Chapter Summaries

Lei Dong rejected Li Chuchu’s advances, while Old Man Gongsun’s fabricated tragic past deepened her misunderstanding of him. He then returned to the Scripture Pavilion, incapacitated Elder Xiao with a Soul-Locking Nail, and opened the second-floor door.

• Lei Dong refused to receive Li Chuchu, but she entered his room and confronted him about his repeated rejection.
• Lei Dong praised Li Chuchu but said he could not hold her back, and she assumed he was still grieving his supposed tragic past.
• Lei Dong sent Li Chuchu away and then headed to the Scripture Pavilion, where Elder Xiao guarded the secret chamber.
• Lei Dong disguised himself and coordinated with Ghost Thorn to freeze Elder Xiao and threaten him into staying still.
• Ghost Thorn pinned Elder Xiao’s Nascent Soul with a Soul-Locking Nail, and Lei Dong opened the second-floor door after confirming the third-floor door was still unrepaired.

Lei Dong broke into the Scripture Pavilion seeking the Spirit Transmutation Puppet Technique, but a golden Spirit Transmutation Puppet caught him and forced him to flee. He left the pavilion under attack, with the puppet's powerful strike sending him crashing toward the ground.

• Lei Dong searched the Scripture Pavilion's third floor and realized the Spirit Transmutation Puppet Technique was probably held by the sect's highest-ranking figure.
• A golden Spirit Transmutation Puppet burst in, exposed Lei Dong's true form, and struck him with a spatially shattering punch that injured him despite his escape.
• Lei Dong used a disguised Immortal Slaying Finger to threaten the pavilion, then unleashed Suicide Ghosts to destroy its texts and formations and distract the puppet.
• Lei Dong slipped away while the puppet tried to contain the destruction, but it spotted him and pursued him out of the Scripture Pavilion.
• The puppet punched Lei Dong from afar; his Indestructible Profound Yin Shield shattered, and the force sent him hurtling toward the ground.

Lei Dong escaped the Myriad Puppet Sect’s Spirit Transmutation Puppet after Ghost Thorn helped him, but he returned to his courtyard gravely injured. There, Li Chuchu discovered his demonic techniques and secret identity, and stayed to support him despite his threats.

• Ghost Thorn ambushed the Spirit Transmutation Puppet to give Lei Dong time to vanish, while the puppet freed Elder Xiao and ordered the Myriad Puppet Sect’s formation sealed for a search.
• Lei Dong concealed his aura, escaped to his courtyard, and realized that the puppet’s blows had nearly shattered his body and Nascent Soul.
• Lei Dong discovered Li Chuchu hiding in the courtyard and seized her with a Netherflame Ghost Claw before recognizing her.
• Lei Dong considered killing Li Chuchu after she saw his demonic appearance, but relented when he noticed the calming jade pendant she carried.
• Lei Dong offered Li Chuchu a pill as a supposed Soul Devouring Pill, but she recognized it as a breakthrough aid and teased him.
• Lei Dong coughed up blood and tried to drive Li Chuchu away, but she flew back and caught him.

Lei Dong and Li Chuchu staged a jealous lovers’ quarrel to distract Elder Zhao while the sect searched for a thief. Elder Li arrived in his Golden Puppet to protect Li Chuchu, but Elder Zhao accused Lei Dong of being the culprit, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Elder Zhao overruled a Golden Core steward’s order for the provisional core disciples to gather and demanded they stay in their rooms for inspection.
• Li Chuchu pretended to accuse Lei Dong of infidelity, and he played along by feigning injury as they argued loudly.
• Elder Zhao tried to seize Lei Dong and Li Chuchu, claiming he would discipline them on Elder Li’s behalf.
• Elder Li’s Golden Puppet destroyed Elder Zhao’s attack and rebuked him for troubling the pair instead of pursuing the thief.
• Elder Zhao accused Lei Dong of stealing a Jade Slip and sought permission to use the Mind-Questioning Technique; Li Chuchu accused him of targeting Lei Dong over Zhao Wu, and Elder Li demanded to know what Zhao Wu had to do with it.

