Chapter Summaries

Lu Ren returned Ao Li’s Dragon Pearl and discussed how she might rebuild her body, then advanced to the mid-stage Heavenly Immortal realm. He later forced Tathagata to open his door while asking whether the Jade Emperor was there, and discovered Tathagata’s courtyard was larger inside than outside.

• Ao Li refused to leave the Inner World Universe and proposed using the True Phoenix’s essence blood to restore her body, but Lu Ren explained that his attempts to draw the True Phoenix out had failed.
• Lu Ren returned Ao Li’s diminished Dragon Pearl, and she took it back while he suggested nurturing it as a foundation for her rebirth.
• After discussing the Dao with more than a dozen groups on Hanging Mountain, Lu Ren broke through to the mid-stage Heavenly Immortal realm and replenished his strength with Spirit Crystals.
• Lu Ren went to Tathagata’s residence and repeatedly pounded on the door, demanding to know whether the Jade Emperor was with him.
• Tathagata opened the door, and Lu Ren noticed that the courtyard inside was larger than expected and recognized the Xumi Mustard Seed Technique.

Lu Ren confronted Tathagata over the spread of his cultivation technique and learned that Tathagata had returned to the Mid Celestial Immortal realm. Tathagata hinted that he could expose Lu Ren’s supreme treasure, but Lu Ren left after warning him against stirring up trouble.

• Lu Ren entered Tathagata’s courtyard and noted that Tathagata had reached the Mid Celestial Immortal realm.
• Lu Ren accused Tathagata’s circle of spreading the nature of his cultivation technique, while Tathagata blamed the Jade Emperor and denied involvement.
• Lu Ren mocked the Jade Emperor’s attempts to make alliances and asked how Tathagata had advanced without Spirit Crystals.
• Tathagata claimed he was only returning to his former peak and asked whether Lu Ren feared him revealing his supreme treasure.
• Lu Ren briefly threatened Tathagata, then warned him that his short remaining lifespan made unnecessary trouble dangerous.
• Tathagata watched Lu Ren leave and lamented that he had completed ninety-nine percent of his path with little time left.

Lu Ren mined Spirit Crystals beneath the Cloud Sea and hunted Heavenly Immortal-level beasts, while steadily improving his strength. After returning to Hanging Mountain, he recalled how he had survived a sudden assassination attempt during a battle in the Sunken Sea Zone.

• Lu Ren spent nearly ten years mining Spirit Crystals and hunting more than a dozen Heavenly Immortal-level ferocious beasts in the Sunken Sea Zone.
• The beasts began avoiding the area, so Lu Ren continued mining instead of venturing into the Deep Sea Zone, working only eight hours a day despite Ao Li's complaints.
• Lu Ren returned to Hanging Mountain and noticed Huang Gong was uneasy around him because of his brutal fights with the beasts.
• Lu Ren recalled that an unseen attacker had launched a sword strike at his neck while he was wounded, but Lu Ren healed instantly and destroyed the sword attack with his blood and qi.

After Lu Ren killed a sword-bearing Celestial Immortal with one punch, he traded Flood Dragon Beast meat to Huang Gong for wine and spent ten days with Cheng Guo. Cheng Guo told him the Jade Emperor and Tathagata had begun the Path to Ascension, and Lu Ren judged that the perilous journey might claim their lives.

• Lu Ren killed a sword-bearing Celestial Immortal who had tried to ambush him, and the death triggered a heavenly phenomenon beneath the Sunken Sea Zone.
• Huang Gong asked Lu Ren for Flood Dragon Beast meat, and they traded sixty tons of it for three thousand jin of brewed wine.
• Lu Ren drank the wine and went upstairs to Cheng Guo; after ten days and nights together, he emerged exhausted while Cheng Guo remained radiant.
• Cheng Guo told Lu Ren that the Jade Emperor and Tathagata had set out on the Path to Ascension, and Lu Ren said they had a good chance of dying on the road.
• Lu Ren recalled that the decayed Celestial Immortals from Hantu had all died before reaching Hanging Mountain.

