Chapter Summaries

At Tiangang Hall, Mo Yu explained to Hun Yu, Hun Li, and Hun Ya why they should follow Miss’s wishes, then entrusted them with a secret letter for Xiao Yan. On Ancient Dragon Island, Xiao Yan opened the letter and discovered it had been written by Hun Tiandi, Ruoruo’s father.

• Mo Yu showed Hun Yu, Hun Li, and Hun Ya the bustling alchemy operation at the Ninth Heavenly Venerable Hall and urged them to obey Miss’s will.
• Mo Yu revealed that Miss had unified the Soul Hall, refined a ninth-tier pill, allied with Danta, killed a Half-Saint, and become Young Master in under three years.
• Mo Yu presented a secret letter that the Hall Master had ordered delivered to Xiao Yan, and the three Soul Clan prodigies recognized its seal.
• Hei Qing told Xiao Yan that powerful visitors had come to Dragon Island and left him a letter while Lian Xin and Zi Yan were in secluded cultivation.
• Xiao Yan recognized the letter’s pattern as resembling Ruoruo’s clan mark and opened it after Hei Qing left.
• Xiao Yan saw the name Hun Tiandi on the letter and realized that Ruoruo’s father had written it.

Xiao Yan arrived at Dragon Island and stopped Hun Li and Hun Ya from forcing their way inside, then learned that Hun Ruoruo had risked possession by Hun Feng to secure his Heavenly Tomb quota. He revealed that Hun Tiandi’s letter urged him to rely on his own strength and take Hun Ruoruo back, leaving everyone stunned.

• Hun Li warned Xiong Zhan that the group would enter Dragon Island if Xiao Yan did not appear soon, while Hun Li and Hun Ya grew anxious about the letter from Hun Tiandi.
• Hun Li and Hun Ya charged toward the island entrance, but Xiao Yan appeared and stopped their weapons with two fingers.
• Xiao Yan calmed Xiong Zhan, accepted the Soul Clan members’ greetings, and led them into Dragon Island.
• Mo Yu and Hun Yu told Xiao Yan that Hun Ruoruo had entered the Soul Clan trial to help secure his Heavenly Tomb quota and had nearly been possessed by Hun Feng.
• Xiao Yan revealed that Hun Tiandi’s letter told him to rely on his own ability and take Hun Ruoruo back, shocking everyone present.

Xiao Yan learned that the Ancient Clan had taken the Xiao Clan’s Heaven Tomb slots and territory, while the Soul Clan admitted to destroying his clan. He refused to deny the Xiao Clan’s defeat and ended by questioning whether the Ancient Clan had truly been its ally.

• Hun Li and Hun Ya explained that Hun Ruoruo and Hun Yu were set to enter the Heaven Tomb, and Xiao Yan sensed Hun Yu’s formidable strength.
• Xiao Yan asked what had happened to the Xiao Clan’s Heaven Tomb slots, and Hun Yu said the Ancient Clan had taken them along with the Xiao Realm.
• Xiao Yan asked whether the Soul Clan had destroyed the Xiao Clan, and Hun Li confirmed it, calling the deed a source of pride for the Soul Clan.
• Xiao Yan said the Xiao Clan had lost through its own inferiority and that he would not trouble the Soul Clan over its victory.
• Xiao Yan asked whether the Ancient Clan had truly been an ally of the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Yan rejected the Ancient and Soul Clans’ claim over the Xiao Clan’s fate, revealed the Ancient Jade, and chose to compete for the Heavenly Tomb quota himself. He assigned Hun Yu a quota and planned to train with him at the Void Lightning Pool, while Hun Ruoruo practiced Black Demon Lightning and vowed to make the Xiao Clan answer to her.

• Xiao Yan explained that he accepted the Xiao Clan’s decline but blamed the Ancient Clan’s actions for dragging his family into the Ancient Jade conflict.
• Xiao Yan revealed the Ancient Jade and said it had nearly cost his father his life and endangered Ruoruo, but Mo Yu persuaded him not to hand it over.
• Xiao Yan declared that he alone would decide the Xiao Clan’s fate and said he would fight the Ancient Clan for the Heavenly Tomb quota.
• Xiao Yan kept the Soul Clan’s quota for Ruoruo and assigned the other one to Hun Yu, who protested until Xiao Yan proposed training at the Void Lightning Pool.
• Hun Ruoruo destroyed a Soul Steel statue with Black Demon Lightning from her Heavenly Venerate Token and vowed to make Xiao Yan and the Xiao Clan answer to her.

