Chapter Summaries

Xie Yuan demonstrated power at the Third Level of Practice, astonishing the escort leaders and earning an appointment as an Escort Leader. Shen Longteng then proposed hiding Xie Yuan’s breakthrough to counter Vajra Gate’s plans.

• Xie Yuan tested Moon-Slayer in the training ground and unleashed an axe strike that sent blue-green bricks flying.
• Shen Longteng and the four Escort Leaders witnessed the strike and realized Xie Yuan had reached the Third Level of Practice.
• Xie Yuan told Shen Longteng he had broken through just moments earlier, and the leaders praised his extraordinary talent.
• Shen Longteng appointed Xie Yuan as an Escort Leader and assigned him to manage Xu Mo Escort Team.
• Shen Longteng told Xie Yuan that Vajra Gate was secretly contacting mountain bandits and suggested concealing his breakthrough.

After killing Deng Wan, Xie Yuan and Mu Chaoyun recovered enough to loot his body and discuss their battle, but Mu Chaoyun’s divination still showed danger ahead. As they left the woods fearing Lu Lao San was nearby, an unknown figure approached Deng Wan’s corpse.

• Mu Chaoyun confirmed Deng Wan was dead and returned to find Xie Yuan badly injured; the two rested together after their victory.
• Xie Yuan and Mu Chaoyun discussed how he had injured Deng Wan with his axe and how he had comprehended the Black Heaven Book.
• Xie Yuan and Mu Chaoyun searched Deng Wan’s corpse and took his banknotes, a Thousand Mile Ant, and a mystic horsewhip.
• Mu Chaoyun explained the horsewhip’s power depended on grandmaster-level inner force, and Xie Yuan let her keep the mystic weapon.
• Mu Chaoyun’s divination showed only one gate of life, so she and Xie Yuan supported each other as they left, suspecting Lu Lao San was close.
• After the two departed, an unknown figure stepped through the leaves and stopped beside Deng Wan’s corpse.

Qin Zhenyang told the Yunshan Sword Sect disciples how Xie Yuan had helped Great Li win the Floating Pagoda ruins, and the group was suddenly transported back to the desert. Xie Yuan returned to Yunshan Mountain disguised as Zhang Shan, assessed his treasures, and was summoned by the sect master.

• Qin Zhenyang explained that Xie Yuan had helped kill Lu Tianyong, grievously injure Luo Tuo, and secure victory over the Western Regions experts.
• The Floating Pagoda vanished and transported the explorers back to the desert, where Lu Lao San learned of his son's death and Ming Wang demanded to know who Xie Yuan was.
• Li Xingtuo defended Xie Yuan from Ming Wang and Lu Lao San, while Xie Yuan stayed hidden among the disciples as Zhang Shan.
• Xie Yuan returned to Yunshan Mountain, shared a meal with Lin Cheng, and tallied the precious medicines and Hundred Transformations Mystic Weapon he had brought back.
• Xie Yuan's name spread throughout Great Li, and a woman in Jinling Prefecture heard the exaggerated stories about his exploits.
• Two disciples from the main peak summoned Zhang Shan to meet the sect master.

Xie Yuan and four Yunshan Sword Sect disciples were driven into the newly opened Ancient Ruins as Lu Pei fought to protect them from Lu Lao San and Black Wind Old Man. Li Xingtuo arrived to confront the Western Regions’ Ming Wang just as powerful figures converged on the Floating Pagoda, while Xie Yuan’s fate remained unknown.

• Xie Yuan led his companions toward the basin to escape Lu Lao San, but Lu Pei arrived and stopped the pursuit with his flying swords.
• Lu Pei battled Lu Lao San, then faced Black Wind Old Man, who arrived after discovering the Ancient Ruins.
• As horse bandits closed in, Xie Yuan and the four disciples jumped into the funnel-shaped basin and were swept into the pit beneath the Floating Pagoda.
• Lu Pei unleashed his seven-sword formation against Lu Lao San and Black Wind Old Man, then called for Sect Leader Li Xingtuo when his strength waned.
• Li Xingtuo arrived and refused Lu Lao San’s offer to trade information for his life, but Ming Wang appeared to challenge him.
• More powerful figures gathered around the Ancient Ruins as Lu Lao San blamed Xie Yuan for triggering the disturbance.

