Chapter Summaries

As cultivators struggled to find beasts and light, they began hunting one another, making the secret realm increasingly dangerous. Dai Tianfeng searched for the Nine-Story Tower with the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty’s chosen and noticed beasts avoiding a seemingly ordinary spot, leaving him to investigate.

• Lu Changzhi stopped watching the Dongfang Clan juniors and set out to collect the opportunities he had left behind.
• As beasts became scarce and cities let people keep their light, cultivators increasingly preyed on one another for it.
• Five cultivators discussed the worsening danger and watched Dai Tianfeng lead a large group of Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty chosen through the forest.
• Dai Tianfeng grew frustrated with the aimless search for the Nine-Story Tower but continued looking as darkness approached.
• Dai Tianfeng noticed that beasts consistently avoided a particular area and suspected the Nine-Story Tower was hidden there.
• Dai Tianfeng approached the suspicious area to investigate.

Dai Tianfeng led his group to investigate a strange area and ordered them to dig deep underground, where he found an abandoned chamber containing a dormant formation. He realized someone had entered before him and left behind a pile of bones without a skull, but he continued searching the chamber.

• Dai Tianfeng tested the area and ordered his group to dig underground after finding nothing unusual on the surface.
• As spirit beasts gathered at night but stopped at a distance, the group suspected the buried Nine-Story Tower might be nearby and continued excavating.
• Dai Tianfeng sensed a trace of a formation and drilled through the earth with his sword, opening a path into a hidden chamber.
• Dai Tianfeng found that the chamber held no Nine-Story Tower and that its eye-shaped formation was inactive, with an empty circular hole at its center.
• Dai Tianfeng noticed a damaged funnel-shaped passage and concluded that someone had already entered and broken through the formation.
• Dai Tianfeng found a dusty pile of bones with no skull and examined it.

Dai Tianfeng found the purple sphere and instructions needed to restore the Eye of the Secret Realm, then activated it and used its expanded perception. The Xia Clan learned that the long-lost Eye in the Nine-Tower Secret Realm had awakened and set out to investigate.

• Dai Tianfeng found a storage ring among the bones and discovered a purple sphere and a jade talisman identifying the formation as the Eye of the Secret Realm.
• Dai Tianfeng replaced the missing power sources and restored the formation, causing a giant purple eye to appear and open.
• Dai Tianfeng connected his consciousness to the Eye and sensed people, spiritual power, and activity across a region, hoping to locate the Nine-Story Tower.
• Jiang Yuanyin sensed the unusual fluctuation, but his senior brother told him to guard the Nine-Story Tower while he investigated its possible connection to the teleportation formation.
• A Xia Clan member reported that the Eye in the Nine-Tower Secret Realm had activated, and the middle-aged leader left the gathering to investigate.

The Xia Clan restored contact with the Nine-Tower Secret Realm and Xia Ya used the Eye of the Secret Realm to investigate it. A Saint Realm cultivator’s mental attack disrupted the probe, and Xia Ya destroyed the Stone of the Secret Realm before leaving to report the incident.

• The Xia Clan discussed how contact with the Nine-Tower Secret Realm had returned and concluded that an outsider might have repaired the Eye of the Secret Realm.
• Xia Ya used a platform to probe the secret realm, while Dai Tianfeng investigated it through the Eye of the Secret Realm.
• A figure in the secret realm detected the probe and sent a powerful mental attack toward its source.
• The attack disrupted Xia Ya’s probing and forced Dai Tianfeng out of his investigation, causing the purple eye to explode.
• Xia Ya identified the attacker as a fifth- or sixth-level Saint Realm cultivator, destroyed the Stone of the Secret Realm, and went to report the matter to the higher-ups.

After Dai Tianfeng died in the secret realm, Zhou Mu was ordered to investigate and recover his body or essence blood. The Nine-Story Tower appeared, drawing the secret realm’s inhabitants toward it, while Lu Changzhi assigned Zhou Xun to investigate Dai Tianfeng’s death; Dai Tianfeng’s companions waited for his instructions, unaware of his fate.

• The newcomer examined the destroyed formation at the secret realm’s eye and collected everything of value.
• Zhou Mu learned Dai Tianfeng’s soul jade had shattered, and his father ordered him to investigate and bring back Dai Tianfeng or at least his essence blood.
• Zhou Mu confirmed Dai Tianfeng’s death and contacted Zhou Xun to investigate its cause.
• The Nine-Story Tower appeared in the secret realm, prompting people across the region to prepare to reach it.
• Lu Changzhi learned of Dai Tianfeng’s death and decided Zhou Xun should focus on investigating it.
• Dai Tianfeng’s companions asked when they would set out for the Nine-Story Tower, and Dai Tianfeng replied that there was no hurry.

