Recaps

Zi Kun selected Xiang Fengsheng for his battle formation after receiving a private instruction from Xiang Longfei, though he remained suspicious about how Xiang Longfei knew. During the formation contests, Zi Kun’s team battled Xiang He’s and gained the upper hand, leaving Xiang He unable to steady his swaying formation as Zi Kun’s weapon transformed and thrust toward him.

• Zi Kun chose three companions and, after Xiang Longfei urged him through a voice transmission, selected Xiang Fengsheng as the final member.
• Zi Kun kept Xiang Longfei’s transmission from Xiang Qing, wary of revealing that he knew Xiang Fengsheng’s circumstances were under scrutiny.
• The battle formation contests began, and Xiang He quickly challenged Zi Kun’s formation.
• Zi Kun’s purple warhammer formation clashed repeatedly with Xiang He’s silver spear formation, and Zi Kun’s superior bloodline power began to suppress his opponent.
• Xiang He struck at Xiang Mei, but Zi Kun reinforced her defense, while the force of the attack injured two of Xiang He’s formation members.
• Zi Kun knocked Xiang He’s formation aside and transformed his hammer handle into a spear, thrusting at Xiang He while he struggled to stabilize the swaying formation.

Zi Kun killed Xiang He during the battle-array assessment after Xiang Fengsheng tried to use a hidden attack against him. The assessment ended with Zi Kun ranked second, and Xiang Longfei later confronted Xiang Fengsheng over his betrayal and seized him for the clan elders.

• Xiang Fengsheng tried to use a concealed wisp of smoke to ambush Zi Kun, but Zi Kun left the formation eye, swept the smoke toward Xiang He, and killed him with a vajra pestle.
• Zi Kun concealed his suspicions about Xiang Fengsheng and won second place in the battle-array assessment, while Xiang Fengsheng put away the Ornamental Pendant and believed his involvement had gone unnoticed.
• Li Yan and Zi Kun left the assessment as Xiang He's branch bore a grudge, and Xiang Yun's group also showed hostility toward Li Yan.
• Xiang Qing told Xiang Longfei what had happened, and Xiang Longfei summoned Xiang Fengsheng and demanded the Ornamental Pendant.
• Xiang Fengsheng confessed that he had sold branch secrets to Xiang He, and Xiang Longfei seized him and took him to the clan elders.

Xiang Qing explained why Xiang Longfei had sent Xiang Fengsheng into Zi Kun’s battle formation, and why he later brought him before the clan elders. As Li Yan prepared to leave the clan, Zi Kun received an alert that an outsider had invaded and rushed to respond.

• Xiang Qing told Zi Kun that her aunt had suggested giving either Zi Kun or Xiang Fengsheng another chance to improve their sequence ranking.
• Xiang Longfei realized his elder sister might have been exploited and decided Xiang Fengsheng’s actions needed a thorough investigation by the clan elders.
• Xiang Qing left to learn the investigation’s result, while Li Yan told Zi Kun that he and Qianji would leave early the morning after next.
• Li Yan decided to leave quickly because Xiang Yun and Xiang He’s relatives might target him to hurt Zi Kun, and he warned Zi Kun to stay cautious.
• Zi Kun received a red alert on his token that an outsider had invaded, opened the courtyard gate, and set off to respond.

Li Yan learned how the Purple God Dragon-Elephant Clan fought territorial wars against the Black Wind Ghost Eagle Clan and asked Xiang Longfei to let him join the battle. As the two armies faced each other, Xiang Longfei and Zi Kun understood that Li Yan had come to protect Zi Kun from a possible attack amid the fighting.

• Li Yan stopped Zi Kun to ask about the invasion, and Zi Kun explained the Black Wind Ghost Eagle Clan’s tactics and the limits clans observed to prevent a war of annihilation.
• Li Yan asked Xiang Longfei whether he could join the battle, and Xiang Longfei agreed after understanding that Li Yan wanted to protect Zi Kun.
• Li Yan surveyed the Purple God Dragon-Elephant army and saw the approaching Black Wind Ghost Eagle force beneath storm-dark skies.
• The clans deployed large numbers of third-order fighters, making the conflict their largest kind of battle short of a final decisive war.
• Xiang Longfei switched places with a Void Refinement Realm elder and went to the front, while the elder remained behind to guard the clan.

