Chapter Summaries

Li Qianqing intervened when Purple Mountain City Deputy City Lord Lei Ting attacked Liu Mingjuan, using a divine sense technique to disrupt Lei Ting and revealing strength that surprised the cultivators present. After Lei Ting refused to back down and targeted Li Qianqing, Li called on his companions to join the fight.

• Lei Ting accused Liu Mingjuan of killing his disciple and attacked her with his Natal Magic Treasure, the Heavenly Capital Seal.
• Li Qianqing secretly disrupted Lei Ting with his Bewitching Heart technique, giving Liu Mingjuan a chance to counterattack.
• Li Qianqing stepped forward, claimed to be from the Nether Soil Plateau, and challenged Lei Ting for attacking without evidence.
• Lei Ting threatened to kill Li Qianqing and Liu Mingjuan, then sent the Heavenly Capital Seal toward Li Qianqing.
• Li Qianqing shouted for his companions to move as Lei Ting's attack came down.

Li Qianqing and four allies fought the Nascent Soul Early Stage Purple Mountain City Deputy City Lord Lei Ting, steadily overcoming his realm advantage with coordinated attacks and Li Qianqing’s divine sense techniques. They killed Lei Ting and devoured his Nascent Soul, leaving Ouyang Jichang wary of Li Qianqing.

• Li Xunting, Li Xunming, Yan Xuewei, and Liu Mingjuan joined Li Qianqing in attacking Lei Ting from all sides.
• Li Qianqing’s Flame Dragon Pearl matched Lei Ting’s Heavenly Capital Seal, while the five cultivators’ coordinated assault kept Lei Ting from gaining the upper hand.
• Lei Ting was wounded and eventually decided to flee, but Li Qianqing signaled his allies to unleash their strongest attacks.
• Li Qianqing struck Lei Ting with Silent Extinction, leaving him unable to control his Nascent Soul as the others’ attacks badly injured him.
• Lei Ting’s Nascent Soul emerged, and Li Qianqing’s miniature flame dragon swallowed it before it could escape.
• Ouyang Jichang watched Lei Ting’s death and became extremely wary of Li Qianqing.

After Li Qianqing and the others killed Purple Mountain City's Nascent Soul Deputy City Lord, the cultivators allocated the Azure Cloud Realm's ten passage quotas and entered the third trial. The remaining cultivators were teleported out, while Yan Xuewei and Liu Mingjuan departed together.

• Li Qianqing burned the Deputy City Lord's corpse after collecting his belongings, and Liu Mingjuan thanked him and warned that Purple Mountain City might retaliate against the Li Family.
• Liu Mingjuan asked Li Qianqing to give her the Deputy City Lord's Storage Ring, and he agreed.
• Yi Yuxian befriended Li Qianqing, who said his claim of coming from the Nether Soil Plateau had been a bluff and mentioned ties to the Profound Nether Sect.
• When the ten pillars of light opened the route to the third trial, Yi Yuxian allocated two quotas each to the Nascent Soul cultivators and Li Qianqing, leaving the final quota to Fallen Devil Valley.
• Li Xunting, Li Xunming, and Li Qianqing entered the pillars alongside the other selected cultivators, and the remaining participants were teleported out of the Azure Cloud Realm.
• Yan Xuewei and Liu Mingjuan left together, with Liu Mingjuan heading toward Fan Yang Country.

Li Qianqing and the other survivors completed the Azure Cloud Realm’s third trial, absorbing Primordial Qi that strengthened their cultivation and could aid a future breakthrough to Nascent Soul. After returning, Liu Mingjuan told Yu Qingyun how Li Qianqing had helped kill Purple Mountain City Deputy City Lord Lei Ting, leaving Five Peaks Palace eager to learn more about the powerful Li family cultivator.

• Yan Xuewei and Liu Mingjuan traveled together from Da Ming Country, and Yan Xuewei began explaining how she had become the Li Clan Head’s elder sister.
• Li Qianqing entered the third trial and absorbed Primordial Qi for six hours, bringing his cultivation closer to Peak Core Formation.
• Li Xunting and Li Xunming also returned from the trial with Primordial Qi, and Li Qianqing instructed them to save it for their future Nascent Soul breakthroughs.
• Li Qianqing said farewell to Demon Devouring Child and Yi Yuxian, then left with Li Xunting and Li Xunming.
• Liu Mingjuan showed Yu Qingyun Lei Ting’s Storage Ring and told him that Li Qianqing had helped destroy the Purple Mountain City Deputy City Lord’s Nascent Soul.

