Qin Yan used his growing strength to defend himself, destroy the Qiao family, and build influence in Clear Water Village. After joining the Azure Blade Gang and starting a mountain-goods business, he caught Li Wenqing’s attention and quickly mastered the Six Harmonies Saber demonstration.
Qin Yan trained his followers, destroyed Black Wind Mountain, and secured farmland while confronting the Mu Lineage and a corpse monster. After the commandant questioned him but did not pursue him, Qin Yan broke through his physical limits and went hunting as the village’s grain ran low.
Qin Yan built his standing in Qinghe Town, joined the Demon-Suppression Bureau, and passed Ma Daren’s assessment by defeating dangerous corpses and confronting Master Zhixing. He reached Youshan Prefecture with an appointment document and met Commandant Zhao Zhen.
Qin Yan established his authority in Qinghe Town, fought the threats at Mass Grave Mound and the river, and uncovered a ghost-raising scheme tied to grave robbers. The search for the dangerous scholar led the authorities to Min Xingzhi’s house, where empty coffins and seven urns raised new suspicions.
Qin Yan helped contain the horrors emerging from Mass Grave Mound, then grew stronger while handling spirits, monsters, and a corrupt official’s schemes around Qinghe Town. Sent to capture Yin Souls near Misty Sword Mountain, he reached an abandoned temple where the slain bandits rose as Vengeful Ghosts and attacked everyone inside.
Qin Yan hunted demons, expanded his influence, and took up a post in Youshan Prefecture, where he uncovered a false god and a powerful official’s crimes. The arc ended with the Cao residence raided and Cao Zhizhang exposed.
Qin Yan was dragged into the Underworld while hunting the corpse carrier and fought his way back to the Yang Realm after more than two months. In Tianlan Prefecture, he reunited with allies and confronted the Uncut Jade Monastery’s Daoists, killing two of them after they challenged him.
Qin Yan escorted Xia Chengqian to the Capital, crushed the Taiping Army’s advance with his archery, and helped reclaim Eastern Heaven Prefecture. At court, the emperor rewarded him with a general’s post and a noble title, and Qin Yan then went to the Martial Hall, where he considered recruiting talented students from humble backgrounds.
Qin Yan built the Red Shadow Army, crushed Taiping forces, and eliminated the assassins sent against him. After training his troops and warhorses, he led the army to seize Chiyu County and reopen the campaign against the rebels.
Qin Yan helped defeat the Taiping Army, killed Hong Sheng, and secured Ba Wei’s loyalty before the court made him a marquis and sent him away from the Capital. Back in Youshan Prefecture, he strengthened his base, bound the three Shanxiao to him, and began developing his powers and the Lunar Yin Corpse Puppet.
Qin Yan built his forces, industries, and support among the people while the Great Li Dynasty collapsed into civil war. The Yuanqing Emperor died as the Hongjia Emperor returned as a Ghost Cultivator, and ancient sects began to emerge.
Qin Yan expanded his control across Yunzhou, using firearms, reforms, and strict public order to defeat rival powers while strengthening his own forces. As the Heaven-Soaring Army rose and the Flesh and Blood Dao infiltrated his territory, Qin Yan began a sweeping arrest operation and kept Qiu Wei undercover as a source of intelligence.
Qin Yan crushed threats at Baohu Mountain and in the Underworld, developed high-yield rice, and helped Huang Chao rebuild his army while Yunzhou’s weapons trade expanded. After healing Ba Wei in Yunqi County, Qin Yan learned that the Yinluo Way was cultivating a deity and that a Wild God demanded a child from a village each year.
Qin Yan crushed the Yinluo Way’s local gods, expanded his rule into Qingzhou, and dismantled the Assassin Alliance while building his forces and alliances. As the Great Li descended into war and Xiahou Jun moved to seize Yunzhou, Qin Yan faced the invading Chu Army and immortal cultivators.
Qin Yan survived Xiahou Jun’s Destruction Divine Thunder, expanded his power and influence, and uncovered signs that someone was cultivating him and Huang Chao for a later harvest. After rescuing Huang Chao, Qin Yan helped him recover and brought him to an island where they prepared to witness a sea monster’s transformation.
Qin Yan defeated the Blood Flesh Ancestor, advanced his cultivation, and joined forces with powerful cultivators to confront a serpent from beyond their world. After they killed its split soul, they learned that many stronger outsiders were already hunting Xun Yin and could reach them soon.
Qin Yan conquered the Western Desert, founded the Wu Kingdom, and destroyed the Black Mo Cult before crossing into the Frost Star Empire. There, he drew powerful factions to his Spirit Stone auction and began confronting the people connected to Xun Yin.
Qin Yan reached the Divine Nirvana Realm, unified the Wu Kingdom’s world, and entered the Immortal Palace, where he grew strong enough to reach the Ninth Realm. As the Immortal Hall opened, he avoided the rush for the Ascension Token and began capturing souls amid the fighting.
Qin Yan escaped the Immortal Mansion World, rebuilt his strength, and traveled with Chen Chi through the Taolan Empire and into a Grotto-Heaven World. There, Xue Ruochen returned in a Xiantian body, destroyed the gathered experts, and turned his attention to Qin Yan.
Qin Yan developed his universe cultivation, inherited and refined the Yuancang Realm, and established Yuan Cang Hall in Heaven Beyond Heaven. After selling Divine Sea Pills and drawing hostile attention, he and his followers crushed a Terror Fish Clan assault and sealed dozens of its experts.