Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Hua Yaoyue Protects the Dao Once More (1)

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wen Jiu successfully delivers ten catties of Radiant-Sun Meteorite Rock to Ji Yuan. The material costs 150,000 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones and is the final component Ji Yuan needs to upgrade his Meteor Cannon.
• Wen Jiu explains that he cannot obtain the remaining Energy-Gathering Stone, but reveals that the Soul-Devouring Venerable—now residing at Cloudcliff Abbey—may possess three of them.
• Ji Yuan considers several possible methods of acquiring the stones, including trading with Nascent Soul cultivators using treasures such as:
  • The Yin-Transforming Spirit-Absorption Scripture
  • Ageless Spring
  • The Concealment Hat and Lightning-Chasing Soaring Cloud
  • The Nine-Nether Lifeburn Brew
• He decides that seeking help from the Three Immortal Isles is safer than dealing with Mei Zhuang, the powerful Nascent Soul Late Stage Sea Ruins Lord. Hua Yaoyue had previously told Ji Yuan to seek the Three Immortal Isles if he encountered serious trouble.
• Ji Yuan travels from Winterfrost City through Black-and-White City and Southern Border City, then journeys across the sea toward the Three Immortal Isles. He conceals himself inside his life-bound treasure, Lingtai Square-Inch Mountain, while the Golden Core Corpse Puppet Hundred-Insect Immortal transports him.
• Upon reaching the Three Immortal Isles, Ji Yuan announces himself as Hua Yaoyue’s disciple. He is met by an old man who recognizes him after Ji Yuan removes his disguise.
• The old man is revealed to be Long Ba, the powerful demon Ji Yuan previously encountered beneath the Water Dragon Sect. Long Ba is a Fourth-Tier Mid Stage great demon, equivalent to a Human Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator.
• Long Ba brings Ji Yuan to his underwater residence and explains that he had secretly protected Ji Yuan during his Golden Core breakthrough. At Hua Yaoyue’s request, he concealed the breakthrough phenomenon so that powerful cultivators would not notice Ji Yuan’s extraordinary potential and attempt to capture him as a possession vessel.
• Long Ba also reveals that the Joy Palace relocated to the Abyssal Continent and merged with Cloudcliff Abbey, though very few people know this.
• He warns Ji Yuan to find a secure place before attempting to form his Nascent Soul, since the resulting heavenly phenomenon will be extremely powerful. Long Ba promises to protect Ji Yuan during that breakthrough if it occurs on the Abyssal Continent.
• Ji Yuan recounts his troubles with the Bone Nightmare Sect and Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother, though he deliberately presents some matters in a more pitiful light and conceals his Spirit-Cutting Technique.
• Long Ba offers to have Mei Zhuang negotiate Ji Yuan’s release from the Bone-Nightmare Old Devil, but Ji Yuan refuses, claiming he has another solution.
• Ji Yuan finally reveals his actual purpose: he needs two Energy-Gathering Stones and has come to ask Long Ba for assistance.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan demonstrates increasing strategic awareness. He carefully weighs the dangers of dealing with various Nascent Soul cultivators and chooses the Three Immortal Isles as the safest route.
• He also shows greater confidence in using his connections and treasures, while remaining cautious about revealing his full strength and abilities.
• Ji Yuan’s understanding of Hua Yaoyue deepens. He realizes that she has repeatedly protected him from the shadows, including during his Golden Core breakthrough.
• Wen Jiu benefits politically from Ji Yuan’s enormous purchases, gaining greater standing and access to resources within the Black-and-White Divine Hall.
• Long Ba is established as a reliable elder and protector. Though he cannot directly defeat the Bone-Nightmare Old Devil, he is willing to help Ji Yuan and personally offers future protection.
• Hua Yaoyue remains absent but exerts a major influence through the arrangements she made for Ji Yuan’s safety.

Significant Themes

• Hidden protection and mentorship: Hua Yaoyue continues to safeguard Ji Yuan without informing him, reinforcing the chapter’s central idea that powerful mentors may protect their disciples from behind the scenes.
• The dangers of extraordinary talent: Ji Yuan’s unusually powerful breakthroughs make him a target for stronger cultivators, forcing him to conceal his abilities.
• Strategic dependence and alliances: Ji Yuan must rely on relationships with powerful figures because he lacks the cultivation to obtain the Energy-Gathering Stones himself.
• Caution versus ambition: Although Ji Yuan urgently needs the stones to advance his cultivation and upgrade his weapon, he repeatedly rejects overly dangerous options and plans carefully.
• The shifting balance of power: The relocation of the Joy Palace and its merger with Cloudcliff Abbey hint at major changes among the continent’s great factions.

Important Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan and Wen Jiu: They exchange thanks and discuss the Energy-Gathering Stone. Wen Jiu provides crucial intelligence about Cloudcliff Abbey and the Soul-Devouring Venerable.
• Ji Yuan and Long Ba: Their reunion shifts from cautious formality to familial familiarity once Ji Yuan recognizes Long Ba as Hua Yaoyue’s ally. Long Ba reveals his past protection and offers continued support.
• Ji Yuan and Hua Yaoyue: Though she is not present, Ji Yuan learns that she arranged Long Ba’s protection and anticipated both the dangers of his Golden Core breakthrough and the difficulties he would face afterward.
• Ji Yuan and the Bone Nightmare Sect: Ji Yuan describes his hostile encounters with the Bone-Nightmare Old Devil and Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother, establishing the ongoing danger posed by these enemies.
• Long Ba and Mei Zhuang: Long Ba suggests using his relationship with Mei Zhuang to negotiate Ji Yuan’s freedom, showing that even powerful figures must rely on political bargaining rather than direct confrontation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Yuan asks Long Ba for two Energy-Gathering Stones, which are possessed by Soul-Devouring Venerable of Cloudcliff Abbey. Long Ba initially assumes Ji Yuan intends to kill him, but Ji Yuan clarifies that he wants to find a nonviolent way to obtain them.
• Long Ba explains Cloudcliff Abbey’s unstable internal balance: Joyful Madam and Soul-Devouring Venerable represent one faction, opposed to Formation Old Freak and Baize Immortal Physician. Though powerful, the abbey risks splitting between orthodox and demonic forces.
• Ji Yuan and Long Ba travel toward Cloudcliff Island to investigate Soul-Devouring Venerable. Along the way, Long Ba reveals that he is an extremely ancient demon who lived during the era of the Shang Court. He also explains how Mei Zhuang seized control of the Sea Ruins through ruthless but effective leadership.
• Long Ba describes Mei Zhuang as politically formidable and warns Ji Yuan to be cautious around him.
• After more than a month of travel, they reach Cloudcliff Island and learn that Soul-Devouring Venerable lives with Joyful Madam on Luoyun Isle rather than at Cloudcliff Abbey.
• They travel to Luoyun Isle. Long Ba creates an avatar resembling the divine beast Baxia, revealing that his true form is far more extraordinary than an ordinary Fourth-Tier demon beast. His avatar attempts to lure Joyful Madam and Soul-Devouring Venerable out, but neither appears.
• Ji Yuan concludes that Joyful Madam is probably absent. He refuses to reveal his Heavenly Grotto Dharma Treasure to Long Ba, choosing instead to infiltrate Luoyun Isle alone while Long Ba waits outside.
• Ji Yuan disguises himself as True Person Changkun, an old Sword Ruins identity. He enters Luoyun Isle during the confusion caused by Long Ba’s summoned Baxia.
• On the island, he unexpectedly encounters Lady Meiru, an old acquaintance from Joy Palace. She recognizes him but follows his silent request not to expose his identity.
• Lady Meiru brings Ji Yuan to a private cave residence. He claims that he survived the destruction of Sword Ruins, recovered after years among mortals, and came to the Abyssal Continent seeking resources and revenge.
• Lady Meiru reveals that Joyful Madam, the Palace Master, is away, while Soul-Devouring Venerable is currently overseeing the island.
• Ji Yuan considers whether to have Long Ba enter and intimidate Soul-Devouring Venerable, but worries about exposing too much and causing trouble for Lady Meiru. He instead plans to breach the island’s protective formation himself.
• After secretly reaching the southern side of the island, Ji Yuan uses his Truth-Piercing Divine Eye to study the formation and then releases his Divine Sense. He detects only one Nascent Soul aura—Soul-Devouring Venerable, who notices the intrusion.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan becomes increasingly cautious and strategic. Though he trusts Long Ba’s strength, he deliberately withholds the secret of Lingtai Square-Inch Mountain, recognizing that even a dependable ally might be tempted by a Heavenly Grotto Dharma Treasure.
• He also demonstrates skill in deception, adopting Changkun’s identity and convincingly maintaining the persona of a grieving survivor of Sword Ruins.
• Long Ba is established as ancient, powerful, and highly reliable, but also blunt and inclined toward direct violence. His true identity as a Baxia-like divine beast suggests immense future potential beyond the normal limits of a Fourth-Tier demon.
• Long Ba’s concern for Ji Yuan becomes clearer through his warnings about Mei Zhuang and his willingness to support Ji Yuan without demanding explanations.
• Lady Meiru retains loyalty to her former companions from Cangluo and warmly welcomes Ji Yuan, showing sympathy for displaced cultivators and the hardships Joy Palace endured.
• Soul-Devouring Venerable remains mostly unseen but becomes the immediate target of Ji Yuan’s infiltration and negotiation.
• Joyful Madam’s absence creates an opportunity for Ji Yuan, while her relationship with Soul-Devouring Venerable explains why confronting him directly would be dangerous.

Significant Themes

• Trust and suspicion: Ji Yuan appreciates Long Ba’s loyalty but refuses to place complete trust in him, emphasizing the tension between cooperation and self-preservation.
• Displacement and homesickness: The survivors of Sword Ruins and Joy Palace are refugees from Cangluo, united by memories of destroyed homes and lost sects.
• Political instability: Cloudcliff Abbey’s alliance contains opposing factions, showing how power can create unity while also concealing deep fractures.
• Age, legacy, and survival: Long Ba and Mei Zhuang’s survival from the Shang Court era contrasts with the shorter lifespans of human cultivators and highlights the weight of ancient history.
• Strategy over force: Ji Yuan repeatedly seeks alternatives to killing, preferring infiltration, deception, negotiation, or manipulation of circumstances.
• Identity and performance: Ji Yuan’s use of Changkun’s identity shows how survival often requires adopting roles and controlling others’ perceptions.

Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan and Long Ba develop a cooperative mentor-and-disciple relationship, combining Long Ba’s overwhelming strength with Ji Yuan’s planning and caution.
• Their discussions about Cloudcliff Abbey, Mei Zhuang, the Shang Court, and old historical figures deepen Ji Yuan’s understanding of the wider cultivation world.
• Ji Yuan’s meeting with Lady Meiru creates an emotional connection to his past. Both recognize the shared trauma of sect destruction and exile, though Ji Yuan hides his true identity and motives.
• Lady Meiru offers Ji Yuan a place in Joy Palace, emphasizing their shared origins and the solidarity of fellow cultivators far from home.
• Ji Yuan’s final probing of Luoyun Isle brings him into direct awareness of Soul-Devouring Venerable, setting up the coming confrontation or negotiation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Soul-Devouring Venerable searches the island but finds no Nascent Soul cultivator. Before he can investigate further, Ji Yuan and Long Ba suddenly appear.
• Long Ba, a terrifying Fourth-Tier Mid-Stage demon, subdues Soul-Devouring Venerable with overwhelming strength. Ji Yuan offers a Nascent Soul cultivation technique in exchange for three Energy-Gathering Stones.
• Soul-Devouring hesitates because the technique is of little personal value to someone who has already formed a Nascent Soul. Long Ba threatens to consume him, forcing him to surrender the stones.
• After verifying that the stones are genuine and make the [Meteor Cannon] upgradeable, Long Ba binds Soul-Devouring, takes back the cultivation technique, and escapes with Ji Yuan. The exchange becomes outright robbery rather than a fair trade.
• Soul-Devouring breaks free and summons Formation Old Freak, Cloudcliff Abbey’s strongest expert. Formation Old Freak and Joyful Madam pursue Ji Yuan and Long Ba.
• Long Ba uses divination to determine that Formation Old Freak is catching up. Rather than fight directly, Ji Yuan suggests hiding with concealment treasures. They sink into stone coffins on the seabed, suppress their auras, and successfully evade all three pursuers.
• The pursuers eventually give up. Formation Old Freak compensates Soul-Devouring with a Demonblood Vine, while Joyful Madam proposes falsely reporting that Soul-Devouring was seriously injured so the Black-and-White Divine Hall might provide additional compensation.
• After remaining hidden for several months, Ji Yuan and Long Ba return to Three Immortal Isles. Ji Yuan cultivates in seclusion and upgrades the Level 2 [Spirit-Energy Cannon] into a Level 3 [Meteor Cannon].
• The upgraded cannon can kill a Nascent Soul Middle-Stage cultivator at most. It has three power settings, ranging from a Golden Core Peak strike to a Nascent Soul Middle-Stage strike, though the strongest shot consumes 60,000 Middle-Grade Spirit Stones.
• The next upgrade, to Level 4, would allow the cannon to kill a Spirit Transformation Middle-Stage cultivator, but it requires rare materials, including a Fifth-Order Demon Core, Five-Element Jade, Immortal-Ascending Stones, and high-level craftsmen.
• Ji Yuan gives the remaining Energy-Gathering Stone to Long Ba as thanks. Long Ba then gives him a willow leaf token and recommends Qingchengzi, a Nascent Soul Early-Stage rogue cultivator who can protect Ji Yuan inside the Rakshasa Sea.
• Just as Ji Yuan prepares to leave, Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother activates a mark she placed on his Divine Soul. Ji Yuan realizes she is demanding his return and may punish him for staying away too long.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan: Becomes more confident and resourceful. He helps turn a dangerous pursuit into a successful escape by proposing concealment rather than confrontation. His technological cultivation advantage grows dramatically after upgrading the Meteor Cannon, giving him a powerful trump card against Nascent Soul opponents. He also shows loyalty by sharing the final Energy-Gathering Stone with Long Ba.
• Long Ba: Demonstrates overwhelming strength, ruthlessness, and practical survival instincts. He is willing to rob Soul-Devouring Venerable outright, yet he also proves dependable and protective toward Ji Yuan. His long history of hiding and survival explains his caution despite his formidable power.
• Soul-Devouring Venerable: Suffers humiliation after being robbed in his own territory. He is forced to surrender the Energy-Gathering Stones and later manipulates the situation to obtain compensation from Cloudcliff Abbey.
• Formation Old Freak: Reveals immense speed and authority but remains cautious about directly confronting the Sea Ruins. He compensates Soul-Devouring to preserve Cloudcliff Abbey’s internal alliance.
• Joyful Madam: Acts as a mediator between Soul-Devouring and Formation Old Freak. She is politically shrewd, suggesting they exploit the incident to gain resources from the Black-and-White Divine Hall.
• Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother: Her control over Ji Yuan’s Divine Soul becomes an immediate threat, reminding him that his freedom is still limited by the Bone Demon Sect.

