Chapter Summaries

Hun Changqing, Feng Qing'er, and Zi Yan arrived in Sacred Pill City as the Pill Gathering drew near and saw the Gu Clan make a startling entrance. Hun Changqing suspected they had come for Gu Xun'er, the Flame Mantra, and the Three Thousand Flame Lightning Fire, then entered the Alchemist Trade Fair with Feng Qing'er.

• Hun Changqing and Feng Qing'er surveyed the crowded Sacred Pill City while Feng Qing'er explained that the Pill Gathering crowds would grow even larger.
• The Dan Family arrived in a grand carriage, followed by a vast Gu Clan warship that darkened the city plaza.
• Feng Qing'er recognized the Gu Clan and explained that it was the strongest faction on the Dou Qi Continent; Hun Changqing suspected its arrival was connected to Gu Xun'er, the Flame Mantra, and the Three Thousand Flame Lightning Fire.
• Feng Qing'er suggested visiting the Alchemist Trade Fair, and Hun Changqing agreed, deciding to avoid trouble involving the Gu Clan.
• Feng Qing'er used a token to gain admission for herself, Hun Changqing, and Zi Yan, then explained that the Pill Tower granted her clan privileges through their trade relationship.
• Hun Changqing, Feng Qing'er, and Zi Yan entered the hall of the Alchemist Trade Fair, where alchemists sat behind rows of stone counters.

Hun Changqing found a copper fragment linked to a mysterious cave and the soul-nourishing spirit nurturing dust at the Alchemist Trade Fair, then pressured its seller into accepting a low-grade seventh-rank pill. Just as he reached for the fragment, an unseen rival attacked and asked him to give it up.

• Hun Changqing entered the trade fair’s top floor with Feng Qing'er and Zi Yan, where a snow ginseng bone and a copper fragment caught his attention.
• Hun Changqing recognized patterns on the copper fragment from a cave in the Heavenly Eye Mountain Range and recalled that it contained spirit nurturing dust useful for cultivating his soul.
• Hun Changqing offered to buy the fragment, but the gray-robed old man initially demanded an eighth-tier pill.
• Hun Changqing unnerved the old man until he lowered his price to a low-grade seventh-rank pill, which Hun Changqing paid before reaching for the fragment.
• A purple iron fan shot toward Hun Changqing’s fingers as an effeminate-voiced stranger asked whether he would surrender the copper fragment.

Hun Changqing rejected Chen Xian’s attempt to take the copper fragment and invoked the Pill Tower’s rules when Chen Xian threatened him. Gu Xun’er arrived with the Gu Clan’s Black Annihilation Army, and she and Hun Changqing recognized each other.

• Hun Changqing destroyed Chen Xian’s purple iron fan, kept the copper fragment, and refused to sell it to him.
• Chen Xian tried to enlist the slovenly old man against Hun Changqing, but the old man confirmed the sale and left after Hun Changqing claimed the snow bone ginseng.
• Chen Xian and his three elders released their auras, but Hun Changqing called for the Pill Tower Enforcement Team, forcing them to stand down.
• Gu Xun’er arrived with a young man and four Black Annihilation Army guards, silencing the hall and frightening Chen Xian.
• Gu Xun’er and Hun Changqing recognized each other, and they exchanged smiles as the chapter ended.

Gu Xun'er ordered the Profound Nether Sect destroyed and had Chen Xian and his servants killed after they threatened Hun Changqing. After Gu Jing challenged Hun Changqing, Gu Xun'er struck him and warned him never to address her familiarly again.

• Feng Qing'er questioned Hun Changqing about knowing Gu Xun'er, and Gu Xun'er treated him as a trading partner.
• Gu Xun'er ordered Elder Gu Ming to destroy the Profound Nether Sect and had the Black Annihilation Army kill Chen Xian and his servants.
• A soldier reported that the sect had been completely purged and the Heavenly Underworld Sect had stayed silent.
• Hun Changqing teased Gu Xun'er about calling him her trading partner, prompting Gu Jing to angrily challenge him.
• Hun Changqing sensed a god-grade bloodline in Gu Jing, and Gu Xun'er struck Gu Jing for interrupting and addressing her as Xun'er.

