Chapter Summaries

Gu You emerged from Xiao Yan’s body and protected him from Hei Mu, whose attempts to seize the unconscious Xiao Yan were thwarted by Bone Spirit Cold Flame. Gu You trapped Hei Mu in a cage of Heavenly Flames, leaving him confined in the void.

• Gu You left Xiao Yan’s body and held his unconscious form aloft, but Hei Mu rushed in to seize him.
• Xiao Yan fell into the Endless Void as Hei Mu reached for him, and Gu You struck Hei Mu, sending him plummeting after Xiao Yan.
• Hei Mu tried to grab Xiao Yan again, but Bone Spirit Cold Flame engulfed him and badly burned his hand.
• Hei Mu accused Gu You of using underhanded tricks, and Gu You revealed his command over Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
• Gu You summoned pillars of Heavenly Flame that joined into a cage and trapped Hei Mu.

Hei Mu tried to use Qing Mu as a hostage to escape Gu You’s Heavenly Flames cage, but Gu You revealed that he had only been pretending to consider killing them both. With Xiao Yan awake, Gu You began shrinking the cage around Hei Mu.

• Hei Mu threatened to kill Qing Mu along with himself, hoping Gu You would hesitate to attack.
• Gu You dismissed Hei Mu’s threat and said Qing Mu meant little to him, though he admitted he was not Xiao Yan’s teacher.
• Xiao Yan recovered enough to stand and thanked Gu You for saving him from Hei Mu.
• Gu You admitted he had only been messing with Hei Mu and started shrinking the Heavenly Flames cage to force Hei Mu to accept his fate.

Xiao Yan and Gu You subdued Hei Mu, sealing his Dou Qi, but Hei Mu claimed that killing him would also kill Qing Mu. Gu You extracted the Ginseng Spirit Root from Hei Mu, revealing the key to freeing Qing Mu and the source of the clan’s peril.

• Gu You’s Bone Spirit Cold Flame cage closed around Hei Mu, burned runes onto his body, and sealed his Dou Qi.
• Hei Mu threatened to hunt down Xiao Yan, then revealed that his soul had fused with Qing Mu and claimed Qing Mu would die if he did.
• Gu You seized Hei Mu and plunged his hand into his chest despite Hei Mu’s warning.
• Gu You pulled out the pale-yellow Ginseng Spirit Root, which was partly blackened by Hei Mu’s influence.
• Gu You explained that the root was the Ginseng Spirit Clan’s lifeline and a coveted treasure that had brought the clan deadly calamity.

Gu You used the Bone Spirit Cold Flame to weaken Hei Mu without harming Qing Mu or the Ginseng Spirit Root, then forcibly extracted Hei Mu’s soul. He left Hei Mu to Xiao Yan and flew deeper into the space to investigate the Ginseng Spirit Clan’s secret.

• Gu You burned the Ginseng Spirit Root with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, and Hei Mu threatened to kill Qing Mu if the flames continued.
• Gu You revealed that Qing Mu’s soul was recovering while Hei Mu’s alone was being refined, leading Hei Mu to recognize Gu You as a Fire Spirit.
• Gu You severed Hei Mu’s connection to the Ginseng Spirit Root and seized his soul, accidentally catching part of Qing Mu’s soul as well.
• Gu You tossed Hei Mu’s sealed soul to Xiao Yan and departed, and Xiao Yan sincerely thanked Elder Gu.
• Gu You flew toward the depths of the space to see the secret of the Ginseng Spirit.

Xiao Yan recovered enough strength to confront Hei Mu, who was trapped in his Storage Ring, and began preparing to refine him using the Luo Heavenly Divine Cauldron. Hei Mu recognized Xiao Yan’s Heavenly Flame Child Flames and the cauldron, then desperately tried to stop Xiao Yan by invoking the Pill Tower’s laws.

• Xiao Yan refined ninth-tier Qi Recovery Pills to restore part of his strength.
• Xiao Yan released Hei Mu from the jade bottle and burned him with his Heavenly Flames.
• Hei Mu recognized the Fallen Heart Flame and Purifying Lotus Demon Flame as Child Flames rather than source flames.
• Xiao Yan summoned the Luo Heavenly Divine Cauldron, which Hei Mu recognized as the second-ranked cauldron on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking.
• Xiao Yan trapped Hei Mu in flames inside the cauldron, and Hei Mu protested that refining a living being violated the Pill Tower’s laws.

Xiao Yan began refining Hei Mu’s soul in the Luo Heavenly Cauldron to restore Xiao Xuan’s remnant soul, carefully purifying each strand of soul origin. After completing the first strand, he prepared to see whether Xiao Xuan could absorb it.

