Chapter Summaries

Nan Li and Dong Yun organized the Flame Feather Sparrow and Xumi Raven clans after their chiefs sacrificed themselves, then prepared to begin the Goddess of Life’s God Trial. They left Nan Xing responsible for clan matters while Nan Li and Dong Yun faced a trial that could last far longer than their remaining lifespans.

• Nan Li urged Nan Xing to speak his mind to the elders, then made the elders line up and let Dong Yun discuss Sun Island’s arrangements and the next phase of their plan.
• Dong Yun ordered the elders to keep the chiefs’ sacrifice secret and dismissed them after confirming they had no further concerns.
• Nan Li told Nan Xing to bring Dan Hong back to cultivate and entrusted him with urging the clan’s young members to train while she was away.
• Nan Li and Dong Yun prepared to begin the God Trial after learning its stages could last ten, one hundred, or one thousand years.

Fu Guang granted Nan Li and Dong Yun Life God Trials and revealed the first challenge, a climb up the Ten Thousand Foot Dan Ladder. Nan Li learned that Fu Guang could not provide the special Fusang Flower she needed, and she left Red Cloud to care for Dan Hong in the Heavenly Pool.

• Fu Guang gave Nan Li and Dong Yun trial marks, granting Nan Li the Life Nine Trials and Dong Yun the Life Seven Trials.
• Fu Guang transformed the mountain stairs into the Ten Thousand Foot Dan Ladder and began their first trials, requiring each to climb 3,333 steps within twelve shichen.
• Nan Li asked Fu Guang for a Fusang Flower that could help Soul Beasts take Humanoid Form, but Fu Guang said she did not have that kind.
• Red Cloud demanded to know where to find the special flower, and Fu Guang threw him toward the Heavenly Pool.
• Nan Li pulled Red Cloud back with the Dragon Tendon Rope and asked him to look after Dan Hong while she sought another solution.

Nan Li and Dong Yun began the Dan Ladder trial, where mounting pressure tested their strength and Soul Power. Nan Li reached the one hundred and eighth step but could go no farther, and when Dong Yun caught her, the pair were crushed by the shifting pressure and rolled back down the ladder.

• Fu Guang began the trial by striking Nan Li and Dong Yun off the mountain with a branch, forcing them to start at the foot of the Dan Ladder.
• Nan Li and Dong Yun climbed the first thirty-three steps before the ladder’s golden light began pressing against them.
• Nan Li activated Martial Soul Possession and climbed through increasing pressure, with her Heart Protecting Dragon Bone helping stabilize her heartbeat.
• Dong Yun caught up with Nan Li and helped guide her as they both struggled against the pressure on the ninety-ninth step.
• Nan Li used the Southern Bright Domain and Divine Slaughter's Domain to reach the one hundred and eighth step, but failed to climb higher.
• Nan Li stumbled backward, and Dong Yun grabbed her; the shifting pressure crushed them downward and sent them rolling toward the ground.

Nan Li and Dong Yun tested their limits on the Pill Stairway and found Nan Li needed more physical defense to climb farther. With the Coral Mystery Phantom Left Leg Bone and Dong Yun’s support, Nan Li reached the 132nd step, where the pressure left bloody marks on her skin.

• Red Cloud demanded that Fu Guang save Nan Li and Dong Yun, but Fu Guang said the trial was their only chance to survive and that their fate depended on themselves.
• Dong Yun climbed to the 132nd step, while Nan Li calculated that her physical strength limited her to around the 115th step.
• Dong Yun suggested giving Nan Li her father's Soul Bone, but Nan Li refused and instead fused with the Coral Mystery Phantom Left Leg Bone.
• Nan Li’s Soul Power rose from Level 66 to Level 68 after the fusion, and she climbed to the 121st step before reaching her limit.
• Dong Yun combined her Divine Slaughter's Domain and Great Sun Domain with Nan Li’s, helping Nan Li climb to the 132nd step despite the pressure cutting bloody marks into her skin.

