Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Qin An arrives on the Gale Plains and devastates the Azure Mystic Bird Tribe’s nests, killing more than a hundred birds while searching for their leader, Azure Mystic.
• Azure Mystic confronts him, relying on the plains’ Gang Wind to strengthen his attacks. Their first clash is fierce, but Qin An withstands him with his Dharma Form, Nine-Colored Void Essence, and Three-Blade Fusion.
• Recognizing Qin An as a growing threat, Azure Mystic sacrifices his feathers using the tribe’s supreme Secret Art, raising his cultivation from Minor to Great Completion at the cost of leaving himself weakened afterward.
• Both fighters take heavy damage in their next exchange. Azure Mystic uses the local wind to heal, but Qin An recovers with his own Void Essence and Pills, then counterattacks with his Replication Jade, Phantom Image, floating Cold Star Blade, and Blood and Qi Power.
• Azure Mystic calls on his followers for help, but they flee. Qin An defeats him and severs his head, ending their longstanding grudge. He absorbs Azure Mystic’s Demon Core and searches the tribe’s nests, gaining the equivalent of several more cores.
• Qin An turns to his broader mission: investigating what Azure Plains and the other demons and False Gods are planning. Before he can leave, a powerful monk named Wunian arrives. He introduces himself as a demon-slayer from the Demon-Subduing Temple and proposes working with Qin An.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An demonstrates calm, confidence, and resourcefulness under pressure. He adapts to Azure Mystic’s terrain advantage, heals efficiently, and remains focused on his larger mission after securing his victory.
• Azure Mystic shifts from arrogant confidence to alarm and desperation as Qin An proves stronger than expected. He sacrifices his tribe’s feathers and cultivation resources to win, then discovers his followers’ loyalty fails when he needs them most.
• Wunian is introduced as a formidable, composed monk whose serene manner contrasts with the murderous aura he carries. He approaches Qin An respectfully but proposes an alliance, opening the possibility of a new partnership.
• Qin An and Azure Mystic’s final encounter resolves their personal feud. Qin An’s exchange with Wunian begins a new, cautious relationship: Qin An suspects a connection to the slain tribe, while Wunian presents himself as an ally.

Significant themes

• Growth and future threat: Azure Mystic recognizes that Qin An’s rapid advancement makes him increasingly dangerous.
• Loyalty versus self-preservation: The Azure Mystic Birds abandon their leader when the battle turns against them.
• Resourcefulness and preparation: Qin An’s healing methods and varied techniques counter Azure Mystic’s environmental advantage and costly power-up.
• Power’s cost: Azure Mystic’s supreme art temporarily boosts his cultivation but leaves him vulnerable.
• Vengeance and onward purpose: Qin An settles an old grudge, but his wider investigation—and the encounter with Wunian—continues.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An meets Wunian, a monk who claims to belong to the secretive Demon-Subduing Temple. Wunian says the temple quietly helps the Evil Extermination Division while avoiding political entanglements.
• Wunian reveals that demons and False Gods plan to detonate the Golden Throne Heart inside the Golden Throne Hall. They would protect themselves by placing their Divine Souls within it, while the explosion devastates the Ancient Battlefield Ruins and weakens the Skycloud Circuit’s human factions.
• He proposes that he and Qin An hunt demons and False Gods together: Qin An would earn Merits, while Wunian would advance his temple’s cultivation by dispelling his “demonic hindrance.”
• Qin An agrees to travel with him but remains suspicious. He eventually attacks Wunian from behind, citing the monk’s unlikely choice of a relatively low-ranking Marshal and the absence of other temple disciples.
• Wunian’s disguise falls away: he reveals himself as an agent serving the Forbidden Land’s traitors, not a member of them. He intends to kill Qin An because Qin An’s connection to the being at Myriad Poison Cloud Peak could make him a future threat.
• Wunian reaches Essence Transformation Great Completion and attacks with a gigantic palm formed from the clouds. The chapter ends as the strike descends on Qin An.

Character developments

• Qin An is cautious and observant, testing Wunian even while appearing to accept his story. He identifies inconsistencies and recognizes that the attack is connected to his Forbidden Land ties.
• Wunian first presents himself as a calm, dutiful monk seeking a mutually beneficial alliance. His disguise gives way to a cold, murderous agent who believes Qin An must be eliminated before he grows stronger.

Significant themes

• Deception and vigilance: Wunian’s plausible claims conceal a lethal agenda, and Qin An’s distrust proves justified.
• Hidden power and factional intrigue: The temple, the Forbidden Land’s servants, and the Evil Extermination Division all operate with incomplete or concealed knowledge.
• Competing duties and survival: Wunian’s supposed religious mission masks political violence, while the threat to the Golden Throne Heart suggests a catastrophe for the wider human world.

Character interactions

• Qin An questions Wunian’s background, intelligence, motives, and proposed cooperation, probing for weaknesses.
• Wunian tries to establish trust by sharing the Golden Throne Hall’s secret and explaining his cultivation method, then turns on Qin An when exposed.
• Their apparent partnership collapses into open hostility, with Wunian launching a direct attack and Qin An facing him in combat.

