Chapter Summaries

Key events

• Zhong Yi chooses to enter the Illusion Realm with his full Spirit Transformation cultivation, despite knowing the power will cost him his life.
• He returns to the moment Sutier escaped the ruined inn. Heavenly Dao power restores his cultivation to Mid Spirit Transformation, but starts a 180-second countdown to his death.
• Realizing Sutier had turned back to take a fatal blow for him, Zhong Yi seals the inn and sets out to kill Stan and destroy the Demon Suppressing Division.
• Other players also bring their full power into their Illusion Realms, each taking brutal revenge on Stan and the Division.
• In Li Moran’s realm, Sutier turns back to face danger beside Li Ang. Li Moran arrives first, kills Stan, destroys the Division, and gives Sutier the power to become a Sword Immortal.
• Zhong Yi investigates the restaurant owner, Li Youqian, learns he betrayed them only under pressure from threats against his family, and spares him. He binds Li Youqian to protect Sutier and arranges a safe path for her future cultivation.
• As his final seconds approach, Zhong Yi tells Sutier where to go and admits that he will leave her. She embraces him, asking what she should do when she misses him. He answers that she can find him in the sky, flowers, grass, wind, and water, then dissolves into the world.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhong Yi uses his final chance not only for vengeance but to secure Sutier’s safety and future. His affection is expressed through practical protection and, finally, through a promise of lasting presence in nature.
• Sutier shows her devotion by turning back toward danger, then responds to Zhong Yi’s imminent departure with grief and a direct plea for guidance.
• Li Moran shifts from overwhelming avenger to gentle mentor: after destroying her enemies, she comforts Sutier and offers her a future as a Sword Immortal.
• Li Youqian is revealed to have acted under duress; Zhong Yi’s decision to spare and bind him reflects his willingness to judge motives rather than punish blindly.
• The players and viewers treat the opportunity to rewrite the past as a chance for vengeance, while Zhong Yi’s choices give special weight to care, responsibility, and farewell.

Significant themes

• Love and sacrifice: Zhong Yi accepts death to save Sutier and ensure she can live safely.
• Grief and remembrance: His final words turn the natural world into a way for Sutier to feel connected to him.
• Revenge and justice: The players’ violent retaliation contrasts with Zhong Yi’s more measured response toward Li Youqian.
• Fate, time, and choice: The limited countdown makes the chance to change the ending precious—and forces Zhong Yi to decide what matters most before time runs out.

Key events

• Lu Ze’s game, This Demonic Cultivator Is Not Too Cold, triggers an emotional backlash when players reach Sutier’s death. Carefully planted keepsakes—such as a diary, a hidden drawing, and a saved gift—make the tragedy hit even harder.
• Players flood the game’s forum with grief and fury, especially hatred for Stan, and vow to replay the story to kill him.
• Since weaker players lack the cultivation to make a difference, Lu Ze’s game lets friends contribute spiritual energy on their behalf. Powerful cultivators eagerly “carry” them, sending vast amounts of energy toward the illusion realm.
• The Heavenly Dao Fragment is astonished by the scale of the energy and begins to repair its broken halo.
• At the Main Arena, Zhang Yuxian assumes Lu Ze is about to lose as the deadline approaches. Lu Ze reveals that the real surge is only beginning: spiritual energy rises from across the Tianxuan Continent, and his vote-count pillar suddenly flares.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze shows that his design was deliberately crafted to provoke strong attachment and grief. He is pleased to discover that intense emotions generate demonic value even without repeated player deaths, and remains confident as the event’s apparent deadline nears.
• The players shift from devastated fans into a united community, directing their grief into revenge and helping less powerful players participate.
• Zhang Yuxian moves from anxiety to relief when Lu Ze’s pillar remains unchanged, then believes Lu Ze may have failed. Lu Ze calmly challenges that assumption.
• The Heavenly Dao Fragment gains new respect for Lu Ze, recognizing that an ordinary mortal has found a way to gather spiritual energy on an extraordinary scale.

Significant themes

• Emotional storytelling: Personal keepsakes make a fictional loss feel intimate and devastating.
• Community and collective action: Players pool their strength so even weaker cultivators can take part.
• Turning emotion into power: Grief and anger generate demonic value, making emotional impact as valuable as gameplay deaths.
• A dramatic reversal: What appears to be Lu Ze’s defeat is revealed as the buildup to a larger surge.

