Chapter Summaries

Fang Kun’s group encountered a devastating storm controlled by the Sand Tribe while traveling through the desert. Just as a giant’s attack threatened to destroy their aircraft, an unknown force dispersed the storm, and Fang Kun found a dead Sand Tribe creature.

• Fang Kun ordered the aircraft’s energy and protective barrier strengthened as the storm dragged it toward the vortex.
• A Black Crystal Armor Giant Scorpion struck the barrier and was torn apart by the storm.
• A colossal giant appeared within the storm and brought its hand down, cracking the aircraft’s energy barrier.
• The storm froze before an invisible force scattered it and brought down the giant.
• Fang Kun found a mangled humanoid creature with Sand Tribe features and realized the Sand Tribe had returned.

Fang Mu and Fang Kun reached Desolate City after an unknown expert dispersed the Sand Tribe’s storm, and Fang Kun warned City Lord Xiang Bailong that the Sand Tribe had returned. Xiang Bailong recognized the dead creature they brought as a Sand Tribe expert and recalled the tribe’s history of war and the legendary intervention that had saved humanity.

• An unknown force scattered the storm, and Fang Kun concluded that a Dou Zun expert had likely rescued the group.
• Fang Mu led the survivors toward Desolate City, where Lin Qingyun silently revealed he had caused the rescue using his newly strengthened Soul Power.
• Fang Mu and Fang Kun arrived in Desolate City and met City Lord Xiang Bailong, who said his daughter Xiao Ling had gone hunting Magical Beasts.
• Fang Kun showed Xiang Bailong the mangled body and announced that the Sand Tribe, sealed five hundred years earlier, had broken free.
• Xiang Bailong identified the creature as a Sand Tribe expert and recalled how the tribe’s past aggression had ended only after a supreme expert defeated its Dou Zun emperor.

Fang Kun and Fang Mu told Xiang Bailong that the Sand Clan had emerged after a powerful expert killed one of its warriors, and Xiang Bailong ordered an investigation. Lin Qingyun wandered through Desolate City and encountered Xiang Ling, the City Lord’s daughter, whose attention he caught.

• Xiang Bailong recognized that the remains matched the Sand Clan’s methods and sent a guard to investigate nearby towns and cities.
• Fang Mu told Xiang Bailong that an expert had killed the Sand Clan warrior with one strike, and Xiang Bailong said he would inform Brother Fang.
• Lin Qingyun slipped away from Fang Mu and explored Desolate City’s stone buildings, medicine shops, and rough but powerful weapons.
• Lin Qingyun joined a crowd watching Xiang Ling return on a giant tiger with guards and a cart of magical-beast corpses.
• Xiang Ling noticed Lin Qingyun and thought, “What a noble young master!”

Lin Qingyun explored Desolate City, learned about its Energy Stones and spirit plants, and resolved to return to the Jia Ma Empire after nearly two years away. Meanwhile, Sand Clan agents prepared to act the next day as their emperor’s return neared.

• Xiang Ling admired Lin Qingyun as he passed through Desolate City, then hurried to the City Lord's Mansion.
• Lin Qingyun learned that Energy Stones and spirit plants drew cultivators and major factions to the dangerous great desert, and he paid for his luxurious room with a fabricated Energy Stone.
• While drinking beneath the moon, Lin Qingyun remembered his old wish for a peaceful life and decided it was time to return to the Jia Ma Empire.
• Lin Qingyun sensed something in the desert but chose to rest rather than investigate.
• Two Sand Clan agents revealed that the Eighteenth Elder and the other dispatched guards had been killed, and they planned to act the next day as the Sand Emperor’s return approached.

A strange white mist surrounded Desolate City, blocking Soul Power and leaving its experts unable to see beyond ten li. When a Black Vortex Storm emerged from the mist and struck the city, Xiang Bailong activated the City Protection Array, but the city shook under the impact.

• Dense white mist appeared around Desolate City, unnerving its residents and preventing them from probing outside.
• Zhu Tian used his Purple Extreme Demonic Eyes but could see only ten li into the mist.
• Xiang Bailong tried to disperse the mist with Dou Qi, but it remained unmoved.
• A Black Vortex Storm formed inside the mist and rushed toward Desolate City.
• Xiang Bailong activated the City Protection Array, which shook as the storm struck and cracked the earth.

