Chapter Summaries

Sky Swallowing Ancestor returned to the Lingyun Sect as a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator and fought Chi Ming while the sect battled the Chi Demon Tribe. Li Qing and Chu Lingyi joined the fighting, and Li Qing killed two ancient devils who attacked them.

• Sky Swallowing Ancestor revealed his Nascent Soul Realm cultivation and clashed with Ancient Ancestor Chi Ming using the Sky Swallowing Ring.
• Ancestor Bingyun and Ancestor Ziqing joined True Lord Tun Tian, while the Lingyun Sect and Chi Demon Tribe fought across the mountain gate.
• Two Chi Demon Tribe members charged at Li Qing, and Chu Lingyi struck them with fire dragons that also nearly hit Li Qing.
• Li Qing activated the True Body of the Brahma King and crushed the two wounded ancient devils with his fists.

Li Qing fought a powerful Unicorn Demon after drawing the attention of the Chi Demon Tribe, and used his Golden Saber Talisman Treasure and Nether Cold Fire to destroy one of its divided bodies. The surviving demon and Li Qing entered a wary standoff as the battles between the patriarchs continued overhead.

• Li Qing rescued a Lingyun Sect Elder by binding and killing two Chi Demon Tribe members, then faced a winged Unicorn Demon that split into two bodies.
• The Unicorn Demon’s two bodies overwhelmed Li Qing and killed the Lingyun Sect Elder he had saved, forcing Li Qing to retreat.
• Li Qing activated the Golden Saber Talisman Treasure and badly wounded one clone, then engulfed it in Nether Cold Fire and destroyed it.
• The surviving Unicorn Demon wounded Li Qing with demonic claws, but he burned away the demonic qi with Nether Cold Fire and healed his wounds.
• Li Qing and the weakened Unicorn Demon held back from attacking each other, while the patriarchs’ battles continued above.

Sky Swallowing Ancestor and Ancient Ancestor Chi Ming fought to a stalemate while Lingyun Sect tried to outlast the Chi Demon Tribe. Wen Xia of Shangqing Sect wounded Sky Swallowing Ancestor with a surprise arrow and arrived to help destroy Lingyun Sect, leaving the sect facing a new threat.

• Sky Swallowing Ancestor and Ancient Ancestor Chi Ming clashed, but neither could overcome the other's defenses.
• Sect Master Xu Yun urged Lingyun Sect's elders to hold out, since the Chi Demon Tribe would weaken as its demonic qi ran low.
• Wen Xia shot Sky Swallowing Ancestor in the shoulder while he was focused on fighting Ancient Ancestor Chi Ming.
• Wen Xia and two Core Formation True Persons from Shangqing Sect headed to the battlefield to eliminate Lingyun Sect and secure Shangqing Sect's dominance.
• Wen Xia arrived and aimed her bow at Sky Swallowing Ancestor as Li Qing and Sect Master Xu Yun condemned Shangqing Sect's betrayal.

The Sky Swallowing Ancestor sacrificed his magic treasure and his life to help Wu Chong and other Lingyun Sect survivors escape, while Shangqing Sect and the Chi Demon Tribe devastated the sect. Li Qing was left trapped among the demons, but Ancestor Bingyun reached for him as he tried to flee to the Eternal Night World.

• Wen Xia attacked the Sky Swallowing Ancestor with the Nine Lives Bow, letting Chi Ming break free and gain the upper hand.
• True Person Ziqing killed a Chi Demon Ancestor with the Water Spirit Pearl Fragment, then drew two Shangqing Sect ancestors away in a desperate fight.
• The Sky Swallowing Ancestor destroyed his Sky Swallowing Ring to wound Chi Ming, then sent Wu Chong and several elders away aboard the Giant Spirit Boat.
• Wen Xia's arrow pursued the boat, and Elder Chen sacrificed himself to protect Wu Chong; the Sky Swallowing Ancestor died after Chi Ming wounded him and stopped his Nascent Soul from self-destructing.
• Li Qing tried to begin Two Realms Travel but was forced to interrupt it and flee as the Unicorn Demon and other Chi Demon Tribe members surrounded him.
• Ancestor Bingyun grasped Li Qing's wrist and told him to come with her.

