Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hua reunited with Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian after breaking the seal, and they thanked him before asking him to become Xiang Zhili’s master. Xiao Hua declined but promised to teach the boy a great divine ability later, then took in the dying Thunder Beast cub and left the cave with the others as Xiangyang prepared to return to Myriad Thunder Valley.

• Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian thanked Xiao Hua for freeing them and asked him to take Xiang Zhili as his master, but Xiao Hua refused because he lacked the knowledge to teach him.
• Xiao Hua promised to give Xiang Zhili a great divine ability once he had made progress in cultivation.
• Xiao Hua took the dying Thunder Beast cub, Little Lei, into his space, where the cub absorbed the lightning without harm.
• Xiangyang gave Xiao Hua four storage bags containing items from the cave, while keeping Martial Uncle Zhen Ye’s belongings and part of the male Thunder Beast’s inner core for the sect.
• Xiao Hua put away the Rabbit Formation and led the group out of the cave, and Xiangyang said he would return to Myriad Thunder Valley with Yan Qinglian and Xiang Zhili.

Xiangyang, Xiao Hua, Yan Qinglian, and the infant left Yanlin Mountain Marsh for Xihuang Town, but Huanling Sect cultivators pursued them over Chao Long spirit essence. Li Dongming demanded that they reveal where the spirit essence was, leaving the two groups facing off above a fire lake.

• Xiangyang agreed to let Xiao Hua accompany him and the others back to Xihuang Town.
• Qiong Ming questioned the group about a ferocious beast, then dismissed them despite Li Dongming urging him to investigate further.
• Li Dongming led several Huanling Sect disciples in pursuit of Xiangyang's group, while Qiong Ming returned to report their dispute to an elder.
• Xiangyang stopped above a fire lake and asked why the Huanling Sect was pursuing them.
• Li Dongming's disciples surrounded the group, and he demanded that they hand over the Chao Long spirit essence or reveal its location.

Xiao Hua and Xiangyang faced Li Dongming, who accused them of taking a Huanling Sect essence soul and demanded to search their storage pouches. Xiao Hua seized Li Dongming and secretly forced him to invent a friendly history between them, leaving the group free to go and Xue Xue teasing Xiao Hua about his claimed past.

• Li Dongming accused Xiangyang and Xiao Hua of stealing Zhuolong's essence soul and demanded their storage pouches.
• Xiao Hua attacked the Huanling Sect disciples with fire dragons and separated Li Dongming from the group.
• Xiao Hua fought through Li Dongming's defenses and grabbed him by the throat.
• Xiao Hua used a soundproof talisman to pressure Li Dongming into claiming they had met two years earlier and were old acquaintances.
• Li Dongming persuaded his junior brothers that the dispute was resolved, then left with them.
• Xue Xue teased Xiao Hua for claiming he had established his foundation three years earlier.

Xiao Hua and Xue Xue continued toward Xihuang Town with Xiangyang, Yan Qinglian, and Xiang Zhili, while Xiangyang arranged an escort back to the Thunder Control Sect for Zhen Ye’s remains and belongings. As the group waited for help, Xiao Hua wondered whether Dry Thunder Palace’s activity was connected to Gan Qinghuo.

• Xiao Hua told Xue Xue that he had made a secret arrangement with Li Dongming, then enjoyed being treated as a Foundation Establishment senior by passing cultivators.
• Near Xihuang Town, Xiao Hua and his companions encountered an unfamiliar mid Foundation Establishment cultivator who snubbed Xiangyang and Yan Qinglian before flying away.
• Xiangyang stopped and used a Concealed Thunder Voice Transmission Talisman to summon a Thunder Control Sect guard disciple.
• Xiangyang showed Gan Ping his command plaques and privately explained that Zhen Ye had died and that his remains and storage pouch were in Xiangyang’s possession.
• Gan Ping verified Xiangyang’s identity and left to summon disciples who would escort Xiangyang, Yan Qinglian, and Xiang Zhili back to the Thunder Control Sect.
• Xiangyang wondered why Gan Ping, a Dry Thunder Palace disciple, was guarding Xihuang Town, and Xiao Hua suspected the deployment might be connected to Gan Qinghuo.

