Recaps

Hun Xiu and Xiao Yan confronted each other in the Ancient Realm after Xiao Yan learned that Gu Xun'er belonged to the Gu Clan and was close to Hun Xiu. Xiao Yan challenged Hun Xiu to a one-on-one fight, and Hun Xiu accepted as they traded taunts.

• Yang Hao introduced Xiao Yan to Hun Xiu and Gu Xun'er, then revealed that Xiao Yan was a Dou Saint praised as the younger generation's top talent.
• Hun Xiu told Xiao Yan that his father was a guest of the Hun Clan, prompting Yang Hao to realize the two had a grudge and distance himself from Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan grew furious at Hun Xiu's intimacy with Gu Xun'er, but stopped himself from accusing Hun Xiu of stealing her after recognizing that his feelings had been one-sided.
• Hun Xiu taunted Xiao Yan about his lingering feelings for Gu Xun'er and considered investigating how Xiao Yan had become a Dou Saint.
• Xiao Yan challenged Hun Xiu to a one-on-one fight, and Hun Xiu accepted while daring him not to end up kneeling and calling him daddy.

Xiao Yan challenged Hun Xiu to a wagered sparring match, confident that he could win, and agreed that Hun Xiu could take one unnamed thing from him if he lost. They headed to the Gu Clan training ground, where a crowd gathered to watch, leaving the contest about to begin.

• Xiao Yan proposed a wager: if he won, Hun Xiu would release Xiao Yan's father and kowtow while asking to become his disciple.
• Hun Xiu agreed, then demanded that Xiao Yan wager one unspecified thing if he lost; Xiao Yan accepted and offered to kowtow and ask Hun Xiu to accept him as a disciple.
• Yang Hao avoided Xiao Yan and followed Hun Xiu and Gu Xun'er, while Xiao Yan grumbled that Yang Hao would regret abandoning him.
• Hun Xiu and Gu Xun'er went to the Gu Clan training ground, and Xiao Yan followed to face him in front of a crowd of clan members and invited experts.
• Gu Clan disciples A Yin and Ah Hao wondered who Xiao Yan was and mocked his huge black ruler as he stood on the training arena.

Xiao Yan challenged Hun Xiu before the Gu Clan disciples, confident he could defeat him, while Hun Xiu accepted after receiving a victory kiss from Gu Xun'er. The confrontation ended with Hun Xiu striking Xiao Yan so quickly that the crowd was left stunned.

• Gu Clan disciples and spectators discussed Xiao Yan's reputation as a Dou Saint and wondered whether he planned to challenge the younger generation.
• Xiao Yan called Hun Xiu onto the training ground and promised to grind him into the ground.
• Gu Xun'er gave Hun Xiu a kiss on the forehead before he went up, making Xiao Yan resent their affection.
• Hun Xiu told Xiao Yan that he had delayed to leave him some dignity, then vanished too quickly for Xiao Yan to see or sense.
• Hun Xiu appeared in front of Xiao Yan and slapped him, sending him spinning to the ground as the crowd fell silent in shock.

Hun Xiu knocked Xiao Yan down twice with open-handed slaps during their confrontation on the training ground, while Xiao Yan accused him of sneaking up on him. The crowd mocked Xiao Yan after learning he was a Dou Saint, and the chapter left him standing dazed with a badly swollen face.

• Hun Xiu told the dazed Xiao Yan to get up after slapping him to the ground.
• Xiao Yan accused Hun Xiu of a sneak attack and demanded a fair fight.
• Hun Xiu asked whether Xiao Yan was ready, then slapped him down again as soon as Xiao Yan said he was.
• The spectators mocked Xiao Yan, and the Central Plains powerhouses felt embarrassed when they learned he was a Dou Saint.
• Xiao Yan got up again, unable to hear the crowd, with both cheeks swollen from Hun Xiu's slaps.

Xiao Yan insisted Hun Xiu had beaten him through sneak attacks and claimed he would fight seriously, but Hun Xiu swiftly knocked him into a crater. Hun Xiu then challenged Xiao Yan to attack openly, and Xiao Yan began summoning his Heavenly Flames.

• Xiao Yan picked up his heavy ruler, accused Hun Xiu of ambushing him, and said he would get serious.
• Xiao Yan dodged Hun Xiu's slowed attack and mistook it for proof that he had regained the upper hand.
• The Gu Clan disciples believed Hun Xiu had held back, while the Central Plains experts expected Xiao Yan to counterattack.
• Hun Xiu struck Xiao Yan from the air and sent him crashing into the training ground, where he made a huge crater.
• Xiao Yan rose from the crater, again accused Hun Xiu of sneak attacks, and claimed he could have defeated him if he had not held back.
• Hun Xiu offered to let Xiao Yan attack openly before he stopped holding back, and Xiao Yan began releasing his Heavenly Flames.