After Liu Mingjuan and her allies killed Purple Mountain City's Deputy City Lord Lei Ting, Five Peaks Palace rewarded her and publicized a version that protected the Qing Country Li Clan. Purple Mountain City's Old City Lord vowed to retaliate against Five Peaks Palace and arranged for neighboring royal families to target the Li Clan, while Qi Dongqiang learned that Qi Fengding might have fallen in the Azure Cloud Realm.

• Yu Qingyun confirmed Liu Mingjuan would receive a spiritual object for Breakthrough to Nascent Soul and agreed to credit her as the main force behind Lei Ting's death.
• Five Peaks Palace spread news blaming Lei Ting's death on his own aggression and praising Liu Mingjuan and her Core Formation allies, making the killing widely known.
• Purple Mountain City's Old City Lord learned that Li Qianqing had helped kill Lei Ting and suspected his Profound Nether Sect inheritance was extraordinary.
• The Old City Lord ordered Xin Weijiang to persuade the Lu Country and Yue Country Royal Families to attack the Li Clan and to blame Lei Ting's disciple's death on Liu Mingjuan.
• Qi Dongqiang heard that Qi Fengding might have fallen in the Azure Cloud Realm and realized the Lu Country Royal Family may have lost a Peak Core Formation cultivator.

After Qi Fengding was presumed dead in the Azure Cloud Realm, Purple Mountain City's Nineteenth Commander urged the Lu Country Royal Family to join its campaign against the Qing Country Li Clan. Qi Lijin's clan chose to appear willing to cooperate while secretly seeking an arrangement with the Li Clan, and he asked the Commander what Purple Mountain City could offer.

• Qi Dongqiang told Qi Lijin that Qi Fengding might have fallen in the Azure Cloud Realm, and Qi Lijin concluded that the Lu Country Royal Family's information gatherer in Da Ming Country had also gone missing.
• Purple Mountain City's Nineteenth Commander arrived and asked the Lu Country Royal Family to help deal with the Qing Country Li Clan, saying their Deputy City Lord Lei's death was connected to the clan.
• Qi Lijin requested time to consider, but the Nineteenth Commander demanded an answer by dusk and warned that Purple Mountain City could support another Lu Country force instead.
• Qi Lijin and the Core Formation clansmen discussed the risks and decided to agree to Purple Mountain City's proposal while privately contacting the Li Clan.
• Qi Lijin assigned Qi Dongqiang to approach the Li Clan, then asked the Nineteenth Commander what Purple Mountain City could offer when they met again.

Qi Lijin agreed to cooperate with Purple Mountain City, while Yue Zhongming refused unless Yue Country’s Core Formation sects also agreed. A Lu Country Royal Family cultivator secretly warned the Li Clan that Purple Mountain City planned to target them, and Li Qianqing considered the clan’s response while reviewing its long-term development plans.

• Qi Lijin agreed in principle to cooperate with Purple Mountain City against the Qing Country Li Clan, though he remained wary of its vague promises of support.
• Yue Zhongming refused Seventeenth Commander’s offer unless Yue Country’s three great Core Formation sects also agreed to cooperate.
• Qi Dongqiang found Li Renxiang and told him that Purple Mountain City sought Lu Country Royal Family’s help against the Li Clan.
• Li Renxiang passed Qi Dongqiang’s warning to Li Qianqing with a Sound Transmission Talisman.
• Li Qianqing considered coordinating privately with the Lu Country Royal Family and reviewed plans to expand Changqing Mountain’s spirit veins.

Purple Mountain City’s effort to rally Yue Country and Lu Country against the Li Clan met limited success, while Li Qianqing discussed future plans with Demon Devouring Child and Clear Wind Valley reaffirmed its ties with the Li Clan. The chapter ended with the region’s Core Formation cultivators anticipating that Li Qianqing might soon become a Nascent Soul cultivator.

• Seventeenth Commander reported that Yue Country’s royal family and most major forces had refused to cooperate with Purple Mountain City, while Nineteenth Commander said Lu Country’s royal family, the Heavenly Revelation Alliance, and the Qu Clan had agreed.
• Demon Devouring Child brought Li Yongfeng to Changqing Mountain to stay with the Li Clan while he entered a potentially lengthy seclusion.
• Demon Devouring Child told Li Qianqing that Fallen Devil Valley planned to campaign against the evil cultivators of the Mist Rain Forest in twenty-five years and invited him to join; Li Qianqing deferred his answer while privately planning to go.
• Demon Devouring Child said he would help the Li Clan in his personal capacity if he became a Nascent Soul cultivator, and Li Qianqing offered to reserve a suitable cave abode for him at Changqing Mountain.
• Clear Wind Valley’s elders praised Yan Xuewei’s leadership and proposed that she remain Valley Master after reaching Late Stage Core Formation.
• Clear Wind Valley’s leaders anticipated that Li Qianqing could become the region’s next Nascent Soul cultivator, a development they believed would benefit their sect.

