Original subtitles

Subtitles by @Shridhuu on Discord

Adapted from Ergen's novel, Beyond Time's Gaze

♪All living beings open their eyes♪

♪The skies of Revered Ancient have shifted and changed♪

♪Endless seas of blood spread without bound♪

♪Beyond the timescape, heaven and earth know no divide♪

♪Crumbling mountains cannot bury the skeletal remains♪

♪The mortal multitude reduced to dust by crimson rain♪

♪Nourishing human hearts as desolate as an ocean♪

♪Bearing flesh and blood upon withered mountains♪

♪Marching into battle against heavens-defying ruin♪

♪With mortal courage and resolute will, forge...♪

♪An earth-shattering, heaven-turning upheaval!♪

R E C A P

Suppress!

Give me your divinity!

I shall shatter your foundation...

and obliterate your Dao Nascent...

T/N: 道婴 (Dào yīng: Dao Nascent / Nascent Soul). In Nascent Soul cultivation, a cultivator's Golden Core births a spiritual infant embodying their Dao foundation and soul. Obliterating it erases their cultivation and severs any hope of survival.

as a sacrifice to my son, Yunxiao!

Your disciple has reclaimed the pill formula...

to bring solace to your spirit in heaven.

Episode 45 Unusual Night Dove Movements

T/N: 夜鸠异动 (Yèjiū yìdòng: Unusual Night Dove Movements). "Yìdòng" refers to abnormal troop mobilizations or suspicious stirrings. In this episode, Night Dove traffickers across all of South Phoenix suddenly converge toward Seven Blood Eyes for a massive transaction.

Come take a look!

Seven Peak City

T/N: 七峰城 (Seven Peak City) & 冰糖葫芦 (Candied Hawthorns). Seven Peak City is the bustling lower-sect capital at the base of Seven Blood Eyes' seven mountain peaks. Candied hawthorns (Bīngtánghúlu) are traditional Chinese winter street snacks of skewered hawthorn berries coated in hardened sugar syrup.

Candied hawthorns!

Grand opening of our new shop!

Welcome, come have a taste!

Selling cheap!

Honored guest,

come take a look at this!

Right this way inside, honored guest!

Waiter!

Bring two more bowls of fermented sour broth!

T/N: 小二 (Xiǎo'èr: Waiter) & 浆水 (Jiāngshuǐ: Fermented Sour Broth). "Xiǎo'èr" is the traditional vernacular address for an inn or tavern server. "Jiāngshuǐ" is a classic northwestern Chinese probiotic broth brewed from fermented celery or cabbage, prized as a refreshing morning soup.

Coming right up, honored guest!

Right away!

In the battle against Bai Li,

my iron skewer was severely damaged,

and Youlingzi fell into a deep slumber.

T/N: 铁钎 (Iron Skewer) & 游灵子 (Youlingzi). Xu Qing's signature black iron skewer weapon and its bound Spirit Automaton (器灵; called Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior in the novel). Both suffered heavy damage absorbing lethal strikes during the battle against Bai Li.

It needs to be repaired.

Feeding my poison grubs also requires more medicinal herbs.

T/N: 毒虫 (Poison Grubs / Little Green Grubs). Raised from the myriad-spirit blood ballistic pill Xu Qing obtained from the Sea Corpse assassin on the Merfolk Isles (Novel Ch 170). They possess terrifying toxicity and voracious appetites for rare medicinal herbs.

Old Zhang,

is this melon guaranteed to be...

T/N: 你这瓜保熟吗 (Is This Melon Guaranteed Ripe?). A humorous Easter-egg nod to the iconic Chinese crime-drama meme from Conquest (征服, 2003), where gangster Liu Huaqiang confronts a fruit vendor before chaos erupts.

Whoa!

What are you looking at?!

Intelligence Division investigation!

Move along!

I need to head out and sell the damaged magical artifacts...

looted from the Sea Corpse battlefield...

to get some money.

Little Ah Qing!

The anniversary of Sergeant Thunder's death is also approaching.

T/N: 雷队的忌日 (Anniversary of Sergeant Thunder's Death). "Jìrì" (忌日) is the annual death anniversary when Chinese families return to sweep graves and offer food and wine. Sergeant Thunder (Lei Dui) was the veteran Scavenger squad leader who rescued young Xu Qing after Peerless City fell and raised him like a son before dying from forbidden region injuries (Novel Ch 5, 221).

