Chapter Summaries

While hiding beneath the lake after Nangong Bantian exposed him, Zhang Qingyuan heard a voice from the Linghai Token and discovered the remnant soul of Fan Yehuang, a Spirit Sea Sword Sect Secret Disciple. Fan Yehuang offered to let Zhang use a Sword Pellet in exchange for finding him a body later, but Zhang saw through his bluff and challenged his claimed power.

• Nangong Bantian struck Zhang Qingyuan and exposed his hiding place, forcing Zhang to abandon his attempt to approach the battlefield unnoticed.
• Zhang Qingyuan watched Nangong Bantian and Tan Nansheng appear to negotiate an alliance while he considered how to disrupt their plans.
• A mysterious voice reached Zhang Qingyuan, and the Linghai Token emerged from his Storage Bag with a remnant soul inside.
• Fan Yehuang introduced himself as a Spirit Sea Sword Sect Secret Disciple and asked Zhang to bring him near the Sword Pellet so he could control it.
• Fan Yehuang offered Zhang temporary use of the Sword Pellet if Zhang promised to find him a body in the future.
• Zhang Qingyuan rejected the offer as a trick and said Fan Yehuang had lost the strength to interfere.

Zhang Qingyuan saw through Fan Yehuang’s weakness and negotiated for the secret technique that had preserved Fan Yehuang’s soul for three hundred years. Fan Yehuang agreed and revealed that it was the God-Hosting Undying Chapter, part of the Taiyi Spirit Refining Technique Zhang Qingyuan had encountered before.

• Zhang Qingyuan reasoned that Fan Yehuang’s imposing aura concealed his weakness and refused to trust his promises blindly.
• Fan Yehuang admitted he needed Zhang Qingyuan’s help to reach the Desolate Sky Tree’s flower bud and offered cultivation methods or treasures in return.
• As the True Essence Realm Cultivators above prepared to join forces, Zhang Qingyuan asked Fan Yehuang for the technique that had kept his Spiritual Sense undying for three hundred years.
• Fan Yehuang agreed and identified the technique as the God-Hosting Undying Chapter, an incomplete second chapter of the Taiyi Spirit Refining Technique.
• Zhang Qingyuan recognized the technique’s name from a method he had obtained in Cave Abode Ruins, while Fan Yehuang secretly considered extracting what Zhang Qingyuan knew.
• Fan Yehuang transmitted the technique into Zhang Qingyuan’s mind.

Fan Yehuang passed Zhang Qingyuan the second chapter of the Taiyi Spirit Refining Technique, allowing him to connect it with the foundational chapter he had cultivated for years and greatly strengthen his Spiritual Sense. With Fan Yehuang weakened, Zhang Qingyuan set out to disrupt the battle and create an opening to seize the Spirit Artifact.

• Fan Yehuang imprinted the God-Hosting Undying Chapter into Zhang Qingyuan’s mind, and Zhang Qingyuan realized it was the second chapter of the Taiyi Spirit Refining Technique.
• Zhang Qingyuan merged the new teachings with his long-cultivated foundational chapter, overcoming old difficulties and advancing into the second chapter.
• Fan Yehuang warned Zhang Qingyuan to bring the Token within thirty zhang of the designated place, then retreated into the Token to recover.
• Zhang Qingyuan concealed the Token in his sleeve and approached Nangong Bantian, Tan Nansheng, and the others to disrupt their waning battle.
• Zhang Qingyuan let his Aura rise openly and prepared to test his strengthened Spiritual Sense against them.

Zhang Qingyuan charged toward the Desolate Sky Tree and effortlessly shattered attacks from three True Essence Mid-Stage cultivators. He continued past the surrounding cultivators, but Tan Nansheng, Purple Bamboo True Person, Mad Saber Nangong Bantian, and other powerful experts stood in his way.

• Zhang Qingyuan ignored a True Essence Fourth Layer cultivator's warning and pierced through his palm attack with a finger strike.
• The True Essence Fourth Layer cultivator called for help, and he, a White-robed Sect Cultivator, and a Sturdy Square-faced Rogue Cultivator attacked Zhang Qingyuan together.
• Zhang Qingyuan flicked invisible threads through the void and destroyed all three attacks, sending the cultivators flying with backlash.
• Zhang Qingyuan crossed past the surrounding cultivators and continued toward the Desolate Sky Tree.
• Tan Nansheng, Purple Bamboo True Person, Mad Saber Nangong Bantian, and other powerful experts blocked Zhang Qingyuan's path.

