Chapter Summaries

Chen Luo endured the fourth and fifth thunder tribulations with a Spirit Artifact Chessboard, the Grotto-heaven Gourd, and the Qionghua Sect’s inherited Grand Void Sword. As the sixth tribulation began to brew, he and Grudge searched for a way to survive the remaining strikes.

• Chen Luo used Thick Earth Talismans and a Spirit Artifact Chessboard to split the fourth tribulation lightning, then absorbed its power alongside the Grotto-heaven Gourd.
• Chen Luo drew out the Qionghua Sect imprint and received the Ninth Generation Grand Void Divine Sword from Grand Void Ancestor Gu He's inheritance.
• Chen Luo used the Grand Void Sword to cleave the fifth thunder tribulation, absorbing its scattered power before collapsing from exhaustion.
• As the sixth tribulation began to form, Chen Luo consulted Grudge, who identified the Corpse Demon, Grotto-heaven Gourd, and a rare insect as possible defenses.

Chen Luo endured the Seventh Tribulation Lightning with help from the Corpse Demon and Bai Su, who revealed her connection to the Reincarnation Technique before vanishing. Facing the Eighth and Ninth Tribulations without enough support, he retreated into Old Brother Changqing's tomb chamber, leaving the Eighth Tribulation unable to find its target.

• Chen Luo sacrificed the Corpse Demon to absorb the Seventh Tribulation Lightning, and it disintegrated into bone beads.
• Chen Luo drew out the Inner Demon Sect aura, which became a painting that revealed Bai Su; she explained that she had taught Ning Chenye his Soul Transformation Path.
• Bai Su shielded Chen Luo from the Seventh Tribulation Lightning, then disappeared along with the painting after their clash.
• Chen Luo drew out the final aura, which became a White Immortal Cave token, and realized he could not survive the remaining tribulations by relying on the seniors.
• Chen Luo entered Old Brother Changqing's tomb chamber and shut the door, causing the descending Eighth Tribulation Lightning to lose its target.

After completing the ninth thunder tribulation, Chen Luo broke through to the early Soul Transformation Stage and fell into its Inner Demon Tribulation. He woke in a familiar high school classroom and recognized Bai Xiaochuan as part of the trial, then attempted to verify reality by accessing Old Brother Changqing's Brain.

• Chen Luo recovered in Old Brother Changqing's Tomb chamber, then emerged and shattered the Eighth Thunder Tribulation with a punch before retreating to recover.
• Chen Luo endured the Ninth Thunder Tribulation, searched the clouds for another Bone Rune, and found nothing before the clouds vanished.
• Chen Luo broke through to the early Soul Transformation Stage, then entered the Inner Demon Tribulation and returned to Old Brother Changqing's Tomb chamber.
• Chen Luo woke in his former high school classroom beside Bai Xiaochuan and recalled their disastrous overnight gaming session.
• Chen Luo recognized the classroom and Bai Xiaochuan as Heart Demons and tried to confirm the illusion by accessing Old Brother Changqing's Brain.

During his Inner Demon Tribulation, Chen Luo found himself living as a high school student in a modern world where his External Brains could not answer him and spiritual energy seemed absent. After settling into this unfamiliar life, he struck a self-proclaimed qi gong master in a park and later reconsidered how the man had caught his punch.

• Chen Luo failed to summon Old Brother Changqing or any of his other External Brains, then questioned Bai Xiaochuan and learned he was a high school student preparing for the National College Entrance Examination.
• Chen Luo went home to his empty apartment, searched the internet, and discovered that this world was undergoing rapid technological change.
• Chen Luo spent more than a month attending class and trying to cultivate, but he could not sense any spiritual energy.
• An old man in a park claimed to teach true qi gong and invited Chen Luo to punch him, so Chen Luo hit him and knocked him down.
• Chen Luo fled the park, then recalled in class that the old man had caught his punch but lacked the strength to withstand it.

Chen Luo investigated the creature that had threatened him through his apartment wall and learned from He Min and Grandma Hu that it was a Nightmare. After they urged him to seek help at Qingyang Palace, he went to the Great Library, where the Nightmare appeared and Chen Luo attacked it.

