Chapter Summaries

After learning that the Seven Absolute Old Demon and You Longzi had caused a devastating clash near Wu Family Market, Shen Changchuan focused on strengthening himself and refined a powerful Bronze Bell. Just as he succeeded, You Longzi announced the establishment of the Dragon Firmament Sect.

• Shen Changchuan learned that the Seven Absolute Old Demon and You Longzi had clashed near Wu Family Market, killing most of the cultivators gathered there.
• Shen Changchuan concluded that the conflict had grown beyond his reach and instructed Han Qinhu to gather information and watch for developments.
• Shen Changchuan decided to improve his strength by refining the Bronze Bell borrowed by Shen Zeyu.
• Shen Changchuan successfully refined the Bronze Bell after three days.
• You Longzi announced that he was establishing the Dragon Firmament Sect.

You Longzi told Wu Tianhao that the Wu family’s Ancient Grotto-Heaven would become the Dragon Firmament Sect’s mountain gate, and promised the family a place in the new sect. He explained that the sect remained under the Yuqing Immortal Sect’s banner and ordered Wu Tianhao to begin recruiting disciples.

• You Longzi dismissed the threat posed by Old Man Seven Absolutes and promised not to mistreat the Wu family for taking its treasured land.
• Wu Tianhao asked whether You Longzi could still save the Yuqing Immortal Sect, and You Longzi explained that he had left to avoid his rivals and pursue the Profound Core position.
• Wu Tianhao worried that he and his master had been expelled, but You Longzi struck him and clarified that he remained a Secret Transmission disciple and the Dragon Firmament Sect was subordinate to the Yuqing Immortal Sect.
• You Longzi ordered Wu Tianhao to prepare the Ancient Grotto-Heaven as the sect’s mountain gate and recruit Qi Induction disciples and Out of Body Stage guest elders.
• Wu Tianhao thought of the talented Shen Clan disciple in Great Bay Village and planned to bring Xiao Yu back.

Shen Tingchu drove off a Devil Cultivator but abandoned the pursuit after sensing an emergency transmission from the Shen Family Old Ancestor. He arrived to find the Old Ancestor assessing the situation around You Longzi’s new sect, where Spirit Wandering experts from several factions might soon clash.

• Shen Tingchu fought the Shadow, injuring him with sword strikes, but the Shadow escaped after threatening revenge on Shen Tingchu’s family and friends.
• Shen Tingchu sensed a Shen Family emergency transmission, stopped pursuing the Shadow, and went to meet the Shen Family Old Ancestor.
• Shen Tingchu realized that You Longzi’s earlier battle with the Seven Absolute Old Demon had already drawn the attention of powerful factions across the region.
• The Shen Family Old Ancestor recognized Shen Tingchu as a promising member of the younger generation and asked him to report what he knew about the area.

Shadow fled to Great Bay Village to prey on its cultivators and seek revenge, while Shen Changchuan tested the Bronze Bell and discovered its immense power came at a steep cost in spiritual energy. As Shen Clan officials from Qing City arrived, Shen Changchuan prepared to meet them at Great Bay Village.

• Shadow recovered from his injuries beneath a boulder and decided to hunt cultivators in Great Bay Village for Blood Food before taking revenge on Shen Tingchu.
• Shen Changchuan tested the Bronze Bell and found its full power rivaled an Out of Body Stage expert’s attack, but he could unleash it only three to five times before exhausting his spiritual power.
• Shen Changchuan reflected that the Bronze Bell gave him a powerful defensive trump card, then resolved to focus on improving his cultivation.
• Shen Changchuan learned that representatives of the Shen Family’s official authority had arrived from Qing City and understood the matter could not be handled like the previous pursuit.
• Shen Changchuan gathered his resolve and descended toward Great Bay Village to meet the visitors from Qing City.

Shen Shenliang and other Shen Family members from Qing City seized Great Bay Village's administrative hall and claimed the prosperous village and most of its earnings. Shen Changchuan arrived to confront them, and Shen Shenliang demanded that he hand over the village within three days and surrender eighty percent of the past year's profits.

• Shen Family members from Qing City entered Great Bay Village's Commercial District, took over its administrative hall, and barred outsiders from entering or leaving.
• Shen Shenliang discovered that the village could earn tens of thousands of Spirit Stones annually and began treating its wealth as his own.
• Shen Changchuan entered the hall, unsettling Shen Shenliang and his companions despite his unremarkable appearance.
• Shen Shenliang ordered Shen Changchuan to complete the village handover within three days and demanded eighty percent of the past year's profits.

