Chapter Summaries

Li Qianqing captured Ji Anxin, learned that Blood Shadow Sect’s Li God Wood was in the Fifth Forbidden Zone, and impersonated him to infiltrate the sect. After surveying the forbidden zone, he planned his next move, but an angry woman arrived at Ji Anxin’s cave and demanded that he open the door.

• The Spring Breeze Pavilion Branch Master warned Ji Anxin that cultivators from Fallen Devil Valley had entered Mist Rain Forest, and Ji Anxin later left the pavilion to return to Blood Shadow Sect.
• Li Qianqing ambushed Ji Anxin, sealed his spiritual power and divine sense, and questioned him about Blood Shadow Sect and its Li God Wood.
• Ji Anxin revealed that the Li God Wood was in the Fifth Forbidden Zone, and Li Qianqing killed him painlessly after extracting most of the information he wanted.
• Li Qianqing spent most of a day disguising himself as Ji Anxin and entered Blood Shadow Sect without raising suspicion.
• After surveying the Fifth Forbidden Zone, Li Qianqing began planning how to obtain the Li God Wood, but an angry woman knocked on his cave door and called for Ji Anxin to open it.

Disguised as Ji Anxin, Li Qianqing killed Ji Anxin’s lover and a Core Formation elder before rushing to the Blood Shadow Sect’s Fifth Forbidden Zone to seize the Li God Wood. As he reached the tree, the Blood Shadow Sect Master arrived at the murder scene, while Li Qianqing’s attempt to take the wood remained underway.

• A married Foundation Establishment cultivator entered Ji Anxin’s cave abode, recognized that Li Qianqing was an impostor, and was struck by his divine sense secret technique.
• A Core Formation elder burst into the cave, but Li Qianqing dazed him with the same technique and killed both intruders before escaping.
• Wei Yuze arrived, saw the two corpses, and pretended to have just reached the scene so the sect would not blame him.
• Li Qianqing hurried to the Fifth Forbidden Zone, put its visible guard into Dream Fragrance, and approached the Li God Wood without detecting a hidden protector.
• The Blood Shadow Sect Master reached the cave abode and judged that the killer was likely a Peak Core Formation or Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator.

Li Qianqing took the Li God Wood and Red Water Wood from the Blood Shadow Sect, then fought the sect master and used Bewitching Heart to put him into a dream. When Blood Shadow Sect cultivators gathered, Li Qianqing unleashed two powerful flame abilities, leaving the sect’s lower-ranked cultivators burning in the Fifth Forbidden Ground.

• The Blood Shadow Sect Master discovered that an infiltrator had killed a Core Formation elder and headed for the Fifth Forbidden Ground, while the sect activated its Mountain Protecting Grand Array.
• Li Qianqing finished taking the Li God Wood, cut apart a blood arrow aimed at the Red Water Wood, and took that tree as well.
• The Blood Shadow Sect Master attacked Li Qianqing with blood arrows and the Blood Cleansing Vase, but Li Qianqing defended himself with his Flame Dragon Pearl.
• Li Qianqing used Bewitching Heart to put the Blood Shadow Sect Master into a dream, then faced the Blood Shadow Sect cultivators arriving at the Fifth Forbidden Ground.
• Li Qianqing unleashed his fourth and fifth flame abilities, killing many Foundation Establishment deacons and protectors as the two Supreme Elders warned the others to flee.

Li Qianqing stopped the Blood Shadow Sect’s attack, then negotiated with its master to eliminate the Corpse Yin Sect. After accepting the job and receiving a partial payment, he left, while the Blood Shadow Sect elders wondered who he was.

• Li Qianqing’s fire divine ability killed several Blood Shadow Sect cultivators, and the awakened Blood Shadow Sect Master withdrew the sect’s protective array and allowed him to leave.
• Li Qianqing offered to kill Corpse Yin Sect cultivators for set prices, and the Blood Shadow Sect Master hired him to kill one Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator and several Core Formation cultivators.
• Li Qianqing accepted the contract and requested a detailed map; the Black-Robed Supreme Elder arrived and nervously kept his distance.
• The Blood Shadow Sect Master returned with fifty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones and five hundred sixty-four High-Grade Spirit Stones as partial payment, and Li Qianqing asked for the remainder within three years.
• Li Qianqing departed with no trace of his aura, and the Blood Shadow Sect’s three Nascent Souls marveled at his escape art and wondered about his identity.

