Chapter Summaries

Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan went to the Heavenly Dao Sect’s territory to find their fellow disciples, while He Jin and the Golden Spirit Sect disciples settled elsewhere. They reached the sect’s mountain, but an unfamiliar Blue-Robed Cultivator challenged their identities, leaving their meeting tense.

• Li Xiaoya proposed visiting the Heavenly Dao Sect, and He Jin gave him a Tracking Bird before taking Ding Leng and their companion to find a place to settle.
• Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan asked a passing cultivator where the Heavenly Dao Sect disciples were staying, and he directed them to the tallest peak.
• Li Xiaoya sent a Voice Transmission Talisman toward a cave abode, and the Blue-Robed Cultivator came out to meet them.
• Li Xiaoya said they were disciples of Heavenly Capital Peak, but the Blue-Robed Cultivator accused them of lying and demanded to know what they wanted.
• Li Xiaoya challenged the Blue-Robed Cultivator in turn, asking which peak he belonged to.

Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan arrived at Snow Jade Peak and reunited with Zhang Hong, who revealed that she and Ma Weiqi would soon hold a Dual Cultivation Ceremony. Liu Qingshan was devastated by the news as the group headed inside to meet the other disciples.

• Ma Weiqi went back up the mountain to confirm whether Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan were Heavenly Capital Peak disciples.
• Zhang Hong recognized Liu Qingshan and learned that Li Xiaoya, her missing junior brother, had returned and reached the sixth level of the Core Condensation Stage.
• Ma Weiqi introduced himself as a disciple of Snow Jade Peak and announced that he and Zhang Hong would soon hold a Dual Cultivation Ceremony.
• Li Xiaoya congratulated Zhang Hong and Ma Weiqi, while Liu Qingshan struggled to hide his heartbreak.
• Zhang Hong invited Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan inside to meet the other disciples, and Li Xiaoya followed Liu Qingshan in silence.

Li Xiaoya met several familiar Heavenly Dao Sect cultivators on the mountaintop while visiting Ma Weiqi and Zhang Hong. The gathering continued as another acquaintance arrived, leaving Li Xiaoya surprised by how many familiar faces he encountered.

• Ma Weiqi brought Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan to the mountaintop, where Zhang Hong sent voice transmissions to summon others.
• Li Xiaoya told Ma Weiqi and Zhang Hong that he and Liu Qingshan planned to travel with cultivators from the Golden Spirit Sect when the Ancient City opened.
• Li Xiangxiang and Dong Gu Nü arrived, and Li Xiaoya recognized them from his time at Heavenly Dao Mountain.
• Li Xiaoya and Dong Gu Nü recalled their first meeting, while Zhang Hong and Li Xiangxiang teased Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan.
• A handsome cultivator in yellow arrived and immediately recognized Li Xiaoya.

Li Xiaoya reunited with fellow Heavenly Dao Sect disciples and learned that Zhang Hong was set to become Ma Weiqi’s dual cultivation partner. Liu Qingshan accused Ma Weiqi of coercing Zhang Hong and harming former partners, and Li Xiaoya vowed to seek Heavenly Venerable Daoling’s help if the accusation was true.

• Li Xiaoya reunited with Huang Hua and discussed his disappearance at Spiritlight Lake, showing the necklace that had helped him escape.
• Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan caught up with the Heavenly Dao Sect disciples, then departed after learning that Liu Xian'er was in seclusion and Zhang Hong was to become Ma Weiqi’s dual cultivation partner.
• Li Xiaoya followed the Yellow Paper Bird away from the sect and tried to comfort Liu Qingshan, who revealed his feelings for Zhang Hong.
• Liu Qingshan claimed that Ma Weiqi was a notorious lecher who had used his Peak Lord father’s influence to secure advantages and had caused the deaths of former dual cultivation partners.
• Li Xiaoya promised to ask his master, Heavenly Venerable Daoling, to intervene if Ma Weiqi had forced Zhang Hong into the arrangement.

Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan joined He Jin’s group to prepare for entering the Ancient City, settling their combat plans and dividing any spoils in advance. As the yellow mist began to shift and the city’s appearance drew near, Li Xiaoya remained uncertain whether to intervene in Zhang Hong’s situation.

• Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan followed the yellow bird to He Jin’s temporary cave abode and rested there with the group.
• The group practiced their combat abilities, and Li Xiaoya fought them to a draw to secure an equal five-way share of any spoils.
• He Jin explained that his Golden Spirit Sect companions used powerful metal-element artifact-spirit techniques, which Li Xiaoya’s fire-element spells countered.
• When the yellow mist over the Ancient City began churning, the group moved to a peak occupied by the Heavenly Dao Sect to wait for the city to appear.
• Li Xiaoya noticed Zhang Hong chatting calmly with Dong Gu Nü and Li Xiangxiang and wondered whether he should heed Liu Qingshan’s concern.
• Yang Muqing called out that the yellow mist was changing.

