Chapter Summaries

The Yellow Springs Well opened into the Forgotten River, revealing the Yellow Springs Road to the Netherworld Land and the Yellow Springs Dao Fruit. Xu Yan entered the river with the other cultivators and arrived in an ancient world along its banks.

• The Ghost-Deity Registers resonated as the Yellow Springs Well began to shake and its energy formed a vast river across the sky.
• Nie Wushuang told Xu Yan that the Yellow Springs Dao Fruit lay along the Ascension Path and asked him to join her in seeking it; he accepted.
• The Forgotten River and its ancient buildings appeared above Demon Feng Ancient City, and cultivators with Ghost-Deity Registers began entering it.
• Zhang Qingyuan explained that the Forgotten River and Yellow Springs Road led to the Netherworld Land.
• Xuanyuan Kanjing, Jiu Daoyan, Murong Ziyao, the Golden-Winged Little Roc King, and other cultivators entered the river.
• Xu Yan crossed into the Forgotten River and found himself in an ancient world lined with terraces and palaces.

Xu Yan and Nie Wushuang used the Water-Avoiding Divine Shuttle to descend into the Forgotten River in search of the Yellow Springs Dao Fruit. As they continued toward the river cavern, Murong Ziyao, Jiu Daoyan, and the Golden-Winged Little Roc King plunged after them while fighting broke out among the cultivators above.

• Xu Yan avoided a rogue cultivator who was dragged beneath the Forgotten River and used his Ghost-Deity Register to travel safely upstream.
• Xu Yan fought off cultivators who tried to seize his Ghost-Deity Register, then reunited with Jiang Beixuan, Chongwu Chun, Yan Rulong, and the Jade Pool Saintess.
• Xu Yan and his companions joined Nie Wushuang and the leading prodigies, and Nie Wushuang revealed that the Yellow Springs Dao Fruit lay deep beneath the river.
• Jiang Beixuan and the others stayed behind to protect the descent while Xu Yan and Nie Wushuang activated the Water-Avoiding Divine Shuttle and plunged into the Forgotten River.
• After Xu Yan noticed fighting above the water, Murong Ziyao, Jiu Daoyan, and the Golden-Winged Little Roc King pursued them into the depths.

Chapter summary

• Xu Yan and Nie Wushuang reach the depths of the Forgotten River in the Water-Avoiding Divine Shuttle. Surrounded by ancient corpses and oppressive silence, they find a hidden cavern containing an ancient tree bearing thirteen Yellow Springs Dao Fruits. The fruits’ powerful, unusual qi-and-blood aura benefits Xu Yan even through the shuttle’s barrier.
• They collect all thirteen fruits, but their disturbance awakens countless Water Wraiths crawling from cracks in the cavern walls. The pair flee upward, with Xu Yan using lightning and Nie Wushuang driving the shuttle.
• On the way out, the Golden-Winged Little Roc King, Murong Ziyao, and Jiu Daoyan confront them. Jiu Daoyan attacks Xu Yan, but Xu Yan’s lightning-enhanced spear strikes overpower his blood-red ghost technique. Murong and Jiu retreat when they sense the Water Wraiths approaching. The Roc King instead charges into the horde, seemingly eager to temper his Dao Attainment.
• Xu Yan and Nie Wushuang escape to the surface, where Jiang Beixuan, Chongwu Chun, Yan Rulong, the Jade Pool Saintess, and Nie’s guards are waiting. Nie confirms they secured the fruits and warns that the river contains many caverns—and that the Wraiths will make the journey ahead dangerous.
• The group travels upstream through increasingly hostile conditions. Ancient buildings become clearer along the banks, the Yellow Springs Qi thickens, and Water Wraiths repeatedly attack. The group fights together and presses onward for three days, with Xu Yan’s spear and lightning proving especially effective.
• Exhausted, they stop on a reef protected by Nie’s guards’ Spirit-Protection Array. Xu Yan senses that his three Immortal Aperture Marks are perfected and that he is close to the fourth revolution. He drinks spirit-pool medicinal liquid to begin the breakthrough.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yan remains alert and decisive: he checks the cavern for traps, helps gather the fruits, defends the group, and takes the lead in breaking through the Wraiths. His combat control has improved, allowing him to wield heavenly lightning precisely; by the end, he is poised to advance.
• Nie Wushuang demonstrates preparation and composure, using her rare shuttle to reach the cavern and guide their escape. She shares the fruits with Xu Yan and prioritizes getting the group safely onward.
• Jiu Daoyan attempts to attack Xu Yan but is repelled. Murong Ziyao, strained by the deep descent, abandons the confrontation when the Wraiths threaten them.
• The Golden-Winged Little Roc King distinguishes himself through fearlessness, attacking the Wraith horde rather than retreating.
• Jiang Beixuan, Chongwu Chun, Yan Rulong, and the others support the expedition through coordinated defense. Chongwu helps dispatch Wraiths with his swords; Yan Rulong fights with swift, precise swordwork.