Key plot points

• Zhang Yuxian is alarmed by vast surges of spiritual energy, initially assuming a catastrophe has struck. Lu Ze explains that powerful cultivators are sending energy to the heavens because they are participating in his Illusion Realm.
• A message from Zhang’s sect confirms Lu Ze’s claim. His pillar of light soars far above the others, showing that many high-level cultivators have voted for him.
• When the voting ends, Lu Ze is announced as the victor, defeating the Azure Peak Sect’s previously leading entry.
• Rather than accept the first-place Artifact, Lu Ze asks for an equivalent reward: that the Demon Cultivator brought back by Senior Brother Zhong be allowed to live.
• Zhang Yuxian treats the request as an opportunity to accuse Lu Ze of sympathizing with demons. A fearsome Buddha image appears behind him, and he declares that the prisoner must die.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze remains composed and courteous even as his success humiliates Zhang. His prize request reveals compassion—or at least a willingness to challenge the gathering’s anti-demon stance.
• Zhang Yuxian shifts from disbelief at Lu Ze’s explanation to anger over losing. He seizes on Lu Ze’s request to attack his character and assert authority.
• Their exchange begins as a contest over the voting results but becomes a direct ideological confrontation. The gathered Righteous cultivators react with disbelief to Lu Ze’s defense of a Demon Cultivator.

Significant themes

• Power and recognition: The extraordinary pillar demonstrates the influence of high-level cultivators and confirms Lu Ze’s victory.
• Mercy versus orthodoxy: Lu Ze’s request challenges the gathering’s stated mission of slaying demons.
• Public victory and political danger: Winning the contest gives Lu Ze a platform, but using it to defy the Righteous faction immediately puts him under suspicion and threat.

Key events

• At the Demon Slaying Platform, Zhang Yuxian accuses Lu Ze of following the Demon Path after Lu Ze asks that the captured demonic cultivator be spared. Chao Wendao defends Lu Ze, but admits that the plea raises questions and proposes delaying the execution for an inquiry.
• Zhang refuses. He brings the young cultivator known as Master Qing and a dirt-smeared mortal girl from the Dungeon, then declares that demonic cultivators must die. Chao Wendao prepares to intervene with Purple Thunder, but ultimately lets the execution proceed, turning away in conflict.
• Elsewhere, Qin Ming leaves the Illusion Realm after lending spiritual energy to three strangers who defeat Stan and save Sutier. Delighted by the experience, he returns to the Realm, reads players’ discussions, and offers to help more people.
• Qin Ming’s latest offer draws eager responses. Before he can assist another player, a highlighted post catches his attention: “Sutier’s past and present lives: will she, too, lose her Li Ang?”

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze remains composed under Zhang Yuxian’s pressure, though his reaction suggests he knows his reputation is already damaged.
• Chao Wendao is torn between protecting his disciples and his institutional role. He defends Lu Ze and considers an inquiry, but does not stop Zhang.
• Zhang Yuxian is uncompromising, using Lu Ze’s appeal as grounds for accusation and insisting on immediate execution.
• Qin Ming is increasingly enthusiastic about the Illusion Realm and generous with his spiritual energy. He exchanges advice and assistance with its players, who admire and speculate about him.
• The captured pair—Master Qing and the mortal girl—face execution without anyone successfully protecting them.

Significant themes

• Justice versus authority: Chao Wendao recognizes that the case may deserve scrutiny, yet power and procedure fail to prevent an apparently imminent execution.
• Reputation and suspicion: Lu Ze’s standing is questioned, and his willingness to defend a demonic cultivator intensifies the accusations against him.
• Compassion versus rigid doctrine: Zhang’s absolute claim that demonic cultivators must die clashes with the possibility of individual judgment.
• Connection across worlds: The Illusion Realm encourages cooperation and emotional investment, as Qin Ming’s real spiritual energy helps strangers within it.

Key plot points and events

• Qinming Immortal reads a post revealing that Li Ang and Sutier are based on real people, and learns their story mirrors what happened in the Illusion Realm.
• The post says the real Demon Cultivator is about to be executed at the Demon Slaying Assembly, with the girl preparing to defend him. Realizing this is happening now, Qinming Immortal rushes toward the Immortal Abyss Continent through a vast spatial rift.
• At the assembly, Lin Huan stands between the bound Demon Cultivator, Master Qing, and his executioners. Though overwhelmed by Zhang Yuxian’s aura, she begs them to spare him.
• Master Qing urges Lin Huan to flee and insists that she has no connection to the Demon Path. Chao Wendao also asks Zhang Yuxian to let her go, but Zhang gives no answer.
• Lu Ze watches calmly, having arranged for the post to reach powerful players who completed the Illusion Realm. He believes Qinming Immortal’s arrival will ensure the pair’s survival.

Character developments and interactions

• Qinming Immortal moves from curiosity and skepticism to urgent resolve, deciding to intervene after recognizing the danger to Sutier.
• Lin Huan shows courage and loyalty by defending Master Qing despite her fear and physical weakness.
• Master Qing tries to protect Lin Huan, directing the authorities’ attention toward himself.
• Chao Wendao demonstrates compassion by challenging the executioners’ treatment of Lin Huan.
• Lu Ze reveals his role in shaping events: he deliberately used the post to rally powerful players and appears confident his plan is working.
• Zhang Yuxian remains silent and imposing, leaving the outcome uncertain.

Significant themes

• Love and loyalty: Lin Huan risks herself for someone she believes is good.
• Intervention and responsibility: Qinming Immortal and Chao Wendao are moved to act rather than remain bystanders.
• Power and vulnerability: Lin Huan’s resolve contrasts with her inability to withstand Zhang Yuxian’s overwhelming strength.
• Stories influencing reality: Lu Ze uses the Illusion Realm’s narrative and players’ emotional investment to affect real events.

