Chapter Summaries

Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo defeated the Gold and Silver Elders and Han Feng, while the Black Alliance leaders retreated from Jia Nan Academy. As Han Feng lay unconscious, Protector Wu pierced his chest with a soul chain and declared that he would take Han Feng’s soul for the Hall of Souls.

• Yuan Yi, Fan Lao, and the other Black Alliance leaders fled to Maple City and accepted that their alliance’s position in the region had become precarious.
• Xiao Yan’s Soul Armor shattered under the force of the clash, but his Heavenly Flames Twin Wings protected him as the Gold and Silver Elders were blasted into the burning mountains.
• Xiao Huohuo’s Flame Splitting Wave Ruler left Han Feng severely burned and drained of Dou Qi, and Han Feng lost consciousness after lamenting that Xiao Huohuo had inherited what should have been his.
• Protector Wu saw that both battles had been decided and dismissed the defeated Han Feng as useless.
• Protector Wu sent a black chain through Han Feng’s chest and said he would take Han Feng’s soul for the Hall of Souls.

Protector Wu extracted Han Feng’s soul and tried to leave, but Xiao Yan, Xiao Huohuo, and Queen Medusa confronted him. Medusa freed Han Feng’s soul before Protector Wu escaped with the souls of the Gold and Silver Elders, and Xiao Huohuo sealed Han Feng’s soul in a bottle and burned it with the Fallen Heart Flame.

• Protector Wu ripped Han Feng’s soul from his body with a black chain, prompting Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo to attack him together.
• Protector Wu shattered Xiao Yan’s Netherworld Locks and blocked Xiao Huohuo’s flaming Heavy Xuan Ruler with a spatial barrier before retreating.
• Queen Medusa severed the chain holding Han Feng’s soul, and Protector Wu fled with the extracted souls of the Gold and Silver Elders.
• Xiao Huohuo thanked Medusa, then captured Han Feng’s soul in a jade bottle and burned it with a wisp of Fallen Heart Flame.
• Medusa disappeared from sight but remained nearby, while Xiao Yan watched Xiao Huohuo seal the bottle.

Xiao Yan recovered in a secluded cave while Zhu Zhuqing began the Netherworld Extreme Shadow God’s first trial and failed to evade the pursuing Soul Beast apparitions. In the Inner Academy, Xiao Huohuo arranged a substitute source for the Fallen Heart Flame and hurried back to Xiao Yan.

• Xiao Yan entered a secluded cave, took a pill, and meditated until his Soul Power neared level 67.
• Zhu Zhuqing learned she had been chosen as the Netherworld Extreme Shadow God’s inheritor and began a seven-day trial of speed and endurance.
• Zhu Zhuqing used her shadow clones and position-swapping ability to evade the Soul Beast apparitions, but fatigue left her surrounded and she failed the trial.
• Xiao Huohuo told Great Elder Su Qian that the Fallen Heart Flame was gone and left a wisp of its origin to sustain the Inner Academy’s cultivation tower.
• Xiao Huohuo finished arranging the Inner Academy’s affairs and hurried toward the mountain gate to return to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan recovered in a mountain cave and told Xiao Huohuo about Zhu Zhuqing’s apparent sacrifice in Slaughter City. Yao Lao urged Xiao Yan to believe she might still be alive and revealed that Venerable Feng was a trusted friend who should be told Yao Lao had survived.

• Xiao Huohuo waited outside Xiao Yan’s cave while Xiao Yan healed, then brought him a purple lingzhi and asked what had happened on the Douluo Continent.
• Xiao Yan told Xiao Huohuo how Zhu Zhuqing had taken a hammer blow meant for him in the ruins of Slaughter City, and Xiao Huohuo vowed to join him in settling the score with the old monster.
• Yao Lao appeared and told Xiao Yan that Zhu Zhuqing’s injuries had healed before the battle ended, so she might still be alive and Xiao Yan should search for her when he returned.
• Xiao Yan showed Yao Lao the cracked stone containing Venerable Feng’s depleted power and explained how Venerable Feng had saved him and searched for Yao Lao.
• Yao Lao said Feng Xian was the person he trusted most and told Xiao Yan to inform him that Yao Lao was alive and recovering.

