Chapter Summaries

After Nie Yun and Nie Tong recovered from the Pure Illusion Spirit Stone’s visions, the group faced the Purple Splendor Cave Mansion’s deadly trial. Nie Yun exposed two people secretly following them just as they approached the trial gate.

• Nie Yun recognized the Pure Illusion Spirit Stone and reflected on the visions revealing his and Nie Tong’s deepest feelings.
• Nie Tong told Nie Yun that he had practiced swordsmanship in his vision, then abandoned it to protect his brother from demon folk.
• Nie Tong gave Nie Yun the Illusion Heart Sky Demon Lamp, but said he wanted to break through to the Mystic Realm by his own strength.
• Huang Ling and the others awakened from their visions, and a voice announced that the inner hall’s trial would be fatal for those who failed, while offering a spirit weapon to anyone who withdrew.
• The group chose to continue toward the trial gate, but Nie Yun stopped them and called out the two people following behind them.
• Huang Chen and Empress Ziqiong emerged from their hiding place and acknowledged that Nie Yun had detected them.

Nie Yun and Nie Tong entered the trial after Nie Yun exposed and killed Qi Huang, while Empress Ziqiong and Huang Chen were blocked from following until they passed the Pure Illusion Spirit Stone. Separated inside the trial, Nie Yun learned that he could not replenish his true energy and faced the first checkpoint: a powerful Bronze Armor Puppet.

• Nie Yun killed the Golden Armored Flood Ape, revealing Qi Huang, and exposed the Shenfeng Empire's alliance with the demonfolk.
• Empress Ziqiong and Huang Chen attacked Nie Yun, but he escaped through the doorway with Nie Tong; a barrier wounded Empress Ziqiong and warned the others to pass the Pure Illusion Spirit Stone before entering.
• Huang Ling, Qi Tao, and Mo Wudao entered the trial ahead of Huang Chen, who began the Pure Illusion Spirit Stone trial.
• Inside the trial, Nie Yun was separated from Nie Tong and discovered he could not absorb spiritual energy or access his Storage Dantian.
• The first checkpoint required Nie Yun to defeat a Bronze Armor Puppet that would fight at peak Supreme strength and warned that failure meant death.

Nie Yun defeated the Bronze Armor Puppet and passed the strength trial, then faced a mural left by the Purple Splendor Daoist. He had one hour to add a stroke that repaired the painting’s flaw or be killed by its sword qi.

• Nie Yun met the Bronze Armor Puppet’s strongest punch with his own and broke its arm, proving his strength and passing the trial.
• The Bronze Armor Puppet warned Nie Yun that the next trial tested wisdom and discernment, then disappeared.
• Nie Yun found himself before a mural depicting the Purple Splendor Daoist fighting a flood dragon and felt the formidable sword qi in its inscription.
• The Purple Splendor Daoist’s voice declared that the mural contained a fatal flaw and gave Nie Yun one hour to repair it with a single stroke.

Nie Yun discovered that the mural’s apparent flaw was a missing stroke in its inscription, which concealed an incomplete sword technique. He used the Yin-Yang Sword Art from the two swords in the outer hall to complete it, opening the wall and passing the trial.

• Nie Yun used his Heavenly Eye Talent to inspect the mural but found no flaw in the painting itself.
• Nie Yun realized the missing stroke in the inscription’s character for “painting” concealed an incomplete set of sword techniques.
• Nie Yun recognized that completing the mural’s sword intent would be far too difficult without another clue.
• Nie Yun used his Heavenly Eye to examine the Yin-Yang Sword Art on the two swords in the outer hall and saw that it complemented the mural’s techniques.
• Nie Yun drew the missing horizontal stroke, causing the mural wall to shift aside and clearing the trial.

Nie Yun passed the slaughter-aura trial with ease and learned that the Pure Illusion Spirit Stone had secretly tested his character. The Purple Splendor Daoist’s Soul Imprint confirmed Nie Tong had survived but failed the second trial, then prepared to pass on his teachings to Nie Yun.