Elder Li, speaking through the Golden Puppet, defended Li Chuchu and Lei Dong against Elder Zhao and revealed his support for their relationship. After taking them to his cave dwelling, he explained that the puppet gave him Spirit Transmutation-level strength but had not brought him into the Spirit Transmutation Realm.

• Li Chuchu tearfully described her conflict with Zhao Wu, and the Golden Puppet rebuked Elder Zhao for blaming her and Lei Dong.
• Elder Zhao criticized Li Chuchu’s conduct and questioned her fitness to inherit, but the Golden Puppet declared that he approved of her relationship with Gongsun Dong and praised Gongsun Dong’s potential.
• Elder Zhao conceded the argument, congratulated Elder Li on gaining a son-in-law, and left to search for the wanted criminal.
• The Golden Puppet carried Li Chuchu and Lei Dong to an ancient cave dwelling and told Lei Dong that Li Chuchu was his chosen successor.
• Elder Li explained that his puppet body granted him Spirit Transmutation-level power, though he remained a Nascent Soul Peak cultivator with little hope of reaching the Spirit Transmutation Realm.

Lei Dong rejected Elder Li’s offer to marry Li Chuchu, unwilling to deceive her despite the risks. He revealed his true identity and seized Li Chuchu as a hostage to protect himself from Elder Li.

• Elder Li offered Lei Dong a choice between ending his connection with Li Chuchu or marrying into the Li household for cultivation resources.
• Li Chuchu accepted the idea of marrying Lei Dong, while Lei Dong weighed the benefits against deceiving her.
• Lei Dong refused Elder Li’s proposal and apologized to Li Chuchu.
• Elder Li realized Lei Dong was the intruder who had broken into the Scripture Pavilion.
• Lei Dong revealed that he was Lei Dong and seized Li Chuchu, threatening to annihilate her if Elder Li moved.

Lei Dong used Li Chuchu as leverage to negotiate a fair trade with Elder Li, revealing his powerful connections and offering rare treasures in exchange for the Myriad Puppet Sect’s Spirit Transmutation-level Puppet Technique. Elder Li apologized for the sect’s earlier treatment of Lei Dong, but rejected his request outright.

• Elder Li confronted Lei Dong for taking Li Chuchu hostage, and Lei Dong insisted he wanted a fair trade rather than an extortion.
• Lei Dong offered valuable materials, Top Grade Spirit Stones, and two Top Grade Spirit Ghosts, impressing Elder Li with the rarity of the ghosts.
• Lei Dong invoked his relationship with Netherworld Ghost Emperor and presented Phoenix Emperor’s letter of introduction, prompting Elder Li to treat him as an equal.
• Lei Dong clarified that he wanted a transaction with no favors owed and asked for the Myriad Puppet Sect’s Spirit Transmutation-level Puppet Technique.
• Elder Li apologized for the sect’s earlier conduct but sprang up and declared that Lei Dong’s request was impossible.

Lei Dong negotiated with Elder Li for the Myriad Puppet Sect’s Spirit Transmutation Puppet Technique, arguing that its value could be matched by rare treasures and promising to keep the secret. Elder Li remained tempted but unconvinced, and the chapter ended with him questioning whether Lei Dong could obtain Life Divine Water and would honor his promise.

• Lei Dong offered a Void Refining stage puppet for the Spirit Transmutation Puppet Technique, then listed other treasures when Elder Li rejected the offer.
• Lei Dong argued that the technique’s practical value was limited by scarce materials and the difficulty of finding cultivators capable of controlling the puppets.
• Lei Dong promised to keep the transaction secret and never spread the technique, while Elder Li weighed the benefits against his attachment to Li Chuchu and the sect.
• Elder Li asked whether Lei Dong would kill Li Chuchu if he refused the trade, and Lei Dong honestly said he would.
• Lei Dong offered to give Elder Li a bottle of Life Divine Water if he obtained at least two bottles during his planned trip to the Bright Holy Domain.
• Elder Li asked how Lei Dong expected to obtain Life Divine Water and why he should trust him to deliver it.