Captain?

What are you...

What a coincidence, Little Ah Qing!

Are you here for breakfast too?

Ever since we returned from Starfish Island,

a mountain of cases has piled up at the Intelligence Division.

I've been worked nearly to death!

Whenever you guys are free,

call up Third Sib,

and the three of us will have a proper get-together!

Didn't we just get together last night?

Look at this memory of mine!

I must have been way too exhausted lately.

Tell you what,

how about the two of us head out for a stroll...

and give ourselves a proper vacation?

How about it?

Going out of his way to be nice for no reason...

T/N: 无事献殷勤 (Wú shì xiàn yīnqín: Fawning for No Reason). The first half of the famous Chinese proverb "无事献殷勤，非奸即盗" (One who is overly attentive for no reason is up to no good, either a schemer or a thief). Xu Qing immediately senses the Captain is hiding trouble.

Something isn't right.

I'm making a trip back home.

Go by yourself.

Put the meal on your tab.

As it happens, I don't know where to go anyway.

Take me along with you!

One hundred thousand spirit stones.

You little brat,

is this highway robbery?!

Two hundred thousand spirit stones.

Whoa!

Every single word out of your mouth is about money now!

T/N: 张口闭口 (Zhāngkǒu bìkǒu: Every Time One Opens or Closes Their Mouth). A colloquial idiom meaning "with every breath" or "in every single sentence," teasing Xu Qing for demanding spirit stones every time he speaks.

Who did you learn that from?!

Little Ah Qing,

you've gone bad now!

Teleportation Plaza Seven Peak City

Captain,

you're in such a hurry to leave the city...

did you stir up some kind of trouble?

How could that be?!

Chen Erniu!

Never mind that for now!

The teleportation array is about to activate!

Go, go, go!

Chen Erniu, you little bastard!

I'm going to skin you alive!

Time to bolt!

T/N: 溜了溜了 (Liū le liū le: Time to Bolt / Making Myself Scarce). A playful colloquial expression meaning to slip away or sneak off before getting caught.

Was that brat a dog in his past life or what?!

Why does he have to take a bite out of everything?!

Still,

Corpse Ancestor Statue War Fortress Core Zone

T/N: 尸祖神像 (Corpse Ancestor Statue). A secret divine statue sealed inside the core of the Sixth Peak War Fortress. Unlike the nine known ancestral statues revered by the Sea Corpse Race, this hidden tenth statue serves as the Sixth Peak's true power source (Novel Ch 220-221).

he should know full well...

what can be spoken of...

Teleportation Plaza Demon Lair City

T/N: 魔窟城 (Mókū Chéng: Demon Lair City). The donghua name for the lawless border teleportation city near the forbidden region and Xu Qing's childhood Scavenger Basecamp (corresponding to Antlerville / 鹿角城 in Novel Ch 221).

and what must never be spoken of.

Thank goodness I ran fast!

Otherwise...

Captain,

your legs are shaking.

N-No, they aren't!

You're seeing things.

Little Ah Qing,

aren't you curious why Master Sixth was hunting me down?

I am curious.

You don't look the least bit curious!

Hurry and put these on.

Dawn is breaking soon.

What are these?

W-Why are you staring at me like that?

You...

what are you doing?!

Your face is too clean.

Little Ah Qing,

just making a trip back home...

sure is perilous for you!

Let me tell you,

the Patriarch...

is playing a grand game of chess.

T/N: 下一盘大棋 (Xià yī pán dà qí: Playing a Grand Game of Chess). An idiom originating from classical Weiqi (Go) strategy, meaning to orchestrate a far-reaching, multi-stage strategic plan where early battles are mere stepping stones toward a massive ultimate objective.

Oh.

Master Sixth was just putting on his old act too.

You'd never guess in a million years...

what I saw inside the Sixth Peak.

Man alive!

It was so unexpected!

Absolutely mind-blowing!

No wonder Master Sixth was so furious.

Captain,

don't tell me you went to the Sixth Peak and took a bite out of something?

Huh?

Speak up!

I can't hear you!

Considering how close the two of us are,

and the fact that you now owe me three hundred thousand spirit stones,

I can let you in on a little secret.

