Chapter Summaries

The New Emperor decided to rebuild the Fengdu Secret Land as a dwelling for Emperor Jing’s Yin Soul, then discussed his and Zhang Xuezhou’s uncertain futures during their return to Chang’an. Their conversation turned to using Fortune Techniques against the King of Yan and preparing against charm techniques.

• The New Emperor found a nearby mountain village, confirmed their location, and told Zhang Xuezhou he wanted to rebuild the Fengdu Secret Land for Emperor Jing’s Yin Soul.
• The New Emperor set aside his questions about his purpose and urged Zhang Xuezhou to take him back to Chang’an City.
• Zhang Xuezhou said he was thinking about how to live longer, explaining that Houtu’s Void Heaven Hall and Hongjun’s Investiture of the Gods Document could bring danger.
• The New Emperor suggested using Fortune Techniques to face uncertainty, and Zhang Xuezhou realized he planned to wage a Fortune War against Liu Dingguo, the King of Yan.
• Zhang Xuezhou offered Cynomorium as protection against charm techniques, and the New Emperor decided to postpone taking it until he had prepared for its drawbacks.

After returning to the palace, Zhang Xuezhou reunited with Sima Xiangru, who lent him a supposedly protective Sun Star Stone. Sima Xiangru then gave the New Emperor another carved disc and was ordered to write an offering-to-Heaven text that appeared likely to be used against someone.

• The New Emperor discussed a horse drum with Zhang Xuezhou and learned that Sima Xiangru had been dismissed after accusations of taking bribes in Bashu.
• Zhang Xuezhou teased Sima Xiangru about the bribes, and Sima Xiangru lent him a Sun Star Stone that he claimed had kept him safe.
• After Zhang Xuezhou left, Sima Xiangru admitted the objects had no special power and prepared to fend off others seeking gifts.
• The New Emperor asked Sima Xiangru what he had bought with the bribe money, and Sima Xiangru presented him with a carved disc as a Purple Tenuity Emperor Star.
• The New Emperor commissioned Sima Xiangru to write an offering-to-Heaven text that would support a judgment against someone.

Zhang Xuezhou received the Sun and Star Disc from Sima Xiangru and asked Zhu Jiuyin where to find the Investiture of the Gods Document, hoping it could help him understand the Void Heaven Hall. Zhu Jiuyin said only Laozi’s clone Laojun might know, but warned that Laojun was dangerously unstable and obsessed with making pills.

• Zhang Xuezhou examined the Sun and Star Disc, confirmed it was a working Fortune Artifact, and felt its power dispel his gloom.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned home and pulled Zhu Jiuyin down from a rope, then learned Ren Anran had scolded him for discouraging her from studying Han characters.
• Zhang Xuezhou urged Zhu Jiuyin to learn written Han characters so he would not fall behind Ren Anran.
• Zhu Jiuyin explained that the Investiture of the Gods could seal gods who could not be killed and that Laozi alone knew where it was.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Zhu Jiuyin to contact Laojun, but Zhu Jiuyin described Laojun’s obsession with strange pills and his habit of using dragons as medicine.

Zhang Xuezhou postponed his trip to the Immortal Court to recover and check on his family and companions. After learning about the villagers’ declining health and explaining that he planned to meet Laojun, he asked his companions for unusual pill recipes to use as conversation with the pill-refining fanatic.

• Zhang Xuezhou accepted Ren Anran and Yi Shuo's advice to delay visiting the Immortal Court and went to see his cousin, Rong Tianding.
• Zhang Xuezhou advised Rong Tianding about the Reincarnation Stone, and Rong Tianding reported that Zhang Zhong and Lady Yourong had taken life-extending pills while three villagers had died over the past two years.
• Chunyu Tiying worried that Zhang Xuezhou's Life-Extending Golden Elixirs were gone, and Zou Bugui warned that possessing pills from the Immortal Court could bring danger.
• Zhang Xuezhou revealed that Laojun had refined the pills and said he planned to visit him next month.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked his companions to show him unusual pill recipes so he would have something to discuss with Laojun.

