Chapter Summaries

Ling Wuyuan worried that the ancient ruin was carrying him into the dangerous depths of the world and left it before descending farther. Outside, he discovered that crushing gravity and rapidly collapsing tunnels made the underground environment even more perilous than he had expected.

• Ling Wuyuan considered whether the ancient ruin was following a fixed route or descending randomly, and feared the dangers hidden deep underground.
• Ling Wuyuan decided not to risk his life exploring farther and headed for a gap in the ruin’s outer armor.
• Ling Wuyuan exited the ancient ruin and watched it continue descending into the depths.
• Ling Wuyuan found that the underground gravity made hovering require several hundred times more strength than usual.
• Ling Wuyuan saw cracks spreading through the ruin’s tunnel as the surrounding earth squeezed it and began rapidly healing the passage.

Ling Wuyuan reflected on the enormous ancient ruin he had escaped from, then remained in the deep pit to absorb its fluorescent, potentially radioactive poisonous fog. He used My Own Path to devour the toxic mist as nourishment, leaving the fog around him rapidly disappearing.

• Ling Wuyuan realized he still could not determine the ancient ruin’s shape or reliably find it again because he had left no Gray Mist Imprint or Soul Beacon.
• Ling Wuyuan set aside his regret over failing to claim the ruin and examined the vast, lightless pit and its dangerous poisonous gases.
• Ling Wuyuan suspected the gases contained intense radiation as they condensed into fluorescent poisonous fog.
• Ling Wuyuan sat floating in midair and accelerated his cultivation technique with Abyssal Divine Speed, drawing poisonous fog and spiritual energy toward himself.
• Ling Wuyuan used My Own Path, along with the poison methods he had mastered, to devour the fluorescent fog and convert it into nourishment.

Ling Wuyuan used the poisonous mist to strengthen his body and My Own Path while repeatedly confronting the Sword Intent in his heart. He continued to pursue his goal of overcoming the Sword Intent through sheer will rather than merely learning swordsmanship from it.

• Ling Wuyuan's My Own Path absorbed poison, metal, stone, and other energies from the mist, helping it grow and healing his injuries.
• Ling Wuyuan's body and cells grew stronger as he endured the Sword Intent's repeated damage and adapted to it.
• Ling Wuyuan realized he might be able to derive powerful swordsmanship by studying the Sword Intent, but regarded that as a secondary option.
• Ling Wuyuan resolved to use the Sword Intent as a whetstone and ultimately defeat its will, refusing to let fear make his heart lose.

After strengthening his body and spirit by absorbing poisonous mist and enduring Sword Intent, Ling Wuyuan fled the collapsing underground pit. A furious roar and eerie green radiance erupted from the depths, revealing a threat far beyond his ability to face.

• Ling Wuyuan finished refining his spiritual will and strengthened his body by absorbing poisonous mist and medicinal power.
• He recalled the poisonous mist and sensed that his true qi and body had gained potent poisonous and corrosive properties, along with an unusual force field.
• Ling Wuyuan saw cracks spreading across the crystalline barriers and realized the earth would soon close in while the ancient ruin continued descending.
• He began flying upward, then sensed a violent energy fluctuation from below and hastened his ascent.
• An eerie green radiance emerged, the crystalline barriers collapsed, and Ling Wuyuan heard a furious roar from the depths whose owner was too powerful for him to resist.

Ling Wuyuan escaped the collapsing pit while Yi Yunhe watched and hoped the disturbance would end so he could return to founding his nation. Just as Yi Yunhe thought the crisis might be over, he spotted a familiar figure.

• Ling Wuyuan sped toward the pit’s opening as the crystalline barriers collapsed and earth poured inward.
• Ling Wuyuan shut off [Abyssal Divine Speed] and slowed down before emerging to avoid drawing attention to his abnormal speed.
• Yi Yunhe watched the pit begin to fill and wondered whether the danger was over.
• Yi Yunhe thought about returning to govern his country and end the war, then spotted a familiar figure.

Yi Yunhe recognized Ling Wuyuan as valuable prey and regretted leaving the underground ruins before he could secretly deal with him. When Song Jie of Wenying Tower approached Ling Wuyuan, Yi Yunhe suspected the young cultivator belonged to the powerful organization and feared he would have to abandon his target.