Hun Miesheng revealed that the Clan Leader wanted Xiao Yan to reclaim the Xiao Clan’s Heavenly Tomb quota, then crippled his breakthrough to evade the Eight Clans’ restrictions and protect Hun Ruoruo. In the Ancient Realm, Xun’er learned that the Elder Council had approved keeping her apart from Xiao Yan, leaving her disillusioned as Tong Xuan departed in anger.

• Hun Miesheng told Hun Ruoruo that the Clan Leader wanted Xiao Yan to reclaim the Xiao Clan’s Heavenly Tomb quota rather than use the Soul Clan’s.
• Hun Miesheng warned that the Ancient and Yao Clans would oppose them, then struck his dantian to halt his breakthrough and remain eligible to travel to the Ancient Realm.
• Hun Ruoruo accused Hun Miesheng of wanting her to rush into Xiao Yan’s arms, and he did not deny it.
• Tong Xuan told Xun’er that her closeness to Xiao Yan could damage the Ancient Clan’s ties with its allies and that the Elder Council had tacit approval from the Clan Leader.
• Xun’er dismissed Tong Xuan, who left vowing to assert the Ancient Clan’s leadership at the Heavenly Tomb gathering.

Xun'er argued that the Ancient Clan’s Elder Council was foolish to reject Danta and rely on the declining Yao Clan, while Elder Lin explained why clan elders were unwilling to oppose it. He urged Xun'er to understand the former chairman of the Elder Council, revealing that she was the Ancient Clan Matriarch—and Xun'er’s mother.

• Xun'er condemned the Elder Council for dismissing evidence of Danta’s strength and choosing to cooperate with the Yao Clan.
• Xun'er contrasted the Yao Clan’s long drought of Ninth-grade Alchemists with Danta’s achievement, which she credited to Hun Ruoruo.
• Elder Lin admitted that Xun'er was right but said the elders feared risking their families and could not undo the Elder Council’s entrenched power.
• Elder Lin told Xun'er that she should understand the former chairman of the Elder Council, the Ancient Clan Matriarch.
• Xun'er realized the Matriarch was her mother and collapsed into her seat, overwhelmed by the revelation.

Xun'er learned that her mother likely died before the Xiao-Soul War and that she may not belong to this era, then confronted Gu Yuan and vowed to investigate despite him. Meanwhile, Hun Ruoruo learned that the Soul Clan Leader's old plan may have involved Xun'er's mother.

• Elder Lin told Xun'er that her mother likely perished before the Xiao-Soul War a thousand years earlier and suggested Xun'er might not belong to this era.
• Gu Yuan appeared and sent Elder Lin away, then apologized to Xun'er.
• Xun'er manifested an eighth, dark-gold color in her clan mark and vowed to investigate her mother's death and the Elder Council, even if Gu Yuan opposed her.
• Hun Miesheng reported to Hun Ruoruo that the Soul Clan Leader's plan might have involved the former president of the Ancient Clan's Elder Council.
• Hun Miesheng revealed that the former president was likely Hun Ruoruo's younger sister's biological mother, shocking Hun Ruoruo.

Hun Ruoruo learned that the Ancient Clan’s time-linked divine ability could explain Xun’er’s late appearance and decided to use the Heavenly Tomb to challenge the old powers. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan trained in the Void Lightning Pool, and Hun Li and Hun Ya revealed details of Hun Ruoruo’s Heavenly Venerate Token as Hun Yu watched in alarm.

