Recaps

Gu Sheng withdrew Bai Lingtong from the Imperial Sect’s intelligence network and learned that Lu Chongshan was preparing to attack him with several allies. Town Guard Commissioner Chen Zhongting brought gifts and information to seek Gu Sheng’s forgiveness, leaving Gu Sheng with a warning that the assault could come as soon as the next night.

• Gu Sheng confronted a Town Guard messenger, told Chen Zhongting to meet him at Linlang Pavilion, and had Xiao Yun investigate the Town Guard Commissioner’s residence and a jade pendant.
• Gu Sheng ordered Xiao Yun to give Bai Lingtong an intelligence position, then persuaded Bai Lingtong to openly serve the Imperial Sect and investigate the Sun Moon Sect, the Great Desolation Alliance, and Shen Qingtian’s planned ambush of Shen Qingyun.
• Chen Zhongting arrived at Linlang Pavilion with gifts and apologized to Gu Sheng, revealing that Lu Chongshan had allied with three other Town Guard Commissioners and Shadow Hall to attack him.
• Chen Zhongting warned that Lu Chongshan might strike as early as the next night and offered Gu Sheng two Heavenly Martial Incarnations as another part of his apology.

Gu Sheng survived Lu Chongshan’s ambush at Linlang Pavilion with help from Chen Zhongting, Long Yundao, Shen Qingtian, and a hidden Grandmaster Realm protector, while the attackers were killed. After ordering an investigation into the leak, Gu Sheng agreed to join Shen Qingtian’s plan to ambush Shen Qingyun and gained Chen Zhongting’s pledge of allegiance.

• Gu Sheng sensed killing intent and warned Chen Zhongting, allowing them to escape as Lu Chongshan’s attack destroyed part of Linlang Pavilion.
• Lu Chongshan led five Heavenly Martial Realm fighters against Gu Sheng, but Long Yundao and Shen Qingtian intervened.
• A hidden Grandmaster Realm protector killed Lu Qingfeng and several commanders, while Shadow beheaded Lu Chongshan before he could self-destruct.
• Gu Sheng ordered Xiao Yun to investigate who had leaked news of Tantai’s departure, then thanked Long Yundao, Chen Zhongting, and Shen Qingtian for their help.
• Shen Qingtian told Gu Sheng that Shen Qingyun would visit Soulfall Valley in three days to seek the Ten Thousand Year Black Jade Spirit Pool, and they planned an ambush there.
• Chen Zhongting pledged allegiance to Gu Sheng, who told him the Town Guard Manor could come to him for help.

Gu Sheng rushed to the Myriad Ant Desert after Gu Ningshuang sent a broken distress message, only to be trapped by a red-robed puppet master and his controlled Giant Ants. After defeating the ants, Gu Sheng faced six martial-art puppet fighters and prepared to use the Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall to sever their master's control.

• Gu Sheng told Chen Zhongting to secure one vacant Town Guard Commissioner post for their people and asked Xiao Yun to support future cooperation with the town guard's residence.
• Bai Lingtong reported that Shen Qingyun had gone to seek spirit liquid at the Ten Thousand Year Black Jade Spirit Pool, and Gu Sheng ordered him to expand surveillance of the Sun Moon Sect and represent Linlang Pavilion in negotiations with Chen Zhongting.
• Gu Ningshuang sent Gu Sheng an urgent message from the Myriad Ant Desert, warning him of a trap before the communication cut off.
• Gu Sheng traveled by teleportation formation to Profound City and hurried into the desert, where a formation trapped him among six Giant Ants controlled by a red-robed old man.
• Gu Sheng killed all six Giant Ants and then fought six martial-art puppets under the old man's command.
• Yue Shen Gong recognized the unusual control threads and advised Gu Sheng to use the Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall; Gu Sheng summoned the bronze palace.

Gu Sheng freed the victims of the Spirit Puppet Reincarnation Array, defeated and captured the red-robed old man, and learned that Gu Ningshuang was imprisoned in a ruined tower. As three rescued puppets recognized his connection to the Myriad Spirits Palace, Gu Sheng remembered Qin Lie’s words and touched his jade talisman.