Significant Themes

• Survival through caution: Even powerful cultivators avoid unnecessary battles when enemies, reinforcements, or political consequences are uncertain.
• Strength and intimidation: Long Ba wins the negotiation not through equal exchange but through overwhelming force, showing how power determines fairness in the cultivation world.
• Pragmatism over honor: Soul-Devouring accepts humiliation to survive, while Formation Old Freak and Joyful Madam manipulate the truth to recover losses.
• Technological advancement as power: Ji Yuan’s upgrade system allows him to leap beyond normal cultivation limits, giving him artillery capable of threatening much stronger opponents.
• Reciprocity and loyalty: Ji Yuan’s gift to Long Ba and Long Ba’s protective token show their growing mutual trust.
• Freedom versus control: Although Ji Yuan gains strength and allies, Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother’s soul mark proves that he remains entangled with the Bone Demon Sect.

Character Interactions

• Long Ba dominates Soul-Devouring Venerable physically, forcing him to surrender the Energy-Gathering Stones and later taking back the cultivation technique.
• Ji Yuan privately criticizes Long Ba’s reckless, robbery-oriented behavior but continues relying on him for protection and judgment.
• Soul-Devouring appeals to Formation Old Freak after the robbery, and Formation Old Freak responds by pursuing the thieves and later compensating him.
• Joyful Madam mediates the dispute and proposes deceiving the Black-and-White Divine Hall to obtain further compensation.
• Ji Yuan and Long Ba cooperate closely during the escape, combining Long Ba’s power and divination with Ji Yuan’s concealment treasures.
• Their relationship deepens when Ji Yuan gives Long Ba the remaining Energy-Gathering Stone, while Long Ba repays his trust with guidance and protection for the upcoming Rakshasa Sea expedition.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Yuan prepares to leave Southern Border City after securing Qingchengzi’s potential protection through Long Ba.
• Long Ba gives Ji Yuan a letter left by his master, Hua Yaoyue. She reassures him that Long Ba will protect him once, but reminds him that his future path must be walked independently.
• Ji Yuan returns to Winterfrost City, disguises himself as Hu Beiji, and informs the Bone Demon Sect and Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother that he has returned.
• Back at the sect, Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother gives him an Ice Marrow Fruit and orders him to enter seclusion. Bone Demon Old Devil confirms that nothing concerning the Rakshasa Sea will happen within five years.
• Ji Yuan finds that An Yue and Yao Nu have disappeared. Magui claims they died in the Northwest Sand Prison, but Ji Yuan suspects they may have fled after abandoning the sect.
• Magui, now at Golden Core Peak, is assigned to watch Ji Yuan’s seclusion and leaves two Golden Core Early Stage Corpse Puppets outside Great Dream Island.
• Ji Yuan studies Qingchengzi’s protective willow leaf and begins cultivating the Nine-Gate Soul-Calming Scripture.
• Three years later, Ji Yuan successfully advances his Divine Sense from the half-step Nascent Soul level to the true Nascent Soul Realm.
• Upon leaving seclusion, Ji Yuan destroys Magui’s two Corpse Puppets after they attack him, signaling a new willingness to act decisively.
• Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother summons Ji Yuan to Dream Demon Island, where Bone Demon Old Devil, Magui, and High Person Yin Bone reveal that the Rakshasa Sea is about to open.
• Bone Demon Old Devil explains the Rakshasa Sea’s structure:

Outer Domain

Inner Domain

Core Area, or Holy Hall

• He reveals that Skeleton Rings and Skeleton Tokens are Yin Ghost Sect relics. Rings represent rank, while tokens determine which areas of the Rakshasa Sea one may enter.
• However, these relics only function for those who choose to enter as members of the Yin Ghost Sect; those entering as rogue cultivators cannot use them.

2. Character Developments

• Ji Yuan: Becomes more confident and assertive after attaining Nascent Soul-level Divine Sense. He moves from cautious survival toward decisive action, demonstrated by destroying Magui’s puppets rather than tolerating intimidation.
• Hua Yaoyue: Though absent, her letter emphasizes both affection and independence. She acknowledges the limits of her protection and encourages Ji Yuan to rely on himself.
• Long Ba: Shows genuine loyalty by protecting Ji Yuan, passing on Hua Yaoyue’s letter, and gifting him a willow leaf connected to Qingchengzi.
• Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother: Despite her cold and harsh manner, she clearly cares about Ji Yuan, giving him the valuable Ice Marrow Fruit and monitoring his progress.
• Bone Demon Old Devil: Reveals himself as calculating and strategic, withholding critical information until the Rakshasa Sea’s opening draws near.
• Magui: Advances to Golden Core Peak and becomes more openly hostile and controlling toward Ji Yuan, using Corpse Puppets to monitor or test him.
• An Yue and Yao Nu: Their disappearance remains mysterious. Magui claims they died, but Ji Yuan suspects they escaped instead.

3. Significant Themes

• Self-reliance and growth: Hua Yaoyue’s letter establishes the chapter’s central idea: protection can only carry Ji Yuan so far, and he must ultimately forge his own path.
• Strength changing behavior: After reaching Nascent Soul-level Divine Sense, Ji Yuan gains confidence and becomes more willing to confront threats directly.
• Hidden motives and political maneuvering: The Bone Demon Sect, Magui, and the Black-and-White Divine Hall all conceal information and maneuver for advantage before the Rakshasa Sea opens.
• Faction and identity: Entry into the Rakshasa Sea involves choosing between joining the Yin Ghost Sect or remaining a rogue cultivator, suggesting that allegiance will determine access, resources, and opportunities.
• Uncertainty and deception: The unclear fate of An Yue and Yao Nu, the mysterious relics, and the secret rules of the Rakshasa Sea reinforce the danger of trusting appearances.

4. Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan and Long Ba: Long Ba delivers Hua Yaoyue’s heartfelt letter, assures Ji Yuan of his support, and provides the willow leaf for Qingchengzi’s protection.
• Ji Yuan and Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother: Their relationship remains outwardly harsh but reveals mutual concern. She scolds him for staying away, gives him the Ice Marrow Fruit, and later summons him when important news arrives.
• Ji Yuan and Bone Demon Old Devil: The Sect Master questions Ji Yuan’s absence, then later includes him in the sect’s expedition team and shares secret information about the Rakshasa Sea.
• Ji Yuan and Magui: Their tension escalates. Magui watches Ji Yuan’s island and leaves puppets to monitor him, while Ji Yuan destroys them and taunts Magui afterward.
• Black-and-White Divine Hall elders: Elder Black and Elder White discuss the growing turmoil surrounding the Rakshasa Sea and consider killing a Nascent Soul cultivator to establish their authority.
• Ji Yuan and the expedition group: Ji Yuan joins Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother, Bone Demon Old Devil, Magui, and High Person Yin Bone as one of the five Bone Demon Sect cultivators preparing to enter the Rakshasa Sea.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bone-Nightmare Old Devil reveals the hidden rules of the Rakshasa Sea. Entrants possessing both a Yin Ghost Sect Ring and Token may choose either to become Yin Ghost Sect disciples or remain Rogue Cultivators. Those without them are automatically treated as Rogue Cultivators.
• Yin Ghost Sect disciples receive relative protection from the secret realm’s formations and dangers, but their movement is restricted by the number of tokens they possess and they receive fewer rewards. Rogue Cultivators face greater danger but can enter deeper regions and obtain better treasures.
• The Black-and-White Divine Hall announces that all of its entrants will join the Yin Ghost Sect. Bone-Nightmare Old Devil interprets this as a deliberate challenge to the Eight Sacred Grounds and orders Ji Yuan, Magui, and High Person Yin Bone to choose the Rogue Cultivator faction.
• Ji Yuan questions why the Rakshasa Sea favors Rogue Cultivators. Bone-Nightmare Old Devil theorizes that it was originally designed to cultivate Rogue Cultivators and pressure Yin Ghost Sect disciples by giving them powerful rivals.
• Bone-Nightmare Old Devil assigns Ji Yuan the task of obtaining a Soul-Restoring Fruit. In exchange, he promises to return the wisp of Divine Soul under his control.
• Ji Yuan secretly distrusts him and plans to fake his death after entering the Rakshasa Sea. Unlike the others, he decides to join the Yin Ghost Sect, using his multiple rings and tokens to access every region while benefiting from the secret realm’s apparent protection of its own disciples.
• Bone-Nightmare Old Devil gives Ji Yuan a powerful True Treasure talisman, shaped like a wolf-hair brush, for protection. Ji Yuan also studies intelligence on the major factions and powerful Golden Core cultivators.
• The most dangerous Core Formation cultivators identified are Rogue Cultivator Xun Tianji, Black-and-White Divine Hall’s Xiao Xuan, and Heavenly Fiend Mountain’s Wu Busheng. Ji Yuan also learns that the Black-and-White Divine Hall may send around ten Golden Core Peak cultivators.
• After two months of preparation, Bone-Nightmare Old Devil summons the group to Nightmare Island. They travel to a massive sinkhole in the Northwest Sand Prison, where eight platforms have been established around the suspected entrance to the Rakshasa Sea.
• Numerous experts from the Eight Sacred Grounds and powerful Rogue Cultivators gather. These include Nascent Soul cultivators from Heavenly Fiend Mountain, the Soul-Refining Hall, Wave-Listening Pavilion, Profound Purity Sect, Profound Serpent Manor, and others.
• Cloudcliff Abbey’s arrival causes particular shock because it brings Joyful Madam, a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator, and Soul-Devouring Venerable, Ji Yuan’s former enemy.
• At the end of the chapter, two mysterious figures—one black and one white—appear above the sinkhole. Their overwhelming pressure forces the Golden Core cultivators to lower their heads. One of them notices Ji Yuan’s unusually powerful Divine Soul and speaks directly into his consciousness.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan/Hu Beizhi: Demonstrates increasing caution, strategic thinking, and distrust. He outwardly agrees to Bone-Nightmare Old Devil’s plans while secretly preparing to betray him. His multiple rings and tokens give him unique freedom, and he chooses the Yin Ghost Sect faction for safety and access rather than following orders.
• Bone-Nightmare Old Devil: Reveals himself as both politically calculating and personally manipulative. He intends to use Ji Yuan to obtain the Soul-Restoring Fruit while pursuing breakthrough resources for himself and Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother. He also shows confidence in Ji Yuan’s survival after granting him a powerful defensive treasure.
• Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother: Displays anxiety about the dangers of the Rakshasa Sea but is reassured by Bone-Nightmare Old Devil. Her close relationship with him is emphasized.
• Magui: Acts as the group’s primary source of information and understands the Black-and-White Divine Hall’s possible intentions. He is also designated as a backup who may seek the Evergreen Fruit.
• High Person Yin Bone: Shows ambition, hoping to use the Rakshasa Sea as an opportunity to achieve Nascent Soul Formation.
• The Black-and-White Divine Hall: Emerges as a major rival faction, apparently preparing its disciples to control the Yin Ghost Sect side and obstruct the Eight Sacred Grounds’ Rogue Cultivators.
• Joyful Madam and Soul-Devouring Venerable: Their alliance with Cloudcliff Abbey expands the political and personal tensions surrounding the upcoming expedition.

