Chapter Summaries

Qin Fengming escaped a powerful attack from Fang Qiying, collected the Scarlet-tailed Scorpion’s remains, and reached a vast boiling lake. After discovering that a no-fly restriction forced him to cross at low altitude, he was attacked by a massive school of red demon fish.

• Qin Fengming recognized Fang Qiying as a likely descendant of a Nascent Soul cultivator and resolved to avoid confronting him directly.
• Qin Fengming collected the Scarlet-tailed Scorpion’s demon core and stored its corpse in his storage ring.
• Qin Fengming reached a boiling lake and saw schools of red fish swimming in its waters.
• Qin Fengming’s attempt to fly high above the lake was stopped by an immense pressure, so he began crossing at low altitude.
• Qin Fengming found his spiritual power draining quickly and was attacked by a huge school of red fish that shattered his ice shield.

Qin Fengming fought through several schools of Blood Sword Fish while crossing the scorching lake, then discovered Blood Lotus on a small island. A school of several hundred thousand Blood Sword Fish surrounded the island, and he began considering how to exploit their low intelligence to reach the rare spirit medicine.

• Qin Fengming recognized the attacking fish as Blood Sword Fish and used the Yin Yang Pagoda, the Purple Fire Meteor Sword, and the Azure Cloud Maze to defeat the first school after a prolonged battle.
• Qin Fengming fought several more schools of Blood Sword Fish as he traveled toward the lake’s center, then rested before continuing east.
• Qin Fengming discovered several Blood Lotus flowers on a small red-rock island and realized they could serve as a key ingredient for a pill that advanced Core Formation stage cultivation.
• A school of several hundred thousand Blood Sword Fish surrounded the island, forcing Qin Fengming to consider a way to reach the Blood Lotus without fighting them head-on.

Qin Fengming used two Puppet beasts and talismans to lure the Blood Sword Fish away from the island, then rushed in and collected the five Blood Lotus blossoms. He left the island and flew to meet the first Puppet beast, still trying to keep both of his assistants from being lost.

• Qin Fengming sent a talisman-wielding Puppet beast toward the Blood Sword Fish to draw part of the swarm away from the island.
• When half the swarm stayed behind, Qin Fengming sent a second Puppet beast to lure the remaining fish away.
• Qin Fengming flew to the island on the Ruyi Purple Gold Hooks and placed five Blood Lotus blossoms into Jade Boxes.
• Qin Fengming left immediately and used his divine sense to guide both Puppet beasts toward him.

Qin Fengming rescued his Puppet beasts from the Blood Sword Fish and escaped the boiling lake with the Blood Lotus he had harvested. He continued toward the edge of the Yellow Stone Desert, unaware of other cultivators’ struggles elsewhere in the Ancient Battlefield.

• Qin Fengming sent his pet spirit beast to catch the shrunken Puppet beast before it fell into the boiling lake, then killed the attacking Blood Sword Fish with Ice Needle Talismans.
• Qin Fengming retrieved his other Puppet beast and fled the vast school of Blood Sword Fish, eventually shaking off his pursuers.
• Qin Fengming reflected on how the mysterious liquid and his talismans had enabled him to harvest the Blood Lotus, and resolved to keep the mysterious gourd secret.
• Qin Fengming rested above the lake, endured more battles with Blood Sword Fish, and finally crossed the scorching lake after flying roughly four or five thousand li through the Ancient Battlefield.
• Elsewhere, a Luoxia Sect cultivator faced a Guangping Kingdom rogue cultivator near a pink plant, a Great Liang Kingdom rogue cultivator fought a Level 3 Sand Fox Beast, and another Luoxia Sect cultivator struggled to escape a hidden cave abode’s restrictions.

Qin Fengming cautiously traveled east through the Ancient Battlefield and discovered traces of a prolonged fight between Foundation Establishment cultivators. Recognizing the Blood Refining Great Law among the battle marks, he suspected a Blood Refining Gate disciple was involved and decided to catch up with the combatants before choosing how to act.

• Qin Fengming avoided faint spiritual fluctuations as he flew east across the barren battlefield.
• Qin Fengming found scorched sand and stones bearing traces of Foundation Establishment-level battles, but sensed no cultivators or demon beasts nearby.
• Qin Fengming weighed the risks of approaching the fight against the value of helping potential allies during his long stay in the battlefield.
• Qin Fengming examined the battle sites and recognized traces of the Blood Refining Great Law, identifying one side as likely including a Blood Refining Gate disciple.
• Qin Fengming concluded that one side was relentlessly pursuing the other and decided to catch up with both sides before the battle ended.

