Chapter Summaries

Chen Lin tested what his projection body could do in the Reality Realm and discovered that it could use soul-powered treasures and recover soul power from ordinary pills. He flew toward the Yucai Sect, considering how to exploit this discovery for his peerage mission.

• At the County Office, Zhang Zitong ordered his constables to stop guarding the node and forbade them from causing trouble at the Liu Family Steamed Bun Shop.
• Chen Lin met Zhuang Yinlian outside the node, heard news about the Yucai Sect, and gave her a Nine Star Return Pill.
• Chen Lin tested his projection body’s flight, soul techniques, weapons, defensive treasure, and Spirit Treasure Scholar, confirming that they functioned in the Reality Realm.
• Chen Lin took a Nascent Soul Pill and discovered that it replenished his projection body’s soul power.
• Chen Lin considered how transferring pills and soul-related treasures could help his plans, then flew toward the Yucai Sect.

Chen Lin tested his projection in the Tiancang Realm, learned that Yun Xiumian remained imprisoned in the Blood Handkerchief Scenario, and received a warning from Feng Sanniang about coming changes in the Nightmare Realm. The chapter ended with Chen Lin considering the danger of staying without an official position and peerage rank.

• Chen Lin visited Yue Tianyi and Xue Honglan at the Yucai Sect, then tested his projection and confirmed he had to return through the Nightmare Realm.
• Xue Wa told Chen Lin that the Explorer had found Yun Xiumian imprisoned and brought back her request that he keep her belongings safe and let them absorb pure Yin Nether Qi.
• Chen Lin agreed to pay the Explorer ten thousand Nightmare Coins despite the failed rescue, then put away Yun Xiumian's wooden hairpin.
• A bartender from the closed Music Tavern delivered Feng Sanniang's letter to Chen Lin.
• Chen Lin read Feng Sanniang's warning that the Great Heavens Projection presaged changes in the Nightmare Realm and that he might be unable to leave without an official position and peerage rank.

Chen Lin investigated warnings of coming changes in the Nightmare Realm, prepared his people for danger, and searched for several missing contacts. After learning that powerful Nightmare creatures were behaving unusually, he decided to prioritize completing his peerage mission so he could retain access to the Nightmare Realm.

• Chen Lin found the Music Tavern and many Gourmet Houses closed, and He Xiuqin confirmed that she had heard rumors of changes in the Nightmare Realm but could not help him find Ximen Wuxue.
• Chen Lin closed his shop, told his associates to leave the Nightmare Realm for several decades, and sent Feng Sanniang's letter and a Five-Star Delicacy voucher to Fat Tiger for Gege Yun.
• Chen Lin helped Chouya form her Golden Core, then learned from Zhang Zitong that Princess Qinghua and Luo Xiaoyu had left Qianyuan City two centuries earlier and their whereabouts were unknown.
• Zhang Zitong reported unusual activity among powerful Nightmare Realm creatures, knew nothing of the Great Heavens Projection, and agreed to pass a medium object to the Tianyun Sect's Sect Master in hopes of obtaining the Qi Luck Pill formula.
• Chen Lin abandoned his plan to enter long-term seclusion and resolved to urgently complete his peerage mission to preserve his ability to enter and leave the Nightmare Realm.

Chen Lin entered the peerage mission in the Nightmare Realm with his true body and discovered that it appeared to be a real battlefield against Luo. Guided by the Invitation Letter, he fought a Tianluo believer and an evil beast, then continued toward his unknown objective under a time limit.

• Chen Lin lowered Ruyi Island, prepared for his absence, and activated the Task Invitation Letter, but Grass and Blind Girl were not summoned with him.
• Chen Lin arrived in a desolate space among giant black pillars and found that he could use his true body, though the Invitation Letter showed an arrow and a timed hourglass.
• Following the arrow, Chen Lin killed an elite Tianluo believer with his Soul-Destroying Finger and collected the crystal and blade from the ashes.
• Chen Lin found no way to redeem merit or leave the mission, so he followed the arrow onward as the hourglass ran down.
• A one-eyed evil beast attacked Chen Lin, but he killed it with several Soul-Destroying Fingers and stored its intact corpse.
• Concluding that the mission took place on a real battlefield between the Nightmare Realm and Luo, Chen Lin continued toward the arrow's destination.

