Chapter Summaries

Lin Xuan and his External Incarnation overwhelmed Elder Zhong with a coordinated assault, using the Jade Luo Bees’ Time Poison to force him to abandon his body. Elder Zhong’s Nascent Soul fled, leaving his fate unresolved.

• Elder Zhong escaped the Sea-Overturning Halberd’s strike but was pierced by Lin Xuan’s Ink Spirit Drill when Lin Xuan’s Spirit Division Stage External Incarnation appeared.
• Lin Xuan and his incarnation attacked Elder Zhong from both sides, forcing him to fight without relying on the Laws of Heaven and Earth.
• Elder Zhong knocked away a single Demon Bee, then screamed in agony as its sting disrupted his attack and left him vulnerable to the Thunder-Crushing Ancient Mirror.
• Dozens of Jade Luo Bees stung Elder Zhong, and their Time Poison rapidly drained his lifespan.
• Elder Zhong destroyed his fleshly body and fled as a Nascent Soul to escape the poison and Lin Xuan’s attacks.

Lin Xuan stopped Elder Zhong’s Nascent Soul from escaping and sealed it in ice, then claimed the old monster’s treasures. He found a Command Token in Elder Zhong’s Storage Bag, leaving his plans for the captured enemy and the spoils still ahead.

• Elder Zhong abandoned his fleshly body and used the Laws of Heaven and Earth to teleport his Nascent Soul away.
• Lin Xuan struck with his own comprehension of the laws, interrupting Elder Zhong’s teleportation and forcing him to reappear.
• Lin Xuan’s incarnation hit Elder Zhong’s Nascent Soul with Phantom Spirit Heaven Fire and sealed it inside Mystic Ice.
• Lin Xuan recovered Elder Zhong’s Storage Bag from the rubble and took the fiery-red Gourd Artifact and the Spirit Ghost Sect’s Banner Flag.
• Lin Xuan grabbed the ice-sealed Nascent Soul and found a Command Token in Elder Zhong’s Storage Bag.

Lin Xuan emerged at the Spirit Ghost Sect’s headquarters after defeating Elder Zhong and revealed Zhong’s frozen Nascent Soul to the gathered cultivators. The sect’s forces were terrified, but as the Silver-Haired Elder tried to rally them, one of their own disciples acted unexpectedly.

• Lin Xuan appeared before more than a hundred Spirit Ghost Sect cultivators, who were stunned to see him alive.
• Lin Xuan mocked their belief that Elder Zhong had killed him and displayed Zhong’s sealed Nascent Soul.
• The Spirit Ghost Sect cultivators lost their nerve, though the Silver-Haired Elder resolved to defend the sect.
• The Silver-Haired Elder urged his fellow disciples to rely on the sect’s defenses and overwhelm Lin Xuan by force of numbers.
• Before Lin Xuan could attack the Silver-Haired Elder, a Spirit Ghost Sect disciple acted, prompting Lin Xuan to pause and watch.

A Silver-Haired Elder confronted the Robe-Clad Cultivator after he stabbed him and learned that the attack was meant to force the Spirit Ghost Sect to submit to Lin Xuan. The Silver-Haired Elder launched a final, suicidal assault, leaving the Robe-Clad Cultivator unable to escape.

• The Robe-Clad Cultivator stabbed the Silver-Haired Elder in the heart and retreated, then claimed he had acted to save the Spirit Ghost Sect from ruin.
• The Robe-Clad Cultivator urged the Silver-Haired Elder to accept the sect's submission to Lin Xuan, and offered the Spirit Ghost Sect as an affiliated force of Lin Xuan's sect.
• Lin Xuan considered the advantages of gaining the Spirit Ghost Sect and concealed his reaction while the Robe-Clad Cultivator pleaded for acceptance.
• The Silver-Haired Elder condemned the Robe-Clad Cultivator and, already near death, charged at him in a final attack.
• The Robe-Clad Cultivator realized he could not dodge the Silver-Haired Elder's headbutt and closed his eyes, expecting to die.

Lin Xuan killed the Silver-Haired Elder and accepted the Spirit Ghost Sect's surrender, but demanded that its cultivators submit to his Soul Prohibition Technique. One Supreme Elder refused and tried to flee.

• Lin Xuan killed the Silver-Haired Elder, leaving the Robe-Clad Cultivator and the Spirit Ghost Sect's other cultivators alive.
• The Robe-Clad Cultivator and the sect's cultivators bowed to Lin Xuan and declared their submission.
• Lin Xuan questioned their sincerity and demanded that each hand over one soul and one spirit through his Soul Prohibition Technique.
• A white-robed Supreme Elder recognized the technique, rejected the prospect of being controlled, and fled.

