Chapter Summaries

Ye Han and Qin Jiuzhen explored Treasure Mountain and found a trove of treasures in a pagoda. Ye Han claimed a Geng Metal Immortal Stone, while Qin Jiuzhen discovered a mysterious lamp that he believed could keep him alive.

• Ye Han led Qin Jiuzhen through Treasure Mountain toward a Treasure Pagoda, explaining that each of them could take only two treasures.
• They found the pagoda’s lower levels looted, but the third level still held treasures behind intact restrictions.
• Ye Han followed the Purple Cauldron’s reaction and claimed a Geng Metal Immortal Stone, a potent treasure for refining and strengthening artifacts.
• Qin Jiuzhen found a jade-like lamp that drew gray-black aura from his body and excitedly declared that he could stay alive.

Ye Han helped Qin Jiuzhen obtain the Purifying Curse Spirit Lamp and Whirlwind Orb, then took the True Spirit Cosmos Urn and Cloud-Chasing Divine Steps from the Treasure Pagoda. In the Discipline Hall, he found Qin Jiuzhen fighting a familiar woman who used the Azure Profound Sect’s Qing Xuan Sword Technique, and asked if she was Ye Lingzhi.

• Qin Jiuzhen used Ye Han’s Heavenly Secret Token to obtain the Purifying Curse Spirit Lamp, which could purge the killing intent in his body.
• Ye Han explained how the pagoda’s restrictions allowed them to take treasures and told Qin Jiuzhen he could choose another one.
• Qin Jiuzhen chose the Whirlwind Orb and was teleported to the Discipline Hall with it.
• Ye Han replaced his planned metal-attribute sword with the Cloud-Chasing Divine Steps and took it alongside the True Spirit Cosmos Urn.
• Ye Han arrived in the Discipline Hall and saw Qin Jiuzhen injured and fighting a woman wielding eight flying swords and the Qing Xuan Sword Technique.
• The woman attacked Ye Han, then asked if he was from the Azure Profound Sect, and Ye Han asked whether she was Ye Lingzhi.

Ye Han recognized Ye Lingzhi at the Heavenly Secret Hall's Treasure Mountain and learned she had come from the Upper Tomb Land, leaving him shocked to discover Han Yuwan had come with her but was missing.

• Ye Han and Qin Jiuzhen stopped fighting when Ye Han recognized Ye Lingzhi, who had been using the Qing Xuan Sword Technique.
• Ye Lingzhi questioned Ye Han about his identity and the sect, and Ye Han revealed his face to her.
• Ye Lingzhi recognized Ye Han and said she had entered the Upper Tomb Land with fellow disciples from her sect.
• Ye Lingzhi told Ye Han that Han Yuwan had come with her, and Ye Han anxiously asked where she was.

Ye Han learned from Ye Lingzhi that Han Yuwan had led their fellow disciples away after discovering the Fourth Elder planned to sacrifice them at the Heavenly Secret Hall's Treasure Mountain. Ye Lingzhi believed Han Yuwan might still be alive, but Qin Jiuzhen's sudden scream interrupted their conversation.

• Ye Han anxiously asked Ye Lingzhi whether Han Yuwan had survived the Treasure Mountain.
• Ye Lingzhi explained that the Fourth Elder had brought the female disciples to the Heavenly Secret Hall and intended to sacrifice them to open a Restriction.
• Han Yuwan exposed the Fourth Elder's scheme and led the disciples away, but several were killed during their escape.
• A Demon King pursued Han Yuwan and Ye Lingzhi, and Han Yuwan sent the injured Ye Lingzhi through a Teleportation Array with a Heavenly Secret Token.
• Ye Lingzhi said Han Yuwan might still be alive because she knew secrets that helped her navigate the Heavenly Secret Hall.
• Qin Jiuzhen suddenly screamed, and Ye Han and Ye Lingzhi turned toward him.

Ye Han learned that Ye Lingzhi’s Teleportation Token could lead to another Heavenly Secret Hall, potentially helping him find Han Yuwan and return to Heaven’s Mandate Continent. After leaving Ye Lingzhi and Qin Jiuzhen in the Discipline Hall, he set out alone for the Heavenly Secret Hall with Qin Jiuzhen’s Compass.

• Ye Han used demon-breaking divine thunder to help Qin Jiuzhen suppress the Yin Fiend Sect’s yin fiend energy with the Purifying Curse Spirit Lamp.
• Ye Han realized Ye Lingzhi’s teleportation might connect the Northern Lu Province Continent to the Heavenly Secret Hall in the Upper Tomb Land, where he hoped to find Han Yuwan.
• Qin Jiuzhen admitted he had lied about the Compass being unable to leave his body and offered it to Ye Han, choosing to stay behind and purge his yin fiend energy.
• Ye Lingzhi recognized Qin Jiuzhen’s Compass as one like the Compass Senior Sister Han had owned, strengthening Ye Han’s resolve to enter the Heavenly Secret Hall.
• Ye Han gave Ye Lingzhi and Qin Jiuzhen pills and a Heavenly Secret Token, then used Qin Jiuzhen’s Compass to set off alone toward the Heavenly Secret Hall.