• Plot and events: During the Demon Slaying Assembly, Zhang Yuxian prepares to execute a young woman and a bound young man suspected of turning to the Demon Path. He argues that releasing the woman would create another enemy and attacks the pair with a powerful blade. Qin Ming suddenly intervenes by opening a spatial rift, then appears on the Demon Slaying Platform. Recognizing the two as real-world counterparts of Li Ang and Sutier from the Illusion Realm—and realizing that “Stan” also has a real-life counterpart—Qin Ming becomes enraged and slaps Zhang Yuxian across the platform. After confirming Qin Ming’s overwhelming strength, Zhang identifies himself as an elder of the Azure Peak Sect and nervously insists the incident is a misunderstanding. Qin Ming reveals his identity as the Azure Nether Daoist, shocking the spectators, and places a paper-crane-shaped Soul Mark on the young woman, promising to keep her alive.

Character development

• Qin Ming displays an unexpectedly emotional and impulsive side. His recognition of Li Ang and especially the young woman’s resemblance to Sutier provokes warmth, grief, and anger. He instinctively protects them and reacts violently to Zhang’s attempted execution.
• Zhang Yuxian is shown as authoritarian and ruthless, prioritizing the prevention of future threats over mercy. His confidence collapses once Qin Ming demonstrates superior power, revealing his fear and opportunism as he attempts to flatter and appease him.
• The young woman and young man move from despair to hope when Qin Ming intervenes. Their silent exchange before the attack emphasizes their mutual reliance.
• Lu Ze is relieved by Qin Ming’s arrival and amused by Zhang’s humiliation, indicating his support for the rescued pair.
• Character interactions: Zhang confronts Chao Wendao over whether the woman should be released, then attacks the two condemned cultivators. Qin Ming interrupts, strikes Zhang, and dismisses his attempt at explanation. The watching cultivators react with shock when Qin Ming identifies himself. Qin Ming’s emotional connection to the pair culminates in his gentle gesture toward the woman and his promise to protect her.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts rigid, fear-driven justice with compassion and intervention. It explores identity and the boundary between fictional or illusory characters and their real-life counterparts, producing Qin Ming’s shock at discovering that “Stan” and the figures resembling Li Ang and Sutier exist outside the Illusion Realm. It also highlights the moral danger of judging people solely by their affiliation with the Demon Path, while emphasizing overwhelming power, fate, and Qin Ming’s growing emotional attachment to these familiar individuals.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yuxian tries to persuade the Azure Nether Daoist (Qin Ming) to spare Lin Huan but kill the young Demon Cultivator she is protecting, portraying him as dangerous.
• Lin Huan insists that “Master Qing” is good and begs Qin Ming not to kill him. The young man offers his own life in exchange for hers.
• Rather than trust either side, Qin Ming uses a spell to reveal the young man’s memories to the crowd. They show that he was abducted and forcibly given a demonic bloodline, escaped the Demon Cult, and later rescued Lin Huan from corrupt “righteous” cultivators.
• The memories confirm that he has not harmed Lin Huan and closely match the story of This Demonic Cultivator Is Not Too Cold. Convinced the young man is innocent, Qin Ming suppresses his demonic energy and offers to help remake his bloodline so he can follow the Righteous Path.
• Lin Huan and the young man gratefully bow to Qin Ming. Chao Wendao then questions Lu Ze about how he managed to attract such powerful help and secure an offer of bloodline transformation. Lu Ze feigns ignorance, saying he only makes games.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ming acts cautiously and fairly: he investigates before intervening, then commits to saving the young man once the memories verify his innocence.
• The young man (“Master Qing”) shows self-sacrifice by offering to die for Lin Huan; his memories reveal a life shaped by coercion and survival, as well as his shame about his demonic origins.
• Lin Huan fiercely defends the young man, trusting his character despite the danger.
• Zhang Yuxian tries to manipulate Qin Ming’s judgment by emphasizing the young man’s demonic identity, but the revealed memories undermine his case.
• Lu Ze remains playfully evasive, while Chao Wendao is astonished by Qin Ming’s unprecedented offer.

Significant themes

• Character versus origin: The young man’s imposed bloodline does not determine his morality.
• Justice through evidence: Qin Ming refuses to act on accusation alone and lets the truth be seen publicly.
• Compassion and redemption: A person raised by the Demon Cult can still choose a different path and be given the chance to change.
• Trust and sacrifice: Lin Huan and the young man protect one another, while Qin Ming’s intervention turns their loyalty into hope for a new future.

