Recaps

Luo Chen helped Jing Lan harvest her Sun-facing Rice and discovered that it contained energy and pure yang power that might aid his recovery. After the harvest, he asked Jing Lan to take him to town, and she agreed.

• Jing Lan explained that the Heavenly Wind brought strange objects into the Great Cataclysm Realm, and Luo Chen learned that the Sun-facing Rice contained energy and pure yang power.
• Luo Chen took over cutting the rice and harvested Jing Lan's field with remarkable speed.
• Luo Chen carried the grain home, where Jing Lan spread it out to dry.
• Luo Chen asked Jing Lan to take him to town after the autumn harvest, and she agreed.

Luo Chen helped Jing Lan finish the harvest and repair her roof before recovering enough of his strength to protect himself. After traveling with Jing Lan to Qingshan Town, he explored Myriad Phenomena Pavilion and found an Azure Lantern that unexpectedly lit in his hand.

• Luo Chen learned from Third Master Pu that Jing Lan had grown up an orphan and heard that the Mist of Annihilation brought strange beasts.
• Jing Lan prepared a lavish meal for Luo Chen and said she would take him to Qingshan Town to seek work at the Smoke Workshop.
• Luo Chen opened his Divine Court, allowing his blood and qi to circulate freely and restoring part of his ability to defend himself.
• Jing Lan and Luo Chen traveled to Qingshan Town, where she explained the Qingshan Tobacco House's Midi Reed fields and its use in making Moxian Smoke.
• Luo Chen explored the town and entered Myriad Phenomena Pavilion, where he picked up an Azure Lantern that glowed with a faint Flame Light.

Luo Chen recognized the Damaged Azure Lantern as a vanished experimental tool and wondered whether its arrival in the Great Cataclysm Realm explained his own presence there. After he protected Jing Lan from Lai Er and the Smoke Workshop investigated him, Steward Yan visited their home, where Luo Chen greeted him as if he had expected him.

• Luo Chen recognized the Azure Lantern at the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion and questioned the shopkeeper about its origins, but left without buying it.
• Luo Chen stopped Lai Er from harassing Jing Lan at the Smoke Workshop, injured him with hidden force, and left town with Jing Lan.
• An elderly man at the Smoke Workshop ordered someone to investigate Luo Chen, while Luo Chen and Jing Lan continued their daily farmwork.
• Steward Yan visited Jing Lan and said Lai Er had died suddenly; Luo Chen returned from fetching water and told Jing Lan to stay home.
• Luo Chen told Steward Yan that he had arrived later than expected.

Steward Yan explained how the Great Cataclysm Realm crippled cultivators and invited Luo Chen to serve the Young City Lord of Remnant Immortal City. After Luo Chen effortlessly defeated Yan, Yan offered him gifts and a booklet called the Great Art of Power Assimilation.

• Steward Yan revealed that he served the Young City Lord of Remnant Immortal City and explained that the Great Cataclysm Realm lacked spiritual qi and severely restricted cultivators.
• Luo Chen connected Yan's account of the Soul-Shaking Thunder Sound to the Ghost Rain and Heavenly Thunder he had experienced.
• Steward Yan asked to test Luo Chen's strength, and Luo Chen agreed.
• Luo Chen easily neutralized Yan's tiger-force punch and defeated him with his speed and strength.
• Steward Yan invited Luo Chen to become the Young City Lord's honored guest and gave him gifts and the Great Art of Power Assimilation.

Luo Chen studied the Great Art of Power Assimilation and decided to strengthen his body by returning to orthodox Body Tempering. After using Source Blood to wash his body, he formed Manifested Force and began rebuilding his strength.

• Luo Chen told Jing Lan she would leave with him when he departed, then asked her to sort Steward Yan's gifts and share the excess with the villagers.
• Luo Chen read the Great Art of Power Assimilation and concluded that, with little mana left, he would rely on his body and Source Blood instead.
• Luo Chen resolved to follow Wang Yuan's Divine Adamantine Battle Qi and use a more refined approach to Body Tempering.
• Luo Chen shattered a drop of Source Blood to wash his body in qi and blood, completing the Blood Spans the Long River step.
• Luo Chen compressed qi and blood into Manifested Force, and the Attribute Panel flickered.