Gu Xun'er brutally punished Gu Jing for challenging her and defending Hun Changqing, then revealed that she had come to complete their deal for the Sea Heart Flame. The Gu Clan elders had arrived at the Pill Tower, leaving Hun Changqing facing pressure to trade.

• Gu Jing activated his God-Grade Clan Mark and challenged Hun Changqing, but Gu Xun'er attacked him before Hun Changqing could respond.
• Gu Xun'er tore away Gu Jing's lower face, shattered his bones, threatened him, and ordered the Black Annihilation Army to take him back to the Gu Clan.
• Zi Yan told Feng Qing'er that she did not understand Gu Xun'er's relationship with Hun Changqing, while Feng Qing'er resolved not to give up on him.
• Hun Changqing asked Gu Xun'er about their trading partnership, and she said she had come to claim the Sea Heart Flame as agreed.
• Gu Xun'er warned that Gu Clan elders had arrived at the Pill Tower and implied Hun Changqing could not refuse the trade.

Hun Changqing sold Gu Xun'er a weakened Sea Heart Flame disguised as powerful, then fled before she could discover the trick. While he extracted Spirit Nurturing Dust from a Copper Fragment and used it to strengthen his soul, Gu Xun'er uncovered the scam and realized she had been swindled again.

• Hun Changqing gave Gu Xun'er the Sea Heart Flame in exchange for a generous offer, then hurried out of the hall with Zi Yan and Feng Qing'er.
• Hun Changqing secured a room in Sacred Pill City and used Weak Water to remove the corrosion from the Copper Fragment, revealing five grains of Spirit Nurturing Dust.
• Hun Changqing absorbed one grain of Spirit Nurturing Dust and began cultivating his soul with the Supreme Yin True Explanation.
• Gu Xun'er tried to refine the Sea Heart Flame, but its energy collapsed as soon as her Dou Qi touched it.
• Gu Xun'er realized Hun Changqing had sold her a nearly extinguished flame and resented that he had swindled her again.

After reaching the pinnacle of the Spirit Realm, Hun Changqing agreed to watch the Pill Gathering with Feng Qing'er, then secretly investigated a confrontation between the Soul Palace and the Pill Tower. Learning that Xuan Kongzi had killed Soul Palace members in Sacred Pill City twenty years earlier sent Hun Changqing into a murderous rage, and he left intent on killing him.

• Hun Changqing emerged from half a month of seclusion with his soul at the pinnacle of the Spirit Realm and reassured Feng Qing'er and Zi Yan that he was unharmed.
• Feng Qing'er explained the Pill Gathering's remaining trials, and Hun Changqing agreed to watch them with her the next day.
• Hun Changqing sensed a familiar aura, concealed himself, and discovered Old Man Mu Gu and two Soul Palace members confronting Xuan Kongzi and three Pill Tower Elders outside Sacred Pill City.
• Old Man Mu Gu accused Xuan Kongzi of barring the Soul Palace from the city, and Xuan Kongzi warned him not to cause trouble before letting him enter to participate in the Pill Gathering.
• After the others departed, Hun Changqing learned that Xuan Kongzi had killed Soul Palace members in Sacred Pill City twenty years earlier and became consumed by the urge to kill him.

Hun Changqing infiltrated the Cao Family residence and coerced Cao Ying into agreeing to take him into the Star Domain so he could pursue the three thousand flame lightning fire. He left her under threat to her life and family, while his plan to confront Xuan Kongzi remained ahead.

• Hun Changqing decided the Pill Gathering chaos would give him a chance to attack Xuan Kongzi and devised a way to enter the Star Domain despite not being an alchemist.
• Hun Changqing sent Zi Yan and Feng Qing'er messages, then infiltrated the Cao Family residence in Sacred Pill City.
• Hun Changqing subdued Cao Ying, suppressed her dou qi and soul, and demanded that she take him into the Star Domain after the Pill Gathering.
• Cao Ying resisted Hun Changqing's demand but agreed after he threatened to kill her and find another contestant.
• Hun Changqing warned Cao Ying that he could control whether she lived and threatened to slaughter the Cao Family if she betrayed him.

