Arc 63The Blood Lamp Assessment

Li Yan returned to the Po Jun Sect with Mu Guyue, helped her settle in and advance to Spirit Transformation, and prepared the sect for a dangerous promotion assessment. The arc ended as Shangguan Tianque and Scholar Wei entered the Blood Tuo Lamp trial, with the rotating lampshade raising concern that they might be forced into conflict.

  • Li Yan and Tang Feng left the Dizhen Domain, crossed the Heavenly Demon Grassland, and parted when Tang Feng chose to travel alone.
  • Li Yan reunited with Mu Guyue, learned that Mu Sha was their son, and brought Mu Guyue and Tinglan out of danger while altering Tinglan’s memories.
  • Li Yan and Mu Guyue returned to the Po Jun Sect, where Mu Guyue joined as an elder and Li Yan resumed contact with Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu.
  • Chongyangzi visited the sect, invited Li Yan to join Chunyang Hall, and explained how the Po Jun Sect could seek promotion through an assessment.
  • The Po Jun Sect accepted the assessment, and Mu Guyue later survived her Spirit Transformation tribulation and agreed to help the sect prepare.
  • Mu Guyue trained the Po Jun Sect’s fighters, while Shangguan Tianque organized the expedition and led the sect to face the Blood Lantern Sect’s first trial.
  • At the Blood Lantern Sect, the Po Jun Sect and Mingyan Sect assembled before the judges, and Wu Gouzi introduced the Blood Tuo Lamp escape trial.
  • Shangguan Tianque was chosen to enter first, followed by Li Yan, Ren Yanyu, and Mu Guyue, while Scholar Wei entered from the north and the rotating lamp raised the possibility of a clash.
Chapters 1551–1575 Vol. 16 Read

Ch. 1551Training and the Journey Home (I)

After four years exploring the Dream-Returning Ant’s head, Li Yan helped Soul-Suppressing Palace establish defenses and then left the Dizhen Domain with Tang Feng. They cautiously crossed the Heavenly Demon Grassland and emerged five years later, leaving Li Yan to reflect on the vast and dangerous territory still ahead.

  • Elder Hao, Li Yan, and their companion finished surveying the reachable parts of the Dream-Returning Ant’s head, finding no trace of the former sect master and confirming that only one passage led outside.
  • Li Yan helped Master Lan and the others construct formation foundations before bidding farewell to Xue Tieyi and Elder Tang at the gorge leading out of the Dizhen Domain.
  • Elder Tang asked Li Yan to protect Tang Feng and help Soul-Suppressing Palace disciples he might encounter; Li Yan and Tang Feng then left the Dizhen Domain together.
  • In the forest, Li Yan taught Tang Feng to conceal his aura and soul force and warned him against casually scanning other cultivators with Divine Sense.
  • After five cautious years crossing the Heavenly Demon Grassland, Li Yan and Tang Feng reached its outer edge, where Li Yan considered how much larger and more dangerous its inner regions were.

Ch. 1552Trials and the Journey Home (2)

After five years of dangerous travel and combat, Tang Feng had grown more experienced and changed his fighting style. Near the Po Jun Sect, he chose to part from Li Yan and continue traveling alone in search of opportunities to advance.

  • Li Yan guided Tang Feng through the Heavenly Demon Grassland, where Tang Feng fought Demon Beasts and hostile cultivators while Li Yan protected him and tested Soul Cultivator attacks.
  • Tang Feng became skilled at stealthy, underhanded attacks and maintained the appearance of a middle Nascent Soul cultivator as they left the grassland.
  • Li Yan led Tang Feng through marketplaces, where Tang Feng sold some Soul Crystal Sprouts and bought high-grade spirit stones and other goods.
  • After entering Po Jun Sect territory, Tang Feng told Li Yan he would not join the sect and wanted to travel alone while his insights continued to develop.
  • Li Yan accepted Tang Feng's decision and gave him a detailed map jade slip of the nearby regions, cities, and marketplaces.

