Chapter Summaries

Zhou Changqing survived Protector Wu’s chain attack but was badly wounded before Medusa and Yao Lao joined forces against the Four-Star Dou Zong. Their battle left the surrounding area in ruins, with Protector Wu still fighting.

• Protector Wu’s chain pierced Zhou Changqing’s chest, but Zhou Changqing pulled it free and retreated as Medusa arrived to confront Protector Wu.
• Yao Lao, possessing Xiao Yan, appeared and revealed himself to Protector Wu, who recognized him as Yao Chen and vowed to capture him for the Hall of Souls.
• Yao Lao and Medusa agreed to work together so Protector Wu could not escape and threaten them or the Snake-People Tribe.
• Yao Lao and Medusa attacked Protector Wu, who blocked their strikes with curtains of black smoke, and the three began a destructive battle.

Zhou Changqing recovered while Yao Chen and Medusa battled Protector Wu, who used soul bodies to strengthen himself with a black armor secret art. Medusa held off the stronger Protector Wu while Yao Chen prepared a fused heavenly-flame attack, ending with him launching the Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus.

• Zhou Changqing healed most of his chest wound with a Fifth-grade Recovery Pill and watched Yao Chen and Medusa gain the upper hand against Protector Wu.
• Protector Wu unleashed Nine Forests Hundred Soul Devouring, using his green stone necklace to release more than a hundred soul bodies into his black mist.
• Medusa transformed into the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python as Yao Chen and Medusa attacked the mist, destroying nearly a third of it before Protector Wu formed black armor and rose to five-and-a-half-star Dou Zong strength.
• Yao Chen asked Medusa to hold off Protector Wu while he fused the bone spirit cold flame with the emerald green lotus core flame.
• Medusa fought on despite severe injuries, then dodged as Yao Chen revealed a crystalline Fire Lotus and launched the Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus at Protector Wu.

Zhou Changqing and the Heaven Swallowing Python joined forces with Yao Lao to stop Protector Wu from escaping after the Fire Lotus explosion. Yao Lao captured Protector Wu’s weakened soul, leaving his fate in Yao Lao’s hands.

• Protector Wu survived the Fire Lotus explosion and tried to flee, threatening Yao Lao and Medusa with the Hall of Souls’ retaliation.
• Zhou Changqing blocked Protector Wu’s escape and struck him with Brilliant Thunder Finger, driving him toward the ground.
• Protector Wu broke apart the lightning finger, but the Heaven Swallowing Python hit him with a seven-colored beam that destroyed his body.
• Yao Lao located Protector Wu’s remaining soul in the pit and trapped it despite Protector Wu warning that the Hall of Souls would investigate his death.
• Yao Lao dismissed Protector Wu’s claim about his Soul Lamp and captured his weakened soul in a net of Soul Power.

After Zhou Changqing and Medusa helped defeat Protector Wu, Yao Lao imprisoned his soul to avoid alerting the Hall of Souls. The survivors regrouped at a Xiao Clan business, where Zhou Changqing recovered and considered his next steps.

• Yao Lao captured the weakened Protector Wu in a soul cage after Medusa caught the exhausted Zhou Changqing.
• Yao Lao explained that he kept Protector Wu alive to prevent his Soul Lamp from alerting the force behind him, and Medusa urged them to leave before anyone investigated.
• The group found Xiao Zhan and the other Xiao Clan members sheltering at a Xiao Clan business after the Xiao Residence was destroyed.
• Zhou Changqing recovered his Dou Qi, injuries, and blood essence with cultivation and healing pills.
• Zhou Changqing concluded that stopping Protector Wu had protected him as well as the Xiao Clan, and began considering his cultivation plans.

Zhou Changqing left Wutan City to cultivate near Water-Storage City, growing stronger over five months while training with Medusa. After sparring with her, he told her he planned to leave for the Black-Corner Region and eventually travel to the Central Plains.