Xie Yuan learned about the martial world’s powerful realms, sects, and families from Situ Qin, while continuing to wonder about the Taoist Master’s identity. The convoy was ambushed by a disciplined force of black-clad attackers, and Xie Yuan joined the bloody clash.

• Situ Qin explained the Inner and Outer Unity realm, the Celestial Dragon Ranking, and the Buddhist-Daoist Dispute to Xie Yuan.
• Xie Yuan told Situ Qin about his connection to Prajna Temple’s legacy, and she identified herself as a member of the Situ Qin Family of Cloud Province.
• Xie Yuan pondered whether the Taoist Master was Jade Void True Person and learned more about the great families and factions from Situ Qin.
• After Situ Qin played the zither, Xie Yuan warned Commander Hu that the mountain road was vulnerable to an ambush, but Commander Hu dismissed his concern.
• A black-clad attacker shot at Commander Hu, and forty or fifty masked fighters poured from the forest to attack the convoy.
• Xie Yuan drew his saber and fought as the convoy collided with the attackers.

After the Vajra Gate fell, Xie Yuan shut himself away from visitors and trained while Mu Chaoyun recovered in his room. Her martial arts advice and an unexplained improvement in his condition greatly accelerated his progress, leaving him eager to keep training under her watch.

• Xie Yuan noticed his morning practice had become smoother and more effective, and attributed the improvement to lingering effects from medicine and nourishing materials.
• Mu Chaoyun ate the food Xie Yuan had brought, then told him she needed only time to recover and had her own healing medicine.
• Visitors crowded the escort agency after news of the Vajra Gate's fall and Xie Yuan's arena victory, but he refused to meet them and continued training while waiting for officials to move against Yu Chunsheng.
• Mu Chaoyun advised Xie Yuan on his axe technique, then answered his questions about martial arts for much of the afternoon, sharply improving his training progress.
• The next morning, Xie Yuan found his practice even easier and felt his talent had improved, with Bone Forging seemingly only days away.

Xie Yuan opened Situ Qin’s lavish gift and found Moon-Slayer, a powerful great axe, along with the matching Moon Slaying Axe manual. After trying the weapon and practicing all seven forms, he accepted the gift and decided to use his Grade B merit rewards to strengthen himself further.

• Xie Yuan opened the sandalwood box and discovered a heavy, exceptionally sharp great axe named Moon-Slayer.
• Xie Yuan read Situ Qin’s letter, which invited him to visit her in Yun Province Prefecture, and examined the matching Moon Slaying Axe manual.
• Xie Yuan recognized the technique’s power, began learning it, and practiced all seven forms with Moon-Slayer in the courtyard.
• Xie Yuan decided to remember Situ Qin’s kindness and repay her in the future.
• Xie Yuan planned to use his two Grade B merit rewards to find treasures that could help improve his cultivation and martial arts.

Xie Yuan agreed to accompany Situ Qin to a banquet in exchange for her Inner Strength formula, where her closeness to him drew the attention of Yun Province’s young nobles. After trading words with Du Jian and Peng Wei, Xie Yuan learned that Yu Chunsheng had recently visited Peng Wei’s father, and Peng Wei challenged him to a saber match for the right to ask about the visit.

• Situ Qin persuaded Xie Yuan to attend a banquet with her by offering him her Nourishing Method formula, and he accepted despite suspecting she wanted him to shield her from admirers.
• Xie Yuan and Situ Qin arrived together at Xue Yanwen’s estate, where their shared carriage ride and his escorting her out sparked speculation among the guests.
• Peng Wei belittled Xie Yuan’s common background, but Situ Qin rebuked him and defended their friendship.
• Du Jian lectured Xie Yuan about hard work and self-reliance, but Xie Yuan suggested that the Governor may have secretly protected Du Jian during his dangerous training; Du Jian reconsidered his claims.
• Peng Wei revealed that Yu Chunsheng had visited his father, the Judicial Surveillance Commissioner, and challenged Xie Yuan to a saber match, making the visit’s details the wager.

Xie Yuan and Mu Chaoyun reached a ruined temple after fleeing, but both were gravely injured and unable to recover on their own. Mu Chaoyun chose to use a method of harmonizing yin and yang to resolve their spiritual-power deadlock, and the chapter ended as she settled into Xie Yuan’s arms.

