Chapter Summaries

Chen Fan freed the mining slaves, then stormed Copper Furnace Fortress and defeated its defenders, Zhou Yuan and Wang Qiu. As he planted the Fire Crow battle flag in the ruins, three powerful ancestors from Red Rock Main City headed toward him, leaving Chen Fan waiting for their arrival.

• Chen Fan broke the chains holding more than a hundred mining slaves, sent the wounded back to the stronghold, and set off to claim compensation from Copper Furnace Fortress.
• At Copper Furnace Fortress, Zhou Yuan and Wang Qiu discussed seizing more territory, until a sentry reported that Chen Fan had smashed Commander Zhao into the gate.
• Chen Fan entered the fortress, absorbed the Blazing Fire Heaven-Burning Formation's fire dragons, and struck Zhou Yuan and Wang Qiu down with his saber.
• Chen Fan planted the Fire Crow battle flag in the ruined Council Hall, awakening three ancestors in Red Rock Main City.
• Wang Qiu threatened Chen Fan, who kicked him into the rubble as the three ancestors approached.

Chen Fan faced Redfire Old Monster, Mountain-Shaking Venerable, and Wind-Splitting Swordsman after they arrived to avenge the destruction of Copper Furnace Fortress. He repelled two of them and split Redfire Old Monster’s demon phoenix, leaving the battle ongoing.

• Chen Fan mocked Red Rock City before Redfire Old Monster, Mountain-Shaking Venerable, and Wind-Splitting Swordsman emerged and attacked him together.
• Chen Fan charged through Wind-Splitting Swordsman’s wind blades and shattered his sword aura with a punch, sending him flying and injuring him.
• Chen Fan used his Water-Fire Yin-Yang Grinding Disc to break the gravitational field, then smashed a giant boulder with a rising punch and staggered Mountain-Shaking Venerable.
• Chen Fan empowered his broken blade and cut Redfire Old Monster’s Crimson Flame Demon Phoenix in two, scattering fire across the Black Wind Mountains.

Chen Fan escaped the Three Eighth-Order titans after they unleashed the Three-Aspect Heaven-Burning Fragment, but the formation left him grievously injured. He crashed at the old Black Fiend Gate site, where Wang Dafu, the Fire Crow Tribe hunters, and his mother found him alive.

• Redfire Old Monster, Mountain-Shaking Venerable, and Wind-Splitting Swordsman combined their essence blood to summon the Three-Aspect Heaven-Burning Fragment and trap Chen Fan beneath its cauldron.
• Chen Fan found a weak point in the formation and tore open a gap with his Life-and-Death Millstone, but the returning True Fire destroyed his legs and badly burned his torso.
• Chen Fan escaped through the gap as the formation collapsed, while the three titans were too depleted to pursue him immediately.
• Chen Fan crashed into the bluestone square at the old Black Fiend Gate site, where Wang Dafu and the veteran hunters recognized him and rushed to help.
• Chen Fan's mother came out, saw his severe injuries, and wept beside him as he confirmed he was still alive.

After recovering from his devastating injury and advancing to the Eighth-Level Mid Stage, Chen Fan emerged to find the Fire Crow Tribe under siege by rival factions who believed him dead. He prepared to confront them as their leaders threatened the tribe outside the mountain gate.

• Chen Fan healed in the lava chamber, rebuilt his body, and reached the Eighth-Level Mid Stage.
• Chen Fan learned from Wang Dafu that Wild Lion Valley and the Myriad Sword Pavilion had attacked the Fire Crow Tribe and demanded that it surrender its territory.
• Chen Fan reassured the tribe, ordered a rocking chair brought to the mountain gate, and told his mother to prepare chicken soup.
• Shi Meng and Bai Wuhen attacked the Black Fiend Gate’s protective formation and threatened to slaughter the Fire Crow Tribe if it refused to surrender its spirit mines.

