Recaps

Nalan Ye returned to Nalan City with Xiao Yan after they collected valuable medicinal herbs, then discussed the Nalan Empire’s relationship with the Supervisory Left Division with Nalan Jie. He rejected the crown prince position and urged Nalan Jie to arrange marriages for Xiao Yan and Yanran without approaching Xiao Yan directly.

• Xiao Yan chose seven precious medicinal herbs from the spoils and asked Nalan Ye to bring him along on future trips.
• Nalan Ye and his companions reached Nalan City, where Xiao Yan went to the New Xiao Mansion and Nalan Ye returned to the Nalan Residence.
• Nalan Jie asked Nalan Ye to consider becoming crown prince, but Nalan Ye refused and said the Nalan Family should leave major powers to the Supervisory Left Division.
• Nalan Ye told Nalan Jie to arrange marriages for Xiao Yan and Yanran by speaking with Xiao Yan’s two elder brothers, and warned him not to approach Xiao Yan.

Nalan Ye left Little Fairy Doctor to guard Heavenly Flame Venerable while he went to Yun Lan Sect to discuss Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran’s marriage. Yun Yun demanded to know why he had come, and he said he was there about a marriage.

• Heavenly Flame Venerable began extracting Bloodline Essence from the Frost Howl and warned Nalan Ye not to let anyone disturb him.
• Little Fairy Doctor agreed to guard Heavenly Flame Venerable while cultivating, saying she was close to a breakthrough.
• Nalan Ye flew to Yun Lan Sect and asked for Sect Leader Yun Yun to meet him.
• Nalan Ye teased Yun Yun about Yun Shan possibly fathering more children, embarrassing and angering her.
• Yun Yun demanded to know what Nalan Ye wanted, and he replied that he had come about a marriage.

I pushed Yun Yun to accept Nalan Yanran’s marriage to Xiao Yan, then set a wedding date with Nalan Jie and arranged to accompany Yun Yun to the Black-Corner Region. The chapter ended with Heavenly Flame Venerable extracting the Frost Howl’s bloodline essence, bringing him closer to refining a physical body.

• I urged Yun Yun to approve Nalan Yanran’s marriage, but she wanted to wait until Yanran advanced to Dou Wang.
• Nalan Yanran arrived, blushed at the news, and did not object when I said the family and sect would prepare the wedding.
• I invited Yun Yun to the Black-Corner Region under the pretense of buying dowry items, intending to collect an ingredient for the Life Bone Blood Fusion Pill.
• Nalan Jie told me that Nalan Yanran’s wedding to Xiao Yan was set for the twenty-third of next month, about forty days away, and I told him to spare no expense.
• Heavenly Flame Venerable finished extracting the Frost Howl’s bloodline essence and gave me a jade bottle containing the icy substance.

The narrator returned to Black-Corner Region with Yun Yun and Heavenly Flame Venerable, traveling in disguise while explaining the region’s dangers and browsing its cities. They reached Black Emperor City, where a major joint auction was expected to draw powerful factions and figures.

• After Little Fairy Doctor returned to the Poison Sect, the narrator waited for Heavenly Flame Venerable to recover, then dragged Yun Yun away from Yun Lan Mountain to prepare a dowry for Yanran.
• The narrator and Yun Yun met Heavenly Flame Venerable and flew south, with the narrator warning Yun Yun about Black-Corner Region’s lawlessness and dark reputation.
• The three entered Black-Corner Region through Black-Ink City, wore concealing black cloaks, and left without lingering after finding no major auction there.
• Over the next ten days, the three traveled from city to city, browsing shops and small auctions as Yun Yun grew more cheerful and bought trinkets she claimed were for Yanran’s dowry.
• The three arrived at Black Emperor City, where the narrator explained that a large joint auction would attract powerful people from across Black-Corner Region and nearby lands.

As the narrator, Yun Yun, and Heavenly Flame Venerable traveled toward Black Emperor City, they encountered a wounded Canaan Academy instructor and a purple-clad girl fleeing pursuers. The narrator first chose to stay out of the fight, but stopped after recognizing the girl as someone he had helped before.

