Chapter Summaries

The Qu Family planned to exploit the Mountainfire Secret Realm’s impending collapse after Chen Jingming invited them to help seize its treasures. Qu Shize remained wary of the Chen Family and the Purple Mansion remnants in Clear Source Commandery, and considered visiting the commandery again.

• Qu Shihan told the Qu Family’s Dao Foundation cultivators that Chen Jingming had offered them half the secret realm’s fortune in exchange for helping him obtain the Fire Within the Mountain.
• Qu Shize questioned Chen Jingming’s motives and worried that the Chen Family’s Old Ancestor might still be alive.
• Qu Shihan revealed that the Qu Family’s Great Elder had reached late-stage Dao Foundation, convincing the gathered cultivators to approve the plan to intervene.
• Qu Shize privately worried that the Dragon King and other Purple Mansion remnant souls posed a greater danger than the Chen Family, and wondered whether he should return to Clear Source Commandery.
• Qu Shize reflected on how the Iceheart Mantra both bound him and helped his cultivation, while admitting he could not understand its mysteries.

After finding inspiration in Chen Jingshu’s zither music and the dancing cranes, Jiang Chen created the second-tier Spirit Crane Sword Art. Chen Jingshu watched in awe as he demonstrated its four forms and cleaved the sea of clouds, leaving her wondering whether the Nanjing Kingdom might one day produce a Sword Immortal.

• Chen Jingshu played her zither above the sea of clouds, drawing immortal cranes whose movements inspired Jiang Chen’s Bird-Tuning Art.
• Jiang Chen used Sword-Light Division to create the first form, Spirit Crane Dancing in the Sky, an elusive sword escape art.
• Jiang Chen developed Crane Cry to the Nine Heavens as a controlling technique and Cloud Crane Returning to Truth as a defensive counterattack.
• Jiang Chen created a concentrated killing strike that cleaved the Mist Flood Dragon’s sea of clouds, though using it greatly depleted his mind and true qi.
• Jiang Chen named his new second-tier sword art the Spirit Crane Sword Art, and Chen Jingshu watched in amazement at his achievement.

As the Mountainfire Secret Realm neared collapse, the Chen Family’s succession struggle drew in the Qu Family and Qiao Family. Jiang Chen prepared for the coming contest and, as the Clear Source River’s water veins connected the Southern Four Prefectures, advanced to the middle Dao Foundation stage while a new secret art imprinted itself on the Mist Flood Dragon.

• Streams of fire appeared over Molten Fire Commandery, and the royal family evacuated the people as news of the Mountainfire Secret Realm’s imminent collapse spread.
• Chen Jingshu and Jiang Chen received word that the Mountainfire Secret Realm would collapse within months, while Jiang Chen reviewed the rival princes’ alliances with the Qu Family and Qiao Family.
• Jiang Chen fed Spirit-Feeding Pills to the Clearwind Crane clan and observed that its cranes might soon master the Spirit Crane Sword Art.
• Jiang Chen sensed that the Clear Source River’s water veins now connected the four commanderies and judged that the Mist Flood Dragon was ready to break through.
• Jiang Chen transformed into his flood dragon body, crossed into the middle Dao Foundation stage, and began receiving a secret art shaped by the water veins.

Jiang Chen’s Mist Flood Dragon broke through to the mid-stage of Dao Foundation, and he discovered the Hundred Rivers Meridian Traversal Method, a rare art that gradually draws out a Dao Foundation’s mysteries to transform the body. He began cultivating the method and planned to use it for both his dragon body and his main body.

• Jiang Chen assessed the Mist Flood Dragon’s new mid-stage Dao Foundation strength and noted its lack of powerful spirit artifacts.
• Jiang Chen discovered phantom spiritual charms in the dragon body and comprehended the Hundred Rivers Meridian Traversal Method from the Clear Source River’s water-vein map.
• Jiang Chen learned that the method could gradually draw out the mysteries of his Dao Foundation, lowering the risk and difficulty of forging a treasure body.
• Jiang Chen cultivated the method until fatigue made him pause, then planned to cultivate it with his main body and use it to extend the Mist Flood Dragon’s spirit-transformed state.

