Recaps

Li Yan learned that Windcool Mountain’s Nascent Soul ancestors wanted him to lead a small group into enemy territory and place a magic treasure near the Devil Race’s altar. He feared the mission was a death sentence, but after hearing the plan and weighing the danger of refusing, he kept his reaction controlled and doubted anyone would truly save them.

• Wei Zhongran explained that attacking the Nascent Soul devil general guarding the eight magic treasures could expose Windcool Mountain’s plans and trigger a premature decisive battle.
• Wei Zhongran told Li Yan that the Nascent Soul ancestors had chosen him to lead several cultivators toward the enemy’s valley and help destroy the magic treasures.
• Li Yan panicked and refused, arguing that the mission was nearly impossible and would alert the enemy if his group failed.
• Wei Zhongran explained that Li Yan’s aura concealment and low cultivation might let him infiltrate the valley unnoticed, place a Nascent Soul ancestor’s magic treasure near the altar, and escape beyond five hundred li within half an hour.
• Li Yan calmed himself, recognized that refusing could bring severe consequences, and privately concluded that the Nascent Soul ancestors were unlikely to risk saving his group if danger arose.

Li Yan questioned Wei Zhongran about the risks of placing a destructive artifact near the altar, while concealed Nascent Soul cultivators debated whether to force him into the mission. Li Yan sensed one of them’s killing intent and realized he might be attacked at any moment.

• Li Yan asked Wei Zhongran about the guards, the altar, and whether removing the artifact would cause spatial fluctuations.
• Wei Zhongran revealed that over a hundred human cultivators and four Golden Core cultivators guarded the valley, while an array concealed the inner defenses.
• A concealed male Nascent Soul cultivator grew angry at Wei Zhongran’s warning, and a female Nascent Soul cultivator cautioned him against provoking Da Cen.
• Wei Zhongran explained that the artifact would cause no spatial fluctuations unless activated, but he could not confirm the altar’s defenses or the guards’ reach.
• Li Yan sensed a brief burst of killing intent from a hidden fire-element Nascent Soul cultivator and concluded that the powerful observer might be preparing to kill him.

Li Yan realized that a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator was watching him and that refusing the dangerous mission would cost him his life, so he proposed a backup plan to destroy the Devil Race’s powerful magic treasure. Wei Zhongran accepted the plan in principle and asked whom Li Yan wanted to take with him, while keeping a more important assignment to himself.

• Li Yan sensed the hidden Nascent Soul Realm cultivator’s killing intent and pretended to come up with a way to make the mission succeed.
• Li Yan explained that infiltrating the valley and planting a destructive magic treasure would likely expose them to the devil general’s Divine Sense.
• Li Yan proposed that a Nascent Soul Realm senior attack the valley first, drawing the devil general away so Li Yan’s group could enter and plant the treasure during the pursuit.
• Wei Zhongran judged that the enemy might return to the same valley and agreed to report the plan’s requirements to his superiors.
• Li Yan agreed to try the mission, and Wei Zhongran asked whom he wanted to bring along, considering concealed Golden Core Realm cultivators as support.

Li Yan agreed to carry Destroying Linglong alone to a valley and bury it beneath the altar’s defensive formation before dawn, while Wei Zhongran prepared to command the threatened position. The chapter left Li Yan holding a dangerous mission whose success was crucial to the sect’s plans.

• Li Yan refused to bring helpers on his mission and asked Wei Zhongran who would take over the defenses after he left.
• Wei Zhongran said he would personally command the position and expected the Devil Race to send powerful cultivators to seize Tonggui Ridge and Windcool Mountain.
• A mysterious voice ordered Li Yan to carry out his plan immediately and place an object about a hundred zhang beneath the valley altar.
• The voice gave Li Yan Destroying Linglong and a jade slip marking the valley, warning that he had to complete the task by dawn.
• Wei Zhongran explained that Destroying Linglong was a devastating treasure refined by Qianfang Shu, but using a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator could provoke a Spirit Transformation cultivator and trigger full-scale war.

Wei Zhongran explained the power of Annihilation Linglong and gave Li Yan the Sentient Sky Vine to help him escape danger during his mission behind enemy lines. Li Yan departed for the Devil Race army, wary that his journey would soon become more dangerous as the Nascent Soul cultivators following him had to conceal themselves.

