Chapter Summaries

As Golden Spear City fell to the demon beasts, Liu Yu fled while using his treasures and abilities to evade his pursuers. A female Heavenfrost Eagle suddenly closed in and launched a lethal attack, leaving Liu Yu in immediate danger.

• The demon beasts overran Golden Spear City, killing hundreds of cultivators as Liu Yu, Zhuo Mengzhen, Daoist Cangyun, and Sima Yong fled in different directions.
• The two Heavenfrost Eagles pursued Daoist Cangyun, while the Snow-Spirit Leopard and Azure Wolf chased Liu Yu toward Qing Province.
• Liu Yu blocked the beasts’ attacks with the Setting Sun Golden Rainbow Spear and Golden Jade Ring, then used Wither and the One Qi Aerial Flight Talisman to escape the two pursuers.
• The female Heavenfrost Eagle abandoned Daoist Cangyun’s pursuit and caught up with Liu Yu, whose defenses struggled against her barrage of black feathers.
• The Heavenfrost Eagle used a secret art to cross five li instantly, accelerated toward Liu Yu, and prepared to kill him in one strike.

Liu Yu fought the stronger Heavenfrost Eagle at close range, using his combined cultivation, divine sense attacks, and Astral Eyes to kill it and seize its demon core. He began burning the corpse to prevent its return, while the author’s closing note said inner demons had swept him back downstream and that he would resume updating at the usual time.

• The Heavenfrost Eagle shattered Liu Yu’s defenses and wounded him in a series of close-range attacks.
• Liu Yu used Astral Eyes to destroy the eagle’s feather attack, then countered its illusions and struck its skull with Spirit-Shocking Thorn.
• Liu Yu and the Heavenfrost Eagle exchanged attacks until both were badly wounded, and the eagle proposed ending the fight.
• Liu Yu weakened the eagle with Wither, stunned it with Spirit-Shocking Thorn, and used Astral Eyes to destroy its brain and kill it.
• Liu Yu extracted the demon core, sealed it in a Jade Box, and set the corpse ablaze with Azure Yang Demonic Flame.
• The author’s note said a mysterious force and inner demons had sent him downstream again, and that he would return to updating at the usual time.

Liu Yu killed the Heavenfrost Eagle, harvested its remains, and hunted demon beasts along Qing Province’s border until the Azure Yang Demonic Flame advanced to third-tier spirit fire. He reached Crescent Moon City and warned Li Buyu that Golden Spear City had fallen, while the ruined city lay overrun by demon beasts.

• Liu Yu absorbed the Heavenfrost Eagle with the Azure Yang Demonic Flame, collected its spirit materials, and erased traces of his blood before fleeing as the Snow-Spirit Leopard and Azure Wolf arrived.
• As he flew toward Qing Province, Liu Yu saw demon beasts ravaging villages and began killing them to gather fuel for his flame.
• Liu Yu hunted along the border for a day and a night, feeding the Azure Yang Demonic Flame until it reached third-tier spirit fire.
• Liu Yu went to Crescent Moon City, disguised his injuries, and told Li Buyu that Golden Spear City had fallen and the beast tide could arrive soon.
• Li Buyu went to warn the other Golden Core Cultivators, while Golden Spear City was shown deserted and filled with demon beasts feeding on the dead.

After escaping the fall of Golden Spear City, Liu Yu returned to the Primordial Yang Sect and reported the defeat to Li Changfeng, who reassured him that the sect had been unable to send reinforcements. Liu Yu warned that the sect should prepare for the worst and remember the Mysterious Nether Sect’s history, then returned to Qingyang Peak to rest and resume cultivation.

• Liu Yu returned to the Primordial Yang Sect after Golden Spear City fell and went to report to Li Changfeng on Heaven-Reaching Peak.
• Liu Yu told Li Changfeng that he had escaped, but the fates of three fellow Golden Core cultivators and many disciples remained unknown; Li Changfeng said the sect had lacked the strength to send aid.
• Liu Yu asked about the Seven Kingdoms Alliance’s reinforcements, urged the sect to prepare for disaster, and reminded Li Changfeng of the Mysterious Nether Sect’s destruction during a Beast Tide.
• Liu Yu left Li Changfeng and returned to Qingyang Peak, where he washed, slept for a day and a night, and began his usual cultivation routine.
• Liu Yu nurtured his Treasures and took stock of the Demon Beast materials he had brought back.

