Chapter Summaries

When Lin Chen became a Corpse Release Immortal, the Death River stirred, and the Death River Priestess and Nail Soul True Lord sensed someone else had seen death. They planned to draw him to Soul Returning Island when he crossed into reality, while the river revealed countless identical islands filled with wandering figures.

• The Death River stirred at the moment Lin Chen became a Corpse Release Immortal, and the Death River Priestess and Nail Soul True Lord discussed the new person who had seen death.
• The Death River Priestess said they would draw him to Soul Returning Island when he crossed dimensions and reincarnated into reality.
• The Death River Priestess declared that death would outlast every other force and that the Death River Cult could wait for its rivals to pass away.
• The Death River Priestess chanted about those who eternally slumber and said they would one day return from that long slumber.
• The river briefly turned transparent, revealing countless identical Soul Returning Islands where living and dead figures, including the Death River Priestess and Nail Soul True Lord, wandered.

The Paper Figure Demon Venerable unleashed its Paper World and a devastating attack against Lin Chen, but Lin Chen’s Yang Spirit body emerged unharmed. The Paper Figure then joined forces with three Great Species to attack him, until an unknown voice called down a flood of white light.

• The Paper Figure Demon Venerable created its deathly Paper World and revealed how it used spirit-rooted cultivators as pigments to control the Great Dao.
• The Paper Figure burned its origin essence and struck Lin Chen with the full force of its domain, blasting the surrounding region into a deep abyss.
• Lin Chen reappeared unharmed and explained that attacks unable to reach his dream-stored Yang Spirit could not hurt him.
• The Paper Figure summoned the Coffin Nail and drew three Great Species into a joint assault on Lin Chen.
• As the combined enemies engulfed Lin Chen, a clear voice invoked a True Immortal and brought endless white light crashing through the gloom.

Lin Chen used his Corpse Release Immortal powers to purify the Black Mist Continent, seize the Spirit Transmutation Opportunity, and destroy the Paper Figure Demon Venerable through Meme Infection. Before his power faded, he spread a new path of cultivation across the continent, and his true body finally awoke in the Dream Realm after a hundred years.

• Lin Chen unleashed endless light that purified the Black Mist Continent, weakened its demons, and corrected the area's distorted laws.
• Lin Chen estimated he had three strikes of Spirit Transformation-level power left, then used his first strike to destroy the Black Mist Abyss and seize the Spirit Transmutation Opportunity.
• Lin Chen infected the Paper Figure Demon Venerable and its connected clones with his radiance, causing the Demon Venerable and its hidden Paper Persons across the world to perish.
• Lin Chen spent his final power shining light across the continent and teaching its inhabitants the Dao of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits.
• Lin Chen's true body awoke in the Dream Realm and realized that a hundred years had passed.

Faceless Demon Venerable’s investigation into Paper Figure Demon Venerable’s death triggered a devastating invasion of the Heavenly Demon Cult’s Ideal Country by a radiant figure formed through memories. The Demon Venerables erased the memories that sustained it and chose to focus on supporting the coming East Sea war, while Forget Demon Venerable remained wary of the unknown threat as the Devil Master drew the Doomsday World toward a crucial moment.

• Faceless Demon Venerable discovered that Paper Figure Demon Venerable and his backup avatar had been destroyed, then ordered the Heavenly Demon Cult’s Super Brain to analyze the ashes.
• The analysis exposed the Ideal Country to a towering figure of light that invaded through memories, shattered the dreamscape, and burned cultivators in both the dreamscape and reality.
• Cloud Seal Demon Venerable and Mirror Female Cultivator tried to suppress the figure, but it repeatedly reappeared until Forget Demon Venerable erased the memories sustaining it.
• Forget Demon Venerable ordered the Demon Venerables not to investigate Paper Figure Demon Venerable’s death and explained that they had to support the East Sea Dragon Palace against the approaching Immortal Alliance forces.
• Forget Demon Venerable warned that the unknown enemy must not disrupt the Heavenly Demon Cult’s grand plan, while the Devil Master continued drawing the Doomsday World toward a point in time.