• Xie Yuan carried the unconscious Mu Chaoyun into a ruined temple near the Five Elements Mountain Range and searched his medicines for a way to treat her injuries.
• Mu Chaoyun urged Xie Yuan to take the Snow Jade Exquisite Pill, but its medicinal power vanished into the conflict between the two Demonic Cores in his dantian.
• Xie Yuan discovered that he and Mu Chaoyun were trapped in a vicious cycle: he needed help to recover, while she needed his help to regain strength.
• After they fell asleep, Mu Chaoyun woke, realized Xie Yuan was hiding the severity of his condition, and decided there was only one way to help him.
• Mu Chaoyun undressed and joined Xie Yuan in the moonlit temple, telling him to hold her as she began the method to break their deadlock.

Xie Yuan completed the Pre-Qin Alchemist's Notes in the ruins, then escaped with the survivors as the Eight Great Families learned of the catastrophe and blamed the Qian Family. Afterward, the Autumn Wind Pavilion Master executed Yao Yilong, while Qian Wubing's bid for longevity ended in failure and a mysterious figure sent another agent out.

• Xie Yuan repeatedly read the notes until the panel combined their fragments into a complete manual, then found the exit open and left the unstable ruins with the survivors.
• Yao Tian Chuan returned to the altar, where the families learned that nearly fifty entrants had died, praised him for killing the Demonic Cultists, and seized Qian Yulin over the Qian Family's role.
• Xie Lingyun gave Xie Yuan a Star God Flower, and he left with the Yao Family while planning to complete the notes and Buddhist Resonance.
• Yao Yilong searched the Qian estate for Qian Wubing, then tried to flee Jiangnan before the Autumn Wind Pavilion Master arrived, killed him, and burned the Yao branch residence.
• Qian Wubing demanded the promised longevity medicine from a hidden demon-cult figure, but the mission's failure left him with no medicine; the figure immobilized him and ordered Little Fish to take him outside.
• The hidden figure told Xing Er to go out next, and she eagerly accepted.

Situ Qin rescued Xie Yuan from Ji Xuan and Miao Yun, and the two explored Sky Garden together, where Xie Yuan gave her the Immortal Spirit Flower and strengthened his spear art. Their search for the Tower to Heaven led them inside, where Xie Yuan lost consciousness before a stone slab and Situ Qin faced a pair of enormous eyes in the mist.

• Situ Qin played the zither and defeated Ji Xuan, while Miao Yun fled after Situ Qin stopped her ambush on Xie Yuan.
• Situ Qin scolded Xie Yuan for risking himself, explained she had entered the Western Regions with permission, and helped him recover before they continued exploring Sky Garden.
• Xie Yuan and Situ Qin gathered spirit herbs and found the Immortal Spirit Flower; Xie Yuan gave it to Situ Qin, whose cultivation and Spiritual Sense immediately improved.
• Xie Yuan recalled Xie An's will to battle the heavens, advanced his Heaven Burning World Destroying Spear forms, and revealed the Tower to Heaven in the mist.
• Xie Yuan entered the tower ahead of Situ Qin, and a stone slab appeared in the surrounding mist; Xie Yuan then lost consciousness as an immense presence revealed enormous eyes above them.

Xie Yuan retrieved the Illusion Dream Heavenly Crystal from Seeing Truth Lake and discovered that he could cultivate within its dreams. He decided to remain in Jiangnan as Nether Goose to avoid endangering Mu Chaoyun’s plans, while Mu Chaoyun’s divination afterward left her troubled.

• Xie Yuan used the Eight Trigrams Lotus to absorb the Illusion Dream Heavenly Crystal, escaped the Lake Within the Lake, and was carried away by Mu Chaoyun after seven days had passed outside.
• Xie Yuan showed Mu Chaoyun the Heavenly Crystal Lotus, and she discovered a hidden red mark left by someone from Zhikong Mountain but chose to keep it for now.
• Mu Chaoyun explained how the crystal strengthened her divination and concealment arts, then gave Xie Yuan the Heavenly Crystal Lotus to study before they discussed their impending separation.
• After Xie Yuan left, Mu Chaoyun's divination rods broke and cut her hand, leaving her staring at the black tortoise arrangement in alarm.
• Xie Yuan entered the Illusory Dream Space while sleeping and found that he could cultivate there, waking with increased Golden Bell Cover progress.
• Xie Yuan told Mu Chaoyun about dream cultivation and decided to stay as Nether Goose, reasoning that his sudden disappearance could draw suspicion to her; Mu Chaoyun agreed and reminded him to notify Miss in Cloud Province.

