Chapter Summaries

Xiao Qi survived her heavenly tribulation, and Xu Qingtong escaped the seabed by climbing the undersea mountain and swimming to the surface. He reunited with Du Siwen on a small island, where she asked how he had gotten free.

• Xiao Qi withstood the final tribulation lightning, and seven-colored radiance restored her feathers as Xu Qingtong prepared to intervene.
• Xu Qingtong sent Xiao Qi into the Seven-Star Bracelet and climbed the undersea mountain beneath the Three Saints Bell.
• Xu Qingtong reached the summit, swam to the surface, and flew toward Cat-Ear Island on the Cloud-Howling Sword.
• Xu Qingtong landed on a small island and called Du Siwen out of the Seven-Star Bracelet.
• Du Siwen asked Xu Qingtong how he had escaped the seabed, and he boasted that he had climbed to the summit.

Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen returned to Gloomwind Valley after traveling back from Red Moon Island, where Xu Qingtong had fulfilled his promise to revive his senior sister. They reunited with Yu Tiancheng and Fang Tianqi, then returned to Swallowtail Peak to rest.

• Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen rested before traveling by sword to Cat-Ear Island and activating its Teleportation Array.
• The pair arrived on Red Moon Island, and Xu Qingtong summoned Xiao Bai before they headed for Gloomwind Valley.
• Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen reached Gloomwind Valley, where the gatekeeper recognized Xu Qingtong only after checking his Identity Token.
• Yu Tiancheng and Fang Tianqi welcomed them, and Yu Tiancheng confirmed that Du Siwen had truly returned.
• Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen told Yu Tiancheng and Fang Tianqi about their experiences, then went to Swallowtail Peak for the night.

Xu Qingtong returned to Gloomwind Valley, visited his senior brothers and master, and then went to Cloudsky Peak to see his family. He learned that his elderly uncle and aunt had grown confused with age and reunited with them at their home.

• Gong Chu welcomed Xu Qingtong back, revealed he had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm Second Layer, and asked him to refine an offensive Spirit Artifact once he gathered the materials.
• Xu Qingtong visited Guan Yu and Yu Tiancheng, gave his master several Spirit Artifacts for Gong Chu, and asked why Du Siwen had saved him twice.
• Du Siwen chose to stay with Yu Tiancheng for a few days while Xu Qingtong headed to Cloudsky Peak to visit his uncle and aunt.
• Zhuang Shengren and the others welcomed Xu Qingtong at Cloudsky Peak, where he learned Chen Ruoling had established her foundation and his elderly relatives had become confused.
• Xu Qingtong hurried to the farmhouse and sat beside Chen Jialiang while Madam Zhang held his hand.

Xu Qingtong stayed with Chen Jialiang and his family as his aunt and uncle passed away, then returned to his cave abode to consider his future. Third Senior Sister arrived and asked what he planned to do now that he had no attachments left there.

• Xu Qingtong learned that Chen Jialiang was nearing the end of his life and decided to stay by his uncle rather than take him to Central Province.
• Xu Qingtong checked on his disciples, learned that Li Yingjie had reached Foundation Establishment and Fu Xingzhi had reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining, and urged Chen Ruoling to spend time with her father.
• Du Siwen returned to Cloudsky Peak and visited Chen Jialiang and Madam Zhang before sharing her experiences in Central Province with Ding Jiayue and the others.
• Madam Zhang died a year later, and Xu Qingtong stayed with Chen Jialiang while living a quiet life in the family home.
• Chen Jialiang died six months later after Xu Qingtong promised to marry Du Siwen if she agreed, and Xu Qingtong buried both elders in their courtyard and set up ancestral tablets.
• Xu Qingtong returned to his cave abode, where Third Senior Sister asked what he planned to do next.

Xu Qingtong investigated Li Yingjie's suspicious behavior while preparing to leave for Central Province with his companions. He urged Yu Tiancheng to come with him, and demonstrated that Biyue could help protect Gloomwind Valley.

