Recaps

The Seven Kingdoms of Arid Province arrived in the Central Divine Continent, where rival Heavenly Inspectors mocked Yue Kingdom and argued over its place among the kingdoms. The Five Yuan Sect then announced that every Core Formation Prodigy would need a blood test before entering the city, leaving Li Qingyuan puzzled.

• True Monarch Xia Si questioned whether Miao Le was fit to serve as a Heavenly Inspector, but Miao Le answered that only the Human King could decide.
• Xia Si, Tie Yuangang, and Wei Country's Heavenly Inspector proposed merging Yue Kingdom into the other kingdoms, while Miao Le countered by recalling Xia Si's nephew's death in the tournament.
• Zhao Liuyun stopped the dispute and led the group onward as cultivators from the provinces gathered and the Seven Kingdoms of Arid Province drew attention for having few surviving Core Formation Prodigies.
• The Five Great Elders of the Five Yuan Sect arrived aboard a thousand-zhang warship and announced that all Core Formation Prodigies had to undergo blood tests to verify their cultivation, bone age, and identities.
• Li Qingyuan wondered why the city required such a strange blood test.

The Five Yuan King asserted authority over the Nine Provinces Heavenly Chosen Tournament, overpowering the Heavenly Province Inspectors with Five Yuan Mountain and producing the Human King’s edict. After blood testing began across the provinces, Li Qingyuan used Blood Shadow’s blood to conceal his own, and the Five Yuan King ordered everyone to board his ship for the Divine Capital.

• Jin Yuanzi demanded that the Heavenly Inspectors obey the Five Yuan King, and the Heavenly Province Inspectors challenged his authority.
• The Five Yuan King used Five Yuan Mountain to overwhelm Heavenly Province’s eight strongest Inspectors, while Zhao Guangzheng recognized the power of a Primordial Spirit and coveted the treasure.
• The Five Yuan King presented the Human King’s edict naming him Grand Arbiter, and the Inspectors accepted his authority.
• The provinces’ Core Formation Prodigies provided blood for testing, while observers discussed Desolate Province’s losses to the Primordial Spirit remnant.
• Li Qingyuan submitted Blood Shadow’s blood in place of his own, and the Five Yuan King ordered the Heavenly Inspectors and Chosen to board his ship for the Divine Capital.

Li Qingyuan and the Eight Provinces cultivators traveled to Diqiu City, where they learned about the Divine Continent’s powerful families and the Five Yuan King’s plot against the Human King. The gathered Nine Provinces prodigies arrived at the capital, and the Human King appeared to welcome them.

• Zhao Dai, Zhao Chong, and Nangong Jian explained the Divine Continent’s Nascent Soul families, Human King Hall, and its history to Li Qingyuan and the others.
• The Five Yuan King and Jin Yuanzi discussed recruiting the Old Red Banners and secretly allied Nascent Soul True Lords, then ordered selected prodigies captured alive during the trials.
• After seven days, Li Qingyuan and the cultivators reached Diqiu City and joined more than nine hundred local Core Formation prodigies at Ascending Heaven Tower.
• The Four Guardian Divine Beasts displayed their power at the city gates as the Nine Provinces cultivators gathered.
• The Human King appeared amid heavenly lightning and welcomed the Nine Provinces prodigies to Diqiu.

The Human King Dugu Lei arrived at Diqiu City and rallied the Nine Provinces’ young cultivators to surpass him and break their continent’s predicament. He revealed a Void Refinement Grotto-heaven open only to Core Formation cultivators, then departed with the Five Yuan King while the Azure Dragon Envoy set a plan in motion.

