Chapter Summaries

Zhao Yunhui and Xuan Yuanjun discovered that a dust-free chair concealed Senior Ji inside a Grand Formation. Xuan Yuanjun began breaking the Killing Formation, leaving Senior Ji’s fate unknown.

• Zhao Yunhui led Xuan Yuanjun and the others to a chair in the Main Hall where she sensed something familiar.
• Dugu Sheng noticed the chair was unusually clean, and Zhao Yunhui realized something hidden there had kept dust from settling.
• Xuan Yuanjun explained that the formation had concealed the chair for years, but accumulated dust revealed the secret.
• Xuan Yuanjun broke the concealment and found Senior Ji, whose appearance had been created by the Grand Formation.
• Xuan Yuanjun could not tell whether Senior Ji was alive, so he unleashed Palm Force and shattered the other chairs to break the Killing Formation.

After Xuan Yuanjun broke the killing formation, Senior Ji’s aura began to fade, so Huang Xiao used his Longevity True Qi to keep her alive. She suddenly awakened and attacked Huang Xiao, but Xuan Yuanjun stopped her and urged Huang Xiao to continue healing her.

• Xuan Yuanjun broke the killing formation and sensed that Senior Ji was alive but needed time to recover.
• Xuan Yuanjun said the Longevity Daoist was likely behind the formation and far stronger than Senior Ji.
• When Senior Ji’s aura weakened, Xuan Yuanjun told Huang Xiao to use his Longevity True Qi to sustain her.
• Senior Ji’s aura stabilized, then she abruptly awakened and struck at Huang Xiao.
• Xuan Yuanjun blocked Senior Ji’s attack, told her Huang Xiao was helping her, and ordered Huang Xiao to resume healing her.

Huang Xiao stabilized Senior Ji’s injuries with Longevity True Qi, and Xuan Yuanjun explained that the aura had awakened her hatred of the Longevity Daoist. The group began to suspect that Senior Ji and the Longevity Daoist had a relationship like Xuanyuan Jade Butterfly and the Immortal Alchemist, but Huang Xiao’s question about the Ruthlessness Dao remained unanswered.

• Huang Xiao spent a day treating Senior Ji, stabilizing her injuries while exhausting much of his vitality and strengthening his Longevity Chapter.
• Xuan Yuanjun told Huang Xiao and the others to leave Senior Ji alone to recover, and assured Zhao Yunhui that Longevity True Qi would protect her.
• Zhao Yunhui deduced that Xuan Yuanjun had provoked Senior Ji’s awakening by having Huang Xiao use Longevity True Qi on her.
• Xuan Yuanjun explained that Senior Ji’s hatred of the Longevity Daoist had stirred her will to live and that Huang Xiao’s healing had also taken advantage of the qi’s effects.
• Huang Xiao connected the situation to Xuanyuan Jade Butterfly and the Immortal Alchemist, revealing that the Immortal Alchemist was the Slaughter Evil Lord.
• Dugu Sheng asked whether Senior Ji and the Longevity Daoist had shared a relationship like Xuanyuan Jade Butterfly and the Immortal Alchemist, the Ruthlessness Dao.

Senior Ji revealed that Longevity Daoist had tormented her and another man to advance his Ruthlessness Dao, and that she had sabotaged his plans before he imprisoned her. She urged Xuan Yuanjun to kill Longevity Daoist and suggested he had secretly caused Xuan Yuanjun’s near-fatal injuries, leaving Xuan Yuanjun demanding to know why.

• Xuan Yuanjun, Huang Xiao, and the others discussed Longevity Daoist’s cruelty, and Senior Ji came out and heard them.
• Senior Ji explained that Longevity Daoist had been her husband and that his wife and child meant nothing to him.
• Huang Xiao described the Senior Ji sealed in the Extreme Cold Mountains, and Senior Ji confirmed that Longevity Daoist had imprisoned him to torment him slowly.
• Senior Ji said she had damaged the formations, thwarting Longevity Daoist’s plan, and that both she and the other man had survived.
• Senior Ji offered to explain Longevity Daoist’s goal if Xuan Yuanjun helped kill him, then accused Longevity Daoist of causing Xuan Yuanjun’s past injuries.

Senior Ji explained Longevity Daoist’s plans and revealed that his father transformed the Ancient World by bringing in spiritual energy and passing down cultivation scriptures. He warned Xuan Yuanjun that Longevity Daoist’s attempt to reach his father’s homeland could devastate the Immortal Spirit Domain as the Desolate Domain had been.

