Chapter Summaries

Xiao Hanyi used his overwhelming power to pressure the Half-Emperor Pavilion and force Ye Xuan to reveal himself. Ye Xuan resisted the command after the queen within his divine palace broke its influence, but Xiao Hanyi identified him and prepared to act.

• Devil Moon panicked as Xiao Hanyi approached, fearing Ye Xuan's capture could cause her Slave Mark to kill her.
• Xiao Hanyi's presence terrified the pavilion's occupants, and he demanded that Ye Xuan come out or be dragged out.
• Xiao Hanyi's words nearly compelled Ye Xuan to reveal himself, but a light from the divine palace restored his senses.
• Ye Xuan realized he had underestimated the experts around him and silently sought advice from the queen, who did not respond.
• Xiao Hanyi declared that he had already locked onto Ye Xuan, then fixed his gaze on him.

Ye Xuan tried to escape Xiao Hanyi, who had failed to identify him among the crowd and decided to kill everyone. Xiao Hanyi caught Ye Xuan and crushed his body, while the queen remained silent, leaving Ye Xuan believing he was doomed.

• Xiao Hanyi threatened to kill everyone because no one stepped forward, while Ye Xuan prepared to escape with Teleportation.
• Ye Xuan vanished toward the pavilion entrance but was repelled by its formation, exposing himself to Xiao Hanyi.
• Xiao Hanyi struck Ye Xuan and sent him flying before pursuing him as Ye Xuan tried to call for the queen's help.
• Xiao Hanyi caught Ye Xuan, and a cloud of bloody mist burst from Ye Xuan's body as the queen gave no response.

The queen rescued Ye Xuan from Xiao Hanyi, killed the Xiao Clan expert, and warned the gathered factions not to attack her disciple. After the queen fell into dormancy, Ye Xuan asked Devil Moon when they could leave, and she said they could depart in three days.

• Xiao Hanyi seized Ye Xuan, but the queen sent the Heaven-Ascending Steps crashing into him and freed Ye Xuan.
• Ye Xuan used Teleportation to escape the Half-Emperor Pavilion after the Heaven-Ascending Steps shattered its entrance restriction.
• The queen appeared beside Xiao Hanyi, crushed his body, and warned everyone that she would kill anyone who attacked Ye Xuan.
• The queen told Ye Xuan that killing Xiao Hanyi had exhausted her strength and that she had to enter dormancy.
• Ye Xuan returned to Devil Moon's residence and asked when they could leave, and Devil Moon said they could go in three days.

The Xiao Clan discussed the deaths of Xiao Sheng and Xiao Hanyi in Starry Sky City and learned that Ye Xuan, a young cultivator with extraordinary combat strength, had killed Xiao Sheng and taken the Heaven-Ascending Steps. Xiao Qingxuan resolved to avenge the clan and reclaim the treasure, leaving the Xiao Clan’s elders alarmed by Ye Xuan’s power and the prize in his possession.

• Xiao Qingxuan told the Xiao Clan’s senior members that Xiao Sheng and Xiao Hanyi had both died in the Outer Heavenly Domain.
• Xiao Qingxuan explained that Ye Xuan had defeated the Half-Emperor Rankings’ experts and claimed first place despite his low cultivation.
• Xiao Qingxuan revealed that Ye Xuan’s master had appeared and killed Xiao Hanyi.
• Xiao Tianyuan asked whether Ye Xuan came from the Immortal Domain, but Xiao Qingxuan said he thought that unlikely.
• Xiao Qingxuan declared that the clan would kill Ye Xuan to avenge its dead and reclaim the Heaven-Ascending Steps.

The Xiao Clan plotted to ambush the person who took the Heaven-Ascending Steps, while Ye Xuan prepared to enter the Heavenly Domain disguised as Xue Tong. He arrived at Starry Sky Square with Devil Moon, uncertain whether he could stay hidden without the queen's protection.

• Xiao Qingxuan ordered the Xiao Clan to prepare a grand formation in Heavenly Domain City and kill anyone suspected of being Ye Xuan.
• News spread through Heavenly Domain City that Ye Xuan had killed Xiao Sheng and his master had killed Xiao Hanyi, stirring curiosity and fear of the Xiao Clan.
• Ye Xuan stayed at Devil Moon's residence for three days as the three major factions stopped searching for him, and he credited the queen with intimidating their leaders.
• Ye Xuan disguised himself as Xue Tong and followed Devil Moon to Starry Sky Square, where cultivators gathered to enter Heavenly Domain City.
• Devil Moon brought Ye Xuan and five others before Emperor Venerable Mingyao, while both she and Ye Xuan worried that his disguise would fail.

