Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei and Han Li uncovered an ambush targeting Houde cultivators and learned it had been arranged by an Out-of-Body cultivator from another world. They captured the surviving attackers, but the interworld threat and the ambusher’s motives remained to be investigated.

• Qu Jianlei emerged from a rift and used Broken Blade to destroy the spatial trap, killing several attackers and capturing a surviving Nascent Soul.
• Han Li sensed an aura from outside the Houde Realm, and Qu Jianlei drew the surviving Nascent Soul to them for questioning.
• A divine soul charged Han Li, but the Handsome Youth slowed it with cold qi and Han Li subdued it with red light.
• Qu Jianlei and Han Li read the captives’ memories and learned that outside cultivators had ambushed two Houde brothers to obtain the Shipping Lane’s destination and the other world’s coordinates.
• Han Li called the attacker a madman, while Qu Jianlei questioned what had emboldened him to ambush Houde cultivators.

Qu Jianlei and Han Li investigated the ambush they had destroyed, then sought Qingkong to discuss a possible collaboration involving a missing abode. Their meeting ended with Qingkong and Song Yue'er accepting that an opportunity they had been pursuing was probably beyond their reach because Lingyun's rise was imminent.

• Han Li explained that the remnant soul’s aura could not reliably reveal its home realm, so he kept it for Qingkong to examine later.
• Qu Jianlei and Han Li discussed the concealed spatial array, the destroyed ambushers, and the possibility that one of them had left behind a lost abode.
• The two True Venerables traveled to the Tree Race World and met Qingning’s avatar, then used divination to summon Qingkong and Song Yue'er.
• Han Li determined that the opportunity Qingkong and Song Yue'er had pursued was unlikely to be worthwhile or within their reach.
• Qu Jianlei relayed Baiqiao’s warning that Lingyun’s day had come, and Qingkong and Song Yue'er accepted that they should give up the opportunity.

Han Li, Song Yue'er, Qu Jianlei, and True Venerable Qingkong tracked a slain robber cultivator’s Remnant Soul to his hidden Abode. They found the Abode mostly intact but stripped of resources, then divided what remained.

• Han Li and Song Yue'er asked True Venerable Qingkong to help extract Realm Traits from the robber cultivator’s Remnant Soul and locate his Abode.
• Qingkong agreed to join Han Li, Song Yue'er, and Qu Jianlei, while True Venerable Qingning stayed behind to watch the Azure Dragon.
• As the group traveled, Qu Jianlei asked about Han Li and Song Yue'er's relationship, and Han Li said Song Yue'er's Abode was still unfinished.
• Qingkong reconstructed the ambush, examined the Remnant Soul, and used karmic divination to find a clue to the robber cultivator’s Abode.
• After two months, the four True Venerables found the damaged Abode and discovered that its valuable resources were gone.
• Han Li, Song Yue'er, and Qingkong divided the remaining spoils, with Qingkong taking thirty percent and Han Li handling Song Yue'er's share.

Qu Jianlei and Han Li returned to the Tree Race World, where news of their victory spread as the conquest shifted from easy gains to disorder and raiding. Years later, Min Ning brought a captured raiding team to Qu Jianlei and asked him to execute its members with his Years Divine Ability, intending to make their elderly leader watch his juniors die of old age.

• Qu Jianlei, Han Li, Qingkong, and Song Yue'er returned to the Tree Race World, and True Venerable Bucai fled after glimpsing Qu Jianlei at the camp.
• Ji Xiaohua was gravely injured and brought back by Star Tapir Great Venerable Lazhan, while Jade Forest Matron later borrowed True Venerable Qu's Abode to enter seclusion.
• Lingyun confirmed that Han Li and True Venerable Qu had slain a plundering True Venerable, and Bucai stopped appearing at the camp.
• Wen Xian confronted a True Venerable whose followers had robbed cultivators, and the man agreed to punish his own subordinates and provide compensation.
• The five True Venerables cracked down on professional raiding teams as the conquest's easy profits dwindled.
• Min Ning captured a raiding team that included three sworn-brother Nascent Souls and asked Qu Jianlei to use his Years Divine Ability to execute them before their elderly leader.

