Recaps

While climbing Dragon Spine Mountain, Gu Chen was attacked by a swarm of fireproof golden insects that devoured an intermediate-grade gibbon in seconds. His Three-Flame Fan failed, so he used Emperor's Ultimate Strike to send the leading insects flying backward.

• Gu Chen climbed Dragon Spine Mountain by leaping between rocks and noticed the forest below looked hazy.
• A swarm of golden insects attacked Gu Chen as an intermediate-grade gibbon approached him from the mountainside.
• The insects changed targets and devoured the gibbon, then resumed pursuing Gu Chen.
• Gu Chen fled upward until his true qi was running low, but the Three-Flame Fan's flames could not harm the insects.
• Gu Chen turned to face the swarm and unleashed sixteen ripples of Emperor's Ultimate Strike, knocking the leading insects backward.

Gu Chen reached Dragon Spine Mountain’s summit after using Emperor's Ultimate Strike to fight off a swarm of flying insects, then discovered an abandoned cabin and a stone stele. He recognized the stele’s writing as identical to one he had seen at the entrance to a valley in the Land of Heaven and Earth.

• Gu Chen layered more than sixty Emperor's Ultimate Strikes and defeated the flying insects pursuing him, nearly exhausting his true qi.
• A larger swarm of more than three hundred insects chased Gu Chen, but he scrambled onto the summit, where the insects would not enter.
• Gu Chen rested, then practiced Emperor's Ultimate Strike against the insects until they retreated into the mountainside.
• Gu Chen collected rare herbs and stone materials and found no demon beasts on the summit.
• Gu Chen discovered an abandoned wooden cabin and a stele whose killing intent briefly trapped his mind.
• Gu Chen recognized the stele's handwriting as identical to that on a stele outside a valley in the Land of Heaven and Earth.

Gu Chen found a stele bearing the same murderous handwriting as one he had seen before, then discovered a hidden hole beneath a ruined house in Dragon Spine Mountain. After seeing that the supposed Endless Sea was actually a vast blue desert, he entered the hole and found a dungeon containing the corpse of a nonhuman being.

• Gu Chen recognized the stele's handwriting as identical to that of another stele and felt its overwhelming killing intent when he touched it.
• Gu Chen accidentally caused the decayed wooden house to collapse and discovered a hole behind it that blocked his divine sense.
• Gu Chen saw that the Endless Sea was a blue desert of sand, then decided to investigate the hole instead of going to the sea.
• Gu Chen jumped into the hole and followed a passage inside Dragon Spine Mountain until he found a dungeon lined with iron-barred cells.
• Gu Chen spotted a corpse in one cell with a faintly glowing, lantern-like growth on its forehead and realized it belonged to another race.

Gu Chen discovered that the dungeon’s bars were made of rare Taiyi Crystal and found a message saying an immortal had imprisoned members of the Ao Clan after pursuing them for over ten thousand six hundred years. As he prepared to leave, a voice called for help from somewhere in the dungeon.

• Gu Chen examined the strange corpses in the cells and realized they belonged to a race unlike the Demon Clan.
• He recognized the dungeon bars as eighth-grade Taiyi Crystal and found more than a hundred cells holding similar corpses.
• At the cavern’s end, Gu Chen saw a fearsome beast-head mural and read a message about the Ao Clan left by the same person who had carved the stone stele outside.
• Gu Chen suspected the immortal’s history and the Ao Clan were connected to the Land of Heaven and Earth and possibly his master, Luo Yunxi.
• As Gu Chen turned to leave, a voice repeatedly cried out for help.

Gu Chen discovered a living Ao clansman chained in the dungeon, but the man collapsed before Gu Chen could learn who he was or why he had been imprisoned. Gu Chen left for Dragon Spine Mountain’s edge and began breaking the third restriction on the Emperor’s Vein, while ominous clouds gathered overhead.