Ch. 1553Tomorrow, Mountains Divide Us

Tang Feng and Li Yan parted ways, and Li Yan brought Mu Guyue out of the Dizhen Domain into the Immortal-Spirit Realm. After explaining that she was free to leave and warning her about the dangers ahead, Li Yan learned that her son was named Mu Sha.

  • Tang Feng accepted Li Yan’s map jade slip, thanked him, and flew south while Li Yan watched him leave.
  • Li Yan summoned Mu Guyue from the spirit storage space and revealed that they were in the Immortal-Spirit Realm near the Heavenly Demon Grassland.
  • Mu Guyue confirmed that she could use her Divine Sense freely, then asked how Li Yan had brought her out of the Dizhen Domain.
  • Li Yan assured Mu Guyue that the Soul-Suppressing Palace was far away, promised to remove Tinglan’s soul mark and alter her memories, and advised Mu Guyue to avoid dangerous regions and places where old creditors might find her.
  • Mu Guyue said she needed to raise her cultivation, then revealed that her son’s name was Mu Sha, leaving Li Yan confused.

Ch. 1554A Thousand Heaps of Snow Swept Up

Mu Guyue told Li Yan that Mu Sha, her son with him, belonged to the Black Devil Race and warned him not to kill him. Li Yan learned that Mu Sha was in the Jieyou Realm and proposed helping Mu Guyue reach Spirit Transformation before they traveled toward the cross-realm grand formation, though she doubted he could do so.

  • Mu Guyue clarified that Mu Sha was her son with Li Yan and urged Li Yan never to kill him.
  • Mu Guyue briefly described Mu Sha’s life and answered Li Yan’s questions about his cultivation and place in the Black Devil army.
  • Li Yan asked where Mu Guyue’s clan was, and she told him it was in the Jieyou Realm.
  • Li Yan offered to take Mu Guyue back to the Po Jun Sect, help her reach Spirit Transformation, and travel with her toward the cross-realm grand formation.
  • Mu Guyue questioned how Li Yan could help her break through, since he was still in the Nascent Soul Realm.

Ch. 1555Targeting

Li Yan revealed that he had reached Spirit Transformation and offered to help Mu Guyue break through while traveling with her across the Heavenly Demon Grassland. Mu Guyue agreed to join him at the Pojun Sect, and Li Yan wondered why their son Mu Sha had been given such a murderous name.

  • Li Yan showed Mu Guyue his Spirit Transformation aura and promised he could help her reach the same realm.
  • Li Yan explained that he needed to travel to the cross-domain grand formation and proposed that they cross the Heavenly Demon Grassland together.
  • Li Yan decided he would use a Great Wuguo Fruit to help Mu Guyue and believed she would make a trustworthy companion.
  • Mu Guyue asked about the Pojun Sect, and Li Yan said she could join as an elder focused on cultivation.
  • Mu Guyue agreed to go with Li Yan, who wondered whether she had named their son Mu Sha to target him.

Ch. 1556Released

Li Yan freed Tinglan from captivity, erased and rewrote nearly two hundred years of her memories, and brought her out of the Dizhen Domain with Mu Guyue. Tinglan believed they had escaped a secret realm on the Heavenly Demon Grassland and asked Mu Guyue what she planned to do next.

  • Tinglan worried when Mu Guyue disappeared, then Li Yan knocked her unconscious and brought her to the mountain where Mu Guyue waited.
  • Li Yan removed Tinglan's soul seal and erased and altered her memories of the Dizhen Domain and their years together.
  • Tinglan awoke with pain in her soul and sea of consciousness, and Mu Guyue told her they had escaped a secret realm after demon beasts attacked.
  • Tinglan recovered her ability to use her divine sense freely, thanked Li Yan for saving her, and asked Mu Guyue what she planned to do next.

Ch. 1557Threads of Fate

Mu Guyue and Tinglan parted ways after surviving the Heavenly Demon Grassland, while Li Yan and Mu Guyue revealed their connection to the Po Jun Sect. Tinglan then recognized Li Yan as an acquaintance of her uncle Chongyangzi, leaving Li Yan shaken by the unexpected link and his altered memories of both relatives.