Qu Jianlei carried out a public execution with his Years Divine Ability, drawing a huge crowd of cultivators seeking to study time rules. Afterward, he sensed that some True Venerables had hidden intentions toward him, though he could not identify their motives.

• Qu Jianlei reluctantly agreed with Min Ning, Jin Ge, Han Li, and Wen Xian to execute the condemned publicly using Years.
• Nearly one million cultivators, including nearly thirty Out-of-Body True Venerables, watched the three-day execution, and Qu Jianlei realized many had come to study his time rules.
• Qu Jianlei left before the gathered True Venerables finished comprehending and asked Lingyun Sect not to announce future executions in advance.
• Qingkong argued that the painful execution process offered greater deterrence, while Han Li pointed out that some spectators were acquaintances of his.
• Qu Jianlei revealed that he had sensed some spectators carefully hiding their intentions, but he declined Jin Ge's offer to investigate them.

Qu Jianlei arranged for the Mò Race to help guard True Venerable Qingning’s Star Cluster as more True Venerables took interest in it. Baiqiao later arrived to stabilize the camp and reported that Fourth Boss had failed to condense a true Nascent Soul, leaving Qu Jianlei melancholy about his future.

• Qu Jianlei summoned Great Venerable Lajan and asked the Mò Race to guard True Venerable Qingning’s Star Cluster, refusing Lajan’s request to take promising Star Tapirs into the Cultivator ranks during the war.
• Lajan brought over a hundred Star Tapirs to guard the area, and Qingning offered to help them investigate whether Tianqiong Crystals remained in the world.
• Han Li asked Qu Jianlei about visiting a dangerous place, but Qu Jianlei refused because he could not risk being trapped there while the Star Cluster needed protection.
• Several years later, Baiqiao arrived with a clone, eased pressure on the Five True Venerables, and declared Qingning’s Star Cluster an important Lingyun experimental site.
• Baiqiao told Qu Jianlei that Fourth Boss had failed to condense his Nascent Soul and formed only a False Core, though Fourth Boss accepted that he could live another thousand years and protect the team.

Baiqiao told Qu Jianlei that True Venerable Qianhuan had secured a Tier 5 Spirit Vein with Lingyun Sect’s financial support. Their conversation turned to soaring Extreme Spirit Stone prices and the suspicion that an unknown outside force was manipulating the market, leaving Qu Jianlei and Bai Qiao without a clear culprit.

• Baiqiao explained that Qianhuan had won the Tier 5 Spirit Vein after Lingyun Sect vouched for him and advanced part of the cost.
• Qu Jianlei learned that Lingyun had advanced one hundred Extreme Spirit Stones and offered to repay the amount directly.
• Bai Qiao told Qu Jianlei that Extreme Spirit Stones had risen to eight or nine thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones each, prompting Qu Jianlei to suspect speculation.
• Bai Qiao suggested Qu Jianlei might be connected to the price manipulation, then agreed that Qu Jianlei was unlikely to be responsible.
• Qu Jianlei asked which realms might be involved, but Bai Qiao instead asked whether Qu Jianlei knew Qingning’s origins.

After returning to Houde, Qu Jianlei checked on his allies and met Qianhuan to discuss a Tier 5 Spirit Vein and the spread of otherworld gains. While traveling with Qianhuan, Qu Jianlei sensed a hidden folded space and stopped to investigate.

• Min Ning, Qu Jianlei, and Jin Ge returned to Houde with cultivators from the camp, while Han Li stayed behind to handle matters and search for Azure Dragon.
• Qu Jianlei learned that Hua Xiezhi had formed her Nascent Soul and checked on Fourth Boss, whose condition Bentley said seemed stable.
• Qu Jianlei visited Jing Yuexin and Duo Gan before meeting Qianhuan, who offered him a chance to claim a Tier 5 Spirit Vein in a Chaos Nebula.
• Qu Jianlei gave Qianhuan fifty Extreme Spirit Stones and discussed the spread of Houde's otherworld gains to other realms.
• Qu Jianlei and Qianhuan left the nebula after the Yan Family of Zhanmeng No. 4 tried to claim it, then Qu Jianlei sensed a folded space and brought Qianhuan to investigate.

