Chapter Summaries

Shen Changchuan countered the Bald Man’s strongest attack by fusing two perfected spells, then used Thunder Shadow Swift Movement and Myriad Phenomena Sword to kill him. The fight ended with the Bald Man dead and Shen Changchuan victorious.

• The Bald Man unleashed his Blood-Colored Buddha Beads, using his fourth-level Out of Body Realm power to suppress Shen Changchuan.
• Shen Changchuan combined Flame Dragon Burning World with Swift Wind Wandering Dragon Sword to form a powerful fire dragon that shattered the Buddha beads.
• The collision sent Shi Miaoqing and the other two retreating, while the Bald Man was wounded and lost focus in disbelief.
• Shen Changchuan used Thunder Shadow Swift Movement to appear before the distracted Bald Man.
• Shen Changchuan struck the Bald Man’s forehead with Myriad Phenomena Sword and killed him.

Shen Changchuan killed the Bald Man and the three bandits who had ambushed him, then fled after stripping their bodies and destroying the evidence. He was disappointed by their meager spoils and regretted leaving Fangxian City before they had gathered better loot.

• Shen Changchuan reflected on how the Bald Man's carelessness had let him kill a stronger opponent and reminded himself to stay vigilant.
• Shen Changchuan attacked the remaining three bandits and killed Shi Miaoqing and her companions before they could threaten him.
• Shen Changchuan took the four bandits' belongings, destroyed the evidence, and rode away on Little Wind.
• Half a day later, Shen Changchuan found the bandits' Storage Bags nearly empty and estimated their loot was worth only fifty or sixty thousand Spirit Stones.
• Shen Changchuan realized he might have been the first target the bandits had chosen to leave the auction and regretted departing Fangxian City early.

Shen Changchuan found a worn map in Shi Miaoqing’s belongings and began planning to raise Gu worms in Dawan Village while preparing for the war against the Southern Yue Kingdom. When he returned to the sect, he learned that a large force of disciples had already been sent to the front lines.

• Shen Changchuan searched the four cultivators’ belongings for clues and found a map to a location in the Southern Yue Kingdom in Shi Miaoqing’s Storage Bag.
• Shen Changchuan set aside the map and studied Gu techniques while developing a plan to mass-produce first-order, low-grade Gu worms.
• After five days of uneventful travel, Shen Changchuan returned to the Border Wilderness Forest and decided to report his extended absence to the sect before going to Dawan Village.
• Shen Changchuan found the sect nearly deserted and asked Wei Yuting what had happened.
• Wei Yuting told Shen Changchuan that the front lines had called for reinforcements and that Senior Brother Hong Yang and Wu Tianhao had led many sect disciples to fight the Southern Yue Kingdom.

With most of the Dragon Firmament Sect’s disciples sent to the front, Shen Changchuan stayed behind as a temporary Law Enforcement Hall head and made Dawan Village his base to cultivate and raise Gu. Three years later, he successfully bred and captured a high-grade second-order Centipede King.

• Shen Changchuan learned that the sect’s forces were confronting demonic factions near the Southern Yue Kingdom, while Senior Brother Hong Yang advised him to stay and grow stronger.
• Roaming Dragon appointed Shen Changchuan temporary head of the Law Enforcement Hall, giving him duties guarding the mountain gate and handling nearby threats.
• Shen Changchuan settled in Dawan Village and began large-scale Gu breeding while refining pills and practicing spells to improve his cultivation.
• Over the next three years, Shen Changchuan built breeding facilities and carried out his plan to advance his Gu cultivation.
• Shen Changchuan used a White Jade Gourd and a secret Gu-controlling technique to capture a high-grade second-order Centipede King.

Shen Changchuan reflected on the high-grade second-order Centipede King he had cultivated over three years and considered delegating future Gu raising to his subordinates. A message from his senior sister reported another Demonic Cultivator causing trouble, and Shen Changchuan set out to deal with them.

• Shen Changchuan assessed the Centipede King's formidable but limited combat power and reminded himself not to become overconfident.
• Shen Changchuan reviewed how industrial-scale Gu raising had advanced his First-Order Gu Refining Technique to 100% and his Second-Order technique to 71%.
• Shen Changchuan recalled that the Centipede King had consumed tens of millions of centipedes and cost about eight thousand Spirit Stones to cultivate.
• Shen Changchuan decided against personally raising another Centipede King and considered having his subordinates learn Gu refinement instead.
• Shen Changchuan received a message from his senior sister about another Demonic Cultivator stirring up trouble, then vanished to respond.

