Chapter Summaries

Shen Wan struggled to control a frenzied auction in the Donghua ruins while suspecting that a valuable spiritual vein had been discovered. Two ominous new guests entered as bidding for a Spirit Gathering Pearl intensified.

• Shen Wan warned Rong Chang that reckless bidding on dubious Donghua goods could damage Suixin Pavilion's reputation, but he dismissed her concerns.
• An auctioneer presented a Spirit Gathering Pearl containing unusually pure spiritual vein jade liquid and requested a Fourteenth Heaven void artifact or array disk in exchange.
• Shen Wan suspected the consignor had found a hidden spiritual vein node in Donghua Palace and wanted to move it, a discovery that could bring either great wealth or death.
• Two hooded cultivators arrived during the auction as newly accepted guests, and Shen Wan felt uneasy about them.

Shen Wan worried that the auction’s surging Ruyi Money trades could endanger Suixin Pavilion’s credit system as a rare Spirit Gathering Pearl drew a suspicious exchange. The auction then introduced Xuanming True Water, seeking barter offers with priority for Donghua Palace relics connected to Madame Yellow Springs.

• Shen Wan suspected the two new customers had come to the auction with a specific goal and worried about the rapid circulation of Ruyi Money.
• An anonymous bidder exchanged a Dragon Sealing and Acupoint Array Disk of Dayu Gate for the Spirit Gathering Pearl, then slipped out through a side door.
• Shen Wan moved newly delivered auction items forward after the bidding on the remaining lots cooled.
• The auctioneer presented a drop of Xuanming True Water and described its uses and risks to the assembled cultivators.
• The auctioneer announced that the Xuanming True Water would be traded by barter, with priority for Donghua Palace relics related to Madame Yellow Springs.

A mysterious consignor took the stage to offer Xuanming True Water in exchange for treasures or secrets connected to Madame Yellow Springs, demonstrating enough strength and wealth to frighten the auction hall into silence. After Shen Wan declared the item unsold, she persuaded him to discuss it privately, and he agreed to follow her.

• A Black Robe figure stepped onto the platform and explained that he wanted items related to Madame Yellow Springs, offering to negotiate for her with Xuanming True Water.
• The consignor formed a chain from Xuanming True Water, chilling the hall and convincing the cultivators that he might be a Longevity True Man.
• No one dared bid, and the auctioneer waited anxiously as the allotted time expired.
• Shen Wan went onstage and declared the Xuanming True Water unsold.
• Shen Wan invited the consignor to speak elsewhere, and he agreed to follow her.

Rong Chang and Shen Wan apologized to the masked consignor for Suixin Pavilion’s mishandling of his Xuanming True Water and proposed holding a large Grand Trade Convention to help him find Donghua Relics. The consignor approved their strategy in principle, leaving the three to discuss the details.

• Rong Chang introduced himself to the consignor, apologized for the failed exchange, and offered to personally cover the extra deposit and paperwork required for doing business anonymously.
• Rong Chang explained that the consignor’s top-grade Xuanming True Water could command a high price and asked him to hear their proposal.
• Shen Wan warned that most Donghua Relics were overhyped and suggested using the consignor’s rare Xuanming True Water to attract buyers to a larger trade convention.
• Shen Wan argued that the convention could gather far more relics and help the consignor select better items at more reasonable prices.
• The consignor praised Suixin Pavilion’s talent and agreed to discuss the convention’s details with Rong Chang and Shen Wan.

Rong Chang assigned Shen Wan to oversee the trade fair after negotiations with the consignor, who offered a hundred drops of Xuanming True Water. Ghost Loathing and Black Robe returned to Yu Ci’s group, where Zhai Que'er was helping Jiu Yan dissolve the backlash of Taiyin Blood Sha.

