Chapter Summaries

Lu Feng’s group searched the areas for Gu Pots and Jiang Ruoyun while Fourth Uncle explained how the pots attracted Undead Gu. They found Hidden Blade badly eroded and used a Gu Pot to draw the Undead Gu away, leaving his chances of survival uncertain.

• Tang Yuan showed Fourth Uncle five Iron Balls, and Fourth Uncle explained that they needed more than a hundred Gu Pots to examine all the formation texts.
• Fourth Uncle described how Gu Pots made from Nightmare Essence used essence blood and spiritual energy to attract Undead Gu.
• The group searched several areas, found only one Gu Pot, and discovered Mo Yu’s remains and three Iron Balls in his storage artifact.
• Lu Feng found that Jiang Ruoyun was not among the dead in an area containing whip-related texts and hoped she had reached the hidden weapon area.
• The group encountered Hidden Blade, whose right arm had been eroded by Undead Gu, and Fourth Uncle used a Gu Pot to draw the Gu toward it.
• Hidden Blade’s killing intent faded and his body shrank as the Gu Pot attracted the Undead Gu, while Ye Fan said Hidden Blade might survive if he concealed his life aura.

The group continued through the Floating Sand Ghost Pavilion, where Lu Feng worried that Jiang Ruoyun and the others had vanished into another part of the trial. Fourth Uncle Shi Jingye found his former companions’ remains and revealed his connection to the Flying Dragon Soul Hunter Squad, while a snowflake-marked war hammer stirred an unexpected recognition.

• Fourth Uncle used the Gu vessel to help Hidden Blade settle the Undead Gu, and Hidden Blade emerged concealed, badly injured, and seemingly sharper in his Knife Dao.
• The group searched the remaining chambers but found too few Gu vessels and no sign of Jiang Ruoyun or her companions; they realized the thirty-two chambers looped back on themselves.
• Fourth Uncle recognized his former companions among the dead, mourned them, and identified himself as Shi Jingye of the Flying Dragon Soul Hunter Squad as he gathered their ashes.
• Lu Feng noticed a familiar snowflake pattern on a war hammer, and Fourth Uncle broke down upon reading the small characters engraved beside it, crying, “Jiu Er...”

Fourth Uncle led Lu Feng and the others back to the formation chamber and devised a way to slow the Undead Gu so they could study the texts with their limited Gu vessels. When they entered the first text’s illusion to learn the Yellow Springs Wind Thunder Pattern, Lu Feng copied it perfectly during the phantom’s single demonstration, astonishing everyone.

• Fourth Uncle revealed that Jiu Er was his son and insisted on returning to the formation chamber to find a way out and reunite with him.
• Fourth Uncle activated a One Thought Peace of Mind formation to slow the Undead Gu and extend the time they had to comprehend the texts.
• Miao Qiuyun and Lu Feng joined Fourth Uncle in the illusion, while Tang Yuan and Ye Fan stayed outside to guard and manage the Gu vessels; Hidden Blade chose to help share the soul burden.
• Fourth Uncle opened the first cell, and the group entered an illusion where a phantom demonstrated the Yellow Springs Wind Thunder Pattern.
• Lu Feng inscribed the complete pattern as the phantom demonstrated it, leaving Fourth Uncle, Miao Qiuyun, and Hidden Blade stunned.

Lu Feng and his companions passed through many array tomes while Tang Yuan managed the Undead Gu outside. As Lu Feng questioned the nature of array patterns, he formed a radically simplified set of lines that the phantom rejected, but he became more convinced that he had glimpsed a universal way to draw on heaven and earth’s power.

