Chapter Summaries

Xuan Jin spent seven days with his family and companions before preparing to travel to the Beast Domain with Zi Yan and Cai'er. As he visited Xuan Yi on the sixth night, he raised the unresolved matter of Huo Zhi.

• Zi Yan promised to help Cai'er find an opportunity in the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs, and Cai'er gratefully accepted her as family.
• Xuan Jin stayed in the Pill Tower courtyard for seven days, spending time with Cao Ying and Xuan Xi before promising Cao Ying he would return from the Beast Domain.
• Xuan Jin helped Ya Fei organize commercial routes and a transit guild, then explained how Cai'er could use the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs to purify her bloodline.
• Xuan Jin invited Cai'er to travel with him and Zi Yan, while Zi Yan agreed after he bought her high-grade spiritual herbs to eat.
• Huo Zhi remained uneasy about the Yan Clan Leader's demand that she bear Xuan Jin's child, but her pride kept her from speaking to him.
• Xuan Jin visited Xuan Yi on the sixth night and asked, "What about Huo Zhi?"

Xuan Jin told Xuan Yi he was traveling to the Beast Domain to obtain an opportunity from the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs that could help her break through to Dou Saint, and asked her to teach Xuan Xi alchemy. He departed with Zi Yan and Cai'er, and the group reached the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python clan’s swamp stronghold.

• Xuan Jin explained that he would seek an opportunity for Xuan Yi’s breakthrough and arranged for her to teach Xuan Xi alchemy when the child was older.
• Xuan Yi warned Xuan Jin not to provoke the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python clan, and he promised to avoid fighting if possible while also seeking an opportunity for Cai'er and a fighter for Qing Lin.
• Seven days later, Xuan Jin, Zi Yan, and Cai'er left for the Beast Domain as Cao Ying and the others saw them off.
• Zi Yan brought the group to a forest on the outskirts of the Beast Domain, where Xuan Jin sensed for the clan but detected no trace of them nearby.
• Xuan Jin, Zi Yan, and Cai'er traveled on foot toward the Poison Swamp and arrived at the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python clan’s palace in its center.

Xuan Jin, Zi Yan, and Cai'er infiltrated the Nine Netherworld Underworld Python Clan’s swamp and reached the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs. Cai'er began seeking the Yellow Spring Origin while Xuan Jin entered the Yellow Spring Stele’s inheritance space and faced the Yellow Spring Demon Saint’s remnant soul.

• Zi Yan used her Dragon Phoenix bloodline to suppress the swamp’s creatures and conceal the group as Xuan Jin led them past the clan’s patrols.
• Xuan Jin guided Zi Yan and Cai'er through the clan’s defenses to the sealed entrance of the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs, and Zi Yan quietly broke through its array.
• The three entered the underground Yellow Springs, where Xuan Jin told Cai'er to seek the Yellow Spring Origin and asked Zi Yan to guard the area.
• Xuan Jin sat before the Yellow Spring Stele, which enveloped him in light and transported him into an inheritance space.
• The Yellow Spring Demon Saint’s remnant soul appeared before Xuan Jin and spoke to him.

Xuan Jin passed the Yellow Spring Demon Saint’s three trials with his Emperor Realm Soul and proved worthy of the inheritance. The Demon Saint then entrusted him with three Heaven Tier Dou Techniques and his Origin Essence Blood.

• Xuan Jin saw through the Inner Demon Illusion Realm and shattered the illusion of his family and friends.
• Xuan Jin used the Star Sea Ice Lotus Flame to absorb the Yellow Spring Finger and cleaved apart the Yellow Spring Palm with his Soul Profound Palm.
• Xuan Jin absorbed Yellow Spring Heaven Wrath without harm, revealing his Emperor Realm Soul to the Yellow Spring Demon Saint.
• The Yellow Spring Demon Saint gave Xuan Jin his three Heaven Tier Dou Techniques and Origin Essence Blood, which merged into Xuan Jin’s soul.

