Chapter Summaries

Yang Shan returned to the ruined Soul Sweeping Branch Hall and learned from Hun Dan that the Soul Palace’s Earth Fiend Branch Halls had declined sharply. After signing a confidentiality agreement, he heard how the Soul Clan’s abuses during past Five-Hundred-Year Trends led to a continent-wide war against them.

• Yang Shan and Protector Wu entered the Soul Sweeping Mountain Range using Jade Pendants and insect-repellent potion, then saw the dilapidated Soul Sweeping Branch Hall.
• Hun Dan emerged through a spatial rift and brought Yang Shan and Protector Wu to his manor, where Yang Shan demanded an explanation for the branch hall’s condition.
• Hun Dan explained that a Soul Clan prodigy and a Xiao Clan prodigy fought there a thousand years earlier, destroying much of the branch hall.
• Hun Dan told Yang Shan that the Soul Palace had once maintained twenty-four Earth Fiend Branch Halls but now had only sixteen, with many in ruins.
• Yang Shan signed a confidentiality agreement and learned that the Soul Clan’s practice of killing people to harvest souls provoked the other ancient clans and helped trigger a great war.

Hun Dan recounted the Soul Clan’s history, from its defeat in an ancient war to the Tunling Clan’s invasion and the disappearance of the era’s strongest Dou Shengs. Yang Shan pieced together the Soul Palace’s decline and resolved to rebuild it before the next Five-Hundred-Year Trend.

• Hun Dan explained how the Tunling Clan hunted bloodlines, destroyed two ancient clans, and was eventually defeated by an alliance of the transcendent factions at the cost of many powerful experts.
• Hun Dan described how the Soul Clan’s losses and its feud with Xiao Xuan left it wary and weakened, while the Xiao Clan grew into the faction others feared most.
• Hun Dan admitted he had lied about his older brother’s Branch Hall and revealed that LiezU had spent three thousand years cleaning up after the Soul Clan’s prodigies.
• Yang Shan connected Hun Dan’s account to the game’s expanded history and concluded that the Soul Palace was far less powerful than it had been in the original novel.
• Yang Shan decided to focus on rebuilding the ruined Soul Palace and preparing it to find talent before the approaching Five-Hundred-Year Trend.

Yang Shan helped Hun Dan plan to run Soul Hall’s rebuilt branch as an independent paid assassination group, then traveled back toward the Northern Region to contact Wind and Thunder Pavilion. He learned that Thunder Lord had been badly wounded by Yan Ling Venerate, and saw an opportunity in the news.

• Hun Dan told Yang Shan about his forces, Soul Hall tokens, and limited rebuilding resources, and Yang Shan proposed returning to their old trade of taking money to solve problems.
• Yang Shan advised Hun Dan to make his operations appear personal rather than officially backed by Soul Hall, while relying on Soul Hall’s protection to deter retaliation.
• Yang Shan told Hun Dan to repair only essential branch buildings, gather resource requests for Soul Hall headquarters, and equip his people with voice transmission artifacts.
• Yang Shan traveled through Space Wormholes until he could use his Wind and Thunder Token, but Thunder Lord did not answer, so he contacted Feng Qing'er.
• Feng Qing'er told Yang Shan that Yan Ling Venerate had injured Thunder Lord and that she was temporarily managing Wind and Thunder Pavilion; Yang Shan called the news excellent.

Feng Qing'er accepted Yang Shan’s mission to spread word of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion’s vulnerability and find Yan Ling Venerate, while Hun Miesheng approved Hun Dan’s plans for Soul Hall and ordered Gu You to support him. The chapter left Hun Dan positioned to gain greater backing as he pursued influence within the Soul Clan.

• Feng Qing'er reflected on Yang Shan’s hidden connections and the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan’s dismissal of her talent, then resolved to prove herself by completing his assignment flawlessly.
• Feng Qing'er warned Huang Chao not to return while Yan Ling Venerate posed a threat, but Huang Chao rejected her advice and cut off their communication.
• Hun Fansheng’s request reached Hun Miesheng through Gu You, who sought approval to publicize Soul Hall’s stance and support Hun Dan’s work.
• Hun Miesheng explained that Hun Dan’s apparent arrogance and choice of the dilapidated Soul Sweeping Branch Hall revealed ambitions beyond competing for the Young Master position.
• Hun Miesheng ordered Gu You to replace the candidate for Hun Dan’s Heavenly Venerate Token with someone more reliable and to grant Hun Dan additional resources if he performed well.

