Chapter Summaries

Zou Lihui and Qiu Tianhao arrived to find Zhang Mingyu gravely wounded and joined the pursuit of the Earth Dragon. Deep in the mine, Zou Lihui secretly attacked Jiang Qinghe from behind, trying to send him into the Earth Dragon’s claws.

• Qiu Tianhao treated Zhang Mingyu’s severed arm while Zou Lihui followed the Earth Dragon’s trail into the mine.
• Zhang Mingyu ordered the others to pursue the beast, but the Great Martial Masters hesitated, and he feared his injury would ruin his future.
• The Earth Dragon hid around a bend and prepared to ambush its pursuers as Jiang Qinghe approached.
• Jiang Qinghe anticipated the Earth Dragon’s ambush and drew the Black Gold Blade.
• Zou Lihui shouted that he had come to help, then struck at Jiang Qinghe’s back to drive him into the Earth Dragon’s claws.

Jiang Qinghe revealed his Innate strength and two Artistic Conceptions, killed the Earth Dragon and Zou Lihui, then searched Zou Lihui’s body for spoils.

• Jiang Qinghe countered Zou Lihui’s ambush with blade lights empowered by Earthen Intent and Gale Wind, badly wounding him and severing one of the Earth Dragon’s claws.
• Zou Lihui attacked with the Eighteen Mountain Slashes, but Jiang Qinghe disrupted his true qi and left him staggered.
• Jiang Qinghe evaded the Earth Dragon’s strike and pierced its neck, killing it.
• Jiang Qinghe refused Zou Lihui’s plea for mercy and killed him with a blade light across the neck.
• Jiang Qinghe searched Zou Lihui’s corpse and found banknotes, Healing Pills, and a note worth thirty thousand taels of gold.

Jiang Qinghe concealed the Purple Crystal Stones and covered the bodies of Zou Lihui and the Earth Dragon before Qiu Tianhao arrived. He convinced Qiu Tianhao that Zou had died fighting the Earth Dragon and that he had slain the monster, leaving the group to clear the battlefield and prepare a report.

• Jiang Qinghe took Zou Lihui's Eighteen Mountain Slashes manual and gold notes, then found sixty top-grade Purple Crystal Stones inside the Earth Dragon.
• Hearing someone approach, Jiang Qinghe hid the stones and used saber energies and boulders to bury Zou Lihui's corpse and the Earth Dragon beneath rubble.
• Qiu Tianhao arrived and asked Jiang Qinghe where Zou Lihui and the Earth Dragon were; Jiang Qinghe claimed Zou had died fighting the monster and he had delivered its final blow.
• Qiu Tianhao examined the Earth Dragon's wound, suspected Jiang Qinghe had reached the Innate Realm, and accepted his explanation without pursuing the matter.
• Qiu Tianhao asked Jiang Qinghe to report that Zou had died in the line of duty and Jiang had slain the Earth Dragon; Jiang agreed to report truthfully.
• The Great Martial Masters began clearing the battlefield and carried the Earth Dragon's massive body outside.

After the Earth Dragon was killed, the battered Demon Slaying Division returned to Lin'an County with its corpse. Jiang Qinghe privately celebrated his gains, while Zhang Mingyu blamed him for his lost arm and grew consumed by jealousy and hatred.

• Zhang Degang met the returning Demon Slaying Division and was stunned by the Earth Dragon's size and the team's severe losses.
• Zhang Degang invited the survivors to rest at the magistrate's manor, and the procession set off for Lin'an County.
• Jiang Qinghe reflected on gaining Zou Lihui's Earth-grade saber art, Eighteen Mountain Slashes, and sixty High Grade Purple Crystal Stones.
• Zhang Mingyu learned that Jiang Qinghe had dealt the Earth Dragon its fatal blow after he was injured, and blamed him for waiting until he had lost his arm.
• Zhang Mingyu saw the treasures Jiang Qinghe carried and was overwhelmed by bitterness, jealousy, and hatred.

Jiang Qinghe confronted Zhang Mingyu over the Purple Crystal Stones, and Zhang attacked him after accusing him of monopolizing the spoils. Jiang Qinghe’s stronger Energy Blast struck Zhang Mingyu in the chest, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Zhang Mingyu confronted Jiang Qinghe over the Purple Crystal Stones and accused him of taking too much of the credit and spoils.
• Jiang Qinghe mocked Zhang Mingyu for taking Zhao Sanggu’s item while also demanding the stones.
• Zhang Mingyu dismissed the possibility that Jiang Qinghe had reached the Innate Realm and attacked him with an Energy Blast.
• Jiang Qinghe shouted at Zhang Mingyu and sent back a stronger Energy Blast that shattered Zhang’s attack and hit his chest.

