Chapter Summaries

While Xiao Yan continued cultivating in the Ginseng Spirit Realm, his enemies planned to ambush him at the Void Lightning Pool. On the Dou Qi Continent, Cai Lin prepared to descend into the Nine Nether Yellow Springs to learn what had happened to the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python Clan.

• After Xiao Yan vanished for ten days, factions in Ancient Wilderness City speculated about where he had gone and avoided searching the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion.
• Mo Zhai, Yan Bing, Old Monster Hu, and Zhang Hao discussed Xiao Yan and planned to wait for him at the Void Lightning Pool; Yan Bing vowed to kill Xiao Yan, Gu Li, and Chi Lin after reaching the Nine-Star Half-Emperor stage.
• Xiao Yan emerged from cultivation and thought of Xun'er and Cai Lin, telling their illusions that he had been away from the Dou Qi Continent for a year.
• Cai Lin and Xun'er thanked Yao Ming for lending them the Nine Nether Yellow Springs, and Cai Lin reassured Xun'er before preparing to enter the lake.
• Cai Lin appeared above the lake and looked back at Xun'er and Yao Ming before descending to investigate the fate of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python Clan.

Nearly a hundred Half-Emperor experts gathered in Ancient Wilderness City ahead of the Void Lightning Pool’s opening, and battles broke out over its thirty invitations. While Gu Li and Chi Lin worried about Xiao Yan’s disappearance, Elder Luo told Xiao Yan in the Ginseng Spirit Realm that someone had come looking for him.

• Nearly a hundred Half-Emperor experts arrived in Ancient Wilderness City for the Void Lightning Pool, which would open in a month and a half and had only thirty invitations.
• The Half-Emperor experts began fighting in the skies above Ancient Wilderness City as they competed for entry.
• Gu Li and Chi Lin wondered where Xiao Yan was, and Gu Li dismissed Chi Lin’s suspicion that Mo Zhai and the others had taken him.
• Elder Luo approached Xiao Yan in the Ginseng Spirit Realm and told him he had to leave because someone had come seeking him.

With the Void Lightning Pool Invitation making him a target, Qin Zhong went to Elder Luo’s courtyard hoping to find Xiao Yan. Li Gan confronted him outside the gate and attacked to seize the invitation, while Xiao Yan watched from within.

• Qin Zhong, hunted by Half-Emperor experts after rumors exposed his Void Lightning Pool Invitation, searched for Xiao Yan and chose to try Elder Luo’s courtyard.
• Xiao Yan sensed Qin Zhong outside and approached the inner courtyard door, recognizing that Qin Zhong was wary of Elder Luo.
• Li Gan arrived and Qin Zhong accused him of spreading the news about the invitation.
• Li Gan admitted he had exposed Qin Zhong’s possession of the invitation and said he intended to take it, not kill him.
• Xiao Yan observed as Li Gan lunged at Qin Zhong to seize the Void Lightning Pool Invitation.

Li Gan lured Qin Zhong into a fight to seize his Void Lightning Pool Invitation, but Xiao Yan arrived and rescued him. Xiao Yan exposed Li Gan’s deception and charged at him to test a newly practiced Dou Technique.

• Li Gan overwhelmed Qin Zhong, knocked him to the ground, and prepared to seize him by the neck.
• Qin Zhong mocked Li Gan for backing down from Yan Xiao, and Xiao Yan struck Li Gan into the buildings behind him.
• Xiao Yan confronted Li Gan and warned him for attacking someone close to him.
• Li Gan pretended he had sought a trade for Qin Zhong’s Void Lightning Pool Invitation, but Xiao Yan revealed he had overheard the truth.
• Li Gan flew into a rage, and Xiao Yan summoned the Heavy Xuan Ruler and charged at him using Heavenly Severing Steps.

Xiao Yan overwhelmed Li Gan with three strikes of his Sevenfold Heaven-Breaking Ruler, but Li Gan survived and escaped. Xiao Yan caught up with him and learned that a Formation Plate had protected him.

• Xiao Yan battered Li Gan with three heavy ruler strikes, leaving him badly injured.
• Li Gan fled from beneath the rubble, and Xiao Yan pursued him using Heavenly Severing Steps.
• Xiao Yan blocked Li Gan in midair and demanded to know how he had survived the strikes.
• Li Gan revealed that he had used a Formation Plate to block the attacks.

Li Gan tried to turn the Half-Emperor experts of Ancient Wilderness City against Xiao Yan by revealing that Xiao Yan carried a Void Lightning Pool Invitation. The experts refused to be used to kill Xiao Yan and instead condemned Li Gan, leaving him isolated.

