Recaps

Xu Qingtong drove Yao San'er away from Azure Wind Hall with help from the City Lord's Manor, then built the shop into a profitable business. As he prepared to leave Wei City, he entrusted the shop to Cui Yan and asked about a spirit beast that could carry messages over long distances.

• Gao Bucheng arrived at Azure Wind Hall, rejected Yao San'er’s claim that they were relatives, and made Yao San'er and his companions pay twenty thousand spirit stones.
• Gao Bucheng warned Yao San'er that Xu Qingtong was powerful and ordered him never to provoke Xu Qingtong again.
• Yao San'er spread warnings around Wei City, helping Azure Wind Hall avoid trouble while Xu Qingtong spent the next months refining elixirs and making talismans.
• After six months, Azure Wind Hall had earned over a million spirit stones, and Cui Yan and Lan Xin Butterfly hired two Qi Refining cultivators to help run the shop.
• Xu Qingtong told Cui Yan he would leave for a while and asked him to manage Azure Wind Hall and gather intelligence.
• When Cui Yan mentioned a spirit beast that could deliver messages, Xu Qingtong told him to summon Lan Xin Butterfly.

Xu Qingtong arranged a secure long-distance messaging method before leaving, commissioning Lan Xin Butterfly to raise a Cat Falcon and making restricted voice-transmission Jade Talismans. The Cat Falcon had begun hatching by the next morning, and Xu Qingtong tested the talisman’s safeguards with Lan Xin Butterfly.

• Xu Qingtong asked Lan Xin Butterfly about ways to transmit messages over long distances, and she described Peregrine Falcons and gu arts.
• Lan Xin Butterfly gave Xu Qingtong a Jade Slip with instructions for refining tracking tokens, and he used one of Xiao Qi’s feathers to make a beast band and a Hairpin.
• Lan Xin Butterfly could not find a Peregrine Falcon egg in Wei City, but she bought a Cat Falcon, which she said was an even better spirit beast.
• Xu Qingtong refined voice-transmission Jade Talismans with Restrictions that caused them to explode if someone tried to inspect their messages without the activation method.
• Lan Xin Butterfly began hatching the Cat Falcon while Xu Qingtong prepared the talismans and gave her instructions for activating and deactivating their Restrictions.
• Lan Xin Butterfly sent Xu Qingtong a message wishing him a safe journey, and he asked her to try inspecting the restricted talisman directly with her divine sense.

Xu Qingtong left Wei City after entrusting Azure Wind Hall to Cui Yan and traveled to Linyue City to buy supplies. At an inn, he learned that the disgraced beggar Hong Fei was Yu Jizi’s disciple and heard that Yu Jizi’s brother was Yu Xuzi, Xu Qingtong’s master.

• Xu Qingtong instructed Cui Yan to manage Azure Wind Hall and told Lan Xin Butterfly to contact him if important news arose.
• Xu Qingtong visited Bai Feng, asked him to watch over Azure Wind Hall, then left Wei City and traveled to Linyue City.
• Xu Qingtong entered Linyue City using Bai Feng’s token and checked into the Drunken Immortal Abode.
• Xu Qingtong shared a table with a bucktoothed cultivator and watched the beggar Madman Hong ask him for spirit stones.
• Xu Qingtong learned that Madman Hong was Hong Fei, a former Anyang Sect disciple whose golden core had been destroyed and who had been expelled.
• The bucktoothed cultivator said Yu Jizi was at odds with Sect Leader Yuquan because of Yu Jizi’s brother Yu Xuzi, causing Xu Qingtong to wonder how Hong Fei was connected to his master.

Xu Qingtong approached Hong Fei, who had lost his cultivation, and offered to restore his Golden Core using the Yin Refining Method. After Hong Fei agreed to a Soul Contract, they arranged to meet and travel to Shuangjia Mountain for the procedure.

• Xu Qingtong summoned Hong Fei to his room and learned that Hong Fei belonged to no sect and refused to explain how he lost his cultivation.
• Xu Qingtong offered Hong Fei spirit stones, then persuaded him to stay by revealing that they shared an enemy in Yuquan.
• Xu Qingtong proposed using the Yin Refining Method to fuse another Golden Core into Hong Fei's body and restore his former cultivation.
• Hong Fei agreed to work for Xu Qingtong for thirty years in exchange for the procedure, and they swore an oath and signed a Soul Contract.
• Hong Fei named Shuangjia Mountain as a secluded place for the procedure, and Xu Qingtong arranged to meet him at Linyue City's east gate the next day.

