Chapter Summaries

Zi Yan absorbed the deadly dragon breath poison and the group uncovered a Dragon Spirit Pearl in the Dragon Mansion ruins. Lin Ming recognized that it was suited to Zi Yan and agreed she should have it.

• Zi Yan explained that dragon breath poison was deadly to most cultivators but would nourish her dragon-phoenix bloodline.
• Zi Yan swallowed the dark-purple mist, strengthening her bloodline and revealing the Dragon Mansion.
• Lin Ming drew Stone Island into his inner world, where the group explored the vast, lifeless ruins beneath lingering Dragon Clan pressure.
• The group found a White Bone Throne at the ruins' center, with a Dragon Spirit Pearl containing a white dragon floating above it.
• Zi Yan identified the pearl as a powerful legacy left by the Dragon Mansion's master, and Lin Ming nodded to show that it belonged to her.

Lin Ming uncovered and carefully dismantled a Corpse Spirit Formation hidden beneath the ruins, revealing a Corpse Puppet Dragon guarding the Dragon Spirit Pearl. Zi Yan defeated the dragon and claimed the pearl.

• Lin Ming exposed the hidden formation and Corpse Puppet Dragon beneath the ruins, then warned that the formation could suppress their power.
• Lin Ming carefully dismantled the Corpse Spirit Formation and burned away the released Death Qi without damaging the White Bone Throne or Dragon Spirit Pearl.
• Zi Yan rushed toward the pearl despite Xia Jia's warning, and the Corpse Puppet Dragon attacked her with Death Qi and its claws.
• Zi Yan neutralized the Death Qi and punched the Corpse Puppet Dragon into the ruins.
• Zi Yan took the Dragon Spirit Pearl from atop the White Bone Throne.

Zi Yan refined the Dragon Spirit Pearl in the Dragon Mansion, reaching Perfected Tier 9 Supreme and strengthening her Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline. Lin Ming then led the group toward the Star Residence, where they discovered that its seven apparently separate stone islands formed one enormous formation.

• Zi Yan absorbed the Dragon Spirit Pearl while Lin Ming, North King, and Xia Jia searched the Dragon Mansion and found little else of value.
• Zi Yan completed her refinement, advanced to Perfected Tier 9 Supreme, and gained a purer, stronger Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline.
• Lin Ming led Zi Yan, North King, and Xia Jia out of the Dragon Mansion and announced that they would head to the Star Residence.
• After flying for nearly an hour, the group reached seven stone islands, none of which appeared to stand out as the Star Residence.
• Lin Ming explained that all seven islands were linked by formations and together formed the Star Residence.

Lin Ming discovered that an ancient formation bound the Star Residence’s seven stone islands together and carefully severed its weakened links. He absorbed all seven islands into his Inner World, and he and his companions prepared to explore the Star Residence.

• Zi Yan detected ancient spiritual-energy lines connecting the seven stone islands, and Lin Ming identified the structure as the Big Dipper Seven-Star Formation.
• Lin Ming examined the formation for four hours and found six weakened gaps in its connections.
• Lin Ming used six Spirit Seals to sever the gaps, causing the Big Dipper Seven-Star Formation to collapse.
• Lin Ming used a Black Hole to absorb all seven stone islands into his Inner World, leaving the sky empty.
• Lin Ming invited Zi Yan, North King, and Xia Jia to explore the Star Residence, and the four entered the Five-Elements World.

Lin Ming led Zi Yan, the North King, and Xia Jia to the Star Residence’s gateway island and began exploring its formation tower. After clearing a dangerous trace of Evil Clan energy, the group entered the tower and climbed toward its summit, where the formation teachings grew increasingly profound.

• Lin Ming examined the seven floating islands, drew the eastern island toward the group, and identified it as the gateway to the Star Residence.
• Lin Ming broke the island’s defensive barrier and determined that Heavenly Pivot Island was a screening formation centered on the crystal tower.
• Lin Ming detected residual evil energy around the tower’s base and warned that it could corrode anyone who entered unprotected.
• Lin Ming carefully removed the evil energy, then led Zi Yan, the North King, and Xia Jia into the tower.
• The group climbed the spiral staircase as Lin Ming studied the tower’s increasingly advanced formation knowledge.

Lin Ming entered the Star Residence Master’s first array trial and broke its seven arrays, including a near-grandmaster-level formation. He completed the trial, though the chapter ended before the next step of the Star Residence legacy was revealed.