• The narrator warned Yun Yun that travelers should not interfere in the Black-Corner Region’s disputes without knowing who was in the right.
• Maddy Instructor and the Purple Skirt Girl fled into the group’s path as black-clad pursuers closed in and surrounded them.
• Maddy Instructor begged for help and identified himself and the girl as members of Canaan Academy, but the narrator initially continued on.
• The Purple Skirt Girl urged Maddy Instructor to rely on themselves and fight their way out.
• The narrator stopped when the Purple Skirt Girl mentioned Canaan Academy, then recognized her as the girl he had helped before.

Nalan Ye rescued Mo Ling and Mai Di from Demon Flame Valley’s ambush, then refused Mo Ling’s request to save the other Canaan Academy members trapped nearby. He left with Yun Yun and Heavenly Flame Venerable, planning to circle back to Black Emperor City while concealing their destination.

• Nalan Ye recognized Mo Ling, and she chose to follow him rather than stay with Mai Di among Demon Flame Valley’s attackers.
• Nalan Ye released the aura of a Dou Emperor, frightening the attackers into retreating and allowing Mo Ling and Mai Di to leave with him.
• Nalan Ye claimed the group belonged to the Da Xia Dynasty and warned the Demon Flame Valley leader not to interfere.
• Mo Ling told Nalan Ye that more than thirty Canaan Academy members and an elder were surrounded, but he refused to rescue them and flew away with Yun Yun and Heavenly Flame Venerable.
• Nalan Ye told Yun Yun he had used the Da Xia Dynasty’s name to shield the Nalan Empire, its Supervisory Left Division, and Yun Lan Sect from retaliation.

The narrator, Yun Yun, and Heavenly Flame Venerable reached Black Emperor City as crowds gathered for its auction. After entering through the gate reserved for Dou Huang experts, they headed into the city to search for ingredients for the Life Bone Blood Fusion Pill before resorting to the auction.

• The narrator and his companions arrived at Black Emperor City and saw the crowds and violence surrounding the roads.
• At the city gate, the narrator ignored a fight between two women and a group of men, then revealed his Three-Star Dou Emperor aura to gain entry through the purple gate.
• A yellow-robed Black Emperor Sect elder gave the narrator a token for accommodations at Black Emperor Pavilion.
• The narrator asked his companions what to do, and Heavenly Flame Venerable suggested searching medicinal ingredient shops for the Life Bone Blood Fusion Pill's main ingredients.
• The three entered the city's busy streets and began looking for medicinal ingredient shops.

The narrator and Yun Yun visited the Thousand Medicines Shop in Black Emperor City to search for Dragon Beard Ice Fruit Root, which was needed as an ingredient for a Seventh-Rank Pill. After learning the rare root might be available upstairs in exchange for a Sixth-Rank Pill, they waited there and were approached by a woman in red palace robes.

• The narrator, Yun Yun, and Heavenly Flame Venerable entered the Thousand Medicines Shop and searched its medicinal ingredient section.
• The narrator asked a shop attendant for Dragon Beard Ice Fruit Root and gave him a Second-Rank Pill to persuade him to explain the shop's rules.
• The attendant said precious ingredients were kept on the second floor and traded for medicinal pills of equal value, with the root requiring at least a Sixth-Rank Pill.
• The narrator followed the attendant upstairs, where he and his companions waited while looking over the displayed ingredients.
• The narrator offered Yun Yun pastries, fruit, and tea as they waited, while Heavenly Flame Venerable said he had not spotted the root.
• A beautiful woman in red palace robes approached and asked whether the shop's refreshments suited the narrator's taste.

The narrator attended Thousand Medicines Shop’s herb-for-pill exchange to obtain Dragon Beard Ice Fruit Root, while Workshop Owner Yao weighed how to use the rare herb to challenge Old Qi’s dominance. The root was finally presented for bids, with Old Qi and the narrator’s group both positioned to compete for it.

