Chapter Summaries

Ning Fa reunited with the surviving Ning Clan and revealed that he had secured East Marsh Oasis as their new home. As the clan prepared to relocate, Ning Zhongyuan introduced a mysterious Daoist who had foreseen the attack and had been waiting to meet Ning Fa.

• Ning Fa recognized many relatives and allies on the casualty list and learned that Ning Yuwen had lost his dantian and remained unconscious.
• Ning Fa showed the clan Duanmu Ling's travel document confirming their right to settle at East Marsh Oasis, and Ning Zhongyuan urged them to move within three months.
• Ning Hongye told Ning Fa that Ning Yuwen had suffered grievous injuries and might have only a few years left to live.
• Ning Zhongyuan arranged for the Ning Clan to treat the wounded and prepare to relocate, while they decided not to pursue the allied forces that had attacked them.
• Ning Zhongyuan told Ning Fa that a mysterious qi-refining cultivator had predicted the attack and asked to meet him.
• Ning Fa met the old Daoist and his young disciple, Miss Mu, and the Daoist greeted him as someone he had awaited for a long time.

Ning Fa met Hermit Tianyi, a mysterious cultivator who revealed that Ning Fa possessed a Hidden Thunder Spiritual Body rather than an Incomplete Lightning Spiritual Root. Ning Fa realized the body’s power and its danger if its existence became known, and the chapter left him facing a potentially deadly secret.

• Hermit Tianyi asked Ning Zhongyuan to leave so he could speak privately with Ning Fa, then led Ning Fa into the main hall and sealed it with a barrier.
• Hermit Tianyi told Ning Fa that he possessed a Hidden Thunder Spiritual Body, prompting Ning Fa to fear that the old Daoist had discovered his Five Elements Thunder Body.
• Hermit Tianyi recognized Ning Fa’s killing intent and clarified that he knew only about the Hidden Thunder Spiritual Body.
• Ning Fa recalled that the Hidden Thunder Spiritual Body alternated unpredictably between dormant and manifested states, making cultivation uncertain despite its immense potential.
• Ning Fa remembered that the spiritual body could weaken heavenly tribulations, which could make its bearer a target for powerful cultivators seeking help with their tribulations.

The gray-robed Daoist explained why Ning Fa’s Hidden Thunder Spiritual Body was less dangerous in the current age and asked him to help find a mysterious place. He offered a Haolei Flower Seed as a deposit and promised a mature Haolei Flower if Ning Fa succeeded.

• The gray-robed Daoist told Ning Fa that the realm’s decline and the difficulty of advancing to Late Spirit Transformation made his Hidden Thunder Spiritual Body less valuable to powerful cultivators.
• Ning Fa suspected the old Daoist’s divination abilities but concealed his Five Elements Thunder Body and admitted only to having a Hidden Thunder Spiritual Body.
• The old Daoist revealed that he had sought a hard-to-find place for a long time and believed Ning Fa might be fated to locate it.
• Ning Fa declined to help, but the old Daoist offered a transaction and showed him a Haolei Flower Seed.
• The old Daoist promised Ning Fa a mature Haolei Flower as a reward and gave him the seed as a deposit.

Ning Fa learned that Little Ice’s origins linked them to the formidable Sky-Devouring Nine-Headed Bird, and Daoist Tianyi offered a Spirit Rhinoceros Turtle Fragment to weaken that connection. Ning Fa questioned the old Daoist’s motives and promises, and the chapter ended with Daoist Tianyi producing a Blood River Book for a spirit contract.

• Daoist Tianyi offered Ning Fa a Spirit Rhinoceros Turtle Fragment to conceal heavenly secrets, but Ning Fa hesitated to accept it.
• Daoist Tianyi revealed that Little Ice was a mutated spirit beast and asked whether a strange bird with nine heads had endangered Ning Fa.
• Ning Fa clarified that the bird he had faced had three heads, and Daoist Tianyi explained that it was likely an incarnation of the Sky-Devouring Nine-Headed Bird.
• Daoist Tianyi warned that the bird might sense Little Ice as it grew, and said the fragment could only weaken their karmic connection temporarily.
• Ning Fa realized Daoist Tianyi was offering continued help in exchange for finding a place, and questioned whether the old Daoist could deliver his promised rewards.
• Daoist Tianyi proposed signing a spirit contract and revealed a blood-red Book of the Blood River.

