Recaps

Song Wen used third-tier Demon-Luring Powder to lure sea beasts toward a reef, while Cui Gu and Cui San searched for Cui Qiao and discovered the bait. The powder drew out a Toad Shark and a peak third-tier Abyss Sea Butterfly, which Song Wen recognized from his hiding place.

• Song Wen refined third-tier Demon-Luring Powder, hid it in a reef crevice, and waited in an underwater cave as sea beasts gathered.
• Cui Gu and the other Cui Family Golden Core cultivators searched for Cui Qiao, who had been missing for three days, and Cui Gu ordered another search before ending the trial.
• Cui San discovered the gathered sea beasts near the Demon-Luring Powder and called Cui Gu over to observe.
• A late third-tier Toad Shark arrived, devoured nearby sea beasts, and tried to pull the jade box from the reef crevice with its tongue.
• A peak third-tier Abyss Sea Butterfly attacked the Toad Shark, which flung the jade box away as it fled.
• Song Wen watched from forty li away and recognized the Abyss Sea Butterfly living among the reefs.

Cui Gu and Cui San killed the Abyss Sea Butterfly after receiving a demand to trade its corpse for Cui Qiao. Song Wen remained hidden and arranged to exchange Cui Qiao for the sealed corpse in two hours, while Cui Gu searched for him.

• A Gu Worm delivered Song Wen's message demanding the Abyss Sea Butterfly's corpse in exchange for Cui Qiao, and Cui Gu agreed to attack.
• Cui Gu used his Ghost Banner and ghost king to fight the Abyss Sea Butterfly while Cui San waited for an opening.
• Cui San struck the Abyss Sea Butterfly between the eyes with his flying sword, allowing the ghost king to cleave it in two.
• Cui Gu demanded Cui Qiao, then sealed the sea butterfly's corpse after Song Wen warned that its spiritual essence must be preserved.
• Song Wen set the exchange for two hours later above the reefs, and Cui Gu ordered Cui San to search for him while threatening him through the Jade Slip.

Song Wen used Gu insects to secure the Abyss Sea Butterfly's corpse and escape the Cui Family, while Cui Qiao was injured in the exchange. A month later, Song Wen devoured the beast's soul and sensed that his spiritual sense was close to advancing.

• Song Wen left his hiding place as Cui Gu and Cui San searched unsuccessfully for him, then Cui Gu arranged an ambush near the reef cluster.
• Cui Qiao returned and warned Cui Gu that Gu insects inside her would harm her if he came close; she said he had to hand the Abyss Sea Butterfly's corpse to the insects.
• Cui Gu gave the corpse to two Shadow Gu, then attacked another Gu insect, causing the insect inside Cui Qiao to injure her heart before it escaped into the sea.
• Cui Gu treated Cui Qiao, called off the pursuit, and ordered his clansmen to identify Song Wen by his Gu insects and Demon-Luring Incense.
• One month later, Song Wen returned to his cave abode, removed the Abyss Sea Butterfly's demon eyes, and devoured its essence blood and soul.
• Song Wen felt his sea of consciousness tremble and realized his spiritual sense had reached the bottleneck of the late Golden Core stage.

Song Wen completed his Spirit-Seeking Treasure Eyes and continued cultivating until Zhu Yin summoned him to Limitless Island. There, Zhu Yin and Yuan Qing invited him and the formation master Si Xi to join an expedition to Rebirth Valley, and Song Wen hesitated while hiding his interest in the valley.

• Song Wen advanced his spiritual sense to the peak of the Golden Core realm, then cultivated the Spirit-Seeking Treasure Eyes using the eyes of an Abyss Sea Butterfly and Zhu Yu Grass.
• Song Wen discovered that his new eyes could perceive spiritual fluctuations through about three zhang of rock, but jade boxes with restrictions blocked his sight.
• Song Wen resumed refining Blood Spirit Pills and cultivation, then received An Yin's message that the Starline Formation had received contact from Limitless Island.
• Song Wen went to Limitless Island and met Zhu Yin outside Corpse King Valley before joining her, Yuan Qing, and the formation master Si Xi in a sealed cave abode.
• Zhu Yin invited Song Wen and Si Xi to accompany her and Yuan Qing to Rebirth Valley, and Song Wen feigned reluctance while Yuan Qing began explaining the matter.