Chen Fan emerged alive from the stronghold and revealed that he had broken through to the eighth-level mid stage, then overwhelmed the forces of Wild Lion Valley and Myriad Sword Pavilion. He left Shi Meng and Bai Wuhen badly defeated, while the fate of the other cultivators remained unresolved.

• Chen Fan opened the stronghold gates and mocked Bai Wuhen and Shi Meng, who had believed he was dead.
• Bai Wuhen dismissed Chen Fan as gravely wounded, and Shi Meng attacked him with the Primordial Mad Lion.
• Chen Fan unleashed his Life-and-Death Millstone and cut through Shi Meng’s defenses, sending him crashing into a deep crater.
• Bai Wuhen gathered Myriad Sword Pavilion’s elites to unleash Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect, but Chen Fan shattered the sword formation with a punch.
• Chen Fan reminded Bai Wuhen that he had killed two Fire Crow Tribe brothers and taken three shops, then broke Bai Wuhen’s arms and sent him crashing across the square.

After defeating the forces of Wild Lion Valley and the Myriad Sword Pavilion, Chen Fan demanded compensation and personally took their elders back to collect it. He returned to Fire Crow Stronghold with the spoils and handed Wang Dafu two storage rings.

• Chen Fan confronted Shi Meng and Bai Wuhen at the battlefield and demanded payment for the deaths and damage caused by their sects.
• Chen Fan carried Bai Wuhen to the Myriad Sword Pavilion and forced Pavilion Master Li Qianfeng to hand over five hundred jin of Earth Vein Spirit Marrow and ten chests of Taiyi Sword Pills.
• Chen Fan took Shi Meng to Wild Lion Valley and defeated its valley master, who paid twenty thousand Fire Fiend Beast Cores and deeds to two low-grade spirit mines for Shi Meng's release.
• Chen Fan returned to Fire Crow Stronghold and gave Wang Dafu two storage rings filled with the collected wealth.

Chen Fan attacked the Black Wind Spirit Vein, where Red Rock City was exploiting mining slaves, and waited for its three patriarchs to answer Jin Kui’s distress signal. As the patriarchs arrived, Chen Fan prepared to avenge the injuries they had inflicted on him half a month earlier.

• Chen Fan ordered Wang Dafu to compensate the families of two fallen fighters and distribute the remaining spirit stones and sword pellets to the tribe’s youngsters.
• Chen Fan flew to the Black Wind Spirit Vein and destroyed the encampment’s defensive formation and eight Dark Iron War Puppets with one saber strike.
• Jin Kui recognized Chen Fan and crushed a Bloodflame Cloud-Piercing Token to summon Red Rock City’s three patriarchs.
• Chen Fan sent the mining slaves into the tunnels for safety and waited while eating a Red Spirit Fruit.
• Redfire Old Monster, Mountain-Shaking Venerable, and Wind-Splitting Swordsman arrived, and Chen Fan declared that he would settle their debt with their lives.

Chen Fan killed the three patriarchs who attacked him and claimed the Black Wind Ore Vein for the Chen family. Meanwhile, Li Qianfeng and the Wild Lion Valley master appealed to the Profound Nether City Lord, accusing Chen Fan of lawless violence.

• The Wind-Splitting Swordsman, the Redfire Old Monster, and the Mountain-Shaking Venerable attacked Chen Fan together.
• Chen Fan killed the Wind-Splitting Swordsman with one slash and destroyed the Mountain-Shaking Venerable’s shield before killing him.
• The Redfire Old Monster fled using a blood-escape technique, but Chen Fan caught and killed him with a saber slash.
• Chen Fan claimed the Black Wind Ore Vein for the Chen family, and Jin Kui kowtowed in terror.
• Li Qianfeng and the Wild Lion Valley master begged the Profound Nether City Lord for justice and accused Chen Fan of seizing mines, extorting beast cores, and destroying their sect treasures.