Inside the Sixth Peak,

I saw a Corpse Ancestor statue that isn't among the nine revered by the Sea Corpse Race.

T/N: 海尸族九尊 (Nine Statues of the Sea Corpse Race). The Sea Corpse Race across the Forbidden Sea worships nine colossal ancestral statues that shelter their islands from mutagen. Discovering an unknown tenth Corpse Ancestor statue powering the Sixth Peak proves Seven Blood Eyes has long planned to conquer the Sea Corpse homeland (Novel Ch 221-222).

That statue is the true power source of the Sixth Peak's war fortress.

Now I completely understand...

the route of our sect's war campaign.

Merfolk Island

First was the Merfolk Race,

Merfolk Island

and then using the Merfolk Race as a springboard...

Sea Corpse Island

to invade the Sea Corpse Race.

And now,

Yinghuang Province

Sea Corpse Island

Merfolk Island

Forbidden Sea

we're about to strike right into the Sea Corpse homeland.

Guess where comes next?

The Revered Ancient mainland.

What do you think?

Led by these wily old foxes,

the future prospects of our Seven Blood Eyes...

T/N: 老狐狸 (Lǎo húli: Wily Old Foxes). A figurative term for shrewd, deeply calculating veterans who conceal their true ambitions behind layers of misdirection, referring here to the Patriarch and Peaklords of Seven Blood Eyes.

ought to be pretty promising, right?

Let's go.

Time to hit the road.

Scavenger Basecamp

T/N: 拾荒者营地 (Scavenger Basecamp). The ruthless frontier settlement on the edge of the forbidden jungle where Xu Qing survived as a mortal youth before joining Seven Blood Eyes. In a place devoid of law or trust, any sign of wealth or cleanliness invites lethal robbery (Novel Ch 1-26, 221).

We're here.

Little Ah Qing,

do you really need to be this cautious just coming home?

Don't tell me you did something shady back in your hometown too?

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

T/N: 入乡随俗 (Rù xiāng suí sú: Enter a Village, Follow Its Customs) & 不经逗 (Can't Take a Joke). "Rù xiāng suí sú" is a classical idiom from the Zhuangzi meaning to adapt to local customs. Xu Qing dryly uses it to explain why they must wear bloodstained, mud-caked rags in the Scavenger Basecamp.

Tch.

You're no fun to tease.

Let go!

No!

Get lost!

This is mine!

Have a heart!

Just let me have one bite!

So good!

Those eyes...

they're sizing us up to see if we're easy prey to rob.

I never expected...

your hometown to be this lively.

Little Ah Qing,

over there...

Don't look around.

"Don't look around.

I know what kind of place this is."

T/N: 羽毛帐篷 (Feathered Tents). In the Scavenger Basecamp, tents with colorful bird feathers hung over the entrance serve as red-light brothels (Novel Ch 5, 221). Telling the Captain not to stare triggers Xu Qing's memory of Sergeant Thunder telling him the exact same words when he was a child.

It's been so long since I last came back.

Camp Apothecary

T/N: 营地药房 (Camp Apothecary) & 小孩哥哥 (Big Bro Kid). In Novel Chapter 26, a scarred little girl whose grandfather ran this apothecary called Xu Qing "Big Bro Kid" (after his camp nickname "Kid" / 小孩) and gave him her last piece of candy before departing with the Church of Departure.

"Big Bro Kid,

whenever you're feeling unhappy,

just eat a piece of candy."

Little Ah Qing?

Little Ah Qing!

I'd like to walk around on my own.

In a bit,

let's meet up at the basecamp entrance.

Alright.

See you in a bit, then.

Sergeant Thunder...

Sergeant Thunder's Courtyard

Home...

"Kid,

you're back so early today."

T/N: 小孩 (Xiǎohái: Kid). Sergeant Thunder always called young Xu Qing "Kid," and his humble courtyard was the only place in the brutal Scavenger Basecamp that ever felt like a true home after Peerless City was destroyed.

Sergeant Thunder...

Who are you?

What are you doing at my front door?

Mom!

What on earth do you want?!

Get lost!

Sorry to intrude.

Freak!

After being away for so long,

I wonder if Sergeant Thunder's courtyard is even still there.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Perhaps...

my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Little Ah Qing,

this place...

Didn't you come back home?

Aren't you going to stay a while longer with your family?

There's somewhere I need to go.

