Chapter Summaries

Gu He lured the newly born Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python into accompanying him and escaped the temple with the Green Lotus Seat. The Snake-People leaders pursued him while Hua She'er went to check on Queen Medusa.

• Queen Medusa's destroyed snake body produced a tiny seven-colored snake, and Gu He recognized that she had temporarily lost her memories.
• Gu He fed the snake fire-attribute energy from a Fire Pattern Pill, named it Little Cai, and watched it curl around his wrist and fall asleep.
• Gu He left the temple with the Green Lotus Seat as the purple barrier shattered and Queen Medusa's aura remained absent.
• Hua She'er recognized Gu He as the alchemist fleeing the temple, and Mo Bass sent her inside to investigate while he and three leaders pursued him.
• The four pursuing Dou Wangs marked their route through the desert, while Gu He held back from killing them because he had taken in Queen Medusa.

Gu He drew the four Snake-People Tribe Dou Wangs away from their stronghold and defeated their combined attack without killing them. After escaping their pursuit, he flew toward the outer Tagor Desert to find a quiet place to devour the Heavenly Flames.

• Gu He led the four pursuing Dou Wangs farther into the desert and confronted them as they surrounded him.
• The four Snake-People Tribe Dou Wangs formed the Four Snake Giant Soldier Seal and created a giant energy battle axe.
• Gu He sent an Orange Eagle attack against the axe, shattered it, and forced the four Dou Wangs to release their seals and scatter.
• The four Dou Wangs were injured, but Gu He spared them to avoid provoking Queen Medusa.
• Gu He flew toward the outer region of the Tagor Desert to find a quiet place to devour the Heavenly Flames.

Gu He prepared a secluded cave and layered his defenses before attempting to swallow the Green Lotus Core Flame. He seized the flame seed, but the dangerous absorption had only begun.

• Gu He found a remote cave, inspected it, sealed its entrance, and restored his Dou Qi.
• Gu He gathered the Blood Lotus Pill, Ice Spirit Cold Spring, and Naling, then separated the Green Lotus Core Flame from the Green Lotus Seat.
• Gu He swallowed the Blood Lotus Pill and added the Devouring Flame and Dou Qi to his protective layers.
• Gu He reached into the Green Lotus Core Flame as it raged, using Dou Qi to contain it and keep the cave from collapsing.
• Gu He grabbed the flame seed and began withdrawing his arm as the heat consumed his defenses and melted the keratin layer on his hand.

Gu He began devouring the Green Lotus Core Flame, carefully controlling it through his meridians with the help of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, Dou Qi, and Soul Power. He refined the flame but struggled to force it into the Naling, leaving the final step unfinished.

• Gu He swallowed the Green Lotus Core Flame, then drank the Ice Spirit Cold Spring to counter its heat as the flame split into wisps inside his meridians.
• Gu He gradually gathered the scattered wisps into a lotus and circulated it through his body, using Dou Qi to protect his meridians and deepen his connection to the flame.
• Gu He guided the Green Lotus Core Flame through his cultivation route for more than an hour, making it docile and completing most of the refinement.
• Gu He drew the Naling into his body with Soul Power and prepared a protected path to it using the remaining effects of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring and Blood Lotus Pill.
• Gu He pushed the Green Lotus Core Flame toward the Naling, but it erupted and resisted fiercely, preventing him from completing the final step.

Gu He successfully refined the Green Lotus Core Flame, recovered from the damage to his meridians, and improved his cultivation before flying back toward Mo City. There, Qing Lin continued struggling with sword practice under Hai Bodong’s patient guidance as they waited for Gu He to return.

• Gu He forced the Green Lotus Core Flame into the Naling despite its heat damaging his meridians, completing the refinement.
• Gu He used a Recovery Pill to heal his meridians, then absorbed the remaining medicinal energy and reached the middle stage of Dou Huang Seven-star.
• Gu He sealed the cave entrance with boulders and flew toward Mo City, reflecting that the cave had changed his temperament.
• Hai Bodong taught Qing Lin a sword technique in the map shop’s rear courtyard and praised her progress despite her awkward movements.

Gu He returned to Mo City after refining the Heavenly Flame and went to Hai Bodong’s shop, where he found Hai Bodong training Qing Lin. He told Hai Bodong that he had followed people from the Black Corner Region to obtain the Heavenly Flame, leaving Hai Bodong astonished that he had survived the desert.

