Recaps

Chen Mu discovered that Mysterious Spirit Grass could power Dispelling Runes that let people cross the purple mist and leave the Ancient Desolate Mining Area. The Ancient Desolate Remnant Clan agreed to help him gather the grass in exchange for places for ten clanspeople, but Wang Yu and the shortage of grass remained obstacles.

• Chen Mu used a Dispelling Rune to repel the purple mist and realized Mysterious Spirit Grass could help him and Mingye escape.
• Chen Mu asked Nangong Ya for Mysterious Spirit Grass, but the clan had only twelve stalks and could not gather more quickly from the forest.
• Nangong Ya explained that Wang Yu's medicinal garden held a large supply of Mysterious Spirit Grass, but the clan could not defeat him.
• Chen Mu asked to examine the clan's lethal weapon, then revealed his rune and demonstrated that it could clear a path through the purple mist.
• Nangong Ya summoned the clan elders, and Lu Yuanzhen told Chen Mu they would help obtain the grass if he reserved ten places for their clanspeople.
• Chen Mu agreed to the places if they could gather enough grass and warned that overcoming Wang Yu remained their greatest difficulty.

Chen Mu examined the Ancient Desolate Remnant Clan’s Blood-Drinking Demon Saber and concluded it could not help him defeat Wang Yu. Nangong Ya offered the clan’s Spirit Origin Fruit to help Chen Mu break through to the Core Formation Realm, and he accepted, promising to oppose Wang Yu and offer the clan a place in his tribe.

• Lu Yuanzhen led Chen Mu, Nangong Ya, and Mingye to the ancestral hall’s third floor to inspect the Blood-Drinking Demon Saber.
• Chen Mu studied the blood-powered formation and determined that moving or modifying it would weaken it, making it unsuitable for a concealed attack on Wang Yu.
• Chen Mu told Nangong Ya and Lu Yuanzhen that he remained at the peak of the True Spirit Realm and had less than a one-in-ten chance of defeating Wang Yu without reaching the Core Formation Realm.
• Nangong Ya offered the clan’s Spirit Origin Fruit to help Chen Mu break through, explaining that the clan saw him as its hope against Wang Yu.
• Chen Mu accepted the Spirit Origin Fruit and promised to stop Wang Yu and treat the clan fairly if its people joined his tribe outside the Ancient Desolate Mining Area.

Chen Mu took the Spirit Origin Fruit Nangong Ya gave him and went to a secluded valley to break through to the Core Formation Realm. He quickly formed a spirit core and summoned a Heavenly Tribulation, while Nangong Ya considered having the Ancient Desolate Remnant Clan learn his cultivation method.

• Nangong Ya gave Chen Mu the Spirit Origin Fruit and explained that the fruit came from a tree guarded by powerful demonic beasts.
• Chen Mu went to a secluded valley, swallowed the fruit, and used his modified cultivation technique to condense a spirit core.
• Dark clouds gathered after Chen Mu formed the core, signaling that his Heavenly Tribulation was about to descend.
• Nangong Ya, Nangong Tong, and Lu Yuanzhen watched from the valley entrance while Mingye secretly guarded Chen Mu inside.
• Nangong Ya said she wanted the Ancient Desolate Remnant Clan to cultivate under Chen Mu, and Nangong Tong promised to ask him to let her teach their clansmen.

As Chen Mu endured the heavenly tribulation with an array that both shielded him and tempered his body, Wang Yu and two allies arrived to disrupt his breakthrough. The third lightning bolt was gathering as Nangong Ya and the others moved to hold off the attackers.

• Lu Yuanzhen and Nangong Ya reassured Nangong Tong that Chen Mu could survive the tribulation, while worrying that Wang Yu might find him.
• Chen Mu's array absorbed the first two lightning bolts and channeled weakened lightning into his body to temper it.
• Lu Yuanzhen explained that Chen Mu was expected to face three bolts, though a special six-bolt tribulation was possible.
• Wang Yu arrived with a Fire-Element cultivator and a woman whose Divine Soul True Body appeared above her head as the third bolt gathered.
• Nangong Ya ordered Lu Yuanzhen to hold Ye Lin, told Nangong Tong to deal with Tu Nan, and prepared to face Wang Yu herself.