• Lu Feng recognized the Yellow Springs Wind Thunder Pattern through his prior study and insight into the Dragon Tiger Sword Intent, and his group moved on to the second tome without leaving the illusion.
• Tang Yuan and Ye Fan saw the second tome appear outside, and Tang Yuan guided another swarm of Undead Gu toward the central gu vessel while saving the second vessel for later.
• Lu Feng and his companions were caught by misleading notes about the Four Symbols Demon Sealing Array, but Lu Feng and Fourth Uncle corrected their patterns and continued through more tomes.
• Lu Feng reproduced patterns from more than twenty tomes with ease, while Tang Yuan placed the second gu vessel and managed the swarms of Undead Gu.
• As familiar patterns began to seem strange, Lu Feng questioned whether array patterns had to be fixed and formed four simple lines intended to draw on the Five Elements’ power.
• The phantom struck Lu Feng with Soul Shock for his unconventional patterns, but Miao Qiuyun’s reassurance helped him resolve that the patterns might still work and that he had glimpsed a unique key.

Lu Feng mastered the rapid inscription method Nimble Fingers and demonstrated Absolute Spirit Domineering Force, a technique that greatly accelerated array formation by instantly channeling spiritual energy. As the group continued through the illusion, Tang Yuan and the others faced a growing danger from Undead Gu eroding their Gu jars.

• Lu Feng inscribed array patterns faster than the phantom using Nimble Fingers, while Miao Qiuyun recognized the technique and resolved to study it properly.
• Tang Yuan noticed that each new Gu jar drew Undead Gu away from the older jars, causing their life aura to fade much faster than expected and putting the group at risk of being overwhelmed.
• Lu Feng, Fourth Uncle, and Miao Qiuyun moved from inscription tomes to Vein Connection and Spirit Infusion methods, then encountered the difficult technique Absolute Spirit Domineering Force.
• Lu Feng performed Absolute Spirit Domineering Force, spending nearly thirty percent of his spiritual energy to smooth and rapidly arrange the array patterns, but suffered pain and numbness in his meridians.
• Lu Feng explained that the technique depended on releasing spiritual energy powerful enough to rival ninety percent of an ordinary person's, and the group recognized its speed came with serious limitations.

Lu Feng and the others learned the powerful Heavenly Sound of Terror array technique, while Tang Yuan struggled to contain the swarming Undead Gu outside the illusions. With time running out and the exit still undiscovered, Lu Feng decided they could no longer follow the usual order of opening compartments.

• Outside the pavilion, a ferocious figure lured Fen Long, Zi Xiao, Qian Xiao, Jue Ming, and Ji Sheng, all controlled by Ghost Conches, away from the entrance.
• Lu Feng and the others studied the Heavenly Sound of Terror, a technique that fused Soul Power into an array’s chant to create a sudden soul attack.
• Miao Qiuyun and Fourth Uncle failed to execute the technique cleanly, while Lu Feng identified that its soul attack had to be compatible with the array.
• As Undead Gu overwhelmed Tang Yuan’s remaining Gu vessels, he sent Ye Fan to warn Lu Feng and stayed behind to hold the line.
• Ye Fan told Lu Feng and the others that they lacked time to open every compartment, and Lu Feng decided they would abandon the usual order.

Tang Yuan and Ye Fan struggled to contain the Undead Gu while Lu Feng rapidly examined formation manuals in the illusion. Lu Feng discovered that his unique Profound Qi could command elemental qi through his own formation patterns, though the method did not work as well for formations beyond the Five Elements.

• Ye Fan told Tang Yuan that Lu Feng intended to risk his life, while Tang Yuan kept feeding Gu vessels into the One Thought Peace of Mind formation to hold back the Undead Gu.
• Five manuals appeared, followed by ten more, and Tang Yuan and Ye Fan shifted Gu vessels to buy Lu Feng more time as the formation grew unstable.
• Lu Feng rapidly studied the manuals, relying on his familiarity with many formations and reproducing rough versions of their patterns.
• Hidden Blade noticed that Lu Feng's incomplete patterns still produced traces of formation force, and Miao Qiuyun explained how they resembled the core patterns of the grand formations.
• Hidden Blade deduced that Lu Feng was merging his refined Profound Qi with the Dao of formations, and Lu Feng realized his patterns could command the power of heaven and earth, though his method was limited to formations centered on the Five Elements Qi.