Xuan Jin inherited the Yellow Spring Demon Saint’s techniques and Origin Essence Blood, then gave Cai'er a portion to aid her bloodline transformation in the Ancient Heaven Swallowing Python Clan’s ancestral nest. After she entered seclusion, he and Zi Yan headed into the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs to find the former Clan Leader of the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python Clan.

• Xuan Jin absorbed the Demon Saint’s inheritance and sealed away the Origin Essence Blood, reserving most of it for his teacher’s breakthrough to Battle Saint.
• Xuan Jin found Cai'er at the ancestral nest’s barrier and explained that entering would begin a long bloodline transformation.
• Xuan Jin gave Cai'er a quarter of the essence blood and reminded her to use the Bodhi Great Restoration Pill during her transformation.
• Cai'er entered the ancestral nest, and Xuan Jin told Zi Yan that they would leave while Cai'er secluded herself for a year or longer.
• Xuan Jin and Zi Yan entered the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs to find the former Clan Leader of the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python Clan, and Xuan Jin discovered a massive cave at the riverbed’s deepest point.

Xuan Jin and Zi Yan freed Yao Ming from his centuries-long imprisonment, and Zi Yan’s Dragon Phoenix bloodline forced him to submit. Yao Ming pledged the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python Clan’s loyalty, recovered with Ninth Grade Precious Pills, and agreed to Xuan Jin’s plan to reclaim the clan leadership without a direct assault.

• Xuan Jin melted the Yellow Springs Yin Stone Array with his Star Sea Ice Lotus Flame while Zi Yan shattered the chains holding Yao Ming.
• Yao Ming tried to leave and seek revenge on Yao Xiaotian, but Zi Yan’s Five-star Battle Saint aura and Dragon Phoenix bloodline made him submit.
• Xuan Jin explained that he had freed Yao Ming to secure a reliable leader for Cai’er’s inheritance and revealed that Zi Yan was the new Dragon Emperor and his wife.
• Yao Ming pledged the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python Clan’s loyalty to Zi Yan, and Xuan Jin gave him Ninth Grade Precious Pills to restore his strength.
• Yao Ming told Xuan Jin about Yao Xiaotian’s forces, and Xuan Jin planned for Yao Ming to return alone so his loyal former subordinates would gather around him.

Yao Ming returned to confront Yao Xiaotian and sparked a civil war within the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python Clan. Zi Yan revealed her overwhelming Dragon Phoenix Sovereign pressure, subduing the rebels, while Xuan Jin prepared to handle what remained.

• Yao Xiaotian questioned the Great Elder about a mysterious bloodline pressure before Yao Ming’s voice rang out across the clan grounds.
• Yao Ming accused Yao Xiaotian of betraying him, and the two transformed into giant pythons and fought.
• Yao Xiaotian ordered his elders to kill Yao Ming, and the clan’s loyalists and rebels clashed across the territory.
• Xuan Jin and Zi Yan appeared above the battlefield, and Yao Ming forced Yao Xiaotian back before greeting them respectfully.
• Zi Yan unleashed her Dragon Phoenix Sovereign pressure, pinning Yao Xiaotian, the Great Elder, and the rebel elders to the ground.
• Xuan Jin praised Zi Yan and stepped forward to deal with the subdued traitors.

Xuan Jin crushed the coup within the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python Clan, killing Yao Xiaotian and sealing the Great Elder before securing the clan's submission. With the conflict settled, he prepared to return with Zi Yan, but they still needed to visit the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs.

