Chapter Summaries

Nangong Yan accepted abandoning three cities to secure Ye’s help and agreed to give him a section of Dragon Bone. Lu Nan learned that the items he wanted cost forty-five million Spirit Stones, gathered spiritual plants to make pills, and ended the chapter planning to investigate a mysterious nine-pattern pill.

• Nangong Yan told Nangong Jingwu and his advisers that she had agreed to give Ye a section of Dragon Bone and abandon the citizens of three cities.
• Lu Nan visited Master Hua at the Spirit Treasure Pavilion and learned he had seven days to pay forty-five million Spirit Stones or forfeit the deal and pay a fee.
• Lu Nan realized he was more than thirty million Spirit Stones short and entered the Mysterious Space to harvest spiritual plants.
• Lu Nan returned to his room, isolated it with formations, and refined the harvested plants into pills.
• Lu Nan found a nine-pattern pill that seemed higher quality than top-grade and decided to visit the Imperial Family Book Collection Pavilion before heading to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Lu Nan negotiated with Nangong Yan to set up a formation against the three kings' cities, then sold a large batch of pills at the Spirit Treasure Pavilion to gather Spirit Stones. He left with the formation materials still to be prepared and far too few funds to reach his goal of thirty million.

• Lu Nan learned Nangong Yan was away, then answered her summons to Chengde Hall and met King Wu, Chancellor Cai, and Imperial Preceptor Liu.
• Lu Nan asked to consult texts on formations and alchemy, and Nangong Yan agreed to have books delivered to his room.
• Lu Nan said he could set up a formation with an eighty percent chance of success, provided the three kings' camps had no experts above the Void Return realm and Nangong Yan handled its use.
• Chancellor Cai described the terrain around King Heng City, King Qi City, and King Kang City, and Lu Nan recorded the formation materials he needed on a Jade Slip.
• Lu Nan sold Master Hua 1,406 top-quality pills for 45,880 Top-grade Spirit Stones, but complained that the sum was nowhere near the thirty million he needed.

Lu Nan offered Nangong Yan a seventh-grade formation to earn Spirit Stones, and she commissioned the Black Tortoise Guarding Great Formation for forty million Top-grade Spirit Stones. After spending seven days refining its seal, Lu Nan presented it to her, and Nangong Yan went to an underground space to activate it.

• Lu Nan left the Spirit Treasure Pavilion after Master Hua postponed his payment deadline by a month, then went to the Imperial Palace to offer Nangong Yan a formation.
• Lu Nan and Nangong Yan agreed on a forty-million-Top-grade-Spirit-Stone price for a formation that could defend the Imperial Palace against a Tribulation Transcendence expert.
• Nangong Yan provided the materials and Spirit Stones, and Lu Nan spent seven days refining the Black Tortoise Seal.
• Lu Nan presented the finished seal to Nangong Yan and explained how to control it.
• Nangong Yan went to an underground space, infused the Black Tortoise Seal with her blood, and covered the ground with Spirit Stones.

Lu Nan left the imperial city for King Heng city after collecting the materials and Spirit Stones needed for his plans. On arrival, he saw the devastation in King Heng's territory, prepared array flags outside the city, and discovered that Nangong Heng's people had tracked him after Spirit Treasure Pavilion leaked information.

• Nangong Yan tested the Black Tortoise Seal, and Lu Nan agreed to set out once she gave him the materials for dealing with the three kings.
• Lu Nan collected more than a dozen rings of requested items from Master Hua at Spirit Treasure Pavilion, paying thirty million Spirit Stones.
• Lu Nan traveled through King Heng's territory, saw villages destroyed by resentful energy and bandits, and killed the bandits attacking one village.
• Lu Nan entered King Heng city, surveyed it in disguise, then prepared five array flags in a concealed location outside the city.
• A black-clad man found Lu Nan, who learned through the man's mind that Spirit Treasure Pavilion had leaked information and alerted Nangong Heng's people.

Lu Nan planted formation flags in King Heng City, King Qi City, and King Kang City, then returned to Great Geng Imperial City with three activation keys. He explained the Five Revolutions Purgatory Formation to Nangong Yan, leaving its activation and single use in her hands.

• Lu Nan planted flags at King Heng City's four corners and infiltrated King Heng's Palace to place the main flag in its pool.
• Lu Nan overheard Nangong Heng's men discuss a Spirit Artifact seller and learned that Nangong Heng planned to gather another five hundred thousand people for an undisclosed scheme.
• Lu Nan waited out Nangong Heng's repeated inspections, buried the main flag, and escaped King Heng City with the activation key.
• Lu Nan set up formations in King Qi City and King Kang City, then returned to Great Geng Imperial City with three activation keys.
• Lu Nan gave the keys to Nangong Yan and explained that the seventh-grade Five Revolutions Purgatory Formation could trap living beings, draw power from their negative emotions, and reach the first layer of Tribulation Transcendence before self-destructing after one use.