Ye Xuan entered the Heavenly Domain with Emperor Venerable Mingyao and the others, then attacked Devil Moon and escaped. Xiao Tianyuan prepared an ambush as the group arrived near Heavenly Domain City.

• The Human Immortal Sect master opened the gateway to the Heavenly Domain with the other two faction leaders, and the cultivators entered.
• After arriving in the wilderness, Ye Xuan removed Devil Moon's Slave Mark, struck her, and escaped with Teleportation.
• Emperor Venerable Mingyao rushed to Devil Moon's side as a guard reported that Xue Tong had ambushed their master.
• Xiao Tianyuan watched the newcomers from Heavenly Domain City's gate and ordered his forces to prepare to act.

Emperor Venerable Mingyao warned Devil Moon that the Xiao Clan might have arranged an ambush in the Heavenly Domain, while Devil Moon concealed her connection to the missing Xue Tong. Xiao Yucheng gathered the Outer Heavenly Domain cultivators, discovered one person was unaccounted for, and confronted Devil Moon about helping Xue Tong escape.

• Emperor Venerable Mingyao asked about Devil Moon's injuries and warned her that Xue Tong might have been the disguised man and that the Xiao Clan could be waiting in the Heavenly Domain.
• Emperor Venerable Mingyao sensed approaching powerhouses and told Devil Moon they had arrived.
• Xiao Yucheng ordered the Outer Heavenly Domain cultivators to gather, and his forces killed those who tried to flee.
• Xiao Yucheng learned that 103 cultivators had come, but only 102 were accounted for, and Emperor Venerable Mingyao identified the missing person as Xue Tong.
• Xiao Yucheng questioned Devil Moon about her relationship with Xue Tong and why she had helped him escape, leaving her trembling and pale.

Ye Xuan rescued Devil Moon from Xiao Yucheng’s interrogation, then fled with her as the Xiao Clan pursued them. With their pursuers closing in, Ye Xuan entered the Forest of Taboos despite Devil Moon warning that it was a deadly forbidden zone.

• Xiao Yucheng pressured Devil Moon to answer, but three sword rays struck a Xiao Clan cultivator before she could speak.
• Ye Xuan appeared, grievously wounded the Xiao Clan cultivator, and teleported away with Devil Moon.
• Xiao Yucheng led the Xiao Clan in pursuit, while Emperor Venerable Mingyao decided to flee.
• Ye Xuan asked Devil Moon about the area as he sped away, and she admitted she knew Heavenly Domain City only slightly.
• Ye Xuan spotted the Forest of Taboos, ignored Devil Moon’s warning, and charged into it with her.

Ye Xuan and Devil Moon entered the Forest of Taboos, while the Xiao Clan gave up pursuit, believing he would die there. In the Mystic Heaven Immortal Domain, Han Bingning learned of his danger but was imprisoned when she tried to go to the Heavenly Domain; inside the forest, Ye Xuan and Devil Moon lost their cultivation and access to their abilities.

• Xiao Yucheng reported that Ye Xuan had entered the Forest of Taboos, and Xiao Qingxuan ordered the Xiao Clan to abandon the matter.
• A woman in green told Han Bingning that Ye Xuan had entered the Forest of Taboos, and Han Bingning decided to go to the Heavenly Domain.
• An icy voice forbade Han Bingning from leaving, ordered her to prepare for Dao Yan's visit, and sealed her inside the hall.
• Ye Xuan and Devil Moon fell onto the grass after entering the Forest of Taboos.
• Devil Moon discovered that she had lost her cultivation, and Ye Xuan found that his cultivation, Spiritual Qi, spiritual sense, and access to the System Space were gone.

Ye Xuan and Devil Moon explored the Forest of the Forbidden Land after losing their cultivation and discovered that neither could sense Spiritual Qi. When a demonic wolf attacked, Ye Xuan killed it, but the howls of an approaching wolf pack left them in danger.

• Ye Xuan asked Devil Moon what she knew about the forest, but she said no one had returned to describe it.
• Ye Xuan and Devil Moon spent an hour searching the forest without finding danger or a way out.
• A demonic wolf appeared, and Ye Xuan realized it had no Spiritual Qi.
• Ye Xuan pushed Devil Moon aside, fought the wolf with his bare hands, and beat it to death.
• Ye Xuan told Devil Moon they needed food, but more wolf howls sounded and the ground began to tremble.

Ye Xuan and Devil Moon fought through waves of demonic beasts in the forbidden land, where Ye Xuan discovered that eating the wolves replenished his energy. They reached a sign identifying the Forest of the Forbidden Land, but after passing it, the tablet vanished and left only gray haze behind them.