Ye Han used Qin Jiuzhen’s Compass to pursue opportunities in the Heavenly Secret Hall, but first headed to its Medicine Garden, hoping it remained unopened. After preparing several defenses, he entered and was immediately ambushed by a demonic beast.

• Qin Jiuzhen revealed the Compass bearing gold-and-silver runes could be passed on and gave it to Ye Han because his yin baleful energy made him unable to continue the search.
• Ye Han decided to use the Compass to explore the Heavenly Secret Hall and possibly rescue Han Yuwan, but went first to the Medicine Garden.
• Ye Han found signs of a fierce battle outside the Medicine Garden, where two Heavenly Secret Soldiers were slowly repairing the damage, while the Restrictive Barrier remained intact.
• Ye Han strengthened his defenses and entered the Medicine Garden, where a blood-red demon claw struck him as a demonic beast launched a Mind Invasion.

Ye Han defeated the Giant-Hand Bamboo Demon guarding the Medicine Garden after luring him outside and binding him with Demon-Sealing Chains. With the demon destroyed, Ye Han prepared to plunder the garden, but the Purple Cauldron drew his attention to something in the demon’s remains.

• Ye Han found the Giant-Hand Bamboo Demon guarding a Medicine Garden whose remaining spirit medicines were scarce and immature.
• Ye Han fled through the garden’s Restrictive Barrier, then used two sets of Demon-Sealing Chains to bind the pursuing demon.
• Ye Han struck the bound Giant-Hand Bamboo Demon with the Heavenly Thunder Drum until the demon and his demonic soul were destroyed.
• Ye Han prepared to enter the Medicine Garden, but the Purple Cauldron sensed something interesting in the demon’s charred body.

Ye Han entered the Medicine Garden after killing the Giant-Hand Bamboo Demon and found pill immortal grass, a key ingredient for refining Dustfall Pills. He left with the rare herbs still to gather, now possessing three of the four main ingredients he needed to pursue the Golden Core Stage.

• Ye Han cut open the Giant-Hand Bamboo Demon's head, removed its demon crystal, and stored it rather than letting the Purple Cauldron absorb it.
• Ye Han cautiously entered the Medicine Garden, where most mature spirit medicines had already been harvested.
• Ye Han followed the Purple Cauldron's reaction to the garden's deepest area and discovered more than thirty stalks of pill immortal grass.
• Ye Han realized he had gathered three of the four main ingredients for Dustfall Pills, then noticed something in the medicine field that made him delighted.

Ye Han discovered bright-spirit fertile soil in the Medicine Garden and used it to improve the Purple Cauldron Space while gathering medicinal herbs. After noticing a golden-rune insect egg absorbing the aura of Blood-Spotted Ant eggs, he went to explore the Scripture Pavilion for cultivation techniques and ancient texts.

• Ye Han recognized the medicine-field soil as bright-spirit fertile soil, gathered pill immortal grass, and moved the soil into the Purple Cauldron Space, increasing its spiritual energy generation and expansion rates by thirty percent.
• Ye Han transplanted the Medicine Garden’s herbs into the Purple Cauldron Space and found that its medicine field had become crowded with spirit medicines.
• Ye Han saw a golden-rune insect egg absorbing the aura of nearby Blood-Spotted Ant eggs, fed it qi and blood, and marked it with his divine sense so it would obey him after hatching.
• Ye Han left the Medicine Garden and headed for the Scripture Pavilion because he wanted better cultivation techniques and ancient texts.
• Ye Han reached the three-story Scripture Pavilion, saw battle damage and missing Heavenly Secret Soldiers outside, activated his defenses, and entered.

Ye Han searched the Scripture Pavilion’s upper floors and found a sinister severed hand holding a Jade Slip. After sealing and storing the hand, he triggered a sword attack from the Jade Slip that cut through his defenses and opened his neck.

• Ye Han found the Scripture Pavilion’s first and second floors empty and reached the third floor.
• Ye Han discovered a withered severed hand radiating the sinister aura of a middle Golden Core Stage cultivator.
• Ye Han used demon-breaking divine thunder to force the hand open and release a Jade Slip.
• Ye Han sealed the hand’s aura, stored it, and prepared to examine the Jade Slip without touching it directly.
• The Jade Slip released a figure’s sword qi, which cleaved through Ye Han’s defensive barrier and slit his neck.

