Chapter Summaries

Zhang Qingyuan learned that Qianyun Mountain had taken control of Chuyun Kingdom and was moving against the Cave Heaven Secret Realm in the Qingyang Monster Beast Mountain Range. After recovering enough to use some true essence, he decided he had to investigate Qianyun Mountain before choosing his next move.

• Zhang Qingyuan learned from Tang Huacheng that Qianyun Mountain had taken control of Chuyun Kingdom's court and was stirring up unrest to subdue local Cultivation Powers.
• Zhang Qingyuan learned that Qianyun Mountain had sent two half-step Cave True experts to Chuyun Kingdom and that a Cave True Great Power might also be there.
• Zhang Qingyuan realized that the Cave Heaven Secret Realm was likely exposed and that his injuries left him able to fight with only a fraction of his strength.
• Zhang Qingyuan sent Chang Shan and the Yue Family Great Elder to the Jing'an Division with Tang Huacheng's Governor Token to conceal Tang Huacheng's absence, gather information, and retrieve the division's wealth.
• Zhang Qingyuan used High-grade Spirit Stones, Healing Pills, and Spirit Items to recover enough to mobilize some true essence without worsening his injuries.
• Zhang Qingyuan decided to investigate Qianyun Mountain personally before taking further action.

Zhang Qingyuan used Tang Huacheng and the Jing'an Division’s intelligence reports to assess Thousand Cloud Mountain’s activity, concluding that its cultivators likely had not entered the Cave Heaven Secret Realm. After helping Chang Shan break through to the True Essence Third Layer, Zhang Qingyuan left Yue Family Town to investigate the mountain range himself.

• Zhang Qingyuan decided to use Tang Huacheng to gather intelligence about Thousand Cloud Mountain and the Cave Heaven Secret Realm.
• Tang Huacheng returned to the Jing'an Division and quietly copied intelligence reports for Zhang Qingyuan.
• Zhang Qingyuan analyzed the reports and inferred that Thousand Cloud Mountain’s cultivators were probably not in a hurry because they had yet to occupy the secret realm.
• Chang Shan came to bid farewell, and Zhang Qingyuan’s guidance helped him break through to the True Essence Third Layer.
• Zhang Qingyuan quietly left Yue Family Town and used Mayfly Between Heaven and Earth to travel toward the Depths of Qingyang Monster Beast Mountain Range undetected.

Zhang Qingyuan reflected on how decades in the cultivation world had made him indifferent to the deaths of weaker beings, then accepted that he could choose whether to intervene without burdening himself with guilt. He reached the depths of the Qingyang Monster Beast Mountain Range and concealed himself as he approached Qianyun Mountain, where he hoped to recover from his injuries and advance to Cave True.

• Zhang Qingyuan watched a demon tiger kill a middle-aged True Essence First Layer cultivator but chose not to save him, then reflected on how much his outlook had changed.
• Zhang Qingyuan decided that each person had to determine their own fate and stopped agonizing over whether he had changed.
• Zhang Qingyuan crossed the vast Monster Beast Mountain Range in three or four days and reached its gloomy depths.
• Zhang Qingyuan consulted his map, concealed his aura and figure, and continued toward Qianyun Mountain to pursue recovery and advancement to Cave True.

A sect’s Great Elder demanded that his subordinates open Lu Shan San Ren’s ancient Cave Heaven Secret Realm, which they had failed to penetrate despite seven years of work. As the group prepared to investigate a surviving relative of Lu Shan San Ren, an unknown presence disturbed the realm’s spatial barrier and drew the Great Elder’s furious attention.

• The Great Elder projected his presence onto the mountain stronghold and demanded a progress report on the sealed Cave Heaven Secret Realm.
• A subordinate explained that the sect’s array masters had found clues and that they had located descendants connected to Zhang San Chen, also known as Lu Shan San Ren.
• The Great Elder threatened to kill the group if they failed to open the realm within three years.
• The group recalled that Lu Shan San Ren had been a legendary cultivator who died before establishing his sect, and that his relatives were later slaughtered.
• As the subordinates prepared to leave, the Great Elder sensed a powerful disturbance in the Void and shouted at the unknown intruder.

