Chapter Summaries

Ning Fa negotiated a limited alchemist-retainer agreement with the Zhilán Merchant Guild, secured three rare pill formulas, and gathered nearly two hundred thousand spirit stones for the auction. Altar Master Qi revealed her interest in Ning Fa and directed Fang Lin to build ties with the Changfeng Merchant Guild, while Ning Fa prepared to meet with the Wei Family and his own elders.

• Ning Fa rejected the guild’s pill-ownership restrictions, then agreed to become a retainer after Fang Lin relaxed the terms and accepted his request to support the Changfeng Merchant Guild’s supply channels.
• Ning Fa signed a spirit contract, chose the Haoyuan Pill, Ascending Dragon Pill, and Snow Soul Pill formulas, and swore a Heart Demon Oath to receive them.
• Ning Fa sold most of his spoils to Fang Lin for nearly two hundred thousand spirit stones, strengthening his ability to bid for the Xuan Shen Ginseng.
• After Ning Fa left, Fang Lin reported to Altar Master Qi, who told him to cultivate a close relationship with the Changfeng Merchant Guild and admitted she was increasingly curious about Ning Fa.
• Ning Fa returned to his residence and learned from First Elder Ning Zhongyuan that the elders had arrived in Black Marsh Immortal City, where they could meet the Wei Family to establish the merchant guild.

Ning Fa and the Ning Clan, Wei Family, and Cheng Zhirou formally established the Changfeng Merchant Guild and planned its first shop in Black Marsh Immortal City. While Ning Fa showed Ning Shaohong around the city, Chu Bingyun caught him with her and demanded to know their relationship.

• Ning Fa gathered the Ning Clan, Wei Family, and Cheng Zhirou to sign the contract establishing the Changfeng Merchant Guild.
• The three parties agreed to open a medium-sized shop in Black Marsh Immortal City, secure supply and sales channels, and organize a guard force.
• After the gathering, Ning Shaohong teased Ning Fa about Wei Shiqin, then reassured Wei Shiqin that she was happy to share Ning Fa with her.
• Ning Fa took Ning Shaohong around the city, and she chose a pink dudou at Cloud Water Shop.
• Chu Bingyun, Ling Yue, and Meng Ruoqi arrived and found Ning Fa with Ning Shaohong; Chu Bingyun demanded to know who she was.
• Ning Fa told Chu Bingyun that Ning Shaohong was also his Dao Companion.

After Chu Bingyun discovered Ning Fa’s relationship with Meng Ruoqi, she forbade Meng Ruoqi from seeing him and confined her, leaving Ning Fa shut out. He turned his attention to business and auctions, then attended Black Origin Pavilion’s Underground Trading Fair, where a powerful Quasi-Core Formation cultivator explained the event’s rules.

• Chu Bingyun angrily confronted Ning Fa, but Meng Ruoqi pleaded with her master to spare him; Chu Bingyun left with Meng Ruoqi and Ling Yue.
• Ning Fa failed to contact Meng Ruoqi and learned from Ling Yue that Chu Bingyun had confined her and forbidden them to meet.
• Ning Fa’s Changfeng Merchant Guild secured a shop with Cheng Ziyi’s help while he attended auctions around Black Marsh Immortal City.
• Ning Fa used Cao Xian’s token to enter Black Origin Pavilion’s Underground Trading Fair and found nearly fifty masked Foundation Establishment Cultivators gathered there.
• A crimson-robed Quasi-Core Formation cultivator appeared on the platform and introduced the fair’s auction and free-trading periods.

Ning Fa attended an underground trading fair and won the Dark Star Flying Shadow Needles after outbidding several cultivators, including Old Freak Jia, who secretly attached a tracking insect to Ning Fa. The auction ended and free trading began, with a fiery-red escape light reaching the platform first.

• A five-hundred-year-old Yin Condensing Grass sold for thirty thousand spirit stones, and a Ghost Shadow Vine sold for forty-one thousand.
• The Pseudo Core Cultivator revealed the Dark Star Flying Shadow Needles, a set of thirteen Low-grade Spirit Artifacts whose high spiritual sense requirement suited Ning Fa.
• Ning Fa outbid Old Freak Jia and the remaining bidders, securing the needles for one hundred thousand spirit stones despite Jia's threat.
• Old Freak Jia secretly sent a tiny gnat to attach itself to Ning Fa's robe after Ning Fa completed the purchase.
• The auction ended with every item sold, and a fiery-red escape light won the race to begin the free-trading session.

