Chapter Summaries

Luo Qinglan wrestled with the Qingyang Sect’s peril and her uncertain prospects for Core Formation while inspecting the mountain at night. She encountered Chen Lin and discovered that he possessed the ancient spirit milk she urgently needed.

• Luo Qinglan recalled how the Blazing Sun Sect had eliminated Qingyang Sect’s promising cultivators and vowed to avenge her master, Yue Shenxiao, if she achieved Golden Core.
• Chen Lin tested his Mountain-Slicing Sword Formula and split a hard boulder with a strike of late Qi Condensation power.
• Luo Qinglan descended near Chen Lin’s cave dwelling, recognized him as the tenant of Cave Dwelling No. Ding-98, and asked whether he had spirit milk.
• Chen Lin gave Luo Qinglan one of his three portions of spirit milk after she warned that refusing would bring trouble.
• Luo Qinglan confirmed that the bottle held spirit milk at least a thousand years old and wondered whether it could help her achieve Core Formation.

Chen Lin traded spirit milk to Luo Qinglan for a Realm-Breaking Pill and a Marrow-Cleansing Pill formula, then agreed to be sealed in his cave for half a month. Meanwhile, Luo Qinglan faced pressure from the Blazing Sun Sect and prepared to risk everything on a pill that could improve her chances of forming a core.

• Luo Qinglan gave Chen Lin a Realm-Breaking Pill and a Marrow-Cleansing Pill formula in exchange for his spirit milk, and promised to find suitable killing intent for him.
• Luo Qinglan sealed Chen Lin inside his immortal cave for half a month to keep the spirit milk secret, and he inspected his gifts before entering the Cultivation Chamber.
• Luo Qinglan asked her elders whether they should cooperate with the Blazing Sun Sect in hosting a Trading Convention, but they argued without reaching a decision.
• Mu Xingchen told Luo Qinglan that one batch of pills had succeeded and that the aged spirit milk made it strong enough to raise her chances of core formation by twenty percent.
• Luo Qinglan told Mu Xingchen to join the Blazing Sun Sect or leave Yan Country with Elder Su if she failed to return, then departed.

Chen Lin broke through to the late stage of Qi Condensation while sealed in his Immortal Cave. At the Qingyang Sect’s trading convention, Huang Yu exposed Ye Zhenqin’s betrayal and attacked the sect, but Luo Qinglan arrived as Chen Lin heard distant explosions and continued studying pills.

• Chen Lin used a Minor Breakthrough Pill to reach level 7 Qi Condensation, then resumed cultivating in his Immortal Cave.
• At the trading convention, Huang Yu pressured Su Chenyu to reveal Luo Qinglan’s whereabouts and injured him with a single strike.
• Ye Zhenqin revealed that Luo Qinglan had gone to Black Water Marsh to attempt a Golden Core breakthrough, and Huang Yu killed a Qingyang Sect disciple who challenged him.
• Ye Zhenqin pledged the sect’s management to Huang Yu and offered his daughter Ye Jinxuan, prompting a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to denounce him.
• Huang Yu attacked the protesting cultivator, but Luo Qinglan arrived and destroyed Huang Yu’s claw strike.
• Chen Lin felt the Immortal Cave shake and heard booms from the Qingyang Sect’s Main Peak, but stayed inside and returned to studying the Marrow-Cleansing Pill formula.

After emerging from seclusion, Chen Lin learned that Luo Qinglan had become a Golden Core powerhouse, defeated Huang Yu, and purged the traitorous Ye Lineage while Ye Jinxuan found refuge at Wuzhen Tower. He returned to his Immortal Cave and received a gourd of killing intent from Luo Qinglan, along with a Jade Slip recording its source.

