Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan decided to attend the Thunder Clan’s successor battle and the Yao Clan’s Medicine Ceremony, then spent time with his family before assessing the strength he had gained through three years of cultivation. He left the chapter as a late three-star Dou Sheng with formidable combat abilities and the potential to refine tier-nine pills.

• Yao Lao agreed to return to the Yao Clan for its Medicine Ceremony, and Xiao Yan promised to attend with him.
• Xiao Yan decided not to return to the Heavenly Tomb and invited Yao Lao to dinner with his family.
• At dinner, six-year-old Xiao Qingqing chose Yao Lao to teach her cultivation because he had taught Xiao Yan.
• After spending several days with his family, Xiao Yan assessed that he could contend with four-star Dou Sheng opponents and had developed a new Heaven-tier soul Dou Skill.
• Xiao Yan reached the late stage of the Heavenly State Soul and judged that he could attempt to refine tier-nine medicinal pills.

Xiao Yan completed one of Void Heavenly Emperor’s requirements and created a powerful War Puppet. He visited the imprisoned Yan Xi Wen to negotiate with the soul occupying his body, but refused to grant it freedom on its terms.

• Xiao Yan summoned and tested a new War Puppet, which he judged strong enough to contend with a six-star Dou Sheng.
• Xiao Yan recalled that Qing Lin was cultivating in the Nine Serene Deepground Python Clan’s former territory and had promised to come if he needed her.
• Xiao Yan took the War Puppet to Origin Return Manor’s prison to meet the soul possessing Yan Xi Wen’s body.
• Yan Xi Wen’s occupant mocked Xiao Yan’s strength and offered to return the body unharmed if Xiao Yan granted it freedom to find another host.
• Xiao Yan rejected the proposal to release the soul.

Xiao Yan discovered that the soul inhabiting Yan Xiwen was Wang Yun, the creator of Heavenly Lightning Soul Forging and the Source Spirit Pattern Crystal. Wang Yun sought the crystal and high-grade medicinal herbs to rebuild his body, but Xiao Yan refused to yield, leaving their bargain unresolved.

• Wang Yun sensed Xiao Yan preparing a soul attack and identified his Heavenly Lightning Soul Forging technique.
• Wang Yun proved he was the technique's creator by reciting it and asked Xiao Yan to acknowledge him as his master.
• Wang Yun recognized the Source Spirit Pattern Crystal and explained that it could help him rebuild his body if Xiao Yan supplied valuable medicinal herbs.
• Xiao Yan offered several herbs, but Wang Yun rejected them as inadequate and demanded better materials.
• Xiao Yan warned Wang Yun that the herbs were all he had, and when Wang Yun rejected the deal, Xiao Yan ignited Nihility Devouring Flame at his fingertips.

Xiao Yan forced Wang Yun to agree to serve as a guest elder of Origin Return Manor for ten years in exchange for materials to resurrect him. With the Pill Tower Ancestor overseeing the process, Wang Yun began forming a new body from medicinal herbs, and Xiao Yan wondered whether Wang Yun’s technique could be useful for another purpose.

• Xiao Yan threatened Wang Yun with the Nihility Devouring Flame until Wang Yun agreed to cooperate.
• Wang Yun offered to serve Xiao Yan in exchange for better medicinal herbs, and Xiao Yan negotiated ten years of service as a guest elder of Origin Return Manor.
• Xiao Yan gave Wang Yun Dawn Moon Dew Grass and the Source Spirit Pattern Crystal to use in his resurrection.
• Xiao Yan summoned the Pill Tower Ancestor to oversee Wang Yun’s recovery in case his restored strength became difficult to control.
• Wang Yun extracted energy from the herbs and shaped it into a faintly green physical body while Xiao Yan and the Pill Tower Ancestor watched.
• Xiao Yan wondered whether Wang Yun’s body-forming technique could help him accomplish something important.

Wang Yun resurrected himself by molding medicinal-herb energy into a body, then showed Xiao Yan that he could use the method to create bodies for others. Xiao Yan brought him to the Heavenly Tomb, where Wang Yun ruled out resurrecting Xiao Xuan but created a body for the tomb’s unusual undead, leaving the results and risks uncertain.

• Wang Yun used the Source Spirit Pattern Crystal and medicinal-herb energy to resurrect himself, while Xiao Yan suppressed the surge of Dou Qi from his new body.
• Xiao Yan asked Wang Yun whether he could resurrect others, and Wang Yun agreed to inspect them if Xiao Yan brought them to him.
• Xiao Yan took Wang Yun and the others into the Heavenly Tomb, where Wang Yun determined that Xiao Xuan’s damaged soul could not be restored.
• Xiao Xuan accepted the news calmly and helped Xiao Yan bring Xiao Le, Feng Qiu, and the others before Wang Yun.
• Wang Yun created an energy body for the unusual undead, but warned Xiao Yan that success was uncertain and he did not know how they could leave the body once they entered it.

