Chapter Summaries

Yan Qingshan arrived at the Gu Clan’s Ancient Saint Mountain Range and met Xiao Xun’er, who remained devoted to Xiao Yan despite the clan’s concerns. He asked her to arrange a meeting with Gu Yuan because he had urgent information concerning Soul Heavenly Emperor.

• Gu Zhen warned Yan Qingshan that the Gu Clan considered even a remote chance of Xiao Xun’er favoring him a serious concern, and Qingling objected to the warning.
• Yan Qingshan and the guests arrived at the Ancient Saint Mountain Range, where Xiao Xun’er greeted Xiao Yan aboard the warship.
• That night, Yan Qingshan spoke with Xiao Xun’er about the burdens of the Gu Clan’s bloodline and the pressure she faced within the Ancient Realm.
• Xiao Yan joined them, and Xiao Xun’er affectionately straightened his clothes while he held her hand.
• Yan Qingshan asked Xiao Xun’er to introduce him to Gu Yuan, explaining that he needed to discuss a major matter involving Soul Heavenly Emperor, and she agreed to tell her father.

Yan Qingshan attended the Gu Clan’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony, where Xiao Yan faced hostility from Gu Yao and was challenged to withstand a hundred exchanges. After Gu Yao received his bloodline mark, Yan Qingshan dismissed the fight as meaningless and asked Xiao Xun’er to convey a request to Gu Yuan before leaving.

• Yan Qingshan told Xiao Yan that Soul Heavenly Emperor led the Hun Clan in besieging Xiao Xuan and was a peak Dou Saint.
• Mang Qianchi intervened when Gu Clan elders obstructed Xiao Xun’er and Xiao Yan, then explained that Xiao Yan had to withstand a hundred exchanges with Gu Yao to improve his chances of entering the Heavenly Tomb.
• The Gu Clan began the ceremony, testing young members’ bloodlines and granting them Clan Marks; Ling Quan received a golden mark, and Gu Zhen received a Purple-Gold Dragon Mark.
• Gu Yao tested at Bloodline Level Eight and received a Purple-Gold Dragon Mark before provoking Xiao Yan into a challenge.
• Gu Qingyang asked Yan Qingshan to predict the fight, and Yan Qingshan said it was meaningless, asked Xiao Xun’er to convey his request to Gu Yuan, and left with Qingling.

Yan Qingshan met Gu Yuan and warned him that the Spirit Clan’s sealed realm might be connected to Soul Heavenly Emperor. He left Gu Yuan weighing whether to investigate the Spirit Realm, while secretly hoping to draw the Gu Clan into conflict with the Hun Clan.

• After Yan Qingshan left, Gu Qingyang was shaken by the strength of Yan’s soul power, and Mang Qianchi explained that Yan had nearly reached the Saint Realm.
• Yan Qingshan encountered Gu Yuan on a mountain and discussed his path to sainthood, while Gu Yuan compared him with Qingling and Xiao Xun'er.
• Yan Qingshan told Gu Yuan that the Spirit Clan’s absence from the Heavenly Tomb and sudden closure of the Spirit Realm suggested a possible move by the Hun Clan.
• Gu Yuan questioned the reliability of Yan Qingshan’s intelligence, which came from an undercover agent who had heard Hun Miesheng mention the Spirit Realm.
• Yan Qingshan urged Gu Yuan to investigate using a Soul Clone and admitted that he wanted the Gu Clan and Hun Clan to clash, giving Danta room to act.

Yan Qingshan attacked the Human Hall of the Three Heavenly Gang Halls while the Hun Clan was distracted by its war with the Gu Clan. He overwhelmed Saint Gu You and left the battle poised to decide whether he could kill a Saint.

• Yan Qingshan arrived at the Corpse Burial Mountain Range and planned to destroy the Human Hall while the Hun Clan was occupied fighting the Gu Clan.
• Yan Qingshan trapped the black great hall in vines and killed its departing figures and the Soul Hall forces that rushed out to defend it.
• Saint Gu You confronted Yan Qingshan, while Qingling fought the Soul Hall Great Heavenly Venerate inside the hall.
• Yan Qingshan activated the Heavenly Flame Three Profound Transformations and his Azure Dragon Dharma Body, then shattered Gu You's Dark Skeleton King.
• Yan Qingshan struck Gu You with Yellow Springs Palm, crushing him between the attack and the Azure Dragon Dharma Body.