Qin Fengming tracked a battle between a Yishen Sect cultivator and a Blood Refining Gate cultivator, then discovered a Qingcheng Gate cultivator waiting nearby. The Qingcheng Gate cultivator joined the confrontation after learning that the Blood Refining Gate cultivator carried a map to an ancient cultivator’s true cave abode.

• Qin Fengming found the wreckage of a puppet and followed spiritual energy fluctuations southwest to a battle between two mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• Qin Fengming concealed himself and searched the area, discovering a Qingcheng Gate cultivator hiding about twenty li from the fight.
• The Qingcheng Gate cultivator approached as the exhausted Yishen Sect and Blood Refining Gate cultivators stopped fighting and prepared to defend themselves.
• The Yishen Sect cultivator urged the newcomer to help capture his opponent, promising to share the treasures indicated by a map.
• The Yishen Sect cultivator explained that he and the Blood Refining Gate cultivator had each taken a map from a skeleton in an ancient cave abode, then accused his opponent of ambushing him after they escaped.

The Qingcheng Gate cultivator killed the Yishen Sect cultivator to claim the treasure map, but Qin Fengming appeared and turned the tables. The Qingcheng Gate cultivator recognized Qin Fengming’s strength and top-grade spiritual artifact, while the Blood Refining Gate cultivator began recovering his magic power.

• The Qingcheng Gate cultivator approached the Yishen Sect and Blood Refining Gate cultivators, pretending to join forces with the Yishen Sect cultivator against their common enemy.
• The Qingcheng Gate cultivator pierced and killed the Yishen Sect cultivator with a red line, leaving his four puppets without direction.
• Qin Fengming revealed himself behind the Qingcheng Gate cultivator, and the Blood Refining Gate cultivator welcomed him as an ally.
• The Qingcheng Gate cultivator realized Qin Fengming had concealed himself from his divine sense and feared that the Blood Refining Gate cultivator would recover his magic power.
• Qin Fengming told the Blood Refining Gate cultivator to recover while he handled the rest, then displayed a tower-shaped top-grade spiritual artifact.

Qin Fengming trapped and killed the fleeing Qingcheng cultivator with his formation and Sky of Flames Talisman, then guarded Fang Ming while he recovered his magic power. After Fang Ming introduced himself, Qin Fengming gave his name and the two prepared to discuss matters.

• The Qingcheng cultivator fled, but Qin Fengming's Four Symbols Primordial Chaos Formation trapped him.
• Qin Fengming used the Sky of Flames Talisman to burn the Qingcheng cultivator to ashes and collected his belongings.
• Qin Fengming told Fang Ming to recover his magic power while he stood guard.
• Fang Ming recovered by noon the next day, introduced himself, and thanked Qin Fengming.
• Qin Fengming introduced himself as a Luoxia Sect cultivator and said he had helped Fang Ming as a fellow cultivator.

Fang Ming explained how he and a Yishen Sect cultivator found two pieces of a map leading to an ancient cultivator’s Cave Abode, and why the Yishen Sect cultivator attacked him. Qin Fengming learned that the site lay deep within territory dangerous to Foundation Establishment cultivators and was left weighing whether to seek it now or wait until he grew stronger.

• Fang Ming thanked Qin Fengming for saving him, and Qin Fengming asked him about the animal-hide map.
• Fang Ming recounted how he and a Yishen Sect cultivator cooperated to break a Restrictive Spell in a Cave Abode and found two map pieces on a skeleton.
• Fang Ming said the Yishen Sect cultivator attacked him after they discovered the maps, leaving him wounded and forcing him to flee until Qin Fengming intervened.
• Fang Ming explained that his map marked a mountain peak in territory where Core Formation cultivators were active, far from the outskirts.
• Qin Fengming considered the dangers of searching for the Cave Abode now against the uncertainty of waiting until the Ancient Battlefield opened again.

Qin Fengming and Fang Ming exchanged copies of their treasure maps before parting, and Qin Fengming traveled east to inspect the spoils he had collected. He found valuable spirit artifacts, manuals, pills, and Ancient Battlefield maps, then stored everything for future use.