Key plot points and events

• Qin Ming learns that Lu Ze created the Illusion Realm and sincerely praises him, surprising both Lu Ze and Chao Wendao, who remembers Qin Ming as famously proud and sparing with compliments.
• Zhang Yuxian tries to smooth over his earlier conduct, flattering Qin Ming and inviting Lu Ze and another youth to join the Azure Peak Sect. Qin Ming refuses, saying he will teach them himself.
• As Zhang Yuxian seeks to declare the matter settled, Lu Ze raises a concern: the Azure Peak Sect’s Illusion Realm appears to contain spells from multiple creators, despite being presented as one disciple’s work.
• Qin Ming, intrigued by Lu Ze’s account of the competition, asks Zhang Yuxian whether the realm was genuinely made by one person. Zhang denies any wrongdoing, claiming the mixed spells came from the sect’s varied teachings.
• Lu Ze challenges Zhang to repeat that claim before the Heavenly Dao, leaving the accusation unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Qin Ming shows an unexpectedly warm, approving side toward Lu Ze, but becomes stern when he suspects the Azure Peak Sect may have misrepresented its work.
• Lu Ze moves from surprise at Qin Ming’s praise to confidently questioning Zhang Yuxian. His claim that he “barely” won is clearly ironic: Qin Ming notices Lu Ze’s enormous lead in the voting.
• Zhang Yuxian shifts rapidly from fawning praise and attempted reconciliation to anxious defensiveness under Lu Ze’s scrutiny and Qin Ming’s pressure.
• Chao Wendao is astonished by Qin Ming’s praise, which contradicts his memory of Qin’s longstanding arrogance.

Significant themes

• Integrity and accountability: Lu Ze presses for honesty about who actually created the rival Illusion Realm.
• Power and opportunism: Zhang tries to exploit Qin Ming’s good mood to escape consequences, then scrambles when the issue returns.
• Recognition and humility: Qin Ming’s praise surprises those who know his reputation, while Lu Ze’s “narrow victory” is humorous understatement.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yuxian, leader of the Azure Peak Sect, insists his disciples would never have cheated and tries to turn the accusation back on Spirit Cloud Sect elder Chao Wendao.
• Lu Ze’s mention of the Heavenly Dao alarms Zhang: Lu Ze is closely connected to its fragment, and Zhang fears the being might personally judge the dispute.
• Chao Wendao refuses to rein in his disciple. Instead, he argues that the Azure Peak Sect should swear an oath before the Heavenly Dao to clear its name, while promising to punish Lu Ze with a hundred years in the forbidden grounds.
• Lu Ze plays along, pretending to dread the punishment, and helps Chao trap Zhang in an argument he cannot easily escape.
• Zhao Heng, the Azure Peak Sect True Disciple who created the Illusion Realm, finally protests. He claims Lu Ze receives unfair support from the Heavenly Dao because the Spirit Network is available only to him.
• The accusation prompts the Heavenly Dao to manifest as a vast, storm-cloud face and challenge Zhao Heng’s claim: “Who said… that I, the Heavenly Dao, play favorites?”

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuxian grows increasingly frustrated. He tries to defend his sect and redirect blame, but cannot find a convincing way out of the oath challenge.
• Chao Wendao abandons his usual peacemaker role, using sly, carefully phrased arguments to pressure Zhang while appearing reasonable.
• Lu Ze remains composed and wry, working with Chao to corner the Azure Peak Sect and using Zhao Heng’s accusation to provoke a response.
• Zhao Heng shifts from reluctant silence to open confrontation, driven by fear of the Heavenly Dao’s judgment and resentment of Lu Ze’s apparent advantage.
• The exchange between the two sect leaders—and Lu Ze’s alliance with Chao—turns a dispute over alleged cheating into a public challenge to the Heavenly Dao itself.

Significant themes

• Public reputation and accountability: Zhang’s concern about how the world will view the accusation makes the proposed oath difficult to refuse.
• Power and impartiality: The chapter questions whether Lu Ze’s connection to the Heavenly Dao gives him an unfair advantage.
• Rhetoric and manipulation: Chao and Lu Ze use seemingly reasonable arguments to box Zhang into a corner.
• Escalation: A sect-level accusation quickly becomes a confrontation with a transcendent authority.

Key plot points and events

• The Fragment of the Heavenly Dao appears during the confrontation, stunning everyone. Lu Ze denies summoning it and privately recognizes how petty and unpredictable it is.
• Zhao Heng, a True Disciple of the Azure Peak Sect, panics and tries to explain his earlier disrespect. Zhang Yuxian burns and then silences him, presenting the punishment as proof of his loyalty to the Heavenly Dao.
• The Fragment sees through Zhang Yuxian’s attempt to deceive it and strikes him with lightning, weakening his cultivation. Zhang bows and thanks it for its “mercy.”
• The Fragment declares that it favors no one and that the apparent special treatment of Lu Ze’s Illusion Realm was an illusion. It then announces that all Illusion Realms will henceforth be governed by the Heavenly Dao, connected across realms, with rewards for the worthy and punishment for the unworthy.

Character developments

• Lu Ze remains outwardly amused and composed, while recognizing that the Fragment is not something he can safely control.
• Zhao Heng is reduced from a prestigious disciple to a helpless, terrified victim.
• Zhang Yuxian tries to protect his sect by sacrificing his own disciple, but his self-serving performance is exposed and punished. He submits rather than risk further consequences.
• The Fragment of the Heavenly Dao shows itself as powerful, judgmental, and quick to punish both disrespect and deception.

