Chapter Summaries

Zhou Qing recognized Lu Yaoyao, who joined the group on its way to Greenwood City, where they investigated withered spirit fields and suspected Blood Tai Sui was behind the crisis. After Yan Xiaohu volunteered to help a possessed woman, she recognized him as Li Shitao, leaving the group confused about their connection.

• Zhou Qing recognized Lu Yaoyao beneath her disguise, and she persuaded Yan Xiaohu and Zhou Qing to let her join their journey.
• Zhou Qing realized the swollen Niu Guangmo was actually their master, Mo Xingjian, who warned him not to reveal his identity.
• The group reached Greenwood City, learned that evil entities had appeared and most of the spirit fields were withering, and Zhou Qing identified Blood Tai Sui as the likely cause.
• Zhou Qing reasoned that Blood Tai Sui was probably near Greenwood City and that the missing steward Feng Cheng might have been controlled by it.
• Shi Chuan begged the group to help his possessed wife, and Yan Xiaohu began a ritual to drive out the spirit.
• The woman regained her senses, recognized Yan Xiaohu as Li Shitao, and asked how he had survived.

Yan Xiaohu and the Taiqing Sect disciples learned that the Blood Tai Sui and a powerful self-aware yin spirit were competing in Ghost City, then were caught between the yin spirit and the Azure Flame Dao Palace. The chapter ended with a spreading red mist surrounding them as the enraged yin spirit closed in.

• Yan Xiaohu forced the spirit possessing Shi Chuan’s wife to reveal that the Blood Tai Sui had grown to Golden Core Realm Great Perfection and was fighting a powerful yin spirit near an abandoned city.
• Yan Xiaohu released the woman, who fled after warning that six powerful humans had gathered around the Blood Tai Sui; Zhou Qing and the others then set out for Ghost City.
• In Ghost City, the group found a pit filled with human corpses and was surrounded by evil entities led by a yin spirit that had reached the Nascent Soul Realm.
• The yin spirit proposed sharing the Blood Tai Sui, but Yan Xiaohu refused after seeing the corpses; Black Robe then attacked the yin spirit with dark-blue flames and fled, drawing Mo Xingjian after him.
• Yan Xiaohu and the disciples fought their way through the encircling entities, while Li Shitao seized and ate part of the yin spirit’s severed arm before escaping.
• A vast red mist swept over the group as the yin spirit pursued them, leaving Yan Xiaohu and the others trapped between the mist and the pursuing enemy.

Zhou Qing survived the Blood Tai Sui’s traps, killed it, and found a key to the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace before reuniting with his sectmates. The group learned their master, Mo Xingjian, had been nearby all along, while Zhou Qing recognized his Second Uncle as the old man who stole Mo Xingjian’s captured Blood Tai Sui.

• Yan Xiaohu tried to gather the group in the red mist, but Zhou Qing exposed and killed creatures impersonating Yan Xiaohu and Lu Yaoyao.
• Zhou Qing used the Azure Thunder Void Severing Slash to destroy the Blood Tai Sui, and the Old Hen laid a blood-filled Spirit Egg after eating its remains.
• Zhou Qing found a red token identified as one of the nine keys to the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace, then escaped the underground space and rejoined Yan Xiaohu and the others.
• Zhou Qing revealed that Mo Xingjian had been nearby, and the disciples panicked over their earlier insults and attacks against their master.
• A white-haired old man seized the Blood Tai Sui Mo Xingjian had captured; Zhou Qing recognized him as his Second Uncle before powerful pursuers drove the old man away.

Zhou Qing returned to Taiqing Sect, secretly advanced to Foundation Establishment Realm Great Perfection, and searched for information about the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace. The chapter ended with him finding no records of the mysterious realm and leaving the Scripture Pavilion after an elder questioned him.