Yan Qingshan and Qingling attacked Soul Hall, defeating its Heavenly Venerates and seizing a sphere containing a million souls' worth of essence. After learning the locations of Earth Hall and Heaven Hall from the captured Second Heavenly Venerate, Yan Qingshan prepared to leave.

• Yan Qingshan combined the Azure Dragon Dharma Body and Yellow Springs Palm to badly wound Saint Gu You, then the Three-Headed Demonic Dragon subdued him and Yan Qingshan demanded the locations of Earth Hall and Heaven Hall.
• Qingling fought the Great Heavenly Venerate in Human Hall, countering his Bone Emperor Blade with the Nine-Headed Heavenly Serpent King.
• The Great Heavenly Venerate merged with the Bone Emperor Blade and attacked Yan Qingshan, but the Three-Headed Demonic Dragon struck the blade and Qingling knocked the Great Heavenly Venerate out of it.
• Yan Qingshan collected the soul essence hidden beneath Human Hall, while Qingling subdued the Great Heavenly Venerate and interrogated the Second Heavenly Venerate.
• The Second Heavenly Venerate revealed what Yan Qingshan wanted to know, and Yan Qingshan stripped the souls of both captives into essence, completing the annihilation of Soul Hall's nine Heavenly Venerates.

Yan Qingshan and his allies attacked the Soul Hall, delivering coffins for its leaders and confronting Hun Miesheng. The Three-Headed Demonic Dragon Puppet severely wounded Hun Miesheng, while Qingling and the Nine-Headed Heavenly Serpent King defeated Saint Hun Qing; Hun Miesheng remained gravely injured as the battle continued.

• Hun Qing confronted Hun Miesheng over the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, and Hun Miesheng revealed that he had reached the Five Star Dou Saint level.
• Three coffins bearing the labels Earth, Human, and Heaven were thrown into the hall, carrying the Great Heavenly Venerate and Deputy Hall Master and announcing Yan Qingshan's arrival.
• Yan Qingshan declared that he had come to kill Hun Miesheng and Saint Hun Qing, then sent Qingling to fight Hun Qing while the Three-Headed Demonic Dragon Puppet attacked Hun Miesheng.
• The Three-Headed Demonic Dragon Puppet overwhelmed Hun Miesheng, who used the Soul Burial Technique but still suffered a massive wound.
• The Nine-Headed Heavenly Serpent King and Qingling subdued Saint Hun Qing, whose cries stopped as his body was thrown to the ground.

Yan Qingshan killed Hun Miesheng and extracted a mass of soul light from the Soul Hall, while Nihility Devouring Flame devastated the Spirit Realm and destroyed the Spirit Emperor’s remnant soul. Gu Yuan arrived with an avatar and confronted Nihility Devouring Flame, but a jade-white hand emerged from space as the battle continued.

• Yan Qingshan ordered the Three-Headed Demonic Dragon to pierce Hun Miesheng, and the dragon sealed Hun Miesheng’s corpse in the Spirit Sealing Coffin.
• Yan Qingshan raised the Heaven Hall and brought a massive ball of soul light up from underground.
• Nihility Devouring Flame flooded the Spirit Realm with black flames and destroyed the Spirit Emperor’s remnant soul.
• Gu Yuan arrived with three other figures and accused Nihility Devouring Flame and the Soul Clan of destroying the Spirit Realm.
• Nihility Devouring Flame recognized that Gu Yuan was an avatar as the Four Demonic Saints formed the Four Soul Emperor Array around him.
• Gu Yuan struck Nihility Devouring Flame and the four Soul Clan experts with a palm of spiritual light, but a jade-white hand then emerged from space.

The Soul Clan invaded the Spirit Realm, and Gu Yuan’s Ancient Clan fought back with a devastating clash between their clan formations. Soul Heavenly Emperor and Nihility Devouring Flame escaped, leaving Gu Yuan to call for the other clans to unite against the Soul Clan.