As the Ancient City began to emerge, Li Xiaoya and the others channeled their magic power into a protective barrier to withstand successive shockwaves. Black tornadoes then swept toward the mountains, forcing several groups of cultivators to flee, while Senior Brother Zhang assured his group they had enough people to hold their position.

• Senior Brother Zhang ordered everyone to power the protective barrier as the mountain shook and the Ancient City’s first shockwave approached.
• Li Xiaoya and the others endured the first three shockwaves, replenishing their magic power with elixirs and spirit stones.
• Liu Qingshan noticed that the rogue cultivators’ barrier was close to failing, and Ma Weiqi said five cultivators had claimed that mountain.
• After the fourth shockwave, dozens of black tornadoes swept toward the mountains, and the rogue cultivators and other groups abandoned their positions.
• Senior Brother Zhang urged his group to hold their ground, counting on their ten cultivators and Li Xiaoya’s five companions to withstand the tornadoes.

The Heavenly Dao Sect group survived the tornadoes as they rushed toward the Ancient City, where Strange Lightning filled the sky. Li Xiaoya suddenly accelerated ahead of the others on his Flying Spiritual Artifact, leaving them racing after him.

• The tornadoes repeatedly veered away from the Heavenly Dao Sect's peak, while other peaks were devastated and cultivators were injured or killed.
• Senior Brother Zhang warned everyone to land upon entering the Ancient City, avoid flying beneath the Strange Lightning, and help their fellow cultivators.
• The final tornado turned toward the Demonic Path, giving Senior Brother Zhang the chance to deactivate the Protective Barrier and lead the group toward the city.
• Li Xiaoya saw the Ancient City's immense buildings and flickering Strange Lightning, then announced that he would go ahead.
• Li Xiaoya's Golden Sword sped up severalfold, letting him pass Ma Weiqi, Zhang Hong, and Senior Brother Zhang as the others hurried after him.

Li Xiaoya reached the Ancient City ahead of the others and discovered that the rare treasures grew outside its inner wall. He raced to the Demonic Path’s side to gather them, but a furious cultivator with purple flames caught up and revealed a familiar face.

• Li Xiaoya crossed the massive outer wall on his Flying Spiritual Artifact and saw a purple streak from the Demonic Path racing after the Heavenly Dao Sect’s group.
• Li Xiaoya spotted an inner wall around the Ancient City and realized the Heavenly Treasures grew outside it.
• Li Xiaoya flew to the Demonic Path’s territory and filled Storage Pouches with spirit herbs instead of gathering treasures on the Righteous Path’s side.
• Senior Brother Zhang ordered the Heavenly Dao Sect’s group to spread out and collect the treasures after they crossed the outer wall.
• The purple-flamed Demonic Path cultivator spotted Li Xiaoya gathering herbs, flew toward him in anger, and closed to within dozens of yards as Li Xiaoya kept filling another Storage Pouch.

Li Xiaoya recognized Sun Xing and fought him while Liu Qingshan gathered herbs, using spells and a powerful punch to drive Sun Xing into a cliff. Sun Xing recognized Li Xiaoya in turn and moved to attack again, but a woman’s voice interrupted them.

• Li Xiaoya recognized Sun Xing and told Liu Qingshan to gather herbs while he held him off.
• Li Xiaoya dodged Sun Xing’s purple fireball, redirected it into the ground, and used colliding Flame Blades to blast Sun Xing backward.
• Li Xiaoya struck Sun Xing’s Dragon Scale Shield with a strengthened punch, sending him crashing into a cliff.
• Sun Xing emerged from the rock and recognized Li Xiaoya, who taunted him as they exchanged questions about his return from Spiritlight Lake.
• Sun Xing rushed to attack Li Xiaoya again, but a seductive woman called out and accused him of flying ahead to take everything for himself.

Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan fought Sun Xing and Li Yuer over the spirit herbs. Sun Xing’s attack blasted Li Xiaoya into a swarm of purple blades, while Li Yuer launched pink swords at Liu Qingshan.

• Li Yuer arrived and joined Sun Xing after learning that Li Xiaoya had taken the spirit herbs.
• Sun Xing attacked Li Xiaoya with a Purple Light Sword whose blades split apart and pursued him.
• Li Yuer sped toward Liu Qingshan, and Li Xiaoya tried to stop her with flame blades, but her defensive spiritual artifact protected her.
• Sun Xing blocked Li Xiaoya and knocked him off course with a concealed burst of purple flame, leaving him unable to dodge the pursuing blades.
• Li Yuer attacked Liu Qingshan with dozens of pink flying swords as he prepared to help Li Xiaoya.