Qianyun Mountain Great Elder attacked a hidden spy, who escaped after their first clash, and pursued him across the void. Just as the Great Elder seemed to have subdued the spy, a sudden sense of danger struck him.

• Qianyun Mountain Great Elder sensed someone spying nearby and struck with a golden palm, while the figure answered with a massive sword attack.
• The spy was blasted back but slipped into space and fled, so Qianyun Mountain Great Elder tore open a Space Channel and pursued him.
• Qianyun Mountain cultivators watched the clash devastate the surrounding mountains and strain their formation strongholds.
• Qianyun Mountain Great Elder tracked the spy with his divine sense, then crushed his Dharma Treasures and struck him to the ground with another palm.
• As Qianyun Mountain Great Elder approached the fallen spy, an unexpected danger set off his alarm.

A hidden cultivator’s Five Elements sword strike injured Qianyun Mountain Great Elder but failed to kill him. Suspecting the attacker belonged to the Five Elements Holy Sect, he abandoned pursuit and decided to seize the Cave Heaven Secret Realm before they could act.

• A hidden attacker launched a powerful Five Elements Sword Light at Qianyun Mountain Great Elder as his guard relaxed.
• Qianyun Mountain Great Elder raised a Golden Sphere Shield, then struck the sword with his fist, but the attack cut his right palm and sent him flying.
• Five Elements Dao Charm lingered in Qianyun Mountain Great Elder’s wound and prevented it from healing.
• Qianyun Mountain Great Elder considered pursuing the vanished attackers but stopped, fearing the Five Elements Holy Sect and a possible trap.
• Qianyun Mountain Great Elder decided to break through the Cave Heaven Secret Realm’s defenses and claim it, then departed.

Zhang Qingyuan escaped a Cave True Realm pursuer with the help of a decoy and ambush, but Little Fire was gravely injured and fell into slumber. After deciding to return to the Yue Family, he reached the outskirts of the Qingyang Monster Beast Mountain Range and sensed a battle near Yue Family Town.

• Zhang Qingyuan used a concealed sword strike and an ambush to injure Qianyun Mountain Great Elder and escape the pursuit.
• Little Fire revealed that it had served as bait and, badly injured, entered slumber to heal.
• Zhang Qingyuan resolved to seek the Cave Heaven Dao Essence needed to recover and break through to Cave True, while noting that Qianyun Mountain might soon act again.
• Zhang Qingyuan headed back to the Yue Family because its Messaging Talisman had activated.
• Several days later, Zhang Qingyuan sensed True Essence clashes near Yue Family Town and wondered what enemy the Yue Family had provoked.

Several powerful figures attacked Yue Family Town, and their gray-robed leader demanded that the Yue Family explain its connection to Zhang San Chen. The Yue Family Great Elder’s shocked reaction revealed that the attackers had uncovered the clan’s hidden origins.

• A gray-robed figure slashed Yue Family Town with a massive Crescent Sword Blade, destroying buildings and sending the townspeople fleeing.
• The gray-robed figure overwhelmed the Yue Family Elder and his companions with his aura, then demanded that a decision-maker appear or the town would be razed.
• The Yue Family Great Elder flew out and respectfully asked the visitors why they had come, while privately doubting that Zhang Yuan would protect the family.
• The gray-robed figure named Lu Shan San Ren Zhang San Chen and accused the Yue Family of sheltering a surviving relative who had obtained something forbidden and moved the Lineage to Yue Family Town.
• The Yue Family Great Elder failed to conceal his shock as the gray-robed figure revealed that he knew the clan’s secret history.

