Chapter Summaries

Wang Yu used the Eight Directions Bewildering Spirit Formation to ambush and kill the seven Black Robe Figures at Stone Lake. After collecting their spoils, he examined the formation flags and realized they were valuable remnants of a damaged higher-tier set.

• Wang Yu set the Eight Directions Bewildering Spirit Formation around Stone Lake and disguised himself as a frightened messenger.
• Wang Yu lured seven Black Robe Figures out of the lake, then killed the Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator with a surprise attack.
• The six remaining figures attacked Wang Yu, but the formation confused their senses and his Ice Sword killed three of them.
• Wang Yu killed the final four figures while they remained trapped in the formation’s illusions.
• Wang Yu collected the spoils, withdrew the formation, and discovered that its repaired flags had once belonged to a damaged Third Tier set.

After defeating Old Man Ning’s group, Wang Yu inspected their spoils, prepared for possible pursuers, and hid underwater near Stone Lake for three months. Meanwhile, City Lord Yuan Qu resumed a secret trafficking scheme after deciding the city fight had probably not drawn the attention of the Heavenly Void Sword Sect, and a group secretly entered the city.

• Wang Yu found valuable artifacts, pills, talismans, and spell manuals among the spoils, including Thousand Mile Divine Travel and Turtle Breath Secret Art.
• Wang Yu set up the Eight Directions Bewildering Spirit Formation near Stone Lake and arranged to learn when Wang Wu returned.
• Wang Yu swallowed a Water Aversion Pill and hid silently at the bottom of the lake for three months.
• Yuan Qu maintained martial law in Stone Lake City while fearing that a Heavenly Void Sword Sect disciple had uncovered his dealings with the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect.
• After three months without further trouble, Yuan Qu decided to continue the scheme, and a group of people secretly entered Stone Lake City.

City Lord Yuan learned that the delayed delivery of people would leave through secret passage number four, while Wang Wu returned to Stone Lake City and reunited with his nephews. Wang Yu sensed Wang Wu’s return and went to the Prince's Residence, intent on capturing him and eventually taking his spiritual root.

• A Foundation Establishment cultivator ordered Yuan Qu to prepare the late delivery and leave at midnight through secret passage number four.
• Yuan Qu planned to seek advice from Third Uncle at Clear Spring Bamboo House, unaware that the Old City Lord had been killed.
• Wang Wu returned to the Prince's Residence with his master and fellow disciples, then questioned Qiu Yi and Qiu Shi about the spiritual items they had collected.
• Wang Yu sensed Wang Wu through the Divine Sense Imprints on the two boys and decided to seize him before the Demonic Fetus Secret Incantation reached perfection.
• Wang Yu used Thousand Mile Divine Travel and the Night Concealment Spell to enter the city and approach the Prince's Residence.

Wang Yu raided the Prince's Residence, captured Wang Wu, crippled two Wang Clan youths, and left Stone Lake City with his captive. Meanwhile, a Heavenly Void Sword Sect disciple discovered troubling intelligence and headed for Stone Lake City, where the new City Lord found that his Third Uncle had vanished.

• Wang Yu checked the Prince's Residence for other cultivators, then burst into Wang Wu's room and knocked him unconscious.
• Wang Yu crippled the two Wang Clan youths' cultivation and took their memories, then carried Wang Wu away from the city.
• A white-skirted Heavenly Void Sword Sect disciple read reports of suspected demonic collusion and sent word to a nearby sect elder about the entry labeled "Desire."
• The Heavenly Void Sword Sect disciple flew toward Stone Lake City after learning of the alarming reports.
• Yuan Qu reached the City Lord's Mansion and realized that his Third Uncle had disappeared without leaving signs of a fight.

Yuan Qu grew convinced that the Old City Lord and the Vulture Peak Sect envoy had fled, then ordered kidnappings before slipping away to pack his valuables. Wang Yu brought the unconscious Wang Wu to Black Mountain Demon Land and found the hidden shelter he had chosen for his secluded cultivation.