Shen Ningbing used a Void-Breaking Talisman to escape with Li Qing as the Chi Demon Tribe overwhelmed Lingyun Sect. Ancient Ancestor Chi Ming killed two Shangqing Sect ancestors, then found the Spatial Node in the Ice Prison and began a ritual to contact the Demon Realm progenitor.

• Shen Ningbing activated a Void-Breaking Talisman and pulled Li Qing through a spatial rift.
• True Person Bingyun turned into ice crystals and was shattered by the ancient devil, while Lingyun Sect’s remaining Elders were trapped by the Chi Demon Tribe.
• Ancient Ancestor Chi Ming attacked the Shangqing Sect ancestors, killing two as Wen Xia escaped.
• Chi Ming led the ancient devils to Lingyun Sect’s mountain gate, turned it into a Demonic Land, and searched for the Spatial Node.
• Chi Ming found the Spatial Node in the collapsed Ice Prison and began a ritual to summon the Demon Realm progenitor.

Li Qing and the unconscious Shen Ningbing survived their passage through the Space Rift by sheltering in the Black Furnace, then traveled through the Giant Wood Forest with Rice Bucket. After discovering a camp and overhearing talk of the Ghost Sword Sect and Water Moon Merchant Guild, Li Qing concluded they had arrived outside the Qingling Region.

• Li Qing escaped the Space Rift with Shen Ningbing, but the Void-Breaking Talisman’s protection failed and left him injured and her unconscious.
• Li Qing set his broken leg, found Shen Ningbing could not be awakened, and decided to leave the area after their crash drew attention.
• Li Qing released Rice Bucket, ordered him to conceal his aura, and rode away with Shen Ningbing through the dark Giant Wood Forest.
• Li Qing’s Spiritual Sense found a temporary camp, where a girl and an old man discussed Gu Feng’s ties to the Ghost Sword Sect and the Water Moon Merchant Guild.
• Li Qing concluded that the forest was probably not in the Qingling Region.

Li Qing and the unconscious Shen Ningbing joined the Water Moon Merchant Guild convoy to cross Giant Wood Forest, concealing their identities while learning about the unfamiliar region. After reaching the forest’s edge, Li Qing discovered they were in Great Desolation Region, where mortals and Immortal Cultivators lived alongside one another, and Old Man Mo invited them to Xiangyang City.

• Li Qing approached the Water Moon Merchant Guild camp and accepted Old Man Mo’s invitation to travel with the convoy through Giant Wood Forest.
• Li Qing introduced himself as Li Qingzhou, claimed Shen Ningbing was an unconscious traveling companion, and hid his Lingyun Sect identity.
• Shen Ningbing woke, concealed her aura, and told Li Qing she did not know where the Void-Breaking Talisman had sent them.
• Li Qing and Shen Ningbing traveled with the convoy for six or seven days and learned about the surrounding region from its members.
• The convoy emerged from Giant Wood Forest, and Li Qing realized they had arrived in Great Desolation Region.
• Old Man Mo offered to take Li Qing and Shen Ningbing by boat to Xiangyang City as guests of Water Moon Merchant Guild.

Li Qing and Shen Ningbing settled in the Water Moon Merchant Guild’s courtyard in Xiangyang City after witnessing Alchemist Yan mistreat Old Man Mo and his granddaughter. Li Qing warned Shen Ningbing that Old Man Mo might have arranged the confrontation to manipulate them, leaving them to approach their new life as rogue cultivators with greater caution.

• Old Man Mo brought Li Qing and Shen Ningbing to the Water Moon Merchant Guild, where Alchemist Yan demanded more Water Cloud Fruit and berated him for procuring only three.
• Mo Shan defended her grandfather, but Alchemist Yan released his Foundation Establishment pressure and forced her to the ground.
• Shen Ningbing helped Mo Shan stand, and Alchemist Yan backed off after noticing Shen Ningbing’s presence and examining her.
• Old Man Mo offered Li Qing and Shen Ningbing a courtyard, and they accepted and moved in.
• Shen Ningbing suggested helping Old Man Mo deal with Alchemist Yan, but Li Qing argued that Old Man Mo might have staged the encounter to provoke them into acting against the alchemist.
• Li Qing urged Shen Ningbing to investigate their surroundings and think carefully before acting in their new life as rogue cultivators.

