Chapter Summaries

Li Yan reunited with Wei Chituo, who brought Ye Huaiqing to meet him and introduced her as his sister-in-law. The group sat down together, and Li Changting privately explained Ye Huaiqing’s background to Li Yan.

• Ye Huaiqing recalled how she had gradually confirmed that Wei Chituo’s powerful junior brother was real and grew nervous about meeting him.
• Li Yan greeted Wei Chituo at Li Wuyi’s courtyard, while Li Wuyi and Li Changting realized Wei Chituo had come to surprise him.
• Wei Chituo teased Li Yan about visiting Li Wuyi first, then introduced Ye Huaiqing as his sister-in-law.
• Ye Huaiqing freed her hand from Wei Chituo’s and respectfully greeted Li Yan as Elder Li.
• Li Yan welcomed Ye Huaiqing, and Wei Chituo quietly asked him what he thought of her.
• After everyone sat down, Li Changting privately told Li Yan about Ye Huaiqing’s background.

Li Yan learned that Li Wuyi and the others had carefully investigated Ye Huaiqing and found her sincere love for Wei Chituo genuine. When the group reunited for wine, Li Wuyi insisted they follow Li Changting’s old custom, leaving Li Yan and the others wary of her gu wine.

• Li Changting told Li Yan that Ye Huaiqing was a diligent, low-profile native cultivator with no suspicious connections or history.
• Li Wuyi, Miao Wangqing, and Li Changting had secretly investigated Ye Huaiqing after learning she and Wei Chituo were in love, and Wei Zhongran had confirmed there was nothing wrong.
• Li Wuyi continued watching the couple for years until he was satisfied that Ye Huaiqing and Wei Chituo genuinely cared for each other.
• Li Yan felt happy that Wei Chituo had found love again after grieving for a former beloved who had died.
• Miao Wangqing and Li Zhaoyan returned, and Li Changting brought out jars of her medicinal wine.
• Wei Chituo tried to offer his treasured wine instead, but Li Wuyi refused and insisted that they drink Li Changting’s wine according to Small Bamboo Peak’s old rule.

Li Yan reunited with his fellow disciples and learned that Wei Zhongran and Li Yuyin had grown close. The Sect Master summoned Li Yan to discuss his mission and the agreement among the three sects, leaving him to understand that the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect was using a secret-realm bargain to ease tensions without admitting responsibility for past attacks.

• Li Yan returned to his residence, shared stories with his fellow disciples, and learned that Li Yuyin had reached Spirit Transformation and grown close to Wei Zhongran.
• Li Wuyi warned Li Yan that Wei Zhongran and Li Yuyin might eventually become a couple, and Li Yan felt happy for them.
• The Sect Master summoned Li Yan and asked about the outcome of his mission, while acknowledging the sect's debt to him and its support for his family.
• Li Yan described what he had heard about the secret realm and the three-sect negotiations, and the Sect Master confirmed the arrangement.
• The Sect Master explained that the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect had offered the secret realm as a way to ease conflict despite suspicious evidence linking it to the attacks on Li Yan and the Wangliang Sect.

Li Yan learned how the Wangliang Sect and Life Extinction Sect had settled their disputes with the Netherworld Underworld and the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect, then avoided a secret-realm mission that could expose his Five Immortals Sect identity. He met Li Zhaoyan’s suitor, Ling Qingyun, and judged him a promising match for his daughter.

• The sect master explained that the Wangliang Sect and Life Extinction Sect had secured Netherworld resources after negotiations over Fa Nan and the other ghost, while the Netherworld Underworld concealed the fate of the real culprit.
• The sect master and Li Yan left the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect secret-realm mission unmentioned, and Li Yan decided not to go because the sect could recognize him as a Five Immortals Sect cultivator.
• Li Yan considered whether the conflicts with the Netherworld Underworld and Yin-Yang Chaos Sect could truly be over, while both sides intended to settle their grievances later.
• Li Zhaoyan brought Ling Qingyun to meet Li Yan, and the nervous Nascent Soul cultivator impressed him with his character and cultivation prospects.
• Li Yan approved of Ling Qingyun as a likely companion for Li Zhaoyan, valuing his chances of advancing along the path of immortality.

Li Yan approved of Li Zhaoyan and Ling Qingyun’s relationship, then checked on Qianji’s slow recovery in Tuban. Four months later, Bai Rou’s impending Spirit Transformation tribulation drew Li Yan to the Wangliang Sect’s rear mountains, where he reunited with Li Zhaoyan as the tribulation clouds gathered.

