Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan treated Huo Zhi’s severe injuries, removing the destructive energy Tang Qiying had planted throughout her body. He then discovered a hidden attack in her mind and vowed to kill Tang Qiying, while Feng Qiu kept watch nearby.

• Xiao Yan pulled three strands of destructive energy from Huo Zhi’s shoulder, injuring his palm when one strand grazed it.
• Xiao Yan removed the remaining destructive energy from Huo Zhi’s body and applied medicine to stop her bleeding.
• Feng Qiu guarded Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi from approaching energy entities while Xiao Yan finished treating her.
• Xiao Yan discovered a tiny, sinister force hidden in Huo Zhi’s mind and realized Tang Qiying had left another dangerous attack inside her.
• Xiao Yan swore to seize Tang Qiying’s soul and kill him beneath heavenly flames, alarming Feng Qiu.

Xiao Yan cared for Huo Zhi as she recovered from her injuries in the Heavenly Tomb, and she finally woke after eight days. When Xiao Yan told her he had not seen Huo Xuan, Huo Zhi broke down, blaming herself for the deaths and disasters that had befallen her loved ones and the Flame Clan.

• Xiao Yan treated Huo Zhi with portions of Wei Jiangyuan's eighth-tier medicinal pill and guided the medicine through her body, stabilizing her condition.
• Xiao Yan and Feng Qiu guarded Huo Zhi for days while she remained unconscious and murmured the names of her loved ones.
• On the eighth day, Huo Zhi woke and Xiao Yan explained that she had been unconscious for several days on the third level of the Heavenly Tomb.
• Huo Zhi remembered the battle and asked Xiao Yan whether he had seen her cousin Huo Xuan, explaining that someone had taken over her brother's body.
• Xiao Yan said he had found Huo Zhi fighting an energy being but had seen no trace of Huo Xuan.
• Huo Zhi wept and blamed herself for Uncle Di's death, the Flame Clan's losses, and Huo Xuan being targeted, while Xiao Yan crouched beside her.

Xiao Yan stayed beside Huo Zhi as she grieved for her clan and her brother, Huo Xuan. After deciding that Huo Xuan could not be saved from the enemy possessing his body, Huo Zhi asked Xiao Yan to help kill Tang Qiying and grant her brother peace.

• Xiao Yan comforted Huo Zhi, reminding her that the Soul Hall and Soul Clan were responsible for the Flame Clan’s suffering.
• Huo Zhi cried until she collapsed, and Xiao Yan watched over her through the night.
• The next day, Huo Zhi asked Xiao Yan for help and said she no longer wanted him to take back Huo Xuan’s body.
• Huo Zhi recalled Huo Xuan’s final words and concluded that his soul could no longer overcome the enemy possessing him.
• Huo Zhi asked Xiao Yan to kill Tang Qiying so Huo Xuan would no longer suffer, and Xiao Yan promised to help.

Xiao Yan agreed to help Huo Zhi deal with Tang Qiying and asked Feng Qiu to guard them while he handled the danger hidden in her soul. After Huo Zhi changed clothes, Feng Qiu explained that the jade she had given Xiao Yan was usually worn by couples, leaving her to insist it had meant nothing.

• Huo Zhi asked Xiao Yan to help her confront Tang Qiying, and he agreed without hesitation.
• Xiao Yan told Feng Qiu to keep watch while he dealt with the danger in Huo Zhi's soul, and Feng Qiu accepted.
• Huo Zhi asked about the black robe Xiao Yan had put on her while she was unconscious, and he assured her that nothing improper had happened.
• Xiao Yan showed Huo Zhi the jade pendant that had led him to her, and Feng Qiu identified it as a Heart-Protecting Myriad-Mile Jade.
• Feng Qiu said couples usually wore matching pieces of the jade, and Huo Zhi quickly told Xiao Yan that an elder had given it to her and she had meant nothing by giving it to him.

Xiao Yan discovered a hidden technique in Huo Zhi’s mind and carefully tried to remove it. He absorbed the dangerous black thread with his power of devouring, and Huo Zhi woke to find the procedure apparently over.

• Feng Qiu reminded Xiao Yan to begin the important task and stood guard while Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi prepared.
• Xiao Yan warned Huo Zhi that a residual technique remained in her mind, and she examined herself and agreed to let him remove it.
• Xiao Yan sent his soul power into Huo Zhi’s mind and formed a careful net around the dormant black thread.
• The black thread suddenly attacked and began dissolving Xiao Yan’s soul power, so Xiao Yan used his power of devouring to absorb it.
• Xiao Yan asked Huo Zhi how she felt, and she opened her eyes and asked whether it was over.

