Recaps

Li Qiang and his companions fought Qi Junsha, a powerful Loose Immortal, but Li Qiang agreed to become his disciple to protect his friends and secure his help. After Qi Junsha released them from the Mystic Suppression Pagoda, they headed toward the Wild Plains, and Huang Yan followed Li Qiang’s cue to ask Qi Junsha for a gift.

• Qi Junsha appeared in the bottom chamber and easily defeated the attacks of Li Qiang, Geng Feng, and Tianhong, though Li Qiang’s layered strike sent them both flying.
• Qi Junsha restrained Geng Feng and Tianhong and declared that Li Qiang would be his founding disciple, so Li Qiang negotiated their release, his friends’ safety, and Qi Junsha’s company before accepting him as Master.
• Qi Junsha gave Li Qiang the Heavenly Silk Purple Gold Xun, released Geng Feng and Tianhong, and explained how to open the gate of the Mystic Suppression Pagoda.
• Qi Junsha used a Law Treasure to break through the Mystic Qi, but Li Qiang stopped him so Tianhong and Geng Feng could retrieve Huang Yan, and Qi Junsha captured eight Ice Spirit Essences in a plum vase.
• Tianhong and Geng Feng returned with Huang Yan, and Li Qiang gave her a little flying sword before hinting that she should ask Qi Junsha for a better gift.

Li Qiang and his companions returned to Heavenly Melody City with Qi Junsha, who broke the city’s restrictions and gave Mystic Pearls to Huang Yan and the other disciples. As the city prepared to send its disciples into the wider world, Li Qiang arranged for Old Man Kabaji and Zegu to leave safely, then heard someone call for him from outside.

• Qi Junsha gave Huang Yan a Mystic Pearl, made more for Li Qiang to distribute, and led the group upward through the restrictions.
• Lan Hainü and the others rushed to Silver Grass Slope after the ground shook, where Qi Junsha emerged and shattered the city’s defenses before Li Qiang stopped him from attacking the warriors.
• Lan Hainü learned Qi Junsha was Li Qiang’s master, and Li Qiang gave Mystic Pearls to her and the female disciples while Geng Feng and Tianhong discussed leaving Heavenly Melody City to explore the world.
• Qi Junsha broke the restrictions trapping the city, then accepted Lan Hainü’s invitation to stay while Li Qiang went back to Jinyun Hall.
• Li Qiang gave Old Man Kabaji a merchant guild card to buy Zegu a new Arrow Boat and asked Zegu to help Kabaji, then someone called to speak with Li Qiang.

Li Qiang, Geng Feng, and Qi Junsha traveled to Black Islet Reef to look for Li Qiang’s friends, but found the dock in chaos over a mistaken claim that Qi Junsha was a woman. Qi Junsha restrained the armed crowd after they attacked, and Li Qiang offered an idea for dealing with them.

• Li Qiang said goodbye to Old Man Kabaji and Zegu, while Geng Feng arranged for Heavenly Melody City disciples to escort them home.
• Li Qiang and Geng Feng agreed to travel together, and Qi Junsha joined them after hearing about the great duel on Bada Star.
• Tianhong gave Li Qiang a blue crystal token and said he would look for him on Bada Star, while Huang Yan gave Li Qiang and his sisters’ sewn clothes.
• Qi Junsha took Li Qiang and Geng Feng to Black Islet Reef, where they searched the dock but did not find Li Qiang’s friends.
• Master Hei and his men accused Qi Junsha of being a woman and tried to seize him as an offering to the Sea God.
• Qi Junsha trapped Li Qiang and Geng Feng in a ring of light, destroyed the attackers’ spine guns, and immobilized the crowd after they fired at him; Li Qiang then said he had an idea for handling them.

Li Qiang and his companions reached Black Islet Reef, where they encountered local thugs and Kudu, who warned them that something major had happened in the Wild Plains. After learning that two flying hook-chain ships had recently docked, Li Qiang wondered whether his friends had passed through and hinted at a plan to find them.

