Chapter Summaries

After buying the Golden Core Pill, Jin Yiheng and Jin Lieshan visited Li Chengjie again, offering him a guest Elder position and warning that Medicine King Valley and the Liu Family were closing in. Li Chengjie refused the Jin Family’s protection as well as its recruitment, leaving him to face the threat alone.

• Jin Yiheng stored the Golden Core Pill and sent Jin Haoxuan and the other Jin Family disciples back to the residence.
• Jin Yiheng and Jin Lieshan hurried to Listening Bamboo Lodge and offered Li Chengjie a guest Elder position with generous provisions and freedom to cultivate.
• Li Chengjie rejected the invitation, and Jin Yiheng revealed that Yang Zhaohui of Medicine King Valley and forces suspected to belong to the Liu Family were watching the area around Qixia Mountain.
• Jin Yiheng offered to use the Jin Family’s influence to protect Li Chengjie if he joined them, but Li Chengjie refused again.
• Jin Yiheng said the Jin Family would not intervene without a reason to protect Li Chengjie, then left with Jin Lieshan.

Li Chengjie fled Cangwu City after realizing the Jin Family would not protect him, but Liu Ruihe and Medicine King Valley Elder Yang Zhaohui tracked him using the Soul Erosion Mark. Yang intercepted Li in the mountains and demanded that he return to Medicine King Valley, leaving them poised to fight.

• Li Chengjie packed his belongings, concealed his late Golden Core aura, and left Cangwu City disguised as the Foundation Establishment cultivator Li Mo.
• Liu Ruihe detected the Soul Erosion Mark and alerted Yang Zhaohui that Li was fleeing northwest.
• Yang Zhaohui chose to pursue Li alone while Liu Ruihe stayed behind to await reinforcements and watch for interference.
• Li Chengjie changed course toward the primeval mountain forest, sensed Yang following him, and stopped to confront him.
• Yang accused Li of carrying the Liu Family's mark and possessing the Golden Flame Sword, then demanded that he return to Medicine King Valley; Li asked what would happen if he refused.

Li Chengjie revealed his late Golden Core cultivation and challenged Yang Zhaohui, who used three powerful magic treasures to suppress his sword attack. After Yang Zhaohui claimed no one dared kill a Medicine King Valley Golden Core cultivator, Li Chengjie faced him with the duel still unresolved.

• Yang Zhaohui summoned three high-grade magic treasures and prepared to suppress Li Chengjie.
• Li Chengjie revealed his late Golden Core cultivation and brought out the fully reforged Golden Flame Sword.
• Yang Zhaohui used the Heaven Measuring Azure Jade Ruler to confine Li Chengjie and weaken his fire-element power.
• Li Chengjie sent nine Flame Sword Lights against Yang Zhaohui and the azure confinement marks.
• Yang Zhaohui blocked the attack with the Azure Origin Heart Protection Shield and Earth Suppressing Mountain Pearl, though Li Chengjie destroyed several confinement marks.
• Yang Zhaohui declared that no one dared kill a Medicine King Valley Golden Core cultivator, telling Li Chengjie he would not dare either.

Li Chengjie launched a close-range attack on Yang Zhaohui, whose treasures and defenses blocked the strike. Yang Zhaohui prepared a stronger technique, while Li Chengjie readied another sword strike to prove he dared to kill.

• Li Chengjie charged Yang Zhaohui with the Golden Flame Sword, combining fire escape with sword combat.
• Yang Zhaohui intensified his gravity field and used the Heaven Measuring Azure Jade Ruler to intercept Li Chengjie.
• Li Chengjie’s White-hot Heart Burning Stab damaged the ruler and broke through its interception, but Yang Zhaohui’s vine wall and wood-spirit barriers stopped the attack.
• Yang Zhaohui concluded that Li Chengjie had not used a killing strike and began forming seals for a stronger method.
• Li Chengjie tightened his grip on the Golden Flame Sword and prepared to show Yang Zhaohui whether he dared to strike to kill.

