Chapter Summaries

Yang Shan tracked a Soul Palace Soul Envoy fleeing through the Magical Beast Mountain Range and found Fa Ma, Nalan Jie, and Mitier Tengshan pursuing him. When the envoy tried to escape, Yang Shan leaped into the fight and restrained him with Thunder Guiding Lock.

• Yang Shan recognized the black mist as the Soul Palace’s Dark Soul Mist and recalled that Protector Wu had brought Soul Envoys to the Jia Ma Empire.
• Yang Shan recalled Hoof Shadow, followed the battle between four Dou Wangs, and recorded their fight.
• The Soul Palace Soul Envoy was cornered by Fa Ma, Nalan Jie, and Mitier Tengshan, whom Yang Shan identified as the Alchemist Guild president, the Nalan family patriarch, and the Mittel family head.
• Yang Shan displayed his Alchemist Guild badge and Bauhinia Token as he watched Fa Ma pressure the Soul Envoy with his beast flame.
• The Soul Envoy scattered Dark Soul Mist to cover his escape, but Yang Shan leaped into the air and caught him with Thunder Guiding Lock.

Yang Shan helped Fa Ma, Mitier Tengshan, and Nalan Jie defeat the Soul Palace Soul Envoy Chi Diao, then landed the final blow with Tyrant Blade—Seven Kills. His victory triggered a special storyline, and the reward for the kill would depend on how he spoke with the three prominent figures.

• Yang Shan bound Chi Diao with Thunder Guiding Locks, giving Fa Ma, Mitier Tengshan, and Nalan Jie time to break free of the Dark Soul Mist and attack.
• Yang Shan calculated his Dou Qi reserves and urged the three Dou Wangs to drive Chi Diao within range of his lightning technique.
• Yang Shan briefly restrained Chi Diao again, allowing Nalan Jie, Mitier Tengshan, and Fa Ma to break his defenses and badly wound him.
• Yang Shan used Thunder Spirit Flash to intercept Chi Diao's concealed escape and killed him with Tyrant Blade—Seven Kills.
• Yang Shan gained experience, advanced to an Eight Star Great Fighter, and triggered a special storyline in which his reward depended on his conversation with Fa Ma, Mitier Tengshan, and Nalan Jie.

Yang Shan helped Nalan Jie, Fa Ma, and Mitier Tengshan deal with a Soul Palace Soul Envoy, then used the opportunity to build ties with the three influential Dou Wangs. Fa Ma and Mitier Tengshan jointly rewarded Yang Shan with a fourth-tier mutated Magic Core and invited him to visit their organizations in Gama Holy City.

• Yang Shan claimed he had joined the fight to avenge an elder killed by the Soul Envoy, while keeping the Soul Palace's secrets to himself.
• Nalan Jie praised Yang Shan's courage and combat skill, and Fa Ma recognized his Alchemist Guild badge as proof that he was a Tier-3 Alchemist.
• Fa Ma examined Yang Shan's Bauhinia Token, and Mitier Tengshan realized that Mite'er Ya Fei had given it to Yang Shan to establish a connection with him.
• Fa Ma and Mitier Tengshan each tried to recruit Yang Shan, then privately agreed to offer him a joint reward and invite him to visit the Alchemist Guild and the Mittel Family.
• Fa Ma gave Yang Shan a fourth-tier mutated Magic Core as thanks for helping them against the Soul Envoy.

Yang Shan checked the pill market and found that new alchemists had driven down the prices of Body Tempering Pills and Gathering Yuan Pills. He remained confident in his advantage and invited Chao Bafang to watch him practice alchemy.

• Yang Shan received the Azure Jade Python Flame as compensation after the Soul Palace Soul Envoy storyline, while the three Dou Wangs warned him about the Azure Cloud Association.
• Yang Shan and Chao Bafang exchanged messages about their newly tamed mounts, then met at Cloud Frost City's East Gate, where Yang Shan drew most of the crowd's attention.
• Yang Shan rode Hoof Shadow back to the Cloud Frost Branch and learned that Ya Fei was meeting with senior staff.
• Yang Shan checked the Auction House and found that at least twenty Players were selling Body Tempering Pills, pushing prices down alongside those of Gathering Yuan Pills.
• Yang Shan told Chao Bafang that he would demonstrate alchemy as the server's top alchemist.