Feel free to do as you please, Captain.

So bitter...

Little Ah Qing,

don't treat me like such a stranger!

What good place could there be that you can't let me know about?

Sergeant Thunder's Grave

The scenery here is really nice...

Sergeant Thunder,

I've come to see you.

I haven't been back in so long...

so many weeds have grown over your grave.

I'm sorry.

What kind of person...

was Sergeant Thunder?

He loved to drink,

nagged a little,

and cooked delicious food.

He was just an ordinary old man...

and he was my family.

Sergeant Thunder,

I brought you the finest wine from Seven Blood Eyes.

I've learned how to drink now too,

and I even have friends who drink with me.

I'm really good at cooking snake meat now.

It tastes much better than before.

My cooking skills have improved a lot over these past few years.

Of course,

compared to yours,

there's still a gap.

Sergeant Thunder,

I've made something of myself now.

T/N: 有点出息 (Yǒudiǎn chūxi: Made Something of Myself). "Chūxi" refers to promising growth or living up to elders' hopes. Despite reaching Foundation Establishment and becoming an elite of Seven Blood Eyes, Xu Qing speaks with humble warmth before his foster father's grave.

If only you could see it...

I still haven't found the Lifespan Flower.

T/N: 天命花 (Tiānmìng Huā: Lifespan Flower). Also called the life-extending flame or god-spirit weed in the novel (Ch 26, 222). Sergeant Thunder told young Xu Qing about this legendary forbidden-region flower capable of regenerating flesh and extending life when he was dying, though it proved nearly impossible for mortals to obtain.

Back then, you told me...

that anyone who hears the Singing here a second time...

T/N: 歌声 (The Singing). An eerie, lethal phenomenon echoing from the depths of the forbidden region. Most who hear it perish, but Sergeant Thunder once told Xu Qing that anyone who survives hearing it once will see the person they miss most upon hearing it a second time (Novel Ch 5, 222).

will see the person they miss the most.

But there are several people I miss dearly.

Tell me,

if that day truly comes,

who will I see?

I'm leaving now, Sergeant Thunder.

I'll come visit you again next time.

Let's go.

If there's a chance in the future,

come with me on a trip back home too.

It's been a long time since I went back to pay my respects as well.

Mm.

Ruins of the Tai Cang Daoist Temple

I never expected there to be a Tai Cang Daoist Temple inside this forbidden region.

Wait, I remember now!

Earlier, I saw you unleash a divine ability resembling a heavenly saber.

You little brat,

don't tell me you gained enlightenment of the Tai Cang Solitary Saber right here?!

T/N: 太苍一刀 (Tai Cang Solitary Saber). An ancient saber technique sealed within the statues of Tai Cang Daoist Temples. Back in the Scavenger Basecamp arc, Xu Qing comprehended the first saber form here, manifesting an invisible, lethal saber of willpower (Novel Ch 40, 222).

Mm.

I really hit the nail on the head!

When it comes to intelligence on the Tai Cang Solitary Saber,

I know quite a bit.

Want to know?

The Tai Cang Daoist Temples originated from the Tai Cang Daoist Empire,

T/N: 太苍道国 (Tai Cang Daoist Empire) & 皇级神通 (Imperial-Class Divine Ability). A lost ancient human empire whose temples each house a distinct saber intent. Comprehending six or seven temples' saber forms merges them into an Imperial-Class Divine Ability, a supreme art of Ancient Sovereigns (Novel Ch 222).

whose history has long been lost to time.

Word has it...

that the saber art inside every temple is different.

If one can comprehend six or seven saber forms,

it becomes a bona fide Imperial-Class Divine Ability!

Furthermore,

once someone successfully comprehends a temple's saber art,

unless that person is slain right before the divine statue,

it takes half a sixty-year cycle...

T/N: 半甲子 (Bàn jiǎzǐ: Half a Sixty-Year Cycle / Thirty Years). In the traditional Chinese sexagenary calendar of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, one full "Jiǎzǐ" cycle equals 60 years; half a cycle is exactly 30 years.

before the Dao resonance can form anew.

There is one inside Forbidden by the Phoenix.

T/N: 凰禁 (Huáng Jìn: Forbidden by the Phoenix). The massive, perilous forbidden region bordering Seven Blood Eyes in South Phoenix. It is far larger and deadlier than the smaller forbidden jungle near the Scavenger Basecamp (Novel Ch 222).

