Recaps

Song Wen and Qing Lian met the Crimson-Scaled King, Qing Lian’s big brother, who questioned Song Wen about his origins and rewarded him for saving her. Qing Lian asked Song Wen to become her Dao companion, and he proposed spending time with the Willow Snake Clan first; the Crimson-Scaled King invited him to visit.

• The Crimson-Scaled King arrived after clearing the river away and demanded to know why Withered Snow and the others had died and who Song Wen was.
• Qing Lian explained that Song Wen had helped her escape a vicious fiend, and Song Wen revealed that he was human from the Eastern Profound Continent and could not return because the Teleportation Array was damaged and his enemies awaited him.
• The Crimson-Scaled King accepted Song Wen’s explanation, gave him a scale containing a million superior spirit stones as repayment, and said he could seek her help in the future.
• Qing Lian declared that she wanted Song Wen as her Dao companion, and Song Wen asked for time to understand each other before making a commitment.
• Qing Lian suggested that Song Wen stay with the clan, and the Crimson-Scaled King invited him to visit the Willow Serpent Clan as a guest.

Song Wen accompanied Crimson-Scaled King and Qing Lian as they recovered the remains of Withered Snow and investigated the demon beast that had attacked them. After Song Wen showed Crimson-Scaled King the Lake where he claimed to have trapped the beast, they found its footprints on a distant mountaintop but lost its trail.

• Song Wen accepted Crimson-Scaled King's invitation to the Willow Snake Clan, and Qing Lian urged them to leave at once.
• Crimson-Scaled King reminded Qing Lian that Withered Snow and the others' remains needed to be gathered, and the group collected them at the place where they had died.
• Song Wen comforted Qing Lian as she mourned Granny Withered Snow, while Crimson-Scaled King confirmed that a seventh-rank demon beast had killed the group.
• Crimson-Scaled King investigated the valley where Qing Lian had been imprisoned, then asked Song Wen to lead her to the Lake where he said he had trapped the beast.
• Song Wen described how he had used the Star-Dipper Demon-Sealing Formation and showed Crimson-Scaled King the damaged formation flags, reinforcing his account of the battle.
• Crimson-Scaled King found the beast's footprints on a nearby mountaintop, but Song Wen noted that the beast had likely fled or concealed its aura after escaping the trap.

Song Wen arrived at the Willow Snake Clan with the Crimson-Scaled King and Qing Lian, where his presence as a human caused a commotion. The Silver Willow King offered him cultivation resources to join her, but Song Wen remained focused on learning that she already had two human companions.

• The Crimson-Scaled King decided to warn nearby Demon Race clans about the demon that had attacked the Willow Snake Clan, then led Song Wen and Qing Lian farther into Cloud-Drooping Plain.
• Song Wen saw the Willow Snakes displaying their human forms, and the Crimson-Scaled King explained that many females were trying to attract male companions.
• A Willow Snake recognized Song Wen as human, drawing a crowd that Qing Lian tried to keep away from him until the Crimson-Scaled King ordered everyone to disperse.
• The Silver Willow King approached Song Wen, flirted with him, and offered him abundant cultivation resources if he followed her.
• Song Wen wondered where the Silver Willow King's two human companions had come from.

Song Wen entered the Willow Snake Clan and declined the Silver Willow King’s invitation, choosing to stay with the Crimson-Scaled King and Qing Lian. At their cave abode, the Crimson-Scaled King revealed that the clan had nine human men, but Song Wen had not yet learned where they came from.

• Song Wen concluded that the humans in the Willow Snake Clan were not Yuan Rong and the other cultivators, then politely declined the Silver Willow King’s invitation in favor of his appointment with the Crimson-Scaled King and Qing Lian.
• Qing Lian complained that the Silver Willow King had tried to take Song Wen, while the Crimson-Scaled King calmly led them back to her residence.
• Qing Lian brought Song Wen into the cave abode she shared with the Crimson-Scaled King and showed him their cavern and cold pool.
• Qing Lian jumped into the pool and invited Song Wen to join her, but he refused; the Crimson-Scaled King apologized for Qing Lian’s lack of human etiquette.
• Song Wen asked about the humans in the clan, and the Crimson-Scaled King said there were nine, all male.

