Chapter Summaries

Li Yan used a jade slip bearing the Clan Leader’s imprint to travel from the Tianli Clan to Prison Scale Island without revealing his identity. After the teleportation array activated, he left three bottles of pills as a gift for Lan Na and the two guards.

• Li Yan presented the Clan Leader’s jade slip to Lan Na, who recognized him as Prince Li and kept his identity quiet.
• Lan Na led Li Yan to the rarely used teleportation array for Prison Scale Island and explained that it required separate activation.
• Lan Na informed the two guards of Li Yan’s identity, and they saluted him before activating the array.
• As Li Yan departed, he sent a bottle of pills to each of Lan Na and the two guards.
• Lan Na inspected her bottle and recognized the ten pills inside as Wind-Thunder Pills.

Li Yan arrived at Prison Scale Island with the clan leader’s order and identity token, then passed the guards’ checks. He asked to see Gong Chenying, and a guard sent for her.

• Lan Na and two cultivators received precious pills from Li Yan and thanked her for bringing him to them.
• Li Yan teleported to Prison Scale Island, where two Void Refining Realm guards challenged him.
• Li Yan showed the guards the clan leader’s handwritten order and his identity token, and they confirmed both were genuine.
• The guards apologized to Li Yan and agreed to summon Gong Chenying.
• A guard sent Gong Chenying a voice transmission and told Li Yan she would arrive soon.

Li Yan reunited with Gong Chenying at Prison Scale Island and told her about his recent visit to the clan and his meeting with Little Beast. As they left the underground chamber, Li Yan learned why the Tianli Clan had established its prison on the remote, spirit-energy-barren island.

• Two guards spoke with Li Yan in the underground chamber, then opened the stone passage when Gong Chenying arrived.
• Gong Chenying greeted Li Yan and accepted an elder's order to take him out of the prison area.
• Li Yan told Gong Chenying he had arrived three days earlier and had visited Little Beast during the clan's great competition; she was relieved to see he cared for him.
• Li Yan and Gong Chenying emerged onto Prison Scale Island, where he saw the surrounding sea and learned that spiritual energy circulated sluggishly there.
• Li Yan learned that the Tianli Clan used the island to imprison offenders and valuable captives, while prisoners harvested Purple Coral from the seabed.

Li Yan arrived on Prison Scale Island with Gong Chenying and learned that its hidden formation could rival a late Body Integration cultivator. After patrol leader Miao Yuhong and a Spirit Transformation cultivator investigated Li Yan’s arrival, the Spirit Transformation cultivator suddenly killed the two guards in the teleportation chamber.

• Gong Chenying told Li Yan that Prison Scale Island’s concealed formation could match a late Body Integration cultivator when powered by supreme-grade spirit stones.
• Li Yan told Gong Chenying that the High Priest and Clan Leader had summoned him, and they left together to speak privately.
• Miao Yuhong and a Spirit Transformation cultivator questioned who Li Yan was and decided to investigate the teleportation chamber.
• Miao Yuhong’s group reached the chamber and asked Lan Ta about the stranger who had left with Gong Chenying.
• The Spirit Transformation cultivator secretly restrained and crushed Lan Ta and the other Void Refinement Realm cultivator, then revealed himself behind Miao Yuhong.

A Spirit Transformation cultivator destroyed the island’s teleportation array with precision, isolating the island while his group set out to kill the guards and find their target. Meanwhile, Li Yan followed Gong Chenying into the island’s underground labyrinth, where they reached a passage lined with stone doors.

• A Spirit Transformation cultivator destroyed two foundations of the teleportation array while suppressing the spatial disturbance, and the Void Refinement Realm captain recognized his mastery of arrays.
• The Spirit Transformation cultivator ordered another member of the group to lead the others in clearing the area and finding their target, while he took the captain with him.
• The captain collected the dead cultivators’ treasures as his reward and led the Spirit Transformation cultivator onward.
• Gong Chenying explained to Li Yan that the island’s residents and prisoners lived in separate underground zones connected by a maze of passages and arrays.
• Li Yan and Gong Chenying reached a well-lit underground passage where stone doors stood along the walls and numerous routes branched off.

Li Yan visited Gong Chenying at the Tianli Clan’s guarded underground outpost and told her about the sect and their family. Gong Chenying decided to return with him, but Li Yan sensed danger outside her stone chamber just as they prepared to leave.