• Xu Qingtong, Du Siwen, and Chen Ruoling discussed traveling to Central Province and agreed that only one of Senior Brother Zhuang, Lei Wei, and Jia Yue should accompany them.
• After hearing that Li Yingjie had visited the mountain behind Cloudsky Peak, Xu Qingtong sent his incarnation to watch him and took Fu Xingzhi to Gloomwind Valley.
• Li Yingjie entered Xu Qingtong's Yin-Yang cave, practiced the Yin Nether Soul Refining Art, and vowed to settle his old and new accounts with Xu Qingtong within three years.
• Xu Qingtong asked Yu Tiancheng to accompany him to Central Province, arguing that its spiritual resources would improve Yu Tiancheng's chances of forming a nascent soul.
• Xu Qingtong showed Yu Tiancheng that Biyue, his Golden Core Stage puppet, could help protect Gloomwind Valley if Yu Tiancheng left.

Xu Qingtong exposed and killed Tian Zongfei, who had disguised himself as his disciple Li Yingjie and secretly practiced Worryfree Valley’s evil arts. He ordered an investigation of Cloudsky Peak and planned to secure the peak with Golden Core Stage puppets, though he still needed fifth-tier demon beast souls.

• Xu Qingtong learned through his incarnation that an evil-cult remnant was at Cloudsky Peak, then hurried back after giving Yu Tiancheng a materials list for refining puppets.
• Xu Qingtong confronted the false Li Yingjie, identified him as Tian Zongfei, and used a Soul-Binding Jade Talisman to incapacitate him.
• Xu Qingtong ordered Biyue to destroy Tian Zongfei’s divine soul and body, then told Zhuang Shengren that Tian Zongfei had been a remnant of Worryfree Valley.
• Xu Qingtong asked Zhuang Shengren to investigate for other remnants, destroy Hua Wuhui’s old cave, and keep plans for an upcoming journey secret; Zhuang Shengren said Lei Wei would go while he and Ding stayed behind.
• Xu Qingtong planned to refine Golden Core Stage puppets for Cloudsky Peak and Gloomwind Valley, but realized he still needed to find fifth-tier demon beast souls.

Xu Qingtong entered the Valley of the Dead to test his strength against its undead creatures and search for powerful souls. After defeating several foes, he began battling a Golden Core-level Corpse Fiend and stopped its sonic attack with a talisman.

• Xu Qingtong left his incarnation in the cave abode and flew to the Valley of the Dead, where he found ancient ruins with his divine sense.
• Xu Qingtong defeated the female Corpse Charm he had encountered twenty years earlier, shattered another Corpse Fiend, and captured a Foundation Establishment Early Stage wandering soul.
• Xu Qingtong and Xiao Qi prepared to fight when a purplish-black-haired Corpse Fiend charged at them.
• Xu Qingtong fought the Corpse Fiend hand to hand, adapting to its brute strength while using the Shadowless Evasion Technique to dodge its attacks.
• When the Corpse Fiend opened its mouth to unleash a sonic attack, Xu Qingtong slapped a Blood-Soul Restriction Talisman into it.

Xu Qingtong and Xiao Qi defeated a black-haired Corpse Fiend and captured a Golden Core Stage wandering soul using the Soul Refining Pot. The pot began shaking violently as Xu Qingtong poured in his magic power to contain the soul.

• Xu Qingtong used a Blood-Soul Restriction Talisman and the Lightning-attracting Technique to kill a Corpse Fiend, then gave its Corpse Crystal to Xiao Qi.
• Xu Qingtong and Xiao Qi fought a stronger black-haired Corpse Fiend, with Xiao Qi pecking through its chest to retrieve its Corpse Crystal while Xu Qingtong stunned it with lightning.
• Xiao Qi sensed a Golden Core Stage wandering soul approaching, and Xu Qingtong prepared Hua Wuhui's Soul Refining Pot and a Blood-Soul Restriction Talisman.
• Xiao Qi immobilized the wandering soul briefly, allowing Xu Qingtong to restrict it and pull it toward the Soul Refining Pot.
• After the wandering soul broke free of the pot's suction, Xu Qingtong struck it with a Divine Sense Thorn and poured magic power into the pot to draw it inside.
• The Soul Refining Pot shook violently as Xu Qingtong sat cross-legged and continued channeling magic power into it.

