Chapter Summaries

1. Key Plot Points & Events

• Xu Yan and the Jade Pool Holy Maiden arrive at Demon Feng Ancient City, a colossal, ancient city within the Demon Vault, radiating dense archaic aura.
• Xu Yan's Ghost-Deity Register trembles faintly, hinting the city may be connected to the Netherworld / Nether King's legacy. He speculates the ancient gathering of prodigies may never have happened.
• They meet Yan Rulong, who entered earlier. She followed clues from a collapsed ancient stele map, suggesting the city deliberately lured cultivators to it.
• The city's restrictions prevent flying over the walls; the only way in is the main gate. While they wait, the mist at the gate parts on its own, and scout cultivators emerge, reporting empty streets and no immediate danger.
• Crowds of cultivators begin entering the city. Xu Yan, the Holy Maiden, and Yan Rulong enter together.
• Inside, they find dense spiritual currents, ruined buildings, and a massive Moonlight Celestial Phenomenon — a huge, eerie moon suspended above the city.
• At a fork in the road, a monstrous Ghost-Deity General appears — an undead armored sentinel patrolling the streets. When a cultivator approaches within three zhang, it instantly kills him with a halberd strike. Everyone else freezes in caution.

2. Character Developments

• Xu Yan: Stays vigilant, using his Manifest Sage Dharma Eye to analyze the city’s restrictions. He recognizes brute force is useless and decides to enter through the main gate once the way opens.
• Jade Pool Holy Maiden: Shows a calm, composed demeanor despite being wounded. She downplays her injury and continues onward without complaint.
• Yan Rulong: Begins with teasing toward Xu Yan but quickly shifts to serious observation. She shares useful information and demonstrates caution.
• Unknown cultivators: A reckless cultivator’s overconfidence leads to his immediate death, serving as a warning about the city’s hidden dangers.

3. Significant Themes

• Ancient city as both invitation and trap: The city seems deliberately designed to draw cultivators in, but contains lethal, unspoken rules.
• The unknown dangers of the Demon Vault: Unlike Dragon Ridge Immortal City, there are no safe zones or enforced rules — only instinct and caution keep one alive.
• Death and lingering remnants: The Ghost-Deity General is a soulless remnant of an ancient guardian, endlessly patrolling its post.
• Mystery of the Nether King: The Ghost-Deity Register’s reaction ties the city to unresolved lore about the Nether King and a gathering that may never have occurred.

4. Character Interactions

• Yan Rulong greets the Jade Pool Holy Maiden as “Sister Yi,” immediately noticing her shoulder wound.
• She teases Xu Yan about traveling with the Holy Maiden, but he does not take the bait and instead asks practical questions about the city.
• The three decide to enter the city together after scouts report the streets clear.
• The Ghost-Deity General’s sudden kill shocks the gathered cultivators, forcing everyone into tense, motionless vigilance.

Summary: “Descendant of the Nether King: Drunken Moon Lotus”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Inside the Demon Vault, cultivators enter the ruined ancient city of Demon Feng. A terrifying ghost general effortlessly kills an Immortal Aperture cultivator, warning everyone of the danger.
• The group reaches a vast spirit pool filled with moon-white liquid. At its center float thirteen Drunken Moon Lotuses—ancient, priceless divine-sense treasures that can aid Purple Mansion cultivation.
• Greed overrides caution: several cultivators rush forward to seize the lotuses. Before they succeed, a pale, black-robed youth appears, wielding overwhelming force. He casually blasts the attackers away, killing or injuring several experts.
• The youth warns everyone not to touch “this king’s medicinal treasures.” The crowd is shocked by his power.
• Xu Yan, using his Dharma Eye, realizes the youth is not an outsider but a native creature of the Demon Vault, alive and deeply connected to the ancient city.
• The Jade Pool Holy Maiden suggests he might be a descendant of the Primordial Nether King.
• The youth confirms it: he is a 47th-generation direct descendant of the Nether King, the builder of Feng City. He declares that the city and lotuses belong to his bloodline and threatens death to any who try to steal them.
• He explains the lotuses were formed over countless ages, nourished by an earth-vein spirit spring and moonlight—making them far more valuable than ordinary Drunken Moon Lotuses.

2. Character Developments

• Xu Yan: Cautious and perceptive. He restrains his companions from rushing into danger and uses his Dharma Eye to uncover the youth’s true nature.
• Yan Rulong: Initially tempted by the treasure, eager to act, but trusts Xu Yan’s judgment and hesitates.
• Jade Pool Holy Maiden: Observant and composed. She intuitively links the youth to the Nether King’s bloodline.
• The Nether King descendant (youth): Proud, domineering, and protective of his inheritance. He shows both the arrogance of royalty and the wisdom of an ancient guardian.

3. Significant Themes

• Greed vs. Caution: Cultivators’ greed leads to death and humiliation, while the cautious are spared.
• Ancient Legacy and Guardianship: The weight of the Nether King’s bloodline endures through the youth, who guards his ancestor’s treasures.
• Outsiders vs. Natives: Outside cultivators view the Demon Vault as a resource; the youth treats it as sacred ancestral ground.
• The Price of Opportunity: Great treasures in the Demon Vault come with lethal dangers far beyond ordinary trials.

4. Character Interactions

• Xu Yan blocks Yan Rulong from rushing toward the lotuses, warning her that a powerful being is approaching.
• The Jade Pool Holy Maiden and Yan Rulong discuss the youth’s origins; the Holy Maiden deduces the Nether King bloodline connection.
• The youth hears her words and acknowledges her with an unreadable smile, saying, “At last, there is someone who understands.”
• The youth directly confronts the assembled cultivators, delivering both a warning and a threat, while the crowd debates whether to fight or retreat.

Chapter Summary: Holding the Spirit Peaks for Grand Calamity Pills

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cultivators gather around a spirit pool filled with extremely rare Drunken Moon Lotuses, coveted divine-sense medicines. However, the descendant of the Underworld King—known as the Nether Prince—guards them and intimidates the crowd with his overwhelming power.
• Several cultivators attempt to exchange treasures for the lotuses, offering ancient spirit treasures, a Purple Mansion artifact embryonic vessel, Daoist scriptures, and a powerful Spirit-Born Artifact. The Nether Prince dismisses every offering as worthless, revealing his extreme arrogance and unusually high standards.
• Xu Yan observes the Nether Prince with his Manifest Sage Dharma Eye and discovers that, despite his terrifying abilities, the Nether Prince is only at the Fourth Turn of Immortal Aperture and has reached a cultivation bottleneck.
• Xu Yan approaches and offers a ten-thousand-year-old Yin-Yang Twin Calamity Flower. When the Nether Prince rejects it, Xu Yan privately reveals that he can refine Supreme-Grade Grand Calamity Pills.
• The Nether Prince agrees to exchange one Drunken Moon Lotus for ten Supreme-Grade Grand Calamity Pills. Xu Yan promises to produce them within fifteen days. Their handshake contains a subtle clash between their Mystic Qi, serving as a quiet test of one another’s strength.
• After leaving the spirit pool, Xu Yan, Yan Rulong, and the Jade Pool Holy Maiden travel deeper into Demon Feng Ancient City. They discover a region filled with more than a hundred immense spirit peaks and extraordinarily dense, though dangerous, heaven-and-earth energy.
• Numerous cultivators are fighting over the peaks. Murong Ziyao is battling five descendants of great bandits from Nether Province, including Chu Wu. Despite being outnumbered, she dominates the fight through her Geng Metal Divine Body and powerful ice-based abilities.
• Yan Rulong asks why Xu Yan does not assist Murong Ziyao, clearly recognizing their connection. Xu Yan remains silent and shows no intention of intervening. Instead, he urges the group to seize the sixteen central spirit peaks, where the energy is densest.

