Chapter Summaries

Yan Qingshan and the Dou Qi-sealed Yun Zhi grew close while hiding in a cave, but their playful, intimate relationship ended when her seal was broken. As Yun Zhi prepared to leave, Yan Qingshan called her by her true identity, Yun Yun, and she turned back with a sharp gaze.

• Yan Qingshan cared for Yun Zhi in the cave, and their bond deepened during several days together.
• After Yun Zhi went outside despite his warning, Yan Qingshan returned injured, and she anxiously embraced him; he stole a kiss and teased her.
• Yun Zhi later confronted Yan Qingshan with a sword, but he disarmed her and carried her to the stone bed before making her faint instead of going further.
• Yun Zhi woke beside Yan Qingshan, trusted that he had not taken advantage of her, and struggled with her feelings for him.
• The next morning, Yun Zhi revealed that her seal had been broken and prepared to leave; Yan Qingshan called her Yun Yun, and she turned back with a piercing gaze.

Yan Qingshan revealed that he had recognized Yun Yun and explained his ties to the Amethyst Winged Lion King, which entrusted its cub Amethyst to him. He brought Yun Yun to Misty Cloud Mountain with the Amethyst Cloud Crystal, and she told him to leave before anyone discovered him.

• Yun Yun confronted Yan Qingshan, who admitted he had guessed she was the Dou Emperor Yun Yun.
• The Amethyst Winged Lion King and its cub entered the cave, and Amethyst greeted Yan Qingshan affectionately.
• Yan Qingshan explained that he had called the Lion King to clear up its misunderstanding with Yun Yun and obtain the Amethyst Cloud Crystal.
• The Amethyst Winged Lion King gave Yan Qingshan Amethyst to care for, then left the cub to venture into the wider world with him.
• Yan Qingshan carried Yun Yun on Amethyst to Misty Cloud Mountain, where Yun Yun told him to return at noon to exchange for the crystal and warned him to leave before anyone found him.

Yan Qingshan forced a meeting with Yun Shan, the former Misty Cloud Sect leader, and warned him that his cooperation with the Soul Hall threatened the sect. Yun Shan reacted with suspicion and anger, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Yan Qingshan told Yun Yun he intended to see Yun Shan, but she refused to wake her master without a life-or-death crisis.
• Yan Qingshan confirmed through Ya Fei that a powerful figure had emerged from seclusion and arranged a visit to Misty Cloud Mountain.
• Yan Qingshan returned to the Misty Cloud Sect with the unconscious Yun Leng and the Cloud Flute, persuading Yun Yun to summon Yun Shan.
• Yun Shan arrived and questioned Yun Yun about disturbing his seclusion and Yun Leng's condition.
• Yan Qingshan introduced himself to Yun Shan and warned him that his cooperation with the Soul Hall put the Misty Cloud Sect in danger.
• Yun Shan dismissed Yan Qingshan's warning and challenged his attempt to intimidate him.

Yan Qingshan exposed the Soul Hall’s hidden restriction on Yun Shan and warned that its influence could devastate the Jia Ma Empire, but Yun Shan refused to abandon his plans. As Jia Xingtian and Yun Yun tried to stop him, a new figure appeared behind Yun Shan, confirming Yan Qingshan’s warning.

• Yan Qingshan warned Yun Shan that the Soul Hall had planted a restriction in his soul, and Yun Shan inspected his sea of consciousness and discovered it.
• Yan Qingshan described the Soul Hall’s reach and its role in inciting conflicts, but Yun Shan insisted that strength and benefits mattered more than the danger.
• Jia Xingtian appeared as a Dou Zong and confronted Yun Shan, revealing that royal troops surrounded the Misty Cloud Sect and its elders had been incapacitated.
• Yun Shan rejected Jia Xingtian’s threat, vowed to hunt the royal family if the sect was attacked, and ignored Yun Yun’s plea to reconsider.
• Yan Qingshan warned that Yun Shan would not be allowed to leave if he persisted, and a beautiful woman appeared behind Yun Shan and said Yan Qingshan was right.