Chen Fan arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion as the Profound Nether City Lord prepared to punish him for attacking the Myriad Sword Pavilion and Wild Lion Valley. He defended his actions by revealing that he had killed Red Rock City’s three Eighth-Order Peak ancestors, leaving the gathered leaders stunned.

• Zhao Qianjue urged the Profound Nether City Lord to hear Chen Fan’s side, while Li Qianfeng and the Wild Lion Valley Lord demanded punishment.
• The Profound Nether City Lord began forming a decree to summon Chen Fan, but Chen Fan arrived at the mansion unharmed.
• Chen Fan greeted the city lord respectfully, and Li Qianfeng and the Wild Lion Valley Lord accused him of robbery and violating the rules.
• Chen Fan reminded Li Qianfeng that he had willingly offered the spirit marrow, then said he had cleaned house at the Black Wind Spirit Vein.
• Chen Fan tossed a blood-soaked sack onto the steps, revealing the heads of Red Rock City’s three Eighth-Order Peak ancestors.

Chen Fan confronted the Profound Nether City Lord and the gathered sect leaders after bringing the three slain ancestors of Red Rock City to the city hall. He exposed Li Qianfeng and Shi Meng’s hypocrisy, then cut through their desperate attacks and left their fate beneath his blade.

• Chen Fan presented the heads of Red Rock City’s three ancestors, shocking the Profound Nether City Lord and the gathered elders.
• Chen Fan reminded Li Qianfeng and Shi Meng that they had invoked no rules when they attacked Fire Crow Stronghold and slaughtered mine slaves.
• Li Qianfeng and Shi Meng pleaded with the City Lord to stop Chen Fan, then attacked him with a sword strike and a burning-lifespan lion phantom.
• Chen Fan countered with a single blow of his broken saber, shattering Li Qianfeng’s sword and dissolving Shi Meng’s lion phantom.

Chen Fan killed Li Qianfeng and Shi Meng, and the Profound Nether City Lord awarded the Fire Crow Tribe their factions’ holdings and the Black Wind Ore Vein. Back at camp, Chen Fan celebrated with the tribe as their ordinary lives awakened a new spark within his Life-and-Death Millstone, then headed to the mountain’s ley-line lava chamber.

• Chen Fan killed Li Qianfeng and Shi Meng with a single saber strike and asked the Profound Nether City Lord if he objected.
• The Profound Nether City Lord praised Chen Fan and awarded the Fire Crow Tribe the holdings of the Myriad Sword Pavilion and Wild Lion Valley, along with the Black Wind Ore Vein.
• Chen Fan returned to camp and told Dafu to prepare a large stone pot and the tribe to ready carts to claim the two factions’ strongholds.
• The Fire Crow Tribe celebrated Chen Fan’s return, and their joys and vitality awakened a faint spark within his Life-and-Death Millstone.
• After celebrating with the tribespeople, Chen Fan spoke with Dafu and headed for the ley-line lava chamber in the mountain behind camp.

Chen Fan advanced to the eighth-order late stage and proposed that the Profound Nether City Lord join him in conquering Red Rock City. The City Lord rejected the plan, and Chen Fan accused him of cowardice, provoking him into unleashing his True Essence.

• Chen Fan used the treasures he had taken from the Myriad Sword Pavilion and Wild Lion Valley to break through to the eighth-order late stage.
• Chen Fan gave Wang Dafu a defensive jade pendant and encouraged the Fire Crow Tribe children as they practiced their punches.
• Chen Fan went to the Profound Nether City Lord and proposed that their forces attack Red Rock City within three days and divide its territory and resources.
• The Profound Nether City Lord warned that the attack would provoke nearby cities and urged Chen Fan to be content with what he had gained.
• Chen Fan mocked the City Lord for fearing the loss of his position and reminded him that Red Rock City had already violated the Great Wilderness Pact.
• The Profound Nether City Lord erupted in anger and released his True Essence against Chen Fan.

