Chapter Summaries

Gu Han defeated Qi Tianyun but could not stop him from escaping with a powerful jade talisman. He claimed and consumed the Law-Passing Fruit, broke through to the Seventh Heaven of Spirit Absorption Realm, and Qi Tianyun headed to the Ye Kingdom's capital to seek help from his parents.

• Qi Tianyun attacked Gu Han with Myriad Spirit Sword Qi, but Gu Han's golden barrier held and his counterattack destroyed Qi Tianyun's flying sword.
• Qi Tianyun used a jade talisman to escape Gu Han's strike and was transported to a wilderness thousands of li away.
• Gu Han decided to take the Law-Passing Fruit, then leave the Ye Kingdom for the Nine Winds Kingdom after rescuing Jiang Fei.
• Gu Han dispelled the Triple Netherworld Divine Fire Formation, took the Law-Passing Fruit, and consumed it beneath the fruit tree.
• Gu Han absorbed the fruit's energy and advanced to the Seventh Heaven of Spirit Absorption Realm.
• Qi Tianyun rode the Spirit Jade Void Ship toward the Ye Kingdom's capital to ask his parents for help against Lin Feng.

Gu Han traveled in disguise with the Li Family caravan while avoiding the bounty on Lin Feng, then stopped with them at a desert inn. That night, the innkeeper reported the caravan’s strength to a mysterious black shadow, who was intrigued by the suspected cultivator among them.

• Gu Han joined the Li Family caravan in disguise and heard guards discuss the increased bounty on Lin Feng and the formidable figures offering rewards.
• Gu Han explained that reaching the Innate Realm was difficult, then resumed cultivating as the caravan crossed the desert.
• The caravan stopped at Vast Sea Inn at the Young Miss’s order, and the innkeeper welcomed the travelers while Elder Ling remained wary of her.
• After night fell, the innkeeper descended to the basement and told the black shadow that 1,038 people had checked in, including one person suspected to be a cultivator.
• The black shadow showed delight upon hearing that a cultivator might be among the guests.

Gu Han uncovered a demonic cultivator’s blood-draining formation at the Vast Sea Inn and broke it, saving the guests from being drained. After the injured Li Family's Eldest Young Lady failed to defeat the demon, Gu Han revealed his cultivation and unleashed Demon-Cleansing True Martial Sword Qi.

• A demonic cultivator prepared to use the Myriad Spirits Bloodthirsty Great Formation to heal his wounds by draining the Vast Sea Inn’s guests.
• Gu Han sensed the guests falling into a strange sleep and used his Spiritual Power to restore the blood drawn from them.
• The guests awoke to find the land around the inn covered in blood and skeletons, while the formation sealed the doors and windows.
• The Li Family's Eldest Young Lady attacked the black-mist demon with her ice-blue sword, but he defeated her with a single strike.
• Gu Han revealed himself as a cultivator and unleashed his Demon-Cleansing True Martial Sword Qi against the demon.

Gu Han pursued and killed Venerable Wind Demon, then claimed the demonic sword and the elder’s Storage Bag, discovering a fortune in Spirit Stones and other treasures. He began examining the jade slips inside, with his spoils promising to greatly strengthen his cultivation.

• The black-mist figure drained the blood essences in his underground chamber and fled at tremendous speed, while Gu Han chased him to obtain his life-preserving technique.
• Gu Han ignored Venerable Wind Demon’s threats and maintained his pursuit until the elder’s burst of speed faded.
• Gu Han killed Venerable Wind Demon with a golden sword strike and retrieved the Blood-red Demonic Sword.
• Gu Han suppressed the sword’s demonic qi, stored it away, and broke the spiritual imprint on the elder’s Spirit Grade Top Tier Storage Bag.
• Gu Han found at least a hundred thousand Spirit Stones, cultivation resources, and rows of jade slips in the Storage Bag.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Gu Han discovers a storage bag containing powerful demonic cultivation techniques from a slain black-robed cultivator.
• He realizes the techniques are Treasure Tier, corresponding to Mana Realm Immortal Masters.
• Gu Han decides to use his 'Deduction' skill to fuse immortal and demonic arts, aiming to advance rapidly and avoid demonic cultivation's drawbacks.