• Wei Zhongran told Li Yan that Senior Thousand Releasing Trees had created Annihilation Linglong, a powerful artifact that could change the balance between the Four Great Sects if it fell into the wrong hands.
• Li Yan noticed Annihilation Linglong increased the circulation of his wood spiritual power, then put it away without revealing his reaction.
• Wei Zhongran gave Li Yan the Sentient Sky Vine and its art formula, explaining that it could trap a middle-stage Golden Core cultivator long enough for Li Yan to flee.
• Wei Zhongran secretly told Li Yan to abandon the mission and return if the situation became impossible, and Li Yan agreed to do his best before departing.
• After Li Yan left, Wei Zhongran suffered bleeding from the mouth after using a secret voice-transmission art beyond his cultivation level.
• Li Yan traveled toward the Devil Race army while cautiously scouting for Divine Sense, suspecting Nascent Soul cultivators from Windcool Mountain were secretly following him.

Mo Qing learned that Li Yan had been sent to destroy the Devil Race’s magical treasure and reluctantly came to Fengliang Mountain to protect him. Meanwhile, Li Yan advanced cautiously toward the nameless valley and chose where to hide until Fengliang Mountain’s Nascent Soul cultivators attacked.

• Mo Qing recalled that Wei Zhongran had asked him to preserve Li Yan’s life, and he had scolded Wei Zhongran before coming to Fengliang Mountain.
• Mo Qing questioned Xiao Yaoyuan about the devil general in the valley, and Xiao Yaoyuan shared what he knew while the Nascent Soul cultivators monitored Li Yan from a distance.
• Li Yan avoided Devil Race scouts and advanced through the forest, stopping repeatedly to check for danger.
• Li Yan reasoned that the devil general would guard the area around the nameless valley and chose a position about a hundred li from it as a suitable place to wait.
• As night deepened, Li Yan concealed himself among the forest shadows and continued toward the valley.

Li Yan hid near the nameless valley and decided to wait for the Nascent Soul cultivators rather than risk approaching the Devil Race stronghold. Two defectors arrived at a nearby cave, where Li Yan recognized a woman from his past and overheard Zheng Xingfan trying to seduce her with promises of Tie Dong’s favor.

• Li Yan counted more than a hundred human cultivators patrolling within fifty li and realized they had sided with the Devil Race.
• Li Yan abandoned his plan to approach the nameless valley and concealed himself to await the Nascent Soul cultivators’ move.
• Two figures entered a nearby cave, and Li Yan recognized the woman’s voice as belonging to the beautiful woman in green gauze who had pursued Su Hong a year earlier.
• Zheng Xingfan told the woman he had Tie Dong’s backing and showed her an Iron Devil Token while promising her a place under Tie Dong’s command.
• The woman questioned Zheng Xingfan’s claims and worried that Venerable Wan would punish them if he learned of their affair.

Li Yan discovered that the azure-gauzed woman was deliberately using Zheng Xingfan to replenish her cultivation, then seized an opening to act. The woman collapsed after a sudden attack, while a gray-robed man stood at the cave entrance beside the fallen Zheng Xingfan.

• The azure-gauzed woman pretended to resist Zheng Xingfan while secretly welcoming him, intending to absorb his yang essence through the Seven Mysteries Yin Maiden Art.
• Li Yan waited outside the cave, realized the Devil general rarely searched the area with Divine Sense, and began considering a plan.
• Mo Qing and Xiao Yaoyuan watched Li Yan’s progress and decided to wait before intervening near Windcool Mountain.
• Zheng Xingfan collapsed against the azure-gauzed woman, and she turned to find a gray-robed man watching from the cave entrance.
• The azure-gauzed woman tried to summon her clothes, but a sudden pain drained her spiritual power and left her collapsing to the ground.

Li Yan secretly poisoned Zheng Xingfan and the beautiful woman in azure gauze, leaving them unable to resist. He then used a red flame from his folding fan to burn through Zheng Xingfan’s body, and the chapter ended as the fire climbed up his leg.

