Chapter Summaries

Wu Qi confronted the Viper Spirit Master after learning how the Desert Palace had trapped exiles and helped the Viper rise in strength. He activated his domain and fought the Viper while Qian Gu Changkong, Chen Ping, Chen Nan, and Hunter battled the Sand Emperor Poison Serpent with the Aromatic Silk Beauty, leaving both fights underway.

• The Viper Spirit Master explained that Spirit Hall had lured exiles to the Desert Palace and revealed how the Sand Emperor Poison Serpent had saved him and helped him grow stronger.
• The Viper Spirit Master threatened to kill Wu Qi and absorb his power, while Wu Qi warned that the Viper's plans were unrealistic.
• Wu Qi activated Divine Slaughter's Domain, gave the Aromatic Silk Beauty to Qian Gu Changkong, and charged the Viper Spirit Master, confident that poison could not harm him.
• Qian Gu Changkong summoned the Heavenly Awakening Sacred Golden Dragon and joined Chen Ping, Chen Nan, and Hunter in fighting the Sand Emperor Poison Serpent.
• The Sand Emperor Poison Serpent's venom was purified by the Aromatic Silk Beauty's halo, and Qian Gu Changkong leaped forward to attack while Chen Ping covered him.

Wu Qi fought the Viper Spirit Master after he activated his Martial Soul Avatar, using Spirit Bone skills and speed to wear him down. Meanwhile, Qian Gu Changkong and his teammates weakened the Sand Emperor Poison Serpent and created an opening for Hunter.

• The Viper Spirit Master activated his Martial Soul Avatar and attacked Wu Qi, who blocked a blow with Invincible Golden Body.
• Wu Qi used Illusion Space and Azure Luan Swiftness to strike the Viper Spirit Master, then harassed him with rapid attacks until his serpent technique collapsed.
• Wu Qi’s Teleport skill surprised the Viper Spirit Master, and his Spirit Luan Martial Void Art had stacked beyond fifty layers.
• Qian Gu Changkong and his teammates fought the Sand Emperor Poison Serpent, using Hunter’s Lava Ground and Qian Gu Changkong’s fire resistance to weaken it.
• Qian Gu Changkong pinned the serpent with Blazing Dragon Coils, and Chen Nan called out for Hunter to seize the opening.
• Hunter plunged his Blazing Scepter into the sand and activated his Sixth Soul Ring.

Hunter killed the Sand Emperor Poison Serpent and the Viper Spirit Master with powerful flame attacks, helping turn the battlefield in his allies’ favor. Afterward, Wu Qi noticed that Hunter’s apparent Soul Ring Fusion was fake and unlike the technique he had seen before.

• Hunter trapped the Sand Emperor Poison Serpent in a Soul Power barrier, and Chen Nan entered to attack it but was knocked away by its tail.
• Hunter unleashed his Sixth Soul Skill, Dragon Flame's Fury, and a hidden violet bolt of lightning killed the Sand Emperor Poison Serpent.
• Wu Qi used Phantom Spirit Sharing so his allies could coordinate against the Viper Spirit Master, while Hunter trapped the enemy in a flaming hexagram prison.
• Hunter killed the Viper Spirit Master, astonishing Wu Qi, Qian Gu Changkong, and Chen Ping with his strength.
• Wu Qi recognized that Hunter's Soul Ring Fusion was fake because it differed from the technique he had observed Huo Wu use.

Hunter killed two Soul Sage-level enemies with his charged soul skill, and the group reached the real oasis after Chen Nan agreed to protect them. At the oasis, Hunter hinted that he was stronger than he had claimed but postponed explaining his origins until they met again.

• Hunter explained that his soul skill grew stronger the longer it charged, while Chen Nan accepted Wu Qi's explanation for hiding the group's identities and gave him valuables to arrange a larger grave for her husband.
• Chen Nan joined the group as their protector, and Hunter urged everyone to continue toward the real oasis before other exiles arrived.
• Wu Qi followed the Compass through the desert, and after a day the group spotted and reached the oasis surrounded by windbreak forests.
• Chen Nan searched the lake's shore for signs of human remains, while Wu Qi collected a Sand Mandala and Qian Gu Changkong jumped into the unpoisoned water.
• Hunter told Wu Qi that he was not level sixty-nine and promised to reveal his origins if they met again.