Significant themes

• Danger and reward: The rare Dao Fruits are found only in a place so hostile that collecting them awakens a deadly horde.
• Preparation and cooperation: The shuttle, Ghost-Deity Registers, protective array, and coordinated fighting are essential to survival.
• Growth through adversity: The Roc King treats danger as a chance to temper himself, while Xu Yan’s ordeal brings him to the threshold of a major breakthrough.
• The Forgotten River’s mystery: Its ancient ruins, buried caverns, and apparently awakening Wraiths suggest that greater dangers—and secrets—lie ahead.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yan drinks moon-pool spirit liquid and uses it to complete his fourth Immortal Aperture mark, reaching the fourth turn. His power, vitality, and spiritual perception all increase.
• After the group passes the most dangerous stretch of the Forgotten River, they reach a desolate ancient battlefield littered with bones. Nie Wushuang says crossing it will bring them to the Netherworld Land.
• Xu Yan shares four of his yellow-springs dao fruits with his companions, keeping three for his own future cultivation and resources.
• Nie Wushuang explains that the Cloud Jade Immortal Kingdom wants to prevent the Golden-Winged Roc Clan from claiming the Demon Vault. She also reveals that the Nether King’s domain exists outside the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, and suggests the kingdom may try to seize it while it is unclaimed.
• The group enters the battlefield, where unstable laws of space and time may separate travelers and expose them to convincing “reflections” of the past. Soon after, Xu Yan finds himself alone.
• Xu Yan cautiously follows a shifting landscape until it becomes an ancient Great Mystery Sect site. There he meets Wang He, the primordial-era cultivator he encountered in the Ghost-Deity Dao Field. Wang He identifies the scene as a reflected image of the sect’s past and hints Xu Yan may witness primordial secrets. The chapter ends as Wang He notices something about Xu Yan’s sleeve.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yan demonstrates rapid advancement, levelheadedness, and practical foresight: he thanks those who guarded him, shares his spoils, and prepares to build resources for the more demanding Violet Palace stage.
• Nie Wushuang becomes more candid about her kingdom’s aims, while still keeping some details unknown. She warns the group about the battlefield’s distortions and urges them to protect their Dao hearts.
• Jiang Beixuan, Chongwu Chun, and the others admire Xu Yan’s speed and help guard him during his breakthrough. Yan Rulong praises her choice to travel with him and invites him to Green Province; the Jade Pool Saintess also thanks him.
• Wang He’s renewed appearance links Xu Yan’s present journey to the Primordial Era and raises the prospect of hidden history. His attention to Xu Yan’s sleeve suggests he may sense the Red-Robed Lady or the Soul-Seizing Bell.

Significant themes

• Progress through adversity: Xu Yan’s breakthrough comes amid a perilous journey, reflecting the importance of trials alongside cultivation.
• Ambition and political rivalry: The Immortal Kingdom’s plans to control the Demon Vault—and potentially claim the Nether King’s domain—foreshadow a wider conflict involving the Roc Clan and the Nine Provinces.
• A broken cosmic order: The severed path to immortality and the possibility of a coming age of longevity frame the Nether King’s return as a potentially world-changing event.
• Illusion, memory, and reality: The battlefield’s reflections blur past and present, testing whether travelers can distinguish appearances from truth.

Plot and events

• The Soul-Seizing Bell rings, and Wang He abruptly vanishes. Xu Yan senses a powerful presence nearby, but the Red-Robed Lady remains dormant inside the bell.
• Xu Yan leaves the bell behind and climbs through the Great Mystery Sect, which shifts from a gray, Yellow Springs–tainted landscape into a vivid vision of the sect in the Primordial Era. He sees ordinary scenes of disciples studying, practicing, and talking.
• Resisting the place’s tempting spiritual energy and the urge to stop and cultivate, Xu Yan reaches the main hall. The vision suddenly turns catastrophic: the sky reddens, the sun plunges toward the horizon, and the sect collapses amid panic and death.
• Xu Yan witnesses Emperor Taihao rise in golden radiance, lift the falling sun, and carry it north. Though the red light fades, the Great Mystery Sect is destroyed. Xu Yan realizes he has seen an instant of the Primordial Era’s century-long Falling Sun Calamity.
• In the ruins, Wang Xi, a young ninth-generation disciple, is the first person in the vision who can see Xu Yan. Her Spirit-Communicating Eye lets her perceive him, though her hand passes through his body.
• An elderly Daoist arrives and hurriedly takes Wang Xi toward a sealed entrance to the earth’s spirit meridians. Xu Yan cannot follow, held back by an immense barrier like the river of time. He observes that the entrance’s formation patterns can seal it.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yan stays disciplined despite the alluring cultivation environment, then responds to the catastrophe with awe and dread. His encounter with Wang Xi makes him question whether the scene is merely a reflection or a real connection to the past.
• Wang Xi is frightened and confused by Xu Yan, but curiosity overcomes her fear enough to speak with him. She identifies herself and tests whether he is tangible, then reluctantly follows her master to safety.
• The Red-Robed Lady remains asleep in the bell, despite her intact Primordial Spirit.
• The elder prioritizes Wang Xi’s escape and refuses to explain the danger before leading her away. He cannot see Xu Yan.

