Chapter Summaries

Mu Bai encountered a supernatural wedding in a mountain village and exposed a Yellow Weasel Bride who had ensnared Chen Shichong with an illusion. After Mu Bai awakened Chen, the bride fled into the forest, leaving Chen safe but shaken.

• Mu Bai descended the mountain in the rain, grieving his ruined tribe and longing for Hai Chen and Ling’er.
• Mu Bai discovered that the village wedding was an illusion staged by mountain rats and paper figures, and the bride was a Yellow Weasel.
• The Yellow Weasel Bride explained that she and Chen Shichong had spent three days together after she bewitched him with the illusion of a beautiful lotus-picker.
• Mu Bai rejected the bride’s pleas and dodged her attack while using his mental power to wake Chen Shichong.
• Chen Shichong realized the bride was a weasel and recoiled, so she tearfully bade him farewell, bowed to Mu Bai, and fled into the forest.

Mu Bai traveled north with Chen Shichong to the Sword Sect and joined him in hunting Silver Swordfish at Ice Lake. After they defeated a school of second-rank fish, they pressed deeper into the lake together.

• Mu Bai introduced himself to Chen Shichong, who invited him to visit the Sword Sect in the Northern Plains and help him find a suitable Soul Soldier.
• Mu Bai and Chen Shichong traveled north for ten days and reached the thousand-year-old frigid Ice Lake, where they agreed to hunt Silver Swordfish.
• Mu Bai used his Divine Crow manifestation and lightning attacks while Chen Shichong controlled a sword formation to kill the first school of Silver Swordfish.
• The two drank from Mu Bai's wine gourd, competed as they hunted, and collected the Silver Swordfish bones.
• Mu Bai and Chen Shichong faced a school of second-rank Silver Swordfish, dropped their defenses, and fought with their bodies and strongest attacks.
• Mu Bai attacked the fish with mental-power swords, leaving them helpless, and Chen Shichong's sword formation finished off the school.

Mu Bai and Chen Shichong fought together to kill a third-tier Silver Swordfish, and Mu Bai claimed its bones for a Soul Soldiers weapon. As they flew toward the Northern Plains, Chen Shichong told Mu Bai where red sun stone could be found, and Mu Bai decided to seek it for a better weapon.

• Mu Bai and Chen Shichong discussed their fighting skills and learned that a third-tier Silver Swordfish could provide materials for a High-Rank Soul Sword.
• Mu Bai and Chen Shichong attacked the third-tier Silver Swordfish, and Mu Bai endured its blows while weakening it with his mental power and fists.
• Chen Shichong drove the Autumn Sun Sword into the Silver Swordfish, and Mu Bai struck its hilt to drive the blade through its skull.
• Mu Bai accepted the Silver Swordfish's bones from Chen Shichong, and the two agreed to leave the lake before another powerful beast arrived.
• Chen Shichong explained that red sun stone could be found near a region of earthfire and molten lava, and Mu Bai decided to search for it.

Mu Bai and Chen Shichong reached the Earthfire Magma Zone, where Mu Bai searched for Crimson Flame Fruits while waiting for the rare red sun stone to emerge. He found a fruit-bearing tree beneath the magma and collected its five fruits, leaving the roots intact.

• Mu Bai and Chen Shichong traveled west from the Ten-Thousand-Mile Ice Blades to the Earthfire Magma Zone and learned that its hundred-year eruption was near.
• Chen Shichong flew to Earthfire City to seek news of red sun stone while Mu Bai stayed by the magma to search for Crimson Flame Fruits.
• Mu Bai endured the magma’s heat as he searched with his Divine Sense, then saw Xiu Zun cultivators converge to fight over a rising magma column.
• Mu Bai returned to searching and spotted a Crimson Flame Fruit Tree growing in a cliff beneath the magma.
• Mu Bai entered the magma inside the Three-Legged Crow Cauldron, collected all five fruits, and left the tree rooted so it could grow again.

Mu Bai refined three Ice-Fire Pills from Crimson Flame Fruits and mystic ice grass to prepare for bidding on a red sun stone in Earthfire City. As he set out for the auction, a Magma Red Dragon attacked him, and its cries drew three more dragons from the magma pool.