Ding Ming attacked the Yue Family Great Elder to force him to reveal an ancestral item, while Ding Ming’s Senior Brother threatened to destroy part of Yue Family Town. Just as the attack fell, Zhang’s voice declared that the Yue Family was under his protection.

• The Yue Family Great Elder denied knowing what Ding Ming meant, and Ding Ming struck him into Yue Family Town.
• Ding Ming knocked aside the Yue Family cultivators who tried to protect the Great Elder, then seized him and demanded the ancestral item.
• Ding Ming’s Senior Brother formed a massive True Essence Energy sphere and sent it crashing toward Yue Family Town.
• Clear River-like water sounds spread through the air, and Zhang declared that the Yue Family was under his protection.

Zhang Qingyuan appeared in Yue Family Town and stopped Ding Ming after rescuing the Yue Family from his attack. When Ding Ming’s Senior Brother launched a surprise strike, Zhang Qingyuan caught the spear between two fingers.

• Ding Ming’s True Essence sphere was devoured by a spatial vortex, saving Yue Family Town.
• Zhang Qingyuan appeared beside Ding Ming, sealed his True Essence, and freed the Yue Family Great Elder.
• Ding Ming invoked Qianyun Mountain’s authority, but Zhang Qingyuan dismissed its power over him.
• Ding Ming’s Senior Brother launched a lightning spear at Zhang Qingyuan from the sky.
• Zhang Qingyuan caught the spear between two fingers and stopped it in midair.

Zhang Qingyuan effortlessly defeated the Qianyun Mountain cultivators who threatened the Yue Family, then learned why the family had settled near the Qingyang Monster Beast Mountain Range. The Yue Family Great Elder gave him a Jade Bracelet tied to Lu Shan San Ren’s Cave Heaven Secret Realm and asked him to protect the family.

• Zhang Qingyuan reflected on his strength and injuries as he repelled the white-clothed Qianyun Mountain leader’s attack and blasted the other cultivators from the sky.
• Zhang Qingyuan warned Ding Ming about the difference in their strength, then left the defeated enemies for the Yue Family to imprison and deal with.
• The Yue Family Great Elder told Zhang Qingyuan that an ancestor had served Zhang San Chen, Lu Shan San Ren, and survived the destruction of the Lu Shan Dao Manor.
• The Yue Family Great Elder explained that the ancestor had kept a Jade Bracelet token linked to Lu Shan San Ren’s Cave Heaven Secret Realm and moved the family near the Qingyang Monster Beast Mountain Range.
• The Yue Family Great Elder handed Zhang Qingyuan the Jade Bracelet, saying the family hoped he would protect them after Qianyun Mountain discovered their secret.

The Yue Family Great Elder gave Zhang Qingyuan the jade bracelet and asked him to protect the family during their relocation, and Zhang agreed to help. Afterward, Zhang discovered that the bracelet contained a sealed inheritance from Lu Shan San Ren Zhang San Chen that might help him with his Dao Injury.

• The Yue Family Great Elder explained that Qianyun Mountain’s arrival had exposed the family’s secret and offered Zhang Qingyuan the jade bracelet in exchange for help relocating the Yue Family.
• The Yue Family Great Elder asked Zhang Qingyuan to accept two juniors as disciples, and Zhang instead agreed to let them accompany him for thirty years.
• Zhang Qingyuan agreed to conceal the family’s tracks and have Tang Huacheng help find them a new location in Chuyun Kingdom.
• Zhang Qingyuan sensed that the jade bracelet contained something valuable and used his Divine Sense to reveal a sealed glow and chain of Runes.
• After two days, Zhang Qingyuan unlocked the seal and discovered the inheritance of Lu Shan San Ren Zhang San Chen, which might help resolve his Dao Injury.

The Yue Family prepared to scatter across Chuyun Kingdom to evade Qianyun Mountain, while Zhang Qingyuan studied Zhang San Chen’s inheritance in the Jade Bracelet. He grasped Lu Shan San Ren’s Unique Dao, which could unify his many powers, and continued considering how to bring his own methods together.

