Chapter Summaries

Mu Liuxi discovered that Meng Yutong had become fond of Essence Grass Leaf tea and then reported that Sitting Dao Peak and Return to Origin Peak had followed their Cloud Boats. At Red Cloud Mountain, Bai Yi detected an unprobeable presence and fled after sensing an old cultivator, who soon appeared and attacked the mountain.

• Meng Yutong asked Mu Liuxi for more Essence Grass Leaf tea, while Mu Liuxi worried about what the tea represented and tried to discourage her from drinking it.
• Mu Liuxi reported that Sitting Dao Peak and Return to Origin Peak had set out after them, and Meng Yutong guessed they were tracking the group to ambush them on the return journey.
• Meng Yutong and Mu Liuxi discussed the Green Pavilion Sect’s internal disorder and the absent Sect Leader.
• Bai Yi searched around Red Cloud Mountain with two companions, but the chess piece marking his target vanished from his board.
• Bai Yi warned his companions that an old fellow had come to the Western Wasteland and hurried away with them.
• A sinister old man appeared at the foot of Red Cloud Mountain and struck the mountain with his palm.

Lin Heng absorbed the Water-Fire Seed while the gray-robed man tried to stop him by splitting it into opposing water and fire forces. A hostile reflection of Lin Heng appeared and attacked, leaving Lin Heng facing a fight against his own likeness.

• The gray-robed man struck the mountain and realized the Water-Fire Source he had left inside was steadily being diluted.
• Lin Heng continued refining fire within the magma, using his balance of the five elements to endure the flames as the Green Lotus Dao Fire pursued the Water-Fire Seed's origin.
• The gray-robed man used his connection to the Water-Fire Source to split the seed into water and fire, pulling Lin Heng's reflection into the real world.
• The reflected Lin Heng claimed he would replace Lin Heng and take his dao companions, prompting Lin Heng to mock his sleazy smile.
• The reflection attacked with a water dragon and five water elephants, taunting Lin Heng's cultivation method as the Water-Fire Seed struggled to survive.

Lin Heng swallowed the seed of water and fire, completed minor accomplishment in the Fire Element Body, and left the mountain. An energy storm swept him away, and Duan Shuyun found him afterward.

• Lin Heng defeated the mapped version of himself by using Fortune and the Green Lotus Dao Fire to swallow the seed of water and fire.
• The gray-robed man sensed the seed vanish and feared the strength of the person who had swallowed it.
• By noon the next day, Lin Heng had achieved minor accomplishment in the Fire Element Body, and the Green Lotus Dao Fire said the seed had been separated from its origin.
• Lin Heng left the mountain to search the nearby mines for clues about the golden dragon and Medicine King Valley, unaware that the gray-robed man was watching him.
• Lin Heng was swept into a massive energy storm and later awoke in a pavilion, where Duan Shuyun tended to him and wondered about his strength.

Lin Heng woke in Night Drum Tower after Duan Shuyun rescued him from a storm, and the two discovered that she could hear his inner thoughts. Their conversation was interrupted by a gray-robed Nascent Soul Cultivator who attacked Lin Heng and revealed their rare physiques; Duan Shuyun faced the threat as Lin Heng asked her to save him.

• Lin Heng woke in Night Drum Tower, learned Duan Shuyun had rescued him, and introduced himself as Lin Tian.
• Duan Shuyun heard Lin Heng's inner thoughts and learned he was searching for traces of Medicine King Valley.
• A gray-robed Nascent Soul Cultivator destroyed Night Drum Tower and confronted Lin Heng and Duan Shuyun.
• The gray-robed man identified Lin Heng's Gold Element Body and Wood Element Body, then recognized Duan Shuyun's peak Golden Core cultivation and Literary Profound Saint Body.
• The gray-robed man threatened to refine them into pills, and Lin Heng asked Duan Shuyun whether she could defeat him.