Ning Fa agreed to help Hermit Tianyi find an unknown place in exchange for valuable rewards, then received a warning about threats to the Ning Clan. As the clan prepared to relocate, Ning Fa visited surviving relatives and went to see the remaining members of the Meng Family.

• Ning Fa accepted Hermit Tianyi's request to find a mysterious place without signing the Book of the Blood River, and Hermit Tianyi promised a mature Haolei Flower, a favor, and future concealment of heavenly secrets.
• Hermit Tianyi warned Ning Fa that powerful forces had taken an interest in the Ning Clan before departing with the yellow-skirted young girl.
• Ning Fa kept the agreement private and told Ning Zhongyuan only that he had accepted a troublesome request for a high price.
• As the Ning Clan prepared to relocate, Ning Fa visited his surviving relatives, and Ning Zhongyuan arranged generous support for Ning Fa's branch and his maternal uncle's family.
• Ning Fa then went to visit the remaining members of the Meng Family, valuing Meng Ruoqi for her connection to his cultivation and her status as Fairy Bai Feng's personal disciple.

Ning Fa reunited with the Meng Family and his old friends, then discovered Ning Xiuying’s injuries and lingering poison. He healed her, left her cultivation pills, and promised to help her pursue Foundation Establishment.

• Ning Fa welcomed Meng Ruofu and the Meng Family, gave Meng Ruofu Cloud Heart Pills, and said the First Elder would look after them.
• Ning Fa visited Ning Zonglie and Ning Nanqing, learned they had reached the ninth level of Qi Condensation, and felt regret over Ning Nanqing’s deceased sister.
• Ning Fa found Ning Xiuying hiding her poison-scarred body and learned that her injury had weakened her cultivation.
• Ning Fa used Dark Water Yin Thunder and a healing pill to remove Ning Xiuying’s scars and clear the poison from her dantian.
• Ning Fa left Ning Xiuying cultivation pills and promised to provide her with a Foundation Establishment Pill if she reached the threshold.

Ning Fa found Ning Shaohong teasing and setting boundaries with him before learning that Ning Yuwen had tried to hang himself. When Ning Fa visited his dying uncle, a Blood-Colored Seed from his Storage Bag suddenly strengthened Ning Yuwen’s condition.

• Ning Shaohong teased Ning Fa about his time with Ning Xiuying, then told him she would not see him for a month whenever he touched another woman.
• Ning Shaohong told Ning Fa that Ning Yuwen had tried to hang himself and had little time left to live.
• Ning Fa hurried to Ning Yuwen’s residence and saw Ning Hongye leave after visiting his despondent nephew.
• Ning Fa found Ning Yuwen’s dantian shattered and believed his Life-Annihilation Purple Thunder could not help him.
• A Blood-Colored Seed appeared from Ning Fa’s Storage Bag, and its light strengthened Ning Yuwen’s heartbeat and complexion.

Ning Fa let Ning Yuwen use the mysterious Blood-Colored Seed after warning him about its dangers and placing safeguards. Ning Yuwen recovered from his injuries and gained powerful physical strength, and Ning Fa prepared to place a Soul Restraint on him.

• Ning Fa explained that the Blood-Colored Seed came from a Golden Scale Valley disciple who had transformed into a demon, and warned Ning Yuwen that using it might cost him control of himself.
• Ning Yuwen agreed to the risk and to having a Soul Restraint placed on him, then swallowed the Blood-Colored Seed.
• Ning Fa watched as the seed repaired Ning Yuwen's dantian and strengthened his bones and meridians without revealing any demonic aura.
• Ning Yuwen woke with his dantian restored and crushed an ironwood bedboard with his newly enhanced strength.
• Ning Yuwen said he felt normal and agreed to the restraint, while Ning Fa decided to apply it himself using the Primordial Soul Splitting Art.

Ning Fa used a soul-control spell to treat Ning Yuwen, then learned of a powerful lightning feather found in Thunderstorm Sea. He decided to inspect the dangerous site where it came from, and Ning Zhongjiu agreed to take him there.