Ning Fa joined a trade for the green-dressed female cultivator’s Black Puppet after the Mysterious Scroll reacted to it, despite a white-robed cultivator offering Purple Glaze Gold. The white-robed cultivator attacked when Ning Fa claimed the puppet, leaving the two men facing off as the crowd realized the puppet held a secret.

• An old Daoist traded a Golden Winged Eagle Beast Egg and ten thousand spirit stones to a green-dressed female cultivator for a Su Ming Pill.
• The green-dressed female cultivator offered a Su Ming Pill, a high-grade talisman treasure, and a Black Puppet in exchange for Blue Sun Essence Sand, and Ning Fa recognized that he had some.
• A white-robed cultivator offered Purple Glaze Gold for the three items, but Ning Fa brought out his Blue Sun Essence Sand and the woman agreed to trade him two items.
• Ning Fa grabbed the Black Puppet and Su Ming Pill, and the white-robed cultivator attacked with a small golden sword.
• Ning Fa knocked the sword aside and stored the items, while the white-robed cultivator demanded that he hand over the puppet.

Ning Fa’s clash with Zhang Zhilong at the trading fair revealed their identities, and Zhang withdrew after sensing something unusual about Ning Fa’s puppet. Ning Fa lured Old Freak Jia away from the city and fought him, but Jia’s Purple Ancient Mirror helped him hold back Ning Fa’s powerful attacks.

• Ning Fa and Zhang Zhilong fought over the puppet until a Golden Core Cultivator intervened, after which Zhang gave up the competition and asked to trade his Purple Glaze Gold for the puppet.
• The trading fair ended, and Ning Fa left Black Marsh Immortal City while Old Freak Jia secretly followed him.
• Ning Fa waited on a hill beyond the southern city gate and told Old Freak Jia he needed no help to defeat him.
• Old Freak Jia summoned a blood saber, a Purple Ancient Mirror, a powerful Black Python, and his blood-cloud abilities, while Ning Fa revealed his spirit bird, Dragon-Breaking Spear, two puppets, and silver lightning.
• Ning Fa’s lightning overwhelmed Jia’s blood-cloud creatures, but Jia used the Purple Ancient Mirror’s Freeze, Guard, Swift, and Explode characters to help his saber suppress the Dragon-Breaking Spear.

Ning Fa defeated Old Freak Jia and the black demon python, then returned to his residence to inspect the Black Puppet and confirm it was a Low-Grade Heavenly Puppet Body. Zhang Zhilong arrived too late to confront him and resolved to pursue Ning Fa after his Divine Soul Power recovered, while Ning Fa prepared to refine a Quasi Heavenly Puppet.

• Ning Fa expanded his silver thundercloud, destroyed Old Freak Jia with Zi Wei Heavenly Fire, and collected his Storage Bag, Dragon-Breaking Spear, Purple Ancient Mirror, and Blood-Colored Long Saber.
• Ning Fa killed the black demon python with the Dragon-Breaking Spear and stored its valuable corpse.
• Ning Fa cleared Zhang Zhilong's Soul Mark and left before Zhang Zhilong arrived at the battlefield; Zhang Zhilong assessed the fight and decided he needed to wait for his Divine Soul Power to recover before confronting Ning Fa.
• Zhang Zhilong revealed that the white snake could transform into Xiao Qing, then decided he could not wait longer to pursue Ning Fa for her sake.
• Ning Fa used the scroll to identify the Black Puppet as a Low-Grade Heavenly Puppet Body that could replenish Origin Points, and he planned to use it to refine a Quasi Heavenly Puppet.

Ning Fa refined the Purple Ancient Mirror and Dark Star Flying Shadow Needles, adding to the treasures he had gained at the Underground Trading Fair. Liu Qinghui visited to ask for a Youthful Appearance Pill and revealed her new position as True Person Yu Chen’s final disciple; afterward, Cheng Susu arrived with pastries and admitted she had told Liu Qinghui about the pill.