• Dugu Lei descended amid tribulation lightning, and the gathered cultivators and citizens bowed to greet him.
• The Five Yuan King reflected that Nascent Soul Cultivators resented Dugu Lei’s plan to bind them to the Heaven Severing Great Array.
• Dugu Lei urged the prodigies to surpass him, break the Nine Provinces’ cage, and create a prosperous age.
• Dugu Lei announced a Void Refinement Grotto-heaven that only Core Formation Cultivators could enter and led the Heavenly Inspectors, prodigies, and Human King Hall elders into the Ascending Heaven Tower.
• Dugu Lei shrank the tower into a treasure pagoda and departed with the Five Yuan King for the grotto-heaven.
• The Azure Dragon Envoy ordered the other three envoys to activate the Black Dragon Guard and carry out Dugu Lei’s plan.

Li Xianhuang remained trapped in an ancient formation grotto-heaven, where she cultivated and comprehended a Mahayana inheritance. Meanwhile, the Human King opened a secret realm for thousands of Core Formation prodigies, and the Five Yuan King surprised Miao Le by asking her to become his concubine.

• Li Xianhuang lamented that twelve years trapped in the grotto-heaven had kept her from reuniting with her family, while the Undying Bird urged her to keep cultivating and study the formation inheritance.
• Li Xianhuang advanced upstream through the formation river, cultivated, and formed a pale-gold river imprint between her brows as she comprehended the formation.
• The Human King and Five Yuan King found the secret realm entrance and gathered their cultivators, including Li Qingyuan among the Core Formation prodigies.
• The Human King broke open the secret realm, distributed jade tablets describing a three-year trial, and sent more than four thousand prodigies inside.
• The Five Yuan King recognized Miao Le as the second person besides the Human King to trigger a Nascent Soul Lightning Tribulation and asked her to become his concubine.

Miao Le rejected Five Yuan King's demand to take her as a concubine, while the Human King intervened and the two rulers renewed their tense rivalry. Inside the Grotto-heaven Mystic Realm, Li Qingyuan saw Young King Yuan gather a powerful faction and realized a struggle over the Nine Provinces was approaching.

• Miao Le declined Five Yuan King's proposal, and Huo Yuanzi threatened her until True Monarch Skyfire and Jin Yuanzi nearly fought; Ye Bufan persuaded them to withdraw.
• The Human King asserted authority over Miao Le, and Five Yuan King backed down as the two rulers displayed their power before the gathered cultivators.
• Li Qingyuan and the other prodigies entered the Grotto-heaven Mystic Realm and read the jade-token rules for earning points, finding inheritances, and surviving the trial.
• Young King Yuan invited the prodigies to join his camp, and more than a thousand cultivators from several provinces pledged themselves to him.
• Li Qingyuan suspected that Five Yuan King's faction was gaining strength across the Nine Provinces and resolved to gather resources and improve his cultivation.

Young King Yuan, Ye Xuan, and Wang Fugui confronted one another before Wang Fugui brokered a truce and the gathered forces scattered. Li Qingyuan joined the weakened Arid Province group for now, while planning to act alone later and hoping to find a Nine Yang Spirit Ganoderma in the Void Refinement Grotto-heaven.

• Young King Yuan invited the gathered cultivators to join Yellow Province, but Ye Xuan challenged his claim and clashed with him using sword qi and an imitation Five Yuan Mountain.
• Wang Fugui intervened, and Young King Yuan and Ye Xuan agreed to stop fighting before their forces departed in separate groups.
• After most Arid Province cultivators left, Zhao Jue proposed that the ninety-three remaining cultivators unite, and Li Qingyuan helped him become their temporary leader.
• Li Qingyuan decided to stay with the Arid Province group until he could slip away, and he hoped the Void Refinement Grotto-heaven held a Nine Yang Spirit Ganoderma.

Li Qingyuan’s squad hunted Tier 3 Demonic Beasts and earned points in the grotto-heaven, while Li Qingyuan resumed the painful Jianmu Meditation Method and grew a second leaf. The chapter ended when Zhao Chong’s squad reported that the Five Yuan Sect had surrounded them and requested assistance.

