Chapter Summaries

Zhantai Ling told Xiao Fan and Yun Yun how his grandfather had opposed the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect after learning of its atrocities, and described a powerful, mysterious figure associated with the sect. Xiao Fan left Zhanyun City with Yun Yun still wondering about the figure and the leafless fruit scent, while Zhantai Ling sent a secret report to Tianrong City.

• Zhantai Ling revealed that his grandfather had once stayed silent about the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect's plan to slaughter a city, then later petitioned the emperor to punish the sect and was targeted for it.
• Zhantai Ling said his grandfather had seen the sect's elders treat a black-mist-shrouded figure as their lord, and that the figure's aura exceeded Xie Shan's.
• Zhantai Ling explained that his grandfather had detected leafless fruit's faint scent on the mysterious figure, prompting Xiao Fan to consider the fruit's unusual properties and leave the clue unresolved.
• Xiao Fan and Yun Yun departed Zhanyun City after Xiao Fan reflected that he had already gained much from thwarting the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect's plan.
• Zhantai Ling worried about the coming conflict between the Chu Yun Empire and the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect, then returned to his study and ordered Ling Feng to send a secret letter to Tianrong City.

Xiao Fan and Yun Yun left Zhanyun City as news of the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect’s attack spread, then headed toward Dinggu City. Meanwhile, Vulture Protector empowered Misty Cloud Sect Elders, and Yun Shan led them to Wutan City to demand Xiao Fan appear.

• Xiao Fan and Yun Yun watched Zhanyun City’s residents flee and decided to let the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect and the Chu Yun Empire Imperial Family contend with each other while they investigated the southeast.
• Xiao Fan and Yun Yun set out toward Dinggu City, hoping to find leads on Xiao Yi Xian and the leafless fruit.
• Vulture Protector used his secret technique to raise Misty Cloud Sect Elders to the Dou Emperor level, leaving one Elder dead and the others under his control.
• Vulture Protector promised Yun Shan a chance to reach Dou Zun if he handled the coming matter, and Yun Shan ordered the Misty Cloud Sect to annihilate the Xiao Clan.
• Yun Shan and the empowered Elders arrived over Wutan City, crushed the city beneath their aura, and demanded that Xiao Fan come out.
• The First Elder and other Xiao Clan members recognized Yun Shan’s group as Dou Emperors after the pressure lifted.

Yun Shan and the Misty Cloud Sect attacked the Xiao Clan estate, demanding to know where Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan were. Unable to find them, Yun Shan spared the ordinary clan members but captured the elders and gave the two men ten days to appear before he began killing hostages.

• Yun Leng destroyed buildings in the Xiao Clan estate and severed the Third Elder’s right arm after the Third Elder challenged him.
• The First Elder stopped the clan members from fighting and told Yun Shan that Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan had left to gain experience.
• Yun Shan declared that the Misty Cloud Sect would not harm ordinary Xiao Clan members, but would take the elders as hostages until Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan came to the sect.
• Yun Shan gave Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan ten days to appear, threatening to kill one Xiao Clan elder for each day they were late, then left Wutan City with the captive elders.

The Misty Cloud Sect attacked the Xiao Clan and demanded that Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan appear within ten days, while Xiao Yan refined a Dou Ling Pill and advanced to the peak of four-star Dou Wang. He returned to Wutan City, discovered the Xiao Clan’s grounds had been wrecked and its Elders captured, and demanded to know what had happened.

• Yao Ye told Jia Xingtian, Hai Bodong, and Fa Ma that Yun Shan had taken the Xiao Clan Elders and threatened to kill them unless Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan came to the Misty Cloud Sect within ten days.
• Xiao Yan successfully refined a Dou Ling Pill, and Yao Lao praised his alchemy skills.
• Xiao Yan swallowed the pill and advanced from three-star Dou Wang to the peak of four-star Dou Wang.
• Xiao Yan flew back toward Wutan City and saw that buildings in the Xiao Clan grounds had collapsed.
• Xiao Yan stopped warriors looting the Xiao Family Market, and Xiao Clan disciples told him the First Elder and the others could be saved.
• Xiao Yan questioned a nearby Xiao Clan disciple about the attack and what had happened to the clan.

Xiao Yan prepared to confront the Misty Cloud Sect after hearing how it had attacked the Xiao Clan and threatened its members. The Spotted Emperor revealed that the sect’s elders had been forcibly boosted to Dou Huang, and Xiao Yan realized Yun Shan’s search for him had exposed Yao Lao.