True Lord Xingmu and True Lord Lie Kong discussed the Immortal Alliance’s plans to attack the East Sea Dragon Palace and reshape its leadership. After True Lord Xingmu joined a gathering of powerful cultivators, she learned that a mysterious Spirit Transformation-level being had destroyed the Paper Figure Demon Venerable, while Lin Chen continued through the Deep Dream Realm.

• True Lord Xingmu and True Lord Lie Kong discussed the Magma Long River defense and the Immortal Alliance’s plan to attack the East Sea Dragon Palace before its hidden scheme could unfold.
• True Lord Xingmu explained that the alliance would establish an academy on Tiangong Island, send prodigies into the Outer Domain, and use the campaign to displace entrenched leaders.
• True Lord Xingmu sensed a special summons and joined a gathering where True Lord Gu Yue revealed that an unknown being had destroyed the Paper Figure Demon Venerable and seemed to possess Spirit Transformation-level power.
• True Lord Gu Yue said Celestial Maiden Yue Ling had protected the gathering and that the palace master had asked the East Sea Rogue Immortal to investigate and approach the mysterious being.
• In the Deep Dream Realm, Lin Chen walked through Night Fragrance Flowers and viewed a screen showing his Golden Core Ninth Layer cultivation.

Lin Chen assessed his Golden Core Ninth Layer cultivation and concluded that his Yin Yang Five Elements Spiritual Body had brought his Golden Core to perfection. He determined that his remaining obstacle to Nascent Soul was comprehending Great Dao Laws and choosing a Dao Domain.

• Lin Chen reviewed how his spiritual body had autonomously absorbed spiritual energy during his long slumber, advancing him from Golden Core Second Layer to Golden Core Ninth Layer and refining his Golden Core.
• Lin Chen considered the risks and benefits of Golden Core refinement, noting that his Yin Yang Five Elements Spiritual Body gave him a strong chance of reaching Nascent Soul.
• Lin Chen reasoned that Nascent Soul required Golden Core Perfection, Great Dao comprehension, and Shattering Core into Nascent Soul.
• Lin Chen concluded that his Golden Core was already perfected and that he could use the Change of Virtual and Real to avoid the dangers of shattering the core.
• Lin Chen recognized that he still needed to comprehend Great Dao Laws and decide what Dao Domain to condense, then fell into deep contemplation.

Lin Chen considered how to shape his Dao Domain and rejected a domain based solely on dreams because it would squander his mastery of spiritual energy and limit his future path. A flash of inspiration led him to choose numbers as the foundation of a domain that could contain his knowledge and research.

• Lin Chen reviewed how Dao Domains were formed from a cultivator’s comprehension of laws and a unique operating mechanism.
• Lin Chen considered making his personal Dream World into a Dream Domain but decided it would be weak against peers and would pull him away from the Dao of Spiritual Energy.
• Lin Chen weighed other possible mechanisms, including elemental laws, mirrors, paper, chaos, and a small world, but found none could encompass his past achievements and future research.
• Lin Chen connected his experience as a Corpse Release Immortal with the idea that information could carry every kind of change.
• Lin Chen realized that numbers could form the basis of his Dao Domain and resolved to analyze heaven and earth into a Digitized World of his own.

Lin Chen planned a gradual path toward digitizing a world by developing an analytical Dao Domain and pooling cultivators’ comprehension through the Spirit Net. He considered where to test the plan but realized a Golden Core cultivator could not safely contend with even a fragmentary world, then saw a possible solution in the enormous city within the Dream Realm.

• Lin Chen reasoned that digitizing a complete world would require power beyond Void Refinement, so he planned to pursue the goal through staged objectives tied to different realms.
• Lin Chen envisioned a Dao Domain that analyzed and learned from other Dao Domains, but he concluded that comprehending enough Great Dao Laws would take far longer than his lifespan allowed.
• Lin Chen revised his Analysis Panel plan, deciding to use Soul Spirit Insects and the Spirit Net to gather and combine the comprehension of many beings while requisitioning their mental power.
• Lin Chen rejected the Black Mist Continent and the East Sea as risky experimental sites and considered seeking a Small World Fragment in an outer domain or the Return to Ruins.
• Lin Chen realized that a Golden Core cultivator could not safely contend with a World Fragment, then looked toward the enormous city in the Dream Realm and saw a possible use for his earlier platform.

