Chapter Summaries

Chen Lin inspected Gu Siming’s pouch and discovered it was a Grotto-Heaven Treasure before the Elder Council summoned him to explain their fight. The Alliance Leader ruled that Gu Siming had struck first, and Chen Lin returned her belongings, but she followed him out, still trying to learn how he evaded her fishing.

• Chen Lin found that Gu Siming’s broken token bore the Star Dou Script character for “exemption,” then forced his way into her pouch and discovered its vast, life-holding space.
• Tianshu told Chen Lin that the Elder Council had summoned him, so he moved several valuable-looking items from the pouch into the Emerald Bracelet before leaving.
• Chen Lin met Gu Siming and the elders in the Discussion Main Hall, where Wan Zhencang ruled that Gu Siming had acted first.
• Gu Siming claimed she had only wanted a first-meeting gift, while Chen Lin accused her of secretly trying to take his belongings and trading flirtatious barbs with her.
• Jin Ruhua asked Chen Lin to return Gu Siming’s belongings, and Chen Lin tossed her the pouch before leaving the hall.
• Gu Siming caught up with Chen Lin and pressed him to explain how he had evaded her fishing, ignoring his warning to stop pestering him.

After breaking Gu Siming’s charm technique and leaving her behind, Chen Lin examined the treasures he had taken from her pouch. He found an Immobilization Jade Talisman and a flower he suspected was the Yunming Flower, then hurried to Wen Xinzhao’s bamboo grove.

• Chen Lin used the Yin-Yang Lotus to resist Gu Siming’s charm technique, escaped her renewed advance, and left her behind.
• Gu Siming sent a message on a Colorful Paper Crane and angrily complained that Chen Lin had countered her and taken her treasures.
• Chen Lin examined the items with Chen Ling'er and identified a Time Origin Essence Crystal that might help make Wish Noodles.
• Chen Lin found an ancient Immobilization Jade Talisman powerful enough to threaten even a True Realm cultivator and stored it in his Emerald Bracelet.
• Chen Lin used the Time Law to pick up a crystalline flower he suspected was the Yunming Flower, then left for Wen Xinzhao’s bamboo grove.

Chen Lin visited Wen Xinzhao after learning her feud with Wan Zhencang kept her from seeking help from the Alliance, and she drew him into an intimate encounter after he brought her the Yunming Flower. Wan Zhencang discovered Chen Lin was with her and left furious, and Gu Siming warned Chen Lin that he might be in danger before offering to suggest a solution.

• Wen Xinzhao's maid explained that Wen Xinzhao belonged to the Golden Gourd Sect and had bad blood with the Wan Family, so Chen Lin agreed to see her.
• Wen Xinzhao appeared restored but said it was only a final flare of life, then took the Yunming Flower from Chen Lin and used her charm technique and the Yin-Yang Lotus to draw him into intimacy.
• Wan Zhencang questioned Wen Xinzhao's maid, learned Chen Lin was alone with Wen Xinzhao in her Bamboo House, and left in anger.
• Chen Lin returned to his cave abode, where Gu Siming mocked him and warned that Wan Zhencang's anger could have serious consequences.
• Chen Lin asked Gu Siming what solution she had to offer.

Chen Lin learned that Wan Zhencang had arranged to conscript him for a dangerous mission and sought Wen Xinzhao’s help to escape Bright Peak. Wen Xinzhao warned that the Conscription Order would follow him unless he hid in the Nightmare Realm or returned to the Inner World.

• Chen Lin refused to return Gu Siming’s Yunming Flower, and Gu Chenxuan intervened through a Paper Crane before Gu Siming left without helping him.
• Shen Anning told Chen Lin that Wan Zhencang had proposed conscripting five Void Realm Cultivators, including Chen Lin, while Jin Ruhua was absent.
• Chen Lin failed to reach Jin Ruhua, moved Chen Ling’er into the Jade Ring, and went to Xinzhao Cottage to ask Wen Xinzhao for help escaping.
• Wen Xinzhao told Chen Lin that the Conscription Order would track him even if he fled to his own plane, and that refusing it would let Wan Zhencang kill him.