Significant themes

• The passage of time and historical memory: Xu Yan appears to witness the past but cannot intervene or cross its boundaries.
• Temptation and discipline: The Primordial Era’s abundant qi promises rapid progress, yet Xu Yan knows he must keep moving.
• Catastrophe and impermanence: A flourishing sect is annihilated in a single day, illustrating the devastation of the Falling Sun Calamity.
• Survival and uncertainty: The sealed spirit-meridian entrance may be a refuge, but its purpose and the true nature of Xu Yan’s encounter remain unclear.

Xu Yan learned more about the Great Vast Huangtian Emperor Lord and the Celestial God Race before fighting the Golden-Winged Little Roc King on the Yellow Springs Road. After the Roc King fled, Xu Yan left with Murong Ziyao pursuing him over her missing Palace Guarding Cinnabar.

• Xu Yan’s Emperor-Building Contemplation and Ancient Sun Records resonated with the Primordial Territory, revealing the Emperor Lord’s history and the Celestial God Race’s ruined domain.
• Xu Yan recovered on the Yellow Springs Road, then fought the Golden-Winged Little Roc King and endured his powerful attacks until Xuanyuan Kanjing, Jiu Daoyan, and Murong Ziyao arrived.
• The Golden-Winged Little Roc King fled when the others approached, while Xuanyuan Kanjing stopped Jiu Daoyan from pursuing Xu Yan over their feud.
• Xu Yan flew away, and Murong Ziyao followed, demanding to know what he had done to her inside the tomb coffin.
• Murong Ziyao accused Xu Yan of taking her Palace Guarding Cinnabar and attacked him in a rage.

Plot points and events

• Murong Ziyao attacks Xu Yan, convinced he took her chastity and removed her Palace Guarding Cinnabar. Xu Yan denies it, suspecting the Red-Robed Lady may have acted while possessing him.
• Their fight devastates the surrounding mountains. Xu Yan uses his powerful spiritual-sense attack and spear techniques to injure Murong, but her divine body lets her recover.
• The Jade Pool Saintess arrives, followed by Jiang Beixuan, Chongwu Chun, and Yan Rulong. Their arrival interrupts the duel and leaves Murong facing several fellow disciples.
• The group urges Murong to stop fighting. Chongwu Chun invokes a favor once given by Elder Murong Yu to the Zhong Clan; Murong withdraws after a final look at Xu Yan.
• The group continues along the Yellow Springs Road, discussing their shared visions of the Twilight Era and the upheaval that may follow as secrets of the Primordial Era emerge. They reach a vast, deathly Black Mire.
• A black-gauzed boatwoman rows toward them in a boat lit by a Green Candle Lantern and invites them aboard as “guests of the Nether King.”

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yan remains defensive but controlled, insisting on his innocence and preparing to fight when Murong persists. He recognizes how dangerous her divine body may become.
• Murong Ziyao shifts from furious certainty to doubt and helplessness as Xu Yan’s denial and injury force her to consider that someone else was responsible. Jealousy and loneliness surface when she sees Xu Yan and the Jade Pool Saintess together; she ultimately retreats.
• The Jade Pool Saintess intervenes diplomatically, then sharply points out Murong’s isolation. Her cool exchange with Murong heightens their mutual tension.
• Jiang Beixuan and Chongwu Chun support Xu Yan and press Murong to stand down, though neither feels much personal loyalty toward her. Their arrival turns the confrontation against her.
• The group resumes its journey united, sharing what they learned while separated and confronting the eerie boatwoman together.

Significant themes

• Misunderstanding and uncertainty: Murong’s accusation rests on incomplete knowledge, while Xu Yan himself cannot rule out the Red-Robed Lady’s involvement.
• Pride, isolation, and belonging: Murong’s status and strength do not spare her from loneliness or make her feel understood.
• Fellowship versus rivalry: The group urges cooperation in the dangerous Demon Vault despite old grudges, while past betrayals limit their sympathy for Murong.
• Ancient mysteries and impending upheaval: Their visions of the Twilight Era foreshadow revelations about the Primordial Era and major changes across the Nine Provinces and four seas.

Xu Yan and his companions crossed the Netherworld Boundary into the ancient, life-filled Netherworld Land, where the Nether King revealed herself as the Double-Pupiled Black Dragon and tasked Xu Yan with bringing Hong Shang’s body to the Immortal-Demon Grave. The group split up to seek treasures and a way out, and Xu Yan headed north toward the grave.