• Gu Sheng used the Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall to discover how to break the Spirit Puppet Reincarnation Array and learned that the red-robed old man had modified an array created by Yue Shen Gong's wife.
• Gu Sheng used the three puppets to shatter the barrier, erased the old man's control over them, and repelled his Soul Shredding attack.
• Gu Sheng captured the old man and forced him to reveal that Gu Ningshuang and a wounded Heavenly Martial Realm martial artist were imprisoned in a ruined tower a hundred miles south.
• Gu Sheng swallowed the old man with the Bronze Ancient Hall, then temporarily restored the clarity of the three puppets' residual souls.
• The white-haired puppet asked whether Gu Sheng was a senior from the Myriad Spirits Palace, and Gu Sheng recalled Qin Lie's words as he touched his jade talisman.

Gu Sheng rescued Gu Ningshuang and her companions, then learned more about her master’s regard for him and helped her begin training harder. After stabilizing his cultivation, Gu Sheng received Ying’s offer to teach him the Reverse Fate Scripture in exchange for eventually killing the Bitter Sea Sacred Land Holy Son Yun Wushuang.

• Gu Sheng absorbed the Myriad Spirits Palace martial artists’ souls as Living Puppets, found the hidden entrance in the ruins, and woke Gu Ningshuang while leaving her master and two companions unconscious.
• Gu Sheng told Gu Ningshuang to keep his visit secret and revealed that he was Linlang Pavilion’s Third Pavilion Master before leaving as her master began to wake.
• Gu Ningshuang’s master praised Gu Sheng’s talent, offered to secretly protect Gu Ningshuang on her planned secret-realm trip, and urged her to train harder; she requested access to the third level of the Sword Tomb.
• Gu Sheng learned that the red-robed elder’s inheritance site had destroyed itself, then compressed his true energy in a secluded cave to stabilize his cultivation.
• Ying revealed the Reverse Fate Scripture, which could reshape Gu Sheng’s foundation, and offered him the secret art in exchange for killing Yun Wushuang, the Bitter Sea Sacred Land Holy Son.

Gu Sheng accepted Ying’s dangerous secret art and went to Myriad Spirits Palace, where he learned his parents had arranged his marriage to Xiao Mengling. After Zhao Lingqian confronted him over the engagement, he trapped Gu Sheng and Xiao Mengdie inside a sealing barrier and ordered his disciples to attack.

• Gu Sheng accepted Ying’s inheritance, learned its lethal cultivation method, and decided to prepare before using it.
• At Myriad Spirits Palace, Xiao Mengdie recognized Gu Sheng and helped him gain an audience with Sect Master Xiao Xuance, who revealed that Gu Sheng’s parents had arranged his marriage to Xiao Mengling.
• Xiao Xuance invited Gu Sheng to stay for a banquet, while Zhao Lingqian openly opposed the engagement and warned Gu Sheng to leave.
• Xiao Mengdie threatened Zhao Lingqian with her blade when he insulted Gu Sheng, then led Gu Sheng away from the hall.
• Zhao Lingqian used the Myriad Spirits Heaven Sealing Cover to trap Gu Sheng and Xiao Mengdie, then ordered more than a dozen disciples to attack and force Gu Sheng to call off the engagement.

Gu Sheng defeated Zhao Lingqian and the Myriad Spirits Palace disciples who attacked him, then extorted three million High-grade Spirit Stones and a promise of five million total. Zhao Qianhuan learned Gu Sheng possessed the Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall and planned to kill him, while Xiao Xuance visited Xiao Mengling at the Great Desolation Sacred Academy.

• Gu Sheng used his Spirit Embryo Incarnation and powerful physique to defeat the Myriad Spirits Palace disciples, then forced them to flee.
• Gu Sheng trapped Zhao Lingqian with the Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall and demanded five million High-grade Spirit Stones; Zhao Lingqian paid three million and left owing the rest.
• Zhao Lingqian returned to Zhao Qianhuan and reported Gu Sheng's strength and possession of the Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall.
• Zhao Qianhuan dismissed the loss of Spirit Stones and vowed that Gu Sheng would be dead after that night.
• Xiao Xuance entered Xiao Mengling's cultivation chamber at the Great Desolation Sacred Academy.

Xiao Mengling put off meeting Gu Sheng until after her martial arts breakthrough, while the Blazing Heaven Saintess defeated the Sky-Piercing Holy Son and warned everyone against seeking her in marriage. At Myriad Spirits Palace, Zhao Qianhuan launched a coup during Gu Sheng’s welcoming banquet, and Gu Sheng called on Shadow as two Heavenly Martial Realm experts attacked him.