Significant themes

• Power and fear: Even influential cultivators are powerless before the Heavenly Dao.
• Justice versus self-preservation: Zhang’s punishment of Zhao Heng looks like discipline but is really an attempt to save himself.
• Fairness and merit: The Fragment promises a universal system in which worthiness determines reward or punishment.
• Humility before authority: The crowd’s reactions show how quickly people bow when faced with overwhelming power.

Character interactions

• Lu Ze denies to Chao Wendao that he summoned the Fragment, while privately reflecting on its temperament.
• Zhang Yuxian brutally punishes Zhao Heng, then appeals to the Fragment for approval.
• The Fragment rejects Zhang’s performance, strikes him, and addresses the assembled crowd before turning its attention toward Lu Ze.

Chapter summary

• The Heavenly Dao opens illusion realms to everyone. The Fragment of the Heavenly Dao announces that all illusion realms are now networked and accessible to anyone, ending Lu Ze’s exclusive control over them. Lu Ze initially reacts with frustration but accepts the change, confident that his games will remain more appealing than competitors’ and that his reward can offset any lost demonic value. The Fragment praises his composure.
• Lu Ze receives a new reward. After leaving the Heavenly Dao’s illusion world, Lu Ze learns that the Demon Slaying Assembly mission is complete. Because he won and changed righteous cultivators’ views of demonic cultivators, he earns the skill Myriad Spirits Bestow Life. He suspects the system’s rewards may reflect what he has recently been working on and goes to test the new illusion-type skill.
• The popular illusion game draws more players. News spreads that Qin Ming emerged from seclusion because of an illusion realm and saved demonic cultivator siblings. Rather than diminishing the game’s appeal, the story brings in new players, while veterans continue searching for different ways to finish it.
• Zhong Yi returns from Repentance Valley. His master, Chao Wendao, pities his exhausted appearance and feels guilty for having done little beyond secretly giving him an Illusion Tower. Chao does not realize the Tower—and Zhong Yi’s repeated attempts to change the game’s tragic outcome—is what has worn him down.
• Zhong Yi starts over. Unable to prevent either himself or Sutier from dying in the Boss battle, Zhong Yi concludes that the ending may be fixed. He begins the illusion again from the start, repeating the Sun Moon Villa mission and reaching the familiar encounter with the girl. Resigned to his apparent fate, he ignores the system’s behavior warnings and tenderly pats her head before leaving.
• The ending hints at a break in the pattern. The girl stops Zhong Yi and asks, “Have we met somewhere before?” Her unexpected question suggests she may recognize—or somehow remember—him across repeated runs.

Character developments and themes

Lu Ze remains confident and adaptable despite losing his monopoly. Chao Wendao’s concern reveals his affection for Zhong Yi, while Zhong Yi shifts from frantic attempts to alter events toward weary acceptance. The chapter explores fairness and competition, the growing appeal of shared entertainment, and fate versus choice. Its final exchange raises the possibility that repeated experiences can leave traces even in a seemingly predetermined world.

Key plot points

• During Zhou Yue’s second playthrough, the Role-Playing System prevents him from greeting Sutier because Li Ang does not yet know her name. After he slips on a banana peel, Sutier checks on him and senses that she once knew someone similarly unlucky.
• Across the players’ second playthroughs, Sutier triggers vague feelings of familiarity. Their earlier experiences with her also surface as small changes to the Illusion Realm: Zhou Qiaoling’s beggars are close to Sutier, while Li Moran’s Sutier bears an ice-lotus mark and has exceptional sword talent.
• Lu Ze explains that he deliberately planted these references, though they must fade as the plot advances to avoid overloading the Illusion Realm.
• After acquiring Myriad Spirits Bestow Life, Lu Ze discovers he can give intelligence to souls and potentially create highly developed NPCs without having to find and modify a suitable existing personality.
• He creates an improved Sutier soul that can connect more strongly with memories from previous playthroughs, then chooses Li Moran’s realm to test it, hoping her normally restrained emotions will produce a large Demonic Value reward.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Yue is emotionally affected by seeing Sutier again, but the system restrains him; their brief encounter leaves Sutier with a faint, unexplained sense of recognition.
• Sutier appears subtly shaped by players’ past experiences with her, showing familiarity or traits that differ between realms.
• Lu Ze shifts from planting limited, scripted callbacks to experimenting with evolving, intelligent NPC souls. He targets Li Moran, expecting the contrast with her usual emotional reserve to make the test especially rewarding.

Significant themes

• Memory and continuity: Experiences from earlier playthroughs persist as fragments that shape later versions of the world.
• Created life and intelligence: Lu Ze’s new ability raises the possibility of making NPCs genuinely adaptive rather than merely scripted.
• Emotion as a resource: Stronger emotional reactions yield greater Demonic Value, making character development both an experiment and a means of exploitation.

