Chapter Summaries

Lu Ye and You Die ambushed the Insect and Blood Race Merging Dao cultivators, then launched coordinated attacks on their Strongholds. After word leaked and survivors fled the final Stronghold, Lu Ye contacted Yellow Springs and urged him to investigate.

• Lu Ye revealed the power to leave Variegated, then joined You Die in ambushing Che Lin and the other Merging Dao cultivators inside the Insect Nest, killing all but four attackers.
• Lu Ye collected the spoils as You Die sent her two direct descendants to their assigned Strongholds and agreed to accompany him.
• Lu Ye and You Die attacked the Strongholds, slaughtering their Dao Entry cultivators while Lu Ye's Treasure Blood Clones gathered Dao Bones.
• After Lu Ye cleared the third Stronghold, he found the last one abandoned as Insect and Blood Race cultivators fled, so he turned his attention to the Yellow Springs War Star.
• Lu Ye contacted Yellow Springs, identified himself, and urged him to investigate the Insect and Blood Race Strongholds before vanishing.

After Lu Ye and You Die wiped out the enemy forces across the Yellow Springs Great War Zone, Huangquan claimed the war zone but could not learn what had happened or contact Ziying. Lu Ye refined the immense haul of Dao Bones, surpassed two hundred Dao, and continued preparing to enter the Merging Dao realm.

• Huangquan sent forces to inspect the enemy Strongholds and learned that seven had been devastated while one was empty.
• Huangquan led his troops to Yinshuo War Star, where they found the Insect Nest lifeless and discovered six dead Merging Dao cultivators, including Che Lin.
• Huangquan declared the Yellow Springs Great War Zone taken, then discovered he could not send a message to Ziying and feared she was dead.
• Lu Ye sent You Die and her subordinates Yayi and Kuzhi out of Variegated, then stayed behind to refine the Dao Bones gathered from the slaughter.
• Lu Ye gained roughly seven or eight hundred thousand Dao Force and polished his Dao Bones until he surpassed two hundred Dao.

Lu Ye discovered that his foundation capped his safe strength at two hundred Dao, preventing him from tempering his final five Dao Bones. After leaving the Variegated starry sky, he met You Die and kept the shortcut to advancing to Dao Union secret from her.

• Lu Ye failed repeatedly to temper a Dao Bone and discovered that controlling two hundred Dao caused severe injuries, revealing that his foundation limited his strength.
• Lu Ye realized he could not raise his foundation without advancing realms, but refused to advance before finishing his Dao Bones.
• Lu Ye left the Variegated starry sky and met You Die's subordinates, Yayi and Kuzhi, who led him to her in a Dead Star.
• You Die asked Lu Ye about the shortcut to advancing to Dao Union, but he refused to tell her because it involved invading and destroying a starry sky.
• Lu Ye reflected that Yin Luo had likely abandoned her plan to corrode starry skies and had become a secret guardian of one instead.

Lu Ye, Ziying, and You Die learned that the nearby Boundless City was a powerful Beast Race force that enslaved Human Race cultivators as renewable Bone Vessels. Ziying had planned to negotiate with the city, but the revelation cast that plan into doubt.

• Ziying returned with an unconscious Cat Tribe cultivator she had captured near Variegated.
• You Die used Divine Source Illusion Sea to interrogate the cat, learning that Boundless City had roughly a dozen or twenty Merging Dao cultivators and a Merging Dao Peak City Lord named Mad Lion.
• Lu Ye and Ziying realized Boundless City had at least two Merging Dao Peak cultivators, including the Ghost Cultivator they had encountered earlier.
• Ziying proposed speaking with Boundless City to seek peaceful coexistence, but You Die warned that the city raised Human Race cultivators to turn them into cultivation resources.
• You Die explained that Bone Cultivation made Human Race Dao Entry cultivators into Bone Vessels whose Dao Bones could be repeatedly harvested, and Lu Ye remembered that other Merging Dao cultivators had once tried to take him for Bone Cultivation.