• Xiao Mengling accepted the old Gu family betrothal token but told Xiao Xuance she would meet Gu Sheng only after her breakthrough attempt.
• The Blazing Heaven Saintess defeated the Sky-Piercing Holy Son and warned that she would hunt down anyone who came to propose marriage.
• Xiao Mengdie warned Gu Sheng that Zhao Qianhuan might target him, and Xiao Xuance urged Gu Sheng to stay close during the banquet.
• Granny Lingyu reported that black-clad attackers had assaulted Myriad Spirits Palace, and Zhao Qianhuan arrived with armed forces to demand Xiao Xuance surrender the Palace Master position.
• Zhao Lingqian trapped the banquet guests beneath the Myriad Spirits Heaven Sealing Cover and sent two Heavenly Martial Realm experts after Gu Sheng, while Xiao Mengdie tried to defend him.
• Gu Sheng remained calm as the two experts lunged at him and ordered Shadow to make a move.

Gu Sheng and Xiao Xuance discovered that the Zhao Family’s betrayal was tied to a hidden enemy who trapped Myriad Spirits Palace in an ancient formation and ordered Gu Sheng captured alive. While imprisoned inside the palace, Gu Sheng used Ying’s secret technique to strengthen his foundation, but Xiao Mengdie found him drenched in blood as his body repeatedly burst apart and healed.

• Gu Sheng killed two Heavenly Martial Realm experts, but Zhao Qianhuan escaped under the protection of the Myriad Spirits Heaven Sealing Cover after another Sect Realm expert appeared.
• Gu Sheng and Xiao Xuance suspected Zhao Qianhuan’s betrayal was connected to the attack on Xiao Mengdie, then discussed delaying Gu Sheng’s marriage agreement with the Xiao family.
• The Ancient Heaven Sealing Formation trapped Myriad Spirits Palace, and Ying failed to break it; Gu Sheng and Xiao Xuance suspected the Zhao Family was being directed by a hidden enemy.
• Outside the formation, a Black Robe Man berated Zhao Qianhuan, injured Zhao Lingqian, and ordered the Zhao Family to capture Gu Sheng alive within three days.
• Gu Sheng used Ying’s secret technique to reverse his qi and blood, breaking open his dantian and greatly condensing his true qi while strengthening his vitality and meridians.
• Xiao Mengdie entered Gu Sheng’s quiet room the next morning, found him covered in blood as his flesh burst apart and healed, and screamed in alarm.

Gu Sheng broke through to the Earth Martial Realm, awakened the Nine Grotto-Heavens, and received the Thirty-Six Heavenly Caves Divine Art’s inheritance. After Xiao Xuance and Xiao Mengdie questioned his rapid rise, Ying reminded him of their agreement to kill the Bitter Sea Holy Son and promised to help him become strong enough within three years; then Gu Sheng sensed danger from the southeast.

• Gu Sheng’s breakthrough triggered a heavenly phenomenon, and Xiao Xuance sealed the area and ordered the Myriad Spirits Palace disciples to keep what they witnessed secret.
• The creator of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Caves Divine Art appeared in Gu Sheng’s Sea of Consciousness, identified Gu Sheng as its destined successor, and passed on the art’s inheritance before vanishing.
• As Gu Sheng’s nine acupoints transformed into the Nine Grotto-Heavens, the Nine Dragon Universe Cauldron absorbed the rampaging spiritual energy and helped him advance to the fourth level of the Earth Martial Realm.
• Xiao Xuance and Xiao Mengdie questioned Gu Sheng about his sudden breakthroughs, but he concealed the true source of his progress, and Xiao Xuance chose not to press him.
• Ying revealed that she knew Gu Sheng had succeeded and reminded him to help kill the Bitter Sea Holy Son; Gu Sheng then sensed an approaching danger from the southeastern horizon.

Zhao Qianhuan led an assault on the Myriad Spirits Palace, and Gu Sheng killed him despite suffering devastating injuries. As Gu Sheng struggled to recover, the Blood Fiend Twin Venerables attacked him, and Shadow ignited her Origin Fire to stop a blood dragon from reaching him.

