Chapter Summaries

Lin Heng searched the Soul-Burying Mountain Range for sign-in rewards, then was intercepted by three members of the Great Sun Race as he tried to leave. Matsushita Kojiro revealed that the Great Sun Race had taken the Killing Sword from Keluoduo, and Lin Heng concealed his relief that they knew nothing about Keluoduo’s completed mission.

• Lin Heng signed in at the Soul-Burying Mountain Range, Fallen Blossoms Gorge, and Soul-Burying Ridge, receiving a Manju Asura Flower, a One Dream Bodhi Pill, and the Mystic Yin Sword.
• Lin Heng spent ten days gathering rewards from the mountain range and planned to return to the Qian Yuan Sect before visiting other locations across the Ninefold Heaven.
• Three members of the Great Sun Race intercepted Lin Heng at the mountain entrance, and Matsushita Kojiro said the Firmament Hall was occupied by the Fire Clan.
• Matsushita Kojiro displayed the Killing Sword, prompting Lin Heng to ask what had happened to Keluoduo.
• Lin Heng inferred that Keluoduo had completed his task before the Great Sun Race ambushed him, and he pretended to be furious while concealing what Keluoduo had done.

Lin Heng confronted Matsushita Kojiro and his two companions after they threatened his allies and revealed plans to capture him. He brought out the Soul-Locking Pagoda and prepared to test his increased strength against the three Seventh-Transformation Samsara cultivators.

• Matsushita Kojiro, Watanabe Kumada, and Watanabe Kumaji taunted Lin Heng and threatened to kill his allies, enslave the women, and attack the Qian Yuan Sect and Ten Regions.
• Lin Heng revealed the Soul-Locking Pagoda, and Matsushita Kojiro recognized the Li Race artifact that could trap and bind cultivators' souls.
• Matsushita Kojiro and his companions grew greedy, speculating that Lin Heng could copy treasures and deciding to capture him to uncover his secret.
• The three Great Sun Race cultivators unleashed their Seventh-Transformation Samsara auras and readied their treasures, with Matsushita Kojiro wielding Lin Heng's Killing Sword.
• Lin Heng tossed the Soul-Locking Pagoda into the air and drew the Fifth-Grade Heavenly Venerable Origin Treasure Mystic Yin Sword to face them.

Lin Heng used the Mystic Yin Sword and the Heart of Rock Origin to overwhelm Matsushita Kojiro and the Watanabe brothers. After the brothers were captured by the Soul-Locking Pagoda, Matsushita tried to flee, only to find Lin Heng waiting behind him.

• Matsushita Kojiro attacked Lin Heng with the Killing Sword, but Lin Heng empowered himself with the Heart of Rock Origin and countered with the Nine-Origin Wave-Chasing Sword.
• Lin Heng's sword shadows suppressed Matsushita Kojiro's Power of Origin of Killing and battered the blood-colored serpent.
• Matsushita Kojiro called on Watanabe Kumada and Watanabe Kumaji to help, but Lin Heng redirected the sword shadows and shattered their weapons while injuring their souls.
• The Soul-Locking Pagoda sucked Watanabe Kumada and Watanabe Kumaji into it as Matsushita Kojiro abandoned them and tried to escape.
• Lin Heng appeared behind Matsushita Kojiro, who turned to face Lin Heng's smile.

Lin Heng captured Matsushita Kojiro and two other Great Sun Race cultivators, then used the Soul-Locking Pagoda to force them into serving him. He ordered them to raid and harass rival forces for the Qian Yuan Sect, while Situ Jiannan mocked their appearance after Lin Heng left.

• Lin Heng used the Mystic Yin Sword and Soul-Locking Pagoda to capture Matsushita Kojiro and two other Great Sun Race cultivators.
• Lin Heng brought the three captives to Luo Water Vale, where the Soul-Locking Pagoda’s torments forced them to swear loyalty to him.
• Lin Heng ordered the three to harass forces under the Fire Clan and other sects, gather resources for the Qian Yuan Sect, and report back every ten days.
• Lin Heng returned the three to the Qian Yuan Sect, told Situ Jiannan about his plan, handed him resources, and then left.
• Situ Jiannan disparaged Matsushita Kojiro and the other two as things that did not look human, leaving them resentful but afraid to answer back.