Chen Lin reached the Frontline Camp, registered his baron mission, and learned that he had to earn merit against enemies of increasingly high ranks to light all five stars. He remained in the camp to find out more about its enemies and facilities.

• Chen Lin showed his Invitation Letter to the Gold-Armored Man, who verified his recorded deeds and escorted him into the Frontline Camp.
• The Gold-Armored Man explained that Chen Lin needed merit to light his five Merit Star Marks, and that Chen Lin's kills of a Tianluo Believer and an evil beast were both two-star enemies.
• Chen Lin met the Golden Great Bird, registered his mission, and received an Identity Token bearing five blank stars.
• The Golden Great Bird suddenly became enraged and roared for someone to kill the enemies, while the Gold-Armored Man told Chen Lin he could move freely around camp or hunt outside.
• Chen Lin questioned a cultivator about the enemies and the camp, and the man offered to take him to the Merit Main Hall.

Chen Lin redeemed his merit and learned that completing his task would require facing powerful Luo monsters beyond the pillars’ protection. At the Dawn Inn, he encountered True Lord Wanmeng, verified his identity, and asked him to explain what was happening.

• Chen Lin met Jing San, entered the empty Merit Main Hall, and redeemed one two-star merit to light the first star on his token.
• Chen Lin read the enemy catalog and learned about the ranks of Tianluo believers and Luo monsters, the Guardians’ formation, and the dangers beyond its reach.
• Chen Lin left the hall worried that the Baron task might be beyond his abilities and noticed that the Main Camp seemed abnormal.
• At the Dawn Inn, Chen Lin saw True Lord Wanmeng, followed him outside, and proved his identity with two spells.
• Chen Lin gave the injured True Lord Wanmeng Nascent Soul Pills and asked why he had refused to acknowledge him at the inn.

Chen Lin learned from True Lord Wanmeng that Youruo’s parasitic seeds had infiltrated the Main Camp, while the surrounding formation suppressed powerful Luo clones. After hearing how Wanmeng had been trapped for centuries and confirming that ordinary peerage missions could bring people here, Chen Lin decided to hunt monsters within the formation before returning to the Main Camp.

• True Lord Wanmeng warned Chen Lin that many Main Camp residents were parasitized by Youruo, whose seeds could divide and transfer through physical contact.
• Wanmeng explained that the giant pillars detected and suppressed powerful Luo clones, and said the Main Camp was safer than the area outside the formation.
• Wanmeng revealed that he had been trapped for centuries and learned from Chen Lin that Asura had destroyed Central City and Luo Qinglan and the others were still missing.
• Wanmeng recalled meeting an Alien Woman who had come on a peerage mission, easing Chen Lin’s concern that the Gourmet Guardian had deliberately sent him to die.
• Chen Lin decided to hunt monsters below Three-Star rank within the formation and declined Wanmeng’s warning to be cautious.

Chen Lin questioned Wu Meng'an to verify how the Punishment Land worked, then gave her a chance to kill a one-star Luo monster. After confirming her account and later questioning an alien man, Chen Lin headed toward the outskirts of the Golden Encampment.

• Chen Lin found Wu Meng'an, tested her with his Soul-Destroying Finger, then healed her divine soul with a Soul Refining Pill.
• Wu Meng'an told Chen Lin that merit could buy purification, Dawn Inn rooms blocked harmful energy, and merit vouchers could be traded even though merit itself could not.
• Wu Meng'an explained that contracted creatures could not enter the Punishment Land and that she had to light three star marks to leave after violating a scenario rule.
• Chen Lin stunned a one-star Luo monster and let Wu Meng'an kill it, earning her merit for a purification.
• Chen Lin questioned an alien man, confirmed that the others had told the truth, and headed toward the outskirts.

Chen Lin discovered he could summon Blind Girl but not Grass, then brought Blind Girl to the Golden Encampment after confirming she could injure Tianluo believers. He met True Lord Wanmeng at Dawn Inn and learned that superior rooms could suppress parasitic seeds, while Wanmeng chose a standard room.