Li Yan learned that the Black Wind Ghost Eagle Clan had timed its attack to exploit the Purple God Dragon-Elephant Clan’s recent sequence assessment and internal divisions. As the battle erupted, Xiang Wentian and his allies prepared to use the chaos to kill Zi Kun, while Li Yan stayed with the reserve army to watch over him.

• Xiang Longfei warned Li Yan that Xiang Yun, Xiang Wentian, and Xiang Jiehuo might target Zi Kun, and explained that the Black Wind Ghost Eagle Clan had chosen the moment to exploit the clan’s weakened forces and infighting.
• Qianji joined Zi Kun on the battlefield, and Zi Kun agreed to fight beside him while Xiang Qing watched their unusual banter.
• Xiang Wentian, Xiang Jiehuo, and Xiang Yun discussed killing Zi Kun during the battle, with Xiang Yun warning that the plan was risky and Xiang Wentian determined not to miss his chance.
• The battle erupted, and Xiang Longfei flew to fight the sixth-order Black Wind Ghost Eagles while Li Yan remained at the reserve army to watch over Zi Kun.

Li Yan watched the battlefield as Zi Kun and Qianji’s deeply practiced ice-and-fire teamwork devastated the Black Wind Ghost Eagle Clan. After Xiang Qing struggled to keep pace and enemies mistook their coordination for a battle formation, the two found themselves surrounded by a growing number of foes.

• Li Yan concealed his aura among the supporting troops and watched the fierce fighting across the grassland.
• Zi Kun and Qianji combined ice and fire attacks, using their long-standing trust and coordination to kill their opponents with startling speed.
• Xiang Qing tried to fight alongside them but could not follow their unpredictable movements, then wondered whether their teamwork was an advanced battle formation.
• Black Wind Ghost Eagle Clan cultivators were caught off guard by the pair’s shifting attacks and suffered heavy losses.
• After roughly thirty breaths, Zi Kun and Qianji sensed danger as Black Wind Ghost Eagle Clan cultivators converged on them from every direction.

Zi Kun and Qianji were surrounded as the Black Wind Ghost Eagles concentrated their forces on killing them, while Xiang Qing and other allies struggled to reach them. Li Yan recognized that Xiang Yun and Xiang Wentian had spread a false rumor that Zi Kun was the Supreme Great Elder’s disciple, leaving the trap in motion.

• The Black Wind Ghost Eagles used secret arts to hold back Xiang Qing’s group while others encircled Zi Kun and Qianji.
• Xiang Qing and nearby allies tried to break through and rescue Zi Kun, but enemy reinforcements pushed them farther away.
• Xiang Qing suspected Xiang He’s branch was behind the attack and coordinated a breakout with trusted cultivators.
• Li Yan watched without intervening, judging that Zi Kun and Qianji were not yet in immediate mortal danger.
• Li Yan heard Black Wind Ghost Eagle cultivators identify Zi Kun as the enemy Supreme Great Elder’s disciple and realized Xiang Yun and Xiang Wentian had planted the rumor to draw the enemy onto him.

Zi Kun and Qianji were trapped by Black Wind Ghost Eagle cultivators after Xiang Wentian’s scheme exposed Zi Kun as a possible disciple of the Purple God Dragon-Elephant Clan’s Supreme Great Elder. As Xiang Longfei and other elders struggled to reach them, Li Yan left the reserve force to intervene and was intercepted by a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator.

• Xiang Qing learned why the Black Wind Ghost Eagles were targeting Zi Kun, but her formation and other rescuers could not break through the enemy’s blockade.
• Xiang Longfei rushed to aid Zi Kun and Qianji, but a powerful Black Wind Ghost Eagle blocked him while the pair fought on, badly wounded and surrounded.
• The Black Wind Ghost Eagle leader ordered his cultivators to kill Zi Kun and Qianji quickly, suspecting one was the Supreme Great Elder’s disciple.
• Xiang Longfei realized Xiang Wentian and others had engineered the attack, while several elders refused to help and the Black Wind Ghost Eagles blocked their advance.
• Li Yan left the Purple God Dragon-Elephant reserve force to rescue Zi Kun and Qianji, but a late-stage Void Refinement Black Wind Ghost Eagle intercepted him and challenged him to commit the reserve armies.

