Chapter Summaries

Ye Yu witnessed Great Yan’s response to the Nine Nether Blood Qi in You Shui County and discovered that the rescue had trapped the town’s survivors rather than freeing them. When the people recognized him and begged for help, he led his companions away without stopping.

• Ye Yu shielded Qin Han from the Nine Nether Blood Qi as it corroded people across You Shui County.
• Several peak Nascent Soul cultivators arrived under Ye Xuan’s Crown Prince Token and restrained the blood qi, earning the town’s gratitude.
• The survivors rushed for the city gates, but an invisible force tore apart the first people who reached them.
• Ye Yu and Qin Ruoxian realized Great Yan had sealed the people inside to prevent the blood qi from spreading, while Qin Han defended Ye Xuan.
• Ye Yu flew out of You Shui County with the Great Qin group, ignoring the people who recognized him and begged him to save them.

Ye Yu rejected Great Flame’s demands to remove the Nine Nether Blood Qi from its citizens and left You Shui County with Qin Ruoxian and the others. After he departed, the Attendants invoked Qin Han’s authority to order the slaughter of everyone contaminated by the blood qi.

• Great Flame’s survivors demanded that Ye Yu absorb the Nine Nether Blood Qi from them, and Qin Han agreed with their demand.
• Ye Yu dropped Qin Han into the contaminated crowd, warned him to stay silent, and said Great Flame’s citizens should seek help from their own Crown Prince.
• When the Attendants returned, they let Ye Yu and his group leave, while Nie Xing watched them go with regret.
• After Ye Yu departed, the citizens asked the Attendants for relief, but the Attendants scattered and prepared an attack.
• The Attendants killed the contaminated citizens and announced under the Crown Prince Token that everyone in You Shui County affected by the Nine Nether Blood Qi was to be killed.

Ye Yu prepared for the Great Yan ceremony while Qin Ruoxian cultivated with Enlightenment Tea Leaves, and he learned that powerful sect cultivators had gathered in the imperial city. At Liu Manor, Liu Ruyan basked in her reputation as Azure Prefecture’s top female cultivator until a Heaven’s Revelation Nascent Soul appeared above the city.

• Ye Yu gave Qin Ruoxian Enlightenment Tea Leaves to help her advance from the peak Golden Core Stage, and she began cultivating.
• Ye Yu met Xue Li outside Great Yan Imperial City, learned that five Spirit Transformation Stage cultivators from the Nine Spirits Sword Sect were present, and ordered Xue Li to cultivate faster.
• Visitors praised Liu Ruyan’s Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivation and called her the number one female cultivator among the Azure Prefecture dynasties.
• Liu Ruyan felt a sudden exhaustion, and Zhao Qian briefly thought he saw her turn into an old crone.
• A Sea of Thunder appeared over the imperial city as a green lotus rose within it, signaling that someone had condensed a Heaven’s Revelation Nascent Soul.

Qin Ruoxian successfully condensed a Heavenly Revelation Nascent Soul and refused Chu He's offer to join the Nine Spirits Sword Sect, choosing to remain with Ye Yu. At Ye Xuan's apprenticeship ceremony, Ye Yu's group arrived in the imperial city, where the announcement of Ye Yu of the Great Qin Dynasty drew attention.

• Qin Ruoxian emerged from her lightning tribulation with Nie Xing's help, and she refused Chu He's invitation to join the Nine Spirits Sword Sect.
• Qin Ruoxian rebuked Liu Ruyan for insulting Ye Yu, and Liu Ruyan left in anger.
• Ye Yu and his group entered the imperial city, while Qin Han secretly went to the palace to find Ye Xuan.
• Ye Yu sensed he was close to reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm as the group rested before the apprenticeship ceremony.
• Ye Qingqing received guests at Ye Xuan's ceremony, and Qin Han worried that Great Qin had brought no congratulatory gift.
• Ye Yu presented his invitation at the palace gate, and the guard announced, "Ye Yu of the Great Qin Dynasty has arrived to offer congratulations!"

Ye Yu attended the Nine Spirits Sword Sect’s disciple acceptance ceremony in Great Flame, where the sect announced plans to establish a branch in Azure Prefecture. Ye Xuan won the Nine Spirits Sword Tablet’s recognition and glanced toward Ye Yu as a golden sword shadow formed.

