Recaps

Lin Xuan learned why Demon Cultivators had nearly vanished and discovered that he was trapped on Demon Spirit Island. After rescuing Zhou Xuehen, he agreed to travel with him to the Mystic Phoenix Sect and seek a way back.

• Yue'er questioned why Demon Cultivators had declined, and Lin Xuan explained that the Human World lacked enough Demon Veins to sustain their cultivation.
• Zhou Xuehen fled from a peak second-rank demonic beast and begged Lin Xuan to save him, so Lin Xuan drove the beast off with sword light.
• Zhou Xuehen identified the island as Demon Spirit Island and explained that it appeared in the Human World about once every hundred years, drawing in anyone nearby.
• Lin Xuan agreed to accompany Zhou Xuehen to the Mystic Phoenix Sect to learn more about the island and find a way out.
• Zhou Xuehen transformed into a demonic cloud and led the concealed Lin Xuan toward Huanyou Swamp.

Lin Xuan arrived at the Mystic Phoenix Sect with Zhou Xuehen and learned why the sect kept its protective array active: on Demon Spirit Island, demon beasts held overwhelming power over humans. As Zhou Xuehen led him through the sect’s mountain gate, Lin Xuan’s desire to escape the island grew stronger.

• After flying for seven or eight days, Lin Xuan and Zhou Xuehen reached the Mystic Phoenix Sect’s high-grade Demon Vein, where Zhou Xuehen said its Grand Elder had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.
• Zhou Xuehen offered to introduce Lin Xuan to the sect, and the two passed over a busy low-level market city toward the sect’s mountain gate.
• Zhou Xuehen explained that the Mystic Phoenix Sect kept its protective array active because Demon Race forces on Demon Spirit Island far surpassed human cultivators and could besiege the sect at any time.
• Lin Xuan and Zhou Xuehen descended at Five Finger Mountain, where the air-forbidding restriction prevented them from flying to the summit.
• The gate disciples recognized Zhou Xuehen, and he rebuked them for staring at Lin Xuan before introducing him as Senior Lin.

Lin Xuan learned that the Mystic Phoenix Sect’s founding ancestor had ascended to the Spirit World after cultivating the Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens Art. Zhou Xuehen began explaining how she gained the rare Phoenix Vein Body, leaving Lin Xuan astonished by her origins.

• Lin Xuan followed Zhou Xuehen up the mountain and saw a huge, mirror-smooth wall of Iron Mother cleaved by a single sword strike.
• Zhou Xuehen explained that Mystic Phoenix Fairy, the sect’s founding ancestor, had made the cut and had ascended after passing Heavenly Tribulation.
• Zhou Xuehen described the grades of Demon Cultivator arts and said the sect’s only top-grade art, the Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens Art, required a Phoenix Vein Body.
• Lin Xuan thought of Peacock Fairy as Zhou Xuehen explained that the Phoenix Vein Body came from a rare encounter involving peacocks.
• Zhou Xuehen said Mystic Phoenix Fairy had been orphaned at five and adopted by a peacock at the Transformation Realm, shocking Lin Xuan.

Zhou Xuehen explained how Mystic Phoenix Fairy received the Phoenix Vein Body after Peacock saved her with Life Essence Light, and revealed her tragic history with the Mysterious Venerable of the Nine Heavens. The account left Lin Xuan learning that Mystic Phoenix Fairy had sought a new path to defeat her former beloved, beginning with a search for the legendary Phoenix.

• Zhou Xuehen explained that Life Essence Light could heal even mortal wounds and that Peacock had passed hers to Mystic Phoenix Fairy.
• Zhou Xuehen revealed that Mystic Phoenix Fairy had cultivated the Nine Heavens Profound Art and fought five Nascent Soul experts so the Mysterious Venerable of the Nine Heavens could escape.
• Peacock rescued the gravely wounded Mystic Phoenix Fairy, who recovered after decades of care and later returned to say she and the Mysterious Venerable of the Nine Heavens had become enemies.
• Zhou Xuehen said Mystic Phoenix Fairy vowed to settle the grievance herself, but sought another cultivation path because the Mysterious Venerable of the Nine Heavens knew the art she had mastered.
• Zhou Xuehen explained that Mystic Phoenix Fairy spent a hundred years searching for traces of the legendary Phoenix.

