Recaps

Su Gan and Su Wenshi trapped Daoist Nun Qingyan and the Ironback Turtle in the Four Symbols Reversal Formation, hoping to exhaust them. The formation and the turtle’s desperate attacks left both sides near their limits, with the Iron-Shell Tortoise close to death.

• Daoist Nun Qingyan realized the Four Symbols Reversal Formation was closing around her and fled toward the western sector of the Devouring Essence Array.
• Su Gan struck the Ironback Turtle with his flying sword while Su Wenshi shrank the formation, trapping Daoist Nun Qingyan and the turtle inside and leaving Su Gan and Su Wenshi outside.
• Su Wenshi’s mana failed while he sustained the formation, so Su Gan took the formation disk and intensified the astral wind.
• Daoist Nun Qingyan used an azure flag to weaken the astral wind, while the Iron-Shell Tortoise rammed the formation barrier and nearly broke it.
• Su Gan strained himself stabilizing the barrier as the astral wind tore through the Iron-Shell Tortoise, leaving it near death.

Daoist Qingyan broke Su Gan’s formation but was gravely wounded after fighting the Su Clan cultivators and was captured. Su Wenshi persuaded Su Anping to use the Devouring Essence Array on Qingyan and Su Gan to pursue Golden Core cultivation.

• Daoist Qingyan shattered the Four Symbols Reversal Formation, defeated Su Gan, and stored the dying Ironback Turtle in her spirit beast pouch.
• Su Anping, Su Wenshi, and more than twenty Su Clan Foundation Establishment cultivators attacked Qingyan; she killed fifteen cultivators before her injuries overwhelmed her.
• Su Anping severed Qingyan’s limbs and sealed her wounds after Su Wenshi ordered him to keep her alive.
• Su Wenshi revealed that he had copied Su Gan’s Longevity Token and learned most of the Devouring Essence Array’s process.
• Su Wenshi convinced Su Anping to pursue Golden Core formation, and they planned to place Qingyan and Su Gan in the array’s eastern sector.

Song Wen attacked Su Anping and Su Wenshi to stop them from using the Devouring Essence Array and to reach its blood snake before it consumed Su Gan. As Su Anping fought Song Wen and his silver corpse, a heavenly thunderbolt descended toward the array, where the blood snake was about to enter Su Gan.

• Su Wenshi threw Su Gan into the Devouring Essence Array and joined Su Anping in restarting it, sending the blood snake toward Su Gan and Qingyan.
• Song Wen left his cave after seeing Su Anping and Su Wenshi reactivate the array, intent on keeping the blood snake from consuming Su Gan and Qingyan.
• Su Anping shattered Song Wen's descending lightning with his flying sword, but Song Wen's silver corpse charged toward the array.
• Su Anping struck the silver corpse and then unleashed a sword-shaped jade talisman at Song Wen as Su Wenshi urged him to defend the array.
• A vast storm gathered above the valley, and a thunderbolt descended toward the center of the Devouring Essence Array.

Song Wen survived the Su clan cultivators’ attack with help from the Sacred Beetle Gu, the Black-Armored Ghost King, and the silver corpse, while Du Tianhua returned to contest the Devouring Essence Array. The chapter ended as Du Tianhua launched another attack and the silver corpse pounced on him.

• The Sacred Beetle Gu dragged Su Gan and Daoist nun Qingyan out of the Devouring Essence Array, prompting Su Wenshi to attack Song Wen.
• Song Wen used the Black-Armored Ghost King to seize Su Wenshi’s flying sword, while the silver corpse killed Su Wenshi after Su Anping disrupted his escape.
• A dark-red flying sword ambushed and killed Su Anping, then attacked Song Wen at the Devouring Essence Array.
• Du Tianhua returned and tried to drive Song Wen away, but Song Wen sent the Ghost King and silver corpse to meet his attack.

Song Wen, the Ghost King, and the silver corpse fought Du Tianhua, using lightning and coordinated attacks to badly injure him. Du Tianhua fled into Spirit-Hiding Mist, where Song Wen lost control of the Cold Moon Blade and hesitated to follow because the mist restricted his spiritual sense and substitute-death technique.