Luo Chen used the supplies Steward Yan sent to support his cultivation and rapidly advanced through Qi and Blood Transformation while preparing to form Pill Force. As Ghost Rain began, he sensed something watching him from outside his home.

• Steward Yan sent Luo Chen food, oil, and the Damaged Azure Lantern, which Luo Chen let Jing Lan keep.
• Luo Chen mastered Manifested Force, Hidden Force, and Transformative Force in less than a month, then began studying Pill Force and Core Embrace.
• Jing Lan prepared warm clothes for their year-end journey and reminded Luo Chen to light a Dreamstone before the Ghost Rain.
• A thunderclap and cold rain marked the start of Ghost Rain, which Luo Chen recognized as a dangerous calamity.
• While Luo Chen cultivated through the storm, he sensed a furtive presence spying on him beyond the wooden door.

Luo Chen discovered that the entity outside during the Ghost Rain was a Ghost Nightmare, and realized such creatures might help break Qixia Yuanjun’s seal on his Main Soul. He returned indoors to continue cultivating, leaving his plan to pursue the possibility for later.

• Luo Chen used his Crimson-Eyed Golden Pupils and the Damaged Azure Lantern to observe the ghostly entity outside, then let it enter his body and destroyed it with his blood and qi.
• Luo Chen identified the entity as a Ghost Nightmare and recalled that Dreamstone smoke protected the villagers from these creatures during Ghost Rain.
• Luo Chen reasoned that the Great Cataclysm Realm might contain many Ghost Nightmares, including powerful ancient ones, because cultivators there lacked strong divine souls to eliminate them.
• Luo Chen realized Ghost Nightmares might be able to break Qixia Yuanjun’s Divine Soul Seal and free his Main Soul, restoring uses such as opening his Storage Ring.
• Luo Chen decided not to act immediately, returned inside, closed the doors and windows, and resumed cultivating.

Luo Chen traveled with Steward Yan’s caravan toward Remnant Immortal City and learned about Ghost Rain, Ghost Nightmares, and the city’s Dreamstone resources. The caravan was then confronted by a mounted group of Meteor Bandits disguised by their charging white horses as an avalanche.

• Luo Chen and Jing Lan joined Yan Song’s caravan and traveled toward Remnant Immortal City.
• Yan Song described his injury, his ties to the Young City Lord, and the city’s businesses and succession.
• Luo Chen asked Yan Song about Ghost Rain and learned that Dreamstone could block Ghost Nightmares.
• Luo Chen sensed trouble approaching, and Yan Song saw a herd of white horses charging across the snow with armed riders.
• Yan Song recognized the riders as Meteor Bandits.

The Meteor Bandits attacked the City Lord's Mansion's convoy, and their leader quickly overwhelmed Steward Yan. Luo Chen's blood-red attacks killed the bandits, and he subdued their leader, leaving the convoy free to continue onward.

• Steward Yan explained the Meteor Bandits' reputation to Luo Chen as they surrounded the convoy.
• The bandits' leader rejected Yan Song's appeal and ordered his men to attack.
• Steward Yan charged the leader but was defeated by his saber strike.
• After Yan Song asked for help, Luo Chen sent out blood-red rays that killed the bandits.
• The leader charged Luo Chen's carriage but was subdued, and Jing Lan relayed Luo Chen's order to continue onward.

Luo Chen learned that the Meteor Bandits’ attack on the City Lord’s Mansion caravans was tied to the rivalry between Xiao Feng and Xiao Yun. He remained at the Peak Blood River Realm while converting his Source Blood into countless Pill Force seeds, preparing for an extraordinary breakthrough.