Lin Xuan learned more about the Phoenix Vein Body and met Huang, a senior member of the Mystic Phoenix Sect, who warned that returning from Demon Spirit Island to the Human World was unlikely. Huang explained that powerful Lihe Realm demonic beasts left the island’s human residents alone and began recounting how Demon Cultivators had come to the island.

• Lin Xuan considered the Phoenix Vein Body and the detailed circulation method described in the Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens Art.
• Zhou Xuehen brought Lin Xuan to meet the crane-haired Huang, a middle-stage Core Condensation Realm Demon Cultivator.
• Huang invited Lin Xuan to join the Mystic Phoenix Sect, but Lin Xuan said he wanted to return to the Human World.
• Huang said the way back was uncertain and revealed that Demon Spirit Island held several Lihe Realm demonic beasts that did not interfere in the struggles between humans and demons.
• Huang explained that Demon Cultivators had come from the Human World millions of years earlier and began describing how five great Demon Cultivators intervened when their tradition faced destruction.

Lin Xuan learned how Demon Cultivators had migrated to Demon Spirit Island and asked how he could return to the Human World. The crane-haired elder described two difficult ways out, then urged Lin Xuan to join the Mystic Phoenix Sect, and Lin Xuan deferred his answer.

• The crane-haired elder explained that five Lihe-stage Demon Cultivators had led a migration to Demon Spirit Island to preserve their lineage and seek powerful Demon Veins.
• The elder said the five had made a secret pact with the island’s Lihe-stage Demon Race monsters to keep them from interfering in conflicts among their clansmen.
• The elder told Lin Xuan that he could leave by reaching the Lihe stage or by activating an ancient teleportation formation, but the formation required Top-grade Spirit Stones and an inheritance from one of the five figures.
• The elder said the only surviving accessible inheritance was the Mystic Phoenix Sect’s Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens Art, which required a Phoenix Vein Body to cultivate.
• The elder invited Lin Xuan to join the Mystic Phoenix Sect, but Lin Xuan said he would consider it before giving an answer.

Lin Xuan accepted the Mystic Phoenix Sect’s offer to become a Guest Elder while keeping his options open, then focused on finding a way to leave Demon Spirit Island. He visited Yinfeng Pavilion to request ordinary clothes and detailed information about the sect.

• Lin Xuan accepted the Guest Elder Command Token from the crane-haired old man after declining to join the Mystic Phoenix Sect outright.
• Lin Xuan suspected the old man’s excessive enthusiasm might conceal a scheme, but found nothing amiss with the token and set the concern aside.
• Lin Xuan decided that obtaining the Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens Art for the teleportation formation might require stealing it, while his search for a Top-grade Spirit Stone remained uncertain.
• Lin Xuan visited Yinfeng Pavilion and showed the steward his Guest Elder Command Token.
• Lin Xuan asked the steward for ordinary clothes and a detailed jade slip about the Mystic Phoenix Sect, and Xiaohong escorted him to the VIP Building.

Lin Xuan learned that the Mystic Phoenix Sect had nearly twenty Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, then explored a local market and discovered that demon beast materials were plentiful and cheap. After settling into a cave residence, he read a book on Demon Race cultivation techniques and learned that high-grade arts could be practiced without demonizing the body, giving him a clearer path toward learning the Phoenix Dance Nine Heavens Art.

• Lin Xuan received new clothes and detailed information about the Mystic Phoenix Sect from the old man, then learned the sect had nearly twenty Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, including a half late-stage grand elder.
• Lin Xuan explored the market and found demon beast materials far cheaper and more varied than those in the Human World.
• Lin Xuan bought a book titled Overview of Demon Race Cultivation Techniques from a young Rogue Cultivator woman.
• Lin Xuan obtained a cave residence through his Mystic Phoenix Sect guest elder token and set up Formation Flags.
• Lin Xuan read the book and learned that high-grade and top-grade Demon Cultivator arts did not require bodily demonization and could strengthen the body.

