Chapter Summaries

Ling Li killed Mo Li and Mo Kun after they targeted Zi Yan, then gave their Storage Rings to Zi Yan and Qing Lin. He asked Hai Bodong how he had obtained his fragmented map.

• Ling Li killed Mo Li and Mo Kun with his blade, and the peacekeeping force captain accepted his explanation and took the men away.
• Zi Yan admitted she had pretended to cry because she feared the alchemist would stop making her sugar pills.
• Ling Li said Hai Bodong's recovery to Fighting Emperor strength would make Han Feng less of a threat, then warned Zi Yan not to go overboard before they got their pills.
• Ling Li gave Mo Kun's Storage Ring to Zi Yan and Mo Li's Storage Ring to Qing Lin, who reluctantly accepted it after Zi Yan's teasing warning.
• Ling Li asked Hai Bodong how he had obtained his fragmented map.

Ling Li learned that the remnant map Hai Bodong had taken from the Snake People Clan was tied to their bloodline secret art and the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame. After Han Feng refined the Breaking Calamity Pill, Ling Li and Zi Yan collected it, leaving Han Feng weakened by the backlash from pseudo Pill Lightning.

• Hai Bodong explained that he and a friend had obtained the remnant map from the Snake People Palace and that he had been unable to copy it.
• Ling Li inferred the remnant map’s connection to the Snake People Clan’s secret art and the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame, then considered visiting Queen Medusa in the Tagor Desert.
• Han Feng lamented that Ling Li had ruined his plans to exploit the Mo Family’s organ-transplanting method and decided to refine the Breaking Calamity Pill quickly.
• Three days later, Han Feng’s pill refinement produced pseudo Pill Lightning that rippled across Maple City and nearby cities.
• Ling Li and Zi Yan entered Han Feng’s pill-refining chamber, where Han Feng gave Ling Li the Breaking Calamity Pill and handed Zi Yan more pills.
• Zi Yan noticed Han Feng’s weakened condition and soul damage, while Ling Li considered taking the opportunity to stab him.

Ling Li spared Han Feng and left Maple City with Zi Yan, Qing Lin, and Hai Bodong. In a cave outside the city, Hai Bodong took the Breaking Calamity Pill and broke Queen Medusa’s seal, leaving him roaring as frost spread around him.

• Ling Li decided not to kill Han Feng, then left his loft with Zi Yan and flew out of Maple City with Qing Lin and Hai Bodong.
• Ling Li checked the cave outside Maple City and gave Hai Bodong the Breaking Calamity Pill.
• Hai Bodong swallowed the pill while Ling Li guarded the cave and Zi Yan took Qing Lin outside.
• The pill’s energy clashed with the purple seal inside Hai Bodong until the seal cracked and vanished.
• Hai Bodong roared as frost spread around him after the decades-old seal broke.

Ling Li forced Hai Bodong to rein in his restored power, then traveled with him, Zi Yan, and Qing Lin back to Black Seal City. Ling Li sought Elder Xia’s help obtaining a fragmentary map before the Black Seal Auction, while Hai Bodong worried that an old enemy might still be alive.

• Hai Bodong broke his seal and unleashed freezing Dou Qi, but Ling Li triggered the Heart Devouring Silkworms in his heart and made him withdraw it.
• Hai Bodong said he had recovered to the three-star Dou Emperor level and expected further recovery over time, while Ling Li mocked his strength and ordered him to lead the way to Queen Medusa.
• Ling Li called Zi Yan over, and Qing Lin escaped his hold to cling to Zi Yan as the group resumed traveling.
• Hai Bodong tried to speed ahead to display his strength, but Ling Li and Zi Yan kept up, and he gave up after failing to lose them.
• After two days, the group reached Black Seal City, where Ling Li planned to ask Elder Xia for help securing a fragmentary map before the auction.
• Hai Bodong denied that anything was wrong when Ling Li questioned him, but privately feared that an old immortal enemy was still alive.

Ling Li’s group visited Eight Fan Sect, where Elder Xia Pan and Hai Bodong recognized each other and began fighting over their history. Zi Yan stopped them by kicking both in the crotch, leaving Xia Pan unconscious and Qing Lin strangely affected by his presence.