Li Xiaoya and the Heavenly Dao Sect group escaped into the Inner Wall after Li Yuer nearly killed Liu Qingshan. When the other cultivators arrived, they found the Demonic Path’s spirit herbs gone, and Sun Xing blamed the Heavenly Dao Sect as Senior Brother Jin Zhan confronted him.

• Li Yuer broke through Liu Qingshan’s lightning net and nearly struck him from behind, but Senior Brother Zhang’s Flying Swords intercepted her attack.
• Li Xiaoya revealed that the Vacuum Ring had protected him from Sun Xing’s Light Blades, then flew to help Liu Qingshan.
• Sun Xing and Li Yuer withdrew when Senior Brother Zhang and the other cultivators arrived, while the Heavenly Dao Sect group hurried through the Inner Wall.
• The arriving Rogue Cultivator Area and Righteous Path cultivators gathered the remaining spirit herbs, while the Demonic Path cultivators found their area stripped bare.
• Senior Brother Jin Zhan accused Sun Xing of taking all the Demonic Path’s spirit herbs, and Sun Xing blamed the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Sun Xing blamed Li Xiaoya for taking the Demonic Path’s spirit herbs and secretly plotted with Li Yuer and Jin Zhan to gather allies against the Heavenly Dao Sect. After the sect members entered the Outer Ancient City, Senior Brother Zhang confronted Li Xiaoya about breaking the agreement over the allotted gathering areas.

• Sun Xing identified the cultivator who took the herbs as Li Xiaoya, and Li Yuer and Jin Zhan agreed to join his plan to assemble forces in the Inner City.
• Sun Xing vowed to make the Heavenly Dao Sect return what they had taken, then set off with the Four Wolf Fang Brothers toward the inner wall.
• Senior Brother Zhang led Li Xiaoya and the others past the wall and warned them to watch for lightning as they landed in the ruined city.
• Ma Weiqi, Li Xiangxiang, and the others celebrated their good fortune until Senior Brother Zhang blamed Li Xiaoya for gathering the Demonic Path’s herbs and treasures.
• Li Xiaoya admitted taking the herbs, and Senior Brother Zhang explained that the three sides had agreed not to gather from one another’s allotted areas.

Li Xiaoya and the other cultivators crossed the city wall through a formation that teleported five people at a time to random destinations. Li Xiaoya’s group escaped Sun Xing’s pursuit and arrived in a blue-lit stone passage with a single exit.

• Senior Brother Zhang explained that the Teleportation Formation transported five people at a time to random destinations, and his team teleported first.
• Ma Weiqi, Li Xiangxiang, Zhang Hong, and their companions teleported next after exchanging farewells with Li Xiaoya.
• Sun Xing and more than twenty cultivators caught up, but Li Xiaoya’s group teleported away before they could be attacked.
• Jin Zhan, Li Yuer, and Sun Xing teleported with their groups as the remaining cultivators fought over turns, causing a melee that killed several rogue cultivators.
• Li Xiaoya and his four companions appeared in a dry stone passage lit by blue light seeping through the walls, with a single exit ahead.

Li Xiaoya and his companions entered the Inner City Maze, where He Jin explained the Ancient City's regions and dangers. When Mechanism Beasts attacked from ahead, the group prepared to fight, but the leading beast shattered He Jin's golden Spiritual Artifact with one bite.

• Li Xiaoya questioned why the maze passage held no spirit herbs, and He Jin explained that the Treasure-Towning Tower in the Inner City was their real destination.
• He Jin described the Ancient City's four regions, including the maze, treasure towers, the Slaughter Passage, and Ancient Demon Mountain.
• Li Xiaoya sensed creatures approaching from both ahead and behind before He Jin's divine sense detected them.
• He Jin, Li Xiaoya, Liu Qingshan, and Ding Leng prepared for an attack as bronze, leopard-shaped Mechanism Beasts rushed toward them.
• He Jin sent his golden sword Spiritual Artifact against the leading Mechanism Beast, which caught it in its jaws and shattered it.

He Jin, Yang Muqing, Ding Leng, Li Xiaoya, and Liu Qingshan fought through overwhelming numbers of Mechanism Beasts in the labyrinth. They coordinated an advance through the passages while other cultivators faced different, more dangerous varieties of Mechanism Beasts elsewhere.

• He Jin summoned a golden giant that reformed his shattered sword and beheaded a Mechanism Beast.
• Yang Muqing and Ding Leng summoned golden warriors that smashed and attacked the charging beasts.
• Li Xiaoya used the Blazing Fire Spirit Blade to burn several beasts, while Liu Qingshan’s lightning slowed a group behind them.
• As the Mechanism Beasts kept multiplying, Li Xiaoya urged He Jin to lead the group forward, and He Jin agreed.
• Yang Muqing used Linked Whirl to clear the way as He Jin and Ding Leng’s golden warriors fought ahead, allowing the group to advance while Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan obstructed the beasts behind them.
• Other cultivators in the labyrinth fought armored hammer-wielding, arrow-spitting, and spear-throwing Mechanism Beasts as they struggled to press forward.