Yang Shan, Hun Dan, and Protector Wu traveled to the Northern Region with Feng Qing'er to hunt down Yan Ling Venerate, who had recovered from his injuries using Yang Shan’s Blood Accumulation Spirit Flower. When Yan Ling Venerate attacked, Yang Shan revealed a devastating blade technique and the identity of Old Ghost Zhaixing.

• The Soul Hall publicized Hun Dan’s independence while quietly spreading the name of the Soul Sweeping Tower across the Central Plains.
• Yang Shan, Hun Dan, and Protector Wu met Feng Qing'er in the Northern Region and agreed to help her find Yan Ling Venerate.
• Feng Qing'er led the group to Ten Thousand Serpent Gorge, where Hun Dan used a secret technique to locate Yan Ling Venerate.
• Yan Ling Venerate revealed that he had recovered with an eighth-tier Blood Accumulation Spirit Flower, and Yang Shan claimed the flower was his.
• Yan Ling Venerate attacked Yang Shan, who summoned the Star Shattering Blade and identified himself as Old Ghost Zhaixing.

Yang Shan’s Soul Sweeping Tower mission ended with Old Ghost Zhaixing defeating Yan Ling Venerate, whom Yang Shan then killed with the Soul Shattering Finger. The kill earned Yang Shan enough experience to advance from Five Star Dou Zong to Nine Star Dou Zong.

• Yang Shan arranged for Old Ghost Zhaixing to assist Soul Sweeping Tower’s attack on Yan Ling Venerate and was surprised to learn the summoned Heavenly Venerate was at the peak of Five Star Dou Zun.
• Old Ghost Zhaixing shattered Yan Ling Venerate’s defenses with his giant blade, then stopped the attack just short of killing him and left him barely alive.
• Hun Dan protected Yang Shan and the others from the blast, while Old Ghost Zhaixing handed the defeated Yan Ling Venerate over to Yang Shan.
• Yang Shan’s first finger strike failed to pierce Yan Ling Venerate’s Dou Zun-tempered body, so he spent two thousand points of Dou Qi and used the Soul Shattering Finger.
• Yang Shan killed Yan Ling Venerate with the enhanced attack and received enough experience to reach Seven-Star, Eight-Star, and then Nine Star Dou Zong.

Yang Shan used his kill of Yan Ling Venerate to stage a dramatic breakthrough from Five-Star to Nine-Star Dou Zong, convincing Soul Hall observers that a mental obstacle had driven his sudden growth. Feng Qing'er took his explanation seriously and identified her pride as her own obstacle, while Yan Ling Venerate's corpse later drew spies to Eastern Thunder City.

• Yang Shan's perfected Soul Shattering Finger killed Yan Ling Venerate by destroying his internal organs, and Yang Shan's cultivation surged to Nine-Star Dou Zong.
• Old Ghost Zhaixing, Hun Dan, Feng Qing'er, and Protector Wu reacted with shock, while Old Ghost Zhaixing gathered Yan Ling Venerate's scattered soul.
• Yang Shan explained that killing a Dou Zun had cleared his mental obstacle, and Old Ghost Zhaixing accepted the explanation and praised his potential.
• Hun Dan asked how to create a mental obstacle, while Feng Qing'er recognized her pride as her own and received a message that defeating Jiu Feng could resolve it.
• Feng Qing'er thanked the group on behalf of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion and offered to settle their reward after they returned.
• Two days later, Yan Ling Venerate's corpse hung at Eastern Thunder City's gates, attracting spies who wondered whether Thunder Lord had advanced to Four-Star Dou Zun.

Hun Dan represented the Soul Sweeping Tower in negotiations with the Heavenly Underworld Sect, offering to investigate Yi Chen’s death and sell Heavenly Underworld Child a valuable secret. The chapter ended as Hun Dan revealed that the secret concerned a Dou Di.

• Thunder Lord publicized the Soul Sweeping Tower’s services, and the Tower announced its unusual rules for accepting missions.
• Heavenly Underworld Child questioned Chen Tiannan about Yi Chen’s death and ordered him to contact the Soul Sweeping Tower for an investigation.
• Chen Tiannan reported that Hun Dan had arrived at the Heavenly Underworld Sect and requested a private meeting with Heavenly Underworld Child.
• Heavenly Underworld Child met Hun Dan, who offered to investigate Yi Chen’s death and sell him intelligence about hidden matters.
• Hun Dan said the secret was valuable enough to make Heavenly Underworld Child pay dearly, then revealed that it concerned a Dou Di.

