Recaps

Tang Yan returned from the Heavenly Wailing Ruins, reported his gains, and arranged for Xiang Xiaoyu to make more Void Child Pearls. After distributing several inheritances and visiting Lin Dongxue and Zi Yun, he received the finished pearls and two Communication Devices from Xiang Xiaoyu.

• Tang Yan returned to the Sword Alliance and told the gathered sect leaders that he had obtained the Pill Sage's inheritance and Unity Cauldron, but kept the reason his chances to enter the Dao had been interrupted secret.
• Tang Yan gave the Literary Sage's inheritance to Yan Heng for Feng Chenye and promised Lu Lingjun he would deliver the Emotion Sword Venerable's inheritance to Lin Dongxue.
• Tang Yan asked Xiang Xiaoyu to use Void Stone to create more child pearls, and she agreed to make three before they left the Sword Alliance.
• Tang Yan gave Lin Dongxue the Red Dust Sword and Emotion Sword Venerable's inheritance, then visited Zi Yun and gave her the Golden Dragon's inheritance the next day.
• Xiang Xiaoyu finished three Void Child Pearls, accepted Tang Yan's Dantian Meridian Reviving Pills, and gave him two linked Communication Devices.

Tang Yan proposed a continent-wide network of communication devices to Xiang Xiaoyu, who agreed to give the costly project serious thought. He then visited Rao Baoyue in He City, revealed that the Human Emperor’s inheritance had taken him directly to the Heaven and Earth Realm, and proposed a plan for meeting Sunken Whale.

• Tang Yan suggested linking signal stations across the continent to enable long-distance calls and proposed fees and premium numbers to make the network profitable.
• Xiang Xiaoyu was inspired by the project’s potential and agreed to consider it further with Tang Yan’s help.
• Tang Yan left a Void Child Pearl and supplies for Lin Dongxue and the other woman, then traveled to He City to meet Rao Baoyue.
• Tang Yan told Rao Baoyue about obtaining the Pill Sage’s inheritance and Unity Cauldron, and said the Pill Alliance had found his mother in the sea region near the Otherworld Ruins.
• Rao Baoyue explained that Sunken Whale remained in Jiwang Valley, and Tang Yan proposed returning with Flying Thunder while the other experts waited outside.
• Tang Yan revealed he had reached the peak of the Heaven and Earth Realm after the Human Emperor chose him as successor, and Rao Baoyue agreed to let the alliance leader decide who else should learn of it.

Tang Yan revealed that the Human Emperor had chosen him as successor and raised him to the Heaven and Earth Realm, while Lin Jiuyuan promised support for his family and plans. Meanwhile, the Demon Sect celebrated its reforms and Du Shu’s growing influence, ending with his ambitious vision for the sect’s future.

• Tang Yan told Rao Baoyue he would teach her alchemy after handling matters at the Pill Alliance, then met with Lin Jiuyuan.
• Tang Yan explained that the Human Emperor had selected him as successor, prevented him from entering the Dao, and raised him to the Heaven and Earth Realm.
• Lin Jiuyuan promised to keep Tang Yan’s identity secret, secure support from the sects, and arrange negotiations to reunite Tang Yan with his mother.
• Tang Yan said he would infiltrate the Divine Clan’s base in Jiwang Valley to capture Chenjing, then reviewed Pill Peak’s affairs before leaving for Hezhou.
• Lu Fengzong reported that the Demon Sect’s reforms had improved its reputation and helped the Myriad Pill Tower capture thirty percent of the Spirit Wasteland’s pill market.
• Lu Fengzong awarded Du Shu five percent of the Myriad Pill Tower’s profits, and Du Shu proclaimed his ambition to make the Demon Sect’s rules govern the Spirit Wasteland and expand its business across all races.

Du Shu gained Lu Fengzong’s support for building a commercial empire, while Tang Yan led disguised allies into Jiwang Valley to confront the Divine Clan. After meeting Sunken Whale and discovering a powerful Gu Race member beside him, Tang Yan was knocked unconscious and attacked by a white insect.