• Steward Yan thanked Luo Chen for stopping the bandits and took the interrogated brute away.
• Luo Chen recalled that the brute had revealed the Meteor Bandits’ origins, their chief Tong Huaijin, and the coordinated attacks on five caravans.
• Luo Chen connected the raid to Xiao Yun’s effort to undermine his brother Xiao Feng and gain the city lord’s position.
• Luo Chen told Jing Lan not to worry, then resumed converting Source Blood into qi and blood, force, and Pill Force seeds.
• Luo Chen continued storing countless Pill Force seeds in his body, aiming to forge a Heaven and Earth Furnace when he broke through.

Luo Chen continued cultivating during the caravan’s journey and rejected Jing Lan’s request to cultivate because her Moonstone Physique and age made Body Tempering unsuitable. The caravan reached Remnant Immortal City, where General Chu arrived to escort Luo Chen to a banquet prepared by the Young City Lord.

• Luo Chen perfected his Body Refinement breakthrough by forming a Heaven and Earth Furnace with his abundant qi and blood.
• Jing Lan asked Luo Chen to teach her cultivation, but he refused because her Moonstone Physique had hardened meridians and blocked acupoints.
• Luo Chen reflected that Jing Lan’s Moonstone Physique would have been excellent for Qi Refining in a world with spiritual qi.
• The caravan arrived at the immense Remnant Immortal City, and Jing Lan was stunned by its size and grandeur.
• General Chu came from the city, confirmed Luo Chen’s identity, and invited him to the Young City Lord’s banquet.

Luo Chen attended Xiao Feng’s banquet celebrating the return of three merchant caravans and was recognized as an outside immortal cultivator who had helped protect one. The banquet ended in tense silence after Xiao Feng asked the guests to support him in a coming contest over who would rule Remnant Immortal City.

• Luo Chen observed the banquet and learned that Granny Yu and Chi Huo had returned their caravans, while Xiao Zirui had suffered a setback against the Meteor Bandits.
• Xiao Feng arrived with Steward Yan and thanked the guests for helping the caravans return safely.
• Xiao Feng revealed that Luo Chen had slain dozens of Meteor Bandits, prompting the guests to realize he was an outside immortal cultivator.
• Xiao Zirui remained dismissive of Luo Chen, believing immortal cultivators were no stronger than mortals in the Great Cataclysm Realm.
• Xiao Feng warned that Wuyou City's envoy would arrive in spring and asked the guests to support him if Martial Combat to Determine Master took place.

Luo Chen learned that Xiao Feng was preparing to contest control of Remnant Immortal City through martial combat, while Uncle Tie warned that Luo Chen’s hidden strength made him dangerous to provoke. Xiao Feng sought to recruit him as a retainer, and Luo Chen demanded access to the City Lord’s Mansion’s books.

• Luo Chen listened as Xiao Feng and the others discussed the vacant city lord position and the coming Martial Combat to Determine Master.
• Xiao Zirui criticized Luo Chen after he left, but Granny Yu cautioned that his former cultivation might have been far greater than it appeared.
• Uncle Tie told Xiao Feng that Luo Chen seemed to possess threat comparable to an Unleaking Realm expert and advised against provoking him.
• Xiao Feng decided to have Xiao Sanniang recruit Luo Chen as a retainer while they assessed his strength.
• Luo Chen asked to borrow and read the City Lord’s Mansion’s books at any time, and Xiao Sanniang left the decision to Xiao Feng.

Luo Chen settled into his new residence as Xiao Feng appointed him a guest elder and granted him free access to the City Lord's Library Pavilion. He borrowed a large collection of ordinary books to learn about the world, while Xiao Zirui grew resentful over the favor he received.

• Luo Chen kept ten servants, assigned Jing Lan to learn residence management from Uncle Zhong, and went to rest.
• Steward Yan reported Luo Chen's feats to Xiao Feng, who rewarded Yan with a city post and agreed to Luo Chen's conditions.
• Xiao Feng personally escorted Luo Chen to the Library Pavilion, where Luo Chen offered to help if Xiao Feng faced trouble.
• Luo Chen spent the morning on the first floor, borrowing a large stack of books about the region, its customs, and the Martial Dao.
• Luo Chen sensed that Uncle Tie was watching him, while Xiao Zirui angrily complained that Luo Chen could borrow books freely despite being a newcomer.

