Chapter Summaries

Zheng Qunshan forced Qin An to accept a mission to help quell the Bamboo Water Rebellion, and Qin An agreed to leave in two months after strengthening his professions. Meanwhile, Lu Wufeng learned Qin An would travel to the Bamboo Water River and decided to ambush him there.

• Zheng Qunshan told Tang Zizhen and Zhou Yuanfeng that Qin An would face punishment by being sent to help quell the Bamboo Water Rebellion, and Zhou Yuanfeng challenged him.
• Tang Zizhen and Zhou Yuanfeng informed Qin An of the mission, but Qin An accepted it and planned to leave in two months after improving his Formation Master and Alchemist professions.
• Lu Wufeng learned that Qin An had disrupted the Crescent Moon Sect's scheme and that he might soon travel to the Bamboo Water River.
• Lu Wufeng ordered his followers to prepare to pursue Qin An once he left the Evil Extermination Division, intending to kill him.

Qin An completed two months of training, reached level thirteen in alchemy and formations, and prepared to leave for the Bamboo Water River. There, Zheng Qunshan sought allies against him, while the Twin Absolute Sect’s Great Elder Duan Yun promised to keep friendly forces from associating with Qin An.

• Tang Zizhen warned Zhou Yuanfeng that Zheng Qunshan was heading to the Bamboo Water River and might target Qin An, who had already been informed.
• Qin An reached level thirteen in Alchemist and Formation Master, then exchanged his Merits for ten portions of Demon Consciousness.
• Qin An asked the Alchemist Alliance to provide ingredients and refined fifty Golden Origin Pills and fifty Silver Origin Pills for his dangerous assignment.
• Qin An set out toward the Bamboo Water River, where many forces had gathered around the rumored treasure.
• Duan Yun told Zheng Qunshan that the Twin Absolute Sect’s allies would not associate with Qin An at the Bamboo Water River.

Zheng Qunshan won the Twin Absolute Sect’s support and rallied local powers against Qin An, while Lu Wufeng recruited Elder Tiger to help kill him. After Qin An found the human sects refusing to meet him, Liu Yi revealed they had pledged themselves to Zheng Qunshan and asked what she would get for helping him.

• Duan Yun agreed to follow Zheng Qunshan’s orders and make sure the Twin Absolute Sect’s powers did not help Qin An.
• Lu Wufeng offered Elder Tiger a drop of Deer Demon Essence Blood in exchange for help killing Qin An, and Elder Tiger accepted.
• Qin An reached the Bamboo Water River region and found the Cloud Mist Sect and two other powers unwilling to receive him.
• Liu Yi stopped Qin An on the mountain path and explained that the local powers were avoiding him because they had pledged themselves to Zheng Qunshan.
• Liu Yi asked Qin An what he would give her in exchange for her help.

Qin An and Liu Yi agreed to work together and went to the Ink Sword Sect to learn about the forces around the Bamboo Water River. Elder Wang Yue explained that the situation was more complicated than they knew, with both Zheng Qunshan and a demon from Mount Lu newly arrived.

• Liu Yi jokingly proposed marriage, but Qin An treated her offer literally and began undressing until she admitted defeat.
• Liu Yi offered to give Qin An the lead after they completed the mission, and he agreed to investigate the Bamboo Water River with her.
• Liu Yi explained that nine Upper-Tier Forces controlled the area and that Zheng Qunshan had won the Twin Absolute Sect and Long Cloud Mountain to his side, while the Ink Sword Sect remained aligned with Lord Jin.
• Qin An and Liu Yi decided to visit the Ink Sword Sect, where Wang Yue welcomed them after learning their identities.
• Qin An asked Wang Yue about the local situation, and Wang Yue revealed that a demon from Mount Lu had arrived in addition to Zheng Qunshan.

Qin An discovered that a Natural Formation concealed the great expert’s treasure near the Bamboo Water River and identified how the factions could reveal it. He agreed with Liu Yi to pursue the treasure and use the ensuing chaos to settle the unrest, while vowing to eliminate those who came for him.

• Wang Yue told Qin An that Lu Wufeng and the demons of Mount Lu had arrived and were plotting against him.
• Qin An studied Wang Yue’s map, spotted a Natural Formation, and located the treasure in a nearby Plain.
• Qin An explained that reversing the Bamboo Water River’s current would reverse the formation and reveal the treasure, prompting Wang Yue to seek cooperation among the factions.
• Qin An and Liu Yi planned to wait for the factions to fight before stepping in, and Liu Yi offered to help him deal with Zheng Qunshan and Lu Wufeng in return for help claiming the treasure.
• Qin An accepted Liu Yi’s proposal and, left alone afterward, vowed not to spare anyone who had come for him.