Yan Qingshan forced Yun Shan to abandon his alliance with the Soul Hall and persuaded him to help arrange a Grand Gathering of Experts that could expand the Jia Ma Empire’s territory. Half a month later, the gathering drew the empire’s leading experts to the Misty Cloud Sect, while Fa Ma suspected that Jia Xingtian and his allies were plotting something.

• Queen Medusa and Jia Xingtian joined forces against Yun Shan, while Yan Qingshan revealed that she had agreed to help him in exchange for aid to her and the Snake-people Race.
• Yan Qingshan had Old Ya incapacitate Yun Shan with soul force, then warned him that the Soul Hall had enemies and persuaded him to discuss cooperation.
• Yan Qingshan proposed using the Soul Hall’s interest in collecting souls to arrange a Grand Gathering of Experts among the Jia Ma, Yanluo, Mulan, and Chu Yun empires.
• Yun Shan announced the gathering as an effort to display the Jia Ma Empire’s strength and reclaim interests lost during its decline.
• Yun Yun addressed the assembled experts at the Misty Cloud Sect, while Fa Ma questioned Hai Bodong about Jia Xingtian and the imperial family’s secret plans.

Yun Yun rejected Gu He’s feelings and struggled with her own relationship with Yan Qingshan as the Grand Gathering of Experts approached. At Black Mountain Fortress, experts from the Jia Ma Empire and neighboring empires gathered, anticipating a major clash between the Misty Cloud Sect and three rival powers.

• Yun Yun warned the gathered experts to support the Jia Ma Empire’s efforts, and Yun Shan demonstrated techniques for them.
• Gu He gave Yun Yun medicine he had refined for Yanran, confessed his feelings, and announced that he would enter seclusion to break through to Dou Emperor after Yun Yun rejected him.
• Yan Qingshan teased Yun Yun about taking Gu He’s place, and Yun Yun angrily scolded him over his other romantic entanglements before leaving.
• Black Mountain Fortress filled with fighters and experts from the Jia Ma Empire, Chu Yun, Luoyan, Mulan, and other neighboring empires as the Grand Gathering of Experts drew near.
• Experts at the fortress discussed the strength of Luoyan Tian, Mulan Valley’s Three Elders, and Xie Biyan, and questioned whether the Misty Cloud Sect had acted too boldly.

Yun Shan and the Jia Ma Empire’s experts gathered at Black Mountain Fortress for the Grand Gathering of Experts, facing forces from three neighboring nations. As the battle began, Yan Luotian, the Mulan Three Elders, and Xie Biyan confronted Yun Shan’s side.

• The Jia Ma Empire’s leaders and experts assembled at Black Mountain Fortress as three foreign armies approached.
• Yun Shan arrived and joined Yun Yun and the empire’s gathered experts, including Yan Qingshan and the Yao Clan Three Brothers.
• Fa Ma warned Yun Shan about Yan Luotian, the Mulan Three Elders, and Xie Biyan, but Yun Shan said he was confident.
• Yun Shan sent the Jia Ma experts to meet their opponents in the air as the Grand Gathering’s battle began.
• Yan Luotian taunted Yun Shan and threatened Yun Yun, while the Mulan Three Elders challenged him.
• Xie Biyan emerged among the Chu Yun Empire’s Poison Masters and addressed Yun Shan.

Yan Qingshan challenged the Mulan Three Elders after Jia Ma Empire’s fighters struggled against Mulan Empire, and the elders unleashed their Three Beasts Savage Desolation Art. He attacked with a technique that created numerous indistinguishable copies, but Elder Hu identified one as real and struck it down.

• Xie Biyan, Yun Shan, Yan Luotian, and the Mulan Three Elders agreed to settle the empires’ disputes through successive battles rather than fight together.
• Ryan defeated Yan Shi’s attack and gained the advantage, while Feng Li later fought a Mulan Empire expert to an inconclusive draw.
• Yan Qingshan challenged the Mulan Three Elders and knocked away a Mulan Empire Dou Wang who tried to stop him.
• Yan Qingshan summoned Yun Yun’s treasured sword and attacked the elders, prompting them to form their Three Beasts Savage Desolation Art.
• Yan Qingshan created dozens of indistinguishable copies with his petal technique, and Elder Hu struck one that appeared to be his real body, shattering it.

