Recaps

Li Yan killed the two cultivators who had attacked the gray-robed elder’s family, then restored the elder’s spiritual power and gave him an antidote. After learning that the elder and his son belonged to the rare Duye spirit-plant race, Li Yan asked why the dead cultivators had been pursuing them, leaving the family wary that he wanted the secret of the Divine Deception Art.

• Li Yan appeared beside the gray-robed elder’s family and killed the cultivator surnamed Ma and the tall, thin cultivator in green robes with a swift attack.
• The pregnant woman vomited from shock, while Shuang Lianzhou supported her and the gray-robed elder feared Li Yan would use Soul Search on him.
• Li Yan identified the elder’s poison as Water Flowing East, gave him an antidote, and restored his spiritual power before waiting silently as he recovered.
• The gray-robed elder and Shuang Lianzhou’s family knelt to thank Li Yan, who asked whether only the pregnant woman belonged to the Human Race.
• The elder explained that he and Shuang Lianzhou belonged to the rare Duye spirit-plant race, and Li Yan asked why the two dead cultivators had pursued them.

Shuang Chongshan explained to Li Yan how his family inherited the Duye Clan’s Divine Ju Art and became targets because of it. He recounted how Ming Ling’s accidental display of Shuang Lianzhou’s newly made puppet drew the attention of two cultivators, before an unknown man abruptly took it.

• Shuang Chongshan silenced Shuang Lianzhou and began telling Li Yan about their family’s legacy.
• Shuang Chongshan explained that his branch had fled a massacre by nine Golden Core cultivators who coveted the Divine Ju Art.
• Shuang Chongshan described how he and Shuang Lianzhou hid their lineage and made a living selling low-grade goods and puppets.
• Shuang Chongshan recounted that Shuang Lianzhou crafted a Crystal Snow Jade Spider eighteen years earlier and fell into a deep sleep afterward.
• Ming Ling found the puppet and displayed it in the shop, where a burly man and a tall, thin cultivator both tried to buy it.
• An unknown tall figure entered the shop and swept the Crystal Snow Jade Spider away.

Shuang Chongshan retrieved the Crystal Snow Jade Spider before Ma and Gao could buy it, then concealed the truth from Ming Ling and debated whether the family should flee. Though the family stayed after years of apparent calm, the chapter revealed that Ma and Gao were murderous schemers who had recognized suspicious details from the start.

• Shuang Chongshan took back the Crystal Snow Jade Spider, apologized to Ma and Gao, and compensated them with spirit stones while refusing their requests for more puppets.
• Shuang Chongshan and Shuang Lianzhou concealed the matter from Ming Ling until her unhappiness drove them to explain their origins and worries in a secret chamber.
• Ma and Gao returned to the shop several times, prompting Shuang Chongshan to investigate them as he and Shuang Lianzhou weighed whether to leave or stay.
• Shuang Chongshan learned that Ma and Gao appeared to be ordinary beast hunters, and the Shuang family stayed in the market as five uneventful years passed.
• The narration revealed that Ma and Gao secretly murdered cultivators and stole their possessions, and that they had suspected Shuang Chongshan because Ming Ling seemed unaware of the puppet and the spider bore a tiny mark.

Shuang Chongshan explained how the cultivator surnamed Ma and his companion discovered the Duye Clan mark, uncovered the Shuang family's secret, and poisoned him to seize the Shenju Art. When Shuang Chongshan offered the texts in exchange for his family's safety, Li Yan revealed he had never asked for the inheritance.

• The cultivator surnamed Ma and his companion traced the puppet's mark to the vanished Duye Clan and learned its branch had guarded the Shenju Art.
• They discovered Shuang Lianzhou's Three-Legged Azure Luan was his bonded treasure and concluded the Shuang family had made the puppets themselves.
• Shuang Lianzhou explained that, while exhausted and excited over his first mid-grade puppet, he had engraved the family's mark on the Crystal Snow Jade Spider and later forgot doing so.
• After Ming Ling became pregnant, the two men poisoned Shuang Chongshan with Eastward Flowing Water at a banquet and demanded the Shenju Art.
• Shuang Chongshan begged Li Yan to spare Shuang Lianzhou and Ming Ling, offering to reveal where he had hidden the texts.
• Li Yan lifted Shuang Chongshan without using Soul Search and said he had never asked for the inherited art.