• The consignor offered a hundred drops of Xuanming True Water, and the negotiations with Rong Chang ended with a preliminary agreement.
• Rong Chang ordered Shen Wan to manage the trade fair while keeping to the established strategy.
• Ghost Loathing and Black Robe left the auction grounds and discussed the alliance with Zhai Que'er and Yu Ci’s side.
• Ghost Loathing and Black Robe returned to the camp inside the Five Sacred Peaks True Form Diagram.
• They saw Zhai Que'er using a demonic sect secret treasure to help Jiu Yan dissolve the backlash of Taiyin Blood Sha.

Yu Ci continued suppressing the Taiyin Blood Sha with Zhai Que'er’s Nine Ghost Heart Bells, gaining insight into the Sovereign Sky Demon Soul Capturing Scripture while the treasure also drew nourishment from the Blood Sha. After Ghost Yan reported the day’s events, Zhai Que'er and Black Robe discussed searching for clues to the Donghua Palace Ruins and its treasures.

• Yu Ci used the Nine Ghost Heart Bells to withstand the Taiyin Blood Sha and study its true intent rather than diverting it into the minds of crowds.
• Yu Ci and Zhai Que'er rejected Black Robe’s proposed method of spreading the Blood Sha’s malicious intent among tens of thousands of people.
• After nearly a month of cultivation, Yu Ci had reduced the effort needed to suppress the Blood Sha and gained insights into the Sovereign Sky Demon Soul Capturing Scripture and the Black Forest system.
• Yu Ci greeted Ghost Yan and Black Robe after they returned, and Ghost Yan recounted the day’s events to Zhai Que'er.
• Zhai Que'er asked Black Robe whether he had found clues at the auction, and he argued that they needed to investigate the Donghua Palace Ruins and study the Donghua Relics.

Yu Ci and Zhai Que'er explained why they were seeking the Sovereign Sky Demon Soul Capturing Scripture and agreed to cooperate in the Donghua Palace ruins. They planned to use Xuanming Water and a trading convention to gather surviving relics, with the search ahead still dependent on what they could uncover.

• Zhai Que'er explained that the Sovereign Sky Demon Soul Capturing Scripture was tied to the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror and that she needed the original to advance her cultivation.
• Yu Ci connected her account with what Lu Qing had told him: Lu Chen had split the mirror, its front half had come into Yu Ci's possession, and its back half had been taken to Donghua Mountain.
• Yu Ci agreed to help Zhai Que'er search Donghua Palace for the scripture, while she agreed to use the Nine Ghost Heart Bells to help him subdue the Blood Sha Thunder Pool.
• Yu Ci also sought intelligence about Madame Yellow Springs from Zhai Que'er, while keeping the mirror's front half as leverage against her recovering the artifact.
• Yu Ci and Zhai Que'er planned to spread word of Xuanming Water and hold a trading convention to collect surviving Donghua Palace relics, aided by the resources of Suixin Pavilion and Xiao Wu's remaining supply of Xuanming Water.

Yu Ci and Zhai Que'er agreed to investigate a possible hidden route into the Donghua Palace Ruins after learning that someone at an auction had recently obtained spiritual liquid. Gui Yan tracked the person to Hu Dan, who was being forced to surrender under the control of a Dragon Sealing and Acupoint Array Disk.

• Zhai Que'er had paid Little Five one thousand Earth Deficient Yin Needles as an advance deposit for the Xuanming True Water it had used.
• Yu Ci proposed that Madame Yellow Springs might have made arrangements inside Donghua Palace and pointed out that a recent Spirit Gathering Pearl suggested someone had found spiritual liquid despite the diverted spiritual veins.
• Gui Yan revealed that he had used a soul-locking technique to track the person, and the group decided to investigate together.
• Little Five carried Yu Ci, Gui Yan, Zhai Que'er, Black Robe, Long Yuan Shang, and itself underground toward Gui Yan's target.
• Hu Dan was beaten into submission by a cultivator controlling the Dragon Sealing and Acupoint Array Disk he had acquired at auction, and he struggled to understand why powerful sect disciples kept taking the opportunities from people like him.