Wang Yu tried to sabotage Chen Mu’s heavenly tribulation while Nangong Ya and the others fought to stop him. As Wang Yu attacked Mingye in the valley, Little White rescued her, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Nangong Tong, Lu Yuanzhen, and Nangong Ya fought Wang Yu’s allies while Lu Yuanzhen confronted Ye Lin over her forbidden body-possession technique.
• Wang Yu revealed that he had waited for Chen Mu’s tribulation so he could interfere with its third bolt, and Nangong Ya vowed to stop him.
• As the third bolt of azure lightning descended, Wang Yu split into an external incarnation and his original body, keeping Nangong Ya occupied while he charged into the valley.
• Wang Yu hurled Spiritual Power at the tribulation cloud, but Mingye shattered it with a flying knife before falling through the air.
• Wang Yu attacked Mingye, and Little White caught her by the collar and carried her out of the attack’s path.

Mingye and Little White tried to stop Wang Yu from disrupting Chen Mu’s tribulation, but his attacks shattered the cloud and erased a lightning bolt. A larger tribulation cloud gathered, and Chen Mu endured its next strikes before sensing that the final bolt could threaten his life.

• Mingye and Little White attacked Wang Yu and destroyed most of his Spiritual Power attacks, but two blasts struck the tribulation cloud and dispersed it.
• Lu Yuanzhen was knocked unconscious by a punch while his Divine Soul True Body dissolved.
• Chen Mu rose as a larger tribulation cloud formed, and Wang Yu fled while Mingye and Little White went to join Nangong Ya and the others.
• Chen Mu used Five Elements Ring Armor to withstand the fourth and fifth lightning bolts, absorbing the fifth and restoring life to the scorched land.
• The tribulation cloud gathered into one larger than all the previous clouds combined, and Chen Mu sensed that its final lightning bolt could kill him.

Chen Mu endured the sixth lightning-and-fire tribulation, overcame an inner demon through his adoptive father's remembered advice, and formed his spiritual core. As he began transforming his body, Wang Yu approached with two others, leaving Mingye and the few able fighters to prepare for danger.

• Wang Yu decided to exterminate the Ancient Desolate Remnant Clan, and Ye Lin offered no objection.
• Chen Mu faced the final tribulation, briefly fell into an inner-demon vision of his father, then resisted the purple-red lightning and fire with the Five Elements Ring.
• The fused runes stabilized Chen Mu's body, allowing him to endure the tribulation and use its remaining power to complete his transformation.
• Chen Mu formed a five-colored spiritual core that turned dark gray and drew Spiritual Power from several kilometers around him.
• Mingye, Nangong Ya, Nangong Tong, Lu Yuanzhen, and the little white fox gathered to guard Chen Mu, but Mingye sensed Wang Yu and two figures approaching; only she, Nangong Tong, and the fox could still fight.

After surviving the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, Chen Mu defeated Wang Yu with his newly comprehended Dharma Aspect True Body and helped subdue Wang Yu’s allies. As Chen Mu continued transforming his body, he began experimenting with making every cell absorb the runes within him.

• Wang Yu ordered Tu Nan and Ye Lin to kill Chen Mu, but Chen Mu opened his eyes and told Mingye, Nangong Tong, and Little White to stand back.
• Chen Mu summoned his Dharma Aspect True Body, crushed Wang Yu’s attacks, and kicked him repeatedly until he was barely breathing.
• Mingye killed Tu Nan, while Nangong Tong captured Ye Lin and handed her to Nangong Ya for judgment.
• Chen Mu explained that the Dharma Aspect True Body was a technique he had just comprehended, and promised to teach Nangong Tong if she reached the Core Formation Realm as a combat rune master.
• Nangong Tong discovered that Wang Yu was still alive, and Mingye took charge of him for interrogation.
• As his spirit core reshaped his body, Chen Mu considered using the transformation to make his new cells absorb the runes within him.

