Chapter Summaries

Qu Jianlei coaxed the Compass into using Creation to divine a direction, enduring its painful suction and bargaining over how much of his remaining rule it could absorb. After the Compass found the answer, Giant Axe carried Qu Jianlei into the Space Sub-layer to pursue it.

• Qu Jianlei opened a crack in the sealed Creation rule and let the Compass absorb through him, then released the Tree Root Turtle Shell and Chess Piece to calm its excessive suction.
• Qu Jianlei used Chess Piece to divine, but the Compass initially absorbed without moving its needle, so he narrowed the crack and threatened to cut off its supply.
• The Compass reacted when Qu Jianlei began sealing the rule, and its needle finally moved as he allowed it to absorb more Creation.
• Qu Jianlei capped the Compass's share at half, and the Compass resumed suction after he warned that three more Creation rules were owed to him.
• Qu Jianlei directed Giant Axe toward the indicated destination, and Giant Axe wrapped around him and entered the Space Sub-layer.

Qu Jianlei tracked the surviving attacker to a market town in the Jieran Sector and chose to strike from afar with Giant Axe rather than risk confronting him personally. The attack caught the disguised Golden Core cultivator by surprise, forcing him to reveal his Out-of-Body Realm aura as he tried to escape.

• Violent Obsession found the attacker's hiding place in the Jieran Sector, near a Lingyun Sect branch abode.
• Qu Jianlei secretly entered the sector, spent two days locating the attacker, and withdrew after sensing the area's strong security.
• Qu Jianlei moved far from the sector and sent a short-arrow phantom from Giant Axe toward the attacker's courtyard before dawn.
• The attacker realized the arrow had targeted him and tried to flee using Instant Flash.
• The attacker's escape exposed his Out-of-Body Realm aura in the impoverished district.

Qu Jianlei arranged for Wen Xian to upgrade a spirit vein while hiding after killing the assassin, and identified the Baiyou Merchant Alliance as the force behind the attack. He planned to prepare the two women for their breakthroughs and investigate the alliance and True Venerable Bucai before retaliating.

• The assassin died from Causality Kill, and Lingyun's disciples sealed off the market while a True Venerable sensed the death from afar.
• Qu Jianlei hid his whereabouts, arranged with Wen Xian's avatar to upgrade a spirit vein, and confirmed the Baiyou Merchant Alliance had sent the assassin.
• Qu Jianlei postponed revenge until he had handled the two women's breakthroughs, while investigating True Venerable Bucai's possible connection to the alliance.
• Qu Jianlei asked Wen Xian whether he had chosen a Tier 6 Spirit Vein for his Soul-Splitting Realm attempt, and Wen Xian said he planned to absorb a Tier 5 Spirit Vein.

Qu Jianlei learned that Han Li had identified Youyang and Linhe as likely masterminds behind the ambush on him, and agreed to strike back. Han Li recommended targeting the elusive Linhe first, while Lingyun’s investigation into Faceless and the attack remained cautious and incomplete.

• Qu Jianlei regretted failing to obtain an Abode and refused to involve Han Li in the risky grudge, while Wen Xian suggested True Venerable Xiaoyou as another possible helper.
• Han Li visited Qu Jianlei, discussed the bounty once placed on Faceless, and promised not to interfere with Qu Jianlei’s retaliation against the people behind the ambush.
• Qu Jianlei agreed to spare Bucai after Han Li said Bucai had been used, but Han Li insisted that the ambush also insulted him and the Lingyun Sect.
• Han Li explained that Lingyun had quietly investigated Faceless’s death and had not rushed to act because Faceless had secretly sought to use Lingyun as a shield.
• Han Li named Youyang and Linhe as likely masterminds, and he and Qu Jianlei chose to target Linhe first because he was harder to locate and could otherwise escape after Youyang was attacked.

Qu Jianlei and Han Li planned a strike against the Baiyou Merchant Alliance, recruiting True Venerable Xiwu to help conceal their actions. Their attacks on five supply convoys alarmed the alliance, which suspected Qu Jianlei but hesitated to retaliate against his subordinates.

