Chapter Summaries

Lu Ye was ambushed by three Cloud River Tier Nine cultivators inside a Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild, but the guild revealed its power and killed them instantly. The guild punished their sects and demonstrated that it could temporarily surpass the Cloud River Battlefield's cultivation limits.

• Lu Ye waited to use the Heaven's Mystery Pillar while Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators watched him and one warned him he could not hide forever.
• Three Cloud River Tier Nine cultivators attacked Lu Ye as he prepared to enter the Heaven's Mystery Vault, and he raised defenses and tried to escape into the crowd.
• A Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild powerhouse broke through to the True Lake Realm and killed all three attackers in an instant.
• The guild official identified the attackers as Duan Hua and Xue Feihan of Carefree Pavilion and Luo Huaian of Divine Will Sect, then announced their execution and a three-year ban on transactions with cultivators from the two sects.

Lu Ye watched the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild crush a disturbance, then spent over ten thousand Merit on Mystic Fire and seized every Spirit Sign in the auction. He returned to his room and fed the fires to the Talent Tree, but gained no new Spirit Patterns, leaving the Void Spirit Pattern beyond his reach.

• The Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild swiftly removed the three corpses and cleaned the hall after its expert dealt with the troublemakers, and Lu Ye resolved to be cautious around the Guild's people.
• Lu Ye bought more than a dozen portions of Core Fire along with other Mystic Fire, spending over ten thousand Merit.
• Lu Ye entered the Spirit Sign auction and raised prices so high that he claimed every available Spirit Sign, ending the auction in less than half the time it took to brew a cup of tea.
• Lu Ye returned to his guest room, where Amber slept and Yiyi cultivated, then devoured the Core Fire and Pill Fire with the Talent Tree.
• The Talent Tree yielded no new Spirit Patterns, and Lu Ye remained unable to activate its Void Spirit Pattern.

While cultivating in Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild, Lu Ye discovered that two Rest Fruit Cores had fused, revealing a second Mirage Realm door that cost ten thousand Merit to enter. He stepped through, leaving his body in a deathlike state and Yiyi and Amber frightened but realizing he was still alive.

• Lu Ye finished cultivating with Spirit Signs, continued with Spiritual Pills, and stayed inside Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild to avoid Myriad Demon Ridge watchers.
• Lu Ye found that his two Rest Fruit Cores had become one, its surface marked with intricate patterns, and discovered a new door in the Mirage Realm that required ten thousand Merit.
• Lu Ye spent the Merit, entered the new door, and prepared to defend himself in the unknown space.
• Yiyi and Amber sensed that Lu Ye's divine soul had vanished from his body and feared he had died.
• Amber reminded Yiyi that Lu Ye's survival was linked to theirs, and Yiyi confirmed that Lu Ye still breathed faintly.

After entering the newly opened Mirage Realm door, Lu Ye found himself in a strange place where Soul Ejection had greatly increased his strength. He killed a group of mantis Insect Race on the second floor and discovered that the realm seemed real, with his Battlefield Mark showing an unexpected change to his Battle Merit.

• Lu Ye sensed that he had entered a state combining Spiritual Power and Divine Soul Power, similar to Soul Ejection, and realized that dying here might seriously harm him.
• Lu Ye explored the building and found more than a dozen mantis Insect Race waiting on its second floor.
• Lu Ye killed the mantis Insect Race with his saber and saw golden lights rise from their corpses, apparently awarding him Merit.
• Lu Ye checked his Battlefield Mark and found his Battle Merit listed as 576 points, though he remembered having only 56.

Lu Ye discovered that killing Insect Race creatures in the Mirage Realm earned Battle Merit, then fought a powerful mantis insect inside a house. After the battle broke through the wall, he saw countless Insect Race creatures pouring from a breach in the sky and surrounding the ruins.

