Chapter Summaries

Chen Lin questioned He Shouchu about a sealed box containing a Nightmare Realm item and learned it came from an underground space where a cultivator had died after encountering its aura. After discovering that the accompanying token belonged to Black Demon Sect elder He Changhong, Chen Lin agreed to inspect the box, whose contents shocked him.

• Chen Lin used a mental spell to learn that He Shouchu had found the sealed box in an underground space, where his companion had opened it, sensed its Nightmare Realm aura, and later never woke up.
• He Shouchu told Chen Lin that he and his companion had both been at the Foundation Establishment middle stage, and that the underground space contained only a skeleton and a token besides the box.
• Chen Lin recognized the token as belonging to He Changhong, the Black Demon Sect elder who had written the Qi Luck Pill Refining Technique.
• Chen Lin questioned He Shouchu again, confirmed his answers, and agreed to take the box after inspecting it.
• Chen Lin moved the box to a secluded spot and had a puppet remove its sealing talisman and open it from a distance of ten zhang.
• Chen Lin saw the box's contents through the Crow Puppet and immediately ordered the puppet to close it, looking shocked.

Chen Lin recruited Zhao Qingquan and other cultivators to test a Nightmare Realm item, then entered its scenario himself after confirming it appeared safe. He crossed the woods into a vast lake-and-mountain realm, where an old voice suddenly spoke to him.

• Chen Lin traded double-patterned Seven-Star Pills for He Shouchu's box, which contained fifteen Nightmare Coins and a strange object, and later held a trading convention for other cultivators.
• Chen Lin helped Zhao Qingquan establish his foundation and recruited him to open the box and explore the Nightmare Realm scenario.
• Zhao Qingquan returned safely after finding a beautiful lake beyond a patch of woods he could not leave, and two more cultivators confirmed the same experience.
• After Qin Lingyu and Sun Caiyi emerged from seclusion, Chen Lin entered the scenario with a Road Guide and crossed the woods' invisible boundary.
• Chen Lin saw the immense lake and distant mountains, then heard an aged voice ask whether he enjoyed fishing.

Chen Lin encountered an old fisherman in the Nightmare Realm and learned that he had to catch something before leaving. After paying the lake’s fee, Chen Lin caught a tiny shrimp and escaped the realm, while the old man hauled up a glittering box.

• Chen Lin met a white-bearded old man fishing with a Black Wooden Stick and learned that a fisherman should not return empty-handed.
• Chen Lin extended his own Black Short Stick into a fishing rod and tried to catch a fish as the old man caught several.
• A golden toad arrived by boat to collect fishing fees, and Chen Lin paid it a Nightmare Coin.
• Chen Lin’s rod grew heavy, and he caught a tiny green shrimp, satisfying the warning before the Nightmare Realm expelled him.
• As Chen Lin departed, the old man caught a glittering object resembling a box and laughed.

Chen Lin examined a strange shrimp from the Lake Scene, then taught his daughter Chen Ling'er and watched her successfully refine a Peiyuan Pill. He reconnected with Niuniu, who had grown stronger after breaking through another layer of her seal, and learned that his soul was beginning to advance, which could eventually let him resist nightmare qi without a Xianji Stone.

• Chen Lin found the nightmare qi on his Fishing Rod easier to withstand, stored the dying shrimp he had caught, and told Qin Lingyu and the other woman that he had explored the Nightmare Realm.
• Chen Lin decided to postpone returning to the Lake Scene until he could learn more about it and watched Chen Ling'er refine her first Peiyuan Pill.
• Chen Ling'er feigned a headache to get permission to rest, and Chen Lin let her leave while worrying about her immaturity and recklessness.
• Chen Lin sensed that he could contact Niuniu again, set up Formation Flags, and projected himself into the Scarecrow Cottage.
• Niuniu revealed that she had broken through another layer of her seal and explained that Chen Lin's soul was in the qualitative transformation stage of advancing.
• Niuniu told Chen Lin that a fully advanced soul could resist nightmare qi without a Xianji Stone and prevent unwanted entry into the Nightmare Realm.

Chen Lin learned that his mutated soul let him use powerful divine sense techniques in the Nightmare Realm, then discovered that Gambling Fortune Lake offered luck-enhancing catches and valuable treasures. He returned to Niuniu’s courtyard with plans to explore the lake, while Niuniu revealed that his destiny force might eventually help save her.

