Chapter Summaries

After the secret realm failed to open, the prodigies of the Third Region united and began hunting older-generation cultivators for resources and combat experience. They targeted powerhouses below Golden Immortal seventh level, leaving those in seclusion to suffer while the strongest remained untouched.

• The prodigies blamed the older generation for blocking their cultivation and began forming groups to raid wealthy factions across the worlds.
• Rogue Cultivators united to hunt older-generation powerhouses, and leading faction prodigies joined them rather than risk becoming targets.
• The prodigies hunted cultivators below Golden Immortal seventh level, including those at Golden Immortal sixth level, while supreme experts remained unchallenged.
• Hidden and secluded older cultivators lamented that the strongest had stopped the secret realm from opening but left them to face the prodigies.

After emerging from five hundred years of seclusion, Ye Lin and the others found the Third Region engulfed in chaos and set out to learn what had happened. They came upon a group preparing to attack the Immortal-Slaying Sect and kill its elders.

• Powerful experts across the Third Region cursed the decision-makers whose actions had made them targets, driving some from their homes and sects.
• Ye Lin and Bao Xiaotou wondered what had happened during their seclusion and what to do now that the secret realm was gone.
• Ye Lin suggested exploring the starry sky to learn what had changed, and the group set off.
• As they traveled, Ye Lin noticed an unusually dense aura of slaughter throughout the starry sky.
• The group heard attackers plan to break the Immortal-Slaying Sect's protective array, kill only its elders, seize its treasures, and move on.

Ye Lin and his companions watched Golden Immortal cultivators battle on a fragile continent until the Heavenly Dao began forming a high-grade secret realm in the Starry Sky. The secret realm drew the fighters and other cultivators toward it, and Ye Lin decided to investigate as news of its appearance spread.

• Golden Immortal cultivators fought across the continent, which began breaking apart under the force of their battle.
• A dazzling phenomenon appeared in the Starry Sky as golden lotuses and raindrops gathered around a forming secret realm.
• The returning cultivators recognized the secret realm as a creation of the Heavenly Dao and rushed toward it.
• Heavenly prodigies left the collapsing continent, while the old men there were relieved the secret realm had interrupted their fight.
• Ye Lin decided to go inspect the secret realm, and news of its appearance spread, drawing more cultivators to the area.

Countless heavenly geniuses gathered in the Third Region to await a secret realm sent down by the Heavenly Dao. As the realm neared completion, the Cloth-robed God of Slaughter arrived, leaving everyone wondering why he had come.

• Supreme experts discussed the Heavenly Dao's intervention and abandoned the idea of destroying its secret realm.
• Heavenly geniuses rushed to the Third Region after hearing that the Heavenly Dao had created a secret realm for them.
• Three days later, a crowd gathered around the forming secret realm and debated what it might contain.
• A young man in coarse robes rode a green ox toward the crowd, and the geniuses recognized him as the Cloth-robed God of Slaughter.

Sanzang, Zhang Wusheng, Gu Qingzhi, and Wang Xiaoyun gathered in the Starry Sky as the Third Region’s top heavenly prodigies arrived for a secret realm. Their presence left the other young cultivators frightened and unsure whether to stay.

• Sanzang arrived on a green ox, greeted the gathered heavenly prodigies, and waited quietly.
• Zhang Wusheng arrived, greeted the crowd, and crushed them with his lethal aura.
• Gu Qingzhi appeared and questioned the others about gathering without her.
• The heavenly prodigies speculated that the four had come for the secret realm.
• Wang Xiaoyun arrived, and the gathered cultivators feared the four fourth-level Golden Immortals.

Xu Feng arrived at the secret realm gathering in a golden carriage pulled by three Golden Immortal Flood Dragons, drawing attention to his identity as the First Prince of the Heavenly Saint Imperial Dynasty. His arrival heightened the pressure on the assembled geniuses, and weaker cultivators began to leave.

• Three Golden Immortal Flood Dragons pulled a golden carriage bearing the Heavenly Saint Imperial Dynasty’s Human-character flag across the starry sky.
• Cultivators identified the carriage’s passenger as Xu Feng, the First Prince and eldest son of the Heavenly Saint Imperial Dynasty’s Emperor.
• Xu Feng greeted the gathering and said his father had insisted on his grand entrance.
• Zhang Wusheng welcomed Xu Feng and remarked on the spectacle of his carriage.
• Several first-level Golden Immortal cultivators quietly left after seeing the powerful, publicly recognized geniuses gathered there.

No one dared to enter the newly formed secret realm first, so Zhang Wusheng threw a young Golden Immortal inside to test it. After the great figures entered safely, the crowd moved toward the narrow vortex, where disputes broke out over who would go first.

• San Zang suggested grabbing someone to scout the secret realm, and the nearby figures agreed.
• Zhang Wusheng hurled a first-layer Golden Immortal into the vortex, then entered after confirming the young man was still alive.
• San Zang, the other great figures, and Xu Feng entered the secret realm in turn.
• Ye Lin led his companions toward the one-person-wide entrance as the crowd argued over who should enter first.
• A black-clad man in a cloak released a powerful pressure over the crowd and stepped into the vortex.