Wang Yun resurrected thirty loyal Heavenly Tomb experts for Origin Return Manor, greatly increasing its strength before the work paused due to limited resources. Later, Yan Yu gathered the group connected to the ruins, and Yan Xiwen revealed that he remembered nothing after opening the strange box.

• Xiao Xuan chose Xiao Le to test Wang Yun's resurrection method, and Xiao Le awakened in a body with one-star Dou Sheng strength.
• Xiao Yan asked Wang Yun to revive the Heavenly Tomb souls, and Wang Yun warned that the process exhausted his soul power.
• Over the next month, Wang Yun resurrected thirty experts: eight one-star Dou Shengs and twenty-two Half-Saints, including Feng Qiu.
• Xiao Yan paused further resurrections because few suitable souls remained and Origin Return Manor needed medicinal materials for the Medicine Ceremony.
• Xiao Xuan told Xiao Yan he was content to remain in the Heavenly Tomb, and Xiao Yan felt reassured by his ancestor's attitude.
• Yan Yu questioned Yan Xiwen about his return, and Yan Xiwen said he remembered opening the strange box before waking in Origin Return Manor; Tang Meng then arrived.

Yan Yu revealed that the seven companions received a huge reward for keeping silent about the secret realm and Yan Xiwen’s possession. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan studied alchemy with Yao Lao and Xiao Qingqing before preparing to leave for the Thunder Clan and the Yao Clan.

• Yan Yu told the others that the alliance leader had warned him to keep quiet about Yan Xiwen and the strange soul power, and that the manor masters had awarded them a hundred thousand contribution points.
• The seven companions realized the reward was also hush money and celebrated their unexpected fortune.
• Xiao Yan spent two months studying alchemy alongside Yao Lao, while Xiao Qingqing began learning and showed exceptional talent.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian discussed their upcoming departure and confirmed that Xiao Yan, Yao Lao, Elder Lin, Elder Huo Zhen, Wei Jiangyuan, Xun'er, and Zi Yan would travel to the Thunder Clan and the Yao Clan.

Xiao Yan reassured Xiao Yi Xian that her leadership of Origin Return Manor mattered as much as personal strength, and she explained how she intended to support him. Three months later, Xiao Yan and his companions arrived in the Thunder Realm to witness Lei Jingxiao’s succession battle.

• Xiao Yan invited Xiao Yi Xian to attend the alchemists’ gathering, but she declined because she wanted to oversee Origin Return Manor.
• Xiao Yi Xian explained that she had chosen to build Origin Return Manor’s strength and coordinate its Dou Sheng experts, while Xiao Yan praised her role as its second manor lord.
• Xiao Yan accepted that Xiao Yi Xian pursued a different path from cultivation and promised to support her ambitions.
• Three months after Lei Qingyue arrived, Xiao Yan, Yao Lao, and their companions traveled to the Thunder Realm to support Lei Jingxiao in the succession battle.
• The group entered the Thunder Realm with Lei Qingyue’s token and learned that it was linked to the Medicine Realm for mutual defense.
• Yao Lao explained that secluded Half-Saint and Dou Sheng experts had gathered to watch the succession battle, as they sometimes did for major ceremonies.

Xiao Yan and his companions arrived in the Thunder Realm ahead of the Thunder Clan successor contest, where Lei Jingxiao reunited with them and revealed his recent breakthrough. Lei Dong had reached the peak of the Two-Star Dou Saint realm, but Lei Jingxiao remained confident he could challenge him.

• Elder Lin and Huo Zhen explained that many experts had come to the Yao Clan Medicine Ceremony for its high-level trade fair and rare alchemists.
• The Thunder Clan assigned Lei Dong to welcome Xiao Yan's group, and he escorted them to their lodgings before promising to contact Lei Jingxiao.
• Xiao Yan and Xun'er noticed that Lei Dong had become more composed since their encounter in the Heavenly Tomb.
• Lei Jingxiao arrived and explained that Jiang Yunyan had given him the Fallen Heart Flame and other resources, helping him advance to the late stage of the Two-Star Dou Saint realm.
• Lei Jingxiao told Xiao Yan that Lei Dong had reached the peak of the Two-Star Dou Saint realm, but said he believed he had a chance against him.

Xiao Yan and the others helped Lei Jingxiao prepare for the Thunder Clan’s heir battle, while Jiang Yunyan finally told him how proud she was of him. The battle began with Lei Jingxiao and Lei Dong facing off before the Thunder Clan’s judges and spectators.