Plot points and events

• In the illusion, Li Moran watches Sutier sleep and sees the Ice Lotus Mark glowing on her forehead. The mark accelerates Sutier’s cultivation so much that her rapid progress brings her closer to the story’s final ending.
• Li Moran tries to delay that progress by taking Sutier sightseeing rather than constantly training her.
• Sutier wakes from a nightmare in which Li Moran arrives like a legendary hero but vanishes when Sutier reaches for her. She begs Li Moran not to leave.
• Sutier’s distress overwhelms Li Moran. Her spiritual energy breaks through the Illusion Tower’s restrictions, abruptly severing her connection to the illusion.
• The emotional upheaval reveals that Li Moran’s Ice Phoenix Sword Body may finally be able to break through its long-standing restraints.
• In the real world, Lu Ze is pleased that his emotional manipulation of Li Moran earned him a large amount of Demonic Value, enough to approach the Nascent Soul Late Stage. Before he can cultivate further, he senses a chilling force coming from Sword Inquiry Peak.

Character development and interactions

• Li Moran is no longer merely detached: her affection for Sutier and fear of losing her provoke powerful emotions. What she had considered a dangerous loss of control may instead enable a breakthrough in her nature and cultivation.
• Sutier is deeply attached to Li Moran. Her nightmare exposes her fear of abandonment, even as the Ice Lotus Mark steadily pushes her toward the ending Li Moran dreads.
• Lu Ze treats emotional vulnerability as a source of power, but Li Moran’s unexpected reaction suggests his scheme may have triggered consequences beyond the illusion.

Significant themes

• Love and loss: Sutier’s fear of Li Moran disappearing gives their bond emotional weight.
• Kindness with unintended consequences: The mark Li Moran placed to help Sutier has become a curse by hastening the ending.
• Emotion versus detachment: Li Moran’s feelings threaten her control but may also free her Ice Phoenix Sword Body from its limits.
• Manipulation and unforeseen outcomes: Lu Ze benefits from provoking emotions, yet the force now gathering at Sword Inquiry Peak hints that his success may carry a cost.

Key plot points and events

• After experiencing the ending of Lu Ze’s illusion, “This Demonic Cultivator Is Not Too Cold,” elder Chao Wendao emerges heartbroken and furious over Sutier’s fate, whom he has come to regard as his granddaughter.
• Chao notices extraordinary phenomena at two peaks: a powerful cold aura around Sword Inquiry Peak, signaling Li Moran’s breakthrough, and an even more overwhelming vortex over Glazed Fire Peak, caused by Lu Ze’s rapid cultivation advance.
• Chao is astonished that Lu Ze’s Nascent Soul breakthrough produces a spectacle greater than Li Moran’s Spirit Transformation breakthrough. He celebrates the sect’s good fortune—until Li Moran flies toward Lu Ze, visibly resentful.
• At the Spirit Jade Pavilion, Li attacks Lu Ze with Frost Sword Qi. He dodges easily, revealing that his strength has grown considerably.
• Though Li had brought healing medicine and initially restrained her attack, Lu Ze’s successful dodge prompts her to summon numerous ice swords and threaten to stop holding back.

Character developments

• Lu Ze demonstrates exceptional growth and combat ability, having advanced rapidly through the Nascent Soul stages. His success, however, has made him a target of Li Moran’s anger.
• Li Moran is powerful, disciplined, and still concerned enough to bring medicine, but she is furious with Lu Ze and ready to punish him.
• Chao Wendao is deeply emotionally invested in Lu Ze’s illusion, yet his grief gives way to pride in Lu Ze’s achievement. He deliberately lets Li confront him.

Significant themes

• The emotional power of fiction: The illusion affects even a powerful elder as if its characters were real.
• Talent and extraordinary advancement: Lu Ze’s breakthrough surpasses expectations, even beside Li Moran’s impressive cultivation.
• Comedy and risk in relationships: Lu Ze’s lighthearted greeting and confidence collide with Li’s justified anger, suggesting that provoking a powerful senior sister can be dangerous.

Character interactions

• Chao shifts from mourning Sutier to celebrating Lu Ze, then cheerfully endorses Li’s impending beating.
• Li confronts Lu Ze with controlled but escalating hostility; her hidden medicine hints at concern beneath her anger.
• Lu Ze tries to greet her casually, dodges her opening attack, and quickly realizes that his ability to evade may only make her retaliation worse.

Key events

• Lu Ze withstands Li Moran’s attack: sixty-four Profound Ice Longswords, which Li counts as a single move. Though she has suppressed her power to the early Spirit Transformation stage, the attack would overwhelm even many cultivators at that level.
• Li confirms she has broken through, crediting the intense emotions Lu Ze stirred in her. She discovered that suppressing those emotions makes her Ice Phoenix Sword Body stronger, overturning the usual belief that emotion is simply harmful to it.
• Lu Ze remarks that Li seems “more like a person than before.” She takes offense and summons 128 swords, prompting him to call desperately for his master. Afterward, a battered Lu Ze asks her to tell others she has already taught him a serious lesson, hoping to deter future powerful opponents.

