Chapter Summaries

Zhang Xuezhou and the New Emperor watched the Three Pure Ones assess the New Emperor’s swordsmanship, a contest that would shape the Great Han Dynasty’s relationship with the Immortal Court. After Celestial Venerable Lingbao defeated him, the New Emperor received a sword and a Taiji Diagram as gifts, leaving him convinced his Karmic Fortune was shining like a rainbow.

• Zhang Xuezhou introduced Shuo Immortal to Celestial Venerable Yuanshi while the New Emperor and Celestial Venerable Lingbao began their sword contest.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that Holy Mother Wudang had helped the New Emperor comprehend the True Self Sword Formation, and Celestial Venerable Yuanshi and Laojun praised his potential.
• Laojun and Celestial Venerable Yuanshi discussed recruiting the New Emperor to help maintain friendly relations between the Great Han Dynasty and the Immortal Court.
• Celestial Venerable Lingbao defeated the New Emperor after their swords clashed, and the New Emperor admitted that his skill was inferior.
• Celestial Venerable Lingbao gave the New Emperor his sword, Slay Zhunti, and Laojun presented him with a Taiji Diagram.

Zhang Xuezhou and the New Emperor negotiated with the Jade Emperor over peace and mutual assistance between the Immortal Court and the Great Han Dynasty. The Jade Emperor approved the arrangement and dispatched immortal officials to Chang'an City, while Zhang Xuezhou asked Li Changgeng to teach him the Demonic Sound Technique.

• Zhang Xuezhou told the New Emperor that their prosperous Karmic Fortune gave them a chance, though they could only leave the Jade Emperor's decision to luck.
• An old immortal official summoned Che Immortal, but Zhang Xuezhou and the New Emperor refused to identify themselves until the Jade Emperor called Zhang Xuezhou Shuo Immortal and invited the New Emperor inside.
• Zhang Xuezhou said he had joined Jade Void Palace, so the Jade Emperor invited the New Emperor to sign a decree instead.
• The Jade Emperor ordered immortal officials to accompany Che Immortal to Chang'an City and retrieve a hundred craftsmen for Tushita Palace within ten days.
• Zhang Xuezhou praised Li Changgeng's powerful voice and asked him to teach him the Demonic Sound Technique, and Celestial Venerable Yuanshi promised Li Changgeng divine water for doing so.

The New Emperor secured the Jade Emperor’s recognition of the Great Han Dynasty but had to leave Zhang Xuezhou behind in the Immortal Court as a hostage. While Zhang Xuezhou stayed with the Three Pure Ones Heavenly Venerables, a question about Laojun’s lost flying technique triggered a destructive frenzy before Celestial Venerable Yuanshi stopped him and revealed the Cloud-Somersaulting Technique.

• The New Emperor agreed with the Jade Emperor that the Immortal Court would recognize the Great Han Dynasty, while Zhang Xuezhou remained as a hostage.
• Zhang Xuezhou told the New Emperor to return to Chang'an City in style and asked him to bring An Ran when he later came back for him.
• Wang Shan escorted the New Emperor away in a Five-Dragon Agarwood Carriage as the Jade Emperor and the Three Pure Ones Heavenly Venerables exchanged barbed remarks.
• Zhang Xuezhou asked Laojun about the fastest flying Law Treasure and Technique Method, and Laojun became enraged when he could not remember his own technique.
• Laojun smashed the guardian beasts and unleashed wind and fire with his plantain fan until Celestial Venerable Yuanshi struck him down.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi told Zhang Xuezhou that Laojun’s lost technique was the Cloud-Somersaulting Technique, which even Laojun had never mastered.

After Celestial Venerable Yuanshi failed to engage Zhang Xuezhou with his Dao lecture, he tested Zhang’s flying ability with a race and promised him a gift. Zhang sped away so quickly that Yuanshi lost track of him and sought help finding him.

• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi asked Zhang Xuezhou what he could do, and Zhang said he could fly and withstand attacks.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi offered Zhang a gift if he could evade him for longer, and Zhang asked for the jade ruyi.
• Zhang Xuezhou insisted they start flying at the same time, then formed glowing wings and shot westward.
• Great Emperor Gouchen told Celestial Venerable Yuanshi that Zhang had doubled back and entered the Bifeng layer to the south.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi searched the Bifeng layer without finding Zhang, then went to ask Thousand-Mile Eye for help.

Zhang Xuezhou lost his way after evading Celestial Venerable Yuanshi and stopped at Divine Lord Zhenyuan’s home, where he treated Zhenyuan’s injuries from a fight with the Western Sect. Celestial Venerable Yuanshi tracked Zhang Xuezhou to the temple and trapped them in its formation.

• Zhang Xuezhou flew too far while shaking off Celestial Venerable Yuanshi and recognized Soul-Severing Ridge as a landmark.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan told Zhang Xuezhou that the two Western Sect masters had beaten him when he visited them in Western Aparagodaniya.
• Zhang Xuezhou treated Divine Lord Zhenyuan’s injuries and suggested they could join forces to wear down their enemies.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan explained the Seven Treasures Wondrous Tree’s weakness, then sensed danger and activated the temple’s formation.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi arrived outside the formation and said he had delayed Zhang Xuezhou for four cups of tea.

Zhang Xuezhou emerged from Divine Lord Zhenyuan’s hidden temple and received the jade ruyi from Celestial Venerable Yuanshi. After the group shared tea, Divine Lord Zhenyuan proposed a flying contest, leaving Celestial Venerable Yuanshi wary after his recent defeat in the Flying Leap Technique.

• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi found the hidden Daoist temple at Soul-Severing Ridge and waited for its formation to disappear.
• Zhang Xuezhou emerged with Divine Lord Zhenyuan and asked Celestial Venerable Yuanshi for the promised jade ruyi, which Celestial Venerable Yuanshi gave him.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan asked about Celestial Venerable Yuanshi’s skills and agreed to future contests with stakes and limits on the techniques.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan served tea and proposed competing in flight, prompting Celestial Venerable Yuanshi to set a fixed course after his earlier loss to Zhang Xuezhou.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan agreed to the flying contest despite doubting he could match Celestial Venerable Yuanshi’s speed.

Zhang Xuezhou waited in Daoist Master Zhenyuan’s temple while Divine Lord Zhenyuan and Celestial Venerable Yuanshi raced, then discussed the Fate Technique with Nanji over poison tree tea. Nanji revealed how the Immortal Court’s version could be advanced with life-extending elixirs, leaving Zhang Xuezhou considering whether he could use the method to surpass Donghua.

• Divine Lord Zhenyuan and Celestial Venerable Yuanshi departed to compete in a flying-leap contest, while Nanji expected his master to win.
• Zhang Xuezhou invited Nanji to drink tea, then ate poison tree leaves and shared them with him.
• Nanji explained that the Fate Technique could advance beyond its ninth level and extend life by thousands of years.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Nanji discussed the Fate Technique, and Nanji described how the Immortal Court’s version used elixirs to overcome cultivation limits.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered using treasures and elixirs to advance his own Fate Technique and turn its backlash against Donghua.

Zhang Xuezhou was trapped by the starving Myriad Longevity Fruit Tree just as Nanji, delirious from poisonous leaves, forced them into a clash of Fate Techniques. As their techniques intertwined, Zhang Xuezhou sensed a vast azure radiance beyond their reach.

• Zhang Xuezhou inspected the wilted Myriad Longevity Fruit Tree and worried that it needed nourishment from the corpses of great cultivators.
• The tree wrapped its branches around Zhang Xuezhou and trapped him while he gathered its fallen fruits.
• Nanji arrived and insisted on sparring with Zhang Xuezhou using Fate Techniques, despite Zhang Xuezhou’s attempts to stop him.
• Nanji began casting a Fate Technique, binding his and Zhang Xuezhou’s fates in a contest of growth.
• Zhang Xuezhou and Nanji struggled through the clash, and Zhang Xuezhou sensed a vast expanse of azure radiance.