Xiao Yan challenged Hun Xiu with six Heavenly Flames and launched his Buddha's Fury Lotus, but Hun Xiu's black ring of fire swallowed the attack and advanced toward him.

• Xiao Yan summoned six Heavenly Flames, startling the spectators and prompting them to recognize that he was getting serious.
• Xiao Yan taunted Hun Xiu and gathered his six flames into a palm-sized Buddha's Fury Lotus as the spectators retreated from its power.
• Hun Xiu remained calm and formed a seemingly ordinary black ring of fire with his fingertip.
• Hun Xiu sent the ring toward Xiao Yan's Buddha's Fury Lotus, and the ring devoured it without a ripple.
• Xiao Yan realized the ring was dangerous and tried to evade as it moved toward him.

Hun Xiu defeated Xiao Yan, took the six Heavenly Flames from his body, and demanded that he fulfill his promise. Xiao Yan denied the agreement was binding, so Hun Xiu beat him unconscious and then called two black-robed young men over.

• Hun Xiu's black ring of fire struck Xiao Yan and left him badly injured.
• Hun Xiu agitated Xiao Yan's six Heavenly Flames until they escaped his body and formed a ring in Hun Xiu's palm.
• Hun Xiu told Xiao Yan he had lost and demanded that he fulfill his promise, but Xiao Yan accused him of ambushing him.
• Hun Xiu slapped Xiao Yan, knocked out his teeth, and kicked him until he passed out.
• Hun Xiu left Xiao Yan alive and called two black-robed young men from the crowd.

Hun Xiu revealed his connection to the Hun Clan and ordered Soul Cliff and Soul Li to return the battered Xiao Yan to the Hall of Souls. He left the Gu Clan with Gu Xun'er, while the onlookers erupted into discussion.

• Soul Cliff and Soul Li recognized Hun Xiu as their young master, revealing his identity to the gathered factions.
• Hun Xiu learned that Soul Cliff and Soul Li had been sent to train in the Heavenly Tomb.
• Hun Xiu ordered Soul Cliff and Soul Li to take Xiao Yan back, contacting the Hall of Souls if they needed help.
• Soul Cliff and Soul Li carried the barely living Xiao Yan away from the Gu Clan.
• Hun Xiu left with Gu Xun'er, and the onlookers erupted into an uproar.

Soul Cliff and Soul Li delivered the battered Xiao Yan to Starfall Pavilion, where they used him to demand medicinal pills from Yao Chen. Yao Chen gave them two Grade 8 Medicinal Pills, and the Right Protector began checking the second bottle.

• Soul Cliff and Soul Li brought the barely conscious Xiao Yan to Starfall Pavilion and mocked his helplessness.
• Yao Chen confronted the two Hall of Souls Protectors, then recognized Xiao Yan and agreed to their demand for two Grade 8 Medicinal Pills.
• Yao Chen handed over two medicine bottles, and the Right Protector verified the first pill before opening the second bottle.

Yao Chen exchanged two Grade 8 Medicinal Pills with the Hall of Souls Left and Right Protectors, but they refused to release Xiao Yan and demanded two Ninth-Grade Pills instead. When Yao Chen erupted in anger, the Protectors retreated with Xiao Yan, shaken by his pressure.

• Yao Chen handed over two Grade 8 Medicinal Pills, and the Left and Right Protectors accepted them.
• The Left and Right Protectors refused to release Xiao Yan and demanded more valuables from Yao Chen.
• The Protectors demanded one Ninth-Grade Pill each in exchange for Xiao Yan.
• Yao Chen warned that their appetites were too large, while the Right Protector threatened Xiao Yan to force the exchange.
• Yao Chen unleashed his aura, and the Left and Right Protectors retreated a hundred meters with Xiao Yan.

Yao Chen handed the Left and Right Protectors a Ninth-Grade Pill in exchange for Xiao Yan, whom they held hostage. The Right Protector took the pill, but the Left Protector refused to release Xiao Yan, leaving Yao Chen unable to act without risking his disciple's life.