• Li Qiang stopped Qi Junsha from killing the Black Islet Reef thugs, broke the burly man's arm, and drove the group away after they threatened him.
• Li Qiang, Qi Junsha, and Geng Feng entered an eatery, where Geng Feng frightened an assistant and the owner tried to make them leave.
• Li Qiang recognized Kudu as someone who resembled Kong Hou, and Kudu warned him that cultivators were rushing toward the Wild Plains after a major event.
• Geng Feng explained that the Wild Plains had once been an important Buddha Sect site and was now a dangerous place where cultivators' strength was restricted.
• Li Qiang used money to win the owner's cooperation and learned that two flying hook-chain ships had docked and departed a few days earlier.
• Li Qiang worried that his friends might be at sea and began forming a plan to find them.

Li Qiang reunited with Hong Qian, Zhao Hao, and Divine Envoy Kaben after Qi Junsha and Geng Feng helped defeat the cultivators pursuing them. He learned that Princess Lanqiu and the others were trapped in a conflict over Sea Soul Agate on Blackwater Island, and agreed to help Kaben support Heavenly Halberd Peak before Qi Junsha began questioning a captive.

• The crowd blamed a woman for a disturbance at Black Islet Reef, but Li Qiang, Qi Junsha, and Geng Feng spotted a distant fight and flew to investigate.
• Li Qiang found Hong Qian and injured Zhao Hao defending themselves alongside Divine Envoy Kaben and Wu Chen against seven cultivators; Li Qiang and Geng Feng attacked while Qi Junsha captured the remaining foes.
• Li Qiang gave Hong Qian and Zhao Hao spirit pills, and Qi Junsha raised their power by one level as Wu Chen explained that attackers demanding Sea Soul Agate had injured his master on Blackwater Island.
• Wu Chen and Geng Feng began questioning captured cultivators while Li Qiang thanked Kaben, who asked him to escort Princess Lanqiu home and aid Heavenly Halberd Peak in the Wild Plains.
• Li Qiang agreed to support Heavenly Halberd Peak, and Qi Junsha took over questioning one of the captives.

Qi Junsha led Li Qiang and the others to Blackwater Island, where they joined the battle against Qianjie Star cultivators and confronted Situ Yong. As Li Qiang fought Situ Yong, Qi Junsha began collecting the enemy’s Nascent Soul spirits, prompting Situ Yong to attack him.

• Qi Junsha used his influence to make Ying Wuqu reveal that Old Man Baihuang had sent forty-six cultivators to find sea soul agate for a battle on Bada Star.
• Qi Junsha gave protective jade plaques to Li Qiang and his companions, improved Zhao Hao’s Dark Gold Armor, and took them to Blackwater Island.
• Qi Junsha broke the illusion hiding Blackwater Island, revealing its defenses under attack, and Li Qiang and his companions descended to fight.
• Li Qiang confronted Situ Yong at the island’s central peak and drove him away with Heavenly Fire Purple Flowers.
• Situ Yong and Su Ziqi deployed Soul-Seizing Black Spheres against Li Qiang, but Qi Junsha began collecting the Nascent Soul spirits with a purple crystal bottle.
• Situ Yong abandoned his fight with Li Qiang and lunged at Qi Junsha as the other cultivators tried to stop him from collecting their spirits.

Li Qiang and Qi Junsha defeated Situ Yong’s forces, then reunited with Li Qiang’s brothers on Blackwater Island. After introducing Qi Junsha to them, Li Qiang went with the group to visit the injured island master, where they encountered a pair of speaking puppets.

• Situ Yong attacked Qi Junsha while Li Qiang fought Su Ziqi and several cultivators, but Qi Junsha ignored the Soul-Shattering Golden Finger and destroyed the Soul-Seizing Black Spheres to collect the trapped souls.
• Qi Junsha identified Li Qiang as his disciple, warned Situ Yong not to trouble him or his friends, and let the Qianjie Star cultivators leave.
• Li Qiang reunited with Nashan and the brothers, introduced Qi Junsha as their old master, and watched as Qi Junsha gave them spirit pills.
• Li Qiang greeted Princess Lanqiu, then joined Wu Chen and the others to visit the injured Island Master Buliban.
• Wu Chen led the group through a hidden passage, where Qi Junsha recognized two maidservants as puppets and Li Qiang recoiled when they spoke.

