Chapter Summaries

After Tianfeng’s death, Liu Yu prepared to take control of the Primordial Yang Sect and examined the inheritance left in Tianfeng’s Storage Ring. He found vast wealth and three top-tier cultivation methods, but no Nascent Soul Formation secret art.

• Liu Yu decided that governing the Primordial Yang Sect was the best way to secure its resources and serve his own cultivation.
• Liu Yu summoned all Golden Core Elders in the sect to the Patriarch Hall to discuss sect affairs.
• Liu Yu refined Tianfeng’s Storage Ring and found seventy-five million spirit stones, thousands of high-grade spirit stones, and abundant cultivation resources.
• Liu Yu examined three jade slips and discovered top-tier cultivation methods for fire, metal, and water that led to the Nascent Soul realm.
• Liu Yu found no record of a Nascent Soul Formation secret art among the sect’s inherited knowledge.

Liu Yu took control of the Primordial Yang Sect after Tianfeng’s death, announced three months of mourning, and assigned the funeral and preparations for his Nascent Soul Formation ceremony. Two months later, Yan Kai presented Tianfeng’s biography, and Liu Yu objected that its candid account of Tianfeng’s conduct would damage his reputation and the sect’s image.

• Liu Yu inventoried Tianfeng’s storage ring, took the Scarlet Flame Shield and other treasures, and began refining the shield.
• The Golden Core Elders gathered in the Patriarch Hall, where Liu Yu announced Tianfeng’s death and ordered the sect to mourn for three months.
• The elders asked Liu Yu to take charge of the sect, and he assigned Yan Kai and Tianfeng’s disciples to handle the funeral arrangements.
• Liu Yu tasked Yan Qun’er and Li Buyu with preparing his Nascent Soul Formation ceremony for three months later and inviting the neighboring cultivation factions.
• Liu Yu placed Tianfeng’s portrait in the Patriarch Hall, and the Dragon-Shocking Bell tolled nine times to announce a Nascent Soul’s death across the sect.
• Two months later, Yan Kai gave Liu Yu Tianfeng’s biography, and Liu Yu objected to passages that portrayed Tianfeng as cold-hearted and could tarnish the sect’s image.

Liu Yu approved Yan Kai’s final, polished biography of Heavenly Wind Ancestor and brought Tianfeng’s affairs to a close. With his Nascent Soul Formation ceremony only twelve days away, Liu Yu prepared to face the Nascent Soul cultivators of the four sects and establish his strength.

• Liu Yu instructed Yan Kai to portray Heavenly Wind Ancestor as an honorable protector of the sect and omit details that could stain his reputation.
• Liu Yu reflected on Tianfeng’s estrangement from his Xia clan, then turned to studying the Bedrock Alchemy Canon while anticipating pressure from the four allied sects.
• After rejecting four drafts, Liu Yu approved Yan Kai’s fifth version of the Tianfeng Biography, which recast Tianfeng’s origins as a prominent secular family and removed other blemishes.
• Liu Yu awarded Yan Kai and his assistants merit, inscribed “Standing tall between heaven and earth” on the biography, and ordered it published without further revisions.
• Yan Kai left to carry out Liu Yu’s order as the Nascent Soul Formation ceremony approached in twelve days.

After Tianfeng’s death, Liu Yu prepared the Primordial Yang Sect for his Nascent Soul Formation ceremony and strengthened support among its disciples. The ceremony drew factions from across the Yuan Kingdom, and True Lord Zihong of Crescent Moon Valley arrived first among the great sects, leaving Liu Yu to welcome the remaining guests.

• Three months after Tianfeng’s passing, the Primordial Yang Sect ended its mourning and celebrated Liu Yu’s Nascent Soul advancement.
• Liu Yu restored part of the disciples’ benefits and prepared to face the Hehuan Old Devil during the ceremony.
• Cultivators from across the Yuan Kingdom arrived to pay respects and present gifts to the Primordial Yang Sect.
• True Lord Zihong arrived at the mountain gate with Crescent Moon Valley’s party and her spirit pressure silenced the crowd.
• Liu Yu met True Lord Zihong, exchanged greetings, and warmly welcomed her party into the sect.

