Chapter Summaries

Ling Wuyuan had already gained agelessness and powerful Undying Nature, leaving him able to advance to the Immortal Realm at any time. He chose to keep refining and strengthening his foundation instead, while struggling to prevent his extraordinary cultivation from pushing him into the next realm prematurely.

• The chapter explained that Eternal Life Realm cultivators gained ageless bodies and souls that remained at their peak unless exceptional forces affected them.
• Ling Wuyuan’s Gray Mist Transformation and growing vitality gave him an Undying Nature so powerful that his clones could survive repeated destruction.
• Ke Mingyu and the others could not kill Ling Wuyuan’s clone and eventually detonated the Immortal King Seal to suppress its Undying Nature.
• Ling Wuyuan had long met the requirements to advance to the Immortal Realm, but he wanted to perfect his foundation before doing so.
• Ling Wuyuan continually compressed and refined his already vast True Essence to resist his natural, ever-increasing progress toward advancement.

Ling Wuyuan worried that his rapid advancement could outpace his preparation, so he focused on perfecting every aspect of his current realm. Xi Xianlan and the others welcomed him back after he resolved his task smoothly and reaffirmed their support for his decisions.

• Ling Wuyuan reflected on how his linked Special Abilities made his progress so fast that he had to carefully suppress advancement and strengthen his realm’s limits.
• He considered rebuilding his realm but concluded that his main body could not take the risks his avatars could, despite the Void Mist Sea offering a way to resurrect.
• Xi Xianlan and the others entered after sensing his return through the Gray Mist Imprint and asked why he had come back so quickly.
• Ling Wuyuan said the task had gone smoothly and efficiently, surprising even him.
• Xi Xianlan and the others expressed relief and chose to support Ling Wuyuan rather than discourage him from taking risks.

Ling Wuyuan explained how much stronger he had become and upgraded the Gray Mist Imprint so its holders could be revived after death. A year later, his Undying Nature had transformed to the point that even powerful Immortal Realm cultivators could not destroy his avatar, leaving him to consider how exceptional Innate Divine Abilities might compare.

• Ling Wuyuan told Xi Xianlan and the others about his strength and demonstrated the Gray Mist Imprint's new Revival effect.
• Ling Wuyuan explained that the imprint could retrieve and revive holders whose souls had not been completely annihilated, and Xi Xianlan and the others welcomed the added protection.
• Another year passed as Ling Wuyuan's power and Undying Nature continued to grow and evolve.
• Ling Wuyuan judged that Ke Mingyu and others could suppress or seal his avatar but could not destroy it, even with the Xikong Immortal Realm's laws supporting them.
• Ling Wuyuan concluded that only exceptionally powerful Innate Divine Abilities or special opportunities might rival his Undying Nature.

Ling Wuyuan reflected on the limits of his current immortality and his preparations for the coming turmoil at the [Black Omen Battlefield]. As [Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion] and its surrounding [Domains] became ready for his coronation, he set it for New Year's Day, marking both a new year and a new era.

• Ling Wuyuan considered how far he remained from flawless [Ageless Immortality] and concluded that he needed to focus on the present while preparing for the [Black Omen Battlefield].
• Su Qingyue approached Ling Wuyuan and asked whether the coronation date had been decided.
• Ling Wuyuan announced that the coronation ceremony would take place on New Year's Day, nine months and three days away.
• Su Qingyue asked whether Ling Wuyuan planned to advance into the [Immortal Realm] on that date, and he explained that he wanted the final year under the old era name to have a fitting beginning and end.
• Su Qingyue agreed that the date suited a new year and a new era.

Ling Wuyuan told Su Qingyue he expected to advance to the Immortal Realm in about five months, and she left to prepare for the New Year ceremony. When Wu Yanlian and the others discussed their future titles, Ling Wuyuan declared that they would all be empresses, while the newborn nation continued taking shape despite its leaders’ casual attitude.

• Ling Wuyuan told Su Qingyue he expected to advance to the Immortal Realm in about five months, and she trusted his prediction.
• Su Qingyue departed to refine preparations for the New Year ceremony and the remaining months before it.
• Wu Yanlian asked whether she would become empress, and Bai Jingshu scolded her for trying to claim Pei Yiman’s position.
• Yan Xiujin and the others discussed choosing grand titles, so Ling Wuyuan declared that they would all be empresses and could choose titles as they pleased.
• Ling Wuyuan treated the nation as a practical organization and a source of spectacle, while the others cared little about its traditions.
• The preparations continued smoothly as the trend of the newborn nation gradually took shape around Ling Wuyuan.

As Ling Wuyuan’s New Year enthronement was proclaimed across the world, his power left dissenters unable to resist. In Shu Wu City, Yang Zutao reflected on his long-ago encounter with Ling Wuyuan and quietly wished him well, grateful that he had once saved Yang’s family.

• Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion spread Ling Wuyuan’s enthronement date through golden proclamations that appeared across the sky.
• Residents of Golden Mist Continent, especially those who had known Ling Wuyuan in his early days, reacted with complicated feelings to his rise.
• White Mist Country grew crowded as migrants poured in, while cultivators used their abilities to sustain the expanding population.
• In Shu Wu City, Yang Zutao watched the proclamation and remembered meeting Ling Wuyuan at Black Falling Mountain Mining Camp.
• Yang Zutao felt nostalgic and relieved, and silently thanked Ling Wuyuan for saving his family years earlier.

Guan Xiangfei raised a toast to Ling Wuyuan after seeing the golden characters and rosy light in the sky, and Ling Wuyuan sensed his gesture through their karmic connection. Ling Wuyuan annihilated the beasts that roared in response, and a colossal gray eye appeared in a rift above the world.

• Former companions of Ling Wuyuan learned through reports and rumors how far he had risen, and many felt complicated emotions about their past with him.
• While training in a primordial mountain range, Guan Xiangfei saw the signs in the sky, raised a bottle of wine, and congratulated Ling Wuyuan from afar.
• The wild beasts and demonic beasts mistook Guan Xiangfei's shout for a challenge and roared back at him.
• Ling Wuyuan sensed Guan Xiangfei's toast through their karmic connection and struck down every beast that roared.
• Living beings across hundreds of thousands of kilometers felt terror or reverence as a vast rift opened in the sky and revealed a colossal dark gray pupil.

Ling Wuyuan shared a distant toast with Guan Xiangfei, then told Pei Yiman that he expected to advance to the Immortal Realm that night. While grilling barbecue for Pei Yiman and the others, his Undying Nature completed its transformation and he heard the rhythm of the world again.

• A gigantic eye appeared over White Mist Country, terrifying witnesses, but Ling Wuyuan focused on Guan Xiangfei.
• Guan Xiangfei toasted Ling Wuyuan from afar, and Ling Wuyuan returned the toast on Ice Mist Snow Island.
• Pei Yiman asked whether Guan Xiangfei and the others should be brought to attend Ling Wuyuan's coronation, but he declined.
• Ling Wuyuan told Pei Yiman he would likely advance to the Immortal Realm that night and reassured her that he needed no preparation.
• While grilling barbecue for Pei Yiman and the others, Ling Wuyuan's Undying Nature finished transforming, and he heard the world's strange rhythm.

Ling Wuyuan heard the World Rhythm in his Sea of Consciousness, rapidly gaining knowledge and strengthening his Immortal Realm foundation before returning to grilling barbecue. Pei Yiman and the others unknowingly ate his intensely spicy skewers, and Ling Wuyuan explained that the special peppers were nourishing spiritual medicine.

• Ling Wuyuan immersed himself in the World Rhythm and used his three Innate Divine Abilities to absorb knowledge, settle his power, and strengthen his Immortal Realm foundation.
• The World Rhythm faded, and Ling Wuyuan returned to grilling his late-night barbecue while Pei Yiman and the others noticed nothing unusual.
• Yao Yueyan bit into a skewer and was overwhelmed by its heat, while Ling Wuyuan insisted that some of the skewers were only mildly spicy.
• Pei Yiman and the others tried the barbecue and found the hidden spice too intense to judge by sight.
• Yan Xiujin complained that the peppers hurt her stomach and accused Ling Wuyuan of trying to poison her.
• Ling Wuyuan explained that he had chosen a special variety of chili pepper that could be consumed as spiritual medicine to strengthen the body and nourish the foundation.

Ling Wuyuan explained that Yan Xiujin’s discomfort came from overeating medicinal food, then revealed that he had already advanced to the Immortal Realm. As Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion prepared for its enthronement ceremony, strange auspicious phenomena appeared across the surrounding Domains.

• Ling Wuyuan told Yan Xiujin that she had indigestion and rubbed her belly to help her absorb the medicinal power.
• Pei Suxia asked Ling Wuyuan why he had not shown any signs of advancing to the Immortal Realm, and he revealed that his advancement was already complete.
• Ling Wuyuan recounted how he had advanced, astonishing Yan Xiujin and the others.
• Ling Wuyuan kept his advancement from affecting preparations for Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion’s formal enthronement ceremony.
• As the ceremony drew near, strange auspicious signs appeared throughout the surrounding Domains.

On New Year's Day, immense streams of spiritual energy converged on the Silver Mist Sea Domain as a vast fortune vortex formed around the being represented by a dark-gray vertical eye. Experts realized that the soon-to-be-crowned emperor held absolute power over the surrounding Domains, leaving them with only the choice of submission or death.

