Chapter Summaries

After Wang Chengdao’s apparent death brought enemies to the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, he revealed himself to defend the imperial city and its teleportation array. The attackers overwhelmed him, the Ancestral Emperor Sword vanished, and the dynasty fell as they searched for the person he had sent away.

• Wang Chengdao’s death plunged the imperial city into chaos as six Nascent Soul Realm cultivators attacked the Dragon Transformation Formation.
• Shi Jiuyin sent refined corpse puppets through a breach in the formation, and a teleportation array activated deep inside the palace.
• Gui Li tried to destroy the array, but Wang Chengdao appeared atop a golden true dragon and blocked the attacks.
• Wang Chengdao struck Gui Li with the Ancestral Emperor Sword, then fought the other Nascent Soul Realm cultivators who attacked together.
• Wang Chengdao was defeated, but the Ancestral Emperor Sword split open space and vanished before the attackers could claim it.
• The Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty was destroyed, and the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators searched the ruins for the person Wang Chengdao had sent away.

After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, Li Qing left seclusion and reviewed two years of Black Market reports from Zhang Da. He learned of promising martial arts apprentices, new interest in Red Crystals, and Zhang Da’s request for artificial limbs, which Li Qing decided to make.

• Li Qing attempted to cultivate the Soul Core method but stopped after it caused severe pain, using the Soul Nurturing Bell to soothe his soul.
• Li Qing left seclusion after two years and read the spirit messages Zhang Da had sent about the Black Market.
• Li Qing learned that three orphaned errand boys had nearly reached the threshold of Transforming Energy and considered passing down qi-and-blood martial arts.
• Li Qing read that four Juluzhou Cultivation Families and two mysterious figures in bamboo hats had sought Red Crystal trade connections through the Black Market.
• Li Qing decided to refine artifact limbs for Zhang Da and considered the broader possibility of replacing parts of his body with artifacts.

Li Qing crafted a High-grade Prosthetic Limb for Zhang Da using spirit gold and Innate True Fire, then turned his attention to preparing for Core Formation. After two years in seclusion, he flew to Xiangyang City to visit the Black Market and learn about the Great Desolation Region.

• Li Qing forged and inscribed a mechanical right arm for Zhang Da, then tested its sharpness against his cave wall.
• Li Qing decided to have Zhang Da try the prosthetic limb and consider making more if it worked well.
• Li Qing reflected on the dangers of Core Formation and planned to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment Late Stage before seeking Core Formation Spirit Items.
• Li Qing left Nanyang Spirit Peak and flew toward Xiangyang City to visit the Black Market after two years in seclusion.

Li Qing returned to the Black Market, rewarded Zhang Da with a mechanical prosthetic, and learned that the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty had fallen, prompting him to prepare for further conflict. Elsewhere, the dynasty’s survivor Wang Chan used a Purple Scale Beast’s true blood in a mysterious ritual as a dragon’s roar sounded.

• Li Qing visited the thriving Black Market, reunited with Zhang Da, and fitted him with a divine-sense-controlled mechanical arm comparable to a high-grade magical artifact.
• Zhang Da gave Li Qing the Black Market’s accounts, which showed nearly four thousand spirit stones in net income, and shared news that the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty had been destroyed.
• Li Qing predicted conflict between the righteous and demonic paths, told Zhang Da to expand the intelligence network, and asked him to seek Skyfire Treasure Liquid and Azure Jade Spirit Water.
• News of the dynasty’s fall spread through Xiangyang City, while Uncle Fu drew purple true blood from the Purple Scale Beast to help Wang Chan extend her life.
• Wang Chan smeared the Purple Scale Beast’s true blood on her skin, and an indistinct dragon’s roar sounded in the ravine.

Li Qing taught three Black Market martial artists the Nine Revolutions of Qi and Blood and gave them a manual, while seeking Core Formation Spirit Items in Xiangyang City. News of the Ancestral Emperor Sword’s disappearance and two new announcements from the righteous and demonic paths stirred the Cultivation World, leaving cultivators poised to hunt for the dynasty’s survivors and attend a major auction.

