Chapter Summaries

Liu Yu and Zhuo Mengzhen waited near Lingwu City for the Zhang Household’s contact, uncertain whether the operation to obtain Defiling Spirit Liquid would proceed safely. When the slave convoy finally arrived, a chained Golden Core cultivator secretly escaped, but a female slave spotted him and raised the alarm.

• Liu Yu and Zhuo Mengzhen stopped seven or eight hundred li from Lingwu City and concealed themselves at the agreed meeting place.
• When their contact missed the appointed time, Liu Yu decided they would wait two more days before withdrawing.
• A convoy of more than a hundred enslaved cultivators arrived under the guard of three demon cultivators and several dozen demon beasts.
• Liu Yu and Zhuo Mengzhen watched from concealment as a disguised, black-stubbled late Golden Core cultivator slipped out of the convoy using magic despite his spirit-sealing restraints.
• A chained Golden Core female cultivator noticed the escape and shouted that someone was fleeing.

A black-bearded Golden Core cultivator fled the demon patrol toward Liu Yu and Zhuo Mengzhen, drawing the Fire Sparrow into their ambush. Liu Yu’s full-power spear strike badly wounded the Fire Sparrow, and he closed in to continue the attack.

• The Fire Sparrow exposed the black-bearded cultivator’s phantom and searched the forest until a falling boulder forced him to reveal himself.
• The black-bearded cultivator fled toward Liu Yu and Zhuo Mengzhen while blocking the Fire Sparrow’s attacks with his Yellow Cloak treasure.
• Liu Yu confirmed the black-bearded cultivator’s identity and coordinated an ambush with him and Zhuo Mengzhen.
• The black-bearded cultivator slowed near the hiding place, and the Fire Sparrow rushed in before sensing danger and trying to withdraw.
• The black-bearded cultivator used gravity magic and his Brownish-Yellow Cauldron to stall the Fire Sparrow, then Liu Yu hurled the Setting Sun Golden Rainbow Spear and pierced the demon below its chest.

Liu Yu quickly killed the third-tier late-stage fire sparrow demon cultivator and recovered its demon core, but his unease grew as he and Guo Poyun prepared to leave. Just as Liu Yu was about to explain his plan for the captives, two powerful divine senses locked onto them with murderous intent.

• Liu Yu used his Astral True Form, Meteor Fist, Astral Eyes, and Azure Yang Demonic Flame to kill the fire sparrow demon cultivator and take its demon core.
• Zhuo Mengzhen attacked the fire sparrow demon cultivator with the Mystic Yin-Yang Needles, while Guo Poyun watched Liu Yu's strength with astonishment.
• The deer demon and ox demon sent Communication Talismans and fled toward Lingwu City, while Liu Yu sensed something was wrong but chose not to pursue them.
• Liu Yu introduced himself as Ancient City and Zhuo Mengzhen as Colorful Butterfly, then urged Guo Poyun to leave the area quickly.
• Guo Poyun prepared to abandon the captives, but Liu Yu stopped him and began to explain his plan before two immensely powerful divine senses locked onto all three of them.

Liu Yu and his companions were ambushed by two Fire Phoenixes, whose concealment and fire-boosting ability gave them a major advantage. Liu Yu used Wither, Little Green, and the Spirit-Shocking Thorns to survive their first assault, but the Fire Phoenixes still had the upper hand as the fight continued.

• Liu Yu sensed gathering fire-attribute spiritual energy and identified two concealed Fire Phoenixes as the likely source of the ambush.
• Liu Yu, Zhuo Mengzhen, and Guo Poyun attacked the hidden enemies, but the Fire Phoenixes appeared and easily destroyed their attacks.
• The Purple-Eyed Fire Phoenix and Red-Eyed Fire Phoenix charged the group, and Liu Yu weakened them with Wither before summoning Little Green to help protect his companions.
• The Purple-Eyed Fire Phoenix targeted Liu Yu, who countered its flames and close-range attacks with the Azure Yang Demonic Flame, his spear, and the Spirit-Shocking Thorns.
• Liu Yu and his companions survived the first exchange, but the Fire Phoenixes continued to benefit from the rising fire-attribute spiritual energy and questioned how Liu Yu had escaped Third Sister.

