Chapter Summaries

Ling Wuyuan’s sword lights forced the Subterranean Beasts and the surrounding factions to retreat, but he pressed his attack against one of the beasts despite being surrounded. As the enemy assault closed in, he used lines and points to anticipate their movements and find his best opening.

• The Subterranean Beasts launched their scales and detonated them to slow Ling Wuyuan’s sword lights, then retreated as the blasts disrupted his attack.
• The surrounding demonic beasts and human cultivators also fled, wary of Ling Wuyuan’s strength and ruthless temperament.
• Hua Lishu doubted that Ling Wuyuan had reached the Divine Ability Realm but recognized that ordinary Enlightened Intent Realm cultivators could not match him.
• Ling Wuyuan charged through the shockwaves and aimed a finger strike at a retreating Subterranean Beast.
• The other Subterranean Beasts attacked from all sides to force Ling Wuyuan to defend, but he continued his strike while reading their movements through lines and points.

Ling Wuyuan used his predictive simulations and knowledge of physiology to evade the Subterranean Beasts and turn the fight in his favor. He appeared beside Hua Lishu and agreed to hear the price Hua Lishu would offer to save his life.

• Ling Wuyuan used the [Flawless Circle], his senses, and rapid mental simulations to predict the enemies’ movements and identify the Subterranean Beasts’ weak points.
• Ling Wuyuan activated [Doomfall Calamity] and escaped the Subterranean Beasts’ encirclement in a movement no one could follow.
• Ling Wuyuan appeared beside Hua Lishu and reached for his head before Hua Lishu could react.
• Hua Lishu begged Ling Wuyuan to spare him and offered to buy his life.
• Ling Wuyuan said he would not kill Hua Lishu if the price was right and asked him to name it.

Ling Wuyuan effortlessly killed the Subterranean Beasts, demonic beasts, and most of Hua Lishu’s colleagues, then demanded a high enough price to spare the survivors. Hua Lishu offered vital information to buy their lives.

• Hua Lishu realized Ling Wuyuan’s sudden attack had killed nearly everyone around them with a single strike to the forehead.
• Ling Wuyuan collected the corpses and their spoils, while Hua Lishu suspected he was an evil-path cultivator hiding his true appearance.
• Ling Wuyuan told Hua Lishu that he and the survivors would live only if he paid enough, and that their belongings could not count as payment.
• Hua Lishu endured his humiliation and offered a piece of vital information in exchange for their lives.

Hua Lishu offered Ling Wuyuan information about a Heavenly Star Gold Stone beneath the Demon Luo Tree Sea in exchange for his life. Ling Wuyuan became interested and learned that the stone remained buried deep underground, while the danger surrounding it had been triggered by Hua Lishu’s team.

• Hua Lishu asked whether Ling Wuyuan knew of the Heavenly Star Gold Stone, and Ling Wuyuan recognized it as a treasure said to grant great power.
• Ling Wuyuan inferred that Hua Lishu’s secret mission had been to find the stone and asked whether Hua Lishu knew its location.
• Hua Lishu revealed that a Heavenly Star Gold Stone lay five hundred thousand meters underground beneath them and that disturbing its power had opened a passage to the underground world.
• Hua Lishu explained that the Subterranean Beasts drove his team away before they could take the stone and that it should still be there.
• Hua Lishu argued that the Subterranean Beasts would not have noticed the unactivated stone and that its connection to the earth veins showed no sign of being severed.

Ling Wuyuan questioned Hua Lishu about the Heavenly Star Gold Stone, then took the group’s belongings and let them go. After killing two men who had secretly held something back, he headed down toward the earth to obtain the treasure.

• Ling Wuyuan asked Hua Lishu what the Heavenly Star Gold Stone could do, and Hua Lishu explained that it could strengthen qualified people and uncover their potential.
• Ling Wuyuan ordered Hua Lishu and his subordinates to surrender their spatial items and valuables, and they handed them over.
• Ling Wuyuan used his ability to detect lies to identify two men who had kept something, and killed them with extreme heat.
• Ling Wuyuan honored his promise and let Hua Lishu and the others flee, while Hua Lishu looked back at him as he departed.
• Ling Wuyuan waited until the group was far away, then plunged toward the earth to obtain the treasure.

Ling Wuyuan plunged hundreds of thousands of meters underground, smashing through Subterranean Beasts and adapting to the hostile depths. He discovered two powerful Enlightened Intent Realm Subterranean Beasts blocking his path and charged them, determined to finish the fight before stronger enemies emerged.

