Chapter Summaries

Ning Fa returned to the occupied Black Flame Desert, learned from Cui Hong about the battle at Soaring Flame Volcano and the forces behind the Zi Wei Heavenly Fire, and sought out Chu Ge. He found Chu Ge being tortured by a Wu Family cultivator who demanded that he apologize to Senior Wu.

• Ning Fa left Soaring Flame Volcano, flew to the Mo Family's former ancestral grounds, and met the injured Cui Hong.
• Cui Hong recounted the battle involving Black Spirit, Fire Worship, Wen Xiuxin, and the Purple Flame, while Ning Fa connected the flame to the Zi Wei Heavenly Fire and his Heavenly Star Primordial Flame Stone.
• Ning Fa learned that Chu Ge's fate was uncertain and searched for him with his divine sense.
• Ning Fa found Chu Ge bound and being tortured in a simple house by a burly cultivator, who urged him to apologize to Senior Wu and claimed Ning Fa was dead.

Ning Fa rescued Chu Ge from Wu Zesheng’s imprisonment and learned that poison, depleted essence, and prolonged torture had left him near death. Ning Fa used his Life-Annihilation Purple Thunder to dispel Chu Ge’s poison, but Chu Ge’s vitality remained critically depleted.

• Ning Fa broke Tan Qiu’s wrist, kicked him out of the room, and freed Chu Ge from the spirit ropes.
• Ning Fa gave Chu Ge an Azure Lotus Pill and heard how Wu Zesheng had stolen his healing medicine and imprisoned him for refusing to apologize.
• Ning Fa realized Chu Ge was close to death from the Poison Yuan Spider’s toxin and the loss of his essence.
• Ning Fa knocked Chu Ge unconscious and used his Life-Annihilation Purple Thunder to dispel the chilling poison.
• Chu Ge’s bluish-black coloration vanished, but he remained deathly pale because his essence and life force were nearly exhausted.

Ning Fa used the Supreme Fire Divine Thunder Origin to restore Chu Ge’s vitality, then gave him healing pills and a powerful cultivation technique. He flew to the mountaintop with Tan Qiu and publicly accused Wu Zesheng of stealing Chu Ge’s pills and having him beaten, prompting Wu Zesheng and Wu Tianxiang to confront him.

• Ning Fa tested the Life-Annihilation Purple Thunder on Chu Ge, restoring much of Chu Ge’s vitality while deciding not to spend more of his precious origin power.
• Chu Ge woke, thanked Ning Fa with a solemn vow, and accepted Water Radiance Pills and a Jade Slip containing the Gang Yuan Art.
• Ning Fa left Chu Ge to recover, took the unconscious Tan Qiu, and flew to the Foundation Establishment Cultivators’ residences near the mountaintop.
• Ning Fa repeatedly accused Wu Zesheng of stealing Chu Ge’s pills and ordering him beaten, displaying the accusations in a huge spiritual-energy screen.
• Wu Zesheng arrived to deny the accusations, and Wu Tianxiang warned Ning Fa not to slander the Wu Family.

Ning Fa publicly accused Wu Zesheng of persecuting Chu Ge and forced Duanmu Ling to intervene, worsening his conflict with the Wu Family. Duanmu Ling punished Wu Zesheng and later thanked Ning Fa for his role in capturing the Black Flame Desert, as Ning Fa reminded her of her promise.

• Ning Fa revealed Tan Qiu as a witness and stopped Wu Zesheng from attacking him, accusing Wu Zesheng of ordering Chu Ge's torture and trying to silence Tan Qiu.
• Duanmu Ling arrived, questioned Wu Zesheng about the pills taken from a disciple, and punished him by halving his campaign Contribution Points and ordering him to return the pills with three times their value as compensation.
• Duanmu Ling told the gathered cultivators to take Wu Zesheng's punishment as a warning, then asked Ning Fa to speak with her privately.
• Ning Fa gave Duanmu Ling a partial account of destroying the Array Eye and explained that injuries had forced him to recover in seclusion.
• Duanmu Ling thanked Ning Fa for weakening the great array and helping secure the Black Flame Desert, and Ning Fa began reminding her of a prior promise.