The Blood Shadow Sect’s leaders discussed Li Qianqing’s formidable divine abilities and the losses he caused, while rumors spread that a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator had stolen the Li God Wood. At Sky Wind Pavilion, Old Tian and Xiao He connected the direction of Li Qianqing’s departure with a possible agreement between him and the Blood Shadow Sect.

• The Blood Shadow Sect Master and the Supreme Elders concluded that Li Qianqing’s divine sense secret technique and combined flame abilities made him exceptionally dangerous, and decided not to pursue him.
• The Blood Shadow Sect counted twenty-seven dead, while the protector guarding the Fifth Forbidden Ground woke unharmed; Wei Yuze later realized his report had helped bring the disaster upon the sect.
• Cultivators in Blood Shadow City spread rumors that a mysterious Nascent Soul cultivator had stolen the Li God Wood, and Spring Breeze Pavilion feared the intruder might be a hostile Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator.
• Old Tian told Xiao He that the Blood Shadow Sect’s Li God Wood information needed updating, and Xiao He learned that the mysterious cultivator had infiltrated the sect and escaped.
• Old Tian noted that the cultivator had left toward the Corpse Yin Sect, prompting Xiao He to suspect he had reached an agreement with the Blood Shadow Sect.

Li Qianqing told Demon Devouring Child that the Blood Shadow Sect had hired him to kill Corpse Yin Sect cultivators, deepening the rivalry between the sects. After they parted ways, Li Qianqing headed for the Corpse Yin Sect while Demon Devouring Child went to investigate Spring Breeze Pavilion, and Corpse Yin Sect elders discussed the attack on the Blood Shadow Sect.

• Li Qianqing met Demon Devouring Child, who guessed that he was the mysterious cultivator who had appeared at the Blood Shadow Sect.
• Li Qianqing confirmed the guess and explained that the Blood Shadow Sect had hired him to kill one Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator and thirteen Core Formation cultivators from the Corpse Yin Sect.
• Demon Devouring Child shared three locations where Li Qianqing could ambush Corpse Yin Sect cultivators and said he planned to investigate Spring Breeze Pavilion.
• Li Qianqing and Demon Devouring Child parted ways, with Li Qianqing heading toward the Corpse Yin Sect and Demon Devouring Child toward Spring Breeze Pavilion.
• Two Corpse Yin Sect elders celebrated the trouble at the Blood Shadow Sect and wondered whether the mysterious Nascent Soul cultivator could be from Fallen Devil Valley.

Li Yongfeng prepared to destroy an evil-cultivator sect while the Corpse Yin Sect discovered that a mysterious Nascent Soul had killed seven of its elders. The Corpse Yin Sect’s Supreme Elders suspected the attacker was the Blood Shadow Sect’s controlled Nascent Soul and set out to find him.

• Corpse Yin Sect elders discussed Fallen Devil Valley’s impact and the mysterious Nascent Soul who had attacked the Blood Shadow Sect.
• Li Yongfeng identified the attacker as his Ancestor, Li Qianqing, and prepared to eliminate an evil-cultivator Foundation Establishment sect in the Locust Forest Area.
• Nearly a year after Fallen Devil Valley arrived, the Corpse Yin Sect discovered that seven elders had vanished and could not be contacted.
• The Corpse Yin Sect Master ordered the elders to stay within the sect and informed the three Supreme Elders of his suspicions.
• The oldest Supreme Elder stayed behind to guard the sect while ordering the three Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivators to find the hidden Nascent Soul within a month.

Li Qianqing ambushed and killed the Corpse Yin Sect Master with the second absolute of his divine sense technique, then traveled to the Blood Shadow Sect with the corpse to make the sect’s role in the attack clear. The Corpse Yin Sect’s surviving Supreme Elders reorganized their leadership and began testing whether Li Qianqing had left their region.

• Li Qianqing waited nearly half a month before the Corpse Yin Sect Master found him in a forest and mistook him for a hired cultivator working for the Blood Shadow Sect.
• Li Qianqing let the Corpse Yin Sect Master send a message to the sect’s Supreme Elders, then used Divine Fall to kill him before his Nascent Soul could escape.
• The Corpse Yin Sect’s Supreme Elders arrived too late, reinstated a former sect master, and ordered elders to resume missions to test whether the mysterious cultivator remained nearby.
• Li Qianqing took the Corpse Yin Sect Master’s corpse and traveled to the Blood Shadow Sect, where he announced at the gate that he had brought a head from the Corpse Yin Sect.
• The Blood Shadow Sect Master personally received Li Qianqing and escorted him inside.