• Gu Chen followed cries for help to a cell and found an Ao clansman chained to the wall, apparently alive after centuries without food.
• The Ao clansman begged Gu Chen to save him and promised cultivation techniques, but convulsed when Gu Chen asked whether he had passed on the Heaven-Reaching Netherworld Art.
• Gu Chen found the cell bars burning hot as the Ao clansman fell still, then hurried out of the dungeon.
• Gu Chen concluded that the Endless Sea might hold answers to the Land of Heaven and Earth’s mysteries and decided to explore it after opening the Emperor’s Vein’s third restriction.
• Gu Chen used his Divine Sense to break through the third restriction as dark clouds gathered over the Dragon Spine Mountain Range.

More than twenty martial artists from the Land of Heaven and Earth gathered in Heaven and Earth Forest to wait for Gu Chen and argued over the immortal cultivation method and who would claim him. Yin Linquan and Zhuge He spotted Gu Chen climbing Dragon Spine Mountain, leaving the assembled experts stunned that he had made it through the forest.

• Xiang Hao and Wei Chijin traded insults over the Wei Family’s absence and the Xiang Family’s chances of obtaining the immortal cultivation method.
• Zhuge He demanded the right to avenge Zhuge Wangyue, while Fan Huaiwen and Nan Wuhen questioned what would happen to the cultivation method if Zhuge captured Gu Chen.
• Xiang Hao, Fan Huaiwen, and Nan Wuhen stood against the six great powers, anticipating that the fight over Gu Chen would begin after he was captured.
• Yin Linquan noticed Gu Chen climbing Dragon Spine Mountain, and Zhuge He and Nan Wuhen confirmed his identity.

Gu Chen crossed the Heaven and Earth Forest and reached Dragon Spine Mountain, prompting the gathered martial artists to attempt the dangerous route themselves. After they were forced to retreat, they speculated that Gu Chen’s Divine Sense and alchemy skills could give him an advantage, while his whereabouts remained unknown.

• Nan Wuhen suggested the Heaven and Earth Beasts might have weakened after Gu Chen reached Dragon Spine Mountain, and Xiang Hao charged into the forest to pursue him.
• Zhuge He, Fan Huaiwen, Wei Chijin, and Nan Wuhen followed Xiang Hao into the forest, while Yin Linquan refused to go.
• Zhuge He led the injured group back out after the beasts became too numerous to fight.
• Yin Linquan proposed that Gu Chen had used Divine Sense and knowledge of the beasts to reach the mountain safely.
• Fan Huaiwen warned that Gu Chen could gather rare herbs and make stronger pills, potentially increasing his cultivation.

The martial artists gathered near Dragon Spine Mountain saw dark clouds and lightning gather over its peak, and Zhuge He identified the spectacle as a heavenly tribulation. They realized Gu Chen might be undergoing a breakthrough, but whether he survived or not, they feared they would lose their chance to obtain his immortal cultivation method.

• Zhuge He, Yin Linquan, and the others dismissed Gu Chen as a threat and expected his alchemy to take time.
• Dark clouds and lightning gathered over Dragon Spine Mountain, darkening the sky and filling the martial artists with oppressive fear.
• Zhuge He identified the spectacle as a heavenly tribulation and explained the difference between lightning tribulations and heart tribulations.
• Nan Wuhen wondered whether Gu Chen had broken through, while Yin Linquan refused to believe it and Xiang Hao noted that Gu Chen could fail the tribulation.
• Wei Chijin warned that if Gu Chen died on the mountain, they could not reach his body or claim his immortal cultivation method, leaving the group unsure whether to hope he survived.

Gu Chen broke the third seal on the Emperor's Vein and realized the resulting heavenly tribulation was targeting it. He faced the first lightning bolt head-on, but it blasted him away and surged through his body toward his dantian.

• Gu Chen opened the third seal on the Emperor's Vein and sensed danger as a heavenly tribulation gathered overhead.
• Gu Chen reasoned that the tribulation was aimed at a treasure inside the Emperor's Vein and resolved to fight it.
• A thick bolt of azure lightning struck toward Gu Chen's cave as Yin Linquan and the others watched in terror.
• Gu Chen met the bolt with his true essence and was hurled more than thirty meters, badly injured.
• Gu Chen struggled to keep his mind clear as the lightning coursed through his meridians toward his dantian.

Gu Chen endured the first two bolts of a heavenly tribulation that battered his body and scorched the Emperor's Vein, while the third gathered overhead. Refusing to destroy the vein or flee, he swallowed more than forty pills and prepared to face the final strike.