If you get the chance, you can go take a look.

Meditating for an entire night...

yielded nothing at all.

Sure enough, there is no Dao resonance left inside the statue.

T/N: 道蕴 (Dàoyùn: Dao Resonance / Dao Essence). The mystical imprint of natural laws and martial intent infused within a sacred relic. Because Xu Qing already absorbed this statue's Dao resonance years ago, it remains dormant until thirty years pass.

Little Ah Qing,

where are you heading next?

To find a black market.

I have some items to offload.

A black market?

What shady treasures have you been stashing away?

Youlingzi once said:

"In black markets, lowballing sellers is standard practice.

If we just sell ordinary magical artifacts,

they won't fetch their true worth.

Why don't we lay our cards right on the table...

T/N: 明人不做暗事 (Míngrén bù zuò ànshì: An Honest Person Does Nothing Underhanded). A classic wuxia proverb meaning to act openly without hidden tricks. Here it is used with dark irony: openly advertising sabotaged weapons specifically to buyers looking to ambush their own rivals (Novel Ch 224).

and sell the magical artifacts whose spiritual essence I've drained dry:

ones that look completely normal on the outside,

but actually shatter the moment they're used!

Weapons for Treacherous People

Gifted to someone you want to set up,

they're the ultimate first choice for sabotaging people!"

T/N: 阴人利器 (Weapons for Treacherous People) & 坑人 (Sabotaging / Entrapping Others). "Yīnrén" means to stab someone in the back through deceit; "Kēngrén" literally means to dig a pit for someone to fall into. By selling drained artifacts that explode or shatter mid-battle, buyers can gift them to enemies as lethal Trojan horses (Novel Ch 224).

Black Market Rimeshade

T/N: 凌幽城 (Língyōu Chéng: Rimeshade). A sprawling black-market city near the territory of the Church of Departure where rogue cultivators and sect disciples trade illicit goods under concealed identities (Novel Ch 223-224).

Rare treasures and exotic gems!

Bizarre and ferocious beasts!

No refunds or liability once sold!

This magical artifact is a relic left behind by an almighty expert!

It's fake!

Little Ah Qing,

this place is pretty great!

There are more fools here than swindlers.

I'm going to hunt for some hidden bargains too.

T/N: 捡漏 (Jiǎnlòu: Hunting for Hidden Bargains). A traditional Chinese antique-market term meaning to spot a priceless treasure overlooked by an ignorant seller and buy it for a pittance.

Let's meet back here in a bit.

Weapons for Treacherous People

Weapons for Treacherous People

Now that's interesting.

This piece is nice!

I'll take it!

Fellow Daoist,

bring more magical artifacts next time you come!

I'll buy as many as you have!

All the magical artifacts have been sold.

The profits are quite good.

Hurry, move along!

Don't stir up trouble!

Move along, quick!

Night Dove Convoy

Whatever you do, don't provoke these cutthroats who kill without blinking an eye!

T/N: 杀人不眨眼 (Shārén bù zhǎyǎn: Killing Without Blinking an Eye). A proverbial expression describing cold-blooded, merciless killers utterly numb to slaughter.

So many Living Treasures...

T/N: 养宝人 (Yǎngbǎorén: Living Treasures / Treasure Nurturers). Captured mortals and cultivators used by cruel sects as living flesh-vessels to incubate, feed, and nurture taboo dharmic treasures or grues inside their bodies until the host is hollowed out (Novel Ch 223).

just how many spirit stones must they be worth?

What are you looking at?!

Out of the way!

Night Dove again.

They're moving in such orderly formation;

they must have a stronghold nearby.

Find the stronghold.

Leave none alive.

Let's go.

Night Dove Stronghold

Thirty cages in total.

These Night Dove operatives truly linger like restless ghosts;

T/N: 阴魂不散 (Yīnhún bù sàn: Lingering Like Restless Ghosts). A classical idiom originally describing vengeful spirits that refuse to disperse, used metaphorically for a sinister plague or evil organization that keeps reappearing no matter how many times it is struck down.

no matter how many we kill, there's no end to them.

Is there no end to them...

because the demand for Living Treasures is so huge?

That's right.

In South Phoenix, the demand...

mainly comes from the Church of Departure and a few minor evil sects.

