Chapter Summaries

Chen Xiao and his companions defeated Old Eagle Mountain Man, divided his belongings, and headed back to Purple Cloud City. Along the way, Chen Xiao learned more about Cao Ying’s progress and possible cultivation trouble, and the group reached the city after Xiao Yi Xian, Zi Yan, and Hai Bo Dong had already returned.

• Chen Xiao searched Old Eagle Mountain Man’s Storage Ring and found the Soul Shadow Avatar secret art and two Earth Rank Dark Attribute Qi Methods.
• Cao Xi kept the Soul Shadow Avatar for the clan, while Chen Xiao gave the Dark Night Netherlight Curse to Su Qian for Jia Nan Academy’s Library Pavilion.
• Chen Xiao froze Old Eagle Mountain Man’s corpse and stored it, then Su Qian returned to the Inner Academy and promised to help deal with Demon Flame Valley.
• Cao Xi told Chen Xiao that the Dan Family had missed the earlier opportunity and that Cao Ying had found the Profound Yellow Flame, though she had reported occasional chest tightness and disrupted qi and blood.
• Chen Xiao agreed to help Cao Ying obtain the complete cultivation method after he handled matters in the Black-Corner Region, while Queen Medusa grew suspicious of his connection to the Cao Family.
• Chen Xiao, Queen Medusa, and Cao Xi reached Purple Cloud City and sensed that Xiao Yi Xian, Zi Yan, and Hai Bo Dong had already returned.

Chen Xiao and the others sorted the Blood Sect and Black Skull Tomb’s spoils before discussing Xiao Yi Xian’s coming breakthrough and Queen Medusa’s progress merging with Little Heaven Swallowing Python. Chen Xiao hinted that Little Heaven Swallowing Python might reappear, but the method depended on Queen Medusa’s willingness, leaving her embarrassed and angry.

• Zi Yan presented the treasures taken from the Blood Sect and Black Skull Tomb, and Chen Xiao ordered the group to distribute, store, and auction them.
• Hai Bo Dong revealed that he had dealt with the Blood Sect, while Xiao Yi Xian and Zi Yan teased him about the Blood Sect mistaking his Mystic Ice Dragon Flight for Chen Xiao’s attack.
• Xiao Yi Xian said she had sensed a breakthrough and planned to enter seclusion to attempt to reach Four-Star Dou Huang.
• Queen Medusa told Chen Xiao that Little Heaven Swallowing Python’s influence was negligible and that she expected to complete their fusion within about half a year to a year.
• Zi Yan asked whether Little Heaven Swallowing Python could reappear after the fusion, and Chen Xiao said there was a way if Queen Medusa agreed.
• Chen Xiao privately told Queen Medusa what the method involved, and she blushed, glared at him, and hurried away with Zi Yan.

After the Purple Firmament Pavilion’s victories shook the Black-Corner Region, rival factions adjusted their plans and Demon Flame Valley summoned the Earth Demon Old Ghost. Learning that Chen Xiao possessed a powerful puppet, the Ancestor left seclusion, intent on investigating it.

• News of the Blood Sect and Black Skull Tomb’s destruction spread, prompting Yuan Yi to keep the Eight Gates Sect cautious and Yin Gu Lao to court both sides.
• Shop Owner Yao decided to move the Thousand Medicine Shop’s focus to Purple Cloud City and align with the Purple Firmament Pavilion.
• Fang Yan and the other two elders returned to Demon Flame Valley and urged the valley’s elders to summon the Earth Demon Old Ghost.
• Fang Yan reported the failed attack on Chen Xiao and the losses in the Black-Corner Region, and the Earth Demon Old Ghost struck him for his foolish actions.
• The Earth Demon Old Ghost became interested in Chen Xiao’s puppet, opened the Secret Chamber door, and emerged from seclusion.