• Yi Yunhe identified Ling Wuyuan and weighed the gains and risks of capturing him against investigating the ancient ruin.
• Yi Yunhe regretted not staying underground longer, since he could have tried to kill Ling Wuyuan without attracting notice.
• Yi Yunhe recognized Song Jie, a senior Wenying Tower figure, approaching Ling Wuyuan.
• Yi Yunhe suspected Ling Wuyuan was connected to Wenying Tower and worried that acting against him would provoke the organization.

Song Jie told Ling Wuyuan about the ancient ruin’s deadly exploration attempts and its extraordinary depth underground. Ling Wuyuan listened, reflecting on the dangers of deep mining and the powerful factions’ reluctance to investigate further.

• Song Jie enthusiastically approached Ling Wuyuan and asked whether he had returned specifically for the ancient ruin, and Ling Wuyuan gave a vague reply.
• Song Jie said toxic mists had killed many cultivators, including three True Form Realm cultivators and more than a hundred Divine Ability Realm cultivators.
• Song Jie reported that the ancient ruin was at least a hundred thousand kilometers underground, making the powerful factions wary of exploring further.
• Ling Wuyuan considered the ruin’s depth and the dangers of deep mining, which had led factions and authorities to crack down on reckless excavation.

Ling Wuyuan reflected on why escaping the ancient ruin had been wise and accepted that wartime priorities made a Continental Teleportation Array trip back to the [Southern Region] impossible. As Song Jie expected the investigation to end without progress, Ling Wuyuan sensed unusually dangerous hostility from a figure more than twenty li away.

• Ling Wuyuan considered how the ancient ruin could have trapped him underground and concluded that risking his life on its escape was not worth it.
• Song Jie told Ling Wuyuan that his superior's superior, a True Form Realm cultivator from [Wenying Tower], had asked about him and was waiting aboard the central Floating Rune Warship.
• Song Jie predicted that the collapsed passage and sinking ruin had ended the investigation, so the factions would eventually withdraw after holding their positions.
• Ling Wuyuan decided that he could not use the Continental Teleportation Array to return to the [Southern Region] because the wartime resource had to be reserved for the larger conflict.
• Ling Wuyuan sensed a figure more than twenty li away whose hesitant killing intent carried a genuine threat.

Ling Wuyuan recognized the distant Yi Yunhe as a genuine enemy but decided not to act while the time and place were unsuitable. Yi Yunhe dismissed the encounter as an illusion and planned to investigate Ling through Wenying Tower, while Di Zixuan received a message that caught his interest.

• Ling Wuyuan judged Yi Yunhe a dangerous enemy and decided he would kill him when the time was right.
• Yi Yunhe mistook Ling's attention for an illusion and considered investigating him through Wenying Tower.
• A speaker reported that an ancient ruin had stopped descending while battling an unknown enemy underground, and its passageways were collapsing.
• Di Zixuan found the briefing tedious until an internal message arrived, prompting him to think that a certain little fellow was there too.

Di Zixuan learned that Ling Wuyuan had survived an unprecedented journey through a spacetime passage from the Southern Region to the Northern Domain and decided he had to meet him. The chapter also described the dangers surrounding a mobile ancient ruin and left the wider world framed as far more perilous than most people knew.

• Di Zixuan learned that Ling Wuyuan, whose strength had only just reached the Spirit Infusion Realm, had crossed more than ten billion kilometers through spacetime turbulence and survived.
• Di Zixuan decided to meet Ling Wuyuan but held back from publicizing the feat without Ling Wuyuan's permission.
• The ancient ruin's ability to move and kill numerous experts fueled speculation that it was a super war fortress or a powerful War Weapon.
• The ruin's retreat underground made the already dangerous situation more perilous, prompting even powerful cultivators to weigh the risks of acting.
• The chapter described how secret records revealed that the Golden Mist Continent and the lands overseas held dangers capable of destroying civilizations.

Ling Wuyuan met Di Zixuan aboard Wenying Tower’s rune warship, where Di Zixuan assessed his exceptional strength and character. Di Zixuan invited him to sit and discuss his experiences.

