Chapter Summaries

Xu Yi returned to Futuo Mountain after surviving the yin tribulation, recovering from his injuries and reuniting with Yan Zi and Yuan Qinghua. As he examined his body, a sudden sensation suggested a change in his Vengeful Embryo, and Yuan Qinghua suspected Xu Yi had an ulterior motive for treating him so warmly.

• Xu Yi recovered in the stream, kept the Fierce Rhinoceros's Coral Horn and his iron essence, and put the weakened Auspicious Duck in a Spirit Beast Bag.
• Xu Yi flew back to the capital and reached Green Flat, where Yan Zi greeted him with relief and prepared a feast.
• Xu Yi examined his body and found his meridians had grown stronger after his second demonic transformation, then felt a sudden jolt while thinking about his cracked Vengeful Embryo.
• Yuan Qinghua visited Xu Yi, complained about his frequent absences, and grew suspicious when Xu Yi listened to him and acted unusually affectionate.

Xu Yi heard that Zimo Xuan’s automated purchasing device had brought in a large supply of five-element treasures and explained to Yuan Qinghua why ordinary people were willing to sell them. Yuan Qinghua also revealed that he had settled down with the songstress Ni Chang.

• Xu Yi told Yuan Qinghua to provide Zhao Baling with cultivation resources if he needed them, but decided not to meet him.
• Yuan Qinghua handed Yan Zi several dozen grains of spiritual soil and reported that Zimo Xuan had collected hundreds of grains along with source iron, a flame fruit, and blue crystals.
• Xu Yi explained that Zimo Xuan’s public offer and automated device gave ordinary people a safe, trustworthy way to turn rare treasures into cash.
• Yuan Qinghua praised Xu Yi’s business insight, and Yan Zi said that Yuan Qinghua had more good news to share.
• Yuan Qinghua admitted that he had fallen in love with Ni Chang, made her his concubine, and bought a residence for them to live in.

Xu Yi reunited with Marquis Anqing and presented him with the black boundary token he had obtained at Dragon Head Peak. Marquis Anqing, overwhelmed by the success of his family’s generations-long plan, bowed to Xu Yi, who then said he had an important favor to ask.

• Xu Yi gave Yuan Qinghua a thousand-tael wedding gift, and Yuan Qinghua hurried off to tell Ni Chang about it.
• Xu Yi told Yan Zi he might leave the Divine Capital and offered to take her with him, leaving her overjoyed.
• Marquis Anqing found Xu Yi at Futuo Mountain after searching the city gates and explained he had been waiting to learn whether Xu Yi had survived.
• Xu Yi presented Marquis Anqing with the black boundary token, and Marquis Anqing bowed in gratitude.
• Xu Yi helped Marquis Anqing up and said he had an important matter to ask of him.

Xu Yi asked Marquis Anqing to handle several matters as he prepared to leave in search of the Dark Mountain. Marquis Anqing agreed to protect Xu Yi’s friends, buy Zimo Xuan, and use evidence of an ambush to pressure the attacking sects.

• Marquis Anqing offered Xu Yi an Emberfruit, but Xu Yi clarified that he had other requests and asked him to exchange his Divine Palace treasures for Precious Medicine.
• Xu Yi asked Marquis Anqing to take over Zimo Xuan and protect Yuan Qinghua and his other old friends after he left to seek the Dark Mountain.
• Marquis Anqing offered ten million gold for Zimo Xuan, but Xu Yi insisted on eight million, and Marquis Anqing accepted.
• Xu Yi showed Marquis Anqing a Shadow-Sound Pearl recording of Ming Shenzong, Purgatory Venerable, Song Tingshu, Shanshan Buddha, and others ambushing him.
• Xu Yi asked Marquis Anqing to send the recording to the four sects, and Marquis Anqing vowed to make them pay.

Xu Yi arranged for Marquis Anqing to handle his affairs and spent five days studying to reassess how to grow stronger. He concluded that he needed to pursue practical ways to protect himself while working toward Soul Sensing, and began weighing three possible directions.

• Xu Yi gave Marquis Anqing a Sumeru Ring containing treasures and asked him to exchange them, then promised to provide more through Yan Zi.
• Marquis Anqing explained that cultivators were flocking to the waters around Dragon Head Peak to search for treasures left by the fallen, and then departed with the boundary token.
• Xu Yi gave Yan Zi a Face Setting Pill and told her it would keep her young and beautiful.
• Xu Yi spent five days reading cultivation records and refining texts, then judged that his apparent strength would not save him against a Soul Sensing Ancestor or powerful foes such as the Ninth Prince and Xue Muhua.
• Xu Yi decided that improving his cultivation mattered more than mastering minor techniques, while recognizing that he still needed ways to protect his life; he considered three possible directions beyond using Demon Transformation Pills.