Key plot points and events

• Wunian attacks Qin An with a powerful cloud-formed palm, believing Qin An has exhausted his reserves. Qin An survives through his Blood and Qi Power, then burns all the Demon Cores he has left to strengthen his counterattack.
• Qin An destroys Wunian’s arms and fatally punches through his chest. As he dies, Wunian warns that the betrayer lords will descend in force and that the Golden Throne Hall’s opening will bring disaster to Qin An and the Skycloud Circuit.
• Qin An searches Wunian’s body and finds five Demon Cores. He concludes that Wunian’s account of the Golden Throne Hall was largely false, but recognizes that the mystery involves Demons, False Gods, and the betrayers. He sets off to investigate the Azure Plains forces before the ceremony begins.
• Other Mountain Patrol Masters are also tracking their targets, with some already fighting Demon and False God groups.
• Elsewhere, Demons and False Gods gather under a wolf Demon leader who will direct the upcoming Golden Palace Ceremony. Twelve upper-tier and more than a hundred mid-tier forces have joined; preparations are underway, with fewer than ten days remaining.
• The assembled factions question the leader’s secrecy about the ceremony’s purpose. He refuses to reveal the secret, insisting that discretion is essential.
• After the gathering disperses, Yu Caiyi speaks privately with a striking young man—one of the betrayers’ followers. He asks about Qin An, whose potential and survival have drawn the group’s attention. Learning that Qin An is in the ruins, he vows to kill him if they meet during the Golden Throne Hall.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An proves that his apparent exhaustion is misleading: he can draw on additional reserves and is willing to spend heavily to kill a dangerous opponent. He remains practical, searching Wunian’s body and quickly turning his attention to the larger threat.
• Wunian dies fiercely devoted to the betrayers, warning Qin An of an impending catastrophe rather than showing regret.
• The wolf Demon leader commands broad obedience despite not being especially powerful, because he alone holds the ceremony’s secret. His refusal to share it creates mistrust among the gathered factions.
• Yu Caiyi remains observant and cautious, sharing what little she knows about Qin An while questioning why he matters.
• The young betrayer’s follower reveals intense hostility toward Qin An and orders a brutal death if they encounter him.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and underestimation: Wunian misjudges Qin An by assuming his earlier expenditure left him helpless.
• Secrets and mistrust: The ceremony’s purpose is withheld even from powerful allies, leaving the coalition uneasy.
• Escalating danger and urgency: Multiple factions are mobilizing, and Qin An recognizes that he must uncover their plans before the ceremony begins.
• Loyalty and fanaticism: Wunian’s final warning and the young man’s vendetta show how belief and allegiance fuel the conflict.

Character interactions

• Qin An and Wunian’s confrontation shifts from Wunian’s confident attack to Qin An’s decisive counterstrike; Wunian’s final words broaden the stakes beyond their duel.
• The wolf Demon leader manages the gathered factions, but their challenges expose the limits of their trust in him.
• Yu Caiyi’s private exchange with the young man reveals that the betrayers’ followers are actively targeting Qin An and establishes a likely future collision.

Plot points and events

• Yu Caiyi agrees, with reservations, to help a young traitor kill Qin An and trigger the secret of the Golden Throne Hall. She refuses to promise success, asserting her independence and status.
• Qin An continues investigating demon and False God factions, destroying several but finding no useful clues about the Hall. When an Evil Extermination Division signal flare calls the Mountain Patrol Marshals together, he abandons the search and joins them.
• Gold Marshal Gu Yun explains that the enemy forces are gathering and the Golden Throne Hall will open in three days. The Division stops searching for clues and marches to Verdant Mountain, where the entrance lies.
• As a vast cloud whirlpool forms above the mountain, demons and False Gods attack. At first they appear weak, but Gu Yun realizes they are bait in a blood sacrifice and orders the Marshals to stop killing them.
• The attackers then explode themselves, releasing Blood Essence that forms a pillar and enters the whirlpool. The whirlpool reverses direction and creates a powerful suction, pulling the Marshals—and nearby demons and False Gods—into the sky.
• Qin An realizes this is how the enemy bypasses the Division’s defenses. He protects himself with his Void Essence and Dharma Form, is drawn through the clouds, and sees a magnificent hall emerge.

Character developments and interactions

• Yu Caiyi cooperates with the young traitor but makes clear that she will not be controlled or guarantee results. The young man recognizes her lingering pride and expects it to fade over time.
• Qin An remains methodical and alert. He accepts Gu Yun’s plan, fights in the initial battle, and quickly suspects the attackers are serving a hidden purpose.
• Gu Yun takes command decisively, organizing the Division’s forces and identifying the blood-sacrifice trap before the situation worsens.
• The Mountain Patrol Marshals act in disciplined unison, first following Gu Yun’s orders to gather and then shifting from attack to defense when warned.

Significant themes

• Hidden schemes and deception: The apparent attack is a calculated sacrifice designed to activate the Hall’s entrance and circumvent the Division’s defenses.
• Pride and control: Yu Caiyi’s agreement is tempered by her refusal to surrender her autonomy.
• Adaptation under uncertainty: Qin An and Gu Yun must respond to incomplete information, revising their approach as the enemy’s real plan becomes clear.
• Sacrifice as a weapon: The demons and False Gods are deliberately expended to unleash the force that draws everyone into the Hall.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Qin An finds himself alone inside a vast, opulent palace after being drawn in with the Mountain Patrol Masters. Its immense doors open as if inviting him inside, and he proceeds cautiously.
• In a long corridor, he discovers murals depicting humans fighting strange, human-shaped beings. Recognizing the aura of the Forbidden Lands, he suspects the murals show an ancient war between the Holdouts and the Betrayers.
• The murals give way to solemn portraits of people who appeared in the battle scenes. Qin An believes they are memorials to those killed in the war.
• A massive Golden Gate blocks his path. Its carvings look dried out, and Qin An deduces that it needs to be nourished. He pours Nine-Colored Void Essence into it, replenishing his strength with Compound Pills until the carvings come alive.
• The carvings form a beast’s head, which examines Qin An and confirms he is human, not a Betrayer. It welcomes him to Holdouts Cemetery and explains that he was sent there because he bears the aura of the Holdouts; the others are elsewhere.
• The gate opens onto an immense cemetery. Qin An realizes it holds the remains of Holdouts who died fighting the Betrayers. The tombstones describe lives of extraordinary achievement, ended in that conflict.
• As Qin An wonders whether the cemetery contains anything beyond the graves—and how he can leave—a golden-robed figure appears at the edge of his vision.

