Chapter Summaries

Chen Xuan rewarded Yue Mei and Gu He with rare herbs that could improve their aptitude and bloodlines. Gu He pledged himself to the Snake-People Tribe and presented Chen Xuan with the Soul-Control Technique, offering him control over his soul.

• Chen Xuan praised Yue Mei for advancing to eight-star Dou Wang and urged her to focus on growing stronger.
• Chen Xuan offered Yue Mei an earth dragon golden melon, and she accepted after he said he hoped she would reach Dou Zun or even Dou Sheng.
• Chen Xuan gave Gu He a velvet sky-piercing chrysanthemum, and Gu He vowed to remain with the Snake-People Tribe.
• Gu He presented Chen Xuan with the Soul-Control Technique, offering his soul and placing his life and death in Chen Xuan's hands.

Chen Xuan summoned the Snake-People Tribe’s elders and leaders to begin planning their relocation to the Black-Corner Region. After learning about its powerful factions, he warned that the tribe could not conquer a foothold openly without provoking the region to unite against them.

• Chen Xuan praised the elders and leaders for their increased strength and announced that it was time to put their relocation plan into motion.
• Gu He reported that the Black-Corner Region had more than a dozen first-rate factions and three top-tier powers: the Black Emperor Sect, Demon Flame Valley, and Jia Nan Academy.
• Mo Bass proposed fighting their way into the region, and Yue Mei rebuked him.
• Yin Shi pointed out that the Snake-People Tribe needed a large city, but good locations were likely already occupied; Great Elder Snake Ji declared that they should conquer one.
• Chen Xuan cautioned that openly destroying a faction could unite the Black-Corner Region against the Snake-People Tribe.

Chen Xuan planned to secure a new home for the Snake-People Tribe by paying a Black-Corner Region faction with a Sect Breaking Pill to conquer a city. Snake Ji, Ji Xuan, and Gu Luo departed to negotiate with the Black Emperor Sect, beginning the tribe’s relocation plan.

• Chen Xuan proposed hiring a Black-Corner Region faction to capture a vast city for the Snake-People Tribe in exchange for valuable resources.
• Chen Xuan offered one of the two Sect Breaking Pills owed by the Heavenly Snake Mansion as payment.
• Chen Xuan selected Kui Wolf City, Beast Taming City, Demon Blade Mountain Road, and Heavenly Yin City as possible targets.
• Great Elder Snake Ji, Ji Xuan, and Gu Luo received orders to tell the Black Emperor Sect that the tribe wanted to enlist its forces to conquer one of the four cities.
• A few days later, Snake Ji, Ji Xuan, and Gu Luo set out for the Black-Corner Region, and Chen Xuan watched them disappear into the desert.

Chen Xuan tested the Eight Gates technique and discovered that opening six gates raised his strength from Three-Star Dou Zong to the peak of Six-Star Dou Zong. He realized it was a weaker “Pseudo Eight Gates,” but saw that teaching it to the Snake-People Tribe could greatly increase their strength.

• Chen Xuan studied the Eight Gates technique with Queen Medusa and noted the severe cost of opening all eight gates.
• Chen Xuan opened the first gate and found that it raised his power to Four-Star Dou Zong strength.
• Chen Xuan opened six gates in succession, unleashing enough power to demolish the courtyard and reach the peak of Six-Star Dou Zong.
• Chen Xuan deactivated the Pseudo Eight Gates and concluded that it would not raise him to Dou Zun, even if he opened all eight gates.
• Chen Xuan considered spreading the easy-to-learn technique throughout the Snake-People Tribe to give its fighters a major boost in strength.

Chen Xuan gave Yue Mei and Pill King Gu He the False Eight Gates, ordering them to keep it secret and carefully control who learned it so the Snake-People Tribe could grow stronger. After declaring his ambitions extended beyond the Black-Corner Region, he said he would go to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to retrieve something.

• Chen Xuan summoned Yue Mei and Gu He and gave them the False Eight Gates, restricting it to high-rank Dou Ling and stronger tribe members and ordering them to kill anyone who leaked it.
• Yue Mei promised to supervise and soul-control those who learned the art, with elders included under the same strict rules.
• Chen Xuan warned Yue Mei and Gu He never to open the Seventh Gate except in a life-or-death crisis and never to open the Eighth Gate, whose full power would cost their lives.
• Chen Xuan told Gu He to memorize and cultivate the art, and Gu He praised the Snake-People Tribe's prospects in the Black-Corner Region.
• Chen Xuan told Yue Mei and Gu He that his ambitions reached the Central Plains and the entire Dou Qi Continent, then sent them to master the art.
• Chen Xuan told Queen Medusa that he planned to visit the Magical Beast Mountain Range to retrieve something.