• Xiao Yan dismissed the Heavenly Flames around Hei Mu, then seized his soul and tossed it into the Luo Heavenly Cauldron despite Hei Mu’s threat that the Pill Tower would punish him.
• Xiao Yan vowed to restore Xiao Xuan’s soul so his ancestor could see the Xiao Clan as it was, and began refining Hei Mu’s soul.
• Xiao Yan drew out Hei Mu’s soul origin strand by strand, refining each strand with the Fallen Heart Flame and then purifying it three times with the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame.
• Xiao Yan completed the first strand of pure soul origin and devoured the impurities and lost portions himself, reasoning that his Heavenly Flames could refine them later.
• Xiao Yan withdrew his mind from the cauldron and prepared to test whether Xiao Xuan could absorb the purified strand.

Xiao Yan hesitated over whether to add refined Soul Origin to Xiao Xuan’s remnant soul, knowing the uncertain procedure could determine whether his ancestor returned to life. After Gu You urged him to consider that the answer might already be in his hands, Xiao Yan let the remnant soul’s pull draw in the Soul Origin.

• Xiao Yan weighed the risks of combining Xiao Xuan’s remnant soul with the refined Soul Origin while continuing to refine Hei Mu in the Luo Heavenly Cauldron.
• Gu You returned, acknowledged that his proposed resurrection method was uncertain, and told Xiao Yan that the answer might already be in his hands.
• Xiao Yan released Xiao Xuan’s remnant soul from its bottle and recalled how Xiao Xuan had sacrificed himself to help him.
• Xiao Yan accidentally shattered the bottle containing the pure Soul Origin, and Xiao Xuan’s remnant soul began pulling the released Soul Origin toward itself.
• Xiao Yan caught the Soul Origin but saw the remnant soul continue drawing it in, then asked whether this was Xiao Xuan’s choice and opened his hand.

Xiao Yan helped Xiao Xuan’s remnant soul begin absorbing Soul Origin, then learned that Gu You had taken part of Qing Mu’s Soul Origin as payment for restoring his body. Qing Mu awakened and accepted the loss, leaving Xiao Yan to keep the Soul Origin despite his unease.

• Xiao Yan watched as Soul Origin began dividing itself and merging into Xiao Xuan’s remnant soul, which started to glow more brightly.
• After confirming Xiao Xuan could absorb the Soul Origin, Xiao Yan stored the rest with him and continued refining Hei Mu’s soul.
• Gu You returned and gave Xiao Yan a Soul Origin orb that Xiao Yan recognized as belonging to Qing Mu.
• Gu You revealed that he had taken Qing Mu’s Soul Origin as payment for helping him reclaim his body.
• Qing Mu awakened, greeted Gu You as the Fire Spirit, and explained that he had been purifying Hei Mu’s lingering Qi signature.
• Qing Mu told Xiao Yan to keep the Soul Origin, and Xiao Yan put it away despite feeling apologetic.

Xiao Yan refined Hei Mu’s sealed Dou Qi and absorbed the stored energy while cultivating, bringing him to the verge of breaking through to the Four-Star Half-Emperor stage. Gu You and Qing Mu watched anxiously as Xiao Yan’s surging power raised concerns about the cost of advancing so quickly.

• Xiao Yan refined Hei Mu’s sealed Dou Qi repeatedly in the medicinal cauldron, purifying it for safe absorption.
• Gu You left to explore the space while Qing Mu recovered and Xiao Yan continued cultivating.
• Xiao Yan absorbed the Dou Qi, emptying the cauldron and reaching the Peak of the Late Three-Star Half-Emperor stage.
• Qing Mu saw the storm around Xiao Yan and realized he was about to break through.
• Gu You returned and worried that Xiao Yan’s rapid rise could leave his cultivation unstable.

Xiao Yan struggled to contain and refine the immense Dou Qi he had absorbed from Hei Mu, narrowly avoiding an uncontrolled breakthrough. After compressing the energy and drawing it back into his Qi Cyclone Space, he reached the peak of the late Three-Star Half-Emperor Stage, one step from Four-Star.

• Xiao Yan refined Hei Mu’s Nine-Star Half-Emperor Dou Qi, but the volume overwhelmed his Qi Cyclone Space and threatened to force a premature breakthrough.
• Xiao Yan’s body swelled and split under the surging Dou Qi until he roared and manifested the Vajra Glazed Body, which gave the energy an outlet and helped him suppress it.
• Xiao Yan used his Heavenly Flames to compress the wild Dou Qi into beads and carefully draw them back into his Qi Cyclone Space.
• Xiao Yan circulated the Flame Mantra and refined the condensed Dou Qi further, leaving his Qi Cyclone Space a little over half full with denser energy.
• Xiao Yan reached the peak of the late Three-Star Half-Emperor Stage and stood one step away from the Four-Star Half-Emperor Stage.