• Nie Yun entered the altar hall and walked through the slaughter aura without difficulty because of his past as the Blood Prison Demon Venerable and his Blood Pupil Talent.
• The Purple Splendor Daoist’s Soul Imprint appeared and declared that Nie Yun had passed the trials and would inherit his teachings.
• The Daoist explained that the Pure Illusion Spirit Stone had tested each entrant’s character and that Nie Yun’s vision of love had earned his approval.
• Nie Yun asked about Nie Tong, and the Daoist revealed that Nie Tong had passed the character test but failed the second trial and was teleported out safely.
• The Daoist said Huang Ling, Empress Ziqiong, and Qi Tao had failed the character test, while only Nie Yun and Nie Tong had passed it.

Nie Yun received Purple Splendor Daoist Xia Yang’s inheritance and began refining the Heart of the Cave Mansion to gain control of the portable cave mansion. As Xia Yang’s will pressured his consciousness, Nie Yun used the ordeal to try to break through to a Spirit-level soul.

• Purple Splendor Daoist Xia Yang praised Nie Yun for passing all four trials but said he could not yet cultivate the eight sword arts because he had not reached the Mystic Realm.
• Xia Yang explained that Nie Yun could eventually carry the cave mansion within his Storage Dantian by refining its Heart, and Nie Yun respectfully kowtowed to him.
• Xia Yang’s Soul Imprint vanished after entrusting Nie Yun with the Purple Splendor Cave Mansion and its inheritance.
• Nie Yun examined the Heart of the Cave Mansion and learned about its ten halls, including its treasure chambers, cultivation hall, and mechanisms hall.
• Nie Yun dripped his blood onto the Heart and entered it with his consciousness, then endured its creator’s overwhelming will while trying to temper his soul and reach the Spirit level.

After failing the Purple Splendor Daoist’s trial, Huang Ling, Mo Wudao, Huang Chen, Empress Ziqiong, and Qi Tao learned that only the Nie Yun brothers remained inside. They contacted Lord Hua, who ordered them to lure Nie Yun into range of a long-distance Soul Attack, and they seized the chance to capture Nie Tong.

• Huang Ling and Mo Wudao emerged from the trial badly injured and described how the Bronze Armor Puppet had defeated them.
• Huang Chen, Empress Ziqiong, and Qi Tao were also expelled, leaving only the Nie Yun brothers inside the trial.
• Huang Chen and Huang Ling decided to report their failure to Lord Hua, and Empress Ziqiong used a Demon Race formation to contact him.
• Lord Hua ordered them to bring Nie Yun to him so he could kill him with a long-distance Soul Attack and take the Purple Splendor Cave Mansion.
• When Nie Tong emerged nearby, Huang Ling ordered the others to capture him and use him to draw Nie Yun out.

Nie Tong was ambushed by Huang Chen, Empress Ziqiong, and their allies, who intended to use him to lure Nie Yun into a trap. After killing Mo Wudao, Nie Tong was severely wounded and captured, and the conspirators prepared to use him and his Communication Jade Token to draw Nie Yun to the Teleportation Array.

• Nie Tong emerged unharmed, but Huang Chen, Empress Ziqiong, Qi Tao, Huang Ling, and Mo Wudao attacked him to capture him and threaten Nie Yun.
• Nie Tong broke through their combined attacks and killed Mo Wudao, revealing strength that surprised the others.
• Huang Chen, Empress Ziqiong, Huang Ling, and Qi Tao struck Nie Tong from behind, badly injuring him before Empress Ziqiong sealed him with restrictions.
• Empress Ziqiong and Huang Chen placed Nie Tong by the Teleportation Array and planned to kill him if Nie Yun did not come, or trap Nie Yun if he did.
• Huang Chen told Huang Ling to contact Nie Yun, and Huang Ling suggested using Nie Tong's Communication Jade Token.