Lu Lao San tracked Mu Chaoyun to the Soaring Dragon Escort Agency, where Li Tai confronted him and let him leave after learning whom he was pursuing. Situ Qin realized Xie Yuan had been traveling with the female grandmaster and urged Li Tai to catch up with them after summoning Red Aunt to protect her.

• Lu Lao San followed Mu Chaoyun's aura into the Soaring Dragon Escort Agency and searched the courtyard and Xie Yuan's room for traces.
• Li Tai arrived with Situ Qin and stopped Lu Lao San from attacking them; Lu Lao San admitted he was pursuing a woman from the North Capital Mountain Mu Family for her treasure.
• Li Tai estimated Lu Lao San had less than a ten-percent chance of hurting Situ Qin and let him leave after hearing his explanation.
• Li Tai deduced that Xie Yuan and the female grandmaster had fled together, while Situ Qin grew jealous after seeing signs they had shared the room.
• Situ Qin ordered Li Tai to pursue Xie Yuan, and Li Tai agreed to summon Red Aunt to Cloudshine before leaving.

After a two-month seclusion, Xie Yuan advanced his Great Golden River Skill to the Grandmaster realm, though his weaker Blood Qi left him worried about an imbalance. As the Wang Clan arrived to pursue a marriage alliance, Xie Yuan met Wang Qiwen and Wang Qishi and asked what they intended to do.

• Xie Yuan discovered that the Snow Dragon Pill had helped his Great Golden River Skill break through to Level Eleven, but his Blood Qi lagged behind and might hinder his path to becoming a true Grandmaster.
• Xie Yuan discussed the Xie Family's internal divisions and the Wang Clan's marriage proposal with Cui Pingjun and Xie Jun, firmly resolving that the marriage could not go through.
• Xie Fu mistook Xie Yuan's cultivation for the peak of Level Ten and warned him that an imbalance between Inner Strength and Blood Qi could make a Grandmaster breakthrough difficult; he suggested dispersing the cultivation as a last resort.
• Xie Yuan trained with Xie Fu through the spring, rapidly improving his spear technique with Ten Thousand Weapons Candlelight Shadow and unlocking Dragon Soul's first restriction.
• Wang Qiwen and Wang Qishi arrived in Chen Commandery with a large delegation, and Xie Yuan waited three days before inviting them to his courtyard.
• Xie Yuan asked Wang Qiwen why he had come, and Wang Qiwen suggested that he wanted to spar.

Xie Yuan absorbed the Jade Bracelet’s Blood Qi and broke through to the Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm, then joined the others in breaking the restriction to the ninth floor. Inside the star-filled hidden space, he helped the group fight the Flame Igniter Envoy, who unveiled her face and prepared to unleash her full strength.

• Xie Yuan exhausted the Jade Bracelet’s Blood Qi while completing the Golden Bell Cover’s fifth layer, transforming his body and advancing to the Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm.
• Xie Yuan returned to the eighth floor, where Cui Lei and the others were waiting, and confirmed his breakthrough before helping them break the restriction with a coordinated attack.
• The group entered the ninth floor and discovered a starry hidden space filled with visions of ancient history and countless books, but the Flame Igniter Envoy ambushed Xie Yuan and then attacked the others from the darkness.
• Xie Yuan realized he could track the Flame Igniter Envoy within the limited space and guided the others’ attacks, turning the fight into a pursuit and preventing her from reaching the exit.
• The Flame Igniter Envoy stopped retreating, revealed her peerlessly beautiful face beneath the starlight, and declared that she would kill them all.

Disguised as Xie Bing, Xie Yuan investigated the missing Manjusaka, uncovered a Wang Family plot that framed Xie Qian, and confronted the scheme’s perpetrators. After resolving the clan dispute, he decided to travel to the Western Regions for medicine and to visit Lu Lao San.

