Chapter Summaries

Xiao Zhen visited Dragon Tiger City to learn that the Beast Overlord was gathering magical beasts, then collected medicinal herbs and traveled with Die toward the Tagore Desert to seek Heavenly Flames. The chapter ended with Xiao Zhen and Die entering a desert city while Die struggled to control her new human form, as Xiao Yan attended class back at the Xiao Clan.

• Xiao Zhen flew to Dragon Tiger City with Die and asked Tyrannosaurus God and Tiger King about the magical beast tide and the Beast Overlord.
• Tiger King explained that the magical beasts were gathering near the Jia Ma Empire border and that their forces might take five or six months to assemble, giving Xiao Zhen time to prepare.
• Xiao Zhen toured Dragon Tiger City, received the medicinal herbs, and decided to head to the Tagore Desert to seek Heavenly Flames.
• Xiao Zhen and Die spent the night in Dragon Tiger City, and he reminded Tyrannosaurus God and Tiger King to delay the beast tide as long as possible.
• Xiao Yan sat through a lesson at the Xiao Clan while Xiao Zhen and Die reached a desert city, where Die struggled to control the Art of a Thousand Transformations she had learned from him.

Xiao Zhen and Die searched the Tagore Desert for the Green Lotus Core Flame while Queen Medusa secretly followed them. When Xiao Zhen discovered her nearby, he stopped their search and set up camp, leaving their pursuit of the flame postponed.

• Xiao Zhen used a temperature radar to search near Shimo City for the Green Lotus Core Flame and gave Die ice to ease the desert heat.
• Queen Medusa secretly followed Xiao Zhen and Die, keeping her presence hidden because Die could be hunted if she appeared before the Snake-people Race.
• Xiao Zhen's radar detected an unusually hot area, and his Red Thread of Fate revealed that a masked Snake-people figure was trailing them.
• Xiao Zhen recognized Queen Medusa and worried she would claim the Green Lotus Core Flame, so he told Die they should camp and continue searching the next day.
• Queen Medusa watched Xiao Zhen and Die set up a tent and wondered why they had stopped in the desert.

Xiao Zhen used public affection with Die to drive Queen Medusa away from their camp, then followed the radar toward a Heavenly Flame beneath the desert. Die used the Snake-People Tribe’s Sand Escape Combat Skill to take them underground, where they stopped at a rock wall separating them from the space below.

• Xiao Zhen fed Die roasted meat and deliberately acted affectionate to provoke Queen Medusa, who watched from behind a rock.
• Xiao Zhen and Die became intimate beside the bonfire, and Queen Medusa left after witnessing them together.
• At dawn, Xiao Zhen and Die followed the radar toward the suspected Magma Sea beneath the desert.
• Die used the Snake-People Tribe’s Sand Escape Combat Skill to carry them down through the sand.
• Die stopped when they reached a thick rock wall, and Xiao Zhen prepared to break through it.

Xiao Zhen and Die found the Twin-headed Fire Spirit Snake guarding the way to the Green Lotus Core Flame beneath the Tagore Desert. After Die placed control marks on the snake, Xiao Zhen followed it through the Magma Sea and reached the Heavenly Flame.

• Xiao Zhen and Die entered a magma cavern and encountered the Twin-headed Fire Spirit Snake in the lake ahead.
• Xiao Zhen persuaded the snake to submit and learned that the Green Lotus Core Flame lay beneath the magma.
• Die marked both of the snake’s heads with techniques to control it and warned Xiao Zhen to be careful.
• Xiao Zhen plunged into the magma and followed the snake downward through the Magma Sea for nearly an hour.
• Xiao Zhen spotted the blue radiance of the Green Lotus Core Flame, while the snake stopped nearby in fear.

Xiao Zhen obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame but realized he needed more preparation before he could refine it. He and Die left the underground lava region, stored the Twin-headed Fire Spirit Snake in Mecha Beast World, and arrived in Shimo City for the night.

• Xiao Zhen burned his hand when he touched the Green Lotus Core Flame, then severed its lotus roots and stored both the lotus and flame in System Space.
• Xiao Zhen emerged from the lava lake and told Die he had found the Heavenly Flame, while Die suggested taking the Twin-headed Fire Spirit Snake back to the Xiao Clan as a guard.
• Xiao Zhen placed the Twin-headed Fire Spirit Snake in Mecha Beast World beside Energy City and left food for it.
• Xiao Zhen and Die returned to the surface and decided to rest in Shimo City before continuing toward home the next day.
• Xiao Zhen entered Shimo City with Die and warned the gatekeeper not to disturb them.

