Chapter Summaries

Xiao Xun'er struggled to recover the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade from Xiao Yan while weighing whether to use force, but a Hall of Souls Envoy attacked her and defeated Ling Ying. Xiao Yan chose not to intervene as the Envoy seized Xiao Xun'er, hinting that Lu Yuan had a larger plan in motion.

• Xiao Xun'er rejected Ling Ying's suggestion to hire assassins, knowing Xiao Yan would not reveal where the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade had gone and that force could bring greater risks.
• Xiao Xun'er considered her lack of options, since she could neither safely torture nor kill Xiao Yan while Gu Yuan and Lu Yuan remained obstacles.
• A Hall of Souls Envoy appeared and mocked Xiao Xun'er for having only Ling Ying as her guard, while Lu Yuan and Yao Chen watched from a distance.
• Xiao Yan asked Yao Chen about the Envoy, then chose not to save Xiao Xun'er when Yao Chen warned she was in danger.
• The Hall of Souls Envoy overpowered Ling Ying and seized the pale-faced Xiao Xun'er.

Xiao Xun'er broke free from the Hall of Souls Envoy’s capture with the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame and tried to escape, but the Eight Star Dou Zong stopped her and Ling Ying. He threatened Xiao Xun'er and began tormenting her while she remained trapped.

• The Hall of Souls Envoy captured Xiao Xun'er, and Ling Ying could not threaten him into letting her go.
• Xiao Xun'er secretly ignited the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, wounded the Envoy, and fled while ordering Ling Ying to hold him back.
• The Envoy used Spatial Power to immobilize Ling Ying and drag Xiao Xun'er back to him.
• Xiao Xun'er threatened that the Gu Clan would go to war with the Soul Clan if he killed her, but the Envoy threatened to make her wish she were dead without taking her life.
• The Envoy blasted part of Ling Ying’s face when he protested, then tore a button from Xiao Xun'er's cuff and threatened to expose her to the people below.

Xiao Yan asked Yao Chen to help save Xiao Xun'er, but Yao Chen admitted he lacked the strength to fight the Eight Star Dou Zong threatening Wutan City. Lu Yuan arrived, rescued Xiao Xun'er, and confronted the Hall of Souls Envoy, leaving the fight poised to become a deadly clash.

• Xiao Yan explained why he wanted to save Xiao Xun'er despite resenting her, and Yao Chen revealed he could not overcome an Eight Star Dou Zong with Xiao Yan's current strength.
• Xiao Yan warned Yao Chen that either outcome of the fight could lead the Hall of Souls Envoy to destroy the Xiao Family and Wutan City.
• A Silver Arc severed the Hall of Souls Envoy's wrist, and Lu Yuan emerged from the void carrying Xiao Xun'er while Ling Ying recovered and flew to his side.
• Lu Yuan explained that he had pursued the captors after discovering a traitor, then summoned the Tai Xu Bone Spear as the Hall of Souls Envoy identified himself as an Eight Star Dou Zong.
• The Hall of Souls Envoy threatened Lu Yuan, but Lu Yuan appeared behind him and declared that he had killed Dou Zong before.

After Lu Yuan killed the Eight Star Dou Zong, Yao Chen explained the gulf in strength and the role of Lu Yuan’s spear, inspiring Xiao Yan to vow to become an expert. In Xiao Xun’er’s bedroom, Lu Yuan interrogated the captured Hall of Souls Envoy and used Red Threads to make Xiao Xun’er’s Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame burn people connected to him, leaving him furious and helpless.

• Yao Chen explained to Xiao Yan how exceptional talent, combat power, and Lu Yuan’s space-linked spear had enabled a Dou Huang to kill an Eight Star Dou Zong.
• Xiao Yan vowed to become an expert like Lu Yuan as Lu Yuan brought the captured Hall of Souls Envoy into Xiao Xun’er’s bedroom and restored Ling Ying’s face.
• Lu Yuan threatened the Envoy with torture and argued that the Gu Clan could mobilize its forces more readily than the Hall of Souls could aid a minor pawn.
• Lu Yuan revealed Red Threads and asked Xiao Xun’er to burn them with her Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame Sub-Flame.
• The flames killed several people connected to the Envoy, who raged at Lu Yuan after seeing his son and other relatives perish.