• Lu Ye realized his Battle Merit had increased by 520 points after he killed Insect Race creatures, and he grew wary of the Mirage Realm’s danger.
• A powerful mantis insect charged through the second-floor window, and Lu Ye fought it while adjusting to his newfound strength.
• Lu Ye activated Windwalk and pierced the mantis insect with the Crag Mountain Saber, killing it after the battle smashed through a wall.
• Lu Ye saw an enormous breach in the sky, with vast numbers of Insect Race creatures pouring into the world.
• Lu Ye spotted countless insects across the streets and ruins, and winged creatures and carapaced hunters rushed toward him.

Lu Ye fought for survival in an insectoid-infested city after entering a dangerous world through a mysterious door, discovering that his soul’s power and perception had grown stronger. Near death, he recognized a red light from the past and escaped toward the lantern that produced it, hoping it offered a chance to survive.

• Lu Ye fled through the city but was trapped by the Air Lock Grand Array and pursued by powerful insectoids.
• Lu Ye discovered that Soul Ejection had greatly strengthened his perception and changed how his spirit patterns worked.
• A pink chubby insectoid trapped Lu Ye in a poisonous net, but he broke free and fought the encircling insectoids.
• Lu Ye relied on the Heart's Eye Secret Technique to survive the battle, though his injuries and exhaustion brought him close to defeat.
• Lu Ye recognized a familiar red light, unleashed his strongest saber strike, and fought his way toward a fiery-red lantern hanging by a building.

Lu Ye escaped the Insect Race by taking refuge in a Red Lantern building and realized he had returned to Immortal Yuan City, now overrun by the Insect Race. He resolved to seek the Soul Cleansing Pool near the City Lord’s Mansion, though his Spirit Body remained exhausted and wounded.

• Lu Ye rushed into a Red Lantern building, whose unseen protection held off the pursuing Insect Race creatures.
• After the attackers dispersed, Lu Ye used Spiritual Pills to restore his depleted power and recognized the city as Immortal Yuan City.
• Lu Ye recalled his past encounters with the city's Spirit Bodies and concluded that the Insect Race had likely overwhelmed the Immortal Yuan Guards and other inhabitants.
• Lu Ye decided to head for the Soul Cleansing Pool to obtain Soul Cleansing Water while the City Lord was presumably gone.
• Lu Ye realized Spiritual Pills could not heal his Spirit Body's wounds or restore his exhausted Divine Soul Power.

After recovering with Soul Cleansing Water, Lu Ye tested his suspicion that he could use Divine Patterns in Immortal Yuan City and discovered they could attack the Insect Race directly through their weak Divine Souls. He began using the patterns to kill the creatures and explore their different effects.

• Lu Ye used a drop of Soul Cleansing Water to heal his Spirit Body, then left his hiding place to investigate the nearby streets.
• Lu Ye ambushed a centipede-like Insect Race creature and killed it with an arrow-shaped Sharpness Divine Pattern followed by a saber strike.
• Lu Ye confirmed that Divine Patterns formed with Divine Soul Power could attack Insect Race creatures without being applied to a vessel, bypassing their carapaces and exploiting their weak Divine Souls.
• Lu Ye recalled Madam Yun's explanation that Battle Pattern Masters could wield powerful Divine Soul attacks after reaching the Divine Sea Realm.
• Lu Ye tested Sharpness, Guard, Heavy Pressure, Proud Thorn, and Mirage Divine Patterns as nearby Insect Race creatures gathered, killing several and observing their effects.

Lu Ye discovered that using Divine Patterns rapidly consumed his Divine Soul Power, so he searched Immortal Yuan City for a safer way to exploit the Insect Race and earn Battle Merit. He used the Charm Divine Pattern on a lone spider-like Insect Race, leaving it under his control as his plan began.