• Li Yan opened a hole in the cave’s warning formation with the Heaven-Stealing Kerchief and waited before entering under Night Concealment Stealth.
• Li Yan released the poison Drive the Tiger to Devour the Wolf, weakening Zheng Xingfan and the beautiful woman in azure gauze until they could not use their spiritual power.
• Li Yan covered the woman with Zheng Xingfan’s robes and approached Zheng Xingfan, who recognized him as a poison cultivator.
• Li Yan mentioned the mysterious force that had once existed on the Desolate Moon Continent and produced a folding fan.
• Li Yan sent a grain-sized red flame into Zheng Xingfan’s foot, and it began burning upward through his leg as he writhed in pain.

Li Yan tortured Zheng Xingfan to death, destroyed his golden core, and searched his Storage Pouch while the beautiful woman lay helpless in the cave. An unknown attacker ambushed Li Yan at the entrance, drawing him outside in pursuit and leaving the poisoned woman alone, uncertain whether anyone would return.

• Li Yan burned Zheng Xingfan alive, took his golden core, and crushed it into powder when Zheng Xingfan tried to beg for mercy.
• The beautiful woman pretended to remain unconscious as Li Yan collected both Storage Pouches and examined Zheng Xingfan's possessions for information about a pale golden magical treasure.
• Li Yan turned toward the cave entrance when he heard something approaching, then dodged a Demon Beast's beak thrusting inside.
• Li Yan pursued the retreating attacker outside, and the brief clash ended with both sides rushing away from the mountaintop.
• The beautiful woman waited in the cave, hoping the attacker might offer a chance to escape while fearing Li Yan or the newcomer would return.

The beautiful woman in green regained some spiritual power but discovered that the poison in her body was consuming it, so she used spirit stones to delay its effects and fled after covering up Zheng Xingfan’s death. Li Yan watched her leave, then prepared to move toward the area near a Nascent Soul demonic cultivator.

• The beautiful woman in green refined a trace of spiritual power, took pills, and tried to force the poison out of her body.
• The poison devoured her recovered spiritual power, so she used spirit stones to keep it from disappearing completely.
• The beautiful woman gathered her belongings and Zheng Xingfan’s possessions, burned his remains, and fled after forming a cover story.
• Li Yan emerged from the wall after the woman left, while the Snow Mosquito King praised its help and then begged to return to Tuban.
• Li Yan sent the Snow Mosquito King away and checked the cave before hoping that his plan would go smoothly.

Li Yan’s deception drew Zhong Mengyin into the valley with a fabricated poisoning story, while a clash between Nascent Soul Cultivators’ divine senses helped conceal his position. Fairy Red Candle tried to treat Zhong Mengyin, but her strongest antidotes worsened the unknown poison, leaving her horrified and unable to help.

• The female cultivator surnamed Mu sensed Zhong Mengyin approaching and tried to sweep the perimeter with her divine sense, but Xiao Yaoyuan intercepted it.
• Li Yan remained hidden as the two Nascent Soul Cultivators’ divine senses clashed and narrowly avoided being exposed.
• Zhong Mengyin showed Fairy Red Candle her token and claimed a poison cultivator had ambushed her and killed Zheng Xingfan.
• Fairy Red Candle ordered the watching cultivators back to their posts, then took Zhong Mengyin aside to examine her severe injuries.
• Fairy Red Candle gave Zhong Mengyin three of the Red Cicada Sect’s best antidotes, but the poison grew worse and overwhelmed the pills’ energy.

Fairy Red Candle begged the female cultivator surnamed Mu to save the poisoned Zhong Mengyin, and Mu agreed for Venerable Wan’s sake. Their appeal was interrupted when Xiao Yaoyuan and other Nascent Soul cultivators confronted three Devil Generals above the valley, while Li Yan remained hidden under a mysterious cultivator’s protection.

• Fairy Red Candle failed to draw the unknown poison from Zhong Mengyin and pleaded with the female cultivator surnamed Mu to help her.
• The female cultivator surnamed Mu crushed Fairy Red Candle and Zhong Mengyin with her pressure, then relented and allowed Fairy Red Candle to bring Zhong Mengyin to the altar for Venerable Wan’s sake.
• As Fairy Red Candle approached the altar, the female cultivator surnamed Mu sensed Xiao Yaoyuan spying on the valley and attacked him with Divine Sense.
• Xiao Yaoyuan, Tie Dong, Mo Qing, and other powerful cultivators revealed themselves, bringing three Nascent Soul cultivators from Wind Cool Mountain face-to-face with three Devil Generals.
• Li Yan hid using Hidden Night Stealth as a Wind Cool Mountain Nascent Soul cultivator repeatedly guarded his location from the Devil Generals’ Divine Sense.

