Chapter Summaries

After using a Spirit Peach to advance his cultivation, Shen Changchuan stabilized his foundation and received word that two Shen Clan members had joined the Qi Clan in Qi Clan Town. Nangong Cheng asked whether he would ambush them later or attack the Qi Clan stronghold directly.

• Shen Changchuan used the Spirit Peach to rise from the early Ninth Level to the peak of the mid-stage Ninth Level, suppressing its remaining energy to strengthen his foundation.
• Shen Changchuan spent two days mastering his new cultivation and planned to temper it for one or two months before advancing again.
• Nangong Cheng sent for Shen Changchuan, who flew to meet him on Little Wind.
• Nangong Cheng told Shen Changchuan that he had located two Shen Clan members at the Qi Clan stronghold in Qi Clan Town.
• Nangong Cheng asked Shen Changchuan whether he would ambush the two Shen Clan members later or attack the Qi Clan directly.

Shen Changchuan asked Nangong Cheng to track the two Shen Clan members while he stayed in Dawan Village to protect Xiao Yu. After learning they had gone to Qi Clan Town, Shen Changchuan chose to confront them there, but he and Nangong Cheng were stunned by what they saw upon arriving.

• Shen Changchuan explained his plan to kill the Shen Clan members serving the First Madam and asked Nangong Cheng to find them.
• Nangong Cheng accepted the task, took a jade slip with the men’s descriptions, and tracked them to Qi Clan Town through one of his contacts.
• Nangong Cheng explained that the Qi Clan had declined since its Out of Body Realm Ancestor died and was now seeking treasures to preserve its future.
• Shen Changchuan decided to go directly to Qi Clan Town and kill anyone who stood in his way.
• Shen Changchuan and Nangong Cheng reached Qi Clan Town and halted in shock at what they saw.

Shen Changchuan and Nangong Cheng found Qi Clan Town under attack and entered the chaotic battlefield to reach the Qi Clan compound. They were stopped by a Ninth Level Realm cultivator from the allied factions, who refused to let them pass.

• Nangong Cheng guessed that the Qi Clan's weakened state had allowed rival factions to breach its defenses, and Shen Changchuan agreed.
• Shen Changchuan insisted that they enter the town and kill the two Shen Clan members they were pursuing, and Nangong Cheng agreed to go with him.
• Shen Changchuan and Nangong Cheng entered Qi Clan Town, where factions and looters fought amid the ruins, and their Ninth Level Realm auras cleared a path through the streets.
• At the Qi Clan compound, Zhao and his forces blocked the pair, and Zhao refused to let them enter without knowing whom they sought.

Shen Changchuan and Nangong Cheng entered the Qi Clan residence to pursue two members of the Shen Clan, and Shen Changchuan used his divine sense and aura to frighten the guards into letting them pass. They searched the sprawling, battle-damaged manor and found a servant who might know where their targets had gone.

• Nangong Cheng tried to persuade the Zhao clansman to let them enter the Qi Clan residence, but the man accused them of using the chaos to plunder the treasury.
• Shen Changchuan released an overwhelming aura that made the Zhao clansman and the other cultivators believe he was an Out of Body Realm expert, and they cleared a path for him.
• Nangong Cheng asked whether Shen Changchuan had advanced to the Out of Body Realm, and Shen Changchuan explained that he had only imitated the aura with his divine sense.
• Shen Changchuan and Nangong Cheng entered the vast Qi Clan manor and realized they did not know where the two members of the Shen Clan were hiding.
• Shen Changchuan and Nangong Cheng searched the manor and found a servant in a secluded courtyard corner.

Nangong Cheng and Shen Changchuan advanced toward the heart of the Qi Clan compound and found the attackers’ elite fighters dead among the ruins. Shen Changchuan pressed on, dodged a ninth-level cultivator’s ambush, and struck the Bald Man down.

• Nangong Cheng noticed the ruined compound and corpses, including a purple-robed ninth-level cultivator embedded in a boulder.
• Shen Changchuan exposed a black palm print on the purple-robed man’s chest, and Nangong Cheng realized the cultivator had been killed with one strike.
• Shen Changchuan judged that no Out-of-Body Realm expert was present and hurried toward the heart of the compound despite Nangong Cheng’s concerns.
• A Bald Man attacked Shen Changchuan with a chained black saber as he crossed the air.
• Shen Changchuan dodged the saber, appeared before the Bald Man, and struck him through three houses.

Shen Changchuan cut through the Qi Clan battlefield with overwhelming strength while Nangong Cheng worried about the danger he faced. At the Qi Clan treasury, leaders of the three opposing forces prepared to claim copies of the Out of Body inheritance, but Shen Zeyu of the Tiannan Shen Clan emerged to challenge them.

