Chapter Summaries

Shi Xuan received the Divine Firmament True Law and chose new Daoist arts and a flying sword before beginning secluded cultivation. Three years later, Yu Linglong summoned him to Heaven-Connecting Hall over an urgent matter, leaving its nature unknown.

• True Person Jiang accepted Shi Xuan as a true disciple and transmitted the Divine Firmament True Law, Thunder God Stab, and Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover to him.
• Shi Xuan exchanged for an External Core refining method, selected a Thunder Marsh Divine Sword, and gathered materials and feathers for his planned artifacts.
• Shi Xuan entered secluded cultivation and, over three years, advanced his Spiritual Sense and soul while mastering both Daoist arts and improving his flying sword.
• A voice-transmission talisman delivered Yu Linglong's furious summons, and Shi Xuan left his cave to go to Heaven-Connecting Hall.

Shi Xuan learned that Ming Qingyue had been trapped by ten dragons who planned to force her into marriage, and the Penglai Sect sent him to rescue her and punish them. He received the Ruyi Immortal Binding Rope, the Azure Lightning Sword, and a protective talisman, while Lingri broke his long-standing oath and began advancing toward a high-grade Golden Core.

• Yu Linglong told Shi Xuan that ten dragons had trapped Ming Qingyue and that the White Jade Dragon had announced plans to marry her before the Demon Race.
• Yu Linglong explained that the Dragon Clan held a grudge over Ming Qingyue’s parents, Ao Li and Lingri, and ordered Shi Xuan to capture the ten dragons and bring them back for punishment.
• Sect Master Zhang lent Shi Xuan the Ruyi Immortal Binding Rope, and Yong Xiang lent him the perfected Second Heaven Azure Lightning Sword.
• Shi Xuan sensed a distant surge of spiritual energy, and Yu Linglong revealed that Lingri had left Bright Moon Island and was approaching a high-grade Golden Core.
• Mo Yuan gave Shi Xuan a third-rank Azure Jade Lightning Robe talisman as protection.

Shi Xuan prepared to rescue Ming Qingyue from Ao Han and the other dragons at the Myriad Monster Convention. He arrived at Ten Dragon Island and scattered the gathered demon race with a single sword strike, leaving the confrontation poised to begin.

• Ling Ri and Ao Li asked the Penglai Sect to rescue Ming Qingyue, and Yu Linglong assigned Shi Xuan to the task while Ling Ri agreed to intercept the dragons’ reinforcements.
• Shi Xuan accepted the Ruyi Immortal Binding Rope, exchanged for Golden Light Escape Within Reach, and acquired the Thunderclap Sword Style before setting out.
• Ao Han dismissed Ao Gu’s worries and prepared to use the Myriad Monster Convention to claim Ming Qingyue, who remained trapped inside a barrier of purple lightning.
• Thousands of demon race members gathered on Ten Dragon Island, where Ao Han and the other nine dragons began the convention before Shi Xuan’s sword strike knocked them from the platform.
• Shi Xuan announced that he had come to apprehend Ao Han, Ao Gu, and the other dragons, and the gathered demon race members retreated from his display of power.

Shi Xuan rescued Ming Qingyue by binding ten True Dragons and using his sword to kill demons who tried to rally the crowd. He left the tens of thousands of demons cowed and silent, with Ming Qingyue safely at his side.

• Shi Xuan used the Ruyi Immortal Binding Rope to defeat the ten True Dragons’ attacks and bind them, then declared that they would be punished according to the law.
• Ao Han tried to stir the demons against Shi Xuan, but Shi Xuan broke his horn with a sword strike and sealed the dragons’ ability to speak.
• Shi Xuan cut through the formation holding Ming Qingyue, and she flew to his side.
• When Ao Han’s Fox Clan friend tried to stop them, Shi Xuan killed him with the Azure Lightning Sword.
• The three Moon Gazing Rhinoceros brothers attacked Shi Xuan, who killed all three with Sword Qi Thunder Sound and Thunder Sound Soul Suppression.
• Shi Xuan challenged the remaining demons, and they stayed silent, too afraid to act.

Shi Xuan and Ming Qingyue returned to Penglai with ten captured True Dragons, making the sect’s power and Shi Xuan’s swordsmanship famous across the Cultivation World. Meanwhile, Dragon Clan forces set out to intervene, but powerful cultivators blocked their advance.

