Recaps

Ling Xu and Yin Ling escaped the Ink Vipers and split up to recruit allies, while Song Wen followed Yin Ling to a mountain range and ambushed her. Their battle escalated as Yin Ling’s sword broke through his corpse-qi defenses, and Song Wen used the Cloud-Stacking Umbrella to obscure her senses before attacking with a hidden streak of nether light.

• Ling Xu and Yin Ling escaped the Ink Vipers, while the beasts pursued the six members of the Shi Family.
• Ling Xu and Yin Ling decided to find other members of their sect and split up to recruit allies against the Ink Vipers.
• Song Wen tracked Yin Ling to a mountain range and summoned corpse qi to draw her out.
• Yin Ling attacked Song Wen with her flying sword, which broke through his ghost-claw defense.
• Song Wen opened the Cloud-Stacking Umbrella to hide within black clouds, then sent a streak of nether light toward Yin Ling’s abdominal dantian.

Song Wen defeated Yin Ling by using the Soul-Slaying Spike after her treasures failed to protect her. He left her helpless and declared that she would die, while threatening that Immortal Su Dian would share her fate.

• Song Wen attacked Yin Ling with his blood techniques, but her White Tiger shield and immortal jade sword repelled his assaults.
• Yin Ling destroyed Song Wen's blood incarnation, only for the real Song Wen to emerge from the returning rain of blood.
• Song Wen struck Yin Ling with nine Soul-Slaying Spikes before she could activate her bronze bell, wounding her divine soul and knocking her from the sky.
• Song Wen pinned Yin Ling beneath his foot and took her jade sword and small shield.
• Yin Ling invoked the Purple Star Immortal Sect and defended its attempt to recruit Song Wen, while he vowed she would die and threatened Immortal Su Dian.

Song Wen killed Yin Ling, absorbed and destroyed the immortal soul imprint she warned him about, then followed the trail of the Shi Family and the Ink Vipers toward the secret realm’s western exit. There, the male Ink Viper attacked him, while Song Wen watched the clouds for the female viper.

• Song Wen ignored Yin Ling’s warnings about Yin Haocang and the Purple Star Immortal Sect, killed her, and absorbed the azure immortal soul imprint when his black hole devoured it.
• Song Wen burned Yin Ling’s corpse and headed after the Shi Family members and two Ink Vipers, hoping to use the Shi Family to distract Gai Lu outside the secret realm.
• Song Wen found a battlefield strewn with destruction and faint traces of blood and divine soul fragments, but could not tell whether all six Shi Family members had died.
• Song Wen followed the remaining aura west and reached the secret realm’s western exit beneath a vast vortex of gray clouds.
• The male Ink Viper burst from the clouds and attacked Song Wen with toxic miasma, which Song Wen resisted with Five Decays Yellow Springs Qi while searching the clouds for the female viper.

Song Wen killed the weakened male serpent, then abandoned the treasures that could expose him and escaped the secret realm disguised as a Rogue Cultivator. He emerged in the swamp to find several immortals probing him with their divine consciousness.

• Song Wen lured the wounded male serpent away from the gray clouds and struck it with Mystic Yellow Thunder.
• Song Wen drove the Nine Calamities Measuring-Heaven Sword into the serpent's body and ground its organs until it died, then devoured its demon soul.
• Song Wen decided to leave the secret realm quickly because the female serpent had pursued someone from the Shi Family outside.
• Song Wen kept only the spirit stones from the storage rings and buried the rings with the other treasures to hide their lingering auras.
• Song Wen concealed his storage ring, disguised himself as an early-stage Mahayana Realm Rogue Cultivator, and exited the secret realm.
• Several immortals immediately swept Song Wen with their divine consciousness after he emerged from the swamp pit.

Song Wen, disguised as Xing Chang, denied encountering the male Ink Viper while Jing Xun questioned the survivors about what had happened in the secret realm. News that Yin Ling and Ye Kuang had died made the immortals suspect Shi Qi and the others, and Shi Qi began recounting the group’s experiences.

