Chapter Summaries

Lin Chen learned about the Nine Heavens Art and joined Yan Lan on a mission to eliminate Dan Spirit Corpses at the source of a Dan River. As they reached the river, a fiery-red figure burst from its surface and attacked Lin Chen.

• Lin Chen learned that the Nine Heavens Art was a low-grade Spirit Martial Art derived from the Nine Heavens Immortal Art.
• Yan Lan explained that Dan Spirit Corpses gathered near Dan River sources, making them the best place to hunt for the sect mission.
• Yan Lan led Lin Chen upstream and explained that corpses not yet tempered into Dan Spirit Corpses still had to be collected and cremated.
• Lin Chen saw the vast crimson Dan River, formed from Nirvana Pills and Nirvana Crystals, and marveled at its scale.
• A fiery-red figure erupted from the Dan River and launched a sharp attack at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen finished clearing Dan Spirit Corpses for a sect mission, then was summoned to mine Nirvana Crystals in Qingyan Land as a required sect chore. On the journey, Core Disciple Geng Yan recognized him and said Lu Ying had asked her to look after him.

• Yan Lan and Lin Chen agreed to search separate Dan Rivers for Dan Spirit Corpses and call for help if needed.
• Lin Chen killed and stored Dan Spirit Corpses as he searched the Dan Rivers.
• Two months later, Lin Chen completed the mission but was sent to mine Nirvana Crystals for two months to fulfill sect chores.
• Geng Yan approached Lin Chen on the Azure Eagle and said Lu Ying had asked her to take special care of him.
• Geng Yan remarked that Lin Chen's strength made mining Nirvana Crystals unsuitable for him.

Lin Chen learned that he could use a Shi Yuan Disk to cultivate while mining Nirvana Crystals, if he helped Geng Yan with an unexplained task. After eight days of travel, the group approached the mine in Qingyan Land, where they were told to enter in batches.

• Geng Yan told Lin Chen that a Heavenly Symbol Master could dilute the mine’s violent Nirvana Qi with a Shi Yuan Disk.
• Geng Yan offered Lin Chen use of the Shi Yuan Disk in exchange for a favor she would explain after they reached Qingyan Land.
• Lin Chen prepared himself and cultivated his Spiritual Power during the journey.
• On the eighth day, Lin Dong sensed the lush forest and the faint Nirvana Qi rising from underground.
• A voice announced that the group would reach the Nirvana Crystal Mine entrance in half an hour and instructed them to enter in batches.

Lin Chen arrived with Geng Yan at a Nirvana Crystal mining site, where she took over from Chen Xuan and ordered the miners to return to the sect. As the miners were summoned, Geng Yan and Chen Xuan discussed Steward Xu’s absence and the circumstances behind his trip to Bloodstone Land.

• A purple-clad Inner Disciple brought Lin Chen and the other Registered Disciples to the crimson mountains surrounding a Nirvana Crystal vein.
• Geng Yan arrived at the site, where Chen Xuan and a group of Inner Disciples greeted her.
• Geng Yan told Chen Xuan that she had come to replace him and ordered the previous mining group to return to the sect.
• Chen Xuan instructed Junior Sister Li to summon the miners from the vein.
• Chen Xuan criticized Steward Xu for failing to report the vein and going to Bloodstone Land, while Geng Yan explained his history with Wang Wan and questioned why someone had sought him out instead of contacting Dao Sect.

Lin Chen accompanied Geng Yan and the disciples to the Nirvana Crystal mine, reflecting on why he had avoided joining the Dao Sect and on his determination to oppose the Yuan Sect and Alien Demon Race once he was strong enough. The group entered the mine, where the violent Nirvana Qi made the Registered Disciples struggle, and Lin Chen wondered what Geng Yan planned to ask him to do in exchange for the Shi Yuan Disk.

• Geng Yan told Chen Xuan to send the departing disciples back to the sect while she led the newcomers to take over Nirvana Crystal mining.
• Lin Chen considered the Dao Sect’s conflict with the Yuan Sect and decided that joining the Dao Sect would have placed him in needless danger before he had enough strength.
• Lin Chen recalled that the Yuan Sect had sided with the Alien Demon Race and resolved to oppose them when he was capable of doing so.
• Geng Yan led the disciples into the crimson pit, where the violent Nirvana Qi caused Lin Chen and the weaker Registered Disciples to feel its pressure.
• Geng Yan and the Inner Disciples increased their speed through the mine, while Lin Chen wondered what task she had in mind before giving him the Shi Yuan Disk.

