Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran fought fiercely after she revealed power from the Gate of Life and Death, and he realized she had obtained Yun Potian’s inheritance. Nalan Yanran unleashed the Misty Cloud Sect’s Earth Rank technique, Sunset Radiance, while Xiao Yan answered with Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler, leaving their clash unresolved.

• Nalan Yanran’s injuries healed with power from the Gate of Life and Death, and she challenged Xiao Yan to defeat her to learn its secret.
• Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran traded dangerous attacks, with Xiao Yan using Heavenly Flames, Soul Power, and close combat to withstand her techniques and gain a slight offensive advantage.
• Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran were driven back more than ten meters after their attacks collided, and both appeared badly injured.
• Nalan Yanran gathered Wind Attribute energy and launched Wind’s Extremity - Sunset Radiance, an Earth Rank technique.
• Xiao Yan countered with Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler, causing the gathered experts to recognize its immense power.

Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran exchanged Earth Rank Dou Techniques, but neither was defeated by their first clash. Nalan Yanran unleashed Meteor Kill while Xiao Yan used a secret technique to raise his strength and countered with Void Wave, leaving their second collision unresolved.

• Xiao Yan used Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler to clash with Nalan Yanran's Earth Rank sword technique, and the impact devastated the square.
• Gu He sensed that the battle was not over as Nalan Yanran's aura surged from Eight-Star Da Dou Shi to Dou Ling.
• Nalan Yanran prepared Wind's Extremity, Meteor Kill, while Xiao Yan recovered his form in midair with his strength greatly weakened.
• Xiao Yan activated Skyfire Three Mysterious Change, Black Flame Transformation, and his aura rose to Dou Ling.
• Xiao Yan countered Nalan Yanran's Meteor Kill with Flame Splitting Tsunami Ruler—Void Wave, and their attacks collided in a blast too powerful for the Misty Cloud Sect disciples' barrier to contain.

Xiao Yan defeated Nalan Yanran and learned that the Gate of Life and Death contained the Yin-Yang Life-Death Flame. He asked whether he could enter the Gate, and Nalan Yanran reacted with surprise.

• Yun Yun and three elders stabilized the protective barrier as Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran's clash devastated the square.
• Xiao Yan crossed the energy vortex, overwhelmed Nalan Yanran, and used Mao Wu to protect them both and devour the violent energy.
• Nalan Yanran conceded defeat, and Xiao Yan gave her a healing pill before asking about the Gate of Life and Death.
• Nalan Yanran confirmed that the white Flame came from the Gate, and Xiao Yan recognized it as the Yin-Yang Life-Death Flame.
• Nalan Yanran explained that only people who triggered the Gate could enter and that she was the first in generations to reach the fifth gate.
• Xiao Yan asked whether he could enter the Gate of Life and Death, and Nalan Yanran exclaimed in surprise.

After Xiao Yan defeated Nalan Yanran, he sought a way to enter the Misty Cloud Sect’s Gate of Life and Death for its Heavenly Flame. As he left the duel, Yun Leng confronted him over the death of the sect’s deacon Mo Cheng.

• Nalan Yanran explained that the Gate of Life and Death held trials, inheritances, and treasures, and Xiao Yan said he wanted to enter it.
• After the energy vortex vanished, Nalan Yanran admitted defeat, though Elder Yun Cha tried to declare the duel a draw.
• Nalan Jie accepted that Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran were destined to part, while the gathered experts praised Xiao Yan’s strength and talent.
• Xiao Yan asked Nalan Yanran to discuss a price for the Yin-Yang Twin Flame, which he hoped would help evolve his Flame Mantra to Heaven Rank.
• As Xiao Yan prepared to leave, Yun Leng demanded an explanation and asked whether he remembered Mo Cheng, a Misty Cloud Sect outer sect deacon.

At the Misty Cloud Sect duel, Yun Leng accused Xiao Yan of killing Mo Cheng and tried to detain him, despite Nalan Yanran confirming Xiao Yan’s account of Mo Cheng’s crimes. Xiao Yan realized Yun Leng was acting under the influence of the Soul Hall, leaving the confrontation poised to deepen.