Xu Qingtong refined a Golden Core and helped Hong Fei restore his Golden Core Stage cultivation. After Hong Fei recovered, they sparred at Shuangjia Mountain, where Xu Qingtong demonstrated that his combat strength rivaled or surpassed Hong Fei’s.

• Xu Qingtong and Hong Fei traveled to Shuangjia Mountain, where Xu Qingtong carved a cave and set up formations to conceal and secure it.
• Xu Qingtong sealed the Heavenly Mystery Palace hall master’s primordial spirit inside its Golden Core and refined it in the Soul Refining Pot; Yan Zhongzi learned that Hall Master Wei’s Soul Lamp had gone out and heard he was killed west of due north.
• Xu Qingtong used the Yin Refining Method to merge the refined Golden Core into Hong Fei, and after forty days Hong Fei regained Golden Core Stage cultivation and pledged to honor their agreement.
• Hong Fei estimated that he had recovered about eighty percent of his former strength and agreed to spar with Xu Qingtong.
• Hong Fei attacked with a fire phoenix and a Golden Palm, but Xu Qingtong countered with a water dragon and repeated Golden Light Slashes; Hong Fei then found he could no longer draw on the surrounding power of heaven and earth.

Xu Qingtong arranged for Hong Fei to travel to Wei City under the new name Feng Zihong and work as Azure Wind Hall’s alchemist. He then journeyed to the Desert Swamp to investigate the Demon Realm entrance, where he examined Mokali’s belongings and found two unusual fruits that might be World-Breaking Fruits.

• Xu Qingtong hired Hong Fei as Azure Wind Hall’s alchemist and renamed him Feng Zihong to hide him from Yuquan.
• Xu Qingtong bought supplies for the shop, gave Feng Zihong three Storage Bags and a Sound Transmission Jade Slip for Cui Yan, and sent him toward Wei City alone.
• Xu Qingtong returned to Linyue City, prepared for his journey, and headed to the Desert Swamp to investigate the Demon Realm entrance Mokali had described.
• After reaching the swamp, Xu Qingtong searched Mokali’s Storage Ring and found Demonic Treasures, demon crystals, inscribed bones, and ruined pills.
• Xu Qingtong discovered two refined fruits in a bottle and wondered whether they were the World-Breaking Fruits Mokali had mentioned.

Xu Qingtong refined two World-Breaking Fruits and traveled to the Demon Realm entrance to find a secluded place to form his golden core. While searching the entrance beneath a black hill, he uncovered a token whose appearance prompted a response from the Heavenly Mystery Palace.

• Xu Qingtong identified and refined two World-Breaking Fruits, then decided to locate the Demon Realm entrance before secretly forming his golden core.
• Xu Qingtong resolved to attempt forming five golden cores around his five Dao Heart Seeds and flew to the location Mokali had described.
• Xiao Bai sensed spatial fluctuations beneath the black hill, and Xu Qingtong sent Xiao Bai and Xizi to search for their source.
• Xu Qingtong inspected the Law City branch hall master’s storage bag and found a token marked with the characters for “heaven” and “law.”
• A disciple told Yan Zhongzi that the Law City Branch Hall Master’s Token had appeared in the Desert Swamp, but Yan Zhongzi found no trace of it on the magic disc.

Xu Qingtong escaped the Heavenly Mystery Palace Grand Elder by using a World-Breaking Fruit to open the Spatial Node and flee into the Demon Realm. He emerged in a remote valley and began planning his next move.

• Yan Zhongzi learned that the Tracking Disk had briefly detected the Hall Master Token and sent a figure out from his body.
• Xu Qingtong followed Xiao Bai and Xizi to a Mountain Cave containing a Spatial Node that led toward the Demon Realm.
• The Heavenly Mystery Palace Grand Elder confronted Xu Qingtong and accused him of killing his grandson and the Law City hall master.
• Xu Qingtong detonated two World-Breaking Fruits, blasting the Grand Elder and opening a passage through the Spatial Node.
• Xu Qingtong endured the passage's tearing force and emerged in a remote Demon Realm valley beneath a blood-red moon.
• Xu Qingtong found no sign of the Devil Race, put on his Invisibility Cloak, and sat down to consider his plans.