Character developments

• Lu Ze proves far tougher than Li expected, but remains cautious about provoking powerful figures. He tries to turn his injuries into a practical warning for anyone else who might come after him.
• Li Moran gains a breakthrough and begins to understand her Ice Phoenix Sword Body in a new way. Her emotions and personality also seem more lively, though she is still quick to punish Lu Ze’s careless remarks.

Themes

• Unexpected strength and genius: Lu Ze survives a technique that should have defeated cultivators far stronger than him.
• Emotion and growth: Li’s breakthrough comes not from eliminating emotion, but from letting intense feelings fade and discovering how that process strengthens her body.
• Humor and self-preservation: Lu Ze’s attempt to manage future threats by making his beating look official contrasts with the deadly power on display.

Character interactions

• Li tests Lu Ze and is surprised by his resilience; he nervously confirms that her attack is over.
• She appreciates his role in her breakthrough, then misreads his awkward compliment as insight into her changed nature—until his wording offends her.
• After punishing him, Li is in unusually good spirits while Lu Ze asks her to help discourage other powerful figures from confronting him.

Plot points and events

• Still recovering from the Demon Slaying Assembly, Zhang Yuxian reflects on the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao and concludes that Illusion Realms have become a route to extraordinary opportunities. He believes Lu Ze’s rapid rise from Foundation Establishment to Nascent Soul came from access to those opportunities.
• The Fragment’s new reach means Illusion Realms can now connect to the wider world. Zhang sees this as a chance to claim the advantage for himself and vows revenge on Lu Ze.
• On Luofeng Continent, the Illusion Alliance has grown into a serious organization and established a formal base. Its founder, the masked “Heart Demon,” rallies its powerful members against Lu Ze, arguing that Lu’s success came from the Heavenly Dao rather than superior talent.
• Heart Demon tells the Alliance that the Fragment’s influence is no longer limited to Lu Ze’s Illusion Realms: their own realms can now reach the entire world. The members respond with envy and renewed ambition.
• Meanwhile, Lu Ze lies in the Spirit Cloud Sect’s Spirit Jade Pavilion, pretending to be badly injured and repentant, while privately wondering what game to create next.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yuxian turns his injury and humiliation into a mixture of resentment and greed. He sees Lu Ze as a rival whose supposed monopoly on opportunity can now be challenged.
• Heart Demon takes a leadership role, exploiting the Alliance’s jealousy and reassuring its members that they can compete with Lu Ze. The gathered cultivators unite around their shared envy and sense of entitlement.
• Lu Ze remains unaware—or at least unconcerned—about the growing hostility, focusing instead on his next game.

Significant themes

• Opportunity and competition: The Fragment’s expanding influence transforms Illusion Realms into a contested source of power.
• Envy and entitlement: Powerful cultivators resent Lu Ze’s success and dismiss his achievement as luck or favoritism.
• Appearance versus reality: Lu Ze’s apparent remorse contrasts with his private creative focus, while the Alliance’s claims of fairness mask its ambition.

Summary

• Lu Ze considers how to keep his Illusion Realms attracting players now that the Fragment of the Heavenly Dao has opened them to competition from other creators. He recognizes that the emotional impact of This Demonic Cultivator Is Not Too Cold has earned enormous Demonic Value, but decides against releasing another tearjerker so soon, since players’ grief from Sutier’s story is still fresh and another tragedy would have less impact.
• Instead, he plans to build on the success of his online games, Immortal-Demon Supremacy and Naraka: Bladepoint. Noting that he already has a MOBA and a battle-royale game, he hits on the idea of making a “search, fight, extract” game.
  Meanwhile, the Illusion Alliance’s researchers report to Heart Demon that they cannot unravel the complexity of This Demonic Cultivator Is Not Too Cold. Its branching paths all lead to the same outcome, and they suspect Lu Ze had help creating it. Heart Demon accepts their failure and orders them to pause that investigation and focus instead on Minecraft, Immortal-Demon Supremacy, and Naraka: Bladepoint.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ze shows a more deliberate, competitive side: he studies his games’ earnings, weighs player fatigue, and plans his next release to maintain his audience. He continues to address his unresponsive system, but gets no reply.
• Heart Demon and the Illusion Alliance cultivators interact as leader and researchers. The cultivators openly admit they are outmatched; Heart Demon responds pragmatically, redirecting their efforts rather than pressing them to solve the unsolvable.

Significant themes

• Competition and adaptation: Lu Ze must keep creating to retain players as other Illusion Realms become available.
• Emotion as value: Grief can generate extraordinary Demonic Value, but its impact depends on timing and audience fatigue.
• Limits of understanding: The Alliance struggles to comprehend Lu Ze’s sophisticated creation, highlighting the gap between his methods and their own.