Lin Xuan killed a fleeing white-robed cultivator with the Phantom Spirit Heaven Fire to establish authority and force the Spirit Ghost Sect cultivators to submit. The Robe-Clad Elder handed over his souls and was appointed great elder, prompting the others to follow.

• A white-robed cultivator tried to escape rather than hand over his souls, and Lin Xuan pursued him with the Phantom Spirit Heaven Fire.
• Lin Xuan's fire destroyed the cultivator's defensive treasure and killed both his body and Nascent Soul.
• Lin Xuan threatened the Spirit Ghost Sect cultivators, who feared him but hesitated to surrender their souls.
• The Robe-Clad Elder offered his souls to Lin Xuan, who appointed him great elder of the Spirit Ghost Sect.
• Encouraged by the elder's example and unable to see another way to survive, the other cultivators handed over their souls.

Lin Xuan left the Spirit Ghost Sect after subduing it and handed its affairs to the youth surnamed Long. News of the sect’s submission spread through nearby provinces, stirring disbelief and prompting neighboring powers to investigate.

• The youth surnamed Long praised Lin Xuan after confirming that the Spirit Ghost Sect had acknowledged him as its master.
• Lin Xuan dismissed the praise, saying his victory had depended on luck and that he still fell short of a true Tribulation Transcendence cultivator.
• Lin Xuan left the Spirit Ghost Sect’s administration to the youth surnamed Long and departed to discuss subduing the Taixuan Sect and Heavenly Crystal Valley with the Silver-Eyed Maiden.
• Rumors that the Spirit Ghost Sect had become an affiliated force of the Cloud Hidden Sect spread across nearby provinces and prefectures.
• Neighboring sects and families sent capable disciples to investigate the surprising news.

The Taixuan Sect and Heavenly Crystal Valley learned that Lin Xuan had subdued the Spirit Ghost Sect and slain Old Monster Zhong, but fear and attachment to their homes kept them from fleeing. As they hesitated, Cloud Hidden Sect and Spirit Ghost Sect forces surrounded both sects.

• Other sects dismissed reports that Lin Xuan had single-handedly forced the Spirit Ghost Sect to submit and sent more disciples to investigate.
• Taixuan Sect and Heavenly Crystal Valley confirmed that Lin Xuan had also killed Old Monster Zhong, a Minor Tribulation Transcendence Stage cultivator.
• The two sects feared they could not defeat Lin Xuan, while uniting or abandoning their homes seemed difficult.
• Their cultivators hesitated to flee because of their deep ties to their sects and uncertainty about where they could go.
• Cloud Hidden Sect and Spirit Ghost Sect disciples surrounded Taixuan Sect and Heavenly Crystal Valley as the two sects delayed their decision.

Lin Xuan split his forces to attack the Taixuan Sect and Heavenly Crystal Valley at once, relying on his External Incarnation and a powerful Talisman Treasure. Both sects quickly surrendered, leaving the Cloud Hidden Sect poised to absorb the three alliances.

• Lin Xuan decided to divide his forces and attack the Taixuan Sect and Heavenly Crystal Valley simultaneously despite the risks.
• The Silver-Eyed Maiden questioned whether Lin Xuan's Internal Incarnation could subdue a sect, so Lin Xuan showed her a Talisman Treasure refined by True Person Piaomiao.
• Lin Xuan sent his true body and Internal Incarnation to lead the two attacks, using the Talisman Treasure to overcome the danger of splitting his forces.
• The Taixuan Sect and Heavenly Crystal Valley collapsed under Lin Xuan's assault, and their Supreme Elders fell within three exchanges.
• Lin Xuan made the high-level cultivators of both sects submit and planted the soul-forbidding technique in them.

After Cloud Hidden Sect defeated the Three Sects Alliance and made its three sects subordinate, Lin Xuan visited the Silver-Eyed Maiden and the Youth surnamed Long to request the Immortal Stones. The Silver-Eyed Maiden agreed to give him the sect’s stones and brought out a sealed Jade Box.

• Cloud Hidden Sect subdued Taixuan Sect, Spirit Ghost Sect, and Heavenly Crystal Valley, greatly increasing its power and prestige.
• The Silver-Eyed Maiden and the Youth surnamed Long managed affairs for their newly expanded sect while Lin Xuan returned to cultivation.
• Lin Xuan visited the two Supreme Elders and explained that he had come to request a treasure.
• The Silver-Eyed Maiden and the Youth surnamed Long told Lin Xuan that he could take any treasure the sect possessed.
• Lin Xuan asked for the Immortal Stones, and the Silver-Eyed Maiden revealed she had already prepared them and produced a sealed Jade Box.