Significant Themes

• Safety versus opportunity: Yin Ghost Sect disciples enjoy protection but lose access to the best rewards, while Rogue Cultivators gain freedom and treasure at far greater risk.
• Deception and hidden agendas: Nearly every faction appears to have concealed motives. Bone-Nightmare Old Devil manipulates Ji Yuan, while Ji Yuan secretly plans to deceive him in return.
• Power struggles among factions: The Rakshasa Sea becomes a battlefield where the Eight Sacred Grounds, Black-and-White Divine Hall, Rogue Cultivators, and possibly the secret realm’s own guardian will compete.
• Preparation and information as power: Detailed intelligence, faction knowledge, defensive treasures, and understanding the secret realm’s rules may be as important as cultivation strength.
• The unknown will of the Rakshasa Sea: The realm seems to possess an active consciousness or formation spirit that distinguishes between Yin Ghost Sect disciples and outsiders, making faction choice potentially decisive.
• Ambition and breakthrough: Many Nascent Soul cultivators enter seeking rare resources, lifespan-extending treasures, or opportunities to advance their cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Bone-Nightmare Old Devil explains the faction system to Ji Yuan, Magui, and High Person Yin Bone, while Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother challenges Magui’s assumption that joining the Yin Ghost Sect is automatically superior.
• Ji Yuan’s questions prompt discussion of the Rakshasa Sea’s original purpose and expose gaps in the Black-and-White Divine Hall’s knowledge.
• Bone-Nightmare Old Devil privately pressures Ji Yuan to obtain the Soul-Restoring Fruit, while Ji Yuan conceals his intention to escape his control.
• Bone-Nightmare Old Devil and Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother interact as devoted partners, reassuring each other and planning their expedition together.
• Magui provides Ji Yuan and High Person Yin Bone with information about the various Nascent Soul experts and faction representatives they encounter.
• Ji Yuan senses hostility from Mo Tusheng, another cultivator who possesses Corpse Yin Demonfire.
• The arrival of Cloudcliff Abbey, especially Joyful Madam and Soul-Devouring Venerable, creates unease among the gathered factions.
• The chapter ends with the mysterious black-and-white figures taking control of the gathering and directly noticing Ji Yuan’s exceptional Divine Soul.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Rakshasa Sea’s opening ceremony begins under the supervision of the Black-and-White Fiends, two late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
• Elder Black activates a massive formation using eight golden True Dragons and chains to pull open the entrance beneath the platforms.
• Instead of opening normally, the formation triggers an eruption of terrifying yin energy that blinds and deafens everyone, disrupting the ceremony.
• During the chaos, the Black-and-White Fiends kill Soul-Devouring Venerable, a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator from Cloudcliff Abbey, claiming he had betrayed humanity by colluding with the Abyssal Sea Demon Race.
• Elder White dismisses the incident as a “small accident” and announces that the Rakshasa Sea will fully open in three months.
• The various factions begin forming alliances and discussing their plans for entering the Secret Realm.
• Pagoda Mountain is revealed to possibly be located in the Rakshasa Sea’s core region. It is said to contain immense treasures and opportunities for Nascent Soul cultivators.
• Bone Demon Old Devil orders Ji Yuan, Magui, and High Person Yin Bone to disguise themselves as rogue cultivators and avoid joining the Yin Ghost Sect. Magui and Yin Bone are instructed to reach the core region, while Ji Yuan is told to withdraw after completing his mission.
• Several months later, the enormous Bronze Gate of the Rakshasa Sea appears in the sky. The Black-and-White Fiends enter first, followed by the three major Demonic Dao sects, with Ji Yuan among them.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan: Becomes increasingly wary and observant, recognizing the political motives behind the Black-and-White Divine Hall’s actions. He successfully conceals his knowledge and identity, remains cautious around powerful cultivators, and continues improving his strength through meditation and study of the Sword Canon.
• Bone Demon Old Devil: Demonstrates protective concern for Ji Yuan and his disciples, warning them not to act rashly during the formation disaster. He also reveals himself as a politically active leader who maintains alliances and carefully plans his sect’s movements.
• Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother: Supports Ji Yuan and helps him interpret the complex factional situation. She also acts as his immediate protector.
• Magui and High Person Yin Bone: Become more invested in the possibility of obtaining treasures or achieving Nascent Soul Formation through Pagoda Mountain.
• Soul-Devouring Venerable: Is abruptly executed, demonstrating the vulnerability of even Nascent Soul cultivators before the Black-and-White Fiends.
• Joyful Madam: Is left terrified and politically weakened after witnessing Soul-Devouring Venerable’s death. She returns to Cloudcliff Abbey to discuss the consequences.
• Mo Tusheng: Approaches Ji Yuan after learning that he possesses Corpse Yin Demonfire. Although he presents himself as friendly and eager to exchange cultivation insights, Ji Yuan suspects he is actually assessing him as a future rival or target.
• Qingchengzi and Ying Changkong: Align themselves with Profound Serpent Manor, helping establish a separate rogue-cultivator faction.

Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: The Black-and-White Divine Hall kills a Nascent Soul cultivator to establish dominance and force the other Sacred Grounds into obedience.
• Political maneuvering: The conflict surrounding Cloudcliff Abbey suggests that Soul-Devouring Venerable’s death may have been requested or permitted by Cloudcliff’s internal rivals to restore the balance of power.
• Factional division and shifting alliances: The cultivators divide into Orthodox Dao, Demonic Dao, rogue cultivator, and Black-and-White Divine Hall factions before entering the Rakshasa Sea.
• Hidden identities and deception: Ji Yuan must conceal his true background, while the mysterious Profound Serpent Manor Master may secretly be a transformed great demon.
• Opportunity and danger: Pagoda Mountain promises extraordinary treasures and breakthroughs, but its appearance is expected to cause intense conflict and bloodshed.
• Caution before strength: Ji Yuan survives by observing carefully, following Bone Demon Old Devil’s instructions, and avoiding unnecessary confrontation.

Character Interactions

• Bone Demon Old Devil warns Ji Yuan to stay close during the yin-energy eruption, prompting Ji Yuan to protectively position himself between Bone Demon Old Devil and Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother.
• Ji Yuan tells Magui to remain silent and follow the Sect Master’s orders when Magui approaches him during the crisis.
• The Demonic Dao leaders discuss the political significance of Soul-Devouring Venerable’s execution and speculate that Cloudcliff Abbey’s internal faction may have enabled it.
• Bone Demon Old Devil tests Ji Yuan by asking why the Black-and-White Divine Hall chose Soul-Devouring Venerable as its target; Ji Yuan gives a cautious answer that avoids revealing his knowledge.
• Mo Tusheng and Ji Yuan compare their Corpse Yin Demonfires, exchanging polite words while secretly assessing one another.
• Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother explains to Ji Yuan why the other factions distrust Profound Serpent Manor and reveals rumors about its master’s identity.
• Bone Demon Old Devil gives Ji Yuan, Magui, and High Person Yin Bone their final instructions before the Rakshasa Sea opens, emphasizing secrecy and survival.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Rakshasa Sea opens, and cultivators from the major Demonic and Orthodox Dao sects, as well as numerous Rogue Cultivators, rush through the bronze gate. The Black-and-White Divine Hall enters through an underground passage.
• Ji Yuan arrives in the Rakshasa Sea and is immediately contacted by Ghost Envoy, the formation spirit of the Yin Ghost Sect. Because Ji Yuan possesses two Yin Ghost rings and three passage tokens—and has met Ghost Envoy before—he is recognized as a Yin Ghost Sect disciple.
• Ghost Envoy grants Ji Yuan a golden Yin Ghost token and the status of Silver-Robed Steward, allowing him to command Copper-Robed Disciples and travel between the Rakshasa Sea’s regions. Ji Yuan also learns that he can remove the Yin Ghost robes and disguise himself as a Rogue Cultivator.
• Ji Yuan is transported to a massive Yin Ghost Sect plaza populated mainly by Black-and-White Divine Hall cultivators. He conceals his true Nascent Soul cultivation and adopts an arrogant attitude to avoid suspicion.
• A hidden Nascent Soul cultivator among the Golden-Robed Elders, Jade Dew Wanderer, senses Ji Yuan’s powerful Divine Sense but cannot locate him, becoming wary that a superior expert may be present.
• Ghost Envoy organizes the disciples into teams and announces that “enemies” have invaded the sect. Each disciple receives an identity jade tablet recording sect contributions. Ji Yuan is designated Silver Thirteen.
• Dong Xiuwen, a Golden-Robed Elder, commands Ji Yuan’s group to enter the Hundred-Ghost Mistwood and kill Rogue Cultivators. Ji Yuan is assigned five Copper-Robed Disciples.
• Ji Yuan tests the jade tablet and discovers that, as team leader, he can track his subordinates. He also confirms that the Golden Ghost Token can open a gateway to other regions, though the inner domain is not yet accessible.
• In the Hundred-Ghost Mistwood, Ji Yuan learns the rules for both factions:
  • Yin Ghost Sect disciples can command wandering souls and use Phantom Image Formation banners to kill Rogue Cultivators.
  • Rogue Cultivators can earn Merit Points by killing wandering souls, destroying formations, killing Yin Ghost Sect disciples, and surviving the trial.
• Ji Yuan captures and examines a Golden Core Early Stage wandering soul, learning that it can create illusions and possess cultivators. He then disguises himself as a Yin Ghost Sect member to lure the soul close before killing it, earning two Merit Points.
• Ji Yuan then encounters another cultivator who appears to be copying his own tactic—pretending to be a Rogue Cultivator before putting on Yin Ghost Sect robes.
• The chapter ends with Qiu Qian arriving too late to rescue the imprisoned Rakshasas. His master, Dream-Demon True Lord, reveals that he was once a Yin Ghost Sect disciple and intends to use that identity to enter the sect. Qiu Qian looks forward to reviving the terror once associated with “Old Devil Ji.”

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan: Demonstrates caution, deception, and opportunism. He exploits his old relationship with Ghost Envoy to obtain official Yin Ghost Sect status while preserving the ability to act as a Rogue Cultivator. He also begins investigating the sect’s hidden rules and potential weaknesses.
• Ghost Envoy: Treats the Rakshasa Sea as a rigidly regulated system, granting status and rewards according to sect rules and contribution points. His connection with Ji Yuan is familiar but still limited by those rules.
• Jade Dew Wanderer: Becomes highly suspicious after sensing an unidentified Nascent Soul Divine Sense. His confidence turns into caution as he realizes a powerful hidden expert may be present.
• Ji Yuan’s five subordinates: Their loyalties are divided. The two women identify themselves with the Black-and-White Divine Hall and cautiously align with Ji Yuan, while the three men are Rogue Cultivators who show less respect for the sect.
• Qiu Qian and Dream-Demon True Lord: Enter the story at the end as a new threat or disruptive force. Qiu Qian trusts his master completely, while Dream-Demon True Lord reveals a past connection to the Yin Ghost Sect.

Significant Themes

• Identity and allegiance: The chapter repeatedly blurs the distinction between sect disciple and Rogue Cultivator. Ji Yuan can change factions simply by changing his robes, suggesting that loyalty may be performative and strategic.
• Rules versus exploitation: The Yin Ghost Sect operates through strict systems of rank, contribution, tokens, and formations, but Ji Yuan continually looks for loopholes to manipulate those systems.
• Appearance and deception: Cultivation level, robes, tokens, and false identities determine how others react. Ji Yuan survives by concealing his true power and presenting different identities to different enemies.
• Institutional fanaticism: The Black-and-White Divine Hall disciples enthusiastically repeat “Everything is for the sect,” even though they are outsiders competing for treasure. Their performance suggests the sect may know more about the Rakshasa Sea than it has revealed.
• Conflict engineered by the system: The rules deliberately encourage both Yin Ghost Sect disciples and Rogue Cultivators to kill each other, implying that the Rakshasa Sea may be designed to create conflict and harvest some unknown benefit.

Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan negotiates with Ghost Envoy, using their previous acquaintance to secure recognition and additional status.
• He deliberately intimidates a curious Silver-Robed Steward to prevent questions about his origins.
• Jade Dew Wanderer senses Ji Yuan’s Divine Sense but cannot confront or identify him.
• Ji Yuan clashes verbally with his assigned team, concealing his outsider status while convincing the others that he belongs to the Black-and-White Divine Hall.
• The two female disciples cautiously accept Ji Yuan’s leadership, while the three male Rogue Cultivators remain skeptical and independent.
• Ji Yuan interacts with the wandering soul as both a Yin Ghost Sect commander and a Rogue Cultivator, discovering that its behavior changes according to his apparent allegiance.
• Qiu Qian and Dream-Demon True Lord discuss entering the Rakshasa Sea through the master’s former Yin Ghost Sect identity, setting up their likely confrontation with Ji Yuan.

Chapter Summary: “Encounter; Young Friend [Monthly Ticket Request]”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Yuan realizes that the mysterious Golden Core cultivator before him likely possesses Yin Ghost Sect inheritance, just as he does. Both men secretly investigate one another while disguising themselves as Yin Ghost Sect members.
• Ji Yuan adopts the alias Qiu Qianhai, claiming to be a young disciple of the Black-and-White Divine Hall with a powerful Nascent Soul ancestor behind him.
• The other cultivator introduces himself as Qi Xiu, a rogue cultivator from the Eastern Region. Both immediately recognize the potential value of the other’s identity and abilities.
• Qi Xiu falsely claims that Heavenly Fiend Mountain cultivators Wu Busheng and Yan Zhirou attacked his group. Ji Yuan recognizes the lie, since Wu Busheng never entered the Rakshasa Sea, suggesting Qi Xiu killed his own companions.
• Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu form a temporary team while exploring the Hundred-Ghost Mistwood. Qi Xiu kills rogue cultivators to obtain Contribution/Merit Points and allows Ji Yuan to claim some kills.
• They discover that Yin Ghost Sect disciples can control up to three ghosts, each no stronger than their own cultivation. Qi Xiu possesses two Golden Core Late-Stage ghosts.
• Ji Yuan’s team members begin dying one after another. The sole survivor, Yan Jin, flees toward Ji Yuan and reports that they were attacked by Xun Tianji, the number-one cultivator beneath the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Xun Tianji appears and reveals that the legendary Ultimate Dao Devil Lord was not his father, but his mother. He challenges Qi Xiu, who is forced to admit that Xun Tianji defeated him in the past.
• Xun Tianji spares Ji Yuan and Yan Jin because of his friendship with Qi Xiu, then proceeds deeper into the Mistwood toward the next trial.
• Yan Jin reveals that entry into the second trial requires either at least one hundred rogue cultivators to qualify for transfer or one hundred Contribution Points. He and Ji Yuan each possess too few points, while Qi Xiu decides to leave and hunt independently.
• Yan Jin exposes Qi Xiu’s communication talisman as a tracking device. He then reveals that he, too, was merely disguising himself as a Yin Ghost Sect disciple.
• Yan Jin’s true identity is Qingchengzi, who came to meet Ji Yuan after hearing about him from Long Ba. He departs for the deeper regions.
• Ji Yuan sends a Corpse Puppet carrying Qi Xiu’s tracking talisman away as a decoy. He then severs the remaining connection between himself and the Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother using the Spirit-Cutting Technique.
• Ji Yuan abandons his former identity as Hu Beizhi and prepares to hunt for Merit Points independently.
• Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother immediately senses that Hu Beizhi has died, confirming that Ji Yuan’s severing of their Divine Soul connection successfully supports his disguise.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan: Becomes increasingly cautious and strategic. He manipulates his identity, tests others’ lies, uses a Corpse Puppet to foil tracking, and finally cuts ties with Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother so he can operate freely.
• Qi Xiu: Is revealed as ruthless, deceptive, and highly capable. He secretly kills former companions and rogue cultivators, while also seeking to exploit Ji Yuan’s apparent Black-and-White Divine Hall background. His past defeat by Xun Tianji exposes a rare weakness.
• Xun Tianji: Establishes himself as overwhelmingly powerful and confident. He knows Qi Xiu well, treats their rivalry casually, and is strong enough to intimidate everyone present without needing to fight.
• Yan Jin/Qingchengzi: Appears cunning and pragmatic, killing Black-and-White Divine Hall disciples and abandoning allies when necessary. His true identity reveals that he is connected to Ji Yuan through Long Ba and may have deliberately joined Ji Yuan’s group.
• Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother: Learns that Hu Beizhi has died, though she does not yet know that Ji Yuan engineered the death of that identity.

