Chapter Summaries

Marquis Heaven Origin encountered a mysterious being claiming to be a True Immortal, who offered him a chance to cooperate in two thousand years. Lin Xuan returned to Hundred Flower Valley and resumed preparing to strengthen his Life-Bound treasure.

• A sealed voice told Marquis Heaven Origin that it could help him reach the late stage of Tribulation Transcendence if he returned in two thousand years, leaving him unsure whether to trust it.
• After Marquis Heaven Origin left, the being revealed that it had manipulated his desperation and expected him to return so it could escape its seal.
• Lin Xuan returned to Hundred Flower Valley after wandering outside for several years and found the cultivation cave unchanged.
• Lin Xuan reflected that his main body had been working to separate the Illusionary Yin Demon Flower and Outer-Domain Heavenly Gold from the Sword Gourd and fuse them into his Nine Palaces Instantaneous Sword.
• Lin Xuan had also obtained Hundred Flowers Fairy's original secret art of Sword Spirit Transformation into Void, which was more complete than the copy he had acquired from Old Monster Zhong.

Lin Xuan spent decades cultivating Hundred Flowers Fairy’s Sword Spirit Transformation into Void technique and tested its powers with the Nine Palaces Instantaneous Sword. After discovering the swords’ surprising sharpness and the technique’s strange effects, he prepared to test the Illusionary Yin Divine Thunder, but an approaching streak of light interrupted him.

• Lin Xuan spent three years studying Hundred Flowers Fairy’s original Sword Spirit Transformation into Void method and realized some of its mysteries exceeded his cultivation realm.
• Lin Xuan cultivated the technique for more than thirty years before emerging from his sealed cultivation cave to test it.
• Lin Xuan found that the Nine Palaces Instantaneous Sword had become lighter, tougher, and sharp enough to slice through Black Iron Profound Crystal with ease.
• Lin Xuan used Sword Spirit Transformation into Void to break and restore his eighty-one Flying Swords, then made some of them translucent and concealed to test the technique’s other abilities.
• Lin Xuan turned to test the Illusionary Yin Divine Thunder, but a streak of escaping light appeared in the distance.

Lin Xuan learned that the Cloud Hidden Sect had established a relay to contact him quickly in an emergency, then used a disciple’s treasure to test his Illusionary Yin Divine Thunder. He crippled the treasure’s spirituality but resolved to compensate the injured disciple generously.

• A young woman from the Cloud Hidden Sect arrived and greeted Lin Xuan as Martial Ancestor.
• The woman explained that the sect had stationed disciples along a relay to alert Lin Xuan after its previous siege by the Three Sects Alliance.
• Lin Xuan ordered the newly advanced Lihe Realm disciple to attack so he could test his Illusionary Yin Divine Thunder.
• The woman transformed her Flying Dagger into a Fire Bird, and Lin Xuan’s black lightning struck it, greatly diminishing the treasure’s spirituality and injuring her.
• Lin Xuan was satisfied with the thunder’s power and decided to compensate the woman for her damaged Life-Bound treasure.

Lin Xuan compensated a female cultivator after destroying her natal treasure, then returned to his cave to extract True Spirit Blood from soil tainted by the Golden Moon True Toad. He successfully refined the soil and obtained three bottles of pure blood, whose exceptional value left him eager to make use of it.

• Lin Xuan gave the female cultivator an A Moli Pill and a Kunyun Sword to replace her destroyed natal treasure.
• Lin Xuan returned to his cultivation cave and prepared to separate the Golden Moon True Toad’s blood from the soil.
• Lin Xuan spent two months refining the soil with a cauldron, Infant Fire, and auxiliary materials.
• Lin Xuan emerged from the Cultivation Room with three bottles of pure Golden Moon True Toad spirit blood.
• Lin Xuan reflected that the blood’s purity and the True Toad’s death made it far more valuable than the old or diluted True Spirit blood he already possessed.

After resting for half a month, Lin Xuan returned to his cultivation cave and began refining the True Toad spirit blood with the Ink Jade True Spirit Art. He transformed a portion of the blood into the Golden Moon True Toad’s form and prepared to use the Illusionary Yin Divine Thunder and Phantom Spirit Heaven Fire to refine it.

• Lin Xuan spent half a month relaxing before returning to his cultivation cave, restored in body and mind.
• Lin Xuan opened the Jade Bottle and recognized the True Toad spirit blood as an extraordinarily precious treasure.
• Lin Xuan decided to refine a portion of the blood with the Ink Jade True Spirit Art rather than leave it unused.
• Lin Xuan shaped the spirit blood into a tiny, lifelike Golden Moon True Toad through Spirit Blood Transformation.
• Lin Xuan summoned his Nascent Soul and brought forth the Illusionary Yin Divine Thunder and Phantom Spirit Heaven Fire to begin refining the spirit blood.