• Yuan Qu heard that the Vulture Peak Sect envoy was searching for Wang Wu, then decided the envoy had fled and ordered his subordinates to carry out the kidnapping mission.
• After his subordinate left, Yuan Qu hurried off to pack his valuables.
• Wang Yu carried the unconscious Wang Wu toward Black Mountain Pass, intending to find a hidden cave abode and prepare for Foundation Establishment.
• Wang Yu reached Black Mountain Demon Land after nearly half a month, keeping away from demonic beasts and nearby cultivators.
• Using old maps and information from a cultivator biography, Wang Yu found Cleft Cliff and entered the hidden shelter beyond it.

Wang Yu imprisoned and tortured Wang Wu in a hidden cave, learning that the Joyful Union Demon Sect was behind the abductions. He continued cultivating in seclusion and found that his Snow Jade Fox had grown strong enough to assist him in battle.

• Wang Yu secured the karst cave, crippled Wang Wu, and chained him inside a stone chamber.
• Wang Yu questioned Wang Wu and learned that the Joyful Union Demon Sect had likely led the abduction scheme with the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect in an auxiliary role.
• Wang Yu recognized Wang Wu as his cousin and beat him before pulling out his tongue and healing his wounds.
• Wang Yu checked his Placement Slots and calculated that his cultivation progress could carry him to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer within six years.
• Wang Yu spent time cultivating in seclusion, while his Snow Jade Fox advanced to the First Tier Middle Stage and unlocked more Bloodline Secret Techniques.

The Vulture Peak Sect envoy fled Stone Lake City but was intercepted and killed by the Moonlight Fairy after she learned of the city’s abductions. In the Black Mountain Demon Land, Wang Yu continued training and prepared to hunt Second Tier demon beasts to temper his body.

• The Vulture Peak Sect envoy discovered that Yuan Qu and Wang Wu were missing and learned that Stone Lake City’s cultivators had abducted around eight hundred young women in broad daylight.
• The envoy recognized that the abductions would draw the Heavenly Void Sword Sect’s attention and fled the city, but the Moonlight Fairy intercepted him outside it.
• The Moonlight Fairy defeated the envoy and his spirit vulture, killed him, collected his soul, and took his belongings.
• After nearly half a year in seclusion, Wang Yu continued cultivating while keeping Wang Wu supplied with healing pills and practicing Profound Yin Hand until it reached Minor Achievement.
• Wang Yu placed Flood Dragon Strength in Slot Four and planned to use the Dragon Blood Secret Elixir and Adamantine Fluid to advance his body refinement before Qi Refining Foundation Establishment.
• Wang Yu went out to scout the Black Mountain Demon Land and chose Second Tier demon beasts as his first targets for tempering his body through battle.

Wang Yu repeatedly fought the Earth Rock Bull to temper his body, recovering from severe injuries and using the cycle to advance his cultivation. Three years later, he faced the bull again and managed to brace against its charge, beginning an attempt to lift it.

• Wang Yu searched Black Mountain Demon Land and found an Earth Rock Bull guarding a cliff covered in Earth Spirit Dendrobium.
• Wang Yu sent Snow Jade Fox to charm the bull, then fought it without relying on his Divine Strength Corpse Arm and was badly injured.
• After recovering at Cleft Cliff Cave, Wang Yu repeatedly battled the Earth Rock Bull, healed, and continued refining his body while gathering spirit herbs.
• Wang Yu broke through to the eighth layer of Flood Dragon Strength and reached the realm of Eight Dragons Active Tendons.
• Three years later, Wang Yu fought the Earth Rock Bull again and braced himself against its charge, calling on his strength to lift it.

Wang Yu defeated the Earth Rock Bull and gained Earth Spirit Gold and medicinal moss, then recovered at Cleft Cliff Cave while reviewing his completed body-refinement cultivation and plans. He prepared to focus on advancing the Demonic Fetus Profound Origin Secret Incantation, which would take a century to complete.