Yang Shan tried to refine Bone Sculpting Pills with Chao Bafang watching, but repeated failures gave way to a successful batch of three perfected pills. He refused to sell one to Chao Bafang, promising instead to give him one for free after their price fell.

• Yang Shan prepared the Silver Frost Cauldron and began refining Bone Sculpting Pills while Chao Bafang watched through his shared alchemy perspective.
• Yang Shan cleared the alchemy minigames but failed four consecutive refinement attempts, and Chao Bafang teased him about his bad luck.
• Yang Shan used a King of Beasts magic core for another attempt and successfully refined three perfected Bone Sculpting Pills.
• Yang Shan showed Chao Bafang that each perfected pill granted 12 Free Attributes, then refused to sell him one for now.
• Yang Shan promised Chao Bafang a free pill in a later version, when more players would have access to them and prices would fall.

Zhuang Youqian reached Second Grade Alchemist, strengthening Jin Shankao’s Hero King Manor, while Yang Shan’s rare pills began dominating the Cloud Frost Auction House. After securing his pill sales and setting some aside for Ya Fei, Yang Shan brought her a new investment.

• Zhuang Youqian reported his breakthrough to Jin Shankao, who rewarded him with a day off and promised to take him out.
• Jin Shankao considered how Zhuang Youqian’s pill production had strengthened the Hero King Manor amid the Chai and Pang families’ resource disputes.
• Zhuang Youqian alerted Jin Shankao to Yang Shan’s Bone Sculpting Pills, and Jin saw their auction prices surge alongside bids for Barrier Breaking Pills.
• Yang Shan listed more Barrier Breaking Pills and Bone Sculpting Pills for later auctions, keeping some for Ya Fei.
• Yang Shan met Ya Fei after her meeting and presented the pills as a new investment.

Yang Shan profited from selling Perfect Bone Sculpting Pills, reached Tier-4 Alchemist, and welcomed Zhu Tianpeng to Cloud Frost City. He told Zhu Tianpeng and Chao Bafang that he had called them together because the Dou Wang Tomb was about to open.

• Yang Shan sold three Perfect Bone Sculpting Pills for high prices, bringing his savings back to six figures and his total game earnings into the tens of millions of RMB.
• Yang Shan refined another batch of Perfect Bone Sculpting Pills and became a Tier-4 Alchemist.
• Yang Shan left pills for Ya Fei, listed the rest for auction, and went to meet Zhu Tianpeng and Chao Bafang at Hundred Flavors Inn.
• Zhu Tianpeng and Chao Bafang joked and competed over who deserved the senior title while Yang Shan watched.
• Yang Shan told Zhu Tianpeng and Chao Bafang that the Dou Wang Tomb was about to open and that it was the reason he had summoned Zhu Tianpeng to Cloud Frost City.

Yang Shan explained that the coming Dou Wang Tomb was part of a server-wide Opportunity Ruins event tied to version balancing and the Azure Cloud Association’s secret soul-harvesting scheme. He prepared to claim the tomb’s best item from an Azure Cloud Association NPC, while the official launch of the “Azure Cloud Undercurrent” storyline sparked server-wide anticipation.

• Yang Shan cited Ya Fei as his source and proposed that his group farm monsters and practice coordination before the Dou Wang Tomb opened.
• Yang Shan recalled that the Azure Cloud Association had taken the best item from the tomb in his previous life, so he resolved to kill its NPC and seize the prize.
• Yang Shan led Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng through the Magical Beast Mountain Range for two days, hunting third-tier wood-element King of Beasts and gathering magic cores for the Bone Sculpting Pill.
• The Pang Family and Chai Family issued a hundred search quests each in Cloud Frost City, and Bai Xiaosheng predicted that a city-wide Opportunity Realm would trigger the coming Faction Wars.
• Tian Yao Company announced that the “Azure Cloud Undercurrent” main storyline had begun, confirming Bai Xiaosheng’s prediction and prompting players across the server to prepare for battle.

