Chapter Summaries

He Pingsheng descended through the sinkhole while disguising himself as other cultivators, then spent two and a half years gathering the nine-heavens mystic fire’s aura and cultivating. He restored his cultivation to the tenth layer of the Nascent Soul Realm and prepared to leave.

• He Pingsheng told True Person West Lake that the Icefield Divine Dew had extended her lifespan and asked her to keep his secret.
• He Pingsheng descended farther into the sinkhole, deceiving Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators by changing his appearance.
• He Pingsheng reached the sinkhole’s lowest stretch and spent two and a half years condensing the aura of the nine-heavens mystic fire while cultivating.
• He Pingsheng merged the condensed aura into his body and restored all five nascent souls to the tenth layer of the Nascent Soul Realm.
• He Pingsheng failed to break through another Dao obstacle, gathered his belongings, and decided to leave.

He Pingsheng escaped the Heavenly Fire Ruins disguised as a weak Foundation Establishment cultivator, but Zhu Wuyuan questioned him about Zhu Ci and kept him under watch. As He Pingsheng discussed leaving the Li Household with True Person West Lake, the Kong Household announced that the Li Household had won a Dragon Origin Fruit.

• He Pingsheng disguised himself as several people while ascending from the sinkhole, then concealed his cultivation and emerged pretending to be at the second layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
• A fifth-layer Golden Core cultivator from the Zhu Household stopped He Pingsheng and brought him before Zhu Wuyuan, who questioned him about Zhu Ci and ordered him to remain at the temporary residence.
• He Pingsheng told Zhu Wuyuan that he had last seen Zhu Ci continuing deeper into the ruins, and Zhu Household disciples surrounded the residence where he was staying.
• True Person West Lake asked He Pingsheng whether he had killed Zhu Ci, then invited him to stay with the Li Household and hinted at finding him a Dao Companion.
• A Kong Household disciple told True Person West Lake that the Li Household had been awarded a Dragon Origin Fruit and asked her to collect it for the absent Dao Yuan Patriarch.

He Pingsheng learned that the Li Household had received a Dragon Origin Fruit, a treasure that could help nascent soul cultivators break through bottlenecks. True Person West Lake eventually lent it to him for the night, and he secretly moved it into his Treasure-Gathering Basin while distracting her with questions about reaching the Thunderwaste Continent.

• A Celestial Person Immortal Sect envoy gave True Person West Lake the Dragon Origin Fruit and forbade the households from fighting over or trading it.
• He Pingsheng asked West Lake to lend him the fruit, but she refused because it belonged to the Li Household patriarch.
• West Lake later apologized and lent He Pingsheng the fruit for one night, insisting she stay in his room while he studied it.
• He Pingsheng put the fruit in his ring and secretly moved it into his Treasure-Gathering Basin.
• He Pingsheng asked West Lake how to reach the Thunderwaste Continent, and she explained that crossing the Malice Sea required at least the void refinement realm.

He Pingsheng consumed an enhanced Dragon Origin Fruit and broke through to the eleventh layer of the Nascent Soul Realm. After leaving the Li Household, he said farewell to True Person West Lake, who accompanied him on part of his journey.

• He Pingsheng learned from True Person West Lake that Dragon Blood Fruits were rare fifth-grade Spirit Fruits, then refused her request to stay the night with him.
• After a night in seclusion, He Pingsheng ate the supreme-grade Dragon Origin Fruit and advanced to the eleventh layer of the Nascent Soul Realm.
• Six months later, the cultivators emerged from the Heavenly Fire Ruins, and Fellow Daoist Li took the Li Household's people home; Zhu Ci was missing.
• He Pingsheng visited True Person West Lake, saw that she had restored her youthful appearance, and asked her to look after Li Yunyun and her younger brother before departing.
• True Person West Lake caught up with He Pingsheng, gave him a map, and saw him off; he gave her a Greed and Anger Fruit to help her overcome a Golden Core Stage bottleneck.

He Pingsheng accepted Wu Xiangyu’s challenge to prove his superiority in a cultivation skill, choosing combat despite Wu Xiangyu’s Nascent Soul cultivation. He Pingsheng’s halberd strike revealed immense power, and his tangible divine sense left Wu Xiangyu wondering if he was a Spirit Transformation cultivator.