• Senior Ji said he and Xuan Yuanjun would need allies to defeat Longevity Daoist, though they doubted the Demon God would join them.
• Xuan Yuanjun agreed to work with Senior Ji but asked about Longevity Daoist’s purpose and the nine formations in the Immortal Spirit Domain.
• Senior Ji revealed that Longevity Daoist had been his senior brother and that their father, a visitor from another realm, brought spiritual energy and cultivation teachings to the Ancient World.
• Senior Ji said Longevity Daoist wanted the Treatise on Attaining the Dao but wanted even more to reach the realm their father came from.
• Xuan Yuanjun warned that others might prefer Longevity Daoist to leave, but Senior Ji argued the Immortal Spirit Domain would likely become like the ruined Desolate Domain if Longevity Daoist succeeded or failed.

Senior Ji explained the dangers and origins of the Longevity and Imperishability Chapters while the group discussed how to stop Longevity Daoist. She warned that the Longevity Chapter could encourage reckless confidence, and the group was left considering Senior Ji as bait to draw Longevity Daoist out.

• Senior Ji said the Desolate Domain’s weak spiritual energy was not caused by the ancient war and explained she could not destroy Longevity Daoist’s formation, leaving Xuan Yuanjun as their best hope.
• Senior Ji proposed using herself as bait because her survival kept her as a heart demon to Longevity Daoist, while Xuan Yuanjun warned that doing so would put her in danger.
• Senior Ji revealed that the Longevity Chapter came from her father, while Longevity Daoist created the Imperishability Chapter, which could not rival it.
• Huang Xiao told Senior Ji about the Slaughter Evil Lord and the Immortal Alchemist, prompting her to say she wanted to meet the Slaughter Evil Lord.
• Senior Ji explained that the Longevity Chapter was safe when used for protection, but could lead people to overestimate themselves and die through reckless cultivation or dangerous pursuits.

Huang Xiao learned that the Slaughter Evil Lord might be saved if he could abandon the Ruthlessness Dao, and the group decided to use his sister Zuo Qiu Shu to jolt him. Huang Xiao agreed to search for them in the Southern Wilderness Dense Forest using the Bronze Key, despite the danger posed by divine beasts.

• Senior Ji warned Huang Xiao to use Heavenly Demon Disintegration cautiously and said the Imperishability Chapter's effects would be difficult to undo.
• Senior Ji explained that the Slaughter Evil Lord might have a chance to abandon the Ruthlessness Dao, though stopping could trigger fatal qi deviation.
• Xuan Yuanjun suggested that meeting his younger sister Zuo Qiu Shu could give the Slaughter Evil Lord another jolt and help him turn back.
• Huang Xiao realized Zuo Qiu Shu and the others might be in the Southern Wilderness Dense Forest, where a Spirit Land resonated with the Bronze Key.
• Xuan Yuanjun offered Huang Xiao the Bronze Key and advised him to travel under the Demon God Sect's name to deter the forest's divine beasts.

Huang Xiao set out with Dugu Sheng to find Xuanyuan Xin and retrieve the Bronze Key, while Zhao Yunhui stayed with Senior Ji to cultivate and learn about formations. Xuan Yuanxiang gave Huang Xiao the key and warned him to return quickly, leaving Huang Xiao to decide how much risk to take in recovering the treasures hidden at the Wild Ox Sect.

• Xuan Yuanjun told Huang Xiao to leave at once to find Xuanyuan Xin, while Zhao Yunhui and Senior Ji returned to the Ji Residence and Xuan Yuanjun planned to investigate the formations.
• Huang Xiao and Dugu Sheng headed straight out to sea, with Dugu Sheng choosing to return to Xuan Yuanxiang rather than stay behind.
• Xuan Yuanxiang gave Huang Xiao the Bronze Key after hearing that Xuan Yuanjun had sent him, and said he trusted him because he had brought news of his father.
• Huo Lian urged Huang Xiao to retrieve the treasures and Dragon Fang hidden at the Wild Ox Sect if he could do so safely.
• Xuan Yuanxiang told Huang Xiao he could surrender the Bronze Key if trouble arose, while Huang Xiao resolved not to give up the final key and Dugu Sheng stayed behind for guidance.