Cloud Frost City players learned that the Wind Spirit King’s tomb lay at Ten Thousand Beast Cliff and poured toward Ten Thousand Beast Forest to claim its riches. Yang Shan, Chao Bafang, and Zhu Tianpeng joined the expedition, and the advancing players reached a clearing filled with stone steles deep in the forest.

• The system announced the Wind Spirit King’s tomb and the Pang Family and Chai Family offered exploration quests that rewarded players for visiting it.
• Yang Shan, Chao Bafang, and Zhu Tianpeng avoided the packed north gate and set out through the south gate on their mounts, with Zhu Tianpeng’s donkey struggling under his weight until he lured it forward with a carrot.
• Thousands of players charged into Ten Thousand Beast Forest and fought a herd of Man Bulls, killing nearly half of them in the first clash.
• Later waves, including members of Hero King Manor, Tian Hao Alliance, and War Soul Hall, advanced against powerful Magical Beasts while the Pang Family and Chai Family established a camp that became a temporary respawn point.
• The three major guilds pushed deeper into the forest and spotted a broad clearing filled with stone steles.

Jin Shankao and the three major guilds battled through the Azure Wind Wolves guarding the Wind Spirit King Tomb, hoping to reach its stone tablets and main tomb first. As Hero King Manor surged ahead, Yang Shan and his companions suddenly blasted through the wolf pack.

• Jin Shankao negotiated a truce with Wang Tianhao and Tang Baizhan so their guilds would avoid fighting one another while approaching the tomb.
• As more Players gathered around the Azure Wind Wolves, the wolves attacked, and the three guilds retreated before turning back to fight alongside the other Players.
• Hao Yunqi used his Tier 3 Beast Flame to hold back the wolves, while Players began killing them and pushing toward the blank stone tablets.
• Jin Shankao and Ye Suifeng led Hero King Manor forward, and Jin promised each member a one-thousand-yuan red packet to spur their advance.
• Yang Shan, Chao Bafang, and an unfamiliar man rode through the wolf pack, scattering its beasts, and Jin shouted for Yang Shan to take him along.

Yang Shan escorted Jin Shankao and Ye Suifeng through the Azure Wind Wolves to the Wind Spirit King Tomb, where they passed separate trials and entered the Main Tomb Secret Realm. There, Yang Shan deflected an ambush from a group of nearly twenty armed players.

• Yang Shan turned back to help Jin Shankao and Ye Suifeng while Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng continued ahead.
• Yang Shan rode with Jin Shankao and Ye Suifeng through the Azure Wind Wolves, showing off his overwhelming strength as they caught up with Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng.
• The five reached the Wind Spirit King Tomb, passed their individual stone stele trials, and Yang Shan discovered that his trial had been harder than the others'.
• Yang Shan, Chao Bafang, and Zhu Tianpeng entered the Main Tomb Secret Realm before Jin Shankao and Ye Suifeng emerged from their trials.
• An unseen attacker swung a flaming longsword at Yang Shan, who knocked it aside and saw nearly twenty armed players waiting in formation.

Yang Shan, Chao Bafang, and Zhu Tianpeng broke through the Azure Cloud Association’s blockade and explored the Wind Spirit King’s main tomb. Yang Shan learned that the best treasure was sealed and that a five-star Dou Ling led the local branch, while Jin Shankao and Ye Suifeng arrived at the entrance and faced the guards.

• Yang Shan, Chao Bafang, and Zhu Tianpeng forced a gap through Qin Qiang’s eighteen Great Fighters, then escaped while the Azure Cloud Association guards stayed to protect the entrance.
• Yang Shan explained that leaving the guards alive would help block the entrance, and he sent Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng to search the tomb’s collection rooms while he kept watch.
• Yang Shan overheard Azure Cloud Association members say their five-star Dou Ling branch master had not broken the seal on the ruins’ best item, so he decided to wait for more Players before confronting them.
• Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng finished trials for low-quality equipment and began searching other collection rooms as more Azure Cloud Association patrols passed through the corridor.
• Jin Shankao and Ye Suifeng arrived at the entrance, where Jin Shankao told Ye Suifeng to fight the eighteen guards, and Ye Suifeng balked at facing them.

