Chapter Summaries

The youth resisted the Soul Law Spirit’s attempts to dissuade him and leaped across the rift to throw a torch to Yang Lingrui. The flames began freeing Yang Lingrui from the withered vines as the youth fell into the abyss.

• The youth recognized the Soul Law Spirit as the evil spirit the Immortal Masters had warned him about and continued toward the rift cliff.
• The Soul Law Spirit claimed that saving Yang Lingrui was impossible and that destiny could not be changed.
• The youth explained that his family and the rescued common folk would have made the same sacrifice for someone else.
• The youth ran toward the cliff, leaped across the rift, and threw the torch at Yang Lingrui’s feet.
• The flames climbed the vines binding Yang Lingrui, and his eyes began to shine as his blade hummed.

Myriad Corpses Demon Lord ascended to the Void Realm, but setbacks cost him three of the four blessings he had planned to claim. After the Soul-Returning Dao art faded and the Great Venerables returned to Canglan, Chen Yang regained control of his immortal body and confronted Dark Underworld Venerable and Qin Changsheng.

• Yang Lingrui severed the Soul-Returning Art's link to the Sea of Corpse Souls and erased the karma interfering with it, destroying Myriad Corpses Demon Lord's chance to perfect his Dao arts.
• Myriad Corpses Demon Lord abandoned his plan to refine Cui Shenyoo's divided soul during the final lightning tribulation and ascended with only the Demonic Path's fortune.
• The Soul-Returning Dao art faded, and the Righteous Path's Great Venerables prevailed overall in their clashes with the Demonic Path's Great Venerables.
• As karma dispersed, Chen Yang's immortal body regained consciousness, though its main body remained sealed and unreachable.
• Chen Yang's avatar shattered the space around himself, Dark Underworld Venerable, and Qin Changsheng, then challenged them to keep fighting now that Myriad Corpses Demon Lord had ascended.

Chen Yang forced Qin Changsheng to withdraw from Azure Waves until he ascended, then left the Outrealm after securing their promises. The two leaders returned to the Great Competition, where Venerable Daohé learned that the Old Devil had ascended despite being severely wounded.

• Chen Yang demanded that Qin Changsheng retreat into seclusion and never interfere in Azure Waves until he underwent Tribulation Crossing and ascended.
• Qin Changsheng accepted Chen Yang’s terms, and Chen Yang opened a path back to Demon Suppression Pass and departed.
• Dark Underworld Venerable and Qin Changsheng returned to the Great Competition and summoned the peak figures of both paths.
• The Penglai Palace Master and the great demon of Demon Soil ended their chess game and manifested again as two mountains.
• Venerable Daohé asked Venerable Xuanwei and the others about the result, and they reported that they had severely wounded the Old Devil but failed to send him into Dao-Evasion Land because he had ascended.

Qin Changsheng exchanged the fortune he had gained for land from the righteous path, intending to settle his ties to the Azure Waves Continent and leave Demon Soil’s conflicts behind. As the righteous cultivators claimed their shares, Venerable Xuanwei overcame his hesitation and took a large portion.

• Venerable Daohé and Dark Underworld Venerable realized Qin Changsheng’s exchange would help him end his affairs in the Vast Sea Demonic Land and secure Demon Soil’s future under Bai Di.
• Qin Changsheng invited Venerable Daohé to take his share of the fortune, and Daohé accepted.
• Meishan's Great Sword Immortal, Nie Wuchen, and other righteous peak cultivators took their shares, while the Penglai Palace Master refused.
• Qin Changsheng asked Venerable Xuanwei whether he would accept his share, and Dark Underworld Venerable reassured his conflicted junior brother.
• Venerable Xuanwei thanked his Senior Brother and took a share larger than Nie Wuchen’s, matching those claimed by Venerable Daohé and the Meishan Sword Immortal.

Futuo ascended to the Void Realm and met the cultivators assigned to receive him. After learning that Zhuang Xuanji had become the master of the Sea-Chasing Command, he discovered she could command the reception cultivators and travel freely within the Wave-Chasing Sea Pavilion’s territory.

• Futuo entered the Void Realm and pretended to suffer under its spatial laws until a white-robed reception cultivator protected him.
• Futuo introduced himself as a Soul Cultivator of the demonic path, and the white-robed cultivator recognized his name from Zhuang Xuanji’s report.
• The white-robed cultivator explained that Zhuang Xuanji had received the Sea-Chasing Command from the Wave-Chasing Sea Pavilion.
• The white-robed cultivator said the command let Zhuang Xuanji issue orders to the reception cultivators and travel freely within the Pavilion’s jurisdiction.

Futuo entered the Void Realm and met four senior cultivators, who explained its three rival factions and the guidance each offered. He was left to consider which faction to join.