Chen Xuan planned to retrieve another fragment of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map from the Magical Beast Mountain Range after preparing the Snake-People Tribe to defend itself. When the Jia Ma Imperial Family invited the tribe to the emperor’s fiftieth birthday celebration, Chen Xuan decided to attend with Gu He and reveal his Dou Zong strength.

• Chen Xuan showed Queen Medusa a map fragment and explained that he intended to find another fragment in the Magical Beast Mountain Range after arranging the Eight Gates secret technique.
• Over three days, Chen Xuan taught the False Eight Gates to the Snake-People Tribe’s Eight Leaders and Elder Black Mountain.
• A guard delivered an invitation from the Jia Ma Imperial Family to the emperor’s fiftieth birthday celebration.
• Leader Yin Shi advised accepting the invitation, and the other Leaders agreed that attending would recognize the tribe’s growing strength.
• Chen Xuan chose Gu He to accompany him to the Jia Ma Empire Capital for the celebration.

Chen Xuan, Gu He, and Yue Mei traveled to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, where they encountered the Amethyst Winged Lion King. Yue Mei used the Eight Gates to reach Dou Emperor strength and challenged the weakened beast, while Chen Xuan sensed there was more to her reluctance to fight.

• Chen Xuan set out with Gu He and Yue Mei, explaining that he had something to find in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
• The group crossed the Tagor Desert and entered the mountain range, where Chen Xuan's Dou Zong pressure kept the magical beasts away.
• Chen Xuan sensed a powerful aura below and identified the Amethyst Winged Lion King, whom he decided to subdue as a mount.
• Yue Mei volunteered to test her strength and opened the first six gates of the Eight Gates, rising from eight-star Dou Wang to late one-star Dou Emperor.
• The Amethyst Winged Lion King warned Yue Mei to leave, and Chen Xuan noticed that the beast was not at her peak.

Yue Mei fought the Amethyst Winged Lion King for nearly two hours as Chen Xuan let her face the challenge without help. Exhausted and unable to defend herself, Yue Mei was left in the path of the lion king’s devastating innate attack.

• Yue Mei challenged the Amethyst Winged Lion King, and Chen Xuan told Gu He to wait rather than intervene.
• Yue Mei and the Amethyst Winged Lion King clashed, devastating the surrounding mountains as the lion king gradually gained the advantage.
• Gu He asked whether he should support Yue Mei, but Chen Xuan said that trials of life and death were necessary for her to become a true expert.
• After nearly two hours of fighting, both combatants were badly wounded, but Yue Mei had exhausted her Dou Qi and could no longer fight back.
• The Amethyst Winged Lion King gathered her innate purple energy attack and fired it toward the defenseless Yue Mei.

Chen Xuan stopped Yue Mei from being killed by the Amethyst Winged Lion King and used his Dou Zong strength to make the beast submit as his mount. He brought the Amethyst Winged Lion King to her cave, where he met her cub and promised it could surpass its bloodline with enough resources.

• Chen Xuan appeared and used spatial confinement to stop the Amethyst Winged Lion King's attack on Yue Mei, then dispersed it.
• Chen Xuan praised Yue Mei for refusing to give up, and she resolved not to disappoint him.
• Chen Xuan offered the Amethyst Winged Lion King the choice to submit as his mount, and she refused, insisting she would never become one.
• Chen Xuan later arrived at the Amethyst Winged Lion King's cave with Yue Mei and Pill King Gu He, where the Amethyst Winged Lion King introduced her cub.
• Chen Xuan said the cub had the potential to break through its bloodline if it received enough resources, and the Amethyst Winged Lion King thanked him.

Chen Xuan promised to help the Amethyst Winged Lion King's child overcome its bloodline limits with a seventh-grade Heavenly Soul Blood Fusion Pill. The little lion then mistook Gu He and Yue Mei's attention for hunger and brought them meat from the cave.

• The Amethyst Winged Lion King asked Chen Xuan how he had broken through his bloodline shackles, and he explained that he had tempered his bloodline with a Heavenly Flame.
• The Amethyst Winged Lion King asked Chen Xuan to help her child's bloodline improve, and he confirmed the little lion had a good chance of breaking through its limits.
• Chen Xuan explained that the Snake-People Tribe possessed the formula for a seventh-grade Heavenly Soul Blood Fusion Pill and promised to refine one once he became a Seventh-Grade Alchemist.
• The little Amethyst Winged Lion King stopped nuzzling Chen Xuan, ran into the cave, and returned with a slab of magical beast meat for Gu He and Yue Mei.

