Chapter Summaries

Chapter 357 Summary

• Fang Wang confronts the Crime Sage, who attacks in a fury and repeatedly resurrects after being destroyed. Fang Wang defeats him again and again, using powerful techniques such as the Great Return to Void Palm and Carefree Heaven. Though the Crime Sage wields the Crime and Resentment Monument, Fang Wang’s halberd breaks through its blood-qi defenses; the monument itself proves remarkably durable.
• Fang Wang keeps up his relentless assault for half an hour. The Crime Sage’s body takes longer to reform, revealing that his immortality has a cost: he rebuilds himself using the bodies of deceased beings in the forbidden zone. Once those are exhausted, only his will remains.
• While Fang Wang fights, Duantian frees Ji Rutian and the others by wiping runes from the skeletons anchoring the golden web. They watch the battle from the ground, astonished by Fang Wang’s dominance.
• The Crime Sage finally calls for a halt. He warns Fang Wang that mastering too many supreme arts may slow his cultivation. Fang Wang says he intends to unite them and forge his own Dao. He reveals that he is not yet six hundred years old and has reached the ninth layer of the Tashiao Realm. The Crime Sage is overwhelmed by the revelation that someone at that level has defeated a Great Sage.
• Fang Wang reflects that his ambition and perseverance are driven partly by his desire to keep pace with Zhou Xue and avoid future regret. He also recognizes the strain of prolonged solitary cultivation, comparing it to the Crime Sage’s cursed existence. He ends by asking whether the Crime Sage will still be alive the next time he returns.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Wang demonstrates extraordinary strength, stamina, and composure, while revealing a long-term aim beyond collecting techniques: creating a Dao of his own. His conversation with the Crime Sage shows a more reflective side beneath his fierce determination.
• The Crime Sage shifts from furious arrogance to helplessness, then to bitter disbelief and reluctant appreciation. His immortality is exposed as a limited, burdensome curse rather than effortless power.
• Duantian takes the initiative to rescue Ji Rutian and the other captives, who then witness Fang Wang’s fight.
• Ji Rutian and the other observers are stunned to learn that Fang Wang remains in the Tashiao Realm despite defeating a Great Sage.

Significant themes

• Will and endurance: Fang Wang’s resolve is tested against an opponent who continually returns, while the Crime Sage’s will begins to crack.
• Power and its costs: The Crime Sage’s resurrection consumes bodies, and Fang Wang’s many arts may slow his cultivation.
• Forging one’s own path: Fang Wang chooses to synthesize his abilities into a personal Dao rather than simply pursue rapid advancement.
• Mortality, regret, and purpose: Fang Wang’s determination is tied to his future, his bond with Zhou Xue, and his refusal to regret not striving harder.

Chapter Summary

• Fang Wang questions the Crime Sage about whether he can foresee Fang Wang’s future. The Sage admits he cannot: Fang Wang’s current form is something he had never seen before, and even the Heavenly Palace True God was once what he thought Fang Wang’s destination would be. Fang Wang remains wary and says he trusts his present feelings rather than the idea that he has predetermined past lives.
• The Crime Sage offers two rewards: his inheritance or the Crime and Resentment Monument. The monument can kill anyone whose name is written on it, but each use loads its wielder with “crime and resentment”—a force more dangerous than karma that may eventually consume them, as it has the Sage. Fang Wang distrusts powerful treasures, but accepts the Sage’s inheritance: the Falling Heaven Wuji Great Art and a method for forming a true spiritual image.
• The Sage explains the spiritual image’s power. His own image contains a complete world and an ancient race sealed within it, whose members live and fight only when the image is manifested. He also agrees to resurrect Ji Rutian and the others, who are enclosed in glowing cocoons. He warns Fang Wang that they carry the Qi of Disheng and that the Great Sage connected to one of them is probing the secrets of heaven.
• Fang Wang eventually accepts the monument for Little Purple. After the Sage argues that Fang Wang might regret leaving it to someone else, Little Purple eagerly asks to receive it and promises not to misuse it. Fang Wang agrees, and the Sage shrinks the monument to palm-size, gives it to Little Purple, and begins explaining how to control it. Fang Wang listens despite his unease.
• Fang Wang spends 32,000 years mastering the inheritance inside the Heavenly Palace: 19,000 years on the Falling Heaven Wuji Great Art, which trades body and soul for eternal life, and 13,000 years on the Common People State and Society Map, which traps and controls beings within a spiritual image. He discovers a difficult possible route to liberation through the first art, but keeps it to himself because the Sage cannot use it without having prepared beforehand. The second art can strengthen a spiritual image by adding the power it plunders.
• The chapter ends with a warning sign: Fang Wang is satisfied with the two arts, but realizes that the monument’s supposed control method is itself a secret technique just as the Crime Sage is finishing his instruction. This raises suspicion about what accepting or learning it may entail.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Fang Wang stays cautious about fate, karma, and relying on powerful treasures, yet is willing to acquire dangerous knowledge and let Little Purple hold the monument. His long training shows his patience and commitment to becoming stronger.
• The Crime Sage shifts from a confused, muttering state to a composed teacher. He recognizes Fang Wang’s strength, offers him knowledge, and tries to persuade him to take the monument.
• Little Purple shows curiosity about Fang Wang’s new abilities and eagerness to possess the monument, prompting Fang Wang to reconsider taking it.
• Ji Rutian and his companions are cut off from Fang Wang’s conversation, then are revived by the Crime Sage. Ji Rutian tells the others Fang Wang is not from their mortal world and that they will soon leave.
• Duantian and Niu Hai remain with the group; Duantian avoids the surge of spiritual energy used in the resurrection, while Niu Hai is relieved to see Ji Rutian alive.

Significant Themes

• Fate versus self-determination: Fang Wang resists defining himself by past lives or predictions.
• Power and its price: the monument grants effortless death but carries a potentially ruinous burden.
• Caution, temptation, and trust: Fang Wang weighs the Sage’s persuasion and chooses to entrust the monument to Little Purple.
• Immortality and freedom: the Sage’s arts promise survival and control, but also raise questions about losing one’s body, soul, awareness, or liberty.