T/N: 离途教 (Lítú Jiào: Church of Departure). A major heretical sect in South Phoenix Continent and bitter rival to Seven Blood Eyes. Back in Novel Chapter 26, their emissaries massacred much of Xu Qing's Scavenger Basecamp while recruiting blood-refined disciples.

Yet the demand from the Revered Ancient mainland...

is even greater.

Within the bloodline of South Phoenix humans...

linger remnants of the Sovereign Kingdom of Violet and Cyan.

T/N: 紫青上国 (Sovereign Kingdom of Violet and Cyan). An ancient human royal dynasty that once ruled the region of South Phoenix. Because faint traces of its imperial bloodline still flow in South Phoenix natives, their bodies yield exceptional results when used as Living Treasures, making them prime targets for mainland traffickers (Novel Ch 223).

As a result, their effectiveness for nurturing treasures is exceptionally high.

That is why across South Phoenix,

Night Dove is particularly active.

Enemy attack!

We're under attack!

Kill him!

Night Dove Qi Condensation Cultivator Eighth-Level Qi Condensation

Foun...

Foundation Establishment?!

Spare my life, Senior!

Where is this convoy of yours...

planning to head?

I...

this lowly one was only in charge of escorting them here!

As for anything else,

I know nothing at all!

It's been a long time since I interrogated a Night Dove agent.

Little Ah Qing,

let me have some fun!

Let me help jog your memory.

No!

Spare my life, Senior!

The buyer's background is way too powerful!

Lowly ones like us wouldn't dare offend them!

In that case...

I'll talk!

It's Seven Blood Eyes!

Word has it...

that major buyers are heading to Seven Blood Eyes soon...

to purchase goods in bulk!

Besides our convoy here,

Night Dove operatives across all of South Phoenix...

are rushing toward Seven Blood Eyes!

If you'd spoken up sooner,

you wouldn't have had to suffer like this.

Where did these rats crawl out from,

daring to obstruct my Sima Clan's affairs?!

I never expected...

that out here in this desolate wilderness,

Xuan Xiao Sima Clan Three-Flame Guest Elder

T/N: 玄枭 (Xuan Xiao) & 客卿 (Kèqīng: Guest Elder / Retainer). "Kèqīng" is an official title originating in the Warring States period for high-ranking outside experts retained by a noble clan with generous stipends and status without sharing the clan's blood surname.

I would actually witness a cultivation art of Seven Blood Eyes.

The Sima Clan?

People from the House of Grue Hunters of the Seven Sect Coalition.

T/N: 七宗联盟 (Seven Sect Coalition) & 猎异门 (House of Grue Hunters). Seven Blood Eyes was originally founded as a subordinate branch by seven powerful sects from the Revered Ancient mainland known as the Seven Sect Coalition, with each upper sect overseeing one mountain peak. The House of Grue Hunters is the upper sect of the Third Peak (Novel Ch 220, 229).

The House of Grue Hunters...

is the upper sect of the Third Peak,

specializing in using magical artifacts to command grues.

Lowly lower-sect underlings...

Sui Luo Sima Clan Three-Flame Cultivator

how dare you offend your superiors?!

T/N: 下宗犯上 (Lower Sect Offending Superiors). Because Seven Blood Eyes was founded as a subordinate branch (下宗) by the Seven Sect Coalition, disciples of the mainland upper sects (上宗) view Seven Blood Eyes cultivators as mere servants and treat any defiance as treasonous insubordination (犯上).

Clean out...

these rats.

Don't delay our schedule.

Yes!

Dark Nether Yin-Seizing Array House of Grue Hunters Mid-Grade Technique

T/N: 玄冥摄阴阵 (Dark Nether Yin-Seizing Array). A mid-grade formation of the House of Grue Hunters ("Xuánmíng" denotes the dark northern netherworld in classical mythology) that unleashes bound yin-grues from a magical artifact to swarm and devour targets.

The techniques of the House of Grue Hunters truly are bizarre.

How disgusting.

I'm a germaphobe.

T/N: 洁癖 (Jiépǐ: Germaphobe / Mysophobia). An obsession with cleanliness. Eldest Senior Brother hilariously claims to be a germaphobe to avoid fighting the disgusting grue swarm, despite having just worn filthy rags and gnawed on a Corpse Ancestor statue.