Key plot points and events

• Ten days after the first wave of Illusion Realms appeared, cultivators on the Forum debate their quality. Several projects are mocked as stale imitations, while “Cultivation World,” made by the Illusion Alliance, is praised by some—but others dismiss it as a colorful copy of “Minecraft.”
• The Alliance’s influence has nevertheless driven many sects to move their disciples to “Cultivation World,” sharply boosting its traffic.
• At the Illusion Alliance headquarters, Eagle Falcon is celebrated for the project’s apparent success. He credits Alliance leader Heart Demon, but privately believes Heart Demon is jealous and hopes the Heavenly Dao will reward him.
• The Fragment of the Heavenly Dao appears in the Grotto-Heaven. Eagle Falcon assumes it has come to honor him—until it declares that those who fall short will be punished.

Character developments and interactions

• Eagle Falcon grows increasingly ambitious, interpreting his project’s popularity as a path to greater status, cultivation, and possibly the Alliance leadership. His confidence turns to dread when the Heavenly Dao’s words suggest judgment rather than reward.
• Heart Demon remains quiet and contemplative during Eagle Falcon’s celebration. Eagle Falcon reads this as jealousy, though the chapter offers no confirmation.
• The Alliance members cheer Eagle Falcon and applaud his success; the wider cultivation community remains divided over whether “Cultivation World” is genuinely good or simply benefits from the Alliance’s power.

Significant themes

• Popularity versus merit: “Cultivation World” gains users through institutional influence, leaving its true quality contested.
• Pride and misinterpretation: Eagle Falcon mistakes public acclaim—and then the Heavenly Dao’s arrival—for proof of his own distinction.
• Reward and punishment: The Heavenly Dao’s closing pronouncement overturns the expectation that success automatically earns recognition.

Plot points and events

• The Fragment of the Heavenly Dao punishes Eagle Falcon for creating Cultivation World, a near-identical copy of Lu Ze’s Illusion Realm. A bolt of lightning strips away most of Eagle Falcon’s cultivation, reducing him from the Refining Void Realm to the Transformation God Realm and leaving him visibly aged.
• The punishment terrifies the gathered cultivators, who realize that copying an Illusion Realm could cost them centuries of cultivation.
• Lu Ze learns that other Illusion Realms were judged differently. Some received mild penalties, some none, and Secret Realm Battlefield even received a Heavenly Treasure.
• Lu Ze concludes that the Heavenly Dao distinguishes between plagiarism and inspiration: near-exact copies are punished, while substantial changes or original design choices can avoid punishment—or earn a reward.

Character developments and interactions

• Eagle Falcon is left helpless and devastated after his severe punishment.
• Lu Ze is relieved that the Fragment acted in his favor, but initially mistakes the ruling as personal protection of his work. He later recognizes the principle behind the different judgments.
• The Fragment of the Heavenly Dao insists its purpose is to protect all Illusion Realms, not merely Lu Ze’s. It warns him that he, too, would be punished for copying others.
• Lu Ze humorously calls the Fragment the embodiment of intellectual-property law; the Fragment silently turns away from his smug reaction.

Significant themes

• Originality versus plagiarism: Borrowing a genre or idea is acceptable, but copying another work too closely is not.
• Justice and proportionality: Punishments vary according to how closely an Illusion Realm imitates its source, while distinctive creativity may be rewarded.
• Power and consequences: The Heavenly Dao’s authority makes intellectual-property rules frighteningly consequential in this world.

Plot points and events

• After the Heavenly Dao punished many members for creating Illusion Realms, the Illusion Alliance headquarters descends into panic, and members threaten to resign.
• Alliance Leader Heart Demon quells them by revealing he is a Body Integration Realm expert, then displays an Illusion-Reality Heavenly Zhi—a precious treasure gifted by the Heavenly Dao.
• He explains how the Alliance’s various realms earned rewards or punishments. The group realizes that copying Lu Ze’s realm invites punishment, while understanding its underlying principles and adapting them could be acceptable. They decide to begin with Naraka: Bladepoint.
• Meanwhile, Lu Ze, encouraged by what he learned about Heavenly Dao rewards, resumes work on his own Illusion Realm and begins shaping its map.
• The system suddenly announces a new mission premise: Lu Ze has found a Demon Path treasure land and plans to lure in and eliminate Righteous cultivators.

Character developments and interactions

• Heart Demon shifts from appearing like a composed administrator to revealing formidable power and strategic insight. He uses both his authority and evidence of Heavenly Dao favor to steady the Alliance.
• The Illusion Alliance members move from fear and resentment toward cautious cooperation, though their new approach is to study Lu Ze’s design rather than copy it.
• Lu Ze becomes more motivated and productive after learning that Illusion Realm creation can bring rewards from both the system and the Heavenly Dao. The system’s new mission hints at a potentially darker direction for his project.

Significant themes

• Originality versus imitation: The Alliance must derive principles from Lu Ze’s work rather than plagiarize it.
• Reward and punishment: The Heavenly Dao’s response shapes cultivators’ choices and underscores the risks of creating realms.
• Power and persuasion: Heart Demon combines overwhelming strength with practical explanation to restore order.
• Unexpected consequences: Lu Ze’s routine world-building is reframed by the system as a scheme against Righteous cultivators.