Chapter Summaries

As Protector Wu’s secret technique gave him overwhelming strength, Old Man Yao fought to hold him back while Hun Ruoruo considered sacrificing her emotions to gain more power. Xiao Yan stopped her and declared that neither Old Man Yao nor the others would be taken by Soul Hall.

• Protector Wu’s secret technique stirred Hun Ruoruo’s urge to absorb Yun Shan’s soul, though she feared losing the emotions and bonds she had gained.
• Old Man Yao left Xiao Yan’s body, sent Xiao Yan and Hun Ruoruo safely to the ground, and challenged Protector Wu alone.
• Old Man Yao fought Protector Wu with the Flame Splitting Wave Devourer Ruler, but Xiao Yan judged that his teacher would soon be defeated.
• Hun Ruoruo prepared to absorb Yun Shan’s soul to help Old Man Yao, but Xiao Yan grasped her hand and warned her against losing herself to the soul’s corruption.
• Xiao Yan’s eyes darkened as he told Hun Ruoruo that Old Man Yao and none of them would be taken.

Hun Ruoruo recruited Medusa to help restrain Protector Wu while Xiao Yan prepared his Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus. After Xiao Yan shielded Hun Ruoruo from a soul explosion, he completed the lotus and sent it into Hun Ruoruo’s sea of blood to attack Protector Wu.

• Hun Ruoruo awakened the Heaven Swallowing Python and persuaded Medusa to join the fight by offering to resolve the conflict between Medusa and the python’s soul.
• Hun Ruoruo sent Old Man Yao to Xiao Yan for support, and Xiao Yan chose to use the Fire Lotus Dou Skill to defeat Protector Wu.
• Medusa and Hun Ruoruo fought Protector Wu, but he overwhelmed them and charged at Xiao Yan as he formed the fire lotus.
• Hun Ruoruo trapped Protector Wu in a blood sea, and he detonated several Soul Bodies in a desperate attempt to escape.
• Xiao Yan took the soul explosion meant for Hun Ruoruo, then completed the Buddha’s Fury Fire Lotus and sent it into the sea of blood.

Xiao Yan and Hun Ruoruo killed Protector Wu with their combined Fire Lotus and Blood Abyss, destroying the Misty Cloud Sect in the ensuing explosion. Afterward, Xiao Yan asked Hun Ruoruo to stop hiding things from him, and she quietly acknowledged that he had fulfilled their Three-Year Pact.

• Xiao Yan launched the Black Lotus into Protector Wu, and Hun Ruoruo's Blood Abyss swallowed them in a devastating blast.
• Hai Bodong fled while Jia Xing Tian and the others raised a stone barrier, and Hun Ruoruo carried the exhausted Xiao Yan away from the explosion.
• The clash of fire and water destroyed the Misty Cloud Mountain peaks and reduced the Misty Cloud Sect to ruins.
• Queen Medusa asked Old Man Yao to provide the promised method for resolving the problem of two souls in one body, and he agreed to help after resting.
• Hun Ruoruo said the Three-Year Pact had ended, and Xiao Yan asked her to stop keeping things from him.

After Xiao Yan asked Hun Ruoruo about her blood loss, she explained that the Soul Hall had targeted his father because of the Ancient Jade passed down through the Xiao Family. She then reassured him that Xiao Zhan was safe, and Xiao Yan embraced her in relief.

• Xiao Yan noticed Hun Ruoruo’s blood loss and asked whether it was connected to her cultivation flaw.
• Hun Ruoruo asked whether Xiao Yan resented her for using him, and he explained why he had chosen not to treat her as an enemy.
• Xiao Yan showed Hun Ruoruo the jade fragment and asked why the Soul Hall had taken his father.
• Hun Ruoruo revealed that Yun Leng had captured Xiao Zhan as a substitute after losing resources, and suggested the Soul Hall wanted the Ancient Jade passed down through his family.
• Hun Ruoruo told Xiao Yan that Xiao Zhan was safe, and Xiao Yan rushed to embrace her as he cried with relief.

Hun Ruoruo struggled to break free after Xiao Yan embraced her, then left him recovering among the ruins while the imperial officials waited below. She descended to the Misty Cloud Sect’s gathered disciples and elders, where Nalan Yanran confronted her about the sect’s fate.

• Hun Ruoruo panicked at the thought that Xiao Yan might like her and fought to escape his embrace.
• Hun Ruoruo tricked Xiao Yan into loosening his grip, broke free, and slammed him to the ground.
• Xiao Yan laughed among the ruins, feeling renewed resolve and believing his bond with Hun Ruoruo had become unbreakable.
• Jia Xing Tian and the other old officials left the ruins and waited below the mountain, wary of what Hun Ruoruo and Xiao Yan would decide about the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Hun Ruoruo descended from the ruins, and Nalan Yanran suppressed the crowd before demanding to know what Hun Ruoruo wanted.