Lu Nan negotiated the sale of three single-use formations to Nangong Yan and received Spirit Stones, then advanced to the sixth layer of the Heavenly Man Realm while cultivating. He emerged to find the palace strangely deserted and bloodied, and was summoned to Chengde Hall.

• Lu Nan sold Nangong Yan three formations for fifteen million Spirit Stones and promised to leave Great Geng after obtaining the Dragon Bone.
• Liu Yanran and Nangong Ya visited Lu Nan, and Eunuch Hua delivered the Spirit Stones Nangong Yan had promised.
• Lu Nan used the Spirit Stones to cultivate and advanced to the sixth layer of the Heavenly Man Realm.
• After removing his restrictions, Lu Nan found the palace deserted and smelled blood, then hurried toward Chengde Hall.
• The guards at Chengde Hall checked Lu Nan’s waist token, and a general returned to escort him inside at Your Majesty’s summons.

Lu Nan learned that King Heng had escaped and negotiated with Nangong Yan to receive the Dragon Bone and Spirit Crystals in exchange for hunting King Heng and the formation master. After reaching King Heng’s location and infiltrating the compound, Lu Nan heard men boasting about killing a woman.

• Nangong Yan told Lu Nan that a peak Return Void cultivator had rescued King Heng and an unknown formation master had broken through part of Lu Nan’s formation.
• Lu Nan accused Chancellor Cai of revealing his identity, seized him, and demanded an explanation from Nangong Yan.
• Lu Nan agreed to swear an oath to deal with King Heng, and Nangong Yan gave him the Dragon Bone and two Spirit Crystals.
• Nangong Yan dismissed Chancellor Cai and ordered that part of his memories be severed.
• Lu Nan traveled to King Heng’s location, infiltrated the compound, and overheard men discussing a woman who had died after they assaulted her.

Lu Nan discovered Nangong Heng and a formation master were inside the Blood God Cult, then trapped the sect in a blood-colored formation that drove its members to attack one another. With Nangong Heng cornered and Elder Xie bargaining for his own life, Lu Nan demanded proof of loyalty and left the elder poised to decide how far he would go.

• Lu Nan subdued three Blood God Cult disciples, learned Nangong Heng and a formation master were inside the sect, and killed the disciples after questioning them.
• Lu Nan used the surrounding terrain to set formation flags around the Blood God Cult and activated a seventh-grade formation that sealed the sect and sent its members into a murderous frenzy.
• Nangong Heng and Elders Ren and Xie discovered they were trapped; Elder Ren concluded the formation could not be broken from within, while Elder Xie's attacks failed to damage the barrier.
• Elder Xie took Nangong Heng and offered him to Lu Nan in exchange for his own life.
• Lu Nan demanded that Elder Xie kill Nangong Heng, and Elder Xie instead tore off Nangong Heng's right arm as proof of his willingness to betray him.

Lu Nan destroyed the Blood God Cult, left Great Geng, and resumed cultivating in seclusion in the Desert Region. His cultivation was interrupted when he stepped in to drive off Wang Heng and his men, who were threatening the Qiu siblings.

• Xie Tian killed Nangong Heng at Lu Nan's command, then slaughtered the Blood God Cult's members.
• Lu Nan collapsed the array, killed Xie Tian with blood-colored swords, and burned the corpses to ash.
• Nian'er told Nangong Yan that Nangong Heng and the Blood God Cult were destroyed and Lu Nan had disappeared; Nangong Yan regretted how she had treated him.
• Lu Nan traveled through the Teleportation Array to Mo City, found a concealed cave, and began cultivating with Top-grade Spirit Stones.
• Lu Nan sensed people disturbing his warning array and saw Wang Heng and his men corner Qiu Sang and his sister outside the cave.
• Lu Nan ordered Wang Heng's group to leave, then released his aura until they knelt and fled; Qiu Sang and his sister thanked him.

Lu Nan reached peak Heavenly Human, then left his cave to help the Qiu siblings in exchange for a rusty sword that awakened the spirit sword within him. After defeating their pursuers, he gave the siblings a cultivation scripture and prepared to leave.

• Lu Nan advanced to peak Heavenly Human after a month of cultivation and planned to seek Miao Feng's advice about reaching Return Void.
• Lu Nan discovered that the Qiu siblings and Wang Heng had waited outside his cave, and he offered to escort the siblings to Mo City in exchange for seeing their disputed item.
• Qiu Sang revealed a rusty longsword, which Lu Nan recognized as a High-grade Spirit Artifact and accepted in exchange for escorting the siblings and granting one additional request.
• Lu Nan used a gentle breeze to incapacitate Wang Heng, Elder Si, and the others, then burned their corpses with Red Flame.
• Qiu Sang asked Lu Nan to take his sister as a disciple, but Lu Nan refused and instead taught both siblings the Curse Sword Scripture.