• Song Wen emerged from the pit and told Jing Xun he had used the western exit and never seen an Ink Viper.
• Jing Xun challenged Shi Qi’s account of the two vipers, while Gai Lu urged him to seize and torture the Shi Family survivors.
• Su Dian warned Jing Xun not to interfere in the feud without evidence, but Jing Xun showed him a Jade Slip reporting Yin Ling’s death.
• Jing Xun revealed that Ye Kuang had also died and that Ling Xu remained inside the secret realm.
• Su Dian demanded that Shi Qi explain everything, and Shi Qi began describing the groups’ encounter with the male viper and their flight from the Ink Vipers.

Su Dian and Jing Xun identified Yan'e as the ascended cultivator sought by the Purple Star Immortal Sect’s sect master and resolved to capture him alive. Song Wen remained disguised as Xing Chang near the secret realm’s exit, where Gai Lu offered him a chance to earn spirit stones, complicating his plans to escape.

• Guang Xing told Su Dian and Jing Xun that Yan'e had killed the Gai Family cultivators in Dusk Ravine Abyss and wielded a secret spiritual sense technique that formed Nine Transparent Blades.
• Su Dian recognized Yan'e as the ascended cultivator who had escaped him and Yin Ling four years earlier, while Jing Xun revealed the sect master’s order to capture alive a cultivator who ascended on a matching date.
• Jing Xun and Su Dian decided to guard the secret realm’s exit and capture Yan'e, while ordering Shi Qi, Shi Sanniang, and Shi Min held aboard Azure Purity City’s flying ship.
• Song Wen watched without reacting as the Shi Family cultivators were detained, then stayed beside the swamp’s deep pit and hoped to avoid attention.
• Gai Lu questioned Song Wen, who claimed to be an injured rogue cultivator named Xing Chang, then offered him a chance to earn spirit stones as Song Wen sought a way to escape.

Song Wen accepted Gai Lu’s offer to stay aboard the Gai Family’s flying ship until Ling Xu returned, while privately planning for a chance to escape. As the secret realm’s closing day approached, an iron-masked man emerged, drawing Gai Lu’s suspicion and Su Dian’s hostility.

• Gai Lu asked Song Wen to remain until Ling Xu returned so the Shi Family could be confronted, and promised him one million high-grade spirit stones.
• Song Wen pretended to accept Gai Lu’s offer eagerly, and Guang Xing escorted him to a room aboard the Gai Family’s flying ship.
• Song Wen inspected his room and the ship, then resolved to look for an escape opportunity if Ling Xu’s return put him in danger.
• Song Wen stayed aboard the ship as the secret realm’s closing day approached, while Ling Xu remained missing.
• An iron-masked man emerged from the secret realm, and Gai Lu questioned his concealed aura while Su Dian watched him with killing intent.

Song Wen recognized the departing ghost cultivator as an evil spirit cultivator and persuaded Guang Xing to pursue him, finding a possible way off the Gai Family’s flying ship. Gai Lu sent Guang Xing away on an errand while claiming he had to remain behind to intercept Yan'e.

• Gai Lu and Su Dian questioned a masked rogue cultivator, but Jing Xun intervened and helped him leave after he revealed himself as a ghost cultivator.
• Shadow Void identified the departing ghost cultivator as an evil spirit cultivator carrying concealed origin qi, and Song Wen suspected Jing Xun was colluding with evil spirit cultivators.
• Song Wen told Guang Xing that the ghost cultivator was an evil spirit cultivator and offered to accompany him to identify the man in pursuit.
• Guang Xing reported Song Wen’s claim to Gai Lu, who ordered him to take the flying ship to the Myriad Treasures Market to collect pills from Rogue Person Wangji.

Guang Xing led the Gai Family airship in pursuit of the ghost cultivator and confronted him, accusing him of serving the Void Demon Clan. The monks attacked after Song Wen identified the ghost cultivator as an Evil Spirit Cultivator, while Song Wen looked for a way to escape the ship.