As the Mountainfire Secret Realm began collapsing, Jiang Chen, Chen Jingshu, and the other factions gathered in Molten Fire Commandery to enter it. Chen Yonghou opened the realm and announced the imperial family’s selection, while the first eruptions killed cultivators; Jiang Chen then led Ruthless Nun and Chen Jingshu inside, leaving Azure Flower Empress outside to support them.

• Jiang Chen, Chen Jingshu, Azure Flower Empress, and Ruthless Nun sensed the secret realm’s collapse as fissures opened in the sky above Molten Fire Commandery.
• Chen Yonghou announced that the imperial Chen Family would select a true seed and allow allied factions to enter, while reserving the secret realm’s core region for Chen Family members.
• Chen Yonghou lifted the remaining restrictions, and cultivators rushed toward the entrances as falling fire and poisonous magma killed many of them.
• Imperial princes and princesses entered with Dao Foundation cultivators, while the Qu Family and Qiao Family heads stayed outside to observe.
• Jiang Chen sent Azure Flower Empress to remain outside for support and entered the secret realm with Ruthless Nun and Chen Jingshu.

Jiang Chen, Chen Jingshu, and Ruthless Nun traveled through the collapsing Mountainfire Secret Realm and found a magma lake inhabited by awakened Fire Essences. Jiang Chen chose to fight through the danger rather than take a detour, and Chen Jingshu agreed to trust his confidence.

• Jiang Chen and the others emerged from the magma sea as the Mountainfire Secret Realm trembled and rained fire around them.
• Chen Jingshu explained that only one route to the core region remained, so she, Jiang Chen, and Ruthless Nun hurried onward through the collapsing realm.
• Jiang Chen sensed several Fire Essences in a magma lake, including one with early Dao Foundation strength, and Chen Jingshu suspected the collapse had awakened them.
• Chen Jingshu and Ruthless Nun suggested taking a detour because Fire Essences were difficult to kill, but Jiang Chen argued that delay would make the unknown dangers worse.
• Chen Jingshu asked whether Jiang Chen was confident, then agreed to force a way through the magma lake after he nodded.

Jiang Chen and Ruthless Nun killed a powerful fire essence in the Mountainfire Secret Realm and collected its fire core and other treasures. After reaching the core region, Fire Demon Chen Gangfeng discovered that another group had arrived unusually quickly, drawing the Third Prince Chen Jinglang’s attention.

• Ruthless Nun froze the lava lake while Jiang Chen stunned and severed the fire essence’s hidden fire core, killing it.
• Jiang Chen, Ruthless Nun, and Chen Jingshu collected the fire core and the treasures left by the fire essence, including Earth-Core Fire Jade.
• Jiang Chen’s group pressed deeper into the secret realm and reached the core region as other Chen Family teams advanced more slowly and suffered casualties.
• Fire Demon Chen Gangfeng sensed that someone had triggered his measures along the route to the core region, and Chen Jinglang questioned how the other group had arrived so quickly.

Jiang Chen drew Chen Gangfeng and Qu Shize into a fight while Chen Jingshu and Ruthless Nun slipped past their blockade toward the secret realm’s core. Qu Shize betrayed Chen Gangfeng, and Jiang Chen killed him as he tried to escape.

• Chen Gangfeng and Qu Shize blocked Jiang Chen’s path, but Chen Gangfeng realized that the Chen Jingshu and Ruthless Nun beside him were illusions.
• Chen Gangfeng mistook Jiang Chen for a Dao Foundation sword cultivator and attacked him, then used Blood-Burning Eye to hamper his movements.
• Qu Shize attacked Chen Gangfeng from concealment with the Water-Splitting Thorn, piercing his heart and damaging his foundation.
• Chen Gangfeng retaliated against Qu Shize, but Qu Shize pressed his attack as Chen Gangfeng tried to flee using a flame spirit banner.
• Jiang Chen’s sword light cut through the fire spirit and severed Chen Gangfeng’s head.