• Xiao Yan ordered Xiao Yu to withdraw the clan’s market operations and Xiao Wan to gather the Xiao Clan’s members and resources.
• Yao Lao encouraged Xiao Yan to protect the clan and suggested seeking support from the Guter Family and the Jia Ma Imperial Family.
• The Spotted Emperor arrived, explaining that Xiao Fan had hired him to guard the Xiao Clan for a year and that he had been unable to stop Yun Shan’s attack.
• The Spotted Emperor disclosed that the Misty Cloud Sect elders had temporarily been raised to Dou Huang by a secret technique, leading Xiao Yan to suspect a powerful faction was backing them.
• After Xiao Wan repeated Yun Shan’s words, Xiao Yan realized that Yun Shan had asked for Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan by name, and concluded that Yao Lao had been exposed.

Xiao Yan learned that the Hall of Souls might be backing the Misty Cloud Sect, but Yao Lao calmed him and helped the Spotted Emperor break through to sixth-tier alchemist and Eight-Star Dou Emperor. Xiao Yan evacuated the Xiao Clan toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range, then questioned a captured Misty Cloud Sect elder, who died before revealing the Hall of Souls’ plans.

• Xiao Yan realized that news of Yao Lao’s identity may have spread after the battle at Maple City, and Yao Lao reassured him that their enemies would not need the Misty Cloud Sect if they were strong enough to attack directly.
• Yao Lao helped the Spotted Emperor overcome his bottleneck, advancing him to sixth-tier alchemist and Eight-Star Dou Emperor.
• Xiao Yan arranged for the Xiao Clan to travel to the Magical Beast Mountain Range before he confronted the Misty Cloud Sect.
• The Spotted Emperor captured a Misty Cloud Sect elder spying in Wutan City, and Xiao Yan questioned him about the Hall of Souls.
• The elder began to reveal the Hall of Souls’ presence in the Misty Cloud Sect, but a black mark killed him before he could finish.

Xiao Yan brought the Xiao Clan to the Snake-People Tribe for refuge and gathered support against the Misty Cloud Sect, but You Ruo could not contact Xiao Fan. As Xiao Yan set out to recruit more allies, You Ruo insisted the Snake-People Tribe would join the fight despite her pregnancy, and Xiao Yan found Zi Yan sparring with Kai Jin.

• Xiao Yan escorted the Xiao Clan to the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, then went to the Snake-People Tribe to ask You Ruo for shelter.
• You Ruo ordered Hua She'er to bring the Xiao Clan into the tribe and learned that the Misty Cloud Sect had joined forces with the Hall of Souls.
• You Ruo tried to contact Xiao Fan through their contract but failed, so the Xiao Clan settled in the Snake-People Tribe's territory under orders to avoid friction.
• You Ruo instructed Yan Ci, Yue Mei, Mo Bass, and Yin Shi to monitor events and support the Xiao Clan if war began, while Xiao Yan set out to recruit the Amethyst Winged Lion King and other allies.
• The Four Great Elders warned You Ruo not to fight because she was pregnant, but she insisted the Snake-People Tribe would join the battle.
• Xiao Yan reached the Amethyst Winged Lion King's territory and found Zi Yan sparring with Kai Jin, who she had knocked into a crater.

Xiao Yan secured the Amethyst Winged Lion King's aid before leaving to handle other business, while Xiao Fan and Yun Yun investigated Dinggu City for news of Xiao Yi Xian. Xiao Fan learned that a recently established Poison Sect used distinctive poisons, leading him to suspect that Xiao Yi Xian had founded it.

• Xiao Yan asked the Amethyst Winged Lion King for help, and the Lion King gave him a crystal he could crush to summon him.
• Xiao Yan declined Zi Yan's offer to leave with him, saying she could later travel with You Ruo.
• Xiao Fan and Yun Yun arrived in Dinggu City and visited the Heavenly Fragrance House to investigate local factions and possible news of Xiao Yi Xian.
• Luo Ning described the Venomous Snake Sect, the Hundred Herb Garden, and the City Lord's Mansion before mentioning the Poison Sect.
• Xiao Fan eagerly asked Luo Ning about the Poison Sect, whose members had used four unfamiliar poisons in Dinggu City during the past year.
• Xiao Fan suspected that Xiao Yi Xian had founded the Poison Sect because its unusual poisons fit her abilities as the possessor of the Woeful Poison Body.