• Lu Fengzong pledged the sect’s support for Du Shu’s ambition to rule through commerce, and Du Shu resolved to build a commercial empire for Reach the Summit with Brother Yan and Old Fang.
• Tang Yan told Rao Baoyue that they would go to Jiwang Valley, disguised her and himself, and summoned experts from several sects to join the plan.
• Tang Yan disguised himself as Jiang Yuluo and followed Flying Thunder through the Extreme Martial Sect’s teleportation formation into Jiwang Valley.
• Tang Yan recognized the burly companion beside Sunken Whale as a middle-stage Heaven and Earth Realm member of the Gu Race, but chose not to attack them immediately.
• Sunken Whale struck Tang Yan unconscious with his aura, then ordered Brother Cicada to send a white insect into Tang Yan’s brow.

Tang Yan pretended to be controlled by the Heart-Control Gu while learning the Divine Clan’s secrets and locating its hidden stronghold. He drew Sunken Whale and Di Chan away with a staged outburst and fire, allowing Rao Baoyue and four companions to enter the concealed space undetected.

• Tang Yan recognized the Heart-Control Gu in his Sea of Consciousness and acted as though it had made him obedient to Sunken Whale.
• Sunken Whale questioned Tang Yan about his loyalty and pill production, then arranged for him to receive more medicinal herbs.
• By observing through a magpie, Tang Yan mapped the hidden formation-covered space near the Extreme Martial Sect’s mausoleum.
• Tang Yan used the Communication Device to guide Rao Baoyue and four others to an entrance and told them to wait.
• Tang Yan shouted praise of the Gu God, threatened the Divine Clan, and set his house on fire, drawing Sunken Whale and Di Chan away.
• Rao Baoyue and the other four entered through the revealed doorway and hurried deeper into the space while the Divine Clan focused on Tang Yan.

Tang Yan and the Gu Race captured Sunken Whale and Di Chan, then used the clash to help drive a wedge between the Divine Clan and the Gu Race. After questioning the prisoners, Tang Yan discovered that the Divine Clan’s Base concealed a long-hidden Earth Abyss Passage.

• Tang Yan pretended to lose control, warned Sunken Whale about the Gu Race, and let himself be struck down while Sunken Whale and Di Chan were drawn into God's Domain.
• Tang Yan stole Sunken Whale's Spatial Magic Treasure, released the two from God's Domain, and Rao Baoyue and four other Heaven and Earth Realm experts defeated and captured them.
• Tang Yan told Rao Baoyue and the others to keep the capture secret and spread word that Sunken Whale had been controlled by the Gu Race to sow discord between the two races.
• Tang Yan questioned Di Chan, learned the Gu Race had no bases among the Human Clan, and sent Rao Baoyue and Zheng Yi back to the Pill Alliance while he planned to return to Hezhou.
• Tang Yan searched Sunken Whale's Divine Soul and discovered that the Divine Clan's Base concealed an Earth Abyss Passage connected to the Divine Clan.

Tang Yan manipulated Chen Jing to obtain the Divine Clan’s resources and set a trap to mislead the God King, while Du Shu strengthened his ties with Ma Tengyun. Later, the leaders of the Spirit Wilderness Realm’s major sects agreed to mediate a dispute that could let Tang Yan reunite with his mother.

• Chen Jing reported to the God King that the Divine Pills Association was under their control and that an auction would offer Immortal Artifacts; the God King promised clan resources for the bidding.
• Du Shu gave Ma Tengyun a Fortune Bed and praised his support, winning his trust over drinks.
• Tang Yan took the Divine Clan’s resources, controlled Chen Jing with a heart-controlling Gu, and arranged for Flying Thunder to tell the God King that Chen Jing had been controlled by the Gu Race.
• Tang Yan returned to the Sword Alliance, sent gifts to friends and relatives for the new year, and answered Rao Baoyue’s summons to Clear Sky Peak.
• Lin Jiuyuan told Tang Yan that the Eight Great Houses would send elders to mediate between the Heavenly Punishment Clan and the Otherworld Ruins, giving him a chance to reunite with his mother.

Lin Jiuyuan brought Tang Yan and elders from the great houses to the Heavenly Punishment Clan to negotiate with the Otherworld Ruins and reunite Tang Yan with his imprisoned mother. After learning Tang Yan was his grandson and that Tang Wutian had been searching for Jinxiu, Zhong Haobai agreed to help send her a message, while the negotiations still lay ahead.

