Recaps

Xu Yan confronted Ji Heng and the Spirit Sword Sect disciples, while Li Xiaotian arrived and weighed whether to intervene. After Xu Yan revealed his formidable body-refinement cultivation, Ji Heng launched a powerful sword attack, leaving Li Xiaotian stunned by what he saw.

• Xu Yan suppressed the Spirit Sword Sect disciples with his divine sense and declared that they would die that day.
• Ji Heng revealed that Xu Yan had killed his disciple Wang Teng years earlier and demanded that Xu Yan kneel for mercy.
• Li Xiaotian arrived and claimed Xu Yan had ties to the Ascension Gate, but held back while judging the situation.
• Xu Yan revealed his powerful body-refinement cultivation, drawing Li Xiaotian's greed and deepening Ji Heng's desire to seize his opportunities.
• Ji Heng attacked Xu Yan with a tremendous river of sword light, and Li Xiaotian witnessed a shocking scene.

Xu Yan resisted Ji Heng’s Azure Lotus Sword Art with his body and the Purple-Gold Patterned Cauldron, leaving Ji Heng to suspect he had obtained the Ancient Demon Race’s inheritance. Ji Heng began preparing a forbidden move, while Li Xiaotian watched and hoped the two would wound each other.

• Xu Yan blocked Ji Heng’s sword light with his fist, and Li Xiaotian grew greedy for his body-tempering secret art.
• Ji Heng unleashed the Spirit Sword Sect’s Azure Lotus Sword Art, and Xu Yan used the Purple-Gold Patterned Cauldron to withstand its barrage.
• The Spirit Sword Sect disciples were shocked that Xu Yan remained standing, and Ji Heng wondered if he had obtained the Ancient Demon Race’s inheritance.
• Li Xiaotian warned that Ji Heng was about to use a forbidden move, while secretly hoping the two would gravely injure each other.
• Ji Heng’s Broadsword rang as he declared that his sword could slay monsters, vanquish demons, and annihilate all cultivators.

Xu Yan defeated and killed Ji Heng after countering his forbidden sword technique with the Annihilation Demon Finger. He slaughtered the fleeing Spirit Sword Sect disciples, though one escaped with an unusual treasure, and then pursued Li Xiaotian.

• Ji Heng unleashed the Taicang Demon-Slaying Art, but Xu Yan countered it with the Annihilation Demon Finger and shattered Ji Heng's right hand and bones.
• Xu Yan mocked Ji Heng, crushed his head, took his Broadsword and Storage Ring, and sealed the corpse in his Storage Bag.
• The Spirit Sword Sect disciples fled, and Li Xiaotian escaped ahead of them to seek help from Foundation Establishment cultivators of the other four sects.
• Xu Yan hunted down the fleeing disciples and killed all but one who escaped with an unusual treasure.
• Xu Yan transformed into a streak of blue light and pursued Li Xiaotian.

Li Xiaotian fled from Xu Yan, using pills and silver needles to increase his speed, while Xu Yan continued to pursue him. Li Xiaotian’s flight carried him past a swamp where he killed a Black-Scaled Blood Crocodile, and an even more terrifying pressure then approached.

• Li Xiaotian guessed that Xu Yan practiced the Taiyi Five Elements Art and fled as Xu Yan caught up.
• Li Xiaotian took a Purple Void Divine Travel Pill, but Xu Yan pursued him without using his Bloodfiend Shadow-Escaping Steps.
• Li Xiaotian offered Xu Yan ten thousand low-grade spirit stones, but Xu Yan rejected the offer and revealed his interest in the Ascension True Scripture.
• Li Xiaotian drove three silver needles into his chest to boost his speed and flew toward a swamp where Medicine King Valley and Blood Saber Sect disciples were negotiating over White Jade Lotus Seeds.
• The Black-Scaled Blood Crocodile attacked Li Xiaotian, who killed it with a single fist strike before continuing to flee without taking the lotus seeds.
• The cultivators at the swamp wondered what Li Xiaotian was fleeing from as a more terrifying pressure swept toward them.