• At Eight Fan Sect’s bounty hall, Xia Pan recognized Hai Bodong and threatened him, while Hai Bodong mocked Xia Pan’s reduced strength.
• Ling Li greeted Xia Pan, who noticed Ling Li had reached Dou Wang, and Hai Bodong revealed their dispute involved Xia Pan’s missing son and Hai Bodong’s past.
• Xia Pan and Hai Bodong fought, and their attacks battered the hall as Ling Li protected himself and Qing Lin.
• At Ling Li’s request, Zi Yan intervened and struck Hai Bodong between the legs, dropping him to the ground.
• Zi Yan broke Xia Pan’s Spatial Power barrier with another kick and knocked him unconscious.
• Qing Lin studied Xia Pan and felt a strange sensation around him.

Ling Li learned how Xia Pan and Hai Bodong had stolen a map and treasure from the Snake People Clan, leading to Xia Mang’s capture and the birth of his daughter. Xia Pan’s conflict with Queen Medusa and the Snake People elders sparked a devastating war that weakened the Gamma Empire and made Medusa’s reputation.

• Ling Li learned that Xia Pan was a Half-Snake Person and had once led the Heavenly Snake Mansion.
• Xia Pan explained that Xia Mang and Hai Bodong had stolen the Snake People Clan’s secret technique and a fragmentary map from its sacred grounds.
• After learning that the technique required a Mysterious Flame, Xia Mang and Hai Bodong returned to the sacred grounds and were captured by Queen Medusa.
• Queen Medusa sent Xia Mang to the Ten Thousand Snake Cave after discovering that he had fathered a daughter with a royal Snake Person; Hai Bodong escaped with Xia Mang’s Storage Ring.
• Xia Pan fought Queen Medusa and the elders, then returned to seek Xia Mang’s daughter, but the Snake People Clan abandoned her and drove him away badly injured.
• The Snake People elders used their pursuit of Xia Pan to start a war with the Gamma Empire, leaving the empire devastated and Queen Medusa feared across the region.

Xia Pan discovered that Qing Lin was his granddaughter and reunited with her, then hired Ling Li and Zi Yan to escort them to Heavenly Snake Mansion. The group arrived in Heavenly Snake City, with Ling Li rejecting Xia Pan’s suggestion that he pursue Qing Lin.

• Xia Pan learned Qing Lin’s age and recognized her as the Snake Woman’s daughter, then confirmed their relationship with a blood test.
• Xia Pan reunited tearfully with Qing Lin and asked Ling Li and Zi Yan to take them to Heavenly Snake Mansion, promising to leave Qing Lin in Ling Li’s care.
• Xia Pan persuaded Zi Yan to accept Qing Lin’s growing closeness to Ling Li in exchange for five hundred fourth-tier magic cores, and Zi Yan told Qing Lin to call Ling Li “Dad.”
• Several days later, Xia Pan and Ling Li arrived with Zi Yan and Qing Lin at Heavenly Snake City.
• Xia Pan suggested that Ling Li consider Qing Lin as a partner, but Ling Li angrily refused and threatened to end the commissioned trip.

Xia Pan, Ling Li, and their companions explored Heavenly Snake City before heading to Heavenly Snake Mansion, where Xia Pan hoped to reclaim influence and offered Ling Li rare metals for his saber. The group left for the mansion with Ling Li considering the Colored Snake Stones as possible sheath material for Dark Night.

• Xia Pan and Hai Bodong commented on Heavenly Snake Mansion's decline, and Xia Pan asked Ling Li to help if its elders resisted him.
• Zi Yan reminded Xia Pan to pay Ling Li for his help, while Xia Pan teased Qing Lin about Ling Li and offered him the mansion.
• Ling Li refused to visit the city's inns and restaurants because they sold human meat, and Zi Yan agreed to avoid them.
• Ling Li bought special metals and explained that he was searching for material to make a sheath for Dark Night.
• Xia Pan offered Ling Li several Colored Snake Stones from Heavenly Snake Mansion's treasury, and the group headed toward the mansion.