• Mo Xingjian read Luo's letter, learned she was searching for the Soul Breath Immortal Grass to heal his soul injury, and resolved to return to the sect with the others.
• On the journey home, Lu Yaoyao admired Zhou Qing's broken sword Tetanus, and Mo Xingjian praised Zhou Qing's insight while explaining that the five corpses linked to Azure Flame Dao Palace were not enough to confront Si Kong Yan.
• At the sect gate, Lu Yaoyao apologized to Li Daoxuan and He Han, while Yan Xiaohu and the others pounced on Niu Guangmo; Zhou Qing gained a Skill Shard and noticed Li Daoxuan now regarded him as a human-trafficking pervert.
• Zhou Qing absorbed blood qi from the Old Hen's eggs, borrowed the Turtle Breath Art, and concealed his cultivation after reaching Foundation Establishment Realm Great Perfection.
• Zhou Qing searched the Scripture Pavilion for information about the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace but found none, then hurried out after an elder questioned him.

Zhou Qing learned why the Saint Martial Dynasty’s princes avoided backing rival sects, then activated the red token and was drawn into the first level of the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace. There he met other token holders, learned the palace’s origins, and saw a projection of the ominous place he had encountered in the Grotto-Heaven.

• Zhou Qing declined Shi Zhen’s invitation to eat and refused Gao Xuan’s offer to help him cultivate the Azure Thunder Swordplay.
• Zhou Qing appraised the red token again, learned it was an unactivated key to the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace, and began nourishing it at his Spirit Core.
• Yan Xiaohu told Zhou Qing that the Seventh Prince and Ninth Princess would visit Taiqing Sect, explained the Saint Martial Dynasty’s cultivation-country status, and said the Seventh Prince was coming to meet Eldest Brother.
• After three days, Zhou Qing marked the token with his blood essence, formed a bond with it, and was transported into a strange space as a red sphere marked with the number one.
• Zhou Qing met the green Number Four, cyan Number Five, and blue Number Six, and saw the Grotto-Heaven’s Red River, chained Black Heart, Giant Tree, and six coffins appear as his projection.
• Number Six explained that the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace came from a fallen Level Seven cultivation nation, had three levels, and required nine tokens to open its third level.

Zhou Qing explored the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace’s simulated Grotto-Heaven, fought successive trials, and discovered Spirit Nurturing Mushrooms and a dangerous passage leading toward the strange scenes. After returning, he learned that the Seventh Prince and Ninth Princess of the Saint Martial Dynasty would visit the Taiqing Sect, and Yan Xiaohu asked him to stay out of sight.

• Zhou Qing learned that the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace could recreate forbidden zones and entered a simulation of the Grotto-Heaven’s Gravity Zone.
• Zhou Qing fought successive waves of Wandering Souls, used two revival chances, and concluded that enemies kept appearing as long as someone remained in the Gravity Zone.
• Zhou Qing entered the simulation again, passed the Gravity Zone, and was killed by hidden bone spikes before using Daily Appraisal to identify Spirit Nurturing Mushrooms nearby.
• Zhou Qing advanced to the strange scene of the Red River, Dead Crow, Giant Tree, Black Heart, and coffins, but the heart’s pressure overwhelmed him as a coffin lid began to move.
• Fourth Green Ball tried to invite Zhou Qing to explore his scene, but Zhou Qing withdrew without answering.
• Yan Xiaohu showed Zhou Qing his red-and-green outfit and asked him to stay home the next day because the Seventh Prince and Ninth Princess were visiting the Taiqing Sect.

Zhou Qing entered the Gravity Zone, defeated the Wandering Souls, removed the gravity, and gathered Spirit Nurturing Mushrooms. As the Saint Martial Dynasty's Seventh Prince and Ninth Princess arrived at the Taiqing Sect, Yan Xiaohu appeared beside the princess, while Lu Yaoyao recognized her orange hair.

