Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Fang Chen begins constructing the Circulating Heaven Star Spirit Gathering Great Array, a demanding formation that must be inscribed and assembled by one person to keep its Spiritual Power consistent.
• Using his Floating Immortal Sword, he carves Formation Runes into 1,008 Bronze Pillars and then drives them into the ground around the formation’s core, drawing on a fifth-tier Spirit Vein beneath the site.
• Over the following year, Fang Chen inscribes runes into the selected mountains. He completes the array by engraving a jade sword and fitting it into a jade platform at the core.
• When Fang Chen activates the sword, the runes across the platform, mountains, and pillars light up. The array draws Spiritual Qi and gathers Stellar Power. Fang Chen checks the range and confirms the formation is flawless.
• With the array complete, Fang Chen and Little Glazed set off for the Heavenly Stone Forest.

Character developments

• Fang Chen reveals that he has learned Inscription Technique and can combine it with sword practice. His carving grows steadily more skillful, and he completes a complex formation despite being relatively new to formation work.
• His confidence and pride increase after the array succeeds, though he recognizes that the ideal terrain and Tianyuan Academy’s materials helped.
• Little Glazed’s admiration for her master deepens as she watches him accomplish the task.

Character interactions

• Little Glazed supplies the jade sword and stays with Fang Chen through the completion of the array, celebrating its success.
• The Little White Rabbit watches from the clouds, praises Fang Chen’s ingenuity, and leaves to report the success to her sister.
• Fang Chen and Little Glazed depart together for their next destination.

Significant themes

• Persistence and mastery: Repeated practice turns Fang Chen’s initially clumsy carving into skilled work.
• Ingenuity and integration: Fang Chen uses swordsmanship as a tool for inscription, advancing both disciplines at once.
• Preparation and collaboration: His achievement relies not only on his effort but also on favorable terrain and high-quality materials.

Plot points and events

• Fang Chen and Little Glazed enter Heavenly Stone Forest, where successive Formations obstruct the way. Using the Reincarnation Eye to locate flaws, Fang Chen clears the first eight layers over a month, improving his Formation knowledge along the way.
• The Ninth Layer’s barrier is a difficult Seventh-Rank Formation. Fang Chen sharpens his thinking by drawing Spiritual Power from the Floating Immortal Sword, then reaches Enlightenment after ten days and spots a weakness. He opens a gap and passes through.
• Beyond the barrier, Fang Chen finds the third Silver Mark. When he takes it, he and Little Glazed are transported away.
• Palace Mistress Lingxin appears and congratulates Fang Chen for collecting all three Marks and satisfying the academy’s selection criteria.
• After taking precautions with a Grand Seal, Lingxin reveals the mission: a mole within a core Human Race organization knows vital secrets, and is trapped alongside powerful figures in a Forbidden Ground. Fang Chen must help identify the traitor.
• Because the task depends on a method devised by a Human Race expert, the operative must be no stronger than Foundation Establishment. Fang Chen is to be sent ten thousand years into the past to act at a specific place and time.

Character development

• Fang Chen demonstrates patience and growing skill, overcoming a month of obstacles before tackling the Ninth Layer’s far harder barrier. His breakthrough comes through focused effort and Enlightenment.
• He shifts from celebrating his success to questioning why he, a low-level cultivator, is needed for a crisis involving powerful Saints.
• Palace Mistress Lingxin moves from congratulating him to disclosing a grave, secret mission, showing the seriousness and sensitivity of the threat.

Significant themes

• Growth through perseverance: repeated challenges strengthen Fang Chen’s abilities.
• Limits of power: high cultivation is not always an advantage; the mission specifically requires someone at Foundation Establishment or below.
• Secrecy and betrayal: the Human Race’s survival may be endangered by a hidden mole.
• Destiny and time: Fang Chen’s next task will send him ten thousand years into the past.

Character interactions

• Little Glazed guides Fang Chen through the Forest and shares his excitement over the Silver Mark, but disappears during their transport.
• Fang Chen respectfully addresses Lingxin, then directly questions why he was chosen.
• Lingxin answers his doubts by explaining the cultivation restriction and the plan to identify the mole.