Lin Xuan spotted Ye Ping'er, the young woman who had sold him a useful scroll, being threatened by Jin and silently watched as she fought back. Ye Ping'er escaped with a talisman, leaving Jin behind and Lin Xuan poised to decide whether to intervene.

• After recovering overnight, Lin Xuan flew across Demon Spirit Island to survey its terrain and search for useful opportunities.
• Lin Xuan recognized Ye Ping'er in a valley and concealed himself as she confronted Jin, who demanded she become his dual-cultivation companion.
• Ye Ping'er rejected Jin and exposed his history of abusing women, prompting him to threaten to use her as a Cauldron.
• Jin shattered Ye Ping'er's Demon Bullet Talisman with his demonized arm and trapped her mid-grade spiritual tool with its tentacles.
• Ye Ping'er stuck a talisman to her chest and transformed into a green rainbow to flee.

Lin Xuan rescued Ye Ping'er from Jin, restored her magic power, and gave her two bottles of cultivation pills. Ye Ping'er gratefully accepted his help, while Lin Xuan left her with the prospect of reaching Foundation Establishment.

• Jin sealed Ye Ping'er's magic power with demon mist and moved to make her his Cauldron.
• Lin Xuan appeared and revealed himself as a Core Condensation Realm cultivator, startling Ye Ping'er and frightening Jin.
• Jin tried to protect himself by invoking his master, Patriarch Kunnan, but Lin Xuan killed him with an azure sword light and burned his corpse.
• Lin Xuan restored Ye Ping'er's magic power and recognized her exceptional ice-attribute variant Spirit Root and naturally charming bones.
• Lin Xuan gave Ye Ping'er two bottles of pills to help her cultivate, and she thanked him and promised to remember his kindness.

Lin Xuan traveled across Demon Spirit Island and learned about the Mang Mountain Assembly from Zhang Song, a fellow Rogue Cultivator. He agreed to travel with Zhang Song and became interested in the rare goods and secret information available at the gathering.

• Lin Xuan explored Demon Spirit Island, saw mortal cities protected by sects and clans, and avoided the dangerous Youhuan Mountain Range.
• Lin Xuan encountered Zhang Song, who assumed he was heading to the Mang Mountain Assembly.
• Lin Xuan claimed he had cultivated in seclusion for centuries and accepted Zhang Song's invitation to travel together.
• Zhang Song explained that the assembly was a ten-yearly gathering where cultivators exchanged goods, rare materials, and information.
• Lin Xuan heard that attendees sometimes sold information about treasures and showed interest in learning more.

Lin Xuan traveled with Zhang Song toward the Mang Mountain Assembly and learned about Demon Spirit Island’s cultivation world. Zhang Song recounted how the Ye Family, descended from White Crane Patriarch, had been wiped out by demon beasts, leaving the fate of its rare mutated-Spirit-Root disciple unresolved.

• Lin Xuan agreed to attend the Mang Mountain Assembly with Zhang Song, and they set out together.
• During their half-month journey, Lin Xuan asked Zhang Song about Demon Spirit Island’s cultivation world and its demon-beast attacks.
• Zhang Song explained that the Mystic Phoenix Sect ranked above the other major powers and that demon beasts had destroyed several clans and sects.
• Zhang Song told Lin Xuan that the Ye Family descended from White Crane Patriarch, one of the Five Great Demon Cultivators, but had declined over time.
• Zhang Song said a demon-beast attack had slaughtered the Ye Family after a female disciple with a mutated Spirit Root appeared, while Lin Xuan listened without comment.

Lin Xuan arrived at the Mang Mountain Assembly and waited for its restriction to open, but he sensed someone approaching and tried to avoid her. The chapter ended as a Nascent Soul cultivator fled toward the assembly with another streak of light in pursuit.