• The Ghost King blocked Du Tianhua's sword strike while the silver corpse attacked him, forcing Du Tianhua to fight on two fronts.
• Song Wen attacked Du Tianhua with a lightning-charged spear, using two substitute-death puppets to deceive him and inject lightning into his body.
• The silver corpse severed Du Tianhua's left thigh while the Ghost King pressed the attack, and Song Wen pursued him with the Cold Moon Blade.
• Du Tianhua crushed a white pellet as he fell, filling the area with Spirit-Hiding Mist and weakening Song Wen's control of the Cold Moon Blade.
• Song Wen realized the mist restricted his spiritual sense and substitute-death technique, but he was unwilling to let Du Tianhua escape.

Song Wen devoured the blood serpent, advancing the Longevity Art to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, then killed Su Wenshi and Su Gan. He confronted Daoist Qingyan and revealed that he had come to avenge the Longevity Art cultivator she had pursued and killed.

• Song Wen sent the Sacred Beetle Gu into the Spirit-Hiding Mist to search for Du Tianhua, then focused on devouring the blood serpent when the Gu found no trace of him.
• Song Wen absorbed the serpent's essence blood and spiritual power, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage with the Longevity Art.
• After finishing the blood serpent, Song Wen learned Du Tianhua was still hiding in the mist, devoured Su Wenshi's soul, and preserved his corpse.
• Song Wen killed Su Gan despite his pleas and absorbed his soul when it tried to possess him.
• Song Wen approached Daoist Qingyan and killed her after she begged him to save her; he said she had pursued and killed a Longevity Art cultivator outside East Birch Market.

Song Wen hunted down and killed Du Tianhua after the Du Clan patriarch fled the Spirit-Hiding Mist, then searched the ruined Clearpeace Mountain. He left with Du Tianhua’s corpse and seventeen storage rings, finding the Su Clan’s stronghold largely abandoned and stripped bare.

• Song Wen collected the corpses of Su Gan, Qingyan, and Su Wenshi, devoured Su Anping’s soul, and searched for his missing storage ring.
• Song Wen sent the Black-Armored Ghost King into the Spirit-Hiding Mist to search for Du Tianhua, who emerged from an underground hiding place and fled.
• Song Wen used the Blood Escape Technique to cut off Du Tianhua and attacked him with a lightning-wreathed short lance and the Great Cavern Divine Thunder.
• The silver corpse caught Du Tianhua, tore off his right arm, and pierced his chest; Song Wen devoured his soul and sealed away his corpse.
• Song Wen searched Clearpeace Mountain and found it deserted and plundered, while the Sacred Beetle Gu uncovered seventeen Foundation Establishment corpses and their storage rings.

Song Wen inventoried the storage rings of the cultivators he had killed and discovered valuable treasures, including the Darkness-Breaking Technique, which could focus divine sense into a penetrating thread. After assessing the wounded Ironback Turtle, he decided to kill it rather than risk selling it or attempting to form a contract.

• Song Wen found a blood-red token in Su Gan's storage ring that contained instructions for the Devouring Essence Array and information about the Longevity Hall.
• Song Wen recovered Beast Brocade Pills and Dragon Force Pills from Daoist Qingyan's storage ring.
• Song Wen discovered the Darkness-Breaking Technique in Du Tianhua's storage ring and learned that Du Tianhua had used it to probe through spirit-hiding mist.
• Song Wen sorted the contents of seventeen storage rings and found that his fortune included more than a million spirit stones, two magical treasures, and other valuable resources.
• Song Wen considered selling, contracting, or killing the badly injured Ironback Turtle, then decided to kill it to avoid attracting trouble.

Song Wen killed the wounded Ironback Turtle, used its remains to feed his Sacred Beetle Gu, and cultivated until he advanced to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. Six months later, a herb-gathering father rushed into a collapsed hole to search for his missing daughter, Qingqing.

• Song Wen rejected the Ironback Turtle’s offer to become his master and had the Black-Armored Ghost King and silver corpse kill it.
• The six Sacred Beetle Gu devoured part of the Ironback Turtle’s demon core, and Song Wen sealed its corpse to preserve it as fodder.
• Song Wen restored the Ghost King and silver corpse, then meditated until his cultivation advanced to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
• Six months later, Qingqing spotted Wind Spirit Grass on a cliff, and her father climbed down to gather it.
• After Qingqing screamed and disappeared when the ground collapsed, her father used a Flying Talisman and entered the hole to find her.

