Chapter Summaries

Shi Lan tracked the armed men responsible for the Xiaohun Village outpost and ambushed a group carrying decoy cargo, but reinforcements arrived and wounded her. She escaped into the mountains, treated her gunshot wound in a cave, and heard someone approach.

• The armed men at a forest cabin learned the Xiaohun Village outpost had gone silent and chose to retreat and move their remaining goods.
• After waiting in the mountains, Shi Lan searched nearby villages and spotted three men she recognized escorting two Westerners and a mule loaded with boxes.
• Shi Lan ambushed the group with her submachine gun, killing two men and the mule, while the others took cover and called for backup.
• Shi Lan killed the remaining men with a grenade, but reinforcements arrived and opened fire, wounding her left arm as she fled.
• A middle-aged man ordered Hyena to check Xiaohun Village and sent the others to search the mountains for Shi Lan and her companions.
• Shi Lan removed the bullet and cauterized her wound in a cave, then heard a faint sound outside.

Shi Lan encountered Vicious Tiger, a fearsome killer who said he had come to find her and warned that people were hunting her. After learning he had killed more than two hundred people, including villagers, Shi Lan confronted the human cost of her escape.

• Vicious Tiger entered Shi Lan’s cave, caught her crossbow bolt, and told her he had come to find her because he feared she might get upset or die.
• Vicious Tiger left the cave, then returned while Shi Lan was feverish and told her that everyone looking for her was dead.
• Shi Lan asked Vicious Tiger about his past, and he said he had gone to prison because he had nowhere to go and had come from Yanjing to kill someone he had not yet found.
• Shi Lan saw at least twenty jackal carcasses outside the cave and realized Vicious Tiger had killed more than two hundred people the previous night.
• Shi Lan worried that some villagers had died because of her, and Vicious Tiger said they would have died anyway.

After escaping the mountains, Shi Lan spent twenty years searching for freedom and meaning, but death and the lives she witnessed left her increasingly lost. Back in Yunhai City, she asked Fierce Tiger how she viewed death and heard that all people were remarkable for striving to live.

• Fierce Tiger summoned Little Flower, which carried Shi Lan out of the mountains before Fierce Tiger stole a car to take her onward.
• Shi Lan recovered in the hospital as news spread that Old Glutton had died, leaving a power vacuum in the underground world.
• Shi Lan watched Qi Pingxia's grieving family and realized that her actions had come to feel meaningless.
• Over twenty years, Shi Lan traveled widely, reflected on death, and searched for the freedom she had seen in Fierce Tiger, who followed her without interfering.
• Shi Lan returned to Yunhai City, learned what had become of people she once knew, and met Hao Fei again at the prison.
• On a beach, Shi Lan asked Fierce Tiger about death, and Fierce Tiger said that all life was precious and people were remarkable for striving to live.

Shi Lan questioned the Fierce Tiger about death, Samsara, immortality, and the weakening world before leaving through a passage to the Ninth Heaven. The Fierce Tiger then recounted his duty to protect the world and revealed that he had watched over Shi Lan while a god resided within her.

• The Fierce Tiger told Shi Lan that all life and the world itself faced an end, while Shi Lan realized her awakened soul had clarified her pursuit of freedom.
• The Fierce Tiger explained that the world's consciousness was fading and that outsiders had come to steal its origin power.
• Shi Lan restored her youthful appearance and invited the Fierce Tiger to leave with her, but he refused because he could not leave the world he guarded.
• Shi Lan opened a passage to the Ninth Heaven and departed, sensing a small sign of nascent life in the desolate world.
• The Fierce Tiger recalled how the Heavenly Dao had sealed the world away and how his dwindling power left him unable to destroy outsiders' true bodies.
• The Fierce Tiger revealed that he had stayed beside Shi Lan while she slept and wondered why a god resided within her.

Shi Lan’s incense offerings awakened spiritual awareness in her statue during the Tianyan Sect’s grand ceremony, and she praised Li Canglan through spirit communication. After returning from seclusion, she reunited with Tian Bai and Wu Lingkong.

• Li Canglan led the Tianyan Sect’s disciples in a grand sacrificial ceremony intended to raise Shi Lan above ordinary disciples.
• The offerings transformed Shi Lan’s statue, which opened its eyes and released a true soul fluctuation before the stunned guests.
• Shi Lan’s soul returned to the statue, where she sensed the disciples and told Li Canglan that he had done very well.
• Shi Lan returned to her body after twenty-six days and five hours of seclusion, having reached the peak of the middle stage of the Myriad Manifestations Realm.
• Tian Bai greeted Shi Lan, who then went to bathe and reunited with Wu Lingkong at the spirit spring.