• Lin Jiuyuan explained that the group would visit the Heavenly Punishment Clan before negotiating with the Otherworld Ruins, and promised to arrange for Tang Yan to meet his mother.
• Seven days later, Lin Jiuyuan and the elders arrived at the clan, where Chu Zichuan escorted them to Zhong Haobai.
• Lin Jiuyuan revealed that Tang Yan was Zhong Haobai's grandson, and Zhong Haobai helped Tang Yan to his feet and welcomed him.
• Zhong Haobai described Jinxiu's imprisonment, the clan's burdens under the Heavenly Punishment Curse, and his fear that negotiations might provoke the Otherworld Ruins.
• Tang Yan asked Zhong Haobai to send his mother a few things, and Zhong Haobai agreed despite warning that the guards might take anything valuable.
• Tang Yan explained that Tang Wutian had left to search for Jinxiu, easing Zhong Haobai's anger toward him.

Tang Yan reunited with his maternal grandparents and promised to find a way to lift Mi Rong’s curse. After secretly controlling Caihe, he sent her to deliver his family’s gift to Zhong Jinxiu, who remained imprisoned but believed Tang Wutian would come for her.

• Zhong Haobai agreed to visit the Otherworld Ruins with Lin Jiuyuan to settle the feud and accepted Tang Yan’s gift for his mother.
• Caihe disparaged the gift when Hu Dao delivered it, and Tang Yan quietly returned with him.
• Zhong Haobai introduced Tang Yan to Mi Rong, who recognized his resemblance to Jinxiu and embraced him.
• Tang Yan told Mi Rong he would seek a way to lift her curse after the alliance leader settled the conflict.
• Tang Yan used God's Domain and the Soul-Thought Gu to rewrite Caihe and a bull-demon man’s divine souls.
• Caihe brought the gift to imprisoned Zhong Jinxiu, who remained convinced that Tang Wutian would come for her.

Tang Yan secretly visited his imprisoned mother, Zhong Jinxiu, and reunited with her after healing her and restoring her ability to speak. She explained that the Otherworld Ruins had kept her alive because her Heaven's Punishment Whip bound their young lord, Ji Xiang, leaving Tang Yan wary of the coming negotiations.

• Tang Yan entered the Earth Hall, brought the two otherworlders under his control, and saw the badly injured Zhong Jinxiu imprisoned in an alarmed iron cage.
• Tang Yan prepared food and medicine for Zhong Jinxiu, then revealed himself when she could not reach him through the cage.
• Tang Yan entered the cage and embraced Zhong Jinxiu, discovering that her tongue had been cut out.
• Tang Yan gave Zhong Jinxiu a Heaven-Seizing Lifeline Pill, which healed her and allowed her to speak again.
• Tang Yan told Zhong Jinxiu about the Tang Family, his journey, and the planned mediation between Heaven's Punishment and the Otherworld Ruins.
• Zhong Jinxiu revealed that her Heaven's Punishment Whip bound Ji Xiang and warned Tang Yan that the Otherworld Ruins might refuse to release her even if the Eight Great Houses intervened.

Tang Yan followed Zhong Haobai and the Eight Great Houses to the Otherworld Ruins as they attempted to reconcile with Ji Yinzhou. Ji Yinzhou rejected their terms, threatened Zhong Haobai and his family, and summoned the Heavenly Venerable to face Lin Jiuyuan and the others.

• Tang Yan comforted Zhong Jinxiu, buried a Void Child Pearl in the Iron Cage, and returned to his courtyard.
• Tang Yan implanted a Soul-Thought Gu in an insect and hid it on Zhong Haobai before the Eight Great Houses departed for the Otherworld Ruins.
• Tang Yan secretly followed the delegation and used the insect to observe Ji Yinzhou hosting a banquet for Lin Jiuyuan and the others.
• Lin Jiuyuan explained that the Eight Great Houses had come to mediate the feud, but Ji Yinzhou demanded that Zhong Jinxiu become his son's concubine and that her son acknowledge Ji Xiang as his father.
• Zhong Haobai refused Ji Yinzhou's demands, and Ji Yinzhou ordered three Otherworlders to pressure him and threatened his sons.
• Lin Jiuyuan and the other seven leaders intervened, but Ji Yinzhou challenged them and summoned the Heavenly Venerable.