Key events

• Fang Wang completes the Crime and Resentment Curse Technique. After mastering it, he gains full control of the Crime and Resentment Monument, discovers that it contains a purgatory, and can summon its evil spirits to fight.
• The Crime Sage praises Fang Wang’s prospects and admits that he cannot see beyond the chaotic world imprisoning him. Fang Wang offers to rescue him someday, but the Sage laughs off the idea and says he mainly wants Fang Wang to grow strong enough to trouble the Upper Realm’s Immortal Court.
• Little Purple asks whether the Crime Sage regrets defying the Immortals and Gods. He insists that he regrets only not killing more celestial soldiers, then enjoys Little Purple’s flattery.
• Fang Wang learns that Ji Rutian and three others will need about three more months to finish their transformation. He leaves to travel, leaving Duantian and Niu Hai behind.
• At Jian Tianze, Fang Hanyu and Fang Zigeng admire Kunlun, built by the Tiangong Sect after Fang Wang defeated the Myriad Clans army. Fang Hanyu invites Zigeng to join Wang Dao, but Zigeng declines, saying he has his own path and would bring Fang Wang trouble.
• Across the mortal world, the Master of Hunyuan Sect announces that he will prove himself a Great Sage and use his cultivation to bestow a great fortune on all living beings. In the Western Mortal Realm, Yang Lin’er and Yang Jun hear the announcement and see golden rain turn into lotuses across the sky.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Wang gains a powerful new technique but keeps his feelings and abilities hidden behind his mask. He is grateful to the Crime Sage, though he withholds his knowledge of a possible way to break the curse rather than raise false hope.
• The Crime Sage remains defiant and resentful toward the Immortals and Gods. His conversation with Fang Wang shows both gratitude and a desire for revenge through Fang Wang’s future strength.
• Little Purple shows curiosity about the Crime Sage’s past and uses praise to draw him out.
• Fang Zigeng appears guarded and carries a chilly killing intent; his refusal to join Wang Dao suggests an independent, potentially dangerous path. Fang Hanyu wants to understand his experiences but does not press him.
• Yang Jun is excited by the possibility of sharing in the Great Sage’s promised fortune, while Yang Lin’er is more skeptical and asks whether he understands what the announcement means.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice, defiance, and revenge: The Crime Sage accepts the consequences of challenging the Immortals and Gods, but still wishes he had fought harder.
• Power and responsibility: The Hunyuan Sect Master’s vow to share his cultivation’s benefits with all living beings raises the prospect of power serving the whole mortal world.
• Hidden paths and uncertain futures: Fang Wang’s concealed growth, Zigeng’s private purpose, and the Sage’s inability to see the future all underscore how much remains unknown.

Key plot points and events

• Golden lotuses fill the sky, enriching the world’s spiritual energy. The spectacle inspires Yang Lin’er to make becoming a sage her own ambition.
• Ji Rutian and his companions emerge from the Other Shore of the Immortal Path. He has received a stronger body from the Great Sage, though he recognizes the gift was likely given for Fang Wang’s sake.
• Fang Wang arrives with Little Purple and agrees to take three ancient cultivators—Wei Buyu, Long Changsheng, and Haizun—with him. They had been trapped and tortured by the Crime Sage for a thousand years and now see Fang Wang as their best hope of advancement.
• Little Purple leaves Niu Hai in charge of the Dragon Palace. After Fang Wang departs, Niu Hai celebrates his apparent freedom, unaware that a strange black mark has appeared between his brows.
• While crossing worlds with Carefree Heaven, Fang Wang explains that Niu Hai has not entered the Forbidden Zone but may be tainted by the Crime Sage’s influence through Ji Rutian’s skull. The Crime Sage is still scheming.
• Fang Wang brings the group to an island to cultivate. Little Purple entertains the newcomers with boasts about Fang Wang and the Xuanzu Mortal World.
• In the Dayu Divine Dynasty, Hong Xian’er receives a message from Taiyou: the Hunyuan Leader’s attainment of sagehood has changed the world, and those seeking sagehood or imperial status must build renown and pursue fortune. Taiyou offers her a Luck Art in exchange for permission to reincarnate several people into the dynasty, requiring the Emperor’s approval.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Lin’er moves beyond her former materialistic ambitions and embraces cultivation as a personal goal, resolving to become a sage for herself.
• Fang Wang demonstrates his overwhelming power and generosity by accepting the three stranded cultivators, while remaining alert to the Crime Sage’s lingering influence.
• Ji Rutian appreciates his new body but understands that its restoration was connected to Fang Wang.
• Wei Buyu, Long Changsheng, and Haizun abandon their former rivalry and ambitions in the Dahan Mortal World, united by their hope of following Fang Wang toward greater realms.
• Little Purple warns Niu Hai not to mistreat the Dragon Palace, then uses Fang Wang’s reputation to inspire the new companions.
• Hong Xian’er initially says she does not want immortality, but becomes excited by the prospect of achieving greater renown and power. Taiyou’s proposal gives her a potential path forward, though it depends on the Emperor.

Significant themes

• Self-directed ambition: Yang Lin’er’s goal shifts from wealth and recognition to spiritual achievement for its own sake.
• Reputation and fortune: The Hunyuan Leader’s message frames worldly recognition and accumulated fortune as essential to becoming a sage or emperor.
• Power and dependence: The stranded cultivators and Ji Rutian look to Fang Wang as their route to advancement.
• Hidden corruption and lingering threats: The Crime Sage’s influence persists even after his apparent defeat, showing that danger can survive through indirect schemes.

Chapter Summary

• Hong Xian’er hears the Xuanyou Sect’s proposal: The sect claims it has no designs on the Dayu Divine Dynasty and only wants to restore its Daoist tradition. It chose the dynasty partly for its unusual Qi of Fortune, but especially because it sees the Heavenly Dao as its greatest opportunity in a million years. Hong Xian’er remains cautious, saying she must consult the emperor. She also privately worries about Fang Wang, who has been absent for years, and anticipates seeing—or even fighting—him again as the Mortal World changes.
• Fang Wang advances in seclusion: After nine years, he reaches the True Soul Realm, where the soul can exist and fight independently of the body. His heightened perception of the world’s deeper rules leads him to question whether spiritual energy has limits and whether he can develop a new power capable of rivaling that of Immortals and Gods. His cultivation draws vast spiritual energy toward his island. Duantian, who stays behind to guard him, benefits from the energy and becomes more grateful, believing Fang Wang is deliberately helping him.
• The Heavenly Dao’s influence spreads: Across another continent, Wei Buyu and Fang Wang’s other followers collect supreme arts from sects and factions, offering the Heavenly Dao Boundless Scripture in exchange. Though they initially seem to be taking the techniques by force, many recipients discover the scripture is an extraordinary boon and come to revere the Heavenly Dao. The scripture’s reputation spreads so widely that factions begin eagerly offering their techniques, making it difficult for the collectors to identify the truly valuable ones.
• Fang Wang continues to grow stronger: Unaware of these developments, he remains absorbed in cultivation, intending to reach the Heaven and Earth Universe Realm before seeking a way back to the Xuanzu Mortal World. He rapidly advances through True Soul Realm Tiers 2, 3, and 4.
• The group returns: Little Purple, Ji Rutian, Wei Buyu, Long Changsheng, and Haizun bring back a large collection of supreme arts. When Duantian calls their campaign “pillaging,” Long Changsheng insists they were bestowing opportunities through willing exchanges. Haizun asks about a recent battle, and Wei Buyu explains that he defeated a newly established Heaven and Earth Universe expert, holding back only out of respect for the Dao Lord.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Hong Xian’er balances political caution with concern and longing for Fang Wang, while also anticipating a future contest with him.
• Fang Wang shifts from simply advancing his cultivation toward contemplating an entirely new path of power beyond ordinary spiritual energy.
• Duantian admires Fang Wang and interprets the benefits of remaining behind as a deliberate reward.
• Wei Buyu reveals his formidable strength and arrogant temperament, contrasting with his submissive manner around Fang Wang.
• Long Changsheng and Duantian clash lightly over whether the collection effort is plunder or generous exchange; Haizun questions Wei Buyu about his strength and recent victory.