Song Wen learned that the Willow Serpent Clan captured human cultivators who ascended to the Western Rong Continent, while most female humans were killed by hunting squads. The Crimson-Scaled King’s advances were interrupted when Qing Lian returned with Purple Lotus Fruits for Song Wen, which he ate and found beneficial.

• The Crimson-Scaled King told Song Wen that the Willow Serpent Clan’s female members held power and that its squads captured ascended humans, killing most of the female cultivators they found.
• The Crimson-Scaled King tried to transform into human form and invited Song Wen to call her Crimson Scales, but Qing Lian’s return interrupted her.
• Qing Lian gave Song Wen two Purple Lotus Fruits, explaining that other human cultivators ate them and that she had stolen them from the clan’s underwater spirit fields.
• Song Wen ate both Purple Lotus Fruits, felt them strengthen his body, and thanked Qing Lian, who offered to steal him more.

Song Wen settled into the guest cave abode while Qing Lian wondered whether she had fallen in love with him. After Qing Lian’s gift triggered a powerful aphrodisiac effect in Song Wen, an unidentified visitor slipped into his cave.

• The Crimson-Scaled King brought Song Wen to a vacant cave abode, and Qing Lian said she would visit him the next day.
• Qing Lian asked the Crimson-Scaled King whether she had fallen in love with Song Wen and said she wanted him to choose her willingly.
• The Crimson-Scaled King left to handle clan matters, telling Qing Lian not to disturb Song Wen or force her feelings on him.
• Song Wen furnished the cave and began meditating, but a strange heat surged through him and he realized Qing Lian’s Purple Lotus Fruit was an aphrodisiac.
• Someone silently opened Song Wen’s cave doors, entered, and shut them again, prompting Song Wen to demand to know who had come in.

Song Wen succumbed to the Purple Lotus Fruit’s effects and spent five days with Crimson-Scaled King, who ended their affair when Qing Lian came looking for him. He concealed what happened from Qing Lian and joined her at the waterside pavilion, where her unfamiliarity with human seating became apparent.

• Crimson-Scaled King returned to help Song Wen endure the Purple Lotus Fruit’s effects, and the two became intimate.
• After Qing Lian repeatedly called for Song Wen, Crimson-Scaled King ended their affair and warned him to keep it secret and treat Qing Lian well.
• Song Wen cleaned the cave, then told Qing Lian he had secluded himself to purge lingering Sha poison.
• Song Wen invited Qing Lian to enjoy the scenery, and she happily walked with him to the waterside pavilion.
• Qing Lian tried to make Song Wen a stool, but he brought out a stone table and two stools instead.

Song Wen shared spiritual tea and Hundred Blossom Dew with Qing Lian, easing her worry that their different races made them incompatible. Crimson-Scaled King arrived and briefly joined them, while Song Wen kept quiet about his affair with the king and the truth behind Qing Lian’s Purple Lotus Fruit.

• Song Wen brewed spiritual tea for Qing Lian, who found it bitter and grew anxious about their racial differences.
• Song Wen gave Qing Lian a bottle of Hundred Blossom Dew, and her worry vanished as she enjoyed its sweetness.
• Crimson-Scaled King arrived, and Qing Lian offered her brother some of the honey syrup before he declined.
• Song Wen praised the siblings’ affection and suspected Crimson-Scaled King had come because of guilt over their affair.
• Crimson-Scaled King left without Song Wen revealing the truth to Qing Lian.

Song Wen learned the Willow Snake Clan’s layout from Qing Lian and focused on finding the Jadeglow Lotus, which might lie in one of the clan’s spirit fields or its forbidden ground. After Crimson-Scaled King spent the night with him, Qing Lian arrived at dawn to invite him boating, leaving Song Wen to manage both sisters’ attention.

• Qing Lian showed Song Wen a map of the Willow Snake Clan and explained that the Human Race Pavilion housed the nine captured humans.
• Song Wen memorized the map and considered searching the clan’s spirit fields for the Jadeglow Lotus, while worrying that it might be in the restricted core forbidden ground.
• Crimson-Scaled King arrived at midnight, seized Song Wen, and stayed with him until dawn.
• Qing Lian arrived less than a quarter hour after Crimson-Scaled King left and invited Song Wen to build a boat and row on the lake.
• Song Wen complimented Qing Lian’s new gauzy attire, and she said she only wanted him to like her.