• The narrator met Workshop Owner Yao and learned that Thousand Medicines Shop had Dragon Beard Ice Fruit Root, but it would be offered through a pill-for-herb exchange.
• Workshop Owner Yao began the exchange, and Old Qi arrived, using his standing as the Black Emperor Sect’s chief alchemist to intimidate other bidders.
• Workshop Owner Yao considered using the Dragon Beard Ice Fruit Root to provoke the narrator’s group into competing with Old Qi and weaken his hold over the shop.
• As the exchange progressed, the narrator ignored Old Qi and continued feeding Yun Yun while the elder waited for the best herbs.
• Workshop Owner Yao unveiled five premium herbs, including Dragon Beard Ice Fruit Root, and invited the alchemists to make offers.

The narrator and Qi Shan competed for the Dragon Beard Ice Fruit Root at the Thousand Medicines Shop, where Qi Shan tried to use his influence to secure it cheaply. Workshop Owner Yao set the exchange price at a fifth-rank pill, setting the stage for Qi Shan to challenge the narrator more aggressively.

• Workshop Owner Yao revealed the Dragon Beard Ice Fruit Root, and the narrator approached to ask what pill it would cost to exchange for it.
• Qi Shan seized the jade box and claimed he needed the root for refining a sixth-rank pill, while Workshop Owner Yao encouraged the dispute.
• The narrator questioned Qi Shan’s need for the root and openly accused him of using his reputation to bully competitors.
• The narrator told Workshop Owner Yao he wanted the root to make soup, then dismissed Qi Shan’s insults and demanded the price.
• Workshop Owner Yao named a fifth-rank pill as the exchange price, prompting the narrator to wonder why it was so cheap.

The narrator refused Workshop Owner Yao’s pill battle after she offered the dragon beard ice fruit root as the prize for refining a difficult Fifth-Rank Pill. He then revealed a Sixth-Rank Undying Pill and offered it in exchange, leaving the gathered alchemists stunned.

• Workshop Owner Yao rejected Qi Shan’s Wind Walk Pill and proposed that whoever refined the Azure Sea Thousand Spin Pill would receive the dragon beard ice fruit root.
• Qi Shan accepted the challenge, while the gathered alchemists questioned whether the black-robed narrator would compete.
• The narrator refused the pill battle, shocking Workshop Owner Yao and the onlookers.
• Workshop Owner Yao urged the narrator to reconsider, and he claimed he could not spare the time because each minute affected millions of gold coins.
• The narrator revealed an Undying Pill and offered it to Workshop Owner Yao for the dragon beard ice fruit root.

The narrator traded a Sixth-Rank Undying Pill for the Dragon Beard Ice Fruit Root and impressed the Thousand Medicines Shop’s Alchemists with a lecture on compassion. He then went with Yun Yun and Heavenly Flame Venerable to stay at the Black Emperor Pavilion, where a guard questioned their concealed identities.

• Old Yan confirmed that the narrator’s pill was a high-quality Sixth-Rank healing pill, and Workshop Owner Yao accepted it in the exchange for the Dragon Beard Ice Fruit Root.
• The narrator criticized Qi Shan and urged the Alchemists to uphold compassion, prompting them to bow and promise to remember his teachings.
• After leaving the Thousand Medicines Shop, the narrator joked with Heavenly Flame Venerable and discussed his words with Yun Yun.
• The narrator decided to remain in the city for the auction and led Yun Yun and Heavenly Flame Venerable to the Black Emperor Pavilion.
• A blue-robed Dou Huang guard inspected their Token and asked where they came from because their black cloaks concealed their identities.

The narrator and Yun Yun entered the Black Emperor Pavilion after the Blue Robe Dou Huang let two brawling Dou Wang continue their fight. They learned that the auction would feature Time-Space Floating Ice, a rare treasure that helped cultivators comprehend the Dao, and the narrator resolved to compete for it as Demon Flame Valley arrived.