Shi Lan cultivated the True Martial Indestructible Body and advanced her cultivation before preparing to leave for the Yunlai Immortal Palace gathering. After giving Wu Lingkong spirit pills, she was about to depart when Wu Lingkong asked her to wait.

• Shi Lan told Wu Lingkong she planned to leave for the Yunlai Immortal Palace in a few days, after improving her cultivation and physique.
• Shi Lan refined her spirit items for ten days, broke through to the mid-Myriad Manifestations Realm, and completed the first layer of the True Martial Indestructible Body.
• Tian Bai benefited from the spiritual energy in Shi Lan's sealed secret chamber and advanced to the mid-Myriad Manifestations Realm.
• Shi Lan found Wu Lingkong to say farewell and gave her spirit pills to help with cultivation.
• Shi Lan said she was leaving immediately, and Wu Lingkong asked her to wait.

Shi Lan traveled to Yunlai Immortal Palace’s gathering in an extravagant carriage gifted by Wu Minglie and arrived alone at Silver Frost City. After settling into a palace, she was reported to the Profound King.

• Wu Minglie gave Shi Lan a spirit-jade carriage and warned her that rival prodigies might challenge her at the gathering.
• Shi Lan and Tian Bai traveled for six or seven days before reaching the Snowfall Mountain Range.
• Two Yunlai Immortal Palace martial artists checked Shi Lan’s invitation and escorted her toward the city.
• Shi Lan entered Silver Frost City through its opened main gates and was shown to an ice-and-snow palace.
• An old man reported to the meditating Profound King that Shi Lan had arrived.

Shi Lan and the other guests arrived in Silverfrost City for Yunlai Immortal Palace’s grand contest. As the contest began, Shi Lan took her place in a pavilion overlooking the arenas and a middle-aged man in purple arrived.

• A powerful man decided to meet Shi Lan in person when the gathering began and told the old man not to disturb her beforehand.
• Shi Lan observed the ranks of guests and their accommodations in Silverfrost City as the grand contest drew near.
• Luo Xiuhan led the Shengwu Immortal Sect party into the city, and Shi Feng watched an honored dragon carriage arrive before reflecting on his hope of seeing a woman again.
• Yunlai Immortal Palace disciples escorted Shi Lan and Tian Bai by carriage to the contest plaza, where Shi Lan settled into a pavilion overlooking the arenas.
• A middle-aged man in purple robes climbed the stairs toward Shi Lan's pavilion.

Shi Lan met Chu Hanzhou, learned that the phoenix jade pendant opened the tomb of Demon Emperor Huangze, and agreed to a deal with him. He promised to support her claim to the Imperial Court if she reached Emperor Grade within two hundred years, while she listed the cultivation materials she wanted in return for using the Human History Scroll for him.

• Shi Lan gave Chu Hanzhou the Divine Phoenix Heavenly Secret Jade, and he explained that it was one half of the key to Huangze's tomb.
• Chu Hanzhou said Taishi expected humanity's future to rest on young prodigies and might have only a few hundred years left to live.
• Chu Hanzhou offered to support Shi Lan as Emperor if she reached Emperor Grade within two hundred years, in exchange for a future favor involving the Human History Scroll.
• Shi Lan accepted the deal and wrote a list of spiritual treasures and medicines needed for the second and third layers of the True Martial Indestructible Body.

Shi Lan watched the Yunlai Immortal Palace’s annual competition with Chu Hanzhou, who explained the succession struggle surrounding Li Jingzhou and suggested Shi Lan could compete for the throne. After two days of brutal arena matches, the outer disciples reached their final selection, while Shi Feng searched the gathering for someone.

• Chu Hanzhou accepted Shi Lan’s list of spiritual treasures and promised to gather a first batch.
• Shi Lan and Chu Hanzhou watched Li Jingzhou, the Spirit King, as Chu Hanzhou explained his ambition to succeed Emperor Taishi and urged Shi Lan to vie for the throne.
• A Yunlai Immortal Palace elder opened the annual competition and explained its stages and arena rules.
• Shi Lan watched two days of bloody matches and observed the strength and fighting spirit of the Yunlai Immortal Palace’s disciples and the gathered prodigies.
• Li Jingzhou told an elder that the Yunlai Immortal Palace’s disciples could become fit for important duties with more training.
• Fang Chan watched the arena battles while Shi Feng searched the pavilions; the outer disciples reached the final selection of the top ten.

Shi Lan agreed to Chu Hanzhou’s demand to defeat every young prodigy at the Yunlai Immortal Palace tournament, while learning about the realms above Emperor Grade. The inner disciple contests ended, and Li Jingzhou offered up to a hundred disciples a place in his Spirit God Guard.

