Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan and his companions found rare medicinal herbs on an island in the Ruins of Return, where Zi Yan defeated a Dry Water Demon Python and Qing Lin subdued it. After gathering the herbs, Xiao Yan realized their age and abundance made the ruins’ history difficult to explain, leaving him wary of the place.

• Zi Yan claimed the dragon saliva fire spirit grass, and Xiao Yan used the nine nether illusion demon flame to expose a Dry Water Demon Python hiding in the lake.
• Zi Yan beat the Fifth-Rank Magic Beast into submission, then brought it to Qing Lin, who controlled it with her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.
• Qing Lin gained a new guardian beast, while Xiao Yan collected the island’s medicinal herbs and stored the dragon saliva fire spirit grass in jade boxes.
• Xiao Yan noticed the herbs were all at least a thousand years old, despite the Ruins of Return opening every fifty years and receiving many visitors.
• Xiao Yan considered whether time flowed differently in the ruins, but rejected the idea and remained concerned that something about the place was wrong.

Xiao Yan descended into a hidden cavern beneath the dried lake and found himself in an illusion of Earth, his former home. He burned his own soul with soul flame to break free, revealing a vast ice field and a hovering green lotus.

• Qing Lin found a deep cavern beneath the lake, and Xiao Yan sensed a mysterious call from within it.
• Xiao Yan handed Qing Lin the Storage Rings and descended alone into the cavern.
• Xiao Yan emerged in ruined streets and recognized them as his former home on Earth.
• A voice challenged Xiao Yan to let go of his past, and he rejected the illusion after briefly wavering.
• Xiao Yan burned his soul with soul flame, destroying the Earth illusion and revealing an ice field with a huge green lotus.

Xiao Yan exposed the sea heart flame hidden beneath an illusion and carried it out of the passage. As Qing Lin and Zi Yan joined him, Han Feng and a group of powerful Dou Wangs appeared and blocked the valley entrance.

• Xiao Yan evaded the living green lotus and used Annihilation Flame Eyes to reveal that it was the sea heart flame.
• Xiao Yan damaged the sea heart flame's nascent intelligence, wrapped it in Dou Qi, and carried it back to the surface.
• Xiao Yan entrusted the sea heart flame to Zi Yan and noticed figures approaching the valley entrance.
• Han Feng and more than a dozen powerful Dou Wangs emerged from the passage and cut off Xiao Yan, Zi Yan, and Qing Lin's escape route.

Xiao Yan refused Han Feng’s offer to trade for the Sea Heart Flame and faced the force Han Feng had gathered to take it. After killing several attackers with one strike, Xiao Yan challenged Han Feng and all his remaining helpers to attack him together.

• Xiao Yan mocked Han Feng’s offer of a sixth-grade pill recipe for the heavenly flame and refused to hand it over.
• Han Feng ordered his recruited fighters to attack Xiao Yan, who judged that the group had no Dou Zong to protect them.
• Xiao Yan used Flame Splitting Wave Ruler to kill the charging Dou Wang experts with one strike.
• Han Feng and his stronger helpers formed a defensive barrier to stop the ruler attack while Xiao Yan swallowed pills to replenish his Dou Qi.
• Han Feng recognized Xiao Yan’s strength but insisted that his numbers gave him an advantage, and Xiao Yan dared them all to attack at once.

Xiao Yan fought off Han Feng and the Black-Corner Region experts who sought to seize the heavenly flames. After blocking their joint attacks, he launched the Sea Overturning Seal at them.

• Fan Lao attacked Xiao Yan with a Blood Spear, but Xiao Yan evaded him and killed three Dou Wang experts who were rushing toward Zi Yan and the others.
• Xiao Yan warned the remaining experts not to advance, but Han Feng doubled his promised rewards and persuaded them to attack.
• Xiao Yan used the nine nether illusion demon flame and Lesser Glazed Golden Body to withstand the group's combined assault.
• Xiao Yan unleashed the Mountain Splitting Seal, which cracked but failed to break through the barrier formed by Han Feng and his allies.
• Xiao Yan sent the more powerful Sea Overturning Seal toward Han Feng and the others.

Xiao Yan overwhelmed Han Feng’s allies, killing Fan Lao and two other Dou Huang experts while using pills to restore his strength. Han Feng summoned the Gold and Silver Elders to confront Xiao Yan over the heavenly flame.