• Soul Heavenly Emperor brought the Soul Clan army into the Spirit Realm, where Gu Yuan and the Ancient Clan met them in battle.
• The Ancient Clan’s Ancient Emperor Mirror clashed with the Soul Clan’s Seal of Destruction, causing heavy losses and injuries on both sides.
• Gu Yuan attacked the wounded Nihility Devouring Flame and Four Soul Saints, but Soul Heavenly Emperor intervened and declared his intent to seize the Tou She Ancient God’s cave abode.
• Nihility Devouring Flame exploded into black flames to open an escape route, while Soul Heavenly Emperor disrupted the Ancient Clan’s attacks and helped the Soul Clan retreat.
• Gu Yuan surveyed the devastated Spirit Realm and ordered the other clans to assemble against the Soul Clan.

Gu Yuan rallied the other ancient clans against the Soul Clan after its destruction of the Spirit Clan, while the Soul Clan investigated the simultaneous destruction of the Soul Hall. The six clans gathered in the Spirit Realm and prepared for conflict, leaving the Central Plains on the brink of a continent-wide war.

• Gu Yuan ordered a search for Spirit Clan survivors and invited the Yan, Lei, Yao, and Stone Clans to unite against the Soul Clan.
• News of the Spirit Clan's destruction and the Soul Hall's fall spread across the Central Plains, prompting factions to withdraw and brace for war.
• The six ancient clans convened in the Spirit Realm, where Gu Yuan urged them to stop the Soul Clan and the Spirit Clan Half-Saint appealed for justice.
• Yao Dan questioned Gu Yuan about the Soul Hall's destruction, and Gu Yuan denied that the Ancient Clan had caused it without revealing what he knew about Yan Qingshan.
• Soul Heavenly Emperor ordered an investigation into the Soul Hall's destruction and the ruined blood-array nodes as the Soul Clan's agents mobilized.

After leaving the Central Plains, Yan Qingshan brought Qingling and Xiao Yi Xian into the Ancient Wilderness Domain to seek the Bodhi Ancient Tree and its opportunity for sainthood. Guided by his Bodhi Seed, the group entered the dangerous wilderness and reached the territory of a rare Ancient Sky Demon Python that Qingling wanted to capture.

• Yan Qingshan, Qingling, and Xiao Yi Xian rested in Wilderness Town before entering the Ancient Wilderness Domain the next morning.
• Yan Qingshan and Xiao Yi Xian used their flames to protect themselves from poisonous miasma made of venomous insects, while Qingling passed through unharmed.
• Yan Qingshan sensed the Bodhi Seed and led the group northwest across a ravine, burning several attacking giant wolves to ash.
• Yan Qingshan planned to travel to the Ancient Domain Platform, a refuge where ordinary Ferocious Beasts would not approach.
• Qingling sensed an Ancient Sky Demon Python and asked to keep it; the group found the giant serpent guarding its territory.

Yan Qingshan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qingling subdued an Ancient Sky Demon Python and found its blood pool. Yan Qingshan used Heavenly Flames to refine the pool’s energy into the python, leaving it with a faint Saint Realm aura.

• The Ancient Sky Demon Python attacked Yan Qingshan’s group, but Yan Qingshan seized it and Xiao Yi Xian burned away its poisonous attacks.
• Qingling used her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and the Nine-Headed Heavenly Serpent King’s pressure to subdue the python.
• Yan Qingshan and the others found the python’s nest and discovered a blood pool filled with violent energy.
• Yan Qingshan had Qingling place the python in the pool and refined its energy into the beast with Heavenly Flames.
• The refined python gained a trace of Saint Realm aura, while Qingling watched its growth with anticipation.

Yan Qingshan and his companions rode the Ancient Sky Demon Python to the Ancient Domain Platform, where they encountered Old Man Shennong searching for the Flame of Life. Yan Qingshan declined to join him because his own jade pearl pointed toward another destination, though he still hoped to compete for the Heavenly Flame if the chance arose.