Nan Li and Dong Yun cultivated on the Pill Stairway for months, increasing their Soul Power and strengthening their bodies. After Nan Li reached the two hundredth step, Fu Guang gave her a God-Bestowed Soul Ring, and Nan Li began absorbing her seventh ring as her Domain evolved.

• Nan Li and Dong Yun cultivated together on the Pill Stairway, resting and tending to clan matters between their sessions.
• After a month, Nan Li reached the one hundred seventieth step and Dong Yun reached the one hundred eightieth, while both gained a Soul Power Level.
• More than a month later, Nan Li climbed to the two hundredth step, where Fu Guang healed her and gave her a God-Bestowed Soul Ring from the Goddess of Life.
• Nan Li began absorbing her seventh Soul Ring while Dong Yun continued climbing the steps.
• After seven days, Nan Li's Chongming Emperor's Crown activated its ultimate skill, her fifth Soul Ring deepened in color, and her Southern Bright Domain began evolving again under the pressure.

Nan Li absorbed her seventh Soul Ring and evolved the Southern Bright Domain into Endless Annihilation. After reaching Level 73, she wrapped herself in a coat and teased Dong Yun.

• Nan Li's Southern Bright Domain devoured Divine Slaughter's Domain and gained the new skill Endless Annihilation, which weakened enemies and strengthened her within the domain.
• Nan Li's seventh Soul Ring raised her Soul Power to Level 73, while the Life Divine Light continued to temper her Heart Protecting Dragon Bone.
• Nan Li remained on the two-hundredth step without releasing her domain, then covered herself with a coat because her clothes had been damaged.
• Dong Yun reassured Nan Li that no one outside could see her and teased her about once climbing into Dong Yun's bed.
• Nan Li flirted back, leaving Dong Yun flustered.

Nan Li and Dong Yun discovered that the trial’s pressure stopped increasing, but the remaining climb tested their Spirit Power and endurance. With Dong Yun nearing exhaustion and the time limit closing in, they fused their Martial Souls and continued toward the finish, while Fu Guang believed they would not make it in time.

• Nan Li reached the three-hundredth step, and Dong Yun obtained and absorbed her own God-Bestowed Soul Ring.
• Dong Yun discovered that the pressure stabilized from the three-hundred-and-thirty-third step onward, and Nan Li confirmed it by climbing to that point.
• As the later climb drained Dong Yun’s Spirit Power, Nan Li used Southern Bright Glorious Life Flame on her and brought her to Madam Lan Xi for recovery.
• Nan Li guided Dong Yun through Spirit Power training, and both continued cultivating until they reached level seventy-five.
• During their twelfth attempt, Dong Yun’s Spirit Power nearly ran out, so Nan Li fused their Martial Souls into Zhuzhao and continued climbing with her.
• With only a little over three hours remaining, Fu Guang told the Hou Beast that Nan Li and Dong Yun would not reach the finish in time.

Nan Li and Dong Yun pushed Zhuzhao through the final stretch of the Life First Trial, overcoming their exhaustion with encouragement from the Flame Feather Sparrows. Nan Li passed the Ten Thousand Foot Dan Ladder trial and received confirmation of her success.

• Zhuzhao reached the three-thousand-and-thirtieth step before Nan Li took control and continued climbing despite her exhaustion.
• Dong Yun yielded control of their body to Nan Li, while Red Cloud urged her onward as the incense burned down.
• Juvenile Flame Feather Sparrows flew up beside the ladder and called to Nan Li, restoring clarity and resolve to her.
• Nan Li broke through the final barrier, landed on the three-thousand-three-hundred-thirteenth step, and charged toward the end.
• Nan Li spread her wings in midair, and the voice in her mind announced that she had passed the Life First Trial: Ten Thousand Foot Dan Ladder.

