Chapter Summaries

White Bone True Man overwhelmed the Li Fire Palace envoys inside the Great Hall while Qin Ming killed Old Toad Ancestor outside the Lake Tai Ruins. Qin Ming collected Old Toad Ancestor’s belongings and watched Tai Lake with growing unease about the battle in the underground palace.

• White Bone True Man revealed the power of his Nine Nether Bone Fire Sword and severed He Kang’s arm with a single strike.
• He Kang and Zhou Yu tried to flee by ordering Qingxuan and the others to attack, but White Bone True Man turned his sword on the envoys at the hall entrance.
• Qin Ming struck Old Toad Ancestor with the Wood Sovereign Nails, weakening his cultivation, then attacked him with his azure flood dragon phantom.
• Qin Ming crushed Old Toad Ancestor’s head, and the Devouring Sky Rat destroyed his fleeing remnant soul.
• The Devouring Sky Rat reported that another opponent escaped with a Grand Teleportation Talisman, while Qin Ming took Old Toad Ancestor’s Storage Bag and soul pellet and looked toward Tai Lake.

Qin Ming and his allies subdued the demonic cultivators outside Tai Lake, but White Bone True Man emerged from the lake and pursued the wounded Li Fire Palace emissaries. He Kang sacrificed his vitality to unleash a fourth-rank talisman treasure, leaving White Bone True Man severely injured and giving Qin Ming a chance to act.

• White Bone True Man sensed that the Old Toad Ancestor had been killed and became distracted, allowing cultivators in the underground palace to flee.
• Qin Ming and the three spirit beasts defeated the demonic reinforcements outside Tai Lake, and Nalan Xi praised Qin Ming for killing the ghost creature.
• Zhou Yu and He Kang escaped the lake badly wounded as White Bone True Man pursued them and destroyed Zhou Yu's shield.
• He Kang activated a gilded talisman and swallowed a Life-Burning Pill, raising his cultivation to White Bone True Man's level while rapidly aging.
• He Kang unleashed a fourth-rank talisman treasure that manifested as a golden-flame white tiger, which struck White Bone True Man and severely wounded him.
• Qin Ming retreated from the clash, then saw an opportunity to act after White Bone True Man was injured.

Qin Ming pursued the gravely wounded White Bone True Man and ambushed him with the Wood Sovereign Nails. After replenishing his mana with the Mana Spring Affix, Qin Ming and his three Demon Kings destroyed White Bone True Man’s soul, leaving behind several treasures.

• He Kang exhausted himself unleashing a powerful strike, while Liu Jinyuan and Old Ghost Yan fled the battle.
• White Bone True Man unleashed the White Bone Storm to cover his escape, and Qin Ming secretly pursued him using the Blood Escape Technique.
• Qin Ming ambushed White Bone True Man in a misty marsh with six Wood Sovereign Nails, then attacked with fifteen more as the three Demon Kings closed in.
• White Bone True Man escaped the first assault with a substitute-death divine ability, but Qin Ming restored his depleted mana with the Mana Spring Affix.
• Qin Ming and the Demon Kings attacked again, destroying White Bone True Man’s soul and leaving behind a Soul Pearl, the Netherworld White Bone Sword, and a Storage Ring.

Qin Ming killed White Bone True Man and returned to Azure Sea Immortal City after the battle at Tai Lake ended, collecting rare treasures and learning that Gu Qingzhao had recovered. With the Southern Wilderness calamities quelled, he left the city as peace returned, though he expected the kingdoms’ alliances to be temporary.

• Qin Ming collected White Bone True Man’s belongings, erased the traces of the fight, and flew away with his Spirit Pets.
• Qin Ming met Old Ancestor Qingxuan, Wei Wuyai, and the other Golden Core Ancestors in Profound Stream Valley, where Wei Wuyai explained how Zhou Yu and He Kang had used them as cannon fodder and then returned to Great Jin.
• Qin Ming and Nalan Xi returned to Azure Sea Immortal City after the Southern Wilderness conflict ended, and Qin Ming examined the treasures taken from Old Ghost Li, Old Toad Ancestor, and White Bone True Man.
• Qin Ming visited Mirror Snow Pavilion and learned from Huangfu Qi that Gu Qingzhao had recovered, entered seclusion on Azure Sea Peak, and left him the promised Spirit Stones along with extra stones.
• Qin Ming left Azure Sea Immortal City, knowing that peace among the kingdoms might not last as they competed for resources.