• Qingling had the Ancient Sky Demon Python carry Yan Qingshan, Xiao Yi Xian, and herself through the Ancient Wilderness Domain toward the Ancient Domain Platform.
• At the platform, Qingling warned Yan Qingshan about an old alchemist refining a pill, and Yan Qingshan recognized him as Old Man Shennong.
• Old Man Shennong invited Yan Qingshan and his companions to travel northeast with him, and Yan Qingshan revealed the Source of Myriad Woods, which resonated with the Flame of Life.
• Yan Qingshan declined the invitation because his emerald jade pearl sensed his intended destination in another direction.
• Old Man Shennong vanished from the platform, and Yan Qingshan watched his departure while keeping open the possibility of pursuing the Flame of Life.

Yan Qingshan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qingling crossed the Ancient Wilderness Domain’s gathering Beast Tide while following the Bodhi Seed’s guidance. After reaching a strange beast-free area, Yan Qingshan realized the Bodhi Ancient Tree had not yet emerged and found a clue to its location.

• Experts at the Ancient Domain Platform discussed Old Man Shennong’s power and the growing Beast Tide, while Yan Qingshan’s group prepared to leave.
• Yan Qingshan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qingling rode the Ancient Sky Demon Python into the Beast Tide, guided by a green pearl.
• Qingling turned snake-type beasts against the other Ferocious Beasts, while Xiao Yi Xian and Yan Qingshan fought off the creatures that broke through.
• The trio battled through increasingly powerful beasts without revealing Yan Qingshan’s Three-Headed Demonic Dragon Puppet.
• Yan Qingshan’s group broke through the Beast Tide and found an empty region where the surrounding beasts refused to approach.
• Yan Qingshan used the Bodhi Seed to detect a hidden phenomenon and realized the Bodhi Ancient Tree had not yet emerged.

Yan Qingshan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Qingling reached the Bodhi Ancient Tree and encountered five Half-Saint puppets created by it. Yan Qingshan used his Soul Hall puppets to defeat and capture them, then reflected on how much he had begun relying on puppets.

• Yan Qingshan led Xiao Yi Xian and Qingling toward the Bodhi Ancient Tree, where Qingling sensed a hidden aura of negative emotions.
• The group approached the tree and saw five soulless Half-Saint puppets emerge from its branches.
• Yan Qingshan released three puppets made from Soul Hall experts, including the Soul Hall Vice Master, to fight the five Half-Saints.
• The Soul Hall puppets overwhelmed the Half-Saints, and Yan Qingshan sealed all five into black coffins and stored them.
• Yan Qingshan recalled his puppets to their coffins and wondered whether he had started developing in Orochimaru's direction.

Yan Qingshan approached the Bodhi Ancient Tree and was drawn into its illusions, but used the Bodhi Seed to break free. He then witnessed visions revealing the tree’s ancient battle with a Dou Emperor and the corruption that followed.

• Yan Qingshan led Xiao Yi Xian and Qingling through a spatial passage to the Bodhi Ancient Tree and told them to wait while he approached it.
• The Bodhi Heart released a beam of light that pulled Yan Qingshan into the tree, where he faced illusions of immense power and a Beast Tide.
• Yan Qingshan recognized the visions as false and used the Bodhi Seed to dispel the illusion and clear its lingering effects.
• The Bodhi Ancient Tree showed Yan Qingshan an imprint of its battle with a Dou Emperor who had tried to refine it.
• The vision showed the Dou Emperor being ambushed and killed, after which black currents entered the Bodhi Ancient Tree and tainted its pure aura.

Yan Qingshan used Bodhi Seeds and his Green Lotus Core Flame to purge the black energy left by a dead Dou Emperor from the Bodhi Ancient Tree, while cultivating its trust and imprinting his power on it. Once the tree was cleansed, it carried him toward its core as Qingling and Xiao Yi Xian sensed the change from outside.

• Yan Qingshan learned that a dead Dou Emperor's lingering negative energy had weakened and corrupted the Bodhi Ancient Tree.
• Yan Qingshan refined Bodhi Seeds with his Green Lotus Core Flame, sending their clear energy into the tree and drawing out the black energy.
• The Bodhi Ancient Tree supplied Yan Qingshan with pure energy, restoring and strengthening his Dou Qi as he gradually imprinted his power on it.
• Yan Qingshan continued refining Bodhi Seeds until he had expelled the final thread of black energy from the Bodhi Ancient Tree.
• The cleansed Bodhi Ancient Tree showed Yan Qingshan affection and carried him toward its glowing core, while Qingling told Xiao Yi Xian that the poisonous negative energy had disappeared.

