Chapter Summaries

Li Qing finished repairing Daoist Jinbao’s Golden Light Dart and asked him to gather intelligence about the Nether Realm. Jinbao instead asked to join the Lingyun Sect, and he agreed even after Li Qing warned him that rebuilding it would mean opposing the powerful Shangqing Sect.

• Li Qing completed the Golden Light Dart’s repair and discovered that its damaged Artifact Spirit still limited how often it could be used.
• Li Qing returned the dart to Daoist Jinbao as repayment for saving Junior Sister Chu.
• Li Qing asked Daoist Jinbao to gather intelligence about the Nether Realm and promised him compensation.
• Daoist Jinbao asked to join Li Qing’s planned reconstruction of the Lingyun Sect.
• Li Qing warned Daoist Jinbao that the Shangqing Sect had helped destroy the Lingyun Sect and dominated the Qingling Region, but Jinbao still agreed to join.

Li Qing gathered intelligence about the Nether Realm and learned that its soil preserved corpses and could nurture them into spirits. Despite the region's horrors, he decided to travel there alone to find Wu Chong and the others.

• True Person Fu Xuan crafted seven Third-tier Forbidden Breaking Talismans, bringing Li Qing's total to fifteen.
• Daoist Jinbao and Liu Hanyue sent Li Qing intelligence describing the Nether Realm's deathly stillness, sparse population, and many burial sites.
• Li Qing learned from Daoist Jinbao's report that Nether Realm soil could preserve corpses and potentially nurture them into spirit-aware old corpses.
• Li Qing decided to search the Nether Realm for Wu Chong and the others despite his unease.
• Chu Lingyi asked to accompany Li Qing, but Li Qing and True Person Fu Xuan refused, and Shen Ningbing's offer was also declined.
• Li Qing chose to travel alone, leaving Shen Ningbing and the others behind because they did not know whether one Great Teleportation Token could transport several people.

Li Qing activated the Ancient Teleportation Array with a Great Teleportation Token and traveled to the Nether Realm. After emerging in a remote river valley, he encountered ghost fires and discovered strange corpses reviving underground.

• Li Qing found the Ancient Teleportation Array in a remote mountain cave and used Spirit Stones and a Great Teleportation Token to activate it.
• Li Qing vanished from the cave and emerged in an unknown river valley in the Nether Realm.
• Li Qing surveyed the barren valley and continued on foot as night fell without a moon or stars.
• Li Qing used his Nether Cold Fire to scatter ghost fires gathering ahead of him.
• Li Qing sensed several stiff-moving corpses crawling out of the earth and identified them as Fuzzy Corpses.

Li Qing reached the Nether Realm, defeated a group of zombies, and found a human settlement while searching for his fellow disciples. After learning the local language and customs from a captive, he planned to seek news of Wu Chong through the powerful Xiling Divine Hall.

• Li Qing burned several black-furred zombies with his Core Formation Fire and flew out of the dried-up river valley.
• Li Qing found the earthen forts of Lian Family Village and approached them, but the villagers’ language was incomprehensible to him.
• When bells rang across the forts, Li Qing knocked out a man in coarse linen and carried him away to learn the local language.
• Li Qing learned that Lian Family Village and four nearby villages offered Yin Stones to Xiling Divine Hall whenever Polar Day arrived.
• Li Qing questioned the captive about the tribute system and decided to seek news of Wu Chong through Xiling Divine Hall.

Li Qing investigated how the mortals of Lian Family Village mined Yin Stones and discovered that the crystals drained lifespan and were formed by the yin energy of dead villagers. After destroying the attacking spirits, he flew toward the Xiling Divine Hall.

• Li Qing watched Lian Family Village miners excavate Yin Stones and overheard them discuss Lian Feng’s lost memories after Li Qing had erased them.
• After the miners left, Li Qing mined Yin Stones himself and felt them diminish his lifespan, realizing why cultivators avoided the work.
• Li Qing saw dull-witted yin spirits emerge from the stone wall and draw yin energy together to form Yin Stones.
• The spirits attacked Li Qing, who destroyed them with Soul Condensing Slash and learned they were the souls of ordinary dead mortals.
• Li Qing reflected on the Nether Realm’s strange spirits and flew toward the Xiling Divine Hall.

Li Qing found Wu Chong, who had been posing as Taotie True Person, while he disrupted Xiling Divine Hall’s Yin Sacrifice. After Li Qing helped Wu Chong fight off the Hall Master’s pagoda, the two prepared to face the Hall Master and his summoned yin spirits.

