Chapter Summaries

Elder Yu and Qin Qiongyu passed two illusory trials in the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm, while Chen Yang secretly benefited from the backlash force generated during Elder Yu’s talisman crafting. Qin Qiongyu then passed the second trial himself, but his renewed difficulty refining talismans left him shaken as the third trial began.

• Qin Qiongyu recognized that the three Qi Gathering talismans had to be layered right, left, and middle, and Elder Yu used them to open the stone door.
• Qin Qiongyu explained that Elder Yu had to craft a superior talisman to pass the second trial and offered to guide him.
• Elder Yu refined a nearly perfect superior Divine Movement Talisman while Qin Qiongyu mistakenly believed his guidance was making Elder Yu dependent on him.
• Chen Yang absorbed the backlash force entering Elder Yu, preventing it from causing Elder Yu tangible harm.
• Qin Qiongyu refined a superior early-stage Condensed Origin talisman and passed the second trial, but struggled despite his usual skill.
• The realm shifted to a dark violet ocean, and Qin Qiongyu questioned why his talisman-refining difficulty had returned.

Qin Qiongyu passed the final talisman-beast trial and entered what he believed were the ruins of the Ancient Talisman Sect. In a separate ruin chamber, Chen Yang used Spiritual Sense to unlock an ancient jade slip and obtained a complete set of Spiritual Connection Talisman Techniques.

• Qin Qiongyu dismantled the talisman beast’s talisman patterns and passed the third trial.
• Qin Qiongyu arrived at an ancient ruin with a standing Goddess Statue and concluded it was the Ancient Talisman Sect.
• Qin Qiongyu grew excited at the prospect of finding ancient talisman inheritances and headed toward the plaza.
• Elder Yu entered an underground cave dwelling, where Chen Yang helped him overcome a Spiritual Sense-sealed jade slip.
• Chen Yang received the memories of the Spiritual Essence Three Revolutions Talisman Manual and recognized it as a complete set of Spiritual Connection Talisman Techniques.

Chen Yang discovered that the Goddess Statue was siphoning fortune from four talisman masters and had trapped the Ancient Talisman Sect ruins. After it attacked him, he overpowered it with a display of force, and the statue begged him to spare its life.

• Chen Yang received an advanced talisman art inheritance and returned to the surface with Elder Yu to explore the ruins.
• Chen Yang saw Qin Qiongyu and three other talisman masters enter a trance beneath the Goddess Statue, which drew their primordial fortune into itself.
• The Goddess Statue awakened, noticed Chen Yang, and sealed the ruins off from the outside world, leaving Elder Yu unable to use his return token.
• Chen Yang sent Elder Yu back to the cave dwelling and confronted the Goddess Statue, which claimed the four masters belonged to it and tried to capture him.
• Chen Yang evaded the statue’s attack, threatened it with a blast of True Essence, and made it plead, “Exalted God... spare my life!”

Chen Yang learned that he had unknowingly cultivated both the Immortal and Divine Paths, and the Goddess Statue revealed how the Lingyuan Realm and its four continents had formed. After questioning her about her powers and the past, Chen Yang ordered her to torment Qin Qiongyu in an illusion and drain all his fortune power.

• The Goddess Statue revealed that she was the Spirit of the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm and had grown by taking fortune power from talented cultivators.
• Chen Yang learned that he had combined Immortal Dao cultivation with Divine Dao powers, giving him abilities that complemented each other against different foes.
• The Goddess Statue recounted how the Lingyuan Realm had split into four regions and how the four continents emerged after the Divine Palaces shattered.
• Chen Yang concluded that the Shattered Divine Palace and his own identity were likely connected, but the Goddess Statue had no further memories to share.
• Chen Yang allowed the Goddess Statue to continue taking fortune power from cultivators, then ordered her to trap Qin Qiongyu in a repeated illusion of failure and drain his fortune.

Chen Yang secured the Goddess Statue’s talisman insights and claimed the other supreme treasures in the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm. He discovered the remaining treasure, a Profound Truth Talisman Bead, but learned it could not be taken out of the realm.

