Chapter Summaries

Shen Ge examined the emperor’s gravely ill young daughter and suspected her condition came from a rare Ice Spirit Root or a hidden object. He asked his senior sister to decide how to treat her and promised to keep her alive while he awaited a reply.

• The emperor asked Shen Ge to let his daughter join the immortal sect, but Shen Ge explained that the sect did not accept imperial family members and offered to examine the child instead.
• The emperor ordered the old eunuch to summon Consort Li and the little princess, Xiao Mei.
• Consort Li brought Xiao Mei to Shen Ge and told the emperor that the child could no longer eat and was growing weaker.
• Shen Ge examined Xiao Mei with his Divine Sense, felt abnormal cold Qi, and concluded that she might have an Ice Spirit Root or a deeply hidden foreign object.
• Shen Ge sent a message to his senior sister for a decision and told the emperor he would keep Xiao Mei safe until she replied.

Shen Ge and Mu Wan tested the little girl’s Spirit Root and discovered she had a supreme-grade Ice Spirit Root, allowing her to join the Spirit Moon Sect and escape the cold Qi threatening her life. The emperor named her Su Sui and entrusted her to Shen Ge as the two immortal masters departed for the sect.

• Mu Wan tested the sleeping child’s Spirit Root in the imperial garden and found it was supreme-grade Ice.
• Shen Ge told the emperor that the girl could enter the Spirit Moon Sect, while Mu Wan warned that the cold Qi would kill her within half a month if it kept spreading.
• The emperor said goodbye to his daughter, named her Su Sui, and handed her to Shen Ge; Consort Li watched them leave and wept.
• Shen Ge and Mu Wan flew toward the sect with Su Sui, and Mu Wan wondered whether Su Liuyue or an elder would take responsibility for the gifted child.

Qin Yu stayed behind in the East Approach Secret Realm to hold off a Thunder Eagle while Wang Yan led the surviving Spirit Moon Sect disciples to safety. Burning his lifespan and spending nearly all his Divine Sense, he trapped and struck the Thunder Eagle, but the battle’s outcome remained unknown as the chapter ended.

• Qin Yu ordered Liu Xiao and the other disciples to flee, and Wang Yan used Wei Sen’s array disc to carry fifteen survivors away.
• After confirming the others had escaped, Qin Yu recalled his duty as senior brother and turned to face the pursuing Thunder Eagle.
• Qin Yu burned his lifespan with a Secret Method, raised his strength to the early Golden Core Stage, and attacked the Thunder Eagle with the Mountain Suppression Seal and stone spears.
• Qin Yu trapped the Thunder Eagle inside the mountain, then spent nearly all his Divine Sense on a soul sword that froze the beast.
• Qin Yu appeared above the Thunder Eagle and smashed it into the ground with a huge boulder, leaving it buried in a deep crater.

Qin Yu sacrificed himself to tear off a Thunder Eagle’s wing, but Meng Yan arrived and killed the wounded Demon Beast before carrying Qin Yu away. The surviving Thunder Eagle mourned its mate and searched the area in a vast sea of lightning.

• Qin Yu battered the injured Thunder Eagle with boulders while a furious eagle cry weakened him and let another Thunder Eagle break away toward him.
• Qin Yu leapt onto the wounded Thunder Eagle, stabbed through its injured wing, and tore the wing off despite its violent lightning attacks.
• Qin Yu lay near death and lamented that he had risked his life for his junior brothers and sisters.
• Meng Yan emerged from the void, killed the wounded Thunder Eagle with a bolt of lightning, and picked up Qin Yu.
• Qin Yu cursed Meng Yan and died, and Meng Yan disappeared into the void with Qin Yu and the dead Thunder Eagle.
• The surviving Thunder Eagle mourned its mate and covered the surrounding area with lightning as it searched for the one who had killed it.

Shen Ge looked after Su Sui while Mu Wan teased him and recorded moments from the child’s day. He took Su Sui to his sister’s cave abode so she could continue cultivating under expert guidance.

• Mu Wan joked that Su Sui might grow attached to Shen Ge, while Shen Ge insisted he could manage caring for her.
• Shen Ge helped Su Sui take care of herself behind a spiritual Qi barrier, and Mu Wan secretly recorded the moment.
• Shen Ge warned Su Sui to stay away from Mu Wan, then argued with Mu Wan about his Spirit Stone debt.
• Su Sui feared Shen Ge would abandon her, and he comforted her while Mu Wan recorded the scene.
• Shen Ge took Su Sui to his sister’s cave abode, explaining that she needed to reach the third layer of Qi Refining for her ice spirit root to help rather than harm her.