Xiao Hua and Xue Xue set out toward the Qiang He Sea, while Xiao Hua postponed his revenge against the Hundred Herbs Sect until he grew stronger. Meanwhile, Yan Yu learned that Xiao Hua had vanished during the collapse of the Five Elements Soul Restraining Array, but he remained uncertain whether Xiao Hua had actually died.

• Xue Xue explained the route through Xi Kingdom and Meng Kingdom to the Qiang He Sea, including a dangerous passage through the Mo Ran Black Forest, and Xiao Hua agreed to follow her lead.
• Xiao Hua resolved to wait until he reached mid Foundation Establishment before seeking revenge on the Hundred Herbs Sect, then entered the Teleportation Array with Xue Xue.
• Yan Yu arrived in Yanlin Mountain Marsh and told Liang Yu that he wanted revenge on Xiao Hua for killing his great-grandson Yan Liwei and Cai Zhuoxia.
• Qian Han and Xie Ming met Yan Yu and explained that Jiang Zhucheng had perished after Xiao Hua broke the male Thunder Beast's blood-colored seal, while Xiao Hua had disappeared when the Five Elements Soul Restraining Array collapsed.
• Yan Yu rejoiced at the news but asked whether Qian Han had personally seen Xiao Hua die.

Qian Han, Xie Ming, Yan Yu, and Liang Yu realized Xiaohua had survived and set out to pursue him toward Haoming City, hoping to avenge old grievances and seize his possessions. Unaware of the pursuit, Xiaohua traveled with Xue Xue and reflected on the heavenly Dao before suddenly sensing danger.

• Yan Yu learned that Xiaohua had appeared with the Thunder Control Sect disciples, and Qian Han and Xie Ming recognized that Xiaohua had likely escaped with the Thunder Beast's Inner Core and four storage bags.
• Yan Yu bribed a watchkeeping disciple for news and learned Xiaohua had probably headed toward Haoming City, though his route was unknown.
• Yan Yu, Qian Han, Xie Ming, and Liang Yu agreed to search for Xiaohua and divide what they found on him.
• Xiaohua traveled with Xue Xue and discussed whether the heavenly Dao was heartless or fair, citing Eldest Senior Brother's changed fortunes.
• Xue Xue argued that Eldest Senior Brother's fulfillment depended on Xiaohua's help, and Xiaohua hoped fairness might still become universal before suddenly reacting and reaching for Xue Xue.

Xiao Hua gained insight into the Heavenly Dao Starry Sky and underwent an unusual cultivation transformation that left him briefly intangible, while Xue Xue anxiously watched over him. Afterward, he gave her a butterfly-shaped defensive artifact to refine, then began refining Earth Crystal Yao Ru, encasing himself in black mist as Xue Xue looked on in alarm.

• Xiao Hua sensed changes in the Heavenly Dao Starry Sky and entered seclusion with Xue Xue in a cave.
• After a hundred days, Xiao Hua faded into emptiness and expanded and contracted through three hundred and sixty cycles, while Xue Xue discovered that her hand and divine sense passed through him.
• Xiao Hua returned to normal and comforted the frightened Xue Xue, who wrote a secret message on her jade slip and told him to reveal it when the time was right.
• Xiao Hua gave Xue Xue a butterfly-shaped defensive artifact and a storage bag, and she refined the artifact over three days.
• Xiao Hua named the artifact Phalaenopsis orchid, then began refining Earth Crystal Yao Ru, which spread black mist around him and solidified into a shell.

Xiao Hua absorbed Earth Crystal Yao Ru, strengthened his cultivation and divine sense, and advanced Sword Manifests the World to thirty-two sword lights before continuing toward Meng Kingdom with Xue Xue. Meanwhile, Yan Yu and his companions failed to find them, and Xiao Hua and Xue Xue eventually arrived at a riverside town and entered Cold River Tower.