• Xie Yuan questioned Xie Qian about the missing Manjusaka, heard his account, and blocked a sudden palm strike that revealed Xie Qian suspected his disguise.
• Xie Yuan used the Heaven Illusion Art on Yuan Yong and learned that a mysterious grandmaster had coerced him into framing Xie Qian and blamed the Wang Family.
• Xie Yi rescued Yuan Yong’s family and released Yuan Yong, who discovered that the supposed Sage’s Legacy Codex method in his son’s longevity lock was blank.
• Xie Yuan and Xie Qian confronted Shi Linyu, a Wang Family Grandmaster, and let him flee after confirming his identity and demanding that Langya answer for the plot.
• Xie Yuan brought Yuan Yong’s family back, ordered Yuan Yong to answer to the matriarch, and arranged for Xie Qian to return to the clan lands.
• Xie Yuan revealed that he possessed the Blood Cleansing and Marrow Refining Chapter, then chose to seek the Western Regions’ divine medicines and visit Lu Lao San.

Xie Yuan devoured and refined a mass of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, then killed A Xin and Mu Bo in a desperate battle and kept the Golden Mandala. As Miao Yun and Ji Xuan cornered him while he was exhausted, a familiar zither melody began above them, offering him a possible way out.

• Xie Yuan used his Indestructible Flame and cultivation techniques to refine the medicines he had swallowed, stabilizing their chaotic power while A Xin and Mu Bo attacked his Golden Bell Cover.
• Xie Yuan killed A Xin with a sudden sword strike, then fought Mu Bo with Dragon Soul until the medicinal power strengthened him enough to freeze and kill Mu Bo.
• Xie Yuan collected the Golden Mandala and surviving treasures, but Miao Yun and Ji Xuan appeared and blocked his escape while he was still badly weakened.
• A zither sounded from the terrace above, and an unseen speaker announced a Formation Breaking Melody for Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan and his companions learned that Xi, the last descendant of the Nine Hells Clan, was guarding the unstable Nine Hells Gate and that Xie An's seal needed to be reinforced. Xie Yuan agreed to enter the Nine Hells Realm, where the group fought through a vast demon army and faced a powerful four-armed creature.

• Xi revealed that she was the last descendant of the Nine Hells Clan and warned that the Nine Hells Gate was close to opening completely.
• Xi explained that Xie An's successor had been prophesied to reinforce the seal, and identified Xie Yuan and Xie Lingyun as possible candidates.
• After demons poured through the unstable gate again, Xie Yuan agreed to enter the Nine Hells Realm with Situ Qin, Xie Lingyun, and Mu Chaoyun.
• Xi opened the Bronze Gate and instructed the group to reach the palace atop the highest mountain and recite the sacrificial text to reinforce the seal.
• Xie Yuan led the group into the demon army, while Situ Qin and Mu Chaoyun fought beside and behind him as they slowly advanced.
• A towering four-armed demon seized Xie Yuan's spear and raised its arms to strike him.

Xie Yuan awakened beneath Seeing Truth Lake’s Illusion Dream Heavenly Crystal and helped the trapped geniuses escape, then returned to Jinling with Qin Zhenyang. He left the Qian Family mourning hall wearing Qian Yangsheng’s clothes, having gained new abilities and a mysterious Buddhist Resonance.

• Xie Yuan realized the Eight Trigrams Lotus petals had kept him lucid in the dream and awakened beneath the Illusion Dream Heavenly Crystal, but he could not take the Black Heaven Book away.
• Xie Yuan delayed suppressing the crystal’s effects to avoid exposing himself, then escaped the relic among the people it expelled.
• Yao Yuzhi faced angry families at Seeing Truth Lake, while Old Man Hanshan learned his disciple Peng'er had died and demanded an explanation.
• Qin Zhenyang carried the unconscious Xie Yuan back to Jinling and told their fellow disciples that Xie Yuan was stable but needed rest.
• Mister Qian mourned Qian Yangsheng and struggled to understand how he had died despite carrying the Water Stabilizing Pearl.
• Xie Yuan entered the Qian Family mourning hall using the Heaven Concealing Art and Heaven Illusion Art, then left after noticing his new Buddhist Resonance ability.