• Zhang Song told Lin Xuan that Patriarch Kunnan was a notorious and powerful devil, but Lin Xuan dismissed the danger of having killed Kunnan’s disciple.
• Lin Xuan and Zhang Song reached Mang Mountain after half a month and waited outside a fog-shrouded peak for its restriction to open at dawn.
• Several hundred cultivators gathered outside the peak, and Lin Xuan searched their informal exchanges without finding anything worthwhile.
• Lin Xuan sensed a woman approaching from the northwest and hid in the crowd to avoid meeting her.
• A yellow streak of light arrived with a Nascent Soul cultivator fleeing from a red streak that pursued it.

Lin Xuan witnessed Fairy Hongling chase Huangmu True Person into the Mang Mountain Assembly and attack him despite the Assembly’s ban on fighting nearby. Zhang Song suggested Hongling might be a reclusive cultivator unconcerned with worldly rules, while the battle continued.

• Huangmu True Person crashed into the crowd after Fairy Hongling’s red light struck him, and the cultivators recognized him as a Nascent Soul Realm expert.
• Fairy Hongling descended and attacked Huangmu True Person with a flying knife, ignoring his warning that fighting near the Assembly violated its rules.
• Huangmu True Person used a blood arrow and a piece of withered wood to block the knife, then began a demonization technique as Hongling struck with a Taiji diagram.
• Lin Xuan hid among the crowd while the cultivators retreated and speculated about Hongling’s identity and strength.
• Zhang Song told Lin Xuan that the Assembly barred fighting within twenty li and reasoned that Hongling might be a bitter cultivator who ignored worldly affairs.

Fairy Hongling pressed her attack on Huangmu True Person despite Child Bailu’s warning, while the Enforcement Envoys tried to uphold the Mang Mountain Assembly’s rules. The chapter explained that Huangmu had tried to capture Hongling’s Nascent Soul for an evil art, and ended with Hongling pursuing revenge.

• Child Bailu, Madam Black Python, and a one-eyed Nascent Soul cultivator arrived as Enforcement Envoys and ordered the fighting to stop.
• Huangmu True Person called on Bailu to intervene, and Bailu warned Fairy Hongling to cease her attack.
• Fairy Hongling ignored the warning and intensified her assault, while Child Bailu sought the other envoys’ counsel.
• Hongling recalled that Huangmu had tried to seize her wandering Nascent Soul to turn it into a substitute Puppet.
• Hongling escaped Huangmu with her Nascent Soul and secretly marked him for tracking, then continued her pursuit of vengeance.

Hongling attacked Huangmu True Person and the three Enforcement Envoys with the Spirit Piercing Ring, using an illusion to make them believe her assault was divided. Bailu Boy realized Huangmu True Person faced the full force of her attack and warned him to dodge.

• Hongling chased Huangmu True Person into Mang Mountain after defeating him, refusing to let him escape despite the Enforcement Envoys’ warning.
• Bailu Boy, Madam Black Python, and the one-eyed old man surrounded Hongling and demanded that she stop.
• Hongling used the Spirit Piercing Ring to conjure a beauty’s face and unleash countless thin red needles at her opponents.
• Madam Black Python, Bailu Boy, and the one-eyed old man counterattacked while Hongling sent a streak of red light toward Huangmu True Person.
• Huangmu True Person spent his blood essence to strengthen his protective barrier, believing Hongling had divided her attack among the four targets.
• Bailu Boy recognized that Hongling’s apparent division of the attack was an illusion and warned Huangmu True Person that all the needles were aimed at him.

Fairy Hongling killed Huangmu True Person, then used the Substitution Technique to escape the combined attacks of Bailu Boy, Madam Black Python, and the One-Eyed Elder. Lin Xuan realized she had fled north, but Bailu Boy transformed and pursued her at astonishing speed.