• Hundreds of millions of spiritual-energy dragons surged from surrounding Domains toward the Silver Mist Sea Domain, accompanied by miraculous signs across the land and sea.
• Powerful experts skilled in divination and prophecy sensed a super-sized vortex of fortune beyond their ability to measure or see through.
• The experts realized the vortex represented an authority that ruled the surrounding Domains and drew in the fortune of all who lived there.
• They saw a gigantic dark-gray vertical eye at the vortex's center and recognized the power of the being about to be crowned emperor.
• The experts understood that the emperor could effortlessly slaughter the surrounding Domains, leaving them no choice but death or submission.

Ling Wuyuan’s overwhelming power stunned the surrounding domains and the guests gathered near Ice Mist Snow Island, making them reconsider whether they could resist him. As he quietly maintained his power, the guests interpreted the pressure as a test and felt honored rather than insulted.

• Powerhouses across the surrounding domains saw the sky-filling phenomena and questioned Ling Wuyuan’s realm and strength.
• The surrounding domains concluded that resistance against the Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion’s new expert was futile, though some still privately planned to pursue their own interests.
• Guests in the Silver Mist Sea Domain sensed Ling Wuyuan’s immense power from Ice Mist Snow Island and struggled to keep their reason and composure.
• The guests realized Ling Wuyuan was holding back his power, and they took the pressure as a test of their endurance.
• The guests felt reverence and flattery at being tested by Ling Wuyuan, whose strength far surpassed their own.

Ling Wuyuan’s enthronement ceremony dazzled the assembled crowds, while gifts of spiritual medicine spread across his territories. Ten years later, the Illusory Mist Realm Country had expanded to more than ten thousand Domains, and its overwhelming force had made resistance seem futile.

• Floating Rune Warships formed elaborate decorative barriers and broadcast the enthronement ceremony across the Domains under Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion’s rule.
• At the appointed moment, Ling Wuyuan appeared above the ceremonial platform as guests approached and knelt to welcome his enthronement.
• Ling Wuyuan’s ceremony released spiritual medicine droplets that spread opportunities throughout the territories under his command.
• Over the following ten years, the Illusory Mist Realm Country expanded its territory twenty to thirty times and ruled more than ten thousand Domains.
• The Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion subdued thousands of Void Glimpse Realm cultivators and three Heavenly Position Realm cultivators using powerful metal puppets.

Illusory Mist Realm Country’s expansion and terrifying metal puppets left the surrounding Domains powerless, while its mysterious gray mist remained impossible to study. Unorthodox cultivators, unable to flee ahead of the empire, either chose to resist or began turning toward righteousness.

• Illusory Mist Realm Country’s metal puppets frightened the native powerhouses, who believed the machines could slaughter them without Ling Wuyuan intervening.
• People across the empire’s territories saw gray mist appear in places of every kind, but their attempts to study its origins and movement failed.
• Demonic cultivators and unorthodox practitioners became cautious as Illusory Mist Realm Country rapidly expanded and threatened their survival.
• Some unorthodox cultivators chose to die pursuing their Dao, while others abandoned their old ways and declared themselves righteous cultivators.

Ling Wuyuan had built the Sixteen Island Ring Continent around Ice Mist Snow Island as the Imperial Capital of Illusory Mist Realm Country, and the vast new territory had begun to develop. As Su Qingyue reported on the empire’s affairs, Ling Wuyuan urged her to relax and explained that he had been handling matters in his own way.

• Ling Wuyuan shaped sixteen crescent islands around Ice Mist Snow Island, creating the Sixteen Island Ring Continent as the Imperial Capital and a defensive barrier.
• After ten years, vegetation and scattered cities had spread across the ring continent, which was beginning to attract humans and other races.
• Su Qingyue told Ling Wuyuan that expansion had stopped while the empire focused on absorbing its more than ten thousand domains, though other domains still sought to surrender.
• Ling Wuyuan invited the overworked Su Qingyue to sit and eat, then said rulers should delegate routine matters and manage the overall direction.
• Ling Wuyuan told Su Qingyue that he had been handling important matters, though not the same responsibilities she was managing.

Ling Wuyuan considered his covert plans, including turning the Sixteen Island Ring Continent and Imperial Palace into the Illusory Mist Realm Country’s control hub while keeping watch on the Black Omen Battlefield. He remained ready for the True Abundant Spirit Realm and Illusory Color Extreme Profound Heaven to go to war, hoping to profit without letting either side win, and judged that he had advanced from a roadside ant to a wild trash fish.