After refining the Heart of the Cave Mansion, Nie Yun discovered treasures and planned to help Nie Tong grow stronger, but Huang Ling revealed that he had captured Nie Tong and demanded the cave mansion. Nie Yun agreed to trade the Heart for his brother, unaware that the stone slab was part of a trap Nie Tong recognized.

• Nie Yun finished refining the Heart of the Cave Mansion, found middle-grade Spirit Stones to power the Ancient Demon Saint Corpse, and learned the Life and Death Illusory Qi could strengthen body cultivators.
• Nie Yun decided to teach Nie Tong the Purple Splendor Daoist's eight sword arts, then received Huang Ling's message that Nie Tong was being held hostage.
• Nie Yun teleported outside Misty Swamp and found Nie Tong sealed, injured, and surrounded by Huang Ling and his allies.
• Huang Ling struck Nie Tong and demanded the Heart of the Cave Mansion, while Nie Yun restrained his anger and agreed to the exchange.
• Nie Yun walked toward the stone slab with the Heart, while Nie Tong silently tried to warn him that the slab was a trap.

Nie Tong sacrificed himself to take Lord Hua’s Soul Attack and save Nie Yun, leaving Nie Yun devastated and consumed by revenge. Nie Yun killed Huang Ling and Qi Tao as Huang Chen and Empress Ziqiong escaped with a Sky Shifting Talisman, and the chapter ended with Nie Yun mourning his brother in the rain.

• Nie Tong broke his restraints, warned Nie Yun about the trap, and leapt onto the stone slab in his place.
• Lord Hua’s Soul Attack struck Nie Tong and destroyed his soul, killing him as Nie Yun reached him.
• Grief-stricken, Nie Yun killed Huang Ling with a sword strike and pursued the fleeing enemies.
• Nie Yun cut down Qi Tao from afar, while Huang Chen and Empress Ziqiong escaped using a Sky Shifting Talisman.
• Nie Yun held Nie Tong’s body, apologized to his brother, and wept as rain fell around them.

After Nie Tong died saving him, Nie Yun sealed his brother’s corpse and returned to Guangming City, where he destroyed the Sacred Empire imperial family in a grief-fueled rampage. The chapter ended with Nie Yun telling his parents that Nie Tong was dead.

• Nie Yun mourned Nie Tong and vowed to avenge him by killing the Sacred Empire imperial family, the Qi Family, the Mo Family, and Lord Hua.
• Nie Yun sealed Nie Tong’s corpse in the Purple Splendor Cave Mansion and flew back to Guangming City at full speed.
• Nie Yun sensed his family was safe and attacked the imperial city, killing those connected to the imperial family as its buildings collapsed.
• Nie Xiaotian, Nie Ling, and the others arrived and saw the imperial city reduced to ruins and Nie Yun consumed by grief and fury.
• When Nie Yun’s parents asked where Nie Tong was, Nie Yun fell to his knees and told them that Nie Tong was dead.

After Nie Tong died saving Nie Yun, Bai Huaxiu revealed that a Soul Summoner might restore his scattered soul, but his body needed to be preserved. She told Nie Yun about the Water Spirit Pearl, and he set out to seek it from her master while protecting his family in the Purple Splendor Cave Mansion.

• Bai Huaxiu explained that a Soul Summoner might revive Nie Tong because an obsession remained, but his corpse would decay unless it was preserved.
• Nie Yun learned that Nie Tong’s obsession came from his desire to keep Nie Yun alive and vowed to bring his younger brother back.
• Bai Huaxiu revealed that the Water Spirit Pearl could preserve a corpse indefinitely and said her master carried it.
• Bai Huaxiu asked Nie Yun not to clash with her master, and Nie Yun promised to act carefully when seeking the pearl.
• Nie Yun moved his parents and companions, along with Bai Huaxiu, into the Purple Splendor Cave Mansion and flew toward the Qianqing Sect.

