Chapter Summaries

Ye Lin learned that everyone who left the Cloud Heaven Secret Realm forgot what happened inside, then used his abilities to gather information about its inhabitants and dangers. After three days, the Eastern Region Top Hundred assembled, and the five elders prepared to open the realm.

• Yun Qiyue told Ye Lin that cultivators forgot everything that happened in the Cloud Heaven Secret Realm after leaving it.
• Ye Lin read Yun Qiyue’s information and learned she planned to infiltrate the Cloud Spirit Race to obtain the Myriad Phenomena secret canon.
• Ye Lin gathered information about native inhabitants, including the Cloud Spirit Race, Star Core Giants, Spirits of Law, the Remnant Race, Cloud Kun, and Time Abyss Dragons.
• Ye Lin learned that sixty-three of the ninety-seven Daluo Golden Immortals he observed were destined to die inside the secret realm.
• Three days later, the Eastern Region Top Hundred and their Dao Protectors had gathered, and the five elders began calculating to open the realm.

Yun Qiyue explained how the Cloud Heaven Secret Realm was opened and introduced the Law Heavenly Ladder, the final test for entering it. Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue began climbing toward the realm with their Dao protectors.

• Yun Qiyue told Ye Lin that five powerful figures alone knew how to open the Cloud Heaven Secret Realm and that its existence depended on all five surviving.
• The five elders formed a golden formation that shattered the sky and produced three thousand staircases of auspicious clouds.
• Yun Qiyue explained that climbers had to reach the end of the Law Heavenly Ladder to enter the Cloud Heaven Secret Realm.
• A cultivator and his three Dao protectors began climbing as Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue set off with six Dao protectors following.
• Ye Lin stepped onto the heavenly ladder and felt a faint stinging sensation across his skin.

Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue passed the Heavenly Ladder trial and entered the Cloud Heaven Secret Realm. They arrived on a vast sea of clouds, where Ye Lin found that a mysterious force sharply limited and obscured his divine sense.

• Ye Lin climbed the Heavenly Ladder, enduring the effects of the Great Daos while observing the other entrants.
• Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue reached the final steps of space, time, and power, then entered the vortex with their six Dao Protectors.
• Ye Lin was swept through the vortex, where time and space lost meaning and the Three Thousand Great Daos passed around him.
• Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue arrived atop a vast, solid sea of clouds beneath a sky of shifting colors and nine moving stars.
• Ye Lin spread out his divine sense and discovered that the realm restricted it to roughly a hundred li and blurred what he could perceive.

Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue entered the Cloud Heaven Secret Realm and found that its unusually stable space suppressed their strength and blocked divine sense. After confirming the area was safe but devoid of life, they split up to investigate, leaving Ye Lin to consult his three Dao Protectors.

• Ye Lin and Yun Qiyue observed that the secret realm's spatial barrier was far stronger than Origin Continent's and suppressed their strength.
• Blade Fanatic sensed no danger or signs of life within a hundred li, but found the realm's laws unusually active and dense.
• Yun Qiyue left with her three Dao Protectors so she and Ye Lin could investigate separately and avoid conflict over treasures.
• Ye Lin asked his three Dao Protectors how they should proceed in the unfamiliar realm.

Ye Lin and his companions investigated the cloud layer in the secret realm and discovered it concealed an empty space below. Blade Fanatic began cutting a careful opening through the clouds so they could descend and explore.

• Sword Demon suggested that they first learn the secret realm’s laws before acting.
• Blade Fanatic sensed that the clouds were condensed from spiritual source and that an unusually dense concentration lay beneath them.
• Ye Lin’s Sword Qi vanished against a net of fine laws in the cloud layer, but Iron Hammer probed through three hundred zhang and sensed wind and the sound of water below.
• Blade Fanatic used a nearly invisible short blade to cut a smooth opening through the cloud layer without dispersing the clouds.

