Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan used the captured Ancient Clan Three Immortals to force Gu Yuan to let Origin Return Manor retreat from the Soul Clan. With Gu Yuan standing down, Xiao Yan promised the Ancient Clan’s people would be safe, while Soul Heavenly Emperor faced the choice of whether to pursue the retreating forces.

• Soul Heavenly Emperor realized Xiao Yan had sent three Eight-Star Dou Saint Living Dead to capture the Ancient Clan Three Immortals and block their reinforcements.
• Xiao Yan threatened to have the Living Dead attack the Ancient Clan unless Gu Yuan allowed Origin Return Manor to leave.
• Gu Yuan weighed the risks, considered Zhukun’s presence, and agreed to let Xiao Yan and his allies retreat.
• Xiao Yan promised the Ancient Clan’s people would not be harmed, and Origin Return Manor’s experts broke away from the battle.
• Hun Tu asked Soul Heavenly Emperor whether the Soul Clan should pursue the retreating forces and risk Lei Qingyue and Qing Lin.

Xiao Yan and Zhukun withdrew from the Soul Realm after Little Scale reclaimed the Nihility Devouring Flame’s Sub-Flames, leaving Soul Heavenly Emperor and Gu Yuan to reckon with their failed alliance and Origin Return Manor’s growing threat. Soul Heavenly Emperor then met the Dou Di Progenitor, who revealed that he had awakened once before.

• Soul Heavenly Emperor ordered Hun Tu to let Origin Return Manor’s forces leave rather than risk further casualties.
• Little Scale reclaimed the Nihility Devouring Flame’s Sub-Flames, strengthening himself and Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan thanked Soul Heavenly Emperor for gathering the Sub-Flames, then departed with Zhukun, who promised to face him again.
• Soul Heavenly Emperor confronted Gu Yuan over his refusal to join the fight, while Gu Yuan accused him of hiding that his daughter was present and that Xiao Yan had a hidden advantage.
• Gu Yuan agreed that he and Soul Heavenly Emperor would cooperate against their enemies again, then left the Soul Clan to reconsider his plans.
• Soul Heavenly Emperor met the Dou Di Progenitor, who said he had awakened once before; Soul Heavenly Emperor said he had no memory of it.

Xiao Yan returned to the Origin Return Manor with Xun'er after the costly raid on the Soul Realm, and explained how Xiao Yi Xian's strategy had enabled their escape. The Manor awaited news from Master Mu Wei's separate attack on the Soul Hall as preparations against a continent-wide crisis continued.

• Soul Heavenly Emperor learned from the Soul Clan Ancestor that a crisis threatening the continent would soon arrive, then raged alone over the revelation.
• Xiao Yan returned safely to the Origin Return Manor with Xun'er and told Xiao Yi Xian that Gu Yuan had been in the Soul Realm and the Soul Clan Ancestor had intervened.
• Xiao Yan reported that six Dou Sheng had fallen in the raid, though four souls were recovered, and credited Xiao Yi Xian's Three Great Living Dead with holding back the Ancient Clan's reinforcements.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian reviewed their broader plan and waited for news of Master Mu Wei's operation against the Soul Hall.
• Several squads led by One-Star Dou Sheng returned from the Soul Hall raid, which had targeted the powerful souls collected by the Soul Clan.

After Xiao Yan learned how to use the Soul Hall’s vast collection of souls, Origin Return Manor changed its plan and seized them instead of destroying them. The Soul Clan assault ended successfully, leaving Yan Jin delighted that his enemies had finally suffered a major blow.

• Xiao Yan learned from Little Scale how the Soul Clan’s stored souls could be gathered and used to help the Nihility Devouring Flame reach the Imperial State Soul.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian redirected Mu Wei’s operation, sending trusted Heavenly Tomb undead teams to seize souls from Soul Halls across the Central Plains.
• Mu Wei’s group returned with the collected souls after Soul Hall experts had been recalled to defend the Soul Clan.
• Yan Jin celebrated the successful assault, while Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian recognized how much the balance of power had shifted in Origin Return Manor’s favor.