Lin Heng and Duan Shuyun were trapped by Mad Qiao Daoist, a Nascent Soul alchemist seeking the water-and-fire source and intending to refine them into pills. Mad Qiao Daoist offered to spare Lin Heng if Duan Shuyun submitted to him, leaving her furious and their fate unresolved.

• Lin Heng realized Mad Qiao Daoist had pursued him because of the water-and-fire source, while Duan Shuyun debated whether to risk helping him.
• Mad Qiao Daoist trapped the pair with the Heavenly Furnace and Earthly Net, then revealed his identity and his plan to turn them into furnace pills.
• Duan Shuyun condemned Mad Qiao Daoist for refining people into pills, but he defended his actions and dismissed the threat of judgment by the Heavenly Dao.
• Mad Qiao Daoist coveted Duan Shuyun's Literary Profound Saint Body and offered to spare Lin Heng if she stayed by his side.
• Lin Heng reacted with disgust to Mad Qiao Daoist's proposition, and Duan Shuyun grew cold with anger.

Lin Heng rejected Mad Qiao Daoist’s attempt to make him trade Duan Shuyun for his life, but his Dragon Qi failed to overcome the stronger cultivator. Mad Qiao Daoist trapped them in his cauldron to refine them, and Lin Heng woke with his head in Duan Shuyun’s lap and accidentally touched her chest.

• Mad Qiao Daoist urged Lin Heng to persuade Duan Shuyun to offer herself in exchange for his life, but Lin Heng denounced the proposal and shielded her.
• Lin Heng summoned three strands of Dragon Qi, revealing his connection to the imperial clan, but Mad Qiao Daoist shattered the attack and knocked him unconscious.
• Mad Qiao Daoist trapped Lin Heng and Duan Shuyun inside his miniature cauldron with his Water-Fire Path technique and began refining them.
• Duan Shuyun struggled against the cauldron’s water and fire while Lin Heng remained unconscious, and she feared she would die before finding a suitable Dao companion.
• Lin Heng woke with his head on Duan Shuyun’s lap and poked her chest, leaving them both stunned.

Trapped with Duan Shuyun inside the Water-Fire World of Mad Qiao Daoist’s cauldron, Lin Heng considered how they might survive and escape. After revealing his face and discussing their circumstances, he questioned how Duan Shuyun could possess the Literary Profound Saint Body when he believed the Literary Path was broken.

• Lin Heng woke in the Water-Fire World and learned from the Green Lotus Dao Fire that it could absorb the world’s fire power, but it waited for his permission.
• Lin Heng removed his Concealing Mask, and Duan Shuyun questioned how a Foundation Establishment cultivator had survived a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s attack.
• Lin Heng apologized for involving Duan Shuyun and argued that Mad Qiao Daoist would have targeted her regardless; she admitted his reasoning made sense.
• Duan Shuyun told Lin Heng she had hoped to visit Dingyang and see its famous sights, and Lin Heng said he had not seen them despite his connection to the imperial clan.
• Lin Heng asked whether Duan Shuyun truly followed the Literary Path, explaining that the current path seemed broken and should not produce a Literary Profound Saint Body.
• Duan Shuyun asked Lin Heng how he knew those things.

Lin Heng and Duan Shuyun were trapped in Mad Qiao Daoist’s fiery furnace, where Lin Heng survived being melted by rebuilding his body through his Five Elements constitution and the furnace’s treasures. He emerged alive before a shocked Duan Shuyun, only to realize the fire had burned off his clothes.

• Duan Shuyun told Lin Heng she had come to the Western Wasteland to investigate her contradictory Literary Profound Saint Body and seek clues left by Poetry Immortal Lin Ziqing.
• As Duan Shuyun neared exhaustion, Lin Heng used the Green Lotus Dao Fire to protect her and told her to withdraw her Protective Qi.
• Lin Heng appeared to be consumed by the furnace’s fire, and Duan Shuyun collapsed in grief while Mad Qiao Daoist began adding treasures to his pill.
• Duan Shuyun watched a transparent outline devour the treasures as Lin Heng’s body re-formed through his elemental constitutions.
• Lin Heng emerged alive, and Duan Shuyun noticed his exposed body after the fire had burned away his clothes.

