Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xuanchen hid Luo Lingshuang, Wuxin, and the Great Sage inside the Myriad Spirit Ring, trusting Xuanjing to conceal it from inspection. He then joined Wei Youqian aboard a flying boat bound for Wei Family Mountain Sea Island, while worrying that the Wei Family might know he killed Wei Tian.

• Zhang Xuanchen reassured Wuxin that the Wei Family would find only low-grade spirit items in their Storage Rings after the Secret Realm expedition.
• Zhang Xuanchen stored Luo Lingshuang, Wuxin, and the Great Sage in the Myriad Spirit Ring, and Xuanjing concealed the ring in his sea of consciousness.
• Zhang Xuanchen returned to Horizon Restaurant and told Wei Youqian that Luo Lingshuang and the others had gone to the Heavenly Craft Pavilion to oversee artifact forging.
• Zhang Xuanchen urged Wei Youqian to improve his lifestyle, and Wei Youqian agreed that he should change.
• Wei Youqian took Zhang Xuanchen aboard his brother's Third-tier Flying Boat and set course for Wei Family Mountain Sea Island.
• Zhang Xuanchen worried that the Wei Family might have identified him as Wei Tian's murderer and considered escaping with a Fourth-tier Low-grade Spirit Talisman if necessary.

Zhang Xuanchen learned that the Starry Secret Realm held the Immortal-grade Star Core, which could give him a Starry Body, and traveled with Wei Youqian to Shanhai Island. After entering the Wei Family’s territory, he encountered Ye Xingyun and resolved to settle an old grudge.

• Zhang Xuanchen examined the Immortal Opportunity revealing the Star Core in the Starry Holy Palace and considered how the secret realm’s inheritance might be divided among his companions.
• Wei Youqian worried that Zhang Xuanchen had lost Wei Tian’s token, but Zhang Xuanchen produced it and traveled with him to Shanhai Island.
• Zhang Xuanchen presented Wei Tian’s External Aid Token to a Wei Family Elder, who recorded his name and allowed him into the formation.
• Wei Tian greeted Zhang Xuanchen, who recognized Ye Xingyun among the people behind him and decided he would not let their past conflict go unanswered.

Zhang Xuanchen learned that Ye Xingyun had feelings for Zhang Hongxi and agreed not to oppose their relationship, while Xuanjing revealed Ye’s concealed strength and cultivation. The group then waited with Yao Bingbing for two hours before entering the Starry Secret Realm.

• Ye Xingyun explained to Zhang Xuanchen that he had been hiding from powerful enemies and admitted he missed Zhang Hongxi.
• Zhang Xuanchen asked Xuanjing to assess Ye, and Xuanjing revealed Ye’s concealed Foundation Establishment Peak cultivation, solid foundation, profound technique, and Early Golden Core Spiritual Sense.
• Ye Xingyun confessed that he and Zhang Hongxi had fallen for each other in the Sky Dragon Secret Realm and asked Zhang Xuanchen for his blessing.
• Zhang Xuanchen accepted Ye’s bow, said he would not stand in their way, and invited Ye to call him Xuan Chen.
• Wei Tian praised Ye’s talent as a Second-tier Top-grade Formation Master and introduced Yao Bingbing, who greeted Zhang Xuanchen without speaking.
• Wei Tian said the group would wait two hours before heading to the Starry Secret Realm.

Zhang Xuanchen observed the gathered cultivators as Wei Wushuang, the Wei Family’s feared sword prodigy, arrived and spoke with Wei Tian. Wei Wushuang then confronted Zhang Xuanchen, who calmly asked why he should be afraid, leaving the crowd to consider his answer.

• Zhang Xuanchen watched Wei Wushuang arrive and learned from Xuanjing that his Bloodthirsty Sword Body suited his cultivation.
• Zhang Xuanchen resolved to find Yaoyang Sword Leaf Grass for Zhang Xuance, even if he had to seek it from the Nine Splendor Sword Sect.
• Ye Xingyun warned Zhang Xuanchen about Wei Wushuang, then panicked when Wei Wushuang walked toward them.
• Wei Wushuang urged Wei Tian to improve his cultivation and offered to share his Golden Core-condensing experience.
• Wei Wushuang told Zhang Xuanchen that he was different because he was not afraid, and Zhang Xuanchen asked why he should be.