Ning Fa chose East Marsh Oasis for the Ning Clan, explaining that its water-aligned spiritual vein suited them and that he wanted to investigate White Flame Mountain. Duanmu Ling also granted the Ning Clan part of West Marsh Oasis, and Ning Fa suspected she intended to use his clan to keep the Wu Family in check.

• Duanmu Ling asked Ning Fa which of the Black Flame Desert’s three main oases he wanted for the Ning Clan.
• Ning Fa chose East Marsh Oasis because Jade Moon Lake’s Water Attribute spiritual vein suited his clan, while he also hoped to uncover White Flame Mountain’s secrets.
• Duanmu Ling explained that the Wu Family had requested Yongze Oasis and had suffered severe casualties, including the death of Wu Qifeng and serious injuries to its First Elder.
• After Ning Fa gave up Yongze Oasis, Duanmu Ling assigned the Ning Clan East Marsh Oasis and forty percent of West Marsh Oasis, leaving the rest of West Marsh Oasis and Yongze Oasis to the Wu Family.
• Ning Fa suspected Duanmu Ling had strengthened the Ning Clan so it could curb the Wu Family’s power in the Black Flame Desert.

Ning Fa accepted Duanmu Ling’s support for the Ning Clan’s move to the Black Flame Desert and received a travel document to ease their relocation. As he headed for Blackwater Pond, his spirit pet Little Ice advanced to the second tier and began speaking nonstop.

• Ning Fa agreed to relocate the Ning Clan to the Black Flame Desert, where Duanmu Ling promised support against the Wu Family while warning him that the clan would have to bear the pressure itself.
• Duanmu Ling gave Ning Fa a Huayu Sect travel document and told him to return within three months after helping his clan relocate from Blackwater Pond.
• Duanmu Ling wondered whether Ning Fa’s aura had changed again as he left.
• Little Ice advanced to the second tier after consuming the Thousand-Year Ice Spirit Flower and Ice Marrow Crystal Stone, and Ning Fa found its wind-and-ice abilities formidable.
• Little Ice spoke human language, flew around to sample fruit, and chattered so much that Ning Fa became overwhelmed.

Ning Fa rode Little Ice to Black Marsh Immortal City to check on the Ning Clan and meet Wei Shiqin, bringing her Essence Refining Pills. Their reunion was interrupted by a Foundation Establishment cultivator whose arrival visibly troubled Wei Shiqin.

• Ning Fa negotiated with Little Ice for more talking time in exchange for a ride, then flew north on its back.
• Ning Fa reached Black Marsh Immortal City and went to Tongbao Pavilion to see Wei Shiqin.
• Ning Fa noticed Wei Shiqin seemed troubled, but she claimed that the busy business had merely exhausted her.
• Ning Fa gave Wei Shiqin Essence Refining Pills, and she handed him a Storage Bag of medicinal ingredients.
• A handsome young man at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage arrived, and Wei Shiqin's smile vanished when she saw him.

Ning Fa refused He Shaoan’s offer to end his work with Wei Shiqin, despite He Shaoan using his influence and cultivation to pressure him. Wei Shiqin then revealed that their cooperation was tied to a wager that could force her to become He Shaoan’s Dao Companion.

• He Shaoan asked Ning Fa to stop refining pills for Wei Shiqin, offering higher pay and a possible transfer to Dan Ding Peak.
• Ning Fa rejected the offer, and He Shaoan threatened him before briefly displaying his Mid Foundation Establishment pressure.
• He Shaoan withdrew his aura and left, while Ning Fa realized the refusal could disrupt his access to materials through the Xudong Merchant Guild.
• Wei Shiqin returned and explained that she had wagered she could make her Tongbao Pavilion branch rank first among the guild’s Jiang Kingdom branches within three years.
• Wei Shiqin revealed that if she lost, she would have to marry He Shaoan, whose dual cultivation technique harmed his Dao Companions, and that he had been pressuring her family.

Ning Fa learned that the Ning Clan was under attack at Blackwater Pond and prepared to hurry back with the injured Ning Huarong. He left Black Marsh Immortal City with her, carrying healing medicine and talismans from Wei Shiqin.

