"Dust Rising to the Nine Heavens: A Quest for Heaven Across the Nine Realms" tells the story of Wan Chen, an orphan on the brink of death after a car accident, who is possessed by Ye Yuqing, a Mahayana cultivator who fell into the mortal realm after being ambushed by her fellow disciples. The two make a pact to cultivate together, sharing one body. Gifted with the rare Innate Golden Vein Sacred Body, Wan Chen rapidly learns to draw Qi into his body and breaks through to Foundation Establishment under Ye Yuqing's protection and guidance. While facing the probes and oppression of cultivators from the Realm Guardians Bureau on his university campus, he combines modern knowledge with cultivation techniques to rapidly build his power.
To escape pursuit by a Nascent Soul-level enemy, Wan Chen travels far to the Xuanming Snow Ridge to cultivate in seclusion. He breaks through to the Golden Core realm, subdues mountain spirits, and meets Yanran, a five-hundred-year-old fox immortal. Together, they venture into an ancient ruin secret realm that opens once every five hundred years, forging a deep bond amid mortal peril. He then crosses east to Yingzhou, meets the thousand-year-old swordsman Liu Wuya, explores the ancient secret realm of Flame Mountain, and inherits the legacy of the Immortal Maiden Xuansu. His cultivation advances all the way to the Void Refinement stage, and Ye Yuqing uses the opportunity to regain her Mahayana cultivation.
After returning to the Central Lands, Wan Chen settles his grievances with the Realm Guardians Bureau. To pursue the path to ascension, he travels to Kunlun's Jade Void Divine Peak and joins forces with cultivators from all sides to explore the ruins of the Immortal Realm. After enduring trials of life and death and parting from his companions, Wan Chen finally summons the Ninefold Heavenly Tribulation, ascends successfully, and sets off to fulfill his pact with Ye Yuqing in the Immortal Realm.