• Yun Leng invoked Ge Ye’s testimony to accuse Xiao Yan of killing Mo Cheng and damaging the Misty Cloud Sect’s reputation.
• Xiao Yan admitted killing Mo Cheng, then explained that Mo Cheng had captured a member of his clan and wanted to take her eyes.
• Nalan Yanran testified that Xiao Yan’s account was true, but Ge Ye disputed her and claimed the woman had never appeared.
• Yun Leng ordered Misty Cloud Sect disciples to surround Xiao Yan and said the Alchemist Association could not protect him.
• Xiao Yan recognized from Yun Leng’s actions that the Misty Cloud Sect had been infiltrated by the Soul Hall.

Xiao Yan refused to let Yun Leng take him and waited as the Yunlan Sect attacked, while revealing that he understood the Soul Hall’s influence over the sect. With Hai Bodong protecting him and the sect’s forces closing in, Xiao Yan offered three perfect Dou Wang Pills to recruit Dou Wang fighters.

• Fa Ma and Jia Xing Tian discussed whether to intervene, but feared the Yunlan Sect’s power and held back.
• Xiao Yan recognized that the Soul Hall backed Yun Leng and secretly controlled the Yunlan Sect, and understood that Gu He was trapped there.
• Xiao Yan sat in his sedan chair and challenged Yun Leng to seize him, so Yun Leng ordered the Enforcement Team to attack.
• Xiao Yan’s four Hidden Guards stopped the Enforcement Team’s first strike, but Ge Ye and other Yunlan Sect fighters pressed the assault.
• Hai Bodong appeared, drove back the attackers with ice pillars, and protected Xiao Yan as Yun Leng and two elders enclosed them in a barrier.
• Xiao Yan opened a box of three perfect Dou Wang Pills and offered one to any Dou Wang willing to stop the Yunlan Sect’s three high-level Dou Wang.

Xiao Yan used a Dou Wang Pill to draw support against Yun Leng, while Yun Yun remained outside the fight. The chapter ended with Yun Yun telling Nalan Yanran to escort Xiao Yan off the Misty Cloud Sect.

• Xiao Yan's Dou Wang Pill tempted the watching Dou Wangs, but Yun Leng threatened anyone who interfered with the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Mu Chen, Fa Ma, and Mittel Tengshan appeared disguised and attacked Yun Leng and the two Dou Wang elders, while Hai Bodong held off the sect disciples.
• Xiao Yan revealed that he had offered the pill to give the Jia Ma Empire's factions a reason to resist the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Xiao Yan drank wine and taunted Yun Leng as the battles continued around him.
• Yun Leng called on Yun Yun to intervene, but she questioned his authority and told Nalan Yanran to send Xiao Yan down from the sect.

Yun Yun ordered the Misty Cloud Sect to stop attacking Xiao Yan, but Yun Leng and the older elders ignored her while Hai Bodong subdued them. Yun Leng summoned the sect’s hidden power, and the previous Sect Leader, Yun Shan, appeared with an aura suggesting he had reached Dou Zong.

• Yun Yun ordered the Misty Cloud Sect to stop attacking and promised to investigate Mo Cheng’s death, but Yun Leng accused her of betraying the sect and continued fighting.
• Hai Bodong froze the resisting deacons and pinned Yun Leng beneath an ice pillar while Nalan Yanran offered to escort Xiao Yan down the mountain.
• Xiao Yan pointed out to Nalan Yanran that the older elders and deacons obeyed someone beyond Yun Leng, and she realized the sect might have another master.
• Yun Leng blew a cloud-white flute, awakening a powerful aura from the depths of Misty Cloud Mountain, and Jia Xing Tian recognized the presence as an old expert he thought was dead.
• Yun Shan appeared above the square with an aura that shocked Hai Bodong, who suspected the Previous Sect Leader had broken through to Dou Zong.

