Chapter Summaries

Li Xiaoya and Tianyuan learned about an immense herb garden hidden within the Immemorial Heaven-and-Earth Spiritual Qi Formation and examined a map left by the Four-Armed Salamander Beast’s parents. The beast said he knew how to reach it, but only if Tianyuan agreed to a condition.

• The Four-Armed Salamander Beast told Li Xiaoya and Tianyuan that his parents had discovered an herb garden sealed behind a barrier inside the formation.
• The Four-Armed Salamander Beast produced his parents’ beast-hide drawing, showing the floating island, its guardians, and the fruit tree that filled the garden.
• The Four-Armed Salamander Beast explained that a Spiritual Qi Vortex in the Inner Sea had swept his parents into the herb garden.
• The Four-Armed Salamander Beast revealed that the Myriad-Eyed Octopus King had tried to steal the garden’s treasure map and had killed his parents.
• Tianyuan asked how to reach the herb garden, and the Four-Armed Salamander Beast said he knew but had one condition.

Tianyuan questioned the Four-Armed Salamander Beast about the Herb Garden and the Immemorial Heaven-and-Earth Spiritual Qi Formation. He learned that the Herb Garden lay in the dangerous Inner Sea and that the Five-Headed Sea Beast Emperor had reportedly reached the immortal tribulation stage.

• The Four-Armed Salamander Beast asked Tianyuan to take him to the Herb Garden, but Tianyuan doubted his claims and postponed the decision.
• Tianyuan asked how to escape the formation, and the Four-Armed Salamander Beast admitted that he did not know a way out.
• The Four-Armed Salamander Beast explained that the formation was divided into a less dangerous Outer Sea and a perilous Inner Sea, where the Herb Garden was located.
• The Four-Armed Salamander Beast revealed that surviving cultivators had reached the mighty one stage and sometimes joined forces against demon beasts.
• The Four-Armed Salamander Beast named the Inner Sea Four Emperors and Outer Sea Four Great Kings as the formation's strongest powers, then said the Five-Headed Sea Beast Emperor had advanced to the immortal tribulation stage.

Li Xiaoya and Tianyuan learned about the powerful factions and leaders trapped within the Immemorial Heaven-and-Earth Spiritual Qi Formation. The Four-Armed Salamander Beast urged them to visit the Myriad-Eyed Octopus King’s Illusory Spirit Island, and Li Xiaoya considered whether they could cultivate there safely.

• The Four-Armed Salamander Beast explained that Immortal Tribulation Stage demon beasts sought a way out through the inner sea.
• The Four-Armed Salamander Beast described the Four Emperors, the Four Kings, and their forces, including the Demon-Magic Emperor’s powerful Human Race subordinate, Zhenyuan Daoist.
• Tianyuan recognized Zhenyuan Daoist and revealed his old hostility toward him.
• The Four-Armed Salamander Beast proposed that Li Xiaoya and Tianyuan go to Illusory Spirit Island to claim the Myriad-Eyed Octopus King’s resources, and Tianyuan challenged his motives.
• Li Xiaoya weighed the island’s abundant spiritual qi against the danger of attracting other factions and suggested using formations, prompting Tianyuan to ask whether he knew formations.

Li Xiaoya and Tianyuan learned how to navigate the formation and decided to seize Illusory Spirit Island, taking the Four-Armed Salamander Beast there in disguise. When they arrived, they announced that they had killed the Myriad-Eyed Octopus King, shocking the island’s demon beasts.

• Li Xiaoya told Tianyuan that Liu Xian'er could help secure an island with formations, and they agreed to claim Illusory Spirit Island.
• Tianyuan questioned the Four-Armed Salamander Beast, who explained that the light walls marked unexplored regions and that the formation distorted time and space.
• Tianyuan took the herb-garden map and ordered the Four-Armed Salamander Beast to lead them to Illusory Spirit Island.
• Tianyuan transformed the Four-Armed Salamander Beast into a giant catfish, and he and Li Xiaoya traveled to the island while Liu Xian'er and Zhang Hong stayed in the Secret Realm Necklace.
• The Second Island Master learned that the Myriad-Eyed Octopus King's demon lamp had gone out, then heard a human voice announce that the king had been slain.

Li Xiaoya and Tianyuan defeated the second island lord and drove the demon beasts from Illusory Spirit Island. Liu Xian'er concealed and protected the island with a formation, and Tianyuan called the others over after finding a rich haul of spoils.