• The veiled old woman vanished while guiding Xu Yan and the others across the black marsh, and the Double-Pupiled Black Dragon appeared above them.
• The Nether King took human form before Xu Yan, revealed that the Red-Robed Lady was her younger sister, and ordered Xu Yan to bring Hong Shang’s body to the Immortal-Demon Grave in the north.
• Xu Yan returned to the ship and concealed his encounter, telling his companions that looking into the dragon’s double pupils had made his soul seem to leave his body.
• The ship crossed the Netherworld Boundary, carrying the group from a cold, lifeless marsh into the lush and ancient Netherworld Land.
• Xu Yan and his four companions agreed to split up to search for treasures and a way out, and Xu Yan flew north toward the Immortal-Demon Grave.

Plot points and events

• Xu Yan travels north through a region rich in ancient treasures, using the Miaoyuan Edict to collect hundreds of materials over ten thousand years old.
• He reaches the Immortal-Demon Grave, a vast valley whose oppressive aura and strange Dao laws suggest it holds the remains of powerful Primordial Era beings.
• Carrying the Red-Robed Lady’s body in a Crystal Coffin, Xu Yan enters the grave and sets it down, completing the Nether King’s request.
• He explores the ruins but finds nothing useful. He avoids opening the enormous central tomb, wary of triggering a restriction, and withdraws to observe from the valley’s edge.
• Xu Yan discovers that the grave’s naturally occurring heavenly calamities can temper his primordial chaos immortal aperture. He channels lightning, fire, wind, and rain into it, strengthening his Dao body and mystic qi. The aperture expands to forty zhang, and a fifth immortal aperture mark begins to form.

Character development

• Xu Yan remains cautious and disciplined: he fulfills the Nether King’s task without interfering with the Crystal Coffin or risking the central tomb.
• His resourcefulness turns a dangerous graveyard into a cultivation opportunity, while his growing confidence lets him push his cultivation to its limit.

Character interactions

• The Nether King’s influence shapes the chapter through the task he gave Xu Yan and Xu Yan’s unanswered questions about the King’s body and possible plans for the Red-Robed Lady.
• The Red-Robed Lady is absent; she previously departed with the Nether King’s Dharma Form and the Soul-Seizing Bell. Xu Yan has no direct interaction with her here.

Significant themes

• Opportunity within danger: A threatening burial ground becomes a source of cultivation.
• Restraint and caution: Xu Yan knows when not to pursue possible treasures, especially when a sealed tomb may conceal a trap.
• The ancient world’s lingering power: The grave’s pressure and natural calamities show that the Primordial Era’s forces endure long after its people are gone.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yan enters seclusion in the Immortal-Demon Grave and is drawn into an unusually deep, almost timeless state of cultivation. Guided by the Primordial Foundation Establishment Method, he absorbs the grave’s spiritual energy and advances from the fourth to the sixth turn of the immortal aperture realm.
• His power increases dramatically: his divine sense can reach seven or eight thousand zhang, his primordial mystic qi grows far stronger, and his Manifestation Edict radiates formidable power. The grave’s calamities, once useful for tempering him, eventually seem too weak to keep pace.
• A disturbance from the grave’s deepest burial mound finally pulls Xu Yan out of his trance. White Bone Madam reports that about a month passed before his fifth-turn breakthrough, but she cannot determine how much longer he remained in seclusion.
• Xu Yan discovers that the Crystal Coffin has opened and the Red-Robed Lady’s body is gone. The sealed entrance to the great burial mound then breaks apart, and the Red-Robed Lady emerges.
• Recognizing the Nether King’s presence in her eyes, Xu Yan respectfully greets her. She explains that only a strand of her divine sense currently controls the body; her primordial spirit, Dharma Form, and original root bone have not yet returned.
• The Nether King recognizes Xu Yan’s rare primordial flawless dao foundation and invites him to become her disciple, saying they share a deep karmic bond.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yan becomes vastly more powerful but is unsettled by how uncontrollable and accelerated his cultivation felt. He worries that rapid advancement may have bypassed necessary tempering. Though cautious when the tomb stirs, he responds to the Nether King with deference and offers to help her.
• White Bone Madam remains by Xu Yan during his long seclusion. She welcomes his return and shares what little she could discern about the passage of time.
• The Nether King / Red-Robed Lady returns to the mortal world through the Lady’s body, though only partially. Her initial bewilderment gives way to commanding awareness; she then takes an interest in Xu Yan and proposes a teacher-disciple relationship.
• Xu Yan and the Nether King interact with mutual caution and respect: he acknowledges her identity and status, while she reassures him that she is not yet a threat.

Significant themes

• Power gained at a cost: Xu Yan’s breakthrough is extraordinary, but its unnatural speed raises doubts about whether strength acquired without sufficient tempering is safe.
• Time and altered states: The grave’s strange atmosphere blurs the passage of time and leaves Xu Yan unable to tell how long he has been cultivating.
• Fate and karmic connection: The Nether King’s offer frames Xu Yan’s rare foundation not merely as a talent but as part of a deeper bond between them.
• Ancient forces returning: The Nether King’s reappearance signals that the past is intruding on the present, while her remark that “things are no longer what they once were” hints at a changed world and larger upheavals.