The Sand Clan attacked Desolate City with a Black Vortex Storm, then revealed its First Elder, Sha Qianmo, and three enormous Sand Sculpture Colossuses. As Xiang Bailong fought the colossuses, a white-robed elder finally emerged and suppressed them with rain.

• The Black Vortex Storm battered Desolate City's protection array until both the storm and the array shattered.
• Xiang Bailong and Zhu Tian noticed enemies emerging from the White Mist as the Sand Clan's forces appeared outside the city.
• Fang Kun identified the Sand Clan's First Elder, Sha Qianmo, who taunted Xiang Bailong and summoned three Sand Sculpture Colossuses.
• Xiang Bailong's rune battle saber shattered the colossuses' fists, but Sha Qianmo warned that they could regenerate endlessly in the desert.
• A white-robed elder appeared in the void and unleashed rain that soaked the sand and suppressed the Sand Sculpture Colossuses.

Sha Qianmo and the Sand Clan activated a Blood Sacrifice Great Array to revive the supposedly sleeping Sand Emperor, threatening Desolate City and its defenders. Just as the blood mist neared the city, an invisible force stopped it, revealing an unknown powerful protector.

• Han Qian, Su Sheng, and the blazing sun appeared with other Nine-Star Dou Zong experts to confront Sha Qianmo and the Sand Clan.
• The blazing sun attacked, but Sha Qianmo revealed that a crimson Blood Sacrifice Great Array had surrounded Desolate City.
• Sha Qianmo declared that the Sand Emperor had only fallen into slumber and began sacrificing the living to awaken him.
• Xiang Bailong activated Desolate City's protective array while the experts struggled to hold back the blood mist.
• The blood mist halted less than a hundred meters from Desolate City when an unseen force blocked it.

Sha Qianmo sacrificed one hundred thousand Sand Clan warriors to revive the Sand Emperor while Xiang Bailong and the other experts tried to stop him. The Sand Emperor returned, learned that five hundred years had passed, and began overwhelming those gathered.

• Lin Qingyun blocked the Blood Mist with a barrier and watched as Sha Qianmo’s Blood Sacrifice Great Array began consuming its victims.
• Sha Qianmo turned the Blood Mist on one hundred thousand Sand Clan warriors, sacrificing them to revive the Sand Emperor despite the efforts of Xiang Bailong and the other experts.
• The Blood Sacrifice Great Array formed a beating heart from the sacrifices, and the Sand Emperor emerged from the Blood Mist.
• Sha Qianmo told the Sand Emperor that five hundred years had passed and that he had used their clansmen as sacrifices to awaken him.
• The Sand Emperor asked about the person who had sealed him, then released an overwhelming aura that killed weaker martial artists.

The Sand Emperor attacked Desolate City, but Lin Qingyun revealed himself as the one who had stopped the strike. As Lin Qingyun confronted the Sand Emperor, a colossal hand descended from the sky.

• The Sand Emperor used his pressure to immobilize eight peak Dou Zong experts and launched a massive attack toward them and Desolate City.
• A mysterious force stopped the Sand Emperor's attack, leaving Xiang Bailong and the other experts unsure what had happened.
• The Sand Emperor called for the hidden opponent to reveal himself, and Lin Qingyun walked out of Desolate City with his Jade Pot.
• Xiang Bailong recognized Lin Qingyun, while Fang Mu and Fang Kun realized he had likely saved them the day before.
• Lin Qingyun confirmed he had stopped the attack, then summoned a sky-blotting hand and asked the Sand Emperor if he had heard of a Palm Technique Descending from the Heavens.

Lin Qingyun overwhelmed the Sand Emperor with devastating attacks, but the Sand Emperor repeatedly revived and grew stronger. He revealed that merging with the great desert had made him immortal within it, leaving Lin Qingyun facing an opponent who could outlast his power.

• Lin Qingyun's Flame Giant Hand crushed the Sand Emperor's spear, devastated Desolate City, and struck down the Sand Clan survivors.
• The Sand Emperor survived the blow, and Xiang Bailong and the others marveled at Lin Qingyun's overwhelming strength.
• The Sand Emperor summoned Black Vortex Storms, but Lin Qingyun dispersed them and struck him into the ground again with another flaming palm.
• The Sand Emperor repeatedly re-formed and strengthened himself despite Lin Qingyun's attacks, while Xiang Bailong and the others watched in alarm.
• The Sand Emperor revealed that he had merged himself with the great desert and was immortal within it, warning that Lin Qingyun would eventually exhaust his strength.