Windcool Mountain’s Nascent Soul cultivators and the Devil Race clashed through manifested Divine Senses, as Xiao Yaoyuan and Mo Qing coordinated a surprise attack. The chapter ended with Mo Qing’s Heaven-Shaking Thunder striking the unconscious woman in azure gauze, leaving Tie Dong shocked and furious.

• Xiao Yaoyuan, Mo Qing, and the Windcool Mountain female cultivator fought Tie Dong and two other devil generals in a contest of Divine Sense.
• Xiao Yaoyuan feinted against Tie Dong and sent his severed arm toward the spear-wielding devil general, giving Mo Qing an opening to hold back the spear.
• Tie Dong seized Xiao Yaoyuan’s forearm and tore away its manifested Divine Sense, injuring Xiao Yaoyuan despite his golden circlet protecting him from greater harm.
• Mo Qing withdrew one silver hook and fired a cold light at the unconscious woman in azure gauze, forcing the female cultivator surnamed Mu to divert her defense.
• The cold light struck the woman in azure gauze without harming her or Red Candle Fairy, and Tie Dong identified it as Heaven-Shaking Thunder.

Li Yan’s scheme detonated the concealed Exterminating Exquisite in the unnamed valley, destroying the Heaven-Shaking Thunder and everyone nearby while he escaped among the fleeing cultivators. Tie Dong realized the explosion had also served to protect hidden operatives and sent his Divine Sense after Li Yan’s former hiding place.

• The Exterminating Exquisite erupted from the beautiful woman in azure gauze’s Storage Pouch, killing her and Fairy Red Candle and obliterating the valley as the female cultivator surnamed Mu escaped into the sky.
• Li Yan fled through the mountains with the other cultivators as the explosion’s shockwaves collapsed peaks and destroyed the surrounding region.
• The female cultivator surnamed Mu found the altar and everyone in the valley gone, then concluded that the enemy had concealed a powerful magic treasure by poisoning its bearer.
• Tie Dong realized the chain of events had also protected people hidden near Windcool Mountain and swept his Divine Sense toward the mountain range where Li Yan had been hiding.
• Li Yan blended into the fleeing crowd and headed southeast toward the Devil Race army, reflecting on how he had planted Exterminating Exquisite among Zheng Xingfan’s spirit stones.

Li Yan’s plan to detonate “Extinguish Linglong” succeeded, but a Nascent Soul cultivator hunted him as he fled from the collapsing mountain range. Just as Tie Dong caught him and overwhelmed him with Divine Sense, a familiar ally intervened long enough for Li Yan to escape into the night.

• Li Yan poisoned Zheng Xingfan’s spirit stones, lured the beautiful woman in azure gauze into the Nameless Valley, and watched her leave with Zheng Xingfan’s possessions and formation flags.
• After Windcool Mountain’s Nascent Soul cultivators triggered “Extinguish Linglong,” Li Yan fled south with other cultivators and sensed a Nascent Soul cultivator searching for the trap’s perpetrator.
• Li Yan realized the hunter was focusing on the southern fugitives and abandoned his attempt to use “Stealthy Night Concealment” as the group gathered.
• When several cultivators’ Divine Senses began closing in, Li Yan surged north, but Tie Dong caught him and struck his consciousness with overwhelming Divine Sense.
• A familiar Divine Sense struck Tie Dong and loosened his hold, allowing Li Yan to break free and vanish into the night.

Li Yan escaped Tie Dong’s attack with help from Mo Qing and two other Nascent Soul cultivators, then fled north while human cultivators allied with the Devil Race pursued him. The chase stopped when a giant vessel carrying a powerful force arrived, and Windcool Mountain’s cultivators prepared for a decisive battle.