• Xiao Yan shattered the Black-Corner Region experts’ defenses with the Sea Overturning Seal, then killed two Dou Wangs.
• Xiao Yan used an enhanced Eight Extremes Collapse to kill Fan Lao after Fan Lao evaded his first attack with a secret art.
• The leaders of the Eight Gates and the Earth Flame Sect attacked Xiao Yan, but he killed both with the Mad Lion’s Roar, Eight Extremes Collapse, and Flame Splitting Wave Ruler.
• Xiao Yan replenished his Dou Qi with pills as Han Feng insisted he would not give up the heavenly flame.
• Han Feng summoned the Gold and Silver Elders, whose arrival startled the surviving Black-Corner Region experts.

Xiao Yan fought the Gold and Silver Elders while Han Feng tried to seize the Heavenly Flames and attack Zi Yan and Qing Lin. Xiao Yan broke through the elders’ interference to strike Han Feng, then realized Han Feng’s cultivation method resembled his own but was incomplete.

• The Gold and Silver Elders joined Han Feng’s side, and Han Feng sent them to hold Xiao Yan back while he rushed toward Zi Yan and Qing Lin.
• Xiao Yan traded a powerful blow with the Gold and Silver Elders, then saw Han Feng injure Qing Lin’s Drywater Demon Snake.
• Xiao Yan used his enhanced Purple Cloud Wings to evade the elders and appear behind Han Feng.
• Xiao Yan shattered Han Feng’s flame armor with one punch, and Han Feng recognized that Xiao Yan cultivated a more complete version of his own method.
• Xiao Yan suspected Han Feng had obtained the Flame Mantra through illegitimate means, possibly by murdering Yao Lao.

Xiao Yan confronted Han Feng over the Flame Mantra and fought Han Feng alongside the Gold and Silver Elders. After killing a Dou Wang who threatened Zi Yan and Qing Lin, Xiao Yan prepared to finish the battle with Light Wind Void Flame Slash.

• Han Feng realized Xiao Yan cultivated the Flame Mantra and tried to capture him to learn his connection to Yao Lao.
• Han Feng enlisted the Gold and Silver Elders, and Xiao Yan taunted them before all three attacked him together.
• Xiao Yan held off Han Feng and the Gold and Silver Elders with his Dou Techniques and Lesser Glazed Golden Body.
• Han Feng's allies targeted Zi Yan and Qing Lin, but Xiao Yan killed their leading Dou Wang with Annihilation Flame Eyes.
• Xiao Yan summoned his Xuan Heavy Ruler and announced that he would use Light Wind Void Flame Slash against the Gold and Silver Elders.

Xiao Yan killed the Gold and Silver Elders and captured Han Feng's soul after defeating the remaining enemies. He sealed Han Feng in a jade bottle, leaving him to face Xiao Yan's judgment.

• Xiao Yan killed the Gold and Silver Elders with Light Wind Void Flame Slash.
• The surviving Dou Wangs fled, but Xiao Yan had already poisoned them with neurotoxin.
• Xiao Yan caught the fleeing Han Feng and forcibly separated his soul from his body.
• Han Feng claimed he worked with the Soul Hall, and Xiao Yan realized the Soul Hall had helped him harm Yao Lao.
• Xiao Yan sealed Han Feng's soul in a jade bottle with soul flame.

After defeating Han Feng and the other attackers in the Ruins of Return, Xiao Yan secured their spoils and prepared to leave with Qing Lin and Zi Yan. He headed back toward the Xiao Gate with the Sea Heart Flame and the captured corpses, intending to refine the heavenly flame in peace.

• Xiao Yan sealed Han Feng's soul in a jade bottle and reassured Qing Lin and Zi Yan that his injuries were minor.
• Xiao Yan collected the enemies' storage rings and claimed Han Feng's Nether Sea Storage Ring by replacing its soul imprint with his own.
• Xiao Yan took the Sea Heart Flame from Zi Yan and decided to leave the Ruins of Return with the two girls.
• Xiao Yan gathered the relatively intact Dou Emperor corpses into his storage ring, while Qing Lin mistook his actions for kindness and Zi Yan doubted her explanation.

After Xiao Yan returned from the Ruins of Return, news spread that he had personally killed Han Feng, the Gold and Silver Elders, and many other experts, making him the Black-Corner Region’s strongest faction leader. He secluded himself to prepare for taking the Emperor's Extreme Pill and refining the Sea Heart Flame to advance toward Dou Zong.