Liu Yu offered to stay behind and draw off the two fire phoenixes if Guo Poyun handed over the Defiling Spirit Liquid, then used the chance to separate from his companions. He fled under the demons’ pursuit, waiting for the right moment to use the Ruined Sword.

• Liu Yu judged that he could not defeat the fire phoenixes head-on and offered to cover Guo Poyun and Zhuo Mengzhen’s retreat in exchange for the Storage Ring containing the Defiling Spirit Liquid.
• Guo Poyun trusted Liu Yu and handed him the Storage Ring, then fled with Zhuo Mengzhen on a flying boat while Liu Yu flew in the opposite direction.
• The purple-eyed fire phoenix chose to pursue Liu Yu with the red-eyed fire phoenix, while the deer and ox demons pursued Guo Poyun and Zhuo Mengzhen.
• Liu Yu fought off the fire phoenixes’ attacks with his spear, divine abilities, and layered defenses, using lunar yin power to counter their flames.
• Liu Yu escaped the field of red motes and continued flying, keeping the fire phoenixes occupied while he waited for a chance to unleash the Ruined Sword.

Liu Yu used the Ruined Sword to overcome the two Fire Phoenixes pursuing him, unleashing a spirit treasure’s overwhelming power after Guo Poyun and Zhuo Mengzhen had escaped. The sword strike erased both demons and left a lifeless region, while Liu Yu sheathed the sword after its power subsided.

• Liu Yu slowed the pursuing Fire Phoenixes with cold spear attacks while Guo Poyun and Zhuo Mengzhen flew beyond his divine sense range.
• Liu Yu struck both Fire Phoenixes with Spirit-Shocking Thorns and a barrage of spear rays, buying time to widen the gap.
• Liu Yu stopped and drew the Ruined Sword, terrifying the Fire Phoenixes with its spirit treasure power and freezing their movement.
• Liu Yu gathered the surrounding spiritual energy into a huge gray sword shadow and slashed it down at the two demons.
• The Ruined Sword erased both Fire Phoenixes and extinguished life across a five-li radius, and Liu Yu returned the sword to its sheath.

Liu Yu used the Ruined Sword to defeat the Fire Phoenixes, then concealed its power and returned to the slave procession to harvest fuel for his Azure Yang Demonic Flame. After killing the captives and pursuing those who had fled, he reflected on the Dark Forest Law.

• Liu Yu recovered from the strain of wielding the Ruined Sword and had the Sword Spirit draw the traces of ruin back into the blade.
• Liu Yu killed the low-tier demon beasts that had witnessed the sword’s power, then hurried back to the slave procession.
• Liu Yu arrived to find four Golden Core Cultivators fleeing and the remaining captives pleading for his help.
• Liu Yu burned the captives and nearby demon beasts with the Azure Yang Demonic Flame, then pursued and killed the four fleeing Golden Core Cultivators.
• Liu Yu reflected on seizing opportunities to strengthen himself and thought of the Dark Forest Law from his previous life.

Liu Yu fled Lingwu City with the Ruined Sword and assessed the fuel gained from the massacre before inspecting Guo Poyun’s storage ring. He took three superior flying sword treasures as compensation and continued toward Yi Province, which lay beneath a blanket of snow.

• Liu Yu flew nearly three thousand li from Lingwu City while concealing his aura and reflected on the dangers of the cultivation world.
• Liu Yu calculated that the massacre had yielded three thousand six hundred units of fuel, bringing him to four thousand toward advancing the Azure Yang Demonic Flame.
• Liu Yu reached Gan Province and refined the unusual storage ring Guo Poyun had given him.
• Liu Yu discovered that the ring held about two hundred bottles of Defiling Spirit Liquid and fifty treasures, but decided not to take the entire cache.
• Liu Yu transferred three superior flying sword treasures into his own storage ring and examined a bottle of Defiling Spirit Liquid.
• Liu Yu traveled onward and reached the snow-covered boundary of Yi Province.