Two demonic cultivators slaughtered a village to strengthen their Soul Refining Banner, then learned they were operating in the Dragon Firmament Sect’s territory. After hearing that the sect’s strongest remaining enforcer was the young Xiong Banqing, the burly elder brother dismissed him as no threat.

• The Soul Refining Banner drained the village’s corpses of their vital essence, and the black-robed elder brother celebrated its growing power.
• The gaunt younger brother warned his elder brother that the village belonged to the Dragon Firmament Sect, founded by the powerful Roaming Dragon.
• The younger brother explained that most of the sect’s strongest fighters were stationed at Wilderness City and that Xiong Banqing was the only active enforcer nearby.
• After learning Xiong Banqing had reached the peak of the third stage of the Out-of-Body Realm, the elder brother laughed and vowed to capture him in the banner.

An unknown cultivator ambushed Xiong Banqing and his younger brother, then broke through the Soul Refining Banner’s domain and killed them. The chapter ended with the brothers defeated and the banner on the verge of shattering.

• Xiong Banqing and his brother were badly injured when an azure sword beam struck them, but the Soul Refining Banner shielded them from the full force.
• Xiong Banqing activated the banner’s domain and unleashed waves of resentful souls against the figure in the sky.
• The figure swept away the souls with four giant swords, while Xiong Banqing claimed the banner’s domain could only be broken by a late-stage Out-of-Body Realm expert.
• The figure summoned a black-and-gold centipede that tore open the domain, causing the resentful souls to melt and the Soul Refining Banner to crack.
• The figure pierced Xiong Banqing through the chest in an instant, and Xiong Banqing’s brother collapsed and died as well.

Shen Changchuan killed two attackers who had slaughtered a village and returned toward the sect with Little Gold. Now at the peak of the third level of the Out of Body Realm, he struggled to explain why he could not break through.

• Shen Changchuan ambushed and killed two cultivators after observing their strength, but arrived too late to save the village defenders.
• Shen Changchuan praised Little Gold for breaking the Soul Refining Banner's domain and rewarded it with a spirit pill.
• Shen Changchuan reflected on how three years of cultivation and preparation had greatly increased his strength, with Little Gold adding to his combat power.
• Shen Changchuan reviewed his failed attempts to break through the bottleneck at the peak of the third level and ruled out an unstable foundation.
• Shen Changchuan considered that advancing through the Out of Body Realm might simply be difficult.

Shen Changchuan struggled to break through the third level of the Out of Body Realm as war intensified, and decided to seek a breakthrough secret technique from Wu Tianhao while asking his master for help finding a Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterfly. After returning to the sect to report his mission, he received an urgent assignment from Wei Yuting to go to the front lines.

• Shen Changchuan remained stuck at the peak of the third level of the Out of Body Realm despite five months of cultivation, and recalled Senior Sister Wei's advice that the bottleneck was normal.
• As the Tiannan Region and the Southern Yue Kingdom waged war, Shen Changchuan considered seeking pills or refining the Golden Wind Jade Dew Gu to speed up his cultivation.
• Shen Changchuan remembered that Wu Tianhao had used a secret technique to force a breakthrough and decided to ask him about it while also asking Roaming Dragon to help find a Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterfly.
• Shen Changchuan returned to the sect, turned in his mission at the Outer Affairs Hall, and planned to visit his grandfather Han Qinhu to sell spoils from two Demonic Cultivators.
• Wei Yuting processed Shen Changchuan's mission and urgently assigned him to go to the front lines.

Shen Changchuan accepted a Dragon Firmament Sect escort mission to take new disciples and Rogue Cultivators to Wilderness City, and spent ten days preparing for the journey. He planned to meet his Master Roaming Dragon and ask Wu Tianhao about a breakthrough technique, while studying the dangers and demonic factions of the Southern Yue Kingdom.

• Wei Yuting assigned Shen Changchuan an escort mission and explained that the sect was short-handed, while Shen Changchuan willingly agreed to do his part.
• Shen Changchuan learned that escort missions to Wilderness City were usually safe, though Demonic Cultivator ambushes had sometimes caused heavy losses.
• Shen Changchuan planned to meet Roaming Dragon about the Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterfly and prepare a purchase price to ask Wu Tianhao for his breakthrough secret art.
• Shen Changchuan spent ten days gathering information about Southern Yue, studying the route, and preparing for possible attacks.
• Shen Changchuan reviewed the Southern Yue Kingdom's harsh wilderness and identified the Seven Absolutes Sect, White Bone Sect, and Four Great Tribes as powerful demonic forces.

Shen Changchuan reviewed the powers shaping the Southern Yue conflict and resolved to focus on advancing his cultivation. After organizing an escort of eight hundred cultivators bound for Wilderness City, he reflected on how difficult it was for Rogue Cultivators to enter the cultivation world.