  • Mu Guyue said she planned to enter seclusion, and Tinglan invited her to visit Lanyue Manor after returning home.
  • Mu Guyue told Tinglan that she and Li Yan were ascended cultivators from the lower realm and that she planned to cultivate at the Po Jun Sect.
  • Tinglan learned that Li Yan was an elder of the Po Jun Sect and asked whether he knew Chongyangzi.
  • Li Yan said he had met Chongyangzi during the battle for the Great Wu Fruit, and Tinglan revealed that Chongyangzi was her uncle.
  • Li Yan realized he had altered the memories of both Chongyangzi and Tinglan and wondered whether karmic ties had connected them.

Ch. 1558The Sect Then and Now (1)

Li Yan and Mu Guyue returned to the Po Jun Sect, where Banjiang recognized Li Yan and welcomed him after nearly two centuries away. Banjiang asked about Li Yan’s disappearance, but Li Yan first asked how the sect was doing and said they would meet with Shangguan and the others.

  • Li Yan and Mu Guyue arrived at the Po Jun Sect, and the guards challenged them for landing before the deliberation hall.
  • Li Yan presented his elder token and said he wanted to speak with Sect Master Yu, but the two Golden Core cultivators could not identify him.
  • Banjiang recognized Li Yan, rebuked the guards for obstructing him, and Li Yan told him not to punish them.
  • After Li Yan and Banjiang entered the hall, the guards discussed Li Yan’s former cave residence and his long absence from the sect.
  • Banjiang asked where Li Yan had been, and Li Yan suggested they first discuss the sect’s current state before meeting Shangguan and the others.

Ch. 1559The Sect of Then and Now (2)

Li Yan returned to the Pojun Sect with Mu Guyue and reunited with Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu. After learning that Mu Guyue planned to join the sect, they welcomed her as a trusted new member, while Li Yan and Mu Guyue’s unspoken feelings remained between them.

  • Banjiang told Li Yan that the Pojun Sect had grown powerful under Ren Yanyu but remained cautious about recruiting outsiders and stirring up trouble.
  • Li Yan, Mu Guyue, and Banjiang went to the back mountain, where Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu warmly welcomed Li Yan back.
  • Li Yan introduced Mu Guyue as an ascended cultivator who intended to join the Pojun Sect, and Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu recognized her strength and devilish qi.
  • Ren Yanyu welcomed Mu Guyue as a junior sister, and Li Yan used her familiar name to show how close they were.
  • Mu Guyue sensed Li Yan’s complicated feelings, while Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu encouraged her to drop formalities and Ren Yanyu took her hand.

Ch. 1560Stability

Li Yan returned to the Broken Army Sect with Mu Guyue and recounted their dangerous ordeal in the Heavenly Demon Grassland, while Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu concluded that Li Yan’s true cultivation exceeded Nascent Soul. After Mu Guyue settled into her new cave abode, Li Yan gave her an azure fruit whose aura powerfully affected her.

  • Li Yan told Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu that he and Mu Guyue had escaped a deadly secret realm in the Heavenly Demon Grassland, and explained why the Great-Winged Golden Roc had pursued him.
  • Li Yan confirmed that Donglin Tingyue and Jia Fugui had not deliberately used him as a shield, while Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu inferred that Li Yan had reached Spirit Transformation.
  • Mu Guyue declined a formal entry ceremony, agreeing only to a simple announcement, and Banjiang introduced Li Yan to two Nascent Soul guest elders.
  • Banjiang led Li Yan and Mu Guyue to Mu Guyue’s secluded cave abode, where she inspected the premises and accepted it.
  • Li Yan gave Mu Guyue an azure fruit; its runes affected her consciousness and slowed the flow of spiritual power before Li Yan sealed its aura and handed it over.

Ch. 1561Would She Harbor Killing Intent?

Li Yan gave Mu Guyue a Great Void Fruit to aid her breakthrough and returned to his cave dwelling to recover from years of strain. He then prepared Feng Hongyue to cultivate in a wood-element region inside the Tuban space, keeping him under control as a potential ally for future dangers.