Key plot points and events

• The Nether King’s Demon Vault has stabilized after nearly half a year, drawing the attention of powerful figures across the Nine Provinces and four seas. The Taiyuan Divine Sect has stationed the Ziwei Dharma King outside, signaling that greater conflicts over the Vault may be coming.
• The Nether King offers Xu Yan the chance to become his disciple. Before Xu Yan can answer, the Ziwei Star Sword appears and challenges the Nether King. He destroys it, but it reforms and withdraws, showing that the Dharma King is watching and can intervene.
• Xu Yan respectfully declines the Nether King’s offer, explaining that he already has a master and sect. The Nether King accepts the refusal, though he laments it.
• Xu Yan asks about Nie Wushuang, the Cloud Kingdom princess who entered the Netherworld Land earlier and has disappeared. The Nether King recognizes her as a girl with a divine body but does not reveal her whereabouts.
• The Nether King asks Xu Yan to help awaken his dormant body, Root Bone, and manifested form. Xu Yan agrees, and they set off together.
• The Nether King notices Xu Yan’s treasures and recognizes that he carries the powerful Miaoyuan Edict Script. He hints that he has a valuable opportunity to offer Xu Yan.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yan shows loyalty to his existing master and sect by refusing the Nether King’s tempting offer. He remains cautious but agrees to help the Nether King, judging that refusal would be unwise and that cooperation may benefit him.
• The Nether King is confident and formidable, able to shatter the Ziwei Star Sword within his domain. Yet he accepts Xu Yan’s refusal without forcing him and shifts to bargaining for help. His recognition of Xu Yan’s secret suggests keen perception and extensive ancient knowledge.
• The Ziwei Dharma King is revealed to be outside the Demon Vault, protecting Xu Yan and representing the Divine Sect’s interests. Her sword’s return after being destroyed demonstrates her power.
• Xu Yan and the Nether King move from a near mentor–disciple relationship to a pragmatic alliance, with the Nether King offering rewards in exchange for help.
• Nie Wushuang’s absence remains unresolved, adding uncertainty to the situation.

Significant themes

• Loyalty versus opportunity: Xu Yan turns down a prestigious mentor to honor his existing commitments.
• Power and competing claims: The Demon Vault is becoming the focus of a wider struggle among major factions, beyond the conflicts happening inside it.
• Secrets and perception: The Nether King quickly recognizes Xu Yan’s hidden Edict Script, underscoring how exposed Xu Yan is before ancient powers.
• Pragmatic alliances: Even after Xu Yan refuses him, the Nether King finds another basis for cooperation, while Xu Yan agrees despite the risks.

Xu Yan followed the Nether King into the Dusk Forbidden Zone, where he learned more about the Twilight Era and encountered the deadly remnants of its ruined world. After reaching a city filled with dead cultivators, they awakened a monstrous Ghost-Faced Owl that the Nether King had once raised.

• The Nether King told Xu Yan that the Twilight Era came when humanity’s flourishing Dao arts exhausted the world’s fortune, and that the Emperor Lord sheltered most mortals from the catastrophe.
• At the end of the Netherworld Land, the Nether King revealed that he had preserved part of the Twilight Era beneath the skies and explained that the Three Lords who perished were only their mortal Dharma Forms.
• The Nether King asked Xu Yan to retrieve the Double-Pupiled Dragon Dharma Form and Nether King Root Bone from a warded cave abode, promising him the Immortal Lord’s Innate Edict Script after his revival.
• Xu Yan entered the Dusk Forbidden Zone with the Nether King and found its broken laws, ancient ruins, and many dead prodigies, whose Dao hearts had been eroded by reflected twilight.
• A huge Ghost-Faced Owl emerged from the ruins, and the Nether King recognized it as an owl he had left to guard the city; Xu Yan readied his spear and defenses.