Lu Ren discussed the Path to Ascension and his plans to remain at Hanging Mountain while Cheng Guo prepared to depart for it. After mining the last of a Spirit Crystal vein, he paid Nüwa one hundred thousand Spirit Crystals for materials to reconstruct a physical body.

• Cheng Guo told Lu Ren that his former enemies were unlikely to return after entering the Path to Ascension, and Lu Ren asked whether she knew Tongtian.
• Cheng Guo said she planned to enter the Path to Ascension after further cultivation, while Lu Ren intended to stay at Hanging Mountain until he reached the Celestial Immortal Pinnacle.
• Lu Ren reflected on how he used the Zhou Tian Body Spirit Fist and its five-hundredfold strength to defeat an ambushing Celestial Immortal.
• After Cheng Guo went into seclusion, Lu Ren mined the final section of the Spirit Crystal vein in the Sunken Sea Zone.
• Lu Ren met Nüwa at Mid-Mountain Plaza and paid her one hundred thousand Spirit Crystals for materials to reconstruct a physical body.

Lu Ren paid Nüwa a hundred thousand Spirit Crystals to reconstruct Ao Li’s body, and she began the difficult work of restoring the True Dragon. Lu Ren left after warning Nüwa not to tamper with Ao Li, while she prepared to spend years on the reconstruction.

• Nüwa accepted Lu Ren’s hundred thousand Spirit Crystals and agreed to reconstruct Ao Li’s body.
• Lu Ren placed Ao Li’s fragile true spirit inside the Dragon Pearl so it could be protected outside his Inner World.
• Nüwa said her secret technique required privacy and warned that restoring a True Dragon’s body would take at least ten years.
• Lu Ren agreed to return in ten years and reminded Nüwa that he could obtain vicious beast materials and had slain the Celestial Immortal beasts in the Sunken Sea Zone.
• After Lu Ren departed, Nüwa complained about the difficulty of the job and began arranging the formation and refining materials.

After ten years of mining beneath the Sunken Sea Zone, Lu Ren discovered an unknown layer of extraordinarily hard rock and sensed a vast space far below. He returned to Nüwa to see Ao Li’s reconstructed body, which had taken the form of a powerful dragon egg, and learned that its hatching time remained uncertain.

• Lu Ren found a rock layer more than a hundred times harder than the strata above and sensed an immense, distorted space deep underground.
• Lu Ren returned to Nüwa’s residence on the ten-year deadline for Ao Li’s reconstructed body.
• Nüwa demanded more Spirit Crystals for the difficult reconstruction, and Lu Ren agreed to pay her another fifty thousand.
• Nüwa showed Lu Ren the enormous dragon egg, whose patterns drew in mysterious particles and whose life force astonished him.
• Lu Ren asked when Ao Li would hatch, and Nüwa said she could not predict it because the dragon egg was forming naturally from the Dragon Pearl’s essence.

Lu Ren placed Ao Li's dragon egg in his Inner World Universe, where it began draining his Spirit Crystal star, then awkwardly asked Nüwa to become Dao companions and realized his sudden question had not felt like his own. Huang Gong suspected Lu Ren’s recent mining in the Sunken Sea Zone might be connected, and Lu Ren confirmed he had excavated through a layer of exceptionally hard bedrock.

• Lu Ren placed Ao Li's dragon egg at the Spirit Crystal convergence point in his Inner World Universe, and the egg began rapidly absorbing the crystals.
• Lu Ren asked Nüwa whether she wanted a temporary Dao companion, prompting her to offer back twenty thousand Spirit Crystals before he clarified that he had no improper intentions.
• Lu Ren reflected on his uncharacteristic question and concluded that it had burst out suddenly rather than coming from his usual thoughts.
• Huang Gong suggested Lu Ren might be troubled because Cheng Guo had entered seclusion, then mentioned female cultivators who practiced dual cultivation.
• Lu Ren told Huang Gong that he had unexpectedly asked Nüwa to become Dao companions, and Huang Gong asked whether he had mined to the bottom of the Sunken Sea Zone.
• Lu Ren said he had excavated through one layer of bedrock hundreds of times tougher than ordinary rock.