• Su Qingyue asked Ling Wuyuan what major secret work he was doing, then encouraged him and returned to eating when he did not explain.
• Ling Wuyuan continued adjusting the Illusory Mist Realm Country’s spirit veins and earth veins so the Imperial Palace could control the nation’s natural environments.
• Ling Wuyuan observed that conflicts between the True Abundant Spirit Realm and the Illusory Color Extreme Profound Heaven were escalating toward a possible decisive war in the Black Omen Battlefield.
• Ling Wuyuan decided to keep watching the battlefield and preserve his strength, since he wanted to profit from the conflict without allowing either side to win.
• Ling Wuyuan compared his former strength to a roadside ant and his current strength to a wild trash fish, looking forward to becoming a named elite monster and beyond.

Ling Wuyuan reflected on whether to pursue the [Fate Defiance Realm] while reuniting with Pei Yiman and the others, whose strength and bearing had changed over the years. Yan Xiujin remained far behind the others in cultivation, leaving her frustrated as the story ended.

• Ling Wuyuan decided not to force his advancement to the [Fate Defiance Realm] and considered waiting to take advantage of the coming war.
• Pei Yiman and the others appeared beside Ling Wuyuan, and he observed how their temperaments had grown more composed over the past ten years.
• Pei Yiman had entered the [True Form Realm] and could easily defeat Yuan Yujun, prompting Yuan Yujun to resume rigorous training under Ling Wuyuan's guidance.
• Xi Xianlan, Bai Jingshu, Wu Yanlian, Yao Yueyan, and Pei Suxia advanced to the [Divine Ability Realm], while Yan Xiujin remained in the [Enlightened Intent Realm].
• Yan Xiujin seethed at being suppressed by her teacher and Senior Sisters and wished Ling Wuyuan would help her advance several realms through a dual cultivation secret art.

Yan Xiujin was caught fantasizing about becoming powerful enough to overpower her fellow disciples, but Ling Wuyuan changed the subject by discussing how to use the subdued Xikong Immortal Realm. The group then turned to the immense National Ambient Spiritual Energy Intensity Adjustment Plan, which Ling Wuyuan intended to pursue to create better conditions for powerful cultivators.

• Yan Xiujin imagined becoming the strongest and suppressing her fellow disciples, but Wu Yanlian slapped the back of her head and questioned her suspicious smile.
• Wu Yanlian and Yao Yueyan agreed that Yan Xiujin had been plotting something, while Ling Wuyuan diverted their attention to serious matters.
• Ling Wuyuan proposed drawing the Xikong Immortal Realm closer to the Illusory Mist Realm Country and building a permanent teleportation gate between them.
• Ling Wuyuan explained that the Xikong Immortal Realm's resources and powerful inhabitants could help nurture experts in the Illusory Mist Realm Country.
• Pei Suxia asked whether Ling Wuyuan would next implement the National Ambient Spiritual Energy Intensity Adjustment Plan, a vast effort to strengthen the country's spiritual energy.

Ling Wuyuan explained how raising spiritual energy across the Illusory Mist Realm Country could strengthen its inhabitants and increase the Law of Karma he harvested through the Torrent of Destiny. He planned to make the country a sustainable resource base, leaving him a way to meet his cultivation needs without migrating to distant realms.

• Ling Wuyuan viewed the National Spiritual Energy Intensity Adjustment Plan as a phased project that would boost the country's spiritual energy, its subjects' strength, and the yield of resources.
• Ling Wuyuan reasoned that the Torrent of Destiny could reward long-term influence more than a simple, one-time harvest, since even a person who grew stronger after his intervention could provide more Law of Karma.
• Ling Wuyuan intended to turn the Illusory Mist Realm Country into his resource supply base, believing the gray mist and his influence left its inhabitants unable to resist his control.
• Ling Wuyuan relied on Law of Karma for daily cultivation because the local spiritual energy could no longer sustain him, and he saw the plan as a way to avoid relocating to distant realms.

Ling Wuyuan planned to advance his territory’s spiritual-energy adjustment and expand the Illusory Mist Realm Country, while relying on the Xikong Immortal Realm for cultivation resources. Far away, powerful figures in Illusory Color Extreme Profound Heaven argued over how to keep pursuing the True Abundant Spirit Realm.

• Ling Wuyuan considered using superintelligent AIs or rune Tower Spirits to ease the overloaded departments in his new nation.
• Ling Wuyuan reflected that controlling the Xikong Immortal Realm let him harvest the Law of Karma and meet his cultivation needs.
• Ling Wuyuan decided he could strengthen the Xikong Immortal Realm alongside the Nationwide Spiritual Energy Intensity Adjustment Plan.
• The chapter described Starlight Heavens and explained that only powerful Boundless Realm or peak Dominion Realm cultivators could rule one as Star Lords.
• Powerful figures gathered in Illusory Color Extreme Profound Heaven argued over resources and personnel after repeatedly failing to conquer the True Abundant Spirit Realm.