• Shen Changchuan killed attackers with single blows and advanced across the battlefield, leaving cultivators from both sides afraid to stop him.
• Nangong Cheng recognized how far Shen Changchuan had surpassed him and worried that the Qi Clan might have a hidden means to kill Out of Body Realm experts.
• The leaders of the Wolf Fang Gang, the Mountain Alliance, and the White Cloud Sect discussed the Qi Clan's fall and agreed to divide copies of its Out of Body inheritance.
• As the three forces approached the treasury, Shen Zeyu emerged with several figures and declared himself of the Tiannan Shen Clan, demanding to know who dared make trouble there.

Shen Zeyu protected the Qi Clan, defeated the leaders of three rival factions, and agreed to let the Qi Clan seize their wealth. Shen Chong then appeared, and Shen Zeyu fled in terror.

• The leaders of the Wolf Fang Gang, White Cloud Sect, and Mountain Alliance asked Shen Zeyu to let them settle their feud with the Qi Clan, but he refused and ordered them to leave.
• Bai Hongchang and several others left their factions to attack Shen Zeyu, who crushed their strongest strikes with a Bronze Bell and gravely wounded the three leaders.
• The Great Elder of the Qi Clan praised Shen Zeyu and proposed taking the factions' wealth, which Shen Zeyu approved.
• Shen Chong appeared, and Shen Zeyu recognized him, cried out in fear, and fled.

Shen Changchuan stopped Shen Zeyu from escaping the Qi Clan Treasury and defeated him by combining the Soul-Absorbing Bell with his sword light. He captured Shen Zeyu and seized the Bronze Bell.

• Nangong Cheng and Shen Changchuan reached the core area of the Qi Clan Treasury without encountering obstacles.
• Shen Zeyu burst from the treasury inside a Bronze Bell, and Shen Changchuan struck it with Azure Wood Sword Light, halting his escape.
• Shen Changchuan recognized Shen Zeyu as a Shen Clan member who had pursued Shen Chong and identified the Bronze Bell as the source of his strength.
• Shen Changchuan used the Soul-Absorbing Bell to stun Shen Zeyu, then pierced his abdomen and destroyed his dantian and meridians with sword light.
• Shen Changchuan took the Bronze Bell and captured Shen Zeyu.

Shen Changchuan defeated Shen Zeyu by using the Soul-Absorbing Bell and his powerful soul, then encountered Shen Chong, a half-brother who had left the Shen Clan. He told Nangong Cheng about his estranged family ties before preparing to search Shen Zeyu’s soul.

• Shen Changchuan defeated Shen Zeyu with a soul attack that bypassed the Bronze Bell and took the bell and his crippled opponent.
• Shen Changchuan encountered Shen Chong, who said Shen Zeyu was not his target, and left with Shen Zeyu after explaining he was protecting Dawan Village.
• Nangong Cheng followed Shen Changchuan and asked about the gaunt man in black.
• Shen Changchuan told Nangong Cheng that the man was his half-brother Shen Chong and described the brothers’ difficult history in the Shen Clan.
• Shen Changchuan explained that he felt little kinship with his many half-siblings, then prepared to search Shen Zeyu’s soul.

Shen Changchuan suspected Shen Chong had a powerful secret behind his rapid rise, but decided that Shen Chong’s growing prominence could draw the First Madam’s attention away from him and his mother. He then searched Shen Zeyu’s soul while Shen Chong asked the presence in his mind for secrets that might help Shen Changchuan.

• Shen Changchuan recalled Shen Chong’s sudden rise and suspected a powerful soul was hidden within him.
• Shen Changchuan reasoned that Shen Chong’s strength might draw the First Madam’s attention and help protect him and his mother.
• Nangong Cheng agreed to keep watch while Shen Changchuan searched Shen Zeyu’s soul for memories.
• The presence in Shen Chong’s mind praised Shen Changchuan’s spiritual sense and explained that it could help Shen Chong form a Spirit Body before reaching the Out-of-Body Realm.
• Shen Chong asked the presence for those secrets, claiming he wanted to build an alliance with Shen Changchuan, but the presence dismissed the idea.

The Qi Clan's Great Elder reflected on his clan's fall and chose to unleash the force sealed beneath its treasury rather than let the clan be destroyed by its rivals. The black tide consumed him, and an unseen voice granted his final wish.

• The Great Elder mocked the Shen Clan young master for fleeing and accepted that the Qi Clan could not survive an attack by the Wolf Fang Gang, the Mountain Alliance, and the White Cloud Sect.
• He recalled the Qi Clan's former power under its Old Ancestor and blamed the clan's decline on internal strife, poor leadership, and complacency.
• Driven by hatred of the three factions, the Great Elder made his way through the treasury's dark passage toward a sealed iron door.
• He broke the seal and unleashed an endless black tide, which consumed him and drained his body of life.
• Before the Great Elder's consciousness faded, a voice in the darkness answered, “As you wish.”