• Wang Yu battered the Earth Rock Bull with his physical strength, then used spells and the Divine Strength Corpse Arm to overcome its secret techniques and kill it.
• Wang Yu found a small piece of Third Tier Earth Spirit Gold inside the bull and harvested Earth Spirit Dendrobium from the cliff.
• Wang Yu returned to Cleft Cliff Cave, treated his injuries in the hot spring, and used the Corpse Demon Secret Art to repair his damaged corpse arm.
• Wang Yu recognized that Flood Dragon Strength had reached the Perfected Stage, granting him the Nine Dragon Active Tendons physique.
• Wang Yu planned to pursue body-refinement Foundation Establishment with Adamantine Fluid and set the Demonic Fetus Profound Origin Secret Incantation in Placement Slot Three for advancement.

Wang Yu completed the Demonic Fetus Profound Origin Secret Incantation and used it to absorb Wang Wu’s spiritual roots, giving him Dual Spiritual Roots and dramatically accelerating his cultivation. He was left only 118 strands of spiritual power short of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, a gap he expected to close in about four months.

• Wang Yu inspected the completed Profound Origin Demonic Fetus and realized it could absorb any spiritual roots to improve his demonic aptitude.
• Wang Yu used years of torment and a Demonic Thought to break Wang Wu’s resistance and take control of his mind and body.
• Wang Yu devoured Wang Wu’s spiritual roots, and the Profound Origin Demonic Fetus formed Fire and Wood spiritual-root talisman imprints.
• Wang Yu gained Dual Spiritual Roots, destroyed Wang Wu’s remains, and celebrated obtaining High-grade Spiritual Root aptitude.
• Wang Yu calculated that his cultivation had reached 582 strands of spiritual power and that his improved speed would let him reach the Qi Refining Ninth Layer in about 118 days.

Wang Yu broke through to Qi Refining Ninth Layer after tempering his body against a Second Tier Bristleback Pig, then prepared to attempt Body Refinement Foundation Establishment. He removed his Divine Strength Corpse Arm to avoid complications during the dangerous breakthrough.

• Wang Yu spent a month immersed in cultivation before beginning the final stage of tempering his physique.
• Wang Yu fought a Second Tier Early Stage Bristleback Pig every ten days, using its attacks to temper his body and exhaust the Dragon Blood Secret Elixir within him.
• After three months, Wang Yu judged his body fully tempered and broke through to Qi Refining Ninth Layer, reaching seven hundred strands of spiritual power.
• Wang Yu stabilized his cultivation, prepared a pool of healing water, and readied himself to attempt Body Refinement Foundation Establishment.
• Wang Yu tore off his Divine Strength Corpse Arm so it would not cause side effects during his breakthrough.

Wang Yu used Adamantine Fluid and a large supply of spirit stones to break through to Second Tier body-refining Foundation Establishment. His breakthrough fused Flood Dragon Strength with his Heavenly Yin Blood and Corpse Demon Bone, leaving him with a mutated spine and no orthodox path to continue the technique.

• Wang Yu applied Adamantine Fluid and circulated Flood Dragon Strength, condensing a flood dragon of qi and blood along his back.
• Wang Yu drew spiritual power from tens of thousands of spirit stones as Adamantine Fluid strengthened his body during the breakthrough.
• Wang Yu's Heavenly Yin Blood and Corpse Demon Bone mutated, turning his qi-and-blood flood dragon black-blue and deepening his zombie-like traits.
• Wang Yu's Corpse Demon Bone formed a Bronze Armor Corpse Robe over his body, while his breakthrough reshaped his spine.
• Wang Yu saw the name Yin Nether Demonic Flood Dragon Spine and realized Flood Dragon Strength could no longer advance his body-refinement cultivation, so he would need the Placement Slot to find a suitable improvement.