• The Human King and Five Yuan King discussed the trial outside the grotto-heaven, while the Five Yuan King revealed that Nascent Soul cultivators had chosen targets among the heavenly chosen for a hunt.
• Li Qingyuan led his squad in hunting three Tier 3 Demonic Beasts, killing the Mid-Tier 3 beast with his Halberd of Subduing with Virtue.
• Li Qingyuan’s squad collected materials and points, then returned to camp and discussed how competition for demonic beasts and spirit plants would intensify.
• Li Qingyuan practiced the Jianmu Meditation Method, endured severe pain as he tempered his divine sense, and grew a second leaf on the Jianmu Sapling.
• Zhao Chong sent a message that the Five Yuan Sect had surrounded his squad and requested assistance.

Li Qingyuan and his companions rushed to rescue Zhao Chong’s team, which was being overwhelmed by the Five Yuan Sect. Li Qingyuan’s Wind-Splitting Arrow attacks opened an escape route, but Huo Lingzi found him and launched a powerful counterattack.

• Li Qingyuan led nine companions toward Zhao Chong’s distress signal, while considering that he might later leave the team to fight alone.
• Huo Lingzi’s forces surrounded Zhao Chong and Zhao Dai’s team, and six members escaped by activating their identity jade tokens.
• Li Qingyuan’s group arrived and attacked the Five Yuan Sect, helping Zhao Chong’s remaining companions break through the encirclement.
• Cao Yifei attacked Zhao Dai with his White Jade Elephant Tusks, but Li Qingyuan’s Wind-Splitting Arrow and talisman attacks drove back Cao Yifei’s forces and cleared a path to safety.
• Huo Lingzi spotted Li Qingyuan and hurled his Fire Spirit Spear at him, and Li Qingyuan used Star Shifting and Battle Reversal as the spear descended.

Li Qingyuan fought off Huo Lingzi and helped Zhao Tongxuan and Li Yangxu escape, while Zhao Jue drove back Cao Yifei. After Huo Lingzi withdrew on Young King Yuan’s summons, Zhao Jue told Li Qingyuan that their group had found a key to one of the Void Refinement Grotto-heaven inheritances.

• Li Qingyuan used his magic treasures, explosive arrows, and Four Symbols Talisman Array to repel Huo Lingzi’s attacks while taunting him and leading him away from the fleeing cultivators.
• Zhao Tongxuan, Li Yangxu, and the others escaped after Zhao Jue arrived to reinforce them, and Zhao Jue intercepted Cao Yifei until the opposing cultivators withdrew.
• Li Qingyuan considered letting Zhenxing seize Huo Lingzi’s body, but Zhenxing refused because their attributes were incompatible, so Li Qingyuan prepared Ji Kun, Little Flame, and Blood Shadow to help kill Huo Lingzi.
• Huo Lingzi received a summons from Young King Yuan and left before Li Qingyuan could pursue him.
• Li Qingyuan met Zhao Jue, who explained that Zhao Chong and the others had obtained a key to one of the Void Refinement Grotto-heaven’s five inheritances.

After obtaining an inheritance key, Zhao Jue led the Desolate Province prodigies to a grotto-heaven containing rare treasures and a Quasi-Fourth-Tier Skywing Demonic Hound. Li Qingyuan set his sights on the Sun Moon Soul Nurturing Lotus, and the group arrived at the inheritance site to find nearly a thousand prodigies already gathered.

• Zhao Jue reorganized the eighty-two remaining Desolate Province prodigies and proposed they contend for the inheritance together.
• Zhao Chong activated the Pill Key, revealing the grotto-heaven, its Third-tier treasures, the Sun Moon Soul Nurturing Lotus, and the Skywing Demonic Hound guarding the area.
• Li Qingyuan recognized the lotus's value for cultivating Nascent Soul Divine Sense and resolved to prepare more Third-grade talismans before setting out.
• Zhao Jue led the team northwest for over eighteen thousand li to the inheritance site, where nearly a thousand prodigies from five factions had gathered.
• Zhao Jue introduced the Desolate Province team and its inheritance key to Guan Yang of the True Yang Sect, while Li Qingyuan planned to seize the lotus.