Yan Qingshan used the true form of A Single Thought Blooms to trap the Mulan Three Elders in an assault of clones and indistinguishable afterimages. As their battle reached its turning point, Yun Shan attacked Yan Luotian, while the Chu Yun Empire’s experts prepared to act.

• Yan Qingshan’s clones drew attacks from the Mulan Three Elders, revealing the weaknesses of their Three Beasts Savage Desolation Art.
• The Mulan Three Elders transferred their Dou Zong-level power between themselves and used the Lion Head Elder’s roar to destroy several of Yan Qingshan’s clones.
• Yan Qingshan unveiled A Single Thought Blooms: King Descends, surrounding the Mulan Three Elders with real clones and deceptive silver afterimages.
• Yun Shan left Black Mountain Fortress and challenged Yan Luotian, then wounded him during their exchange of attacks.
• As the armies watched the battles, a middle-aged man beside Xie Biyan urged him to seize the opportunity.

Yan Qingshan defeated the Mulan Three Elders with help from a mysterious beauty, while the Jia Ma Empire’s battle against the Mulan and Luoyan forces suddenly drew in the Snake-people Race. The chapter ended with Xie Biyan leading the Chu Yun Empire into the fight as Yan Luotian found himself cornered.

• Xie Biyan refused Xie Shan’s suggestion to attack while the Mulan Three Elders and Yan Luotian were fighting, and Yan Luotian rejected Xie Biyan’s offer of help.
• Yun Shan ordered the Jia Ma Empire’s experts to attack, and Yun Yun led them into the melee as the Mulan and Luoyan forces also joined the battle.
• Lion Head Elder mistook Yan Qingshan’s silver light shadow for his target, but Yan Qingshan endured his Dou Zong punch and struck him down with an azure dragon technique.
• Yan Qingshan announced that he had two allies, and a mysterious beauty killed Elder Hu and Elder Xiong with a strike of seven-colored light.
• A Snake-people Race beauty poisoned the wounded Lion Head Elder, while Snake-people experts arrived and four peak Dou Emperors surrounded the battlefield.
• Xie Biyan led the Chu Yun Empire’s experts into battle, while Yan Luotian was left near Yun Shan and unable to escape easily.

Xie Biyan was trapped after Jia Xingtian and Yun Shan killed Yan Luotian, and Yan Qingshan killed Xie Shan. After Xie Biyan revealed his Blood Soul Art and transformed into a half-man, half-scorpion monster, he attacked Queen Medusa and clashed with Yun Shan.

• Queen Medusa blocked Xie Biyan while Yun Shan bound Yan Luotian and Jia Xingtian killed him with a surprise attack.
• Xie Biyan sent Xie Shan and the Myriad Scorpions Gate elites to flee, then stayed behind to face Queen Medusa, Yun Shan, and Jia Xingtian.
• Yan Qingshan arrived carrying Xie Shan's corpse, revealing that Xie Shan had been killed after leaving.
• Xie Biyan used the Blood Soul Art to fuse with the Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor and gain strength comparable to a four-star Dou Zong.
• Xie Biyan attacked Queen Medusa and clamped her seven-colored sword in his pincers, while Yun Shan struck at him with Wind Break Annihilation Aura.

Queen Medusa and the Snake-people Race's Four Grand Elders joined forces to overwhelm Xie Biyan with the Five Snake Poison Brake Array. As the battle ended, three Soul Hall Protectors plotted against Yun Shan while an unseen watcher observed them.

• Yun Shan and Xie Biyan emerged from their clash badly injured, and Queen Medusa summoned her Serpent Spirit Avatar as the fighters withdrew.
• Queen Medusa and the Four Grand Elders activated the Five Snake Poison Brake Array, merging their power into her giant python form and raising her strength beyond five-star Dou Zong.
• Queen Medusa's python overwhelmed Xie Biyan's Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor, while Yun Shan and Jia Xingtian reconsidered their opposition to the Snake-people Race.
• Protector Wu, Protector Tie, and Protector Xuan discussed collecting the fallen experts' souls and retaliating against Yun Shan, unaware that a hidden figure watched them.
• Queen Medusa struck down Xie Biyan's Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor, leaving him weakened as the Four Grand Elders recovered from the array's strain.

