transformation left her gravely weakened. As Shen Er fled with her toward Liuzhou City, the chapter revealed the stone’s origins and Ziyue’s plans for Jiangnan.

• The woman controlling Shen San discovered Chen Ying had reached King Level, but Chen Ying used overwhelming spatial power to compress and seal Shen San.
• Chen Ying collapsed after the transformation, warned Shen Er that she could not fool the woman for long, and sent him toward Liuzhou City to hide.
• In a flashback, Ziyue explained that Chen Qing was gathering sorcerer families’ spells so Jiangnan could develop powerful sorcerers through Symbiosis with demons of the Aquatic Clan.
• Ziyue gave Chen Ying a Future Stone that could briefly draw on her future power, warning her that it could severely harm her body or potential.
• Chen Ying counted five breaths before the stone darkened and her body began to fail, while Shen Er tried to speak to her.