Chapter Summaries

Wang Chen and Yin Sulan fought off a horde of Demonic Beasts lured by Sifang Village Rogue Cultivators, then faced an encircling group of bandits. Just as the bandits prepared to attack, a Golden Core Great Demon appeared and crushed two of them.

• Yin Sulan beheaded a Purple Mansion cultivator who had lured Demonic Beasts to ambush her and Wang Chen.
• Wang Chen unleashed Mystic Fire Flying Crows while Yin Sulan cut down the Demonic Beasts that survived, and the pair defeated the entire horde.
• A group of gray-robed cultivators surrounded Wang Chen and Yin Sulan and demanded their Storage Bags and weapons.
• Yin Sulan identified the group as Rogue Cultivators from Sifang Village, who had impersonated Lingxiao Sect disciples and planned to exhaust and kill the pair.
• As a Sifang Village Purple Mansion cultivator signaled his group to attack, an enormous tail crushed two Rogue Cultivators and a Golden Core Great Demon descended.

A Golden Core Great Demon attacked the cultivators in Taiwu Mountain, killing many Rogue Cultivators before cornering Wang Chen. Yin Sulan joined him and revealed her West Sea Sect identity, forcing the demon to reconsider violating the Taiwu Oath.

• Wang Chen and Yin Sulan fled when the Golden Core Great Demon appeared, while the slower Rogue Cultivators were caught in its vortex and eaten.
• The demon hunted down and killed Purple Mansion cultivators who tried to escape through the trees and underground.
• The giant wolf caught up with Wang Chen, who stopped and prepared a treasure talisman as Yin Sulan arrived beside him.
• Yin Sulan challenged the demon over the Taiwu Oath and identified herself as a disciple of the West Sea Sect.
• Yin Sulan showed the giant wolf her inner-lineage Jade Tablet, confirming her identity and making the demon hesitate.

Yin Sulan used the West Sea Sect’s Dao Seal to drive away the Great Demon wolf, then told Wang Chen she was seeking a Spirit Reversal Vermilion Fruit to help restore her younger brother’s damaged Spiritual Root. Wang Chen promised to give her one if he found any, and the pair continued searching the Azure Heaven Secret Realm’s surroundings as his sense of its location grew stronger.

• Yin Sulan revealed the West Sea Sect’s Dao Seal, and the Great Demon wolf withdrew rather than risk provoking the sect.
• Yin Sulan explained that she had brought Wang Chen along to search for a Spirit Reversal Vermilion Fruit, an ingredient needed to make a Heaven Restoration Pill for her injured younger brother.
• Yin Sulan offered Wang Chen ten items from the Yin family’s secret vault and additional thanks in exchange for a fruit.
• Wang Chen promised to give Yin Sulan one Spirit Reversal Vermilion Fruit if he obtained any in the secret realm.
• Wang Chen and Yin Sulan continued searching, avoided further trouble with Demonic Beasts and cautious groups of cultivators, and traveled a hundred li from their landing site.
• Wang Chen’s feeling that he was getting closer to the secret realm grew stronger.

Wang Chen and Yin Sulan found the Azure Heaven Secret Realm’s hidden entrance and alerted the West Sea Sect cultivators. Sun Wenxuan organized defenses around the cliff, and the group waited for the realm to emerge.

• Wang Chen used his talisman coin to confirm that the Azure Heaven Secret Realm’s entrance lay within the cliff, and Yin Sulan activated the sect’s signal talisman.
• The West Sea Sect cultivators gathered at the cliff, and Sun Wenxuan assigned them to set up concealment and defense formations.
• Sun Wenxuan discovered a rogue cultivator spying nearby, and Yin Sulan killed him as he tried to flee.
• A fellow cultivator burned the rogue cultivator’s body and removed evidence before the West Sea Sect group finished setting up the formations.
• Wang Chen and the West Sea Sect cultivators took their positions and waited through the night for the secret realm to emerge.

As the Azure Heaven Secret Realm neared opening, rival cultivators discovered the West Sea Sect’s position and attacked its defenses. Wang Chen and the sect cultivators fought back, but the battle drew more people to the mountain and left the conflict escalating.

• The mountain began glowing with seven-colored light as the Azure Heaven Secret Realm’s entrance neared appearing.
• Newly arrived treasure seekers broke through the Illusion Array and exposed the West Sea Sect cultivators guarding the cliff.
• Sun Wenxuan declared that the West Sea Sect was conducting business, but a burly Purple Mansion cultivator rallied Rogue Cultivators to attack.
• The Rogue Cultivators struck the defensive array, and Wang Chen unleashed charged Nine Heavens Divine Thunder while the West Sea Sect retaliated.
• The West Sea Sect’s attacks killed many enemies, but the battle’s commotion drew more cultivators and sparked a chaotic fight before the mountain.