Lin Chen examined the Coffin Nail and discovered that it connected to a deadly sea that could pull its user into the realm of lost souls. After recalling the mysteries surrounding Soul Returning Island, he turned to the remaining Nascent Soul-level spoils and decided to find people to explore them.

• Lin Chen inspected the Coffin Nail and used his soul power to uncover a vision of a death sea and Soul Returning Island.
• Lin Chen realized the Coffin Nail was a medium linked to the death sea, whose power could curse a target and eventually drag the user in as a lost soul.
• Lin Chen connected Soul Returning Island to a deceased cultivator’s account of mortals gaining spiritual roots there and wondered why the sinister island belonged to the Death River Cult of the Immortal Alliance.
• Lin Chen considered the remaining black abyss core and the Paper Person’s remains, which had formed separate Dao domains in the Dream Realm.
• Lin Chen decided to find people to explore the black mist and paper-ash regions and test his earlier idea.

Yan Yuncheng and the Yan Clan struggled to secure spiritual qi and prepare for the coming Blood Moon Year in the Outer Domain. After realizing that factional finances could determine the war, Yan Yuncheng considered using the Dream World for cross-domain smuggling, then saw an illusory kingdom beneath the night.

• Yan Yuncheng killed a Crow Hag, whose dying curse was stopped by the talismans in his sea of consciousness.
• Third Great-Uncle warned Yan Yuncheng that the Yan Clan had missed its best chance to attack the Year Wardens and that the Blood Moon Year was approaching.
• Yan Yuncheng reflected on how the Yan Clan's dwindling spiritual qi reserves and mounting expenses threatened to leave them as hired laborers.
• Yan Yuncheng considered smuggling Outer Domain goods through the Dream World, then saw an illusory kingdom under night.

Yan Yuncheng returned to the dream city and met Zhang Tianwen, Fang Ming, Shen Yiyao, and Xiao Yu as they investigated the Virtual World Communication Platform. They debated how to gain opportunities as more cultivators arrived, then the platform announced its rules to everyone in the city.

• Yan Yuncheng returned to the dream and tried to enter one of the city’s houses, but Zhang Tianwen warned him that entry required Contribution Value.
• Zhang Tianwen deduced that Yan Yuncheng had visited the dream before and was facing difficulties in the real world, then concluded that the city was a dream.
• Fang Ming, Shen Yiyao, and Xiao Yu joined Yan Yuncheng and Zhang Tianwen, and Zhang Tianwen identified himself as a member of the Heavenly Mystery Gate.
• Zhang Tianwen revealed that many cultivators from the East Sea islands had also entered the city, prompting the group to consider how the growing competition might affect their opportunities.
• Yan Yuncheng urged the Nine Great Immortal Sects to secure the dream’s opportunities, while Shen Yiyao and Xiao Yu argued that trade and becoming administrators would be better than suppressing other factions.
• A majestic voice welcomed everyone to the Virtual World Communication Platform and began announcing its rules.

The visitors learned the city’s eight rules and debated the identity and power of the being behind the dream realm. Yan Yuncheng urged them to stop speculating and seek opportunities, and Zhang Tianwen agreed, ending resolved to meet the realm’s creator.

• The city’s rules appeared in everyone’s memories, and Shen Yiyao said the place was becoming more complete.
• Yan Yuncheng recounted how someone had claimed to be from the Nanhua Dream Sect, prompting Zhang Tianwen to question the claim.
• Zhang Tianwen explained that the dream realm’s reach might bypass or have Taiyi’s approval to bypass the Heaven-Covering Heaven and Earth Great Formation.
• Zhang Tianwen noted the rules did not forbid visitors from sharing news of the city, raising fears that the master might be able to trace or kill them.
• Yan Yuncheng advised Zhang Tianwen and the others to stop guessing and focus on seizing benefits despite the risks.
• Zhang Tianwen embraced Yan Yuncheng’s outlook and declared he wanted to witness the bearing of the Dream Realm’s creator.