Lei Dong forced Elder Li to agree to trade the Spirit Transmutation Puppet Technique for a chance at Life Divine Water, then left the Myriad Puppet Sect with Li Chuchu. After releasing her, he faced her anger and prepared to depart, but she called him back.

• Lei Dong threatened Li Chuchu and persuaded Elder Li to accept a deal involving the Spirit Transmutation Puppet Technique and Life Divine Water.
• Lei Dong and Elder Li carefully formalized their agreement, and Lei Dong obtained a copy of the technique and studied it for several days.
• Lei Dong asked Elder Li to stage Gongsun Dong's death and spare the Gongsun Family, then left the Myriad Puppet Sect while holding Li Chuchu hostage.
• After traveling more than ten thousand miles, Lei Dong released Li Chuchu and apologized before preparing to leave.
• Li Chuchu called Lei Dong a liar and rejected his offered Spirit Stones, then called him back as he was about to depart.

Lei Dong left Li Chuchu after explaining that he had to enter the Bright Holy Domain to obtain Life Divine Water for his gravely wounded beloved. He then studied the Spirit Transmutation Puppet Technique for years and devised a plan to repair his ancient bronze puppet.

• Lei Dong let Li Chuchu curse him, then reassured her that the Winged God Clan did not eat people and promised he would survive the trip to the Bright Holy Domain.
• Lei Dong told Li Chuchu he needed Life Divine Water to save his beloved and urged her to forget him before flying away.
• Li Chuchu tried to chase Lei Dong, then cried as she realized he had risked taking her hostage rather than tricking her into surrendering the puppet technique.
• Lei Dong traveled over a hundred thousand miles, settled in an abandoned cave, and studied the Spirit Transmutation Puppet Technique.
• Lei Dong spent several years examining the puppet remains and developed a repair plan with a seventy-to-eighty percent chance of success.
• Lei Dong assembled a thirty-zhang bronze puppet equipped with a special halberd made for Ghost Clan Spirit Transmutation experts.

Lei Dong considered how to preserve the combat knowledge in powerful Primordial Spirits while removing their stubborn self-awareness. With the Arena Spirit's help, he began replacing the Archaic Giant Dana's consciousness, and Dana's self-awareness started to fade.

• Lei Dong concluded that the Crimson Refining Divine Snake's and the Archaic War Giant's Primordial Spirits held valuable combat experience but also powerful self-awareness.
• Lei Dong learned from the Arena Spirit that a clone's consciousness could become independent if it was not periodically refreshed.
• Lei Dong agreed to let the Arena Spirit invade the Archaic War Giant Dana's Primordial Spirit and replace its self-awareness.
• Lei Dong sealed Dana's Primordial Spirit in a Soul Sealing Ball, suppressed its resistance, and summoned the Arena Spirit from his Nascent Soul.
• The Arena Spirit fused with Dana's Primordial Spirit, and Dana's self-awareness began to weaken under Lei Dong's control.

After taking control of the Primordial Giant’s consciousness, Lei Dong planned to repair its puppet body using a fire vein in the Purgatory Domain. He prepared for the journey, settled his affairs, and named his newly strengthened Ghost Servant Gui Ming.

• Lei Dong took control of the Primordial Giant’s consciousness and began planning to rework its body, but found that his True Yin Fire was too weak to refine its components.
• Lei Dong chose the Purgatory Domain for its abundant natural fire veins and selected a public route there from the Great Gan Continent.
• Lei Dong secretly settled his remaining affairs with the Gongsun Family, leaving Gongsun a large sum of Spirit Stones.
• Lei Dong traveled in disguise, bought valuable supplies, and sold Top Grade Spirit Ghosts while evading or killing those who tried to ambush him.
• Lei Dong’s new Ghost Servant devoured the flesh and blood of Nascent Soul Cultivators, advanced to early-stage Ghost King, and showed exceptional talent for Netherworld spells.
• Lei Dong named the new Ghost Servant Gui Ming, and Ghost Thorn took responsibility for teaching him.