• Chu Hanzhou offered to help Shi Lan build her own power, but she declined and learned that her requested spiritual materials would arrive in Silverfrost City in two days.
• Chu Hanzhou made the materials a deposit on a deal and demanded that Shi Lan beat every young prodigy at the tournament; she agreed without hesitation.
• The inner disciple contests selected a top ten, with the champion receiving a Dao weapon, while Shi Lan asked Chu Hanzhou to explain the realms above Emperor Grade.
• Chu Hanzhou explained the Tribulation Realm, the Imperial Dao Domain, the Sun-Moon Realm, the Celestial Observation Realm, and higher realms.
• Li Jingzhou invited up to a hundred Yunlai Immortal Palace inner disciples to join his Spirit God Guard, delighting the Palace’s representatives.

The Cloudmist Immortal Palace offered a month in the Cloudmist Wonderland as the prize for an open contest, drawing prodigies to compete. As battles began and a betting pool opened, Shi Lan discovered her name was missing from the odds and asked the bookmaker what it was.

• The Cloudmist Immortal Palace concluded its True Disciple competition and announced that the winner of the open contest could cultivate in the Cloudmist Wonderland for a month.
• Chu Hanzhou explained the Wonderland's benefits to Shi Lan, who recognized it as a chance to help condense her Primordial Spirit.
• A betting pool appeared beside the arena, and Liang Yi of the Blazing Flame Sect challenged Fairy Lanmeng.
• Fairy Lanmeng struck Liang Yi with her blade, but he re-formed unharmed after revealing his mastery of the seventh level of the Flame Transformation Art.
• Shi Lan noticed that the betting pool did not list her name and asked the bookmaker what odds she had.

Shi Lan watched Tang You defeat Fairy Lan Meng, then noticed Shi Feng competing against Qin Qingshan at the Yunlai Immortal Palace arena. As Shi Feng prepared to test his strength, he remained focused on how far he still was from Shi Lan.

• Shi Lan overheard that Tang You was a lone prodigy nearing the Primordial Spirit realm, then watched him defeat Liang Yi and take the arena.
• Tang You defeated Fairy Lan Meng despite her powerful saber attack, and Lan Meng left with a severely injured arm.
• Shi Lan recognized Shi Feng on another arena and heard Yunlai Immortal Palace disciples mock him as an obscure opponent from a border sect.
• Shi Feng ignored the crowd and faced Qin Qingshan, eager to measure his strength and discover how far he remained from Shi Lan.

Shi Lan used newly drawn treasures and pills as collateral to wager on herself winning the martial assembly, while Gao Linyuan and Bu Bingyan prepared to compete. The chapter ended with Li Jingzhou inviting Yunque Immortal Palace's elders to wager and Chu Hanzhou joining in.

• Shi Lan watched Shi Feng's contest end as an apparent victory for him, then returned to the betting booth.
• Gao Linyuan appeared on the odds board, and Shi Lan's odds rose as bettors favored him to win.
• Shi Lan drew items through the system, offered them as collateral, and placed a large wager on herself winning the assembly.
• Shi Lan revealed her name to bookmaker Du Huo, who had asked about her family background.
• Gao Linyuan and Bu Bingyan faced each other in the arena, each seeking the spiritual land for their own purposes.
• Li Jingzhou invited Yunque Immortal Palace's elders to wager, and Chu Hanzhou joined them.

Li Jingzhou and Chu Hanzhou wagered an entire star domain and powerful treasures on whether Gao Linyuan would win, while Gao Linyuan defeated Bu Bingyan in four moves. As the arena fell silent, Shi Lan stepped forward to face Gao Linyuan, leaving their match—and the wager—undecided.

• Li Jingzhou wagered a star domain and a one-pattern Emperor Weapon on Gao Linyuan taking first place, and Chu Hanzhou countered by betting the Nine-Dragon Cauldron and Taiyin Soul-Restoring Golden Pill that Gao Linyuan would lose.
• Gao Linyuan’s Primordial Spirit Golden Body withstood Bu Bingyan’s sword attacks, and he struck her back with a golden palm.
• Gao Linyuan used flute music to torment Bu Bingyan and shattered her Primordial Spirit Golden Body before she surrendered.
• Bu Bingyan recovered enough to congratulate Gao Linyuan and said she hoped to spar again when she could fully draw her Heavenly Sword.
• Li Jingzhou asked Chu Hanzhou whether he had won their bet, but Chu Hanzhou said the contest was not over.
• Shi Lan entered the arena and asked Gao Linyuan whether he needed time to recover before their fight.

Shi Lan fought Gao Linyuan in the arena, first overwhelming him with the Crimson Crow War Halberd before agreeing to put away their treasures and continue bare-handed. She left Gao Linyuan pinned against the arena barrier and beating him senseless.

