Chapter Summaries

The Devil Lord absorbed the remaining zombie puppets to gain a physical body and pursued Ye Han, who turned back down the cliff to draw him toward the others. Qin Minghui joined Ye Han against the Devil Lord, and the battle remained desperate as Gu Changdao arrived.

• The Devil Lord formed a blood-red body from the zombie puppets and chased Ye Han down the cliff, attacking him with eight Black Demon Sword sword-rays.
• Ye Han’s six Wood Spirit Flying Swords were damaged, but Qin Minghui arrived and intercepted the Devil Lord’s attack with her icy sword-rays.
• Ye Han and Qin Minghui fought the Devil Lord together, while Ye Han landed and Qin Minghui urged him to attack with her.
• Gu Changdao arrived as the Devil Lord’s sword-rays pushed back Ye Han and Qin Minghui, and both the Devil Lord and Qin Minghui called for his help.

Gu Changdao pretended to betray the Azure Profound Sect, then joined Ye Han and Qin Minghui to ambush and defeat the Devil Lord. As Ye Han used the Ghost Skull Mirror to destroy Devil Lord Shadow, a golden sword pierced Qin Minghui through the chest.

• Gu Changdao attacked Ye Han while Qin Minghui and the Devil Lord fought with spells and swords.
• Gu Changdao feigned defeat, then attacked the Devil Lord while Ye Han's Thorn Bracelet seized his feet.
• Qin Minghui's icy beams and Gu Changdao's sword strikes wounded the Devil Lord, and Gu Changdao decapitated him.
• The Devil Lord's shadow escaped, but Ye Han's Ghost Skull Mirror tore it apart as Qin Minghui praised him.
• A streak of golden sword light pierced Qin Minghui through the chest.

Gu Changdao ambushed Qin Minghui after the Devil Lord’s defeat, but Ye Han intervened to protect her. As Gu Changdao accused Ye Han of trying to take all the treasures, Ye Han suddenly warned him of danger behind him.

• Gu Changdao used a powerful black-and-gold sword attack to break Qin Minghui’s defenses and severely wound her.
• Gu Changdao claimed to Ye Han that they had agreed to kill Qin Minghui and divide the treasures, though Ye Han had made no such agreement.
• Qin Minghui tried to retaliate but could not mobilize her spell power because of the runes in her wound.
• Ye Han blocked Gu Changdao’s attempt to strike Qin Minghui’s neck and declared that he would not let him kill his Martial Uncle.
• Gu Changdao accused Ye Han of wanting all the treasures, and Ye Han shouted for him to watch out behind him.

Ye Han turned on Gu Changdao after suspecting him of murdering Sun Houde and Lin Hongyan, and the two fought over Qin Minghui’s fate. Ye Han revealed the Wood Dragon Staff and Hundred-Beast Armor, leaving Gu Changdao shocked by the strength of his hidden treasures as their battle continued.

• Ye Han attacked Gu Changdao with his Wood Spirit Flying Swords and vines, but Gu Changdao cut through the assaults and charged at him with both swords.
• Ye Han suspected Gu Changdao had killed Sun Houde and Lin Hongyan and had tried to murder Qin Minghui, so he decided to strike first.
• Ye Han withdrew his damaged flying swords and brought out the Wood Dragon Staff and Hundred-Beast Armor.
• Ye Han transformed the staff into a giant Wood Dragon, which clashed head-on with Gu Changdao’s sword attacks.
• Gu Changdao realized the Wood Dragon Staff was a supreme-grade magic artifact and prepared to use a newly comprehended sword technique.

Ye Han and Gu Changdao fought fiercely until Qin Minghui intervened with the Golden Cicada Silk Ribbon and helped destroy Gu Changdao’s body. Ye Han captured and swallowed Gu Changdao’s escaping primordial spirit with the Ghost Skull Mirror, then faced Qin Minghui’s demand for an explanation.

• Gu Changdao burned his cultivation and lifespan to unleash a powerful sword strike that damaged Ye Han’s Wood Dragon Staff and forced him to retreat while injured.
• Qin Minghui, appearing through the Blue-Light Treasure Pearl, used the Golden Cicada Silk Ribbon to bind Gu Changdao and crush his body.
• Gu Changdao’s primordial spirit fled in a streak of golden light, but Ye Han used the Ghost Skull Mirror to capture and swallow it.
• Ye Han wondered why the Ghost Skull Mirror had now devoured three people.
• Qin Minghui demanded an explanation from Ye Han, who replied that it was not the time.

After Gu Changdao’s death, Ye Han faced the Golden Core Martial Uncle, whose primordial spirit remained inside a Blue-Light Bead after Qin Minghui’s body rejected her. Their tense exchange over the missing Heaven-Turning Treasure Pagoda ended with her wavering at Ye Han’s claim that he had not taken it.