Wei Wushuang revealed to Wei Tian that he had purged corrupt clansmen to protect the Wei Family and urged Wei Tian to prepare to lead it. The gathered cultivators then departed for the Starry Secret Realm.

• Wei Wushuang told Wei Tian that he had killed hundreds of corrupt clansmen and warned that the Lineage's higher-ups were also implicated.
• Wei Wushuang asked Wei Tian to take over the Lineage if he lost the contest for Patriarch, while urging him to cultivate and survive the Secret Realm.
• Wei Tian realized that corruption might explain the Wei Family's stagnant progress and decided to investigate after returning.
• Wei Tian and Zhang Xuanchen reassured Ye Xingyun that Wei Wushuang was not as dangerous as the rumors suggested.
• Two thousand five hundred cultivators from five major forces gathered at Red Rock Beach, where Wei Wudao ordered them aboard the Flying Boat bound for the Starry Secret Realm.

The five great forces of the Heavenly Dragon Sea Domain arrived at the Wusheng Wasteland, where Lu Xinghe and Wei Wudao opened the way into the Starry Secret Realm with their Star Keys. As the Star Gate formed, Zhang Xuanchen kept Xuanjing’s identity hidden and received a list of the strongest entrants from Wei Wushuang.

• Wei Wudao led the five great forces of the Heavenly Dragon Sea Domain south by Flying Boat to the Wusheng Wasteland.
• Lu Xinghe summoned Huoli, the Artifact Spirit of the Southern Bright Li Fire Mirror, who explained that the mirror would judge entrants’ eligibility.
• Wei Wudao and Lu Xinghe sent their Star Keys into the Spiritual Power Vortex, causing a hundred-zhang Star Gate to form.
• Xuanjing angrily rebuked Huoli for calling herself a Mirror God, and Zhang Xuanchen calmed her by promising to make Huoli submit once he reached Nascent Soul.
• Wei Wushuang gave Zhang Xuanchen a Jade Slip listing the top hundred disciples among the nine forces entering the Secret Realm.

Wei Wushuang let Zhang Xuanchen decide what to do with a Jade Slip listing powerful cultivators, and Zhang realized Wei Wushuang had put him in charge of both protecting the Wei Family's interests and answering its clansmen's disrespect. Zhang and Wei Tian settled on charging Wei Family members fifty Mid-grade Spirit Stones to view the list as they entered the Starry Secret Realm.

• Wei Wushuang cut in line, passed through the Southern Bright Li Fire Mirror, and entered the Star Gate while Huoli remained with her eyes closed.
• Ye Xingyun asked Zhang Xuanchen to lend him the Jade Slip list, and Zhang recognized that Wei Wushuang had deliberately left its use to him.
• Wei Tong demanded the Jade Slip, but Zhang refused and argued that Wei Wushuang had given him the right to decide what to do with it.
• Wei Tian stopped Wei Tong from attacking Zhang and explained that Wei Wushuang had shared the list to express his dissatisfaction with the Wei Family.
• Wei Tong apologized, and Zhang allowed Wei Family members to view the list for fifty Mid-grade Spirit Stones each.
• Wei Tian collected the fees, and the Wei Family members checked the Jade Slip, passed through the mirror, and entered the Starry Secret Realm.

Zhang Xuanchen entered the Starry Secret Realm after giving the Wei Family a Jade Slip and declining an invitation to join the Southern Bright Flame Palace. He arrived in a hilly region, where an Immortal Fate revealed a Star Ash Sand Mine, and gathered his companions as they sensed the area’s dense star power.

• Zhang Xuanchen gave the Jade Slip to Wei Wudao, who praised his thoughtfulness and sent him into the Secret Realm.
• Huoli examined Zhang Xuanchen, praised his cultivation and aptitude, and invited him to join the Southern Bright Flame Palace, but he declined because he was the Xuanxiao Zhang Clan’s Patriarch.
• Zhang Xuanchen entered the Star Gate and arrived in a hilly region where an Immortal Fate revealed a Star Ash Sand Mine guarded by Star-Devouring Insects.
• Xuanjing sensed a familiar aura but could not recall its source, and Zhang Xuanchen comforted her.
• Zhang Xuanchen released Luo Lingshuang, Great Sage, and Wuxin from the Myriad Spirit Ring, and they noticed the dense star power around them.