The Nine-Story Tower appeared and drew cultivators from across the secret realm, while Lu Changzhi learned that the visible tower was a replica. He changed course with Gu Chen toward the real Nine-Story Tower as crowds gathered at the fake one.

• Qin Han and Hua Yunfan discussed the rumored Saint King inheritance, and Hua Yunfan warned Qin Han to avoid conflict while pursuing the opportunity.
• Qin Jiuxiao diverted toward the tower, hoping to settle things with Luo Zhen and compete for its opportunity, while Luo Zhen chose to leave rather than risk his life.
• Qian Shenglin refused to go to the tower, citing the danger of helping the people from Eighteen City and the poison pill in his stomach.
• The tower's appearance sent cultivators rushing toward it from across the secret realm.
• Gu Qingyang told Lu Changzhi that the visible Nine-Story Tower was a replica and directed him toward the real one; Lu Changzhi changed course with Gu Chen.
• A crowd gathered at the replica, where people could enter the tower without waiting.

Qin Han entered the Nine-Story Tower and quickly cleared the first four floors, but a surprise attack on the fifth floor knocked him out and consumed most of his light. Unable to afford another attempt, he decided to try destroying the entrance statue instead.

• Qin Han learned that tower attempts required light, which was refunded for successful floors but lost upon failure.
• With Hua Yunfan guiding him, Qin Han passed the first four floors and received peak Earth Rank pills as a reward.
• Qin Han entered the fifth floor, where a palm struck before the reaction test’s countdown finished, and he was expelled.
• Qin Han discovered he lacked enough light to attempt the tower again and decided to attack the entrance statue with his flaming heavy sword.

Qin Han tried to destroy the statue guarding the Nine-Story Tower, but it struck him out and barred him from entering again. As the contest for the tower’s opportunity approached, Lu Changzhi learned Qin Han would soon encounter Xia Ya and join the Xia Clan.

• Qin Han’s sword attack fizzled against the statue, which retaliated and blasted him through a tower window.
• Hua Yunfan helped Qin Han return to the Nine-Story Tower, but an invisible force prevented him from entering again.
• Hua Yunfan urged Qin Han to study his map and token, saying strength and ability could let anyone seize an opportunity.
• The seven outstanding talents of the Extreme Arms Holy Land, geniuses of the Great Zhou Sacred Dynasty, and members of the Buddhist Order began arriving for the contest.
• Lu Changzhi received system information that Qin Han would meet Xia Ya in three hours and gain a chance to enter the Xia Clan.
• Gu Qingyang told Lu Changzhi that they were almost at their destination.

Lu Changzhi and the Hidden Origin Peak group reached the real Nine-Story Tower, where the ancestors explained its cultivation purpose and discussed an outsider who might have entered the secret realm. Jiang Yuanyin offered Lu Changzhi access to the ninth floor, and Lu Changzhi approached the tower with the Nonhuman Plaque to test something.

• Lu Changzhi descended through an illusion with Gu Chen and the others, revealing the real Nine-Story Tower and greeting Jiang Yuanyin.
• Jiang Yuanyin told Lu Changzhi that the tower had no connection to the beast race and that the Memento Jade was under investigation.
• Lu Changzhi warned Jiang Yuanyin that outsiders might have a way into the secret realm, and learned that a spying formation had been detected the previous night.
• An ancestor explained that the Nine-Story Tower helped cultivators comprehend the laws of heaven and earth, while Lu Changzhi realized that many Saint King and Saint Realm ancestors had gathered there.
• Jiang Yuanyin gave Lu Changzhi enough light to enter the ninth floor, and Lu Changzhi brought out the Nonhuman Plaque and walked toward the tower.

Lu Changzhi used the Nonhuman Plaques to bypass the Nine-Story Tower’s entry limits, allowing the Five Symbols Sect to fill the tower. After helping everyone enter, he was the last to reach the sealed ninth floor and began preparing to cultivate.

• Lu Changzhi activated a Nonhuman Plaque and entered the Nine-Story Tower without lighting any floor markers or triggering its barriers.
• Lu Changzhi reached the ninth floor, then invited Jiang Yuanyin and Dong Li to test the plaque; they confirmed it let them bypass the tower’s occupancy limits and resist its repulsion.
• Lu Changzhi produced a large pile of Nonhuman Plaques and explained their restrictions to Jiang Yuanyin and the others.
• Jiang Yuanyin arranged the ninth floor into upper and lower levels, and the elders and disciples filled the tower using the plaques.
• Lu Changzhi entered the ninth floor last, where it sealed behind him, and sat at its center to prepare for cultivation.