Yan Yuncheng and the others learned about secret investment networks before reaching a gray world identified as a fallen Nascent Soul Dao Domain. Zhang Tianwen summoned the Attribute Panel, whose function reminded him of the Heaven-Covering Heaven and Earth Great Formation.

• Xiao Yu explained that sects invested resources in campaigns to gain a share of their rewards, and suggested Yan Yuncheng seek connections through the Black Market and East Sea forces.
• Yan Yuncheng and the others realized that rival forces might secretly trade with the East Sea Dragon Palace.
• Fang Ming led the group to the edge of a gray world, which Zhang Tianwen identified as the remnant Dao Domain of a fallen Nascent Soul Cultivator.
• Zhang Tianwen reassured the group that the dead owner's Dao Domain should remain passive unless they triggered its defenses, and pointed to the Attribute Panel as a way to manage the danger.
• Zhang Tianwen summoned the Attribute Panel and wondered why its function resembled the Heaven-Covering Heaven and Earth Great Formation.

Zhang Tianwen and the others learned that the Projection ability required them to reveal their cultivation methods, insights, and spiritual qi to enter a fallen Nascent Soul Dao Domain with their strength intact. Though the group settled on projecting only their Qi Refining Stage, Zhang Tianwen recognized that the Dream Realm’s master was exploiting greed and jealousy—and began projecting his own power anyway.

• Shen Yiyao and the others read the Projection ability’s requirements and realized it demanded their cultivation knowledge and spiritual qi.
• Fang Ming objected to exposing the personal methods that formed the foundation of each cultivator’s path.
• Zhang Tianwen explained that refusing to project would leave them unable to explore the Dao Domain or open shops, while others’ gains could provoke escalating competition.
• Yan Yuncheng proposed projecting only their Qi Refining Stage methods and insights, and the others agreed it was the safest available approach.
• Zhang Tianwen saw that the mastermind could use jealousy to push cultivators toward ever-greater risks, but his curiosity drew him to begin projecting his true-body power into the Dream Realm.

Zhang Tianwen led Shen Yiyao and the others through the gray Dao Domain after using a die to choose their route, insisting that Heavenly Mystery Gate cultivators should trust their luck. When they heard a wail along the path, Zhang Tianwen rushed toward it, and Lin Chen wondered whether the crude method had somehow revealed a profound Heavenly Secret Art.

• Zhang Tianwen and the others examined the drifting paper ash, and Zhang cut off his contaminated hand before forming a new one.
• After the group agreed to explore, Zhang used a die to choose a path and led them into the increasingly dark, chilling woods.
• Zhang explained that a roll of six meant good fortune and said they could keep rolling until they got the result they wanted.
• A wail sounded nearby, and Zhang charged toward it as the others questioned whether his luck-based divination had worked.
• Watching from behind the scenes, Lin Chen wondered whether trusting luck was the simplest form of the Heavenly Secret Art.

Lin Chen discovered that Zhang Tianwen had gained the ability Time Lag, which Zhang used to survive a sudden Paper Person attack in the Paper World. After defeating it, Zhang found a yellow sheet of paper that appeared to be a Talisman Treasure.

• Lin Chen inspected Zhang Tianwen’s Attribute Panel and saw Time Lag listed among his abilities.
• Fang Ming and the others found the corpses of cultivators who had explored the Paper World, and Shen Yiyao explained that their true spirits had been transferred out.
• A red-and-green Paper Person emerged behind Zhang Tianwen and attacked him with a blade-like hand.
• Zhang Tianwen used Time Lag to sharpen his perception, then countered with a sword strike that killed the Paper Person and split the nearby landscape.
• Zhang Tianwen picked up the yellow paper left behind and recognized it as a possible Talisman Treasure.

Lin Chen turned the Paper World and Black Mist Abyss into dangerous but lucrative hunting grounds, drawing cultivators to trade their techniques and spiritual energy for rewards. Yan Yuncheng and his companions successfully began cross-domain trade, while the East Sea’s factions gathered amid mounting tensions.