• Mu Bai used earthfire in a volcanic crater to refine an Ice-Fire Pill, relying on mystic ice grass to balance the Crimson Flame Fruit's heat.
• Mu Bai refined three Ice-Fire Pills over five attempts, leaving himself exhausted.
• Chen Shichong waited in Earthfire City, heard rumors about treasures from the eruption, and sent Mu Bai a voice transmission when treasure-bearing Xiu Zun cultivators arrived.
• Mu Bai prepared to leave the volcanic cave for the auction, hoping to win a red sun stone with his pills.
• A Magma Red Dragon lunged at Mu Bai, who trapped it inside the Crow Cauldron.
• Three more Magma Red Dragons emerged from the magma pool after the trapped dragon roared.

Mu Bai descended into a magma pool and discovered an earth yang thunder source that fused with his Yin Thunder Soul, creating a violet thunder seed within his dantian. He left the volcano newly empowered, intending to return for more thunder after rejoining Brother Chen in Earthfire City.

• Mu Bai used the Crow Cauldron to fend off Magma Red Dragons, but they chased him deep into the magma pool.
• Red lightning struck the Crow Cauldron, and Mu Bai recognized the depths as a Yang Thunder Pool Acupoint containing earth yang thunder.
• Mu Bai withdrew the Crow Cauldron and allowed his Yin Thunder Soul to meet the earth yang thunder, forming a circling blue-and-red disc.
• Mu Bai drew the fused thunder into his dantian and discovered he could control its speed and unleash powerful violet lightning.
• Mu Bai resolved to return for more thunder later, since he needed to maintain the balance of yin and yang, and set his sights on rejoining Brother Chen in Earthfire City.

After absorbing the Yang Thunder Soul, Mu Bai left the cooling magma and met Chen Shichong at Earthfire City’s Golden Tower, where they discussed the coming auction and cultivation. The two enjoyed the crowded hall’s performances as cultivators gathered in the city.

• Mu Bai left the magma pool after absorbing the Yang Thunder Soul and noticed small gains in his Soul Power and mental power.
• Mu Bai disguised himself as Zhou Qichang and went to the Golden Tower, where he reunited with Chen Shichong.
• Mu Bai and Chen Shichong discussed the red sun stone’s expected auction price and Mu Bai’s shortage of Soul Crystals.
• Chen Shichong shared cultivation insights with Mu Bai, who chose not to reveal his secret of immortal cultivation.
• As more cultivators arrived in Earthfire City, Mu Bai and Chen Shichong watched the Golden Tower’s performances and drank together.

Mu Bai and Chen Shichong drank in Dome Hall when two women began competing for Chen Shichong’s attention, first fighting and then challenging each other to drink. The women offered him access to Red Sun Stone and a fortune in soul crystals, and both eventually drank themselves unconscious while Mu Bai watched from the sidelines.

• A pink-robed cultivator flirted with Chen Shichong, while Mu Bai’s offer of company earned him her scorn and laughter from Chen Shichong.
• A woman in blue confronted the pink-robed cultivator, and their argument over their figures escalated into a sword fight.
• Chen Shichong stopped the fight and invited both women to drink with him, leaving Mu Bai isolated as they competed for his attention.
• The woman in blue, Miss Ji, offered to take Chen Shichong home and give him Red Sun Stone because her father was Earthfire City’s city lord.
• Gusu Wan'er offered a hundred thousand soul crystals for Chen Shichong, who objected to both women treating him like someone who lived off women.
• The two women continued drinking to outdo each other until both collapsed on the floor, while Mu Bai watched.

After a sinister man attacked Mu Bai and Chen Shichong beneath the moon, Chen Shichong was poisoned by multiplying green insects. Mu Bai slowed the poison by soaking Chen Shichong’s wound in sand wolf blood and began searching for the attacker and an antidote.