Character Developments

• Xu Yan: Demonstrates strategic intelligence, confidence, and restraint. Rather than competing directly for the lotuses, he identifies the Nether Prince’s needs and negotiates through his alchemical abilities. His observation of the Nether Prince’s cultivation shows his growing perceptive power, while his decision not to help Murong Ziyao suggests emotional distance or a deliberate refusal to reveal their relationship.
• The Nether Prince: Establishes himself as proud, domineering, and exceptionally discerning. He treats powerful treasures as worthless but recognizes the value of Supreme-Grade Grand Calamity Pills. His exchange with Xu Yan reveals curiosity and respect beneath his arrogance, as well as an interest in testing Xu Yan’s strength.
• Yan Rulong: Acts as an observant companion, noticing both Xu Yan’s connection to Murong Ziyao and his unusual decision not to help her.
• Jade Pool Holy Maiden: Remains quiet and composed, accompanying Xu Yan without interfering in his negotiations or his decision regarding Murong Ziyao.
• Murong Ziyao: Displays formidable combat ability by suppressing five opponents simultaneously. Her Geng Metal Divine Body and ice-baleful techniques mark her as an exceptionally powerful cultivator.
• Chu Wu: Suffers under Murong Ziyao’s attacks and becomes resentful of the strength of Cang Province’s cultivators, recalling his earlier encounter with another powerful disciple from the same region.

Significant Themes

• Power and hierarchy: The Nether Prince’s contempt for valuable treasures emphasizes the vast differences between ordinary cultivators and ancient or extraordinary beings.
• Strategic negotiation: Xu Yan succeeds not through brute force but by offering something uniquely valuable: his alchemical skill. The chapter highlights intelligence and specialization as alternatives to direct combat.
• Hidden strength and mutual testing: Both Xu Yan and the Nether Prince conceal their full capabilities while quietly probing each other through observation and their handshake.
• Competition for opportunities: The Drunken Moon Lotuses and spirit peaks represent rare cultivation resources that provoke greed, conflict, and violence among the cultivators.
• Emotional restraint and concealed relationships: Xu Yan’s refusal to assist Murong Ziyao, despite their apparent connection, raises questions about his motives and suggests unresolved tensions or a deliberate strategic choice.
• Risk in cultivation: The violent energy within the Demon Vault offers immense benefits but can damage one’s Dao foundation, reinforcing the dangerous nature of advancement.

Character Interactions

• The gathered cultivators repeatedly plead with the Nether Prince and offer treasures, but he humiliates them by rejecting everything as inferior.
• Xu Yan and the Nether Prince engage in a private negotiation, forming a conditional alliance based on Xu Yan’s promise to refine ten Supreme-Grade Grand Calamity Pills.
• Their handshake becomes a subtle contest of Mystic Qi, signaling mutual appraisal and possible future rivalry.
• Yan Rulong openly questions Xu Yan about Murong Ziyao, while Xu Yan’s silence communicates his unwillingness to explain himself.
• Murong Ziyao clashes violently with Chu Wu and four other Nether Province cultivators, demonstrating her superiority and intensifying the rivalry between the regions.
• The chapter ends with Xu Yan prioritizing the central spirit peaks over Murong Ziyao’s battle, setting up the next struggle for control of the cultivation resources.

Chapter Summary: Yin-Yang Dual Colors, Slaughter Rises

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xu Yan, Yan Rulong, and the Jade Pool Saintess race toward the cluster of sixteen spiritual peaks at the center of the Demon Vault.
• Xu Yan identifies an unclaimed eastern peak, Mangqi Peak, and leads the group in seizing it from several Rogue Cultivators. Using his overwhelming Second Turn Immortal Aperture cultivation and Primordial Mystic Qi, he defeats them in a single attack without killing them.
• Xu Yan deploys three Spirit Protection Arrays, securing the summit. He and the two women then clear its ruined ancient buildings and discover traces of ancient array formations.
• Drawing on these remnants, Xu Yan establishes a powerful great array of 120 nodes. He claims it can withstand attacks from a Perfected Immortal Aperture cultivator for several days.
• After resting, Xu Yan begins refining Grand Calamity Pills using Yin-Yang Twin Calamity Flowers and a Flawless Embryonic Pill from the Tianshu Bottle. His first several attempts fail, but the sixth furnace succeeds, producing five consummate pills, including one particularly perfect pill that resonates strongly with his Primordial Chaos Immortal Aperture.
• The peace is interrupted when a violent battle erupts on a neighboring peak. Xu Yan and the others observe Jiu Daoyan fighting two Nether Province cultivators, including Chu Wu.
• Jiu Daoyan has killed Chu Wu and is choking the remaining cultivator while demanding to know the origin of the Ghost-Deity Register. A nearly perfected Immortal Aperture cultivator then arrives, furious that members of his Hunhe faction have been slain.

Character Developments

• Xu Yan demonstrates his growing strength, decisiveness, and strategic caution. Rather than waste effort attacking already-defended peaks, he chooses an unclaimed one and secures it quickly. His Mystic Gate array expertise also develops, allowing him to construct a formidable defensive formation.
• Xu Yan advances his alchemy skills. Although repeated failures initially frustrate his pill refinement, he successfully produces consummate Grand Calamity Pills through careful preparation, the Miaoyuan Edict, the Mystic Gate Dharma Eye, and the Tianshu Bottle’s Flawless Embryonic Pill.
• Yan Rulong remains perceptive and confident, supporting Xu Yan while recognizing the value of his array techniques. She also openly comments on Jiu Daoyan’s disturbing transformation.
• The Jade Pool Saintess reveals more about the decline of the ancient Jade Pool inheritance. She explains that the modern Jade Pool Sacred Land merely preserves fragments of the ancient orthodoxy, emphasizing its diminished but enduring legacy.
• Jiu Daoyan has undergone a dramatic change since refining the Slaughter Dao Spirit Seed. His former refined and gentlemanly demeanor has been replaced by intense killing intent, cruelty, and cold calculation. His actions suggest that the Slaughter Dao may be reshaping his temperament or revealing his true nature.
• Chu Wu, previously a significant opponent, is now dead, demonstrating the escalating danger among the factions within the Demon Vault.

Significant Themes

• Competition and survival: The spiritual peaks are valuable strategic resources, and cultivators must seize and defend them before stronger rivals arrive.
• Preparation versus reckless conflict: Xu Yan avoids unnecessary battles, prioritizing defensible territory, formations, rest, and cultivation resources.
• Ancient inheritance and decline: The ruined buildings, residual arrays, and the Jade Pool Saintess’s explanation highlight how ancient traditions have weakened or fragmented over time.
• Transformation through power: Jiu Daoyan’s change reflects the danger of absorbing or cultivating a Slaughter Dao Spirit Seed, raising questions about whether power corrupts or exposes one’s buried nature.
• Yin-yang duality: The Yin-Yang Twin Calamity Flowers, the moon phenomenon, the black-and-white pill, and Xu Yan’s cultivation all reinforce the chapter’s imagery of opposing forces merging into one source of power.
• Rising violence: The chapter shifts from cautious exploration and preparation to open slaughter, foreshadowing larger conflicts between Xu Yan’s group, Jiu Daoyan, and the Nether Province factions.

Character Interactions

• Xu Yan works cooperatively with Yan Rulong and the Jade Pool Saintess, relying on their support while taking the lead in combat, territory selection, array construction, and alchemy.
• Yan Rulong and the Jade Pool Saintess discuss the ancient and modern Jade Pool traditions, with Yan Rulong probing the Saintess about her knowledge of ancient celestial phenomena.
• Both women react uneasily to Jiu Daoyan’s altered personality and acknowledge his former schemes against them and Xu Yan.
• Jiu Daoyan brutally interrogates a surviving Nether Province cultivator about the Ghost-Deity Register, while the arrival of a Hunhe elder sets the stage for a confrontation between him and the Nether Province faction.