Lin Xuan sealed and swallowed the True Toad spirit blood, but its heat began threatening his meridians and Dantian Sea of Qi as he refined it. He realized the blood contained more than spiritual power, though he had not yet discovered that it also held a concentrated portion of the Golden Moon True Toad’s true spirit origin.

• Lin Xuan used lightning, Phantom Spirit Heaven Fire, and a sealing character to shrink the spirit-blood toad to the size of a grain of rice.
• Lin Xuan swallowed the toad and began refining its power according to the Ink Jade True Spirit Art.
• After hours of refinement, Lin Xuan felt the heat surging through his body and feared it would melt his Dantian Sea of Qi.
• Lin Xuan ruled out the cultivation art and suspected that the True Toad spirit blood contained an unusually great amount of power.
• The narration revealed that the swallowed toad contained roughly one-tenth of the Golden Moon True Toad’s true spirit origin, which had merged into its blood.

Lin Xuan tried to save himself from being overwhelmed by the True Spirit Origin in the True Toad Spirit Blood by channeling its power into his Nascent Soul. His plan failed when the Nascent Soul repelled the incoming power, leaving him in immediate danger.

• Lin Xuan realized the True Spirit Origin was overwhelming his Spirit Division-level body and that he had little time to act.
• Lin Xuan decided to use his Nascent Soul as an outlet for the True Toad Spirit Blood’s power, risking its destruction to preserve his body and treasures.
• Lin Xuan sat down, used inner sight, and focused on the fiery-red dantian where his Nascent Soul and Demon Core hovered above a five-colored lake.
• Lin Xuan’s Nascent Soul cast spells to draw in the blood’s spiritual power, vital energy, and True Spirit Origin.
• The incoming specks of power repelled Lin Xuan’s Nascent Soul, preventing him from absorbing them.

Lin Xuan endured the dangerous absorption of the Golden Moon True Toad's spiritual power after his Nascent Soul rejected it, and his Demon Core transformed over ten years. He emerged from seclusion having gained a new Demon Core and advanced from early-stage to late-stage Spirit Division.

• Lin Xuan used his Demon Core to absorb the True Spirit power that his Nascent Soul could not accept, though the core swelled and turned fiery red.
• Lin Xuan failed to expel the overburdened Demon Core, which collapsed into a vast, painful cloud in his Dantian Sea of Qi.
• Lin Xuan endured the cloud's changes for ten years as it slowly shrank and transformed from gas to liquid and then solid.
• Lin Xuan emerged from his cultivation cave with a new Demon Core and cultivation advanced by two levels, from early-stage to late-stage Spirit Division.

Lin Xuan reflected on how refining the True Toad Spirit Blood nearly killed him but transformed his Demon Core into something far more powerful. He realized its mutation was his greatest gain, though he still did not know what it would ultimately mean.

• Lin Xuan recognized that his Demon Core had reached the late stage of Spirit Division ahead of his two Nascent Souls.
• He examined the golden Demon Core and saw lotus blossoms and phantoms of the True Toad, Colorful Phoenix, Golden-Winged Great Peng, and Qilin surrounding it.
• Lin Xuan recalled that the Golden Moon True Toad had infused its remaining True Spirit Origin into its blood before dying, unknowingly giving him a tremendous bargain.
• The True Spirit Origin had shattered Lin Xuan’s Demon Core, but his Nascent Souls kept him alive and allowed the clouds to gather into a newly transformed core.
• Lin Xuan concluded that the Demon Core’s mutation, rather than its advancement, was his greatest gain.

After ten years of seclusion, Lin Xuan discovered his Demon Core had become a True Spirit Inner Gall and left to relax. A teleportation error sent him to a vast sea instead of Cangyun Prefecture, where he soon encountered a monstrous fish.

• Lin Xuan reflected on his mutated Demon Core and decided to leave seclusion to rest while his Avatar remained behind cultivating.
• Lin Xuan departed Cloud Hidden Sect and avoided returning to its headquarters, leaving sect affairs to his senior brother and senior sister.
• Lin Xuan chose to visit Cangyun Prefecture to sample its famed Medicinal Cuisine and used a Teleportation Array to travel there.
• A teleportation error sent Lin Xuan to an immense, seemingly uninhabited sea, so he flew onward to search for land.
• Three days later, a gigantic horned fish attacked Lin Xuan, but he dodged it effortlessly.

