Chapter Summaries

Fang Xiao learned that the Tree Spirit had awakened inside Zhang Baichuan and had kept the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart for its own cultivation. After gifting Fang Xiao the Tree Slaves’ Divine Tree True Meaning, the Tree Spirit asked him to take it away from the besieged Great Spring Forbidden Zone.

• Fang Xiao withdrew into the inner region but left a Dao soldier behind to speak with the Tree Spirit.
• The Tree Spirit revealed that it had separated from Great Chun and lain dormant inside Zhang Baichuan, and thanked Fang Xiao for bringing him back to the forbidden zone.
• The Tree Spirit refused to give up the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart and offered Fang Xiao the Tree Slaves as thanks, explaining that they contained the True Meaning of the Divine Tree.
• Fang Xiao went to gather the Tree Slaves and accepted the gift before pretending to leave.
• The Tree Spirit stopped Fang Xiao and asked him to take it away, saying that eight Mahayana cultivators had left it with nowhere to turn.

Fang Xiao refused to free the Great Chun tree spirit himself, citing the danger of trusting a Mahayana-level being, but offered to introduce it to Yu Changkong of the Four Directions Immortal Sect. In exchange for arranging the meeting, Fang Xiao asked to study the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart, intending to take its Dao patterns for his Small World.

• Fang Xiao rejected the tree spirit's offer because he feared it would turn against him after being freed.
• The tree spirit gave up on persuading Fang Xiao and prepared to abandon Great Chun's tree heart to escape.
• Fang Xiao offered to introduce the tree spirit to Yu Changkong, who might help it leave in exchange for the True Meaning of the Divine Tree.
• The tree spirit eagerly accepted the introduction and promised to meet Fang Xiao's demands, except for giving up the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart.
• Fang Xiao asked to borrow the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart so he could study it, planning to obtain its Dao patterns for his Small World.

Fang Xiao secured permission to comprehend the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart by swearing not to interfere with the tree spirit’s plans or reveal anything about the treasure. After the tree spirit left with his Dao soldiers to meet Yu Changkong, Fang Xiao approached the artifact and began examining it.

• Fang Xiao promised not to seize the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart and agreed to the tree spirit’s conditions: he could study it only once, could not interrupt its use, and could not disclose anything about it.
• Fang Xiao made a Dao Vow, then sent a Dao soldier carrying Yu Changkong’s token to guide the tree spirit to their meeting.
• The tree spirit departed with the two Dao soldiers, leaving Fang Xiao alone with Great Chun and the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart.
• Fang Xiao examined the artifact, noticing that its five orifices included two foreign objects and that one empty orifice pulled faintly toward Great Chun.
• Fang Xiao held the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart and prepared to learn its abilities, which Innate Treasures revealed to anyone who touched them.

Fang Xiao discovered that the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart greatly enhanced his comprehension and learned it was being used to fuse rare materials into an innate creation. He found the Divine Source but hesitated to extract its Dao tracks, since interrupting the process or damaging the heart might break his Dao Vow.

• Fang Xiao touched the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart and felt his comprehension improve across all aspects of cultivation, including the Sword Dao.
• Fang Xiao sensed the heart’s other ability and realized it was using the tree hearts of Endless Wood, the Ruomu Tree, and a substance being stripped from Great Chun as foundations for Revert to Root, Return to Origin.
• Fang Xiao recalled his Dao Vow and decided he could not seize the precious materials or risk breaking his promise.
• Fang Xiao found the Divine Source operating inside the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart and realized extracting its Dao tracks could halt the process and disperse the Great Dao Power.
• Fang Xiao considered using Cause and Effect to let the heart finish its task early, but feared that removing a Dao track from its perfectly connected structure could lower its grade and fulfill the vow.

Fang Xiao used Cause and Effect to remove Great Chun’s tree heart and transfer it into the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart, then brought the artifact into his Small World. He planned to make it the Small World’s Innate Treasure so he could return it to the tree spirit while retaining the ability to summon it back.