Queen Medusa defeated Xie Biyan, leaving him gravely wounded as the three allied empires’ forces faced ruin. Before he could be finished off, Xie Biyan struck Yan Qingshan with a Demonic Poison Mark, and Fa Ma explained that the spreading poison would rot his meridians and kill him slowly.

• Queen Medusa confronted the defeated Xie Biyan and rejected his excuses for losing.
• Yan Qingshan admitted that he had helped arrange the ambush and the breakthroughs of Medusa and Jia Xingtian.
• Xie Biyan began to self-destruct, then instead spat a black beam toward Yun Yun; Yan Qingshan pulled her aside, but the beam turned and struck him.
• Xie Biyan revealed that the black mark was his Demonic Poison Mark, while Medusa and the others rushed to examine Yan Qingshan.
• Fa Ma explained that poisonous threads from the mark would spread through Yan Qingshan’s acupoints, rot his meridians, and slowly kill him.

After Xie Biyan’s Demonic Poison Mark struck Yan Qingshan, Medusa feared for his life, but Yan Qingshan insisted he was fine and took control of the dying Dou Zong. He then led Medusa and the others to confront three Soul Hall Protectors, where Yao Chen appeared to face them.

• Medusa demanded an antidote from Xie Biyan, but he said the Demonic Poison Mark had no cure and that Yan Qingshan had only half a year to live.
• Yan Qingshan stopped Medusa from killing Xie Biyan, then tormented the dying man and declared that he would take his Dou Zong body.
• Yan Qingshan and Medusa left Black Mountain Fortress to meet the Soul Hall Protectors, while Yun Shan and Jia Xingtian followed.
• Three Soul Hall Protectors confronted Yun Shan and accused him of using the Soul Hall to lure the three empires’ experts into a trap.
• Yan Qingshan revealed that the Jia Ma Empire intended to eliminate the Protectors too, then called on Old Ya to attack them.
• Old Ya appeared in Xiao Yan’s body, and the Soul Hall Protectors recognized him as Yao Chen and prepared to fight.

Yan Qingshan, Old Ya, Queen Medusa, Yun Shan, and Jia Xingtian trapped and defeated the three Soul Hall Protectors with Old Ya’s restored strength and the Poisonous Body of Misfortune’s source poison. The Protectors were captured and taken back, leaving Old Ya satisfied with his revenge against the Soul Hall.

• Protector Wu and Protector Xuan underestimated Old Ya, but he revealed that he had recovered enough strength to fight as a peak Dou Zong.
• Old Ya battled the three Protectors inside their black mist and revealed that he had secretly mixed the Poisonous Body of Misfortune’s source poison into it.
• The poison afflicted all three Protectors, and they split up to flee as Old Ya and his allies moved to stop them.
• Queen Medusa intercepted and captured Protector Tie, while Yun Shan and Jia Xingtian subdued Protector Xuan under Yan Qingshan’s direction.
• Old Ya restrained Protector Wu, and the group captured all three Soul Hall Protectors and brought them back.

Yan Qingshan’s allies captured three Soul Hall Protectors, and their interrogation confirmed the Soul Hall was targeting the Xiao Family. He secured the Protectors and traded with Old Ya for advanced pill formulas and resurrection methods, while planning to use the Soul Hall’s breach of an agreement to involve Xun’er and the Gu Clan.

• Queen Medusa’s seven-colored seal stripped away the Protectors’ black mist, revealing their injured soul bodies as Yan Qingshan and his allies prepared to seize the three empires.
• After Queen Medusa, Yun Shan, and Jia Xingtian left to make arrangements, Old Ya tortured Protector Wu until he confessed that the Soul Hall planned to abduct Xiao Zhan and was searching for something connected to the Xiao Family.
• Protector Wu revealed what he knew about the Soul Hall, and Yan Qingshan stored the three Protectors in jade bottles and proposed involving Xun’er and the Gu Clan against the Hun Clan.
• Yan Qingshan offered Old Ya Yan Luotian’s corpse and asked for seventh- and eighth-tier pill formulas and resurrection methods; Old Ya agreed in exchange for a share of medicinal ingredients from the conquered empires.