• Chen Yang had the Goddess Statue open her mind and took the insights of eighteen ancient talisman cultivators directly from her spiritual world.
• The Goddess Statue teleported Chen Yang to a dungeon and showed him the preserved body of a Spiritual Connection Perfection talisman cultivator.
• Chen Yang ordered the Goddess Statue to preserve the body in a coffin and send it to the underground cave dwelling, where Elder Yu stored it.
• Chen Yang asked about the third supreme treasure, and the Goddess Statue took him to a village with a dark green Profound Truth Talisman Bead on an altar.
• The Goddess Statue explained that the bead was extremely valuable but could not be removed from the Secret Realm because its refining method had been lost.

Chen Yang devoured the Profound Truth Talisman Bead, then brought the Goddess Statue into the Shattered Divine Palace and refined her unspent power of creation and accumulated resentment into stronger divine power for her. After he and Elder Yu left the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm, news spread that Qin Qiongyu had gone mad.

• Chen Yang swallowed the Profound Truth Talisman Bead, completing his collection of the Secret Realm’s three supreme treasures.
• Chen Yang brought the Goddess Statue’s consciousness to the Shattered Divine Palace, where she offered him her unrefined power of creation and accumulated resentment.
• Chen Yang used the jade tower to refine both forces and returned purified divine power that increased the Goddess Statue’s cultivation more than threefold.
• Chen Yang and Elder Yu used the return token to leave the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm, and Elder Yu told others he had gained some insights into talisman arts.
• After the remaining cultivators were forcibly teleported out, talisman masters at the Gathering of Heroes Banquet learned that Qin Qiongyu had gone mad.

Qin Qiongyu emerged from the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm mentally shattered, and Talisman Mountain’s sect master explained how repeated failures in an Ancient Talisman Sect trial had driven him to desperation. The account ended with Qin Qiongyu demanding another attempt even after his companions recognized they could not succeed.

• Qin Qiongyu returned from the Secret Realm raving that he had mastered an ancient talisman inheritance, and Jiang Chun'an and other Core Formation Cultivators calmed him with their arts.
• Jiang Chun'an told Yu Liyang that Qin Qiongyu and three other talisman masters had reached an Ancient Talisman Sect ruin, where their mental energy had been severely depleted.
• Talisman Mountain’s sect master brought the other three talisman masters to the hall and explained that the four had entered a dungeon trial linked to the Ancient Talisman Technique Inheritance Statue.
• Qin Qiongyu repeatedly helped the group reach the final stage, but his mistakes caused their first two attempts to fail.
• The four tried a third time, but two companions ran out of mental energy at the final stage, and Qin Qiongyu insisted they continue despite the others’ exhaustion.

Chen Yang ensured Qin Qiongyu’s final trial yielded nothing, leaving the Su Family talisman master mentally broken, while Elder Yu learned that Yang Guanfeng had returned safely. Yang Guanfeng paid respects at Murong Ying Xuan’s tomb, and Xuan Zhou reflected on the suffering that might lessen if the empire conquered the east.

• Qin Qiongyu’s companions refused to continue the dungeon trials and left, but he persisted alone until the Goddess Statue let him pass the final stage.
• Qin Qiongyu found the final room empty because Chen Yang had already taken the spiritual connection cultivator’s body, and he broke down after realizing his sacrifices had earned him nothing.
• Chen Yang left a consciousness mark with the Goddess Statue, then departed the Secret Realm after settling matters with Qin Qiongyu.
• Elder Yu met Gao Hui on the way home and learned that Yang Guanfeng was alive, had returned to the imperial capital, and was receiving honors from Xuan Zhou.
• Yang Guanfeng visited Murong Ying Xuan’s tomb, planted a rare Eastern Wilderness Flying Swallow Grass, and thanked her for saving his life.
• Xuan Zhou reflected that all people suffered and hoped conquering the east would bring some relief.

After Tiger Chasing conquered the Eastern Wilderness’s Southwest territories, Yuan Cheng and Dai Wei earned acclaim, and the Yang Family prepared them for Yang Yuanhong’s future fief. As regional tensions spread, Tiger Chasing’s forces gathered at Pine Mountain to protect Yang Lingrui as he prepared to break through into Core Formation.