Key events

• Xu Yan and the Nether King subdue the Ghost-Faced Owl. The Nether King uses a Rune to suppress its mind, then restores enough of its awareness that it recognizes and obeys her.
• The owl carries them through the Dusk Forbidden Zone, where Xu Yan sees monstrous creatures whose disordered pupils reflect the lingering influence of the Double-Pupiled Dragon Dharma form.
• They reach the Immortal Pool, a primordial reservoir of exceptionally pure spiritual energy. The Nether King explains that the Three Lords of Primordial Antiquity created it and that its essence can cleanse Root Bones and repair cultivation foundations. She brought it to the Netherworld Land to preserve it and rebuild her own foundation.
• Nearby, the Golden-Winged Little Roc King fights Xuanyuan Kanjing, while Jiu Daoyan battles Jiang Beixuan. Xu Yan moves to aid Jiang, but pressure from the Immortal Pool nearly crushes him as he approaches.
• Seeing Xu Yan arrive, Jiu Daoyan abandons his fight and flees toward the pool. Its pressure forces him down as well.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yan demonstrates his strength and quick judgment by defeating the Ghost-Faced Owl with the Nether King’s help. He also shows loyalty to Jiang Beixuan, immediately rushing to assist him despite the danger surrounding the pool.
• The Nether King reveals a personal stake in the Immortal Pool: her Root Bone and Dharma form are dormant in a Coffin within it, and she intends to recover them. Her concern for the owl suggests remorse over leaving it behind.
• Jiang Beixuan holds his own against Jiu Daoyan through a steady foundation and defensive Mist-Phenomenon Mystic Qi, which blunts his opponent’s killing-focused attacks.
• Jiu Daoyan, losing ground to Jiang and facing Xu Yan’s arrival, retreats toward the Immortal Pool rather than risk being overwhelmed.
• Xu Yan and the Nether King travel together, but their priorities diverge briefly: he rushes to help his senior brother before hearing the Nether King’s full instructions.

Significant themes

• Ancient legacies and their consequences: Primordial power remains embedded in the land, shaping its creatures and threatening those who enter.
• Cultivation through foundation and purity: The Immortal Pool represents a source of primordial essence capable of restoring and transforming cultivators.
• Strength balanced by limits: Even formidable fighters are vulnerable to the pool’s overwhelming pressure.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Xu Yan’s immediate response to Jiang’s danger contrasts with the Nether King’s long-term mission to reclaim her lost foundation.

Plot points and events

• Xu Yan and Jiang Beixuan reunite near Immortal Pool Mountain after Jiang’s exhausting fight with Jiu Daoyan. Jiang believes Jiu’s Mystic Qi is nearly depleted, making this a chance to kill him.
• They suspect the pool contains the Nether King’s remains and recognize that its discovery could ignite a major conflict among the powers of the Nine Provinces and the four seas. They have not found their other companions.
• The pool’s energy is extraordinarily pure but almost impossible to draw in under its crushing pressure. Jiang meditates within a protective array and slowly absorbs a trace of it, recovering some strength and forming a sixth Immortal Aperture Mark.
• Xu Yan decides to approach the pool, hoping to learn whether the Nether King’s promise of an Innate Edict Script—and the possibility of awakening Hong Shang—is genuine.
• Xu Yan confronts the weakened Jiu Daoyan on the mountainside. Unable to use ordinary techniques freely under the pool’s pressure, Xu Yan activates his Yin-Reversing Yang-Disordering Edict Script. Its slow-moving, black-hole-like force closes in on Jiu.
• Jiu calls for his senior sister, Xuanyuan Kanjing. She tries to reach him, but the Golden-Winged Little Roc King blocks her, keeping their battle going.
• Xu Yan continues up the slope while Jiu, overwhelmed by the pressure and the approaching Edict Script, collapses and crawls uphill.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yan shows strategic patience and determination, weighing the political danger of the Demon Vault against his personal goal. His powerful physique lets him advance where others struggle, though the pool’s pressure strains even him.
• Jiang Beixuan is exhausted but recovers through careful cultivation. His sixth aperture mark suggests he has reached a significant stage, and he trusts Xu Yan to proceed while he rests.
• Jiu Daoyan shifts from defiance to desperation as Xu Yan’s attack and the pool’s pressure leave him nearly helpless. He appeals to Xuanyuan Kanjing for rescue.
• Xuanyuan Kanjing responds immediately to her junior brother’s plea, but cannot get past the Little Roc King.
• Golden-Winged Little Roc King exploits the crisis to keep Kanjing occupied, openly enjoying her predicament.
• Xu Yan and Jiang act as allies: Jiang rests under Xu Yan’s protection, then supports his attempt to advance.

Significant themes

• Power under constraint: The pool suppresses Mystic Qi, divine senses, and physical strength, forcing cultivators to rely on endurance and adaptation.
• Ambition and the cost of advancement: Even a tiny trace of the pool’s energy has dramatic effects, but acquiring it requires immense effort and carries risks to one’s Dao foundation.
• Rivalry and opportunism: Xu Yan uses Jiu’s weakness, while the Little Roc King takes advantage of Kanjing’s divided attention.
• The wider consequences of discovery: The Nether King’s vault is not merely a personal prize; its contents could reshape political power and trigger war.