Little Ah Qing,

you handle this instead.

Go get 'em!

To command such a massive number of grues,

his magical artifact must contain a vast amount of pure spiritual essence.

T/N: 灵韵 (Língyùn: Spiritual Essence / Dharmic Aura). The core spiritual vitality refined into a magical artifact. Once drained, an artifact loses all power and crumbles, whereas absorbing pure spiritual essence can nourish and awaken Xu Qing's Spirit Automaton, Youlingzi.

All this spiritual essence...

can be put to good use by me.

Courting death!

Lower-sect ant,

do you have any idea what kind of existence my Sima Clan is?!

He isn't rushing to strike...

could it be that Little Ah Qing wants to play around a bit longer?

He took the bait.

Golden Balefire Rakshasa Staff Mid-Grade Magical Artifact

T/N: 金煞罗刹棍 (Golden Balefire Rakshasa Staff). A fierce mid-grade magical artifact named after Rakshasas (罗刹), flesh-devouring malevolent demons from Buddhist and Hindu mythology synonymous with ruthless slaughter.

Today,

I shall make you experience the might of an upper sect!

Still not enough.

I must wait until his artifact's spiritual essence is brimming to its peak.

This kid is definitely cooking up some scheme.

T/N: 打算盘 (Dǎ suànpán: Calculating on an Abacus / Cooking Up a Scheme). A Chinese idiom literally meaning to flick the beads of an abacus, figuratively describing someone quietly calculating a shrewd tactical scheme.

Die!

Right now!

Oh!

So that's what he was after!

How is this possible?!

He can actually absorb the spiritual essence of my magical artifact?!

What a calculating little schemer!

I'll use this artifact's spiritual essence...

to help Youlingzi awaken!

This lower-sect brat...

can actually counter a Three-Flame killing move of our upper sect!

If we don't eliminate him today,

he will surely become a grave threat in the future!

Playing dirty, are we?

What?!

Old geezer,

I advise you not to mess with him.

I've absorbed just about enough.

This is...

spiritual essence!

Imperial Thunder Decree!

T/N: 雷敕 (Léichì: Imperial Thunder Decree). In Daoist thunder magic (雷法), "Chì" is a sovereign edict commanding heavenly thunder spirits to smite evil and temper spiritual weapons.

My natal magical artifact!

T/N: 本命法器 (Běnmìng fǎqì: Natal Magical Artifact / Life-Bound Artifact). A cultivator's primary weapon bound directly to their soul and cultivation base; when it is shattered, the owner suffers a severe spiritual backlash.

How could this happen?!

A Spirit Automaton magical treasure?!

T/N: 器灵法宝 (Spirit Automaton Magical Treasure). Ordinary magical artifacts (法器) lack sentience, whereas high-tier magical treasures (法宝) housing a sentient Spirit Automaton (器灵) are exceedingly rare and normally wielded only by Golden Core or Nascent Soul experts.

Just who on earth is this guy?!

Youlingzi Congenital Lightning Spirit Body

Whoa,

talk about making a grand entrance!

Primordial vitality restored and rejuvenated!

T/N: 返元回春 (Fǎn yuán huí chūn: Primordial Vitality Restored and Rejuvenated). A Daoist cultivation phrase meaning to return to one's primordial origin and recover full youthful vigor after near-destruction.

I have ascended to a Congenital Lightning Spirit Body!

Many thanks, Master!

It has been tempered quite well.

His blood will serve nicely to christen the blade.

T/N: 拿血开锋 (Christening a Blade with Blood). "Kāifēng" literally refers to grinding the final razor edge onto a newly forged weapon; in martial lore, a newly tempered weapon is consecrated by drawing its first blood from a worthy enemy.

Oh no!

Run!

Se...

Senior!

Don't be rash!

Such terrifying speed!

Your turn.

He isn't at Three Flames...

He's at Four Flames!

I told you not to mess with him,

but you just wouldn't listen!

T/N: 不听劝 (Refusing to Listen to Good Advice). Alluding to the proverb "不听老人言，吃亏在眼前" (Ignore good advice and suffer right before your eyes). The Captain mocks Xuan Xiao for ignoring his earlier warning not to provoke Xu Qing, realizing too late that Xu Qing possesses Four-Flame combat prowess.

Perish!

Congratulations, Little Ah Qing!

You've offended an even bigger power yet again!