• Xiao Yan prepared to kill Li Gan, but Li Gan hinted that he had lured Xiao Yan into a trap.
• Li Gan announced that Xiao Yan had become the most talked-about person in Ancient Wilderness City, drawing the Half-Emperor experts’ attention and greed.
• Xiao Yan realized the experts wanted his Void Lightning Pool Invitation, and Li Gan urged them to attack him for it.
• Li Gan claimed Xiao Yan also carried valuable pills, but two Half-Emperor experts rejected his scheme and accused him of trying to use them.
• The Half-Emperor experts turned their contempt toward Li Gan, leaving him speechless.

Xiao Yan stopped Li Gan from leaving and confronted him, prompting Li Gan to prepare for another fight. When Li Gan shattered Xiao Yan’s palm strike, he discovered that Xiao Yan’s strength had fallen to the One-Star Half-Emperor level, but Xiao Yan’s strange smile left him deeply uneasy.

• Li Gan tried to excuse his earlier words, and the Half-Emperors let him leave.
• Xiao Yan stopped Li Gan and declared that their battle was not over.
• Li Gan formed a Dou Technique and warned Xiao Yan against acting arrogantly.
• Xiao Yan appeared at Li Gan’s right and struck with the Great Heaven Creation Palm, which Li Gan shattered.
• Li Gan and the other Half-Emperors realized Xiao Yan was only a One-Star Half-Emperor, and Li Gan grew afraid at Xiao Yan’s smile.

Xiao Yan revealed that he had survived by using a substitute body, then killed Li Gan while Half-Emperor experts gathered to seize the Void Lightning Pool Invitation. When they threatened him for the invitation, Xiao Yan summoned the Northern King, forcing them to reconsider.

• The Half-Emperor experts believed Xiao Yan had died in an explosion that left Li Gan gravely injured.
• Xiao Yan appeared before Li Gan, explained that his substitute body had self-destructed, and killed him by shattering his organs and meridians.
• Two seven-star Half-Emperors chose to leave after witnessing Xiao Yan's methods, while the others surrounded him and demanded the Void Lightning Pool Invitation.
• Xiao Yan tried to sow discord among the experts by asking which of them should receive the single invitation.
• When the experts threatened to attack, Xiao Yan summoned the Northern King, whose arrival silenced their spokesman.

Xiao Yan faced down the Half-Emperor experts who wanted his Void Lightning Pool Invitation, relying on the Northern King to deter them. He agreed to duel the Seven-Star Half-Emperor over the invitation, then raised his wager from one hundred thousand Spirit Coins to two hundred thousand.

• Xiao Yan warned the Half-Emperor experts to take the Void Lightning Pool Invitation from him themselves, while the Northern King’s strength made them hesitate.
• The Seven-Star Half-Emperor tried to rally the others into attacking Xiao Yan, but they refused to be drawn into his scheme.
• Xiao Yan challenged the Seven-Star Half-Emperor to fight him and the Northern King, and the man agreed on the condition that the puppet would not interfere unless others did.
• Xiao Yan rejected the Seven-Star Half-Emperor’s offer of a fair duel and demanded a wager, first asking for rare items and then one hundred thousand Spirit Coins.
• After the Seven-Star Half-Emperor accepted the one-hundred-thousand-coin wager, Xiao Yan raised it to two hundred thousand Spirit Coins.

Xiao Yan demanded two hundred thousand Spirit Coins for the Void Lightning Pool Invitation, provoking the Seven-Star Half-Emperor into attacking. Protected by the Northern King and unwilling to risk fighting amid the gathered experts, the old man finally agreed to the wager, and Xiao Yan promised not to raise it again.

• Xiao Yan raised the wager for the Void Lightning Pool Invitation to two hundred thousand Spirit Coins, enraging the Seven-Star Half-Emperor.
• The Seven-Star Half-Emperor attacked Xiao Yan, but the Northern King stepped in and met his punch, forcing him back.
• Xiao Yan challenged the old man’s attempt to take the invitation by force and showed the surrounding experts the Lightning Invitation.
• The Seven-Star Half-Emperor held back from attacking again and agreed to wager two hundred thousand Spirit Coins.
• Xiao Yan assured the old man that he would not raise the wager again.

Xiao Yan faced Lu Du in a confrontation but stopped their fight to demand the wager money before it began. Gu Li intervened, and Lu Du produced a Nine-Pattern Crystal Card worth two hundred thousand Spirit Coins, which caught Xiao Yan’s interest.