Chen Lin sent Chen Ling'er through a space passage to protect her before reporting to the Alliance Mission Hall for his forced conscription. There, he learned that Li Xiangru and three other cultivators had been assigned to the same dangerous mission, whose details left him furious.

• Wen Xinzhao used her Elder Token to lift the grand formation's restrictions, allowing Chen Lin to open a passage with the Black Crystal Insect.
• Chen Lin sent Chen Ling'er through the passage, confirmed by Colorful Conch that she arrived safely, and thanked Wen Xinzhao before leaving.
• An elder's voice ordered Chen Lin to report to the Mission Hall, and Shen Anning warned him that an Ouyang Ye ally and a cultivator connected to the Huyan Lineage were on his mission team.
• Chen Lin met Li Xiangru outside the Mission Hall, where Li said he feared they would not return alive.
• Patriarch Huyan explained the mission to Chen Lin, Li Xiangru, and three Late Void Realm cultivators, and Chen Lin grew livid as he heard the details.

Chen Lin and the other cultivators organized themselves for a dangerous Nightmare Realm mission and learned the Alliance sought a crystal that could counter the dark law. The chapter ended with Li Xiangru revealing the sole surviving clue: “never calculate!”

• Li Xiangru proposed becoming captain, and Chen Lin, Mu Chen'an, Jin Qingyan, and the Yellow-Robed Old Man accepted, though Jin Qingyan warned she would not tolerate favoritism.
• Chen Lin and the Yellow-Robed Old Man exchanged hostile looks but agreed to postpone their grudge until after entering the Nightmare Realm.
• Chen Lin asked why the Alliance wanted them to explore the scenario, and Li Xiangru explained that ancient records said it contained a crystal that countered the dark law.
• Chen Lin asked what information previous explorers had left behind, and Li Xiangru said the only clue was: “never calculate!”

Chen Lin entered the Nightmare Realm through the giant palm medium and found himself transformed into a numbered spider alongside the others. After identifying the group, he ambushed and killed the Yellow-Robed Old Man, Spider Number Four.

• Chen Lin learned that the Spirit Sealing Hall medium required five entrants, left Tianshu in his immortal cave, and gathered with Li Xiangru and the others.
• Gu Siming told Chen Lin that one of the treasures she had given him could help in the Nightmare Realm, and Chen Lin carried the treasures into the hall.
• The five activated the giant palm medium; Chen Lin used his Colored Road Guide to enter physically, while Jin Qingyan and the others entered through projection.
• Chen Lin awoke on the palm of a giant hand as a spider numbered One and identified the other spiders as Jin Qingyan, Li Xiangru, Feng Juqou, and Mu Chen'an.
• Chen Lin attacked Spider Number Four, the Yellow-Robed Old Man, and killed him before he could fully defend himself.

Chen Lin killed Feng Juxiu, whom he believed had been sent by his enemy, and the remaining team members explored the giant palm they were trapped on. They discovered a living giant bound in bronze chains, and Chen Lin recognized the chains as seals used on a powerful Guardian.

• Chen Lin killed Feng Juxiu and took his Small Red Bell and Silk Scarf, while Jin Qingyan and Li Xiangru questioned his actions.
• Jin Qingyan fled to the edge of the giant palm, and Li Xiangru urged the group to search for a way out before the corrosive nightmare qi harmed them.
• Chen Lin and the others found that each could enter only the finger space matching the number on their back, and Chen Lin guessed that each space held a trial.
• Jin Qingyan pointed out that Feng Juxiu's death left no one to enter the Fourth Finger, while Chen Lin and Li Xiangru looked up at the giant supporting them.
• Chen Lin recognized the bronze chains around the living giant as seals and said he had seen them used to bind a powerful Guardian, alarming the others.

Chen Lin and the others discovered that the stars above the giant carried numbers and that Mu Chen'an recognized their light as coming from Brilliant Crystal Stones. When Mu Chen'an tried to interpret the stars, he disintegrated and was absorbed into them, leaving Chen Lin to stop Jin Qingyan as she headed toward the Fourth Finger.