• Ning Fa cast a soul-control spell on Ning Yuwen and confirmed that he was physically stable.
• Ning Fa told Ning Zhongyuan and Ning Zhongjiu that the Blood-Colored Seed had saved Ning Yuwen and asked them to watch him closely.
• Ning Zhongjiu revealed a dark-blue lightning feather, and Ning Fa identified it as likely shed by a Fourth-Rank Great Demon.
• Ning Zhongjiu described the dangerous, barrier-protected depths of Thunderstorm Sea where he had found the feather.
• Ning Fa asked to visit the site, and Ning Zhongjiu agreed to take him during a calmer period.

Ning Fa and Ning Zhongjiu investigated the strange restriction beneath Thunderstorm Sea, but Ning Fa sensed a catastrophe and fled with Ning Zhongjiu as a monstrous wave pursued them. They escaped aboard the White River Chariot, while a lightning figure in a black hall beneath the sea scattered apart.

• Ning Zhongjiu led Ning Fa across Thunderstorm Sea to the reef where he had seen a feather emerge from the strange restriction.
• Ning Fa approached the restriction with Geng Metal Tribulation Thunder, then felt impending danger and retreated from the sea.
• A deafening blast sent a monstrous wave after Ning Fa and Ning Zhongjiu, and Ning Fa activated the White River Chariot talisman treasure to flee.
• Ning Fa and Ning Zhongjiu outran the wave until it fell back near the edge of Thunderstorm Sea.
• A lightning figure at an altar in a black hall beneath the sea gave an unwilling roar before its body scattered and the altar fell silent.

After a terrifying encounter in the Thunderstorm Sea, Ning Fa and Ning Zhongjiu escaped to Ash Sand Island and hastened the Ning Clan’s relocation. Ning Fa led the clan to East Marsh Oasis, where its rich spiritual energy and vast lake offered a far better home than they had expected.

• Ning Fa and Ning Zhongjiu reached Ash Sand Island after escaping a terrifying being in the Thunderstorm Sea, and the White River Chariot Talisman Treasure crumbled after saving them.
• Ning Fa and Ning Zhongjiu told Ning Zhongyuan what had happened, prompting him to prepare the clan’s relocation; Xue Danping and Brother Luo watched the convoy leave, but Brother Luo refused to attack the Ning Clan again under Martial Uncle Hua’s orders.
• More than a month later, Ning Fa led the Ning Clan and its affiliated families through the Black Flame Desert to East Marsh Oasis, where they found fertile Spirit Fields and renewed hope.
• Ning Fa brought the group to the heart of the oasis, where they saw a vast lake with Second-grade High-grade spiritual energy, and Ning Zhongyuan asked whether Fellow Daoist Duanmu had truly allowed the clan to settle there.
• Ning Fa assured Ning Zhongyuan that the lake’s islands were especially suitable for the clan’s core members, then flew toward them.

The Ning Clan settled on Spirit Moon Island in East Marsh Oasis, where Ning Fa explained the clan’s ties to the Duanmu Family and the threat posed by the Wu Family. He chose Ning Zhongjiu to accompany Duanmu Ling’s southward campaign, then brought Ning Zhongyuan to White Flame Mountain to reveal its strange, soul-scorching flames.

• The Ning Clan arrived at Spirit Moon Island and rejoiced at its abundant water spiritual energy despite the ruins left by the Wen Family.
• Ning Fa warned the clan elders that the powerful Wu Family occupied part of the Black Flame Desert and that the Ning Clan was expected to restrain them.
• Ning Fa said the clan should defend its interests without needlessly provoking the Wu Family, and that an elder should join Duanmu Ling’s expansion campaign.
• Ning Zhongjiu volunteered to accompany Ning Fa, while Ning Fa promised to seek a way to restore Ning Hongye’s lost arm.
• Ning Hongye told Ning Fa that the Ironclad Alliance had scattered and that Ling'er and Tie Xiong had fled to the Cloud Wasteland Great Marsh.
• Ning Fa took Ning Zhongyuan to White Flame Mountain and warned him that its flames grew stronger with height and could scorch the soul.