Nan Li and Dong Yun completed Life’s First Trial and gained its reward, then struggled through repeated failures in the Fusang Tree’s blockade trial. They used the Southern Bright Domain to reach the Heavenly Pool directly, and Fu Guang accepted that they had passed.

• Nan Li’s Soul Power broke through during the Ten Thousand Foot Dan Ladder trial, allowing her and Zhuzhao to finish; the Goddess of Life raised Nan Li’s Soul Power to level seventy-seven and repaired her Heart Protecting Dragon Bone.
• Nan Li and Dong Yun completed the first trial after ten months, reflecting on the hardships of climbing the 3,333 steps.
• Nan Li and Dong Yun repeatedly failed to break through the Fusang Tree’s blockade, where their Soul Skills were restricted and Fu Guang’s branches caught and whipped them.
• Dong Yun proposed using the Southern Bright Domain to transfer directly to the Heavenly Pool, and Nan Li agreed to try it.
• Nan Li used the Southern Bright Domain with Red Cloud marking the destination, transporting herself and Dong Yun to the Heavenly Pool; Fu Guang said the method counted as passing.

Nan Li and Dong Yun learned the requirements of the Life God’s third trial, Endless Life, and prepared for a long stay in a harsh high-altitude area. Nan Li later visited Di Yan to ask about the trials ahead, but he refused to reveal them.

• Nan Li questioned the lack of divine affinity rewards, and Fu Guang explained that receiving the Life Nine Trials already proved her suitability.
• Nan Li read the third trial’s requirements: endure 333 days of weather and observe life within a restricted area, with a ten-year time limit.
• Fu Guang transported Nan Li and Dong Yun to the designated steps high above the clouds and demonstrated the trial’s freezing rain and lightning.
• Nan Li and Dong Yun left the trial area to prepare, then returned to the Heavenly Pool and learned from Fu Guang that the Deep Sea Emperor Whale would later serve as an examiner.
• Dong Yun held clan meetings while Nan Li made arrangements with Nan Xing, Red Cloud, Dan Hong, and the Clan Members, then visited Di Yan in the Eastern Sea Region.
• Di Yan declined to reveal the later trials and lamented that Nan Li and Dong Yun had reached Soul Power levels seventy-eight and seventy-seven at an unfortunate time.

Di Yan took Nan Li and Dong Yun out to sea after the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Sharks returned, and they found Lan Xi and Beloy fighting the sharks alongside the Roaring Demon Sharks. Nan Li and Dong Yun charged into the battle, where Lan Xi shielded them with Star Prison and told them to protect their lives.

• Di Yan told Nan Li that the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Sharks had returned and offered to take her and Dong Yun out to sea.
• Di Yan brought Nan Li and Dong Yun to the far sea, where he sensed another clan mixed up with the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Sharks.
• Nan Li used her Spirit Power to see Lan Xi and Beloy battling the Roaring Demon Sharks and the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Sharks.
• Nan Li recognized the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Sharks as the clan that had killed their fathers, and she and Dong Yun rushed toward the fight.
• Lan Xi used her eighth Soul Skill, Star Prison, to shield Beloy and Nan Li and Dong Yun, then told the two girls to put their lives first.

Nan Li and Dong Yun learned why the sharks had attacked Sun Island and joined the battle against their leaders. Dong Yun engaged the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Shark, while Nan Li sank into the sea to hunt down the hidden Roaring Demon Shark Queen.

• Dan Qing explained that the Shark Queen had allied with the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Shark to seek revenge on Sun Island, and that Lan Xi had anticipated trouble and joined the battle.
• Nan Li marked Dong Yun with a brand, pulled Dan Qing off the iceberg, and sent her back to safety.
• Dong Yun charged the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Shark and struck its head.
• Nan Li used the Coral Lost-Trace Left Leg Bone to sink into the seawater and search for the Roaring Demon Shark Queen.