• Tie Dong hesitated over whether to kill Li Yan, allowing Li Yan to flee while Mo Qing distracted him with his Divine Sense.
• Mo Qing and a middle-aged female Nascent Soul cultivator confirmed the Devil Race’s powerful treasures had been destroyed, while Xiao Yaoyuan treated his Divine Sense injury.
• Li Yan raced north as Mo Qing and the female cultivator fought off two devil generals, but a Golden Core wind-element cultivator pursued him.
• Li Yan broke through an earth wall and escaped the human cultivators who tried to stop him, while the female devil general accused him of poisoning Zhong Mengyin.
• A giant vessel carrying more than a thousand cultivators, including four Nascent Soul cultivators, appeared five thousand li away, and a voice ordered all cultivators above the Golden Core Realm to prepare for the decisive battle.

Li Yan escaped immediate pursuit as the South Sea cultivators launched an unexpected attack on the Devil Race from the south, turning the battle at Windcool Mountain into a major clash between Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators. Wei Zhongran prepared Windcool Mountain’s forces while the Devil Race’s allies discussed their plans for Ten-Step Academy and the secret realm.

• The South Sea cultivators and the Devil Race army shouted their declarations of war as their forces converged on Windcool Mountain.
• Li Yan sensed the approaching armies, and Wei Zhongran contacted him to warn him to stay safe before turning to the battle.
• Wei Zhongran’s forces assembled more than four hundred Golden Core cultivators, while the South Sea’s concealed resistance prepared to fight after removing restrictions from many of its members.
• The Devil Race army formed its ranks to face attacks from the north and south, with cultivators below Devil Lord level remaining behind.
• Fellow Daoist Tang asked Lord Le to honor their agreement over Ten-Step Academy and seek Lord Tutu’s help in opening the secret passage.
• Fellow Daoist Tang questioned why the South Sea Nascent Soul cultivators had not been deployed, and Lord Le began explaining Lord Tutu’s decision.

Li Yan fled the opening battle between the Devil Race and the Desolate Moon Continent, then returned to Windcool Mountain to find its protective formation badly damaged but still holding. He entered with his token and faced a wary group of cultivators who demanded to know who he was.

• The stout Devil General explained that the Devil Race would reserve the South Sea Nascent Soul cultivators for Lord Tutu and reported that rebellions had erupted after their restrictions were removed.
• The stout Devil General and the thin man in the azure robe headed into battle as Li Yan escaped west, pursued by a Golden Core Realm cultivator hoping to capture him for merit.
• Li Yan outran the pursuer with his movement techniques, then endured the distant shockwaves of the battle and drove himself farther away at the risk of injuring his meridians.
• The battle raged across the region until the next day, shifting south from Windcool Mountain as the Devil Race and the Desolate Moon Continent's cultivators suffered heavy losses.
• Li Yan returned to Windcool Mountain on the third day, found its formation damaged but active, and slipped inside with his token.
• Two Golden Core Realm cultivators and their group approached Li Yan and challenged him, while he recognized that their alert was prompted by the formation guards rather than a breach.

Li Yan returned to Windcool Mountain from an external mission and faced questioning from a patrol squad. A white-robed sword cultivator from Ten-Step Academy insulted him, but Li Yan left calmly for Wei Zhongran’s cave dwelling, while the sword cultivator held back from acting because of Wei Zhongran’s reputation.

• Li Yan entered Windcool Mountain using his token and was stopped by a patrol squad led by two Golden Core Realm cultivators.
• A Golden Core Realm cultivator recognized Li Yan from the battle at Tonggui Ridge and questioned why he had returned alone after completing a mission.
• Li Yan explained that he had stayed outside until the fighting began and had chosen a secluded entrance to avoid danger.
• A white-robed sword cultivator from Ten-Step Academy accused Li Yan of relying on unorthodox tricks and ordered him to report his mission and stay in his cave dwelling.
• Li Yan answered respectfully, thanked the bearded cultivator, and flew toward Wei Zhongran’s cave dwelling to learn how his master and the others were doing.
• The white-robed sword cultivator restrained his anger and did not pursue Li Yan after learning that he was Wei Zhongran’s final disciple.

Li Yan returned to Windcool Mountain after surviving the battle at Same-Death Ridge and found his master’s cave dwelling unresponsive. He went to Azure Bat Camp to learn what had happened, where cultivators had gathered and were discussing his reported exploits.