• Hai Bodong encouraged Qing Lin to rest, but she insisted on training so she could catch up to Gu He.
• Qing Lin explained that Gu He expected his maid to cultivate well as well as learn how to serve, and Hai Bodong wondered why Gu He cared for her so much.
• Gu He landed outside Mo City and entered the city in an alchemist robe, drawing respectful treatment from the guards and passersby.
• Gu He quietly entered Hai Bodong’s shop and surprised Hai Bodong, who realized he had gone into the desert rather than recruiting allies.
• Hai Bodong recalled Queen Medusa’s past defeat and the seal that had kept his strength suppressed for more than ten years.
• Gu He said he had followed people from the Black Corner Region who were trying to seize the Heavenly Flame and had taken advantage of the situation.

Gu He returned with a Heavenly Flame and discussed helping Hai Bodong restore his strength. After Gu He gave Hai Bodong a rare Sand Mandara, Hai Bodong handed him two pieces of a remnant map that had once drawn Queen Medusa’s pursuit.

• Hai Bodong warned Gu He about the dangers of his expedition, and Gu He showed him the Heavenly Flame he had obtained.
• Hai Bodong thanked Gu He and promised to help train his disciple after recovering his strength.
• Gu He reassured Qing Lin that she could rest after her intense training and praised her smile.
• Hai Bodong asked Gu He for a Sand Mandara needed to refine the Calamity Breaking Pill, and Gu He gave him the herb he had collected near the Holy City.
• In return, Hai Bodong gave Gu He two pieces of the remnant map that had attracted Queen Medusa’s attention.

Gu He and Hai Bodong compared their Demonic Flame remnant maps and discussed the dangers and clues revealed by years of research. After learning the maps were linked to a Heavenly Flame and that their soul force could distort anyone trying to copy them, Gu He prepared to refine Hai Bodong’s pill.

• Gu He showed Hai Bodong his remnant map, and the two fragments revealed a lotus when aligned at their diagonal corners.
• Hai Bodong questioned Gu He’s trust, then admitted he had studied his map for decades and could not reproduce its patterns accurately.
• Gu He explained that powerful soul force in the fragments eroded the minds of people who tried to copy them.
• Gu He told Hai Bodong that his research linked the maps to one of the top ten Heavenly Flames, and Hai Bodong decided the map was of little use to him.
• Gu He offered to refine Hai Bodong’s pill immediately, and Hai Bodong brought out the ingredients and formula.

Gu He prepared to refine the Calamity Breaking Pill for Hai Bodong and practiced using the Heavenly Flame before beginning the difficult Sixth-grade pill. He passed the first attempt’s medicinal-property fusion stage, but the pill had not yet finished refining.

• Gu He accepted Hai Bodong’s Calamity Breaking Pill formula and ingredients, then asked for a quiet room to refine the pill.
• Gu He told Hai Bodong that he regarded Qing Lin as a younger sister, not a maid, before Hai Bodong left with her.
• Gu He set up warning restrictions, practiced refining a Qi Cultivation Pill with the Heavenly Flame, and adapted to its heat.
• Gu He studied the Calamity Breaking Pill formula, judged its process manageable, and began refining a batch of its ingredients.
• Gu He focused his Soul Power on the cauldron and successfully passed the challenging medicinal-property fusion stage on his first attempt.

Gu He completed a Sixth-grade pill, but the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python transformed and Queen Medusa appeared beside him. She confronted him over deceiving the Snake-People Tribe and keeping her evolved body as a pet, while Gu He recognized that she might not have recovered her full strength.

• Gu He finished refining the pale-purple pill and contained its energy fluctuations with a Soul Power barrier.
• As Gu He prepared to store the pill, the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python glowed and Queen Medusa emerged in its place.
• Queen Medusa recognized Gu He's Medicine Emperor identity and accused him of having the nerve to deceive her.
• Gu He reasoned that Queen Medusa's power or time outside might be limited, then tried to answer her calmly.
• Queen Medusa unleashed her killing intent and condemned Gu He for deceiving the Snake-People Tribe and raising her evolved body as a pet.