Yun Shan emerged as a Dou Zong and took control of the confrontation at the Misty Cloud Sect, while Xiao Yan recognized the danger of being held there. As Yun Shan attacked, Xiao Yan called on the Green Lotus's mysterious occupant and struck a bargain for protection.

• Yun Shan appeared above the Misty Cloud Sect's ruined square, and Xiao Yan realized the old sect leader had secretly remained in control and joined the Soul Hall.
• Yun Leng blamed Xiao Yan for the destruction and Mo Cheng's death, and Yun Shan proposed keeping Xiao Yan at the sect until the Mo Clan arrived.
• Xiao Yan refused to be treated as a prisoner and asked Hai Bo Dong to hold Yun Yun back so she would not be forced to choose sides.
• Yun Shan formed a giant hand from clouds and mist and reached for Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan asked the Green Lotus's occupant to help in exchange for refining a body, stabilizing its bloodline, and making a Soul Fusion Pill; the occupant demanded the pill within one year, and Xiao Yan agreed.

Queen Medusa emerged from the Green Lotus Core Flame to protect Xiao Yan and confront Yun Shan, revealing that she had regained human form but had only reached the Half-Step Dou Ancestor level. She began fighting Yun Shan, and the chapter ended as their first exchange unleashed a fierce surge of energy.

• Queen Medusa appeared from the azure lotus platform and burned away Yun Shan's cloud-and-mist attack.
• Hai Bodong recognized Queen Medusa and recoiled in terror, while Xiao Yan revealed that she had been hiding beside him.
• Queen Medusa's successful evolution and unusual Half-Step Dou Ancestor strength became clear as she challenged Yun Shan.
• Queen Medusa petrified Yun Shan's feet, but he broke free and rushed at her.
• Queen Medusa met Yun Shan's palm with her hand, and their collision released a fierce surge of energy.

Yun Shan sent a Soul Hall clone after Xiao Yan, but Jia Xing Tian intervened while Medusa fought Yun Shan. When Yun Shan unleashed an Earth Rank Dou Technique, Xiao Yan lent Medusa the Green Lotus Core Flame, and she met the attack with its power.

• Yun Shan created a Soul Body clone and sent it to strike Xiao Yan, but Jia Xing Tian blocked it.
• Jia Xing Tian explained that Yun Shan's new Dou Ancestor strength threatened the Jia Ma Empire and fought the clone to protect Xiao Yan.
• Yun Shan attacked Medusa with the Great Wind Handprint, and Medusa countered with her Seven-Colored Divine Light.
• Yun Shan used the Earth Rank Great Compassion Wind Tearing Hand against Medusa.
• Xiao Yan lent Medusa the Green Lotus Core Flame, and Medusa used it to form a sea of fire and clash with Yun Shan's attack.

Medusa overwhelmed Yun Shan with the Green Lotus Core Flame, but Yun Shan activated the Misty Cloud Sect’s protective array and trapped Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan summoned Ling Ying, whose appearance revealed another powerful ally at his side.

• Medusa wielded the Green Lotus Core Flame to defeat Yun Shan’s attack and taunted him about his strength.
• Xiao Yan told Yun Shan that he had thwarted Gu He’s attempt to seize Medusa’s Green Lotus Core Flame.
• Yun Shan ordered the Misty Cloud Sect disciples to activate the Cloud Mist Sun Covering Array, which blocked Medusa’s flames.
• The array restrained Xiao Yan with strands of white energy as Yun Shan declared that the sect’s disciples could overpower Heavenly Flames.
• Xiao Yan asked Elder Ling to act, and Ling Ying appeared and prepared to use the Mountain Splitting Seal.

Ling Ying shattered the Misty Cloud Sect’s protective array with the Mountain Splitting Seal and joined Medusa in fighting Yun Shan. As Yun Shan fell into a disadvantage, Xiao Yan suspected that the sect had only one last trump card left.