Li Yan rescued Shuang Chongshan, Shuang Lianzhou, and Ming Ling, then offered them refuge at Falling Star Valley in exchange for voluntary work with their Puppet Arts. After they chose to leave, Li Yan returned to the sect, where something unexpected soon drew his attention.

• Li Yan refused to demand the Duye Household's Puppet Arts and offered the Shuang family a choice between leaving or joining Falling Star Valley under its protection.
• Shuang Chongshan declined the offer, and Li Yan left the Three-Legged Azure Luan with Shuang Lianzhou before departing with the Ma cultivators' Storage Pouches.
• Shuang Lianzhou recovered his puppet, and the family left to find a remote place where Shuang Chongshan could recuperate.
• Li Yan traveled back to Falling Star Valley and returned to Starry Cave without disturbing Xing Ming.
• Soon after entering his cave abode, Li Yan's expression changed in astonishment.

Li Yan returned to Falling Star Valley and joined Xing Ming for a drink in Starlit Cave, where Xing Ming revealed the cave had belonged to his master, who died after being ambushed by Radiant Feather Parrot Clan cultivators. Xing Ming then told Li Yan he had finally located the surviving attacker through the master's lost Seven-Colored Glazed Lamp.

• Xing Ming invited Li Yan to drink and talk beneath the stars at Starlit Cave.
• Xing Ming explained that the cave had belonged to his master and recalled how his master died after fighting over a Sky Pavilion Bamboo.
• Xing Ming recounted how his master killed two Golden Core attackers, wounded a third, and later died despite Martial Uncle's attempt to save him.
• Xing Ming revealed that Martial Uncle had destroyed the Radiant Feather Parrot Sect but never found the wounded Golden Core cultivator who escaped.
• Xing Ming told Li Yan that his master's Seven-Colored Glazed Lamp had recently appeared, allowing him to find the surviving culprit.

Xing Ming explained why he believed a late Golden Core cultivator possessed Falling Star Valley’s Seven-Colored Glazed Lamp and recruited Li Yan to help reclaim it and avenge his master. Li Yan accepted the promised spirit stones and Bright Lotus Pill, and Xing Ming revealed that two other powerful cultivators would join their hunt.

• Xing Ming told Li Yan that the Seven-Colored Glazed Lamp had been forged from a branch of the Shattered Star Fire Jade Vein and that its distinctive wounds linked it to a recent killing.
• Xing Ming explained that his Martial Uncle remained injured and Xinghe was recovering, so he wanted Li Yan’s help capturing the suspected thief without waiting several more years.
• Xing Ming offered Li Yan ten thousand spirit stones and a Bright Lotus Pill, and Li Yan accepted the reward and agreed to help.
• Xing Ming said Feng Moru of the Azure Wind Sect and Xuancaijun of the Sixfold Basin Hall would join them, making four cultivators who would pursue the enemy together.

Li Yan discussed the hunt for Jiang Baibi with Xing Ming, then explained the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan’s destruction while concealing his own involvement. Five days later, Shuang Chongshan arrived at Falling Star Valley with his family to accept Li Yan’s offer of shelter, and Li Yan went to meet them.

• Xing Ming told Li Yan about Jiang Baibi’s abilities and the Seven-Colored Glazed Lamp, then questioned him about the Ghost Flood Dragon Clan’s destruction and Dongli Qing’s death.
• Li Yan gave Xing Ming a partly fabricated account of the incident, and Xing Ming left after they discussed other matters.
• Five days later, Zhu Luomu told Li Yan that Shuang Chongshan and two companions had arrived at Falling Star Valley seeking him.
• Shuang Chongshan worried with Shuang Lianzhou and his pregnant wife about whether they had chosen the right refuge, but believed Li Yan had no designs on their inheritance.
• Li Yan happily agreed to meet Shuang Chongshan, and he and Zhu Luomu entered the family’s courtyard.