Wu Qi and his companions found a mysterious oasis, but Chen Nan stayed behind while they prepared to leave. A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast awakened in the oasis, revealing why no exiles lived there, and Wu Qi fled with the others.

• Hunter vanished into dust after Wu Qi obtained the scepter, leaving Wu Qi uncertain about the scepter and Hunter’s nature.
• Wu Qi, Chen Nan, and the others reached the oasis, where Chen Nan wanted to stay but agreed to spend one night with them before deciding.
• Wu Qi explained that they should leave after completing their mission, despite the unanswered questions about the oasis and its legend.
• During her watch, Chen Nan left the camp to return to the oasis for water and did not come back.
• At dawn, Wu Qi discovered Chen Nan was missing and started preparing to leave with Qian Gu Changkong and Chen Ping.
• A terrifying aura revealed a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the oasis, and Wu Qi hurried the others to safety.

Wu Qi and his companions left the oasis believing Chen Nan had died to a terrifying Soul Beast, while reflecting on the bleak fate of the exiles. The truth revealed that Hunter had rescued Chen Nan from the nearly hundred-thousand-year Water Condensing Xuanwu, and the group later came across unconscious exiles but chose not to help them.

• Wu Qi told Qian Gu Changkong and Chen Ping that the oasis might represent how exiles died at the end of their hopes, though they could not know whether Chen Nan had truly died.
• The Water Condensing Xuanwu was revealed to have awakened after Chen Nan shouted at Hunter, and its nearly hundred-thousand-year cultivation had knocked her unconscious.
• Hunter described his conflicting memories and the word “Destruction,” then warned the Water Condensing Xuanwu not to harm Chen Nan and carried her away.
• Wu Qi, Qian Gu Changkong, and Chen Ping traveled east on their return journey and found another group of exiles unconscious beside the Viper Spirit Master's trap.
• The three companions saw small crustaceans approaching the unconscious exiles but decided not to help them.

Wu Qi and his companions completed the Lost Grand Canyon trial, but the return journey left Qian Gu Changkong and Chen Ping psychologically shaken. After hearing Wu Qi’s account, Subduing Demon Douluo revealed the royal capital’s connection to Rakshasa worship and a devastating divine lightning strike, while Wu Qi wondered about the Scepter and the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

• Wu Qi, Qian Gu Changkong, and Chen Ping fought through the exiles and reached the canyon, where Spirit Hall experts verified their Gold Tokens and escorted them out.
• Subduing Demon Douluo visited the three and learned that their trial had left Qian Gu Changkong and Chen Ping near psychological collapse.
• Wu Qi asked whether the Desert Palace had been opened to reduce the exiles’ numbers, and Subduing Demon Douluo explained that the hall had opened it to seek an unknown ancestral treasure.
• Subduing Demon Douluo said the ancient royal capital had been occupied by Rakshasa-worshipping Evil Spirit Masters and that a world-destroying lightning strike had buried Lost Land beneath sand.
• Wu Qi touched the Scepter on his back and suspected it was connected to the lightning strike, then asked Subduing Demon Douluo why a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast had been in the oasis.

Subduing Demon Douluo explained that exiles could leave the Lost Land by traveling west, but most chose the comfort of its oasis instead. After Wu Qi reported the trial’s completion, Qian Daoliu gave him his next mission: investigate the Poisonous Land and its possible inheritances.