Yan Qingshan awoke after enduring a hundred reincarnations and reached the peak of the Half-Saint realm, though he had not yet refined the Bodhi Heart. He gave Xiao Yi Xian the Dou Emperor Remnant Soul as the foundation for her Poison Pill, then brought the Bodhi Ancient Tree into the space within his body.

• After more than a month of waiting, Xiao Yi Xian and Qingling watched Yan Qingshan awaken inside the Bodhi Ancient Tree and learn that he had reached the peak of the Half-Saint realm.
• Yan Qingshan explained that he had endured a hundred reincarnations and had helped the Bodhi Ancient Tree refine the Dou Emperor Remnant Soul.
• Yan Qingshan gave Xiao Yi Xian the remnant soul sealed in a jade bottle, telling her to use it as the main ingredient for a Poison Pill.
• The Bodhi Ancient Tree revealed more than twenty Bodhi Seeds, which Yan Qingshan gathered and stored.
• Yan Qingshan drew the Bodhi Ancient Tree from the earth and absorbed it into the space within his body.

Yan Qingshan revealed the Flame of Life to Old Man Shennong in the Ancient Wilderness Domain, where Shennong lost control under the Heavenly Flame’s influence. The Three-Headed Demonic Dragon restrained him, and Shennong regained himself, exhausted.

• Yan Qingshan explained that the Bodhi Ancient Tree had agreed to leave with him, though he had not yet refined or subdued it.
• Yan Qingshan sensed Old Man Shennong’s presence and took Xiao Yi Xian and Qingling toward him aboard the Ancient Sky Demon Python.
• Yan Qingshan met Old Man Shennong in a medicinal-herb valley and revealed the Flame of Life.
• Old Man Shennong became unstable as he stared at the Flame of Life, and Qingling warned Yan Qingshan to be careful.
• Yan Qingshan ordered the Three-Headed Demonic Dragon to restrain Old Man Shennong, who soon regained control but appeared exhausted.

Yan Qingshan kept the Flame of Life after calming Old Man Shennong and invited him to lead the Pill Realm in exchange for a chance to advance to Seven Star Dou Saint. Shennong doubted the failing realm could be saved, so Yan Qingshan hinted that he had a way to stabilize it.

• Yan Qingshan restored the damaged spiritual herbs, explained how he had refined the Source of Myriad Woods, and accepted the Flame of Life from Old Man Shennong.
• Yan Qingshan called Old Man Shennong back and spoke of the Pill Tower’s enmity with the Hun Clan and his intention to recruit him.
• Yan Qingshan offered Shennong leadership of the Pill Realm and the prospect of reaching Seven Star Dou Saint.
• Old Man Shennong refused, explaining that the Pill Realm was near destruction and difficult to repair.
• Yan Qingshan revealed that the Pill Realm lacked something to stabilize it and asked Shennong to consider what he could do if Yan supplied the solution.

Yan Qingshan secured Old Man Shennong’s help and returned to the Pill Tower, where he learned the ancient Imperial Clans were preparing to send their younger generations into the Central Plains. He brought Old Man Shennong and his companions to the Small Pill Tower to make arrangements before entering seclusion, while the Pill Tower Ancestor’s uncertain whereabouts remained a concern.

• Yan Qingshan revealed the Bodhi Ancient Tree to Old Man Shennong, who agreed to join him and help protect the Pill Realm from destruction.
• Yan Qingshan returned to the Pill Tower with Xiao Yi Xian, Qingling, and Old Man Shennong, where Ye Xinlan and Cao Ying welcomed him.
• Cao Ying told Yan Qingshan that Heavenly Thunder Child had entered seclusion and Xuan Yi had gone to Starfall Pavilion to investigate the Hun Clan’s latest moves.
• Yan Qingshan learned the ancient Imperial Clans were preparing to send their powerful younger generations into the Central Plains and chose not to interfere for now.
• Yan Qingshan led Old Man Shennong and the others through a Spatial Passage to the Small Pill Tower and discussed the Pill Tower Ancestor’s origins and cultivation.