The Spirit Moon Sect welcomed the survivors of the East Approach Secret Realm and mourned Eldest Senior Brother Qin Yu, who had died protecting them. Meanwhile, Meng Yan escaped his pursuers from Yellow Maple Valley and encountered Bai Lili.

• Shen Ge and the Spirit Moon Sect disciples waited for the returning group and saw Qin Yu's corpse aboard the flying ship.
• Wang Yan told Sect Leader Ziyang that Qin Yu had fought a fourth-tier Thunder Eagle alone to protect the others and asked whether he had been a worthy Eldest Senior Brother.
• Ziyang praised Qin Yu as the finest Eldest Senior Brother in the Spirit Moon Sect's history, and the disciples bade him farewell.
• Meng Yan evaded the Yellow Maple Valley disciples pursuing him, while Wang Hua abandoned the chase after their compass failed.
• Meng Yan met Bai Lili in a nearby valley, destroyed her butterflies with lightning, and warned her not to provoke him.

Meng Yan heard Bai Lili’s offer to explore a secret realm and agreed to wait until he was stronger before going with her. Shen Ge paid respects to the fallen Qin Yu and Liu Xiao, then returned to his courtyard and resumed secluded cultivation, resolved to become stronger.

• Bai Lili told Meng Yan about an unexplored secret realm on Yellow Sand Mountain and said she was the only one who knew its location.
• Meng Yan chose to postpone exploring the secret realm for six months or a year, and Bai Lili agreed to wait for him.
• Su Liuyue took Su Sui into her care and urged Shen Ge to focus on cultivation because death could come at any time.
• Shen Ge visited Qin Yu’s grave, where Su Liuyue had left wine and roast chicken, and spoke about Qin Yu’s feelings and sacrifice.
• Shen Ge paid respects to Liu Xiao and spoke about his death while saving Jin Ling.
• After visiting the graves, Shen Ge returned to his courtyard and entered secluded cultivation to strengthen himself.

Shen Ge and Mu Wan attended Li Kui’s Blood Jade Peach gathering with Su Sui, while elsewhere Meng Yan escaped Bai Lili after stealing the Azure Dragon Flag. The chapter left Meng Yan weighing whether to seek resources overseas or secretly return to Yellow Maple Valley.

• Shen Ge brought Mu Wan and Su Sui to Li Kui’s Blood Jade Peach gathering, where Su Sui ate a little and fell asleep from the medicinal potency.
• Meng Yan fled Bai Lili after taking the Azure Dragon Flag from a secret realm, then hid nearby while she searched for him in a rage.
• Meng Yan reflected that Bai Lili’s fighting abilities were stronger than he had expected and that he had been wise to avoid a fight.
• Meng Yan considered leaving the Southern Barbarian Lands to seek resources at sea or secretly returning to Yellow Maple Valley for cultivation resources.

Shen Ge accepted Huang Tao’s invitation to investigate Corpse Sha creatures at White Bone Mountain, where he suspected Ghost Demoness’s cave abode might be involved. Before leaving, he agreed to become Su Sui’s master in name, while Su Liuyue planned to teach her and provide resources.

• Shen Ge trained Su Sui to hit moving targets, and she finally pierced his Spiritual Qi protection with an ice spike.
• Huang Tao invited Shen Ge to investigate Corpse Sha creatures guarding something at White Bone Mountain, and Shen Ge agreed to go.
• Shen Ge took Su Sui to Su Liuyue and asked her to care for the child while he was away.
• Su Liuyue explained that she would teach Su Sui but wanted Shen Ge to be her master in name.
• Su Sui kowtowed and asked Shen Ge to become her master, and he agreed before Su Liuyue told him to return within a month.

Shen Ge joined Huang Tao and the others on a treasure hunt at White Bone Mountain, where the group fought Corpse Sha and gathered corpse beads. When they reached stronger monsters and encountered Yin Souls, Shen Ge secretly confirmed he could control them and hid the ability from the group.

• Huang Tao introduced Shen Ge to Wang Ziqi, Li Hua, Yang Chong, and Han Li before the group set off for White Bone Mountain.
• The group entered the fog after taking Detoxification Pills and encountered Corpse Sha, which Yang Chong killed and collected corpse beads from.
• As the group advanced, they fought increasingly powerful Corpse Sha, and Shen Ge used a golden stream of swords to sweep away five of them.
• Yang Chong warned the group that Yin Souls could injure their souls, and Shen Ge lured several aside and secretly brought them under his control.
• Shen Ge killed the Yin Souls without revealing his ability because he wanted to avoid taking the lead through the dangerous mountain.