Lu Ye and Ziying decided to recruit Elder Chen Gushan to help them confront Boundless City and its exploitation of Human cultivators. Ziying returned to Variegated to approach him, while Lu Ye went to replenish the Talent Tree’s fuel; Chen Gushan was astonished when she claimed she had left Variegated and come back.

• You Die warned Lu Ye and Ziying that Boundless City was too powerful to attack without reinforcements, and Lu Ye proposed seeking help from Variegated.
• Ziying suggested Elder Chen Gushan, a Merging Dao Peak cultivator who might also know other trustworthy candidates, and agreed to contact him.
• Lu Ye brought Ziying into Variegated, where she sent Elder Chen a message and arranged to meet him while Lu Ye left to replenish the Talent Tree’s fuel.
• Ziying found Chen Gushan fishing on a quiet satellite star, and he explained that Yellow Springs had mistakenly spread word that she had died.
• Ziying told Chen Gushan that she had left Variegated and returned, but he thought she was joking.

Ziying told Chen Gushan about a way to leave Variegated and asked him to help deal with Boundless City. Chen Gushan recruited Yan Zhixing and He Linglong, then showed them a method to advance to Dao Union, leaving them wondering how they could use it while still inside Variegated.

• Ziying told Chen Gushan that Lu Ye had discovered a way to leave Variegated and explained their conflict with Boundless City.
• Chen Gushan agreed to leave retirement and help Ziying, then summoned Yan Zhixing and He Linglong as potential allies.
• Yan Zhixing and He Linglong arrived, reunited with Chen Gushan, and reminisced about their younger years.
• Chen Gushan gave Yan Zhixing and He Linglong Jade Slips containing a method to advance to Dao Union.
• Yan Zhixing questioned how the method could help them advance while they remained inside Variegated.

Chen Gushan revealed that the Ruins contained a way out of Variegated, and Ziying confirmed that Lu Ye had already taken her through it. Lu Ye guided Chen Gushan, Yan Zhixing, and He Linglong out of Variegated, where they discovered the starry sky beyond and prepared to meet You Die.

• Chen Gushan used Ziying’s connection to Lu Ye to persuade Yan Zhixing and He Linglong that the Ruins held an exit from Variegated.
• Ziying confirmed she had left Variegated with Lu Ye, and Yan Zhixing and He Linglong agreed to seek his help.
• Chen Gushan, Yan Zhixing, He Linglong, and Ziying entered the Ruins and met Lu Ye in the second great hall.
• Lu Ye led the group to the exit, and Yan Zhixing, Chen Gushan, and He Linglong passed through first, followed by Lu Ye and Ziying.
• Outside Variegated, Yan Zhixing felt the restraint on his cultivation vanish, and Lu Ye proposed that they meet You Die at her Insect Nest.

Lu Ye and the Merging Dao cultivators agreed to infiltrate Boundless City rather than assault its defenses directly. Disguised as a captive and carried by a controlled Cat Demon, Lu Ye entered the city with You Die hidden in his Divine Sea, where he saw its thriving streets and the Human Race’s brutal treatment.

• You Die shared her intelligence about Boundless City, and the cultivators debated how to attack it.
• Lu Ye proposed entering Boundless City from within, and You Die agreed to hide in his Divine Sea while the others prepared to support their escape from outside.
• Lu Ye left a Treasure Blood Clone in the Insect Nest, and the Cat Demon carried him toward Boundless City as He Linglong and Ziying followed in secret.
• The Cat Demon used a jade bone to open Boundless City’s protective barrier, allowing her and Lu Ye to enter without exposing You Die.
• Lu Ye saw that Boundless City was bustling with inhabitants, while Human Race cultivators were ragged, forced into labor, or offered for sale.

Lu Ye entered Boundless City as the little Cat Demon’s Bone Vessel and saw how brutally the Human Race was exploited. After Red Snake took him to a Bone Pool and began whipping him, You Die possessed her body, leaving Lu Ye free to inspect the place while Yan Zhixing and Chen Gushan prepared to act outside the city.