Lin Chen entered a Nirvana Crystal vein to complete a two-month sect assignment, hoping to use the Shi Yuan Disk to cultivate while mining. After an Inner Disciple explained the mining quota and penalties, Lin Chen began breaking stones and collecting Nirvana Crystals.

• Lin Chen discovered that the Nirvana Qi in the vein was too violent to absorb directly, even for his body.
• An Inner Disciple explained that Nirvana Crystals contained gentler but impure Nirvana Qi and that the vein could help improve cultivators' ability to absorb it.
• Lin Chen wondered what Geng Yan wanted from him and hoped the assignment would let him cultivate with the Shi Yuan Disk.
• The leading woman ordered the Registered Disciples to mine for two months and fill a ten-cubic-meter Cosmic Bag with Nirvana Crystals each day, warning that failure could mean an extended term or expulsion.
• Lin Chen accepted the assignment, formed a pick from Origin Energy, shattered the stone, and collected the exposed Nirvana Crystals.

Lin Chen quickly completed his daily Nirvana Crystal mining task, and Geng Yan later lent him the Heavenly Grade Spirit Treasure Shi Yuan Disk. She explained that a plan requiring a Registered Disciple had changed, but Lin Chen remained curious about what the original matter had been.

• Lin Chen mined Nirvana Crystals faster than the other Registered Disciples and filled his Cosmic Bag in less than half a day.
• Inner Disciple Wang praised Lin Chen and sent him out to restore his Origin Energy and expel the harmful Nirvana Qi.
• Several days later, Geng Yan arrived and praised Lin Chen’s mining speed, saying he could finish his ten rounds of sect duties early.
• Geng Yan lent Lin Chen the Shi Yuan Disk, explaining that the earlier matter requiring a Registered Disciple had changed and that she was also honoring a promise and Lu Ying’s request to look after him.
• Lin Chen asked Geng Yan what the original matter had been.

After a year of rapid cultivation, Lin Chen had risen from a Registered Disciple to a Core Disciple of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace. He attended the Sect Grand Competition at Jiuqing Peak, where the blue-robed Death Profound Realm expert opened the event.

• Geng Yan told Wang and Song to watch over Lin Chen as he cultivated with the Shi Yuan Disk in the mine, then left without answering his question.
• Over the next year, Lin Chen survived four Nirvana Tribulations and advanced to become a Core Disciple of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace.
• At Jiuqing Peak, Lin Chen observed the powerful experts gathered for the Sect Grand Competition and spoke with Cang Han about his progress and the trouble Lu Ying had brought him.
• The blue-robed beautiful woman announced that the Sect Grand Competition had begun.

The Sect Grand Competition began at the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace, where disciples competed for rewards and the Core Disciple champion would become Head Disciple. As the preliminary matches proceeded, Lin Chen watched with Cang Han and reflected on the many absences, while Cang Han remarked that the real focus was on the Core Disciples.

• Qingyin finished her speech, and three bell chimes signaled the start of the competition.
• The disciples rose and fixed their attention on the fighting platforms, where the matches would determine the new Head Disciple.
• An Elder announced the Registered Disciple matchups, and contestants entered the sealed platforms to fight.
• Lin Chen noticed that many disciples were absent from the competition.
• Cang Han told Lin Chen that most early matches were formalities and that the Core Disciples were the main focus, then teased him about becoming her Senior Brother if he had competed.

Lin Chen declined the Elders’ summons after Lu Ying delivered their request, saying he was content to remain an ordinary Core Disciple. The story left him discussing the sect’s promised rewards for his Lin Clan and considering how to handle their delivery to the Great Yan Dynasty.

• Lin Chen told Cang Han that the Sect Grand Competition would not change his position and reflected on his new strength as a Seven Yuan Nirvana Realm cultivator.
• Lu Ying approached Lin Chen, and he rebuked her for listening to his conversation with Cang Han.
• Lu Ying explained that she had come to deliver the Elders’ summons and admitted that curiosity had led her to eavesdrop.
• Lin Chen declined the Elders’ request to meet, saying he was satisfied with his current status in the Nine Heavens Palace.
• Lu Ying told Lin Chen that the sect would soon send rewards to his Lin Clan, and Lin Chen asked how generous they would be.

