Chapter Summaries

Xiao Zhan took charge of negotiating with Mittel to secure Jia Lie Ao and the other captives, while Yao Lao demonstrated pill refinement to Xiao Yan. Yao Lao finished a fifth-grade Earth Vein Miasma-Breaking Pill and gave it to Xiao Yan.

• Xiao Zhan persuaded Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa to let him negotiate alone with Mittel, and both clan heads promised to pay any price to save their sons.
• Yao Lao explained the ingredients and effects of the Earth Vein Miasma-Breaking Pill to Xiao Yan.
• Yao Lao used the bone spirit cold flame to refine the Jin Shi Crown and combine it with mysterious yin earth essence, rock venom powder, green vine, and rootless water.
• Yao Lao completed the fifth-grade pill and placed it in a jade bottle for Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan brought a fifth-grade pill to the Mittel Auction House to secure the Mittel Family’s intervention for the Xiao Clan. Master Gu Ni identified it as the Earth Vein Miasma-Breaking Pill, leaving Xiao Zhan amazed by his son’s hidden abilities.

• Yao Lao gave Xiao Yan the fifth-grade pill and urged him to take it to the Mittel Auction House.
• Xiao Yan disguised himself in a black robe and saw Xiao Zhan offering the Mittel Family chests of treasure and banknotes.
• Xiao Yan interrupted Xiao Zhan and Ya Fei’s negotiations, presenting a jade bottle as a possible price for the Mittel Family’s help.
• The pill’s fragrance drew Master Gu Ni out of the inner room, and he asked to appraise it.
• Gu Ni identified the pill as a fifth-grade Earth Vein Miasma-Breaking Pill, astonishing Xiao Zhan.

Xiao Yan offered the Mittel Family a fifth-grade Earth Vein Miasma-Breaking Pill to help the Xiao Clan, asking for no compensation. When Xiao Yan and Yao Lao realized Xiao Yi had disappeared, they feared he had attacked the Black Sand Alliance alone; Xiao Yi was actually testing his firearm at a hidden base outside Wutan City.

• Gu Ni confirmed the pill was a genuine, exceptionally fine fifth-grade pill and said the Mittel Family would report the offer to its headquarters.
• Xiao Yan, disguised in a black robe, gave the pill to Xiao Zhan and Ya Fei as a gesture of goodwill, then left without asking for payment.
• Ya Fei promised to report the matter, while Gu Ni and Xiao Zhan were astonished by the mysterious benefactor’s generosity.
• In a secluded alley, Xiao Yan and Yao Lao realized Xiao Yi had been missing for days and feared he had gone after the Black Sand Alliance.
• At a hidden base, Xiao Yi shot a Da Dou Shi through his Dou Qi Armor and began absorbing the dying man’s Dou Qi with his bucket-like device.

Xiao Yi’s Vortex Hammer began absorbing ambient energy on its own, while Xiao Ding and Xiao Li concealed the Xiao Clan’s strength in a report to the Black Sand Alliance. The brothers then visited the mine’s prisoners and taunted Jia Lie Ao, who angrily called them traitors.

• Xiao Yi drained the corpse’s remaining Dou Qi into the Vortex Hammer, increasing its power to rival a three-star Da Dou Shi.
• The Wooden Bucket began drawing in ambient energy by itself as Xiao Yi left the mountain hollow.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li reported misleading reconnaissance to the Black Sand Alliance’s black-robed leader, hiding the Xiao Clan’s true strength and Xiao Yi’s abilities.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li went to the mine prison, where they found Jia Lie Ao among the abducted children.
• The brothers mocked Jia Lie Ao, and he shouted that they were traitors who had joined forces with outsiders.

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li learned that Hai Bodong was heading to Wutan City and traded increasingly outrageous rumors about his past with Queen Medusa and her sister. As Hai Bodong continued toward the city, he sneezed and wondered who was talking about him.

• Jia Lie Ao raged from his cage and vowed revenge against Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and the Xiao Clan, but the brothers left him behind.
• A Desert Iron Mercenary Group informant told Xiao Ding and Xiao Li that Hai Bodong had left the Tagor Desert and was heading to Wutan City.
• Xiao Ding warned Xiao Li that Hai Bodong had connections to the Snake-People Tribe's upper ranks and that his arrival deserved caution.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li shared conflicting rumors about Hai Bodong's involvement with Queen Medusa and her younger sister.
• The informant added a more sensational tale about Hai Bodong, Queen Medusa, and her sister, leaving the brothers astonished.
• Hai Bodong sneezed on the road to Wutan City and wondered whether someone was talking about him.