• Gong Chenying explained the outpost’s patrols and defenses before bringing Li Yan into her secluded stone chamber.
• Li Yan explained why he had come and shared news about their companions, including Wei Zhongran and Li Zhaoyan’s potential marriage to Ling Qingyun.
• After considering the remaining time on her mission and her family’s wishes, Gong Chenying decided to return with Li Yan.
• As Gong Chenying prepared to open the stone gate, Li Yan sensed three Tianli Clan cultivators outside and a faint scream, then stopped her from leaving.

Li Yan and Gong Chenying discovered that three disguised intruders were posing as Tianli Clan patrolmen and killing cultivators in their Stone Chambers. Li Yan vanished after giving Gong Chenying an antidote, and she opened the gate to confront them.

• When Gong Chenying checked the patrolmen outside through the formation, Li Yan recognized that their cultivation was far higher than their disguises suggested.
• Li Yan warned Gong Chenying that the three impostors were Void Refinement Realm enemies who had likely killed someone nearby.
• Li Yan concluded that the intruders were calling at Stone Chambers and attacking whoever opened the gate, then gave Gong Chenying an antidote and vanished.
• Gong Chenying swallowed the Pill, retreated, and opened the Stone Gate to face the three men.
• Miao Lou saw Gong Chenying and briefly felt desire before suppressing it and returning his attention to their mission.

Miao Lou and two disguised accomplices entered Gong Chenying’s chamber to investigate Lan Yu and planned to kill her, but Li Yan’s poison ambush brought them down. As Li Yan and Gong Chenying began searching their souls for answers, Li Yan suddenly cried out to A-Ying.

• Miao Lou and his two companions probed Gong Chenying’s chamber and entered, planning to kill her and search the inner rooms for the missing cultivator.
• Li Yan’s concealed zhili poison drained the three men of their strength, and Gong Chenying sealed the chamber entrance with her identity token.
• Li Yan appeared, sealed the men’s nascent souls, silenced them, and gave them antidote pills to keep them alive.
• Gong Chenying examined the captives and realized they might be disguised enemies or members of her clan, raising fears of upheaval within it.
• Li Yan and Gong Chenying began searching Miao Lou’s soul, but Li Yan’s expression changed and he urgently shouted, “A-Ying!”

Li Yan stopped a Soul Search before the Brain-Entangling Corpse Gu inside the captives could detonate, then used the Soul-Bewitching Technique to question them. The first captive identified their origin as Huiyan Hall, leaving Li Yan shocked that the force had reached Prison Scale Island.

• Li Yan shielded Gong Chenying and the captives after sensing the Brain-Entangling Corpse Gu react to Soul Search, preventing it from detonating.
• Li Yan explained to Gong Chenying that the gu could resist the Heavenly Dao and explode when someone attempted Soul Search.
• Gong Chenying urged Li Yan to use the Soul-Bewitching Technique to learn the captives’ origins and purpose.
• Li Yan rendered the three captives unconscious and began questioning them one at a time with the technique.
• The first captive answered that he came from Huiyan Hall, and Li Yan was startled that the force had reached Prison Scale Island.

Li Yan and Gong Chenying learned that Huiyan Hall had infiltrated Prison Scale Island with a powerful force to rescue Sikou Lai, and that Miao Yuhong had helped them attack the island. The fake Miao Lou and his two companions explained their mission after Li Yan captured them, but a victim’s hidden defensive treasure caused a brief disturbance during the massacre.

• Li Yan suspected Huiyan Hall was expanding its reach beyond the Main Dao Realm, while Gong Chenying realized she had never heard of the group.
• Li Yan questioned the fake Miao Lou and two captured accomplices and learned that twenty Huiyan Hall cultivators had come to rescue Sikou Lai from Prison Scale Island.
• The infiltrators used Miao Yuhong’s help to enter the island, kill the guards, impersonate them, and split into teams to attack the Tianli Clan’s cultivators and prison defenses.
• The fake Miao Lou’s team targeted Gong Chenying’s resting unit, using detailed intelligence to trick the guards into opening their Stone Chambers and killing them quietly.
• A Spirit Transformation cultivator’s newly made defensive treasure unexpectedly flared during the attack, and the fake Miao Lou’s team suppressed it, though a faint scream escaped.

Li Yan and Gong Chenying learned that Huiyan Hall had infiltrated Prison Scale Island with disguised cultivators and learned how their concealment talismans worked. They assessed the enemies’ plans and the island’s defenses, then Li Yan asked whether Gong Chenying could activate the island-protecting formation.