Plot points

• Palace Mistress Lingxin reveals Tianyuan Academy’s plan: send someone ten thousand years into the past using a Space-Time Spirit Treasure, hoping to change events that threaten humanity. The traveler must remain below the Golden Core Stage because greater cultivation would intensify the journey’s backlash.
• Fang Chen is the only candidate from the academy’s Selection who meets the requirements. Lingxin promises that he will return safely even if the mission fails and offers him unrestricted use of the academy’s resources for three years, though he cannot take them with him.
• Fang Chen accepts, citing his duty to the Human Race. Lingxin assigns Elder Bai Ling to protect and assist him.
• Fang Chen begins planning how to use his three years of access. He asks for ways to strengthen his body and soul, and Bai Ling offers a high-grade Body Tempering Spirit Pool and promises to find soul-strengthening treasures.
• He also asks to study Imperial Arts. Bai Ling explains that most require much higher cultivation, but one can be attempted in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Fang Chen asks to see it, and she leads him from the valley.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen is cautious and practical: he weighs the mission’s danger against its rewards, secures clear benefits before agreeing, then focuses on maximizing his training opportunity. His acceptance also shows loyalty to humanity.
• Palace Mistress Lingxin is eager about the plan but reassures Fang Chen and rewards his cooperation with exceptional access to academy resources.
• Elder Bai Ling is introduced as Fang Chen’s assigned guardian and guide. She is helpful about training resources but careful to explain the limits on what he can access.

Significant themes

• Duty versus self-interest: Fang Chen agrees to a dangerous mission for the sake of the Human Race, while also negotiating practical benefits.
• Sacrifice and risk: The time-travel plan may alter humanity’s fate, but it carries serious dangers and demands strict limits on the traveler’s cultivation.
• Opportunity and preparation: Fang Chen treats his three years of privileged access as a rare chance to strengthen himself.
• Limits of power: Imperial Arts are formidable but difficult to master, and access depends on cultivation level.

Key plot points and events

• Bai Ling, a Saint Realm spirit beast and trusted friend of Palace Mistress Lingxin, escorts Fang Chen through the ruins of the City of Silence. She explains that the statue of Great Emperor Silence contains the powerful soul technique known as the Silence Needle.
• Fang Chen attempts to receive the technique’s inheritance by staring into the statue’s remaining eye for an incense stick, but nothing happens. Bai Ling reassures him that the inheritance simply isn’t suited to him.
• Since Fang Chen cannot yet advance to Golden Core Realm, he asks Bai Ling to help him improve in other ways before his mission. She takes him to Tianyuan Academy’s Blood Dripping Cave, its foremost body-tempering ground.
• The cave is normally restricted to Nascent Soul cultivators because of its potent blood essence and lingering resentments. Bai Ling believes Fang Chen’s exceptional strength and willpower will let him withstand it.
• They enter, descend to a vast chamber, and find a blood pool fed by red stalactites. An enormous turtle suddenly rises from the pool.

Character developments

• Fang Chen accepts that the Silence Needle is not for him without dwelling on the disappointment. He remains focused on making practical use of the academy’s resources to strengthen his body and soul.
• Bai Ling’s confidence in Fang Chen is clear: she takes a risk by bringing him to a place normally reserved for far stronger cultivators, trusting his unusual resilience.

Significant themes

• Individual paths to power: Fang Chen is encouraged not to depend on inherited techniques, but to develop abilities suited to himself.
• Perseverance and self-improvement: Unable to advance his realm before his mission, he seeks other ways to grow stronger.
• Strength of will: The cave’s danger comes not only from its potent energy but also from the resentment within it, making resolve as important as cultivation level.

Character interactions

• Bai Ling explains the Silence Needle, guides Fang Chen through the failed inheritance attempt, and reassures him afterward.
• Fang Chen and Bai Ling agree to prioritize his preparation for the mission. Bai Ling opens the Blood Dripping Cave for him and leads him inside, where their training is interrupted by the emergence of the giant turtle.

Plot points and events

• Fang Chen enters the Blood Pool and encounters the enormous, chained Senior Turtle beneath it. A glimpse into the turtle’s horrific memories—of slaughtered turtles and a giant carcass—nearly overwhelms him, but Bai Ling calls him back.
• Bai Ling introduces Fang Chen as a talented Tianyuan Academy disciple and asks the turtle to help him cultivate. The turtle agrees and lets Fang Chen descend on its back.
• Fang Chen cultivates with the Floating Immortal Art and Floating Immortal Sword. His Foundation Establishment Dao Platform absorbs the pool’s Spiritual Power at an extraordinary rate, impressing the turtle.
• Fang Chen asks to descend deeper, then tells the turtle to stop when the increasing pressure becomes difficult to endure.
• At that depth, the pool’s power sends vengeful spirits into Fang Chen’s mind. They attack his Soul Origin, but the sword supplies Spiritual Power to strengthen it. The spirits then suddenly cry out that their bodies are burning.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen demonstrates resolve and confidence: he withstands the pool’s painful energy, cultivates rapidly, and chooses to test a greater depth while still knowing when to stop. Faced with the spirits’ attack, he initially cannot defend himself and considers retreating.
• Bai Ling acts as Fang Chen’s guide and advocate, assuring the turtle of his ability and encouraging him to begin.
• Senior Turtle is immense and intimidating, but behaves patiently and helpfully, controlling Fang Chen’s descent at his request.
• The Floating Immortal Sword proves vital, supplying cool Spiritual Power that supports Fang Chen’s body and Soul Origin.
• The vengeful spirits attack Fang Chen’s soul, but their sudden distress suggests an unexpected counterforce has begun affecting them.

