Chapter Summaries

Wu Huai revealed that he had planned to seize control of the Jia Ma Empire for his own gain, believing the Heavenly Snake Mansion’s rise would help him advance further. As his forces prepared to attack, Xiao Yan showed him a jade token bearing a serpent head.

• Wu Huai recalled how he had gained the Heavenly Snake Mansion’s support and learned that the mansion’s rise was tied to Xiao Yan and the Jia Ma Empire.
• Wu Huai ordered Xie Biyan and Ye Guan to gather forces and take control of the Jia Ma Empire, hoping to seize the aid sent there.
• After Xie Biyan died and Ye Guan and Ye He were defeated by Yao Yan, Wu Huai arrived and ordered the Heavenly Snake Mansion’s troops to attack.
• Xiao Yan shielded Huo Zhi and asked Wu Huai to hold his hand, but Wu Huai offered to spare him only if he knelt, cut off an arm, and left.
• Xiao Yan refused to leave and presented Wu Huai with a jade token carved with a serpent head.

Wu Huai ordered an attack on Xiao Yan despite the King Snake Token, and Xiao Yan was forced to flee while weakened as Heavenly Snake Mansion members joined the fight. Zi Yan held off Qin Huan, while Yan Luotian asked Madam Zhu whether she wanted to enter the battle.

• Wu Huai recognized Xiao Yan’s King Snake Token, but after Xiao Yan identified himself, Wu Huai doubted his identity and ordered his men to kill him.
• Qin Huan attacked Xiao Yan with a spiked club, and Xiao Yan dodged while weakened by the backlash from his secret technique.
• Heavenly Snake Mansion members began joining the attack, believing Xiao Yan could not be the powerful elder they had heard about.
• Zi Yan confronted Qin Huan to protect Xiao Yan as Xiao Yan fled through the encircling crowd.
• Yan Luotian asked Madam Zhu whether she wanted to join the battle.

The Five Nations Alliance’s experts joined the attack on Xiao Yan while Madam Zhu and Yan Luotian initially held back. Huo Zhi revealed the Crimson Lotus Karma Flame’s terrifying power, but Madam Zhu and Yan Luotian intervened, and the chapter ended as Huo Zhi rushed to join Xiao Yan and golden light erupted between them.

• Ye Guan ordered the Five Nations Alliance’s experts to attack Xiao Yan, while Madam Zhu and Yan Luotian’s followers remained on the sidelines.
• Queen Medusa, Yun Yun, and their allies moved to protect Xiao Yan, as Yun Shan intercepted pursuers from the Heavenly Snake Mansion.
• Wu Huai tried to stop Huo Zhi, but her Crimson Lotus Karma Flame burned his fists and nearly killed him.
• Madam Zhu deflected Huo Zhi’s next attack, and Yan Luotian arrived as Wu Huai called for them to attack together.
• Huo Zhi rushed toward Xiao Yan, and as they neared each other, a burst of golden light erupted between them.

Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi reunited amid the battle, where Yan Luotian wounded Xiao Yan before Xiao Yan killed him and Huo Zhi helped Xiao Yan escape. As Wu Huai ordered the Heavenly Snake Mansion forces to pursue them, an enraged voice accused Wu Huai of trying to murder an elder.

• Yan Luotian intercepted Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi, but Huo Zhi's Azure Netherworld Finger pierced Yan Luotian as he stabbed Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan killed Yan Luotian with the Mountain Opening Seal and Crimson Lotus Karma Flame, then collapsed into Huo Zhi's arms.
• Huo Zhi transferred Dou Qi to Xiao Yan and used rings of Crimson Lotus Karma Flame to disrupt the surrounding experts while fleeing with him.
• Wu Huai ordered the Heavenly Snake Mansion subordinates to kill Xiao Yan, and nearly ninety percent of them surged after Xiao Yan and Huo Zhi.
• An angry voice accused Wu Huai of daring to murder an elder.

Xiao Yan killed Wu Huai after Yang Lingyan arrived and restored the Heavenly Snake Mansion members’ resolve, helping secure victory for the Jia Ma Empire. With the battle decided, Xiao Yan learned Yang Zhishuang was not present and asked Yang Lingyan to accompany him to the fortress for another task.