• Li Qing demonstrated his powerful qi and blood, then taught three aspiring martial artists the Nine Revolutions of Qi and Blood, promising to provide Crimson Crystal in exchange for their contributions to the Black Market.
• Li Qing gave the martial artists a manual and urged them to forge a new martial path before departing Xiangyang City’s hidden courtyard.
• Li Qing had the Black Market gather information about Skyfire Treasure Liquid and Azure Jade Spirit Water as news spread that Wang Chengdao had sent the Ancestral Emperor Sword away before dying.
• Rogue cultivators and Nascent Soul Realm experts began searching the Great Desolations for the missing Ancestral Emperor Sword.
• The righteous and demonic paths offered rewards for information leading to the people Wang Chengdao had sent away and announced a region-wide auction hosted by the Taiyi Sect.

Li Qing told Shen Ningbing about the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty’s destruction and the upcoming auction in Xuanzhou, where they planned to seek Core Formation Spirit Items. Shen Ningbing had reached the False Core stage and agreed to travel with him, and they prepared to attend the auction together.

• Li Qing learned of an auction jointly organized by the righteous and demonic paths and decided to seek Skyfire Treasure Liquid and Azure Jade Spirit Water.
• Li Qing asked Zhang Da to monitor the surrounding area and gather information before returning to Nanyang Marketplace.
• Li Qing visited Shen Ningbing and discovered she had reached the False Core stage; she offered him the pills she had left.
• Li Qing told Shen Ningbing about the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty’s destruction, the Ancestral Emperor Sword, and the upcoming auction.
• Shen Ningbing agreed to accompany Li Qing to Xuanzhou to seek Core Formation Spirit Items.

Li Qing and Shen Ningbing arrived in Xuanzhou for the auction and witnessed a confrontation between Taiyi Sect disciples and Gui Fan of the Ghost Sword Sect. The dispute escalated when Taiyi Sect elder Zhang Xiao arrived and traded barbs with Gui Fan, while Li Qing and Shen Ningbing left for the imperial city.

• Li Qing and Shen Ningbing traveled for nearly half a month and reached Ancient Imperial City three days before the auction.
• Taiyi Sect disciples mocked the fallen Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty, prompting Rogue Cultivators to fall silent and make way for them.
• Gui Fan of the Ghost Sword Sect challenged the Taiyi Sect disciples and revealed his Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivation.
• Gui Fan identified himself as the Ghost Sword Sect's Young Sect Master, then clashed verbally with the Taiyi Sect disciples and referenced the injuries Gui Li suffered from Wang Chengdao.
• Taiyi Sect elder Zhang Xiao arrived and exchanged pointed remarks with Gui Fan about the Pure Yang Physique and Gui Li's wounds.
• Li Qing led Shen Ningbing toward the imperial city to avoid being caught up in the confrontation.

Li Qing and Shen Ningbing explored the Imperial Sky Pavilion and bought artifacts from the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty’s treasury. Li Qing acquired four Golden Fire Seals like the ones that fit the Black Furnace, then learned where to seek Core Formation Spirit Items.

• Li Qing and Shen Ningbing flew to the Imperial Sky Pavilion to browse its wares ahead of the auction.
• Li Qing bought a finger-sized jade sword from the Hidden Treasures Pavilion for five hundred Spirit Stones.
• Li Qing recognized four Golden Fire Seals from the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace as matching the ones he had found at the Lingyun Sect, and bought them for four hundred Spirit Stones.
• Shen Ningbing bought a silver hairpin with a crescent-shaped mark.
• The Hidden Treasures Pavilion shopkeeper told Li Qing that Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid might appear at the auction and directed him to the Miraculous Treasures Pavilion for Skyfire Treasure Liquid and Azure Jade Spirit Water.