Tang Yan disguised himself as Zhong Tianyin and attacked the Otherworld Ruins Royal Palace to interrupt the soul search and give Lin Jiuyuan and the others a chance to escape. He clashed with the Pureblood Heavenly Venerable, issued a threat to protect the Heavenly Punishment Clan, and vanished as another Heavenly Venerable appeared.

• The Pureblood Heavenly Venerable refused Lin Jiuyuan's request to free Zhong Jinxiu, while Ji Yinzhou ordered the elders to search Zhong Haobai's soul.
• Ji Yinzhou's son taunted Zhong Haobai and threatened the Heavenly Punishment Clan and Zhong Jinxiu, causing Zhong Haobai to lose control of his Spirit Power.
• Tang Yan watched through a Soul-Thought Gu, decided that respect required force, and secretly told Lin Jiuyuan and the others to withdraw during the confusion.
• Disguised as Zhong Tianyin, Tang Yan unleashed a powerful sword strike at the royal palace, and the Pureblood Heavenly Venerable blocked it only after being driven back by the blast.
• Tang Yan threatened to kill a thousand Otherworld Ruins members for every Heavenly Punishment Clan member harmed and demanded the Divine Mountain remain open to his clan.
• Tang Yan escaped with the Stars-Shifting Array as another Heavenly Venerable appeared, and Lin Jiuyuan led the others away while assuring Zhong Haobai that Yan'er was safe.

Otherworld Ruins' leaders plotted to investigate Heaven's Punishment and considered using Zhong Haobai's sons, while Tang Yan overheard them and explored the Divine Mountain before escaping. He then captured a Fox Clan woman in South City to replace his mother and fool the formation monitoring her.

• Ji Yinzhou concluded that the Eight Great Houses' support for Heaven's Punishment might be tied to the Tang Family and questioned Zhong Tianyin's identity.
• Ji Xiang proposed using the Gu Race to control Zhong Haobai's three sons and gather information, and Ji Yinzhou approved the plan with safeguards.
• Tang Yan overheard Otherworld Ruins' leaders plotting through a beetle, then went to the Divine Mountain to investigate its holy light and the treasure beneath its magma.
• Pureblood Heavenly Venerable sensed an outsider at the Divine Mountain, but found nothing after searching the cavern.
• Tang Yan captured a Divine Clan man and a Fox Clan woman in South City, dressed the woman in his mother's clothes, and took her toward the Heavenly Punishment Clan.

Tang Yan freed Zhong Jinxiu, exposed the Otherworld Ruins’ plot, and proposed a strategy for dealing with them. After returning to Heaven’s Punishment, he found the Otherworld Ruins had doubled the Divine Mountain entry fee, and a Heavenly Punishment Clan squad challenged the new charge.

• Tang Yan rescued Zhong Jinxiu by transferring the chains’ formation to a Fox-Demon Other-Race Person, then hid his mother and gave her supplies and instructions.
• Tang Yan told Zhong Haobai and the gathered leaders that he had reached the Heaven and Earth Realm and revealed the Otherworld Ruins’ plan to spy on Heaven’s Punishment and search Zhong Haobai’s divine soul.
• Tang Yan proposed investigating the Otherworld Ruins, preparing to seal their Earth Abyss Passages, and requiring them to uphold their obligations to the Human Clan.
• The Eight Great Houses left, and Tang Yan returned to Heaven’s Punishment through the Void Child Pearl.
• Ji Yinzhou raised the Divine Mountain entrance fee from one to two mid-grade spirit stones per person to test whether Zhong Tianyin would react.
• When a twenty-person Heavenly Punishment Clan squad arrived, Tian Zhu demanded two spirit stones per person, and the Blue-Robed Young Man challenged the charge after paying only two stones.

Tang Yan forced Otherworld Ruins to admit the Heavenly Punishment Clan at a reduced price, then concealed his identity by posing as Zhong Tianyin and making plans to protect his clan. Meanwhile, Flying Thunder reported to the God King that Di Chan had used a Heart-Control Gu to control the Great Guardian, leaving the Divine Clan’s future in jeopardy.