• Xuan Jin killed the rebellious elders with his Hundred Veins Burning City Palm and sealed the plaza with five Heavenly Flame spirits.
• Yao Xiaotian burned his essence blood and soul to attack Xuan Jin, but Xuan Jin trapped him in the Eight Extremes Flame Prison and killed him with the Crimson Annihilation Divine Light.
• Xuan Jin sealed the Great Elder's cultivation and extracted Dou Saint Essence Blood from Yao Xiaotian's corpse.
• Yao Ming and the surviving members of the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python Clan submitted to Zi Yan as Dragon Emperor and to Xuan Jin.
• Xuan Jin placed a restriction at the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs to protect Cai'er as she received the inheritance, then had Yao Ming restore order.
• Xuan Jin and Zi Yan prepared to return, but first planned to visit the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs.

Xuan Jin returned from the Beast Domain after helping Yao Ming reclaim leadership of the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python Clan, leaving Cai'er to receive her inheritance in the Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs. Back at Saint Pill City, he imprisoned the clan's Great Elder and gave Cao Ying a quarter of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's essence blood.

• Xuan Jin reinforced the restriction around Cai'er and embedded a jade slip that would alert him when she triggered it from within.
• Xuan Jin and Zi Yan returned to Saint Pill City, where he found Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Lin, and Tang Huo'er still in seclusion.
• Xuan Jin locked the sealed Great Elder of the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python Clan in the residence's prison and planned to give him to Qing Lin after she emerged.
• Cao Ying finished refining three high-tier Seventh Grade pills and welcomed Xuan Jin back.
• Xuan Jin told Cao Ying about the Beast Domain and gave her one quarter of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's Half-Step Dou Emperor Origin Essence Blood.

Xuan Jin returned to the Pill Tower and gave Cao Ying and Xuan Yi valuable essence blood, explaining that he had already fused with Ancestor Yan Cang’s Emperor Blood. He also discussed Huo Zhi’s feelings with Cao Ying and Xuan Yi, leaving the question of what to do about her unresolved.

• Xuan Jin gave Cao Ying a portion of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint’s Origin Essence Blood and said he would bring Xuan Yi her share.
• Cao Ying told Xuan Jin that Huo Zhi had trained in the backyard every day during his absence and hinted that Huo Zhi looked at him differently.
• Xuan Jin gave Xuan Yi a quarter portion of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint’s Origin Essence Blood and Yao Xiaotian’s Dou Saint Essence Blood to aid her breakthrough.
• Xuan Yi accepted the essence blood and told Xuan Jin she was handling the Pill Tower’s daily administration while others were away or occupied.
• Xuan Yi asked Xuan Jin whether Huo Zhi’s situation had progressed, and he replied that Huo Zhi had not said anything outright.

Xuan Jin prepared to enter seclusion to break through from Peak Four-Star Dou Saint to Five-star Battle Saint, while Xuan Yi planned to enter seclusion after handing over Pill Tower's affairs. As the months passed, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin neared their own breakthroughs, and Tang Huo'er emerged as a One-Star Dou Venerate.

• Xuan Yi agreed to hand Pill Tower's affairs to Xuan Kongzi before entering seclusion, and promised to look after Xuan Xi's early education.
• Xuan Jin told Cao Ying and Zi Yan he would enter seclusion for months or possibly over a year, and asked Zi Yan to receive Cai'er if her inheritance ended while he was away.
• Cao Ying prepared pills and spirit stones for Xuan Jin and reassured him that the household and Pill Tower affairs were covered.
• At midnight, Xuan Jin entered the cultivation chamber and refined the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's essence blood, but found the barrier to Five-star Battle Saint exceptionally difficult to break.
• During the first month of Xuan Jin's seclusion, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin's auras grew more volatile as they neared the Dou Saint realm.
• In the second month, Tang Huo'er emerged from seclusion after breaking through to One-Star Dou Venerate and went to Saint Pill City with Ya Fei to celebrate.

After a year in seclusion, Xuan Jin broke through to Five-Star Battle Saint and reunited with his family and companions. He learned that Qing Lin had mastered the Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python, then joined everyone for a meal.