Li Qingyuan prepared for the inheritance grotto-heaven by crafting high-rank talismans, but the arrival of Young King Yuan’s faction brought his old enemy Huo Lingzi and a new threat. As the factions prepared to open the secret realm, Young King Yuan ordered Huo Lingzi and Shui Lingzi to kill Li Qingyuan.

• Zhao Jue reported that eight Pill Keys were needed to open the inheritance grotto-heaven and that six had surfaced.
• Li Qingyuan used Miao Le’s materials and Peach Blossom Brush to craft about eighty third-grade high-rank talismans, doubling his total to around one hundred and sixty.
• Several hundred Core Formation cultivators arrived, including Wang Fugui riding a golden pig and Young King Yuan accompanied by Huo Lingzi and Shui Lingzi.
• Zhao Guangzheng and Zhenxing discussed taking over the body of a Late-Stage Core Formation cultivator, and Li Qingyuan reluctantly agreed to consider helping if an opportunity arose.
• Wang Fugui proposed opening the secret realm after all the keys had been gathered, while Huo Lingzi identified Li Qingyuan to Young King Yuan.
• Young King Yuan accused Li Qingyuan of showing him contempt and ordered Huo Lingzi and Shui Lingzi to kill him.

Li Qingyuan fled Young King Yuan’s group, then secretly entered the land of inheritance disguised as the rogue cultivator Bloody Hand Butcher Zhou Gang. The factions discovered a hidden world containing a Pill Dao inheritance estimated to be at least Tier 4, while the Sun Moon Soul Nurturing Lotus became the focus of their competition.

• Li Qingyuan escaped Huo Lingzi and Shui Lingzi, and Young King Yuan called off the pursuit before warning the factions that outsiders would be killed if they fought for the inheritance.
• The eight factions used their Pill Keys to open the Eight Trigrams gateway and entered the land of inheritance.
• Li Qingyuan entered after the factions in his Bloody Hand Butcher Zhou Gang disguise and blended in with the rogue cultivators.
• The factions reached an eighteen-mountain range where they spotted the Sun Moon Soul Nurturing Lotus, but an invisible barrier teleported the first group into a hidden space.
• A scout reported that the mountain range held a Self-Contained World and a Pill Dao Inheritance estimated to be at least Tier 4, exciting the gathered factions.

Young King Yuan and the other factions raced to claim Tianmu Zi’s Alchemy Path Inheritance, where entrants had to prove their alchemy skills. Li Qingyuan passed the first trial and began the harder test to refine True Man Pills, confident he could claim the inheritance.

• Young King Yuan led his forces into the mountain, while the other alliance camps charged after the Treasure Pill Inheritance.
• Li Qingyuan entered the mountain-belly world and learned from Zhao Guangzheng that its seemingly miraculous pill-making setup was an illusion formation.
• Tianmu Zi’s trial required entrants to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, and Young King Yuan promised rewards to alchemists who secured the inheritance.
• Yu Xiao'er, Wang Fugui, Huo Lingzi, and other cultivators passed the first trial by producing the required pills.
• Li Qingyuan passed with two standard-grade Foundation Establishment Pills and one masterwork-grade pill, then entered the next trial space.
• After the first trial ended, Tianmu Zi set a one-day test to refine True Man Pills, and Li Qingyuan prepared to claim the Sun Moon Soul Nurturing Lotus.

Li Qingyuan passed the Myriad True Pill and Spirit Condensing Pill assessments, collecting rare ingredients while making his alchemy seem only barely adequate. Five cultivators advanced to the final high-rank elixir test, where both Yu Xiao'er and Li Qingyuan privately expected to succeed.

• Yu Xiao'er led the True Man Pill assessment with three masterwork pills, while Li Qingyuan qualified with one masterwork and two standard-grade pills.
• Eleven cultivators passed the Myriad True Pill assessment, and Li Qingyuan stored his share of the ingredients and Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Milk.
• Observers praised Yu Xiao'er and considered recruiting him before the cultivators began the Spirit Condensing Pill assessment.
• Wang Fugui failed all three Spirit Condensing Pill attempts, while Li Qingyuan barely qualified and joined Yu Xiao'er, Huo Lingzi, the Late-Stage Core Formation female cultivator, and Zhang Tianyu among the five who advanced.
• The five received materials for the final test: refining a Third-grade High-rank elixir within ten days, with three attempts to produce at least one standard-grade pill.