Chapter Summary: A Battle of Chosen Heavens Shocks All Quarters

Key Plot Points and Events

• A furious middle-aged Daoist from Nether Province, Hunhe, attacks Jiu Daoyan after their conflict, spreading his Perfected Immortal Aperture across the battlefield. Jiu Daoyan, despite being only at the First Turn of the Immortal Aperture realm, remains confident and summons his powerful Ghost Sunflower spirit seed.
• Xu Yan recognizes Jiu Daoyan as a future threat and decides to kill him before he can grow stronger. He unleashes his full power with the Primordial Nine-Section Spear, Primordial Mystic Qi, the Taihao Golden Body, and the Four Phenomena of Heavenly Calamities.
• Xu Yan overwhelms Jiu Daoyan with a relentless barrage of spear strikes. Although the Ghost Sunflower repeatedly cracks under the assault, Jiu Daoyan’s Slaughter Immortal Aperture continually repairs it, creating a highly resilient defensive cycle.
• Murong Ziyao suddenly attacks Xu Yan from behind, intending to settle their past grievances. Xu Yan narrowly evades her strike.
• A three-way standoff forms between Xu Yan, Jiu Daoyan, and Murong Ziyao. The Jade Pool Saintess steps in to protect Xu Yan and confronts Murong Ziyao, while Yan Rulong joins the battle to support the Saintess.
• Xu Yan resumes his assault on Jiu Daoyan. After hundreds—and eventually nearly a thousand—exchanges, Jiu Daoyan is driven into retreat, his Ghost Sunflower and Immortal Aperture visibly weakening.
• The battle’s destructive power attracts cultivators from surrounding spirit peaks, who gather to watch and speculate about the combatants. The spectacle threatens to trigger a larger melee in the lawless Demon Vault Realm.
• Before Xu Yan can finish Jiu Daoyan, a descendant of the Nether King intervenes and orders everyone to stop, warning that continued fighting will destroy the spirit peak. Xu Yan and Jiu Daoyan reluctantly withdraw their powers, ending the battle without a decisive kill.

Character Developments

• Xu Yan: Demonstrates overwhelming combat power, confidence, and ruthless determination. He reveals that he views Jiu Daoyan as a dangerous future enemy and is willing to fight to the death to eliminate him. His Primordial Mystic Qi, spear technique, physical strength, and movement arts prove superior to Jiu Daoyan’s direct defensive capabilities.
• Jiu Daoyan: Shows extraordinary resilience and composure despite being forced onto the defensive. His slaughter-based cultivation and Ghost Sunflower spirit seed are revealed to possess powerful regenerative and defensive properties. However, the prolonged battle exposes the limits of his stamina and cultivation compared with Xu Yan’s foundation.
• Murong Ziyao: Acts decisively on her personal hostility toward Xu Yan, launching a surprise attack and openly threatening him. She remains cold, provocative, and confident, while implying continued unresolved conflict between them.
• Jade Pool Saintess: Establishes herself as Xu Yan’s protector and ally by immediately intercepting Murong Ziyao. Her calm, disciplined fighting style contrasts with Murong’s aggressive hostility.
• Yan Rulong: Supports the Jade Pool Saintess and demonstrates loyalty by joining the confrontation.
• Nether King’s Descendant: Appears as an authoritative mediator whose intervention prevents the battlefield from collapsing and the conflict from escalating into a mass battle.

Significant Themes

• Conflict between rising geniuses: The chapter centers on a clash between exceptionally gifted cultivators from major sects, showing how their rivalries may reshape the balance of power.
• Eliminating future threats: Xu Yan’s decision to kill Jiu Daoyan before he becomes stronger reflects the ruthless logic of the cultivation world, where potential danger must be removed early.
• Power versus endurance: Xu Yan possesses superior offensive force and Mystic Qi, while Jiu Daoyan survives through regeneration, defensive mastery, and adaptability.
• Unstable alliances: Personal enemies and sect affiliations overlap. Xu Yan is supported by Jade Pool disciples while facing both Jiu Daoyan and Murong Ziyao, illustrating the shifting alliances of the Demon Vault Realm.
• The danger of spectacle: The battle draws surrounding cultivators and risks becoming a large-scale conflict, emphasizing that displays of power can attract both allies and opportunistic enemies.

Character Interactions

• Xu Yan and Jiu Daoyan: Exchange sarcastic remarks before engaging in an increasingly violent duel. Xu Yan dominates offensively, while Jiu Daoyan stubbornly resists and recognizes the depth of Xu Yan’s foundation.
• Xu Yan and Murong Ziyao: Their hostile history resurfaces when Murong attempts a surprise attack. Their verbal exchange is filled with mockery, threats, and unresolved personal resentment.
• Xu Yan and the Jade Pool Saintess: She openly offers to defend him, and her intervention allows Xu Yan to focus entirely on defeating Jiu Daoyan.
• Jade Pool Saintess and Murong Ziyao: Fight directly, with the Saintess calmly blocking Murong’s killing intent and declaring herself her opponent.
• Yan Rulong and the Jade Pool Saintess: Yan Rulong volunteers to assist the Saintess, reinforcing the cooperation between the Jade Pool cultivators.
• Nether King’s Descendant and the combatants: His warning forces all sides to stop before the spirit peak collapses, leaving the Xu Yan–Jiu Daoyan conflict unresolved.

Chapter Summary: “Cease the War, Trade for Moon Lotus”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Xu Yan and Jiu Daoyan’s battle is interrupted by the mysterious Nether King’s descendant, who warns them not to damage the ancient city’s spiritual currents. Both cultivators cease fighting, recognizing his overwhelming strength.
• Jiu Daoyan is badly injured and realizes that Xu Yan’s one-turn advantage allowed him to suppress the Formless Dao Foundation despite their otherwise comparable Dao foundations.
• Xu Yan, Yan Rulong, and the Jade Pool Saintess leave the city’s central area. The Saintess verbally confronts Murong Ziyao, criticizing her hostile personality, while Murong mocks the Saintess’s concern for Xu Yan.
• Jiu Daoyan claims that Murong Ziyao’s senior sister will eventually kill Xu Yan and his companions, but Murong instead condemns Jiu Daoyan for losing despite possessing the renowned Formless Dao Foundation.
• Back at Mangqi Peak, Xu Yan retreats to refine ten premium Grand Calamity Pills, which he needs to exchange for a Drunken Moon Lotus. Through careful adjustment of furnace heat, ingredient timing, and divine-sense control, he gradually perfects the process.
• After nine days, Xu Yan successfully completes ten premium pills without further failures.
• Jiang Beixuan and Chongwu Chun arrive at Mangqi Peak after exploring the Demon Vault. Chongwu is injured by a beast carrying corrosive Killing Intent, and Yan Rulong gives him an Azure Spirit Pill to treat the wound.
• Jiang Beixuan reports that the ancient city’s spiritual currents are unevenly distributed. The richest areas have been claimed, but some locations remain protected by unbroken restrictions.
• Xu Yan tells them about the Nether King’s descendant, and Jiang Beixuan speculates that the descendant may have ambitions beyond guarding the Drunken Moon Lotuses.
• Xu Yan returns alone to the central spirit pool and trades the ten premium Grand Calamity Pills for one Drunken Moon Lotus. The Nether King’s descendant confirms the pills’ exceptional quality and advises Xu Yan to seal the lotus in a spirit jade box within seven days.
• The chapter ends with the arrival of Nie Wushuang, the divine-bodied princess of Yunlang Kingdom, accompanied by more than a dozen imperial guards.

Character Developments

• Xu Yan: Demonstrates restraint by ending the battle when ordered, accurately assesses Jiu Daoyan’s potential, and shows impressive alchemical talent and patience. His successful refinement of the pills advances his cultivation plans and earns him the Drunken Moon Lotus.
• Jiu Daoyan: Suffers a serious defeat and recognizes that Xu Yan’s higher cultivation level was decisive. His pride is wounded further by Murong Ziyao’s harsh criticism, deepening his resentment and frustration.
• Murong Ziyao: Reveals a disdainful, antagonistic personality. She looks down on Jiu Daoyan despite his prestigious foundation and appears increasingly hostile toward Xu Yan and those who support him.
• Jade Pool Saintess: Becomes more openly supportive of Xu Yan and directly challenges Murong Ziyao, displaying both moral confidence and sharp judgment.
• Yan Rulong: Continues to cooperate closely with Xu Yan and shows concern for others by treating Chongwu Chun’s injury.
• Jiang Beixuan and Chongwu Chun: Return from their exploration with useful information about the city. Chongwu’s injury hints at the dangers hidden throughout the Demon Vault, while Jiang Beixuan displays calm insight into the Nether King’s possible motives.
• Nether King’s descendant: Establishes himself as the dominant authority within the ancient city. Though he honors his bargain with Xu Yan, his inscrutable behavior suggests broader plans.
• Nie Wushuang: Makes a dramatic entrance at the end of the chapter, positioning herself as the next major figure to affect Xu Yan’s situation.

