Chapter Summaries

Huang Xiao learned that his rapid cultivation made him eligible to compete for a place in one of the Eight Great Spirit Lands on behalf of the Wood Demon Sect. Ren Dongju explained how the Spirit Lands were opened and why the great powers had to share some of their entry places, including with the Slaughter Domain.

• Huang Xiao agreed that he no longer needed the cultivation benefits of the Extreme Cold Mountains, and Ren Dongju said his strength had outgrown the place.
• Ren Dongju told Huang Xiao that the Wood Demon Sect needed candidates under five hundred who had reached the Barbarian Desolate Realm, and Huang Xiao agreed to compete for a place.
• Ren Dongju explained that the Eight Great Formations were located in the Eight Great Spirit Lands and that the Bronze Keys allowed their holders to open them.
• Ren Dongju said the powers with keys received more entry places but had to share some with powers from other domains.
• Ren Dongju explained that the Slaughter Domain’s arrival had forced the Demon Domain to give it a larger share of places, though the Demon God Sect gave up only a token amount.

Huang Xiao learned how places in the Spirit Lands were distributed and why the Wood Demon Sect’s Bronze Key mattered. Ren Dongju then told him to compete for a place in one of the two Spirit Lands without keys, hoping he would find Spirit Land Cold Jade for the senior experts.

• Huang Xiao asked Ren Dongju about the number of places in each Spirit Land and how they were allocated, and Ren Dongju explained the usual shares and this cycle’s increased capacity.
• Ren Dongju explained that the Wood Demon Sect would have to allocate most of its places, but could still keep around twenty or thirty percent because it held a Bronze Key.
• Ren Dongju told Huang Xiao that younger cultivators would compete for places in the two Spirit Lands without keys, while the older generation entered the six opened by the keys.
• Ren Dongju revealed that he wanted Huang Xiao to find Spirit Land Cold Jade, which could improve cultivation and help keep divine sense clear.
• Huang Xiao learned that Spirit Land Cold Jade was especially valuable to senior experts because it could reduce the risk of qi deviation.

Huang Xiao learned that Ren Dongju wanted him to obtain Spirit Land Cold Jade and gave him pills to strengthen himself for the Spirit Lands. Huang Xiao kept the most dangerous pills as a trump card, then questioned why no one else could refine the Vitality Pill.

• Huang Xiao wondered whether his Upper Clarity Scripture and a key from Senior Ji were connected to Spirit Land Cold Jade.
• Ren Dongju told Huang Xiao that he needed to obtain Spirit Land Cold Jade and warned that his current strength might not be enough to face peak Barbarian Desolate Realm experts.
• Ren Dongju gave Huang Xiao three Violent Origin Pills and one Vitality Pill, explaining that the pills could boost his strength but risked severe damage to his vitality.
• Huang Xiao asked about taking three Violent Origin Pills, and Ren Dongju warned that the combination could bring him close to the early Primordial Desolate Realm but might harm his future advancement.
• Huang Xiao said he would keep the pills as a trump card and asked why the Wood Demon Sect could not refine Vitality Pills.
• Ren Dongju said the Longevity Daoist had made the remaining Vitality Pills, and Huang Xiao questioned why others could not refine a pill that could not fully counter the Violent Origin Pills' aftereffects.

Ren Dongju explained the Vitality Pill’s value and told Huang Xiao that Huo Lian was alive but not entirely free, though the cause remained unknown. He then described how candidates were chosen for the Spirit Land and urged Huang Xiao to train at the Wood Demon Sect for six months.

• Ren Dongju explained that the Vitality Pill could restore Huang Xiao to his peak and was rarer than the Violent Origin Pills.
• Ren Dongju said Huo Lian had disappeared more than fifty years ago but was likely alive and able to travel, though something kept him from acting freely or returning.
• Ren Dongju warned Huang Xiao not to mistake Huo Lian’s uncertain circumstances for an opportunity, and Huang Xiao acknowledged his mistake.
• Ren Dongju speculated that Huo Lian’s situation might be connected to Huang Xiao and Huo Lian being Senior Kui Yong’s successors.
• Ren Dongju explained that the Demon God Sect selected most Spirit Land candidates in advance and believed Huang Xiao’s strength would earn him a place without a match.
• Ren Dongju told Huang Xiao to return to the Wild Ox Sect to make arrangements and then spend six months training at the Wood Demon Sect.