• Two Dou Wang fought inside the Black Emperor Pavilion's entrance, and the Blue Robe Dou Huang let them continue despite their damage to the grounds.
• The narrator, Yun Yun, and their companion entered the pavilion after receiving a waist token and a warning not to cause trouble.
• Demon Flame Valley Great Elder Fang Yan arrived, and people revealed that the auction would include Time-Space Floating Ice.
• Heavenly Flame Venerable explained that Time-Space Floating Ice aided Dao comprehension but was extraordinarily scarce, and the narrator recognized its value for advancing from Dou Emperor to Dou Zong.
• The narrator assessed Fang Yan and the other Dou Emperor members of Demon Flame Valley and anticipated a confrontation over the treasure.

The narrator, Yun Yun, and the Heavenly Flame Venerable settled into the Black Emperor Pavilion and listened for information about the auction, but their visit was interrupted by Kui Lang and his gang. After Yun Yun drove Kui Lang back, the narrator suspected that the gang had been sent to investigate their identities.

• A maid directed the narrator, Yun Yun, and the Heavenly Flame Venerable to Earth Twenty-Three, and they stopped at a hall to gather information about the auction.
• Kui Lang and his men entered the hall, smashed the group’s table, and accused the narrator of being Yao Lao San.
• The narrator denied the accusation and restrained Kui Lang’s hand with soul power, but Kui Lang broke free with his Dou Qi.
• Kui Lang charged at the narrator and demanded that he remove his cloak, but Yun Yun struck Kui Lang back with her five-star Dou Huang strength.
• Kui Lang made a lewd demand for Yun Yun, and the narrator realized that the gang was probing their identities and wondered whether Qi Shan or the Black Emperor Sect had sent them.

The narrator defended his black cloak after Kui Lang and his gang harassed him, then forced Kui Lang to kill two of his own men as an apology. Kui Lang left the hall in disgrace, and the narrator departed for the group’s lodgings with Yun Yun and Heavenly Flame Venerable.

• Kui Lang tried to strip off the narrator’s cloak, and the narrator struck him with God Slaying Thorn.
• Kui Lang realized the group was dangerous, apologized for mistaking the narrator for someone else, and tried to leave.
• The narrator refused to let Kui Lang go and demanded that he kill Wu Da Lang and Yang Er Lang as an apology.
• Kui Lang snapped the two men’s necks, tore off their heads, and presented them to the narrator.
• The narrator dismissed Kui Lang and left the hall with Yun Yun and Heavenly Flame Venerable.

Nalan Ye watched a Sixth-Rank Pill spark a violent struggle in Black Emperor City while he played Go with Yun Yun and Heavenly Flame Venerable. As the fighting ended, he reflected on why he cultivated and seemed to gain Dao Rhyme, though he could not identify the Dao he had comprehended.

• Nalan Ye recognized the energy pillar from a Sixth-Rank Pill taking shape and chose to stay in the courtyard with Yun Yun and Heavenly Flame Venerable.
• Nalan Ye and Yun Yun played Go while Heavenly Flame Venerable interfered, as the pill drew greedy fighters into a battle outside.
• Nalan Ye and Yun Yun discussed why they cultivated, and Nalan Ye considered the choices that had changed his life.
• Nalan Ye scattered the Go stones after Yun Yun had cornered him, then said he had understood something.
• Heavenly Flame Venerable sensed Dao Rhyme around Nalan Ye and asked what Dao he had comprehended.

At the Black Emperor Sect auction, the narrator reflected on the hoarding of cultivation techniques and bought a gift for Xiao Yan and Yanran Jie. When a dried seventh-order magical beast corpse appeared, Heavenly Flame Venerable recognized it as a Heavenly Demon Phoenix.

• The narrator, Heavenly Flame Venerable, and the third companion entered the auction after discussing the narrator’s new but hazy comprehension of a great Dao.
• Mo Tianxing opened the auction, warned attendees against causing trouble, and the first item, the Heaven Feather Finger scroll, sold for 870,000 gold coins.
• The narrator questioned why sects hoarded cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, and Heavenly Flame Venerable explained that sharing them could threaten the ruling powers.
• The narrator bought the Six Harmonies Roaming Body Ruler for Xiao Yan and Yanran Jie’s wedding gift as the auction continued.
• The auctioneer presented a dried corpse identified as a seventh-order high-rank magical beast, and Heavenly Flame Venerable recognized it as a Heavenly Demon Phoenix.