Shen Shenliang demanded most of Shen Changchuan’s Spirit Stones, but before their dispute could be settled, an Out of Body Stage Devil Cultivator trapped Great Bay Village beneath a black barrier. The Shadow sent swarms of Black Smoke Skulls and Ghost Monsters to attack the gathered cultivators.

• Shen Shenliang claimed Shen Changchuan was not qualified to keep his Spirit Stones and demanded that he hand over most of them.
• A tremendous roar shook Great Bay Village, and guards rushed into the Administrative Hall to report that an Out of Body Stage Devil Cultivator had broken in.
• Shen Shenliang and the others saw black mist and walls enclose Great Bay Village, while a cultivator who tried to flee was killed by the monsters in the mist.
• The cultivators pleaded with the Shadow in the sky for mercy, but he ignored them and continued creating Black Smoke Skulls and Ghost Monsters to heal his wounds.
• The Shadow formed a hand seal and ordered the Black Smoke Skulls and Ghost Monsters to attack the crowd.

As black-smoke creatures attacked Great Bay Village, Shen Changchuan refused to let Shen Shenliang sacrifice the village Guard Team and sent him flying with one kick. Shen Changchuan then stopped hiding his strength, revealing himself as a powerful expert as he destroyed three formidable skeleton heads.

• Black-smoke skeletons, ghostly creatures, and Demonic Beasts drained the vitality of the cultivators they passed through, plunging Great Bay Village into chaos.
• Han Qinhu brought the village Guard Team to the Administrative Hall, where Shen Shenliang ordered them to hold off the attackers while he and the Shen family escaped.
• Shen Shenliang offered to take Shen Changchuan's group out in exchange for using the Guard Team as a delaying force, but Shen Changchuan kicked him through two houses and into a boulder.
• Han Qinhu warned Shen Changchuan that revealing his power before so many witnesses would undo his efforts to stay hidden, but Shen Changchuan said he was tired of hiding.
• Shen Changchuan crossed the square and destroyed three black-smoke skeleton heads with a single flash of sword light, stunning the watching cultivators.

Shen Changchuan fought off a swarm of Black Smoke Skulls and drew the attention of the Out of Body Stage Shadow, who recognized him from their encounter a month earlier. The Shadow descended on him with a devastating palm strike.

• Shen Changchuan reflected that greed would keep bringing challengers to Great Bay Village and decided he was tired of repeating the same conflicts.
• Shen Changchuan stood his ground as Black Smoke Skulls swarmed toward him, while nearby cultivators assumed he was doomed.
• Shen Changchuan unleashed streaks of sword light that destroyed dozens of Black Smoke Skulls and cleared the area around him.
• The Shadow recognized Shen Changchuan as the young cultivator who had withstood his attack at Wu Family Market and called him a genius of the Tiannan Shen Clan.
• The Shadow appeared above Shen Changchuan and struck at him with a massive, pitch-black hand.

Shen Changchuan withstood Black Shadow’s full-force attack with a single Azure Wood Sword Light, revealing how much his strength had grown. As Black Shadow began gathering blood Qi to heal himself and kill Shen Changchuan, Shen Changchuan’s Bronze Bell suppressed him and crashed down.

• Shen Changchuan met Black Shadow’s pitch-black giant hand with Azure Wood Sword Light and staggered back, injured but still standing.
• The watching cultivators and Black Shadow realized Shen Changchuan had blocked an Out of Body Stage attack with one move.
• Black Shadow recognized Shen Changchuan’s rapid progress and decided to kill him before he became a greater threat.
• Black Shadow summoned the bloodstained Black Smoke Skulls and Youhun monsters to absorb their blood Qi and life force.
• Shen Changchuan’s Bronze Bell rapidly enlarged, briefly suppressed Black Shadow, and smashed down onto him.

Shen Changchuan used his Bronze Bell Treasure Artifact to shatter Shadow the Devil Cultivator’s defense and badly injure him. After a second attack, both fighters were left exhausted, with Shadow embedded in the earth and barely able to stand.

• Shadow the Devil Cultivator judged Shen Changchuan’s wood-element sword light to be his strongest attack and raised an Out of Body Stage defense.
• Shen Changchuan struck with the Bronze Bell, shattering Shadow’s barrier and smashing him into the ground.
• Shen Changchuan said Shadow was injured and attacked again with the Bronze Bell, disrupting his recovery and deepening the crater.
• The cultivators trapped in Great Bay Village watched as the blast cleared, revealing Shadow severely wounded and Shen Changchuan pale and exhausted.

Shen Changchuan defeated the Shadow Devil Cultivator Xu Ziming by exploiting his weakened state and striking twice with the Bronze Bell. As the darkness and village blockade faded, the gathered cultivators watched Shen Changchuan approach the helpless Xu Ziming, realizing they were witnessing history.