Xu Qingtong captured and refined several wandering souls in the Valley of the Dead, but a powerful one injured his divine soul and forced him to retreat. After recovering at Cloudsky Peak, he admitted to Du Siwen that he had gone to the valley to take revenge and collect souls for puppets.

• Xu Qingtong refined a Golden Core wandering soul and sealed it while Xiao Qi rested in the Seven-Star Bracelet.
• Xu Qingtong fought off three Corpse Charms and five wandering souls before a stronger wandering soul attacked him.
• Xu Qingtong weakened the powerful soul with a Soul-Blasting Pearl, the Blood-Soul Restriction, and purple lightning, then refined and sealed it at reduced strength.
• Xu Qingtong left the Valley of the Dead, rested overnight, and spent three days recuperating at Cloudsky Peak, though his divine soul remained injured.
• Du Siwen confronted Xu Qingtong about leaving without her, and he admitted he had gone to the Valley of the Dead for revenge and captured two wandering souls for refining puppets.

After recovering his divine soul, Xu Qingtong crafted two Golden Core Stage puppets in seclusion using materials supplied by the Sect Leader. He emerged and called Zhuang Shengren to the mountain behind them, apparently to test the puppets’ power.

• Du Siwen warned Xu Qingtong not to risk himself alone again and took Biyue as he had promised.
• Fu Xingzhi delivered the Sect Leader’s Storage Bag of puppet materials, and Xu Qingtong told him that he had purged Li Yingjie from the sect for practicing evil arts.
• Xu Qingtong spent half a year restoring his divine soul while studying the Han Clan Mechanism Art and preparing to craft Golden Core Stage puppets.
• Xu Qingtong entered seclusion, crafted a guard-like puppet after correcting a faulty component, and fused a Golden Core soul into it.
• Xu Qingtong crafted a second Golden Core Stage puppet, left seclusion, and summoned Zhuang Shengren to the mountain behind them.

Xu Qingtong demonstrated the Golden Core Stage puppet he had refined and entrusted one to Cloudsky Peak while delivering another to Yu Tiancheng for Gloomwind Valley. He planned his move to Central Province with his family and companions, then startled his master by saying Yu Tiancheng might not be able to defeat Third Senior Sister.

• Xu Qingtong gave Zhuang Shengren a Golden Core Stage puppet to guard Cloudsky Peak and asked him to cultivate reliable successors.
• Xu Qingtong told Zhuang Shengren he planned to leave with Lei Wei and his disciple Xingzhi, then promised to return for him after establishing roots in Central Province.
• Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen flew to Gloomwind Valley and agreed to take Xu Qingtong's sister, Xingzhi, Lei Wei, and Du Siwen's disciple Mei Xianghan with them.
• Xu Qingtong presented Yu Tiancheng with a Golden Core Stage puppet and demonstrated its power, accidentally shattering Yu Tiancheng's shield and sending him flying.
• Xu Qingtong told Yu Tiancheng that he might not be able to defeat Xu Qingtong or even Third Senior Sister, leaving his master stunned.

Xu Qingtong defeated Yu Tiancheng in a spar and urged his master to leave resource-poor Bingzhou for Central Province. He gave Gloomwind Valley a powerful Golden Core puppet for its protection, while Yu Tiancheng remained uncertain about leaving the sect.