At the Primordial Yang Sect’s Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony, Liu Yu welcomed True Lord Zihong and faced He Wangtian’s attempt to intimidate the gathering. Liu Yu matched He Wangtian’s spirit pressure until the Wind and Snow Twin Immortals arrived, forcing He Wangtian to stop.

• True Person Chongxuan watched Liu Yu and reflected on how the Five Sects’ old golden core leaders had failed to reach the nascent soul realm.
• Liu Yu escorted True Lord Zihong into the distinguished guests’ hall, where she said Crescent Moon Valley would remain friendly while the other sects would have to prove their strength.
• Liu Yu sensed a nascent soul cultivator approaching and went to the mountain gate, where He Wangtian arrived with two or three dozen cultivators and used his spirit pressure to overwhelm those below.
• Liu Yu confronted He Wangtian with his own spirit pressure, dispelling the pressure crushing the lower-level cultivators as the two clashed.
• He Wangtian realized Liu Yu was far stronger than a newly formed nascent soul cultivator, but the Wind and Snow Twin Immortals appeared and made him abandon his attempt to press the confrontation.

At his Nascent Soul Formation ceremony, Liu Yu faced hostility from He Wangtian and met the other sect leaders before agreeing to exchange blows with them. In their first clash, Liu Yu used his Azure Yang Starcloud to overcome He Wangtian’s Yin-Yang Mystic Light, demonstrating that the Primordial Yang Sect could remain among the five sects.

• He Wangtian challenged Liu Yu at the ceremony, and Liu Yu answered by openly accepting a bout with him.
• Fairy Wind, Daoist Snow, and Old Daoist Yunyi arrived, joining True Lord Zihong and He Wangtian as the six Nascent Soul True Lords gathered.
• The group flew to the Second Layer of the Astral Wind Layer, where Liu Yu and He Wangtian prepared to exchange one move.
• He Wangtian formed his Life-bound Divine Ability, Yin-Yang Mystic Light, into a massive black sun as Liu Yu summoned his Azure Yang Starcloud.
• The black sun pressed toward Liu Yu, but his Starcloud Body’s azure pillars pierced it and scattered its spiritual light.

Liu Yu demonstrated that his Azure Yang Starcloud gave him Nascent Soul middle-stage strength, earning recognition from the other sects during the five-sect sparring match. After he withstood the Wind and Snow Twin Immortals’ combined technique, the sect leaders reaffirmed their alliance.

• Liu Yu effortlessly neutralized Old Devil He's strike with the Azure Yang Starcloud, changing how the four watching sect leaders regarded him.
• He Wangtian withdrew from the gathering, and True Lord Zihong and Old Daoist Yunyi each exchanged a move with Liu Yu before reconsidering their relations with the Primordial Yang Sect.
• The Wind and Snow Twin Immortals attacked Liu Yu with their combined Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon divine ability.
• Liu Yu countered with Azure Yang Demonic Flame and spear strikes, then used his flame barrier, Scarlet Flame Shield, and Starcloud Body to withstand and disperse the attack.
• The four sect leaders addressed Liu Yu as a fellow Daoist, and the five sects reaffirmed their unchanged alliance.

After his Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony, Liu Yu accepted an invitation to the Pill Cauldron Sect’s gathering, where he hoped to obtain a fourth-tier pill formula. He returned to his new cave abode on Heaven-Reaching Peak to cultivate, while the Primordial Yang Sect’s factions maneuvered around his rise.

• Liu Yu hosted his ceremony, lectured on cultivation for seven days and nights, and saw the visiting True Lords depart.
• True Lord Zihong asked Liu Yu to exchange sword techniques, but he declined and accepted her invitation to attend a Pill Cauldron Sect gathering in two years.
• Liu Yu considered Old Devil He a continuing threat, resolved to wait for a safer chance to deal with him, and planned to seek a fourth-tier pill formula through peaceful trade if possible.
• Li Buyu and Yan Qun'er reported that the ceremony had concluded without incident, then discussed Yan Qun'er's prospects as Liu Yu's concubine and the sect factions' plans.
• Liu Yu finished meeting with the Golden Core Elders, moved into Tianfeng's former cave abode on Heaven-Reaching Peak, and began cultivating.