• The Yue Family decided to move its core members to Jicang County and scatter the rest, hoping to preserve the clan and build ties through Zhang Qingyuan and its two juniors.
• The Yue Family halted reconstruction of Yue Family Town and began coordinating the relocation, including arrangements for elders who refused to leave their homeland.
• Zhang Qingyuan meditated in the Yue Family’s Secret Chamber and comprehended the inheritance he had found in the Jade Bracelet.
• Zhang Qingyuan realized that Lu Shan San Ren’s Unique Dao fused Essence, Qi, Spirit, techniques, and martial arts into one unified power.
• Zhang Qingyuan reflected that his many increasingly powerful methods had become difficult to coordinate, and that his existing Five Elements inheritance did not provide a general solution.

Zhang Qingyuan used the Unique Dao inheritance to deepen his Five Elements Dao Law and recover from his injuries, while the Yue Family resettled under his protection. With his strength restored enough to challenge Qianyun Mountain’s Great Elder, he left to pursue the Cave Heaven Secret Realm in the depths of the Qingyang Monster Beast Mountain Range.

• Zhang Qingyuan realized the Unique Dao could unify his many techniques and further elevate his Five Elements Dao Law, accelerating the refinement of his Dao Injury.
• Over half a month, the Yue Family relocated to Jicang County with help from Tang Huacheng, while Qianyun Mountain’s covert actions plunged Chuyun Kingdom’s Cultivation World into chaos.
• Zhang Qingyuan recovered three-tenths of his injuries and gained confidence that he could contend with Cave True Law Domain Realm Great Powers, though he still could not fight them for long.
• Zhang Qingyuan instructed Yue Lingyun and Yue Wenhe, gave them Dharma Treasures, and told them to cultivate for several years.
• Zhang Qingyuan departed to scheme for the Cave Heaven Secret Realm in the depths of the Qingyang Monster Beast Mountain Range.

Chang Shan met the Dean of North Mountain Academy, who recruited him to investigate Qianyun Mountain’s secret operations in Chuyun Kingdom. Chang Shan revealed what he had learned from Zhang Qingyuan, leaving the Dean to consider the connection between the kingdom’s turmoil and Lu Shan San Ren.

• Chang Shan returned to the Chang Family Escort Agency and found the Dean of North Mountain Academy there with Chang Lifei and several elders.
• The Dean told Chang Shan that Chang Lifei’s admission was tied to his plans and asked him to gather intelligence about the unrest in Chuyun Kingdom.
• The Dean explained that Qianyun Mountain had gathered formation experts and secretly sent them to Chuyun Kingdom, a place linked to the ancient cultivator Lu Shan San Ren.
• Chang Shan described Qianyun Mountain’s control of Chuyun Kingdom and the secrets behind the recent turmoil that he had learned from the Yue Family Great Elder.
• When the Dean doubted his account, Chang Shan revealed that Zhang Qingyuan had captured the Jing'an Division Governor and learned the information from him.
• The Dean listened to Chang Shan’s explanation and gazed into the distance in thought.

While traveling toward the Qingyang Monster Beast Mountain Range, Zhang Qingyuan learned that Chang Shan had revealed his identity to the North Mountain Academy Dean and saw a chance to turn the academy against Qianyun Mountain. He visited his master's grave in Yue Family Town, then continued onward, where an unknown cultivator called out to stop him.

• Zhang Qingyuan weighed ways to approach Qianyun Mountain's Cave Heaven Secret Realm and rejected both disguising himself as a disciple and attacking its guards directly.
• Zhang Qingyuan received Chang Shan's message explaining that he had disclosed Zhang Qingyuan's information to the North Mountain Academy Dean.
• Zhang Qingyuan decided that the Dean's involvement might let him provoke a conflict between North Mountain Academy and Qianyun Mountain, and changed course toward Yue Family Town.
• Zhang Qingyuan visited his master's grave beneath the great locust tree in the deserted Yue Family Town and offered incense.
• As Zhang Qingyuan traveled toward the Qingyang Monster Beast Mountain Range, an unseen presence watched him, and a dignified voice called for him to stop while Five Elements Dao Charm Qi sealed the surrounding area.