Nan Li ambushed the Roaring Demon Shark Queen underwater and fought her with her bow, flames, and domain skills. When the Queen retreated into the sea, Nan Li transformed into her Vermilion Bird True Form and struck at her eye socket and spine, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Nan Li concealed her aura underwater and stabbed the Roaring Demon Shark Queen in an eye socket, interrupting her attack.
• The Shark Queen surfaced, accused Nan Li of interfering in Sea Soul Beast affairs, and attacked with a giant wave.
• Nan Li countered with Blazing Sun Storm, then struck the Shark Queen with her Cross Light Blade, bow, domain skill, and Void Bright Pupils.
• The wounded Shark Queen returned to the sea, expecting Nan Li's fire-based Martial Soul to be ineffective underwater.
• Nan Li used her Seventh Soul Skill, Vermilion Bird True Form, and drove the Shark Queen beneath the water before piercing her eye socket and spine.

Nan Li, Lan Xi, and their allies fought off the Roaring Demon Sharks and the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Sharks, but the tiger shark king trapped Nan Li in its jaws. Dan Qing realized Nan Li intended for the others to attack it from both inside and outside.

• Nan Li severed the Demon Shark Queen's spine and, with Di Yan's help, flung her from the sea, where Beloy froze her in an ice bowl.
• The Deep Sea Emperor Whale blocked the fleeing Roaring Demon Sharks while Lan Xi and Beloy fought the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Sharks near the coral tree.
• The tiger shark king used its hidden attack to separate Nan Li and Dong Yun, then unleashed a power that stopped everything around them.
• Nan Li escaped the stillness with her domain skills and switched places with Dong Yun, but the tiger shark king caught her in its jaws.
• Dan Qing recognized that Nan Li's shimmering protection was likely part of a clone enhancement and urged everyone to attack the tiger shark from inside and outside.

Nan Li escaped the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Shark with help from Dong Yun, Di Yan, Lan Xi, Dan Qing, and Beloy, and the group returned to the aftermath of the battle. After Luo Gu began absorbing Di Yan’s Soul Ring, Nan Li and Dong Yun fought over Nan Li’s reckless rescue, then made peace as Di Yan urged both of them to eat more.

• Nan Li attacked from inside the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Shark while Di Yan, Lan Xi, Dong Yun, and Beloy restrained it and exposed its belly.
• Dong Yun pulled Nan Li through a hole in the shark, then scolded and hit her for switching places with him.
• Di Yan purified the seawater and cleaned Nan Li and Dong Yun before returning with them to the battle site, where Luo Gu began absorbing Di Yan’s Soul Ring.
• Beloy invited Lan Xi to leave with her, but Lan Xi refused because of the clan’s history and Beloy’s killing of its former leader.
• Nan Li and Dong Yun argued over Nan Li’s willingness to endanger herself, then fought in the sea until they were exhausted.
• Nan Li urged Dong Yun to eat more, and Di Yan agreed that both girls needed to put on weight.

Luo Gu absorbed the Roaring Demon Shark Queen’s Soul Ring, and the group distributed several Soul Bones while teasing him into calling Lan Xi “Mother.” After Nan Li and Dong Yun reached Soul Power level eighty, they began the third Life God Trial, Endless Life, amid unpredictable weather.

• Luo Gu finished absorbing the Roaring Demon Shark Queen’s Soul Ring and offered her Soul Bone to Lan Xi, while Beloy scolded him for calling Lan Xi “Auntie.”
• Dan Qing called Lan Xi “Mother,” prompting Luo Gu to follow suit and satisfy Beloy.
• Lan Xi gave the Demon Shark Queen’s Soul Bone to Dan Qing, the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Shark King’s Soul Bone to Nan Li, and the Roaring Demon Shark King’s Soul Bone to Dong Yun.
• Nan Li asked Beloy about finding a Spirit Power-related head Soul Bone, but Beloy said such Soul Bones were not readily available.
• Nan Li and Dong Yun absorbed their Soul Bones and reached Soul Power level eighty before beginning the third Life God Trial, Endless Life.
• Nan Li and Dong Yun faced erratic weather during the trial, including rain, wind, thunder, lightning, snow, and hail.