Xu Qingtong attempted to form his Golden Core at the barrier entrance in the Demon Realm, enduring a Heart Tribulation and increasingly powerful Thunder Tribulations. As the Xuanming Seal was battered by lightning, it began to transform and form a new connection with his divine sense.

• Xu Qingtong explored the area around the barrier, found no nearby cities or powerful Devil Race cultivators, and chose the entrance as a place to attempt Core Formation.
• Xu Qingtong spent a month preparing and meditating before drawing water-attribute origin power into his dantian and forming a dark golden Golden Core.
• Xu Qingtong recognized the Heart Tribulation’s imitation of his parents, spotted a flaw in its deception, and destroyed the figures with a Golden Light Slash.
• Xu Qingtong endured the first bolt of tribulation lightning by using the Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art to temper his body.
• Xu Qingtong used the Xuanming Seal to shield himself from the stronger second bolt, and the lightning cracked the seal as it transformed and absorbed a strand of his divine sense.

Xu Qingtong endured a prolonged heavenly tribulation, tempering his body and discovering that his Devil Race nature gave him rapid recovery. As immortal light descended, four Devil Generals approached, and the encounter turned into a fight that ended with Xiao Qi killing both blue-haired devils.

• Xu Qingtong's Xuanming Seal absorbed a wisp of his divine sense and became more sentient as he endured the second thunder tribulation.
• A third, more powerful bolt struck, and Xu Qingtong summoned his incarnation to share the lightning; both bodies advanced their Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art before the tribulation ended.
• Xu Qingtong's charred original body recovered on its own, and his incarnation attributed this to the Devil Venerable's modifications and the Devil Race's powerful recovery.
• As immortal light bathed Xu Qingtong, his incarnation intercepted four approaching Devil Generals and ordered them to leave, but they attacked after questioning whether he was from Hanshui City.
• Xu Qingtong fought the four devils with Golden Light Slashes, and Xiao Qi arrived and killed both blue-haired devils before Xu Qingtong could stop him; the two brown-bodied devils fled in separate directions.

Xu Qingtong’s incarnation captured Luosaide and learned about the nearby tribes and cities while his main body stabilized his Golden Core cultivation. After deciding to bring the nearby tribes under Luosaide’s control, Xu Qingtong received a message from his main body.

• Xu Qingtong’s incarnation and Xiao Qi killed three Demon People, and Xu Qingtong forced the surviving chief, Luosaide, to hand over his soul blood and serve him.
• Luosaide told Xu Qingtong about the nearby Brown Race and Blue Devil Race tribes, as well as Bodun City and Hanshui City, and began teaching him the Devil Race’s language.
• Xu Qingtong’s main body completed his first Core Formation, stabilized his Golden Core cultivation, and prepared to form another core using a different Dao Heart Seed.
• On the way to Luosaide’s tribe, Xu Qingtong warned Luosaide against plotting against him and learned that Xiao Qi had killed three tribal chiefs.
• Xu Qingtong urged Luosaide to take control of the tribes whose chiefs had died, and Luosaide agreed that Xu Qingtong’s strength could help subdue the Blue Devil tribes.
• Xu Qingtong sensed a message from his main body.

Xu Qingtong condensed a second Golden Core, helped Luosaide unite five Brown Race tribes, and studied how demonic qi affected the mind. After a year in the Demon Realm, he completed Core Formation for all five attributes and flew toward the Qingbing Tribe.

• Xu Qingtong condensed a fire attribute Golden Core, endured its heavenly tribulation with the Mysterious Light Mirror, and advanced his incarnation's Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art to the second level.
• Xu Qingtong sent Xiao Qi to help Luosaide subdue the Daqi Tribe and instructed Xiao Qi to follow Luosaide's orders.
• Xu Qingtong studied the Demon Realm's cultivation system and realized his main body and incarnation were protected from demonic qi by the Pure-Heart Snow Lotus and tiger-patterned white jade lotus.
• Luosaide and Xiao Qi united five Brown Race tribes into the Qingbing Tribe, which Xu Qingtong named and kept hidden from outsiders.
• After a year, Xu Qingtong completed Core Formation for all five attributes, greatly increased his physical strength and divine sense, and flew toward the Qingbing Tribe.