• Qin Fengming proposed that he and Fang Ming copy each other's maps to the cave dwelling, and Fang Ming agreed.
• Qin Fengming left Fang Ming to recover, then changed course and flew east to avoid being followed.
• Qin Fengming searched the area, found no cultivators nearby, and concealed himself and a sand dune with the Four Symbols Primordial Chaos Formation.
• Qin Fengming examined the spoils from two cultivators and discovered several powerful spirit artifacts, including a blood-red weapon that pierced spiritual shields.
• Qin Fengming found the Essential Art of Mechanism, the Pill Compendium, and two Ancient Battlefield maps, compared the maps with his own, and stored the items.

Qin Fengming entered the dangerous Meadow Swamp to search for Crescent Moon Grass, where he encountered a powerful cultivator from the enemy Floating Purity Sect. The man unexpectedly invited Qin Fengming to explore an ancient cultivator's cave abode.

• Qin Fengming crossed from the Yellow Stone Desert into Meadow Swamp, where flight restrictions and packs of demonic beasts made travel perilous.
• Qin Fengming searched for Crescent Moon Grass, the rare ingredient needed for a pill suited to his cultivation.
• Qin Fengming sensed another cultivator's divine sense and prepared talismans as a black-robed man approached.
• Qin Fengming recognized the man as a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator from the enemy Floating Purity Sect, but calmly questioned his intentions.
• The Floating Purity Sect cultivator refrained from attacking and invited Qin Fengming to explore an ancient cultivator's cave abode.

Qin Fengming agreed to help Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan break the restrictions on an Ancient cultivator's Cave Abode in the Foundation Establishment area of the Ancient Battlefield. After the three gathered, Zong Sheng led them east toward the cave abode, which was still several days away.

• Zong Sheng told Qin Fengming that his sect's senior had found a way for three cultivators of the same realm to weaken the cave abode's restrictions.
• Qin Fengming questioned the cave abode's location and agreed to join Zong Sheng after learning it was in the Foundation Establishment area.
• Zong Sheng revealed that Dong Guangyuan, a cultivator from Cuiping Mountain, had already agreed to join them.
• Zong Sheng led Qin Fengming to Dong Guangyuan, who emerged from a formation concealing a grassland.
• Dong Guangyuan accepted Qin Fengming's participation, and Zong Sheng led the group east toward the cave abode.

Qin Fengming traveled through the Meadow Swamp with Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan, sharing in the spoils after they killed a Green Boa Beast. When the three entered the territory of a flying gnat swarm, they split up to escape and planned to meet three hundred li ahead; Qin Fengming calmly waited before preparing to deal with the gnats on his own.

• Qin Fengming followed Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan through the Meadow Swamp, and the three killed a Green Boa Beast and divided its remains.
• Qin Fengming searched for Crescent Moon Grass but found none before the group entered the territory of invisible flying gnats.
• Zong Sheng proposed that they split up and meet three hundred li ahead, and Dong Guangyuan and Qin Fengming agreed.
• Zong Sheng flew northeast to draw away some of the swarm, and Dong Guangyuan departed southeast.
• Qin Fengming waited and cultivated for more than an hour, then used his divine sense to locate several dozen flying gnats ahead.

Qin Fengming used the Spirit Concealment Art to cross the flying midges’ territory and found a cluster of ancient Crescent Moon Grass guarded by many Level 2 flying midges. After harvesting it, he was surrounded while fleeing, but a talisman instantly killed a Foundation Establishment Early Stage midge, leaving him ready to face the others.

• Qin Fengming concealed his spiritual power and sped east across the meadow, avoiding the flying midges.
• Qin Fengming discovered ancient Crescent Moon Grass guarded by dozens of Level 2 flying midges and decided to approach without provoking them.
• Qin Fengming used the Light Body Technique and Azure Cloud Maze to reach the grass, then harvested it and sealed it in Jade Boxes.
• Qin Fengming fled as the midges sensed the grass was gone, and he killed an approaching Foundation Establishment Early Stage midge with a talisman.
• Qin Fengming stopped when several more flying midges surrounded him, newly confident in his talismans.

Qin Fengming drew the flying midges into an attack, escaped underground with a mutated Earth Evasion Talisman, and traveled east to recover before seeking out Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan. He found signs of the two cultivators more than fifty li ahead and flew toward them.

• Qin Fengming used talismans to hold off tens of thousands of flying midges, then vanished underground with a mutated High-grade Earth Evasion Talisman.
• Qin Fengming emerged thirty li east of the battlefield and fled farther east, avoiding other swarms of flying midges.
• Qin Fengming traveled more than two hundred li, rested for an hour while the small red beast guarded him, and restored his energy.
• Qin Fengming searched ahead with his spiritual sense and detected two cultivators more than fifty li away, then flew toward them.