Lu Yuan explained how he had used his control over fate and the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade to manipulate the Hall of Souls and Gu Xun’er into protecting the Yun Lan Sect and drawing danger away from the Xiao Family. He left Gu Xun’er furious, warning her that any harm to the Xiao Family could make him destroy the jade.

• Lu Yuan threatened the Hall of Souls Envoy by severing fate threads tied to his relatives, then released the Envoy after he agreed to falsify his report and asked that his remains be hidden.
• The Envoy mistakenly accused Xiao Xun’er of being from the Gu Clan, and she clarified that Lu Yuan did not belong to her clan either.
• Lu Yuan told Xiao Xun’er that he had arranged for the Envoy to report her presence so the Hall of Souls and Gu Clan would focus on her rather than the Yun Lan Sect or Xiao Family.
• Lu Yuan revealed that he possessed the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade and could destroy it, using that threat to deter the ancient clans from taking it.
• Lu Yuan explained that he had made Gu Xun’er a shield to prevent Yun Shan and the Hall of Souls from taking control of the Yun Lan Sect.
• Lu Yuan warned Gu Xun’er that if the Xiao Family were destroyed because of her clan’s actions, he might accidentally break the jade.

Lu Yuan warned Xiao Xun'er against threatening him, then explained his origins, fate-reading, and powers after she questioned how he knew so much and defeated an Eight Star Dou Zong. He left Xiao Xun'er stunned by revealing his many attributes and insisting that the Ancient Clan had no grounds to refuse him.

• Lu Yuan restrained Ling Ying, pinched Xiao Xun'er's cheek, and bit it after she threatened to destroy the Yun Lan Sect and everything he cherished.
• Xiao Xun'er thanked Lu Yuan for his warning, then asked about his connection to Xiao Yan, his knowledge of her identity, the Power of Destiny, and his strength.
• Xiao Xun'er guessed that Lu Yuan was targeting the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade and planned to frame the Gu Clan, but Lu Yuan denied her theory and said he and Xiao Yan came from another world.
• Lu Yuan explained that he could read and alter fate, that the Red Thread of Fate could erase a person from existence, and that wielding the Power of Destiny did not make him omnipotent.
• Lu Yuan revealed that he possessed numerous Dou Qi attributes, including space, time, and fate, and claimed the Ancient Clan could not stop his future or refuse him.

Xiao Xun'er weighed whether to ally herself with Lu Yuan or Xiao Yan as a path to the Upper Realm, while Lu Yuan disguised himself and went out into Wutan City. At a food stall, he confronted Mittel's Miss Ya Fei and asked why she had come.

• Xiao Xun'er burned her written record, questioned Ling Ying about Lu Yuan, and granted him a chance to remain her guard if he advanced to Dou Zong.
• Xiao Xun'er considered pursuing Lu Yuan or Xiao Yan to reach the Upper Realm and resolved to seize the opportunity without splitting her support between them.
• Lu Yuan disguised his face and walked through Wutan City, where crowds searched for relics from the recent battle between powerful cultivators.
• Lu Yuan spotted Xiao Ning, Xiao Mei, and other Xiao Family youths in the crowd but did not see Xiao Yan.
• At a wonton stall, Lu Yuan made a young man give up his seat, then asked Mittel's Miss Ya Fei why she had come.

Ya Fei tried to discourage Mu Zhan by making him accompany her shopping, then sat with Lu Yuan and learned he might know the Ice Emperor’s whereabouts. The chapter ended with Ya Fei weighing what the Mitre Family could offer in exchange for that information.