• Yuan Cheng delivered supplies and helped residents in the newly conquered border town, while Dai Wei distinguished himself in battle as a squad commander.
• Yang Guanfeng selected Dai Wei and Yuan Cheng as key figures for Yang Yuanhong’s future and planned to move Yang Lingqing and Yang Yuanhong to the new fief after the Eastern Expedition.
• Tiger Chasing completed its purge of the old Southwest territories, and the Yang Family obtained an Essence Condensation Enlightenment Stone and rewarded its soldiers.
• The First and Third Princes of the Eastern Wilderness clashed, while the Tianyou Dynasty and Northwest sects began maneuvering amid the rising regional conflict.
• Murong Qiuhan, He Dingshan, Lu Changfeng, Wen Zishu, and Hong Yao gathered at Pine Mountain as Yang Lingrui prepared to enter Core Formation.

Guests gathered at the Yang Family to witness Yang Lingrui’s breakthrough, while Murong Qiuhan considered the family’s growing power and its long-term bid for independence from the Dynasty. As the ceremony began, a terrifying wind phenomenon gathered over Pine Mountain, and Lu Changfeng identified it as a sign that Yang Lingrui had embarked on the great path to heaven.

• Hong Yao traded barbed remarks with Wen Zishu, who had come to observe Yang Lingrui’s breakthrough.
• Hong Guang praised Yang Yuanhong’s physique, and Yang Guanfeng explained that the boy was Yang Linghu’s son.
• Murong Qiuhan praised Yang Lingqing’s role in guiding the Yang Family and reflected on the family’s rise and its plans to break free from Dynasty control.
• A chaotic mass of wind gathered above Pine Mountain, swallowing the clouds and sunlight as the assembled cultivators watched.
• Lu Changfeng told He Dingshan that ancient texts described a Primordial Chaos Divine Wind and said Yang Lingrui’s phenomenon signaled his path to heaven.

Yang Lingrui began forming his core with the dangerous Core Condensation Technique while facing a wind-phenomenon tribulation. He drew the tribulation into the stone chamber to harness its wind-aligned origin power, leaving the watching cultivators stunned and admiring his resolve.

• A vast wind anomaly formed over Pine Mountain as Yang Lingrui approached the Core Formation Realm, and the observers recognized signs of a tribulation.
• Yang Lingrui withdrew the Gold Ring and began using the Core Condensation Technique, while Lu Changfeng and He Dingshan moved closer to guard him.
• Murong Qiuhan comforted the worried Yang Lingqing as the onlookers feared Yang Lingrui would not survive the technique and tribulation together.
• Yang Lingrui accelerated the Core Condensation Technique, and the wind-phenomenon tribulation descended toward the stone chamber.
• Yang Lingrui’s Spiritual Incarnation seized the tribulation and dragged it into the chamber, prompting He Dingshan and Lu Changfeng to praise his courage.

Yang Lingrui successfully formed his core, and Chen Yang advanced to Mid Essence Condensation through the cultivation feedback. Over the following months, other Dynasty geniuses also reached Core Formation, while Yang Lingqing and Yang Yuanhong led the Yang Family east to establish their new fief.

• Yang Lingrui used the wind-aspect tribulation to form an unusually large Origin Core, reaching the Second Layer Essence Condensation stage as Chen Yang's divine power steadied his breakthrough.
• Yang Lingrui caught the wind phenomenon's lingering essence after breaking through, and Chen Yang received enough cultivation feedback to enter Mid Essence Condensation.
• Yang Lingrui thanked Lu Changfeng and He Dingshan, while the attending Core Formation Cultivators congratulated him and recognized the Yang Family as a great clan.
• He Shenglai emerged from seclusion as a Core Formation cultivator, learned that Su Lingyun had likely succeeded, and asked He Anping to inform the old ancestor that he was ready to enter the Lineage Secret Realm.
• Over the next three months, Shen Yue, Xiao Yize, Qiu Ran, He Shenglai, Su Lingyun, and other Dynasty geniuses broke through to Core Formation.
• Yang Lingqing and Yang Yuanhong led Yang Family cultivators and mortals east to their new fief.