Li Qing and Shen Ningbing visited the Miraculous Treasures Pavilion to buy Core Formation Spirit Items and learned that the prices were far beyond their spirit-stone savings. They refused the pavilion manager’s risky service agreement and offered magic tools taken from Shangqing Sect elders instead, leaving the manager wary of them.

• Li Qing and Shen Ningbing entered the Miraculous Treasures Pavilion, where a manager invited them to the second floor and recognized their interest in Core Formation.
• The manager said the pavilion had Azure Jade Spirit Water and enough Skyfire Treasure Liquid for one portion, priced at nine thousand and eleven thousand spirit stones respectively.
• Li Qing and Shen Ningbing realized they needed forty thousand spirit stones for two portions of each item, and the manager offered them the items in exchange for a three-year agreement or a task after core formation.
• Li Qing rejected the agreement, and he and Shen Ningbing offered their thirteen thousand spirit stones along with valuable magic tools taken from Shangqing Sect elders.
• The manager recognized that the items came from multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators and grew wary of Li Qing and Shen Ningbing.

Li Qing gave Shen Ningbing the Skyfire Treasure Liquid, and she decided to begin forming her core before the auction so she could bid for Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid. While Li Qing guarded her remote cultivation site, the imperial city buzzed over Gui Fan and Zhang Xiao’s promised duel, then Shen Ningbing’s breakthrough began.

• Li Qing persuaded Shen Ningbing to take the Skyfire Treasure Liquid, explaining that her Core Formation would protect them and help him obtain other spirit items later.
• Shen Ningbing decided to begin forming her core within three days so she could bid for Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid at the upcoming auction, and Li Qing agreed to guard her.
• Shen Ningbing selected a spiritual-vein site north of the imperial city, carved out an ice-palace cave abode, and entered to prepare for her breakthrough.
• The imperial city learned that Gui Fan and Zhang Xiao had agreed to fight a life-and-death battle after forming their cores, prompting widespread discussion.
• That night, a sudden chill spread through the northern imperial city as spiritual qi surged toward Shen Ningbing’s location.

Shen Ningbing began forming her Golden Core in the northern part of the imperial city, drawing a crowd that Li Qing tried to keep at a distance. Zhang Xiao challenged Li Qing while Gui Fan watched, and their exchange escalated when Li Qing countered Zhang Xiao’s magic tools with the Sky Net Banner.

• Shen Ningbing’s core formation unleashed a powerful surge of spiritual energy and cold that attracted cultivators from across the imperial city.
• Li Qing blocked the approaching crowd and asked them not to disturb his friend, who was forming a Golden Core.
• Zhang Xiao and Gui Fan arrived, and Li Qing persuaded Zhang Xiao to wait rather than intrude on Shen Ningbing’s breakthrough.
• Zhang Xiao questioned Li Qing’s identity, then suddenly attacked and asked to spar with him.
• Li Qing defended himself with the Mountain Spear and attacked with three other spirit spears, while Zhang Xiao countered with the Taiyi Pure Light Seal.
• Li Qing brought out the Sky Net Banner, making Zhang Xiao’s seal tremble and forcing Zhang Xiao to take the fight seriously.

Li Qing used his Golden Saber Talisman to resist Zhang Xiao, then faced Gui Fan in a second spar while Shen Ningbing formed her core. He drove both prodigies away by revealing a Heavenly Thunder Seed, and news of their retreat shook the Ancient Imperial City.

• Zhang Xiao activated the Taiyi Pure Light Seal, forcing Li Qing to use his Golden Saber Talisman, but Zhang Xiao’s Radiant Light Armor Body blocked its strike.
• Gui Fan challenged Li Qing with his Blood Armor Talisman and ghost sword, but Li Qing’s body refinement and Gilded Battle Armor let him withstand the attack and send Gui Fan flying.
• When Gui Fan charged again, Li Qing revealed a Heavenly Thunder Seed, causing Gui Fan and Zhang Xiao to retreat rather than risk the explosion.
• Li Qing resumed restoring his true essence as Shen Ningbing continued forming her core, while rumors of the two prodigies’ retreat spread through the Ancient Imperial City.