• Ye Xuan greeted Ye Yu warmly at the palace gates, while Ye Qingqing warned Ye Yu not to cause trouble.
• Ye Yu and his companions were seated in the far corner, where he gave Gongsun Wuji a medicinal pill for his injuries.
• Ren Xiaoyao and four other Spirit Transformation Sword Cultivators descended before the assembled forces and announced the Nine Spirits Sword Sect would establish a branch in Azure Prefecture.
• Ren Xiaoyao invited Ye Xuan and other young cultivators to seek the Nine Spirits Sword Tablet’s recognition.
• Ye Xuan touched the tablet, which summoned Sword Qi and formed a golden sword shadow that tilted toward Ye Yu.

Ye Xuan’s golden Sword Qi flew toward Ye Yu, who stopped it with his Sword Heart and exposed the danger to the crowd. Ye Qingqing and Ye Fan demanded that Ye Yu apologize and kneel, but Ye Yu turned the sword phantom back toward the plaza.

• Ye Xuan activated the Nine Spirits Sword Tablet and produced a golden sword phantom, earning the crowd’s admiration.
• The phantom shot toward Ye Yu, who halted it with his Sword Heart, shocking Ren Xiaoyao and the elders.
• Ye Xuan apologized and claimed he had failed to control the tablet, while Qin Ruoxian accused him of acting deliberately.
• Ye Qingqing defended Ye Xuan, and Ye Fan ordered Ye Yu to apologize; Ye Qingqing then demanded that Ye Yu kneel.
• Ye Xuan urged Ye Qingqing to let the matter go, while Ye Fan backed her demand and called the Sword Qi’s loss of control normal.
• Ye Yu questioned that explanation and turned the golden sword phantom around with a raised finger.

At Ye Xuan’s apprenticeship ceremony, Ye Yu used the sword phantom to expose the danger Ye Xuan was in, but Ren Xiaoyao denied Ye Yu’s control of it to protect his disciple’s reputation. After Ye Xuan became Ren Xiaoyao’s disciple, Ren turned on Ye Yu and demanded that he sever his arms and destroy his cultivation or be dealt with personally.

• Ye Yu’s sword phantom rushed toward Ye Xuan, who used Ye Qingqing as a shield, but Ren Xiaoyao arrived and dispelled it before it struck.
• Ye Fan ordered the Golden Armored Guards to seize Ye Yu, but Ye Yu pointed out that Ye Fan had called the sword phantom uncontrollable, and Ren Xiaoyao backed his claim.
• Ren Xiaoyao warned Ye Xuan that he was no match for Ye Yu and promised that Ye Yu would not leave Great Flame alive.
• Qin Ruoxian urged Ye Yu to escape from the Nine Spirits Sword Sect disciples surrounding them, but Ye Yu told her not to worry.
• Ye Xuan completed the apprenticeship rites and received a sword from Ren Xiaoyao, who then accused Ye Yu of humiliating his disciple and demanded that Ye Yu sever his arms and destroy his cultivation.

Ren Xiaoyao tried to kill Ye Yu after accusing him of humiliating his disciple, but Lingyun Pavilion’s Zi Yun and then Lingyunzi intervened. As Lingyunzi confronted Ren Xiaoyao, Ye Qingqing realized Ye Yu had been the brother who had always cared for her.

• Ren Xiaoyao pressured Ye Yu to submit, while Zi Yun warned that Lingyun Pavilion would oppose him if he abused his power.
• Ye Yu refused to act and told Ren Xiaoyao to make his move, so Ren Xiaoyao sent two streaks of sword light at him.
• Ye Qingqing remembered Ye Xuan dragging her in front of the blade and realized Ye Yu was the brother who had always cared for her.
• Lingyunzi appeared with another figure and blocked Ren Xiaoyao’s attack, leaving Ye Yu unharmed.
• Lingyunzi challenged Ren Xiaoyao’s justification for defending his disciple and released his own pressure over the plaza.

Ye Yu revealed the Purple Firmament Sword, and Lingyunzi recognized him as the Zi Xiao Holy Son, forcing Ren Xiaoyao to abandon his attempt to kill him. As Ye Yu departed after humiliating Ye Xuan and Great Flame, a ragged old man arrived begging Ren Xiaoyao to save his granddaughter.