Li Qing gathered intelligence about the Great Desolation Region at a Xiangyang City tavern and learned about the weakening Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty's conflict with Moon Chasing Palace. After discovering the Water Moon Merchant Guild's troubled history, he decided to leave before being drawn into its affairs.

• Li Qing recovered from his injuries, then went to a tavern in Xiangyang City to learn about the region and find a spirit-vein cave dwelling.
• Li Qing overheard cultivators discuss Moon Chasing Palace's possible new Holy Maiden and the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty's attempt to secure an alliance through an imperial princess.
• A middle-aged Daoist revealed that Moon Chasing Palace's inherited Moon Stone had shown unusual activity, then disappeared before the cultivators could question him.
• Li Qing paid the attendant for information and learned that cave dwellings and a cultivator market lay south of the city.
• The attendant explained that Mo Weifeng founded the Water Moon Merchant Guild, later vanished with his caravan, and left Alchemist Yan to settle the guild's debts.
• Li Qing remembered that Old Man Mo had nearly used him as a weapon and decided to leave the Water Moon Merchant Guild's territory.

Li Qing rejected Old Man Mo’s offer to become a guest elder of the Water Moon Merchant Guild and help kill Alchemist Yan. He and Shen Ningbing decided to leave for a nearby spirit vein, but Li Qing discovered that Old Man Mo had placed spies around their courtyard.

• Li Qing met Old Man Mo and returned with him to the courtyard, where Shen Ningbing was cultivating.
• Old Man Mo invited Li Qing and Shen Ningbing to join the Water Moon Merchant Guild, offering Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients, a chance to join the Ghost Sword Sect, and access to a Second-order Spirit Vein.
• Old Man Mo revealed that he wanted them to lure Alchemist Yan into a trap so a Ghost Sword Sect elder could kill him, but Li Qing refused.
• After Old Man Mo left, Li Qing told Shen Ningbing they should rent a cave abode outside the city, and she agreed to go with him.
• Li Qing sensed spies hidden around the courtyard and realized Old Man Mo did not intend to let them leave easily.

Li Qing and Shen Ningbing revealed their Foundation Establishment cultivation when Old Man Mo tried to stop them from leaving, then departed after Li Qing refused to join his plan against Alchemist Yan. Li Qing headed to the Drunken Flower Pavilion to use evidence of Old Man Mo’s scheme to turn Alchemist Yan against him, while Shen Ningbing waited south of the city.

• Old Man Mo surrounded Li Qing and Shen Ningbing and admitted he intended to kill them to keep his secret about Alchemist Yan safe.
• Li Qing and Shen Ningbing released their Foundation Establishment auras, overwhelming Old Man Mo’s men, and Li Qing spared Old Man Mo but rejected his offer to help eliminate Alchemist Yan.
• After leaving the merchant guild, Li Qing told Shen Ningbing he planned to borrow someone else’s hand to deal with Old Man Mo and sent her south of the city.
• Li Qing went to the Drunken Flower Pavilion carrying a jade slip recording Old Man Mo’s plan, then revealed his cultivation aura to the female cultivator who had turned him away.

Li Qing left a jade slip for Alchemist Yan, exposing Old Man Mo’s plan to deal with him and triggering the destruction of the Water Moon Merchant Guild. After reuniting with Shen Ningbing, Li Qing traveled to the Ghost Sword Sect’s spiritual peaks to rent a cave dwelling.

• Li Qing privately contacted Alchemist Yan at Drunken Flower Pavilion, left him a jade slip, and departed without explaining its contents.
• Alchemist Yan learned that Old Man Mo had recruited a Ghost Sword Sect elder against him, then rushed out to take revenge on Old Man Mo and his granddaughter.
• The Water Moon Merchant Guild was reduced to ruins, and rumors spread that Alchemist Yan had destroyed it after discovering Old Man Mo’s plan.
• Li Qing left Xiangyang City, reunited with Shen Ningbing, and traveled with her to the Ghost Sword Sect’s spiritual peaks.
• Li Qing asked the Ghost Sword Sect disciples about renting a cave dwelling, and they offered to guide him and Shen Ningbing.