• Yan Xiaohu asked Zhou Qing for advice on catching the Ninth Princess's attention, and Zhou Qing suggested becoming the first person she met.
• Duanmu Shu paid Zhou Qing five Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and took him into the Grotto-Heaven, where Cao Zhengyang gave him Yang Fire Talismans before he entered the Gravity Zone alone.
• Zhou Qing survived four waves of Wandering Souls, collected thirteen Spirit Nurturing Mushrooms, removed the gravity, and returned safely to Duanmu Shu and Cao Zhengyang.
• Lu Yaoyao, Shi Zhen, Li Daoxuan, He Han, and three other Divine Peak disciples went to Little Spirit Peak, but Zhou Qing avoided them and claimed he was not interested in the royal visitors.
• Yan Xiaohu arrived at Divine Peak alongside Xuan Yuan Yi Chen and Xuan Yuan Mu Qian; Lu Yaoyao recognized the princess's orange hair, and Xuan Yuan Mu Qian said Yan Xiaohu would guide her.

Zhou Qing watched Gui Ao interrupt the scheduled duel between Li Daoxuan and Xuan Yuan Yi Chen, then fight the Seventh Prince to a draw before taking Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu for a drink. Gui Ao reunited with his junior brothers and learned that their Second Senior Sister had gone to find the dangerous Soul Breath Immortal Grass.

• Yan Xiaohu told Zhou Qing about meeting Xuan Yuan Mu Qian and revealed that Li Daoxuan was expected to fight Xuan Yuan Yi Chen before the Seventh Prince challenged Gui Ao.
• Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu went to watch the arena battle, where Zhou Qing gained Ignorance Points by observing the gathered disciples.
• Lu Yaoyao introduced Zhou Qing to Xuan Yuan Mu Qian, whose unusual orange hair came from a pill and whose mother was not human.
• Gui Ao emerged from seclusion and interrupted Li Daoxuan and Xuan Yuan Yi Chen before challenging the Seventh Prince himself.
• Gui Ao and Xuan Yuan Yi Chen fought fiercely, then Gui Ao called the match a draw and left with Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu.
• At Jade Cuisine Hall, Gui Ao learned that their Second Senior Sister had been away for three years seeking the dangerous Soul Breath Immortal Grass.

Gui Ao left to seek his own path and find his missing junior sister, while Zhou Qing secretly broke through to the Golden Core Realm and formed a Double Yolk Core. Lu Yaoyao brought Xuan Yuan Mu Qian to Little Spirit Peak to see Zhou Qing’s chicken, where Yan Xiaohu’s crude explanation about Profound Abyss Immortal embarrassed Zhou Qing.

• Gui Ao rejected Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu’s attempts to dissuade him and left to target Azure Flame Dao Palace’s forces while searching for his missing junior sister.
• Xuan Yuan Yi Chen learned that Gui Ao had departed and accepted Zhou Qing’s explanation that Gui Ao was pursuing his own cultivation path, then decided to stay for more battles.
• Lu Yaoyao and Xuan Yuan Mu Qian grew close, and Lu Yaoyao repeatedly tried to bring her to Little Spirit Peak to meet Zhou Qing’s chicken.
• Zhou Qing broke through to the Golden Core Realm and formed two cores, one in his dantian and one in his heart, before hiding his cultivation with the Turtle Breath Art.
• Yan Xiaohu borrowed Zhou Qing’s Old Hen to create a chance encounter with Xuan Yuan Mu Qian, then told her that Zhou Qing was preparing for a visit from Profound Abyss Immortal.
• Zhou Qing appeared and stopped Yan Xiaohu’s crude remarks about Profound Abyss Immortal, while Lu Yaoyao’s Good Eye changed to What a Shame.

Zhou Qing explored the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace, discovered that his Soul Lamp’s flickering drew the attention of Elder Jiang Pu, and persuaded Mo Xingjian to retrieve his and Yan Xiaohu’s lamps. After destroying his own lamp and planning to earn money and cultivate, he heard Yan Xiaohu complain about Lu Yaoyao and boast about his recent profits.

