Arc 68The Colorful Nihility Fish Mission

Chen Lin uncovered more of the plans surrounding the Purple Emperor and Niuniu, then joined Jin Ruhua’s mission to catch Colorful Nihility Fish. After surviving attacks and encountering the Big Black Dog, he returned to Bright Peak with special merit and a Golden Merit Token.

  • Chen Lin returned to the Kaiyuan Realm, reunited with Qian Ziduo, and learned that Li Fuyao was Li Yuanlei’s daughter.
  • Chen Lin met Cheng Lingchan and Cheng Lingdie in the Purple Ray Grotto-Heaven and learned that Chen Ling'er had reached the Outer World, while Cheng Lingdie suspected she was a possible vessel for the Purple Emperor’s resurrection.
  • Chen Lin cultivated for a hundred years, completed his divine servant Tianshu, and opened the sealed Pill Bottle, where the Great Cyan Pill explained its powers and the history of the Lord of the Moon Palace.
  • Jin Ruhua conscripted Chen Lin and Tianshu into her unit, tested Chen Lin’s abilities, and revealed that their mission was to catch Colorful Nihility Fish for the Alliance.
  • Twelve Cloaked Persons attacked the Spirit Boat, but Jin Ruhua and Chen Lin helped defeat them as the group traveled toward the Heaven-Connecting River’s source.
  • The Big Black Dog’s gaze immobilized Chen Lin and the others, but the Mermaid Sword’s phantom approached it and returned with one of its hairs, which Jin Ruhua said could deter powerful Void Beasts.
  • Chen Lin treated the injured Mu Qingchen and Luo Sanhuai, while Jin Ruhua returned with a weakened Tianshu and warned Chen Lin not to send a Void Realm Blood Servant into the Heaven-Connecting River again.
  • Jin Ruhua returned to Bright Peak and awarded Chen Lin special merit, and Chen Lin revealed his identity before receiving a Golden Merit Token from Elder Tianhan.
Chapters 1678–1702 Vol. 17 Read

Ch. 1678Braving the Way

Chen Lin decided to leave the Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven and chose to brave the journey himself rather than seek a teleportation passage. After preparing for the trip and assigning Qian Ziduo to gather information, he encountered and killed a Cloaked Person with his Firefly Divine Ability.

  • Chen Lin rejected relying on Yang Tianping or the Shen Family for a teleportation slot and decided to return to the Kaiyuan Realm before continuing his journey.
  • Chen Lin asked Shi Yuelan and Qian Ziduo whether they would leave with him; Shi Yuelan chose to follow, while Qian Ziduo agreed to stay and gather information and treasures.
  • Chen Lin gave Qian Ziduo a sealed Cyan Bracelet true treasure to exchange for passage or protection if the Cangyuan Secret Realm was abandoned, then left the grotto-heaven with Shi Yuelan.
  • After two months in the void, Chen Lin noticed that he had gone a month without encountering any living beings and was attacked by a Cloaked Person.
  • Chen Lin activated the Firefly Divine Ability, and the Cloaked Person recognized it as a Moon Palace Remnant and fled before being destroyed by the fireflies.

Ch. 1679Cloaked Person Assassin

Chen Lin fought off Cloaked Persons on his way through the void, then reached the Heaven-Connecting River and returned to his cave abode. He discovered that higher-grade flesh and blood accelerated the Divine Sprout’s growth and left a Cloaked Person captain’s Inner Core for it to absorb.

  • Chen Lin examined the empty cloak and dagger left by the Cloaked Person, then continued his journey with greater caution and used his little fish of destiny clone to warn him of danger.
  • Chen Lin destroyed ten Cloaked Persons, including a stronger captain whose patterned cloak resisted Firefly and who left behind two treasures and an egg-sized Inner Core.
  • Chen Lin collected Storage Bags and Precious Tools from fallen cultivators, avoided further dangers, and reached the Heaven-Connecting River.
  • Chen Lin swam to the node, collected finger sand, entered safely, and returned to his cave abode, where White Fox greeted him.
  • Chen Lin learned that the Divine Seed grew faster when watered with better flesh and blood, gave White Fox refined Void Beast essence, and placed the captain’s Inner Core at the Divine Sprout’s roots.

Ch. 1680Experiment

Chen Lin tested the Black and White Jade Pendant and confirmed he could use it to travel between the primal plane and his immortal cave, though its damage made the passage one-way and risky. After confirming other possible ways to leave and beginning to condense his Void Domain, he was interrupted by White Fox, who reported a problem with the Divine Sprout.