Qin Ming arranged for the Spirit Rest Archipelago to remain stable after Li Yuanqing’s death while he waited to leave for the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty. Five years later, he hurried to Azure Sea Immortal City when Gu Qingzhao began attempting to form a Golden Core.

• Qin Ming learned how to reach the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty and decided to wait until his planted Spirit Stones were harvested before departing.
• The three kingdoms reclaimed Jin Kingdom, and their sects disputed how to divide its territory.
• After Li Yuanqing died, Qin Ming proposed Wu Jiang as the Scattered Alliance’s next leader, but Wu Jiang refused; Ren Tianqi was later elected instead.
• Qin Ming paid respects to Li Yuanqing and set rules for the Spirit Rest Archipelago’s peaceful development.
• Five years later, Qin Ming sensed a powerful Spiritual Qi vortex over Azure Sea Peak and realized Gu Qingzhao was attempting to reach the Golden Core Stage.
• Nalan Xi joined Qin Ming outside Azure Sea Immortal City as black clouds gathered over Gu Qingzhao’s cave abode.

Gu Qingzhao survived her Golden Core tribulation and celebrated her breakthrough with Qin Ming and the cultivators of Azure Sea Immortal City. After the ceremony, Qin Ming asked her to look after Moon Gazing Island while he traveled to the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, and she fell silent at the news.

• Gu Qingzhao passed nine layers of Golden Core lightning tribulation and began consolidating her cultivation as a Golden Core Adept.
• Qin Ming and Nalan Xi congratulated Gu Qingzhao, and Qin Ming stayed in Azure Sea Immortal City while she completed her seclusion.
• Mirror Snow Pavilion held Gu Qingzhao's Golden Core ceremony, where Qin Ming presented her with a bottle of Dustfall Pills and a Longevity Fruit Pill.
• Qin Ming met Gu Qinghe, Mirror Snow Pavilion's chief pavilion master, and exchanged friendly greetings with him.
• Qin Ming told Gu Qingzhao he planned to travel through the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty and asked her to look after Moon Gazing Island while he was away; Gu Qingzhao fell silent.

Qin Ming prepared to leave the Southern Wasteland for Great Jin, traveling incognito aboard a Qilian Merchant Guild ship instead of using Li Fire Palace’s teleportation array. The ship sailed across the Black Sea toward Kirin Island, where the travelers could continue to Great Jin by teleportation array.

• Gu Qingzhao asked Qin Ming whether he planned to find a Dao companion, and he said he was focused on reaching the Golden Core Late Stage.
• Gu Qingzhao offered to help protect Moon Gazing Island and arranged an introduction to the Qi Lian Trading Company for Qin Ming’s journey.
• Qin Ming returned to Moon Gazing Island, gave Wu Jiang and the others instructions, and then flew to Gathering Immortals City under an assumed identity.
• Qin Ming boarded the Qilian Merchant Guild’s Abyss Crossing Dharma Ship as Manager Lu and befriended Han Yuan, Gao Feng, and Liu Ye with Jade Scale Wine.
• Han Yuan explained that the ship would sail across the Black Sea to Kirin Island, where the group could use a teleportation array to reach Great Jin.

After more than half a year crossing the dangerous Black Sea, Qin Ming arrived at Kirin Island with the Qi Lian Trading Company’s Abyss Crossing Dharma Ship. He discovered that the island was a barren but resource-rich stronghold of Li Fire Palace, and entered its protected marketplace.