• Ya Fei spent two hours browsing stalls with Mu Zhan, hoping to tire him out, but his persistence wore her down.
• Ya Fei sat beside Lu Yuan at a food stall and discussed the crowds searching for a rumored inheritance after the battle over Wutan City.
• Ya Fei argued that no inheritance was likely to remain because the Dou Zong had been killed in public and the victor would have taken the spoils.
• Lu Yuan asked what Ya Fei would pay if she helped the Ice Emperor return to the Mitre Family, and she said she would pay any price within her ability.
• Lu Yuan revealed his name, hinted that he knew the Ice Emperor’s whereabouts, and said the Mitre Family was worth less than Ya Fei herself.
• Ya Fei replied that the Mitre Family alone could offer a price beyond her means, but had no right to keep exploiting her.

Lu Yuan approached Ya Fei with an offer to help her become patriarch of the Mitre Family in exchange for her backing him, and explained why he trusted her abilities. Ya Fei withheld her decision until Lu Yuan could find Ice Emperor Haibodong, leaving her to consider a choice she believed would determine her future.

• Lu Yuan rejected the Mitre Family as a partner and decided Ya Fei was the better choice because of her talent for managing industry and intelligence networks.
• Lu Yuan stopped Ya Fei from leaving and told her he wanted her to become patriarch of the Mitre Family, promising to find Ice Emperor Haibodong so she could use his influence to secure the position.
• Ya Fei asked why Lu Yuan trusted her, and Lu Yuan said he had seen her future and believed in her abilities.
• Ya Fei asked Lu Yuan who he was, and he identified himself as Yun Yun's first disciple and explained the internal divisions keeping the Yun Lan Sect from acting against the Gama Empire.
• Lu Yuan and Ya Fei exchanged teasing remarks before he departed, leaving her to decide whether to support him once he found Ice Emperor Haibodong.

Lu Yuan entered Desert City and sensed the Ice Emperor while worrying that his plans in the Doupo world had gone suspiciously smoothly. Above the Star River, a blurry figure rewarded the world’s consciousness, then argued with a fox-eared woman about whether she should merge with him to escape death; the figure ended by wondering whether it was still trapped inside a story.

• Lu Yuan entered Desert City, surveyed its tense border-city atmosphere, and sensed the Ice Emperor’s suppressed Dou Huang aura.
• Lu Yuan reflected on his unusually smooth plans and worried that the World Consciousness might be favoring him instead of Xiao Yan.
• A blurry figure reeled two fish from the Star River, warned them against believing in fairness, and gave the larger fish a stone containing worlds.
• The blurry figure advised the larger fish not to give what lay inside the stone to Lu Yuan too early, and the fish swallowed it.
• A fox-eared woman refused to merge with the blurry figure, arguing that preserving their partners’ feelings mattered more than avoiding death.
• After the woman left, the blurry figure wondered whether its life and death were keeping it trapped within a story.

Lu Yuan visited Ice Emperor Haibodong in a small bookstore and revealed that he had come on someone’s behalf. Haibodong dismissed him as an ordinary youth until Lu Yuan displayed Dou Huang-level power, leaving Haibodong stunned by the revelation that Lu Yuan was only sixteen.

• Lu Yuan entered Haibodong’s bookstore and watched the disgraced former Dou Emperor search through old books.
• Haibodong initially ignored Lu Yuan, but reacted when Lu Yuan mentioned his identity as the Ice Emperor and the Yun Lan Sect emblem on his sleeve.
• Haibodong questioned Lu Yuan’s purpose and warned him that Yun Shan and the Yun Lan Sect were not nearby to help him.
• Lu Yuan revealed his Dou Huang-level aura by unfolding his silver Dou Qi Wings, shocking Haibodong.
• Lu Yuan said he was nominally sixteen, and Haibodong stared at him in disbelief.

Lu Yuan learned that Queen Medusa had sealed Haibodong and suppressed his cultivation, then promised to find a way to resolve the curse by bringing its caster to him. He left Haibodong with instructions to wait for his return or seek Xiao Yan in Wutan City, ending with his declaration that he would capture Queen Medusa.