Ye Lin entered the Heavenly Dao’s secret realm with Li Xiaoyao and the others, then explored its small world, which was filled with dense Immortal Qi but appeared empty of life and treasure. The group remained unsure what the realm was meant to contain.

• A black-cloaked young man tried to push Ye Lin out of line, so Ye Lin killed him with a single strike and revealed his fourth-level Golden Immortal cultivation.
• Ye Lin entered the secret realm through the vortex, followed by Li Xiaoyao and the others.
• The group found themselves high above a lush continent in a small world saturated with Immortal Qi, and Ye Lin warned everyone to be careful.
• Ye Lin led the group across mountains and rivers, but they found no living creatures or valuable items.
• The group judged the realm to be an ordinary small world but suspected the Heavenly Dao had given it a purpose they had yet to discover.

Xu Feng, Zhang Wusheng, San Zang, Gu Qingzhi, and Wang Xiaoyun approached Ye Lin and proposed an alliance. Xu Feng explained that the group planned to enter the far stronger Second Region and would need to unite against its prodigies’ contempt and exclusion.

• Xu Feng greeted Ye Lin and remarked that Ye Lin had earned recognition, while Ye Lin warily shielded his companions.
• Zhang Wusheng joined the group and told Ye Lin they wanted to form an alliance with him.
• San Zang invited Ye Lin to a secluded spot, and Ye Lin agreed to hear their proposal.
• Xu Feng explained that the Second Region was far stronger than the Third Region and that its prodigies looked down on those from poorer regions.
• Xu Feng said the alliance would remain together through the Second and First Regions so its members could support one another.

Ye Lin accepted the prodigies’ invitation to form an alliance for their journey into the Second Region. When Wang Xiaoyun objected to the people accompanying Ye Lin, Ye Lin refused to leave them behind, putting the alliance in doubt.

• Ye Lin proposed that uniting Third Region prodigies could increase their strength, but Zhang Wusheng and the others argued that numbers mattered less than quality.
• Ye Lin agreed to join the alliance after its members invited him and asked whether they could trust him.
• Wang Xiaoyun said Ye Lin’s companions were unsuitable for an alliance meant to share danger and rewards.
• Ye Lin declared that he would not form an alliance with them if they considered his longtime companions burdens.

Ye Lin refused to abandon the people who had followed him, even when Wang Xiaoyun offered them a separate alliance. Wang Xiaoyun revealed that the offer had been a test, apologized, and invited Ye Lin to understand their caution.

• Ye Lin firmly rejected the idea of separating from the talents behind him.
• Wang Xiaoyun laughed and said Ye Lin's people could join their alliance too.
• Wang Xiaoyun and the others explained that they had tested Ye Lin because they knew little about him.
• Wang Xiaoyun apologized for the test, and the others asked Ye Lin not to be angry.

Ye Lin confronted the group for testing his character and demanded a test of his own. Zhang Wusheng mutilated himself to appease Ye Lin, while Xu Feng and San Zang argued over what sacrifice would be appropriate.

• Ye Lin said he understood why the group had tested him, but warned that their actions could have ruined his reputation and trust with his allies.
• Ye Lin told the group it was his turn to test them and demanded that they show their attitude.
• Zhang Wusheng cut off both his arms and asked whether his sacrifice was enough to calm Ye Lin’s anger.
• Xu Feng offered to sever both his legs, but San Zang suggested he sever his third leg instead.
• Xu Feng cursed San Zang and threatened to have his father confront San Zang’s master, leaving San Zang silent.

Gu Qingzhi offered herself to Ye Lin, but he refused, insisting that only the Dao mattered to him. After the others saw Gu Qingzhi’s unexpected behavior, San Zang asked Ye Lin to reveal his face.

• Gu Qingzhi approached Ye Lin and offered herself to him, but Ye Lin ended the dispute and asked everyone to let the matter go.
• Gu Qingzhi said she was serious and described her spotless background, but Ye Lin firmly rejected her, saying he sought only the Dao.
• Gu Qingzhi accepted Ye Lin’s refusal with regret, while the other four wondered whether she had fallen for him.
• San Zang asked Ye Lin to show his true face, and Xu Feng watched with curiosity.

Ye Lin revealed his face after Gu Qingzhi and San Zang pressed him to remove his mask, then put it back on and explained that wearing it was a habit. Zhang Wusheng reported that two of three targets were dead and the last had found a Path of Life, leading the group to a dark cave that might contain an important treasure.

• San Zang asked Ye Lin to remove his mask, and Gu Qingzhi insisted that she wanted to see his face.
• Ye Lin removed his mask, revealing a striking, sinister face with a blood-red lotus and a tiny sword on his forehead.
• Ye Lin put his mask back on and told Gu Qingzhi that wearing it was a habit.
• Zhang Wusheng used a Jade Talisman and reported that two of the three were dead while the remaining one had found a Path of Life.
• Ye Lin followed the group to a pitch-black cave that they believed might contain an important treasure.