• A voice behind Chen Luo’s bedroom wall said it could smell him and told him to wait, then disappeared.
• Chen Luo inspected the neighboring apartment, found no damage to its wall, and decided to visit the Great Library to learn more and gain power.
• On the bus, He Min and Grandma Hu warned Chen Luo that he was in danger from a Nightmare and advised him to go to Qingyang Palace instead of the Great Library.
• Chen Luo recognized He Min and Grandma Hu from his past, reaffirmed that he was in an Inner Demon Tribulation, and noted Qingyang Palace as a possible place to break through it.
• At the Great Library, the lights flickered and the readers vanished; a black-robed Nightmare appeared, and Chen Luo grabbed its face and struck it with a thick dictionary.

Chen Luo confirmed that his External Brain ability still worked, harvested brains at a funeral home, and advanced to Qi Refining Layer Two. After Grandma Hu and He Min explained the Nightmare crisis, he learned that the relevant departments had noticed the Nightmare aura surrounding him.

• Chen Luo escaped the Great Library, commandeered Glasses Man’s car, and went to a funeral home to test whether he could read dead brains.
• Chen Luo collected memories from twenty corpses, returned home, and used them to reach Qi Refining Layer One.
• The relevant departments questioned Chen Luo about the funeral home incident, but he used spiritual power and his student identity to get through it.
• After half a month of cultivation, Chen Luo reached Qi Refining Second Layer and returned to school, where Bai Xiaochuan asked about his absences.
• Grandma Hu, He Min, and an old man visited Chen Luo and explained the origins of Nightmares and humanity’s efforts to contain them.
• The relevant departments revealed that Chen Luo had been targeted by a Nightmare and carried its aura.

Chen Luo met Old Daoist Changqing at Qingyang Palace and learned that he had to immerse himself in the mortal world to overcome his Inner Demon Tribulation. After crushing a low-level Nightmare, Chen Luo decided to follow his current life path and cultivate his heart.

• Bai Xiaochuan complained about being tired and wanting leave, while Chen Luo lectured him about the coming entrance examination.
• Chen Luo went early to Qingyang Palace, where he discovered that Old Daoist Changqing was waiting for him and learned that the Nightmares reflected human hearts.
• Old Daoist Changqing gave Chen Luo the Bewildering Heart Illusion Fist and told him to enter the mortal world, explaining that he was still standing on the shore.
• Chen Luo realized his detachment kept him from finding his inner demon, and decided he needed to immerse himself in his life in this world.
• A Nightmare appeared on a street, and Chen Luo used his awakened spiritual power to drag it from a poster and stomp it to death.
• Chen Luo resolved to follow his current life path, cultivate his heart, and prepare to face stronger Nightmares.

Chen Luo followed Daoist Priest Changqing’s method of entering the mortal world, growing closer to his family and classmates while working errands for Qingyang Palace. After reuniting with Su Linlin and returning to train, he broke through to the Sixth Layer of Illusory Martial Arts, then received a summons from Daoist Priest Changqing.

• Bai Xiaochuan visited Chen Luo, showed him a wound caused by a strange man, and Chen Luo attached Divine Sense to him before contacting Qingyang Palace about the nightmare-related danger.
• Chen Luo’s parents came home after the college entrance examination, and he learned that they worked on the top-secret Isolation Plan; meanwhile, the people within his Inner Demon Tribulation became more vivid to him.
• During summer vacation, Chen Luo met his former classmate Su Linlin while she handed out insurance flyers, warned her that her employers seemed suspicious, and exchanged contact information with her.
• Chen Luo returned to Qingyang Palace and trained alongside Wang Xuedao, Grandma Hu, and He Min, reaching the Sixth Layer of Illusory Martial Arts.
• Daoist Priest Changqing summoned Chen Luo and the three disciples into the temple.

Chen Luo learned that Nightmares were infiltrating humanity and that traitors had damaged the Isolation Barrier, then spent four years cultivating while waiting for an official appointment. After reaching the Eighth Layer, he accepted a post in the newly established Night Affairs Bureau as the human situation worsened.