Song Wen agreed to join Yuan Qing, Zhu Yin, and Si Xi in searching Rebirth Valley, with Five-Colored Gold as his secret goal. He then encountered Shan Yue on Limitless Island and learned that she had fled the Xing Family after Xing Gaohan’s death, while her son Chang'er had been killed.

• Yuan Qing offered Song Wen and Si Xi a share of the Rebirth Valley spoils in exchange for helping kill the Nethersea Ghost Hounds and retrieve the Earth Dragon Ganoderma; Si Xi accepted only if they helped him obtain Cold Marrow Wood.
• Song Wen agreed to join the expedition, hoping to find Five-Colored Gold hidden near the Earth Dragon Ganoderma, and Yuan Qing said he would notify the others when the valley’s miasma weakened enough to enter.
• Song Wen bought antidote pills and recognized Shan Yue in the market despite her disguise, then invited her to speak privately aboard his flying ship.
• Shan Yue told Song Wen that Xing Wenyao had joined with the Jing Family to ambush Xing Gaohan during his cultivation retreat, possibly over a pill meant to help Xing Gaohan reach the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.
• Shan Yue explained that she escaped to Limitless Island using treasures Xing Gaohan had given her, but Chang'er was killed by the Xing Family pursuers.

Song Wen rejected Shan Yue’s attempt to draw him in, but reconsidered after she offered the third layer of Soul-Concentrating Spike and a plan to obtain a Holy Spirit Pill. He returned to Limitless Island and began seeking a way to find Hidden Soul Jade through Zhu Yin.

• Shan Yue asked Song Wen to shelter her from the Xing Family, but Song Wen expelled her after learning the family could track her through her soul lamps.
• Shan Yue offered Song Wen the third-layer cultivation method for Soul-Concentrating Spike, which she had learned from Xing Gaohan.
• Shan Yue proposed using evidence of Jing Feiyao’s affair with a guard to pressure her into obtaining the Xing Family’s remaining Holy Spirit Pill.
• Song Wen agreed to explore whether he could help Shan Yue obtain Hidden Soul Jade and piloted his flying ship back to Limitless Island.
• Song Wen asked Chu Qian about Hidden Soul Jade, and Chu Qian suggested that Zhu Yin might know where to find it.
• Song Wen contacted Zhu Yin and asked whether she had Hidden Soul Jade or another treasure that could conceal soul fluctuations.

Song Wen negotiated with Zhu Yin for her Hidden Soul Jade and agreed to secretly monitor Si Xi and refine a Spirit-Sense Advancement Pill. Zhu Yin promised to give him the jade after the pill was completed, while Song Wen left with the herbs and returned toward Extreme Yin Island.

• Song Wen arranged to meet Zhu Yin by Clear Creek River and sent Shan Yue to wait near the coast.
• Zhu Yin asked Song Wen to monitor Si Xi while she watched Yuan Qing, suspecting Yuan Qing had a hidden purpose in Rebirth Valley.
• Song Wen agreed to monitor Si Xi in exchange for Zhu Yin's help concealing his aura and tracks.
• Zhu Yin required Song Wen to refine a Spirit-Sense Advancement Pill using three sets of herbs, and Song Wen agreed to keep the matter secret and finish within a month.
• Zhu Yin said she would give Song Wen the Hidden Soul Jade after he completed the pill, and Song Wen collected the herbs before returning to Shan Yue.

Song Wen secured the Hidden Soul Jade by refining a Spirit-Sense Advancement Pill for Zhu Yin, then returned to find that Shan Yue had killed the Xing Family pursuer tracking her. He took Shan Yue to his island to hide her, while the reason for Xing Yixuan’s presence on Limitless Island remained unclear.

• Song Wen left Shan Yue on an uninhabited island with the Shadow Gu to protect her while he prepared to obtain the Hidden Soul Jade.
• Song Wen studied Shi Bo and Shi Zhong’s alchemy insights, refined the Spirit-Sense Advancement Pill, and gave it to Zhu Yin in exchange for the Hidden Soul Jade and a loaned Qi-Concealing Cloak.
• Song Wen refused Zhu Yin’s request to swear that he would follow Si Xi throughout Rebirth Valley, but swore not to flee with the treasures before it opened.
• Song Wen returned to Shan Yue and found that the Shadow Gu had killed a Foundation Establishment Late Stage pursuer; a soul search revealed that the man had left Shan Yue’s soul lamp at the Xing Family’s Treasure Pill Hall.
• Song Wen told Shan Yue that the Hidden Soul Jade made the soul lamp useless and brought her to his island, warning her not to leave without his permission.
• Shan Yue asked why Xing Yixuan had come to Limitless Island, and Song Wen said she had not come for Shan Yue.