Xiao Zhen intervened when a physician tried to kick an old woman and her sick granddaughter, then discovered the girl was Qing Lin. He offered to examine her and followed the grandmother home with Die.

• Xiao Zhen and Die saw an old woman pleading with Physician Zhang to treat her sick granddaughter, while the crowd mocked the child for her Snake-people Race blood.
• Physician Zhang tried to kick the grandmother and girl, but Xiao Zhen struck him and defended them.
• Die’s Snake-people Race royal blood frightened the little girl, who told Xiao Zhen her name was Qing Lin.
• Xiao Zhen knocked a bald man away for insulting Qing Lin and offered to examine her as an alchemist.
• Xiao Zhen and Die followed the grandmother through narrow alleys to her dilapidated thatched house.

Xiao Zhen and Die helped the sick Qing Lin and learned how her mother had suffered after being captured by Snake-people before dying in childbirth. They offered to take Qing Lin and her grandmother to the Imperial Capital, and the grateful grandmother accepted.

• Xiao Zhen treated Qing Lin with mild Dou Qi and medicine he refined on the spot, easing her condition so she could sleep.
• The old woman told Xiao Zhen and Die that Qing Lin’s human mother had survived captivity among the Snake-people, returned home pregnant, and died giving birth to Qing Lin.
• The old woman said she expected Qing Lin to have a short life because she was mixed-blood and wanted only to care for her as long as she could.
• Die asked Xiao Zhen to bring Qing Lin and her grandmother to the Xiao Clan, and Xiao Zhen agreed.
• Die invited the old woman to come with them to the Imperial Capital, and the old woman accepted.

Xiao Zhen returned to the imperial capital with Die, Qing Lin, and her grandmother, then told Fa Ma that he had found the Green Lotus Core Flame. After Xiao Zhen asked the Alchemist Guild for help preparing to absorb it, Fa Ma gave him a barrel of Ice Spirit Cold Spring.

• Die welcomed Qing Lin to the imperial capital and took her to celebrate as her godmother.
• Xiao Zhen left Die in charge of Qing Lin and her grandmother, then returned home before visiting the Alchemist Guild.
• Xiao Zhen revealed to Fa Ma that he had found the nineteenth-ranked Green Lotus Core Flame in the Tagore Desert.
• Xiao Zhen asked Fa Ma for help finding items needed to absorb the Heavenly Flame.
• Fa Ma gave Xiao Zhen a barrel of Ice Spirit Cold Spring and asked him to study Alchemy Skill diligently.

Xiao Zhen learned that his family had agreed to his engagement to Princess Yao Ye without consulting him, while Die took Qing Lin and her grandmother out to enjoy the food street. The chapter ended as the young princess arrived to meet Die.

• Fa Ma congratulated Xiao Zhen on his engagement and explained that Jia Xingtian had arranged it with Xiao Zhen's father, signed the marriage contract, and delivered the dowry.
• Xiao Zhen worried about being engaged to the young Yao Ye and about how the marriage would affect Die and his other relationships.
• Die treated Qing Lin and her grandmother to food and reassured Qing Lin that they could afford to enjoy themselves.
• Princess Yao Ye traveled to the food street to meet Die, and a guard confirmed Die's location.
• Yao Ye stepped down from her royal carriage as Die watched her arrive.

Die met Princess Yao Ye, who revealed that the imperial family had promised her to Xiao Zhen, and the two women clashed over their future relationship with him. After Die returned to the Xiao Clan and confronted Xiao Zhen, he learned from Xiao Lin that the imperial family had specifically chosen him for the marriage alliance.

• Yao Ye approached Die and introduced herself as Xiao Zhen's future family, prompting Die to suspect that the princess was engaged to him.
• Yao Ye said her great-grandfather had promised her to Xiao Zhen, and the crowd reacted with envy and resentment.
• A Dou Ling guard pressured Die to bow, but Die's intimidating glare frightened him; Yao Ye apologized and arranged to visit Die the next day.
• Die took Qing Lin home and called herself the child's godmother, while Yao Ye privately recognized Die's strength and wondered about Xiao Zhen's secrets.
• Xiao Zhen confronted Xiao Lin about the arranged marriage, and Xiao Lin explained that the imperial family had rejected other possible matches and insisted on Xiao Zhen.
• Die returned to the Xiao Clan and dragged Xiao Zhen away, leaving Xiao Lin to let them handle the matter themselves.

Xiao Zhen confessed to Die that he was engaged to a young princess and had a child with Hanako, then tried to soothe Die after she reacted furiously. The next day, the red string led him to Queen Medusa hiding in a wooden building in the Imperial Capital, where she wrestled with her feelings for him.