  • Li Yan offered Mu Guyue a Great Void Fruit, and she initially refused because it was too precious, but he insisted and told her to keep it secret.
  • Li Yan mentioned Mu Sha and urged Mu Guyue to settle her mind before her sect-entry ceremony in a month; she accepted the fruit after he left.
  • Li Yan returned to his cave dwelling, restored its formations, and slept for three days and four nights before considering his future plans.
  • Li Yan moved Feng Hongyue into a vast forest of pure wood spiritual energy inside the Tuban space and encouraged him to cultivate toward the Void Refinement Realm.
  • Feng Hongyue transformed into a towering tree and began comprehending the wood-element laws, while Li Yan kept his soul imprint on him and considered him a possible asset for crossing the Heavenly Demon Grassland.

Ch. 1562Confirming His Strength

Li Yan tested the abilities he had gained after reaching the Spirit Transformation Realm and resolved to strengthen his remaining life-preserving techniques. As he studied the newly appeared Severed Poison in seclusion, Chongyangzi of the Pure Yang Hall arrived at the Po Jun Sect demanding to see him.

  • Li Yan found that his Nascent Soul teleportation, Night Concealment, Heaven-and-Earth Shaking, and Five Elements Chaotic Cloak had become much stronger.
  • Li Yan discovered that years of using Five Elements Return to Primordial Chaos had fortified his meridians, allowing him to channel far more spiritual power than an ordinary early-stage Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator.
  • Li Yan decided to investigate the thirty-third pale green thread, Severed Poison, and improve his Tidefall cultivation technique before traveling across the Heavenly Demon Grassland.
  • Chongyangzi arrived at the Po Jun Sect with a young Nascent Soul cultivator and asked the gatekeeping disciples to take him to Li Yan.
  • Banjiang summoned Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu, who recognized Chongyangzi as a Pure Yang Hall elder and learned that he had reached the Void Refinement Realm.
  • Shangguan Tianque told Chongyangzi that Li Yan was in seclusion and offered to handle any sect business in his place.

Ch. 1563Meeting Again

Chongyangzi visited the Broken Army Sect with his niece Tinglan to meet Li Yan and Mu Guyue, who had saved and cared for her in the Heavenly Demon Grassland. After thanking them publicly and showing the sect leaders that he valued them, Chongyangzi dismissed the others to speak with Li Yan in private.

  • Tinglan explained to Shangguan Tianque that she had escaped the Heavenly Demon Grassland with Li Yan and Mu Guyue and had come to find them with her uncle, Chongyangzi.
  • Li Yan arrived at the discussion hall, where Chongyangzi greeted him warmly after learning that Li Yan had saved Tinglan.
  • Mu Guyue joined them, and Tinglan happily reunited with her while Chongyangzi thanked Li Yan and Mu Guyue for looking after his niece.
  • Chongyangzi discussed their experiences in front of the Broken Army Sect leaders, making clear that he valued Li Yan and Mu Guyue.
  • Chongyangzi asked Shangguan Tianque and the others to leave so he could speak privately with Li Yan, and Li Yan congratulated him on advancing his cultivation.

Ch. 1564Secret Talks

Chongyangzi thanked Li Yan for saving Tinglan and invited him to join Chunyang Hall, but Li Yan declined out of loyalty to his sect. Li Yan asked Chongyangzi to find a route to his lower realm and locate Guiqulaixi, and Chongyangzi explained why crossing realms was difficult.

  • Chongyangzi praised Li Yan for protecting Tinglan and asked whether he had reached Spirit Transformation; Li Yan confirmed that he had.
  • Chongyangzi invited Li Yan to join Chunyang Hall, but Li Yan declined because he felt loyal to his sect.
  • Chongyangzi offered to help Li Yan and Mu Guyue, and Li Yan asked him to find a route to his lower realm and the shop Guiqulaixi.
  • Chongyangzi explained that returning to a lower realm could require concealing one's aura from heaven and earth and locating a difficult-to-detect spatial node.
  • Li Yan realized that he would need to hide the Immortal Spirit Realm's aura before entering a lower realm, or risk being lost in dangerous space.