Chen Xuan and his companions collected what they had come for in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, where mercenaries had found the beasts missing. After rescuing the young Amethyst Winged Lion King from the greedy mercenaries, Chen Xuan headed off to offer birthday wishes to His Majesty the Emperor.

• Mu She rallied nearly a hundred Wolf Head Mercenary Group members and other mercenaries to search deeper in the Magical Beast Mountain Range for the missing beasts.
• The mercenaries heard a powerful roar and encountered a cub that a knowledgeable old mercenary identified as a young Amethyst Winged Lion King.
• Mu She led the mercenaries in chasing the cub, and they cornered it at a cliff.
• Chen Xuan appeared in the air as the cub called to him, and the Amethyst Winged Lion King, Yue Mei, and Pill King Gu He arrived and greeted him.
• Chen Xuan immobilized the cub and left with his companions, while the mercenaries remained frozen in place.
• The Amethyst Winged Lion King asked why Chen Xuan had spared the mercenaries, and Chen Xuan said they were beneath his notice and that they would now offer birthday wishes to His Majesty the Emperor.

At the forest lake, Chen Xuan watched Queen Medusa bathe and traded teasing remarks with her before another beautiful woman appeared across the water. Medusa discovered that the stranger was a young Dou Emperor, and the chapter ended with the woman startled that Medusa had recognized her strength.

• Pill King Gu He asked Yue Mei why Queen Medusa became so cold at night, and Yue Mei warned him to be careful around her.
• Queen Medusa bathed in the lake while Chen Xuan watched and praised her beauty, then recited a poem that impressed her.
• Chen Xuan exclaimed about a beautiful woman across the lake, and Queen Medusa realized another woman was bathing nearby.
• The stranger apologized for intruding, but Chen Xuan immediately said he did not mind, making Queen Medusa jealous.
• Queen Medusa sensed that the stranger was a Dou Emperor and questioned how someone so young had reached that realm.
• The stranger was astonished that Queen Medusa had identified her rank without her releasing her aura.

Yun Yun encountered Queen Medusa and fled after learning her identity, while Medusa chose not to pursue her and set out for Wutan City. Yun Yun later questioned why Medusa had left the Tagor Desert and allowed her to escape.

• Yun Yun introduced herself to Queen Medusa, who recognized her as Yun Shan’s disciple and the Misty Cloud Sect’s new sect master.
• Queen Medusa revealed her identity, and Yun Yun immediately flew away, believing she could not defeat her.
• Chen Xuan questioned why Medusa had let Yun Yun go, and Medusa said they would meet again at the Jia Ma Empire’s capital for the emperor’s birthday.
• Medusa asked Gu He for the nearest city and chose Wutan City, prompting Chen Xuan to realize it was Xiao Yan’s hometown.
• After flying away, Yun Yun stopped and wondered why Medusa had left the Tagor Desert and not pursued her.

Queen Medusa and her companions toured Wutan City before visiting the Mittel Auction House, where the Little Amethyst Winged Lion King took an interest in a mysterious black-robed figure’s Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. The figure gave the liquid to the cub and escaped, revealing himself to be a teenage boy.

• Queen Medusa, Gu He, Yue Mei, Chen Xuan, and the Little Amethyst Winged Lion King explored Wutan City’s night market and sampled its food.
• Medusa asked Gu He for an interesting place to visit, and he led the group to the Mittel Auction House.
• Gu He presented a high-level Mittel token, and the guards escorted the group through the honored guest passage.
• The Little Amethyst Winged Lion King sniffed a black-robed figure and excitedly reacted to his Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid.
• The black-robed figure gave the liquid to the cub, then escaped the auction house and revealed a teenage boy’s face.
• The teenage boy asked Yao Lao what had happened.

After Xiao Yan encountered powerful figures at the Mittel Auction House, Yao Lao explained their strength and warned Xiao Yan not to provoke them. Xiao Yan regained his resolve, and he and Yao Lao decided to return to the auction house while keeping their distance from the group.

• Xiao Yan called out to Yao Lao after the mysterious group and the young magical beast startled him at the Mittel Auction House.
• Yao Lao said the man and the woman in blue were high-rank Dou Wang, the man was likely Jia Ma Empire's strongest alchemist, and the magical beast was an Amethyst Winged Lion King cub.
• Yao Lao revealed that the woman in red had reached Dou Zong and was likely the strongest individual in the Jia Ma Empire.
• Yao Lao warned Xiao Yan that the woman in red was a magical beast with the bloodline of the Seven-Colored Heaven-Connecting Python, but encouraged him to keep cultivating and surpass them someday.
• Xiao Yan asked whether they would return to auction the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, and Yao Lao agreed as long as they stayed away from the group.