• Fairy Hongling pierced Huangmu True Person's barrier, killed him, and destroyed his Nascent Soul with a fiery-red flying dagger.
• Bailu Boy attacked Hongling with the Green Poison Banner as Madam Black Python and the One-Eyed Elder joined the assault.
• Madam Black Python and the One-Eyed Elder struck Hongling while Bailu Boy's demonic whips bound her, but Bailu Boy recognized the Substitution Technique.
• Hongling's substitute exploded, killing several low-level cultivators as she escaped toward the northern sky.
• Lin Xuan explained the Substitution Technique to Yue'er, and Bailu Boy grew batlike wings and chased after Hongling.

Lin Xuan secretly trapped Madam Black Python and One-Eyed Elder in the Five Ghost Soul-Splitting Formation to help Fairy Hongling escape Bailu Boy. He explained to Yue'er that he wanted Hongling to owe him a favor and put aside their conflict over the Jade Profound Sect's Sect Master Command Token.

• Bailu Boy caught up to Fairy Hongling and used poisonous mist to block her escape while the other two Demon Cultivators pursued her.
• Fairy Hongling attacked Bailu Boy with her flaming flying knife, but he focused on delaying her until reinforcements arrived.
• Madam Black Python and One-Eyed Elder entered Lin Xuan's Five Ghost Soul-Splitting Formation and decided to break out rather than risk a direct fight.
• Lin Xuan told Yue'er he had helped Hongling because she valued gratitude and loyalty, and her favor might end their dispute over the Sect Master Command Token.

Lin Xuan trapped Madam Black Python and the One-Eyed Elder in the Five Ghost Soul-Splitting Formation while Fairy Hongling fought Bailu Boy. The two battles remained unresolved, and Bailu Boy escalated the fight by unleashing the Poison Banner’s powerful artifact spirit.

• Lin Xuan used the Five Ghost Soul-Splitting Formation to contain Madam Black Python and the One-Eyed Elder, then released its five towering Fierce Ghosts.
• Madam Black Python and the One-Eyed Elder were shaken by the ghosts and struggled to break through the formation.
• Fairy Hongling continued fighting Bailu Boy despite her depleted magic power and injuries, while he blocked her attempts to escape.
• Bailu Boy grew worried that his two companions were missing but chose to keep fighting until reinforcements arrived.
• Bailu Boy fed his vital essence into the Poison Banner, summoning a massive Poison Flood Dragon spirit that made Hongling reconsider her approach.

Lin Xuan sent his Corpse Demon to help Fairy Hongling escape Bailu Boy and his Poison Flood Dragon. After Hongling fled, Lin Xuan retrieved the formation tools as the Five Ghost Soul-Splitting Formation came under attack.

• Fairy Hongling fought Bailu Boy’s Poison Flood Dragon with the Spirit Piercing Ring, while Lin Xuan struggled to hold two Nascent Soul cultivators inside the formation.
• Lin Xuan refused Yue’er’s offer to help and sent his Nascent Soul Realm Corpse Demon to ambush Bailu Boy.
• The Corpse Demon fought the Poison Flood Dragon, giving Fairy Hongling time to flee after Lin Xuan told her he was holding off the enemy.
• Bailu Boy chose not to pursue Fairy Hongling and recalled the Poison Flood Dragon after the Corpse Demon destroyed its own body.
• Lin Xuan learned Hongling had escaped, then retrieved the Formation Flags and Formation Disk as the Five Ghost Soul-Splitting Formation weakened.

Madam Black Python and One-Eyed Elder regrouped with Bailu Boy after their opponents escaped, and they suspected the red-clothed woman came from the Human World. Lin Xuan returned to the Mang Mountain Assembly unnoticed, where a message announced that the cultivators could enter the mountain.

• Madam Black Python and One-Eyed Elder realized their formation had vanished and chose not to pursue their opponents.
• Madam Black Python and One-Eyed Elder met Bailu Boy, who revealed that a Nascent Soul Realm Corpse Demon had prevented him from stopping the red-clothed woman.
• The three old monsters speculated that the red-clothed woman came from the Human World, but they could not identify her.
• Lin Xuan confirmed that the old monsters had not followed him, put the injured Corpse Demon into the Spirit Ghost Bag, and returned to the assembly unnoticed.
• A Sound Transmission Talisman arrived, and the palace-dressed woman announced that the appointed hour had come and the cultivators could enter Mang Mountain.

