Chapter Summaries

Lin Ke’s insect formation evolved after the Bone Fragment fused with him, letting him control the swarm as an extension of his body. It became a domain-tier divine ability and killed Murong Yue, leaving Lin Ke with a vastly strengthened formation and several upgraded spirit insects.

• Murong Yue bombarded Lin Ke’s insect formation with self-destructing magic artifacts, while Lin Ke released Soul-Hunting Mosquitoes to strengthen it and resolved to capture her for her treasures.
• The Bone Fragment fused with Lin Ke’s palm, giving him awareness of the entire formation and allowing him to reshape the swarm and attack Murong Yue with insect-made fists.
• Lin Ke used the Moisture-and-Egg Transformation Method through the swarm, creating a vortex that drained Murong Yue’s spiritual energy and shredded her Nascent Soul.
• Lin Ke realized the formation had become a domain-tier spell art, then ordered the Dream-Eating Gecko to absorb the dangerous mass of spiritual energy it had generated.
• Several spirit insects broke through to Golden Core Stage strength, the Dream-Eating Gecko stabilized its Nascent Soul Realm cultivation, and the Golden-Armored Rhinoceros vanished with Murong Yue’s death.

Lin Ke led the cultivators out of the Insect Abyss while concealing his strength and arranging for Nan Shang and Zong Ya to escape. As Dragon Lice attacked the group, Lin Ke saved Zong Ya by making Feng Jinyan self-detonate, but the Storage Bags that flew back to him risked exposing his secret.

• Lin Ke returned with the Insect Jade, opened a path through the Bone-Eroding Insects, and led the cultivators toward the Cavern's exit.
• Mo Tianji suspected Lin Ke had gained powerful opportunities, while Dongfang Yao and Shen Wei concluded that Lin Ke had entered the Illusionless Gu Sect to help Zong Ya.
• At the shaft leading to the Illusory Heart Forest, Lin Ke sent Nan Shang and Zong Ya a warning to wait because Imperial Clan cultivators blocked the entrance.
• Dragon Lice attacked the climbing cultivators, and Lin Ke told Nan Shang and Zong Ya to escape while he held back the insects.
• When a Dragon Louse threatened Zong Ya, Lin Ke sent Feng Jinyan to self-detonate and destroy it, after which Feng Jinyan's Storage Bags flew back to Lin Ke.

Lin Ke escaped the collapsing Myriad Insect Abyss with Zong Ya and Nan Shang, then discovered Imperial Clan cultivators slaughtering survivors outside. He fled toward the snowy mountains with the two unconscious women, but a small golden sword flew from his arms toward the golden-armored commander.

• Lin Ke grabbed the Insect Jade and escaped the collapsing nest as Bone-Eroding Insects attacked the cultivators behind him.
• After emerging, Lin Ke resisted the Illusory Heart Grass and found Zong Ya and Nan Shang unconscious from its poisonous mist.
• A golden-armored Imperial Clan woman ordered her Nascent Soul cultivators to kill the survivors and seal the Myriad Insect Abyss entrance.
• Mo Tianji and the other cultivators fought back against the Imperial Clan, while Lin Ke carried Zong Ya and Nan Shang toward the snowy mountains.
• As the golden-armored woman activated her Flying Sword, a small golden sword flew out of Lin Ke's arms toward her.

Lin Ke fought Murong Yue’s golden-armored sister after their paired flying swords resonated, then fabricated an account of Murong Yue’s death to explain why he had her sword. The sister believed him and let Lin Ke keep the sword, leaving their confrontation unexpectedly resolved.

• Lin Ke pulled Murong Yue’s flying sword back when it resonated with the Golden-Armored Female Cultivator’s sword, and she attacked him after accusing him of stealing it.
• Lin Ke hid the two women he carried, then countered the Golden-Armored Female Cultivator’s attacks with his powers, spirit insects, and a formation assault.
• The Golden-Armored Female Cultivator burned away Lin Ke’s insect vines and summoned a fire dragon, which Lin Ke stopped by sending Murong Yue’s Golden Armor Sword into it.
• The Golden-Armored Female Cultivator recognized the sword and demanded to know whether Lin Ke had killed Murong Yue.
• Lin Ke claimed that Imperial Clan spies had killed Murong Yue and that she had entrusted him with the sword and a warning about traitors.
• The Golden-Armored Female Cultivator believed Lin Ke’s story, thanked him for delivering Murong Yue’s message, and let him keep the sword.