The narrator and the Heavenly Flame Venerable decided to bid for the dried Heavenly Demon Phoenix corpse, hoping to use its bloodline essence to refine a body despite the danger of provoking its clan. After the narrator offered an Earth Low-Rank Dou Technique and Demon Flame Valley countered with a more unusual technique, Mo Tianxing rejected the offers and demanded two Sixth-Rank Pills.

• The narrator recognized the dried corpse as a Heavenly Demon Phoenix, and the Heavenly Flame Venerable agreed it could provide bloodline essence for refining a body despite the risk of retaliation from the clan.
• The Black Emperor Sect announced that the corpse would be sold only in exchange for goods, not gold coins, and the narrator offered an Earth Low-Rank Dou Technique called the Azure Sea Dragon Sword.
• Fang Yan offered Demon Flame Valley's Earth Rank Middle Grade Flame Manipulation Art, explaining that its users could fuse energy flames into a force approaching an Exotic Flame.
• Mo Tianxing appeared and revealed that repeated use of the Flame Manipulation Art permanently harmed its practitioners, then dismissed it as unsuitable for the Black Emperor Sect.
• Mo Tianxing offered the corpse to the narrator in exchange for two Sixth-Rank Pills, prompting an uproar among the auction attendees.

The narrator traded a Smooth Meridian Nourishing Dantian Pill and an Enlightenment Pill for the Magical Beast mummy, then watched Mo Tianxing unveil the Time-Space Floating Ice. The auction began under the Black Emperor Sect’s heavy security, with the narrator and Yun Yun focused on the rare treasure.

• The narrator negotiated with Mo Tianxing and secured the Magical Beast mummy in exchange for two pills.
• Mo Tianxing personally took over the auction and had five Dou Emperor elders guard a covered box.
• Mo Tianxing revealed the Time-Space Floating Ice, drawing intense interest from the gathered powerhouses.
• The narrator’s soul power was repelled by the crystal box, while Yun Yun and the Heavenly Flame Venerable studied the treasure.
• Mo Tianxing used his Dou Zong aura to quiet the hall and opened bidding on the six-liang, nine-qian, five-fen, two-li Time-Space Floating Ice.

The narrator and his companions competed for the Time-Space Floating Ice by privately offering treasures to Mo Tianxing. The Black Emperor Sect selected their VIP room, leaving the narrator with the prize and a path toward advancing to Dou Zong.

• Mo Tianxing replaced public bidding with private offers, and the narrator sent Heavenly Flame Venerable to meet him alone.
• The narrator chose to offer a Dark Attribute Po Zong Pill after Heavenly Flame Venerable said the Time-Space Floating Ice would guarantee his advance to Dou Zong.
• While Heavenly Flame Venerable made the offer, Yun Yun reflected on the narrator's rapid cultivation and dismissed the importance of advancing to Dou Zong herself.
• Heavenly Flame Venerable reported that Mo Tianxing was impressed but hesitant because another bidder had offered something equally valuable.
• After considering the offers, Mo Tianxing announced that the narrator's VIP room had won the Time-Space Floating Ice.

After winning the Time-Space Floating Ice, I collected his auction purchases from Mo Tianxing and left the Black Emperor Sect with Yun Yun and the Heavenly Flame Venerable. The sect promised protection within Black Emperor City, but hostile factions were already watching them as they headed back into the streets.

• After Mo Tianxing announced that I had won the Time-Space Floating Ice, the crowd identified the three companions and many people began plotting to rob them.
• I led Yun Yun and the Heavenly Flame Venerable to the Black Emperor Sect to collect their purchases.
• Mo Tianxing presented the Time-Space Floating Ice and the other items, which the Heavenly Flame Venerable inspected before I paid.
• Mo Tianxing promised that the Black Emperor Sect would protect me within Black Emperor City, though I doubted the protection would last long.
• As the three left the sect, hostile onlookers followed and watched them greedily in the streets.