• Shen Changchuan learned that the Four Great Tribes had only Early Spirit Wandering Realm strength and that the mysterious Nether Sect might include remnants of the Elephant Mountain Sect.
• Shen Changchuan considered visiting the Jade Clarity Immortal Sect, then set aside his questions and focused on reaching the fourth level of the Out-of-Body Realm.
• Shen Changchuan received a hundred thousand low-grade Spirit Stones and three hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones from selling goods looted by Xiong Banqing and another Demonic Cultivator.
• Shen Changchuan arrived at the plaza and confirmed that eight hundred Dragon Firmament Sect disciples and Rogue Cultivators were assembled for the journey to Wilderness City.
• Shen Changchuan inspected the group and reflected that Rogue Cultivators faced far greater barriers to cultivation than children of cultivation clans.

Shen Changchuan reflected on his complicated ties to the Shen Family before leading cultivators south toward the battlefield. Along the way, he reunited with the Song Clan Ancestor, who regretted not having stood by him in the past, and met Pei Yongan, the escort hired by Myriad Spirit Pavilion.

• Shen Changchuan considered the Shen Family's past support and decided he felt gratitude for its existence but no obligation to help it prosper.
• Shen Changchuan led the group aboard a Flying Boat, and they reached the southernmost large city in the Tiannan Region five days later.
• The Song Clan Ancestor greeted Shen Changchuan and reflected on his regret over failing to stand firmly by him in the past.
• Pei Yongan, a second-level Out-of-Body Realm Rogue Cultivator hired by Myriad Spirit Pavilion, introduced himself as the escort for another group of cultivators.
• Shen Changchuan, the Song Clan Ancestor, and Pei Yongan set off south with their three Flying Boats.

Shen Changchuan’s fleet traveled through dangerous wilderness toward Wilderness City, and he learned more about the challenges of Out of Body Realm cultivation from the Song Clan Ancestor. Just as the fleet neared its destination, an ambush of black birds struck, and Shen Changchuan and the others prepared to defend the Flying Boats.

• Shen Changchuan kept watch throughout the half-month journey as the three Flying Boats crossed dangerous wilderness, surviving thunder and Demon Beast attacks without casualties.
• The Song Clan Ancestor spent time aboard Shen Changchuan’s Flying Boat, and their conversations helped Shen Changchuan understand how much a Spirit Body aided Out of Body Realm cultivation.
• With the fleet still more than half a day from Wilderness City, Shen Changchuan warned the Song Clan Ancestor not to relax their guard.
• A violent impact nearly overturned the leading Flying Boat, but Shen Changchuan used his strength to steady it and warned that enemies had attacked.
• Black birds surged from the dark clouds toward the three Flying Boats, and the Song Clan Ancestor flew back to organize the Song Clan’s defense as he attacked the flock with magic power.

Bai Ji explained the layers of his ambush on three righteous-path transport Flying Boats near Wilderness City, confident that the attack would let him kill Shen Changchuan and escape to the Southern Yue Kingdom. He and his younger brother prepared to join the fight and claim the rewards offered by Seven Absolutes Old Ancestor.

• Bai Ji's Black Baleful Birds tore through the defensive formations of the two rear Flying Boats, forcing their Out of Body Realm cultivators to fight while repairing the ships.
• Bai Ji told his younger brother that the ambush's proximity to Wilderness City would let them retreat quickly across the border after defeating the convoy.
• Bai Ji revealed that he had bought intelligence and learned the convoy had only three Out of Body Realm cultivators, including Shen Changchuan, a Dragon Firmament Sect genius.
• Bai Ji explained that killing Shen Changchuan could earn them favor and rewards from Seven Absolutes Old Ancestor, who sought the corpses of righteous-path prodigies.
• Bai Ji ordered his younger brother to attack with him, kill Shen Changchuan, and hurry back.

Shen Changchuan ambushed and killed Bai Ji and his companion after they attacked the Dragon Firmament Sect's Flying Boats. With the Black Baleful Birds dispersing, he urged the three ships to hurry toward Wilderness City.

• Shen Changchuan emerged from concealment and struck Bai Ji and the other Demonic Cultivator with a perfected second-tier spell, badly wounding them.
• Shen Changchuan used the Instant Shadow Killing Array to grind both Demonic Cultivators to incomplete skeletons, destroying their Storage Bags as well.
• Shen Changchuan burned the remaining bones and reflected that Bai Ji's careful scheme had failed because he lacked strength.
• The Black Baleful Birds dispersed after Bai Ji died, and the Song Clan Ancestor watched Shen Changchuan with awe.
• Shen Changchuan told the three Flying Boats to hurry and reach Wilderness City before nightfall.