After merging with his Incarnation, Xu Qingtong learned that the Qingbing Tribe was fighting the Buku Tribe over a demonic crystal mine and went to confront the Demon Marshal Duo Jie. The chapter ended as Xu Qingtong met Duo Jie's flaming punch with one of his own.

• Xu Qingtong merged with his Incarnation and learned how the Qingbing Tribe's discovery of the mine had led to a clash with the Buku Tribe.
• Luosaide told Xu Qingtong that Duo Jie, a middle-stage Demon Marshal from Bodun City, had driven back the Qingbing Tribe's forces despite Xiao Qi's intervention.
• Xu Qingtong took Luosaide to Wangtai Mountain aboard the Swiftwind Boat and found people mining at the entrance.
• Duo Jie confronted Xu Qingtong, who ordered him to leave the Qingbing Tribe's mine.
• Duo Jie attacked with a crimson-flaming fist, and Xu Qingtong punched back to test his strength.

Xu Qingtong defeated Duo Jie and forced him to reveal the location of ruins left by a powerful human cultivator. After binding Duo Jie with a soul restriction and settling the dispute over the mine, Xu Qingtong set out with him for the ruins.

• Xu Qingtong shattered Duo Jie's attacks and overwhelmed him with Five Elements spells and divine seals.
• Duo Jie begged for his life and offered information about ruins where a powerful human cultivator had died in meditation.
• Xu Qingtong placed a Blood-Soul Restriction Talisman on Duo Jie and ordered him to lead the way.
• Duo Jie killed Tie Zhengmu, then ordered the remaining Buku tribe members to leave the mine.
• Xu Qingtong told Luosaide to take over the mine and ordered Duo Jie to lead him to the ruins.

Xu Qingtong followed Duo Jie to the hidden dwelling of the ancient Demon Emperor Lian Shaocheng, but found its protective formation impossible to break. He freed Duo Jie, then secretly returned to study the formation and seek a way inside.

• Duo Jie led Xu Qingtong to a mountain ravine and showed him a letter and map identifying it as Lian Shaocheng’s secluded dwelling.
• Xu Qingtong learned that Lian Shaocheng had been a Demon Emperor and discovered that a protective formation blocked the ravine.
• Xu Qingtong lifted Duo Jie’s Blood-Soul Restriction after deciding their bargain was fulfilled, then left him with a warning.
• Xu Qingtong marked Duo Jie with his divine sense, turned back after sensing him fly away, and returned to the ravine.
• Xu Qingtong summoned his incarnation to guard the area and spent days studying the formation, while his incarnation killed several Demon General-level magic beasts.

Xu Qingtong entered a hidden formation with Xiao Bai’s help and explored the structures within. He found a powerful Demon Realm spell recorded on a Jade Slip but could not use it because he had no Demonic Qi.

• Xu Qingtong asked Xiao Bai to locate the formation’s weakest point, and Xiao Bai showed him how to open a passage by adjusting Spatial Power.
• Xu Qingtong entered the formation with Xiao Bai, then used the Pure-Heart Snow Lotus to free Xiao Bai from Demonic Qi corruption.
• Xu Qingtong followed a path through a bamboo grove and discovered three crude stone houses built against the mountainside.
• Xu Qingtong found a black stone drum that sent a frigid chill into his Niwang Palace when he touched it, and the books in the left house crumbled into powder.
• Xu Qingtong opened a stone box and discovered a Jade Slip containing Ice Flame Palm, a powerful spell that required Demonic Qi to cast.

Xu Qingtong discovered and began cultivating Lian Shaocheng’s Demon Transformation Great Method, using a cold soul stone drum to control its dangerous demonic qi. After strengthening his cultivation and helping manage the Qingbing Tribe, he went into the mountains to test his demonic arts, where a demonic wolf attacked him.