Song Wen prepared for Rebirth Valley and met Yuan Qing, who offered him the Ksitigarbha Lotus in exchange for helping trap Zhu Yin. Song Wen agreed, but demanded the lotus in advance.

• Song Wen brought Shan Yue to Extreme Yin Island and asked An Yin to look after her during her stay.
• Song Wen left a Shadow Gu to monitor the women on the island and traveled to Limitless Island to meet Yuan Qing.
• Song Wen pretended he wanted spirit stones to buy the Yellow Springs Tainted Flame and obtain the Ksitigarbha Lotus.
• Yuan Qing revealed that he owned the Ksitigarbha Lotus and offered it if Song Wen helped Si Xi trap Zhu Yin in Rebirth Valley.
• Song Wen accepted Yuan Qing's proposal but insisted on receiving the Ksitigarbha Lotus first.

Song Wen joined Yuan Qing, Si Xi, and Zhu Yin on a journey to Rebirth Valley to seek rare spirit materials, including Cold Marrow Wood and Earth Dragon Ganoderma. After entering the Sea Silk Forest, the group was ambushed by a huge fish-shaped beast bursting from the sand.

• Yuan Qing gave Song Wen the Ksitigarbha Lotus, which Song Wen discovered carried a tracking mark, while Yuan Qing secretly regarded him as prey.
• Si Xi arrived, and Zhu Yin later joined the group after explaining that her master had summoned her.
• Yuan Qing took the others by flying vessel to the sea above Rebirth Valley, where they waited for the poisonous miasma to weaken.
• After testing the miasma and taking detoxification pills, the four entered the valley and headed toward the Sea Silk Forest to find Cold Marrow Wood for Si Xi.
• A giant, ugly fish-shaped beast erupted from the sand and pounced on the four cultivators.

Yuan Qing killed a Long-Fanged Fish, and the group split up to search for Cold Marrow Wood. When Si Xi was attacked by a powerful female cultivator, Song Wen summoned help with a warning Jade Slip, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Yuan Qing destroyed the Long-Fanged Fish with his corpse qi, and Song Wen claimed its demon core.
• Yuan Qing gave everyone warning Jade Slips and ordered them to search separately for Cold Marrow Wood.
• Song Wen followed Si Xi, then hid after deciding Si Xi seemed to be searching in earnest.
• Song Wen heard fighting near Si Xi and saw a female cultivator from the Two Forms Sect overpowering him.
• Song Wen crushed his warning Jade Slip from a distance, raising a blood-red pillar that caught the attention of Si Xi and the female cultivator.

Purple Cloud broke Si Xi’s formation and took the Cold Marrow Wood, but Yuan Qing and Zhu Yin arrived and drove her away. Yuan Qing returned without catching her and accused Zhu Yin of letting her escape, while Song Wen concealed his motives behind an explanation for raising the alarm.

• Purple Cloud shattered Si Xi’s formation, injured him, and took the Cold Marrow Wood.
• Yuan Qing and Zhu Yin arrived and confronted Purple Cloud, who fled after damaging Zhu Yin’s corpse puppet.
• Zhu Yin stayed with the injured Si Xi while Yuan Qing pursued Purple Cloud and returned without catching her.
• Yuan Qing accused Zhu Yin of deliberately allowing Purple Cloud to escape, and Zhu Yin defended her decision to guard Si Xi.
• Yuan Qing questioned Song Wen about activating the warning talisman, and Song Wen claimed he had spotted a blood-colored signal and regretted being too weak to help.

Yuan Qing, Zhu Yin, Si Xi, and Song Wen traveled to the valley’s heart to hunt the Nethersea Ghost Hound and obtain the Earth Dragon Ganoderma. Song Wen finished refining the Demon-Luring Powder as the others completed the Heavenly Net Ghostfire Formation, and they prepared to begin the hunt.