• Chen Lin tested his soul techniques and found that his mutated soul greatly reduced their suppression in the Nightmare Realm.
• Niuniu explained that Chen Lin could only upgrade his Road Guide, and that he had to earn Nightmare Coins himself; she then took him to Xiaoyuer to identify the shrimp.
• Xiaoyuer identified the shrimp as a Plum Blossom Colorful Wing Shrimp from Gambling Fortune Lake, where fishing could bring luck, punishment, or valuable treasure chests.
• Niuniu recognized Gambling Fortune Lake as the lake guarded by a golden toad and told Chen Lin that its treasure chests could contain Origin Orbs that strengthened innate talents.
• Niuniu warned Chen Lin to follow the lake’s rules and said her Talisman would let him use one Nightmare Coin to offset the punishment for catching nothing.
• After Chen Lin departed, Niuniu said his destiny force could save her someday, though it was still too weak to do more than offer hope.

Chen Lin returned to the Lake Scene after months of waiting for the crowded fishing spot to empty, hoping to fish and investigate its boundaries. When he tried to put away his Fishing Rod without catching anything, the Golden Toad declared that he had lost his wager and imposed a penalty of one thousand Nightmare Coins.

• Chen Lin tested the woods’ boundary, confirmed he could return safely before reaching the lakeshore, and spent months observing the anglers through repeated visits.
• The anglers gradually left, and Chen Lin eventually went to the lake and paid the Golden Toad one Nightmare Coin to fish.
• After waiting without a catch, Chen Lin met the old man again, who quickly caught several fish while Chen Lin caught nothing.
• Chen Lin put away his Fishing Rod to move farther along the shore, triggering the Golden Toad’s punishment for gaining nothing.
• Chen Lin chose to pay Nightmare Coins, and the Golden Toad set his penalty at one thousand Nightmare Coins.

Chen Lin used Niuniu’s talisman to make the golden toad reduce his fishing fee, then caught a large haul and learned that the mysterious old man came from the Shanhai Realm. After months of fishing without finding a way to contact Niuniu or meeting the old man again, Chen Lin decided to leave because his resources and cultivation progress were running short.

• Chen Lin presented Niuniu’s talisman, causing the golden toad to lower his fee from one thousand Nightmare Coins to one, and the old man paid two coins for his fishing session.
• Chen Lin found the lake boundary, resumed fishing, and caught more than a dozen fish as the golden toad treated him politely.
• The old man asked about Chen Lin’s talisman and learned that Chen Lin was an outsider; he revealed that he came from the Shanhai Realm and practiced the Immortal Dao before abruptly vanishing.
• Chen Lin stopped fishing after his luck waned, returned with his catch, and failed to use Niuniu’s talisman because their connection had been severed.
• Chen Lin tested and ate the fish, shared the rest with Qin Lingyu and the others, and continued visiting Gambling Fortune Lake without finding unusual catches or seeing the old man again.
• After another six months, Chen Lin decided to leave because he had few Nightmare Coins left, could not replenish his resources, and was making little cultivation progress.

Chen Lin reached Myriad Souls Ridge to search for He Changhong’s belongings, but found Ye Jingyun and Xu Ruolan at the entrance to the Underground Space. After overhearing their plans and learning about the Holy Temple, Yin God Sect, and Heavenly Dao Alliance, he stepped out to confront them.

• Chen Lin traveled through the Barrens and followed He Shouchu’s map to the Underground Space near Myriad Souls Ridge.
• Chen Lin spotted two women emerging from the entrance and recognized them as Ye Jingyun and Xu Ruolan.
• Ye Jingyun and Xu Ruolan lamented that someone had already taken He Changhong’s belongings and discussed their dwindling chances of reaching the Golden Core Realm.
• Chen Lin overheard Ye Jingyun explain that she had arranged for Xu Ruolan to give him the Nameless Sword Formula to help him resist Yu Yuehai.
• Xu Ruolan suggested seeking refuge with the Holy Temple or Yin God Sect, and Chen Lin recalled how those factions and the Heavenly Dao Alliance had risen to power.
• Chen Lin stepped out of hiding and blocked Ye Jingyun and Xu Ruolan’s path.