Li Yan brought the Shuang family into Falling Star Valley and arranged for them to receive the resources and residence their puppet-refining skills warranted. Zhu Luomu was stunned by Shuang Lianzhou’s powerful puppet, and the chapter ended with him eager to secure materials and earthfire for the family’s work.

• Li Yan confirmed that the Shuang family could join Falling Star Valley and promised that no one would covet their puppet arts.
• Li Yan introduced the family to Zhu Luomu and instructed him to arrange their residence in the core disciples’ area.
• Shuang Lianzhou brought out his Three-Legged Azure Luan, and Zhu Luomu discovered that it was a Foundation Establishment Realm puppet.
• Shuang Lianzhou demonstrated the puppet’s power while holding back its full strength, and Shuang Chongshan said they could sometimes refine mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm puppets.
• Zhu Luomu offered to provide suitable materials and earthfire, then asked whether Xing Ming knew about the Shuang family.

Li Yan helped the Shuang family settle into Falling Star Valley while quietly investigating a mark on Shuang Lianzhou’s puppet. The story then shifted to Mu Guyue, who stood over Devour Devil Abyss seeking the legendary Chaos-Heaven Profound Gold Dragon after escaping the battle at Windcool Mountain.

• Li Yan examined Shuang Lianzhou’s Three-Legged Azure Luan and noticed a dark azure mark that might have belonged to the Duye Clan.
• Li Yan told Zhu Luomu not to pressure the Shuang family, allowing them to refine only one or two mid-grade puppets every few years.
• The narration described Devour Devil Abyss and the rare fourth-tier devil beasts said to dwell in its depths.
• Mu Guyue stood at the cliff where Xiahou Shangxie had descended and considered going deeper to find the Chaos-Heaven Profound Gold Dragon.
• The chapter revealed that Mu Guyue had survived the Windcool Mountain battle and was hiding with four other devil generals and their remaining forces.

After returning to the Lost Continent, Mu Guyue was questioned and learned that Wangliang Sect’s actions had helped doom the invasion. With her injuries worsening and her resources exhausted, she entered the Devil-Devouring Abyss seeking Black Jade Mystic Dragon Grass or other rare herbs to restore her strength.

• Mu Guyue fled the Desolate Moon Continent with twenty-eight subordinates, crossed realms to the Wind God Continent, and eventually returned to the Lost Continent with only one devil commander alive beside her.
• A devil marshal questioned Mu Guyue and three other returning devil generals with the Heart-Questioning Art, learning that the Chimei Envoy’s appearance and a Wangliang Sect cultivator’s destruction of the Yinmo Cliff rift had ruined their plans.
• Mu Guyue returned to her cave abode determined to remember Wangliang Sect and avenge the defeat if she ever reached the spirit transformation realm, but her accumulated injuries began weakening her cultivation.
• Unable to afford fifth-grade healing pills, Mu Guyue decided to seek Black Jade Mystic Dragon Grass in the Devil-Devouring Abyss, despite the Chaos Mystic Gold Dragons that guarded it.
• Mu Guyue pushed off the cliff and entered the Devil-Devouring Abyss.

Li Yan joined Xing Ming, Feng Moru, and Xuan Caijun to pursue Jiang Baibi, who was hiding under the name Song Rongdao at Black Forest Manor near the border between the Black and White Devil Races. The four reached the dangerous forest near the manor and paused to proceed cautiously, with Jiang Baibi’s whereabouts still uncertain.

• Xing Ming introduced Feng Moru and Xuan Caijun to Li Yan, and the four discussed Jiang Baibi’s disguise and his likely cultivation level.
• Xing Ming explained that Jiang Baibi had hidden at Black Forest Manor in White Devil Race territory, where Falling Star Valley had struggled to find him for more than a hundred years.
• The four traveled toward the Devil Race border, and Li Yan felt the devilish qi and recognized the forest from his early days on the continent.
• Xing Ming stopped the group near Black Forest Manor and warned them about the poisonous Bear Arrow Brambles before leading them through the forest on foot.
• The group encountered several fights among cultivators and Devil Race troops, including a clash between three Golden Core cultivators, before stopping on a mountainside.