Significant Themes

• The rise of the Heavenly Dao: Its scripture becomes a force reshaping religious and cultivation practices across the Mortal World.
• Cultivation beyond established limits: Fang Wang’s reflections suggest that spiritual energy may not be the highest form of power.
• A world on the brink of change: Golden lotuses, surging spiritual energy, and the spread of powerful teachings signal a coming transformation—and the possible threat posed by descending Immortals and Gods.

Plot points and events

• While Fang Wang meditates, Little Purple and the others collect supreme arts for him. He cautions them not to harm anyone. By then, the Heavenly Dao Boundless Scripture has become widely revered, and Fang Wang senses the vast incense-and-prayer power gathering around his name.
• Realizing there are other mortal worlds to explore, Fang Wang takes the group across worlds in a single step. Wei Buyu and the other two search for powerful techniques, while Fang Wang focuses on cultivation and developing an independent path.
• Fang Wang reassures Ji Rutian that he remains his chosen candidate for the Dao Sect and urges him to concentrate on advancing his cultivation rather than competing with the others.
• In a separate scene, Jiyutian conspires with the Thousand-Eyed Great Sage against Fang Wang. Their plan centers on Kunlun and a Dao Source Spiritual Jade, which is expected to draw the world’s attention. Jiyutian is eager to confront Fang Wang, while the Great Sage urges caution and warns him not to miss the opportunity of Kunlun’s coming calamity.
• Decades pass. After crossing seven mortal worlds and gathering countless techniques, Fang Wang reaches the eighth layer of the True Soul Realm. At age 677, he enters another world, where the unusually abundant spiritual energy immediately signals that it is exceptional.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Wang grows from the fourth to the eighth layer of the True Soul Realm. He increasingly draws strength and insight from the prayer power surrounding his reputation, while prioritizing cultivation over collecting techniques.
• Ji Rutian feels pressured by the strength and accomplishments of Wei Buyu and the others, but Fang Wang’s reassurance restores his confidence.
• Little Purple remains eager and devoted, organizing the search for supreme arts and welcoming the journey to new worlds.
• Wei Buyu and his companions enthusiastically explore each world for powerful techniques; Fang Wang trusts them to act with restraint.
• Jiyutian and the Thousand-Eyed Great Sage reveal sharply different attitudes: Jiyutian is confident and impatient to challenge Fang Wang, while the Great Sage takes a strategic, protective approach.

Significant themes

• Cultivation through patience and focus: Fang Wang prioritizes strengthening himself before making use of the many techniques collected.
• Reputation and spiritual power: Public reverence for the Heavenly Dao becomes a tangible force that aids Fang Wang’s cultivation and comprehension.
• Mentorship and reassurance: Fang Wang protects Ji Rutian from unproductive comparison and affirms his future role.
• Ambition versus caution: Jiyutian’s desire for confrontation conflicts with the Great Sage’s emphasis on survival and timing.

Plot and key events

• Fang Wang arrives in a realm rich in spiritual Qi. Wei Buyu takes Long Changsheng and Haizun to explore, while Fang Wang descends into the forests with Ji Rutian and Duantian. Duantian volunteers to build a pavilion.
• Fang Wang encourages Ji Rutian to believe he can become a sage and restore the Ji Family’s legacy. He describes his larger ambition: to build Kunlun into the greatest dao field of all time, teach the Dao openly, and strengthen the mortal world so it can resist the Upper Realm.
• In Great Qi, Wang Dao leaders gather around a magnificent Dao Source Spiritual Jade, donated by the Tiangong Sect. They discuss its power to enhance cultivation and the benefits of tying Wang Dao’s fortune to the Tiangong Sect.
• Hongchen distrusts the jade’s origins and secretly tests it with a blood-written divination. He finds no apparent problem, but after the Tiangong Sect representatives leave, he reveals that Jiyutian and the Thousand-Eyed Great Sage intend to use the jade to scheme against Wang Dao. Hongchen tells the others to prepare to respond while letting the plot unfold.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Wang treats Ji Rutian warmly, calling him “Little Ji” and urging him not to let defeat define his potential. Ji’s confidence and admiration for Fang Wang return as he embraces the possibility of becoming a sage.
• Fang Wang shares his vision of helping all mortal cultivators pursue immortality, even at the risk of creating future rivals. Ji Rutian comes to see him as a figure embodying the will of Heaven.
• Duantian shows initiative by offering to build the pavilion; Fang Wang approves of him.
• Hongchen demonstrates caution and authority: despite the group’s excitement over the jade, he investigates it, then quietly organizes Wang Dao’s response. The Tiangong Sect and Qiao Family, meanwhile, see the treasure as a way to deepen their alliance with Wang Dao.

Significant themes

• Ambition and self-belief: Fang Wang’s encouragement helps Ji Rutian overcome doubts about his limits.
• A stronger mortal world: Fang Wang seeks not merely personal supremacy, but a mortal realm capable of standing against the Upper Realm.
• Trust and hidden schemes: A seemingly generous treasure may conceal danger, making vigilance essential even among allies.
• Leadership and legacy: Kunlun, Wang Dao, and the possible revival of the Ji Family all represent efforts to build enduring institutions and shape the future.