After a year of roaming the Ninefold Heaven and secretly robbing the Fire Clan’s factions, Lin Heng returned to the Qian Yuan Sect and learned that his sect-building plans were progressing too slowly. Situ Jiannan and Sun Yuan proposed using a time spirit treasure to train disciples faster, leaving Lin Heng to consider how to obtain one.

• Lin Heng’s visits to major sects and the bandits’ raids on Fire Clan factions kept the Ninefold Heaven on edge, but the bandits vanished before the Fire Clan and Thirteen Factions could catch them.
• Lin Heng returned to the Qian Yuan Sect and gave Situ Jiannan and Sun Yuan more resources.
• Situ Jiannan reported that the sect had over seven hundred disciples but would need far longer than Lin Heng’s ten-year deadline to produce Nirvana Realm cultivators.
• Situ Jiannan suggested acquiring a time spirit treasure, and Matsushita Kojiro explained that factions outside the Thirteen Factions possessed weaker ones.
• Situ Jiannan and Sun Yuan proposed training the most gifted disciples with a hundred-to-one time spirit treasure and a battle-based cultivation method, leaving Lin Heng to figure out how to obtain one.

Lin Heng sought a time spirit treasure and heard Matsushita Kojiro propose bargaining with Yan Lin, a disgraced Fire Clan leader, for a low-grade space spirit treasure. Lin Heng offered to let Matsushita Kojiro return to the Great Sun Race if he arranged the deal, and Matsushita Kojiro showed excitement at the offer.

• Lin Heng asked Matsushita Kojiro whether he could obtain a time spirit treasure, and Matsushita Kojiro said the Great Sun Race guarded its only one too closely.
• Matsushita Kojiro suggested that Lin Heng seek a low-grade space spirit treasure from one of the thirteen factions, while Lin Heng refused Sun Yuan's suggestion to approach the Firmament Hall.
• Matsushita Kojiro proposed making a deal with the Fire Clan, explaining that Yan Lin's Lineage wanted him restored to power in the Ninefold Heaven after his rivals had forced his replacement.
• Lin Heng realized Matsushita Kojiro had a plan to contact Yan Lin, but Matsushita Kojiro claimed he lacked a connection to him.
• Lin Heng promised to let Matsushita Kojiro return to the Great Sun Race if he arranged contact and concluded the deal, and Matsushita Kojiro raised his head with excitement.

Lin Heng arranged to protect the dormant Origin Soul Spirit and prepared to investigate ancient ruins in Moon-Gazing Valley. He left Sun Yuan to guard the Origin Vein and decided to enter the ruins alone despite Situ Jiannan’s concerns.

• Lin Heng let Matsushita Kojiro and the other two return to the Great Sun Race under the Soul-Locking Pagoda’s restraints, intending to repay the race for its schemes.
• Situ Jiannan told Lin Heng that the Origin Soul Spirit was dormant and could not yet take physical form, so Lin Heng gave him the Yin-Yang Dual Polarity Diagram to conceal and defend the Origin Vein.
• Lin Heng ordered Sun Yuan to guard the Origin Vein for ten years and kill anyone who came snooping.
• Lin Heng distributed spirit grass and spirit treasures among Sun Yuan, Situ Jiannan, and the four women.
• Lin Heng revealed that he planned to explore weakening ancient ruins beneath the lake in Moon-Gazing Valley, and decided to go alone because the Origin Vein needed protection.
• Situ Jiannan warned Lin Heng against risking the expedition alone, but Lin Heng reassured him that he could escape even a Nine-Turn Samsara Realm cultivator.

Lin Heng agreed to cripple Yan Lan in exchange for Yan Lin’s support and received a time spirit treasure from him. Yan Lan learned of their secret meeting and prepared to kill Lin Heng when the sect was established nine years later.

