Chapter Summaries

Nie Li used Duan Jian’s blood and inscriptions to burn the chained Heavenly Kirin Beast, while the Nether Realm Controller and sect leaders discussed recruiting disciples from the Miniature Exquisite World. The Heavenly Note Divine Sect chose Xiao Ning’er and Ye Ziyun, and the Heavenly Kirin Beast still refused to submit as Nie Li intensified the flames.

• Nie Li offered to help the Heavenly Kirin Beast form a soul seal with Du Ze, but demanded the beast’s blood as a safeguard, and the beast refused.
• Nie Li used Duan Jian’s blood to draw inscriptions that gathered black flames around the chained Heavenly Kirin Beast.
• The Nether Realm Controller praised Nie Li’s understanding of inscriptions and discussed potential disciples with leaders from other sects.
• The Nether Realm Controller chose Nie Li, Lingyun selected Xiao Ning’er and Ye Ziyun for the Heavenly Note Divine Sect, and the White-Haired Elder chose the Demon Lord.
• Nie Li accepted that Xiao Ning’er and Ye Ziyun might join the Heavenly Note Divine Sect and expected to go to the Feathered God Sect himself.
• The Heavenly Kirin Beast endured the flames without yielding, so Nie Li increased their power as the beast cursed at them.

Nie Li outmaneuvered the Heavenly Kirin Beast, bound it to Du Ze with Soul Seals, and sent it into Du Ze’s Soul Sea. As the group prepared to ascend, the Nether Realm Controller watched Nie Li with interest while Cang Ming struggled on the fourth floor.

• The Heavenly Kirin Beast agreed to give Nie Li blood, but he deliberately left the bowl inside a Prison Lock Array; Nie Li dodged the beast’s attacks and retrieved it.
• Nie Li used the Demon Blood to draw a Magic Array and Soul Seals that would trap the Heavenly Kirin Beast and prevent it from harming Du Ze.
• Du Ze promised to release the Heavenly Kirin Beast after fifty years, and Nie Li inscribed the Soul Seal that sent the beast into Du Ze’s Soul Sea.
• The ninth-floor observers learned that Du Ze had subdued the beast, and the Nether Realm Controller congratulated the burly man who had chosen Du Ze as a disciple.
• Cang Ming failed to ascend to the fifth floor as the Black Flame’s heat stopped him, while the Demon Lord continued up the stairs.

Nie Li climbed to the Black Flame Tower’s fifth floor and confronted the Demon Lord, whose Eight-Armed Demon Monster form and mastery of the Black Prison Law made him a formidable opponent. Their opening clash ended with the Demon Lord emerging from Nie Li’s blast apparently unharmed.

• Nie Li and Yu Yan went up toward the fifth floor while Duan Jian stayed behind to protect Lu Piao and the others.
• As they climbed, Yu Yan explained the Black Flame Tower’s origins, and Nie Li connected the ancient battle to Emperor Kongming’s disciples and the crazed old man.
• Nie Li reached the fifth floor, where the Demon Lord recognized him and attacked with iron chains.
• The Demon Lord revealed his Eight-Armed Demon Monster form, and Nie Li fused with the Fangtooth Panda to fight him.
• Nie Li struck the Demon Lord with a tenfold Light-Dark Primordial Qi Blast, but a gigantic fist burst from the smoke, showing that the Demon Lord had survived.

Nie Li fought the Demon Lord on the Sky Screen, but neither defeated the other before the Demon Lord withdrew and departed for the sixth layer. Meanwhile, Torch Dragon entered the Miniature Exquisite World and confronted the Nether Realm Controller over Yu Yan, and they began to fight.

• The Demon Lord overwhelmed Nie Li’s Fangtooth Panda, but Nie Li escaped with the Shadow Demon and fought back using his wings and bone walls.
• Goddess Yu Yan intervened with flaming dragons, but the Demon Lord crushed them and then dismissed his Demon Spirit, deciding to let Nie Li live and watch his future progress.
• The Demon Lord and Nie Li exchanged parting challenges, while Xiao Yu, Lingyun, and the Nether Realm Controller discussed Nie Li and Yu Yan’s strength and potential.
• Beneath the Sky Screen, Yu Yan reflected on how little she understood about her own power and decided to investigate her secrets.
• Torch Dragon appeared outside the Black Flame Tower and demanded that the Nether Realm Controller hand over Yu Yan; the two began fighting.