After reaching Body Refinement Foundation Establishment, Wang Yu gained a new placement slot and began deducing the Corpse Demon Secret Art, but delayed leaving the Black Mountain Demon Land. A month later, a thousand Heavenly Void Sword Sect cultivators entered the mountains to search for a target, and Wang Yu went out to investigate the commotion.

• Wang Yu recovered from his breakthrough, gained the Yin Nether Demonic Flood Dragon Spine, and discovered that his strength and lifespan had increased.
• Wang Yu used his fifth placement slot on the Corpse Demon Secret Art, which began being completed through deduction.
• Wang Yu decided to remain in the Black Mountain Demon Land until he reached Qi Refining Great Perfection and completed Foundation Establishment in both paths.
• A Heavenly Void Sword Sect Core Formation cultivator led a thousand disciples into the Black Mountain Demon Land and compelled local unaffiliated cultivators to guide them toward a target.
• The sword sect's teams fought through the demonic beasts and spread out near the inner region to search for matching terrain.
• Wang Yu sensed the disturbance near Cleft Cliff Cave, activated the Invisibility Technique, and slipped out to investigate.

Wang Yu encountered Chang Xi, a Heavenly Void Sword Sect disciple investigating the area, and had to explain his presence and guide her to his cave abode. Chang Xi inspected the cave and continued investigating his identity, while Wang Yu’s fabricated account awaited verification.

• Wang Yu spotted more than two hundred Sword Sect cultivators searching near his secluded cave and tried to avoid them.
• Chang Xi appeared before Wang Yu, saw through his Invisibility Technique, and demanded to know why he was spying.
• Wang Yu revealed his Corpse Qi and led Chang Xi toward Cleft Cliff Cave, asking why the Sword Sect had gathered there.
• Wang Yu claimed he had been captured as a Spirit Slave and escaped the Red Kite Demon Domain, mixing truth with fabricated details.
• Chang Xi questioned Wang Yu’s origins and sent her subordinates to verify his claims through the Sword Sect’s Intelligence System.
• Chang Xi searched Cleft Cliff Cave and found traces that someone had lived there for several years.

Chang Xi questioned Wang Yu about his Demonic Dao past, then verified his identity and learned the Stone Lake Wang Clan had recently changed. As Wang Yu left, she realized his claim that he was near death was a lie, but before she could pursue him, Lan Boting attacked him and Chang Xi intervened to stop the fight.

• Chang Xi asked Wang Yu whether he had considered abandoning his Demonic Dao cultivation, and he refused, saying he planned to visit his family before living in seclusion.
• Chang Xi verified Wang Yu's identity and warned him that the Stone Lake Wang Clan had recently undergone changes, so he should hurry home.
• After Wang Yu departed, Chang Xi realized that his claim of having little time left was false and set out to pursue him.
• Lan Boting attacked Wang Yu with a powerful River Sword Art strike, and Wang Yu used his Copper Bowl, Ice Coffin Spell, and Yin Nether Demonic Flood Dragon Spine to withstand it.
• Chang Xi arrived and stopped Lan Boting, declaring that she still had a use for Wang Yu.

Chang Xi detained Wang Yu and explained that the Sword Sect had traced the disappearance of more than ten thousand young women to the Black Mountain Demon Land. She revealed that the Joyful Union Demon Sect was gathering women to locate the shifting seal of the ancient [Desire] Demon.

• Chang Xi stopped Lan Boting from attacking Wang Yu and took him aside for questioning.
• Wang Yu defended his deception as a matter of survival, and Chang Xi eventually calmed down and explained the Sword Sect's investigation.
• Chang Xi said young women had vanished from cities near Black Mountain Pass, and she had slain the cities' lords before tracing the victims to the Black Mountain Demon Land.
• Wang Yu suspected the Joyful Union Demon Sect was responsible, while Chang Xi said an ancient [Desire] Demon had passed its demonic thoughts to the sect's founders.
• Chang Xi explained that the Joyful Union Demon Sect sought women to locate the sealed cavern, which moved through Black Mountain and could be found only with the sect's secret art.