• Shi Xuan intimidated the Demon Race members, then led Ming Qingyue and the ten True Dragons away using a long-distance teleportation talisman.
• Shi Xuan and Ming Qingyue arrived at Tidal Market, where Rogue Cultivators panicked at the sight of the dragons before learning that Penglai Sect had captured them.
• Rogue Cultivators identified Shi Xuan and Ming Qingyue, and their journey back to Penglai spread news of Shi Xuan’s victory and enhanced the sect’s reputation.
• True Person Jiang Yehe stopped three Dragon Kings and their followers from advancing, citing his Pure Yang Magic Treasure and orders from a sect elder.
• A handsome young daoist used a line of Purple Thunder Light to block two black lights approaching Ten Dragon Island.

Shi Xuan and Ming Qingyue traveled back toward Penglai Island while the Dragon Clan’s attempts to intervene were deterred by powerful cultivators. Ming Qingyue accepted her bloodline transformation and Spirit Soul advancement, and the chapter left Ao Han flying toward punishment for his treatment of her.

• Two Black Dragon Clan Golden Core Grandmasters recognized Mo Yuan and withdrew rather than challenge him across the violet lightning barrier.
• Ao Ming and two White Jade Dragon Clan Golden Core dragons encountered Yu Linglong, turned to flee, and were chased by her.
• On Poison Dragon Island, a high-grade Golden Core Grandmaster chose to retreat with Ao Yang after recognizing the Penglai Sect’s Wuhui Sword.
• Shi Xuan and Ming Qingyue discussed her awakened Dragon Clan bloodline, her Spirit Soul advancement, and the long seclusion she needed to avoid condensing a Demon Core.
• Ming Qingyue learned that her father, Ling Ri, had achieved a high-grade Golden Core, then demanded punishment for Ao Han’s vile conduct.
• Shi Xuan told Ming Qingyue that Uncle-Master Yu had ordered Ao Han to be publicly executed, and Ao Han was carried toward Penglai Island in fear.

Shi Xuan reunited with Ming Qingyue and discussed their cultivation paths, then examined Ao Han’s spoils and found a fragment of a legendary sword art. He planned to study the sword art with Ming Qingyue, who had already practiced it.

• Shi Xuan showed Ming Qingyue that he had converted his True Qi into Divine Firmament Heavenly Thunder True Qi, and said it had taken him three years.
• Ming Qingyue chose the Star River True Law and explained that its incomplete lineage would make condensing a Dao Seed difficult.
• Ming Qingyue pointed out that Ao Han had possessed an extraordinary sword art, and Shi Xuan searched Ao Han’s storage bag.
• Shi Xuan found the Dragon Clan Seventy-Two Arts and a fragment of the Circumstellar Star Dou Sword Art, including five foundational sword forms.
• Shi Xuan decided to learn the sword art with Ming Qingyue and thanked her for bringing it to his attention.

Shi Xuan and Ming Qingyue returned to Penglai Sect with ten true dragons, received rewards, and divided the captured dragons and treasures among the grandmasters and disciples. After choosing new treasures and practicing together for half a year, both prepared to enter seclusion to strengthen their foundations.

• Shi Xuan and Ming Qingyue arrived at Penglai Island with the ten true dragons and received praise and Merit Points from the sect’s grandmasters.
• Yu Linglong announced Ming Qingyue’s true disciple ceremony and Spirit Soul Stage reward, while Shi Xuan realized he had also forgotten to claim his reward.
• The sect divided the captured dragons and their treasures; Shi Xuan chose Ao Gu and several items, while Ming Qingyue chose the Last Night Stars Sword.
• Shi Xuan exchanged Spirit Stones for Merit Points and selected the roots of the Ten Thousand Year Azure Sky Tree and the Heavenly Thunder Demon Subduing Sword; Ming Qingyue chose Sky Blue Divine Sand.
• Over the next half year, Shi Xuan and Ming Qingyue learned the Dragon Clan Seventy-Two Arts and practiced the Minor Teleportation Technique, while Shi Xuan improved his swordsmanship under Yong Xiang.
• Shi Xuan and Ming Qingyue decided to enter seclusion to strengthen their foundations, with Ming Qingyue expecting to cultivate for twenty or thirty years.