Li Qianqing collected the remaining payment from the Blood Shadow Sect after killing the Corpse Yin Sect Master, then waited for Fallen Devil Valley’s departure while secretly watching over Li Yongfeng. Before leaving the Mist Rain Forest, Li Qianqing rewarded Li Yongfeng and gave him information on a concealed Foundation Establishment Late Stage evil cultivator to hunt.

• Li Qianqing handed the Blood Shadow Sect Master proof of the Corpse Yin Sect Master’s death and received the remaining High-Grade Spirit Stones.
• The Blood Shadow Sect Master and the Black-Robed Supreme Elder discussed the Corpse Yin Sect’s losses and expected it to confront them after Fallen Devil Valley left.
• News of the Corpse Yin Sect Master’s death spread through the Mist Rain Forest, but Li Qianqing concluded that the sect would not fight the Blood Shadow Sect while Fallen Devil Valley remained.
• Li Qianqing met Li Yongfeng, praised his work, and gave him a small hammer magic treasure as a reward.
• Li Qianqing gave Li Yongfeng information about a Foundation Establishment Late Stage evil cultivator, and Li Yongfeng ambushed him with eight golden rings as the target tried to flee.

Li Qianqing returned from Mist Rain Forest after helping Fallen Devil Valley reduce its casualties, while Li Yongfeng remained with the sect. Back at Changqing Mountain, Li Qianqing learned that Liu Mingjuan had reached Nascent Soul and examined the Li God Wood he had obtained, leaving Sky's End Sand and Essence of Wind as future goals.

• Li Yongfeng trapped and killed a Foundation Establishment Late Stage evil cultivator, then joined Li Qianqing at Fallen Devil Valley’s gathering point.
• Demon Devouring Child and Li Qianqing discussed the likely conflict between Corpse Yin Sect and Blood Shadow Sect, and Demon Subduing Daoist praised Li Qianqing’s contribution to Fallen Devil Valley’s survival.
• Fallen Devil Valley returned to Five Kingdoms Land with nearly four-fifths of its cultivators, and Li Qianqing left for Changqing Mountain while Li Yongfeng stayed behind.
• Li Xunting told Li Qianqing that Liu Mingjuan had advanced to Nascent Soul, visited the Li Clan, and held a Nascent Soul Grand Banquet attended by Li Xunming.
• Li Qianqing inspected the Li God Wood and considered seeking Essence of Wind in Nether Soil Plateau and Sky's End Sand elsewhere before ascending.

Li Qianqing refined the Double Yang Pill, tested its effect, and reviewed changes to the Li Family’s development policies. He then traveled to Five Peaks Palace at Liu Mingjuan’s request, where she welcomed him to discuss important matters.

• Li Qianqing obtained three stalks of Third-Order Middle Grade Heavenly Pool Grass and refined five Double Yang Pills, with one pill failing.
• Li Qianqing consumed a Double Yang Pill and gained more than twenty years of cultivation progress in under ten days.
• Li Qianqing reviewed the Li Family’s cultivators and adjusted guidance policies to encourage Qi Refining cultivators to learn the Hundred Crafts of Cultivation.
• Liu Mingjuan sent Li Qianqing a Sound Transmission Talisman asking him to visit Five Peaks Palace, and he agreed to come that month.
• A blue-clothed female cultivator escorted Li Qianqing to Liu Mingjuan, who received him in the main palace and discussed his lightning tribulation.

After Fallen Devil Valley returned from Mist Rain Forest, Li Qianqing met with Liu Mingjuan and Five Peaks Palace’s other Supreme Elders to discuss joining their campaign against Purple Mountain City. He agreed to help in exchange for thirty percent of the victory spoils, with additional rewards possible for substantial Core Formation support from the Li Family.

• Liu Mingjuan discussed cultivation after Nascent Soul with Li Qianqing and told him that Yu Qingyun and Zuo Changying would join them to discuss Purple Mountain City.
• Yu Qingyun reported that Purple Mountain City had lost six Core Formation commanders while Five Peaks Palace had lost one, and that Purple Mountain City had shifted to a defensive stance.
• Li Qianqing agreed to join Five Peaks Palace’s campaign after Yu Qingyun offered the Li Family thirty percent of the victory spoils.
• Zuo Changying and Li Qianqing agreed that Core Formation support would earn benefits based on the Li Family’s contributions and the Purple Mountain City cultivators it defeated.
• Yu Qingyun offered the Li Family an additional half share if it provided more than ten Core Formation cultivators, including more than three at Late Stage Core Formation, and Li Qianqing accepted the condition.