Lei Dong used his powerful summoned creatures to bait Wanli Yang into attempting a robbery, then turned the ambush against him. Wanli Yang fled after his men were attacked, but Lei Dong intercepted him and shattered his shield, leaving him begging for his life.

• Lei Dong sold a Top Grade Spirit Ghost in Tianji City and bought goods, deliberately attracting greedy cultivators.
• Wanli Yang and two Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivators intercepted Lei Dong and demanded his valuables.
• Lei Dong summoned the Netherflame Ghost Banner, and Ghost Thorn killed one attacker while Gui Ming and the Soul Devouring Shadow Tiger engaged the other.
• Wanli Yang realized he had been baited and fled, abandoning his companion.
• Lei Dong caught up with Wanli Yang and shattered his silver shield with a Netherworld Immortal Slaying Finger.
• Wanli Yang mistook Lei Dong for a Spirit Transmutation expert and begged him to spare his life.

Lei Dong killed Wanli Yang, evaded the hunt for the fishing maniac, and traveled to the Scorching Canyon as the Demon-Slaying Alliance collapsed into infighting. The chapter left him arriving in the fire-filled canyon, a region where cultivators sought fire-type treasures and beasts.

• Lei Dong froze Wanli Yang’s escape attempt and killed him with Big Belly Cannon Ghost, then had Ghost Thorn gather the spoils.
• Lei Dong promised to consider a Blood Sacrifice that might give Ghost Thorn a Netherworld Ghost Body after settling the matter of the Spirit Transmutation Puppet.
• Lei Dong disguised himself as a Golden Core Martial Cultivator and traveled toward his next destination as the deaths of nineteen Nascent Soul cultivators caused an uproar across Great Gan Continent.
• Lei Dong evaded Demon-Slaying Alliance checkpoints and reached the Scorching Canyon after two or three months of travel.
• The Demon-Slaying Alliance fractured and disappeared after its search teams committed abuses across Great Gan Continent and Spirit Transmutation cultivators demanded an investigation.

Lei Dong traveled across Scorching Canyon toward Scorching City, watched a Magma Giant Crocodile kill a small Monster Beast, and joined a group of cultivators led by Wu Ji. He introduced himself as the Rogue Cultivator Ding Dong and began meeting the group’s members.

• Lei Dong flew over Scorching Canyon in disguise and watched a Magma Giant Crocodile ambush and eat one of several small Monster Beasts.
• Wu Ji of Yunshan Sect invited Lei Dong to travel with his group to Scorching City, but Lei Dong initially declined.
• Li Xianxian insulted Lei Dong, while Wu Ji urged him to join the group for safety and offered to wait for him at the city gates.
• Lei Dong introduced himself as Ding Dong, a Rogue Cultivator, and accepted Wu Ji’s invitation to travel together.
• Wu Ji introduced Chen Yun of Sword Hero Sect, and Lei Dong exchanged greetings with him.
• Wu Ji introduced the Murong Sisters, Murong Fu and Murong Lian, and Lei Dong greeted them.

Lei Dong traveled with Wu Ji and the other Golden Core cultivators toward Scorching City, where Wu Ji explained the city’s corruption and invited the group to enter the Purgatory Domain together. The group reached the city and paid its entrance fee, while Wu Ji planned to bid on a Top Grade Fire Spirit Jade instead of joining their expedition.

• Murong Fu mocked Li Xianxian, and Wu Ji introduced Gao Fei and Situ Zhennan to Lei Dong.
• Wu Ji explained that Scorching City’s factions extorted travelers and that traveling in a group helped reduce the fees and risks.
• Lei Dong said he hoped to make a fortune in the Purgatory Domain, and Wu Ji warned him about its dangers before suggesting that the seven prospective explorers form a group.
• Wu Ji revealed that he had come to bid for a Top Grade Fire Spirit Jade and would not enter the Purgatory Domain with them.
• Lei Dong and the others reached Scorching City after a day of travel and paid one thousand Spirit Stones each to enter.