• Shen Changchuan explained that he had noticed Xu Ziming was weaker than before and had gambled on using the Bronze Bell immediately.
• Shen Changchuan replenished his spiritual power with a Mid-grade Spirit Stone as he cautiously approached Xu Ziming.
• Xu Ziming revealed his name and admitted that his overconfidence and contempt for Qi Gathering cultivators had led to his defeat.
• Xu Ziming recalled how he had once killed his Master while at Qi Gathering Third Level and reflected on how advancing to the Out of Body Stage had made him careless.
• The dark clouds and fog around Great Bay Village faded, but the cultivators stayed in place and watched Shen Changchuan and Xu Ziming.

Shen Changchuan killed Xu Ziming after seeing through his feigned weakness, surviving the Devil Cultivator’s self-detonation with the Bronze Bell. The witnesses celebrated his legendary victory, while Shen Shenliang realized he had badly misjudged Shen Changchuan.

• Shen Changchuan stopped well short of Xu Ziming and launched an Azure Wood Sword Light at him.
• Xu Ziming abandoned his feigned surrender and tried to self-detonate, but Shen Changchuan’s Bronze Bell shielded him from the blast.
• The explosion destroyed Great Bay Village and scattered the watching cultivators, while Xu Ziming vanished from the center of the crater.
• Shen Changchuan withdrew the Bronze Bell and accepted that the battle was over.
• The cultivators marveled at Shen Changchuan’s victory, while Shen Shenliang stood frozen in fear and regret.

After Shen Changchuan killed Xu Ziming, news of his strength spread throughout the Tiannan Domain and drew widespread attention. The Shen Family Old Ancestor praised him but rejected Shen Tingchu’s proposal to make him a Seed Member, saying he had other arrangements.

• Shen Shenliang regretted provoking Shen Changchuan and feared for his life as news of the battle spread.
• People across the Tiannan Domain discussed Shen Changchuan’s rise and his killing of the Out of Body Stage Devil Cultivator Xu Ziming.
• The Shen Family Old Ancestor praised Shen Changchuan after reading the news gathered by Shen Tingchu.
• Shen Tingchu recalled Shen Changchuan’s rapid growth and urged the Old Ancestor to protect him by making him a Seed Member.
• The Old Ancestor refused and said he had other arrangements for Shen Changchuan.

After learning that Shen Fuxing had used his family as pawns, Shen Chong abandoned his last trace of affection for his father and vowed to return for revenge. Meanwhile, Wu Tianhao reported Shen Changchuan's extraordinary feat to You Longzi, who ordered him to approach Shen Changchuan about becoming a Personal Disciple.

• Shen Chong learned from the middle-aged man's memories that Shen Fuxing had treated him, his elder brother, and their mother as disposable pawns, and he vowed to take revenge.
• A voice in Shen Chong's mind tempted him with a path to greater power by exploiting his rivalry with Shen Changchuan, but Shen Chong refused and insisted he was not inferior.
• Wu Tianhao heard that Shen Changchuan had killed an Out of Body Stage cultivator while in the Qi Induction realm and marveled at his progress.
• Wu Tianhao reported Shen Changchuan's circumstances to You Longzi, who decided that Wu Tianhao should make contact and offer him a chance to become a Personal Disciple if he passed the Heart Questioning Pass.

Shen Fuxing decided to use Shen Changchuan as a shield to divert First Madam’s attention from his favored son, Yi Yun. Unaware of this scheme, Shen Changchuan recovered from his fight with Xu Ziming and prepared to flee with his family as Han Qinhu reassured him.

• Shen Fuxing learned that Shen Changchuan was his son and ordered Uncle Shao to leak Shen Changchuan’s news to First Madam to distract her from Yi Yun.
• Shen Fuxing dismissed Shen Changchuan’s achievement as mostly the work of the Bright Cauldron Bell and said his Spirit Body son Yi Yun mattered more.
• After recovering from his injuries, Shen Changchuan sensed he was close to reaching the Ninth Layer Apex but delayed cultivation while his family prepared to leave Great Bay Village.
• Shen Changchuan apologized to Han Qinhu for making him leave, and Han Qinhu said he was grateful for the chance to become an Immortal Path cultivator.

Shen Changchuan and Han Qinhu discussed the Han Family’s rise and the danger facing Shen Changchuan’s mother, Yun Niang. Han Qinhu helped him recognize how confronting his enemies had cleared his heart, and Shen Changchuan resolved to bring his mother to safety.