• Xiao Gate seized the territories of factions whose leaders remained trapped in the Ruins of Return.
• A surviving Dou Wang reported that Xiao Yan had killed Han Feng, the Gold and Silver Elders, and numerous other experts in direct combat.
• Xiao Yan claimed first place on the updated Black List, while Hai Bodong realized how fortunate he was to be Xiao Yan’s ally.
• Xiao Yan began secluded cultivation and planned to take an Emperor's Extreme Pill after reaching three-star Dou Emperor, then refine the Sea Heart Flame.

Xiao Yan broke through to Five-Star Dou Emperor, swallowed a Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill, and refined the sea heart flame to become a One-Star Dou Zong. The fusion’s evil flame surged just as Qing Lin entered to announce her breakthrough to Dou Ling, leaving Xiao Yan fearing its effects.

• Qing Lin trained in seclusion while Xiao Yan helped strengthen her Drywater Demon Snake with a Dou Ling Pill.
• Xiao Yan reached Three-Star Dou Emperor, took the Emperor's Extreme Pill, and advanced to Five-Star Dou Emperor.
• Xiao Yan swallowed the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill and discovered it had granted him a trace of dragon qi.
• Xiao Yan refined the sea heart flame, broke through to One-Star Dou Zong, and created the nine nether illusion heart flame.
• Xiao Yan began suppressing the fusion’s evil flame, but Qing Lin entered the secret chamber and told him she had broken through to Dou Ling.

After the Heavenly Flame’s aftereffects nearly led Xiao Yan to harm Qing Lin, Zi Yan knocked him unconscious and the two girls helped quell the lustful fire. Xiao Yan reassured Qing Lin that he would not abandon her and urged her to show her true self, while Zi Yan accepted his thanks by asking for more pills.

• Xiao Yan recalled how Zi Yan found him losing control around Qing Lin and knocked him out before he could harm her.
• Xiao Yan confirmed that Qing Lin and Zi Yan were unharmed, though both bore traces of his aura, and guessed they had helped suppress the lustful fire.
• Zi Yan demanded that Xiao Yan take responsibility for what had happened, while Qing Lin defended him and said she wanted only to stay by his side.
• Xiao Yan realized Qing Lin’s feelings for him were romantic and promised he would never cast her aside, asking her to stop pleasing him and show her true self.
• Xiao Yan thanked Zi Yan for intervening, and she asked him to refine more pills for her.

Xiao Yan assessed his new Dou Zong strength and considered how to obtain another Heavenly Flame without alienating Jia Nan Academy. Hai Bodong then asked to bring the Mittel Family into the Xiao Gate, and Xiao Yan agreed on the condition that the family put the sect first.

• Xiao Yan confirmed that he had reached One-Star Dou Zong and planned to cultivate his Soul Flame and improve his Alchemy.
• Xiao Yan considered having an accomplice seize Jia Nan Academy’s Heavenly Flame so he could avoid directly opposing the academy.
• Hai Bodong was shocked by Xiao Yan’s strength and explained that he wanted the Mittel Family to join the Xiao Gate.
• Xiao Yan warned Hai Bodong that the Mittel Family must put the Xiao Gate first, and Hai Bodong vowed to enforce its obedience.
• Xiao Yan accepted Hai Bodong’s proposal to bring the Mittel Family into the Xiao Gate.

Xiao Yan expanded Xiao Gate’s intelligence network while cultivating a new Soul Flame seed, and Qing Lin grew increasingly devoted to him. When his cultivation reached a critical stage, he asked Zi Yan to guard him and paid her with pills made from Dragon Saliva Fire Spirit Grass.

• Xiao Yan sent Hai Bodong to recruit Mittel Family elites and establish auction houses across the Black-Corner Region, then resumed cultivating the Nine Revolutions Soul Refining Art.
• Qing Lin recovered, managed Xiao Gate during Hai Bodong’s absence, and repeatedly tried to serve Xiao Yan, who firmly rejected her advances.
• Zi Yan lamented that Qing Lin now spent most of her time with Xiao Yan and barely paid attention to her sworn big sister.
• Xiao Yan asked Zi Yan to guard him while he completed the tempering of his Soul Flame seed, and gave her pills refined from Dragon Saliva Fire Spirit Grass.
• Zi Yan accepted the pills and prepared to eat them, while Xiao Yan warned her to take them in batches because their medicinal power was potent.

Xiao Yan completed the Soul Flame Seed but fell into a weakened state, while Zi Yan transformed after eating the Dragon Saliva Fire Spirit Grass pills. The pills’ unneutralized medicinal effects overwhelmed Zi Yan and then Xiao Yan, leaving them both losing control.

