Chapter Summaries

Li Qingyun followed True Lord Wansheng to a Bronze Divine Hall in the Death Gate Netherworld, where he found a chained Netherworld deity’s skeleton covered in Death Gate Inscriptions. After sending True Lord Wansheng back to the Inner Mansion and recording one inscription, Li Qingyun returned to the present world and prepared to send the Qinghe Li Clan branch to the Southern Border as Youjing woke beneath the dying Li Dynasty.

• True Lord Wansheng explained that opening the Death Mandate Scroll and erasing one’s name could grant mastery over death, while Li Qingyun realized he had concealed the need to condense ninety-nine Death Gate Inscriptions first.
• Li Qingyun secretly followed True Lord Wansheng through the Netherworld to a Bronze Divine Hall, where a chained dark-gold skeleton radiated murderous intent.
• Li Qingyun recognized that the bronze chains resembled those on the Dao Scroll stele in his mind, then used his Thunder Seal to send True Lord Wansheng back to the Inner Mansion.
• Li Qingyun recorded one complete Death Gate Inscription from the skeleton before his Yang fire ran out and the Netherworld expelled him.
• Li Qingyun returned to the present world, decided to send the Qinghe Li Clan branch to the Southern Border, and sensed Zhaozong weeping and singing in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Li Qingyun recognized that the Li dynasty was collapsing under the Death Mandate Scroll and decided to establish Southern You in the Southern Border. He transported the Qinghe Li Clan there, leaving the Maple Mountain Association to guard their manor.

• Zhaozong learned that Empress Derong had not visited the bedridden princes and suspected she was preparing to seize power, then cut his hand on his sword.
• Li Qingyun assessed the doomed fortunes of You Capital and decided the surviving Li descendants would need to flee to Southern You.
• Li Qingyun summoned Nangong Fengchuan, Miaoxuan, Chen Tao, and others to help establish Southern You with the Lingbao Sect’s support.
• Li Jiuling gathered the Qinghe Li Clan at the royal manor, and Li Qingyun transported them through a spatial rift to the Southern Border.
• Mo Qinghuan and the Maple Mountain Association arrived too late to meet Li Qingyun and resolved to guard the Qinghe Royal Manor.

Mo Qinghuan reflected on Li Qingyun’s rise as he returned to the Southern Border, where he learned that the King of the South was advancing on He Lao Dock with demon ghosts and extraordinary troops. Li Zuo led He Lao Dock’s forces to meet the attack while Li Qingyun confronted the Shadow Ghost, beginning a battle that left the invading army under heavenly lightning.

• Mo Qinghuan waited at the royal manor, remembered Li Qingyun’s rise, and mourned that he had reached a height beyond her grasp.
• Li Qingyun and Chen Tao identified six powerful demon ghosts supporting the King of the South and discussed the threat posed by his extraordinary natives.
• Li Qingyun detected Qiha leading more than three thousand extraordinary natives toward He Lao Dock and ordered its forces to prepare for battle.
• Li Zuo assembled several thousand Dao soldiers into three formations, with Xu Jing and A'hu commanding alongside him, while Chen Tao guarded the rear.
• Li Qingyun went into the sky to confront the attackers, and the Shadow Ghost appeared to challenge him.
• Li Qingyun answered with Five Directions Thunder Movement, striking the Shadow Ghost and the demon ghosts below with Divine Lightning.

Li Qingyun defeated the demons and ghosts attacking Southern Border, then killed the Shadow Ghost and obtained a Bronze Yin Talisman bearing the words “Summon Soul.” The talisman led him to consider whether the resentment of fallen imperial clans helped explain why ghosts kept returning, leaving him troubled by the world’s cycle of cultivation and death.

• Li Qingyun’s Divine Lightning destroyed dozens of demons, corpses, and ghosts, including a Yin God ape demon and snake demon, while the surviving Mist Ghosts fled into the forests.
• The Shadow Ghost ambushed Li Qingyun and tried to draw out his soul, but he suppressed it with his Yang God and pinned it with the Thunder Lord Treasure Seal.
• Li Qingyun struck the Shadow Ghost with Divine Lightning and found a Bronze Yin Talisman marked “Summon Soul” where it had been destroyed.
• Li Qingyun considered using the talisman to help Zhaozong, Prince You, and other dead members of the Li Imperial Clan enter reincarnation.
• Li Qingyun connected the talisman, the resentment of fallen dynasties, and the recurring ghosts to a vicious cycle in which cultivators and commoners alike paid the price for a Dao Lord’s rise.

