Recaps

Qing Chen presented Emperor Jingtai with two dream-cultivation texts, and the emperor was impressed by the complete first volume of the Yinghuo Illumination-of-the-World Dream Scripture. Qing Chen then asked to study the Fourth Dream Seal, leaving Emperor Jingtai amused by his calculated request.

• Qing Chen knelt before Emperor Jingtai and presented the Record of Dreaming of Butterflies and Carefree Wandering and the Yinghuo Illumination-of-the-World Dream Scripture.
• Emperor Jingtai found Qing Chen’s personal insights modest but discovered that the Yinghuo scripture was a formidable cultivation method reaching the Nascent Soul peak.
• Qing Chen attributed the scripture to ancient ruins beneath the Scarlet Radiance Sand Sea in Persia, and Emperor Jingtai praised his decades of service in the northwest.
• Emperor Jingtai offered Qing Chen a reward for presenting the scripture, but Qing Chen asked to view the Fourth Dream Seal so he could offer further insights.
• Emperor Jingtai recognized that Qing Chen still wanted access to the Fourth Dream Seal and laughed at his forthright request.

Emperor Jingtai allowed Qing Chen to view the fourth Yinghuo Grand Void Dream Seal, the enigmatic painting of an elk that embodied past and present. As Qing Chen studied it, the Nine-Colored Pearl reacted to the painting and revealed its place in the shattered summit of the Nine-Luminaries Glazed Vidyaraja Pagoda.

• Emperor Jingtai opened a hidden passage in the Profound-Nurturing Hall and led Qing Chen to the chamber containing the fourth Dream Seal.
• Emperor Jingtai identified the scroll as the fourth Yinghuo Grand Void Dream Seal and warned Qing Chen to withdraw if his Divine Soul could not bear it.
• Qing Chen contemplated the elk painting for ten days but gained little insight and prepared to leave.
• The Nine-Colored Pearl suddenly lit up as wisps of aura from the painting flowed into it.
• Qing Chen saw that the Nine-Colored Pearl fit into a circular gap where the Nine-Luminaries Glazed Vidyaraja Pagoda's shattered spire had once been.

The Nine-Colored Pearl revealed the Timeless Scripture, a legendary time-based movement technique whose requirements Qing Chen could not meet. It drew him into a dream to begin cultivation, where he repeatedly failed to take even a single step safely.

• The Nine-Colored Pearl absorbed the temporal Dao resonance and swept Qing Chen into a river of past scenes and possible futures.
• Qing Chen read the Timeless Scripture and learned that it required a primordial spirit, a stable grotto-heaven, and comprehension of time rules.
• The Nine-Colored Pearl placed Qing Chen on a meditation cushion and sent his consciousness into a dream, where a blood-colored primordial spirit phantom appeared behind him.
• Qing Chen tried to raise his foot according to the scripture, but the dream shattered and returned him to the starting point.
• Qing Chen repeatedly attempted the technique, but his body shattered or split between different tributaries of time.

Qing Chen spent a hundred years in a dream mastering the beginnings of a time-based movement technique, then returned to Jade Capital Mountain after only forty days in the real world. He left the Profound-Nurturing Hall to meet Emperor Jingtai at Taiwei Hall, with time to explore the imperial gardens first.

• Qing Chen trained for a hundred years in the Nine-Colored Pearl's dream and learned to move through cracks in time, though he had not mastered the Timeless Scripture's Spirit Transformation section.
• The dream ended, leaving a faint silver mark in Qing Chen's divine soul, and he confirmed that the Nine-Colored Pearl would undergo no further changes.
• Qing Chen learned from the Divine Strategy Guard commandant that forty days had passed outside and that Emperor Jingtai had summoned him to the Southern Study of Taiwei Hall in four hours.
• Qing Chen followed the Azure Jade Path through Jade Capital Mountain's gardens, where guards and eunuchs bowed as he passed.

Qing Chen met the Eighth Prince and Xiao Canglan at the Rain-Listening Pavilion, where they tried to settle the two men’s grievances before their journey to the Reincarnation Dead Sea. Xiao Canglan demanded that Qing Chen pour him wine, apologize, and provide compensation, but Qing Chen silently judged him unworthy of deference.

• Qing Chen sent the Eighth Prince a message and received an invitation to meet at the Rain-Listening Pavilion.
• Qing Chen arrived and found Xiao Canglan waiting with the Eighth Prince, though the invitation had not mentioned him.
• The Eighth Prince explained that he wanted Qing Chen and Xiao Canglan to reconcile before their joint deliberations and journey to the Reincarnation Dead Sea.
• Xiao Canglan demanded that Qing Chen pour him wine, apologize aloud, and offer a valuable treasure as compensation.
• The Eighth Prince offered five Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones on Qing Chen’s behalf, but Qing Chen silently decided Xiao Canglan was not worthy of his humility.