Ling Li, Zi Yan, Hai Bodong, and Xia Pan arrived at Heavenly Snake Mansion, where Xia Pan confronted its new leaders and demanded his position back. Lu Man rejected him, and Ling Li and Zi Yan launched the first attacks, beginning the battle.

• Xia Pan explained that the mansion’s skeletal walls came from a seventh-tier Azure Mysterious Heavenly Snake and that the beast’s remnant soul lingered in its bones.
• Lu Man and Qing Ying appeared with the Eight-Winged Black Snake Emperor, and Xia Pan realized the mansion had already replaced him.
• Xia Pan demanded to reclaim the mansion master position, but Qing Ying blamed him for abandoning the mansion during its crisis.
• Lu Man mocked Xia Pan’s diminished strength and dismissed Ling Li and Zi Yan as insufficient support.
• Ling Li summoned Dark Night, and he and Zi Yan attacked Lu Man, setting off a clash between the opposing groups.

Ling Li and Zi Yan fought Lu Man, whose petrifying Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and defensive vine techniques kept them at a stalemate. With their side outmatched across the battlefield, Ling Li searched for a way to turn the fight and focused on the Eight-Winged Black Snake Emperor.

• Lu Man hardened her vines with petrifying energy, but Ling Li corroded their protection and cut through them to reach her.
• Lu Man’s gaze began petrifying Ling Li until he regained control, and Zi Yan warned him that Lu Man possessed Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.
• Lu Man sealed nearby natural energy, forcing Ling Li and Zi Yan to swallow magic cores as the surrounding fighters engaged in battles of their own.
• Ling Li and Zi Yan struggled to break through Lu Man’s defensive vines while Hai Bodong fought Qing Ying and Xia Pan and Qing Lin faced the Eight-Winged Black Snake Emperor.
• Recognizing that his side was at a disadvantage, Ling Li looked toward the Eight-Winged Black Snake Emperor as he considered using a special method.

Ling Li broke away from Lu Man and attacked the Eight-Winged Black Snake Emperor, turning the battle in Xia Pan’s favor. Xia Pan struck the serpent with a spatially empowered kick, then called to Qing Lin.

• Ling Li used his speed and a feint to evade Lu Man’s vines and rush toward Qing Ying.
• Qing Ying summoned an energy python that struck Ling Li, but he vanished before the dust cleared.
• Ling Li appeared on White Fang’s back and carved a long wound with Dark Night, which corroded the serpent’s Dou Qi and caused him great pain.
• Ling Li unleashed a barrage of slashes against White Fang as Xia Pan seized the opening to attack.
• Xia Pan struck White Fang with a spatially empowered kick, then called to Qing Lin.

Qing Lin subdued the Eight-Winged Black Snake Emperor, while Hai Bodong killed Qing Ying and Lu Man escaped. The group accepted that they could not stop Lu Man, and Zi Yan demanded compensation from Xia Pan for his weakness.

• Qing Lin used her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils to enslave the Eight-Winged Black Snake Emperor, which shrank and coiled around her arm.
• Xia Pan explained that Qing Lin's snake could regain Fighting Emperor-level strength, and he again teased Ling Li about considering her as a partner.
• Qing Ying was distracted by the Eight-Winged Black Snake Emperor's capture, and Hai Bodong killed her with Mystic Ice Dragon Dive.
• Ling Li lamented that Hai Bodong had destroyed Qing Ying's body and Dou Crystal, while Zi Yan reported that Lu Man had escaped.
• Ling Li said they could not have stopped Lu Man from fleeing, and Zi Yan demanded that Xia Pan compensate her with Lu Man's treasures.

After helping Xia Pan defeat Heavenly Snake Mansion, Ling Li followed him into the mansion to claim the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame remnant map and learn about the Heavenly Snake Spirit Pool. The chapter ended with Xia Pan revealing a pool of accumulated venom and energy that no one had used for decades.