• Guang Xing ordered the airship to pursue the ghost cultivator, taking the entire group away from the Lingxu Dao Immortal's range of perception.
• The Gai Family airship caught up with the ghost cultivator, who landed on a mountain and asked why they had followed him.
• Guang Xing accused the ghost cultivator of being an Evil Spirit Cultivator, but the ghost cultivator denied serving the Void Demon Clan and cited his permission to leave from Jing Xun and Su Dian.
• Song Wen considered how to escape the airship, then told Guang Xing that he had seen the ghost cultivator use Origin Qi in a fight.
• Guang Xing and two late Tribulation Transcendence monks passed through the airship's barrier and attacked the ghost cultivator with Buddhist arts as he summoned a Funeral Banner.

Song Wen revealed himself as Yan'e and destroyed the Gai Family's flying ship while Guang Xing and his allies pursued the ghost cultivator. With the ship's crew dead and its barrier gone, Yan'e attacked Guang Xing's group, leaving the battle poised to resume against multiple opponents.

• Guang Xing persuaded the two monks to keep attacking the ghost cultivator, whose Origin Qi destroyed their phantom Buddha and exposed him as an Evil Spirit Cultivator.
• The ghost cultivator fled, and Guang Xing's group pursued him; two more Tribulation Transcendence cultivators joined the chase from the flying ship.
• Song Wen identified the ship's two controllers and killed them and the other monks aboard, then battered apart the golden Buddha and destroyed the vessel.
• Guang Xing recognized Song Wen as Yan'e and accused him of killing Gai Family members and destroying their ship.
• Yan'e sent his blood-colored tentacles surging toward Guang Xing and the others.

Song Wen defeated the monks pursuing him, captured and devoured Guang Xing, then escaped to a remote valley to refine the Immortal Spirit Marrow he had collected. The chapter ended with him swallowing his first drop as he prepared to advance toward the Spirit Void Dao Immortal realm.

• Song Wen used the Nine Calamities Measuring-Heaven Sword and purple lightning to kill three monks and severely injure Guang Xing, while the remaining monk fled.
• Song Wen captured Guang Xing, warned him that he would settle his grievances with Gai Lu and the Gai Family, then devoured Guang Xing and his soul.
• Song Wen changed his appearance in a small city and traveled for two months to a remote, poison-shrouded mountain valley.
• Song Wen established a cave abode and brought out the Immortal Spirit Marrow he had collected from Zhuang Qiu and the two Ink Vipers.
• Song Wen swallowed a drop of Immortal Spirit Marrow as he began preparing to advance to the Spirit Void Dao Immortal realm.

Song Wen absorbed the Immortal Spirit Marrow for twenty years and transformed into a Spirit Transformation Dao Immortal. When he emerged from seclusion, he stopped two cultivators from attacking an injured woman, but refused her plea to avenge the Scarlet Cloud Sect.

• Song Wen refined the Immortal Spirit Marrow, transforming his spiritual power, body, and divine soul over twenty years.
• Song Wen emerged from seclusion after a disturbance outside his valley.
• An injured woman accused her two former senior brothers of murdering the Scarlet Cloud Sect to seize its inherited cultivation art.
• The fat cultivator tried to seize the woman, and the thin cultivator attacked her as she swallowed a Heaven-Burning Pill.
• Song Wen used an invisible force to stop the attack, then appeared before the three cultivators.
• The woman begged Song Wen to avenge the Scarlet Cloud Sect, but he asked what her blood feud had to do with him.

Song Wen learned that the woman’s master had ties to the Gai Family and discovered a hidden purpose behind the soul fragment attached to her. He spared the woman and rendered the two male cultivators helpless, leaving their fate in her hands.