Celestial Venerable Yuanshi and Divine Lord Zhenyuan interrupted Nanji and Zhang Xuezhou’s Fate Technique contest after the pair became trapped in a tree’s longevity power. Zhang Xuezhou forced Nanji to withdraw, but Nanji insisted he had glimpsed the Great Dao of Longevity, while Yuanshi noticed the tree had also ensnared Zhenyuan.

• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi lost a flying contest to Divine Lord Zhenyuan and offered him a treasure as a prize.
• Yuanshi and Zhenyuan found Nanji and Zhang Xuezhou trapped as fruit within a towering tree while pursuing the Azure Emperor’s Great Dao of Longevity.
• Yuanshi explained how Zhang Xuezhou could end the Fate Technique contest by defeating Nanji, and Zhenyuan helped him understand.
• Zhang Xuezhou broke Nanji’s Fate Technique, and Nanji returned to his body after losing twenty years of lifespan.
• Yuanshi scolded Nanji and questioned him about glimpsing the Great Dao of Longevity, while the fruit tree revealed that Zhenyuan was trapped inside too.

Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan watched the Myriad Longevity Fruit Tree’s azure light turn into a Fate Technique attack, then saw the ancient tree absorb the tree’s essence and grow from it. The ancient tree planted a Time Seed in Zhang Xuezhou to extend his life, and he woke to find his Fate Technique had advanced to its eighth halo.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan failed to understand how to draw in the Myriad Longevity Fruit Tree’s vitality and considered cutting it down.
• The tree unleashed azure rain as a Fate Technique attack, and Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan darted through it until the tree collapsed into an ocean of azure light.
• The ancient tree emerged from the azure light and explained that it had grown from the Myriad Longevity Fruit Tree, which it considered a normal way to reproduce.
• The ancient tree planted a Time Seed in Zhang Xuezhou, saying it would grow in his body and replace some of the lifespan he expended.
• Zhang Xuezhou struggled awake and discovered that his Fate Technique had advanced to its eighth halo.

Zhang Xuezhou, Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, Divine Lord Zhenyuan, and Nanji encountered the Myriad Longevity Fruit Tree and its life-extending power. Zhang Xuezhou discovered the tree could punish those it disliked, then ate a favored fruit and shed his aging disguise.

• Zhang Xuezhou gained an eighth-level Fate Technique halo, while Divine Lord Zhenyuan advanced to the ninth level and gained a thousand years of natural lifespan.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi and Nanji breathed in the tree's health-giving fragrance as Zhang Xuezhou explained that its fruit could extend life or strip it away.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi's attempts to pick fruit failed, while Nanji's first two fruits turned dark and mournful before returning to gold and smiling faces.
• Zhang Xuezhou said the tree understood him and ate a golden fruit that had fallen into his hand.
• The fruit's effects broke Zhang Xuezhou's Aging Technique disguise, revealing him as a boy of thirteen or fourteen and leaving Nanji eager to eat a fruit himself.

Zhang Xuezhou, Divine Lord Zhenyuan, and Celestial Venerable Yuanshi discovered that the Myriad Longevity Fruit Tree could grant or take away lifespan according to a person’s intentions. After Nanji learned to respect the tree, Celestial Venerable Yuanshi gave Divine Lord Zhenyuan a Blood-Transforming Box to help him fight Jieyin, while Zhenyuan spoke of taking revenge on Zhunti.

• Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan perceived that the Time Seed and Myriad Longevity Fruit could affect the passage of lifespan.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi ate a fruit and praised its power, while Nanji’s greedy thoughts caused a fruit to strip years from his life.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi told Nanji to sincerely protect the tree, and Nanji recovered his lost years after eating another fruit with pure intentions.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan admitted that Jieyin and Zhunti had beaten him, and Celestial Venerable Yuanshi gave him a Blood-Transforming Box to trap Jieyin.
• Divine Lord Zhenyuan said he could use the box against Jieyin and then pursue Zhunti, alarming Nanji and making Celestial Venerable Yuanshi uneasy.