Yu Xiao'er, Zhang Tianyu, and Li Qingyuan passed the Third-grade alchemy trial, while Young King Yuan secretly ordered his followers to seize or kill the inheritors depending on who claimed the inheritance. The three were transported to separate spaces to face a Fourth-grade elixir challenge, and Li Qingyuan learned the formula was the Spirit-Cleansing Illusionary Elixir.

• Yu Xiao'er and Zhang Tianyu each refined qualifying Third-grade High-rank elixirs, while Huo Lingzi and Young King Yuan's maid failed.
• Li Qingyuan first caused a furnace explosion, then refined one standard-grade and two low-grade pills and celebrated his success despite appearing to have lost his reason.
• Young King Yuan ordered his followers to seize Zhang Tianyu's inheritance or recruit Yu Xiao'er and kill him if he refused.
• Yu Xiao'er, Zhang Tianyu, and Li Qingyuan disappeared from the spectators' view, and Young King Yuan failed to locate them with his divine sense.
• Li Qingyuan, Yu Xiao'er, and Zhang Tianyu appeared in separate spaces before Fourth-grade furnaces and materials, where Li Qingyuan received the Spirit-Cleansing Illusionary Elixir formula.

Li Qingyuan used the Longevity Seed and help from Zhao Guangzheng, Zhenxing, and Blood Shadow to attempt the Fourth-grade Spirit-Cleansing Illusionary Elixir assessment. After nearly exhausting himself during pill fusion, he successfully refined two Spirit-Cleansing Illusionary Elixirs, leaving the assessment’s outcome unresolved.

• Li Qingyuan learned that the assessment required refining a Spirit-Cleansing Illusionary Elixir within a year, and Zhao Guangzheng explained how the Longevity Seed could raise his chances of success.
• Yu Xiao'er and Zhang Tianyu began memorizing the ancient elixir formula while Li Qingyuan studied it for more than two months.
• Li Qingyuan began refining the elixir with Blood Shadow controlling the earth fire, while Zhao Guangzheng and Zhenxing assisted with their Nascent Soul abilities.
• Li Qingyuan used the Longevity Seed and Jia Wood Magic Power to fuse the thirteen medicinal liquids, but one pill embryo exploded during the difficult pill-fusion stage.
• Li Qingyuan endured the strain and continued refining until the furnace shone with spiritual light, producing two Spirit-Cleansing Illusionary Elixirs.

Li Qingyuan passed Tianmu Zi’s trial by refining the Spirit-Cleansing Illusionary Elixir and obtained the Tianmu Pill Art, a vast Pill Dao inheritance that included seven treasure-elixir formulas. He left the inheritance space disguised as Zhou Gang, feigning madness and claiming success while the crowd remained unaware of what he had truly gained.

• Li Qingyuan refined two low-grade Spirit-Cleansing Illusionary Elixirs, became a Fourth-grade alchemist, and received Tianmu Zi’s ingredients and the Tianmu Pill Art.
• Li Qingyuan discovered the inheritance contained numerous elixir formulas and seven treasure-elixir formulas, but his divine sense was too weak to comprehend the latter.
• Yu Xiao'er and Zhang Tianyu both failed to refine the Fourth-grade elixir, left their trials, and told Young King Yuan that the inheritance trial was impossible.
• Young King Yuan demanded to search Yu Xiao'er and Zhang Tianyu’s souls, but Li Qingyuan emerged disguised as Zhou Gang and acted as though the trial had driven him mad.
• Li Qingyuan fled while shouting that he had refined a Fourth-grade elixir and claimed the treasure-elixir inheritance, leaving the crowd dumbfounded.