Plot and events

• Xu Yan continues climbing Sky Mountain despite the Immortal Pool’s crushing pressure. The Yin-Reversing Yang-Disordering Edict Script he unleashed is closing in on Jiu Daoyan, leaving Jiu terrified and pleading for mercy. Xu Yan refuses to stop or help him and climbs on.
• The pool’s ancient aura stirs Xu Yan’s three Golden Dao Books, especially the Great Vast Huangtian Golden Body Method. He realizes that the pool’s energy and his cultivation method share an origin.
• Murong Ziyao reaches the mountain’s base and follows Xu Yan upward. Her anger is entangled with confusion over a hazy memory of intimacy with him and the unexplained chastity mark he left behind. Jiang Beixuan tries to intervene, but Murong rebuffs him and continues climbing.
• Nie Wushuang arrives with six guards, frustrated that a failed Spirit Disc delayed her. She sends the guards to hold the rear and climbs toward the summit herself. Murong and Nie recognize each other and reveal their competing divine constitutions as they press onward.
• Xuanyuan Kanjing and the Golden-Winged Little Roc King, after fighting for a day and night, are exhausted and recovering at the mountain’s foot.
• Xu Yan reaches the summit first. The Immortal Pool is an ancient, mirror-still expanse surrounded by pillars inscribed with Primordial Edict Script. A mysterious black coffin floats at its center, radiating an overwhelming pressure that seems to seal off the terrace.
• Xu Yan suspects the Nether King’s Dharma Form and Root Bone may be connected to the coffin. Exhausted, he sits at the pool’s edge and cultivates with the Golden Body Method. Golden qi left by the Emperor Lord streams from the pool into him.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yan remains composed and determined, even as rivals approach and Jiu begs for help. He discovers that the Immortal Pool can directly nourish his Golden Body Method, giving him a new opportunity for cultivation.
• Jiu Daoyan loses his former arrogance as the approaching Edict Script threatens to destroy him; his appeals to shared Dao lineages go unanswered.
• Murong Ziyao is driven by resentment toward Xu Yan, but her unresolved memories and suspicion about their past complicate her hostility. She clashes verbally and physically with Jiang Beixuan, then competes with Nie Wushuang on the climb.
• Jiang Beixuan tries to restrain Murong, misunderstanding the depth of her feud with Xu Yan. His attempt only earns her anger.
• Nie Wushuang displays confidence and urgency, revealing her Heavenly Fire Divine Body and joining the race to the pool. Her brief exchange with Murong establishes mutual recognition and rivalry.
• Xuanyuan Kanjing and the Golden-Winged Little Roc King remain locked in a bitter rivalry, but their exhaustion temporarily sidelines them.

Significant themes

• Power and endurance: The mountain’s pressure tests not only physical strength but determination and the ability to exploit one’s cultivation.
• Ancient inheritance and shared origins: The pool, its inscriptions, the coffin, and the Emperor Lord’s golden qi connect present-day cultivation to the Primordial Era.
• Rivalry and unresolved history: Murong’s pursuit of Xu Yan shows how old conflicts and uncertain memories can deepen enmity.
• Opportunity amid danger: The same overwhelming force that threatens the climbers becomes a source of cultivation for Xu Yan.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Yan uses the Taihao Golden Qi rising from the immortal pool to cultivate the third level of the Great Vast Huangtian Golden Body Method, Bone-Shaking. Unlike the sharp, aggressive Geng Metal qi, the golden qi is gentle and brimming with vitality.
• As the qi permeates his body, Xu Yan’s bones and sinews undergo a profound transformation. His body expels lingering impurities, leaving his flesh purer and stronger.
• After hours of cultivation, his bones resonate with powerful, drumlike sounds. Golden light bursts forth, and Xu Yan rises, apparently having completed a major breakthrough in Bone-Shaking.
• Murong Ziyao, still struggling up the mountain, sees Xu Yan’s extraordinary vitality and realizes his strength may threaten her confidence ahead of the True Disciple ceremony.
• Heaven’s chosen from across the provinces gather at the mountain’s base. The Nether Province disciples decide to wait for the Demon Vault Cave to open; Jade Pool Saintess Yi Xiangyi chooses to observe rather than climb; Chongwu Chun and Yan Rulong arrive after Xu Yan has already reached the summit.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Yan remains focused and steadfast through intense pain, completing a major advance in his body-tempering cultivation.
• Murong Ziyao becomes unsettled by Xu Yan’s unfamiliar power and sees him as a stronger potential rival. She questions Nie Wushuang about her relationship with him.
• Nie Wushuang calls Xu Yan her closest friend, provoking Murong Ziyao’s irritation, but remains playful and unbothered.
• Yi Xiangyi calmly judges that her water-element foundation makes the ascent unsuitable and opts to watch events unfold.
• Chongwu Chun and Yan Rulong recognize that Xu Yan has reached the pool before them; Yan Rulong remarks on how unlike the Taiyuan Divine Sect’s methods his cultivation appears.

Significant themes

• Transformation through endurance: Xu Yan’s painful cultivation turns his body into something stronger and purer.
• Rivalry and uncertainty: His progress unsettles Murong Ziyao and raises the stakes for the coming ceremony.
• Different forms of power: Xu Yan’s life-giving golden qi contrasts with Murong Ziyao’s sharp, domineering Geng Metal energy.
• Strategic restraint: Several groups choose to observe or wait rather than risk a difficult ascent.