Xiao Yan learned that a Dou Zong expert and powerful fighters had arrived in Wutan City, but Yao Lao warned him not to get involved. At the Mittel Auction House, Ya Fei discovered that Queen Medusa commanded Gu He's respect and followed the group, while Medusa asked about Hai Bodong.

• Xiao Yan questioned why such powerful experts had come to Wutan City, and Yao Lao warned that he could not protect Xiao Yan from a Dou Zong.
• Xiao Yan resolved to recover his strength and grow stronger before going to the Cloud Orchid Sect to reclaim his dignity.
• Gu Ni recognized Gu He at the Mittel Auction House, and Ya Fei arranged a private box for him and his companions.
• Ya Fei saw Gu He defer to Queen Medusa, canceled her auction duties, and followed the group to their private box.
• Queen Medusa asked Ya Fei about Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, then told Gu He that they could hold an auction of their own.

Ya Fei tried to build a connection with Queen Medusa, who was impressed by the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid being auctioned in Wutan City. Xiao Yan watched the price climb, and the auction ended on a startling bid of two hundred thousand gold coins.

• Ya Fei realized Pill King Gu He treated Queen Medusa with great deference and approached her to describe the auction house’s unusual items.
• The auction began, and the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid was offered for a starting price of eight thousand gold coins.
• Xiao Yan watched from the auction hall as bids rose and smiled at the prospect of earning money for his cultivation.
• Queen Medusa and Gu He assessed the liquid, and Gu He concluded that its diluted form could rival a third- or fourth-tier pill.
• Xiao Zhan raised the bid to forty thousand gold coins before a voice from the VIP room bid two hundred thousand.

Queen Medusa won the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid for 200,000 gold coins, then offered Ya Fei a chance to earn her favor by finding its seller. After the auction, Xiao Yan was exposed as the seller when the Amethyst Winged Lion King rushed to him.

• An honored guest bid 200,000 gold coins for the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, shocking the auction hall and the Three Great Families.
• Ya Fei offered to cover the cost, and Queen Medusa accepted while asking her to find the liquid’s seller in exchange for a favor.
• Queen Medusa dismissed the Wind Scroll Technique as rubbish, but did not bid on it as the auction continued.
• After the auction, Xiao Yan went to Master Gu Ni to collect the proceeds from his Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid.
• The Amethyst Winged Lion King rushed to Xiao Yan, and Queen Medusa recognized him as the seller.

Queen Medusa exposed Xiao Yan’s disguise and learned that he was the young alchemist behind the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. When Xiao Yan offered to consult his master about the formula in three days, Chen Xuan privately told Medusa to accept, and she let the group go.

• Medusa saw through Xiao Yan’s disguise, and Xiao Yan revealed his identity to Ya Fei, Gu He, and Yue Mei.
• Ya Fei recognized Xiao Yan from Wutan City and was shocked that he had made the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid.
• Xiao Yan identified Medusa as a Dou Zong expert, startling Ya Fei and confirming Medusa’s immense strength.
• Medusa asked Xiao Yan why she had summoned him, and he realized she wanted the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid formula.
• Xiao Yan said the formula belonged to his master and offered to consult him at the Xiao Clan in three days, prompting Gu He to ask about the master.
• Medusa began to pressure Xiao Yan, but Chen Xuan told her to accept his offer, and she withdrew her aura.

After escaping the Mittel Auction House, Xiao Yan learned from Yao Lao that the powerful Dou Zong was Queen Medusa and accepted that he needed strength before he could protect valuable things. Meanwhile, a mysterious young woman learned that Xiao Yan had encountered a Dou Zong and warned that she would kill anyone who harmed him.

• Xiao Yan returned to the Xiao Clan after escaping the auction house and told Yao Lao how Queen Medusa's pressure had left him helpless.
• Yao Lao said he could not defeat the late-stage three-star Dou Zong and urged Xiao Yan to prioritize strength over the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid Recipe.
• Xiao Yan resolved to grow stronger and agreed that they could hand over the recipe rather than risk attracting more powerful enemies.
• Yao Lao identified the Dou Zong as Queen Medusa and explained that her awakened Seven-Colored Heaven-Connecting Python bloodline could raise her to Dou Zun level.
• A black figure reported Xiao Yan's encounter to a young woman, who said that even a Dou Zong would die if Xiao Yan were harmed.