Chapter Summaries

Li Yan reunited with Zhao Min and revealed that Qianji had revived in Saint Demon City, where Li Yan had obtained the Heavenly Demon White Jade Disk cultivation art for her. He recounted his mission while concealing some dangers, and Zhao Min began to suspect that Luo Beixi had survived.

• Zhao Min welcomed Qianji and asked where he had revived, eventually guessing that Li Yan had gone to the Netherworld Underworld.
• Qianji revealed that he had revived in Saint Demon City, and Li Yan produced a jade slip containing the Heavenly Demon White Jade Disk cultivation art.
• Zhao Min realized Li Yan had risked his life to obtain a cultivation art for her and reproached him with concern.
• Li Yan described his plan and the events in Saint Demon City, omitting some of the worst dangers while telling Zhao Min the truth about Luo Beixi.
• After hearing about Luo Beixi's past, Zhao Min vaguely guessed that she had not been killed.

Li Yan reassured Zhao Min about his choices and told her that Shanggong Changge and Daoyu had also ascended to the Immortal Spirit Realm. After hearing his account, Zhao Min silently wished Shanggong Changge well and went with Li Yan and Qianji to see Little Beast.

• Zhao Min said Li Yan had done right by protecting his Dao Path, and Li Yan reassured her that he had acted with certainty.
• Li Yan revealed that he had encountered Shanggong Changge and Daoyu, surprising Zhao Min.
• Li Yan recounted the encounter and explained that he had killed Daoyu and two others while leaving Shanggong Changge alive for the moment.
• Zhao Min stayed quiet, relieved that Li Yan had not killed Shanggong Changge, and decided to go see Little Beast.
• Qianji chose to accompany Li Yan and Zhao Min to watch the Tianli Clan competition.

Li Yan, Zhao Min, and Qianji entered the Tianli Clan’s grand tournament and found the crowds watching fierce matches. Zhao Min located Little Beast among the golden core cultivators, leaving Li Yan to see his son for the first time.

• Zhao Min, Li Yan, and Qianji passed the guards at the tournament entrance after Zhao Min and Li Yan showed their identity tokens.
• The guards recognized Zhao Min as the Qing'a King and Li Yan as Prince Li, then let the three enter the formation.
• Li Yan and his companions saw ten arenas crowded with cultivators and spectators watching the tournament matches.
• Li Yan searched the golden core cultivators but could not recognize his son in the crowd.
• Zhao Min found Little Beast seated among the golden core cultivators, watching a battle.

Li Yan and Zhao Min watched Little Beast at the Tianli Clan competition, and Zhao Min called him over to the quiet back of the stands. There, Li Yan spoke to his son for the first time, startling Little Beast, who had not sensed him nearby.

• Li Yan spotted Little Beast, recognized Gong Chenying in his features, and sat in a secluded corner with Zhao Min and Qianji.
• Zhao Min sent Little Beast a voice transmission asking him to come to the back of the stands.
• Little Beast left his friends and went to Zhao Min, wondering whether something had happened to Gong Chenying.
• Little Beast bowed to Zhao Min, then heard Li Yan call his name and realized a man in blue had been sitting beside her unnoticed.

Li Yan reunited with his grown son Little Beast at the grand competition and spoke with him while Zhao Min watched. With Little Beast’s next match still nearly an hour away, Li Yan invited them to sit and introduced Qianji as Little Beast’s uncle.

• Zhao Min told Little Beast that the man in green robes was his father, Li Yan, whom Little Beast had known only through stories.
• Li Yan stopped Little Beast from bowing and asked how the grand competition was progressing; Little Beast explained that he had passed four rounds and described the remaining stages.
• Li Yan judged Little Beast’s thoughtful answer favorably and asked when his next match would take place.
• Li Yan found Little Beast uninjured, invited him and Zhao Min to sit, and sent for Qianji.
• Li Yan introduced Qianji to Little Beast as his uncle, and Little Beast recognized him from stories about his father’s demon companions.

Li Yan reunited with Little Beast and learned about his battles, then assessed his inherited abilities and began explaining how he could improve his combat decisions. Little Beast was left absorbed in Li Yan’s detailed analysis.