Xu Yan caught up with Li Xiaotian and killed him before Shang Fang could intervene, then demanded Shang Fang’s Azure Horned Bull. Shang Fang tried to bargain for his own escape while Xu Yan insisted he was only a rogue cultivator, not a Demon Cultivator.

• Xu Yan collected the White Jade Lotus Seeds from the marsh and resumed chasing Li Xiaotian.
• Li Xiaotian warned Xu Yan that his sect and its Golden Core patriarch would retaliate, but Xu Yan decided that Li had to die.
• Li Xiaotian reached Shang Fang and called Xu Yan a Demon Cultivator, prompting Xu Yan to attack before Shang Fang could join the fight.
• Xu Yan killed Li Xiaotian with the Annihilation Demon Finger, sealed his corpse, and took it and Li Xiaotian’s Storage Ring.
• Shang Fang asked to leave after witnessing Xu Yan’s demonic technique, and Xu Yan agreed on the condition that Shang Fang leave his Azure Horned Bull behind.

Xu Yan forced Shang Fang to relinquish the Azure Horned Bull, then killed it for its essence blood and horns. Realizing the deaths of Six Sects cultivators could bring Golden Core pursuers, he decided to leave the Ancient Demon Abyss and the Jade Radiance Kingdom.

• Shang Fang removed the Azure Horned Bull’s Slave Mark and fled after spending essence blood and Lifespan to escape.
• Shang Fang’s Spirit-Communicating Gu Silkworm warned him that Xu Yan could kill him, and Shang Fang vowed revenge before flying away.
• Xu Yan killed the Azure Horned Bull and collected its essence blood and horns.
• Xu Yan abandoned his plan to brew Soul Liquid from Six Sects cultivators’ corpses and decided to leave Fufeng Commandery and the Jade Radiance Kingdom.
• Xu Yan flew toward an exit from the Ancient Demon Abyss, planning to break through the Six Sects’ formation by force.

Xu Yan reached the Ancient Demon Abyss exit and chose to escape through the formation guarded by Medicine King Valley. He subdued Wang Zhan, stole his robe and Storage Ring, and escaped through the opened formation, leaving Wang Zhan unconscious.

• Xu Yan examined the six formations and decided to target the one guarded by Medicine King Valley’s Foundation Establishment cultivator.
• Xu Yan found Wang Zhan gorging himself and fantasizing about taking Mo Li’s Dao companion, then seized him by the neck.
• Xu Yan slapped Wang Zhan into submission and forced him to remove his divine sense imprint from his Storage Ring.
• Xu Yan took Wang Zhan’s Daoist robe, had him open the formation, and knocked him unconscious before escaping.

After escaping the Ancient Demon Abyss, Xu Yan hid in a ruined temple and planned to leave the Jade Radiance Kingdom for the Fire Prosperity Kingdom. He inventoried the Storage Rings he had taken and prepared to visit the Myriad Arts Pavilion before traveling onward.

• Xu Yan fled the Ancient Demon Abyss and stopped at a ruined Mountain God Temple to recover his magic power.
• Xu Yan drove away villagers who approached the temple with offerings, then decided to avoid the Jade Radiance Kingdom and trade his stolen goods in the Fire Prosperity Kingdom.
• Xu Yan resolved to visit the Myriad Arts Pavilion to seek a complete version of the Bloodfiend Shadow-Escaping Steps, and considered robbing its proprietor if they were not powerful enough to stop him.
• Xu Yan examined the three Storage Rings and found that the fat cultivator's ring held abundant Spirit Stones, pills, and a third-tier Great Sun Golden Blade Talisman.
• Xu Yan found that Ji Heng and Li Xiaotian's combined wealth was less than half the fat cultivator's.

Xu Yan mastered the Thousand Illusions Mirage Art and used a disguise to enter the Myriad Arts Pavilion, where he sought the complete Bloodfiend Shadow-Escaping Steps. After killing Wu Jiulin and Zhou Wen and taking the Jade Slip, he escaped the pavilion’s formation and fled toward the Jade Radiance Kingdom’s border.