• Lu Ye saw Human Race servants beaten and learned that Humans in Boundless City were treated as livestock, with Dao Entry cultivators turned into Bone Vessels.
• The little Cat Demon brought Lu Ye to Red Snake, who agreed to train him in exchange for thirty percent of his future Dao Bones.
• Red Snake whipped Lu Ye, but his wounds healed quickly; when she took him into her house, You Die possessed her and tormented her Soul Body.
• Lu Ye warned You Die not to act without consulting him, then went to inspect the Bone Pool beside Red Snake’s house.
• Lu Ye saw about five hundred naked, withered Bone Vessels in the pit and realized the area contained around a hundred such Bone Pools.
• Yan Zhixing and Chen Gushan left the Insect Nest to try to break Boundless City’s defenses, while Yayi and Kuzhi stayed behind.

Lu Ye entered Boundless City’s Bone Pool as Yan Zhixing and Chen Gushan began their assault, drawing the city’s defenders into battle. The attack failed to trap Ghost Annihilation and Golden Ape, and the chapter ended with Boundless City’s Merging Dao cultivators demanding permission to fight.

• Lu Ye examined the Bone Pool’s formations, and the Snake Girl’s presence terrified the Bone Vessels as the city shook from the attack.
• Mad Lion recognized Yan Zhixing and Chen Gushan as the attackers and sent Ghost Annihilation and Golden Ape to confront them.
• Chen Gushan exposed Ghost Annihilation’s ambush while Yan Zhixing engaged Golden Ape, and Ziying and He Linglong emerged from hiding.
• Ghost Annihilation warned Golden Ape about the ambush, and the two defenders escaped back into Boundless City before the attackers could cut them off.
• Mad Lion cautioned Golden Ape against underestimating humans, while Boundless City’s Merging Dao cultivators called for permission to attack.

Lu Ye discovered that the Bone Pools powered Boundless City's Protective Grand Array and infiltrated its defenses to weaken it from within. As the Bone Pools and Formation Bases came under attack, Mad Lion sent Golden Ape and Heart Tiger to intercept the intruders.

• Lu Ye identified the Bone Pool Formations as the source feeding Boundless City's Protective Grand Array and sent You Die to destroy them while he searched for the Grand Array's Formation Bases.
• Lu Ye created Treasure Blood Clones, split up with his Talent Tree Clone, and located four Formation Bases while Yan Zhixing and the others attacked from outside.
• You Die and the Treasure Blood Clones killed the Bone Pool guards and destroyed the Formations in successive Bone Pools, severing their power supply to the Grand Array.
• Mad Lion discovered the Bone Pool attacks, and Ghost Annihilation left to confront You Die while Golden Ape offered to help.
• Mad Lion realized the Formation Bases were also under attack and ordered Golden Ape and Heart Tiger to intercept the intruder while the others guarded the bases.

Lu Ye and You Die attacked Boundless City's Formation Bases while Yan Zhixing's group tried to break through the Protective Grand Array from outside. Lu Ye destroyed another Formation Base after defeating Heart Tiger, then used clones to mislead him as his true body moved to aid the Talent Tree Clone against Golden Ape.

• Yan Zhixing and the other three brought out their Dao Soldiers and increased their assault on the Protective Grand Array as Lu Ye and You Die began attacking inside Boundless City.
• Heart Tiger confronted Lu Ye, but Lu Ye overwhelmed him with a saber strike and rushed toward the third Formation Base.
• Lu Ye killed two Merging Dao cultivators guarding the Formation Base and destroyed the hall and the Formation Base with Giant Blade Slash.
• Lu Ye received two Star Abyss Blessings, created eight Treasure Blood Clones, and sent them fleeing in different directions to confuse Heart Tiger.
• Mad Lion told Heart Tiger that Lu Ye's true body had gone to support Golden Ape, leaving Heart Tiger stunned by how quickly Lu Ye had reached him.

Lu Ye used his clones to destroy Boundless City's Formation Bases and help break its Protective Grand Array. After Heart Tiger fell and reinforcements entered the city, Lu Ye withdrew to hunt weaker Merging Dao cultivators.