Lin Xuan entered the Mang Mountain Assembly, arranged for Xing'er to serve as his attendant, and learned about the early private exchange meetings. After sensing many powerful cultivators nearby, he left to investigate the trades while deciding to stay cautious.

• The palace-dressed woman admitted cultivators with valid invitations and killed a Spirit Movement Stage youth who tried to enter with a fake talisman.
• Lin Xuan was welcomed into Mang Mountain without an invitation because his concealed cultivation appeared to be at least mid-stage Core Condensation.
• Xing'er became Lin Xuan's maidservant and led him to a pavilion, where he told her to find information about private trades.
• Lin Xuan detected more than a dozen Nascent Soul Realm cultivators with his divine sense, nearly attracting the attention of one, and resolved to be careful.
• Xing'er reported five exchange meetings, including two for Core Condensation cultivators, and Lin Xuan left her behind to visit them.
• Lin Xuan told Xing'er he would not take her as a concubine and promised benefits for her help, then admitted to Yue'er that he wanted to preserve his pure yang body until he condensed his Nascent Soul.

Lin Xuan attended a private trade fair in Mang Mountain, where he learned that a young Foundation Establishment cultivator named Jin Ling was the granddaughter of Old Monster Jin and had a rare pure metal-attribute spirit root. The fair began with only a few dozen cultivators present, and its host invited them to offer their treasures for exchange.

• Lin Xuan paid two hundred crystal stones to enter the trade fair at Fire Proclamation Pavilion.
• Lin Xuan noticed that Jin Ling was the only Foundation Establishment cultivator among the mostly Core Condensation Realm attendees.
• A fair-faced old man told Lin Xuan that Jin Ling was Old Monster Jin's granddaughter and possessed a rare pure metal-attribute spirit root.
• Several more cultivators arrived, bringing the number of attendees to twenty-seven.
• The pavilion's host, Lei, opened the private trade and invited the cultivators to take turns presenting treasures for exchange.

At a cultivator trade fair hosted by the red-robed Lei, Lin Xuan watched the participants trade treasures and acquired a small profit by selling an Ancient Treasure. Jin Ling offered a Three-Headed Golden Python egg in exchange for top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, but no one could meet her demand before the fair ended.

• Lei offered a Thunder Eagle talon for fifty thousand crystal stones, and Jin Ling bought it after no one else bid.
• A burly cultivator auctioned two third-level Demon Cores, while the other attendees traded a variety of treasures and Lin Xuan made several purchases.
• Jin Ling presented a Three-Headed Golden Python egg and demanded a bottle of top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, but rejected an offer of mid-grade pills and spirit stones.
• Lin Xuan put a low-quality Ancient Treasure up for trade, and an unremarkable cultivator bought it for one hundred thousand spirit stones.
• The final cultivator exchanged a thousand-year spirit herb, bringing the trade fair toward its end as the attendees left the pavilion.

Lin Xuan left the gathering and flew away, while Jin Ling returned toward her cave residence and reflected on the rare pills she needed to overcome her Pulse-Severing Body. Zhang ambushed her on the way and demanded her beast egg and belongings, leaving Jin Ling fleeing with a golden talisman.

• Lin Xuan avoided the trade fair, checked that the forest was deserted, and flew off in a streak of rainbow light.
• Jin Ling traveled toward her cave residence and recalled that her Pulse-Severing Body made her chances of Golden Core Formation extremely low.
• Jin Ling hoped the Mang Mountain Assembly might help her find high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, which could improve her chances of core condensation.
• Zhang appeared from hiding, accused Jin Ling of humiliating him at the trade fair, and demanded her Three-Headed Golden Python beast egg and Storage Bag.
• Jin Ling refused to surrender her belongings and used a golden talisman to flee from Zhang.