Seven years after entering seclusion, Shi Xuan completed the first layer of the Spirit Soul Stage and refined an External Core from a Star Ironclad Beast Core, greatly strengthening his defenses. As he prepared to visit the Western Wilderness, Mo Yuan advised him to pose as a Golden Core Grandmaster, but Shi Xuan questioned how that would work with the Tianji Ranking.

• Shi Xuan emerged from seven years of seclusion with a crystalline Spirit Soul, stronger cultivation, and several refined Dharma Artifacts and Daoist Magics.
• Shi Xuan began refining an External Core with his Samadhi True Fire, completing it after a month and gaining Profound Gold Star Divine Light and four beast abilities.
• Shi Xuan visited Mo Yuan to discuss refining the Five Fires Seven Birds Fan and using the Qing Luan feather's spatial power, and Mo Yuan corrected his plans and urged him to consult True Person Jiang.
• Mo Yuan advised Shi Xuan to explore the Western Wilderness under the identity of a Golden Core Grandmaster to deter challenges from other cultivators.
• Shi Xuan asked Mo Yuan how he could use that identity without raising questions about the Tianji Ranking.

Shi Xuan asked Jiang Yehe to alter the Five Fires Seven Birds Fan’s restrictions and falsify a Golden Core entry on the Tianji Ranking. In Tianji City, the ranking announced Xing Zhao as a newly achieved Golden Core Grandmaster, while Ouyang met Hu Shan beneath it.

• Shi Xuan gave Jiang Yehe the External Core, and Jiang Yehe changed the Tianji Ranking to name the Golden Core Grandmaster Xing Zhao.
• Jiang Yehe corrected the spatial restrictions Shi Xuan had designed for the Five Fires Seven Birds Fan, creating a Great Teleportation Technique that could carry its user a thousand li but was difficult to control.
• The story described Tianji City and Tianji Mansion, where the Rogue Cultivator Alliance was headquartered and the Tianji Ranking was displayed.
• Ouyang approached Hu Shan beneath the ranking and began explaining its top-ranked Golden Core Grandmasters.
• Golden light appeared on the Tianji Ranking, and a new name, Xing Zhao, appeared below its final line.

Shi Xuan finished refining his Five Fires Seven Birds Fan and traveled to Tianji City, where he planned to draw out the holders of the cave-abode tokens by publicly displaying his status as a Golden Core Grandmaster. He left the city’s cultivators watching his lavish procession, waiting for someone with a token to approach him.

• Bai Xiaosheng and other cultivators discussed Xing Zhao’s rise to Golden Core, while Bai Xiaosheng revealed that Su Fan possessed one of the twelve tokens needed to open a cave abode.
• Hu Shan left after speaking with Ouyang, who recognized her as a Golden Core Grandmaster and worried about her rumored interest in beautiful young men.
• Two years later, Shi Xuan completed the Second Heaven of the Five Fires Seven Birds Fan and prepared to travel west after mastering his Spirit Artifact and the Azure Dragon Sword of Yimu.
• Shi Xuan arrived in Tianji City, used his Golden Core presence to secure a cloud couch, and summoned immortal soldiers with the Scatter Beans to Soldiers spell.
• Shi Xuan paraded through the streets with a token in hand, drawing attention as Immortal Elder Xing Zhao and hoping the other token holders would seek him out.

Shi Xuan, disguised as Grandmaster Xing Zhao, faced a probing attack from Ghost Cry Venerable at Sunset Glow Tower. Ghost Cry Venerable withdrew after their exchange, leaving Shi Xuan a meeting place and time for three days later.

• Bai Jinpeng and Zhong Jingyu waited outside Shi Xuan's room, discussed their hopes for cultivation, and felt the powerful aura he emitted while nurturing his sword.
• A gloomy green cloud appeared over the courtyard, and its cultivator sent a ghost claw toward Shi Xuan's roof.
• Shi Xuan met the ghost claw with the Seven Stars Great Hand Seal and dispelled the green rain that followed.
• Ghost Cry Venerable left after sending Shi Xuan the message, "Three days hence, at the third quarter of noon, the center of Black Wind Valley."
• Bai Jinpeng and Zhong Jingyu thanked Grandmaster Xing Zhao for the experience, while Shi Xuan identified his visitor as Ghost Cry Venerable, ranked sixty-fifth on the Tianji Ranking.