• Lu Ye sent his Treasure Blood Clones to join the battle while his main body teleported to assist the Talent Tree Clone against Golden Ape.
• Lu Ye's main body kept Golden Ape occupied while the Talent Tree Clone destroyed a fourth Formation Base hall and killed a Merging Dao cultivator.
• Lu Ye used the Treasure Blood Clones' blood mist to bring the Talent Tree Clone near Heart Tiger, then the two Lu Ye fighters overwhelmed him.
• Boundless City's Protective Grand Array shattered, allowing four Human Race Merging Dao Peak experts to enter the city.
• Lu Ye exploited Heart Tiger's distraction to kill him, then fled with the Talent Tree Clone as Golden Ape and other Merging Dao cultivators arrived.
• Lu Ye received another Star Abyss Blessing and chose to target weaker Merging Dao cultivators rather than fight Golden Ape.

Lu Ye and his allies defeated Boundless City's Merging Dao cultivators while searching for Mad Lion, who had remained hidden. After Ghost Annihilation revealed that Mad Lion was preparing a secret trump card, a surge of power from a distant building revealed that the threat had reached Joining Dao.

• Ziying joined You Die in fighting Ghost Annihilation, while Lu Ye helped Chen Gushan and Yan Zhixing kill the Merging Dao cultivators besieging them; each enemy Lu Ye killed granted him a Star Abyss Blessing.
• Chen Gushan and Lu Ye supported He Linglong, and together they killed Golden Ape; Ghost Annihilation escaped after giving You Die and Ziying information about Boundless City's hidden trump card.
• Ziying told the gathered allies that Mad Lion had been preparing the trump card, and Lu Ye realized the city's Merging Dao cultivators had fought to the death to buy him time.
• A surge of Spiritual Light and overwhelming majesty rose from a distant building, revealing a power that had surpassed Merging Dao and reached Joining Dao.

Lu Ye and the others tried to escape Boundless City after Mad Lion revealed himself as a Dao Fusion cultivator, but his attacks forced them to turn and fight. They formed a Black Tortoise Formation under Lu Ye’s guidance, yet Mad Lion’s casual strike battered them before the array was complete.

• Mad Lion emerged as a Dao Fusion cultivator, and Lu Ye ordered the group to flee toward Variegated.
• Mad Lion’s soul attack left You Die helpless, so Lu Ye’s Talent Tree Clone intercepted the beam and was destroyed in his place; Lu Ye then rescued You Die and led the others onward.
• As Mad Lion pursued them, Yan Zhixing, Chen Gushan, and He Linglong tried to hold him back, but Lu Ye and Ziying stayed to help fight.
• Lu Ye connected everyone’s auras, formed another Talent Tree Clone, and began guiding the group into a Black Tortoise Formation.
• Mad Lion reached them and struck with a wave of Dao Force, hurling the incomplete formation away and leaving everyone injured.

Lu Ye and five allies formed a Black Tortoise Formation to survive Mad Lion’s overwhelming attacks, while You Die helped Lu Ye bear the formation’s strain. The battle remained desperate, but the group discovered that Mad Lion was also suffering under unexplained pressure.

• Mad Lion’s second attack trapped the six cultivators in a Dao Power hand, but Yan Zhixing led the Black Tortoise Formation in breaking free.
• Mad Lion attacked the formation with a massive bird beak, repeatedly battering its defenses until Yan Zhixing took a strike head-on and was grievously injured.
• Lu Ye’s body cracked under the strain of sustaining the formation, so You Die left his Divine Sea and used her Soul Secret Technique to help him share the pressure.
• Lu Ye and the others noticed that Mad Lion’s body was also cracked and covered in blood, suggesting he was enduring immense pressure of his own.
• Mad Lion grew impatient and intensified his attacks, forcing Lu Ye and the others to focus on holding the formation together.

Lu Ye and his companions were overwhelmed when Ancestor Xiaoyue possessed the Mad Lion, but they held on until Xiaoyue’s projection vanished and the Mad Lion weakened. Lu Ye realized the Mad Lion had never been a Harmony Dao cultivator and questioned him about the Inner Realm.

