Chapter Summaries

Chu Yang discovered Xiao Yan had left Blackrock City for Desert City, then followed him aboard a Thick-winged Bird. On the journey, a woman named Liu Ling entered Chu Yang’s room and began undressing.

• Chu Yang noticed his check-in points had increased by twenty and guessed he had earned them by indirectly thwarting Xiao Yan again.
• Chu Yang found Xiao Yan’s lodging empty and learned he had already departed from the post station.
• Chu Yang confirmed Xiao Yan was headed toward Desert City and followed on a Thick-winged Bird after revealing he was a second-tier alchemist.
• The post station assigned Chu Yang a private room and a woman who introduced herself as Liu Ling.
• Liu Ling flirted with Chu Yang and began to undress as he considered how to earn check-in points during the trip.

Chu Yang gave Liu Ling six Gold Coins and sent her out of his room so he could pursue a sudden idea related to his Check-in Points. Liu Ling waited outside the door, unsure what he intended to do.

• Chu Yang stopped Liu Ling from undressing and asked whether she liked Gold Coins.
• Liu Ling admitted she liked Gold Coins, and Chu Yang handed her six of them.
• Chu Yang told Liu Ling to leave so he could be alone and think, promising to call her back later.
• Liu Ling stepped into the corridor on the Thick-winged Bird as Chu Yang shut the door.

Chu Yang refined a Mysterious Short-Term Upgrade Pill intended to temporarily boost the strength of the Yellow Demonic Puppet and Undead Creatures. Its powerful fragrance drew four greedy alchemists to his room, where they confronted him over the pill.

• Chu Yang developed a formula for a pill that could temporarily increase the strength of the Yellow Demonic Puppet and Undead Creatures.
• Chu Yang successfully refined the Mysterious Short-Term Upgrade Pill, which gave off an unusually strong fragrance.
• The pill’s scent spread through the Thick-winged Bird, prompting the alchemists in nearby rooms to search for its source.
• Four alchemists burst into Chu Yang’s room and focused on the pill in his hand.
• A white-haired elder estimated that the pill might be fifth-tier and questioned whether Chu Yang was a fifth-tier alchemist.
• The four alchemists’ greed suggested they might try to seize the pill, while Chu Yang faced them despite their apparent advantage in strength.

Chu Yang faced a group of alchemists who tried to seize his pill and force him to reveal its formula. After his Yellow Demonic Puppet and summoned Undead Creatures terrified the attackers, Chu Yang asked whether they still wanted to fight.

• An old alchemist suspected Chu Yang had a high-level formula, and the alchemists decided to attack him and take his pill.
• The alchemists charged, but Zeyuan ran into the Yellow Demonic Puppet when it appeared in front of him.
• Chu Yang fed the Short Sword Upgrade Pill to the Yellow Demonic Puppet, and the old alchemist recoiled with a hand scorched black.
• A vampire appeared at the window, while a skeleton, Servant Corpse, and Black Zombie frightened the alchemists and maidservants.
• The old alchemist asked whether the summoned creatures belonged to Chu Yang, and Chu Yang confirmed they did and challenged the group to keep fighting.

Chu Yang’s Strange Short-Term Advancement Pill raised the Yellow Demonic Puppet to Da Dou Shi strength, prompting four alchemists to surrender their valuables and sparing their lives. After gaining fifty Check-in Points, Chu Yang reached Desert City and began considering Xiao Yan’s coming encounter with Hai Bodong.

• The Yellow Demonic Puppet consumed Chu Yang’s Strange Short-Term Advancement Pill and rose to Da Dou Shi strength, astonishing the old alchemist.
• The old alchemist, Zeyuan, and the two other alchemists knelt before Chu Yang, then surrendered their valuables in exchange for their lives.
• The system rewarded Chu Yang with fifty Check-in Points for handling the confrontation better than Xiao Yan, bringing his total to one hundred.
• Chu Yang traveled with Xu Liting to Desert City, where he sensed the heat and fire- and earth-attributed energy of the nearby Tagor Desert.
• Chu Yang considered Xiao Yan’s likely preparations to enter the desert and meet Hai Bodong, then decided not to waste time in Desert City.

Chu Yang devised a scheme to frighten Old Yao with a fabricated Soul Hall sighting so he could help Xiao Yan deal with Hai Bodong and earn card points. After Xiao Yan entered Hai Bodong’s shop, Chu Yang waited nearby for the right moment to intervene.