Li Qiang and his companions gathered at Blackwater Island, where Qi Junsha warned him about the danger of helping a thousand-year Nascent Soul become a Loose Immortal. They learned that a new mystery tied to the Buddha Sect was drawing cultivators to the Wild Plains, and Qi Junsha prepared to take the group there by teleportation.

• Qi Junsha explained the soul-attached puppets, and Li Qiang accepted Sea Soul Agate from Island Lord Buliban while tactfully keeping quiet about already finding better material.
• Qi Junsha revealed that a thousand-year Nascent Soul could be used to advance a cultivator or forge a powerful Law Treasure, but Li Qiang remained determined to help his friend become a Loose Immortal.
• Divine Envoy Kaben and Buliban described the Wild Plains' history, and Li Qiang realized Qi Junsha was one of the seven experts once sealed by the Buddha Sect.
• Qi Junsha agreed to teleport the group across the Sea of Wronged Souls as they set out to investigate the Wild Plains, while Kaben warned that the journey seemed ill-omened.
• Paben arrived with the little sea demon, which Buliban identified as a powerful Soul-Devouring Demon, and Li Qiang refused to train or use it as a Law Treasure.
• Li Qiang told Paben to prepare to return home with him instead of joining the dangerous expedition, and Qi Junsha called everyone to get ready before discovering how enormous their boxes were.

Qi Junsha struggled to teleport Li Qiang’s enormous party and Princess Lanqiu’s luggage, then sent Li Qiang’s first group to the Western Continent. The group waited in a downpour for the others to arrive, but the chapter ended with them playing in the mud and still unsure whether Qi Junsha’s teleportation had gone wrong.

• Qi Junsha gave Nashan and Tange short swords named Against the Light and Against the Radiance, and Geng Feng joined their test fight and beat them.
• Li Qiang arranged for Princess Lanqiu’s trunks to travel by ship, then entered Qi Junsha’s teleportation array with the first group.
• Li Qiang’s group appeared in the Western Continent, where they learned they were near the border between the Jiunan Kingdom and the Mangye Tribe.
• Li Qiang’s group met a freight caravan, learned their location from its riders, and waited in heavy rain for the others to teleport over.
• Paben returned with news that the rain could last days, and Li Qiang, Nashan, Tange, and the others started a mud fight while Hong Qian watched.
• Hong Qian falsely shouted that Princess Lanqiu had arrived, sending everyone into the pool before Li Qiang realized the others had not appeared.

Li Qiang and his companions reached Butang Earthen Stockade while traveling toward the Ladu Kingdom, where they encountered the murderous Spirit Ghost Master and his men. Li Qiang destroyed the Spirit Ghost Master’s soul magic with the little sea demon, and Tang Badong begged for his life by offering information.

• Li Qiang’s group stayed at Duji Inn and learned they would need a guide and Black-Tipped Mounts to travel onward to the Ladu Kingdom.
• Li Qiang bought all the white nuts from a poor child, gave him food and money, and heard that the child’s injured father depended on him for support.
• Tang Badong and his armed men forced their way into the crowded inn, driving most of the guests out and confronting the Four Heroes of Mangye.
• The Spirit Ghost Master attacked the Four Heroes with black smoke and souls, but Li Qiang released the little sea demon to devour the spirits and freed them.
• Li Qiang burned Tang Badong’s weapon, took the Spirit Ghost Master’s staff, and used the little sea demon to consume the souls sustaining him, leaving only bones.
• Tang Badong begged Li Qiang not to kill him and offered to share news.

Li Qiang learned that Blessing Bailing was connected to the Wild Plains Buddhist Site, advanced into the Leaving the Body Realm, and set out with a smaller party for Heavenly Road Grassland. The group rode toward unexplained smoke rising ahead as they traveled through the rain.