After the Earth Dragon’s defeat, Jiang Qinghe returned to the Magistrate’s Manor, cultivated with a High Grade Purple Crystal Stone, and practiced the Eighteen Mountain Slashes. He ended the exhausting day by going to sleep, with his progress toward second-rank Innate within sight.

• Jiang Qinghe sent Zhang Mingyu tumbling from his horse, and Zhang Mingyu returned to the Magistrate’s Manor in silence.
• Qiu Tianhao directed the Demon Slaying Division to process and record the Earth Dragon’s remains while Zhang Degang arranged repairs at the mine and scheduled an investigation for the next morning.
• Jiang Qinghe cultivated with a High Grade Purple Crystal Stone, strengthening his Innate True Qi and drawing closer to opening the Springing Well Meridian.
• Jiang Qinghe studied the Eighteen Mountain Slashes, then practiced its forms with the Black Gold Blade late into the night.
• Jiang Qinghe reviewed his cultivation progress and went to bed after a full day of hunting, cultivation, and training.

After Zou Lihui died during the Earth Dragon hunt and Jiang Qinghe revealed his breakthrough to the Innate Realm, Xiao Haoze struggled to contain his anger and decided he would no longer endure his constraints. Lin Ye and Han Jialiang discussed Jiang Qinghe’s talent and agreed not to challenge the Chen Family for him for now, leaving him with Chen Lingxue’s faction.

• Xiao Haoze learned that Zou Lihui had died during the Earth Dragon hunt and smashed a teacup in anger.
• Xiao Haoze learned that Jiang Qinghe had reached the Innate Realm and viewed him as a threat because he had rejected Xiao Haoze’s recruitment attempts.
• Xiao Haoze recalled the Xiao Family’s plan against the Chen Family and resolved to stop restraining himself.
• Lin Ye asked Han Jialiang about events in the Wasteland Forest and heard that Jiang Qinghe had shown remarkable talent and comprehended Intent.
• Han Jialiang advised Lin Ye not to compete with the Chen Family for Jiang Qinghe, and Lin Ye considered letting the Chen and Xiao families continue fighting.

Lin Ye decided against recruiting Jiang Qinghe, while Chen Lingxue urged her grandfather, Chen Shouyi, to bring him into the Chen Family through a marriage alliance. Chen Shouyi agreed, leaving Jiang Qinghe’s future tied to the rival clan’s plans.

• Lin Ye accepted Han Jialiang’s advice not to recruit Jiang Qinghe, hoping that leaving him alone would deepen friction between the Chen and Xiao Families.
• Chen Lingxue visited her grandfather, Chen Shouyi, and reported that her cultivation and work in the division were progressing well.
• Chen Lingxue described Jiang Qinghe’s rapid rise to first-rank innate and his comprehension of the Earthen Intent Artistic Conception.
• Chen Lingxue proposed a marriage alliance to bind Jiang Qinghe to the Chen Family, and Chen Shouyi agreed to consider it.

Jiang Qinghe, Qiu Tianhao, and Zhang Mingyu searched the White Jade Stone Mine for Purple Crystal Stones and divided the low-grade crystals they found. As they prepared to leave the tunnel, Jiang Qinghe felt a sudden palpitation and the Silver Shuttle Pendant began to tremble.

• Zhang Mingyu reconsidered Zou Lihui’s death and returned to the mine with Jiang Qinghe and Qiu Tianhao to claim a share of the Purple Crystal Stones.
• Qiu Tianhao used a Spirit Seeking Compass to locate crystals while Zhang Mingyu blasted them out of the rock wall.
• The three men explored the tunnel and its branches, found fifteen low-grade Purple Crystal Stones, and divided them equally.
• Qiu Tianhao concluded that no complete mineral vein lay farther ahead, and the three prepared to return.
• Jiang Qinghe felt an inexplicable palpitation as the Silver Shuttle Pendant in his robes began to tremble.

Jiang Qinghe discovered that his pendant reacted to a hidden place underground near where he had been found as a child, then stayed behind in Lin'an County to investigate and refine his Purple Crystal Stones. He returned to Wanping Martial Academy, where Wang Er and the disciples welcomed him as a celebrated figure.