After Origin Return Manor dealt a major blow to the Soul Clan, Xiao Yan and his allies considered how to use the captured soul bodies and replenish the resources needed to revive them. Xiao Yan summoned Wang Yun to discuss the revival work.

• Xiao Yan credited Xiao Yi Xian with helping secure their victory, and she reminded him not to lose control of his emotions again.
• Xiao Yan and the others inspected the Soul Hall souls they had seized and found that roughly one-fifth still retained their reason.
• Xiao Yi Xian, Xun Er, and Qing Lin offered to help put the rational souls to use, but Xiao Yan worried about the burden on Wang Yun and the risk of hidden Soul Clan agents.
• Qing Lin reminded Xiao Yan that she had gathered rare medicinal herbs in the Ten Thousand Beasts Space, giving Origin Return Manor more supplies for reviving souls.
• Xiao Yan had Wang Yun summoned to discuss reviving the captured soul bodies.

Xiao Yan persuaded Wang Yun to revive more than a hundred souls by offering him a Bodhi Seed and a ten-thousand-year Star Spirit Soul-Nurturing Orchid. Wang Yun accepted the work and set out to prepare, while Xiao Yi Xian would arrange the souls and materials.

• Wang Yun angrily protested that Xiao Yan had prepared more than a hundred revivals without warning him, and Xiao Yan acknowledged that he had overworked him.
• Xiao Yi Xian offered to let the matter go, but Xiao Yan mentioned the Bodhi Seed and the ten-thousand-year Star Spirit Soul-Nurturing Orchid he had prepared for Wang Yun.
• Xiao Yan showed Wang Yun the two treasures, and Wang Yun eagerly agreed to handle the soul revivals in exchange for them.
• Wang Yun accepted the treasures and promised to focus only on reviving the souls, while Xiao Yi Xian agreed to arrange the candidates and materials.

Xiao Qingqing struggled with alchemy questions until Wei Jiangyuan teased her by answering one and adding a harder problem. After Xiao Yan sent her to Yao Qingyu for help, Wei Jiangyuan told him Old Man Shennong was preparing to attempt a Ninth-Grade Mystic Pill.

• Xiao Qingqing worked through Yao Lao's challenging alchemy questions, drawing on her extraordinary soul perception and knowledge of herbs.
• Wei Jiangyuan gave Xiao Qingqing the answer to a question, then wrote a more difficult one to replace it.
• Xiao Yan appeared, heard Xiao Qingqing's complaint, and sent her to find Yao Qingyu for help with the remaining question.
• Wei Jiangyuan told Xiao Yan that most of the requested herbs had been cultivated and asked to give some to Old Man Shennong.
• Wei Jiangyuan explained that Old Man Shennong was preparing to attempt a Ninth-Grade Mystic Pill, and Xiao Yan offered to send him any herbs he needed.

Wei Jiangyuan brought Xiao Yan to meet Liang Mengying, an old friend from the Northwest Region who had come to join Origin Return Manor. Liang Mengying asked only for a place to stay and agreed to follow the manor’s rules.

• Wei Jiangyuan told Xiao Yan that a captivating visitor had come seeking him and teased him about a supposed romantic debt.
• Xiao Yan learned that the woman had introduced herself as an old friend and asked Wei Jiangyuan to pass on her message.
• Xiao Yan recognized the veiled visitor as Liang Mengying, mistress of Splendid Flower Tower, and greeted her at Origin Return Manor.
• Liang Mengying asked to join the manor, and Xiao Yan welcomed her while mentioning Chu Qun’s wish to hear from her.
• Liang Mengying said her ties with Splendid Flower Tower had ended and that she would contact Chu Qun to explain.
• Liang Mengying asked only for a place to stay and said she would follow Origin Return Manor’s rules.

Xiao Yan avoided discussing his past with Liang Mengying, while the Thunder Clan elders debated using Lei Jingxiao’s feelings for Zi Yan to form an alliance with the Ancient Void Dragon Clan. Lei Qingyue challenged the proposal and looked to Lei Ying, who remained conflicted and silent.