Luo Chen studied the dangers of the Great Cataclysm Realm and discovered that a powerful immortal cultivator named Xiao Lan had once been stranded there. He was then visited by Xiao Feng, who sought his help with the upcoming Martial Combat to Determine Master.

• Luo Chen considered the risks of refining more Pill Seeds and bathed to recover from injuries sustained while drifting through the realm.
• Luo Chen read about the Three Great Calamities, the Mist of Annihilation, and the short lifespans of Body Refining Cultivators.
• Luo Chen discovered in the Remnant Immortal Essays that Xiao Lan had reached the Void Refinement Stage, failed to escape the Great Cataclysm Realm, and founded Remnant Immortal City.
• Luo Chen copied Xiao Lan's cultivation insights and wondered whether other stranded immortal cultivators might possess useful methods.
• Xiao Feng arrived to ask Luo Chen for help with the Martial Combat to Determine Master.

Luo Chen discussed Xiao Zirui’s disappearance and the coming contest for Remnant Immortal City’s lordship with Xiao Feng, agreeing to join the roster only if needed. After two more months of cultivation, Luo Chen had condensed seventy-two Pill Seeds, and the thunder in the morning sky signaled that Wuyou City’s special envoy was likely arriving.

• Xiao Feng told Luo Chen that Xiao Zirui had vanished and was no longer supporting him in the struggle for the city lord’s seat.
• Luo Chen suggested Xiao Feng secretly have Uncle Tie kill Xiao Yun, but Xiao Feng refused because Xiao Yun was his younger brother.
• Luo Chen agreed to join Xiao Feng’s roster and asked to fight last, while Xiao Feng promised to double his monthly provisions and supply Moxian Smoke.
• Luo Chen stopped cultivating when Soul-Shaking Thunder Sound rolled across the city and noted that he had condensed seventy-two Pill Seeds over two months.
• Luo Chen watched lightning cross the morning sky and predicted that Wuyou City’s special envoy would soon arrive.

Luo Chen learned that the Wuyou Special Envoy had arrived to assess Remnant Immortal City’s experts and considered what drew powerful martial artists to Wuyou City. The envoy judged the city’s Furnace Realm experts as mediocre, ordered his men to inventory the goods, and planned to leave after the martial contest.

• Jing Lan told Luo Chen about the grand banquet for the Wuyou Special Envoy and how the city’s influential figures deferred to him.
• Luo Chen reflected on Wuyou City’s authority over the Seventy-Two Cities and suspected the envoy was assessing experts for a future invitation.
• Jing Lan asked whether Luo Chen would go to Wuyou City, and he said he probably would, but not anytime soon.
• Luo Chen decided to attend Xiao Feng’s private banquet the next day, despite finding it troublesome.
• The Wuyou Special Envoy reviewed a list of Remnant Immortal City’s experts, dismissed them as mediocre, and judged Tie Xiong’s Unleaking Realm breakthrough unstable.
• The Wuyou Special Envoy told his aide to inventory the goods and prepare to return to Wuyou City after the martial contest.

Remnant Immortal City gathered for the Martial Combat to Determine Master, where contenders would decide who became the next city lord. Luo Chen examined the arena’s remarkable construction as others questioned whether he could face Furnace Realm opponents, and Xiao Feng arrived to place his hopes in the fighters.

• Crowds and prominent local merchants gathered for the Martial Combat to Determine Master in Remnant Immortal City.
• Boss Xue told Boss Shen that the Luo Residence had suggested their hired offering would personally fight, and the two joined Boss Yang of Half Moon Tower to watch.
• Luo Chen studied the arena’s materials and formations, admiring the depth of Wuyou City’s artifact-forging and formation inheritance.
• Granny Yu, Chi Huo, Xiao Sanniang, and others secretly assessed Luo Chen and wondered whether his Blood River Realm strength could withstand the Furnace Realm fighters backing Xiao Yun.
• Xiao Feng arrived with Tie Xiong guarding him, bowed to the assembled fighters, and said he placed his hopes upon them.