• Chu Yang spotted a strangely dressed local and got the idea to scare Old Yao by claiming Soul Hall was nearby.
• Chu Yang found Xiao Yan before he reached Hai Bodong’s shop and told him about the supposed Soul Hall member, intending to frighten Old Yao hidden in his ring.
• Old Yao believed the warning and urged Xiao Yan to avoid revealing himself and leave Desert City quickly.
• At Old Yao’s prompting, Xiao Yan made an excuse to part ways with Chu Yang and went to buy a map.
• Chu Yang secretly followed Xiao Yan to Hai Bodong’s shop and waited outside for a chance to rescue him if Old Yao hesitated to help.

Xiao Yan fought Hai Bodong for a map fragment linked to the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, but Chu Yang burst into the shop with an army of undead and Demonic Puppets. The battle continued with Chu Yang and Xiao Yan preparing to attack Hai Bodong together.

• Xiao Yan tried to take the map fragment from Hai Bodong, and Hai Bodong fought back with powerful ice techniques that overwhelmed him.
• Old Yao prepared to take control of Xiao Yan's body as Xiao Yan faced possible defeat.
• Chu Yang smashed open the shop door and sent the Yellow Demonic Puppet, two vampires, an undead knight, and other undead creatures against Hai Bodong.
• Chu Yang urged Xiao Yan to join the fight, spread his Azure Cloud Wings, and received fifty Check-in Points.
• Xiao Yan spread his Purple Cloud Wings, while Hai Bodong and Xiao Yan were both stunned by Chu Yang's many treasures.

Chu Yang and Xiao Yan fought Hai Bodong until Chu Yang revealed a Heavenly Flame that melted Hai Bodong’s ice and forced him to surrender. Chu Yang gave Xiao Yan the damaged map, while the system deducted Check-in Points after Xiao Yan briefly considered attacking him.

• Hai Bodong unleashed Profound Ice Spiral Kill, knocking down their attackers and trapping Chu Yang and Xiao Yan in ice cages.
• Chu Yang summoned his strange flame, which melted Hai Bodong’s ice formation and shocked Hai Bodong and Xiao Yan.
• The system deducted thirty Check-in Points after Xiao Yan briefly developed malicious thoughts toward Chu Yang.
• Old Yao warned Xiao Yan not to covet Chu Yang’s Heavenly Flame and decided to investigate Chu Yang’s background.
• Hai Bodong admitted defeat, and Chu Yang told Xiao Yan to take the damaged map for himself.

After winning Xiao Yan’s trust, Chu Yang learned that Hai Bodong was the Ice Emperor, whose strength had been sealed by Queen Medusa. Hai Bodong asked Chu Yang to refine a Heavenly Flame-dependent pill to break the curse, offering the other half of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame map in return.

• Chu Yang gave Xiao Yan Hai Bodong’s damaged map fragment and earned 500 Card Points for greatly winning Xiao Yan over.
• Hai Bodong revealed that he was the former Ice Emperor, and Xiao Yan recognized his reputation as one of the Jia Ma Empire’s Ten Great Experts.
• Hai Bodong explained that Queen Medusa had cursed him after he obtained the map fragment, aging him and sealing his strength at the Dou Ling level.
• Hai Bodong said a pill requiring a Heavenly Flame could break the seal, and that he would give up his other map fragment if Chu Yang refined it.
• Chu Yang and Xiao Yan realized Hai Bodong had split the map into two portions, while Hai Bodong hinted that Chu Yang’s alchemy skills exceeded those of a second-tier alchemist.

Chu Yang gave Hai Bodong’s map fragment to Xiao Yan, earning 800 Check-in Points by deeply moving him. After Hai Bodong pointed them toward Sand Mandala and possible Heavenly Flame locations, Chu Yang decided to buy the Universal Tracker on credit.

• Hai Bodong handed over the second map fragment, and Chu Yang immediately gave it to Xiao Yan, moving both Xiao Yan and Old Yao.
• Chu Yang received 800 Check-in Points and calculated that he had saved 2,220 in total.
• Hai Bodong explained that he needed Sand Mandala from the Tagor Desert and shared information about possible Heavenly Flame locations to persuade Xiao Yan to help.
• Chu Yang focused on the Universal Tracker in the system store, and the system offered to lend him Check-in Points in advance.
• Chu Yang accepted the offer and told the system he would buy the Universal Tracker on credit.

Chu Yang bought a Universal Tracker on credit so he could keep track of Xiao Yan in the Tagor Desert, then agreed to part ways and settled into a comfortable inn in Desert City. While waiting for Xiao Yan to return with Sand Mandala, Chu Yang planned to improve his cultivation and continued exploring the Summoning Art.