• Ning Fa considered helping the Wei Family leave the Xudong Merchant Guild and establish a merchant guild with the Ning Clan, but kept the idea to himself.
• Wei Shiqin told Ning Fa that several nearby forces had attacked the Ning Clan at Blackwater Pond and that the clan was in a critical battle.
• Ning Fa agreed to wait for Ning Huarong, who had come to obtain Jade Dew Paste for a serious injury.
• Ning Huarong arrived with a weakened aura and a corrosive wound on her shoulder, and Ning Fa offered to apply the medicine while they traveled.
• Wei Shiqin gave Ning Fa several Second-grade Talismans, and he departed with Ning Huarong on a spirit bird toward the southeast.

While flying toward an impending battle, Ning Fa treated Ning Huarong’s wound from the Black Spirit Church’s Blood-colored Lightning. Ning Huarong then asked him to use dual cultivation to suppress the Taihua Yang Qi in her body so she could fight at full strength.

• Ning Huarong admired Little Ice’s speed and speech, then realized it had hatched from the beast egg Ning Fa obtained on Cloud Crystal Island.
• Ning Huarong reminded Ning Fa that he owed her a promise and exposed her lightning-corroded shoulder wound.
• Ning Fa warned that Jade Dew Paste would only temporarily suppress the injury, then used his Silver Lightning and vital energy to heal it.
• Ning Huarong asked Ning Fa to dual cultivate with her, explaining that her injuries had made the Taihua Yang Qi from her Taihua Forgetfulness Art difficult to suppress.
• Ning Fa understood that Ning Huarong wanted dual cultivation to restore her strength before the rescue operation.

Ning Fa and Ning Huarong used dual cultivation to suppress her Taihua Yang Qi, strengthening Ning Fa’s body and restoring her power. They agreed to pursue dual cultivation again when possible, and Ning Fa told her about a potential refuge for the Ning Clan as they discussed the clan’s crisis and Ji Qingqing’s strength.

• Ning Fa dismissed Little Ice into the Spirit Beast Bag and released his Blue Spirit Flying Carriage so he and Ning Huarong could dual cultivate in private.
• Afterward, Ning Huarong’s power returned as the Taihua Yang Qi transferred into Ning Fa, whose vital energy and blood grew roughly half a percent stronger.
• Ning Fa proposed continuing their mutually beneficial dual cultivation, and Ning Huarong agreed despite their difficulty meeting.
• Ning Fa told Ning Huarong that his agreement with Duanmu Ling had secured the Ning Clan a possible settlement, and she thanked him on the clan’s behalf.
• Ning Huarong told Ning Fa that Ji Qingqing was the strongest Foundation Establishment Cultivator she had seen and might surpass Duanmu Ling, then began describing the expansion’s progress.

Ji Qingqing took the Original Dawn Mountain Range despite heavy losses, while at Blackwater Pond the Ning Clan defended Ash Sand Island with the Mystic Turtle Heavenly Water Array. The allied attackers judged the formation was weakening, but their black-armored leader demanded they destroy the Ning Clan within three days.

• Ji Qingqing’s forces captured the Original Dawn Mountain Range after the Black Spirit Church sent reinforcements that inflicted heavy casualties.
• Several hundred cultivators attacked the Ning Clan’s Mystic Turtle Heavenly Water Array around Ash Sand Island, and the formation struggled under their assault.
• Ning Zhongyuan, Ning Zhongjiu, Ning Hongye, Ning Shaohong, and a Qian Family Foundation Establishment Cultivator emerged with others to repel the attackers.
• The attackers withdrew to their camp after fighting for several hours, and their leaders discussed the array’s dwindling power and predicted it would soon collapse.
• The black-armored Foundation Establishment Late Stage leader rejected waiting and ordered the gathered cultivators to take down the Ning Clan within three days.

The Black Armored Man planned a final assault on the Ning Clan after the Myriad Laws Sect demanded their defeat within three days, while the battered defenders prepared to evacuate as their array weakened. The Ning Clan elders decided that Ning Zhongjiu and Ning Shaohong would lead selected survivors away the following night, leaving Ning Zhongyuan and Ning Hongye to cover their retreat and detonate the array.