Song Wen struggled with lust caused by the Blood Serpent’s life force, then left his secluded cave and traveled to East Birch Market. Disguised as Yan Feng, he rented a courtyard from Zhao Dapeng after discovering the horrific condition of Zhao’s imprisoned younger brother.

• Song Wen saw an unconscious young girl fall into his cave and struggled to restrain his lust, while her father mistook the formation for the lair of a demonic cultivator and fled with her after Song Wen removed the barrier.
• Song Wen left the limestone cave for East Birch Market, deciding to follow his desires and noting that his Sacred Beetle Gu had not considered the father and daughter a threat.
• Disguised as a robust cultivator named Yan Feng, Song Wen visited Zhao Dapeng to rent a courtyard and used his spiritual sense to find Zhao’s younger brother alive but horribly transformed by corpse qi in an underground chamber.
• Song Wen claimed to be an eighth-level Qi Refinement alchemist and paid Zhao Dapeng for a lease, securing the last vacant courtyard across from Zhao’s.

Song Wen disguised himself to gather information at the Blissful Union Spring Night Tower and learned that the righteous and demonic factions had temporarily ceased hostilities after the righteous faction’s defeat. He realized the Corpse Demon Sect’s leadership had escaped with its core forces and could still pursue him.

• Song Wen rented a courtyard, bought everyday necessities, and disguised himself as a seventh-layer Qi Refining cultivator before visiting the Blissful Union Spring Night Tower.
• Song Wen introduced himself to A Yao as Chen Feihe and asked why the market had grown crowded with cultivators.
• A Yao explained that the righteous faction had breached the Corpse Demon Sect’s defenses, only to discover the sect’s core forces and treasures had already been evacuated.
• A Yao recounted how the demonic sects ambushed the righteous cultivators and the Nine Palaces Sect betrayed the righteous faction, forcing its retreat.
• Song Wen worried that the Corpse Demon Sect still had his soul lamp and might hunt him, and wondered why the Nine Palaces Sect had joined the demonic faction.

Song Wen heard how the battle between righteousness and evil had weakened Primordial Unity Temple and the Lei Clan while leaving the Blissful Union Sect mostly unscathed. At the Blissful Union Spring Night Tower, he encountered a powerful woman posing as the Eldest Senior Sister, who left him with a concealed mark and a pouch of mid-grade spirit stones.

• A Yao told Song Wen that Primordial Unity Temple and the Lei Clan had suffered the heaviest losses, while the Corpse Demon Sect had returned to its mountain and invited former disciples to come back.
• A Yao fled Song Wen's room after she could no longer keep up with him and went to find help.
• The dignified woman called the Eldest Senior Sister entered Song Wen's room and spent several hours with him.
• The Eldest Senior Sister left Song Wen a pouch containing one hundred mid-grade spirit stones and told A Yao not to disturb him.
• Song Wen detected a concealed mark on himself when the black hole in his sea of consciousness tried to devour it, then suppressed the black hole to avoid alerting the woman.
• Song Wen realized the Eldest Senior Sister's true cultivation was far beyond the ninth level of Qi Refinement she had displayed, and he became alarmed when he saw A Yao waiting outside.

Song Wen attempted to refine Profound Qi Pills and investigate improvements to the Bloodburst Pill, discovering that the Yellow Essence Fungus from the Su Clan caused his furnace to explode. He bought ordinary Yellow Essence Fungus in the Mountain Ravine Ghost Market, but learned the shop could supply only four plants a month, leaving his research limited by the shortage.