• Old Daoist Changqing told Chen Luo, Wang Xuedao, and the others that Councilman Ouyang had defected to the Nightmares and that newcomers would be recruited for service Beyond.
• Chen Luo began university with Bai Xiaochuan, attended a gathering with Su Linlin, and continued cultivating while Grandma Hu and the others left Banyan City for their appointments.
• After four years of waiting, Chen Luo officially became recognized as an Illusion Martial Artist and reached the Eighth Layer of Illusory Martial Arts.
• Old Daoist Changqing told Chen Luo that traitors had damaged the Isolation Barrier and that one level-eight Great Grandmaster and three level-seven Grandmasters had died.
• Chen Luo accepted an appointment to the newly established Night Affairs Bureau.

Chen Luo stopped a cult ritual at his old university and killed the councilman Du Jiang’s son despite the danger of political retaliation. After rescuing Su Linlin, he left a mark on her like the one he had placed on Bai Xiaochuan.

• Chen Luo watched a black-robed cultist perform a sacrificial ritual over Su Linlin and another unconscious girl while Mu Xiao Yu and Ao Ye debated whether to intervene.
• When the cultist tried to stab one of the girls, Chen Luo leaped from the eighth-floor rooftop and broke the cultist’s limbs.
• The cultist claimed his father was Du Jiang, a councilman in Banyan City, and Ao Ye urged Chen Luo to endure the situation.
• Chen Luo sensed a force pressing him to choose whether to kill or release the cultist, then crushed his neck and killed him.
• Chen Luo helped Su Linlin up, told Mu Xiao Yu and Ao Ye he would handle the consequences, and left a mark on Su Linlin before departing the campus.

Chen Luo killed Councilman Du Jiang despite Old Daoist Changqing’s warning, then became director of the Rong City Night Affairs Bureau and spent years hunting cultists. Five years later, as he prepared to attend Bai Xiaochuan’s wedding, he ordered another captured cultist killed.

• Chen Luo rejected Old Daoist Changqing’s warning and left Qingyang Palace, ignoring Councilman Du Jiang’s attempted apology.
• Chen Luo went to Du Jiang’s villa that night, where Old Daoist Changqing confronted him and warned that Du Jiang had powerful allies; Chen Luo remained determined to kill him.
• Chen Luo killed Du Jiang and everyone in the villa, then returned to Qingyang Palace with Old Daoist Changqing; authorities questioned him but released him.
• Evidence of Du Jiang’s cult activities and other crimes surfaced, while Nightmare’s followers plotted during a Dream Gathering to continue their sacrifices and target Chen Luo.
• Chen Luo became director of the Rong City Night Affairs Bureau and spent the next five years hunting cultists; at age thirty, he accepted Bai Xiaochuan’s wedding invitation.
• After speaking with Bai Xiaochuan, Chen Luo ordered the execution of a captured cultist, leaving Ao Ye dismayed.

Chen Luo attended Bai Xiaochuan’s wedding and later encountered his old friend at a cultist crime scene, where a Nightmare had manipulated him into killing his pregnant wife and other victims. Forced to choose between protecting Bai Xiaochuan and upholding justice, Chen Luo killed him, then confronted the loneliness and alienation his decision brought.

• Chen Luo attended Bai Xiaochuan’s wedding, then walked and joked with Su Linlin after the celebration.
• Bai Xiaochuan called Chen Luo the next morning to scold him for leaving early and tease him about Su Linlin.
• Two months later, Chen Luo arrived at a cultist ritual site, crushed a newly descended Nightmare, and found Bai Xiaochuan restrained as the suspected killer.
• Bai Xiaochuan pleaded for help, but a Nightmare possessing him revealed that his wife Jun Ru and other victims had been sacrificed and taunted Chen Luo about his choice.
• Chen Luo killed Bai Xiaochuan, ordered the scene handled, and felt the force of his decision as those around him looked at him with fear and distance.
• Chen Luo remembered Old Daoist Changqing’s teaching that one had to enter the world before leaving it to escape calamity.