Chapter 142 Summary

• Fang Wang’s progress: Twelve years of cultivation bring Fang Wang to the ninth layer of the True Soul Realm, one step from the Heaven and Earth Universe Realm. He leaves his pavilion for a short break. Ji Rutian and his disciple Duantian have also advanced rapidly; cultivating near Fang Wang improves their comprehension because his practice fills the area with the rules of Heaven and Earth.
• A turbulent new world: Ji Rutian tells Fang Wang that Wei Buyu and others are causing a disturbance. Fang Wang senses that this mortal world is stronger and more chaotic than the Xuanzu Mortal World, and that it contains a Great Sage. He recognizes the era’s dense spiritual energy and surging fortune as signs of a cultivation golden age. Ji Rutian recalls a prophecy from a Ji Family predecessor: the Xuanzu Mortal World will also enter an unprecedented golden age, producing nine ascension destinies, Great Sages, and Great Emperors. Fang Wang is curious about the Ji Family’s fate but respects Ji Rutian’s reluctance to discuss it.
• Fang Wang teaches mortals: While strolling through farmland, Fang Wang reflects that social hierarchies exist even in cultivation worlds, with ordinary people serving as a backdrop to cultivators’ power. He decides to offer villagers a chance to learn cultivation freely. Wearing his Fox Mask, he announces a public lecture and demonstrates his ability by summoning and dispersing thunderclouds. Children arrive first, followed by farmers and other villagers.
• Three days of instruction: Fang Wang teaches the basics of the Heavenly Dao Boundless Scripture, patiently repeating and simplifying his explanations for listeners unfamiliar with books or cultivation terms. More than five hundred people gather, and some already show renewed vigor from learning the method. After three days and nights, Fang Wang departs, naming himself “Heavenly Dao Fang Wang.” His sudden disappearance astonishes the villagers, who vow to honor him.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Wang remains confident and eager to face powerful opponents, but his walk reveals a thoughtful side: he notices the common people’s disadvantaged place in the world and chooses to share cultivation with them.
• Ji Rutian continues to serve as Fang Wang’s conversational companion, sharing his family’s prophecy while keeping its destruction private. Duantian admires Fang Wang and concentrates on making the most of his chance to cultivate.
• The villagers, especially the children, move from disbelief to excitement and reverence as Fang Wang demonstrates his power and teaches them.

Significant themes

• Golden ages and changing fortune: Spiritual energy, opportunity, and conflict rise together, transforming the world.
• Hierarchy and responsibility: Fang Wang recognizes that ordinary people are often marginalized, and uses his strength to offer them an opportunity.
• Knowledge made accessible: His patient, repeated instruction shows that cultivation can be shared beyond educated or privileged circles.
• Power and humility: Though capable of overwhelming displays, Fang Wang’s most significant act here is teaching rather than dominating.

Summary

Over two years, Fang Wang travels from village to village, preaching the Heavenly Dao Boundless Scripture for one day at a time. His name, “Heavenly Dao Fang Wang,” spreads throughout the Mortal World, aided by Wei Buyu, the others, and Little Purple. He also discovers that preaching deepens his understanding of his Daoist technique and makes him increasingly aware of the Incense and Fire Prayer Power created by people’s faith.
While walking beside a river, Fang Wang considers how to shape his Heaven and Earth Spiritual Image, a crucial step toward the Heaven and Earth Universe realm. He believes the image may eventually become real and serve as the first step in creating a world, so he is reluctant to choose its form.
A powerful elder appears: Shifa Great Sage, a true Great Sage who questions Fang Wang’s motives for spreading cultivation in another Mortal World. Shifa argues that universal immortality would overburden heaven and earth and claims Fang Wang’s actions threaten more than this realm. Fang Wang rejects the idea that mortals should be denied cultivation, suggesting instead that immortals might raise the limits of heaven and earth or create new worlds.
Shifa attacks, using a Spiritual Image resembling a vast night sky and scorched world. Fang Wang calmly withstands the assault and, with a single gesture, shatters the entire illusion—even its raging fires—then reappears by the river. An invisible force presses against Shifa’s black-and-white defensive qi, leaving the Great Sage shaken. Fang Wang ends by demanding that Shifa justify denying mortals the hope of cultivation.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Wang has grown more confident and powerful since his earlier battles. He remains committed to spreading cultivation and now seeks to understand both his own Spiritual Image and the power generated by people’s faith. His composure contrasts with Shifa’s growing alarm.
• Shifa Great Sage enters as an imposing, seemingly detached authority, convinced that Fang Wang’s teachings endanger the natural order. After Fang Wang easily breaks his Spiritual Image, Shifa’s confidence gives way to uncertainty.
• Their exchange is both ideological and physical: Shifa challenges Fang Wang’s right to spread cultivation, while Fang Wang challenges the Great Sage’s authority to restrict it.

Significant themes

• Freedom and access to cultivation: Fang Wang champions the common people’s right to pursue a path beyond mortality.
• Order versus possibility: Shifa invokes the limits of heaven and earth; Fang Wang questions whether those limits should be accepted or surpassed.
• Faith and influence: Fang Wang’s growing reputation produces Incense and Fire Prayer Power, linking spiritual teaching to tangible power.
• Creation and responsibility: Fang Wang’s contemplation of his Spiritual Image foreshadows the possibility of shaping or creating worlds.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Wang easily defeats Shifa Great Sage, first crushing his body with the Great Return to Void Palm, then pulling his soul down from the firmament with Qintian Palm.
• Fang Wang deduces that Shifa’s authority depends on the backing of Immortals and Gods, who forbid mortals from cultivating immortality. He demands Shifa’s strongest supreme art in exchange for sparing him.
• Shifa recites a technique, but Fang Wang realizes it is false and destroys his true soul anyway, leaving open the possibility that Shifa may revive after centuries of recovery.
• Fang Wang returns to Ji Rutian and Duantian, casually explaining that he has dealt with the Great Sage. He concludes that the Upper Realm’s Immortal Court makes caution essential and resolves to grow stronger before acting further.
• In seclusion, Fang Wang develops ideas for his spiritual image and pursues a breakthrough. The battle’s brief disturbance soon fades from public attention.
• Eight years later, Wei Buyu returns with four talented cultivators of the Heaven and Earth Universe Realm, including Han Yu. Their lineages were harmed by Immortals and Gods, and they join Wang Dao because they admire Fang Wang’s aim of finding a path to immortality within the mortal world.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Wang displays overwhelming power and increasing suspicion toward the Immortals and Gods. His contempt for Shifa’s dependence on them deepens his resolve, but he recognizes that the Upper Realm demands strategic caution.
• Shifa Great Sage shifts from indignation to panic and submission when he realizes the gulf between their strength. His false instruction fails to deceive Fang Wang, and Fang Wang kills him.
• Ji Rutian and Duantian are stunned by how quickly Fang Wang handles a Great Sage. Eight years later, Ji Rutian grows anxious that new, formidable recruits may reduce his standing with Fang Wang.
• Wei Buyu brings the recruits into Wang Dao and enthusiastically presents Han Yu as an exceptional peer. Han Yu, in turn, acknowledges Fang Wang’s superiority and shows interest in his cause.
• The four newcomers quietly assess Ji Rutian, finding him unimpressive despite hearing that Fang Wang values his talent—creating an undercurrent of rivalry and uncertainty.