Significant Themes

• Identity and deception: Nearly every major cultivator uses false names, disguises, or double identities. Trust is temporary and always mixed with calculation.
• Survival in a ruthless cultivation world: Companions are treated as expendable, and even allies may kill or betray one another for points, inheritance, or escape.
• The danger of reputation: Names such as Xun Tianji and the Ultimate Dao Devil Lord carry enormous weight, influencing others before combat even begins.
• Strategic manipulation: Ji Yuan survives not through brute force alone, but by controlling information, planting false clues, and anticipating others’ motives.
• The cost and value of inheritance: The Yin Ghost Sect’s techniques, artifacts, and hidden identities make its disciples powerful targets, while the trial system encourages slaughter and competition.

Important Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu exchange polite words while secretly probing each other’s origins, strength, and intentions.
• Qi Xiu flatters Ji Yuan’s supposed Black-and-White Divine Hall background and attempts to use him as protection and cover.
• Xun Tianji and Qi Xiu reveal a hostile history when Xun Tianji challenges him over their previous battle.
• Xun Tianji spares Ji Yuan and Yan Jin because of his relationship with Qi Xiu, though the encounter leaves Qi Xiu humiliated and fearful.
• Yan Jin and Ji Yuan mutually expose their disguises and recognize that both are operating as double agents.
• Qingchengzi hints at a connection between Ji Yuan and the wider Nascent Soul-level power network through Long Ba, suggesting that Ji Yuan’s actions are already being observed by powerful figures.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother learns that her new disciple has died during the first trial. Her anger nearly sparks a confrontation among the assembled Nascent Soul cultivators.
• Profound Yellow Child mocks Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother, prompting threats from Bone Demon Old Devil. True Lord Profound Purity warns Bone Demon that he could kill him, but the conflict is temporarily restrained.
• In the Hundred-Ghost Mist Forest, Ji Yuan kills a Black-and-White Divine Hall disciple and discovers that those slain in the Rakshasa Sea leave behind no Divine Soul or Yin Soul. He suspects this may be connected to the Ghost Envoy’s plan to make the two factions slaughter each other.
• Ji Yuan reaches 101 Merit Points and continues searching for the entrance to the second stage. He discovers High Person Yin Bone traveling under the Yin Ghost Sect’s protection, despite previously claiming he would enter as a rogue cultivator.
• Ji Yuan learns that Xun Tianji has occupied the second-stage entrance and is killing Black-and-White Divine Hall disciples, apparently to avenge his mother, the suspected Extreme Dao Devil Lord killed by the Black-and-White Fiends.
• Disguising himself as a rogue cultivator, Ji Yuan safely passes Xun Tianji and enters the second stage. His Merit Points can now be exchanged for cultivation resources, though the prices are extremely high.
• He spends 200 Merit Points to obtain half a jin of Yin-Yang Soil, a material needed to upgrade his Spirit Field and eventually cultivate the Nascent-Soul Fruit.
• The Ghost Envoy transports Ji Yuan to the Ghost-Soul Ancient Road, where he is assigned to guard a Baleful-Yin Stele as an apparent Yin Ghost Sect disciple. He gains control over the stele and nearby Gargoyles, which can attack rogue cultivators attempting to cross.
• Ji Yuan witnesses Magui brutally destroy a Baleful-Yin Stele and kill a Late Golden Core steward. Soon afterward, Ji Yuan is attacked by an elderly rogue cultivator. His stele and a summoned Gargoyle defeat the man, earning Ji Yuan two contribution points.
• Ji Yuan and Shi Ming speculate that the Rakshasa Sea has deliberately delayed the release of rogue cultivators, intending to send them into the trial in a large wave.
• After several quiet days, hundreds of rogue cultivators suddenly appear on the Ghost-Soul Ancient Road, signaling that the second trial has truly begun.
• At the same moment, Ji Yuan feels an intense sensation in his dantian and realizes his Golden Core is shedding its final golden layer and transforming into a Blood Core.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan becomes increasingly powerful and experienced. His magical power approaches the Blood Core realm, allowing him to dominate most Golden Core Middle Stage cultivators and eventually defeat Late Stage opponents.
• He grows more calculating, using disguise and caution to avoid unnecessary conflicts with Xun Tianji and High Person Yin Bone.
• Ji Yuan remains morally conflicted. He hesitates to attack the elderly rogue cultivator, though he ultimately kills him indirectly through the Baleful-Yin Stele and Gargoyle.
• His main long-term objective becomes clear: acquire the resources needed to upgrade the Spirit Field and obtain the Nascent-Soul Fruit, which may compensate for his False Spiritual Root and help him form a Nascent Soul.
• Xun Tianji is established as a ruthless but selective killer, allowing rogue cultivators through while massacring Black-and-White Divine Hall disciples.
• Magui reveals a far more violent and formidable side, effortlessly destroying defensive formations and showing no mercy to his enemies.
• High Person Yin Bone appears cautious and politically pragmatic, hiding his true affiliation and refusing to involve himself in the Yin Ghost Sect’s conflict.
• The Ghost Envoy continues to manipulate Ji Yuan through the rules of the trials, but shows a slight improvement in attitude when Ji Yuan repeats the slogan, “Everything is for the sect!”

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and hidden motives: The disappearance of souls after death suggests the trials may be designed to serve the Ghost Envoy’s larger plan.
• Survival through deception: Ji Yuan repeatedly relies on disguises, restraint, and careful observation rather than openly confronting powerful enemies.
• Resource scarcity and cultivation ambition: The exchange system emphasizes how difficult advancement is, especially for Ji Yuan’s False Spiritual Root.
• Moral compromise: Ji Yuan dislikes needless killing, yet the trial forces him to participate in a system where survival and cultivation depend on slaughter.
• Factional conflict and revenge: Xun Tianji’s killings are driven by personal vengeance, while the Bone Demon Sect, Yin Ghost Sect, and Black-and-White Divine Hall pursue shifting alliances and rivalries.
• Transformation and breakthrough: The chapter ends with Ji Yuan’s Golden Core evolving into a Blood Core, marking a major advancement and foreshadowing a new stage of power.

Important Character Interactions

• Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother and Bone Demon Old Devil react angrily to the death of her disciple, while Profound Yellow Child mocks her and hides behind True Lord Profound Purity when threatened.
• True Lord Profound Purity directly warns Bone Demon Old Devil not to threaten his sect.
• Ji Yuan overhears Yin Ghost Sect disciples asking High Person Yin Bone for help against Xun Tianji, revealing tensions between sect members and their supposed allies.
• Ji Yuan passes Xun Tianji by posing as a rogue cultivator, avoiding a direct confrontation.
• The Ghost Envoy bargains with Ji Yuan over resources, confirms that contribution points can be seized in the Inner Domain, and assigns him to guard the Ghost-Soul Ancient Road.
• Ji Yuan forms a temporary working relationship with Shi Ming, who shares information about the trial and warns him about dangerous rogue cultivators.
• Ji Yuan witnesses Magui’s merciless execution of a Yin Ghost Sect steward, highlighting the danger of the new trial stage.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Yuan’s Golden Core completes its second transformation into a Blood Core, greatly increasing his dharma power. His strength now far surpasses ordinary Golden Core cultivators, giving him confidence that he could eventually dominate the Core Formation realm.
• In the second trial of the Rakshasa Sea, surviving rogue cultivators begin forming teams to improve their chances on the Ghost-Soul Ancient Roads.
• Multiple teams attack Ji Yuan’s route. Using his Nascent Soul-level Divine Sense and a swarm of Gargoyles—including one at the Golden Core Peak Stage—Ji Yuan slaughteres or repels many attackers and effectively blocks an entire ancient road.
• High Person Yin Bone also guards a route, but Xun Tianji arrives and challenges him. Yin Bone is badly defeated, though he survives and escapes into the next trial.
• Cloudcliff Abbey’s True Person Luojia leads a group onto Ji Yuan’s road. She demonstrates overwhelming power, destroying several cultivators and Gargoyles with her light wheels and Jade Purification Vase.
• The Ghost Envoy pressures Ji Yuan into helping stop Luojia, offering him a large contribution-point reward. Ji Yuan joins the fight using five flying swords, Baleful-Yin Divine Radiance, a giant sword formed from the Giant Gate Sword, and Zixiao Divine Thunder.
• During the battle, Ji Yuan’s Form-Changing Talisman fails and reveals his true appearance. Luojia recognizes him as “Old Devil Ji,” someone with whom she evidently shares a deep romantic past.
• Luojia abandons her defenses and allows Ji Yuan to kill her, believing him to be the former lover she is addressing. Ji Yuan refuses to exploit her vulnerability, fearing that such an act would damage his moral state and create Heart Demons during his future Nascent Soul tribulation.
• Luojia realizes that Ji Yuan’s mercy proves he is truly Old Devil Ji, but Ji Yuan changes his appearance and aura again before fleeing. The Ghost Envoy mistakenly interprets their exchange as an adulterous lovers’ quarrel.
• Ji Yuan escapes through the bronze gates leading to the third trial, seeing the badly mutilated High Person Yin Bone arrive ahead of him.
• In the treasure-redemption area, Ji Yuan discovers that he has earned only 252 contribution points. He spends most of them acquiring Yin-Yang Soil and Earth Sand for upgrading his Spirit Field, but still lacks much of the required Earth Sand and two Fourth-Order Wood-Attribute Demon Cores.
• He chooses to continue rather than leave the Rakshasa Sea and enters the third trial, a poisonous marsh filled with miasma and corpses. The Ghost Envoy no longer responds, suggesting that this trial may have no clearly announced rules.
• Ji Yuan detects Qi Xiu approaching at high speed.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan: His Blood Core transformation significantly boosts his combat potential. He proves capable of controlling large numbers of Gargoyles and defending an entire route alone. Despite his opportunistic pursuit of contribution points, he maintains a firm moral boundary by refusing to kill Luojia while she is defenseless. His frustration with Old Devil Ji’s romantic history deepens as he is forced to deal with the consequences of another identity’s reputation.
• True Person Luojia: Revealed to have a powerful emotional connection with Old Devil Ji. Her fierce combativeness collapses into vulnerability when she believes Ji Yuan is her former lover. She willingly lowers her defenses, showing that her feelings remain intense.
• High Person Yin Bone: Demonstrates impressive resilience but is utterly outmatched by Xun Tianji and escapes in a severely damaged state.
• Xun Tianji: Establishes himself as an extremely powerful Golden Core cultivator, defeating Yin Bone with apparent ease and frightening the surrounding cultivators.
• Ghost Envoy: Continues manipulating the trials and encouraging conflict, but its motives remain mysterious. It views Ji Yuan and Luojia’s interaction with mocking suspicion.

Significant Themes

• Power and transformation: The Blood Core marks a major advancement in Ji Yuan’s cultivation and reinforces the importance of unusual cultivation paths.
• Survival through cooperation and slaughter: Rogue cultivators form teams for protection, but the trial’s structure deliberately forces both sides into violent conflict.
• Moral restraint versus expediency: Ji Yuan could kill Luojia and gain a large reward, but he refuses because doing so would violate his principles and potentially damage his future cultivation.
• Identity and mistaken recognition: Ji Yuan is repeatedly mistaken for Old Devil Ji, forcing him to confront the consequences of a past life or identity he does not fully understand.
• Romantic karma and past entanglements: Luojia’s reaction suggests Old Devil Ji left behind numerous complicated relationships, creating danger and emotional confusion for Ji Yuan.
• Manipulation and hidden motives: The Ghost Envoy appears to engineer the slaughter of cultivators, yet its true purpose remains unclear.

Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan commands Gargoyles against numerous rogue cultivator teams, including a Golden Core Late Stage group that insults him and is subsequently destroyed.
• Xun Tianji confronts High Person Yin Bone, dismisses his warnings, and defeats him despite Yin Bone’s attempt to avoid a mutually damaging battle.
• Ji Yuan and Luojia clash directly, combining Ji Yuan’s swords, thunder, and stele radiance against Luojia’s light wheels, Dharma seal, and Jade Purification Vase.
• Luojia mistakes Ji Yuan for Old Devil Ji and pleads with him emotionally, while Ji Yuan denies the identity and refuses to exploit her devotion.
• The Ghost Envoy mocks Ji Yuan’s apparent romantic entanglement with Luojia.
• The chapter ends with Ji Yuan entering the poisonous third trial and encountering the approaching Qi Xiu.