• Chen Shichong and Mu Bai left the Golden Tower after drinking, while a sinister man escorted Gusu Wan'er away.
• The sinister man attacked the pair in the desert, shattered Mu Bai’s Spirit Light Shield, poisoned Chen Shichong, and vanished into the sand.
• Mu Bai found that green insects were spreading through Chen Shichong’s body and killed five sand wolves to obtain fresh blood.
• Mu Bai soaked Chen Shichong’s poisoned shoulder in wolf blood to slow the insects’ spread.
• Mu Bai showed the innkeeper spiritual images of Gusu Wan'er and the sinister man, but the innkeeper said he had never seen them.

Mu Bai tracked Gusu Wan'er and the sinister man to a hidden chamber, where he witnessed their gruesome corpse ritual and learned that Gusu Wan'er had been killed and revived. After confronting her about Chen Shichong’s illness, he received a remedy and watched her draw blood from A Jiu to prepare it.

• Mu Bai followed the sinister man from the Golden Tower to a residence and discovered a hidden chamber beneath a tree.
• Mu Bai saw the sinister man kill a captive and throw the body into a blood pool, then watched green mist restore Gusu Wan'er’s desiccated corpse.
• The sinister man trapped Mu Bai with a silver thread, but Gusu Wan'er cut it and let him explain that Chen Shichong had been afflicted by her green insects.
• Gusu Wan'er gave Mu Bai a bottle of Mighty Corpse Powder to draw the corpse plague from Chen Shichong.
• Gusu Wan'er called A Jiu over and cut his wrist, collecting his blood in the jade bottle.

Mu Bai used Mighty Corpse Powder and his own blood to save Chen Shichong from the Corpse Plague, then attended Earthfire City's auction with him. After passing on Body-Tempering Pills and missing out on Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, Mu Bai put a Water-Fire Pill up for auction, where it caused a sensation.

• Mu Bai left Gusu Wan'er's residence with Mighty Corpse Powder and hurried back to the inn.
• Mu Bai mixed the corpse powder into Chen Shichong's wolf-blood bath and added his own blood, curing him enough to wake; he fed him Life-Restoring Pills.
• Two days later, Mu Bai and Chen Shichong attended Earthfire City's auction, presided over by Xiu Zun Ji Yang.
• Mu Bai gave Chen Shichong five Body-Tempering Pills, while a burly man won the three pills on auction for eight thousand Soul Crystals.
• A middle-aged female cultivator bought the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron for forty thousand Soul Crystals, beyond Mu Bai's means.
• Mu Bai submitted a Water-Fire Pill for auction, and its promised effect on second-level body cultivators stirred the crowd.

Mu Bai sold an Ice-Fire Pill at the auction, gave another to Chen Shichong, and waited for the bidding on Red Sun Stones to begin. When Mu Bai pulled Chen Shichong away from Gusu Wan'er at the Golden Tower, a hostile group suddenly surrounded them.

• Mu Bai watched the Ice-Fire Pill sell for twenty-five thousand Soul Crystals and gave Chen Shichong his remaining pill so they could pursue strength together.
• Chen Shichong bought several medicinal herbs for Mu Bai, while Ji Ruxia searched the auction crowd for Chen Shichong without finding him.
• Earthfire City's lord announced that five Red Sun Stones would be auctioned five days later, and Mu Bai noticed Gusu Wan'er at Volcano Plaza.
• The next day, Gusu Wan'er approached Chen Shichong at the Golden Tower, but Mu Bai answered her and pulled Chen Shichong away.
• A group rushed into the Golden Tower, surrounded Mu Bai and Chen Shichong, and ordered everyone else to keep their distance.

Gusu Wan'er and a sinister-looking man unleashed the Corpse Plague in the Golden Tower before escaping west, while Ji Yang Xiu Zun contained the outbreak and led a pursuit. Mu Bai and Chen Shichong followed after the pursuers disappeared from sight, and Chen Shichong wondered whether Gusu Wan'er would escape.