• Yu Tiancheng challenged Xu Qingtong to a spar, but Xu Qingtong overwhelmed him with rapid Golden Light Slash and Fire Dragon spells until Du Siwen called a halt.
• Du Siwen explained that Xu Qingtong had trained against Golden Core experts at Juxian Academy, and Xu Qingtong warned that Yu Tiancheng might fare even worse against Du Siwen.
• Xu Qingtong urged Yu Tiancheng to move to Central Province and revealed that he had left another Golden Core puppet at Cloudsky Peak; Yu Tiancheng worried about leaving Gloomwind Valley vulnerable.
• Yu Tiancheng summoned Fang Tianqi and entrusted him with Xu Qingtong's puppet as Gloomwind Valley's mountain-guarding treasure.
• Fang Tianqi ritually refined the puppet, tested its Blazing Flame Heaven-Burning Spells, and admitted he could not withstand its attack.
• Yu Tiancheng told Fang Tianqi he had decided to leave Bingzhou, and Fang Tianqi learned that Yu Tiancheng believed neither Xu Qingtong nor Du Siwen could be defeated by him.

Xu Qingtong captured a Golden Core Stage wandering soul and refined a new Puppet for Gloomwind Valley. He then left with Yu Tiancheng and their companions for Red Moon Island, where he warned them about its dangerous spatial rifts.

• Xu Qingtong agreed to find a Golden Core Stage soul, then took Du Siwen into the Valley of the Dead, where they captured one after three days.
• Fang Tianqi gathered the Puppet materials, and Xu Qingtong refined a Black Sphere Puppet and gave it to him ten days later.
• After Yu Tiancheng finished the preparations, he and Xu Qingtong and Du Siwen quietly left Gloomwind Valley and gathered the others at Cloudsky Peak.
• Yu Tiancheng led the group on a cramped, slow Flying Boat to Red Moon Island, arriving near dusk.
• Xu Qingtong checked for pursuers, hid a Heaven Eye Talisman, and warned everyone that the island's spatial rifts could kill them.

Xu Qingtong led his companions safely through the Spatial Rifts and brought them from the island to Central Province. After buying supplies in Law City, he learned about the Myriad Treasures Pavilion while looking for a better Flying Boat.

• Xu Qingtong guided the group to the Teleportation Array, and everyone traveled in pairs to Cat-Ear Island.
• After checking that the island was safe, Xu Qingtong decided to head to Law City before taking the group to the Academy.
• Xu Qingtong flew the group west through the night and left them near Law City while he went to make inquiries and buy supplies.
• Xu Qingtong registered in Law City under the name Chen Yu and purchased the items on his list at Qi Treasure Pavilion.
• Xu Qingtong rejected the shop’s Flying Boats, and the assistant told him to try the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

Xu Qingtong bought a fast flying boat in Law City and discovered that a dark, thin old man was pursuing him over a ten-year-old murder investigation. He reached Phoenix Mausoleum Mountain, where he set a trap and prepared to confront his pursuer.

• Xu Qingtong remembered Zhu Yuxi's VIP Token and went to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.
• A dark, thin old man learned that Chen Yu had returned to Law City and ordered his men to watch him.
• Xu Qingtong bought the Gale flying boat at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and noticed someone watching him.
• Xu Qingtong evaded the man in black and left Law City through the western gate, then used a Heaven Eye Talisman to detect the dark, thin old man following him.
• Xu Qingtong flew to Phoenix Mausoleum Mountain, left another Heaven Eye Talisman, and hid his Incarnation in a valley before waiting for the pursuer.

Xu Qingtong ambushed and defeated the Heavenly Mystery Palace’s Law City branch master, capturing his golden core rather than destroying it to avoid alerting the Palace. He escaped and reunited with Du Siwen, then hurriedly took their group northwest as he feared pursuit.

• Xu Qingtong’s incarnation struck the branch master with purple lightning, and Xu Qingtong followed with a barrage of punches that broke the man’s bones.
• Xu Qingtong slowed the branch master with the Turtle-Speed Technique, then shattered his body; Xiao Qi caught the fleeing golden core, which Xu Qingtong sealed and stored.
• Xu Qingtong burned the corpse, collected the branch master’s Storage Bag, and took a winding route to meet Du Siwen near nightfall.
• Xu Qingtong told Du Siwen that he had killed the Law City branch master and explained his old conflict with Yan Taixian over Biyue’s soul.
• Xu Qingtong set the Flying Boat on a northwest course and urged everyone to hurry in case the Heavenly Mystery Palace sent pursuers.