Ning Fa asked the Ning Clan to slowly excavate White Flame Mountain and warned Ning Zhongyuan to be wary of outside forces. The Wu Family debated its divided loyalties, while Ning Fa and the clan elders visited Duanmu Ling and offered Ning Zhongjiu’s service.

• Ning Fa told Ning Zhongyuan that a secret inside White Flame Mountain mattered greatly to him and asked the clan to excavate it gradually, promising to provide Array Formation Barriers.
• A White Firebird emerged from the boulder after Ning Fa and Ning Zhongyuan left, watched them with hatred and fear, then returned inside.
• Ning Fa warned Ning Zhongyuan to be cautious if an outside force approached the clan, recalling Hermit Tianyi’s prediction.
• Wu Zesheng complained that Duanmu Ling had favored the Ning Clan, and Wu Tianxiang explained that she was using the clan to restrain the Wu Family; the Wu elders agreed they needed to choose between her and Young Master Pojun.
• Ning Fa and the Ning Clan elders visited Duanmu Ling to thank her for granting them a settlement, and Ning Zhongjiu volunteered to serve her.

After Ning Zhongjiu joined Duanmu Ling’s forces, she discussed the next campaign with Ning Fa and revealed that the target was the heavily defended Blood Jade Plateau. Ning Fa then met Cheng Zhirou, Cheng Susu’s cousin, who had joined Duanmu Ling’s force and hinted at her interest in him.

• Feng Jue praised Ning Zhongjiu’s strength, and Duanmu Ling welcomed him as a valuable addition to her forces.
• Duanmu Ling told Ning Fa that Ning Zhongyuan’s injuries had damaged his foundation and would likely prevent him from advancing further.
• Duanmu Ling explained that her forces would converge on the Blood Jade Plateau, where the Black Spirit Church, the Shi Family, and the Zhao Family were stationed.
• Ning Fa worried that he would have to face Xiao Yu at the plateau because she was with the Zhao Family.
• Cheng Zhirou introduced herself to Ning Fa as Cheng Susu’s cousin and said she would serve under Duanmu Ling.
• After parting from Ning Fa, Cheng Zhirou privately said that Susu should not blame her for stealing her beloved.

Over three years, Ning Fa rose to prominence through major military achievements and accumulated more than a hundred thousand Contribution Points. During the Duanmu Family’s final assault on the Dingyang Mountain Range, he overwhelmed two enemies and their spirit pet, leaving them desperate as the White-robed Scholar prepared to use a True Treasure.

• The Ning Clan relocated from Blackwater Pond to the Black Flame Desert, and Duanmu Ling led her team in capturing Shahe Pass and Chifeng Ridge.
• Ning Fa earned a reputation across the Huayu Sect by killing more than ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators, completing crucial missions, and collecting over a hundred thousand Contribution Points.
• The Duanmu Family gathered more than five hundred cultivators to attack the Dingyang Mountain Range, where the Black Spirit Church and its allies resisted from the mine tunnels.
• Ning Fa fought a White-robed Scholar and a green-skirted female cultivator, suppressing them with his Dark Black Dragon Spear, Silver Lightning Whip, and powerful physical attacks.
• The White-robed Scholar’s demonic beast struggled against Ning Fa’s icy azure spirit bird, so he revealed a dark-green True Treasure talisman and began pouring his Mana into it.

Ning Fa defeated a White-robed Scholar and drove off a Zhao Clan cultivator, gaining a True Treasure and Premium Blue Goldstone while revealing how much his strength had grown. The battle for the Dingyang Mountain Range ended with the Duanmu Family in control, and the survivors gathered at Muyang Peak for the Merit Point Tally.

• Ning Fa used his Zi Wei Heavenly Fire to kill the White-robed Scholar, while the Green-skirted Female Cultivator fled after severing her Mental Connection to the Black Ring.
• Ning Fa recognized Xiao Yu’s sachet on the ground and spared the fleeing cultivator, then collected the scholar’s belongings and the frozen black wolf that Little Ice had subdued.
• Ning Fa found three pieces of Premium Blue Goldstone and a True Treasure among the spoils, adding to the resources he had gained during years of campaigning.
• Ning Fa reflected that he had reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage and expected to advance within about a year.
• The Black Spirit Church’s Golden Core stage bishop fled with severe injuries, leaving the Dingyang Mountain Range in the hands of the Duanmu Family, which had lost eighteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
• Cultivators gathered at the Duanmu Family’s camp on Muyang Peak as the Merit Point Tally began.

