Recaps

Xiong Tianba investigated a faint aura that had appeared in his cultivation chamber and discovered that it came from a walnut-sized little cauldron. The cauldron moved toward a captive Nascent Soul, and Xiong Tianba cautiously let it approach while watching for danger.

• Xiong Tianba sensed a faint aura while cultivating, then searched his chamber and courtyard without finding its source.
• Xiong Tianba pretended to resume cultivation and waited for two months, hoping to catch the concealed intruder.
• Xiong Tianba captured a Nascent Soul cultivator from a small sect and restrained the cultivator's Nascent Soul to provoke a stronger aura.
• Xiong Tianba traced the resulting aura to the dark-yellow little cauldron on his shelf.
• The little cauldron flew toward the captive Nascent Soul, was knocked back by Xiong Tianba's restraint, and tried to approach again.
• Xiong Tianba opened a passage for the cauldron while keeping the Nascent Soul restrained and remaining ready to cut off his spiritual power.

Xiong Tianba discovered that the dark yellow little cauldron could trap Nascent Souls in a forest and briefly nourish them, then gave it to Su Qianqian and used it to help them escape the Dizhen Domain together. Through Su Qianqian’s memories, Li Yan learned the cauldron’s history and more about Xiong Tianba’s attachment to her.

• Xiong Tianba tested the little cauldron and found that Nascent Souls entered a forest inside it, where they could escape by breaking a formation.
• Xiong Tianba learned that the cauldron briefly nourished Nascent Souls, though its benefits soon became negligible.
• Xiong Tianba had Su Qianqian place her Nascent Soul inside the cauldron, allowing them both to leave the Dizhen Domain using a single training quota.
• Xiong Tianba let Su Qianqian keep the cauldron, and she repeatedly studied it while helping him seek the Seven-Spirit Sky Fox clan.
• Li Yan learned these details from Su Qianqian’s memories and realized she knew more than he had expected.

Li Yan set aside his unsuccessful investigation of the dark yellow little cauldron and returned to the Broken Army Sect, where he reunited with Shangguan Tianque. He told Shangguan that Mu Guyue had safely returned to the Devil Race and gave him a storage ring she had left for the sect.

• Li Yan tested the dark yellow little cauldron with spiritual power and Five Elements laws but found nothing unusual, then abandoned his investigation.
• Shangguan Tianque reflected on the Broken Army Sect's growth, his cultivation, and Ren Yanyu's pregnancy while hoping Li Yan and Mu Guyue had reached the Jieyou Realm safely.
• Li Yan appeared behind Shangguan Tianque, surprising him, and the two reunited at the cliff's edge.
• Li Yan told Shangguan that Mu Guyue had returned to the Devil Race for further cultivation and had sent her thanks to the sect.
• Li Yan gave Shangguan the storage ring Mu Guyue had entrusted to him for Shangguan and Ren Yanyu.

Li Yan reunited with Shangguan Tianque and learned that the Po Jun Sect had prospered peacefully while he was away. He arranged for Bu Luo and Zi Kun to cultivate there, leaving open the possibility that Bu Luo would later become a guest elder.

• Li Yan recognized that Mu Guyue had sent uncommon cultivation materials, pills, and techniques, many suited to Ren Yanyu, and Shangguan Tianque accepted them on her behalf.
• Li Yan asked Shangguan Tianque about the sect, and learned that Elder Zhang was attempting a breakthrough, Elder Qi had become its sixth Supreme Elder, and Yu Banjiang had reached the peak of the middle Nascent Soul Realm.
• Li Yan met Elder Qi and discussed the Po Jun Sect's circumstances, which reassured him that the sect remained peaceful.
• Li Yan told Shangguan Tianque that Bu Luo and Zi Kun would cultivate at the sect, and Shangguan Tianque agreed to provide them with resources.
• Li Yan said he would ask whether Bu Luo would serve as a guest elder after reaching Spirit Transformation, and noted that Bu Luo was skilled in alchemy.

Li Yan returned to the Po Jun Sect with Buluo and Zi Kun, arranged for them to cultivate there, and secured a formula and resources that could aid their future growth. As Li Yan prepared to focus on his own cultivation, he set a deadline for their journey into the Heavenly Demon Grassland and gave Zi Kun further support.

