Chapter Summaries

Lin Xuan overheard Thunder Cloud Villa cultivators discuss Spirit Herb Mountain’s hidden strength and the fate of Wu Yun'er, then learned the sect possessed a Heaven Dust Pill formula. As he concealed himself in Yin Corpse Valley, the two cultivators began attacking a nest of powerful zombies.

• A Thunder Cloud Villa man and woman decided Spirit Herb Mountain was too powerful to confront directly and resolved to destroy the zombies in Yin Corpse Valley before consulting their Martial Uncle about Wu Yun'er.
• Lin Xuan overheard them and concluded Spirit Herb Mountain was no longer in immediate danger, but feared Thunder Cloud Villa's master would seek revenge for his daughter's death.
• Lin Xuan learned that Spirit Herb Mountain had a Heaven Dust Pill formula and decided obtaining it would make his future cultivation safer.
• The two cultivators attacked a zombie nest, where they faced seventeen Foundation Establishment Realm zombies.
• The woman summoned her Fire Spirit Silk, wrapped herself and her companion in it, and unleashed flames against the charging zombies.

Zhang Yi and Chen Yu destroyed the zombies in the gorge, unaware that Lin Xuan had watched them from hiding. After they left to search for their missing companions, Lin Xuan gathered the growing corpse mist and suspected the danger was not over.

• Chen Yu attacked the zombies with her Red Silk and fire techniques, while the monsters linked their power to form a blood-red barrier.
• Zhang Yi used the Cold Scale Sword and Thunder Light Electric Shadow to chop every remaining zombie into pieces.
• Zhang Yi and Chen Yu set off to search for the belongings of Liao and to look for the missing Core Condensation cultivator, Junior Brother Lu.
• After Zhang Yi and Chen Yu departed, Lin Xuan emerged from hiding and mocked their lack of understanding of Netherworld monsters.
• Lin Xuan gathered corpse mist and realized its density had increased despite the zombies’ destruction.

Lin Xuan followed Zhang Yi and a female cultivator to the largest zombie lair in Yin Corpse Valley, then used the Spirit Division secret art to send a ghost in after them. The ghost watched the two examine strange claw marks on the cave wall, and Zhang Yi grew grave.

• Lin Xuan secretly followed Zhang Yi and the female cultivator to the largest zombie lair, where they found no corpses among the scattered spiritual artifacts.
• The two wondered whether their missing disciples, including Wu and Lu, might still be alive, then returned to the cave after the woman recalled something she had seen.
• Lin Xuan used the Spirit Division technique to attach a wisp of his divine sense to a weak ghost and sent it into the lair to scout.
• The ghost entered unseen and watched the female cultivator show Zhang Yi a wall covered in claw marks.
• Zhang Yi examined the marks, and his surprise gave way to a grave expression.

Zhang Yi and Chen Yu broke into a hidden cave and discovered a Corpse King absorbing the life force of unconscious cultivators, including Martial Niece Wu. They attacked its barrier and tried to lure it away, but the Corpse King struck back with enormous claws.

• Zhang Yi recognized a formation in the mountain wall and suspected a Corpse King was hidden behind it.
• Zhang Yi broke the formation with the Cold Scale Sword, revealing a Corpse King in a rune-carved pool surrounded by unconscious cultivators.
• Zhang Yi and Chen Yu saw the Corpse King inhale white energy from the cultivators, and Chen Yu recognized Martial Niece Wu among them.
• Zhang Yi and Chen Yu attacked the Corpse King’s blood-colored barrier with a blue tiger and a red firebird, weakening it.
• The Corpse King opened its eyes and extended its claws toward Zhang Yi as he retreated to lure it away.

Lin Xuan watched from concealment as Zhang Yi and Chen Yu fought a powerful Corpse King, which resisted their attacks and wielded the magic treasure of their dead junior brother, Lu. The Corpse King’s ability to use the Jade Blade left Zhang Yi and Chen Yu bewildered.

• Lin Xuan withdrew his yin soul and hid as Zhang Yi and Chen Yu confronted the zombie.
• Zhang Yi’s Cold Scale Sword failed to cut the zombie, and the zombie used ghost mist to conceal a bone-arrow attack that Chen Yu blocked with her Red Silk.
• Zhang Yi absorbed the ghost mist with his Cyan Gourd and used Flash Freeze while Chen Yu blasted the zombie’s back with her Blazing Divine Thunder.
• Zhang Yi sent his enlarged Cold Scale Sword at the frozen Corpse King, which countered with the Jade Blade that had belonged to their dead junior brother, Lu.
• Zhang Yi and Chen Yu wondered how the Corpse King could wield a cultivator’s natal magic treasure.