• The second, purple-tinged bolt struck Gu Chen's Emperor's Vein, leaving it scorched and cracked while its force injured him severely.
• Xiang Hao, Fan Huaiwen, Nan Wuhen, and the others watched the lightning in terror as powerful demonic beasts bowed before the tribulation.
• Gu Chen sensed that the Emperor's Vein had survived the second bolt, but he knew the gathering third strike could destroy it and that his true qi was nearly depleted.
• Rather than destroy the Emperor's Vein to escape the tribulation, Gu Chen swallowed all his Departure Fall Pills and Yellow Rock Pills and vowed to fight.
• The pills' energy surged through Gu Chen's body as he circulated the Heaven and Earth Creation Art, took up the Three-Flame Fan, and braced for the third bolt.

Gu Chen survived the third heavenly tribulation when the Pendant of the Luo River Goddess summoned an illusion resembling Li Mu to absorb the lightning, though the pendant shattered. He wondered why Li Mu’s image had been hidden inside Luo Yunxi’s relic and recalled the old Daoist’s warning that only Li Mu could save him.

• The third bolt of tribulation lightning destroyed Gu Chen’s Three-Flame Fan and began tearing through his bones.
• The Pendant of the Luo River Goddess rose above Gu Chen and drew the lightning away from him.
• An illusory figure resembling Li Mu appeared from the pendant and absorbed the final lightning, then the pendant broke into four pieces.
• The tribulation clouds receded, and Gu Chen remembered the old Daoist’s prediction that a great calamity awaited him and that Li Mu could save him.
• Gu Chen picked up the shattered pendant and wondered what connection Li Mu had to Luo Yunxi and the relic.

After surviving the heavenly tribulation, Gu Chen investigated the Emperor’s Vein’s third restricted space and discovered an ancient artifact from his previous life. The Nine Revolutions Tower of Creation revealed that reaching its ninth floor would grant the Power of Creation.

• Gu Chen reflected on Earth’s many hidden powers and felt grief over the shattered Pendant of the Luo River Goddess.
• Gu Chen examined the Emperor’s Vein’s third restricted space and found a lone, palm-sized bell tower where he had expected many treasures.
• Gu Chen recognized the tower as a treasure he had obtained from ruins on the Heavenly Nether Star in his previous life.
• Gu Chen took the tower in his hand, and a surge of spiritual energy entered his sea of consciousness as the artifact revealed its name: the Nine Revolutions Tower of Creation.
• Gu Chen read that the tower had nine floors and that reaching the ninth would grant the Power of Creation, which he understood as the power to create.

Gu Chen learned that the Nine Revolutions Tower of Creation could make a year of cultivation inside equal one day outside, though it required spirit stones and mastery of talismans and formations to use. The previous owner had opened only five levels, leaving Gu Chen to examine the mysterious treasure and consider how far he might climb.

• Gu Chen read that the tower's first level altered the flow of time, giving cultivators inside far more time than those outside.
• Gu Chen learned that activating the tower required spirit stones suited to his cultivation level.
• Gu Chen read that opening the tower and entering its first level required proficiency in talismans and formations, and that the previous owner had left two foundational books in his cave.
• Gu Chen learned that the previous owner had opened five levels and believed even an Earth Immortal could open no more than the sixth.
• The golden writing faded, and Gu Chen opened his eyes to examine the Nine Revolutions Tower of Creation in his hand.

Gu Chen’s survival of the first two heavenly lightning strikes drew the gathered martial artists’ attention as the third and strongest strike descended on Dragon Spine Mountain. When the clouds cleared, Zhuge He concluded that Gu Chen had successfully overcome the tribulation, but Yin Linquan refused to believe it.

• Gu Chen realized that spirit stones could activate the clock tower and resolved to search the Land of Heaven and Earth for more.
• After the second lightning strike, Zhuge He and the others assumed Gu Chen had died, while Nan Wuhen mourned the loss of their cooperation and his hopes of extending his life.
• Yin Linquan noticed that the tribulation clouds were gathering again, and the others realized Gu Chen had survived the second strike.
• The third heavenly lightning bolt struck Dragon Spine Mountain with tremendous force, shaking the Land of Heaven and Earth before the clouds dispersed.
• Xiang Hao asked Zhuge He what the cleared sky meant, and Zhuge He said Gu Chen had overcome the tribulation, but Yin Linquan called it impossible.