• Hun Miesheng explained that the Ancient Clan’s bloodline grew stronger with time and could reach its peak through a final transformation called Ancient Sunset.
• Hun Ruoruo decided the Heavenly Tomb would mark the start of her challenge to the old powers, then departed the Soul Realm for the Ancient Clan.
• Xiao Yan struck Hun Yu with Black Demon Lightning in the Void Lightning Pool while testing his body cultivation.
• Hun Li and Hun Ya told Xiao Yan that Hun Ruoruo’s Heavenly Venerate Token contained a mature region of Black Demon Lightning and was difficult to resist without a matching token.
• Hun Yu realized Hun Li and Hun Ya had revealed Hun Ruoruo’s trump card, while Xiao Yan responded with an enigmatic smile.

After leaving the Void Lightning Pool, Xiao Yan learned that Hun Ruoruo had gone to the Ancient Clan and discovered that the Xiao Clan of old and the Soul Clan of today had been the only rulers of the world. The Soul Clan sent Hun Yu and two others ahead to the Ancient Clan, while Mo Yu prepared to accompany Xiao Yan on his own journey there.

• Mo Yu told Xiao Yan that Hun Ruoruo had left for the Ancient Clan, where Xiao Yan planned to settle old grievances involving the Black Mist Army and Tong Xuan.
• Hun Ya explained that the Flame, Lightning, Stone, and Spirit Clans were the other four Ancient Clans, and declared that the Xiao Clan of old and the Soul Clan of today had been the world's true rulers.
• Xiao Yan remarked that his ancestor had passed away, prompting Hun Ya to begin explaining something about Lord Xiao Xuan before Mo Yu interrupted him.
• Mo Yu said Hun Ruoruo had ordered the Soul Clan not to interfere with Xiao Yan's effort to claim the Xiao Clan's Heavenly Tomb quota.
• Mo Yu used Hun Miesheng's Soul Imprint to send Hun Yu, Hun Li, and Hun Ya away to the Ancient Clan, then announced that he would accompany Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan and Mo Yu reached Ancient Saint City for the Ancient Clan’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony, with Xiao Yan dressed to reclaim the Xiao Clan’s quota and make a show of his intentions toward Ruoruo. At the city gates, Yang Hao accused him of plotting against the Ancient Clan and ordered the Black Mist Army to surround him.

• Xiao Yan and Mo Yu arrived in the Eastern Region just in time for the Ancient Clan’s ceremony, and Mo Yu persuaded Xiao Yan to keep his grand robes on for Ruoruo’s sake.
• Xiao Yan and Mo Yu entered Ancient Saint City, where onlookers recognized Xiao Yan as the champion of the Pill Gathering.
• Yang Hao, the third-ranked Commander of the Black Mist Army, confronted Xiao Yan at the city gates over Ling Quan’s death.
• Yang Hao ordered several hundred members of the Black Mist Army to surround Xiao Yan and Mo Yu.

Yang Hao confronted Xiao Yan and Mo Yu at Ancient Saint City, accusing Xiao Yan of killing Ling Quan and ordering the Black Mist Army to detain him. Xiao Yan stayed calm as the soldiers attacked, leaving the confrontation poised to turn violent.

• The Black Mist Army surrounded Xiao Yan and Mo Yu, and Yang Hao said Xiao Yan did not qualify as a guest of the Ancient Clan.
• Xiao Yan recognized that Yang Hao was trying to provoke him into attacking and asked whether Yang Hao spoke for the entire Ancient Clan.
• Yang Hao accused Xiao Yan of killing Ling Quan and said the Elder Council could sentence him to death, while explaining that the clan had not pursued the Soul Clan Miss over Ling Quan's death.
• Xiao Yan pointed out that the Soul Clan Miss had also been present when Ling Quan died, but Yang Hao argued that the Ancient Clan could treat her differently.
• Yang Hao ordered the Black Mist Army to attack and avenge Ling Quan, and the soldiers aimed their spears at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan revealed that he was the current Young Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, one of the Eight Ancient Clans, and rejected Yang Hao’s apology for ordering an attack on him. He ordered Mo Yu to enforce the clans’ rules, and Mo Yu began forcing Yang Hao to perform the required kowtows and bows.