• The Master of the Star Residence appeared and offered his legacy and token to whoever passed three array trials, then vanished into the crystal.
• Lin Ming stepped into the silvery-white ring while Zi Yan, North King, and Xia Jia waited outside.
• Lin Ming recognized the first trial as the Sevenfold Array and broke its red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, and blue arrays in succession.
• Lin Ming studied the violet array’s five-element cycle and found a weak point between its fire and metal elements.
• Lin Ming severed the weak connection, causing the violet array to collapse.

Lin Ming passed the first trial and entered the second, where he dismantled the Five Elements Sealing Array by disrupting its central balance. The gray space vanished, leaving him on a new platform with a golden token.

• Lin Ming took the silver token after completing the first trial and was transported to the second floor.
• Lin Ming explored the sealed gray space and discovered a dark-gold platform and pillar that activated the Five Elements Sealing Array.
• Lin Ming recognized that brute force would fail and used his five elements power to find the array’s central node.
• Lin Ming disrupted the five-colored core until it exploded, causing the Five Elements Sealing Array to collapse.
• Lin Ming found himself on a new stone platform with pale golden flames and a golden Big Dipper token.

Lin Ming entered the Star Residence’s third trial, where the Master of the Star Residence challenged him to find the Formation Core Star hidden in a vast starry array. After tracing the array’s patterns, Lin Ming detected a faint star whose resonance connected it to the earlier trials and his Inner World, and walked toward it.

• Lin Ming took the token confirming he had passed the second trial, and the altar’s light transported him into the third trial.
• The Master of the Star Residence explained that the trial tested inheritance and that Lin Ming would receive it only by finding the Formation Core Star among the stars.
• Lin Ming used his World Power and Soul Power to perceive the starry sky as an enormous array linked by countless formation-pattern threads.
• Lin Ming recognized the seven bright stars of the Big Dipper and found an empty hollow at the center of their loop, where the Formation Core Star should have been.
• Lin Ming searched the dim stars and sensed that one distant dusky blue star resonated with the arrays from the first two trials and his Inner World.
• Lin Ming strode through the starry array toward the faint star in its deepest reaches.

Lin Ming received the Star Residence master's vast inheritance of formation knowledge and emerged with a transformed understanding of formations. He collected the Star Residence Token and left the now-silent altar.

• Lin Ming touched the deep-blue star and absorbed the Star Residence master's lifetime of insights into spirit patterns, Five-Element formations, composite arrays, and spatial formations.
• Lin Ming endured the overwhelming flood of knowledge and gained a new understanding of the way of formations.
• The deep-blue star transformed into the Star Residence Token, which Lin Ming placed beside the two tokens he had already obtained.
• The starry sky dissipated, and Lin Ming returned to the stone platform as the altar's rings and central crystal went dark.
• Lin Ming tested his new knowledge by forming a spirit pattern, then dispersed it and left the space.

Lin Ming obtained the Star Residence Token and sensed that outside forces were entering the Ancient Heavenly Palace, leaving his group little time to explore. After Qing Yanjing won a Golden Dragon Token at the Dragon Ascension Gate, Lin Ming led his companions toward the dangerous Thunder Residence, hoping the Star Residence Token would help them reach it before the newcomers caught up.

• Lin Ming reunited with Zi Yan, North King, and Xia Jia and showed them the Star Residence Token, completing their collection of tokens from three residences.
• Lin Ming sensed more people entering the Ancient Heavenly Palace through the Dragon Ascension Gate, and warned his companions that their time to explore was limited.
• Qing Yanjing entered the Dragon Ascension Gate's trial and emerged with a Golden Dragon Token, astonishing the waiting crowd.
• Lin Ming studied the map Jade Slip and chose the Thunder Residence, reasoning that the Star Residence Token could help suppress its formations and that its rewards could strengthen them.
• Lin Ming, Zi Yan, North King, and Xia Jia hurried toward the Thunder Residence before the latecomers could catch up.

Latecomers arrived at the Ancient Heavenly Palace seeking the Nine Residences, only to find the Lin Residence and Dragon Mansion gone. Qing Yanjing discovered the Star Residence had also vanished and hurried to the Heavenly Pool, expecting to confront whoever had taken it.