Xiao Feng and Xiao Yun’s combatants faced off in the contest to decide Remnant Immortal City’s next lord, while Luo Chen watched from the sidelines. Granny Yu lost the opening match to Wood Wolf Divine Lord, and the second battle between Chi Huo and Silver Hand Yama began.

• The Wuyou Special Envoy approved both lineups, and the arena announced the five fixed matchups, including Luo Chen against Iron Futu in the final battle.
• Xiao Feng realized Xiao Yun had recruited Wood Wolf Divine Lord and suspected the Nine Cities Alliance had intervened in the succession contest.
• General Chu explained that Xiao Yun had arranged the match order to target Xiao Feng’s weaker combatants, while Tie Xiong offered Luo Chen intelligence about Iron Futu.
• Granny Yu fought Wood Wolf Divine Lord, but he endured her Aura Silk technique with his wood-like skin and defeated her with a counterattack.
• Xiao Feng accused Xiao Yun of using Tong Huaijin to learn how to counter Granny Yu’s technique, and Xiao Yun implied he had also obtained Chi Huo’s information.
• Chi Huo and Silver Hand Yama stepped onto the arena as the second battle began.

During Chi Huo and Silver Hand Yama’s battle, Luo Chen realized their precise reactions came from Qi Sensing and quickly mastered Active Qi Sensing himself. He surveyed the arena and discovered the hidden strength of several spectators before Tie Xiong volunteered to fight after two consecutive defeats.

• Chi Huo and Silver Hand Yama fought an explosive, evenly matched battle while Luo Chen wondered how martial artists reacted so precisely without Divine Sense.
• Luo Chen recalled Wang Yuan and Qing Shuang using Qi Sensing and reasoned that it could compensate for his inability to use Divine Thought.
• Luo Chen calmed his qi and blood, mastered Active Qi Sensing, and sensed the people around him, including Tie Xiong’s concealed qi signature.
• Luo Chen surveyed the arena and sensed that the Wuyou Special Envoy surpassed Iron Futu, Xiao Feng had reached the Furnace Realm, and Xiao Zirui was watching.
• Chi Huo lost, and Tie Xiong rose and volunteered to fight after the two consecutive defeats.

Xiao Sanniang defeated Hua Guzi with a dangerous incomplete Forbidden Technique, leaving Hua Guzi crippled and the City Lord succession contest unresolved. In the final match, Luo Chen effortlessly disarmed and defeated Iron Futu, stunning the silent arena.

• Helian Shanque conceded after probing Tie Xiong’s strength, ending the third battle with Tie Xiong’s victory.
• Xiao Sanniang fought Hua Guzi and turned the fight around with Heaven and Earth Inverse Wheel, Furnace Inversion, shattering Hua Guzi’s Qi and Blood Furnace.
• Xiao Yun confronted Xiao Feng over allowing Xiao Sanniang to cultivate an incomplete Forbidden Technique, but Xiao Feng insisted the final battle remained.
• Iron Futu attacked Luo Chen with the Heavy Li Long Saber, but Luo Chen stopped him with a finger flick and disarmed him by dismantling the Futu Battle Armor.
• Luo Chen struck Iron Futu with one palm, making him collapse, then calmly left the arena as the crowd fell silent.

Renji Hall opened a branch under Jing Lan’s management as Luo Chen’s influence continued to grow in Remnant Immortal City. Fang Zhibai gave Luo Chen a Wuyou Token and invited him to seek an opportunity in Wuyou City, while warning him not to touch Moxian Smoke.