• Xiao Hua absorbed Earth Crystal Yao Ru over a hundred days, strengthening his Phoenix Dharma Body, meridians, and divine sense.
• Xiao Hua split Zhùmèng into thirty-two sword lights, then left with Xue Xue toward Meng Kingdom.
• Yan Yu, Qian Han, Xie Ming, and Liang Yu failed to find Xiao Hua near Haoming City and returned there to plan their next search.
• More than half a year later, Xiao Hua and Xue Xue reached a small riverside town and entered Cold River Tower, where the mortals stared at them as Immortal Elders.

Xiao Hua and Xue Xue stopped at Cold River Tower, where the local cultivators mistook Xiao Hua for a formidable senior and treated him with strict deference. After chatting with Qiang Yulian about cormorant fishing, Xiao Hua learned that the tavern had received a special local variety of baby bok choy, which Han Jiang went to prepare.

• Han Jiang welcomed Xue Xue and Xiao Hua to Cold River Tower and accepted Xiao Hua’s spirit stone for their refreshments.
• Five Qi Cultivation cultivators greeted Xiao Hua as Senior, and Qiang Lihao introduced himself and the others as members of the Qiang family of Moyun Village.
• Qiang Yulian explained how fishermen used neck-corded cormorants to catch fish, prompting Xiao Hua and Xue Xue to discuss the method.
• Han Jiang offered Cold River’s specialty baby bok choy, and Qiang Yulian urged him to prepare it for the two seniors.

Xiao Hua and Xue Xue learned the tragic legend behind the rare Cold River fish called Little Bok Choy. After Qiang Yulian explained that couples ate it as an auspicious sign, Xue Xue realized the fish they had ordered might be the legendary lovers and urged Xiao Hua to stop the shopkeeper.

• Qiang Yulian explained that Little Bok Choy was a rare fish that appeared in the Cold River on the fifteenth of each month.
• Xiao Hua gave Qiang Yulian a spiritual fruit, and she refined its energy before telling the fish's legend.
• Qiang Yulian recounted how a cultivation family drowned Scholar You and how his beloved followed him into the Cold River, after which the fish began appearing.
• Xue Xue was moved by the lovers' story, and Xiao Hua comforted her by promising that lovers would ultimately be united.
• Qiang Yulian said couples ate Little Bok Choy for good luck, and Xue Xue urgently told Xiao Hua to stop the shopkeeper from serving the fish.

Xiao Hua rescued the rare little cabbage fish for Xue Xue, but Shang Cheng of the Myriad Poisons Sect arrived and demanded it. When Xiao Hua refused to yield the fish, Shang Cheng attacked him above Cold River Tower.

• Xiao Hua retrieved the little cabbage fish from Han Jiang's fisherman and paid Han Jiang extra spirit stones for it.
• Xue Xue asked about the legendary lovers connected to the fish, then learned from Han Jiang that You Zhongquan and the girl had no graves at Cold River.
• Shang Cheng and his wife Mei Xiaoyao arrived, and Shang Cheng asked Xiao Hua to hand over the fish.
• Xiao Hua refused Shang Cheng's offer of tenfold compensation, while the Buddha Sarira helped him resist Mei Xiaoyao's bewitching technique.
• Shang Cheng threatened Xiao Hua, brought out a poisoned crescent-hook artifact, and flew outside Cold River Tower to attack him.

Xiao Hua used the Town Cloud Seal to force Shang Cheng to withdraw, but Shang Cheng killed Shopkeeper Han as he left Cold River Tower. Xiao Hua stopped him and declared that he would execute him for killing the mortal.

• Xiao Hua wielded the fully refined Town Cloud Seal, overwhelming Shang Cheng's curved hook and making Shang Cheng recall his magic artifact.
• Shang Cheng landed at Cold River Tower and claimed he had backed down out of respect for the Thunder Control Sect, while Xiao Hua accused him of threatening Xue Xue.
• Shopkeeper Han invited Shang Cheng to eat, but Shang Cheng insulted him and secretly killed him with poison before attempting to leave with Mei Xiaoyao.
• Xiao Hua blocked Shang Cheng's departure and said he would kill him in retribution for Shopkeeper Han's death.
• Shang Cheng questioned Xiao Hua's reason for fighting, and Xiao Hua declared that he would execute him despite their difference in cultivation.