• The Black Armored Man told Fairy Lan Meng and Fellow Daoist Qiu that the Myriad Laws Sect had ordered them to take down the Ning Clan within three days.
• Fairy Lan Meng and Fellow Daoist Qiu warned that using the Thunder Fire Nail would jeopardize their chance to enter the Thunderstorm Sea, so the Black Armored Man decided to make another assault with his Golden Armored Giant Lizard first.
• At Ash Sand Island, Ning Zhongyuan told Ning Hongye to recuperate, while Ning Shaohong offered him a Qi Gathering Pill that he refused.
• Ning Zhongyuan revealed that the Mystic Tortoise Heavenly Water Array might last only ten more days and proposed beginning the fallback plan early.
• Ning Zhongyuan ordered Ning Zhongjiu and Ning Shaohong to lead selected disciples away with the Qian Family survivors, while he and Ning Hongye stayed behind to protect them and detonate the array.

A destitute Daoist divined that the Ning Clan would soon sacrifice part of its forces to survive, while the clan’s enemies mounted a devastating assault on Ash Sand Island. As Ning Zhongyuan sent several people away, Cao Xian and Altar Master Qi discussed how the Demonic Path Alliance might use the Ning Clan to capture Ning Daozhen.

• A young girl scolded her master for bringing them to Ash Sand Island, but the old Daoist divined that the Ning Clan would soon cut off an arm to save the body and wondered whether someone would arrive in time.
• A Golden Lizard and more than ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators attacked the Ning Clan’s formation, and Ning Zhongyuan exhausted the island’s spiritual vein to resist them.
• A Golden Small Bell spirit artifact self-destructed to destroy the Golden Lizard, after which Ning Zhongyuan sent Ning Zhongjiu, Ning Shaohong, and a Qian Family cultivator away while Ning Hongye stayed behind.
• The Black Armored Man watched the departures with regret as the beautiful woman in blue and the Yellow Robe Daoist also left his camp.
• Cao Xian told Altar Master Qi that Ning Daozhen might be a Blood Heaven Sect successor, and she asked how the Demonic Path Alliance would use the Ning Clan to capture him.

Cao Xian persuaded Altar Master Qi to pursue a friendly approach toward the Ning Clan and strengthen ties with Ning Fa, while Qi prepared to exploit Ning Zhongyuan’s likely sacrifice. Ning Fa and Ning Huarong raced to reinforce the retreating clan members, but encountered two enemy cultivators near Ash Sand Island.

• Cao Xian warned Altar Master Qi that harming the Ning Clan could earn the enmity of Ning Daozhen and Ning Fa, then proposed building ties with the clan instead.
• Altar Master Qi agreed to have Cao Xian deepen his connection with Ning Fa and decided Ning Zhongyuan could be nurtured into Core Formation.
• Ning Huarong learned that Ning Zhongyuan was covering the retreat of clan members, and she and Ning Fa decided to reinforce them rather than rescue anyone on the island.
• Ning Huarong urged Ning Zhongyuan to call back Ning Zhongjiu and Ning Shaohong so she and Ning Fa could attack the enemy from behind.
• Ning Fa sensed that someone was watching him as Little Ice carried him and Ning Huarong toward Ash Sand Island.
• Ning Huarong and Ning Fa met a beautiful woman in blue robes and a Yellow Robe Daoist on a flying carriage, and Ning Huarong charged at them.

Ning Fa and Ning Huarong fought two Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had attacked the Ning Clan. Ning Fa held back his strongest techniques and pressed the Yellow Robe Daoist with his artifacts and physical strength, while the battle continued with both enemies still alive.

• Ning Huarong attacked the blue-skirted beautiful woman with a barrage of purple blade phantoms as the woman countered with blue blades from her guqin.
• Ning Fa struck the Yellow Robe Daoist with the Dragon-Breaking Spear, forcing him to defend with an Azure Ring and a Black and White Longsword.
• The Yellow Robe Daoist summoned a green mountain Spirit Artifact and a white jade spider to attack Ning Fa.
• Ning Fa knocked the white jade spider away with his Silver Lightning Whip and sent Little Ice to fight it.
• Ning Fa dodged the falling green mountain, then sent the Spirit-Commanding Thunder Whip after the Yellow Robe Daoist when he reappeared elsewhere.