• Ling Wuyuan plunged underground at extreme speed, creating a vast crater and crushing numerous weaker Subterranean Beasts.
• Ling Wuyuan continued descending through increasingly resistant rock, reaching depths of four hundred thousand meters as his speed slowed.
• Two exceptionally powerful Enlightened Intent Realm Subterranean Beasts concealed themselves underground and waited to ambush Ling Wuyuan.
• Ling Wuyuan detected the two Subterranean Beasts with his sixth sense, and they revealed themselves and attacked him.
• Ling Wuyuan charged into a head-on clash with both beasts, intent on ending the fight quickly before Divine Ability Realm enemies emerged from the spacetime passage.

Ling Wuyuan used his speed and [Doomfall Calamity] to kill two powerful Subterranean Beasts and continued toward the spatial passage. As he encountered fewer reinforcements, he concluded that the passage likely could not support stronger Subterranean Beasts crossing for now.

• Ling Wuyuan used [Abyssal Divine Speed] and [Doomfall Calamity] to expose the two Subterranean Beasts’ weaknesses and kill them with a single sword strike.
• Ling Wuyuan collected the two corpses in his spatial ring and continued downward without stopping.
• Ling Wuyuan defeated the few Subterranean Beasts he encountered farther along, including only two at the [Spirit Infusion Realm].
• Ling Wuyuan sensed abundant earth vein energy and reasoned that the lack of powerful reinforcements was likely due to the spatial passage’s limits.

Ling Wuyuan found the Heavenly Star Gold Stone and felt an overwhelming instinctive craving for it, but he refused to let instinct control him. After noticing the earth-vein energy surrounding the stone, he killed the Subterranean Beasts guarding a nearby spacetime passage, just as a powerful will descended through it.

• Ling Wuyuan sensed the Heavenly Star Gold Stone nearby and followed the precise direction revealed by his sudden craving.
• Ling Wuyuan found the half-meter golden stone and suppressed the hunger it stirred in his body, soul, and Abyssal Divine Speed.
• Ling Wuyuan sensed that earth-vein energy enveloped the stone and that forcibly removing it could trigger a massive eruption or earthquake.
• Ling Wuyuan saw a spacetime passage guarded by several thousand Subterranean Beasts and killed them with a single hand blade.
• A will descended through the spacetime passage, filling the cavern with an intense chill.

Ling Wuyuan took the Heavenly Star Gold Stone from an earth vein while a powerful Subterranean Beast will tried to recruit him. He left the invader and spacetime passage untouched, saying he was just passing by, as the damaged earth vein erupted into chaos.

• A powerful Subterranean Beast projected its will through the spacetime passage and offered Ling Wuyuan strength and wealth in exchange for joining its faction.
• Ling Wuyuan refused, explaining that he had no interest in joining a faction of another race.
• The Subterranean Beast will tried to persuade Ling Wuyuan to cooperate, but he drew his blade and targeted an earth vein instead of the spacetime passage.
• Ling Wuyuan removed the Heavenly Star Gold Stone and left without attacking the passage or paying further attention to the will.
• When the will asked why he had come, Ling Wuyuan replied that he was just passing by, and the damaged earth vein began to run wild.

Ling Wuyuan provoked the Subterranean Beasts by taking the [Heavenly Star Gold Stone], triggering an earth-vein eruption that shook their spacetime passage. He then attacked nearby earth veins to draw the Demon Luo Tree Sea’s demonic beast overlords into conflict with the Subterranean Beasts, leaving a Divine Ability Realm demonic beast rushing toward the disturbance.

• The Subterranean Beasts’ projected will grew furious when Ling Wuyuan claimed he had merely been passing by after wiping out its vanguard and entering its territory.
• An earth vein erupted near the spacetime passage, violently shaking it and alarming the projected will.
• Ling Wuyuan ignored the will’s anger and struck other nearby earth veins while deliberately avoiding the passage.
• The resulting earthquakes devastated a region spanning over ten million square kilometers and killed countless beings.
• A Divine Ability Realm demonic beast whose territory covered the region woke and rushed toward the disturbance, advancing Ling Wuyuan’s plan to stir up conflict.

Hua Lishu watched the earth-vein disturbance caused by Ling Wuyuan devastate the land and feared the crisis would expose their search for the Heavenly Star Gold Stone. He concluded that if Ling Wuyuan had taken the stone, recovering it might still be possible, and began considering how to explain the failed operation to his superiors.