Lu Feng struggled to comprehend the damaged Inviting Immortal Array while the formation outside neared collapse and Ye Fan and Tang Yuan prepared for the worst. Just as the group faced certain death, Lu Feng completed the array and returned everyone to their bodies in an unfamiliar, apparently safe place.

• Lu Feng recognized the final three-word phantom as a damaged formation, the Inviting Immortal Array, and began meditating on it while the others waited.
• Outside the illusion, Ye Fan planned to destroy Lu Feng's cell if he did not escape before the formation collapsed, while Tang Yuan warned that the Undead Gu would soon overwhelm them.
• Lu Feng's Soul Power began leaking toward the phantom, and Tang Yuan and then Ye Fan entered the illusion as the outside formation reached its final moments.
• The One Thought Peace of Mind formation collapsed, and Fourth Uncle fell in agony as the group believed the Undead Gu would kill them.
• Lu Feng's misty Soul Power flowed into the phantom, whose eyes lit up; the illusion dispersed and the group returned to their bodies in a space without attacking Undead Gu.

Lu Feng and his companions encountered a powerful Ancient Flame Clan figure inside the Floating Sand Ghost Pavilion, who blamed Lu Feng for endangering the clan’s revival by completing the Inviting Immortal Array. The figure halted its attack when Lu Feng revealed that his younger sister Ruo Shui had the Five Elements Pure Water Body, then reacted as though she might be nearby.

• Lu Feng recognized a hidden presence among the Crystal Pillars and apologized to it, prompting a spiritual-energy figure to appear.
• The figure identified itself with the Ancient Flame Clan and accused Lu Feng of completing the Inviting Immortal Array without authorization and nearly destroying the clan’s chance at revival.
• The figure struck Tang Yuan aside and continued threatening the group, while Lu Feng endured its pressure.
• Lu Feng revealed that he had entered the pavilion to save his younger sister, who possessed the Five Elements Pure Water Body, and the figure immediately withdrew its pressure.
• Lu Feng and Tang Yuan said Ruo Shui had been separated from them, and the figure looked toward the staircase, suggesting she might be on the pavilion’s second floor.

Lu Feng sent Miao Qiuyun upstairs to signal that the powerful figure was confined within the Crystal Pillars, and Jiang Ruoyun, Zhu Yizhong, and Miao Qiuyun worked out what he meant. Ruo Shui woke and insisted on going downstairs to save Lu Feng, but Jiang Ruoyun decided to confront the figure first.

• The figure ordered someone to bring Ruo Shui downstairs, but stopped Lu Feng from going and sent Miao Qiuyun instead.
• Miao Qiuyun found Jiang Ruoyun, Zhu Yizhong, and the unconscious Ruo Shui in the pavilion's treasure-filled second floor, and warned them that the figure held Lu Feng and the others captive.
• Jiang Ruoyun questioned why Lu Feng had sent Miao Qiuyun, who recalled his challenge to the figure and helped them infer that it was imprisoned within the Crystal Pillars.
• Jiang Ruoyun and Zhu Yizhong concluded that the figure wanted Ruo Shui and that they should learn its purpose before negotiating, while refusing to hand her over.
• Ruo Shui woke and demanded to go downstairs to save Lu Feng, but Zhu Yizhong stopped her and Jiang Ruoyun said she would meet the figure herself.

Jiang Ruoyun used the fading Saint Breath within her to bluff the figure in the Crystal Pillar into easing its attack and agreeing to explain the Ancient Flame Clan. The figure then recognized Ruo Shui as its clan’s Saintess and discovered she was poisoned, leaving everyone stunned and Ruo Shui uneasy.