• Ye Yu produced the Purple Firmament Sword, provoking Ren Xiaoyao and the other Nine Spirits Sword Sect elders, while Lingyunzi watched in tears.
• When Liu Ruyan called for Ye Yu to be punished, Lingyunzi attacked her with Sword Qi, and Ren Xiaoyao intervened.
• Lingyunzi knelt before Ye Yu and announced him as the Zi Xiao Holy Son, stunning the crowd and forcing Ren Xiaoyao to end the confrontation.
• Ye Yu taunted Ye Xuan and left with his companions, while Liu Ruyan questioned her choice and Ye Xuan turned a cold gaze on her.
• A ragged old man carrying his pale-faced granddaughter arrived and begged Ren Xiaoyao to save her, surprising Lingyunzi.

Ye Xuan diagnosed Liu Ying with an Illusory Spirit Body and used the Nine Spirits Sword Tablet’s spiritual power to treat her. As the gathered crowd praised him, Ye Yu smiled, and Liu Ying suddenly screamed in pain.

• Ren Xiaoyao refused Liu Qi’s plea for the life-extending pill, while Lingyunzi explained Liu Ying’s frailty and Liu Qi’s desperate search for a cure.
• Ye Yu sensed spiritual power inside Liu Ying, and Ye Xuan recognized her condition as an Illusory Spirit Body after Liu Qi confirmed her symptoms began after she reached the Golden Core Stage.
• Ye Xuan claimed the Sword King’s Legacy gave him a way to treat Liu Ying, prompting Liu Qi to hope for a cure and Ren Xiaoyao to anticipate Liu Qi joining the Nine Spirits Sword Sect.
• Ye Xuan drew ownerless spiritual power from the Nine Spirits Sword Tablet and poured it into Liu Ying, restoring her color and steadying her breathing.
• Liu Qi pledged his life to Ye Xuan, who declined the favor as the crowd praised him; Ye Xuan then noticed Ye Yu smiling before Liu Ying cried out in agony.

Liu Ying died as the clashing spiritual energies destroyed her body, while Ye Yu refused to save her in order to deepen the conflict between Liu Qi and Ye Xuan. He preserved Liu Ying’s soul and told Liu Qi he could only save that much, leaving her fate in Ye Yu’s hands.

• Liu Ying’s condition worsened, and Ye Yu told Lingyunzi he would not save her because he wanted her death to turn Liu Qi against Ye Xuan.
• Liu Qi attacked Ye Xuan, and Ren Xiaoyao stopped him as their domains clashed, with Liu Qi’s domain suppressing Ren Xiaoyao’s.
• After Liu Ying breathed her last, Ye Yu bypassed the domains and pressed his palm to her forehead.
• Ye Yu warned Liu Qi to stop if he wanted to see Liu Ying again, then drew her soul from her corpse.
• Ye Yu told Liu Qi he had been too late to save Liu Ying and had only preserved her soul.

Ye Yu preserved Liu Ying’s soul, and Liu Qi vowed revenge on Ye Xuan as Great Flame and the Nine Spirits Sword Sect suffered a decisive defeat. Later, Ye Xuan attacked Liu Ruyan and revealed that he had cultivated her as a source of blood essence, while Ye Qingqing discovered he had been the one who crippled her cultivation.

• Ye Yu preserved Liu Ying’s soul in azure light, giving Liu Qi hope that she might one day receive a suitable body.
• Liu Qi vowed to repay Ye Xuan for what had happened, while Ren Xiaoyao stayed silent and Great Flame and the Nine Spirits Sword Sect accepted their defeat.
• Ye Qingqing fainted after watching Ye Yu depart, and Ye Xuan left when he saw Ye Fan wavering before Ye Zhentian’s memorial tablet.
• Liu Ruyan noticed signs of a strange change in her body, but Ye Xuan accused her of betrayal and slapped her down.
• Ye Xuan told Liu Ruyan that he had cultivated her as a source of blood essence, and Ye Qingqing realized he had been the one who extracted her blood essence and crippled her cultivation.

Ye Qingqing discovered that Ye Xuan had ruined her cultivation, but Ye Qingwan admitted she had known and defended his actions, driving Qingqing to leave in search of Ye Yu. Meanwhile, Ye Yu and his companions found Nine Nether Blood Qi spreading through You Shui County and reached a Great Qin city whose protective formation had been destroyed.