Huang Xiao traveled alone into the Southern Wilderness Dense Forest, following the Bronze Key’s response toward the Spirit Land while enduring its dangers without the treasure that had aided Xuanyuan Xin and Zuo Qiu Shu. Near the Central Area, a divine beast attacked him, and the chapter ended with Huang Xiao identifying himself as a Demon Domain disciple to stop the fight from escalating.

• Huang Xiao spent nearly two months crossing the Southern Wilderness Dense Forest, using his skill with formations to overcome its illusions and making his way toward the Central Area.
• Huang Xiao sensed the Bronze Key respond and followed its direction, while suspecting that powerful divine beasts watched him near the Spirit Land.
• A human-form divine beast rushed out and attacked Huang Xiao, who met its palm strike with a punch.
• Huang Xiao and the divine beast fought among the trees until Huang Xiao drew the Minghong Saber and slashed his opponent back.
• The divine beast prepared to reveal its true form, so Huang Xiao shouted that he was a Demon Domain disciple from the Wood Demon Sect under the Demon God Sect and meant no harm.

Huang Xiao reached the divine beasts guarding the Spirit Land and revealed that he carried its Bronze Key. The chief agreed to take him to Senior Ao, whose freedom might depend on the Key, and Huang Xiao stopped before the formation as others called to join them.

• A White Tiger attacked Huang Xiao, but the divine beasts' chief intervened and sent the surrounding beasts away.
• Huang Xiao showed the chief his Wood Demon Sect token and explained that he had come seeking a Spirit Land at someone's request.
• Huang Xiao revealed he carried the Bronze Key, and the chief agreed to take him to see the two women, Zuo Qiu Shu and Xuanyuan Xin, who were alive.
• The chief told a woman to summon the others because Huang Xiao's Key might help Senior Ao regain his freedom.
• Huang Xiao sensed the Spirit Land ahead and stopped at its formation when Senior Ao invited them inside.
• Another voice called out that they were coming too as the chief prepared to enter with Huang Xiao.

Huang Xiao gave Ao Yuan the Bronze Key in exchange for taking Zuo Qiu Shu, Xuanyuan Xin, and Hong Yi away from the Spirit Land. Ao Yuan revealed that the two women had stayed willingly to cultivate, and the chapter ended with Huang Xiao asking to take all three with him.

• Ao Yuan confirmed that Huang Xiao's Bronze Key was genuine, and his followers warned Huang Xiao not to make excessive demands.
• Huang Xiao explained that he had come on behalf of the person who gave him the key and wanted only to take a few people back.
• Ao Yuan revealed that Zuo Qiu Shu and Xuanyuan Xin had stayed in the Spirit Land willingly because of its unusually dense Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth.
• Ao Yuan opened the Illusion Formation, revealing Zuo Qiu Shu, Xuanyuan Xin, and Hong Yi among the Divine Beasts cultivating there.
• Ao Yuan noticed that Hong Yi knew Huang Xiao, and Huang Xiao said they were brothers who had shared life and death before asking to take all three away.

Huang Xiao challenged Ao Yuan’s assumption that the cultivation grounds could sustain the divine beasts much longer, while Hong Yi offered the Dragon Clan’s Claw Gauntlets back to Ao Yuan and chose to leave with his friends. Alone with Huang Xiao, Ao Yuan asked about the Spirit Land, and Huang Xiao’s questions revealed his changed attitude toward the Longevity Daoist.

• Ao Yuan questioned whether Huang Xiao’s group would find better cultivation resources elsewhere, and Huang Xiao argued that the current place’s Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth could not last much longer.
• Ao Yuan said Hong Yi could leave only if he left the Claw Gauntlets behind, and Hong Yi willingly offered them to Ao Yuan as Dragon Clan property.
• Hong Yi thanked Ao Yuan for his guidance but said he wanted to stay with his friends, while Ao Zhen watched the gauntlets covetously.
• Ao Yuan took Huang Xiao aside and asked about the secrets of the Spirit Land.
• Huang Xiao asked why Ao Yuan would regain his freedom if the formation broke, and Ao Yuan explained that he had promised the Longevity Daoist to guard the place.
• Ao Yuan inferred that Huang Xiao’s backing had an entanglement with the Longevity Daoist after noticing Huang Xiao no longer spoke of him with respect.