Chen Lin took He Changhong’s relics from Ye Jingyun and Xu Ruolan, erased their memories, and learned from the Jade Slip about a Nightmare Realm node and the Golden Gloves. He settled near the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s headquarters and prepared a guarded underground chamber to explore the Nightmare Realm.

• Chen Lin subdued Ye Jingyun and Xu Ruolan, took their Storage Bags, and found a Qi Luck Pill Refining Manual, Golden Gloves, and a Jade Slip in Ye Jingyun’s jade box.
• Chen Lin knocked the women unconscious, erased their memories, and let them leave without knowing what had happened.
• Chen Lin learned that a space node in the mountain range led to the Nightmare Realm’s Lake Scene, but he could not locate it and flew away.
• Months later, Chen Lin visited the Great Rift near Myriad Souls Ridge, then settled on a secluded peak near the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s headquarters and built a guarded underground chamber.
• Chen Lin studied He Changhong’s Jade Slip and learned about the Lake Scene, the Golden Toad’s fishing rules, and how the Golden Gloves enabled the Qi Luck Pill Refining Technique.

Chen Lin inspected the Qi Luck Gloves and learned how they consumed qi luck to improve success at a chosen task. After Heavenly Dao Alliance patrol officers inspected his residence, he entered the Nightmare Realm and tested the gloves while fishing, where he hooked a golden-glowing box.

• Chen Lin tested the Qi Luck Gloves and learned they could concentrate his qi luck for a task, though using them permanently consumed it.
• Chen Lin concluded that He Changhong’s missing pill-formula method was likely in a Storage Bag taken by an unknown visitor, and planned to investigate the Soul Refining Pill’s ingredients when he had enough materials.
• Sheng Zhenqing and two patrol officers inspected Chen Lin’s residence for infiltrators, and Chen Lin gave the false name Lin Feiyu before they left.
• Chen Lin entered the Nightmare Realm, put on the Qi Luck Gloves, and cast his Fishing Rod into Gambling Fortune Lake.
• The gloves rapidly drained Chen Lin’s qi luck, but the Fishing Rod dipped and he hauled up a box glowing with golden light.

Chen Lin caught a Qi Luck Treasure Chest and found One-Arm Circumambulation, but using the Qi Luck Gloves weakened his talent ability. After realizing how much he had relied on external aids, he resolved to change and entered a wondrous state of sudden enlightenment.

• Chen Lin declined the golden toad's offer to buy his chest and paid the fishing fee, then carried the chest out of the Nightmare Realm before nearby anglers arrived.
• Chen Lin opened the chest and found One-Arm Circumambulation, which he immediately used to refine Soul Refining Pills.
• Chen Lin failed several batches and feared his talent ability had vanished, but discovered that using the Qi Luck Gloves had weakened it by consuming his qi luck.
• Chen Lin reflected on his dependence on his talent ability and his lack of drive to advance, then resolved to change his approach to cultivation.
• Chen Lin entered a wondrous state as his cultivation rose, and he began contemplating his spells, divine abilities, pill formulas, and other crafts.

Chen Lin spent three years cultivating and refining pills before learning from True Lord Huanling that his master, the Silver Fairy, was trapped in the Nightmare Realm. Huanling revealed that she was deteriorating but had not yet fully succumbed to nightmare transformation, leaving Chen Lin determined to reach her.

• Chen Lin studied the Qi Luck Pill Refining Technique, set aside the dangerous Seizing Yin Pill formula, and entered secluded cultivation to approach Golden Core Perfection.
• Over three years, Chen Lin cultivated under the Heavenly Dao Alliance's protection, took pill-refining assignments, and used up his Soul Refining Pills, One-Arm Circumambulation, and Time Snails.
• Sheng Zhenqing told Chen Lin that True Lord Huanling wanted to meet him, and Chen Lin hurried to the main peak after learning Huanling had joined the alliance.
• True Lord Huanling told Chen Lin that the Silver Fairy was trapped beside a sinister well in the Nightmare Realm after the willow jar containing the frog activated.
• Huanling explained that he and True Lord Anmu had been unable to reach the Silver Fairy and that her condition was worsening, so Chen Lin asked where the space node was.