• Xu Yan transferred the Spirit Treasures from the Storage Bags and found the first three levels of the Thousand Illusions Mirage Art in a Jade Slip.
• Xu Yan mastered the art, tested a disguise as a demonic middle-aged cultivator, and flew to the Myriad Arts Pavilion.
• Xu Yan posed as a Foundation Establishment cultivator and followed Zhou Wen to the pavilion’s second floor to meet Wu Jiulin.
• Xu Yan displayed a supreme-grade Spirit Artifact Medicine Cauldron as payment for the complete Bloodfiend Shadow-Escaping Steps, then struck Wu Jiulin with a Demon Finger and took the Jade Slip and his Storage Ring.
• Xu Yan killed Zhou Wen, used essence blood to flee beyond the pavilion, and escaped its hundred-zhang formation as an unseen voice cursed him.

Xu Yan traveled toward the Fire Prosperity Kingdom and found a hidden cave abode beneath Greenwave Lake, where he cultivated the Bloodfiend Shadow-Escaping Steps to greater mastery. He left the cave hoping to collect the remaining Demon Beast essence blood needed for the Ancient Demon Slave Talisman.

• Xu Yan fled the Jade Radiance Kingdom and searched for a secluded place to cultivate while traveling toward the Fire Prosperity Kingdom.
• Xu Yan discovered a mutated catfish demon and a dilapidated cave abode beneath Greenwave Lake, the former resting place of the rogue cultivator Yu Huaji.
• Xu Yan killed the catfish demon, took its Storage Ring, set up First-Tier Formations, and entered the cave abode to cultivate.
• After a month, Xu Yan brought the Bloodfiend Shadow-Escaping Steps to greater mastery and learned that using it consumed far more essence blood.
• Xu Yan resolved to gather the five remaining kinds of Demon Beast essence blood needed for the Ancient Demon Slave Talisman in the Fire Prosperity Kingdom.

Xu Yan reached the volcanic border between the Jade Radiance and Fire Prosperity Kingdoms and explored the Heavenfire Mountain Range after replenishing his magic power. He descended into a crater where a Spirit Treasure was forming, unaware that the three demonic sects had arrived to claim a rare treasure ripening there.

• Xu Yan learned that the Fire Demon Sect, the Yin Puppet Sect, and the Illusion Demon Gate controlled passage through the region and resolved to proceed cautiously.
• He found the volcanoes' unusually dense fire spiritual energy suspicious, then carved a temporary cave abode and restored his magic power with a pill.
• Xu Yan sensed wood-aspect spiritual power coming from a volcanic crater and flew there to investigate.
• Unable to see to the crater's bottom, Xu Yan entered it, trusting his Redfire Burning Art to protect him from the flames.
• Cultivators from the three sects arrived at Heaven No. 2 Crater to gather its Spirit Treasure, which ripened only once every three hundred and sixty years.

Xu Yan found and claimed the Heavenfire Dragon Locust, a rare wood-element Spirit Treasure needed to forge the Five Elements Dao-Evolving Sword. The three demonic sects pursued him from the crater, and Xu Yan prepared to face them as their auras closed in.

• Xu Yan descended deep into the crater and discovered the tier-four Heavenfire Dragon Locust amid the flames.
• Xu Yan sealed the Heavenfire Dragon Locust and stored it in his Storage Ring after hearing cultivators at the crater mouth notice its aura had vanished.
• Huang Kui and the leaders of the other two demonic sects deduced that a cultivator had taken the Spirit Treasure.
• Xu Yan fled the crater, but Huang Kui, the sinister middle-aged cultivator, and the beautiful woman pursued him on their flying treasures.
• Xu Yan sensed the three foundation establishment cultivators closing in and resolved not to return the Heavenfire Dragon Locust.

Xu Yan was surrounded by Huang Kui, Meiji, and a Yin Puppet Sect cultivator after fleeing with a Spirit Treasure. He launched a sudden attack, and the battle began with Xu Yan targeting the Yin Puppet Sect cultivator first.