Chen Xiao broke through to Two-Star Dou Huang at the Bamboo Building and continued cultivating his Soul Power. Cao Xi gave him a mysterious gift from Cao Ying, which revealed a soul skill and left Chen Xiao eager to learn it.

• After half a month of cultivation, Chen Xiao broke through to Two-Star Dou Huang and estimated that reaching Peak Dou Huang would take about a year and a half.
• Chen Xiao resumed cultivating his Soul Power, whose growing influence distracted Hai Bo Dong and Cao Xi nearby.
• Cao Xi gave Chen Xiao a blank metallic scroll that Cao Ying had prepared as a gift.
• Chen Xiao poured his Soul Power into the scroll and entered a dark space, where a transparent figure demonstrated the Soul Profound Seal Palm.
• The scroll showed Chen Xiao the demonstration sequence and expelled his consciousness from the space, leaving four demonstrations remaining.

Chen Xiao received the Soul Profound Seal Palm from Cao Ying and discovered that his Soul Power made the technique astonishingly powerful, while Xiao Yi Xian learned that the materials to cure her Woeful Poison Body were nearly complete. After Zi Yan asked to learn the soul technique, Chen Xiao sensed a cold, eerie aura gathering behind him.

• Chen Xiao examined Cao Ying's Soul Profound Seal Palm and went to the mountain range to practice it.
• Xiao Yi Xian demonstrated her progress with the Myriad Poisons Heart-Devouring Palm, and Chen Xiao told her that only a Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast Magic Core remained before they could condense her Poison Pill.
• Chen Xiao practiced the Soul Profound Seal Palm and split a mountain with its power, realizing his Soul Power might be approaching the Spirit Realm.
• Zi Yan asked to learn the technique, so Chen Xiao gave her the Nine Nether Soul Scripture and agreed to teach her after she strengthened her Soul Power.
• As Xiao Yi Xian and Zi Yan left, Chen Xiao sensed a cold, eerie aura gathering in the shadows behind him.

Chen Xiao confronted Protector Xuan, a Soul Hall envoy who offered to help the Purple Firmament Pavilion grow stronger in exchange for information about Han Feng. Chen Xiao confirmed Han Feng’s soul was destroyed, while Protector Xuan left his offer open.

• Chen Xiao detonated an Ice Soul Talisman against a hidden presence, then sent the Heavenly Demon Puppet into the crater to fight it.
• Protector Xuan emerged from the black mist and explained that he wanted to approach the Purple Firmament Pavilion despite its conflict with Demon Flame Valley.
• Protector Xuan offered to help Chen Xiao and Queen Medusa increase their strength before the coming battle with Earth Demon Old Ghost.
• Chen Xiao questioned Protector Xuan’s motives and asked what he wanted in return.
• Protector Xuan said he wanted to know whether Han Feng had truly died, and Chen Xiao told him Han Feng’s soul had been completely destroyed and the Sea Heart Flame was gone.

Chen Xiao rejected Protector Xuan’s attempt to draw him into the Soul Hall’s conflict, then rescued Shop Owner Yao and Yan Liang from Che Cheng of the Black Emperor Sect. After welcoming the Thousand Medicine Shop to Purple Cloud City, he received a pair of Ice Spirit Jade pendants that greatly accelerated his ice-attribute cultivation.

• Chen Xiao gave Protector Xuan an ambiguous refusal, and Protector Xuan left without securing his help against Earth Demon Old Ghost.
• Queen Medusa told Chen Xiao that the Black Emperor Sect was pursuing a group northeast of Purple Cloud City, so they went to investigate.
• Che Cheng cornered Shop Owner Yao and Yan Liang as they fled toward Purple Cloud City, but Chen Xiao and Queen Medusa arrived and stopped his attack.
• Chen Xiao let Che Cheng retreat to avoid provoking Mo Tianxing and welcomed Shop Owner Yao’s Thousand Medicine Shop into Purple Cloud City.
• Shop Owner Yao gave Chen Xiao a pair of Ice Spirit Jade pendants, and he discovered they increased his cultivation speed by more than twenty percent.