• Li Yan stopped Little Beast from bowing to Qianji and explained that Qianji had been resurrected, while Qianji happily accepted Little Beast as his nephew.
• Little Beast praised Qianji’s past battle, and Qianji promised to choose a meeting gift for him.
• Li Yan asked Little Beast to recount all four rounds of his recent battles and listened without interrupting.
• Li Yan questioned Little Beast about his speed and recovery, then inferred that he had inherited Phoenix Soaring and the Undying Underworld Phoenix’s physical strength.
• Li Yan reconstructed the details of Little Beast’s fights and explained the reactions he should have chosen, leaving Little Beast deep in thought.

Little Beast took the arena after Li Yan’s instruction had transformed his understanding of combat. He faced Deka, a dangerous mid-stage Golden Core Realm body cultivator, and their opening attacks collided.

• Li Yan’s guidance helped Little Beast rethink his fighting flaws and build confidence.
• Little Beast was called to the arena, where spectators cheered, mocked, and cursed him while Li Yan, Zhao Min, and Qianji watched.
• Little Beast spotted Li Yan in the shadows before turning to face his opponent, Deka.
• Deka introduced himself and challenged Little Beast, then adopted a defensive stance that concealed his readiness to attack.
• Little Beast launched a side kick as Deka vanished and reappeared at his left, driving an elbow toward his neck; Little Beast’s kick met the attack.

Daika and Little Beast exchanged a fierce series of close-range attacks, with Little Beast’s strength overwhelming Daika’s defenses and injuring him. Daika unveiled a vine-like shield that could also fire a deadly beam, forcing Little Beast to evade as their battle continued.

• Daika’s opening elbow strike was repelled by Little Beast’s tremendous strength, and Little Beast quickly caught up to attack again.
• Daika used Mountain-Back Crash to counter Little Beast’s palm, but Little Beast’s linked strikes shattered his light-ring defense and injured his internal organs.
• Daika summoned a brown vine-like shield, and Little Beast’s next palm strike rebounded against it, forcing him to disperse the returning force.
• Daika turned the shield toward Little Beast, revealing a huge crimson eye that fired a red beam.
• Little Beast dodged the beam by flashing away, losing a few strands of green fur, and appeared a hundred zhang to Daika’s right.

Little Beast turned the fight around against Daika, using an unexpected movement technique to land a decisive blow after Daika trapped him with a barrage from his shield. The arena declared Little Beast the winner, and he learned that his parents had left to attend to the clan after his father’s return.

• Daika used his vine-shaped shield to fire red beams and keep Little Beast from closing the distance.
• Daika tracked Little Beast’s evasive movements and launched three beams to trap him, expecting to exploit the opening.
• Little Beast suddenly appeared behind Daika and smashed him into the arena floor with a powerful blow.
• After Daika remained unable to continue, the adjudicator declared Little Beast the winner and carried Daika away.
• Little Beast received a brief message from Li Yan praising his use of the technique and explaining that he and Mother Min had returned to attend to the clan.

Little Beast won his match against Daika after using Li Yan’s guidance to improve his control of his inherited speed and strength. Li Yan and Zhao Min left the tournament grounds and returned to their residence, where they began catching up on the years apart.

• Li Yan left the arena after giving Little Beast practical advice on using his inherited speed, and Little Beast applied it while fighting Daika.
• Little Beast adapted to Daika’s ranged attacks, moved with startling speed, and knocked him unconscious with a powerful strike.
• Li Yan and Zhao Min left the tournament grounds while Qianji stayed behind to meet Little Beast and watch the Nascent Soul Cultivators fight.
• As they walked down the mountain, Li Yan told Zhao Min that Little Beast’s strength and control were exceptional.
• Li Yan and Zhao Min returned to their residence and began recounting what had happened in their lives over the past years.

Li Yan updated Zhao Min on Shuang Qingqing, Zuo Qiudan, and the Wangliang Sect, while carefully avoiding subjects he did not want to discuss. Zhao Min probed Li Yan about Bai Rou’s feelings, but his composed response revealed nothing; his hesitation when she asked about Wei Zhongran left her concerned that something had happened.

• Li Yan told Zhao Min about Shuang Qingqing and Zuo Qiudan, and Zhao Min praised Shuang Qingqing’s choice to devote herself to the Muliu Sect.
• Li Yan described Zuo Qiudan’s ordeal and likely plans, while withholding details that could draw the Black Devil Race into the matter.
• Li Yan reported that the Wangliang Sect members were safe and that Bai Rou had reached Spirit Transformation, delighting Zhao Min.
• Zhao Min praised Bai Rou and watched Li Yan for signs of special feelings, but Li Yan responded calmly and gave her no clear evidence.
• Zhao Min asked about Wei Zhongran, and Li Yan’s brief hesitation made her fear that something had happened.