• Chen Lin left his Immortal Cave after the Sealing Formation Talisman's effect ended and met Qian Li, who told him about the recent upheaval in the Qingyang Sect.
• Qian Li explained that Luo Qinglan had advanced to the Golden Core Realm, revealed her Divine Phoenix Bloodline, driven back Huang Yu, and exterminated the traitorous lineages.
• Chen Lin learned that Ye Jinxuan had sought protection at Wuzhen Tower and that the tower had arranged for her to receive clients.
• Chen Lin advised Qian Li not to take pleasure in Ye Jinxuan's misfortune, then returned to his Immortal Cave to wait for the situation to settle.
• He Yunhuan, Luo Qinglan's disciple, verified Chen Lin's identity and delivered a gourd of killing intent and a Jade Slip containing its source.

Chen Lin refined Burning Lotus True Fire Baleful Intent for a month, strengthening his body and gaining a limited trace of true fire’s power. He went to the market to buy new techniques, but found it eerily deserted and wondered whether something had happened.

• Chen Lin learned that Burning Lotus True Fire Baleful Intent could temper his body and grant a True Fire Divine Ability, then cautiously released a wisp and absorbed it while practicing the Vajra Body-Refining Art.
• Chen Lin spent a month refining the baleful intent, enduring severe pain as it improved his body and Diamond Body-Refining Technique.
• Chen Lin emerged from his cave, tested his strength by splitting a boulder with one punch, and discovered that he could absorb more baleful intent but could only release true fire’s aura, not actual flames.
• Chen Lin headed to the market to buy better spells and a new flight technique, but found the stalls outside gone and the market strangely quiet.

After leaving seclusion, Chen Lin discovered that male cultivators who had visited Ye Jinxuan were going mad and attacking cultivators. Suspecting a bizarre creature had possessed her, he bought protective gear and returned to seclusion, planning to leave once the danger passed.

• Chen Lin learned that Manager Shen had become a sect elder and suspected he had traded information about the spirit milk for the position.
• Chen Lin found that shops across the market had replaced their staff with ugly people, and the Yunhai Firm checked his identity with a detection tool.
• The Yunhai Firm's manager told Chen Lin that male cultivators who had visited Ye Jinxuan at Wuzhen Tower were going mad and assaulting cultivators, including a Qingyang Sect elder subdued by Luo Qinglan.
• Chen Lin suspected an evil specter had possessed Ye Jinxuan, bought a High-Grade Robe and an ugly Thin-Skin Mask, and traveled home by deserted routes.
• Chen Lin decided to continue his seclusion until the danger passed and then leave the area.

Chen Lin helped He Yunhuan and another Qingyang Sect disciple subdue Qian Li after Qian Li went mad, then fortified his cave abode and refined Marrow-Cleansing Pills while studying the Shadow-Shifting Art. Three days later, he opened his door to an unexpected visitor.

• Chen Lin watched He Yunhuan and another Qingyang Sect disciple fight Qian Li, then joined them when they called for help.
• Chen Lin used his Diamond Body-Refining Technique to incapacitate Qian Li, and He Yunhuan's companion bound him for confinement and treatment.
• Chen Lin returned to his cave abode, activated a new defensive talisman, and covered the interior with Evil-Warding Talismans.
• Chen Lin bought ingredients and refined three Marrow-Cleansing Pills, then began studying the Shadow-Shifting Art.
• After three days of practice, Chen Lin opened his door to a visitor and recognized them with surprise.

Sun Xingyun asked Chen Lin to help treat his grandfather, who had become afflicted by an evil presence, and offered a Talisman Codex as payment. Chen Lin initially refused, but He Yunhuan persuaded him to go to the Sun Lineage, where Chen Lin insisted the old master be brought outside before he would proceed.

• Sun Xingyun asked Chen Lin to expel an evil presence from an elder of his lineage and offered him a copy of their inherited Talisman Codex.
• Sun Xingyun said Qian Li had recovered through Chen Lin's methods, but Chen Lin refused the request and decided to leave his immortal cave.
• He Yunhuan arrived with Sun Xingyun and spoke privately with Chen Lin, after which Chen Lin agreed to accompany them and try to help.
• Sun Xingyun explained that his grandfather had become lecherous after secretly pursuing Ye Jinxuan, and the Sun Lineage had hidden him to avoid angering Luo Qinglan.
• At the Sun Lineage's residence, Chen Lin refused to enter an underground passage and asked that the old master be brought outside.
• A middle-aged man welcomed Chen Lin and He Yunhuan, then sent Sun Xingyun to take them to a quiet room while he fetched the old master.