Ten years after Bai Xiaochuan’s death, Chen Luo faced a coordinated purge of the officials who had opposed the Cult Forces and learned that the Heavenly Barrier was nearing collapse. Though the appointment was a trap meant to draw him into danger, Chen Luo chose to accept it and take up the post of Banyan City’s guardian.

• Chen Luo visited Bai Xiaochuan’s grave, then learned that Old Daoist Changqing had died and attended his funeral with He Min.
• Ao Ye brought Chen Luo an appointment transferring him to the heavens, with Su Linlin’s photograph enclosed, as news arrived that Marshal Li had died suddenly.
• Chen Luo recognized the deaths and political purges as a Cult Forces counterattack, while the worsening rain signaled that the third choice was approaching.
• Chen Dahe arrived with Marshal Li’s appointment naming Chen Luo Banyan City’s guardian and warned that the Heavenly Barrier would soon be opened to the Nightmares.
• Chen Luo rejected Chen Dahe’s suggestion to escape and chose to take up the post despite knowing the appointment was a trap.

Chen Luo ignored Chen Dahe’s warning and went to take office at the Space Station, where he fought his way through an assassination attempt and killed members of the upper ranks. Branded a traitor by the public, he confronted the giant painted face formed from their hatred and charged at it, declaring that their judgment did not matter to him.

• Chen Luo recalled how Chen Dahe had once killed a band of robbers and taught him that some things were more important than living, then left for the Space Station with his Appointment Letter.
• Su Linlin spotted Chen Luo at the airport and waved as his plane took off, while the higher-ups plotted to kill him.
• As a missile approached the airport, Chen Luo tore open the plane door, hurled a machine into the missile, and used successive stone footholds to reach the Space Station.
• Chen Luo broke into the Space Station and killed Councilman Wu and other officials before confronting the new Grand Marshal’s press conference.
• The broadcast depicted Chen Luo as a human traitor, and the hatred of the public formed a giant painted face that taunted him.
• Chen Luo charged into the painted face in a burst of blood energy and declared that what the people thought had nothing to do with him.

Chen Luo broke through the Inner Demon Tribulation by confronting the Primal Nightmare with force and rediscovering himself in the mortal world. He returned to his body as a Heaven Seed Soul Transformation cultivator, with five thousand years of lifespan and newly awakened powers.

• Chen Luo destroyed the Dream God Cultists’ gathering place after they cursed him, and the Grand Marshal died beneath falling metal.
• The Primal Nightmare repeatedly rebuilt itself by absorbing the emotions of people below, while Chen Luo refused its offer and prepared to break the tribulation.
• Chen Luo recalled his life in the Inner Demon Tribulation, recognized that it was time to leave, and attained Spirit Transformation.
• Chen Luo’s consciousness returned to his body in the tomb chamber where Immortal Emperor Changqing sat, restoring his vitality and raising his lifespan to five thousand years.
• Chen Luo discovered that his transformed power could shape spiritual energy into water and fire, control whether it harmed others, and disperse ill fortune with Gray Mist.

After breaking through to Soul Transformation, Chen Luo gained the Three Aspects Dharma Seed and used the tribulation’s effect on nearby restrictions to collect twenty-nine more brains from Old Brother Changqing. He left the Star Great Tomb intending to save the Seven Patriarchs of Qionghua before seeking Spirit Pool Fairy, while the chapter ended with Gu He alive but mentally impaired in the Black Marsh Tribe.

• Chen Luo thanked Immortal Emperor Changqing and discovered his Three Aspects Dharma Seed could empower his body, spells, and sword intent.
• Chen Luo found gaps in the restrictions around twenty-nine platforms affected by his Heavenly Tribulation and collected the brains within them, gaining fresh insights into slaughter and his techniques.
• Chen Luo decided to save the Seven Patriarchs of Qionghua before going to find Spirit Pool Fairy, while Xiong Linshan admired the tribulation-scarred Flower-Backed Turtle near the Qionghua Sect.
• Chen Luo left the Star Great Tomb, and the story shifted to A Gu, a young Black Marsh Tribe warrior who had returned from hunting.
• A Gu cared for Gu He, an old man who had survived the Black Wolf Tribe’s slaughter but had lost his awareness and was known to A Gu as Grandpa Gu.