Divine Lord Zhenyuan shared the Myriad Longevity Fruits among the four cultivators, and Celestial Venerable Yuanshi tested their effects. After advancing his Fate Technique, Celestial Venerable Yuanshi began teaching it beneath the tree, while Zhang Xuezhou struggled to follow.

• Divine Lord Zhenyuan proposed that the four cultivators each take three of the thirteen remaining Myriad Longevity Fruits.
• Zhang Xuezhou declined to test a fruit first, explaining that his Realm Technique was incomplete and that he had recently encountered trouble after taking one.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi ate three fruits, reached ten Fate Technique halos, and came close to forming the eleventh level.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi explained that the fruit’s effects diminished with each use and said an Immortality Elixir might help him complete the eleventh level.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi expounded on the Fate Technique, while Divine Lord Zhenyuan and Nanji listened closely and Zhang Xuezhou waited beneath the tree.
• Zhang Xuezhou sensed that the Myriad Longevity Fruit Tree seemed to be listening too.

After Divine Lord Zhenyuan broke through to the tenth level of the Fate Technique, Celestial Venerable Yuanshi promised him and Zhang Xuezhou a share of the Immortality Elixir. Yuanshi then took Zhang Xuezhou toward the Purple Cloud Palace, leaving Nanji and Divine Lord Zhenyuan to return separately.

• Divine Lord Zhenyuan cultivated with Celestial Venerable Yuanshi's guidance and a Myriad Longevity Fruit, reaching the tenth level of the Fate Technique.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi advised Nanji to wait for the Immortality Elixir, then agreed to secure portions for Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi told Zhang Xuezhou to accompany him to the Purple Cloud Palace because Zhang Xuezhou had taken his jade ruyi.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to fly there after Celestial Venerable Yuanshi offered to help improve his cultivation realm and promised an extra reward if Zhang could beat him again.
• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi and Zhang Xuezhou flew off together, astonishing Divine Lord Zhenyuan and Nanji with Zhang's speed.
• Nanji rode his demon crane west toward the Western Heavenly Gate while Divine Lord Zhenyuan remained behind.

Zhang Xuezhou outflew the exhausted Celestial Venerable Yuanshi on their way to the Purple Cloud Palace and explained the techniques behind his abilities. Yuanshi recognized him as the wanted Dongfang Shuo but decided to protect him by denying the wanted notice applied.

• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi grew tired during the flight and watched Zhang Xuezhou maintain his speed, concluding that he had achieved Fleshly Body Entering Sainthood.
• Zhang Xuezhou slowed down to speak with the panting Yuanshi, who conceded the race before they reached the Purple Cloud Palace.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that he learned the Eight-Nine Mystical Art from True Lord Erlang and the Technique Within the Clouds from Venerable Lei Ming.
• Yuanshi questioned Zhang Xuezhou about his training at Kunlun and whether he was the wanted Dongfang Shuo.
• Zhang Xuezhou denied being Dongfang Shuo, and Yuanshi resolved to recognize him as Shuo Immortal while rejecting the wanted notice.

Zhang Xuezhou entered the Purple Cloud Palace with Celestial Venerable Yuanshi and waited for Hongjun to respond to an invitation. When the Mirage Pearl lit up, it sealed Yuanshi outside the great hall and left Zhang Xuezhou trapped inside, waiting alone.

• Celestial Venerable Yuanshi brought Zhang Xuezhou to the Purple Cloud Palace and asked him to explain Zhu Jiuyin's death if Hongjun questioned them.
• Yuanshi showed Zhang Xuezhou the palace and offered incense to invite Hongjun to communicate through the Mirage Pearl.
• Yuanshi went to meditate while Zhang Xuezhou waited, but the Mirage Pearl soon began to glow.
• Yuanshi rushed to the great hall but could not enter, and the doorway cut off all sound and communication between him and Zhang Xuezhou.
• Zhang Xuezhou found himself unable to leave or reach the jade ruyi, so he sat down to wait for Hongjun or a chance to return to the real world.