• True Person West Lake was delighted to receive a Greed and Anger Fruit from He Pingsheng before Wu Xiangyu appeared.
• Wu Xiangyu threatened to expose the Li Household’s alleged cheating unless West Lake agreed to become his Dao Companion.
• He Pingsheng accepted Wu Xiangyu’s wager and chose combat, refusing West Lake’s plea not to risk it.
• He Pingsheng unleashed the Southern Bright Sky-Piercing Halberd, and its blade carved a thousand-zhang fissure through the mountain.
• He Pingsheng formed seven tangible divine nails around Wu Xiangyu, who feared He Pingsheng was a Spirit Transformation cultivator.

He Pingsheng forced Wu Xiangyu to swear an oath protecting the Li Household and West Lake Immortal Maiden, then traveled to Celestial Person City. After exploring the city and its mix of humans and demon clans, he entered the Heavenly Heart Commerce Association to seek high-grade goods.

• He Pingsheng threatened Wu Xiangyu and made him swear to never harm the Li Household or West Lake Immortal Maiden.
• He Pingsheng asked West Lake Immortal Maiden to care for Li Yunyun and her younger brother, then disappeared before she could reply.
• He Pingsheng used West Lake Immortal Maiden's map to fly to Celestial Person City and saw that humans and demon clans shared the city.
• A Mountain Antelope Tribe member offered He Pingsheng a ride and took him to the Heavenly Heart Commerce Association.
• He Pingsheng paid the mountain antelope, entered the association, and asked a woman in a green Daoist robe to summon an elder for his high-grade purchases.

He Pingsheng consulted Hanxiao about rare treasures and ingredients for the Tenfold Fusion Pill. He learned of possible sources for Rootless Grass and Yellow Springs Aura, but still had no leads on two other materials.

• He Pingsheng asked Hanxiao whether the Commerce Association sold a fifth-grade treasure that could break his Nascent Soul bottleneck, and she explained that Dragon Origin Fruit was the only local option.
• Hanxiao told He Pingsheng that Rootless Grass, another bottleneck-breaking herb, grew in a Yin Baleful Energy canyon in Divine Crane clan territory.
• He Pingsheng showed Hanxiao a jade slip listing Six-Bath Clear Dew, Nine-Gold Yang-Transforming Fruit, and Yellow Springs Aura, but the Commerce Association had none of them.
• Hanxiao confirmed that He Pingsheng intended to refine a Tenfold Fusion Pill and said he could find Yellow Springs Aura in the ancient Netherworld Emperor Palace in Vermilion Bird Race territory.
• He Pingsheng thanked Hanxiao and gave her a porcelain bottle as a token of gratitude.

He Pingsheng rescued Tian Yao, the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor's daughter, from demons who had assaulted and poisoned her. He offered to draw the poison into his own meridians, warning her that doing so would let his divine sense see her entire body.

• He Pingsheng gave Immortal Maiden Hanxiao two supreme-grade Mingwu Pills and learned that the Divine Crane Tribe's territory lay west of the Celestial Person Immortal Sect.
• After flying west for about a month, He Pingsheng reached the border and spotted demons assaulting a human girl beside a lake.
• He Pingsheng killed the Nascent Soul demon with his Thunder Shards Gathering the Sun ability and forced the two Golden Core demons to stay put.
• The girl introduced herself as Tian Yao, the youngest daughter of the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor, and explained that poison had left her unable to use magic power.
• He Pingsheng examined Tian Yao, confirmed the poison was third-grade, and offered to draw it into his own meridians, warning her that his divine sense would see through her body.

He Pingsheng removed the poison from Tian Yao and waited with her for her aunt to arrive. When the Void Refinement powerhouse appeared, Tian Yao falsely claimed that beasts had violated her, and her aunt mistook He Pingsheng for the culprit.

• He Pingsheng cleared the poison from Tian Yao’s body, restoring her cultivation.
• Tian Yao summoned her aunt with a jade token and offered He Pingsheng a fifth-grade spirit fruit and a place at the Divine Emperor’s Residence, but he declined.
• After about two hours, Tian Yao’s aunt arrived, and He Pingsheng recognized her as a first-layer Void Refinement powerhouse.
• Tian Yao tearfully told her aunt that beasts had violated her, and the aunt’s aura knocked He Pingsheng back and injured the two demon cultivators.
• Tian Yao’s aunt accused He Pingsheng of violating the princess, and he denied it, explaining that demon cultivators had attacked Tian Yao and he had rescued her.

He Pingsheng realized Tian Yao and her aunt intended to slaughter everyone around Skywave Lake, then refused Tian Yao’s demand that he become her servant. When Tian Yao threatened to kill him, he activated a powerful lightning talisman against her and the Black-Clad Woman.