Lei Dong explored Scorching City with Wu Ji and learned about its Purgatory-inspired architecture, powerful races, and human strength. After encountering Purgatory Devils, a Flame Giant, and a seductive Crimson Fire Snake at their inn, he remained wary and prepared to defend himself.

• Wu Ji explained that Scorching City's unusual buildings imitated the architecture of the Purgatory Flame Devils.
• Lei Dong and his companions checked into an expensive inn where powerful Purgatory races also stayed.
• Lei Dong recognized the Flame Giant from the Inner Devil Hall incident and remembered how it had nearly killed him and Qi Feifei.
• A Crimson Fire Snake tried to entice Lei Dong, and Wu Ji warned him that her kind used Charm Techniques to drain cultivators.
• Wu Ji told Lei Dong that Purgatory visitors came to Scorching City to trade and described the strength of humanity's Spirit Transmutation experts.
• Lei Dong realized the Purgatory visitors were Nascent Soul cultivators and resolved to kill the Crimson Fire Snake if she threatened him.

Lei Dong settled into Scorching City and used Ghost Thorn to spy on three Purgatory visitors, discovering that they planned to pursue the Flame Monarch’s Rebirth Essence. As the visitors argued over cooperation and dividing the prize, Lei Dong recalled the Flame Monarch’s ancient origins and formidable power.

• Lei Dong agreed to accompany Wu Ji to an auction in three days and returned to his room to meditate behind a defensive array.
• Lei Dong sent Ghost Thorn to survey Scorching City, and Ghost Thorn discovered three Nascent Soul-level Purgatory beings meeting in a courtyard.
• Lei Dong ordered Ghost Thorn to listen in as Kampal, Chi Wei, and Huo Ling argued about trusting one another and working together.
• Chi Wei and Huo Ling demanded that Kampal explain how they would divide the Flame Monarch’s Rebirth Essence if they obtained it.
• Lei Dong recognized the Flame Monarch as a distant descendant of the Flame Ancestor and recalled its immense power and secluded territory in the Purgatory Domain.

Lei Dong overheard Kampal negotiate with Chi Wei and Huo Ling for their help obtaining the Flame Monarch’s Essence, then decided the treasure could benefit his own cultivation and spirit treasures. He had Ghost Thorn follow Chi Wei and watched her choose Chen Yun as her target instead of him.

• Kampal offered Chi Wei three cities and their dependent lands, and she accepted the terms of his pledge to help obtain the Flame Monarch’s Essence.
• Kampal offered Huo Ling ten million pieces of Fire Spirit Jade, and Huo Ling agreed to assist him.
• Lei Dong considered how the Flame Monarch’s Essence could help him refine a powerful spirit treasure and listened to the visitors’ plans.
• Lei Dong sent Ghost Thorn to follow Chi Wei as she searched for a Golden Core Cultivator to bid at the auction.
• Chi Wei entered the room next to Lei Dong’s, where Chen Yun was staying, and chose him for her scheme.

Lei Dong and Wu Ji attended the Scorching City auction, where Wu Ji hoped to obtain Top Grade Fire Spirit Jade and Lei Dong offered to help him buy a woman he admired. The auction began under the supervision of a Nascent Soul host, with a Fire Patterned Thunder Leopard cub as its first item.

• Lei Dong and Wu Ji entered the crowded auction hall in disguise and took neighboring seats.
• Wu Ji explained that the women performing at the auction were selling themselves into servitude to support their families, and Lei Dong offered to pay for Number Eight on Wu Ji’s behalf.
• An attendant told Lei Dong that several bidders wanted Number Eight, so she would be put up for auction; Lei Dong agreed to bid on her.
• Elder Yang, a Nascent Soul Cultivator, opened the auction and presented a Fire Patterned Thunder Leopard cub as the first item.