• Huang Kui summoned an earthen giant to block Xu Yan, but Xu Yan shattered it with his body-refinement strength.
• Meiji attacked Xu Yan with a black Conch whose sound struck at his divine sense, allowing the three cultivators to surround him.
• Huang Kui demanded Xu Yan surrender his Storage Ring, but Xu Yan instead attacked Meiji with a supreme-grade Spirit Artifact flying sword.
• Huang Kui brought down the Houtu Seal as the Yin Puppet Sect cultivator and his Corpse Puppets joined the attack.
• Xu Yan sent the Purple-Gold Patterned Cauldron against the seal and thrust a demonic finger toward the Yin Puppet Sect cultivator, who used Spirit Puppets to block him.

Xu Yan escaped three powerful Demon Cultivators by repeatedly using the Bloodfiend Shadow-Escaping Steps, but the strain damaged his foundation. Hiding in Thousandfire City, he evaded their divine sense with the Thousand Illusions Mirage Art, then overheard them consider sacrificing the city to find him.

• Xu Yan burned his essence blood to flee the sinister middle-aged cultivator and his Corpse Puppets, then escaped deeper into the Fire Prosperity Kingdom.
• Xu Yan hid in an inn in Thousandfire City and realized the pursuing auras belonged to the sect masters of the Fire Demon Sect, the Yin Puppet Sect, and the Illusion Demon Sect.
• Xu Yan concealed his aura with the Thousand Illusions Mirage Art as the three sect masters swept the city with their divine sense.
• Blue Old Devil proposed sacrificing Thousandfire City to flush Xu Yan out, while Heavenly Cripple Old Ghost warned that the city belonged to the Crimson Sun Sect and its Golden Core cultivator.
• Blood Corpse Bandit Daoist supported the sacrifice, arguing that it could strengthen their treasures and arts, while Xu Yan listened in horror.

Xu Yan realized the Three Demons intended to sacrifice Thousandfire City and hoped the Crimson Sun Sect would intervene, but they raised the Blood Sacrifice Formation and began killing its defenders. The city fell into terror as Blue Old Devil killed the Crimson Sun Sect cultivator who confronted them.

• Xu Yan swallowed a Yi Wood Rejuvenation Pill and decided to wait for the Crimson Sun Sect to arrive rather than reveal himself to the Three Demons.
• Heavenly Cripple Old Devil and Blood Corpse Daoist agreed with Blue Old Devil to sacrifice Thousandfire City and flee if the Crimson Sun Sect retaliated.
• The Three Demons placed their formation disks around the city and activated the Blood Sacrifice Formation, turning the sky red and terrifying the mortals.
• A middle-aged Crimson Sun Sect cultivator confronted the Three Demons and warned that his sect had been alerted.
• Blue Old Devil dismissed the warning, seized the cultivator with bloody light, and drained him into a husk.

Xu Yan watched as Blue Old Devil, Heavenly Cripple Old Devil, and Blood Corpse Daoist began slaughtering Thousandfire City and the Crimson Sun Sect cultivators. When his Thousand Illusions Mirage Art wore off, the blood corpse sensed him and pursued him into the city.

• Blue Old Devil killed a Crimson Sun Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator, then urged Heavenly Cripple Old Devil and Blood Corpse Daoist to hurry before reinforcements arrived.
• Heavenly Cripple Old Devil unleashed the Thousand Demon Drum, whose living souls devoured the spirits of the mortals killed in the attack.
• Blood Corpse Daoist sent his Millennium Frost Corpse after the Crimson Sun Sect disciples, while Blue Old Devil slaughtered Thousandfire City's inhabitants for their essence blood.
• A burly Qi Refining Perfection disciple threw two companions toward the blood corpse and fled, but the corpse caught and devoured him as well.
• Xu Yan realized his Thousand Illusions Mirage Art had expired when the blood corpse sensed him, and he fled deeper into the city.

Xu Yan used the aura of his Great Sun Golden Blade Talisman to frighten off the pursuing Blood Corpse while waiting for help from the Crimson Sun Sect. After repeatedly buying himself time, he neared his limit as the increasingly clever corpse continued to close in.