• Xiao Xuance told Gu Sheng that Zhao Qianhuan had advanced to the Martial Ancestor Realm and was attacking the Myriad Spirits Palace with two other experts and several hundred cultivators.
• After the sect-protecting formation collapsed and the Myriad Spirits Heaven Sealing Cover trapped the defenders, Shadow tried to evacuate Gu Sheng and Xiao Mengdie, but Zhao Qianhuan's attack drove them back.
• Gu Sheng opened his Nine Grotto-Heavens, used a spiritual attack and the Nine Dragon Universe Cauldron's power, and killed Zhao Qianhuan with a crimson-gold sword strike.
• Shadow returned as the Blood Fiend Twin Venerables attacked the injured Gu Sheng, while Xiao Xuance fought to protect him.
• The two elders summoned blood dragons that overwhelmed Xiao Xuance and threatened Gu Sheng; Shadow destroyed one dragon, then ignited her Origin Fire as the other lunged toward Gu Sheng.

After Shadow defeated the Blood Fiend Twin Venerables by burning her Origin Fire, Gu Sheng saved her from dying and later recovered from his own severe injuries. He learned of Spirit Flame Mountain’s Dragon Blood Crystals and prepared to seek them out to strengthen his body, leaving Myriad Spirits Palace with an old map and a plan to find the secret realm entrance.

• Shadow destroyed the Blood Fiend Twin Venerables with her shadow spears, but her Origin Fire began consuming her life, so Gu Sheng forcibly extinguished it before collapsing.
• Gu Sheng awoke after three days and learned that Shadow had been taken to Linlang Pavilion to recover her depleted origin.
• Xiao Xuance told Gu Sheng that Spirit Flame Mountain held Dragon Blood Crystals and gave him an old map of its secret realm.
• Gu Sheng recovered his spiritual power, promised Xiao Mengdie he would return safely, and decided to seek a breakthrough in physical strength.
• As Myriad Spirits Palace rebuilt after the attack, Gu Sheng accepted Xiao Xuance's warning about the secret realm and said he had a way to locate its entrance.

Gu Sheng traveled to Spirit Flame City to investigate the marked Crimson Flame Valley and became Xie Qingxuan’s escort into the Spirit Flame Mountain Range in search of the Spirit Flame Immortal Herb. After accepting her payment, he learned the herb was needed to save an elder of her family.

• Gu Sheng left Myriad Spirits Palace with Xiao Xuance’s distress signal and learned that Tantai had taken Ying to Medicine King Valley for treatment.
• Gu Sheng rented a Gale Wolf carriage, traveled to Spirit Flame City, and entered the city after revealing his Earth Martial Realm cultivation.
• At Green Pine Residence, Gu Sheng overheard men plotting to seize the Spirit Flame Immortal Herb and force Xie Qingxuan to submit.
• Xie Qingxuan asked Gu Sheng to escort her into the mountains, and he agreed to protect her for three hundred High-grade Spirit Stones despite A-He’s objections.
• The next morning, Xie Qingxuan paid Gu Sheng five hundred Spirit Stones and explained that she sought the herb to save an elder of her family.

Gu Sheng escorted Xie Qingxuan into the Spirit Flame Mountain Range, where the Blood Moon Wolf King attacked and he secretly diverted it toward Meng Xiao’s group. After escaping with Xie Qingxuan and Xie He, Gu Sheng revealed to his spirit companions that he had saved them for his own purposes; the chapter ended with Xie He badly wounded while fighting a Spirit Cat Demonic Beast.

• Liu Qingyun and Meng Xiao tried to persuade Xie Qingxuan to abandon her agreement with Gu Sheng, but she refused and departed with him.
• As the group entered the mountains, Gu Sheng sensed danger and warned everyone, but Meng Xiao dismissed him until the Blood Moon Wolf King appeared and killed its guard captain.
• When the wolf king attacked, Meng Xiao, Liu Qingyun, and their men fled; Gu Sheng secretly made the beast turn after them, allowing Xie Qingxuan and Xie He to escape with him.
• Gu Sheng told the Innate Spirit Embryo and Yue Shen Gong that he had used the wolf king against Meng Xiao and saved Xie Qingxuan because she held clues he needed.
• Meng Xiao and Liu Qingyun survived by hiding among rocks, blamed Gu Sheng for directing the wolf king, and sent a message requesting a Heavenly Martial Realm retainer.
• After a day of travel and fighting demonic beasts, Xie He insisted on battling a Spirit Cat alone, was badly wounded, and Xie Qingxuan pleaded with Gu Sheng to help him.