• Die settled Qing Lin and her grandmother in her former courtyard, then pulled Xiao Zhen aside to confront him about his engagement to the Jia Jia Empire's princess.
• Xiao Zhen confessed to Die that he had married Hanako and had a child with her, and Die struck him and struggled against him.
• Xiao Zhen spent the night with Die, and the next morning he took red pills to recover from his exhaustion.
• Xiao Zhen wandered through the Xiao Clan and saw Xiao Yan studying diligently.
• The red string on Xiao Zhen's wrist led him to a wooden building, where he spotted Queen Medusa hiding and thinking about her feelings for him.

Xiao Zhen traded insults with Yun Yun while Queen Medusa secretly watched, then returned home and reunited with Die. He and Die brought Qing Lin to meet Xiao Lin and his wife, where Xiao Zhen began introducing her as their god-granddaughter.

• Xiao Zhen encountered Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran, and Yun Yun warned Nalan Yanran to stay away from him.
• Queen Medusa secretly followed Xiao Zhen as he returned to the Xiao Clan, while he considered how to retrieve the red string attached to her.
• Xiao Zhen fed Die breakfast, and Die asked to meet Hanako and Xiao Zhen's child; she then said they should help Qing Lin settle into the Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Zhen and Die brought Qing Lin to meet the Xiao Clan's elders, but Xiao Lin interrupted Xiao Zhen to demand that he refine pills.
• Die reminded Xiao Zhen why they had come before he could forget to introduce Qing Lin.

Xiao Zhen introduced his goddaughter Qing Lin to Xiao Lin and Guan Xue, who welcomed her into the Xiao Clan as Xiao Qing. After Xiao Zhen revealed he had a son, his parents examined portraits of the boy and learned they would meet him later; the chapter ended when Xiao Zhan announced that Emperor Jia Tiannan had arrived with the imperial family.

• Xiao Zhen brought Qing Lin to meet Xiao Lin and Guan Xue, and Guan Xue embraced the shy girl and offered to help care for her.
• Xiao Zhen told his parents he had a son and promised to bring the boy and his mother to meet them; Die silently indicated that he could decide what to reveal.
• Xiao Zhen showed the family photographs of himself, Ash, and Ash's mother, and Xiao Lin and Guan Xue commented on the boy's innocent appearance.
• Xiao Lin welcomed Qing Lin into the Xiao Clan and named her Xiao Qing, while Guan Xue gave her a necklace set with a fourth-tier water-element magic core.
• Xiao Zhan hurried into the hall and announced that Emperor Jia Tiannan had arrived with the imperial family.

Emperor Jia Tiannan visited the Xiao Clan to discuss the marriage arrangement between Princess Yao Ye and Xiao Zhen. Xiao Zhen agreed to follow his father’s decision, and Jia Tiannan asked to speak with him privately.

• Jia Tiannan arrived at the Xiao Clan with Empress, Princess Yao Ye, and young princess Jia Yao Yue, recalling his old friendship with Xiao Zhen.
• Yao Ye told Jia Tiannan that she accepted the marriage arrangement because gaining Xiao Zhen and the Xiao Clan’s support mattered to the royal family.
• Xiao Lin welcomed the royal family, and Jia Tiannan and Xiao Lin exchanged compliments before turning to the marriage arrangement.
• Jia Tiannan asked whether both sides still agreed to the match, and Xiao Lin declared that the Xiao Clan would honor it.
• Xiao Zhen said he would obey Xiao Lin’s arrangements, and Jia Tiannan requested a private conversation with him in the rear courtyard.

Xiao Zhen and Jia Tiannan put aside their awkwardness and reminisced about their old friendship, though they joked about Xiao Zhen marrying into the imperial family. Later, Xiao Zhen encountered Chiyu, a powerful Fire Spirit Bird, alone in the wilderness, and realized he was badly outmatched.

• Jia Tiannan and Xiao Zhen chatted about their past friendship, and Jia Tiannan teased him about marrying his daughter and possibly inheriting the throne.
• Xiao Zhen and Jia Tiannan returned to the hall, then the imperial family left the Xiao Clan for the palace.
• Die teased Xiao Zhen about his conversation with Jia Tiannan and asked whether he planned to marry the princess; Xiao Zhen said he would take things one step at a time.
• Xiao Zhen guided the clan’s alchemists before leaving the capital at night to watch the stars in a forest clearing.
• Chiyu appeared nearby, and Xiao Zhen recognized her as the powerful Beast Overlord after seeing her attributes.
• Chiyu told Xiao Zhen to stop staring, then recalled how she had burned men who approached her with improper intentions.