Significant Themes

• Power and restraint: Even exceptionally strong cultivators must control their actions when greater forces or important environments are involved.
• Cultivation foundations and future potential: The conflict between Xu Yan and Jiu Daoyan highlights how Dao foundations, cultivation realms, and accumulated experience shape combat strength.
• Patience and precision: Xu Yan’s pill refinement succeeds through repeated failure, careful observation, and disciplined control rather than brute force.
• Political uncertainty and hidden motives: The Nether King’s descendant claims authority over the city, but his true objectives remain unknown.
• Pride and rivalry: Murong Ziyao’s contempt toward both the Jade Pool Saintess and Jiu Daoyan intensifies interpersonal and sectarian tensions.
• Exchange and opportunity: Xu Yan’s pills become a means of obtaining a rare treasure, showing how resources and skills can substitute for direct competition.

Important Character Interactions

• The Nether King’s descendant forces Xu Yan and Jiu Daoyan to end their duel and asserts control over the ancient city.
• The Jade Pool Saintess rebukes Murong Ziyao for her unpleasant temperament; Murong responds by mocking the Saintess’s apparent concern for Xu Yan.
• Murong insults Jiu Daoyan after his defeat, exposing the harsh expectations surrounding his renowned Formless Dao Foundation.
• Yan Rulong treats Chongwu Chun with an Azure Spirit Pill, strengthening the cooperative atmosphere among the allied cultivators.
• Xu Yan exchanges information with Jiang Beixuan and Chongwu Chun about the city, the Demon Vault, and the Nether King’s descendant.
• Xu Yan and the Nether King’s descendant complete their bargain: ten premium Grand Calamity Pills for one Drunken Moon Lotus.
• Nie Wushuang’s arrival at the end creates immediate suspense and signals a new confrontation or alliance.

Chapter Summary: Nether King’s Secret: The Ascension Road

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nie Wushuang arrives at the spirit pool, displaying the terrifying power of her Five Elements Divine Body and greatly improved cultivation.
• The Nether King’s descendant recognizes her as another divine-body cultivator and comments on the current “great age of contention.”
• Nie Wushuang offers a fragment of the Nether King’s Crown, preserved in the treasury of the Cloud Jade Immortal Kingdom, in exchange for a Drunken Moon Lotus.
• The Nether King’s descendant confirms that the broken Crown once belonged to his lineage, but suspects that Nie Wushuang’s true objective is something more important.
• Nie Wushuang asks him for a Ghost-Deity Register. He gives her one but refuses to explain when or how he awakened.
• A brief confrontation develops when Nie Wushuang warns that Nether Province is now filled with powerful and dangerous figures who may target him. His aura erupts, and her perfected Immortal Aperture guards form a defensive formation, but neither side attacks.
• Nie Wushuang then approaches Xu Yan and invites him to speak privately. Xu Yan agrees, hoping to gain information about the Demon Vault and its hidden opportunities.
• After dismissing her guards to a distance, Nie Wushuang reveals that she knows Xu Yan possesses a Ghost-Deity Register.
• She explains that the registers are not powerful artifacts themselves, but tokens left by the Nether King for prodigies invited to join him in opening an ancient passage known as the Ascension Road.
• The Ascension Road was intended to connect the Nine Provinces and four seas with the Netherworld, allowing lost Primordial Age inheritances and buried treasures to reappear.
• The road was never opened because the Twilight Era began before the invited prodigies could gather.
• Nie Wushuang claims that the Nether King survived the Twilight Era by sealing himself and the Ascension Road inside the Demon Vault. His true body was severely wounded, while his Primordial Spirit fell into a deep slumber.
• The Nether King’s descendant is revealed to be an incarnation of divine sense created to guard the Demon Vault until the Nether King can awaken.
• The Demon Vault’s recent emergence is therefore deliberate: the Nether King sensed that the outside world had changed and that the time to reopen the Ascension Road was approaching.
• There are supposedly 108 Ghost-Deity Registers, each corresponding to an invited prodigy. Nie Wushuang has entered the Demon Vault partly to collect as many as possible.
• She states that the Ascension Road could temper a cultivator’s Dao foundation to the realm of the ultimate Dao and possibly reveal the truth behind the Twilight Era’s great calamity.

Character Developments

• Nie Wushuang is established as a highly capable and calculating Immortal Kingdom princess. Her divine body, powerful divine sense, Dharma Eye, extensive knowledge, and political resources make her one of the chapter’s dominant figures. She pursues her goals diplomatically but is fully prepared to use force.
• Xu Yan becomes increasingly cautious and strategic. He recognizes that Nie Wushuang is not benevolent, yet decides to cooperate because her knowledge may lead him to a major opportunity. He continues concealing his own Ghost-Deity Register.
• The Nether King’s descendant is shown to be proud, guarded, and immensely powerful. He distrusts Nie Wushuang’s intentions, but his reaction to the Crown fragment reveals an emotional and ancestral connection to the Nether King.
• The Nether King is recontextualized from a possibly dead ancient figure into a surviving but dormant power whose plans may soon affect the entire cultivation world.

Significant Themes

• The return of ancient forces: The Demon Vault and the Nether King’s possible awakening suggest that forgotten powers and inheritances from earlier eras are resurfacing.
• Competition and alliance: Even powerful characters must decide whether to cooperate or oppose one another as the age of contention intensifies.
• Hidden purposes behind relics: The Ghost-Deity Registers appear insignificant as objects, but they serve as keys to an immense inheritance and a world-spanning passage.
• Survival through sacrifice: The Nether King survived the Twilight Era only by sealing himself away and suffering severe damage, emphasizing the enormous cost of resisting cosmic calamity.
• The pursuit of ultimate Dao: The Ascension Road represents not only access to the Netherworld but also the possibility of perfecting one’s foundation and reaching the highest realms of cultivation.
• Unresolved historical mysteries: The true nature of the Twilight Era’s catastrophe remains unknown, but the Ascension Road may provide the means to uncover it.

Important Character Interactions

• Nie Wushuang and the Nether King’s descendant: Their exchange is polite but tense. She uses the Crown fragment to obtain a Ghost-Deity Register and warns him about the dangers awaiting him outside the Demon Vault. He resists her probing and refuses to become her ally outright.
• Nie Wushuang and Xu Yan: She directly tests Xu Yan’s guardedness by revealing that she knows he has a Ghost-Deity Register. Their conversation shifts from suspicion to cautious information-sharing, with Nie Wushuang explaining the registers’ true significance.
• Xu Yan and the Nether King’s descendant: Xu Yan remains mostly silent during their encounter, observing the descendant’s reactions and secretly investigating his own register. He learns that the descendant may be merely an incarnation rather than the Nether King’s true self.
• Nie Wushuang and her guards: Her guards demonstrate absolute obedience and coordinated strength, forming a defensive formation immediately when the Nether King’s descendant becomes hostile before withdrawing when she requests privacy.