Chen Lin used his Buddhist power to purge an evil specter from the Sun Lineage patriarch and received the promised Talisman Codex and a high-grade spirit stone. He Yunhuan then asked him to examine his master, Luo Qinglan, who had also been possessed by the evil qi.

• Chen Lin touched the Sun Lineage patriarch and began purifying the evil aura, but the specter retaliated by clouding his mind with a seductive illusion.
• Chen Lin broke free of the illusion and struck the patriarch with Buddhist power, forcing a wisp of black smoke out of him.
• Chen Lin told the Sun Lineage that their patriarch needed quiet rest and received a Talisman Codex and a high-grade spirit stone as payment.
• Chen Lin and He Yunhuan left the Sun Lineage residence, and Chen Lin warned that He Yunhuan's problem might exceed his abilities.
• He Yunhuan took Chen Lin to examine his master, Luo Qinglan, whom Chen Lin realized had also been possessed by Ye Jinxuan's evil qi.

Chen Lin was summoned to the Qingyun Sect to help treat Luo Qinglan, whose evil qi was stronger than that afflicting other victims and remained suppressed inside a secret chamber. He learned that several cultivators had been gathered to try their methods, and waited as Chengyangzi was called in first.

• He Yunhuan told Chen Lin that Luo Qinglan had been possessed by unusually powerful evil qi, though she could still suppress it.
• Chen Lin went with He Yunhuan to the Qingyun Sect’s main peak and met Mu Xingchen and a sharp-eyed Foundation Establishment cultivator.
• The sharp-eyed cultivator asked Chen Lin to surrender his Storage Bag, but Luo Qinglan’s voice ordered them to let him enter without doing so.
• Chen Lin was brought to a room with several other invited cultivators, including a monk and Chengyangzi of the Five Directions Temple.
• A White-Clothed Cultivator summoned Chengyangzi to treat Luo Qinglan, and Chengyangzi left to make the first attempt.

Chen Lin met Luo Qinglan and learned that her condition was a peach blossom demonic tribulation caused by Ye Jinxuan’s scheme. Luo Qinglan said Chen Lin’s power could help suppress it, but his mana needed to grow stronger first.

• After the Five Directions Temple Taoist and other cultivators failed to help, the White-Clothed Cultivator led Chen Lin through a Teleportation Gate to Luo Qinglan.
• Chen Lin approached Luo Qinglan, but her powerful aura filled his mind with desire until his Vajra Body-Refining Art helped him recover and retreat.
• Luo Qinglan explained that her inner demon had merged with the peach blossom baleful spirit Ye Jinxuan spread among cultivators.
• Luo Qinglan told Chen Lin that his power could suppress the tribulation while she used her divine phoenix bloodline to destroy it.
• Luo Qinglan said Chen Lin’s mana was not yet strong enough to help her.

Chen Lin traveled with Su Chenyu and three other Qingyang Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivators to a source of burning lotus true fire baleful intent in Black Water Marsh. They encountered Nanmen Wuji and Dark Yin Sect cultivators, and as a fight threatened to begin, Su Chenyu took out an object.

• Su Chenyu led Chen Lin to the burning lotus true fire baleful intent and warned him not to provoke cultivators from Chu Country.
• The group reached a flame-filled clearing, and Su Chenyu sent three guardians to check for danger while he stayed with Chen Lin.
• After distant rumbling, the Black-Faced Foundation Establishment Cultivator returned and reported an encounter with Dark Yin Sect members.
• Nanmen Wuji arrived with an Emaciated Old Man and a beautiful Qi Refining woman, then demanded that Su Chenyu's group leave the area.
• Nanmen Wuji and the Emaciated Old Man prepared for battle as Chen Lin retreated, and Su Chenyu suddenly took out an object.