• Zhou Changqing warned Xiao Yan that the Xiao Clan might attract more attention from the Hall of Souls, then said goodbye and left Wutan City with Medusa.
• At the mountain near Water-Storage City, Medusa returned to her people while Zhou Changqing stayed behind to cultivate and grow stronger.
• Over the following months, Zhou Changqing cultivated, refined weapons, practiced Dou Techniques, tempered his body in thunderstorms, and sparred with Medusa.
• After five months, Seven-Star Dou Wang Zhou Changqing fought Medusa, a Two-Star Dou Zong, but could not defeat her despite lasting more than a dozen exchanges.
• Zhou Changqing told Medusa that he planned to leave for the Black-Corner Region and head to the Central Plains once he grew strong enough.

Zhou Changqing asked Medusa to leave with him, but she chose to stay and lead the Snake-People Tribe. After Medusa left him behind, Zhou Changqing secured their cave and departed the Jia Ma Empire for the Black-Corner Region.

• Medusa told Zhou Changqing she would remain with the Snake-People Tribe to fulfill her wish of finding them a new home, and he accepted that he would travel alone.
• That night, Medusa quietly entered Zhou Changqing's room, tenderly touched his cheek, and vanished without waking him.
• Zhou Changqing found Medusa's chamber empty, sealed the cave with a protective barrier, and flew south toward the empire's border.
• Zhou Changqing passed through Ghost-Suppression Pass using the ordinary procedures, then left the Jia Ma Empire and flew away as a golden streak.
• Travelers and guards at Ghost-Suppression Pass realized Zhou Changqing was a powerful Dou Wang and were relieved he had not objected to their exit fee.

Zhou Changqing reached the Black Domain Great Plains and stopped to eat, only to be confronted by a thousand-strong band of Black Bandits. After killing their scar-faced captain with one punch, he faced the wary Third Chief, who demanded his name.

• Zhou Changqing reflected on the lawlessness he had witnessed while traveling toward the Black Domain Great Plains and decided to find a town to update his map.
• A thousand Black Bandits rode toward Zhou Changqing, and their Third Chief ordered a subordinate to seize him.
• The scar-faced Black Bandit threatened Zhou Changqing, who called the bandits brainless and warned that they were doomed to die.
• Zhou Changqing killed the scar-faced captain with one punch and dismissed him as unworthy of his ears.
• The Third Chief recognized Zhou Changqing's strength and suspected he might belong to a major faction, then demanded to know his name.

Zhou Changqing slaughtered the Black Bandits after killing their third chief, overwhelming their force of more than a thousand with his speed and strength. He annihilated nearly two-thirds of them, leaving the survivors frozen in terror.

• Zhou Changqing refused to reveal his background and killed the third chief with a single punch.
• The Black Bandits panicked, but a leader rallied them and ordered them to form up and attack.
• Zhou Changqing charged into the army and killed Black Bandits faster than they could land a blow on him.
• The bandits lost their courage and descended into chaos as they tried to flee.
• Zhou Changqing unleashed a devastating punch that killed nearly another third of the force, leaving the survivors and their horses frozen.

Zhou Changqing killed the remaining Black Bandits, buried their bodies by overturning the earth, and flew to Blood Fiend City after buying a map. He arrived at the Rakshasa Gate’s headquarters and noticed the city’s blood-red paving stones.

• Zhou Changqing pursued and killed every fleeing Black Bandit leader and minor leader.
• Zhou Changqing stomped the ground, burying the corpses and severed limbs beneath the soil.
• Zhou Changqing flew to a nearby town, bought a map of the Black-Corner Region, and departed.
• Zhou Changqing reached Blood Fiend City, headquarters of the Rakshasa Gate, and observed its bustling streets and crimson paving stones.

Zhou Changqing visited the Rakshasa Tower in Blood Fiend City to buy information about the Black-Corner Region. After paying for it, he rebuffed a manager’s advances and left after terrifying her with his killing intent.

• Zhou Changqing asked a restaurant waiter where to find comprehensive information about the Black-Corner Region, and the waiter directed him to the Rakshasa Tower.
• Zhou Changqing paid the waiter to guide him to the tower, where he requested information and waited in a reception room.
• A beautiful woman managing the tower offered Zhou Changqing a map and scroll for thirty thousand gold coins, then flirted with him and suggested another way to pay.
• Zhou Changqing knocked the woman’s hand away with an invisible force, paid with a crystal card, and prepared to leave.
• The woman tried to use a purple aura to draw Zhou Changqing back, but he overwhelmed it with his killing intent and warned her not to try again.
• The woman watched Zhou Changqing leave and became even more attracted to him.