Lin Xianzheng forced Hu Dan to reveal a hidden spirit vein and followed him deep underground. When they encountered Hu Dan’s companion and a group of Rogue Cultivators, the earth began to shake, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Lin Xianzheng pressured Hu Dan until he revealed that he and a companion had found a leaking spirit vein nearly four hundred li underground.
• Hu Dan led Lin Xianzheng to a huge fissure, where Lin Xianzheng concealed their tracks and descended with him, laying formations along the way.
• Near the spirit vein, Lin Xianzheng discovered that someone had cut off his retreat, and Hu Dan recognized an unconscious man thrown toward them as his companion, Old You.
• A voice in the darkness accused Hu Dan and his companion of taking Spirit Gathering Pearls from both sides, while Lin Xianzheng recognized the other group as experienced Rogue Cultivators with several members lying in ambush.
• Lin Xianzheng adjusted his formations to keep Hu Dan and Old You under control and began negotiating with the Rogue Cultivators, but the earth suddenly shook and someone screamed.

Lin Xianzheng was trapped in the darkness by a powerful being who had used Hu Dan and her companions as bait, then forced him to help suppress and transform the spiritual veins. Hu Dan and You Gongquan survived alongside Xiao Jiu, whose mysterious master remained a concern as they were caught up in the disaster surrounding Donghua Palace.

• Lin Xianzheng realized that a hidden force was killing the opponents in the unstable strata, while Hu Dan and her companion vanished from his array.
• A terrifying presence overwhelmed Lin Xianzheng, crushed his formations, and drove him to kneel and beg for his life.
• The presence praised Hu Dan and her companion for luring in victims, then ordered them to repeat the method and bring more people.
• Hu Dan asked about Xiao Jiu, who answered that she was safe and threatened the monster with her master's retaliation.
• The powerful being dismissed Xiao Jiu's claim, then ordered Hu Dan to lead Lin Xianzheng to the spiritual veins so he could deploy suppression and transformation arrays.
• Hu Dan led Lin Xianzheng away while supporting You Gongquan; the chapter revealed that they had come to meet Xiao Jiu near Donghua Mountain when the Great Tribulation began and Donghua Palace fell.

Hu Dan reunited with Xiao Jiu at the spiritual vein while Lin Xianzheng examined its flow. When a new voice entered the strata, Xiao Jiu wounded herself and used a burst of fire to make herself, Hu Dan, and You Gongquan vanish, leaving Lin Xianzheng behind.

• Hu Dan led Lin Xianzheng to the spiritual vein, where its intense, volatile qi obscured the vein's true course.
• You Gongquan told Lin Xianzheng that the vein ran southwest through damaged strata, though he did not know where it led.
• Xiao Jiu appeared and reunited with Hu Dan, explaining that her captor had let her out while he reached a critical point in his cultivation.
• Xiao Jiu described the demon grand fiend as having a strong stench of blood just as a different voice called out from the strata.
• Xiao Jiu shoved Hu Dan into You Gongquan, cut her left forearm, and set all three of them ablaze until they disappeared.

Lin Xianzheng was left trapped underground as Guiyan and Long Sha arrived, while the group discovered that the person Wuyue had struck down was Wang Renye, the Savage King and a former Donghua Palace instructor. Zhai Que'er questioned the barely surviving Wang Renye about how he had escaped Li Bocai and reached Donghua Mountain.

• Lin Xianzheng realized Hu Dan and the others had escaped by Void Teleportation, but Guiyan arrived and immobilized him before he could flee.
• Guiyan and Long Sha discussed the spiritual vein and said Wuyue had knocked down the person Black Robe had been fighting.
• Guiyan ordered Lin Xianzheng to continue setting up the formation, then returned with Long Sha to the combat site.
• Black Robe lit the underground chamber, revealing a head and half-shoulder embedded in the rock, with the rest of the body apparently destroyed.
• Long Sha recognized the survivor as Wang Renye, the Savage King and former Chief Instructor of Donghua Palace.
• Zhai Que'er explained Wang Renye's past and asked how he had survived Li Bocai and evaded the searches before reaching Donghua Mountain.