Chen Xiao and Queen Medusa toured Rakshasa City, then spoke frankly about their relationship and agreed she would consider being with him once he could defeat her. Ten days later, Earth Demon Old Ghost came to Purple Firmament Pavilion seeking information about Purple Spirit Cold Qi, and Chen Xiao demanded his life as the price.

• Chen Xiao found that one piece of Ice Spirit Jade gave him the same cultivation benefit as two, and decided to give the spare to Hai Bo Dong.
• Queen Medusa revealed that she had become a Dou Zong, and Chen Xiao took her shopping in Rakshasa City.
• Queen Medusa told Chen Xiao she would discuss bringing Little Heaven Swallowing Python back when he became strong enough to defeat her, and offered to accompany him to the Jia Ma Empire during the Three-Year Agreement if it was stable.
• Ten days later, Chen Xiao took over Hai Bo Dong’s information-selling shift at Purple Firmament Pavilion.
• Earth Demon Old Ghost asked Chen Xiao for information about Purple Spirit Cold Qi, while Fang Yan and Demon Flame Valley’s Second Elder and Third Elder waited outside Purple Cloud City.
• Chen Xiao demanded Earth Demon Old Ghost’s corpse in exchange for the information and secretly alerted Cai Lin and the others.

Chen Xiao fought Demon Flame Valley’s three leaders while the two sides’ allies clashed across the sky. He wounded the Third Elder with his stacked seals and countered Fang Yan and the Second Elder, leaving the battle unresolved as Earth Demon Old Ghost prepared to react.

• Earth Demon Old Ghost attacked Chen Xiao, but the Heavenly Demon Puppet blocked his palm, and Chen Xiao and his allies took to the sky as Demon Flame Valley’s fighters arrived.
• Shop Owner Yao and Old Yan joined the Purple Firmament Pavilion’s side, and both groups’ fighters split off into separate battles.
• Hai Bo Dong faced five Dou Wangs, while Xiao Yi Xian, Zi Yan, and the others engaged their assigned opponents.
• Fang Yan and the other two elders attacked Chen Xiao, who used his Mountain Splitting Seal and Sea Flipping Seal against the Third Elder while defending against Fang Yan and the Second Elder with Soul Power.
• Chen Xiao’s attacks blasted the Third Elder out of the energy clash, leaving him gravely wounded and causing Earth Demon Old Ghost to grow furious.

Chen Xiao and his allies overwhelmed Demon Flame Valley’s forces, with Chen Xiao killing Fang Yan and crippling the Second Elder while Hai Bo Dong and Cao Xi helped clear the other battlefields. Earth Demon Old Ghost was left facing Cai Lin, the Heavenly Demon Puppet, Cao Xi, and the possibility of Su Qian’s arrival.

• Hai Bo Dong killed an Eight Star Dou King, and Chen Xiao used the stacked Mountain Splitting Seal and Sea Flipping Seal to leave the Second Elder near death.
• Cai Lin and the Heavenly Demon Puppet stopped Earth Demon Old Ghost from intervening, while Chen Xiao killed Fang Yan with the Soul Profound Seal Palm.
• Chen Xiao ordered Hai Bo Dong to finish off his remaining opponents and assist Shop Owner Yao and Old Yan.
• Chen Xiao joined Cai Lin and the Heavenly Demon Puppet against Earth Demon Old Ghost, then called out Cao Xi to join the fight.
• Cao Xi appeared as a Four-Star Dou Zong and swiftly defeated the remaining Demon Flame Valley fighters, leaving Earth Demon Old Ghost alone.

Chen Xiao and his allies fought Earth Demon Old Ghost, whose attacks put pressure on the group despite their advantage. Su Qian arrived to support them and revealed the old grudge between Demon Flame Valley and Jia Nan Academy, while Earth Demon Old Ghost unleashed a powerful sword technique that badly scarred the Heavenly Demon Puppet.