• Han Li agreed to investigate Linhe and collect the promised Creation Rules for Qu Jianlei, who gave him a wisp of his aura.
• Qu Jianlei examined the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s expansion and its conflict with the Jinlan Association, then prepared a battle plan.
• Han Li reported that Linhe guarded the void entrance cautiously alongside the other True Venerables, so Qu Jianlei proposed contacting Qianhuan or Xiwu for help.
• Han Li brought True Venerable Xiwu to meet Qu Jianlei, and they chose to begin by attacking the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s material transports.
• The Baiyou Merchant Alliance discovered that five transport teams had vanished within seven days, and its leaders suspected Qu Jianlei and debated whether to retaliate against his subordinates.

The Baiyou Merchant Alliance concluded that True Venerable Qu was attacking its Houde business and halted supply transports, while True Venerable Linhe refused escort duty but set out to make a public show of support. Qu Jianlei and Han Li abandoned their planned ambush when Linhe left the Channel Entrance, but Linhe soon sensed a hostile divination targeting him as he traveled.

• The Baiyou Merchant Alliance decided True Venerable Qu's attacks were meant to destroy its Houde business and reputation, so it suspended supply transports.
• The Merchant Alliance asked True Venerable Linhe to escort its people, but he ignored the request and revealed himself to the other Wanwu Realm True Venerables.
• True Venerable Linhe announced that he was going to Houde, while the other True Venerable phantoms questioned him about the Merchant Alliance's troubles.
• Qu Jianlei, Han Li, and True Venerable Xiwu realized Linhe had left the Channel Entrance, so Xiwu began withdrawing her Illusion Arrays prepared for an ambush.
• True Venerable Linhe traveled to a Merchant Alliance contact point to denounce the attackers publicly, then sensed a powerful hostile divination and suspected an ambush.

Han Li and Qu Jianlei ambushed True Venerable Linhe and captured him alive, then set out with True Venerable Xiwu for their next target. Linhe’s allies arrived too late to find him, but divined that he was still alive and chose not to intervene.

• True Venerable Linhe tried to flee after sensing hostile divination, but Han Li and Qu Jianlei forced him out of the Sub-layer Space and trapped him with a formation.
• Han Li froze Linhe with his Cold Qi Domain while Qu Jianlei used Years, and together they sealed him and took him alive.
• Han Li, Qu Jianlei, and True Venerable Xiwu headed toward Zhanmeng No. 3 Plate, where True Venerable Youyang resided.
• Youyang hesitated to answer Linhe’s warning with a rescue, while three True Venerables of the Wanwu Realm immediately set out to help.
• The three rescuers found the battlefield traces erased, divined that Linhe remained alive, and decided to inform the others without intervening.

Qu Jianlei, Han Li, and True Venerable Xiwu attacked the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s stronghold on a plate near Zhanmeng No. 3 after divining that True Venerable Youyang was inside. Their assault badly weakened the Mountain Protecting Grand Formation, and Youyang prepared to flee through a hidden Teleportation Array.

• Qu Jianlei and his companions reached the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s rented plate and used a Warp Jammer to block spatial relocation.
• Qu Jianlei’s divinations confirmed that True Venerable Youyang was on the plate and shattered the Bagua Plate protecting him from divination.
• Qu Jianlei struck the Mountain Protecting Grand Formation with a Mountain-Felling Array, and Han Li followed with a stronger attack that left the formation close to breaking.
• Youyang ordered everyone to retreat into smaller Defense Arrays as he realized the attackers could break through before reinforcements arrived.
• Youyang entered a hidden one-way Teleportation Array in his Secret Chamber to escape the plate.

Qu Jianlei, Han Li, and Xiwu destroyed the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s defenses and killed True Venerable Youyang after a failed teleportation brought him back to the plate. They searched the storehouse but found few materials and no Abode, while Qu Jianlei sensed another threat and summoned the Giant Axe to deal with it.

