Chapter Summaries

Li Yan weighed whether to attack Luo Beixi before the soul cultivator surnamed Ye could arrive, then brought him into his heavily defended room and learned that he was searching for the rare Strength Soul Gu. Li Yan described the gu but claimed he had never seen or heard where to find one, while recognizing that Luo Beixi and Ye had been pursuing soul-related gu insects.

• Li Yan decided that the risk of missing his chance to kill Luo Beixi outweighed the danger that the soul cultivator surnamed Ye might arrive, and he led Luo Beixi into his fortified room.
• Luo Beixi inspected Li Yan's sparse furnishings and praised him as devoted to cultivation before asking for a favor.
• Luo Beixi asked whether Li Yan knew of the Strength Soul Gu, and Li Yan realized that Luo Beixi and Ye were searching for soul-type gu insects.
• Li Yan described the Strength Soul Gu's appearance and effects, then said he had never seen one or heard any clue about where to find it.

Li Yan concealed his intent to attack while Luo Beixi explained that he had found a fifth-rank Strength Soul Gu and needed help capturing it alive. Tempted by Luo Beixi’s offer of a thirteen-thousand-year-old Cloud-Pattern Wood, Li Yan asked what the job required but did not agree.

• Li Yan prepared to capture Luo Beixi, but Luo Beixi clarified that he wanted help capturing a Strength Soul Gu, not help searching for one.
• Luo Beixi said he had tracked the fifth-rank gu for more than three hundred years and estimated his chance of capturing it alive alone at less than twenty percent.
• Li Yan questioned why Luo Beixi had chosen him, and Luo Beixi explained that he could not enlist a capable gu master in Saint Demon City and had struggled to find help elsewhere.
• Luo Beixi offered a thirteen-thousand-year-old Cloud-Pattern Wood or other payment, revealing that he had investigated Wang Xing’s background.
• Li Yan asked what he would have to do, and Luo Beixi began explaining the blood contract and the conditions for assisting him.

Li Yan agreed to help Luo Beixi capture the Strength Soul Gu, but decided to wait until they left Saint Demon City before making his move. Luo Beixi returned to the Holy Devil Palace and entered a hidden chamber, where a beautiful female cultivator lay motionless on a jade bed.

• Li Yan examined Luo Beixi’s Cloud-Pattern Wood and agreed to follow his arrangements, after learning that the Strength Soul Gu was in an ancient cultivator’s hidden cave abode.
• Luo Beixi left Li Yan’s shop without the Soul Cultivator surnamed Ye appearing, and Li Yan suspected Luo Beixi had lied about Ye accompanying him.
• Li Yan told Qianji to remain at the shop in two days while he went out with Luo Beixi and Ye, deciding that an attack outside Saint Demon City would be safer.
• Li Yan suspected Luo Beixi planned to use him as a blood sacrifice to open the formation in the ancient cultivator’s relic.
• Luo Beixi returned to his cave abode, unlocked a concealed Stone Gate with a jade pendant and a small flag, and entered a cold chamber.
• Luo Beixi found a beautiful female cultivator lying motionless on a glowing jade bed inside the chamber.

Li Yan met Luo Beixi and Ye Yuhong at the Crippled Finger Peaks to begin their journey together. As they departed on Luo Beixi’s flying treasure, Li Yan remained wary of their intentions and planned to strike if an opportunity arose.

• Luo Beixi visited the sleeping female cultivator and vowed to wake her before Li Yan left the city two days later.
• Li Yan reached the Crippled Finger Peaks first, marked the meeting place, and concealed himself.
• Luo Beixi arrived in disguise, greeted Li Yan, and waited for Ye Yuhong.
• Ye Yuhong arrived late and joined Li Yan and Luo Beixi at the meeting place.
• Luo Beixi summoned a jade-like lotus leaf flying treasure, and the three cultivators set off together.