After killing Shen Zeyu, Shen Changchuan believed the secret of Dawan Village was safe and prepared to leave with Nangong Cheng. A sudden Dark Sky Curtain engulfed Qi Clan Town, and Shen Chong appeared outside the Qi Clan Treasury as the darkness spread.

• Shen Changchuan searched Shen Zeyu's soul, learned the plot against Dawan Village had failed, and concluded everyone who knew the secret was dead.
• Shen Changchuan took Shen Zeyu's Storage Bag and burned his body, then thanked Nangong Cheng for helping him.
• A violent quake shook the area as ominous black smoke rose and a Dark Sky Curtain rapidly covered Qi Clan Town.
• Shen Changchuan helped Nangong Cheng resist the crushing pressure, and they hurried through the darkness to escape.
• Shen Chong appeared outside the underground cavern containing the Qi Clan Treasury, studied the darkness, and called it interesting.

Shen Chong confronted the newly freed True Person Xuanyu in the Qi Clan Treasury and demanded the Triumphant Creation, Yin-Yang, triggering a battle between the two powerful beings. Trapped in the Dark Sky Curtain, Shen Changchuan and Nangong Cheng feared the clash’s aftershocks might kill them before they could escape.

• Shen Chong recognized True Person Xuanyu as a former righteous prodigy who had turned to demonic ghost cultivation, while Xuanyu questioned who had come to face him.
• Shen Chong asked Xuanyu for the Triumphant Creation, Yin-Yang, and Xuanyu attacked before he could finish speaking.
• Shen Chong erupted with his own immense power and fought Xuanyu, shaking the earth beneath Qi Clan Town.
• Nangong Cheng and Shen Changchuan sensed the battle’s terrifying auras from the edge of Qi Clan Town and judged the fighters to be beyond the Out-of-Body Realm.
• Nangong Cheng realized that he and Shen Changchuan were trapped by the Dark Sky Curtain and worried that the battle’s aftershocks could kill them before it ended.

Shen Changchuan and Nangong Cheng waited beneath the Dark Sky Curtain as a battle between powerful fighters shook the area, then questioned the leaders of three factions about the Qi Clan’s secrets. Gang Leader Qiu hinted that the upheaval might be connected to a great battle three hundred years ago.

• Shen Changchuan guessed that Shen Chong and the old man possessing him were fighting the powerhouse who had raised the Dark Sky Curtain.
• Nangong Cheng praised Shen Changchuan’s fortune and believed it explained his rapid cultivation, while Shen Changchuan doubted he was truly blessed.
• Shen Changchuan sensed that the three faction leaders might know what was happening and brought Nangong Cheng to question them.
• Gang Leader Qiu said the three factions knew nothing about the upheaval and claimed they had attacked the Qi Clan only to avenge an old feud.
• Shen Changchuan revealed pressure that made the three leaders recognize him as an Out-of-Body Realm cultivator and pressed them about their true purpose.
• Gang Leader Qiu admitted the matter might be connected to a great battle three hundred years ago.

Under pressure from Shen Changchuan, Gang Leader Qiu revealed that the Qi Family’s rise three hundred years earlier was linked to survivors of the Elephant Mountain Sect and its lost inheritance. As the upheaval threatening Shen Chong remained unexplained, the danger around the Qi Family’s central grounds finally subsided.

• Gang Leader Qiu explained that a mysterious event three hundred years ago preceded the Qi Family’s sudden rise to the Out of Body Realm.
• Gang Leader Qiu admitted that he and his allies attacked the Qi Family to seize its suspected Elephant Mountain Sect inheritance and advance their own cultivation.
• Shen Changchuan connected the upheaval to the Elephant Mountain Sect survivors who might be fighting Shen Chong.
• Shen Changchuan realized that the Elephant Mountain Qi Refining Manual he had chosen from the Shen Clan’s Scripture Pavilion came from the destroyed sect.
• The disturbance at the Qi Family’s central grounds stopped, and the Dark Sky Curtain faded, ending the immediate danger.

After the battle ended, Shen Changchuan headed toward the Qi Clan Treasury with Nangong Cheng, hoping to find the rest of the Elephant Mountain Qi Refining Manual. Shen Chong appeared, confirmed the inheritance’s origins, gave Shen Changchuan the Qi Clan’s collection, and warned him to leave; Shen Changchuan and Nangong Cheng then departed Qijia Town.