Song Wen and Qing Lian tried to build and ride a raft, but it broke when Qing Lian accidentally struck it with her tail. After calming her fears about their relationship, Song Wen asked her about the Jadeglow Lotus and left her with instructions to keep his search secret.

• Song Wen and Qing Lian assembled a raft, but Qing Lian accidentally smashed it with her tail when it carried them onto the water.
• Qing Lian offered to carry Song Wen on her snake body and kissed him, prompting Song Wen to gently ask her to give him time before they became cultivation partners.
• Song Wen used the Truth-Listening Technique to ask Qing Lian whether she knew of the Jadeglow Lotus, and she said she had never heard of it.
• Song Wen showed Qing Lian the Jadeglow Lotus's appearance and told her not to tell the Crimson-Scaled King or anyone else about his search.
• Qing Lian agreed to keep their search secret and suggested that her elder brother might know about the lotus.

Song Wen asked Qing Lian to secretly search for the Jadeglow Lotus, which he needed to advance beyond the Integrated Body Realm. He visited the Human Race Pavilion but found no other humans there, then returned to his cave residence as Qing Lian and Crimson-Scaled came to see him.

• Qing Lian offered to ask the Crimson-Scaled King to search for the Jadeglow Lotus, but Song Wen urged her to investigate secretly so she would not expose his interest.
• Song Wen explained that the Jadeglow Lotus could help him progress beyond the Integrated Body Realm, and Qing Lian promised to keep his request secret.
• Song Wen traveled to the Human Race Pavilion, where two sixth-rank Willow Snakes checked his body before allowing him inside.
• Song Wen found the luxurious pavilion empty, waited there until dusk, and left when the red-haired guard ordered it to close.
• Qing Lian asked whether Song Wen had met any humans, and he told her he planned to visit the pavilion again the next day.
• Crimson-Scaled appeared at Song Wen's cave residence soon after nightfall.

Song Wen met Xuanchengzi, a former lower-realm patriarch now trapped and abused by the Willow Snake Clan, and gave him a jade slip with insights on breaking through to Void Refinement. The chapter ended with Song Wen asking whether Xuanchengzi had ever considered escaping.

• Crimson-Scaled King told Song Wen she would stop visiting him so she would not disappoint Qing Lian, and Song Wen continued building the boat with Qing Lian.
• Song Wen encountered Xuanchengzi at the Human Race Pavilion and revealed that he had reached the Integrated Body Realm.
• Xuanchengzi recounted how Silver Willow King had made him her plaything and explained that he had struggled to cultivate beyond Spirit Transformation.
• Song Wen gave Xuanchengzi a jade slip containing insights on breaking through to Void Refinement.
• Song Wen asked Xuanchengzi why he had never tried to leave the Willow Snake Clan's territory.

Song Wen learned that the Western Rong Continent once had routes to the Eastern Profound Continent, including a Mirror Sea Mirage Abyss now lost beneath Origin Qi, and began considering how to find a way home. He also discovered that the Willow Snake Clan possessed jadeglow lotus, a treasure that could reshape Spiritual Roots, and resolved to pursue it cautiously.

• Xuanchengzi explained that the Mirror Sea Mirage Abyss and Teleportation Arrays had once connected the Western Rong and Eastern Profound Continents, but the abyss vanished beneath black mist and the arrays were destroyed or lost.
• Song Wen recognized the black mist as Origin Qi and considered investigating the Source-Qi Death Domain, seeking Willow Snake Clan records for clues and asking the remnant soul in his Sea of Consciousness about Divine Blood Sect arrays.
• Song Wen asked Xuanchengzi about treasures that could improve Spiritual Root aptitude and claimed he could barely advance despite reaching the Integrated Body Realm.
• Xuanchengzi revealed that ancient Willow Snake Clan correspondence mentioned jadeglow lotus, a rare treasure that could cleanse the marrow, scour the bones, and reshape a Spiritual Root.
• Song Wen thanked Xuanchengzi and decided he could use the conversation to explain how he learned of jadeglow lotus while pursuing it without exposing his original motives.

