Chapter Summaries

After learning that his Five Dragon Physique made breaking through to Core Formation extremely difficult, Qin Fengming recovered his resolve and planned to seek opportunities beyond Manghuang Mountain. He spent fifteen years in seclusion refining talismans for the Sky Flame Mountain Range, then emerged ready to leave.

• Qin Fengming visited Shulu Hall and paid Elder Chen to copy hundreds of classics, including texts about ancient scripts.
• Qin Fengming reflected on the hardships and fortuitous opportunities that had brought him to his current cultivation, then resolved to keep seeking a way forward.
• Qin Fengming decided to prepare for the Sky Flame Mountain Range by refining Tortoise Shell Talismans and Mountain Breaking Talismans.
• Qin Fengming spent fifteen years cultivating in seclusion while the Cultivation World prepared for the Three Realms War.
• Qin Fengming emerged from his Cave Abode, gathered his formation flags, and flew toward the distant mountains.

After nearly ten years preparing in seclusion, Qin Fengming finished refining powerful talismans and nurturing his spirit beasts and insects for his journey to the Sky Flame Mountain Range. He gathered his possessions and left his cave abode, uncertain whether he would ever return.

• Qin Fengming spent years refining Beast Roar, Tortoise Shell, and Mountain Breaking Talismans, using scarce high-grade beast hides and millions of spirit stones on materials.
• Qin Fengming infused most of his talismans with mysterious liquid and counted the Mountain Breaking Talismans among his main defenses for the journey.
• Qin Fengming observed that his two Grade 4 spirit beasts were nearing a breakthrough, while the Crimson Fox Rat reached Peak of Grade 2 and the Silver Sheath Worms developed silver spots.
• Qin Fengming left the cave abode after gathering his belongings, unsure whether he would return.

Cultivators gathered outside the Ancient Battlefield as its Restrictive Spell weakened and its Teleportation Arrays returned the survivors. Shen Fei and Shen Yun emerged stronger, while Qin Fengming remained unaware of the battlefield’s closure as he prepared for the Sky Flame Mountain Range.

• Elders from several sects confirmed that the Ancient Battlefield was about to close as its clouds and Restrictive Spell rapidly receded.
• Six Teleportation Arrays appeared and began sending out groups of surviving cultivators, many of whom reunited with their sects.
• Han Yueshan and Yang Shuo returned among the Luoxia Sect survivors, having advanced to the Peak late Core Formation stage and late Core Formation stage, respectively.
• Shen Fei and Shen Yun emerged with their cultivation advanced to the late Foundation Establishment stage and Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
• After the Teleportation Arrays fell silent, the cultivators fled before the Restrictive Spell reactivated, while Qin Fengming continued refining high-grade talismans in secluded cultivation.

Qin Fengming met with Sima Bo and Manghuang Mountain’s leaders to discuss entering the Sky Flame Mountain Range, despite failing to break through to Core Formation. While some leaders argued that the dangerous journey could cost him his life, others privately resented him as the heir to their masters’ inheritances.

• Qin Fengming left his Cave Abode and went to Sima Bo’s Cave Abode, where his five masters and the hall heads had gathered.
• Qin Fengming apologized for failing to reach the Core Formation realm, and Sima Bo reassured him that his failure was understandable.
• Sima Bo asked whether Qin Fengming would enter the Sky Flame Mountain Range, and Qin Fengming firmly agreed despite the danger.
• Hu Yan Chuan and Wang Shiming urged the Supreme Elders to keep Qin Fengming from entering the range because he was only at the peak of Foundation Establishment.
• Several hall heads privately resented Qin Fengming for being chosen to inherit their masters’ lines and wished he would be killed.

Qin Fengming told Sima Bo and the other elders that he had successfully refined two advanced talismans for his journey into the Sky Flame Mountain Range, but they doubted the talismans would protect him from powerful enemies. After Wen Taihang explained the protection of the white-mist region, Sima Bo proposed placing a Curse Art on Qin Fengming so Manghuang Mountain could learn what happened if he died.

• Qin Fengming reported that he had refined the Tortoise Shell Talisman and Mountain Breaking Talisman, then presented them to the five masters.
• Zhuang Daoqin and Ancestor Tianji warned that the talismans might not save Qin Fengming from a Peak Core Formation cultivator, while Shu Jingliang argued that he could rely on allies and the mountain range’s air-restricting formations.
• Wen Taihang explained that cultivators were forbidden to attack one another within the white-mist region and that the Tianxuan Sect had once destroyed a sect for violating the rule.
• Sima Bo proposed placing a Curse Art on Qin Fengming that would transmit the circumstances of his death to Manghuang Mountain so the masters could avenge him.