Su Chenyu and Chen Lin entered the swamp to obtain Burning Lotus True Fire Baleful Intent for treating Luo Qinglan, while Nanmen Wuji's group sought the Cold Nether Flame. Chen Lin discovered that Buddhist power in the flames let him refine them with extraordinary speed, as Nanmen Wuji's group located their target.

• Nanmen Wuji recognized Su Chenyu's Xuanming Token but refused to be intimidated, then agreed to let Su Chenyu's group pursue the Burning Lotus True Fire Baleful Intent while his group sought the Cold Nether Flame.
• Su Chenyu warned Chen Lin that the baleful energy could injure him and that refining it themselves might contaminate his mana, so Chen Lin began absorbing the flames directly.
• Chen Lin found that Buddhist power within the flames resonated with his own and helped him refine the energy, strengthening his body and Buddhist power.
• Chen Lin rapidly absorbed flames from multiple openings, drawing astonished looks from Su Chenyu and the others as his refining speed approached that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
• The tall woman with Nanmen Wuji and the Emaciated Old Man completed her chant, revealed a pitch-black Crescent Mark, and pointed out the place where they would find the Cold Nether Flame.

Nanmen Wuji began setting up a formation to capture the nether fire spirit while Chen Lin used Thunderbolt Beads to make more baleful fire flow from the holes. His explosives caused the ground around the holes to collapse into a deep cavern.

• Nanmen Wuji and Nanmen Lingyue prepared a Subduing Spirit Great Array to capture the nether fire spirit, while Yin Wu guarded Lingyue.
• Chen Lin absorbed the burning lotus true fire baleful intent to advance his Vajra Body-Refining Art, but the flames began to weaken.
• Chen Lin tossed Thunderbolt Beads into the largest hole, increasing the flow of flames after each explosion.
• Chen Lin activated a Sound-Insulation Array Talisman and sent his Monkey Puppet to place and trigger stronger Thunderbolt Beads in the holes.
• Su Chenyu flew over to ask whether Chen Lin had reached his limit, but the ground shook and collapsed into a deep cavern.

Chen Lin discovered that a red line tied him to a powerful presence beneath the ground, while greed also influenced Nanmen Lingyue and drove her to pursue the nether fire spirit. The chapter ended with Nanmen Wuji preparing to capture it by force as Nanmen Lingyue used the Nether-Connecting Power.

• After the ground collapsed, Chen Lin warned Su Chenyu that something had influenced his mind and urged him to leave, but Su Chenyu insisted he continue refining the killing intent to help Luo Qinglan.
• Chen Lin applied Mingqing Spiritual Water and saw a red line connecting him to the underground presence; he also spotted another line leading toward Nanmen Wuji's group.
• Chen Lin found that Su Chenyu and the others had no red lines attached to them, and decided to observe the strange phenomenon before using his remaining Mingqing Spiritual Water.
• Nanmen Wuji's Array Disk rapidly drained its yin spirit stones, revealing that the nether fire spirit was far stronger than expected, and he proposed postponing the capture.
• Greed overcame Nanmen Lingyue, who insisted they capture the nether fire spirit immediately; Nanmen Wuji then used his blood essence to strengthen the Array Disk and ordered her to activate the Nether-Connecting Power.

A released shadowy entity escaped its fiery chains and sent an evil aura through red threads, affecting Chen Lin and Nanmen Lingyue before a lotus-shaped fire spirit purified them. Chen Lin refined the spirit, gained a new divine ability, and left with Su Chenyu after the cave was sealed.

• The shadowy entity twisted two red threads around its fiery chains, broke free, and vanished to seek its other split souls.
• The red thread filled Chen Lin with possessive fantasies, but a lotus flame emerged from the Earth Cave, drove away the evil thoughts, and entered him.
• Nanmen Lingyue was overcome by similar fantasies involving Chen Lin, and the nether fire spirit entered her brow and dispelled the evil aura.
• Nanmen Wuji took the unconscious Nanmen Lingyue back to the Lineage after the Emaciated Old Man warned that something might have gone wrong with the Young Lord's fusion.
• Chen Lin woke the next morning after refining the fire spirit, reached the second layer of his Vajra Body-Refining Art, and gained a red-lotus divine ability that could restrain evil entities.
• Su Chenyu crushed and filled in the cave, then departed with Chen Lin.