Chen Fan defeated the Profound Nether City Lord by destroying the city’s formation-powered Black Tortoise, then bound him with a Life-and-Death Slave Seal and took his military seal. Chen Fan ordered the Generals’ Assembly Drum sounded as he turned his attention toward Red Rock City, and Zhao Qianjue arrived at the ruined mansion.

• The Profound Nether City Lord unleashed the Protective City Formation and its Black Tortoise phantom against Chen Fan.
• Chen Fan shattered the Black Tortoise with two punches, breaking the formation hub and gravely injuring the city lord.
• Chen Fan used Soul-Searching and Spirit-Detaining to bind the Profound Nether City Lord as his slave, then took the city lord’s Tiger Tally Seal.
• Chen Fan saw beacon smoke rising from the direction of Red Rock Main City and ordered the drum beaten.
• The Profound Nether City Lord sounded the thirty-six-beat Generals’ Assembly Order, drawing powerful cultivators to the ruins.
• Zhao Qianjue arrived and froze as he surveyed the devastation.

Chen Fan ordered Profound Nether City’s forces to invade Red Rock City, crushing the leaders who objected with his overwhelming power. The city’s commanders and clans submitted, and Zhao Qianjue was given one hour to muster the army.

• Chen Fan announced that he would lead three hundred thousand cavalry to sweep Red Rock City flat and ordered all Half-Step Eighth-Order cultivators to march.
• Tuo Ba Lie and Gu Yuan protested that the invasion was forbidden and would expose Xuanming City to retaliation.
• Chen Fan unleashed his pressure, crushed the gathered elites to the ground, and forced Gu Yuan and Tuo Ba Lie to their knees.
• Chen Fan offered the followers a share of Red Rock City’s spirit veins and mines, and Tuo Ba Lie and the Gu Family agreed to obey.
• Chen Fan gave Zhao Qianjue one hour to muster the army, and Profound Nether Main City mobilized for war.

Chen Fan led three hundred thousand cavalry to Red Rock City and faced Flame Venerable’s awakened city-protecting formation. After Chen Fan cut down the lava giant’s arm and rejected Flame Venerable’s warning about the Great Wilderness Blood Oath Pact, the Profound Nether City Lord knelt and called Chen Fan his master.

• Chen Fan marched three hundred thousand cavalry through Black Wind Gorge to Red Rock City’s walls.
• Flame Venerable activated the Red Earth Molten Gold Formation and fused with its thousand-zhang lava giant.
• Chen Fan cut through the giant’s arm with a single swing of his broken saber.
• Flame Venerable accused Chen Fan of violating the Great Wilderness Blood Oath Pact, and Chen Fan cited Red Rock City’s earlier attack on him before declaring that he would set the pact anew.
• Chen Fan summoned the Profound Nether City Lord, who knelt before him and called himself Chen Fan’s old servant.

Flame Venerable failed to destroy Red Rock City, and Chen Fan seized control of its formation, defeated him, and made him a servant. After taking the city and discovering a mysterious map marked Guixu, Chen Fan faced an envoy from Giant Spirit Main City and ordered relief for Red Rock’s displaced residents.

• Flame Venerable tried to detonate Red Rock City’s earth vein, but Chen Fan’s Life-and-Death Millstone took control of the formation and stopped the eruption.
• Chen Fan killed Flame Venerable, then revived him as a servant, and Wang Dafu raised the Fire Crow Battle Banner over Red Rock Main City.
• Wang Dafu found a map marked Guixu in Red Rock City’s treasury, and Chen Fan sensed an unusual trace of life sealed alongside death qi within it.
• Wang Dafu reported that an envoy from Giant Spirit Main City had arrived to ask about Red Rock City’s capture and the broken Blood Oath Pact.
• Chen Fan went to meet the envoy with the Profound Nether City Lord and Flame Venerable, then ordered grain distributed to residents whose homes had been damaged.