• Ling Li and the three Dou Huangs of Heavenly Snake Mansion fought briefly, and the mansion’s remaining Dou Wangs fled after Xia Pan killed one holdout.
• Ling Li asked Xia Pan for the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame remnant map, and Xia Pan agreed but said he would offer additional payment that money could not buy.
• Xia Pan led Ling Li and Zi Yan into Heavenly Snake Mansion while Hai Bodong flew away, then explained that the Mysterious Heavenly Snake had seven heads and that six of them formed the Heavenly Snake Spirit Pool.
• Xia Pan used a snake-shaped token to open the sealed stone door, revealing six skeletal heads dripping purple-black venom into the pool.
• Ling Li sensed that the pool chamber held more than five times the energy found outside, and Xia Pan said no one had soaked in the pool for decades.

Ling Li learned that the Heavenly Snake Spirit Pool could strengthen the soul and help its visitors cultivate, then joined Zi Yan and Qing Lin as they entered it. As Zi Yan called for Ling Li to scrub her back, Xia Pan left them alone in the pool.

• Ling Li questioned Xia Pan about the pool’s poisonous water, and Xia Pan explained that it held dense energy and a remnant soul of the Heavenly Snake that could strengthen Soul Power.
• Ling Li learned that powerful souls were necessary for advancing to higher realms and recognized the value of the Heavenly Snake’s remnant soul.
• Zi Yan jumped into the pool and absorbed the surrounding energy, while Xia Pan urged Qing Lin to enter as well.
• Ling Li gave Qing Lin a Fourth-grade Alchemist Robe to protect her from the pool’s corrosive poison, and Xia Pan recognized it as belonging to Han Rui.
• Zi Yan called for Ling Li to scrub her back, and Xia Pan gave Ling Li a knowing look before leaving the pool entrance.

Qing Lin cultivated in the Heavenly Snake Spirit Pool and successfully broke through to Dou Zhe as Ling Li and Zi Yan set a trap for the Seven-Headed Snake Soul. Dark Night advanced to Mysterious Tier High Grade, but one of the snake soul’s heads escaped into Qing Lin, and Ling Li asked how she felt.

• Qing Lin absorbed the pool’s energy while Ling Li scrubbed Zi Yan’s back, and they noticed the Seven-Headed Snake Soul watching Qing Lin.
• Ling Li and Zi Yan pretended to fall asleep until Qing Lin’s breakthrough weakened her barrier and drew the snake soul out.
• Zi Yan restrained the Seven-Headed Snake Soul, and Ling Li used Dark Night to cut off three heads, advancing the saber to Mysterious Tier High Grade.
• Zi Yan fed the remaining four-headed snake soul to her dragon phantom, but one head escaped and entered Qing Lin as she completed her breakthrough to Dou Zhe.
• Ling Li asked Qing Lin how she felt after part of the snake soul entered her body, and Qing Lin said she had not noticed anything.

Ling Li left the Black Corner Region with Qing Lin, Zi Yan, and Hai Bodong after Qing Lin absorbed a remnant snake soul and broke through to the Dou Zhe realm. The group reached Wutan City, where Ling Li found himself and Zi Yan on a bounty list, and he planned to seek answers about Ling Ying and settle accounts over what happened in the city.

• Qing Lin absorbed part of the snake soul, formed a tattoo on her back, and cultivated to peak Fighter One Star under Ling Li's guidance.
• Xia Pan led Ling Li and the others through the Heavenly Snake Mansion's treasure vault, where Ling Li took Ghostly Shadow and Colored Snake Stone and shared some of the remaining payment with Hai Bodong.
• Xia Pan collapsed the Heavenly Snake Mansion, and Ling Li departed the Black Corner Region with three remnant maps of the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame.
• Ling Li said he intended to return to Wutan City and visit the Tagor Desert, while Zi Yan vowed to challenge Ling Ying again.
• Half a month later, Ling Li's group arrived in Wutan City, where Zi Yan spotted bounty notices for both her and Ling Li at the city gate.

Ling Li visited Wutan City’s marketplace with Hai Bodong, Zi Yan, and Qing Lin, drawing attention because he wore an Alchemist Robe. After Xiao Yan and Xun Er arrived, Xun Er sensed the unfamiliar visitors and sent a strand of shadow to follow them.

