Recaps

Xiao Yan’s steel needle unexpectedly helped the South Hall Master break through to the Origin Transformation Realm, and the newly empowered master attacked as Xiao Yan tried to escape. A golden formation briefly shielded Xiao Yan before the attack struck him and he vanished into the black curtain.

• Xiao Yan’s steel needle pierced the South Hall Master’s Qi cyclone and triggered his breakthrough to the Origin Transformation Realm.
• The South Hall Master drew Dou Qi and Origin Qi into his body, rapidly increasing his power.
• Xiao Yan fired three steel needles, but the South Hall Master stopped them with an energy storm.
• The South Hall Master attacked Xiao Yan as he tried to escape through a black curtain.
• A golden formation blocked the attack briefly before it shattered, and Xiao Yan was struck in the back as he vanished into the curtain.

After recovering from the battle in Feng City, Xiao Yan traveled to Nanlin City, where he was drawn into an alchemy contest. The gathered alchemists asked him to judge their competition, and one of them questioned his identity.

• Xiao Yan recovered from his injuries while Xiao Xuan slowly regained his Spiritual Strength, and Xiao Yan sensed that the Northern King remained unharmed inside the Obsidian Tower.
• Xiao Yan traveled north to Nanlin City, where he saw five alchemists refining pills in a contest.
• Ten Fourth-Tier Alchemists noticed Xiao Yan, and an unkempt old man in the crowd quietly disappeared after spotting him.
• Xiao Yan revealed that he was a Fourth-Tier Alchemist, surprising the crowd.
• Master Hu and another alchemist asked Xiao Yan to judge the contest fairly, and the middle-aged man asked who he was.

Xiao Yan judged the five pills in a competition between the five great clans and discovered that Master Hu had secretly substituted an older, higher-quality pill for his clan’s young alchemist. As Xiao Yan began announcing his assessment, he exposed the Hu clan’s pill but paused before revealing what that meant.

• Xiao Yan introduced himself as an unaffiliated newcomer to the Northern Region and agreed to judge the competition.
• Master Hu praised Xiao Yan and asked him to assess the five young alchemists’ pills.
• Xiao Yan examined the pills and realized the Hu clan’s young man had submitted an old pill refined by Master Hu, violating the competition rules.
• Master Hu urged Xiao Yan to announce the results fairly as the other clans watched suspiciously.
• Xiao Yan announced that four pills were middle-grade and one was high-grade, then held up the Hu clan’s pill and began to say, “However...”

Xiao Yan challenged the Hu Clan’s victory by revealing that Hu Yonglin’s pill had lost medicinal potency, suggesting it was not freshly refined. As Master Hu tried to seize the pill, Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi forced him and the others back, leaving them shocked by his strength.

• Master Hu declared Hu Yonglin the winner and told him to collect all five pills.
• Xiao Yan stopped Hu Yonglin and pointed out that the best pill had depleted medicinal potency, suggesting it had been stored too long.
• Master Hu denied that the pill was old, while the other eight Fourth-Tier Alchemists asked Xiao Yan to hand it over for examination.
• Xiao Yan offered the pill to a middle-aged alchemist, who demanded an explanation from Master Hu if the accusation proved true.
• Master Hu rushed to grab the pill and accused Xiao Yan of slandering the Hu Clan and switching it.
• Xiao Yan released a wave of Dou Qi that drove Master Hu, the other alchemists, and the five young men back, astonishing them.

Xiao Yan overwhelmed Master Hu and his allies, forcing the gathered clans to acknowledge his power. When a Hu Clan member invoked the Northern Wasteland Hall, Xiao Yan killed him, leaving the conflict with the Hall poised to escalate.

• Xiao Yan's display of power sent Master Hu and nine other experts staggering back, and the gathered clans bowed to him.
• Xiao Yan kept his pressure on Master Hu and demanded to know whether he still accused him of slander.
• Xiao Yan forced Master Hu to his knees and sent Hu Yonglin flying when he tried to attack.
• A middle-aged Hu Clan man threatened Xiao Yan by invoking the Northern Wasteland Hall.
• Xiao Yan killed the middle-aged man with a hand of white flames, saying the man's affiliation gave him even less reason to show mercy.

Xiao Yan confronted Master Hu and the Northern Wasteland Hall, refusing to back down when Hall Master Su intervened. After Hall Master Su recognized him as the man who killed Elder Li and demanded he surrender, Xiao Yan struck first and sent him flying.