• Ling Wuyuan entered a small room with Song Jie and identified Di Zixuan as the strongest person present.
• Di Zixuan greeted Ling Wuyuan and praised his appearance and bearing.
• Di Zixuan recognized Ling Wuyuan’s unusual strength, pure True Qi, and powerful physical body.
• Di Zixuan reflected that Ling Wuyuan had already turned his talent into real strength and represented a rising star.
• Di Zixuan invited Ling Wuyuan to sit and asked him to share his experiences.

Di Zixuan explained that powerful special constitutions could contain foundational traits that eventually grew into Innate Divine Abilities, and suggested Ling Wuyuan cultivate his apparent resistance to space-time. Ling Wuyuan compared the theory with his own abilities and Pei Yi’s growing cold aura, then asked whether special constitutions could restrict their possessors.

• Di Zixuan told Ling Wuyuan that his resistance to space-time might be the foundational trait of a future space-time-type Innate Divine Ability.
• Di Zixuan explained that certain special constitutions carried embryonic traits that could develop into Innate Divine Abilities, and advised Ling Wuyuan to cultivate his space-time resistance.
• Ling Wuyuan considered how [Abyssal Divine Speed] actively drove his evolution and wondered whether he might also possess an embryonic space-time ability.
• Ling Wuyuan suspected that the unusual cold aura growing stronger in Pei Yi might be the embryonic form of an Innate Divine Ability.
• Ling Wuyuan asked Di Zixuan whether special constitutions could impose innate restrictions or bottlenecks on their possessors.

Di Zixuan explained that special physiques guide their owners toward related Innate Divine Abilities but impose bottlenecks that are extremely difficult to surpass. He warned Ling Wuyuan that changing his innate limits would be hard, then reflected on how difficult it would be to recruit or charm him.

• Di Zixuan explained that special physiques steer Innate Divine Abilities toward related paths, giving them a high minimum strength but limiting their range.
• Di Zixuan said that owners who wanted different abilities would have to overcome their inborn bottlenecks, a feat especially difficult for talented cultivators.
• Di Zixuan advised Ling Wuyuan that awakening the ability granted by his physique was not necessarily a bad outcome, since an ability's power depended on its user.
• Ling Wuyuan calmly told Di Zixuan that he understood his situation.
• Di Zixuan regretted that Ling Wuyuan belonged to Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion and doubted that a honey trap could sway him.

Di Zixuan wondered how Ling Wuyuan had joined the all-female Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion, assuming his cold personality made romance impossible. Ling Wuyuan explained that one of his women belonged to the Pavilion, prompting Di Zixuan to react with shock that Ling Wuyuan liked women.

• Di Zixuan concluded that Ling Wuyuan was too cold and stubborn to be won over by romantic schemes and envied Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion for recruiting him.
• Di Zixuan asked Ling Wuyuan how he had become involved with Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion despite their apparent incompatibility.
• Ling Wuyuan explained that one of his women was a Pavilion member and had brought him in after certain events.
• Di Zixuan exclaimed in astonishment that Ling Wuyuan actually liked women, leaving Ling Wuyuan offended and speechless.

Ling Wuyuan and Di Zixuan discussed how Ling Wuyuan had formed a bond with [Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion], leaving Di Zixuan baffled by the plain beauty trap that had won Ling Wuyuan’s heart. Meanwhile, Yi Yunhe reconsidered targeting Ling Wuyuan because he suspected a powerful force might be backing him.

• Di Zixuan apologized for his earlier remark and said he was genuinely surprised that Ling Wuyuan had found a partner so young.
• Di Zixuan learned that Ling Wuyuan’s connection to [Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion] began with a simple beauty trap and struggled to understand how it had worked.
• Ling Wuyuan wondered whether he and Pei Yi counted as childhood sweethearts, then reflected on how unexpectedly he had fallen in love.
• Yi Yunhe confirmed that [Wenying Tower] had not recently sent any prodigies out to gain experience and considered whether Ling Wuyuan was merely Song Jie’s acquaintance.
• Yi Yunhe hesitated to act against Ling Wuyuan, fearing that a powerful hidden force might retaliate, and decided to consider the matter more carefully.

Ling Wuyuan decided to leave the region around the ancient ruin because he judged that his strength was insufficient to gain much from it. Di Zixuan gave him a powerful Floating Rune Warship for his journey, and Ling Wuyuan accepted the gift as they parted.