Chapter Summary:

Golden-Winged Peng King of the Demon Race Appears

Key Plot Points and Events

• Nie Wushuang reveals that the ancient Nether King may still be alive, though only his Primordial Spirit may remain active. His external incarnation is believed to guard the Demon Vault Realm.
• She explains that the Nether King once mastered the laws of Netherworld life and death and may have created or influenced the Netherworld Ascension Road and the Ghost-Deity Register.
• Nie hints that major changes will soon occur within Demon Feng Ancient City but withholds her specific plans, causing Xu Yan to suspect she intends to use him for her own purposes.
• Xu Yan returns to Mangqi Peak and informs the Jade Pool Holy Maiden, Yan Rulong, Jiang Beixuan, and Chongwu Chun about Nie’s revelations.
• The group debates whether the Demon Vault’s opportunities were deliberately arranged by the Nether King and whether the Nether King’s descendant is truly an external incarnation.
• Xu Yan reveals that he possesses one of the 108 Ghost-Deity Registers. The group concludes that the registers are essential for accessing the Netherworld Ascension Road and that conflict over them is inevitable.
• Xu spends two days refining Grand Calamity Pills and stabilizing his cultivation, successfully consolidating his Primordial Chaos Immortal Aperture at the perfected Second Turn.
• A massive battle erupts outside the ancient city. Xu Yan and the others rush to the city walls to observe.
• The combatants are identified as Xuanyuan Kanjing, the chief true disciple of the Dao Evolution Heavenly Palace, and the Golden-Winged Little Roc King, a powerful prodigy of the Golden-Winged Peng Clan from Nether Province.

Character Developments

• Xu Yan: Becomes increasingly cautious about Nie Wushuang’s motives while still acknowledging the value of her information. He takes responsibility for sharing the truth with his companions and continues improving his cultivation, reaching the perfected Second Turn of Immortal Aperture.
• Nie Wushuang: Presents herself as an informed and ambitious ally, but her reluctance to reveal concrete plans makes Xu Yan and the others question her sincerity. Her knowledge of the Nether King, the Ghost-Deity Register, and the Ascension Road establishes her as a major player.
• Jiang Beixuan: Offers a rational counterargument to the idea that the Nether King fully controls the Demon Vault, suggesting that the realm’s current emergence may exceed even the Nether King’s plans.
• Chongwu Chun: Demonstrates political insight by warning that the Cloud Jade Immortal Kingdom often borrows others’ strength and that Nie may be manipulating Xu Yan.
• Yan Rulong: Immediately recognizes the danger that outsiders may merely be pawns in a plan arranged long ago.
• Xuanyuan Kanjing: Appears as a formidable sword cultivator, fighting with several powerful dharma swords and matching the Golden-Winged Little Roc King in battle.
• Golden-Winged Little Roc King: Makes a dramatic entrance as a highly aggressive Demon Race prodigy. His Perfected Immortal Aperture cultivation, golden wings, and immense physical strength establish him as a major rival.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and hidden agendas: The characters question whether the Nether King, Nie Wushuang, or other powers are using outsiders as chess pieces.
• Immortality and the limits of cultivation: Even ancient and powerful cultivators face eventual death, driving them to seek the Netherworld Ascension Road and other paths beyond ordinary lifespan.
• The danger of opportunity: The Ghost-Deity Registers represent an unparalleled opportunity, but their value also guarantees bloodshed and competition.
• Uncertainty between truth and illusion: The Nether King’s external incarnation and inherited memories may not be reliable, emphasizing the difficulty of distinguishing reality from ancient schemes.
• Growing conflict among factions: The appearance of the Golden-Winged Roc Lineage signals that the Demon Vault is drawing powerful forces from across the Nine Provinces, not merely human cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Nie Wushuang attempts to establish cooperation with Xu Yan by sharing secret knowledge, while Xu Yan remains outwardly polite but privately distrustful.
• Xu Yan consults his companions at Mangqi Peak, turning the group into a temporary council for assessing the Nether King’s plans and the value of the Ghost-Deity Register.
• The group debates whether to obtain additional registers from the Nether King’s descendant, but the scarcity of suitable treasures makes the matter uncertain.
• After witnessing the battle outside the city, the group recognizes that the Demon Vault’s conflict now involves the Golden-Winged Roc Lineage and may be connected to its longstanding rivalry with the Cloud Jade Immortal Kingdom.
• The chapter ends with the gathered cultivators watching Xuanyuan Kanjing and the Golden-Winged Little Roc King clash, foreshadowing a broader struggle among human, demonic, and imperial factions.

Chapter Summary: “Yellow Springs Well, an Ancient Exotic Species”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cultivators gathered atop the walls of Demon Feng Ancient City discuss the growing unrest across the Nine Provinces and Four Seas. The emergence of the Demon Vault, the return of the Golden Turtle Great Sage, and the increasing activity of the Demon Race all suggest that a major conflict is approaching.
• Xuanyuan Kanjing, the chief disciple of Dao Evolution Heavenly Palace, battles the Golden-Winged Little Roc King. Their combat is evenly matched:
  • Xuanyuan Kanjing uses only three enchanted swords but manipulates them with such precision that they appear to multiply into thousands.
  • The Little Roc King relies on his extraordinary speed, powerful demon qi, and nearly indestructible feathers and claws.
• The fight becomes a philosophical dispute over the relationship between humans and demons. Xuanyuan claims that demons may be slain in accordance with retribution, especially because demons once preyed upon humans. The Little Roc King rejects humanity’s authority to judge other races, arguing that the human race rose only recently and owes its current dominance to the Three Lords of Primordial Antiquity.
• Their battle resumes with greater intensity, but a deep rumble from within the ancient city interrupts them. Both fighters temporarily abandon their duel and rush toward the disturbance, recognizing that it may be connected to the Demon Vault.
• Xu Yan and his companions discover that the Nether Prince’s descendant has vanished from the spirit pool. Using his Dharma Eye and the Miaoyuan Edict, Xu Yan tracks him toward the city’s depths.
• At the heart of the ruins, they find a massive ancient well overflowing with black mist. The well is constructed from cracked dark bluish-green stones and appears to contain something imprisoned or struggling within.
• A gigantic Nine-Headed Worm emerges from the well and immediately attacks the surrounding cultivators. Its nine heads produce different terrifying cries, and its immense strength overwhelms even a cultivator at the Third Turn of Immortal Aperture.
• A second creature, a translucent Time-Space Cicada, slips out of the well. It uses its soul-piercing hum to disrupt perception and divine sense, then drains the life from an unsuspecting cultivator, leaving behind a withered corpse.
• Ordinary attacks cannot easily harm the Time-Space Cicada, whose body shifts between tangible and intangible states. The chapter ends as the cultivators struggle to confront both ancient exotic species.

Character Developments

• Xuanyuan Kanjing is portrayed as exceptionally powerful, disciplined, and unwavering in her beliefs. Her control of the sword formation demonstrates an extraordinary cultivation foundation. However, her confidence in humanity’s right to exterminate demons also reveals a rigid, supremacist worldview.
• The Golden-Winged Little Roc King proves to be an equal opponent to Xuanyuan. He is proud, aggressive, and deeply resentful of human dominance, but he is also strategic enough to recognize when continuing a battle would benefit their enemies. He reveals that his clan intends to use the Demon Vault as an opportunity to return to the wider Nine Provinces.
• Xu Yan acts decisively when the disturbance begins. His Dharma Eye and Miaoyuan Edict allow him to track the Nether Prince’s disappearance and identify the direction of danger.
• Yan Rulong demonstrates awareness of the larger political situation, recognizing that the Little Roc King’s arrival means the Demon Vault has attracted attention from powerful demon factions.
• The Jade Pool Holy Maiden provides crucial knowledge about the Time-Space Cicada, identifying its abilities and warning the others of its danger.
• The Nether Prince’s descendant remains mysterious. His disappearance suggests that he may have been involved in awakening or accessing the well’s contents.