Hai Bodong arrived at the Mittel Auction House seeking an opportunity guided by his intuition, not the fifth-grade pill Ya Fei had expected him to pursue. He left to search Wutan City, with Ya Fei accompanying him as he surveyed the city and its people.

• Ya Fei welcomed Hai Bodong to the Mittel Auction House, but he said he had not come for a fifth-grade pill.
• Hai Bodong told Ya Fei that a powerful intuition had led him to Wutan City in search of the greatest opportunity of his life.
• Hai Bodong left the VIP room to search the city, and Ya Fei hurried after him to offer guidance.
• Hai Bodong disparaged Wutan City's weak and impoverished population as he and Ya Fei walked through its busy streets.
• Hai Bodong spread his power across nearly half of Wutan City while searching for the source of his intuition, unsettling several Dou Zhe.

Hai Bodong followed a mysterious intuition to the Xiao Residence, where he learned that the three family heads were gathering valuables to ransom abducted youths. Xiao Yan confronted Hai Bodong after he mocked them, and Xiao Zhan hurried to protect his son.

• Yao Lao sensed a powerful but suppressed Dou Ling nearby, alarming Xiao Yan.
• Hai Bodong reached the Xiao Residence, found no powerful expert there, and nearly left before noticing the three family heads loading chests into carriages.
• Ya Fei introduced Hai Bodong as a senior of the Mittel Family, prompting Xiao Zhan, Jia Lie Bi, and Oba Pa to treat him with respect.
• Hai Bodong demanded to know why they were transporting valuables, and Xiao Zhan explained that villains had abducted young members of their families and demanded ransom.
• Hai Bodong mocked the family heads for paying the ransom, and Xiao Yan angrily challenged him.
• Xiao Zhan stepped in front of Xiao Yan and pleaded with Hai Bodong to forgive his son's outburst.

Hai Bodong abruptly abandoned his hostility toward the Xiao Clan and offered to serve as their guard after sensing an extraordinary opportunity in Xiao Yan. Xiao Zhan grew suspicious of Hai Bodong's sudden interest, sent Xiao Yan away, and ordered the clan to prepare for an immediate departure.

• Ya Fei stepped forward to calm Hai Bodong and apologize for Xiao Yan's defiance.
• Hai Bodong's anger vanished, and he praised Xiao Yan while privately sensing that the boy held an immense opportunity for him.
• Yao Lao warned Xiao Yan to be wary of Hai Bodong, and Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan both suspected the old man had ulterior motives.
• Hai Bodong cited the Xiao Clan's fifth-grade pill connection and offered to accompany them as a guard.
• Xiao Zhan sent Xiao Yan back to his room and ordered the Xiao Clan to prepare carriages, horses, and supplies for an immediate departure.

Xiao Yan armed himself with Xiao Yi’s crude pistol and secretly followed the convoy, while Xun'er and Ling Ying followed behind him. Ahead, Xiao Yi rode a towering water dragon upstream using his Whirlpool Hammer.

• Xiao Yan disobeyed Xiao Zhan and searched Xiao Yi’s courtyard for a weapon, finding a pistol and three bullets.
• Xiao Yan took the pistol and ammunition, telling Yao Lao he wanted a chance to help his father if a fight broke out.
• Xun'er decided to leave the courtyard and stand with the Xiao Clan, and Ling Ying agreed to accompany her.
• Xiao Yan followed the convoy from the roadside trees as Xun'er and Ling Ying secretly tracked him, with Ling Ying considering whether Xiao Yan might become an obstacle.
• Xiao Yi used the Whirlpool Hammer to draw river water into a spiraling water dragon and rode it upstream.

The Xiao, Jia, and Oba clans arrived at the Magnetic Crystal Mine to negotiate for their captives, but Xiao Yi made a dramatic entrance atop a massive Mud-and-Stone Dragon. His appearance stunned the gathered clans and left Xiao Ding and Xiao Li fearing that his spectacle had ruined their plan to negotiate discreetly.

• The three clans' caravans reached the Magnetic Crystal Mine, where the Black Sand Alliance's Da Dou Shi and bandits came out to meet them.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li emerged from the Black Sand Alliance's camp, prompting Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa to suspect that Xiao Zhan had colluded with the alliance.
• A violent upheaval shook the mountain range, and a towering Mud-and-Stone Dragon surged toward the gathered forces.
• Xiao Yan recognized Xiao Yi standing atop the dragon, while Xun'er and Ling Ying reacted to his bizarre entrance.
• Hai Bodong studied Xiao Yi's control of the Mud-and-Stone Dragon, and Xiao Ding and Xiao Li worried that he had derailed their negotiation plan.