Li Chengjie used the Blazing Sacred Fire Art to break Yang Zhaohui’s Myriad Forest Cage and press his attack against the Medicine King Valley elder. The chapter ended as Li Chengjie’s hidden Heart Flame Instant Kill appeared inches from Yang Zhaohui’s forehead.

• Yang Zhaohui trapped Li Chengjie inside the Myriad Forest Cage, confident its wood qi would overwhelm him.
• Li Chengjie used his spiritual sense to find the cage’s weak node and formed the Blazing Sun True Gang Sword with the Blazing Sacred Fire Art.
• Li Chengjie struck the weak node, collapsing the cage and wounding Yang Zhaohui through their Heart and Mind Connection.
• Yang Zhaohui combined his Azure Origin Shield and Earth Suppressing Mountain Pearl to block the sword and retreated.
• Li Chengjie sent a pale Heart Flame past Yang Zhaohui’s defenses, leaving it inches from his glabella as Yang Zhaohui cried out.

Li Chengjie killed Yang Zhaohui and fled before five Golden Core cultivators arrived at the battlefield. The elders discovered Yang Zhaohui’s death and questioned the Jin Family, while Liu Ruihe saw an opportunity in the coming conflict between Medicine King Valley and Li Chengjie.

• Li Chengjie confirmed Yang Zhaohui was dead, collected his belongings, and sensed several Golden Core cultivators approaching from Cangwu City.
• Li Chengjie fled northwest, leaving five elders from the Jin Family, Profound Water Sect, Divine Wind Valley, Wang Family, and Li Family to inspect the battlefield.
• The elders recognized Yang Zhaohui’s corpse and were shocked that a single attack had destroyed his divine soul.
• Su Yuehan challenged Jin Fengrui to explain Yang Zhaohui’s death, while Feng Wuxing pointed out the Jin Family’s interest in recruiting Li Mo.
• Jin Fengrui admitted the Jin Family had tried to recruit the suspected alchemist but denied knowing whether he had killed Yang Zhaohui.
• Liu Ruihe welcomed Yang Zhaohui’s death, believing Medicine King Valley would now hunt Li Chengjie alongside the Liu Family and might help the Liu Family reclaim the Golden Flame Sword.

Li Chengjie converted the Spirit Stones taken from Yang Zhaohui into Replication Points, while Medicine King Valley discovered Yang’s death and launched a hunt for his killer. As the Valley Master offered a Golden Core Pill reward and sought an alliance with the Liu Family, the Jin Family welcomed the brewing conflict and planned to exploit it.

• Li Chengjie sorted Yang Zhaohui’s possessions and exchanged the Spirit Stones for 1150 Replication Points, bringing his total to 1290.
• A disciple discovered Yang Zhaohui’s extinguished Soul Lamp and alerted Medicine King Valley.
• Ling Lanyan ordered an investigation into Yang’s death, offered a Golden Core Pill for information leading to the killer, and proposed joining forces with the Liu Family.
• Jin Lieshan and Jin Yiheng celebrated the bounty and planned to watch the conflict between Medicine King Valley, the Liu Family, and the killer while secretly fanning the flames.

Li Chengjie absorbed more of Wang Chengzhi’s cultivation insights and broke through to the peak Golden Core stage. He remained under threat from the Soul Erosion Mark and his pursuers, but his improved strength gave him a better chance to survive.

• Li Chengjie continued digesting Wang Chengzhi’s insights into the Blazing Sacred Fire Art and the peak Golden Core stage.
• Li Chengjie harmonized his Golden Core and fire energy, then broke through to the peak Golden Core stage.
• Li Chengjie checked the System Panel and saw his cultivation arts, alchemy, formations, and other skills had advanced.
• Li Chengjie found that his stronger Spiritual Energy and divine sense could suppress the Soul Erosion Mark more effectively, but could not remove it.