• Li Yan found no answer when he sent voice transmissions to Wei Zhongran’s cave dwelling, so he decided to check Azure Bat Camp instead.
• Li Yan saw cultivators from several camps streaming toward Azure Bat Camp’s main hall and was surprised by the unusual bustle.
• Li Yan entered the Qingzhen Sixteen courtyard, where Tao Yishan recognized him and the gathered cultivators reacted with surprise.
• Li Yan heard cultivators discussing reports that he had killed more than ten demon cultivators and helped defeat a larger enemy force at Same-Death Ridge.
• Buluo welcomed Li Yan and invited him to join the group gathered with Gong Yuantai, Tantai Dongyue, Bai Rou, and Du Sanjiang.

Li Yan returned to Azure Bat Camp and learned that Windcool Mountain’s cultivators had been confined inside a grand formation while Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators fought the Devil Race. The camp was unsettled and eager for news, and Bai Rou blushed when others teased her about asking after Li Yan.

• Gong Yuantai asked whether Li Yan had completed his confidential mission, and Li Yan refused to reveal its details.
• Buluo explained that a battle between high-ranking cultivators had begun three days earlier and that the camp had been ordered to shelter inside Windcool Mountain’s grand formation.
• Li Yan claimed he had seen only ruined mountains on his journey back, while Du Sanjiang reported that the Devil Race army had been pushed more than ten thousand miles south.
• Buluo and Du Sanjiang explained that cultivators from the camps had been gathering to seek news because they could not investigate outside the formation.
• Dantai Dongyue teased Bai Rou for asking about Li Yan, and Bai Rou blushed as she explained that she had only wanted to pass along thanks from Hu Xiaowang and the others.

Li Yan returned to the Azure Sixteenth Team’s camp and deflected questions about his battle achievements, concealing the extent of his strength. After learning about the team’s losses, he resumed command and began making arrangements for its remaining members.

• Li Yan reassured Bai Rou that he did not blame her for rumors about his battle, then claimed his recent victories had depended on his master’s talismans and poison pills.
• Li Yan learned that the gathered cultivators had little news from the shifted battlefield and that Bai Rou was worried about Elder Chigong.
• Gong Yuantai reported that the Azure Sixteenth Team had suffered devastating casualties, while Qiao Baiye and Wang Ning had withdrawn to recover from severe injuries.
• Gong Yuantai handed command of the Azure Sixteenth Team back to Li Yan so he could rest and recuperate.
• Li Yan questioned Tao Yishan and the team members, made arrangements, and found that the veterans now respected and feared his poisoned attacks.

Li Yan spoke privately with Bai Rou after leaving the Azure Bat Camp, learning that Sun Guoshu was safe and nearing formal entry into the Phantom Sect. Bai Rou told him about the losses among their former squad before they parted near Li Yan’s cave residence, with Li asking her to pass along important news.

• Li Yan invited Bai Rou to speak with him privately, while Tantai Dongyue stopped the others from following them.
• Li Yan asked about Sun Guoshu and learned he had received an outer sect disciple token and was studying cultivation techniques.
• Bai Rou said Sun Guoshu had gained several techniques comparable to inner sect methods, and Li Yan suggested she entrust him with errands in the market town.
• Li Yan congratulated Bai Rou on her cultivation progress, and she teased him about reaching the false core realm.
• Bai Rou described the fate of their former Ninth Squad, saying only six members remained alive and recalling the deceased with grief.
• Li Yan and Bai Rou parted near his cave residence after he asked her to notify him of important news.

After resting, Li Yan learned that the Snow Mosquito King's bloodline instinct pointed to a rare Wailing Cold Stone, then provoked him into testing his strength against the Purple God Dragon-Elephant. The two Demon Beasts began fighting inside Tuban as Li Yan watched.

• Li Yan woke refreshed and told the Snow Mosquito King he would search for objects of extreme cold to help his cultivation.
• The Snow Mosquito King named the Wailing Cold Stone as a powerful aid but admitted he did not know where to find it.
• Li Yan claimed the Purple God Dragon-Elephant had grown much stronger and baited the Snow Mosquito King into challenging him.
• Li Yan moved the two Demon Beasts into Tuban, where the Purple God Dragon-Elephant taunted the Snow Mosquito King about his bloodline and cultivation limit.
• The Snow Mosquito King and the Purple God Dragon-Elephant transformed and attacked each other with their divine abilities while Li Yan watched.