Yu Ci and Zhai Que'er tried to persuade Wang Renye to guide them through the Donghua Palace Ruins, but Wang Renye recognized their motives and warned them about a restriction placed on him. Yu Ci examined the restriction and saw a strange tangle of thoughts and branches.

• Zhai Que'er asked Wang Renye to guide the group through the Donghua Palace Ruins and argued that he no longer had reason to protect the fallen Donghua Palace.
• Wang Renye identified the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror and the Sovereign Sky Demon Soul Capturing Scripture, then accused Zhai Que'er and Black Robe of hiding their intentions.
• Black Robe prepared to torture Wang Renye with Burning Heart True Intent, but Wang Renye stopped him and warned them not to use demon-planting methods because Madame Yellow Springs had placed restrictions on palace members.
• Yu Ci introduced himself as Jiu Yan and offered to examine Wang Renye's restriction.
• Yu Ci extended his spiritual awareness into Wang Renye and saw chaotic thoughts intertwined like branches.

Yu Ci and Zhai Que'er confirmed that Madame Yellow Springs’s restriction blocked demon-planting techniques and turned to investigate the spiritual vein Wang Renye had used to escape. As Lin Xianzheng asked to speak, they were preparing to uncover the vein’s secrets and search for similar hidden places.

• Yu Ci confirmed that a mysterious restriction shielded Wang Renye’s mind, and Zhai Que'er worried that Madame Yellow Springs had devised a technique that threatened the Demonic Path.
• Yu Ci let Black Robe torture Wang Renye while ordering Little Five to search Donghua Mountain for hidden spiritual veins and unusual arrangements.
• Yu Ci concluded that Wang Renye was likely concealing how little he understood about the spiritual vein, and Zhai Que'er agreed.
• Yu Ci and Zhai Que'er went to the spiritual vein, where Linxian Zhen was studying its formations and Zhai Que'er warned that the three cultivators who had escaped might attract outside attention.
• Yu Ci argued that they should investigate quickly rather than seek absolute secrecy, and Lin Xianzheng shakily asked to speak.

Lin Xianzheng found a way to reconstruct the damaged formation around the spirit veins, while Yu Ci and Zhai Que'er set out to survey Donghua Mountain together. Elsewhere, Xiao Jiu teleported herself and Hu Dan’s group into the forest, where she summoned a cloud-borne creature as danger still surrounded them.

• Lin Xianzheng reported that he could use the spirit veins’ traces to reconstruct the former strata and estimate the formation’s layout, and Yu Ci and Zhai Que'er approved his plan.
• Zhai Que'er’s praise drove Lin Xianzheng into an inspired state, and Yu Ci realized the strain of her demonic art could harm him if it continued.
• Yu Ci agreed to travel through Donghua Mountain with Zhai Que'er while leaving someone to watch the spirit vein.
• Xiao Jiu teleported her group into a forest, taking an arm wound in the process, and Hu Dan questioned where she had learned the ability.
• Xiao Jiu called a cloud from the sky, and it transformed into a savage creature with scales and horns.

Xiao Jiu summoned Lao Fei, a powerful Cloud Soaring Flood Dragon, to escape with Hu Dan and You Gongquan, but Shen Defu intercepted them with his Void Stepping Domain. Shen recognized the dragon and gleefully concluded that its kind had not been wiped out completely.

• Xiao Jiu revealed Lao Fei, a forty-foot Cloud Soaring Flood Dragon, and struggled to control its rune-marked body.
• Xiao Jiu said they would ride Lao Fei away because her Void Teleportation blood talisman had only carried them a little over a hundred miles.
• A sharp voice startled Hu Dan and You Gongquan, while Lao Fei rose into the air on clouds.
• Shen Defu appeared atop a spruce tree and spread his Void Stepping Domain around the group, suppressing their auras.
• Shen Defu recalled his recent misfortunes and realized his warning talisman had led him to the group.
• Shen Defu laughed as he recognized Lao Fei and exclaimed that its kind had not been completely wiped out.