Wu Qiang hid in Black Wind Valley after his father died and witnessed a secret gathering of Golden Core Grandmasters organized by Ghost Cry Venerable. The gathering began assembling Spirit Soul Stage cultivators to investigate a Divine Path Cultivator's cave dwelling and its two treasures, while Wu Qiang remained concealed nearby.

• Wu Man sacrificed his life to send Wu Qiang out of a deadly encirclement, and Wu Qiang hid in a cave as the demonic beasts withdrew.
• Ghost Cry Venerable arrived in Black Wind Valley, followed by Shi Xuan, who secretly noticed Wu Qiang and concealed him from Ghost Cry Venerable's search.
• Lin Shenhe and Xuan Yizhen joined the gathering, and the Golden Core Grandmasters waited for the Spirit Soul Stage token holders.
• Hui Ye arrived and confirmed that two treasures lay inside the Divine Path Cultivator's cave dwelling.
• Five more Spirit Soul Stage cultivators arrived, while Wu Qiang watched in terror from his hiding place.

Shi Xuan and the other cultivators gathered in Black Wind Valley, where Hu Shan revealed that the Cave Abyss Divine Mansion held treasures that protected reincarnation. With everyone assembled, Ghost Cry Venerable sent Hui Ye to lead them toward the mansion a thousand li beneath the valley fissure.

• Ruan Xihao, Zhu Yunwei, Ye Shiliu, Zhou Qi, and Xi Wen introduced themselves to the Golden Core Grandmasters.
• Shi Xuan noticed Hu Shan and Su Fan arriving, and Hu Shan explained how she had learned of the gathering.
• Hu Shan asked about the mansion's reincarnation treasures, and Ghost Cry Venerable confirmed it held a Reincarnation Disk and a Meng Po Talisman.
• Shi Xuan asked Hui Ye whether the mansion held tools that could suppress heart demons, and Hui Ye said the records mentioned no other treasures but suggested such tools might be present.
• Ghost Cry Venerable ordered Hui Ye to lead the gathered cultivators to the mansion, while Wu Qiang fled Black Wind Valley after they departed.

Shi Xuan and the Golden Core Grandmasters fought through the yin wind abyss and its ghostly hordes to reach the Cave Abyss Divine Mansion. After Shi Xuan revealed his ability to swallow ghosts with Yin-Yang Two Qi, the group entered the ruined cave abode, unaware that a black-armored figure was watching them from the abyss.

• Hui Ye led Shi Xuan and the others to the abyss, where they fought through endless ghost soldiers and generals while advancing toward the cave abode.
• Xuan Yizhen and Ghost Cry Venerable warned that Golden Core Stage ghost marshals had appeared before, and the group found the entrance crowded with ghosts.
• Lin Shenhe drew many of the ghosts toward himself with his Two Extremes Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, while Shi Xuan swallowed the remaining ghost soldiers and generals with Yin-Yang Two Qi.
• The group cleared the entrance and passed through the jade gate into the vast, ruined cave abode, where Xuan Yizhen praised Shi Xuan's magnetic divine light.
• A black-armored figure watched the group from within the ten-thousand-zhang abyss.

Shi Xuan and the others crossed the Cave Abyss Divine Mansion, fighting off dangerous divine generals as they made their way to the treasure pagoda. They used their tokens to dissolve its crystal barriers, revealing the doors within.

• The black-armored figure ordered ten intelligent ghost generals into the cave mansion while the other ghosts scattered through the Lung Earth Sha Qi and Yin winds.
• Hui Ye warned the cultivators about the powerful Yin Ghosts, and Xuan Yizhen and Hu Shan agreed to cooperate in seeking treasures.
• A golden-armored divine general ambushed Zhou Qi and Ye Shiliu, but Shi Xuan killed it with a Sword Qi containing starlight.
• Shi Xuan and the other Golden Core Grandmasters helped defeat several more divine soldiers and generals as the group continued toward the inner manor.
• Hui Ye directed the twelve cultivators to place their tokens in the treasure pagoda's grooves and activate them together, causing its crystal barriers to vanish.

Shi Xuan and the other cultivators fought through the Cave Abyss Divine Mansion’s dangerous passages and reached the treasure tower’s second level. As the group faced new golden-armored divine generals, Zhu Yunwei, Su Fan, and Xi Wen were revealed as being bound to the tower’s seventh level.