  • Chen Lin released Shi Yuelan in his immortal cave, explained the primal plane, and sent her out to explore while he returned to the seabed node.
  • A Nihility Fish attacked Chen Lin, but he stunned it twice with Death Gaze and captured it in his Golden Silkworm Bottle.
  • Chen Lin activated the Black Crystal Insect, opened a Space Passage, and traveled from the primal plane back to his immortal cave, then destroyed the passage to prevent anyone from following.
  • Chen Lin assessed the Jade Pendant's risks and damage, found that the Spirit Planter Token and Transmission Talisman could offer other ways to leave, and decided to stay for now.
  • Chen Lin began cultivating to condense his Void Domain using the Destiny Law, but White Fox interrupted him and said the Divine Sprout seemed to be in trouble.

Ch. 1681Grass's resurrection

Chen Lin watched the Divine Sprout rapidly transform after absorbing the Cloaked Person’s Inner Core and asked Qian Ziduo to seek more. He condensed a domain prototype, Grass recovered and returned, and she urged him to look for Blind Girl in the Nightmare Realm.

  • Chen Lin found the Divine Sprout had grown and turned black after absorbing the Cloaked Person’s Inner Core, while its life force had become more vigorous.
  • Chen Lin told White Fox to keep watching the Divine Sprout and asked Qian Ziduo to collect Cloaked Persons’ Inner Cores.
  • Shi Yuelan reached semi-void perfection, and Chen Lin condensed a ten-thousand-mile domain prototype that could use his fate arts.
  • Grass emerged from the Jade Box restored, and Chen Lin took her to enjoy the Kaiyuan Realm’s scenery.
  • Grass said Blind Girl might have reached the Outer World and asked Chen Lin to try summoning her in the Nightmare Realm; he agreed.

Ch. 1682Return to Cangyuan

After ten years in the Kaiyuan Realm, Chen Lin returned to Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven to collect Dark Hearts amid the war against the Cloaked People. Qian Ziduo supplied nearly a hundred cores and revealed that he already knew of a cultivator from the Inner World.

  • Chen Lin learned that the Cloaked People had breached two superpowers’ sealed lands, prompting factions from the Qian, Kan, and Dui Domains to form an alliance and establish bases.
  • Chen Lin chose to leave the Kaiyuan Realm with Grass, while Shi Yuelan stayed behind to cultivate and watch over the realm.
  • Chen Lin and Grass traveled safely to Cangyuan Grotto-Heaven, where Chen Lin reunited with Qian Ziduo at the Qingyang Treasure Pavilion.
  • Qian Ziduo gave Chen Lin nearly a hundred Dark Hearts, and Chen Lin rewarded him with Finger Sand and other supplies for his service.
  • Chen Lin tasked Qian Ziduo with secretly investigating the Moon Palace and cultivators from the Inner World, and Qian Ziduo said he already knew of one such cultivator.

Ch. 1683Startling Information

Chen Lin investigated the powerful cultivator Li Xiangru, searched the Market for a high-grade Transmission Talisman, and agreed to travel with Huyan Hua and Huyan Xue to the Purple Ray Grotto-Heaven. While asking Huyan Hua about the Shen Family, he learned that Li Fuyao was Li Yuanlei’s daughter.

  • Chen Lin learned from Qian Ziduo that Li Xiangru was a formidable Peak Void Realm cultivator, examined his image, and concluded he was not Li Yuanlei.
  • Chen Lin searched the Market for a high-grade Transmission Talisman but found none, and refused Grass’s offer to stay behind and send him news.
  • Huyan Hua invited Chen Lin to travel with him and Huyan Xue to the Purple Ray Grotto-Heaven, and Chen Lin accepted.
  • Chen Lin asked Huyan Hua about the Huyan Lineage’s connection to the West Courtyard Shen Clan and learned that Huyan Wushuang had once been close to Shen Wenling.
  • Huyan Hua revealed that Huyan Wushuang had entered the Inner World, fallen in love with Li Yuanlei, and had his child, leading Chen Lin to realize Li Fuyao was Li Yuanlei’s daughter.