Qin Fengming agreed to let Sima Bo place a curse on him before his journey into the Sky Flame Mountain Range. Manghuang Mountain’s elders arranged the expedition and gave Qin Fengming Soaring Talismans, then Sima Bo began casting the curse.

• Qin Fengming reasoned that Sima Bo’s curse could transmit information when a condition occurred but could not monitor him in real time, and agreed to receive it after making his arrangements.
• Sima Bo and the other elders discussed the 476 cultivators planning to enter the Sky Flame Mountain Range, warned of its dangers, and instructed them to look after Qin Fengming.
• Sima Bo asked Venerable Dao Ling about disturbances in the Cultivation World, and the elders agreed that the Baleful God Sect was unlikely to cause trouble before the Three Realms War.
• Sima Bo appointed Junior Brother Zhuang to lead the expedition and ordered each hall to send an elder, with the group to assemble five days later.
• Venerable Dao Ling gave Qin Fengming Soaring Talismans to help him evade danger in the Sky Flame Mountain Range.
• Sima Bo formed a blood-based curse and divided it between Qin Fengming and a jade pendant.

Qin Fengming prepared for his journey to the Sky Flame Mountain Range as his five Martial Masters secured a life-bound token for him and briefed him on the region. He arrived at Manghuang Mountain’s plaza with them, where the gathered cultivators awaited their departure orders.

• Sima Bo taught Qin Fengming a protective technique, and Qin Fengming bound a drop of vital blood to a jade pendant that True Man Wei Ming stored away.
• Over five days, the five Great Cultivators explained what they knew about the Sky Flame Mountain Range, and Venerable Dao Ling gave Qin Fengming a map.
• When the departure bell rang, Sima Bo took Qin Fengming to the plaza with the other four Great Cultivators following.
• Qin Fengming saw hundreds of Core Formation cultivators gathered at the plaza, most of them in the middle or late stages and many near the end of their lifespans.
• Shu Jingliang reported that all the Core Formation cultivators making the journey had arrived and awaited orders from Sima Bo and the four Martial Uncles.

Manghuang Mountain sent Qin Fengming and a large group of cultivators toward the Sky Flame Mountain Range under Zhuang Daoqin’s leadership, while the five Great Cultivators warned Qin Fengming to take care and leave before the range closed. At a secret cave dwelling, the Baleful God Sect learned that Qin Fengming would also enter the range.

• Sima Bo cautioned the Manghuang Mountain cultivators to support one another and follow Zhuang Daoqin on the journey to the Sky Flame Mountain Range.
• Zhuang Daoqin told Qin Fengming to stay close and carried him into the air as the Manghuang Mountain group set out.
• Qin Fengming knelt to bid farewell to Sima Bo and the other Great Cultivators, and Sima Bo warned him to leave the range before it closed.
• The Blood Demon Ancestor confirmed to the Baleful God Sect Sect Master that Qin Fengming would participate in the trip to the Sky Flame Mountain Range.

The Baleful Intent Sect leaders discussed a plot to capture Qin Fengming during his journey to the Sky Flame Mountain Range and bind him with a secret technique so they could eventually absorb Manghuang Mountain. Qin Fengming traveled toward the mountain range with Zhuang Daoqin and hundreds of Core Formation cultivators, unaware of the scheme.

• Chang and Miao warned Sect Master Ye that Sima Bo’s decision to send Qin Fengming into danger might conceal a scheme, while the Blood Demon Ancestor dismissed their concerns.
• Sect Master Ye revealed that Senior Hongyan secretly supported the Demonic Path Alliance and cautioned the Blood Demon Ancestor against underestimating it.
• Sect Master Ye ordered the Blood Demon Ancestor to visit the Demonic Path Alliance and have its sects watch Qin Fengming, capture him if an opportunity arose, and deliver him alive near Blazing Flame Mountain.
• Chang realized that Sect Master Ye planned to use a soul-binding secret technique on Qin Fengming so the Baleful Intent Sect could eventually take control of Manghuang Mountain.
• After the four leaders finished making arrangements, Qin Fengming traveled toward the Sky Flame Mountain Range with Zhuang Daoqin and several hundred Core Formation cultivators.

Qin Fengming and the Manghuang Mountain party reached the Sky Flame Mountain Range after a year-long journey. Zhuang Daoqin gave Qin Fengming advice about surviving inside, and the group met the powerful leaders of the other sects gathered at the range.

• Zhuang Daoqin told Qin Fengming to seek out disciples at Tiger Watch Peak or Black Crane Mountain within a month of entering, and advised him to hide and wait if he could not find the white-mist region.
• The Manghuang Mountain group traveled onward for several days and arrived at the Sky Flame Mountain Range, where Zhuang Daoqin warned his cultivators to stay with the group.
• Qin Fengming saw the vast yellow mist surrounding the mountains and observed thousands of cultivators gathered quietly near its outer edge.
• More than a dozen late-Nascent Soul leaders approached, and Zhuang Daoqin respectfully greeted Elder Chen, a peak late-Nascent Soul cultivator from the Tianxuan Sect who had once instructed him.