• Li Qiang spared Tang Badong after learning about Blessing Bailing, took half his Black-Tipped Mounts, and made him pay for the inn damage.
• Wan Gong and his companions agreed to guide Li Qiang's party toward Heavenly Road Grassland, and Hong Qian revealed that he had cut off Teng Yishou's hand.
• Li Qiang spent the night cultivating and naturally advanced into the Leaving the Body Realm.
• Li Qiang split the travelers, sending Tange and Qianqi Gong with the others toward the Ladu Kingdom while he took Hong Qian, Paben, Nashan, Wan Gong, Bi Tong, and Bi Shi toward Heavenly Road Grassland.
• As the party rode through heavy rain, Wan Gong described the Wild Plains' deadly reputation, and the group spotted smoke ahead and raced toward it.

Li Qiang and his companions intervened when Fan Kingdom warriors attacked Rock Stronghold, defeating them and helping the Wind Vulture Escort Agency guards. After the Fan Kingdom force retreated, Lang Qianye recognized Hong Qian as the uncle who had once saved him.

• Li Qiang, Hong Qian, and their companions reached a hillside overlooking Rock Stronghold and found Fan Kingdom warriors attacking the settlement.
• Nashan and Paben killed Swift-Armored Meng and drove back the first group of warriors; Li Qiang then used a branch to knock down a larger charge without seriously injuring anyone.
• When guards from the Wind Vulture Escort Agency emerged from Rock Stronghold, Li Qiang, Nashan, and Paben joined the battle while Hong Qian protected Wan Gong, Bi Tong, and Bi Shi.
• Li Qiang’s shout stopped the fighting, and lightning struck the Fan Kingdom ranks after Nashan used the Azure Shadow Binding; the warriors then retreated without answering Li Qiang’s questions.
• The escort agency’s leader introduced Lang Qianye, who recognized Hong Qian as the uncle who had saved him and embraced him in tears.

Li Qiang and his companions reached a deserted town where invisible Soul-Seizing Threads had left its inhabitants unconscious and drawn their souls toward a forest. Li Qiang followed the souls, broke through a Flag Gate Formation, and found three black-robed figures chanting beside an altar as a skull swallowed the captured souls.

• Lang Qianye reunited with Hong Qian at Rock Stronghold, and Li Qiang gave him a Lesser Origin-Nurturing Pill.
• Lang Qianye warned the group about strange deaths near the Wild Plains and rumors surrounding the Hundred Spirits Blessing; Li Qiang sensed danger and left with his companions.
• Li Qiang's group reached an empty town, where Soul-Seizing Threads had ensnared its inhabitants and begun drawing out their souls.
• Li Qiang used the Star-Absorbing Sword to clear the threads from his companions, then followed the souls into a forest while Hong Qian guarded the others.
• Li Qiang defeated two ambushers and broke through a Flag Gate Formation with his sword, Heavenly Fire Purple Flowers, and Eighteen Demon-Extinguishing Hands.
• Li Qiang found an altar where a skull swallowed the captured souls as three black-robed figures chanted beside it.

Li Qiang destroyed the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand’s physical form, fought off two arrogant cultivators from Heavenly Halberd Peak, and helped the little sea demon absorb the released souls and form an inner core. He returned to town to find mass deaths and warnings that the Western Continent had fallen into chaos, while his group prepared to leave for the Heavenly Road Grassland.

• Li Qiang killed the three black-robed figures and fought the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand, but the wand escaped after killing hundreds of Fan Kingdom warriors.
• Two cultivators from Heavenly Halberd Peak attacked Li Qiang, and he destroyed their paired swords before letting them flee.
• Li Qiang shattered the black flags, and the little sea demon devoured the freed souls and formed an inner core with his help.
• Li Qiang returned to town and found Hong Qian, Nashan, and the others safe, while Wan Gong began cultivating with the pills Li Qiang gave him.
• Hong Qian reported that a third of the town’s people had died, and the innkeeper warned Li Qiang’s group that the Western Continent had fallen into chaos.