• Li Yan introduced Buluo and Zi Kun to Shangguan Tianque, who was impressed by Zi Kun's strength and Buluo's alchemy foundations.
• Li Yan asked Shangguan Tianque to secretly seek a Great Wu Fruit for Buluo, and Buluo gave Li Yan the Truth-Confounding Pill formula before heading off to cultivate.
• Li Yan told Zi Kun they would enter the Heavenly Demon Grassland within twenty years, advised him to call him Young Master, and gave him two toxins and their antidotes for cultivation.
• Yu Banjiang brought Li Yan two storage rings of top-grade spirit stones, including one for Mu Guyue, then left after paying his respects.
• Li Yan sat alone in his cave residence before heading to the cultivation chamber.

After more than five years of secluded cultivation, Li Yan refined the Blood-Eyed Toad's remaining toxins and tested the new poison produced by his Fragmented Poison Body. His cultivation reached the peak of early Void Refinement, and he named the poison Flawguard.

• Li Yan returned to the Po Jun Sect in secret while Shangguan Tianque continued strengthening the sect cautiously.
• After years of seclusion, Li Yan tested how the new black poison defended against the Guiyi Water-Parting Spike, a soul technique, and the Wind Blade Technique.
• Li Yan realized that refining the Blood-Eyed Toad's toxins had brought him close to middle-stage Void Refinement, but he had restrained his breakthrough to strengthen his foundation.
• Li Yan found that the new poison enhanced his Fragmented Poison Body's toxicity and formed a viscous defensive layer that could corrode attacks and partially resist soul techniques.
• Li Yan considered the risks of advancing through toxins and named the new poison Flawguard after Wing Guard.

Li Yan studied the Undying Nether Phoenix bone marrow refinement method and tested its first step using silver sand and blood from an Undying Nether Phoenix heart. After successfully forming the required gelatinous droplet, he prepared to risk the next stage by bringing out his Nascent Soul.

• Li Yan reviewed the jade slip Ming Qi had given him, which described how to refine Undying Nether Phoenix bone marrow.
• Li Yan recalled that the Ming Qi sisters had warned that refining the bone marrow was deadly for outsiders, unaware that he possessed an Undying Nether Phoenix heart.
• Li Yan combined a grain of silver sand with blood from the heart and used Ming Qi's incantation to form a gelatinous droplet.
• Li Yan confirmed that the droplet matched the jade slip's description, but knew he could not test its further refinement without merging it with his bone marrow.
• Li Yan weighed the risks, closed his eyes, and summoned a golden figure identical to himself above his head.

Li Yan risked refining the Undying Nether Phoenix marrow, using Flawguard and layers of restrictions to protect his body. After more than fifteen years of repeated failures and painstaking refinement, he succeeded and emerged at the mid-stage Void Refinement Realm.

• Li Yan decided to gamble his body on refining the marrow, knowing failure could cost him his strength and Poison Body of Fragmentation.
• Li Yan's Nascent Soul sealed his body with restrictions and Flawguard, leaving only his right palm exposed for the refinement.
• Zi Kun waited as Li Yan remained in seclusion beyond their agreed time, then returned to his own cultivation rather than disturb him.
• Li Yan repeatedly lost and regenerated his palm while testing ways to refine the silver grains, eventually using the Undying Nether Phoenix blood essence in his body to assist.
• Li Yan spent more than fifteen years refining the two gelatinous water droplets, then opened his eyes and reached the mid-stage Void Refinement Realm through body cultivation.

After refining silver sand, Li Yan awakened the Undying Nether Phoenix talent divine ability Flame-Feather Meteor Arrows and tested the power of his strengthened right arm. He ended the chapter having demonstrated a devastating long-range strike, while still uncertain about the blue mark in his palm.

