Chapter Summaries

After Xu Yi became a guest elder of the Blazing Fire Merchant Association, Lie Xingkong and Old Demon Zhong plotted to capture him and claim his treasures. Xu Yi returned from Hong Yun Hall after challenging Old Demon Zhong, upending the merchant association’s plan and leaving the man in crimson stunned.

• Lie Xingkong decided to honor his deal with Old Demon Zhong and have Xu Yi captured quietly so the association could take his spoils.
• The man in crimson tracked Xu Yi to the market and waited for him to return to his residence.
• Xu Yi told the man in crimson that he had visited Hong Yun Hall and challenged Old Demon Zhong on behalf of the Blazing Fire Merchant Association.
• Xu Yi claimed his master’s secret techniques would let him defeat Old Demon Zhong, while the man in crimson realized Xu Yi had derailed his plan.

Xu Yi used Hong Yun Hall’s challenge system to force a confrontation with Old Demon Zhong, hoping to avoid attacks from Lie Xingkong and Elder Hong. After arranging the challenge, he urged Elder Hong to persuade the young master to bet heavily on his victory, leaving Elder Hong stunned and desolate.

• A green-robed man informed Elder Hong that Hong Yun Hall had sent someone to meet him.
• Xu Yi admitted that he had challenged Old Demon Zhong as a guest of the Blazing Fire Merchant Association, explaining that the move gave him room to maneuver against Lie Xingkong and Elder Hong.
• Head Official Zhao arrived, and Xu Yi introduced him to Elder Hong as the official who had verified Xu Yi’s identity through Xie Qingfeng’s notebook.
• Head Official Zhao praised the association for sending Xu Yi to fight Old Demon Zhong and explained that Hong Yun Hall expected the match to attract major attention and betting.
• Xu Yi told Elder Hong that Head Official Zhao had come at his invitation and urged him to have the young master bet heavily on Xu Yi’s victory.
• Elder Hong asked Head Official Zhao to return while he discussed the bet with the young master, then stared at Xu Yi in disbelief and desolation.

Xu Yi made his duel with Old Demon Zhong public, trapping the Blazing Fire Merchant Association in the fallout and seeking its support. Lie Xingkong and Elder Hong realized Xu Yi had outmaneuvered them, while Xu Yi asked Elder Hong to fund his challenge.

• Xu Yi's maneuver forced Elder Hong to acknowledge him as a Blazing Fire Merchant Association guest advisor before Head Official Zhao.
• Lie Xingkong learned that Old Demon Zhong had discovered Xu Yi's visit to Hong Yun Hall and asked Elder Hong how to respond.
• Elder Hong proposed having Old Demon Zhong persuade Head Official Zhao to suppress the matter, but Old Demon Zhong contacted Lie Xingkong first and threatened to destroy the association.
• Lie Xingkong realized news of the duel had spread and blamed Xu Yi, who had ordered the Bald Monk, Triangle Eye, and others to publicize it.
• Xu Yi told Elder Hong that the association needed to support his challenge to Old Demon Zhong because he was only at the Mid Soul Sensing Stage.

Xu Yi persuaded Elder Hong and Lie Xingkong to support his challenge against Old Demon Zhong, arguing that the fight could benefit the Blazing Fire Merchant Association. He revealed a third-tier soul artifact, leaving Lie Xingkong willing to provide support as the coming conflict promised gains whichever side prevailed.

• Xu Yi told Elder Hong that he had announced his challenge to Old Demon Zhong and argued that killing him would protect and benefit the Blazing Fire Merchant Association.
• Elder Hong abandoned his anger and called Lie Xingkong to discuss what support Xu Yi needed.
• Lie Xingkong questioned Xu Yi’s confidence and offered to trade moves, but Xu Yi reminded him of Xie Qingfeng and said he would show him a treasure.
• Xu Yi revealed the third-tier Soul-Summoning Banner, stunning Lie Xingkong and Elder Hong with its power.
• Lie Xingkong accepted that opposing Xu Yi was no longer practical and asked what support he needed, reasoning that the merchant association would profit whether Xu Yi or Old Demon Zhong won.

Xu Yi negotiated with Lie Xingkong and Elder Hong for resources to fight Old Demon Zhong, while they sought to secure his Soul-Summoning Banner as collateral. The chapter ended with Xu Yi challenging their proposed exchange as unfair.

• Xu Yi asked Lie Xingkong for Wind Spirit Stones, use of the Spirit Gathering Array, and Origin Blast Beads, offering to pay after defeating Old Demon Zhong.
• Elder Hong demanded collateral, and Xu Yi claimed his Soul-Summoning Banner was the only valuable item he could offer.
• Elder Hong proposed that the association keep the banner if Xu Yi won, and Lie Xingkong agreed after weighing the chance to acquire the third-tier artifact.
• Xu Yi pretended to accept the deal, but objected when Elder Hong rushed to put their agreement in writing, arguing that the banner was worth far more than the requested supplies.