After failing to find Wu Tianhao and Roaming Dragon, Shen Changchuan explored Wilderness City and discovered its marketplace openly traded demonic artifacts. He sold his collection, bought cultivation resources and knowledge, and ended the chapter cultivating in his temporary cave abode with a slight stir in his bottleneck.

• Shen Changchuan learned Wu Tianhao had left on a mission and left a message at his cave abode, then found that Roaming Dragon was away as well.
• Shen Changchuan wandered through Wilderness City, learned about the Southern Yue Kingdom, and discovered that demonic artifacts could be traded there.
• Shen Changchuan sold his demonic artifacts for more than five thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones.
• Shen Changchuan spent Spirit Stones on useful cultivation resources, manuals, and inheritances from the marketplace.
• Shen Changchuan cultivated in his temporary cave abode for several days and felt his bottleneck stir slightly.

Shen Changchuan visited Wu Tianhao and learned that the demonic cultivator Bai Ji was plotting to attack Wilderness City’s supply convoy. Shen Changchuan revealed that he had already killed Bai Ji and his allies during an ambush on the way to the city, leaving Wu Tianhao stunned and relieved.

• Shen Changchuan noticed Wu Tianhao was troubled and offered to help.
• Wu Tianhao explained that Bai Ji, a fifth-stage Out-of-Body Realm demonic cultivator, was planning to attack the transport fleet while the front-line forces were occupied.
• Shen Changchuan realized Bai Ji was likely the leader of the group that had ambushed his party on the road to Wilderness City.
• Shen Changchuan told Wu Tianhao that his group had defeated the ambushers and killed Bai Ji.
• Wu Tianhao concluded that Shen Changchuan’s unexpected strength had ruined Bai Ji’s plans.

Wu Tianhao gave Shen Changchuan the Qi-Gathering Origin-Returning Secret Technique and warned him about its dangerous side effects. After studying it, Shen Changchuan decided not to use it and planned to rely on cultivation and the Golden Wind Jade Dew Gu to break through.

• Wu Tianhao gave Shen Changchuan the Qi-Gathering Origin-Returning Secret Technique without payment, explaining that Shen’s defeat of Bai Ji, Kong Yuan had lifted a burden from him.
• Wu Tianhao warned Shen Changchuan that compressing and releasing magic power could damage his dantian and meridians, and advised him to break through naturally.
• Shen Changchuan returned to his temporary cave abode and spent a day studying the secret technique.
• Shen Changchuan judged the technique’s side effects too severe and decided to keep cultivating instead of risking lasting injuries.
• Shen Changchuan resolved to wait for his Master, seek news of the Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterfly at the trading market, and hope the Golden Wind Jade Dew Gu would help him break through.

Shen Changchuan modified the Qi-Gathering Origin-Returning Secret Technique, turning its dangerous compression method into a way to purify spiritual power. After a month of work, he successfully cultivated the revised technique, increased his strength, and loosened his bottleneck.

• Shen Changchuan realized he could adapt the Qi-Gathering Origin-Returning Secret Technique using the Nine-Origin Spirit Extraction Technique as a model.
• Shen Changchuan studied the technique and used his knowledge of perfected spells to work out its principles and details.
• Shen Changchuan spent a month modifying the technique while occasionally checking on the Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterfly and seeking news of Roaming Dragon.
• Shen Changchuan successfully cultivated the revised technique, reducing his spiritual power by one-fifth while increasing its quality and his spells' power by three-tenths.
• Shen Changchuan sensed that continued purification might help him break through in a few months, but decided not to pursue creating spells from scratch yet.

After learning that Roaming Dragon was still fighting at the Soul-Severing Mountain front lines, Shen Changchuan decided to remain in Wilderness City and strengthen his spiritual power through the improved Qi-Gathering Origin-Returning Technique. He sought help finding a Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterfly, bought cultivation resources, and began a seclusion he expected to last at least a year.

• Shen Changchuan learned that his master Roaming Dragon was still fighting at the Soul-Severing Mountain front lines and decided not to risk going there himself.
• Shen Changchuan sent Roaming Dragon a Message Talisman asking about the Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterfly and posted a task in Wilderness City seeking the butterfly or information about it.
• Shen Changchuan spent more than three thousand mid-grade spirit stones on Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures for Out of Body Realm cultivation.
• Shen Changchuan realized that his rapid advancement had left his spiritual power short of the accumulated strength needed to break through his bottleneck.
• Shen Changchuan began secluded cultivation to repeatedly compress and purify his spiritual power, hoping to approach the fourth layer of the Out-of-Body Realm.