Hun Changqing forced Cao Ying to host his soul and smuggle his body into the Pill Tower during the Pill Gathering. After entering the first-round Soul Illusion with the Cao Family contestants, Cao Ying checked that they were safe.

• Cao Ying submitted to Hun Changqing, who formed a black coffin, placed his body inside it, and entered her soul sea as a soul body.
• Hun Changqing told Cao Ying to keep his Storage Ring close, compete naturally, and conceal his presence; he also removed the restrictions on her Dou Qi and soul power.
• That night, Hun Changqing explored Cao Ying's soul and stirred it, then stopped when she asked him to let her rest before the competition.
• At the Pill Gathering's opening ceremony, Hun Changqing watched Xuan Kongzi and Xuan Yi with killing intent while Cao Ying prepared to enter the first round.
• Cao Ying led the Cao Family contestants into the spatial tunnel, and the competition's guiding force pulled them into the Soul Illusion.
• Cao Ying checked on the Cao Family Disciples, and a handsome young man assured her that they were unharmed.

Cao Ying led her Cao Family companions through the illusory trial and reached the Pill Realm entrance, where Song Qing drove off Cao Dan. Hun Changqing reassured Cao Ying that his plan would keep her family safe, then revealed the upheaval awaiting the Star Domain and offered her a chance to obtain another heavenly flame if she followed him.

• Cao Ying guided her companions through the illusions and reached the spatial passage to the Pill Realm, where several contestants had already gathered.
• Song Qing confronted Cao Dan for pestering Cao Ying and forced him to back down.
• Cao Ying asked Hun Changqing whether a Peak Dou Zun could detect him, then worried that helping him would endanger her family.
• Hun Changqing said the Star Domain would descend into chaos as powerful factions competed for the Three Thousand Flame Lightning Fire, allowing Cao Ying to conceal his storage ring and avoid blame.
• Cao Ying realized she might never obtain the Three Thousand Flame Lightning Fire, and Hun Changqing offered to help her obtain another heavenly flame if she followed him.

Cao Ying entered the Pill Realm with Song Qing and gathered herbs while Hun Changqing’s offer of a heavenly flame left her torn between ambition and loyalty to her family. Three days into the trial, Su Dong approached her with a gift, and Song Qing confronted him as Cao Ying watched with amusement.

• Hun Changqing offered Cao Ying a heavenly flame in exchange for her allegiance, but she refused to abandon the Cao Family and the Pill Tower.
• The contestants received Character Medicine Lists and Space Stones before entering the Pill Realm, and Cao Ying agreed to travel with Song Qing.
• Cao Ying sent the Cao Family disciples to gather herbs, then continued her search with Song Qing.
• After three days, Cao Ying and Song Qing found a crowd gathered around a rare herb, where Su Dong offered Cao Ying a Storage Ring of herbs in gratitude for saving his life.
• Song Qing insulted Su Dong and threatened him, while Cao Ying sat nearby and watched the confrontation with amusement.

Old Man Mu Gu trapped the Alchemists in a Soul Barrier and slaughtered nearly all of them before Cao Ying escaped with Song Qing. Mu Gu caught up with them in the forest, and as Cao Ying faced death, Hun Changqing told her to surrender control of her body to him.

• The hill collapsed, and Old Man Mu Gu sealed the Alchemists inside a Soul Barrier before using black wind to rip out souls.
• Old Man Mu Gu attacked the trapped crowd, killing most of the Alchemists while Cao Ying and Song Qing tried to resist.
• Hun Changqing sent three Yin Demons from Cao Ying; one broke the barrier, allowing Cao Ying, Song Qing, and a few survivors to flee.
• Old Man Mu Gu destroyed the Yin Demons, pursued Cao Ying and Song Qing into the forest, and froze Cao Ying in place with a spatial attack.
• Song Qing fled while Old Man Mu Gu's giant hand reached for Cao Ying, and Hun Changqing urged her to relinquish control of her body.