Lu Nan accepted the Qiu siblings’ invitation to stay with the Qiu Family and settled into a secluded courtyard, where he set up formations and studied his swords. When he emerged after sensing trouble, he confronted a Wang Family visitor who had attacked the Qiu Family.

• Qiu Sang invited Lu Nan to stay with the Qiu Family, and Lu Nan agreed to inspect their residence.
• Qiu Sang’s father warned him not to reveal or pass on the sword scripture Lu Nan had taught him.
• The Qiu siblings showed Lu Nan Quiet Serenity Courtyard, where he built formations and an underground chamber before binding three Longswords and comprehending the Nine Revolutions Formation Dispelling.
• Lu Nan sensed a disturbance and found Qiu Sang injured; Qiu Sang identified the Wang Family as the likely attackers.
• Lu Nan entered the reception hall and injured the lavishly dressed Middle-aged Man with a cold snort after the man probed him with Divine Sense.

Lu Nan helped the Qiu Family repel Wang Qi, then continued cultivating until he advanced to eighth-grade formation mastery and refined a formation. He announced that he was leaving immediately, and the Qiu siblings agreed to keep his departure quiet.

• Lu Nan's arrival made Wang Qi abandon his threat against the Qiu Family and hurry home to consult his ancestor.
• Qiu Chan thanked Lu Nan, accepted a healing pill from Qiu Sang, and urged his son to make the most of the senior's guidance.
• Lu Nan sensed a rift with Qiu Sang, resumed studying the Nine Revolutions Formation Dispelling, and advanced to eighth grade.
• Lu Nan spent half a month refining nine earth-yellow Longswords into his first formation and decided to set out.
• Lu Nan told Qiu Sang and Qiu Shuang he was leaving immediately, and Qiu Sang instructed his sister not to spread the news.

Lu Nan traveled through the Sword Domain to the Fire Domain and bought intelligence about the Boiling Fire Cult from the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion. He obtained the information after paying one million Top-grade Spirit Stones.

• Qiu Lan and Qiu Sang agreed to conceal the senior's departure and wait for their ancestor while Qiu Sang prepared to cultivate and go to the Taixuan Sect.
• Lu Nan used a cross-domain Teleportation Array to pass through the Sword Domain and reach the Fire Domain.
• Lu Nan visited the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion and bought general intelligence about the Fire Domain's forces for ten High-grade Spirit Stones.
• Lu Nan requested detailed intelligence on the Boiling Fire Cult, and Feng Du quoted thirty million Top-grade Spirit Stones for comprehensive information.
• Lu Nan negotiated for the cult's overall situation and peak combat power, paid Feng Du one million Top-grade Spirit Stones, and received a jade-colored Jade Slip.

Lu Nan studied intelligence on the Boiling Fire Cult and decided he needed the True Void Illusion Formation to conceal his identity before infiltrating it. He harvested herbs to fund the formation materials and arrived at Migu City, where he began discussing a large purchase with Yu Yue of Ten Directions Studio.

• Lu Nan bought intelligence from Feng Du, disguised himself, and learned that the Boiling Fire Cult had three publicly known Tribulation Transcendence experts and might harbor an Ascension ancestor.
• Lu Nan chose the eighth-grade True Void Illusion Formation to hide his identity, but realized he needed to acquire its materials.
• Lu Nan harvested three-quarters of the medicinal herbs in his Mysterious Space to sell for the formation materials.
• Lu Nan traveled to Migu City and entered Ten Directions Studio, where he met its steward, Yu Yue.
• Yu Yue led Lu Nan to a private room so they could discuss his substantial needs.

Lu Nan sold a Crimson Fruit and twenty-five other ancient spirit plants to Ten Directions Hall, using the payment to buy the materials on his list. Yu Yue suspected he came from a powerful lineage and hurried back to report the deal after he left.

• Lu Nan asked Yu Yue whether Ten Directions Hall could supply the items on his list, which cost twenty-six million, four hundred and fifty thousand Top-grade Spirit Stones.
• Lu Nan offered Yu Yue an eighty-thousand-year-old Crimson Fruit, and Master Duan inspected it and confirmed its flawless quality.
• Yu Yue agreed to buy the Crimson Fruit for one Spirit Crystal, and Lu Nan brought out twenty-five more spirit plants for Master Duan to inspect.
• Yu Yue accepted all twenty-six great medicines for twenty-six Spirit Crystals, and Lu Nan used the payment to cover the cost of the requested materials.
• Yu Yue cautioned Master Duan to keep the transaction secret, then gave Lu Nan the materials in a ring and saw him off.
• Yu Yue overheard Lu Nan remark that the herbs had been worth more than he expected, concluded he was from a great power, and returned to report the matter.