Chen Mu successfully created his first Rune Cells, returned to the Ancient Desolate Remnant Clan's village, and seized Wang Yu's wealth. As Chen Mu began preparing Dispelling Runes to leave the mining area, Chen Village faced a growing alliance of five great tribes and worried over the disappearance of Chen Mu and Mingye.

• Chen Mu tested rune absorption on newly formed cells and managed to create a few dozen Rune Cells before his body's transformation ended.
• Chen Mu and his companions returned to the village, where they captured Wang Yu's remaining guard and searched Wang Yu's residence for wealth.
• Mingye killed Wang Yu's loyal guard and later gave Wang Yu a swift death, while Chen Mu claimed Wang Yu's amassed resources.
• Chen Mu entered his cultivation room to make Dispelling Runes from Mysterious Spirit Grass, while Nangong Ya prepared a list of clanspeople who would leave with him.
• At Chen Village's military camp, Chen Zihu and Nan Huaiyuan learned that three more great tribes had sent troops to support Jianglan, while Chen Duo feared Chen Mu and Mingye had been harmed.

Chen Duo won Chen Zihu’s approval to lead the Five Elements Army on a surprise attack against the Jianglan Tribe’s stronghold. After reaching the settlement, she planned an underwater approach to strike its inner city, but Chen Rufeng warned that Core Formation Realm cultivators might be guarding it.

• Chen Zihu rejected withdrawing and discussed the danger of facing the allied tribes, while Nan Huaiyuan trusted his formations and Chen Zishan emphasized Chen Village’s shortage of troops.
• Chen Duo proposed taking the Five Elements Army to capture the Jianglan Tribe’s leader, and Chen Zihu approved her plan.
• Seven days later, Chen Duo and the Five Elements Army reached the forest near the Jianglan Tribe’s settlement and prepared to attack after resting.
• Chen Duo used the All-Terrain Detection System’s panoramic map to plan an underwater route to the inner city’s residential area.
• Chen Rufeng warned Chen Duo that Core Formation Realm cultivators might be guarding the settlement and asked whether she could handle them.

Chen Duo and Chen Rufeng led the Five Elements Army in a surprise attack on the Jianglan Tribe’s inner city, while Chen Duo engaged its Core Formation Realm elder. The Five Elements Army broke into the residential district and split into squads to raid its residences.

• Chen Duo told Chen Rufeng that Gu Zi'an had confirmed only one Early Stage Core Formation Realm ancestor guarded the Jianglan Tribe, and she offered to hold him off.
• Chen Rufeng assembled the thousand-strong Five Elements Army, used the Water element formation to enter a nearby river, and led the troops toward the Jianglan Tribe’s inner city.
• The Five Elements Army emerged from the river and stormed into the city, killing patrols until the sentries raised the alarm and defenders arrived.
• Chen Duo used mechanical wings to confront Jiang Siqian, matching his palm strike and driving him back with a flurry of punches.
• Chen Rufeng ordered the Five Elements Army to split into ten squads, which spread through the residential district and raided the larger homes.

Chen Rufeng led the Five Elements Army against the Jianglan Army and turned the battle into a rout. Jiang Siqian fled after Chen Duo seriously wounded him, while the Jianglan Tribe’s defeat became unavoidable.

• Chen Rufeng encountered Jiang Kechang and diverted his troops to confront the suddenly appearing Jianglan Army.
• Chen Rufeng used the Five Elements Army’s Mountain Shield to repel the Jianglan Army’s combined strike, then counterattacked with Water Dragon Strangulation.
• Jiang Kechang and Jianglan experts joined the battle, but Han He and Qin Yu arrived with the remaining Five Elements squads and helped overwhelm the Jianglan Army.
• Chen Duo withstood Jiang Siqian’s attacks and seriously wounded him with the Brahma Dharma Seal.
• Jiang Siqian saw that the battle below was lost and fled.

Chen Duo and the Five Elements Army fought the Jianglan Tribe until Jiang Ji returned and turned the battle against them. Chen Duo held Jiang Ji off so her army could retreat, but three more armies soon blocked every escape route.