Hun Changqing took control of Cao Ying’s body and used her power to devastate Old Man Mu Gu, then escaped through space. Afterward, Hun Changqing revealed that the attack had nearly destroyed Cao Ying’s body, leaving her at risk of becoming a cripple.

• Cao Ying withdrew her soul from her body, allowing Hun Changqing to take control as Old Man Mu Gu’s giant palm bore down on her.
• Hun Changqing stopped the attack, evaded Old Man Mu Gu’s claws, and unleashed Years-Long Dreaming Waves, badly injuring him and destroying much of the surrounding forest.
• Hun Changqing warned Old Man Mu Gu that he would suffer worse punishment if he interfered again, then fled through a spatial passage.
• Hun Changqing emerged elsewhere and collapsed, coughing blood as Cao Ying’s body suffered catastrophic injuries from the attack.
• Hun Changqing explained that Cao Ying’s body could not withstand his power and that she would be crippled unless something was done.

Hun Changqing restored Cao Ying’s ruined body with the Three-Light Divine Water, healing and strengthening her while she recovered control. She emerged from the ordeal at eight-star Dou Zong with her soul realm elevated, while Hun Changqing expected her to repay his favor by helping him.

• Cao Ying despaired after Hun Changqing destroyed her body and demanded that he kill her, but he revealed he could restore her and needed her help entering the Star Domain.
• Hun Changqing refused Cao Ying’s request to remove her breasts, then took her to a hidden cave to treat her injuries.
• Three days later, Cao Ying absorbed the Three-Light Divine Water’s energy and regained control of her restored body.
• Cao Ying discovered she had advanced from five-star to eight-star Dou Zong and reached spirit realm soul perfection.
• Hun Changqing dismissed her questions about the water and considered her restoration a favor she would repay by refining pills for him.

Hun Changqing warned Cao Ying that he intended to use her alchemy skills, then sent her toward the Pill Realm exit. There she encountered Gu Xun'er, who sensed Hun Changqing's aura on her and ordered an elder to kill her, but Hun Changqing took control of Cao Ying's body and escaped through a spatial passage.

• Hun Changqing told Cao Ying that he would call on her to refine pills, and she promised to help him within her abilities.
• Cao Ying traveled to the Pill Realm's northern exit and encountered Gu Xun'er and three powerful Gu Clan elders.
• Gu Xun'er sensed Hun Changqing's aura on Cao Ying, and Hun Changqing urgently told Cao Ying to flee.
• Gu Xun'er ordered an elder to attack Cao Ying with a sea of fire, leaving Cao Ying unable to escape on her own.
• Hun Changqing took control of Cao Ying's body and opened a spatial passage to escape the attack.
• Gu Xun'er spared the elder who had failed to stop Cao Ying and watched the place where she had vanished with a dangerous gaze.

Cao Ying escaped the Pill Realm with Hun Changqing and learned that Gu Xun'er might target her because of their connection. After Gu Xun'er appeared in the square and Song Qing tried to excuse abandoning her, Cao Ying grew wary of Gu Xun'er and more contemptuous of Song Qing.

• Cao Ying questioned Hun Changqing about Gu Xun'er, and he warned that she might seek revenge but promised to draw her attention away in the Star Domain.
• Cao Ying threatened to quit the Pill Gathering and teased Hun Changqing about returning to the Cao Family with him, but he persuaded her to compete for the Pill Tower's protection.
• Gu Xun'er arrived at the square, smiled at Cao Ying, and walked away, leaving Cao Ying more afraid of her.
• Song Qing approached Cao Ying and claimed he had been forced away while trying to save her, but Cao Ying concealed her disgust and kept her distance.
• Cao Ying compared Song Qing's lies with Hun Changqing's protection and judged Song Qing far more repulsive.

Cao Ying refined a high-grade eighth-tier pill during the final round of the Pill Gathering, summoning a seven-colored pill tribulation and securing a place among the top ten. She told Hun Changqing she had fulfilled his trust, and his brief approval left her elated.