Song Wen sought information about the Mirror Sea Mirage Abyss while trying to maintain his connection with Qing Lian, who feared he would leave the Willow Snake Clan. At the Human Race Pavilion, he discovered that Xuanchengzi had revealed his whereabouts to the Silver Willow King, who inspected him.

• Song Wen waited in vain for the Crimson-Scaled King, then met Qing Lian and continued building their wooden boat.
• Song Wen asked Qing Lian about the Mirror Sea Mirage Abyss and told her he considered returning to the Eastern Profound Continent as important as his life.
• Qing Lian tried to dissuade Song Wen from seeking the dangerous route, but he left to meet Xuanchengzi at the Human Race Pavilion.
• Song Wen noticed Xuanchengzi's awkward expression and realized he had disclosed Song Wen's whereabouts to the Silver Willow King.
• The Silver Willow King appeared at the pavilion and circled Song Wen, examining his body and remarking on his fine outer shell.

Song Wen rejected Silver Willow King's offer of a Jadeglow Lotus in exchange for serving her, choosing not to risk offending the Crimson-Scaled King. The Crimson-Scaled King later explained that the lotus was reserved to help her break through to the ninth rank and promised Song Wen one if he became Dao companions with Qing Lian and remained devoted to her.

• Silver Willow King confronted Song Wen, flirted with him, and offered him a Jadeglow Lotus if he served her alone for life.
• Song Wen suspected Silver Willow King was trying to draw him into conflict with the Crimson-Scaled King and declined her offer.
• Silver Willow King left with Xuanchengzi, and Song Wen returned to his cave residence.
• At dusk, the Crimson-Scaled King arrived and asked whether Song Wen had accepted Silver Willow King's proposal; Song Wen said he had refused.
• The Crimson-Scaled King explained that the Jadeglow Lotus could improve human spiritual roots but was reserved for her attempt to reach the ninth rank.
• The Crimson-Scaled King promised Song Wen a Jadeglow Lotus after her breakthrough if he became Dao companions with Qing Lian and stayed with her for life.

Song Wen learned that the Jadeglow Lotus was indispensable to the Willow Snake Clan’s advancement, then considered exploiting the Silver Willow King’s rivalry with the Crimson-Scaled King to find its location. Qing Lian explained that the Silver Willow King had lost her place as the clan’s favored candidate for ninth rank to her elder sister.

• The Crimson-Scaled King warned Song Wen not to mention leaving the Willow Snake Clan or seeking the Mirror Sea Mirage Abyss, then returned to his cave and spent the night with him.
• Song Wen weighed how to learn the locations of the Jadeglow Lotus, the Mirror Sea Mirage Abyss, and the Divine Blood Sect’s teleportation array, and decided to investigate the rivalry between the two kings.
• Qing Lian arrived before dawn, apologized for her elder sister’s warning, and promised she would not restrict Song Wen’s freedom.
• Song Wen asked Qing Lian about the Silver Willow King, and she explained that the Silver Willow King had once been the leading candidate for ninth rank before the Crimson-Scaled King rose to prominence and replaced her.

Song Wen learned that Yuan Rong and seven female cultivators had arrived as a Human Race delegation, claiming to seek trade with the Willow Snake Clan through an ancient Teleportation Array. The Crimson-Scaled King revealed that the proposed trade involved exchanging low-level human men for spirit stones and spiritual resources.

• Song Wen heard from Qing Lian that Yuan Rong and seven female cultivators had arrived from the Eastern Profound Continent and were staying on Phoenix-Welcoming Mountain.
• Qing Lian offered to ask her elder sister to help Song Wen return to the Eastern Profound Continent, but Song Wen said he did not yet know whether the delegation could be trusted.
• Song Wen promised Qing Lian he would remember her and visit again if he returned, and she left his cave abode in tears of happiness.
• The Crimson-Scaled King appeared after Qing Lian left and questioned Song Wen about the delegation and his thoughts of leaving.
• The Crimson-Scaled King told Song Wen that the delegation had proposed trading low-level human male cultivators for spirit stones and spiritual resources.