Lin Heng and Duan Shuyun survived inside Mad Qiao Daoist’s blazing cauldron, but could not find a way out. Lin Heng went to the Illusory World Mirror to ask Saint Ye for help, leaving their escape unresolved.

• Duan Shuyun turned away while Lin Heng covered himself by merging into the sea of fire, then learned he had cultivated four elemental physiques.
• Duan Shuyun recognized Lin Heng’s potential and admitted they had no feasible way to escape Mad Qiao Daoist’s cauldron.
• Lin Heng entered the Illusory World Mirror and found Saint Ye fishing while the Mirror Person cultivated.
• Saint Ye noticed Lin Heng’s improved cultivation and asked about the woman with the Life-Death Dual Balance Physique.
• Lin Heng told Saint Ye that he faced a life-and-death crisis and asked him to find a way to save him.

Lin Heng sought Saint Ye’s advice after Mad Qiao Daoist trapped him and Duan Shuyun in a cauldron, and learned that triggering a Heavenly Tribulation might be their only way out. He told Duan Shuyun the plan, then hesitantly hinted that he had a “chicken” opportunity that might help her advance.

• Lin Heng told Saint Ye how Mad Qiao Daoist had captured him and Duan Shuyun and was refining them in a cauldron.
• Saint Ye proposed that either Lin Heng reach Golden Core or Duan Shuyun reach Nascent Soul to trigger a Heavenly Tribulation against Mad Qiao Daoist.
• Saint Ye suggested Dual Cultivation could help Duan Shuyun advance, and promised Lin Heng a divine ability after he reached Golden Core.
• Lin Heng returned to Duan Shuyun and explained Saint Ye’s plan, but she said she could not break through to Nascent Soul quickly.
• Lin Heng nervously told Duan Shuyun that he had a “chicken” opportunity and was unsure whether to mention it.

Lin Heng proposed that Duan Shuyun use Dual Cultivation to break through her cultivation bottleneck, then began refining the water-fire origin inside the cauldron. Mad Qiao Daoist unleashed the fire’s full power, but Lin Heng survived as only a mouth and taunted him.

• Lin Heng suggested Dual Cultivation to Duan Shuyun as a possible way to break through her cultivation bottleneck, and she warned him not to pursue selfish desires.
• Lin Heng used the Green Lotus Dao Fire and Jade Origin Vine to prepare to absorb and refine the water-fire origin.
• After four days, Mad Qiao Daoist noticed the water-fire origin was disappearing and realized someone inside the cauldron was devouring it.
• Mad Qiao Daoist lifted the restrictions and intensified the sea of fire, apparently silencing Lin Heng and Duan Shuyun.
• Lin Heng revealed that only his mouth remained and challenged Mad Qiao Daoist, who raised the fire’s temperature again.

Duan Shuyun weighed whether to risk dual cultivation to break through while Lin Heng secretly absorbed the water and fire origins. Lin Heng reached the peak of Foundation Establishment but lost control of the energy building in his dantian, and Duan Shuyun rushed to help him.

• Lin Heng and the Green Lotus Dao Fire secretly replaced the water and fire origins they absorbed, hiding their plan from Mad Qiao Daoist.
• Duan Shuyun struggled to advance her cultivation and considered risking dual cultivation, since the sealed spiritual energy left her few options.
• The Green Lotus Dao Fire warned Duan Shuyun that Lin Heng had lost control, and she followed its guidance to him.
• Duan Shuyun saw that Lin Heng had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, but his dantian was filling with unrefined energy as his Spirit Wheels continued absorbing the origins.
• Duan Shuyun warned Lin Heng that his body could be destroyed by the swelling energy, then touched his forehead as the Green Lotus Dao Fire expanded its protection around them both.