After Gu Chen survived the heavenly tribulation, Nan Wuhen raced into the Heaven and Earth Forest to seize his cultivation method while the beasts remained cowed. Yin Linquan caught up as Nan Wuhen approached Dragon Spine Mountain, and their fight began before the other pursuers arrived.

• Zhuge He realized that the lack of heaven and earth essence meant someone could reach Gu Chen before the others, and Nan Wuhen charged into the forest.
• Yin Linquan, Fan Huaiwen, Zhuge He, Xiang Hao, and Wei Chijin followed, while the remaining martial artists understood that Gu Chen was alive and vulnerable after the tribulation.
• Yin Linquan pursued Nan Wuhen through the forest and discovered the old man was nearly his equal in strength.
• Nan Wuhen announced that he would claim the immortal cultivation method and continued toward Dragon Spine Mountain, prompting Yin Linquan to attack him with a palm strike.
• Yin Linquan drew his sword and unleashed a chained attack, but Nan Wuhen turned and met the concealed sword qi head-on with his forehead.

Nan Wuhen and the other martial artists climbed Dragon Spine Mountain in pursuit of Gu Chen and a method of immortal cultivation, but residual power from the Heavenly Tribulation blocked their way. As they waited for it to fade, a group at the cliff edge saw the Endless Sea and were left speechless.

• Nan Wuhen tricked Yin Linquan with an ordinary slash and raced up Dragon Spine Mountain, with Yin Linquan, Fan Huaiwen, Zhuge He, and other martial artists following.
• Zhao Cong passed the experts near the summit and exploded after entering the area ahead, revealing that lingering heavenly and earthly power made the approach deadly.
• Yin Linquan identified the residual power as the reason the group could not advance, and Xiang Hao suggested they wait for it to dissipate before competing to capture Gu Chen.
• Yin Linquan accused Nan Wuhen of hiding his cultivation, but Nan Wuhen denied it and claimed his speed came from a better movement technique.
• A martial artist at the cliff edge cried out at the sight of the Endless Sea, and the others who looked down were stunned.

The martial artists discovered that the legendary Endless Sea was a vast blue desert and learned it might conceal the source of the Heaven-Reaching Netherworld Art. Yin Linquan pushed the group to explore it, ending with a threat to eliminate anyone who refused.

• Nan Wuhen and the others reached the cliff and saw the blue desert known as the Endless Sea.
• Yin Linquan revealed that Wang Gui had said the Heaven-Reaching Netherworld Art came from the depths of the Heaven and Earth Forest, and Fan Huaiwen suggested its ancient discoverer might still be alive.
• Nan Wuhen refused to enter the Endless Sea, while Zhuge He and Wei Chijin agreed with Yin Linquan that the group should investigate.
• Yin Linquan ordered Xiang Hao and Fan Huaiwen to accompany him, then threatened to wipe out anyone who refused and invoked the six major powers against their families.

Yin Linquan gathered the martial artists and led them down Dragon Spine Mountain into the Endless Sea. Meanwhile, Gu Chen recovered from the backlash of his medicinal pills, began studying formation books, and learned the first principles of formations.

• Yin Linquan persuaded Fan Huaiwen, Xiang Hao, and the other martial artists to enter the Endless Sea, leaving Nan Wuhen isolated.
• Nan Wuhen agreed to go down Dragon Spine Mountain, and Yin Linquan led the gathered martial artists toward the Endless Sea.
• Gu Chen woke after a painful recovery from the medicinal backlash that followed his use of more than forty pills.
• Gu Chen examined the Nine Revolutions Tower of Creation and found the Mystic Yellow Formation Art and Thirty-Five Patterns for Talisman Departure in his Emperor's Vein.
• Gu Chen read the Mystic Yellow Formation Art through the night and began distinguishing deceptive formations from five-element grand formations.