• Lu Ye retreated into a protected building after his Divine Pattern attack weakened him, then recovered while the Insect Race outside lost interest.
• Lu Ye inferred that the Insect Nest was inside the breach in the sky, but recognized he could not reach or destroy it.
• Lu Ye concealed himself and crossed the outer streets, noting escape routes and avoiding Insect Race whose senses or defenses posed a threat.
• After searching for two hours, Lu Ye found a lone, large spider-like Insect Race suitable for his plan.
• Lu Ye revealed himself and activated the Charm Divine Pattern, causing the spider-like Insect Race to freeze and its eyes to grow dim.

Lu Ye used the Charm Divine Pattern to enslave Insect Race and tested whether his controlled creatures could earn him Battle Merit. After building a squad of seven, he prepared to move toward the City Lord's Mansion.

• Lu Ye overcame a Spider Insect Race's mental resistance with the Charm Divine Pattern and planted a brand that let him issue simple commands.
• Lu Ye rode the Spider Insect Race as it killed an enemy Insect Race, confirming that he gained Battle Merit from its kill.
• When nearby Insect Race gathered after the spider attacked a second enemy, Lu Ye revealed himself and helped exterminate them before leaving the battlefield concealed.
• Lu Ye sought more Insect Race to strengthen his squad and, less than an hour later, enslaved a Hound Bug with the spider's help.
• Over half a day, Lu Ye enslaved five more Insect Race and used two drops of Soul Cleansing Water to replenish his Divine Soul Power.
• Lu Ye realized that seven Insect Race were the limit his Divine Soul could bear and prepared to advance to the next stage of his plan.

Lu Ye discovered that Immortal Yuan City still had powerful survivors and secretly helped them defeat a swarm of Insect Race creatures. The chapter ended with the Immortal Yuan Guards eyeing Lu Ye’s remaining Insect Race squad in confusion and suspicion.

• Lu Ye found a recent battlefield and inferred that Immortal Yuan City survivors had drawn the Insect Race away from the corpses.
• Lu Ye located a building protected by a red lantern, where surviving people were likely sheltering.
• A fat figure Lu Ye recognized burst out of the building and, with more than a dozen Immortal Yuan Guards, attacked the surrounding Insect Race creatures.
• Lu Ye sent six of his Insect Race creatures to aid the Immortal Yuan Guards from within the swarm while keeping the spider and himself concealed.
• The fat figure noticed Lu Ye, and Lu Ye suspected that the man was a Divine Sea Realm cultivator.
• Lu Ye’s squad and the Immortal Yuan Guards killed the remaining Insect Race creatures, leaving the guards wary of Lu Ye’s surviving creatures.

Lu Ye reunited with the Butcher, one of the special Spirit Bodies he had met during his previous visit to Immortal Yuan City, after entering the city with the Rest Fruit Core and commanding the Insect Race. The Butcher explained that his former cultivation had been part of a game and directed Lu Ye to ask the City Lord why he had been brought back.

• After the Insect Race battle, the Butcher recognized Lu Ye and invited him inside to talk.
• The Immortal Yuan Guards wondered how Lu Ye had entered the city and realized he had commanded the Insect Race to attack its own.
• Lu Ye told the Butcher he had entered using the Rest Fruit Core, then introduced himself as a disciple of the Crimson Blood Sect.
• The Butcher warned Lu Ye not to call Xi Wanying the Yingying Monster and said her cultivation was higher than his.
• The Butcher explained that the special Spirit Bodies had adjusted their displayed cultivation during the previous Secret Realm opening, but told Lu Ye to ask the City Lord why he had returned.

Lu Ye joined Butcher and the Immortal Yuan Guards in clearing the Insect Race from Immortal Yuan City, then gave them the Soul Cleansing Water he had taken from the Soul Pool to restore their fading strength. As the Guards weakened again with no more water to spare, Lu Ye wondered why they seemed unafraid of death.