• Li Zhaoyan teased Ling Qingyun by telling him that Li Yan considered him acceptable, while Li Yan privately explained that he wanted their Dao companion ceremony to wait until Zhao Min and Gong Chenying returned.
• Li Yan entered Tuban and found Qianji’s soul continuing to recover, with its remaining gap between the three souls and seven spirits still slowly closing.
• Four months later, Li Zhaoyan urgently alerted Li Yan that Bai Rou had sensed her Spirit Transformation Heavenly Tribulation and had gone to the sect’s rear mountains.
• Li Yan flew to the tribulation grounds, assessed the gathering clouds, and found Li Zhaoyan and Ling Qingyun with two Four Symbols Peak cultivators.
• Li Zhaoyan recognized Li Yan as he descended and greeted him with relief.

Li Yan arrived as Bai Rou underwent her Spirit Transformation Heavenly Tribulation and encouraged her from afar. Bai Rou survived with only light injuries, reached Spirit Transformation, and then asked Li Yan for news of Shuang Qingqing before stabilizing her realm.

• Li Zhaoyan and Ling Qingyun hurried to Bai Rou’s tribulation site, where Li Yan joined them and then flew closer to watch.
• Li Yan sent encouragement to Bai Rou, who spotted him and regained her resolve to face the Heavenly Tribulation.
• Bai Rou deployed ten puppets and endured the tribulation, reaching Spirit Transformation after suffering only light injuries.
• Bai Rou invited Li Yan to her cave abode and asked about Shuang Qingqing, delaying her realm stabilization to hear his news.
• Li Yan began organizing what he would tell Bai Rou so she could enter secluded cultivation sooner.

Li Yan told Bai Rou about Shuang Qingqing’s life and the Muliu Sect’s progress, easing her worries about both. Bai Rou planned to stabilize her realm while Li Yan stayed at the Wangliang Sect for a while longer.

• Li Yan told Bai Rou that Shuang Qingqing had reached the Void Refinement Realm, was living comfortably at a trading house, and planned to establish the Muliu Sect in the Immortal Spirit Realm.
• Bai Rou questioned Li Yan about Shuang Qingqing’s safety and learned that the Muliu Sect was thriving under Gu Jiuqi’s arrangements and the Wangliang Sect’s support.
• Bai Rou thanked Li Yan for easing her worries, and Li Yan asked her to stabilize her realm without delay.
• Bai Rou asked how long Li Yan would stay at the sect, and he said he would remain for a while but might later leave for missions or personal matters.

After Bai Rou survived her tribulation, she parted from Li Yan while planning to leave the Wangliang Sect and search for Shuang Qingqing. Months later, Li Yan learned that his master Wei Zhongran had returned and went to meet him, where he saw Wei Zhongran with a woman in the main hall.

• Bai Rou watched Li Yan leave and reflected that she might not see him again after emerging from seclusion.
• Bai Rou decided to leave the Wangliang Sect after reaching Spirit Transformation and search for Shuang Qingqing, while Li Yan chose not to reveal Shuang Qingqing’s whereabouts to Gu Jiuqi.
• Li Yan returned to cultivation as Bai Rou and the other disciples’ tribulations inspired their fellow cultivators to pursue their own breakthroughs.
• Miao Wangqing informed Li Yan that Wei Zhongran had returned with the cultivator team and that Li Yuyin was among them.
• Li Yan contacted Wei Zhongran, arranged to visit his cave abode, and arrived an hour later to find Wei Zhongran seated with a woman.

After returning from his mission, Li Yan met with Wei Zhongran and discussed Zhao Min and Gong Chenying’s plans to seek cultivation arts from the Tianli Clan, as well as Little Beast’s eligibility to learn the Qiongqi Purgatory Art. Li Yan then revealed that he had encountered Zuo Qiudan in the Main Dao Realm, leaving Wei Zhongran eager to hear what had happened to his old friend.

• Li Yan arrived at the hall, paid his respects to Wei Zhongran, and greeted Miao Wangqing, who soon left them alone to talk.
• Wei Zhongran explained that Zhao Min and Gong Chenying would need to visit the Tianli Clan to continue their cultivation after reaching the Spirit Transformation Realm.
• Wei Zhongran told Li Yan that Little Beast could cultivate the Qiongqi Purgatory Art because of Li Yan’s contributions to the Tianli Clan, though later generations would face restrictions.
• Li Yan said he planned to travel to the Tianli Clan to protect Zhao Min and the others on their journey.
• Li Yan told Wei Zhongran that he had met Zuo Qiudan in the Main Dao Realm and that Zuo Qiudan had been in dire circumstances.

Li Yan learned about the secret-realm expedition from Wei Zhongran and suspected the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect had hidden intentions, prompting him to make plans of his own. After a month in seclusion, he arranged to leave Wangliang Sect for the Tianli Clan, then received an unexpectedly quick reply from Li Zhaoyan.