Significant themes

• Endurance and ambition: Fang Chen pushes himself into increasingly dangerous conditions to advance his cultivation.
• Power paired with risk: The Blood Pool offers immense energy, but its pressure and spiritual attacks threaten both body and soul.
• Support amid danger: Bai Ling’s guidance, the turtle’s assistance, and the sword’s power help Fang Chen face challenges he could not manage alone.

Key plot points and events

• While meditating in the Blood Pool, Fang Chen is attacked repeatedly by hordes of vengeful souls. Each time they tear at his Soul Origin, the Floating Immortal Sword’s Azure Mark appears on them and burns them into motes of light, which his Soul Origin absorbs. The cycle rapidly strengthens both his soul and body.
• After three years and seventy-six days of uninterrupted cultivation more than a thousand zhang beneath the pool, the giant turtle rises to bring Fang Chen back to the surface.
• Bai Ling arrives and tells Fang Chen it is time to leave. Before he goes, the turtle gives him one of its red Inner Cores, which enters his dantian and settles on his Foundation Establishment Dao Platform, nourishing it and extending his lifespan.
• Fang Chen leaves Blood Dripping Cave with Bai Ling. She explains that the turtle asked the Human Race’s experts to chain her in the pool because she sometimes loses control; in exchange, she suppresses the powerful evil souls dwelling deeper in the cave.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen endures severe spiritual pain without giving in and emerges much stronger. He is initially reluctant to accept the turtle’s valuable gift, but accepts after Bai Ling urges him to honor its generosity.
• The giant turtle reveals a protective, self-restrained side: she chose confinement to prevent herself from harming others and gives Fang Chen an Inner Core out of a sense of fate and goodwill.
• Bai Ling serves as Fang Chen’s guide back from the cave and explains the turtle’s role. She treats the turtle with respect and encourages Fang Chen to accept its gift.

Significant themes

• Endurance and transformation: Fang Chen’s suffering becomes a source of growth.
• Unexpected reciprocity and fate: The souls that try to consume him instead nourish him, while a brief, quiet companionship leads the turtle to offer him a precious gift.
• Self-restraint and responsibility: The turtle accepts confinement to protect others, even as she helps guard the Human Race from deeper threats.

Key plot points and events

• Bai Ling escorts Fang Chen to a grand hall, where Palace Mistress Lingxin and three veiled Tianyuan Academy Elders prepare him for a dangerous journey backward through space-time.
• Lingxin gives Fang Chen a Heaven-Evading Pill to help him endure the backlash from violating the Law of Space-Time.
• She and Bai Ling prepare him with a special liquid in a jade basin. It washes away his Great Dao aura and temporarily conceals him from Heavenly Secrets, making him harder for even the Heavenly Emperor’s Law to detect.
• The women spend three days and nights helping him put on the Inverse Scale Heavenly Robe, a seamless garment made from Sky Scale Loach reverse scales that conceals his aura and protects him from temporal backlash.
• Lingxin applies a drop of blood to the robe and sends white light into Fang Chen’s forehead. The robe softens, fits snugly, and sinks into his skin, completing the preparation.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen remains respectful and cooperative, though he is embarrassed by having to undress in front of Lingxin, Bai Ling, and the Elders. He accepts the procedures once he understands they are necessary.
• Lingxin is calm, authoritative, and personally attentive, guiding Fang Chen through each protective step.
• Bai Ling is playful and teasing, joking about Fang Chen’s good fortune, while still helping Lingxin with the preparations.
• The three Elders observe silently, emphasizing the mission’s importance and the secrecy surrounding it.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice for the greater good: Fang Chen’s uncomfortable preparations are framed as necessary service to the Human Race.
• Protection against cosmic forces: The pill, cleansing liquid, and robe show how perilous time travel is and how carefully its consequences must be managed.
• Trust and duty: Fang Chen relies on Lingxin and Bai Ling’s expertise despite his embarrassment, accepting their help in order to proceed with the mission.