Significant Themes

• Racial conflict and competing historical narratives: Xuanyuan and the Little Roc King both justify their positions through history, with humans emphasizing past demon violence and demons emphasizing their ancient superiority.
• The danger of simplistic morality: Xuanyuan views demon-slaying as righteous retribution, while the Little Roc King challenges the assumption that one race can define good and evil for all others.
• The return of ancient powers: The Demon Vault and the creatures emerging from the Yellow Springs Well suggest that buried forces from Primordial Antiquity are resurfacing.
• Political and supernatural upheaval: The growing involvement of demon clans, orthodox human sects, and ancient species indicates that the coming conflict will extend beyond a single battle.
• Temporary alliances in the face of greater danger: Xuanyuan and the Little Roc King cease fighting when the ancient disturbance appears, showing that immediate threats can momentarily override longstanding hostility.
• The limits of cultivation and conventional power: The Nine-Headed Worm’s brute strength and the Time-Space Cicada’s unusual, intangible abilities expose the vulnerability of even powerful cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Xuanyuan Kanjing and the Little Roc King fight physically while arguing over whether humans have the right to exterminate demons. Their confrontation establishes both personal hostility and a broader ideological conflict between the Human and Demon Races.
• Yan Rulong and Jiang Beixuan observe the battle and assess the combatants’ strength, while also discussing the implications of the Demon Vault’s emergence.
• Xu Yan, Yan Rulong, and the Jade Pool Holy Maiden cooperate in tracking the Nether Prince’s descendant and investigating the ancient well.
• The cultivators gathered around the well are forced into a chaotic defensive struggle against the Nine-Headed Worm and the Time-Space Cicada, shifting the chapter from a duel between elites to a mass confrontation with ancient monsters.

Chapter Summary: Immortality Beneath the Netherworld

Key Plot Points and Events

• A mysterious Yellow Springs Well suddenly appears, releasing two primordial aberrant species: the Nine-Headed Worm and the Time-Space Cicada.
• The creatures attack nearby cultivators. The Nine-Headed Worm unleashes powerful elemental, yin, and yang techniques, while the Time-Space Cicada drains victims’ vital essence, aging or killing them instantly.
• Xu Yan, Jiang Beixuan, and Chongwu Chun retreat to safety. Soon, several major figures arrive, including the Golden-Winged Little Roc King, Xuanyuan Kanjing, Jiu Daoyan with Heavenly Palace disciples, and Murong Ziyao.
• Just as a confrontation seems imminent, both aberrant creatures abruptly return to the well, apparently summoned by something within it.
• Xu Yan attempts to investigate the well with his Manifest Sage Dharma Eye, divine sense, and Miaoyuan Edict, but cannot perceive its interior.
• Princess Yunlang, Nie Wushuang, explains that the well is not entirely part of the present world. It connects to a frozen period near the end of the primordial era—the Twilight Era, specifically the Netherworld during the Sunfall Great Calamity.
• She further reveals that the Netherworld is the Nether King’s immortal Dharma ground, where ordinary time has no meaning and the Nether King’s laws govern life and death.
• The revelation tempts many cultivators, since entering the Netherworld might allow someone to cultivate for countless years while only an instant passes in the outside world.
• A dying Perfected Immortal Aperture cultivator from the Great Scarlet Heaven Gate volunteers to enter first. His body appears to fragment upon entering the well, but Xu Yan observes that his life aura and divine sense remain intact and are drawn deeper inside rather than destroyed.
• The chapter ends with the crowd shocked and divided between fear and longing, wondering whether the elder has found immortality or merely disappeared into an ancient deathtrap.

Character Developments

• Xu Yan remains cautious and analytical. Rather than being seduced immediately by the promise of immortality, he studies the well carefully and recognizes that its spatial and temporal laws transcend those of the present world.
• Nie Wushuang establishes herself as a knowledgeable and enigmatic authority. She provides crucial information about the well and the Netherworld, though other cultivators question how much of what she says can be trusted.
• Murong Ziyao shows curiosity about entering the well but ultimately chooses not to risk herself after Nie Wushuang’s warning.
• Golden-Winged Little Roc King arrives confidently and appears interested in the primordial creatures, though he makes no rash move.
• The Great Scarlet Heaven Gate elder demonstrates desperation and courage by entering the well, motivated by his nearly exhausted lifespan. His decision also highlights the lengths cultivators will go to in pursuit of survival or transcendence.
• The elder’s younger fellow disciples reveal fear and attachment, nearly rushing after him before realizing the danger.

Significant Themes

• The allure and ambiguity of immortality: The Netherworld appears to offer eternal life, but its “immortality” may simply mean escaping the laws of the current world rather than truly transcending death.
• Time and the limits of reality: The Yellow Springs Well connects different eras, while the Netherworld renders time meaningless. The chapter explores how cultivation might be transformed by a place where millions of years pass in an instant.
• Knowledge versus speculation: Nie Wushuang’s revelations reshape everyone’s understanding of the well, but her claims remain uncertain, emphasizing the danger of acting on incomplete ancient knowledge.
• Temptation versus caution: Cultivators are torn between the extraordinary opportunity for advancement and the possibility of being trapped or destroyed.
• The persistence of the primordial past: Ancient beings, catastrophes, and laws thought to be lost continue to exist beyond the present world, suggesting that history has not truly vanished.

Important Character Interactions

• Xu Yan and his companions exchange warnings and observations while maintaining a cautious distance from the well.
• Major figures from different factions gather around the Yellow Springs Well, creating the possibility of conflict, though the retreat of the aberrant creatures temporarily prevents a battle.
• Nie Wushuang addresses the entire gathering, challenging their assumptions and revealing the well’s connection to the primordial Netherworld.
• Murong Ziyao directly questions Nie Wushuang about the dangers of entering, prompting a warning that those who descend may never return.
• Yan Rulong, Chongwu Chun, and Xu Yan debate Nie Wushuang’s credibility through divine-sense transmissions, weighing the evidence provided by the Time-Space Cicada.
• The Great Scarlet Heaven Gate disciples react emotionally to their elder’s disappearance, contrasting the older cultivator’s willingness to gamble his life with the younger generation’s fear and hesitation.

Xu Yan watched the Yellow Springs Well draw in aging cultivators and learned that its hidden vitality was the Yellow Springs Dao Fruit, while his Ghost-Deity Register began revealing its inscription. On the third day, a mysterious old woman opened an ancient Dao field and announced a trial in which prodigies could win Ghost-Deity Registers by defeating Reflected Images of Primordial Era prodigies.

• Nie Wushuang explained that the Yellow Springs Well contained a trace of the life-restoring Yellow Springs Dao Fruit, while Xuanyuan Kanjing warned that entering without a Ghost-Deity Register could be dangerous.
• Xu Yan revealed that the writing on his Ghost-Deity Register was appearing and predicted it would be fully revealed within seven days; it named Wang He of the Great Mystery Sect.
• Xu Yan and his companions returned to Mangqi Spirit Peak, and over the next two days he watched the vitality around the well grow while cultivators continued leaping into it.
• On the third day, Xu Yan heard a rumble and found a Dao field rising in the ancient city, where the old woman who had given him his register stood waiting.
• The old woman summoned Reflected Images of Primordial Era prodigies and declared that later-age prodigies who defeated them all could claim a Ghost-Deity Register.

Xu Yan left the Ghost-Deity Dao Field to investigate the ancient city's shifting earth-vein energy and found Murong Ziyao in the ruins, where they fought under pressure that limited their abilities. Their battle was interrupted when a gigantic primordial spider emerged from underground.

• Chu Jiangyi defeated the primordial prodigy Lu Yangzhi and received a Ghost-Deity Register, while Xuancheng easily beat Guan Mu in a separate match.
• Chongwu Chun entered the Dao Field to fight a female disciple of the Absolute Yin Sect, and Xu Yan left to investigate a disturbance he sensed through the Miaoyuan Edict.
• Xu Yan tracked converging earth-vein energy to mist-covered ruins, where intense spatial pressure weighed on him and restricted flight and combat abilities.
• Xu Yan encountered Murong Ziyao, who attacked him, and the two traded physical blows while their mystic powers and movement techniques were suppressed.
• A huge spider with eight pillar-thick legs and a rakshasa-like face burst from beneath the ruins, forcing Xu Yan and Murong Ziyao to retreat.