Ye Lin and his companions entered the Cloud Heaven Secret Realm and discovered a glowing forest beneath the sea of clouds, where a powerful mist strengthened Ye Lin as he absorbed it. They remained on guard in the dangerous realm, whose rewards had drawn many cultivators despite its high death rate.

• Blade Fanatic used the Stillspace Blade to carve a passage through the clouds, revealing a forested land suspended beneath them.
• Ye Lin agreed to descend, and Iron Hammer entered first to check for danger before Ye Lin followed.
• Ye Lin discovered that the mist in the forest was more powerful than the Zenith Heaven Divine Source and absorbed it through his body.
• Sword Demon and Blade Fanatic landed beside Ye Lin while Iron Hammer watched the unfamiliar forest for threats.
• Ye Lin and his companions stayed vigilant as they entered a realm where more than half of cultivators had died, though survivors gained immense power.

Ye Lin and his companions encountered a transparent deer in the Cloud Heaven Secret Realm, and it showed them goodwill before inviting them to follow. The group followed it deeper into the forest, where they saw more strange sights.

• A transparent deer emerged from the thicket and sent glowing specks of goodwill into Ye Lin.
• Iron Hammer wondered whether the deer would taste good, and it moved farther away from him.
• The deer turned and beckoned Ye Lin, Sword Demon, Blade Fanatic, and Iron Hammer to follow.
• Ye Lin decided to follow the deer, and Sword Demon and Blade Fanatic agreed.
• The four followed the deer through the forest and saw moving mushrooms, glowing trees, and floating water filled with tiny fish.

Ye Lin received a sword-shaped fruit containing a fragment of the Sword Dao laws from the Transparent Deer, but a giant Quasi-Saint bear soon appeared, drawn to the fruit. Iron Hammer stepped forward to test the bear as Ye Lin and the others faced the danger.

• The Transparent Deer led Ye Lin and the group to a clearing with three fruit-bearing trees and a clear pool.
• The Transparent Deer gave Ye Lin the silver sword-shaped fruit, which he recognized as containing a fragment of the Sword Dao laws.
• A roar from the forest revealed a powerful presence, and the Transparent Deer vanished as the ground began to shake.
• A gigantic first-layer Quasi-Saint bear arrived and fixed its blood-red eyes on the fruit in Ye Lin's hand.
• Ye Lin backed away and shielded the others while Iron Hammer summoned his massive hammer and prepared to challenge the bear.

Iron Hammer killed the giant bear with one blow, and Ye Lin's group withdrew to the sea of clouds with three trees and their fruits. After dividing the fruits, Ye Lin examined the sword-shaped fruit while the others ate their shares.

• Iron Hammer smashed the giant bear into minced flesh with a single hammer blow.
• Ye Lin warned the group to leave before the commotion attracted other powerful creatures and told Iron Hammer to uproot the trees bearing the fruits.
• The four returned to the sea of clouds, where Blade Fanatic sealed the passage behind them.
• Ye Lin kept the sword-shaped fruit and offered the other two fruits to Sword Demon, Blade Fanatic, and Iron Hammer.
• The three seniors split the remaining fruits evenly, and Iron Hammer swallowed his share.

Ye Lin awakened to the Cloud Pierce sword move by resonating with a sword-shaped fruit, while Iron Hammer and the others realized they had eaten their fruits without gaining the same benefit. After Ye Lin mastered the move, the three companions decided to share their partial insights so they could learn their own moves completely.

• Ye Lin used the Great Void Return-to-Emptiness Sword Canon to resonate with the sword-shaped fruit, releasing a sword light that drew him into an ocean of Sword Dao laws.
• Iron Hammer realized he had swallowed his fruit incorrectly, while Sword Demon and Blade Fanatic regretted copying him.
• Ye Lin discovered the fruit contained the Cloud Pierce sword move and absorbed its insights, advancing his Sword Dao.
• After three days of enlightenment, Ye Lin opened his eyes with sword energy leaking out and gained a new trump card.
• Sword Demon, Blade Fanatic, and Iron Hammer agreed to exchange their partial insights so they could master the moves contained in their fruits.