Lu Ying told Lin Chen that his promotion to Core Disciple had earned the Lin Clan rewards worth thirty million Nirvana Pills and explained that he had to claim them from Elder Cheng. After Lin Chen gently set a boundary with her, Lu Ying left, while Cang Han watched in silence.

• Lu Ying told Lin Chen that his Core Disciple promotion brought rewards worth thirty million Nirvana Pills and that he had to collect them from Elder Cheng.
• Lin Chen recalled withholding some of the Lin Clan's previous reward and decided that allocating the new resources was up to him.
• Lu Ying started to leave, troubled by the growing distance between her and Lin Chen.
• Lin Chen thanked Lu Ying for her past help but asked her not to pry into other people's affairs, while clarifying that he remembered her care and support.
• Lu Ying brightened at Lin Chen's words and departed, and Cang Han fell silent with a brief dimming in her eyes.

Lin Chen watched the Sect Grand Competition rather than competing, forfeiting his first-round match against Lan Xue. After learning more about Cang Han and the disciples nearing the age limit, he considered leaving the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace and making another move first.

• Cang Han acted distracted, but she declined to tell Lin Chen what was troubling her.
• Ten days into the competition, Lin Chen refused to take the stage for his match against Lan Xue and explained that he had come only to observe.
• Cang Han told Lin Chen that Lan Xue was an imperial princess and that she and Lu Ying were in their mid-twenties, nearing the age limit for disciples.
• Lin Chen asked whether Cang Han and Lu Ying would miss the next Sect War, and Cang Han explained that many current disciples would have aged out by then.
• The Elder declared Lin Chen absent and Lan Xue the winner; Lin Chen then considered leaving the sect and how to use his remaining resources.

Lin Chen reflected on the formidable talents of the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace as its Sect Grand Competition reached the final match between Geng Yan and Shen Yi. He then met Elder Cheng, who explained that the sect had secretly watched him since his successive Nirvana Tribulations and had come to trust his conduct and cultivation.

• Lin Chen considered how advancing to the Life Profound Realm and becoming an Immortal Talisman Master would help him protect himself and pursue rare opportunities.
• Five days later, the Sect Grand Competition reached its final match, with Geng Yan facing Shen Yi for the position of Head Disciple.
• Lin Chen watched Geng Yan prepare to compete and hoped his friend would win the title.
• Elder Cheng summoned Lin Chen to the External Affairs Hall and praised his achievements and talent.
• Elder Cheng told Lin Chen that the sect had monitored him since he passed three Nirvana Tribulations and would have sent the Enforcement Team if he had acted improperly.
• Lin Chen inferred that his diligence and conduct had earned the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace's trust.

After receiving a large sect reward and learning that Ling Qingzhu was connected to the Huangpu Family, Lin Chen returned to the Great Yan Dynasty. He arrived in Great Eagle City to seek the reincarnated Lord of Life and Death as a potential ally against the Other Demons.

• Elder Cheng gave Lin Chen a Cosmic Bag containing rewards worth more than thirty million Nirvana Pills and said he could decide whether to give them to his family.
• Lin Chen considered Ling Qingzhu’s ties to the Huangpu Family and resolved to return to the Great Yan Dynasty.
• One month later, Lin Chen arrived in Great Eagle City, where the reincarnated body of the Lord of Life and Death was said to be.
• Lin Chen descended into the city crowd discreetly, intending to find the Ancient Lord while avoiding attention.

Lin Chen arrived at the Eagle Martial Arts School in Great Eagle City, seeking an audience with its headmaster, Jiang Lei. As Wu Zhen led him inside, Jiang Lei’s daughter Jiang Xue hurried over and Lin Chen recognized her.

• Lin Chen traced a Form Creation Realm expert’s aura through Great Eagle City and found the Eagle Martial Arts School.
• The school’s guards grew wary of Lin Chen’s Qi Creation Realm strength and summoned Elder Wu Zhen.
• Lin Chen told Wu Zhen he wanted to see Jiang Lei, but Wu Zhen said the headmaster was in seclusion.
• Jiang Xue hurried toward Lin Chen and Wu Zhen, and Lin Chen recognized her as Jiang Yinyin’s elder sister.