Zhang Xuanchen warned his companions about the Secret Realm’s dangers, introduced them to Xuanjing, and divided the group’s search plans. After Xuanjing spotted valuable herbs guarded by Cangmang Wolves, the group changed course toward the valley.

• Great Sage celebrated the abundance of rare treasures, and Zhang Xuanchen warned him that powerful creatures might inhabit the Secret Realm.
• Wuxin met Xuanjing, offered her pastries, and earned a couple of painful knocks before Zhang Xuanchen introduced her as his younger sister.
• Zhang Xuanchen gave Luo Lingshuang, Great Sage, and Wuxin maps to inheritance sites and told them to split into two groups after securing the Immortal Opportunity.
• Great Sage agreed to follow Luo Lingshuang’s orders after Zhang Xuanchen promised to upgrade his Ruyi Jingu Bang if he behaved.
• As the group flew toward the Star Ash Sand Mine, Xuanjing spotted herbs in a southern valley guarded by a pack of Cangmang Wolves and a third-rank mid-stage Wolf King.
• Great Sage led the others toward the valley to gather the herbs before they continued to the mine.

Zhang Xuanchen and his companions entered a valley covered by a failing formation, where monsters had ravaged most of its spirit herbs. After fighting through the valley’s beasts, Zhang Xuanchen confronted a pack of Cangmang Wolves and narrowly evaded their combined attack.

• Wuxin killed an Iron-Backed Porcupine with a Vajra Giant Palm and gave its Monster Core to Great Sage to eat.
• Luo Lingshuang sensed that a formation covering the valley was close to collapsing, so Zhang Xuanchen hurried deeper into the valley with the others.
• Zhang Xuanchen, Luo Lingshuang, Wuxin, and Great Sage killed more than a hundred Cangyu Eagles that attacked them.
• Zhang Xuanchen found a pack of Cangmang Wolves attacking the formation around several Third Stage spirit herbs and launched his Heaven-Incinerating Sky-Splitting sword technique.
• The wolves combined their black energy beams to shatter Zhang Xuanchen’s flaming sword, but he used Wind Attribute Spiritual Energy and his movement technique to escape the blast.

Zhang Xuanchen’s group defeated a pack of Cangmang Wolves, gathered rare spirit herbs and seeds, and left after Xuanjing sensed newcomers approaching. Jiang Yubai and Zhou Yan arrived afterward, realized powerful natives had fought there, and decided to avoid conflicts with them.

• Luo Lingshuang, Wuxin, Great Sage, and Zhang Xuanchen slaughtered most of the Cangmang Wolves, and Zhang Xuanchen beheaded their wolf king before letting the survivors flee.
• Zhang Xuanchen collected Monster Cores, Blood Essence, valuable corpse parts, and seeds from the damaged spirit herbs.
• Zhang Xuanchen broke through the Formation around the Third Stage spirit herb area and found a Radiant Gold Star Spirit Fruit, its seeds, and several other rare spirit herbs.
• Xuanjing warned Zhang Xuanchen that two people were approaching, so Zhang Xuanchen and his companions concealed their auras and left for the Star Ash Sand Mine.
• Jiang Yubai and Zhou Yan arrived at the valley, inferred that powerful Secret Realm natives had fought there, and agreed to avoid conflicts and warn their fellow disciples.

Zhang Xuanchen's group reached the Star Ash Sand Mine, where the Great Sage attacked a swarm of Star-Devouring Insects with the Hunyuan Golden Spear. Zhang Xuanchen gave Wuxin the Nine-Ringed Monk Staff, and the group prepared to claim the mine's treasures.

• Xuanjing warned Zhang Xuanchen's group that a vast swarm of venomous Star-Devouring Insects guarded the Star Ash Sand Mine and explained that some contained valuable Insect Crystals.
• The Great Sage charged into the swarm with the Hunyuan Golden Spear, killing hundreds of insects with each sweep.
• Zhang Xuanchen asked Wuxin whether he had a suitable weapon, and Wuxin showed him his Xuanmu monk staff.
• Zhang Xuanchen gave Wuxin the Fourth-tier Upper-grade Nine-Ringed Monk Staff, which Wuxin could nourish and reshape into a Buddhist weapon suited to his path.

Wuxin celebrated Zhang Xuanchen’s gift of a spirit artifact and secret technique by calling him Big Brother and joining the Great Sage in fighting the Star-Devouring Insects. After the swarm’s queens tried to flee, Zhang Xuanchen and Luo Lingshuang pursued and slaughtered the remaining insects for their Insect Crystals.