Hun Ruoruo confronted Nalan Yanran about the Misty Cloud Sect’s fate, then left Nalan to face the sect’s uncertain future. A week later, Xiao Yan woke at the Mittel Family in severe pain and discovered his Dou Jing was gone.

• Hun Ruoruo told Nalan Yanran she had arranged for Xiao Yan to kill Yun Leng and had killed Yun Shan herself.
• Nalan Yanran pleaded for the Misty Cloud Sect’s disciples, and Hun Ruoruo warned that the Imperial Family might still move against them.
• Hun Ruoruo secretly decided that Nalan Yanran could lead the Misty Cloud Sect as an asset to Xiao Yan, then departed.
• Nalan Yanran wiped the blood from her mouth and hurried toward the Misty Cloud Sect members.
• One week later, Xiao Yan woke at the Mittel Family after recovering from his injuries and found his meridians badly damaged.
• Xiao Yan inspected his empty dantian and cried out, asking where his Dou Jing had gone.

After destroying his Dou Jing to save his father, Xiao Yan feared he would fail Jia Nan Academy’s cultivation requirement, but Old Man Yao revealed that his realm had not fallen and that he might have become a Nine-star Dou Wang. The chapter left Xiao Yan stunned as his teacher clarified that the transformation was negative rather than positive.

• Xiao Yan grieved the loss of his Dou Jing and worried he could not reach Jia Nan Academy’s minimum of Nine-star Dou Zhe before the term began.
• Xiao Yan reflected on Ruoruo’s care and the price she had paid to save his father, and Old Man Yao teased him about hugging her.
• Old Man Yao told Xiao Yan that Ruoruo had hugged him first and suggested he attend Jia Nan Academy to see her regularly.
• Xiao Yan doubted he could pass admission with his Dou Jing gone, but Old Man Yao explained that the crystal had fused into his body and his realm had not fallen.
• Old Man Yao said Xiao Yan could be called a Nine-star Dou Wang, then warned that the change was negative rather than positive.

Xiao Yan learned that the soul explosion had shattered his Dou Jing, leaving him as a Dou Wang whose cultivation remained at the Dou Ling level, and he began recovering from his injuries. Meanwhile, Hun Ruoruo reflected on the battle and her complicated feelings about Xiao Yan as she considered her next steps.

• Old Man Yao explained that Xiao Yan's Dou Jing had shattered after his secret techniques and the soul explosion, while his Dou Qi had spread into his acupoints.
• Xiao Yan realized he had become a Dou Wang at the Dou Ling level and learned that Hun Ruoruo had worked hard to help him gather his Dou Qi again.
• Old Man Yao urged Xiao Yan to recuperate and teased him about pretending to be asleep to avoid Hun Ruoruo.
• Hun Ruoruo recalled that Protector Wu's soul had been destroyed and considered killing Yun Shan before using his Soul Token.
• Hun Ruoruo thought about Xiao Yan hugging her during the battle, then resented how he always seemed to have a reason for taking advantage of her.

Hun Ruoruo feared that devouring souls was eroding her emotions and leaving her unable to understand affection, but Old Man Yao comforted her and asked whether she was afraid. She admitted that she was afraid, though she did not regret her choices.

• Hun Ruoruo questioned whether she could understand liking someone and worried that her soul had been altered by devouring souls.
• Hun Ruoruo panicked that Soul Sea Spirit Crossing had failed to prevent the erosion and cried out that she did not want to become an emotionless monster.
• Old Man Yao appeared, stopped Hun Ruoruo's attack, and explained that even Heavenly Tier Dou Techniques could not erase the cost of sinister cultivation methods.
• Old Man Yao revealed that he had noticed the Snake Person Commander's soul disappear in the desert and asked whether Hun Ruoruo feared the effects of devouring souls.
• Hun Ruoruo admitted that she was afraid but did not regret what she had done.

Old Man Yao taught Hun Ruoruo the Spirit Ascension Technique to help her resist soul erosion and accepted her as his disciple. Hun Ruoruo then checked on Xiao Yan, who had not woken after a week, and realized she would need to keep helping him circulate his Dou Qi.

• Old Man Yao offered to help Hun Ruoruo alleviate her soul erosion and explained that he had created a technique for it.
• Hun Ruoruo recognized Old Man Yao's technique as the Spirit Ascension Technique, and he sent its teachings to her with a Soul Mark.
• Hun Ruoruo jokingly called Old Man Yao her Master and hurried to check on her Senior Brother, Xiao Yan.
• At the Mittel Family guest courtyard, Hun Ruoruo noticed Xiao Yan had still not woken after a week, while he briefly reacted to her calling him Senior Brother.
• Hun Ruoruo recalled that she had shattered Xiao Yan's Dou Jing and realized she would need to keep helping him circulate his Dou Qi after he woke.