• Li Xiangru and Chen Lin agreed that finding a departure mission mattered more than obtaining Brilliant Crystal Stones, but Mu Chen'an said the stones were in the sky.
• Mu Chen'an explained that he had once found brilliant divine crystals in a high-level plane and learned they had been brought there by a Mysterious Existence called the Goddess of Light.
• After recognizing that the numbers on the stars resembled patterns he had seen on Divine Pillars, Mu Chen'an stared upward and began murmuring as the stars shifted into an arrangement.
• Chen Lin shouted for Mu Chen'an to stop calculating, but Mu Chen'an disintegrated into specks of light and was swallowed by the moving stars.
• Chen Lin suggested that they explore their corresponding fingers for clues, and Li Xiangru headed for the middle finger while Jin Qingyan retreated toward the Fourth Finger.
• Chen Lin called out to stop Jin Qingyan.

Chen Lin entered the interior of the giant’s finger and found a dark space filled with numbered pillars and brilliant divine crystals. After recording the pillars and testing possible routes with his Talent Ability, he was suddenly transported back to the giant’s palm.

• Chen Lin asked Jin Qingyan whether Li Fuyao had been resurrected, and Jin Qingyan confirmed it while revealing that she had come to retrieve the Emerald Bracelet.
• Chen Lin passed through the Formless Barrier and discovered rows of black pillars topped with brilliant divine crystals inside the finger.
• Chen Lin copied the pillars’ abstract numerical inscriptions and mapped their arrangement without attempting to calculate them.
• Chen Lin found no exit, but his Talent Ability showed that he could leave the interior safely and pointed him toward the starry side of the space.
• Chen Lin tested possible outcomes until the pillars trembled and their crystals transported him back to the center of the giant’s palm.

Chen Lin, Li Xiangru, and Jin Qingyan compared the strange spaces inside the giant palm’s fingers and searched for a way to leave. Chen Lin found a star marked 1314 that might connect to Niuniu’s letter, then noticed Li Xiangru had disappeared.

• Chen Lin, Li Xiangru, and Jin Qingyan compared the sizes, pillars, and characters in their Finger Spaces and agreed that the spaces differed.
• Chen Lin suggested that the numbers on the pillars might need to be calculated to find a star, but Li Xiangru and Jin Qingyan warned that calculating could trigger the rules that had trapped Mu Chen'an.
• Li Xiangru proposed using Chen Lin’s Colored Road Guide to cross the palm’s boundary, but Chen Lin demonstrated that an invisible barrier blocked him.
• Li Xiangru suggested exploring the giant’s body, but Chen Lin refused after his innate talent warned him of danger near the chains.
• Chen Lin examined the stars above the thumb and found one marked 1314, which matched the time at the end of Niuniu’s letter.
• After resting and turning to look for Li Xiangru, Chen Lin discovered that he had left the finger.

Chen Lin spoke with Li Xiangru, who planned to explore the giant’s body after Jin Qingyan vanished while pursuing the stars. Before setting out, Li Xiangru entrusted Chen Lin with his hidden treasures, advice about surviving in the Void Realm, and the safety of his family; he then rushed onto the giant.

• Chen Lin found Li Xiangru at the giant’s wrist and learned he planned to search the giant’s head for secrets.
• Li Xiangru told Chen Lin that Jin Qingyan had turned into starlight and dissipated, and said the stars irresistibly attracted their monster forms.
• Chen Lin and Li Xiangru considered whether their spider forms could help them escape, but Li Xiangru said he could not spin silk and was losing his resistance to nightmare qi.
• Li Xiangru gave Chen Lin the location of treasures on Bright Peak and warned him that Inner World cultivators faced dangers when ascending to the true realm.
• Li Xiangru asked Chen Lin to protect his companions and children if Chen Lin returned to the Inner World, and revealed that he had left a way to return among his possessions.
• After Chen Lin promised to help, Li Xiangru rushed onto the giant’s body to explore it.