• Zhou Qing entered the Gravity Zone, reached the deeper ruins, and was killed by a massive black crow before returning for another attempt and dying amid Wandering Souls.
• Elder Jiang Pu visited Zhou Qing because his Soul Lamp had flickered, prompting Zhou Qing to wonder whether Jiang Pu was allied with Gao Xuan.
• Zhou Qing learned from Yan Xiaohu that Gao Xuan’s Soul Lamp remained lit and asked Mo Xingjian to retrieve his own and Yan Xiaohu’s lamps.
• Zhou Qing absorbed the soul power from his lamp, destroyed it, and began studying the second form of the Azure Thunder Swordplay.
• Yan Xiaohu complained that Lu Yaoyao kept disrupting his attempts to get close to Mu Qian, and Zhou Qing rejected Yan Xiaohu’s speculation about Lu Yaoyao’s preferences.
• Yan Xiaohu told Zhou Qing that he had earned a net profit of one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, then reacted in surprise when Zhou Qing compared it to two Grotto-Heaven trips.

Zhou Qing used Daily Appraisal to identify one of Xuan Yuan Yi Chen’s mysterious objects and earned thirty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Yan Xiaohu tried to claim a reward for a fabricated identification, while Gao Xuan and Mo Xingjian’s knowledge of the objects remained uncertain.

• Yan Xiaohu told Zhou Qing about Xuan Yuan Yi Chen’s reward for identifying mysterious objects and led him to Divine Peak.
• Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu entered Xuan Yuan Yi Chen’s residence, where Gao Xuan, Xuan Yuan Mu Qian, Lu Yaoyao, and Li Daoxuan were examining three unrecognized items.
• Zhou Qing used Daily Appraisal to learn that the yellow paper was Yellow Official Paper, also called Life Buying Paper, and explained its power to halve someone’s lifespan.
• Xuan Yuan Yi Chen gave Zhou Qing thirty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, then asked him to identify the other two objects later.
• Yan Xiaohu invented a name and backstory for the black gate, but Xuan Yuan Yi Chen refused to reward him; Yan Xiaohu left with Zhou Qing.
• Yan Xiaohu later pleaded with Mo Xingjian to identify the remaining objects for him, while Zhou Qing received another Heart Insight Points notification after returning home.

Zhou Qing identified the Seventh Prince’s mysterious cultivation artifacts and earned spirit stones, then repeatedly challenged the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace’s Gravity Zone with his newly mastered sword technique. After finally reaching the stone hall, he encountered Second Uncle emerging from a robber hole.

• Yan Xiaohu accused Mo Xingjian of favoring Zhou Qing, but Mo Xingjian kicked him out and praised Zhou Qing’s good fortune.
• Zhou Qing identified the Four Ghosts Saluting Gate and Ghost Stitching Needle for Xuan Yuan Yi Chen, earning spirit stones and an invitation to Yi Yun Residence.
• Zhou Qing appraised the Seventh Prince’s token, trained in the second form of the Azure Thunder Swordplay, and learned the prince’s group had departed.
• Zhou Qing entered the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace and repeatedly fought through the Gravity Zone until he reached the stone mill before the fourth wave of Wandering Souls.
• Zhou Qing tried crossing the Blood River but was killed by a Dead Crow, then returned to the stone hall and found Second Uncle rolling out of a robber hole with a child perched on his head.

Zhou Qing followed Second Uncle through the Grotto-Heaven in his simulated space, learned how to cross the Blood River safely, and retrieved a scroll before the space killed him again. After attending a banquet at Divine Peak, he recognized Second Uncle hiding near his home and impressed him by identifying the scent of a sealed Flesh Fiend Toad.

• Zhou Qing followed Second Uncle through the Grotto-Heaven, copied his crow disguise to evade the Corpse Wax Crow, and took a scroll from the first stone coffin before returning to his courtyard.
• Zhou Qing met Lu Yaoyao outside his home, where she said she missed Ninth Princess Xuan Yuan Mu Qian and asked him to visit the Imperial Capital with her; Zhou Qing hurried away.
• Yan Xiaohu brought Zhou Qing to Divine Peak for a banquet hosted by Profound Abyss Immortal, where Profound Abyss questioned Zhou Qing about the items he had identified for the Seventh Prince.
• Second Uncle hid inside a tree near Zhou Qing's residence, but Zhou Qing recognized him and explained that his sensitive nose had detected his scent.
• Second Uncle showed Zhou Qing a Human Bone Earthenware Pot, and Zhou Qing identified the scent of a toad inside; Second Uncle praised him, raising his Heart Insight Points by nine.