Ch. 1684Hidden Secrets of the Primordial Era

Chen Lin learned from Huyan Hua about Eternal Experts, the Eternal Great Tribulation, and conflicting legends surrounding the Moon Palace before agreeing to travel with the Huyan party to the Purple Ray Grotto-Heaven for records about the Purple Emperor. Their Spirit Boat reached the dangerous Void Valley, where Huyan Hua asked Chen Lin to help deal with the troublesome crows.

  • Chen Lin used his acquaintance with Shen Anning to explain his questions to Huyan Hua, who warned him that she was an exceptional Shen Family genius connected to Yesterday Manor.
  • Huyan Hua explained that Eternal Experts still existed but stayed within the protection of their treasures, and described how the Purple Emperor had broken through the altered laws of the Great Dao.
  • Huyan Xue claimed that Immortal Superior Huiye had caused the ancient war while resurrecting her beloved, but Huyan Hua dismissed the story and cautioned Chen Lin about unreliable Primordial Era secrets.
  • Huyan Hua persuaded Chen Lin to continue to the Purple Ray Grotto-Heaven by offering to help him find records about the Purple Emperor, and the four set off aboard Huyan Hua's Spirit Boat.
  • The Spirit Boat reached Void Valley, where Chen Lin agreed to help Huyan Hua face the troublesome crows.

Ch. 1685Soul-Slicing Guillotine

Chen Lin and Huyan Hua entered the dangerous Void Valley, where energy storms prevented powerful abilities and enormous flocks of crows threatened travelers. Chen Lin used his newly created Soul-Slicing Guillotine to slaughter the attacking crows, surprising Huyan Hua and proving the technique's power.

  • Huyan Hua warned Chen Lin that they had to cross the Void Valley directly, then sent Huyan Xue into a Qiankun Box while Grass hid inside Chen Lin.
  • Chen Lin and Huyan Hua flew into the valley, where energy vortices disrupted their movement and made powerful travel techniques unusable.
  • Nearly a hundred crows attacked with soul-shaking shrieks and black light blades, nearly knocking Huyan Hua into the space storm.
  • Chen Lin rescued Huyan Hua with soul power and used the Silence Technique to nullify the crows' sonic attacks.
  • Chen Lin unleashed his new Soul-Slicing Guillotine, killing the crows with repeated strikes and astonishing Huyan Hua.

Ch. 1686An unexpected haul

Chen Lin and Huyan Hua braved the crow-filled Void Valley to collect treasures, but a spatial collapse separated them and left Huyan Hua missing. After inspecting his haul, Chen Lin headed to the Purple Ray Grotto-Heaven, where he spotted a familiar figure near the market entrance.

  • Chen Lin's soul-slicing secret art cleared a path through the crows, and Huyan Hua grew impressed and suggested they seek treasures at a spatial weak point.
  • Chen Lin and Huyan Hua fought their way to the weak point and found thirteen treasures, but their attempts to collect them triggered a spatial collapse.
  • Chen Lin escaped the collapsing valley with five treasures, including a sealed Pill Bottle and a cracked Dark Red Scimitar, but Huyan Hua did not emerge.
  • After searching for Huyan Hua for more than a month, Chen Lin gave up and traveled to the Purple Ray Grotto-Heaven.
  • Chen Lin reached the market and froze when he recognized a figure nearby.

Ch. 1687Sisters

Chen Lin discovered that Zishu, the Cheng Sisters, and his daughter Chen Ling'er had reached the Outer World, then met Cheng Lingchan and Cheng Lingdie in secret. He learned that Mingyue Shuanghua had taken Chen Ling'er as a disciple and that the sisters planned to open the Ziguang Tribe’s Ancestral Land during a lunar eclipse; Cheng Lingdie began writing something in the air after Chen Lin urged them to keep his presence secret.

  • Chen Lin followed Zishu into the Market and found him entering the Lingdie Shop, then recognized Cheng Lingchan when he went inside.
  • Cheng Lingchan and Cheng Lingdie recognized Chen Lin through the traces of their origin essence in his soul, and Chen Lin dropped his disguise.
  • Cheng Lingchan told Chen Lin that Chen Ling'er had reached the Outer World and was living at Ziwei Palace as Mingyue Shuanghua’s disciple.
  • Cheng Lingdie explained that she and Cheng Lingchan had returned to open the Ziguang Tribe’s Ancestral Land, which required pure Purple Emperor Bloodline and a lunar eclipse.
  • Chen Lin warned the sisters to be cautious and asked them not to tell Zishu or Mingyue Shuanghua that he was there.
  • Cheng Lingdie sent Cheng Lingchan to fetch her spirit butterflies, then traced a string of characters in the air before Chen Lin.