Lin Ke established a concealed cavern on the snowy mountain for the unconscious women and reviewed the treasures he had gathered. After finding valuable artifacts in Murong Yue’s and Nangong Rui’s Storage Bags, he set out to secure the area and find medicine for the women.

• Lin Ke chose the snow-covered mountain as a secluded base and built an artificial cavern, laying the two unconscious women on stone beds and warming them with mystic flame.
• Lin Ke examined his spoils, including the Golden Flying Sword and the Insect Jade taken from the Bone-Eroding Insect Mother.
• Lin Ke found abundant spirit stones and origin tier superior longswords in Murong Yue’s Storage Bag, enough to fund a mountain range and disciples.
• Lin Ke discovered a Soul-Suppressing Banner and a life-saving Spatial Jade Slip among Nangong Rui’s treasures.
• When the women remained unconscious, Lin Ke sealed the cavern and released Lin Xuanyuan, the Dream-Eating Gecko, and his other Spirit Insects to search for nearby beasts and medicinal herbs.
• Lin Ke’s search uncovered several Snowfield Wolves.

Lin Ke hunted Snowfield Wolves and a Spirit Bear, then found hundred-and-fifty-year-old frostbreath grass in a cave. He used half a blade to remove the fire poison from the two women, leaving them recovering in the cave.

• Lin Ke's insect swarm killed the Snowfield Wolves and devoured their remains.
• Lin Ke accidentally angered a hidden Spirit Bear by throwing dung onto its head, then killed it with his Flying Sword.
• Lin Ke searched the bear's cave and found frostbreath grass that was over a hundred and fifty years old.
• Lin Ke refined half a blade of frostbreath grass and circulated its cold energy through the two women, removing their fire poison.

Lin Ke sheltered Zong Ya and Nan Shang from the Illusory Heart Grass while planning how to use his treasures and protect them in the Cloud Dragon Secret Realm. When Nan Shang collapsed into his arms at night, the newly awakened Zong Ya mistook the scene for something intimate and left them alone.

• Lin Ke abandoned plans to hunt and planted lotus seeds in the frozen lake after discovering that the poisonous mist had spread across the forest and cultivators were under attack.
• Nan Shang woke in the cavern, and Lin Ke identified Zong Ya as his senior sister from the Golden Wing Sect without revealing their relationship.
• Pink mist surged into the cavern at night, so Lin Ke sealed the entrance and told Nan Shang they would search for treasures after daybreak.
• Lin Ke reconsidered his plans, deciding to find a safer place before using his spirit medicines and treating Zong Ya's Gu Insect, while charging the Grain Rain Dragon Pearl.
• Nan Shang approached Lin Ke in the latter half of the night, said the fire poison had invaded his body, and collapsed into his arms.
• Zong Ya saw them, assumed Nan Shang's actions were intentional, and retreated to her room despite Lin Ke's explanation that he was poisoned.

Lin Ke, Zong Ya, and Nan Shang discussed the Imperial Clan’s threat and planned to hide while preparing for opportunities in the Cloud Dragon Secret Realm. Nan Shang revealed that the Dragon Pearl would draw out Dragon Clan remnant souls and expose their Dragon Tombs, which he could locate with the Dragon-Seeking Art.

• Lin Ke told Zong Ya and Nan Shang that Imperial Clan cultivators were killing other cultivators and that the three of them had escaped by luck.
• Zong Ya offered Breath-Concealing Pills, but Lin Ke said he had already provided some and proposed that they hide, build their strength, and wait for an opportunity.
• Nan Shang argued that they needed Dragon Armor and Dragon Weapons to contend with the Imperial Clan, prompting Lin Ke to ask him about the Dragon Pearl.
• Nan Shang explained that the attribute-less Dragon Pearl would draw out remnant souls and reveal their hidden Dragon Tombs, which could contain True Dragon remains, scales, herbs, and refined Dragon Pearls.
• Nan Shang revealed that he had mastered the Dragon-Seeking Art and could track the remnant souls; Lin Ke proposed searching the Illusory Heart Forest for herbs and joining the hunt when the tombs appeared.