Gu Sheng saved Xie He, used him to draw out demonic beasts, and killed a Blood Moon Wolf King that had broken through to the Heavenly Martial Realm. While Xie He returned with the corpse, Meng Xiao cornered Xie Qingxuan, and Gu Sheng appeared to stop him and face the five Earth Martial Realm fighters.

• Gu Sheng killed the Spirit Cat Demonic Beast before it could attack Xie He, then ordered Xie He to act as bait while he hunted the beasts drawn by the scent of blood.
• Xie He encountered the Blood Moon Wolf King but watched from hiding as Gu Sheng used his Nine Grotto-Heavens and sword arts to kill it.
• Gu Sheng ordered Xie He to drag the Wolf King's corpse back, then sensed someone nearby and warned that someone was looking to die.
• Meng Xiao and five Earth Martial Realm martial artists surrounded Xie Qingxuan and demanded that she submit to Meng Xiao.
• Gu Sheng appeared, severed Meng Xiao's arm, and faced the five fighters as they charged him.

Gu Sheng fought the Meng Family patriarch after defeating Meng Xiao’s guards, and his four Great Grotto-Heavens let him wound the Heavenly Martial Realm expert before the patriarch escaped with Meng Xiao. Badly injured, Gu Sheng was taken by Yue Shen Gong to the Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall to recover, while the patriarch warned Meng Xiao not to rely on his family’s backing.

• Gu Sheng killed one of Meng Xiao’s men and crippled the other four, then evaded the Heavenly Martial Incarnation Meng Xiao summoned and wounded Meng Xiao.
• The Meng Family patriarch arrived, but Gu Sheng stood firm under his pressure and revealed four Great Grotto-Heavens.
• Gu Sheng split the patriarch’s palm attack with his sword, then wounded him with another strike as the Xie siblings fled.
• The patriarch struck Gu Sheng with his Myriad Thunder Heart-Piercing Palm, but Gu Sheng’s golden barrier blocked it and he slashed the patriarch’s neck.
• The patriarch fled with Meng Xiao after Gu Sheng’s North Star Immortal Slaying Sword struck him, leaving Gu Sheng badly injured.
• Yue Shen Gong brought Gu Sheng to the Divine Craftsman's Maze Hall to recover, while the patriarch took a Vitality Returning Pill and cautioned Meng Xiao against relying on family power.

Gu Sheng recovered from his fight with the Meng Family’s old ancestor and led Xie Qingxuan and Xie He toward a hidden realm beneath the Spirit Flame Mountain’s volcanic crater. As Xu Hansong and four Sun Moon Sect members approached to kill him, Gu Sheng sent Xie Qingxuan and Xie He to hide and confronted them at the peak.

• The Meng Family’s old ancestor vowed to eliminate Gu Sheng after returning to Great Desolation City, fearing the threat he would pose if he grew stronger.
• Gu Sheng recovered inside the Divine Craftsman’s Maze Hall, reunited with Xie Qingxuan and Xie He, and told them the Spirit Flame Immortal Herb lay in a hidden realm within the mountain range.
• Gu Sheng detected concealed arrays and found that the main peak was an illusion hiding a volcanic crater; he suspected the realm’s entrance was in the lava and planned to investigate by day.
• Liu Qingyun used her jade pendant to evade Gu Sheng’s spiritual probing, then summoned Xu Hansong and told him Gu Sheng had found the hidden realm; Xu Hansong ordered his four subordinates to attack.
• Gu Sheng sensed five approaching Heavenly Martial Realm auras, sent Xie Qingxuan and Xie He to hide, and went to meet Xu Hansong and the Sun Moon Sect group at the peak.
• Xu Hansong declared the hidden realm Sun Moon Sect territory and threatened to kill Gu Sheng, who warned that the sect would face consequences if it harmed a man of Great Desolation City.

Gu Sheng used Tantai Ying’s phantom to deter Xu Hansong and the other factions, but the Sun Moon Sect and Divine Blood Sect later joined forces against him at the Spirit Flame Mountain secret realm. Just as the elders moved to kill him, Tantai Bing Tang appeared and warned that anyone who harmed Gu Sheng would face the wrath of Linlang Pavilion.