Li Qingyun pursued and destroyed three mist specters in the Southern Border, collecting bronze yin talismans marked “Rebirth” before finding the three-colored Youjiang Hall that resisted his attacks. Miaoxuan and Nangong Fengchuan arrived and warned him that the temple was ancient and could not be destroyed, even by a True Lord.

• Li Qingyun tracked down two fleeing mist specters and destroyed them with thunder, collecting a bronze yin talisman from each.
• He followed the chilling malevolent intent to a wasteland, where the final specter knelt before a ruined temple marked Youjiang Hall.
• Li Qingyun destroyed the white-robed specter with heavenly thunder and collected a fourth “Rebirth” talisman, suspecting the temple had granted the specters their talismans.
• His thunder and Purple Sun Sword Intent failed to damage Youjiang Hall, though his protective halo was weakened by the temple’s malevolent intent.
• Miaoxuan and Nangong Fengchuan appeared and told Li Qingyun that Youjiang Temple was older than the Southern Border and could not be destroyed even by True Lords.

Li Qingyun decided to found Southern You with Lingbao Sect as its sole orthodox sect, while Li Zuo defeated King of the South, cleared the Southern Border, and proclaimed himself Martial Emperor. After returning to You Capital to witness the Li Dynasty’s final collapse, Li Qingyun found the palace in chaos as Zhaozong killed people.

• Miaoxuan and Nangong Fengchuan explained that Youjiang Hall would keep producing stronger Anomaly Gods, and Li Qingyun decided Southern You’s rulers would have to govern diligently to survive.
• Li Qingyun bound the Southern You Li Clan to Lingbao Sect and planned for Southern You to govern four commanderies, with Taiping and Kunmen serving as transitional trade lands.
• Li Zuo used Dao formations to rout Qiha’s army outside He Lao Dock, and Chen Tao brought Qiha down so Li Zuo could behead him.
• Li Zuo’s forces captured King of the South’s logistical bases, executed King of the South, and cleared the outer reaches of the Anomaly Temple heartland.
• Li Zuo founded Southern You, proclaimed himself Martial Emperor, and established its capital at the former He Lao Dock, renamed Southern Capital.
• Li Qingyun returned to You Capital as the dynasty faced destruction and found palace attendants fleeing after Zhaozong went mad and began killing people.

Zhaozong fought the Biyou Palace consorts in Kunning Palace and killed Empress Derong before collapsing amid the ruins of the Li Dynasty. Li Qingyun arrived with the surviving Li descendants and told the dying Zhaozong that the dynasty might endure in another form and that Li Yan was still alive.

• Zhaozong pursued the consorts to Kunning Palace, where Empress Derong and the Biyou Palace cultivators attacked him.
• Black smoke from Zhaozong’s rebellious dragon aura shattered their spells, and he killed several consorts before defeating Empress Derong.
• Li Qingyun brought about a hundred surviving Li Imperial Clan descendants to Changle Palace as Liu Xian’s army entered Youjing.
• Li Qingyun found Zhaozong gravely wounded among the dead consorts, and Zhaozong lamented that the Li Dynasty was doomed.
• Li Qingyun told Zhaozong that Li Zuo had founded Southern You and that Li Yan of Fu Kingdom was ill but still alive.

Li Qingyun watched Zhaozong make his final stand against Liu Xian, then confronted the victorious Emperor Xian and his supporters at Changle Palace. After condemning Grand Commandant Wu Gui for abandoning Zhaozong, Li Qingyun used his power to make Wu Gui’s life force rapidly fade.

• Li Qingyun learned that most of the people he had cursed abroad recovered, and Zhaozong took the news as reassurance that the Li lineage would endure.
• Zhaozong charged Liu Xian’s advancing army alone, with Pei Xun and several old eunuchs following him into battle.
• Liu Xian’s forces killed Zhaozong and captured Pei Xun, and Liu Xian declared himself the new master of Great You.
• Li Qingyun appeared before Liu Xian’s forces and knocked aside the founding general who was about to execute Pei Xun.
• Wu Gui urged Li Qingyun to withdraw and defended his surrender to Liu Xian, but Li Qingyun exposed his disloyalty and struck him down.
• Li Qingyun declared that Wu Gui would die, and Wu Gui felt his vitality rapidly disappear.