• Li Yan changed his silver-sand refinement method to concentrate the refined marrow in his right hand and arm, and later discovered a blue dot in his palm that granted him Flame-Feather Meteor Arrows.
• Li Yan traveled to a remote forest and tested his strength by opening spatial holes with his fists and striking through the turbulent spatial current.
• Li Yan found that his right arm produced a far stronger attack than his left, with the combined force of Qiongqi and a silver phoenix phantom carving a long path through a meteor belt.
• Li Yan formed his body into a nearly transparent bow and fired Flame-Feather Meteor Arrows at a distant lake, obliterating its water and leaving a deep hole in the lakebed.

Li Yan left the Broken Army Sect with Zi Kun for the Heavenly Demon Grassland after learning about Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu’s son and leaving gifts for the family. He disguised himself as a Nascent Soul cultivator and let Zi Kun face dangers ahead; the chapter ended with Zi Kun fighting two cultivators who had chased them.

• Five Nascent Soul cultivators fled through a violently churning asteroid belt, where two Moonwatch Beasts pursued them.
• Li Yan learned from Banjiang that Ren Yanyu had given birth to a son and that Shangguan Tianque and his wife had taken the boy to seek a spirit plant that might expand his dantian.
• Li Yan left Pills and a defensive magic treasure with Banjiang for Shangguan Tianque’s family and asked Banjiang to pass along any news about the Great Fruit.
• Li Yan and Zi Kun departed for the Heavenly Demon Grassland aboard the Cloud-Piercing Blade, with Li Yan concealing his strength and letting Zi Kun handle encounters.
• Two cultivators spotted Zi Kun and Li Yan, pursued them, and attacked Zi Kun, who began fighting them while Li Yan watched from behind.

Li Yan spent years guiding Zi Kun through brutal battles in the Heavenly Demon Grassland, honing his combat instincts and tempering his pride. Near the Golden-Backed Demon Elephant clan, Li Yan sent Zi Kun ahead to seek news of the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant clan while concealing that powerful beings there could threaten him.

• Two Spirit Transformation cultivators attacked Zi Kun, but he killed them after a fierce fight.
• Li Yan made Zi Kun face dangerous Demon Beasts across the grassland, rescuing him when he lost and helping him recover from severe injuries.
• Zi Kun defeated a late fifth-tier red-spotted centipede in his Purple Divine Dragon Elephant form, though Li Yan warned that his defense remained weak.
• During their journey of more than six years, Zi Kun kept the scars from his battles and became steadier and more discreet under Li Yan's training.
• Near the Golden-Backed Demon Elephant clan, Li Yan told Zi Kun to seek news of the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant clan on his own, then secretly followed him.

Li Yan and Zi Kun confirmed that the Golden-Backed Demon Elephant Clan descended from the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant Clan and learned where its kin were located. As they crossed the Heavenly Demon Grassland’s central region, powerful Demon Beasts repeatedly forced Li Yan to flee, leaving him aware that the journey was more dangerous than he had expected.

• Zi Kun secretly investigated the Golden-Backed Demon Elephant Clan, confirmed its ties to the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant Clan, and discovered the clan’s location.
• Li Yan praised Zi Kun’s cautious investigation, then led him toward the central region while concealing their passage.
• Five months later, increasing numbers of powerful Demon Beasts and Seventh Tier auras made Li Yan hide Zi Kun inside Tuban and continue alone.
• Li Yan escaped repeated encounters by fleeing through turbulent space, using Sand Star King Stones to recover his direction and poisons to deter pursuers.
• After an early-stage Seventh Tier Demon Beast forced him to retreat, Li Yan realized that he had underestimated the dangers of crossing the central region directly.

Li Yan and Zi Kun reached the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant Clan, where Zi Kun sought out his long-lost clansmen. After Zi Kun revealed his true form and impressed the patrol with his exceptionally pure bloodline, the leading cultivator agreed to report his arrival to the clan.

• A white-robed patrol led by a Nascent Soul cultivator stopped Li Yan and Zi Kun at the clan's territory and demanded to know their business.
• Zi Kun asked whether the patrol belonged to the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant Clan and explained that he had ascended from the lower realm and spent years searching for his clansmen.
• Zi Kun introduced Li Yan as his benefactor, following their plan to keep the details of Zi Kun's origins private.
• The leading cultivator asked Zi Kun to reveal his true form so he could assess his bloodline.
• Zi Kun transformed into a purple elephant, and the patrol sensed his extraordinarily pure bloodline and soul.
• The leading cultivator bowed to Zi Kun and said he would report the matter to the clan.