Li Qiang’s party reached Andu Stockade to gather information and find companions for crossing the dangerous Heavenly Road Grassland. After joining a large caravan, they befriended Zhutou’s rough traveling party, while the reason for the recent disappearances remained unknown.

• Wan Gong sent Bi Shi and Bi Tong back to alert the Mangye Tribe about the strange deaths, and Li Qiang gave them jade talismans.
• Li Qiang’s party reached Andu Stockade’s West Stockade, where they found few travelers and learned that caravans had been disappearing.
• Kazhu invited Li Qiang’s party to travel with the caravans, and they agreed to wait for the newly arrived large caravan.
• Zhutou and his men crowded into Li Qiang’s room, where Nashan nearly crushed Zhutou’s hand during a handshake before Li Qiang stopped him.
• Nashan shared fresh meat with Zhutou’s group, and Li Qiang’s party quickly became friendly with the travelers.

Li Qiang joined Zhutou’s caravan as a heavy archer, and the group set out across Heavenly Road Grassland despite reports of formidable monsters. When thousands of Saber-Toothed Hao attacked, Li Qiang used True Essence Power to save Zhutou from a leaping beast, while Nashan warned that the small traders behind them were in danger.

• Kazhu joined Li Qiang and Zhutou’s group for a meal and reported that monsters had devastated the Beast-Splitting Tribe and might force it back into Andu Stockade.
• Before dawn, Zhutou organized his team for the journey, and Li Qiang and Hong Qian demonstrated that they could draw heavy bows.
• Zhutou’s caravan departed across Heavenly Road Grassland with Li Qiang’s group guarding the wagons on the right flank.
• A scout warned that a large pack of Saber-Toothed Hao was ahead, and Zhutou ordered the caravan to ready its weapons and hold formation.
• Thousands of Saber-Toothed Hao charged the caravan, and Li Qiang shot down one that was about to attack Zhutou.
• Nashan noticed that the small traders following the caravan were in danger.

Li Qiang and Hong Qian helped the caravan survive a Saber-Toothed Hao attack, then Li Qiang discovered that Beast-Splitting Tribe members had been directing the beasts. The tribe's captured man tried to kill himself, leaving the reason for the assault unknown.

• Li Qiang, Nashan, and Paben fought through the Saber-Toothed Hao to rescue the caravan's rear, and Li Qiang broke his heavy bow before using the Star-Absorbing Sword to kill the beasts.
• Hong Qian organized the caravan into a defensive circle while Li Qiang flew ahead and found Beast-Splitting Tribe members directing the monsters.
• Li Qiang fought off the tribe's birds and black worms, severed the leader's hand, and captured him as the others escaped by teleportation.
• The Saber-Toothed Hao fled, and Li Qiang returned the captured man to the caravan for questioning.
• The prisoner tried to detonate a crystal rod, but Paben stopped him; after Laitou reported that the Beast-Splitting Tribe man had killed himself, the caravan was left without answers.

Li Qiang helped the caravan survive a poisoned corpse’s explosion, organized its defenses, and prepared it for an expected Beast-Splitting Tribe attack. As dawn approached, he discovered the attackers’ first threat was a vast swarm of venomous Fire-Splitting Insects, and the battle was about to begin.

• A Beast-Splitting Tribe member’s corpse exploded with poisonous black liquid, and Li Qiang saved Tudun and treated the other injured guards.
• Li Qiang advised Ban Dong to camp after caravan members voted to stay, then comforted Kazhu over the loss of his friend and goods.
• Li Qiang and Hong Qian predicted a nighttime attack, kept watch, and detected a huge force approaching the camp.
• Li Qiang distributed explosive bombs, Spine-Piercing Spears, and Rainbow Cone Cannons to arm the caravan for battle.
• Li Qiang investigated the rippling grass and found countless Fire-Splitting Insects; Ban Dong identified them as exceptionally dangerous, and Li Qiang and Hong Qian prepared to fight.