• Jiang Qinghe suppressed his excitement after the pendant reacted underground and kept the discovery secret from Qiu Tianhao and Zhang Mingyu.
• The Demon Slaying Division departed Lin'an County, and Jiang Qinghe asked Qiu Tianhao to request leave so he could pursue a sudden martial insight.
• Jiang Qinghe stayed in Lin'an County to revisit the place that had stirred the pendant and absorb his High Grade Purple Crystal Stones before returning to Cangfeng City.
• Jiang Qinghe arrived at Wanping Martial Academy, praised Wang Er's progress, and went to his secluded courtyard.
• The academy's disciples recognized Jiang Qinghe as a high-ranking Deputy Commander of the Demon Slaying Division and watched him with admiration.

Jiang Qinghe followed the Silver Shuttle Pendant’s signal beneath the White Jade Stone Mine and discovered an enormous, mysterious structure at the bottom of an Extreme Cold Water Pool. He reached its wall but had not yet learned who built it or what lay inside.

• Jiang Qinghe left the Martial Academy at night and entered Mine Tunnel No. 3, where the Silver Shuttle Pendant led him underground.
• He dug through increasingly hard, cold rock with his Black Gold Blade and broke through into a deep pool.
• Jiang Qinghe plunged into the Extreme Cold Water Pool and used Innate True Qi to protect himself from the freezing water as he descended.
• At great depth, Jiang Qinghe spotted a building covered in algae and silt and swam closer to examine it.
• He brushed the covering from a section of the seamless, unfamiliar wall and wondered who had built the structure and how it had sunk there.

Jiang Qinghe discovered that the Silver Shuttle Pendant was the Escaping Immortal Shuttle and that it was connected to the ancient pyramid palace beneath the pool. The shuttle opened a hidden entrance, and Jiang Qinghe entered the palace.

• Jiang Qinghe explored the immense underwater structure and discovered it was a pyramid-shaped palace more than a hundred meters tall, long, and wide.
• A streak of silver radiance from the palace entered the pendant, revealing nine patterns and awakening a vision that named it the Escaping Immortal Shuttle.
• Jiang Qinghe realized the shuttle had brought him near the pool because it sensed a power of the same origin within the palace.
• Following the shuttle's pull, Jiang Qinghe found a concealed spot near the palace's base and pressed the shuttle against it, opening a silver entrance.
• Jiang Qinghe shielded himself with True Qi and stepped through the entrance as it vanished behind him.

Jiang Qinghe explored the palace beneath the cold pool, discovered it was guarded by the remains of the Witch Clan, and collected their essence blood despite being unable to fuse with it. A voice barred him from ascending until he reached the Primordial Sea Realm, and the palace sank into a fissure after he escaped.

• Jiang Qinghe entered the palace and found a vast plaza filled with the remains of Witch Clan warriors and murals depicting their ancient strength.
• Jiang Qinghe recognized the Witch Clan and discovered a perfectly preserved leader's corpse with a drop of essence blood floating before it.
• Jiang Qinghe failed to touch the essence blood, but used a jade bottle to collect it after realizing he could not awaken its recognition without Witch Clan blood.
• A mysterious voice told Jiang Qinghe that he could ascend to the upper level only after reaching the Primordial Sea Realm.
• Jiang Qinghe left the palace, then fled as it sank into a fissure that closed behind it.

After returning to the Martial Academy, Jiang Qinghe discovered that the Escaping Immortal Shuttle could store objects and teleport him a hundred meters. Its immense True Qi cost and physical strain limited his use of it, while the shuttle’s deeper patterns remained inaccessible.

• Jiang Qinghe returned to the Martial Academy and examined the Escaping Immortal Shuttle, finding a stable storage space inside it.
• Jiang Qinghe used the shuttle to teleport a hundred meters away and then return instantly to his room.
• Jiang Qinghe assessed the shuttle’s tactical uses and recognized that powerful opponents and area attacks could counter it.
• Jiang Qinghe found that two teleportations had nearly exhausted his Innate True Qi and strained his body.
• Jiang Qinghe failed to activate the shuttle’s eighth pattern, put it away, and decided to revisit it as his cultivation improved.

Jiang Qinghe discovered that Zhao Guangyi had a trace of Witch Clan bloodline and offered him a dangerous chance to fuse with the Witch Clan Leader’s Essence Blood. Zhao Guangyi chose to take the risk and swallowed the blood, leaving the outcome unknown.

• Jiang Qinghe met Zhao Guangyi at breakfast, and they both sensed a reaction between Zhao Guangyi’s bloodline and the Witch Clan Leader’s Essence Blood.
• Jiang Qinghe showed Zhao Guangyi the Essence Blood and explained that he might carry a trace of Witch Clan bloodline.
• Jiang Qinghe warned Zhao Guangyi that fusing with the Essence Blood could kill him.
• Zhao Guangyi decided to risk the fusion in pursuit of greater martial strength.
• With Jiang Qinghe, Ping Jiuxiao, and Xiao Hei watching, Zhao Guangyi swallowed the drop of Essence Blood.