Hun Dan sold Heavenly Underworld Child information about the Ten Thousand Treasures Ancient Emperor and negotiated help obtaining Huang Chao’s Hundred Treasures Token. After Heavenly Underworld Child took the token and buried Huang Chao under seals, Yang Shan decided to seek Feng Qing’er’s help with a hidden mark and focus on growing stronger.

• Hun Dan told Heavenly Underworld Child about the Ten Thousand Treasures Emperor Trove, and Heavenly Underworld Child agreed to pay him to keep the secret and help acquire Huang Chao’s token.
• Heavenly Underworld Child and Hun Dan arranged to take the token without killing Huang Chao, whose body carried a mark that could draw the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan’s attention.
• Disguised as a mysterious expert, Heavenly Underworld Child forced Huang Chao to hand over the Hundred Treasures Token, searched him, and confirmed the token was genuine.
• Heavenly Underworld Child knocked Huang Chao unconscious, buried him beneath multiple seals, and left him alive so the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan would find him later.
• Yang Shan learned that Huang Chao had been captured and decided to ask Feng Qing’er about the hidden mark while pursuing a breakthrough to Dou Zun.
• Yang Shan and Su Yitang exchanged messages at the same time, with Su Yitang inviting him to fly together and Yang Shan inviting him to see the furry children.

Yang Shan and Su Yitang discussed Murong Yan’s rise and Sound Valley’s Long Song Valley secret realm, then officially began dating after Yang Shan gave her a handmade gold bracelet. Back in the game, Yang Shan was interrupted by Protector Wu, who reported that the Soul Sweeping Tower had received a mission to exterminate a clan.

• Yang Shan visited Su Yitang, read her notes about Long Song Valley, and learned that Murong Yan had discovered the secret realm and qualified to enter it.
• Yang Shan kissed Su Yitang, then gave her a handmade gold bracelet and declared that their dating stage had begun.
• Yang Shan and Su Yitang agreed that Murong Yan should become Sound Valley’s public face and that they should focus on the Long Song Valley trial.
• Yang Shan returned to the game, where Protector Wu reported that the Soul Sweeping Tower had received a mission to exterminate an entire clan.

Yang Shan accepted Star Gathering Commerce’s Extermination Order and led Soul Sweeping Tower forces to destroy the Wealth Acquisition Sect. After killing its leaders, he ordered Protector Wu to search the entire faction and leave no survivors.

• Yang Shan learned that the Wealth Acquisition Sect had been robbing Star Gathering Commerce’s convoys and accepted the lucrative Extermination Order.
• Yang Shan and his forces reached the Wealth Acquisition Sect’s headquarters near Seven Star City and sealed it with a Soul Locking Formation.
• Yang Shan attacked Xu Jincai while Protector Wu bound the other Dou Zong experts, preventing them from escaping.
• Yang Shan killed Xu Jincai and the other Wealth Acquisition Sect experts, collecting their souls before ordering the remaining members killed.
• Yang Shan stopped Protector Wu from withdrawing the formation and ordered him to search thoroughly until every living member of the faction was dead.

Yang Shan discovered Tang Huo'er among maidservants imprisoned by the Wealth Acquisition Sect and arranged to rescue her without exposing his identities. After exterminating the sect, he freed the captives and told Tang Huo'er she could return to Seven Star City, but she hurried after him as he left.

• Protector Wu searched the Wealth Acquisition Sect, uncovered a hidden cave holding Star Gathering Commerce maidservants, and reported that Xu Jincai had abducted them.
• Yang Shan recognized Tang Huo'er among the captives and ordered Protector Wu to spare the maidservants, then staged a meeting with his Thunder Illusory Body to conceal his movements.
• Yang Shan left Protector Wu in charge of the Soul Sweeping Branch Hall and decided to stay in Seven Star City to spend time with Tang Huo'er and address her hidden ailment.
• Tang Huo'er waited in the cave, confident she could escape with her Space Jade Slip, until Yang Shan arrived and cut the maidservants' chains with a single blade strike.
• Yang Shan mistook Tang Huo'er's raised Dou Qi for a threat, but a maidservant explained she had come to help; after Yang Shan said the sect was already destroyed and turned to leave, Tang Huo'er hurried after him.