Zhang Qingyuan pretended to surrender his route map to the North Mountain Academy Dean, who believed he had secured an advantage in the struggle for the Cave Heaven Secret Realm. After the Academy group set off, Zhang revealed that his anger had been an act and disguised himself as one of their cultivators to begin his counter-scheme.

• The North Mountain Academy Dean demanded Zhang Qingyuan hand over his recorded maps, and Zhang tossed him a Jade Slip before departing in apparent anger.
• The Dean refused to pursue Zhang, explaining that keeping him would risk losses and distract from the coming struggle with Fan Gongliang for the Cave Heaven Secret Realm.
• The Dean inspected the route map and led the North Mountain Academy group toward the secret realm, confident that he had manipulated Qianyun Mountain and its rivals.
• Zhang Qingyuan stopped nearby and revealed that he had deliberately feigned anger to make the Academy group lower its guard.
• Zhang Qingyuan explained that he had anticipated the Academy would contact him, changed his route toward Yue Family Town, and then disguised himself in North Mountain Academy attire with the Aura of the Five Elements Dao Law.

Lu Shijie confronted Fan Gongliang over Qianyun Mountain’s claim to the Cave Heaven Secret Realm, and their clash revealed that Fan was injured. A North Mountain Academy cultivator then attacked a Qianyun Mountain cultivator, igniting a chaotic battle between both sides.

• Fan Gongliang attacked Lu Shijie and demanded that North Mountain Academy stay away from Qianyun Mountain’s private property.
• Lu Shijie countered with Five Elements Dao Law, and their clash forced Fan to retreat farther than Lu.
• Lu Shijie noticed that Fan was injured and realized his chances of victory had improved.
• A North Mountain Academy cultivator suddenly pierced a Qianyun Mountain cultivator with a five-colored spear.
• Both groups erupted into battle, and Lu Shijie and Fan Gongliang attacked each other again.

Zhang Qingyuan exploited the battle between Lu Shijie and Fan Gongliang to clear the guards at the Cave Heaven Secret Realm and use the Jade Bracelet to enter it. He vanished into the vortex just as the fighters realized what had happened.

• Lu Shijie and Fan Gongliang continued their fierce battle, each striking with powerful attacks despite Lu Shijie’s doubts about an unfamiliar disciple.
• Zhang Qingyuan killed the cultivators guarding the formation cliffs while they were distracted by the battle.
• Zhang Qingyuan used the Jade Bracelet to confirm it was the Cave Heaven Secret Realm’s entry token and learned how to activate it.
• Zhang Qingyuan leaped through the mirror-like vortex as Lu Shijie, Fan Gongliang, and the nearby cultivators noticed him too late.

Zhang Qingyuan entered the Cave Heaven Secret Realm and discovered that the Jade Bracelet made him its master, allowing him to control its defenses and perceive every corner of the world within. After ten days of absorbing its Dao Essence and attuning himself to the realm, he reached the limit before a breakthrough and began advancing to the Cave True Law Domain realm.

• Lu Shijie and Fan Gongliang attacked the Void Mirror after realizing someone had entered the Cave Heaven Secret Realm, but the vortex swallowed their attacks.
• Zhang Qingyuan learned that the Jade Bracelet gave him control over the Cave Heaven Secret Realm and its forbidden formation.
• Zhang Qingyuan used the Jade Bracelet to teleport to a mountain at the center of the secret realm.
• Zhang Qingyuan merged his awareness with the Cave Heaven World and spent ten days absorbing its accumulated Dao Essence.
• Zhang Qingyuan reached the limit before transformation, resolved to advance, and heard a barrier shatter.