• Li Xiaoya and Tianyuan killed the second island lord and several other Mighty One Stage demon beasts after they refused to surrender.
• Tianyuan ordered the remaining demon beasts to leave Illusory Spirit Island, and Li Xiaoya and Tianyuan killed those who tried to steal treasures before the rest fled.
• Li Xiaoya brought Liu Xian'er and Zhang Hong out of the Secret Realm Necklace while Tianyuan searched the island for spoils with the Four-Armed Salamander Beast.
• Liu Xian'er spent more than half a day setting up the Kui Water Reversal Formation, which concealed Illusory Spirit Island and defended it from intruders.
• Tianyuan sent a voice transmission to Li Xiaoya, Liu Xian'er, and Zhang Hong, excitedly declaring that they had struck it rich.

Li Xiaoya and his companions discovered a vast Spirit Essence Ore mine in the Myriad-Eyed Octopus King's cave, and Tianyuan realized the treasure could help him reach the immortal tribulation stage. Tianyuan bound the Four-Armed Salamander Beast to his service, gave Li Xiaoya a storage treasure, and the group began harvesting the ore.

• Li Xiaoya recognized the cavern's multicolored ore as Spirit Essence Stones, and Tianyuan said they could help him break through to the immortal tribulation stage.
• Li Xiaoya explained the stones' exceptional value, while the Four-Armed Salamander Beast recalled that the Myriad-Eyed Octopus King's sudden rise likely came from finding the mine.
• Tianyuan gave the Four-Armed Salamander Beast the choice of guarding the island or being imprisoned, and the beast accepted a Soul Ring as Tianyuan's subordinate.
• Tianyuan gave Li Xiaoya a Storage Jade Plaque filled with treasures taken from demon beasts' cave abodes and told him to take Spirit Essence Ore from the cavern.
• Li Xiaoya began cutting Spirit Essence Stones from the wall with the Dragon-Horned Bone Dragon Slash because they were too hard to remove by hand.

The Dragon Ancestor learned that the Dragon Race had failed to find Li Xiaoya and feared the threat of a recovering sword. After hearing that Prince Modong had sent an envoy proposing an alliance against the Human Race and Immortal Court, the Dragon Ancestor agreed to meet him.

• The Four Great Elders reported that the Dragon Race had not found Li Xiaoya, and the Dragon Ancestor warned that the recovering sword posed a growing danger.
• The Red Dragon Elder urged war against the Human Race, but the Blue Dragon Elder blamed him for Yan Longzi's failure before the Dragon Ancestor silenced their quarrel.
• The Black Dragon Elder told the Dragon Ancestor that Prince Modong's envoy had offered an alliance to conquer the Thirty-Three Star Realm and leave it undemonized.
• The Golden Dragon Elder explained that Prince Modong was the Hell King's heir, and the Black Dragon Elder described his grudge against the Human Race and the alliance's terms.
• The Dragon Ancestor agreed to meet the envoy, and the Black Dragon Elder returned with Demon Elder.

The Dragon Ancestor and the Demon Elder negotiated an alliance against Li Xiaoya, while Li Xiaoya remained unaware as he cultivated in seclusion on Illusory Spirit Island. After more than two hundred and thirty years, Tianyuan’s plan to attempt a breakthrough to the Immortal Tribulation Stage left Li Xiaoya facing an uncertain wait.

• The Demon Elder revealed that Prince Modong was the Devil Race’s Holy Son and identified Li Xiaoya as the cultivator who had disrupted his plans.
• The Dragon Ancestor agreed to keep the Holy Son’s identity secret and negotiated terms with the Demon Elder for a joint undertaking against Li Xiaoya.
• The Dragon Ancestor accepted the Devil Race’s terms, including giving them the Savage Wilderness Continent, and decided to travel to the Dragon Star Realm.
• More than two hundred and thirty years passed as Li Xiaoya and the others cultivated in seclusion on Illusory Spirit Island, where Li Xiaoya repaired the Shaking-Heaven Divine Fire Staff.
• Tianyuan decided to attempt a breakthrough to the Immortal Tribulation Stage after recovering, leaving Li Xiaoya uncertain how long they would have to wait.

Li Xiaoya chose to remain in the Immemorial Heaven-and-Earth Spiritual Qi Formation and cultivate alongside Liu Xian'er and Zhang Hong, despite his responsibilities outside. After more than two centuries, he reached the late peak of the Heaven-and-Earth Realm, but an expedition toward the Inner Sea ended with the Sea Cow Emperor confronting him.