Chen Lin found the Silver Fairy trapped in the Frog’s nightmare scenario and learned that her transformation could not be stopped by the methods he and the seniors had tried. After promising to save her and Mu Linglong, he sought a solution at Gambling Fortune Lake and learned that a Guardian or a level-four Road Guide could break into the well scenario.

• Chen Lin met True Lord Anmu and True Lord Huanling at Ten Thousand Caves Mountain, then followed them through a Void Rift into the Nightmare Realm to see the Silver Fairy trapped beside the well.
• Chen Lin failed to reach the Silver Fairy through the barrier, and True Lord Huanling explained that they had exhausted their options and could not cross Myriad Souls Ridge to consult True Lord Wanmeng.
• Chen Lin visited Mu Linglong, who recognized him but had lost much of her memory, and promised to save both her and the Silver Fairy.
• Chen Lin tried fishing at Gambling Fortune Lake with his Qi Luck Gloves, then asked the old man from the Shanhai Realm how to rescue the Silver Fairy.
• The old man said a Guardian could break the Frog’s scenario or a level-four Road Guide could locate it, and advised Chen Lin to ask Niuniu for help.

Chen Lin discovered that the old man had been siphoning his qi luck and learned that the Cat-headed Monster might be able to rescue Silver Fairy. The monster gave him a whisker to summon it, demanding a Qi Luck Treasure Chest as payment and threatening to kill him if he offered none.

• Chen Lin tested whether his luck would improve after the old man left and caught many fish, confirming his suspicions when the Cat-headed Monster explained that the old man had stolen his qi luck.
• Chen Lin offered the Cat-headed Monster fish in exchange for information about rescuing Silver Fairy, and it said it could help if he caught it a Qi Luck Treasure Chest.
• One-Eye arrived looking for the Treasure Chest, and its conversation with the Cat-headed Monster confirmed that the old man had absorbed Chen Lin's qi luck.
• Chen Lin refused to trust the Cat-headed Monster and moved to fish alone while preparing to leave the Nightmare Realm if he caught a Qi Luck Treasure Chest.
• The Cat-headed Monster revealed that it possessed a Level 4 Road Guide, gave Chen Lin a whisker to summon it, and demanded a Qi Luck Treasure Chest as payment, threatening to take his life otherwise.

Chen Lin summoned the Cat-headed Monster to rescue the Silver Fairy, trading her a Qi Luck Treasure Chest for the rescue. The Cat-headed Monster freed his master from the well, and Chen Lin escaped with the Silver Fairy while her nightmare transformation remained suppressed.

• Chen Lin spent his qi luck force to catch a Qi Luck Treasure Chest, then returned to the well's scenario with True Lord Huanling and True Lord Anmu.
• True Lord Huanling and True Lord Anmu warned Chen Lin that the Silver Fairy's nightmare transformation had worsened and that they would soon leave him to handle her fate alone.
• Chen Lin crushed the Cat Whisker and summoned the Cat-headed Monster, who frightened True Lord Huanling and True Lord Anmu into withdrawing.
• The Cat-headed Monster seized the Silver Fairy from beside the well and escaped the Frog's attack, then accepted Chen Lin's Qi Luck Treasure Chest and vanished.
• The Silver Fairy said she could still suppress the nightmare transformation, and Chen Lin carried her toward the node to escape.

Chen Lin rescued Silver Fairy from the Nightmare Realm, then settled Mu Linglong nearby while Silver Fairy recovered under guard. Later, Sheng Zhenqing asked Chen Lin to refine a Seven-Star Pill and warned him that Yin Domains near Myriad Souls Ridge had begun spreading, leaving Chen Lin concerned about the Great Rift and the silence from the Southern Immortal Cultivation World.

• Chen Lin brought Silver Fairy out of the Nightmare Realm, but she told everyone to leave her alone while she tried to suppress the Nightmare Qi consuming her.
• Chen Lin, True Lord Huanling, and True Lord Anmu sealed Silver Fairy’s cavern, and Anmu stayed behind to guard her while Chen Lin returned to the alliance with Mu Linglong.
• Chen Lin arranged a separate immortal cave and two Spirit-Connecting Puppets for Mu Linglong, keeping her away from the Yunding Secret Realm because Xuanyin True Lord might possess her again.
• Sheng Zhenqing told Chen Lin he had fallen in love with a late Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator and asked him to refine a Seven-Star Pill so she could reach the Golden Core Stage.
• Sheng Zhenqing reported that Yin Domains near the Great Rift at Myriad Souls Ridge had begun spreading, and Chen Lin asked whether the alliance had received any news from the Southern Immortal Cultivation World.