Nie Yun visited Qianqing Sect to obtain its Water Spirit Pearl so he could preserve his younger brother Nie Tong's corpse. After paying a steep price, he received the Sect Master's agreement to have water spiritual energy sealed into Nie Tong, and the corpse began to regain a lifelike appearance.

• Nie Yun arrived at Qianqing Sect and was escorted by Lin Can to meet the Vice Sect Master, a Secret Realm expert.
• Nie Yun asked to borrow the Water Spirit Pearl and offered a Nine Nether Cold Pearl, but the Sect Master initially refused.
• The Sect Master agreed to preserve Nie Tong's corpse with forty-nine strands of water spiritual energy in exchange for the Nine Nether Cold Pearl and additional treasures.
• The Vice Sect Master took Nie Yun to Midnight Hall and drew forty-nine strands of water spiritual energy from the Water Spirit Pearl into Nie Tong's corpse.
• Nie Tong's skin became elastic and lifelike after the energy entered his body.

Nie Yun collected Nie Tong’s sealed corpse and mourned his younger brother, while the Qianqing Sect Master revealed he had deceived Nie Yun and kept the Water Spirit Pearl. Nie Yun vowed to revive Nie Tong, though finding a Soul Summoner seemed nearly impossible.

• The Qianqing Sect Master disguised himself as the vice sect master and sealed Nie Tong’s corpse before Nie Yun took it away.
• The Qianqing Sect Master revealed to Huang Chen and Empress Ziqiong that he had faked the Water Spirit Qi and kept the Nine Nether Cold Pearl.
• The Qianqing Sect Master, Huang Chen, and Empress Ziqiong discussed Nie Yun’s absent master and their fear of Lord Hua’s punishment.
• Nie Yun remembered Nie Tong’s devotion to him as he walked through Guangming City and stopped at a wine stall.
• Nie Yun drank heavily, mourned Nie Tong, and vowed to find a way to bring him back to life.

While mourning his younger brother, Nie Yun practiced swordsmanship for seven days and advanced to Mid Spirit Level Soul Force and the limit of Hidden Strength. After discovering that the Qianqing Sect's supposed vice sect master was actually its sect master, who had deceived him about the Water Spirit Pearl aura, Nie Yun flew back to the sect to exact payment.

• Nie Yun drunkenly brought his younger brother's corpse to a secluded valley and performed the sword techniques he had never taught him.
• After seven days of sword practice, Nie Yun's Soul Force reached Mid Spirit Level, and his understanding of Hidden Strength advanced to one hundred layers.
• Nie Yun tested his swordsmanship by cleaving half of a massive mountain with a strike that used only half his strength.
• Nie Yun examined his younger brother's corpse and realized its watery aura came from an ordinary soul-based illusion, not a Water Spirit Pearl.
• Nie Yun told Bai Huaxiu that the Qianqing Sect's sect master had impersonated a vice sect master and deceived him, then stored Bai Huaxiu in the Purple Splendor Cave Mansion.
• Nie Yun flew back toward the Qianqing Sect after declaring that the sect would pay for plotting against him.

Nie Yun stormed the Qianqing Sect to demand an explanation for the Sect Master’s deception and killed the disciples who tried to stop him. After Huang Chen died in one blow and the Sect Master sensed Nie Yun’s mid Spirit-level soul, Nie Yun attacked the Sect Master with the Profound Jade Sword.

• Lin Can and Xu An mocked Nie Yun and denied that the Qianqing Sect Master had deceived him.
• Nie Yun arrived, killed Lin Can and Xu An, and demanded an explanation from the sect.
• The Qianqing Sect Master admitted deceiving Nie Yun, while Huang Chen and Empress Ziqiong demanded his treasures and the Purple Splendor Cave Mansion.
• Nie Yun caught Huang Chen’s Archaic Heaven-Slaying Strike between two fingers and killed him with a flick.
• The Qianqing Sect Master recognized Nie Yun’s mid Spirit-level soul, stopped Empress Ziqiong from fleeing, and attacked with his Primordial Saint Body.
• Nie Yun tore through the Sect Master’s attack and brought down the Profound Jade Sword with one hundred layers of Hidden Strength.