Chapter Summary: Encountering the “Nine-Gate Soul-Calming Scripture” Again

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Yuan reunites with Qi Xiu in the third trial of the Rakshasa Sea. Although both remain suspicious of each other, they agree to cooperate again.
• Neither knows the rules of the third trial. They discover that the swamp is filled with rotten corpses—even members of the Yin Ghost Sect can be attacked—and that killing these corpses yields unusually high contribution points.
• Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu split up while staying close enough to support each other. They slaughter large numbers of corpses, carefully concealing their strongest abilities.
• A corpse tide chases two Golden Core cultivators from Heavenly Fiend Mountain, Lin Hong and Xu Qing. Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu intervene, using their powerful hidden techniques to destroy the horde.
• Ji Yuan reveals his Corpse Yin Demonfire, burning dozens of corpses at once. Qi Xiu uses an invisible soul-related technique to kill many others. Their abilities alarm both the Heavenly Fiend Mountain cultivators, who speculate that Ji Yuan may have powerful Nascent Soul backing.
• After the battle, Lin Hong and Xu Qing offer gifts in gratitude, but Qi Xiu demands more. When they flee, he pursues Lin Hong while Ji Yuan chases Xu Qing.
• Ji Yuan uses Lightning-Chaser and the Zixiao Divine Thunder to kill Xu Qing. Xu Qing’s Divine Soul escapes through a Straw Effigy, but the Ghost Envoy captures it, claiming the soul while allowing Ji Yuan to keep the corpse and giving him fifty contribution points.
• Ji Yuan’s Dream Butterfly helps prevent Xu Qing’s escape, and he conceals his most dangerous techniques before Qi Xiu returns.
• Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu finish killing the remaining powerful rotten corpses. Qi Xiu secretly decides that the time has come to attack Ji Yuan.
• Both men pretend to be injured and exhausted while secretly preparing their trump cards. After resting while facing each other, they finally reveal that they have anticipated one another’s betrayal.
• Qi Xiu launches a Divine Soul attack using a spear-like soul technique. Ji Yuan survives because the Soul-Calming Bell protects his Divine Soul.
• Ji Yuan realizes that Qi Xiu’s inheritance may also be the Nine-Gate Soul-Calming Scripture, and he reacts with excitement rather than fear. The chapter ends with six Azure Waves Swords aimed at Qi Xiu, signaling the beginning of their true battle.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan: Becomes increasingly cautious and calculating. He hides the Zixiao Divine Thunder, uses Corpse Yin Demonfire as a substitute, and deliberately manipulates Qi Xiu into underestimating his injuries. His confidence grows when he discovers that the Soul-Calming Bell can withstand Qi Xiu’s soul attack.
• Qi Xiu: Reveals himself as an ambitious and deeply suspicious ally. He closely monitors Ji Yuan, covets his abilities, and uses the corpse tide to accumulate contribution points. His confidence turns into shock when his supposedly lethal Divine Soul attack fails.
• Xu Qing: Demonstrates desperation and cunning by attempting to escape through his hidden Divine Soul. Despite this, he is ultimately captured by the Ghost Envoy.
• The Ghost Envoy: Shows that the third trial has a deeper purpose by harvesting Xu Qing’s Divine Soul and rewarding Ji Yuan with contribution points.
• Dream Butterfly: Proves useful in restraining or interfering with Xu Qing’s fleeing soul, further establishing its value to Ji Yuan.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal beneath cooperation: Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu cooperate for mutual benefit, but both recognize from the beginning that the alliance is temporary.
• Hidden strength and deception: Nearly every major character conceals techniques, injuries, or intentions. The battle is as much about misdirection as raw power.
• Greed and opportunity: The corpse tide transforms the dangerous swamp into a source of immense wealth, causing Qi Xiu and Ji Yuan to compete over contribution points.
• Soul cultivation and inheritance: The appearance of powerful Divine Soul techniques and the Soul-Calming Bell highlights the importance of spiritual defenses and suggests a connection between Ji Yuan’s and Qi Xiu’s inheritances.
• Predation in the cultivation world: Rescue quickly turns into exploitation and murder. Qi Xiu demands payment from those he saves, while Ji Yuan decides to eliminate Xu Qing to prevent future retaliation.
• The Ghost Envoy’s hidden scheme: The trial’s lack of clear rules, the hostile corpses, and the harvesting of Divine Souls suggest that the Ghost Envoy is pursuing a larger, concealed objective.

Important Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu maintain a friendly facade while constantly testing one another.
• Their discussion over the Communication Talisman exposes their mutual surveillance and distrust.
• Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu cooperate effectively against the corpse tide, each impressed and threatened by the other’s hidden techniques.
• Qi Xiu pressures Lin Hong and Xu Qing for compensation, then attempts to kill them when they flee.
• Ji Yuan and Xu Qing engage in a brief but decisive confrontation, with Ji Yuan using deception to block Xu Qing’s escape before finishing him with the Zixiao Divine Thunder.
• Afterward, Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu exchange false concern and promises of friendship while secretly preparing to assassinate each other.
• The final exchange between them confirms that their alliance has ended: Qi Xiu attacks Ji Yuan’s soul, but Ji Yuan withstands it and responds by summoning six swords against him.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qi Xiu’s Divine Soul attack fails to kill Ji Yuan, revealing that both men have cultivated the Nine-Gate Soul-Calming Scripture, likely possessing its upper and lower halves respectively.
• Ji Yuan unleashes the Zixiao Divine Thunder from his six Azure Waves Swords. Qi Xiu survives by forming a defensive sphere from his Life-bound flying daggers, though he is badly scorched.
• Qi Xiu retaliates with a powerful river of blades. Ji Yuan uses five defensive Talisman Treasures and the Golden Light Mirror to survive, though all his defenses are destroyed.
• The battle escalates when Qi Xiu’s flying daggers nearly sever Ji Yuan’s connection to his Life-bound swords. Ji Yuan counters with divine lightning, destroying several of Qi Xiu’s daggers.
• Both cultivators summon spirit beasts: Qi Xiu calls forth a Late Third Tier Blazing Flame Monkey, while Ji Yuan summons two Mid-Third Tier Ice Flood Dragons. Their beasts clash, allowing Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu to continue fighting directly.
• Qi Xiu uses a sword qi bestowed by Senior Xuanhuang and nearly kills Ji Yuan, but Ji Yuan escapes with Lightning-Chaser.
• Ji Yuan reveals that he possesses many more Azure Waves Swords than Qi Xiu expected. Overwhelmed by repeated Zixiao Divine Thunder attacks, Qi Xiu attempts to flee and offers to exchange their portions of the Nine-Gate Soul-Calming Scripture.
• Qi Xiu activates a demonic blood cocoon technique at the cost of twenty years of lifespan per use, transforming into a powerful snake-bodied demon form.
• Ji Yuan avoids Qi Xiu’s attacks and closes in, using his body-cultivation strength and the Fire God Spear to pierce Qi Xiu’s heart and tear his body apart. He then traps Qi Xiu’s surviving Divine Soul in a lightning cage.
• Before Ji Yuan can question him fully, Qi Xiu reveals that the Ghost Envoy deliberately arranged their encounter because they possessed opposing halves of the same scripture. The Ghost Envoy interrupts, claims Qi Xiu’s Divine Soul, and rewards Ji Yuan with additional Contribution Points.
• Ji Yuan realizes that many apparent coincidences in the Rakshasa Sea are orchestrated to provoke cultivators into conflict so the Ghost Envoy can harvest their Divine Souls.
• Ji Yuan retrieves Qi Xiu’s corpse, spirit beast core, Storage Bag, and the human-skin parchment containing the other portion of the Nine-Gate Soul-Calming Scripture.
• He discovers that Corpse Puppets he had previously defeated can recover, fights through more of them, and finally returns to Lingtai Square-Inch Mountain.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan: Demonstrates the breadth of his abilities, combining sword cultivation, Zixiao Divine Thunder, defensive treasures, body cultivation, spirit beasts, and the Fire God Spear. He becomes increasingly cautious about revealing his true strength and recognizes that his physical body is his best weapon against elite cultivators. He also grows suspicious of the Rakshasa Sea’s hidden manipulation.
• Qi Xiu: Revealed as a formidable Golden Core Peak cultivator with powerful Divine Soul techniques, flying-dagger control, sword qi, demonic arts, and a strong spirit beast. Despite his confidence, he becomes fearful when Ji Yuan’s seemingly inexhaustible supply of lightning swords overwhelms him. His final warning suggests that he recognizes the Ghost Envoy’s true nature only at the moment of death.
• Magui and High Person Yin Bone: Their conversation provides background on the dangers of the Rakshasa Sea, the possible return of Old Devil Ji, and the uncertain loyalty of their sect master. High Person Yin Bone’s anxiety shows his growing fear that his faction may abandon him.
• The Ghost Envoy: Its role changes from a seemingly neutral overseer to an active manipulator that engineers conflicts and harvests the Divine Souls of those who die.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation beneath apparent coincidence: The encounter between Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu was deliberately arranged, suggesting that the Rakshasa Sea is controlled by hidden forces.
• Power through preparation and versatility: Ji Yuan wins not because of one overwhelming technique, but by combining numerous treasures, sword formations, lightning, body cultivation, and spirit beasts.
• Trust and deception: Qi Xiu’s attempted negotiation is rejected because Ji Yuan knows that mercy would not have been offered had their positions been reversed. Even Qi Xiu’s final disclosure may contain both truth and manipulation.
• The danger of hidden agendas: The Ghost Envoy’s collection of Divine Souls raises questions about its purpose and suggests that the Rakshasa Sea’s trials serve a larger, sinister objective.
• Physical cultivation versus orthodox cultivation: Qi Xiu is shocked by Ji Yuan’s immense physical strength, highlighting the unusual power and mystery of Ji Yuan’s body-cultivation path.

Important Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu: Their battle evolves from mutual surprise over their shared scripture to a contest of escalating techniques, ending with Ji Yuan’s decisive close-range victory.
• The spirit beasts: The Blazing Flame Monkey battles the two Ice Flood Dragons. Their confrontation balances the battlefield while their masters duel above them.
• Qi Xiu and the Ghost Envoy: Qi Xiu reveals that the Ghost Envoy placed him near Ji Yuan to trigger their conflict, but the Ghost Envoy immediately silences him and claims his soul.
• Magui and High Person Yin Bone: Their banter mixes mockery and concern, exposing Yin Bone’s fear that his sect master may not save him and their belief that Old Devil Ji may be present in the Rakshasa Sea.
• Ji Yuan and Qi Xiu after the battle: Qi Xiu asks whether the Black-and-White Divine Hall possesses body-cultivation methods capable of forming a Golden Core. Ji Yuan deliberately avoids answering, allowing Qi Xiu to draw his own conclusions.

Chapter Summary: “Insect Demon Decides the Fate!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Yuan receives the latter half of the Nine-Gate Soul-Calming Scripture from the human-skin paper. Unlike his defensive first half, Qi Xiu’s portion contains two offensive soul techniques:
  • God-Slaying Spear, a powerful single-target attack.
  • Soul-Devouring Needle, a group attack capable of killing numerous enemies.
• He sorts through the Storage Bags obtained during his journey, keeps valuable resources such as Millennium Spirit Milk, and gives the remaining bags to Tu Yue.
• The Ghost Envoy acknowledges Ji Yuan’s extraordinary strength: a Nascent Soul-level Divine Soul, Golden Core cultivation, Sinew Tempering body cultivation, a Heavenly Grotto Dharma Treasure, and the treasures Lightning-Chaser and the Thousand-Soul Banner.
• Ji Yuan admits he is not from the Abyssal Continent and promises to keep the Ghost Envoy’s soul-gathering activities secret. In return, he asks for hints about cultivators destined to become his enemies. The Ghost Envoy agrees but refuses to transfer Qi Xiu’s contribution points, citing the rules.
• Ji Yuan discovers he has 967 contribution points, just short of the 1,000 needed to exchange for an Early Fourth-Order Monster Core and potentially improve his Spirit Field.
• He spends two days fighting increasingly powerful rotten corpses in the swamp, relying mostly on Corpse Yin Demonfire and replenishing his spiritual power with Millennium Spirit Milk.
• The Ghost Envoy announces the appearance of the first Poisonous Fiend Corpse King, offering 1,000 contribution points and early entry into the Inner Domain to whoever kills it.
• Ji Yuan initially plans only to observe, but discovers numerous elite cultivators attacking the Corpse King, including Fang Zhong, Yan Zhirou, Magui, High Person Yin Bone, and later Xiao Xuan of the Black-and-White Divine Hall.
• The Corpse King proves to be at the Half-Step Nascent Soul level. The battle intensifies as it releases over a hundred rotten corpses, causing widespread deaths among the weaker cultivators.
• Ji Yuan identifies Mo Tusheng, the Soul-Refining Hall’s strongest Golden Core cultivator and a fellow user of Corpse Yin Demonfire, hiding nearby and waiting to steal the final blow.
• After Xiao Xuan seemingly strikes the Corpse King’s brow, Mo Tusheng reveals himself and attempts to finish it. The surrounding experts had anticipated his ambush and immediately attack him.
• Mo Tusheng uses a powerful seven-story black True Treasure to defend himself, but Ji Yuan exploits the chaos. Moving with Lightning-Chaser, he pierces the Corpse King with the Fire God Spear and destroys its body in one decisive attack.
• Ji Yuan is pulled away by the Ghost Envoy’s white light, fulfilling the promise that the killer would be taken to the Inner Domain. Mo Tusheng manages to injure his shoulder before he escapes.
• Xiao Xuan examines fragments of Ji Yuan’s destroyed Spirit-Devouring Armor and identifies the Spirit-Devouring Bees, leading the cultivators to recognize that the mysterious attacker is an insect cultivator—an “Insect Demon.”

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan becomes increasingly confident in his accumulated strength. He begins planning how to master the offensive soul arts and recognizes that his combination of Divine Soul, body cultivation, insect techniques, and treasures gives him the power to challenge much stronger opponents.
• He also demonstrates growing strategic maturity. Rather than rushing into the Corpse King battle, he observes from hiding, studies every participant, anticipates their intentions, and waits for the ideal moment to strike.
• Ji Yuan further develops his ability to manipulate the Ghost Envoy through sect loyalty and rules, persuading it to extract him after his successful ambush.
• The Ghost Envoy becomes more openly amused and approving of Ji Yuan, recognizing him as an unusually capable disciple. It continues to engineer deadly conflicts while presenting them as fair opportunities.
• Xiao Xuan is established as arrogant, powerful, and highly confident. He openly claims the Corpse King, insults Magui, and demonstrates overwhelming strength with a single attack.
• Mo Tusheng is shown to be cautious and cunning but also vulnerable to overconfidence. His attempt to act as the hidden victor is exposed, forcing him to use his ultimate defensive treasure.
• Magui, Yan Zhirou, and High Person Yin Bone reveal their pride and competitive nature while temporarily cooperating against the Corpse King and Mo Tusheng.