• Cao Xi shattered Earth Demon Old Ghost's opening attack, and Chen Xiao sent the Heavenly Demon Puppet to join Cao Xi and Cai Lin in fighting him.
• Chen Xiao used the Nine Nether Soul Scripture to disrupt Earth Demon Old Ghost, allowing the others to drive him back, but Earth Demon Old Ghost then targeted Chen Xiao to draw them away.
• Su Qian arrived and joined the fight, explaining that Demon Flame Valley had targeted Jia Nan Academy ever since the Dean humiliated Earth Demon Old Ghost more than a decade earlier.
• Earth Demon Old Ghost attacked the group with Black Ice Cones, but Cao Xi, Cai Lin, Su Qian, and the Heavenly Demon Puppet defended against them.
• Earth Demon Old Ghost gathered the remaining ice cones into a Pitch-Black Ice Sword and struck the Heavenly Demon Puppet, forcing it back and leaving a deep scar across its chest.

Chen Xiao, Cai Lin, Cao Xi, Su Qian, and the Heavenly Demon Puppet overwhelmed Earth Demon Old Ghost, who self-destructed after his escape attempts failed. Chen Xiao and Cai Lin survived in a mountain hollow, where Cai Lin said she had figured out why struggling against him only excited him.

• Cai Lin, Cao Xi, Su Qian, and the Heavenly Demon Puppet shattered Earth Demon Old Ghost's strongest ice sword attack.
• Chen Xiao interrupted Earth Demon Old Ghost's Space Blood Escape with a Soul Power attack, allowing the group to keep him under pressure until Su Qian wounded him.
• Earth Demon Old Ghost began to self-destruct and charged toward Chen Xiao, but Cao Xi, Su Qian, and the Heavenly Demon Puppet knocked him off course as Cai Lin carried Chen Xiao toward the mountains.
• Earth Demon Old Ghost's self-destruction devastated the surrounding mountains, and the Heavenly Demon Puppet's response showed the others that Chen Xiao was alive.
• Chen Xiao found Cai Lin in a mountain hollow, picked her up, and heard her explain that she had figured out why struggling against him only excited him.

On the way back to Purple Cloud City, Chen Xiao reflected on his need for greater strength and shared his ambitions with Cai Lin. After returning, he organized a raid on Demon Flame Valley, while Cao Xi prepared to leave for the Central Plains; Chen Xiao planned to follow within three years.

• Chen Xiao told Cai Lin that the battle with Earth Demon Old Ghost had made him realize his strength was still insufficient, and promised to become strong enough to protect her.
• Chen Xiao and Cai Lin returned to Purple Cloud City, where Zi Yan showed him the Storage Ring she had recovered from Earth Demon Old Ghost.
• Chen Xiao sent Zi Yan and Hai Bo Dong to strip Demon Flame Valley of its treasures, and Xiao Yi Xian joined them to ensure no one survived.
• Su Qian offered to hold the fort while Chen Xiao and Cai Lin recovered, and Cao Xi said he would return to his clan without waiting until the next day.
• Chen Xiao told Cao Xi he expected to travel to the Central Plains within three years and would bring the complete Qi Method then; Cao Xi departed.

After recovering from the battle, Chen Xiao examined Earth Demon Old Ghost’s possessions and discovered journal clues pointing to the Northern Continent and a possible Ancient Ruins. He left the idea of traveling there for the future and continued studying the journal for useful insights.

• Su Qian directed the Demonic subordinates as they repaired the Purple Firmament Pavilion, while Chen Xiao brought Cai Lin medicines and urged her to recover before returning to cultivate.
• Chen Xiao inspected Earth Demon Old Ghost’s storage ring, rejected his cultivation technique, and identified several Ice Attribute Dou Skills and valuable pills.
• Chen Xiao found Earth Demon Old Ghost’s journal and learned that the old ghost had searched the Extreme Northern Land for Purple Spirit Cold Qi but found no False Heaven there.
• Chen Xiao’s pre-pay information linked a Heavenly Demon Puppet to a False Heaven outside the Fallen God Ice Plain, leading him to suspect the place might be an Ancient Ruins.
• Chen Xiao decided he would visit the Northern Continent in the future, then continued reading the journal for insights into Transformation Fire and Dou Techniques.