• Ling Li dismissed the bounty on his head, then explored Wutan City and headed to its marketplace.
• Payne and the Xiao Family guards respectfully welcomed Ling Li, mistaking his group for a powerful alchemist and warning the marketplace pickpockets to keep away from him.
• Payne spoke with Xiao Yan and Xun Er, explaining that an unfamiliar alchemist had entered the marketplace and advising them not to provoke him.
• Xiao Yan expressed curiosity about the alchemist, while Xun Er suspected the newcomers might be connected to the assassins who had been eliminated a month earlier.
• Xun Er sent a strand of shadow into the marketplace to follow Ling Li’s group.

Ling Li visited Wutan City's market, bought a mysterious metal, and learned that Ya Fei had left the Mitel Auction House three years earlier. When Ling Ying attacked, Ling Li fought back and devastated the market, while Xiao Yan continued searching for a first-tier wood-element magic core.

• Ling Li found an unusually durable metal at a mercenary's stall and bought it for ten thousand Gold Coins, along with two magic cores.
• The mercenary told Ling Li and Hai Bodong that Ya Fei had left the Mitel Auction House three years earlier and that its new management had driven up Wutan City's entry fee.
• Ling Ying's black-mist arrow passed Ling Li, who attacked the alley with six dark vines and destroyed much of the market.
• Ling Ying emerged from the dust and threw a dark spear at Ling Li, whose Ice Barrier and Purple Spirit Mirror blocked it amid another destructive clash.
• Xiao Yan searched the market with Xun Er for a first-tier wood-element magic core, and Yao Chen warned him to watch out.

Xiao Yan survived the wall fragment when Yao Chen took control of his body, while Ling Ying revealed the Devouring Spirit Clan’s connection to Xiao Yan and Gu Xun Er. Ling Li appeared to turn on Ling Ying after learning he served Xun Er, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Yao Chen took control of Xiao Yan’s body, raised his strength to Dou Spirit, and shattered the incoming wall fragment with a massive ruler.
• Xiao Yan realized Yao Chen could control him completely and decided he could do without the opportunity Yao Chen offered, while Gu Xun Er suspected Xiao Yan had the Xiao Clan’s supreme treasure.
• Ling Li, Zi Yan, and Hai Bodong pursued Ling Ying to the Monster Beast Mountain Range, where Ling Ying revealed his overwhelming strength and Qing Lin escaped on the Eight-Winged Black Snake Emperor.
• Ling Ying told Ling Li that he was the last member of the Devouring Spirit Clan and that a clan treasure was likely in Xiao Yan’s hands, then urged him to deal with Xiao Yan and the pure-blooded Great Void Dragon girl.
• Ling Li learned Ling Ying served Gu Xun Er and suddenly drew Dark Night from the System Space to slash at him.

Ling Li attacked Ling Ying during a confrontation, wounded him with Dark Night, and was thrown back alongside Hai Bodong and Zi Yan. In Wutan City, Gu Xun Er and the Xiao Family elders weighed the danger from the other clans, while Xiao Zhan concealed his Dou Emperor strength and defended his decision to entrust Xiao Yan with the supreme treasure.

• Ling Li used a Ghostly Shadow clone and Shadow Blood Flash to cut Ling Ying with Dark Night, but Ling Ying struck him, Hai Bodong, and Zi Yan with Demon Snake Devour.
• Ling Ying reported to Gu Xun Er that he did not know the attackers’ identities, and she considered taking Xiao Yan to Jia Nan Academy for safety.
• Xiao Zhan secretly revealed his Dou Emperor strength in the Xiao Family council hall and told the elders that the attackers were not from the other clans, identifying one as a Dou Emperor from the Miter Family.
• The elders criticized Xiao Zhan for giving Xiao Yan the supreme treasure and questioned his plans, while he insisted that Xiao Yan would not hand it over to Gu Xun Er.
• Xiao Zhan hid his aura when Gu Xun Er approached, and the elders loudly berated him and Xiao Yan as she listened outside the hall.