• Shen Changchuan decided to seek the Qi Clan Treasury for the rest of the Elephant Mountain Qi Refining Manual, and Nangong Cheng accompanied him.
• Shen Changchuan and Nangong Cheng crossed a devastated Qijia Town, finding dried corpses and withered plants everywhere.
• Shen Changchuan questioned whether the inheritance came from a demonic cultivator, but Shen Chong appeared and said the person had been an Elephant Mountain Sect survivor who fell into the Devil Dao to save his life.
• Shen Chong tossed Shen Changchuan a Storage Bag containing the Qi Clan’s collection and warned him that the area was unsafe.
• Shen Changchuan and Nangong Cheng agreed to leave and quickly departed Qijia Town.

After returning to Dawan Village, Shen Changchuan discovered that Shen Chong's jade slip revealed the secrets of Foundation Establishment and Spirit Bodies, along with the great powers' efforts to suppress that knowledge. He realized the Elephant Mountain Qi Refining Manual would let him form a Spirit Body using any compatible treasure, and the story left him weighing the value of this revelation.

• Shen Changchuan and Nangong Cheng returned to Dawan Village after resolving the matter in Qi Clan Town, and Shen Changchuan rewarded Nangong Cheng with several Storage Bags.
• After Nangong Cheng left, Shen Changchuan opened Shen Chong's Storage Bag and found ten mid-grade Spirit Stones, ordinary Spirit Stones, spirit herbs, and a jade slip.
• Shen Changchuan read that forming a Spirit Body during Foundation Establishment was essential to reaching the Mystic Core Realm, while top powers concealed the required knowledge and soul-training techniques.
• Shen Changchuan learned that a Spirit Body usually had to match a cultivator's technique, but the balanced Elephant Mountain Qi Refining Manual placed no such restriction on his choice.

Shen Changchuan reflected on the ruthless hierarchy of cultivation and decided to focus on becoming strong rather than trying to change the world. After half a month of cultivation in Dawan Village, he reached the late stage of the ninth level of the Qi Induction Realm and acquired two treasures that could help him form a Spirit Body.

• Shen Changchuan considered how powerful cultivators protect their descendants and concluded that he lacked the ambition to overturn the world's injustices.
• Shen Changchuan resolved to focus on cultivation, believing that the world would adapt to him once he became strong enough.
• Shen Changchuan examined the jade slip from Shen Chong and resolved to remember the favor his elder brother had done him.
• During the half month Shen Changchuan stayed in Dawan Village, the upheaval at Wu Family Market brought cultivators and trade to the area.
• With Shen Changchuan's approval, Han Qinhu bought Geng Metal Essence and Primordial Heavy Water, which could help Shen Changchuan form a Metal Spirit Body or Water Origin Body.
• Shen Changchuan advanced to the late stage of the ninth level of the Qi Induction Realm through diligent cultivation and a supply of mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Shen Changchuan advanced to the late stage of the Ninth Level and prepared to cultivate further, but a massive earthquake and a distant aura from Wu Family Market disrupted his plans. He feared the upheaval would draw the Southern Region’s attention and expose him, and considered disappearing once he reached the Ninth Level Peak.

• Shen Changchuan used mid-grade Spirit Stones to advance to the late stage of the Ninth Level and planned to reach the peak before pursuing the Out-of-Body Realm.
• A tremendous roar shook the world, collapsing houses in Dawan Village and splitting the surrounding land and mountains.
• Shen Changchuan sensed no nearby enemy and traced the disturbance to Wu Family Market, where he suspected powerful cultivators had clashed.
• A distant aura spanning hundreds of li alarmed Shen Changchuan, who feared a battle could destroy Dawan Village and draw the Southern Region’s attention to the borderland wilderness.
• Shen Changchuan decided he might disappear after refining his remaining Spirit Stones and reaching the Ninth Level Peak.

After an upheaval shook Dawan Village, Shen Changchuan kept his strength and identity hidden while comforting Xiao Yu and preparing for possible danger. Three days later, news revealed that Roaming Dragon and the Seven Absolutes Old Devil were fighting inside the ancient grotto-heaven beneath Wu Family Market.

• Shen Changchuan assessed the damage in Dawan Village, saw Han Qinhu organize relief efforts, and chose to remain hidden.
• Xiao Yu rushed to Shen Changchuan in fear, and he comforted her until she fell asleep; he then wondered about her unusual speed but decided not to investigate her secrets.
• Shen Changchuan cultivated and monitored the situation as the terrifying aura near Wu Family Market lingered for three days and kept many outsiders away.
• Battered cultivators reported that an ancient grotto-heaven lay beneath Wu Family Market and that demonic cultivators from the Southern Yue Kingdom had entered it.
• The Seven Absolutes Old Devil joined the battle, and Roaming Dragon appeared and exchanged a blow with him; the two were now locked in a struggle inside the ancient grotto-heaven.