Chapter Summaries

Ye Yu accepted Kui Yan’s challenge to a life-and-death battle despite Xie Liuying’s pleas, worsening the pressure on her and the Luoshen Society. As the fight began, Kui Yan unleashed his Blazing Flame Blade and Heavenly Ghost Nine Blades, and Ye Yu drew a purple longsword to face him.

• Ye Yu headed to the Life and Death Arena with Kui Yan, and Xie Liuying rushed after them, worried about the consequences for the Luoshen Society.
• Xie Liuying urged Ye Yu to delay the fight for a month, but Ye Yu signed the life-and-death contract and stepped onto the arena.
• Word spread about the battle, drawing a crowd that learned Ye Yu had once belonged to the Luoshen Society and watched Xie Liuying with suspicion.
• Kui Yan summoned his Blazing Flame Blade and attacked with the Heavenly Ghost Nine Blades as Ye Yu drew a purple longsword.

Ye Yu killed Kui Yan with one sword strike, claimed his resources, and replaced him at rank seventy-third on the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking. When the Luoshen Society learned Ye Yu had left, Wan Zirou challenged Xie Liuying’s leadership over how she had treated him.

• Ye Yu split Kui Yan’s flame attack, killed him with one sword strike, and took his spiritual energy card and Ring of Holding.
• The registration mentor replaced Kui Yan’s name with Ye Yu’s at rank seventy-third on the Heavenly Prodigy Ranking.
• Ye Yu exchanged spiritual energy for several special auras at the Treasure Pavilion, then returned to Hidden Sword Peak to cultivate.
• Xie Liuying returned to the Luoshen Society and told its members that Ye Yu had left, prompting them to condemn him.
• Wan Zirou accused Xie Liuying of revoking Ye Yu’s membership and abandoning him when Kui Yan challenged him, then called for her to stop being president.
• Xie Liuying faced the members’ criticism and blamed Ye Yu for the conflict.

Ye Yu left Heavenly Saint Academy to gain experience and accepted Murong Xue’s invitation to visit Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, where he hoped to find answers and information. After seven days aboard her spirit vessel, he arrived at the Pavilion and was surprised by its location and the presence of native mortal inhabitants in the Central Continent.

• Ye Chengjun learned that the Ye family had failed to capture the Defier of Fate, killed the messenger, and resolved to put pressure on the family.
• Ye Yu received a mission jade token from Li Daoyi and left Heavenly Saint Academy after declining to ask about the Xu family.
• Murong Xue met Ye Yu in Heavenly Saint City and invited him to Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, offering to answer his questions.
• Murong Xue revealed that the Pavilion had tracked Ye Yu’s recent troubles, and he remained focused on cultivation during their seven-day journey.
• Ye Yu arrived at Heavenly Mystery Pavilion and was startled by its location and the native mortal inhabitants below.

Ye Yu learned that Murong Xue had brought him to a village of former cultivators who had given up their spiritual roots. Wang Xiong and Ye Chenxiang told him how they abandoned cultivation to be together, while Wang Xiong worried about the sister he had left behind.

• Murong Xue told Ye Yu that the villagers had once been cultivators whose spiritual roots were gone, then left to report his arrival.
• Wang Xiong invited Ye Yu to stay at his home, where Ye Yu noticed rings associated with the Wang and Ye Families.
• Wang Xiong and Ye Chenxiang revealed they had belonged to rival families and surrendered their cultivation so they could be together.
• Ye Yu considered how his own Xu and Ye bloodlines had not destroyed him and concluded that the Void Sky Cauldron had suppressed the Curse Power before his birth.
• Wang Xiong said he regretted leaving his younger sister without a word, and Ye Chenxiang reassured him that Wang Yue was capable.

Ye Yu watched Wang Xiong struggle with the rules forbidding him from helping a dying villager, then followed Murong Xue to meet her grandfather. Inside the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion’s hidden cave, Ye Yu learned its people were trapped there under Heaven’s Punishment, and the opened tower door revealed a shocking sight.

• Ye Yu discovered that Wang Xiong was Wang Yue’s older brother as the dinner ended and Wang Xiong drunkenly asked him to become sworn brothers.
• Old Chen begged Wang Xiong to save his sick son, but Ye Chenxiang reminded Wang Xiong that helping them would break the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion’s rules.
• Murong Xue warned that helping the villagers would force Wang Xiong and the villagers to leave, then ordered Old Chen and Little Chen to follow the rules or get out.
• Murong Xue told Ye Yu that her people could not leave their cave dwelling without suffering Heaven’s Punishment, then led him to meet her grandfather.
• Ye Yu entered the tower after Murong Xue’s grandfather invited him in, and he sucked in a cold breath at what he saw inside.