Qin Fengming reunited with Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan after escaping the flying midges, then traveled with them through the Meadow Swamp to the Red Leaf Forest. The forest’s strange illusion and restricted spiritual sense separated him from the others, leaving him alone and unable to sense beyond ten zhang.

• Qin Fengming told Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan that he had used two Puppet beasts to draw off the flying midges and escape.
• Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan recovered their magic power while Qin Fengming stood guard, then the three continued toward Zong Sheng’s cave dwelling.
• The three avoided or swiftly slew demon beasts as they crossed the Meadow Swamp and reached the Red Leaf Forest.
• Zong Sheng consulted a jade slip and led Qin Fengming and Dong Guangyuan into the Red Leaf Forest, where Qin Fengming fought off the forest’s dizziness-inducing illusion.
• Qin Fengming suddenly lost sight of Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan and discovered that his spiritual sense could reach only ten zhang before being swallowed.

Qin Fengming, Zong Sheng, and Dong Guangyuan were trapped separately in identical ancient Restrictive Spells. While Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan steadily attacked their barriers, Qin Fengming tested his own, conserved his strength, and prepared to break it efficiently.

• Qin Fengming discovered that his Restrictive Spell trapped him behind an invisible barrier but had no offensive power, so he rested and recovered his magic power.
• Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan confirmed their restrictions were harmless and began repeatedly striking them with top-grade spirit artifacts to drain their energy.
• After roughly twenty hours, Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan saw their barrier begin to tremble and expected it to take several dozen more hours to break.
• Qin Fengming recovered for more than ten hours, then used the Yin Yang Pagoda to test the barrier and saw faint ripples spread across it.
• Qin Fengming put away the Yin Yang Pagoda after confirming the restriction could be broken by exhausting its energy, choosing to conserve his spiritual power in case he had to fight.

Qin Fengming broke the Ancient Battlefield Restrictive Spell with Fire Python Talismans before Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan escaped. The three resumed their journey toward the Ancient Cultivator's Cave Abode, and Zong Sheng stopped on a mountain peak to inspect the area.

• Qin Fengming used sixty Fire Python Talismans to shatter the Restrictive Spell and searched the surrounding area for threats.
• Qin Fengming waited while cultivating, and Zong Sheng emerged from his Restrictive Spell fifteen hours later.
• Qin Fengming told Zong Sheng he had found the formation's weakest point, and Zong Sheng partly accepted his explanation.
• Dong Guangyuan escaped, and the three rested before flying southeast, with Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan now wary of Qin Fengming's hidden methods.
• Zong Sheng stopped atop a mountain peak and surveyed the surroundings.

Zong Sheng, Qin Fengming, and Dong Guangyuan searched a mountain for an ancient cultivator's cave abode. Qin Fengming found the hidden illusion formation, and Zong Sheng opened it to reveal the cave, which the three men entered.

• Zong Sheng identified the mountain where the cave abode lay and divided the search among himself, Qin Fengming, and Dong Guangyuan.
• Qin Fengming used fire serpents to search the southern slope and discovered that one vanished into an illusion formation.
• Qin Fengming mapped the formation's boundaries and summoned Zong Sheng and Dong Guangyuan to inspect it.
• Zong Sheng used a small black flag to activate the formation, which revealed a hidden cave beneath the forest.
• Zong Sheng entered the cave first, Dong Guangyuan followed, and Qin Fengming hesitated briefly before joining them.

Qin Fengming, Zong Sheng, and Dong Guangyuan found an ancient cave dwelling behind three sealed stone doors and agreed to attack its restrictions together. They began the prolonged effort, while Qin Fengming remained wary of the other two cultivators’ motives.

• Qin Fengming and the others entered the deep cave and found a vast chamber with dense spiritual energy and three restricted stone doors.
• Zong Sheng identified the doors as the ancient cave dwelling his Martial Uncle had described and tested the middle door’s powerful restriction.
• Zong Sheng proposed that the three cultivators attack the doors simultaneously, each entering whichever door they opened.
• Dong Guangyuan agreed to Zong Sheng’s plan, and Qin Fengming concealed his suspicions while choosing the right-hand door.
• Zong Sheng, Dong Guangyuan, and Qin Fengming produced their spirit artifacts and began attacking the three restrictions.