• Qu Jianlei broke the Mountain Protecting Grand Formation, then discovered Youyang’s teleportation had left a confusing trail of causality.
• Han Li and Xiwu attacked the plate’s remaining defenses while Qu Jianlei tried to lock onto Youyang.
• Warp Jammers forced Youyang out of his teleportation and back onto the plate, where Qu Jianlei cut him down and the Giant Axe erased his fleeing Remnant Soul.
• Xiwu opened the Merchant Alliance’s storehouse, and Qu Jianlei summoned the Giant Axe to hunt down an evil Split Soul that had performed Body Seizure.
• Han Li and Qu Jianlei searched for Youyang’s Abode but found no trace of it, and Xiwu reported that the storehouse held few useful materials.
• A clan True Venerable appeared and challenged the group, but Han Li told him to leave and warned that he could not meddle in their karma.

Han Li, Qu Jianlei, and True Venerable Xiwu finished looting the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s landmass and set their sights on True Venerable Beiliu. Beiliu fled toward the Void Passage after realizing Youyang had fallen, while Han Li and Qu Jianlei discovered that pursuing him there could bring them up against other realms’ True Venerables.

• Qu Jianlei bluntly admitted to the Houde True Venerable that he had killed Faceless and Linhe and was looting the Baiyou Merchant Alliance, while Han Li defended his right to collect compensation.
• Han Li and Qu Jianlei decided to find Beiliu, who had not helped provoke the conflict but had known about the plot against Qu Jianlei.
• Beiliu reasoned that the Baiyou Merchant Alliance could have resolved its dispute with Qu Jianlei through patience and compensation, but fled after divining that Youyang had fallen.
• Beiliu activated a treasure to conceal the heavenly secrets and changed his route toward another Channel Entrance into the void.
• Han Li and Qu Jianlei learned Beiliu was heading for the Void Passage, and Xiwu warned that pursuing him there could leave the two of them outnumbered by allied Outer-Domain Cultivators.

Qu Jianlei, Han Li, and True Venerable Xiwu dealt with Linhe, whose attempt to destroy his abode forced them to flee. After their cooperation ended, Qu Jianlei waited for the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s response and shared with Han Li his discovery that passing the Creation Rule through his body could temper it.

• Qu Jianlei brought out the imprisoned Linhe, but Linhe detonated his abode, forcing Qu Jianlei, Han Li, and True Venerable Xiwu to retreat billions of kilometers.
• True Venerable Xiwu asked Qu Jianlei to help imprison dangerous foes in the future, and the three ended their cooperation and went their separate ways.
• Qu Jianlei spent a month on an asteroid while Han Li concealed his aura and guarded him; Qu Jianlei explained that he had made himself a target to protect his team from the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s retaliation.
• Han Li reported that the Baiyou Merchant Alliance had withdrawn and demanded that Houde punish the culprit.
• Qu Jianlei told Han Li that he had found a preliminary way to use Compass by passing the Creation Rule through his body, which had unexpectedly produced a body-tempering effect.

Qu Jianlei and Han Li discussed the fallout from the Baiyou Merchant Alliance conflict as Lingyun Sect weighed its response and Wanwu Realm demanded an explanation for Linhe’s death. Qu Jianlei decided he would leave Houde if necessary, but first focused on finding a safe spirit vein for Jing Yuexin’s breakthrough.

• Lingyun Sect investigated the attacks and held the Baiyou Merchant Alliance responsible for security in its leased sector, while Wanwu Realm protested Linhe’s death.
• Han Li and Qu Jianlei discussed Beiliu’s attempt to distance himself from the conflict, and Qu Jianlei doubted that Beiliu deserved to be spared.
• Han Li told Qu Jianlei that Lingyun might want him to leave Houde, and Qu Jianlei agreed he was tired of dealing with the sect.
• Qu Jianlei rejected the idea of going to Wanwu Realm and considered other destinations as the Baiyou Merchant Alliance withdrew toward the Void Passage entrance.
• Qu Jianlei worried about who might interfere with Duo Gan and Jing Yuexin, while Han Li urged him to find a safe spirit vein for Jing Yuexin’s breakthrough.

Qu Jianlei sought support from Houde’s powerful cultivators over his killings of Baiyou Merchant Alliance True Venerables, while arranging for Han Li to secure Tianli’s spirit vein. He left Xuan Yi to summon Elder Youjian for an answer, and Youjian faced pressure from his followers to oppose Qu Jianlei despite their fear of the consequences.