Li Yan traveled with Luo Beixi and Ye Yuhong to the hidden location of the Strength Soul Gu while concealing his intentions and planning to kill them after searching their souls. The three reached a desolate valley, where Luo Beixi revealed an underground entrance beneath a patch of shrubs.

• Luo Beixi flew with Ye Yuhong and Li Yan aboard the Lotus Heaven Lightleaf, and the three traveled for over three months toward their destination.
• During the journey, Li Yan deflected Luo Beixi and Ye Yuhong's attempts to uncover his background and secretly prepared for their deaths, arranging for Qianji to close the shop and relocate safely.
• Luo Beixi announced that they had reached the region where they were searching for the Strength Soul Gu, and Li Yan agreed to follow his instructions cautiously.
• Ye Yuhong probed a shadowed valley with a soul technique, and Luo Beixi guided the Lotus Heaven Lightleaf down into it.
• After Li Yan found no visible trace of their destination, Luo Beixi transformed into smoke and entered a gap beneath the shrubs while Ye Yuhong stayed behind to watch and waited for Li Yan to enter.

Li Yan followed Luo Beixi and Ye Yuhong deep underground, where they found Seven-Bead Sand that suggested a Strength Soul Gu might be nearby. The chapter ended with Li Yan asking whether Luo Beixi had seen a Three-Colored Nest.

• Li Yan slipped into the fissure after Luo Beixi, and Ye Yuhong followed after checking the area for traces.
• The three men traveled down the narrow underground crack until it opened into a vast, dark cave.
• Li Yan spotted moss-like plants growing beside the cave wall, and Luo Beixi explained that they grew sparser farther inside.
• Li Yan recognized the plants as Seven-Bead Sand, which the Strength Soul Gu favored as food.
• Li Yan reasoned that the diminishing Seven-Bead Sand could indicate a Strength Soul Gu nearby and asked Luo Beixi whether he had seen a Three-Colored Nest.

Luo Beixi, Ye Yuhong, and Li Yan descended into the cave to capture the fifth-rank Strength Soul Gu, which Luo Beixi believed was living in an ancient ruin’s depths. They reached the three-colored nest’s outer yellow zone and pressed onward through heat powerful enough to threaten even highly cultivated cultivators.

• Luo Beixi explained the three-colored nest, estimated the Strength Soul Gu was fifth-rank, and warned the others to report anything unusual rather than act rashly.
• Ye Yuhong cautioned Li Yan that the Strength Soul Gu could attack them with its soul, while Luo Beixi stressed that failure could let it escape for good.
• The three traveled nearly three thousand li underground, passing intense cold before reaching a region where the temperature began to rise.
• Li Yan detected yellow light ahead, and Luo Beixi identified it as the entrance to the Strength Soul Gu’s blazing outer zone.
• Luo Beixi entered the yellow radiance first, and Li Yan and Ye Yuhong followed without encountering an attack or restriction.
• After advancing another four hundred li, the cave widened and the yellow light turned reddish as its extreme heat began piercing their spiritual barriers.

Li Yan, Luo Beixi, and Ye Yuhong entered the Three-Color Nest’s scorching second layer and approached the Strength Soul Gu’s location. As the other two concealed themselves and prepared to strike, Li Yan hid his true presence and secretly assessed them, leaving his own next move unresolved.

• Luo Beixi told Li Yan that the Strength Soul Gu was likely six hundred li ahead and planned for the three cultivators to surround it and attack together.
• The group traveled into the Three-Color Nest’s crimson-gold second layer, where the extreme heat began accumulating fire poison in Li Yan’s body.
• Luo Beixi and Ye Yuhong concealed their auras, while Li Yan used a pale silver cloak as a cover for his own concealment.
• After Luo Beixi and Ye Yuhong searched for him with divine senses, Li Yan followed their probes and judged that his own divine sense was stronger.
• Li Yan spotted the two cultivators’ concealed forms and recognized Luo Beixi’s technique and Ye Yuhong’s aura-suppressing Pill.