Lin Ke, Zong Ya, and Nan Shang agreed to work together to grow medicinal herbs, refine Cultivation Pills, and locate the Dragon Tomb. Lin Ke also used a fabricated explanation about Zong Ya’s Gu Insect to enlist Nan Shang’s help in addressing her condition before the group set out to find a place to grow herbs.

• Lin Ke offered Zong Ya thousand-year Spirit Liquid and proposed that she refine Cultivation Pills while he and Nan Shang searched for herbs and the Dragon Tomb.
• Zong Ya agreed to the partnership, and Nan Shang volunteered to locate the Dragon Tomb.
• Lin Ke asked about Zong Ya’s Gu Insect, then claimed it had starved to death because her myriad-leak body caused it to lose Spiritual Qi.
• Nan Shang worried that Zong Ya’s Golden Core and cultivation were at risk, and urged Lin Ke to help her.
• Lin Ke promised to investigate Zong Ya’s condition and proposed that they find a place to grow medicinal herbs and collect pill formulas.

Lin Ke and Nan Shang prepared a heated greenhouse beside the frozen lake, then set out to gather the ingredients for two Cultivation Pills. They found Cold-Congealing Jade Leaves on a snow pine, and Lin Ke asked Nan Shang about the Dragon Clan’s Dragon Pearls.

• Lin Ke used the Insect Tide to consume the corpses outside the cavern, then cleared reeds with Mystic Flame to prepare lakeside fields.
• Lin Ke scattered spirit lotus seeds in the lake and collected Grain Rain Spirit Liquid while Nan Shang leveled the fields.
• Lin Ke built a glass greenhouse and heated stones to warm it, explaining the method to Nan Shang.
• Lin Ke described the ingredients for the Flame-Red Sinew-Tempering Pill and Winter Frostheart Pill, and he and Nan Shang chose to search the Snow Mountain first.
• Lin Ke and Nan Shang found a snow pine bearing Cold-Congealing Jade Leaves and climbed it to gather them.
• While they gathered leaves, Lin Ke asked Nan Shang about the functions of the Dragon Clan’s Dragon Pearls.

Nan Shang explained the traits and limitations of the Dragon Clan to Lin Ke before they were attacked by snow pythons. After Lin Ke and Nan Shang defeated the pythons, Shi You emerged from the snow, accused Nan Shang of associating with a spy, and attacked Lin Ke.

• Nan Shang told Lin Ke how dragons born in different seasons had fixed traits, including the deadly powers of winter-solstice Dragons of Annihilation.
• Lin Ke and Nan Shang fought off giant snow pythons with sword, crystals, and spirit insects.
• Shi You seized Nan Shang with a giant spirit-power hand and accused the Sect's Saintess of associating with a spy.
• Lin Ke struck Shi You with his Golden Flying Sword, fire-wielding insects, and the Dream-Eating Gecko, forcing him to release Nan Shang.
• Shi You summoned the Myriad Transformations Profound Nether Bell, released witch gu qi, and darted behind Lin Ke, surrounding him with illusory figures.

Lin Ke defeated Shi You with the Amethyst Longhorn Beetles, but the Illusionless Gu Ancestor took control of Shi You's body and demanded that Lin Ke protect Nan Shang. The Ancestor revealed that Nan Shang was his vessel and that gathering all the Dragon Pearls would let him return to the present world.

• Lin Ke endured Shi You's attacks, trapped him with the Amethyst Longhorn Beetles, and began swallowing him with the Ten Thousand Insects Shattering the Ruins Formation.
• The Illusionless Gu Ancestor appeared through Shi You, used spatial power to destroy several beetles, and asked Lin Ke to keep Nan Shang safe.
• The Illusionless Gu Ancestor threatened Lin Ke's senior sister, so Lin Ke agreed to protect Nan Shang but demanded to know his origins.
• Lin Ke pressed a Golden Flying Sword to Nan Shang's neck to prevent the Illusionless Gu Ancestor from deceiving him.
• The Illusionless Gu Ancestor said he would return when people gathered all the Dragon Pearls and revealed that Nan Shang was his vessel.