• Wuxin tried to take Zhang Xuanchen as his adoptive father, but Zhang Xuanchen stopped him and accepted him as a younger brother instead.
• Wuxin called Luo Lingshuang his sister-in-law and then used his Nine-Ringed Monk Staff and Wrathful Vajra Dharma Body to help the Great Sage slaughter the insect swarm.
• Zhang Xuanchen and Luo Lingshuang collected Insect Crystals while discussing their value and the conditions needed to breed Star-Devouring Insects.
• A blue-gold Early Third Stage Star-Devouring Insect Queen and another Early Third Stage insect fled with the remaining swarm.
• Zhang Xuanchen caught up to the fleeing insects and attacked with Flame Prison Myriad Swords, while Luo Lingshuang struck them with Ice Swords.

After defeating a swarm of Star-Devouring Insects, Zhang Xuanchen and his companions extracted their Insect Crystals and removed an entire Star Ash Sand mine vein. Zhang Xuanchen and Luo Lingshuang then split up to seek the Starry Holy Palace inheritance, with Zhang Xuanchen giving her a protective talisman.

• Zhang Xuanchen, Wuxin, Great Sage, and Luo Lingshuang killed the Star-Devouring Insects and collected more than nine thousand Insect Crystals.
• Luo Lingshuang, Zhang Xuanchen, Great Sage, and Wuxin worked together to sever the Star Ash Sand mine vein from the ground and store it in the Myriad Spirit Ring.
• Zhang Xuanchen led the group away from the giant pit and stopped with them in a secluded forest spot two hours later.
• Zhang Xuanchen and Luo Lingshuang agreed to travel separately and reach the Starry Holy Palace as quickly as possible.
• Zhang Xuanchen gave Luo Lingshuang the Fourth-tier Low-grade Spirit Talisman from Chu Zhiwei and assured her he could protect himself with Xuanjing and the Myriad Spirit Ring.

After Luo Lingshuang departed with Great Sage and Wuxin, Zhang Xuanchen learned that Xingyue Lake held a Star Token needed to enter the Starry Holy Palace. As he set out for the lake with Xuanjing, they considered whether the Secret Realm might contain a Samsara Realm Fragment and agreed to stay cautious.

• Zhang Xuanchen told Great Sage and Wuxin to obey Luo Lingshuang and kill anyone who insulted them, then watched them fly north with her.
• Zhang Xuanchen discovered that Xingyue Lake contained the Meteor Sword and a Star Token required to enter the Starry Holy Palace, and decided to collect extra tokens for Luo Lingshuang and the others.
• Xuanjing said the Secret Realm felt like a region of the Upper Realm, leading Zhang Xuanchen to suspect that it might contain a Samsara Realm Fragment.
• Xuanjing explained that absorbing fragments could restore her power, but Zhang Xuanchen warned her that powerful enemies might be hidden in the changing world and urged her to remain discreet.
• Zhang Xuanchen and Xuanjing flew toward Xingyue Lake, hoping to find treasures while resolving to advance cautiously.

Zhang Hongqing revealed that he had survived and reported that the Ninglu Sect was weakened after fighting a guardian beast for the Yaoyang Sword Leaf Grass. Zhang Hongzhan used the dispute over how to obtain it to teach the younger generation that kindness should not prevent the Zhang Family from pursuing its ambitions.

• Zhang Hongqing removed his black robe and revealed to the juniors that he had survived and become the Zhang Family's hidden Dark Hall Master.
• Zhang Hongqing reported that the Ninglu Sect had suffered heavy losses while fighting the injured Gold-Splitting Earth Lion over the Yaoyang Sword Leaf Grass.
• Zhang Guangli, Zhang Zu'an, and the other elders urged Zhang Hongzhan to seize the treasure, while Zhang Xuanyue suggested negotiating with the Ninglu Sect.
• Zhang Hongzhan asked Zhang Xuanyue whether the Zhang Family should use force if the Ninglu Sect refused to trade, and she admitted that force could be used.
• Zhang Hongzhan declared that the Zhang Family should pursue power so its descendants could stand above others and the lineage could endure forever.

Zhang Hongzhan urged the Zhang Family’s younger generation to contend for the Yaoyang Sword Leaf Grass and learn from the hardships of rogue cultivators. After they swore a Blood Oath to keep Zhang Hongqing’s survival secret, the family continued planning its expedition while Wu Tianlei was warned not to investigate their secrets.