• Qin Ming reflected on the dangers of the voyage, including a near encounter with a school of Blood Sea Frenzy Sharks, while continuing to cultivate and farm during the crossing.
• The ship entered Spirit Severing Ghostly Mist, and Qin Ming’s divine sense was swallowed when he tried to probe it; Han Yuan warned him never to use divine sense in the mist and gave him Gale Dew Pills.
• Several days later, the ship emerged from the ghostly mist, and Han Yuan, Liu Ye, and Gao Feng welcomed their arrival at Kirin Island.
• At the harbor, Li Fire Palace cultivators checked the passengers’ identities and Sacred Fire Tokens before Qin Ming went ashore and sensed the island’s Tier 3 High-Grade fire-attribute Spirit Vein.
• Gao Feng explained that Kirin Island’s Kirin Jade Crystal and other resources made it valuable to Li Fire Palace, and Qin Ming entered the island’s marketplace beneath its Protective Grand Array.

Qin Ming and the Myriad Paths Trading Alliance group encountered Hua Tianxiong, who extorted them and harassed Liu Ye before Li Fire Palace cultivators intervened. After Han Yuan explained Hua’s influence and background, Qin Ming and the others paid to use the teleportation array and departed Kirin Island.

• Qin Ming and the others saw Hua Tianxiong’s men beat a mining slave and seize his spirit minerals over unpaid stall fees.
• Hua Tianxiong demanded an extra two thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from Qin Ming’s group to use the teleportation array, then pressured Liu Ye to visit his cave dwelling.
• A Li Fire Palace cultivator arrived and ordered Qin Ming’s group to leave, and they hurried away from Blackrock Market.
• Han Yuan told Qin Ming that Hua Tianxiong led Thousand Machines Commerce, controlled Kirin Island’s mining operations, and had risen to power with Li Fire Palace’s backing.
• Qin Ming observed that Hua Tianxiong’s unstable magic power, accumulated pill toxins, and weak foundation undermined his apparent Golden Core cultivation.
• Qin Ming and the others paid five hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and teleported away from Kirin Island.

Qin Ming arrived in the Great Jin Immortal Cultivation World and learned that Li Fire Palace and Divine Path Mountain had ended their war in a ceasefire. He reached Spirit Ruins Market District under his Manager Lu identity and began getting acquainted with the region.

• Qin Ming and the others recovered from long-distance teleportation and were welcomed by Steward Liang at Li Fire Palace’s hidden array.
• Han Yuan and Gao Feng gave Qin Ming directions and a map, and Gao Feng explained that Li Fire Palace and Divine Path Mountain had agreed to a ceasefire at Five Elements Mountain two years earlier.
• Qin Ming learned that both sides’ Nascent Soul leaders had been seriously injured and decided to gather more information while keeping his Manager Lu identity intact.
• Qin Ming discovered that Spirit Ruins Market District lay near Five Elements Mountain and planned to acclimate himself there before making further plans.
• Two days later, Qin Ming shared a welcome feast with Han Yuan, Gao Feng, and Liu Ye at Wind Riding Pavilion in Spirit Ruins Market District.

Qin Ming bought intelligence from Thousand Machines Pavilion and learned about Great Jin’s powerful factions, the conflict over Five Elements Mountain, and Su Yuqing’s hidden family origins. He left with a clearer sense of the dangers in Great Jin and an unexpected lead on his friend’s past.

• Qin Ming parted with Han Yuan and the others, then visited Thousand Machines Pavilion to purchase intelligence on Great Jin.
• Manager Wei showed Qin Ming reports identifying Li Fire Palace, the Myriad Paths Trading Alliance, and Divine Path Mountain as Great Jin’s three Nascent Soul powers, with the Yin Demon Sect suspected of supporting Divine Path Mountain.
• Qin Ming studied a detailed map and learned that Li Fire Palace and Divine Path Mountain had agreed to jointly develop Five Elements Mountain’s Tier 4 Spirit Vein, while the Myriad Paths Trading Alliance gained market rights as mediator.
• Qin Ming discovered that Su Yuqing came from the Su Family of Dragon Court Lake, one of the four great Golden Core families descended from Li Fire Palace.

Qin Ming bought intelligence, took up his new post as Manager Lu at Mirror Snow Pavilion, and learned about a major auction planned for three months later. He crafted a Black Talisman to control a puppet, then recognized a familiar cultivator arriving in a lavish carriage in Spirit Ruins Market District.