Yang Yuanliu settled into a proofreading post in the Immortal Patrol Division’s Archives, where her interest in history and diligent work impressed the aging staff. After three months, Director Zou Zhongyi decided to personally teach her, despite knowing she would eventually leave.

• Xuan Zhou rejected the lower branch officials’ attempt to place Yang Yuanliu in the Assembly of Kings Pavilion, and Yang Yuanliu became a Proofreading Attendant in the Archives.
• Yang Yuanliu welcomed the history-focused posting, which also made it easier for her to pursue the task assigned by the Immortal Venerable.
• Yang Yuanliu quickly mastered her duties and used her spare time to study ancient texts and historical records, earning the Archives staff’s respect.
• After observing Yang Yuanliu’s dedication and thoughtful historical insights for three months, Zou Zhongyi resolved to personally teach her.

Yang Yuanliu uncovered records linking the Song clan of the Fenghuo Kingdom to a lost opportunity of Creation and suspected the clan still had surviving descendants. After he reported his findings to Chen Yang, Song Kaiyang broke out of prison in Wangyue City and fled west.

• Zou Zhongyi lent Yang Yuanliu the original Records of Eight Nations, and Yang Yuanliu found that the Song clan had discovered a Secret Realm opportunity containing the Merit of Creation.
• Yang Yuanliu read that Tiger Chasing destroyed the Fenghuo Kingdom but never recorded the Song clan's extermination, leading him to suspect that its bloodline survived.
• Yang Yuanliu reported his discoveries and suspicions to Chen Yang through Thought Transmission.
• Song Kaiyang killed the guards in his cell and severely wounded two Dynasty secret envoys before escaping west from Wangyue City.

After Song Kaiyang escaped west, Jia Huarai learned that the Tiger Chasing Emperor had long allowed the Song Clan to survive and maneuver in hopes of uncovering an opportunity hidden in its bloodline. The Emperor ordered a secret action, then questioned whether Tiger Chasing’s fortune had run out as he tried to predict who would claim the opportunity.

• Jia Huarai reported to the Tiger Chasing Emperor and Grand Preceptor that Song Kaiyang had wounded two secret envoys and fled toward the Desert Sea.
• The Grand Preceptor recalled that Jia Huarai had lost three wagers to the Emperor over the Song Clan’s hidden opportunity.
• The Emperor explained that he had spared a Song Clan descendant and monitored the family because he believed the old Song emperor had concealed the opportunity within the Lineage bloodline.
• The Emperor concluded that Song Kaiyang had obtained the key to unlocking the opportunity and had fled to the former Fenghuo Kingdom capital.
• The Emperor ordered the Grand Preceptor to issue a secret order, then proposed a wager to Jia Huarai about who would ultimately gain the opportunity.
• The Emperor sensed that his usual guidance had vanished and wondered whether the eastward war had exhausted Tiger Chasing’s fortune and fate.

The Dynasty’s secret hunt for Song Kaiyang drew rival factions to Tuoyue City, where Yang Lingrui prepared to pursue the opportunity tied to the Song Clan of Fenghuo Kingdom. As the Yang and Feng families made their plans, Yang Lingrui’s arrival at the troubled Han Family left its patriarch stunned.

• Yang Lingrui linked the secret order to Chen Yang’s information about the Song Clan of Fenghuo Kingdom, and Yang Guanfeng agreed that Song Kaiyang was likely its descendant.
• The Feng Family patriarch told Feng Lan to follow the Murong Clan and seek only a small share, while Yang Lingrui decided to bring Chen Yang’s avatar to the Sea of Sand and pursue the opportunity.
• After Zi He asked Yang Lingrui to kill Song Kaiyang, Yang Lingrui also resolved to avenge the Li Family’s destruction.
• The factions gathered in Tuoyue City, where Feng Lan informed Murong Qiuhan of the Feng Family’s knowledge and later plotted with her.
• Han Jiannan worried that the Han Family would lose its status and fief after its old ancestor died, until he learned that Yang Lingrui had come to see him.