Jiang Chen killed Chen Gangfeng with Qu Shize’s help, searched his soul, and focused on collecting fire cores in the Mountainfire Secret Realm. Meanwhile, Chen Jingshu reached the volcano’s summit and entered the crater to claim the Fire Within the Mountain, leaving the First Prince and Third Prince behind.

• Jiang Chen killed Chen Gangfeng with Qu Shize’s assistance and took his storage pouch, finding fire cores inside.
• Qu Shize agreed to gather fire cores for Jiang Chen in exchange for a secret art that would let him activate the Iceheart Mantra.
• Jiang Chen searched Chen Gangfeng’s soul and learned about the Chen Family’s inheritance and the Origin-Transference Secret Art.
• Jiang Chen decided to pursue fire cores and hunted fire essences throughout the Mountainfire Secret Realm.
• Chen Jingshu reached the volcano’s summit under Ruthless Nun’s protection and entered the crater to collect the Fire Within the Mountain, while the First Prince and Third Prince watched her go.

As the Mountainfire Secret Realm collapsed, its eruption exposed treasures throughout the realm, and Jiang Chen entered the core region to claim spiritual items. Repeated eruptions killed cultivators and revealed Chen Jingshu and an unidentified figure escaping the volcano before two third-rank treasures appeared and drew the Dao Foundation cultivators into pursuit.

• The secret realm's barrier vanished, prompting the waiting cultivators, Chen Yonghou, and Chen Yongling to enter as the outer regions collapsed.
• The volcano erupted, releasing buried treasures and tearing down the restriction around the core region.
• Jiang Chen flew through the rain of fire, entered the core region, and collected second-rank Earthcore Baleful Flame and another spiritual item.
• After another eruption, Jiang Chen sensed Chen Jingshu and a concealed, unidentified person escaping from inside the volcano.
• A third eruption released the auras of two third-rank spiritual items, and the Dao Foundation cultivators raced after them.

As the Mountainfire Secret Realm collapsed, Jiang Chen seized a mysterious white radiance and fought off the cultivators trying to take it. He defeated Qu Tingshui and escaped as Chen Yongzu’s powerful aura drew their attention toward Lu Xuanping and the third-order spirit fire.

• Qiao Lian tried to collect the scarlet radiance, but the third-order spirit fire destroyed his spirit artifact and incinerated him before Lu Xuanping captured it.
• Jiang Chen caught the pure white radiance, blocked the pursuing Dao Foundation cultivators with Cloud Crane Returning to Truth, and prepared to escape.
• Qu Tingshui intercepted Jiang Chen and demanded the treasure, but Jiang Chen transformed into a flood dragon and shattered her water-formed body with his attacks.
• Jiang Chen froze the area with Thousand Tribulations Cold Radiance, but Qu Tingshui used a secret art to withdraw after sensing Chen Yongzu’s aura.
• Jiang Chen chose not to pursue Qu Tingshui and vanished, wondering whether Lu Xuanping would escape Chen Yongzu.

Chen Yongzu captured Lu Xuanping for his Calamity Water Dao Foundation and the third-rank spiritual flame, while the Mountainfire Secret Realm’s turmoil subsided. After reuniting with Chen Jingshu, Jiang Chen departed, and she resolved to escape the Chen Family before forging her Dao Foundation.

• Chen Yongzu chose not to pursue Jiang Chen and instead trapped Lu Xuanping, recognizing him as a better vessel for his plans because he had forged a mid-grade Dao Foundation with a Calamity Water Flower.
• Chen Yongzu subdued Lu Xuanping and took him away, satisfied with his unexpected harvest and the spiritual flame.
• After Qu Tingshui was driven back by Jiang Chen, the Qu Family retreated and the turmoil around the Mountainfire Secret Realm quickly settled.
• An unseen observer noticed a fragment of Daoist Four Symbols' legacy in Molten Fire Commandery but judged it not worth pursuing.
• Chen Jingshu thanked Jiang Chen for helping her obtain Fire Within the Mountain, and he congratulated her before departing.
• Chen Jingshu recalled her grandfather’s plan to use his descendants’ bones to continue his cultivation, then decided to prepare an escape from the Chen Family.