Gu He survived Queen Medusa’s brief attempt to attack him, then recovered his Soul Power and cared for the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python. He left the damaged room after feeding the snake, while Hai Bodong waited outside for the pill refinement to finish.

• Queen Medusa fought the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python for control of her body, but Gu He’s soul barrier stopped her attack and left the little snake asleep.
• Gu He fortified himself with barriers and cultivated, absorbing Spiritual Energy with the Devouring Flame until his Soul Power recovered and improved.
• The awakened Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python returned to Gu He, who fed it the remaining Fire Pattern Pills before it curled around his wrist and fell asleep.
• Gu He stood up and surveyed the room, which had been badly damaged during his clash with Queen Medusa.
• Hai Bodong returned to the room’s corridor after taking Qing Lin around Mo City and waited outside throughout the second day of Gu He’s pill refinement.

Gu He emerged after successfully refining a Calamity Breaking Pill for Hai Bodong. Hai Bodong took the pill to his underground ice cave to break his seal, while Gu He stayed to guard him.

• Hai Bodong waited anxiously outside Gu He's room, fearing the second attempt to refine the Calamity Breaking Pill had failed.
• Gu He came out and gave Hai Bodong the successfully refined pill, then learned he had spent about two and a half days inside.
• Gu He reassured Hai Bodong that the pill had a ninety percent chance of breaking the seal, and Hai Bodong thanked him.
• Hai Bodong led Gu He to an underground ice cave, where he planned to consume the pill and conceal the aura of his recovery.
• Gu He agreed to guard Hai Bodong as he prepared to take the pill.

Hai Bodong took the Calamity Breaking Pill and broke the seal suppressing his strength, returning to the Dou Emperor level. Gu He entrusted Qing Lin to Hai Bodong before revealing his planned journey to the Black Corner Region, and Hai Bodong realized Gu He might also be a Dou Emperor.

• Hai Bodong swallowed the Calamity Breaking Pill while Gu He watched over him.
• The pill's purple energy clashed with the dark cyan seal until Hai Bodong's Dou Qi forced the seal from his forehead.
• Hai Bodong regained his Dou Emperor strength, and Gu He congratulated him.
• Hai Bodong promised to help Gu He and agreed to take Qing Lin in as his student while Gu He traveled to the Black Corner Region.
• Gu He said he had arranged reclusive experts and advance intelligence for the trip, prompting Hai Bodong to ask whether Gu He had reached the Dou Emperor level.

Gu He told Hai Bodong that he had reached Dou Emperor and described astonishing talents from the Central Continent before arranging for Hai Bodong to look after Qing Lin while he went somewhere dangerous. After reassuring the distressed Qing Lin, Gu He asked Hai Bodong to show him to a quiet room so he could rest.

• Gu He admitted his Dou Emperor strength to Hai Bodong, who praised his alchemy and cultivation and called him the Pill Emperor.
• Gu He told Hai Bodong about Central Continent prodigies, including the seven-year-old alchemist Cao Ying, and Hai Bodong agreed to care for Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin.
• Gu He told Qing Lin he could not take her to a dangerous place and would leave her with Hai Bodong; Qing Lin begged to go with him, then accepted his promise to return.
• Hai Bodong comforted Qing Lin, and Gu He asked for a quiet room so he could rest after his recent battles and alchemy.
• Gu He told Qing Lin to consider what she wanted to buy before they left the desert, then followed Hai Bodong to the room.

After resting in Mo City, Gu He prepared to continue his urgent journey to the Black Corner Region while Hai Bodong showed Qing Lin around town. Qing Lin visited Gu He as he slept, encountered the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, and the chapter ended with Gu He asking whether she had decided what to buy.

• Hai Bodong showed Gu He a small furnished house, and Gu He set up warning barriers before falling into an exhausted sleep.
• While exploring Mo City with Qing Lin, Hai Bodong said Gu He would probably leave within a few days to improve his strength, and Qing Lin resolved to grow stronger.
• Qing Lin visited the sleeping Gu He and nearly touched his face, but the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python emerged and confronted her snake-nemesis aura.
• After Qing Lin left, the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python returned to Gu He's sleeve, and Gu He awoke refreshed the next morning.
• Gu He met Hai Bodong and Qing Lin in the courtyard and asked Qing Lin whether she had decided what she wanted to buy.