Li Yan was lured by Luo Beixi into an ancient blood-sacrifice array, where a red-gold flame giant appeared and attacked him. The same trap ensnared Luo Beixi and Ye Yuhong, leaving the three cultivators facing the array’s guardian as Li Yan prepared to fight without revealing his strongest treasure.

• Li Yan pursued Luo Beixi, intending to trap him before dealing with Ye Yuhong and the Strength Soul Gu.
• Luo Beixi vanished as Li Yan passed him, and the surrounding flames surged through Li Yan’s damaged spiritual shield.
• A red-gold flame giant appeared and attacked Li Yan, who realized Luo Beixi had teleported him into an ancient array prepared for a blood sacrifice.
• Luo Beixi was also caught by the array’s flames and attacked by an identical flame giant as he approached the Gu insect.
• Ye Yuhong encountered a flame giant while stealthily following the planned route.
• Li Yan took out Qiu Zhongnuo’s frigid yin long staff to withstand the heat while keeping his natal magic treasure concealed.

Li Yan fought a red-gold armored flame giant while hiding his true cultivation and spiritual power attribute, but discovered that its strength exceeded its apparent realm. Identical giants appeared to attack Luo Beixi and Ye Yuhong as well, each facing a different disadvantage.

• Li Yan blocked the flame giant’s first sword strike, then used wood-attributed spiritual power to repair his shield and keep his true attribute concealed from Luo Beixi.
• Li Yan released seven Iron Cone Gu at the giant’s facial apertures, but the insects died instantly as the giant pressed its attack.
• Li Yan evaded the giant’s attempt to crush him and fought back with a segmented Gu whip, wind blades, other spells, and more Gu insects.
• Li Yan realized the giant’s attacks and defenses contained metal power, and its defensive strength increased as he intensified his attacks.
• Red-gold armored flame giants appeared beside Luo Beixi and Ye Yuhong; Luo Beixi faced an Integrated Body Early Stage opponent, while Ye Yuhong’s soul technique failed against his soulless giant and forced him to fight physically.

Li Yan killed the crimson-gold armored flame giant trapping him and found a passage out of his prison, though he remained inside the great formation. Elsewhere, Luo Beixi escaped his own formation trap while badly wounded and continued fleeing from another flame giant.

• Li Yan used Stealth Night Concealment to evade the crimson-gold armored flame giant, but its attack began shattering the prison around him.
• Li Yan abandoned his plan to escape quietly and killed the flame giant by driving his silver daggers into its eyes and splitting its head.
• The flame giant vanished, opening a golden passage, and Li Yan sensed that he was still trapped in another layer of the formation before flying toward it.
• Luo Beixi, gravely injured while fighting a flame giant and breaking the formation, used a Calamity-Cleansing Pill and his Kuixing Awl to escape a closing restriction.
• Luo Beixi unleashed his full strength to break free when the formation clamped around his waist, then fled while pursued by the flame giant and saved his last Calamity-Cleansing Pill.

Li Yan navigated a golden cave that cut apart divine sense and watched as Luo Beixi fled through it, pursued by the golden-armored flaming giant. Luo Beixi continued searching for an escape and his junior brother, while Li Yan remained concealed to learn what had happened.

• Luo Beixi escaped the formation into a golden cave, where blade-like light threatened his body and he found no trace of Ye Yuhong or Wang Xing.
• Li Yan explored the golden passages, found that the light severed his divine sense, and chose among forks by intuition while searching for the Strength Soul Gu.
• Li Yan sensed Luo Beixi approaching with blood on his body and hid against the cave wall, suspecting the encounter might be a trap.
• The golden-armored flaming giant pursued Luo Beixi through the cave, overcoming his poisons, restrictions, and formations as he fled.
• Luo Beixi continued through the forks without finding Ye Yuhong or Wang Xing and worried about his junior brother's safety.