Ch. 1688A plea for help

Chen Lin learned that Cheng Lingdie feared being used as a vessel for the Purple Emperor’s resurrection, but he could not promise to save her. After hearing what became of his former companions, he returned to the Kaiyuan Realm and weighed whether to expose Mingyue Shuanghua’s plans before deciding to focus on cultivation.

  • Cheng Lingdie told Chen Lin she suspected she was the Purple Emperor’s first choice for resurrection, with Chen Ling’er and other bloodline descendants as alternatives.
  • Cheng Lingdie told Chen Lin that Qin Lingyu had died, Sun Caiyi had vanished, and a mysterious figure had taken Zhao Mengru away.
  • Cheng Lingdie gave Chen Lin a spirit butterfly, and he left the Purple Ray Grotto-Heaven for the Kaiyuan Realm as Zishu and other cultivators searched for him.
  • Chen Lin returned to the Kaiyuan Realm, checked on Shi Yuelan, gave the Dark Hearts to White Fox, and released Grass.
  • Chen Lin considered revealing the Purple Emperor’s resurrection plans but worried that stopping the resurrection might affect Niuniu, then set aside his doubts and began cultivating.

Ch. 1689Tianshu

After a century of cultivating his domain, Chen Lin named and completed the divine servant Tianshu, who demonstrated powerful blood and darkness abilities. Chen Lin brought him back to his immortal cave, then resumed secluded cultivation with the Cyan Pill Bottle as he prepared for a possibly imminent lunar eclipse and his daughter’s peril.

  • Chen Lin spent a hundred years refining his domain while hoping to create a small grotto-heaven where his wife and daughter could live.
  • Shi Yuelan suggested naming the nearly completed divine servant, and Chen Lin named him Tianshu as stars appeared in the daylight sky.
  • Tianshu completed his formation and demonstrated voidification, the Blood Escapist Technique, and the Blood Spear Technique.
  • Tianshu revealed his second talent, the Darkness Domain, and used the Nine-Hole Weapon to fire Formless Blades.
  • Chen Lin brought Tianshu to his immortal cave and introduced him to his people.
  • Chen Lin began cultivating with the Cyan Pill Bottle, fearing the lunar eclipse might be near and wanting to save his daughter.

Ch. 1690Great Cyan Pill

Chen Lin removed the Pill Bottle’s seal and subdued the intelligent Great Cyan Pill after it tried to escape. The pill finally revealed that its medicinal effects could purify energy, strengthen origin essence, and advance a life-form’s level.

  • Chen Lin used three Fireflies to remove the Pill Bottle’s restrictions without damaging the bottle or its contents.
  • Chen Lin opened the bottle in his protected chamber, and the cyan pill inside attacked the formation and introduced itself as Master Dan.
  • Chen Lin trapped the Great Cyan Pill with Flame Palm after it broke free from his Soul Hand and pierced the Defensive Formation.
  • Chen Lin threatened to burn the pill away when it refused to explain its purpose, then kept increasing the flames until it yielded.
  • The Great Cyan Pill revealed that it could purify energy, strengthen origin essence, and advance a life-form’s level.

Ch. 1691Levels of life

Chen Lin questioned the Great Cyan Pill about life ranks and ancient history, learning that it could raise his body’s level but would need ten thousand years. The pill revealed secrets about star whirlpools, the Lord of the Moon Palace, and the Eternal Great Tribulation, then identified its former owner as Red Hair Old Ancestor and mentioned his powerful saber.

  • Chen Lin had the Great Cyan Pill examine him, and it said his soul was extraordinary while his body was weak; it could raise his body’s life level by one rank in ten thousand years.
  • The Great Cyan Pill described life levels, placing ordinary cultivators at level two and Eternal experts and natural divine beings at level three, and said it was a level-four being.
  • The Great Cyan Pill explained that the Long-Bottle Gyre controlled the Rainbow Realm indirectly, that star whirlpools in the Upper Void were homes of natural divine beings, and that even Eternal experts faced restrictions on traveling there.
  • The Great Cyan Pill recounted that the Lord of the Moon Palace had surpassed Eternity but was killed by a stronger expert whose actions changed the Heavenly Dao and caused the Eternal Great Tribulation.
  • Chen Lin connected the ancient upheaval to Niuniu’s plans and worried that recovering another person’s memories could threaten his own consciousness.
  • The Great Cyan Pill named its former owner Red Hair Old Ancestor and said his finest treasure was a curved saber that had slain an Eternal Realm expert.