• Qin Ming bought several intelligence reports from Manager Wei for two thousand six hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and received two additional reports.
• Qin Ming presented Gu Qingzhao's token and letter at Mirror Snow Pavilion, where Jia Heyi and the staff recognized him as their new manager.
• Qin Ming told Jia Heyi to continue handling the shop's affairs and learned that Five Blessings Auction House would hold a large auction in three months.
• Qin Ming crafted a Black Talisman using corpses of Golden Core Stage cultivators and planned to use it to control a puppet who could act for him.
• Qin Ming watched a lavish Golden Luan Carriage disrupt the street and recognized the cultivator riding inside.

Qin Ming used a rare soul pellet to lure Hua Tianxiong away from Thousand Machines Pavilion. Hua Tianxiong caught up with him beyond Spirit Ruins Market District, where Qin Ming revealed that his cultivation was at Golden Core Middle Stage.

• Qin Ming disguised himself as a Foundation Establishment cultivator and brought a late third-rank soul pellet to Thousand Machines Pavilion.
• Hua Tianxiong examined the soul pellet and tried to buy it, but Qin Ming insisted on exchanging it for a Core Formation spiritual item.
• Qin Ming left the market district, and Hua Tianxiong pursued him after ordering Manager Wei to summon the pavilion's Golden Core Stage consecrated cultivators.
• Hua Tianxiong caught up with Qin Ming near a mountain range and demanded the soul pellet at a reduced price.
• Qin Ming remained calm and released Golden Core Middle Stage Spiritual Pressure.

Qin Ming captured Hua Tianxiong and used a Black Talisman to force him into submission, then sent him back to his men with orders to attend the Five Elements Mountain trade fair in three months. Hua Tianxiong returned to Thousand Machines Pavilion’s search party and took his fury out on Manager Wei.

• Qin Ming overpowered Hua Tianxiong and transported him into the Lesser Spirit Realm, where three Tier 3 Demon Kings surrounded him.
• Qin Ming used the Black Talisman to extract Hua Tianxiong’s memories and bind his life to Qin Ming’s commands.
• Qin Ming revealed that he had been posing as Manager Lu and ordered Hua Tianxiong to act normally and attend the Five Elements Mountain trade fair in three months.
• Qin Ming sent Hua Tianxiong back to the mountain range, where Manager Wei and Envoy Xiao had been searching for him.
• Hua Tianxiong angrily slapped Manager Wei, knocking him away and spraying blood from his mouth.

Qin Ming took control of Hua Tianxiong and, three months later, traveled to Five Elements Mountain for the Five Blessings Trade Fair. At the auction house, he presented Du Xue with a large collection of high-rank demonic items to consign.

• Qin Ming realized Elder Qian had taken most of Thousand Machines Commerce's valuable goods, but he used the Black Talisman to control Hua Tianxiong and monitor his thoughts.
• Hua Tianxiong returned to Thousand Machines Pavilion and obeyed Qin Ming's warning to maintain his usual behavior, lamenting that he had become a puppet for both Elder Qian and Manager Lu.
• Three months later, Qin Ming asked Jia Heyi to look after Mirror Snow Pavilion and left for Five Elements Mountain, while Hua Tianxiong led Thousand Machines Commerce there for the trade fair.
• Qin Ming entered the Five Blessings Auction House with an invitation and met Du Xue, who approached him after failing to secure any consignments.
• Qin Ming showed Du Xue a large assortment of high-rank demonic pills, artifacts, techniques, and materials, then explained that he was Manager Lu of Mirror Snow Pavilion and had acquired them elsewhere.

Qin Ming consigned valuable items to the Five Blessings Auction House and learned that its upcoming auction would feature a Core Formation Pill and a Nascent Soul Material. After Hua Tianxiong arrived at the Wind Riding Pavilion and noticed him, the chapter left their encounter unresolved.

• Qin Ming signed an agreement for the Five Blessings Auction House to sell his items and received a VIP invitation to the auction in three days.
• Qin Ming met Han Yuan, Liu Ye, Gao Feng, Old Xie, and Ma Yu at the Wind Riding Pavilion.
• Ma Yu revealed that Elder Jin Han would preside over the auction, which would feature a Core Formation Pill and a Nascent Soul Material.
• Qin Ming decided he would secretly use Hua Tianxiong to bid for the Nascent Soul Material.
• Hua Tianxiong arrived at the Wind Riding Pavilion, spotted Qin Ming, and continued upstairs without acknowledging him.