• Subduing Demon Douluo told Wu Qi that the Lost Land had an exit on its western coast, but exiles usually stayed in the oasis rather than pursue freedom.
• Wu Qi reported to Qian Daoliu and handed over the Sand Mandala, completing the Lost Grand Canyon trial.
• Qian Daoliu examined the dark purple scepter Wu Qi had brought back, but neither he nor the other enshrinners identified it.
• Qian Daoliu assigned Wu Qi a trial mission in the Poisonous Land and Azure Luan Douluo gave him the gathered information.
• Wu Qi learned that the Poisonous Land had upper and lower levels, where Azure Luan Douluo had found a divine beast’s corpse and Nether Leopard Douluo had undergone a talent-changing trial.
• Golden Crocodile Douluo said the Poisonous Land might be a divine burial ground turned into a place for selecting successors, with two possible inheritances.

Wu Qi learned that Spirit Hall would send a joint team into the Poisonous Land, with him as its leader, and suspected the mission was tied to a move against the Wu Family. He helped Qian Gu Changkong and Chen Ping recover from their distress, then revealed that they would lead academy students into the Poisonous Land.

• Qian Daoliu told Wu Qi that Spirit Hall would cooperate with the Papal Hall to explore the Poisonous Land, and the worship elders explained they planned to use the Papal Hall team to scout dangerous areas.
• Wu Qi sent a letter to the Heaven Dou Empire and resolved to seek advice from Old Ghoul before the expedition, while suspecting the mission involved the Wu Family.
• Wu Qi challenged Qian Gu Changkong and Chen Ping to leave their rooms and join him, reminding them of the Five-Year Agreement.
• Wu Qi took the two to Spirit Hall Academy, where they shared competition experience with the new team and gradually regained their spirits.
• Wu Qi told Qian Gu Changkong and Chen Ping that their new mission was to lead a team into the Poisonous Land, including several students they had met at the academy.

Wu Qi and his companions prepared to investigate New Mountain Sect’s illegal mining operation and the Wu Family’s suspected involvement before training in the Poisonous Land. In Heaven Dou City, Xue Qinghe presented Wu Qi with the evidence he had gathered, leaving the investigation ready to begin.

• Wu Qi learned that Spirit Hall had approved a journey to the Poisonous Land and planned to bring Little Deer as protection against its poisonous spores.
• Wu Qi received Xue Qinghe’s report that the Wu Family had profited from an illegal mine operated by New Mountain Sect, which might be plotting to overthrow the Hagen-Dazs Kingdom.
• Wu Qi, Qian Gu Changkong, Qian Jun, Subduing Demon Douluo, and the recruited team set out to investigate the mines near Lipton Forest before training in the Poisonous Land.
• Subduing Demon Douluo explained that Wu Qinan had used his share of the mining profits to support former subordinates, complicating the question of the Wu Family’s involvement.
• Wu Qi arrived in Heaven Dou City, met Xue Qinghe secretly at the Crown Prince’s Residence, and received the evidence gathered against the Wu Family.

Wu Qi learned that Xue Qinghe would spare most of the Wu Family if Wu Qinan had been deceived, so he chose to investigate the New Mountain Sect’s role. Before heading to Poisonous Land, Wu Qi got directions and warnings from Old Ghoul, who revealed that its right-hand route might hold an opportunity meant for someone destined to claim it.

• Xue Qinghe told Wu Qi that a Wu Family mole may have deceived Wu Qinan, and that the family could survive if Wu Qi uncovered the truth.
• Wu Qi decided to investigate rather than let innocent members of the Wu Family be punished, and Xue Qinghe said Wu Qinan would live but lose his title if his deception was proven.
• Wu Qi visited Old Ghoul in the underground black market through Dugu Bo and confirmed that he planned to enter Poisonous Land.
• Old Ghoul advised Wu Qi to take the left route at each fork for a chance to survive, while explaining that the more dangerous right route might offer a special opportunity to someone destined for it.
• Dugu Bo warned Wu Qi that few people who entered Poisonous Land had returned alive.

Wu Qi rejected Dugu Bo’s warnings and prepared to pursue the opportunities in the Poisonous Land. He joined forces with Salas to investigate the Wu Family’s mines and set out for the Hagen-Dazs Kingdom, while Salas stayed in Heaven Dou City to coordinate Spirit Hall’s forces.