Xing Ming returned from infiltrating Black Forest Manor and revealed that Jiang Baibi was hiding there with several Golden Core Realm cultivators, far more than the intelligence had suggested. Li Yan proposed that the gathering might be for a secret joint venture rather than a response to danger, and the group decided to wait and follow them when they left.

• Xing Ming left the others outside Black Forest Manor to scout while Xuan Caijun, Feng Moru, and Li Yan observed the area with Divine Sense.
• Xuan Caijun and the others detected two Golden Core Realm cultivators in the manor, and Xuan Caijun and Feng Moru worried that the unexpected strength would make killing Jiang Baibi much harder.
• Xing Ming returned after midnight and reported that Jiang Baibi was concealed in a heavily defended area with three other Golden Core Realm cultivators, including another late Golden Core Realm cultivator.
• Feng Moru questioned Xing Ming about his prior investigations, and Xing Ming insisted that his earlier reports had consistently indicated only one Golden Core Realm cultivator at Black Forest Manor.
• Li Yan argued that Jiang Baibi would keep an ambush secret rather than openly reveal his reinforcements, prompting the group to consider that the cultivators had gathered for another purpose.
• Xuan Caijun and Feng Moru speculated that the cultivators might be preparing for a joint operation, and Xing Ming proposed following them when they left the manor.

Li Yan’s group agreed on their plan while Song Rongdao led three Rogue Cultivators toward a hidden cave near the Black and White Devil Races’ border. After Song Rongdao showed them proof of the ancient Dark Spirit Demon Bat, the group reached a vast bay, leaving his companions questioning why their destination was there.

• Xuan Caijun and Feng Mo agreed to Xing Ming’s plan, and Li Yan watched with quiet anticipation.
• Song Rongdao and three Rogue Cultivators set out to find a secret cave, negotiating how to divide its rewards as they traveled.
• Song Rongdao reassured the formation specialist surnamed Yang that their work would not alert the armies, then stopped Yan from provoking her further.
• At the black-robed cultivator’s request, Song Rongdao retold his encounter with the four-winged Dark Spirit Demon Bat and showed the group a piece of its flesh.
• On the fifth day, Song Rongdao led the group over a vast bay near the border, and the other three asked why the destination was there.

Song Rongdao led his companions to a hidden cave beneath the Black Spirit Sea while Xing Ming and the others followed them from a distance. After descending into the depths, Song Rongdao found his marker and pointed out the cave’s location on the mountain wall.

• Song Rongdao took the cultivator surnamed Bai, the female cultivator surnamed Yang, and the cultivator surnamed Yan beneath the Black Spirit Sea in search of a secret cave.
• Xing Ming, Xuan Caijun, Feng Moru, and Li Yan avoided Song Rongdao’s Divine Sense and followed the group toward the sea.
• Song Rongdao’s group descended through the dark waters to a submerged mountain, where Song Rongdao searched for a marker he had left behind.
• Song Rongdao found his marker and led the group farther down the mountain, pretending to discover additional markers along the way.
• Song Rongdao stopped at a giant boulder shaped like an upright palm and pointed to a section of the mountain wall beneath it.

Song Rongdao brought the group to a hidden formation guarding a cave, and Yang identified it as the ancient Concealed Scales, Hidden Splendor Formation. After ordinary probes yielded little, Yang began a demanding test with an ancient compass and a butterfly, hoping to locate a way through.

• Yang recognized the Concealed Scales, Hidden Splendor Formation, and Bai explained that he had read about it in an ancient formation manual.
• Song Rongdao recounted how he had once mistaken the formation for broken and nearly been trapped by a Dark Spirit Demon Bat.
• Yang admitted she could not promise to break the formation but said she could infer its methods, then flew down to examine it.
• Yang tried several spells and formation tools, briefly revealing a restriction fluctuation before it vanished.
• Yang brought out a moss-covered compass and a brilliantly colored butterfly, formed forty-nine green rays with the compass, and sent the butterfly to search the indentation.

Female cultivator Yang used a compass and multicolored butterfly to investigate the restriction, then recovered and opened its Gate of Life. The cave entrance appeared, and the group prepared to conceal its conspicuous glow before entering.