• Ling Ying used the Mountain Splitting Seal to break the Misty Cloud Sect’s Sect Protecting Grand Array, injuring Gu He with its backlash.
• Ling Ying mocked Yun Shan and warned him not to harm Xiao Yan, then joined Medusa in confronting him.
• Medusa attacked Yun Shan with the Green Lotus Core Flame while Ling Ying prepared to strike from concealment, and their combined assault pushed Yun Shan onto the defensive.
• Xiao Yan asked Nalan Yanran whether the Misty Cloud Sect had another trump card, and she said she did not know.
• Watching Yun Shan get beaten, Xiao Yan concluded that he had only his last card left.

Xiao Yan watched the battle at Misty Cloud Sect, collected favors from Jia Xing Tian and the other Dou Emperors, and teased Nalan Yanran while Queen Medusa fought Yun Shan. After Queen Medusa defeated Yun Shan, he called on Soul Hall for help, but no one appeared, and Xiao Yan revealed he had stopped them.

• Jia Xing Tian shattered Yun Shan's clone, and Xiao Yan thanked him for his help and promised to repay the favor.
• Xiao Yan gave Dou Wang Pills to Mu Chen, Mittel Tengshan, and Fa Ma, who later returned to watch the battle.
• Xiao Yan asked Nalan Yanran to pour his wine because she had lost their wager, and she reluctantly did so.
• Queen Medusa unleashed the Green Lotus Core Flame and blasted Yun Shan from the sky, leaving him severely injured.
• Yun Shan crushed a Soul Jade Pendant and called for Protector Wu, but no one came; Xiao Yan told him that Soul Hall would not appear and Yun Shan realized Xiao Yan had intervened.

Xiao Yan forced Yun Shan to submit, secured permission to enter the Misty Cloud Sect’s Gate of Life and Death, and arranged to deal with the sect elders who had attacked him. After sending Hai Bodong and Ling Ying away, he followed the Soul Token’s signal and prepared to visit Soul Hall that night.

• Xiao Yan revealed to Yun Shan that he was an Earth-rank Soul Envoy of Soul Hall, leaving Yun Shan shaken and silent.
• Yun Yun expelled Yun Leng, Yun Cha, Yun Du, and Ge Ye from the Misty Cloud Sect, and Yun Shan affirmed her authority.
• Xiao Yan demanded entry to the Gate of Life and Death as compensation, and Yun Yun agreed to let him try to enter.
• Xiao Yan dismissed the gathered spectators and told Hai Bodong that Medusa and his trump card would protect him if Yun Shan caused trouble.
• Xiao Yan gave Ling Ying a letter and gifts for Xun Er and hinted that Ling Ying should deal with the four expelled elders.
• After Ling Ying left, Xiao Yan sensed the Soul Token pointing toward Yun Shan’s route and decided to visit Soul Hall that night.

Xiao Yan and Medusa returned to the Misty Cloud Sect after the battle, where Xiao Yan arranged to help Medusa restore the Seven-Colored Swallowing Heavens Python’s body. That night, he followed a Soul Token into the mountains and discovered a hidden formation that distorted space.

• Medusa demanded the Soul Fusion Pill formula, and Xiao Yan gave it to her but said he lacked the ingredients to refine the pill.
• Xiao Yan reclaimed the Heavenly Flames from Medusa, and she held back from attacking because she still needed his help.
• Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran led Xiao Yan and Medusa through the Misty Cloud Sect, then offered Xiao Yan a place to stay before the group planned to visit the Gate of Life and Death.
• Xiao Yan told Medusa he would use the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Flame and Green Lotus Platform to help her body grow, then asked her to cultivate alone that night.
• Xiao Yan followed the Soul Token through the forest, put on his Soul Robe, and discovered that a barrier made his hand vanish as it distorted space.

Xiao Yan entered the Soul Hall hidden within the Misty Cloud Sect, using Hun Xuzi’s Soul Token and Soul Robe to test the branch’s attitude toward him. Inside, he encountered Yun Shan waiting with a figure cloaked in Black Mist.