• Yang Lingyan arrived and stopped the Heavenly Snake Mansion members from wavering, while Wu Huai fled the battlefield.
• Huo Zhi lent Xiao Yan her Dou Qi, and Xiao Yan used the Wild Desolation Ruler to pierce Wu Huai’s body and destroy his soul with the fused Crimson Lotus Karma Flame.
• Xiao Yan stored Wu Huai’s intact body in his Storage Ring as a possible vessel for Yao Lao’s resurrection.
• Madam Zhu surrendered, Zi Yan killed Qin Huan, and Ye Guan, Ye He, and others from the Five Nations Alliance escaped.
• Yang Lingyan apologized to Xiao Yan and explained that he had left Tianlan City while his father dealt with the aftermath.
• Xiao Yan learned Yang Zhishuang was still in Tianlan City and told Yang Lingyan to head to the fortress with him for a task.

Xiao Yan oversaw the response to the poison fog at Black Mountain Fortress, earning the Jia Ma Empire’s gratitude as evacuations reduced the casualties. At a banquet honoring Yang Lingyan, he was reunited with Ya Fei.

• Xiao Yan took the seat of honor at a council meeting while Heavenly Snake Mansion’s experts discussed the purge following Wu Huai’s actions.
• Xiao Yan told Yang Lingyan how the poison fog had spread, and Heavenly Snake Mansion and Jia Ma’s experts continued evacuating ordinary people.
• Nearly one-third of the Jia Ma Empire was evacuated within three days, and Xiao Yan’s role in protecting its people became widely known.
• Jia Ma held a grand banquet at Black Mountain Fortress to honor Yang Lingyan, where Xiao Yan sat beside her.
• Ya Fei arrived and greeted Xiao Yan warmly, and he teased her about remembering him from Wutan City.

Xiao Yan reunited with Ya Fei at a gathering in Black Mountain Fortress, where his standing among the empire’s powerful had transformed their old acquaintance. After they left the banquet to walk along the fortress walls, Ya Fei revealed that she needed his help with something.

• Xiao Yan was surprised to see Ya Fei, who thanked him for helping her in the past and introduced him to Mittel Tengshan.
• Tengshan praised Xiao Yan and, after recognizing their old friendship, left Ya Fei to catch up with him.
• Ya Fei remarked on Xiao Yan’s rise to power, and they joked together about making her empress of the Jia Ma Empire.
• Ya Fei invited Xiao Yan to walk outside, and the two strolled along the illuminated walls of Black Mountain Fortress.
• Xiao Yan asked whether Ya Fei needed his help, and she confirmed that there was something only he could do for her.

Xiao Yan learned that the Mittel Family planned to make Ya Fei Gu He's concubine after Gu He rejected a marriage alliance. Ya Fei asked Xiao Yan to take her as his concubine instead.

• Xiao Yan noticed that Ya Fei was troubled and asked her to speak plainly.
• Ya Fei told Xiao Yan that Gu He had obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame and become a sixth-tier alchemist.
• Ya Fei explained that the Mittel Family had chosen her for a marriage alliance with Gu He, who refused because he already loved someone.
• Ya Fei said the clan elders decided she should become Gu He's concubine, and Xiao Yan asked whether she wanted his help.
• Ya Fei confessed that she wanted to be Xiao Yan's concubine.

Ya Fei asked Xiao Yan to take her as his concubine so she could escape her family’s political plans, but he fled rather than accept a relationship he did not want. He decided to resolve her trouble through the Heavenly Snake Mansion’s influence and spent the rest of the evening among the soldiers at the city wall.

• Ya Fei told Xiao Yan that becoming his concubine would give her freedom from her family’s plans and that she was willing to fulfill the role sincerely.
• Xiao Yan rushed away when Ya Fei stepped close, promising to handle her predicament without agreeing to take her as his concubine.
• Ya Fei reflected on her long-standing feelings for Xiao Yan and resolved not to let anyone else control her future.
• Xiao Yan considered his feelings for Xun Er and Qing Lin, then concluded that the Heavenly Snake Mansion’s backing could persuade the Mittel Family and Gu He to abandon their plans.
• Xiao Yan skipped the drinking party, walked along the city wall, and gave guidance and medicinal pills to promising soldiers who admired him.

Jia Xingtian offered Xiao Yan control of the Jia Ma Empire in exchange for marrying his great-granddaughters and ensuring the future heir came from their family. Xiao Yan refused and said he planned to leave the empire in a few days.

• Xiao Yan found Jia Xingtian waiting outside his quarters with his great-granddaughters Ya Ye and Yao Yue.
• Jia Xingtian asked Xiao Yan what he thought of the Jia Ma Empire, and Xiao Yan said he was born and raised there.
• Jia Xingtian proposed that Xiao Yan become ruler of Jia Ma, arguing that his strength and alliances could make the empire a dominant power.
• Jia Xingtian offered Ya Ye and Yao Yue as Xiao Yan's wives, on the condition that the empire's future heir be their child.
• Xiao Yan rejected Jia Xingtian's offer and said he would leave the Jia Ma Empire in a few days.