Character developments

• Qin An remains cautious but decisive, using observation and deduction rather than force to overcome the Golden Gate. His familiarity with the Forbidden Lands and his past experiences help him recognize clues.
• He shows resourcefulness and stamina, repeatedly spending his Void Essence and using pills to recover.
• The cemetery’s inscriptions deepen his awareness of the Holdouts’ sacrifice, stirring sadness and respect in him.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and remembrance: The portraits and tombstones preserve the memory of extraordinary people who died defending the world.
• Belonging and inheritance: Qin An’s Holdout aura singles him out and grants him access to a place tied to that ancient struggle.
• Courage and ingenuity: He advances into danger and solves the gate’s mystery through careful reasoning.
• The cost of war: The battle murals and memorials emphasize the loss behind heroic victories.

Character interactions

• Qin An has no human companions in the palace or cemetery; the Mountain Patrol Masters are sent elsewhere.
• The beast-shaped gate guardian questions Qin An, verifies that he is neither abnormal nor a Betrayer, and admits him to the cemetery.
• The chapter ends as an unidentified golden-robed figure approaches Qin An, setting up their first encounter.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An meets Xuan Tian, a False God born from the sorrow of the Holdouts’ cemetery. Xuan Tian says he came because Qin An bears the aura of the powerful lord on Myriad Poison Cloud Peak and has earned that lord’s recognition.
• Xuan Tian refuses to explain who the Holdouts and Betrayers truly are, saying Qin An must first become stronger and ask the lord himself.
• He reveals the Golden Throne Hall’s real purpose: it guards the entrance to the Forbidden Land, where the Betrayers are imprisoned. The sorrow of the heroic spirits prevents them from escaping. Demons and False Gods are trying to breach the cemetery and free them.
• Xuan Tian shows Qin An that the Mountain Patrol Marshals are scattered throughout the hall and fighting Demons and False Gods. He says Qin An can avert the disaster, though he gives no concrete instructions, then opens a gateway and sends him back.
• Qin An arrives in a side hall during a battle and helps a Silver Mountain Patrol Marshal and more than ten Copper Marshals defeat a group of poisonous, golden-scaled Snake Demons.
• After Qin An reveals his Forbidden Land Envoy token, the Silver Marshal recognizes his status and explains that an unseen force separated the expedition members when they were pulled into the hall.
• The group sets out to find their colleagues, but the hall shifts around them and carries them to another side hall. There they find a gravely wounded Gold Mountain Patrol Marshal among numerous bodies. He urges them to break a restriction, locate the others, and tell them he has uncovered a tremendous secret.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An remains wary of Xuan Tian and focused on practical questions. Though overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis, he chooses to leave and act rather than wait for answers. In battle, he quickly demonstrates his strength and earns the Marshals’ respect.
• Xuan Tian is lonely and intrigued by Qin An, whom he calls one of his own. He offers crucial information but remains cryptic about Qin An’s larger role.
• The Silver Mountain Patrol Marshal initially challenges Qin An’s questioning, reflecting their rank difference. His attitude changes immediately after seeing Qin An’s token, and the two cooperate.
• The wounded Gold Mountain Patrol Marshal prioritizes the mission and the secret he discovered over his own injuries, directing the newly arrived group to help the others.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and remembrance: The heroic spirits’ sorrow protects the living world by keeping the Betrayers imprisoned.
• Duty amid uncertainty: Qin An and the Marshals must act without knowing the full situation or having a clear plan.
• Hidden truths and destiny: Qin An is connected to powerful figures and may be the “Savior,” but his role and the world’s history remain unexplained.
• Hierarchy and earned authority: Qin An’s formal rank is low, yet his Envoy status and abilities reshape how others treat him.

Key events

• The Gold Mountain Patrol Marshal reveals that the enemies are using the bloodshed across the Golden Throne Hall to open a huge gate. If too many people die, something dangerous may emerge. The patrols are told to capture enemies when possible rather than kill them.
• Trapped behind an invisible barrier, Qin An and the Mountain Patrol Marshals combine their strength to break it. Crossing the doorway transports them to a distant hall, where they join another group and continue toward the deepest chamber.
• In a separate hall, the Wolf Demon Chief tells the upper-tier factions that powerful beings—the “lords” he serves—wait beyond the gate. He promises the factions will be spared if they pledge themselves to those beings, while the people of the Skycloud Circuit will be killed. Yu Caiyi recognizes the danger but stays quiet and avoids drawing attention.
• Fighting spreads throughout the complex, with mounting casualties among the Silver and Copper Mountain Patrol Marshals. The surviving forces gather in the final hall, where the gate has begun to open.
• The Wolf Demon Chief confronts the patrols with a trap: resist and be killed by his forces, or fight them and cause the gate to open, releasing the beings beyond it. Gu Yun orders the lower-ranking patrols to hold off weaker enemies while the Gold Mountain Patrol Marshals prepare to attack the enemy leaders.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An connects the barrier’s power to the Betrayers and suspects they control the gate, but keeps the focus on reaching the others. In the final hall, he recognizes Yu Tian and is noticed in turn by Yu Caiyi and the young follower of the beings beyond the gate.
• The Gold Mountain Patrol Marshals show discipline by prioritizing the mission over staying with their wounded comrade. Their leader later recovers and rejoins the force.
• Yu Caiyi understands what is behind the gate and distrusts the Wolf Demon Chief’s assurances, but chooses concealment over open resistance.
• The Wolf Demon Chief reveals his allegiance and manipulates the upper-tier factions with promises of safety. He later uses the gate’s threat to pressure the patrols.
• Gu Yun takes command in the final confrontation, trying to limit deaths while preparing a decisive strike.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and restraint: The patrols must fight while avoiding the very bloodshed that could doom everyone.
• Manipulation and self-preservation: The upper-tier factions weigh the Wolf Demon Chief’s promises against their own survival.
• No-win choices: The final confrontation presents two apparent paths, both ending in catastrophe.
• Hidden threats and betrayal: The gate, the Betrayers’ influence, and the beings beyond it reveal that the battles are part of a larger danger.