Xiao Hua fought Shang Cheng after Shang Cheng killed Han Jiang, countering the Myriad Poisons Sect cultivator’s attacks with Samadhi True Fire, the Leaf Sun Fan, and a demonic hammer. The battle continued as Xiao Hua launched spirit fire at Shang Cheng’s chest, while Shang Cheng’s protective magic treasure remained unbroken.

• Xiao Hua told Shang Cheng he had killed only those he believed deserved it, and Shang Cheng challenged him after admitting he had killed Han Jiang.
• Shang Cheng attacked with poisonous talismans and water spheres, but Xiao Hua burned both away with Samadhi True Fire.
• Shang Cheng sent his Crimson Blood Hook at Xiao Hua, but Xiao Hua’s Leaf Sun Fan engulfed it in flames and burned away its bloody aura.
• Shang Cheng strengthened himself with a jade-bottle medicine and a blood-red talisman, then attacked with a demonic tool, but Xiao Hua struck him with a larger demonic hammer.
• Shang Cheng’s protective magic treasure blocked Xiao Hua’s hammer blows, so Xiao Hua used the Divine Fire Art to shoot spirit fire toward Shang Cheng’s chest.

Xiao Hua killed Shang Cheng and reflected on his lack of effective spells and Xiangyang’s generosity. At Cold River Tower, Han Jiang’s widow Madam Liu offered the tower to Xiao Hua and begged him to protect her son, Han Yi.

• Shang Cheng’s corpse exploded into poisonous scraps, but Xiao Hua burned them and took the contents of his storage pouch without touching it.
• Xiao Hua recovered his spiritual power and resolved to study more spells and cultivation techniques, recalling that Xiangyang had left him valuable jade slips and other items.
• Xue Xue joined Xiao Hua in the air, and they joked about his exhausting fight before returning to Cold River Tower.
• Madam Liu introduced herself and Han Yi, offered Cold River Tower to Xiao Hua, and begged him to save her son.
• Xiao Hua called Han Yi over.

Xiao Hua arranged for Han Yi to be taken in by the Qiang family after Han Jiang’s death, providing them with a cultivation technique and resources to care for the boy. As Xiao Hua and Xue Xue prepared to continue their Foundation Establishment trial, Qiang Xuemei began to raise a concern.

• Xiao Hua discovered that Han Yi had begun Qi Cultivation, burned the questionable technique Han Jiang had given him, and explained that Han Yi’s Earth attribute did not suit the Thunder Control Sect.
• Qiang Lihao offered to take Han Yi into the Qiang family, and Xiao Hua agreed on the condition that they protect and discipline him appropriately.
• Xiao Hua gave Qiang Lihao an Earth attribute cultivation technique and a storage pouch containing spirit stones and Qi Cultivation pills, while Madam Liu prepared to leave for Moyun Village with Han Yi.
• Xiao Hua burned Han Jiang’s poisoned bloodstains, and Qiang Lihao arranged for a wealthy man to take over Cold River Tower.
• Qiang Xuemei told Xue Xue that she had met Ling Feiyun three years earlier, and Xue Xue said his bloodline had awakened and his cultivation was advancing quickly.
• After Xue Xue said she and Xiao Hua had no fixed destination on their Foundation Establishment trial, Qiang Xuemei began to say something while looking at Xiao Hua and Qiang Yulian.

Xue Xue agreed to accompany the Qiang sisters to the Tianmen Mountain Huang Family, where a descendant of Little Cabbage had fallen into an unexplained sleep. After Xiao Hua and the sisters traveled for more than ten days, they reached the area around Tianmen Mountain and awaited Qiang Lihao and the others.

• Qiang Xuemei and Qiang Yulian told Xue Xue about the Huang Family’s sleeping relative and its offer of an inherited magical artifact, and Xue Xue agreed to visit with Xiao Hua.
• Qiang Lihao returned after settling Cold River Tower’s affairs, and Xiao Hua gave him flying talismans and sent him back with Qiang Limin, Han Yi, and Madam Liu.
• Xiao Hua, Xue Xue, Qiang Xuemei, and Qiang Yulian flew south toward Tianmen Mountain while Xiao Hua practiced comprehending spells and sword formations along the way.
• The group reached the bounds of Tianmen Mountain, and Qiang Yulian said Qiang Lihao and the others should arrive that day.