• Ye Xuan and Devil Moon killed a pack of demonic wolves, and Ye Xuan bound Devil Moon's wounds before they roasted and ate the meat.
• Ye Xuan sensed energy and the location of his sixth shackle in the wolf meat, but Devil Moon sensed nothing.
• After fighting more demonic beasts, Devil Moon rested with her head on Ye Xuan's lap while he kept watch through the night.
• The pair found a stone tablet explaining that they had to reach the forest's peak to escape and warning them about its beasts and spirits.
• Ye Xuan and Devil Moon passed the tablet, then saw that it had vanished, leaving gray haze behind them.

Ye Xuan and Devil Moon pressed onward through a misty road where they were repeatedly separated by strange forces, and encountered a powerful Yin corpse. The chapter left Ye Xuan confronting the creature while thrusting Devil Moon toward it.

• Ye Xuan and Devil Moon found that the path behind them had vanished and continued forward through the mist.
• When Devil Moon disappeared in a sinister gust, Ye Xuan grabbed her and pulled her back to him.
• Ye Xuan and Devil Moon came upon a backward-walking figure carrying its own severed arm, which charged at them.
• Ye Xuan kicked the Yin corpse, but its immense strength knocked him down with Devil Moon.
• As the Yin corpse attacked again, Ye Xuan lifted Devil Moon and thrust her toward it, frightening her.

Ye Xuan and Devil Moon fought their way up the mountain, where each victory strengthened their bodies and weakened Ye Xuan’s shackles. After three days, they reached the summit, and Ye Xuan discovered that he had broken free of the seventh shackle.

• Ye Xuan rescued Devil Moon from a yin corpse and defeated it, gaining strength as the seal on his sixth shackle weakened.
• Ye Xuan grilled meat for Devil Moon, then the two resumed their ascent through trials filled with yin corpses, vengeful spirits, and demonic wolves.
• Ye Xuan broke his sixth shackle and revealed that he could still wield immense physical strength without Spiritual Qi.
• Devil Moon fought and killed several yin corpses, gaining strength and combat experience as she and Ye Xuan continued toward the summit.
• After three days, Ye Xuan and Devil Moon reached the summit, where Ye Xuan found that he had broken free of the seventh shackle and saw another inscribed stone stele.

Ye Xuan and Devil Moon escaped the Forest of the Forbidden Land after cultivating for three years and reaching powerful new realms. They headed for Heavenly Domain City to confront the Xiao Clan, and Ye Xuan struck down Xiao Yucheng’s forces with lightning and fire.

• Ye Xuan and Devil Moon entered the misty pool, resisted an evil presence, and watched as the divine palace in Ye Xuan’s mind destroyed the spirit trying to possess him.
• They collected hundreds of spatial rings and spent three years cultivating, reaching the Half-Emperor realm ninth layer for Ye Xuan and the Emperor realm fourth layer for Devil Moon.
• Ye Xuan failed to enter the divine palace, then took Devil Moon through the teleportation formation and out of the Forest of the Forbidden Land.
• Two Xiao Clan cultivators recognized Devil Moon and reported their survival, so Ye Xuan killed them and set off with Devil Moon for Heavenly Domain City.
• Xiao Yucheng mobilized the Xiao Clan’s experts to intercept Ye Xuan and Devil Moon, but Ye Xuan attacked them with lightning and fire, killing or injuring more than half the group.

Ye Xuan destroyed the Xiao Clan and set out for the Immortal Domain, leaving Devil Moon behind temporarily in the Eastern Wasteland. He entered the Immortal Chasm alone, where teleportation failed and swarms of monstrous creatures overwhelmed his defenses as he fought toward a blood-soaked path.

• Ye Xuan killed Xiao Yucheng and the other Xiao Clan cultivators who had pursued him, then entered Heavenly Domain City with Devil Moon.
• Xiao Qingxuan summoned the Xiao Clan ancestor, but Ye Xuan arrived the next morning, killed the ancestor, and wiped out the clan’s remaining experts.
• Ye Xuan told Devil Moon he would take her to the Immortal Domain if possible, and they traveled together to the Immortal Chasm; unable to bring her across, he sent her to wait in the Eastern Wasteland.
• After spending three days preparing, Ye Xuan charged into the Immortal Chasm, where he discovered he could not teleport and that its creatures were far larger and more dangerous than they had appeared from outside.
• Ye Xuan used his fire, lightning, sword, and movement techniques to carve through the attacking beasts, but they shattered his defenses and left him badly weakened.

Ye Xuan fought his way across the Immortal Chasm and collapsed after reaching the Mystic Heaven Immortal Domain, where Commander Hei Yun forced him to join the Hei Yun Army. Assigned to She Ling's command, Ye Xuan arrived at her manor and revealed to Hong Ye that he was a Peak Half-Emperor.