• Yuan Qing stayed with the injured Si Xi while Zhu Yin and Song Wen searched for Cold Marrow Wood and found none.
• Zhu Yin told Song Wen she suspected Yuan Qing was seeking something in an Elder Ruins and asked him to watch Si Xi closely.
• The group agreed to leave Sea Silk Forest and head for the valley’s heart, where they found a deep fissure filled with dense miasma.
• Song Wen set up the Qi-Sealing Spirit-Isolating Formation and spent three days refining Demon-Luring Powder while Zhu Yin, Yuan Qing, and Si Xi prepared the Heavenly Net Ghostfire Formation.
• Song Wen delivered the powder, and Si Xi said the formation was ready to activate, so Yuan Qing urged them to lure and kill the Nethersea Ghost Hound.

Song Wen, Yuan Qing, Zhu Yin, and Si Xi lured two Nethersea Ghost Hounds into a formation and trapped them in ghostfire. With a third hound and a Deepsea Demon Vine still in the fissure, Yuan Qing and Zhu Yin prepared to search for the Earth Dragon Ganoderma together.

• Song Wen and the others waited as two Nethersea Ghost Hounds emerged from the fissure and began fighting each other.
• Yuan Qing and Zhu Yin attacked the hounds and lured them into the Heavenly Net Ghostfire Formation before escaping its bounds with the corpse puppet.
• Si Xi activated the formation, trapping the two hounds behind a barrier and burning them with ghostfire.
• Yuan Qing told Zhu Yin that a female ghost hound and a Deepsea Demon Vine remained in the fissure, and said his information came from an outside-sect cultivator.
• Yuan Qing proposed that he and Zhu Yin enter the fissure to search for the Earth Dragon Ganoderma, and Zhu Yin agreed.

Si Xi killed the two ghost hounds and suggested that Song Wen leave Limitless Island, but Song Wen instead entered the fissure to search for the Five-Colored Stone. He found a fragment containing Five-Colored Gold in a ghost hound’s cave and hid when an injured Nethersea Ghost Hound returned.

• Zhu Yin and Yuan Qing entered the fissure, leaving Song Wen to guard Si Xi as he dealt with the ghost hounds.
• Si Xi killed the two ghost hounds with the Heavenly Net Ghostfire Formation, and Song Wen recovered their demon cores.
• Si Xi proposed that he and Song Wen leave Limitless Island, and Song Wen pretended to agree before turning back toward the fissure.
• Song Wen searched the fissure and found a cave containing a piece of broken wood with traces of Five-Colored Gold.
• Song Wen hid behind rubble when an injured Nethersea Ghost Hound entered the cave and collapsed.

Song Wen killed a badly wounded Nethersea Ghost Hound and found clues suggesting it had been burned by yin-aspected spirit fire. While searching the rift for Five-Colored Gold, he came upon Yuan Qing and Zhu Yin fighting a Deepsea Demon Vine, where Zhu Yin challenged Yuan Qing’s insistence on killing it.

• Song Wen used the Shadow Gu to kill the Nethersea Ghost Hound, collected its materials, and noticed yin qi lingering in its shattered skull.
• Song Wen wondered whether Yuan Qing had obtained yin-aspected spirit fire, then put the ghost hound’s corpse away and concluded that a broken piece of spirit wood might lead him to Five-Colored Gold.
• Song Wen descended deeper into the rift after finding its cliffs barren and sensed a battle below.
• Yuan Qing and Zhu Yin fought nine vines of a Deepsea Demon Vine rooted on a narrow ledge, while Yuan Qing urged Zhu Yin to use her Yin-Baleful Corpse Flame.
• Zhu Yin escaped the vines’ encirclement, and Yuan Qing followed after her; he questioned why she had not helped kill the demon vine to obtain more Earth Dragon Ganoderma.
• Zhu Yin suspected Yuan Qing wanted the Deepsea Demon Vine for a hidden reason and asked how he knew Earth Dragon Ganoderma grew beneath it.

Song Wen and Zhu Yin searched Rebirth Valley while discussing Yuan Qing’s hidden objective and the danger he posed to her. After the search turned up nothing for the others, Yuan Qing urged Zhu Yin to help destroy the Deepsea Demon Vine before he ran out of antidote pills.