• The battle at the gate: Gu Yun orders a decapitation strike against the faction leaders, while the Mountain Patrol Marshals try to capture rather than kill the other demons and False Gods so their blood essence will not open the gate. Qin An follows the same tactic. The Wolf Demon Chief unleashes a powerful secret art granted by figures connected to the Forbidden Land, forcing the Gold Marshals to defend together.
• Qin An is targeted: Yu Caiyi and a young man—both secretly aligned with the Forbidden Land—turn their attention to Qin An, despite his low cultivation. Their combined attack badly wounds him. When they strike again, Qin An appears to be destroyed, but his Death Substitution Needle saves him, transporting him to a side hall inside the Golden Throne Hall. The needle is nearly spent, and Qin An cannot return to the battlefield.
• Qin An explores the palace: Seeking another way to help, he finds a Bronze Gate with an aura resembling that of the being from Myriad Poison Cloud Peak. Void Essence cannot open it, but Qin An realizes that blood activates its carvings. He feeds it enough blood to open the gate and enters a passage where a White-Robed, White-Haired Elder awaits. The elder identifies himself as the palace’s Guardian and reveals a formidable False God aura.
  Character developments and interactions: Qin An survives through resourcefulness rather than strength, recognizing the danger of the enemy’s attack and using the Death Substitution Needle. Yu Caiyi’s cooperation with the young man and her order to kill Qin An expose the depth of her betrayal. Gu Yun remains focused on the wider battle, trying to protect Qin An while preventing the gate from opening. The elder’s recognition that Qin An has met the being at Myriad Poison Cloud Peak hints at a connection between the two figures and the palace.
  Key themes: Strategic restraint versus escalating violence; loyalty and betrayal; the limits of strength against higher realms; and survival through ingenuity. The chapter also builds mystery around the Forbidden Land, the gate, and the powerful beings connected to the palace.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An meets an immensely powerful old man, who reveals he was formed from the Bronze Gate of the Golden Throne Hall’s prison. Weakened by guarding it for too long, he can no longer prevent the Betrayers and demon False Gods from threatening the gate and the Cemetery guarded by Xuan Tian.
• The old man senses the presence of the being within Myriad Poison Cloud Peak on Qin An and uses Qin An’s aura to contact her. She agrees to intervene, explaining that the Golden Throne Hall and its widening gate will let her channel more power through Qin An than before.
• The woman takes control of Qin An’s body and returns to the Main Hall. When a powerful demon tries to flee, she kills him with a single strike, then unleashes Killing Intent that destroys the demon False Gods, including the Wolf Demon Chief and Yu Caiyi. Yu Caiyi sacrifices two Fish Demons, including Yu Tian, to lessen her injuries, but is killed as well.
• The demons’ Blood Essence flows into the Bronze Gate, prompting a monstrous arm to emerge. The woman strikes the gate through Qin An, forcing the arm back and causing the gate to close. A furious voice from within vows that the Betrayers will still enter the world.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An moves from wary questioning to cooperation with the old man and the woman. Though conscious during the fight, he cannot control his body while she possesses it.
• The old man shifts from explaining his weakness and seeking help to showing reverence toward the woman, whom he calls the “Holdout.”
• The woman within Myriad Poison Cloud Peak reveals greater ability to act through Qin An and demonstrates overwhelming power, but she cannot appear in person.
• Yu Caiyi responds to Qin An’s transformation with fear and self-preservation, using nearby Fish Demons as shields before being killed.
• The demon forces are nearly wiped out, but their deaths feed the gate and briefly allow something dangerous to reach through.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and guardianship: The old man and the Holdout act to protect the world, while the battle’s many deaths carry a heavy cost.
• Power and dependence: Qin An is a crucial medium through which the Holdout can intervene, but he loses control while she acts.
• A threat only delayed: The gate is shut for now, yet the voice from within makes clear that the danger remains.

Key plot points and events

• After the Bronze Gate closes, a mysterious being inside Myriad Poison Cloud Peak warns Qin An that another uprising is coming. He urges Qin An to grow stronger and return once he reaches the next level, when he will learn how complicated the world really is.
• The Golden Throne Hall battle is over, with the upper-tier factions’ Demons and False Gods nearly wiped out. Qin An’s extraordinary power and role in stopping the hall from opening leave the survivors eager to know who he is.
• Gold Mountain Patrol Marshal Gu Yun questions Qin An. Qin An avoids explaining the battle’s deeper mysteries and shows him a black Forbidden Token, saying the events are closely tied to the Forbidden Land. Gu Yun accepts that Qin An’s duties and rank prevent him from sharing more.
• Qin An receives most of the battlefield’s Merits, Demon Cores, and Demon Spirits because he turned the tide. After the group leaves the hall, he is the last to depart as the hall fades from sight.
• Yu Caiyi awakens wounded in a strange lake, having been revived after Qin An killed her. A mysterious voice summons her to an island, where she meets Starlight, lord of the Starlight Forbidden Land.
• Starlight says reviving Yu Caiyi cost him greatly, but he did so for his own purposes. He makes clear that he can kill her again if she refuses to cooperate. He also reveals that Feng Jiutian, leader of the Phoenix Demon Tribe, has been revived.
• Starlight reminds Feng Jiutian that he lost the Dragon-Phoenix War and died because of Qin An, then hints that his next assignment will also involve Qin An.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An remains guarded, keeping the details of his power and the battle’s causes to himself. He handles Gu Yun’s questioning by invoking the Forbidden Land’s authority rather than revealing more.
• Gu Yun is initially determined to investigate Qin An’s actions, but backs off after seeing the Forbidden Token, respecting the limits of their respective roles.
• Yu Caiyi quickly accepts that Starlight has power over her and chooses submission as the best way to survive. Though humbled, she remains intent on living.
• Starlight is revealed as a calculating, powerful figure who values usefulness and openly treats both revived Demons as tools.
• Feng Jiutian appears indebted to Starlight and is linked with Yu Caiyi through their shared defeat and death at Qin An’s hands.