Liu Yu assessed his cultivation progress, continued training his body and divine sense, and arranged for his aging maid Wen Caiyi to retire in twenty years. A year later, he held a lavish ceremony to take Yan Qun'er as his concubine, with Little Green leading the bridal procession to Heaven-Reaching Peak.

• Liu Yu calculated that reaching the Nascent Soul early-stage peak would take another two hundred and fifty years and resolved to solve the fourth-tier pill formula problem so he could cultivate faster.
• Liu Yu cultivated the Astral True Form and Divine Preservation Art, estimating that his body refining could reach the fourth tier in about eighty years while continuing to strengthen his divine sense.
• Liu Yu told Wen Caiyi she could retire in about twenty years and warned her not to cross certain boundaries; he planned to give her life-extending items.
• Liu Yu spent a quiet year cultivating and searching for a fourth-tier pill formula through the Primordial Yang Sect’s disciples, but no news arrived.
• Liu Yu took Yan Qun'er as his concubine in a grand ceremony attended by the sect’s Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators.
• Little Green, now a third-tier middle-stage peak Flood Dragon, pulled Yan Qun'er's red bridal sedan along a flower-covered avenue to Heaven-Reaching Peak, where Liu Yu awaited her.

Liu Yu held a grand ceremony to take Yan Qun'er as his concubine, then reunited with True Lord Zihong and traveled with her to the Pill Cauldron Sect for an exchange gathering. He arrived at the sect’s headquarters, where a Golden Core Cultivator welcomed them on Mo Mei’s orders.

• Liu Yu welcomed Yan Qun'er with a grand concubine-taking ceremony and spent the wedding night with her.
• A few days later, Liu Yu introduced Yan Qun'er to Jiang Qiushui and Ji Ruyan, and the three women appeared to reconcile over a feast.
• After a year of cultivation, Liu Yu left the sect to meet True Lord Zihong and seek fourth-tier pills at the Pill Cauldron Sect’s exchange gathering.
• Liu Yu and True Lord Zihong traveled to the Ba Kingdom and reached the Pill Cauldron Sect’s extensive mountain headquarters.
• A Golden Core Cultivator, acting on Martial Aunt Mo Mei’s orders, escorted Liu Yu and True Lord Zihong into the sect.

Liu Yu and True Lord Zihong attended True Lord Momei’s exchange gathering, where twenty-two Nascent Soul cultivators assembled to trade rare resources and pills. Momei arrived burdened by an undisclosed threat, while the gathering began with Kongzhao’s unsuccessful attempt to obtain a bottleneck-breaking treasure and ended with a coveted Great Luo Silver Crystal on offer.

• Liu Yu and True Lord Zihong reached Huaying Mountain and joined the gathering, where Liu Yu met Fazhao, Senmu, and the other Nascent Soul cultivators.
• True Lord Momei arrived last, welcomed the attendees, and concealed her anxiety about a matter involving a Great Cultivator.
• Kongzhao offered a Skycloud Sparrow demon core and additional treasures for a Bottleneck-Breaking Elixir or spirit treasure, but the other cultivators declined to trade.
• A mid-stage True Lord offered Great Luo Silver Crystal in exchange for fourth-tier middle-grade cultivation pills, attracting Liu Yu’s and True Lord Zihong’s attention.

At a Nascent Soul cultivator exchange meeting, Liu Yu offered three rare spirit herbs for a fourth-tier pill formula, but no one initially accepted. True Lord Huangmei then offered an ancient Spirit-Merging Pill formula in exchange, leaving Liu Yu interested but masking his delight.

• A True Lord traded a great Luo silver crystal for five True-Congealing Pills after True Lord Zihong withdrew her bid of Profound Yang Immortal Dew.
• True Lord Momei exchanged three Primordial Essence Pills for a thousand-year-old red radiance grass, and the meeting continued.
• Liu Yu offered a jade spirit mushroom, a violet nether fruit, and a profound yin herb for a fourth-tier lower-grade pill formula that advanced cultivation.
• True Lord Momei declined to trade a formula, and the other cultivators remained silent while Liu Yu considered other ways to obtain one.
• True Lord Huangmei offered Liu Yu an ancient Spirit-Merging Pill formula, which Liu Yu examined and recognized as a valuable reference despite its obsolete ingredients.