• Wei Jiangyuan pressed Xiao Yan about Liang Mengying, and Xiao Yan said they had only dealt with each other in the Northwest Region.
• Thunder Clan Elder Lei Fang proposed that Lei Jingxiao marry Zi Yan to strengthen ties with the Ancient Void Dragon Clan.
• Lei Qingyue accused the elders of seeking the alliance only because Zhukun, a Nine-Star Dou Saint Peak expert, had returned.
• Lei Qingyue questioned how the clan would treat Lei Jingxiao if he returned and whether he would become heir over Lei Dong.
• Lei Huan defended the alliance and said the clan would support Lei Jingxiao as heir, while Lei Dong could serve as his deputy.
• Lei Qingyue objected to the elders’ plans to use Jiang Yunyan, but Lei Ying stayed silent, visibly conflicted.

Lei Qingyue persuaded the Thunder Clan elders not to use Lei Jingxiao and Zi Yan’s feelings to secure an alliance with Zhukun, arguing that the clan needed to cooperate with Xiao Yan and Origin Return Manor instead. The elders accepted his counsel, and the Thunder Clan resolved to fulfill its alliance duties while leaving Jingxiao to make his own choices.

• Lei Qingyue rebuked the elders for pushing Lei Jingxiao to propose to Zi Yan for political advantage and warned that Zhukun would not be swayed by the Thunder Clan’s offers.
• Lei Qingyue compared the Thunder Clan’s hesitation with Yan Jin’s resolve and admitted that he had once underestimated Xiao Yan’s potential.
• Lei Qingyue said Lei Dong had recovered from his defeat and was now more suited than Lei Jingxiao to succeed as clan leader.
• Lei Miao asked whether the Thunder Clan should befriend Xiao Yan and Origin Return Manor, and Lei Qingyue urged cooperation without interfering in the alliance’s decisions.
• Lei Qingyue told the elders to leave Jingxiao’s relationship to him, assuring them that he and Lei Qingyue’s senior sister would not abandon the Thunder Clan.

Zhukun sparred with Lei Jingxiao, repeatedly defeating him while teaching him how to improve his fighting skills. After the session, Zhukun went to see Xiao Yan, but an overwhelming sense of danger stopped him in his tracks.

• Lei Jingxiao refused to concede and unleashed his Heaven Class Dou Technique, Annihilating Thunderstorm, against Zhukun.
• Zhukun shattered Lei Jingxiao’s strongest attack with two punches and ended their sparring session, telling him to study the final punch before they fought again in half a month.
• Zhukun reflected on his daughter Zi Yan’s burdens and his approval of her relationship with Lei Jingxiao as he continued guiding him.
• Zhukun went to find Xiao Yan, concerned that Origin Return Manor had spent two months reinforcing its defenses instead of taking further action.
• An overwhelming sense of danger suddenly struck Zhukun, leaving him frozen.

After fleeing to the Western Region, Nine Phoenix tried to uncover the secret of an ancient Heavenly Demon Phoenix skeleton, but its awakening drew four mysterious beings and unleashed a catastrophe. The Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan was pinned beneath black pillars as the surrounding region was devastated.

• Nine Phoenix brooded over the ancient Heavenly Demon Phoenix skeleton, whose secret cultivation method Huang Tian had revealed could transform the clan’s power.
• The soul within the skeleton stirred, and a black beam blasted through Nine Phoenix’s cave and the mountain peak.
• Four black beings appeared above the region and discussed the world’s restrictions and using local servants to seize control.
• Three other pillars struck near the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan, suppressing its members’ flight and Dou Qi.
• Black mist covered the clan as the pillars’ arrival killed a million other living beings and left blood flowing for a thousand li.

Xiao Yan and Zhukun investigated a powerful aura from the Extraterritorial Evil Clan and found four enormous pillars surrounded by spreading black mist. When blood-red eyes opened across the pillars, a terrifying assault struck Xiao Yan’s body and mind, leaving him and Zhukun in immediate danger.