After recovering from his injuries, Liu Yu visited Lian Hongchen to commission treasures made from the Heavenfrost Eagle’s spirit materials. Lian Hongchen recognized the rare materials and suspected Liu Yu had obtained the eagle’s corpse, leaving them poised to negotiate the commission.

• Liu Yu inventoried the demon beast materials and decided to have the Heavenfrost Eagle’s beaks made into shadow weapons and its feathers into a flying treasure.
• Jiang Qiushui and Ji Ruyan visited Liu Yu, who asked when Jiang Qiushui planned to attempt core formation and advised her on the process.
• After a month of recovery, Liu Yu left his Cave Abode and traveled to Blazing Fire Peak to meet artifact refining master Lian Hongchen.
• Liu Yu asked Lian Hongchen to refine the Heavenfrost Eagle’s beak and feathers into separate treasures.
• Lian Hongchen recognized the materials as coming from a Heavenfrost Eagle and asked whether Liu Yu had picked up its corpse, while Liu Yu declined to answer directly.

Liu Yu commissioned Lian Hongchen to refine the Heavenfrost Eagle’s beak and feathers into treasures, then returned to Qingyang Peak and learned how few of his people had survived the beast tide. Eight months later, he collected the finished treasures and named the flying treasure the Blackwind Wings.

• Lian Hongchen agreed to refine the Heavenfrost Eagle’s beak into flying darts and its feathers into a flying treasure in exchange for the eagle’s talons.
• Liu Yu returned to Qingyang Peak and learned from Wen Caiyi and White Tiger that only the two of them had survived among his people.
• Liu Yu considered the worsening beast tide and the possibility of abandoning the sect if future missions threatened his life, then studied the eighth layer of the Azure Yang Art.
• Eight months later, Lian Hongchen presented Liu Yu with the finished wing treasure and cross-shaped darts, and Liu Yu praised their craftsmanship.
• Liu Yu handed Lian Hongchen the eagle’s talons and named the wing treasure the Blackwind Wings.

After testing his newly refined Flying Star Darts and Blackwind Wings, Liu Yu spent years strengthening his cultivation as the Beast Tide worsened across the Seven Kingdoms Alliance. Pressured into accepting a post guarding a Market Ward, he flew across Qing Province and spotted someone below as the chapter ended.

• Liu Yu finished refining the Flying Star Darts and tested their speed and power in his cave abode.
• Liu Yu tested the Blackwind Wings by flying around the sect, finding that they greatly improved his speed and short-term bursts.
• Zhuang Ziling delivered Liu Yu’s accumulated stipends and a fire element high-grade Spirit Stone, while Liu Yu told him to report that his injuries had not healed.
• Liu Yu tried to refine Snow Ginseng Pills but produced a failed batch, then continued preparing to improve his cultivation.
• As the Beast Tide entered its fifth year, Liu Yu agreed to guard a Market Ward after Li Changfeng repeatedly pressed him to take a mission.
• Liu Yu flew across Qing Province toward the Market Ward and noticed someone below.

Liu Yu saved refugee Zhou Yunlong from a demon beast, recognized his excellent fire-metal dual spiritual roots, and accepted him as a registered disciple. He then rescued Everlasting Prosperity Market Ward from a Four-Winged Black Tiger and arrived to take command of its defenses.

• Liu Yu spotted Zhou Yunlong among refugees fleeing demon beasts and killed the python about to swallow him.
• Liu Yu sensed Zhou Yunlong’s fire-metal dual spiritual roots and accepted him as a registered disciple; he killed the remaining pythons before flying on.
• Liu Yu noticed an attack on Everlasting Prosperity Market Ward, left Zhou Yunlong under a protective shield, and hurried to the market ward.
• Liu Yu battled the Four-Winged Black Tiger, overcame it with his treasures and Golden Core Evil Ghost, captured its soul, and burned its body for fuel.
• Liu Yu picked up Zhou Yunlong, helped clear the remaining demon beasts, and entered Everlasting Prosperity Market Ward as the resident Golden Core cultivator.