Yang Lingrui visited the declining Han Family to return Han Jingyi’s belongings and show that the Yang Family stood with them. After Han Jiannan led him to the family ancestor’s secluded cave, Yang Lingrui realized the ancestor was already dead.

• Han Jiannan hurried to the guest hall after learning that Yang Lingrui had arrived.
• Yang Lingrui told Han Jiannan he had come on behalf of Yang Lingshu and gave him a storage pouch containing Han Jingyi’s remains and belongings.
• Han Jiannan wept over the returned items and thanked Yang Lingrui, who explained that his visit also signaled his ties to the Han Family.
• Yang Lingrui asked to see the Han Family ancestor’s place of seclusion, and Han Jiannan agreed.
• Yang Lingrui sensed that the Han Family’s Core Formation ancestor had already died.

After confirming Han Jingyi's master's death, Yang Lingrui protected the Han Family from opportunistic factions and left them a token to seek aid at Pine Mountain. He then joined Shen Yue on the journey into the Desert Sea, where they discussed the Dynasty's secret order to capture Song Kaiyang and the Murong Clan's interest in the opportunity he had found.

• Yang Lingrui told Han Jiannan to prepare Han Jingyi's master's funeral, and the Han Family brought out the old ancestor's corpse.
• Yang Lingrui's presence at the funeral deterred factions probing the Han Family, and he left Han Jiannan a writ promising aid from Pine Mountain.
• Han Jiannan placed a memorial tablet for Han Jingyi's master in the ancestral hall, and a child was born and named Feng Yang.
• Yang Lingrui met Shen Yue outside Tuoyue City, and the two set off together for the Desert Sea at the request of their elders.
• Yang Lingrui and Shen Yue discussed the secret order to capture Song Kaiyang and suspected the Murong Clan knew the key to his opportunity.
• Shen Yue told Yang Lingrui that Murong Qiuhan and Feng Lan had joined forces, and offered to help Yang Lingrui pursue the opportunity if he or his family wanted it.

Yang Lingrui and Shen Yue entered the Sea of Desert to search for Song Kaiyang and the opportunity hidden behind his apprehension, while Consort Xi approved the Yang Family’s remote northeastern fief. After three months of travel, Yang Lingqing led the family to the frontier and selected a site for their new home with help from Chen Yang’s map.

• Yang Lingrui and Shen Yue agreed to contend for the hidden opportunity if they happened upon it, then entered the Sea of Desert behind Murong Qiuhan and the other cultivators.
• Consort Xi considered Yang Guanfeng’s trade plans and approved the Yang Family’s barren, remote fief.
• Yang Lingqing and the Yang Family traveled for three months, encountering three small bands of bandits near the frontier.
• Yang Lingqing built temporary lodgings for the group and received a complete three-dimensional map of the region from Chen Yang.
• Yang Lingqing chose a suitable area for the Yang Family’s new home, while Chen Yang searched underground toward Befeng City.

Chen Yang used his divine power to lure a branch of the Blazing Spirit Mine toward the Yang Family’s territory, where they hoped to establish themselves. True Man Huolong noticed the slight shift but left without discovering Chen Yang’s interference, while Consort Xi suspected the Yang Family might be involved before dismissing the thought.

• Chen Yang sensed the Blazing Spirit Mine and found that its natural growth toward the Yang Family would take at least twenty years.
• Chen Yang used his divine power to draw the mine’s aura toward the Yang Family, accelerating one small branch’s growth.
• True Man Huolong detected a slight increase in fire qi flowing southwest but could not find the cause.
• True Man Huolong guessed the mine’s shift might be related to the Tiger Chasing Dynasty’s dragon vein.
• Consort Xi met True Man Huolong, who said he had no intention of interfering and then departed.
• Consort Xi inspected the Yang Family’s new territory, found its construction progressing quickly, and dismissed her suspicion that they had attracted Huolong.