• Song Wen rejected the woman’s appeal to act on heaven’s behalf, then heard her offer herself in exchange for vengeance on the two men.
• The woman revealed that her master, Daoist Suchén, had served the Gai Family and left her a Gai token; Song Wen inspected the token and the Green Satchel Alchemical Canon.
• Song Wen examined the woman’s sea of consciousness and found that her master’s soul fragment was consuming her soul essence, though he kept the discovery to himself.
• Song Wen denounced the two male cultivators and crushed them beneath his righteous aura, then told the woman to deal with her blood enemies herself.

Chen Yi avenged her master by killing the two senior brothers who had betrayed and hunted her, but the Heaven-Burning Pill left her near death. Song Wen saved her, and she agreed to recommend him to the Gai Family as they planned to travel there together.

• Chen Yi rejected the fat cultivator’s plea for mercy, then killed him and the thin cultivator and destroyed their souls.
• After thanking her fallen master, Chen Yi collapsed as the Heaven-Burning Pill’s effects faded and poisonous miasma began to erode her body.
• Song Wen carried Chen Yi to a Cave, gave her a medicinal pill, and waited while she recovered for half a month.
• Chen Yi offered to serve Song Wen, but he urged her to join the Gai Family and revealed that he was a mid-stage Void Refinement cultivator.
• Song Wen said he also wanted to enter the Gai Family, and Chen Yi agreed to recommend him; they discussed taking merchant vessels to shorten the journey.

Song Wen and Chen Yi reached the Gai Family’s mountain gate, where they sought refuge and admission. The family accepted them provisionally, while Zen Master Guangfa examined Chen Yi’s token and questioned whether her deceased master, Suchén, had truly perished.

• Song Wen and Chen Yi arrived above Profound Sun City and descended at the Gai Family’s mountain gate.
• Chen Yi presented Suchén’s token and explained her request to join the Gai Family; she also asked for Song Wen to be considered.
• Gai Yuanhua showed Chen Yi special attention and promised to help her find a place in the city if the family rejected her.
• A novice told Zen Master Guangfa that Suchén’s disciple had arrived, and Guangfa examined the token and doubted Suchén had died.
• The External Affairs Hall agreed to accept Chen Yi and Yang Yu provisionally and sent them to wait in the outer sect guest quarters.
• Chen Yi celebrated the family’s decision and told Song Wen they had been accepted.

Guangfa recognized Chen Yi as Suchén’s disciple and took her under his protection, while arranging work for Song Wen on Formless Island. Song Wen remained focused on his plan to take revenge on the Gai Family and seize its rumored treasures.

• Gai Yuanhua welcomed Chen Yi and Song Wen into the Gai Family, but Song Wen noticed his jealousy.
• Guangfa recognized Chen Yi as Suchén’s disciple and learned that her senior brothers had poisoned Suchén before Chen Yi killed them with Song Wen’s help.
• Guangfa invited Chen Yi to cultivate under his care, and Song Wen privately questioned Suchén’s true cultivation and Guangfa’s connection to her.
• Guangfa led Chen Yi and Song Wen to Formless Island, where he offered Chen Yi a residence and cultivation resources.
• Guangfa directed Song Wen to the eastern spirit fields to receive his duties.

Song Wen arrived at the medicinal garden under Zen Master Guangfa’s orders and proved his alchemy skills to Steward Qu Feng. He was accepted as an alchemist and settled into an empty courtyard, where he began cultivating.

• Song Wen entered the medicinal garden and told the servant he had come under Zen Master Guangfa’s orders.
• Steward Qu Feng tested Song Wen by asking him to refine a sixth-grade healing pill, and Song Wen successfully produced three pills.
• Qu Feng praised Song Wen’s steady temperament but noted that his cultivation limited him to refining pills of the sixth grade and below.
• Qu Feng explained the medicinal garden’s alchemy work and accepted Song Wen’s offer to help refine pills for additional compensation.
• Wei Xiu showed Song Wen to an empty courtyard, and Song Wen cleaned it before settling down to cultivate.