Wang Yu escaped Chang Xi after Sword Sect disciples called for aid, then fled north toward Withered Leaf Swamp to hide. At Withered Leaf City, he learned that a Sword Sect Core Formation cultivator had ordered the nearby Vulture Peak Sect to be attacked and that the locals had been conscripted.

• Chang Xi inferred that Wang Yu had a safe route through Black Mountain Demon Land and pressed him to help ambush the Joyful Union Sect's retreat.
• A Sound Transmission Jade Pendant reported that Uncle Yi was fighting more than three hundred Joyful Union demonic cultivators, and Lan Boting urged Chang Xi to kill Wang Yu before leaving.
• Chang Xi let Wang Yu go, and he escaped into the mountain forest using Thousand Mile Divine Travel and the Invisibility Technique.
• Wang Yu hurried north toward Withered Leaf Swamp, hoping to hide for nine months and later return to the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect.
• At Good Fortune Tavern in Withered Leaf City, Wang Yu learned that a Sword Sect Core Formation cultivator planned to attack Vulture Peak Sect and that nearby people had been forcibly conscripted.

Wang Yu realized Chang Xi had exposed his fabricated story and intended to use him to identify people at Black Mountain Pass, so he resolved to escape Withered Leaf City. He found a damaged section of the city wall and struck it with his full strength.

• Wang Yu questioned an informant, learned that Withered Leaf City was conscripting cultivators under the Sword Sect's name, and dismissed him.
• Wang Yu concluded Chang Xi had seen through his lies and wanted him to identify people at Black Mountain Pass to support her purge.
• Wang Yu decided not to comply with Chang Xi's plan and sought a way out of Withered Leaf City.
• Wang Yu found a cracked, poorly maintained section of the city wall and combined his Divine Strength Corpse Arm, Yin Nether Demonic Flood Dragon tattoo, and Profound Yin Hand to punch it.

Wang Yu fled into Withered Leaf Swamp, where he ambushed the pursuers led by a Foundation Establishment Second Layer gray-robed old man. He defeated the old man with a Cold Flame-enhanced attack, leaving the surrounding soldiers approaching the fight.

• Wang Yu escaped the city after breaking through its defenses, and the alarmed guards set off in pursuit.
• In Withered Leaf Swamp, Wang Yu hid beneath a mud pool as the gray-robed old man used a Divine Sense Secret Art to search for him.
• Wang Yu burst from the mud and attacked the old man with the Yin Nether Demonic Flood Dragon, shattering his Rock Barrier.
• The old man used the Glass Soul Lantern's gray flame to see through Wang Yu's illusions, forcing Wang Yu to trap them both inside an Ice Coffin.
• Wang Yu's Cold Flame-wrapped demonic flood dragon struck the old man, sending him into the ice wall and freezing him as the soldiers gathered nearby.

Wang Yu defeated the gray-robed old man and slaughtered the Silver Helmeted Soldiers before leaving a grim message for Chang Xi. Days later, Chang Xi reached the battlefield, recognized Wang Yu’s work, and chose to postpone pursuing him into Withered Leaf Swamp.

• Wang Yu resisted the Glass Soul Lantern’s attack, shattered the old man’s ice shell, and tore him apart despite his pleas for mercy.
• Wang Yu trapped the fleeing Silver Helmeted Soldiers in an Ice Coffin and killed them with Extreme Cold Chaotic Kill.
• Wang Yu gathered the soldiers’ Storage Bags and heads, displaying the heads as a return gift to Chang Xi.
• Chang Xi and Lan Boting arrived days later, and Chang Xi identified Wang Yu as the one responsible for the massacre.
• Lan Boting entered Withered Leaf Swamp alone to pursue Wang Yu, while Chang Xi ordered the others to return and handle the abducted women’s aftermath.