Yun Yun, Heavenly Flame Venerable, and the narrator examined a Heavenly Demon Phoenix corpse, and Heavenly Flame Venerable extracted its bloodline essence and magic core. The narrator kept the phoenix’s bone wings and refined claws, while Heavenly Flame Venerable claimed the magic core for possible use.

• The narrator took out the Heavenly Demon Phoenix corpse and discovered powerful wind and fire energy within its jade-like bone wings.
• The narrator asked Heavenly Flame Venerable to remove the wings and claws, then stored the wings and had the claws refined into red bone spikes.
• The narrator explained how to extract the phoenix’s bloodline essence and magic core, and Heavenly Flame Venerable refined the corpse’s flesh into five drops of essence blood.
• Heavenly Flame Venerable used the essence blood and Fallen Heart Flame to refine the dried hide, gathering its energy into a cyan-and-crimson magic core.
• The narrator caught the magic core and asked whether Heavenly Flame Venerable needed it, but Heavenly Flame Venerable took it to keep for possible use.

The protagonist used the Time-Space Floating Ice to enter a detached state and review how he had become involved in the world around him. He left the hall seeking the sights of ordinary life and revealed that he was comprehending the Dao of humanity.

• The Heavenly Flame Venerable explained that the Time-Space Floating Ice calmed the mind and allowed its user to observe and comprehend the Great Dao.
• The protagonist entered a cold, emotionless state and watched memories of his encounters with Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yan, Xun Er, and others pass through his mind.
• He reflected on the deaths in the war against the Chuyun Empire and how he had helped end the conflict and ease tensions with the Snake-People Tribe.
• The protagonist left his meditation and told the Heavenly Flame Venerable he wanted to walk among the people, despite the danger outside.
• The Heavenly Flame Venerable sensed the protagonist's obscure Dao Rhyme and asked what Dao he was comprehending; the protagonist answered, "Humanity."

I visited Black Emperor City’s mortal market with Heavenly Flame Venerable and Yun Yun, reflecting on ordinary life and the Nalan Empire’s trade reaching the Black-Corner Region. An Eight Star Dou Huang confronted us for the Time-Space Floating Ice, and his arrival plunged the market into panic as I faced him.

• I left the Black Emperor Pavilion with Heavenly Flame Venerable and Yun Yun and led them to a market for mortals.
• I surveyed the market’s people and goods, while Heavenly Flame Venerable recalled his childhood in a poor mountain village.
• I spotted Nalan Empire salt for sale and reflected on the region’s living conditions and the mortals’ everyday lives.
• An Eight Star Dou Huang kicked over a stall, demanded the Time-Space Floating Ice, and threatened us.
• The Dou Huang’s aura sent the market into chaos, and I condemned cultivators as jackals and wolves who preyed on the weak.

The narrator reached the threshold of Dou Zong after using the Time-Space Floating Ice, then planned to flee Black Emperor City with the Heavenly Flame Venerable and Yun Yun. They escaped into the night, but hundreds of Dou Wang and Dou Huang experts pursued them, with the number of hidden Dou Zong still unknown.

• The narrator realized he could step into the Dou Zong realm, stunning the Heavenly Flame Venerable, and the three returned to the Black Emperor Pavilion.
• The narrator proposed that they fly north at night to avoid being surrounded by the experts tracking them.
• After six hours of rest, the narrator, the Heavenly Flame Venerable, and Yun Yun flew from the Black Emperor Pavilion and sparked chaos across Black Emperor City.
• Mo Tianxing ordered the pursuers to leave the city before fighting, but the experts ignored him and took to the sky after the trio.
• The narrator saw at least two hundred Dou Wang and nearly a hundred Dou Huang pursuing them, while the hidden Dou Zong remained uncounted.