Song Wen focused on learning about herbs and alchemy in the Gai Family’s herb garden, but Qu Feng rebuked him for asking to see his immortal-grade pill formulas. When Chen Yi visited Song Wen, Qu Feng mistook their closeness for a sign of her influence and gave Song Wen a Jade Slip containing all three formulas.

• Song Wen studied the herb garden’s spiritual plants and learned alchemy from Qu Feng, who patiently answered his questions.
• Song Wen asked Qu Feng to let him examine his immortal-grade pill formulas, and Qu Feng angrily ended his lessons and ordered him to leave.
• Chen Yi arrived to visit Song Wen, and the two set off for his courtyard to catch up.
• Qu Feng hurried after them and eagerly offered Chen Yi help obtaining rare pills.
• Qu Feng reconsidered Song Wen’s request after seeing Chen Yi’s closeness with him and gave Song Wen a Jade Slip containing three immortal-grade pill formulas.

Song Wen and Chen Yi discussed their lives with the Gai Family while Guangfa learned that Suchén had likely died and revealed why he was searching for her. The chapter left Guangfa concerned that the evil spirit cultivators were preparing a major move while the Gai Family remained weakened.

• Song Wen reassured Chen Yi that her unease about Guangfa’s kindness need not trouble her, and Chen Yi resolved to cultivate diligently.
• Hongjue reported that Suchén had returned to the Western Wasteland, founded the Scarlet Cloud Sect, and likely died after the sect was destroyed.
• Guangfa explained that Suchén had betrayed the Gai Family after discovering the Tomb of Master Puxuan and taking the Ancient Buddha Bead, and he ordered Hongjue not to disturb Chen Yi.
• Hongjue warned Guangfa that evil spirit cultivators were making unusual moves, and Guangfa feared the weakened Gai Family might struggle to defend itself.

Song Wen and the other members of the herb garden were ordered by Guangfa to join a campaign against Evil Spirit Cultivators near Star Net Market. After receiving separate investigation orders, Song Wen’s group set out with Chen Yi, leaving Qu Feng worried about protecting her.

• Song Wen stopped studying Qu Feng’s immortal-grade pill formulas when Qu Feng summoned everyone in the herb garden to the Buddhist pagoda.
• Guangfa told the gathered cultivators that they would help eradicate Evil Spirit Cultivators near Star Net Market, and threatened anyone who refused to fight.
• Chen Yi told Song Wen she would join the expedition to gain combat experience, and Song Wen urged her to be careful.
• Guangfa met Yun Shan in a valley near Star Net Market, then split the force into groups and ordered them to investigate suspected activity without revealing their identities.
• Chen Yi was assigned to Qu Feng’s group, which boarded a small boat toward Star Net Market as Miao Yin objected that the scattered groups could be picked off separately.

Qu Feng's group set out to investigate the Embracing Simplicity Sect, suspected of aiding Evil Spirit Cultivators, after Song Wen calmed a dispute between Miao Yin and Chen Yi. At the sect, Qu Feng demanded Wu Qi and threatened the disciples, who resisted after his killing intent injured their junior sister.

• Miao Yin worried that Chen Yi would report his criticism of Guangfa, but Song Wen vouched for her and Miao Yin apologized.
• Qu Feng explained that Guangfa had ordered the group to investigate the Embracing Simplicity Sect over rumors that one of its members served the Evil Spirit Cultivators.
• Qu Feng's group reached the shabby sect and learned from Yu Peng that the sect leader, Daoist Huai'gu, had gone to slay demonic beasts troubling nearby villagers.
• Qu Feng asked for Wu Qi, and Yu Peng said Wu Qi was away gaining experience.
• Qu Feng threatened the sect and spread his killing intent over its disciples, causing several to collapse and a young girl to faint.
• A Golden Core disciple condemned Qu Feng for targeting their junior sister and challenged his conduct.

Qu Feng confronted Daoist Huai'gu and demanded Wu Qi, accusing him of colluding with an Evil Spirit Cultivator. When the mysterious cultivator arrived with Wu Qi, Qu Feng recognized him as the target of his investigation, and Huai'gu disowned his former disciple.