• Female cultivator Yang manipulated a multicolored butterfly with her compass, while Song Rongdao suspected she was using the Lianshan Yi Formation and secretly coveted the technique.
• After the compass's green gleams ran out, Yang said she needed three hours to recover before she could break the restriction, and young man surnamed Bai promised to guard her.
• Yang recovered and resumed casting spells, concealing that she had used the Lianshan Yi Formation to map the restriction's layout before opening its Gate of Life.
• Colored light broke the mountain wall open and revealed a cave entrance, which Yang confirmed was safe to enter after checking it with her Divine Sense.
• Song Rongdao worried that the rosy light would attract attention, so young man surnamed Bai placed formation flags in the surrounding rocks to conceal it.

Song Rongdao and the others entered the formation through the life gate chosen by the female cultivator surnamed Yang and reached a plaza with three sealed caves. Meanwhile, Xing Ming and his companions followed them in and planned to weaken them before competing for whatever lay ahead.

• The female cultivator surnamed Yang entered the rosy light first, and Song Rongdao and the other three followed into a corridor free of demonic qi that no longer obstructed Divine Sense.
• Song Rongdao and the others traveled for several li without encountering the Dark Spirit Demon Bat, while the female cultivator surnamed Yang silently recognized they were following the life-gate path rather than the death gate Song Rongdao had taken before.
• Xing Ming, Xuan Caijun, Feng Moru, and Li Yan arrived after them, discussed killing or weakening their rivals, and Xing Ming asked Li Yan to use his poison arts when an opportunity arose.
• Song Rongdao's group reached a plaza with three sealed caves named Ripple Cave, Jade Balance Cave, and Heavenly Spirit Cave.
• The cultivator surnamed Yan questioned the unusual arrangement, and the young man surnamed Bai suggested the caves might be rooms within one abode disguised by their inscriptions.

Song Rongdao and the others tested the cave entrances and discovered powerful serpent-shaped restrictions. Meanwhile, Mu Guyue tracked a dark-golden dragon-like beast deep into Devil-Devouring Abyss, hoping its nest might hold the Black Jade Mysterious Dragon Grass, and ended the chapter concealed near its suspected territory.

• Song Rongdao, the young man surnamed Bai, and the cultivator surnamed Yan tested the three cave doors and narrowly evaded the serpent-head attacks from their restrictions.
• Song Rongdao asked the female cultivator surnamed Yang to help them find a safer way to break the restrictions.
• Mu Guyue searched Devil-Devouring Abyss for the Black Jade Mysterious Dragon Grass while avoiding demonic beasts and other cultivators.
• Mu Guyue sensed a dark-golden dragon-like shadow and followed it, hoping to locate its nest and the herb she needed.
• Mu Guyue reached the beast's suspected territory deep in the abyss, concealed herself near a massive peak, and prepared to identify its nest.

Mu Guyue infiltrated the territory of a fourth-rank Primal Chaos Mystic Gold Dragon, but its devilish qi barrier exposed her and forced her into a desperate flight. The golden-robed dragon disrupted her mind with a roar and knocked her away after she turned to attack him.

• Mu Guyue discovered a thick devilish qi barrier around the dragon’s territory and entered after finding no formations or restrictions.
• The barrier’s strange vibrations destabilized Mu Guyue, and the golden-robed Primal Chaos Mystic Gold Dragon sensed her and pursued her as she fled upward.
• Mu Guyue deflected one spear thrust with her crescent blades, recognized that the dragon outmatched her, and continued trying to escape.
• The dragon absorbed devilish qi and attacked with his spear transformed into a miniature dragon, but Mu Guyue dodged and sped past it.
• The dragon’s roar intensified the devilish qi in Mu Guyue and stirred her killing intent, making her turn back and strike at him.
• The golden-robed dragon blocked Mu Guyue’s elbow with two fingers and sent her tumbling away.

Mu Guyue and the golden-robed middle-aged man paused their fight to discuss compensation for her intrusion into his cave abode. She offered him a Buddhist bead rich in pure yang power, and his hostility eased as he recognized its value.