• Shi Lan struck Gao Linyuan's Primordial Spirit Golden Body with the Crimson Crow War Halberd, forcing him to retreat.
• Gao Linyuan attacked Shi Lan with a soul-severing flute tune, but she endured the pain and battered his Demon-Slaying Armor with her halberd.
• Chu Hanzhou and Li Jingzhou recognized each other's involvement in Shi Lan's halberd and Gao Linyuan's armor.
• Gao Linyuan proposed that they put away their weapons and fight fairly, and Shi Lan agreed.
• Shi Lan punched through Gao Linyuan's Dao seal, kicked him into the arena barrier, and pinned him there with a flurry of blows.

Shi Lan defeated Gao Linyuan in the martial gathering by unveiling the Five-Element Heavenly Baleful Seal, and Li Jingzhou declared her the victor. As the crowd marveled at her talent, Shi Feng watched her leave and turned away to walk his own path.

• Gao Linyuan used spatial laws and his golden body to overpower Shi Lan, but she struck back with the Five-Element Heavenly Baleful Seal, injuring him and shattering the platform.
• Li Jingzhou stopped Gao Linyuan from continuing, asked whether anyone else would challenge Shi Lan, and named her the victor when no one stepped forward.
• The spectators marveled at Shi Lan’s age, strength, and rapid recovery, while Chu Hanzhou and Li Jingzhou sensed that her power did not belong to the Lingyang Realm.
• Shi Feng watched Shi Lan leave, let go of the dream he had tied to her, and walked away from the crowd with his saber.

After winning a fortune at the martial gathering, Shi Lan met with Chu Hanzhou and received resources to strengthen her body, though the crucial World Source Crystal was still missing. Chu Hanzhou then asked whether she was following an extraterritorial path.

• Shi Lan reclaimed her wager and winnings from Yun Yu, who gave her a Yun Household VIP token and offered help with future trades and rare materials.
• Chu Hanzhou invited Shi Lan to meet with him and Li Jingzhou, who explained that the Primordial Heaven star region would be handed over to Chu Hanzhou's people and that the Cloudveil Immortal Realm would open in three days.
• Li Jingzhou asked Shi Lan to serve under him, but she declined because she preferred cultivating alone.
• After Li Jingzhou left, Chu Hanzhou gave Shi Lan a bracelet filled with spirit items, but explained that the World Source Crystal she needed was difficult to obtain.
• Chu Hanzhou asked Shi Lan whether the power she had used in the arena came from an extraterritorial path.

Chu Hanzhou warned Shi Lan that cultivating an extraterrestrial method could bring certain death when she faced a heavenly tribulation, and suggested using an incarnation to take her place. Shi Lan refused to abandon her path and spent three days preparing to condense her Primordial Spirit.

• Chu Hanzhou explained that cultivators of external methods often died when summoning a heavenly tribulation, and recounted how three beings above the Supreme realm had paid a terrible price to preserve Buddhism, Daoism, and the sorcerer lineage in the Lingyang Realm.
• Shi Lan refused to give up her cultivation, so Chu Hanzhou proposed refining a Primordial Spirit incarnation to undergo the tribulation in her place.
• Shi Lan left the private room with Tian Bai and returned to the palace, where she considered incarnation methods from the Azure Firmament Profound Spirit Scripture and the Jade Clarity Creation Formula.
• Shi Lan stayed in for three days to prepare for condensing her Primordial Spirit, while Yun Yu delivered spirit crystals that raised her holdings beyond two billion.

Shi Lan entered the Cloudreach Immortal Realm and used a Spirit Transformation Pill to break through into the Primordial Spirit Realm. She sensed her split soul in the Fierce Nether King Realm and considered helping Bian Qin and the endangered Green Ghost Rakshasa, though the time lag left her unable to respond directly.

• Shi Lan entered the Cloudreach Immortal Realm after Venerable Song opened its gate and began cultivating amid its abundant spiritual energy.
• Shi Lan took a Spirit Transformation Pill and shaped her Primordial Spirit's golden body, reaching the Primordial Spirit Realm and growing it to over a zhang tall.
• Shi Lan sensed the location of her split soul and learned that Bian Qin, the Green Ghost Rakshasa High Priestess, remained badly wounded months after the Crimson Crow War Halberd incident.
• Shi Lan learned that the Green Ghost Rakshasa faced danger from the powerful Ape Demon race and considered making Bian Qin a variable with outside help.
• Shi Lan opened her eyes in the Cloudreach Immortal Realm with her Primordial Spirit nearly four zhang tall, while the time difference kept her split soul's latest events about a month out of date.