• Lu Du tested Xiao Yan with a blade Qi strike, and Xiao Yan summoned the Heavy Xuan Ruler to block it.
• As Lu Du prepared to charge, Xiao Yan stopped him to ask about the Spirit Coins he had wagered, angering Lu Du.
• Lu Du attacked anyway, but Xiao Yan summoned the Northern King to shield him before Gu Li appeared and halted the confrontation.
• Gu Li identified the Seven-Star Half-Emperor as Broadsword Lu Du, and Xiao Yan stood beside Gu Li while insisting he had not changed their wager.
• Lu Du showed a Nine-Pattern Crystal Card worth two hundred thousand Spirit Coins, and Gu Li explained its value to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan fought Lu Du, a Seven-Star Half-Emperor, in a sealed arena above Ancient Wilderness City and matched him through hundreds of clashes. Lu Du then revealed his saber technique, Garrison, and challenged Xiao Yan to withstand it.

• Gu Li sealed the space around Xiao Yan and Lu Du and warned them to stop if either admitted defeat.
• Xiao Yan opened the fight with Flame Splitting Tsunami, and he and Lu Du traded hundreds of powerful ruler and saber blows.
• Lu Du realized Xiao Yan was much stronger than he had expected and began to fight in earnest.
• Xiao Yan infused his Heavy Xuan Ruler with Heavenly Flames and prepared a powerful strike.
• Lu Du named his ultimate saber technique Garrison and said he would admit defeat if Xiao Yan endured it.

Lu Du sacrificed his essence blood to unleash his deadly self-created blade technique, Shu, and charged Xiao Yan with a powerful surprise attack. Xiao Yan detected Lu Du’s afterimage with his soul power and prepared to meet the descending slash with his Sevenfold Heaven-Breaking Ruler as Gu Li and hooded observers watched.

• Lu Du drained his essence blood into his broadsword, empowering Shu at a severe cost to himself.
• Lu Du revealed that Shu had saved his life four times and had once killed a Half-Emperor with one strike, alarming Gu Li.
• Gu Li prepared to intervene if Xiao Yan appeared unable to withstand Lu Du’s attack.
• Lu Du hurled his broadsword skyward and charged Xiao Yan, who closed his eyes and spread his soul power through the arena.
• Xiao Yan recognized Lu Du’s charge as an afterimage, and Lu Du appeared overhead to slash down at him with Shu.
• Xiao Yan steeled himself to test his Sevenfold Heaven-Breaking Ruler at close range as Gu Li and several black-robed figures watched.

Xiao Yan defeated Lu Du’s Shou with five consecutive strikes of the Sevenfold Heaven-Breaking Ruler, winning the battle but exhausting his Dou Qi. As he challenged the spectators to come take his Void Lightning Pool Invitation, another Seven-Star Half-Emperor stepped forward to claim it.

• Xiao Yan’s first two ruler strikes failed to overpower Lu Du’s Shou, so he continued attacking and merged successive strikes together.
• Xiao Yan’s fifth strike surpassed Shou, shattered Lu Du’s broadsword, and gravely injured him.
• The spectators recognized Xiao Yan as the victor, while Gu Li withdrew his Dou Qi and the black-robed figures departed.
• Xiao Yan, completely depleted, asked whether anyone else would seize his Void Lightning Pool Invitation, and the onlookers held back.
• Another Seven-Star Half-Emperor calmly announced that he would take Xiao Yan’s invitation.

Xiao Yan faced Lin Feng and Lin Yu, twin Half-Emperors who demanded a fight over his Void Lightning Pool Invitation. He accepted their challenge for three days later and asked to set the stakes, and the twins offered another invitation.

• Gu Li identified Lin Feng and Lin Yu as powerful twin Half-Emperors whose linked attributes made them formidable opponents together.
• Lin Feng and Lin Yu demanded that Xiao Yan meet them in a challenge three days later, but Xiao Yan initially refused.
• The twins threatened to go after Qin Zhong, prompting Xiao Yan to accept their challenge.
• Xiao Yan stopped Lin Feng and Lin Yu as they were leaving and asked about the stakes.
• Lin Feng and Lin Yu offered a Void Lightning Pool Invitation as the stake.

Xiao Yan defeated Lu Du and accepted Lin Feng and Lin Yu’s challenge to fight in three days, wagering a Void Lightning Pool Invitation. As the Wilderness buzzed over his strength, Mo Zhai hinted to Yan Bing and the others that the Twin Hegemons of the Wilderness might help them deal with Xiao Yan.