Character Developments

• Gu Han's ambition grows as he sees the potential in fusing immortal and demonic cultivation methods.
• The black-robed cultivator's resentment and final revenge plan against Gu Han are revealed posthumously.

Significant Themes

• The decline of the demonic path and the prevalence of the immortal path.
• The difficulty of demonic cultivators breaking through major realms due to increased heavenly tribulation power.
• The superiority complex of higher-tier nations over lower-tier ones.

Character Interactions

• Gu Han's internal monologue reveals his plans and thoughts about his future cultivation path.
• Gu Han's past experiences and current situation cause him to feel melancholic about leaving the Ye Kingdom.

Gu Han, disguised as the Top-grade First Tier Alchemist Tianfengzi, sought refuge with the Wang Family and was welcomed by Na Xian Pavilion's Pavilion Master, Wang Xiangnan. After Shi Yue challenged his credentials, Gu Han wagered fifty thousand Spirit Stones on an alchemy contest, and Wang Xiangnan led them to the market plaza to compete.

• Gu Han presented himself at Na Xian Pavilion as Tianfengzi, a Top-grade First Tier Alchemist from the Ye Kingdom, and the gatekeeper summoned Wang Xiangnan.
• Wang Xiangnan welcomed Gu Han, brought him inside, and introduced him to the pavilion's three other Top-grade First Tier Alchemists: Shi Yue, Qian Feng, and Yu Dang.
• Shi Yue questioned whether a low kingdom could produce a Top-grade First Tier Alchemist and challenged Gu Han to prove his skill.
• Gu Han accepted Shi Yue's challenge and proposed a wager of fifty thousand Spirit Stones, which Shi Yue accepted after Wang Xiangnan promised to compensate him if he lost.
• Wang Xiangnan led Gu Han, Shi Yue, and the others to the cultivation market plaza, where two large pill furnaces stood ready for the contest.

Gu Han and Alchemist Shi prepared for a public pill-refinement contest at the Wang Family’s Purple Interval Market, where wagers quickly favored Shi. The contest began with Gu Han igniting the Azure Earth Spirit Fire beneath his pill furnace.

• Wang Xiangnan showed Gu Han around Purple Interval Market and explained the Wang Family’s business and the contest’s betting pools.
• Gu Han wagered fifty thousand Spirit Stones on himself at odds of one to one point five and received five betting tokens.
• Alchemist Yu and Alchemist Qian wagered on Shi, while Wang Xiangnan wagered fifty thousand Spirit Stones on Gu Han; most market cultivators also backed Shi.
• Shi taunted Gu Han as the crowd placed bets, and Gu Han answered that practice would decide their strengths.
• Gu Han ignited the Azure Earth Spirit Fire, and Wang Xiangnan announced that the contest had begun.

After Du Ruhua learned Shangguan Qing still wanted to reconcile with He Yan, she confronted him about his promise to make her his proper wife, but he dismissed her. Meanwhile, He Qing tried a storybook stratagem on Jin Zhi, and her fake fall turned into a real fall and an unexpected kiss, leaving Jin Zhi determined to speak with her before leaving the capital.

• Du Ruhua confronted Shangguan Qing about whether he would make her his proper wife and whether He Yan would reclaim the title of Marchioness of Wenyang.
• Shangguan Qing told Du Ruhua that He Yan had been his wife first and warned her not to reach beyond her status.
• He Qing found Jin Zhi outside Marquis Zhenguo's Manor and used a storybook stratagem by pretending to fall.
• Jin Zhi caught He Qing in a princess carry, but He Qing kissed him and he pushed her away, rebuking her.
• Jin Zhi decided to leave the capital soon but first wanted to make certain things clear to He Qing.