Li Qianqing secured Five Peaks Palace’s support for a campaign against Purple Mountain City and later invited Qing Country’s stronger Core Formation forces to join the venture in Fan Yang Country. He offered them a share of the spoils and Li Clan protection, leaving the gathered leaders to consider his proposal.

• Li Qianqing agreed to bring ten Core Formation cultivators to help Five Peaks Palace fight Purple Mountain City in exchange for an additional share of the profits.
• More than half a year later, Li Qianqing summoned Qing Country’s three great sects and Core Formation clans with at least two Core Formation cultivators to Changqing Mountain.
• On the journey, the Yu Clan Head voiced concerns that the Li Clan might swallow up other forces, while the Wei Clan Head argued that Li Qianqing’s leadership made that unlikely and advised developing beyond Qing Country.
• At Changqing Mountain, Li Qianqing asked the assembled leaders whether they wanted to participate in the campaign against Purple Mountain City and explained that they could earn rewards, including spirit-vein lands.
• Li Qianqing promised that the Li Clan would offer Qing Country forces some protection in Fan Yang Country even if they were not its subordinate forces.

Li Qianqing gathered Qing Country’s Core Formation forces to help Five Peaks Palace fight Purple Mountain City in exchange for a share of the spoils and room to develop in Fan Yang Country. After the meeting, the Shen Family Ancestor decided to join the expedition, hoping to win rewards for his clan even if he did not return.

• Yan Xuewei, Heaven Transmission Mountain, Water Cloud Gate, the Yu Clan, the Wei Clan, and the Liu Clan agreed to send Core Formations, while the Xu Clan declined.
• Li Qianqing’s group agreed to head to Fan Yang Country in two or three years, and Yan Xuewei learned that eleven Core Formations had been gathered, with more expected from the royal families.
• Core Formation clans across Qing Country heard that the Li Clan had invited sects and clans with at least two Core Formations, easing the fears of clans that had worried they might be targeted.
• The Shen Family Ancestor considered his clan’s poor prospects and decided to go to Fan Yang Country, hoping to earn a Core Formation Spiritual Object or secure a future place for his clan under the Li Clan.

Li Qianqing arranged for Core Formation cultivators to join Five Peaks Palace’s campaign against Purple Mountain City in Fan Yang Country, securing support from the Shen clan and the Lu Country Royal Family. The Lu Country Royal Family committed four cultivators, while the Yue Country Royal Family declined to participate, bringing the planned force to at least sixteen Core Formations.

• The Shen Ancestor told Li Qianqing he would go to Fan Yang Country and asked the Li clan to look after the Shen clan if he died; Li Qianqing agreed.
• Li Qianqing explained the campaign against Purple Mountain City to Qi Dongqiang, who promised at least three Lu Country Royal Family Core Formations and sought the Li clan’s future protection.
• Li Qianqing accepted the Lu Country Royal Family’s offer to provide thirty percent more resources each year after Purple Mountain City was destroyed.
• The Yue Country Royal Family declined to send cultivators to Fan Yang Country, and Li Qianqing did not press them.
• Qi Dongqiang reported that the Lu Country Royal Family would send four Core Formations, bringing the total force bound for Fan Yang Country to sixteen.

Li Qianqing tested Li Yiqing’s alchemy talent and confirmed it was upper, then personally trained her to refine Rank 2 pills. As Li Qianqing prepared to leave for Fan Yang Country with Li Xunting and Li Xunming, he set Li Yiqing a target to reach before his return.

• Li Qianqing reviewed the family’s growing interest in the Hundred Crafts and learned from Li Xunting that Li Yiqing showed alchemy talent.
• Li Yiqing told Li Qianqing about her alchemy practice, and he tested her by having her refine ten furnaces of Clear Cloud Pills.
• After judging Li Yiqing’s talent to be between upper-middle and upper, Li Qianqing kept her at the ancestral land and began guiding her.
• Over the next year, Li Yiqing improved rapidly, began using a Rank 2 Alchemy Furnace, and successfully refined Rank 2 Low-Grade Pills.
• Li Qianqing confirmed Li Yiqing’s alchemy talent was upper and told her to aim to refine Second-Order Middle Grade pills by the end of next year while he traveled to Fan Yang Country.

Li Qianqing brought sixteen Core Formation Cultivators to Five Peaks Palace to support its conflict with Purple Mountain City, and helped Yu Qingyun plan their deployment. After the cultivators received their missions, Li Qianqing chose to assist at the front near Fulin County, and Liu Mingjuan unexpectedly volunteered to go as well.