Zi Kun and Li Yan arrived at the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant Clan, where three Heaven-ranked deacons examined Zi Kun’s return from the lower realm and questioned Li Yan’s presence. The deacons learned Li Yan was a powerful cultivator connected to the Moji Dao Sect, but his relationship with Zi Kun remained unclear.

• A white-robed Nascent Soul cultivator welcomed Zi Kun, while Li Yan put away the Cloud-Piercing Blades and stood aside.
• Xiang Ling summoned the other two Heaven-ranked deacons, Xiang Longfei and Xiang Yun, to discuss Zi Kun’s arrival and the Human Race cultivator accompanying him.
• Xiang Yun objected to letting Li Yan enter, but Xiang Longfei said they should meet the pair.
• Zi Kun and Li Yan entered the hall, and Li Yan revealed his mid-stage Void Refinement Realm cultivation to support Zi Kun.
• Xiang Yun’s pressure made Zi Kun struggle to breathe, but Li Yan quietly shielded him and unsettled Xiang Yun.
• Li Yan introduced himself as a cultivator from a subordinate sect of the Moji Dao Sect, and the deacons recognized the sect while wondering how he knew Zi Kun.

Li Yan and Zi Kun met with the Purple God Dragon-Elephant Clan elders, where Zi Kun explained that he was the last survivor of his clan and sought to join them. Xiang Yun suspected Li Yan had bound Zi Kun with a contract, and the chapter ended with Zi Kun agreeing to an examination but demanding clear limits on how the clan would investigate him.

• Xiang Ling questioned Li Yan and learned that he and Zi Kun had met on the Desolate Moon Continent.
• Zi Kun told the elders that a demon cultivator had killed his parents and that he had found the clan only after ascending to the Immortal Spirit Realm.
• Zi Kun said he had searched the Lost Continent and Qingqing Continent but had found no other Purple God Dragon-Elephants.
• Xiang Yun questioned whether Li Yan had made Zi Kun his bonded spirit beast and warned that a contract could threaten the clan's descendants.
• Zi Kun refused to consent to a Soul Search, defended Li Yan's help, and said he would leave rather than submit to an invasive examination.
• Li Yan and Zi Kun asked the elders to specify who would examine Zi Kun and whether further checks would follow, and Zi Kun said he needed to know the process to feel assured.

Li Yan accompanied Zi Kun as the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant clan examined him before accepting his return. The examination found no restrictions, but Zi Kun’s bloodline display revealed Purple Dragon Fire, astonishing the clan elders and leaving them staring at him with intense interest.

• Xiang Ling insisted that the clan examine Zi Kun, and Zi Kun removed his defenses so she and the other two could inspect his body with Divine Sense.
• Li Yan waited while keeping an escape plan ready, with an incarnation and several artifacts prepared to exploit any weakness in the clan’s formation.
• Xiang Ling and the others found no restrictions in Zi Kun and asked him to reveal his bloodline power.
• Zi Kun transformed into his true form and released purple flames, which Xiang Ling, Xiang Yun, and Xiang Longfei recognized as Purple Dragon Fire.
• Zi Kun stopped circulating his bloodline power and returned to human form, while the three clan members looked at him with astonishment and fervent interest.

After seeing Zi Kun manifest innate Violet Dragon Fire, Xiang Ling, Xiang Longfei, and Xiang Yun competed to recruit him into their branches. Zi Kun heeded Li Yan’s advice and asked about the clan’s other branches, leaving the three elders wary of his attempt to learn more before choosing.

• Xiang Ling, Xiang Longfei, and Xiang Yun recognized that Zi Kun’s Violet Dragon Fire was exceptionally rare and realized his bloodline could give their branches a major advantage.
• Li Yan warned Zi Kun not to accept any offer too quickly, and Zi Kun inferred that the clan’s Violet Dragon bloodline had become scarce.
• Xiang Ling, Xiang Longfei, and Xiang Yun each urged Zi Kun to join their branch, offering access to powerful masters, resources, and other benefits.
• Li Yan advised Zi Kun that the three elders were withholding information about the clan’s other branches, so Zi Kun asked how many branches there were.
• Xiang Longfei accused Zi Kun of greed, while Xiang Ling told him that the clan chief’s branch was strongest but its leading figures had sealed themselves away.