A Gu fled the Black Wolf Tribe’s attack with Gu He, fought off three pursuers, and collapsed after protecting the medicine meant to cure Gu He’s dementia. A mysterious newcomer rescued them, and A Gu awoke to hear Gu He speaking clearly.

• A Gu suppressed the Shaman Seed’s influence, took the medicine, and escaped the Black Marsh Tribe with Gu He as the Black Wolf Tribe attacked.
• The Wolf Shaman killed the Marsh Shaman with a Poison Bottle, and A Gu fled through the forest while Black Wolf warriors pursued him.
• A Gu lost his way in the rain, found the Marsh Shaman’s body, and fought and killed three Black Wolf Tribe warriors while protecting Gu He and the medicine.
• A Gu collapsed from his wounds, and the Black Wolf Shaman Priest arrived to attack him and Gu He.
• A mysterious figure crushed the Black Wolf Shaman Priest and healed A Gu and Gu He with two azure lights.
• A Gu woke and heard Gu He speak clearly, recognizing his voice.

Chen Luo rescued A Gu and Gu He from the Dragon Tomb, then brought Gu He back to the Southern Sky Region. After learning that two Qionghua patriarchs had died and four remained trapped in the Inner Demon Tribulation, Chen Luo set out to find Spirit Pool Fairy to clear up their misunderstandings.

• Chen Luo healed A Gu and restored Gu He, who gave A Gu a cultivation method and a sword token for the Qionghua Sect before leaving with Chen Luo.
• Gu He told Chen Luo that two of the Seven Patriarchs of Qionghua had died in the Inner Demon Tribulation and four were still trapped, then handed over their damaged swords.
• Chen Luo guided Gu He through the Dragon Tomb and out to Golden Light Cave in the Southern Sky Region.
• Gu He recovered his strength atop the ruins of Golden Light Cave and prepared to face his Inner Demon Tribulation.
• Chen Luo searched for Spirit Pool Fairy, telling Gu He he intended to clear up their misunderstandings.

Spirit Pool Fairy asked the Myriad Stars Gate to help her kill Chen Luo, while Chen Luo destroyed Spirit Pool and enlisted the Flower-Backed Turtle to locate her. The turtle found her at Myriad Demon Mountain, where Chen Luo headed next.

• Spirit Pool Fairy used a second favor from the Myriad Stars Gate to request that it help her eliminate Chen Luo and his clan.
• Chen Luo attacked Spirit Pool, killed its cultivators, and crushed its protective formation with a mountain formed from earth-attributed spiritual qi.
• Chen Luo returned to the Qionghua Sect and asked the recovered Flower-Backed Turtle to divine Spirit Pool Fairy's location.
• The Flower-Backed Turtle located Spirit Pool Fairy beneath the red mountain at Myriad Demon Mountain, then triggered another thunder tribulation by attempting to divine again.
• Chen Luo flew to Myriad Demon Mountain, recalling his first encounter with Old Demon Skin Painter there.

Chen Luo invaded Spirit Pool Fairy’s cave and overwhelmed her defenses with his newly acquired Soul Transformation strength. He broke her neck and was about to kill her when Xing Qi of the Myriad Stars Gate appeared and asked him to show face.

• Chen Luo killed Niu Shangtian and entered Spirit Pool Fairy’s cave, while her guards fled or were swept away by his power.
• Chen Luo ignored the cave’s formations and confronted Spirit Pool Fairy, whose blood-colored Sword Qi could not pierce his body.
• Chen Luo struck Spirit Pool Fairy once, shattering her neck and sending her crashing into a stone wall.
• Chen Luo grabbed Spirit Pool Fairy and prepared to cut her apart, but Xing Qi emerged from a mirror and stopped his hand.
• Xing Qi asked Chen Luo to give him face, and Chen Luo crushed Spirit Pool Fairy’s head while Xing Qi watched.