Li Qingyun defied Emperor Xian and Moon Yin Palace to escort Zhaozong’s remains and the surviving Li clan disciples to Southern You. After their arrival, Southern You began to prosper while Great You recovered and the sects’ influence shifted across its commanderies.

• Li Qingyun killed Wu Gui, ordered the Li clan disciples to collect Zhaozong’s remains, and rejected Emperor Xian’s demand that they stay in Youjing.
• Nian Meng of Moon Yin Palace confronted Li Qingyun, but he challenged her and the other Yang God experts before returning moments later victorious.
• Li Qingyun freed Pei Xun and led the Li clan party, carrying Zhaozong’s and Youwang’s coffins, toward Southern You without interference.
• Li Qingyun buried the coffins in Southern You, and the surviving Li clan disciples joined the Southern You Li clan under assumed names.
• Under Martial Emperor’s governance, Southern You prospered as Great You recovered and the six sects’ incense territories underwent major changes.

After the dynasty fortune renewal left Biyou Palace weakened and Lingbao Sect ascendant, Biyou’s True Lords planned to kill Li Qingyun in the Death Gate. In Southern You, Li Zuo and his ministers developed the new capital while Li Qingyun continued cultivating, reaching the second layer of the Yang God.

• Biyou Palace’s True Lords Nanchen, Mingchan, and Guanhai discussed their losses and agreed to eliminate Li Qingyun by attacking him in the nether realm and destroying his body.
• The three True Lords each proposed a promising junior to support, and Nanchen ordered all three candidates to be raised.
• In Southern You’s new capital, Xu Jing, Meng Dong, and Chen Tao oversaw construction, spiritual-field reclamation, and plans for a Lingbao Grotto-heaven.
• A’li and Li Zuo reached Dao Foundation Great Perfection as Lingbao Temple’s disciples and incense offerings increased.
• Li Qingyun’s cultivation advanced to the second layer of the Yang God, though he had not returned to the Death Gate in half a year.

Li Qingyun ordered the Lingbao Sect and Southern You to attract Great You’s people with housing, spirit rice, and equal cultivation rights, provoking alarm and resentment among the Liu Dynasty and the sects. The chapter left Li Qingyun’s domestic scheme underway as a golden jade Yang God appeared on the Sea of Ruins’ shore.

• Li Qingyun sent golden talismans directing the Lingbao Sect and Li Zuo to promote migration to Southern You and provide generous benefits to settlers.
• The Lingbao Sect advertised the relocation terms across Great You’s nine commanderies, and the first households set out for Southern You.
• Letters confirming the benefits prompted more people to migrate south, while Emperor Xian and Great You’s sects protested and questioned Southern You’s motives.
• The Lingbao Sect told the Liu Dynasty and the sects that the relocation benefits were temporary, while the sects predicted Southern You would run short of resources and suffer public backlash.
• Yang Gods gathered on the black shore of the Sea of Ruins as the next ferry boats were expected, and a golden jade Yang God nine zhang and six chi tall appeared.

Seven months later, Li Qingyun returned to the Void Sea to secure cultivation supplies for Southern Nether, whose population had tripled and whose resources had run dry. He arranged a trade with Zhao Muxue for ferry-boat rides in exchange for materials, then watched more than a dozen bronze fragments approach the shore as powerful Yang Gods gathered.

• Li Qingyun returned to the Void Sea because Southern Nether’s rapidly growing population had exhausted its basic cultivation supplies.
• Zhao Muxue approached Li Qingyun, whom she knew as Fellow Daoist Gu, and asked to ride his ferry boat so she could gather black earth Yang fire.
• Li Qingyun offered to provide Zhao Muxue a ferry boat in exchange for spirit rice, spirit medicines, and materials for cultivating baleful intent; they formed a contract requiring five hundred thousand portions with each ride.
• More than a dozen bronze fragments drifted toward the black shore, drawing the Yang Gods into the shallows.
• Li Qingyun spotted several nine-zhang-six or nine-zhang-seven Yang Gods with Death Gate Inscriptions, all seemingly at great completion of the Yang God Realm.