Li Yan charged into the Black Wind Ghost Eagle ranks to reach the trapped Zi Kun and his companion, and defeated Qi Chuyang with a single devastating blow. The battlefield reeled at Li Yan’s strength as he plunged deeper into the enemy formation.

• Xiang Yun and the others decided to gamble that the Supreme Great Elder would not intervene, leaving Li Yan as the last uncertainty in their plan to kill Zi Kun.
• Xiang Yun said Li Yan had only four breaths to defeat Qi Chuyang, while Zi Kun and the white-robed cultivator struggled to survive their encirclement.
• Li Yan shattered Qi Chuyang’s hand-blade, crushed half his face, and sent him flying with one punch.
• Li Yan left the gravely injured Qi Chuyang behind and charged into the Black Wind Ghost Eagle ranks.
• The Black Wind Ghost Eagle fighters and the reserve forces stared in disbelief at Li Yan’s strength.

Li Yan defeated Qi Chuyang and broke through the Black Wind Ghost Eagle Clan’s encirclement to rescue Zi Kun and Qianji. He carried them and several other wounded Purple Divine Dragon Clan cultivators toward the reserve army while powerful enemies pursued.

• Li Yan sent Qi Chuyang flying with one punch, and Xiang Jiehuo realized Qi Chuyang had not suffered a cultivation mishap.
• Xiang Longfei and other cultivators engaged the Black Wind Ghost Eagle Clan experts who tried to pursue Li Yan or attack him.
• Li Yan charged through the Black Wind Ghost Eagle cultivators surrounding Zi Kun and Qianji, cutting a bloody path toward them.
• Zi Kun and Qianji fought on despite exhaustion, and Zi Kun took a severe wound while shielding Qianji from a fatal strike.
• Li Yan appeared before Zi Kun and Qianji, led them through the remaining encirclement, and swept up six or seven wounded cultivators along the way.
• With powerful auras pursuing him, Li Yan carried the rescued cultivators toward the reserve army without lingering in the battle.

After the clan war, Li Yan prepared to leave, but Zi Kun received an invitation from his master for Li Yan to visit. Li Yan followed Zi Kun to the master’s bamboo courtyard, where the silver-robed youth asked to speak with him alone.

• The battle ended after more than a day of heavy casualties, and Zi Kun was ordered to stay behind and recover rather than return to the front.
• Li Yan learned that Xiang Qing and Xiang Longfei had survived, then told Zi Kun he planned to leave soon because he feared Xiang Yun and the others might target him and Qianji.
• Zi Kun set out to handle Li Yan’s request but returned after receiving a voice transmission from his master, who wanted to meet Li Yan.
• Li Yan agreed to go with Zi Kun, and the two traveled to a bamboo grove while Zi Kun explained his master’s circumstances.
• The silver-robed youth greeted Li Yan at the bamboo courtyard, sent Zi Kun away, and invited Li Yan to speak with him alone.

Li Yan met Xiang Yanxiu, who recognized the Qiongqi aura in Li Yan’s Body Refining Technique and asked whether it was connected to the ancient savage beast. Xiang Yanxiu then revealed that he wanted Li Yan’s help with an ancient pill formula whose ingredients he could not fully obtain, leaving the request and its risks unexplained.

• Li Yan admired the rare spirit plants in the courtyard and met Xiang Yanxiu, who served him tea brewed from a Dragon Blood Mud Flower.
• Li Yan accurately described the flower’s effects, impressing Xiang Yanxiu with his knowledge.
• Xiang Yanxiu asked whether Li Yan’s Body Refining Technique was related to Qiongqi, and Li Yan confirmed that it was.
• Xiang Yanxiu explained that Qiongqi was known only through legends in the Heavenly Demon Grassland and that its descendants were said to dwell deep within it.
• Li Yan cautiously asked what Xiang Yanxiu wanted from him and warned that he would not agree before learning whether the task was within his abilities.
• Xiang Yanxiu revealed that he had an ancient pill formula and nearly all its ingredients, but could not find one supplementary spirit plant and had gathered possible substitutes.