Xiao Yan recovered after absorbing Hei Mu’s Dou Qi, and Gu You helped Qing Mu reclaim control of the Ginseng Spirit Space. The chapter ended with Qing Mu restoring the Ginseng Spirit Clan’s authority and promising to aid Xiao Yan if needed.

• Xiao Yan tested his restored strength in the void, while Gu You reprimanded him for swallowing a Nine-Star Half-Emperor’s Dou Qi recklessly.
• Qing Mu explained that Hei Mu’s Soul Imprint controlled the Ginseng Spirit Space and asked Gu You to help find it.
• Gu You searched the space, erased Hei Mu’s Soul Imprint with Bone Spirit Cold Flame, and retrieved the stone platform that held it.
• Qing Mu thanked Gu You on behalf of the Ginseng Spirit Clan, and Gu You asked the clan to help Xiao Yan if he ever needed it.
• Qing Mu left his own Soul Imprint on the stone platform, restoring the Ginseng Spirit Space to the clan’s chief.

Qing Mu restored the Ginseng Spirit Space and showed Xiao Yan and Gu You the Ginseng Spirit Hall before opening an exit. As Xiao Yan and Qing Mu left, Elder Luo and the Thirty-Two Spirit Guards waited outside, prepared to fight whoever emerged from the spatial rift.

• Qing Mu used his Soul Imprint to restore the Ginseng Spirit Space to its verdant state.
• Qing Mu welcomed Xiao Yan and Gu You to the Ginseng Spirit Space and showed them the hall carved from an ancient ancestor's body.
• Qing Mu opened a spatial rift so Xiao Yan and he could leave, while Gu You warned Qing Mu to keep his existence secret.
• Elder Luo and the Thirty-Two Spirit Guards gathered their power in a formation, expecting Hei Mu to emerge from the rift.
• Xiao Yan's voice rang from the rift, joking that Elder Luo did not need such a grand welcome.

Xiao Yan reunited with Elder Luo and Qing Mu after surviving Hei Mu’s attack and killing him. With the crisis over, Elder Luo remembered that Xiao Yan had come to discuss his Heavy Xuan Ruler.

• Xiao Yan emerged unharmed with Qing Mu, and Elder Luo recognized him by the presence of Heavenly Flames.
• Qing Mu told Elder Luo and the Spirit Guards that Xiao Yan had killed Hei Mu, shocking them.
• Xiao Yan credited Hei Mu’s defeat to luck and the Heavenly Flames, while Elder Luo privately doubted that explanation.
• Qing Mu dismissed the Spirit Guards and asked Xiao Yan why he had come to the Ginseng Spirit Clan.
• Elder Luo recalled that Xiao Yan had come to see him about the Heavy Xuan Ruler.

Elder Luo restored Xiao Yan's Heavy Xuan Ruler and returned it to him, stirring memories of its past and of Yun Yun and Xiao Yi Xian. He warned that the ruler still had a hidden weakness and could be damaged again if it took a severe blow in battle.

• Elder Luo presented Xiao Yan with the Heavy Xuan Ruler, repaired with most of the Flame-Fallen Black Iron Xiao Yan had provided.
• Xiao Yan took hold of the ruler, felt its familiar weight and the way it hindered his Dou Qi, and remembered his early days with it in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
• Xiao Yan thought of Yun Yun and Xiao Yi Xian, wondering how they were and whether he would see Xiao Yi Xian again.
• Xiao Yan thanked Elder Luo and promised to save him the best heavenly materials or earthly treasures he found in the future.
• Elder Luo explained that the ruler's previous damage had left a hidden weakness, so another severe blow in battle could damage it again, darkening Xiao Yan's expression.

Xiao Yan learned that Elder Luo knew a way to transform the Heavy Xuan Ruler, but would only explain it when Xiao Yan reached the Central Region. He tested the ruler by challenging Elder Luo, who raised a barrier with the full-force defensive power of a Dou Di expert.

• Elder Luo told Xiao Yan he could transform the Heavy Xuan Ruler to withstand a Yuan Zun expert’s full-force blow, but promised to reveal the method only when Xiao Yan reached the Central Region.
• Xiao Yan infused the Heavy Xuan Ruler with Dou Qi and Heavenly Flames, then rose into the air to test its power.
• Xiao Yan challenged Elder Luo to take his move, and Elder Luo accepted after Qing Mu nodded.
• Xiao Yan unleashed Flame Splitting Tsunami, sending a vast ruler-light toward Elder Luo that split the surrounding sky and swept up a terrifying hurricane.
• Elder Luo set up a barrier equivalent to a Dou Di expert’s full-force defense and invited Xiao Yan to attack with all his strength.