Duan Yun learned that Qin An had helped the Ink Sword Sect discover how to open the Treasure, while factions along the Bamboo Water River agreed to reverse the river and bring it forth. As Qin An and Liu Yi prepared to confront their enemies, more than ten thousand people gathered at the riverbank, where Wang Yue called for the work to begin.

• Duan Yun received the Ink Sword Sect's Letter, ordered the Twin Absolute Sect to conserve its strength for the Treasure, and told his elder to watch Qin An and kill him if circumstances changed.
• Wang Yue reported that every faction had agreed to join forces and reverse the river the next day, while Qin An and Liu Yi discussed using their freedom to act against Zheng Qunshan and Lu Wufeng.
• Elder Tiger forced Lu Wufeng to remain at Tiger Cave until he fulfilled their deal and handed over his blood essence.
• More than ten thousand people from over a hundred forces gathered along the Bamboo Water River as Qin An faced Zheng Qunshan and Lu Wufeng across the crowd.
• Wang Yue announced that everyone would begin reversing the river's flow.

Wang Yue and the gathered factions reversed the Bamboo Water River’s flow, revealing a Formation that scattered people into an underground space. Qin An protected himself, Wang Yue, and Liu Yi, and the three found a black Coffin that became their only apparent chance to survive a deadly Formation.

• Wang Yue led the factions in channeling True Essence into the Bamboo Water River until it flowed backward and exposed a bottomless opening.
• A Mid-Tier Forces’ group rushed toward the opening and was killed by attacks from the other factions, leaving everyone wary of making a move.
• Qin An used his Six-colored True Essence to keep himself, Wang Yue, and Liu Yi together as the Formation separated and transported people underground.
• Qin An identified their chamber as part of a Death Formation and said the black Coffin was their only possible exit as fiery walls began closing in.
• Wang Yue and Liu Yi attacked the Coffin, weakening it, and Qin An’s Six-colored blade energy finally split it open and released chilling Killing Intent.

Qin An broke the Death Formation, weakened the Mummy False God, and killed it with one stroke before leading Liu Yi and Wang Yue through the exit. Elsewhere, Lu Wufeng survived another Mummy False God and descended into the darkness, still intent on killing Qin An himself.

• A Mummy False God emerged from the coffin and fought Liu Yi and Wang Yue while Qin An searched for the Death Formation’s weak points.
• Qin An broke the formation, halving the Mummy False God’s power, then killed it with a single strike of Cold Star.
• Qin An explained that the False God had likely been a follower of the master and led Liu Yi and Wang Yue through the hole beneath the coffin.
• Across the underground structure, an invisible formation separated more than ten thousand people, leaving some to survive and others to die.
• Lu Wufeng and two Deer Demons defeated a Mummy False God in a magma-filled chamber, then followed a staircase downward as Lu Wufeng vowed to kill Qin An.

After surviving the first trial, Qin An and the remaining forces gathered before a vast staircase shrouded in killing intent. The factions agreed to cooperate to seek the treasure, but Zheng Qunshan and Lu Wufeng demanded Qin An’s death before the group turned its attention to climbing the stairs.

• Zheng Qunshan survived a Mummy False God, then followed an opening after the Black Water drained away.
• Qin An, Wang Yue, and Liu Yi descended into a vast space and found the surviving forces gathered before a towering staircase.
• The survivors learned that only about a hundred people had made it through the first trial, while nearly ten thousand corpses—including many Ink Sword Sect disciples and Elders—had been brought up on a platform.
• Duan Yun proposed sharing the treasure, and the Kitchen God, Elder Tiger, and Wang Yue agreed to cooperate for now.
• Zheng Qunshan and Lu Wufeng called for Qin An to die, but their allies held back until the group could deal with the staircase.
• As everyone hesitated before the staircase, Qin An said that something was coming.

Qin An and Liu Yi climbed the Heaven-Connecting Staircase through increasingly powerful illusions and met the dying Formation Elder, who offered them his inheritance. Qin An refused and asked only for treasure, leaving the Elder visibly irritated as the chapter ended.

• Qin An warned the cultivators that the Formation had entered its second stage, and the group followed Wang Yue toward the Heaven-Connecting Staircase.
• When Wang Yue and the others stepped onto the stairs, they fell under an illusion, but Qin An resisted much of its power and Liu Yi used her Heart Refining Method to stay clear-minded.
• Qin An and Liu Yi continued climbing, endured the stronger illusions, and reached a cloud-filled height where they found the Formation Elder seated on a Giant Throne.
• The Formation Elder explained that a False God had altered his Natural Formation, causing the deaths of those who entered, and said he had hidden there to preserve his life and pass on his teachings.
• Qin An refused the Elder's inheritance and asked for treasure instead, but the Elder offered only a Round Treasure Orb as the key and pressed him to become his disciple.