• Ling Wuyuan told Di Zixuan that he was leaving because the forces surrounding the ancient ruin made it too dangerous and unprofitable for him to stay.
• Di Zixuan recognized that Ling Wuyuan had made up his mind and offered to help him travel home.
• Di Zixuan gave Ling Wuyuan a Floating Rune Warship with speed and defenses useful against Enlightened Intent Realm cultivators.
• Ling Wuyuan accepted the warship and thanked Di Zixuan, who regarded the gift as an investment in their future relationship.
• Ling Wuyuan secretly possessed many looted Floating Rune Warships but could not use them without risking their origins being discovered.

Di Zixuan explained that he had given Ling Wuyuan the Floating Rune Warship as an investment in a youth he believed could surpass him. After a day of travel, Ling Wuyuan recognized the warship’s immense value, resolved to repay the favor, and prepared to confront someone who had secretly followed him.

• Di Zixuan told his trusted subordinate that he believed Ling Wuyuan had extraordinary potential and that helping him was a worthwhile investment.
• Di Zixuan said he had used Song Jie’s information to infer that Ling Wuyuan needed transportation and was pleased he had found a way to offer the warship.
• Ling Wuyuan traveled for another day aboard the Floating Rune Warship, which moved at over one hundred times the speed of sound in low-power mode.
• Ling Wuyuan saw that the warship contained lavish furnishings and precious spirit plants, and decided he would repay Di Zixuan’s favor.
• Ling Wuyuan headed to the deck and stored the warship in his spatial treasure before facing the person who had followed him for a day.

Ling Wuyuan confronted Yi Yunhe alone in the sky and dismissed his questions about Yi Yunhe’s identity and intentions. After letting Yi Yunhe prepare, Ling Wuyuan launched the first attack with Abyssal Divine Speed, leaving the outcome of their battle unresolved.

• Ling Wuyuan sensed Yi Yunhe’s malice from roughly thirty kilometers away and watched him appear in the sky.
• Yi Yunhe suspected Ling Wuyuan had lured him into an encirclement, then realized no one else was nearby.
• Ling Wuyuan drew his weapon and told Yi Yunhe that he would die there.
• Yi Yunhe questioned Ling Wuyuan’s confidence and urged him to recognize their difference in strength, then prepared to fight.
• Ling Wuyuan said he was not curious about Yi Yunhe’s origins and intentions because Yi Yunhe was his enemy.
• After Yi Yunhe finished preparing, Ling Wuyuan accelerated with Abyssal Divine Speed and charged, creating a tremendous shockwave and intense heat.

Ling Wuyuan increased his speed and attacked Yi Yunhe with overwhelming force, forcing Yi Yunhe to burn his life force to respond. Their weapons collided in a catastrophic blast that devastated the surrounding region, leaving the outcome of their fight unclear.

• Yi Yunhe was startled by Ling Wuyuan’s speed but judged that his abilities were still within his control.
• Ling Wuyuan read Yi Yunhe’s confidence and boosted his movement with true qi and unpredictable footwork while keeping his acceleration multiplier unchanged.
• Ling Wuyuan’s enhanced speed created immense air resistance, turning the air before his sword into a destructive force and heating his weapon toward melting.
• Yi Yunhe realized Ling Wuyuan had been holding back, drew a treasured sword, and burned his life force to gain enough speed to react.
• Ling Wuyuan and Yi Yunhe’s swords collided, creating a blazing explosion and shockwave that shattered mountains, evaporated rivers, and split the earth across a vast area.

Ling Wuyuan and Yi Yunhe’s clash unleashed a superheated shockwave that annihilated the surrounding wildlife and terrain, putting nearby cultivators and ordinary people in danger. Ling Wuyuan fought through the extreme strain of their high-speed exchange, leaving his arm shattered and burned as the chapter ended.

• Ling Wuyuan and Yi Yunhe’s shockwave instantly reduced a tiger, plants, stones, and soil to ash.
• The battle’s tremors and scorching wind alerted nearby cultivators and ordinary people to the danger.
• Ling Wuyuan focused his killing intent on Yi Yunhe and pushed his body beyond its limits during their fight.
• The recoil from their sword clash split Ling Wuyuan’s skin and cracked the bones in his sword arm.
• The superheated shockwave burned Ling Wuyuan’s injured arm, sealing its wounds at the cost of severe muscle damage.