Li Qiang helped Hong Qian destroy the Fire-Splitting Insects, then flew off to find the Beast-Splitting Tribe as a huge monster horde attacked the caravan. He fell into a trap set by Heavenly Halberd Peak, and Long Qianyue realized too late that their captive was Li Qiang of the Chongxuan Sect; Li Qiang remained trapped while the caravan struggled against the monsters.

• Li Qiang and Hong Qian used Rainbow Cone Cannons and swords to nearly wipe out the Fire-Splitting Insects as a massive monster horde approached.
• Li Qiang told Hong Qian to guard the caravan and flew toward the rear of the horde to find the Beast-Splitting Tribe, while Nashan and the guards helped defend the wagons.
• Li Qiang used the Sound-Splashing Method to scatter the blue birds, then discovered invisible nets surrounding him as seven armored cultivators appeared.
• Ming Lingzi and Hong Yunzi accused Li Qiang, and he attacked them with the Star-Absorbing Sword's True Illusion Sword Qi before Long Qianyue activated the Myriad-Layer Great Formation.
• Li Qiang began refining the Mystic Pearl into his sword inside the formation, while Long Qianyue learned the truth about the conflict and recognized Li Qiang's identity.
• Long Qianyue hesitated over whether to release or kill Li Qiang as the trapped cultivator remained unable to escape and the caravan continued battling the monster horde.

The caravan struggled against waves of monsters while Li Qiang faced Long Qianyue and forged a transformed flying sword. After the Supreme Radiance Shuttle shattered the formation and devastated Long Qianyue’s group, Li Qiang reunited with Hong Qian but collapsed from his injuries as the caravan still faced two Earthfire Beasts.

• Hong Qian and the caravan fought off repeated Saber-Toothed Hao and Combat Beast attacks as casualties mounted and Ban Dong prepared for a possible retreat.
• Li Qiang fused Heavenly Fire, Mystic Qi, and sword mist through tonal sequences, creating a transformed Star-Absorbing Sword, while Long Qianyue ordered the Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder attack.
• Long Qianyue struck Li Qiang with five thunderbolts, but the Supreme Radiance Shuttle activated and destroyed the Myriad-Layer Great Formation, killing Hong Yunzi’s physical body and injuring Long Qianyue.
• Tudun sacrificed himself to save Choujiao as the caravan’s defenses collapsed, while Nashan rallied the survivors and wounded one Earthfire Beast with the cannons and Spine-Piercing Spears.
• Hong Qian flew to the golden eruption, and the Supreme Radiance Shuttle shattered the attackers’ weapons and armor; Ming Lingzi fled with Hong Yunzi’s Nascent Soul as Long Qianyue’s group withdrew.
• Li Qiang stopped Hong Qian from attacking the defeated group, learned that the caravan was still threatened by two Earthfire Beasts, and then lost consciousness while falling from the sky.

After Hong Qian stopped the Beast-Splitting Tribe from directing monsters at the caravan, the exhausted survivors faced a wounded Earthfire Beast until Hong Qian destroyed it. Li Qiang recovered and began refining his sword, but the chapter ended as a group of cultivators approached.

• Hong Qian found the Beast-Splitting Tribe, killed their spirit ghost master, and learned that spirit ghost masters were arranging horrific deaths to collect something for the Wild Plains Patriarch and the Blessing-Prayer Hundred Spirits.
• The caravan's defenses collapsed under the monsters' renewed attack, and many people died before the Beast-Splitting Tribe's whistles made the herd retreat.
• Nashan, Paben, and the guards tried to draw the wounded Earthfire Beast away, but Hong Qian used a Rainbow Cone Cannon to blow it apart.
• The survivors mourned Laitou and counted their heavy losses, while Hong Qian, Nashan, and Paben guarded Li Qiang as he healed and repaired his armor.
• Li Qiang recovered and began refining his sword into Sword Mist, then spotted approaching cultivators and wondered whether they were friends or foes.

After helping the devastated caravan survive a monster attack and grassland fire, Li Qiang met cultivators from the Ancient Sword Academy, who chose not to join his investigation. Li Qiang and his companions reached the deserted Andu Central Stockade, where the little sea demon sensed a trail and led them onward.