• The Left and Right Protectors threatened to kill the unconscious Xiao Yan if Yao Chen attacked, so Yao Chen agreed to trade his Ninth-Grade Pill for Xiao Yan.
• Yao Chen brought out the Nine Yin Yellow Springs Pill, and the hidden observers recognized it as a genuine Ninth-Grade Pill.
• Yao Chen threw the medicine bottle to the Right Protector and warned him not to open it because the pill had developed spiritual intelligence.
• The Right Protector put the bottle away, but the Left Protector refused to release Xiao Yan, saying he had never promised to do so.
• The Left and Right Protectors laughed at Yao Chen and admitted that the Hall of Souls did not keep its promises.

Xiao Yan awakened while the Hall of Souls Left and Right Protectors held him hostage, and demanded they surrender the pills and leave. Before he could act, Hun Bufan intervened and seized the Protectors, prompting Yao Chen and the Starfall Pavilion experts to confront him.

• Xiao Yan opened his eyes and heard that the Left and Right Protectors had taken pills from Yao Chen but still refused to release him.
• Xiao Yan threatened the Protectors and offered to spare their lives if they left the pills behind.
• The Left and Right Protectors hesitated, and Xiao Yan prepared to attack them.
• Hun Bufan emerged from the void, turned the Protectors into black souls, and caught them in his hand.
• Yao Chen and the Starfall Pavilion experts gathered around Hun Bufan, while the Protectors realized the Pavilion had hidden a large force nearby.
• The chapter revealed that Hun Xiu had asked Hun Bufan to follow Xiao Yan and ensure his safety.

Hun Bufan confronted Xiao Yan and the Starfall Pavilion, but spared them on Hun Xiu’s orders, then returned to the Hall of Souls with the Left and Right Protectors. Xiao Yan collapsed from his injuries as Hun Bufan reprimanded the Protectors for damaging the Hall of Souls’ reputation.

• Hun Bufan introduced himself as the Hall of Souls’ Young Hall Master, alarming Yao Chen and the Starfall Pavilion experts with his strength.
• Hun Bufan told Xiao Yan that Hun Xiu had ordered him not to harm Xiao Yan or Starfall Pavilion because Xiao Yan was still useful, and said he hoped to fight him someday.
• Hun Bufan left through a black hole, and Xiao Yan spat blood and fainted from his severe injuries.
• Yao Chen caught Xiao Yan, discovered that all the Heavenly Flames in his body had been extracted, and hurried to take him for treatment.
• Hun Bufan returned to the Hall of Souls headquarters with the Left and Right Protectors, restored them to their bodies, and scolded them for ruining the Hall of Souls’ reputation.

Hun Bufan let the Left and Right Protectors go after they surrendered the pills they had swindled from Yao Chen. At Starfall Pavilion, Tang Huo'er tended to the gravely injured Xiao Yan, who concealed how dire his injuries were and privately lamented that he had let her down.

• The Left and Right Protectors begged Hun Bufan for mercy and returned two Grade 8 pills and a Ninth-Grade Pill.
• Hun Bufan kept the pills, warned the Protectors not to damage the Hall of Souls' reputation again, and sent them away.
• The Left and Right Protectors emerged from the grand hall relieved that Hun Bufan had spared them.
• Tang Huo'er cried beside Xiao Yan's bed at Starfall Pavilion, distressed by his severe injuries.
• Xiao Yan told Tang Huo'er that he would recover, though he privately feared lasting damage to his cultivation and regretted letting her down.

Xiao Yan vowed to devote himself to Tang Huo'er, then privately told Yao Chen that Hun Xiu had stripped him of his Heavenly Flames and left him badly injured. Yao Chen asked how the Gu Clan had punished Hun Xiu.

• Xiao Yan resolved to leave Gu Xun'er behind and treat Tang Huo'er as his only love, and Tang Huo'er chose to believe him.
• Xiao Yan sent Tang Huo'er from the room and told Yao Chen that all six of his Heavenly Flames had been forcibly taken.
• Yao Chen learned that Xiao Yan had been injured in the Gu Clan and wondered why its experts had not protected him.
• Xiao Yan revealed that Hun Xiu, the Hun Clan's young master, had attacked him during the Gu Clan's Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
• Yao Chen asked what punishment the Gu Clan had imposed on Hun Xiu.

Yao Chen told Xiao Yan that Hun Xiu’s Black Flame might be the second-ranked Nihility Devouring Flame, which had overwhelmed Xiao Yan’s Heavenly Flames. Xiao Yan resolved to surpass Hun Xiu, and Yao Chen revealed that another flame besides the elusive first-ranked Heavenly Flame could oppose it.