• Li Yan told Wei Zhongran how he had reached the Main Dao Realm, and Wei Zhongran urged him to leave Zuo's enemy for Zuo to deal with personally.
• Li Yan gave Wei Zhongran the location of the Pojun Sect and said he would skip the next secret-realm mission to seek Zhao Min and the others at the Tianli Clan.
• Wei Zhongran described the secret-realm teams and their dangers, and Li Yan privately concluded that the sects were concealing parts of the contest and that he would not let the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect's matter end there.
• After more than a month in seclusion, Li Yan informed the Sect Master that he planned to leave for the Tianli Clan, and the Sect Master approved his departure.
• When Wei Zhongran and Li Yan's Fourth Senior Sister did not reply, Li Yan messaged Li Zhaoyan, who promptly said she would come to see him.

Li Yan prepared to leave the sect to find his wife and the others at the Tianli Clan, while Li Zhaoyan told him that Wei Zhongran was traveling to explore the Immortal Spirit Realm. Before departing, Li Yan visited Miao Wangqing and gave her a mountain of alchemy materials to refine pills for their fellow disciples.

• Li Zhaoyan anxiously asked Li Yan why he was leaving again, and he said he was going to bring her mother and the others back from the Tianli Clan.
• Li Zhaoyan told Li Yan that she had gained insight into her future Spirit Transformation Heavenly Tribulation and that Wei Zhongran planned to travel and see the Immortal Spirit Realm.
• Li Yan realized Wei Zhongran's journey explained why his master had not answered his message, then set out to tell his senior brothers and sisters about his departure.
• Miao Wangqing replied to Li Yan's message and met him at Li Wuyi's courtyard, where he explained he was going to escort Sixth Senior Sister, Min'er, and the third person back from the Tianli Clan.
• Li Yan presented Miao Wangqing with a huge pile of alchemy materials so she could refine pills for their fellow disciples, leaving her amazed by the quantity.

Li Yan gave Miao Wangqing a trove of rare alchemy materials and reference jade slips before learning that Wei Zhongran had gone traveling with Li Yuyin. After returning to the Wangliang Sect, Li Yan prepared to leave again, while Zuo Qiudan departed for Pojun Sect after thanking the Phoenix Four Clans for protecting him.

• Li Yan persuaded Miao Wangqing to accept his rare materials and gave her jade slips listing materials and their uses.
• Miao Wangqing told Li Yan that Wei Zhongran had left on a journey with Li Yuyin, and Li Yan realized they were traveling together.
• Li Yan returned to his courtyard, reflected on his own burdens and his Master's freedom, and resolved to handle his own affairs.
• In the North Pasture Realm, Zuo Qiudan thanked Ming Feng, Ming Qi, and Ming Yu for escorting him and set out for Pojun Sect.

After years of traveling with the Phoenix Four Clans, Zuo Qiudan parted from them near the Pojun Sect and continued toward his destination alone. His alchemy skills had turned Li Yan’s entrusted escort into a genuine friendship, though Zuo Qiudan still kept his abilities and knowledge guarded.

• Ming Feng agreed to let Zuo Qiudan leave the group after they reached a point less than three hundred thousand li from the Pojun Sect.
• During the journey, Zuo Qiudan refined Pills for the Phoenix Four Clans, impressing their cultivators with his skill and even producing Pills for Body Integration Realm cultivators.
• The Phoenix Four Clans grew close to Zuo Qiudan and came to value him as a gifted alchemist and friend.
• Ming Feng escorted Zuo Qiudan as he said farewell to the other clans, and Zuo Qiudan thanked Ming Feng, Ming Qi, and Ming Yu before preparing to depart.

Zuo Qiudan parted from Ming Qi and the four clans as they prepared to enter the Heavenly Demon Grassland, while the Pojun Sect remained quietly established under Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu. The chapter followed Bu Luo, now a Spirit Transformation elder, as he embraced his familiar bamboo basket and oversaw the sect’s medicinal Pills.

• Ming Qi thanked Zuo Qiudan and asked him to convey the four clans’ gratitude to their benefactor, Li Yan, if he encountered him.
• Zuo Qiudan left for the Pojun Sect, and Ming Feng led Ming Qi and Ming Yu toward the Heavenly Demon Grassland.
• The Pojun Sect settled into a quiet, guarded period of growth under Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu, with Chongyangzi helping conceal its affairs.
• Bu Luo returned to carrying a forged bamboo basket stocked with magical treasures because his familiar way of reaching behind him remained faster than using his storage ring.
• Shangguan Tianque and the others recognized Bu Luo’s unusual but highly skilled alchemy, while Bu Luo continued to praise his former young master, Zuo Qiudan.
• Bu Luo inspected the Grade Five and higher Pills stored in the Purple Qi Pavilion, where most were sealed as reserves for the sect.