• Xiao Yan endured the soul-burning pain and successfully condensed the Soul Flame Seed, but his soul power was depleted.
• Zi Yan appeared as a grown purple-haired woman after eating all the pills, and Xiao Yan realized the Dragon Saliva Fire Spirit Grass had caused her transformation.
• Zi Yan became feverish as the pills’ potent medicinal effects took hold, and she pinned down the weakened Xiao Yan.
• Zi Yan’s clothes burned away, and she forcibly kissed Xiao Yan, passing some of the medicinal effects to him.
• Xiao Yan began losing his rationality as Zi Yan’s resistance and control faded, and she thought, “I'm sorry.”

After the fight, Xiao Yan recovered and confronted Zi Yan about her threats, then asked whether she could transform into the stronger mature form again. Zi Yan had reached the Dou Emperor realm with the Dragon Saliva Fire Spirit Grass, but whether she could control that transformation remained unanswered.

• Zi Yan joked that Xiao Yan should take responsibility for her, while Xiao Yan insisted she had forced him and refused her demands for pills.
• When Zi Yan threatened to tell others what had happened, Xiao Yan punished her with several slaps until she promised not to threaten or disobey him again.
• Xiao Yan calmed down, dressed Zi Yan in clothes from his Storage Ring, and asked whether she could transform into her mature appearance again.
• Xiao Yan noted that the Dragon Saliva Fire Spirit Grass had raised Zi Yan from Peak Dou Wang to Dou Emperor and that her mature form had seemed stronger.
• Zi Yan misunderstood Xiao Yan's question and said Qing Lin had told her that he liked that body type, leaving Xiao Yan speechless.

Xiao Yan recovered from Zi Yan’s transformation and spent a secluded period refining pills and improving his alchemy. After exhausting his medicinal ingredients, he found Zi Yan and Qing Lin together, now master and disciple rather than sisters.

• Xiao Yan learned that Zi Yan could briefly transform after reaching Dou Emperor but needed rest and energy to sustain her former form.
• Xiao Yan absorbed the medicinal power and Zi Yan’s blood, strengthening his body, then refined the remaining energy within him.
• Xiao Yan assessed his Spirit Realm soul force but chose to practice refining Seventh-Grade Pills before attempting Eighth-Tier Pills.
• Xiao Yan refined Dou Emperor corpses into puppets that could guard his door and absorb pill lightning.
• Xiao Yan spent a period refining pills until he ran out of ingredients and greatly improved his success rate with Seventh-Grade Pills.
• Zi Yan told Xiao Yan he had exhausted his ingredients, and he reflected on how Qing Lin had become Zi Yan’s master.

Xiao Yan agreed to visit Jia Nan Academy with Zi Yan and negotiate for its medicinal ingredients, while secretly hoping to obtain its Heavenly Flames. He left the Xiao Gate with Zi Yan and Qing Lin, leaving Hai Bodong in charge and Hun Moli frustrated after years of chasing him.

• Zi Yan proposed that she and Xiao Yan steal rare medicinal ingredients from Jia Nan Academy, but Xiao Yan suggested negotiating with Great Elder Su Qian instead.
• Zi Yan mistakenly believed Xiao Yan was making the concession for her sake and felt touched, unaware that he also wanted the academy's Heavenly Flames.
• Xiao Yan's three puppets reached the Dou Zong level after being tempered by Pill Lightning, though he judged they could not safely absorb more.
• After returning from the Jia Ma Empire, Hai Bodong took over the Xiao Gate's affairs as Xiao Yan departed with Zi Yan and Qing Lin.
• Hun Moli tracked Xiao Yan across dangerous regions, escaped the Ruins of Return, and infiltrated the Xiao Gate, only for Xiao Yan to leave again.

Xiao Yan brought Qing Lin and Zi Yan to Jia Nan Academy’s Inner Academy, where Su Qian confronted them before recognizing Xiao Yan as the powerful Xiao Gate Master. The group’s purpose for visiting the academy remained unrevealed.

• Xiao Yan warned Qing Lin and Zi Yan to keep their relationships with him secret as they traveled toward Jia Nan Academy.
• Xiao Yan and his companions bypassed Peace Town and the Outer Academy, following Zi Yan’s directions into the mountains.
• Su Qian and academy experts surrounded the travelers, but Zi Yan revealed herself and explained that she had been exploring the Black-Corner Region.
• Su Qian was shocked by Qing Lin’s cultivation and Xiao Yan’s strength, then recognized Xiao Yan by his heavy ruler and battle record.
• Xiao Yan confirmed his identity, and Su Qian asked why he had come to Jia Nan Academy.