Qing Chen rejected the Eighth Prince’s attempt to broker peace with Xiao Canglan and openly insulted the Spirit Venerable. Xiao Canglan stormed out of the Rain-Listening Pavilion, warning Qing Chen that they would meet again in the Reincarnation Dead Sea.

• The Eighth Prince offered to put up five Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones for Qing Chen, but Qing Chen said Xiao Canglan owed him an apology for years of persecution.
• Qing Chen mocked Xiao Canglan’s cultivation and lack of a true Spirit Treasure, provoking him to unleash water dragons that the Dew-Bearing Garden’s formation dispersed.
• Xiao Canglan accused Qing Chen of relying on outside help to kill Black Fox King, while Qing Chen traded insults and refused to back down.
• Xiao Canglan challenged Qing Chen to face him in the Reincarnation Dead Sea, and Qing Chen crudely dared him to attack.
• Xiao Canglan left through a waterway after the mountain’s formation warned him against fighting, and the Eighth Prince asked Qing Chen why he had gone so far.

Qing Chen attended a meeting in the Southern Study with Emperor Jingtai and six other Spirit Venerables to discuss the Reincarnation Dead Sea. The officials explained the Dead Sea’s origins, its dangerous ruins and hunting rules, and warned that Spirit Transformation wardens still guarded it.

• Qing Chen left Xiao Canglan after their exchange and waited in a side hall until he was summoned to the Southern Study.
• Qing Chen entered the Southern Study, found the Eastern Prince Ji Zhongguang and six other Spirit Venerables gathered there, and greeted them with formal respect.
• Zhang Taiyue unfolded a map of the Reincarnation Dead Sea and explained that it had formed from the shattered Moon Ruins Wonder after a battle between the Moon-Worshipping Divine Cult and the Immortal-Locking Cult.
• Zhang Taiyue identified the Dead Sea’s ruins as ancient wonders and later Immortal-Locking Cult trials, while the old Director described the deadly Immortal-Locking Hunting Register and its power to strengthen demon banners by killing entrants.
• The old Director warned Qing Chen and the others that Spirit Transformation-level wardens also remained inside the Reincarnation Dead Sea.

Qing Chen learned that the Immortal Dynasty had sent several powerful cultivators into the Reincarnation Dead Sea to investigate a plan to open a Two-Realm Gate. As his own entry approached, he asked Hu Yong to provide him with a defensive or speed-type half-spirit treasure.

• Zhang Taiyue explained that Ding Buxing and Qing Yuanjia had entered the Dead Sea with the Reincarnation Soul Lamp and the Bronze Compass, and that a Peacock Mark and a mysterious eye had appeared near the Nanhua Realm.
• Zhang Taiyue told Qing Chen that the Immortal Dynasty had selected him to enter the Dead Sea and named the Chief Mirror Lord, Prince Ning, and Gao Wuyong as other cultivators already inside.
• Zhang Taiyue warned Qing Chen not to kill the other Immortal Dynasty cultivators if he confirmed their identities, and the old Director said the Dead Sea would be suitable for entry in seven days.
• Hu Yong offered to provide Qing Chen with equipment for the dangerous journey, and Qing Chen requested a top-tier defensive half-spirit treasure or, failing that, a speed-type one.

Qing Chen bargained with the Immortal Dynasty for supplies before entering the Reincarnation Dead Sea and received a Three Tribulations Soul-Cleansing Flower, a set of formation plates, and a detailed map. The old Director warned him about deadly rules to follow if three moons appeared in the Dead Sea.

• Qing Chen demanded powerful treasures or Spirit Transformation resources, while Xiao Canglan mocked him and Zhang Taiyue limited what the Dynasty could offer.
• Emperor Jingtai awarded Qing Chen a Three Tribulations Soul-Cleansing Flower, and Hu Yong added supreme-grade fourth-tier Small Formation Plates that Qing Chen would have to return.
• Zhang Taiyue gave Qing Chen a Jade Slip containing the Reincarnation Dead Sea map and three methods of communication.
• The old Director warned Qing Chen that if he saw three moons, he must not lower his head, trust anyone beside him, or answer any voice calling his name, even his own.

After receiving a powerful protective talisman from Hu Yong, Qing Chen hurried to Transcendent Immortal Mountain to contact the Primordial Magnetism Devil Branch about the fourth Yinghuo Grand Void Dream Seal. Qiu Qiansha appeared before the message could be sent and demanded to know whether it contained a route beyond the Nanhua Realm.

• Emperor Jingtai ordered Qing Chen to await his decree at Taiyin Platform in seven days, and Qing Chen received the Three Tribulations Soul-Cleansing Flower and Nine Palaces Void-Locking Formation.
• Hu Yong apologized on behalf of the Eighth Prince and gave Qing Chen a Heavenly Mandate Boundary Stabilization Talisman for protection in the Reincarnation Dead Sea.
• Qing Chen left Jade Capital Mountain and went to a rented cave abode on Transcendent Immortal Mountain to contact the Primordial Magnetism Devil Branch.
• Qing Chen ordered Luo Long to send word to Branch Master Qiu, but Qiu Qiansha appeared and knocked Luo Long unconscious.
• Qiu Qiansha revealed that he had tracked Qing Chen to the Divine Capital and asked whether the fourth Yinghuo Grand Void Dream Seal contained a node leading beyond the Nanhua Realm.