Torch Dragon defeated the Nether Realm Controller and threatened to capture Yu Yan before withdrawing, while the Sky Screen revealed Nie Li’s growing concern that Torch Dragon would reach Glory City. On the fifth layer, Nie Li’s Golden Egg hatched into a fluffy, winged creature despite its frightening aura.

• Torch Dragon overwhelmed the Nether Realm Controller with his newly condensed heart lotus and froze the Eighth Layer of the Nine-Layered Deathlands.
• Torch Dragon demanded that the Nether Realm Controller submit and hand over Yu Yan, but he withdrew when reinforcements approached, threatening to capture Yu Yan later.
• The Nether Realm Controller collapsed from his injuries, and he told Lingyun and the Rugged Man that Torch Dragon’s strength had become too great for them to challenge.
• After seeing the Sky Screen, Yu Yan tried to leave Glory City to protect its people, but Nie Li stopped her and said he had a protective talisman.
• On the fifth layer, Nie Li’s Golden Egg erupted with a murderous aura, then hatched into a fluffy golden creature with tiny wings.

Nie Li watched the newly hatched creature devour the fifth floor’s black flames and named it Golden Egg, while the others suspected it was an extraordinarily powerful Spirit Beast. He moved to the sixth floor to cultivate, but an intruder entered his soul sea and confronted him with the Cross True Formula.

• Goddess Yu Yan agreed to keep the newly hatched creature, but it bit her law-power skirt and kept jumping beneath it until Nie Li explained that it fed on energy.
• The creature devoured every black flame on the fifth floor and became too bloated to walk, while the Nether Realm Controller guessed it was a Spirit Beast with an ancient bloodline.
• Nie Li named the creature Golden Egg and went to the sixth floor to cultivate, with Goddess Yu Yan guarding him.
• Nie Li sensed that Golden Egg’s bloodline surpassed any Spirit Beast he had encountered and warned the Golden Feather Eagle to work harder.
• An unknown soul entered Nie Li’s soul sea, recited the Cross True Formula, and revealed its killing intent toward him.

Kong Yan attacked Nie Li’s soul to steal his body, but Nie Li’s green vine forced him to flee into Goddess Yu Yan instead. As Kong Yan nearly devoured her soul, Yu Yan’s sealed mortal memories resurfaced and golden flames erupted from her, leaving the struggle unresolved.

• Kong Yan tried to seize Nie Li’s body, but Nie Li fought back with law power and his Fangtooth Panda and Shadow Demon.
• Nie Li used the Soul Magic Array and a green vine to drain Kong Yan’s Soul Force, forcing Kong Yan to abandon Nie Li and escape.
• Kong Yan invaded Goddess Yu Yan’s Soul Sea, and Nie Li followed him while Yu Yan’s soul weakened.
• Kong Yan nearly devoured Yu Yan’s soul as her sealed memories returned and changed her appearance and voice.
• Yu Yan’s flame mark shone with golden light, and golden flames erupted from Kong Yan.

Goddess Yu Yan recovered after her innate flames consumed Kong Yan’s soul, while Nie Li and his companions learned that they would be taken to the Dragon Void Boundary Domain to join Divine Sects. The Nether Realm Controller became Nie Li, Lu Piao, and Guan Yu’s master and promised to protect Glory City, leaving Nie Li to wonder whether he had died in his previous life.

• Goddess Yu Yan awakened in Nie Li’s hands after her flames devoured Kong Yan’s soul, and Nie Li resumed cultivating.
• Three days later, the Demon Lord neared completion of a blood-red Fate Soul as the group arrived at the Ninth Layer and met Xiao Yu and the Nether Realm Controller.
• The Nether Realm Controller explained the Dragon Void Boundary Domain, Divine Sects, and the arranged master-disciple assignments, warning the geniuses not to betray their masters or forget their roots.
• Lingyun assigned Ye Ziyun, Xiao Ning'er, and Xiao Xue to herself; the Rugged Man took Cang Ming, Huahuo, and Du Ze; the old man took Duan Jian, the Demon Lord, and Muye; and the Nether Realm Controller took Nie Li, Lu Piao, and Guan Yu.
• Nie Li asked the Nether Realm Controller to protect Glory City, and the Controller revealed that an old friend had entrusted him with its safety.
• Xiao Yu realized that Torch Dragon had likely killed the Nether Realm Controller in Nie Li’s previous life, leaving Glory City unprotected and vulnerable to destruction by a Beast Tide.