Ch. 1565An opportunity

Li Yan sought a steady way to obtain supreme-grade spirit stones, and Chongyangzi revealed that the Pojun Sect could pursue promotion to a third-tier sect for a large reward. Li Yan learned the process would involve a difficult assessment in ten years, leaving him weighing whether to pursue it despite the risk of death.

  • Li Yan exchanged for five supreme-grade spirit stones from Chongyangzi and planned to build a supply through several channels over time.
  • Chongyangzi explained that the Pojun Sect met the minimum requirement to apply for promotion because it had three Spirit Transformation Realm cultivators.
  • Chongyangzi said a successful promotion would bring the sect a hundred supreme-grade spirit stones and other resources, but the assessment would be difficult.
  • Chongyangzi explained that Chunyang Hall would assess the sect, and that the Mingyan Sect had qualified for an assessment scheduled ten years later.
  • Chongyangzi assured Li Yan that the Pojun Sect's members would pass the background checks and said deaths were permitted during the assessment unless a participant conceded in time.

Ch. 1566Hearing Magpies Rejoice Overhead

Li Yan discussed the Po Jun Sect’s proposed rank promotion with Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu, who agreed to pursue the dangerous assessment. After the Pure Yang Hall approved preparations, the sect celebrated its prospects and learned that Li Yan had reached Spirit Transformation; Li Yan then waited for Donglin Tingyue, who finally arrived at his cave residence.

  • Li Yan told Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu that Chongyangzi had proposed an assessment to raise the Po Jun Sect’s rank, and revealed that he had reached Spirit Transformation.
  • Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu agreed to pursue the assessment despite its dangers, and the three returned to inform Chongyangzi.
  • Chongyangzi took Tinglan back to the Pure Yang Hall, while Mu Guyue declined his offers of aid and later attended her elder induction ceremony before preparing to cultivate in seclusion.
  • The Po Jun Sect received a notification from the Pure Yang Hall to prepare for an assessment more than nine years later, and news of the promotion spread through the sect and beyond.
  • As visitors arrived to congratulate the Po Jun Sect, Li Yan stayed in his cave residence until Donglin Tingyue arrived and he went out to welcome her.

Ch. 1567Continuing preparations

Li Yan reconnected with Donglin Tingyue and Jia Fugui, renewed his search for a way to reach the lower realm, and returned to secluded cultivation. In the fifth year after his return, Mu Guyue began her Spirit Transformation tribulation, and Li Yan joined Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu in guarding her.

  • Donglin Tingyue visited Li Yan, revealed the pressure the Pojun Sect had placed on his lineage, and brought him jade slips about routes to the lower realm during a later visit.
  • Li Yan traveled to the Abacus Sect and asked Jia Fugui to resume searching for information about Guiqulaixi and the lower realm.
  • Jia Fugui later told Li Yan that he was pursuing a lead about a sect whose members might have appeared in the lower realm, while Tang Feng sent word that he was safe and well.
  • Li Yan spent years in secluded cultivation as he waited for news, while the Pojun Sect's rank advancement excitement faded.
  • In the fifth year after Li Yan's return, Mu Guyue's Spirit Transformation tribulation began, and Shangguan Tianque ordered outsiders to withdraw while he, Ren Yanyu, and Li Yan guarded her.

Ch. 1568The Devil Marshal Commands the World

After Mu Guyue recovered from her successful Spirit Transformation, Shangguan Tianque gathered her, Ren Yanyu, and Li Yan to celebrate and discuss the Po Jun Sect’s upcoming advancement assessment. Mu Guyue later took Li Yan to her cave abode and revealed what she had left for Mu Sha about Li Yan, leaving him uneasy as she recalled their first encounter beneath the sea.