Jin Shankao and Ye Suifeng escaped Qin Qiang’s ambush, while Nalan Yanran led the Pang and Chai Families into the Wind Spirit King’s tomb. After Azure Cloud Association members attacked them at the secret realm exit, Nalan Yanran recognized the attackers’ affiliation.

• Jin Shankao held off eighteen Great Fighters so Ye Suifeng could escape, then fled himself after Qin Qiang shattered Ye Suifeng’s sword energies.
• Jin Shankao saw Nalan Yanran arrive with the Pang and Chai Families and enter the Branch Tomb Secret Realm.
• Nalan Yanran, Pang Yunfei, Chai Lie, and the Chai Family’s Great Elder entered the main tomb together.
• Qin Qiang ordered the Azure Cloud Association members to attack the four as they emerged, but Pang Yunfei and Chai Lie protected their companions with Dou Qi.
• Nalan Yanran killed a Blue Word Seal Great Fighter, took his Storage Ring, and identified the attackers as members of the Azure Cloud Association.

Yang Shan discovered that the Azure Cloud Association was trying to break the seal on the Main Tomb’s inheritance treasure, then persuaded Nalan Yanran to lead the Pang and Chai Families against them. Nalan Yanran’s favorability toward Yang Shan rose as he prepared to gather his companions and follow.

• Nalan Yanran ordered Pang Yunfei and Chai Lie to kill Azure Cloud Association members, while Qin Qiang fled the battle.
• Ye Suifeng saw Qin Qiang escape, and Yang Shan warned Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng to stop beginning new trials and stay hidden.
• Yang Shan followed Qin Qiang to the deepest part of the Main Tomb and saw Qin Jian and the Azure Cloud Association working to break a barrier protecting a green wooden box.
• After Zhu Tianpeng reported that Nalan Yanran was nearby, Yang Shan found her and told her the Azure Cloud Association was pursuing the inheritance treasure.
• Nalan Yanran agreed to gather the Pang and Chai Families, while Yang Shan said he would meet up with his companions and join her; her favorability toward him increased to 21.

Yang Shan hid in the Wind Spirit King's Main Tomb while Nalan Yanran and the two great families fought Qin Jian. After Qin Jian escaped with the treasures, a system notification marked him as a guaranteed drop target, and Yang Shan prepared to pursue him.

• Yang Shan told Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng to avoid fighting and wait for his message while he hid near the tomb's deepest chamber.
• Nalan Yanran led the Pang Family and Chai Family into battle against Qin Jian and the Azure Cloud Association as Qin Jian broke the barrier.
• Qin Jian took a green wooden box and uncovered a second object surrounded by red lightning, then collected the Soul Gathering Pearls.
• Qin Jian fought his way out of the tomb, pursued by Nalan Yanran, Pang Yunfei, and Chai Lie, while Yang Shan ordered Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng to follow him without engaging.
• A system notification told Cloud Frost City Players that Qin Jian had escaped with the Wind Spirit King's precious treasure and that killing him would guarantee its drop.

Yang Shan intervened when Qin Jian nearly defeated Nalan Yanran, then joined Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng to hold Qin Jian back while she recovered. As Pang Yunfei and Chai Lie rejoined the fight, Tang Baizhan’s War Soul Hall moved to seize the kill, setting up a clash with Yang Shan’s allies.

• Yang Shan learned Qin Jian had broken out of the Main Tomb Secret Realm and found Nalan Yanran fighting him in Cloud Frost City.
• Qin Jian shattered Nalan Yanran’s Dou Qi Armor and wounded her, but Yang Shan struck Qin Jian and broke his armor before he could finish her off.
• Yang Shan’s rescue raised Nalan Yanran’s favorability to 26, and he joined Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng in keeping Qin Jian occupied while she recovered.
• Nalan Yanran recovered and returned with Pang Yunfei and Chai Lie, while Yang Shan, Chao Bafang, and Zhu Tianpeng withdrew to recover and wait for a chance to claim the kill.
• Tang Baizhan led War Soul Hall Players to challenge Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng for Qin Jian’s kill, then ordered his men to attack them for a promised red packet.