Nie Li’s group traveled toward the Desert Divine Palace, where the desert stirred memories in Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning’er that seemed connected to past lives. The chapter left Nie Li wondering whether both women carried memories of earlier lives, while Lu Piao was struck for dismissing the idea.

• The Nether Realm Controller sent the group out of the ninth layer to say goodbye to their families, but Nie Li led them toward the Desert Divine Palace before they returned to Glory City.
• In the desert, Ye Ziyun experienced fragments of a past life in which she and Nie Li survived together, and she recalled an intimate scene that made her slap him and run away.
• Nie Li wondered whether Ye Ziyun had been reborn, while Lu Piao teased him about learning from him as a man.
• Xiao Ning’er told Nie Li that she had dreamed of the Black Devil Forest and of a young man rescuing her from darkness, prompting Nie Li to suspect she also remembered a past life.
• Lu Piao denied that people could remember previous lives, and Xiao Xue hit him on the backside with a red umbrella.

Nie Li and his companions finished watching the Sky Screen and prepared to travel to the Endless Desert to find the Book of Time and Space Spirit. Before they left, Nie Li promised Ye Zong he would protect Ye Ziyun and bring everyone back in five years, and the group set out together the next day.

• Nie Li recalled finding the Desert Divine Palace in his previous life and discovering the Book of Time and Space Spirit, ending the Sky Screen.
• Nie Li told Ye Ziyun that he planned to search for the book, and Xiao Yu offered to join him.
• Ye Zong asked Nie Li about his plans to leave for the Draconic Ruins Realm, and Nie Li promised to protect Ye Ziyun and return with everyone in five years.
• Nie Li, Ye Ziyun, Xiao Ning'er, Xiao Yu, Duan Jian, Lu Piao, Xiao Xue, and Chen Linjian departed Glory City for the Endless Desert.
• Xiao Ning'er recalled that she and the young man who rescued her had died together, while Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er each rested against Nie Li as they traveled.

Nie Li and his companions found the Desert Divine Palace in ruins and discovered that the Book of Time and Space Spirit was missing. As they prepared to leave the frozen desert, Torch Dragon appeared, leaving them trapped before an overwhelming Heavenly Mandate Realm expert.

• Nie Li and the others searched the Endless Desert for the Desert Divine Palace, but Xiao Yu found only ancient ruins.
• Nie Li searched the ruins through the night and confirmed that the Book of Time and Space Spirit was gone.
• Nie Li proposed returning to Glory City and waiting for the Nether Realm Controller to select his disciples.
• Goddess Yu Yan warned the group that they might not be able to leave as snow and ice transformed the desert.
• Torch Dragon appeared before the group, and Goddess Yu Yan recognized him as an enemy they could not defeat.

Nie Li and his companions survived Torch Dragon’s attack when an unseen enforcer killed him, and Nie Li took Torch Dragon’s demon spirit. The Sky Screen then showed Nie Li discovering that the Desert Divine Palace had become ruins before he collapsed, leaving the present-day Nie Li puzzled about what had happened.

• Goddess Yu Yan tried to hold Torch Dragon back while Nie Li and his companions prepared to fight, but Nie Li gambled that the unseen enforcer would intervene.
• Torch Dragon froze Nie Li up to his waist before the enforcer turned him into a puddle of bloody pulp.
• Nie Li retrieved Torch Dragon’s pale blue demon spirit and put it away before the Sky Screen began playing.
• The Sky Screen showed Nie Li pick up the Book of Time and Space Spirit and then discover that the Desert Divine Palace had become ancient ruins.
• Nie Li reached the place where the book had been, felt the remnant pages flare, and collapsed after seeing Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er.
• Present-day Nie Li wondered why he had not experienced the same collapse, and Lu Piao reassured him that they could search for the book again.

After awakening from a month-long coma, Nie Li reunited with Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er and prepared to say goodbye to his clansmen before the Draconic Ruins Realm opened. Their reunion was interrupted by an attack on the City Lord's Mansion, where Ye Mo confronted the Demon Lord.