• Gu Sheng invoked Tantai Ying’s phantom to make Xu Hansong and the Sun Moon Sect back down, then clashed verbally with Chi Yan, a leader of the Divine Blood Sect.
• Gu Sheng kept watch overnight and used Shadow’s aura to drive off scouts as the ancient bronze gate to the secret realm rose from the lava.
• Chi Yan challenged Gu Sheng’s group at the entrance, and the Sun Moon Sect and Divine Blood Sect nearly fought before Sect Realm elders from both sides arrived.
• The Sun Moon Sect’s First Elder and the Divine Blood Sect’s blood-robed elder agreed to join forces and kill Gu Sheng, believing Shadow was absent.
• Tantai Bing Tang appeared as a phantom, declared Gu Sheng the Third Pavilion Master of Linlang Pavilion, and threatened both sects if they harmed him.

Gu Sheng entered the secret realm with Xie Qingxuan and Xie He, where they found a Spirit Flame Immortal Herb growing above a Magma Lake filled with Divine Phoenix Essence Blood. As the Divine Blood Sect and Sun Moon Sect fought over the site, Gu Sheng began using the magma to temper his body, and a Divine Phoenix Phantom appeared to protect him from attack.

• Tantai Bing Tang's spiritual incarnation severed the First Elder's head, forcing the Divine Blood Sect and Sun Moon Sect to let Gu Sheng enter the secret realm.
• Gu Sheng led Xie Qingxuan and Xie He to a volcano, where they found the Spirit Flame Immortal Herb and later faced Xu Hansong and Zhang Tianxing.
• Zhang Tianxing was badly burned by the Magma Lake's Divine Phoenix Essence Blood, which Gu Sheng explained countered his Dao Marks.
• Gu Sheng stepped into the magma and discovered that its energy burned away and regenerated his flesh, strengthening his body.
• Zhang Tianxing ordered Divine Blood Sect disciples to attack Gu Sheng, but a Divine Phoenix Phantom stopped their strikes and killed the attackers with crimson-gold spikes.

Gu Sheng endured the Magma Lake’s upheaval long enough to complete his body tempering, then was swept toward the lakebed, where a Blood Blade Demonic Vine attacked him. Xu Hansong and Zhang Tianxing had triggered the chaos by breaking the formation that controlled the Divine Phoenix remnant soul.

• Gu Sheng warned Xu Hansong that the magma would kill anyone whose marrow was not tempered, while Zhang Tianxing and Xu Hansong left the lake and plotted to use the remnant soul against him.
• Gu Sheng directed Xie He to search underground and told Xie Qingxuan to cultivate by the shore as he continued tempering his body in the magma.
• Zhang Tianxing revealed the ancient formation to Xu Hansong, and they used the Forbidden-Breaking Spike to disrupt it and unleash the Divine Phoenix remnant soul.
• Xie He learned that the Sun Moon Sect and Divine Blood Sect had allied, then knocked out Xie Qingxuan and carried her away as the lake erupted.
• Gu Sheng completed his tempering during the upheaval, but a vortex dragged him toward the lakebed, where a Blood Blade Demonic Vine attacked him.

Gu Sheng discovered that the monsters in the Magma Lake were Heavenly Demon Vines and used his knowledge to conceal himself and seize their core. He began climbing back to the surface with the vine’s true body, while Zhang Tianxing and Xu Hansong still searched for him and threatened Xie Qingxuan and Xie He.

• Gu Sheng recognized the attacking plants as Heavenly Demon Vines and concealed his life aura so he could descend safely toward their core.
• Zhang Tianxing and Xu Hansong searched the secret realm, found no trace of Gu Sheng, and ordered warriors to investigate the Magma Lake.
• Gu Sheng had the Spirit Embryo Incarnation imitate a divine phoenix’s aura to draw the vines away from their exposed core.
• Gu Sheng used the Secret Art of Dual Seas of Consciousness to subdue the core and claim the Heavenly Demon Vine’s true body.
• Gu Sheng started swimming upward with the golden-red vine protecting him as it parted the magma.
• After three days of searching, Xu Hansong berated his men while Zhang Tianxing threatened Xie Qingxuan and Xie He for Gu Sheng’s whereabouts.

Gu Sheng rescued Xie Qingxuan from Zhang Tianxing and used the Heavenly Demon Vine to kill the Divine Blood Sect and Sun Moon Sect disciples at the lava lake. After giving Xie Qingxuan the Spirit Flame Immortal Herb, he sensed a Sovereign Realm expert approaching and escaped the secret realm with her, where the two sect masters confronted him about their missing disciples.