Zhang Yi and Chen Yu fought a mutated Corpse King, which wounded Chen Yu and revealed that it had killed Lu and devoured his Golden Core. As the monster demanded their Golden Cores, Zhang Yi withdrew his Cold Scale Sword and began a painful technique that made his spiritual power grow stronger, leaving the hidden Lin Xuan puzzled.

• The Corpse King melted Zhang Yi's ice with sinister flame and attacked him and Chen Yu with sound-wave nets.
• The Corpse King broke free and tore through Chen Yu's Red Silk, piercing her left shoulder before Zhang Yi drove it back with the Cold Scale Sword.
• Zhang Yi questioned the Corpse King about Lu's death and its use of Lu's Jade Blade, and the monster admitted it had devoured Lu's Golden Core.
• The Corpse King attacked Zhang Yi with the Jade Blade and demanded both cultivators' Golden Cores.
• Zhang Yi withdrew the Cold Scale Sword and began a painful technique as his spiritual power continued to increase, while Lin Xuan watched from hiding.

Zhang Yi transformed into a scaled, winged tiger and fought the Corpse King, gaining the upper hand through his Beast Transformation Technique. As the battle continued, Chen Yu explained that the technique required a natal magic treasure and described the different kinds of magic treasures.

• Zhang Yi transformed into a blue-scaled, winged tiger as the Corpse King attacked with its Jade Blade.
• Zhang Yi flew into the Corpse King's blood mist, and the two fought unseen until the mist burst apart.
• Zhang Yi and the Corpse King grappled in the open, with Zhang Yi's sharp claws and teeth overpowering the zombie's defenses.
• Chen Yu explained that Zhang Yi's Beast Transformation Technique was an ancient secret art requiring a natal magic treasure.
• Chen Yu described natal magic treasures, ordinary magic treasures, and ancient treasures.

Zhang Yi nearly lost his Golden Core to the Corpse King, but destroyed it in an explosion that grievously weakened him without killing the monster. After Zhang Yi fled with the unconscious Chen Yu, Lin Xuan emerged from hiding and considered the mysterious Corpse King.

• Zhang Yi’s beast-form claws became trapped in the Corpse King’s wound, and the monster bound him with ghost-fog pythons and began dragging out his Golden Core.
• Chen Yu tried to help Zhang Yi, but corpse poison flared inside her and left her unconscious.
• Zhang Yi returned to human form and destroyed his Golden Core to prevent the Corpse King from devouring it, but the monster survived the blast.
• Zhang Yi put away the Cold Scale Sword, carried Chen Yu away on a spiritual artifact, and fled Yin Corpse Valley.
• Lin Xuan emerged from hiding, examined the motionless Corpse King, and smiled strangely.

Lin Xuan lured the injured Corpse King into the Extreme Yin Evil Spirit Array and attacked it with an array, Hook Swords, and the Hundred Soul Banner. The Corpse King was trapped and under heavy assault, but the fight remained unresolved.

• Lin Xuan discovered that the Corpse King had been playing dead and used black light from the Heavenly Demon Ghost Corpse Art to keep it at bay.
• Lin Xuan feigned fear and fled deeper into the canyon, drawing the Corpse King after him.
• Lin Xuan vanished into the Extreme Yin Evil Spirit Array, which trapped the weakened Corpse King in a wasteland filled with ghosts.
• Lin Xuan directed the array's black-mist weapons and the Hook Swords against the Corpse King as it released its Corpse Bead for protection.
• Lin Xuan used the Hundred Soul Banner to make its yin souls cast spells that restrained the Corpse King.

Lin Xuan defeated the Corpse King with the Extreme Yin Evil Spirit Array and captured its essence soul in the Hundred Soul Banner. He collected the Corpse King's body and looted the unconscious cultivators before leaving Yin Corpse Valley.

• Lin Xuan and Yue'er broke the Corpse Bead with the Strange Dagger and Jade Snow Ring, causing the Corpse King to collapse.
• Lin Xuan trapped the Corpse King's essence soul in a net of ghostly qi and absorbed it into the Hundred Soul Banner.
• Lin Xuan stopped the array and collected the Corpse King's husk in his Spirit Ghost Bag, planning to use it after advancing his cultivation.
• Lin Xuan returned to the zombie nest and found the unconscious Foundation Establishment cultivators alive but gravely weakened.
• Lin Xuan took the cultivators' Storage Bags, including Lu's bonded magic treasure, the Jade Blade.