Chen Lin watched Li Xiangru die after the giant’s chains absorbed him, then investigated the shifting starry sky and activated the stone slab from his Gray Ring. The slab changed the stars’ arrangement, and Chen Lin chose to contact the brilliant 9999 star as the others began to revive.

• Li Xiangru climbed to the giant’s face, but its glowing chains disintegrated him and absorbed his remains.
• Chen Lin returned to the fingers and discovered the stars had rearranged into an ordered sequence, with Star 1314 dim and displaced from its former position.
• Chen Lin examined the changing stars for hours, then took a stone slab from his Gray Ring and focused on it.
• The slab released points of light that formed a pattern around Chen Lin, resonated with the starry sky, and cracked in two.
• The stars dimmed until only 9999 shone brightly, and Chen Lin chose to contact it as the other stars began to revive.

Chen Lin collected the falling starlight as brilliant divine crystals, but the departure mission remained incomplete. After the barrier vanished, he ventured beyond the giant’s palm and absorbed a torrent of energy that rapidly advanced his cultivation, leaving his first four inner stars at greater mastery.

• Chen Lin watched the chained giant struggle as the starlight fell, then caught the light orbs above its palm and stored them as brilliant divine crystals.
• Chen Lin spent two hours collecting the falling starlight, but the restored sky and his unchanged condition showed that the departure mission was still incomplete.
• Chen Lin discovered the Formless Barrier had vanished and cautiously moved beyond the palm, where a beam of energy struck him.
• Chen Lin found that the incoming energy worked exceptionally well with Seven-Star Shining Sun and absorbed it to advance his cultivation.
• Chen Lin’s first four inner stars reached greater mastery before the energy influx slowed and stopped.

Chen Lin survived the expedition, advanced all four inner stars to greater mastery, and gained a crystal and the ability to switch between human and spider forms. After cultivating in the sealed scenario for over a year, he left the Nightmare Realm, worried about the Alliance, Tianshu, Chen Ling'er, and Grass.

• Chen Lin celebrated the advancement of his four inner stars and realized he could begin condensing a fifth star.
• A glowing orb rose from Chen Lin's back, absorbed points of light until its number reached ten thousand, and became a crystal that Chen Lin stored in the Gray Ring.
• Chen Lin returned to human form and discovered he could transform into a spider, fly, leave the palm, and spin silk.
• Chen Lin confirmed that the giant had been sealed again, then stayed on the palm to stabilize his inner stars and avoid the schemes awaiting him outside.
• After cultivating for a year and three more months, Chen Lin worried that the Alliance's counteroffensive and his loved ones might be in danger, so he let the Nightmare Realm expel him.

Chen Lin escaped the Nightmare Realm and learned that Jin Ruhua had become an Alliance Deputy Leader while the alliance fought the Dark Cultivators. After Jin Ruhua explained that his Brilliant Crystal Stones could help counter the enemy’s Darkness Domain, Chen Lin agreed to contribute them in exchange for merit and the prospect of becoming an honorary elder.

• Chen Lin emerged from the Spirit Sealing Hall and learned from Cheng Lingdie that Jin Ruhua had returned, Senior Sword Saint was nominally the Alliance Leader, and the alliance was counterattacking the Dark Cultivators.
• Cheng Lingdie and Cheng Lingchan reunited with Chen Lin and led him to Jin Ruhua, who was researching a way to break the Darkness Domain.
• Chen Lin told Jin Ruhua how the stone slab had helped him survive the Nightmare Realm and explained that obtaining Brilliant Crystal Stones required extraordinary luck or a treasure that resisted transformation into starlight.
• Jin Ruhua examined Chen Lin’s brilliant divine crystal and urged him to hand over most of his crystals to aid the war, offering alliance merit and a chance to become an honorary elder.
• Chen Lin agreed to contribute the crystals to the alliance.

Chen Lin agreed to give Jin Ruhua two hundred Brilliant Crystal Stones in exchange for a Vacant Elder position, while sharing information about his Nightmare Realm experience. After recovering Li Xiangru’s belongings, he followed Jin Ruhua to the Discussion Main Hall, where Sun Qingyang challenged him and Wen Xinzhao intervened.