Ye Yu met Murong Chen, who claimed he was a Defier of Fate and promised that the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion would cooperate with him. After Ye Yu left, the Void Sky Cauldron and Mirror Spirit imprisoned Murong Chen in a cocoon as part of a plan to make Ye Yu believe he was a Defier of Fate.

• Murong Chen told Ye Yu that he had suffered a backlash after glimpsing the Xu family's future and identified Ye Yu as a Defier of Fate destined to face a calamity.
• Murong Chen offered the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's cooperation and gave Ye Yu a stone seal to open the tower.
• After Ye Yu left, Murong Chen tried to draw on Ye Yu's fortune, but the lamps dimmed and cyan light trapped him.
• The Haotian Mirror and the Void Sky Cauldron joined forces to seal Murong Chen inside a cocoon.
• The Mirror Spirit and the Cauldron Spirit discussed their plan to make Ye Yu believe he was a Defier of Fate, while Ye Yu sensed a connection to the tower but continued onward.

Ye Yu left the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion with a jade slip containing information about Central Province and his mother, Xu Yunxi, though records about her were erased. After discovering the Canglan Ruins would open in a month, he went to the village entrance and found two corpses among a gathered crowd.

• Murong Xue and several Integrated Body Realm Cultivators surrounded Ye Yu with gifts, hoping to benefit from his fortune, but he left with Murong Xue.
• A second-grade green fruit fell into Ye Yu's hand, and a fourth-grade fruit later dropped where he had stood.
• Murong Xue gave Ye Yu a jade slip, but a green light erased its records about Xu Yunxi; she warned him not to reveal their relationship before he could protect himself.
• Ye Yu noticed that some of the spiritual energy he absorbed was missing and suspected the Void Sky Cauldron was withholding it.
• Ye Yu learned that the Canglan Ruins would open in one month, then approached a crowd at the village entrance and saw two corpses lying on the ground.

After leaving the village, Ye Yu traveled to the Canglan Ruins and encountered Zi Yun among the Rogue Cultivators outside Canglan City. A woman from Heartless Palace ordered Zi Yun to kill him, and Zi Yun attacked with a sword.

• Wang Xiong returned home grieving Old Chen and clashed with Ye Chenxiang over the limits of their ordinary life.
• Ye Yu traveled to Five Beasts City, used its Teleportation Array, and reached the outskirts of the Canglan Ruins a month later.
• Ye Yu searched the Rogue Cultivators' gathering for a special aura but found none, then noticed Zi Yun, who had reached the initial stage of Void Refinement.
• A woman in white questioned Zi Yun about her reaction to Ye Yu, then ordered her to kill him and handed her a longsword.
• Zi Yun accepted the sword and slashed at Ye Yu, whose attention turned to how refined her spiritual power had become.

Ye Yu was rescued from Zi Yun by Zou Yitian, his talkative Third Senior Brother, who took him to an inn in Canglan City and explained the faction competition surrounding the Canglan Ruins. Ye Yu planned to seek the ruins’ Breath of Hell, but Xie Liuying and Wan Zirou arrived at the inn, setting up a confrontation.

• Zou Yitian shattered Zi Yun’s sword light and introduced himself to Ye Yu as his Third Senior Brother.
• Zou Yitian insisted on accompanying Ye Yu and brought him to an inn on the outskirts of Canglan City.
• Zou Yitian explained that factions would compete for points at the Canglan Ruins, while Ye Yu focused on obtaining the Breath of Hell.
• Zou Yitian left to pick up Second Senior Brother, and Ye Yu prepared to leave the inn.
• Xie Liuying entered and glared venomously at Ye Yu, but Wan Zirou shoved her aside and ordered her to follow the association’s rules.

Ye Yu confronted Wan Zirou and Gao Sheng after Wan Zirou tried to recruit him into the Luoshen Society. Zou Yitian and Zheng Xiang arrived before the confrontation turned into a fight, and Gao Sheng later visited Ye Yu to offer his spiritual energy card.

• Wan Zirou tried to recruit Ye Yu and summoned Gao Sheng when Ye Yu refused to cooperate.
• Gao Sheng recognized Ye Yu as the person who had robbed him twice and panicked as Ye Yu gathered spiritual power.
• Zou Yitian and Zheng Xiang arrived, prompting Wan Zirou to back down and Gao Sheng to apologize before retreating to the inn.
• Zou Yitian introduced Zheng Xiang to Ye Yu, who returned to the inn with the two unusual seniors.
• Gao Sheng visited Ye Yu that night and urged him to take spiritual energy from his card before he had saved much.