Duan Shuyun used Dual Cultivation to absorb the dangerous source origins from Lin Heng while he remained unconscious, and the process unexpectedly gave her an immense amount of power. She left the encounter close to breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm, while Lin Heng remained drained and unaware.

• Duan Shuyun tried to wake Lin Heng with the Mind-Calming Mantra, but it had no effect.
• Duan Shuyun chose to use Dual Cultivation to draw the source origins out of Lin Heng and save him, while he remained unconscious.
• Duan Shuyun absorbed the water and fire source origins as Lin Heng's instincts acted gently despite his lack of awareness.
• Mad Qiao Daoist watched the cauldron shake and mistakenly thought Lin Heng and Duan Shuyun were fusing into ingredients for the Spirit-Fusing Pill.
• Duan Shuyun finished absorbing the power and realized it could let her break through to the Nascent Soul Realm, while Lin Heng lay utterly drained.

Duan Shuyun prepared to break through to the Nascent Soul stage by condensing a rare Profound Communion Dao Infant, while Lin Heng remained trapped with her inside Mad Qiao Daoist’s furnace. When her Heavenly Tribulation began, Mad Qiao Daoist realized their plan and opened the furnace, allowing Duan Shuyun to escape with Lin Heng.

• Duan Shuyun reflected on her Five Elements Body and Meng Yutong’s Supreme Yin Dao Body, then decided to condense a Divine Infant as her Heavenly Tribulation approached.
• Duan Shuyun chose the rare Profound Communion Dao Infant, despite its low success rate and need for rare spiritual materials.
• Duan Shuyun began her breakthrough, and a bolt of tribulation lightning struck as dark clouds gathered over Mad Qiao Daoist.
• Mad Qiao Daoist realized Duan Shuyun and Lin Heng had baited him into opening the furnace to avoid losing his artifact and fire seed.
• Duan Shuyun escaped the furnace and moved Lin Heng beyond the area covered by the tribulation clouds.

Duan Shuyun and Mad Qiao Daoist fought as her Nascent Soul tribulation gathered, while Lin Heng awakened and began forming a Golden Core. The chapter ended as their tribulations merged into a terrifying thunder beast, leaving all three stunned.

• Mad Qiao Daoist discovered that the Water-Fire Origin had been drained and fled toward Lin Heng, hoping to use him against Duan Shuyun.
• Duan Shuyun pursued Mad Qiao Daoist and drew him into her growing Heavenly Tribulation, whose power became far greater than expected.
• Lin Heng awakened, dodged Mad Qiao Daoist's attack, and moved away to wait for Duan Shuyun while she prepared to undergo the tribulation.
• A massive thunder beast emerged from the clouds as Lin Heng realized that a Golden Core was forming in his dantian.
• Duan Shuyun, Mad Qiao Daoist, and Lin Heng realized that the Golden Core and Nascent Soul tribulations had intertwined.

Lin Heng and Duan Shuyun triggered a Phenomenon Heavenly Tribulation, with the Thunder Abyss Baleful Beast targeting Lin Heng. Lin Heng was gravely injured by its attacks while Mad Qiao Daoist abandoned the water and fire origins and fled.

• Duan Shuyun and Lin Heng realized their tribulations had combined into a Phenomenon Heavenly Tribulation, while Mad Qiao Daoist was caught in it.
• The Thunder Abyss Baleful Beast focused on Lin Heng and struck him with savage baleful thunder, shattering his sword domain and leaving him badly wounded.
• Lin Heng unleashed his abilities and charged toward the beast, but its next assault smashed him into an even larger crater.
• Duan Shuyun struggled against her own heavenly punishment as she watched Lin Heng face the beast, and Mad Qiao Daoist was accidentally struck by her tribulation.
• Mad Qiao Daoist threw down the cauldron, abandoned the water and fire origins, and fled, promising to return for their corpses.