Xiao Yi used his gun to wound a Black Sand Alliance Da Dou Shi, prompting the three great clans to prepare for battle. He then encircled the mining mountain with a massive rotating ring of mud, leaving Xiao Yan and Xun'er staring at the spectacle.

• Xiao Yi struck Xiao Yan with a mud ball for stealing his Thompson Contender, and Xiao Yan defiantly admitted taking it.
• Xiao Yi shot a Black Sand Alliance Da Dou Shi through the hand and shoulder, horrifying the alliance’s remaining leaders.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li led the Desert Iron Mercenary Group back to the Xiao Clan’s formation, and Xiao Zhan challenged Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa to fight.
• Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa ordered their clans to prepare for battle against the Black Sand Alliance.
• Xiao Yi sent the mud dragon spiraling up the mountain until its head and tail joined in a rotating ring around the mine.
• Xun'er wiped the mud from Xiao Yan’s face, and they looked up together at the mudslide circling the mountain.

The Black Sand Alliance attacked the three great clans as the strongest fighters clashed across the battlefield. Hai Bodong confronted two Black Sand Alliance Dou Ling experts but was badly struck down, while Xiao Yan introduced his gun to Xiao Li amid the fighting.

• The Black Sand Alliance charged, and Xiao Yan fired the gun, suffering its recoil while accidentally wounding a bandit.
• Xiao Zhan sent Xiao Li to protect Xiao Yan and Xun'er as Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa fought two Black Sand Alliance Da Dou Shi.
• Hai Bodong sensed two powerful auras emerge from the mine, then moved to face the two Black Sand Alliance Dou Ling experts.
• The two Dou Ling experts attacked Hai Bodong together, shattered his ice dou qi, and sent him crashing to the ground.
• Xiao Yan showed Xiao Li the gun and explained how it worked while Xun'er watched them.

Xiao Yi’s Mud Dragon trapped the Black Sand Alliance’s Dou Wang commander atop the mining mountain, while Xiao Yan’s bullets disrupted his attempts to escape. As Xiao Yi ran low on ammunition, he prepared to use another move.

• Ling Ying silently killed bandits who approached Xun'er, keeping her safe.
• Xiao Zhan and Xiao Ding joined Hai Bodong against two Dou Ling experts.
• Xiao Li tested the Thompson Contender and reloaded it under Xiao Yan’s guidance.
• Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa struggled against three Black Sand Alliance Da Dou Shi.
• Xiao Yi’s Mud Dragon and draining field trapped the Black Sand Alliance commander, while Xiao Yan’s bullets interrupted his attempts to break free.
• Xiao Yi saw that he had only a few bullets left and decided to use “that move.”

Ling Ying secretly killed the Black Sand Alliance's Dou Huang leader while Hai Bodong and the Xiao family fought the remaining Dou Ling. As Xiao Yan searched for a way to help, he ran toward an overturned carriage and its bronze bell.

• The Black Sand Alliance leader prepared to intervene, but Ling Ying appeared behind him and silently killed him.
• Hai Bodong exchanged severe injuries with a Dou Ling, while Xiao Zhan and Xiao Ding were knocked away when they tried to help.
• Xiao Li poured Dou Qi into his handgun, causing it to explode and injure his hands.
• Xiao Yan saw Xiao Li wounded and Hai Bodong near collapse, then ran toward the overturned carriage carrying the Ao Ba Family's bronze bell.

Xiao Yan used Yao Lao’s Bone Spirit Cold Flame to turn the Ao Ba Family’s bronze bell into a giant megaphone, which Xiao Li and Xiao Ding aimed at the battlefield. Xiao Zhan unleashed Furious Lion Vajra through it, sending an amplified sound wave toward the Dou Ling expert fighting Hai Bodong.

• Xiao Yan asked Yao Lao for flame and carved a groove into the bronze bell with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
• Xiao Li broke off the bell’s top and carried the hollow bell toward Xiao Zhan and Xiao Ding despite his injured hands.
• Xiao Zhan and Xiao Ding recognized Xiao Li’s plan and positioned the bell toward the Dou Ling expert.
• Xiao Zhan used Furious Lion Vajra to send a concentrated sound wave into the bell.
• The bell amplified the attack into a powerful energy wave that shot toward the Dou Ling expert.