• Lu Ye learned that Butcher would lead his squad toward the outskirts before returning to the City Lord's Mansion, and he offered to help clear the Insect Race.
• Butcher led the Immortal Yuan Guards through the city, using protected buildings as strongholds while Lu Ye's Insect Race squad helped them fight and earn Battle Merit.
• Lu Ye asked Butcher about the Guards' dwindling strength and learned that Soul Mist in the Soul Pool could not ordinarily be taken away as Soul Cleansing Water.
• Lu Ye gave Butcher a jade bottle of Soul Cleansing Water, and Butcher shared it among the weakened Immortal Yuan Guards, restoring their strength.
• The Guards resumed their campaign and gradually weakened again after repeated battles, while Lu Ye wondered why they showed no fear of death.

Lu Ye joined Butcher’s Immortal Yuan Guard squad as they fought through the Insect Race, learning that the Guards had battled for thousands of years and accepted death as familiar. When a wounded Divine Sea Realm mantis ambushed them, Lu Ye rushed in to help, and the squad fought desperately toward a nearby Stronghold.

• Yu Qing teased Lu Ye, then explained that the Immortal Yuan Guards were used to death and warned him to protect himself rather than risk saving them.
• Butcher led the squad back into battle, where they steadily cleared weaker Insect Race creatures farther from the City Lord’s Mansion.
• A wounded Divine Sea Realm mantis suddenly killed two Immortal Yuan Guards and attacked Yu Qing, forcing Butcher to fight it while the squad tried to escape.
• Lu Ye broke concealment and charged into the battle, then joined the Guards as they fought toward the nearby Stronghold with his Insect Race squads covering their retreat.
• More than half the Guards fell during the retreat, and Liu Datong turned back to hold off the pursuing Insect Race while the others got Lu Ye inside.

After the Immortal Yuan Guards sacrificed themselves to get Lu Ye to safety, the Butcher returned from his battle and entrusted him with the Bone-Removing Blade before vanishing. Lu Ye continued the Butcher Squad’s mission alone, purging the Insect Race across Immortal Yuan City as his strength dwindled.

• Yu Qing hurled Lu Ye into the sheltered building, then disappeared amid the Insect Race tide as the remaining Immortal Yuan Guards fell covering his escape.
• The Butcher fought his way back to the building, gave Lu Ye the Bone-Removing Blade, and vanished after succumbing to his wounds.
• Lu Ye mourned the fallen guards, recovered, and led five surviving controlled Insect Race creatures in an attack that cleared nearby enemies.
• Lu Ye continued the purge from stronghold to stronghold, drawing in and killing Insect Race creatures while resting between battles.
• Lu Ye reached the city’s edge, saw thick fog beyond it, and turned aside to keep purging the city as his body grew semi-transparent and exhausted.

Lu Ye fought on the verge of collapse to finish the Butcher Squad’s mission, unaware that the supposedly dead squad members had returned and were watching him. After Butcher carried him to the Soul Cleansing Pool, Lu Ye recovered and began gathering its Soul Mist.

• Lu Ye and the last members of his Insect Race squad fought until they were killed, while he continued battling alone to honor the Immortal Yuan Guards’ sacrifice.
• The returned Butcher, Liu Datong, Yu Qing, and other Immortal Yuan Guards watched Lu Ye, then Butcher rushed in to catch him as he collapsed.
• Butcher told Lu Ye that the mission was complete, and Lu Ye lost consciousness before Butcher carried him to the City Lord’s Mansion.
• Lu Ye woke in the Soul Cleansing Pool and found that his Divine Soul Power had fully recovered and grown stronger.
• Lu Ye recognized the Soul Mist and formed a Spirit Gathering Funnel to collect it.

The City Lord and Butcher discussed Lu Ye’s status as one of the chosen and the dwindling Soul Pool that protected Immortal Yuan City and the Nine Provinces. When Lu Ye woke and began collecting Soul Water on a massive scale, they decided to make him pay Battle Merit for it.