• Xiao Yan killed the middle-aged man with a blow and turned his attention to Master Hu.
• Xiao Yan trapped Master Hu beneath a deathly white hand of fire, but Hall Master Su intervened and dispelled it.
• Hall Master Su recognized Xiao Yan as the man who had killed Elder Li and demanded that he come with him.
• Xiao Yan challenged Hall Master Su to come with him instead, then struck him and sent him flying.

Xiao Yan defeated Hall Master Su’s subordinate Master Hu and overwhelmed Hall Master Su in battle, shocking the factions gathered in the city. Hall Master Su and Xiao Yan unleashed powerful Dou Techniques against each other, and their attacks collided as the chapter ended.

• Xiao Yan repelled Hall Master Su, then froze Master Hu with Bone Spirit Cold Flame and shattered him.
• Hall Master Su attacked Xiao Yan with the Yi Luo Palm, but Xiao Yan blocked the strikes with the Heaven-Spanning Hand.
• Hall Master Su struck Xiao Yan from behind, but Xiao Yan’s Golden Elephant Art absorbed the blow, and Xiao Yan seized his ankle and hurled him into the city.
• Hall Master Su gathered his Dou Qi and launched the Great Pagoda Seal as Xiao Yan formed the Wasteland-Spanning Finger.
• Hall Master Su’s golden seal collided with Xiao Yan’s flaming finger.

Xiao Yan defeated Hall Master Su in a devastating clash that destroyed much of the city. He then demolished the Northern Wasteland Hall’s Southern Hall and continued on, setting the stage for the Northern Wasteland Hall to learn of him.

• Xiao Yan’s Wasteland-Spanning Finger shattered Hall Master Su’s Great Pagoda Seal and struck him with its remaining force.
• The ensuing blast devastated the city, leaving a vast crater where the battle had taken place.
• Xiao Yan started to leave, then stopped above the castle housing the Northern Wasteland Hall’s Southern Hall.
• Xiao Yan used Flame Splitting Tsunami to destroy the castle and reduce the Southern Hall to ruins.

A week after the Southern Hall’s destruction, Xiao Yan crossed the Red Silk Gobi with a guided party while consolidating his cultivation. When a mysterious scruffy old man picked a fight with him, the old man revealed overwhelming strength, and Xiao Xuan warned Xiao Yan that he might have surpassed Dou Di and reached the Origin Transformation Realm.

• Xiao Yan followed a party of travelers across the Red Silk Gobi on the route to Mount Beiji.
• Xiao Yan noticed that a scruffy old man in a flame-scorched robe had a powerful fire presence and suspected a Heavenly Flame was involved.
• The scruffy old man collapsed against Xiao Yan and accused him of breaking his leg, refusing to let the party continue without compensation.
• A traveler tried to seize the old man, but the old man repelled him with a single glance.
• Xiao Xuan warned Xiao Yan that the old man’s cultivation might have surpassed Dou Di and reached the Origin Transformation Realm.

Xiao Yan tried to settle a dispute with a scruffy old man, who revealed himself as an Origin Transformation Realm expert and demanded rare flame-fusing pills. After accepting three of the four pills he wanted, the old man flew away and left Xiao Yan owing him one more.

• The scruffy old man demanded compensation from Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan apologized to avoid provoking the Origin Transformation Realm expert.
• The old man cut his demand to four fourth-tier medicinal pills, and Xiao Yan offered them in hopes of earning the expert's goodwill.
• The old man specified four rare pills used to fuse with flames, leading Xiao Yan to suspect he wanted to control a Heavenly Flame.
• Xiao Yan could produce only the Flame Fusion Pill, Flame Chasing Pill, and Wind Nether Flame Transformation Pill, so he handed over the three pills and explained that he lacked the Phoenix Chick Pill.
• The old man accepted the three pills, said Xiao Yan still owed him one, and flew away.

After the slovenly old man vanished, four Red-Scaled Pythons erupted from the Gobi and surrounded Xiao Yan and the other Dou Di experts. As the three Nine-Star Dou Di engaged three of the beasts, Xiao Yan faced the last one and saw its bloodline as a chance to strengthen his body.