After leaving Blood Fiend City, Zhou Changqing found Thousand Thunder Valley and began tempering his body in its lightning sea. He discovered that the valley’s lightning let him cultivate far more continuously than using heavenly thunder.

• Zhou Changqing traveled west through the Black-Corner Region and checked Rakshasa Tower’s map as he neared his destination.
• Zhou Changqing searched the mountains with his Soul Power and sensed dense lightning-attributed Heaven and Earth Energy to the east.
• Zhou Changqing reached Thousand Thunder Valley and saw a vast basin filled with restrained lightning.
• Zhou Changqing flew to the valley’s edge, sat down, and drew lightning arcs into his body to refine with the Heavenly Dipper Gold-Tempering Art.
• Zhou Changqing welcomed the lightning striking him and continued tempering his body, finding the method more efficient than drawing down heavenly thunder.

Zhou Changqing discovered that Thousand Thunder Valley greatly accelerated his body tempering and settled at its edge, where his body reached the strength of a three-star Dou Emperor. Meanwhile, a little girl in white left Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy and arrived above the valley, puzzled by how familiar it felt.

• After tempering his body for twenty-four hours, Zhou Changqing left Thousand Thunder Valley, activated a barrier, and slept until he had recovered.
• Zhou Changqing recognized that the valley made body tempering far more efficient and decided to settle nearby so he could rest between sessions.
• Over the next half month, Zhou Changqing searched the valley's edges for lightning-related treasures, found none, and reached the strength of a three-star Dou Emperor.
• A little girl in white secretly left Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy to search for herbs, while a white-haired old man watched her go and let her leave.
• The little girl in white arrived above Thousand Thunder Valley, stared at its lightning sea, and wondered why the place felt familiar.

Zhou Changqing encountered a mysterious little girl in Thousand Thunder Valley, and she absorbed a trace of his lingering Dou Qi that stirred her bloodline. After preparing a defensive barrier token, Zhou Changqing returned to the sea of lightning to resume tempering his body.

• Zhou Changqing and the little girl spotted each other on the mountain and cautiously went their separate ways.
• The little girl felt drawn to Zhou Changqing's lingering Dou Qi, absorbed it, and sensed that it would greatly benefit her.
• Zhou Changqing returned to his cave dwelling, exhausted, and fell asleep.
• Zhou Changqing spent three days refining a barrier token that could withstand a Dou Emperor's full-powered strike.
• Zhou Changqing activated the token at the edge of the sea of lightning and prepared to continue body tempering.

Zhou Changqing tempered his body in the Thunder Sea while a little girl secretly watched and gathered traces of his Dou Qi. Convinced that the energy might satisfy her bloodline’s yearning, she decided to keep following him for a month before returning to the Inner Academy’s medicinal storehouse.

• Zhou Changqing began Lightning-Induced Body Tempering in the Thunder Sea as the little girl watched from hiding and marveled at his endurance.
• The little girl remembered her painful attempt to touch the Thunder Sea and concluded that Zhou Changqing’s physique might surpass her own.
• After Zhou Changqing left the valley, the little girl absorbed traces of his residual Dou Qi along his flight path.
• The little girl checked her body in her tree hut but found no change, then reasoned she needed a greater amount of the Dou Qi.
• The little girl decided to wait a month and investigate the Dou Qi before returning to sneak medicinal herbs from the Inner Academy’s storehouse.

After discovering that Zhou Changqing’s residual Dou Qi strengthened her bloodline, the little girl was caught gathering it. Zhou Changqing realized she might know his thunder qi’s secret and viewed her as a threat, leaving them facing each other in a tense standoff.

• Zhou Changqing advanced to Nine-Star Dou Wang and Four-Star Dou Emperor after more than half a month of body tempering.
• The little girl secretly gathered Zhou Changqing’s residual Dou Qi and discovered that it could strengthen her bloodline.
• Zhou Changqing ended his session early and hid, then caught the little girl collecting the lingering Dou Qi.
• Zhou Changqing suspected she had detected his thunder qi’s special nature and feared the trouble its secret could bring.
• The little girl sensed Zhou Changqing’s hostility, and the two prepared for a confrontation.