Qin Fengming accompanied Zhuang Daoqin to meet the leaders of several major sects, who urged Zhuang to reconsider letting his Foundation Establishment disciple enter the dangerous Sky Flame Mountain Range. The gathering grew over several months, and Qin Fengming learned that multiple entrances would divide orthodox and Devil Dao sects as tens of thousands prepared to enter.

• Zhuang Daoqin ordered the Manghuang Mountain disciples to rest in a nearby forest and brought Qin Fengming to meet the other late Nascent Soul cultivators.
• Zhuang Daoqin introduced Qin Fengming to the sect leaders and asked them to tell their disciples to protect him in the Sky Flame Mountain Range.
• Su Ziyu, Ni, and the other leaders warned Zhuang Daoqin that the dangerous range was no place for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but agreed to help Qin Fengming after Zhuang assured them he had made arrangements.
• Qin Fengming learned that six passages led into the Sky Flame Mountain Range, so orthodox and Devil Dao sects would enter through separate routes.
• After several months, nearly ten thousand cultivators had gathered at Qin Fengming's entrance, and he estimated that close to a hundred thousand Core Formation cultivators would enter through all six passages.

Qin Fengming set up a stall to trade rare refining materials and attracted the attention of cultivators gathered at the Sky Flame Mountain Range. After Zhuang Daoqin returned from the yellow fog, he announced that the mountain range would open in a few days, leaving Qin Fengming and the others waiting for entry.

• Zhuang Daoqin left Manghuang Mountain's encampment and flew with more than a dozen Great Cultivators into the yellow fog.
• Qin Fengming stopped meditating, then set up a stall seeking White Steel Crystal, Purple Yellow Stone, and Crystal Stone in exchange for his rare refining materials.
• Core Formation cultivators recognized Qin Fengming as Manghuang Mountain's young master and gathered around his stall, but he obtained only one type of material after more than twenty days.
• Zhuang Daoqin and the late Nascent Soul-stage Great Cultivators returned from the yellow fog.
• Zhuang Daoqin announced that the restrictions would soon weaken enough for Core Formation cultivators to enter and ordered everyone to remain in place until the Sky Flame Mountain Range opened.

Qin Fengming entered the Sky Flame Mountain Range with thousands of cultivators and encountered ancient Restrictive Spells that attacked spiritual sense and then unleashed powerful sound waves. After the sound waves killed more than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators, the barrier weakened in one small section, and the Nascent Soul cultivator surnamed Chen announced a test before anyone entered.

• Qin Fengming concealed his identity among the cultivators heading into the yellow fog and worried that his Five Dragon Physique would prevent him from advancing further in cultivation.
• Qin Fengming protected himself with a Five Elements barrier after the yellow fog’s Restrictive Spell rebounded his spiritual sense and nearly made him fall.
• Zhuang Daoqin and the other Nascent Soul cultivators led nearly ten thousand cultivators to a mountain peak before a gigantic turbid-yellow barrier.
• A powerful sound wave surged from the barrier, and Qin Fengming spent several dozen Five Elements Defense Talismans protecting himself while more than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators died.
• The sound wave weakened one small section of the barrier, and the Nascent Soul cultivator surnamed Chen announced that they would test it before allowing cultivators to enter one by one.

Qin Fengming entered the Sky Flame Mountain Range with Manghuang Mountain and was transported alone to the Rocky Hills. He chose not to meet up with his sect’s cultivators and began considering how to proceed safely.

• A Core Formation puppet passed through the weakened barrier, and the red-faced old man confirmed that the Sky Flame Mountain Range was safe to enter.
• Zhuang Daoqin sent Qin Fengming a private warning to head for two locations once inside, and Manghuang Mountain entered after the Tianxuan Sect.
• The barrier pulled Qin Fengming into dense mist, where a sudden mass of air enveloped him and left him unconscious.
• Qin Fengming awoke on a barren hill in the Rocky Hills, activated defensive talismans, and found no other cultivators nearby.
• After locating himself on his map, Qin Fengming decided against going to Black Crane Mountain to meet Manghuang Mountain and settled on a plan.

Qin Fengming concealed himself in a formation at the edge of the Sky Flame Mountain Range and studied the Ding Jia Art for a month, while Devil Dao cultivators searched the outskirts for an unknown target. After the month passed, he set off toward the mountain range’s depths, and three old men waiting for their young master also departed for the interior.