• Xiao Ning'er and Ye Ziyun rushed to Nie Li's side when he woke, and he held them both as he confirmed that they were real and alive.
• Nie Li learned that he had been unconscious for over a month and agreed to have his father and clansmen brought to him.
• Ye Zong visited Nie Li and warned the group to take care of themselves when they went to the Draconic Ruins Realm.
• An explosion alerted the City Lord's Mansion, and Nie Li and the others hurried to investigate.
• Ye Mo fought the Demon Lord in midair, while the Demon Lord questioned Glory City's old accusations and unleashed a powerful blood-red aura.

The Demon Lord demanded a sealed demon spirit and attacked Glory City when Ye Mo refused, forcing Nie Li and the others to fight him. The Demon Lord overpowered the group and took Ye Zong hostage, leaving Nie Li unable to attack without risking his life.

• The Demon Lord demanded that Ye Mo hand over a Demon Spirit Stone containing a sealed demon spirit, then threatened to search Glory City by force when Ye Mo refused.
• Nie Li joined Ye Mo in fighting the Demon Lord, and the group attacked together after the Demon Lord merged with the Eight-Armed Demon Monster.
• Nie Li struck the Demon Lord with the lightning-charged Heavenfall Divine Thunder Sword, but the Demon Lord evaded the blow and launched a rapid counterattack against Du Ze, Lu Piao, and the others.
• The Demon Lord beat Ye Zong and seized him as a hostage, forcing Nie Li to stop his next sword attack.
• Watching beneath the Sky Screen, Nie Li reflected that the Demon Lord's early death had spared them from facing this crisis.

The Demon Lord tortured Ye Zong to force Ye Mo to surrender the Demon Spirit Stone, then killed Ye Zong when Ye Mo handed it over. Ye Zong’s self-detonation trapped the Demon Lord, while the people watching beneath the Sky Screen realized Ye Ziyun’s father was still alive in their present; Nie Li’s killing intent then froze everyone in place.

• The Demon Lord tore off both of Ye Zong’s arms as Ye Mo and Ye Ziyun watched in horror.
• Ye Mo gave the Demon Spirit Stone to the Demon Lord in exchange for Ye Zong, but the Demon Lord stabbed Ye Zong through the chest instead.
• Ye Zong immobilized the Demon Lord with the Wind Snow Family’s Secret Technique and self-detonated, recalling his promise to protect Glory City as he died.
• Goddess Yu Yan confirmed that Ye Zong’s soul had been annihilated, while Ye Ziyun and Ye Mo grieved his death.
• Beneath the Sky Screen, Nie Li and the others reacted furiously, but Ye Ziyun felt relief because her father was safe in the present.
• The Demon Lord raged at Ye Zong’s attack, and Nie Li’s overwhelming killing intent froze Lu Piao, Du Ze, and the others as they prepared to fight.

Nie Li failed to kill the Demon Lord after Ye Zong died, but he gave Ye Ziyun hope that space-time magic could resurrect her father. Two months later, the group left Glory City for the Draconic Ruins Realm, where Nie Li vowed to settle the blood debt once he grew strong enough.

• Remembering Ye Zong, Nie Li unleashed his full strength and grievously wounded the Demon Lord with three lightning sword strikes, but the Demon Lord escaped by attaching his soul to his armor.
• Nie Li found only a wisp of Ye Zong's soul consciousness in his Soul Mirror and told Ye Ziyun that space-time magic might let them resurrect her father after they reached the Draconic Ruins Realm.
• Glory City mourned Ye Zong as Ye Ziyun knelt before his memorial tablet, while Nie Li stood outside in the rain and lamented that he remained trapped in a larger scheme.
• Two months later, Ye Mo saw Nie Li and the others off from Glory City's walls as they began their journey to the Draconic Ruins Realm.
• At the Ninth Layer of the Nine-Layered Deathlands, the Nether Realm Controller warned Nie Li not to attack the Demon Lord, and Nie Li resolved to wait until he was strong enough to take revenge.
• Nie Li cautioned Duan Jian against confronting the Demon Lord, then tried to comfort Ye Ziyun, who began sobbing again.

Xiao Ning'er told Nie Li about her dream, leading him to realize she had been the masked woman Xiao Ning in his previous life. After the women left, the Demon Lord threatened Nie Li's loved ones, and Nie Li challenged his Supreme Body with confidence in his Heavenly Dao Divine Art.