Hai Bodong killed a Dou Ling expert after Xiao Yan's allies created an opening, while Xun'er and Xiao Yan faced a sneak attack on the battlefield. Xiao Yan drove off the attacker with Yao Lao's flame, but Ling Ying stepped between him and Xun'er.

• Hai Bodong shattered the Dou Ling expert's protective Dou Qi with a sonic attack, then killed him with an ice-crystal spear.
• A Black Sand Alliance Dou Shi crept toward Xiao Yan, but Xun'er spotted him and rushed to stop the attack.
• The Dou Shi dodged Xun'er's sword and struck at her with his saber, so Xiao Yan shouted “Gu Ling Flame Fist” and punched him.
• Yao Lao's pale white flame covered Xiao Yan's fist and burned the Dou Shi, who dropped his saber and fled.
• Ling Ying appeared between Xiao Yan and Xun'er and pushed Xiao Yan back.

Xiao Yi trapped the Dou Wang expert in a storm-filled formation and attacked him with bizarre plasma shaped like droppings. Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and Ling Ying watched from the foot of the mountain and realized Xiao Yi was still playing with poop.

• Xiao Yi rose into the Cloud Canopy while the trapped Dou Wang mistook his disappearance for a chance to escape.
• Xiao Yi summoned purple lightning and a chilling downpour, revealing that he had strengthened the formation into a Thunder Pool.
• Xiao Yi appeared atop a Thunder Dragon and sent plasma droppings raining down on the Dou Wang.
• The plasma strips attacked the Dou Wang, overwhelmed his protective Dou Qi, and left him unconscious in the mud.
• Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and Ling Ying watched the attack and exclaimed that Xiao Yi was still playing with poop.

Xiao Yi defeated the Dou Wang expert as the Xiao Clan and its allies won the battle, then discovered that the mine entrance was sealed by a mudslide. Just as they struggled to free their imprisoned clansmen, a Dou Ling sent by the Mittel Family arrived and began opening the rampart.

• Xiao Yi confirmed that the fallen Dou Wang could no longer resist, while the surviving enemies fled or were defeated by the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and the Three Great Families.
• Xiao Ding reminded the victors that their clansmen were still imprisoned in the mine, and Xiao Zhan led everyone to dig at the sealed entrance.
• Xiao Yan and Xun'er found no sign of Xiao Yi as they worked to clear the mud wall.
• A Dou Ling sent by the Mittel Family arrived, and Xiao Zhan mistakenly praised him for creating the Mud Dragon Mountain Lock.
• The Dou Ling pretended he could undo the technique, then struck the wall with his earth-attribute Dou Qi and opened a cavity.

After the victory banquet, Xiao Yan confronted Xiao Yi about his strange detachment and asked what he had experienced before arriving in the Xiao Clan. Xiao Yi agreed to tell him, but began with the unassuming remark that there was not much to it as he opened a river crab.

• Xiao Zhan, Jia Lie Bi, and Oba Pa toasted their new alliance against the Black Sand Alliance at the victory banquet.
• The Mittel Family's reinforcement felt disgruntled after arriving too late to fight and only helping free the hostages.
• Hai Bodong warned Ya Fei to keep his circumstances and current strength secret.
• Xiao Yan joined Xiao Yi, teased him about hiding his role in the battle, and questioned why he seemed detached from the world.
• Xiao Yi asked if Xiao Yan truly wanted to know about his past, then began opening a river crab as he prepared to tell him.

Xiao Yan struggled to process Xiao Yi’s account of the decades and technologies that had passed in his former world, then realized he and Xiao Yi had been speaking their homeland’s language in front of the Xiao Clan. Elsewhere, Xiao Zhan stored Hai Bodong’s strange metal triangle, while Xiao Yi charted the stars and prepared to begin something next year.

• Xiao Yan lay awake, overwhelmed by Xiao Yi’s stories about his long life and the changes in their former world, while Yao Lao advised Xiao Yan to take care of his health.
• Xiao Yan realized Yao Lao understood their conversations because Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi often spoke in their homeland’s language, which the Xiao Clan had mistaken for a secret language.
• Yao Lao told Xiao Yan that some clan members privately suspected Xiao Yi was his long-lost brother because the two seemed unusually close, and Xiao Yan angrily denied having chemistry with him.
• Xiao Zhan examined Hai Bodong’s icy metal triangle, then placed it in a brocade box until he could learn its origin and purpose.
• Xiao Yi studied the sky through a strange tube, marked stars on his charts, and said he would begin next year.