Liu Yu traded spirit herbs to True Lord Huangmei for the ancient Spirit-Merging Pill formula, then watched True Lord Momei offer rare pills in exchange for help with a dangerous mission. When she revealed that Great Cultivator Nangong Tian might be behind it, most of the True Lords fled, leaving only a handful behind.

• Liu Yu haggled with True Lord Huangmei and obtained the ancient Spirit-Merging Pill formula for a millennium jade spirit mushroom and a three-thousand-year violet nether fruit.
• True Lord Momei displayed four precious pills, including the Truth-Restoring Pill and Myriad Longevity Pill, and offered them to anyone who would help with her problem.
• True Lord Momei explained that the Alliance had ordered her to undertake a mission and that she feared Nangong Tian of the Black Ice Palace was plotting against her.
• The True Lords recoiled at the prospect of facing Nangong Tian, and a tall, thin old man left the gathering first.
• The other True Lords invented excuses and departed one after another, leaving only five or six cultivators with True Lord Momei.

Liu Yu agreed to help True Lord Momei guard Bright Moon Immortal City in exchange for a fourth-tier pill formula, joining a small group of cultivators willing to face the danger of Nangong Tian and the demon forces. After signing a pact, the group planned to gather in three years, while Liu Yu prepared the Primordial Yang Sect and his treasures for his fifteen-year absence.

• True Lord Zihong and most of the gathered cultivators left after learning the mission might involve Nangong Tian, while Liu Yu and five others remained.
• True Lord Momei offered Liu Yu the Flying Immortal Pill formula for his help, and Liu Yu accepted without bargaining.
• Mo Mei negotiated with Kongzhao and the other cultivators; she secured three allies, while two refused her terms and departed.
• True Lord Huangmei agreed to help in exchange for a Truth-Restoring Pill and three True-Congealing Pills.
• Mo Mei explained that the Seven Kingdoms Alliance had ordered her to guard Bright Moon Immortal City against the demon army for fifteen years, and the five signed a Supreme Unity Dao Pact to gather in three years.
• Liu Yu returned to prepare the Primordial Yang Sect and nurture the Setting Sun Golden Rainbow Spear before leaving for the battlefront.

Liu Yu consolidated his control of the Primordial Yang Sect while considering the factions reshaping the Yuan Kingdom, then discovered that an ancient Spirit-Merging Pill formula was unusable without major improvements. He began cultivating with a thousand-year-old jade spirit mushroom, leaving his Azure Yang Art cycle underway.

• Liu Yu issued orders to the Primordial Yang Sect elders, while Jiang Qiushui and Yan Qun'er attracted support and the Master-Disciple Line continued to lose influence.
• Liu Yu dismissed the idea of restoring the old factional balance and reflected that his rise had altered the fortunes of powers throughout the Yuan Kingdom.
• Liu Yu examined an ancient Spirit-Merging Pill formula and found that thirty to forty percent of its listed herbs had gone extinct, so he considered other ways to obtain a fourth-tier formula.
• Liu Yu swallowed a thousand-year-old jade spirit mushroom and circulated the Azure Yang Art Tenth Layer to refine it.
• Liu Yu completed seventy-two circuits through his flesh and began the thirty-six faster circuits through his Nascent Soul, which together formed a full cycle.

Liu Yu spent three years cultivating and nurturing his treasures before setting out to protect True Lord Momei in exchange for the Flying Immortal Pill formula. He and Kongzhao arrived at the meeting point, but the two remaining Nascent Soul cultivators had not appeared even after two hours.

• Liu Yu found that directly consuming jade spirit mushrooms increased his cultivation more slowly than pills and left impurities that required later purification.
• Over three peaceful years, Liu Yu cultivated with jade spirit mushrooms and nurtured his magical treasures, advancing to roughly the Nascent Soul second layer.
• Liu Yu decided that if unexpected circumstances arose during the mission, he might pursue greater gains rather than strictly honor the Supreme Unity Dao Pact.
• Liu Yu traveled to the Pill Cauldron Sect and met True Lord Momei, who reaffirmed that she would give him the Flying Immortal Pill formula if she survived the mission.
• Kongzhao arrived at the meeting point, but True Lord Huangmei and the other middle-stage True Lord failed to appear, leaving Momei increasingly uneasy.