Xu Yi negotiated with Elder Hong and Lie Xingkong for resources in exchange for pledging the Soul-Summoning Banner, then searched the association’s catalog for a way to face Old Demon Zhong. He ended the chapter with a sudden clue that might help him overcome the perilous challenge.

• Elder Hong offered Xu Yi spirit stones, Wind Spirit Stones, Origin Blast Beads, and free use of the Spirit Gathering Array in exchange for the Soul-Summoning Banner as collateral.
• Xu Yi negotiated for five Wind Spirit Stones, three Origin Blast Beads, and a treasure worth another ten thousand spirit stones, and Lie Xingkong agreed to provide them from his private treasury.
• Xu Yi delayed signing the agreement until Elder Hong brought him the catalog, then requested food and drink and settled in to study the volume.
• Xu Yi secretly used the Still Water Art to calm himself as he considered how little chance he had against Old Demon Zhong in a direct fight.
• Xu Yi’s resolve wavered as he reviewed the danger, but a clue suddenly came to him.

Xu Yi searched for a way to use favorable conditions against Old Demon Zhong and realized he needed to find the right moment for their duel. On Peach Blossom Island, Old Demon Zhong met with his allies and introduced a plan to profit from Hong Yun Hall’s betting pool.

• Xu Yi recalled how he had defeated Old Ancestor Shui by turning the Yin River and Cloud Burst Arrows against him, then realized Old Demon Zhong would choose the duel’s location.
• Unable to count on a favorable battlefield, Xu Yi considered using weather and other conditions to his advantage and leaped to his feet with a new idea.
• Old Demon Zhong dismissed his guests’ fears about Xu Yi and ordered the banquet cleared so they could begin a meeting.
• Old Demon Zhong’s strategist proposed that the gathering make money from Hong Yun Hall’s betting pool on the challenge.
• Several allies eagerly claimed they wanted in, while alliance members stayed silent because they feared Old Demon Zhong was preparing to extort them.

Old Demon Zhong borrowed spirit stones from allies to maximize his bets on his upcoming duel with Xu Yi, while a middle-aged adviser pointed out the mysteries surrounding Xu Yi’s challenge and Xie Qingfeng’s defeat. The chapter ended with the adviser solemnly congratulating Old Demon Zhong.

• A middle-aged man persuaded Old Demon Zhong’s allies to lend him spirit stones at thirty-percent interest so he could bet on the duel.
• Old Demon Zhong’s duel with Xu Yi, scheduled for two months later, drew widespread attention and a varied betting pool at Hong Yun Hall.
• Old Demon Zhong dismissed the lenders after settling the loan terms, leaving the middle-aged man alone with him.
• The middle-aged man identified Old Demon Zhong’s two concerns: how Deputy Alliance Leader Xie Qingfeng had been defeated and why Xu Yi dared to challenge him.
• The middle-aged man clasped his hands toward Old Demon Zhong and congratulated him.

Old Demon Zhong learned to suspect Xu Yi’s secret art and prepared his Baomu Qionxiang as a trump card for their duel. Meanwhile, Xu Yi asked Elder Hong for a Rain Praying Formation and a huge quantity of Dark Yin Jade, leaving Elder Hong baffled.

• A middle-aged man in a round-collared robe told Old Demon Zhong that Xu Yi had likely killed Deputy Alliance Leader Xie with a strange talisman and advised him to keep his distance and use his superior speed and ranged attacks.
• Old Demon Zhong said he would fight with full effort and revealed that his Baomu Qionxiang had finally dissolved, killing the servants who caught its fumes.
• The middle-aged man praised Old Demon Zhong for obtaining the treasure, and Old Demon Zhong said he planned to use it to protect the spirit stones he had deposited at Hong Yun Hall.
• Xu Yi asked Elder Hong for a mid-grade Rain Praying Formation and Dark Yin Jade, intending to spend nearly all of his ten thousand spirit stones on the jade.
• Elder Hong questioned Xu Yi’s choices and tried to change his mind, but Xu Yi refused to budge.

Xu Yi entered a cave abode prepared by Elder Hong and began cultivating the Profound Thunder Body Tempering Art with a mid-grade Thunder Spirit Stone. After enduring unbearable pain, he continued training for more than fifty days.

• Elder Hong led Xu Yi to a cave abode with a powerful Spirit Gathering Array and gave him the command token.
• Xu Yi searched the cave for tampering, then activated the seven-plaque array and began the Profound Thunder Body Tempering Art.
• Thunderous intent pierced Xu Yi’s acupoints, causing agony far worse than he had expected and leaving him sprawled on the floor.
• Xu Yi realized ordinary spirit stones were quickly exhausted because they could not regulate their energy loss, while the mid-grade Thunder Spirit Stone remained nearly intact.
• After recovering, Xu Yi resumed the painful cultivation, and more than fifty days passed.