• Tianyuan urged Li Xiaoya to seize the formation's rare cultivation opportunity, and Li Xiaoya decided to stay after discussing it with Liu Xian'er and Zhang Hong.
• Over more than two hundred and thirty years, Li Xiaoya cultivated in the formation and made unsuccessful attempts to find a way through it.
• Li Xiaoya reached the peak of the Heaven-and-Earth Realm, strengthened his body by refining demon beast essence blood, and grew confident in his abilities.
• With Tianyuan and the two women in seclusion, Li Xiaoya set out with the Four-Armed Salamander Beast to explore the Inner Sea and seek useful treasures.
• Li Xiaoya gathered treasures and killed many demon beasts as they traveled closer to the Inner Sea, while the Four-Armed Salamander Beast warned him of danger.
• The Sea Cow Emperor, who had been waiting for Li Xiaoya after hearing reports of his demon beast hunts, appeared before him.

After Tianyuan rescued Li Xiaoya from the Sea Cow Emperor, the battle forced Li Xiaoya to confront his shortcomings and later helped him break through to Heaven-and-Earth Realm Great Perfection. During more than two centuries of seclusion, Zhang Hong advanced to the Heaven-and-Earth Realm, while Liu Xian’er’s slower progress surprised Li Xiaoya.

• Li Xiaoya failed to activate the Fire Dragon Sword and was gravely wounded by the Sea Cow Emperor, but Tianyuan arrived through the Four-Armed Salamander Beast’s Soul Ring and held the emperor off.
• Tianyuan warned Li Xiaoya to be more cautious, praised the Four-Armed Salamander Beast, and returned to seclusion; Li Xiaoya hid his injuries from Liu Xian’er and Zhang Hong and reflected on the gap between himself and Tianyuan.
• After several years of seclusion, Li Xiaoya recovered and advanced to Great Perfection Heaven-and-Earth Realm, while news of Tianyuan’s three exchanges with the Sea Cow Emperor earned the pair renown as the Outer Sea Sword Emperor and Sword King.
• For more than two hundred years, Li Xiaoya and Tianyuan remained secluded on Illusory Spirit Island, ignoring challengers and responding to envoys without meeting them.
• Zhang Hong advanced to the Heaven-and-Earth Realm and then its early third layer without Li Xiaoya or Tianyuan noticing, while Liu Xian’er reached the middle Heaven-and-Earth stage, fifth layer.
• Li Xiaoya discovered Zhang Hong’s breakthrough and wondered at the formation’s power, then was surprised that Liu Xian’er had progressed less quickly.

Li Xiaoya prepared for decades to break through to the Mighty One Stage, studying the Heavenly Dao Five Elements Divine Art and planning to cultivate the One-Origin Nascent Soul Transformation Art. After more than a century attempting to repair his broken life-bound treasure, the Shaking-Heaven Divine Fire Staff, he entered seclusion, where a burst of five-colored spiritual light signaled a possible breakthrough.

• Liu Xian'er advanced her mastery of formations, strengthening Illusory Spirit Island and developing ways to combine formations with spells and divine abilities.
• Li Xiaoya refined elixirs and gathered supplies as he reached the peak of great perfection in the Heaven-and-Earth Realm.
• Li Xiaoya prepared to cultivate the Heavenly Dao Five Elements Divine Art and, after reaching the Mighty One Stage, transform his nascent soul into five with the One-Origin Nascent Soul Transformation Art.
• Tianyuan advised Li Xiaoya to repair the Shaking-Heaven Divine Fire Staff with the spirit essence stone, and Li Xiaoya left the staff inside it for more than a hundred years.
• Li Xiaoya entered seclusion to attempt his breakthrough, and five-colored spiritual light erupted from his cultivation chamber.

Li Xiaoya failed in his attempt to break through to the mighty one stage and spent time recovering with Zhang Hong and Liu Xian'er. While he restored his cultivation and mental state, the Dragon Race launched a racial war against the human race in the Thirty-Three Star Realm.

• Li Xiaoya's breakthrough attempt nearly succeeded, but a disturbance in his heart caused him to fail and suffer a backlash.
• Li Xiaoya took elixirs and healed in seclusion while Zhang Hong and Liu Xian'er waited anxiously outside his cave abode.
• Zhang Hong and Liu Xian'er discussed their cultivation, and Liu Xian'er revealed she had been studying formations.
• After more than a month, Li Xiaoya emerged and spent time with Zhang Hong and Liu Xian'er while recovering his cultivation and mental state.
• The Dragon Race launched a racial war against the human race in the Thirty-Three Star Realm.