Li Qing went to Nanyang Marketplace to find a safe way to earn spirit stones by selling his craft. He took over an abandoned shop and opened it as Hundred Refinements Tower.

• Li Qing decided his savings would not last and flew to Nanyang Marketplace to look for a place to do business.
• Li Qing learned from Ghost Sword Sect disciples that the marketplace charged cultivators only three hundred spirit stones a year to open a shop.
• Li Qing discovered that an abandoned Pill Shop had belonged to Alchemist Yan, who had fled after wiping out the Water Moon Merchant Guild.
• Li Qing gave spirit stones to the disciples and arranged to rent the abandoned shop from Ghost Sword Sect.
• Li Qing crafted a sign bearing the name Hundred Refinements Tower and opened his shop in Nanyang Marketplace.

Li Qing refused Qiu Zhen’s request to refine degraded Purple Vein Copper Mother and declined to join him in exploring a suspected Core Formation cultivator’s tomb. Before closing Hundred Refinements Tower, Li Qing accepted an order for a saber and realized the customer was likely Gu Feng, who was searching for Alchemist Yan.

• Qiu Zhen tried to persuade Li Qing to refine his Purple Vein Copper Mother and offered information about a great tomb, but Li Qing refused both the job and the expedition.
• Li Qing reflected on how Feng Shui Masters in the Great Desolation Region had turned to tomb raiding as the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty declined, and resolved to avoid dangerous tombs.
• A lean young man arrived at Hundred Refinements Tower and commissioned a High-grade Magic Tool saber made from two Ink-Footed Mantis blades, paying Li Qing five hundred and thirteen Spirit Stones.
• The young man asked whether Li Qing had seen the shop’s former owner, Alchemist Yan, and Li Qing explained that Yan had fled after offending a Ghost Sword Sect elder.
• After the young man left, Li Qing suspected he was Gu Feng, Old Man Mo’s adopted grandson, and believed a Ghost Sword Sect elder had helped him obtain the mantis blades.

Li Qing refined the Ink-Footed Mantis blades into a High-grade Magic Tool, the Black Mantis Mother-Child Blade, and displayed it at Hundred Refinements Tower. Gu Feng arrived to collect it, delighted with the saber and confident it would help him pass the inner sect assessment.

• Li Qing used Nether Cold Fire to purge the mantis blades’ Killing Intent and discovered they had gained Profound Yin Energy.
• Li Qing dismantled one blade, spiritually tempered both pieces, and spent six days inscribing complementary spiritual patterns to forge a mother-child saber.
• Li Qing tested the Black Mantis Mother-Child Blade, received a sixty-year lifespan reward, and displayed it at Hundred Refinements Tower to attract customers.
• A Foundation Establishment cultivator admired the saber, but Li Qing explained that it had already been made for a customer.
• Gu Feng arrived, praised the Black Mantis Mother-Child Blade, thanked Li Qing, and left with it, expecting it to help him pass the inner sect assessment.

After the righteous and demonic paths took Jingzhou, the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty was left with only Xuanzhou, while Li Qing focused on his cultivation and growing artifact-refining business in Nanyang Marketplace. Shen Ningbing visited to ask his advice about Ghost Sword Sect bounty notices, and Li Qing warned her against accepting any of them.

• The righteous and demonic paths took Jingzhou, leaving the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty with only its imperial capital province of Xuanzhou.
• Li Qing considered the difficulty of Core Formation and resolved to wait for a suitable opportunity while continuing his studies and cultivation.
• After forging a Top-grade Magic Tool, Li Qing attracted attention from cultivation families, but he politely declined the Zhao Family's offer to recruit him as a Guest Elder.
• Shen Ningbing visited Li Qing and asked him to judge which Ghost Sword Sect bounty notices she should accept.
• Li Qing examined the notices, including one for Alchemist Yan and several remnants of the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, and advised Shen Ningbing not to accept any of them.