Ning Fa gained recognition for killing three Foundation Establishment Cultivators and met privately with Cheng Zhirou, who delivered rare materials he needed for alchemy. He gave her a new batch of pills to inspect, continuing their trading partnership.

• Ning Fa and Cui Hong exchanged their battle merits, and Cui Hong announced that Ning Fa had killed three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, bringing his total to eighteen.
• Foundation Establishment Cultivators praised and greeted Ning Fa, while a senior brother from Star Luo Peak invited him to a gathering to trade resources and spirit materials.
• Cheng Zhirou approached Ning Fa and took him to a tent, where she thanked him for saving her from two cultivators in a mine tunnel.
• Cheng Zhirou gave Ning Fa a Storage Bag of rare materials for his pills, and Ning Fa handed her more than a dozen bottles from his latest batch to inspect.

Ning Fa continued his profitable partnership with Cheng Zhirou and revealed that he planned to refine Peizhi Pills, which excited her because the pills could advance her cultivation. Cheng Zhirou invited him to Black Marsh Immortal City, but Ning Fa declined to focus on cultivating a secret art, leaving her disappointed.

• Cheng Zhirou inspected Ning Fa's pills, accepted the trade, and asked whether his requested ingredients meant he planned to refine Peizhi Pills.
• The chapter recounted how He Shaoan had cut off Wei Shiqin's spirit-material sources, leading Ning Fa to choose cooperation with the Cheng Family instead of seeking help from Duanmu Ling.
• Ning Fa acknowledged that he was preparing to refine Peizhi Pills, and Cheng Zhirou eagerly anticipated obtaining some for her cultivation.
• Cheng Zhirou invited Ning Fa to visit Black Marsh Immortal City with her, but he declined because he needed to cultivate a secret art.
• Cheng Zhirou departed after wishing Ning Fa success, and Ning Fa fell into thought.

Ning Fa considered using Peizhi Pills and preparing to help Wei Shiqin as He Shaoan squeezed the Wei Family. Cao Xian brought news that the Zhilán Merchant Guild might supply treasures Ning Fa needed for Ning Hongye and Ning Zhongyuan, leaving Ning Fa eager to pursue both leads.

• Ning Fa considered refining Peizhi Pills and waiting until he reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage before acting on his plan to help Wei Shiqin and the Wei Family.
• Cao Xian visited Ning Fa and revealed that the Zhilán Merchant Guild had a jar of Celestial Pivot Limb Regrowth Paste that could restore Ning Hongye's lost arm and support his cultivation.
• Ning Fa asked Cao Xian to contact the merchant guild and learn what Second-grade Pills it wanted in exchange for the paste.
• Cao Xian said the guild was preparing an auction in Black Marsh Immortal City, where a treasure to repair a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator's foundation might appear in two years.
• Ning Fa hoped to obtain that treasure for Ning Zhongyuan and improve the First Elder's chance of reaching the Golden Core Realm.

Ning Fa refused Duanmu Pojun’s attempt to recruit him, despite the valuable Thunderwing Eagle he offered, and remained committed to Duanmu Ling. He checked whether Ning Zhongjiu had also been approached and learned that his uncle had refused as well.

• Cao Xian agreed to seek news about the Celestial Pivot Limb Regrowth Paste and told Ning Fa that Duanmu Pojun had come looking for him.
• Duanmu Pojun offered Ning Fa a mid-stage second-rank Thunderwing Eagle and hinted at recruiting him, but Ning Fa returned the gift.
• Duanmu Pojun briefly pressured Ning Fa before leaving, and Ning Fa reflected on his rising influence and the growing rivalry between Duanmu Pojun and Duanmu Ling.
• Ning Fa contacted Ning Zhongjiu to ask whether Duanmu Pojun had tried to recruit him.
• Ning Zhongjiu confirmed that he had refused Duanmu Pojun’s offer of an attack-type spirit artifact, easing Ning Fa’s concern that the Ning Clan might appear to support both rivals.