• Lu Yuan told Haibodong that the Mitre Family had sent him to bring him back and asked how his cultivation had fallen so far.
• Haibodong explained that Queen Medusa's seal forced his realm down to Dou Spirit whenever he tried to break through to Dou King, and he feared he would never escape it.
• Lu Yuan told Haibodong to go to Wutan City and find Xiao Yan if he failed to return, but to come with him to meet Ya Fei if he did.
• Haibodong questioned Lu Yuan's plan to leave him behind, and Lu Yuan warned him not to flee or underestimate his resolve.
• Lu Yuan told Haibodong that he could not undo the curse himself but could capture the person who had cast it.

Lu Yuan extracted a snake-person’s memories to learn about the Tagor Desert, then killed it after discovering its history of slaughtering humans. He left the desert as unknown changes loomed there.

• Lu Yuan used his soul-manipulation ability to torture a snake-person and review its memories, seeking information about the desert and its inhabitants.
• While reviewing the memories, Lu Yuan considered the Soul Hall’s treatment of Yao Chen and reflected that his earlier negotiations had gone unusually smoothly.
• Lu Yuan offered the snake-person a quick death in exchange for permission to cut red threads, then revealed that each thread represented a relative’s life.
• Lu Yuan cut the threads, crushing the snake-person’s soul after it protested, and declared that his judgment and actions were his own responsibility.
• Lu Yuan left the snake-person’s body to be buried by the desert, while unknown changes threatened to unfold in the Tagor Desert.

Lu Yuan fought through a Snake-People Camp while seeking information that could lead him to Queen Medusa, then spared the tribe after its chief offered himself in exchange for their safety. Lu Yuan left the camp warning that he believed every living being had the right to pursue a better life and environment.

• Lu Yuan used rotating Spatial Barriers to kill Snake-People who attacked him, while observing how their emotions dulled their pain and judgment.
• Lu Yuan unleashed Emperor Rank battle qi and pulled the Snake-People's souls from their bodies, then stopped when the camp's chief knelt and begged for mercy.
• The chief offered his life to repay the Snake-People's offense, and Lu Yuan restored their souls to their bodies.
• Lu Yuan spared the chief and the tribe after judging the chief's attitude acceptable, and the chief swore never to become an enemy of the Gama Empire.
• Lu Yuan departed, saying that every living being had the right to pursue something better.

Lu Yuan infiltrated the Snake-People Camp and confronted Black Poison to learn Queen Medusa’s whereabouts. After Black Poison refused to betray his race, Flame Thorn attacked and accused him of treachery, but Lu Yuan killed Flame Thorn with the Tai Xu Bone Spear.

• Black Poison sensed danger in his room, but Lu Yuan appeared behind him and revealed that he wanted information about Queen Medusa.
• Black Poison refused to betray the Snake-People Race and tried to threaten Lu Yuan, but Lu Yuan immobilized him and prepared to extract his memories.
• Flame Thorn attacked with a flaming spear and accused Black Poison of conspiring with a human.
• Lu Yuan crushed Flame Thorn’s spear, warned him not to stand above him, and killed him with the Tai Xu Bone Spear.
• Black Poison stared at Flame Thorn’s corpse and looked at Lu Yuan with fear.

Lu Yuan killed Flame Thorn, read the Snake-People’s memories, and learned that Queen Medusa was at Earth Core Island absorbing the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. He spared Black Poison and explained that the Snake-People’s struggle for fertile land and the humans’ resistance were both natural conflicts over survival, then left with his thoughts on how strength could resolve them.

• Lu Yuan killed Flame Thorn and pulled out his soul, learning that Queen Medusa was at Earth Core Island absorbing the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame.
• Lu Yuan extracted Black Poison’s soul and read his memories, confirming Queen Medusa’s location and the Snake-People Tribe’s situation.
• Black Poison asked how Lu Yuan had discovered the location, and Lu Yuan explained that he had read the memories of their souls.
• Lu Yuan returned Black Poison’s soul to his body and said he would spare him because he had not slaughtered innocents.
• Lu Yuan used sand and soil to explain that neither the Snake-People’s pursuit of fertile land nor the humans’ defense of their homes was wrong, then left, saying sufficient strength could bring the sides together.