Significant themes

• Hidden power and a larger world: Qin An’s victory and the warning from Myriad Poison Cloud Peak suggest that the conflicts seen so far are part of a much broader struggle.
• Rank, secrecy, and authority: Qin An and Gu Yun’s exchange shows how institutional boundaries determine what can be asked and revealed.
• Survival and self-interest: Yu Caiyi accepts submission to avoid death, while Starlight openly frames his choices—and the revival—as transactional.
• Revenge and continuing conflict: Though Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian died, Starlight’s intervention brings them back into the struggle, with Qin An once again at its center.

Plot points and events

• In the Starlight Forbidden Land, Starlight reveals that he arranged the Dragon-Phoenix War and that Feng Jiutian’s defeat—and the Phoenix Demon Tribe’s loss—was caused by Qin An.
• Starlight identifies Qin An as a potential Savior, whose role could decide the war between opposing sides, and orders Feng Jiutian and Yu Caiyi to kill him. Because they have only just revived and are badly wounded, they must first recover in the Forbidden Land.
• A rare period of peace settles over the Skycloud Circuit after the recent expedition severely weakens its demon and False God factions. Qin An’s decisive actions at the Golden Throne Hall make him famous, but he remains secluded in the Evil Extermination Division, focused on training.
• Qin An raises all his professions to level twenty, bringing his talents to Great Completion at the Essence Transformation Realm. He then begins studying five new cultivation methods.
• He chooses the attribute-less Mountain-Stabilizing Mind Method to avoid disrupting the balance of his nine attributes. After mastering it, he attempts to fuse it with his Nine-Turn Bodhi Void Essence Mystic Yellow Art. The initial fusion fails, but after burning a great deal of Blood Essence and entering prolonged contemplation, he succeeds.

Character developments

• Qin An has reached his strongest point since entering the Skycloud Circuit, but his awareness of the wider threats drives him to keep improving. His growing mastery lets him overcome the limits of his talent through effort and insight.
• Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian reaffirm their loyalty to Starlight and accept their mission, though Yu Caiyi worries about Qin An’s demonstrated power.
• Li Moyun recognizes how extraordinary Qin An has become and regrets that he cannot recruit him to aid the Third Prince.

Character interactions

• Starlight gives Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian their orders, warning them not to underestimate Qin An and insisting they ensure he is truly dead.
• The two revived followers exchange glances and agree to obey, then recover together under the Forbidden Land’s starlight.
• Across the Skycloud Circuit, officials and martial factions discuss Qin An’s fame, while Qin An remains isolated and unaware of the attention.

Significant themes

• Destiny and prophecy: Qin An’s designation as a Savior makes him a target because of his possible effect on a coming war.
• Hidden power and misjudgment: Starlight warns that Qin An’s Golden Throne Hall strength depended on special circumstances, yet also cautions that his potential is far greater than his apparent cultivation level suggests.
• Discipline and self-improvement: Qin An’s relentless practice and willingness to endure hardship drive his advancement.
• Balance and synthesis: His choice of an attribute-less method protects his nine-attribute equilibrium, while his successful fusion of two mind methods shows the rewards—and cost—of combining knowledge.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An merges his two Mind Methods into the Nine-Turn Bodhi Black-and-Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Art, greatly increasing his Void Essence reserves while retaining his previous abilities.
• Using his profession talents and burning Blood Essence when initial attempts fail, he merges four pairs of techniques, each reaching Great Completion:
  • Nine-Turn Heartless Sacred Demon Colorless Blade, multiplying the Void Essence his blade strikes can carry.
  • Nine-Turn Blood-Burning Sacred Demon Formless Fist, combining powerful Void Essence strikes with Blood-Burning force.
  • Nine-Turn Dragon’s Roar Shadow Unity Step, greatly boosting his speed and maneuverability.
  • Nine-Turn Baleful Sea Formless Dharma Form, increasing the capacity and defensive power of his protective technique.
• The deductions consume nearly all his Demon Cores, leaving only twenty. Qin An judges that his offensive abilities are now strong and his other capabilities have improved substantially.
• With all his Professions at level twenty, Qin An considers advancing to the next realm. He recalls that reaching it will qualify him to enter Myriad Poison Cloud Peak and learn the truth of the world. Before advancing, he wants to discover what the next realm’s Peerless Foundation requires.
• Believing the answer lies in the Forbidden Land, he decides to seek Bai Lingfeng. Since Li Moyun has more contact with Bai Lingfeng, Qin An goes to ask for his help. The chapter ends as Li Moyun, resting and reading news about Qin An, hears someone approach.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An demonstrates patience and determination, repeatedly spending Blood Essence to overcome failed fusions. He emerges with dramatically stronger and more balanced combat abilities, but chooses to investigate the next realm before rushing into advancement.
• Qin An’s next step is to rely on Li Moyun’s connections to reach Bai Lingfeng; the two have not yet spoken in this excerpt, as the chapter ends just before their meeting.

Significant themes

• Deduction through sacrifice: Greater insight and power come at a steep material cost.
• Integration and balance: Combining specialized techniques lets Qin An use all nine kinds of Void Essence more effectively across offense, movement, and defense.
• Ambition tempered by caution: Qin An is close to a new realm but seeks knowledge before taking the leap.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An has advanced from Essence Transformation Initial Proficiency to Great Completion in only a few months. He asks Li Moyun to contact Bai Lingfeng so he can enter the Skycloud Forbidden Land and seek a Peerless Foundation for the Crowning Realm.
• Li Moyun warns him that the Forbidden Land is extraordinarily dangerous: finding the Skycloud Pool and using it to refine his Void Essence could yield a far purer Crowning Golden Core, but survival is unlikely. Qin An accepts the risk.
• Li Moyun agrees to pass on the request. Qin An spends the next three days studying in the Evil Extermination Division’s Confidential Archives.
• Elsewhere, Starlight welcomes the recovered Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian into the Betrayers’ cause and orders them to kill Qin An. He expects Qin An to enter the Forbidden Land and uses starlight to conceal their auras, helping them evade its dangers.
• After three days, Li Moyun summons Qin An. Chen Liuyun explains that Bai Lingfeng has secured Qin An one chance to enter the Forbidden Land and that he will escort him there.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An remains focused on becoming stronger, regarding danger as unavoidable. Despite his remarkable advancement, he considers his progress slower than it could have been because he has pursued broader preparation, not cultivation alone.
• Li Moyun is astonished by Qin An’s growth and concerned for his safety, but respects his resolve and helps arrange the journey.
• Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian recover fully and pledge themselves to the Betrayers. They agree to pursue Qin An, though the mission comes with Starlight’s threat of punishment if they fail.
• Chen Liuyun admires Qin An’s rapid progress and takes responsibility for escorting him.