Ye Yu dealt with Gao Sheng and Wan Zirou before watching the inn’s troublemakers draw attention. The next morning, Zheng Xiang slipped Ye Yu a stolen dudou as a welcome gift, bringing the angry owner’s attack down on Ye Yu.

• Wan Zirou mocked Ye Yu after seeing Gao Sheng put away his spiritual energy card, but Gao Sheng scolded Wan Zirou and hurried off with him.
• Zou Yitian warned Ye Yu to avoid trouble, then watched Zheng Xiang flee from furious female cultivators and heard Ye Yu pity Zheng Xiang’s sect.
• Lin Qingyue recognized Ye Yu and asked Ruoxian whether he was worthy of her.
• Zheng Xiang entered Ye Yu’s room the next morning, handed him a Ring of Holding, and claimed it contained a welcome gift.
• Ye Yu found a fragrant dudou in the ring, and its owner attacked through the roof while demanding his life.

Ye Yu fought Qiao Linglong after Zheng Xiang’s prank led her to mistake him for the thief who had stolen her bodice. Lin Qingyue stopped the fight, revealed Zheng Xiang was responsible, and accepted the bodice from Ye Yu, hinting that she might ask him for help.

• Ye Yu shattered Qiao Linglong’s attack, while Zheng Xiang fled and Zou Yitian learned that Zheng Xiang had given Ye Yu her bodice.
• Qiao Linglong accused Ye Yu of being the lecher she had chased and attacked him, but Ye Yu fought back with the Purple Firmament Sword.
• Qiao Linglong revealed her Life Origin Spirit Body as she and Ye Yu prepared to escalate their battle.
• Lin Qingyue intervened and told Qiao Linglong that Zheng Xiang had been the one she saw fleeing with the bodice.
• Qiao Lingyue chased Zheng Xiang, while Lin Qingyue collected the bodice from Ye Yu and suggested she might need his help.

After Lin Qingyue intervened to stop Zheng Xiang, Ye Yu kept his distance from the others while Lin Qingyue and Qiao Linglong discussed why Qin Ruoxian had recommended him as a Dao companion. When the Canglan Ruins opened, Ye Yu spotted the Breath of Hell he had been seeking.

• Lin Qingyue left after saying she had heard of Ye Yu, and Ye Yu told Zou Yitian and the others to stay away from him before finding another place to rest.
• Qiao Linglong returned to Lin Qingyue without catching Ye Yu, and Lin Qingyue revealed that Qin Ruoxian had recommended him as a Dao companion to help suppress her Heavenly Profound Ice Spirit Body.
• Lin Qingyue and Qiao Linglong wondered why Qin Ruoxian had pushed Ye Yu toward Lin Qingyue, and Lin Qingyue briefly considered whether Ye Yu was connected to Xu Yunxi before dismissing the idea.
• Ye Yu waited with the crowd as the Canglan Ruins opened, then spotted the Breath of Hell floating above the desolate land inside.

Ye Yu entered the Canglan Ruins and used his damaged spiritual root to absorb Breath of Hell, confronting the Cauldron Spirit about its secretive behavior. After absorbing several masses, he headed deeper into the ruins and approached an Azure Sky Vine before a foul wind struck from behind.

• Xu Xinyuan and the Xu Lineage's Second Branch recognized Ye Yu's resemblance to Xu Yunxi and watched him with hostility.
• Ye Yu entered the Canglan Ruins and concealed his aura as he sought out Breath of Hell.
• Ye Yu discovered that the Void Sky Cauldron had withheld some spiritual energy and demanded an explanation from the Cauldron Spirit.
• The Cauldron Spirit said Ye Yu might not survive without it, and Ye Yu accepted that its benefits outweighed the energy it had withheld.
• Ye Yu absorbed three masses of Breath of Hell, then descended toward an Azure Sky Vine before a foul wind swept toward him from behind.

Ye Yu found a Soul-Restoring Azure Vine in the Canglan Ruins, killed Liu Bingbing when she tried to claim it, and discovered that spiritual sense and divine sense no longer worked. He reached a ruined city, where Zou Yitian warned him that Heaven’s Punishment had fallen within the ruins.

• Ye Yu killed a Tiger Demon and found a Soul-Restoring Azure Vine that could repair Dan Chenzi’s divine soul.
• Liu Bingbing tried to take the vine, then rallied five Rogue Cultivators against Ye Yu by claiming it belonged to her.
• Ye Yu killed Liu Bingbing with a single strike, and the five men looted her corpse after he left.
• Ye Yu realized that spiritual sense and divine sense could not detect anything in the ruins, and continued onward after absorbing two clusters of Breath of Hell.
• Ye Yu arrived at a ruined city and met Zou Yitian, who told him that Heaven’s Punishment had struck within the Canglan Ruins.