• Jing Lan and Boss Xue opened Renji Hall’s new branch, which drew crowds and envy from rival businesses benefiting from Luo Chen’s reputation.
• Jing Lan resolved to manage the shop well and handle matters so Luo Chen could focus on cultivation.
• Xiao Feng waited to receive the Wuyou convoy, but Tie Xiong reported that Fang Zhibai had gone to visit Luo Chen instead.
• Fang Zhibai gave Luo Chen a Wuyou Token and said he could travel to Wuyou City in ninety years to contend for a once-in-a-century opportunity.
• Fang Zhibai warned Luo Chen not to touch Moxian Smoke, then left as Xiao Feng watched from afar and grew displeased at Luo Chen’s independent manner.

Jing Lan discovered that Xiao Feng had sent Luo Chen a chest of top-grade Moxian Smoke, which Luo Chen recognized as a poison that corroded immortal cultivators’ souls and chose to keep for his own purposes. After half a year in seclusion, Luo Chen’s residence stirred with a powerful presence as Xiao Feng and Tie Xiong watched.

• Jing Lan inspected Xiao Feng’s three chests of gifts and warned Luo Chen that Moxian Smoke was dangerous and addictive.
• Luo Chen tested the smoke, realized it targeted the soul and Divine Sense, and ordered Jing Lan to store it while requesting a chest each year.
• Luo Chen told Jing Lan to buy fine smoking pipes to make it appear that he was using the Moxian Smoke, then entered seclusion.
• Over the next half year, Xiao Feng consolidated his control of Remnant Immortal City while keeping watch on Luo Chen, whom he hoped the smoke would weaken.
• Xiao Feng worried that Luo Chen’s Wuyou Token and standing threatened his position, while Tie Xiong admitted his Golden Body flaws remained unrepaired.
• Tie Xiong sensed the Luo Residence awaken with a powerful presence, as though an ancient beast had opened its eyes.

Luo Chen formed 108 Pill Seeds and broke through to the Furnace Realm, discovering that the Great Cataclysm Realm lacked the spiritual qi needed for cultivation. After inspecting his reopened panel and assessing his sealed abilities, he decided to visit the City Lord's Mansion to learn whether the realm held resources for advancing his Martial Dao.

• Luo Chen condensed his final Pill Seed and used all 108 seeds to form a Qi and Blood Furnace, reaching the Furnace Realm.
• Luo Chen sensed the Primal Chaos Cauldron responding through his sealed Purple Mansion and wondered whether the Qi and Blood Furnace could help it advance.
• Luo Chen reopened his panel, saw his lifespan had fallen to 2,000 years maximum, and recalled how Qixia Yuanjun's actions had cost him 3,000 years.
• Luo Chen found that his Qi Refining abilities remained unusable while his Martial Dao techniques and Divine Adamantine Battle Qi remained available.
• Luo Chen concluded that he would rely on orthodox Body Tempering and considered seeking Divine Winds and Earth Fiends, so he headed to the City Lord's Mansion to see Xiao Feng.

Luo Chen entered Xiao Manor and confronted City Lord Xiao Feng after being kept waiting all afternoon. When Xiao Feng arrived at Ten Thousand Carp Lake with a group of powerful allies, Luo Chen defeated Tie Xiong and struck down Xiao Zirui, leaving the others at his mercy.

• Luo Chen entered Xiao Manor and asked the guards to summon Xiao Feng, who chose to make him wait while finishing a meeting about Remnant Immortal City's trade route to Mofeng City.
• Xiao Feng secretly summoned Tie Xiong, Xiao Zirui, Iron Futu, Silver Hand Yama, Helian Shanque, and other allies to join him at the manor.
• Xiao Sanniang told Xiao Feng that Luo Chen had taken original martial manuals from the Library Pavilion before waiting at Ten Thousand Carp Lake.
• Luo Chen confronted Xiao Feng at Tide Watching Pavilion and said he had intended to recruit him, but Xiao Feng's show of force revealed his unwillingness to submit.
• Luo Chen used Immortal Returns to Penglai to pierce the defenses of five Furnace Realm experts, then shattered Tie Xiong's arm and sent him crashing into a palace hall with one punch.
• Luo Chen revealed that threads of Aura Silk were connected to the five experts and killed Xiao Zirui by snapping his thread.