Xiang Yanxiu explained that he needed Li Yan’s unusually pure Qiongqi power to suppress a force inside sealed ruins while he broke through their restrictions, offering Li Yan a reward for helping. Li Yan became interested in the possible Qiongqi inheritance but remained wary as he weighed Xiang Yanxiu’s claims and the danger of the expedition.

• Xiang Yanxiu told Li Yan that a rare Seven Forgetting Chrysanthemum might grow in a spiritual field hidden in ruins within the Heavenly Demon Grassland.
• Xiang Yanxiu explained that a violent strand of Qiongqi power inside the ruins’ restrictions had thwarted his attempts to enter, and that Li Yan’s aura had prompted him to seek help.
• Li Yan concealed his knowledge of the Seven Forgetting Chrysanthemum and considered whether Xiang Yanxiu might be trying to use him as a blood sacrifice.
• Xiang Yanxiu said that Qiongqi-totem clans could not help because their power was either superficial or mixed with other bloodlines, while Li Yan’s Qiongqi power was unusually pure.
• Li Yan connected his pure Qiongqi aura to the Tianli Clan’s ancestral inheritance and reconsidered how Demon Beast inheritances could be transmitted.
• Xiang Yanxiu offered Li Yan a seventh-grade Pill, a defensive magic treasure, or thirty percent of any treasures found if he agreed to help suppress the force while Xiang Yanxiu opened the restrictions.

Li Yan agreed to help Xiang Yanxiu suppress a force in exchange for a contract guaranteeing his safety and agreed rewards. After they sealed the contract, Xiang Yanxiu explained the Yuan Bone Pill he hoped to refine and revealed that the vanished clan was the Blood Soul Black Tiger, which may have been connected to Qiongqi.

• Li Yan hesitated over Xiang Yanxiu's request because he needed to leave the Heavenly Demon Grassland, but Xiang Yanxiu promised to use teleportation arrays to finish the journey within about a month.
• Li Yan agreed to accompany Xiang Yanxiu after they signed a contract binding them to their terms and protecting both parties from betrayal.
• Li Yan asked about Xiang Yanxiu's pill and the vanished clan, and Xiang Yanxiu explained that the seventh-grade reward would be a Yuan Bone Pill for Body Integration Realm body cultivators.
• Xiang Yanxiu identified the vanished clan as the Blood Soul Black Tiger and said clues suggested it had a connection to Qiongqi, whose power might be sealed within the restriction.

Li Yan prepared to leave with Xiang Yanxiu to investigate the Blood Soul Black Tiger clan’s ruins, hoping to learn more about Qiongqi. Before departing, he secured the Ornamental Pendant and its control incantation, then began learning how to use the treasure.

• Li Yan recalled Xiang Yanxiu’s explanation that the Blood Soul Black Tiger clan’s Qiongqi-like power might provide a valuable reference for his cultivation.
• Li Yan told Zi Kun that Xiang Yanxiu needed him to assist with alchemy and that he might be away for a month, while assuring him Xiang Yanxiu would arrange a safe departure.
• Zi Kun gave Li Yan the Ornamental Pendant he had retrieved from the clan and a jade slip containing its control incantation.
• Li Yan returned to his room, activated its formations, and began cultivating according to the incantation to learn how to control the pendant.

Li Yan tested the Ornamental Pendant’s incantation and discovered that its smoke caused dizziness and prevented spiritual power from circulating. The damaged cauldron reacted to the pendant, absorbed it, and transformed from blackish-gray to azure green, confirming that the two treasures were connected.

• Li Yan learned the Ornamental Pendant’s incantation and released all the smoke stored inside it.
• Li Yan’s divine sense grew dizzy when it touched the smoke, and a gu insect that entered the smoke became powerless while remaining conscious.
• Li Yan brought out his damaged cauldron, which formed a branch of light that seized the pendant and drew it inside.
• The pendant’s golden frame fell empty, and the cauldron changed from blackish-gray to azure green.
• Li Yan recalled how he had obtained the cauldron and realized that its smoke shared the Ornamental Pendant’s aura.