Xiao Yan rejected Jia Xingtian’s request to help take control of the imperial family and warned him not to entrust his hopes to others. Back at his residence, Xiao Yan recovered from battle and cultivated toward a breakthrough to Dou Zong, but an unexpected visitor interrupted him.

• Xiao Yan firmly refused Jia Xingtian’s proposal, despite Jia Xingtian offering his help, and left after reminding him that Xie Biyan had surpassed him by relying on his own strength.
• Jia Xingtian stopped Ya Ye from following Xiao Yan and reflected on how he had lost the pride he possessed as a youth.
• Xiao Yan examined his weakened body and Crimson Lotus Karma Flame, puzzled by the connection between his flame and Huo Zhi’s.
• Xiao Yan sensed that a Dou Zun expert had marked him and resolved to grow stronger while keeping the Flame Mantra’s ability to absorb Heavenly Flames secret from Yan Di.
• Xiao Yan cultivated as his eight-star Dou Emperor bottleneck began to crumble, but he stopped when an unexpected visitor knocked and appeared at his door.

Nalan Yanran visited Xiao Yan to apologize for their past and confessed that she had fallen in love with him, but her attempt to get close to him ended with Xiao Yan rejecting her. Yun Yun’s arrival at the door left Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran facing an awkward confrontation.

• Nalan Yanran visited Xiao Yan and asked whether he still hated her, then apologized for the harm caused by breaking off their engagement.
• Xiao Yan accepted her apology, but his Dou Qi accidentally undid Nalan Yanran’s dress, and he blasted her away when she clung to him.
• Nalan Yanran said she had come of her own will, confessed that she had fallen for Xiao Yan after their three-year agreement, and admitted her feelings had resisted her attempts to forget him.
• Xiao Yan rejected Nalan Yanran’s approach and suspected her clan had encouraged the seduction attempt.
• Yun Yun knocked at Xiao Yan’s door, startling Nalan Yanran and making Xiao Yan tense.

Xiao Yan hid Nalan Yanran in his wardrobe when Yun Yun came to his room, then struggled to conceal the situation as Yun Yun entered and examined him. Their conversation turned to their hidden identities and their shared past in the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

• Xiao Yan found Nalan Yanran naked and without clothes, gave her his own outfit, and hid her in his wardrobe.
• Yun Yun came to Xiao Yan's door, and Xiao Yan persuaded her to go for a walk before she insisted on entering his room.
• Yun Yun suspected Nalan Yanran had visited, and Xiao Yan admitted that she had come by.
• Yun Yun apologized for Nalan Yanran's past actions, and Xiao Yan said he had no reason to blame her.
• Yun Yun examined Xiao Yan's condition, and he asked why she had hidden her identity in the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

Xiao Yan reunited with Yun Yun, explained his rapid rise, and learned she no longer intended to recruit him for the Misty Cloud Sect. After Yun Yun left, Xiao Yan sent Nalan Yanran back with a message rejecting Nalan Jie's methods.

• Yun Yun questioned Xiao Yan about his sudden increase in strength, and he gave her a rough account of his extraordinary experiences while Nalan Yanran listened from inside a wardrobe.
• Yun Yun regretted that she had let Nalan Yanran break off her engagement to Xiao Yan, but accepted that neither the Misty Cloud Sect nor the Jia Ma Empire could keep him.
• Xiao Yan told Yun Yun that other factions had already tried to recruit him, and he reflected that he had only seven days before he had to go to the Flame Clan.
• Yun Yun and Xiao Yan shared an affectionate embrace before she left to arrange matters concerning the major factions.
• Xiao Yan let Nalan Yanran out of the wardrobe and told her to inform Nalan Jie that he had no interest in his methods.

After refusing to rekindle anything with Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yan helped oversee the evacuation of Jia Ma Empire’s civilians and learned that Gu He had arrived at Black Mountain Fortress. Xiao Yan met Gu He in the council hall and prepared to ask him a favor, while concealing his ability to absorb multiple Heavenly Flames.

• Nalan Yanran left in tears after Xiao Yan made clear he had no feelings for her or the Nalan Family.
• The Heavenly Snake Mansion began moving Jia Ma Empire’s ordinary citizens to safety, and Xiao Yan watched the evacuation with satisfaction.
• Yang Lingyan told Xiao Yan that Gu He possessed a Heavenly Flame and had come to Black Mountain Fortress; Xiao Yan rejected Yang Lingyan’s suggestion to use force.
• Gu He met with Yun Shan and Yun Yun in the council hall, where he sensed a powerful Heavenly Flame within Xiao Yan when Xiao Yan and Yang Lingyan arrived.
• Yun Shan introduced Xiao Yan, Yang Lingyan, and Gu He, and Xiao Yan directly told Gu He that he had a favor to ask.