Xiao Zhen guided Chiyu, the Beast Overlord planning a beast tide, into the Jia Ma Empire's Imperial Capital while each concealed their intentions. After treating her to an enormous meal, Xiao Zhen offered to take her to an inn owned by his family.

• Xiao Zhen received a quest to stop Chiyu's planned beast tide and defeat her, then offered to guide her to the Imperial Capital.
• Chiyu revealed that she intended to check whether Yun Potian was truly dead, while Xiao Zhen secretly considered trapping her in Mecha Beast World.
• Xiao Zhen and Chiyu walked to the Imperial Capital, with Chiyu probing him about the Jia Ma Empire and Xiao Zhen deflecting sensitive questions.
• Xiao Zhen brought Chiyu through the city gates and treated her to food and drinks worth more than two hundred thousand gold coins.
• When Chiyu had nowhere to stay, Xiao Zhen offered to take her to an inn owned by his family instead of inviting her to the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Zhen left Chiyu at the inn, then told Die that the Beast Overlord had arrived in the Imperial Capital and assured her he had a plan. He went to Energy City to discuss Tornado’s worries about becoming city lord, but refused to intervene.

• Xiao Zhen asked the inn’s shopkeeper to keep others from disturbing Chiyu, while Chiyu listened in with her Soul Power and remained wary of him.
• Xiao Zhen returned to the Xiao Clan and told Die that he had encountered the Beast Overlord, prompting Die to worry that he had brought her to the Imperial Capital.
• Xiao Zhen assured Die he had a plan, then vanished to prepare something in Mecha Beast World.
• Xiao Zhen entered Energy City and met Tornado, who explained that his master planned to retire and that he might become city lord.
• Tornado asked Xiao Zhen to persuade his master that he was unsuitable for the post, but Xiao Zhen refused to get involved.

Xiao Zhen arrived in Energy City as Tornado and Supersonic competed to become its next city lord. Their evenly matched battle ended with both fighters staggering back, while Xiao Zhen warned the Lightning City Lord that a dangerous enemy would require help from the other cities.

• A messenger summoned Tornado to the city lord contest, and Xiao Zhen followed him to the plaza.
• The Lightning City Lord announced that Energy City's next city lord would be chosen, while Supersonic waited impatiently for Tornado.
• Tornado arrived with Xiao Zhen, whose appearance drew cheers from the crowd; Xiao Zhen asked the Lightning City Lord for help against a troublesome enemy.
• Tornado and Supersonic began their contest, and the Lightning City Lord said he preferred Supersonic because of his guilt toward Blizzard.
• Tornado and Supersonic traded blows and unleashed Lightning Cyclone Slash and Sky-Rending Ice Chop, ending the clash battered and evenly matched.

Tornado and Supersonic both tried to avoid becoming Energy City's city lord by pretending to lose, but the Lightning City Lord declared Tornado the winner anyway. Tornado took office and appointed Supersonic his deputy, threatening to detain him if he refused.

• Tornado conceded the match, but Supersonic pretended to be weak and claimed he had lost instead.
• Tornado and Supersonic argued over who should take the city lord position while Xiao Zhen and the Lightning City Lord recognized that they were holding back.
• The Lightning City Lord declared Tornado the winner and handed him the city lord's token.
• The Lightning City Lord retired to Holy Rider Forest, leaving Tornado to worry about governing without his master and other experienced warriors.
• Tornado stopped Supersonic from leaving and appointed him deputy city lord, threatening to detain him if he refused.

Xiao Zhen prepared to face Chiyu with help from Tornado and Supersonic, then began absorbing the Green Lotus Core Flame to raise his strength. He endured the flame’s destructive power and reached Nine-Star Dou Wang, where he started compressing his Dou Qi to preserve its quality.

• Xiao Zhen warned Tornado and Supersonic that a powerful woman had defeated Tiger King and Tyrannosaurus God, and outlined a bomb-filled ambush in case his Plan A failed.
• Xiao Zhen and the robots selected a vast plain as the ambush site, and Xiao Zhen marked it for teleportation.
• Xiao Zhen prepared Ice Spirit Cold Spring and medicinal pills before swallowing the Green Lotus Core Flame and jumping into the barrel.
• Xiao Zhen endured the Heavenly Flame as it burned inside him and gradually began absorbing it, raising his cultivation to Nine-Star Dou Wang.
• Xiao Zhen began compressing his Dou Qi to keep his cultivation from advancing too quickly and weakening its quality.