Li Yan secretly guided Zi Kun through the Purple God Dragon-Elephant Clan’s branch leaders’ competing offers, and Zi Kun chose Xiang Longfei’s branch. Xiang Yun then proposed a practical combat assessment to determine Zi Kun’s rank, leaving the leaders to agree on how he would be evaluated.

• Li Yan listened to Xiang Ling and the others’ supposedly private explanations, then sent Zi Kun incisive questions to ask about their branches.
• Zi Kun questioned Xiang Ling, Xiang Longfei, and Xiang Yun, prompting Xiang Yun to grow resentful when he showed little interest in her branch.
• Following Li Yan’s advice, Zi Kun chose Xiang Longfei’s branch, and Xiang Longfei promised to make him a core clansman and arrange guidance from a powerful cultivator.
• Xiang Yun proposed a practical combat assessment to determine Zi Kun’s rank, and Xiang Ling agreed that it was the best way to assess his strength.

Zi Kun faced an actual-combat assessment to determine his clan rank, with Xiang Yun and Xiang Ling choosing opponents from their branch lines. After hearing the rules and learning about the three Spirit Transformation cultivators, Zi Kun chose the strongest opponent, Xiang He.

• Xiang Yun and Xiang Ling voted for an actual-combat assessment, and Xiang Longfei agreed to oversee it.
• Xiang Yun selected Xiang He, Xiang Ling selected Xiang Yehua, and Xiang Longfei selected Xiang Qing as Zi Kun’s possible opponents.
• Xiang Longfei explained the assessment rules to Zi Kun, who asked that Li Yan be informed of his choice and the details.
• Xiang Ling introduced Xiang Qing, Xiang Yehua, and Xiang He as early, middle, and late Spirit Transformation opponents.
• The branch-line elders privately instructed the three opponents about Zi Kun’s pure bloodline and Purple Dragon Fire, with Xiang He told to stop Zi Kun from advancing.
• Zi Kun assessed the three opponents and chose to fight Xiang He.

Zi Kun challenged Xiang He and countered his swift attack with a purple vortex and a vajra pestle. He struck the pestle into Xiang He's defenses, leaving them cracked as the fight continued.

• Zi Kun chose Xiang He as his opponent, and they faced off in the great hall.
• Xiang He declared he would defeat Zi Kun in five breaths, while Zi Kun summoned five flames of Purple Dragon Fire.
• Xiang He attacked from above with a purple sphere and a descending knee, and Xiang Yun tried to intervene before Xiang Longfei suppressed her.
• Zi Kun's purple vortex swallowed Xiang He's sphere, and an enormous vajra pestle struck Xiang He from behind.
• Zi Kun followed up by punching the vajra pestle into Xiang He's back, cracking his defensive barrier.

Zi Kun defeated Xiang He in his clan assessment by using the Great Dragon Elephant Formation and Phantom Sect techniques, then fought Xiang Yehua before being confirmed as a core disciple. Xiang Longfei took Zi Kun to meet the clan elders while Li Yan stayed in a courtyard, waiting to see that Zi Kun was safe.

• Zi Kun used the Great Dragon Elephant Formation to ambush Xiang He and struck him down with a four-hit assault, then explained the formation and his techniques.
• Xiang Longfei stopped Xiang Yun from challenging the assessment result, and Xiang Ling confirmed that Zi Kun’s methods were allowed.
• Zi Kun accepted Xiang Yehua’s challenge and defeated him after a vigorous fight, while Xiang Qing chose not to fight.
• Xiang He acknowledged his defeat, and Xiang Yun left after Zi Kun’s status as a core disciple was confirmed.
• Xiang Longfei brought Li Yan to a courtyard and agreed to let him stay for a little over a month, then gave him voice transmission talismans.
• Xiang Longfei took Zi Kun to meet the clan elders, and Zi Kun promised Li Yan he would visit whenever he had time.