• Xiao Yan and the three middle-aged Nine-Star Dou Di sensed a powerful presence rising beneath the ground and warned the others to flee.
• Four Late-Stage Nine-Star Dou Di Red-Scaled Pythons burst from the earth and encircled the group.
• Several Dou Di experts tried to escape through a gap, but the pythons killed them.
• The three Nine-Star Dou Di each took on a Red-Scaled Python and left the last one to the others.
• Xiao Yan faced the remaining python and considered using its bloodline to temper his body.

Xiao Yan fought a Red-Scaled Python in the Red Silk Gobi, wounding it with the Sevenfold Heaven-Breaking Ruler and testing his strength against its attacks. The python coiled around him, but Xiao Yan broke free and lifted its entire body by the tail.

• Xiao Yan dodged the Red-Scaled Python's attacks and struck its tail with the Heavy Xuan Ruler.
• Xiao Yan used the Heavenly Severing Steps to evade the python's bite, then wounded its head with the first strike of the Sevenfold Heaven-Breaking Ruler.
• The three middle-aged men noticed Xiao Yan's strength and wondered who he was.
• The Red-Scaled Python fired a pillar of Dou Qi at Xiao Yan, and he destroyed it with the second strike of the Sevenfold Heaven-Breaking Ruler.
• The python wrapped its tail around Xiao Yan, but he activated the Strength Elephant Art and Golden Elephant Art, broke free, and swung the beast into the air.

Xiao Yan used overwhelming strength to cripple one Red-Scaled Python and fought it alone while the three middle-aged Nine-Star Dou Di held off the other serpents. After the python swallowed him, it froze and burst apart, revealing Xiao Yan alive and unharmed as concealed presences approached from the south.

• Xiao Yan seized a Red-Scaled Python and swung it into the other battles, then pierced its tail with bone-white flames after it struck itself with its own Dou Qi blast.
• The three middle-aged men blocked the other Red-Scaled Pythons and left Xiao Yan to face his opponent alone.
• Sensing concealed presences approaching from the south, Xiao Yan decided to finish the fight quickly and smashed the python with a powerful punch.
• The wounded python swallowed Xiao Yan, alarming the three middle-aged men, but it soon became covered in ice and began cracking apart.
• The Red-Scaled Python exploded, and Xiao Yan emerged unharmed.

Xiao Yan killed one Red-Scaled Python and forced the three remaining pythons to flee before leading the group away from the battlefield. At a rocky shelter in the Red Silk Gobi, he swallowed the python’s essence blood to temper his body.

• Xiao Yan stored the essence blood of the Red-Scaled Python he had killed and faced the three remaining pythons alongside the three Nine-Star Dou Di.
• The three Red-Scaled Pythons fled, and Xiao Yan warned the group that other powerful presences were approaching.
• Xiao Yan led the group north, and several giant beasts arrived at the abandoned battlefield shortly after they left.
• The group sheltered among oddly shaped rocks at night while the three middle-aged men watched the surroundings.
• Xiao Yan swallowed the Red-Scaled Python essence blood, seeking its violent power to temper his body.

Xiao Yan tempered his body with the Red-Scaled Python essence blood, then cultivated his nine incarnations using High-Grade Spirit Stones. After several days of travel with the group, he reached the outskirts of Mount Beiji, where the Northern Wasteland Hall's main hall stood.

• Xiao Yan released the essence blood's power throughout his body and endured two hours of pain as it strengthened his muscles.
• Xiao Yan rested, then summoned his nine incarnations, which had all reached the Mid-Stage Six-Star Dou Di realm.
• Xiao Yan concealed three High-Grade Spirit Stones and used them to supply energy to his incarnations.
• Xiao Yan and the group continued their journey, and the group noticed their power growing denser as they traveled.
• The group saw Mount Beiji in the distance, where the Northern Wasteland Hall's main hall stood.

The Northern Wasteland Hall Master punished the newly advanced Southern Hall Master for the Southern Hall’s destruction and ordered him to rebuild it. A strange black mist then revealed that Xiao Yan had come to the Northern Region and offered the Hall Master an Origin King reward for capturing him.

• The Southern Hall Master told the Hall Master that the Southern Hall had been destroyed while he was away breaking through to the Origin Transformation Realm.
• The Hall Master overwhelmed the Southern Hall Master with his pressure, then ordered him to rebuild the Southern Hall and remain there for five years.
• After the Southern Hall Master left, a black mist appeared and said Xiao Yan had survived the ancient tomb and come to the Northern Region.
• The Hall Master asked what the black mist wanted from him and learned that capturing Xiao Yan would earn him an Origin King reward.

