Chapter Summaries

Hun Xiu and Gu Yuan fought a fierce spar in the Ancient Realm, where Hun Xiu matched Gu Yuan despite holding back. Gu Yuan prepared to get serious, and Hun Xiu said he would do the same, leaving Gu Yuan furious at his arrogance.

• Gu Yuan dismissed Gu Dao’s offer to help protect the Ancient Realm and attacked Hun Xiu, claiming one strike would be enough.
• Gu Dao and the Dou Saint elders formed an array to contain the battle’s destructive aftershocks.
• The elders watched Hun Xiu hold his own against Gu Yuan and praised his talent, while Gu Dao silently criticized their changing opinions.
• Gu Yuan realized he had used seventy percent of his strength without defeating Hun Xiu and admitted he had underestimated him.
• Gu Yuan announced he would get serious, and Hun Xiu replied that he had used only half his strength and would become more serious too.
• Gu Yuan called Hun Xiu arrogant and conceited.

Hun Xiu wounded Gu Yuan during their spar, prompting Gu Yuan to agree to cooperate with the Hun Clan regardless of the fight’s outcome. As Gu Yuan prepared to fight seriously, Gu Xun'er watched and realized the gap between her strength and Hun Xiu’s had grown even wider.

• Hun Xiu struck Gu Yuan with the Xuanyuan Sword, leaving a deep wound across Gu Yuan’s palm and forcing Gu Dao to reinforce the struggling formation.
• Gu Yuan praised Hun Xiu’s strength but refused to admit defeat, then agreed to cooperate completely with the Hun Clan regardless of who won the spar.
• Hun Xiu said he would also stop holding back as Gu Yuan became solemn and prepared to fight seriously.
• Gu Dao sent a message to the other two “immortals” of the Gu Clan because he feared the formation could not contain Gu Yuan once he got serious.
• Gu Xun'er watched Hun Xiu and Gu Yuan spar and lamented that, despite her diligent cultivation, she remained far from reaching the Dou Saint realm.

Hun Xiu defeated Gu Yuan in a duel, breaking his full-power strike and bringing the Xuanyuan Sword to his throat. Gu Yuan conceded and praised Hun Xiu, while the Gu Clan’s witnesses recognized the strength of their alliance with the Hun Clan.

• Gu Xun'er doubted her own talent after seeing Hun Xiu's strength and resolved to work harder so no one would take him from her.
• Gu Yuan unleashed a colossal palm strike, and Hun Xiu answered with the Xuanyuan Sword while the Ancient Clan elders reinforced the formation.
• Hun Xiu broke Gu Yuan's full-power strike and rushed in while Gu Yuan was momentarily stunned, placing his sword at Gu Yuan's neck.
• Gu Yuan conceded, and Hun Xiu withdrew his sword, acknowledging that Gu Yuan's lapse had given him the opening.
• Gu Yuan said Hun Xiu had already surpassed him and Soul Emperor, while the Gu Clan experts looked at Hun Xiu with reverence and fear.

Hun Xiu secured an alliance between the Soul and Ancient Clans, then spent time with Gu Xun'er at the Gu Clan. Shortly before the Gu Clan's Coming-of-Age Ceremony, he unexpectedly encountered Xiao Yan.

• Gu Yuan agreed to cooperate with the Soul Clan after Hun Xiu swore the clans would seek the Path to Becoming Emperor together and never turn against one another.
• Gu Xun'er entered the hall, reunited affectionately with Hun Xiu, and took him to tour the Gu Clan.
• Gu Yuan informed the elders above the Five-Star Dou Saint level of the alliance, and they supported it.
• At Gu Xun'er's residence, she embraced and kissed Hun Xiu, who stayed at the Gu Clan and spent his days with her.
• Days before the Gu Clan's Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Hun Xiu encountered Xiao Yan in the Gu Clan, surprising them both.

Xiao Yan toured the Gu Clan's Ancient Realm with Yang Hao and hoped to form an alliance against the Hun Clan and Hall of Souls. He unexpectedly encountered Hun Xiu and Gu Xun'er, and the sight of them together stirred his old feelings and anger while Hun Xiu was shocked by Xiao Yan's Two-Star Dou Saint strength.

• Xiao Yan marveled at the Ancient Realm's vastness and dense Dou Qi as Yang Hao showed him around.
• Xiao Yan befriended Yang Hao, revealed that he came from the former Eight Ancient Clans' Xiao Clan, and discussed his desire to ally with the Gu Clan against the Hun Clan and Hall of Souls.
• Xiao Yan encountered Hun Xiu and Gu Xun'er around a corner and was shocked to see them holding hands intimately.
• Xiao Yan recognized Gu Xun'er as his childhood goddess and felt his buried memories, joy, and anger return.
• Hun Xiu was surprised that Xiao Yan had come to the Gu Clan and discovered that Xiao Yan had reached Two-Star Dou Saint, prompting him to anticipate Xiao Yan catching up to him.

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.