• Xiao Yan told Yao Chen that Hun Xiu had escaped punishment in the Gu Clan and described Hun Xiu’s strength and strange Black Flame.
• Yao Chen guessed that Hun Xiu’s Black Flame was the Nihility Devouring Flame, ranked second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, and explained its devouring power.
• Xiao Yan became convinced that Hun Xiu possessed the Nihility Devouring Flame and vowed to rise again after his defeat.
• Yao Chen said the first-ranked Heavenly Flame could contend with the Nihility Devouring Flame, but no one knew its name or whereabouts.
• Yao Chen revealed that another flame besides the first-ranked Heavenly Flame could also contend with the Nihility Devouring Flame.

Xiao Yan learned that the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame could contend with the Nihility Devouring Flame and resolved to recover before pursuing it. He also planned to guard against Zhu Yizhi, who considered killing him but backed down when another Dou Sheng arrived at Starfall Pavilion.

• Yao Chen told Xiao Yan that the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame could rival the Nihility Devouring Flame and urged him to focus on healing before trying to obtain it.
• Xiao Yan asked Yao Chen to have Ancestor Huoyun guard him during seclusion because he distrusted Zhu Yizhi.
• Yao Chen warned Xiao Yan that Zhu Yizhi had recovered much of his strength and might exploit Xiao Yan's injuries to escape his control.
• Zhu Yizhi debated whether to assassinate the injured Xiao Yan, but feared Xiao Yan's Soul Imprint and Starfall Pavilion's experts.
• Zhu Yizhi abandoned the assassination after sensing another Dou Sheng expert arrive at Starfall Pavilion.

After years of seclusion, Hun Xiu triggered a vast heavenly phenomenon in the Hun Realm that suggested he was breaking through to the Nine-Star Dou Saint realm. Soul Emperor and the Hun Clan celebrated the prospect of gaining another Nine-Star Dou Saint and moving closer to unifying the continent.

• While Xiao Yan recovered in seclusion, Starfall Pavilion kept a low profile under the Hall of Souls' deliberate suppression and waited for him to return.
• The Bodhi Ancient Tree expedition strengthened Gu Xun'er and a Hun Clan prodigy, while the Gu and Hun Clans drew closer and the continent's factions grew uneasy.
• Hun Xiu continued cultivating in seclusion because Xiao Yan's rapid growth made him fear their next encounter.
• Hun Xiu emerged from his secret chamber as lightning and raging winds swept across the Hun Realm, signaling a major breakthrough.
• Soul Jade and Hun Feng suspected Hun Xiu was advancing to Nine-Star Dou Saint, and Soul Emperor welcomed the prospect as a step toward unifying the continent.

Hun Xiu completed his breakthrough to the Nine-Star Dou Saint realm and overcame the heavenly tribulation with the Xuanyuan Sword. The Hun Clan celebrated his ascension, while Soul Emperor and Nihility Devouring Flame had already discussed what his growing power meant for the clan.

• Soul Emperor and Nihility Devouring Flame praised Hun Xiu's coming breakthrough, though Nihility privately worried Soul Emperor might betray him later.
• Hun Xiu opened his eyes in the secret chamber as his Nine-Star Dou Saint aura erupted and lightning struck down around him.
• Hun Xiu reflected that he had mastered twenty-one Heavenly Flames and still needed the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame to control them all.
• Hun Xiu summoned the Xuanyuan Sword, which absorbed the tribulation lightning and cleared the heavenly phenomenon.
• Hun Xiu rose into the air with the aura of a Nine-Star Dou Saint, and the Hun Clan experts congratulated him and celebrated his breakthrough.

Hun Xiu celebrated his breakthrough to Nine-Star Dou Saint as Soul Emperor assigned him to lead Soul Jade and Hun Feng in claiming the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame. Hun Xiu left the hall to prepare and spend time with his children before the flame appeared.

• Soul Emperor congratulated Hun Xiu on becoming a Nine-Star Dou Saint and proudly compared his talent to his own.
• Nihility Devouring Flame congratulated Hun Xiu, while privately recognizing that Hun Xiu had grown beyond his control.
• Soul Emperor told Hun Xiu that the Demonic Flame would descend soon and ordered him to lead Soul Jade and Hun Feng to obtain the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.
• Hun Xiu assured Soul Emperor that the flame would belong to the Hun Clan, then left to prepare and visit his children.

Hun Xiu returned to the Hun Clan, reunited with Xiao Yi Xian and his daughters, and learned Qing Lin was in seclusion. At Starfall Pavilion, Xiao Yan emerged from years of healing as a Four-Star Dou Saint, determined to defy Hun Xiu’s expectations.