• Zhang Hongzhan declared that the Zhang Family would compete with Ninglu Sect for the Yaoyang Sword Leaf Grass and called on the younger generation to strive for greater ambitions.
• At Zhang Hongzhan’s request, Zhang Wanjun described the dangers and hardships of life as a low-level rogue cultivator, prompting the younger generation to fall silent.
• Zhang Hongzhan told the younger generation they would join the contest for the Yaoyang Sword Leaf Grass and ordered them to swear a Blood Oath not to reveal that Zhang Hongqing was alive.
• The Zhang Family’s upper echelon continued planning its expedition, determined to obtain the Yaoyang Sword Leaf Grass before Zhang Xuance grew older.
• Wu Tianlei told Bai Zijing that he suspected the Zhang Family had secrets, but Bai Zijing reminded him that Horizon Pavilion’s task was only to watch the Luo Clan’s people and not interfere in other matters.

Zhang Xuanchen encountered Wen Jingyuan, the Young Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, who tried to kill him for his spirit stones and the Wei Family’s profits. Zhang Xuanchen revealed his concealed Golden Core cultivation and powerful body, leaving Wen Jingyuan terrified and begging for his life while planning to expose his secret.

• Zhang Xuanchen killed a Second Order Peak Bone-Melting Armored Snake and collected its valuable parts and the guarded Bone-Melting Demon Flower.
• Wen Jingyuan emerged with three Second Order Peak demonic beasts and demanded Zhang Xuanchen kill himself, citing his wealth and resentment over the Wei Family’s profits.
• Zhang Xuanchen masked his face to conceal his identity and declared that he would kill Wen Jingyuan.
• Zhang Xuanchen unleashed his Early Golden Core cultivation and Third Stage body cultivation, shocking Wen Jingyuan, who begged him for mercy while resolving to reveal his secret.

Zhang Xuanchen killed Wen Jingyuan with the Samsara Tribulation Light after his ancestor’s spiritual incarnation distracted the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect’s ancestor. He left the encounter nearly exhausted, while the enemy ancestor vowed to wait for him outside the Starry Secret Realm.

• Zhang Xuanchen decided not to control Wen Jingyuan because his Divine Soul Power could not suppress him and Gou Fugui at the same time, then attacked and killed Qing Que.
• Wen Jingyuan summoned his ancestor’s Golden Core Peak spiritual incarnation, and Zhang Xuanchen countered by calling forth Zhang Chongxian through a golden sword strip.
• After Zhang Chongxian’s incarnation defeated the enemy incarnation, Wen Jingyuan used armor, a shield, and talismans to flee toward the lakeside marsh.
• Zhang Xuanchen unleashed the Samsara Tribulation Light, shattered Wen Jingyuan’s defenses, and killed him as the technique rapidly aged his body.
• Xuanjing warned Zhang Xuanchen about the limits of the technique and took Wen Jingyuan’s Storage Ring; Zhang Chongxian destroyed the enemy ancestor’s incarnation before it vanished with a threat.

Zhang Xuanchen searched Wen Jingyuan’s Storage Ring and found a powerful beast-taming technique, then continued toward Xingyue Lake while discussing the world’s changes with Xuanjing. Along the way, he began collecting unusual demon beasts to raise in the Myriad Spirit Ring Space and potentially bring to the Zhang Family and the Xuanxiao Merchant Guild.

• Zhang Xuanchen opened Wen Jingyuan’s Storage Ring and found the Third-grade Top-tier Thousand Beasts Mountain-Suppressing Record among its contents.
• Zhang Xuanchen stored the technique and the ring’s other items in the Myriad Spirit Ring, then set off toward Xingyue Lake with Xuanjing.
• Zhang Xuanchen told Xuanjing that he would rather live peacefully, but the world’s upheaval and the need to protect his family left him no choice but to grow stronger.
• While flying over a wetland, Zhang Xuanchen and Xuanjing spotted unfamiliar demon beasts, including Red-beaked Cockscomb Cranes, which Xuanjing suggested raising as mounts for the Zhang Family.
• Zhang Xuanchen began collecting unusual and appealing demon beasts into a wetland in the Myriad Spirit Ring Space, including small creatures he hoped to sell through the Xuanxiao Merchant Guild.