Lu Yuan confronted Queen Medusa at an Earth Core Island hot spring and asked her to lift the seal on Ice Emperor Haibodong. After discussing the risks and agreeing that Haibodong would leave the Snake-People Tribe alone if they did not provoke him, Medusa still had questions as their negotiation continued.

• Queen Medusa emerged from the hot spring and found Lu Yuan waiting across the water.
• Lu Yuan asked Medusa to lift Haibodong’s seal, and she recognized that he meant the curse he had placed on him.
• Medusa asked Lu Yuan to explain why he had come and what would happen whether she complied or refused.
• Lu Yuan argued that his explanation would not change the outcome, and Medusa asked to set one condition.
• Lu Yuan agreed before Medusa stated her condition, then identified it as a request for Haibodong to leave the Snake-People Tribe alone if they did not provoke him.
• Medusa wondered whether Lu Yuan could hear her thoughts, and he asked whether she had any more questions.

Lu Yuan explained how he had traced Queen Medusa’s location by reading the memories of several Snake-People, insisting that none of them had betrayed her. Queen Medusa became convinced he intended to alter her memories and seize control of the Snake-People Tribe, so she attacked him, but Lu Yuan knocked her unconscious.

• Queen Medusa asked whether Lu Yuan had tortured or killed her subordinates and who had revealed her location.
• Lu Yuan explained that he had read memories from several Snake-People, including Black Poison and Flame Thorn, to trace Queen Medusa’s whereabouts.
• Queen Medusa asked whether Lu Yuan had come only to remove a seal, then suspected he could alter memories and planned to make her his wife and control her tribe.
• Queen Medusa summoned her Dou Qi Wings and shouted for Lu Yuan to die.
• Lu Yuan said he would spare Queen Medusa, struck her neck, and knocked her unconscious.

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li’s Mo Tie Mercenary Group was trapped near Black Mo City by a large Snake-People force and struggled to find a way out. Xiao Li found no safe route toward the city, leaving them to consider breaking through deeper into the Tagor Desert, where they would face the Snake-People and a lack of supplies.

• Snake-People forces attacked humans across the Tagor Desert, putting merchant guilds and mercenary groups under heavy pressure.
• Xiao Ding ordered Xiao Li to take the Mo Tie Mercenary Group’s surviving brothers and retreat while he held off a Snake-People Da Dou Shi.
• Xiao Li refused to abandon the group and fought beside Xiao Ding, citing the brothers who had already died.
• Xiao Ding warned that the Mo Tie Mercenary Group would be wiped out unless Xiao Li found a route or method of retreat.
• Xiao Li surveyed the battlefield and reported that Snake-People blocked the road to Black Mo City with at least seven or eight hundred fighters.
• Xiao Li identified heading deeper into the Tagor Desert as their only apparent escape, though he warned that the injured group would likely die without food or water.

Lu Yuan detoured to Black Mo City to find Qing Lin and the Mo Tie Mercenary Group before returning to Mo City to deal with Haibodong’s seal. He waited until Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were trapped and badly outnumbered, then appeared and killed the two snakefolk Da Dou Shi.

• Lu Yuan weighed the risks of leaving Haibodong with Queen Medusa and decided to find Qing Lin first, while planning to use the coming conflict with the Hall of Souls to secure the Gu Clan’s involvement and protect Xiao Yan.
• Lu Yuan decided he would train Qing Lin into a powerful, obedient subordinate and use her need for respect and opportunity to win her loyalty.
• Lu Yuan reached the battlefield and waited until the Mo Tie Mercenary Group had lost more than half its members and Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were surrounded.
• Xiao Ding ordered Xiao Li to escape while he held back the two snakefolk Da Dou Shi, but the snakefolk laughed at them.
• Lu Yuan appeared behind the two snakefolk Da Dou Shi, killed them with a touch, and introduced himself to Xiao Ding and Xiao Li as Xiao Yan’s friend.