• The false Miao Lou and two allies killed a cultivator, then searched the area without noticing Li Yan’s hidden divine sense.
• Li Yan and Gong Chenying discovered the patrol squad had included outside enemies, among them two Body Integration cultivators, and realized they had narrowly escaped being killed.
• Li Yan and Gong Chenying learned that two talismans concealed the intruders’ cultivation and changed their appearances, and they discussed the suspected role of Sikou Lai and Miao Yuhong.
• Gong Chenying said she knew of no other transmission arrays besides the destroyed one, and she identified the stationed elder as a Body Integration Middle Stage cultivator.
• Li Yan inferred that the enemy accompanying Miao Yuhong might be a Body Integration Late Stage expert and asked Gong Chenying if she could open the island-protecting formation.

Gong Chenying and Li Yan learned they could not alter the memories of three unconscious enemies or open the island’s formation without a living team captain. With escape uncertain, they set out to find other survivors and warned Lan Yu and Miao Lan that something had happened.

• Gong Chenying told Li Yan that only a living team captain could open the forbidden ground’s outer formation, so they needed to search for one.
• Li Yan explained that changing the three unconscious enemies’ memories would trigger their gu and could leave them behaving abnormally.
• Gong Chenying and Li Yan decided to search for other captains, and Li Yan took the three unconscious men away in a spirit storage space.
• Gong Chenying identified Lan Yu and Miao Lan as the two surviving women in nearby chambers and went to alert them.
• Lan Yu and Miao Lan emerged from their chambers, and Gong Chenying began telling them that something had happened.

Gong Chenying and Li Yan found Miao Lan and Lan Yu and warned them that Void Refinement enemies had infiltrated Prison Scale Island. The four hurried through the island’s trap-filled corridors while Li Yan gathered intelligence and prepared to protect the women if an enemy sensed them.

• Gong Chenying told Miao Lan and Lan Yu about the enemy infiltration and said she and Li Yan were going to search for other teams.
• Miao Lan and Lan Yu chose to believe Gong Chenying and chased after her and Li Yan, despite their doubts and fear of the Void Refinement enemies.
• Gong Chenying accepted the two women’s request to come along, and Li Yan told them to follow quietly without making unusual movements.
• Miao Lan and Lan Yu sensed that the other Stone Chambers’ defenses were abnormal, strengthening their belief that Gong Chenying’s warning was true.
• Gong Chenying transmitted details about Prison Scale Island’s formations, regions, and teams to Li Yan, who mapped their location and secretly placed his divine sense on the three women.

Li Yan and Gong Chenying searched the underground passages and found signs that the Huiyan Hall attackers had nearly wiped out the Tianli Clan guards. With only three areas left to check, Li Yan prepared to scout the squad replacing the surface patrol alone while the women hid in his spirit storage space.

• Li Yan and the others found sealed Stone Chambers and concluded that at least three intruders had attacked the resting squad.
• Miao Lan and Lan Yu sent messages to squad members and acquaintances, but none of their identity tokens received a reply.
• Gong Chenying identified three unchecked areas: Sikou Lai’s prison, the surface-patrol replacement squad’s quarters, and the Body Integration elder’s location.
• The four searched quickly and found traces of brief fights but no people, while the prisoner-holding formations remained intact.
• Li Yan told the women he would investigate the replacement squad alone and offered to hide them in his spirit storage space.
• Gong Chenying agreed to go with Li Yan’s plan, and Miao Lan said she and Lan Yu would accompany her into the spirit storage space.

Li Yan found the last squad’s passage already overrun by Huiyan Hall cultivators, but discovered that a Tianli Clan cultivator still held out inside a secret chamber. After killing two searchers in an ambush, Li Yan contacted the women in his Spirit Storage Ring to report that more than ten Void Refinement cultivators were gathered nearby.

• Miao Lan and Lan Yu agreed to enter Li Yan’s Spirit Storage Ring, and Gong Chenying gave Li Yan directions to the final squad before he concealed himself and set out.
• Li Yan reached the squad’s passage and found open stone chambers, corpses, and bloodstains, confirming that Huiyan Hall had already slaughtered the Tianli Clan guards there.
• Li Yan overheard Huiyan Hall cultivators discuss missing Chen Xueyin and a Tianli Clan cultivator hiding behind a formation after sending out a clone to open his chamber door.
• Li Yan deduced that three Huiyan Hall cultivators were still trying to break into the secret chamber and that two others were searching for the captives he had taken.
• Li Yan set a poison-filled formation in the searchers’ path, killed the two Huiyan Hall cultivators, and removed their bodies and the poison.
• Li Yan sent a message into the Spirit Storage Ring, telling the others that more than ten Void Refinement cultivators had gathered at the squad’s temporary resting place.

Li Yan weighed whether to rescue a trapped Tianli Clan cultivator or escape before the enemy discovered their presence. Gong Chenying revealed that she had cultivated witchcraft and offered a chance to disrupt the enemies’ perception, so Li Yan agreed to attempt the rescue.