Xiao Fan learned that the Poison Sect leader remained difficult to locate, while the Misty Cloud Sect prepared to seize a mysterious item from the Xiao Clan and eliminate its allies. The chapter left Xiao Yan pursuing Ya Fei for a way into the Mittel Family residence, as Nalan Su weighed his family's position and Nalan Yanran remained withdrawn.

• Luo Ning told Xiao Fan that the Poison Sect leader rarely appeared and that the Heavenly Fragrance House had not been able to locate her.
• Vulture Protector ordered Yun Shan to kill Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan and search the Xiao Clan for a valuable item, warning that the Hall of Souls would punish failure.
• Yun Shan learned that Yun Jin had been killed and that Xiao Yan had led the Xiao Clan into the Magical Beast Mountain Range, then ordered an army takeover and an attack on the Mittel Family.
• Xiao Yan, unable to enter the Mittel Family residence without drawing attention, spotted Ya Fei leaving and followed her.
• Nalan Su visited Nalan Yanran as he considered the Nalan Family's allegiance; she continued cultivating and remained unwilling to accept Yun Shan's offer.

Ya Fei reunited with Xiao Yan at the Mittel Auction House after he secretly approached her in the Imperial Capital. She agreed to help him meet Hai Bodong, but warned that spies within the Mittel Family could expose him to the Misty Cloud Sect.

• Ya Fei reminisced about how Xiao Yan’s connection to Hai Bodong had helped her escape the family’s plans to marry her to Mu Zhan.
• Xiao Yan approached Ya Fei in disguise, and she recognized him and took him to her private office at the auction house.
• Ya Fei asked what Xiao Yan needed, and he admitted he wanted to meet Hai Bodong without alerting the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Ya Fei explained that Hai Bodong had already instructed the Mittel Family to protect the Xiao Clan, but warned that spies might be watching the family and that she needed a proper reason to visit him.

Xiao Yan sought allies against the Misty Cloud Sect, but avoided revealing himself because Hall of Souls agents might detect his aura. After Ya Fei brought Hai Bodong to him, Hai Bodong agreed to help gather the Jia Ma Imperial Family and other forces for a meeting.

• Xiao Yan explained to Ya Fei that he feared Misty Cloud Sect and Hall of Souls spies might notice his or Yao Lao's aura if he contacted Hai Bodong directly.
• Ya Fei carried medicinal ingredients to Hai Bodong's courtyard and secretly told him Xiao Yan was waiting at the Mittel Auction House.
• Hai Bodong went to the auction house, where Xiao Yan revealed that he had become a Four-Star Dou Wang and planned to destroy the Misty Cloud Sect to rescue the Xiao Clan Elders.
• Hai Bodong pledged the Mittel Family's support and said Jia Xingtian and the Jia Ma Imperial Family also wanted to join forces against the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Xiao Yan asked Hai Bodong to arrange a meeting with the Jia Ma Imperial Family, the Alchemist Guild, the Mu Family, and the Nalan Family.

Xiao Yan met with Jia Ma Empire leaders to seek their support in destroying the Misty Cloud Sect and rescuing his clan elders. The gathering remained unconvinced after Xiao Yan claimed to command overwhelming forces, and the meeting ended with Yan Dao and Mu Chen suspecting he had lied.

• Hai Bodong brought Xiao Yan to a secret meeting at the Alchemist Guild, where the leaders noted Nalan Su's absence and inferred that he had sided with the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Hai Bodong introduced Jia Xingtian, Fa Ma, Yan Dao, and Mu Chen, and Xiao Yan announced his plan to destroy the Misty Cloud Sect and rescue the Xiao Clan Elders.
• Hai Bodong pledged the Mittel Family's support, while Yan Dao asked whether Xiao Yan could stand against Yun Shan before committing his family.
• Xiao Yan promised to heal the Jia Ma Imperial Family's Stormtide Dragon Beast, prompting Jia Xingtian to pledge his family's full support.
• Xiao Yan claimed he had more than ten Dou Huang experts and a Three-Star Dou Zong behind him, but Yan Dao and Mu Chen accused him of exaggerating and demanded the truth.
• Xiao Yan asked the skeptical leaders to remain calm as the meeting grew tense.