Zi Yan delivered treasures taken from Demon Flame Valley to Chen Xiao, including paired Earth Tier techniques, a true Flame Manipulation Art, a Seventh-Tier Fire Attribute Magic Core, and instructions for creating a Heavenly Demon Puppet. With the Black-Corner Region no longer under threat, Chen Xiao planned to focus on cultivation and summoned its powerful factions to Purple Firmament Pavilion.

• Zi Yan showed Chen Xiao the Thunderclap Mirror and its paired Awakening Thunder Technique, which they kept as valuable collectibles.
• Zi Yan gave Chen Xiao the complete Flame Manipulation Art and a Seventh-Tier Fire Attribute Magic Core, and Chen Xiao considered how the technique might aid his Dou Skill research.
• Chen Xiao examined the Heavenly Demon Puppet method and told Zi Yan to wait until they reached the Central Plains before having Cao Ying refine another puppet.
• After checking his Pre-pay limit, Chen Xiao planned to boost his cultivation with resources such as Sixth-Tier Magical Beast Essence Blood.
• Chen Xiao ordered a Mittel Family Dou Ling to summon the Black-Corner Region’s factions with Dou Wang or stronger leaders to Purple Firmament Pavilion in seven days, excluding the Black Emperor Sect.

Chen Xiao reassured the Black-Corner Region’s powerhouses that the Purple Firmament Pavilion had no plans to unify the region and invited them to trade resources and take hunting missions. The factions agreed to cooperate, and Chen Xiao specifically urged Yuan Yi to hunt Sixth Tier Magical Beasts as well.

• Shop Owner Yao told the gathered powerhouses that Chen Xiao had no reason to target them unless they provoked him, though Yuan Yi worried the Eight Gates Sect might still face retribution.
• Chen Xiao entered the hall with Xiao Yi Xian, Zi Yan, and Hai Bo Dong, then explained that he wanted to exchange for Sixth Tier Magical Beast essence blood, poisonous materials, and medicinal resources.
• Yin Gu Lao offered to hunt the Black Flame Kui Niu, and Chen Xiao gave him a Sixth-Order Magic Core as an advance reward for the essence blood.
• The Demon Blade Sect, Earth Flame Sect, Rakshasa Gate, and other factions offered resources or expressed interest in cooperating with the Purple Firmament Pavilion.
• Chen Xiao left the negotiations to Hai Bo Dong and asked Yuan Yi to help hunt Sixth Tier Magical Beasts; Yuan Yi agreed to go through fire and water for him.

Chen Xiao visited Cai Lin after settling cooperation matters and discussed contacting the Four Great Elders for a secret pill formula. Cai Lin revealed she had already decided to accept him, and the chapter ended with them alone behind her barrier.

• Chen Xiao told Cai Lin he planned to send someone to the Jia Ma Empire to ask the Four Great Elders about the Snake-People Race’s secrets and invited her to send a message home.
• Cai Lin said she expected to recover in about twenty days, while Chen Xiao realized she had given him a month as a chance to pursue her.
• Chen Xiao and Cai Lin acknowledged their sincere feelings and agreed to share responsibility for the Snake-People Race.
• Cai Lin sealed the room with a barrier, pulled Chen Xiao onto the bed, and revealed that she had already recovered.

After learning that Xiao Yan had won the Three-Year Agreement but fled the Jia Ma Empire after the Misty Cloud Sect attacked the Xiao Family, Chen Xiao prepared to draw Xiao Yan and Yao Chen to the Black-Corner Region. He ordered a major auction and publicized the Purple Firmament Pavilion’s information network, leaving his quiet training period behind.