Lin Xuan examined the Immortal Stone recovered from Young Master Wu’s spirit stone mine and learned that it contained mysterious Immortal Spirit Qi. After the stone tried to flee, Lin Xuan captured it and sealed it away for use in powering his True Spirit Puppet.

• Lin Xuan recognized the Immortal Stone as the power source needed to drive the True Spirit Puppet, which could match an early Tribulation Transcendence Stage cultivator.
• The Silver-Eyed Maiden opened the Jade Box, releasing Immortal Spirit Qi that Lin Xuan sensed contained traces of the Laws of Heaven and Earth.
• The Immortal Stone shot from the box and attempted to escape while the youth surnamed Long and the Silver-Eyed Maiden stayed still.
• Lin Xuan bound the stone with a strand of radiance and caught it in his palm.
• Lin Xuan examined the stone’s shifting spirit patterns and miniature arrays, then returned it to the Jade Box and reapplied the Restriction Talismans.

Lin Xuan returned from his visit to the Silver-Eyed Maiden and the Youth surnamed Long with Immortal Stones and arranged to receive the vein’s discarded material, which the Blue Star Sea could purify. Back at his cultivation cave, he prepared to improve his strength by incorporating Old Monster Zhong’s Sword Gourd into his Life-Bound Dharma Treasure.

• Lin Xuan asked the Silver-Eyed Maiden and the Youth surnamed Long to send him the Top-grade Mineral Vein’s waste material, and they agreed.
• Lin Xuan left with the Immortal Stones, confident that his True Spirit Puppet and Internal Incarnation would help him face Taowu’s incarnation.
• Lin Xuan returned to his secluded cultivation cave within the Cloud Hidden Sect’s sphere of influence.
• Lin Xuan decided to add treasures from his recent battles to his Life-Bound Dharma Treasure, focusing on Old Monster Zhong’s Sword Gourd and its two powerful divine abilities.

Lin Xuan tested the Sword Gourd’s ability to restore shattered swords and considered fusing it with his Nine Palaces Instantaneous Sword. He recalled Hundred Flowers Fairy’s legendary Sword Spirit Transformation into Void and the Heavenly Witch Goddess’s difficult spar against it.

• Lin Xuan summoned Old Monster Zhong’s Sword Gourd and used it to produce more than ten scarlet immortal swords.
• Lin Xuan had the scarlet swords clash with his Nine Palaces Instantaneous Sword, which cut them all in two.
• Lin Xuan used a sword art to restore the broken scarlet swords, confirming the Sword Gourd’s Sword Spirit Transformation into Void ability.
• Lin Xuan recalled how Hundred Flowers Fairy’s Hundred Flowers Immortal Sword repeatedly recovered after the Heavenly Witch Goddess’s Nine Palaces Instantaneous Sword destroyed it.

Lin Xuan examined the Outer-Domain Heavenly Gold he had gained from Old Monster Zhong and considered what was required to use Sword Spirit Transformation into Void. He found two Jade Slips among Zhong's belongings, but the Minor Tribulation Transcendence Art recorded in one did not meet his expectations.

• Lin Xuan recalled that Sword Spirit Transformation into Void required Outer-Domain Heavenly Gold, which could only be obtained by slaying an Outer-Domain Heavenly Demon.
• Lin Xuan reasoned that Old Monster Zhong could not have slain such a demon himself, but decided the treasure's origin did not matter now that it belonged to him.
• Lin Xuan concluded that Outer-Domain Heavenly Gold alone was insufficient and that he also needed the matching cultivation method, which he expected to find among Zhong's possessions.
• Lin Xuan reviewed Zhong's Storage Bag and identified two Jade Slips as the only other items he especially valued.
• Lin Xuan read the Minor Tribulation Transcendence Art, which explained how late-stage Spirit Division cultivators could reach the Minor Tribulation Transcendence Stage, but lost interest after examining it.

Lin Xuan rejected the Minor Tribulation Transcendence Stage because it would permanently block his path to further cultivation, but kept the secret method for possible future use by others. He examined the incomplete Sword Spirit Transformation into Void technique and discovered that Old Monster Zhong’s repairs made it usable but far weaker than the original.

• Lin Xuan decided not to cultivate the Minor Tribulation Transcendence Stage, since it offered no path to true Tribulation Transcendence or immortality.
• Lin Xuan stored the Minor Tribulation Transcendence method and planned to give it to the Youth surnamed Long and the Silver-Eyed Maiden once he was strong enough to protect against them.
• Lin Xuan examined the Sword Spirit Transformation into Void Jade Slip and found that it was incomplete.
• Lin Xuan learned that Old Monster Zhong had spent nearly ten thousand years reconstructing the missing passages, but his version only produced a weakened form of the divine ability.