Li Qingyun seized control of the remaining ferry boats at the Void Sea shore and turned them into paid passage, offering the quotas to Yang God cultivators in exchange for basic materials, spirit rice, and spirit herbs. He sold out every boat and promised to return in two days, while the major-sect cultivators left resentful.

• True Lord Zhaoxuan and other major-sect cultivators seized the first ferry boats and sped toward the Gate of Death.
• Li Qingyun drove the crowd away from the eleven remaining boats and used a Lightning Cone to establish his authority.
• Li Qingyun invited Zhao Muxue to choose a boat after she paid, and she set off across the Void Sea.
• Jinyan of the Zhu Kingdom contracted for a ferry boat and reserved a place for the next trade, promising to bring one million portions of basic materials.
• Li Qingyun sold the remaining ferry-boat quotas, favoring cultivators from the nine-zhang-two Yang God realm and the neighboring Fu Kingdom and Ying Kingdom.

Li Qingyun defeated True Man Han Shi while arranging another ferry crossing, then learned that A'li and Li Zuo had opened supreme Daoist Mansions. He entered Zhu Kingdom and reunited with Li Shaojiang, telling her that Li Zuo had established himself as Martial Emperor and that the Li Dynasty could one day be restored.

• Li Qingyun struck down True Man Han Shi of Mishin Palace and sold all eight spots on his next ferry crossing.
• A'li and Li Zuo told Li Qingyun that they had opened supreme Daoist Mansions after facing the mysterious soul corpse.
• Li Qingyun left a wooden divine statue at the abbey, crossed the Dao Lord restriction into Zhu Kingdom, and sent a talisman message to Fellow Daoist Jinyan.
• Li Qingyun found Li Shaojiang, living under the name Li Shang, at her garment shop in Yunxi County and invited her to meet him.
• Li Qingyun told Li Shaojiang that Li Zuo had become Martial Emperor and that she could return to Great Nether to destroy the Liu Dynasty; Li Shaojiang wept with joy.

Li Qingyun gathered resources from Yang God cultivators in the Zhu Kingdom and promised True Person Jinyan a chance to enter the Death Gate if he could reach it by boat within three years. He then headed toward another client and arrived at Zhu Zhao Temple, where a female cultivator invited Anzhi to choose a grave mound beside her Yin Tomb.

• Li Qingyun gave Li Shaojiang his deductions on refining baleful intent and urged her to return to Biyou Palace in glory.
• True Person Jinyan traded resources with Li Qingyun and asked him to guarantee entry into the Death Gate.
• Li Qingyun agreed to guarantee Jinyan entry if he navigated a boat to the Death Gate within three years, and asked him to gather more resources.
• Li Qingyun collected three million portions of materials from clients in the Zhu Kingdom and set out for the Chi Kingdom.
• Li Qingyun remembered a female cultivator who had obstructed his Dao and went to Zhu Zhao Temple, where she spoke with Anzhi about the Misty Tomb Forbidden Zone.

Li Qingyun killed True Lord Feng Ying for once blocking his advancement, then returned to You Kingdom with vast supplies and ordered Li Zuo and A'li to improve life in Southern You while cultivating worship of the Dao Lord patriarchs and his effigy. Three days later, he sensed that the incense and fire power had made the effigy space more stable and the effigy more lifelike.

• Li Qingyun recognized Feng Ying and Zhao Anzhi at Zhu Zhao Temple and decided to spare Zhao Anzhi while killing Feng Ying.
• Li Qingyun used heavenly lightning to suppress and kill Feng Ying, who realized he was He Xiao, the Thunder Lord she had once obstructed.
• Zhao Anzhi grieved for Feng Ying as Zhu Zhao Palace rushed to investigate, while Li Qingyun escaped into Chi Kingdom.
• Li Qingyun completed a circuit through several kingdoms and returned to You Kingdom with about ten million portions of baleful-intent refining materials and other supplies.
• Li Qingyun gave the supplies to Li Zuo and A'li and told them to make Southern You prosperous and encourage reverence for the seven Dao Lord patriarchs and his effigy.
• Three days later, Li Qingyun sensed the incense power strengthening his effigy space and saw that the effigy had grown more lifelike.