Zhang Xuezhou returned from the Three Realms with the Void Heaven Hall folded inside his soul, slowing his journey through the void and inspiring him to develop his control over time and space. After he awoke in Sinkhole No. 2, Huang Daoxian attacked him out of envy over the Void Gold Zhang Xuezhou had brought back.

• As Zhang Xuezhou traveled through the void, he discovered the Void Heaven Hall compressed inside his soul and realized it slowed his return, which might help Ren Anran follow him safely later.
• Zhang Xuezhou reasoned that controlling the travel speed between spatial anchor points could let him develop a domain and approach Hongjun's abilities.
• Zhang Xuezhou awoke in Sinkhole No. 2, where Huang Daoxian bit him and complained that Zhang Xuezhou had gone to the Three Realms without him.
• Ren Yisheng, Zhang Hao, Zhang Huang, and the others surrounded Huang Daoxian, while Zhang Xuezhou demanded to know why he had attacked.
• Huang Daoxian admitted that envy over Zhang Xuezhou's haul of Void Gold had made him want to bite Zhang Xuezhou, especially since Huang Daoxian had contributed Void Gold before.

Zhang Xuezhou learned that Houtu’s mark made him the only one able to use the Void Heaven Hall, a palace forged from Void Gold. Huang Daoxian was devastated by the revelation, while Zhang Hao recognized Houtu as the source of Zhang Xuezhou’s treasure.

• Huang Daoxian realized Zhang Xuezhou knew where the Void Gold was and explained that its mark prevented anyone else from using it.
• Zhang Xuezhou concluded that Houtu had marked him, possibly causing the fire poison in his human body.
• Zhang Hao asked about the palace, and Zhang Xuezhou said he had traveled inside it but did not know how to use it or what it could do.
• Huang Daoxian lamented that a Void Gold palace could let its owner fight those who had undergone dimensional ascension, and pressed Zhang Xuezhou to explain who had left it to him.
• Zhang Xuezhou named Houtu and Hongjun, but Huang Daoxian had never heard of either and suggested asking Xuanming for information.
• Zhang Hao recognized that Houtu was the source of Zhang Xuezhou’s supreme treasure.

Zhang Xuezhou and the others discussed the dangers of his temporary possession of the Void Heaven Hall and his position between Houtu and Hongjun. Ren Anran explained her separation from her clone, while Zhang Hao warned Huang Daoxian against treating the Three Realms as an easy target.

• Huang Daoxian explained that the Void Heaven Hall could carry higher-dimensional treasures across the void, but Zhang Huang and Zhang Hao pointed out they had no one to send them such treasures.
• Zhang Hao warned that Hongjun had set his sights on Zhang Xuezhou, who was already caught between Hongjun and Houtu and had to contend with Donghua as well.
• Zhang Xuezhou said Houtu had given him the hall to deal with Donghua, but Hongjun had compressed it and told him to find a treasure.
• Ren Anran said she had been mentally disconnected from her clone and could no longer sense the Yang Corporeal Soul Body, but expected to recover when the clone returned.
• Zhang Hao warned Huang Daoxian that the Three Realms were protected by Houtu's and Hongjun's forces, which likely killed invaders before they could enter.

Zhang Xuezhou and the cultivators discussed the danger of using the Void Heaven Hall against Donghua and the difficulty of extending one’s lifespan. After leaving Sinkhole No. 2, Zhang Xuezhou appeared to have reached the Ninth Sequence, astonishing Zhang Huang.