• Han Qinhu told Shen Changchuan that the Han Family’s transformation into a small cultivation family was thanks to him, while Shen Changchuan credited Han Qinhu’s management of Great Bay Village.
• Han Qinhu asked whether Shen Changchuan had arranged for Yun Niang’s safety, warning that the jealous First Madam might target her if Shen Changchuan disappeared.
• Shen Changchuan admitted he had acted against Shen Shenliang and others without first arranging an escape route for his mother, and planned to go to Tiannan City after the others withdrew.
• Han Qinhu argued that Shen Changchuan had needed to fight the Out of Body Stage demon and that acting decisively had helped him overcome the gloom and hesitation in his heart.
• Shen Changchuan recognized his newfound confidence and vowed to bring Yun Niang out safely.

The Shen Family Old Ancestor found Shen Changchuan in Great Bay Village and offered to protect his birth mother and grant his village to his descendants if he joined the Dragon Firmament Sect. He left with Shen Tingchu, revealing that Shen Changchuan was meant to spy on the sect and learn about You Longzi, whose presence worried the Tiannan Shen Clan.

• Shen Changchuan recognized the Shen Family Old Ancestor and paid his respects as the elder assessed his talent.
• The Old Ancestor offered to keep Shen Changchuan's birth mother safe and make Great Bay Village his family's private property if he joined the Dragon Firmament Sect.
• Shen Changchuan was told to join the Dragon Firmament Sect, and the Old Ancestor departed with Shen Tingchu without drawing anyone else's notice.
• Shen Tingchu questioned why the Old Ancestor sent a talented Shen descendant to another faction rather than cultivating him within the family.
• The Old Ancestor explained that Shen Changchuan's likely Out of Body Stage cultivation was not especially valuable to the Shen Family, while his presence in the sect could reveal You Longzi's intentions.
• The Old Ancestor worried that You Longzi's Dragon Firmament Sect might threaten the Tiannan Shen Clan, and admitted their efforts to understand the sect had yielded no answers.

As the Dragon Firmament Sect’s founding drew cultivators to the Border Wasteland Forest, Shen Changchuan arrived at the site of Wu Family Market and saw the vast mountain gate You Longzi had created. Impressed by the sect’s strength and ties to the Yuqing Immortal Sect, Shen Changchuan’s reluctance to join faded, and Wu Tianhao welcomed him at the entrance.

• The founding of the Dragon Firmament Sect and its large-scale recruitment heightened tensions among the Tiannan Domain’s major forces and drew cultivators to the Border Wasteland Forest.
• Shen Changchuan saw that You Longzi had transformed the former site of Wu Family Market into a towering mountain gate.
• Shen Changchuan concluded that the mountain gate displayed the Dragon Firmament Sect’s formidable foundation and reconsidered his resistance to joining it.
• Wu Tianhao emerged through the cloud barrier and welcomed Shen Changchuan, who apologized for arriving two days late.

Shen Changchuan arrived late to the Dragon Firmament Sect’s recruitment assessment and was allowed to proceed directly to the final Heart Questioning Pass. Just as he was about to enter, a cultivator challenged Wu Tianhao for giving him special treatment.

• Shen Changchuan reached the Ninth Layer Apex after refining Mid-grade Spirit Stones but chose not to pursue an Out of Body Pill, keeping his future advancement in mind.
• After returning to Tiannan City because something had happened on his mother's side, Shen Changchuan arrived at the Dragon Firmament Sect two days after its gates opened.
• Wu Tianhao explained the sect’s demanding recruitment trials and guided Shen Changchuan past the earlier assessments to the Heart Questioning Pass.
• The other candidates cleared a path for Wu Tianhao and Shen Changchuan to approach the passage, drawing curious and indifferent stares.
• A cultivator accused Wu Tianhao of deceiving the sect by letting Shen Changchuan skip the earlier trials.

Wu Tianhao brought Shen Changchuan into the final Heart Questioning Pass without having taken the earlier assessments, provoking the elite candidates and threatening the Dragon Firmament Sect’s recruitment. Shen Changchuan stopped Wu Tianhao from retaliating and demonstrated his sword power to the youth who challenged his qualifications.

• The candidates objected when Wu Tianhao brought Shen Changchuan directly to the final pass, and one youth accused the Dragon Firmament Sect of making itself a laughingstock.
• Wu Tianhao suppressed the plaza with his pressure, while the candidates began to doubt whether they wanted to join the sect.
• Wu Tianhao realized that presenting Shen Changchuan openly had turned him into a target and prepared to silence the outspoken youth.
• Shen Changchuan stopped Wu Tianhao and asked the youth whether he doubted Shen Changchuan’s qualifications to take the pass.
• After the youth confirmed his objection, Shen Changchuan pointed at him and unleashed an azure sword-light that carved a ravine more than thirty zhang long through the plaza.