• Jiang Ruoyun confronted the figure and threatened it with the Saint Breath in her body, making it hesitate and loosen its pressure on Lu Feng and the others.
• Lu Feng suspected that Wang Jinhu’s powerful backer had bestowed the Saint Breath on Jiang Ruoyun and that it had helped cure her Cen Hou King poison.
• Jiang Ruoyun tricked the figure into revealing that it could not leave the Inviting Immortal Array, while Lu Feng threatened to destroy the Crystal Pillar if the figure kept using them as leverage.
• The figure agreed to explain the Ancient Flame Clan and called for Miao Qiuyun and Zhu Yizhong to join the others downstairs.
• When Ruo Shui came down, the figure recognized her as the Ancient Flame Clan’s Saintess and exclaimed that she was poisoned by the Porcelain Spirit Ghost Vine.

Ye Fan and the others learned that the Heaven Rain Clan might cure Ruo Shui’s Porcelain Spirit Ghost Vine poison, while the figure revealed how the Ancient Flame Clan supported the Heaven Rain Clan’s Saintess. He explained that the clans’ plans were derailed when the Saintess was abducted, leaving her fate—and the Heaven Rain Clan’s survival—uncertain.

• Ye Fan asked the figure how to cure Ruo Shui, and the figure said the Heaven Rain Clan could treat her because it understood the Five Elements Pure Water Body.
• The figure revealed that Zhu Yizhong had absorbed the Original Life Relic of the Ancient Flame Clan’s last Five Elements Pure Fire Body and cultivated the Ancient Foundation Establishment Scripture, allowing him to overcome the conflicting energy.
• The figure explained that the Ancient Flame Clan served the Heaven Rain Clan by producing Sui Yang Gu from the life of a Five Elements Pure Fire Body, helping the Saintess break through her limits.
• The figure said enemies had switched the pregnant woman chosen to receive a relic, resulting in the birth of a girl rather than the boy the clan had intended to produce.
• The figure explained that the Heaven Rain Clan depended on its Saintess’s power to activate a near-Saint-Grade formation protecting its oasis.
• The figure revealed that the Heaven Rain Clan’s Saintess had suddenly been abducted by an outsider.

Lu Feng and the others learned the clans’ plans for Ruo Shui and Zhu Yizhong, then escaped the Floating Sand Ghost Pavilion. As they prepared to pursue Zhu Yizhong after he seized Ruo Shui and fled, Spiral Corpses blocked their way.

• The figure explained that the Ancient Flame Clan and Heaven Rain Clan sought Ruo Shui and Zhu Yizhong to revive their clans, and asked Zhu Yizhong to return the Original Life Relic when his end approached.
• The figure urged Jiang Ruoyun and the others to take Ruo Shui to the Heaven Rain Clan for treatment, then opened an exit and sent them out of the Floating Sand Ghost Pavilion.
• Lu Feng and the others emerged into morning light, but Ruo Shui and Zhu Yizhong were missing; Lu Feng attacked the pavilion when they did not appear.
• The strange head’s two voices argued over control after the group escaped, and the gloomy voice sent its aura toward the Spiral Corpses despite the other voice’s protests.
• Ruo Shui and Zhu Yizhong were thrown out of the pavilion, but Zhu Yizhong suddenly seized Ruo Shui and fled as Spiral Corpses blocked the group’s pursuit.

Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun fought five Ghost Conch-controlled cultivators, discovering that Edge Unveiled could prevent their strange healing. They defeated their opponents while a crude Thousand Silk Prison trapped Tang Yuan’s group, leaving Lu Feng astonished by Jiang Ruoyun’s newfound strength.