• Huang Daoxian and the others discovered the Void Heaven Hall folded within Zhang Xuezhou's divine soul and discussed the risks of using the Investiture of the Gods Document.
• Zhang Hao warned that Donghua would be difficult to defeat and said his own demon body had no obvious weakness beyond having about eight hundred years left to live.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized that his lifespan could leave him vulnerable to Donghua's Fate Technique.
• Li Qi asked about cultivating lifespan, and Zhang Xuezhou advised the Sequence Holders to pursue higher Gene Sequences instead.
• Zhang Huang followed Zhang Xuezhou out of Sinkhole No. 2 and wondered whether he had entered the Ninth Sequence after half a month of rest.

Zhang Xuezhou discovered that the Void Heaven Hall was amplifying his Control into a domain that let him suppress others, though he knew the power was temporary. After Nagesi found the Immortality Gem’s original owner, Zhang Xuezhou agreed to help him and prepared to investigate Qinmeng with the support of Nagesi’s resurrection ability.

• Zhang Xuezhou realized the Void Heaven Hall had helped him use a domain, letting him freeze Zuo Denggao and move hundreds of meters in a step.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered using the temporary power to scout Qinmeng, but decided against trying to monopolize the Void Heaven Hall because Hongjun and Houtu stood in his way.
• Zhang Xuezhou reassured Zhang Huang that he would eventually catch up, and Zhang Huang accepted his encouragement.
• Zhang Xuezhou began replenishing supplies for the secret place, but Li Yingbo contacted him with news that Nagesi had found the Immortality Gem’s original owner.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to cooperate with Nagesi, whose ability to return from the dead could help with the dangerous investigation of Qinmeng.

Zhang Xuezhou and his companions prepared to travel to the Thousand Islands Alliance to witness Nagesi inscribe Immortality using an Immortality Gem and to deal with the Fire Meteor creature left by Yu. As they boarded the aircraft, Zhang Xuezhou rejected Huang Daoxian’s suggestion to sacrifice an emperor for good fortune, citing his weak influence in the alliance.

• Zhang Xuezhou used his domain to bring everyone out of the secret land, prompting Huang Daoxian to complain that learning the Sword-Guiding Technique had been a waste.
• Zhang Xuezhou announced that the group would leave that day to help Nagesi inscribe Immortality and investigate Qinmeng.
• Ren Yisheng reminded the group to prepare for anything, and everyone went to their research institutes before meeting at the aircraft.
• Huang Daoxian and Zhang Hao discussed the value of Immortality Gems and their hopes for exploring the void.
• Huang Daoxian asked Zhang Xuezhou whether he could sacrifice an emperor in the Thousand Islands Alliance to improve his fortune, but Zhang Xuezhou explained that he lacked influence there.

Zhang Xuezhou arrived in the Thousand Islands Alliance, where Nagesi had seized control while investigating a deadly underground threat near Laiyata City. The chapter ended with Zhang seeing a captured snake-haired creature that resembled a dangerous being he had encountered before.

• Huang Daoxian complained about the Thousand Islands Alliance's disorganized government as Zhang Xuezhou arrived at Shuangliu Airport and met Tuer Kalanduo and Pasteur.
• Tuer Kalanduo said the British Alliance State had invaded the Thousand Islands Alliance, while Pasteur explained that Nagesi had taken control to investigate Tuer District.
• Pasteur told Zhang Xuezhou that five teams sent underground near Laiyata City had died, and Zhang headed there to find Nagesi.
• Zhang warned Tuer Kalanduo that dangerous creatures might remain and advised her to promote Gene Sequences and improve transportation, but she said she lacked the power to do so.
• At Laiyata City, Xie'ertong showed Zhang a photograph of Nagesi's captured underground creature, a snake-haired being with a human body and a snake's tail.

Zhang Xuezhou and Nagesi investigated Medusas living in underground caverns near Laiyata City and prepared an expedition to clear them out before searching for the owner of the Immortality Gem. The team entered the tunnels, where Zhou Rihui crushed a Medusa after it attacked him with its gaze.