• Chen Duo drove Jiang Kechang back, but Jiang Ji struck her with a Setting Sun Divine Arrow and appeared before the Five Elements Army.
• Jiang Ji prepared to attack the Five Elements Army, but Chen Duo rose from the formation, having survived the arrow.
• Chen Duo ordered the Five Elements Army to retreat toward the river while she confronted Jiang Ji with Wisdom King Possession.
• Jiang Ji stopped Jiang Kechang from pursuing the retreating army, and three armies arrived to block the Five Elements Army's routes.

Chen Duo and the Five Elements Army were ambushed by Jiang Ji and the ace legions of three great tribes while attempting to escape. After the Iron Mountain Army’s defenses fell, the Five Elements Army faced another charge, until a sudden sword strike forced Jiang Ji back from Chen Duo.

• Chen Duo realized Jiang Ji had anticipated her attack and summoned the Iron Mountain Army, Golden Saber Army, and Fierce Tiger Army to surround the Five Elements Army.
• The Five Elements Army returned to support Chen Duo, whose Five Elements Cannon drove Jiang Ji back long enough for her to recover.
• Chen Duo rallied the Five Elements Army and led them toward an escape route while Jiang Ji and the Jianglan Army pursued.
• Chen Rufeng led the Five Elements Army in a golden-blade charge that shattered the Iron Mountain Army’s Iron Mountain Wall, though the attack left the legion injured and its formation broken.
• Jiang Ji exploited Chen Duo’s grief and nearly struck her with a Great Destruction Palm, but an unknown sword light hit him and forced him back.

A Huo returned to Chen Duo’s side and led the Demon-Slaying Sword into battle, breaking through the enemy legions to aid the Five Elements Army. He then confronted Jiang Ji and revealed his name as he attacked with overwhelming sword intent.

• A Huo arrived beside Chen Duo, reassured her, and sent the Demon-Slaying Sword charging into the battlefield.
• The Demon-Slaying Sword broke through the Fierce Tiger Army and the Golden Saber Army, then pierced the Iron Mountain Army as Chen Rufeng ordered the Five Elements Army to regroup.
• The commanders of the enemy legions formed defensive lines around the Iron Mountain Army, but Nangong Feng led the Demon-Slaying Sword into their formations.
• A Huo’s presence kept Jiang Ji and Jiang Siqian from moving, and he told Jiang Ji that he was from Chen Village and was named A Huo.
• Jiang Ji accused A Huo of being from Central Land, and A Huo attacked him with a giant sword, shocking him with his swordsmanship and intent.

A Huo fought Jiang Ji and Jiang Siqian, killing Siqian even as Jiang Ji’s Setting Sun Divine Arrow wounded him. After surviving Jiang Ji’s follow-up attacks, A Huo joined Chen Duo in pursuing him, and Jiang Ji ordered his forces to retreat.

• A Huo relentlessly attacked Jiang Ji, who called on Jiang Siqian to hold him off while he prepared a Setting Sun Divine Arrow.
• Jiang Siqian charged A Huo with a treasured saber, but A Huo shattered it and killed him before Jiang Ji’s arrow struck A Huo and drove him to the ground.
• Jiang Ji attacked A Huo’s landing spot with Great Destruction Palms, but A Huo broke through them and charged back at him.
• A Huo deflected Jiang Ji’s next Setting Sun Divine Arrow with a sword thrust, then Chen Duo joined him and scolded him for fighting recklessly.
• Jiang Ji realized he could not defeat A Huo and Chen Duo together, so he ordered his troops to retreat.

The Demon-Slaying Sword and the Five Elements Army defeated the Jianglan Tribe, captured its leader, and looted its stronghold before returning to Chen Village. Meanwhile, Chen Mu finished preparing Dispelling Formation Flags and set out with Nangong Ya, Nangong Tong, Lu Xinghai, and the others to enter the purple mist.