• Matsushita Kojiro told Lin Heng that Yan Lin would provide a time spirit treasure if Lin Heng crippled Yan Lan when establishing his sect.
• Yan Lin secretly visited the Qian Yuan Sect, gave Lin Heng a miniature tower with a one-hundred-to-one time ratio, and discussed possible cooperation.
• Lin Heng entrusted the time spirit treasure to Situ Jiannan and left the Qian Yuan Sect for Moon-Gazing Valley.
• Yan Lan learned from his spies that Yan Lin had acted suspiciously and that a concealed visitor had gone to the Qian Yuan Sect.
• Yan Lan concluded that Yan Lin was helping Lin Heng, contacted his father for support, and vowed to kill Lin Heng in nine years.

Lin Heng watched the seal over the ruins beneath Rippling Moon Lake weaken, then discovered that Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao had also come to claim the treasures. To counterbalance the two Nine-Turn Samsara experts, Lin Heng invited Liuyun Lan and Chen Yulin, and the four groups gathered as the seal neared breaking.

• Lin Heng waited at Moon-Gazing Valley as repeated surges beneath Rippling Moon Lake weakened the seal over the ruins.
• Miao Jingkong arrived, followed by Lin Xiao, and both revealed that they had been waiting for the ancient ruins to open.
• Lin Heng decided he could not claim the treasures alone and sent invitations to Liuyun Lan and Chen Yulin.
• Liuyun Lan and Chen Yulin arrived within four hours, and Liuyun Lan realized Lin Heng had summoned them because Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao were already there.
• Lin Heng emerged from concealment to greet Liuyun Lan and Chen Yulin, while Liuyun Lan hinted to the others that they had come for a great opportunity.

Lin Heng joined Liuyun Lan, Chen Yulin, Miao Jingkong, and Lin Xiao to enter the ancient ruin beneath Rippling Moon Lake. They discovered the heavenly abode of Heavenly Venerable Green Mountain and Heavenly Venerable Green Water, but an intact barrier blocked the entrance.

• Lin Heng revealed the ancient ruin to Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao, and Chen Yulin warned that he would report it to his clan if they refused to share.
• Liuyun Lan and Chen Yulin promised Lin Heng first choice of the treasures they found, and the five waited together for the seal beneath Rippling Moon Lake to weaken.
• When the lake's seal vanished, the five descended to the bottom and found a thatched residence identified by Lin Xiao as the heavenly abode of Heavenly Venerable Green Mountain and Heavenly Venerable Green Water.
• Miao Jingkong rushed toward the abode but struck an invisible barrier, and his attack could not break it.
• Liuyun Lan and Chen Yulin concluded that the abode's intact formation restriction would make entry difficult, leaving all five uncertain how to proceed.

Lin Heng discovered that reciting a verse on the stele opened the Peach Garden Heavenly Abode, while its guardian beasts punished Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao for belonging to the Eight Great Imperial Clans. After entering, Lin Heng and his companions learned they had to wait for everyone to arrive before crossing Peach Garden Road one at a time, and Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao finally joined them battered and bloodied.

• Lin Heng recited the verse on the stele, lifting the Heavenly Abode's restriction and revealing that the guardian beasts attacked members of the Eight Great Imperial Clans.
• Miao Jingkong rushed toward the gates and was struck flying by a stone beast, while Lin Xiao accused Lin Heng of causing trouble.
• Lin Heng, Liuyun Lan, and Chen Yulin passed the stone beasts safely and entered the Heavenly Abode ahead of Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao.
• Lin Heng and his companions read that everyone had to arrive before they could cross Peach Garden Road, and that they had to enter its formation one at a time.
• Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao arrived in torn, bloodstained clothes after enduring the stone beasts' attacks.

Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao entered Peach Garden Road after Chen Yulin urged them to test it, where they encountered Zhu Rong, its powerful guardian. Miao Jingkong failed to hurt Zhu Rong and tried to run past him, but Zhu Rong battered him as he struggled along the road.

• Chen Yulin and Miao Jingkong agreed to avoid fighting and let Miao Jingkong go first onto Peach Garden Road.
• Zhu Rong appeared and explained that a traveler had to leave the road alive or injure him to pass.
• Miao Jingkong struck Zhu Rong's head with his halberd, but the blow rebounded without harming him.
• Miao Jingkong tried to rush past Zhu Rong, who caught up and repeatedly struck him with flaming fists.
• Miao Jingkong was badly burned and wounded as he struggled halfway down the road.

Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao endured Zhu Rong’s attacks to pass Peach Garden Road, while Zhu Rong revealed that the Peach Garden Heavenly Abode was especially dangerous for members of the Eight Great Imperial Clans. Lin Heng then crossed the road without being caught or injured, leaving the group ready to proceed.

• Miao Jingkong escaped Peach Garden Road after Zhu Rong repeatedly attacked him with fireballs, then collapsed and began recovering.
• Lin Heng inferred that Peach Garden Road restricted teleportation and flight speed, and Zhu Rong warned that people from the Eight Great Imperial Clans faced far greater danger in the abode.
• Lin Xiao recovered before entering Peach Garden Road, used his Wood Clan healing ability to endure Zhu Rong’s fireballs, and escaped in better condition than Miao Jingkong.
• Liuyun Lan and Chen Yulin passed their trials as Zhu Rong used weaker attacks against them than he had against Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao.
• Lin Heng sped through Peach Garden Road so quickly that Zhu Rong could not catch him, and he completed the trial without injury.

Lin Heng, Liuyun Lan, and Chen Yulin survived Peach Garden Road and discovered evidence that the Peach Garden Heavenly Abode belonged to a power far beyond what they had expected. They reached a lake with a path of at least ten thousand high-grade Chaos Spirit Treasure swords, leaving the trio stunned by the display.

• Zhu Rong punished Miao Jingkong for questioning him, then told Lin Xiao to revive Miao Jingkong with a pill and remove him once he woke.
• Zhu Rong privately praised Lin Heng’s formidable physiques, advised him not to seize what was not his, and urged him not to disappoint him.
• Lin Heng, Liuyun Lan, and Chen Yulin walked past a passage lined with skeletons from countless races, including the Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, and Primordial Qilin.
• The trio concluded that the Heavenly Abode’s true master was likely far more powerful than a Heavenly Venerable and continued through the dangerous passage.
• At a lake with a towering tree, Chen Yulin discovered that the longswords forming a path across the water were all high-grade Chaos Spirit Treasures.

Lin Heng, Chen Yulin, and Liuyun Lan faced Gonggong’s Ten Thousand Swords Bridge, where each person had to endure a hidden trial while walking across it. After Liuyun Lan passed, Lin Heng stepped onto the bridge and found his cultivation sealed as a sword rushed toward him in the darkness.

• Gonggong told Lin Heng, Chen Yulin, and Liuyun Lan that they had to cross the Ten Thousand Swords Bridge one at a time.
• Liuyun Lan entered the bridge’s isolated world, endured its trial for 731 steps, and Gonggong sent him to the opposite shore.
• Gonggong showed Lin Heng and Chen Yulin a Heavenly Venerable Realm Sea Dragon beneath the lake and suggested that those who failed the trial faced danger.
• Lin Heng volunteered to cross before Chen Yulin and stepped onto the bridge despite Gonggong’s regretful reaction.
• The bridge sealed Lin Heng’s cultivation and plunged him into darkness, where a longsword flew toward him.

Lin Heng crossed the Ten Thousand Swords Bridge by resisting illusions that grew increasingly painful and convincing, while Gonggong and Chen Yulin took notice of his unusual potential. After enduring the trial at his four hundred and first step, Lin Heng stood still on the bridge, with Gonggong waiting to see whether he would reflect before continuing.

• Lin Heng recognized the flying swords in the first illusion as unreal and quickly took his second step, surprising Gonggong.
• Gonggong discovered that Lin Heng's cultivation was at the Third-Turn Samsara Realm but his soul had reached the Peak Ninth Revolution Samsara Realm, and Chen Yulin decided not to provoke him.
• Lin Heng continued across the bridge, gradually slowing as the illusions became more powerful and painful.
• At his four hundred and first step, Lin Heng endured a torrent of invisible swords and emerged drenched in sweat.
• Gonggong watched Lin Heng's feet and relaxed when he remained still, since stopping to reflect after leaving the illusion could improve his result on the Heart-Forging Bridge.