• Chen Lin accepted Jin Ruhua’s offer of an elder position for two hundred Brilliant Crystal Stones and gave her a Jade Slip containing his account of the scenario.
• Chen Lin asked Cheng Lingdie to retrieve Li Xiangru’s belongings, and she returned with a box holding a Golden Storage Bag, a furry ball, and a black bottle.
• Jin Ruhua summoned Chen Lin to the Discussion Main Hall so the elders could be informed of his appointment.
• Sun Qingyang questioned Chen Lin’s survival, and Wen Xinzhao insulted Sun Qingyang and exposed his connection to the Ouyang Family.
• Jin Ruhua asked Chen Lin about rumors linking him to Wen Xinzhao and warned him to think carefully before pursuing her.

Chen Lin received an elder's seat after Jin Ruhua invoked Sword Saint Situ Nan's decree, despite opposition from Wan Zhencang's supporters. Jin Ruhua then offered Brilliant Divine Crystal to elders willing to join a counterattack against the dark cultivators, and a hesitant figure appeared at the door asking to participate.

• Jin Ruhua showed the elders the Brilliant Divine Crystal Chen Lin had brought back and proposed granting him an elder's seat.
• Huyan Wushuang and Sun Qingyang objected, but Jin Ruhua used a recorded decree from Sword Saint Situ Nan to confirm Chen Lin's appointment.
• Huyan Wushuang, Sun Qingyang, and several allies left the meeting, while Jin Ruhua told the remaining elders that the Right Alliance was ready to force a decisive battle.
• Jin Ruhua offered half of the Alliance's two hundred crystal stones to elders who would join the counterattack, and Wen Xinzhao, Kong Wuchui, Ning Baidao, and several others accepted.
• A petite figure appeared at the doorway and asked Jin Ruhua if she could take part.

Gu Siming joined Chen Lin’s team after Huyan Wushuang’s false order made it clear that elders would be forced to lead the counteroffensive against the Dark Cultivators. Chen Lin accepted Gu Siming despite distrusting her and contacted Shen Anning to seek more teammates.

• Gu Siming told the Alliance leaders that Huyan Wushuang had announced all elders would lead the hunt, and Jin Ruhua condemned Huyan for issuing false orders in the Elder Council’s name.
• Elder Yang and Sikong Fu argued that the Alliance could not punish Huyan before the fighting without damaging morale, and the elders left after taking their Crystal Stones.
• Wen Xinzhao said her weakened condition prevented her from joining Chen Lin, while Jin Ruhua offered to find him teammates if needed.
• Chen Lin recognized Huyan’s announcement as an open stratagem meant to get him killed and agreed to let Gu Siming join his team.
• Chen Lin contacted Shen Anning to ask her to join and hoped the Shen Family would send two more powerful cultivators.

Chen Lin prepared to join the Alliance’s coming war, then returned to the Kaiyuan Realm to complete its defenses. With the Divine Pagoda Coiling Dragon Array protecting the plane, he left with Grass to hunt Dark Cultivators.

• Chen Lin gave up recruiting Shen Anning and other experts, deciding to take only Grass and Tianshu with him.
• Chen Lin used the Black Crystal Insect to travel to the Kaiyuan Realm and confirmed that he could make the journey two-way by bringing the White Crystal Insect through separately.
• Chen Lin reunited with Chen Ling'er, Shi Yuelan, White Moonlight, and the others, and decided they should remain in the Kaiyuan Realm while he took Grass to Bright Peak.
• Chen Ling'er showed Chen Lin the prepared Coiled Dragon Pillars and earth-vein connections for the Divine Pagoda Coiling Dragon Array.
• Chen Lin completed the formation after three days, and its light spread over the entire Kaiyuan Realm before vanishing from sight.
• Chen Lin left the Great Cyan Pill with Chen Ling'er, put Grass away, and entered the Space Passage to return to Bright Peak.