• Qu Jianlei and Han Li agreed to use Tianli’s spirit vein for a breakthrough and planned to have Han Li help secure it.
• Qu Jianlei appeared above Zhanmeng No. 1 and demanded that Xuan Yi answer whether killing three Baiyou Merchant Alliance True Venerables had been right.
• Xuan Yi publicly supported Qu Jianlei and offered a Guardian Rule, then admitted he had little recent contact with Elder Youjian.
• Qu Jianlei demanded that Xuan Yi summon Youjian to state his views face to face and warned Lingyun Sect members not to send others to command him.
• Elder Youjian learned that his followers were willing to die alongside him, then realized he had to consider the many people under his command.

Qu Jianlei secured Elder Youjian and True Venerable Bucai’s support in his dispute with the Baiyou Merchant Alliance, then left to seek support elsewhere. Youjian explained that Qu was forcing the realm’s True Venerables to choose a side so he could represent Houde, leaving Bucai to warn their allies.

• Qu Jianlei pressed Elder Youjian to declare his support, and Youjian affirmed that he backed Qu as a True Venerable of their realm.
• Qu asked Youjian to question True Venerable Bucai about whom he would support, and Youjian said Bucai would stand with Qu.
• Bucai appeared by Split Soul, said he believed his attack had been meant to lure Qu Jianlei out, and declared his support for Qu and the Houde Cultivator.
• Qu Jianlei thanked Bucai, Youjian, and Great Venerable Xuan Yi before leaving to visit elsewhere.
• Youjian told Bucai to alert his friends that Qu was consolidating support so he could represent all of Houde, and Bucai realized that those who stayed neutral would face consequences.

Qu Jianlei pressured Houde’s True Venerables to take sides against the Baiyou Merchant Alliance, then killed several of its Nascent Soul cultivators in the void. When others protested, Jade Forest Matron defended him and claimed she had evidence that the killings were not his doing.

• Qu Jianlei visited the Zhanmeng Four sector, where a Nascent Soul cultivator politely said his secluded ancestor could not choose sides, and Qu Jianlei warned that the ancestor might miss his future help.
• After Qu Jianlei left, the ancestor and his subordinate discussed whether to discreetly tell two other True Venerables about Qu Jianlei’s warning.
• Qu Jianlei paused his visits to the other sectors and went to the Void Passage, where he killed several Baiyou Merchant Alliance Nascent Soul cultivators with the Years Divine Ability while Beiliu stayed hidden.
• Several True Venerables from beyond the domain protested to Lingyun that Qu Jianlei had bullied the weak and killed people who were not responsible for his grievances.
• Yulin questioned whether Qu Jianlei had committed the killings, and Jade Forest Matron defended him, claiming someone was framing him and that she had evidence.

Jade Forest Matron helped rally Cangwu cultivators to defend True Venerable Qu by arguing that a Nascent Soul cultivator could have wielded time abilities, while Han Li visited Houde’s True Venerables to seek their support. At Yuefeng Six, Lang Mai openly threatened to side with the Baiyou Merchant Alliance, but Han Li held back from attacking his avatar as Qu Jianlei secretly watched over him.

• Jade Forest Matron used Lingyun Sect’s records of Qu Jianlei’s time ability to cast doubt on claims that he had killed the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s Nascent Soul cultivators, and Cangwu cultivators began a campaign to clear his name.
• Qu Jianlei let the controversy ferment, then Han Li took over visiting the True Venerables and asking them to support Qu Jianlei.
• Han Li’s visits made some True Venerables suspect Qu Jianlei was hiding nearby and might use time abilities against those who opposed him, while Han Li continued through several sectors without incident.
• At Yuefeng Six, Lang Mai met Han Li through an avatar and said he might support the Baiyou Merchant Alliance, arguing that Houde owed him nothing despite his having entered the Out-of-Body Realm there.
• Han Li resisted attacking Lang Mai’s avatar, while Qu Jianlei revealed he had been secretly protecting him and remarked that Lang Mai’s self-centeredness justified taking action.

Han Li and Qu Jianlei pressured Houde’s True Venerables to take their side, then turned to rest while the Baiyou Merchant Alliance confronted Lingyun over Houde’s treatment of outsiders. The chapter left a wounded True Venerable urging Lingyun and his peers to beware of the alliance and offering to join Han Li and Qu Jianlei, who were helping Jing Yuexin prepare a place for seclusion.