Lin Ke and Nan Shang fell into an icebound grotto-heaven after the Illusionless Gu Ancestor vanished, and Lin Ke reassured Nan Shang that he had only pretended to accept the Ancestor’s terms. They discovered Jade Dragon True Person’s Cave Abode and faced its undead guards.

• The Illusionless Gu Ancestor revealed that Nan Shang was intended as his vessel and offered Lin Ke Dragon Pearls in exchange for protecting him, while Lin Ke pretended to agree.
• A tremendous crash opened a canyon, and Lin Ke, Nan Shang, and Shi You fell into an ice cavern where Spirit Power would not respond.
• Lin Ke comforted Nan Shang and explained that he had agreed to the Ancestor’s terms as a delaying tactic and held Nan Shang at swordpoint to protect them.
• Nan Shang began to tell Lin Ke that becoming his guardian deacon would prevent any possibility between them, but an attack interrupted him.
• Lin Ke and Nan Shang found Jade Dragon True Person’s Cave Abode and fought its skeleton guards, which rose again after Lin Ke’s sword scattered their bones.

Lin Ke and Nan Shang subdued the Undead Warriors guarding the Jade Dragon True Person’s cave abode and entered its icy passage. Lin Ke discovered that the corridor contained deadly traps designed for cultivators without Dragon Clan blood, and the test skull was sliced apart by enormous swinging axes.

• Nan Shang explained that separating an Undead Warrior’s head from its body could stop it from reviving, and he and Lin Ke pinned the skeletons’ heads and limbs in place.
• Lin Ke used wind, snow, and ice to trap the remaining Undead Warriors after Nan Shang ran low on Spiritual Qi.
• Lin Ke and Nan Shang entered the cave abode, where Lin Xuanyuan warned that its traps were designed to kill cultivators without Dragon Clan blood.
• Lin Ke threw an Undead Warrior’s skull into the passage, triggering three enormous axe blades that sliced it into pieces.

Lin Ke guided Nan Shang through a trapped corridor, saving him from Extreme Realm Steel Wire before they reached a sealed stone door. Lin Ke solved the door’s mathematical puzzle and raised it, but water began gushing into the passage.

• Lin Ke tested the corridor’s traps with skulls and led Nan Shang past axes, flying swords, poisoned arrows, and skeletal snakes.
• Lin Ke spotted Extreme Realm Steel Wire, shoved Nan Shang down, and snapped the wire with silver needles.
• Lin Ke and Nan Shang reached a blank stone door, and Nan Shang accidentally triggered a mechanism that sealed the way behind them.
• Lin Ke recognized the symbols on the door as mathematical clues, solved their equations, and wrote the answer on the stone.
• The stone door rose after Lin Ke entered the answer, and Nan Shang noticed water gushing into the passage.

Lin Ke and Nan Shang survived a corridor flooded with flammable liquid by setting it ablaze, then entered the cave abode and uncovered a hidden treasury beneath the bed. They began examining its treasures, and Nan Shang spotted something that caught his attention.

• Lin Ke recognized the liquid's marsh-gas stench and ignited it with Mystic Flame, causing the flames to force both stone doors open.
• With their spiritual qi depleted, Lin Ke pretended they had no Gathering Spirit Pellets and teased Nan Shang as he spoke about a peaceful future together.
• Lin Ke carried Nan Shang through the flames using Lin Xuanyuan's spiritual qi and the Five-Colored Glazed Body, and they entered the cave abode.
• Nan Shang searched the furnishings, found Dragon Armor and two high-grade spirit stones, while Lin Ke discovered a hidden hole beneath the bed.
• Lin Ke and Nan Shang climbed into a concealed treasury filled with spirit stones and treasures, and Lin Ke identified a divine tier mid-grade Three-Eyed Fire Arquebus.
• Nan Shang called Lin Ke over to look at something.

Lin Ke, Nan Shang, and Zong Ya escaped the hidden cave abode with its treasures and regrouped to divide their finds. Lin Ke tested the Little Purple Pearl’s strange defense and discovered that Nan Shang’s punch passed through it and hit him instead.