• Yang Hao ordered the Black Mist Army to seize Xiao Yan, but Xiao Yan calmly revealed the Xiao Clan robe beneath his Alchemist's robe.
• The Fifth Commander recognized the robe, and Xiao Yan declared himself a descendant and current Young Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan.
• Yang Hao and the Black Mist Army realized they could not attack Xiao Yan without risking a breakdown in relations between the Ancient Clan and the Xiao Clan.
• Mo Yu mocked Yang Hao until the Fifth Commander pressured him to apologize, and Yang Hao reluctantly apologized to Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan rejected the apology and cited the Eight Clans’ punishment for offending a Young Clan Leader.
• Xiao Yan ordered Mo Yu to act, and Mo Yu used his Nine-star Dou Zun strength to smash Yang Hao into the ground and force him to begin the required kowtows and bows.

Xiao Yan forced Yang Hao to kowtow before the gathered factions, then entered Ancient Saint City while the Fifth Commander secretly activated a token against him. Xun'er learned what happened and smiled at the similarity between Xiao Yan's actions and her own thoughts.

• Mo Yu forced Yang Hao to perform three kowtows and nine bows to Xiao Yan, then kicked him back toward the Black Mist Army.
• Xiao Yan ignored Yang Hao and the Fifth Commander and walked through Ancient Saint City's gates with Mo Yu.
• After Xiao Yan left, the Fifth Commander activated a token bearing the character "Ling" and vowed to turn a bereaved lord against him.
• Ling Ying reported Xiao Yan's confrontation with Yang Hao to Xun'er, who said that the two of them seemed bound by fate and shared similar thoughts.

Xiao Yan learned that the Ancient Clan had seized the Xiao Realm and remade Emperor Xiao City as its own, while Mo Yu urged him to act alongside Hun Ruoruo. Hun Ya and Hun Li prepared to follow Xiao Yan and challenge the Ancient Clan, declaring that it was time for change.

• Mo Yu told Xiao Yan that the Ancient Saint City had once been Emperor Xiao City, built on land the Xiao Clan offered to seal an alliance.
• Mo Yu explained that the Ancient Clan had taken the abandoned Xiao Realm and joined it to its own realm, then renamed and reshaped the city.
• Xiao Yan realized the Soul Clan Hall Master had arranged for Mo Yu to reveal the city's origins, but accepted Mo Yu's support and thanked him.
• Mo Yu vowed to help Xiao Yan and Hun Ruoruo turn the Ancient Clan upside down.
• Hun Ya and Hun Li watched Xiao Yan from a tavern, and Hun Li handed Hun Ya information about Ling Feng.
• Hun Ya said he would follow Xiao Yan and help change the Ancient Clan, which had taken the Xiao Clan's treasures.

Xiao Yan concluded that Tong Xuan had orchestrated the Ancient Clan’s earlier attempt to trap him and deny him a Heavenly Tomb slot. Refusing to rely on Hun Ruoruo or the Soul Clan, he prepared to claim the slot as Xiao Yan of the Xiao Clan.

• After three days in the side room, Xiao Yan learned that the Ancient Clan and other factions were still avoiding him.
• Xiao Yan reasoned that Tong Xuan had ordered the blockade because the Ancient Clan knew of his arrival before the news should have spread.
• Xiao Yan explained that revealing his Xiao Clan identity had prevented him from being sent to the Enforcement Hall and losing his chance at a Heavenly Tomb slot.
• Mo Yu offered to seek help from the Soul Clan, but Xiao Yan refused to rely on Ruoruo for this matter.
• Xiao Yan donned his Xiao Clan robe and declared that only Xiao Yan of the Xiao Clan could marry Hun Ruoruo, then set out to handle the matter himself.

Xiao Yan arrived in Ancient Saint City and drew the attention of the Eight Ancient Clans, including Huo Zhi of the Yan Clan. After Xiao Yan overwhelmed Huo Zhi’s Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire, the others discussed the growing conflict between the Xiao Clan and the Ancient Clan over Xiao Xuan’s Tomb.

• Huo Zhi and other Yan Clan members discussed Xiao Yan’s defeat of Yao Xing Ji and speculated about his ties to the Soul Clan.
• Xiao Yan searched the crowd for Hun Ruoruo, then agreed with Mo Yu to wait and see who would make the first move.
• Xiao Yan met Huo Zhi’s gaze and extinguished the Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire she released.
• Huo Zhi recognized Xiao Yan’s strength and warned that the Ancient Clan might fall out with the Xiao Clan.
• The Yan Clan members discussed the Ancient Clan’s past willingness to open Xiao Xuan’s Tomb and doubted that the Soul Clan would intervene for Xiao Yan.