• The Black Tortoise Formation broke, and the Mad Lion pierced Yan Zhixing’s chest and crushed his heart.
• Yan Zhixing urged his companions to run, but Chen Gushan, He Linglong, Lu Ye, and Ziying rushed to fight; the Mad Lion badly wounded them and shattered Lu Ye’s Talent Tree Clone.
• Ziying’s spear pierced the Mad Lion as Xiaoyue’s projection declared he would wait for Lu Ye in the Inner Realm and vanished.
• The Mad Lion’s strength rapidly faded, and Lu Ye blocked his escape; the Mad Lion admitted that Ancestor Xiaoyue had borrowed his body to wield Harmony Dao power.
• Lu Ye asked where the Inner Realm was, and the Mad Lion explained that it lay deeper within the Star Abyss, beyond the Outer Realm.

Lu Ye and his allies defeated Mad Lion and the other cultivators of Boundless City, but Yan Zhixing died from his injuries after entrusting Lu Ye with a token and a request concerning Yan Hong. The survivors withdrew to the Insect Nest to recover, while Lu Ye pondered what he had learned about the Outer and Inner Realms and rewarded You Die by tempering her Soul Body.

• Lu Ye questioned Mad Lion about the Inner Realm, but Mad Lion shattered and died before he could answer.
• Lu Ye found Yan Zhixing gravely injured and learned that the old cultivator had exhausted his remaining vitality in the battle.
• Yan Zhixing gave Lu Ye his patriarch's token for the Yan Family and asked him to help Yan Hong if he could, then died after drinking from his gourd.
• Chen Gushan and He Linglong explained that the battle had hastened their aging, but they were glad to have helped free the Human Race in Boundless City.
• Lu Ye and the survivors returned to the Insect Nest to heal, and they buried Yan Zhixing on the Barren Star.
• Lu Ye recovered in the Insect Nest while You Die's Soul Body was tempered by the Talent Tree as a reward for her aid.

After recovering from his injuries, Lu Ye discovered that Star Abyss Blessings had strengthened his foundation enough to temper another Dao Bone, and he suspected further blessings could let him temper the rest. He and Ziying went to Boundless City and decided to have her refine it and move it into Variegated, protecting the Human Race there and keeping it beyond Howling Moon’s reach.

• After half a month of recovery, Lu Ye used a lingering Star Abyss Blessing to temper a Dao Bone successfully and gained two hundred and two Dao Bones.
• Lu Ye concluded that repeated Star Abyss Blessings had strengthened his foundation, though he still needed more before he could temper another Dao Bone.
• Lu Ye left the Insect Nest with Ziying and found Boundless City in panic, with many Human Race Bone Vessels still enslaved in its Bone Pools.
• Lu Ye and Ziying discussed Howling Moon’s possible return, and Ziying said she had leads about the Inner Realm that she would explain once confirmed.
• Lu Ye proposed that Ziying refine Boundless City and send it into Variegated so its remaining inhabitants could escape Howling Moon; she agreed, and they began searching for the city’s core.

Lu Ye liberated Boundless City’s human realm from its Beast Race overseers while Ziying continued refining the city’s core. He used the Talent Tree’s power to cleanse Ziying’s aura, leaving her better prepared for her attempt to reach Merging Dao.

• Ziying began refining Boundless City’s core while Lu Ye told the Bone Vessels that the Beast Race Merging Dao cultivators were dead, but they remained numb and stayed in the Bone Pools.
• Lu Ye entered the realm where humans had been imprisoned and forced to reproduce, witnessed the brutal treatment of its people, and slaughtered every foreign race there.
• Lu Ye and Ziying discussed Boundless City’s future and agreed that the Human Race Alliance could decide what to do with its humans after Ziying sent the city into Variegated.
• Lu Ye used the Talent Tree’s Annihilating Flame Power to burn away hidden impurities in Ziying, cleansing her aura until she resembled a Lost One.
• Lu Ye explained the Star Abyss aura and showed Ziying the Filth Clan bead that concealed his own aura, then offered to temper her Soul Body with flames after she finished refining Boundless City.