• Lin Ke and Nan Shang collected spirit stones and treasures from the cave abode, then escaped as its formations reset behind them.
• Lin Ke freed the Undead Warriors, found only blood where Shi You had lain, and fled the canyon with Nan Shang.
• Lin Ke and Nan Shang returned to Zong Ya, sealed their cave, and showed her the treasures they had found.
• Zong Ya chose the Purple Clay Pill Furnace and Three-Eyed Fire Arquebus, while Nan Shang took the Bone Needles and Lin Ke gave him the Dragon Armor.
• Lin Ke chose the Dragon-Headed Horizontal Saber and Little Purple Pearl, then watched Nan Shang’s punch pass through the pearl’s Purple Smoke Screen and strike him.

Lin Ke discovered that the purple orb blocked poison and accepted a book on mechanism arts and formations. As the Imperial Clan pursued the wounded Shi You to the cavern, Shi You called for Lin Ke’s help, but Lin Ke stayed hidden.

• Lin Ke tested the purple orb and found that its barrier expanded and neutralized poisonous gas, while Zong Ya identified it as a formation stone that granted poison immunity.
• Nan Shang gave Lin Ke the Record of Divine Mechanisms, a book containing the Dragon Cultivator’s notes on mechanism arts and formations.
• A battle outside the cavern revealed the Golden-Armored Female Cultivator and the Imperial Clan pursuing the badly wounded Shi You.
• The Golden-Armored Female Cultivator pinned Shi You with golden sword light, and her followers fired crossbow bolts that the Myriad Transformations Profound Nether Bell blocked.
• Shi You shouted for Lin Ke to rescue him, but Lin Ke told Zong Ya and Nan Shang to remain quiet and stay hidden.

Lin Ke fought Murong Xue and the Imperial Clan cultivators after Murong Xue revealed she was Murong Yue’s elder sister. He shot Murong Xue and Shi You with stolen crossbows, but three blasts from the cave sent Murong Xue crashing down as the remaining cultivators cried out.

• Murong Xue ordered her squad to fire at Shi You, and Lin Ke emerged from the collapsing cavern to protect his hidden senior and junior sisters.
• Lin Ke denied knowing Shi You, but Murong Xue recognized him and attacked after he mentioned Murong Yue, revealing that she was Murong Yue’s elder sister.
• Lin Ke’s little golden sword halted Murong Xue’s sword attack, and her subordinates mistakenly shot Shi You while Lin Ke killed several Golden Core cultivators.
• Lin Ke seized two heavy crossbows, used insects to remove their tracking talismans and destroy their yin souls, then aimed the crossbows at Murong Xue and Shi You.
• Lin Ke fired at both targets; Shi You was struck in the ankle, while Murong Xue’s Longevity Lock blocked the bolt and she fled.
• Three blasts came from the cavern, and Murong Xue fell from the air as the remaining Imperial Clan cultivators cried out.

Lin Ke and his companions escaped the Imperial Clan cultivators and chose to hide in the Jade Dragon Cultivator's cave abode, where they discovered the remains of an earlier expedition. Inside, Nan Shang inexplicably grieved over the dead disciples, leaving Lin Ke and Zong Ya puzzled.

• Zong Ya and Nan Shang drove off the Imperial Clan cultivators, who left Murong Xue behind, and Lin Ke put Shi You and Murong Xue into a mist-filled stone sphere after taking Shi You's Storage Bag.
• Nan Shang showed Lin Ke a map of the Cloud Dragon Secret Realm, and Lin Ke decided the group should hide in the Dragon Cultivator Cave Abode rather than flee the Illusory Heart Forest.
• Lin Ke, Nan Shang, and Zong Ya followed the gorge to the Jade Dragon Cultivator's cave abode, finding the bodies of cultivators killed by its traps and burning them after taking their Storage Bags.
• Inside the cave, Nan Shang began crying over the corpses of Jade Great Radiance Church disciples and asked Lin Ke whether he knew them.
• Lin Ke comforted Nan Shang, while Zong Ya's oddly rising eyebrows and curling mouth left Lin Ke unable to explain the scene.