Zhang Xuezhou became stranded in the void after the ancient tree stopped guiding the greenhouse, and Hongjun appeared to help him. Hongjun urged Zhang Xuezhou to gamble on seizing his world's World Origin so he could gain the power to survive the conflicts ahead.

• Zhang Xuezhou questioned Hongjun about the Void Heaven Hall and the Investiture of the Gods Document before his spirit returned to the stalled greenhouse.
• Hongjun appeared and agreed to help Zhang Xuezhou, who explained that Donghua had killed Zhu Jiuyin and that a powerful cultivator in his world was targeting him.
• Hongjun recognized that Zhang Xuezhou had relied on the Fortune Technique and argued that his dire situation could still offer a chance for great gain.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized Hongjun wanted the Void Heaven Hall to kill Donghua, while Houtu also wanted Donghua dead.
• Hongjun proposed that Zhang Xuezhou seize his world's World Origin to gain half-step Principle power and protect himself from Houtu, despite Zhang Xuezhou's doubts that he could take it.

Zhang Xuezhou gained control of the giant tree and learned Hongjun’s method for taking a World Origin. Hongjun opened Huangdao’s Three Palaces in Zhang Xuezhou’s divine soul so he could practice the technique after returning to his body.

• Hongjun explained that the giant tree was an unclaimed Law Treasure and warned that other void explorers could have seized it.
• Zhang Xuezhou imprinted his divine soul on the giant tree, gained control of it, and found that he could refine it far faster than Hongjun had expected.
• Hongjun clarified that he had only told Zhang Xuezhou to seize the Half-Step Dimensional Ascension Holder’s World Origin, not to kill him.
• Hongjun explained that Zhang Xuezhou could touch the World Origin and take it into Huangdao’s Three Palaces to speed up its transformation of his body.
• Hongjun opened Huangdao’s Three Palaces in Zhang Xuezhou’s divine soul and told him to imitate the method after returning to his body.

Zhang Xuezhou accepted Hongjun’s Huangdao’s Three Palaces technique despite its possible hidden dangers and aligned his fleshly body with its three circulation centers. Ren Anran saw a chance to use the technique to help Zhang Xuezhou reach the True Self Realm and invited Zhang Manqian to test it with her.

• Mallard warned Zhang Xuezhou that Hongjun’s unfamiliar technique could contain hidden dangers, but Zhang Xuezhou decided its benefits justified the risk and offered Mallard use of one of his bodies.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned his divine soul to his fleshly body and adjusted his cultivation to match Huangdao’s Three Palaces.
• Ren Anran mistook Zhang Xuezhou’s adjustments for an attempt to merge and form the Infant, then learned about the three circulation centers.
• Ren Anran recognized that Huangdao’s Three Palaces might help her combine three into one and advance Zhang Xuezhou toward the True Self Realm.
• Ren Anran asked Zhang Manqian to test the Ecliptic Three Palaces Technique with her so they could study its effects.

Zhang Xuezhou visited the B13 Research Institute, encouraged Qimeng Haige to join its research, and then went to Zhu Liangping's Aberrant Beast factory after Li Yingbo reported a rapidly growing red deer. He learned the deer was one he had supposedly tamed, though he could not remember it.

• Zhang Xuezhou visited the B13 Research Institute, where Song Sijia demonstrated controlling a flying needle and Qimeng Haige lamented that his metal-control ability was becoming outdated.
• Zhang Xuezhou urged Qimeng Haige to join the research and advance his abilities, and learned Tuer Kelanduo had returned home by ship because of unrest in Tuer District.
• Li Yingbo called Zhang Xuezhou to report that an Aberrant Beast at Zhu Liangping's factory seemed to be turning into a Ferocious Beast.
• Li Yingbo told Zhang Xuezhou that Gao Tingsheng had developed a livestock treatment that made pigs grow rapidly, and that Gao wanted tissue samples for further experiments.
• Zhu Liangping showed Zhang Xuezhou a red deer that had grown to Ferocious Beast size by eating grass and said Zhang had tamed it, but Zhang could not remember doing so.