Xiao Yan sought an alliance against the Misty Cloud Sect and revealed that the Hall of Souls backed it, prompting Jia Xingtian, Mu Chen, and Yan Dao to join him. When Fa Ma refused to involve the Alchemist Guild, Yao Lao's powerful soul aura emerged from Xiao Yan.

• Xiao Yan told the gathered leaders that the Hall of Souls supported the Misty Cloud Sect and had helped its elders reach the Dou Huang Realm.
• Xiao Yan explained that his allies could handle the sect's powerful fighters, but he needed the gathered leaders to rescue the Xiao Clan Elders and deal with ordinary disciples.
• Jia Xingtian agreed to fight alongside Xiao Yan, and Mu Chen and Yan Dao soon pledged the Mu and Yan Families' help.
• Fa Ma refused to risk the Alchemist Guild and its members by joining the conflict.
• As Xiao Yan began to respond, Yao Lao's vast soul aura emerged from his body, startling the others and stirring Fa Ma.

Xiao Yan revealed that his master was Yao Lao, the renowned Venerable Yao, and rallied his allies to face the Misty Cloud Sect and the Hall of Souls. Fa Ma recognized Yao Lao as the mentor who had guided him decades earlier and pledged the Alchemist Guild’s support, leaving Xiao Yan with another powerful ally.

• Yao Lao emerged from Xiao Yan’s Storage Ring and explained that he chose to reveal himself before the group ahead of their confrontation with the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Xiao Yan introduced his master as Yao Lao, also known as Venerable Yao, and Hai Bodong and the others greeted him with respect.
• Yao Lao asked the group to help deal with the Misty Cloud Sect while he faced the threat from the Hall of Souls, and Yan Dao and Mu Chen eagerly agreed.
• Fa Ma asked whether Yao Lao had guided a young alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire more than fifty years earlier, and Yao Lao recalled instructing him for three days.
• Fa Ma revealed that he had been Yao Lao’s student, then pledged the Alchemist Guild’s support to Xiao Yan’s alliance against the Misty Cloud Sect and the Hall of Souls.

Nalan Su chose to side the Nalan Family with the Misty Cloud Sect, despite Nalan Jie's warning, while Nalan Yanran vowed to clear her teacher's name. As war began, Misty Cloud Sect fighters attacked the Mittel Family and trapped Hai Bodong between several opponents.

• Nalan Su persuaded Nalan Jie that the Misty Cloud Sect would win and decided to ally the Nalan Family with it; Nalan Jie accepted his son's choice and burned a portrait of himself with Brother Xiao.
• Nalan Yanran read information about fabricated charges against her teacher and vowed to clear her teacher's name.
• A bloodied soldier reported that Leng Qing had rebelled and been killed, and that other soldiers had revolted; Jia Xingtian realized the battle at the Mittel Family had begun and rushed there.
• Yun Du and Yun Sha attacked Hai Bodong while Misty Cloud Sect fighters moved against the Mittel Family, forcing Mittel Tengshan to organize an evacuation and defend the family.
• Yun Du and Yun Sha held Hai Bodong in place as Yun Jin launched a sneak attack from behind, while Misty Cloud Sect fighters blocked Mittel Tengshan and the family's defenders.

Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma intervened to save Hai Bodong and help the Mittel Family defeat the Misty Cloud Sect forces. Yun Du, Yun Sha, and Yun Jin were killed, and Hai Bodong ordered the Mittel Family to hide in preparation for the war with the Misty Cloud Sect.

• Yun Jin's Dou Qi longsword pierced Hai Bodong's hastily formed ice shield, but Jia Xingtian appeared and destroyed the attack.
• Jia Xingtian suppressed the Misty Cloud Sect disciples, allowing the Mittel Family to kill them, while Yun Du, Yun Sha, and Yun Jin fled.
• Fa Ma blocked the trio's escape, and Jia Xingtian and Hai Bodong joined him to fight them.
• Jia Xingtian killed Yun Sha, Fa Ma burned Yun Du to ashes, and Hai Bodong defeated Yun Jin.
• Hai Bodong returned to the Mittel Family estate, ordered the family to activate its emergency plan and go into hiding, and then heard Xiao Yan speak to him.

After the Misty Cloud Sect’s failed attack on the Mittel Family, Xiao Yan went with Jia Xingtian to treat the Imperial Family’s Stormtide Dragon Beast. He began refining a sixth-grade Primordial Bone-Shaping Pill, while Fa Ma watched closely.