• Chu Yang spent 500 Card Points on a Universal Tracker, borrowing 280 points from the system.
• At Old Yao's urging, Xiao Yan tactfully asked Chu Yang to part ways before entering the desert, and Chu Yang agreed.
• The system rewarded Chu Yang with 20 Card Points as Xiao Yan left, reducing his debt to 260 points.
• Chu Yang checked into an upscale Desert City inn and prepared to wait for Xiao Yan to bring back Sand Mandala before refining Hai Bodong's pill.
• Chu Yang studied the pill prescription and concluded it was a special fifth-tier pill that required a Heavenly Flame to refine.
• Chu Yang found the Great Dou Absorption Technique stalled but sensed progress in the Summoning Art and glimpsed its potential for attacking enemies.

Chu Yang discovered that the Summoning Technique could generate weapons and powerful soul-based attacks, then comprehended Wandering Soul Swordplay after summoning a Bone Sword. He decided to practice the swordplay for now while keeping open the possibility of learning a different style later.

• Chu Yang realized that the Summoning Technique could summon Bone Spears, Bone Swords, and Bone Blades, and imagined eventually commanding vast armies of undead.
• While training, Chu Yang discovered that the technique could inflict soul-based effects and revealed advanced abilities, including Great Spirit Seed Planting of Undead Creatures.
• Chu Yang emerged from deep comprehension with a summoned Bone Sword and considered how to use it, but avoided the system marketplace because he still owed a large debt.
• Chu Yang studied the Summoning Technique further and comprehended the five-move Wandering Soul Swordplay.
• Chu Yang chose to learn Wandering Soul Swordplay for now, though he might seek a more forceful style later.

Chu Yang used the Universal Tracker to watch Xiao Yan endure harsh training in the Tagor Desert under Old Yao’s guidance, earning Card Points when Xiao Yan thought of him. After briefly practicing the Wandering Soul Swordplay, Chu Yang watched Xiao Yan undergo another painful training exercise and chose not to intervene.

• Chu Yang activated the Universal Tracker and watched Xiao Yan trek through the Tagor Desert while Old Yao directed him toward an eastern flame marker.
• Chu Yang gained fifteen Card Points as Xiao Yan continued his desert training, leaving him owing two hundred and fifty Card Points.
• Chu Yang watched Xiao Yan kill a Yellow Sand Scorpion and collect its venomous stinger before putting away the tracker.
• Chu Yang practiced the basics of the Wandering Soul Swordplay in his room and then at a secluded spot outside Desert City.
• The next day, Chu Yang watched Old Yao drip red liquid onto Xiao Yan as he lay on the scorching sand, but Chu Yang did not go to intervene.

Chu Yang flew to the desert to help Xiao Yan investigate the underground passage leading to the former Heavenly Flame site. After Xiao Yan accepted his help, Chu Yang joined Xiao Yan, Xiao Ding, and Qing Lin in preparing to descend, while Xiao Li stayed above to guard the mercenary group.

• Chu Yang tracked Xiao Yan’s progress and learned that Qing Lin had identified a location where a powerful aura, possibly Queen Medusa’s, had appeared.
• Chu Yang flew to the desert, where Xiao Yan had defeated Mo Xing and forced Luo Bu to submit, allowing the Desert Iron Mercenary Group to excavate the underground passage.
• Chu Yang arrived as Xiao Yan and the others surveyed the passage, and he told them he had come to help rather than claim the Heavenly Flame.
• Xiao Yan agreed to accept Chu Yang’s assistance after consulting Old Yao, who advised keeping an eye on him.
• Xiao Ding, Xiao Yan, Qing Lin, and Chu Yang prepared to enter the passage, while Xiao Li remained above to guard the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.

Xiao Yan led the group through the underground passages toward the suspected Heavenly Flame, guided by Qing Lin's Flower Serpent Eyes. As the fire-element energy intensified, Xiao Ding and the mercenaries stopped near the magma world while Xiao Yan, Qing Lin, and Chu Yang prepared to continue.

• Qing Lin sensed the strongest aura in one passage and guided Xiao Yan's group into it.
• Xiao Yan and Chu Yang distributed their pills to the group as they ventured deeper underground.
• Xiao Yan grew excited as fire-element energy replaced the earth-element energy, while Chu Yang knew the Heavenly Flame below was already gone.
• The heat forced Xiao Ding and the mercenaries to stop near the passage's end, and Xiao Yan assigned them to coordinate support from behind.
• Qing Lin endured the heat with waves of cold emanating from her body, and Xiao Yan set out to inspect the magma ocean ahead.