• Tian Zhu refused the Blue-Robed Young Man’s offer, so he fired a signal flare; Tang Yan then threatened Ji Yinzhou through Zhong Tianyin’s appearance and nearly killed Ji Xiang to force passage for the Heavenly Punishment Clan.
• After the Pureblood Heavenly Venerable explained the difficulty of stopping Zhong Tianyin, Ji Yinzhou ordered the Internal Affairs Hall to admit the clan at ten low-grade spirit stones per person.
• Tang Yan altered Zhong Haobai and Mi Rong’s memories so they believed he was Zhong Tianyin, and told them to seek him on Fengnan Island if Otherworld Ruins threatened them again.
• Tang Yan advised Zhong Haobai to keep Zhong Jinxiu imprisoned until he reached the Heavenly Venerable realm, then vanished without revealing his identity beyond the direct line.
• Flying Thunder met the God King and reported that Di Chan had drugged the Great Guardian and implanted a Heart-Control Gu in him, warning that the Gu Race could take control of the Divine Clan’s efforts among the Human Clan.

Tang Yan arranged for the Demonic Spirit Heavenly Venerable to escape Spirit Cliff Cave and told the Pill Alliance elders about the Pill Sage’s inheritance. Meanwhile, the God King summoned Sunken Whale back to the Divine Clan and began testing the elders’ hearts as he prepared to expand the clan’s influence.

• The God King believed Flying Thunder’s report that the Great Guardian might be controlled by the Gu Race, then secretly summoned Sunken Whale back under the pretense of discussing the Divine Clan’s expansion.
• Ji Yinzhou agreed with Dong She and Qin Shan to cooperate with the Gu Race, promising them a Human Clan Heaven and Earth Realm expert as a puppet after three months.
• Tang Yan implanted Soul-Thought Gu in his three nominal uncles and planned for them to report Zhong Tianyin’s location to the Otherworld Ruins.
• Tang Yan persuaded Lin Jiuyuan and thirteen elders to open a brief passage into Spirit Cliff Cave, allowing the Demonic Spirit Heavenly Venerable to escape.
• Tang Yan told the Pill Alliance elders about the Pill Sage’s inheritance, then Sunken Whale returned to the Divine Clan and the God King ordered him to undergo a heart test.

The God King discovered that the Gu Race had controlled Sunken Whale and used him to undermine the Divine Clan, but Sunken Whale died in a desperate attack before he could be freed. As the Divine Clan moved to limit its losses, Tang Yan's plan continued at Jiwang Valley, where the Demonic Spirit Heavenly Venerable slaughtered the gathered Divine Clan members and recovered much of his strength.

• Sunken Whale attacked the God King after approaching the Heart-Reflecting Mirror, but the God King subdued him and discovered a Heart-Control Gu in his mind.
• Sunken Whale burned his life and detonated himself while the God King tried to remove the gu, destroying the Great Hall and injuring the God King.
• The God King examined Sunken Whale's memories and learned that Di Chan had implanted the gu, directed Jiang Yuluo to move the Divine Pills Association, and taken resources meant for the Divine Clan.
• The God King ordered the Third and Fourth Elders to seal the Earth Abyss Passage and sent the Second Elder to Jiwang Valley to capture Di Chan if he remained there.
• Tang Yan finished lecturing the Pill Alliance, then went to Fengnan Island to prepare for the Heavenly Venerable from the Otherworld Ruins while postponing the search for his father.
• At Jiwang Valley, the Demonic Spirit Heavenly Venerable killed the assembled Divine Clan members and absorbed their essence blood, recovering eighty percent of his strength before heading to Heaven's Punishment Island.

Huan Yun discovered that the Divine Clan’s bases in the Spirit Wilderness Realm had been emptied, prompting the God King to demand an explanation from the Gu Race. Meanwhile, Du Shu rewarded Kang Qihua and laid out his vision of a fair, free Demon Sect, while the Gu King investigated the Divine Clan’s accusations and the missing Sixth Elder.