• Qin Fengming hid in a depression using the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams Formation and studied the Ding Jia Art.
• Devil Dao Alliance cultivators searched laterally across the outskirts and avoided provoking Orthodox Dao cultivators.
• Qin Fengming sensed two late Core Formation Devil Dao cultivators passing nearby and feared they might be searching for him.
• After a month in seclusion, Qin Fengming gathered his formation flags and headed toward the depths of the Sky Flame Mountain Range.
• At Black Crane Mountain, Brother Li, Brother Wang, and Brother Zou gave up waiting for their young master and traveled toward the mountain range’s depths together.

Qin Fengming cautiously traveled through Sky Flame Mountain Range, where restrictions limited cultivators’ abilities and encounters could turn deadly. On his sixth day, he killed a Peak of Grade 4 giant poisonous scorpion, but its body vanished and a fiery-red sphere appeared in its place.

• Three Manghuang Mountain elders decided the young master would not return to Tiger Watch Peak and headed deeper into Sky Flame Mountain Range.
• Qin Fengming advanced cautiously through the mountain range, traveling slowly and avoiding danger for five days without meeting another cultivator.
• On the sixth day, a black giant sword attacked Qin Fengming from the hills, but he evaded it with the Escaping Shadow Traceless movement technique.
• A Peak of Grade 4 giant poisonous scorpion emerged from the hills, and Qin Fengming killed it with twenty or thirty Fire Python Talismans.
• The scorpion’s corpse shrank and vanished, and a fiery-red sphere appeared where it had been.

Qin Fengming survived the explosion of a crimson sphere and deduced that the Sky Flame Mountain Range’s demon beasts were formed from fire energy. The chapter reveals that he was close to the truth: the range was an ancient trial ground whose restrictions produced the beasts, while their energy cores exploded when they died.

• Qin Fengming mistook the crimson sphere for a demon beast’s inner core and drew it close to inspect it.
• The sphere emitted a sharp cry, so Qin Fengming threw it away and fled before it exploded, hurling him through the air.
• Qin Fengming survived the blast and reasoned that the poisonous scorpion had been condensed from the Sky Flame Mountain Range’s fire energy.
• Qin Fengming considered the range’s unusual abundance of demon beasts and spirit herbs, and the lack of beasts above Grade 7 or herbs older than ten thousand years.
• The chapter revealed that ancient Integration stage cultivators had created the range as a trial ground, where restrictions condensed demon beasts from fire energy that returned to the range when they died.

Qin Fengming crossed the cooled lava of the Molten Sea and headed toward the Misty Zone, hoping to avoid the powerful cultivators converging on the Sky Flame Mountain Range’s center. As he approached, a concealed late Core Formation rogue cultivator prepared to ambush him.

• Qin Fengming identified the vast cooled lava field as the Molten Sea and consulted his map about the route to the Misty Zone.
• Qin Fengming reasoned that earlier cultivators had likely gathered the spiritual herbs from the range’s outer region.
• Qin Fengming concealed his aura and form as he continued across the Molten Sea, planning to hide and cultivate after reaching the Misty Zone.
• Qin Fengming considered the dangers posed by the many cultivators rushing toward the mysterious pool and tried to avoid meeting them.
• A short, thin rogue cultivator in a black robe concealed himself in a depression and spotted Qin Fengming approaching, intending to ambush him.

Qin Fengming encountered a thin old late Core Formation cultivator who tried to rob him in the Sky Flame Mountain Range. Qin Fengming refused to surrender his treasures, and the two began to fight.

• Qin Fengming sensed danger, changed course, and soon encountered the old man hiding nearby.
• The old man recognized Qin Fengming as Manghuang Mountain’s young master and demanded all his treasures.
• Qin Fengming refused, taunted the old man, and invited him to take the treasures himself.
• The old man attacked with a dazzling sword beam, and Qin Fengming countered by sending dozens of fire-pyre talismans toward it.

Qin Fengming stalled the late Core Formation cultivator with a seemingly endless stream of Fire Python Talismans while both men worried about other cultivators arriving. After the old man destroyed the Fire Pythons with his natal magic treasure, Qin Fengming unleashed two talismans that overwhelmed the old man’s mind, leaving the fight unresolved.

• The wizened old man dismissed Qin Fengming’s Fire Python Talismans, but his magic treasure became trapped among the pythons and could not break free.
• Qin Fengming kept replenishing the Fire Pythons and stayed alert to the old man’s secret techniques as the old man grew anxious about being discovered in the Sky Flame Mountain Range.
• Qin Fengming slowly advanced while preparing two talismans, and the old man decided to end the stalemate.
• The old man released his natal magic treasure, a black staff, which destroyed all the Fire Pythons.
• Qin Fengming sent out two talismans whose beast roars made the old man’s consciousness surge and left him blank-minded.