• Zhang Tianxing killed Xie He and tried to throw Xie Qingxuan into the lava, but Gu Sheng emerged from the lake and caught her.
• Gu Sheng unleashed the Heavenly Demon Vine and slaughtered Zhang Tianxing, Xu Hansong, and the gathered disciples of the Divine Blood Sect and Sun Moon Sect.
• Gu Sheng gave Xie Qingxuan the Spirit Flame Immortal Herb and asked her to conceal what had happened; she promised the Xie Family would support him.
• Gu Sheng sensed a Sovereign Realm expert approaching, then used an ancient bronze key to lead Xie Qingxuan through a teleportation gate out of the secret realm.
• The Sun Moon Sect and Divine Blood Sect masters confronted Gu Sheng outside the secret realm, and the Sun Moon Sect master demanded to know where Xu Hansong was.

Gu Sheng distracted the elders guarding the bronze gates, awakened the Nine Dragon Universe Cauldron’s power, and killed the Sun Moon Sect’s First Elder with a single Divine Flame Sword Qi strike. He fled with Xie Qingxuan, then used the spirit embryo to create an identical double, leaving their pursuers to split up and chase both routes.

• Gu Sheng persuaded the Sun Moon Sect and Divine Blood Sect masters to investigate the secret realm while their elders stayed behind to watch him and Xie Qingxuan.
• Gu Sheng taunted the elders and repeatedly attacked without force, waiting until their vigilance faded before using the Nine Dragon Universe Cauldron to awaken his hidden power.
• Gu Sheng cut the Sun Moon Sect’s First Elder in two with Divine Flame Sword Qi, vaporizing his body and frightening the remaining elders.
• Gu Sheng drew Xie Qingxuan to his side and fled under attacks from the pursuing disciples, shielding them with a flame barrier.
• Gu Sheng used the spirit embryo to create an identical double at a fork in the road, and Xue Wuya ordered the pursuers to split up and chase both figures.

Gu Sheng escaped the Divine Blood Sect’s pursuit but was left gravely injured, while Xie Qingxuan rescued him and helped him hide in a cave. As Gu Sheng struggled to recover, Xie Qingxuan found the herbs he needed and was attacked in the forest.

• Gu Sheng hid Xie Qingxuan in the Bronze Great Hall, then used the Nine Dragon Universe Cauldron and a burst of Source Power to break through the Divine Blood Sect elders’ encirclement.
• Gu Sheng collapsed from his injuries and woke two days later in a cave, where Xie Qingxuan told him she had found and cared for him.
• Gu Sheng explained that his organs and meridians were badly damaged and asked Xie Qingxuan to gather herbs for a Heaven-Returning Pill.
• Gu Sheng learned that his avatar had been destroyed, then painfully began circulating the Nine Dragon Qiankun Art to speed his recovery.
• Xie Qingxuan found Seven Star Meridian Replenishing Grass in the forest, but an invisible wind blade struck her and knocked her to the ground.

Xie Qingxuan killed a Black Tortoise Realm Windcloud Leopard while protecting the recovering Gu Sheng, then returned with spiritual medicine and collapsed. After she recovered and Gu Sheng reached the fifth level of the Earth Martial Realm, he prepared to leave and train further, while Xie Qingxuan offered to use her special Yin-Essence Power to help him.

• Xie Qingxuan fought the Windcloud Leopard, used Cold Star to pierce its eye, and killed it by detonating true qi inside its skull.
• Xie Qingxuan gathered Profound Ice Grass and dragged the leopard's corpse back to Gu Sheng's cave before collapsing.
• Gu Sheng used the leopard's demonic core and Xie Qingxuan's herbs to refine a Minor Restoration Pill and treat her, then thanked her for risking her life to protect him.
• Xie Qingxuan and Gu Sheng rested for two days, and Gu Sheng recovered and advanced to the fifth level of the Earth Martial Realm.
• Gu Sheng said he would continue training instead of returning to Great Desolation City, and offered Xie Qingxuan a token for Linlang Pavilion.
• Xie Qingxuan offered to help Gu Sheng recover and break through by using the special Yin-Essence Power in her bloodline, but Gu Sheng refused.