Bu Luo learned that Zuo Qiudan had arrived at Pojun Sect and rushed to reunite with the master he had searched for over many years. After they embraced and exchanged greetings at the mountain gate, Bu Luo led Zuo Qiudan into the sect to speak privately.

• Bu Luo wondered whether Li Yan had found news of Zuo Qiudan while walking through Pojun Sect.
• A Purple Qi Pavilion cultivator told Bu Luo that Zuo Qiudan was waiting at the mountain gate and had asked for him.
• Zuo Qiudan examined Pojun Sect's surroundings and formations while the gate disciples watched him cautiously.
• Bu Luo hurried to the gate, recognized Zuo Qiudan, and knelt to pay his respects.
• Zuo Qiudan welcomed Bu Luo and agreed to follow him into the sect, where they could talk privately.

Bu Luo reunited with Zuo Qiudan, while Li Yan secretly set out to follow the Wangliang Sect team headed for a secret realm. The team reached a city and settled into an inn for the night, unaware that Li Yan was pursuing them.

• Bu Luo escorted Zuo Qiudan to his cave residence, eager to catch up with his former young master.
• Li Yan left the sect secretly and flew toward the secret realm, planning to catch the Wangliang Sect team and disrupt its agreement with the Yin-Yang Chaos Sect.
• Li Yan reviewed the route and information he had gathered from Wei Zhongran, intending to avoid revealing that he was following the team.
• Zhuang Muhua traveled with the Wangliang Sect team to a cultivator city, where its two Void Refinement Realm leaders decided they would rest for the night.
• Zhuang Muhua and four companions took rooms in a courtyard at Wind Evening Pavilion.

Li Yan followed the Wangliang Sect group to their final city before the secret realm and chose to impersonate Zhuang Muhua to infiltrate them. By dawn, he had captured Zhuang Muhua, taken his place, and left the inn with the group undetected.

• Zhuang Muhua and the other cultivators settled into rooms at the Wind Evening Pavilion Inn, while Zhuang Muhua stayed in to study pill formulas.
• Li Yan tracked the group to the inn and decided to impersonate a middle-stage Spirit Transformation Realm alchemist to enter the secret realm with them.
• Li Yan identified Zhuang Muhua as his target and watched the courtyard using his divine sense.
• Before dawn, Li Yan checked out, returned to the inn in secret, captured Zhuang Muhua, and took his appearance and place in the room.
• Li Yan greeted the other disciples as Zhuang Muhua and joined the group as the two Void Refinement Realm cultivators led them toward the city gate, unaware of the substitution.

Li Yan arrived with a Wangliang Sect team at a swamp where three sects were gathering to explore a secret realm. Elder Yang gave the team a golden leaf for emergencies, and they prepared to enter under strict mission rules.

• Li Yan traveled with Zhang Su, Hu Qianqiu, and their team to the secret realm's entrance in a vast swamp.
• Elder Yang and the elders from the Life Extinction Sect and Yin-Yang Chaos Sect revealed themselves in light spheres among the trees.
• Zhang Su confirmed that the team understood its exploration route, the dangers of Radiant Gold Blood Earthworms, and the ban on investigating other sects' areas.
• Elder Yang gave Zhang Su a golden leaf that could summon a rescue but would end the team's mission if used.
• The team learned that it should seek help from its fellow sect teams before using the leaf, then return to the sect if the leaf was activated.

Zhang Su led the Wangliang Sect team through the three sects’ joint Light Gate into the secret realm. After consulting the golden leaf’s map with Hu Qianqiu, he set course for the location last explored by Wei Zhongran’s team.

• Elder Yang and the leaders of the other two sects joined their three broken sword sections into a Light Gate, and Zhang Su led his team through it.
• Li Yan surveyed the gray, swamp-filled secret realm as the Light Gate behind the team vanished.
• Zhang Su used the golden leaf to view the realm’s map and passed it to Hu Qianqiu for inspection.
• Zhang Su and Hu Qianqiu confirmed their direction and the locations of other teams and sects, then Zhang Su steered the jade ruyi toward their destination.
• Li Yan listened to Zhang Su and Hu Qianqiu’s discussion and learned that they were entering the realm for the first time.

Li Yan joined Zhang Su and the other cultivators as they entered the secret realm and learned about its Radiant Gold Bloodworms and other dangers. The group reached the last foothold cleared by Wei Zhongran’s team, where Zhang Su prepared them to resume exploring.

• Li Yan secretly scanned for Yin-Yang Chaos Sect cultivators while flying with Zhang Su’s group through the mire.
• The cultivators passed low-level Demon Beasts as Li Yan considered the danger and history of Radiant Gold Bloodworms.
• Zhang Su guided the jade ruyi to an island where Wei Zhongran’s team had left a protective formation.
• Zhang Su explained that the group would explore ahead in two teams after an hour of familiarizing themselves with the island, and warned them to beware of unknown dangers.