• Huan Yun found Sunken Whale’s residence and all four Divine Clan branches in the Spirit Wilderness Realm abandoned, then reported the losses to the God King.
• The God King said he would demand an explanation from the Gu Race and threatened to slaughter the race if they could not reach an agreement.
• Du Shu gave Kang Qihua the Phoenix Fire Cauldron and Spirit Stones to reward Fragrant Splendor Tower’s contributions to Myriad Pill Tower.
• Du Shu defined a Demon Sect as free, equal, and fair, and Kang Qihua pledged to help him build one.
• The Gu King received the Divine Clan’s letter accusing Di Chan of stealing supplies and killing its Spirit Wilderness Realm members, then ordered the Fourth Elder to investigate and the Fifth Elder to search for the missing Sixth Elder.

The Gu King decided to confront the Divine Clan after it detained Zao Yu, while Jun Ting led an Eight Great Houses delegation to the Otherworld Ruins to demand cooperation under the Human Emperor’s rules. After the Ruins Lord delayed the delegation for a day, Jun Ting threatened to begin operations, and Ji Yinzhou finally received him.

• The God King searched Zao Yu’s soul, found no evidence that the Gu Race had targeted the Divine Clan, and imprisoned him to force the Gu King to ransom him.
• The Gu King convened the Gu Race’s Core Circle and decided to recall the Third and Fifth Elders before going to the Divine Clan with them.
• Jun Ting led thirty representatives from the Eight Great Houses toward the Otherworld Ruins and ordered Xiao Ning and Gao Jinbai to wait outside the Royal City.
• After the delegation waited twenty-four hours, Jun Ting invoked the Human Emperor’s authority and threatened to begin operations unless an authorized official received them.
• An Otherworlder guard summoned Jun Ting to the main hall, where he met Ruins Lord Ji Yinzhou.

Jun Ting tried to make the Otherworld Ruins help the Eight Great Houses search for Earth Abyss Passages and defend the Human Clan, but Ji Yinzhou refused and had the delegation seized. Ji Yinzhou concluded that the Human Clan would attack the Otherworld Ruins before the Great Age began.

• Jun Ting demanded that the Otherworld Ruins obey the Eight Great Houses and help search for Earth Abyss Passages, but Ji Yinzhou rejected the demand and defended the Ruins’ independence.
• Ji Yinzhou ordered Jun Ting and the other twenty-nine envoys seized, their Divine Souls searched, and all of them executed.
• The Second Elder and the other leaders argued that the Otherworld Ruins could stay out of the coming conflict and wait until the Human Clan was weakened.
• Ji Yinzhou reasoned that the Human Clan would recognize the Ruins as a threat and use the Great Age to weaken its experts, so it would attack before the Great Age began.

After the Otherworld Ruins massacred the Eight Great Houses’ delegation, Tang Yan helped the Pill Alliance plan for war and prepared traps to target a Heavenly Venerable. The chapter ended in Youcang Marsh, where a hidden sect’s master learned that the Otherworld Ruins had run into trouble.

• Ji Yinzhou explained that the Otherworld Ruins had killed the delegation to provoke the Eight Great Houses into an ill-prepared attack, and he sent the Second Elder to enlist the Demon Sect’s help in distracting them.
• Rao Baoyue recalled Tang Yan to Clear Sky Peak and told him that thirty members of the Eight Great Houses’ delegation had been killed by the Otherworld Ruins.
• Lin Jiuyuan played a recording of Jun Ting and Ji Yinzhou’s conversation, and Tang Yan warned that the Otherworld Ruins aimed to divide and weaken the Eight Great Houses before the Great Age.
• Tang Yan proposed publicizing the massacre and setting an attack date a month later, when the Demonic Spirit Heavenly Venerable would recover; he then returned to Fengnan Island to strengthen his traps and lure a Heavenly Venerable there.
• Tang Yan visited the Sword Alliance and the Mystic Maiden Sect, where he cultivated with Zi Yun, Lin Dongxue, and Immortal Maiden Qinglan.
• In Youcang Marsh, a sect elder told the long-haired sect master that the Otherworld Ruins had run into trouble, and the master asked him to explain.

A hidden man reacted to rumors of conflict between the Otherworld Ruins and the Eight Great Houses, while the Demon Sect negotiated with both sides for its own advantage. In the Otherworld Ruins, Ji Yinzhou learned that Tang Yan might be the reason Lin Jiuyuan and the others had come there.