Qu Jianlei and Qianhuan learned that the Wanwu Realm and several allied domains were challenging Houde over access to another world while Houde’s strongest cultivators were away. Baiqiao sought their advice on breaking the deadlock, which ended with Qianhuan angrily reacting to the enemy’s nearby forces.

• Qianhuan and Qu Jianlei encountered Baiqiao near a meeting of projections, and Baiqiao explained that an inter-realm dispute was brewing.
• Baiqiao said Houde’s combat strength was hollow because many elite cultivators and mobile True Venerables were fighting in another world.
• Qu Jianlei advised punishing internal traitors, but Baiqiao explained that trade with other domains made leaks difficult to identify and might involve Lingyun Sect.
• After Qianhuan asked for more information, Baiqiao revealed that the Wanwu Realm led several allied domains seeking opportunities in Houde’s other world.
• Baiqiao said the Wanwu Realm had gathered cultivators near Houde, and Qianhuan angrily asked whether they had deployed troops to threaten them.

Qu Jianlei agreed to oppose outside interference in Houde and investigate the four mysterious projections, while Bai Qiao and Qianhuan warned that he was being drawn into another realm-level conflict. The Heaven-Monitoring Mirror identified Na Hong, an Out-of-Body cultivator originally from the outside world, and Qu Jianlei was tasked with dealing with him.

• Bai Qiao asked Qu Jianlei to oppose other realms meddling in otherworlds, and Qu Jianlei agreed while asking which Houde faction knew the matter best.
• Qu Jianlei reasoned that the four projections might be Houde cultivators trying to provoke internal strife, and Bai Qiao called participants traitors regardless of their origins.
• The Heaven-Monitoring Mirror appeared, said it would investigate people stirring up conflict in Houde, and identified Na Hong as an Out-of-Body cultivator originally from the outside world.
• Qianhuan urged Qu Jianlei to handle Na Hong, explaining that Na Hong lived in the Jiuxian Region and dealing with him would be relatively straightforward.

Qu Jianlei learned that True Venerable Nahong was likely a hidden agent from another world and traveled alone to the Jiuxian Region to investigate him. He captured five Nascent Soul cultivators from the Du Family as leverage, then began divining Nahong and found that Nahong’s countermeasure was trying to trace him back.

• Qianhuan told Qu Jianlei that Baiqiao had likely staged the World Envoy’s request, and Qu realized he might have been played.
• Baiqiao and the Heaven-Monitoring Mirror discussed Qu seeing through their act, while Baiqiao maintained that the goal had been achieved.
• Qu Jianlei traveled alone to Jiuxian and reviewed the evidence that True Venerable Nahong had concealed his origins and was likely a hidden agent.
• Qu surveyed the disorderly Jia'er Plate and divined the locations of the Du Family’s five Nascent Soul cultivators.
• Qu silently captured all five Nascent Soul cultivators, then used divination on Nahong and detected Causality Lines curling back toward him.

Qu Jianlei traced the karmic probe back to True Venerable Nahong and confronted his clone after learning that Nahong’s descendants had been captured. Nahong refused to back down, leaving their confrontation poised to escalate.

• Qu Jianlei’s attempt to investigate Nahong collapsed against the Dao Stele, and he located Nahong’s true body outside the Jiuxian Region.
• Nahong sensed that his protective Heavenly Secret Talisman had been damaged and decided to test the investigator rather than destroy his primary clone.
• Nahong divined that five of his Nascent Soul descendants and two promising Golden Core juniors had disappeared, and suspected Lingyun Sect was behind it.
• Nahong’s clone encountered Qu Jianlei, who said he had captured the seven descendants and wanted Nahong to come quietly.
• Nahong challenged Qu Jianlei’s authority to kill him, calling him Lingyun’s dog.

Qu Jianlei and Jin Ge captured Nahong’s clone and used his descendants’ vital blood to trace his other avatars and true body. Qu Jianlei found his resolve to act against Wanwu Realm’s incursion into Houde, while Nahong fled and realized his efforts to conceal himself were failing.