Yang Shan discovered that Tang Huo'er had quickly gained favorability toward him and agreed to spar with her, concealing his identity at first. After he easily defended against her attacks and dodged her Taiyi Fire Luo Palm, Tang Huo'er recognized him as the Young Pavilion Master of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion, while he questioned her connection to Burning Flame Valley.

• Yang Shan received two favorability increases from Tang Huo'er for his looks and decisive conduct, and saved screenshots to prove his appearance could rival Lin Xiuya's.
• Tang Huo'er caught up with Yang Shan and asked to spar, and he reluctantly agreed after warning her that she was too weak to fight him.
• Yang Shan adjusted his strength to thirty percent, while Tang Huo'er equipped fiery gauntlets and attacked with her Pure Yang Fierce Force.
• Yang Shan blocked all of Tang Huo'er's punches without moving, and she followed with a Taiyi Fire Luo Palm that he dodged using scarlet lightning.
• Tang Huo'er recognized Yang Shan as the Young Pavilion Master of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion, and Yang Shan pointed out that her secret technique linked her to Burning Flame Valley.

At Tian Yao Company, Xiao Yan learned that Yang Shan had activated the Fascination System with Tang Huo'er and decided to protect the Player's achievement while turning future announcements into a chance to sell a guide. In the game, Yang Shan and Tang Huo'er shared wine and stories, rapidly raising her favorability before she asked about his red outfit.

• Lao Wang told Xiao Yan that Yang Shan had activated the Fascination System with Tang Huo'er, and Xiao Yan dismissed worries about her fate while planning to ask Yang Shan for an advanced NPC guide later.
• Lao Wang reported that Xiao Mei had triggered the system with Xiao Aotian and that over ten thousand Players had entered the Central Plains, but Xiao Yan declined to start the event before the count reached one hundred thousand.
• Yang Shan hosted Tang Huo'er with Apricot Blossom Wine, and her favorability increased by two as she watched him sip it.
• Yang Shan shared stories of his rise in the Northwest Continent, and Tang Huo'er's favorability increased by four more points, leaving Yang Shan suspicious of the rapid gains.
• Tang Huo'er continued chatting with Yang Shan and asked whether he had worn his red outfit since he began wandering the Jia Ma Empire.

Yang Shan and Tang Huo'er met again in Seven Star City, where their growing affection accompanied a renewed search for the Star Dust Flower. Yang Shan revealed he knew a place where one might be found, but warned Tang Huo'er that the sealed portion of her cultivation made the journey dangerous, then joked that his help would cost dearly.

• Tang Huo'er admired Yang Shan's red cloak and lightning, and a system message announced that she had developed her first stirrings of love for him.
• Yang Shan departed, and Tang Huo'er decided to obtain the Star Dust Flower and visit Wind and Thunder Pavilion so she could meet him again.
• Tang Huo'er learned that Yang Shan had destroyed Wealth Acquisition Sect and that Star Gathering Commerce had given its Star Dust Flower to Soul Sweeping Tower.
• Tang Huo'er unexpectedly found Yang Shan buying a map in Seven Star City and invited him to drink with her.
• Yang Shan and Tang Huo'er shared a meal and Apricot Blossom Wine, and he told her he knew where a Star Dust Flower might be found.
• Yang Shan warned that the location was too dangerous for Tang Huo'er while her cultivation remained sealed, then said the Young Pavilion Master's help would be expensive.

Tang Huo'er endured her recurring Dragon Scorching Pain in secret while Yang Shan waited nearby, then traveled with him toward Starless Perilous Land. At dusk, they reached Star Dust Plain, where Yang Shan revealed he was a seventh-grade alchemist and prepared to search for a rare Star Dust Flower after nightfall.

• Tang Huo'er suffered an hour of Dragon Scorching Pain alone and concealed her hidden injury from Yang Shan.
• At dawn, Tang Huo'er joined Yang Shan on his journey, and their conversation raised her favorability toward him to fifteen.
• Yang Shan brought Tang Huo'er to Star Dust Plain, explaining that he had previously found a mature Star Dust Flower there.
• Tang Huo'er learned that Yang Shan was a seventh-grade alchemist and was astonished that he considered pill refinement a hobby.