Ch. 1692Crimson Moon Scimitar

Chen Lin discovered that moonlight and the Firefly Divine Ability could activate the Crimson Moon Scimitar, restoring it to true-realm power. He struck a deal with the Great Cyan Pill to learn pill refinement and receive its pill liquid, while allowing it to remain outside the bottle for now.

  • Chen Lin suspected Niuniu had influenced his fate and asked the Great Cyan Pill how he could use the Crimson Moon Scimitar.
  • Chen Lin channeled the Firefly Divine Ability into the scimitar, then added moonlight to restore the blade and bring out its true-realm power.
  • Chen Lin tested the scimitar, summoning a blood-red moon that weighed upon the Kaiyuan Realm and frightened its yaoguai before he stopped channeling.
  • The Great Cyan Pill inferred that Chen Lin had received the Moon Palace secret technique through divine empowerment, and Chen Lin asked it to teach him useful skills.
  • The Great Cyan Pill offered its pill-refining knowledge and periodic pill liquid in exchange for Chen Lin not refining it, and Chen Lin agreed.
  • Chen Lin let the Great Cyan Pill stay outside the bottle after it explained that it could not remain away from the bottle for long.

Ch. 1693Conscription

After removing the inner world imprint, Chen Lin left the Kaiyuan Realm to check on the war and gather materials, but Brightness Alliance forces conscripted him into Jin Ruhua’s unit. Jin Ruhua demanded that he demonstrate a useful ability or face death.

  • Chen Lin finished clearing the inner world imprint and set out with Tianshu to assess the war and collect pill ingredients.
  • At the Heaven-Connecting River, Chen Lin gathered finger sand and caught a Nihility Fish before leaving the area.
  • Chen Lin’s divination showed that fate was obscured, so he cautiously traveled onward while keeping the Black Crystal Insect supplied with soul power.
  • Ge Jinxiu intercepted Chen Lin and Tianshu aboard a Spirit Boat and conscripted them into Jin Ruhua’s unit.
  • Jin Ruhua saw through Chen Lin’s disguise, threatened to destroy his divine soul, and demanded that he demonstrate an ability worthy of bringing him along.

Ch. 1694The Assessment

Chen Lin faced Jin Ruhua’s assessment by demonstrating his divine abilities, eventually passing when he used the Darkness Domain and Firefly Divine Ability. Jin Ruhua gave him Tianyi divine water and its refining method, and Chen Lin learned that Mu Qingchen was among the Crape Myrtle Palace cultivators aboard, but he could not meet her without permission.

  • Jin Ruhua tested Chen Lin’s Soul-Slicing Guillotine, Soul-Destroying Finger, Death Gaze, and Star Ring, rejecting them as insufficient.
  • Chen Lin used his Divine Servant’s Darkness Domain and the Firefly Divine Ability, and Jin Ruhua declared that he had passed and could stay with the group.
  • Jin Ruhua gave Chen Lin Tianyi divine water and sent him the method for refining it after he admitted he did not know how to use it.
  • Ge Jinxiu escorted Chen Lin to a room, where Chen Lin learned that Mogu, Luo Yunming, and Mu Qingchen were Crape Myrtle Palace members who knew the Soul-Destroying Finger.
  • Chen Lin asked to meet Mu Qingchen, but Ge Jinxiu said he needed Jin Ruhua’s permission, so Chen Lin decided to wait until after the mission.

Ch. 1695Enhancing the Secret Method

Chen Lin used Tianyi Divine Water to strengthen Death Gaze while the ship carried him and the other cultivators on a secret mission. He suspected their destination might be the black hole linked to the Swallowtail Gyre, but Ge Jinxiu denied it, leaving Chen Lin uncertain about the mission as he finished cultivating.