Nan Li and Dong Yun continued the Life God Trial while Ling Guang pressured the Goddess of Life to let him provide them with extra help. The chapter left Nan Li and Dong Yun dodging a sudden wind attack after spotting a green wutong tree where Qing Wu had fallen.

• Nan Li played with the clouds, which sent golden lightning after her before she asked Dong Yun why she could not catch her breath at the high altitude.
• Ling Guang criticized the slow rewards of the Life God Trial and asked the Goddess of Life to let him give Nan Li and Dong Yun life-saving items and extra power.
• The Goddess of Life explained that other karma and future combat trials limited how much she could reward Nan Li, but she eventually agreed to let Ling Guang set a later trial and provide a modest perk.
• After three hundred days in the sky, Nan Li spotted a green wutong tree by the Chiyang River, where Qing Wu had fallen, and Dong Yun suspected the same connection.
• The tree-shaped clouds stirred up fierce winds, and Nan Li pushed Dong Yun aside before both evaded the gathering wind blades.

Nan Li and Dong Yun endured the final stretch of the third Life God Trial and completed it, earning increased Soul Power and Soul Ring ages. Their fifth Soul Rings turned red before the fourth trial descended.

• Nan Li and Dong Yun struggled through weeks of snow, ice, and hail, which left them exhausted and injured.
• Nan Li caught Dong Yun with her Soul Tool when Dong Yun slipped from the steps, and Dong Yun flipped herself back to safety.
• Nan Li and Dong Yun completed the third Life God Trial, earning one level of Soul Power and three thousand years added to all their Soul Rings.
• Nan Li and Dong Yun's fifth Soul Rings evolved from black to red, leaving them with two purple, two black, and three red Soul Rings.
• The Light Screen revealed the fourth trial, beginning with the words “Spring and Autumn Succeed Each Other, Winter and Summer Cycle” and the phrase “Fusang Flower Blooms.”

Nan Li and Dong Yun repeatedly poured their Soul Power into the Fusang Tree for the fourth trial, but it showed no sign of blooming. While they rested, Nan Li and Dong Yun discovered their evolved fifth Soul Skills could be cast instantly and had grown far more powerful.

• Nan Li recognized that the trial required them to make the Fusang Tree bloom, but their combined Soul Power had no effect.
• Nan Li and Dong Yun spent five or six days draining their Soul Power thirteen times without making progress.
• Red Cloud asked Fu Guang what would make her bloom, and Fu Guang hinted that Golden Crows traditionally roosted in Fusang Trees.
• Nan Li and Dong Yun discovered that their fifth Soul Skills could be cast instantly and consumed almost no Soul Power.
• Nan Li drew her Flame Arrow Southern Bright Bow and formed hundreds of identical arrows around herself.

Nan Li and Dong Yun discovered that the Fusang Divine Tree needed spiritual energy, learned Blue Star cultivation methods from Red Cloud, and helped Fu Guang grow a natural flower bud. The fourth Life God Trial was declared passed, and Nan Li received a one-level Soul Power increase.

• Nan Li asked Dong Yun about her sixth Soul Ring's other skill, and Dong Yun described it as a self-enhancement ability.
• Red Cloud explained that he needed spiritual energy to grow and could cultivate near Fu Guang because the area held enough of it.
• Dong Yun concluded that the Fusang Divine Tree needed spiritual energy rather than Soul Power, and Fu Guang confirmed that she stored it while suppressing magma.
• Fu Guang asked Red Cloud to teach Nan Li and Dong Yun Blue Star cultivation methods, and they transferred spiritual energy to the tree.
• After three days, a natural Fusang Flower bud appeared, and Ling Guang declared the test passed.
• The Goddess of Life announced the fourth Life God Trial's completion and awarded Nan Li one level of Soul Power.