Shen Ge and the group reached a cave abode on White Bone Mountain, where they broke through its weak defensive formation and entered cautiously. The chapter ended as the group saw something inside that horrified them.

• Yang Chong led the group through Corpse Sha to the cave entrance, where Huang Tao discovered a weak formation and potent poison.
• Yang Chong attacked the formation with a fire dragon, and Li Hua blew the resulting poisonous mist aside.
• Huang Tao asked Shen Ge to take the lead with his defensive Law Artifact, and Shen Ge used a high-grade shield while keeping his supreme-grade shield concealed.
• The group formed up with Shen Ge at the front and Han Li, Wang Ziqi, and Li Hua guarding the rear, then entered the cave abode.
• The group saw what lay inside and recoiled in horror.

Shen Ge discovered that Huang Tao had lured him into a sealed cave trap, where a strange black mist nullified most spiritual power and poisoned those inside. After Shen Ge charged into the mist to attack Huang Tao, Huang Tao proved less affected and prepared to kill him.

• Yang Chong melted into a pool of blood, and Huang Tao touched his skeleton while speaking to it as his senior brother.
• Han Li ambushed the group, killing Wang Ziqi and gravely injuring Li Hua.
• Huang Tao used black mist to neutralize Shen Ge's talismans and flying swords, then revealed that the cave exit was sealed by a formation.
• Shen Ge guessed that the mist weakened Huang Tao too and charged into it to attack him.
• Huang Tao resisted the mist better than Shen Ge, knocked his sword away, and kicked him down.
• Huang Tao stood over the weakened Shen Ge with a hand wreathed in firelight and warned him about choosing his friends.

Shen Ge evaded Huang Tao’s killing blow despite suffering a shattered shoulder, then escaped into a hidden space beneath the white-bone chair when his Storage Bag burst open and distracted his attacker. He survived the fall and, surrounded by black fog and faint lights, began moving toward the farthest light.

• Shen Ge dodged Huang Tao’s palm strike, but it shattered his shoulder, and he accused Huang Tao of using an external puppet.
• Huang Tao pursued Shen Ge through the black fog and revealed that another space lay beneath the white-bone chair.
• As Huang Tao charged, Shen Ge’s Storage Bag burst open, scattering his belongings and forcing Huang Tao to pull back from his strike.
• Shen Ge shoved aside the white-bone chair and leaped into the hidden space while Huang Tao stayed above and collected his scattered supplies.
• Shen Ge fell onto a soft, springy black substance, then walked toward the farthest faint light.

Shen Ge discovered an ancient palace and a strange bronze lamp he could neither move nor understand, then hid in the black mist to recover. In Flowing Cloud City, Han Yu arrived with Su Du, agreed to manage her three restaurants, and continued their close friendship.

• Shen Ge tested the lamp's flame, lost a knife to it, and found he could not remove the lamp or damage the stone wall.
• Shen Ge hid in the black mist, wary that Huang Tao might follow him and determined to recover his spiritual power.
• Han Yu entered Flowing Cloud City with Su Du, who explained that she had come to visit Consort Li after the birth of another prince.
• Su Du warned Han Yu not to delve too deeply into history and politics, then offered her a chance to put her learning to use.
• Han Yu accepted Su Du's offer to manage all three of her restaurants after their trip to the imperial city.
• Su Du teased Han Yu in the carriage, and Han Yu playfully fought back.

Shen Ge encountered the black-robed creator of the Return of the Soul Instruction, who challenged him to a fight for possession of his body. Although they were supposedly fighting at the same realm, Shen Ge struggled against the man’s overwhelming combat experience.

• Shen Ge felt watched in the cave abode and tried to retreat, but a figure formed from the black mist and knocked him unconscious.
• Shen Ge awoke in his mind before the black-robed man and offered him the Return of the Soul Instruction in exchange for his life.
• The black-robed man revealed that he had created the technique and demanded a fight, with Shen Ge’s body at stake if he lost.
• Shen Ge attacked with the Sea of Ten Thousand Swords, but the man blocked the move and sent a spear flying at him.
• Shen Ge launched a series of techniques and realized his opponent was using Foundation Establishment Realm strength, yet his greater combat experience left Shen Ge increasingly despairing.

Shen Ge survived the black-robed man's soul search, though his soul and sea of consciousness were badly damaged. With the black mist dissipating, he recovered enough spiritual power to dig out five strange lamps, leaving the cause of his survival and the lamps' purpose unknown.