Huang Xiao prepared for the upcoming Spirit Land trip, keeping the Supreme Demon Pearl and Cold Jade Key while leaving the Bronze Key behind. At the Wood Demon Sect, Ren Dongju gave him a place to cultivate and explained the difficult requirements for building a fifth-layer Spirit-Gathering Divine Formation.

• Huang Xiao returned to the Wild Ox Sect, took the Supreme Demon Pearl and Cold Jade Key, and left the Bronze Key and map behind to avoid exposing his possessions.
• Huang Xiao considered how the Essence Burst Pill and Vitality Pill could aid him during the Spirit Land trip and hoped to obtain the Essence Burst Pill’s refining formula later.
• Huang Xiao informed Gao Tianhe and the others of his arrangements without revealing the Spirit Land, and they worried he might disappear as the Patriarch had.
• Ren Dongju brought Huang Xiao to a fifth-layer Spirit-Gathering Divine Formation at the Wood Demon Sect and arranged six months of cultivation, personal guidance, and supporting treasures.
• Ren Dongju explained that building a fifth-layer Spirit-Gathering Divine Formation required a qualified formation master, rare materials, and five suitable sites; Huang Xiao asked whether a sect could relocate its headquarters.

Ren Dongju explained to Huang Xiao the Demon God Sect’s flawed sixth-layer formation and the eighth-layer formation created by Longevity Daoist’s spirit lands. He urged Huang Xiao to cultivate and use the Wild Ox Sect’s current weakness to find a future formation site, and Huang Xiao began cultivating for the spirit land opportunity.

• Ren Dongju told Huang Xiao that the Demon God Sect had built a sixth-layer Spirit-Gathering Divine Formation by adding four auxiliary formation sites, though their placement left flaws.
• Ren Dongju explained that Longevity Daoist’s Eight Great Spirit Lands and a ninth unknown spirit land formed a vast eighth-layer formation spanning almost the entire Immortal Spirit Domain.
• Ren Dongju offered to help Huang Xiao pursue a fifth-layer formation in the future and advised him to find a suitable site while relocating the Wild Ox Sect remained inexpensive.
• Ren Dongju told Huang Xiao that two others had a chance to enter the spirit land, and Huang Xiao entered the formation to cultivate.
• Half a year passed.

Ren Dongju sent Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhi Da to the Slaughter Domain to enter its Spirit Land and collect Spirit Land Cold Jade. Grand Elder Fang Qian escorted them despite his resentment at being excluded, and the group continued toward the domain with Huang Xiao asking him about past yields.

• Ren Dongju told Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhi Da to prepare to leave for the Slaughter Domain, and stressed that the Wood Demon Sect needed Spirit Land Cold Jade.
• Huang Xiao and the others set out the next day under Grand Elder Fang Qian's lead, while Huang Xiao wondered about Leng Guhan and the others.
• Fang Qian's bad mood made the journey tense, as Chen De and Liu Zhi Da worried Huang Xiao might provoke him.
• Huang Xiao asked Fang Qian how much Spirit Land Cold Jade visitors had obtained before, and Fang Qian replied that it depended on their abilities.

Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhi Da discussed their prospects for obtaining Spirit Land Cold Jade with Fang Qian, who began to hope their efforts could earn him credit. After they reached the Holy City of the Slaughter Domain, they sensed something unusual in the city, and Fang Qian summoned them after receiving new information.

• Fang Qian told Huang Xiao that people obtained around three pieces of Spirit Land Cold Jade on average, and warned the group that they would have to rely on themselves inside.
• Huang Xiao and Chen De expressed confidence that they would obtain more jade, while Fang Qian explained that the strongest entrants usually claimed most of it and that killing inside went unpunished.
• Fang Qian said he would gather information about the other entrants and warned the group not to fight in the Holy City of the Slaughter Domain.
• After settling into their residence, Huang Xiao asked about the city's strange atmosphere, and Fang Qian agreed something seemed amiss.
• Two hours later, Fang Qian summoned Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhi Da to the hall after receiving information from the Wood Demon Sect's intelligence network.