Lu Changzhi filled the ninth floor with origin spirit liquid and made it comfortable enough for the patriarchs to relax, prompting one to enter sudden enlightenment. He then ate Dao Comprehension Tea Leaves Eggs, entered sudden enlightenment himself, and had the system successfully stack Perfect Sudden Enlightenment into a long-lasting state.

• Lu Changzhi poured storage rings of origin spirit liquid across the ninth floor and warmed it with fire stones.
• The patriarchs relaxed in the spirit liquid, and one reflected on overstriving before suddenly entering enlightenment.
• Lu Changzhi offered the patriarchs Dao Comprehension Tea Leaves Eggs, and they ate while enjoying the warm spirit spring.
• Lu Changzhi instructed the system to use Perfect Sudden Enlightenment when he entered sudden enlightenment from eating the eggs.
• Lu Changzhi entered sudden enlightenment, and the system stacked the effect into Long-Lasting Perfect Sudden Enlightenment.

Lu Changzhi entered Perfect Sudden Enlightenment, prompting the sect’s ancestors to protect him as he cultivated. Meanwhile, Xia Ya, controlling Dai Tianfeng’s body, searched the secret realm for the Xia Clan’s backup teleportation array so he could summon reinforcements.

• Lu Changzhi’s Sudden Enlightenment deepened into Perfect Sudden Enlightenment, astonishing Jiang Yuanyin and the others.
• Jiang Yuanyin and Dong Li placed protections around Lu Changzhi, while the ancestors left so they would not disturb him.
• Dai Tianfeng, whose body was controlled by Xia Ya, sensed the disturbance at the Nine-Story Tower and considered seeking out its cause.
• Xia Ya decided to keep searching for the Xia Clan’s backup teleportation array and beacon before his incomplete spiritual intent dissipated.
• Xia Ya planned to summon the Xia Clan, confident that its forces would overpower the people of the Land of the Four Directions.

Qin Han and Hua Yunfan discussed a strange disturbance while crowds gathered to watch the Nine-Story Tower’s challengers. At the true tower, Lu Changzhi remained in Sudden Enlightenment as an ancestor began a Saint Realm breakthrough, leaving the system unsure whether to alert him to the approaching lightning tribulation.

• Qin Han asked Hua Yunfan whether the disturbance came from a treasure, and Hua Yunfan said it might have been caused by a person before advising him to recover.
• Spectators at the Nine-Story Tower watched a challenger reach the seventh floor and debated whether the Buddhist Son or Jiang Xin would advance farthest.
• The crowd wondered why Dai Tianfeng had not arrived and discussed how the tower’s accumulated light could identify the realm’s foremost heavenly talent.
• Lu Changzhi absorbed vast amounts of spiritual power while remaining in Sudden Enlightenment, and Jiang Yuanyin and the other ancestors watched over him.
• An elder emerged from the tower and triggered a Saint Realm Lightning Tribulation, so Dong Li escorted the elder to a prepared area while Jiang Yuanyin protected Lu Changzhi with formations.
• As lightning gathered, the system wondered whether it should tell Lu Changzhi about the tribulation while he remained in Sudden Enlightenment.

Lu Changzhi remained in prolonged enlightenment on the Nine-Story Tower’s ninth floor as the heavenly tribulation ended and other entrants advanced or failed. Meanwhile, Qin Han resumed searching the forest for clues on his map and ended the morning with no discoveries.

• The heavenly tribulation ended after seven thunderclaps, and observers dismissed the gathering black clouds as disturbances connected to the Nine-Story Tower.
• Lu Changzhi remained motionless on the ninth floor while two lights stayed on the seventh floor overnight.
• A third light entered the seventh floor the next morning, one existing light went out, and another light appeared on the eighth floor.
• Some spectators left the tower to search for overlooked treasures as the crowd began to thin.
• Qin Han spotted Dongfang Clan members hurrying away from the tower but decided not to follow them and resumed searching according to his map.
• Qin Han searched throughout the morning without finding anything and continued his search.

Qin Han and Hua Yunfan found the marked location and began digging for the hidden formation, but Xia Ya, possessing Dai Tianfeng’s body, arrived and demanded Qin Han’s jade token. Hua Yunfan realized Xia Ya’s spiritual sense was far stronger than Dai Tianfeng’s had been, just as Xia Ya attacked Qin Han.

• Qin Han used the map fragment to locate the ravine, and Hua Yunfan sensed traces of formations underground.
• Xia Ya arrived at the ravine and discovered Qin Han digging while Hua Yunfan concealed herself and warned him.
• Xia Ya judged Qin Han’s potential, then noticed the jade token on him and decided to take it.
• Qin Han recognized Dai Tianfeng and refused to surrender the token, drawing his heavy sword and gathering his power.
• Hua Yunfan realized Dai Tianfeng had likely been replaced by Xia Ya and that his spiritual sense could overwhelm them both.
• Xia Ya called Qin Han an ant and attacked him for raising his sword.