• Li Qing approached Xiling Divine Mountain to investigate the Yin Sacrifice and waited nearby until it began.
• Wu Chong attacked Xiling Divine Hall as Taotie True Person, and the Hall Master abandoned the sacrifice to fight him.
• The Hall Master used the Xiling Pagoda to suppress Wu Chong, but Li Qing struck the pagoda with his hammer and knocked it away.
• Wu Chong recognized Li Qing, and the two reunited before joining forces against the Hall Master.
• The Hall Master opened a third eye to summon yin spirits, so Wu Chong and Li Qing prepared their techniques to stop him.

Li Qing and Wu Chong fought the Hall Master of Xiling Hall, whose Netherworld Eye restored a Fierce Ghost after Li Qing damaged it. The Xiling Pagoda captured Li Qing’s three Breaking Army Blades, but Li Qing realized it might not be able to take Natal Magic Treasures and charged the Hall Master with his Primordial Peerless Hammer.

• Wu Chong summoned a Taotie while Li Qing attacked the Fierce Ghost with the Shattering Yuan Black Flame Seal, damaging it with the Spirit Devouring Demonic Flame.
• The Hall Master of Xiling Hall used his Netherworld Eye to restore the Fierce Ghost, which then fought Wu Chong’s Taotie.
• Li Qing sent three Breaking Army Blades toward the Hall Master, but the Xiling Pagoda drew them inside and cut off his control of them.
• Li Qing reasoned that the pagoda could not take Natal Magic Treasures because it had not captured his Primordial Peerless Hammer or Wu Chong’s Sky Swallowing Ring.
• Li Qing charged the Hall Master with the Primordial Peerless Hammer.

Li Qing defeated the Hall Master of Xiling Hall by overpowering the Xiling Pagoda, surviving the ghost attack, and burning his opponent to ashes. After the battle, Wu Chong urged him to hurry to the Yin Vein before the Yin Sacrifice ended, and Li Qing retrieved the pagoda and the three Breaking Army Blades before following.

• Li Qing used the Primordial Peerless Hammer, empowered by Seven-Colored Vitality Essence, to blast the Xiling Pagoda away and leave the Hall Master of Xiling Hall exposed.
• The Hall Master of Xiling Hall summoned Fierce Ghosts by feeding his body to them, but Li Qing's Nether Cold Fire destroyed them.
• Li Qing trapped the weakened Hall Master of Xiling Hall in his Spiritual Sense Killing Field, then burned him to ashes with Spirit Devouring Demonic Flame.
• The summoned Nine Nether Fierce Ghost dissipated after the Hall Master of Xiling Hall died, and Wu Chong praised Li Qing before urging him toward the Yin Vein.
• Li Qing retrieved the Xiling Pagoda and the three Breaking Army Blades inside it, then flew after Wu Chong into Xiling Divine Mountain.

Wu Chong and Li Qing opened Xiling Divine Mountain’s Yin Vein with the Yin Stones gathered for the sacrifice and entered the Other Shore, where Li Qing discovered that refining Nether Marrow improved his cultivation. The chapter left him beginning to refine the Nether Marrow on a Lotus Dao Platform.

• Wu Chong explained that Xiling Hall forced nearby mortals to mine Yin Stones and that he had disrupted its Yin Sacrifice each year.
• Wu Chong used Spiritual Power to make the Yin Stones resonate with the Nether Stele, releasing their Yin Energy and opening a passage into the Yin Vein.
• Wu Chong and Li Qing entered the passage, where Li Qing regained his senses by following the Yang Energy that connected the Yin Vein to the outside world.
• Wu Chong led Li Qing to the Other Shore, a vast ocean of Yin Energy lined with Lotus Dao Platforms, and told him to sit on one to seek its fortune.
• Li Qing sat on a Lotus Dao Platform, drew in Nether Marrow, and found that refining it slightly increased his cultivation.

Li Qing refined Nether Marrow with his Heaven and Earth Spirit Fires, boosting his cultivation and strengthening his Primordial Peerless Hammer while Wu Chong outpaced him with the Taotie Divine Art. Outside, rumors that the Xiling Divine Hall had been devastated drew Rogue Cultivators to its ruins, where they chased a fleeing protector and moved to plunder the sect.

• Li Qing refined Nether Marrow, felt his stagnant cultivation begin to rise, and tried to match Wu Chong's faster absorption.
• Li Qing used the Spirit Devouring Demonic Flame and Nether Cold Fire to refine Nether Marrow much more quickly.
• Li Qing discovered that refining Nether Marrow also strengthened his Primordial Peerless Hammer.
• Rumors spread that the Taotie Demon Ancestor had devastated the Xiling Divine Hall and possibly killed its Hall Master.
• Rogue Cultivators gathered at Xiling Divine Mountain, saw a protector flee, and chased him while others rushed to search the ruins.