• Xiao Yan sensed the strange aura alongside other powerful figures and joined Zhukun to investigate its source.
• Xiao Yan told Zhukun he had absorbed his blood essence, which had helped stabilize his cultivation and strengthen his dragon transformation.
• Zhukun carried Xiao Yan through the void to the aura’s source, where they felt a crushing presence that disturbed Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan and Zhukun found four immense pillars emitting black mist that their soul power could not penetrate.
• Blood-red eyes appeared across the pillars, and their attack battered Xiao Yan’s body and mind despite his efforts to guard himself.

Xiao Yan and Zhukun investigated the spreading black mist around four Sky-Supporting Black Pillars, finding widespread death and encountering Soul Heavenly Emperor and Gu Yuan. A violent phoenix cry then struck the group, and Xiao Yan prepared for whatever followed.

• Xiao Yan used the Heavenly Flames to dispel the force inside him as Zhukun carried him beyond the black pillars' reach.
• Xiao Yan and Zhukun observed that the Extraterritorial Evil Clan's forces seemed confined near the pillars and saw the black mist spreading across the land.
• Xiao Yan and Zhukun circled the affected area and found more than a million dead humans and magical beasts.
• Xiao Yan and Zhukun sensed two nearby fighters, then met Soul Heavenly Emperor and Gu Yuan, who had been driven back from the black mist.
• A violent phoenix cry from within the mist struck all four, and Xiao Yan used his Heavenly Flames and soul power to repel its soul assault.

Xiao Yan, Soul Heavenly Emperor, and Gu Yuan watched the Extraterritorial Evil Clan transform the Heavenly Demon Phoenixes into a rapidly growing force. As Gu Yuan learned the invaders were Dou Di beings restricted by the continent’s laws, the group faced the expanding enemy together.

• Gu Yuan pointed out that hundreds of Heavenly Demon Phoenixes were emerging from the black mist, their strength surging as the mist controlled and empowered them.
• Xiao Yan recognized an enormous headless and tailless phoenix as resembling the skeleton the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan had obtained at the Yao Clan Trade Fair, and recalled that Nine Phoenix had escaped Origin Return Manor.
• Gu Yuan asked about the four black pillars, and Xiao Yan explained that they were members of the Extraterritorial Evil Clan seeking to seize the Douqi Continent.
• Xiao Yan told Gu Yuan that the invaders had once possessed Dou Di strength but were now restricted to Dou Sheng by the continent’s laws.
• Soul Heavenly Emperor confirmed that the Extraterritorial Evil Clan had arrived months earlier and that their Dou Di Progenitors had joined forces against them.
• Gu Yuan accepted Soul Heavenly Emperor’s account and turned his attention to the invaders before them.

Xiao Yan, Gu Yuan, Zhukun, and Soul Heavenly Emperor agreed to temporarily unite against the Extraterritorial Evil Clan. Their alliance was tested when four members of the clan appeared and demanded that the strongest people of the world submit as servants.

• Soul Heavenly Emperor proposed setting aside past conflicts, and Xiao Yan, Gu Yuan, Zhukun, and Soul Heavenly Emperor agreed to join forces for now.
• Xiao Yan remained wary of Gu Yuan and Soul Heavenly Emperor despite their agreement.
• Gu Yuan proposed investigating the enemy’s territory again, but Soul Heavenly Emperor warned that the Extraterritorial Evil Clan had already come to them.
• A black light approached and transformed into four human forms, which greeted the group and claimed to mean no harm.
• Xiao Yan rejected the clan’s greeting, and the four invaders insisted that all worlds belonged to the Holy Clan and offered to spare them as servants.

Xiao Yan, Gu Yuan, Soul Heavenly Emperor, and Zhukun agreed to unite against the Extraterritorial Evil Clan after its members threatened to conquer their world. They began discussing shared resources, while Soul Heavenly Emperor unknowingly asked Xiao Yan to summon the already-deceased Xiao Xuan.