Zhang Qingyuan confronted the South Sea Overlords before the Desolate Sky Tree after gaining a major improvement in his Spiritual Sense from the Taiyi Spirit Refining Technique. He shattered their coordinated attack by exploiting its weak points, and the Overlords prepared to unleash their strongest killing moves.

• Tan Nansheng warned the black-robed Zhang Qingyuan to withdraw, but Zhang Qingyuan advanced and challenged the South Sea Overlords to fight.
• Nangong Bantian and the others attacked Zhang Qingyuan together, their immense True Essence pressure reaching cultivators gathered near the Daluo Golden Pool.
• Zhang Qingyuan used his enhanced Spiritual Sense to spot flaws in their combined attack and destroyed it with a single punch.
• Nangong Bantian refused to accept the result and ordered the others to use their strongest killing moves.

Zhang Qingyuan used the Four Seas Suppressing Heaven Palm to create an opening and throw Fan Yehuang’s Token within ten zhang of the Desolate Sky Tree’s flower bud. Fan Yehuang emerged and began his God-Hosting Rebirth as the flower bloomed and a golden Spirit Artifact appeared, leaving the South Sea Overlords to fight over it.

• Zhang Qingyuan suppressed Nangong Bantian, Tan Nansheng, and the other attackers for a moment and sent Fan Yehuang’s Token toward the Desolate Sky Tree.
• Fan Yehuang endured the Token’s wild spinning, then left it and poured his Remnant Soul into the flower bud.
• The Desolate Sky Tree and Daluo Golden Pool lit up as the flower bud opened and powerful Sword Intent filled the secret realm.
• Fan Yehuang laughed that he had returned after three hundred years as a radiant golden wheel rose from the flower bud.
• Several South Sea Overlords attacked the Golden Wheel, sparking a battle as they pursued the Spirit Artifact.

As cultivators fought over the Sword Pellet emerging from the Desolate Sky Tree, Zhang Qingyuan sensed hidden, overwhelmingly powerful presences and buried himself beneath the Daluo Golden Pool. The Sword Pellet then revealed its own terrifying power, sweeping away the strongest cultivators and declaring that Fan Yehuang would return to the mortal world.

• Tan Nansheng, Purple Bamboo True Person, Nangong Bantian, and the other True Essence Realm cultivators fought fiercely to claim the Sword Pellet as more cultivators rushed toward the Desolate Sky Tree.
• Zhang Qingyuan sensed a terrifying Spiritual Sense watching from the shadows and fled into the Daluo Golden Pool, burying himself beneath its mud and sand.
• Zhang Qingyuan concluded that powerful cultivators had likely kept those above True Essence Late Stage out of the ruins and decided to stay hidden.
• The Sword Pellet unleashed a vast Sword Light that shattered the cultivators' defenses and sent several True Essence Realm Sixth Layer experts flying.
• Fan Yehuang's voice rang out as the Sword Pellet gathered the world's radiance, and he announced his return to the mortal world.

Fan Yehuang used the God-Hosting Rebirth technique to take control of the Sword Pellet, then attacked the cultivators gathered around it. Zhang Qingyuan hid beneath the underwater mud as Fan Yehuang searched for him and a terrifying figure appeared in the sky.

• Fan Yehuang revealed that he had awakened inside the Token and had guided Zhang Qingyuan to Yangjin Peak so he could seize the Sword Pellet.
• Fan Yehuang took control of the Sword Pellet through God-Hosting Rebirth and vowed to avenge the Spirit Sea Sword Sect.
• Fan Yehuang swept the surrounding True Essence Realm cultivators from the sky with the Sword Pellet's power.
• Nangong Bantian cursed Zhang Qingyuan, then fled into the water after the attack shattered his chance to claim the artifact.
• Fan Yehuang searched for Zhang Qingyuan while Zhang Qingyuan hid beneath the mud and sand, and a terrifying figure appeared nearby in the sky.