• Qu Jianlei refused to take Nahong’s bait, and Jin Ge trapped Nahong’s clone in a golden net.
• Jin Ge explained that Min Ning had divined Qu Jianlei’s location, and the two agreed to pursue Nahong’s true body and deal with the traitors.
• Qu Jianlei decided to stop worrying about the wider political consequences and act against those threatening Houde.
• Nahong fled toward the Houde Realm’s border, severed karmic links, and realized Qu Jianlei could trace him through his descendants’ vital blood and captured avatars.
• Qu Jianlei extracted vital blood from five Nascent Soul Realm cultivators and formed a Five Elements Array to strengthen his divination.
• Qu Jianlei declared that Nahong would not escape and vowed to make him pay for his insults.

Qu Jianlei and Jin Ge pursued True Venerable Nahong, captured him after Qu Jianlei used Years, and tried to contain his escape. Nahong self-detonated his body and soul, and Jin Ge confirmed that his primary avatar had also fallen.

• Nahong realized Qu Jianlei had locked onto his true body and linked back to his main clone, then tried to conceal his plan to reach a void exit.
• Qu Jianlei pursued Nahong with Jin Ge and intercepted him at a Void Passage after Nahong detoured away from the exit.
• Qu Jianlei used Years to cripple Nahong, and Jin Ge trapped him in a golden net while Qu Jianlei deployed Array Plates to block escape methods.
• Nahong self-detonated, but Jin Ge contained and absorbed the blood mist while Qu Jianlei's array confined it.
• Nahong's divine soul self-detonated after failing to escape, and Jin Ge confirmed that Nahong's primary avatar had also fallen.

Qu Jianlei and Jin Ge confirmed that Na Hong and his secondary avatar had both died, while uncovering poison and a stolen storage ring around the avatar’s death. Qu Jianlei arranged for Jin Ge to report the matter to Baiqiao in exchange for a chance to divine an Abode.

• Qu Jianlei confirmed through divination that Na Hong’s secondary avatar had fallen, and Nascent Soul cultivators concealed the avatar’s death after noticing its Item-Storing Ring had vanished.
• Jin Ge detected and dispersed poison left by Na Hong, and Qu Jianlei used his seashell and Turtle Shell to confirm that Na Hong had completely fallen.
• Qu Jianlei explained that Na Hong’s family had not known he was a Hidden Agent, making it difficult to prove the truth without Jin Ge as a witness.
• Qu Jianlei and Jin Ge seized the secondary avatar, while the Nascent Soul cultivators pretended not to notice and kept drinking for two days.
• Qu Jianlei offered Jin Ge a chance to divine an Abode if he reported the matter to Baiqiao, and Jin Ge agreed.

Jin Ge and Qu Jianlei found True Venerable Nahong’s unfinished, empty cave dwelling, but Lingyun Sect stopped them from collecting the Du Family’s wealth. After Baiqiao reported that Wanwu Realm was using Qu Jianlei’s Broken Blade to claim he came from their realm, Qu Jianlei dismissed the excuse but was warned to be careful.

• Jin Ge and Qu Jianlei located Nahong’s cave dwelling, identified its Soul Poison trap, and found the unfinished Abode empty of useful supplies.
• Jin Ge gave Qu Jianlei the cave dwelling in exchange for treasures and debts, and the two went to Jia'er to claim the Du Family’s assets.
• A Lingyun Sect team assigned to protect the Du Family blocked Jin Ge and Qu Jianlei, so they left without collecting the wealth.
• Qu Jianlei showed the Abode to Duo Gan and Jing Yuexin, who said they would rather build their own Abodes when they reached Out-of-Body.
• Baiqiao told Qu Jianlei that Lingyun Sect’s counterattack had exposed hidden dangers and that Wanwu Realm suspected his Broken Blade was its lost Divine Weapon, Mohong.
• Qu Jianlei rejected the claim that the weapon proved he came from Wanwu Realm, and Baiqiao advised him to be careful.

Baiqiao urged Qu Jianlei to leave Houde amid covert pressure, but Qu Jianlei chose to move around the realm while buying supplies. He reunited with Jin Ge and Min Ning, who revealed that Baiqiao was using outside pressure and rising prices as part of a larger plan to consolidate Lingyun Sect.