• Fang Xiao used Cause and Effect to extract Great Chun’s tree heart and place it in an aperture of the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart.
• The tree spirit sensed the extraction and questioned Fang Xiao, but chose to continue toward Yu Changkong rather than return to Great Chun.
• Yu Changkong appeared before Fang Xiao, his Dao soldiers, and the tree spirit, then sealed the surrounding space and immobilized them.
• Fang Xiao checked the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart and entered the Small World through its gateway.
• Fang Xiao planned to connect the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart to the Small World’s Heavenly Heart and make the artifact the Small World’s Innate Treasure.

Fang Xiao contacted the Small World's Heavenly Heart so it could preserve the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart rather than devour it. After the Heavenly Heart understood his intent, Fang Xiao resolved to cultivate further and planned to hand the heart to the tree spirit once the Small World accepted it.

• Fang Xiao reached out to the Small World's Heavenly Heart and explained that he wanted it to preserve the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart.
• The Heavenly Heart perceived Fang Xiao's intentions and sent his divine consciousness back to his body.
• Fang Xiao recognized the vast gap between himself and the Heavenly Heart but felt renewed determination to overcome future obstacles.
• Fang Xiao planned to pursue late Void Refining, ideally reaching peak Void Refining before entering the Devil Realm.
• Fang Xiao intended to give the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart to the tree spirit once the Small World accepted it, freeing himself to leave the Tianhuang Realm and avoid pursuing Mahayana Stage existences.

Fang Xiao’s Small World claimed the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart, adding a layer of Primordial Chaos Sword Dao Tracks to its Divine Source and opening a sixth orifice. He then drew mist from the three tree hearts so the inheritance sword spirit could identify them without learning about the treasure.

• Fang Xiao watched the Small World’s radiance and the Primordial Chaos Sword Dao envelop the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart, then waited for the process to finish.
• The Small World claimed the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart, allowing Fang Xiao to summon it into his palm.
• Fang Xiao discovered the treasure had gained a sixth orifice and found that Primordial Chaos Sword Dao Tracks had enlarged its Divine Source.
• Fang Xiao decided to return the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart to the tree spirit when it came back, while first seeking to identify the three tree hearts.
• Fang Xiao drew most of the red, blue, and green mist from the three heart orifices so the inheritance sword spirit could judge what they were.

Fang Xiao learned from the sword spirit that the three clusters of mist were the True Meaning of the Divine Tree and gave some to be passed to Ling Taichu. As the tree spirit returned from making a deal with Yu Changkong, Fang Xiao realized River Daoist’s apparent plan to attack Great Chun was really a trap aimed at him.

• Fang Xiao showed the three-colored mist to the sword spirit, which identified it as the True Meaning of the Divine Tree.
• Fang Xiao deduced that the tree spirit intended to combine the Five Elements divine tree cores through the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart, and wondered whether a fallen Mahayana Stage being had devised the Dao path.
• The sword spirit identified one cluster as Great Chun’s and the other two as belonging to the Water-Fire Divine Tree.
• Fang Xiao gave the sword spirit smaller clusters to pass on to Ling Taichu and promised to be careful in the Great Spring Forbidden Zone.
• Fang Xiao left the Small World after learning through his Dao soldiers that the tree spirit was returning from its deal with Yu Changkong.
• Yu Changkong realized River Daoist had used the supposed plan to attack Great Chun as cover for targeting Fang Xiao and the Heavenly Sword Mountain Inheritance.

Yu Changkong chose to trade with Fang Xiao instead of killing him, then explained that the Myriad Treasures Realm rented out Immortal Mansion Jade Talismans under restrictive conditions. Fang Xiao learned that borrowing one would require a Mahayana guarantor, a detailed account of the Immortal Mansion, and selling most of his gains to the Realm.

• Yu Changkong accepted the Tree Spirit's request and extorted it for True Meaning of the Divine Tree.
• Fang Xiao stayed behind and offered Yu Changkong his own True Meaning of the Divine Tree in exchange for an Immortal Mansion Jade Talisman.
• Fang Xiao explained that his Master had entered seclusion, but Yu Changkong said he had only one talisman and could not trade it.
• Yu Changkong told Fang Xiao that the Myriad Treasures Realm held most of the talismans and rented them out rather than selling them.
• Yu Changkong revealed that renters needed a Mahayana guarantor, had to report everything they experienced inside, and had to sell seventy percent of their gains to the Myriad Treasures Realm.