• Li Qiang treated the caravan’s wounded, consoled Ban Dong, and discovered Kazhu had died in the attack.
• Li Qiang and Hong Qian helped the caravan while cultivators led by Bai Ruoquan and Li Xiaotian extinguished the grassland fire and treated the wounded.
• Bai Ruoquan and Li Xiaotian introduced themselves as members of the Ancient Sword Academy, but declined to join Li Qiang’s plan to investigate Andu Central Stockade.
• Li Qiang gave Wan Gong armor and a sacred saber, then Ban Dong led the caravan back while Li Qiang and his three companions flew to Andu Central Stockade.
• Li Qiang’s group found the stockade deserted and dusty, and the little sea demon led them away after sensing something ahead.

Li Qiang infiltrated a lakeside Great Soul Refining Formation while a procession of enthralled men entered it, and Hong Qian waited outside with Nashan and Paben. Divine Envoy Kaben and other cultivators arrived to destroy the formation, but as they unleashed their strongest Heaven-Smiting Thunder, Nashan warned that Li Qiang was still inside.

• Li Qiang discovered hidden black threads around the lake, then promised to take Hong Qian with him and teach him while honoring Ming Zhiyuan as Hong Qian's master.
• At dawn, Li Qiang told Hong Qian to seek help in Ladu Kingdom if the formation trapped him, then spotted a procession of walking corpses led by spirit ghost masters.
• Li Qiang burrowed beneath the procession, entered it unnoticed, and followed the men along a submerged walkway into the lake's formation.
• Divine Envoy Kaben, Geng Feng, and other cultivators arrived, placed Nashan and Paben inside Kaben's protective shield, and prepared to break the Great Soul Refining Formation.
• The cultivators used Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder strikes to tear open the formation's black net, then prepared their combined Heaven-Smiting Thunder as Nashan shouted that Li Qiang was still below.

Li Qiang pursued the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand into an ancient underground fortress, where he met the spirit ghost Gu Mei'er. After learning how she had lost her body and survived, he offered to build a defensive formation for her, leaving her wondering why he would help.

• The Heaven-Smiting Thunder destroyed the Great Soul Refining Formation, and Nashan, Paben, and Hong Qian sensed that Li Qiang had left while Divine Envoy Kaben hurried to address their grievances with Heavenly Halberd Peak.
• Li Qiang chased the fleeing Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand underground, reached the Wild Plains' heartland, and escaped a powerful force that trapped him beneath the sealed ground.
• Li Qiang entered an ancient fortress, found a cultivator's remains and storage belt, and discovered a vast hall containing gold sand, an inscribed gold plate, and a red button.
• The little sea demon exposed a frightened spirit ghost, and Li Qiang learned that she was Gu Mei'er, a former Nascent Soul cultivator who had cultivated a spirit body in the fortress.
• Li Qiang returned Gu Mei'er's storage belt and offered to accompany her or help protect her; when she chose to stay, he offered to build her a defensive formation.

Li Qiang helped Gu Mei'er solidify her spirit body with Mystic Ice Essence, gave her treasures, and accepted her as his sworn little sister. They searched an ancient castle for a way out, and Li Qiang began clearing a collapsed passage with the Star-Absorbing Sword as Gu Mei'er braced herself to follow.

• Gu Mei'er agreed to trust Li Qiang, who promised to help her cultivate and gave her three drops of Mystic Ice Essence.
• Gu Mei'er's spirit body solidified, granting her the ability to transform and an innate beguiling charm; Li Qiang made her a necklace and a cold jade hairpin.
• Gu Mei'er became Li Qiang's sworn little sister, named the little sea demon Blue Light, and led him toward a passage she feared might lead outside.
• Li Qiang and Gu Mei'er found the upward passage collapsed, and Gu Mei'er told him about the Great Illusion Star Sword Sect and the three realms of True Illusion Sword Qi.
• Li Qiang drove the Star-Absorbing Sword into the collapsed passage to clear a way upward while Gu Mei'er gathered her courage to follow.