Significant themes

• Resistance to divine control: Shifa represents a mortal authority enforcing the Immortals and Gods’ restrictions on cultivation.
• Power and ambition: Fang Wang’s victory reinforces his immense strength, while his response to the Upper Realm shows that power must be built with care.
• Loyalty and competition: Wang Dao attracts talented allies through its ideals, but their arrival unsettles existing relationships and status.
• The fleeting impact of great events: Despite the battle’s world-shaking signs, it is quickly forgotten amid the mortal world’s wider changes.

Chapter Summary: Heaven and Earth Universe Realm

• Fang Wang breaks through: After eleven years of secluded cultivation following his victory over the Shifa Great Sage, Fang Wang reaches the Heaven and Earth Universe Realm. His immense aura overwhelms everyone nearby for seven days. He emerges a year later, relaxed and confident, describing this realm as the beginning of a new path.
• A demonstration of his power: Fang Wang offers Han Yu and the other cultivators a glimpse of his Spiritual Image. With only a brief ripple, he creates an effect so realistic that the group initially struggles to tell what it does. Han Yu then senses countless spiritual life-force auras within it, revealing the image’s extraordinary scale. Ji Rutian and Duantian, accustomed to Fang Wang’s feats, remain comparatively calm.
• Fang Wang gathers his companions: Declaring that it is time to leave the mortal world, Fang Wang uses the mark of Carefree Heaven he placed on Wei Buyu to travel instantly to him. Wei Buyu is trying to obtain a supreme art from an old man. When the old man hesitates, Fang Wang tells them to leave; the old man relents, and Fang Wang gives him a secret manual in exchange for his scroll. Fang Wang then collects Long Changsheng and Haizun, who agree to join the group.
• Little Purple is retrieved: Fang Wang finds Little Purple cultivating in its vast Demon Race kingdom. He uses Grand Perfection Qintian Palm to seize the thousand-foot-long creature from afar and shrink it to loach size. Little Purple wakes confused, while the kingdom’s demons are stunned to see their king taken so effortlessly.

Character developments and interactions

Fang Wang’s breakthrough transforms not only his strength but his perception of the world, and his mastered abilities have undergone a qualitative leap. His easy manner reassures Han Yu’s group, even as his overwhelming power leaves them awestruck. Wei Buyu remains forceful in pursuing the supreme art but restrains himself in Fang Wang’s presence. Ji Rutian and Duantian show how familiar they have become with Fang Wang’s astonishing abilities, while Han Yu, Su E, Qing Taoist, and Chang Sikong react with disbelief and admiration.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes the gulf between mortal and transcendent power, the way cultivation changes one’s perception of Heaven and Earth, and the beginning of a new stage in Fang Wang’s journey. It also presents power as both a means of effortless travel and control, and a force that reshapes how others relate to its wielder.

• Little Purple’s farewell: Fang Wang wakes Little Purple and gives it the chance to address its followers. Little Purple tells the gathered monsters to govern themselves, appoints no successor, and hopes to meet them again on the Immortal Road. The monsters mourn as Fang Wang takes the group to another mortal realm.
• Fang Wang’s cultivation and plan: Fang Wang tells the group to hand over their collected supreme arts and gives them three years before they must move on. He confirms he has reached the Heaven and Earth Universe Realm. Having discovered the value of incense and prayer power, he intends to spread supreme arts across more realms to gain both spiritual benefits and fortune.
• A new divine ability: While studying the manuals, Fang Wang finds the Eighteen-Layer Avici Hell, an illusionary technique whose suffering can inflict real harm. He cultivates it in the Heavenly Palace for nine thousand years—though only an instant passes outside—and achieves Great Perfection. At that level, he can cast it with a thought, without needing eye contact, touch, or a spiritual-sense lock.
• Writing and reflection: Afterward, Fang Wang begins copying the Heavenly Dao Boundless Scripture, eventually producing over a thousand copies. The work also deepens his understanding of the Heavenly Dao Boundless Book of Changes and the laws of the realm.
• Zhou Xue’s news: Zhou Xue contacts Fang Wang through his jade bracelet. She reports that the Hunyuan Leader became the Hunyuan Great Sage and sacrificed himself for all living beings, ushering in an unprecedented golden age. The Hunyuan Sect has become the mortal realm’s leading sacred sect. This differs from Zhou Xue’s past-life memories, underscoring that the world’s destiny has changed. She also warns that Fang Wang’s remarkable age and cultivation may not keep him unrivaled as spiritual energy and ancient treasures transform the realm.
• An approaching confrontation: Zhou Xue explains that the Tiangong Sect sent Dao Source Spiritual Jade to Wang Dao. To manage the trouble and gather cultivators, Hongchen has invited the world to witness Kunlun’s divine miracle in ten years. Zhou Xue offers Fang Wang a way to return, but he says he already knows how and intends to see whether anyone dares challenge him.
  Character developments and relationships: Little Purple shows affection for Fang Wang and accepts leaving its followers without a designated ruler. Fang Wang grows more ambitious, viewing the spread of his teachings as a way to build influence as well as cultivate. Zhou Xue remains both a confidante and a cautious adviser, while Fang Wang’s confidence contrasts with her concern.
  Themes: The chapter emphasizes self-reliance and succession, the changing and unpredictable nature of fate, the pursuit of power and influence, and the contrast between vast inner cultivation and the brief passage of time in the outside world.