Significant themes

• Strength through risk: Qin An sees peril as the price of survival and advancement.
• Ambition versus safety: A Peerless Foundation offers extraordinary power, but obtaining it may cost Qin An his life.
• Loyalty and coercion: Starlight demands allegiance to the Betrayers and reinforces his order with threats.
• Rivalry and pursuit: Qin An’s efforts to advance are shadowed by enemies preparing to hunt him.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An decides to enter the Skycloud Forbidden Land in hopes of reaching the Crowning Realm with a Peerless Foundation. Li Moyun warns him of the danger, while Chen Liuyun agrees to guide him to the entrance.
• On the journey, Chen explains that the Forbidden Land’s power comes from All Beings’ Will, formed from the hopes and wishes of the Skycloud Circuit’s people. Its Native inhabitants mostly focus on cultivation, but the Will itself steadily erodes visitors’ minds. Qin An has only three days before it could turn him into a mindless vessel.
• Qin An learns that the Skycloud Pool he seeks appears unpredictably and is not marked on Chen’s map, making success depend partly on luck.
• Meanwhile, Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian, agents of the Betrayer-aligned Starlight Forbidden Land, approach the local Snake Demon Chieftain for help killing Qin An. They persuade the chieftain by arguing that aiding them secretly could benefit it if the Betrayers prevail. The chieftain agrees to locate Qin An in exchange for favorable consideration from Lord Starlight.
• Chen leaves Qin An at the Forbidden Land’s edge. Qin An enters alone, and the landscape shifts as he feels the immense force of All Beings’ Will.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An remains focused and determined, accepting the three-day limit and uncertain search rather than abandoning his goal. He thanks Chen warmly and promises to share a drink if they meet again.
• Chen Liuyun acts as a candid guide, explaining both the dangers and the practical obstacles, but cannot accompany Qin An.
• Li Moyun shows concern for Qin An despite supporting his chance to pursue a Peerless Foundation.
• Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian work together strategically: Yu Caiyi negotiates with the Snake Demon Chieftain, while Feng Jiutian reassures it that its involvement can remain concealed.
• The Snake Demon Chieftain is cautious about joining the Betrayers but agrees once offered the prospect of future reward.

Significant themes

• Ambition versus danger: Qin An’s pursuit of extraordinary cultivation requires entering a place that can destroy his mind.
• Collective will and its cost: The people’s hopes sustain the Forbidden Land’s Natives, yet their accumulated thoughts become a corrupting force.
• Political opportunism and divided loyalties: The chieftain’s decision reflects the shifting conflict between Holdouts and Betrayers, with self-preservation outweighing open allegiance.
• Uncertainty and limited time: Qin An must find a randomly appearing pool before his three-day window closes, while hostile forces are already searching for him.

Plot and key events

• Qin An enters the vast, lifeless Skycloud Forbidden Land, where the ever-present All Beings’ Will steadily erodes his mind. He has only three days before it may turn him into a puppet.
• Since Skycloud Pool appears in a random location, Qin An first searches by chance, then heads for the Human Faction’s city to ask for help.
• The city guards recognize his Copper Forbidden Land Envoy badge and escort him to clan chief Situ Yang, who welcomes him because Qin An comes with Bai Lingfeng’s backing.
• Situ reveals that Skycloud Pool has appeared nearby, but the Native faction guards it as sacred ground and will attack outsiders who approach. He marks its location on Qin An’s map and warns him to return within three days.
• Soon after Qin An leaves, Situ learns the Demons and False Gods are tracking Qin An and intend to ambush him. He sends a warning, then orders a squad to follow discreetly and protect Qin An from those factions—though not from the Natives at the pool.
• Qin An learns of the plot but presses on. As he nears Skycloud Pool, an unexpected event occurs; the chapter ends before it is revealed.

Character development and interactions

• Qin An is determined to forge a Peerless Foundation. He acknowledges the danger and says he will retreat if the attempt proves impossible, but refuses to give up without trying. He remains resolute even after learning he is being targeted.
• Situ Yang is cautious and protective of Qin An because of Bai Lingfeng’s past aid to the Human Faction. He warns Qin An against the perilous journey, then arranges covert protection when he learns of the planned attack.
• The Human Faction’s people treat Qin An respectfully once they learn of his connection to Bai Lingfeng, and act to warn and assist him.
• The Native faction is introduced as generally settled but fiercely protective of Skycloud Pool, which it regards as sacred.

Significant themes

• Determination versus self-preservation: Qin An accepts grave risks in pursuit of his goal but recognizes that persistence has limits.
• Time pressure and mental corruption: All Beings’ Will makes every delay dangerous, imposing a strict three-day deadline.
• Sacredness and intrusion: The Natives’ reverence for Skycloud Pool makes Qin An’s pursuit a direct conflict with their beliefs.
• Political danger and uneasy protection: Qin An faces threats from rival factions while relying on the Human Faction’s guarded support.