Wang Chen, Yin Sulan, and the West Sea Sect cultivators held off a growing crowd at the Azure Heaven Secret Realm entrance. The Secret Realm Gate opened after Sun Wenxuan used a precious talisman to blunt an overwhelming assault, leaving both sides scattered.

• Sun Wenxuan assigned Wang Chen and Yin Sulan to counterattack, and their lightning and sword strikes forced the Qi Condensation cultivators back and killed a Purple Mansion Rogue Cultivator.
• The Secret Realm Gate appeared in the stone wall, prompting the attackers to renew their assault with greater desperation.
• As more cultivators joined the attack, Sun Wenxuan activated a pale golden treasure talisman that dispersed incoming spells and severed the attackers' control over their spiritual artifacts.
• A surge of pure spiritual energy shattered the West Sea Sect's Defense Array and knocked down both defenders and attackers as the Secret Realm Gate opened.

Wang Chen entered the Azure Heaven Secret Realm after killing a Sword Cultivator who tried to ambush him. Guided by the Primordial Dao Stele, he found the Primordial Sky-Connecting Tower and learned that the stele was part of it and had brought him there.

• Sun Wenxuan urged the West Sea Sect cultivators through the Secret Realm Gate, and Li Mengyan and Yin Sulan entered before Wang Chen.
• A Sword Cultivator ambushed Wang Chen, but Wang Chen killed him with a concentrated bolt of Nine Heavens Divine Thunder.
• Wang Chen entered the Azure Heaven Secret Realm and arrived in a cavern before an enormous tower.
• The Primordial Dao Stele stirred in Wang Chen's Sea of Consciousness and urged him toward the tower.
• Wang Chen touched the tower door, and the Primordial Dao Stele absorbed a flood of information revealing that it was the tower's boundary stele and had guided him to the tower.

Wang Chen entered the Heaven-Connecting Tower and learned that its trials sealed external items, forcing him to rely on his own strength. He defeated the first level’s Puppet Leopard, claimed its reward, and began the second-level challenge.

• Wang Chen used the Primordial Dao Stele to enter the Heaven-Connecting Tower and agreed to challenge its first level.
• The tower sealed Wang Chen’s external items, including his Sumeru Ring, Heavenly Net to Punish Evil, and Hidden Dragon Sword.
• A Puppet Leopard attacked Wang Chen, who repelled it with Heavenly Dragon Vajra Palm and Nine Heavens Divine Thunder.
• Wang Chen destroyed the Puppet Leopard and received a crystal reward, after which the tower restored access to his Sumeru Ring.
• Wang Chen accepted the challenge of the second level.

Wang Chen defeated three coordinated Puppet Leopards to clear the second floor of the Heaven-Connecting Tower. After resting, he considered the information he had received about the tower and prepared to continue its challenges.

• The second-floor arena expanded into rolling hills, sealed Wang Chen’s Sumeru Ring, and sent three Puppet Leopards to attack him.
• Wang Chen used Mystic Fire Flying Crows, his Heavenly Dragon Vajra Palm, and close combat to seize one Puppet Leopard and batter its companions.
• Wang Chen kicked the third Puppet Leopard away, smashed its head, and cleared the second floor.
• Wang Chen received three crystals and information from the Primordial Dao Stele suggesting that clearing all eighty-one floors might let him control the Primordial Sky-Connecting Tower.
• Wang Chen chose to rest and regulate his breathing before deciding whether to challenge the third floor.

After defeating the fifth-floor Flame Lion, Wang Chen recovered and chose to challenge the sixth floor of the Primordial Sky-Connecting Tower. There he found Spirit Reversal Vermilion Fruits guarded by a powerful heroic spirit, and the next battle began to take shape.

• Wang Chen defeated the Flame Lion on the fifth floor, collected its heart, and used a Healing Pill and the Heavenly Net to Punish Evil to recover.
• Wang Chen decided to challenge the sixth floor after recovering most of his wounds and Mana.
• The sixth floor transformed into a forested mountain landscape, where Wang Chen recognized three Spirit Reversal Vermilion Fruits Yin Sulan had described.
• The Primordial Dao Stele revealed that the gatekeeper was a high-level Purple Mansion heroic spirit formed from a cultivator who had died in the Azure Heaven Secret Realm.
• The heroic spirit recognized Wang Chen as a West Sea Sect cultivator, threatened him, and raised his Propaganda Axe as five weapons emerged from the ground before Wang Chen.