Lin Qingyun faced the Sand Emperor, but the Great Desert God appeared and annihilated its supposed servant instead. Lin Qingyun then left the great desert, realizing he had missed his meeting with his companions and the Heavenly Flame Venerable One.

• Lin Qingyun prepared his strongest punch, but the Sand Emperor boasted that he could not be killed.
• Rings of white light opened a vast spatial path, and the Great Desert God’s phantom emerged as the Sand Emperor knelt in devotion.
• The Great Desert God denied knowing the Sand Emperor and crushed him beneath a giant footprint.
• Lin Qingyun speculated that the Great Desert God was connected to the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Embryo in the Underground World.
• Lin Qingyun left the great desert and wondered how his companions and the Heavenly Flame Venerable One were faring after he missed their meeting.

Lin Qingyun entered the Cangyun Empire and reached its ancient capital, where he learned that Princess Cangyue was holding a tournament to choose a spouse. The elderly imperial observer who had secretly followed him confronted him over a meal, and Lin Qingyun asked why he had been following him.

• Lin Qingyun crossed into Cangyun territory and headed toward Heavenly Serpent Mansion while wondering how Qinglin and the Heavenly Flame Venerable One's group were doing.
• A Dragon-Robed old man sensed the power left by Lin Qingyun's earlier battle, sent a message to Fu'er, and followed him toward the capital.
• Lin Qingyun entered the Cangyun Imperial Capital, admired the sword art hidden in its gate plaque, and explored its busy streets.
• Lin Qingyun heard that Princess Cangyue was holding a Martial Arts Tournament to Choose a Spouse and that she had reached Dou Emperor in her early twenties.
• The old man sat at Lin Qingyun's table, shared his food and wine, and admitted he had followed him; Lin Qingyun said he was a lone wanderer, and the old man believed him.

Lin Qingyun discovered that Murong Bo’s failing health came from poison linked to the Purple Nether Poison Flame and learned it came from a forbidden area. After promising to treat Murong Bo, he was taken to a bustling plaza and saw something that shocked him.

• Lin Qingyun introduced himself to Murong Bo, the former imperial lord of the Cangyun Empire, and identified his hidden ailment.
• Lin Qingyun used Soul Power to examine Murong Bo and recognized traces of the Purple Nether Poison Flame’s poison.
• Lin Qingyun told Murong Bo that the poison was natural, and Murong Bo connected it to a forbidden area he had visited three hundred years earlier.
• Murong Bo offered Lin Qingyun treasures and other rewards in exchange for curing him, and Lin Qingyun agreed he could treat the poison.
• Murong Bo revealed his true imperial bearing, took Lin Qingyun through space to a crowded plaza, and left Lin Qingyun shocked by what he saw.

Lin Qingyun was pushed into Princess Cangyue’s arena match, then defeated the General’s Mansion experts who attacked him. He and Cangyue met face-to-face, but her spear suddenly pointed at him.

• Princess Cangyue shattered her opponent’s sword aura during their arena fight as Murong Bo praised her to Lin Qingyun.
• Murong Bo shoved Lin Qingyun off the platform, and Lin Qingyun landed on Cangyue’s opponent, knocking him unconscious.
• General’s Mansion experts demanded Lin Qingyun answer for injuring their lord, but he warned Cangyue to stand back.
• Lin Qingyun shattered a middle-aged expert’s attack, sent him flying, and ordered the others to take their unconscious master away.
• Cangyue approached Lin Qingyun and called him “little brother,” then suddenly raised her spear tip before his eyes.

Lin Qingyun left the interrupted tournament and accompanied Murong Bo into the palace, where they discussed Princess Cangyue’s precarious position and his role in helping her. At Murong Bo’s mountain retreat, Lin Qingyun unexpectedly met the princess again.

• Lin Qingyun teased Princess Cangyue, then vanished as she ended the tournament for the day.
• Princess Cangyue refused to investigate Lin Qingyun and ordered the tournament to continue, lamenting Cangyue’s decline.
• Murong Bo asked Lin Qingyun to assess his granddaughter, and Lin Qingyun advised sending her away from the court’s turmoil.
• Lin Qingyun entered the palace with Murong Bo, who used Imperial Destiny to shield him from its suppressive force.
• At Murong Bo’s secluded retreat, Princess Cangyue recognized Lin Qingyun and accused him of threatening her grandfather.