• Xiao Ning'er embraced Nie Li and described a dream in which she found purpose fighting for him, prompting Nie Li to remember Xiao Ning, the masked woman who had died protecting him in his previous life.
• Nie Li realized Xiao Ning'er and Xiao Ning were the same person and resolved to investigate the Black Devil Forest after reaching a higher level.
• Xiao Xue warned Lu Piao not to pursue another woman, then left with Ye Ziyun, Xiao Ning'er, and Lingyun.
• Huahuo approached Du Ze, called them fellow disciples, and led him forward while Nie Li, Lu Piao, and Du Ze remained behind.
• The Demon Lord threatened to kill Nie Li's family and companions one by one, but Nie Li resisted the provocation and accused him of having a weak soul beneath his Supreme Body.
• The Demon Lord dismissed Nie Li's claims, and Nie Li declared that he would see whether the Supreme Body or his Heavenly Dao Divine Art was stronger.

Nie Li, Lu Piao, and Xiao Yu arrived at the Feathered God Sect and headed to the Heavenly Spirit Institute to take spirit root tests. As they reached the testing area, Xiao Yu’s hostile acquaintance Hua Ling appeared, setting up a confrontation.

• Nie Li warned Duan Jian not to fight the Demon Lord outside the sect, then asked the Nether Realm Controller to accept his gift before Xiao Yu led the group through the passage.
• Xiao Yu explained the Feathered God Sect’s structure and the Heavenly Spirit Institute’s spirit root test as they arrived in the higher world.
• Guan Yu arrogantly dismissed the test, but Xiao Yu warned him that the institute was full of geniuses and that fighting was forbidden.
• Lu Piao panicked after watching applicants with low spirit roots get sent away, and Guan Yu mocked him until Nie Li coldly challenged the insult.
• Xiao Yu revealed that he had a seventh-grade Heavenly Spirit Root, which Nie Li explained was exceptionally rare.
• Hua Ling appeared, taunted Xiao Yu, and tried to put an arm around him before Xiao Yu pushed him away.

Nie Li, Xiao Yu, and their companions faced off against Hua Ling during spirit-root testing at the Heavenly Spirit Institute. After Guan Yu received a disappointing result, Nie Li defended him and Xiao Yu, then began explaining why a heavenly spirit root could still lead to rapid cultivation.

• Hua Ling mocked Nie Li and his companions, then used Soul Stones to arrange for his group to be tested ahead of others.
• Xiao Yu challenged Steward Gu over the favoritism, and Hua Ling claimed he had also submitted nameplates for Xiao Yu’s group.
• Xiao Yu explained how spirit-root grades determined placement in the institute’s courtyards, from the Northern Courtyard to the mysterious Central Courtyard.
• Hua Ling’s companions received three earth spirit roots in a row and were admitted to the West Court, while Guan Yu received a ninth grade human spirit root and was sent to the Southern Courtyard.
• Nie Li comforted Guan Yu and argued with Hua Ling, who mocked Xiao Yu for remaining in the Earth Mandate Realm despite his heavenly spirit root.
• Nie Li asked Hua Ling whether he knew about Purple Mystic Bamboo and described how quickly it grew after lying dormant for over ten thousand years.

Nie Li mocked Hua Ling’s contempt for cultivators with Human Spirit Roots and reassured Guan Yu and Lu Piao as the Sky Screen ended before Lu Piao’s test result appeared. A month later, Nie Li’s group met Du Ze and Huahuo in the Nether Realm, where Nie Li gave Huahuo a powerful cultivation art and demon spirit.

• Nie Li told Xiao Yu that his five years at the Earth Mandate threshold meant he was close to a breakthrough, then admitted privately that he had made up the rule about Heavenly Spirit Roots.
• Hua Ling insulted Guan Yu for receiving an eighth-grade Human Spirit Root, and Nie Li comforted him as Guan Yu apologized for his earlier rudeness.
• A report said Guan Yu had fled rather than return, while the Sky Screen ended before Lu Piao could learn his Spirit Root; Nie Li promised to help improve Lu Piao’s aptitude.
• Xiao Yu told the Nether Realm Controller that the Sky Screen showed the future and gave him the complete Myriad Dao Roaring Dragon Art, while concealing Nie Li’s true circumstances.
• Over the next month, Nie Li and his companions reached Legendary Three-Star, while Nie Li reached legendary five-star, and then they traveled to the Nether Realm to meet Du Ze.
• Nie Li learned about Du Ze and Huahuo’s relationship and gave Huahuo the Sacred Fire Vermilion Phoenix Art and the Demon Spirit Blazing Spirit Heavenly Phoenix.