• A man ordered his people to monitor ties between the Otherworld Ruins and the Demon Sect, buy high-grade pills, and sell them cheaply to the Otherworld Ruins after adding Manma.
• At the Sky-Reaching Tower, Lu Fengzong and the Demon Sect’s leaders debated the Otherworld Ruins’ offer, and Du Shu urged them to profit from both sides without betraying the Human Clan.
• The Demon Sect agreed to demand Immortal Artifacts from the Otherworld Ruins and resources from the Eight Great Houses while pretending to support each side.
• Seven days later, the Otherworld Ruins granted the Demon Sect three Immortal Artifacts and ordered it to act against the Human Clan for half a year; the houses also gave the Demon Sect valuable materials and information.
• Qin Shan told Ji Yinzhou that the Eight Great Houses had gained Sage Venerable inheritances in the Heavenly Wailing Ruins Secret Realm and that Tang Yan’s talent and connections suggested he had drawn Lin Jiuyuan and the others to the Otherworld Ruins.

Ji Yinzhou sent Pureblood Heavenly Venerable to capture Zhong Tianyin on Fengnan Island, but Tang Yan’s trap knocked the Heavenly Venerable unconscious. After searching his memories, Tang Yan learned the Otherworld Ruins’ strength and decided to send Pureblood Heavenly Venerable back to investigate Divine Mountain’s magma.

• Ji Yinzhou learned that Zhong Tianyin was on Fengnan Island and might have extended his life by a thousand years, then asked the Heavenly Venerables to capture him.
• Pureblood Heavenly Venerable uncovered the island’s Illusion Array, entered Zhong Tianyin’s supposed cultivation abode, and attacked him.
• The scenery vanished, and Tang Yan’s lightning cage, concealed weapons, and poison incapacitated Pureblood Heavenly Venerable.
• Tang Yan searched Pureblood Heavenly Venerable’s Divine Soul and learned that the Otherworld Ruins had forty-six Heaven and Earth Realm experts and two Heavenly Venerables.
• Tang Yan plundered Pureblood Heavenly Venerable’s Storage Ring and sent him back to the Otherworld Ruins to scout the dangerous area beneath Divine Mountain’s magma.

Tang Yan discovered the Purifying Spirit Flame beneath the magma, but Pureblood Heavenly Venerable broke free of his control and returned to the Divine Mountain. Qin Shan then learned that the Gu Race was already in conflict with the Divine Clan and agreed to accompany Zhe Feng to mediate.

• Tang Yan controlled Pureblood Heavenly Venerable to descend into the magma, discovered the Purifying Spirit Flame, and lost control of him when the Soul-Thought Gu connection broke.
• Tang Yan returned to Heaven's Punishment and waited for a chance to steal the flame while Pureblood Heavenly Venerable reported being trapped and controlled by Gu Arts.
• Ji Yinzhou sent Grand Elder Qin Shan to investigate the Gu Race, and Qin Shan found its Royal City nearly empty.
• Zhe Feng explained that the Gu Race's elites had gone with the Gu King to confront the Divine Clan over accusations against Elder Di Chan.
• Qin Shan agreed to travel with Zhe Feng to the Divine Clan and mediate the conflict.

The Divine Clan and Gu Race nearly destroyed each other over attacks blamed on Di Chan, but Qin Shan brokered a truce and the God King cleared the Gu King by searching his Divine Soul. After the Gu King identified the Pill Alliance as a likely culprit, Qin Shan named Tang Yan as his suspect and proposed a plan to capture him.

• The God King accused the Gu Race of attacking the Divine Clan, while the Gu King demanded Elder Zao Yu's release and denied responsibility; their ultimatum led both sides into battle.
• Zhe Feng arrived with news of a lead, and Qin Shan persuaded the combatants to stop and consider that a Human Clan force skilled in Gu Arts had stirred up the conflict.
• The Gu King agreed to a Divine Soul search, and the God King found no plot against the Divine Clan and promised to compensate the Gu Race twofold.
• The Gu King suspected Di Chan had been controlled and pointed to the Pill Alliance as a key force involved in attacks on the Divine Clan and Otherworld Ruins.
• Qin Shan named Tang Yan as his suspect, citing his rapid advancement, knowledge of the races, and possible connection to the Gu God's inheritance.
• The God King called for Tang Yan's capture, and Qin Shan offered to devise a plan with the clans' help.