Qin An exposed the Formation Elder’s plan to use cultivators as Blood Medicine and Medicine Ingredients, then worked to break the Formation while Liu Yi fought the illusion-controlled cultivators. The chapter left Qin An hinting that he might not need to break the entire Formation.

• Qin An and Liu Yi realized the Formation Elder had allied with the False Gods to refine Divine Souls and use the cultivators as ingredients to extend his life.
• The Formation Elder vanished, and Qin An warned Liu Yi that Wang Yue and the other illusion-controlled cultivators were approaching.
• Qin An empowered Liu Yi with a Formation and gave her pills as she prepared to hold off the attackers while he worked to break the Formation.
• Liu Yi fought nearly a hundred Inner God Realm cultivators, injuring several before taking a pill to heal and charging back into battle.
• The Formation Elder returned and offered to let Qin An and Liu Yi leave if Qin An stopped; Qin An refused and continued working, thinking he might not need to break the entire Formation.

Liu Yi and Qin An survived the siege at the Heavenly Staircase after Qin An partially broke the Formation and collapsed the staircase. Using the Natural Formation to empower himself and Wang Yue, Qin An fought Duan Yun, Zheng Qunshan, and Lu Wufeng, then killed Zheng Qunshan.

• Liu Yi prepared to sacrifice herself to kill her attackers, but Qin An pulled her through the True Essence barrier as their strikes hit it.
• Qin An collapsed the Heavenly Staircase, freeing Wang Yue and the others from the Formation's Illusion.
• Qin An confronted Duan Yun and the others, while the Kitchen God joined their side and Wang Yue stood with Qin An.
• Qin An used the Natural Formation to strengthen himself and Wang Yue and weaken their opponents as the battle began.
• Wang Yue held off the Kitchen God and Elder Tiger while Qin An wounded Duan Yun and faced Zheng Qunshan and Lu Wufeng.
• Qin An burned ten Demon Consciousnesses, caught Zheng Qunshan, and snapped his throat.

Qin An defeated Zheng Qunshan, Lu Wufeng, Elder Tiger, the Kitchen God, and Duan Yun after Duan Yun switched sides, leaving the Formation Elder as the last threat. The Formation Elder appeared on a White Cloud Throne and vowed to kill them all.

• Qin An killed Lu Wufeng after breaking off his antlers and drove Duan Yun to surrender by offering to spare him if he helped defeat Elder Tiger and the Kitchen God.
• Duan Yun joined Qin An and Wang Yue against Elder Tiger and the Kitchen God, and they killed both enemies as the Kitchen God tried to flee.
• Duan Yun attempted to escape, but Wang Yue and Liu Yi wounded him, and Qin An killed him.
• Wang Yue thanked Qin An for saving his life, while Liu Yi asked what they should do about the Formation Elder.
• The Formation Elder appeared on a giant White Cloud Throne and vowed to bury Qin An and the others.

Qin An trapped the Formation Elder in his own Red Mist Formation, found his weakened true body, and killed him. The survivors escaped the Formation, but Qin An warned that the danger was not over.

• The Formation Elder turned the white space into a Red Mist Formation that threatened to refine Qin An, Wang Yue, Liu Yi, and the other Cultivators into Pills.
• Qin An gathered the recovered Inner God Realm experts and used their True Essence to form White Mist that held the Red Mist at bay.
• Qin An revealed that he had seized part of the Natural Formation and used it to locate the Formation Elder’s true body while the Elder maintained the Red Mist.
• The Formation Elder attacked Qin An, then begged for his life after Qin An repelled his strikes and left him gravely wounded.
• Qin An beheaded the Formation Elder, collapsed the White Mist Formation, and freed the survivors from the Red Mist.
• Qin An told the relieved group that it was not over yet as he looked toward the hazy white space.

Qin An led the survivors to the hidden treasure chamber, let them divide its contents, and learned from Liu Yi about a Jade Stone linked to Heavenly Extreme True Meaning. After the group returned to the Bamboo Water River, Qin An killed the twenty-two criminal Demons for their Demon Consciousnesses and vanished into the night.

• Qin An opened the hidden treasure chamber and allowed the survivors to take its pills, weapons, and materials.
• Liu Yi gave Qin An a Jade Stone and told him it was connected to a pair of Heavenly Extreme True Meanings that she hoped to explore with him.
• Qin An identified the twenty-two remaining Inner God Realm Demons as criminals and ordered the Human Faction to kill them in exchange for the treasure they had collected.
• Wang Yue gathered the twenty-two Demon Consciousnesses, and Qin An absorbed five before keeping the other fifteen.
• Qin An and the survivors returned to the banks of the Bamboo Water River, where Qin An carried Cold Star away using Ghostly Steps.
• Heavy footsteps sounded as Wang Yue and Liu Yi prepared to leave.