• Zhang Tianwen absorbed a Talisman Treasure and urged his group to leave the Dao Domain before it assimilated them.
• Cultivators hunted Paper Persons and Mist Beasts for Talisman Treasures and Mist Beads, then rushed to trade cultivation methods and secrets for rewards.
• Lin Chen watched the cultivators’ struggles and used their offerings to develop his Spiritual Energy System Model while gathering spiritual energy.
• Yan Yuncheng and his companions transported Inner Domain spiritual energy to the Outer Domain Battlefield and celebrated their success at bypassing the Immortal Alliance’s trade fees.
• Yan Yuncheng and other cultivators concealed their dealings and killed potential informants as the East Sea’s competing factions began to emerge.

Zhang Tianwen’s clone used the lingering images in his room to contact his main body and told him the Dream Realm might offer a way to escape their predicament. The main body planned to enter East Sea Rogue Immortal’s book, while the clone reflected on being trapped in a single repeating day.

• Zhang Tianwen’s clone used his blood to reveal lingering images of people who had stayed in his room, including a past image of his main body.
• The room’s time-reversal phenomenon let the clone speak with his main body, and he explained what he had learned in the Dream Realm.
• The main body agreed to enter the Dream Realm and said he was currently inside the story in East Sea Rogue Immortal’s book.
• The main body dismissed the clone’s fears about entering a Spirit Transformation cultivator’s Dao Domain and said he wanted to test it.
• After the main body disappeared, Zhang Tianwen’s clone watched the Immortal Alliance’s spirit boats arrive and recalled that everything about him reset at midnight, leaving him trapped in a single day.

Lin Chen analyzed the cultivation techniques and spiritual qi gathered through his Trading Platform to build a Spiritual Energy System Model, which he believed would guide his path to Nascent Soul and beyond. He planned to draw in more East Sea Cultivators, but wondered who Zhang Tianwen was as he watched him on the Spiritual Light Screen.

• Lin Chen used the core cultivation techniques and spiritual qi submitted by cultivators to make the illusory Dream Realm gradually more lifelike and to deepen his understanding of spiritual qi.
• Lin Chen formed an illusory world where Chaos Qi evolved into Yin Yang, Eight Trigrams, and diverse forms of spiritual qi, and considered using a formation to study their transformations.
• Lin Chen concluded that his Spiritual Energy System Model—not his platforms or other tools—was the true foundation of his cultivation, and mapped its progress toward Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, and Void Refinement.
• Lin Chen planned to use the Trading Platform and Attribute Panel to gather cultivation techniques and spiritual qi from more East Sea Cultivators, complete the model, and advance to Nascent Soul.
• Lin Chen watched Zhang Tianwen and the other cultivators on the Spiritual Light Screen and wondered who Zhang Tianwen was.

Lin Chen learned from the Mirror Female Cultivator that Zhang Tianwen was a cultivator from 300,000 years ago whose time was reset every day after he became trapped in the Spiritual Energy Experimentation Ground. After hearing that the Ancient Cultivators’ forbidden site might hold the secret of eternal life, Lin Chen considered going to the East Sea to investigate it.

• Lin Chen failed to locate Zhang Tianwen after the Dream Realm lost its connection to him, though Zhang’s submitted information remained in the Attribute Panel.
• Lin Chen asked the Mirror Female Cultivator about Zhang Tianwen, and she revealed he was a Golden Core Daoist Son who had comprehended the Time Law and originated 300,000 years in the past.
• The Mirror Female Cultivator explained that Zhang Tianwen had escaped the Spiritual Energy Experimentation Ground in Return to Ruins, where time had been fixed for him to repeat one day eternally.
• Lin Chen learned that a joint investigation by Grandmaster Taixuan, the Heavenly Demon, and Spirit Transformation Cultivators had discovered Zhang’s daily reset but revealed little else.
• The Mirror Female Cultivator warned Lin Chen that nearly everyone who entered the Spiritual Energy Experimentation Ground vanished, including a Spirit Transmutation Celestial Venerable.
• After the Mirror Female Cultivator left, Lin Chen considered visiting the forbidden site and said it might be time to reincarnate in the East Sea.