• Ning Fa refined the Purple Ancient Mirror using an ancient method, named it the Purple Word Mirror, and refined the Dark Star Flying Shadow Needles.
• Ning Fa spent the following days studying the Heavenly Puppet Treasure Scripture and forging Second-tier Puppets.
• Liu Qinghui visited Ning Fa and insisted she wanted a Youthful Appearance Pill; after persuading him, she said she had become True Person Yu Chen’s final disciple and that the Duanmu Family had agreed to let her leave.
• Ning Fa asked Liu Qinghui why Duanmu Ling had taken an interest in her, and Liu Qinghui said she was helping Duanmu Ling refine an artifact.
• Cheng Susu visited Ning Fa, explained that she had told Liu Qinghui about the Youthful Appearance Pill, and served him pastries she had made.

Ning Fa enjoyed Cheng Susu’s spiritual soup and received her invitation to the Zhilán Merchant Guild auction, while the Changfeng Merchant Guild prepared its guards. Elder Wan He tested Ning Fa’s mana with his Myriad Thunder Bead, then asked whether Ning Fa’s astonishing cultivation came from a fortuitous opportunity.

• Cheng Susu served Ning Fa a bowl of potent spiritual soup, and he drank it before she invited him to the upcoming auction.
• Ning Fa learned that Cheng Susu planned to attend the auction with the Second Elder and accepted her feelings without resisting her visits.
• The Changfeng Merchant Guild assembled its guard force, including Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Ning Clan, the Wei Family, and the marketplace.
• Jing Dongji led Ning Fa to meet Elder Wan He, who said he wanted to test Ning Fa before considering him as a disciple.
• Ning Fa poured mana into Wan He’s Myriad Thunder Bead until its blue light reached two feet, impressing Wan He and Liang Ruicheng.
• Wan He praised Ning Fa’s abundant mana and asked whether he had gained a fortuitous opportunity.

Ning Fa convinced Wan He that a legendary Mysterious Spirit Fruit explained his rapid cultivation, then accepted Liang Ruicheng's invitation to explore an Ancient Cultivator Relic for a share of its Golden Thunder Bamboo. Three days later, Ning Fa headed to the Zhilán Merchant Guild's major auction in Black Marsh Immortal City.

• Ning Fa fabricated a detailed account of consuming a Mysterious Spirit Fruit, and Wan He accepted the explanation without revealing whether he would take Ning Fa as a disciple.
• Liang Ruicheng dismissed Jing Dongji and privately invited Ning Fa to explore an Ancient Cultivator Relic at Black Phoenix Ridge, offering him a share of its Golden Thunder Bamboo.
• Liang Ruicheng showed Ning Fa a Golden Thunder Bamboo leaf that released Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder and explained that lightning attacks were needed to break the relic's core restriction.
• Ning Fa agreed to join Liang Ruicheng and Jing Dongji after the sect's disciple acceptance ceremony, drawn by the chance to obtain Golden Thunder Bamboo.
• Three days later, Ning Fa flew toward the Zhilán Merchant Guild's second-day auction in a vast pavilion above Black Marsh Immortal City.

Ning Fa attended the Zhilán Merchant Guild auction with Cheng Ziyi and Cheng Susu, where Cheng Susu won a Foundation Establishment Pill and Cheng Ziyi bought the Azure Chariot. The auction continued after Cheng Ziyi secured the ancient artifact for 235,000 spirit stones.

• Ning Fa arrived at the auction hall and joined Cheng Ziyi and Cheng Susu in a fourth-floor private room.
• Madam Li opened the auction by offering three Foundation Establishment Pills at a reduced price, and Cheng Susu won one in a drawing.
• He Yuanlang drew the winning numbers, and Cheng Ziyi told Ning Fa she had already spoken with him about the Wei Family separating from the Xudong Merchant Guild.
• Madam Li presented the Azure Chariot, an ancient artifact with defensive and offensive capabilities and two powerful bronze puppets.
• Cheng Ziyi outbid the other Golden Core Cultivators and bought the Azure Chariot for 235,000 spirit stones.

Ning Fa secured the Xuan Shen Ginseng at auction, then learned that the Changfeng Merchant Guild’s guard team had been slaughtered in an ambush. After seeing his friend Ning Nanqing among the dead, he suspected He Shaoan and Xia Mingyang were behind the attack.