He got what he deserved.

The cage doors are open!

We're free!

We're free!

If I had to guess,

before long,

those major buyers from the Revered Ancient mainland...

will arrive in Seven Blood Eyes to make their transactions.

Little Ah Qing,

it looks like the Violent Crimes Division...

is going to have plenty of work on its hands soon.

Bone-Burying Hall House of Grue Hunters

T/N: 埋骨殿 (Máigǔ Diàn: Bone-Burying Hall). A stronghold hall of the House of Grue Hunters where Sima Ling oversees the clan's covert Living Treasure acquisitions in South Phoenix.

Milord,

scouts have reported in:

the guest elder sent to rendezvous with Night Dove was ambushed and killed,

and that entire batch of Living Treasures...

has escaped to the last person.

Sima Ling Four-Flame Great Circle House of Grue Hunters Chosen

How dare they cross my Sima Clan on our own turf!

T/N: 太岁头上动土 (Breaking Ground on Tai Sui's Head) & 四火大圆满 (Four-Flame Great Circle). "Breaking ground on someone's head" comes from the ancient taboo against digging earth in the direction of Tai Sui (Jupiter), meaning to brazenly provoke a superior power. Sima Ling is at the Great Circle of Four Flames (120 dharma apertures, perfected Four-Flame Foundation Establishment; Novel Ch 229).

• XU QING'S FIELD JOURNAL: WORKING CULTIVATOR'S HOMECOMING CHRONICLE (BANKRUPT EDITION) • [Attacking the Sea Corpse Race? -> Revered Ancient Mainland] • Captain says Seven Blood Eyes' northward march is truly aimed at the Revered Ancient mainland. What a grand game of chess... Following a sect like this means a bright future. (Is the Captain a reincarnated starving ghost? He'll take a bite out of anything!) [Heading Home with Captain] • Dirty ragged clothes. Things have changed, and the people are gone (物是人非)... [Dead Broke (穷)] • Youlingzi is crippled, my iron skewer is damaged, and the little green grubs are always starving. About to go bankrupt on the spot... Heading to the black market to sell off loot and recover my funds. [Visiting Sergeant Thunder] • Sergeant Thunder once said: Anyone who survives hearing the Singing will see the person they miss most upon hearing it a second time... I miss so many people, I'll have to hear it several times to see them all. (Too bad I still haven't found the Lifespan Flower...) [Black Market Stall] • Selling only drained artifacts that shatter on impact: \"Weapons for Treacherous People,\" tailored to entrap \"fated buyers.\" Completely sold out! Youlingzi is a business prodigy! Major credit recorded!! [Making Enemies Yet Again (又双叒叕结仇)] • Ran into Night Dove on the road and struck with a heavy fist! (Whoever trades with Night Dove gets arrested, even the Sima Clan from the Revered Ancient mainland.)

• SECT DOSSIER: HOUSE OF GRUE HUNTERS (猎异门) • • Sect Background: Supervisory upper sect of Seven Blood Eyes' Third Peak and one of the Seven Sect Coalition of the Revered Ancient mainland. Infamous for fiercely shielding its own flaws and wielding bizarre arts, it deals constantly with grues and acts with erratic, rabid ruthlessness. • Heritage & Dao Lineage: Prioritizes bloodlines as primary and cultivation techniques as supplementary. Enshrines Four Great Bloodline Sources within the sect for disciples to transplant into their bodies to suppress and command grues (such as the Sima Clan's Nether-Sealing Blood / 封幽之血). • Disciple Traits: Because they transplant anomalous blood to suppress grues, most disciples develop twisted personalities and overwhelming baleful hostility.

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♪Wind blows across the campfire nearly burning out♪

♪Who is humming that old ballad once more?♪

♪They say: Keep walking forward, never look back♪

♪Yet that lingering laughter still echoes in my ears♪

♪From every single scar, blossom flowers in full bloom♪

♪Remembering for me all the words left unsaid♪

♪I have seen so many choose to let go of their grasp♪

♪Yet that warmth and gentleness, I cannot bear to lose♪

♪It is not that I refuse to journey onward♪

♪I only fear walking so fast my soul is left stranded♪

♪Those lights of the departed have never truly strayed far♪

♪With every breath I take, I feel them right by my side♪

♪This is my sacred obsession, refusing to forget♪