Huang Xiao revealed to Ao Yuan that Longevity Daoist’s Spirit Lands concealed a plan that could drain the Immortal Spirit Domain’s spiritual energy, and warned that Longevity Daoist cultivated the Ruthlessness Dao. Ao Yuan accepted the Bronze Key and agreed to publicly claim control of the Spirit Land, offering to shield Huang Xiao if his identity was exposed.

• Huang Xiao explained the value of Spirit Land Cold Jade and claimed Longevity Daoist’s formation could leave the Immortal Spirit Domain like the ruined Desolate Domain.
• Ao Yuan challenged Huang Xiao’s account of the Desolate Domain’s collapse, but Huang Xiao insisted the commonly known story concealed Longevity Daoist’s role.
• Huang Xiao said his backer wanted the Ancient World’s powers to stop Longevity Daoist, and Ao Yuan recognized that the conflict would affect even the Divine Beast Clan.
• Huang Xiao revealed that Longevity Daoist cultivated the Ruthlessness Dao, leading Ao Yuan to suspect his power had become impossible to detect.
• Ao Yuan accepted the Bronze Key and asked Huang Xiao to announce that the Divine Beast Clan controlled the Spirit Land.
• Huang Xiao said delivering the message could expose his identity, and Ao Yuan promised to take responsibility for any trouble arising from it.

Ao Yuan decided to reveal the Southern Wilderness Dense Forest’s Spirit Land and the Bronze Key to force the Divine Beasts to face the outside world and claim a place among the great powers. Huang Xiao left with plans to visit the Slaughter Domain and Wild Ox Sect, while Xuanyuan Xin and Hong Yi headed back to Xuan Yuanxiang.

• Ao Yuan told Huang Xiao that the Divine Beasts had grown complacent in the Southern Wilderness Dense Forest and needed to face the dangers of the Jianghu.
• Ao Yuan gave Hong Yi the Claw Gauntlets and announced that he would reveal the Spirit Land and the Bronze Key to the outside world.
• Ao Yuan urged the Divine Beasts to fight for recognition in the Immortal Spirit Domain and strengthen themselves before the Southern Wilderness Dense Forest lost its peace.
• Near the edge of the forest, Huang Xiao parted ways with Xuanyuan Xin and Hong Yi, planning to visit the Slaughter Domain and then the Wild Ox Sect.

Huang Xiao and Zuo Qiu Shu reached the Holy City of the Slaughter Domain and arranged to meet Senior Immortal Alchemist through He Zhe. Huang Xiao planned to publicize Senior Ao’s message about the Spirit Land, and He Zhe recognized the Brown Token that proved Huang Xiao had come by invitation.

• Huang Xiao reassured Zuo Qiu Shu that her big brother could overcome the danger of cultivating the Ruthlessness Dao, and she gained confidence when Huang Xiao confirmed he had an even more formidable senior backing him.
• Huang Xiao and Zuo Qiu Shu arrived in the Holy City and received a response from Senior Immortal Alchemist directing them to visit He Zhe the next day.
• Huang Xiao explained that he planned to share Senior Ao’s message with the experts seeking the Spirit Land secret, despite expecting the Wood Demon Sect to object.
• Huang Xiao and Zuo Qiu Shu went to He Zhe’s residence, where He Zhe recognized Huang Xiao despite his disguise and questioned him about his reported abduction.
• Huang Xiao showed He Zhe the Brown Token, and He Zhe recognized it as the token connected to his Ancestor’s invitation.

Huang Xiao brought Zuo Qiu Shu to confront Immortal Alchemist, whose attempt to kill Huang Xiao faltered as they challenged his pursuit of the Ruthlessness Dao. After learning that Longevity Daoist had tried to kill his wife, Immortal Alchemist began to reconsider his path, but he remained guarded as Zuo Qiu Shu confronted him about his past.

• He Zhe escorted Huang Xiao and Zuo Qiu Shu through the Holy City, unsettled by Huang Xiao's possession of the Ancestor's Token.
• Immortal Alchemist attacked Huang Xiao but stopped his palm just short of Huang Xiao's Baihui Point.
• Zuo Qiu Shu argued that Immortal Alchemist's reluctance to kill her proved he was forcing himself down the Ruthlessness Dao.
• Huang Xiao revealed that Longevity Daoist's former wife, Senior Ji, had told him Longevity Daoist tried to kill her.
• Immortal Alchemist asked about Senior Ji and welcomed the prospect of meeting her, while Zuo Qiu Shu urged him to abandon the Ruthlessness Dao.
• Zuo Qiu Shu condemned Immortal Alchemist for leaving Xuanyuan Jade Butterfly alive to suffer, and he fell silent as memories of Xuan Tu resurfaced.