Qing Chen secured the Primordial Spirit Fruit from Qiu Qiansha by revealing that a passage node lay in the Kui Spirit Race’s Ancestral Grounds. He withheld the node’s exact location and opening method, directing Qiu Qiansha to a sealed Cave Abode near the Divine Capital.

• Qiu Qiansha pressed Qing Chen for information about the node, but Qing Chen protected himself with his Official Seal, Blood Abyss God-Slaying Halberd, and Heavenly Mandate Boundary Stabilization Talisman.
• Qiu Qiansha offered the Primordial Spirit Fruit in exchange for the node’s general location, and Qing Chen named the Kui Spirit Race.
• Qiu Qiansha gave Qing Chen the Primordial Spirit Fruit, which Qing Chen confirmed was genuine and sealed before storing it.
• Qiu Qiansha demanded the node’s precise location and opening method, so Qing Chen gave him a Jade Slip that held only a Cave Abode key.
• Qing Chen told Qiu Qiansha that the details were sealed in Cave Abode Earth One Hundred Seventy-Three on Longevity Mountain and wished him well on his Dao Path.

Qing Chen escaped Qiu Qiansha by fleeing to Jade Capital Mountain, where he secured the Primordial Spirit Fruit and discovered Qiu’s hidden tracking mark. Qiu obtained the genuine node-opening method but lost his tracking mark, while Xue Wugui continued waiting at Cangming Duke's Manor for Qing Chen to return.

• Qing Chen fled toward Jade Capital Mountain without returning to Cangming Duke's Manor and sent the Primordial Spirit Fruit into his Nine-Luminaries Glazed Vidyaraja Pagoda.
• The pagoda's Nine-Colored Pearl destroyed Qiu Qiansha's hidden tracking mark, and Qing Chen brought the fruit and Three Tribulations Soul-Cleansing Flower inside the pagoda.
• Qing Chen entered Jade Capital Mountain, secured himself in a side hall, and prepared to wait there before entering the Reincarnation Dead Sea.
• Qiu Qiansha found the hidden Jade Slip, confirmed its node-opening method was genuine, and realized his tracking mark had broken at Jade Capital Mountain.
• Xue Wugui remained disguised as a manor guard at Cangming Duke's Manor, waiting for a chance to kill Qing Chen, who had not come home.

Xue Wugui and Xiao Canglan grew increasingly frustrated as Qing Chen remained secluded on Jade Capital Mountain, but Qing Chen was focused on protecting his treasures and preparing for the journey. On the seventh day, Wu Zhanxian escorted Qing Chen toward the Reincarnation Dead Sea, leaving Qing Chen to contemplate his own ambitions rather than the fate of the realm.

• Xue Wugui suppressed his killing intent for the third time, then received an order to clear the spirit channels at Tie Qingyao's residence.
• Xiao Canglan repeatedly asked after Qing Chen and complained that he was neglecting his household and followers by staying on Jade Capital Mountain.
• Qing Chen remained inside the side hall, guarding the Primordial Spirit Fruit and Three Tribulations Soul-Cleansing Flower while keeping his deductions of the Timeless Scripture shallow.
• On the seventh day, Qing Chen met Wu Zhanxian at the Taiyin Platform and learned that the Grand Commander would escort him to the Reincarnation Dead Sea.
• Wu Zhanxian took Qing Chen aboard his Black-Canopied Skiff and flew with him through the Cloud Gates toward the outskirts of the Divine Capital.

Qing Chen traveled with Wu Zhanxian through Lingnan and the Gouwu Sea to the entrance of the Reincarnation Dead Sea, reflecting on his past and the vastness of the world. Wu Zhanxian left him at the ruined gateway, where a tremor stirred in Qing Chen’s Sea of Consciousness.

• Xue Wugui learned that Wu Zhanxian was escorting Qing Chen and abandoned his pursuit when he could not draw the Grand Commander away.
• Qing Chen recognized the mountains of Qiongzhou, recalled how Xiao Canglan had forced him to abandon his hard-won gains, and chose not to stop there.
• Qing Chen crossed the Gouwu Sea aboard Wu Zhanxian’s skiff, seeing familiar Demon Lotus Sect banners and reflecting on how close he was to spirit transformation.
• As they entered the distorted waters of the Star Sea Region, Wu Zhanxian adjusted their course and guided the skiff toward the Reincarnation Dead Sea.
• Wu Zhanxian brought Qing Chen to the ruined gateway and told him that he would have to proceed alone, while Immortal Dynasty forces guarded the entrance.
• Qing Chen prepared to sense the spiritual energy at the entrance, but a tremor came from his Sea of Consciousness.