Ye Lin and the three seniors explored ahead through the Cloud Heaven Secret Realm, searching the sea of clouds for anything unusual. They found a gray region containing crystals that Ye Lin suspected were Great Dao fragments, and he sent Iron Hammer to scout and collect them.

• Ye Lin decided the group should explore forward rather than return to the forest below.
• After the three seniors finished discussing, they agreed to make Ye Lin their core and set off with him.
• The four flew slowly over the sea of clouds, using their divine senses to search for anomalies.
• Ye Lin spotted a gray patch of viscous clouds scattered with glowing crystals and identified one as a possible Great Dao fragment.
• Ye Lin stayed back and told Iron Hammer to scout ahead and pick up the crystals.

Ye Lin and his companions collected crystals in the Cloud Heaven Secret Realm, but regenerating cloud tentacles attacked Iron Hammer. Blade Fanatic destroyed the brain-like creature controlling them, and the group divided the crystals before continuing deeper into the realm.

• Iron Hammer gathered the crystals as Blade Fanatic warned that something was approaching.
• Cloud tentacles attacked Iron Hammer and regenerated in greater numbers whenever he smashed them.
• Blade Fanatic struck beneath the clouds and destroyed a brain-like creature, causing the tentacles to collapse.
• Iron Hammer gave Ye Lin all forty-seven crystals; Ye Lin kept two Sword Dao crystals and let the others divide the rest.
• Iron Hammer gave the remaining twenty-nine crystals to Sword Demon, and Ye Lin led the group onward toward the secret realm's depths.

Ye Lin and the others crossed into a hidden realm of floating lands and discovered a battle between a gigantic spiked tortoise-like beast and three rock giants. They watched the clash from concealment as the beast fought back with dark red flames.

• Ye Lin and Blade Fanatic led the group east across the cloud sea for three hours.
• The four found a vast ravine beneath the clouds and descended into a world of connected floating lands.
• Iron Hammer praised the place as ideal for secluded cultivation before a roar and flashes of battle drew the group onward.
• The four concealed their auras and approached a basin where three rock giants attacked a mountain-sized, spiked tortoise-like beast.

Ye Lin saw a giant beast battling three Quasi-Saint rock giants while dozens of small natives were caught in the crossfire. Iron Hammer intervened, destroyed the rock giants with three hammer strikes, and faced the giant beast, which backed away rather than attacking him.

• Ye Lin watched the rock giants and giant beast fight as their attacks killed many of the fleeing little people.
• A woman with a bone staff tried to shield a group of little people trapped at the edge of an abyss from the beast's golden beams.
• Ye Lin decided to save the natives and ask them for information about the secret realm, then checked whether his companions could handle the four powerful opponents.
• Iron Hammer volunteered to act and leaped into the battlefield, dissolving the golden beams with his pressure.
• Iron Hammer smashed all three rock giants into powder, and the giant beast slowly backed away, treating him as a friend.

Ye Lin and his companions helped the Green Vine Tribe repel the Deep-Earth Ancient Turtle, which escaped Iron Hammer. Qing Luo explained why the beast had attacked and revealed that the tribe’s Rock God Guardians had failed to defeat it.

• Iron Hammer struck at the Deep-Earth Ancient Turtle, but it burrowed away and escaped.
• Ye Lin and his companions met Qing Luo, priestess of the Green Vine Tribe, and learned she considered them outsiders from beyond the secret realm.
• Qing Luo explained that the Deep-Earth Ancient Turtle awakened every hundred years and demanded sacrifices, this time threatening ninety percent of her tribe.
• Qing Luo said her people had awakened their ancestors’ Rock God Guardians to resist the beast, and Ye Lin’s companions looked at Iron Hammer when she identified the guardians as the three rock giants.

Qing Luo explained the sacred lands and two possible routes out of the Shattered Earth Abyss to Ye Lin and his companions. They learned that finding the sacred lands required leaving the Abyss, but both known exits carried risks.