Lin Xuan returned to Spirit Herb Mountain and resumed cultivating after confirming the sect was no longer surrounded. Meanwhile, Perfected Master Tongyu met the hidden Nascent Soul Middle Stage One-Eyed Elder and explained how he had dealt with traitors in the sect.

• Lin Xuan searched the zombie nest, took the Storage Bag, and left the unconscious cultivators alive before returning to Spirit Herb Mountain.
• Lin Xuan found that most cultivators had withdrawn from the area, secured his cave residence, and began cultivating the Heavenly Demon Ghost Corpse Art.
• Perfected Master Tongyu respectfully attended the One-Eyed Elder, whose cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.
• Perfected Master Tongyu told the One-Eyed Elder that the righteous and demonic forces had withdrawn after learning Spirit Herb Mountain lacked the Heaven Dust Pill.
• Perfected Master Tongyu explained that he had exposed traitors by leaking the news and even promoting them, saying he had another intention.

Perfected Master Tongyu explained how he used the supposed traitors to mislead rival factions and conceal Spirit Herb Mountain’s strength. Unaware of the discussion about him, Lin Xuan began refining a captured zombie to serve him.

• Perfected Master Tongyu told the One-Eyed Elder that he had promoted suspected traitors to steward positions, leaked false information about the Heaven Dust Pill, and secretly planted gu poison in them.
• Perfected Master Tongyu explained that he had revealed some of Spirit Herb Mountain’s hidden strength while keeping its Nascent Soul Realm power uncertain.
• The One-Eyed Elder asked why Perfected Master Tongyu had made Lin Xuan his disciple and designated him the next-generation master, and Tongyu began to explain.
• Lin Xuan returned to his cave residence and prepared to cultivate the Heavenly Demon Ghost Corpse Art by setting up a Demon Refining Array over three days.
• Lin Xuan subdued the weakest zombie he had caught, placed it in the array, and prepared to temper it and make it recognize him as master.

Lin Xuan finished refining his zombies and began a secluded cultivation aimed at reaching the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, relying on purified pills to overcome his poor aptitude. Lin Yue'er also cultivated the Mystic Demon True Scripture, and both prepared to grow stronger together.

• Lin Xuan completed the first zombie's refinement, tested his control over it, and stored it in his Spirit Ghost Bag.
• Over the following month, Lin Xuan refined fifteen Spirit Movement Stage zombies and left the Corpse King untouched.
• Lin Xuan decided to focus on steadily raising his cultivation to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage now that Spirit Herb Mountain's crisis had passed.
• Lin Xuan used the Blue Star Sea to purify mid- and high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, then consumed them during daily cultivation.
• Lin Yue'er abandoned the Yin Ghost Nine Transformations for the Mystic Demon True Scripture and continued cultivating diligently.

After ten years in seclusion, Lin Xuan reached the peak of Foundation Establishment Late Stage while Yue'er advanced to Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. He weighed whether to keep cultivating slowly or seek rare ancient pills, then set the decision aside and brought out a large collection of spiritual tools.

• Lin Xuan ended his ten-year seclusion and reached the peak of Foundation Establishment Late Stage, while Yue'er reached Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
• Lin Xuan checked the spirit beast egg, found it still unhatched, and confirmed it remained alive.
• Lin Xuan considered continuing with Foundation Establishment Pills or seeking ingredients for rare ancient pills, but postponed choosing a path.
• Lin Xuan emptied his Storage Bracelet and revealed several dozen spiritual tools he had accumulated as spoils from defeated enemies.

Lin Xuan sorted through his spiritual weapons, keeping the most powerful and suitable treasures and deciding to sell the rest. He gave Yue'er the Strange Dagger and told her to refine it, while the Mystic Fire Divine Pearl remained his strongest treasure as he prepared for the road ahead.

• Lin Xuan chose the Hook Sword, Hundred Soul Banner, Strange Dagger, Gold Brick, and Mystic Fire Divine Pearl as his main offensive treasures.
• Lin Xuan recalled learning that the Mystic Fire Divine Pearl might be an ancient treasure usable by Foundation Establishment cultivators, though he could not yet bring out its full power.
• Lin Xuan decided that his offensive treasures, zombie, and Beast Soul Talisman gave him some confidence in escaping even a Core Condensation expert.
• Lin Xuan rejected a mid-grade floral cloth and kept a top-grade small shield as his only suitable defensive spiritual weapon.
• Lin Xuan gave the Strange Dagger to Yue'er and told her to refine it so she could use it effectively for sneak attacks.