Li Qing advised Shen Ningbing against pursuing the Ghost Sword Sect’s Wanted Poster bounties and proposed that they establish a secret Black Market to earn spirit stones. After she agreed, he began planning how to attract customers, sell valuable goods, and conceal their identities.

• Li Qing explained that finding the Wanted Poster targets in the unfamiliar Great Desolation Region would be too difficult, leaving Shen Ningbing unsure how to earn spirit stones.
• Li Qing proposed opening a Black Market, and Shen Ningbing became interested in helping him build it.
• Li Qing suggested secretly recruiting mortals in Xiangyang City to spread word of a hidden trade fair to passing cultivators.
• After Shen Ningbing left, Li Qing considered the risks and benefits of the Black Market and planned to use crimson crystals and illicit goods to attract customers.
• Li Qing took out an emerald-green Jade Ruyi and decided to study its ancient aura-concealing spirit patterns for crafting concealment tools.

Li Qing arranged for the Ghost Sword Sect disciples to guard Hundred Refinements Tower and used their need for assessment-ready Magic Tools to acquire their equipment and spirit stones. In Xiangyang City, he helped Shen Ningbing expand her secret black market operation, then returned to Nanyang Marketplace with the plan underway.

• Li Qing offered Ghost Sword Sect disciples free Magic Tools if they watched Hundred Refinements Tower, then secretly listened as they discussed their upcoming inner sect assessment and lack of resources.
• Li Qing visited Xiangyang City to check on Shen Ningbing's black market, where her orphan messengers distributed invitations to a secret trading gathering.
• Shen Ningbing told Li Qing how she recruited impoverished orphans, and he gave her the Limitless Art to train trusted subordinates while urging her to work through agents.
• Li Qing returned to Nanyang Marketplace after staying away for several days, prompting Ghost Sword Sect disciples to ask him for Magic Tools before their assessment.
• Li Qing initially rebuked the disciples for wanting tools without materials, then offered to forge them in exchange for their Magic Tools, spirit stones, and Heart Demon oaths to repay him.

Li Qing opened a secret Black Market in an abandoned underground shelter in Xiangyang City, drawing dozens of concealed Rogue Cultivators. After trapping the attendees inside and making an imposing entrance, he began the market with an auction of a Second-tier White Ape's spine.

• Two bamboo-hatted cultivators discussed the suffering of mortals under the Ghost Sword Sect and entered the Northern District's underground shelter to investigate the Black Market.
• Dozens of concealed Rogue Cultivators gathered in the shelter, where they grew impatient while waiting for the organizer to appear.
• A stone slab sealed the entrance, and Chilling White Flames lit the shelter as Li Qing arrived in black robes and assured everyone the gathering would proceed.
• Li Qing gave the first attendees tokens for thirty days of stall access and offered a Second-tier White Ape's spine for auction, starting at ten spirit stones.
• A Qi Refining cultivator bid twenty spirit stones, but other attendees soon raised the price to fifty and then one hundred and thirty spirit stones.

Li Qing auctioned an alchemy inheritance and Ghost Sword Sect artifacts to establish that his black market allowed anything to be sold. He then unveiled a mysterious Scarlet Crystal whose Killing Intent drew an intense reaction from demonic beasts, leaving its nature unexplained.

• Li Qing sold the White Ape's bone spikes for four hundred and thirty spirit stones, then auctioned a first-rank alchemy inheritance for four hundred and five.
• Two bamboo-hatted cultivators discussed Li Qing's ability to follow bids and wondered whether an expert stood behind the black market.
• Li Qing offered magical artifacts taken from Ghost Sword Sect disciples, and a bamboo-hatted Young Master bought them all for two hundred spirit stones each.
• Li Qing presented the Scarlet Crystal as the final auction item and asked attendees to let their demonic beasts sense it.
• Several demonic beasts, including a Treasure Seeking Rat and a White Feather Snake, urgently reacted to the Scarlet Crystal and seemed to want to devour it.