Lu Ren learned that the chill beneath the Sunken Sea Zone could cloud the mind, then bought Huang Gong’s Clarity Spirit Wine to counter its effects. He spent a century mining Spirit Crystals, strengthening his Inner World while progressing deeper into the Mid Celestial Immortal realm.

• Huang Gong told Lu Ren that a Celestial Immortal had suffered mental changes from mining in the Sunken Sea Zone and had been slain by Chang Kong before demonic corruption overcame him.
• Huang Gong offered Lu Ren Clarity Spirit Wine, and Lu Ren discovered that it dispersed the chill and cleared his thoughts.
• Lu Ren bought all ten tons of Huang Gong’s wine and returned to the Sunken Sea Zone to mine Spirit Crystals.
• Over a century, Lu Ren gathered nearly ten percent of the deep Spirit Crystal veins, and Ao Li’s Spirit Crystal star grew to more than ten times its original size.
• Lu Ren’s Inner World grew much stronger and more self-sustaining, while he advanced deeper into the Mid Celestial Immortal realm.
• Other Celestial Immortals tried mining at Lu Ren’s depth with Clarity Spirit Wine, but they could endure only a few seconds before retreating.

Lu Ren watched Cheng Guo leave Hanging Mountain for the Path to Ascension and reflected on their parting as her friends discussed their uncertain futures. He chose to remain until he reached the peak of the Celestial Immortal Realm, while Huang Gong wondered about the fate of the Jade Emperor and Tathagata.

• Lu Ren found that Ao Li remained in a deeper transformation despite being ready to emerge from his shell.
• Cheng Guo told Lu Ren she had reached the Late Celestial Immortal stage and departed for the Path to Ascension.
• Zheng Jie asked when Lu Ren would set out, and Lu Ren said he would wait until reaching the peak of the Celestial Immortal Realm.
• Lu Ren and Cheng Guo's companions reflected on her departure, their own cultivation, and the uncertain road ahead.
• Zheng Jie admitted he had liked Cheng Guo but had not pursued her because his physique was inadequate.
• Huang Gong asked where the Jade Emperor and Tathagata were, and Lu Ren guessed they had probably died along the way.

Tathagata and the Jade Emperor followed the Supreme One’s mark into the Cloud Sea, hoping to find a way to survive. Elsewhere, Lu Ren bought Huang Gong’s fresh batch of Clarity Spirit Wine and continued his gaming holiday.

• Tathagata and the Jade Emperor traveled the Path to Ascension as their lifespans dwindled and searched for the mark described by the Supreme One.
• The Jade Emperor found the mark after examining the path for nearly three hundred miles, and he and Tathagata descended into the Cloud Sea.
• Huang Gong offered Lu Ren ten tons of Clarity Spirit Wine while Lu Ren played a video game.
• Lu Ren negotiated the price down to thirty-five Spirit Crystals per catty and bought the entire batch.
• Huang Gong declined Lu Ren’s invitation to play, saying he had already grown tired of video games.

Lu Ren learned that Qing Cheng, Li Shan, and others wanted him to join an expedition to investigate a hidden world beneath the Sunken Sea Zone’s bedrock. Curious but wary of the dangers in the Deep Sea Zone, he agreed to consider the invitation and was told the group would meet in fifty years.

• Lu Ren dismissed the idea of mining more Spirit Crystals because his Inner World Universe could eventually produce them on its own.
• Huang Gong told Lu Ren that Qing Cheng had asked him to recruit Lu Ren for an expedition beneath the bedrock.
• Lu Ren explained that he had reached the bedrock before but had chosen not to break through it, despite his curiosity.
• Huang Gong said Qing Cheng, Li Shan, Chang Kong, and others planned to dig through the Deep Sea Zone, where the bedrock lay closer to the surface.
• Lu Ren said he would think about joining, and Huang Gong invited him to meet the others at a courtyard atop Hanging Mountain in fifty years.