Key plot points

• Fang Wang tells Zhou Xue that he can now return whenever he wishes, thanks to his breakthroughs in the Lingxiao Divine Sect and Jiuyou Free Art. They discuss the Fang Family, and Zhou Xue mentions that Yang Lin’er is progressing well in the Western Mortal Realm.
• Fang Wang looks forward to the Kunlun Grand Gathering in ten years and resumes writing the Heavenly Dao Boundless Scripture, viewing it as a gift to the myriad mortal realms.
• Over the following years, Fang Wang and his companions travel between mortal realms. Wei Buyu recruits True Person Kongdu, who resents the Upper Realm and supports Fang Wang’s refusal to ascend, and later Ye Xunhuan, a celebrated young talent similarly hostile toward the Upper Realm.
• Ye Xunhuan arrives eager to test Fang Wang. When Han Yu moves to defend Fang Wang’s honor, Fang Wang stops him and accepts the challenge himself.
• Fang Wang immediately traps Ye Xunhuan in the eighteenth level of Avici Hell, an illusion that inflicts real damage. After enduring the torment, Ye Xunhuan submits and thanks Fang Wang for sparing him. Fang Wang offers to teach the powerful ability to his followers.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Wang displays greater confidence and command. He welcomes challenges without fuss and is willing to share even his strongest techniques, secure in his own superiority.
• Zhou Xue remains attentive to Fang Wang’s family and personal connections, playfully pointing out his concern for Yang Lin’er.
• Han Yu is fiercely loyal to Fang Wang and initially tries to challenge Ye Xunhuan on his behalf. His admiration deepens after witnessing Fang Wang’s effortless victory.
• Ye Xunhuan, once undefeated and immensely proud, is humbled by Fang Wang’s overwhelming power and becomes more respectful.
• Wei Buyu continues recruiting powerful allies, though Fang Wang’s rapid mastery of a technique connected to an earlier encounter surprises him.
• The companions’ excitement at the offer to learn Avici Hell reflects their growing trust in Fang Wang and his willingness to share his knowledge.

Significant themes

• Confidence grounded in mastery: Fang Wang’s composure and effortless victory establish the vast gap between him and even exceptional talents.
• Generosity and leadership: He shares scriptures and techniques with others, treating his power as a means to strengthen the wider mortal realms.
• Resistance to the Upper Realm: Kongdu and Ye Xunhuan’s hostility toward immortal authority draws them to Fang Wang’s philosophy and cause.
• Humility through defeat: Ye Xunhuan’s experience forces a proud, undefeated cultivator to recognize the limits of his strength.

Chapter summary

Fang Wang brings Ye Xunhuan and the others to the Xuanzu Mortal World, arriving in the Carefree Heaven above a vast ocean of clouds. The realm’s spiritual energy is far richer than that of the Eastern Human World, and Ye Xunhuan is impressed by the wonder of the journey.
As the group discusses the Twelve Dao Sects, Fang Wang says their visitors cannot simply fill those positions. Instead, he plans to create the Thirty-Six Tiangang Dao Sovereigns, an independent group answering only to him. He appoints Wei Buyu to lead the group and recruit candidates, while reserving final approval for himself. Wei Buyu is thrilled; the others accept the decision.
At an inn, the group learns from a waiter that the Eastern and Western Human Worlds are merging. The Hunyuan Sect is highly respected because Hunyuan Great Sage sacrificed himself for all living beings, while Wang Dao—founded by the Heavenly Dao—is renowned for its past victories and is preparing a major gathering at Kunlun centered on a Dao Source Spiritual Jade. Hearing that the present age has no Great Sages reassures Fang Wang’s companions that they remain exceptionally powerful. Fang Wang, however, senses that the Western Human World has many more Heaven and Earth Universe Realm experts than the East.
Fang Wang also detects his acquaintance Xu Qiuming, whose cultivation is nearing the Tashiao Realm and whose sword intent has grown remarkably strong. He concludes that Xu has been waiting for the arrival of this prosperous era. Fang Wang disguises himself with a black robe and fox mask, then leads the group to meet him, hinting that Xu is Wang Dao’s sword specialist.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Wang remains confident and decisive: he establishes a new organization, delegates recruitment to Wei Buyu, and quietly assesses the wider world. His praise of Ye Xunhuan recognizes the latter’s unusual endurance under Fang Wang’s illusion.
• Ye Xunhuan is humbled by the experience and astonished by the Carefree Heaven.
• Wei Buyu shifts from awe at Fang Wang’s strength to excitement at being entrusted with leadership.
• The companions are curious about Xuanzu and the Twelve Dao Sects; their confidence rises when they hear there are no Great Sages active.
• Xu Qiuming, though absent in person, is revealed to have made major progress and to be emerging as a formidable sword cultivator.
• Little Purple teases Fang Wang about whether the heavens and earth could supply members for the Twelve Dao Sects, prompting the discussion of the new order.

Significant themes

• Power and hierarchy: Fang Wang creates a structure that stands outside existing sects and answers directly to him.
• A changing era: The merging of the two Human Worlds and the Kunlun gathering signal a new period of competition and opportunity.
• Potential revealed through adversity: Xu Qiuming’s growth suggests that exceptional talent may only fully emerge when circumstances mature.
• Perspective and confidence: The group’s belief in its own strength is challenged by the Western Human World’s greater depth of powerful cultivators.

Plot points and events

• Xu Qiuming travels through the mountains with Yang Jun, who hopes to become his disciple. Xu dismisses his mediocre sword talent, but Yang insists he is willing to serve him.
• They encounter Fang Wang and his companions, whose formidable presence alarms both Xu and Yang. Fang conceals his identity behind an altered black fox mask.
• Ye Xunhuan confronts Xu over the Wangdao Sword Sect’s sword challenges across the Western Mortal Realm, accusing the sect of underestimating local powers. Xu calmly defends his motives and asks who the group are.
• Ye identifies them as the Thirty-Six Tiangang Dao Sovereigns, then unleashes his Heaven and Earth Spiritual Image to overpower Xu and Yang.
• After Wei Buyu quietly asks Ye to show restraint for the Dao Lord’s sake, the pressure eases. Xu instantly draws and strikes, cutting through the surrounding mountains and tombstones. Ye survives only because his robe automatically raises a defensive barrier.
• Xu’s attack fails to break the barrier, but its speed shocks Ye. Xu, realizing the danger he faces, remains determined to uphold his sect’s pride.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Qiuming shows humility and composure when faced with a vastly stronger group, but also courage and fierce loyalty to the Wangdao Sword Sect. His lightning-fast sword draw surprises even Ye.
• Yang Jun remains devoted to Xu, though the encounter leaves him frightened and awestruck. Xu protects him with his spiritual energy.
• Ye Xunhuan, still smarting from his earlier defeat by Fang Wang, tries to restore his self-esteem by intimidating Xu and using him as a showcase for his strength. Xu’s counterattack instead unsettles him.
• Fang Wang quietly observes the confrontation, concealing his identity and letting Ye test Xu.
• Wei Buyu moderates the confrontation by asking Ye to avoid making things too ugly.
• Chang Sikong threatens Yang when he stares too long, reinforcing the group’s intimidating atmosphere.

Significant themes

• Pride and principle: Xu refuses to abandon his sword sect’s dignity despite overwhelming odds.
• Power and perception: The group’s immense strength makes Xu and Yang feel outmatched, yet Xu’s speed reveals that appearances do not capture every kind of ability.
• Mentorship and devotion: Yang’s willingness to follow Xu contrasts with Xu’s doubts about his potential.
• Humiliation and recovery: Ye’s aggression is driven by his need to recover his pride after losing to Fang Wang.