After the Bamboo Water River battle, Wang Yue and the others returned to the Ink Sword Sect, while Qin An planned to strengthen his Scholar Profession. At Mount Lu, the Deer Lord ordered a plot to kill Qin An and met secretly with a black-robed Mountain Patrol Silver General, who threatened to cut off his Divine Soul Refinement Method.

• Situ Shen arrived at the Bamboo Water River, learned Zheng Qunshan had died, and warned that he would kill Qin An if Qin An caused more trouble.
• Wang Yue led the survivors away, while Liu Yi decided to rest before seeking Qin An to discuss their trip to the Secret Land.
• Qin An returned to the Evil Extermination Division and resolved to raise his Scholar Profession to the Fourteenth Level and improve his Mind Method.
• The Deer Lord ordered Mount Lu's Inner God Realm Deer Demons to kill Qin An and told them to join forces with the Tiger Cave.
• The Deer Lord met a black-robed Mountain Patrol Silver General in a hidden chamber, and the man warned him to watch his words if he wanted to keep cultivating the Divine Soul Refinement Method.

Qin An spent over two months reading in the Confidential Archives, raising his Scholar Profession to level fourteen before mastering and merging two Inner God Realm Mind Methods. He reached Great Completion of the Inner God Realm and considered taking another mission, but a visitor arrived and was astonished by his rapid advance.

• The Deer Lord agreed to help the black-robed man kill Qin An in exchange for more of the Divine Soul Refinement Technique, while being forbidden to attack Qin An himself.
• Qin An raised his Scholar Profession to level fourteen after months of reading in the Confidential Archives.
• Qin An exchanged Merits for the Thunder Calling Heart Sutra and ten Demon Consciousness, then mastered the Mind Method.
• Qin An merged the Thunder Calling Heart Sutra with the Bodhi Golden Dragon Six Harmony Art into the Bodhi Golden Dragon Seven Star Art, reaching Great Completion of the Inner God Realm.
• Qin An decided to seek another mission to gain more Merits and prepared tea when he sensed a visitor approaching.
• A slender woman entered without knocking and asked Qin An how he had reached Great Completion of the Inner God Realm in just over two months.

After Liu Yi warned Qin An that Situ Shen might still harbor plans against him, she tested Qin An’s strength in a friendly match and revealed they had the map and key needed to seek the Heavenly Extreme True Meaning in Tannan Prefecture. Qin An and Liu Yi left Xunyang Prefecture immediately to reach the secret land.

• Liu Yi told Qin An that Situ Shen had visited her after the events at Bamboo Water River and claimed his grievances with Qin An were settled.
• Liu Yi challenged Qin An to a friendly match to gauge his strength, and Qin An’s Great Completion of the Inner God Realm let him contend with her Perfection-level power.
• Zhou Yuanfeng and Tang Zizhen watched the match and recognized that Qin An had surpassed them in strength.
• Liu Yi showed Qin An a map marking a location in Tannan Prefecture and a Jade Stone that served as the key to the Secret Land.
• Qin An and Liu Yi collected two Swift Horses and rode out of Xunyang Prefecture toward Tannan Prefecture.

Qin An and Liu Yi traveled to Tannan Prefecture to seek the Heavenly Extreme True Meaning, unaware that demons were preparing to ambush them on their return. At the Qian Lineage’s residence, they learned its head had died attempting to break through to the Inner God Realm.

• The Deer Lord and Mountain Lord joined forces with a black-robed Mountain Patrol Silver General and sent forty Inner God Realm demons to ambush Qin An after his visit to Tannan Prefecture.
• Qin An and Liu Yi rode through the rain toward Tannan Prefecture and talked about Liu Yi’s reputation and Qin An’s few romantic acquaintances.
• Liu Yi told Qin An that a pair of Heavenly Extreme True Meanings was hidden in the tomb of the Qian Lineage’s founder, a secret discovered by a Formation Elder.
• Qin An and Liu Yi entered Tannan Prefecture and went to the Qian Lineage’s residence, where they found signs of mourning.
• A Qian Lineage member told Qin An that the lineage head had died that morning after failing to break through to the Inner God Realm.

Qin An and Liu Yi investigated the Qian Family Head’s suspicious death while seeking the location of the Qian ancestor’s tomb. Madam Qian finally admitted there was a secret, but the coffin was empty, leaving the whereabouts of the body unexplained.

• Qin An and Liu Yi learned that the Qian Family Head had died just as they arrived, and Madam Qian claimed she knew nothing about the tomb’s location.
• Madam Qian revealed that a cloaked traveler had asked her husband about the tomb days earlier, shortly before he died.
• Qin An and Liu Yi suspected Madam Qian was lying and decided to stay at the estate and investigate the family head’s death after dark.
• At midnight, Qin An and Liu Yi confronted Madam Qian during the vigil and pressured her to dismiss everyone from the mourning hall.
• Madam Qian opened the coffin and said it contained the truth, but Qin An found only a burial robe and no body.