• The black-robed man seized Shen Ge and searched his soul, but a clay statue appearing in Shen Ge's memories erased him with a glance and sent a faint glimmer into Shen Ge.
• Shen Ge woke in intense pain and realized he had survived, then discovered that his sea of consciousness was damaged and his soul needed years to recover.
• Shen Ge blamed Huang Tao for his plight and vowed to take revenge when he returned.
• Shen Ge noticed the black mist thinning and suspected the black-robed man's death was connected to its dissipation.
• Shen Ge returned to the stone building and used his spiritual power to dig out the oil lamp, then retrieved the other four unusual lamps.

Shen Ge obtained the complete Life and Death Instruction but could not enter the other stone halls, so he hid in the cave while recovering from his injury. Huang Tao grew suspicious of the old monster and fled with Shen Ge's belongings, while Shen Ge's strength and shoulder wound improved over the next five days.

• Shen Ge found a Jade Slip containing the Toward Death Instruction, which completed the Life and Death Instruction, along with several life-saving techniques.
• Shen Ge failed to force open another stone hall and found that none of the other buildings could be entered.
• Shen Ge decided to hide in the cave rather than risk meeting Huang Tao while injured, and hoped Mu Wan would come looking for him.
• Huang Tao feared the old monster would kill him and left the cave abode with his puppet and Shen Ge's belongings.
• After five more days, Shen Ge's strength returned and his left shoulder wound had mostly healed.

After escaping the mountain, Shen Ge mourned the possessions Huang Tao had taken, while Meng Yan met his master Zhu Nian and discussed the fallout from the secret realm and his future. Zhu Nian warned Meng Yan to stay cautious and uphold his principles as he set out on his own.

• Shen Ge climbed out of the mountain, found only two rotting corpses, and cursed Huang Tao for stealing his possessions.
• Zhu Nian questioned Meng Yan about his Golden Core breakthrough and explained that the sect was handling pressure over the East Approach Secret Realm deaths.
• Meng Yan told Zhu Nian how he and Bai Lili had explored the secret realm in Desolate Valley and how he obtained the Azure Dragon Flag.
• Zhu Nian warned Meng Yan that the Hehuan Sect had placed him on its kill list and urged him not to cross his own bottom line.
• Zhu Nian told Meng Yan that Yellow Maple Valley would not provide cultivation resources but would reveal resource sites he could raid, provided he did not go too far.

Shen Ge returned to the sect with a severely damaged sea of consciousness, and Su Liuyue learned that a complete repair required nearly unobtainable remedies. While she sought help, Shen Ge went to collect Su Sui and fought with Mu Wan over a misunderstanding about their relationship.

• Shen Ge told Su Liuyue how his sea of consciousness had been damaged and revealed that he had obtained the Life and Death Instruction.
• Su Liuyue consulted Ziyang, who described the Spirit Transformation Pill and sharing a sea of consciousness with a perfectly matched person as possible cures.
• Ziyang said he could lessen Shen Ge's injuries but could not restore his ability to advance beyond Foundation Establishment Peak.
• Shen Ge visited Mu Wan's cave abode to collect Su Sui, and Mu Wan attacked him because Su Sui believed she was his dao companion.
• Shen Ge denied making that claim, but his insult about Mu Wan's childish personality provoked another fight.
• Su Sui watched their fighting and took it as confirmation that they were dao companions.

Sect Master Ziyang examined Shen Ge’s sea of consciousness and used his Nascent Soul power to suppress his injury, though he could not cure it. Back in his courtyard, Shen Ge reassured Mu Wan and Su Sui, accepted replacement Law Artifacts from Mu Wan, and was left lamenting his stolen Spirit Turtle Shield.

• Ziyang examined Shen Ge’s sea of consciousness, explained that the sect could only suppress the injury, and took him to his secluded cave abode for treatment.
• Ziyang placed a protective barrier over Shen Ge’s sea of consciousness, slowing the loss of his soul power without addressing the cause.
• After five days, Mu Wan and Su Sui visited Shen Ge, who said his injury was no longer much of an issue after Ziyang treated him.
• Mu Wan offered to help avenge Shen Ge against Huang Tao, then gave him high-grade Law Artifacts and a Storage Bag worth five thousand Spirit Stones.
• Mu Wan reminded Shen Ge that he still owed her Spirit Stones, prompting him to lament the loss of his Spirit Turtle Shield and sending her hurrying away.