• Song Wen left the Blissful Union Spring Night Tower, discarded the storage pouch, and used the Spiritual Sense Black Hole to remove the mark; the dignified woman realized the mark had vanished.
• Disguised as Yan Feng, Song Wen returned to East Birch Market and spent ten days failing to refine Profound Qi Pills before trying to improve the Bloodburst Pill.
• Song Wen found that ordinary Yellow Essence Fungus caused the medicinal potency to dissipate, while Su Clan Yellow Essence Fungus made the furnace explode during fusion.
• Song Wen failed to find ordinary Yellow Essence Fungus in East Birch Market and bought ingredients for one hundred batches of Profound Qi Pills instead.
• Song Wen bought five forty-year-old Yellow Essence Fungus from a Mountain Ravine Ghost Market shop for 1,500 spirit stones and learned he could obtain only four more each month.
• Song Wen bought Beast Brocade Pill ingredients, sold Crimson Blood Spirit Crystals for fifty thousand spirit stones, changed his appearance, and entered an intelligence shop.

Song Wen learned that the Corpse Demon Sect had recovered and that three major sects possessed the Golden Core method of the Longevity Art. While he refined Beast Brocade Pills, Beast Taming Sect Elder Xia collected Zhao Dapeng’s living corpse for further experiments.

• Song Wen bought intelligence about the Righteous-Demonic War and the Corpse Demon Sect, learning that the sect had reclaimed its territory and was recruiting new members.
• Song Wen asked about the Golden Core method of the Longevity Art, and the shopkeeper named the Beast Taming Sect, Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect, and Blissful Union Sect as its holders.
• Song Wen returned to his rented courtyard and refined twenty-four Beast Brocade Pills over nine days for his Sacred Beetle Gu.
• The Sacred Beetle Gu alerted Song Wen that Elder Xia and two Beast Taming Sect cultivators had arrived at Zhao Dapeng’s courtyard to inspect the living corpse.
• Elder Xia examined the rat-eyed man, drew him into a black coffin marked Ding-97, and rewarded Zhao Dapeng while ordering him to continue experimenting.

Song Wen discovered that the Beast Taming Sect had instructed Zhao Dapeng to cultivate living corpses, then focused on nourishing Silver Corpse and selling Profound Qi Pills. Over two peaceful years in East Birch Market, he improved his pill-refining skills and stabilized his cultivation, but his Bloodburst Pill research remained unsuccessful.

• Song Wen realized the Beast Taming Sect was behind Zhao Dapeng's living-corpse cultivation and wondered about the corpse's fused aura.
• Song Wen decided to feed his special Yellow Essence Fungus to Silver Corpse instead of using it to refine pills.
• Song Wen sold thirty Profound Qi Pills to Ning Feng for two hundred and ten spirit stones and accepted an invitation to a pill refiners' gathering.
• Song Wen spent two years cultivating in East Birch Market, attending gatherings, learning three new first-tier pill recipes, and stabilizing his Longevity Art foundation.
• Song Wen made little progress on Bloodburst Pills because he had only four Yellow Essence Fungus each month, but he acquired a potent poison to resume cultivating the Myriad Poisons Primordial Body.

Song Wen considered Ning Feng’s invitation to join the Beast Taming Sect, then attended a full-moon trading gathering to seek resources and alchemical knowledge. He traded two heavenly spirit fruits for a second-tier alchemist’s notes that might help him advance his Bloodburst Pill research.

• Ning Feng told Song Wen that the Beast Taming Sect was recruiting alchemists and offered to recommend him for its assessment if he decided within three days.
• Song Wen attended a secret trading gathering for Foundation Establishment cultivators and offered a heavenly spirit fruit in exchange for desired goods and information.
• After an ox-masked cultivator asked about the fruit, Song Wen offered to trade two heavenly spirit fruits for a second-tier alchemist’s notes.
• Song Wen examined a sample of the notes and found that they included an evil alchemist’s experiments modifying the Blood-Melting Pill, as well as formulas for evil cultivators.
• Song Wen exchanged two heavenly spirit fruits for the complete notes and put them away for use in his alchemical research.

After learning that the Corpse Demon Sect was hunting down its traitors, Song Wen decided to seek refuge and opportunities by joining the Beast Taming Sect. He posed as the alchemist Wu Sheng and began the application, but Elder Wang asked him to provide someone who could vouch for his origins.