• An Immortal Yuan Guard reported that the Insect Race had been nearly wiped out and Immortal Yuan City had won the battle.
• The City Lord told Butcher that Lu Ye had gathered all Four Symbols, wielded powerful Spiritual Patterns, and was likely one of several chosen candidates.
• The City Lord warned that growing insect numbers and the weakening Soul Pool could eventually doom Immortal Yuan City and the Nine Provinces.
• The City Lord noticed that Lu Ye had awakened and was using an enormous funnel to collect Soul Water.
• Butcher proposed charging Lu Ye Battle Merit for the Soul Water, and the City Lord agreed, estimating that Lu Ye had earned at least several tens of thousands.

Ji Yuan asked Heaven's Mystery to let Lu Ye exchange Battle Merit for Soul Cleansing Water, and Heaven's Mystery granted the request, confirming Lu Ye was chosen. Lu Ye discovered that each drop cost one thousand Battle Merit and kept collecting until Ji Yuan realized he had gathered more than two hundred drops.

• Ji Yuan petitioned Heaven's Mystery to authorize Lu Ye to trade Battle Merit for Soul Cleansing Water, and Heaven's Mystery responded.
• Lu Ye collected Soul Cleansing Water with a much larger Spirit Gathering Funnel than before, while his Battle Merit rapidly declined.
• Lu Ye worked out that each collected drop cost exactly one thousand Battle Merit and decided the water was worth more than the cultivation resources he had planned to buy.
• Ji Yuan asked Butcher how much Battle Merit Lu Ye had, then revealed Lu Ye had already collected more than two hundred drops of Soul Cleansing Water.

Lu Ye emerged from the Soul Pool after spending nearly all his Battle Merit on more than three hundred drops of Soul Water, then reunited with the resurrected Butcher and spoke with Ji Yuan. Ji Yuan agreed to answer Lu Ye’s questions about Immortal Yuan City, but began by asking what Lu Ye thought a Secret Realm was.

• Lu Ye discovered that his Battle Merit had dwindled to 836 points, put away his Water Pouch of more than three hundred drops of Soul Water, and left the Soul Pool.
• Lu Ye reunited with Butcher, who explained that Spirit Bodies could return after temporary dormancy while the Soul Pool remained intact, and said Liu Datong and Yu Qing were alive too.
• Butcher returned his Bone-Removing Blade to him, told him to ask Ji Yuan about anything he wanted to know, and advised him not to remain in Immortal Yuan City too long.
• Ji Yuan confronted Lu Ye about taking so much Soul Water, but accepted that Lu Ye had exchanged Battle Merit for it and learned that Lu Ye had earned over three hundred thousand Battle Merit.
• Lu Ye explained that he was actually at Cloud River Tier Five and had displayed the strength of the True Lake Realm because his Divine Soul exceeded his physical cultivation.
• When Lu Ye asked what Immortal Yuan City was and how he had reached it through the fused Rest Fruit Core, Ji Yuan asked him what he thought a Secret Realm was.

Ji Yuan explained that Immortal Yuan City was an ancient Nine Provinces city transformed into a barrier against a dangerous leak, and that its cultivators became Spirit Bodies bound to the Soul Pool to defend it from the Insect Race. The chapter ended with Lu Ye asking why they had never counterattacked the Insect Nest.

• Lu Ye described the Myriad Beast Domain and asked Ji Yuan what kind of Secret Realm Immortal Yuan City was.
• Ji Yuan explained that Immortal Yuan City had once been a powerful city in the Nine Provinces and now served as a wedge blocking a leak.
• Ji Yuan told Lu Ye that the city’s cultivators had abandoned their physical bodies and left their soul imprints in the Soul Pool so they could return after death.
• Lu Ye said that endless wars and undying life must be difficult to endure, and Ji Yuan agreed that the city’s cultivators were bound to Immortal Yuan City and awakened only to fight the Insect Race.
• Lu Ye noticed the gap in the sky had vanished and asked Ji Yuan why the city’s defenders had never attacked the Insect Nest.