• Hua Lishu watched earthquakes, storms, and collapsing terrain kill countless living beings as Ling Wuyuan made his move.
• Hua Lishu recalled that the Chasing Maple Dynasty had searched the Demon Luo Tree Sea for the Heavenly Star Gold Stone for thousands of years before his team found genuine clues.
• Hua Lishu and his team tried to take the stone secretly, but the opening of a passage to the underground world and the arrival of Subterranean Beasts ruined their plan.
• Hua Lishu realized the open passage could soon alert the Demon Luo Tree Sea's demon beast overlords, making it impossible for his team to take the stone themselves.
• Hua Lishu decided that Ling Wuyuan taking the stone could be the better outcome and began planning how to report the failure to his superiors.

Ling Wuyuan discovered that his instincts urged him to eat the half-meter-wide Heavenly Star Gold Stone, but he could neither bite nor cut it. He used his Gray Mist as an energy-state feeding organ, and when it touched the stone, a strange halo appeared as visions of a golden star in a deep blue ocean entered his mind.

• Ling Wuyuan examined the Heavenly Star Gold Stone and sensed that its energy made him hungry.
• Ling Wuyuan failed to crush or cut the stone and wondered how he could eat it.
• Ling Wuyuan realized his Gray Mist could corrode and absorb energy, making it an independent feeding organ.
• Ling Wuyuan covered the Heavenly Star Gold Stone with Gray Mist, triggering a deep halo and a vision of a golden star in a vast blue ocean.

Ling Wuyuan read a fleeting vision from the Heavenly Star Gold Stone, but found that the memory kept fading because he could not yet comprehend or retain its information. As the stone’s energy merged with the gray mist and nourished him while he fell asleep, his body and soul began to transform, and Abyssal Divine Speed consumed most of the energy.

• Ling Wuyuan saw a dark blue sea of luminous energy and a golden star that he recognized as the source of the Heavenly Star Gold Stone.
• Ling Wuyuan realized that the vision was fading from his memory and that neither recalling it nor trying to draw it could preserve it.
• Ling Wuyuan used a memory-sealing technique, but it only slowed the loss, leading him to conclude that his strength was insufficient to retain the information.
• As Ling Wuyuan grew drowsy, the gray mist drew energy from the Heavenly Star Gold Stone and returned nourishment to his body and soul.
• Ling Wuyuan's body and soul underwent a fundamental improvement, while Abyssal Divine Speed consumed most of the stone's high-quality energy and began to develop further.

After escaping Demon Luo Tree Sea, Hua Lishu reported that the exploration team had found Heavenly Star Gold Stone but lost it after a disastrous encounter. He framed his decision to reveal the treasure to Ling Wuyuan as a strategic move, leaving the Chasing Maple Dynasty’s leaders unsure whether he had acted wisely or simply feared death.

• Six days after fleeing Demon Luo Tree Sea, Hua Lishu reached a Chasing Maple Dynasty stronghold alone and reported catastrophic casualties and the loss of the supplies.
• The stronghold’s personnel arranged an urgent contact with the Country Lord after Hua Lishu said the team had found the legendary treasure.
• The dynasty’s leaders questioned Hua Lishu through a projection and asked whether he had deliberately revealed Heavenly Star Gold Stone to Ling Wuyuan rather than acting out of fear.
• Hua Lishu claimed he had judged that an evil-path cultivator offered the dynasty a better chance to recover the stone than the monster beast overlords or Subterranean Beasts.
• The leaders and stronghold administrators considered his explanation plausible, while Hua Lishu secretly sweated and maintained a solemn expression.

Hua Lishu reframed his past failures as attempts to survive, but still received punishment after reporting Ling Wuyuan’s appearance. The people in the secret chamber decided to investigate Ling Wuyuan and recover the Heavenly Star Gold Stone, believing his youthful face was a disguise.

• Hua Lishu used his explanations to make his failure seem more reparable, though he could not avoid punishment because he had not recovered the Heavenly Star Gold Stone.
• Hua Lishu handed over a portrait of Ling Wuyuan and left the secret chamber to receive his punishment.
• After Hua Lishu left, the figures in the secret chamber discussed investigating Ling Wuyuan and concluded that his youthful face was probably fake.
• The figures proposed investigating disguise specialists in neighboring nations and using their connections and information networks to uncover Ling Wuyuan’s identity.
• The figures agreed to act discreetly and recover the Heavenly Star Gold Stone, unaware that it could be eaten.

After several days of slumber, Ling Wuyuan awoke with a fully sublimated body and soul, gaining greater strength, perception, energy control, and comprehension. He discovered that [Abyssal Divine Speed] had also granted him [Reaction Force—Damage Resistance], reducing the damage he suffered from forces he exerted himself.