Zhou Qing obtained the Yin Yang Art from the Grotto-Heaven and began cultivating it, while Lu Yaoyao awoke from a troubling dream and Gao Xuan prepared to borrow something from Tong Min. The chapter left Gao Xuan’s purpose unclear as he faced Tong Min with a strange smile.

• Second Uncle took Zhou Qing to spy on Profound Abyss Immortal, revealed that she was seeking Zhou Qing, and whisked him away after she noticed them.
• Second Uncle left Zhou Qing’s courtyard, and Duanmu Shu paid Zhou Qing ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to retrieve a scroll from the Grotto-Heaven.
• Zhou Qing crossed the Grotto-Heaven’s dangers, took the green scroll, and discovered it contained the Yin Yang Art, a cultivation method tailored to Yin Yang Qi.
• Zhou Qing cultivated the Yin Yang Art overnight, replaced the Taiqing Mysterious Qi Art on his Personal Panel, and considered a breakthrough to the middle stage of the Golden Core Realm.
• Lu Yaoyao woke from a frightening dream and resolved to uncover what had happened to her.
• Gao Xuan set out for Jade Clarity Peak and asked Tong Min to lend him something, refusing to explain what it was.

Gao Xuan thwarted an Azure Flame Dao Palace plot involving Tong Min and the hidden spy Cang Lang, then concealed his role in Gu Tao’s death as the Taiqing Sect investigated the Mission Hall Hall Master’s betrayal. After a month of unrest, Zhou Qing broke through to the Middle Stage Golden Core Realm.

• Gao Xuan met an Azure Flame Dao Palace agent with Tong Min’s body, but Tong Min revived and attacked the agent; Gao Xuan later subdued her, erased the evidence, and discovered a note naming Night Owl.
• Gao Xuan returned Tong Min to the Taiqing Sect and learned that Gu Tao was heading out; Gu Tao later exploded near Mo Xingjian, who recovered his Storage Bag and reported his death.
• The Taiqing Sect discovered that Gu Tao had been an Azure Flame Dao Palace spy carrying sect secrets and spirit stones, while Mo Xingjian and Zhou Qing questioned who had caused his death.
• The Taiqing Sect tightened security and kept the spy’s identity secret as Zhou Qing spent a month cultivating amid the unrest.
• Zhou Qing broke through to the Middle Stage Golden Core Realm and concealed his cultivation with the Turtle Breath Art.

Zhou Qing learned that Yan Xiaohu wanted to travel to Soaring Cloud Prefecture to gather money and ingredients for a Nascent Soul Pill, and he agreed to accompany him. Before they departed, Zhou Qing learned how Mo Xingjian had tried to secure better Foundation Establishment for his disciples, while he kept his own Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment secret; the pair then left the sect by teleportation.

• Yan Xiaohu visited Zhou Qing with food, admitted he wanted to borrow money to refine a Nascent Soul Pill, and showed him the strange Nascent Soul Fire he could produce despite remaining at Golden Core Realm Great Perfection.
• Yan Xiaohu told Zhou Qing how Mo Xingjian had searched for Heavenly Dao Energy for his disciples and later sought Earth Vein Energy for Zhou Qing, leaving Zhou Qing deeply moved.
• Zhou Qing agreed to accompany Yan Xiaohu to Soaring Cloud Prefecture to seek medicinal herbs and money for the pill, and Mo Xingjian gave them a Mother-Child Scroll and instructions for the journey.
• Yan Xiaohu joked that Lu might see Zhou Qing as family, and Zhou Qing wondered whether she regarded him like a father or older brother.
• Mo Xingjian set up a Teleportation Array, warned Yan Xiaohu to protect Zhou Qing, and watched as the two saluted him and vanished toward their destination.