• In the ninth month of Xuan Jin's seclusion, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin both broke through to One-Star Dou Saint, and Qing Lin learned that Xuan Jin had captured a powerful serpent for her.
• After a full year of seclusion, Xuan Jin broke through to Five-Star Battle Saint and emerged to find his family and companions waiting.
• Xuan Jin picked up Xuan Xi, who had learned to walk and call him Daddy, and explained that a stubborn bottleneck had prolonged his cultivation.
• Xiao Yi Xian told Xuan Jin that Qing Lin had controlled the Late-stage One-Star Dou Saint Nine Serenity Deep Earth Python with her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.
• Xuan Jin praised Qing Lin, then followed everyone to eat while sensing the others' cultivation progress and Teacher Xuan Yi nearing a breakthrough.

After emerging from seclusion, Xuan Jin checked on his teacher, settled back into life at the residence, and approved Tang Huo'er’s trip to coordinate supplies. Huo Zhi finally asked him how he felt about her, leaving his answer unresolved.

• Xuan Jin checked that Xuan Yi remained stable in her seclusion chamber, then returned to review trade accounts with Cao Ying.
• Xuan Jin spent the following days at the residence, praised Qing Lin’s control of the great snake, and agreed to take her along on a future journey.
• Tang Huo'er brought Xuan Jin pastries and asked to travel to Fenyan Valley; he approved the trip and told her to follow Ya Fei’s arrangements.
• Huo Zhi visited Xuan Jin in his study and asked what he felt about her.

Huo Zhi confessed that she had fallen in love with Xuan Jin, and he accepted her after asking whether she was choosing him for herself. They spent the day together in Saint Pill City before returning to the residence, where they went into the East Wing together.

• Huo Zhi asked Xuan Jin if she could become his woman and admitted that although the Yan Clan had first ordered her to approach him, she had genuinely fallen in love with him.
• Xuan Jin told Huo Zhi she could stay by his side if she did not regret it, then explained why he had kept his distance and kissed her.
• Xuan Jin took Huo Zhi around Saint Pill City, buying her snacks and candied hawthorn.
• Cao Ying saw Xuan Jin and Huo Zhi return hand in hand, congratulated Huo Zhi, and took Xuan Xi to sleep with Zi Yan.
• Xuan Jin led Huo Zhi into the East Wing, where she told him she had waited long enough.

Xuan Jin's peaceful day with Huo Zhi and the others was interrupted when Xuan Yi's breakthrough to Battle Saint went awry. He reached her cultivation chamber and discovered that Yao Xiaotian's essence blood had caused a violent backlash at the final stage of her breakthrough.

• Xuan Jin and Huo Zhi joined the others in the courtyard, where Cao Ying reported that Xuan Yi's aura was stabilizing and Soul Hall was searching for something in the Eastern Region of Zhongzhou.
• Xuan Jin promised to spend the day with Xuan Xi, while Huo Zhi reflected that she wanted a simple life with him.
• Xuan Yi's aura surged and then destabilized, so Xuan Jin sealed the residence with a Glazed Color Barrier and rushed to her cultivation chamber.
• Xuan Jin found Xuan Yi's Dou Qi out of control and used his Soul Power to investigate her condition.
• Xuan Jin discovered that Yao Xiaotian's essence blood had suddenly clashed with Xuan Yi's emerging Battle Saint power, causing her breakthrough to backlash.

Xuan Jin helped Xuan Yi overcome the serpent essence blood disrupting her breakthrough, and she became a One-Star Dou Saint. The lingering serpent nature then drove Xuan Yi to act on her instincts, and she woke three days later beside Xuan Jin, realizing they had slept together.

• Xuan Jin used his Emperor Gold Mark bloodline to suppress the serpent essence blood threatening to destroy Xuan Yi's dantian.
• With the essence blood contained, Xuan Yi broke through to become a One-Star Dou Saint.
• The suppressed serpent nature stirred Xuan Yi's instincts, and she seized Xuan Jin while he was too depleted to restrain her.
• Three days later, Xuan Yi woke beside Xuan Jin and remembered that she had initiated their encounter.
• Xuan Yi realized they were both naked and that she had torn his clothes and pinned him down.