• Ning Fa bid against several Golden Core Cultivators and bought the Xuan Shen Ginseng for one hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones.
• He Shaoan and Xia Mingyang recognized Ning Fa as the buyer and hinted that trouble awaited him.
• Ning Fa received Ning Zhongyuan’s message that Calamity Cultivators had devastated the merchant caravan’s guard team and hurried to the Changfeng Merchant Guild’s pavilion.
• Ning Fa found more than a dozen corpses, including Ning Nanqing and a Foundation Establishment elder of the Wei Family, and unleashed his lightning aura in grief and fury.
• Ning Zhongyuan reported that all twenty guards had perished, and Ning Fa suspected He Shaoan and Xia Mingyang had arranged the ambush.

Ning Fa used the Yin Ring to track the cultivators who attacked his family to their lair in Blood Dragon Bay. After ambushing two Foundation Establishment cultivators sent out from the island, he searched their souls for information.

• Ning Fa took the Yin Ring from Ning Zhongyuan and learned it could sense the matching Yang Ring, while suspecting the Xia Family or He Shaoan might be behind Nan Qing's death.
• Ning Fa refused to take companions, gave Ning Zhongyuan the eight-hundred-year-old Xuan Shen Ginseng, and followed the Yin Ring's signal southeast.
• Ning Fa reached Blood Dragon Bay and located a formation-shrouded island where the attackers were likely based.
• Ning Fa waited for two cultivators to leave the island, then pursued and incapacitated them with his techniques and flying needles.
• Ning Fa killed their Black Great Bird, brought the cultivators to a nearby island, and searched the tall, fat cultivator's soul.

Ning Fa lured members of the Blood Flood Dragon Society into an ambush, killing nine Foundation Establishment cultivators before heading for their lair. Meanwhile, Cheng Susu began a mysterious technique in Black Marsh Immortal City, and seven-colored spiritual auras appeared around her.

• Ning Fa learned that the Blood Flood Dragon Society was responsible for attacking the Changfeng Merchant Guild and decided to ambush its members.
• Ning Fa controlled Mao Pangzi to lure the Society's cultivators to an island, where he prepared the Wind Thunder Sky-Connecting Array.
• Ning Fa ambushed the arriving group, killing four of its seven Foundation Establishment cultivators within moments and trapping the rest in the array.
• Ning Fa slowly wore down the trapped cultivators; when no reinforcements arrived, he killed the survivors, collected their Storage Bags, and flew toward the Society's lair.
• Cheng Susu formed hand seals in a private room at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower, releasing seven-colored spiritual auras as similar auras appeared in the void.

Cheng Susu sensed that Ning Fa was in grave danger through the Exquisite Immortal Charm, so she and Cheng Ziyi set out to save him. Ning Fa had already infiltrated the Blood Flood Dragon Society's island and unleashed a lightning attack on its cultivators, leaving Xue Ye and the remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivators trapped in the storm.

• Cheng Susu used the Exquisite Immortal Charm to sense Ning Fa's danger and urged Cheng Ziyi to help him.
• Cheng Ziyi realized Cheng Susu had shared part of the charm with Ning Fa, then agreed to leave with her.
• Xue Ye refused to rescue Deng Da's missing group, believing the warning signs pointed to a trap, and decided to remain on the island under its defensive array.
• Ning Fa used the Blue Compass to infiltrate the island and killed a Mid Foundation Establishment Cultivator before confronting Xue Ye.
• Xue Ye ordered the Blood Flood Dragon Society's cultivators to attack, but Ning Fa surrounded them with a vast sea of Silver Lightning that destroyed their attacks and incinerated the Qi Refining Cultivators.

Ning Fa fought Xue Ye, whose blood-path arts were countered by Ning Fa’s Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder. After Xue Ye sacrificed the other Calamity Cultivators to awaken his Blood Demon Body, he met Ning Fa’s divine thunder with a powerful attack, and both attacks destroyed each other.

• Ning Fa sent the Dragon-Breaking Spear, Little Ice, and two puppets to battle the other cultivators while he faced Xue Ye.
• Ning Fa struck Xue Ye’s blood-shadow form with Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder, forcing him to retreat into a blood bead and suffer severe injuries.
• Ning Fa attacked Xue Ye with lightning infused with Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder and Life-Annihilation Purple Thunder, but Xue Ye escaped as blood threads and recovered with a pill.
• Xue Ye used his blood orb to trigger blood marks on nearby cultivators, draining them into dried corpses and absorbing their marks to transform into a Blood Demon Body.
• Ning Fa attacked the transformed Xue Ye with Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder, but Xue Ye’s blood-colored hand destroyed the lightning in a mutual clash.