Chen Lin left seclusion after reaching Golden Core Perfection and deciding to travel in search of the insight needed to form a Nascent Soul. After making arrangements for Mu Linglong’s safety, he said farewell to Sheng Zhenqing and Zhuo Baiyu and set off.

• Chen Lin learned that the Great Rift had cut off contact with the Southern Immortal Cultivation World and that the Teleportation Formations no longer worked.
• Over several years, Yin Domains spread across more than half the Northern Immortal Cultivation World, a powerful Palace-Attired Female Ghost killed cultivators, and Chen Lin continued waiting for news of Silver Fairy.
• Chen Lin reached Golden Core Perfection and attained the state of mind needed for Nascent Soul formation, but he could not find the catalyst required to advance.
• Chen Lin told Mu Linglong he would travel for a long time, arranged for Huanling and Sheng Zhenqing to look after her, and gave her a Seven-Star Pill.
• Chen Lin warned Sheng Zhenqing to protect Mu Linglong, bade farewell to Sheng Zhenqing and Zhuo Baiyu, and departed in his Escapist Light.

Chen Lin visited the Silver Fairy, learned she could only suppress her nightmare transformation, and then entered the Yunding Secret Realm to find his family. He discovered the realm was collapsing and his family had evacuated, then fled through a space rift as disasters engulfed the realm.

• Chen Lin met the Silver Fairy, who asked him to seek help from the girl associated with the Scarecrow and told him to inform True Lord Anmu that he need not guard her.
• Chen Lin passed the Silver Fairy’s message to True Lord Anmu and left Ten Thousand Caves Mountain for the Yunding Secret Realm.
• Chen Lin found the secret realm ruined and his family’s home destroyed, but discovered Jade Slips explaining that his family had evacuated through space rifts as the realm began to collapse.
• Chen Lin followed Qin Lingyu’s directions toward a space rift as lightning, violent weather, and earthquakes struck the realm.
• Chen Lin entered a large space rift while shielding himself from the collapsing realm’s disasters.

Chen Lin emerged from the collapsing Yunding Secret Realm in a barren, meteorite-covered land that he suspected was the Xingyun Continent, far from the others who had escaped. After rescuing a village group and learning about the region, he reached their settlement and noticed a row of glowing trees.

• Chen Lin survived the Secret Realm’s collapse and found Xianji Stones and impure spiritual qi in the unfamiliar rocky landscape.
• Chen Lin failed to contact Qin Lingyu and the others with Transmission Talismans, though he could still connect to most of his Nightmare Realm items.
• Chen Lin killed a two-headed beast pursuing a group of low-cultivation villagers and questioned their white-browed elder about the continent and its inhabitants.
• The elder identified the land as the Calamity Continent and said Immortal Superiors lived in Mogan City, about three thousand li away.
• Chen Lin followed the villagers to their hidden settlement, learned that immortal rice purified the impure spiritual qi for cultivation, and spotted strangely shaped glowing trees.

Chen Lin stayed with Teng Huawu’s tribe to gather information and Xianji Stones, learning about Flame Mountain and its fire-breathing Black Demon Oxen. After assessing Teng Huawu’s grandson and hearing the elder’s offer, Chen Lin learned of a secret realm at Qingya Mountain tied to the destruction of Teng Huawu’s former tribe.

• Chen Lin learned that hundred-year-old bone-corroding trees and powerful Black Demon Oxen could be found at Flame Mountain.
• Chen Lin stayed in the village and asked the tribe to gather Xianji Stones, then received a large supply that could not be stored in a Storage Bag.
• Chen Lin judged Teng Huawu’s grandson to have a chance of reaching Foundation Establishment, and Teng Huawu asked him to accept the youth as a disciple.
• Teng Huawu offered a map and token to a secret realm at Qingya Mountain, explaining that he had once been Young Lord of the Green Wolf Tribe before a traitor and outside enemies destroyed it.
• Teng Huawu said his ancestors had found a secret passage into the dangerous realm, whose treasures had helped build their tribe.