After spending the night with the Crimson-Scaled King, Song Wen received an unexpected visit from Yuan Rong, who recognized him as Extreme Yin. Yuan Rong secretly proposed destroying the Willow Snake Clan and asked for an insider, but Song Wen refused to hear more and ordered him to leave.

• The Crimson-Scaled King angrily confronted Song Wen over the Willow Snake Clan’s dealings with human cultivators, then spent the night with him before disappearing.
• Song Wen waited for Qing Lian, but Yuan Rong arrived at his cave dwelling instead.
• Yuan Rong identified Song Wen as Extreme Yin, and Song Wen indirectly confirmed his identity by addressing Yuan Rong by name.
• Yuan Rong used a Profound Barrier Talisman to block divine sense and conceal their conversation.
• Yuan Rong said he planned to wipe out the entire Willow Snake Clan and needed an insider, but Song Wen cut him off and demanded that he leave.

Yuan Rong tried to recruit Song Wen into a plot against the Willow Snake Clan by poisoning the Crimson-Scaled King and coordinating an attack with five subordinate demon clans. Song Wen accepted under pressure and took the poison and warning talisman, leaving him involved in the plan scheduled for three days later.

• Song Wen refused Yuan Rong’s offer and threatened to alert the Crimson-Scaled King, but Yuan Rong threatened to expose Song Wen’s identity to the Willow Snake Clan.
• Yuan Rong claimed Biwu had likely died because she had not appeared for three thousand years, and said five subordinate demon clans planned to attack the Willow Snake Clan.
• Yuan Rong asked Song Wen to poison the Crimson-Scaled King with Bone-Bloom Flower while sharing her bed, exploiting the rivalry between her and the Silver Willow King.
• Yuan Rong said the five clans would gather within the Willow Snake Clan under the guise of a human delegation and attack in three days.
• Song Wen accepted the scheme to avoid Yuan Rong’s retaliation and took the poison vial and a warning jade talisman to signal the start of the attack.

Yuan Rong recruited Song Wen to help destroy the Willow Snake Clan in exchange for a spiritual treasure and a return to the Eastern Profound Continent, while the Crimson-Scaled King grew suspicious of Song Wen. Song Wen planned to escape amid Yuan Rong’s coming attack, then learned from Qing Lian that the jadeglow lotus grew in the Iridescent Water Spirit Field, contradicting Yuan Rong’s account.

• Yuan Rong told Song Wen he wanted to slaughter the Willow Snake Clan for its spiritual treasures and promised him a treasure and help returning to the Eastern Profound Continent.
• Song Wen agreed to cooperate, and Yuan Rong left after warning that the Crimson-Scaled King would question him.
• Song Wen told the Crimson-Scaled King that Yuan Rong had threatened him with the Teleportation Array, but the king doubted his account and warned him to stay away from Yuan Rong.
• Song Wen realized he needed to escape during Yuan Rong’s attack, which was due in three days, and considered entering the forbidden grounds to seize the jadeglow lotus.
• Qing Lian told Song Wen that the jadeglow lotus grew in the Iridescent Water Spirit Field, leaving him unsure whether her information or Yuan Rong’s was correct.

Qing Lian found a Jadeglow Lotus in the Iridescent Water Spirit Field, but Song Wen refused to ask the Crimson-Scaled King for it and continued searching for clues about the Mirror Sea Mirage Abyss. As the Willow Snake Clan gathered forces for Yuan Rong’s plan, Xuanchengzi arrived and was astonished by Qing Lian’s courteous, restrained behavior.

• Qing Lian told Song Wen she had found the Jadeglow Lotus but could not take it because it was guarded, and Song Wen warned her not to ask the Crimson-Scaled King for it.
• Qing Lian reported that she had found no definite clues about the Mirror Sea Mirage Abyss in the clan’s ancient records.
• Song Wen spent the next three days accompanying Qing Lian by day and enduring the Crimson-Scaled King’s nightly torment.
• Song Wen noticed more than a hundred powerful demons from the five subordinate clans arriving, signaling that Yuan Rong’s plan had begun.
• Xuanchengzi arrived while Song Wen and Qing Lian drank tea, and he was surprised when Qing Lian treated him politely and left without showing him the usual predatory interest.