• Shi Xuan absorbed the passage’s increasingly powerful attacks with the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle and used the Heavenly Thunder Demon Subduing Sword to block a golden spear before reaching the hall.
• Shi Xuan met Xuan Yizhen and Lin Shenhe in the hall, but neither had found a Dharma Artifact for suppressing heart demons.
• Hu Shan, Ghost Cry Venerable, Hui Ye, Ruan Xihao, Zhou Qi, and Ye Shiliu emerged from the other passages, and clear-light stairs appeared to the second level.
• Xuan Yizhen led the cultivators up the stairs, followed by Ghost Cry Venerable, Lin Shenhe, Shi Xuan, Hu Shan, and the Spirit Soul Stage Cultivators.
• The black-armored figure and ten ghost generals saw Zhu Yunwei, Su Fan, and Xi Wen’s faces appear on the entrances, with red threads connecting them to the tower’s seventh level, then entered the tower.
• On the second level, Shi Xuan fought golden-armored divine generals whose attacks approached the power of low-grade Golden Core cultivators.

Shi Xuan used the Big Dipper Points the Way sword art to defeat the Golden-armored Divine Generals and helped the other cultivators clear the second floor. He obtained the Heart of Stone and Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron, and the group prepared to decide whether to continue to the third floor.

• Shi Xuan exploited the generals’ low intelligence and used his swordsmanship to kill the two Golden-armored Divine Generals he faced, then helped Ruan Xihao and the other cultivators.
• Shi Xuan reached the divine altar, used the Taiji Diagram’s golden light to bypass its restriction, and took boxes containing Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron and the Heart of Stone.
• Xuan Yizhen shattered the altar’s restriction and took Lightning-Struck Wood and Netherworld Cold Crystal, while Lin Shenhe claimed Crimson Fire Origin Copper.
• Shi Xuan killed the remaining generals fighting Hu Shan and Ghost Cry Venerable as Lin Shenhe and Xuan Yizhen finished off their opponents.
• Shi Xuan showed the group his two materials, and Ruan Xihao said that he and the Spirit Soul Stage cultivators did not want to proceed to the third floor.

The nine cultivators reached the third floor of the pagoda, where darkness and formation restrictions separated them. Shi Xuan fought a powerful Golden Core Stage ghost creature, escaped its attacks, and recovered fragments of information from a ghost general before continuing onward.

• Hu Shan explained that the clear-light steps back to the second floor had vanished, and said the group would need to reach the seventh floor to take control of the formation core and escape.
• Xuan Yizhen urged the cultivators to continue together, and Ruan Xihao, Ye Shiliu, and Zhou Qi stayed close to Shi Xuan as the nine entered the third floor.
• Shi Xuan used the Qianyang Green Lamp to navigate the darkness and repelled a ghost claw and flying fork before drawing out and capturing a ghost general.
• A powerful ghost creature attacked Shi Xuan with Ghost Infant Sword Qi, a white-bone flying fork, and black needles, overwhelming his sword formation and forcing him to flee.
• Shi Xuan escaped the attacks but failed to protect the ghost general, which was killed; the remaining assault ended, and Shi Xuan continued through the darkness with fragments of its memories.

Shi Xuan searched the ghost general’s memories and recognized signs of an ancient soul-rebirth ritual before escaping a formation where Zhou Qi and Ye Shiliu disappeared. He obtained Xuan Yizhen’s promise to trade the Clear Heart Glazed Lamp for his help finding the Reincarnation Treasure, then learned Hu Shan wanted a similar bargain.

• Shi Xuan examined visions of Cave Abyss Divine Venerable’s ritual and concluded it resembled Residual Soul Rebirth, though its details and age puzzled him.
• Shi Xuan and the other Golden Core Grandmasters broke the formation; Xuan Yizhen said Zhou Qi had slain four ghost generals before a Golden Core ghost dragged her into darkness, while Ruan Xihao reported that Ye Shiliu had also vanished.
• The group found four Dharma Artifacts, and Shi Xuan tried to seize the Clear Heart Glazed Lamp but was beaten to it by Xuan Yizhen’s Haoran Sword.
• Xuan Yizhen agreed to give Shi Xuan the lamp if Shi Xuan helped him obtain the Reincarnation Treasure, and Shi Xuan resolved to use his full strength in future dangers.
• Hu Shan offered Shi Xuan the Myriad People Prayer Power Umbrella in exchange for the same help, with an additional request.