• Cultivators entered the Ancient Heavenly Palace with inherited maps and jade slips, then scattered toward the locations of the Nine Residences.
• A party from a small Eastern Region sect found the Lin Residence missing, then discovered the Dragon Mansion was gone too, and their leader destroyed his map in anger.
• Other cultivators reached the former sites of the Lin Residence and Dragon Mansion and left frustrated after finding only faint traces of spiritual energy.
• Qing Yanjing consulted the Buddha Ancient Clan's jade slip and raced to the Star Residence, where she found it missing and sensed an unfamiliar flame aura.
• Qing Yanjing concluded that someone had taken the Star Residence and headed for the Heavenly Pool to wait for them.

Lin Ming absorbed the Thunder Residence into his Inner World and searched its halls with Zi Yan, Xia Jia, and the North King. After finding supplies and a vast pool of thunder-infused spirit liquid, he recognized sacred-artifact power in the patterns at the rear of the Thunder Palace.

• Lin Ming used his chaos lightning to absorb the Thunder Residence's stone island into his Inner World and led Zi Yan, Xia Jia, and the North King through its formations.
• Lin Ming dismantled the Thunder Residence's thunder formations and searched its side halls with the others.
• Xia Jia found a Lei Yuan Barrier-Breaking Pill, which Lin Ming gave her to help overcome a cultivation bottleneck.
• The North King found sealed thunder-attribute materials, and Lin Ming let him and Xia Jia keep the supplies they found.
• Lin Ming and the others entered the Thunder Palace and discovered a pool containing an estimated seventy to eighty million drops of supreme spirit liquid.
• Lin Ming examined the dense lightning patterns at the rear of the hall and recognized fluctuations from a sacred artifact.

Lin Ming and Zi Yan discovered a sacred Thunder Spear and the Thunder Punishment minor divine ability in the Thunder Palace. Lin Ming refined the spear and began practicing the technique, while North King and Xia Jia continued searching the Thunder Residence.

• Lin Ming and Zi Yan found two Thunder Pillars holding a sacred Thunder Spear and a sheet of gold foil.
• Lin Ming subdued the Thunder Spear with Chaos Lightning and retrieved it from its lightning barrier.
• Zi Yan retrieved the gold foil, which recorded the nine-layer Thunder Punishment technique and explained how a Thunder Attribute sacred weapon could amplify it.
• Lin Ming and Zi Yan recognized that the Thunder Spear could serve as a conduit for Thunder Punishment, reducing its backlash and boosting its power.
• Lin Ming spent about four hours engraving his spiritual energy imprint into the Thunder Spear until its Thunder Core accepted him.
• Lin Ming began practicing Thunder Punishment with the refined Thunder Spear.

The Heavenly River drew powerful cultivators from across the Sky Luo Continent as they gathered outside its sealed entrance, each waiting for the baptism to begin. Qing Yanjing arrived with a token, and the chapter ended with Xu Ru recognizing Lin Ming and his companions as survivors of the Xia Emperor’s attack.

• Flower-Faced Fox watched a cold, formidable party arrive and judged that their Nine Residences Token might be better than his own.
• Qing Yanjing arrived with a jade pendant from the Spirit Residence and searched the crowd for the person who had emptied the Star Residence.
• Elite disciples and experts from major powers gathered outside the seal, many bearing injuries from crossing the damaged formations around the Nine Residences.
• The Heavenly River’s waters began to sound, stirring the spiritual power of everyone nearby and drawing them toward the river.
• Lin Ming, a purple-gold-clad woman, and two companions arrived, and Xu Ru recognized them as survivors of the Xia Emperor’s attack.

Lin Ming and his companions reached the Heavenly River, and the gathered Nine Residences Tokens opened its ancient seal, releasing a tremendous surge of spiritual energy. As the crowd rushed toward the opening, Qing Yanjing recognized Lin Ming, while he stayed back to assess the situation.

• Lin Ming, Zi Yan, the North King, and Xia Jia arrived at the Heavenly River, and their four Nine Residences Tokens shone and sent beams of light into the sky.
• The beams from the token holders converged into a nine-colored rune that tore open the seal and unleashed the Heavenly River’s spiritual energy.
• Zi Yan, the North King, Xia Jia, and the surrounding crowd sensed the river’s power and recognized the chance for a profound baptism.
• Qing Yanjing spotted Lin Ming’s star-blue pillar and quietly said, "Found you."
• Token holders and other hopeful cultivators surged toward the opening, while Lin Ming remained behind to weigh his options.

Lin Ming and his companions entered the Heavenly River and witnessed its immense power and danger. After the river crushed several cultivators, a White Dragon Disciple showed that identity tokens could become protective boats, revealing how the others might travel across it.