Jiang Chen returned to the Peaceful Sect and met Daoist Yuan Gang, who recruited him into the Impermanence Sect after recognizing his exceptional cultivation. Daoist Yuan Gang gave him rare treasures to strengthen his spirit aperture and physique as he prepared to pursue a flawless Dao Foundation.

• Jiang Chen inspected the Azurewood Mystic Light Formation and praised Taoyao's formation attainments and potential.
• Jiang Chen returned to Pureheart Retreat and found Daoist Yuan Gang, whose presence his divine sense could not detect.
• Daoist Yuan Gang invited Jiang Chen to join the Impermanence Sect, and Jiang Chen accepted.
• Daoist Yuan Gang made Jiang Chen a true disciple of the Impermanence Sect and said his lineage would be arranged after he entered the mountain gate.
• Daoist Yuan Gang gave Jiang Chen a Qianyuan Bone-Reforging Pill and a Vajra Fruit to improve his spirit aperture and physique.

Daoist Yuan Gang revealed the Impermanence Sect’s three Dao Scriptures to Jiang Chen and explained their distinct paths and difficulties. Jiang Chen chose not to settle on one inheritance yet and asked for guidance, leaving him to weigh which scriptures he could pursue.

• Daoist Yuan Gang taught Jiang Chen the Little Formless Scripture and praised the effort behind his supreme-grade true qi.
• Daoist Yuan Gang showed Jiang Chen the sect’s inheritance, where he learned of its three Dao Scriptures and twelve true methods.
• Jiang Chen examined the Grand Void Formless Reversal Scripture, the Ninefold Ascension to Sainthood Method, and the Primordial Unity True Explanation, but could only glimpse their profundities.
• Jiang Chen told Daoist Yuan Gang that he wanted to comprehend all three Dao Scriptures but could not choose yet.
• Daoist Yuan Gang explained each scripture’s focus and warned Jiang Chen that the Primordial Unity True Explanation was exceptionally difficult and must not be forced.

After learning more about the world and his path to cultivation from Daoist Yuangang, Jiang Chen returned to the Spirit Grotto to examine his gains from the Mountainfire Secret Realm. He fused thirty-three fire cores and discovered they formed an inheritance tablet called the Mountain-River Possession Secret Record.

• Jiang Chen reflected on the vastness of the world, the war that had damaged Yuhuan Continent, and his goal of attaining Celestial Phenomenon.
• Jiang Chen decided to use the one or two years before Daoist Yuangang’s true body returned to settle his affairs and strengthen his cultivation foundation.
• Jiang Chen examined a Heart of a Secret Realm and considered how it might be used to create or strengthen a secret realm or portable spirit estate.
• Jiang Chen used his Blood-Baleful True Flame to refine thirty-three fire cores that he believed shared the same origin.
• The fire cores fused into a fiery-red jade tablet, and Jiang Chen learned it contained the Mountain-River Possession Secret Record.

Jiang Chen deciphered the Mountain-River Possession Secret Record and uncovered the history of the ancient volcano and its fire cores. The chapter ended with him reflecting on the gulf between Dao Foundation and Purple Mansion cultivators.

• Jiang Chen learned that the Mountain-River Possession Secret Record let cultivators become spirits bound to spirit mountains or treasured lands, gaining power within their borders.
• Jiang Chen used his Dharma Eye and divine soul to find and refine lingering thoughts inside the jade tablet.
• Jiang Chen uncovered fragmented memories revealing that the fire cores came from the shattered treasure body of Nineflame True Person.
• Jiang Chen learned that Nineflame True Person’s failed attempt to possess the ancient volcano destroyed his treasure body and soul, while remnants of his body became the fire cores.
• Jiang Chen considered how Purple Mansion cultivators refined earth treasures into spiritualized treasure bodies and could wield the power of heaven and earth.