• Xiao Yan sparred with Lei Jingxiao and reassured him that he would stand by him regardless of the battle’s outcome.
• Jiang Yunyan promised to watch Lei Jingxiao compete and praised him for becoming an outstanding powerhouse.
• Lei Jingxiao vowed to Jiang Yunyan that he would not lose.
• The Thunder Clan gathered at its arena, where Lei Ying and Lei Qingyue sat as judges and Lei Jingxiao and Lei Dong stood ready to compete.
• Wei Jiangyuan let out a malicious chuckle from the spectator stands.

Wei Jiangyuan’s antics and Zi Yan’s kiss helped Lei Jingxiao enter the Thunder Clan succession battle fired up. After he and Lei Dong swept away the other competitors, the decisive fight between them began.

• Wei Jiangyuan formed mocking words from herbs in midair and cheered for Lei Jingxiao until Old Man Shennong rebuked him.
• Encouraged by Xun Er, Zi Yan kissed Lei Jingxiao on the forehead, leaving him blushing and resolved to win.
• Lei Jingxiao charged into the succession battle and swiftly eliminated a Half-Saint opponent with his lightning-charged spear.
• Lei Jingxiao and Lei Dong overwhelmed the other competitors, leaving Lei Qingyue to rescue the final one-star Dou Sheng.
• Lei Dong praised Lei Jingxiao’s growth, but Lei Jingxiao told him to stop talking and fight.

Lei Dong and Lei Jingxiao fought fiercely in their duel to determine who would lead the Thunder Clan, while Old Man Shennong explained that the clan’s hidden trump card forced them to choose a successor now. Lei Jingxiao broke their lightning clash with a transparent flame and sent it toward Lei Dong, whose body began heating from within as he retreated.

• Lei Dong and Lei Jingxiao exchanged attacks and unleashed identical Mountain-Shaking Thunder Light Palms, creating a massive lightning explosion.
• Wei Jiangyuan asked Old Man Shennong why the Thunder Clan was choosing a successor early, and Old Man Shennong revealed that the clan had to use a hidden trump card with limited slots.
• Lei Dong gained a slight advantage over Lei Jingxiao but suffered a shoulder wound from the golden spear.
• Lei Dong enveloped Lei Jingxiao in black lightning, and Lei Jingxiao spun his spear to form a blue-white lightning spiral.
• Lei Jingxiao released a transparent flame that shattered their balanced clash and surged toward Lei Dong, who began to grow hot from within as he retreated.

Lei Jingxiao defeated Lei Dong in their battle for the Thunder Clan heirship, using the Fallen Heart Flame to gain the advantage. After Lei Dong conceded, Lei Jingxiao was recognized as the victor and rushed to share the news with Zi Yan.

• Lei Jingxiao revealed his Fallen Heart Flame and wounded Lei Dong with his golden spear.
• Lei Jingxiao and Lei Dong clashed with their strongest Heaven Rank Dou Techniques, leaving both severely weakened.
• Lei Jingxiao restrained the nearly immobile Lei Dong with the Fallen Heart Flame and declared him defeated.
• Lei Dong conceded, and the Thunder Clan spectators celebrated Lei Jingxiao as their future leader.
• Lei Jingxiao saw Jiang Yunyan’s approval, then ran to Zi Yan and told her he had won.

After defeating Lei Dong, Lei Jingxiao received praise from his friends and sought his father Lei Ying’s approval. Lei Ying revealed that he had resented Jingxiao because his birth had led to his mother’s death, then began explaining the painful history behind it.

• Lei Jingxiao embraced Zi Yan after his victory, and Wei Jiangyuan teased him before Zi Yan went to find Xun Er.
• Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan praised Lei Jingxiao, and his friends celebrated his victory with him that night.
• The next day, Lei Jingxiao met Lei Ying, who praised his performance and said his mother would be proud.
• Lei Ying confessed that he had watched Lei Jingxiao’s efforts but often took his resentment out on him because Jingxiao’s birth had cost his mother her life.
• Lei Ying explained that Jingxiao’s mother had suffered a previous pregnancy loss, then began describing how the grief had affected her.

Lei Ying revealed that Lei Jingxiao’s birth had drained his mother’s life and confessed that grief had made him avoid and resent his son for years. Lei Jingxiao left after confronting his father, then found comfort in his aunt Jiang Yunyan’s arms.

• Lei Ying told Lei Jingxiao that the power he carried at birth fatally damaged his mother, who died one year and three months after giving birth to him.
• Lei Ying admitted that he had blamed Lei Jingxiao for his mother’s death and kept his distance despite knowing his son was innocent.
• Lei Jingxiao confronted Lei Ying about years of punishment and neglect, kowtowed three times, and walked away without looking back.
• Lei Qingyue emerged from the shadows and told Lei Ying that withholding the truth would have been unfair to Jingxiao.
• Lei Jingxiao wandered to Jiang Yunyan’s residence, collapsed into his aunt’s arms, and sobbed while she held him.