• Ling Wuyuan awoke from his slumber as the gray mist dispersed, revealing his drastically changed body.
• Ling Wuyuan adapted to his growth and found that his thinking, perception, recovery, true qi, and control over spiritual energy had greatly improved.
• Ling Wuyuan sensed that [Abyssal Divine Speed] now caused far fewer side effects than before.
• Ling Wuyuan discovered that [Abyssal Divine Speed] had extended into [Reaction Force], reducing the reaction-force damage he suffered by at least one-third.
• Ling Wuyuan realized that [Abyssal Divine Speed] could interfere with intangible rules or concepts, not merely accelerate him.

Ling Wuyuan marveled at how [Abyssal Divine Speed] had evolved to erase all reaction-force damage caused by his own strength. After absorbing energy from the Heavenly Star Gold Stone, he reached the limit of the [Divine Sense Stage] and expected to break through to the [Enlightened Intent Realm] within half a month.

• Ling Wuyuan considered how [Abyssal Divine Speed] might someday reduce physical damage from forces produced by others as well.
• Ling Wuyuan entered the [Divine Sense Stage] after absorbing some of the energy inside the Heavenly Star Gold Stone.
• Ling Wuyuan reached the stage’s limit and realized he could advance to the [Enlightened Intent Realm] within half a month.
• Ling Wuyuan sensed his strength growing automatically as his life level continued to rise and spiritual qi flowed toward him.
• Ling Wuyuan compared his effortless growth to Pei Yi’s special physique and recognized that reaching a bottleneck could later discourage people like her.

After his life-level elevation, Ling Wuyuan adapted to his increased power and considered returning to the Southern Region himself rather than waiting for the Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion. He also found that the Heavenly Star Gold Stone still held energy he could absorb after stabilizing his cultivation.

• Ling Wuyuan reflected on how Yuan Yujun had carefully guided Pei Yiman to avoid relying too heavily on her talent.
• Ling Wuyuan calmly accepted his newfound power, crediting his past hardships for keeping him grounded.
• Ling Wuyuan considered growing to the Divine Ability Realm and returning to the Southern Region before the sea race invasion ended.
• Ling Wuyuan examined the Heavenly Star Gold Stone and sensed that it still contained abundant energy for him to absorb later.

After absorbing the [Heavenly Star Gold Stone], Ling Wuyuan reflected on his life-level breakthrough and expected his strength to keep rising toward the Enlightened Intent Realm. Meanwhile, the Chasing Maple Dynasty launched a broad search for him, but the organizations it contacted mistook his striking appearance for a disguise and began pursuing the wrong lead.

• Ling Wuyuan recognized that the [Heavenly Star Gold Stone] had greatly advanced his life level, though its remaining energy would mainly increase his strength.
• Ling Wuyuan judged that he could now easily defeat the nameless Divine Ability Realm cultivator he had fought before, and anticipated further growth toward the Enlightened Intent Realm.
• Ling Wuyuan considered the risks of absorbing energy too quickly and chose steady cultivation unless circumstances forced him to prioritize survival.
• The Chasing Maple Dynasty contacted intelligence organizations, assassins, and unorthodox sects to investigate Ling Wuyuan, describing him as an exceptionally disguised young man with gray hair and gray eyes.
• The organizations learned that Ling Wuyuan had killed two Enlightened Intent Realm cultivators and assumed the Dynasty was making an example of a rebel.
• The organizations saw Ling Wuyuan's portrait and concluded that his distinctive appearance must be a disguise, deciding to search for his supposed true identity.

Chu Yinglei discovered that the Chasing Maple Dynasty had circulated a bounty mission for Ling Wuyuan and submitted intelligence that badly misrepresented him. Knowing his real identity and cultivation, she decided to alert Wenying Tower’s Tower Master.

• People across the Northern Domain reacted to Ling Wuyuan’s portrait, mistaking him for a dead man whose face had been skinned and altered.
• Chu Yinglei noticed the Chasing Maple Dynasty’s mission while reviewing news at the News Report.
• Chu Yinglei found the dynasty’s claims that Ling Wuyuan was a disguised, long-hidden unorthodox cultivator at the Enlightened Intent Realm implausible.
• Chu Yinglei recalled that Ling Wuyuan was an orthodox sect member who had recently reached the Spirit Infusion Realm, though he had killed two Enlightened Intent Realm cultivators.
• Chu Yinglei decided to send the news to the Tower Master and ask for an opinion.