Plot points and events

• Qin An is caught between two approaching forces in Skycloud Forbidden Land: hostile demon False Gods led by Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian, and human cultivators led by a middle-aged man.
• The humans shelter Qin An, but their hastily assembled formation cannot withstand the demons’ combined pressure. Qin An heads for the Skycloud Pool, telling their leader to withdraw and return with reinforcements in two days.
• Yu Caiyi’s group fails to stop him from entering the Pool. The humans escape without fighting, while Yu Caiyi turns her attention to gathering a larger force to ambush Qin An when he emerges.
• Yu Caiyi persuades a skeptical hedgehog demon to consult his patriarch about committing reinforcements, arguing that cooperation may be necessary to survive the coming arrival of the Betrayers. He departs to seek a decision; Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian remain to watch the Pool.
• Inside, Qin An finds a misty, open expanse and is confronted by two white-robed Native guardians. They threaten him for crossing the boundary and intending to use the Pool.
• Qin An claims to be the Savior and offers to have his identity confirmed by someone from Myriad Poison Cloud Peak. The guardians’ hostility gives way to astonishment, and one goes to investigate.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An remains strategic under pressure: rather than waste lives in a losing battle, he uses the Pool’s boundary to escape and arranges a later rendezvous. Faced with its guardians, he shifts from direct explanation to invoking his possible status as the Savior.
• Yu Caiyi is determined to kill Qin An and shows political leverage as well as tactical resolve, pressuring the hedgehog demon to support her plan. Feng Jiutian shares her hostility but grows uneasy when he doubts their ally will return with help.
• The human leader follows Qin An’s instructions and prioritizes preserving his people.
• The hedgehog demon resists Yu Caiyi’s plan, wary of being trapped inside the forbidden land, but agrees to consult his patriarch after her argument.
• The Native guardians begin as staunch defenders of the sacred Pool, then reconsider when Qin An identifies himself as the Savior.

Significant themes

• Survival through strategy: Qin An and the human leader avoid a futile confrontation, while Yu Caiyi plans to use numbers and timing instead.
• Power, loyalty, and political pressure: Cooperation among the demons is uncertain, shaped by fear of future judgment and the Betrayers’ return.
• Sacred boundaries and authority: The Skycloud Pool is guarded as holy ground, but Qin An’s claimed identity may grant him exceptional access.
• Uncertainty of identity and destiny: Qin An’s connection to the Savior and the Holdouts becomes pivotal, though the guardians have yet to confirm his claim.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An’s identity as the prophesied Savior is confirmed by Liu Rong, guardian of the Skycloud Pool and an Elder of the Natives.
• Liu Rong explains that the pool’s killing intent can purify Void Essence and forge the Peerless Foundation, but it can also overwhelm the mind and turn its victim into a killing machine. Even experienced Natives refuse to submerge themselves in it.
• Qin An chooses to enter despite the danger, believing the power of the foundation is worth the risk. He suppresses the first stirrings of murderous intent with his Nine-Colored Void Essence and immerses himself.
• The killing intent intensifies, compressing and purifying his Void Essence while steadily clouding his consciousness. Qin An fights to endure, unwilling to leave even if he cannot complete the foundation.
• Liu Rong grows alarmed at how long Qin An remains submerged. The Holdouts’ leader arrives, angrily rebukes Liu Rong for risking the Savior, then realizes Qin An’s unusually strong Divine Soul may be helping him survive. They decide to keep watching.
• Near the brink of losing himself, Qin An discovers the cause: the Divine Soul Power of both his present and previous lives gives him exceptional resistance. His awareness clears, and he resolves to continue forging the Peerless Foundation.

Character developments

• Qin An demonstrates determination and a willingness to accept danger for extraordinary strength. He moves from struggling against the pool’s influence to understanding and relying on the power accumulated across his two lives.
• Liu Rong shifts from cautious guide to anxious protector, regretting that he allowed Qin An to enter without consulting the leader.
• The leader arrives furious and fearful for the Savior’s safety, but his alarm turns to astonishment when he recognizes Qin An’s unusual resilience.

Significant themes

• Power and risk: The foundation’s immense benefits demand exposure to a force that can destroy the self.
• Identity and inner strength: Liu Rong’s advice to hold fast to oneself becomes literal as Qin An resists the pool’s command to kill.
• Past shaping the present: Qin An’s previous life contributes directly to his ability to survive.
• Destiny versus choice: Though prophecy marks Qin An as the Savior, he willingly chooses the dangerous trial himself.

Character interactions

• Liu Rong verifies Qin An’s identity, explains the pool’s danger, and advises him to remain true to himself.
• Qin An insists on entering despite Liu Rong’s warnings, leaving Liu Rong to watch helplessly from shore.
• The leader confronts Liu Rong over permitting the attempt, then joins him in observing Qin An when the young man’s unexpected endurance becomes clear.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An endures Skycloud Pool’s murderous aura, which repeatedly scours and purifies his Void Essence. He completes a Peerless Foundation, a level of purity that makes him exceptionally powerful compared with others at the same realm.
• He discovers that murderous aura still lingers in his mind. Leaving the pool would let it penetrate his divine soul and obstruct his future cultivation, so he must remain where the pool can suppress it.
• Zhou Wuming, chief of Skycloud Forbidden Land, offers to help. Qin An explains that murderous aura can counteract the harmful All Beings’ Will, and proposes venting the remaining aura through killing the enemies waiting outside.
• Because he is still only in the Essence Transformation Realm, Qin An first plans to grow stronger. He asks for books and Skycloud Forbidden Land’s mind methods so he can study while remaining in the pool and attempt to reach the Crowning Realm. Zhou Wuming readily provides both.
• Months pass as Qin An studies. Outside the pool, demons and False Gods face off against the Human Faction, with both sides waiting for Qin An to emerge. Though many suspect he has died, Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian insist they need proof before declaring him dead.
• At the chapter’s end, the pool erupts with a powerful murderous aura, startling the waiting forces. Qin An opens his eyes and sees words forming before him; their contents are not yet revealed.

Character developments

• Qin An reaches a major cultivation milestone and demonstrates patience and strategic thinking: rather than rush into danger, he uses his time in the pool to study and prepare for a breakthrough.
• Zhou Wuming shifts from anxious observer to committed supporter. He is deeply concerned that anything happen to Qin An, whom he regards as the Savior.
• Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian remain resolute despite months of uncertainty, showing loyalty to their orders and confidence that Qin An may still be alive.
• The hedgehog demon grows impatient and doubts Qin An survived, though he ultimately agrees to continue waiting.

