Chapter Summaries

Wharton joined the leading experts as they traveled to a gigantic palace believed to hold the secret of Transcendence. There, he fought the Chaotic-Heaven Black Mastiff while the others battled the remaining zodiac beasts, but all of them held back and the beasts remained undefeated.

• Adenas left William and Amethyst behind while Wharton continued with the other powerful experts.
• The Overlord of Death told Wharton that twelve Half-Step Fourth Order beasts guarded the palace where they believed the secret of Transcendence lay.
• After half a month of travel, Wharton and the others reached the immense palace, where twelve statues awakened as fierce beasts.
• Wharton attacked the Chaotic-Heaven Black Mastiff with Purple Lightning, wounding it, but the beast struck him and sent him flying.
• The experts held back their strength during the battles, prompting Uterde to demand that they stop wasting time and defeat the beasts.

Wharton and the other experts defeated the beasts guarding the palace and witnessed the history of the ruined universe and the Overgod's Path of Transcendence. They climbed the Heavenly Stairway to a platform with a mysterious Pagoda, where their rivalry erupted into a fight over the treasure.

• The Dragon God, Uterde, the lord of Slaughter Prison, Wharton, and the others used their full strength to kill the beasts, and Wharton absorbed World Essence from his kill.
• Harris dissolved his beast into blood with a curse, and the group killed the final beast together before opening the palace doors.
• The murals showed Wharton and the others how the universe had been destroyed in the struggle for Transcendence, how the Overgod's divine palace had descended, and how the Coiling Dragon Universe had been created anew.
• The Celestial God stepped onto the Heavenly Stairway first, and the others followed; after nearly a hundred years, they reached the three-thousandth step and found a shining Pagoda on a platform.
• The Celestial God rushed for the Pagoda, but the others attacked him; he escaped with the help of thousands of duplicates, drew his golden sword, and joined the fight.

Wharton and the Dragon God fought over access to the Pagoda while Adenas bound it and survived a combined assault by nine opponents. As the others surrounded Adenas, Wharton slipped away toward the next step of the Heavenly Stairway.

• Wharton attacked Hades Harris, then clashed with the Dragon God as both tried to reach the Pagoda.
• Adenas reached the Pagoda first, bound it with his essence blood, and activated it to block the others’ attacks.
• The attackers blasted Adenas away, but he retaliated with the Eye of Heavenly Punishment, engulfing the platform in blood and lightning.
• Wharton absorbed the heavenly punishment into his Small World, while the other fighters broke free and suffered injuries.
• Adenas threatened to drag his opponents down with him, stopping them from attacking again as they surrounded him.
• Wharton avoided the standoff and sped toward the next step.

Wharton reached the six-thousandth step first and claimed the Emperor Bell, a Second-Grade Grandmist Spiritual Treasure, before defeating the Dragon God’s attack. The others demanded that Wharton stay out of future treasure contests, but he refused, and they began negotiating a narrower restriction.

• The Overlord of Death helped Vivia escape while the others fought Adenas, and Wharton continued toward the treasure platform.
• Wharton reached the six-thousandth step, seized the Emperor Bell, and bound it to himself as the Dragon God attacked.
• Wharton used the Emperor Bell to drive the Dragon God back, while the Life Sovereign arrived and blocked the entrance to the next level.
• The Prison Lord asked whether Wharton had claimed the treasure, and Wharton confirmed it while refusing to surrender his chance at future treasures.
• Howard demanded that Wharton withdraw from later contests, but the Overlord of Death, the Life Sovereign, and Adenas refused to attack him.
• Wharton offered not to use the Emperor Bell to compete for the next treasure, and the Dragon God agreed to clarify the rules.

Wharton fought the Dragon God Kewotes over the Jade Seal and broke through his bottleneck during their battle. After killing Kewotes, Wharton faced the wariness of the other victors, leaving the treasure contest unresolved.

• Uterde proposed settling ownership of the next treasure through battle, and the group climbed the pressured stairs to the final platform.
• Kewotes ambushed Wharton near the Jade Seal, but Wharton overwhelmed him and forced him to transform and use his Dragon Pearl.
• Wharton unleashed nine increasingly powerful blade lights, broke through his bottleneck, and shattered Kewotes' Dragon Pearl, killing him.
• The Lord of Slaughter Prison, the Overlord of Death, the Destruction Sovereign, and the Demon won their own fights, while their defeated opponents withdrew alive.
• The victors approached Wharton cautiously, and one remarked that none of them might be his match.

Wharton defeated four powerful opponents after breaking through to the Fourth Realm, then spent millennia stabilizing his inner world and advancing further. After learning about the Main Universe from Linley, he left the Coiling Dragon World with Nia, Little Gold, and the others to pursue new opportunities.

• Wharton challenged the four contenders at once and overwhelmed them, revealing that he had broken through to the Fourth Realm in his battle with the Dragon God.
• Wharton claimed the jade seal, while Adenas and the others left him to cultivate; Wharton then stabilized his inner world and fused his final Profound Mystery over more than a thousand years.
• When the Secret Realm closed, Linley congratulated Wharton and explained that his new realm placed him at the God King tier in the Main Universe.
• Over the next million years, Wharton reached the peak Third Order but could not break through further because of the world's rules.
• Wharton decided to leave for the Main Universe, brought Nia, Little Gold, and the others into his inner world, opened a passage, and stepped through.