Chen Jingshu died after failing to establish her Dao Foundation, leaving the Chen Family to rely on Chen Minglang. Chen Yongzu then prepared to use Lu Xuanping as part of a secret art to seize and merge Dao Foundations.

• Chen Jingshu attempted to establish her Dao Foundation in the Hall of True Yang, but the breakthrough failed and she died.
• Chen Yonghou and Chen Yongling ordered Chen Jingshu buried in the imperial mausoleum.
• Chen Yongzu learned of Chen Jingshu's death and hoped Chen Minglang would succeed, or he would use a spare.
• Chen Yongzu revealed the Four Symbols Reversing Fate secret art and activated it on Lu Xuanping, whose special mark briefly glimmered.

Jiang Chen doubted the report that Chen Jingshu had died, while a rumor spread that Chen Yongzu was using an evil art to steal Dao Foundations and approach the Purple Mansion. The Qu and Qiao Families began preparing to act, and suspicion of Chen Yongzu took root within the Chen Family.

• Jiang Chen questioned whether Chen Jingshu had truly died and returned to refining the Qianyuan Bone-Reforging Pill.
• A rumor spread across the Nanjing Kingdom that Chen Yongzu was stealing Dao Foundations to strengthen himself and reach the Purple Mansion.
• Qu Tingshui and Qu Shihan considered the rumor and decided to investigate the Chen Family and contact the Qiao Family and Peaceful Sect.
• The Qiao Family also began considering how to obtain the rumored secret art.
• Chen Yongling wondered whether Chen Yongzu had been behind the deaths of talented Chen Family members and the cultivation of four kinds of Dao Foundation cultivators.

Chen Jinglang established a mid-grade Dao Foundation, but Chen Yongzu bound and abducted him to complete the four aspects needed for his transformation. Chen Yonghou and Chen Yongling recognized the danger behind Chen Yongzu’s actions and chose to protect his cultivation while keeping the Chen Family intact.

• Chen Jinglang used Fire Within the Mountain to establish a mid-grade Dao Foundation and celebrated his prospects of becoming crown prince.
• Chen Yongzu restrained Chen Jinglang with the Three-Tribulation Fire-Subduing Chain and took him away, saying he would contribute to the Chen Family’s glory.
• Chen Yonghou and Chen Yongling found a message claiming Chen Jinglang needed time to stabilize his breakthrough and realized Chen Yongzu had been there.
• Chen Yonghou told Chen Yongling that Chen Yongzu had likely taken Chen Jinglang and targeted talented people with mid-grade Dao Foundations, recalling the deaths of Chen Gangyu and Qiao Fei.
• Chen Yonghou advised continuing as usual and shielding Chen Yongzu’s cultivation, warning that opposing him could ruin the Chen Family.

Jiang Chen completed his bodily tempering and perfected his second-tier divine soul, greatly increasing his strength and resistance to spiritual attacks. He decided to use the Secret Realm Core as an incarnation for the Mountain-River Possession Secret Record and began Spirit Infusion by tearing apart his divine soul.

• Jiang Chen completed Heavenly Origin Bone Renewal and Vajra Body Tempering, achieving a nine-inch spirit aperture and a body comparable to certain spirit artifacts.
• Jiang Chen refined the Demon Ape's remnant soul and perfected his second-tier divine soul, which gave birth to protective spirit light.
• Jiang Chen realized that his divine soul now exceeded Dao Foundation cultivators and could suppress and kill those in the late stage.
• Jiang Chen reconsidered the Secret Realm Core after studying the Mountain-River Possession Secret Record and conceived of using it as an incarnation.
• Jiang Chen decided to attempt Spirit Infusion on the Secret Realm Core and tore apart his own divine soul.