  • Mu Guyue survived her Heavenly Tribulation and became a Spirit Transformation Realm Supreme Elder of the Po Jun Sect.
  • Two years later, Shangguan Tianque summoned Li Yan, Ren Yanyu, and Mu Guyue to celebrate and discuss the sect’s advancement assessment.
  • Mu Guyue readily agreed to help the Po Jun Sect, and Shangguan Tianque explained the evaluation process and preparations.
  • Mu Guyue took Li Yan to her cave abode and told him she had left Mu Sha Li Yan’s Storage Pouch and a jade slip describing him as a disciple of the Four Great Sects.
  • Mu Guyue said Mu Sha had likely been confused and explained that she had once hated Li Yan because their races were mortal enemies; Li Yan awkwardly called their meeting beneath the sea an accident.

Ch. 1569Are these painted brows too dark or light for fashion?

Li Yan and Mu Guyue gave in to their feelings, then faced the consequences of their complicated relationship. Four months later, Chunyang Hall officials arrived at the Pojun Sect and explained that the sect’s promotion assessment would begin with a trial defended by the Blood Lamp Sect.

  • Mu Guyue kissed Li Yan, and the two became intimate while intoxicated.
  • Afterward, Mu Guyue told Li Yan she would never take a Dao Companion and would regard him only as Mu Sha’s father, but Li Yan pulled her back and kissed her again.
  • Four months later, Chongyangzi and a second Chunyang Hall elder visited the Pojun Sect to verify its candidates and explain the upcoming promotion assessment.
  • The officials confirmed Mu Guyue’s eligibility and announced that the first trial would require the Pojun Sect and Mingyan Sect to break through the Blood Lamp Sect’s defense.
  • Shangguan Tianque questioned whether the Seven Tigers Alliance could conduct a fairer trial, and the young elder explained that the Blood Lamp Sect’s trial would require approval from at least half of Chunyang Hall’s elders.

Ch. 1570Prepare for Battle Today

The Pure Yang Hall explained that the Po Jun Sect would face a dangerous Blood Lantern Sect trial before fighting the Bright Flame Sect for promotion rewards. The Po Jun Sect prepared its forces for over a year, and Mu Guyue returned with only seventy-five trainees, including the three Nascent Soul cultivators.

  • Elder Zhou and Chong Yangzi told Shangguan Tianque that the Po Jun Sect would first face the Blood Lantern Sect, then fight the Bright Flame Sect, with failed Spirit Transformation cultivators barred from the second stage.
  • Shangguan Tianque learned that the Pure Yang Hall would guard both sects during the assessment and restrict observers to the Seven Tigers Alliance.
  • Li Yan proposed that Mu Guyue train the sect's Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators in large-scale battle methods, and Mu Guyue warned that the training would cause casualties.
  • Mu Guyue took Banjiang and eighty-six Golden Core Realm cultivators away for training, while Ren Yanyu became acting sect master and Shangguan Tianque prepared formations and magic treasures.
  • More than a year later, Mu Guyue returned two months before the assessment with only seventy-five people, including the three Nascent Soul cultivators.

Ch. 1571Setting Out on the Expedition

The Broken Army Sect prepared to leave on an expedition to secure cultivation resources, with Shangguan Tianque leading the party aboard his Azure Cloud Sparrow. After receiving confirmation from Chongyangzi that two late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivators would guard their side, the group continued toward the Blood Lantern Sect.

  • Mu Guyue removed twelve Golden Core Realm cultivators from the expedition group, leaving fifty to set out after three days of rest.
  • Shangguan Tianque rallied the sect’s disciples, promising rewards and support for the families of those killed in battle.
  • Shangguan Tianque assigned Yang Jian and Cheng Guoshan to guard the sect, activated its core formations, and led the expedition aboard the Azure Cloud Sparrow.
  • A short distance from the sect, Shangguan Tianque met two Pure Yang Hall cultivators, who delivered an audio jade slip from Chongyangzi.
  • Shangguan Tianque confirmed that Chongyangzi had arranged for two late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivators to guard their side, then resumed the flight toward the Blood Lantern Sect.

Ch. 1572Arrival

Li Yan and the Po Jun Sect arrived at the Blood Lantern Sect to undergo an assessment for elevation in rank. After being shown the sect’s hostile reception and the assembled spectators and powerful figures, they reached the high platform and paid their respects to Chongyangzi and the other Void Refinement cultivators.