• Nagesi explained that Medusas could petrify opponents and showed Zhang Xuezhou a corpse he had found in the tunnels.
• Zhang Xuezhou examined a luminous mushroom that could sustain the underground creatures and considered its potential as a medicinal ingredient.
• Nagesi estimated that eight to ten creatures lived underground and explained why the wounded owner of the Immortality Gem was unlikely to pose an immediate threat.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to help Nagesi clear out the Medusas, and the team donned asbestos protection before entering the cavern.
• Zhou Rihui led the team into the tunnel, encountered a Medusa at close range, and crushed it beneath his charge.

Zhou Rihui and the other Sequence Holders fought their way through a winding cave and killed the creatures in the Medusas’ settlement. Nagesi could sense the Immortality Gem’s original owner nearby, and Huang Daoxian used the gem to locate a hidden space in the cave wall.

• Zhou Rihui charged through the cave and crushed two Medusas as Zhou Xin and the others followed.
• Zhou Xin was struck by a mental shock from an injured creature, but Zhang Xuezhou warned him that the creatures were more dangerous when wounded.
• The group reached the dead-end settlement and found the bodies of four frog-like creatures and seven Medusas, but no sign of the gem’s original owner.
• Nagesi told Zhang Xuezhou that he sensed the owner nearby but could not find him, and Huang Daoxian agreed to search for a hidden space.
• Huang Daoxian used a drop of blood and the Immortality Gem to identify a spot on the cave wall, then urged Zhang Xuezhou to enter first.

Zhang Xuezhou and the others uncovered a hidden space sealed behind lava rock and found that the Immortality Gem’s owner was likely trapped within. Zhang Xuezhou crossed the violent spatial distortion and reached a gloomy underground world.

• Zhang Xuezhou and the others considered who could have imprisoned the Immortality Gem’s owner, while Changkong Yinglian suggested the Half-Step Dimensional Ascension cultivator in Qinmeng might be involved.
• Li Qi proposed that the owner might be sealed in rock, so Zhang Xuezhou asked Wang Haoran to cut into the cavern wall.
• Jiang Ying and Zhang Hao identified an unnatural layer of lava rock, and Nagesi suggested it had been created with Lava Eruption to seal the space.
• Huang Daoxian tracked the owner’s location again, and the group cut and pushed the lava rock inward until they uncovered a hidden cavern.
• Zhang Xuezhou used Fast and Slow to navigate the violent spatial distortion and emerged into a gloomy underground world.

Zhang Xuezhou explored the ruined secret land and found its former lord, Emma, lingering as a Dead Soul beneath a bull-headed statue. Emma’s delusions broke through, and he died, leaving Zhang Xuezhou with a glimpse of the past battle that had driven him into the secret land.

• Zhang Xuezhou searched the silent, bone-strewn secret land and found no living inhabitants before heading to the city lord’s residence.
• Zhang Xuezhou used the Yin Entity Tracking Technique to discover that the bones beneath the bull-headed statue were a Dead Soul named Emma.
• Emma raved about ruling a divine kingdom until Zhang Xuezhou’s Southern Brightness Fire frightened him into recognizing that his memories were false.
• Emma’s mental power dispersed, and he died while trying to rise and lamenting his defeat.
• Zhang Xuezhou saw Emma’s final memories, which showed a winged opponent resembling Zhang Xuezhou, though Emma had believed he killed that opponent.

Zhang Xuezhou recounted the abandoned secret land, while Nagesi used the Immortality Gem to attain immortality and the group discussed how such gems could be obtained. As Nagesi led everyone out of the dangerous cavern, they encountered swarms of giant moths attacking nearby people.

• Zhang Xuezhou described the secret land, and Zhang Hao considered how it could serve as a prison for immortal enemies.
• Nagesi imprinted the Immortality Gem with his image while the others watched and discussed the process of obtaining immortality.
• Huang Daoxian explained that void gold, spiritual power, and a soul entrusted to the void were needed to catch an Immortality Gem.
• Nagesi completed the imprinting, received congratulations from Zhang Xuezhou, and urged everyone to leave the blood-soaked area.
• Nagesi crawled toward the cavern opening and saw swarms of human-head-sized moths attacking people outside.