Yan Xuewei became Clear Wind Valley Master as the sect discussed Purple Mountain City's threat to the Li Clan. Li Qianqing foiled a Purple Mountain City plot against Li Xunming, and the chapter ended with Li Xunming preparing to resume his breakthrough.

• Yan Xuewei accepted the position of Clear Wind Valley Master and argued that Purple Mountain City could not commit enough forces to destroy the Li Clan while Five Peaks Palace watched it.
• The Seventeenth Commander reported that Yue Country had refused to cooperate, and the Grand Commander ordered him to try negotiating there again while Purple Mountain City planned an attack on the Li Clan.
• The Nineteenth Commander, Qi Dongqiang, and Qi Xijin approached Changming Mountain to kill Li Xunming, but Li Qianqing stopped the Nineteenth Commander with his Divine Sense Secret Technique.
• Qi Dongqiang killed the helpless Nineteenth Commander and kept his Storage Ring, while he and Qi Xijin reaffirmed their cooperation with the Li Clan.
• Li Qianqing returned to Changming Mountain and told Li Xunming that Purple Mountain City's commanders were unlikely to enter Qing Country again that year, allowing Li Xunming to resume his breakthrough.

Li Qianqing prepared the Li Clan to cultivate Fourth-Grade spiritual medicines while Li Xunming and Li Qiuben entered seclusion to advance their cultivation. Purple Mountain City learned that its Nineteenth Commander had died and sent Eleven Commander to Lu Country, while continuing to postpone a direct move against the Li Clan.

• Li Qianqing warned Li Xunming not to use his Primordial Qi essence for his first attempts at breaking through, and Li Xunming began secluded cultivation to reach Late Stage Core Formation.
• Li Qiuben discussed opening a Fourth-Grade Low-Rank spiritual field with Li Qianqing, who planned to plant Golden Essence Crow Grass once the clan obtained seeds.
• Liu Mingjuan exchanged for Golden Essence Crow Grass seeds and sent a trusted Foundation Establishment cultivator to deliver them to the Li Clan.
• The Old City Lord of Purple Mountain City learned that the Lu Country Royal Family had concealed the Nineteenth Commander's death and ordered Eleven Commander to go to Lu Country but avoid Qing Country.
• The Old City Lord decided to target Clear Wind Valley after destroying the Li Clan, while the Grand Commander left to arrange Eleven Commander's mission.

Over nine years, the Li Clan continued to develop while Purple Mountain City’s Eleventh Commander stayed in Lu Country, and Li Qianqing neared Peak Core Formation. The Demon Devouring Child arrived after reaching Nascent Soul to guard the clan, prompting the Lu Country Royal Family to reconsider its stance toward Purple Mountain City.

• Qi Dongqiang warned the Eleventh Commander against going to Qing Country, and the two argued over whether Purple Mountain City would provide resources to Lu Country.
• Li Xunming and Li Qiuben completed their breakthroughs, and Li Qiuben’s progress enabled the clan to cultivate Fourth-Grade Low-Rank Golden Essence Crow Grass.
• Li Qianqing learned that the Eleventh Commander would remain in Lu Country and judged that he posed no immediate threat to the Li Clan.
• Nine years passed as tensions between Five Peaks Palace and Purple Mountain City distracted the latter, while Li Qianqing came within half a month of Peak Core Formation.
• The Demon Devouring Child arrived at Changqing Mountain as a Nascent Soul cultivator and agreed to guard the Li Clan while Li Qianqing prepared for seclusion.
• The Lu Country Royal Family held a meeting to discuss whether to kill the Eleventh Commander or withdraw its forces from Xianlin Prefecture.

The Lu Country Royal Family decided to keep Purple Mountain City Eleventh Commander alive while learning that Demon Devouring Child had become a Nascent Soul Cultivator and was guarding the Li Family. After Li Qianqing reached Peak Core Formation, he prepared to enter seclusion to break through to Nascent Soul and met the Li Family’s new Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivator, Li Yiqing.

• Qi Lijin ordered the Lu Country Royal Family to leave Eleventh Commander alone unless he crossed the line, and Qi Dongqiang told him that Demon Devouring Child now guarded the Li Family as a Nascent Soul Cultivator.
• Eleventh Commander reported the situation to Grand Commander, who decided not to recall him from Lu Country and instead sent a message to Seventeenth Commander in Yue Country.
• Li Qianqing reached Peak Core Formation on the first day of September and planned to enter seclusion in mid-September to attempt a breakthrough to Nascent Soul.
• A spiritual root test revealed that Li Yiqing had a Single Fire Spiritual Root, making her the Li Family’s second Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivator.
• Li Qianqing met Li Yiqing and learned her name as he planned to entrust her training to Li Xunting during his coming seclusion.