Xiao Huohuo brought the injured Xiao Yan back to Jia Nan Academy, where Xiao Yan secluded himself to mend damage to his meridians and suppress lingering hostility. After several days of treatment, Yao Lao confirmed his meridians had healed and advised him to test them in sparring before leaving.

• Xiao Huohuo promised Yao Lao he would make Pulse-Protecting Pills for Xiao Yan, then escorted Xiao Yan back to the Inner Academy while passing him off as an autonomous clone.
• Xiao Huohuo arranged a quiet stone house in Pan Gate's bamboo grove for Xiao Yan to recover, while Lin Yan handled the preparations.
• Xiao Yan examined and treated hidden spatial cracks in his meridians, and carefully refined the hostility lingering in his soul with his Heavenly Flames.
• Xiao Huohuo brought Xiao Yan Pulse-Protecting Pills, Calming Heart Pills, and a Vajra Body cultivation scroll taken from Han Feng's Storage Ring.
• Xiao Yan's meridian cracks healed and his state of mind steadied; Yao Lao confirmed his recovery and recommended sparring with Inner Academy experts to test his repaired meridians.

After recovering from his injuries, Xiao Yan joined a public sparring match at Xiao Huohuo’s request to test his meridians against the Inner Academy’s top fighters. He dodged Lin Xiuya’s opening strike as Lin Yan’s flaming fists closed in.

• Xiao Yan fully recovered as the Pulse-Protecting Pill, Vajra Body, and Calming Heart Pill healed his meridians and cleared the baleful Qi from his soul.
• Xiao Huohuo arranged a sparring match at the Inner Academy training ground, presenting Xiao Yan as his newly refined external incarnation.
• Su Qian and the Inner Academy students gathered to watch, while Lin Xiuya, Lin Yan, Wu Hao, and Hu Jia entered the arena to test Xiao Yan.
• Xiao Yan summoned the Green Lotus Core Flame and Bone Spirit Cold Flame, drawing gasps from the crowd.
• Lin Xiuya attacked with Green Wood Sword Art, and Xiao Yan evaded the sword light without using a Soul Skill as Lin Yan launched a flaming fist attack.

Xiao Yan tested his healed meridians while defending against Lin Yan, Wu Hao, and Hu Jia, neutralizing their attacks with precise techniques and Bone Spirit Cold Flame. Zi Yan then joined the sparring match, and Xiao Yan discovered that her raw strength was dangerous enough that he could not block her punches directly.

• Xiao Yan confirmed that his meridians had healed by meeting Lin Yan's fist force with Eight Extremes Collapse and driving him back.
• Wu Hao attacked Xiao Yan from behind, but Xiao Yan froze his blood sword with Bone Spirit Cold Flame and forced him to retreat.
• Hu Jia struck from four angles with her snake whip, and Xiao Yan blocked every tendril with Cold Fire: Netherworld Lock.
• Zi Yan jumped into the training ground and announced that five against one was fair before attacking Xiao Yan with brute force.
• Xiao Yan redirected Zi Yan's punch, and her fist smashed a crater into the obsidian paving stones.

Xiao Yan fought five Dou Wang-level experts at once, using his Soul Skills and precise close-quarters techniques to withstand their coordinated assault and eventually force them back. The sparring match ended with Xiao Huohuo rising from the stands as the training ground applauded Xiao Yan.

• Zi Yan joined Lin Xiuya, Lin Yan, Wu Hao, and Hu Jia in attacking Xiao Yan, forcing him to move under their five-pronged assault.
• Xiao Yan used Netherworld Lock against all five, but Zi Yan’s Ancient Void Dragon Bloodline neutralized its extreme cold and let her tug him off balance.
• Xiao Yan formed Soul Armor, countered Lin Yan with Eight Extremes Collapse, and unleashed Everfrost Mausoleum to slow all five opponents.
• Xiao Yan released Netherworld Lock against the group again, forcing all five to retreat and ending the half-hour sparring match.
• Lin Yan praised Xiao Yan, Wu Hao nodded to him, and Xiao Yan’s steady recovery impressed the watching Great Elder Su Qian.
• Pan Gate and the rest of the training ground applauded as Xiao Huohuo watched Xiao Yan with a smile.