Xu Yi learned that his recovered treasures and other payments had brought in a vast fortune, while the Precious Medicine trade had been driven sharply upward by his purchases. The chapter left him facing the costs of continuing to buy medicine and the outstanding loan to Delong Money House.

• Yan Zi told Xu Yi that Marquis Anqing had exchanged more than fifteen hundred stalks of Precious Medicine for him over five days.
• Xu Yi reviewed the ledger and discovered that his fifty-five Sumeru Rings had yielded more than thirty-three million gold in gold notes.
• Marquis Anqing explained that the flood of money had raised Precious Medicine prices by thirty to forty percent and made further purchases difficult.
• Marquis Anqing told Xu Yi that he had collected eight million gold from transferring Zimo Xuan and was pressing the sects for additional payments.
• Yan Zi reminded Xu Yi that he still owed Delong Money House more than eight million two hundred thousand gold, including interest.

Xu Yi learned that fourteen demon corpses from the Void Divine Palace were worth nearly a hundred million gold, then agreed to sell them at auction in exchange for Precious Medicine. Marquis Anqing left to prepare publicity and said the matter Yan Zi had asked him to handle was ready.

• Yan Zi told Marquis Anqing to exchange fourteen demon corpses, including peak-of-Sapience Golden Eagles, in addition to the eight million gold for transferring Zimo Xuan.
• Marquis Anqing explained that demon corpses had become scarce and quoted soaring prices, estimating the fourteen corpses were worth close to a hundred million gold.
• Xu Yi asked Marquis Anqing to exchange the corpses for gold notes first while he considered what he wanted in return.
• Yan Zi suggested auctioning the corpses for Precious Medicine, reminding Xu Yi of the success of his earlier auction of top-grade pills.
• Xu Yi reassured Marquis Anqing that he did not suspect him of withholding the auction idea, and Marquis Anqing left to arrange publicity and said Yan Zi's requested matter was ready.

Xu Yi visited Old Cangtou at the Imperial Library to ask how to refine a Soul-Summoning Banner. Old Cangtou explained the dangers of soul-attack implements and suggested that their flaws might still be overcome, leaving Xu Yi with a possible path forward.

• Xu Yi went to the Imperial Library and warned a burly visitor not to kick Old Cangtou.
• Xu Yi gave Old Cangtou a hundred and twenty jars of wine in gratitude for his past guidance.
• Xu Yi asked Old Cangtou about refining a Soul-Summoning Banner after seeing one used by a blind Daoist.
• Old Cangtou explained that soul-attack implements consumed the practitioner's life force, risked backlash, and hindered cultivation.
• Xu Yi questioned whether soul-attack implements were worth using, and Old Cangtou replied that no path was entirely without a way to overcome its flaws.

Xu Yi asked Old Cangtou about the proper way to refine a Soul-Summoning Banner and received the Soul Splitting Art, then sought his advice about the Vengeful Embryo. Old Cangtou said that breaking open a Vengeful Embryo was supposedly impossible, but began explaining what it would mean if one did.

• Old Cangtou explained that a proper Soul-Summoning Banner was nurtured with yin souls and could be refined through soul power at the Mid Soul Sensing Stage, unlike tools made by forcibly controlling evil spirits.
• Xu Yi revealed that his yin soul had broken through the Blind Daoist's Soul-Summoning Banner and that he had defeated Ji Jiu in Monster Hunting Valley.
• Old Cangtou gave Xu Yi his self-devised Soul Splitting Art and advised him not to refine a Soul-Summoning Banner before comprehending the conception he wished to fuse into it.
• Xu Yi moved with Old Cangtou to the book-viewing area and asked what would happen if the Vengeful Embryo broke open.
• Old Cangtou said a Vengeful Embryo enclosed the Seven Souls and that breaking it open would be a godlike blessing, despite insisting that it was impossible.

Old Cangtou explained how a Vengeful Embryo could break open and transform someone who survived its formation, then offered Xu Yi information about the Dark Mountain. The chapter ended with Xu Yi realizing Old Cangtou was using his need to find the mountain to draw him into a deal involving Ji Jiu.