Yang Shan let Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng hold off War Soul Hall while he fought Qin Jian, but the Tian Hao Alliance then attacked him as well. Protected by Zhu Tianpeng’s Beast Water, Yang Shan cut through the attackers with Tyrant Blade, leaving the battle still raging around Qin Jian.

• Tang Baizhan ordered War Soul Hall to attack, but Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng used their skills and third-tier Beast Water to overwhelm the guild’s players.
• Tang Baizhan saw how much stronger Chao Bafang had become and was astonished by Zhu Tianpeng’s defense.
• Wang Tianhao offered a hundred-thousand bonus for killing Yang Shan, and Hao Yunqi proposed overwhelming him with numbers while Ji Fengchun doubted the plan would work.
• Yang Shan noticed the Tian Hao Alliance gathering and asked Zhu Tianpeng to cover him with Beast Water before the attackers charged.
• Yang Shan cut down the Tian Hao Alliance players with Tyrant Blade, killing them in a single strike as he advanced.

Yang Shan continued cutting down Tian Hao Alliance Players while Jin Shankao and Hero King Manor arrived and chose to avoid fighting him. When Qin Jian struck back and badly injured Nalan Yanran, Yang Shan caught and healed her, then promised to deal with Qin Jian as her favorability toward him rose.

• Yang Shan slaughtered Tian Hao Alliance Players, and Hao Yunqi hoped Hero King Manor's arrival would turn the battle against him.
• Jin Shankao told Yang Shan he had come for favorability and possible gains, while making clear he did not intend to challenge him.
• Yang Shan and Jin Shankao discussed possible cooperation as Yang Shan continued defeating the Tian Hao Alliance Players; Ye Suifeng reconsidered challenging him.
• Qin Jian used Hundred Woods Profound Force to break Nalan Yanran's Dou Qi Armor and send her flying.
• Yang Shan caught Nalan Yanran, gave her healing and Qi Return pills, and promised to handle Qin Jian, raising her favorability to 29.

Yang Shan pursued the badly wounded Qin Jian after Qin Jian threw away the Wind Spirit King's inheritance manual to distract his pursuers. The manual sparked a chaotic fight, while Yang Shan and his allies cornered Qin Jian and prepared to take him down.

• Nalan Yanran took Yang Shan's pill, and she and Qin Jian were left badly wounded after their clash.
• Qin Jian threw an opened azure box and its inheritance manual to distract Pang Yunfei and Chai Lie, then fled north on his mount.
• A Player picked up the manual, whose system information identified it as a Mystic Rank Advanced Skill with a Golden Word Seal, and was killed as the Players fought over it.
• Yang Shan sent Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng after Qin Jian while he pursued him on Hoof Shadow.
• Yang Shan caught up with Qin Jian and stalled him in a fight until Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng arrived together on the Wind Chasing Steed.
• Qin Jian recognized Yang Shan's plan and demanded to know what grudge or enmity Yang Shan had against him.

Yang Shan and his allies defeated Qin Jian, and Yang Shan reached Nine-Star Great Fighter. Qin Jian’s drops included half of the Ghoul Lord Token, which revealed the location of Extraterrestrial Ghoul Lightning in the Black-Corner Region; Yang Shan then chose to return to Cloud Frost City after learning Ye Suifeng had already obtained the Mystic Rank Advanced Skill.

• Yang Shan, Chao Bafang, and Zhu Tianpeng overwhelmed Qin Jian, who tried to escape after taking a pill, but Yang Shan restrained and killed him with a lightning-infused blade strike.
• Yang Shan advanced to Nine-Star Great Fighter and collected Qin Jian’s drops, including half of the Ghoul Lord Token.
• Yang Shan showed Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng the token’s description, revealing that its matching half would lead to Extraterrestrial Ghoul Lightning in the Black-Corner Region.
• Yang Shan told Chao Bafang and Zhu Tianpeng that Ye Suifeng had obtained the Mystic Rank Advanced Skill, then decided to return with them to Cloud Frost City for a feast.