Xu Yi completed the first layer of the Profound Thunder Body Tempering Art, greatly strengthening his body and Yin Soul, but the training left him ravenously hungry. After devouring a huge amount of food, he recovered his appearance while Elder Hong wondered what cultivation art he had practiced.

• Xu Yi activated the Spirit Gathering Array and endured a powerful final surge of lightning that expelled foul-smelling impurities from his body.
• Xu Yi realized the Profound Thunder Body Tempering Art had greatly improved his physical body and Yin Soul, lighting three petals of his Karma Fire Red Lotus.
• Xu Yi rushed from his cave abode and demanded food from Elder Hong, then devoured an enormous feast in the kitchen.
• Elder Hong ordered the kitchen staff to keep cooking as Xu Yi ate for two hours, and Xu Yi finally paid them with two spirit stones.
• Elder Hong caught up with Xu Yi beside a pool and asked about his cultivation art after seeing his body and hair recover from the training.

Xu Yi settled his accounts with Liu Yinglin and returned the Life and Death Bottles to the Bald Monk and the others. He then used a teleportation disc to travel eight thousand miles to the Qingchuan Plain.

• Xu Yi met Liu Yinglin, collected a hundred sheets of Wind element Talisman Paper, and left to refine three Swift Body Talismans.
• Xu Yi gave Liu Yinglin the three Swift Body Talismans in exchange for the talismans and to fulfill his earlier promise.
• Xu Yi realized that Swift Body Talismans were worth far more than he had thought because his success rate was unusually high.
• Xu Yi placed Life and Death Bottles in separate storage cabinets and left the Bald Monk and the others instructions for retrieving them.
• Xu Yi sent messages to the Bald Monk, Triangle Eye, and the others, crushed his communication ball, and teleported to the Qingchuan Plain.

With his duel against Old Demon Zhong three days away, Xu Yi returned from Qingchuan Plain to prepare at the Blazing Fire Merchant Association. After crafting talismans and testing his improved body, he studied Old Demon Zhong’s abilities and became more wary.

• Xu Yi intimidated the would-be attackers in Qingchuan Plain with his visible resentment, visited Yuqing Hall, and returned to Autumn Wind Plain by teleportation array.
• Elder Hong told Xu Yi that the duel would take place at Jade Dragon Snowfield and gave him a detailed topographical map.
• Xu Yi spent two days and one night crafting four Swift Wind Talismans and thirteen Swift Body Talismans from Wind Spirit Stones.
• Xu Yi tested his first level of the Profound Thunder Body Tempering Art and found that his skin resisted most of the Coral Horn’s force.
• Xu Yi studied records about Old Demon Zhong, the Peach Blossom Alliance, and Yin Venerables, and his confidence gave way to renewed vigilance.

As the Chaotic Star Sea gathered to watch Xu Yi duel Zhong Ziyu, both fighters arrived at Immortal Finger Peak and prepared for battle. Zhong Ziyu assured Old Zhang that he would fight cautiously, while remaining confident he could defeat Xu Yi within ten moves.

• Nearly a hundred thousand spectators gathered at Immortal Finger Peak, while Hong Yun Hall prepared to broadcast the duel across the Chaotic Star Sea.
• Xu Yi arrived aboard a Hong Yun Hall dragon boat, then returned to his cabin to calm his mind and prepare for battle.
• Zhong Ziyu arrived on another dragon boat after winning a chess game that the middle-aged man had deliberately conceded.
• The middle-aged man warned Zhong Ziyu not to let the betting pool distract him and explained that the Alliance's winnings depended on how many moves the duel took.
• Zhong Ziyu said he would face Xu Yi as seriously as the Venerate of Light and was confident he could win within ten moves.

Xu Yi fought Zhong Ziyu in the arena and turned aside his Soul-Reaping Darts before injuring him with the Thunder True Intent. The battle continued with Xu Yi having gained the upper hand and the spectators cheering.

• Xu Yi and Zhong Ziyu entered the red zone and faced one another before the fight began.
• Zhong Ziyu launched seven Soul-Reaping Darts at Xu Yi, who blocked them and plunged into the snow.
• Zhong Ziyu sent his true soul into Xu Yi’s spiritual platform, where the Thunder True Intent destroyed the invading soul sense.
• Xu Yi seized the opening to capture three darts, forcing Zhong Ziyu to recall the four remaining darts while in agony.
• The spectators cheered as Xu Yi proved he could contend with Zhong Ziyu, and Lie Xingkong and Elder Hong rejoiced aboard the dragon boat.