Qin Ming attended the Five Blessings Auction at Five Elements Mountain, where Du Xue thanked him for helping secure a major consignment and Elder Jin Han opened the bidding. Qin Ming told Hua Tianxiong to buy an important item for him at any price, and the auction’s second offering was identified by two Demonic Cultivators as their sect elder’s renamed treasure.

• Three days after the wine-table gathering, cultivators from across the region arrived at Five Elements Mountain for the auction under the Myriad Paths Trading Alliance’s protection.
• Du Xue escorted Qin Ming to a private room, thanked him for securing a consignment order, and invited him to dinner, but he declined.
• Elder Jin Han opened the auction with three drops of Mystic Wraith Spirit Liquid, which sold to a Foundation Establishment family for eight thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Qin Ming contacted Hua Tianxiong through the Black Talisman and ordered him to bid on a later item at any cost, leaving Hua Tianxiong worried about paying for it.
• Elder Jin Han presented the Seven Fiends Mystic Feather Fan, and two Demonic Cultivators recognized it as Elder Yang Jian’s Black Flame Devil Feather Fan.

At the Five Blessings Auction House, Qin Ming watched rare pills and treasures spark fierce bidding, until the Seven Aperture Tribulation Flower appeared as a finale item. He recognized the Spirit Plant and focused intently on the auction as the chapter ended.

• A Golden Core Demonic Cultivator won Elder Yang's Black Smoke Fiend Feather Fan after a heated bidding war.
• The auction sold fifteen Foundation Establishment Pills and several dozen second-tier treasures.
• Elder Jin Han presented a Dustfall Pill refined by Su Yuqing, and a Golden Core family from Great Jin won it after Elder Jin stopped Old Ghost Yan and Blood Refinement Old Freak from disrupting the auction.
• The auctioned Core Formation Pill drew frantic bids from family factions seeking a chance to produce a Golden Core Cultivator.
• Elder Jin Han unveiled the Seven Aperture Tribulation Flower, which a Golden Core Middle Stage yellow-robed old man recognized as a Nascent Soul Material, while Qin Ming watched with intense interest.

Qin Ming ordered Hua Tianxiong to secure the Seven Aperture Tribulation Flower, and Hua won it after a fierce auction by raising his bid to two hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. He openly defied a Golden Core elder of the Yin Demon Sect, who left threatening revenge.

• Elder Jin explained that the seven-hundred-year Seven Aperture Tribulation Flower could not yet refine the Ice Heart Jade Soul Pill but could benefit Golden Core cultivators and be cultivated further.
• Qin Ming told Hua Tianxiong through the Black Talisman to obtain the flower at all costs.
• Bidding drove the flower's price from fifty thousand to ninety thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones before Hua Tianxiong raised it to one hundred and twenty thousand.
• A black-hatted Golden Core cultivator from the Yin Demon Sect bid against Hua and asked him to yield in exchange for the sect's favor.
• Hua Tianxiong rejected the threat, bid two hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, and won the flower after the Yin Demon Sect cultivator withdrew.

Qin Ming had Hua Tianxiong secure several auction items before deciding to bid for a spirit field on a branch of a fourth-order Spirit Vein behind Five Elements Mountain. He submitted a sealed bid in the name of Mirror Snow Pavilion, and the auction’s result remained unknown.

• Hua Tianxiong secured the Seven Aperture Tribulation Flower for Qin Ming, who told him to be ready to bid on more items.
• Qin Ming had Hua Tianxiong win an ancient Divine Wood Pill formula as the auction’s final lots began.
• Elder Jin Han announced the sale of two hundred mu of Tier 3 High-Grade Spirit Fields, including ten mu with a Tier 3 Supreme-Grade Spirit Vein environment.
• Qin Ming decided the spirit field would be a useful base in Great Jin and chose to bid for it through Mirror Snow Pavilion.
• Qin Ming submitted a sealed bid of six hundred jin of Jade Emperor Spirit Rice and three hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.