Gao Chen reflected on how he had consolidated control of the Monster Hunting Guild after Li Chengjie’s departure, then met Liu Xuancheng, who was tracking a powerful cultivator whose description matched Li Chengjie. The chapter ended with Gao Chen realizing Liu Xuancheng’s trail pointed toward the guild’s former Grand Elder.

• Gao Chen recalled how Zhu Zhengping’s failed expedition and Zhao Chenghao’s lack of influence had let him reclaim control of the guild.
• Gao Chen concluded that Li Chengjie’s absence had benefited him, leaving the guild stronger and its affairs firmly in his hands.
• Gao Chen welcomed Liu Xuancheng, a mid Golden Core cultivator who had returned to Azure Wave Market seeking someone.
• Liu Xuancheng described a concealed, powerful cultivator skilled in fire techniques, swordsmanship, and alchemy, and showed Gao Chen a Tracking Disk that traced the person toward Cangwu City.
• Gao Chen realized the description and timing pointed to Li Chengjie, who had left Azure Wave Market about a year earlier.

Li Chengjie returned to Azure Wave Market and killed Liu Xuancheng, a mid Golden Core cultivator of the Liu Family, after recognizing him as a member of the family hunting him. Liu Xuancheng exposed Li Chengjie as the killer of the Liu Family’s Golden Core cultivators before he died, leaving the Monster Hunting Guild’s leaders horrified.

• Liu Xuancheng’s Tracking Disk detected Li Chengjie approaching Azure Wave Market, and Liu Xuancheng tried to leave before he arrived.
• Li Chengjie landed at the Monster Hunting Guild, where Zhu Zhengping, Zhao Chenghao, and Gao Chen welcomed him.
• Li Chengjie noticed Liu Xuancheng’s Tracking Disk and declared that he would kill him for being a Liu Family member.
• Liu Xuancheng activated his defenses, but Li Chengjie’s pale line of fire pierced them and struck his brow.
• As he died, Liu Xuancheng used a Talisman to announce throughout Azure Wave Market that Li Chengjie had slain the Liu Family’s Golden Core cultivators.

After killing Liu Xuancheng, Li Chengjie calmed Azure Wave Market and asked the Monster Hunting Guild’s leaders how they would respond to the Liu Family. Alone in his cave, he weighed which of Gao Chen, Zhu Zhengping, and Zhao Chenghao should receive his last Golden Core Pill.

• Li Chengjie took Liu Xuancheng’s Storage Bag and Tracking Disk, destroyed the disk, and told Gao Chen and the others that the Liu Family would not reach Azure Wave Market for several days.
• Li Chengjie suppressed the Marketplace’s uproar with his Golden Core Pressure and questioned Gao Chen, Zhu Zhengping, and Zhao Chenghao about their options.
• Gao Chen, Zhu Zhengping, and Zhao Chenghao agreed to stay and defend Azure Wave Market after Li Chengjie ordered them to remain behind.
• Li Chengjie sealed his Cave Abode and considered whether to give his Golden Core Pill to Gao Chen, Zhu Zhengping, or Zhao Chenghao, weighing their chances of success, loyalty, and ambition.

After Liu Xuancheng’s death, panic spread through the Monster Hunting Guild as members feared retaliation from the Liu Family. Zhao Chenghao rejected four former Flowing Cloud Sect disciples’ requests to transfer from Azure Wave Market to the dangerous Monster Hunting Team, recognizing they wanted to flee the crisis, and left their appeal unresolved.

• Li Chengjie stored the Jade Box and cultivated while unrest grew within the guild after Liu Xuancheng’s dying threat.
• Chen Tianbao asked Zhao Chenghao to transfer him from Azure Wave Market to the Monster Hunting Team, claiming combat would help him break through his bottleneck.
• Zhao Chenghao challenged Chen Tianbao’s excuse and pointed out that the Marketplace was safer than the Misty Marsh.
• Three more former Flowing Cloud Sect disciples arrived and made matching requests to transfer, claiming they needed combat to overcome bottlenecks.
• Zhao Chenghao recognized that all four wanted to escape the Liu Family’s impending retaliation and refused, warning that their departures would disrupt the guild and unsettle its members.