Hun Ruoruo used her Pure Water Dou Qi to stabilize Xiao Yan’s ruined body while he pretended to be asleep, and her thoughts about his care for her softened as she watched over him. Xiao Yan woke to find Ruoruo asleep beside his bed.

• Old Man Yao entered the Storage Ring to recover from his soul injuries, leaving Xiao Yan and Hun Ruoruo alone.
• Hun Ruoruo began treating Xiao Yan and guided his Dou Qi into his chest cavity and dantian, enduring his severe pain as she cleared the blocked pathways.
• After sealing the gathered Dou Qi and easing Xiao Yan’s spasms, Hun Ruoruo estimated that he could begin recovering within half a month and worried about continuing treatment if he woke.
• Hun Ruoruo reflected on how Xiao Yan had never forced or mistreated her, and admitted to herself that she was still using him while struggling to sever their bond.
• Hun Ruoruo fell asleep beside Xiao Yan’s bed, and Xiao Yan quietly woke and looked at her.

Hun Ruoruo met with the empire’s leaders after the Misty Cloud Sect joined the empire’s forces, and they agreed to keep the black shadow’s existence secret. When Hai Bodong asked whether she had been tending to Xiao Yan, Hun Ruoruo embarrassedly denied it.

• Jia Xing Tian told Hun Ruoruo that the Misty Cloud Sect had joined the empire’s forces after Yun Yun’s disciple accepted integration.
• Hun Ruoruo explained that the sect could not remain independent after losing its mountain gate, and Jia Xing Tian noted that its disciples knew nothing about the black shadow.
• Fama assured Hun Ruoruo that the black shadow and the battle at the Misty Cloud Sect would remain secret, with the great powers pledging severe consequences for any leak.
• Hai Bodong asked Hun Ruoruo whether she had been tending to Xiao Yan, and she denied it despite having fallen asleep at his place.

Hun Ruoruo planned to build a force to protect Xiao Yan’s family before going to Jia Nan Academy. After catching Xiao Yan pretending to sleep, she teased him until he admitted he was wrong, then asked him to help with a mysterious black token.

• Hun Ruoruo left Hai Bodong and the others to manage the Jia Ma Empire and considered how to build a force to protect Xiao Yan’s loved ones.
• Hun Ruoruo wandered into Xiao Yan’s courtyard, where Xiao Yan pretended to be asleep to avoid an awkward conversation.
• Hun Ruoruo caught Xiao Yan pretending and teased him about lying and failing to carry her to bed after she treated his injuries.
• Xiao Yan admitted he was wrong and asked Hun Ruoruo to tell him what she wanted.
• Hun Ruoruo tossed Xiao Yan a black token, and strange patterns spread across it as he reacted in shock.

Xiao Yan learned about the Soul Token and Soul Hall’s ranks and rewards as Hun Ruoruo persuaded him to infiltrate the organization. He signed up as the Flame Soul Emissary, and Hun Ruoruo planned for them to leave for Jia Nan Academy after recovering.

• Xiao Yan recognized the Soul Token’s sinister power and recalled how Yun Leng had used one to summon Yun Shan.
• Hun Ruoruo explained that high-level Soul Emissaries could summon Soul Chains and needed at least high-level Dou Wang strength, while lower-ranked members could earn rewards for missions.
• Hun Ruoruo tempted Xiao Yan with the Dou Ling Pill reward for capturing Yun Leng’s soul, and Xiao Yan agreed to join Soul Hall.
• Hun Ruoruo produced a prepared contract and named Xiao Yan the Flame Soul Emissary after he signed it.
• Hun Ruoruo gave Xiao Yan a grimy robe and said they would head for Jia Nan Academy once their injuries had recovered.

Xiao Yan oversaw the Xiao Family’s relocation to the Imperial Capital and told the elders that his father had been rescued. Following Ruoruo’s soul coordinates, he found Xiao Zhan waiting in a courtyard outside the city.

• Xiao Yan thanked Hai Bodong and arrived at the Xiao Family’s new Imperial Capital residence to take charge of the relocation.
• The First Elder told Xiao Yan that more than four hundred clan members had moved into the residence Hai Bodong provided.
• Xiao Yan reassured the elders about Hai Bodong’s generosity and remembered his father with them.
• Xiao Yan revealed that Xiao Zhan had been rescued, filling the elders with joy.
• Xiao Yan followed Ruoruo’s soul coordinates to a courtyard outside the Imperial Capital and reunited with Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Yan reunited with Xiao Zhan, recounted the Three-Year Pact, and learned that Ruoruo had risked angering Yun Leng to protect his father. He realized Ruoruo’s delay at the pact had been caused by her sacrifice for him.