Zhang Qingyuan recognized Ouyang Shihong as the Vast Sea Sect True Disciple who had tried to assassinate him years earlier and suspected that Ouyang had manipulated events surrounding the Spirit Sea Sword Sect ruins. Fan Yehuang recognized Ouyang as the descendant of the traitor Ouyang Qianqiu, and the two clashed in a devastating battle.

• Ouyang Shihong appeared before Fan Yehuang, while Zhang Qingyuan watched from beneath the lake and sensed a familiar Aura.
• Zhang Qingyuan recalled that Ouyang had led the Vast Sea Sect assassination attempt against him and wondered whether Ouyang had arranged the events that brought him to the ruins.
• Fan Yehuang recognized Ouyang Shihong as Ouyang Qianqiu's descendant and attacked him with a tremendous torrent of Golden Sword Light.
• Ouyang Shihong taunted Fan Yehuang about his father's role in the Spirit Sea Sword Sect's destruction and met Fan Yehuang's attack with overwhelming True Essence.
• Ouyang Shihong invited Fan Yehuang to meet his father as their attacks collided in a massive explosion.

Zhang Qingyuan hid beneath the lake as Fan Yehuang and Ouyang Shihong fought, while Ouyang Shihong revealed that his father, Ouyang Qianqiu, had orchestrated events to make Fan Yehuang claim the Spirit Tool Sword Pellet. Fan Yehuang realized Ouyang Qianqiu was still alive and had been manipulating him for a larger scheme.

• Fan Yehuang and Ouyang Shihong unleashed powerful attacks that shattered the surrounding Magic Arrays while Zhang Qingyuan watched from beneath the lake.
• Ouyang Shihong taunted Fan Yehuang, claiming he was a pawn in Ouyang Qianqiu's long-running plan.
• Ouyang Shihong revealed that Ouyang Qianqiu had spent centuries seeking the Spirit Sea Sword Sect's inheritance and tracking Fan Yehuang.
• Ouyang Qianqiu arranged for the ruins to open and events to lead Fan Yehuang to perform God-Hosting Rebirth in the Spirit Tool Sword Pellet.
• Fan Yehuang pieced together the scheme and realized Ouyang Qianqiu was still alive.

Fan Yehuang realized the Spirit Sea Sword Sect Ruins and his own return had been manipulated, then fled rather than face Ouyang Shihong. He suspected Ouyang Qianqiu had reached the Cave True Realm, and a mysterious figure appeared in a treasure mirror to block his escape.

• Fan Yehuang learned that the Cloud Water Sect ghost and the cultivators who opened the ruins had been pieces in a scheme, and he asked whether Ouyang Qianqiu was still alive.
• Ouyang Shihong provoked Fan Yehuang by boasting that his father remained alive and mocking Fan Yehuang's inability to defeat him.
• Fan Yehuang gathered the Sword Pellet's power, then tricked Ouyang Shihong and escaped instead of attacking his Sky-Suppressing Mystic Tower.
• Fan Yehuang concluded that Ouyang Qianqiu had likely advanced to the Cave True Realm and feared he had prepared a safeguard for the trap.
• A Hanging Sky Treasure Mirror appeared before Fan Yehuang, and a mysterious figure addressed him as Senior Brother Fan while surveying the ruins.

Ouyang Qianqiu revealed that he had reached the Cave True Immortal Realm, captured Fan Yehuang’s Sword Pellet, and prepared to kill everyone in the Spirit Sea Sword Sect Ruins to keep his plans secret. He singled out Zhang Qingyuan and raised a giant hand to end his Dao Path, leaving Zhang Qingyuan trapped beneath the Daluo Golden Pool.

• Ouyang Qianqiu’s phantom appeared, and his Cave True Immortal Realm pressure sealed Fan Yehuang’s escape and overwhelmed the cultivators in the ruins.
• Fan Yehuang asked why Ouyang Qianqiu had schemed for so long, and Ouyang Qianqiu dismissed him as a mistake before capturing and sealing his Sword Pellet.
• Ouyang Shihong admitted his failure, and Ouyang Qianqiu reprimanded him before ordering him to prepare to leave.
• Ouyang Qianqiu swept his Divine Sense across the ruins and announced that he would eliminate the cultivators there to prevent news from leaking.
• Ouyang Qianqiu noticed Zhang Qingyuan beneath the Daluo Golden Pool, praised his potential, and declared that he would personally end Zhang Qingyuan’s Dao Path.
• Zhang Qingyuan could not move as Ouyang Qianqiu formed a giant hand over the ruins and brought it down toward him.