Ning Fa used the Nirvana Thunder Seal to disrupt the Yellow Robe Daoist’s control over his treasures and spirit pets, then closed in and killed him. With the seal’s effect fading, Ning Fa was free to hurry to the main battlefield.

• Ning Fa overwhelmed the Yellow Robe Daoist’s defenses across four fronts, while the Daoist used Second-grade Talismans to counterattack.
• Ning Fa formed the Nirvana Thunder Seal, which disrupted the Yellow Robe Daoist’s divine sense and prevented him from properly controlling his treasures and spirit pets.
• Ning Fa battered the Daoist’s tortoiseshell barrier with hundreds of punches until it broke, then tore out his heart and killed him.
• Ning Fa recognized the seal as the third move of the Primordial Thunder Blossom, a technique that interfered with divine-sense control within its range.

Ning Fa and Ning Huarong defeated the surprise attackers, then returned to the main battlefield and turned the tide for the Ning Clan. The battle ended after the Black Armored Man’s forces suffered heavy losses and the pressure on Ning Zhongyuan’s group eased.

• Ning Fa killed the Yellow Robe Daoist, collected his Storage Bag and treasures, and joined Ning Huarong as she fought the blue-dressed beauty.
• Ning Huarong killed the blue-dressed beauty, and she and Ning Fa headed south after defeating the attackers.
• Ning Zhongyuan learned that Ning Fa and Ning Huarong had killed two enemy Mid Foundation Establishment Cultivators, then summoned a blue qilin with his Wave Transformation Spirit Art.
• Two arriving figures slaughtered Qi Condensation Stage cultivators and killed the Black Armored Man’s two Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators who tried to intercept them.
• The Black Armored Man sent his two remaining Mid Foundation Establishment Cultivators to face the arrivals, easing pressure on Ning Zhongyuan and the other five cultivators before the battle ended hours later.

Ning Fa and Ning Huarong helped the Ning Clan defeat its attackers, while the woman surnamed Qi abandoned her attempt to capture Ning Fa after her jade pendant shattered. Ning Fa reunited with his family, and Ning Shaohong greeted him with a kiss.

• The woman surnamed Qi decided to capture Ning Fa and question him about his connection to Ning Daozhen, but her Heartbond Jade Pendant shattered before she could reach him.
• The woman surnamed Qi ordered Cao Xian and the others to retreat, and Cao Xian felt relieved that Ning Fa had been spared.
• On Ash Sand Island, the gray-haired old Daoist exhausted his copper coin while secretly helping Ning Fa, then argued with his young disciple about staying to receive thanks.
• Ning Fa and Ning Huarong helped the Ning Clan kill three more Foundation Establishment Cultivators, forcing the surviving attackers to flee.
• Ning Fa put away his Star Martial Battle Suit and reunited with Ning Zhongyuan, Ning Zhongjiu, and Ning Shaohong, who kissed him in greeting.

Ning Fa reunited with the surviving Ning Clan members and learned that Luo Xingjun had secretly orchestrated the four-family attack. After the clan elders received his healing pills, a casualty report revealed that the Ning Clan had lost more than half its remaining cultivators.

• Ning Fa returned to the clan’s celebration, where Ning Zonglie, Ning Xiuying, Ning Nanqing, Meng Ruofu, and the other survivors greeted him with joy and grief.
• Ning Fa met with the six surviving Foundation Establishment Cultivators and gave Ning Zhongyuan and the other injured elders second-rank healing pills.
• Ning Fa asked why the Guan, Liu, Feng, and Cao families had attacked, and Ning Zhongyuan explained that Luo Xingjun had united them in a scheme against the clan.
• Ning Zhongyuan warned Ning Fa and Ning Huarong not to provoke Luo Xingjun, and Ning Fa resolved to settle the score later.
• Ning Yaozu delivered the casualty report, which showed that 160 Qi Condensation Stage Ning Clan members had died and only a little over 110 remained.