• Chen Lin failed to summon Grass but summoned Blind Girl, who said Grass was safe and suggested their stronger contract let her cross the restrictions.
• Blind Girl used her heart fire to kill a two-star Tianluo believer, and Chen Lin wondered whether its merit would count toward him.
• Chen Lin searched near the giant pillar for more Luo monsters, then returned to camp and learned from the Golden-Armored Guard Chief that his Contract Servant could enter with him.
• The Golden-Armored Guard noticed Blind Girl and went to the General's Mansion, while Chen Lin entered the camp and met True Lord Wanmeng at Dawn Inn.
• Chen Lin learned the inn charged ten Nightmare Coins for a standard room and one hundred for a superior room per day, with superior rooms allowing two occupants and suppressing parasitic seeds.
• True Lord Wanmeng said he would take a standard room after Chen Lin glanced at him.

Chen Lin learned from True Lord Wanmeng about the dangers beyond the giant pillars and the Main Camp’s uncertain knowledge of the area. He healed Wanmeng’s inner wound with Soul Steamed Buns and learned that some experts lived atop abandoned giant pillars.

• Chen Lin chose a superior room at the inn to stay near Blind Girl and inspected its facilities.
• True Lord Wanmeng told Chen Lin that the Main Camp might be a branch, that its records about the territory were vague, and that a Five-Star Asura had once caused him to mutate and develop an inner demon.
• Wanmeng revealed that he needed to complete a four-star mission by killing ten Four-Star Luo Monsters or one Five-Star Luo Monster.
• Chen Lin gave Wanmeng Soul Steamed Buns, which soothed his heart, then told him the basket was worth ten thousand Nightmare Coins.
• Wanmeng told Chen Lin that some experts lived atop abandoned giant pillars, where they avoided parasitic seeds but had to withstand attacks from Three-Star Luo Monsters.

Chen Lin sought information about five-star Luo Monsters from the Cyan-Robed Divine Sword, who warned him that they could communicate and command lower-level monsters. The man revealed that someone on the first giant pillar could easily kill one, leaving Chen Lin to decide whether he could persuade that person to help.

• True Lord Wanmeng led Chen Lin and Blind Girl to a giant pillar and explained that the Cyan-Robed Divine Sword had once saved him.
• Chen Lin flew up alone, met the Cyan-Robed Divine Sword, and asked to trade for information about the outside.
• The Cyan-Robed Divine Sword learned that Chen Lin had a five-star mission and initially urged him to give up, but changed his attitude after sensing Chen Lin's unusually advanced soul.
• Chen Lin explained his ability to restrain Luo's energy, and the Cyan-Robed Divine Sword warned that four-star and stronger Luo Monsters could communicate and command others.
• The Cyan-Robed Divine Sword pointed Chen Lin toward someone on the first giant pillar who could easily kill a five-star Luo Monster.

Chen Lin learned about Crazy Daoist and the imminent great heavens projection, then joined the hunt for Luo Monsters with Blind Girl. They left the Main Camp to search beyond the giant pillar formation, where Blind Girl killed a three-star Tianluo believer.

• Chen Lin asked True Lord Wanmeng about the first giant pillar and learned that the powerful, dangerous Crazy Daoist lived there.
• True Lord Wanmeng explained the great heavens projection, and Chen Lin warned him that it was expected to begin within ten years.
• Chen Lin asked True Lord Wanmeng to spread the warning so cultivators would hunt Luo Monsters, while Blind Girl said she could handle monsters up to four stars.
• After the news was confirmed at the General's Mansion, cultivators began heading outside the Main Camp to hunt Luo Monsters.
• Chen Lin used his fate screen to choose a cautious route, and Blind Girl detected and burned a three-star Tianluo believer to ash.

Chen Lin and the Blind Girl encountered and killed two Four-Star Asura Giant Eyes, then returned to the Main Camp, where True Lord Wanmeng explained that the enemy-countering treasures used by other cultivators were Pseudo-Source Treasures. The chapter leaves Chen Lin with new information about Origin Treasures and the means available to fight Luo Monsters.