Li Yan and Zhao Min discussed Wei Zhongran’s relationship with Li Yuyin, their daughter’s marriage, and Little Beast’s name. After dawn, Gong Shanhe arrived at the Qing'a King's residence to invite Li Yan to meet the High Priest and Clan Leader.

• Li Yan explained that Wei Zhongran and Li Yuyin were together, and Zhao Min accepted that her father should follow his own path.
• Li Yan told Zhao Min that he had approved Li Zhaoyan and Ling Qingyun’s marriage, and they planned to leave once Gong Chenying returned.
• Li Yan said he had been considering a name for Little Beast but agreed to wait until Gong Chenying could hear it too.
• Li Yan and Zhao Min stayed up talking through the night, then met Gong Shanhe in the front hall after he arrived at the residence.
• Gong Shanhe invited Li Yan to meet the High Priest and Clan Leader, and he was astonished by Li Yan’s cultivation progress.

Li Yan traveled with Gong Shanhe to meet the Tianli Clan’s High Priest and Clan Leader, learning more about the clan’s power structure and the High Priest’s role. Gong Shanhe explained that High Priests’ strength varied greatly across generations, but he left the current High Priest’s cultivation undisclosed as he began discussing the Clan Leader.

• Li Yan agreed to go with Gong Shanhe to meet the High Priest and Clan Leader, while Zhao Min returned alone to Qing'a King's residence.
• Gong Shanhe explained that Tianli Clan members usually walked to temper their bodies, though flying was allowed in most areas.
• Gong Shanhe used voice transmission to describe how authority was divided among the High Priest, Clan Leader, and Great Elder.
• Gong Shanhe explained that High Priests served as the clan’s spiritual totems and were usually its strongest members, though their cultivation varied across generations.
• Li Yan considered the possible strength of the current High Priest, but Gong Shanhe moved on to discuss the Clan Leader without revealing her cultivation.

Gong Shanhe explained the Tianli Clan’s leadership requirements and the Great Elder’s long struggle with injuries after ascending. He brought Li Yan to the clan’s plain assembly hall, where they headed toward a side chamber at the rear.

• Gong Shanhe told Li Yan that an ascended cultivator needed Void Refinement Realm strength to qualify as Clan Leader, so Gong Shanhe had to cultivate before he could hold the position.
• Gong Shanhe described how the Great Elder had suffered severe injuries during ascension, spent centuries healing, and remained in seclusion after reaching the clan.
• Gong Shanhe brought Li Yan to two modest palaces on a forested mountain at the rear of the clan.
• Gong Shanhe greeted the mortal workers sweeping the hall’s platform, and Li Yan noticed their reverence for him.
• Gong Shanhe explained that the main hall was where the High Priest heard clan deliberations and delivered final rulings, then led Li Yan to a side chamber at the rear.

Li Yan met the Tianli Clan’s High Priest, Long Yue, and Clan Leader, Ge Feng, and was stunned by Long Yue’s profound, hard-to-read cultivation. The visit ended with the two powerful leaders inviting Li Yan and Gong Shanhe to sit and talk, while Li Yan wondered whether Long Yue had reached the tribulation transcendence realm.

• Gong Shanhe and Li Yan entered the side room after Long Yue called them in.
• Li Yan greeted Long Yue and Ge Feng, then felt Long Yue’s voice lift his spirits despite his effort to resist its influence.
• Li Yan assessed Ge Feng as a formidable body refinement cultivator whose strength might let him kill an ordinary Integrated Body Late Stage Cultivator.
• Li Yan could not sense Long Yue’s cultivation or even detect her presence through his other senses, leaving him unsure whether she had reached the tribulation transcendence realm.
• Long Yue told Li Yan and Gong Shanhe to relax and sit so they could talk.

Li Yan and Gong Shanhe met Tianli Clan Leader Ge Feng and High Priest Long Yue, who welcomed Li Yan and praised his past service to the clan. Long Yue secretly assessed Li Yan’s strength, and the chapter ended with her announcing that the clan would hold a banquet to welcome the return of Qing'a King.