Jiang Yunyan comforted Lei Jingxiao by telling him about his late mother’s love and sacrifice, easing his grief and helping him understand his past. Lei Jingxiao decided to leave the Thunder Clan for Origin Return Manor, while Jiang Yunyan stayed behind and promised to wait for him to return.

• Lei Jingxiao blamed himself for his mother’s death, and Jiang Yunyan reassured him that his mother had chosen to give her life so he could live.
• Jiang Yunyan recalled how Lei Jingxiao’s mother had cherished him, chosen his name, worried about his future, and asked Jiang Yunyan to watch over him.
• Lei Jingxiao asked why Jiang Yunyan had waited so long to tell him, and she explained that she had wanted him to grow up happier before learning the truth.
• Lei Jingxiao announced that he would leave the Thunder Clan and join Origin Return Manor, despite losing his position as the clan’s foremost heir.
• Jiang Yunyan supported Lei Jingxiao’s decision but refused to leave the Thunder Clan, and he promised to return for her once he became powerful.

Xiao Yan sought the Thunder Clan’s tribal mark, but Lei Miao refused and used Xiao Yan’s ties to Lei Jingxiao as leverage. Lei Miao offered to hand over the mark if Xiao Yan defeated him, leaving Xiao Yan facing a challenge from the five-star Dou Sheng elder.

• Xiao Yan and Xun Er asked Lei Miao for the Thunder Clan’s tribal mark, and Lei Miao refused to give it to an outsider.
• Xun Er challenged Lei Miao’s refusal, while Xiao Yan realized the Thunder Clan blamed him for Lei Jingxiao’s decision to join Origin Return Manor.
• Xiao Yan offered to pay whatever price the Thunder Clan named, but Lei Miao denied that the clan wanted any benefits.
• Lei Miao dismissed Origin Return Manor’s strength and said Xiao Yan could have the tribal mark if he defeated him.

Xiao Yan accepted Lei Miao’s challenge to fight alone, then revealed a powerful War Puppet to battle in his place. The puppet broke through Lei Miao’s lightning defenses and sent him flying, and it charged at him again as the fight continued.

• Xun Er suspected Lei Miao had challenged Xiao Yan only to obstruct him, but Xiao Yan readily accepted the duel.
• Lei Miao set conditions barring anyone else, including another person’s soul, from joining the battle, and Xiao Yan agreed.
• Before the Thunder Clan elders, Xiao Yan and Lei Miao took their places in the battle arena, where Lei Miao let Xiao Yan strike first.
• Xiao Yan summoned a War Puppet, which withstood Lei Miao’s Thunderous Frenzy Howl and shattered his thunder net with a kick.
• The War Puppet ignited with flames and charged at Lei Miao again.

Xiao Yan used his War Puppet to defeat Lei Miao and pressured the Thunder Clan into trading its clan tattoo for two Bodhi Seeds. After obtaining the tattoo, Xiao Yan left with Xun Er and vowed to make the Thunder Clan pay for its treatment of them.

• Lei Miao attacked Xiao Yan's War Puppet with his Nine Tribulations Thunder Spear, but the puppet broke through the attack and subdued him.
• Lei Miao admitted defeat, and Xun Er defended Xiao Yan's strength by pointing out that he had forged and personally controlled the War Puppet.
• A Thunder Clan elder offered the clan tattoo for three Bodhi Seeds, but Xiao Yan bargained the price down to two and agreed to the trade.
• The Thunder Clan inscribed its clan tattoo for Xiao Yan, and Lei Miao offered to check it during the Medicine Ceremony.
• Xun Er criticized the Thunder Clan's conduct, and Xiao Yan said they would make the clan pay dearly in the future.

As the Yao Clan's Medicine Ceremony approached, Xiao Yan and Yao Lao prepared to compete and challenge the clan's dominance in alchemy. Yao Lao also planned to use his standing at the ceremony to have his deceased parents admitted to the Yao Clan's ancestral hall.

• The Yao Clan sent Yao Wanhuo to meet Xiao Yan's party, and he treated them without hostility.
• Yao Lao gave Xiao Yan the recipe for the pill he would refine at the Medicine Ceremony, and they resolved to show that ninth-grade alchemy did not belong solely to the Yao Clan.
• Yao Lao decided to prove his abilities at the ceremony so he could secure a place in the ancestral hall for his parents.
• Xiao Yan and Yao Lao made final preparations as Alchemists across the Medicine Realm refined pills and drew Pill Lightning.
• Yao Lao recognized that the growing Dou Qi and spiritual energy in the Medicine Realm signaled the imminent activation of the Yao Clan's formation.