Lin Xuan captured and killed a sea beast but learned nothing useful from its mind, then discovered two cultivators fighting a powerful monster. He rescued the siblings with a casual strike, leaving them stunned by his strength.

• Lin Xuan froze the sea around a strange fish, captured it, and searched its soul before burning it to ashes.
• Lin Xuan continued across the unfamiliar sea and found that the sea beasts he encountered had too little intelligence to provide useful clues.
• Lin Xuan sensed cultivators fighting southeast and quickly flew to their location.
• Lin Xuan found a brother and sister at the Late Core Condensation Realm struggling against a Nascent Soul Realm sea monster.
• Lin Xuan revealed himself and destroyed the monster with a gesture, astonishing the siblings.

Lin Xuan escaped the Tianyuan Sea, returned from a relaxing trip to Cangyun Prefecture, and resumed seclusion to cultivate. Two thousand years passed, leaving the Cloud Hidden Sect prosperous under the protection of his reputation.

• Lin Xuan learned from Situ Yu and Situ Fang that he was in the Tianyuan Sea and obtained a sea chart showing Cangyun Prefecture was two hundred thousand li away.
• Lin Xuan copied the chart for the siblings and flew to Cangyun Prefecture, then spent three months enjoying its Medicinal Cuisine before returning to his cultivation cave.
• Lin Xuan set aside the True Toad Spirit Blood and began secluding himself, using spirit pills and the Ink Moon Heaven Witch Art to advance his cultivation.
• Two thousand years passed as Lin Xuan cultivated, while the Cloud Hidden Sect grew stronger and its disciples remained safe under his reputation.

Long and the Silver-Eyed Maiden arrived at Lin Xuan’s secluded valley and discovered he was advancing to the late Spirit Division Stage. As his breakthrough summoned a terrifying phenomenon and a Heavenly Tribulation gathered overhead, they feared he would face both at once with no way to escape.

• Long and the Silver-Eyed Maiden reached Lin Xuan’s protected valley and sent him a Sound Transmission Talisman, but he did not respond.
• The sky darkened and vital energy surged toward the valley, revealing that Lin Xuan was advancing to the late Spirit Division Stage.
• Long and the Silver-Eyed Maiden retreated to watch over Lin Xuan as increasingly violent clouds and winds filled the sky.
• The pair recognized red and purple clouds as a Tribulation Cloud and realized Lin Xuan’s Heavenly Tribulation was gathering during his breakthrough.
• Long and the Silver-Eyed Maiden worried that Lin Xuan would perish because the Heavenly Tribulation was still building while his advancement progressed.

Lin Xuan struggled to advance while an unexpectedly early Heavenly Tribulation gathered above Hundred Flower Valley. As the Silver-Eyed Maiden and the Youth surnamed Long retreated to safety, the first devastating lightning bolts struck the valley.

• Lin Xuan realized the Heavenly Tribulation had arrived thousands of years earlier than expected while he was advancing.
• Lin Xuan resolved to survive, steadied his mind, and focused on breaking through before the tribulation fell.
• After an entire night passed, the Silver-Eyed Maiden and the Youth surnamed Long decided to retreat so they would not be caught in the tribulation.
• A thunderclap sounded, and an azure lightning bolt struck toward Lin Xuan's valley.
• A storm of thunder, rain, and thick lightning engulfed Hundred Flower Valley.

Lin Xuan fought off the opening waves of a savage Heavenly Tribulation while continuing to break through his bottleneck. When multiple kinds of lightning attacked together, he summoned the Spirit Formula Cauldron and cast the Azure Water Curtain instantly, blocking the terrifying strike.

• The Silver-Eyed Maiden and the Youth surnamed Long watched from afar as dense Tribulation Lightning began striking Lin Xuan.
• Lin Xuan used the Black Tortoise True Spirit Inkstone to attack and weaken the first wave of lightning, then shielded himself from the second wave.
• Several kinds of Heavenly Thunder descended together, overwhelming what the inkstone could defend against.
• Lin Xuan summoned the Spirit Formula Cauldron and used its prepared spells to cast the Azure Water Curtain instantly.
• The Silver-Eyed Maiden identified the Azure Water Curtain, and the barrier blocked the combined wave of Heavenly Tribulation.

Lin Xuan’s Azure Water Curtain and defensive formations failed to withstand the Heavenly Tribulation, which devastated Hundred Flower Valley. He survived the onslaught but postponed his advancement to face the still-growing storm, and prepared to counterattack.