• Ye Han assessed the Martial Uncle’s power and concluded that her Golden Cicada Silk Ribbon was a one-use trump card.
• The Martial Uncle guarded her bead with the ribbon and demanded to know who Ye Han was and what he wanted.
• Ye Han retreated and proposed that they part ways, but the Martial Uncle stopped him to ask whether he had the Heaven-Turning Treasure Pagoda.
• Ye Han denied obtaining the pagoda and suggested that his master and the Fourth Elder could search his Storage Bag once they escaped.
• The Martial Uncle considered Ye Han’s explanation and wondered whether he truly had not obtained the Treasure Pagoda.

Ye Han persuaded the Golden Core Martial Uncle to cooperate and sheltered her soul and Qin Minghui's body inside the Creation Heaven Cube. After discovering that Gu Changdao had Sun Houde and Lin Hongyan's Storage Bags, Ye Han wondered how Gu Changdao planned to hide the stolen treasures from the elders.

• The Golden Core Martial Uncle realized Ye Han had leverage over her and agreed to discuss escaping the Darkness Forbidden Ground with him.
• Ye Han placed the Golden Core Martial Uncle's soul and primordial spirit, along with Qin Minghui's Physical Body, inside the Creation Heaven Cube to protect them from demonic qi.
• Ye Han searched Gu Changdao's corpse and found more than a dozen Storage Bags, including those belonging to Sun Houde and Lin Hongyan.
• The Golden Core Martial Uncle warned Ye Han that cultivators like Gu Changdao would do anything for treasures and resources.
• Ye Han wondered how Gu Changdao had intended to conceal the stolen Storage Bags from the Fourth Elder and Seventh Elder.

Ye Han persuaded his Golden Core Martial Uncle to help conceal their treasures, while refusing to swear a blood oath that would bind him to a future task. After she hid their Storage Bags in the Golden Cicada Silk Ribbon, she revealed that Ye Han would have to open a gap in the formation and help them deceive the Fourth Elder and the Seventh Elder to escape.

• Ye Han hinted that his Golden Core Martial Uncle should help him hide the treasures collected in the Darkness Forbidden Ground, arguing that they needed resources to heal her injuries.
• Ye Han's Golden Core Martial Uncle agreed to help but asked him to swear a blood oath to perform a task after he established his foundation; Ye Han refused.
• Ye Han's Golden Core Martial Uncle taught him the Steal Heaven and Replace the Sun concealment secret method and hid their Storage Bags inside the Golden Cicada Silk Ribbon.
• Ye Han tested the concealment with his divine sense and could not detect the hidden treasures.
• Ye Han's Golden Core Martial Uncle said they had to rely on Ye Han to open a gap in the formation and then fool the Fourth Elder and the Seventh Elder when they escaped.

Lin Hongyan revived beneath the cliff, while Ye Han returned from the Darkness Forbidden Ground carrying Qin Minghui’s weakened body and claiming the mission had failed. He and Senior Sister Ningyu hid what had happened inside, and the elders asked whether they had obtained the Treasure Pagoda.

• Lin Hongyan’s corpse absorbed a wisp of blood essence, then she revived and cursed Ye Han.
• The Fourth Elder worried over Qin Minghui’s cracking Life Token, and the Seventh Elder refused to send more disciples into the Darkness Forbidden Ground.
• Ye Han emerged through the collapsing spatial rift carrying Qin Minghui, and the elders pulled them both to safety.
• The Fourth Elder treated Qin Minghui, while the Seventh Elder questioned Ye Han about the missing disciples.
• Ye Han deferred to Senior Sister Ningyu, who complained that the elders had nearly gotten her killed.
• The elders asked Senior Sister Ningyu whether they had obtained the Treasure Pagoda.

Ningyu and Ye Han concealed the truth about the Darkness Forbidden Ground, claiming the Treasure Pagoda had trapped them and killed the other disciples. The Seventh Elder and Fourth Elder remained suspicious, and the Seventh Elder sensed someone approaching as they prepared to return.

• Ningyu told the Seventh Elder and Fourth Elder that the Treasure Pagoda had drawn the five disciples into a space filled with demonic qi and Demonic Beasts, where the others had died.
• Ningyu and Ye Han maintained their agreed-upon cover story because they wanted to keep the treasures and hide what had really happened.
• The Fourth Elder questioned Ye Han about how he had survived, and he credited Ningyu with saving him.
• Ningyu said Ye Han had stayed beside her throughout the ordeal and that she had nearly died saving him, prompting the elders to believe he had survived through her protection.
• The Seventh Elder announced that someone was approaching.