• The sinister-looking man spread green plague smoke through the Golden Tower, then fled with Gusu Wan'er as Ji Yang Xiu Zun gathered the smoke and sent men after them.
• Ji Yang Xiu Zun revealed that the attackers had used plague insects to cause disappearances and kill people, and he burned the infected victims before they could spread the plague.
• Desiccated corpses rose and attacked the crowd, but Mu Bai and Chen Shichong helped destroy one as Ji Yang Xiu Zun ordered the corpses and infected cultivators burned.
• Ji Yang Xiu Zun reassured the survivors that the food had not poisoned them, then led his men west in pursuit of Gusu Wan'er and the sinister-looking man.
• Mu Bai and Chen Shichong followed the pursuit but soon lost sight of the cultivators, and Chen Shichong speculated that the attackers might have come from the Western Plains.

Luo Cheng and Luo Qian attacked Mu Bai and Chen Shichong for the Ice-Fire Pill, forcing the fugitives into a deadly fight. Gusu Wan'er intervened against the pursuers, and Mu Bai killed Luo Cheng with a thunder-powered attack while Chen Shichong tended to her.

• Mu Bai distracted Luo Cheng with a jade bottle of corpse-plague smoke, allowing himself and Chen Shichong to flee west.
• Luo Cheng and Luo Qian caught up and attacked, while Chen Shichong used the Autumn Sun Sword and a pill to wound Luo Cheng and sever his arm.
• Chen Shichong and Mu Bai fled again, but Gusu Wan'er emerged from the sand and engulfed Luo Cheng in green smoke before collapsing from her wounds.
• Mu Bai returned to fight Luo Cheng as Chen Shichong supported Gusu Wan'er, and Chen Shichong gave Mu Bai the Autumn Sun Sword.
• Mu Bai struck Luo Cheng with a thunder-wreathed beam of light that pierced his chest and killed him.

Mu Bai and Chen Shichong survived the fight with Luo Cheng, but Ji Yang Xiu Zun arrested them over the Corpse Plague killings. Chen Shichong revealed his identity and his connection to Ji Ruxia, securing their release and an invitation to the City Lord’s Manor, where Ji Ruxia greeted him enthusiastically.

• Luo Qian fled after Mu Bai killed Luo Cheng, and Gusu Wan'er left for the quicksand after thanking Chen Shichong for saving her.
• Ji Yang Xiu Zun arrived, heard Mu Bai explain that he had used plague-tainted blood to kill Luo Cheng, and ordered Mu Bai and Chen Shichong taken to Earthfire City.
• As the crowd cursed them and Luo Qian stirred up their anger, Chen Shichong revealed his identity as a member of the Sword Sect’s Chen family and invoked his friendship with Ji Ruxia.
• Ji Yang Xiu Zun released Chen Shichong and Mu Bai and invited them to the City Lord’s Manor, where he mentioned that Elder Chen had recently visited.
• Ji Ruxia rushed out to greet Chen Shichong, leaped onto him, and kissed his forehead while Mu Bai watched.

Mu Bai and Chen Shichong stayed at Ji Yang Xiu Zun’s manor, where Ji Ruxia pursued Luo Qian and learned Mu Bai’s identity. Ji Yang Xiu Zun tried to match Ji Ruxia with Chen Shichong, but the two friends escaped the awkward situation together, leaving Ji Ruxia disillusioned with handsome men.

• Ji Ruxia left Mu Bai and Chen Shichong to capture Luo Qian, then brought him bound to the manor and let him go after questioning him.
• Ji Yang Xiu Zun questioned Luo Qian about the events surrounding Luo Cheng’s death and criticized Mu Bai and Chen Shichong for letting the Western Plains woman escape.
• Ji Ruxia recognized Mu Bai from the Ice-Fire Pill auction, and Mu Bai revealed his true appearance and introduced himself as a member of the Spirit Taming Sect.
• Ji Yang Xiu Zun said he had five Red Sun Stones but explained that they were already set for auction, then encouraged Mu Bai to bid for one.
• Ji Yang Xiu Zun hinted that Chen Shichong should marry Ji Ruxia, but Chen Shichong rejected the suggestion and Mu Bai pretended to be intimate with him to end the misunderstanding.
• Mu Bai and Chen Shichong left the manor laughing, while Ji Ruxia drank gloomily and declared that handsome men were useless.