Lu Ren refined the Zhou Tian Body Spirit Fist, hunted Celestial Immortal-level ferocious beasts, and explained rising prices to Qing Cheng while waiting for Ao Li to hatch. After Ao Li remained stuck just before breaking out of her shell, Lu Ren went to Huang Gong and said he wanted to enter the Deep Sea Zone.

• Huang Gong delivered his message, entered seclusion, and promised to treat Lu Ren to a meal afterward.
• Lu Ren completed the cultivation of all 365 Acupoints of the Zhou Tian Body Spirit Fist, reaching a hundredfold combat-power increase with them alone.
• Lu Ren watched Ao Li continue absorbing the Spirit Crystal star and waited nearly a century for her to hatch.
• Lu Ren hunted Celestial Immortal-level ferocious beasts and helped drive up prices across Hanging Mountain as cultivators followed him into the mines.
• Lu Ren explained economic principles to Qing Cheng, who then sought knowledge from cultivators familiar with technological civilizations.
• Lu Ren went to Huang Gong after Ao Li remained on the verge of hatching, and Huang Gong was surprised when Lu Ren said he wanted to go to the Deep Sea Zone.

Lu Ren and Huang Gong sensed a Golden Immortal’s breakthrough as boundless purple qi engulfed Hanging Mountain. The unseen Golden Immortal passed overhead, and Lu Ren used his Shamanic Path perception to try to discern their identity.

• Lu Ren told Huang Gong he wanted to explore the Deep Sea Zone, and Huang Gong advised him to travel with Li Shan’s group.
• Lu Ren and Huang Gong discussed how long cultivation could numb emotions and whether preserving one’s true heart was possible.
• A vast tide of purple qi and interwoven principles appeared at the end of the Path to Ascension, and Huang Gong recognized that someone had become a Golden Immortal.
• Celestial Immortals from across Hanging Mountain returned to witness the phenomenon, but the Golden Immortal’s figure remained hidden as they flew overhead.
• Lu Ren failed to see the Golden Immortal with his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye and spread his Hyperdimensional Perception.

After witnessing a Golden Immortal’s appearance, Lu Ren learned that Qing Cheng, Li Shan, and Chang Kong might soon leave Hanging Mountain to pursue the Path to Ascension, potentially throwing the mountain into conflict. Lu Ren welcomed the prospect of chaos and agreed to join Huang Gong, Zheng Jie, and the others on a trip into the Deep Sea.

• Lu Ren glimpsed the Golden Immortal within the purple sun and was frozen by the figure’s gaze until the purple qi passed.
• Huang Gong explained that someone had attained the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit, inspiring the cultivators on Hanging Mountain to prepare for the Path to Ascension.
• Huang Gong warned Lu Ren that Qing Cheng, Li Shan, and Chang Kong might leave Hanging Mountain, leaving its factions without powerful figures to keep the peace.
• Lu Ren told Huang Gong that he welcomed the coming disorder because it could give him opportunities to defeat powerful cultivators and gain Skill Points.
• Huang Gong invited Lu Ren to join Zheng Jie and the others in the Deep Sea, and Lu Ren accepted.
• The next day, cultivators on Hanging Mountain rushed beneath the Cloud Sea to strengthen their foundations.

As mining for Spirit Crystals intensified across Hanging Mountain, Lu Ren and Zheng Jie’s group prepared to enter the Deep Sea Zone. After passing through the heavily excavated Sunken Sea Zone, they ventured into the dark depths below.

• Li Chengfeng and many others joined the mining rush, driving Huang Gong to brew more Clarity Spirit Wine while he prepared to hunt for ingredients in the Deep Sea Zone.
• Zheng Jie told Lu Ren and the others that he had resolved an old knot in his heart, while Lie Huo complained that relentless mining left him no chance to rest.
• Zheng Jie asked Lu Ren whether he and Huang Gong were prepared for the Deep Sea Zone, and Lu Ren reassured him.
• The group descended through the Cloudfall Zone into the Sunken Sea Zone, where Lu Ren saw that miners had carved the area into dense tunnels.
• Lu Ren and the others passed beyond the Sunken Sea Zone and entered the dark, oppressive Deep Sea Zone.