Wang Chen fought and defeated the burly Tower Spirit guarding the sixth floor of the Heaven-Connecting Tower. His victory completed the sixth-floor challenge and left the way forward open.

• Wang Chen chose the long staff and faced the burly Tower Spirit in battle.
• Wang Chen parried the Tower Spirit's axe, countered its kick, and used Iron Mountain Lean to knock it away.
• Wang Chen struck the Tower Spirit into a pit with the staff, then blasted it with Nine Heavens Divine Thunder.
• Wang Chen pierced the Tower Spirit's head with Primal Gengjin Finger, destroying it and completing the sixth-floor challenge.

After defeating the sixth-floor opponent, Wang Chen claimed three Spirit Reversal Vermilion Fruits and chose to challenge the seventh floor after learning that failure would not mean true death. The seventh floor healed his hidden injuries with Jinlian’s light, but its white-robed Sword Cultivator struck before Wang Chen could even see his face, plunging Wang Chen into darkness.

• Wang Chen defeated the sixth-floor opponent and stored the three Spirit Reversal Vermilion Fruits in his Sumeru Ring.
• Wang Chen asked the Primordial Dao Stele whether failing a Heaven-Connecting Tower challenge would kill him and learned that he would instead pay a price.
• Wang Chen chose to challenge the seventh floor, where Jinlian’s light healed his hidden injuries.
• A white-robed Sword Cultivator appeared beside Jinlian as five weapons rose from the ground, and Wang Chen took the long staff.
• The Sword Cultivator turned and unleashed a Sword Light that struck Wang Chen between the brows and plunged his consciousness into darkness.

After the white-robed Sword Cultivator killed him in the Heaven-Connecting Tower, Wang Chen returned to the Azure Heaven Secret Realm having lost one Divine Soul point. Once the tower expelled him from the realm, he killed a cultivator who ambushed him and flew toward a West Sea Sect disciple’s distress signal.

• Wang Chen returned from the Heaven-Connecting Tower and discovered that failing its seventh floor had cost him one Divine Soul point.
• The Heaven-Connecting Tower sank away, and an immense force expelled Wang Chen into a dense forest in the Azure Heaven Secret Realm.
• A wounded green-clad cultivator appeared and attacked Wang Chen with binding Talismans and a Flying Sword.
• Wang Chen destroyed the cultivator’s sword with the Dragon Abyss Sword, pursued him, and killed him as he fled.
• Wang Chen took the dead cultivator’s Storage Bag, then spotted a West Sea Sect disciple’s distress signal and flew toward it.

Wang Chen rescued Li Mengyan and gathered the West Sea Sect disciples who had emerged from the Azure Heaven Secret Realm. After searching for survivors and failing to find Sun Wenxuan, he led the group away from the dangerous Taiwu Mountains.

• Wang Chen arrived as Rogue Cultivators besieged Li Mengyan and two other West Sea Sect disciples, striking the attackers with Nine Heavens Divine Thunder and driving them off.
• Wang Chen stopped the three disciples from pursuing the fleeing Rogue Cultivators and stood guard while they recovered.
• Wang Chen gathered twenty-seven West Sea Sect disciples, but Sun Wenxuan and Yin Sulan were initially missing.
• Yin Sulan returned after fighting off petty thieves, and the group continued searching until they found two more disciples, one gravely injured.
• Wang Chen took the disciples aboard his Magic Treasure Flying Ship and led them away from the Taiwu Mountains.

After returning from the Azure Heaven Secret Realm, Wang Chen gave Yin Sulan a Spirit Reversal Vermilion Fruit to save her younger brother, refusing her offer of a valuable estate. He returned to Changhe Island and was summoned by Changhe True Person, who asked what he had gained in the realm.

• Wang Chen and the surviving cultivators returned to West Sea Island aboard his Flying Ship.
• Yin Sulan took Wang Chen to her estate, where he gave her one Spirit Reversal Vermilion Fruit for refining a Heaven Restoration Pill.
• Yin Sulan offered Wang Chen her estate as compensation, but he refused and told her to use the fruit first.
• Yin Sulan hurried off to arrange the pill refinement, while Wang Chen returned to Changhe Island.
• Changhe True Person summoned Wang Chen to the Dao Palace, where he asked whether Wang Chen had gained anything in the Azure Heaven Secret Realm.

Wang Chen used the two remaining Spirit Reversal Vermilion Fruits to improve his Spiritual Root and comprehension, then discovered that the Mountain Sea Realm was increasingly rejecting him as his cultivation advanced. After Yin Sulan summoned him to West Sea Immortal City, he learned that her younger brother had recovered and that the Yin family was offering him its support and access to its secret treasury.