As fear of the Liu Family spread through Azure Wave Market, guild leaders struggled to keep merchants, cultivators, and their own members from fleeing. Li Chengjie ordered the market’s formations shut down and allowed anyone who wished to leave to go, and more than a thousand people departed.

• Zhao Chenghao, Li Dongxu, and Liu Wenxuan refused Chen Tianbao and three other disciples’ requests to transfer to the Monster Hunting Team, suspecting they wanted to flee amid the guild’s crisis.
• Gao Chen and Zhu Zhengping reported that rumors of the Liu Family’s revenge had frightened merchants and rogue cultivators into closing shops and gathering to leave Azure Wave Market.
• Zhao Chenghao sought Li Chengjie’s instructions, and Li Chengjie ordered the marketplace’s formations shut down so people could leave freely.
• More than a thousand people left Azure Wave Market within half a day, and more than half the shops closed.

Most of the Monster Hunting Guild fled Azure Wave Market aboard the Treasure Pavilion’s Cloud Shuttle, while Zhu Zhengping escaped alone underground. The Marketplace became deserted, leaving only Li Chengjie and Gao Chen at the guild headquarters.

• Chen Tianbao, Zhao Chenghao, Li Dongxu, Liu Wenxuan, and other guild members bought Cloud Shuttle tickets and left Azure Wave Market.
• Aboard the shuttle, Li Dongxu, Liu Wenxuan, and the other disciples criticized Li Chengjie as an ineffective master, while Zhao Chenghao remained silent.
• Zhu Zhengping mocked the departing members to Gao Chen, then grew anxious about Li Chengjie’s plans and the threats from the Liu Family and Medicine King Valley.
• That night, Zhu Zhengping used a third-grade Earth Evasion Talisman to flee south underground, becoming the first guild member to escape alone.
• Two days later, Azure Wave Market stood empty, with only Li Chengjie and Gao Chen remaining at the Monster Hunting Guild headquarters.

Gao Chen chose to remain in the Monster Hunting Guild despite the approaching danger, and Li Chengjie gave him a Golden Core Pill as compensation for the Gao Family’s losses. Gao Chen left to enter seclusion and attempt a breakthrough while Li Chengjie promised to guard him.

• Gao Chen told Li Chengjie he would not abandon the Guild or the Azure Wave Market, citing his family’s three generations of service and his responsibility for recruiting Li Chengjie.
• Li Chengjie gave Gao Chen a Golden Core Pill, explaining it was compensation for the Gao Family’s losses.
• Gao Chen accepted the pill and vowed his life to Li Chengjie, insisting the Guild’s ruin was not Li Chengjie’s fault.
• Li Chengjie told Gao Chen to focus on breaking through and said he would stand guard while Gao Chen entered seclusion.
• Gao Chen handed Li Chengjie the Guild’s remaining Spirit Stones and left the hall carrying the pill.

Liu Fangdong arrived at Azure Wave Market and attacked Li Chengjie to avenge the Liu Family. Li Chengjie blocked his first strike, but Liu Fangdong then unleashed the Azure Nether Sword Art’s Nine Shadows Return to Truth.

• Li Chengjie sensed a peak Golden Core cultivator approaching Azure Wave Market and recognized the newcomer as Liu Fangdong, the Liu Family Ancestor.
• Liu Fangdong identified Li Chengjie through the Soul Erosion Mark and attacked him with his Azure Nether Sword.
• Li Chengjie met Liu Fangdong’s sword strike with the Golden Flame Sword and was driven back three steps by the clash.
• Liu Fangdong recognized Liu Xingchen’s sword and Yang Zhaohui’s shield in Li Chengjie’s hands and confirmed his suspicions about their deaths.
• Liu Fangdong used Nine Shadows Return to Truth to split the Azure Nether Sword into nine swords, then sent all nine toward Li Chengjie.