Xiao Yan rescued Huo Zhi from the sinister method in her mind, then confronted Gu Hua after he seized Feng Qiu. After defeating Gu Hua and freeing Feng Qiu, Xiao Yan revealed that Gu Qingyang had been the one to capture him.

• Xiao Yan safely removed the sinister method from Huo Zhi's mind without harming her soul.
• Gu Hua grabbed Feng Qiu and taunted Xiao Yan, while Xiao Yan told Huo Zhi to rest.
• Xiao Yan used a devouring vortex, Red Lotus Star Flame, and a powerful kick to free Feng Qiu and send Gu Hua flying.
• Feng Qiu thanked Xiao Yan, who sensed that someone else had captured him and called them out.
• Gu Qingyang stepped forward, revealing himself as the true leader of the Ancient Clan's younger generation.

Xiao Yan listened as Gu Qingyang explained the Ancient Clan’s bloodline ranks and revealed that Xun Er possessed a God-Tier Bloodline. He learned that the clan had opposed their relationship to protect her potential, but his achievements had forced the elders to reconsider him.

• Xiao Yan agreed to speak privately with Gu Qingyang after ensuring Huo Zhi and Feng Qiu were safe.
• Gu Qingyang explained that a Dou Emperor descendant’s bloodline purity determined their potential and could range from first grade to God-Tier.
• Gu Qingyang revealed that his own bloodline ranked ninth grade, second in the Ancient Clan.
• Gu Qingyang told Xiao Yan that Xun Er possessed a God-Tier Bloodline and was the clan’s best hope of producing another Dou Emperor.
• Gu Qingyang said the clan had opposed Xiao Yan and Xun Er’s union to protect her bloodline, but Xiao Yan’s victories had made the elders consider him worthy.

Gu Qingyang revealed that after hearing of Xiao Yan’s death, Xun Er tried to avenge him, suffered a severe backlash from the Golden Emperor Incinerating Heaven Flame, and spent years recovering. Xiao Yan understood why she had been absent during the Xiao Clan’s crisis, and Gu Qingyang urged him to treat her well.

• Gu Qingyang explained that Xun Er demanded Dou Sheng elders to avenge Xiao Yan after she heard he had died, but the elders refused.
• Xun Er entered death-seclusion to grow stronger, but her grief disrupted her cultivation and the Golden Emperor Incinerating Heaven Flame severely injured her soul.
• Gu Qingyang told Xiao Yan that elders spent years stabilizing and nursing Xun Er, leaving her unaware of the Xiao Clan’s crisis.
• Xiao Yan realized Xun Er had not abandoned him or the Xiao Clan and felt his resentment vanish, replaced by heartache and love.
• Gu Qingyang said he had agreed to the plan to make the Xiao Clan disappear as an accident because Xun Er could not endure further distress, and asked Xiao Yan to understand and treat her well.

Gu Qingyang tested Xiao Yan’s resolve and demanded that he survive the Soul Clan’s schemes in the Heavenly Tomb before Gu Qingyang would help reunite him with Xun Er. Xiao Yan rejected the Ancient Clan’s approval, while Gu Qingyang chose to trust Xun Er’s judgment and left to attend to another duty.

• Gu Qingyang told Xiao Yan that the Ancient Clan’s elders wanted him dead, but he would hear him out because Xiao Yan had not fully turned against Xun Er after Xiao Li’s death.
• Gu Qingyang challenged Xiao Yan to defeat the Soul Clan’s schemes in the Heavenly Tomb, promising to support his relationship with Xun Er if he survived.
• Xiao Yan thanked Gu Qingyang but declared that he would protect Xun Er without seeking his or the Ancient Clan’s approval, and that he considered the Ancient Clan his enemy.
• Gu Qingyang left with Gu Hua, who questioned why he had not attacked Xiao Yan, and Gu Qingyang said they had to consider Xun Er’s feelings.
• Gu Qingyang admitted that only Xiao Yan could make Xun Er happy, then increased his speed to carry out another task he would not neglect.

Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi stayed on the Heavenly Tomb’s third level to recover, train, and search for Lei Jingxiao while preparing to face the Soul Clan. After nearly two months, they had not found him, and Xiao Yan prepared a medicinal bath for Huo Zhi as they continued their search.

• Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi decided to remain on the third level, where Huo Zhi could recover and they could prepare for the Soul Clan.
• Xiao Yan proposed finding Lei Jingxiao, whose lightning-damaged surroundings suggested he was still on the third level.
• Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi hunted energy bodies together, trained, and exchanged techniques, with Huo Zhi teaching Xiao Yan how to wield Heavenly Flames.
• Over nearly two months, Xiao Yan consolidated his mid-stage Half-Saint cultivation as the benefits from absorbing weaker energy bodies diminished.
• After failing to find Lei Jingxiao, Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi agreed to search for another month before going to the fourth level, and Xiao Yan prepared Huo Zhi a medicinal bath.