The Dragon Race invaded East Xia Continent, and the Human Race Alliance’s five Immortal Tribulation Stage leaders debated how to resist and whether to hand over Li Xiaoya. The Sky Curtain Fortresses eventually halted the invasion, and the standoff lasted over a thousand years until Li Xiaoya returned.

• The Dragon Race attacked East Xia Continent, seized territory, and killed countless humans before Xiao Hanlan checked its advance and fought a Dragon Race Great Cultivator outside the Star Realm.
• The Daode Daoist Patriarch and the other four Immortal Tribulation Stage cultivators discussed the invasion and rejected the Dragon Race’s demand for Li Xiaoya after learning he was key to reaching the True Immortal realm.
• The Human Race Alliance retreated and surrendered a fifth of its territory, while the Immortal Court barred Immortal Tribulation Stage cultivators from fighting inside the Thirty-Three Star Realm.
• The Human Race Alliance and the Dragon Race clashed at the Sky Curtain Fortresses, where human cultivators stopped the dragon army and forced a prolonged stalemate.
• The standoff at the Sky Curtain Mountain Range lasted more than a thousand years until Li Xiaoya returned.

As wars ravaged the Thirty-Three Star Realm, Li Xiaoya made his fourth attempt to break through to the mighty one stage after three unexplained failures. Liu Xian'er and Zhang Hong guarded him as the formation around him remained stable, until a tremendous tremor and vast aura erupted from his cave abode.

• The Dragon Race, Demon Race, and Insect Race fought across the Thirty-Three Star Realm, while the Race Battlefield battles grew fiercer.
• Liu Xian'er and Zhang Hong finished cultivating their Water-Fire Combined Strike and discussed Li Xiaoya's ongoing breakthrough attempt.
• Li Xiaoya's three previous failures had severely injured him, and Tianyuan had explained that success depended on earning the Heavenly Dao's recognition through repeated attempts.
• Li Xiaoya prepared for his fourth attempt with heavenly treasures and elixirs, while Liu Xian'er established an immortal formation to support him.
• A thunderous tremor shook the cave abode as a vast aura surged upward.

Li Xiaoya’s breakthrough to the Mighty One Stage caused a huge surge of Five-Colored Spiritual Light that exposed Illusory Spirit Island and drew demon beasts to its defenses. The Poisonous Beast Purple Flood Dragon attacked the island’s formation and tried to recruit the other beasts, but the barrier held and most remained reluctant to help.

• Liu Xian'er reinforced Illusory Spirit Island’s blue defensive barrier while Li Xiaoya entered a critical stage of breaking through to the Mighty One Stage.
• Demon beasts gathered around the island after its concealment failed, and they recognized the Golden Immortal Scripts protecting it.
• The Poisonous Beast Purple Flood Dragon arrived with his followers and urged the gathered beasts to attack the human cultivators.
• Most of the demon beasts refused to join the attack, suspecting the Poisonous Beast Purple Flood Dragon wanted them to fight for the Sea Cow Emperor’s benefit.
• The Poisonous Beast Purple Flood Dragon and his followers struck the barrier, but their attacks failed to damage it.
• The Poisonous Beast Purple Flood Dragon promised a reward from the Sea Cow Emperor, and several demon beasts began to look tempted.

Tianyuan drove off the demon beasts threatening Illusory Spirit Island with one sword strike while Li Xiaoya completed his breakthrough to the Mighty One Stage. After three days, the island stopped absorbing spiritual qi and vanished, leaving Li Xiaoya injured and needing time to recover.

• Tianyuan warned the demon beasts away from Illusory Spirit Island, then struck the Poisonous Beast Purple Flood Dragon with a sword ray that shattered his horns and drove him fleeing beneath the sea.
• Tianyuan stayed inside the treasure cauldron and continued tempering his body as white flames made him increasingly transparent and smaller.
• Demon beasts spread stories about the cultivator advancing on Illusory Spirit Island, and the island ceased absorbing spiritual qi and disappeared after about three days.
• Li Xiaoya swallowed over a hundred elixirs and broke through to the Mighty One Stage at the last moment, despite nearly failing again.
• Li Xiaoya realized his magic power was nearly exhausted, he was injured, and his Nascent Soul remained unstable, then remembered something he needed to do.

After two hundred years of cultivation, Li Xiaoya reached the second level of the early Mighty One Stage and greatly strengthened his abilities, while Liu Xian'er and Zhang Hong advanced to the great perfection Heaven-and-Earth Realm. He focused on mastering the One-Origin Nascent Soul Transformation Art as Tianyuan's situation began to change.