• Old Cangtou explained the cultivation process and said that forming a Vengeful Embryo normally meant the Seven Souls perished and the body died.
• Xu Yi revealed that someone he knew had formed a Vengeful Embryo and survived, prompting Old Cangtou to ask for the senior's name; Xu Yi refused to disclose it.
• Old Cangtou compared the survivor to Liu Sheng and theorized that the Seven Souls remained, allowing the soul to command them and unite with the spirit.
• Old Cangtou warned that breaking open the Vengeful Embryo would send Baleful Intent surging through the extraordinary meridians and eight vessels, testing the person's spirit.
• Old Cangtou offered Xu Yi another stroke of fortune, but Xu Yi refused to hear it because he suspected it involved killing Ji Jiu.
• Old Cangtou said he would tell Xu Yi where the Dark Mountain was, noting that Xu Yi's boundary token and his need to find the mountain made the information valuable.

Xu Yi visited Old Cangtou, who revealed that Dark Mountain was in the Imperial Tomb and explained the advantages of Soul Sensing Ancestors. After parting from the old man, Xu Yi headed north toward Marquis Anqing’s estate.

• Old Cangtou identified Xu Yi as the nameless stranger from the Void Divine Palace battle and told him Dark Mountain was in the Imperial Tomb.
• Xu Yi accepted that seeking Dark Mountain would bring him into conflict with Ji Jiu and said he would not hold back if they met.
• Old Cangtou explained that Soul Sensing Ancestors surpassed peak Liquid Condensation cultivators in physical defense, speed, power, experience, and resources.
• Xu Yi asked about magical artifacts, and Old Cangtou said he knew little about them and believed they required looking beyond this world.
• Xu Yi thanked Old Cangtou, told him Marquis Anqing was an old friend, and then left the Imperial Library for the Marquis’s estate.

Xu Yi used the soldiers Marquis Anqing had gathered to flood his body with True Qi and crack the Vengeful Embryo further. As the western and northern ranks joined the effort, his meridians swelled grotesquely, and the attempt reached its most dangerous point.

• Xu Yi arrived at Marquis Anqing's residence and learned that the marquis had prepared a training structure and a thousand Black Tiger Army reservists for him.
• Xu Yi explained that he intended to break open the Vengeful Embryo by absorbing the soldiers' True Qi.
• Xu Yi ordered the eastern ranks to send him their True Qi, and he drew the streams into his Qi Sea.
• Xu Yi called on the southern ranks, replenishing the flow and making the Vengeful Embryo spin faster as its cracks spread.
• Xu Yi ordered the western and northern ranks to release their True Qi together, and his meridians swelled beneath his skin.

Xu Yi broke apart his Vengeful Embryo, reached the peak of Liquid Condensation, and fully merged with his body before leaving Marquis Anqing's residence. He wandered through the snowy Imperial City and encountered a procession led by a blue-robed official.

• Xu Yi liquefied the Gang Malice of Fire, reached the peak of Liquid Condensation, and completed his union with the body's Seven Souls.
• Xu Yi tested his strengthened Demonic Ox Great Strength Fist and formed a powerful red spear from his Gang Malice.
• Xu Yi gave the Head Butler a hundred-thousand-gold note to distribute among the exhausted soldiers, then left Marquis Anqing's residence.
• Xu Yi walked through the snow-covered city, bought spicy braised dishes at Cai Lin Ji, and ate as he wandered.
• A petty official rang a gong to clear the street for a blue-robed official riding a tall horse.

Xu Yi rescued Xiong Kui and his fellow disciples from arrest by invoking the Third Prince’s authority. He learned that Xia Zimo had disappeared a month earlier and was spotted in the Heavenly Buddha Kingdom’s tribute delegation, giving him a new lead on her whereabouts.

• Xu Yi recognized Xiong Kui and four fellow disciples being arrested for allegedly spying on the Imperial Palace and broke their chains.
• Xu Yi used the Third Prince’s golden token to stop the soldiers and take Xiong Kui and the others away.
• Xiong Kui asked Xu Yi for help and explained that Xia Zimo had left a letter and disappeared about a month earlier.
• Xiong Kui revealed that his third brother had spotted Xia Zimo in a flower carriage in the Heavenly Buddha Kingdom’s tribute delegation three days earlier.
• Xu Yi was shocked to learn where Xia Zimo might be after his search and the Auspicious Duck’s continued unconsciousness had brought him no answers.

Xu Yi learned that Xia Zimo was traveling with a Buddhist tribute delegation and promised to help Xiong Kui and his brothers. He left them safely at Marquis Anqing’s residence and went to Buzi Hutong to seek the Third Prince’s help.

• The Lion-faced Man used an Imprint Pearl to show Xu Yi an image of Xia Zimo riding in the Heavenly Buddha Kingdom’s tribute procession.
• Xiong Kui explained that he and the others had been arrested while searching for Xia Zimo, who was traveling with Zen Master Jiuru of Tianchan Temple.
• Xu Yi assured the brothers he would clear their records and investigate Xia Zimo’s situation, then shared a meal with them.
• Xu Yi took Xiong Kui and the others to Marquis Anqing’s residence, where the Head Butler agreed to shelter them.
• Xu Yi traveled to Buzi Hutong and went to the Third Prince’s mansion, intending to rely on him for help.