Xiao Yan tended to Huo Zhi as she recovered from her injuries in the Heavenly Tomb, and she told him how she and Zi Yan had been trapped inside the Three Thousand Burning Flame. The chapter ended with Huo Zhi asking what Xiao Yan had done during the three years after she had witnessed his death.

• Xiao Yan roasted a magical beast bear paw while Huo Zhi soaked in a medicinal basin to heal her injuries.
• After Huo Zhi finished absorbing the medicine, Xiao Yan gave her the roasted bear paw, and she eagerly ate it.
• Huo Zhi told Xiao Yan that she and Zi Yan had spent several years trapped inside the Three Thousand Burning Flame.
• Huo Zhi explained that Zi Yan’s power of the same origin had deterred the Three Thousand Burning Flame from refining them, but they could not escape until others broke into the Star Region.
• Huo Zhi asked Xiao Yan what he had done during the past three-odd years after she had seen him die.

Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi discussed the mystery of his resurrection, and Xiao Yan offered a theory involving his cultivation method and Three Thousand Burning Flame. The narration revealed the four factors that truly saved him, and the chapter ended with Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi agreeing to cultivate together again.

• Xiao Yan told Huo Zhi he remembered nothing from the three years he was unconscious and suggested Three Thousand Burning Flame had kept him alive.
• Huo Zhi explained why Three Thousand Burning Flame alone could not have saved Xiao Yan and ruled out the Ancient Clan as his rescuers.
• Xiao Yan proposed that his cultivation method had instinctively devoured Three Thousand Burning Flame, whose power then repaired his body over three years.
• The narration revealed that fortune power, the Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body, medicinal power absorbed by Black Flame, and the Flame Mantra had combined to save Xiao Yan.
• Huo Zhi finished eating and asked Xiao Yan whether they should cultivate together, and he agreed so they could master the technique.

Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi discovered how to merge their power through their shared crimson lotus karma flame, giving them a secret combat advantage. As Xiao Yan remained emotionally devoted to Gu Xun'er, he and Huo Zhi kept their closeness restrained until Lei Jingxiao found them and reunited with Xiao Yan.

• Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi joined their palms and circulated Dou Qi between them through their shared crimson lotus karma flame.
• Over two months of training, Xiao Yan found that his Dou Qi could flow both ways with Huo Zhi if he transferred his other three Heavenly Flames to his Three Thousand Lightning Phantom Body.
• Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi gained a way to combine their power, though Huo Zhi sensed Xiao Yan kept an emotional distance because he still longed for Gu Xun'er.
• As their third month alone in the Heavenly Tomb approached, Xiao Yan detected Lei Jingxiao on the Third Layer.
• Lei Jingxiao embraced Xiao Yan joyfully, and Huo Zhi watched their reunion with a quiet smile.

Xiao Yan, Huo Zhi, and Lei Jingxiao traveled toward the fourth level of the Heavenly Tomb, with Lei Jingxiao revealing his determination to defeat Lei Dong and claim the Thunder Clan young master position. When they sensed three Soul Clan members approaching, Xiao Yan led the group away.

• Lei Jingxiao told Xiao Yan that he had endured years of lightning training and had reached the late stage of Half-Saint, but he was waiting for help to break through the crystal wall to the fourth level.
• Lei Jingxiao joined Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi, and declared that he would defeat Lei Dong openly to protect his claim to the Thunder Clan young master position.
• Over seven days, the three fought four Half-Saint-level energy bodies and collected their energy cores as they traveled toward the fourth level.
• Xiao Yan sensed three Soul Clan members ahead and found no sign of the other expected members or Tang Qiying's formation.
• When the three Soul Clan members rushed toward them, Xiao Yan chose to retreat, and Huo Zhi and Lei Jingxiao followed.

Xiao Yan led Tang Qiying and the Soul Clan pursuers away from Huo Zhi and Lei Jingxiao, then stopped to face Tang Qiying alone. Tang Qiying threatened to kill Xiao Yan and his companions as the two prepared to fight.

• Xiao Yan urged Huo Zhi and Lei Jingxiao to avoid fighting Tang Qiying's group on familiar ground and led them away.
• Tang Qiying insisted on pursuing Xiao Yan, while Hun Yu questioned the plan but followed with Hun Ya.
• Xiao Yan's group split up, and Tang Qiying pursued Xiao Yan while Hun Ya and Hun Yu chased Huo Zhi and Lei Jingxiao.
• Xiao Yan slowed down and waited for Tang Qiying to catch up.
• Tang Qiying threatened to kill Xiao Yan and then his companions, but Xiao Yan remained calm and fixed him with killing intent.