• Li Xiaoya shared his breakthrough news with Liu Xian'er and Zhang Hong, who urged him to remain in seclusion and stabilize his realm.
• Zhang Hong lamented how far Li Xiaoya had surpassed her, and Liu Xian'er joined her by the shore of Illusory Spirit Island.
• Over the next two hundred years, Li Xiaoya reached the second level of the early Mighty One Stage and repaired and strengthened the Shaking-Heaven Divine Fire Staff.
• Li Xiaoya mastered the seventh layer of the Tianyuan Sword Formula, but found that the evolved Fire Dragon Sword consumed too much power for frequent use.
• Li Xiaoya made the One-Origin Nascent Soul Transformation Art his main focus, though he had not yet transformed his five-element golden cores into Nascent Souls.
• Liu Xian'er and Zhang Hong reached the great perfection Heaven-and-Earth Realm, and Tianyuan's situation began to change.

Li Xiaoya protected Liu Xian'er as she began advancing to the Mighty One Stage, while a bloodthirsty cultivator named Zhenyuan Daoist arrived at Illusory Spirit Island seeking the humans’ help. Tianyuan recognized him and ordered Li Xiaoya to kill him.

• Li Xiaoya sensed a hidden power around Tianyuan’s cave and continued cultivating the One-Origin Nascent Soul Transformation Art while waiting for his five cores to form nascent souls.
• Illusory Spirit Island trembled as Liu Xian'er drew in five-colored spiritual light and released a powerful chill, and Li Xiaoya and Zhang Hong rushed to protect her breakthrough.
• Demon beasts gathered outside the island, but Zhenyuan Daoist attacked and devoured them with black flames to absorb their blood and magic power.
• Zhenyuan Daoist reached Illusory Spirit Island, called himself a Human Race cultivator, and asked to meet its inhabitants so they could help the Demon-Magic Emperor obtain something and escape.
• Li Xiaoya and Zhang Hong recognized Zhenyuan Daoist as a cultivator serving the Demon-Magic Emperor, and Tianyuan ordered Li Xiaoya to kill him.

Li Xiaoya agreed to leave Liu Xian'er’s breakthrough in Zhang Hong’s care and confront Zhenyuan Daoist after Tianyuan pleaded for help. When Zhenyuan Daoist attacked Illusory Spirit Island to disrupt Liu Xian'er’s breakthrough, Li Xiaoya emerged to stop him, and Zhenyuan Daoist recognized Li Xiaoya’s sword technique.

• Tianyuan asked Li Xiaoya to kill Zhenyuan Daoist, but Li Xiaoya hesitated because Liu Xian'er was at a critical point in her breakthrough.
• Tianyuan pleaded with Li Xiaoya and promised to protect Liu Xian'er, while Zhang Hong urged Li Xiaoya to confront Zhenyuan Daoist before he disturbed the breakthrough further.
• Li Xiaoya agreed to go out and left Zhang Hong to watch over Liu Xian'er, whose breakthrough then surged forward with greater force.
• Zhenyuan Daoist summoned a formation of enormous skeletal hands to enclose Illusory Spirit Island and cut off the spiritual light feeding Liu Xian'er's breakthrough.
• Li Xiaoya rushed out and attacked the skeletal-hand formation with the Dragon-Horned Bone Dragon Slash, and Zhenyuan Daoist recognized the Tianyuan Sword Formula with shock and murderous intent.

Li Xiaoya attacked Zhenyuan Daoist after destroying his skeletal formation, which threatened Liu Xian'er’s breakthrough, and the two clashed with powerful swords. They paused when their fight endangered Liu Xian'er, and Zhenyuan Daoist questioned Li Xiaoya about his Tianyuan Sword Formula, leaving their conversation unresolved.

• Li Xiaoya shattered Zhenyuan Daoist’s skeletal hands and attacked him to stop him from endangering Liu Xian'er’s breakthrough.
• Zhenyuan Daoist summoned the Black Demon Sword, and his swordsmanship’s resemblance to the Tianyuan Sword Formula surprised Li Xiaoya.
• Li Xiaoya’s superior swordsmanship pushed Zhenyuan Daoist back, but Zhenyuan Daoist used a black cauldron to strengthen his attacks and threaten the island’s formation.
• Li Xiaoya disengaged to draw Zhenyuan Daoist away from Liu Xian'er, and Zhenyuan Daoist claimed his earlier technique could help her breakthrough.
• Zhenyuan Daoist asked where Li Xiaoya learned the Tianyuan Sword Formula, and Li Xiaoya said he found it on a dead cultivator in the Elder Ancient Ruins.