After Mu Bai and Chen Shichong returned to the inn from killing Luo Cheng and his son, Ji Ruxia sneaked in at midnight to spy on them and was struck in the eye when Chen Shichong punched through the door. She persuaded Mu Bai to disguise her as a handsome young man, then forced the exhausted pair to take her out into Earthfire City's crowded streets.

• Mu Bai sensed a visitor sneaking to Chen Shichong's room and waited to see what she would do.
• Ji Ruxia cut a peephole in Chen Shichong's door, and Chen Shichong punched through it, striking her and swelling her eye.
• Ji Ruxia's cries woke the inn, so Mu Bai apologized to guests and paid the innkeeper for the damage and disturbance.
• Mu Bai treated Ji Ruxia's eye, then gave her a pill and disguised her as a handsome young man after she asked to look like a man.
• Ji Ruxia dressed in Chen Shichong's clothes and forced Mu Bai and Chen Shichong to accompany her outside, where inn guests mistook the three for lovers.
• Mu Bai and Chen Shichong felt relieved when they reached the sunny streets, but realized the crowds there were even larger.

Ji Ruxia visited a brothel with Mu Bai and Chen Shichong, then rescued Yan Ru from two men who tried to force her to serve them. After paying the madam, Ji Ruxia took Yan Ru away with her.

• Ji Ruxia asked Chen Shichong to help stage a heroic rescue, but a busty girl tore off the arm of a man who tried to grope her.
• Ji Ruxia took Mu Bai and Chen Shichong to a brothel, where six girls pampered her while the two men drank awkwardly.
• Mu Bai and Chen Shichong went to intervene when two brutes beat Yan Ru for refusing to sell her body, but Ji Ruxia pushed past them.
• Ji Ruxia defeated the two brutes, slapped them, and warned them not to bully girls again.
• Ji Ruxia paid the madam for Yan Ru and led her out of the brothel, leaving Mu Bai, Chen Shichong, and the madam stunned.

Mu Bai and Chen Shichong learned that Ji Ruxia and Yan Ru could stay together in Earthfire City, then competed for a Red Sun Stone at the auction. Mu Bai won the final stone, paid for it, and left Earthfire City in disguise to meet Chen Shichong at the Ten Thousand Swords Ice Forest.

• Mu Bai and Chen Shichong visited Ji Ruxia and learned Ji Yang Xiu Zun would accept her relationship with Yan Ru as long as they stayed in Earthfire City.
• Ji Ruxia and Yan Ru affirmed their commitment to each other, and Mu Bai and Chen Shichong left reassured.
• Mu Bai bid thirty-five thousand Soul Crystals for a Red Sun Stone, tied with another bidder, and then raised his bid to forty thousand.
• Mu Bai displayed an Ice-Fire Pill to demonstrate his means, and the rugged rival stopped bidding, leaving Mu Bai the final Red Sun Stone.
• Mu Bai borrowed two thousand Soul Crystals from Chen Shichong, paid for the Red Sun Stone, and the two entered the Golden Tower before disguising themselves and separating.
• Mu Bai waited through the night at a roadside eatery, then left Earthfire City at sunrise to head toward the Ten Thousand Swords Ice Forest.

Mu Bai was ambushed over the Red Sun Stone and nearly killed while fleeing two greedy cultivators. Chen Shichong’s uncle, the Xiu Zun cultivator Chen Jianduan, rescued him and took Mu Bai and Chen Shichong toward the sect.

• Number 896 saw through Mu Bai’s disguise with his Netherwolf Soul Spirit and demanded the Red Sun Stone.
• Mu Bai fought the Third Level Mighty Realm body cultivator, wounded him with hidden Essence Power, then fled when he could not finish him.
• An old man pretended to help Mu Bai but attacked him for his treasures, forcing him to flee from both pursuers.
• A mighty Xiu Zun cultivator blocked the pursuers, drove them off, and took one arm from each of them.
• Chen Shichong told Mu Bai that the rescuer was his clan uncle, Chen Jianduan, who had turned back after receiving a message from Ji Yang.
• Chen Jianduan carried Mu Bai and Chen Shichong on his giant sword toward the sect, while Mu Bai resolved to become stronger.