Chen Lin returned to the Qingyang Sect and helped Luo Qinglan suppress her inner demon by channeling Buddhist power into her. After Luo Qinglan regained control, her attendants escorted Chen Lin out but said she wanted to discuss matters with him once she emerged from seclusion.

• Mu Xingchen told Su Chenyu that Luo Qinglan's condition had worsened and that she had permitted Chen Lin to enter her secluded chamber.
• Chen Lin entered Luo Qinglan's room and was thrown to the ground when her inner demon made her attack him.
• Chen Lin struck Luo Qinglan with the Red Lotus Phantom, and she briefly regained her senses and ordered him to channel Buddhist power into her.
• Chen Lin poured Buddhist power into Luo Qinglan for over an hour until purple flames rose around her and she appeared to regain control.
• Luo Qinglan's two attendants thanked Chen Lin, then escorted him out and told him she wanted to speak with him after her seclusion.

After Luo Qinglan emerged from seclusion, she offered Chen Lin the choice of joining the Qingyang Sect or accepting compensation, and he chose to leave. He hid his departure by pretending to cultivate, then used an Earth Escape Talisman to head toward Chu Country while the Qingyang Sect celebrated Luo Qinglan’s strength.

• Chen Lin studied pill refining with Mu Xingchen and received several pill formulas, including the Foundation Establishment Pill formula.
• Su Chenyu announced that Luo Qinglan had emerged from seclusion, and she summoned the sect to announce a Golden Core Ceremony for one month later.
• Luo Qinglan offered Chen Lin a place as a disciple of the Sect Leader or treasures as compensation, and Chen Lin declined, claiming he needed to search for the Hanhai Kingdom.
• Luo Qinglan gave Chen Lin a Storage Bag and left, and Chen Lin returned to his Immortal Cave, posted a secluded-cultivation sign, and prepared to depart unnoticed.
• Luo Qinglan defeated three Golden Core cultivators at the ceremony, while Chen Lin escaped Qingyang Mountain with an Earth Escape Talisman and headed toward Chu Country.
• The cave manager later found Chen Lin’s Immortal Cave empty after his lease expired.

Chen Lin reached a ruined temple in the former Han Country, where he met a wary group of travelers and learned he had strayed from his intended route. Two young women carrying a baby arrived, and the chapter ended when the baby woke and cried, its faint demonic aura keeping Chen Lin on guard.

• Chen Lin took shelter from a storm in a ruined temple and concealed his cultivation before meeting five travelers.
• Chen Lin introduced himself as Iron Palm, Floating on Water, and spoke with Five-Tiger Saber Yang Yuanqing and a middle-aged man who claimed bandits had robbed his family while they traveled from Chu Country to Han Country.
• Chen Lin realized he had reached the fragmented former Han Country and considered staying there to cultivate.
• Two young women entered carrying a sleeping baby, and Chen Lin sensed a faint demonic aura from it.
• The baby woke and began to cry.

Chen Lin watched a Prayer Cult scheme to capture the strange baby called the Divine Child, then intervened when the conspirators turned on the little girl and the others. He killed the attackers and the baby, returned the girl to her mother, and left the temple in the rain.

• The baby's cries incapacitated everyone around the fire, and Chen Lin pretended to collapse while observing the two women.
• The baby broke free and lunged at the little girl, but the woman with a black flag froze him before the white-haired old man and a hidden dwarf captured him.
• The dwarf and the white-haired old man revealed themselves as Prayer Cult members and killed the two women after learning they belonged to the Demon God Hall.
• The dwarf seized the little girl, while the white-haired old man threatened the survivors, including Five-Tiger Saber Yang Yuanqing.
• Chen Lin killed the dwarf, Yang Yuanqing, and the white-haired old man, handed the girl back to her mother, crushed the Divine Child, and left the temple.