Lu Ren and his companions explored the Deep Sea Zone, where immense pressure, corrosive black mist, and dangerous beasts marked the deepest layer beneath the Cloud Sea. After discussing Hanging Mountain’s future and the dangers beyond it, they set out to hunt a peak Celestial Immortal-level beast, but Lie Huo first asked how they would divide the spoils.

• Lu Ren, Zheng Jie, Lie Huo, and the others entered the Deep Sea Zone and learned that each spatial layer beneath the Cloud Sea increased the pressure a hundredfold.
• Lie Huo described the darkness and deadly aura beyond the region outside Hanging Mountain, while Zheng Jie called Hanging Mountain a relatively safe place to build strength on the Path to Ascension.
• Huang Gong warned that Hanging Mountain could fall into chaos if Qing Cheng, Li Shan, and Chang Kong departed, and Zheng Jie predicted that they would ask Lu Ren to help make arrangements.
• Lu Ren proposed hunting Celestial Immortal-level ferocious beasts, and the group agreed that his strength made him suited to fight them.
• Lie Huo led the group toward a canyon thirty million miles southwest where a peak Celestial Immortal-level beast lived, then asked how they would divide the shares.

Lu Ren agreed to lead the hunt for a Celestial Immortal beast, claiming seventy percent of its flesh while insisting that he kill it himself to temper his techniques. After learning about the Deep Sea Zone’s dangers and a forbidden region rumored to hold a Golden Immortal’s remains, the group reached a canyon where a peak Celestial Immortal beast lay, and Lu Ren prepared to attack it.

• Lu Ren negotiated a seventy-thirty split with Zheng Jie and the others, on the condition that he personally kill the beast.
• Huang Gong, Zheng Jie, and Lie Huo warned Lu Ren about the Deep Sea Zone’s dangerous black creatures and its central region, where the remains of a possible Golden Immortal lay.
• The group reached a crimson-glowing canyon that housed a peak Celestial Immortal beast, and Zheng Jie worried that it was too dangerous to fight.
• Lu Ren refused to change targets, explaining that battle would help him verify his Dao and gauge the strength of powerful opponents.
• Lu Ren stepped toward the canyon and gathered True Energy in his right arm, preparing to fight the beast.

Lu Ren unleashed a devastating punch in the Deep Sea Zone, drawing the attention of nearby Celestial Immortals and driving black insect-like creatures to the surface. He dragged a peak Celestial Immortal beast from underground and began overpowering it with his bare hands.

• Lu Ren expanded his Witch God Physique and struck the canyon with a sun-bright punch that split the earth and shook the Deep Sea Zone.
• Lie Huo, Huang Gong, Zheng Jie, and nearby Celestial Immortals marveled at Lu Ren’s strength while debating whether it was safe to approach.
• Black insect-like creatures surged toward the surface as a wounded giant beast struggled out of the fissure.
• Lu Ren seized the giant beast by the neck and struck its jaw, interrupting its attempt to fire a crimson energy beam.
• Lu Ren grabbed the beast’s tail, lifted it, and slammed it onto the ground, triggering a powerful earthquake.

Lu Ren fought a peak Heavenly Immortal ferocious beast in the Deep Sea Zone, overwhelming it with his physical strength but struggling to break through its immense durability. He left the beast battered yet still alive as their destructive battle continued.

• Lu Ren pinned the Godzilla-like ferocious beast and endured its claws, while his earthen armor was repeatedly sliced apart.
• He drew on the Earth Dao Principles and pushed the Zhou Tian Body Spirit Fist to its five-hundredfold limit, though replenishing his energy remained costly.
• Lu Ren shattered the beast’s scales with repeated punches, then struck beneath its jaw and blasted it thirty li through the air.
• The beast tried to impale Lu Ren with its scales and attack with crimson flames, but he dodged its charge and repeatedly punched its jaws shut.
• The beast’s tail caught Lu Ren once and caved in his chest, but he quickly healed, seized the tail, and slammed the monster into the ground.
• Lu Ren realized that despite his barrage, the beast had suffered only superficial injuries and remained a serious problem.