Xiao Yan prepared to fly across the underground sea of lava in search of a Heavenly Flame, while Qing Lin sensed a creature hiding below. Chu Yang decided to accompany him, and the group left the cavern’s dangers ahead still unknown.

• Xiao Yan revealed his Purple Cloud Wings to Xiao Ding and explained that they came from a flying Dou Technique, not Dou Wang cultivation.
• Chu Yang unfolded his Azure Cloud Wings and said he would accompany Xiao Yan to watch his back.
• Qing Lin sensed a creature within the lava whose aura was slightly stronger than Luo Bu’s, and Xiao Yan estimated it was around Dou Ling strength.
• Xiao Yan decided to investigate the lava for a Heavenly Flame, while Xiao Ding and Qing Lin stayed back and urged him to be careful.

Chu Yang and Xiao Yan flew over the lava to search for the unknown creature beneath it, but the beast erupted from the molten sea and attacked them. They fought back together with Chu Yang’s Bone Sword and Xiao Yan’s Xuan Zhong Ruler, yet the snake-like magical beast overwhelmed them as the chapter ended.

• Chu Yang and Xiao Yan flew over the lava, enduring its heat and fire poison while Chu Yang shared an Ice Pill with Xiao Yan.
• Qing Lin warned Xiao Yan that something was secretly following him, and a massive creature burst from the lava and pursued him.
• Xiao Yan accelerated with an Explosive Step, but the creature tore his clothing and hurled lava at him and Chu Yang.
• Chu Yang summoned his Bone Sword and used the Wandering Soul Swordplay to deflect the lava, while Xiao Yan joined the fight with his Xuan Zhong Ruler.
• The beast made the lava boil and drove Chu Yang and Xiao Yan into a disadvantage, revealing itself as a snake-like magical beast.

Xiao Yan and Chu Yang faced the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake guarding the Heavenly Flame, and Xiao Yan relied on Old Yao’s strength to withstand its attacks. After Xiao Yan unleashed Flame Splitting Wave Ruler against the snake’s clones, the cave survivors searched for him amid the aftermath.

• The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake attacked Xiao Yan, who escaped back into the cave with Old Yao’s help and received a medicinal pill from Chu Yang.
• Xiao Yan insisted he would obtain the Heavenly Flame and kill the snake if necessary, while Chu Yang identified the beast and Xiao Ding feared for his younger brother.
• The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake struck the cave with a pillar of magma, and Xiao Yan blocked it with the Heavy Xuan Ruler while borrowing Old Yao’s strength.
• The snake created more than a dozen clones and sent a flood of magma toward the cave, so Xiao Yan used Flame Splitting Wave Ruler to destroy them.
• Chu Yang, Xiao Ding, and Qing Lin survived the explosions, but they could not see where Xiao Yan was.

Xiao Yan and Chu Yang defeated the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, but it attacked Qing Lin and Xiao Ding again. Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils awakened and bound the snake to her, and the group learned it knew where the Heavenly Flame was.

• Xiao Yan absorbed the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's fireballs with Old Yao's Bone Spirit Cold Flame, then joined Chu Yang in driving the snake into the magma.
• Xiao Yan asked Old Yao about the Heavenly Flame, but they could not find it before the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake resurfaced and seized Qing Lin.
• Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils blazed, immobilizing the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake and marking its forehead.
• Old Yao explained that Qing Lin's pupils could control Serpentine Beasts, and Qing Lin said the snake knew where the Heavenly Flame was.

Qing Lin learned from the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake that the Heavenly Flame lay beneath the magma sea, and Xiao Yan plunged in with Old Yao’s protection. Chu Yang followed using Di Jun’s Exotic Fire, and the group descended toward the depths as the rising heat and pressure began to strain Old Yao.

• Qing Lin told Xiao Yan and Xiao Ding that the Heavenly Flame was beneath the magma sea.
• Xiao Yan jumped into the magma, protected by Old Yao’s Bone Spirit Cold Flame, and surfaced unharmed.
• Chu Yang urged Xiao Yan to have Qing Lin command the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake to lead them to the Heavenly Flame.
• Chu Yang entered the magma with Di Jun’s Exotic Fire protecting him, intensifying Xiao Yan’s desire to obtain a Heavenly Flame.
• The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake led Xiao Yan and Chu Yang deeper into the magma, where the growing heat and pressure began to strain Old Yao.