Fang Xiao learned that the True Immortal's Legacy Mansion would likely open within ten thousand years and that its harsh entry terms were driven by cultivators seeking a chance to reach Mahayana. Meanwhile, the Tree Spirit discovered that its Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart had grown to six orifices, disrupting its plan to fuse it with the Five-Element Divine Tree Heart.

• Yu Changkong explained that cultivators accepted the Myriad Treasures Merchant Association's terms because the Immortal Mansion offered a chance to advance to Mahayana.
• Yu Changkong warned Fang Xiao not to fixate on the Immortal Mansion unless he reached the Integrated Body Peak Stage within ten thousand years, then vanished.
• Fang Xiao inferred that the True Immortal's Legacy Mansion would open within ten thousand years and resolved to keep raising his strength.
• The Tree Spirit hurried back to the core region and snatched the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart from Fang Xiao's Dao soldier.
• The Tree Spirit saw that the heart had six orifices and asked Fang Xiao what had happened, worried that the change had disrupted its plan to create an innate divine tree.

Fang Xiao explained the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart’s growth by blaming the Divine Tree Heart and negotiated with the Tree Spirit for a method to break Dao Vows. He told the Tree Spirit that the True Immortal’s Legacy Mansion might contain a powerful Divine Tree, then disappeared as the Tree Spirit began considering how to reach it.

• Fang Xiao attributed the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart’s new sixth orifice to the Divine Tree Heart, and the Tree Spirit accepted his explanation after inspecting the treasure.
• Fang Xiao offered to share information about other Divine Trees, prompting the Tree Spirit to ask what price he wanted.
• Fang Xiao requested the Tree Spirit’s method for breaking a Dao Vow, and the Tree Spirit gave him a Great Chun leaf containing the method.
• Fang Xiao examined the method and told the Tree Spirit about the True Immortal’s Legacy Mansion and its possible Divine Tree.
• Fang Xiao said the Immortal Mansion would open again within ten thousand years and warned that entry required an Immortal Mansion Jade Talisman before his Dao soldier vanished.

Fang Xiao gathered Great Chun’s Tree Slaves to obtain True Meaning of the Divine Tree, which could strengthen his Small World’s Great Daos and help break Dao Vows. As the Mahayana cultivators pressed their attack, he continued collecting the Tree Slaves, unaware that an invisible presence was spreading through the Great Spring Forbidden Zone.

• Fang Xiao opened his Small World and swept unattended Tree Slaves from Great Chun into it while the Tree Spirit turned a blind eye.
• After learning how True Meaning of the Divine Tree could erase Dao Vows, Fang Xiao realized it could also strengthen the Great Daos within his Small World.
• Fang Xiao decided to concentrate the gathered True Meaning on his Primordial Chaos Sword Dao and conceal his possession of the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart from the Tree Spirit.
• As the Mahayana cultivators’ assault weakened Great Chun, Fang Xiao continued collecting its seemingly inexhaustible Tree Slaves and set a limit for withdrawing if they breached the Great Spring Forbidden Zone.
• Fang Xiao felt his Primordial Chaos Sword Dao growing stronger with each Tree Slave, but failed to notice an invisible presence spreading through the forbidden zone.

Elder Yao poisoned Fang Xiao with Puppet Poison, but Fang Xiao escaped beyond his perception before Elder Yao could learn why he survived inside the Great Spring Forbidden Zone. Three months later, Great Chun had fallen and its True Meaning was scarce, while Yu Changkong secretly held most of it and River Daoist suspected him of taking Fang Xiao.

• Elder Yao detected Fang Xiao inside the forbidden zone and spread Puppet Poison, taking control of Fang Xiao's body.
• Fang Xiao used a backup measure to vanish with the Small World gateway, leaving Elder Yao unable to sense him or the poison.
• Three months later, Great Chun had withered, and eight Mahayana Stage experts gathered beneath its remains to divide the scarce True Meaning of the Divine Tree.
• Yu Changkong concealed that the Tree Spirit had fled and that he held far more of the True Meaning than the other experts combined.
• River Daoist suspected Yu Changkong had taken Fang Xiao, but stayed silent to avoid revealing his own motive for gathering the group.
• Elder Yao broke the tense silence with a dark expression.