Xu Yan’s fight with Xuanyuan Kanjing was interrupted when the Golden-Winged Little Roc King attacked her as well, leaving her wounded and outnumbered. As Xu Yan prepared to join the assault, he sensed a faint tremor beneath the Immortal Pool.

• Xu Yan completed his breakthrough while Jiu Daoyan struggled toward the summit with the Yin-Yang-Reversing Edict Script closing in behind him.
• Xuanyuan Kanjing broke through the Immortal Pool’s pressure, rescued Jiu Daoyan, and challenged Xu Yan to a fight.
• Xu Yan and Xuanyuan Kanjing exchanged dozens of attacks, with neither gaining a clear advantage.
• The Golden-Winged Little Roc King intervened against Xuanyuan Kanjing, forcing her to divide her sword formation between him and Xu Yan.
• Xuanyuan Kanjing was wounded by the Little Roc King’s Great Halberd as Xu Yan watched for an opening.
• Xu Yan sensed a faint tremor beneath his feet and turned his Manifest Sage Dharma Eye toward the Immortal Pool.

Xu Yan followed the Miaoyuan Edict’s response to the black coffin in the Immortal Pool and opened it, revealing a starry expanse, a Double-Pupiled Black Dragon, and a sleeping woman identical to the Red-Robed Lady. As the coffin’s power shook the Netherworld Land, primordial mutants gathered around the mountain while the cultivators watched in alarm.

• Murong Ziyao and Nie Wushuang reached the Immortal Pool, while Jiang Beixuan remained below and cultivated; Nie Wushuang’s Azure Bottle burst after she tried to collect the spirit liquid.
• Xu Yan entered the Immortal Pool, and the water began cleansing his Dao Body as Murong Ziyao and Nie Wushuang followed him in.
• The coffin shook and stirred heaven and earth, so Xu Yan and the two women suppressed their immortal apertures.
• Xu Yan sensed an innate edict script inside the coffin and unleashed the Miaoyuan Edict to cut through its restrictions.
• The Golden-Winged Little Roc King stopped fighting Xuanyuan Kanjing and flew upward, while she carried the wounded Jiu Daoyan to safety and then pursued him.
• Mutants with disordered pupils surged toward the Immortal Pool Mountain as Xu Yan opened the coffin and saw a Double-Pupiled Black Dragon and a sleeping woman identical to the Red-Robed Lady.

The Nether King used the Red-Robed Lady’s body to seize the Double-Pupiled Black Dragon, then swept Xu Yan, Nie Wushuang, Murong Ziyao, and the Immortal Pool’s spirit liquid into the Starry-Sky Tomb Coffin. As True Persons and a Golden-Winged Roc converged outside the cracking Demon Vault, Xu Yan and the others found themselves inside a boundless river of stars.

• The Miaoyuan Edict opened the Starry-Sky Tomb Coffin, revealing the Nether King asleep beneath a reflected starry sky and a Double-Pupiled Black Dragon roaming among the stars.
• The Black Dragon’s emergence weakened the Immortal Pool’s pressure, and cultivators rushed to collect its spirit liquid until the Nether King reclaimed their treasures.
• The Nether King arrived in the Red-Robed Lady’s body, pulled the Black Dragon’s primordial spirit from the starry sky, and swallowed it.
• The Nether King swept Xu Yan, Nie Wushuang, Murong Ziyao, the Soul-Seizing Bell, and nearly all the Immortal Pool’s spirit liquid into the coffin, then shut its lid.
• The Demon Vault cracked as True Persons attacked the coffin and a Golden-Winged Roc arrived, while mutant creatures turned on the remaining cultivators.
• Xu Yan and the others stood inside the Starry-Sky Tomb Coffin amid a vast river of stars.

Inside the Starry-Sky Tomb Coffin, the Nether King restored his body by consuming his sister’s innate charming bone, then accepted Nie Wushuang and Murong Ziyao as disciples. He revealed that time flowed far more slowly inside his sacred domain and directed Xu Yan to comprehend the Time-Space Edict Script.

• The Nether King extracted and swallowed the skeleton from his sleeping true body, then shattered the innate charming bone within himself as his sister’s spirit left the Soul-Seizing Bell and entered his forehead.
• The Nether King asked Murong Ziyao and Nie Wushuang about the other five-elements divine bodies and offered to take them as disciples; both women accepted.
• The Nether King said he would need five or six years to recover, and Xu Yan learned that a year inside the tomb coffin passed in only the time an incense stick took to burn outside.
• The Nether King explained that the tomb coffin was his sacred domain and instructed his new disciples to temper their divine bodies while they waited.
• The Nether King identified the surrounding realm as an Ancient Realm opened by the Immortal Lord with the Time-Space Edict Script and told Xu Yan to extend his spiritual sense and try to comprehend it.