The Seventh Elder detected Old Blackwater Ghost's presence and fled with Ye Han, the Fourth Elder, and Ningyu's soul. When three Golden Core cultivators pursued them, the Seventh Elder stayed behind to fight, leaving the story as the other two caught up to him.

• The Seventh Elder sensed Old Blackwater Ghost's aura, placed Ningyu in the Soul-Nourishing Altar, and escaped the island with Ye Han while the Fourth Elder carried Qin Minghui's body.
• Senior Brother Blackwater and two Golden Core cultivators arrived at the island and chased the Seventh Elder and Fourth Elder.
• The Seventh Elder stopped and sent the Fourth Elder, Ye Han, and Qin Minghui onward while he prepared to face the pursuers alone.
• The female cultivator pursued the Fourth Elder's group, but the Seventh Elder's sword strike forced her to defend herself with a bull-horn shield and other treasures.
• The other two pursuers caught up to the Seventh Elder as he stood ready to fight them.

The Seventh Elder, Ming Jing, confronted Old Blackwater Ghost, Xu Daolai, and Nine Phoenix Lady, then fought all three Golden Core cultivators alone while Ye Han and the Fourth Elder watched from afar. As they fled onward, Ye Han warned that the fight might be a diversion and that others could be waiting to ambush them.

• Ming Jing denied entering Demon-Subduing Island and dismissed the accusations from Old Blackwater Ghost, Xu Daolai, and Nine Phoenix Lady.
• Nine Phoenix Lady, Old Blackwater Ghost, and Xu Daolai attacked Ming Jing, who met all three with a barrage of sword techniques.
• Ye Han watched the battle from afar and asked the Fourth Elder whether Ming Jing could handle the three opponents; she said a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator had once failed to catch him.
• The Fourth Elder questioned Ye Han about the Treasure Pagoda and suspected he had conspired with Elder Ningyu, but Ye Han defended himself and reminded her of their close relationship.
• Ye Han suggested the three cultivators might be holding Ming Jing back while others prepared to intercept them, and the Fourth Elder realized the danger.

The Fourth Elder evaded two Golden Core Stage Cultivators waiting to intercept them after Ye Han warned her, then questioned him about Ningyu’s injury and searched his Storage Bags. She brought Ye Han back to the Azure Profound Sect, where they found the Seventh Elder already safe in his Cave Abode, leaving Ye Han anxious about what his master would say.

• Ye Han warned the Fourth Elder that enemies might be waiting ahead, so she used a Water-Repelling Pearl to hide with him and Qin Minghui beneath the sea.
• The Fourth Elder praised Ye Han’s quick thinking and asked how Ningyu had been injured, but Ye Han gave a vague answer.
• The Fourth Elder restrained Ye Han and searched his Storage Bags and cultivation, finding no evidence of his concealed progress.
• The Fourth Elder flew Ye Han back to the Azure Profound Sect, where they found the Seventh Elder already returned safely to his Cave Abode.
• The Seventh Elder looked at Ye Han and said something that left him astonished.

The Seventh Elder ended the pursuit of the Treasure Pagoda, gave Ningyu’s soul to the Fourth Elder, and accepted Ye Han as a full disciple after apologizing for sending him into danger. Ye Han returned to Seven Mysteries Peak and found a familiar but unexpected figure waiting outside his cave abode.

• The Seventh Elder told the Fourth Elder to let go of the Treasure Pagoda and handed her Ningyu’s soul in the Soul-Nourishing Flask.
• The Fourth Elder left with Qin Minghui’s body, while the Seventh Elder apologized to Ye Han and offered to make him a full disciple.
• The Seventh Elder gave Ye Han a Foundation Establishment Pill and said it was compensation for the danger he had faced.
• Ye Han bowed to the Seventh Elder and formally accepted him as his master.
• Ye Han returned to Seven Mysteries Peak and saw an unfamiliar yet familiar figure waiting outside his cave abode.

Ningyu visited Ye Han at his Cave Abode to reclaim her Storage Bags and the Golden Cicada Silk Ribbon, assuring him she would not make trouble for him. Before leaving, she warned him about the Fourth Elder and asked whether he still had the Creation Heaven Cube.

• Ningyu arrived at Ye Han's Cave Abode, and he tested her intentions before letting her inside.
• Ye Han transformed his clothing into the Golden Cicada Silk Ribbon and returned Ningyu's Storage Bags to her.
• Ningyu promised not to make things difficult for Ye Han, and he relaxed after judging that she meant it.
• Ningyu warned Ye Han to be careful of the Fourth Elder, who was less accommodating than his master, the Seventh Elder.
• Ningyu asked Ye Han whether he still had the Creation Heaven Cube, making him realize she wanted to know about it.