After Xuan Jin woke in the stone chamber, he admitted he had loved Xuan Yi for years, and the two accepted their feelings for each other. They kept their relationship secret as they prepared to return, and Xuan Jin noticed that Xuan Yi had become a One-Star Dou Saint.

• Xuan Jin woke and remembered saving Xuan Yi when the serpentine blood essence made her lose control.
• Xuan Jin stopped Xuan Yi from leaving and told her he had been clearheaded and had loved her since childhood.
• Xuan Jin said he had waited while Xuan Yi loved Yao Chen, and Xuan Yi did not reject him after acknowledging Yao Chen was dead.
• Xuan Jin kissed Xuan Yi, and she accepted his feelings before asking him to keep what happened secret.
• Xuan Yi and Xuan Jin dressed and prepared to leave the chamber, and Xuan Jin realized she had broken through to One-Star Dou Saint.
• Xuan Yi told Xuan Jin not to call her Master when they were alone.

Xuan Yi emerged from seclusion as a One-Star Dou Saint while struggling to compose herself after Xuan Jin confessed his love and helped her through her breakthrough. Three days later, Xuan Kongzi and Tian Lei Zi returned to the Pill Tower to celebrate her advancement.

• Xuan Yi returned to the courtyard, where Cao Ying, Xuan Xi, Zi Yan, Huo Zhi, Ya Fei, and Tang Huo'er congratulated her on reaching One-Star Dou Saint.
• Xuan Jin went back to his cultivation chamber, swallowed three Ninth Grade Precious Pills to recover from his loss of blood essence, and reflected on finally breaking through the barrier between himself and Xuan Yi.
• Xuan Yi locked herself in her room and tried to calm her embarrassment as she recalled Xuan Jin's confession and their past together.
• Three days later, Xuan Kongzi returned to Saint Pill City, sensed Xuan Yi's Dou Saint aura, and hurried to her courtyard.
• Tian Lei Zi arrived through a spatial rift, and Cao Ying opened the door to greet him and Xuan Kongzi.

Xuan Yi recounted how Xuan Jin had sacrificed his essence blood and Soul Power to save her during her breakthrough to Dou Saint. Seven days after recovering, Xuan Jin learned that Xuan Yi had shut herself away and entered her rear courtyard.

• Xuan Kongzi and Tian Lei Zi congratulated Xuan Yi on reaching the Dou Saint realm, and she explained that Xuan Jin had stopped a dangerous backlash during her breakthrough.
• Xuan Kongzi and Tian Lei Zi left Xuan Yi to stabilize her new realm, while Cao Ying handled affairs in the residence.
• Xuan Yi shut herself in her inner room, unsettled by memories of Xuan Jin's help.
• Seven days later, Xuan Jin emerged from seclusion fully recovered and heard from Cao Ying that Xuan Yi had kept to herself.
• Xuan Jin went to Xuan Yi's rear courtyard and found the gate open and two cups of tea on the table, though only one had been used.

Xuan Jin visited Xuan Yi in her courtyard and gently confirmed their feelings after their recent intimacy. Xuan Yi agreed to keep their relationship secret for now and let him visit when they were alone.

• Xuan Jin activated the courtyard restriction and took Xuan Yi by the wrist, drawing her close.
• Xuan Jin embraced Xuan Yi, and she eventually leaned against his chest without pushing him away.
• Xuan Yi worried that people would discover their teacher-disciple relationship, and Xuan Jin said Cao Ying had already guessed.
• Xuan Yi asked to keep the matter known only to them and Cao Ying while she took time to think, and Xuan Jin agreed.
• Xuan Yi allowed Xuan Jin to visit her when no one else was around, and he went to make her fresh tea.