Xiao Yan reached Mount Beiji and faced the master of the Northern Wasteland Hall, who attacked him with overwhelming Origin Transformation Realm power. Xiao Yan unleashed his techniques but was smashed deep into the earth, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Xiao Yan arrived at the foot of Mount Beiji and felt pressure growing heavier as he approached the Northern Wasteland Hall.
• The master of the Northern Wasteland Hall noticed Xiao Yan and directed his pressure at him, prompting Xiao Yan to retreat with Heavenly Severing Steps.
• The master immobilized Xiao Yan, appeared before him, and struck him hard enough to cave in his chest and break many of his ribs.
• Xiao Yan activated his bloodline, the Golden Elephant Art, the Strength Elephant Art, and his Heavenly Flames to resist.
• The master dismissed Xiao Yan's power and slammed him deep into the earth with a wave of overwhelming force.

Xiao Yan fought the Northern Wasteland Hall’s Origin Transformation Realm hall master, Qin Xu, but was repeatedly overwhelmed despite Xiao Xuan lending him Fifth-Tier Soul Power. Just as Qin Xu moved in to finish Xiao Yan, a black-robed Origin Transformation Realm expert intervened and confronted him.

• Qin Xu struck Xiao Yan down and stopped his Dou Qi and Heavenly Flames from circulating.
• Xiao Xuan urged Xiao Yan to rise and lent him Fifth-Tier Soul Power, allowing him to repel Qin Xu’s pressure.
• Xiao Yan attacked Qin Xu with his Spiritual Strength and Heaven-Spanning Hand, but Qin Xu broke free and blocked Xiao Yan’s punch with Origin Qi before counterattacking.
• Xiao Yan fell badly injured, and Qin Xu approached to kill him as Xiao Xuan prepared to delay the hall master and help Xiao Yan escape.
• A black-robed expert intervened, forcing Qin Xu to retreat and warning him not to threaten an Origin Transformation Realm expert.

A black-robed old man from the Alchemist Alliance intervened to save Xiao Yan from Qin Xu, revealing that he was a powerful Origin Transformation Realm expert. When Qin Xu tried to claim Xiao Yan for the Northern Wasteland Hall, the old man rejected his offer and drove him back with the Great Dao of Fire, leaving Qin Xu shocked by the old man’s late Origin Transformation Realm cultivation.

• The old man appeared before Xiao Yan, gave him a medicinal pill, and declared that Xiao Yan belonged to his people.
• Qin Xu recognized the Alchemist Alliance badge and hesitated to attack because of the alliance’s backing from the Pill Tower.
• Qin Xu proposed taking Xiao Yan back to the Northern Wasteland Hall under the pretext of settling its dead members’ grievances.
• The old man refused to hand Xiao Yan over and called Qin Xu unworthy of trust.
• Qin Xu advanced in anger, but the old man’s flames forced him back and burned much of his robe.
• The old man pressed forward, and Qin Xu recognized that he had reached the late Origin Transformation Realm.

Xiao Yan recovered after Xing Qian saved him from Qin Xu and revealed that he was the president of the Alchemist Alliance in the Western Region. Xing Qian agreed to escort Xiao Yan part of the way toward the North Sea, while Qin Xu returned to the Northern Wasteland Hall and watched black mist rise from a dark corner.

• After Qin Xu left, Xiao Yan thanked the old man for saving him and learned that his quick recovery also came from his strong physique.
• The old man introduced himself as Xing Qian, president of the Alchemist Alliance in the Western Region, and reminded Xiao Yan that he still owed him a pill.
• Xiao Yan realized Xing Qian had sought four pills to help him condense the Power of the Great Dao of Fire.
• Xing Qian warned Xiao Yan that even an expert like Qin Xu would be insignificant in the North Sea, but Xiao Yan insisted on continuing there.
• Xing Qian placed a hand on Xiao Yan's shoulder and transported them away from Mount Beiji to escort him part of the way.
• Qin Xu returned to the Northern Wasteland Hall, where black mist rose from a dark corner.

Qin Xu and the black-mist figure argued over Xiao Yan’s escape, then Xiao Yan reached North Army City after a month and a half of travel. He learned that the next ship to the North Sea was delayed for repairs and went to a tavern to rest before investigating further.