• Xue Li let Ye Qingqing leave the Eastern Palace after she discovered what Ye Xuan was doing to Liu Ruyan.
• Ye Qingwan admitted she had known about Ye Xuan's actions and had allowed him to frame Ye Yu to preserve her own power.
• Ye Qingqing condemned Ye Qingwan and left to find Ye Yu, while Ye Qingwan resigned herself to pleasing Ye Xuan to avoid her marriage alliance with Zhou Li.
• Ye Yu and his companions saw Nine Nether Blood Qi devastating You Shui County, and Liu Qi said Chaos Spiritual Energy could potentially suppress it.
• The group reached a Great Qin city engulfed by Nine Nether Blood Qi after Ye Yu's protective formation was destroyed, while people outside the gates reveled in the city's suffering.

Ye Yu saved Great Qin’s citizens from the Nine Nether Blood Qi, then discovered that his Chaos Spiritual Energy could absorb and transform it, strengthening his body. After half a month of seclusion, Lingyunzi prepared to return to the Purple Firmament Sword Sect and told Liu Qi to send Ye Yu to the Sword Tomb, prompting Liu Qi to ask if he wanted Ye Yu dead.

• Ye Yu descended into the city, restored its formation, and used the Void Sky Cauldron to remove the Nine Nether Blood Qi from Great Qin’s citizens.
• The people of Great Flame realized Ye Yu had left without helping them, regretting that they had driven him away.
• Ye Yu drew a strand of Nine Nether Blood Qi into himself and used Chaos Spiritual Energy to transform it, strengthening his Nascent Soul and Illusory Dragon Wind Lightning Body.
• Ye Yu wondered whether someone had created the Nine Nether Blood Spring to harvest blood qi across the continent, but focused on growing stronger against the Nine Spirits Sword Sect.
• After Ye Yu remained in seclusion for half a month, Lingyunzi told Liu Qi to send him to the Sword Tomb when he emerged.
• Liu Qi asked Lingyunzi if he wanted Ye Yu dead.

Ye Yu underwent the Spirit Transformation Tribulation in the Great Qin imperial palace and survived the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation by absorbing its lightning. As his domain took shape, Liu Qi saw something in it that made him exclaim, "No!"

• Liu Qi and Lingyunzi discussed the dangers of the Purple Firmament Sword Tomb, and Lingyunzi left with Gongsun Wuji.
• Qin Wushuang found Ye Yu still in seclusion, while Liu Qi wondered why Ye Yu had not emerged.
• A Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation gathered over the imperial palace, and Liu Qi ordered everyone to retreat as Ye Yu attempted to break through to Spirit Transformation.
• Ye Yu absorbed all nine profound lightning bolts with his Illusory Dragon Wind Lightning Body and Chaos Nascent Soul, forming three lightning dragon tattoos.
• Rosy light descended, and Ye Yu formed a Sea of Thunder domain, prompting Liu Qi to cry out, "No!"

Ye Yu suffered a dangerous backlash while condensing his domain and sought a spiritual-energy-free remedy at a pharmacy. After rejecting Ye Qingqing’s plea to return to Great Flame, he declared that he would take revenge on her and the Great Flame Royal Family, then walked away as she cried after him.

• Ye Yu’s Chaos Spiritual Energy ran wild during his domain condensation, leaving him gravely injured, and Liu Qi caught him as he fell.
• Ye Yu refused Liu Qi’s healing pill and asked to be taken to a pharmacy, where Liu Qi prepared a decoction from ingredients without spiritual energy.
• Ye Qingqing appeared and tried to take Ye Yu back to Great Flame, but Liu Qi brushed her aside and brought Ye Yu to the pharmacy.
• Qin Ruoxian arrived, and Ye Qingqing accused her and Great Qin of mistreating Ye Yu.
• Ye Yu reminded Ye Qingqing that she had nearly killed him several times and vowed to make her and the Great Flame Royal Family pay.
• Ye Yu walked away, leaving Ye Qingqing crying and asking whether he no longer wanted his sister.

Ye Yu left the imperial palace for the Purple Firmament Sword Sect, recovering as he traveled and learning that the Purple Firmament Sword Tomb was about to open. At Purple Firmament Peak, his Jade Dragon Token reacted to a ragged youth, whom Ye Yu recognized as a descendant of the Ji clan, but a sect disciple was accusing the youth over a lost item.