Xiao Yan battled Tang Qiying, countering his Heavenly Flame and soul attacks with precise control and his Heavenly State Soul. Tang Qiying then activated a formation that revealed a ghostly second head and raised his soul power to the Heavenly State, beginning their true fight.

• Tang Qiying used Eight Wastelands Destruction Flame to break through Xiao Yan's Red Lotus Star Flame, but Xiao Yan weakened the attack and sent a flame dragon at him.
• Tang Qiying shattered the flame dragon with a soul-targeting sound-wave Dou Technique, which Xiao Yan blocked with Soul Flow Black Vortex.
• Tang Qiying acknowledged Xiao Yan's Heavenly State Soul, then used a formation to raise his own soul power and claim that he also had a Heavenly State Soul.
• Xiao Yan saw a pale, ghostly second head emerge from Tang Qiying's neck as Tang Qiying's soul power reached the Heavenly State.

Xiao Yan fought Tang Qiying, whose stolen body and strange second head had raised his soul power to the Heavenly State and granted him counters to Xiao Yan’s abilities. The clash escalated as Xiao Yan unleashed his strongest ruler technique, and Tang Qiying prepared to answer it with an attack of his own.

• Tang Qiying revealed that his second head had raised his soul power to the Heavenly State, matching Xiao Yan’s.
• Xiao Yan taunted Tang Qiying about his stolen body and abandoned parents, provoking him into attacking.
• Tang Qiying dodged Xiao Yan’s Heavy Profound Ruler and cut both his arms with short blades, though Xiao Yan’s wounds quickly healed.
• Xiao Yan used Devouring Power, but Tang Qiying’s sound-wave technique disrupted the vortex and struck at Xiao Yan’s soul.
• Xiao Yan launched Wild Desolation Ruler: Sovereign’s Descent, and Tang Qiying declared that he would counter it with an even greater number of attacks.

Xiao Yan narrowly avoided Tang Qiying’s dagger strike after piercing him with a soul technique, but Tang Qiying activated Huo Xuan’s ninth-grade Flame Clan bloodline mark and became a mid-stage one-star Dou Sheng. Xiao Yan used his Xiao Clan secret art to raise his strength to peak Half-Saint as the dangerous battle continued.

• Tang Qiying unleashed tens of thousands of vengeful soul bodies against Xiao Yan’s ruler shadows while Xiao Yan used his soul perception to track him.
• Tang Qiying attacked Xiao Yan’s neck, but Xiao Yan struck him with the Shadow Piercing Needle and retreated after Annihilation Guard weakened the technique.
• Tang Qiying acknowledged Xiao Yan’s dangerous attack and activated Huo Xuan’s ninth-grade Flame Clan bloodline mark, raising his strength to the middle stage of one-star Dou Sheng.
• Xiao Yan used his Xiao Clan secret art and three successive boosts to raise his aura to the peak of Half-Saint.

Tang Qiying activated Huo Xuan’s clan mark and gained the power of a mid-stage one-star Dou Sheng, putting Xiao Yan under pressure as the two fought. Xiao Yan endured Tang Qiying’s attacks and kept his composure, while Tang Qiying suspected he was hiding another trump card.

• Tang Qiying used Huo Xuan’s clan mark to reach the middle stage of the one-star Dou Sheng realm, while Xiao Yan worried about defeating him before his own power faded.
• Tang Qiying attacked at overwhelming speed, broke Xiao Yan’s arm bones, and cut his shoulders with his twin blades.
• Xiao Yan tried to trap Tang Qiying with the Red Lotus Star Flame, but Tang Qiying’s Eight Wastelands Destruction Flame tore through it and rained down on him.
• Xiao Yan blocked the barrage with the Heavy Profound Ruler and rapidly healed his injuries as Tang Qiying mocked his ability to recover.
• Xiao Yan judged that he could withstand Tang Qiying’s attacks and calmly threatened to smash his heads, prompting Tang Qiying to suggest Xiao Yan had another trump card.

Xiao Yan used the Black Flame against Tang Qiying, but Tang Qiying trapped it with a blood-powered rune formation and wounded Xiao Yan when he tried to intervene. With the Black Flame neutralized, Xiao Yan launched Soul Flow Black Vortex, and Tang Qiying mocked him for reusing a move.

• Tang Qiying named Xiao Yan’s three remaining trump cards and taunted him for pretending to be calm.
• Xiao Yan summoned the Black Flame and ordered it to attack Tang Qiying.
• Tang Qiying activated a rune formation powered by his blood essence, trapping and immobilizing the Black Flame.
• Xiao Yan tried to break the formation, but Tang Qiying intercepted him and cut him with his daggers.
• Tang Qiying asked which of Xiao Yan’s two remaining trump cards he would use, and Xiao Yan attacked with Soul Flow Black Vortex.