Lin Heng survived a deadly phenomenon Heavenly Tribulation with the help of the Mountains and Rivers Map and broke through to the Golden Core Realm, while Duan Shuyun also survived her tribulation. As Duan Shuyun tried to leave, Lin Heng argued that she should take responsibility for what happened between them.

• Mad Qiao Daoist escaped the Heavenly Tribulation’s range while Duan Shuyun stayed behind to face it.
• The Thunder Abyss Baleful Beast struck Lin Heng, but the Mountains and Rivers Map absorbed the attack and restored his body as he formed a Golden Core.
• Duan Shuyun recognized that Lin Heng had survived a Phenomenon Heavenly Tribulation and congratulated him on his breakthrough.
• Lin Heng wondered why the Heavenly Dao had targeted him and questioned the origins of the Mountains and Rivers Map.
• Duan Shuyun said they should part ways, but Lin Heng called after her and insisted that she should share responsibility for what happened between them.

Lin Heng asked Duan Shuyun to take responsibility for their encounter, then admitted he had other Dao companions and pleaded for her protection from Mad Qiao Daoist. The chapter ended with Lin Heng clinging to Duan Shuyun’s leg while she struggled to make him let go.

• Duan Shuyun questioned Lin Heng about his Dao companions and objected to becoming a third party in their relationships.
• Lin Heng clarified that he did not mean to add her to his harem, then explained that Mad Qiao Daoist still threatened him and he needed to find Medicine King Valley.
• Duan Shuyun considered the danger Mad Qiao Daoist posed to Lin Heng and realized he had moved unusually close to her.
• Lin Heng hugged Duan Shuyun’s leg and begged her to protect him until he found Medicine King Valley.
• Duan Shuyun told Lin Heng to stand up and speak properly, but he refused to let go, and she concealed her unease after hearing his inner thoughts.

Lin Heng persuaded Duan Shuyun to search for Medicine King Valley before pursuing the Literary Path Artifacts, while she worried that their dual cultivation might have made her pregnant. As Lin Heng recovered from the tribulation, he discovered the Jade Origin Vine had survived but been badly scorched.

• Lin Heng offered to help Duan Shuyun find the Literary Path Artifacts, and she agreed to let him accompany her while they searched for Lin Ziqing’s traces.
• Duan Shuyun realized the drum tower lead had been destroyed by Mad Qiao Daoist, so Lin Heng proposed they look for Medicine King Valley instead.
• Duan Shuyun agreed to search for Medicine King Valley with Lin Heng, but told him to stop hugging her leg.
• Duan Shuyun sensed that her body had absorbed the Spirit Source during the tribulation and feared she might become pregnant, so she planned to take a Soul-Calming Pill.
• Lin Heng checked the Jade Origin Vine attached to his heart and found it charred from the Heavenly Tribulation, though it was still alive.

Bai Yi explained Yi Pavilion’s scheme to use the Demon Race and the Western Wasteland Corridor to keep the Dynasty occupied. Meanwhile, Lin Heng followed the Green Lotus Dao Fire’s lead toward an earth-element spiritual object, traveling with Duan Shuyun.

• Bai Yi identified the thunder giant beast tribulation as a sign of either a Spirit Transformation breakthrough or a variable with unusual fortune.
• Bai Yi ordered his subordinates to head to the Western Wasteland Corridor and set the dormant Demon Beasts in Demon Valley in motion.
• Bai Yi’s subordinates discussed the rewards for opening the corridor, and Bai Yi slapped them for gossiping about others.
• Lin Heng restored some Wood Force to the Jade Origin Vine and then asked the Green Lotus Dao Fire to locate an earth-element spiritual object.
• The Green Lotus Dao Fire gave Lin Heng a direction, and he flew with Duan Shuyun on her magic brush.