Xia Ya struck Qin Han, leaving him gravely wounded as Hua Yunfan fell into a genuine, deep sleep. Meanwhile, Lu Changzhi finished his Sudden Enlightenment, discovered he was close to the Saint Realm, and learned that a Five Symbols Sect ancestor had broken through while the system stored lightning tribulations for him.

• Xia Ya attacked Qin Han, and Hua Yunfan took control of his body and used a token to weaken the blow, but Qin Han was still blasted through several trees.
• Hua Yunfan told Qin Han to run and fell silent from real exhaustion; Qin Han swallowed a pill and struggled away.
• Lu Changzhi woke on the ninth floor of the Nine-Story Tower, found himself in the Late Transcendent Realm, and decided to pursue the Saint Realm after returning to the sect.
• Lu Changzhi learned that Qin Han's opportunity had disappeared while he was in Sudden Enlightenment and that a Five Symbols Sect ancestor had broken through.
• The system told Lu Changzhi it had temporarily stored his lightning tribulation and could copy allies' tribulations for a reduced fee; Lu Changzhi checked the shop and counted the stored tribulations.

Lu Changzhi synthesized three lightning tribulations into a Dual-Purpose Lightning Tribulation and decided to seek out Xia Ya to test its ability to summon a powerful tribulation against an enemy. Meanwhile, Dongfang Yao prepared to try a way to break a massive underground formation.

• Lu Changzhi learned that the lightning tribulations could be synthesized and spent five thousand experience points to create a Dual-Purpose Lightning Tribulation.
• Lu Changzhi read that the tribulation could help someone cultivate lightning laws or summon a maximum-power lightning tribulation against an enemy.
• Lu Changzhi decided to find Xia Ya in the secret realm and controlled his External Avatar to travel toward a remembered mountain stream.
• Dongfang Yao and the other Dongfang Clan youths waited beside a massive underground formation, hoping it concealed a great opportunity.
• Dongfang Yao opened his eyes and announced that he had thought of a possible way to break the formation.

Dongfang Yao activated the formation with the Dongfang Clan youths, but it triggered a powerful suction that killed many of them. He used the powerful object he had found to feed the formation, weakening the suction as the chapter ended.

• Dongfang Yao studied the formation and directed the youths to channel spiritual power and place Origin Spirit Stones at its power points.
• The youths followed his instructions, and the formation began absorbing spiritual power from the secret realm.
• The formation’s suction surged, pinning the exhausted youths to the ground and crushing many of them to death.
• Dongfang Yao realized he could not stop the formation and threw the powerful object from his storage ring into it.
• The object cracked and released immense power, causing the suction to weaken.

Dongfang Jun witnessed more than twenty soul jades belonging to the Dongfang Clan’s juniors shatter, while Jiang Xin claimed the Nine-Story Tower’s inheritance and the tower vanished. Lu Changzhi spotted an expanding spatial rift and suspected Xia Ya of the Xia Clan had created it, so he headed toward it.

• Dongfang Jun and the guarding elder watched more than twenty soul jades belonging to the clan’s secret-realm juniors shatter.
• Jiang Xin entered the Nine-Story Tower’s ninth floor, claimed its accumulated light and inheritance, and departed as the tower expelled the other challengers before sinking underground.
• Wujie tried to stop the Nine-Story Tower from disappearing, but the tower shattered his Buddha figures and vanished beneath the ground.
• Onlookers spotted a distant black line that seemed to frighten them, and some hurried toward it in flying boats.
• Aboard the Void Shuttle, Lu Changzhi identified the black line as an expanding spatial rift, suspected Xia Ya of the Xia Clan had created it, and changed course toward it.

Dongfang Yao's formation opened a spatial rift that unleashed a vast tide of spirit beasts into the secret realm. As the returning cultivators fled toward the city, Huo Zhen arrived and asked Lu Changzhi whether he had opened the rift.

• Dongfang Yao saw spirit beasts pour through the rift, fled in a flying boat, and was pursued as the beasts flooded the area.
• Xia Ya used the upheaval to escape in the opposite direction, hoping it would keep experts away from the teleportation array.
• Wujie recognized the incoming creatures as powerful spirit beasts and ordered the Buddhist Order to return to the city; leaders from other factions also turned back.
• Lu Changzhi watched the spirit beasts emerge while his External Avatar remained untouched, then decided against bringing Gu Chen and the others to hunt them.
• Huo Zhen, a Saint King Realm Sixth Stage ancestor, met Lu Changzhi beside the rift and asked whether he had opened it.