Shen Defu identified Xiao Jiu and her companions as remnants of the Spirit Warding Sect and attacked them, but their coordinated counterattack caught him off guard. After barely escaping a Spiritfall Bird’s lightning, he faced a chilling strike from the darkness.

• Shen Defu used a warning talisman plaque to identify Xiao Jiu as augmented by Spirit Warding techniques and accused her of being a Spirit Warding Sect remnant.
• Xiao Jiu denied the accusation and attacked Shen Defu, while Hu Dan called out to her and the Cloud Soaring Flood Dragon prepared a covert strike.
• Shen Defu used his Void Stepping Domain and Heart Quaking Art to suppress the flood dragon and draw power from Hu Dan and You Gongquan.
• Shen Defu knocked the flood dragon to the ground and moved to subdue Xiao Jiu, but spotted a Spiritfall Bird among the panicked birds.
• Shen Defu dodged the bird’s Spiritfall Absolute Lightning but was struck by the blast, then saw a point of chilling starlight emerge from the darkness.

Shen Defu fought Xiao Jiu and the Cloud Soaring Flood Dragon while a mysterious sword wielder repeatedly slipped past his domain. The sword wielder finally appeared behind Xiao Jiu and launched a vastly faster strike, leaving Shen Defu facing the true attack.

• Shen Defu recognized the elusive attacker as the young woman who had previously ruined his plans, but his strikes hit only water-mist decoys.
• Shen Defu suspected she was a sword cultivator from the Sword Discussion Pavilion and tightened his domain to interfere with her sword intent.
• Xiao Jiu rode the Cloud Soaring Flood Dragon into battle, channeling power into it as it charged Shen Defu.
• Shen Defu struck the dragon with his Soul Hook Hand, sending it plunging downward and then reaching for Xiao Jiu with the Unification Seizing Claw.
• Xiao Jiu's gaze disrupted Shen Defu's thoughts, and the figure hidden behind her dharma form appeared and struck with sword qi more than ten times faster than before.

Ye Chi joined Xiao Jiu, Hu Dan, and You Gongquan after killing Shen Defu, and the group fled to a market town to avoid demonic pursuit. Gui Yan erased the battlefield and followed them, preparing to meet one of them in the crowded town.

• Ye Chi killed Shen Defu with her sword and reunited with Xiao Jiu, who introduced her to Hu Dan and You Gongquan.
• Ye Chi explained that Shen Defu had pursued her after she ruined his affairs, then urged the group to leave before the Dongyang Orthodox Sect could track them.
• The four flew to a market town on Xiao Jiu’s flood dragon, while she burned Shen Defu’s corpse and the battlefield with Yin thunder.
• Gui Yan arrived after they left, erased the remaining traces with Azure Flame Yin Fire, and followed the group toward the market town.
• After the group split up and regrouped among the market crowds, Gui Yan headed for the town’s liveliest area to find an opportunity to meet one of them.

Guiyan investigated the Sea Merchant Guild market and used his connection with Ye Chi to locate someone secretly watching her. When Ye Chi left with a stranger and Guiyan sensed another person drawn to him, he spotted a familiar face he could not identify.

• Guiyan learned that news of Suixin Pavilion’s Xuanming True Water trading convention had spread, boosting the value of the Donghua Relic and inspiring a rumor about Madame Yellow Springs.
• Guiyan entered the Sea Merchant Guild’s market establishment, where visitors sought valuable VIP certificates for Seagull Market.
• Guiyan used Ye Chi’s perception to detect a third party watching her, and the three-way connection let him locate the watcher.
• Guiyan weakened his pressure, allowing Ye Chi to perceive the watcher clearly, then approached until their gazes met.
• A stranger spoke to Ye Chi, who left with them after glancing toward Guiyan, and Guiyan followed openly.
• Guiyan sensed someone looking at him, narrowed the source to an area of eight people, and recognized a familiar-looking profile he could not place.