Xu Yi visited the Third Prince’s Mansion, where the Third Prince welcomed him with an elaborate trap and a group of powerful fighters. Xu Yi was bound by the Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare as the Third Prince threatened him and a masked man offered to perform Soul Extraction and Spirit Refining.

• Xu Yi found the Life-Death Gu mark and entered the Third Prince’s Mansion after identifying himself as an old acquaintance from Monster Hunting Valley.
• The Third Prince ordered his servants to welcome Xu Yi with a lavish ceremony, and the two men met in the main hall.
• The Third Prince sprang back and triggered iron chains and a silver net that trapped Xu Yi.
• More than a dozen powerful fighters entered the hall as the Third Prince taunted his captive.
• A masked man urged the Third Prince to let him take Xu Yi for Soul Extraction and Spirit Refining.

Xu Yi escaped the Third Prince’s elaborate ambush and crushed the assembled fighters with his Gang Malice of Fire. He captured the Third Prince alive and began punishing him for his crimes.

• The Third Prince ordered Master Ku to seal Xu Yi’s Niwan Palace, but Xu Yi’s spiritual power destroyed the cloth doll and injured Master Ku.
• The Third Prince charged at Xu Yi, who shattered his chains and silver net with Gang Malice of Fire.
• Xu Yi killed the thirteen gathered fighters with a single attack, sweeping away the Third Prince’s ambush.
• Xu Yi seized the Third Prince and crushed his ankle, making him wake and beg for mercy.

Xu Yi forced the Third Prince to arrange his entry into the Office of Foreign Affairs, then searched the Heavenly Buddha Kingdom embassy for Xia Zimo. He found her in the western wing, where an unexpected cloud-qi attack struck him as he entered the courtyard.

• Xu Yi threatened the Third Prince into sending an attendant to guide him to the Office of Foreign Affairs.
• After Xu Yi left, the Third Prince endured repeated agony as supreme-grade pills repaired his damaged meridians, and he resolved to obey Xu Yi.
• The Third Prince's attendant used the prince's gold token and status to get Xu Yi through the Office of Foreign Affairs and to the Heavenly Buddha Kingdom embassy.
• Xu Yi spread his perception through the embassy and recognized Xia Zimo's familiar aura in the western wing's third room.
• Xu Yi leaped onto the rooftop, took a powerful blow of cloud qi, and drifted into the courtyard.

Xu Yi confronted Jiuru over Xia Zimo, then offered to return the Yin Extremity Bead to honor Liao Chen’s final wish. Beichen attacked Xu Yi over the bead, but Xu Yi effortlessly deflected his Great Hand Seal and asked Jiuru whether he considered the bead evil.

• Xu Yi visited Jiuru and showed him Xia Zimo’s image, but Jiuru claimed she was his second disciple and refused to let Xu Yi meet her.
• Xu Yi revealed his connection to Liao Chen and offered to help Jiuru with his dealings at court.
• Beichen burst in, insulted Liao Chen, and demanded that Xu Yi accept punishment.
• Xu Yi said Liao Chen had died and offered Jiuru the Yin Extremity Bead as Liao Chen’s last wish.
• Beichen seized the bead and attacked Xu Yi, who used Stars Shift and Heavens Turn to make the Great Hand Seal vanish.
• Xu Yi ignored Beichen’s shock and asked Jiuru whether he also considered the bead evil.

Xu Yi confronted Jiuru and Beichen over their attempt to keep the Yin Extremity Bead, then threw the bead into Jade Dai Lake and fought them when they attacked. After Xu Yi badly injured Beichen, a woman from the western wing took a blow meant for him and pleaded with Xu Yi not to hurt her Brother Chen.

• Jiuru called the Yin Extremity Bead an evil object that should be suppressed, and Xu Yi seized it from Beichen and threw it into Jade Dai Lake.
• Xu Yi revealed his Deputy Hundred Households ring and warned Jiuru to stop, but then rushed toward the western wing.
• Jiuru and Beichen trapped Xu Yi with the Demon Subduing Kasaya and staff, but Xu Yi cut the kasaya with the Fierce Rhinoceros horn.
• Xu Yi took Beichen's staff, struck him into the bricks, and twisted the staff into a ball before hurling it at him.
• A woman in white jumped in front of Beichen, was hit by the silver ball, and begged Xu Yi not to hurt her Brother Chen.