Zhao Guangyi endured the violent awakening of Da Yi’s blood essence while Jiang Qinghe continued cultivating. More than a month later, Jiang Qinghe broke through to Innate Third Rank and perfected Spirit Shadow Severing Void, leaving the middle three ranks within reach.

• Zhao Guangyi survived the blood essence’s eruption as visions revealed Da Yi’s connection to Houtu and the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
• Xiao Hei stayed to guard Zhao Guangyi while Jiang Qinghe and Ping Jiuxiao left to rest.
• Jiang Qinghe cultivated for more than a month and decided his Black Gold Blade would need replacing after he returned to Cangfeng City.
• Jiang Qinghe used Potential Points to open his third Taiyuan Meridian and advance to Innate Third Rank.
• Spirit Shadow Severing Void reached perfection, deepening Jiang Qinghe’s understanding of the Gale Wind Artistic Conception.

Jiang Qinghe confirmed Zhao Guangyi remained safe and continued to grow stronger, then left the Martial Academy to return to his duties. Meanwhile, the former bandits of Huben Village suffered under the Path of Rebirth, and Lei Bao encountered a registration checkpoint as he left their mountain stronghold.

• Jiang Qinghe checked Zhao Guangyi and learned his body was still strengthening after absorbing the Wu Clan chieftain's blood essence.
• Jiang Qinghe told Ping Jiuxiao he was leaving and asked Xiao Hei and Wang Er to invite Zhao Guangyi to a feast when he awoke.
• Jiang Qinghe packed his belongings, said farewell to the Martial Academy, and rode south on the Night-Shining Jade Lion.
• Former Huben Village bandits complained about losing their stronghold to the Path of Rebirth and recalled Lei Bao killing their three leaders with one punch.
• Lei Bao emerged from the mountain hollow, and a Path of Rebirth member stopped him to register his destination and expected return.

After the Withered Gu incident, the Path of Rebirth lay low in a mountain stronghold while Lei Bao left without permission to seek amusement. The Path Master ordered him secretly followed, still tolerating his behavior because Lei Bao had once saved his life, though that indulgence was nearing its limit.

• Lei Bao shoved aside the gatekeeper and left the stronghold without registering his departure.
• Lei Bao recalled that the Path of Rebirth had fled Cangfeng City after losing a Protector and most of its Gu, and he headed toward a nearby village to find amusement.
• The Path Master questioned a black-robed subordinate about activity near the north city gate and ordered continued vigilance.
• The subordinate reported that Lei Bao had forced his way out, and the Path Master sent Shadow Snake and Black Dove to follow him secretly.
• The Path Master reflected that Lei Bao had carried him from a sea of flames when he was gravely wounded, but his patience with Lei Bao was running out.

Jiang Qinghe was forced by a blizzard to stop at the Homesick Inn outside Cangfeng City, where he sheltered with his exhausted horse. He noticed that two seemingly ordinary travelers who entered the inn had unusually strong qi and blood.

• A relentless blizzard buried the roads, exhausting the Night-Shining Jade Lion as Jiang Qinghe traveled toward Cangfeng City.
• Jiang Qinghe decided to find shelter for the night and led his horse to the nearby Homesick Inn.
• The inn’s waiter welcomed Jiang Qinghe and arranged warm straw, a brazier, and feed for the Night-Shining Jade Lion.
• Jiang Qinghe ate at the crowded inn while quietly observing the people around him.
• Two travelers in hats entered and settled at a corner table, and Jiang Qinghe sensed their powerful qi and blood with his Spiritual Sense.

Jiang Qinghe overheard Shadow Snake and Wu Zhen discussing the Path of Rebirth’s Lei Bao and followed them to an isolated farmhouse, where Lei Bao emerged after assaulting a woman. The two agents went inside to erase the evidence as Lei Bao walked away.

• Jiang Qinghe recognized Shadow Snake and Wu Zhen as Path of Rebirth members after overhearing their conversation about Lei Bao.
• Jiang Qinghe slipped out of the inn and secretly followed Shadow Snake and Wu Zhen to a farmhouse at the village’s eastern end.
• Shadow Snake and Wu Zhen waited outside while muffled sobs and sounds came from inside the farmhouse.
• Lei Bao emerged, complained about the woman, and ordered Shadow Snake and Wu Zhen to clean up and leave no trace.
• Shadow Snake and Wu Zhen entered the farmhouse as Lei Bao strode away.