• Li Xunting arrived at Changqing Mountain and gave Li Yiqing combat guidance before Li Qianqing and Li Xunming set out for Five Peaks Palace.
• Li Qianqing, Li Xunting, and Li Xunming reached Five Peaks Palace and met Yu Qingyun, who welcomed Li Qianqing's support of sixteen Core Formation Cultivators.
• Yu Qingyun discussed Purple Mountain City's forces and plans with Li Qianqing, then assigned missions to the arriving Core Formation Cultivators.
• The Shen Family Ancestor and a Lu Country Royal Family cultivator asked Yu Qingyun for more dangerous missions so they could earn battle merits.
• Yu Qingyun asked Li Qianqing and Liu Mingjuan to decide who would assist at the front, and Li Qianqing chose Fulin County.
• Liu Mingjuan then volunteered to go to the front as well, surprising Yu Qingyun.

Liu Mingjuan agreed to reinforce Che River County while Li Qianqing secretly garrisoned Fulin County, and Li Xunting ambushed and killed two Purple Mountain City commanders there. Purple Mountain City's Old City Lord learned that more than ten cultivators from the Three Small Kingdoms region were supporting Five Peaks Palace and recognized the growing danger to his city.

• Liu Mingjuan agreed to go to Che River County, Li Qianqing was assigned to secretly garrison Fulin County, and Yu Qingyun remained at Five Peaks Palace.
• Li Xunting used Ice Seal Ten Li and her ice arrows to kill Purple Mountain City's Fourteenth Commander and Fifteenth Commander while they investigated Fulin County.
• Purple Mountain City's Grand Commander investigated the new reinforcements and learned that many Core Formation cultivators from Qing Country and the Lu Country Royal Family were supporting Five Peaks Palace.
• The Grand Commander reported to the Old City Lord that more than ten cultivators from the Three Small Kingdoms region, including several Late Stage Core Formation cultivators, had joined Five Peaks Palace.
• The Old City Lord realized that Five Peaks Palace's growing strength could make the fall of Purple Mountain City possible and asked whether Li Qianqing had arrived.

The Purple Mountain City Old City Lord sought Heavenly Sun Sect’s help against Five Peaks Palace, but Heavenly Sun Sect’s Supreme Elder blamed Purple Mountain City for pushing the Qing Country Li Clan toward its rivals and demanded an exorbitant price. The Old City Lord refused the offer and left without support.

• The Grand Commander doubted the Old City Lord could secure Heavenly Sun Sect’s aid and considered other possible allies, but saw little hope in seeking help from Da Ming Country.
• A little less than half a month later, the Old City Lord met Heavenly Sun Sect’s Supreme Elder and explained that Five Peaks Palace had recruited Core Formation Cultivators from the Three Small Kingdoms region.
• The Supreme Elder argued that Purple Mountain City had brought this situation on itself by offending the Qing Country Li Clan and dismissed the Old City Lord’s warnings about future threats.
• The Supreme Elder demanded at least two hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones for one Late Stage Core Formation supporter, with sharply higher prices for additional cultivators.
• The Old City Lord rejected the prices and left Heavenly Sun Sect without an agreement.

The Old City Lord failed to recruit help for Purple Mountain City, while the Lei Clan decided to support Five Peaks Palace and secretly sent Lei Yuanji to negotiate with Yu Qingyun. The chapter ended with news of the Lei Clan’s defection reaching Li Qianqing, who had just mastered the second absolute of the Extinguishing Spirit Three Absolutes.

• The Old City Lord returned from the Heavenly Sun Sect, and the Grand Commander assured him that an alliance between the Heavenly Sun Sect and Five Peaks Palace was unlikely.
• The Grand Commander asked Purple Mountain City’s subordinate Core Formation forces for support, but most investigated the situation and prepared to refuse.
• The Lei Clan Head concluded that Five Peaks Palace was likely to win and persuaded the clan to choose its side.
• Lei Yuanji met Yu Qingyun and promised that the Lei Clan would send two Core Formation cultivators when Five Peaks Palace reached Hundred Wells County.
• Yu Qingyun shared news of the Lei Clan’s decision with the Nascent Soul cultivators, including Li Qianqing.
• Li Qianqing reached greater mastery of the second absolute of the Extinguishing Spirit Three Absolutes and gained a stronger chance of extinguishing a Nascent Soul Late Stage opponent.