• Si Xi reported that Extreme Yin had disappeared, but Song Wen returned and claimed he and Si Xi had simply missed each other.
• Zhu Yin paired with Song Wen to search one side of the rift, and Song Wen agreed to help her hold Si Xi back in exchange for keeping the concealment cloak.
• Yuan Qing told Si Xi to give Song Wen the Three-Origin Demon-Sealing Formation disk and wondered how Song Wen was resisting the miasma without a Jade Dew Detoxification Pill.
• Zhu Yin concealed that she had found an Earth Dragon Ganoderma, while Yuan Qing said he and Si Xi had found none.
• Yuan Qing urged Zhu Yin to join him in uprooting the Deepsea Demon Vine, warning that his Jade Dew Detoxification Pills were running low.

Yuan Qing and Zhu Yin destroyed the Deepsea Demon Vine and uncovered an entrance to the ruins. While the others entered, Song Wen found five-colored gold hidden among the vine’s roots, then caught up with them at a tomb’s stone door.

• Yuan Qing and Zhu Yin used Zhu Yin’s Yin-Baleful Corpse Flame to burn away the Deepsea Demon Vine and expose a cave entrance.
• Si Xi gave Song Wen a storage pouch containing the Three-Origin Demon-Sealing Formation’s auxiliary disc and instructions for activating it against Zhu Yin.
• Yuan Qing, Zhu Yin, and Si Xi entered the cave while Song Wen stayed behind to extract the demon vine’s roots.
• Song Wen found four chunks of five-colored gold in a secret chamber beneath the rock, then destroyed the chamber and entered the cave.
• Song Wen caught up with the others in a large cavern, where a stone door carved with an image of an immortal man blocked their way.

Yuan Qing opened the tomb and revealed that he had lured Zhu Yin into Rebirth Valley to use her Yin-Baleful Corpse Flame and kill her for the rare spirit herbs he needed. His command to attack failed when Song Wen and Si Xi did not obey, leaving Yuan Qing facing their betrayal.

• Si Xi spent hours breaking the tomb’s defensive formation while Yuan Qing worried about his dwindling antidote pills.
• Yuan Qing demanded some of Song Wen’s Purifying Bath Pills, and Song Wen reluctantly gave him a bottle.
• After the formation collapsed, Yuan Qing and the others entered the tomb, where they found a skeleton and a pill furnace.
• Zhu Yin attacked Yuan Qing with her Yin-Baleful Corpse Flame and demanded to know why he had sought the tomb.
• Yuan Qing admitted he had used Zhu Yin to destroy the demonic vine and planned to kill her for the tomb’s alchemy insights and the herbs needed to refine the Infant Spirit Pill.
• Yuan Qing ordered an attack, but Song Wen and Si Xi ignored him.

Song Wen, Zhu Yin, and Si Xi confronted Yuan Qing, who transformed using the Undying True Corpse Transformation and attacked them. Si Xi completed a defensive formation just as Yuan Qing broke through Zhu Yin’s fire and struck at the barrier, which began to buckle under his assault.

• Song Wen and Si Xi accused Yuan Qing of coercing them, and Zhu Yin declared that the three of them would kill him.
• Yuan Qing began the Undying True Corpse Transformation, and Zhu Yin explained that they needed to outlast the technique’s limited duration.
• Yuan Qing became a towering zombie and wounded Zhu Yin’s corpse puppet while Song Wen’s blades failed to stop him.
• Zhu Yin used her crimson ribbon and dark-blue flames to trap and scorch Yuan Qing, but he broke free and lunged at her.
• Si Xi raised a defensive formation in time to stop Yuan Qing, who attacked the barrier and said Yinshuo would never suspect him if he killed Zhu Yin.

Yuan Qing broke Si Xi’s formation and fought Zhu Yin, whose strengthened spiritual sense let her trap him in an illusion before his defensive treasure dispelled it. Zhu Yin escaped, Si Xi died after destroying his remaining detoxification pills, and Song Wen fled while Yuan Qing gathered the tomb’s valuables and struggled against the miasma poison.