• Qing Luo told Ye Lin that sacred lands contained the Great Daos and that outsiders sought their power.
• Ye Lin asked where the sacred lands were, and Qing Luo said they could only be sensed after leaving the Abyss.
• Qing Luo said one exit was the Heavenly Ladder Cloud Vine, guarded by the Shadow Dragon Bat Clan.
• Qing Luo described the Earth Abyss Ancient Path, which her tribe had sealed after those who entered it never returned.

Ye Lin and Qing Luo considered their routes through the Cloud Heaven Secret Realm after the tribe's home was destroyed. Qing Luo asked Ye Lin and his companions to protect her people as they traveled the ancient path, offering a map that marked hidden treasures and a possible Lesser Sacred Land.

• Qing Luo explained that the Heavenly Ladder Cloud Vine led to the Middle Three Layers, and Ye Lin decided the ancient path was a better choice than risking an encounter with the Shadow Dragon Bats.
• Ye Lin warned that the ancient tortoise might return, while Qing Luo said her people had to leave because their dwelling and guardian god were lost.
• Qing Luo led her remaining tribespeople to kneel and asked Ye Lin's group to protect them as they searched the ancient path for a safe place to live.
• Qing Luo offered the tribe's ancient map, which marked hidden Earth Abyss treasures and the location of a possible Lesser Sacred Land.
• Ye Lin asked what a Lesser Sacred Land was.

Qing Luo explained that Lesser Holy Lands were projections of the true Holy Lands and could contain law fragments or incomplete inheritances. Ye Lin decided to investigate the locations on her map and agreed to take Qing Luo and her people along, but warned that he would not risk his life to save them.

• Qing Luo told Ye Lin that Lesser Holy Lands were regions where the laws projected from the true Holy Lands gathered densely.
• Ye Lin wondered whether cultivation requirements restricted entry to true Holy Lands and decided he needed to visit a Lesser Holy Land.
• Qing Luo showed Ye Lin an ancient map marking a mysterious cave abode, Sinking Star Lake, and Sword Cry Valley in the ancient passageways.
• Qing Luo explained that her ancestors had discovered the three locations while excavating the passageways.
• Ye Lin kept the map and agreed to take Qing Luo and her tribe with him, warning them that they would have to fend for themselves if danger arose.

Ye Lin's group agreed to escort Qing Luo and the Green Vine Tribe's survivors toward an ancient path through the Earth Abyss. After a peaceful start, the journey grew strange a hundred li in.

• Qing Luo accepted that Ye Lin's group could abandon the survivors if danger became too great, and Ye Lin agreed to help them.
• The Green Vine Tribe gathered supplies and used glowing mushrooms to decompose their dead before setting out with just over four hundred survivors.
• Sword Demon warned that the valley's sword puppets might be powerful Quasi-Saints, while Iron Hammer welcomed the challenge and Ye Lin decided to continue.
• Qing Luo led the survivors toward the ancient path, three hundred li away, while Ye Lin's group watched over them.
• The group passed weak Earth Abyss creatures, but the surroundings began to grow strange after they traveled a hundred li.

Ye Lin and the others explored an ancient passage while Qing Luo explained the Shattered Earth Abyss’s past and the Shadow Dragon Bats. They discovered the enormous skeleton of a Golden-Winged Thunder Roc, and Ye Lin found evidence that at least two races had fought it.

• Qing Luo explained that a strange stone shattered the ancient continent and that the Shadow Dragon Bats had once been suppressed in the Abyss.
• Qing Luo recalled her plan to find and kill Ancient Ao after the Green Vine Tribe found a new home.
• The Green Vine tribespeople found something ahead, and Qing Luo led Ye Lin and the others to investigate.
• They discovered the dark-gold skeleton of an adult Golden-Winged Thunder Roc, surrounded by broken weapons and armor.
• Ye Lin inspected the skeleton and identified claw, bite, and sword marks, indicating that at least two races had fought the Roc.