• The receptionist cultivator examined Futuo, found no issue with his Daoist Magic, and warned him about the Void Realm's dangers.
• Three senior cultivators descended to meet Futuo: a Celestial Horse great demon, the gatekeeper of the Ancient Academy, and an old cultivator from the demonic path.
• The white-robed cultivator explained that Void Realm cultivators generally belonged to righteous, demonic, or neutral factions, each led by a Twelfth Layer Void Stepping Realm senior.
• The white-robed cultivator said faction members could receive cultivation guidance, which was especially valuable because advancing in the Void Stepping Realm was difficult.

Xing Xiang recruited Futuo into her Dao lineage and taught him how to survive in the Void Realm. After they left, Zhuang Xuanji arrived unexpectedly, while the others discussed Han Shang’s declining condition and learned he had only ninety years left to live.

• Xing Xiang gave Futuo the Body Transformed into Star Cloud technique and explained how it let cultivators endure the Void Realm’s spatial pressure.
• Futuo quickly learned the technique and transformed his body into a small, hazy cluster of stars.
• Xing Xiang took Futuo away, prompting Taogu, Yu Wangshan, and Han Shang to discuss the competition to recruit newcomers.
• Zhuang Xuanji arrived without warning and followed Xing Xiang’s direction, surprising the three cultivators.
• Han Shang withdrew after Taogu warned him not to question Zhuang Xuanji, and Taogu and Yu Wangshan noted that Han Shang had only ninety years left to live.

Zhuang Xuanji captured Futuo before he could join the neutral faction and brought him to the Nebula Palace. Her words renewed his confidence that he could attain the Dao, and the chapter ended as Nangong Jinghe complained about her forceful entrance.

• Zhuang Xuanji intercepted Futuo and carried him through the void to a palace above a vast nebula.
• Zhuang Xuanji asked Futuo whether the lotus boy or Chen Feng had won, and he said their fight had ended without a victor after both entered the Dongxuan realm.
• Zhuang Xuanji reminded Futuo that he had succeeded in Treading Void and said they could discuss Heaven Reaching after he attained the Dao.
• Futuo thanked Zhuang Xuanji for her guidance and regained his confidence in cultivation.
• Zhuang Xuanji led Futuo into the Nebula Palace, where Nangong Jinghe complained that she had blasted open the gates instead of knocking gently.

Chen Yang accepted Xu Cang’s offer of an Upper Realm soul fragment, which could help awaken Frost Flower Venerable God and strengthen Canglan Divine Palace. After arriving at Demon Suppression Pass, Chen Yang reunited with Ninth Abyss Venerable and offered to visit Penglai Palace, leaving Ninth Abyss Venerable pleased by their new connection.

• Xu Cang offered Chen Yang a share of the two remaining Upper Realm soul fragments, and Chen Yang recognized that one could awaken Frost Flower Venerable God.
• Chen Yang arrived above Demon Suppression Pass, where Ninth Abyss Venerable and the righteous-path cultivators gathered to greet him.
• Chen Yang asked Ninth Abyss Venerable whether the Dao discussion had gone smoothly, and Ninth Abyss Venerable said he had won a resounding victory.
• Chen Yang said he might visit Penglai Palace, and Ninth Abyss Venerable welcomed him.
• The cultivators present envied Ninth Abyss Venerable’s opportunity to receive guidance and build a connection with Chen Yang.

Chen Yang promised to help the Five Directions Immortal Mansion, then turned his attention to the Dongfang Clan and mourned Venerable Ziyu, who had died in the war. He met the clan’s remaining elders, Dongfang Huaqing and Dongfang Shuwan, leaving the righteous-path Venerables wondering what he would do next.

• Chen Yang promised to help the Five Directions Immortal Mansion, and its three Venerables bowed in gratitude.
• The righteous-path Venerables speculated that Chen Yang’s next concern might be the Dongfang Clan because of his disciple Yang Yuanhong’s ties to it.
• The chapter recounted how Venerable Ziyu died after being poisoned while trying to rescue a righteous-path Venerable from an ambush.
• Chen Yang mourned Dongfang Shaoyu and reflected that he might have become a Great Venerable had he survived.
• Dongfang Huaqing and Dongfang Shuwan introduced themselves to Chen Yang and paid their respects.

Chen Yang took Lang Xiao and Hu Pengxiao away from Demon Suppression Pass, leaving the cultivators there to speculate about how his return would reshape the Central Region. Venerable Xuan Jing asked the Ninth Abyss Venerable about Chen Yang’s guidance, but the latter challenged the sincerity of their old friendship.