• Xiao Zhan welcomed Xiao Yan into the courtyard and asked him to describe the Three-Year Pact.
• Xiao Yan told Xiao Zhan that he defeated Nalan Yanran but chose to grant her freedom instead of making her his slave.
• Xiao Zhan approved of Xiao Yan’s decision and explained that preserving ties between the Xiao Family and Nalan Family mattered.
• Xiao Zhan revealed that Yun Leng had captured and imprisoned him while trying to learn about a treasure.
• Xiao Zhan told Xiao Yan that Ruoruo had forced Yun Leng to kneel, rescued him, and brought him to the courtyard.
• Xiao Yan realized Ruoruo had delayed her arrival at the Three-Year Pact because she had risked herself to protect Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Yan learned that Ruoruo had risked herself to save his father and cared for him until he recovered, deepening his gratitude toward her. Xiao Zhan urged Xiao Yan to cherish the love he could hold onto, and Xiao Yan promised to bring Ruoruo to meet him.

• Xiao Yan realized Ruoruo had taken a great risk to rescue Xiao Zhan because she cared about him.
• Xiao Zhan reassured Xiao Yan that Ruoruo had treated him respectfully, healed his injuries, and cared for him for nearly half a month.
• Xiao Zhan asked Xiao Yan whether he loved Ruoruo, and Xiao Yan said he could accept no one else in his life.
• Xiao Zhan spoke of his regrets over how little he had cared for Xiao Yan's mother and advised Xiao Yan to cherish what he could hold onto.
• Xiao Yan promised Xiao Zhan that he would bring Ruoruo to meet him when he returned.

Xiao Yan brought Xiao Zhan to the Xiao Family estate, explained how the family had risen to power, and learned his father had reached Dou Ling. Two days later, Xiao Yan met Hun Ruoruo and prepared to leave with her for Jia Nan Academy.

• Xiao Yan showed Xiao Zhan the Xiao Family estate and described the family's rise, crediting Hun Ruoruo's support and his own strength.
• Xiao Zhan urged Xiao Yan to treat Hun Ruoruo sincerely and warned him not to hurt someone he cared for; Xiao Yan worried that Xun'er and Hun Ruoruo might clash.
• Xiao Zhan revealed that Ruoruo's healing pills had helped him reach Dou Ling and told Xiao Yan that his home would always welcome him back.
• Two days later, Xiao Yan arrived at the Mittel Family courtyard, where Hun Ruoruo greeted him with a backpack and said she had been about to look for him.
• Xiao Yan and Hun Ruoruo prepared to set out for Jia Nan Academy.

Hun Ruoruo and Xiao Yan reached the Black Corner Region, where a Black Storm forced them to disguise themselves in Soul Hall robes. A Soul Hall Strongman sensed them through his Soul Token and bowed to Hun Ruoruo, addressing her as Protector.

• Hai Bodong parted from Hun Ruoruo and Xiao Yan at the empire’s border after warning them about the dangers of the Black Corner Region.
• Hun Ruoruo flew with Xiao Yan across Zhen Gui Pass at high speed, teasing him as they traveled.
• A Black Storm engulfed the plains, and Hun Ruoruo gave Xiao Yan a Soul Robe and told him he would need to act soon.
• A Soul Hall Strongman captured a wandering Soul Body with his Black Chain and used his Soul Token to search through the storm.
• The Soul Hall Strongman sensed Hun Ruoruo through the Soul Token, flew to her, and bowed in greeting.

Xiao Yan and Hun Ruoruo encountered Soul Envoy Li in the Black Storm and used their Soul Hall identities to conceal their true situation. After Li mentioned that Medicine Emperor Han Feng would provide the Black Seal City auction’s Seventh-grade Pill, Xiao Yan reacted violently, leaving his next move uncertain.

• Xiao Yan pretended to be Flame Soul Emissary while Hun Ruoruo used her Protector Soul Token to make Li defer to them.
• Li introduced himself as a Soul Envoy under Protector Tie and explained that he had come to hunt souls in the Black Storm.
• Hun Ruoruo claimed to be the newly appointed Protector Shuang of the northwestern nations and frightened Li into kneeling by releasing Soul Force pressure.
• Hun Ruoruo asked about the Black Seal City Auction Conference, and Li said it was less than three days away and featured a Seventh-grade Pill from Medicine Emperor Han Feng.
• Xiao Yan trembled and released wisps of ghostly white flame when he heard Han Feng's name, while Hun Ruoruo concealed the disturbance.