• Hai Bodong, Jia Xingtian, and Fa Ma discussed the Misty Cloud Sect’s failed attack and the loss of Yun Du, Yun Sha, and Yun Jin.
• Xiao Yan told Jia Xingtian that allied Dou Huang experts were on their way, then warned Fa Ma that the Alchemist Guild could be targeted.
• Jia Xingtian led Xiao Yan, Fa Ma, and Hai Bodong to the lake where the Stormtide Dragon Beast lived and called the beast to the surface.
• Xiao Yan examined the Stormtide Dragon Beast’s injuries and said a sixth-grade Primordial Bone-Shaping Pill could heal them.
• Jia Xingtian provided the ingredients, and Xiao Yan began refining the pill as Fa Ma studied his techniques.

Xiao Yan refined the Primordial Bone-Shaping Pill, drawing Fa Ma’s attention and prompting Yao Lao to explain how difficult it was for ordinary alchemists to advance. The chapter left Xiao Yan and Yao Lao committed to improving the path of alchemy while Jia Xingtian received the pill to treat the Stormtide Dragon Beast.

• Xiao Yan formed a Sixth-Grade Pill as a heavenly phenomenon appeared over the lake, and the Vulture Protector noticed it from the mountains near the Misty Cloud Sect.
• Yun Shan learned that Yun Du, Yun Sha, and Yun Jin had died after Fa Ma and others intervened, then absorbed black mist from his body.
• Xiao Yan handed the pill to Fa Ma, who examined it with awe, while Yao Lao explained to Xiao Yan why alchemists struggled to advance without resources and guidance.
• Xiao Yan resolved to change the path of alchemists, and Yao Lao agreed that they would forge a new world for them together.
• Fa Ma returned the Primordial Bone-Shaping Pill to Jia Xingtian and recalled how Yao Lao’s guidance had helped him become a Fifth-Rank Alchemist.

Xiao Yan gathered powerful allies in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital and proposed striking the Misty Cloud Sect before it could prepare. As the Imperial Family and allied families began mobilizing and sealing the city, Nalan Su went to see Nalan Yanran.

• Jia Xingtian gave the Primordial Bone-Shaping Pill to the Stormtide Dragon Beast, whose injuries healed and strength returned to its peak.
• You Ruo arrived with Zi Yan, and Xiao Yan introduced her to Jia Xingtian and Hai Bodong as his sister-in-law.
• Yin Shi, Mo Bass, Yue Mei, Yan Ci, the Amethyst Winged Lion King, and the Spotted Emperor joined Xiao Yan’s forces at the Imperial Palace.
• Xiao Yan proposed attacking the Misty Cloud Sect first, and Jia Xingtian and Hai Bodong agreed to mobilize the Imperial Family and the Mittel Family.
• The Imperial Family and allied families began preparing for war and prevented the Misty Cloud Sect’s spies from leaving the Imperial Capital.
• After hearing a subordinate’s report, Nalan Su headed to the Small Courtyard where Nalan Yanran was staying.

Nalan Yanran learned that the Imperial Family and the Mittel Family had joined forces against the Misty Cloud Sect, while secretly revealing her hostility toward Yun Jin and his allies. Xiao Yan and his coalition confronted Yun Shan at the sect, where Vulture Protector appeared and Gold Elder was exposed as the one who leaked news of Yao Chen.

• Nalan Su told Nalan Yanran that the Imperial Family and the Mittel Family had sealed off the capital and that the three elders sent against the Mittel Family had died; she promised to deliver the news to Yun Shan.
• After Nalan Su left, Nalan Yanran blamed Yun Jin and the others for betraying her teacher and wondered if events were about to begin.
• Yun Shan confronted Xiao Yan and You Ruo as Jia Xingtian, Hai Bodong, and Fa Ma revealed themselves behind Xiao Yan.
• Vulture Protector emerged from the Misty Cloud Sect's rear mountain and offered Xiao Yan a chance to hand over Yao Chen in exchange for rewards.
• Xiao Yan summoned the Amethyst Winged Lion King, the Spotted Emperor, and other allies, prompting Vulture Protector to reveal Gold Elder.
• Xiao Yan recognized Gold Elder as the person who had leaked news of Yao Chen, and Gold Elder vowed to make the Xiao Clan suffer for his brother's death.