• Xu Yan prepared his Great Sun Golden Blade Talisman as the Blood Corpse pursued him, while the Three Demons argued over who would claim his flesh, soul, and Storage Ring.
• The Three Demons agreed to divide Xu Yan’s flesh and blood after capturing him and prioritized completing the blood sacrifice in Thousandfire City before the Crimson Sun Sect arrived.
• Xu Yan’s Broadsword struck the Blood Corpse but was knocked aside, and the corpse nearly seized him before recoiling from the talisman’s threatening aura.
• Xu Yan repeatedly released small wisps of the talisman’s aura to make the Blood Corpse hesitate and create distance, buying himself several incense sticks of time.
• Xu Yan realized he could force the Blood Corpse back only once more without fully activating the talisman, and he remained frustrated that no Crimson Sun Sect cultivators had arrived.

Xu Yan escaped the Blood Corpse when a Golden Core cultivator from the Crimson Sun Sect arrived and shattered the Blood Sacrifice Formation over Thousandfire City. The old man pursued the fleeing devils and struck down the Blood Corpse Daoist before turning to hunt another.

• The Blood Corpse Daoist learned that Xu Yan's Talisman Treasure threatened the Blood Corpse and moved to capture him before the sacrifice ended.
• A powerful aura approached Thousandfire City, and the three old devils ordered the Blood Corpse to withdraw and prepared to flee.
• The Crimson Sun Sect's old man arrived, shattered the Blood Sacrifice Formation with his Core Aura, and sent the three devils fleeing in different directions.
• The old man caught up with the Blood Corpse Daoist and crushed him with a palm strike that left a deep pit.
• The old man turned away to pursue another fleeing devil.

After Danyangzi killed the Three Demons, he offered Xu Yan a position as a Guest Elder of the Crimson Sun Sect and explained the benefits. Xu Yan weighed the risks and decided the arrangement could help him recover and navigate the Fire Prosperity Kingdom, though he did not plan to stay long.

• Xu Yan tried to leave Thousandfire City, but Danyangzi returned and used his Core Aura to stop him.
• Danyangzi thanked Xu Yan for keeping the Three Demons occupied and offered him a position as a Guest Elder of the Crimson Sun Sect.
• Xu Yan suspected Danyangzi’s motives, but Danyangzi swore a heavenly dao oath that he meant him no harm.
• Danyangzi praised Xu Yan’s aptitude, promised he would not need to leave a divine sense imprint, and offered access to the sect’s resources and alchemy.
• Xu Yan considered the risks and benefits, decided joining as a Guest Elder was worthwhile for now, and nodded to Danyangzi.

Xu Yan agreed to become a Guest Elder of the Crimson Sun Sect and traveled there with Danyangzi. After meeting the sect master and several elders, he learned that the sect had recruited multiple Guest Elders, and Danyangzi introduced him to the assembled cultivators.

• Danyangzi brought Xu Yan to the Crimson Sun Sect and showed him its mountain peaks, where Guest Elders could choose a cultivation cave abode.
• Xu Yan met sect master Li Changfeng and inferred that the sect was recruiting rogue cultivators because it lacked a new Golden Core cultivator.
• Li Changfeng told Danyangzi that seventeen elders and three of the five Guest Elders had been notified, while Shen Changyun and Zhou Qi were away at the Heavenly Treasure Trade Fair.
• Several Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived and greeted Danyangzi, and Xu Yan recognized three of them as the sect's other Guest Elders.
• Danyangzi announced that the sect had recruited another Guest Elder and gestured toward Xu Yan, who stood to be introduced.

Xu Yan became a Guest Elder of the Crimson Sun Sect to recover and learn about the cultivation world, then planned to leave. Danyangzi announced a batch of Golden Marrow Jade Dew Pills would be refined in a year, and Xu Yan resolved to stay for the chance to obtain one before departing.

• Danyangzi officially made Xu Yan, under the name Lin Dao, a Guest Elder and gave him a jade token with three thousand contribution points.
• Danyangzi announced that he had gathered the ingredients for the Golden Marrow Jade Dew Pill and would refine three to five pills in one year, available to elders through contribution-point exchanges.
• Xu Yan recognized that the pill could help him advance and decided to remain for a year while recovering and learning about the cultivation world.
• Zhao Feng objected to Guest Elders being allowed to exchange for the pills, and another elder supported his protest.
• Danyangzi released his Golden Core pressure, forced the elders to kneel, and declared that his decision could not be challenged and joining the sect remained voluntary for Guest Elders.
• Danyangzi dismissed the gathering and allowed Xu Yan to choose a cultivation cave abode on one of four subsidiary peaks.