He Qing learned from Jin Zhi that Qin Yuyao would face a bloody calamity and stayed by her side as she neared childbirth. When hired midwives attacked Qin Yuyao, Fu Hongyan killed two of them, but more attackers rushed forward.

• He Qing visited Jin Zhi, who divined that Qin Yuyao would face a bloody calamity within three days and warned that someone close to her would act.
• He Qing stayed at Nishang Courtyard to watch over Qin Yuyao, then told her about the danger when labor began.
• Qin Yuyao asked He Qing to bring Fu Hongyan and warned Fu Hongyan to watch the seven midwives.
• Two midwives attacked Qin Yuyao during the delivery, and Fu Hongyan killed them.
• The room fell into chaos when the remaining midwives revealed themselves as accomplices and two more charged at Qin Yuyao.

After two years cultivating and refining techniques in Na Xian Pavilion, Gu Han reached the peak of the Ninth Heaven of Spirit Absorption Realm and decided to leave the Wang Family for Heavenly Abyss Sword City. As he stepped outside the pavilion to seek the Wang Family Head, a seemingly drunk man at Taibai Restaurant recognized him.

• Gu Han recalled how six deductions had forged the Treasure Grade High Rank Primordial Supreme Taiji Heavenly Demon Qi Refining Method, while three more strengthened his techniques.
• Gu Han reviewed his peak Ninth Heaven cultivation, formidable techniques, and combat power, which could rival ordinary early-stage Mana Realm Immortal Masters.
• Gu Han decided to leave Na Xian Pavilion and travel toward Heavenly Abyss Sword City, having concluded that his pill-refining contributions to the Wang Family had repaid its support.
• Gu Han learned from Sun Qi that Wang Xiangnan was away and set out to find the Wang Family Head instead.
• A middle-aged man at Taibai Restaurant stopped feigning drunkenness and watched Gu Han leave Na Xian Pavilion.

Emperor Rong Gan feared that He Feng had killed his three grandsons and could easily target him, but frontier tensions engineered by He Yang forced him to blame the murders on deathsworn men and postpone retaliation. Meanwhile, Ye Wumian brought Fu Hongyan to meet his business partners, and she openly claimed him when another woman showed interest.

• Rong Gan grew increasingly terrified as the three departments failed to find who had killed his grandsons.
• He Yang stirred conflicts between Great Xia and two neighboring dynasties, pressuring Rong Gan to stop provoking Marquis Zhenguo's Manor.
• Rong Gan arranged for deathsworn men to confess to the murders and decided to settle the score with Marquis Zhenguo's Manor later.
• Ye Wumian brought Fu Hongyan to meet his business partners and showed his affection by covering her with his cloak and holding her hand.
• Fu Hongyan nestled in Ye Wumian's arms and repeatedly told a woman in purple that he was hers.

Gu Han refused Wang Can’s request to help the Wang Family kill the Zhang and Liu Families, but learned that his use of Palm Sumeru might benefit him and the Wang Family. Wang Can showed him the damaged Green Lotus Lamp and began explaining its history, leaving its three flaws unrevealed.

• Gu Han revealed his youthful appearance to Wang Jin and agreed to wait three days at Taibai Restaurant while the Wang Family consulted its ancestor.
• Wang Can visited Gu Han and asked him to join the Wang Family’s two Mana Realm ancestors in killing the Zhang and Liu Family ancestors, but Gu Han refused.
• Wang Can learned from Gu Han that he had used Palm Sumeru against Liu Zhengyan and said the technique brought benefits to them both.
• Wang Can showed Gu Han the damaged Green Lotus Lamp and recounted how the Wang Family ancestor Wang Zhen had brought it back from an ancient secret realm.
• Wang Can said a True Person ancestor had inspected the Green Lotus Lamp and identified three major flaws, and Gu Han asked what they were.