Zhang Qingyuan broke through to the mid-stage of the True Essence Third Layer under Ouyang Qianqiu’s crushing attack, but a radiant force shattered the Sky-Covering Hand and saved him. Two powerful figures from the Cloud Water Sect arrived to confront Ouyang Qianqiu, and their clash tore a vast fissure across the sky.

• Zhang Qingyuan broke through to the mid-stage of the True Essence Third Layer as Ouyang Qianqiu’s enormous palm descended, though he remained powerless against it.
• A vast radiance split the blackened sky and erased Ouyang Qianqiu’s Sky-Covering Hand, freeing Zhang Qingyuan from its pressure.
• A voice from the horizon accused Ouyang Qianqiu of attacking Cloud Water Sect territory and cutting off its genius’s Dao Path.
• Ouyang Qianqiu recognized Mingshui and Mingxin, moved Ouyang Shihong behind him, and unleashed a spatial attack against them.
• Mingshui and Mingxin’s power collided with Ouyang Qianqiu’s attack, tearing a thousand-li fissure through the sky as the three began fighting.

As three powerful figures clashed above the Spirit Sea Sword Sect Ruins, their battle began destroying the secret realm. Zhang Qingyuan escaped through the Space Channel after collecting two mysterious treasures from exposed earth veins.

• The clash overhead sent destructive waves through the ruins, splitting the island apart and swallowing cultivators in massive fissures.
• Zhang Qingyuan realized the secret realm was collapsing and tried to flee as a crack opened beneath him, exposing magma and a Metal Earth Vein.
• Zhang Qingyuan spotted two glowing spheres where the fire and Metal Earth Veins intersected and sealed them in jade boxes.
• Zhang Qingyuan flew through the collapsing ruins and escaped through the Space Channel before the island was destroyed.

After escaping the collapsing Spirit Sea Sword Sect Ruins, Zhang Qingyuan stayed at the Cloud Water Sect’s temporary encampment while the Cave True Realm battle continued. He learned how the Sect had sealed the area and cleared out Vast Sea Sect cultivators, then chose to rest and assess his gains, leaving humbled by the power of the strongest cultivators.

• Zhang Qingyuan fled the collapsing ruins and realized the battle between the Cave True Realm powerhouses was still raging.
• Cloud Water Sect cultivators questioned Zhang Qingyuan, advised him to remain near their temporary base, and registered him when he arrived.
• Zhang Qingyuan learned that Ouyang Qianqiu and Vast Sea Sect cultivators had hunted those entering the ruins, while Cloud Water Sect forces were clearing the area.
• Zhang Qingyuan declined to join the hunt for Vast Sea Sect cultivators and decided to focus on reviewing the gains from his month in the ruins.
• Zhang Qingyuan meditated at the encampment and reflected that, despite reaching the True Essence Third Layer Mid Stage, he was insignificant beside Cave True Realm powerhouses.

After returning from the Spirit Sea Sword Sect Ruins Secret Realm, Zhang Qingyuan assessed his vast gains and recognized that his rapid cultivation had weakened his foundation, so he began working to stabilize it. Cloud Water Sect defeated Vast Sea Sect in the local battle, and the chapter ended with Daoist Ming Shui summoning Zhang Qingyuan.

• Zhang Qingyuan examined his cultivation and realized his rapid advance to True Essence Third Layer Mid-Stage had left his foundation unstable.
• Zhang Qingyuan sorted through his treasures from the Spirit Sea Sword Sect Ruins Secret Realm, including the Taiyi Spirit Refining Technique’s second chapter, powerful martial skills, and valuable resources.
• Zhang Qingyuan suppressed his excitement and began tempering his foundation after several days of settling down.
• Ouyang Qianqiu escaped grievously injured, Ouyang Shihong vanished after using a Space-Shifting Talisman, and Cloud Water Sect captured or killed Vast Sea Sect’s other True Essence Realm Cultivators.
• Daoist Ming Shui summoned Zhang Qingyuan.