After recovering and improving his alchemy, Xiao Yan left Jia Nan Academy with Xiao Huohuo, who planned to return to the Jia Ma Empire to handle the Xiao Clan’s affairs. As they reached the empire, a sinister black fog appeared, and Xiao Yan recognized the arrival of someone from the Hall of Souls.

• Xiao Yan spent several days refining pills for Pan Gate and strengthening his pill-refining skills while recovering from his injuries.
• Xiao Huohuo told Xiao Yan he planned to return to the Jia Ma Empire to settle the Xiao Clan’s affairs, then travel to the Central Plains.
• Lin Yan, Lin Xiuya, and the others agreed to join Xiao Huohuo on his journey to the Central Plains after he returned from the Jia Ma Empire.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo left Jia Nan Academy, while Su Qian and the others prepared to bring the Black-Corner Region under the academy’s control.
• Yao Lao guided Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo in controlling their Dou Qi and Soul Power during their flight, and Xiao Yan broke through a bottleneck along the way.
• As Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo entered the Jia Ma Empire, Yao Lao warned them to hide; Medusa took them behind a city wall, where Xiao Yan saw black fog and suspected a Hall of Souls arrival.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo returned to Wutan City, only to learn that the Xiao Clan had moved to the imperial capital. While Xiao Huohuo met with Oba Pa, Medusa questioned Xiao Yan about his relationship with Huohuo, and Xiao Yan refused to answer.

• Queen Medusa concealed Xiao Yan and the others from a passing Hall of Souls member, and Xiao Huohuo began calling her Cai Lin despite being struck by her whip.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo found the Xiao Clan residence in Wutan City nearly empty and learned the clan had moved to the imperial capital with support from the Nalan and Mittel Families.
• Xiao Huohuo gave the Xiao Clan disciples who remained behind medicinal pills and cultivation methods, then went to meet Oba Pa while Xiao Yan stayed in the courtyard.
• Medusa probed Xiao Yan with her Spiritual Soul Power as he cultivated, and Xiao Yan confronted her for disturbing him.
• Medusa asked whether Xiao Yan was a clone and demanded to know his relationship with Xiao Huohuo, but Xiao Yan told her it was none of her concern.

Medusa confronted Xiao Yan after he spoke to her without deference, and her Dou Zong pressure met his Soul Emperor power in the courtyard. The two stood opposed, with Medusa retaining the clear advantage.

• Medusa unleashed her focused Dou Zong presence on Xiao Yan and demanded to know who had given him permission to speak to her that way.
• The chapter recalled that only Xiao Huohuo had been allowed to call Medusa “Cai Lin,” and that she had grown accustomed to his familiar teasing.
• Xiao Yan refused to submit to Medusa despite her strength and the special relationship she had with Xiao Huohuo.
• Xiao Yan released six Soul Rings and his Soul Emperor presence, revealing the distinct power of the Douluo Continent.
• Medusa's Dou Zong strength still surpassed Xiao Yan's Soul Emperor power by an entire major realm.

Xiao Yan and Medusa ended their tense confrontation before Xiao Huohuo returned, and Xiao Yan teased him about visiting the Nalan Family. Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo then traveled to the Jia Ma Empire’s imperial capital, with Xiao Yan disguising his face to avoid alarming the Xiao Clan.

• Xiao Yan and Medusa withdrew their powers as Xiao Huohuo approached, choosing not to involve him in their clash.
• Xiao Yan asked Xiao Huohuo about visiting the Nalan Family, and Xiao Huohuo explained that he owed them gratitude for helping the Xiao Clan.
• Medusa disappeared after Xiao Huohuo said he would visit the Nalan Family, and Xiao Yan admitted his remarks had been deliberate.
• Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo left Wutan City and set out together for the imperial capital the next morning.
• Xiao Huohuo and Xiao Yan reached the imperial capital in a day, and Xiao Yan wore Yao Lao's mask to conceal his resemblance to Xiao Huohuo.