Fang Qian briefed Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhida on the powerful competitors entering the Spirit Land and told them of an assault on the Slaughter Evil Lord’s place of seclusion. As the four went out to explore the city, Huang Xiao searched for news of Leng Guhan, while two disguised old men discussed hiding from the Wood Demon Sect.

• Fang Qian gave Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhida information about the Spirit Land entrants, including several experts at the Barbarian Desolate Realm Peak.
• Fang Qian said someone had likely assaulted the Slaughter Evil Lord’s place of seclusion, and he and Huang Xiao reasoned that the attack was unrelated to the struggle for Spirit Land Cold Jade.
• Fang Qian invited Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhida to relax in the city, and the four set out to find a restaurant.
• Huang Xiao looked around for news of Leng Guhan, then concealed his disappointment and pointed the others toward a restaurant.
• After the four left, two old men in tattered clothes discussed avoiding discovery by the Wood Demon Sect.

Huo Lian pressed the old man about his dealings with the Slaughter Evil Lord and learned they planned to obtain Spirit Land Cold Jade from the other Spirit Lands. After seeing Huang Xiao, Huo Lian stayed with the old man, who promised to help him grow stronger.

• Huo Lian told the old man that Slaughter Domain experts had appeared in the city and suspected he had sought out the Slaughter Evil Lord.
• The old man admitted the Slaughter Evil Lord had confirmed his suspicions and said Huo Lian would have to keep following him because his Longevity True Qi helped heal the old man's injuries.
• The old man revealed that the Slaughter Evil Lord wanted Spirit Land Cold Jade and that he planned to plunder it from Spirit Lands linked to the Bronze Keys.
• Huo Lian kept Huang Xiao's identity and circumstances from the old man, wary that the man might try to exploit Huang Xiao.
• The old man recognized Huang Xiao as Kui Yong's successor and told Huo Lian that following him would make Huo Lian stronger.

Huang Xiao and his companions joined the other Spirit Land entrants, learning that their site was dominated by the Slaughter Domain and could be especially deadly. As they approached the great canyon, Fang Qian urged Huang Xiao to use his formation skills to explore its dangerous areas for Spirit Land Cold Jade, and Huang Xiao accepted despite recognizing the risk.

• Huang Xiao thought he had glimpsed someone resembling the Patriarch in the Holy City but could not confirm it before the figure disappeared.
• After five days, 220 entrants gathered, including Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhi Da among the Demon Domain's 21 participants.
• Fang Qian explained that the Slaughter Domain's dominance made this Spirit Land more lethal than the other one, though avoiding its experts could bring greater rewards of Spirit Land Cold Jade.
• The Slaughter Domain guide led the group to a great canyon and explained that only a small area inside its formations was safe, while the dangerous areas offered better opportunities.
• Fang Qian encouraged Huang Xiao to use his formation skills to explore the dangerous areas, and Huang Xiao agreed despite Chen De and Liu Zhi Da's misgivings.

Huang Xiao and the others entered a holding area before being transported into the formation to compete for Spirit Land Cold Jade. There, they learned that Meng Li was a candidate to become the Slaughter Evil Lord’s personal disciple and heard the Slaughter Domain’s experts boast about helping him win.

• Fang Qian warned Huang Xiao and his companions to observe the other powers, and Huang Xiao noticed Wang Dongchao’s hostility toward him.
• A Slaughter Domain expert explained the dangers of the holding area and warned everyone to stay together after transport.
• Huang Xiao, Chen De, and their companion entered the holding area and kept to the edge of the Demon Domain’s group to avoid Wang Dongchao.
• Meng Li, Xu Guang, and Yang Zhongge taunted the other powers and said they would help Meng Li obtain Spirit Land Cold Jade.
• Huang Xiao learned that Meng Li was competing to become the Slaughter Evil Lord’s personal disciple against an older candidate who had not reached the Barbarian Desolate Realm.