Danyangzi warned Li Changfeng that his chances of surviving the Golden Core Tribulation were low and outlined two ways to improve them, including a painful demonic method. Xu Yan collected his new sect benefits, met the other Guest Elders, and flew to the summit of Sitting Forgetfulness Peak.

• Danyangzi reprimanded Li Changfeng for using Zhao Feng to test the rogue cultivators and asked about his chances of overcoming the Golden Core Tribulation.
• Li Changfeng admitted that his true chance of success was below twenty percent, and Danyangzi described seeking calamity-averting yuan magnetism or resorting to a demonic core-formation method.
• Danyangzi explained that recruiting rogue cultivators was preparation for the demonic method if no better option appeared before his death, and Li Changfeng pledged to endure any suffering for the sect.
• Xu Yan flew to Sitting Forgetfulness Peak and collected his spirit-stone stipend and supplies for establishing a cave abode.
• Ye Yun, Zhou Li, and Lin Ye arrived at the peak, greeted Xu Yan, and briefly explained how each had become a rogue cultivator.
• Xu Yan exchanged greetings with the three Guest Elders, then flew toward the summit of the peak.

Xu Yan settled into a cave abode on Sitting Forgetfulness Peak and planned to use the Crimson Sun Sect’s resources while preparing to leave within a year. At the Pill Pavilion, he found the third floor restricted but obtained a pill formula that could restore some of his lost lifespan.

• Xu Yan carved out a cave abode on Sitting Forgetfulness Peak and set up the second-tier Defensive Formation and Spirit Meditation Cushion.
• Xu Yan decided to leave the sect after one year at the latest and planned to seek a way to restore the vitality he had lost using the Bloodfiend Shadow-Escaping Steps.
• Xu Yan went to the Pill Pavilion to explore the sect’s alchemical inheritance and resources.
• Xu Yan was blocked from entering the third floor, which even the slovenly Foundation Establishment cultivator said required Danyangzi’s permission.
• Xu Yan spent two thousand contribution points to obtain the second-tier Ginseng Essence-Restoring Pill formula, which restored ten years of lifespan per pill, up to three pills per cultivator.

Xu Yan learned about the Immortal Alliance and the Crimson Sun Sect’s vulnerable position, then sought permission to travel to the Ancient Market for Jade Zhi Golden Ginseng. Li Changfeng let him go, but afterward headed toward the secret grounds in the rear mountain.

• Xu Yan discovered he lacked the Jade Zhi Golden Ginseng needed for his pill and decided to seek it at the Ancient Market.
• Xu Yan learned that the Immortal Alliance controlled access to treasures and that the Crimson Sun Sect faced threats from rival sects and future garrison duties.
• Xu Yan planned to use his trip to test Danyangzi’s control over him and prepare to escape if the sect obstructed his departure.
• Xu Yan visited Li Changfeng and claimed he needed the ginseng to recover vitality lost to grievous injuries.
• Li Changfeng approved Xu Yan’s trip, then watched him leave and went to the secret grounds in the rear mountain.

Xu Yan arrived at Divine Peak City and hired Qi Quan to guide him through the Ancient Market. After learning about its districts and an upcoming auction, Xu Yan discovered the location of the black market, where Qi Quan advised him to conceal his identity.

• Xu Yan reached Divine Peak City, paid the entrance fee, and hired Qi Quan as his guide for one low-grade spirit stone.
• Xu Yan asked Qi Quan to take him to the Ancient Market and tested his knowledge of its districts and famous shops.
• Qi Quan explained the four districts and told Xu Yan that an auction for select treasures would take place in three days for eligible Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Immortal Alliance.
• Xu Yan asked whether the Ancient Market had a black market and paid Qi Quan for its location.
• Qi Quan directed Xu Yan to a dilapidated pill workshop at the far left end of the second street in the market’s southwestern corner and warned him to conceal his identity.