Li Yan disguised himself as Ye Yuhong and approached Luo Beixi to test his suspicions about the formation. Luo Beixi mistook him for his trusted junior brother, and the pair were trapped between a golden-armored flame giant and a wall of swords as the giant attacked.

• Li Yan concluded that the formation could create multiple golden-armored flame giants of varying strength and changed his appearance and aura to resemble Ye Yuhong.
• Luo Beixi sensed someone approaching and stopped, fearing a coordinated ambush while the giant pursued him from behind.
• Li Yan, disguised as Ye Yuhong, greeted Luo Beixi, who believed his junior brother had also been teleported into the formation.
• Luo Beixi learned that Ye Yuhong had encountered no forks or attacks and realized the golden-light cave had trapped them in a straight passage.
• The golden-armored flame giant attacked with six armored flame dragons as the golden light formed a sword wall behind Luo Beixi and Ye Yuhong.

Luo Beixi and Ye Yuhong clashed with the golden-armored flame giant and were driven back by its strengthened tornado attack. Realizing the route ahead was a dead end, Luo Beixi gave Ye Yuhong two jade slips and prepared to unleash the Heavenly Demon White Jade Disk to force the giant back and escape.

• Luo Beixi and Ye Yuhong attacked the golden-armored flame giant, but its tornado pillar overwhelmed them and drove them into the regenerating sword wall.
• Luo Beixi took most of the attack to protect Ye Yuhong, and both were pierced by swords as they struggled to hold their ground.
• Ye Yuhong reached Luo Beixi, who warned him that the giant was drawing power from the golden light and urged him to save his devil source power.
• Luo Beixi gave Ye Yuhong purple and white jade slips, telling him to deliver one to their master and the other to Youhuang if only Ye Yuhong escaped.
• Luo Beixi concluded that the passage ahead was a dead end and planned to use the Heavenly Demon White Jade Disk with Ye Yuhong to force the giant back and turn around.

Li Yan disguised as Ye Yuhong joined Luo Beixi in attacking the golden-armored flame giant, but withheld his help and struck Luo Beixi down when the attack failed. Li Yan then broke through the giant’s tornado barrier and escaped into concealment, while the giant lost track of him.

• Luo Beixi gave Ye Yuhong two jade slips and urged him to seize any chance to escape, while Li Yan remained wary of his intentions.
• Luo Beixi launched his Jade Void Sword and blue shield at the golden-armored flame giant’s tornado pillar, expecting Ye Yuhong to assist him.
• Ye Yuhong did not join the attack, and the tornado pillar shattered Luo Beixi’s shield and left him reeling from spiritual backlash.
• Li Yan sealed Luo Beixi’s Nascent Soul, stored him in Tuban, and charged through the collapsing tornado pillar toward the golden-armored flame giant.
• Li Yan struck the giant with a flying knee, escaped through the opening, and used Stealth Night Concealment to evade pursuit.

Li Yan cautiously navigated the golden-light cave, used the Heaven-Stealing Kerchief to pass through a barrier, and emerged into a vast golden space that seemed to lie beyond the first array. There, a golden-armored giant at the Integrated Body Late Stage trapped him, leaving Li Yan uncertain whether it was an array construct or a powerful cultivator’s avatar.

• Li Yan healed Luo Beixi, left him behind, and continued through the cave while avoiding unnecessary fights with the golden-armored flame giants.
• After exploring eight side passages, Li Yan found a dead end where his Gu insects met a barrier but were neither attacked nor teleported away.
• Li Yan used the Heaven-Stealing Kerchief to open a tiny hole in the barrier and slipped into a broad, gently lit golden space.
• A golden-armored giant appeared beside Li Yan, the golden mist behind him vanished, and Li Yan realized he had been trapped in another array.
• Li Yan sensed that the giant possessed Integrated Body Late Stage strength and searched for hidden threats while considering whether it was an array construct or an avatar.