• Ye Xuan battled the demonic beasts in the Immortal Chasm, endured the Python King's attack, and eventually crossed to the other side before passing out.
• Devil Moon watched Ye Xuan struggle from outside the Chasm, but an invisible barrier prevented her from entering.
• Two cultivators in Hei Yun City saw Ye Xuan cross without guidance and alerted Commander Hei Yun, who revived him and coerced him into joining the Hei Yun Army.
• Commander Hei Yun assigned Ye Xuan to She Ling, and the generals questioned him before She Ling took him to her manor.
• Hong Ye greeted She Ling and asked Ye Xuan about his cultivation, and he answered that he was a Peak Half-Emperor.

Ye Xuan joined the She Ling Army in Hei Yun City, confirmed he was in the Mystic Heaven Immortal Domain, and learned that Dao Yan planned to pursue Han Bingning. After cultivating for three months, he refused to fight in the year-end assessment, but Hong Ye ordered him to attend as a spectator.

• She Ling assigned Ye Xuan to the She Ling Army and Hong Ye showed him to his room in Hei Yun City.
• Ye Xuan went into the city and learned that Dao Yan had defeated many prodigies and intended to propose to Han Bingning, who had reached at least the Great Emperor Realm.
• Ye Xuan returned to his room and cultivated for three months, nearing a breakthrough into the Emperor Realm.
• Hong Ye told Ye Xuan to participate in the year-end assessment, but he refused because he wanted to focus on cultivating.
• Hong Ye ordered Ye Xuan to attend the assessment and observe, despite his refusal to compete.

Ye Xuan accompanied Hong Ye to the Hei Yun Army’s year-end assessment, where he watched the squads compete while hiding his true strength. Hong Ye’s subordinates lost their first two matches, leaving her furious as Zhao Long’s faction mocked her.

• Ye Xuan spoke with the awakened queen, who said she would guard him through an emperor-realm breakthrough, and he decided to wait until the year-end assessment period ended.
• Hong Ye brought Ye Xuan and six cultivators to Commander Hei Yun’s mansion for the assessment, where She Ling asked Ye Xuan if he would participate; he declined and said he would only watch.
• Commander Hei Yun opened the assessment, and the cultivators began fighting in matches between the army’s squads.
• Ye Xuan privately dismissed the early matches as weak but told She Ling that the combatants were far stronger than him, drawing Hei Yun’s suspicion that he was mocking the army.
• Hong Ye’s first two subordinates lost their matches, and Hong Ye grew furious at the surrounding mockery and Zhao Long’s provocation.

After She Ling’s army finished last in every assessment, Ye Xuan stepped forward to defend her honor and challenged Hei Mo despite his much lower apparent cultivation. He crushed Hei Mo in one move, then faced seventeen early-stage Emperor Realm cultivators who attacked him together.

• She Ling’s squads lost most of their year-end assessment battles, leaving her army in last place and provoking taunts from the other generals.
• Zhao Long and his leader insulted She Ling and Hong Ye, prompting Ye Xuan to request permission to fight for She Ling’s honor.
• Hei Mo challenged Ye Xuan, who accepted despite being only at the peak Half-Emperor realm.
• Ye Xuan defeated and crippled Hei Mo with a single exchange, then forced him to yield after another stomp.
• Ye Xuan challenged the other teams, and seventeen cultivators charged him together.
• Ye Xuan formed a lightning-colored staff and charged at the seventeen attackers, declaring they had no right to humiliate Lady She Ling.

Ye Xuan won the Hei Yun Army’s assessments, reached the Emperor Realm, and drew the attention of powerful immortal factions. Their prodigies arrived at Hei Yun’s residence and challenged the army, ending with one of them defeating an Emperor Realm Eighth Layer cultivator.

• Ye Xuan defeated all the middle Emperor Realm challengers and fought through the peak Emperor Realm cultivators, securing first place for She Ling’s army despite severe injuries.
• Hong Ye and She Ling cared for Ye Xuan as he recovered, and She Ling rewarded him with a ring of Immortal Crystals.
• Ye Xuan broke through to the Emperor Realm while the Azure Snake Cult, Bathing Fire Sect, Dao Killing Gate, and Cloud Heavens Palace watched for a chance to target him.
• Prodigies from major factions arrived in Hei Yun City to investigate Ye Xuan, including a veiled woman who wondered whether he was someone from her past.
• Old Ghost Ye confronted General Hei Yun above Hei Yun’s residence, and a young man from a major faction challenged the Hei Yun Army before defeating an Emperor Realm Eighth Layer cultivator with one strike.