• Tian Yao identified the two surviving flood dragons and asked her aunt to take them away for torture.
• Tian Yao demanded that her aunt kill every creature around Skywave Lake, and the Black-Clad Woman agreed.
• He Pingsheng tried to leave, but Tian Yao offered him a path to Spirit Transformation only if he surrendered his Heavenly Dao Slave Mark and became her servant.
• Tian Yao threatened to have her aunt kill He Pingsheng if he refused, claiming she could not let anyone reveal her violation.
• He Pingsheng activated a Nine-Heavens Thunder Spear talisman and sent its lightning strike toward Tian Yao and the Black-Clad Woman.

He Pingsheng fought Tian Yao’s aunt, a first-layer void refinement expert, but his talismans and defenses could not overcome her. He remained badly outmatched and was left searching for a way to survive.

• Tian Yao’s aunt shattered most of He Pingsheng’s first Nine-Heavens Thunder Spear and tore her sleeve while destroying its remaining power.
• He Pingsheng unleashed nine more thunder spear talismans and used Instantaneous Teleportation to flee.
• Tian Yao’s aunt destroyed the nine spears, pursued He Pingsheng through successive teleports, and failed to penetrate his sea of consciousness with two divine sense attacks.
• Tian Yao’s aunt struck He Pingsheng with her Soft Whip, cutting his chest and sending him flying.
• He Pingsheng used his Turtle Shell to block a second lash, but the attack shattered its defenses and left him unable to see how he could fight back.

He Pingsheng fought the Black-Clad Woman and returned to Skywave Lake, where he attempted to kill Tian Yao before being struck down by a Void Refinement woman. The woman realized He Pingsheng might still be alive when his treasures vanished.

• He Pingsheng refused to hand over his Heavenly Dao Slave Mark and used Nine-Heavens Thunder Spears to escape toward Skywave Lake.
• He Pingsheng found Tian Yao guarded by a Black-Clad Woman and confronted her over her demand that he become her servant.
• He Pingsheng used his remaining thunder spears to distract the Void Refinement woman, then killed her Spirit Transformation avatar with his strongest attack.
• The Void Refinement woman shielded Tian Yao and destroyed He Pingsheng's body with black sword qi.
• The Void Refinement woman noticed He Pingsheng's treasures had disappeared and concluded that he might not be dead.

He Pingsheng escaped the Black-Clad Woman by using the Yin-Reversing Yang-Transforming Immortal Talisman, then recovered in a distant valley. After learning more about avatars and higher cultivation realms, he disguised himself and headed toward the Divine Crane City to find out where he was.

• The Black-Clad Woman realized He Pingsheng had survived and feared that he would seek revenge, while Tian Yao trusted in his father's strength.
• He Pingsheng reappeared in a distant valley with all his belongings and explained that the Yin-Reversing Yang-Transforming Immortal Talisman had reborn him after death.
• He Pingsheng considered how Void Refinement cultivators used avatars and how avatars could help cultivators reach Body Integration.
• He Pingsheng changed his appearance and aura, flew to a small cultivation city, and learned that it lay in the Divine Crane Royal Clan's territory near Divine Crane City.

He Pingsheng reached Divine Crane City and traded a supreme-grade Divine-Breaking Pill for a nine-gold yang-transforming fruit at the Heavenly Feather Commerce Association. He learned that six-bath clear dew was unavailable there and asked about rootless grass, which might grow elsewhere in the Divine Crane clan's territory.

• He Pingsheng used the Eight-Treasure Ship to reach Divine Crane City after the Yin-Reversing Yang-Transforming Immortal Talisman sent him into the Divine Crane clan's territory.
• He Pingsheng visited the Heavenly Feather Commerce Association under the assumed name Dragon Hibernate and asked about nine-gold yang-transforming fruit.
• Elder Divine Deer recognized He Pingsheng's supreme-grade Divine-Breaking Pill and agreed to exchange it for one nine-gold yang-transforming fruit.
• He Pingsheng inspected the fruit, accepted it, and asked Elder Divine Deer for leads on six-bath clear dew.
• Elder Divine Deer said six-bath clear dew had not appeared at the association in over forty years, and He Pingsheng asked whether it had rootless grass.

He Pingsheng learned that the Divine Crane Tribe wanted him to refine supreme-grade Transformation Pills for Crown Prince Tianyu, but he refused to avoid the danger of being forced to serve the Demon Race. He bought a comprehensive map of the Divine Crane Royal Clan's territory and prepared to search elsewhere for rootless grass.