• Lin Ming, Zi Yan, North King, and Xia Jia entered the Heavenly River and saw visions of ancient disciples pursuing stars in its waters.
• Several cultivators plunged into the river without protection and were crushed into bloody water, including an expert at the peak of Tier 9.
• A calm gray-robed man explained that the river’s weight and conflicting forces made entering without protection fatal.
• The gray-robed man tossed his White Dragon Disciple token into the river, where it expanded into a protected boat that carried him safely across.
• Other token holders turned their tokens into boats, whose size and strength varied according to their rank.

Lin Ming and Zi Yan entered the Heavenly River in Golden Dragon Token skiffs to collect Heavenly River Spirits for a baptism, while North King and Xia Jia split off to search separately. As Lin Ming and Zi Yan ventured deeper, the river’s crushing pressure strained their skiffs, and they spotted a powerful dark-blue Heavenly River Spirit ahead.

• Lin Ming and Zi Yan launched their Golden Dragon Token skiffs into the Heavenly River after learning that a Perfect Baptism required the power of a hundred Heavenly River Spirits.
• Lin Ming and Zi Yan split from North King and Xia Jia, with each pair heading in a different direction to search for spirits.
• Qing Yanjing noticed Lin Ming but decided not to make a move amid the dangers and crowds in the Heavenly River, then sailed deeper elsewhere.
• Lin Ming and Zi Yan traveled deeper as the Heavenly River’s pressure began to strain their Golden Dragon barriers.
• Lin Ming and Zi Yan spotted a dark-blue Heavenly River Spirit radiating immense spiritual power ahead of them.

Zi Yan fought a powerful Heavenly River Spirit that repeatedly tried to smash through her Golden Dragon Token’s barrier. She drove it back with her Dragon Phoenix Sword, but the spirit became increasingly frenzied and kept charging.

• Zi Yan struck the Heavenly River Spirit with a purple-gold fist, but it barely slowed before crashing into her barrier and driving her skiff back.
• Lin Ming judged that the spirit’s near-Tier 9 Peak attacks could break the Golden Dragon Token after several more hits, while Zi Yan insisted on handling the fight herself.
• Zi Yan used the Dragon Phoenix Sword to repel the spirit and shatter a water dragon it had formed from the river.
• Lin Ming watched without intervening, keeping his spiritual power ready in case Zi Yan could no longer hold out.
• The Heavenly River Spirit went berserk and repeatedly charged Zi Yan, who countered each attack with forceful sword strikes.

Zi Yan captured the first Heavenly River Spirit, while Lin Ming judged that gathering enough for a baptism would take too long and risk the Heavenly River seal closing. He led Zi Yan deeper into the river, where the other cultivators disappeared from sight.

• Zi Yan wore down the Heavenly River Spirit, caught it with a Purple-Gold Dragon Claw, and claimed its crystalline true body as the first one.
• Lin Ming calculated that collecting the thirty spirits needed for the lowest-grade baptism could take several days, while a perfect-grade baptism would require at least a hundred.
• Lin Ming watched other cultivators struggle against the spirits, noting that their group attacks were poorly coordinated and caused severe losses.
• Lin Ming decided they needed another way and steered his Golden Dragon Token deeper into the Heavenly River with Zi Yan following beside him.
• Lin Ming and Zi Yan traveled past the scattered cultivators into a silent, secluded stretch of river, where Lin Ming stopped.

Lin Ming created a Spirit Gathering Formation as bait and concealed a grandmaster-level Three Essence Devouring Nether Formation around it to trap Heavenly River Spirits. A Heavenly River Spirit entered to feed, and Lin Ming activated the trap around it.

• Lin Ming explained to Zi Yan that Heavenly River Spirits were drawn to places rich in spiritual power, so he planned to lure them with a Spirit Gathering Formation.
• Lin Ming built a Three Essence Devouring Nether Formation around the bait and activated the Spirit Gathering Formation to concentrate spiritual power.
• Lin Ming and Zi Yan concealed themselves and waited as the formation gathered spiritual power into a dense mist and tiny crystal fragments.
• A Heavenly River Spirit approached, hesitated outside the formations, then entered the Spirit Gathering Formation and began devouring the spiritual power.
• Lin Ming activated the Three Essence Devouring Nether Formation, causing its layered spiritual patterns to flare and seal the area around the Heavenly River Spirit.