Nie Yun defeated the Qianqing Sect Master and learned that reviving his younger brother required Lingxi Spring Water from the Ancient City. After confirming its properties with Mu Qing and Mu Xia, he decided to seek it there before heading to the Floating Sky Continent.

• The Qianqing Sect Master used Empress Ziqiong as a shield, but Nie Yun killed her with a sword strike and stopped him from activating the Twelve Zi Wu Grand Formation with a soul attack.
• Nie Yun seized the Qianqing Sect Master, who explained that the Water Spirit Pearl preserved a corpse but that Lingxi Spring Water was needed to restore muscle vitality for his younger brother's revival.
• The Qianqing Sect Master told Nie Yun that Lingxi Spring Water could be found in the Ancient City and that Mu Qing belonged to Butterfly Wing Mountain Villa; Nie Yun took the sect's treasures and the Water Spirit Pearl.
• After the Qianqing Sect Master revealed his hope that the Ancient City would kill Nie Yun, Nie Yun killed him and asked Mu Qing and Mu Xia about the city.
• Mu Qing and Mu Xia confirmed that Lingxi Spring Water was scarce and controlled by powerful families, so Nie Yun decided to travel to the Ancient City to obtain it.

Nie Yun reached Ancient City with Mu Xia and learned about its formidable residents and the Sacred Spirit Disciple selection. After a Core Disciple named Mu Shang demanded that they kneel, Nie Yun forced him to his knees with a single finger.

• Nie Yun disguised himself and brought Mu Xia out of the Purple Splendor Cave Mansion before entering Ancient City.
• Mu Xia explained that outer disciples were not qualified to remain in the city and told Nie Yun about the Sacred Spirit Disciple selection.
• Nie Yun and Mu Xia checked into an inn, where a young Core Disciple mocked them for coming to compete.
• Mu Xia explained that Core Disciples expected outer disciples to kneel and pay respects because of their impure bloodlines.
• Mu Shang demanded that Nie Yun and Mu Xia kneel, but Nie Yun pointed a finger and forced Mu Shang down onto his knees.

Nie Yun forced Mu Shang and then Mu Long to kneel at the inn, drawing the attention of Butterfly Wing Mountain Villa and Misty Mountain Villa. As Mu Yan escorted Nie Yun and Mu Xia away, a new figure appeared and blocked their path.

• Nie Yun sealed Mu Shang in a kneeling position for three days after Mu Shang attacked him and Mu Xia.
• Mu Xia explained the rivalry among the Five Great Mountain Villas and said Butterfly Wing Mountain Villa would likely come to claim them.
• Mu Long tried to free Mu Shang but was forced to kneel by Nie Yun’s seal, while Mu Yan arrived and mocked him.
• Mu Yan welcomed Mu Xia and Nie Yun, and Mu Xia introduced Nie Yun as her younger brother Mu Yun from the Mu Lian Branch.
• As Mu Yan led Nie Yun and Mu Xia out of the inn, a hostile figure appeared and blocked their way.

Mu Qiaoxian arrived to defend Misty Mountain Villa’s prestige and attacked Mu Yan, forcing him to kneel. Nie Yun refused to flee and made Mu Qiaoxian kneel with a single point of his finger.

• Nie Yun observed that Ancient City’s Secret Realm experts had weaker soul realms than Huang Chen and Empress Ziqiong.
• Mu Qiaoxian confronted Mu Yan and demanded that he hand over Nie Yun and Mu Xia.
• Mu Yan refused and protected the group, but Mu Qiaoxian’s attack forced him to his knees.
• Mu Xiao tried to take Nie Yun and Mu Xia away, but Nie Yun stayed and declared that Mu Qiaoxian would kneel too.
• Mu Qiaoxian attacked Nie Yun, who broke his mana and forced him to kneel.