• Zhukun attacked the four Extraterritorial Evil Clan projections, which re-formed before warning that they would rule the world by force.
• Xiao Yan and the others concluded that the Extraterritorial Evil Clan could not yet act directly and was transferring power to the Heavenly Demon Phoenixes.
• Soul Heavenly Emperor proposed using Tou She Ancient God's resources, but Xiao Yan argued that pursuing the opportunity could take too long to help against the coming invasion.
• Xiao Yan asked Soul Heavenly Emperor to share the Gate of Silent Death cultivation method, and Soul Heavenly Emperor handed him a jade slip while offering to share Soul Clan resources.
• Gu Yuan pledged that the Ancient Clan would also share resources, and Xiao Yan said Origin Return Manor would do the same.
• Soul Heavenly Emperor asked Xiao Yan to call on Xiao Xuan, unaware that Xiao Xuan had perished, and Gu Yuan reacted unpleasantly.

Xiao Yan concealed whether Xiao Xuan was alive as he joined forces with Gu Yuan and Soul Heavenly Emperor against the Extraterritorial Evil Clan. Back at Origin Return Manor, he briefed his allies, and Xiao Yi Xian proposed ways to investigate the enemy and coordinate the clans while warning that old grudges could threaten the alliance.

• Xiao Yan told Gu Yuan and Soul Heavenly Emperor that Origin Return Manor would support them when needed, leaving them uncertain about Xiao Xuan.
• The four leaders arranged rotating surveillance of the Extraterritorial Evil Clan, with Zhukun taking the first watch from a safe distance.
• Xiao Yan returned to Origin Return Manor and told its core members and representatives of the Lei-Yao-Shi Three Clans about the enemy and the alliance.
• Yan Jin agreed that the Flame Clan would follow Xiao Yan's arrangements despite its grievances with the Soul Clan and Ancient Clan.
• Xiao Yi Xian urged the alliance to probe the enemy's strength, bring Mu Wei to study its power, and share information among the clans.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian considered what Origin Return Manor could offer the alliance, including Wang Yun's soul-resurrection work.

Xiao Yan visited Origin Return Manor to inspect its new method for gathering and storing disciples’ fighting qi for the coming war. After learning that the process wasted much of the gathered energy, he began testing whether Nihility Devouring Flame could filter it more effectively.

• Xiao Yi Xian told Xiao Yan that Origin Return Manor’s experts had developed a way to gather and store disciples’ fighting qi, and Xiao Yan agreed to visit them.
• Xiao Yan arrived at Origin Return Manor and met Huo Zhi, who showed him how groups of disciples gathered fighting qi into small spatial containers.
• Huo Zhi explained that mixed fighting qi caused about thirty percent of the gathered energy to be wasted, while her Heavenly Flames reduced losses in fire-attributed batches to below twenty percent.
• Xiao Yan summoned Nihility Devouring Flame and asked the Dou Saint elder to let him try filtering the gathered fighting qi.
• Xiao Yan appeared among the disciples in the plaza without disturbing their work.

Xiao Yan refined Dou Qi at Origin Return Manor and arranged for two disciples to use Nihility Devouring Flame Child Flames to help with the filtering. After Zhukun returned from watching the Extraterritorial Evil Clan, Xiao Yan and Zhukun discussed the growing threat and plans to disrupt its energy transmission.

• Xiao Yan purified and liquefied the Dou Qi, losing less than half a percent of its energy, and gave the container to Huo Zhi.
• Xiao Yan offered Child Flames to Origin Return Manor disciples, and Huo Zhi selected Yan Ling and Huo Guandu to take turns filtering Dou Qi.
• Xiao Yan helped Yan Ling and Huo Guandu absorb Child Flames from Little Scale over the following day, preparing them to improve the filtering results.
• Zhukun returned after three days of watching the Extraterritorial Evil Clan and told Xiao Yan that the clan did not appear ready to attack.
• Zhukun warned that the Heavenly Demon Phoenixes were growing stronger, and Xiao Yan said he and Xiao Yi Xian planned to bring other experts to destroy the Extraterritorial Evil Clan's energy transmission.