Liu Yu oversaw the Everlasting Prosperity Market Ward for thirty years, trained Zhou Yunlong to inherit the Sacred Fire Cult’s legacy, and fought increasingly frequent demon attacks as the beast tide advanced. With the ward threatened and reinforcements overdue, two cultivators from Suchness Temple arrived, and Liu Yu cautiously questioned them.

• Liu Yu learned that the Everlasting Prosperity Market Ward remained relatively safe for the moment and began cultivating there while arranging additional defenses.
• After Zhou Yunlong learned the common written language, Liu Yu gave him the Sacred Fire Annals to study before teaching him the Sacred Fire Scripture.
• Liu Yu repelled a third-tier Vajra Ape after a four-hour battle, choosing not to pursue and kill it.
• Thirty years after Liu Yu arrived, Crescent Moon City had fallen, the beast tide had advanced to within two thousand li of the ward, and Liu Yu ordered his people to flee if it arrived.
• Liu Yu spotted two Golden Core cultivators approaching on a Vajra Pestle and identified them as Ku Yun and Hui Xin of Suchness Temple.

Liu Yu welcomed Ku Yun and Hui Xin as reinforcements at Everlasting Prosperity Market Ward and discovered that the Immortal Mansion’s power could help him extrapolate his cultivation art. He completed the ninth layer of the Azure Yang Art, leaving his path beyond the Golden Core early stage open.

• Liu Yu verified Ku Yun and Hui Xin’s Alliance orders, welcomed them to Everlasting Prosperity Market Ward, and learned that reinforcements and Alliance envoys were being mobilized.
• Liu Yu arranged rotating guard duty with Ku Yun and Hui Xin, then requested additional reinforcements as the beast tide threatened to reach the market ward.
• Liu Yu practiced his Astral True Form and reflected on his progress, his lack of news about the Azure Yang Art’s continuation, and the danger of losing himself in the Immortal Mansion’s transcendent state.
• Liu Yu entered that state and drew solar power from the Illusory Star, realizing he might use the Immortal Mansion to extrapolate the missing layers of his cultivation art.
• Liu Yu prepared himself, entered the Immortal Mansion again, reviewed and refined the first eight layers of the Azure Yang Art, and extrapolated its ninth layer after fifteen breaths.

After deriving the ninth level of the Azure Yang Art by entering the dangerous state of “supreme supremacy,” Liu Yu recovered from the toll on his primordial spirit and began planning how to verify and improve his deductions. He refined his Azure Yang Demonic Flame and spent three months in quiet cultivation before something caught his attention.

• Liu Yu withdrew from the state of “supreme supremacy” just before it could erase his sense of self, but the experience left his primordial spirit badly depleted.
• Liu Yu returned to his cave abode, took Spirit-Nourishing Pills, slept for three days, and learned from Wen Caiyi that the market ward had faced no serious trouble and the Suchness Temple cultivators had not sent word.
• Liu Yu recorded all nine levels of the Azure Yang Art and his insights, then worried that his new ninth level might contain errors and resolved to gather more cultivation arts and knowledge before relying on it.
• Liu Yu refined the Azure Yang Demonic Flame using the first part of the Nine Demonic Flame Transformations, then spent five days and nights nourishing his treasures instead of cultivating.
• Liu Yu spent three months in quiet seclusion reading and tending to his cultivation before his expression suddenly changed.

After being recalled from the front line, Liu Yu returned to the Primordial Yang Sect and learned that neither his nominal master nor Li Buyu knew why he had been summoned. At the Sect Main Hall, the Heavenly Wind Ancestor arrived to address the gathered Golden Core cultivators.

• Liu Yu received orders to return to the sect, handed responsibility for the Everlasting Prosperity Market Ward to a future Golden Core replacement, and flew home with Wen Caiyi and Zhou Yunlong.
• Liu Yu learned that Li Changkong had been away on a sect mission for eighteen years, then visited Li Buyu, who knew of no major sect plans and suspected the Seven Kingdoms Alliance was involved.
• Liu Yu attended the meeting at the Sect Main Hall, where fellow Golden Core cultivators greeted him warmly while Zhao Wuji and Bai Yuxuan joined the group despite their earlier distance.
• The Heavenly Wind Ancestor entered the hall, and the gathered Golden Core cultivators bowed to him before he silently surveyed them.