Yue Heng of Giant Spirit City invited Chen Fan to meet its Ninth Tier city lord, and Chen Fan connected the invitation’s mountain seal to the Beast-Skin Map and the secret of Guixu. He accepted the dangerous meeting and reforged the Slave Marks on the Profound Nether City Lord and Flame Venerable before leaving them to guard the city.

• Yue Heng arrived at Red Rock City and personally invited Chen Fan to speak with Giant Spirit City’s city lord.
• A steward of the Red Rock Du Clan accused the Fire Crow Tribe of seizing private grain, and Chen Fan ordered the accounts checked and the city granary kept for the hungry.
• Yue Heng said his Ninth Tier city lord wanted to meet Chen Fan at Mountain-Viewing Terrace in three days, without troops or attendants.
• Chen Fan compared the invitation’s mountain seal with the Beast-Skin Map and suspected Giant Spirit City’s city lord sought the secret of Guixu beneath Red Rock City’s treasury.
• Chen Fan accepted the invitation and reforged the Slave Marks of the Profound Nether City Lord and Flame Venerable, ordering them to guard the inner city while Wang Dafu oversaw its affairs.

Chen Fan broke through to Half-Step Ninth Tier after the gratitude of Red Rock City’s people completed the life aspect of his cultivation. Seeing the people recover after his order to distribute grain, he gained a deeper understanding of mortal vitality as the Giant Spirit City procession approached.

• Chen Fan ordered Wang Dafu to keep Red Rock City’s gates shut and its army resting while he went to cultivate before the Giant Spirit City deadline.
• Chen Fan consumed the Supreme Fire Spirit Marrow, but two days of cultivation failed to break his bottleneck.
• A warm halo carrying the people’s thoughts and gratitude entered Chen Fan’s Millstone, completing its life aspect and letting him form a Domain Embryo at Half-Step Ninth Tier.
• Chen Fan looked down on Red Rock City and saw its people sheltered, fed by porridge, and praying at the Fire Crow Totem altar.
• Chen Fan realized that the people’s hope and warmth had supplied the vitality he lacked, and the Myriad Realms Red Dust Scripture in his Sea of Consciousness blazed with golden light.

Chen Fan traveled from Red Rock City to Giant Spirit Main City, where the city lord welcomed him and tested his composure. In private, the city lord asked whether Chen Fan had taken the thing beneath Red Rock City's treasury.

• Yue Heng escorted Chen Fan from Red Rock City toward Giant Spirit Main City and tried to learn who had taught him, but Chen Fan shut down his probing.
• Chen Fan entered Giant Spirit Main City’s gravity field without being affected, revealing an embryonic Dharma Domain.
• The Giant Spirit City Lord greeted Chen Fan warmly at the Mountain-Viewing Terrace and praised him for removing Red Rock City’s three ancestors.
• The city lord dismissed Yue Heng, sealed the terrace with his Dharma Domain, and asked Chen Fan whether he had taken the thing beneath Red Rock City’s treasury.

Chen Fan learned that the Guixu Secret Realm held a path beyond the ninth tier and heard the Giant Spirit City Lord's proposal to join forces. After exposing the City Lord's exclusion from the Great Wilderness alliance, Chen Fan agreed on strict terms, while secretly resolving to deal with Xuanming Old Monster for hiding a Guixu fragment.

• The Giant Spirit City Lord revealed that Guixu held ancient inheritances capable of breaking the ninth-tier barrier and showed Chen Fan Giant Spirit City's remnant map.
• Chen Fan recognized the fragment as a match for the Missing-Peak Ancient Seal and realized Xuanming Old Monster had concealed another fragment despite submitting to him.
• The Giant Spirit City Lord proposed an alliance to enter Guixu, explaining that older ninth-tier experts had excluded him and targeted Giant Spirit City's remnant map.
• Chen Fan agreed to join forces after demanding that Giant Spirit City leave Red Rock and Xuanming alone and that they compete fairly for opportunities inside Guixu.
• The Giant Spirit City Lord accepted Chen Fan's terms.