• Wang Chen gave the two remaining Spirit Reversal Vermilion Fruits to Changhe True Person, who extracted their essence and used it to strengthen him.
• Wang Chen gained three points of Spiritual Root and two points of comprehension, bringing his Spiritual Root to 10 and his comprehension to 9.
• Changhe True Person advised Wang Chen to stay in seclusion and focus on raising his cultivation realm.
• Wang Chen cultivated at Tingtao Manor and realized that the Mountain Sea Realm was rejecting him more strongly as his talent and cultivation improved.
• Yin Sulan's message brought Wang Chen to West Sea Immortal City, where she told him her younger brother had recovered and offered him the Yin family's help and secret treasury.

Wang Chen sought to learn about the Haotian Realm and Yin Sulan brought him to meet her Ninth Uncle, a Yin family elder who had once visited the upper realm. After learning Wang Chen wanted to go there, Ninth Uncle questioned his reasons and reacted strongly when Wang Chen named Master Wuxiang of Lantuo Temple.

• Wang Chen asked Yin Sulan what she knew about the Haotian Realm, and she offered to introduce him to her Ninth Uncle.
• After getting permission from the family head, Yin Sulan took Wang Chen to Yin Island to meet Ninth Uncle.
• A mischievous boy teased Yin Sulan about bringing her lover, then fled into the inner courtyard and called for his uncle.
• Ninth Uncle sent Yin Sulan away to prepare tea and privately asked Wang Chen why he wanted to reach the upper realm.
• Wang Chen said Master Wuxiang had warned that he would face a fatal calamity unless he left the Mountain Sea Realm before turning forty-four, and Ninth Uncle's expression changed when he heard the monk's name.

Ninth Uncle explained the dangers and rules of the Haotian Realm to Wang Chen and offered to arrange passage there through a ferryman. Wang Chen accepted the help and returned to Changhe Island to cultivate while awaiting the Yin family's news.

• Ninth Uncle told Wang Chen that reaching the Upper Realm before age forty was unlikely and that smuggled cultivators without an immortal registry risked becoming slaves or human materials.
• Ninth Uncle explained three ways rogue cultivators could obtain an immortal registry: gain an immortal clan's favor, cultivate to Nascent Soul and register in an immortal city, or obtain an Ascension Immortal Token.
• Ninth Uncle offered to contact a ferryman and secure Wang Chen a place in the Upper Realm, repaying the Yin family's debt to him.
• Ninth Uncle gave Wang Chen a Storage Talisman containing three treasure talismans and warned that most Mountain Sea Realm Pills, Talismans, and Magic Tools would not work properly in the Haotian Realm.
• After speaking with Ninth Uncle for an hour, Wang Chen returned to Changhe Island and continued cultivating while waiting for news from the Yin family.

After breaking through to the sixth layer of the Purple Mansion, Wang Chen felt a chilling warning that further cultivation would bring danger. He learned that he would leave for the upper realm in three days, and asked Yin Sulan to look after Xu Xinlan before departing.

• Wang Chen broke through to the sixth layer of the Purple Mansion, then nearly suffered a cultivation deviation when a cold, unseen gaze fell upon him.
• Wang Chen reunited with Xu Xinlan in Myriad Spirit City, where she feared he was about to leave and he admitted that he might be.
• Wang Chen received a talisman letter from the Yin family's Ninth Uncle confirming his place on a journey to the upper realm, with departure set for three days later.
• Wang Chen introduced Xu Xinlan to Yin Sulan and asked her to look after his Dao companion while he was away.
• Wang Chen told Yin Sulan that he had encountered trouble only he could resolve.

Wang Chen said farewell to Yin Sulan, Changhe True Person, and Xu Xinlan before boarding a secret passage to the upper realm. He arrived at an unknown destination with dozens of other cultivators seeking to reach it.

• Wang Chen asked Yin Sulan to have the Yin family protect Xu Xinlan and the Xu family, and Yin Sulan agreed.
• Wang Chen kowtowed before Changhe True Person's sealed Cave Mansion and left a letter talisman explaining his departure.
• Wang Chen promised Xu Xinlan he would return for her within thirty years, then left Myriad Spirit City.
• Wang Chen reached the meeting place on a lonely island, presented the Path to Heaven Token to a masked ferryman, and boarded the Flying Ship.
• The Flying Ship collected fifty Purple Mansion cultivators before the ferryman announced their arrival and the passengers filed out.