• The Dongfang Clan ancestors excitedly accepted Chen Yang’s words, understanding them as a reference to Yang Yuanhong and Dongfang Yingcai’s marriage.
• The Ninth Abyss Venerable brought Lang Xiao and Hu Pengxiao from the dungeon, and Chen Yang destroyed their bodies before carrying their souls toward the black smoke wall with the Dongfang Clan ancestors following.
• A powerful boom sounded, and Chen Yang, the two ancestors, and the two souls vanished; the cultivators at Demon Suppression Pass discussed how alliances might shift the balance of power in the Central Region.
• Venerable Xuan Jing asked the Ninth Abyss Venerable what guidance Chen Yang had given him, and the Ninth Abyss Venerable replied that their friendship had weakened since Zhenhai was named the next Palace Master.

Chen Yang trusted Yang Lingqing to manage the Central Region forces seeking ties with the Yang Clan after the battle. Meanwhile, factions recorded the final words of returned souls, and Yuehan Venerable began leaving instructions for his disciples before his soul scattered.

• Chen Yang trusted Yang Lingqing to handle the Central Region cultivators who would visit the Yang Clan.
• Chen Yang brought the Dongfang Clan's two old ancestors back to the Central Region as other factions recorded the departing souls' final moments and instructions.
• Venerable Xuansheng told Yuehan Venerable that the arrangements at Lingxiao Dao Academy were complete.
• Yuehan Venerable began addressing his absent disciples, praising their abilities and lamenting that most were not there to hear him.
• Yuehan Venerable singled out Xuanji, who had Tread the Void and departed less than a thousand years after his own era.

After the demonic invasion was repelled, Yang Lingqing reviewed the Northwest’s wartime losses and directed the region’s recovery. He Shenglai reported that reconstruction was underway, while faction integration still needed a few days to settle.

• Cultivators returned to the Northwest, where Yang Lingqing’s leadership inspired confidence in rebuilding after the demonic assault.
• He Shenglai gave Yang Lingqing the compiled battle-loss report, and she identified entries that needed verification.
• Yang Lingqing recited the Hundred Beasts Sect’s casualties and losses from memory, impressing He Shenglai with her command of the report.
• Yang Lingqing asked about reconstruction, faction integration, and land redistribution.
• He Shenglai said reconstruction was proceeding in an orderly fashion, but integration still required adjustments for Donglai Sect and Beast King Shrine.

Yang Lingqing learned how Tao Yuan’s old debt to Senior Gu had led her to spare the Soul-Returning cultivator who destroyed the Candle Shadow Sect, imprisoning her beneath Tiangong Peak instead of executing her. When Tao Yuan reported that Senior Gu’s strange Soul Law had faded, Yang Lingqing went to see her.

• Yang Lingqing met Tao Yuan and the three Barbarian priests guarding the imprisoned female cultivator beneath Tiangong Peak.
• Tao Yuan explained that Senior Gu had once saved his life, prompting him to plead for her after she was captured in the Barbarian Land.
• Yang Lingqing learned that a Central Great Sect had conspired with Violet Water Abbey and Heaven-Burning Pavilion to destroy the Candle Shadow Sect and seize its treasure.
• Yang Lingqing investigated Senior Gu’s memories, lifted her death sentence, and ordered Tao Yuan and the priests to guard her in prison.
• Tao Yuan reported that Senior Gu’s frenzied state had ended and her strange Soul Law had dissipated.
• Yang Lingqing, relieved that Yang Lingrui and the others had likely overcome their trial, asked Tao Yuan to take her to Senior Gu.

Yang Lingqing removed Gu Jianhuan’s restraints and invited her from the dungeon to Tiangong Peak, trusting that she meant no harm. After sharing tea and reflecting on their past connections, Gu Jianhuan flew into the night sky.

• Yang Lingqing shattered the jade bracelet suppressing Gu Jianhuan’s cultivation, startling Gu Jianhuan, the three barbarian high priests, and Tao Yuan.
• Yang Lingqing argued that Gu Jianhuan would have attacked immediately if she intended harm, then helped her out of the dungeon and invited her to Tiangong Peak.
• Gu Jianhuan watched the sunset with Yang Lingqing and praised her warmth as the reason she had become ruler of the northwestern borderlands.
• Tao Yuan thanked Gu Jianhuan for saving him in the past, and Yang Lingqing remarked that their meeting reflected the consequences of earlier deeds.
• After Tao Yuan left and night fell, Gu Jianhuan rose and soared into the sky.

After the Great Strife War, the righteous cultivators considered Chen Yang’s growing influence and decided to prepare for his arrival in the Central Region. Bai Di buried the Azure Flame Demon Venerable and accepted that his bond with Wu Chang had ended.