Li Qianqing began his seclusion to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm while Li Xunting guided Li Yiqing, the clan’s new Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivator. After less than six years, Li Qianqing reached the lightning tribulation, and the chapter ended as he prepared to face its first bolt.

• Li Xunting arrived at Changqing Mountain and agreed to train Li Yiqing for three years while Li Qianqing prepared to enter seclusion.
• Li Qianqing waited for the clan’s spiritual-root testing to finish, then entered his Clan Head Cave Dwelling and swallowed the Yellow Flame Seed to begin his breakthrough.
• Demon Devouring Child agreed to guard Changqing Mountain, and Li Clan cultivators began expecting Li Qianqing to become a Nascent Soul Cultivator.
• After nearly six years, Li Qianqing overcame the Core Formation bottleneck and drew a lightning tribulation over Changqing Mountain.
• Li Xunting, Li Yiqing, and Demon Devouring Child watched as Li Qianqing activated the Flame Dragon Pearl barrier and prepared for the first of the tribulation’s three bolts.

Li Qianqing passed the Minor Lightning Tribulation, formed a Nascent Soul, and became the first Nascent Soul Cultivator in the Three Small Kingdoms region in over ten thousand years. After leaving seclusion, he reunited with his clan and Demon Devouring Child, and discussed the risks and direction of ascending to the upper realm.

• Li Qianqing endured all three lightning bolts, and golden light scattered the thunderclouds to signal his successful breakthrough.
• Li Qianqing formed his Nascent Soul, discovered his divine sense reached three hundred li, and received sealed knowledge about ascension and his cultivation methods.
• Li Qianqing found that the mysterious bead had changed from broken to cracked, then left seclusion and accepted congratulations from Li Xunting and Li Yiqing.
• Demon Devouring Child congratulated Li Qianqing, thanked him for Li Yongfeng, and learned that Li Qianqing sensed the ascension guidance pointing east.

After Li Qianqing broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm, news of his achievement spread across Qing Country and reshaped how the surrounding cultivation forces viewed the Li Clan. In Lu Country, Qi Dongqiang urged his family to openly side with the Li Clan by killing Purple Mountain City’s Eleventh Commander, but Ancestor Qi Lijin asked whether the news was true.

• Demon Devouring Child reminded Li Qianqing of their planned trip to the Mist Rain Forest, then left with his disciple Li Yongfeng.
• News of Li Qianqing’s Nascent Soul breakthrough spread throughout Qing Country, prompting cultivators and subordinate clans to discuss the Li Clan’s new status and the coming Nascent Soul Grand Banquet.
• Wu Yueya celebrated the news and considered a suitable gift, while Yan Xuewei arranged for Clear Wind Valley and Zuoqiu Lipeng to attend the banquet.
• Qi Dongqiang learned that Li Qianqing had become a Nascent Soul Cultivator and felt relieved that the Lu Royal Family had already reached an agreement with the Li Clan.
• Qi Dongqiang convened an emergency meeting and urged the Lu Royal Family to kill Purple Mountain City’s Eleventh Commander and openly support the Li Clan; Ancestor Qi Lijin questioned whether the news was confirmed.

The Lu Country Royal Family confirmed that Li Qianqing had reached the Nascent Soul Realm and killed Purple Mountain City Eleventh Commander to pledge allegiance to the Li Clan. Purple Mountain City learned of both the breakthrough and the killing, chose to postpone retaliation, and Li Qianqing began hosting his Nascent Soul Grand Banquet while suspecting Liu Mingjuan was attempting her own breakthrough.

• Qi Dongqiang and the Lu Country Royal Family's leaders decided to confirm Li Qianqing's breakthrough and kill Purple Mountain City Eleventh Commander as a pledge to the Li Clan.
• After confirming the news, Qi Lijin led the Lu Country Royal Family's Core Formation Cultivators in attacking and killing Eleventh Commander, though he sent a message to Purple Mountain City before he died.
• The Grand Commander learned that Li Qianqing had reached the Nascent Soul Realm and concluded that the Lu Country Royal Family had only pretended to cooperate with Purple Mountain City.
• The Grand Commander told the Old City Lord that Eleventh Commander was dead and that Li Qianqing had become a Nascent Soul Cultivator, and the Old City Lord decided to defer the Lu Country Royal Family's debt.
• Cultivators arrived at Changqing Mountain for Li Qianqing's Nascent Soul Grand Banquet, while Li Qianqing suspected Liu Mingjuan was in seclusion attempting a breakthrough.