Huang Xiao recognized that Meng Li’s rival for the Slaughter Evil Lord’s personal disciple was Leng Guhan and changed his plans to help him earn merit. After the group entered the Spirit Land, they found themselves separated from most of the Demon Domain participants, and five nearby opponents chose to leave rather than attack.

• Meng Li dismissed Leng Guhan as unworthy and insulted Huang Xiao and the Wood Demon Sect, while Huang Xiao concealed his strength.
• Huang Xiao concluded that Leng Guhan was the candidate competing with Meng Li and decided to prevent Meng Li’s group from taking too much Spirit Land Cold Jade.
• Huang Xiao considered whether Eldest Senior Brother, Dugu Sheng, Hong Yi, or Li Bai might also be able to compete, but he did not know if any of them had reached the Spirit Land.
• The darkness brightened into a blinding white light, and Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhi Da found themselves separated from the other Demon Domain participants.
• Five Demon Domain fighters nearby hesitated and left without attacking, and Chen De explained that they generally avoided fights while Liu Zhi Da said their group’s affiliation deterred enemies.

Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhi Da headed toward the Central Region to watch the struggle for Spirit Land Cold Jade, while Huang Xiao waited for a chance to thwart Meng Li's group. After a bloody first wave of fighting ended, another batch of jade appeared overhead, and Huang Xiao suspected a formation had transported it there.

• Huang Xiao persuaded Chen De and Liu Zhi Da to stay in the Safe Area and head toward the Central Region rather than leave for the outskirts.
• The three saw the Slaughter Domain seize much of the Spirit Land Cold Jade by attacking its holders, and Huang Xiao chose to wait for the next wave.
• Meng Li, Xu Guang, and Yang Zhongge withdrew from the fighting rather than challenge stronger opponents for a few pieces of jade.
• Huang Xiao and his companions watched from an inconspicuous spot as the first wave left dozens dead and the Slaughter Domain holding most of the jade.
• A new batch of Spirit Land Cold Jade appeared in midair, and Huang Xiao suspected a formation had transported it there.

Huang Xiao held back from the fighting over Spirit Land Cold Jade, hoping to strike when the jade gathered in a few hands. After Meng Li displayed overwhelming strength and Huang Xiao assured Chen De and Liu Zhi Da he could survive against him, Huang Xiao seized three pieces of jade before Wang Dongchao blocked him from taking two more.

• Huang Xiao guessed that the mysterious source of Spirit Land Cold Jade might be the final Spirit Land, then retreated with Chen De and Liu Zhi Da to watch the battle and wait for an opening.
• Meng Li killed a barbarian desolate realm peak expert in a few moves, leading Huang Xiao to judge that Meng Li had primordial desolate realm strength.
• Chen De asked whether Huang Xiao could stay alive against Meng Li, and Huang Xiao reassured him that he would not gamble with his own life.
• Several pieces of Spirit Land Cold Jade appeared nearby, and Huang Xiao rushed over and grabbed three of them.
• Wang Dongchao seized two other pieces and struck at Huang Xiao, forcing him to dodge, while Chen De confronted Wang Dongchao on Huang Xiao's behalf.

After Wang Dongchao tried to claim Huang Xiao’s Spirit Land Cold Jade in exchange for protection, the Slaughter Domain attacked Huang Xiao and his companions. Huang Xiao revealed his strength to kill their pursuers, then planned to target the Slaughter Domain’s jade bearer.

• Wang Dongchao offered to protect Huang Xiao’s group in exchange for two of their three pieces of Spirit Land Cold Jade, but Huang Xiao refused.
• Three Slaughter Domain cultivators pursued Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhi Da, who initially fled toward the outskirts.
• Huang Xiao turned back and killed two late-stage pursuers, while Chen De killed the remaining mid-stage cultivator.
• Chen De explained that the Slaughter Domain gathered all its Spirit Land Cold Jade under the Slaughter Evil Lord, with one late-stage cultivator carrying it.
• Huang Xiao proposed observing the Slaughter Domain from farther away and targeting the cultivator carrying its Spirit Land Cold Jade.

Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhi Da postponed their plan to attack the Slaughter Domain and went to scout the dangerous areas around the Safe Area. They entered one, where Huang Xiao could perceive people hidden by the formations, and the chapter ended as the strange, soft ground made it difficult for the three to walk.

• Chen De warned Huang Xiao and Liu Zhi Da that attacking their enemies could leave them trapped, so Huang Xiao proposed waiting for an opportunity and finding a way to evade pursuit.
• Huang Xiao chose to explore the dangerous areas first because the fighting over Spirit Land Cold Jade was still underway and the time to strike had not yet come.
• Huang Xiao reflected that his Cold Jade Key was made from Spirit Land Cold Jade and that its formation gave it even stronger mind-clearing effects.
• At the edge of the Safe Area, Huang Xiao spotted two Alliance Domain men hidden inside a dangerous area and led his companions in another direction to avoid provoking the formations.
• Huang Xiao, Chen De, and Liu Zhi Da entered the dangerous area, where Liu Zhi Da nearly fell and Chen De remarked on the strangely soft, obstructive ground.

Huang Xiao guided Chen De and Liu Zhi Da through a concealed swamp and its dangerous miasma, collecting Spirit Land Cold Jade as they ventured deeper. After stopping at a point he considered safe enough, Huang Xiao left the others there and headed out to interfere with Meng Li’s group.

• Huang Xiao revealed that the apparent ground concealed a swamp and used his formation knowledge to clear their way through it.
• Huang Xiao warned Chen De and Liu Zhi Da about the colorless miasma, and they used true qi to keep it from eroding them.
• The three collected two pieces of Spirit Land Cold Jade, and Huang Xiao proposed hiding deeper in the dangerous area after an ambush.
• Huang Xiao led the group farther in, where they gathered about a dozen more pieces and brought his total to twenty-two.
• Huang Xiao stopped when he could no longer guarantee their safety, told Chen De and Liu Zhi Da to stay, and left to disrupt Meng Li’s group.

Huang Xiao hid near the central fighting, waiting for an opening while assessing the surviving peak experts and the Slaughter Domain’s battle with Wang Dongchao’s group. As Meng Li charged Wang Dongchao and his companion, his aura suddenly surged, shocking both opponents.

• Huang Xiao returned to the safe zone’s center alone and hid while observing the fierce battle over the Spirit Land Cold Jade.
• Huang Xiao noticed that Wang Dongchao and three other peak experts were struggling against Meng Li, Xu Guang, and Yang Zhongge, and suspected another peak expert from the Demon Domain was still missing.
• Wang Dongchao and his allies demanded half of the Slaughter Domain’s Spirit Land Cold Jade, but Meng Li refused and threatened to kill Wang Dongchao.
• Wang Dongchao and another peak expert joined forces against Meng Li and believed they had begun to suppress him.
• Meng Li charged at Wang Dongchao and his companion, and his aura abruptly surged, leaving both men shocked.

Meng Li and the Slaughter Domain fighters hunted down Wang Dongchao and the fleeing experts while protecting their Spirit Land Cold Jade. Huang Xiao revealed his strength, killed the Slaughter Domain’s hidden Peak Expert, and escaped with the jade as the Demon Domain expert attacked.

• Meng Li killed Wang Dongchao after their sword fight, and a Slaughter Domain expert retrieved the Spirit Land Cold Jade from his body.
• Four late-stage experts tried to steal the Slaughter Domain’s jade, but its supposed late-stage guardian revealed himself as a Peak Expert, killed three, and drove off the last.
• The Demon Domain’s Peak Expert attacked the Slaughter Domain guardian, who repeatedly blocked his strikes while retreating.
• Huang Xiao ambushed the Slaughter Domain guardian, revealed his speed, beheaded him, and took the pouch of Spirit Land Cold Jade.
• Huang Xiao fled while the Demon Domain expert remained behind.