Yang Shan and Tang Huo'er fled the Starless Perilous Land after sensing a dangerous presence, which Black Da Sha identified as a Soul Devouring Wolf that Yang Shan hoped to hunt for its soul energy. At their overnight refuge, Yang Shan discovered Tang Huo'er suffering through her recurring Dragon Scorching Pain and restrained her as he prepared to intervene.

• Yang Shan rescued Tang Huo'er from the Star Dust Flower when he sensed a chilling presence, then carried her beyond the Starless Perilous Land.
• Black Da Sha told Yang Shan that the presence likely belonged to a Soul Devouring Wolf, a creature that fed on souls and could grow its Soul Strength without limit.
• Yang Shan decided to investigate the Soul Devouring Wolf the next day, and Tang Huo'er agreed to accompany him, offering to call her father if they encountered danger.
• Yang Shan and Tang Huo'er spent the evening in a cave, but she sent him outside before her Dragon Scorching Pain flared at midnight.
• Yang Shan heard Tang Huo'er crying out in pain, entered the cave, bound her with the Imprisoning Spirit True Skill, and loosened her waistband as he said, "Tang, forgive me!"

Yang Shan suppressed Tang Huo'er’s Dragon Scorching Pain and sealed her Dou Qi, but Tang Zhen arrived and mistook the scene for an assault. Tang Zhen threatened to kill Yang Shan, who challenged him while Tang Huo'er remained unable to move or speak.

• Yang Shan used the Sea Heart Flame, Extraterrestrial Ghoul Lightning, and his dragon bloodline to ease Tang Huo'er’s hidden ailment.
• Yang Shan completed a modified Imprisoning Spirit True Skill seal on Tang Huo'er, suppressing her Dou Qi and ending her pain.
• Tang Huo'er’s Space Jade Slip shattered, and Tang Zhen appeared through a spatial rift.
• Tang Zhen saw Tang Huo'er’s disheveled state and raised his Nine Dragons Thunder Flame against Yang Shan.
• Yang Shan kept Tang Huo'er from intervening and challenged Tang Zhen to kill him.

Yang Shan survived Tang Zhen’s attack by carefully staging his injuries, then accepted Tang Zhen’s thanks for suppressing Tang Huo’er’s hidden ailment. Tang Zhen offered to repay him, and Yang Shan asked for help hunting a Soul Devouring Wolf in the Starless Perilous Land.

• Yang Shan escaped the Nine Dragons Thunder Flame at the last moment, let its force injure him, and used healing pills while Tang Huo’er rushed to his side.
• Yang Shan suppressed the lingering dragon aura with the Sea Heart Flame and Extraterrestrial Ghoul Lightning, then accepted Tang Zhen’s apology without pursuing the misunderstanding.
• Tang Huo’er defended Yang Shan and her favorability toward him rose as she recognized her feelings; Tang Zhen also came to appreciate Yang Shan.
• Tang Zhen examined Tang Huo’er, confirmed Yang Shan’s seal was suppressing her hidden ailment, and promised him a generous reward.
• Yang Shan asked Tang Zhen to help him hunt a Soul Devouring Wolf in the Starless Perilous Land.

Yang Shan and Tang Zhen searched Star Dust Plain for the Soul Devouring Wolf, with Black Da Sha tracking the beast after their own investigations failed. Yang Shan bound the wolf with thunder chains so Tang Zhen could attack, but the wolf revealed a terrifying soul power that made Tang Zhen realize Yang Shan was far stronger than rumors suggested.

• Tang Zhen agreed to help Yang Shan kill the Soul Devouring Wolf before taking the Star Dust Flower, then escorted Tang Huo'er to safety.
• Yang Shan recovered and returned with Tang Zhen to Star Dust Plain, where they could not find the Soul Devouring Wolf.
• Yang Shan summoned Black Da Sha, who sniffed out the wolf's death energy and led them northwest.
• Yang Shan and Tang Zhen found the Soul Devouring Wolf beside a dead seventh-order tiger, and Yang Shan opened with an Overload explosion before binding it with thunder chains.
• Tang Zhen struck the restrained wolf with Taiyi Fire Luo Palm, but the wolf unleashed a powerful soul fluctuation and summoned more than a hundred magical beast phantoms, astonishing Tang Zhen.