• Baiqiao warned Qu Jianlei that Houde cultivators would secretly target him and suggested he go to the other world, but Qu Jianlei chose to travel around Houde instead.
• Jing Yuexin agreed that Qu Jianlei should not let others control his travel plans, and he left through a teleportation array the next day.
• Qu Jianlei appeared at several dangerous locations, prompting rumors about his search for opportunities and reports that other Cultivation Worlds planned to enter the other world.
• While buying supplies at Yuefeng Two, Qu Jianlei traced rumors about the other world to Lingyun Sect's base and then sensed someone divining him.
• Qu Jianlei met Min Ning and Jin Ge, who explained that their work was nearly finished and they could leave clones behind while they departed.
• Min Ning and Jin Ge told Qu Jianlei that Baiqiao was manipulating outside pressure and resource prices to advance his plans for Lingyun Sect and pressure Wanwu Realm.

Qu Jianlei, Min Ning, Jin Ge, and Qianhuan secretly undermined the outer-realm cultivators’ intelligence and supply networks while concealing their actions. After the outsiders protested, Lingyun allowed the Wanwu Realm a limited, supervised investigation near its encampment.

• Qu Jianlei agreed with Min Ning and Jin Ge to avoid the outsiders’ prepared battlefield and target their local contacts instead.
• Hundreds of Houde cultivators who had complained about access to the otherworld disappeared, crippling the outsiders’ informant network.
• Several suppliers suffered robberies, damaged goods, and financial troubles, prompting the outer-realm cultivators to suspect sabotage and protest to Lingyun.
• Qu Jianlei enlisted Qianhuan to conceal the operation, and Baiqiao recognized that their methods had nearly escaped his perception.
• Min Ning learned that Lingyun had permitted the Wanwu Realm to investigate nearby supply channels under the escort and surveillance of Lingyun cultivators.

Qu Jianlei and his three companions confronted Outer Regions True Venerables while attacking their supply operations, then escaped the Sword Cultivator’s Eyeless technique. After Qu Jianlei’s identity was exposed, the Outer Regions cultivators pressured Lingyun Sect and tried to negotiate with him, but he continued ambushing their forces.

• Liu Laogen sensed an approaching threat near the Warship, and the Outer Regions True Venerables arrived to confront the Houde cultivators.
• Qu Jianlei revealed himself as the Houde True Venerable behind the attacks, challenged two opponents, then withdrew when a brown-haired Sword Cultivator struck with Eyeless.
• Jin Ge, Min Ning, and Qianhuan reunited with Qu Jianlei, and Min Ning explained that Eyeless carried the Thought-Slaying Divine Ability and might help its wielder sever the past.
• The Outer Regions cultivators demanded that Lingyun Sect answer for Qu Jianlei’s actions, but Lingyun said he was unaffiliated and that its support applied to all Houde cultivators.
• Two months later, Qu Jianlei ambushed a Shangshan Realm True Venerable, injured him with a slash, and escaped after taunting him about Mohong.
• The Outer Regions True Venerables began traveling in groups of at least three while secretly contacting Qu Jianlei in hopes of settling the conflict.

Qu Jianlei returned to the other world and spent years studying Creation through divination, eventually making new instruments from the tree-root core that improved his readings but consumed its Creation aura. The Righteous Sect Remnant Obsession sensed that Qu Jianlei had undergone slight Daoization, a change to the origin of his flesh, and left him with more questions than answers.

• Qu Jianlei, Jin Ge, and Min Ning left Houde for the other world, while Bai Qiao reflected on their responsibility and the challenge of Spirit Severing.
• Qu Jianlei reached the camp and met Han Li’s avatar, who explained that Han Li’s true body had returned to Houde to deal with the Outer-Domain Cultivators.
• Qu Jianlei divined for Azure Dragon, then stayed at the Star Cluster for several years studying the true meaning of Creation on the Compass and helping deter disputes at the camp.
• Qu Jianlei used a tray made from the tree-root core during divination and discovered that its Creation aura improved his readings while wearing down his seashell.
• Qu Jianlei replaced his usual divination tools with game pieces made from the tree-root core, and the Righteous Sect Remnant Obsession later sensed that he had undergone slight Daoization.