Liu Yu infiltrated Changnan City and delivered the storage ring to Zhang Tao, reporting that two Fire Phoenixes had ambushed the operation after information leaked. They agreed to wait two days for Colorful Butterfly and Guo before abandoning the Jiren Study contact point, whether the two returned or not.

• Liu Yu slipped into Changnan City unnoticed and reached the Jiren Study after nightfall.
• Liu Yu exchanged the coded phrase with Zhang Tao, entered a secret chamber, and handed over the storage ring.
• Liu Yu told Zhang Tao that two Fire Phoenixes had ambushed the rendezvous and that Colorful Butterfly and Guo had escaped separately.
• Zhang Tao and Liu Yu concluded that a traitor had likely exposed the operation and that the Jiren Study was no longer safe.
• Liu Yu proposed waiting two days for Colorful Butterfly and Guo, then withdrawing regardless of whether they returned, and Zhang Tao agreed.

Liu Yu left Changnan City to avoid a possible search by transformed demon cultivators and spent two days cultivating in a hidden cave, where his body-refining progress neared the third-tier late stage. He met Zhang Tao, Zhuo Mengzhen, and Guo Poyun outside the city and asked where they would go and when the uprising would begin.

• Zhang Tao discovered that the Storage Ring held forty-seven Treasures instead of the fifty listed, but chose not to pursue the three missing items because Ancient City's aid had prevented greater losses.
• Liu Yu slipped out of Changnan City and hid in a cave a hundred li away, where he cultivated his qi, divine sense, and body for two days.
• Liu Yu's Astral True Form advanced until its glow turned crimson, signaling that his body refining was close to the third-tier late stage.
• Liu Yu met Zhang Tao, Zhuo Mengzhen, and Guo Poyun several dozen li outside Changnan City after Zhang Tao confirmed the latter two had not turned traitor.
• Liu Yu asked Zhang Tao where they would go next and when the uprising would begin so he could prepare.

Zhang Tao revealed that the uprising would begin three months after the Demon Race’s Royal Court assembly started in eight years, then led Liu Yu and the others to Shattered Gold City. After establishing their cover, Liu Yu and Zhuo Mengzhen left the city to build a remote cave abode where he could cultivate for the coming years.

• Zhang Tao told Liu Yu, Zhuo Mengzhen, and Guo Poyun that they would hide in Shattered Gold City and that the uprising was planned for three months after the Royal Court assembly began in eight years.
• The four reached Shattered Gold City, received false identities from a red-robed female cultivator, and entered under the Blood Bat Clan’s escort.
• An overseer whipped Guo Poyun for raising his head, but Guo Poyun restrained himself to avoid jeopardizing the plan.
• Zhang Tao organized underground operations from the city while Liu Yu decided to leave and cultivate somewhere less closely watched.
• Seven days later, Liu Yu and Zhuo Mengzhen found a marsh, set up the Three-Origin Illusion-Destruction Formation, and completed a temporary cave abode.
• Liu Yu entered semi-seclusion to work toward advancing his Astral True Form to the third-tier late stage.

Liu Yu shifted his cultivation toward body refining, using the Immortal Mansion to grow spirit herbs while conserving scarce spirit stones. After seven years, he used a wisp of solar power to overcome his bottleneck and reached the third-tier late stage, leaving him with greatly increased strength as the demon race’s royal court assembly approached.

• Liu Yu planned to devote more time to body refining and planted spirit herbs in the Immortal Mansion, watering them with spirit spring water to reduce his reliance on spirit stones.
• Liu Yu began secluded cultivation, increasing his body-refining training while receiving news from Zhang Tao’s subordinates and occasionally visiting Zhuo Mengzhen when his technique’s side effects flared.
• Seven years passed, and Liu Yu’s Astral True Form reached the third-tier middle-stage peak, but he hit a bottleneck as the demon race’s royal court assembly drew near.
• Liu Yu unsealed a wisp of solar power and carefully drew its energy into his body to force a breakthrough.
• After months of repeated attempts, Liu Yu reached the third-tier late stage; his body grew to six zhang, his strength surpassed nine million jin, and his blazing sun magic power turned completely crimson.