Wang Can explained the Green Lotus Lamp’s three flaws and offered it to Gu Han in exchange for killing the Zhang and Liu family ancestors. Gu Han agreed to help but demanded additional Treasure Grade equipment, leaving Wang Can stunned.

• Wang Can revealed that the Green Lotus Lamp had deteriorated from a Treasure Grade High Rank artifact to Spirit Grade Upper Tier.
• Wang Can explained that the lamp required Buddhist mana to be refined and used, allowing Gu Han’s Palm Sumeru to raise its power to Spirit Grade Top Tier.
• Wang Can described the lamp’s oath requiring its user to tell Golden Cicada Temple that Fire Nether Dharma King destroyed Dongshan Temple and seek vengeance.
• Gu Han agreed to kill the Zhang and Liu family ancestors but said the Green Lotus Lamp was insufficient payment and demanded a Treasure Grade Low Rank treasure armor and flying sword.
• Wang Can froze at Gu Han’s demand.

Gu Han discovered that the damaged Green Lotus Lamp had once been a Divine Grade artifact and used Palm Sumeru to unlock its hidden restoration legacy. He gained the Vajra Treasure Refining Manual and became a second-rank Artifact Refiner, then prepared to fully refine the lamp before the coming battle.

• Wang Can agreed to provide Gu Han with one Treasure Grade Low Rank offensive artifact and one defensive artifact within three days in exchange for his help against the Zhang and Liu Families.
• Gu Han used Insight on the Green Lotus Lamp and learned that it had once been a Divine Grade artifact, with a restoration method hidden inside it.
• Gu Han refined the lamp with Palm Sumeru, prompting the phantom of its former owner to appear and leave him the Vajra Treasure Refining Manual without requiring a thousand-year oath.
• Gu Han gained extensive artifact-refining knowledge from the manual and advanced to become a second-rank Artifact Refiner.
• Gu Han decided to finish refining the Green Lotus Lamp and discover its power before the battle.

Gu Han refined the Green Lotus Lamp and discovered that its domain could suppress even Mana Realm cultivators when combined with All Things Sealing. Wang Can arrived with two allies to prepare for the attack on the Zhang and Liu Families, and Gu Han received his promised reward.

• Gu Han completed refining the Green Lotus Lamp, tested its power, and found it could reduce his strength by about fifty percent, or sixty percent when combined with All Things Sealing.
• After three days, Wang Can arrived with Zhou Yanshan and Silk Pulling Granny while Gu Han cultivated toward the Mana Realm.
• Gu Han and Wang Can exchanged praise, and Gu Han concealed his origins behind a prepared explanation about his ancestors.
• Wang Can introduced Zhou Yanshan and Silk Pulling Granny and described their Treasure Grade artifacts for the planned assault on the Zhang and Liu Families.
• Wang Can urged the group to head to the Wang residence and gave Gu Han a Storage Bag containing a golden flying sword and white-glowing treasure armor.

Gu Han joined Wang Huan and the other Mana Realm experts as they traveled to Cloud Collapse Mountain to destroy the Zhang and Liu Families. After Wang Can failed to provoke the enemy out of their formation, Zhou Yanshan unleashed his Mountain Overturning Seal against the mountain.

• Gu Han examined the Golden Wind Dragon Slaying Sword and White Sun Heaven Shaking Armor, which the Wang Family had provided for the battle.
• Wang Huan gathered the experts and explained that Gu Han would slow Zhang and Liu while Silk Pulling Granny captured them; he promised an additional reward if they succeeded.
• Wang Huan took the group aboard his Ancient Coiling Silver Flying Ship to Cloud Collapse Mountain, where Wang Can exchanged insults with the Liu Family ancestor for over an hour.
• Wang Can gave up trying to draw the enemy out, and Wang Huan asked Zhou Yanshan to attack their formation.
• Zhou Yanshan enlarged his Mountain Overturning Seal and sent it crashing down toward Cloud Collapse Mountain.