Zhou Changqing fought a powerful girl at Thousand Thunder Valley and recognized her as Zi Yan, the Ancient Void Dragon royal and Jia Nan Academy’s Brute Force King. Zi Yan escaped, and Zhou Changqing returned to the valley, hoping she would keep his thunder qi secret.

• Zhou Changqing tried to learn the girl’s identity, but she stayed silent, so he attacked her with his fists.
• The girl and Zhou Changqing exchanged blows using only their physical strength, and he gradually drove her onto the defensive.
• Zi Yan punched Zhou Changqing back and fled on her purple dou qi wings, but he could not catch up as she used spatial power.
• Zhou Changqing recognized Zi Yan and decided not to pursue her because of her strength and ties to Jia Nan Academy.
• Zhou Changqing returned to Thousand Thunder Valley, concluding that he could only hope Zi Yan would not reveal his thunder qi secret.

Zhou Changqing confronted Zi Yan about secretly watching him cultivate, and she offered medicinal herbs in exchange for his thunder qi. He rejected the offer and ordered her to leave, leaving their dispute unresolved.

• Zhou Changqing sensed someone nearby and called for the watcher to come out, threatening to leave if they kept spying.
• Zi Yan emerged from the mountains, wary that Zhou Changqing might attack her again.
• Zhou Changqing rebuked Zi Yan for spying and demanded that she either fight or leave.
• Zi Yan admitted she wanted his Dou Qi and offered several medicinal herbs in exchange.
• Zhou Changqing rejected the trade and told Zi Yan to leave.

Zhou Changqing offered Zi Yan thunder qi in exchange for weapon-refining materials, and she returned with a valuable pile of treasures. They completed their first trade, each convinced they had gotten the better deal, while Zhou Changqing resumed tempering his body.

• Zhou Changqing asked Zi Yan to find weapon-refining materials and promised to trade them for thunder qi.
• Zi Yan left to search and returned five days later with a pile of ores and metals, many better than star-patterned steel.
• Zhou Changqing agreed to give Zi Yan half his full reserves of thunder qi for the materials.
• Zhou Changqing transferred the materials to his Storage Ring and gave Zi Yan a concentrated lightning sphere.
• Zi Yan flew away to test the lightning sphere, and Zhou Changqing began tempering his body.

Zhou Changqing and Zi Yan argued over how much thunder qi he owed her for finding weapon-refining materials, and Zhou Changqing defended their deal by pointing to his rapid cultivation progress. Zi Yan continued absorbing the thunder qi to improve her bloodline while watching Zhou Changqing temper his body with lightning, curious about how he grew stronger from it.

• Zi Yan accused Zhou Changqing of giving her only half his thunder qi despite her finding him good stones.
• Zhou Changqing revealed that he had advanced from Nine-Star Dou Wang to peak Nine-Star Dou Wang in a month and argued that half his thunder qi now amounted to more.
• Zhou Changqing refused to renegotiate their trade and began Thunder-Attracting Body Tempering beside the Thunder Sea.
• Zi Yan absorbed a lightning sphere, further improving her bloodline, and recalled that their trades had already raised its concentration and purity by roughly three increments.
• Zi Yan passed through Zhou Changqing's invisible barrier and watched him, wondering how he absorbed lightning to strengthen both his body and dou qi.

Zhou Changqing spent more than a month cultivating while Zi Yan guarded him, then completed his breakthrough from Peak Dou Wang to Dou Emperor. He opened his eyes with greatly increased power, while Zi Yan considered returning to the Inner Academy.

• Zi Yan asked Zhou Changqing his name, and he teased her by calling her a wild girl until she told him her name was Zi Yan.
• After another month of tempering his body and refining weapons, Zhou Changqing stopped to cultivate in seclusion and gather energy for his breakthrough.
• Zi Yan guarded Zhou Changqing for two months as he absorbed and refined vast amounts of heaven and earth energy.
• A huge energy vortex formed above Zhou Changqing, then collapsed into a torrent that poured into his body.
• After another half a month, Zhou Changqing broke through to Dou Emperor and tested his new strength by clenching his fist, making the surrounding space ripple.