Significant themes

• Perseverance and cultivation: Qin An withstands a dangerous trial and turns it into an opportunity for growth.
• Power balanced by risk: The Peerless Foundation brings immense potential, but its lingering murderous aura creates a serious spiritual danger.
• Using adversity strategically: Qin An treats murderous aura and All Beings’ Will not only as threats but as forces he may learn to control and exploit.
• Loyalty, duty, and uncertainty: The opposing forces maintain a tense standoff because their orders—and their inability to confirm Qin An’s fate—keep them from leaving or attacking.

Character interactions

• Zhou Wuming and Liu Rong observe Qin An’s breakthrough, then Zhou respectfully offers protection and assistance.
• Qin An explains his predicament and cultivation plan to Zhou, who supports it and orders Liu Rong to gather books and mind methods.
• Outside the pool, Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian reject the hedgehog demon’s claim that Qin An must be dead, keeping both factions locked in a wary stalemate.

Key plot points and events

• After a month of intense study, Qin An reaches Scholar Level 21. His talents at the Essence Transformation Realm are all perfected, and he gains Attribute Fusion, which lets him combine a Mind Method’s attributes into a versatile, colorless force.
• To break through to the Crowning Realm, Qin An studies the Skycloud Mind Method, a powerful method that turns past slaughter and Killing Intent into strength.
• His first attempt to fuse it with the Nine-Turn Bodhi Black-and-Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Art fails. Using Demon Cores supplied by Zhou Wuming, Qin An burns Vital Blood until he gains enough insight to combine the methods into the Formless, Imageless Black-and-Yellow Art.
• Qin An reaches the Crowning Realm with a Peerless Foundation and vastly purer, stronger Void Essence. His new method retains his previous abilities and adds the Skycloud Mind Method’s Killing Intent.
• He refuses Zhou Wuming and Liu Rong’s offer of help, intending to face the hostile forces outside himself. He plans to use the battle to purge the lingering Killing Intent in his Divine Soul.
• Outside the Skycloud Pool, Qin An’s enemies have maintained a months-long standoff. They assume he may be dead, but Yu Caiyi senses growing danger and urges everyone to prepare to kill him immediately if he appears.
• The chapter ends as space twists at the Pool’s entrance and Qin An begins to emerge, radiating terrifying Killing Intent.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An advances from Essence Transformation to Crowning Realm through relentless study, experimentation, and the costly burning of Vital Blood. Despite his allies’ amazement, he remains focused on the threat outside and chooses to meet it alone.
• Zhou Wuming supports Qin An by providing the Skycloud Mind Method and a huge supply of Demon Cores. He praises Qin An’s breakthrough and offers assistance, but accepts Qin An’s decision to fight alone.
• Liu Rong shares Zhou Wuming’s admiration and likewise stands ready to support Qin An.
• Yu Caiyi trusts her survival instincts and senses that the danger may have shifted against her faction. She suppresses her doubts at first, then urges the forces to prepare for Qin An’s possible return.
• Feng Jiutian insists the group must see Qin An’s body before reporting back to Lord Starlight, while the hedgehog demon mocks the idea that a Crowning Realm force should fear Qin An. His contempt provokes Yu Caiyi’s anger.

Significant themes

• Growth through knowledge and adaptation: Qin An’s Scholar talents turn study and cross-method synthesis into extraordinary cultivation gains.
• Power’s cost: The breakthrough requires vast resources and the burning of Vital Blood, emphasizing the physical price of advancement.
• Slaughter and its consequences: Qin An gains power through a method fueled by killing, yet seeks to cleanse the lingering Killing Intent from his Divine Soul.
• Prophecy, loyalty, and judgment: Zhou Wuming and Liu Rong’s unwavering support reflects their belief in Qin An as the Savior, while the opposing forces must decide whether to trust instinct or dismiss it as fear.

Key plot points and events

• Qin An emerges from the Skycloud Pool at the Crowning Realm, having forged a Peerless Foundation. His Straight Saber is coated in nearly invisible Void Essence, and he radiates overwhelming killing intent.
• The gathered demon False Gods challenge him, while human cultivators try to protect him. Qin An instead charges into the melee, killing demons with rapid saber strikes and absorbing their Blood Essence.
• The hedgehog Demon attacks Qin An, but Qin An uses the Replication Jade to create a Phantom Image and combines their assaults. Though Qin An is only at Initial Proficiency, his Peerless Foundation, Void Essence, Blood and Qi Power, and Skycloud Mind Method let him defeat the hedgehog, who is at Perfection stage.
• Qin An then turns on his old enemies Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian. He overwhelms Feng Jiutian’s flames, kills him, and takes his Demon Core. The Phantom Image drives Yu Caiyi back; Qin An shatters her defenses and kills her as well.
• With much of his pent-up killing intent released, Qin An feels relief. The surviving demons flee, and he pursues them, continuing the slaughter.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin An shifts from containing a dangerous, nearly uncontrollable killing intent to channeling it as combat power. He is calm and decisive, confident in his new strength, and determined to settle old grudges.
• Yu Caiyi and Feng Jiutian recognize Qin An’s threat but initially hesitate. Once he attacks, they fight desperately; their appeals to future resurrection cannot deter him.
• The hedgehog Demon dismisses Qin An as weak, then becomes terrified when Qin An proves far stronger than his cultivation level suggests.
• The human cultivators attempt to shield Qin An, while the demons converge on him. The clash between the two groups gives Qin An a chance to fight amid the confusion.

Significant themes

• Power beyond appearances: Qin An’s realm understates his actual strength, which comes from his foundation, techniques, and accumulated killing intent.
• Violence and release: Killing intent threatens to consume Qin An, but combat lets him turn it into strength and briefly regain inner relief.
• Revenge and finality: Qin An treats the battle as a reckoning, killing former enemies despite their belief that they may be resurrected.
• Fate and survival: The fleeing demons are left to chance—escape is good fortune; failure is fate.