Lin Xuan prepared to separate the Outer-Domain Heavenly Gold and Illusionary Yin Demon Flower essence from Old Monster Zhong’s Sword Gourd. After securing his cultivation cave and readying himself, he began removing the gourd’s former owner’s divine sense imprint with Spirit-Cleansing Water.

• Lin Xuan accepted that he could cultivate only a watered-down Sword Spirit Transformation into Void and considered whether he might refine the technique himself.
• Lin Xuan recognized that the Sword Gourd contained both Outer-Domain Heavenly Gold and Illusionary Yin Demon Flower essence, making their separation especially risky.
• Lin Xuan relied on his powerful divine sense, the Cloud Hidden Sect’s protection, and the formations around his cave to guard against disruption.
• Lin Xuan rested for three days, returned to the Cultivation Room, and took out Old Monster Zhong’s Sword Gourd to prepare it for use.
• Lin Xuan brought out a small cauldron and shattered a Jade Bottle of Spirit-Cleansing Water to erase the gourd’s divine sense imprint more efficiently.

Lin Xuan spent years refining the Sword Gourd in seclusion, while three Dongxuan Realm cultivators waited outside Hundred Flower Valley. The old man surnamed He finally revealed that he had obtained a Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng and had already begun refining the precious pill.

• Lin Xuan used Spirit-Cleansing Water and Phantom Spirit Heaven Fire to erase Old Monster Zhong’s divine sense imprint from the Sword Gourd, then continued its careful refinement.
• Lin Xuan remained inside his cultivation cave for many years, leaving Hundred Flower Valley undisturbed.
• Three Dongxuan Realm cultivators gathered outside the valley, where the old man surnamed He paced anxiously and was teased by his companions.
• The old man surnamed He told his fellow sect members that he had obtained a Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng thirty years earlier.
• The refined man and the Palace-Robed Girl learned that the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng was the key ingredient in a Nine-Curve Spirit Pill, and the old man revealed that he had already started refining it.

After thirty years in seclusion, Lin Xuan successfully separated the essences of the Outer-Domain Heavenly Gold and Illusionary Yin Demon Flower and emerged from his Cultivation Room. He met the three Cloud Hidden Sect disciples who had been waiting to deliver a precious pill, while they hoped he would reward them.

• He and his companions discussed why he had accepted the delivery task despite already refining the Nine-Curve Spirit Pill and being unable to disturb Lin Xuan.
• The three disciples saw spiritual light flare in the valley and realized Lin Xuan had emerged from seclusion.
• Lin Xuan left the Secret Chamber after thirty years of effort, having successfully separated the essences of the two treasures.
• Lin Xuan heard the disciples' conversation, put away the treasures, and walked out of the valley.
• The three disciples knelt to greet Lin Xuan and privately hoped he would give them a reward.

Lin Xuan accepted a sealed treasure delivered by three Cloud Hidden Sect disciples and rewarded their decades of service by offering each three cultivation questions. A Heavenly Sword Peak woman asked how to use the Sword into Silk Technique, and Lin Xuan began answering her privately.

• Lin Xuan received the sealed silver box from the refined disciple and confirmed its restrictions were untouched.
• Lin Xuan praised the three disciples for guarding the treasure for thirty years and offered each three questions about cultivation.
• The disciples considered their questions carefully before the woman volunteered to ask first.
• The woman asked how to operate her Nascent Soul to transform a tangible sword into a formless sword without delay while cultivating the Sword into Silk Technique.
• Lin Xuan answered through secret voice transmission, leaving the other two disciples unable to listen in.

Lin Xuan answered three disciples’ cultivation questions, then heard Junior Sister Ge’s request to ask three more in exchange for an ancient Image Pearl. When he tried to inspect the pearl, its restriction rebounded his divine sense, leaving its contents and the trade unresolved.

• Lin Xuan finished answering the three disciples’ questions, and they thanked him before preparing to leave.
• Junior Sister Ge returned and asked Lin Xuan for three more questions, proposing a transaction after he warned her against greed.
• Junior Sister Ge presented an ancient Image Pearl, which Lin Xuan recognized as a rare recording artifact.
• Lin Xuan took the Image Pearl and sent his divine sense into it, but a burst of white light rebounded his probe.
• Junior Sister Ge explained that she had been unable to undo the pearl’s restriction and feared Lin Xuan would misunderstand.