Li Qing pulled Wu Chong out of his sudden enlightenment and escaped the Yin Vein with him just before the connection to the Yang World vanished. After they returned, a bolt of thunder struck Li Qing, and thunderclouds gathered overhead.

• Li Qing discovered that Wu Chong was bound to his Lotus Dao Platform by Nether Marrow and could not be moved while he remained in his sudden enlightenment.
• Li Qing burned away the Nether Marrow, pulled Wu Chong free, and broke his enlightenment, prompting Wu Chong to say he had seen his Master below.
• Li Qing dragged Wu Chong along the fading golden thread and escaped the Yin Vein just before Polar Day ended.
• Li Qing noticed some of the Nether Marrow’s aura still coiled around him and wondered about the purpose of the Lotus Dao Platforms.
• A bolt of thunder struck Li Qing after he and Wu Chong landed, and dense thunderclouds formed above them.

After refining Nether Marrow outside the Lotus Dao Platform, Li Qing triggered a heavenly tribulation meant to purge the Netherworld aura from his body. He discovered that his Primordial Peerless Hammer could absorb Dao patterns from the lightning, but the tribulation continued, leaving him to consider using Body Tempering Secret Arts to survive.

• Wu Chong explained that Li Qing had triggered the tribulation by refining Nether Marrow outside the Lotus Dao Platform and warned that outsiders could not help him cross it.
• Li Qing endured successive lightning strikes with his Golden Jade Armor, then used his Primordial Peerless Hammer to absorb Dao patterns and grow stronger despite suffering injuries.
• When the lightning turned scarlet and began damaging both Li Qing and the hammer, he sheltered inside the Black Furnace, but a bolt struck him when he emerged.
• Wu Chong told Li Qing that the tribulation would persist until it removed all the Netherworld aura, and Li Qing realized the Black Furnace could not fool the Heavenly Dao.
• Li Qing ruled out fleeing to the Eternal Night World and decided to try his Body Tempering Secret Arts to withstand the lightning.

Li Qing cultivated the third layer of the "True Body of the Brahma King" by enduring heavenly lightning outside the Black Furnace. After surviving the tribulation’s final two-colored lightning strike, he collapsed, barely alive.

• Li Qing decided to use the heavenly lightning around the Black Furnace to temper his body and began cultivating the third layer of the "True Body of the Brahma King."
• Li Qing endured repeated scarlet and blue lightning strikes without relying on the Golden Jade Armor, while Wu Chong watched in shock.
• The tribulation produced unexpectedly powerful two-colored lightning, injuring Li Qing and forcing him to retreat into the Black Furnace to recover.
• Li Qing realized the lightning had awakened much of his body’s hidden potential and returned outside to continue tempering his flesh.
• After enduring several more strikes and taking the final bolt of two-colored lightning, Li Qing collapsed onto the ground, still alive.

After surviving the heavenly tribulation at Xiling Divine Mountain, Li Qing urged Wu Chong to take him away before their enemies investigated. As they escaped, Li Qing learned that their other fellow disciples were scattered and revealed his plan to rebuild the Lingyun Sect with five Core Formation cultivators.

• Li Qing survived the heavenly tribulation but was severely depleted, and Wu Chong marveled at his ability to endure it.
• Li Qing warned that people beyond the heavenly curtain would investigate Xiling Divine Mountain, so Wu Chong hid him in the Sky Swallowing Bowl and flew east.
• Li Qing questioned Wu Chong about his two Natal Magic Treasures, and Wu Chong explained that he had imitated his master's pair without knowing the drawbacks.
• Wu Chong told Li Qing that most of their fellow disciples had left or become separated, while those who remained in the Nether Realm struggled to cultivate.
• Li Qing said he would rebuild the Lingyun Sect after recovering, then revealed that he could gather five Core Formation cultivators, leaving Wu Chong astonished.

Li Qing reunited with Wu Chong and recounted his journey through the Great Desolation Region. Wu Chong brought him to an island where former Lingyun Sect disciples lived, and they welcomed Li Qing back in astonishment at his Core Formation cultivation.

• Li Qing told Wu Chong about his experiences in the Great Desolation Region, including winning over True Person Fu Xuan.
• Wu Chong flew Li Qing across the sea to the island where he and the other disciples had settled to cultivate.
• Wu Chong called the island’s residents out to greet the companion he had brought back.
• Li Qing revealed himself to the gathered disciples, and Senior Brother Wen recognized him with surprise.
• Li Qing reunited with Lu Fan and other old acquaintances, who addressed him as Martial Uncle after sensing his Core Formation cultivation.