• Lu Feng recognized that Ghost Conchs controlled Fen Long, Zi Xiao, Qian Xiao, Jue Ming, and Ji Sheng, then fought three while Jiang Ruoyun stayed to confront the other two.
• Tang Yuan, Ye Fan, Fourth Uncle, and Miao Qiuyun pursued Zhu Yizhong, while Hidden Blade disappeared into the shadows.
• Lu Feng recognized an imitation of Exquisite Valley’s Thousand Silk Prison descending over the direction Tang Yuan’s group had gone and suspected Wen Guang had set it.
• Jiang Ruoyun wounded Qian Xiao with a Bone Shattering Nail, but yellow sand rapidly repaired his body.
• Lu Feng used Edge Unveiled to wound Ji Sheng and discovered its aura stopped the sand from healing him.
• Jiang Ruoyun incapacitated Qian Xiao and Jue Ming before Lu Feng finished his fight with Fen Long and Zi Xiao, leaving him surprised by her strength.

Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun fought the possessed disciples as the Ghost Conches began seizing their bodies, killing Ji Sheng and Jue Ming before the others could be fully possessed. Qian Xiao, Fen Long, and Zi Xiao emerged with greater strength and combat awareness, and Lu Feng faced Fen Long and Zi Xiao while Jiang Ruoyun engaged Qian Xiao.

• Lu Feng recognized that Jiang Ruoyun had used Wu Ze Sand Flood Dragon scales to poison Qian Xiao and Jue Ming, then helped her disable Fen Long and Zi Xiao.
• A black figure emerged from Ji Sheng’s cracked Ghost Conch and began possessing him, so Lu Feng destroyed Ji Sheng before the possession could finish.
• Lu Feng and Jiang Ruoyun attacked Jue Ming from both sides and shattered his body, but Qian Xiao launched a powerful barrage of sand blades at them.
• Jiang Ruoyun chose to fight Qian Xiao while Lu Feng intercepted Fen Long and Zi Xiao, who attacked with Sand Dust Technique and formed two giant sand dragons.
• Lu Feng broke apart the sand dragons’ force and turned their longswords back toward Fen Long and Zi Xiao.

Lu Feng fought Fen Long and Zi Xiao, who were possessed by the Ghost Conch, while the strange head secretly used Yellow Sand Phantoms to steer his movements. Lu Feng recognized an opening and unleashed a move from the Night Feather Swordplay, prompting the figure behind the possession to recognize the technique and wonder if Brother Feng was still alive.

• Fen Long and Zi Xiao repelled Lu Feng's swords with giant sand hands, then attacked him with sand beasts that his Dragon Tiger Sword Intent destroyed.
• The strange head projected Yellow Sand Phantoms around Lu Feng to distract him and guide his movements as Fen Long and Zi Xiao pressed their attack.
• Fen Long and Zi Xiao split their six-armed sand figures to encircle Lu Feng, while a carefully arranged gap in the phantoms caught his attention.
• Lu Feng rushed through the gap with the Windflower Soft Sword and used Red Furnace Snowfall from the Night Feather Swordplay to strike the phantoms without losing speed.
• The strange head recognized the move as Brother Feng's Night Feather Swordplay, became overwhelmed with guilt and hope, and its gloomy voice asked whether it knew Lu Feng.

Lu Feng faced Fen Long and Zi Xiao after Wen Guang’s Coiling Spirit Into Sea Array temporarily raised their strength, while Jiang Ruoyun gained an unexplained Spiritual Qi Ring that restored and enhanced her abilities. The chapter left Jiang Ruoyun pressing Qian Xiao with a sudden counterattack as Lu Feng continued fighting the two opponents.

• Lu Feng recognized the formation energy as Wen Guang’s Coiling Spirit Into Sea Array, which temporarily raised Fen Long, Zi Xiao, and Qian Xiao to Heaven Soul Realm Late Stage.
• Lu Feng charged Fen Long and Zi Xiao while the Yellow Sand Phantoms blocked his retreat, and the strange head-shaped figure sent an obscure aura toward Jiang Ruoyun.
• A Spiritual Qi Ring formed around Jiang Ruoyun, replenishing her spiritual qi and increasing her movement speed and strength.
• Jiang Ruoyun used the ring’s aid to unleash repeated hidden-weapon attacks and break through Qian Xiao’s Willow Leaf shield.
• Jiang Ruoyun closed in on Qian Xiao and thrust three frost-white diamond-shaped blades toward his neck while Lu Feng kept fighting Fen Long and Zi Xiao.