Heavenly Wind Ancestor told the Primordial Yang Sect’s Golden Core Cultivators that the Alliance planned to send elite teams across the Hengduan Mountain Range to contact Great Tang in the Central Region. Liu Yu weighed the dangerous mission against its rewards and wondered whether Great Tang might hold clues to the Azure Yang Art, but he had not decided whether to volunteer.

• Heavenly Wind Ancestor described how the beast tide had devastated Qing Province and warned that it might soon threaten the Primordial Yang Sect itself.
• Heavenly Wind Ancestor announced Operation Chang'an, a mission to cross the Hengduan Mountain Range and contact Great Tang, whose Ten Thousand Demons Formation made late Golden Core cultivators unsuitable for the teams.
• The Golden Core Cultivators stayed silent when Heavenly Wind Ancestor first called for volunteers, reluctant to risk their lives on the journey.
• Heavenly Wind Ancestor offered valuable treasures to volunteers and promised Nascent Soul pills to anyone who returned with news, prompting the cultivators to reconsider.
• Liu Yu was tempted by the promised rewards and wondered whether the Azure Yang Art had originated in the Central Region, but he remained unsure about joining the mission.

Liu Yu decided to join the perilous expedition across the Hengduan Mountain Range to seek the Azure Yang Art’s continuation and safeguard his future cultivation. After the Alliance required the volunteers to compete for Chu Kingdom’s place, Liu Yu fought Zhao Wuji in the first round and activated his Wither divine ability as he gained the upper hand.

• Liu Yu concluded that he needed to seek the Azure Yang Art’s continuation in the Central Region because relying on a method he had deduced for Nascent Soul cultivation could jeopardize his Dao path.
• Zhao Wuji, Jiang Yunfeng, and Zhou Zhuofeng volunteered for the dangerous mission, and Liu Yu joined them despite Heavenly Wind Ancestor’s warning.
• Heavenly Wind Ancestor announced that the four volunteers would compete, with the winner selected to represent Chu Kingdom’s Primordial Yang Sect.
• Liu Yu drew Zhao Wuji as his first opponent and faced him in a midair battle above the ground.
• Liu Yu’s Flame Bodyguard Shield absorbed Zhao Wuji’s flaming missiles, and his Setting Sun Golden Rainbow Spear overpowered Zhao Wuji’s sword.
• Liu Yu activated his Wither divine ability against Zhao Wuji as azure radiance enveloped him.

Liu Yu defeated Zhao Wuji decisively with the Setting Sun Golden Rainbow Spear and the Wither divine ability, then watched Zhou Zhuofeng defeat Jiang Yunfeng. Zhou conceded his place to Liu Yu, and Heavenly Wind Ancestor selected Liu Yu for the mission across the Hengduan Mountain Range.

• Liu Yu weakened Zhao Wuji with Wither, overwhelmed his defenses, and forced him to concede.
• Liu Yu watched Zhou Zhuofeng and Jiang Yunfeng fight while Lian Hongchen warned him about the mission's dangers.
• Zhou Zhuofeng defeated Jiang Yunfeng after a prolonged battle, then voluntarily conceded his place to Liu Yu.
• Heavenly Wind Ancestor declared Liu Yu the final victor and selected him for the mission, then asked him to remain.

Liu Yu exchanged his promised treasure for the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame, which he planned to use to develop his Azure Yang Demonic Flame before departing on the Chang'an mission. After returning to Qingyang Peak, he began unsealing the flame in his cultivation room.

• Heavenly Wind Ancestor briefed Liu Yu on the Chang'an plan and its previously mapped routes into Great Tang.
• Liu Yu asked to exchange his promised treasure for a spirit flame and chose the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame from Heavenly Wind Ancestor's collection.
• Heavenly Wind Ancestor gave Liu Yu the flame and told him to come to Heaven-Reaching Peak one year later.
• Heavenly Wind Ancestor regretted that Liu Yu had chosen the mission but respected his decision to follow his own path.
• Liu Yu returned to his cave abode on Qingyang Peak and began undoing the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame's seal.

Liu Yu used the Nine Demonic Flame Transformations to absorb the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame’s essence into the Azure Yang Demonic Flame, strengthening it and stabilizing its heat. After adapting to the transformed flame, he refined Purple Origin Pills well enough to declare himself an Alchemy Master.