• Lin Feng and Lin Yu wagered a Void Lightning Pool Invitation and challenged Xiao Yan to fight them in three days.
• After Lin Feng and Lin Yu departed, Xiao Yan told Gu Li that he had accepted because they had threatened his friend and hoped his display would deter Mo Zhai’s group.
• Xiao Yan collected the Nine-Pattern Crystal Card from the defeated Lu Du and gave him an Emperor Grade Pill as compensation.
• News of Xiao Yan’s victory spread through the Wilderness, while Mo Zhai, Yan Bing, Old Monster Hu, and Zhang Hao discussed the threat he posed.
• Mo Zhai asked the others whether they had heard of the Twin Hegemons of the Wilderness.

Mo Zhai revealed his plan to use Wu Mohui’s remains to turn Mu Han against Xiao Yan, while Yan Bing and the others learned how dangerous the third-tier formation master was. On the day of Xiao Yan’s scheduled battle with Lin Feng and Lin Yu, Xiao Yan arrived after recovering from his injuries.

• Yan Bing explained that Mu Han was a late nine-star Half-Emperor and a third-tier formation master known as one of the Twin Hegemons of the Wilderness.
• Mo Zhai showed Yan Bing a jade bottle containing Wu Mohui’s presence and said he would use it to persuade Mu Han to attack Xiao Yan.
• Old Monster Hu questioned whether Mu Han would kill Mo Zhai, but Mo Zhai said Mu Han would not act against him while Xiao Yan was alive.
• Mo Zhai invited Yan Bing, Old Monster Hu, and Zhang Hao to accompany him to the north of the city to set Mu Han against Xiao Yan.
• A huge crowd gathered in Ancient Wilderness City to watch Xiao Yan face Lin Feng and Lin Yu, and Xiao Yan arrived late, apologizing and saying his injuries had not fully healed.

Mo Zhai and his companions visited Master Mu and baited him with news about Mohui, provoking his fury. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan continued fighting Lin Feng and Lin Yu, relying on Heavenly Severing Steps to evade their attacks.

• Mo Zhai and his three companions arrived at Mu Manor and were admitted after Master Mu answered Mo Zhai’s complaint about the guards.
• Master Mu lost patience with Mo Zhai’s regretful sighs and ordered his guards to escort the visitors out.
• Mo Zhai hinted at what had happened to Wu Mohui, and Master Mu unleashed his pressure, killing the guards and demanding to know what had happened to Mohui.
• Xiao Yan dodged Lin Yu’s attack with Heavenly Severing Steps after clashing with Lin Feng.
• Lin Feng and Lin Yu berated Xiao Yan for dodging, and Xiao Yan pointed out that they were two Seven-Star Half-Emperors fighting a Three-Star Half-Emperor.

Lin Feng and Lin Yu trapped Xiao Yan in a fusion domain of Yin Wind and water, countering his speed and suppressing his Heavenly Flames. The brothers moved to encase him in ice, leaving Xiao Yan surrounded and unable to escape easily.

• Lin Feng and Lin Yu unleashed their Fierce Yin Wind and Extreme Water Chill domains, merging them into a freezing domain that restricted Xiao Yan’s movement.
• Lin Feng attacked Xiao Yan, who activated his Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline and Vajra Glazed Body before countering with Eight Extremes Collapse.
• Lin Yu struck Xiao Yan from behind as he used Heavenly Severing Steps, blasting him away and making him cough up blood.
• Xiao Yan activated his Domain of Flame, but Lin Feng and Lin Yu used their combined domains to suppress the Heavenly Flames.
• Lin Feng and Lin Yu surrounded Xiao Yan with their Wind and Water domains, and the water beneath him turned to ice as they prepared to seal him.

Lin Feng and Lin Yu trapped Xiao Yan in their fused Ice Domain and launched attacks from both sides, leaving him caught between two powerful Dou Techniques. Xiao Yan melted free with his Heavenly Flames, but the brothers’ finishing attacks were already closing in.

• Lin Feng and Lin Yu sealed Xiao Yan inside their fused Ice Domain, preventing him from using his Dou Qi or Heavenly Flames.
• The brothers attacked the ice-bound Xiao Yan with Empty Sorrow Slash and Condensed Water Arrow.
• Xiao Yan erupted his Heavenly Flames from within, melted the ice, and shattered the remaining pillar before blocking Lin Feng’s attack with his Heavy Xuan Ruler.
• Xiao Yan used Flame Splitting Tsunami to hold back Lin Yu’s arrows, while Lin Yu combined them into a gigantic arrow.
• Lin Feng circled behind Xiao Yan and formed another Dou Technique as Lin Yu’s gigantic arrow approached from the front, trapping Xiao Yan between their attacks.