After reaching the third-tier late stage, Liu Yu endured a painful surge in his primordial spirit and discovered that his divine sense had grown dramatically. He also glimpsed spirit particles beneath ordinary spiritual energy, but could not control them, and the chapter left him considering how such precise manipulation might strengthen his abilities.

• Liu Yu's primordial spirit rapidly strengthened after his breakthrough, painfully increasing his divine sense to a range of one hundred and twenty li.
• Liu Yu considered whether his divine sense secret arts could still overcome opponents in the Central Region and resolved to seek stronger methods.
• Liu Yu perceived tiny, hazy spirit particles within spiritual energy and wondered whether arranging them could strengthen magic power and spells.
• Liu Yu tried to influence the spirit particles directly but failed, since he could only manipulate larger points of spiritual energy light.
• Liu Yu examined everyday objects with his divine sense and recalled the powerful droplet from a film in his previous life.

After stabilizing his third-tier late-stage body-refinement cultivation, Liu Yu learned that the uprising against the demon race would begin in three and a half months. He prepared to join the assault on Lingwu City, with Zhuo Mengzhen remaining at their temporary cave abode.

• Liu Yu stabilized his Astral True Form cultivation and considered whether higher-tier cultivators could observe spirit particles, while realizing he needed to acquire more spirit stones.
• After eight years in seclusion, Liu Yu emerged and learned that Zhuo Mengzhen had recovered to the Golden Core middle stage, but Zhang Tao's subordinate had brought no useful news about the Zhang Household's plans.
• Liu Yu told Zhuo Mengzhen he would do his best to protect her when the uprising began, then spent the night with her.
• Liu Yu left Zhuo Mengzhen at the temporary cave abode and traveled to the agreed meeting place, where Guo Poyun reported that the uprising would begin in three and a half months.
• Liu Yu promised to reach Shattered Gold City on time, and Guo Poyun asked whether he needed anything from Zhang Tao before the battle.

Liu Yu sold a superior-grade flying sword to Guo Poyun for spirit stones, then entered the Immortal Mansion World to replenish the Ruined Sword’s spirit power imprint. After completing the recharge, he escaped to the Illusory Star as his emotions faded rapidly.

• Liu Yu refused to ask the Zhang Household for help and sold Guo Poyun a yellow flying sword for one hundred and twenty thousand spirit stones.
• Liu Yu returned to the Temporary Cave Abode, told Zhuo Mengzhen the news, and entered the Cultivation Room to prepare his treasures.
• Liu Yu entered the Immortal Mansion World with one hundred thousand spirit stones and used them to create a spirit power imprint for the Ruined Sword.
• Liu Yu felt his emotions receding after completing the recharge and used his authority to travel to the Illusory Star.

Liu Yu replenished the Ruined Sword and infused the Water Droplet Pendant with solar power before leaving for Shattered Gold City with Zhuo Mengzhen. There, Guo Poyun and Zhang Tao launched an uprising against the city’s demon overseers, while some enslaved cultivators broke their Spirit-Sealing Rings and joined the fight.

• Liu Yu drew a strand of solar power from the Illusory Star and merged it into the Water Droplet Pendant, then returned to his body with it and the Ruined Sword.
• Liu Yu replenished the Ruined Sword’s spirit power imprint, stored the pendant, and nurtured his treasures as he and Zhuo Mengzhen prepared for the coming battle.
• After three and a half months, Liu Yu and Zhuo Mengzhen left their Temporary Cave Abode and flew toward Shattered Gold City, where the demon forces had been reduced during the royal court assembly.
• At the city gates, Guo Poyun caught a Qi Refining overseer’s whip, revealed his Golden Core power, killed the overseer, and attacked the blood bats with his Brownish-Yellow Cauldron.
• A scar-faced Foundation Establishment cultivator used Defiling Spirit Liquid to break his Spirit-Sealing Ring and led other freed cultivators into battle against the demon beasts and human overseers.
• Most enslaved cultivators remained too afraid to flee or resist as the fighting spread and mortals were caught in the violence.