Lu Nan disguised himself as a Foundation Establishment alchemist and traveled to Boiling Fire City, where he learned that the Boiling Fire Cult was recruiting disciples. After discovering that Miao Feng and a black-and-white demonic beast had previously blocked the cult’s gates, he resolved to join the cult and set up his grand formation.

• Lu Nan forged a shabby ring that concealed his aura, then disguised his cultivation as Foundation Establishment and simulated an Earth grade Dao Foundation.
• Lu Nan decided to pose as a third-grade alchemist and traveled through the Teleportation Array to Boiling Fire City.
• At an inn, Lu Nan overheard two cultivators discussing the Boiling Fire Cult’s disciple recruitment and the recent attacks on its gates.
• Lu Nan consulted his Jade Slip and learned that Miao Feng had blocked the cult’s gates because of him.
• Lu Nan learned that the second gate-blocker was a black-and-white demonic beast, wondered if it was Lu Bao, and decided to join the Boiling Fire Cult to establish his grand formation.

Lu Nan joined the Boiling Fire Cult’s disciple recruitment test and passed its first two rounds, revealing top-grade fire and Wood Spiritual Roots and an Earth grade Dao Foundation. After learning he was already a First-grade Alchemist, the black-robed examiner told him to wait while the test continued.

• Lu Nan arrived at the Boiling Fire Cult’s recruitment assembly and watched the first round identify people with Spiritual Roots.
• Lu Nan passed the first round and returned to the inn, then came back the next day for the second round.
• Lu Nan touched a Spirit-Testing Stone Stele, revealing top-grade fire and Wood Spiritual Roots and qualifying for recruitment.
• The black-robed examiner discovered Lu Nan was at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage with an Earth grade Dao Foundation and asked about his age, master, and cultivation.
• Lu Nan said he was already a First-grade Alchemist and offered to demonstrate, but lacked a cauldron and ingredients.
• The examiner and a woman reacted with delight and told Lu Nan to rest at the side.

Ye Nan joined the Boiling Fire Cult after passing its recruitment tests, and the sect’s elders began assigning the most talented recruits. An elder discovered Ye Nan’s Earth grade Dao Foundation and Fire and Wood Spiritual Roots, then asked if he would accept him as a master.

• Ye Nan boarded the Cult’s flying vessel with the recruits, and he told Fan Shi he could refine first-grade pills with a seventy percent chance of success.
• The vessel brought the recruits to Boiling Mountain, where Elder Chang declared them Outer Disciples and warned they had three years to reach the fifth layer of Qi Condensation.
• Fan Shi led recruits with lower-grade Spiritual Roots away, while Elders and stewards assigned many of the remaining candidates to different places in the Cult.
• Ye Nan remained among the three hundred recruits with Supreme Spiritual Roots as powerful Spirit Transformation and Celestial Being experts arrived to inspect them.
• An old man examined Ye Nan’s Dao Foundation and Spiritual Roots, then asked him to take the old man as his master.

Lu Nan was accepted as Lei Li’s disciple after demonstrating his skill at refining Body Tempering Pills. He received an alchemy room, practice resources, and an identity token, then learned about the sect’s disciple system and began planning for the future.

• Lei Li recognized Lu Nan’s aptitude for alchemy and accepted him as his disciple.
• Lu Nan refined three Body Tempering Pills, impressing Lei Li, who promised three years of ingredients and gave him a personal alchemy room and other resources.
• Lei Li directed Lu Nan to the Disciple Hall, where Lu Nan registered and received his identity token.
• A counter attendant explained that peak disciples had greater privileges than ordinary disciples and told Lu Nan to register with Alchemy Peak’s Disciple Hall.
• Lu Nan examined the sect map in his token and decided to wait until he had made thorough preparations before acting on his plans.

Lu Nan obtained a cultivation technique and alchemy resources at the Boiling Fire Cult while secretly refining arrays in an underground chamber. He completed the second array but needed dragon bone for the final one, and ended the chapter with plans to raise his cultivation and continue his work.

• Lu Nan registered as an Alchemy Peak disciple, then borrowed the Profound Tier mid-grade Mystic Fire Art from the Scripture Repository.
• After mastering the technique, Lu Nan built a hidden chamber beneath his alchemy room and used a puppet and a notice to conceal his absence while refining an array.
• Lu Nan completed the second of his three arrays, but the final array required rare dragon bone and might cause an impossible-to-hide phenomenon.
• Lu Nan decided to raise his cultivation to the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment and reviewed the pill formulas Lei Li had given him.
• Lu Nan collected alchemy materials from the Resource Hall, where the counter attendant introduced himself as He Dian, and Lu Nan called himself Ye Nan.