Li Qing announced that the Lingyun Sect would return to the Qingling Region and rebuilt the damaged Giant Spirit Boat so the sect members could travel together. As they departed for the Great Desolation Region, observers at the ruined Xiling Divine Hall investigated the lightning tribulation and chose not to claim its Yin Vein entrance.

• Li Qing told the Lingyun Sect survivors to prepare to leave the Nether Realm and rebuild their sect in the Qingling Region, while Wu Chong reassured them that they had the means to return.
• Li Qing examined Wu Chong's damaged Giant Spirit Boat, repaired its hull and spirit patterns, and restored its ability to fly.
• Li Qing and Wu Chong led the Lingyun Sect members aboard the repaired boat and set off westward for the Great Desolation Region.
• At the ruins of Xiling Divine Hall, a Daoist nun and a Daoist boy concluded that someone from beyond the domain had emerged from the Yin Vein and triggered a lightning tribulation.
• The Daoist boy decided that Tianshou Temple would not seize the Yin Vein entrance, then rebuked the Daoist nun for questioning their ancestral teachings.

Wu Chong piloted the Giant Spirit Boat into the Great Desolation Region, where Li Qing warned the Lingyun Sect cultivators about the dangers of demon territory. After a Sky Roaming Falcon killed an elder and attacked the boat, Li Qing decided to lure it into a chance to capture and tame it.

• Wu Chong guided the Giant Spirit Boat over the towering border cliff and into the Great Desolation Region, whose rich spiritual energy astonished the Lingyun Sect cultivators.
• Li Qing warned the group that they had entered the eastern territory of the Demon Race, and they saw a golden eagle kill a late second-tier Demonic Python.
• As the boat traveled deeper into demon territory, the group spotted a third-tier Mountain Shaking Demonic Ape eating a Dragon Fish.
• Li Qing sensed a nearly invisible Sky Roaming Falcon, but it killed Elder Zhang before Wu Chong could raise the boat's protective Spirit Shield.
• Li Qing identified the falcon and, after the shield withstood its attack, ordered Wu Chong to lower the shield so he could try to capture and tame it.
• Li Qing covered Wu Chong with the Black Furnace for protection, and Wu Chong removed the spirit boat's shield.

Li Qing used a Red Crystal to lure the Sky Roaming Falcon into range, landing a blow but failing to capture it. The falcon fled with some crystal fragments, revealing that it still coveted the bait.

• The Sky Roaming Falcon repeatedly attacked Li Qing, but his strong physique and Golden Jade Armor prevented it from injuring him.
• Li Qing took out a Second-tier Red Crystal and used it to draw the falcon close.
• Li Qing anticipated the falcon’s flight path and struck its tail, disrupting its flight and knocking a piece of Red Crystal into its mouth.
• Li Qing fired a slash of true essence at the falcon, but it escaped with only a few feathers cut off.
• After Li Qing picked up the fallen feathers, the Sky Roaming Falcon secretly snatched the remaining Red Crystal fragments.

Li Qing tried to lure the Sky Roaming Falcon with Red Crystals, but the intelligent Third-tier bird refused to become his servant. It flew north as if leading him somewhere, leaving Li Qing to weigh the danger of following it.

• Li Qing offered the Sky Roaming Falcon Red Crystals and promised more if it accepted a Soul Contract, but the bird watched the crystals with disdain.
• Li Qing put the Red Crystals away when the Sky Roaming Falcon refused to submit, reasoning that it desperately wanted them to transform its body.
• The Sky Roaming Falcon flew in circles above the spirit boat, then moved ahead of it and slowly led the way north.
• Li Qing wondered whether the bird was guiding him to an opportunity, a dangerous demon’s territory, or a place to negotiate, and hesitated over whether to follow.

Li Qing followed the Sky Roaming Falcon to a hidden stone chamber containing True Spirit bird inheritances, but discovered that he could not claim them without an immortal bird bloodline. After realizing he might have a way to try anyway, he prepared to test it.

• Li Qing left Wu Chong and the spirit vessel to follow the Sky Roaming Falcon to a still pool surrounded by abundant spiritual qi.
• The Sky Roaming Falcon opened a whirlpool that revealed a dry stone chamber, and Li Qing sent Chong Jiu inside to check for danger before entering himself.
• Li Qing found stone eggshells and shed demonic crocodile scales, then stored the scales and examined the chamber’s inscribed Stone Slabs.
• Touching the phoenix slab produced a fleeting response, and touching the Golden Crow slab triggered an inheritance that abruptly stopped; Li Qing suspected he lacked the required bloodline.
• Li Qing realized the Sky Roaming Falcon had brought him there to trade the crocodile scales for his red crystals, then identified several remaining True Spirit inheritances and suddenly remembered something to try.