Huang Xiao urged Immortal Alchemist to join forces against Longevity Daoist, warning that the Longevity and Imperishability Scripture might contain hidden measures targeting those who cultivated it. Immortal Alchemist had already considered the danger but doubted he had the strength to confront Longevity Daoist, leaving the alliance uncertain.

• Huang Xiao told Immortal Alchemist that Xuan Yuanjun and Ji believed abandoning the Ruthlessness Dao might resolve his condition, and said they wanted him to join them against Longevity Daoist.
• Immortal Alchemist rejected the idea of fighting Longevity Daoist and questioned whether Xuan Yuanjun could defeat him, especially while gravely injured.
• Huang Xiao suggested Longevity Daoist might have prepared for the consequences of Ji surviving and could have tampered with the Longevity and Imperishability Scripture.
• Zuo Qiu Shu grew alarmed that her big brother might be in danger, while Immortal Alchemist admitted he had already suspected Longevity Daoist was targeting later cultivators of the scripture.
• Immortal Alchemist said he was weaker than the old experts and feared facing Longevity Daoist, then warned that the mysterious Daoist might have powerful followers.

Huang Xiao persuaded the Immortal Alchemist to oppose Longevity Daoist and deliver Senior Ao’s message about the Spirit Land in the Southern Wilderness Dense Forest. The Immortal Alchemist agreed and helped Huang Xiao prepare an excuse for the Wood Demon Sect.

• Huang Xiao told the Immortal Alchemist that Longevity Daoist would become the Ancient World's common enemy because of the Spirit Lands.
• The Immortal Alchemist agreed to join the effort against Longevity Daoist, hoping to learn more about him from Senior Ji and Xuan Yuanjun.
• Huang Xiao relayed Senior Ao's request, and the Immortal Alchemist explained that the Demon God Sect might know about the Southern Wilderness Dense Forest Spirit Land but lack its Bronze Key.
• Huang Xiao worried that conflict between the factions and divine beasts would benefit Longevity Daoist, but the Immortal Alchemist said the outcome would depend on a handful of powerful experts.
• The Immortal Alchemist agreed to pass on Senior Ao's message and advised Huang Xiao to claim the divine beasts had controlled him, giving him a reason to seek help in the Slaughter Domain.

Huang Xiao learned that the experts had abandoned their pursuit of the Jade Pendant after a map pointing toward the Last Spirit Land surfaced. As Ren Dongju led him back to the Wood Demon Sect, Huang Xiao hoped the map fragments would take long enough to assemble to keep Eldest Senior Brother and the Soaring Immortal Fruit safe.

• Ren Dongju reprimanded Huang Xiao for revealing the Spirit Land and Bronze Key information, then accepted his explanation and let the matter go.
• Ren Dongju said Huo Lian remained with Senior Immortal Alchemist and told Huang Xiao to wait until they could return to the Demon Domain.
• Ren Dongju told Huang Xiao the next day that the experts had given up investigating the Jade Pendant because a lead on the Last Spirit Land had emerged.
• Ren Dongju explained that a map to the Last Spirit Land had been divided into fragments held by different factions, giving Eldest Senior Brother and the Soaring Immortal Fruit more time.
• Huang Xiao considered trying to obtain a map fragment but realized he could not compete with the powerful factions pursuing them.

Huang Xiao returned to the Wood Demon Sect and was summoned by the Wood Demon General, who questioned him about Kui Yong. The old man sensed Kui Yong’s cultivation method in Huang Xiao but doubted that Huang Xiao was truly his successor.

• Ren Dongju sent Wood Demon Sect disciples to investigate the new map fragments while keeping up appearances about the Slaughter Evil Lord's Jade Pendant.
• After returning to the Wood Demon Sect, Huang Xiao learned that the Wood Demon General wanted to see him and worried the summons might concern Kui Yong's death.
• Huang Xiao waited with Ren Dongju and the Wood Demon General's personal disciples, then watched Ren Dongju emerge from a six-hour audience looking greatly pleased.
• Ren Dongju sent Huang Xiao into the formation to meet the Wood Demon General.
• The Wood Demon General recognized Kui Yong's cultivation aura in Huang Xiao but said their methods differed and questioned whether Huang Xiao was really Kui Yong's successor.