Zhou Qing revealed his Golden Core Realm breakthrough to Yan Xiaohu, and the two later targeted Azure Flame Dao Palace’s Bei Mang Mine for revenge. Their raid uncovered a piece of Chaos Mystic Metal, while Peng Si killed two of his own cultivators to keep it for himself.

• Zhou Qing admitted to Yan Xiaohu that he had reached the Golden Core Realm and showed him Old Hen, though Yan Xiaohu doubted the chicken could lay Spirit Eggs.
• Profound Abyss Immortal worried about the growing danger around Taiqing Sect, visited Mo Xingjian with Lu Yaoyao, and learned that Zhou Qing had entered seclusion.
• Half a month later, Yan Xiaohu and Zhou Qing spotted the damaged Bei Mang Mine and decided to raid it for Azure Flame Dao Palace’s Crimson Treasure Crystals.
• A golden radiance erupted inside Ninth Mine, killing miners and drawing Peng Si and two Golden Core cultivators into the tunnel.
• Peng Si discovered Chaos Mystic Metal, then killed the two Golden Core cultivators when they tried to flee and reveal the find.

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu defeated and killed Peng Si after he found Chaos Mystic Metal, then escaped with the treasure and shared the loot. They reached Soaring Cloud Prefecture with the Old Hen and began exploring the city, where a stranger asked to share their table.

• Peng Si hid the Chaos Mystic Metal, but Yan Xiaohu confronted him in the mine and fought him over the treasure.
• Zhou Qing joined Yan Xiaohu, wounded Peng Si with Tetanus, and chased him until he collapsed; Yan Xiaohu killed him and took his Storage Bag.
• Yan Xiaohu and Zhou Qing split the loot, including the Chaos Mystic Metal, and decided to head for Soaring Cloud Prefecture and summon their Master for protection.
• Yan Xiaohu watched the Old Hen lay a Spirit Egg and offered to buy her, but Zhou Qing refused to sell her.
• After traveling for three months, Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu arrived in Soaring Cloud Prefecture and sat down to eat at an inn.
• A stranger approached Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu and asked to share their table.

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu entered Soaring Cloud Prefecture to search for ingredients for a Nascent Soul Pill, but high prices and scarce supplies led them to the underground black market. With Zhou Qing identifying damaged pills and Yan Xiaohu restoring them with Nascent Soul Fire, they made a major profit and decided to keep trading before searching for more ingredients.

• Xiao Cancan, disguised as a man, joined Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu’s table, and Zhou Qing later paid for her meal after they left.
• Yan Xiaohu and Zhou Qing failed to find Nascent Soul Pill ingredients at local medicine shops and planned to buy damaged pills in the underground black market for Yan Xiaohu to restore.
• At the black market, Zhou Qing identified three damaged Azure Spirit Recovery Pills that could be repaired, while he and Yan Xiaohu left an overpriced Soul Breath Immortal Grass sapling behind.
• Zhou Qing named the herbs needed to restore the pills, and Yan Xiaohu used Nascent Soul Fire to produce pills of exceptional quality.
• Yan Xiaohu and Zhou Qing sold two Azure Spirit Recovery Pills for ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, then returned to the black market to continue their business.

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu sought help from their sect’s shopkeeper in Soaring Cloud Prefecture while looking for a Nascent Soul Pill. After learning that using the Mother-Child Scroll could endanger their master, they decided not to summon him, and their quiet stay was interrupted when Xiao Cancan reunited them with a woman who recognized Yan Xiaohu.

• Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu visited Emerald Jade Pavilion, where Qian Dafu welcomed them and explained that a Nascent Soul Pill would cost around eight hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Qian Dafu warned them that the Mother-Child Scroll was dangerous, so Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu decided not to use it to summon Peak Lord Mo.
• Qian Dafu offered them lodging, gave Yan Xiaohu more than three hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, and helped them look for Nascent Soul Pill ingredients.
• While dining, Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu encountered Xiao Cancan, who hid beneath their table while Golden Core Realm cultivators searched for her.
• Xiao Cancan’s companion, Big Sister Wanli, arrived and greeted Yan Xiaohu by name, leaving him stunned.