Li Yan encountered the golden-armored giant guarding the exit and learned that he was an Integrated Body Late Stage cultivator who had seen through Li Yan’s concealment. The giant prepared to capture him, while Li Yan feared the opponent might also be connected to the Strength Soul Gu.

• Li Yan concluded that the golden-armored giant was likely the true body behind the flame giants and wondered what its original form was.
• The golden-armored giant recalled how Li Yan had escaped his avatars, entered the grand formation, and later disguised himself while breaking through its sub-formations.
• After recognizing Li Yan as the Body Integration cultivator, the golden-armored giant waited at the only exit and activated a trapping formation when Li Yan arrived.
• The golden-armored giant detected Li Yan’s humanoid outline with his divine sense and prepared to capture him.
• Li Yan realized the giant was an Integrated Body Late Stage Cultivator who could see through his Stealth Night Concealment and feared he might have raised the Strength Soul Gu.

Li Yan fought the giant in golden armor, an Integrated Body Late Stage cultivator, and used Phoenix Soaring, his body-refining strength, and his black staff to survive the giant’s attacks. The giant recognized Li Yan as a powerful Late Void Refinement Realm cultivator and continued attacking, while Li Yan pushed his defenses close to their limit.

• The giant in golden armor struck at Li Yan with his enormous sword, and Li Yan used Phoenix Soaring and his black staff to deflect the blow.
• The giant determined that Li Yan was a Late Void Refinement Realm body-refining cultivator and grew greedy for his concealed techniques and treasure.
• Li Yan realized he could not meet the giant’s strength head-on and used most of his physical power to withstand the first exchange.
• The giant transformed his sword into a golden flood dragon and sent a piercing golden thread at Li Yan.
• Li Yan spun his black staff to block the thread, but its Sword Qi battered his body as he drove the Undying Underworld Phoenix’s power and Qiongqi Purgatory Art beyond ninety percent.

Li Yan battled the golden-armored giant inside a restrictive formation, using subtle control of force and rapid movement to survive the giant’s relentless attacks. Badly injured and separated from his black staff, Li Yan unleashed Flame-Feather Meteor Arrows, but the giant blocked the strike easily and pressed his assault as Li Yan summoned the Guiyi Water-Parting Spikes.

• Li Yan redirected the golden flood dragon’s attacks with his black staff and used three black droplets to disrupt the golden-armored giant long enough to test the formation’s defenses.
• Li Yan struck the formation with his staff, judged that Prison Breaker might break it, and held back from using the technique while seeking a safer chance to escape.
• The golden-armored giant attacked with a golden seal and a spiked vine, breaking Li Yan’s arm, tearing his waist, and knocking his staff away, but Li Yan escaped with Phoenix Soaring.
• Li Yan transformed into a phantom bow and fired Flame-Feather Meteor Arrows, but the golden-armored giant stopped the arrow with a beam from his eyes.
• As the golden-armored giant resumed his assault, Li Yan summoned the Guiyi Water-Parting Spikes and sent them against the golden seal and spiked vine.

Li Yan endured the golden-armored giant’s devastating strike to confirm that his opponent possessed a soul, then used Soul-Destroying Water and a flurry of soul attacks to bring him down. The giant remained motionless, while Li Yan, gravely injured and exhausted, watched for any sign of a counterattack.

• The golden-armored giant struck Li Yan with overwhelming force, leaving him severely injured, but the giant also reeled from Li Yan’s Soul-Luring Execution.
• Li Yan used Phoenix Soaring to rush past the giant and placed Soul-Destroying Water on his face, paralyzing him and clouding his mind.
• Li Yan doubled back and stabbed the giant repeatedly with a Guiyi Water-Parting Spike while unleashing several soul techniques.
• Li Yan retreated into a defensive stance and stared at the motionless giant, exhausted and afraid his judgment about the giant’s soul might have been wrong.