Li Qianqing’s Nascent Soul Grand Banquet brought Qing Country’s forces together, and the Lu Country Royal Family sought his protection by becoming an affiliated force of the Li Family. The chapter leaves Li Qianqing pleased with the alliance and the valuable gifts the banquet brought to his clan.

• Li Qianqing held his Nascent Soul Grand Banquet, attended by Qing Country’s forces, four Core Formation forces from Lu Country, and Yan Xuewei.
• Qi Lijin told Li Qianqing that the Lu Country Royal Family had killed Purple Mountain City’s Eleventh Commander and asked to become an affiliated force; Li Qianqing accepted.
• Li Xunting went to spar with Zuoqiu Lipeng while Li Qianqing spoke with Yan Xuewei, then saw them off the next day.
• Li Qianqing inventoried the banquet gifts and found Heaven Cloud Water from the Wu Family and a Double Yang Fruit from the Lu Country Royal Family.
• Li Qianqing placed most gifts in the Clan Treasury and reviewed the Foundation Establishment forces’ offerings, finding no further surprises.

The Yue Country Royal Family became an affiliated force of the Qing Country Li Clan, while Li Qianqing prepared to travel to Mist Rain Forest with Fallen Devil Valley to seek Li God Wood and rare pill ingredients. He reached Fallen Devil Valley and learned which cultivators would join the campaign against the evil cultivators.

• The Yue Country Royal Family debated whether to become affiliated with the Qing Country Royal Family and decided to do so, hoping to protect itself while continuing its conflicts with Chenyu Mountain Manor and Heavenly Wind Gate.
• Yue Zhongming asked Li Qianqing not to interfere in the Yue Kingdom Cultivation World, and Li Qianqing agreed while promising to help if the Yue Country Royal Family faced difficulties.
• Li Qianqing announced the Yue Country Royal Family's affiliation, then decided to travel to Mist Rain Forest after receiving word from Demon Devouring Child that Fallen Devil Valley would depart in a month.
• Li Qianqing told Li Xunting and Li Xunming about his journey; he refused to take Li Xunming unless he could evade a test of Li Qianqing's pursuit.
• Li Qianqing crossed the Nether River Tributary and arrived at Fallen Devil Valley, where Demon Devouring Child welcomed him and described the forces gathering for the campaign.

Li Qianqing joined Demon Devouring Child and Demon Subduing Daoist on Fallen Devil Valley’s expedition to Mist Rain Forest, where they gathered updated intelligence before separating to hunt evil cultivators. Meanwhile, the Blood Shadow Sect’s dwindling supply of Li God Wood Leaves became clear, giving Li Qianqing a potential obstacle in his search for them.

• Li Qianqing met Demon Subduing Daoist, discussed the expedition, and learned about Mist Rain Forest.
• Li Qianqing gave Li Yongfeng life-saving items and warned him not to show off before the group crossed the Nether River Mainstream by spirit ship.
• After nearly a month without incident, the cultivators entered Mist Rain Forest, met a concealed Fallen Devil Valley information gatherer, and received updated intelligence.
• Withered Wood Senior asked Blood Shadow Sect Master Xue for three thousand Li God Wood Leaves and bought one thousand after learning the sect’s stock was low.
• Li Qianqing parted from the other Fallen Devil Valley cultivators, disguised himself as an evil cultivator, and set out alone in Mist Rain Forest.

Li Qianqing gathered information about Li God Wood in the Wood Demon Zone and chose to infiltrate the Blood Shadow Sect to obtain it. In Blood Shadow City, he selected inner sect deacon Ji Anxin as his disguise target after learning of Ji Anxin’s frequent visits to Spring Breeze Pavilion.

• Li Qianqing paid Sky Wind Pavilion for two leads on Li God Wood: one in the Blood Shadow Sect and another in a deadly high-risk foggy zone.
• Li Qianqing chose to pursue the Blood Shadow Sect lead and ignored a distant battle as he left the Wood Demon Zone.
• Li Qianqing reached Blood Shadow City and decided to infiltrate the Blood Shadow Sect by impersonating a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator.
• Li Qianqing tracked Ji Anxin’s repeated trips outside the sect and discovered that the deacon visited Spring Breeze Pavilion each time.
• Ji Anxin entered Spring Breeze Pavilion and ordered a Foundation Establishment Early Stage companion after meeting the branch master.