After poisonous moths reappeared near Laiyata City, Zhang Xuezhou concluded that Qinmeng Transformation had spread to the Thousand Islands Alliance and likely the British Alliance State. Nagesi ordered rapid military mobilization, and Zhang Xuezhou decided to investigate Qinmeng with Nagesi prepared to join him.

• Nagesi and the others found hundreds of poisonous moths near Laiyata City despite the Thousand Islands Alliance reporting that they had nearly been wiped out.
• Zhang Xuezhou suspected Qinmeng Transformation had reached the Thousand Islands Alliance, and Nagesi warned that disasters could erupt across the British Alliance State at once.
• Nagesi ordered Pasteur to conscript troops, restore the regular guard to 200,000, maximize firearms production, and loosen gun-permit requirements.
• Nagesi explained that Qinmeng Transformation could not be stopped, while Zhang Manqian described worsening climate disruptions across the Aomeijia Alliance.
• Zhang Xuezhou decided to investigate Qinmeng and told Nagesi to be ready to enter it if needed.

Zhang Xuezhou investigated Qinmeng’s spreading freeze and found that the Snake Cave had transformed into a vast Spirit Jade deposit. He discovered that its jade matched a fragment he had scraped from the Qinmeng Secret Stone, suggesting the transformation had been triggered by that fragment or by the Half-Step Dimensional Ascension expert.

• Zhang Xuezhou flew to Qinmeng and saw that freezing winds had covered its coastline and were spreading through the region.
• Zhang Xuezhou searched near Qinmeng’s capital and sensed restorative energy coming from the Snake Cave.
• Zhang Xuezhou entered the cave and discovered that its walls had turned into Spirit Jade, replenishing his strength.
• Zhang Xuezhou dug through the cave and found that all the exposed rock had become Spirit Jade.
• Zhang Xuezhou identified a tiny Spirit Jade fragment as an offcut from the Qinmeng Secret Stone and found that the cave’s jade matched it exactly.

Zhang Xuezhou tested his theory that the World Origin transformed ordinary matter when influenced by unusual objects, and planted markers in Hu Yu’s campsite and Seven Spiders’ cave. As a strange cutting sound approached the cave, he hid in Mengtesi Badun’s secret passage.

• Zhang Xuezhou concluded that the World Origin might transform similar objects into treasures and wondered how to direct its power.
• Zhang Xuezhou flew north to Hu Yu’s frozen campsite and placed holy water in an ice container at the spring’s source.
• Zhang Xuezhou found Seven Spiders absent from the Spider God Cave and saw that the cold had left its spiders dormant or dying.
• Zhang Xuezhou buried Void Gold and Spirit Jade markers in two locations inside the cave.
• Zhang Xuezhou heard a strange, approaching cutting sound and hid in Mengtesi Badun’s secret passage.

Zhang Xuezhou was pursued through the Spider God Cave by the Half-Step Dimensional Ascension expert from Qinmeng, whose Wind Technique transformed the cave and underground river. After their domains collided and the exit was sealed in ice, Zhang Xuezhou headed for the platform where An Ran’s group had planted explosives.

• The Half-Step Dimensional Ascension expert from Qinmeng arrived and transformed the cavern rock into Void Gold as he searched for Zhang Xuezhou.
• Zhang Xuezhou tried to escape through the underground river while the pursuer collapsed the cavern and spread Bifeng throughout it.
• The pursuer’s domain began crystallizing the river, and Zhang Xuezhou used Control over Fast and Slow to oppose it.
• Zhang Xuezhou reached the icy river’s exit but found it sealed, while his domain struggled to dissolve the ice.
• Zhang Xuezhou remembered the explosives An Ran’s group had planted and followed his old fluorescent markings to their detonation point.