• Hai Bo Dong read a letter from the Mittel Family and told Chen Xiao, Cai Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, and Zi Yan that Xiao Yan’s Three-Year Agreement with Nalan Yanran had ended.
• Hai Bo Dong explained that Xiao Yan won the duel, but the Misty Cloud Sect later attacked the Xiao Family, leaving Xiao Zhan missing and several people dead.
• Hai Bo Dong recounted that Xiao Yan returned to the Misty Cloud Sect with Yao Chen, fought Yun Shan’s faction, and escaped the Jia Ma Empire with his master.
• Chen Xiao concluded that Xiao Yan and Yao Chen would likely head toward Jia Nan Academy and pass through the Black-Corner Region.
• Chen Xiao told Hai Bo Dong to end the hunt for Sixth Tier Magical Beasts, arrange a large auction near Black Domain Great Plains, and spread news that the Purple Firmament Pavilion sold information on valuable items.
• Chen Xiao revealed that he planned to lure Xiao Yan and Yao Chen to Purple Cloud City because he wanted things Yao Chen possessed.

After reaching the Black-Corner Region, Xiao Yan learned that Purple Firmament Pavilion might have information about Heavenly Flames and traveled to Purple Cloud City. There, Yao Chen discovered that Han Feng’s Soul Body was in the Pavilion’s possession and asked its Pavilion Master what it would cost to exchange for him.

• Xiao Yan entered a town in the Black-Corner Region, killed a Dou Shi who demanded a passage fee, and heard that Purple Firmament Pavilion dominated the region and was holding a major auction.
• Xiao Yan and Yao Chen headed for Purple Cloud City to investigate the Pavilion’s rumored information about Heavenly Flames, while Yao Chen grew disturbed after learning it had replaced Han Feng’s Maple City.
• Chen Xiao confirmed that he could Pre-pay the Flame Mantra, compared its complete scroll with Han Feng’s incomplete copy, and told Xiao Yi Xian that she might condense the Poison Pill within three months.
• Xiao Yan reached Purple Cloud City and asked Purple Firmament Pavilion about Han Feng’s life or death; Yao Chen recognized Hai Bo Dong at the information window and sensed several powerful experts inside the Pavilion.
• The Pavilion Master showed Yao Chen Han Feng’s surviving Soul Body, charged him a Fifth-Grade Pill Recipe for the information, and heard Yao Chen ask the price for exchanging for Han Feng.

Chen Xiao revealed that he knew Yao Chen’s identity and traded Han Feng’s soul for Yao Chen’s Flame Mantra, explaining that he wanted to resolve his dislike of owning both complete and incomplete copies. After Xiao Yan confirmed Chen Xiao’s reputation for obsessively arranging things, Yao Chen accepted the exchange and bought information about the Flame Mantra’s origin and a Heavenly Flame.

• Chen Xiao recognized Yao Chen as the missing Venerable Yao and explained how he had deduced his identity after encountering Han Feng.
• Chen Xiao introduced Xiao Yi Xian, revealed her Woeful Poison Body, and asked Yao Chen to exchange his complete Flame Mantra for Han Feng’s soul.
• Yao Chen agreed to the exchange after Chen Xiao offered his complete Flame Mantra and explained his compulsion to return the incomplete scroll to its rightful owner.
• Xiao Yan told Yao Chen that Chen Xiao had long been obsessive about cleanliness and symmetry, lending credibility to his explanation.
• Yao Chen paid a Grade 6 Pill Recipe to learn that Chen Xiao found the complete Flame Mantra in some Ruins, then paid a Grade 8 Bodhi Pill Recipe for information about an ownerless Yin-Yang Dual Flames in the Star Dou Empire.
• Yao Chen left with Han Feng’s soul and asked Chen Xiao to keep his identity confidential.