Ye Han exhausted the sword intent protecting a Jade Slip and discovered that it contained the powerful, metal-attribute Great Geng Sword Art. He could not cultivate it yet, but planned to use his geng metal immortal stone to gain the required metal-attribute spirit root.

• Ye Han survived the Jade Slip’s terrifying sword intent by using his Substitute Talisman, which cost him ten years of lifespan and considerable cultivation.
• Ye Han repeatedly triggered the Jade Slip’s sword intent from outside the Restrictive Barrier until its attacks stopped.
• Ye Han picked up the Jade Slip and suffered a backlash to his divine sense when he inspected its contents.
• Ye Han discovered the Great Geng Sword Art and realized he could cultivate it once he obtained a metal-attribute spirit root.
• Ye Han prepared to use the geng metal immortal stone while alone in the Scripture Pavilion.

Ye Han explored Treasure Mountain and used the Purple Cauldron to absorb a piece of geng metal immortal stone, hoping to eventually obtain a metal-attribute spirit root. After finding little else across the mountain, he stood before the Heavenly Secret Hall and prepared to enter.

• Ye Han fed the geng metal immortal stone to the Purple Cauldron, which absorbed its metal-attribute energy and slowly grew its golden sapling.
• Ye Han studied the Great Geng Sword Art Jade Slip, recognizing that he could not cultivate the metal-attribute sword art without a metal-attribute spirit root.
• Ye Han searched the Scripture Pavilion but found nothing beyond the Jade Slip and empty central platform.
• Over several days, Ye Han explored Treasure Mountain’s other locations and found only a few immature treasures, while noticing signs of battles but no corpses.
• With the rest of Treasure Mountain searched, Ye Han approached the Heavenly Secret Hall and decided to enter.

Ye Han entered the Heavenly Secret Hall, where he was teleported into a vast hall and found a slain Dragon-Headed Heavenly Secret Beast. The Gold-and-Silver Runes Compass and Purple Cauldron both pointed toward the same passage, and Ye Han decided to salvage the beast before following them.

• Ye Han entered the Heavenly Secret Hall, and a spatial gale teleported him into an enormous empty hall.
• Ye Han discovered a Dragon-Headed Heavenly Secret Beast that had already been slain by a powerful cultivator.
• Ye Han found five passageways and sensed that both the Gold-and-Silver Runes Compass and the Purple Cauldron pointed toward the same one.
• Ye Han decided to salvage the Heavenly Secret Beast's valuable materials with his Treasure Refining Furnace.

Ye Han spent more than a month cutting apart and refining the Dragon-Headed Heavenly Secret Beast, collecting geng metal spirit liquid and improving his puppets. He cautiously resumed exploring the Heavenly Secret Hall, but an explosion soon severed his connection to a Metal Puppet.

• Ye Han used the Binglian Puppet, equipped with a Golden Core Stage cultivator's severed hand, to cut the Dragon-Headed Heavenly Secret Beast into pieces while he refined its materials.
• Ye Han collected a bottle of geng metal spirit liquid, fed it to the Purple Cauldron, and accelerated the metal-attribute spirit root sapling's growth.
• The Binglian Puppet's severed hand fused more closely with its arm as it worked, and Ye Han gained knowledge of mechanical beasts' construction and weaknesses.
• Ye Han sent the Binglian Puppet and two Metal Puppets ahead as he followed the Gold-and-Silver Runes Compass deeper into the Heavenly Secret Hall.
• After Ye Han had traveled for a little over an hour, a tremendous roar erupted and he lost his divine sense connection with one of his Metal Puppets.

Ye Han fought an Ox-Headed Heavenly Secret Beast in a passage and destroyed it with the Five Elements Ancient Treasure Formation. Afterward, he explained that Heavenly Secret Beasts depended on a protected mechanical core, then questioned why he had chosen the formation for the fight.

• Ye Han sensed that a Heavenly Secret Beast had attacked the Metal Puppet and prepared the Five Elements Ancient Treasure Formation.
• The Ox-Headed Heavenly Secret Beast emerged after blasting the Binglian Puppet aside, and Ye Han recalled the puppet to his Storage Bag.
• Ye Han unleashed the Five Elements Ancient Treasure Formation, whose combined elemental power overwhelmed the beast and extinguished the light in its eyes.
• Ye Han reasoned that the beast could be disabled by destroying its central mechanical component, but its armor made reaching the core difficult.
• Ye Han noted that only the Absolute Frost Divine Sword could penetrate the armor with his current abilities, but its cost was too high, and he wondered why he had used the formation instead.

Ye Han defeated an Ox-Headed Heavenly Secret Beast, harvested its materials, and continued refining the Dragon-Headed Heavenly Secret Beast's remains while studying Cloud-Chasing Divine Steps. More than a month later, he used the movement technique to evade a Heavenly Secret Soldier and turned it into a sparring partner as he grew more proficient.