Xu Yi endured Old Demon Zhong’s needle attacks beneath the snow, then used Fire Gang Malice to disintegrate the needles and emerge. Old Demon Zhong brought out the second-rank Frost Snow Ruler, while Lie Xingkong and Elder Hong waited for Xu Yi to reveal the Soul-Summoning Banner.

• Old Demon Zhong kept attacking the snow with his four gleaming needles as the spectators grew bored watching the stalemate.
• Xu Yi decided not to prolong the battle and made a new move beneath the snow, causing the needles to disappear.
• Xu Yi emerged from the snow and explained that his Fire Gang Malice had disintegrated the iron needles.
• Old Demon Zhong produced the Frost Snow Ruler, exciting the spectators with the prospect of a more serious fight.
• Lie Xingkong and Elder Hong watched, hoping Xu Yi would use the Soul-Summoning Banner.

Xu Yi revealed his Fire Gang Malice while resisting Old Demon Zhong’s powerful ice attacks. After ten moves, neither fighter had gained the upper hand, and Old Demon Zhong resolved to wear Xu Yi down in the next ten.

• Old Demon Zhong attacked Xu Yi with the Shocking Divine Cone, and Xu Yi countered with Fire Gang Malice, shocking the spectators and Lie Xingkong.
• Xu Yi urged Old Demon Zhong to settle the fight with a contest of punches, but Old Demon Zhong unleashed an Ice Snow Storm instead.
• Xu Yi melted the storm’s snow with his Baleful Intent as Old Demon Zhong repeatedly renewed the attack to exhaust him.
• Lie Xingkong despaired and cursed Xu Yi for not using the Soul-Summoning Banner, fearing the losses he would suffer if Xu Yi lost.
• After ten moves, Old Demon Zhong saw no sign that Xu Yi was weakening, abandoned hope of winning quickly, and prepared to continue for another ten moves.

Xu Yi endured Old Demon Zhong's Frost Snow Storm until Zhong summoned an Ice Snow Giant with Artifact Transformation False Body. The giant overwhelmed Xu Yi with repeated strikes and snow chains, leaving him badly injured and bound as the fight continued.

• Spectators debated how long Xu Yi could withstand Old Demon Zhong's Frost Snow Storm, while Lie Xingkong and Elder Hong watched anxiously.
• Old Demon Zhong recognized Xu Yi's extraordinary endurance but kept using the Frost Snow Storm, repeatedly replenishing himself with Soul Replenishing Liquid.
• Xu Yi's baleful energy briefly weakened, then surged again, allowing him to survive two more of Zhong's moves.
• After nineteen moves, Zhong used his blood to transform the Frost Snow Ruler into a towering Ice Snow Giant.
• Xu Yi's fire dragons and Hidden Edge Style failed to stop the giant, which struck him, shattered his soul garment, and repeatedly trapped him in snow chains.

Xu Yi endured Old Demon Zhong’s Ice Snow Giant in a battle of attrition, forcing Zhong to withdraw the artifact as his Yin Soul weakened. As the duel continued, Zhong discovered that Xu had secretly planted Rain Praying Formation flags beneath the snow.

• Old Demon Zhong used the Ice Snow Giant to bind and attack Xu Yi, while Xu spent his baleful energy dodging and countering its endless assaults.
• Xu Yi outlasted the giant for half an hour, and Old Demon Zhong realized his Yin Soul and Soul Replenishing Liquid could not sustain the contest.
• Old Demon Zhong recalled the Ice Snow Giant and put away the Frost Snow Ruler, then challenged Xu Yi to use his hidden trump card.
• Xu Yi kept his distance and let time pass, while the spectators fell silent at his ability to face Old Demon Zhong.
• Old Demon Zhong searched the snow and pulled out seven or eight Rain Praying Formation flags that Xu Yi had secretly planted during the fight.

Xu Yi used rare talismans and the Rain Praying Formation to endure Old Demon Zhong’s attacks, while the Yin Venerable unleashed powerful Soul Malice. The Adamant Talisman wore off, and Old Demon Zhong prepared another attack with four small cages.

• Old Demon Zhong launched a Soul Malice energy sphere at Xu Yi, who used a Swift Body Talisman to rush toward him as the blast triggered an avalanche.
• Old Demon Zhong used his Adamant Talisman to block Xu Yi, then regretted spending it after learning Xu Yi had used a Swift Body Talisman.
• Old Demon Zhong attacked with more Soul Malice spheres, while Xu Yi spent seven Swift Body Talismans to evade them.
• The Adamant Talisman’s effect faded, and Old Demon Zhong stopped firing spheres to swallow pills.
• Old Demon Zhong threatened Xu Yi and produced four palm-sized cages.