After River Daoist was blamed for misleading the Mahayana cultivators, they stripped him of his share of the True Meaning of the Divine Tree and ordered him to surrender half his future Immortal Mansion gains. The Tree Spirit began preparing to seek the True Immortal's Legacy Mansion, while Fang Xiao finally awoke in the Small World after its laws consumed Elder Yao's Puppet Poison.

• Yu Changkong accused River Daoist of gathering the others to attack Great Chun as a means of capturing the Heavenly Sword Mountain Inheritance, and River Daoist countered by implicating Yu Changkong and Fang Xiao.
• Yu Changkong denied helping Fang Xiao escape and swore that he had no private dealings with Great White, while River Daoist accused Taibai Niansheng of taking the inheritance and the Divine Tree's True Meaning.
• Ling Wujian proposed that River Daoist lose his share of the True Meaning of the Divine Tree and surrender half his future Immortal Mansion gains, and Elder Yao and Zhao Zhenyi prepared to punish him physically.
• The Tree Spirit decided to seek the Immortal Mansion Jade Talisman and Divine Trees, then traveled toward a quiet realm to strengthen itself.
• After the Small World spent more than three hundred years consuming Elder Yao's Puppet Poison, Fang Xiao awoke, and the absorbed Great Dao Power had made his Great Dao of Poison his Small World's strongest Great Dao.

Fang Xiao reflected on the Great Dao of Poison and the danger he had escaped, then resolved to settle his debts with Xuan Qingzong and the Xuan Clan while continuing his plans through avatars and Dao soldiers. In the Small World, he gathered peak Deity Transformation cultivators and promised to show them a path into the higher realms.

• Fang Xiao realized the Great Dao of Poison had grown stronger than the Primordial Chaos Sword Dao, yet was nourishing it in return.
• Fang Xiao concluded he could not return to the Realm Battlefield and resolved to repay Xuan Qingzong and the Xuan Clan for pursuing him.
• Fang Xiao confirmed Ling Taichu was safe, then entered seclusion and entrusted his plans to his avatars and Dao soldiers.
• Fang Xiao’s Dao soldier gathered more than thirty cultivators at the three sects’ meeting grounds, most of whom had reached peak Deity Transformation.
• Li Manshan reported that Peng Gan had left to ascend to the Spirit Realm and seek refuge with the Yin-Yang Great Dao Sect.
• Fang Xiao praised the sects’ progress and promised the gathered cultivators a path to climb into the higher realms.

Fang Xiao explained the Small World and the path of directly refining Dao Tracks, then invited the cultivators to decide whether to enter. Most chose to follow him, while he reassured hesitant allies and promised opportunities for their sects; he intended for the Small World’s inhabitants to develop realms and organize the Great Daos.

• Fang Xiao explained the Small World, the realms beyond Spirit Transformation, and the benefits and risks of directly refining Dao Tracks, leaving the choice to everyone.
• Yuan Chen pledged to follow Fang Xiao, and the others agreed after understanding how the path could ease their cultivation and help them grasp Great Dao Power early.
• Fang Xiao reassured Li Manshan and Nie Ying that he was trying to contact their martial uncles, while he offered Xian Hua the choice to leave or stay.
• Xian Hua asked Fang Xiao to provide a fortuitous opportunity for the Five Elements Sect’s younger generation, and Li Manshan, Li Qingyun, and Fang Heng promised their sects’ support.
• Fang Xiao promised that peak Deity Transformation allies of the three sects could ascend, and Xian Hua and Young Master Shao Ting thanked him.
• Fang Xiao planned for the Small World’s inhabitants to establish their own realms and develop Dao paths to help organize the Great Daos.

Fang Xiao planned to populate the Small World with cultivators and other races so their different Daos could help it grow. During a brief truce in the Realm War, he avenged himself on Xuan Qingzong and destroyed Xuan Clan Immortal City, leaving the Xuan Clan’s fate uncertain.