Xu Yan fought and killed the Rakshasa Ghost Spider guarding an abyss, then descended into an underground world filled with ochre lingzhi. He found Murong Ziyao trapped by the pressure of a gigantic black tomb coffin and slowly advanced toward her and an ancient lingzhi beside it.

• The Rakshasa Ghost Spider attacked Xu Yan while Murong Ziyao slipped into the abyss to investigate.
• Xu Yan pierced the spider with the Primordial Nine-Section Spear, stunned it with Manifest Saint Divine Light, and killed it with a strike to its head.
• Xu Yan extracted the spider's demonic core, replenished his strength with an Ancient Essence-Nourishing Pill, and jumped into the abyss.
• Xu Yan landed in an underground world carpeted with ochre lingzhi and followed the Miaoyuan Edict toward the source of the heavy earth-aspect aura.
• Xu Yan found Murong Ziyao seated near a colossal black tomb coffin, unable to move because the coffin was absorbing her geng metal qi.
• Xu Yan began forcing his way through the mounting pressure toward Murong Ziyao and the enormous ochre lingzhi growing beside the coffin.

Xu Yan and Murong Ziyao were dragged into the burial coffin by a strange aura, where they discovered a red-robed woman named Hong Shang sealed inside a Crystal Coffin. Xu Yan learned that her innate charming bone produced the mind-affecting aura, but the pair remained trapped as Murong Ziyao’s mind grew clouded.

• Xu Yan used the Miaoyuan Edict to pull the ochre lingzhi from the ground and store it in his Universe Box while stopping Murong Ziyao from interfering.
• The burial coffin opened a crack and released a gray-white aura that withered nearby plants and dragged Xu Yan and Murong Ziyao into its vortex.
• Xu Yan awoke with Murong Ziyao inside the coffin chamber and found a red-robed woman lying in a transparent Crystal Coffin.
• Xu Yan read the token at the woman’s waist and identified its inscription as “Hong Shang.”
• White Bone Madam explained that Hong Shang had an innate charming bone whose lingering aura could influence minds even after death.
• Xu Yan failed to open the chamber’s coffin lid or find an exit, while Murong Ziyao’s eyes grew increasingly clouded by the aura.

Xu Yan was trapped in a sealed coffin chamber with Murong Ziyao, whose strange frenzy repeatedly drove her to attack him. He broke through to the third turn of Immortal Aperture, but after failing to lift the coffin lid, he watched a remnant soul emerge from the Crystal Coffin and possess Murong Ziyao; the Red-Robed Lady then acknowledged his request to escape.

• Murong Ziyao attacked Xu Yan in a strange, uncontrolled frenzy, and he sealed her acupoints before turning his attention to finding a way out.
• Xu Yan cultivated inside the coffin chamber, absorbed its dense earth-aspect energies, and advanced to the third turn of Immortal Aperture.
• Xu Yan sensed that the Great Vast Huangtian Golden Body Method had revealed its third level, Bone-Shaking, but postponed cultivation while he remained trapped.
• Xu Yan failed to lift the coffin lid, and Murong Ziyao recovered and attacked him again, tearing his robe and wounding his arm.
• Crimson energy burst from the Crystal Coffin, and the Red-Robed Lady's remnant soul entered Murong Ziyao's body.
• The Red-Robed Lady explained that she was possessing Murong Ziyao rather than seizing her body, and Xu Yan asked her to show him the way out.

Xu Yan accepted the Red-Robed Lady’s request to find her eight scattered remnant souls and received the Soul-Seizing Bell and a map of their locations. After leaving the burial chamber, he headed toward the nearest sealing site and sensed an unfamiliar energy spreading from Demon Feng Ancient City.

• The Red-Robed Lady explained that her eight other remnant souls were sealed throughout the Demon Vault and asked Xu Yan to reunite them so she could restore her primordial spirit.
• The Red-Robed Lady gave Xu Yan the Soul-Seizing Bell and a spirit-slip map marking the eight sealing sites, warning that the remnant souls might have developed awareness.
• The Red-Robed Lady told Xu Yan that the Netherworld lay within the Demon Vault and offered that it provided stolen time rather than true eternal life.
• The Red-Robed Lady returned Murong Ziyao to the ground, opened the coffin, and sent Xu Yan out before the lid closed; she said Murong Ziyao would not remember their conversation.
• Xu Yan studied the map, sent Jiang Beixuan a message that he was safe, and sensed unfamiliar energy seeping through the earth veins from Demon Feng Ancient City.
• Xu Yan set off toward the Earth Abyss entrance, planning to reach the nearest remnant soul’s sealing site.

Xu Yan gathered the eight remnant souls of the Red-Robed Lady and brought them together in the Soul-Seizing Bell, then returned to Demon Feng Ancient City. There, he encountered Wang He of the Great Mystery Sect, a Primordial Era prodigy whose primordial mystic qi resembled his own, and Wang He said he had been waiting for him.

• Xu Yan left Demon Feng Ancient City while reading the Ghost-Deity Register, which described the coming Twilight Era and the Nether King's invitation to Wang He of the Great Mystery Sect.
• Following the Soul-Seizing Bell, Xu Yan collected seven remnant souls from hidden seals across the wilderness, then overcame the final soul's resistance and extracted her from a ten-thousand-year-old earth taisui.
• Xu Yan stored the earth taisui and returned to Demon Feng Ancient City after completing the Red-Robed Lady's task.
• Xu Yan sensed ancient primordial mystic qi at the Ghost-Deity Dao Field and saw a seated prodigy whose aura resembled his own.
• The prodigy opened his eyes, met Xu Yan's gaze, and identified himself as Wang He by telling Xu Yan he had been waiting for him.

Xu Yan challenged Wang He, a prodigy of the Primordial Era with a flawless primordial chaos Dao foundation, and learned that Wang He’s image was only a lingering reflection. Wang He revealed the location of his hidden inheritance in Green Province and pointed Xu Yan toward Sky Parasol Mountain, where the descendants of the Great Mystery Sect might still live.

• Xu Yan accepted Wang He’s challenge despite Jiang Beixuan and the others warning him to be careful.
• Xu Yan and Wang He exchanged more than a hundred moves, and Wang He recognized the Great Mystery Scripture’s aura on Xu Yan.
• Wang He asked whether the Great Mystery Dao Palace still stood, and Xu Yan told him that White Crane was alive and had sent him to find a descendant of the sect.
• Wang He explained that he had died during the great calamity and that the Ghost-Deity Dao Field reflected only his lingering image.
• Wang He revealed that his descendants had settled near Sky Parasol Mountain in Green Province and that his primordial chaos inheritance was hidden in a grotto-heaven there, accessible with primordial mystic qi.

Chapter Summary: “Three Souls and Seven Spirits United as One”

Key Plot Points and Events

• During Xu Yan’s exchange with the ancient prodigy Wang He in the Ghost-Deity Dao Field, the black-veiled old woman abruptly intervenes. She destroys Wang He’s manifested form and declares that the confrontation has no winner or loser, ending their conversation before he can reveal more.
• Xu Yan retains the information Wang He gave him about Sky Parasol Mountain and the Primordial Chaos inheritance site, privately resolving to visit Green Province later.
• Outside the Dao Field, Xu Yan reunites with Jiang Beixuan, Yan Rulong, the Jade Pool Saintess, and their companions. He explains only that Wang He discussed the Great Mystery Sect and invited him to explore an inheritance site, withholding its precise location.
• The group discusses the growing danger surrounding the Yellow Springs Well. The well has expanded, its surrounding black stones are cracking, and cultivators carrying Ghost-Deity Registers are gathering around it. They believe the full manifestation of the Ghost-Deity Register will signal the opening of the Netherworld Land.
• Nearly a hundred cultivators have assembled around the well, including Xuanyuan Kanjing, the Golden-Winged Little Roc King, and Nie Wushuang. Most remain silent and vigilant, waiting for the well to change.
• Xu Yan leaves the others temporarily and travels to the Earth Abyss to return the Soul-Seizing Bell to the Red-Robed Lady.
• The Red-Robed Lady explains that the final remnant soul had resisted returning because of resentment toward her, but acknowledges that Xu Yan successfully reunited all eight remnant souls.
• Once the bell is returned, the Red-Robed Lady draws the souls into the burial coffin. The scattered remnants gradually merge around the main soul, restoring her three souls and seven spirits.
• The Red-Robed Lady emerges from the coffin as a far more solid and vital Primordial Spirit, nearly indistinguishable from a living person. She reveals that only the final fusion of her Primordial Spirit with her physical body remains before she can truly revive.
• She intends to use the Netherworld Land—specifically the Nether King’s execution ground, where yin and yang converge—to complete her resurrection. Despite Xu Yan’s concerns about her unstable condition, she decides to accompany him into the Netherworld Land.