• Xiao Yan reasoned that the Soul Token carried enough authority to let him enter the Soul Hall and concluded the hidden branch might fall under Hun Xuzi’s jurisdiction.
• Wearing a Soul Robe, Xiao Yan passed through the Space Lock and found a black, eerie landscape centered on the Soul Hall.
• Xiao Yan overheard three Misty Cloud Sect disciples discussing how Soul Envoys collected souls for Soul Points and learned that the Great Elder and others had been expelled from the sect.
• Xiao Yan reached the great hall, observed powerful Black Robed Men sitting on its soul-powered chains, and entered when its doors opened.
• Inside the hall, Xiao Yan found a Soul Robe-wearing figure and a mass of Black Mist waiting, then greeted Old Sect Leader Yun Shan.

Xiao Yan used the Soul Token to frighten Protector Wu and learned what it represented within Soul Hall. He also discovered that his defeat of Nalan Yanran had led Protector Wu to investigate the Xiao Clan, leaving Xiao Yan to conceal his family’s significance.

• Yun Shan mistook Xiao Yan for a Human Rank Protector, but Xiao Yan claimed he was an Earth Rank Soul Envoy.
• Xiao Yan showed Protector Wu the Soul Token, and Protector Wu revealed that it could grant entry to Soul Hall’s Sacred Land and was reserved for Venerable Elders.
• Xiao Yan claimed his trial was unfinished and that he still needed to enter the Gate of Life and Death.
• Protector Wu explained that Yun Shan had noticed Xiao Yan after he defeated Nalan Yanran, prompting Soul Hall to investigate the Xiao Clan.
• Protector Wu said he had found a peak Dou Emperor guarding the Xiao Clan and reported it to Tiangang Hall, earning his promotion and a branch hall.
• Xiao Yan told Protector Wu that Soul Hall had searched for the wrong person and that he had received the Soul Token after passing Hun Xuzi’s trial.

Xiao Yan used his Soul Token to make Protector Wu treat him with deference, then asked to learn about the Soul Hall and its Soul Point exchanges. Protector Wu explained the Soul Hall’s hierarchy and its capture of alchemists, and Xiao Yan arrived at a hall filled with treasures.

• Protector Wu learned that Xiao Yan had passed Hun Xuzi’s trial and assumed he was Hun Xuzi’s disciple, but Xiao Yan said he had refused the offer.
• Xiao Yan asked Protector Wu to explain the Soul Hall and its Soul Point exchanges, while Yun Shan reluctantly addressed Xiao Yan as “my lord.”
• Protector Wu led Xiao Yan through a prison holding powerful Soul Bodies and captured alchemists, explaining that the Soul Hall collected Soul Bodies and selected alchemists to refine a vital Medicinal Pill.
• Protector Wu described the Soul Hall’s three tiers: the Tiangang Halls, the Twenty-Four Disha Halls, and countless branch halls.
• Xiao Yan followed Protector Wu into a large hall where an altar stood amid Light Spheres containing treasures, Medicinal Pills, and techniques.

Xiao Yan explored the Soul Hall’s Treasure Hall and learned that high-level soul skills required substantial Soul Points and protector status. When he placed his Soul Token on the Soul Offering Altar, it opened the Soul Path, and he entered it, leaving Yun Shan and Protector Wu to wonder about his mission and his plans for the Gate of Life and Death.

• Protector Wu showed Xiao Yan the Treasure Hall, where Xiao Yan examined the costs of cultivation methods, combat techniques, pills, and soul skills.
• Protector Wu explained that Earth Rank soul skills required protector status and that Soul Stones could be used to record Soul Points at the Soul Offering Altar.
• Xiao Yan placed his Soul Token on the altar, causing it to reveal a passage into the Soul Path.
• Xiao Yan retrieved his Soul Token and entered the Soul Path, disappearing before Yun Shan and Protector Wu could react.
• Yun Shan told Protector Wu that Xiao Yan planned to enter the Gate of Life and Death for its Heavenly Flames, and Protector Wu silently considered the news.