• Chen Lin and the Blind Girl watched three cultivators battle a Four-Star Asura Giant Eye and saw them use powerful treasures to wound it and block its blood-red arrow.
• After the giant eye called for help and another Four-Star Giant Eye appeared, Chen Lin and the Blind Girl attacked instead of fleeing.
• Chen Lin killed the uninjured Giant Eye with his Soul-Destroying Finger, while the Blind Girl and his Thunder God Sword power killed the injured one.
• Chen Lin collected the red light particles and returned to the Main Camp with the Blind Girl.
• Chen Lin asked True Lord Wanmeng about the three cultivators' treasures, and True Lord Wanmeng identified them as Pseudo-Source Treasures modeled after rare Origin Treasures.

Chen Lin learned about Origin Treasures and tested how quickly Luo origin essence light particles strengthened the Thunder God Sword. He then attended a small trading convention at the Main Camp, where the organizer began by urging participants to trade their useful items.

• True Lord Wanmeng explained the restrictions, rarity, and uncertain power of Origin Treasures and Pseudo-Source Treasures, while Chen Lin asked whether they included Innate Spirit Treasures.
• Chen Lin agreed to attend a small trading convention, then returned to his lodgings and fed a light particle to the Thunder God Sword.
• The Thunder God Sword absorbed a bottle of light particles in three days, but Chen Lin found that its power increased only slightly.
• True Lord Wanmeng led Chen Lin and Blind Girl to the trading convention beside the General's Mansion, where twenty participants took their seats.
• An emerald-green creature opened the convention and urged everyone to trade what they could before the Luo Monsters claimed their possessions.

Chen Lin attended a Trading Convention and bought six portions of Luo Monster origin light particles with Nightmare Coins, despite learning they were unsuitable for most uses. The gathering turned to True Lord Wanmeng’s Illusion Dream Beads and the accuracy of the news about the Great Heavens Projection, which Chen Lin vouched for.

• The Emerald Creature offered Blue Phantom’s leaf for a wood-element Pseudo-Source Treasure, but the Snow-White Man demanded that he kill three Five-Star Luo Monsters for the Wood Spirit Axe.
• Chen Lin bought a bottle of Luo Monster origin light particles from the armored creature for thirty thousand Nightmare Coins, then purchased four more portions from other traders.
• True Lord Wanmeng warned Chen Lin that Luo Monster origin essence had serious drawbacks, while Chen Lin accepted another bottle from a round creature to keep acquiring the material.
• True Lord Wanmeng offered five Illusion Dream Beads in exchange for an Exorcism Stone and said he feared he might soon lose the chance to take a gamble.
• The Snow-White Man asked whether True Lord Wanmeng’s news about the Great Heavens Projection was accurate, and Chen Lin vouched for the information.

Chen Lin used the Great Heavens Projection warning to spur urgency at a trading convention, acquired several treasures, and sought leads on rare cultivation materials. After returning to the Dawn Inn, he learned that True Lord Wanmeng possessed a Dream Physique that let him control dream energy.

• Chen Lin said his information about the Great Heavens Projection came from Gourmet Island, and Young Master Xue inferred that a Gourmet Guardian had confirmed it.
• Chen Lin agreed to discuss trading Star-Tier Gourmet Food with Young Master Xue at the Dawn Inn after the convention.
• True Lord Wanmeng exchanged his Illusion Dream Bead for an Exorcism Stone, and Chen Lin learned the bead created a dream space for cultivation while the stone resisted Asura Evil Aura.
• Chen Lin traded for a washbasin-sized Green Scale and a fragrant purple flower, then listed several rare treasures and materials he wanted.
• Chen Lin returned to the Dawn Inn with True Lord Wanmeng and learned that Wanmeng's Dream Physique let him connect with and control dream energy.

Chen Lin examined his supplies and met Bai Ruxue, who offered him the Pseudo-Source Treasure Wood Spirit Axe and warned him about a Seven-Star Youruo Monster. Chen Lin could not activate the axe and rejected the trade, leaving Bai Ruxue to offer something else.