• Jiang Ji ordered the four ace legions to retreat, and A Huo sent the Demon-Slaying Sword after the fleeing forces.
• Chen Duo pursued Jiang Kechang, defeated his remaining guards, sealed his dantian, and captured him.
• Gu Zi'an helped the Shadow Guards uncover the Jianglan Tribe's secrets, and Chen Village's forces seized the tribe's wealth and burned what they could not carry.
• The Five Elements Army and the Demon-Slaying Sword returned to Chen Village with their spoils.
• Chen Mu completed more than twenty Dispelling Formation Flags and prepared to leave with Nangong Ya, Nangong Tong, Lu Xinghai, and the others.

Chen Mu led Lu Xinghai and nine other members of the Ancient Desolate Remnant Clan into the purple mist, using formation flags to clear a path. The group made progress toward the exit, while Chen Mu planned to postpone rescuing the rest of the clan until he could secure the mining area.

• Lu Yuanzhen appointed Lu Xinghai to lead the ten departing clanspeople and ordered them to obey Chen Mu.
• Chen Mu gave the ten dispersal formation flags, accepted two storage rings of Purple Soul Crystal from Nangong Ya, and promised to send Little Tong back for the others if possible.
• Chen Mu led the group into the purple mist and activated the flags, which cleared the mist around them.
• The group traveled several kilometers, but illusions sometimes misdirected Lu Xinghai; Chen Mu corrected their course using the continent's Spiritual Power magnetic field.

Chen Mu led ten Ancient Desolate tribespeople through the purple mist, survived attacks from a powerful behemoth, and set out for Chen Village. Meanwhile, Xing Le learned that the Jianglan Tribe’s territory had fallen to Chen Village’s sword-wielding army.

• A behemoth attacked Chen Mu’s group inside the purple mist, and Chen Mu blocked its strikes while leading everyone toward the exit.
• Chen Mu and the ten Ancient Desolate tribespeople escaped the mist, and he learned from Chen Duo that the tribe was safe but watched by enemies.
• Chen Mu created a stone flying ship and carried the tribespeople toward Chen Village.
• At the Wilderness Divine Temple, Xing Le discussed the growing Otherworldly Demon invasion and received Jiang Ji’s report that the Jianglan Tribe’s territory had fallen.
• Xing Le reacted with shock when Jiang Ji warned that the Chen Village army might soon wipe out the Jianglan Tribe.

Chen Mu returned safely to Chen Village, where his family and allies celebrated his breakthrough to the Core Formation Realm and A Huo’s return. As Chen Village prepared to expand after defeating the Jianglan Tribe, Chen Mu warned that the Temple was likely behind the trouble and that they should remain vigilant.

• Xing Le questioned Jiang Ji about the Demon-Slaying Sword legion, then told him to hold position while he dealt with the Otherworldly Demons.
• Chen Mu returned to Chen Village with Mingye, and A Huo came back from training as Chen Zihu and Chen Duo returned from the front lines.
• Chen Mu told his companions he had reached the Core Formation Realm after obtaining an Origin Spirit Fruit.
• A Huo revealed that he was close to undergoing his Heavenly Tribulation, and Chen Mu offered to guard him at the training ground.
• Chen Zihu reported that the Five Elements Army had destroyed the Jianglan Tribe’s home grounds and planned to reorganize before absorbing its territory.
• Chen Mu warned that a powerful figure was acting behind the scenes, and he and the others suspected the Temple.

Chen Mu and the people of Chen Village learned that Xing Le had likely used the Temple’s Suspended Light Realm to spy on them, but they chose to focus on growing stronger. Chen Village then expanded across most of the Jianglan Tribe’s former territory and reorganized its Rune Research Institute.