Liu Yu and Kongzhao worried that Nangong Tian’s warning had driven away the two invited middle-stage cultivators, but True Lord Huangmei arrived and Mo Mei increased the promised rewards to secure the group’s help. The four traveled through Five Elements Pass and set out for Bright Moon Immortal City to begin their assignment.

• Liu Yu and Kongzhao considered abandoning the venture if both invited middle-stage cultivators failed to arrive, while Mo Mei grew increasingly anxious.
• True Lord Huangmei arrived after a delay, but True Lord Yunshan remained absent, apparently deterred by Nangong Tian’s warning.
• Mo Mei offered Liu Yu, Kongzhao, and Huangmei three additional cultivation pills each, and they agreed to help defend Bright Moon Immortal City.
• Mo Mei led the group through a Teleportation Formation to Five Elements Pass, where Liu Yu observed its crowded streets, defenses, and statue of True Lord Chonglou.
• The four left Five Elements Pass and flew north toward Bright Moon Immortal City, an important stronghold protecting the surrounding human territory.

Liu Yu and the other True Lords took control of Bright Moon Immortal City and heard that many settlements under its jurisdiction urgently needed reinforcements. Mo Mei refused to send any cultivators out, choosing to protect the city and her own safety, while Liu Yu decided to look after his sect’s disciples.

• Liu Yu, Mo Mei, Kongzhao, and Huang Mei completed the handover of Bright Moon Immortal City and listened to reports about its defenses and surroundings.
• A Golden Core city lord reported that eight large settlements and ninety-six smaller settlements faced heavy attacks, and that more than half had requested reinforcements.
• Mo Mei ordered that no cultivators be dispatched from Bright Moon Immortal City without her permission, intending to keep its defenses strong during her fifteen-year assignment.
• The Golden Core administrators withdrew without objecting, while Liu Yu, Huang Mei, and Kongzhao remained silent about Mo Mei’s decision.
• Liu Yu considered the safety of his sect’s disciples and sent out a Communication Talisman.

Liu Yu secured his residence in Bright Moon Immortal City and considered how to obtain a fourth-grade spirit flame to advance the Azure Yang Demonic Flame. He decided that he would prefer to wait until the Human-Demon War ended, but he was willing to target a weaker True Lord if circumstances forced him to act sooner.

• True Lord Momei, True Lord Huangmei, Liu Yu, and Kongzhao discussed the outposts' defenses, their compensation, and when the Human-Demon War might end.
• Liu Yu returned to his estate and set up the Earth Fiend Golden Gate Formation to protect himself while cultivating.
• Liu Yu reflected on how Primordial Yang Sect disciples had gathered 120,000 units of fuel for the Azure Yang Demonic Flame using his Azure Yang Spirit-Sealing Art.
• Liu Yu reviewed a list of True Lords who possessed fourth-grade spirit flames and concluded that he would likely need to seize one rather than trade for it.
• Liu Yu decided to wait until the war ended if possible, but outlined a plan to target a weaker True Lord if he could not afford to delay the flame's advancement.

Mo Mei refused to reinforce the settlements around Bright Moon Immortal City as the Demon Race intensified its attacks, while she and Liu Yu suspected the Black Ice Palace might be involved. Eight years later, the Demon Race finally advanced on the city, and Liu Yu prepared for the confrontation as the army approached its gates.

• Mo Mei continued to deny pleas for reinforcements, allowing settlements around Bright Moon Immortal City to fall as the Demon Race's attacks grew unusually fierce.
• Mo Mei, Liu Yu, and True Lord Huangmei suspected that Nangong Tian of the Black Ice Palace had arranged an alliance with the Demon Race to target Mo Mei.
• Liu Yu ordered his two Golden Core Death Soldiers to leave Bright Moon Immortal City and considered expanding and improving his Shadow of the Sun force.
• Over the next eight years, the surrounding settlements fell one after another, and the Demon Race steadily advanced toward Bright Moon Immortal City.
• True Lord Huangmei and Liu Yu watched the Demon Race's army emerge through the dust and surge toward the city's northern gates.