• Heavenly lightning overwhelmed Lin Xuan’s Azure Water Curtain and destroyed the formations around his cultivation cave, flattening Hundred Flower Valley.
• The Silver-Eyed Maiden feared Lin Xuan had died, but the youth surnamed Long told her he was still alive.
• Lin Xuan sat unharmed in a crater after neutralizing the lightning, but a second wave twice as dense began to fall.
• Lin Xuan decided to halt his attempt to break through and endure the Heavenly Tribulation first, relying on his spirit pills to mitigate the backlash.
• Lin Xuan rose, summoned sword lights from his sleeve, and prepared to confront the Tribulation Cloud head-on.

Lin Xuan suspended his advancement and unleashed Hundred Dragon Fangs to confront the Heavenly Tribulation head-on. His Evil Flood Dragons overwhelmed the lightning and charged into the Tribulation Cloud, while two onlookers worried about the consequences of his interrupted breakthrough.

• Lin Xuan gave up breaking through his bottleneck to focus on surviving the unexpectedly fierce Heavenly Tribulation.
• Lin Xuan summoned Ice, Fire, and lightning Evil Flood Dragons with his Nine Palaces Instantaneous Sword and launched them at the Tribulation Lightning.
• The two onlookers realized Lin Xuan had not completed his advancement and feared the backlash of suspending it.
• Lin Xuan's Evil Flood Dragons crushed the incoming Heavenly Thunder with overwhelming force.
• Lin Xuan's Evil Flood Dragons surged into the Tribulation Cloud and began tearing and biting at it.

Lin Xuan destroyed the Tribulation Cloud with his Hundred Dragon Fangs, but a massive vortex emerged as the real test of his tribulation. As the vortex swallowed the shattered clouds and the surrounding primal energy, Lin Xuan formed a giant sword to face it.

• Lin Xuan’s Hundred Dragon Fangs shattered the final Evil Flood Dragon and tore apart the Tribulation Cloud, completing the first stage of the Heavenly Tribulation.
• The Youth surnamed Long and the Silver-Eyed Maiden celebrated Lin Xuan’s victory and worried about the backlash of magical power.
• The Silver-Eyed Maiden noticed the dormant vortex drawing in the primal energy of heaven and earth, and Lin Xuan sent sword lights into it.
• The vortex swallowed Lin Xuan’s sword lights without a ripple and expanded to more than a thousand zhang, pulling in the shattered Tribulation Cloud fragments.
• Lin Xuan multiplied his sword lights into several hundred and combined them into a giant sword to confront the vortex.

Lin Xuan used the Nine Palaces Instantaneous Sword to fight a vast purple-gold lightning claw formed by his Heavenly Tribulation. The claw seized his sword, so he fed it his essence blood, causing blood-red radiance and black lightning to appear as the battle continued.

• Lin Xuan faced the expanding Heavenly Tribulation vortex as its lightning gathered into a giant purple-gold claw.
• Lin Xuan unleashed the Nine Palaces Instantaneous Sword, and it clashed with the claw, shaking and tearing the surrounding space.
• The Youth surnamed Long and the Silver-Eyed Maiden retreated more than a thousand li to avoid the deadly residual force.
• The claw closed its fingers around the sword and stopped it from moving, leaving Lin Xuan struggling to hold his ground.
• Lin Xuan sprayed essence blood onto the sword, which gained eerie blood-red radiance and black arcs of electricity.

Lin Xuan used the Illusionary Yin Divine Thunder and his Nine Palaces Instantaneous Sword to defeat the Heavenly Tribulation, though the sword appeared to shatter in the aftermath. He revealed that his Life-Bound Dharma Treasure could be reborn, and the Silver-Eyed Maiden discovered that he had reached the late Spirit Division Stage.

• The Silver-Eyed Maiden and the Youth surnamed Long feared Lin Xuan had made a fatal mistake by using lightning during Tribulation Transcendence, but his Illusionary Yin Divine Thunder freed the Nine Palaces Instantaneous Sword from the tribulation claw.
• Lin Xuan empowered the sword with his essence blood, and it clashed with the claw as the tribulation vortex fused into it, unleashing a tremendous five-colored halo and spiritual pressure.
• The Tribulation Cloud and claw vanished, leaving Lin Xuan unharmed, while the Silver-Eyed Maiden and the Youth surnamed Long flew over to congratulate him.
• The Nine Palaces Instantaneous Sword cracked apart, alarming the two disciples, but Lin Xuan gathered its fragments and restored it with a secret art that let his Life-Bound Dharma Treasure be reborn.
• The Silver-Eyed Maiden examined Lin Xuan with her divine sense and realized he had reached the late Spirit Division Stage.