Zhou Yanshan broke the first formation guarding Cloud Collapse Mountain, but Wang Huan and his companions entered a much stronger Four Extremes Sacred Beast Formation that split them apart and blocked their divine sense. The formation’s controllers began attacking Gu Han with a White Tiger and a Vermillion Bird as he activated the Green Lotus Lamp.

• Zhou Yanshan used the Mountain Overturning Seal to break the first mist formation over Cloud Collapse Mountain.
• Wang Huan led Zhou Yanshan, Gu Han, and the others into the mountain, where the Four Extremes Sacred Beast Formation plunged them into darkness and separated them.
• Gu Han used Insight to identify the formation and learned that it could trap and kill intruders through four sacred beasts controlled from its array eyes.
• Wang Huan and the others failed to regroup while Zhou Yanshan’s attacks vanished into the formation, and the four controllers chose Wang Can and Gu Han as their first targets.
• A White Tiger and a Vermillion Bird attacked Gu Han, who activated the Green Lotus Lamp.

Gu Han used the Green Lotus Lamp to suppress and destroy the White Tiger and Vermillion Bird sacred beasts, prompting their controllers to regroup and target the other fighters. He arrived just in time to save Wang Can from the Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise, leaving the two of them facing the remaining sacred beasts.

• Gu Han suppressed the White Tiger and Vermillion Bird with the Green Lotus Lamp and slashed the White Tiger until its spirit body dispersed.
• Old Ancestor Liehuo and the white-robed ancestor reported that their sacred beasts had been slain, while Old Ancestor Zhang ordered them to condense the beasts again and join forces against the others.
• Wang Can struggled against the Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise and told Wang Huan through the Communication Talisman that he could barely hold on.
• A Black Tortoise hoof nearly crushed Wang Can, but Gu Han arrived and used the Green Lotus Lamp's domain power to weaken the blow.
• Wang Can dodged the hoof, thanked Gu Han for saving him, and Gu Han turned to face the Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise.

After Jin Zhi rejected her, He Qing began going on blind dates to prove she could find someone else, while Jin Zhi stayed in the capital despite believing he should leave her. The chapter left He Qing weighing a promising match with Li Yu and Jin Zhi torn over whether to say goodbye or sever ties.

• Jin Zhi told He Qing he did not like her because becoming an immortal mattered more to him, and He Qing threatened to go on blind dates.
• Jin Zhi blessed He Qing's search for a husband, so she ordered him out and decided to recover from her feigned illness.
• He Qing began meeting several men a day and went boating with Li Yu, the Minister of Rites' legitimate son.
• He Qing found Li Yu refined and suitable for a husband but felt that their relationship lacked a special attraction.
• Jin Zhi remained in the capital after He Qing drove him out, wavering between bidding her farewell and cutting ties more decisively.

Jin Zhi disrupted He Qing’s lake outing with Li Yu, then admitted that he liked her but could not yet promise her anything. After learning that Qin Yuzhuo had been badly injured in a conflict involving the Ninth Prince’s brother-in-law, Qin Yuyao returned to Qin Manor and decided to strike at Xiao Ruoyun’s support.

• Jin Zhi interrupted He Qing and Li Yu’s lake outing by revealing that He Qing had once pursued him and been alone with him in a room.
• Li Yu left, and He Qing slapped Jin Zhi for ruining her marriage prospects before he admitted that he liked her but needed time.
• A servant told Qin Yuyao that Qin Yuzhuo had been badly beaten after clashing with the Ninth Prince’s brother-in-law.
• Qin Yuyao visited Qin Manor, saw that Qin Yuzhuo had not lost a leg, and promised her family she would seek justice.
• Qin Yuyao resolved to weaken Xiao Ruoyun by cutting off the sources of support around her.