• The foremost righteous cultivators returned to Demon Suppression Pass, tallied the war’s casualties and rewards, and discussed Chen Yang’s actions.
• The righteous venerables chose not to challenge Chen Yang publicly, while privately considering whether his rise might divide the righteous path.
• The factions left cultivators to guard Demon Suppression Pass and sent the rest back to the Central Region, planning to send people to the Northwest Yang Clan.
• Bai Di and the surviving Demonic Dao cultivators buried the Azure Flame Demon Venerable’s remains in the Demon Emperor’s Burial Mound.
• Bai Di found that Wu Chang had vanished and let him go, acknowledging that their bond had ended.
• Bai Di reflected that he had gained Mystic Insight Realm cultivation, two shares of Vast-Heaven Fortune, and the land he had sought for the Demonic Dao.

Three months after the Great Strife War, Bai Di helped the demonic lands recover, and the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion reopened with a new Heavenly Talent Ranking. The ranking named nine front-page talents, but Dongfang Yingcai’s unexplained seventh-place position left cultivators across Azure Waves searching for answers.

• Bai Di used the wealth of defeated demonic leaders and the newly acquired territory to reward cultivators and ease hardship in the demonic lands.
• The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion reopened, and Lingxiao Dao Academy released its postwar Heavenly Talent Ranking.
• Xiao Huai and Long Zhu took first and second place, followed by Chi Tian, Yun Xiwu, and Long Yuan.
• Jiang Yinkong ranked sixth, surprising cultivators who thought his battlefield performance had been unremarkable.
• Dongfang Yingcai ranked seventh, prompting cultivators across Azure Waves to ask who she was and how she had earned the position.

The new Heavenly Talent Ranking placed Lorraine, Chen Huai'an, and Lin Qiao on the Gold Ranking, prompting Central Region cultivators to speculate about their ties to the Northwest Yang Clan and its mysterious peak expert. When they sought answers from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, they learned that even its agents had abandoned attempts to investigate the Yang Family Sacred Land.

• The new Gold Ranking named Lorraine, Chen Huai'an, and Lin Qiao among its newcomers, and cultivators accepted their success in light of Chen Yang's appearance at Demon Suppression Pass.
• Central Region cultivators connected Chen Huai'an and Lin Qiao to the Yang Clan and speculated that Lorraine had been cultivated by the Northwest peak expert.
• The chapter recalled how three Central Great Sects' talents had been turned back in the Barbarian Lands after one was soundly defeated by a young barbarian cultivator.
• Central Region factions visited the reopened Heavenly Secrets Pavilion to ask about the Northwest Yang Clan and its reclusive peak expert.
• The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion explained that its True Intent investigators had felt overwhelming terror near the Yang Family Sacred Land, so its leaders had stopped further investigation and revealed only basic information.

The Dongfang Clan revealed that it had been screening visiting factions for a marriage alliance, then welcomed the Yang Clan’s wedding convoy as it arrived at Ziyun Mountain. The convoy’s advanced immortal boats astonished the gathered cultivators, and Dongfang Huaqing asked its purpose while the two ancestors raised a powerful spatial barrier around the mountain.

• The Dongfang Clan’s ancestors revealed that the two-month wait had tested the visiting factions, and the cultivators congratulated the clan on its marriage alliance.
• The two venerables led the gathered cultivators above Ziyun Mountain, where they spotted the Yang Clan’s fleet approaching from the northwest.
• The cultivators admired the Yang Clan’s advanced immortal boat and learned that Dongfang Yingcai’s new Artifact Path techniques had helped create it.
• The gathered cultivators saw that the accompanying Northwest factions’ boats had also been refitted and noticed mysterious frost-white snow around them.
• The Yang Clan’s wedding convoy stopped in the sea of clouds, and Dongfang Huaqing asked who had come and why.
• The two Dongfang Clan ancestors summoned a powerful spatial barrier around Ziyun Mountain, surprising the gathered cultivators.

Yang Yuanhong faced the Dongfang Clan’s spatial barrier as the first trial of his marriage visit, while onlookers doubted that his early True Intent cultivation gave him the skill to break it. After revealing his perfected Dragon Body, he began using an advanced spatial technique, surprising the gathered True Intent cultivators.

• Cultivators discussed whether Yang Yuanhong’s recent breakthrough had left flaws in his cultivation and doubted he could overcome the barrier unaided.
• Yang Yuanhong transformed into his black dragon form, astonishing the onlookers with his perfected Acquired Dragon Body and its integration with his force techniques and Martial Qi.
• Yang Yuanhong probed the spatial barrier with his divine sense, then began circulating true essence after only a short examination.
• The onlookers assumed Yang Yuanhong was making an initial attempt, but their opinions shifted as they sensed him skillfully injecting force into the barrier with advanced spatial Daoist Magic.