• Daoist Huai'gu returned to the Embracing Simplicity Sect with a slain serpent and pleaded with Qu Feng to spare his disciples.
• Qu Feng demanded Wu Qi, and Huai'gu offered Wu Qi's life talisman jade token, but it gave no response.
• Qu Feng attacked the sect, but a black-cloaked figure interrupted and arrived with Wu Qi among his subordinates.
• Qu Feng recognized the cloaked figure as an Evil Spirit Cultivator, and the two prepared to fight.
• Daoist Huai'gu and his disciples confronted Wu Qi, and Huai'gu declared that Wu Qi was no longer his disciple.

Wu Qi denounced the Embracing Simplicity Sect as he praised Shibi’s help, while Shibi fought Qu Feng and his followers attacked the flying ship. Bi Ruo strengthened the ship’s barrier, but the attackers kept it trapped, and Shibi’s burly subordinate urged Wu Qi to kill his former master and fellow disciples.

• Wu Qi claimed his cultivation came from his talent and Shibi’s resources, insulting Daoist Huai'gu and the Embracing Simplicity Sect.
• Shibi confirmed his identity to Qu Feng, then fought him with a corpse coffin and a Corpse Puppet against Qu Feng’s sword and bronze cauldron.
• Qu Feng ordered the flying ship to retreat, but Shibi sent his subordinates to intercept it while keeping Qu Feng occupied.
• Shibi’s subordinates surrounded the ship and battered its defensive barrier, while Bi Ruo used four formation flags to reinforce it.
• The burly integrated body peak cultivator rammed the ship’s barrier with a mountain-shaped treasure, then urged Wu Qi to kill Daoist Huai'gu and the other Embracing Simplicity Sect disciples.

Wu Qi watched as Gui Li slaughtered the Embracing Simplicity Sect and trapped their souls in his Ghost Banner. As the flying ship’s barrier broke and its passengers fled, Gui Li pursued Chen Yi, who charged at him to give Senior Yang Yu a chance to escape.

• Wu Qi refused to attack the Embracing Simplicity Sect, so Shibi’s subordinate ordered Gui Li to kill them and destroy the town below.
• Gui Li shattered Daoist Huai'gu’s shield, badly wounded him, and sent Yu Peng crashing to the ground while protecting his master.
• Gui Li tore the Golden Core youth’s soul from his body, then captured the souls of the other Embracing Simplicity Sect disciples in his Ghost Banner as Wu Qi watched.
• Miao Yin and Bi Ruo stopped sustaining the flying ship’s barrier, and its passengers fled in different directions as the barrier shattered.
• Shibi’s subordinate attacked the fleeing passengers with blood-red palms while Gui Li pursued Chen Yi; she charged at him to give Senior Yang Yu a chance to escape.

Song Wen and the others faced Shibi’s forces until Monk Guangfa intervened, saving Chen Yi and killing most of the enemy cultivators. Guangfa tried to kill Shibi and question him about the evil spirit cultivators’ plans, but Luo Tu and Xue Qianjue arrived and revealed their scheme to lure and eliminate the Gai Family’s Tribulation Transcendence cultivators.

• The ghost cultivator caught Chen Yi’s sword and threatened her, but a golden prayer bead suddenly killed him before he could strike her.
• The prayer bead killed Shibi’s remaining subordinates and Wu Qi, while Shibi fled until Guangfa ordered him to stop.
• Guangfa and Hongjue arrived, and Song Wen suspected Guangfa had deliberately let Chen Yi face danger before rescuing her.
• Guangfa questioned Shibi about the evil spirit cultivators’ activities, but Shibi refused to cooperate unless Guangfa promised to spare him.
• Guangfa attacked Shibi with the prayer bead, but Luo Tu blocked it with a black spike and arrived with Xue Qianjue.
• Xue Qianjue said she and Luo Tu had planned to lure the Gai Family’s Tribulation Transcendence cultivators to Star Net Market and surround them.