Zi Kun described how Xiang Longfei secured him a place in the branch before the clan’s other branches could claim him, and Li Yan advised him to stay loyal and let his standing take root. As Li Yan discussed cultivation with Xiang Longfei, Zi Kun attended a gathering where Xiang He and his allies challenged his bloodline and demanded to see his Purple Dragon Fire.

• Zi Kun told Li Yan that a Body Integration Realm master’s avatar had accepted him as a disciple and that the patriarch and other branch elders had then tested his bloodline and argued over how he should be nurtured.
• Li Yan warned Zi Kun not to become greedy, to respect his new master, and to build his place within the branch; Zi Kun promised to follow proper order.
• Zi Kun settled into clan life, received guidance from his future master’s avatar, and grew closer to Xiang Qing while Li Yan kept a low profile.
• Xiang Longfei visited Li Yan, and the two discussed cultivation and the Dao, while Xiang Longfei’s respect for Li Yan increased.
• Xiang He and seven clansmen provoked Zi Kun at a gathering, accused his innate ability of being a gimmick, and demanded that he demonstrate his Purple Dragon Fire.

Zi Kun defeated Xiang He and his companions with poison, while Li Yan left the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant clan after ensuring Zi Kun had found his people. Four years later, Li Yan returned to the Po Jun Sect and asked Banjiang about Buluo and the sect’s current situation.

• Xiang He tried to force Zi Kun into a fight at Xiang Tianxing’s gathering, but Zi Kun poisoned him and several companions unconscious and left the courtyard.
• Xiang Qing caught up with Zi Kun, who assured her that Xiang He and the others would recover and said he knew a little about poison.
• Li Yan left Zi Kun a jade slip with instructions, departed the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant clan, and set out for the Po Jun Sect.
• Zi Kun received Li Yan’s message and sat alone, saddened that they had parted again.
• Four years later, Li Yan arrived at the Po Jun Sect, entered the main hall, and asked Banjiang about Buluo, the absent elders, and the sect’s situation.

Li Yan learned that Chongyangzi had been badly injured thirteen years earlier and went to Pure Yang Hall to visit him. He found Tinglan keeping watch at Chongyangzi’s cave residence, where she began to tell him about the situation.

• Banjiang reported that the Heaven-Breaking Sect was stable, Buluo was progressing smoothly, and Shangguan Tianque and his wife were in seclusion; Li Yan urged Banjiang not to rush his cultivation and reassured him about his chances of reaching Spirit Transformation.
• Banjiang told Li Yan that the sect had obtained a Great Wuguo for two top-grade spirit stones, and Li Yan gave him three to cover the purchase and other expenses.
• Banjiang revealed that a Pure Yang Hall cultivator had mentioned Chongyangzi was seriously injured; Li Yan learned the injury had been known about for at least thirteen years and decided to visit Pure Yang Hall.
• Li Yan traveled to Pure Yang Hall and went to Chongyangzi’s cave residence, where Tinglan greeted him and confirmed that Chongyangzi had been in seclusion for a long time.
• Li Yan stopped Tinglan from preparing tea and asked her to tell him about Chongyangzi’s condition.

Tinglan told Li Yan how Chongyangzi and her father had been injured while avenging her mother, then revealed that she and Chongyangzi’s disciples planned to strike their enemies before they could threaten the family estate. Li Yan urged her to reconsider and offered Chongyangzi pills before departing, leaving Tinglan to return to the cave dwelling.

• Tinglan explained that Chongyangzi and her father had been trapped and badly injured while pursuing the cultivators responsible for her mother’s death.
• Li Yan realized Chongyangzi’s injuries kept him from intervening and advised Tinglan to stop letting worry disrupt her cultivation.
• Li Yan deduced that Tinglan intended to join Chongyangzi’s disciples in seeking revenge, and Tinglan admitted they planned to attack their enemies before those enemies could target the estate.
• Tinglan explained that the group hoped to defeat their enemies through preparation and by taking them down one at a time.
• Li Yan asked about Chongyangzi’s injuries, offered Tinglan several pills, and departed; Tinglan returned to the cave dwelling.