Yan Qingshan had Old Ya seal the Demonic Poison Mark so he could refine its Dou Zong poison over time, then asked about soul cultivation methods. He returned to Black Mountain Fortress as the Jia Ma Empire consolidated its victory, where he found Princess Yaoye overseeing the fortress.

• Old Ya offered to destroy or seal Yan Qingshan's Demonic Poison Mark, and Yan Qingshan chose to keep it sealed for gradual refinement.
• Old Ya sealed the mark for about ten years, and Yan Qingshan gave Xiao Yan a bottle of Soul Nourishing Saliva in return.
• Yan Qingshan asked Old Ya about soul cultivation methods, but Old Ya said he could not pass on his inherited technique and explained their rarity to Xiao Yan after Yan Qingshan left.
• Yan Qingshan returned to Black Mountain Fortress as the Jia Ma Empire's forces defeated the experts of three neighboring empires and began restricting movement in the region.
• Yan Qingshan sealed Black Mountain Fortress for a month and found Princess Yaoye overseeing it on behalf of the royal family.

After the Jia Ma Empire and the Snake-people Race defeated their enemies and settled their alliance, Yan Qingshan prepared to leave for the Black Corner Region. Before departing, he shared intimate farewells with Medusa and Yun Yun.

• The Jia Ma Empire and the Snake-people Race launched a war against the Chu Yun, Yanluo, and Mulan empires, whose armies faltered after losing their top experts.
• The Snake-people Race began moving from the Tagore Desert to a new homeland near the Magical Beast Mountain Range in exchange for guarding against Beast Tides.
• Yan Qingshan studied the Heavenly Wild Goose Nine Movement Wings and told Medusa he planned to travel to Jia Nan Academy to deal with the Soul Hall protectors.
• Yan Qingshan and Medusa shared an intimate farewell after he promised to obtain the materials needed to make her powerful flying wings.
• Yan Qingshan visited the overworked Yun Yun, told her he would leave for the Black Corner Region, and fed her porridge before departing.

Yan Qingshan returned to Jia Nan Academy with Ya Fei and met Xiao Xun'er, who had been receiving reports about turmoil in the Jia Ma Empire. He revealed the Soul Hall's plans against the Xiao Family and urged her to involve her clan, leaving Xiao Xun'er to consider the threat and the broken agreement between the Hun and Gu Clans.

• Yan Qingshan and Ya Fei rode Amethyst to Jia Nan City, where Yan Qingshan told the Amethyst Winged Lion King to ignore the fighting below and hurry.
• A green-clad informant told Xiao Xun'er that the Jia Ma Empire was at war and that Yan Qingshan appeared to be behind the changes; he also said Elder Ling had failed to uncover details about Xiao Yan's mysterious soul.
• Xiao Yu brought Yan Qingshan to meet Xiao Xun'er, while Ya Fei led Xiao Yu away to leave them alone.
• Yan Qingshan brought out Protector Wu and had him recount the Soul Hall's orders concerning the Jia Ma Empire and the Xiao Family.
• Yan Qingshan told Xiao Xun'er that her forces could not stop the threat and pointed out that the orders violated an old agreement between the Hun and Gu Clans.

Yan Qingshan traded Protector Wu to Xiao Xun'er for a soul-cultivation technique, then reunited with his companions at Jia Nan Inner Academy and gave Xiao Yi Xian the Poison Pill Method. He left the group preparing for a period of seclusion before a planned journey to the Central Plains.

• Yan Qingshan negotiated with Xiao Xun'er, giving her Protector Wu in exchange for a soul technique, and she ordered her attendant to summon Elder Ling and report to the clan.
• Yan Qingshan returned to the Inner Academy, playfully restrained Ziyan, and reunited with Xiao Yi Xian and Han Yue.
• Han Yue reported that the Black Corner Region and Yan Qingshan's factions were stable, and Yan Qingshan said Ya Fei had arrived to help with affairs.
• Yan Qingshan gave Xiao Yi Xian the Poison Pill Method, which filled her with relief and joy.
• Yan Qingshan gave Xiao Yi Xian the Bodhi Transforming Saliva and said he planned to travel to the Central Plains after his seclusion.