As the Ancient Realm opened, Xiao Yan recalled Hun Ruoruo’s hardships as descendant folk and resolved to prove he could protect her. A Saint Stage Great Master abducted Mo Yu and confronted Xiao Yan, then revealed that Xun’er had also been influenced by the Soul Clan.

• The Ancient Clan warned visitors not to wander through the Ancient Realm or disturb its descendant folk, and Mo Yu explained the status of those people to Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan remembered that Hun Ruoruo had once lived among the descendant folk and reaffirmed his resolve to take her back and prove himself worthy of protecting her.
• An unseen force seized Mo Yu and transported Xiao Yan into a strange world where a Saint Stage Great Master appeared.
• The old man threatened Mo Yu’s life and questioned Xiao Yan about his ties to the Soul Clan, but Xiao Yan remained calm and refused to distance himself from it.
• The old man revealed that the Ancient Clan’s future Young Clan Leader had also been influenced by the Soul Clan, and Xiao Yan realized he meant Xun’er.

Xiao Yan agreed to enter the Ancient Clan and meet Gu Xun'er before her Coming-of-Age Ceremony, despite the danger from its experts. He freed Mo Yu and encountered Gu Xun'er, who demanded to know what he was to Hun Ruoruo.

• Gu Nanhai asked Xiao Yan to speak with Gu Xun'er and promised that no expert above the treaty's limit would attack him in the Ancient Clan.
• Xiao Yan agreed to go, explaining that he was doing so for the sake of the clan sister he had watched over since childhood.
• Gu Nanhai opened a passage to the Ancient Realm and released Mo Yu from a ball of light after Xiao Yan demanded it.
• Mo Yu began insulting the Ancient Clan and hinting at Xiao Yan's relationship with Hun Ruoruo, until Xiao Yan called him to order.
• Gu Xun'er appeared behind Xiao Yan and asked what he was to that woman.

Xun'er confronted Xiao Yan about his intention to marry Ruoruo, then broke through to First-turn Dou Zun and revealed her resolve to reshape the Ancient Clan. She left Xiao Yan with a new goal: to catch up to him and rewrite her clan’s future.

• Mo Yu told Xun'er that Xiao Yan intended to reclaim the Xiao Clan’s standing so he could marry Ruoruo, and Xiao Yan confirmed it.
• Xun'er accepted her defeat and broke through to First-turn Dou Zun, then asked Mo Yu to leave her alone with Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan said he did not hate the Ancient Clan for its ancient grievances, but Xun'er admitted she resented it and her father for withholding his approval and agreeing to a political marriage.
• Xun'er thanked Xiao Yan for helping her find her goals, bowed to him, and declared that she would catch up to him and rewrite the Ancient Clan’s future.

Gu Yao and the Black Mist Army targeted Xiao Yan over the Heavenly Tomb quota, while Hun Ya and Hun Li investigated the Ancient Clan for the Soul Clan. Their meeting with the Soul Clan’s Miss revealed Tong Xuan’s role in the conflict, and Hun Yu arrived to join the mission as the Coming-of-Age Ceremony approached.

• Gu Yao vowed to kill Xiao Yan and the Soul Clan if they interfered with the Ancient Clan’s claim to the Heavenly Tomb quota.
• Hun Ya and Hun Li observed Gu Yao and concluded that his hostility toward Xiao Yan centered on the quota he was about to lose.
• The Soul Clan’s Miss told Hun Ya and Hun Li that Half-Saint Tong Xuan was behind Elder Ling Feng’s actions and reminded them to put the Soul Clan’s interests first.
• Hun Ya asked how they would handle the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and the Miss summoned Hun Yu from the Soul-Hunting Order.
• Hun Yu appeared with a seven-colored mark on his brow and said that, by the Young Master’s order, they would accompany the Prince Consort and turn the Ancient Clan upside down.