Xiao Hua accepted Moyun Village’s invitation, rewarded the Qiang siblings, and offered to teach them talisman refinement before leading the group to Tianmen Mountain. They arrived at the Huang Family’s beautiful mountain home, where Xiao Hua and Xue Xue prepared to visit.

• Qiang Lihao and Qiang Limin caught up with Xiao Hua and offered him an honored-guest token from Moyun Village, which he accepted.
• Qiang Lihao told Xiao Hua that a Foundation Establishment cultivator had been assigned to guide Han Yi’s cultivation.
• Xiao Hua gave the Qiang siblings Fireball Talismans he had refined and offered to teach them his talisman-making methods.
• Xiao Hua handed Xue Xue booklets on Fireball and Ice Thorn Talismans, and she asked Qiang Xuemei to copy the methods for the group.
• Xiao Hua led the group to Tianmen Mountain, where they arrived after half a day and admired the Huang Family’s scenic grounds.

Xiao Hua arrived at Tianmen Mountain with Qiang Lihao and met Huang Tianle and Huang Tianming, the declining Huang Family’s elders. As Huang Tianming showed him around, he explained that the family hoped someone could uncover why their gifted young descendant Huang Mengxiang kept fainting during cultivation.

• Huang Tianle questioned why Qiang Lihao had come seeking the magic artifact, and Xiao Hua offered to examine the Huang Family’s problem.
• Huang Tianle asked Huang Tianming to guide Xiao Hua around Tianmen Mountain while the others looked around.
• Huang Tianming told Xiao Hua that the Huang Family had declined for generations, though Huang Mengxiang had recently emerged as a brilliant young cultivator.
• Huang Tianming explained that Huang Mengxiang had fainted in his cultivation chamber last spring despite showing no abnormalities, and the family had offered a magic artifact as a reward.
• Xiao Hua asked why the Huang Family had not sought help from a Golden Core cultivator, and Huang Tianming said past offenses and the cost of such help made that impossible.

Xiao Hua and his companions arrived at the Huang Family’s Vermilion Bird Hall to attend a feast for cultivators seeking to treat Xiang’er. After Xue Xue’s question about Little Cabbage angered Huang Tianming, Xiao Hua entered the hall and encountered the wary gathering of sect and clan cultivators.

• Huang Tianming told Xiao Hua that no one had found a way to awaken Xiang’er and invited him to the Huang Family’s final gathering for visitors.
• Xue Xue asked whether Little Cabbage had been from the Tianmen Mountain Huang Family, and Huang Tianming angrily dismissed the question as an insult.
• Huang Tianming escorted Xiao Hua and his companions to Vermilion Bird Hall, then left them with a gate disciple.
• Xiao Hua admired the hall’s vermilion-bird decorations and joined the feast, where Huang Tianle introduced him as a guest elder of Moyun Village.
• Yue Chan questioned Xiao Hua about his background, then proudly identified the prominent cultivators gathered around Huang Tianle.

Xiao Hua learned that the Tianmen Mountain Huang Family had once controlled a fire-nature spirit stone vein, explaining its former wealth and the quality of its magic artifacts. Huang Tianle then addressed the gathered cultivators, thanking them for coming and asking for help with his granddaughter Xiang'er's illness.

• Xiao Hua asked Yue Chan why the Huang Family's artifact had drawn so many cultivators and learned that Yue Chan knew its history.
• Yue Chan explained that the Huang Family had flourished by controlling a fire-nature spirit stone vein tens of thousands of years earlier.
• Xiao Hua realized that the Huang Family's former wealth could account for its valuable magic artifacts.
• Huang Tianming stood and apologized to the gathering for the Huang Family's recent neglect.
• Huang Tianle said he had invited Xi Kingdom's experts to seek a cure for Xiang'er and would be grateful whether or not they found one.