• Soul Emperor asked Nihility Devouring Flame about the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, and they judged Hun Xiu could defeat it with Soul Jade and Hun Feng’s help.
• Hun Xiu returned to his courtyard and reunited with Xiao Yi Xian, who told him Qing Lin was preparing to break through to the Dou Saint realm.
• Hun Xiao and Hun Ling rushed to Hun Xiu and embraced him, and he lifted them into his arms.
• Ancestor Huoyun and Yao Chen sensed Xiao Yan’s power stirring at Starfall Pavilion and expected him to emerge from seclusion.
• Xiao Yan finished healing, revealed he had reached Four-Star Dou Saint, and vowed that Hun Xiu had not anticipated his advancement.

After emerging from seclusion with his injuries healed and his strength increased, Xiao Yan received the final fragment of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame map from Yao Chen. The four pieces merged, and a milky-white beam entered Xiao Yan’s glabella, leaving him dazed as Yao Chen and Ancestor Huoyun tried to rouse him.

• Xiao Yan left seclusion, confident in his Four-Star Dou Saint strength and vowing to repay Hun Xiu for his past harm.
• Yao Chen and Ancestor Huoyun welcomed Xiao Yan and praised his recovery and increased strength.
• Yao Chen gave Xiao Yan the fourth fragment of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame map.
• Xiao Yan brought out his other three fragments, and all four pieces merged into a complete map.
• A milky-white beam shot from the map into Xiao Yan’s glabella, leaving him unresponsive as Yao Chen and Ancestor Huoyun called to him and shook his shoulders.

Xiao Yan recovered after the map’s white light, and Yao Chen and Ancestor Huoyun confirmed he had not been possessed. The lotus-flame mark on his forehead hinted it would help him obtain the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, while the threat of the Hun Clan and Hall of Souls led Xiao Yan and Yao Chen to plan an alliance.

• Yao Chen questioned Xiao Yan about their past, and Ancestor Huoyun confirmed Xiao Yan’s answers were true.
• Xiao Yan noticed a milky-white lotus-flame mark between his brows and sensed it would help him obtain the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.
• Yao Chen and Ancestor Huoyun warned Xiao Yan that the flame would soon descend and that he would face many factions, including the Hall of Souls and Hun Clan.
• Xiao Yan resolved to prepare for the struggle over the flame and asked Yao Chen about the Hall of Souls’ recent actions.
• Xiao Yan proposed uniting factions opposed to the Hall of Souls, and Yao Chen agreed to persuade them, including the Pill Tower.

Yao Chen united the Central Plains factions against the Hall of Souls while Hun Bufan watched their preparations and awaited Xiao Yan. A month later, the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame descended, and Xiao Yan sensed its heat from Starfall Pavilion as factions rushed toward its emergence.

• Yao Chen rallied the Pill Tower, Burning Flame Valley, Flower Sect, and Rogue Cultivators into an alliance against the Hall of Souls.
• Venerable Shi reported the alliance’s actions to Hun Bufan, who refused to destroy the factions and said they would soon be unable to oppose the Hall of Souls.
• Hun Bufan wondered whether Xiao Yan had recovered and said he looked forward to meeting him.
• Hun Miesheng went to guard the Demonic Flame Space, leaving Hun Bufan in charge of the Hall of Souls.
• A month later, nine stars aligned, the Demonic Flame descended, and factions across the Central Plains rushed toward the Demonic Flame Space.
• Xiao Yan stood atop Starfall Pavilion and remarked on the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame’s terrifying heat.

Hun Xiu and Xiao Yan arrived at the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame’s emergence site with their allies, where they confronted each other after Hun Xiu recognized Xiao Yan. Hun Xiu challenged Xiao Yan to spar again, while the West Dragon King quietly looked for a chance to escape.

• Xiao Yan led Yao Chen, Ancestor Huoyun, and Starfall Pavilion’s experts from the Star Realm toward the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.
• Hun Xiu arrived with Hun Feng and Soul Jade, told Hun Feng the flame could be claimed by whoever had the ability, and declined to seize it immediately so he could meet an old acquaintance.
• Hun Miesheng joined Hun Xiu, and Soul Jade suggested taking the flame before other experts arrived.
• Xiao Yan and numerous other experts reached the site, where Hun Xiu and his companions approached him; the West Dragon King concealed his aura and began planning to flee.
• Hun Xiu greeted Xiao Yan, remarked on his recovery and improved strength, and challenged him to spar again.