Ning Fa defeated Xue Ye by exploiting his immunity to the demon’s soul attack and overwhelming him with divine lightning and Zi Wei Heavenly Fire. After learning that Xue Ye was Xia Guang, a hidden agent of the Xia Family, Ning Fa weighed the danger of killing him against the chance to use his crimes as protection.

• Xue Ye attacked Ning Fa with blood tentacles and a soul-shockwave ability, believing Ning Fa’s Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder was nearly exhausted.
• Ning Fa feigned injury, then embraced Xue Ye and unleashed Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder, Life-Annihilation Purple Thunder, and Zi Wei Heavenly Fire until the demon’s Blood Demon Body collapsed.
• Ning Fa restrained the nearly dead Xue Ye and learned that the Xia Family had ordered the attack on the Changfeng Merchant Guild.
• Xue Ye revealed that he was Xia Guang, a core disciple and hidden agent whose grandfather was True Person Yuanhe, the Xia Family’s First Elder.
• Ning Fa failed to search Xia Guang’s soul because a protective restriction would kill him, then considered killing him despite the Xia Family’s threat and weighed exposing the Xia Family’s calamity-cultivator operations.

Ning Fa killed Xia Guang just as an Early Golden Core cultivator arrived, then fought off the pursuer’s magic treasure and fled with Little Ice. The Golden Core cultivator caught up, leaving Ning Fa facing an imminent pursuit while still refusing to reveal his Lightning Transformation ability.

• Ning Fa considered seeking protection from the Cheng Family or gaining the sect’s favor by revealing his exceptional alchemy skills.
• Ning Fa killed Xia Guang before the arriving Core Formation Cultivator could save him, then took Xia Guang’s Storage Bag and corpse and fled.
• An Early Golden Core cultivator attacked Ning Fa with a Golden Snake Magic Treasure, but Ning Fa blocked its strike with the Dragon-Breaking Spear and escaped using the recoil.
• Ning Fa’s Purple Flame hindered the magic treasure, but the Golden Core cultivator cleared the flame, mounted the treasure, and pursued him.
• Little Ice warned that the pursuer was catching up, while Ning Fa decided not to use his Lightning Transformation ability.

Ning Fa escaped a Golden Core Cultivator with Lightning Transformation, then survived an ambush by another Golden Core Cultivator and fled again with Little Ice. The injured pursuer tracked him and continued the chase.

• Ning Fa used the Illusory Demon Escape to outrun the blond cultivator, then transformed into silver lightning and vanished beyond the horizon.
• Ning Fa hid in a mountain cave to recover while his Lightning Transformation rune cooled down.
• A transparent Golden Core Cultivator tried to seize Ning Fa, but Ning Fa revealed his trap and struck him with four thunder beads, the Nirvana Thunder Seal, and the Purple Word Mirror.
• Ning Fa escaped the collapsing cave with Little Ice while the injured Golden Core Cultivator emerged from the rubble and tracked their direction with a black Eight Trigrams disk.

Ning Fa stopped fleeing and fought the wounded Core Formation Cultivator, holding him off with his Silver Lightning, Dragon-Breaking Spear, and Zi Wei Heavenly Fire. As the cultivator unleashed a devastating secret technique, Ning Fa brought out a True Treasure and then summoned a mysterious Blue Great Bird, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Ning Fa put away Little Ice and stopped to confront the pursuing black-clad Core Formation Cultivator.
• The cultivator attacked with a black crescent blade and created two indistinguishable clones, but Ning Fa countered with Silver Lightning and the Dragon-Breaking Spear.
• Ning Fa released Zi Wei Heavenly Fire, which melted the blade radiance and stalled the cultivator’s three attacks.
• The black-clad cultivator withdrew his clones and formed a massive black tornado that overwhelmed Ning Fa’s lightning and forced back his flood dragon.
• Ning Fa used a True Treasure in the form of a Green Halberd to block the tornado, then summoned a Blue Great Bird from his Star Martial Battle Suit.