Lin Chen visited the Eagle Martial Arts School, left Jiang Xue a Cosmic Bag for her father, and departed after explaining that they would meet again in three years. He then waited at the Great Desolate Ancient Tablet, whose seal remained beyond his power to break.

• Jiang Xue told Lin Chen that her father, Jiang Lei, was in seclusion stabilizing his recent breakthrough.
• Lin Chen gave Jiang Xue a Cosmic Bag for Jiang Lei and said they would meet again in three years before teleporting away.
• Jiang Xue and Wu Zhen speculated that Lin Chen came from the Lin Clan and felt relieved that the martial arts school had escaped trouble.
• Lin Chen waited at the Great Desolate Ancient Tablet, but his seven Yuan Nirvana Realm strength could not break its seal.
• The chapter explained that the tablet’s seal weakened every three years, allowing people to enter and seek opportunities.

As the Great Desolate Ancient Tablet Space reopened, Lin Chen prepared to enter and test whether he had the affinity to control the Devouring Ancestral Symbol. He stayed back while others rushed through the vortex, planning to head for the core region and find Teng Sha.

• The ancient runes on the Great Desolate Ancient Tablet faded away, and its energy formed a vast vortex that opened the space.
• Lin Chen considered the danger and potential power of controlling the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, deciding he would wait until reaching the Life Profound Realm before refining it if he proved capable.
• Other cultivators activated their Origin Energy and entered the vortex, while Lin Chen chose not to compete with them for speed.
• Lin Chen waited for Teng Sha in the core region and planned to locate the Rune Puppet Nest using his spiritual perception.

Lin Chen entered the Great Desolate Ancient Tablet Space, where the Great Desolation Sect’s ancient safeguards protected the seal holding the Nine King Halls. After traveling to the edge of the core region and cultivating for three days, he met with Little Marten and reassured him about the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace.

• Lin Chen recalled how Black-Eyed Elder and the Great Desolation Sect had sacrificed themselves to seal the Nine King Halls inside the Ancient Tablet Space.
• New arrivals struggled against the space’s pressure, while Lin Chen remained airborne and attracted attention with his apparent strength and youth.
• Lin Chen headed toward the Ancient Tablet Space’s core region as a Lin Clan elder wondered where he had seen him before.
• After three days, Lin Chen sat at a mountain summit near the core region and greeted Little Marten, assuring him that the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace was trustworthy and unlike the Yuan Sect.

Lin Chen discussed Eastern Profound Region sects and cultivation with Little Marten, then explained why he could not obtain the Life-Death Reincarnation Pill from Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace. Little Marten accepted Lin Chen’s promise to help him later as Lin Chen continued exploring the Great Desolation Ancient Tablet’s core region.

• Little Marten criticized Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace for aiding Yuan Sect, and Lin Chen argued that the Eastern Profound Region’s sects needed to unite against outside powers.
• Little Marten praised Lin Chen’s rapid progress through Nirvana and Wind-Lightning Tribulations, while Lin Chen cautioned that many others could achieve similar cultivation.
• Lin Chen told Little Marten he could not exchange Sect Contribution for the Life-Death Reincarnation Pill and promised to seek one in the Ancient Battlefield during the next Hundred Dynasties War.
• Little Marten accepted Lin Chen’s explanation and agreed to wait for help recovering his strength and aiding his clan.
• Lin Chen traveled deeper into the Great Desolation Ancient Tablet’s vast core region and reflected on the Great Desolation Sect’s scale.

Lin Chen reached the Rune Puppet Nest in the Ancient Tablet Space and revealed to Little Marten that the Devouring Ancestral Symbol lay beneath it. He entered the dark cave to seek the Ancestral Talisman, leaving Little Marten shocked by its identity.

• Lin Chen used his Spiritual Power to reach the core region of the Ancient Tablet Space ahead of the other entrants.
• Lin Chen found the ancient Stone Gate and followed a stone path to the Rune Puppet Nest.
• Lin Chen told Little Marten that a powerful treasure beneath the nest could transform whoever obtained it into a powerful expert.
• Lin Chen revealed that the treasure was the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, and Little Marten reacted with shock.
• Lin Chen leaped into the dark cave beneath the Rune Puppet Nest.