After Heaven’s Punishment cut off communication, Ye Yu joined the gathered cultivators as the major factions argued over how to investigate the ruined city. Wang Lie and Chang Yu forced the Rogue Cultivators to send those below the Void Refinement Stage first, leaving Ye Yu to watch them be divided and controlled.

• Ye Yu and Zou Yitian descended into the ruined city and joined the grim gathering of cultivators, where Chang Yu proposed sending Rogue Cultivators to scout ahead.
• Rogue Cultivators protested that the major factions should take the risk, and Ye Chengjun argued that everyone present shared the same status under Heaven’s Punishment.
• Wang Lie beheaded the loudest protesters and threatened the rest into silence.
• Chang Yu proposed sending Rogue Cultivators below the Void Refinement Stage first, and the cultivators divided into groups.
• Ye Yu reflected that selfishness kept Rogue Cultivators from uniting, while Chang Yu and Wang Lie exchanged contemptuous smiles at how easily they had manipulated them.

Ye Yu and Zou Yitian waited as the major powers used up the Rogue Cultivators and then selected Heavenly Saint Academy to scout the Canglan Ruins. As Ye Yu and the others prepared to enter, Qiao Linglong asked Lin Qingyue whether she would keep Ye Yu from going.

• Ye Yu used the Soul-Restoring Azure Vine to heal Dan Chenzi's shattered soul, though Dan Chenzi remained unconscious.
• Wan Zirou argued with Xie Liuying over whether the Luoshen Society should retreat, insisting he would lead the way despite the danger.
• Ye Yu predicted he and Zou Yitian would be sent to scout and learned Zou Yitian had come seeking the Xu family.
• After several days, the Rogue Cultivators were gone, and the major powers selected Heavenly Saint Academy and other minor forces to scout.
• The scouting parties left behind soul talismans before entering the Canglan Ruins, and Qiao Linglong asked Lin Qingyue whether she would keep Ye Yu behind.

Ye Yu stopped his group in the Canglan Ruins after noticing that the Rogue Cultivators’ footprints ended without any signs of battle. When a false vision of treasure lured the others away, Ye Yu recognized the ancient tree demon behind the illusion and tried to pull Zou Yitian and Gao Sheng to safety, but the ground collapsed beneath them.

• Ye Yu found footprints in the Canglan Ruins and stopped, while Zou Yitian defended his decision to wait despite the other cultivators’ complaints.
• A seven-colored pillar that looked like a treasure appeared, and most of the group rushed toward it; Zou Yitian and Gao Sheng stayed with Ye Yu.
• Ye Yu saw that the pillar was an illusion and that the others were gathered around an ancient tree demon, trapped by its vines amid heaps of bones.
• The tree demon sent vines toward Ye Yu, Zou Yitian, and Gao Sheng, and Ye Yu dragged the two men back as they mistook the illusion for spiritual light.
• The ground beneath Ye Yu collapsed.

Ye Yu and his companions were trapped by an Illusion Flower Tree, which he subdued with Pill Fire and the Void Sky Cauldron. The tree revealed that a green lotus had brought them to the Canglan Ruins, but Ye Yu attacked it again after learning what little it knew.

• Ye Yu restored Zou Yitian and Gao Sheng to their senses as the Illusion Flower Tree attacked them with roots and branches.
• The tree’s red flowers dazed Zou Yitian and Gao Sheng, but Ye Yu burned the branches with Pill Fire and forced the tree to withdraw.
• Ye Yu threatened the tree with the Void Sky Cauldron and demanded to know what was happening with Heaven’s Punishment.
• The tree said a green lotus had brought them there and was nearing a breakthrough while seeking an opportunity.
• After the tree admitted it did not know what the green lotus sought, Ye Yu struck it with the cauldron.

Ye Yu killed the tree demon and secretly followed Zou Yitian’s group deeper into the Canglan Ruins. After absorbing a larger mass of Breath of Hell, he found a cave dwelling and discovered a bamboo scroll that mentioned the Heaven-Reaching Stone Tablet.

• Ye Yu burned the tree demon to death before Zou Yitian, Zhou Sheng, and the others awoke.
• Gao Sheng explained that the tree demon had drained the group’s strength, while Zou Yitian searched for Ye Yu and feared he was dead.
• After waiting several days, Zou Yitian’s group agreed with newly arrived factions to take turns leading the way through the ruins.
• Ye Yu followed them to another ruined city, then absorbed a large mass of Breath of Hell nearby.
• Ye Yu entered a cave dwelling, found its former owner’s bamboo scroll, and read about the Heaven-Reaching Stone Tablet.