Significant Themes

• Strategy over brute force: The chapter emphasizes observation, concealment, timing, and exploiting others’ conflicts rather than fighting openly.
• The Ghost Envoy’s manipulation: The Corpse King challenge is an “open scheme,” designed to lure cultivators together so that deaths and rivalries will occur naturally.
• Power and reputation: Ji Yuan’s secret identity and sudden victory begin creating the legend of the “Insect Demon,” suggesting that reputation will become a significant force in future conflicts.
• Rules and opportunism: Ji Yuan and the Ghost Envoy repeatedly use sect rules to justify their actions, while all cultivators seek loopholes and advantages within those rules.
• Hidden strength: Several characters conceal trump cards, including Mo Tusheng’s True Treasure, Ji Yuan’s insect armor and body cultivation, and Xiao Xuan’s formidable techniques.

Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan bargains with the Ghost Envoy, balancing secrecy, obedience, and self-interest.
• Xiao Xuan provokes Yan Zhirou and Magui by claiming the Corpse King and insulting their strength. High Person Yin Bone counters him by accusing him of sowing discord.
• Mo Tusheng attempts to exploit the group’s battle, but Xiao Xuan and the others reveal that they had anticipated his ambush.
• Ji Yuan remains hidden from all the major cultivators, including Xiao Xuan and Mo Tusheng, then intervenes at the precise instant when the Corpse King is weakest.
• His final strike disrupts everyone’s plans, allowing him to seize the reward and escape while leaving the surviving cultivators shocked and suspicious about the identity of the newly emerged “Insect Demon.”

Chapter Summary: Inner Domain; Encountering Mu Xueyao

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the Poisonous Fiend Corpse King is taken into the Inner Domain by the Insect Demon, the cultivators debate their next move. Xiao Xuan and Magui nearly come to blows over their failure and competing strength, while Yan Zhirou proposes either intercepting the remaining Corpse Kings or continuing to hunt corpses until the Inner Domain opens.
• Qiu Qianhai is persuaded by Nightmare True Lord, who claims that borrowing his body and power will ultimately benefit him. Qiu relinquishes control, allowing Nightmare True Lord to raise his cultivation to the Golden Core Peak Stage and seize the Poisonous Fiend Corpse King for Old Devil Ji.
• Ji Yuan arrives in Rakshasa City, discovering that his contribution points remain intact but that he cannot exchange them for treasures until he completes the Inner Domain’s first trial.
• The Ghost Envoy explains that Rakshasa City is filled with hidden treasures concealed inside buildings, but these locations may also contain deadly Yin Ghosts. The city is designed to encourage conflict, since cultivators enter with large amounts of unspent contribution points and can steal them by killing one another.
• Ji Yuan begins exploring the city. He fights mysterious vines that cannot be detected by Divine Sense, then searches several shops:
  • A cultivation-pill shop yields a Forged Golden Pill, though it is useless to him personally.
  • A general store contains a half-jin Voidspace Stone.
  • A large tea house contains a mid-grade Earth Treasure, the Ge Xian Vine, capable of helping cultivation.
• Ji Yuan deduces that larger, more luxurious buildings tend to contain more valuable treasures, but they are also guarded by stronger Yin Ghosts. Buildings guarded by Yin Ghosts are especially likely to contain treasures.
• He targets a three-story tavern, using his Inverted Big Dipper Formation and Spirit-Devouring Armor to suppress the strange vines covering it.
• Upon entering the building, Ji Yuan is attacked by a flying-blade Dharma Treasure. He recognizes the attack and calls out the name of its owner, causing the assault to stop.
• The owner is revealed to be Mu Xueyao, whom Ji Yuan has not seen for some time. The two reunite emotionally, and Mu Xueyao tells him that the Old Demon has also entered the Inner Domain.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan demonstrates increasing caution and tactical intelligence. Rather than expose himself to unknown dangers, he uses Hundred-Insect Immortal to test buildings, employs Spirit-Devouring Bees to detect invisible vines, and deploys formations and defensive armor against stronger enemies.
• Ji Yuan also becomes more ambitious and pragmatic. He initially searches for useful treasures but soon focuses on larger buildings and begins considering killing others if necessary to obtain cultivation resources.
• Qiu Qianhai shows emotional dependence on his master. Despite recognizing the danger of surrendering control, he is persuaded by Nightmare True Lord’s reminders of past suffering and eventually gives up resistance.
• Nightmare True Lord reveals his ruthlessness and manipulative nature by taking over Qiu Qianhai’s body and using his power to capture the Poisonous Fiend Corpse King.
• Mu Xueyao is shown to have retained a strong emotional attachment to Ji Yuan. Her initial attack disappears the moment she recognizes him, and she openly expresses relief and affection during their reunion.
• The Ghost Envoy continues manipulating events for his own purposes, deliberately withholding treasure exchanges and encouraging competition and slaughter among the cultivators.

Significant Themes

• Opportunities and danger: Rakshasa City embodies the idea that every treasure is paired with a threat. Valuable resources are hidden behind Yin Ghosts, formations, or monsters.
• Manipulation and control: Qiu Qianhai’s surrender to Nightmare True Lord illustrates how guilt, gratitude, and emotional vulnerability can be used to control someone.
• Survival through adaptability: Ji Yuan advances not merely through raw strength but through scouting, experimentation, formations, servants, and careful observation.
• Greed and engineered conflict: The Ghost Envoy intentionally creates conditions that encourage cultivators to kill each other for contribution points and treasures.
• Reunion amid danger: Ji Yuan’s meeting with Mu Xueyao provides a moment of warmth and emotional relief within the increasingly violent Inner Domain.
• Hidden identities and recognition: Ji Yuan remains disguised until Mu Xueyao is identified, emphasizing secrecy and the importance of recognizing allies in a hostile environment.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Xuan and Magui trade insults and threaten violence over their failure to stop the Insect Demon and Mo Tu.
• Yan Zhirou acts as the voice of reason, attempting to stop their quarrel and organize the group’s next move.
• Nightmare True Lord and Qiu Qianhai engage in a manipulative master-disciple exchange, ending with Qiu surrendering control of his body.
• The Ghost Envoy and Ji Yuan converse about Rakshasa City, with Ji Yuan indirectly flattering the sect to obtain information and an eventual promise of guidance toward a breakthrough opportunity.
• Ji Yuan and Hundred-Insect Immortal operate as master and puppet in combat, with Ji Yuan using the Corpse Puppet to test dangers and engage enemies.
• Ji Yuan and Mu Xueyao reunite after a dangerous confrontation. Mu Xueyao embraces him emotionally, and the chapter ends with her revealing that the Old Demon has arrived in the Inner Domain.

Chapter Summary: “Old Devil Ji and Old Devil Qiu’s Meeting (Part One)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Yuan learns that the infamous Old Devil Ji has appeared in the Poison-Miasma Swamp at the Golden Core Middle Stage. Since this figure has stolen both his name and appearance, Ji Yuan suspects he may be Ji Qingyun, his presumed-dead father.
• Ji Yuan decides to meet the other Old Devil Ji once he enters the Inner Domain, though he plans to wait until he is stronger before attempting a decisive confrontation. Mu Xueyao promises to accompany him.
• Mu Xueyao explains how she reached the Rakshasa Sea: she found members of her clan, was betrayed by one of them, escaped the Black-and-White Divine Hall, and was eventually brought into the Rakshasa Sea by Lord Ghost Envoy.
• She reveals that Rakshasa City was originally built for her people, though it has since fallen into other hands. She also explains the city’s defenses, treasures, and the powerful Hidden-God Green-Seeking Vine, whose vines cover the city and block Divine Sense.
• Ji Yuan and Mu Xueyao begin raiding smaller buildings guarded by Golden Core-level Yin Ghosts, obtaining treasures and monster cores before stronger cultivators arrive.
• Ji Yuan discovers that the Golden Ghost Token can create gateways between the Inner and Outer Domains. He and Mu Xueyao briefly scout the Poison-Miasma Swamp before returning to Rakshasa City.
• After returning, they encounter two Golden Core Late Stage cultivators battling: a Black-and-White Divine Hall disciple and a Profound Purity Sect elder. Ji Yuan tricks the elder into revealing his intention to flee, then kills both opponents with Mu Xueyao’s assistance.
• As the city’s slaughter continues, cultivators become increasingly distrustful. Many hide inside buildings and ambush anyone who approaches, regardless of faction.
• Ji Yuan and Mu Xueyao continue hunting opponents and accumulating Contribution Points. Ji Yuan senses that someone is attacking the central Clear-Moon Tower, suggesting a major confrontation is about to begin.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan remains cautious and calculating but becomes increasingly confident in his strength. He recognizes that he can defeat Golden Core Late Stage opponents with relative ease and begins exploiting Rakshasa City as a source of Contribution Points, treasures, and monster cores.
• Ji Yuan’s suspicion regarding Old Devil Ji deepens. He wonders whether the mysterious figure is truly his father, Ji Qingyun, and considers the possibility that they may have a hostile relationship.
• Mu Xueyao is revealed to be much more battle-hungry and opportunistic than her gentle appearance suggests. She eagerly joins Ji Yuan in treasure hunting and combat. Her cultivation has reached the Golden Core Late Stage, and her Life-bound Dharma Treasure gives her Golden Core Peak-level strength.
• Magui and Yin Bone survive their earlier defeat but are badly injured. Their relationship becomes openly hostile as Yin Bone points out that Old Devil Ji was actually targeting Magui.
• Yin Bone reveals the hidden history of the Bone Demon Sect: he and Bone Demon were once candidates to become disciples of Nightmare True Lord and Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother. He strongly suspects that Old Devil Ji is the resurrected or reincarnated Nightmare True Lord.
• Magui confirms that Old Devil Ji closely resembles a portrait of Nightmare True Lord in his youth. However, after learning too much, Yin Bone is poisoned and betrayed by Magui.
• Ghost Craftsman refuses to award Magui Yin Bone’s Contribution Points because Yin Bone commits suicide before being killed. He mocks Magui for losing the rewards through excessive talking.

Significant Themes

• Identity and stolen reputations: Ji Yuan’s stolen name and appearance raise questions about lineage, impersonation, resurrection, and the relationship between personal identity and reputation.
• Betrayal and mistrust: The dangerous environment causes cultivators to distrust even temporary allies. Factional loyalties become secondary to survival and personal gain.
• Greed and opportunity: Rakshasa City turns into a battlefield where cultivators hunt both treasures and one another. Contribution Points become a powerful incentive for murder.
• Hidden history and revenge: The possibility that Old Devil Ji is Nightmare True Lord introduces an old conspiracy involving betrayal, attempted murder, and a long-delayed revenge.
• Cunning over brute force: Ji Yuan repeatedly wins through observation and deception, such as exposing the Profound Purity Sect elder’s plan to flee.
• Power and survival: Characters constantly assess strength, defenses, escape routes, and hidden trump cards. Even powerful cultivators must rely on caution and manipulation.

Important Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan and Mu Xueyao discuss Old Devil Ji, her journey through the Northwest Sand Prison, and the secrets of Rakshasa City. Their growing cooperation is based on mutual trust and shared profit.
• Ji Yuan and Mu Xueyao work together to raid buildings, kill Yin Ghosts, and hunt rival cultivators. Ji Yuan rewards her by giving her the Storage Bags taken from their victims.
• Ji Yuan manipulates the Black-and-White Divine Hall disciple and Profound Purity Sect elder against each other, then orders Mu Xueyao to stop the elder when he attempts to escape.
• Yin Bone confronts Magui with the truth that Old Devil Ji was specifically trying to kill him, forcing Magui to consider his unknown connection to Nightmare True Lord.
• Yin Bone’s revelations suggest that Bone Demon and Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother may have conspired against Nightmare True Lord, possibly explaining Old Devil Ji’s hostility.
• Magui ultimately betrays and poisons Yin Bone, but loses the chance to claim his Contribution Points when Yin Bone commits suicide.
• The chapter ends with Ji Yuan sensing that someone is attacking the Clear-Moon Tower, setting up the next major conflict.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Yuan and Mu Xueyao learn that nearly ten Golden Core Peak cultivators from the Eight Sacred Grounds are besieging Clear-Moon Tower and its fourth-tier Hidden-God Green-Seeking Vine. They go to observe rather than immediately intervene.
• The vine’s enormous body has overtaken the tower, using concealed branches and vines to ambush the attackers. Although the siege is dangerous, the combined forces gradually weaken it.
• Ji Yuan notices that Magui, High Person Yin Bone, and the genuine Old Devil Ji are absent. He suspects Old Devil Ji may still be hiding somewhere in the Inner Domain.
• Meanwhile, Qiu Qianhai’s master, Dream-Demon True Lord—whose real identity is Zhou Chu, a former disciple of the Yin Ghost Sect—leads him through the Hundred-Refinements Corpse Grotto.
• Qiu Qianhai discovers that the grotto can mass-produce Golden Core rotten corpses and wandering souls. He also sees three terrifying Golden-Armored Corpse Kings with Nascent Soul-level strength, revealing the enormous power still controlled by the Yin Ghost Sect and the Ghost Envoy.
• Dream-Demon True Lord meets the Ghost Envoy, who treats him like an old disciple and reprimands him for leaving the Yin Ghost Sect in the past. Zhou Chu asks to borrow a Golden-Armored Corpse King so he can avenge himself against his traitorous disciple, Bone-Nightmare Old Devil.
• When Zhou Chu reveals that he visited the legendary Hidden Dragon Abyss, the Ghost Envoy appears shocked, suggesting the blood-red scale he produces is highly significant. Zhou Chu is not given a clear answer on the spot, but soon leaves to collect other treasures in the Inner Domain.
• Seeing the siege of Clear-Moon Tower, Zhou Chu joins the battle while disguising himself as “Old Devil Ji.” He and Xun Tianji arrogantly agree to compete over who can kill the Hidden-God Green-Seeking Vine.
• Ji Yuan recognizes the newcomer as the suspected Old Devil Ji and observes his fighting methods. Zhou Chu uses blood-colored techniques and can cause attacking vines to mysteriously wither, suggesting a powerful soul-related or life-draining ability.
• After the vine’s outer branches are mostly destroyed, Ji Yuan decides to attack Zhou Chu. Using the Spirit-Devouring Armor, Fire God Spear, and Cloud-Chasing Step, he launches a surprise strike.
• Zhou Chu blocks the spear with Spirit-Eating Blood and summons a black hound from the blood. Ji Yuan smashes the hound nearly to death and proves capable of neutralizing Zhou Chu’s Nascent Soul-level technique.
• Xiao Xuan attempts to attack Ji Yuan, but Zhou Chu intervenes, insisting that Ji Yuan is his opponent. Xun Tianji prevents the conflict from escalating further, while the Hidden-God Green-Seeking Vine attacks everyone except Ji Yuan, whom it apparently regards as an ally.
• Ji Yuan finally removes his disguise and declares that he is the real Ji Yuan, demanding to know why the other man has been impersonating him. The chapter ends as the identities of the two “Old Devils” are finally exposed.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan: Becomes increasingly cautious and strategic. Rather than rushing into the siege, he studies Zhou Chu’s techniques and prepares a specific assassination-style attack. He also demonstrates confidence in confronting a powerful Golden Core or Nascent Soul-level opponent.
• Mu Xueyao: Shows loyalty and concern for Ji Yuan, especially because the Hidden-God Green-Seeking Vine had protected her earlier. Although she cannot assist directly, she supports Ji Yuan’s decisions and warns him about Zhou Chu’s strength.
• Qiu Qianhai: Learns that his master is far more powerful and mysterious than he realized. His discovery of Zhou Chu’s connection to the ancient Yin Ghost Sect leaves him shocked and unsettled.
• Dream-Demon True Lord/Zhou Chu: His true history is revealed. He was once a disciple of the Yin Ghost Sect, personally taught by the Ghost Envoy, and has returned seeking revenge against Bone-Nightmare Old Devil. Despite his seemingly defeated circumstances, he remains arrogant, dangerous, and highly capable.
• The Ghost Envoy: Is revealed to be connected to Zhou Chu’s past and to possess vast authority over the corpse-forging facilities. Its kindly elder-like behavior toward Zhou Chu contrasts sharply with its terrifying power and the lethal resources under its control.
• Xun Tianji: Reinforces his status as one of the strongest and most arrogant cultivators present. He acknowledges Zhou Chu as a peer and proposes competing against him to kill the vine.
• Xiao Xuan: Remains hostile toward Ji Yuan and attempts to attack him, but is temporarily forced to deal with Zhou Chu and the other battlefield dangers.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identities and deception: Zhou Chu disguises himself as Old Devil Ji, while Ji Yuan initially hides behind the Spirit-Devouring Armor. The eventual revelation resolves the chapter’s central misunderstanding.
• The legacy of ancient powers: The Yin Ghost Sect’s corpse-forging technology and the Ghost Envoy’s control over Nascent Soul Corpse Kings demonstrate that ancient sects still possess terrifying influence.
• Revenge and betrayal: Zhou Chu’s return is driven by his desire to punish Bone-Nightmare Old Devil, his former disciple, reflecting the destructive consequences of betrayal.
• Power beneath appearances: The apparently ordinary corpse grotto, Bronze Puppets, and disguised cultivators conceal overwhelming strength. The chapter repeatedly emphasizes that visible cultivation and identity cannot be trusted.
• Strategic patience versus reckless arrogance: Ji Yuan carefully observes before acting, whereas Zhou Chu and Xun Tianji openly boast about their superiority. Their opposing approaches shape the coming confrontation.
• The danger of controlled secret realms: The Ghost Envoy’s domain is not merely a ruin or treasure ground; it is an active system with an owner, manufacturing corpses and souls on a massive scale.

Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan and Mu Xueyao discuss whether to join the siege, ultimately choosing to wait and observe.
• Zhou Chu and Qiu Qianhai communicate internally, with Qiu gradually realizing the frightening extent of his master’s origins and abilities.
• The Ghost Envoy treats Zhou Chu as a wayward former disciple, scolding him while still recognizing his intentions and history.
• Zhou Chu and Xun Tianji form a temporary competitive alliance against the Hidden-God Green-Seeking Vine, both behaving with extreme arrogance toward the other cultivators.
• Zhou Chu intervenes when Xiao Xuan attacks Ji Yuan, claiming Ji Yuan as his personal opponent.
• Ji Yuan and Zhou Chu exchange techniques in a brief but intense clash, each testing the other’s defenses.
• The chapter concludes with Ji Yuan publicly exposing himself and challenging Zhou Chu’s false identity, setting up the long-awaited confrontation between the real Ji Yuan and the man impersonating him.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Yuan publicly declares that he is the real Old Devil Ji, forcing the mysterious “Old Devil Ji” before him to react. The crowd examines both men, eager to determine which one is genuine.
• Inside Nightmare True Lord’s consciousness, Qiu Qianhai recognizes Ji Yuan and becomes overwhelmed with joy. He had believed Ji Yuan died long ago and had used the desire to avenge him as motivation to survive and cultivate.
• Nightmare True Lord restrains Qiu Qianhai from appearing physically, warning that his Golden Core Middle Stage cultivation cannot protect Ji Yuan from the powerful cultivators nearby. Instead, he allows them to communicate through divine sense.
• Ji Yuan realizes that Qiu Qianhai’s body is being controlled by his master, while Qiu Qianhai’s own soul remains hidden within his Sea of Consciousness. He suspects that Nightmare True Lord intends to seize Qiu Qianhai’s body permanently.
• The cultivators continue attacking the Hidden-God Green-Seeking Vine, a rare Fourth Tier spirit plant that may evolve into a Fifth Tier treasure. Xun Tianji’s Ancient Bronze Mirror delivers the decisive attack, forcing the vine underground and exposing the damaged Clear-Moon Tower it had guarded.
• A treasure inside the tower becomes the focus of a fierce struggle. Nightmare True Lord, Xun Tianji, Xiao Xuan, Fang Zhong, and others clash over access to it.
• Nightmare True Lord proposes killing the other cultivators and taking their Contribution Points, but Xun Tianji refuses because the consequences would anger his mother and family.
• When the others attempt to compete for the tower, Nightmare True Lord uses the powerful “Dream” technique to put everyone nearby to sleep. He enters the Clear-Moon Tower, retrieves the treasure, and escapes.
• Ji Yuan identifies this technique as part of the Great Dream Demon Scripture and deduces that the mysterious master is actually Dream-Demon True Lord, an ancient figure connected to the Bone Nightmare Sect.
• Ji Yuan follows Dream-Demon True Lord to a safe house. There, Qiu Qianhai is released temporarily in a soul-like, intangible form, allowing the two old friends to reunite.
• Dream-Demon True Lord refuses to let Qiu Qianhai reclaim control of his body, claiming that transferring souls would damage both the body and their spirits. Ji Yuan understands that the real reason is likely fear that Qiu Qianhai would abandon him and leave with Ji Yuan.
• Ji Yuan hides his suspicion and pretends to respect Dream-Demon True Lord as a Nascent Soul senior, while preparing to learn more about his identity and intentions.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan: Experiences shock and immense happiness upon discovering Qiu Qianhai is alive, but quickly becomes suspicious and protective. His reasoning leads him to identify Nightmare True Lord as Dream-Demon True Lord and recognize that Qiu Qianhai is in danger. Rather than acting recklessly, Ji Yuan conceals his knowledge and begins planning strategically.
• Qiu Qianhai: Reveals that Ji Yuan’s supposed death had been a lifelong source of motivation. His reunion with Ji Yuan shows his deep loyalty and brotherly affection, but his constant excitement and lack of caution also demonstrate how emotionally vulnerable he is. He remains dependent on Nightmare True Lord’s control despite recognizing Ji Yuan.
• Nightmare/Dream-Demon True Lord: Appears calm, manipulative, and highly cautious. He delays the reunion, controls Qiu Qianhai’s body, redirects the crowd’s attention toward the treasure, and uses Qiu Qianhai’s dependence to preserve his own plans for revenge and eventual body possession.
• Xun Tianji: Continues to act boldly and unpredictably, challenging Nightmare True Lord and seriously considering his suggestion to kill their opponents. Nevertheless, he shows practical restraint because of the political consequences.
• Mu Xueyao: Trusts Ji Yuan’s judgment and follows his instructions to remain hidden while he investigates the danger.
• True Person Luojia and the other cultivators: Become increasingly confused about which “Old Devil Ji” is genuine, while greed for the tower’s treasure intensifies their conflict.

Significant Themes

• Reunion after presumed death: Ji Yuan and Qiu Qianhai’s meeting highlights the emotional strength of friendship and the pain caused by years of separation.
• Trust versus manipulation: Qiu Qianhai trusts his master, but Ji Yuan immediately recognizes that the relationship may be a calculated body-seizure scheme.
• Identity and deception: The appearance of two people claiming to be Old Devil Ji creates uncertainty, while Ji Yuan deliberately adopts a false, respectful attitude to conceal what he knows.
• Friendship as motivation: Qiu Qianhai survived years of hardship by remembering that Ji Yuan died saving him and believing he must one day avenge him.
• The predatory nature of cultivation: The chapter emphasizes that disciples are often treated as future vessels or resources rather than loved protégés, reinforcing the “men eat men” nature of the cultivation world.
• Power and greed: The wounded spirit plant and Clear-Moon Tower provoke increasingly desperate attacks, revealing how quickly alliances collapse when rare treasures are involved.
• Revenge and inherited conflict: Dream-Demon True Lord’s connection to the Bone Nightmare Sect and Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother suggests that his actions are part of an old revenge campaign that may also involve Ji Yuan.

Important Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan openly challenges the false Old Devil Ji’s identity.
• Qiu Qianhai and Ji Yuan communicate through divine sense, confirming each other’s identities without revealing their true relationship to the crowd.
• Ji Yuan confronts the implications of Qiu Qianhai’s master controlling his body, though he keeps his suspicions hidden.
• Nightmare True Lord manipulates the surrounding cultivators by hinting at the existence of a wondrous treasure.
• Xun Tianji and Nightmare True Lord compete and cooperate uneasily, each recognizing the other as a major threat.
• Ji Yuan and Mu Xueyao exchange warnings and coordinate their movements.
• Ji Yuan and Qiu Qianhai finally meet face-to-face, but Qiu’s incorporeal form prevents them from embracing.
• Ji Yuan adopts a deferential attitude toward Dream-Demon True Lord, asking for his title while secretly investigating how to free Qiu Qianhai.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Yuan and Qiu Qianhai reunite with Qiu’s master, Nightmare True Lord, whose true identity shocks Ji Yuan. Nightmare True Lord is the former founder of the Nightmare Sect, now known as the Bone Nightmare Sect.
• Ji Yuan reveals that he was once abducted by Bone-Nightmare Old Devil and forced to become the disciple of Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother. He shows Nightmare True Lord his Corpse Yin Demonfire, confirming that he had been intended as nourishment for Ghost Mother’s Soul-Devouring Coldfire.
• Nightmare True Lord explains that Bone-Nightmare Old Devil and Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother have entered the Rakshasa Sea to seek a life-prolonging method. He and Qiu Qianhai intend to take revenge on them.
• Ji Yuan warns that both enemies are powerful: Bone-Nightmare Old Devil is a strong Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator, while Ghost Mother remains dangerous despite nearing the end of her lifespan.
• Nightmare True Lord reveals that he deliberately left a flaw in Bone-Nightmare Old Devil’s cultivation method. If the latter’s state of mind becomes unstable, his cultivation will reverse and injure his meridians.
• Ji Yuan and Qiu Qianhai reminisce about their pasts, including how they had unknowingly spread each other’s reputations and suffered because of it. Despite their grievances, their old brotherly bond is restored.
• They conclude that their current problems can only truly be solved by forming Nascent Souls. Ji Yuan agrees to travel with Nightmare True Lord toward the Core Area.
• Nightmare True Lord displays a damaged bronze arrow, explaining that its missing bow requires at least Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivation to wield and a Spirit Transformation cultivator to use freely.
• When the Inner Domain’s first trial opens, Nightmare True Lord uses the Golden Ghost Token to create passages to both the Outer Domain and Core Area. He receives a message and leaves for the Core Area, where Nascent Soul cultivators are already fighting.
• Ghost Envoy then gives Ji Yuan his assignment: guard the four formation eyes of the Ten-Thousand Ghosts Paying Homage Formation and prevent them from being breached.
• Ji Yuan heads south, avoiding the eastern formation eye because he is concerned about Mu Xueyao. Along the way, Mo Tusheng intercepts him and demands his Contribution Points.
• Ji Yuan decides to kill Mo Tusheng. He traps him inside the Inverted Big Dipper Formation and uses four Zixiao Stone flying swords, Zixiao Divine Thunder, and the Heavenly Pivot Slaughter Formation to overpower him.
• Mo Tusheng reveals a transformation resembling Black Impermanence, using twin iron hooks and powerful Corpse Yin Demonfire. However, Ji Yuan’s Zixiao Divine Thunder directly counters his flames.
• Mo Tusheng attempts to escape through Ji Yuan’s illusion formations, but Ji Yuan manipulates the formations and deceives him into believing he has escaped. Ji Yuan ultimately kills him with a combined giant-sword attack and a massive storm of violet lightning.
• Ji Yuan collects Mo Tusheng’s remaining possessions: a ball of Corpse Yin Demonfire, the twin iron hooks, his Identity Jade Token, and his Storage Bag.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan: Becomes more decisive and ruthless. Rather than merely fleeing or avoiding danger, he deliberately chooses to kill Mo Tusheng and demonstrates increasingly sophisticated mastery of formations, illusions, sword techniques, and Zixiao Divine Thunder. He also remains cautious, hiding his identity and avoiding use of the Truth-Piercing Divine Eye because Ghost Envoy might recognize it.
• Nightmare True Lord: Is revealed as a calculating and confident former sect founder. Despite currently possessing only Golden Core Peak cultivation, he believes he has prepared enough advantages to confront his former disciple and Ghost Mother. His relationship with Qiu Qianhai shows both trust and an underlying danger, since he may eventually seize Qiu’s body.
• Qiu Qianhai: Reunites emotionally with Ji Yuan and acts as a bridge between Ji Yuan and Nightmare True Lord. Although he wants revenge, he is anxious about Nightmare True Lord’s intentions and reluctant to speak openly.
• Mo Tusheng: Initially arrogant and confident in his Corpse Yin Demonfire, he becomes enraged upon recognizing Ji Yuan as “Old Devil Ji.” His confidence collapses when Ji Yuan’s formations and divine thunder repeatedly counter him, forcing him to flee before he is killed.
• Ghost Envoy: Remains mysterious and commanding. It gives Ji Yuan direct orders while revealing little about its motives or relationship with Nightmare True Lord.