Li Yan discovered that the Ornamental Pendant had restored a damaged section of the great cauldron, changing its appearance and improving its function. After testing it, he concluded that the cauldron now operated more smoothly and consumed far less spiritual power and divine sense, leaving him able to use it more safely.

• Li Yan saw the Ornamental Pendant merge into the great cauldron and restore a missing piece on one of its legs.
• Li Yan activated the repaired cauldron and found that it blurred from sight, emitted faint mist, and produced a powerful suction force.
• Li Yan sent a gu insect into the mist, and the cauldron sucked it inside and made it disappear completely.
• Li Yan inspected the cauldron and realized its activation consumed less than one-tenth of his former spiritual power and divine sense.
• Li Yan reasoned that the restored formation node had let the cauldron circulate its power normally, making it more controlled and usable.

Li Yan tested the improved great cauldron, then traveled with Xiang Yanxiu across the Heavenly Demon Grassland toward a clan whose teleportation array they hoped to use. Six days later, they arrived above an unfamiliar sea of forest and searched for their destination.

• Li Yan put away the great cauldron after testing its advancement and meditated to restore his strength before leaving.
• Xiang Yanxiu summoned Li Yan at midnight, and they departed the Purple God Dragon-Elephant Clan using disguises and a teleportation array.
• As they flew toward their next teleportation point, Li Yan recognized Xiang Yanxiu's treasure as likely a Black Luan Wing Boat, and Xiang Yanxiu explained its origins and the danger of the Mystic Dance Shadow Luan.
• Li Yan asked Xiang Yanxiu about the Heavenly Demon Grassland during their journey, and Xiang Yanxiu shared what he could.
• Six days later, Li Yan and Xiang Yanxiu arrived above a sea of forest and scanned the surroundings for their destination.

Li Yan followed Xiang Yanxiu through a hidden valley to a cave where Xiang Yanxiu planned to break a restriction. When Li Yan sensed a dangerous presence and suspected Xiang Yanxiu meant to use him as a blood sacrifice, he stayed alert as they approached the mountain.

• Xiang Yanxiu warned Li Yan not to damage the vine wall, then led him through it using a technique that avoided the formation’s restrictions.
• Xiang Yanxiu explained that he had escaped the illusion formation years earlier, rebuilt its remnants as a defensive formation, and had previously been stopped by restrictions inside the cave.
• Li Yan sensed an invisible barrier enclosing the valley as he and Xiang Yanxiu crossed the lake toward the mountain cave.
• Xiang Yanxiu told Li Yan to prepare to use his technique when instructed, but Li Yan felt a dangerous presence watching him and began to suspect Xiang Yanxiu planned to make him a blood sacrifice.

Xiang Yanxiu and Li Yan were confronted by Bai Yan and Chi Wu, a powerful fox-demon couple who had secretly breached and restored Xiang Yanxiu’s formation. Xiang Yanxiu warned Li Yan to stay close as he assessed the danger and considered escaping.

• Xiang Yanxiu sensed someone watching him and moved behind Li Yan, warning him to stay still while he searched the far side of the lake.
• Bai Yan and Chi Wu revealed themselves from the grass, and Chi Wu’s charm voice unsettled Li Yan until he circulated his spiritual power.
• Xiang Yanxiu identified Bai Yan and Chi Wu as formidable Body Integration Realm cultivators skilled in formations and urged Li Yan to remain by his side.
• Xiang Yanxiu realized the pair had secretly broken and restored his outer formation, then considered whether they could escape their potential trap.
• Li Yan assessed the fox demons’ realms and abilities while Xiang Yanxiu judged that Li Yan might offer little help against the couple.

Bai Yan and Chi Wu revealed that they had been waiting to seize the treasure hidden in Xiang Yanxiu’s cave, and they realized Li Yan could suppress the strange power blocking its restriction. As the fox demons focused on Li Yan, Xiang Yanxiu tried to send him into his Spirit Storage Space.