• Elder Divine Deer asked whether He Pingsheng had personally refined the supreme-grade Divine-Breaking Pill and offered him a chance to win the Golden-Winged Divine King's favor.
• Elder Divine Deer explained that Crown Prince Tianyu had reached the Spirit Transformation Stage without assuming human form, even after taking a high-grade fifth-grade Transformation Pill.
• He Pingsheng realized that Elder Divine Deer wanted him to make supreme-grade Transformation Pills, but claimed he could not refine fifth-grade pills because he was only a Nascent Soul cultivator.
• He Pingsheng refused to risk attracting the Golden-Winged Divine King's attention and asked Elder Divine Deer to sell him rootless grass, but the commerce association had none.
• He Pingsheng bought a comprehensive map of the Divine Crane Royal Clan's territory and learned that the association had no map of the entire Heavenly Fire Continent.

He Pingsheng traveled to the Nine Hells Abyss to seek rootless grass and learned that its Wind-Suppressing Pearl was a Buddhist artifact whose power had weakened over time. After the pearl stopped working and hurricanes swept across the entrance, he decided to wait four days before entering.

• He Pingsheng received a map from Elder Divine Deer and reached the city surrounding the Nine Hells Abyss.
• He Pingsheng examined the abyss and asked a red-robed Nascent Soul cultivator about the Wind-Suppressing Pearl.
• The cultivator explained that the Buddhist Path Golden Pearl suppressed the hurricanes for three days before needing four days to recover.
• The Wind-Suppressing Pearl stopped working, and hurricanes spread around the entrance and into the city.
• He Pingsheng backed away and decided to wait four days before entering the abyss.

He Pingsheng visited a spirit tea house near the Nine Hells Abyss and discovered that its proprietress’s zither music and beauty could affect people’s senses. After she struck him twice with sound waves, she ordered him back inside, leaving him wary of her overwhelming power.

• He Pingsheng joined a red-robed Nascent Soul cultivator at the tea house, where they paid ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones each for spirit tea.
• The red-robed cultivator explained that the patrons came to see the proprietress, who soon appeared and played the zither.
• He Pingsheng sensed that the proprietress’s beauty and music were affecting his perceptions, so he sealed off half his six senses and examined her with Divine Sense.
• The proprietress rebuked He Pingsheng for probing her and struck him with two sound waves, the second blasting him through a window without seriously injuring him.
• He Pingsheng tried to leave, but the proprietress ordered him back inside to sit and listen, while the other patrons remained unaware of what had happened.

After hearing how difficult it was to obtain fifth-grade rootless grass, He Pingsheng left the Spirit Tea House and met Golden Mouse, who offered to trade him three fourth-grade plants. He Pingsheng confirmed the grass was real, but still had no fifth-grade rootless grass.

• Hong Luo recognized He Pingsheng beneath his disguise, called him Young Master Dragon, and invited him to hear her play again.
• He Pingsheng learned that fifth-grade rootless grass drifted away from approaching people and was extremely difficult to find in the Nine Hells Abyss.
• He Pingsheng left the Spirit Tea House intending to search the abyss himself before considering a trade.
• Golden Mouse revealed that he was a treasure-seeking Golden Mouse Tribe member and offered He Pingsheng three fourth-grade rootless grass plants.
• He Pingsheng scanned for accomplices and used his divine sense to confirm the jade box contained three fourth-grade plants.

He Pingsheng followed Golden Mouse to meet his master and trade for fifth-grade Rootless Grass. After discovering the old man was an eighth-layer Spirit Transformation cultivator pretending to be a Nascent Soul cultivator, He Pingsheng offered his supreme-grade Earthroot Talisman, leaving the trade unresolved.

• Golden Mouse told He Pingsheng that his master had six stalks of fifth-grade Rootless Grass and invited him to negotiate.
• He Pingsheng prepared with Heavenly Pine Mystic Yellow Dew and the Earthroot Talisman, then followed Golden Mouse to the cave beyond Measure Mountain.
• He Pingsheng sensed that Golden Mouse's master had eighth-layer Spirit Transformation cultivation, but entered the cave and met him anyway.
• The old man pretended to be a twelfth-layer Nascent Soul cultivator and asked He Pingsheng to name his price for the Rootless Grass.
• He Pingsheng offered ten drops of Heavenly Pine Mystic Yellow Dew, then presented his supreme-grade fifth-grade Earthroot Talisman as his trump card.