Song Wen poisoned the Crimson-Scaled King with Bone-Bloom Flower and revealed himself after she attacked him. Though her cultivation had been destroyed, she survived the poison and fought back against his ambush.

• Xuanchengzi told Song Wen that he would attend the Silver Willow King that night, confirming their plan to poison her.
• Song Wen gave Qing Lian a bottle of Hundred Blossom Dew, and she happily shared it with him.
• The Crimson-Scaled King visited Song Wen that night, and the two were together until she realized she had been poisoned.
• The Crimson-Scaled King attacked Song Wen and destroyed what she thought was his head, but then began vomiting black blood as the poison spread through her body.
• The Crimson-Scaled King tried to swallow a golden Ganoderma, but Song Wen attacked with blood-colored tentacles and revealed that he had poisoned her.
• The Crimson-Scaled King blocked Song Wen's attacks despite her ruined cultivation, and Song Wen questioned how thoroughly the Bone-Bloom Flower had poisoned her.

Song Wen poisoned and incapacitated Crimson-Scaled King, then waited outside the Human Race Pavilion as an assault on the Willow Snake Clan began. Green Jade rushed to fight the attackers, but Crimson-Scaled King and Silver Willow King were missing, leaving the clan in peril.

• Song Wen used his blood-red tentacles to crush Crimson-Scaled King’s body and poured the remaining Bone-Bloom Flower poison over her head, knocking her unconscious.
• Song Wen left the cave abode, decided not to use his jade talisman, and flew to the Human Race Pavilion to wait.
• Green Jade approached Song Wen outside the closed pavilion and introduced herself as another eighth-rank Demon King.
• A gigantic cyan sword appeared in the distance, and Demon Kings and other forces from the five great demon clans launched a sudden attack across Willow Snake territory.
• Green Jade fought two eighth-rank attackers and was pushed into a dangerous position as nine Willow Snake Demon Kings arrived, but Crimson-Scaled King and Silver Willow King remained absent.

Song Wen broke into the Iridescent Water Spirit Field, took the Jadeglow Lotus and eight other spirit herbs, then returned toward the Crimson-Scaled King’s cave amid the battle. He found Qing Lian outside the buried entrance, where a battle’s lingering force sent her hurtling toward the mountainside as she feared she would never see Extreme Yin again.

• The Willow Snake Clan and the five great demon clans began battling while Song Wen slipped into the lake and reached the Iridescent Water Spirit Field.
• Song Wen used the Nine Calamities Measuring-Heaven Sword to shatter the barrier around the spirit field.
• Song Wen uprooted the Jadeglow Lotus with its root and stalk, collected the other eight spirit herbs, and escaped as the lake water rushed back in.
• Song Wen raced toward the Crimson-Scaled King’s cave and saw that the mountain had partly collapsed, burying its entrance.
• Qing Lian called for Extreme Yin and cleared rubble from the cave entrance, but a stone spike and its lingering force struck her and hurled her toward the mountainside.
• Qing Lian looked at the exposed entrance and thought that she and Extreme Yin might never meet again in this life.

Song Wen rescued Qing Lian and fled underground while monitoring the battle between the Willow Snake Clan and the five great Demon Race clans. As Yuan Rong escaped from the clan’s forbidden ground, a mutilated Willow Snake appeared, freezing the battlefield and terrifying the invaders.

• Song Wen saved Qing Lian from crashing into a cliff and used an Earth-Escape Talisman to carry her deep underground.
• Song Wen reassured Qing Lian about her eldest brother and watched the battle, where the five clans’ twelve Demon Kings held a slight advantage over the Willow Snake Clan’s nine.
• Song Wen saw Yuan Rong fleeing with several people and realized he had used the invasion as cover to enter the forbidden ground and steal its treasures.
• A badly mutilated Willow Snake pursued Yuan Rong’s group and unleashed a wave of frost across the battlefield.
• The five clans’ Demon Kings trembled in terror at the Willow Snake, while the Willow Snake Clan’s Demon Kings rejoiced at its arrival.