Xu Qingtong returned to Juxian Academy with Yu Tiancheng and the others, and Shen Haotian arranged places for them. Shen Haotian then told Xu Qingtong that Dongfang Hui had visited years earlier and left a Storage Bag, whose contents shocked him.

• Xu Qingtong reached Juxian Academy and asked Shen Haotian to take in Yu Tiancheng, Chen Ruoling, Fu Xingzhi, and the others.
• Shen Haotian agreed to place Yu Tiancheng in the Alchemy Pavilion and recommend the others to study in the Lecture Hall.
• The Grand Elder took Yu Tiancheng and the others to settle in while Shen Haotian kept Xu Qingtong behind.
• Shen Haotian gave Xu Qingtong the Storage Bag Dongfang Hui had left after visiting Juxian Academy nearly fifty years earlier.
• Shen Haotian warned Xu Qingtong that Dongfang Hui might have cultivated the Heart-Severing Treasure Canon, and Xu Qingtong opened the Storage Bag and was visibly shocked.

Xu Qingtong learned that Dongfang Hui had returned the Spirit Artifacts he made for her and was ending their relationship, leaving him devastated. After his grief disrupted his teaching, he asked to travel and clear his mind, then visited his master Yu Tiancheng, who said he had something long-kept to tell him.

• Xu Qingtong read Dongfang Hui's Jade Slip, learned she had practiced the Heart-Severing Treasure Canon, and regretted that they could no longer reconcile.
• Xu Qingtong told Du Siwen to find another residence, then spent three days shut inside his cave abode.
• Wang Yuning assigned Xu Qingtong to teach, but his grief caused him to stumble through a Talisman Crafting lesson.
• Xu Qingtong asked Shen Haotian for leave to travel west and improve his state of mind before Core Formation, and Shen Haotian agreed.
• Xu Qingtong visited Yu Tiancheng to say farewell, and Yu Tiancheng told him he was ready to reveal something he had kept bottled up.

After learning that Du Siwen had secretly saved him and loved him, Xu Qingtong regretted how he had treated her and left Juxian Academy under an assumed identity. At Moshang Plain, a pursued woman falsely called him her husband and dragged him into a debt dispute with three men.

• Yu Tiancheng told Xu Qingtong that Du Siwen had saved him twice and revealed how much she had sacrificed for him.
• Xu Qingtong realized he had hurt Du Siwen, but learned she had gone into secluded cultivation and did not know where to find her.
• Du Siwen stayed with Lü Wenqiu and planned to reach Core Formation before Xu Qingtong.
• Xu Qingtong left Juxian Academy as Guo Zirui and traveled toward Linyue City, avoiding conflicts along the way.
• At Moshang Plain, a woman fleeing three men called Xu Qingtong her husband and claimed they wanted to seize her over a debt.
• One of the men demanded that Xu Qingtong pay the woman's three hundred thousand spirit stones, and Xu Qingtong asked what they would do if he refused.

Xu Qingtong foiled a group of cultivators who tried to rob him and forced the survivors to serve him. He ended the chapter with the wiry man and the female cultivator bound to him through their soul blood.

• Xu Qingtong saw through the female cultivator's false claim that he was her husband and faced the group as they surrounded him with Spirit Artifacts.
• He summoned four Puppet Guards, who defeated the female cultivator and pressured the three men; he sealed her with a Blood-Soul Restriction Talisman.
• When two men fled and abandoned their companions, Xu Qingtong bound them with vines and killed the tall man with Golden Light Slash.
• The robed man offered to serve Xu Qingtong, but then attacked him with a poisoned Flying Knife and was killed by Xu Qingtong.
• The wiry man and the female cultivator offered their soul blood, which Xu Qingtong sealed and used to place them under his control.