Ye Han traded half his golden thread grass to Ningyu for the method to control the Creation Heaven Cube, and she offered to help him reach Foundation Establishment. As Ningyu left, she warned him not to take a second Foundation Establishment Pill if the first failed, revealing that pills made by the Four Sects were the issue.

• Ningyu asked Ye Han for half his golden thread grass in exchange for the Creation Heaven Cube control method and help reaching Foundation Establishment, and Ye Han agreed.
• Ningyu gave Ye Han a Jade Slip with the method and took dozens of stalks of golden thread grass.
• Ningyu asked Ye Han's age, and he joked that they were not suited for dual cultivation, making her blush before she left his cave abode.
• Ningyu warned Ye Han not to take a second Foundation Establishment Pill if the first did not work.
• Ningyu told Ye Han that he must avoid Foundation Establishment Pills made by the Four Sects because of the ingredients they used.

After Ningyu warned Ye Han that the Fourth Elder might search his cave, he hid his spoils before she arrived. The Fourth Elder found nothing and gave him pills, while Ye Han discovered that the Foundation Establishment Pill from the Seventh Elder made his Purple Cauldron tremble.

• Ningyu warned Ye Han that the Four Sects' Foundation Establishment Pills could intensify heart demons and cautioned him to prepare carefully for his breakthrough.
• Ye Han hid his spoils outside his cave abode, then returned to meditate and restore his spell power.
• The Fourth Elder searched Ye Han's cave with her divine sense but found nothing, and Ye Han claimed he lacked pills to recover.
• The Fourth Elder gave Ye Han bottles of Healing Pills and High-Grade Qi Refining Pills before leaving to treat Qin Minghui.
• Ye Han examined the Foundation Establishment Pill the Seventh Elder had given him, and the Purple Cauldron in his divine sense sea trembled when he opened the bottle.

Ye Han wondered whether the Purple Cauldron could absorb the demonic qi from a Foundation Establishment Pill and make breaking through safer. After retrieving his hidden treasures and searching Gu Changdao's Storage Bag, he found two more pills, leaving him with three and eager to test the cauldron.

• Ye Han opened a Foundation Establishment Pill and saw the Purple Cauldron tremble, but hesitated to take his only pill because a failed absorption could force him into a risky breakthrough.
• Ye Han checked that the Fourth Elder had not returned, retrieved his hidden Storage Bags from a cliffside hiding place, and brought them back to his cave abode.
• Ye Han considered how difficult it would be to sell his valuable Darkness Forbidden Ground materials without exposing where he had obtained them.
• Ye Han searched Gu Changdao's Storage Bag and found the Soul-Chasing Sword Technique, its cultivation insights, and Gu Changdao's notes.
• Ye Han found two Foundation Establishment Pills in Gu Changdao's Storage Bag, bringing his total to three and making the Purple Cauldron stir eagerly.

Ye Han discovered the Green Pearl Ring among Gu Changdao’s spoils and used it to conceal Storage Bags. Seeing the Purple Cauldron react to Foundation Establishment Pills, he swallowed one to test what would happen.

• Ye Han found that Gu Changdao had collected Sun Houde and Lin Hongyan’s treasures, including two Foundation Establishment Pills and cultivation methods for several elements.
• Ye Han discovered the Green Pearl Ring could store multiple Storage Bags without disrupting their spaces or revealing their contents.
• Ye Han sorted the three disciples’ spoils, kept aside items he could not identify, and packed everything into the Green Pearl Ring.
• Ye Han reflected on the dangers of the Cultivation World and his need to grow stronger after witnessing powerful Golden Core Stage cultivators.
• Ye Han swallowed a Foundation Establishment Pill and waited nervously for the Purple Cauldron to react.

Ye Han tested the Purple Cauldron’s reaction to Foundation Establishment Pills and discovered that they made a Purple-Gold Sapling grow, while other pills mostly restored his spell power or aided recovery. After treating his injuries, he wondered how to handle his valuable loot and considered refining Foundation Establishment Pills himself.

• Ye Han swallowed all three Foundation Establishment Pills, and the Purple-Gold Sapling on the Purple Cauldron grew and sprouted three rune-marked leaves.
• Ye Han tested High-Grade Qi Refining Pills and other pills, finding that they did not grow the sapling, though the cauldron absorbed some and restored his depleted spell power.
• Ye Han refined a Mid-Grade Healing Pill for fourteen to sixteen hours and recovered about half from his severe injuries.
• Ye Han decided he could not safely sell his valuable Magic Beast Crystals and golden thread grass through ordinary markets or the Black Market.
• Ye Han realized that the Magic Beast Crystals and golden thread grass were ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills and wondered if he could refine the pills himself.