• Li Yan told Gong Chenying, Miao Lan, and Lan Yu that the squad’s last survivor was surrounded and that attacking the scattered enemies risked alerting a Body Integration Realm cultivator.
• Li Yan prepared to leave, but Gong Chenying proposed using witchcraft to interfere with the enemies’ perception and help the survivor escape.
• Gong Chenying revealed that her witchcraft had about a thirty percent chance of disrupting the perception of more than ten enemies, though she gave no further explanation of her method.
• Li Yan decided to take Miao Lan and Lan Yu to the stone chamber while Gong Chenying cast her spell, and he explained how they could verify their identities with the trapped cultivator.
• After Li Yan and Gong Chenying vanished from the Spirit Storage Ring, Lan Yu stopped Miao Lan from asking to watch Gong Chenying cast her spell.

Gong Chenying used witchcraft to summon undead that trapped and disoriented the Huiyan Hall cultivators, giving Li Yan an opening to act. Li Yan entered the passage and confirmed the spell was working, while Gong Chenying warned that she could not control the undead for long.

• Gong Chenying told Li Yan that he would have to deliver the decisive strike while she supported him with witchcraft.
• Li Yan relayed the enemies’ positions, and Gong Chenying used her map of the underground passages to target them.
• Gong Chenying summoned black mists and undead around the Huiyan Hall cultivators, leaving them unable to react.
• Li Yan entered the passage and found the undead’s death energy intensely cold and difficult to assess.
• Li Yan realized the undead were disrupting the cultivators’ consciousness, then saw that Gong Chenying’s spell had created an opening.

Li Yan used the cover of Gong Chenying’s spell to attack the Huiyan Hall cultivators trapped in black mist, changing his plan from rescuing the Tianli Clan cultivator to killing the enemies. Gong Zhipeng, badly injured and near the limit of his strength, remained trapped behind his formation and prepared to make a desperate attack.

• Li Yan sealed the Stone Chamber and struck the black mist with Soul-Splitting Slashes, then followed with Soul-Startling Spikes and his lifebound treasure.
• When the black mist gave no further screams, Li Yan retreated into the passage, sealed it, and attacked the remaining cultivators there.
• Gong Chenying sensed Li Yan’s actions, saw that Miao Lan and Lan Yu had not appeared, and received his instruction to stop casting after three breaths.
• Gong Zhipeng endured severe meridian damage while maintaining his formation, having recognized that the familiar-looking cultivators outside were enemies in disguise.
• Gong Zhipeng concluded that Elder Long had likely been overcome and decided to stop sustaining the formation and charge out to fight.

Li Yan and Gong Chenying overcame the Huiyan Hall cultivators with her shamanic art and his swift attacks, then dealt with the cost of her backlash. Li Yan entered the secret chamber to confront Gong Zhipeng, while Gong Chenying began recovering from her injuries.

• Gong Zhipeng prepared to break out of the secret chamber and detonate his body, but black mist obscured his view of the people outside.
• Gong Chenying's shamanic art dragged the dead spirits and black mist into the ground, leaving the Void Refinement Realm cultivators vulnerable to Li Yan's attacks.
• Li Yan confirmed the cultivators were dead, removed their corpses, and returned to Gong Chenying's concealment formation.
• Li Yan discovered that Gong Chenying's aura had fallen to the Nascent Soul Realm and learned that the shamanic art had depleted her qi, blood, and life flame.
• Li Yan gave Gong Chenying part of a True Essence Pill, which began restoring her, then left to check on the cultivator inside the secret chamber.
• Li Yan entered the secret chamber and produced the corpses of the three Huiyan Hall cultivators who had attacked the place earlier.

Li Yan killed the three enemies outside Gong Zhipeng’s chamber, then summoned Miao Lan and Lan Yu to convince the trapped cultivator they were allies. After they verified each other’s identities, Gong Zhipeng emerged from the formation.

• Li Yan strengthened the isolating restrictions and summoned Miao Lan and Lan Yu from the Spirit Storage Space.
• Miao Lan and Lan Yu feared Li Yan had been defeated and prepared to defend themselves and possibly self-detonate.
• Li Yan brought the women out, and they saw the three dead enemies before calling to the cultivator inside the secret chamber.
• Gong Zhipeng saw the corpses and recognized Miao Lan and Lan Yu, then cautiously verified their identities through the formation.
• After twenty-three breaths, Gong Zhipeng opened the array and emerged, while Li Yan reflected that changing the plan had been necessary.