• A goat-headed cultivator traded Song Wen information that Corpse Demon Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators were killing suspected traitors in Nine Palaces Sect territory.
• Song Wen decided East Birch Market was no longer safe and chose to seek admission to the Beast Taming Sect.
• Song Wen returned to the ghost market, acquired two Foundation Establishment cultivators' souls, devoured one, and sealed the Rogue Cultivator's soul in his sea of consciousness.
• Song Wen avoided Ji Ruxue near his courtyard, then disguised himself the next morning and visited the Beast Taming Sect outpost as an alchemist.
• Song Wen introduced himself as Wu Sheng and told Elder Wang he lacked anyone who could vouch for his past.

Song Wen joined the Beast Taming Sect after passing Vice Hall Master Feng’s inspection and leaving his soul aura in the sect’s soul lamp. He arrived at Pill Peak, where a Qi Refining disciple greeted him as Elder Wu.

• Elder Wang refused Song Wen’s storage pouch and said he hoped to build a connection for future favors.
• Elder Wang brought Song Wen to the Law Enforcement Hall, where Vice Hall Master Feng scanned him for signs of evil qi and Killing Intent.
• Song Wen placed a prepared wisp of soul aura in the sect’s soul lamp, and Vice Hall Master Feng verified it came from him.
• Vice Hall Master Feng accepted Song Wen into the Beast Taming Sect, gave him a token, and notified the master of Pill Peak.
• Wang Ming escorted Song Wen to Pill Peak, where a seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator welcomed him as Elder Wu.

Song Wen joined the Mysterious Pill Chamber as Wu Sheng and met Wei Ding and the other new Foundation Establishment alchemists. After Wei Ding taught them to refine Origin Cultivation Pills and pressed them to help fill a private order, Zhou Siyi challenged the arrangement, and Zuo Shuiyun defended her need to curry favor with elders.

• Luo Cheng escorted Song Wen to the Mysterious Pill Chamber, where Song Wen introduced himself as Wu Sheng to Wei Ding, Zuo Shuiyun, Huo Ding, and Zhou Siyi.
• Wei Ding explained that he would teach the four newcomers alchemy for ten years and demonstrated how to refine Origin Cultivation Pills.
• Wei Ding said each of them could use ten portions of herbs to practice and urged them to learn quickly so they could help fulfill his order for Elder Shen of Artifact Peak.
• Zhou Siyi questioned why Elder Shen was arranging a private purchase instead of buying pills from Pill Peak, prompting Wei Ding to leave angrily.
• Zuo Shuiyun reassured Wei Ding that they would help, then explained to Zhou Siyi that she relied on currying favor with elders for cultivation resources before going to practice alchemy.

Song Wen settled into his cave dwelling on Pill Peak and later faced Zuo Shuiyun's attempt to make him help refine Essence-Nourishing Pills for Wei Ding. He avoided the task by claiming he still had not learned the recipe, leaving Zuo Shuiyun furious.

• Zhou Siyi accompanied Song Wen to Dui No. 21 Cave Dwelling, where he found a secluded, well-equipped space and installed two protective formations.
• A month later, Wei Ding taught Song Wen and the others how to refine the second-grade Life-Saving Pill and urged them to study the process patiently.
• Zuo Shuiyun asked Huo Ding, Zhou Siyi, and Song Wen to help fulfill her promise to refine one hundred Essence-Nourishing Pills for Wei Ding.
• Huo Ding and Zhou Siyi refused, so Zuo Shuiyun assigned Song Wen fifty pills and claimed the work would help him learn orthodox alchemy.
• Song Wen said he still did not know how to refine Essence-Nourishing Pills, and Zuo Shuiyun left in anger.

Song Wen continued researching the Bloodburst Pill while Wei Ding assigned him and Zhou Siyi to investigate Azure Jade Snake breeding problems in the Great Yan Kingdom. Song Wen accepted the order despite his reluctance to leave the sect.

• Song Wen told Zhou Siyi he could not refine the Essence-Nourishing Pill and explained that he had spent the year researching improvements to the Bloodburst Pill.
• Over the next year, Wei Ding taught the four apprentices six second-tier pill recipes, while Song Wen learned only the Essence-Nourishing Pill and Beast Essence Pill and was pressed into refining pills for Wei Ding.
• Wei Ding announced an external assignment, and Zhou Siyi pointed out that none of them met the sect's three-year Foundation Establishment requirement for such missions.
• Wei Ding explained that the task was to address breeding problems among Azure Jade Snakes at the sect's Spirit-Nurturing Workshop in the Great Yan Kingdom, and offered a reward of three thousand spirit stones.
• Zhou Siyi volunteered, and Wei Ding ordered Song Wen to accompany her; when Song Wen hesitated, he asked whether Song Wen objected.
• Song Wen said he would follow Wei Ding's decision.