Character Developments

• Xu Yan becomes increasingly cautious and strategic. He keeps the precise details of Wang He’s inheritance site secret, showing greater awareness of the dangers of revealing valuable information. He also continues honoring his promises, returning the Soul-Seizing Bell and assisting the Red-Robed Lady despite the risks.
• The Red-Robed Lady undergoes a major transformation. Her fragmented, languid remnant soul becomes a complete and vigorous Primordial Spirit after recovering all three souls and seven spirits. Her personality remains confident and commanding, but her renewed vitality and clear consciousness show that she is approaching true resurrection.
• Wang He is revealed to possess valuable knowledge about the Great Mystery Sect and Primordial Chaos inheritance, but his interaction with Xu Yan is cut short before he can provide further details.
• The black-veiled old woman reinforces her absolute control over the Ghost-Deity Dao Field. Her intervention suggests that she deliberately limits what ancient reflections are permitted to reveal.
• Jiang Beixuan and the others continue to act as Xu Yan’s cautious companions and protectors, showing concern for his safety while respecting his privacy.
• White Bone Madam, speaking within Xu Yan’s mind, recognizes the extraordinary and heaven-defying nature of restoring the complete Primordial Spirit.

Significant Themes

• Rebirth and restoration: The central event is the reunification of the three souls and seven spirits, symbolizing the recovery of identity, vitality, and the possibility of resurrection.
• The defiance of natural laws: Restoring a dead person’s complete Primordial Spirit is presented as an act that challenges the heavens and exceeds ordinary cultivation.
• Secrecy and trust: Xu Yan carefully controls what information he shares, while his relationship with the Red-Robed Lady is built on promises, exchanged favors, and growing mutual reliance.
• Approaching catastrophe and opportunity: The expanding Yellow Springs Well and gathering Ghost-Deity Register holders signal an imminent upheaval. The Netherworld Land represents both extreme danger and the opportunity for the Red-Robed Lady’s final revival.
• The relationship between life and death: The chapter blurs the boundary between the living and the dead. The Red-Robed Lady’s Primordial Spirit has returned, but her true life depends on reconnecting with her body in a realm governed by deathly laws.
• Power and control: The black-veiled old woman’s ability to erase Wang He’s manifestation and the Red-Robed Lady’s confidence in surviving the Netherworld Land emphasize the dominance of powerful figures over supernatural realms.

Important Character Interactions

• Xu Yan and Wang He: Their interrupted conversation reveals the existence of a Primordial Chaos inheritance site and links Wang He to the Great Mystery Sect. Their exchange is abruptly terminated by the black-veiled old woman.
• Xu Yan and his companions: Jiang Beixuan and the others question him about Wang He, but accept his limited explanation. They later share information about the Yellow Springs Well and prepare together for the coming opening of the Netherworld Land.
• Xu Yan and the Red-Robed Lady: Xu Yan returns the Soul-Seizing Bell and reports honestly about the last remnant soul’s resentment. The Red-Robed Lady explains the soul’s resistance and completes the restoration of her Primordial Spirit.
• Xu Yan and the Red-Robed Lady’s future alliance: She insists on accompanying him into the Netherworld Land, arguing that her knowledge and the protection of her Crowning Mark will make the journey safer. Xu Yan remains concerned but recognizes that her presence may be essential to both her resurrection and his survival.

Chapter Summary: Sweeping Up Spiritual Treasures, White Bone Immortal

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Red-Robed Lady’s Primordial Spirit enters the Soul-Seizing Bell after asking Xu Yan to take her body and promising him wealth in the Netherworld Land.
• Xu Yan stores the bell and wonders about the Red-Robed Lady’s terrifying cultivation and mysterious origins.
• Murong Ziyao breaks out of the black tomb coffin. Seeing Xu Yan waiting outside, she uses her essence blood and Geng Metal Divine Body to flee at tremendous speed.
• Xu Yan does not pursue her. Instead, he enters the coffin, collects the Red-Robed Lady’s crystal coffin and body, and harvests all the remaining ancient Ochre Lingzhi.
• Xu Yan travels toward the Yellow Springs Well, stopping at the sealed pool that once held the Drunken Moon Lotuses. Using the Miaoyuan Edict and his Manifest Sage Dharma Eye, he dismantles the powerful restriction and gathers more than a dozen bottles of Moonlight Spirit Essence.
• The Red-Robed Lady and White Bone Madam help break the formation. During the conversation, the Red-Robed Lady reveals the origin of the White Bone Immortal and White Bone Madam.
• Xu Yan reunites with Jiang Beixuan and the others near the Yellow Springs Well. The well has expanded dramatically, and its Ghost-Deity Registers are nearly ready to trigger an unknown event expected within two days.

Character Developments

• Xu Yan becomes increasingly opportunistic and prepared, collecting the Red-Robed Lady’s body, spiritual herbs, and Moonlight Spirit Essence while avoiding unnecessary combat. His power with the Miaoyuan Edict has grown enough to break nearly any formation below the level controlled by a True Person.
• Murong Ziyao reveals her wariness of Xu Yan by fleeing immediately after escaping the coffin. She sacrifices essence blood to maximize her speed, showing both desperation and the importance of preserving her freedom.
• The Red-Robed Lady establishes herself as an ancient, highly knowledgeable figure. Her Primordial Spirit remains powerful despite countless years sealed away, and she appears to understand the history of major ancient beings.
• White Bone Madam suffers a profound identity shock upon learning that she originated from remnants of the White Bone Immortal’s scattered body. She initially feels fear and uncertainty but gains relief when told that her long cultivation has made her an independent being.
• Jiang Beixuan and the other cultivators remain allied with Xu Yan and welcome him back safely as they prepare for the coming change at the Yellow Springs Well.

Significant Themes

• Origins and identity: White Bone Madam learns that her existence derives from residual divine charm in fragments of the ancient White Bone Immortal, forcing her to reconsider who she is.
• Transformation and independence: Although White Bone Madam originated from the White Bone Immortal’s remains, the Red-Robed Lady emphasizes that she has become a distinct life-form through her own cultivation and experiences.
• Accumulation of power and resources: Xu Yan continually gathers rare treasures, spiritual materials, and ancient artifacts, reflecting the cultivation-world principle that preparation and resources are essential to advancement.
• Ancient legacies: The chapter expands the mythology of the White Bone Immortal, the Nether King, and the Nine Nether Sea, suggesting that remnants of ancient supreme beings still influence the present.
• Impending danger and opportunity: The expanding Yellow Springs Well and the nearly completed Ghost-Deity Registers signal an approaching major event, combining the promise of treasure with potentially grave danger.

Character Interactions

• The Red-Robed Lady teases Xu Yan about keeping White Bone Madam as the artifact spirit of a Primordial Chaos artifact, revealing her amusement and superior knowledge.
• White Bone Madam is visibly intimidated by the Red-Robed Lady and speaks cautiously in her presence.
• The Red-Robed Lady explains White Bone Madam’s true lineage, prompting shock, fear, and ultimately reassurance.
• White Bone Madam asks whether the White Bone Immortal left an inheritance; the Red-Robed Lady points her toward the Nine Nether Sea.
• Xu Yan returns to Jiang Beixuan and the other three cultivators, who greet him with concern before joining him in observing the rapidly expanding Yellow Springs Well.