Jiang Ruoyun killed Qian Xiao with the Serpent Awl after a mysterious Spiritual Qi Ring enhanced her strength, then joined Lu Feng against Fen Long and Zi Xiao. A hidden figure empowered Lu Feng with another Spiritual Qi Ring, allowing him to unleash Thousand Illusions Night Feather and kill both enemies before calling out to Xiao Yi and Lan Tian.

• Jiang Ruoyun used the Spiritual Qi Ring's power to drive the Serpent Awl through Qian Xiao's defenses, and its poisoned needle killed him.
• Jiang Ruoyun joined Lu Feng's fight against Fen Long and Zi Xiao, explaining that the ring had raised her strength to the Heaven Soul Realm Late Stage.
• A hidden figure recognized Lu Feng's Night Feather Swordplay and sent a Spiritual Qi Ring to empower him, weakening himself in the process.
• Lu Feng used Thousand Illusions Night Feather to destroy Fen Long and Zi Xiao and their yellow-sand puppets.
• Lu Feng called for Xiao Yi and then Lan Tian to reveal himself, but the hidden figure did not answer.

Lan Tianyiqi hid his monstrous appearance from Lu Feng, but Lu Feng recognized him and promised their friendship would endure. When an Undead Storm threatened Lu Feng and his companions, Lan Tianyiqi rushed to find a way to divert it, leaving his struggle with the gloomy voice unresolved.

• Lan Tianyiqi resisted revealing himself to Lu Feng, then used rising yellow sand to throw Wen Guang into Lu Feng's path, where Lu Feng killed him with Cicada Knows Not Snow.
• Jiang Ruoyun described the strange figure's half-human, half-skull face, and Lu Feng realized it was likely Lan Tianyiqi.
• Lu Feng called out that he would remain a companion Lan Tianyiqi could trust, prompting Lan Tianyiqi to weep and turn back.
• Lan Tianyiqi spotted an approaching Undead Storm and rushed toward it, ignoring the gloomy voice's warnings and offers of control and power.
• Lan Tianyiqi persuaded the gloomy voice to explain that Spiral Corpses' bone powder could lure the storm off course, then headed toward another area as Lu Feng's group noticed the danger.

Lu Feng and the others escaped the Undead Storm and learned how Zhu Yizhong had sacrificed himself to save Ruo Shui from the Ghost Pavilion phantom. As the group prepared to seek the Heaven Rain Clan, Jiang Ruoyun offered to teach Ruo Shui an ancient cultivation scripture while quietly recognizing her feelings for Lu Feng.

• Lu Feng and his companions fled the Undead Storm, and Fourth Uncle prepared a life-consuming defensive formation before they spotted a gray haze being drawn into the storm.
• Lu Feng stopped the group to investigate the strange phenomenon and worry about Lan Tianyiqi, then learned that Zhu Yizhong had sacrificed himself to stabilize Ruo Shui's poison.
• Tang Yuan recounted how the Ghost Pavilion phantom controlled Zhu Yizhong and tried to use Ruo Shui's Source Aura, until Ye Fan awakened Zhu Yizhong's consciousness and Zhu reversed their contract at the cost of his life.
• Lu Feng and Ye Fan doubted the phantom's claims about the Ancient Flame Clan and Heaven Rain Clan, while Tang Yuan said the group still needed to find the Heaven Rain Clan.
• Jiang Ruoyun offered to teach Ruo Shui an Ancient Foundation Establishment Scripture, noticed Ruo Shui's feelings for Lu Feng, and chose to guide her rather than rebuke her.