Zhang Qingyuan visited Daoist Ming Shui, who praised his rapid cultivation and recalled selecting him for Mystic Water Peak. Daoist Ming Shui acknowledged Zhang Qingyuan’s sense that the Sect had treated him unfairly and admitted that he had neglected his duty; the chapter ended with him reflecting that he should have guided Zhang Qingyuan when he first arrived in the South Sea.

• An attendant led Zhang Qingyuan to Daoist Ming Shui’s secluded bamboo dwelling, where the chessboard’s strange power nearly drew in Zhang Qingyuan’s Divine Soul.
• Daoist Ming Shui examined Zhang Qingyuan and praised his steady foundation, temperament, and remarkable progress over ten years.
• Zhang Qingyuan modestly credited his success to luck while feeling mixed emotions about his experiences in the Sect.
• Daoist Ming Shui guessed that Zhang Qingyuan felt the Sect had treated him unfairly, explained that the Sect’s approach was customary, and accepted some blame for neglecting him.
• Daoist Ming Shui recalled that he would have welcomed and guided Zhang Qingyuan when he first arrived in the South Sea if he had been in Tiannan City.

Daoist Ming Shui explained Cloud Water Sect’s approach to cultivating disciples and reassured Zhang Qingyuan that his years guarding the South Sea had been valuable tempering. He then taught Zhang Qingyuan for ten days, leaving his cultivation stable and nearing a breakthrough to the True Essence Third Layer Late Stage.

• Daoist Ming Shui reflected that Zhang Qingyuan’s rapid cultivation had come largely from his own adventures, while Mystic Water Peak had done little to support him.
• Daoist Ming Shui explained that Cloud Water Sect tempered its disciples through duties and risks rather than protecting them from every danger.
• Daoist Ming Shui praised Zhang Qingyuan’s work guarding the Moon Liên Islands and said he could become an entry disciple of a Cave True Realm cultivator once his cultivation was sufficient.
• Zhang Qingyuan accepted Daoist Ming Shui’s explanation and felt more at ease about the Sect’s treatment of him.
• Daoist Ming Shui personally expounded the Dao to Zhang Qingyuan for ten days, stabilizing his foundation and bringing him close to the True Essence Third Layer Late Stage.

Daoist Ming Shui spent half a month teaching Zhang Qingyuan, strengthening his cultivation foundation and guiding him to the Third Layer Late Stage. He named Zhang Qingyuan as his disciple, gave him a Tongxuan Pill for a future breakthrough, and promised to formally accept him as a True Disciple once he reached the True Essence Late Stage.

• Daoist Ming Shui's lecture helped Zhang Qingyuan resolve flaws in his cultivation and solidify his foundation over ten days.
• Daoist Ming Shui continued giving Zhang Qingyuan personal guidance for half a month, and Zhang Qingyuan advanced to the Third Layer Late Stage.
• Zhang Qingyuan sincerely thanked Daoist Ming Shui for the guidance, and Daoist Ming Shui called it compensation for the Sect's lack of support during Zhang Qingyuan's ten years in the South Sea.
• Daoist Ming Shui gave Zhang Qingyuan a Tongxuan Pill to use when he reached the Third Layer Peak.
• Daoist Ming Shui named Zhang Qingyuan as his Named Disciple and promised to make him a True Disciple when he reached the True Essence Late Stage.

Zhang Qingyuan learned the value of the Primordial Fire Essence and Primordial Metal Essence he found in the Spirit Sea Sword Sect Ruins and decided to use them to reopen a passage to the damaged secret realm. Daoist Ming Shui agreed to help and gave him the battered Spirit Tool Sword Pellet that Ouyang Qianqiu had seized.

• Zhang Qingyuan showed Daoist Ming Shui the two clusters of essence and learned they were Primordial Fire Essence and Primordial Metal Essence, rare treasures that could be forged into Dharma Treasures.
• Daoist Ming Shui explained that the essences could instead help a Formation Master create a channel to the Spirit Sea Sword Sect Ruins Secret Realm, which had not yet been completely submerged.
• Zhang Qingyuan chose to spend both treasures on reopening the secret realm, and Daoist Ming Shui agreed to arrange the channel array with help from a friend.
• Daoist Ming Shui gave Zhang Qingyuan the battered Spirit Tool Sword Pellet that Ouyang Qianqiu had seized.