• True Lord Wanmeng gave Chen Lin three Illusion Dream Beads, and Chen Lin inspected them and his Four-Star Origin Essence Light Particles after returning to his room.
• Chen Lin tested the light particles with the Thunder God Sword, then began studying the Green Scale and purple flower before Bai Ruxue arrived.
• Bai Ruxue recognized Blind Girl as possibly belonging to the Ancient Heart Clan and sampled Chen Lin's Mortal Dust Spirit Dew while asking about his gourmet food.
• Bai Ruxue offered Chen Lin the Wood Spirit Axe and warned that Si Qi and Blue Enchantress might be parasitized, with a Seven-Star Youruo Monster reportedly seen deep in the Wilderness.
• Chen Lin tested the Wood Spirit Axe, found that he could not activate it, and asked Bai Ruxue to offer a different treasure.

Chen Lin traded Myriad Phenomena Porridge for Bai Ruxue’s Wood Spirit Axe and discussed exchanging a Gourmet Invitation Letter. Bai Ruxue offered him an Invitation Token to the Carefree Assembly, giving Chen Lin a way to attend the vast interrealm trading convention.

• Chen Lin agreed to trade Myriad Phenomena Porridge for the Wood Spirit Axe after Bai Ruxue praised the porridge.
• Bai Ruxue asked about entering Gourmet Island, and Chen Lin revealed he had a Gourmet Invitation Letter but warned that the sealed space might prevent it from working.
• Chen Lin accepted the Wood Spirit Axe and showed Bai Ruxue the invitation letter, while explaining that it should be used before the great heavens projection.
• Bai Ruxue gave Chen Lin a token in exchange and explained that it was an Invitation Token for the Carefree Assembly, a high-level trading convention spanning the Heavens and Myriad Realms.

Chen Lin traded with Bai Ruxue and learned about the Lower Primal Domain, Voidification, and a looming Great Tribulation. After Bai Ruxue left, Chen Lin tested the Wood Spirit Axe with innate power, while Bai secretly realized Chen Lin had refined an Innate Spiritual Entity.

• Chen Lin exchanged a Carefree Token for Bai Ruxue’s Gourmet Invitation Letter and shared delicacies while asking him about the Heavens and Myriad Realms.
• Bai Ruxue explained the Lower Primal Domain and speculated about the Palm Immortal Kingdom theory, then reacted with alarm when Chen Lin mentioned a Great Tribulation in a thousand years.
• Bai Ruxue said the Traveling Merchant’s warning was very credible and hurried away; Blind Girl told Chen Lin that Bai had twice shown faint negative emotions.
• Chen Lin and Blind Girl examined the Carefree Token and Wood Spirit Axe, and Chen Lin found that innate power could activate the axe but was too costly to use effectively.
• Chen Lin went to visit True Lord Wanmeng, while Bai Ruxue secretly watched the inn and concluded that Chen Lin had refined an Innate Spiritual Entity.

Chen Lin realized Bai Ruxue had likely traded him the Wood Spirit Axe to test for the Thunder God Sword, then stayed inside the Golden Encampment while gathering resources and waiting for a chance to confront him. After Chen Lin spread word that he possessed the axe, Si Qi visited, and Chen Lin revealed that Bai Ruxue had claimed Si Qi was parasitized by a Youruo Monster.

• Chen Lin tested the Wood Spirit Axe against the Cyan Vine Shield and found that the axe's lingering rule aura slowed the shield's healing.
• Blind Girl suggested Bai Ruxue was using the Wood Spirit Axe to test for a treasure Chen Lin possessed, and Chen Lin concluded he was after the Thunder God Sword.
• Blind Girl confirmed the Carefree Token was genuine, while Chen Lin remained in the inn, gathered Luo Monster origin essence, and waited for Bai Ruxue to act.
• After three months of waiting, Chen Lin told Blind Girl to spread word that he possessed the Wood Spirit Axe.
• Si Qi confronted Chen Lin about the rumor, and Chen Lin warned him that Bai Ruxue had said he was parasitized by a Youruo Monster.
• Si Qi panicked and searched his body with his palm and several treasures, but found no sign of parasitism.