Guo Poyun, Zhang Tao, and Liu Yu led the assault against the Blood Bat Clan at Shattered Gold City’s eastern gate. Liu Yu killed a third-tier blood bat, while the fight against the clan chief remained in the cultivators’ favor.

• Guo Poyun’s attacks and the rebels’ renewed resistance helped hold the Blood Bat Clan’s forces at the eastern gate until two third-tier blood bats arrived.
• Zhang Tao and Guo Poyun ambushed the blood bat chief, trapping it with Zhang Tao’s heavy-water spell as Liu Yu targeted the other third-tier blood bat.
• Liu Yu’s Setting Sun Golden Rainbow Spear pierced the broken-fanged blood bat, and his Azure Yang Demonic Flame burned it to dust; he collected its Demon Core.
• Zhang Tao and Guo Poyun continued overwhelming the trapped blood bat chief while Liu Yu turned to attack the masses of low-tier Blood Bats for fuel.

Liu Yu destroyed the Blood Bat Clan’s aerial swarms with his Azure Yang Demonic Flame while Zhang Tao and Guo Poyun killed the clan chief, securing Shattered Gold City. The freed cultivators took revenge on demon beasts and human traitors as Zhang Tao organized the aftermath before the Golden Core cultivators departed for Lingwu City.

• Liu Yu unleashed the Azure Yang Demonic Flame, burning away the blood bats in the sky and driving the surviving swarms into retreat.
• Zhang Tao trapped the Blood Bat Clan’s chief in a river of heavy water while Guo Poyun and Zhang Tao battered it until it died.
• The surviving blood bats collapsed into disarray, and the freed cultivators attacked them and took revenge on the human traitors.
• A scar-faced male cultivator tortured a beautiful female human traitor for information about her family, then kept her alive rather than granting her a quick death.
• Liu Yu watched the vengeance unfold without intervening, then turned toward Zhang Tao and Guo Poyun after they finished dividing the spoils.
• Zhang Tao assigned his subordinates to manage the aftermath, spared cultivators who had neither resisted nor collaborated with the demons, and prepared to leave for Lingwu City.

After the rebels captured Shattered Gold City, Liu Yu and three Golden Core cultivators traveled north to join Zhang Tao’s forces gathering for the assault on Lingwu City. They waited at a waterfall as dozens of Golden Core cultivators assembled, leaving Liu Yu to wonder what had brought former rivals together.

• The surviving cultivators evacuated Shattered Gold City while Zhang Tao’s forces restored the mortals’ freedom and arranged for their withdrawal.
• Liu Yu, Zhang Tao, Zhuo Mengzhen, and Guo Poyun boarded Guo Poyun’s Yellow Flying Boat and headed north toward Gua Province.
• After two days of travel through Gua, Gan, and Su Provinces, the four reached a waterfall in Su Province to await their fellow cultivators.
• Ye Feihong and Ran Miaoyin arrived, followed by more Golden Core cultivators who exchanged greetings and waited together.
• Dozens of Golden Core cultivators gathered on the boat, and Liu Yu wondered what had united people who had once held grudges.

Liu Yu joined Zhang Tao’s force of forty-two Golden Core cultivators as they traveled to Ling Province to retake Lingwu City from the demon race. Zhang Tao rallied the group, but Ran Miaoyin demanded to know how they could breach the city’s powerful Nine-Gate Heavenly Demon Formation, and he began to explain.

• Liu Yu considered why so many Golden Core cultivators had answered the Zhang Household’s call, then meditated aboard the Yellow Flying Boat.
• Zhang Tao waited two hours for more recruits, but the force remained at forty-two, so Guo Poyun launched the boat toward Ling Province.
• After eight days, the group landed in Ling Province to gather information and wait for the Zhang Household’s other Guardians.
• Zhang Tao reassured the cultivators that the Zhang Household and Qian Court had prepared for the operation and that their objective was to retake Lingwu City.
• Ran Miaoyin asked how the Golden Core cultivators could breach the city’s fourth-tier middle-grade Nine-Gate Heavenly Demon Formation, and Zhang Tao acknowledged its strength before beginning his answer.