Chapter Summaries

Xu Yan discovered an Ancient Demon Race Demon Embryo and decided to use the Blood Refining Foundation Seizure Art to seize its foundation and reach foundation establishment. He completed the formation on the embryo, leaving the seizure itself yet to begin.

• Xu Yan sealed the Demon Embryo's dissipating vital essence and recognized it as the result of the Ancient Demon Race's Heavenly Demon Rebirth Method.
• Xu Yan considered using the Blood Refining Foundation Seizure Art to take the Demon Embryo's foundation and judged the art's drawbacks acceptable.
• Xu Yan condensed nine Blood Refining Sigils from his essence blood and imprinted them on the Demon Embryo.
• Xu Yan connected the sigils with blood threads and completed the Blood Refining Formation around the Demon Embryo.

Xu Yan activated the Blood Refinement Grand Array to absorb the Demon Embryo’s vital essence, but the influx forced him to attempt Foundation Establishment before he was ready. He successfully condensed golden True Essence and emerged as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

• Xu Yan activated the Blood Refinement Grand Array and drew vital essence from the Demon Embryo into his body.
• Xu Yan refined the demonic qi entering him and gained a vast increase in vitality, but the overwhelming influx began to tear his body apart.
• Xu Yan used the Taiyi Five Elements Art to attempt Foundation Establishment, condensing his magic power into golden True Essence.
• Xu Yan’s divine sense expanded to eight hundred zhang as the breakthrough strengthened his aura.
• After more than a month, Xu Yan rose from the cocoon of light and confirmed that he had entered Foundation Establishment with golden True Essence.

After establishing his foundation with the Demon Embryo’s power, Xu Yan sought to master the Annihilation Demon Finger so he could defeat a Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator. When he turned to the Ancient Demon Nine Prohibitions, the Green Pearl protected him from the progenitor Xuan Hua’s divine sense and revealed the method, along with its grave risks and drawback.

• Xu Yan descended from the Sacred Pavilion’s third floor and spent more than a month studying the Annihilation Demon Finger, but could not execute it.
• Xu Yan suspected the divine ability required the Ancient Demon Race’s body-refinement Secret Art, the Ancient Demon Nine Prohibitions, and hesitated to study it because it carried Xuan Hua’s imperishable divine sense.
• Xu Yan sent his divine sense toward the Secret Art, and Xuan Hua’s divine sense attacked him for coveting the Ancient Demon Race’s sacred method.
• The Green Pearl devoured the invading divine sense, allowing the Ancient Demon Nine Prohibitions to appear in Xu Yan’s mind.
• Xu Yan learned that the method inscribed nine restrictions upon the body using Heaven-and-Earth Might, required vast vital essence and spirit medicines, and could consume Lifespan or kill its practitioner.
• Xu Yan discovered that the Ancient Demon Nine Prohibitions made breaking through major realms extraordinarily difficult.

Xu Yan mastered the first level of the Ancient Demon Nine Prohibitions and comprehended the Annihilation Demon Finger inside the Sacred Pavilion. When the Blood Sword Heart Curse erupted again, he sensed that its target had finally entered the Ancient Demon Abyss.

• Xu Yan used the Green Pearl’s memories of Ancient Demon Race cultivators to perceive heaven-and-earth might and condense his first Rune Prohibition.
• Xu Yan endured three days of agony to inscribe the first Rune Prohibition, then spent half a year inscribing the remaining eight and completing the first level of the Ancient Demon Nine Prohibitions.
• Xu Yan tested his strengthened body and spent about three months comprehending the divine ability in the four murals.
• Xu Yan unleashed the Annihilation Demon Finger and blasted a massive hole through the hard floor of the Sacred Pavilion’s second level.
• The Blood Sword Heart Curse flared on Xu Yan’s chest, and he sensed that its target had entered the Ancient Demon Abyss.

Xu Yan reached Foundation Establishment and set out to kill the Spirit Sword Sect cultivators in the Ancient Demon Abyss, hoping to refine Soul Liquid from them. After ambushing a group of Spirit Sword Sect disciples, he faced the arrival of Ji Heng, the cultivator who had once struck him into the abyss.

• Xu Yan mastered flight with guidance from Kong Xuan's memories and pursued the outskirts of the Ancient Demon Abyss.
• Ji Heng recognized Xu Yan, realized the Blood Sword Heart Curse still let him track him, and flew out to intercept him.
• Xu Yan reached the outskirts, spared three Ascension Gate disciples, and searched for Spirit Sword Sect cultivators with his Divine Sense.
• Xu Yan attacked more than a dozen Spirit Sword Sect disciples beneath a Thunderstruck Wood, killing several and wounding the rest.
• Ji Heng arrived in a streak of sword light and demanded that Xu Yan kneel and beg forgiveness.

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.