Elder Luo explained the unusual power in Xiao Yan’s attack and revealed that he had arranged for Xiao Yan to rejoin the Alchemist Grand Meeting despite its deadline. Xiao Yan thanked Elder Luo and Qing Mu, then agreed to pursue the championship during the three days before his extended deadline.

• Qing Mu mocked Elder Luo for personally testing Xiao Yan’s attack, and Elder Luo defended his actions.
• Elder Luo recalled that Xiao Yan’s Buddha’s Fury Reincarnation had contained a strange pillar of darkness that consumed and broke down Origin Qi.
• Elder Luo told Xiao Yan that the Alchemist Grand Meeting should have ended, but said he had persuaded the Pill Tower to make an exception.
• Xiao Yan bowed to thank Elder Luo and Qing Mu for their help.
• Elder Luo asked Xiao Yan to win the championship as repayment, and Xiao Yan agreed.
• Elder Luo told Xiao Yan to remain with the Ginseng Spirit Clan for three days before returning to claim the championship.

Xiao Yan forcibly broke the soul barrier protecting Hei Mu’s Storage Ring and searched its treasures. He found several Emperor Grade Pill Formulas and uncovered a jade slip containing the Low Intent-tier Dou Technique: Heart-Shattering Palm.

• Xiao Yan tried to imprint Hei Mu’s Storage Ring, but a remnant soul barrier repelled his Soul Power.
• Xiao Yan repeatedly struck the ring’s barrier with a Soul Power hammer until it shattered.
• Xiao Yan entered the Storage Ring and collected several Emperor Grade Pill Formulas and other treasures.
• Xiao Yan found a concealed wooden box containing the jade slip for the Low Intent-tier Dou Technique: Heart-Shattering Palm.

Xiao Yan arrived in the arena and saved Qin Zhong from four Half-Emperors, and an elderly spectator revealed that he was the missing Yan Xiao. After healing Qin Zhong, Xiao Yan confronted the Half-Emperors over their attack and the Void Lightning Pool Invitation, overwhelming them with his presence.

• Xiao Yan appeared in the arena and demanded to know which hand one of the four Half-Emperors had used to hurt Qin Zhong.
• An elderly spectator recognized Xiao Yan as Yan Xiao, the man who had disappeared for a month and caused the Alchemist Grand Meeting to be postponed.
• Xiao Yan gave Qin Zhong a pill that rapidly healed his injuries, then turned to face the four Half-Emperors.
• The strongest Half-Emperor demanded that Xiao Yan hand over his Void Lightning Pool Invitation, but Xiao Yan asked which hand had struck Qin Zhong.
• The four Half-Emperors released their presences against Xiao Yan, but he unleashed a stronger presence that crushed all four.

Xiao Yan overwhelmed four Half-Emperor experts in Ancient Wilderness City and pursued them when they fled. He captured the man who had injured Qin Zhong and prepared to punish him, but a familiar elder arrived and recognized him.

• Xiao Yan crushed the four Half-Emperors with his presence, sending them flying and forcing them to retreat.
• Xiao Yan used Heavenly Severing Steps to catch three fleeing Half-Emperors and knock them from the sky.
• Xiao Yan's avatar self-destructed to stop the fourth Half-Emperor, with its power suppressed to protect Ancient Wilderness City.
• Xiao Yan pulled the injured man from a crater and prepared to burn him with Heavenly Flames for injuring Qin Zhong.
• A familiar elder called out to Xiao Yan, delighted to have found him after searching for a month.

Xiao Yan returned to Ancient Wilderness City and prepared to begin the Alchemist Grand Meeting, drawing the attention of the Half-Emperor experts and the hostility of Mo Zhai. Before the gathering could leave, Xiao Yan punished the unconscious old man who had injured Qin Zhong, while also damaging Mo Zhai’s probing soul power.

• Xiao Yan greeted Gu Li and reunited with Qin Zhong, who thanked him for the pill that had helped him recover.
• Gu Li and the Half-Emperor experts prepared to begin the Alchemist Grand Meeting, while Mo Zhai resented Xiao Yan and Old Monster Hu noticed his increased strength.
• Mo Zhai probed Xiao Yan with his soul power, but Xiao Yan detected it and injured part of it with a sudden burst of Heavenly Flames.
• Xiao Yan asked Qin Zhong which hand had injured him, then burned the unconscious old man's right arm away with Heavenly Flames.