  • Shangguan Tianque presented the Po Jun Sect’s token at the Blood Lantern Sect gate, and a Golden Core disciple escorted the group inside.
  • The Blood Lantern Sect led the Po Jun Sect to a plaza crowded with more than ten thousand spectators, including Qi Condensation disciples, Nascent Soul cultivators, and members of the Seven Tigers Alliance.
  • Li Yan spotted Chongyangzi, three other Void Refinement cultivators, and numerous Blood Lantern Sect, Seven Tigers Alliance, and Pure Yang Hall representatives on the high platform.
  • Shangguan Tianque identified Wu Gouzi as the Blood Lantern Sect’s sole Void Refinement Supreme Elder and noted that no Bright Flame Sect cultivators had arrived yet.
  • Shangguan Tianque led the Po Jun Sect group onto the high platform and bowed to Chongyangzi and the other Void Refinement cultivators.

Ch. 1573The Mingyan Sect arrived

The Pojun Sect and Mingyan Sect assembled before the Blood Lamp Sect’s judges for their assessment, revealing the vast difference in their numbers and foundations. As Chongyangzi called both sects to the platform, Li Yan studied Mingyan’s powerful cultivators and considered how he might face their strongest fighters.

  • Chongyangzi introduced Elder Fang, Supreme Elder Wu, Alliance Leader Ding, and the other judges to Shangguan Tianque and his party.
  • The Mingyan Sect arrived with six Spirit Transformation cultivators, seven Nascent Soul cultivators, and a hundred Golden Core cultivators, dwarfing the Pojun Sect’s force.
  • The Pojun Sect’s Golden Core cultivators assessed Mingyan’s numbers and considered how Mu Guyue’s group tactics could fare against them.
  • Li Yan identified Mingyan’s late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivators, Wei Fuzi and Han Zhumei, and weighed the dangers of their abilities.
  • Chongyangzi summoned both sects to the platform, and Shangguan Tianque led the Pojun Sect forward as Mingyan’s cultivators focused on him and his companions.

Ch. 1574The First Trial Begins

Wu Gouzi announced the rules for the first trial and revealed that contestants would have to fly through the Blood Tuo Lamp. Four late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivators from Pure Yang Hall entered the lamp, and its towering wick ignited.

  • Mingyan Sect remained uncertain about Li Yan and Mu Guyue, while Donglin Tingyue and Jia Fugui kept the Great Wu Fruit battle secret out of fear.
  • Wu Gouzi explained that each sect could send contestants into the first trial one at a time, and a single successful attempt would let the sect advance.
  • Wu Gouzi summoned and enlarged the Blood Tuo Lamp, then said contestants had to fly from its base and escape through its top opening.
  • Four late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivators from Pure Yang Hall entered the lamp through separate doors in its base.
  • The Blood Tuo Lamp’s pillar-like wick ignited, and Wu Gouzi smiled.

Ch. 1575First in Order

Li Yan and the Broken Army Sect discussed how to survive the Blood Tuo Lamp trial and chose Shangguan Tianque to enter first, while Bright Flame Sect sent Scholar Wei. The lamp began rotating after Scholar Wei entered, leaving Shangguan Tianque uncertain whether the trial was meant to make the two sects confront each other.

  • Wu Gouzi explained the one-day limit, escape talismans, and dangers of the Blood Tuo Lamp trial, including four late Spirit Transformation attacks near the end.
  • Shangguan Tianque warned Li Yan and the others that the lamp’s flames could burn them and might retain some of the Blood Tuo Lamp’s ability to drain blood essence.
  • Li Yan and Shangguan Tianque agreed that the cultivators should avoid fighting the attacks head-on and focus on enduring them while crossing the lamp quickly.
  • Broken Army Sect selected Shangguan Tianque to enter first, followed by Li Yan, Ren Yanyu, and Mu Guyue; Bright Flame Sect chose Scholar Wei.
  • Scholar Wei entered from the north, and the lampshade began rotating; Shangguan Tianque saw that entering from the south might bring him close to Scholar Wei and wondered whether the setup was intended to provoke conflict.
Arc 63 of 126