Li Qing watched Shen Ningbing form her core as a powerful visitor from Moon Chasing Palace arrived and questioned him about the Sky Swallowing Ancestor. Shen Ningbing succeeded, and after True Lord Yue Xuan departed, she shared her Core Formation insights with Li Qing.

• Li Qing worried as Shen Ningbing's aura fluctuated during Core Formation, while two moons appeared above the imperial city and revealed the arrival of Moon Chasing Palace.
• True Lord Yue Xuan took Li Qing's Golden Saber Talisman Treasure and demanded to know how he had obtained a talisman made by the Sky Swallowing Ancestor.
• Li Qing explained the Sky Swallowing Ancestor's death at the hands of the Devil Race, and True Lord Yue Xuan mourned him before asking Shen Ningbing to join Moon Chasing Palace.
• Shen Ningbing formed her core, refused True Lord Yue Xuan's invitation, and Li Qing received a Pure Moon Pill in exchange for the talisman treasure.
• After True Lord Yue Xuan left, Li Qing congratulated Shen Ningbing, who passed him the insights she had gained during Core Formation.

Cultivators flocked to the Imperial Sky Pavilion for the grand auction, where Li Qing and Shen Ningbing hoped to obtain Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid. The auction began under True Person Qingwei, and its first item was a segment of Thousand-Year Spirit Wood.

• True Person Guang Yuan arrived at the auction after learning that rare dragon marrow would be offered.
• Li Qing and Shen Ningbing entered the Imperial Sky Pavilion and received a private room because Shen Ningbing had achieved Core Formation.
• Li Qing worried that he lacked a suitable treasure to exchange for the Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid and considered abandoning the opportunity if necessary.
• True Person Qingwei appeared as the auction's presiding host, astonishing the crowd with his nearly seven-hundred-year lifespan.
• True Person Qingwei declared the auction open, and the first item offered was a segment of Thousand-Year Spirit Wood.

The auction presented a two-thousand-year-old Heavenly Spirit Tree piece, which True Person Mu Long won, followed by an incomplete Dragon Tally that went to a Cultivation Family head. After the spirit-stone auction ended, True Person Qingwei introduced Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid, and Li Qing eagerly focused on the item he needed.

• Old Daoist Qingwei confirmed that the Heavenly Spirit Tree spiritwood came from a tree in the Ancient Hua Immortal Dynasty’s Imperial Palace, and True Person Mu Long won it with a bid of sixteen thousand spirit stones including a Top-grade Spirit Stone.
• True Person Qingwei auctioned an incomplete Dragon Tally, which a major Cultivation Family head bought for four thousand three hundred spirit stones.
• The auction shifted to items traded for spirit items, with owners setting desired goods or considering offers.
• True Person Qingwei introduced a portion of Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid, making Li Qing and many Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators excited.

Li Qing offered an eight-hundred-year-old Soul Returning Grass for the Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid, but the owner chose a nine-hundred-year-old Void Spirit Flower instead. Li Qing then waited for private offers, explaining that the auction let cultivators discover one another’s treasures and trade openly, and the chapter ended with someone offering information about the Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid for his herb.

• True Person Qingwei announced that the owner of the Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid wanted a lightning-attribute Third-tier Demonic Beast Core, then invited other offers when no one had one.
• Cultivators bid valuable treasures, including a Thousand-Year Ice Core, a third-tier formation inheritance, a Void Spirit Flower, and the Zhao Family head’s wood-attribute Third-tier Demonic Beast Inner Core.
• Li Qing asked Shen Ningbing to offer his eight-hundred-year-old Soul Returning Grass, but the owner chose the nine-hundred-year-old Void Spirit Flower instead.
• Shen Ningbing suggested taking the Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid by force, but Li Qing told her to wait and explained that cultivators could trade openly rather than resort to killing.
• Li Qing directed Shen Ningbing to seek a trade for the Thousand-Year Ice Core by offering her favor, then received a private offer of information about the Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid in exchange for the Soul Returning Grass.