Li Qingyun assessed the dangers facing Southern Nether and went to the Ruins Sea to honor his ferry reservations. There, True Man Dong Jue confronted him on behalf of Mishin Palace and attacked, and Li Qingyun answered by summoning his Thunder Lord seal.

• Li Qingyun discovered that his growing incense offerings had accelerated his mana cultivation and lightning comprehension, while he worried about a coming Nether Ghost and Biyou Palace’s schemes.
• Li Qingyun strengthened his defenses at Lingbao Temple and decided his cultivation was the key to overcoming the dangers facing him.
• Li Qingyun arrived at the Ruins Sea black shore and reassured Zhao Muxue, True Person Jinyan, True Person Yongshuo, and the other customers that he would provide their reserved ferries.
• True Man Dong Jue of Mishin Palace confronted Li Qingyun, declared that he would bar him from the Ruins Sea, and attacked with a curse-art puppet.
• Li Qingyun summoned a thunder seal bearing the character “Edict” as Dong Jue’s curse light struck toward him.

Li Qingyun revealed his third-tier Thunder Lord divine position and defeated True Man Dong Jue and the Mishin Palace Yang Gods in the Void Sea. With the crowd convinced, he organized ferry-boat reservations and left the shore peaceful and orderly.

• Li Qingyun used his thunder seal to shatter True Man Dong Jue’s ashen doll and suppress the Mishin Palace cultivators.
• Li Qingyun crushed True Man Han Shi and two other Yang Gods, then broke through True Man Dong Jue’s ninety-eight Death Gate Inscriptions and dispersed his Yang God.
• True Man Dong Jue withdrew, while the Yang Gods on the black shore reacted with awe and accepted Li Qingyun’s authority.
• Li Qingyun asked whether anyone objected to him allocating two more rounds of ferry boats, and the crowd agreed.
• Li Qingyun let Zhao Muxue, True Man Jinyan, and the other reserved clients choose first, then prioritized spots for eligible cultivators from various nations.

Li Qingyun managed the Ruin Sea’s resources, helped support Southern You, and advanced to the fourth level of the Yang God Realm. After the Liu Dynasty announced that Zhong Yeyue would rule alongside Emperor Xian as the Moon Emperor, Li Qingyun learned she was Moon Yin Palace’s First Saintess and suspected she was a powerful Dao Lord candidate.

• Li Qingyun contacted Miaoxuan and Nangong Fengchuan, who explained why they were staying out of the Ruin Sea for now.
• Li Qingyun discovered that his Fire Dao had reached Spirit Communion and that he held the first-rank position of Starfire Envoy.
• Li Qingyun gathered more Baleful Intent refinement materials in the Ruin Sea and encouraged Li Yan to wait for a chance to reclaim Great You’s throne.
• Li Qingyun’s cultivation reached the fourth level of the Yang God Realm as Southern You celebrated its first Spring Festival.
• The Liu Dynasty named Zhong Yeyue Moon Emperor, and Li Qingyun deduced that Moon Yin Palace had placed a major piece in the dynastic struggle.
• Shangguan Wan’er reported that Zhong Yeyue was Moon Yin Palace’s First Saintess, prompting Li Qingyun to wonder what she planned for Great You.

Li Qingyun attempted to ascend to the Thunder Emperor rank, but an old Daoist already occupying the position attacked him to prevent him from rising. Li Qingyun fought back and continued climbing, determined to reach the summit despite the growing pressure.

• Li Qingyun broke through to the fifth level of the Supreme Yang as the Moon Emperor's reforms strengthened her rule over the Southern Border.
• Li Qingyun entered the Thunder Dharma Great Dao space and expanded his Thunder Dharma body to nine zhang nine while ascending toward the Thunder Emperor rank.
• True Man Lei Xian and True Lord Baoxi arrived and congratulated Li Qingyun on his advancement.
• An old Daoist appeared on the Thunder Emperor throne and sent Thunder Jade light down to suppress Li Qingyun.
• Li Qingyun struck back against the jade lights and climbed the Great Dao staircase, determined to reach the summit despite the old Daoist sending three more attacks.