Lin Heng crossed the Ten Thousand Swords Bridge and comprehended Time Reversal, advancing his soul to the Fourth-Grade Heavenly Venerable Realm. After the bridge’s restriction lifted, Gonggong warned Chen Yulin, Miao Jingkong, and Liuyun Lan that the trial could be deadly if they forced their limits.

• Lin Heng continued across the Ten Thousand Swords Bridge, reflecting on its dark worlds and growing stronger as he endured the flying swords.
• At the thousandth step, Lin Heng studied the swords’ attacks and backward motion, then comprehended the law of Time Reversal and broke through to a Heavenly Venerable soul.
• Gonggong sensed Lin Heng’s breakthrough and recognized that he had discovered the bridge’s deeper laws.
• Lin Heng completed the bridge, and his restored power erupted, revealing that his soul had reached the Fourth-Grade Heavenly Venerable Realm.
• Liuyun Lan was stunned by Lin Heng’s leap, while Chen Yulin and Miao Jingkong eagerly anticipated their own crossing.
• Gonggong warned them that the Ten Thousand Swords Bridge could kill anyone who failed to withstand its assault.

After crossing the Ten Thousand Swords Bridge, Lin Heng and Liuyun Lan discovered a restricted Green Fir Ironwood bearing hundreds of Heavenly Venerable Origin Treasures, rewards for the trial’s challengers. As they waited for everyone to cross, Liuyun Lan shared what he knew about the Heavenly Estate’s search for an heir and the mysterious contribution needed to advance beyond the Heavenly Venerable Realm.

• Lin Heng examined the Green Fir Ironwood and found that its branches held more than a hundred Heavenly Venerable Origin Treasures.
• Lin Heng read the stele, which explained that each challenger who passed the Ten Thousand Swords Bridge could choose three treasures after everyone had crossed.
• Liuyun Lan speculated that Heavenly Venerables Qingshan and Green Water had inherited the estate rather than owned it originally, and he and Lin Heng concluded that its master was seeking an heir.
• Lin Heng learned from Liuyun Lan that advancing beyond the Heavenly Venerable Realm required a mysterious resource connected to contribution to the Heavenly Dao.
• Liuyun Lan decided to befriend Lin Heng because he recognized Lin Heng’s talent and potential.

After Miao Jingkong triggered a deadly trap while claiming a Heavenly Venerable Origin Treasure, Lin Heng discovered the hidden restriction against members of the Eight Great Imperial Clans. Lin Heng chose three treasures for himself and his companions, then accepted gifts from Liuyun Lan and Chen Yulin.

• Lin Heng and Liuyun Lan waited seven days beneath the green fir ironwood while Chen Yulin, Miao Jingkong, and Lin Xiao completed the Ten Thousand Swords Bridge trial.
• Miao Jingkong grabbed a spiked club, which exploded and left him gravely injured.
• Lin Heng found the warning on the back of the stone stele that members of the Eight Great Imperial Clans would suffer backlash if they took the treasures.
• Liuyun Lan and Chen Yulin collected their treasures, while Lin Xiao was barred from taking one and Lin Heng selected a heavy sword, a golden staff, and a blood-red saber.
• Liuyun Lan gave Lin Heng a Third-Grade Heavenly Venerable Origin Treasure whip, and Chen Yulin offered him a First-Grade spear.

After entering the Azure Feather Hall, Lin Heng and his companions learned they had to withstand attacks in rooms matched to their cultivation, with higher-level challenges granting better rewards. As Chen Yulin chose the Third-Grade Heavenly Venerable room, Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao realized his new treasure had greatly strengthened him.

• Lin Heng examined the three Heavenly Venerable Origin Treasures he had received, then followed his companions through a teleportation array into the Azure Feather Hall.
• Lin Xiao shouted excitedly, but Dijiang injured him with a snort and warned everyone against making noise in the hall.
• Dijiang explained that each person had to choose a room at or above their cultivation level and withstand its attack to earn a reward, with higher rankings bringing better rewards.
• Dijiang said members of the Eight Great Imperial Clans had to withstand ten attacks and that each room could only be chosen once, worrying Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao.
• Chen Yulin chose the Third-Grade Heavenly Venerable room, leading Miao Jingkong and Lin Xiao to suspect his new treasure was at least that powerful.