Lin Qingyun accompanied Murong Bo to the Cangyun Empire's treasure vault to gather herbs for treating Murong Bo's illness, while Princess Cangyue remained suspicious of him. Murong Bo opened the vault, and the two stood before its stores of treasures.

• Princess Cangyue attacked Lin Qingyun with a spear, but Murong Bo stopped it with a Spatial Barrier.
• Murong Bo told Princess Cangyue that Lin Qingyun had diagnosed his illness and would treat him, but she refused to trust Lin Qingyun.
• Murong Bo invited Lin Qingyun to choose medicinal herbs from the empire's treasure vault.
• Princess Cangyue eavesdropped on their conversation, vowed to expose Lin Qingyun, and flew away.
• Murong Bo guided Lin Qingyun through the vault's guarded formations and opened its ancient gate, releasing spiritual light and dense Heaven and Earth Energy.

Lin Qingyun searched Nuo Valley’s treasure vault for medicinal herbs and discovered an ancient, poisonous sword called the Poison Sword Bone. Its faint spiritual fluctuation pointed toward a forbidden area, where it might unlock a hidden treasure.

• Murong Bo led Lin Qingyun through the treasure vault toward the herbs needed to refine tier-seven or higher pills.
• Lin Qingyun collected several needed treasures from the vault’s deep paths of light.
• Lin Qingyun asked Murong Bo’s permission to enter a sealed area, then forced his way through its light curtain.
• Lin Qingyun took a strange ancient sword from a light cluster, protecting himself from its potent poison with Chaotic Fire.
• Lin Qingyun sensed that the Poison Sword Bone pointed toward a forbidden area and suspected it was the key to a treasure there.

Lin Qingyun promised to prepare a Rank 8 Pill for Murong Bo and asked him to find his missing subordinates. Murong Bo’s son Murong Fu confirmed Lin Qingyun’s strength, while Princess Cangyue remained skeptical as Murong Bo prepared to trust him with his health.

• Murong Bo agreed to wait seven days for Lin Qingyun to prepare a Rank 8 Pill and promised to search for Zi Yi, Zi Yan, and the others.
• Lin Qingyun explained that Zi Yi was his God-sister and Zi Yan was his disciple, while Murong Bo misunderstood their relationship.
• Murong Fu and Princess Cangyue entered the treasury, and Murong Fu challenged Lin Qingyun’s identity.
• Murong Fu sensed Lin Qingyun’s powerful Soul Power and accepted his abilities, then left to attend to court matters.
• Princess Cangyue continued doubting Lin Qingyun, but Murong Bo said he would still give him a chance to restore his health.

Lin Qingyun prepared to refine an eighth-grade healing pill for Murong Bo after restoring his alchemy skills and gathering the Ancient Heavenly Demonic Phoenix’s essence blood and Magic Core. Princess Cangyue challenged his promise, but they made an exchange agreement, and he ended by saying he would level up before refining pills.

• Lin Qingyun practiced alchemy for a day, refined a low-grade Grade 7 Mysterious Underworld Longevity Pill, and reviewed the Phoenix Feather Heavenly Pill formula.
• Lin Qingyun burned away the Ancient Heavenly Demonic Phoenix’s remains and condensed its essence blood and Magic Core for use as ingredients.
• Princess Cangyue entered the Secret Chamber and accused Lin Qingyun of deceiving her because his pills were only Grade 7.
• Lin Qingyun and Princess Cangyue agreed to exchange their most precious possessions as security while he had six days left to cure her grandfather.
• Lin Qingyun returned Princess Cangyue’s jade pendant after revealing that what he had taken was its trace of her body fragrance, angering her.
• Princess Cangyue questioned whether Lin Qingyun could refine an eighth-grade pill, and he said he would level up before refining pills.

Lin Qingyun drew Murong Bo into the quiet room and treated him by forcing the hidden poison from his body with medicinal liquid and black flame. While Murong Bo recovered, Lin Qingyun prepared to attempt refining his first Rank 8 pill, the Heavenly Soul Meridian Pill.

• After six days of waiting, Murong Bo entered the quiet room at Lin Qingyun's invitation, while Princess Cangyue was told to remain outside.
• Lin Qingyun ordered Murong Bo to soak in a vat of medicinal liquid, which drew the long-hidden purple poison from his body.
• Lin Qingyun used black flame to attack the exposed poison as Murong Bo's body reacted to the treatment.
• Lin Qingyun prepared nearly a hundred medicinal herbs and began studying the prescription for the Rank 8 Heavenly Soul Meridian Pill.