Li Chengjie adapted his fire techniques to counter Liu Fangdong’s precise swordsmanship, but Liu Fangdong remained determined to kill him. The chapter ended as their opposing techniques clashed, with the outcome undecided.

• Liu Fangdong’s nine shifting sword lights overwhelmed Li Chengjie’s defenses until Li Chengjie used a Flame Domain to disrupt their transformations.
• Liu Fangdong broke through the Flame Domain with Azure Nether—Domain Breaker, splitting Li Chengjie’s Heaven-Burning Slash and shattering the domain.
• Li Chengjie drew in his scattered flames and formed the Hellfire Net from tightly condensed platinum fire threads.
• Liu Fangdong unleashed Ten Thousand Sword Forest, but the Hellfire Net ensnared and began destroying the sword shadows from within.
• Liu Fangdong acknowledged Li Chengjie’s technique before declaring that it was not enough and attacking again.

After fleeing Azure Wave Market, Zhu Zhengping spread rumors blaming Gao Chen and the Monster Hunting Guild for the crisis. Meanwhile, regional forces discussed secretly claiming the Guild’s hunting rights and routes if it fell.

• At a teahouse in Black Stone Ridge, Zhu Zhengping listened as refugees blamed the Monster Hunting Guild for the losses at Azure Wave Market.
• Zhu Zhengping suggested that Gao Chen and Li Chengjie had mishandled the dispute with the Liu Family, persuading nearby cultivators to blame the Guild.
• After fueling the criticism, Zhu Zhengping paid for his tea and continued south to put more distance between himself and Azure Wave Market.
• At Green Maple Valley Marketplace, representatives of regional forces discussed Liu Fangdong’s attack and the likely destruction of the Monster Hunting Guild.
• Elder Jin and the other representatives agreed to make secret plans to claim the Guild’s hunting rights and routes after the conflict settled.

The Flowing Cloud Sect disciples debated their next move as former allies abandoned the Monster Hunting Guild. Above Azure Wave Market, Li Chengjie used three powerful treasures to survive Liu Fangdong’s killing strike, but Liu prepared to attack again.

• Li Dongxu and Liu Wenxuan discussed settling at a marketplace before deciding whether to continue to the Southern Region, while the disciples worried the Liu Family might pursue them.
• Liu Wenbo received Gao Chen’s plea for help, voided his Guest Elder agreement, and publicly severed ties with the Monster Hunting Guild.
• Liu Fangdong used his sword phantoms to exhaust Li Chengjie’s fire net, then sent the Azure Nether Sword through it with his Void Breaker strike.
• Li Chengjie activated the Earth Suppressing Mountain Pearl’s Gravity Field Domain, slowing the Azure Nether Sword and giving his Golden Flame Sword time to intercept it behind the Azure Origin Shield.
• Liu Fangdong’s strike damaged Li Chengjie’s defensive treasures but failed to kill him, and Liu prepared to attack again.

Li Chengjie used his superior divine sense and coordinated magical treasures to wound Liu Fangdong, forcing the older swordsman to burn his essence blood for a powerful Azure Nether Sword attack. Their final clash shattered Li Chengjie’s three treasures, but Liu Fangdong was left in worse condition and at a disadvantage.

• Li Chengjie overwhelmed Liu Fangdong with his divine sense and coordinated the Golden Flame Sword, Azure Origin Shield, and Earth Suppressing Mountain Pearl to trap him.
• Li Chengjie struck Liu Fangdong’s soul with Heart Fire—Wu Xiang, leaving Liu Fangdong wounded and his protective spiritual light unstable.
• Liu Fangdong burned his Essence Blood Origin to unleash Azure Nether—Blood Sacrifice, overpowering Li Chengjie’s three magical treasures.
• Li Chengjie fused the power of his Golden Flame Sword, Azure Origin Shield, and Earth Suppressing Mountain Pearl into a Chaos Light Orb to block the attack.
• Liu Fangdong forced the Chaos Light Orb to explode, dimming all three of Li Chengjie’s treasures, but he ended the clash more severely weakened and at a disadvantage.