• Ye Han concluded that the Heavenly Secret Token no longer stopped Heavenly Secret Beasts from attacking and that the Five Elements Ancient Treasure Formation was his strongest way to destroy them.
• Ye Han released the Binglian Puppet to cut apart the Ox-Headed Heavenly Secret Beast and used the Treasure Refining Furnace to process the Dragon-Headed Heavenly Secret Beast's remaining materials.
• Ye Han studied Cloud-Chasing Divine Steps while refining materials, and the Treasure Refining Furnace advanced a tier after he finished processing the Ox-Headed Heavenly Secret Beast.
• Following the Gold-and-Silver Runes Compass, Ye Han encountered a towering Heavenly Secret Soldier and practiced Cloud-Chasing Divine Steps while dodging its attacks.
• Ye Han became adept enough to evade the Heavenly Secret Soldier's attacks, then resolved to keep the valuable construct made from Heavenly Secret Beast materials.

Ye Han defeated a Heavenly Secret Soldier and continued dismantling Heavenly Secret constructs to obtain geng metal spirit liquid and study their mechanisms. After more than nine months in the vast Heavenly Secret Hall, his compass reacted strongly and pointed toward a passage on his right.

• Ye Han destroyed the Heavenly Secret Soldier with demon-breaking divine thunder and had the Binglian Puppet dissect it.
• Ye Han used the Treasure Refining Furnace to break down the Ox-Headed Heavenly Secret Beast for materials, including geng metal spirit liquid.
• Ye Han set aside his search for his Eldest Senior Brother and accepted that the possible connection between them no longer mattered to him.
• Ye Han’s thoughts settled, advancing his cultivation, swordsmanship, and Cloud-Chasing Divine Steps.
• More than nine months after entering the Heavenly Secret Hall, Ye Han saw the Gold-and-Silver Runes Compass shine and point insistently toward a passage on his right.

Ye Han refined geng metal spirit liquid until the metal-attribute fruit on the Purple Cauldron ripened, then swallowed it to complete his five elemental spirit roots. As his spirit roots formed a five-colored cycle, dark clouds gathered over Treasure Mountain and Ye Han realized a Heavenly Tribulation was approaching.

• Ye Han destroyed a two-headed Heavenly Secret Beast with the Heavenly Thunder Drum and Demon-Breaking Divine Thunder, continuing his cautious progress through the hall.
• After killing thirty-eight Heavenly Secret Soldiers and Heavenly Secret Beasts, Ye Han had obtained sixty bottles of geng metal spirit liquid and advanced to the middle stage of the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
• Ye Han sent the refined liquid into the Purple Cauldron until its metal-attribute fruit ripened and fell into his hand.
• Ye Han established several defensive formations and arranged for the Binglian Puppet and eight Metal Puppets to guard him before swallowing the fruit.
• Ye Han's five elemental spirit roots formed a mutually nourishing cycle, and dark clouds gathered over Treasure Mountain as he sensed danger and recognized the Heavenly Tribulation.

Ye Han faced a heavenly tribulation after his spirit roots became a complete set of five elements, and he survived its first strikes by taking refuge inside the Purple Cauldron. The tribulation clouds then turned on the nearby Blue Lake Demon King and Crow Demon King.

• Ye Han recognized the incoming catastrophe as a heavenly tribulation and layered his defenses before a blood-red lightning bolt broke through them and severely injured him.
• With another strike imminent, Ye Han summoned the Purple Cauldron and entered it just before a second bolt hit; the cauldron absorbed the lightning without harm.
• The Blue Lake Demon King and Crow Demon King investigated the tribulation clouds near the Cursed Pillars and wondered whether a demon beast was advancing.
• The tribulation clouds rushed overhead, and two blood-red bolts struck the Blue Lake Demon King and Crow Demon King, though the tribulation was not theirs.

The heavenly tribulation struck the Crow Demon King and the Blue Lake Demon King before pursuing them as they fled. Inside the Purple Cauldron Space, Ye Han survived the lightning and realized that completing his five-element spirit roots had likely provoked Heaven.

• The heavenly tribulation blasted the Crow Demon King and the Blue Lake Demon King, leaving both gravely wounded.
• The two Demon Kings argued over why the tribulation had attacked them and began to flee when it struck another Demon King nearby.
• The tribulation clouds chased after the Crow Demon King and the Blue Lake Demon King, forcing them to run in terror.
• Ye Han hid inside the Purple Cauldron Space, where the Purple Cauldron withstood the second strike while he suffered severe injuries from the first.
• Ye Han suspected that completing his five-element spirit roots had drawn the heavenly tribulation, and he considered how tribulations punished cultivators in other circumstances.