• Dugu Bo warned Wu Qi that even great geniuses could die or be forgotten, but Wu Qi insisted he had to take the risk for the chance to obtain a Divine Trial.
• Wu Qi met Salas at the Martial Soul Hall and asked him to help investigate the Wu Family, relying on Salas’s knowledge and Spirit Hall’s forces.
• Wu Qi agreed to Salas’s plan to keep the student training squad in a nearby city under watch while the investigation began.
• Wu Qi led the group toward the Hagen-Dazs Kingdom, while Salas remained in Heaven Dou City to mobilize personnel and prepare to capture the suspected New Mountain Sect mole.

Wu Qi, Qian Gu Changkong, and Chen Ping investigated the New Mountain Sect’s mines, where Wu Qi discovered soul masters pursuing He Niannian. The chapter left He Niannian in danger as her pursuers threatened her.

• Wu Qi explained that they needed witnesses and evidence about the Wu Family’s involvement before acting against the New Mountain Sect.
• Wu Qi flew to inspect the mining district while Qian Gu Changkong and Chen Ping waited nearby.
• Wu Qi saw abandoned tents and signs of recent mining, then detected Soul Power nearby and flew toward it.
• Wu Qi discovered a group of soul masters chasing He Niannian, who had overheard important intelligence and tried to escape.
• He Guangyi’s daughter’s pursuers threatened to assault her after capturing her.

Wu Qi rescued He Niannian from New Mountain Sect pursuers, then learned that the sect had planted explosives in a mine where hundreds of miners were trapped. He Niannian identified New Mountain Sect as the mine’s current operator, and Wu Qi needed to investigate the mine before planning a rescue.

• Wu Qi used Phantom Spirit Sharing to help He Niannian evade her pursuers and guided her farther from the mine.
• Wu Qi trapped the pursuing squad inside his domains and illusion, killing them with He Niannian’s help, then took her to meet Qian Gu Changkong and another companion.
• He Niannian begged Wu Qi to save her father and the miners, explaining that New Mountain Sect had planted explosives underground to bury them.
• He Niannian said the miners had been ordered to return within ten days, leaving less time than the remaining three days before the deadline.
• He Niannian explained that Charles had first developed the mine and later transferred it; she confirmed that New Mountain Sect now operated it.

Wu Qi and Qian Gu Changkong questioned He Niannian about the New Mountain Sect’s takeover of the mines, but her fragmented memories did not resolve the Wu Family’s possible involvement. A mysterious man in black appeared to take He Niannian, then offered Wu Qi a route map to new clues and waited for them to verify it.

• He Niannian told Wu Qi that the New Mountain Sect forced miners into labor contracts, killed those who resisted, and used their families to keep them obedient.
• He Niannian recalled that Charles had promised to take her to Heaven Dou City and that his foreman, Wu Cheng, disappeared after Charles left.
• Wu Qi arranged protection for He Niannian, while Qian Gu Changkong noted that the evidence still pointed to a possible high-ranking traitor in the Wu Family.
• A masked man in black appeared to abduct He Niannian, but the Spirit Hall Soul Sage drove him back and protected her.
• Wu Qi questioned the man, who confirmed he was investigating the New Mountain Sect and gave them a route map to new clues, refusing to reveal his identity.

Wu Qi and his companions found Charles’s buried body, and Wu Qinan revealed how the New Mountain Sect had framed the Wu Family. Wu Qinan planned to expose the sect and destroy it, but learning the full truth from him gave Wu Qi’s group the missing piece of the case.

• Wu Qi took He Niannian with him and led the group to the site Wu Qinan had identified, where they uncovered several coffins beneath the snow.
• He Niannian recognized Charles’s distinctive clothing, and Wu Qi concluded that Wu Qinan had found and reburied Charles’s body.
• Wu Qi’s group returned to their base and discovered that the masked man was Wu Qinan himself.
• Wu Qinan explained that Charles’s trusted subordinate had written his letters, allowing the New Mountain Sect to exploit their secret mark and deceive him.
• Wu Qinan said he had abducted He Niannian to learn about the mine and gather witnesses so he could expose the New Mountain Sect, and he explained how Charles’s hidden Soul Tool had led him to her.