Song Wen and Zhou Siyi traveled to the Beast Taming Sect’s Spirit-Nurturing Workshop to test Beast Essence Pills on Azure Jade Snakes. Song Wen discovered that a hidden Foundation Establishment cultivator beneath the Lake was communicating with steward He Su, but he chose not to investigate; after feeding a snake a pill, they saw it become eager to mate.

• Zhou Siyi took Song Wen to the Spirit-Nurturing Workshop in Great Yan Kingdom aboard her airship.
• Steward He Su greeted them and led them to the Azure Jade Snake enclosures after Zhou Siyi asked to begin the mission.
• Song Wen sensed a concealed Foundation Establishment cultivator beneath the Lake and noticed He Su receive a voice transmission from them.
• Song Wen ordered He Su to lower the enclosure’s restriction and fed a Beast Essence Pill to the strongest Azure Jade Snake.
• After He Su restored the restriction, the snake became restless and swam toward a female snake to mate.

Song Wen and Zhou Siyi learned that the Spirit-Nurturing Workshop’s concealed problem involved human-snake hybrids created by Pill Peak elder Liu Jiang. Liu Jiang revealed his experiments beneath the lake, leaving Song Wen horrified and uncertain why the Beast Taming Sect was raising the creatures.

• Song Wen tried to leave the Spirit-Nurturing Workshop after the Azure Jade Snakes failed to respond to the Beast Essence Pill, but Zhou Siyi insisted they uncover the truth.
• Liu Jiang appeared and explained that he had requested help from an administrative elder, not the newly promoted honorary elders.
• Liu Jiang led Song Wen and Zhou Siyi through a barrier at the bottom of the lake into a subterranean hall filled with pools.
• Song Wen and Zhou Siyi saw human-snake creatures in the pools, and Liu Jiang revealed that he had created them by fusing human and Azure Jade Snake embryos.
• Song Wen felt horrified by Liu Jiang’s experiments and wondered why the Beast Taming Sect was raising the hybrids.

Song Wen learned that Liu Jiang had once created an intelligent second-order serpentman that escaped into the lake, while Zhou Siyi studied Liu Jiang’s secret notes and joined him in researching the serpentmen. After months of secrecy and the delivery of pregnant women to the Spirit-Nurturing Workshop, Song Wen sensed a hidden presence approaching the underwater serpent enclosure and attacked it with his flying sword.

• Liu Jiang revealed that an intelligent, stable serpentman had secretly reached the second order and escaped into the lake.
• Zhou Siyi obtained access to Liu Jiang’s cultivation notes, and Song Wen waited at the Spirit-Nurturing Workshop while she and Liu Jiang studied them.
• Zhou Siyi told Song Wen that she and Liu Jiang would enter seclusion and ordered him to guard the workshop and keep everyone out of the underwater serpent enclosure.
• Beast Taming Sect disciples delivered more than two hundred pregnant women to the workshop, then continued bringing women there over the following half year.
• Song Wen sensed a concealed aura speeding toward the underwater serpent enclosure and sent his flying sword underwater to attack it.

Song Wen feigned defeat against a water serpent-man while Liu Jiang and Zhou Siyi captured it with a spirit net and formation. As they prepared to secure their catch, two cloaked women disrupted Zhou Siyi with a bell attack, and Liu Jiang sent his flying sword after them.

• Song Wen attacked the figure beneath the Lake, then pretended to be badly injured when the serpent-man emerged and drove him and the Beast Taming Sect disciples back.
• The serpent-man swam toward the underwater serpent enclosure, where Liu Jiang’s giant spirit net ensnared it.
• Zhou Siyi used four formation flags to bind the trapped serpent-man with vines while Liu Jiang maintained the net.
• Two black-cloaked women appeared on a distant treetop, and one rang a bell that disoriented Zhou Siyi.
• Liu Jiang recognized the bell as a targeted sonic attack and sent his flying sword toward the two women.