Key plot points and events

• Ye Xunhuan and Xu Qiuming’s intense fight ends when Fang Wang intervenes. Fang Wang tells Xu Qiuming that Ye showed mercy, and Ye suppresses his anger and stops.
• Fang Wang, newly returned, praises Xu Qiuming’s progress and announces he is going to “test the sharpness of the Western Mortal Realm.” He then departs with the Thirty-Six Tiangang Dao Sovereigns, moving so quickly that Xu Qiuming cannot track him.
• Xu Qiuming identifies Fang Wang to Yang Jun as the Wang Dao’s Dao Lord, known publicly as the Heavenly Dao. Yang Jun is astonished to learn he has just encountered the legendary powerhouse.
• At Kunlun, preparations for the Grand Gathering are drawing crowds from across the world. Hong Xian’er, Fairy Taixi, Gu Li, and Fang Ling discuss whether Fang Wang will return and how powerful he may have become. They also reflect on the strength of Wang Dao, the God Sect, and rising cultivators such as Jiang Shenming.
• In the Western Mortal Realm, Jiyutian—once a dominant figure who ruled for two thousand years—travels toward the region’s unfolding power struggle. A voice from a giant black roc warns him that many factions, including the Yu Clan and Hunyuan Sect, are competing for the Dao Source Spiritual Jade, and that the era of his unquestioned dominance has passed.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Wang is presented as immensely powerful and increasingly mythic: his followers use the title “Heavenly Dao” to build his prestige and keep his personal identity obscure. He acts with confidence, setting out to challenge the Western Mortal Realm.
• Xu Qiuming respects Fang Wang’s growing strength and recognizes that Wang Dao’s rise may create instability for the Twelve Dao Sects. His encounter with Yang Jun also reveals Fang Wang’s public legend to someone who did not recognize him.
• Hong Xian’er admires Fang Wang but remains unsettled by Zhou Xue, whom she considers a formidable rival. Her ambition has shifted from surpassing Fang Wang to surpassing Zhou Xue.
• Fang Ling is cheerful and confident in Wang Dao’s strength, reflecting her sheltered upbringing.
• Jiyutian faces a changed world in which old prestige may no longer guarantee control.

Significant themes

• The changing balance of power: Wang Dao and its allies have risen rapidly, while former rulers such as Jiyutian confront a more crowded field of formidable forces.
• Legend and identity: Fang Wang’s “Heavenly Dao” title separates him from his personal name and turns him into a symbol of authority and good fortune.
• Ambition and rivalry: Hong Xian’er’s changing goal shows how powerful rivals can reshape a person’s aspirations.
• A new era: The approaching Grand Gathering and competition over the Dao Source Spiritual Jade signal that the world is entering a period of upheaval and contest.

Key events

• Jiyutian declares that he has come only to watch and has no interest in the Dao Source Spiritual Jade, then continues toward the gathering as ominous thunderclouds gather behind him.
• As the Kunlun Grand Gathering approaches, cultivators from across the region crowd around Kunlun. Their cultivation draws spiritual energy into the Jianglong Continent, and Kunlun becomes its tallest mountain range.
• Xu Qiuming brings Yang Jun to Kunlun, following Fang Wang’s secret instruction. Yang Jun arrives exhausted from repeated long-distance teleportation but is awed by Kunlun’s ancient grandeur and powerful spiritual aura.
• On Kunlun’s summit, Wang Dao leaders prepare a Fortune Elevation ceremony around a veiled object, with vast numbers of disciples assembled in formation. Dugu Wenhun assigns the God Sect and Body Sect to guard the mountain’s perimeter.
• Hongchen reveals that the gathering is really a trial by slaughter: Wang Dao intends to raise its fortune through battle and kill anyone who trespasses. He summons plant-like warriors from green beans as additional protection.
• A powerful stranger identifies the formation as an ancient Fortune Elevation Array and attacks. Jiang Shenming confronts the intruder, while other factions begin mobilizing around Kunlun, threatening to overwhelm Wang Dao.
• As Hongchen prepares to respond, Ye Xunhuan—one of Wang Dao’s Thirty-Six Tiangang Dao Sovereigns—arrives and warns that intruders will be annihilated.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiyutian remains outwardly indifferent to the spiritual treasure and the unfolding events, though the storm gathering behind him hints at looming danger.
• Yang Jun is physically overwhelmed but emotionally struck by Kunlun’s majesty. Xu Qiuming is intrigued by Fang Wang’s unusual interest in him, despite judging his cultivation aptitude mediocre.
• Hongchen demonstrates both strategic foresight and unusual magical skill, while staying composed when the ancient formation is exposed.
• Dugu Wenhun coordinates Wang Dao’s defenses. Jiang Shenming responds aggressively to the first challenger, and Ye Xunhuan’s arrival reinforces Wang Dao’s resolve.
• Wang Dao’s leaders, disciples, and outside factions face one another in a rapidly escalating standoff.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Wang Dao uses the gathering to publicly demonstrate its strength.
• Fortune and sacrifice: The planned elevation of Wang Dao’s fortune is explicitly tied to slaughter.
• Hidden motives and potential: Fang Wang’s secret instruction to bring Yang Jun suggests that his apparent mediocrity conceals significance.
• Escalation and uncertainty: The immense crowd, exposed formation, and first attack turn a ceremonial event into the brink of a major conflict.

Key plot points

• Ye Xunhuan’s declaration and overwhelming aura scatter the storm clouds over Kunlun, drawing the attention of powerful figures and factions across the region. Many identify his power as the legendary Heaven and Earth Universe realm, and wonder whether Heavenly Dao has disappeared.
• Jiang Shenming’s battle is largely forgotten as the assembled forces focus on Ye Xunhuan. They are astonished that Wang Dao has a powerhouse of his caliber.
• Fang Wang watches from a nearby inn with Han Yu and Ji Rutian. Han Yu jokes that three Heaven and Earth Universes are not enough to challenge them; Ji Rutian recognizes how far Fang Wang’s strength exceeds that of ordinary factions.
• Ye Xunhuan descends in a radiant, godlike guise and claims that the Dao Lord established the Thirty-Six Tiangang Dao Sovereigns. He boasts that he can defeat the three Heaven and Earth Universe opponents alone and pointedly tries to make sure Fang Wang hears him.
• Hongchen orders Wang Dao’s million cultivators to begin raising a formation. To keep the fighting from disrupting it, he says the battle must take place away from Kunlun.
• A golden-robed challenger, the Golden Light Dragon Sovereign, approaches. Ye Xunhuan moves to confront him, while Hongchen reveals the Sovereign’s vulnerabilities: a weak soul and susceptibility to cold, which can freeze the dragon blood that gives him his formidable physical strength.