• Liu Yu suppressed the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame and reduced it to its flame seed form before beginning the Nine Demonic Flame Transformations.
• Liu Yu repeatedly drew filaments of essence from the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame for the Azure Yang Demonic Flame to absorb, until the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame collapsed and vanished.
• Liu Yu completed the refinement, increasing the Azure Yang Demonic Flame’s power by about twenty percent and gaining a pale azure form with stable heat that could process spirit herbs more easily.
• Liu Yu tried using the transformed flame to refine Purple Origin Pills, failed several times, and gradually adjusted his technique.
• Liu Yu spent three days refining ten batches of ingredients and succeeded three times, bringing his Purple Origin Pill success rate to thirty percent and prompting him to proclaim himself an Alchemy Master.

After becoming an Alchemy Master, Liu Yu amassed spirit stones, reflected on cultivation knowledge, and revised the Essentials of Demonic Cultivation with schemes suited to the modern Cultivation World. Jiang Qiushui returned after forming her core, and Liu Yu told her he would soon undertake the dangerous Chang'an Plan, leaving her worried as he asked about Ji Ruyan.

• Liu Yu sold third-tier Essence-Nourishing Pills for two months and amassed five hundred thousand spirit stones.
• Liu Yu reread the Essentials of Demonic Cultivation and added updated schemes for exploiting cultivators’ weaknesses, including methods based on staged discoveries, trust-building, and counterfeit pills.
• Wen Caiyi told Liu Yu that Jiang Qiushui had returned from the Yuan Kingdom, and Liu Yu reassured her that no one would harm her without his permission.
• Jiang Qiushui reunited with Liu Yu, told him she had formed her core, and again sought the position of his Dao companion, but Liu Yu postponed the discussion and maintained his decision.
• Liu Yu told Jiang Qiushui he would undertake the Chang'an Plan in ten months, and she worried about the danger while he asked whether Ji Ruyan had entered seclusion to form her core.

Liu Yu brought his disciple Zhou Yunlong to the Western Sands and tasked him with preserving the Sacred Fire Cult’s legacy while avoiding a direct confrontation with the Divine Sand Sect. They found the cult’s old stronghold abandoned, and Liu Yu continued searching for its hidden followers.

• Liu Yu confirmed Jiang Qiushui had formed a fourth-grade golden core, gave her cultivation guidance, and sent her to carry out his instructions.
• Liu Yu told Zhou Yunlong about the Sacred Fire Cult’s history and its feud with the Divine Sand Sect, then asked him to lead the cult as its Holy Son and preserve its legacy.
• Liu Yu took Zhou Yunlong to the Western Sands, where they found that the Sacred Fire Cult’s former stronghold in West Sand Market Ward had become an unrelated teahouse.
• Liu Yu warned the Golden Core cultivator guarding the market ward that he had no intention of causing trouble, then left with Zhou Yunlong.
• Liu Yu gave Zhou Yunlong a special talisman for contacting him through the Death Soldiers’ outposts and warned him to avoid provoking the Divine Sand Sect.
• Liu Yu and Zhou Yunlong visited several places where Sacred Fire Cult cultivators might be found, but the outposts were deserted.

Liu Yu found the Sacred Fire Cult’s surviving stronghold and used the Sacred Fire Token and his Golden Core strength to take charge of the weakened cult. He appointed Zhou Yunlong as Holy Son and left him with the responsibility of restoring the cult, offering guidance and a mysterious black-bound book.

• After failing to find the Sacred Fire Cult at several old strongholds, Liu Yu led Zhou Yunlong to Red Gauze Market Ward and found Purple Heart at Brightlight Tower.
• Liu Yu showed Purple Heart the Sacred Fire Token and told her that Tang Tianbao had died after being pursued by the Heavenly One Sect and the Heavenly Demon Sect.
• Purple Heart summoned the four other chief stewards, and Liu Yu appointed Zhou Yunlong as Holy Son; the stewards accepted after recognizing that Zhou Yunlong cultivated the Sacred Fire Scripture.
• Zhou Yunlong learned that the cult faced severe resource shortages and possible pursuit, then asked Liu Yu how to lead it.
• Liu Yu advised Zhou Yunlong to focus on securing resources, rebuilding the followers’ faith, and strengthening the cult before considering revenge.
• Liu Yu encouraged Zhou Yunlong to trust himself and handed him a black-bound book, saying, “The path of redemption lies within!”