Xu Feng explained that the group was following a surviving scout through one of three passages in a secret realm. They emerged into a beautiful landscape, where Zhang Wusheng’s cracked Jade Talisman revealed that the scout had died and that something there could threaten a first-layer Golden Immortal.

• Xu Feng told Ye Lin that the group had sent three people into the passages to scout, and only one had survived.
• Zhang Wusheng used the Jade Talisman to choose the passage taken by the survivor, and the group followed him inside.
• The group walked single file through the seemingly endless passage and reached a vast, beautiful landscape with a pink-leaved tree, a blue river, and colorful buildings.
• Zhang Wusheng found a crack in the Jade Talisman and concluded that the surviving scout had died.
• Zhang Wusheng warned the group that something in the landscape could threaten a first-layer Golden Immortal cultivator.

Wang Tian recognized a deadly fragrance as Soul-Ending Grass and warned the group that it could poison even powerful Golden Immortals. He claimed his Antidote Pill could counter it and handed one to each companion as they continued toward the ancient tree.

• Zhang Wusheng examined a shattered Jade Talisman and realized its owner, a first-level Golden Immortal, had just died.
• San Zang led the group across the grassland toward the conspicuous ancient tree while Wang Tian noticed an unfamiliar fragrance.
• Wang Tian identified the scent as Soul-Ending Grass, whose accumulating poison could kill even a ninth-level Golden Immortal.
• Wang Tian swallowed an Antidote Pill and boasted that it could neutralize Soul-Ending Grass.
• Wang Tian realized the others needed protection too and gave each of them an Antidote Pill.

Wang Tianyi identified the deadly scent of Soul-Ending Grass and gave the group antidote pills, then revealed he could use the rare herb to make life-restoring or lethal pills. The group was stunned to learn he was a second-rank Dao Pill Master, a rank unheard of in the Third Region.

• The group swallowed Wang Tianyi’s antidote pills, and Bao Xiaotou teased him for panicking and delaying his warning.
• Wang Tianyi apologized and explained that Soul-Ending Grass was deadly even to a ninth-level Golden Immortal cultivator.
• San Zang introduced himself to Wang Tianyi and asked what use Soul-Ending Grass could have.
• Wang Tianyi said he could use Soul-Ending Grass in pill formulas to revive the dead or make poison pills deadly to powerful Golden Immortals.
• Wang Tianyi proudly announced that he was a second-rank Dao Pill Master, shocking San Zang and the others.

San Zang learned that Wang Tian was a second-tier Dao Pill Master and Bao Xiaotou was a second-tier Dao Formation Master, while Li Xiaoyao impressed him with his fighting ability. As Bao Xiaotou and Wang Tian drew attention, Ye Lin and Gu Qingzhi examined the great tree and sensed its immense vitality.

• San Zang was stunned to learn that Wang Tian was a second-tier Dao Pill Master, a rare talent in the Third Region.
• Bao Xiaotou revealed that he was a second-tier Dao Formation Master, further impressing San Zang.
• Shangguan Wanyu said she had no particular strengths, while Li Xiaoyao said he could fight and San Zang recognized his potential.
• San Zang overlooked Luo Yao, not realizing she was the strongest among them.
• Ye Lin and Gu Qingzhi went to the great tree, and Ye Lin sensed that its vitality far exceeded his own.

Ye Lin, Gu Qingzhi, and the others encountered a sentient giant tree that revealed their surroundings were a fragment of the shattered Immortal World. The group realized they had arrived in a legendary realm once destroyed by a war among Primordial Unity Golden Immortals.

• Gu Qingzhi suggested taking the giant tree because it contained immense life force, but Ye Lin could not extract any from it.
• The tree spirit revealed itself, scolding Ye Lin and Gu Qingzhi for discussing uprooting it.
• Wang Xiaoyun asked the tree spirit where they were, and it answered that they were in the Immortal World.
• The group recalled how the ancient Immortal World had been shattered during a war among Primordial Unity Golden Immortals and concluded they were standing in one of its fragments.

Xu Feng and his companions learned they were in a fragment of the Immortal World, and a mysterious face directed them toward the ruins of the Divine Gu Sect. After walking along the river for three hours without finding the ruins, they wondered whether they had misunderstood the directions or been deceived.

• Xu Feng asked the mysterious face where they were, and it identified the place as the eastern part of the Immortal World.
• Zhang Wusheng asked where they could find treasure, and the face directed the group along the river to the ruins of the Divine Gu Sect while warning them of danger.
• The face told the group not to target the tree, then vanished as Gu Qingzhi smiled awkwardly.
• Ye Lin led the group along the river toward the ruins while they discussed whether the Divine Gu Sect had anything worth finding.
• After three hours, Bao Xiaotou complained that the river still seemed endless, and Ye Lin and Zhang Wusheng considered whether they had walked too slowly or needed to remain cautious.