• Yuan Qing shattered Si Xi’s formation, injuring Si Xi, then attacked Zhu Yin and was caught in her Bewildering Illusory Realm.
• Yuan Qing used a spiritual-sense defensive treasure to dispel Zhu Yin’s illusion and struck her, but Zhu Yin escaped through the tomb gate.
• Yuan Qing discovered that the Jade Dew Detoxification Pill had worn off and killed Si Xi after finding his remaining pills crushed.
• Song Wen seized the chance to flee, and Yuan Qing considered taking Song Wen’s Purifying Bath Pill but ultimately put it away.
• Yuan Qing collected Si Xi’s storage ring, the skeletal remains’ treasures, and Zhu Yin’s corpse puppet before leaving the mausoleum.

Zhu Yin escaped Yuan Qing and directed Purple Cloud toward the tomb, while Song Wen fled as Purple Cloud intercepted Yuan Qing. Yuan Qing swallowed a Purifying Bath Pill to withstand the miasma, then realized Extreme Yin had deceived him.

• Zhu Yin encountered Purple Cloud at the top of the seafloor fissure and claimed Yuan Qing was in a tomb with a treasure related to advancing into the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Purple Cloud rushed into the fissure, and Zhu Yin hurried toward the outskirts of Rebirth Valley.
• Song Wen escaped the tomb passage as Purple Cloud attacked Yuan Qing, giving Song Wen a chance to flee.
• Yuan Qing fought off Purple Cloud's repeated sword strikes but was slowed as the miasma poisoned him.
• Yuan Qing swallowed the Purifying Bath Pill Song Wen had given him and realized Extreme Yin had set him up.

Yuan Qing drove Purple Cloud away but continued toward the fissure while weakened by the Blood Spirit Pill and poisonous miasma. Song Wen ambushed him with a spirit flame and lightning, leaving Yuan Qing badly injured as their fight continued.

• Yuan Qing struck Purple Cloud with his spear, badly wounding her and forcing her to retreat.
• Yuan Qing continued toward the fissure, but a short blade bearing Yang-attribute spirit flame cut his palm and revealed Song Wen as his attacker.
• Song Wen sent a silver corpse to block Yuan Qing, then attacked him with the Thunderstorm Technique.
• Yuan Qing broke through Song Wen’s defenses and struck his head, but Song Wen reappeared behind him and burned his back with Jade Radiance Flame.
• Yuan Qing struggled to extinguish the flames as his depleted spiritual power and damaged body faltered, leaving his back riddled with holes.

Song Wen killed Yuan Qing in the seafloor rift and advanced to the late Golden Core stage by devouring his essence blood. He returned to Extreme Yin Island and learned that a group had secretly set up an array nearby to watch the island.

• Yuan Qing tried to escape and offered Song Wen an Infant Spirit Pill formula and herbs, but Song Wen killed him and discovered through a soul search that Yuan Qing had lied about where he kept them.
• Song Wen devoured Yuan Qing's essence blood and spiritual power, breaking through to the late Golden Core stage.
• Song Wen took Yuan Qing's storage rings, burned his corpse, and left Rebirth Valley for Extreme Yin Island.
• Song Wen approached Extreme Yin Island secretly and saw Shan Yue with An Tong and An Yin, then learned from his Shadow Gu that six people had recently watched the island and set up an array nearby.
• A Golden Core cultivator left the array with three others, while two Foundation Establishment cultivators remained hidden inside it.

After discovering that someone was secretly watching Extreme Yin Island, Song Wen summoned Shan Yue and fled with her, leaving An Tong and An Yin behind. While preparing to escape, he examined Yuan Qing and Si Xi’s storage rings and found valuable ingredients, a corpse puppet, powerful formations, and rare alchemy treasures.

• Song Wen detected a concealed formation near a cave and withdrew without alerting the people inside.
• Song Wen told Shan Yue to meet him alone, then revealed that Extreme Yin Island was under surveillance and left with her by flying boat.
• Song Wen inspected Yuan Qing’s storage ring, finding most ingredients for the Infant Spirit Pill, blood jade coral, and Zhu Yin’s damaged peak Golden Core corpse puppet.
• Song Wen discovered three advanced formation sets in Si Xi’s storage ring: the Netherconcealing Void-Spirit Formation, the Yellow Springs Ghost-Slaying Formation, and the Nine-Star Demon-Subduing Formation.
• Song Wen examined the remaining items from the sea tomb, including an alchemy furnace, an alchemy jade slip, and a cultivation meditation cushion.