• Bai Yan explained that he and Chi Wu had discovered and broken through Xiang Yanxiu’s outer arrays, then waited for him to return.
• Chi Wu demanded that Xiang Yanxiu prove the cave belonged to his clan by revealing an item inside, but he refused.
• Xiang Yanxiu inferred that the fox demons had failed to overcome the cave’s inner restriction and were waiting to exploit his efforts.
• Bai Yan identified Li Yan as the person capable of suppressing the strange power in the restriction, and Xiang Yanxiu realized his earlier instruction had exposed Li Yan’s importance.
• Xiang Yanxiu sent Li Yan a voice transmission to enter his Spirit Storage Space and began preparing to store him away.

Li Yan and Xiang Yanxiu were caught in an ambush array laid by Bai Yan and Chi Wu near the Vine Tomb. Chi Wu trapped Li Yan and tried to capture him, but touching his shoulder triggered a sudden icy attack, leaving her shocked.

• Li Yan and Xiang Yanxiu were separated by a mist array, and Li Yan realized they had been trapped.
• Bai Yan and Chi Wu revealed that they had prepared the ambush and planned to capture Li Yan while Bai Yan fought Xiang Yanxiu.
• Chi Wu entered the array and bound Li Yan with its power, then used her seductive technique to distract him.
• Chi Wu approached Li Yan to place him in her Spirit Storage Ring, but icy currents surged through her hand when she touched his shoulder.

Li Yan poisoned and captured Chi Wu after pretending to be subdued, then searched her memories to confirm Xiang Yanxiu was not involved and that Bai Yan would soon discover what had happened. He remained trapped in the formation and needed to find its activation and deactivation incantations before Bai Yan arrived.

• Chi Wu tried to subdue Li Yan, but his Zhili Poison paralyzed her and he struck her down with a punch and an elbow.
• Li Yan sealed Chi Wu, surrounded himself with phantom poison, and set up a nearby formation.
• Li Yan reasoned that Chi Wu’s lack of caution showed Xiang Yanxiu was likely uninvolved, though he had used himself as bait to secure his capture.
• Li Yan performed a Soul Search on Chi Wu and learned that Bai Yan had gone to confront Xiang Yanxiu, who was also trapped in the formation.
• Li Yan realized Bai Yan would soon discover Chi Wu’s capture, but he could not leave until he found the formation’s incantations.

Li Yan trapped Chi Wu in layered formations and used Soul Search to learn how to control Bai Yan’s formation while Bai Yan kept Xiang Yanxiu under attack. Li Yan prepared to wait before escaping, while Xiang Yanxiu continued searching for a way through the formation.

• Bai Yan used his formation’s illusions and draining attacks to wear down Xiang Yanxiu, who searched for its barrier and core.
• Xiang Yanxiu found a likely fluctuation in the barrier but waited for a chance to approach without revealing his discovery.
• Bai Yan sensed that Chi Wu was trapped in Li Yan’s formations and realized Li Yan had deployed them instantly.
• Bai Yan stopped watching Chi Wu and concentrated on Xiang Yanxiu, since he could not leave the fight to help her.
• Li Yan performed Soul Search on Chi Wu and found the methods for activating and shutting down Bai Yan’s trapping formation.
• Li Yan decided to wait another thirty breaths before attempting to leave.

Li Yan secretly arranged to make Bai Yan believe the formation remained under control while he prepared to shut it down, and Xiang Yanxiu fought to survive inside it. When the formation suddenly collapsed, Xiang Yanxiu attacked Bai Yan, who appeared to repel him with ease.

• Li Yan decided he had to kill Bai Yan as well as Chi Wu, and waited for the right moment rather than immediately using the formation-control incantations.
• Li Yan withdrew the Ghost Trace formation, raised another formation around himself, and let his magical power surge chaotically while Bai Yan wore down Xiang Yanxiu.
• Bai Yan noticed that Xiang Yanxiu was weakening, but grew suspicious when Chi Wu failed to appear and his divine sense detected trouble with the formation.
• The formation shut down, and a beam of white light shot into the sky as the earth shook.
• Xiang Yanxiu exploited the faltering attacks to strike the formation barrier, then charged at Bai Yan with his meteor hammer.
• Bai Yan blocked Xiang Yanxiu's charge with a white ribbon of cold light, sending him retreating at an angle.