• Fang Xiao decided to bring in cultivators and other selected beings to foster the Small World’s growth.
• After the three sides entered a brief truce, Spirit Realm cultivators discovered that the grotto-heaven containing Xuan Clan Immortal City had vanished.
• Cultivators speculated that the Yin-Yang Great Dao Sect or the Tianhuang Realm and Devil Realm had attacked the Xuan Clan.
• Fang Xiao’s Dao soldier left the gathering after the crowd discussed the destroyed city.
• Fang Xiao revealed that he had waited for Xuan Qingzong at the trade fair and killed him with a single strike.
• Fang Xiao wiped out most of the Xuan Clan’s forces and took their trade-fair treasures before their desperate defense shattered the grotto-heaven.

Fang Xiao learned that the Xuan Clan’s bloodline Tracking Mark remained on his true spirit and that Li Mobai had fled while Qin Qing died during the Xuan Clan’s attack. After ten fruitless years searching for Li Mobai, Fang Xiao heard the Dragon Tiger Bracelet mention someone called Little Black, giving him a new lead.

• Fang Xiao learned that the Xuan Clan’s Mahayana ancestor had branded his true spirit with a bloodline Tracking Mark, which could expose him throughout the Spirit Realm.
• Fang Xiao discovered that the Xuan Clan had ambushed the Yin-Yang Great Dao Sect, Qin Qing had died, and Li Mobai had escaped alone.
• Fang Xiao decided to search for Li Mobai before telling Li Manshan about Qin Qing’s death, then sent his Dao soldiers and incarnations to scour the battlefield.
• Over the next ten years, Fang Xiao failed to find Li Mobai while avoiding the Xuan Clan’s Body Integration Realm incarnations.
• The Dragon Tiger Bracelet contacted Fang Xiao to ask for a Dao soldier body, and Fang Xiao rebuked it.
• As the Dragon Tiger Bracelet left, it said it would chat with Little Black, and Fang Xiao demanded to know what it had said.

Fang Xiao reunited with Li Mobai in the Realm Battlefield and learned that Li Mobai had been seeking help to save Qin Qing. Li Mobai explained how he and his companions reached the Spirit Realm and joined the Yin-Yang Great Dao Sect, leaving Fang Xiao to help with Qin Qing’s rescue.

• Fang Xiao recognized Li Mobai beneath the Dragon Tiger Bracelet’s identity, and the two exchanged news about the Tianlan Sect and their journeys.
• The Dragon Tiger Bracelet claimed Fang Xiao could rival Body Integration experts, and Li Mobai asked Fang Xiao to help save Qin Qing.
• Li Mobai recounted how the Royal Court ascended to the Spirit Realm and was sent into the Realm Battlefield as part of the Spirit Realm’s war preparations.
• Li Mobai, Qin Qing, and True Monarch Ziyan entered the Yin-Yang Great Dao Sect, where Li Mobai and Qin Qing became True Disciples while True Monarch Ziyan had to rely on himself.

Li Mobai explained that the Yin-Yang Great Dao Sect hoped to move its disciples to the Tianhuang Realm, and revealed why he had fled after Qin Qing was trapped. After learning that reviving her would require half his lifespan and a dangerous return to the place she died, Fang Xiao agreed to help him go back and rescue her.

• Zhang Tiansheng sent Li Mobai and Qin Qing to seek help from Ling Wujian and Ao Qingmei so the Yin-Yang Great Dao Sect could preserve its inheritance in the Tianhuang Realm.
• The Xuan Clan attacked the Yin-Yang Great Dao Sect disciples, and Li Mobai fled so he could survive and potentially revive Qin Qing through their Yin-Yang technique.
• Li Mobai explained that reviving Qin Qing required him to give her half his lifespan, and that the Xuan Clan was likely waiting at the place where she died.
• Unable to safely return alone, Li Mobai sought Qianyuan Pavilion, but the Dragon Tiger Bracelet restricted him until Fang Xiao appeared.
• After hearing Li Mobai's account, Fang Xiao agreed to help him return and fight his way to Qin Qing.