• Han Li and Qu Jianlei targeted three Jinlan Association families, wiping out more than twenty Nascent Soul cultivators and prompting several families to withdraw from the association.
• True Venerable Lang Mai recognized the massacre as a warning, while rumors spread that Han Li had been rebuffed by him.
• Han Li and Qu Jianlei spent more than three years visiting Houde’s sectors and pressing True Venerables to choose a side, leaving only seven who did not support them.
• Two Baiyou Merchant Alliance True Venerables ambushed a returning Houde True Venerable and demanded that Lingyun safeguard the alliance’s commercial interests, threatening penalties over its Tier 5 Spirit Vein.
• After escaping with injuries, the Houde True Venerable reported the alliance’s threat to Lingyun and offered to join Han Li and Qu Jianlei against it.
• Han Li and Qu Jianlei helped Jing Yuexin design a place for seclusion while True Venerable Tianli secretly lent them a spirit vein.

Qu Jianlei and Han Li learned that the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s reinforcements had arrived and debated whether to confront them or leave the matter to Lingyun. Qu Jianlei decided to take responsibility himself, but Baiqiao suspected he planned to sever ties with Lingyun and leave Houde after the battle.

• True Venerable Tianli told Qu Jianlei and Han Li that the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s reinforcements had arrived after nearly four years.
• Qu Jianlei and Han Li recognized that the alliance was using kidnapping to isolate them and pressure them into responding.
• Han Li proposed contacting Beiliu, but Qu Jianlei argued that Beiliu could not provide the specific intelligence they needed.
• Qu Jianlei decided to take responsibility for the conflict rather than leave it to Lingyun, and he asked Han Li to look after their companions if anything happened to him.
• Baiqiao appeared and argued that Qu Jianlei intended to cut ties with Lingyun and leave Houde after the battle, whether he won or lost.
• Han Li challenged Baiqiao’s reasoning, pointing out that Qu Jianlei could seek revenge in another Cultivation World without abandoning Houde.

Qu Jianlei and Han Li rejected Baiqiao’s offer of cooperation and began planning how to deal with their opponents. Meanwhile, rumors about the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s vacant Shangzhang offering spread through Houde, and True Venerable Lang Mai discovered that Lingyun Sect had fueled them to target him.

• Baiqiao told Qu Jianlei and Han Li that Lingyun had quietly blocked the Baiyou Merchant Alliance’s attempt to infiltrate Houde, but they refused his offer to cooperate.
• Qu Jianlei and Han Li agreed to work together and began discussing the purpose of the coming battle.
• Rumors spread that the Baiyou Merchant Alliance was seeking partners and that True Venerable Lang Mai might pursue its vacant Shangzhang offering.
• True Venerable Bucai alerted Baiqiao to the rumors, and Baiqiao realized they could be used to pressure Lang Mai.
• Lang Mai’s subordinates captured four rumor-spreaders, and Lang Mai learned from their memories that Lingyun Sect had released the information.
• Lang Mai suspected that Lingyun’s campaign against him might have been planned from the beginning.

True Venerable Lang Mai, rejected by other True Venerables, attacked Han Li and Qu Jianlei through a weak public campaign and offered to contact the Baiyou Merchant Alliance. The alliance agreed to reduce compensation to three times the original amount, but demanded Lingyun guarantee that Han Li and Qu Jianlei would not retaliate and that Houde cultivators would be restrained.

• True Venerable Lang Mai asked other True Venerables about the rumors, but they hid their earlier knowledge and refused to help him.
• Han Li and Qu Jianlei discussed whether Lang Mai would back down, retaliate, or turn against Houde, and Qu Jianlei warned that obsession could make him unreasonable.
• True Venerable Lang Mai publicly blamed Han Li and Qu Jianlei and offered to send subordinates to negotiate with the Baiyou Merchant Alliance.
• Lingyun allowed Lang Mai's private contact with the alliance while maintaining its position that the contact did not represent Houde's official stance.
• The Baiyou Merchant Alliance lowered its compensation demand from five times to three times, but required Lingyun to guarantee that Han Li and Qu Jianlei would not attack it and that Houde cultivators would not act against it.