• Cao Ying dismissed Song Qing and privately admitted she suspected Hun Changqing planned to target Xuan Kongzi, but she did not warn her teacher.
• Xuan Kongzi opened the final round and told the contestants to refine the pills they knew best on the floating stone platforms.
• Cao Ying began refining a pill with her Blood Demon Flame, while Song Qing later completed a low-grade eighth-tier pill and temporarily took first place.
• Cao Ying pushed her late spirit-realm soul energy to its limit and used her blood to finish refining a high-grade eighth-tier pill.
• Cao Ying's cauldron shattered as her pill summoned a seven-colored tribulation, astonishing the spectators and the Pill Tower's Three Giants.
• Cao Ying told Hun Changqing she had fulfilled his trust, and he replied, “Not bad...”

The Pill Gathering ended with Gu Bing taking first place, Cao Ying placing fourth, and Old Man Mu Gu placing fifth; the top ten then entered the Star Domain to pursue the three thousand flame lightning fire. They found the sealed fire in the form of an immense flaming dragon, and Hun Changqing told Cao Ying to wait as chaos approached.

• Xuan Kongzi ranked the pills and announced Gu Bing as champion, followed by Gu Laduo and Gu Ladun, while Cao Ying placed fourth and Old Man Mu Gu fifth.
• Xuan Kongzi announced that the Star Domain would open in two days, and Cao Ying prepared to enter only to release Hun Changqing and avoid the coming battle.
• Two days later, Xuan Kongzi opened the Star Domain gate, and the ten entrants passed through with him.
• Xuan Kongzi led the group through fragile space to the seal containing the three thousand flame lightning fire.
• The contestants saw the fire coiled as an immense dragon, and Gu Xun'er eagerly anticipated absorbing it.
• Cao Ying asked Hun Changqing what to do, and he told her to wait because things would soon descend into chaos.

Gu Xun'er began subduing the Three Thousand Flame Lightning Fire, overpowering its origin with her Heaven Realm soul and dark golden flame. Old Man Mu Gu interrupted her to seize the flame, but Gu Xun'er revealed that the Gu Clan had already sealed and surveilled the Star Domain, leaving Mu Gu trapped.

• Gu Bing gave Gu Xun'er his championship chance to subdue the Three Thousand Flame Lightning Fire, and she entered its energy shell to confront its origin flame.
• Gu Xun'er restrained the fire dragon with her Heaven Realm soul and began consuming its origin with her dark golden flame, despite its pleas for mercy.
• Old Man Mu Gu charged toward Gu Xun'er while Gu Bing, Gu Laduo, and Xuan Kongzi tried to stop him; Gu Xun'er withdrew her soul and evaded his attack.
• Mu Gu reached the Three Thousand Flame Lightning Fire and began forming seals to release it, while Gu Xun'er rebuked Gu Bing and Gu Laduo for failing to prevent his interference.
• Gu Xun'er told Gu Bing and Gu Laduo that three Gu Clan Dou Sheng elders had sealed and surveilled the Star Domain, trapping Mu Gu and securing the flame.

Old Man Mu Gu freed the three thousand flame lightning fire and summoned a Half-Saint remnant soul to subdue it while Xuan Kongzi was trapped by Soul Palace fighters. Hun Changqing left Cao Ying and emerged from a black coffin, and Gu Xun'er recognized him as the conflict reached a new turning point.

• Old Man Mu Gu shattered the seal on the three thousand flame lightning fire, which awakened in fury and began gathering its strength.
• Three Soul Palace Dou Zuns trapped Xuan Kongzi in a chain formation while Old Man Mu Gu summoned a Half-Saint remnant soul to suppress the fire.
• Hun Changqing told Cao Ying to throw his Storage Ring toward Xuan Kongzi, then left her body and entered the coffin inside it.
• The black coffin appeared near Xuan Kongzi, and its lid burst open as Hun Changqing rose into the air.
• Gu Xun'er recognized Hun Changqing and told Gu Bing and his companion to watch without interrupting.