Gu He left Mo City for the Black Corner Region, while Hai Bodong and Qing Lin departed separately after his farewell. After crossing the Jia Ma Empire and restoring his Dou Qi near the Black Region Great Plains, Gu He set out toward the dangerous region, eager to see what awaited him.

• Gu He gave Qing Lin a Ring and took her shopping for clothes and fruit in Mo City.
• Gu He told Hai Bodong and Qing Lin that he was leaving for the Black Corner Region, then flew away from Mo City.
• Hai Bodong decided to leave Mo City with Qing Lin, packing their belongings and destroying sensitive parts of the house.
• Gu He passed through Town Ghost Pass and flew east across several small countries toward the Black Region Great Plains.
• After three days of travel, Gu He stopped in a secluded mountain forest to replenish his Dou Qi.
• Gu He took a sword from his Ring and walked toward the Black Region Great Plains, looking forward to entering the Black Corner Region.

Gu He entered the Black Corner Region and followed a merchant caravan toward Twilight City after it refused to take him on. When the caravan camped for the night, he overheard nearby desperadoes debating how to attack it.

• Gu He paid to enter a tribe, dealt harshly with thieves, and learned that its only caravan was bound for Twilight City.
• The caravan merchant refused Gu He's offer to travel with the group, so Gu He waited in the tribe until it departed.
• Gu He followed the caravan across the black plains and noticed several furtive figures leaving the tribe after it.
• At nightfall, Gu He sensed desperadoes near the caravan and used his Soul Power to overhear their plan to attack.
• The desperadoes argued about avoiding the caravan's patrols and defensive wagon formation.

Gu He overheard the Black Wind Group’s plan to attack the convoy and disrupted their stealth approach, forcing them to launch a direct assault. The convoy prepared to defend itself as the bandits charged the cart barrier.

• Gu He judged that the Black Wind Group’s three Da Dou Shi gave them a major advantage over the convoy and decided to interfere.
• After night fell, the Black Wind Group crept toward the resting convoy under its leader’s command.
• Gu He struck the last Dou Master in the line with a pebble, making him fall and alerting a patrolman, who shouted that the convoy was under attack.
• The Black Wind Group’s leader killed the fallen Dou Master for ruining the plan.
• The convoy’s defenders armed themselves and gathered behind the carts while the vulnerable members hid together.
• The leader promised the attackers first pick of the valuables and women and ten thousand gold coins, then led them in a charge against the cart barrier.

Gu He covertly intervened in the caravan’s battle with the Black Wind Group, helping the caravan’s three-star Great Dou Master kill the Second Boss and then strengthening him for a fight against the Third Boss. The chapter ended as the two fighters prepared to clash with their Dou Techniques.

• Li Gui attacked the caravan, but its strongest fighter blocked his saber and escaped back into the defensive circle with his spear.
• Gu He struck the Second Boss behind the knee with a pebble, allowing the caravan’s three-star Great Dou Master to kill him with a slash.
• The Third Boss mourned his brother and attacked the three-star Great Dou Master, driving him into a desperate fight.
• Gu He used Soul Needles to temporarily boost the three-star Great Dou Master’s Fighting Qi and reinforced the energy flowing into his Willow Leaf Saber.
• The three-star Great Dou Master called out “Fierce Wind Saber!” as he prepared to face the Third Boss’s Mad Demon Staff Technique.

The Three-star Great Dou Master killed the Third Boss with a saber strike empowered by Gu He's Soul Power, then took a Qi Restoration Pill and headed toward another battle. Li Gui abandoned the fight and led the remaining Black Wind Group members away, leaving the convoy alive but grieving its losses.

• The Three-star Great Dou Master shattered the Third Boss's Mad Demon Rod and split him in two with a saber strike.
• After realizing he could no longer fight, the Three-star Great Dou Master swallowed a Qi Restoration Pill and moved toward another Great Dou Master battle.
• Li Gui saw the Third Boss die, retreated from his fight with the Five-star Great Dou Master, and ordered the Black Wind Group to withdraw.
• Li Gui threatened to return after discovering the Three-star Great Dou Master's secret, then left with the surviving villains.
• The convoy celebrated its survival and mourned the people it had lost, while Gu He departed without watching them deal with the aftermath.