Significant Themes

• Revenge and old grudges: Ji Yuan, Qiu Qianhai, and Nightmare True Lord are all connected by past betrayals and persecution, and their reunion creates a shared desire for vengeance.
• Identity and deception: Characters conceal their names, origins, cultivation methods, and intentions. Ji Yuan’s survival depends heavily on false identities and strategic misdirection.
• Mastery versus raw power: Nightmare True Lord relies on secret knowledge of Bone-Nightmare Old Devil’s cultivation flaw, while Ji Yuan defeats Mo Tusheng through preparation, formations, and tactical counters rather than cultivation level alone.
• Trust and suspicion: Ji Yuan and Qiu Qianhai recover their friendship, but both remain wary of Nightmare True Lord. Ji Yuan also carefully withholds information about his other Nascent Soul master.
• Progression toward greater realms: The chapter emphasizes that Nascent Soul formation is essential for overcoming the characters’ enemies and political dangers.
• The power of preparation: Ji Yuan’s victory over Mo Tusheng results from layered formations, hidden techniques, elemental counters, and careful manipulation rather than a straightforward confrontation.

Important Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan’s recognition of Nightmare True Lord creates mutual shock, followed by the revelation that both men are tied to Fire-Spirit Ghost Mother and Bone-Nightmare Old Devil.
• Nightmare True Lord and Ji Yuan discuss the weaknesses of their shared enemies, while Ji Yuan repeatedly urges caution.
• Ji Yuan and Qiu Qianhai exchange complaints about the hardships they caused each other and endured on separate continents, ultimately reaffirming their brotherly connection.
• Nightmare True Lord invites Ji Yuan to travel with him, but their cooperation is interrupted when Nightmare True Lord departs for the Core Area.
• Ghost Envoy assigns Ji Yuan to protect the trial’s formation eyes, placing him directly in the coming conflict.
• Ji Yuan and Mo Tusheng engage in a battle of formations and counters. Mo Tusheng’s anger over his junior sister’s death intensifies the fight, but Ji Yuan’s strategic superiority leads to his death.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ji Yuan finishes off Mo Tusheng, reducing his corpse to ashes rather than preserving it for resurrection in the Mass Burial Ground. He obtains Mo Tusheng’s Identity Jade Token, Storage Bag, hook-shaped life-bound treasure, and Formation Banner.
• Killing Mo Tusheng, a Golden Core Peak cultivator, grants Ji Yuan 2,556 Contribution Points, raising his total to 5,769—enough to purchase several Fourth-Order Monster Cores.
• Ji Yuan successfully merges Mo Tusheng’s ownerless Corpse Yin Demonfire with his own. The enlarged flame becomes significantly stronger and may serve as a trump card comparable to his Zixiao Divine Thunder.
• He instantly refines Mo Tusheng’s Soul-Refining Cosmic Cycle Formation Banner, adding another valuable treasure to his collection.
• Ji Yuan returns to Southern Peak Tower, where Mu Xueyao is defending against attacks from Wave-Listening Pavilion cultivators Shen Yilan and Ping Banmeng, while Yin Ghost Sect elders Lü Bozhong and Zheng Guichen protect the Formation.
• After learning the rules of the Ten-Thousand Ghosts Paying Homage Formation, Ji Yuan chooses to side with the Rogue Cultivators because they receive greater rewards for breaking Formation eyes.
• Ji Yuan uses the Truth-Piercing Divine Eye to identify flaws in the Formation. He then combines his five Azure Waves Swords, the Giant Gate Sword, Zixiao Solitary Thunder, and a physical strike to break the Southern Peak Formation eye.
• Breaking the Formation earns him another 1,000 Contribution Points, but it also activates the true Ten-Thousand Ghosts Paying Homage trial.
• Ten thousand powerful Yin Ghosts emerge from Southern Peak Tower. They attack indiscriminately, ignoring factional divisions and forcing former enemies to temporarily stop fighting one another.
• Ji Yuan withdraws from the main battle but opportunistically kills weakened cultivators and Yin Ghosts, gathering their Storage Bags and Immortal Materials. Mu Xueyao assists him.
• Ji Yuan lures several Golden Core Peak Yin Ghosts away from Southern Peak Tower and repeatedly uses Lightning-Chasing Cloud to transport them toward Eastern Peak Tower, intending to use them against his old enemy Magui.
• Magui recognizes Ji Yuan and immediately attempts to escape using a Golden Ghost Token and a disguised identity as a Yin Ghost Sect disciple. Ji Yuan is unable to catch him.
• Just as Ji Yuan considers breaking the Eastern Peak Formation eye, an excited voice calls out to him: “Old Ji, I-I’m back!” This signals the long-awaited return and likely reunion with his brother.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan remains ruthless, opportunistic, and irreverent, but he maintains a personal code: he refuses to openly ambush healthy cultivators and claims to help those on the verge of death “leave with dignity.” At the same time, he readily exploits chaos and avenges past grudges.
• Ji Yuan’s combat abilities continue to expand. He gains a stronger Corpse Yin Demonfire, demonstrates greater Formation expertise, and uses the Truth-Piercing Divine Eye with caution and strategic planning.
• His reputation as “Old Devil Ji” has become so fearsome that other cultivators flee merely upon seeing him prepare an attack.
• Mu Xueyao grows increasingly trusting and loyal toward Ji Yuan. She supports his decision to side with the Rogue Cultivators, follows him into danger without hesitation, and helps him collect spoils.
• Shen Yilan and Ping Banmeng initially fear Ji Yuan because of his reputation but cooperate with him once he reveals that he can break the Formation.
• Magui is revealed to be just as deceptive and prepared for betrayal as Ji Yuan suspected. He secretly assumes the Yin Ghost Sect identity and keeps an escape method ready.
• The final voice indicates that Ji Yuan’s brother and ally has returned, setting up their reunion.

Significant Themes

• Reputation and identity: Ji Yuan openly embraces the identity of Old Devil Ji, while Magui and others conceal their true allegiances through disguises and faction changes.
• Pragmatism amid chaos: Alliances are temporary, and survival often depends on exploiting changing rules and turning enemies against one another.
• Power and opportunity: Ji Yuan continually converts every victory into greater strength—through Contribution Points, treasures, demonfire, and Formation rewards.
• Moral ambiguity: Ji Yuan considers himself principled because he avoids certain forms of treachery, yet he freely profits from deaths and manipulates battles to settle personal grudges.
• Brotherhood and vengeance: Ji Yuan’s pursuit of Magui reflects an old unresolved grudge, while the chapter ends by emphasizing the importance of a long-awaited brotherly reunion.
• Rules as tools: Ji Yuan studies the trial’s rules carefully and exploits loopholes, demonstrating that understanding the system can be as valuable as brute strength.

Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan mocks Mo Tusheng even after death, blaming him for mistaking him for the culprit behind his junior sister’s death.
• Mu Xueyao explains the revised Formation rules to Ji Yuan, and the two agree to fight on the Rogue Cultivators’ side.
• Shen Yilan advises Ji Yuan that brute force will not break the Formation, prompting him to consider using the Truth-Piercing Divine Eye.
• Ji Yuan coordinates with Shen Yilan and Ping Banmeng, asking them to restrain Lü Bozhong and Zheng Guichen after the Formation falls.
• The Ghost Envoy repeatedly warns and taunts Ji Yuan, but Ji Yuan deliberately distracts it with questions before secretly activating the Truth-Piercing Divine Eye.
• Ji Yuan and Mu Xueyao cooperate closely after the ghosts emerge, with Ji Yuan transporting her through Lightning-Chasing Cloud while they lure the Yin Ghosts toward Eastern Peak Tower.
• Ji Yuan confronts Magui indirectly, but Magui escapes before they can fight.
• The chapter closes with an unidentified but clearly familiar figure calling Ji Yuan “Old Ji,” strongly implying that his brother has finally returned.

Chapter Summary: “Old Devil Ji and Old Devil Qiu’s Wild Slaughter”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qiu Qianhai unexpectedly returns from the Core Area in the body he had previously used as Nightmare True Lord’s vessel. His cultivation has fallen to the Golden Core Middle Stage, but his combat power remains extraordinary.
• Reunited with Ji Yuan, Qiu eagerly proposes fighting alongside him. Ji Yuan agrees, though he directs their slaughter away from the three pursuing Golden Core Peak Yin Ghosts and toward the fleeing Core Formation cultivators.
• Ji Yuan, Qiu Qianhai, and Mu Xueyao begin a devastating hunt across Rakshasa City. Qiu kills several cultivators and hands their Storage Bags and Dharma Treasures to Mu Xueyao as a “greeting gift.”
• The pair become known as the “two Old Devil Jis,” cutting through cultivators from every direction. Even Golden Core Peak experts avoid fighting them alone. Many survivors hide inside buildings or flee to the Outer Domain.
• Ji Yuan deliberately avoids using his Corpse Yin Demonfire, fearing that revealing it would expose the connection between himself and the recently slain Hu Beizhi. He instead relies on Zixiao Divine Thunder and Lightning-Chaser.
• The Black-and-White Divine Hall’s Formation cores are withdrawn, forcing its disciples out of hiding and allowing Yin Ghosts to emerge from beneath the four Peak Towers. Ji Yuan and Qiu continue killing the exposed cultivators.
• Xiao Xuan intervenes to protect a surviving Black-and-White Divine Hall cultivator and urges Ji Yuan to stop. Qiu mocks Xiao for ignoring Xun Tianji’s own killings and challenges him to fight the two of them.
• Xun Tianji arrives and provocatively suggests a chaotic battle among himself, Xiao Xuan, Ji Yuan, and Qiu. Ji Yuan remains cautious, recognizing that fighting both opponents would be too risky.
• The Ghost Envoy announces that the Rakshasa City trial is ending prematurely because the casualties far exceeded the Spider Throne’s expectations. The next two trials will not take place.
• Participants may now exchange their accumulated Contribution Points and either leave Rakshasa City or proceed to the Core Area. Xun Tianji, Xiao Xuan, Ji Yuan, and Qiu all declare their intention to go to the Core Area, with Xun Tianji promising to settle their rivalry there.
• Ji Yuan enters the exchange area and learns that he has the highest Contribution Point total among the participants: 9,173 points. He exchanges points for two Early Fourth-Order Wood-Attribute Demon Cores and seven taels of Yao Earth Sand, materials needed for upgrades connected to his Nascent Soul preparation.

Character Developments

• Ji Yuan: Displays greater confidence, tactical restraint, and ruthlessness. He takes advantage of the chaos to maximize Contribution Points but avoids revealing abilities that could expose his identity or connections. His priorities remain practical: obtaining resources, improving his Heavenly Grotto and Spirit Field, and preparing for Nascent Soul Formation.
• Qiu Qianhai: Returns as an energetic and fearless fighter. Despite being only at the Golden Core Middle Stage, he can rival Golden Core Peak cultivators. His long-standing loyalty to Ji Yuan is emphasized through his eagerness to fight beside him and recover their former partnership.
• Mu Xueyao: Remains close to Ji Yuan during the slaughter and receives the spoils Qiu collects. She recognizes Qiu as the figure connected to the earlier “Old Devil Ji” identity, though Qiu redirects credit for saving her to Ji Yuan.
• Xiao Xuan: Shows more judgment than Xun Tianji by recognizing that the massacre has gone too far and asking how the trial can continue after so many deaths. He acts protectively toward a surviving ally but avoids direct confrontation with both Ji Yuan and Qiu.
• Xun Tianji: Continues to be arrogant, provocative, and eager for spectacle. He seeks a direct confrontation with Ji Yuan but is also confident enough to wait for a more favorable opportunity in the Core Area.
• Ghost Envoy: Reveals a pragmatic and somewhat amused attitude toward the massacre. It ends the trial once the casualty count becomes inconvenient and personally informs Ji Yuan that he has earned the most Contribution Points.

Significant Themes

• Brotherhood and reunion: Qiu’s return restores Ji Yuan’s former partnership and highlights the strength of their bond despite their separation and changes in cultivation.
• Power and reputation: The two men’s slaughter rapidly creates a fearsome reputation, but Ji Yuan recognizes that fame is meaningless compared with tangible resources and Contribution Points.
• Pragmatism amid chaos: Ji Yuan treats the battle as an opportunity to gather materials rather than as a personal vendetta. He carefully chooses targets, conceals dangerous abilities, and avoids unfavorable fights.
• The cost of unchecked violence: The sheer scale of the massacre forces the Ghost Envoy to terminate the trial early, showing that even the organizers did not expect such widespread destruction.
• Larger geopolitical conflict: The Taiyi Immortal Sect discusses mounting pressure from Demon God Continent and Barbarian God Continent, hinting that the events in Rakshasa Sea are part of a much broader conflict among continents and major powers.
• Treasure and cultivation advancement: The exchange system and Ji Yuan’s cultivation panel reinforce the importance of resources, Demon Cores, and spiritual materials in advancing toward Nascent Soul Formation.

Important Character Interactions

• Ji Yuan and Qiu reunite with immediate familiarity, trading insults and jokes while naturally returning to fighting together.
• Qiu teases Ji Yuan about Mu Xueyao and whether the two are married, embarrassing Ji Yuan and revealing his playful personality.
• Qiu gives Mu Xueyao the loot from his first kill, treating her like a younger family member despite their first formal meeting.
• Qiu and Xiao Xuan clash verbally, with Qiu accusing Xiao of avoiding Xun Tianji because he cannot defeat him.
• Xun Tianji encourages conflict rather than restraining it, attempting to provoke a four-way battle.
• Ji Yuan and Xiao Xuan briefly acknowledge each other but choose not to fight immediately.
• In the exchange area, the Ghost Envoy confirms Ji Yuan’s superiority in Contribution Points and explains the value and limitations of his current total.