After the spatial formation collapsed, the factions battled the demonic beasts and searched the mountain ranges, unaware that Li Qingyuan had secretly taken the Sun Moon Soul Nurturing Lotus and an inheritance. He disguised himself as Luo Zhengyi and followed the others toward a newly discovered Sword Dao inheritance, while the Human King noticed that Li Qingyuan had already earned over a hundred points.

• Young King Yuan defeated and killed the Quasi-Fourth Tier Skywing Demonic Hound, while the other factions and rogue cultivators hunted beasts and gathered spirit plants.
• The factions finished clearing the mountain ranges but found that the Sun Moon Soul Nurturing Lotus had vanished, and they received reports of a Sword Dao inheritance and hurried away.
• Li Qingyuan emerged from hiding, claimed the Sun Moon Soul Nurturing Lotus and other spirit plants, and raised his score above one hundred and sixty points.
• Li Qingyuan changed his appearance and aura to become Luo Zhengyi, then followed the factions toward the Sword Dao inheritance.
• The Human King sensed that someone had earned over a hundred points and discovered the name Li Qingyuan on his jade slip.

Dugu Lei discovered that Li Qingyuan was among the Desolate Province prodigies and judged her worthy of support, while the Five Yuan King continued to seek a chance to surpass him. At the Sword Dao Inheritance, Li Qingyuan entered under his Luo Zhengyi disguise and chose to study the valley’s low-tier sword arts, drawing Huo Lingzi’s ridicule.

• Dugu Lei found Li Qingyuan on Zhao Liuyun’s roster and considered supporting her and True Monarch Miao Le in strengthening the Seven Kingdoms of Arid Province.
• The Human King and the Five Yuan King exchanged a charged gaze as their powers stirred strange phenomena above the Void Refinement Grotto-heaven.
• Li Qingyuan entered the Sword Dao valley disguised as Luo Zhengyi and identified the barrier as a profound sword array, sharing its view with Zhenxing and Zhao Guangzheng.
• Li Qingyuan comprehended the first earthen sword and obtained the Tier 1 Cloud Sword Technique, then questioned why a Void Refinement inheritance contained such low-tier spells.
• Li Qingyuan began studying the one-zhang earthen swords one by one, while Huo Lingzi mocked him for wasting time on Tier 1 spells.

Li Qingyuan continued studying Sword Mountain’s basic sword techniques and discovered that its Third-tier sword arts formed a Twenty-Four Solar Terms sword formation. After Young King Yuan comprehended the southern giant sword’s Sword of Summer Glory, he realized Li Qingyuan, Zhang Tianyu, and Qi Yuanxiao had surpassed him in sword comprehension and decided they must die.

• As Core Formation prodigies gathered beneath Sword Mountain’s four giant swords, Jiang Xuanxu defended Zhang Tianyu and Qi Yuanxiao from Huo Lingzi’s insults, and the group began comprehending the four Sword Intents.
• Li Qingyuan completed the three hundred and sixty-five basic sword techniques, then climbed higher to study the twenty-four Third-tier sword techniques based on the Solar Terms.
• Li Qingyuan realized the twenty-four Solar Terms sword arts formed a unified sword formation that resonated with Sword Mountain’s four giant swords.
• Young King Yuan comprehended the southern giant sword’s Sword of Summer Glory and sensed how it governed the six summer Solar Terms sword arts.
• Young King Yuan recognized that Li Qingyuan, Zhang Tianyu, and Qi Yuanxiao had superior sword comprehension and resolved to kill them.

After the four great sword intents were unlocked, Li Qingyuan, disguised as Luo Zhengyi, and Zhang Tianyu comprehended the remaining sword intents, causing Sword Mountain to collapse and reveal Di Kunzi’s Earth Marsh Sword Array inheritance. Young King Yuan’s killing intent toward Li Qingyuan intensified, and the inheritance mark appeared before Young King Yuan as he reached for it.