  • Chen Lin learned that Tianyi Divine Water strengthened Death Gaze’s mighty power and began refining drops under his Divine Servant’s watch.
  • During the voyage, Jin Ruhua conscripted cultivators and killed those who failed her assessment, increasing Chen Lin’s fears about the mission.
  • After more than a year at sea, Chen Lin guessed that the ship was heading upward through the Void Realm and worried its destination was the black hole connected to Entropy.
  • Chen Lin asked Ge Jinxiu whether the mission was to destroy the black hole and warned him that it might lead to the Swallowtail Gyre and Eternal Realm beings.
  • Ge Jinxiu said the Alliance had other plans for the black hole, asked about the being Chen Lin had encountered, and left without revealing the mission’s destination.
  • Chen Lin finished strengthening Death Gaze, increasing its potency and control enough to threaten Void Realm opponents.

Ch. 1696The Fiend

Chen Lin learned that the Firefly Divine Ability came from Four Directions City, which Jin Ruhua said the Lord of the Moon Palace had left behind while trying to resurrect a fiend from the Nightmare Realm. Jin Ruhua explained that powerful experts were divided over whether to allow or prevent the Purple Emperor’s possible reincarnation, then offered to help Chen Lin retrieve his daughter if he performed exceptionally on the mission.

  • Chen Lin followed Ge Jinxiu to the spirit boat’s bow, where Jin Ruhua tested his refined divine water’s enhanced power and dismissed it as negligible.
  • Jin Ruhua asked where Chen Lin had obtained the Firefly Divine Ability, and he told her it came from Four Directions City.
  • Jin Ruhua said Four Directions City had been left by Huiye, Lord of the Moon Palace, who wanted to resurrect a fiend from the Nightmare Realm that had sought to merge it with the Reality Realm.
  • Chen Lin admitted he feared he might be the fiend’s reincarnation or the Purple Emperor’s, and revealed that Mingyue Shuanghua planned to use his daughter as a vessel during a lunar eclipse.
  • Jin Ruhua explained that powerful experts disagreed over whether to permit the Purple Emperor’s reincarnation, but said she would not get involved because she lacked the strength to challenge the figures behind it.
  • Jin Ruhua said Chen Lin’s unusual soul marked him as a stowaway from the Outer Realm, not a reincarnated body, and promised to help him retrieve his daughter if he performed exceptionally on the mission.

Ch. 1697Purpose

Jin Ruhua explained that she and Chen Lin were Stowaways from the Outer Realms, then revealed that their mission was to catch special Nihility Fish at the top of the Heaven-Connecting River so Eternal Experts could evade the Great Dao’s constraints. After a Giant Mosquito attacked their Spirit Boat, she warned the group that the journey would be dangerous, and Dark Cultivators appeared as the boat was engulfed in darkness.

  • Jin Ruhua told Chen Lin that they were both Stowaways from the Outer Realms and explained how their souls had crossed between star domains.
  • Jin Ruhua said the Heaven-Connecting River had flowed in from beyond the Star Screen before Demon King Sha Qingwu severed it, and revealed that their mission was to catch Colorful Nihility Fish.
  • A Giant Mosquito struck the Spirit Boat, and Jin Ruhua wounded it with a multicolored sword strike but failed to kill it.
  • Jin Ruhua ordered the cultivators to stay alert and told Chen Lin to assist her with his Firefly Divine Ability if they were surrounded.
  • Jin Ruhua explained that the Alliance sought Colorful Nihility Fish to let Eternal Realm experts act despite the Great Dao’s restrictions, and that the Dark Cultivators’ advance threatened the Cultivation World.
  • Jin Ruhua spotted more than a dozen Black Silhouettes approaching and told Chen Lin to act without holding back as darkness engulfed the Spirit Boat.

Ch. 1698Surrounded

Jin Ruhua and the cultivators aboard her Spirit Boat fought off twelve Cloaked Persons before continuing through the upper starry reaches. After more than half a month of uneventful travel, they reached a bright band of light beyond which lay dense, seemingly solid starlight.

  • Twelve Cloaked Persons attacked the Spirit Boat and tried to form the Eternal Battle Array, while Chen Lin and two other cultivators disrupted them.
  • The Cloaked leader targeted Chen Lin with a Black Gold Feather, but Jin Ruhua helped him evade it using a Unique Secret Method.
  • Jin Ruhua’s multicolored sword light killed the leader, then she pursued and slew the other Cloaked Persons as Chen Lin’s fireflies helped corner one.
  • Jin Ruhua warned the passengers that greater dangers lay ahead and ordered Ge Jinxiu to move the Spirit Boat onward.
  • After more than half a month without further attacks, Chen Lin and the others saw a bright band of white light above them, beyond which the starlight appeared almost solid.