Li Xiaoya and his companions battled through the Inner City Maze while He Jin explained how to navigate the Ancient City and described the distant Rear Mountain Pagoda. The group continued through the maze, and Li Xiaoya asked how cultivators escaped if they could not reach the pagoda.

• After Yang Muqing exhausted her magic power, He Jin sent Ding Leng to the front, where Ding Leng's ice-armored Mechanism Beast smashed through the enemies.
• Li Xiaoya learned from He Jin that taking the right-hand branch at every fork would lead them out of the Inner City Maze.
• He Jin discovered that Li Xiaoya and Liu Qingshan had missed their sect's briefing because they joined the journey midway.
• He Jin explained that cultivators could reach the Rear Mountain Pagoda by crossing Ancient Demon Mountain, and that Heavenly Venerable Daoling and Fairy Qingxia had visited it.
• Li Xiaoya asked He Jin how cultivators got out if they could not make it through the Rear Mountain Pagoda.

Li Xiaoya took over clearing the Mechanism Beasts and led his group rapidly through the Slaughter Passage. When they reached the passage’s exit, the scene waiting beyond it shocked them.

• He Jin explained that cultivators could leave the Ancient City through a one-way portal or when the city closed, but entering its lightning storm region meant there was no return.
• Li Xiaoya replaced Ding Leng at the front and used the Blazing Fire Spirit Blade to cut through the Mechanism Beasts at great speed.
• Humanoid Mechanism Beasts began attacking with spears and hammers, but Li Xiaoya used the Vacuum Ring’s Protective Barrier and restorative elixirs to keep advancing.
• Other groups, including Sun Xing’s, Senior Brother Zhang’s, and Jin Zhan’s, also pushed through the passage, while several squads were wiped out or suffered casualties.
• Li Xiaoya noticed the Mechanism Beasts dwindling and spotted light ahead; he and his group reached the exit and were shocked by what they saw.

Li Xiaoya and the others discovered a chamber filled with Black-Armored Mechanism Beast Guards and learned it might be the lair of the legendary Mechanism Beast King. After Yang Muqing struck the sealed exit, the guards awakened and attacked, leaving He Jin in immediate danger.

• Li Xiaoya and the others found a vast hall packed with motionless, red-patterned Mechanism Beast Guards, while a restriction prevented them from probing the chamber with divine sense.
• A massive metal door sealed the passage behind them, and He Jin identified the chamber as the likely lair of the Mechanism Beast King, said to guard the route to the golden light tier Treasure-Towning Tower.
• Ding Leng spotted an enormous figure approaching in the distance, and He Jin warned that the Mechanism Beast King was said to be as strong as a mid-stage golden core cultivator.
• Yang Muqing struck the sealed door with her Golden Ring, but the impact left it unmarked and triggered a chime among the guards.
• The guards' eyes lit up red, and one hurled a spear at He Jin that vanished in midair and reappeared directly in front of him.

Li Xiaoya and the others were trapped between spear-throwing Mechanism Beast guards and a self-repairing black metal door, forcing them to descend into the plaza. He led the group into battle while trying to protect Liu Qingshan.

• Li Xiaoya identified acceleration arrays in the guards’ spears and protected the group as they retreated behind the plaza wall.
• The black metal door began pushing forward, and Li Xiaoya’s Fire Dragon Sword repeatedly cut into it without leaving lasting damage.
• Li Xiaoya decided they had to descend, gave Liu Qingshan a Defense Sphere, and rejected He Jin’s idea of flying across because of the restrictions and incoming spears.
• Li Xiaoya charged through the guards’ spear volley with the Fire Dragon Sword and Blazing Fire Spirit Blade and leaped down toward the plaza.

Li Xiaoya used his Sevenfold Fire Ring to clear a wide area among the Mechanism Beast Guards, then protected Liu Qingshan from their deadly spears. The group landed amid the continuing assault, and He Jin asked Li Xiaoya how they could survive it.

• Li Xiaoya dodged the Mechanism Beast Guards' spears and blasted them back with his Fire Ring Technique.
• Li Xiaoya unleashed his new Sevenfold Fire Ring, melting the nearest Mechanism Beasts and clearing a space more than a hundred feet wide.
• Li Xiaoya noticed Liu Qingshan was still descending and jumped to warn him as the Mechanism Beasts targeted him with spears.
• Li Xiaoya's Flame Blades knocked aside most of the spears, but Liu Qingshan was grazed before he and Li Xiaoya reached the ground safely.
• He Jin and his two companions struggled against the spear barrage, and He Jin asked Li Xiaoya what they should do.