• Young King Yuan watched Wang Fugui withstand the Winter Destruction Sword Intent and successfully comprehend it, unlocking half of the four great sword intents.
• Young King Yuan offered a Nascent Soul Pill to anyone who comprehended a sword intent, but cultivators below Late-Stage Core Formation were injured by the backlash.
• Li Qingyuan, disguised as Luo Zhengyi, and Zhang Tianyu and Qi Yuanxiao began comprehending the Spring Growth and Autumn Wither Sword Intents, while Young King Yuan regarded Li Qingyuan as a threat.
• More than a month later, Qi Yuanxiao failed to comprehend the Spring Growth Sword Intent, while Zhang Tianyu comprehended the Autumn Wither Sword Intent and Li Qingyuan mastered the Spring Growth Sword Intent.
• Li Qingyuan’s success broke the Hundred-foot Giant Sword free, collapsed Sword Mountain, and revealed the inheritance of the Earth Marsh Sword Array, which Di Kunzi had left behind.
• The inheritance mark tested Young King Yuan’s sword intent, and he reached out to seize it.

The sword intent imprint rejected the contenders and chose Li Qingyuan, passing on the Earth Marsh Sword Array inheritance. Young King Yuan and his allies attacked, but Li Qingyuan escaped and Young King Yuan pursued him.

• Young King Yuan and Wang Fugui clashed over the sword intent imprint before agreeing to let it choose its own master.
• The imprint rejected the contenders, struck Zhang Tianyu, and entered Li Qingyuan's brow, granting him the Earth Marsh Sword Array inheritance.
• Young King Yuan, Huo Lingzi, Shui Lingzi, Cao Yifei, Tie Wuya, and others attacked Li Qingyuan to seize the inheritance.
• Li Qingyuan used Ji Kun's divine-sense attack, talismans, and repeated teleports to break away from the assault.
• Huo Lingzi recognized Li Qingyuan from a previous fight, and Young King Yuan ordered his forces to pursue and kill him.

Li Qingyuan fought Young King Yuan in the sky, escaped during a clash of Heavenly Sun Pearls, and fled underground as Young King Yuan sent his followers after him. He left the pursuers behind with a talisman trap and escaped into the earth-core lava inside the Flame Dragon Lizard.

• Young King Yuan used the Five Elements Escape Heaven Technique to catch up with Li Qingyuan, who failed to stop him with arrows and the Four Symbols Talisman Array.
• Li Qingyuan detonated two Heavenly Sun Pearls, injuring Young King Yuan and using the explosions to conceal his escape into a deep cave.
• Young King Yuan ordered his Late-Stage Core Formation followers to pursue Li Qingyuan, but a cave-in and hundreds of talismans wounded them as they entered the tunnel.
• Li Qingyuan swallowed a Myriad True Pill and had the Flame Dragon Lizard carry him deeper underground while they fled the pursuing cultivators.
• The Flame Dragon Lizard broke through into magma, swallowed Li Qingyuan, and swam toward the earth's core.

Young King Yuan searched the earthcore magma for the thief but failed to find him, then spent two months sealing the area and sending cultivators to investigate. As the Five Great Inheritances emerged and rivals sought the competition’s rewards, he turned his attention toward the Seven Kingdoms of Arid Province.

• Young King Yuan and his followers descended into the earthcore magma, but the heat forced everyone except him to stop at three thousand zhang, and he found no trace of the thief.
• Young King Yuan ordered his forces to seal the surface exits and search the magma for two months, but the effort yielded nothing.
• Jin Lingzi presented Young King Yuan with an artifact-refining inheritance after advancing to Peak Core Formation.
• Young King Yuan learned that the Talisman Path Inheritance had opened and that Ye Xuan had obtained a puppet inheritance and planned to compete for the championship.
• Young King Yuan sent Shui Lingzi to pursue the Talisman Path Inheritance and ordered his forces to withdraw as the Five Great Inheritances neared their conclusion.
• Young King Yuan declared that the hunt would begin with the Seven Kingdoms of Arid Province, and Tie Wuya, Wan Luo, and other followers volunteered to lead the way.