• Qin Xu blamed the black-mist figure for staying hidden while Xiao Yan escaped, but the figure defended the decision and said it would report the matter to its superiors.
• A month and a half later, Xiao Yan arrived at the North Sea and the checkpoint city of North Army City.
• Xiao Yan paid the Dragon Marsh Workshop elder fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones to enter the city and asked where to board a ship.
• The elder told Xiao Yan that the next ship was under repair and might be delayed for several days or longer.
• Xiao Yan chose a tavern to rest and planned to ask about the situation the next day.

Xiao Yan went to the Dragon Marsh Workshop in North Army City to learn about the delayed ship repairs, but a confrontation with the arrogant formation master Jin turned deadly. After Jin threatened to keep Xiao Yan off the ship, Xiao Yan killed him, leaving the ship’s repairs and his own passage uncertain.

• Xiao Yan headed to the Dragon Marsh Workshop’s city-center complex to ask about the ship repairs.
• A Seven-Star Dou Di tried to use Xiao Yan as a stepping stone, and Xiao Yan broke his leg with a punch.
• The man attacked Xiao Yan with Dou Qi and a formation, but Xiao Yan destroyed both attacks and held a blade at his throat.
• An elder in yellow robes identified the man as Master Jin, the formation master hired to repair the ship, and asked Xiao Yan to spare him.
• Master Jin threatened to bar Xiao Yan from the ship, and Xiao Yan cut off his head.

Xiao Yan killed Master Jin and defeated the four Dragon Marsh Workshop elders who tried to seize him. The workshop master, Liu Jin, arrived and demanded an explanation, leaving Xiao Yan facing the next confrontation.

• Xiao Yan killed Master Jin, drawing angry complaints from travelers worried that the ship repairs would be delayed.
• Huang Quan tried to take Xiao Yan to the Dragon Marsh Workshop, but Xiao Yan’s pressure forced the four elders back.
• The four Seven-Star Dou Di elders attacked together, and Xiao Yan swiftly knocked them all down.
• A golden-robed figure arrived and released a powerful soul pressure over the city.
• Liu Jin identified himself as the Dragon Marsh Workshop’s master and asked Xiao Yan to explain Master Jin’s death.

Xiao Yan refused Liu Jin's demand for compensation after killing Master Jin, then revealed Xiao Xuan's Fifth-Tier Formation Master power and agreed to repair the ship for medicinal ingredients. The chapter ended with Xiao Yan demanding enough ingredients for ten batches of pills.

• Liu Jin demanded ten thousand Spirit Stones from Xiao Yan or a replacement Third-Tier Formation Master to compensate the Dragon Marsh Workshop and the passengers.
• Xiao Yan refused to pay or find a Third-Tier Formation Master, then said he knew a Fifth-Tier Formation Master.
• Xiao Xuan took control of Xiao Yan's body and released Fifth-Tier Soul Power, causing Liu Jin and the onlookers to realize that the master was present.
• Liu Jin withdrew his demand and escorted Xiao Yan toward the ship at the harbor by the city's north gate.
• Xiao Yan agreed to help repair the ship in exchange for medicinal ingredients and demanded enough for ten batches of pills.

Liu Jin brought Xiao Yan aboard a Dragon Marsh Workshop vessel to repair its formation, where Xiao Yan intimidated two elderly formation masters who had mocked him. The four began repairing the formation, and Xiao Yan handed control of his body to Xiao Xuan.

• Liu Jin agreed to Xiao Yan's demands and led him to a vessel at North Army City's north gate, explaining that a Sixth-Tier Formation Master had once reinforced the Dragon Marsh Workshop's ships.
• Liu Jin brought Xiao Yan to the chamber where two elderly men were repairing the vessel's formation and explained that he had invited them because he could not fix the damage alone.
• The elderly men mocked Xiao Yan, and Liu Jin told them that Jin Xin was dead and that he had invited Xiao Yan to help repair the ship.
• Xiao Yan used his spiritual pressure to pin the elderly men to the floor and warned them not to insult him again.
• Liu Jin asked Xiao Yan to lead the repairs, and Xiao Yan sat with Liu Jin and the two elderly men to begin fixing the formation.
• As the repair work proceeded faster with Xiao Yan's help, he handed control of his body over to Xiao Xuan.