• Xu Qingtong found the Demon Transformation Great Method in a jade slip and learned that cold soul stone could prevent its demonic qi from causing cultivation deviation.
• Xu Qingtong cultivated on the cold soul stone drum, reached the middle stage of the first level in a month, and used demonic power to place the drum in his Storage Ring.
• Xu Qingtong left the ruins with Xiao Bai’s help, checked on the Demonic Crystal Mine, and returned to the Qingbing Tribe, where Luosaide reported that its population had grown past ten thousand.
• Xu Qingtong ordered Luosaide to strengthen the tribe and spent the next year cultivating; his incarnation reached the middle-stage Demon General rank while his original body continued its own cultivation.
• Xu Qingtong’s incarnation went into the mountains to test his demonic arts, but a demonic wolf sprang at him.

Xu Qingtong tested several powerful demonic arts before leaving the Qingbing Tribe to seek World-Breaking Fruit in Hanshui City. He entered the city under the name Guo Zirui and asked to join, while Lu Gui'nian began assessing him.

• Xu Qingtong killed a demonic wolf with Ice Flame Palm, then tested Raging Thunder Finger, Demonwind Frenzy, and Overlord Hammer on other beasts.
• Luosaide told Xu Qingtong that World-Breaking Fruit could no longer be refined and might be held by humans in Hanshui City.
• Xu Qingtong left the Qingbing Tribe secretly and flew toward Hanshui City, passing Lian Shaocheng's secluded dwelling without approaching Duo Jie and two companions.
• At Hanshui City's southern gate, Xu Qingtong claimed to be Guo Zirui, a human raised by the Brown Race, and agreed to seek membership in the city.
• Lu Gui'nian told Xu Qingtong that Hanshui City would welcome him if he was human and swore not to betray humanity.

After swearing a Heart Demon oath and joining Hanshui City, Xu Qingtong gathered information about the attack on Yalai Town and learned that Kangse City's Spirit Controlling Clan wanted its demonized garden balsam. He went to sign up for a garrison mission there, leaving his eligibility to be confirmed.

• Xu Qingtong swore not to betray the human race, joined Hanshui City, and chose to explore the city before deciding whether to take a post.
• At a teahouse, Xu Qingtong heard reports of attacks on Swallow Dock and Yalai Town, then met Shi Wenlong, a survivor of the assault on Yalai Town.
• Shi Wenlong told Xu Qingtong that the Spirit Controlling Clan of Kangse City had controlled the magic beasts to seize Yalai Town's demonized garden balsam.
• After hearing that Hanshui City was recruiting Demon Generals to garrison Yalai Town, Xu Qingtong hurried to the City Lord's Manor and asked to sign up as Guo Zirui.

Xu Qingtong visited an artifact refiner’s shop in Hanshui City and learned that the ancient spirit treasure Phoenix Bearing chose its own master. After Xu Qingtong offered his essence blood, the sword acknowledged him, leaving the old man stunned and reaching for a jade slip.

• Xu Qingtong registered for recruitment under the name Guo Zirui and received orders to report to Commander Xue in Yalai Town before the You Hour.
• While wandering Hanshui City, Xu Qingtong entered the Ouye Blacksmith Shop and became absorbed in the old refiner’s hammering.
• Xu Qingtong noticed an ancient sword called Phoenix Bearing and learned from the old man that it was a spirit treasure that chose its own master.
• The old man explained that Lord Lian Shaocheng had returned Phoenix Bearing four thousand years earlier because his cultivation method could damage its spirituality.
• Xu Qingtong tested the sword with a drop of essence blood, and Phoenix Bearing absorbed it and manifested a fire phoenix before him.
• The old man reacted with shock and excitement, then shakily took out a jade slip.

Xu Qingtong bonded with the Fengyi Sword and learned that he might be able to find the lost method for refining World-Breaking Fruits in Mokali’s Storage Ring. Ouye Tong asked him to preserve and pass on the Ouye Household’s Artifact Refining Technique, then offered to reveal a secret about the sword.

• Ouye Tong gave Xu Qingtong a Jade Slip and urged him to form a Divine Soul contract with the Fire Phoenix.
• Xu Qingtong bonded with the Fire Phoenix, agreed to its requirements, and placed it inside the Fengyi Sword.
• Xu Qingtong offered artifact refining materials as payment, and Ouye Tong recognized that the materials and sword’s acceptance suggested Xu Qingtong was from the Human Realm.
• Ouye Tong explained the Fengyi Sword’s history and asked Xu Qingtong to take the Ouye Household’s Artifact Refining Technique to the Human Realm and pass it down.
• Ouye Tong said that returning to the Human Realm might require reaching the Demon Venerable Realm, and named Mokali as the Demon Venerable associated with the lost World-Breaking Fruit method.
• Xu Qingtong realized Mokali’s Storage Ring might contain that method, while Ouye Tong identified himself as the last inheritor of his household and offered to share a secret about the Fengyi Sword.