• Ge Feng welcomed Li Yan and Gong Shanhe and invited them to sit.
• Li Yan humbly said he had helped the Tianli Clan mainly for Gong Chenying’s sake.
• Long Yue examined Li Yan’s aura and judged that he could kill an Integrated Body Early Stage cultivator.
• Ge Feng and Long Yue were impressed by Li Yan’s composure and lack of arrogance.
• Long Yue said the clan would arrange a banquet to welcome the return of Qing'a King.

Li Yan refused a grand banquet for his service to the Tianli Clan but agreed to meet its powerful elders. When Ge Feng offered to help him continue the Qiongqi Purgatory Art beyond its ninth level, Li Yan eagerly accepted.

• Li Yan credited the Tianli Clan’s warriors and collective efforts for its success, refusing the High Priest and Ge Feng’s offer of a grand banquet.
• Long Yue accepted Li Yan’s refusal but arranged for him to meet the clan’s elders, and Li Yan agreed.
• The High Priest asked Li Yan about his accidental ascension from the Wind God Continent, and they exchanged information with Gong Shanhe.
• Ge Feng asked whether Li Yan wanted to continue cultivating the Qiongqi Purgatory Art, whose later levels required an inheritance mark that could not be copied or taught directly.
• Li Yan accepted Ge Feng’s offer, hopeful that the Immortal Spirit Realm branch held inheritance marks beyond the ninth level.

Ge Feng explained the origins and limits of the Qiongqi Purgatory Art and offered Li Yan a chance to pursue its tenth level. Li Yan accepted the Tianli Clan’s sincerity and learned he could claim the opportunity if he reached the Body Integration Realm.

• Ge Feng told Li Yan that the first-generation High Priest had directly encountered Qiongqi’s inheritance, so later statues could not preserve its most primordial meaning.
• Ge Feng explained that the first-generation High Priest had found nine inheritance levels and named their eventual union into a tenth level Nine-Nine Return to One.
• Ge Feng said the tenth-level enlightenment could be attempted for three days, but only once, after Li Yan reached the Body Integration Realm and cultivated the art to its ninth level.
• Ge Feng promised Li Yan a token that would let him enter the ancestral land for the enlightenment if the High Priest or Ge Feng was no longer alive.
• Li Yan realized that the Tianli Clan had revealed a closely guarded secret to show its trust and bind him to the clan.

Long Yue gave Li Yan a jade slip granting him access to the Immortal Spirit Realm’s ancestral land once he reached the Body Integration Realm. When Li Yan asked to visit Gong Chenying, a misunderstanding briefly made Long Yue and Ge Feng think he was accusing clan officials of mishandling her rewards, but Gong Shanhe clarified the situation and Li Yan explained himself.

• Long Yue gave Li Yan a jade slip allowing him to study the level beyond the ninth layer in the Immortal Spirit Realm’s ancestral land after reaching the Body Integration Realm.
• Li Yan asked Long Yue and Ge Feng for permission to visit Gong Chenying at a clan prison island, or at least send her word that he had arrived.
• Long Yue and Ge Feng suspected that Elder Miao had ignored Gong Chenying’s exemption from clan missions and became displeased.
• Gong Shanhe explained that Gong Chenying had chosen the mission herself to temper her cultivation, and Li Yan clarified that he had only been worried about his wife.
• Long Yue told Ge Feng to arrange for Li Yan to bring Gong Chenying back from the mission site.

Li Yan received permission and instructions from Ge Feng to travel to Prison Scale Island and bring Gong Chenying back, then spent a few days with Zhao Min before heading to the Tianli Clan’s teleportation arrays. He reached the guarded platform and was asked to present his token and state his destination.

• Ge Feng gave Li Yan a jade slip for the teleportation array and explained precautions for visiting Prison Scale Island.
• Gong Shanhe told Li Yan that he and Gong Chenying could enter the ancestral grounds for comprehension by reaching the ninth layer, while Zhao Min and Little Beast’s eligibility remained uncertain.
• Li Yan met several Tianli Clan elders, then spent a rare stretch of private time with Zhao Min.
• At Zhao Min’s urging, Li Yan traveled to the clan’s teleportation arrays to find Gong Chenying.
• A Golden Core Realm woman at the platform’s stairs asked Li Yan for his token and destination.