Li Qing secured True Person Mu Long’s promise to lead him to Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid in exchange for the Soul Returning Grass. The auction ended with Dragon Marrow offered as a bounty for finding a transformed fox demon believed to carry Wang Chengdao’s child, while Li Qing and Shen Ningbing declined to join the hunt.

• True Person Mu Long told Li Qing he had found Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid and agreed to show him its location in exchange for the Soul Returning Grass.
• The auction continued with rare treasures before True Person Qingwei announced Dragon Marrow as its final item.
• True Person Qingwei revealed that the righteous and demonic paths would award a portion of Dragon Marrow to whoever found the fox demon Wang Chengdao had sent away.
• True Person Qingwei said the fox demon had likely carried Wang Chengdao’s child, and that an array master had traced its destination to the eastern reaches of the Great Desolation Region.
• True Person Guang Yuan and several other Core Formation True Persons accepted the bounty, while Li Qing and Shen Ningbing chose not to join the search.

Li Qing and Shen Ningbing followed True Person Mu Long to a cave in the Poisonous Miasma Rift Valley, where dense Yin-Yang Two Energies suggested Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid had formed. After exchanging the Soul Returning Grass for Mu Long’s guidance, they entered the cave to seek the spirit liquid, with Shen Ningbing going ahead while Li Qing waited.

• Li Qing warned True Person Mu Long that the demon fox bounty might conceal complications, but Mu Long remained tempted by the promised dragon marrow.
• After flying for six or seven days, Li Qing, Shen Ningbing, and Mu Long reached the Poisonous Miasma Rift Valley, where Mu Long explained how he had found the Yin-Yang Cave.
• Li Qing handed Mu Long the Soul Returning Grass, and Mu Long confirmed it was genuine before leading the others into the rift valley.
• Mu Long showed Li Qing and Shen Ningbing the cave’s intertwined Yin-Yang Two Energies and warned that they could trap anyone who entered.
• Mu Long declined to enter the cave and left to pursue the demon fox, while Li Qing said he was willing to wait if the spirit liquid was gone.
• Shen Ningbing offered to enter the cave alone, and Li Qing agreed as she stepped inside.

Li Qing and Shen Ningbing sought the Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid in a cave where the balanced energies erupted when disturbed. After Shen Ningbing barely escaped, Li Qing proposed they enter together and use the principle of Yin-Yang Mutual Aid to stabilize the energies; they ended the chapter preparing to test his idea.

• Li Qing watched Shen Ningbing enter the Yin-Yang Cave, but the energies erupted and forced her to retreat.
• Shen Ningbing explained that disturbing the cave's balance could trigger a violent eruption, while Li Qing worried they would lose the spirit liquid to True Person Mu Long if they left.
• Li Qing proposed entering with Shen Ningbing so their presence might balance the energies, and he brought out the Black Furnace as a safeguard.
• Li Qing released Rice Bucket to guard the cave entrance, then entered the cave beside Shen Ningbing.
• Li Qing proposed that Shen Ningbing walk through the yang energy while he walked through the yin energy, using himself as a point of yang within yin to balance the energies.

Li Qing and Shen Ningbing entered the Yin-Yang Cave, where the Profound Yin Energy began strengthening Li Qing’s true essence at the cost of his lifespan. Unable to control the process, Li Qing stayed behind while Shen Ningbing went deeper to search for the Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid, and he tried using the Nether Cold Fire to regain control.

• Li Qing and Shen Ningbing entered the Yin-Yang Cave and found that its Yin-Yang Two Energies were balanced.
• The Profound Yin Energy drew toward Li Qing, resonated with his true essence, and began increasing his cultivation while draining his lifespan.
• Li Qing sent Shen Ningbing deeper into the cave to search for the Yin-Yang Spirit Liquid while he remained behind to manage his condition.
• Li Qing discovered that his true essence would not respond to his efforts and that his lifespan was steadily decreasing.
• Li Qing activated the Nether Cold Fire, hoping to temper his true essence and resist the Profound Yin Energy.