• Chen Hongjie explained that Xing Le, a Temple emissary who owed the Jianglan Tribe a favor, had likely exposed Chen Village’s movements using the Suspended Light Realm.
• Chen Mu urged everyone to focus on developing Chen Village, while Chen Zihu said their new resources would help them eventually contend with the Temple.
• Meng Hui pressed Chen Mu to start a family, then warmly served A Huo and observed his closeness with Chen Duo.
• Chen Village used its gains from the Jianglan Tribe and the Ancient Desolate Mining Area to bring more than half of the Jianglan Tribe’s former territory under its control, leaving the remaining northeastern lands unsubdued.
• Chen Village’s territory reached the Flame Blessing Tribe’s border, but Chen Mu delayed an offensive while the village settled its new population.
• Chen Mu placed the ten members of the Ancient Desolate Race in the Rune Research Institute and reorganized its departments under Landuo, Chen Xuejun, Nan Huaiyuan, and Nangong Tong.

Chen Mu expanded the Rune Research Institute and guided Nangong Tong’s cultivation as she prepared for her first Runic Body transformation. The chapter ended with Chen Mu discovering that the Demon-Slaying Battle Formation deduction was complete.

• Chen Mu used Purple Soul Crystals to expand the Rune Research Institute and recruit young people talented in soul cultivation.
• Chen Mu gave Landuo introductory rune programming books for the Artifact Refining Department to study.
• Nangong Tong told Chen Mu she had mastered the introductory Runic Body method and asked him to guard her first transformation.
• Chen Mu agreed to meet Nangong Tong at the Battle Talisman Department in two hours and reviewed the four stages of the Runic Body.
• Chen Mu checked his virtual screen and saw that the Demon-Slaying Battle Formation deduction had reached 100%.

Chen Mu gave A Huo the newly devised Demon-Slaying Battle Formation for review, then challenged him to a sparring match. Their fight escalated from ranged techniques to close combat, where Chen Mu's rune-enhanced body gave him an advantage.

• Chen Mu had Xiaozhi print three copies of the Demon-Slaying Battle Formation training method and explained that it was designed for the Demon-Slaying Sword's strong resolve and fighting style.
• Chen Mu arrived at the training ground and gave the books to A Huo, who agreed to review the formation after their conversation.
• Chen Mu challenged A Huo to spar, and the two flew high into the sky to avoid damaging Chen Village.
• A Huo shattered Chen Mu's fist projection with Sword Qi, then attacked as Chen Mu summoned his Dharma Aspect True Body.
• A Huo's thousands of swords riddled the Dharma Aspect True Body, but Chen Mu's seals healed it as neither fighter could gain the upper hand at range.
• Chen Mu covered himself with Five Elements Armor and engaged A Huo in close combat; their clash left A Huo's Qi and blood churning while Chen Mu recovered without harm.

Chen Mu defeated A Huo in a fierce duel after countering his Unity of Man and Sword with a Super Five Elements Ring. Afterward, Chen Mu watched Nangong Tong form a Runic Body and advanced research projects at Chen Village, leaving the village focused on long-term cultivation and technological development.

• A Huo entered Unity of Man and Sword and battled Chen Mu with powerful sword techniques.
• Chen Mu unleashed a Super Five Elements Ring, and after repeated clashes A Huo admitted defeat when he could no longer continue.
• Chen Mu and A Huo agreed to spar again, since they were the only Core Formation Realm cultivators in Chen Village besides White Turtle.
• Chen Mu watched Nangong Tong successfully transform her body into a Runic Body, though her result was weaker than his own.
• Chen Mu had Landuo organize research into liquid metal robots and considered projects including ultra-long-range missiles and space satellites.

After Zheng Fengdao told Chen Mu that Yin Zhan’s Lineage was in financial trouble, Chen Mu agreed to visit and help him. Before leaving, Chen Mu arranged for Landuo to manage the Rune Research Institute and learned that his Divine Soul Seed was strengthening Landuo’s Divine Soul.

• Zheng Fengdao told Chen Mu that Yin Zhan had asked for financial help, and Chen Mu agreed to travel with him to Yin Zhan’s Lineage.
• Meng Hui urged Chen Mu to propose to Mingye within three months, but Chen Mu set the matter aside to focus on Yin Zhan.
• Chen Mu organized the Rune Research Institute’s work and left Landuo in charge while he was away.
• Landuo told Chen Mu that the Divine Soul Seed was strengthening his Divine Soul and that he expected to reach the Solid Realm in two or three months.