• Mu Guyue expelled impurity-laden devilish qi, regained her senses, and restored some spiritual power with pills.
• Mu Guyue explained that she had entered the cave abode seeking a Black Jade Mysterious Dragon Herb, and offered either to fight or compensate the golden-robed middle-aged man.
• The golden-robed middle-aged man dismissed her offer of compensation in spirit stones or devil crystals.
• Mu Guyue presented a Buddhist bead, and the golden-robed middle-aged man recognized it as a Buddhist magic treasure and showed interest.

Mu Guyue negotiated with the middle-aged man in golden robes, trading a Buddhist bead magic treasure and one thousand demon crystals for a three-hundred-year Black Jade Mysterious Dragon Grass. After the exchange, she realized he had poisoned her and that he was watching her with lustful intent.

• Mu Guyue and the middle-aged man in golden robes argued over compensation, and he demanded two thousand demon crystals and the Buddhist bead for the herb.
• The two prepared to fight, but the middle-aged man in golden robes lowered his aura and offered the herb for the Buddhist bead and one thousand demon crystals.
• Mu Guyue gave him the demon crystals, confirmed the Black Jade Mysterious Dragon Grass was genuine, and exchanged the Buddhist bead for it.
• The middle-aged man in golden robes suggested they trade again in the future, and Mu Guyue considered seeking more rare plants from him.
• Mu Guyue noticed a fragrance from the hand that had held the herb, realized she had been poisoned, and saw lust in the middle-aged man in golden robes's eyes.

Mu Guyue discovered that the golden-robed man had poisoned the Black Jade Mysterious Dragon Grass and tried to flee before the aphrodisiac took effect. She used demonic qi to suppress the poison and fought him in a furious close-quarters battle, leaving them locked in a stalemate.

• The golden-robed man revealed that he had poisoned the Black Jade Mysterious Dragon Grass with lust poison and expected it to overwhelm Mu Guyue within fifteen breaths.
• Mu Guyue held her breath, used a demonic crystal to replenish her power, and tried to escape, but the golden-robed man caught up and reached for her.
• Mu Guyue unleashed her Mottled White Bone Armor and deflected his attack, though contact with him made the poison flare up again.
• Mu Guyue inhaled the surrounding demonic qi, using its negative emotions to suppress the lust poison, then turned back and attacked the golden-robed man.
• The golden-robed man transformed into a dark golden azure dragon, but he held back rather than risk serious injury, and the two fought to a standstill.

Mu Guyue escaped the Heaven-Mixing Mysterious Gold Dragon’s attack but struggled against lust poison and fled into a small cave as he pursued her. Meanwhile, the female cultivator surnamed Yang cautiously continued breaking the restrictions at Flowing Wave Cave, though cultivator surnamed Yan doubted she could succeed.

• Mu Guyue used a fierce assault to send the Heaven-Mixing Mysterious Gold Dragon falling and create distance so she could flee toward the abyss’s exit.
• Mu Guyue’s Zen Heart Pill kept her mind clear, but the lust poison weakened her as the Heaven-Mixing Mysterious Gold Dragon caught up and locked onto her with Divine Sense.
• Mu Guyue spotted a small cave entrance and flew toward it to seek shelter, while the Heaven-Mixing Mysterious Gold Dragon guessed she had no strength left and pursued her.
• The female cultivator surnamed Yang used her compass to transfer and dissipate the restrictions on Flowing Wave Cave, placing forty-nine streaks of green light across its gate.
• The female cultivator surnamed Yang sent her multicolored butterfly through the green lights toward the gate, and cultivator surnamed Yan warned Song Rongdao and the young man surnamed Bai not to expect too much from her technique.

Yang failed to break the cave dwelling’s restrictions with the compass, but her second attempt revealed the Life Gate and left her injured. Xing Ming’s group prepared to ambush the others when the restrictions were finally broken, while Li Yan agreed to hold Jiang Baibi off for five breaths.

• Yang recalled the compass after it failed to break the restrictions, then used a dozen bamboo slips to probe the gate.
• Yang spat blood and staggered back, but told Song Rongdao and the others that she had found the Life Gate and needed time to recover.
• Xing Ming’s group decided to attack as soon as Yang broke the restrictions and planned how to divide their targets.
• Xing Ming asked Li Yan whether he could hold Jiang Baibi back for five breaths, and Li Yan agreed.