Character developments and interactions

• Ye Xunhuan displays immense power and confidence, but his boasts also reveal a personal motive: he wants to restore his standing with Fang Wang after losing face before him twice, and hopes to become the leader among the Tiangang Dao Sovereigns.
• Hongchen takes command of Wang Dao’s defense, coordinating the formation and calmly supplying tactical intelligence about the enemy.
• Fang Wang remains absent from the confrontation, though his presence looms over Ye Xunhuan’s actions and over his companions’ assessment of Wang Dao’s strength.
• The gathered factions and cultivators are shaken by Ye Xunhuan’s arrival and reluctant to challenge him despite their numbers.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Ye Xunhuan’s aura reshapes the balance of the confrontation before he even fights.
• Pride and status: His public bravado is tied to wounded pride and a desire for recognition.
• Collective strength and discipline: Wang Dao’s coordinated formation contrasts with the individual power of the challengers.
• Strategy over brute force: Hongchen’s knowledge of the Golden Light Dragon Sovereign’s weaknesses suggests that preparation may matter as much as raw strength.

Key plot points and events

• At Wilderness Inn, Fang Wang and the Tiangang Dao Sovereigns watch the fighting at Kunlun. Ye Xunhuan clashes with the Golden Light Dragon Sovereign, whose relentless speed and attacks keep him occupied.
• The battle intensifies as Wang Dao activates the Fortune Elevation Array and its cultivators form protective arrays around Kunlun.
• Hongchen orders the Dao Source Spiritual Jade unveiled. Its light draws fortune from Wang Dao’s cultivators toward Mount Kunlun, astonishing observers and making the sect’s power appear irresistible.
• A mysterious cultivator breaks through the gathered fortune and rushes for the jade, destroying Hongchen’s treants. Han Yu intercepts him and sends him flying.
• Han Yu warns that intruders below the Heaven and Earth Universe realm will be killed, and that any Heaven and Earth Universe who attacks Wang Dao will suffer devastating consequences.
• Other Tiangang Dao Sovereigns arrive one after another, openly challenging potential attackers and revealing that Wang Dao has a formidable force defending Kunlun.
• Fang Wang senses even stronger powers approaching from outside the Xuanzu Mortal World, but remains confident that he can face them.

Character developments

• Fang Wang remains calm and unafraid, interpreting the arrival of outside forces as an intriguing new challenge.
• Ye Xunhuan is eager to prove himself against a worthy opponent; his companions privately hope to see him lose, despite recognizing his strength.
• Han Yu demonstrates both formidable power and discipline, stepping in to protect the Dao Source Spiritual Jade and command respect.
• Hongchen directs the unveiling of the jade as part of Wang Dao’s defense and fortune-gathering effort.
• The Tiangang Dao Sovereigns reveal their unity and confidence by arriving publicly to defend Wang Dao.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Wang Dao’s array, fortune, and elite protectors discourage rival factions from seizing the jade.
• Ambition and rivalry: Ye Xunhuan’s desire to prove himself shapes how his companions view the fight.
• Loyalty and collective strength: Wang Dao’s cultivators and Dao Sovereigns act together to protect Kunlun.
• Rising stakes: The threat extends beyond the current battle, as still stronger forces approach from outside the mortal world.

Character interactions

• Fang Wang’s companions tease Ye Xunhuan and anticipate his possible defeat, while Han Yu argues that his opponent is no match for him.
• Hongchen coordinates with Dugu Wenhun to unveil the Dao Source Spiritual Jade.
• Han Yu confronts the intruder directly, then is joined by fellow Tiangang Dao Sovereigns, whose declarations rally Wang Dao and threaten its enemies.
• Onlookers, including Fang Ling and Gu Tianxiong, react with amazement to the Dao Sovereigns’ arrival and Wang Dao’s growing power.

Key plot points and events

• A large coalition of Wang Dao cultivators gathers at Kunlun to protect the Dao Source Spiritual Jade and activate the Fortune Elevation Array, which draws their fortune and Kunlun’s spiritual energy into a powerful vortex.
• Eight unfamiliar Tiangang Dao Sovereigns—each at the Heaven and Earth Universe Realm—arrive under orders from Fang Wang and spread out to guard Kunlun. Their numbers alarm the assembled factions and unsettle Jiyutian, who realizes his backup plan is inadequate.
• Fang Wang leaves an inn and appears atop the Dao Source Spiritual Jade. He invites anyone who wants it to enter the formation and face him: whoever reaches him may claim the jade, and Wang Dao will not retaliate.
• Fang Wang publicly identifies himself as the Dao Lord of Wang Dao and says people may call him “Heavenly Dao,” dispelling rumors that he is trapped and unable to return.
• Ye Xunhuan, fighting the Golden Light Dragon Sovereign, intensifies his assault after hearing Fang Wang’s announcement. His ruler-wielding projections overwhelm the Dragon Sovereign and break through his Spiritual Image.
• Fang Zigeng heads toward Kunlun to test whether he can reach Fang Wang, with Fang Hanyu following.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Wang presents himself with calm confidence, turning Kunlun’s defense into an open challenge and demonstrating how completely he trusts his strength and followers.
• Jiyutian is forced to reassess the situation. Though proud, he is wary of the eight sovereigns and the still-unseen extent of Fang Wang’s power.
• The Tiangang Dao Sovereigns show their loyalty by taking up positions around Kunlun at Fang Wang’s command.
• Ye Xunhuan reacts to Fang Wang’s return with fierce resolve, pressing his attack on the Golden Light Dragon Sovereign.
• Fang Ling and her companions are delighted by Fang Wang’s return. Gu Li reflects on how far he has come since their first meeting.
• Fang Hanyu admits he can no longer catch up to Fang Wang, while Fang Zigeng chooses to measure the gap for himself by attempting to approach him.
• Little Purple eagerly flies to Kunlun to watch, while Ji Rutian and Duantian follow.

Significant themes

• Power and legitimacy: Wang Dao’s immense strength reshapes the balance of power, while Fang Wang’s public appearance confirms his authority.
• Faith and loyalty: Wang Dao’s cultivators gather and act under Fang Wang’s leadership, protecting the jade and the sect.
• Ambition and comparison: Fang Zigeng’s attempt to reach Fang Wang reflects the desire to understand—and perhaps measure oneself against—an extraordinary figure.
• The cost of rising greatness: Those close to Fang Wang recognize that his growth has carried him far beyond their reach.