Ch. 1699The Mermaid Sword's True Form

Chen Lin and Jin Ruhua encountered the Void Devourer near the source of the Heaven-Connecting River, but the Mermaid Sword’s true form confronted it and returned with a hair from the beast. Afterward, Jin Ruhua warned Chen Lin that a Supreme Expert had marked him and that his fate might be controlled by another.

  • Chen Lin spotted the Big Black Dog near the Heaven-Connecting River’s source, and its gaze knocked him, Jin Ruhua, and the other cultivators down.
  • Unable to move, Chen Lin used his soul seed to place the Tower Spirit’s tear on the Mermaid Sword, revealing a pure white sword and a mermaid phantom.
  • The mermaid phantom approached the Big Black Dog, which barked, then disappeared; the Mermaid Sword returned to Chen Lin with a black rod-like hair from the beast.
  • Jin Ruhua confirmed that the Big Black Dog had left and questioned Chen Lin about his origins.
  • Jin Ruhua told Chen Lin that a Supreme Expert had likely marked him, warning that his opportunities might come with a heavy karmic burden and a fate controlled by the schemer.

Ch. 1700Dog Hair

Chen Lin recovered from the Big Black Dog’s attack and learned that Niuniu’s dog hair could deter powerful Void Beasts when used with the Mermaid Sword. As Jin Ruhua gathered Nihility Fish and Chen Lin tended the wounded, he discovered Mu Qingchen was Mu Linglong’s adopted daughter and learned that Mu Linglong and her Grandmaster remained missing in the Nightmare Realm.

  • Chen Lin examined Niuniu’s dog hair, and Jin Ruhua explained that the Mermaid Sword controlled it and that it could deter high-tier Void Beasts.
  • Jin Ruhua left to collect Nihility Fish while Chen Lin sent Tianshu into the Heaven-Connecting River to gather fish and used a Nihility Fish to heal himself.
  • Chen Lin revived Ge Jinxiu, then treated the severely injured Mu Qingchen with a Huan-Sheng Pill, life law, and the Chess Piece of Destiny.
  • Chen Lin learned that Mu Qingchen was Mu Linglong’s adopted daughter and that Mu Linglong and her Grandmaster had not returned from exploring the Nightmare Realm.
  • Chen Lin watched the Heaven-Connecting River and wondered why Niuniu had given him the dog hair.

Ch. 1701Fire of Light

Chen Lin obtained Luo Sanhuai's flame of light and worried that Niuniu might have mistaken him for her lover's reincarnation. Jin Ruhua returned with Tianshu and gave Chen Lin a Nihility Fish, while the survivors remained stranded aboard the Spirit Boat.

  • Chen Lin considered how Niuniu's arranged opportunities might connect him to the Fiend's reincarnation and worried about the consequences of accepting them.
  • Chen Lin treated the gravely injured Luo Sanhuai, who agreed to give him some origin essence from his flame of light.
  • Chen Lin received the flame of light and waited aboard the Spirit Boat with Ge Jinxiu.
  • Jin Ruhua returned carrying the weakened but living Tianshu and warned Chen Lin not to send a Void Realm Blood Servant into the Heaven-Connecting River again.
  • Jin Ruhua gave Chen Lin a Nihility Fish and advised him to save it for his advancement to the True Realm.
  • Jin Ruhua began checking how many cultivators had died.

Ch. 1702Friends

Chen Lin returned to the Alliance with Jin Ruhua, who publicly called him her friend and ordered him awarded special merit. After Shen Wenling urged him to reveal his identity and strengthen ties with Jin Ruhua, Chen Lin received his Merit Token, while his reunion with Shen Anning remained ahead.

  • Jin Ruhua brought the Spirit Boat back to Bright Peak and ordered Ge Jinxiu to handle rewards and contact the families of the dead.
  • Jin Ruhua named Yu Yuehai her friend and ordered Shen Wenling to award him special merit, drawing attention from the other cultivators.
  • Chen Lin and Mu Qingchen discussed Chen Ling'er, and Chen Lin urged Mu Qingchen to conceal how he had helped her during questioning.
  • Shen Wenling approached Chen Lin, advised him to reveal his identity and rely on Jin Ruhua, and Chen Lin resumed his true appearance.
  • Shen Wenling escorted Chen Lin to the Merit Hall, where Elder Tianhan confirmed Jin Ruhua's order and gave Chen Lin a Golden Merit Token.
Arc 68 of 104