Xiao Huohuo returned to the Jia Ma Empire with Xiao Yan and reunited with Jia Xingtian and Hai Bodong. After Medusa frightened Hai Bodong into fleeing from the Xiao Clan residence, Xiao Huohuo realized that life between her and Xiao Yan might be difficult.

• Jia Xingtian sensed Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo approaching the imperial capital and was astonished by Xiao Huohuo’s rapid rise in cultivation.
• Xiao Huohuo introduced Xiao Yan as a friend, and Jia Xingtian accepted the explanation without asking further questions.
• Hai Bodong greeted Xiao Huohuo and brought him and Xiao Yan to the Xiao Clan’s residence, recounting what had happened during their absence.
• Medusa appeared in the courtyard and unnerved Hai Bodong by releasing a trace of her innate snake venom presence.
• Hai Bodong quickly left the residence, and Xiao Huohuo wondered what it would be like to live between Medusa and Xiao Yan.

Xiao Huohuo returned to the Xiao Clan’s residence in the imperial capital, where he reunited with his brothers Xiao Ding and Xiao Li and introduced them to Xiao Yan and Medusa as Cai Lin. His brothers sensed Medusa’s dangerous presence, while Xiao Ding noticed Xiao Huohuo’s hesitation over her name.

• Hai Bodong fled the Xiao Clan residence after seeing Medusa, and Xiao Huohuo understood that his past sealing by her still frightened him.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li hurried to greet Xiao Huohuo after hearing he had returned to the relocated Xiao Clan.
• Xiao Huohuo embraced his brothers, and the three shared their joy at being reunited.
• Xiao Huohuo introduced Xiao Yan and Medusa to Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, calling Medusa Cai Lin after a brief hesitation.
• Xiao Ding and Xiao Li sensed Medusa’s dangerous presence, and Xiao Ding noticed Xiao Huohuo’s awkwardness when introducing her.

Xiao Huohuo introduced Cai Lin as Queen Medusa to his brothers, while Xiao Yan withdrew to cultivate and strengthen himself after recalling Zhu Zhuqing’s disappearance and his defeat by the mysterious old man. After half a month of disciplined training in the Xiao Clan courtyard, Xiao Yan remained determined to grow strong enough to challenge the god he blamed.

• Xiao Huohuo told Xiao Ding and Xiao Li that Cai Lin was Queen Medusa, shocking both brothers, and said their relationship was complicated.
• Xiao Yan went to rest in a secluded courtyard and cultivated his Soul Power while leaving Xiao Huohuo to reunite with his brothers.
• Xiao Yan recalled Zhu Zhuqing’s disappearance and how the mysterious old man had effortlessly defeated his strongest attacks.
• Xiao Yan thought of Venerable Feng’s powerful stone and vowed to slay the god who had caused his suffering.
• Xiao Yan spent half a month cultivating, studying alchemy, and refining his Soul Skills while Xiao Huohuo occasionally brought him tea and snacks.

Xiao Yan continued studying alchemy while Xiao Huohuo settled the Xiao Clan’s affairs and prepared to travel with him toward the Central Plains. On the journey, Yao Lao coached Xiao Huohuo in controlling his Heavenly Flames and guided Xiao Yan in alchemy, as the three slowly made their way through the Black-Corner Region.

• Xiao Yan declined to accompany Xiao Huohuo to the Nalan Family because he was engrossed in Yao Lao’s alchemy insights, and Xiao Huohuo went alone.
• Cai Lin and Xiao Huohuo left the imperial capital separately and returned several days later; Xiao Huohuo later asked Xiao Yan whether someone had to prove himself worthy to make another person stay.
• Xiao Huohuo gave the Xiao Clan suitable cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, reserving two Earth Tier methods for Xiao Ding and Xiao Li to manage privately.
• Xiao Huohuo and Xiao Yan set out for the Central Plains without Medusa, who stayed behind to lead and protect the Snake-People Tribe.
• Yao Lao urged Xiao Huohuo to practice controlling and fusing his Heavenly Flames, while he taught Xiao Yan alchemy as they traveled toward the Black-Corner Region.