Xiao Yan asked Gu He to annul Ya Fei’s engagement, and Gu He agreed after Ya Fei declared she did not want to marry him. Jealous of Xiao Yan’s closeness with Yun Yun, Gu He challenged him to a contest and proposed competing in alchemy.

• Xiao Yan asked Gu He to annul his engagement to Ya Fei.
• Gu He resisted, citing the seriousness of breaking an engagement, but Ya Fei said she had never agreed to marry him.
• Gu He agreed to annul the engagement after Ya Fei rejected him, while Xiao Yan and Yang Lingyan dismissed the risk of offending him.
• Gu He grew jealous after noticing Yun Yun’s attention toward Xiao Yan and challenged Xiao Yan to a contest.
• After Gu He suggested competing in fire control, Xiao Yan proposed they compete in alchemy instead.

Xiao Yan challenged Gu He to an alchemy contest, refusing to let Gu He deliberately concede. Gu He agreed to compete at full strength, and Xiao Yan brought out the Black Demon Cauldron to begin.

• Xiao Yan challenged Gu He to compete in alchemy, surprising the council because Gu He was a renowned sixth-tier alchemist.
• Nalan Jie warned Xiao Yan about Gu He's skill, while Ya Fei worried about the risk he was taking for her freedom.
• Gu He realized that the contest put him in a difficult position because the Heavenly Snake Mansion backed Xiao Yan.
• Gu He asked what pill they would refine, hoping to find a way to concede without losing face.
• Xiao Yan insisted they each use their full strength and let the pill's tier and quality decide the winner, forcing Gu He to accept a serious contest.
• Xiao Yan summoned the Black Demon Cauldron Yao Lao had left him.

Xiao Yan and Gu He began an alchemy contest, and Xiao Yan’s Crimson Lotus Karma Flame overwhelmed Gu He’s Green Lotus Core Flame. Fama could not discern Xiao Yan’s alchemy level, leaving the onlookers wondering whether Xiao Yan could win.

• Gu He brought out his cauldron and Green Lotus Core Flame, which impressed the spectators.
• Xiao Yan revealed his Crimson Lotus Karma Flame, suppressing Gu He’s flame with its superior power.
• Gu He controlled his source flame and began refining a high-grade sixth-tier Turtle Origin Pill while Xiao Yan started refining medicinal ingredients.
• Jia Xingtian asked Fama to assess Xiao Yan, but Fama admitted he could not tell what tier of alchemist Xiao Yan was.
• The spectators reconsidered the contest and wondered whether Xiao Yan could defeat Gu He.

Xiao Yan and Gu He competed to refine pills, but Xiao Yan’s Breakthrough Zong Pill carried personal stakes: he needed it to improve his chances of reaching Dou Zong and gain strength against Yan Di. Gu He finished his pill first, while Xiao Yan’s pill was nearing completion.

• Gu He was distracted by Xiao Yan’s skill and ruined his first batch of ingredients, then swallowed a pill and refocused on refining.
• Xiao Yan’s first attempt also failed, but he reviewed his mistake and began again alongside a newly cautious Gu He.
• Xiao Yan refined a Breakthrough Zong Pill for himself, hoping to improve his chances of advancing to Dou Zong and better resist Yan Di.
• Xiao Yan steadily condensed the medicinal liquids into a pill embryo inside the Black Demon Cauldron.
• Gu He finished a green pill, but most spectators kept watching Xiao Yan as energy surged from his cauldron and his pill neared completion.

Xiao Yan completed the Breakthrough Zong Pill, impressing the spectators with its quality and securing victory over Gu He. Gu He conceded and released Ya Fei from their engagement, while the Heavenly Snake Mansion elders speculated about Ya Fei’s place in Xiao Yan’s life.

• Gu He briefly considered disturbing Xiao Yan’s pill refinement but rejected the idea, then put away his Turtle Spirit Pill as the outcome became clear.
• Xiao Yan carefully refined the Breakthrough Zong Pill until a powerful energy pillar burst through the chamber’s ceiling, and Fama judged it a top-grade sixth-tier pill.
• Xiao Yan captured the pill when it tried to flee, completed the refinement, and asked Gu He for his view of the result.
• Gu He admitted defeat and told Mite'er Tengshan and Ya Fei that their original engagement was dropped.
• Ya Fei felt relieved and grew more warmly disposed toward Xiao Yan, while the Heavenly Snake Mansion elders noticed her feelings and assumed she would become one of Xiao Yan’s wives.