• Qin Ruoxian confronted Ye Qingqing over how Ye Yu had been driven away, and Ye Qingqing broke down before blaming Ye Xuan.
• Ye Yu recovered in his quarters and forced Liu Qi to admit that Lingyunzi had asked him to go to the Purple Firmament Sword Sect before the Purple Firmament Sword Tomb opened.
• Ye Yu departed the imperial palace with Liu Qi and traveled through teleportation arrays, inspecting the Nine Nether Blood Springs and recovering along the way.
• Five days later, Ye Yu and Liu Qi reached Leizhou and arrived at Purple Firmament Peak during the sect's disciple recruitment assembly.
• Ye Yu's Jade Dragon Token glowed when he noticed a ragged youth, and he recognized him as the Ji clan descendant he had been tasked with finding.
• A Purple Firmament Sword Sect disciple accused the youth of returning to look for a lost item, and the youth insisted the disciple had picked it up.

Ye Yu forced Xu Xuan to swear by the Heavenly Dao that he would become his master, then attacked Wu Yan to recover the spiritual fruit Xu Xuan needed for his sister. As a Spirit Transformation Stage powerhouse arrived from the Purple Firmament Sword Sect, Liu Qi warned Ye Yu not to reveal the Purple Firmament Sword.

• Wu Yan refused to return Xu Xuan's spiritual fruit and sent him flying, while Ye Yu stopped Liu Qi from intervening.
• Ye Yu threatened Xu Yan until Xu Xuan swore by the Heavenly Dao to become his master and keep no secrets from him.
• Ye Yu severed Wu Yan's left hand and demanded the fruit, while Liu Qi crushed the formation of the Purple Firmament Sword Sect disciples with his Spirit Transformation Stage pressure.
• Wu Yan revealed that he had given the fruit to Third Senior Brother, and Ye Yu threw him before Xu Xuan to deal with.
• A Spirit Transformation Stage powerhouse arrived from Purple Firmament Peak, and Liu Qi quietly told Ye Yu not to take out the Purple Firmament Sword.

Ye Yu and Liu Qi reached Purple Firmament Peak, where Ye Yu learned of the sect’s dispute over the Purple Firmament Sword. Meanwhile, Ye Qingqing discovered Liu Ruyan imprisoned above a blood pool beneath the Eastern Palace.

• Mo Tong accepted Liu Qi’s explanation for injuring the Purple Firmament Sword Sect’s disciples and invited Ye Yu and his group to the recruitment assembly.
• Liu Qi told Ye Yu that the sect was divided over whether the Purple Firmament Sword should choose its own inheritor or be assigned by the elders.
• Gu Yue welcomed Liu Qi and began arranging the destinations of the nine youths selected as personal disciples.
• Ye Qingqing returned to the Eastern Palace, found Ye Xuan absent, and saw Xue Li reveal a hidden staircase beneath the floor.
• Ye Qingqing descended to a blood pool and recognized the chained, bloodied old woman as Liu Ruyan.

Ye Qingqing learned that Ye Xuan had drained Liu Ruyan’s Blood Essence and resolved to help Ye Yu, while Ye Yu learned the Purple Firmament Sword Sect’s Sword Tomb had become unsafe. He disguised himself with Liu Qi and returned to Purple Sky Peak for the Sword Tomb’s opening, where Ye Xuan approached him and another cultivator mocked him.

• Ye Qingqing tried and failed to free Liu Ruyan, then decided to find a way to help Ye Yu after realizing she had nowhere else to turn.
• Lingyunzi told Ye Yu that the Grand Elder was missing and Gu Yue’s faction had opened the Sword Tomb to outsiders, leaving Ye Yu to decide whether to enter.
• Liu Qi took Ye Yu away from the Purple Firmament Sword Sect, then the two used Heaven Shrouding Veils to disguise themselves and returned to Purple Sky Peak.
• Five days later, Ye Yu and Liu Qi joined more than a hundred Sword Cultivators for the Purple Sky Sword Tomb’s opening, where Ye Yu spotted members of the Nine Spirits Sword Sect.
• Ye Xuan approached Ye Yu with a group of Nascent Soul Late Stage followers, and an unidentified cultivator mocked Ye Yu for entering the Sword Tomb at Nascent Soul Middle Stage.