Xu Qingtong joined the third squad in Yalai Town under the alias Guo Zirui and went to guard a mountain pass with Zhang Mengwei. When Magic Beasts attacked, he swiftly killed several of them, ending with a Poison Mist Spider reduced to ash.

• Xu Qingtong agreed to help Ouye Tong, received a jade slip of the Ouye Lineage's artifact refining arts, and left to report to Commander Xue in Yalai Town.
• Commander Xue assigned Xu Qingtong to the third squad, where Ma Yinping introduced him to Liu Qian, Sun Lan, and Zhang Mengwei.
• Ma Yinping sent Xu Qingtong and Zhang Mengwei to guard a mountain pass before dark.
• A third-tier black-bear-like Magic Beast charged the pair, and Xu Qingtong killed it with one blow from the Overlord Hammer.
• Xu Qingtong trapped a Poison Mist Spider with Ice Flame Palm and killed two Demonic Wolves with Raging Thunder Finger.
• Xu Qingtong converted his demonic power into spiritual power and burned the Poison Mist Spider to ash with Flame Dragon Technique.

Xu Qingtong and Zhang Mengwei fought two Fourth Tier magic beasts, and Xu Qingtong killed both despite their powerful abilities. After Zhang Mengwei apologized and questioned his strength, Xu Qingtong sensed trouble before he could answer.

• Xu Qingtong assigned Zhang Mengwei to hold off the Giant-Horned Rhinoceros while he fought the Shadow Wolf.
• The Shadow Wolf’s howl left Zhang Mengwei vulnerable, but Xu Qingtong blocked the rhinoceros and killed the Shadow Wolf with his seals.
• The Giant-Horned Rhinoceros grew larger after unleashing its Innate Divine Ability and resisted Xu Qingtong’s attacks.
• Xu Qingtong used the Fengyi Sword and Fire Phoenix to pierce the rhinoceros’s skull and kill it.
• Zhang Mengwei thanked Xu Qingtong and asked how a mid-stage Demon General could be so strong, but Xu Qingtong abruptly warned that something was wrong.

Xu Qingtong rescued Sun Lan from three powerful magic beasts, revealing combat strength that surprised Captain Ma and the others. After the group returned to town, Commander Xue summoned him.

• Xu Qingtong rushed to Sun Lan’s aid and used the Houtu Seal to shield her from two Demon Hounds.
• Xu Qingtong killed the Demonic Wind Leopard with a Divine Sense Thorn and Ice Flame Palm, then killed one Demon Hound with the Xuanming Seal and Raging Thunder Finger.
• Xu Qingtong and Sun Lan joined forces to kill the last Demon Hound, and Sun Lan thanked him for saving her.
• Captain Ma arrived and heard Sun Lan’s account of Guo Zirui’s strength, then remarked that they had underestimated him.
• Xu Qingtong recovered beside the mountain pass, helped repel a later wave of beasts, and returned to town with the others the next day.
• Captain Ma returned from seeing Commander Xue and told Xu Qingtong that the commander wanted to see him.

Xu Qingtong was summoned by Commander Xue, who tested his strength and offered him the deputy commander position. Xu Qingtong accepted after negotiating higher pay, then went to settle into the study behind Commander Xue’s courtyard.

• Captain Ma told Xu Qingtong that Commander Xue had summoned him for a new assignment, while Zhang Mengwei and Sun Lan protested his transfer.
• Commander Xue tested Xu Qingtong by attacking him with a powerful black hand, then explained that Captain Ma had praised his strength.
• Xu Qingtong angrily rejected Commander Xue’s offer at first and said he had come only for money.
• Commander Xue raised the deputy commander’s pay to eight hundred demon crystals a day, and Xu Qingtong accepted.
• Commander Xue gave Xu Qingtong the Deputy Commander Token and assigned him to inspect garrison personnel, rescue those in danger, punish shirkers, and assist against Demon Marshal-level magic beasts.
• Xu Qingtong went to the quiet two-story building behind the courtyard to rest.