Lin Xuan chose a dangerous special method to refine the Mystic Fire Divine Pearl, hoping to greatly increase its power, and sought herbs to prepare a medicine that would restore the essence energy the process could consume. He learned that the snow lotuses he needed had not yet bloomed and asked Feng Sheng to take him to where they were planted.

• Lin Xuan studied treasure-refining instructions and used Appraisal Insights to discover that a special method could let him wield far more of the Mystic Fire Divine Pearl's power, though it risked damaging his essence energy.
• Lin Xuan decided to take the risk and went to Spirit Herb Mountain's Herb Garden to collect ingredients for Essence Vitality Powder.
• Lin Xuan gave Feng Sheng a list that included snow mountain snow lotuses, but Feng Sheng explained that they had not bloomed yet.
• Lin Xuan refused to wait two months and told Feng Sheng to take him to the snow lotus planting grounds.

Lin Xuan gathered herbs from Feng Sheng and prepared Essence Vitality Powder for refining the Mystic Fire Divine Pearl. After resting to restore himself, he began the process using Spirit Herb Mountain’s Earth Vein Fire.

• Lin Xuan took two immature Heaven Mountain Snow Lotuses and other medicinal ingredients from the Herb Garden, then rewarded Feng Sheng with a low-grade spiritual tool and asked him to keep him informed about sect affairs.
• Lin Xuan purified the herbs and brewed a vial of Essence Vitality Powder, finding that the immature Snow Lotuses could still be used.
• Lin Xuan rested for a day and night before returning to the Alchemy Room to prepare to refine the Mystic Fire Divine Pearl.
• Lin Xuan floated the Mystic Fire Divine Pearl above him and directed a beam of red light toward the chamber’s beast head to draw upon the Earth Vein Fire.

Lin Xuan began refining the Mystic Fire Divine Pearl by merging Earth Vein Fire with his Innate True Fire, then spent forty-nine days tempering the treasure. When his Essence Vitality Powder ran out before the process was complete, he chose to continue despite the risk of depleting his essence energy.

• Lin Xuan failed his first attempt to merge Earth Vein Fire and Innate True Fire, then compressed the Earth Vein Fire into a fireball and successfully combined the two flames.
• Lin Xuan placed the Mystic Fire Divine Pearl in the merged flames and spent forty-nine days refining it, repeatedly feeding it his essence energy and replenishing himself with pills.
• Lin Xuan ran out of Essence Vitality Powder after thirty-three days, earlier than expected, while the refinement was still underway.
• Lin Xuan rejected abandoning the partly refined pearl and chose to press on, risking excessive depletion of his essence energy.

Lin Xuan completed the tempering of the Mystic Fire Divine Pearl, but the effort left his vital energy dangerously depleted. With Yue’er’s help and more medicinal ingredients, he recovered enough to safeguard his cultivation and finished replenishing his lost vital energy.

• Lin Xuan poured his last vital energy into the Mystic Fire Divine Pearl, tempered it for another day, and successfully forged a heart-connected magic treasure.
• Lin Xuan struggled to recover from severe vital-energy depletion and went to the Herb Garden, where Feng Sheng supplied him with medicinal ingredients.
• Yue’er took over refining the Essence Vitality Powder while Lin Xuan meditated, and she succeeded after nine days.
• Lin Xuan used the powder to stabilize his cultivation, then bought more ingredients at a nearby market to avoid attracting suspicion from the sect’s alchemists.
• After nearly another month, Lin Xuan replenished his lost vital energy and finished tempering the Mystic Fire Divine Pearl.

Lin Xuan searched You Province for the ingredients to make a Spirit-Condensing Pill, but he could not find the nearly extinct Myriad Phenomenon Herb. After learning that the Heavenly Eye Sect had once sold the herb, he traveled to Heavenly Eye Mountain to investigate.

• Lin Xuan chose an ancient formula for the Spirit-Condensing Pill and left Spirit Herb Mountain to gather its ingredients.
• Lin Xuan spent half a year searching marketplaces across You Province and obtained nearly all the ingredients, but not the Myriad Phenomenon Herb.
• Lin Xuan learned from a marketplace medicine shop owner that the Heavenly Eye Sect had once sold Myriad Phenomenon Herb.
• Lin Xuan arrived at Heavenly Eye Mountain and admired its Spirit Vein.