Wu Qi raced to uncover the mole and rescue the miners trapped in the New Mountain Sect’s mine, while Wu Qinan returned to expose the traitor in the Wu Family. After a day of searching, Wu Qi’s group found Chen San, an experienced miner, and asked him about the mine’s overseers.

• Wu Qi warned Wu Qinan to expose the mole quickly, take Charles’s corpse as evidence, and prepare for action against the New Mountain Sect.
• Wu Qinan flew to Heaven Dou City, while Wu Qi asked He Niannian about the mine’s sentries and planned to send Qian Gu Changkong inside undercover.
• Wu Qi, Chen Ping, Qian Gu Changkong, and He Niannian waited for a miner to pass, but found no one until He Niannian recognized Chen San.
• Wu Qi gave the cold and wary Chen San a robe and brought him into the city to discuss the endangered miners.
• He Niannian asked Chen San, who had been among the first miners to enter the mine, about the overseers’ deployment.

Wu Qi sent Qian Gu Changkong to infiltrate New Mountain Sect’s mine and organize the trapped miners before the sect blew it up. Qian Gu Changkong gained entry and recruited Zhu Wusi, who began preparing to coordinate the miners’ evacuation.

• Chen San told Wu Qi about the mine’s hidden sentries and patrols, and Wu Qi arranged for Qian Gu Changkong to enter and mark their positions with Darklight Powder.
• Chen San brought Qian Gu Changkong toward the mine and claimed he was a troublesome nephew who needed to be disciplined; the sentries let them pass.
• Qian Gu Changkong noticed that New Mountain Sect had withdrawn many sentries, then joined the miners after Chen San pleaded his case.
• Qian Gu Changkong found Zhu Wusi, told him New Mountain Sect planned to bury the miners by blowing up the mine, and asked him to help organize an evacuation.
• Zhu Wusi agreed to find other capable leaders and coordinate with Qian Gu Changkong without exposing their plan.

Wu Qi organized Spirit Hall’s trial students and experts for a midnight rescue of the miners and Qian Gu Changkong from the New Mountain Sect’s mine. As Iron Bull Soul Douluo’s team reached the mine and prepared to take down a ten-person sentry post, Qian Gu Changkong waited inside for the rescue to begin.

• Wu Qi assigned the restless students to an urgent mission and had Iron Bull Soul Douluo teach them assassination techniques.
• Wu Qi surveyed the mine and mapped the sentries while the students trained, then led the team out of the city at midnight.
• Iron Bull Soul Douluo revealed that the mission was a rescue and warned the students that failure could cost hundreds of lives and ruin their academy prospects.
• Wu Qi returned with a route map, told Iron Bull Soul Douluo to supervise the students closely, and prepared to provide support from the air.
• Inside the mine, Qian Gu Changkong confirmed with Zhu Wusi that the workers were ready to organize when the signal came.
• Iron Bull Soul Douluo brought the students to a sentry post and selected several to help him attack while the rest guarded the perimeter.

Wu Qi and Iron Bull Soul Douluo’s forces attacked New Mountain Sect’s hidden sentry posts while Qian Gu Changkong struck the supervisors and led the miners out of the mine. Wu Qi then intercepted a White Eagle Soul Sage, leaving their battle underway as the assault on the sect’s base continued.

• Iron Bull Soul Douluo’s team eliminated the sentries at the first post, captured the missing guard, and killed him before continuing to the next post.
• Wu Qi reached the foot of the mountain and sent the agreed signal, prompting Qian Gu Changkong to wake Zhu Wusi and begin the attack inside the mine.
• Qian Gu Changkong used his fifth Soul Skill to kill the supervisors, while Zhu Wusi organized the miners’ evacuation and Qian Gu Changkong cleared their path.
• Wu Qi intercepted a White Eagle Soul Sage investigating the signal and engaged him to prevent him from escaping or interfering with the attack.
• The White Eagle Soul Sage activated his Martial Soul Avatar, and Wu Qi prepared to fight despite recognizing the ability as a challenge.