Plot points

• Palace Mistress Lingxin gives Fang Chen a red and a black bead on a cord. She warns him to crush the red bead only after reaching the appointed time and place, and to leave the past after no more than three months to avoid being destroyed by the Law of Space-Time.
• Fang Chen enters a rune-carved chamber inside the Time-Space Shuttle and is put to sleep in a fluid-filled box. Lingxin, Bai Ling, and three golden-lit figures power a formation that sends the shuttle into the past.
• Fang Chen wakes in a desolate valley. The Space-Time backlash causes intense strain, but his Floating Immortal Sword eases it, giving him confidence.
• The shuttle disappears through its protective mechanism, though Fang Chen can still sense it. He crushes the red bead and receives his mission: find Li Qingyao, the holy maiden of Yaochi Holy Land, at Immortal Mountain’s Sacred Ground. When she forms her Golden Core, he must crush the red bead and give her the pills it contains.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen follows Lingxin’s instructions and faces the dangers of time travel with growing confidence once he discovers the sword can shield him.
• Lingxin’s concern and hope for his success are clear as she supervises the launch. Bai Ling stays close to her, returning to rabbit form after the shuttle departs.
• The three golden-lit figures assist with the launch but remain silent afterward.

Significant themes

• Risk and sacrifice: Fang Chen’s mission depends on enduring a perilous journey and strict time limit.
• Preparation and trust: Lingxin equips and advises Fang Chen, while the hidden mission details are revealed only after he arrives.
• Power and uncertainty: The sword offers protection, but Fang Chen’s larger task—and the meaning of the black bead—remain unresolved.

Fang Chen enters Immortal Mountain, a rare cultivation realm where Foundation Establishment cultivators seek powerful Golden Cores. Searching for Li Qingyao, the holy maiden of Yaochi Holy Land, he finds the mountain nearly deserted and asks a group of cultivators for information. After effortlessly killing a powerful demonic snake that had cornered them, he learns that Yaochi’s disciples may have climbed farther up the mountain.
A day later, Fang Chen finds a badly wounded Yaochi disciple. He tends her injury and waits while she recovers, then asks about Li Qingyao. The disciple reveals that people from Chaos Holy Land have captured the holy maiden and killed many of her fellow disciples. She does not know why or where the captors have gone.
Fang Chen is angered by the attack and offers to rescue Li Qingyao, despite having little knowledge of the factions involved or the consequences of confronting Chaos Holy Land.

• Character development: Fang Chen’s search becomes a rescue mission. His willingness to help the injured disciple and risk opposing a powerful faction shows his compassion and resolve.
• Interactions: Fang Chen impresses and reassures the Flying Spirit Sect disciples, then earns the injured Yaochi disciple’s gratitude. Her initial suspicion gives way to an account of the crisis, prompting his offer to help.
• Themes: The chapter emphasizes the dangers and fierce competition of Immortal Mountain, loyalty and compassion amid factional conflict, and the arrogance of powerful groups that disregard their rivals.

Chapter Summary: “Red Stone City”

Plot points and events

• A Yaochi Holy Land woman is shocked when Fang Chen says he intends to save her Holy Maiden, who has been hunted by the Chaos Holy Land. She directs him toward Red Stone City, an ancient refuge halfway up Immortal Mountain where disciples are gathering before attempting the summit.
• Fang Chen invites the woman to travel with him. Using the Misty Turtle Step, he carries her through the air despite her warning that flying Demonic Beasts make the skies dangerous.
• A flock of Azure Feather Lightning Eagles attacks. Fang Chen cuts them down with his Floating Immortal Sword, and continues to kill every flying beast they encounter with a single strike. Three hours later, they arrive safely in Red Stone City.
• Fang Chen learns that Yue Canglan, the Chaos Holy Son, is in the city. He concludes that capturing Yue may be the way to rescue the Yaochi Holy Maiden, and tells the woman to find a safe place while he goes after him.
• On the way, Fang Chen encounters Chaos Holy Land disciples chasing a young man. He stops them, defeats the group, and forces their leader to reveal that Yue Canglan is on Furong Street in the city’s west. Fang Chen sets off there.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen is confident, decisive, and overwhelmingly powerful. He reassures the wary woman, protects her during their dangerous flight, and treats the Chaos disciples’ reputation with open contempt. His rescue mission also brings him directly into confrontation with the Chaos Holy Land.
• The Yaochi woman begins cautious and doubtful, but Fang Chen’s effortless victories leave her stunned. She remains concerned about the danger of facing Yue Canglan and his followers, though Fang Chen insists he can handle them.
• The Chaos disciples are arrogant and aggressive, but quickly become helpless once Fang Chen intervenes. Their leader gives up Yue’s location under pressure.
• The fleeing young man triggers Fang Chen’s confrontation with the Chaos group, though his identity and fate are not explained here.

Significant themes

• Power versus reputation: Fang Chen refuses to be intimidated by the Chaos Holy Land’s status, demonstrating that its disciples’ prestige means little against superior strength.
• Protection and duty: Fang Chen risks himself to help the Yaochi Holy Maiden and brings her follower safely to the city.
• Escalating confrontation: The rescue effort shifts from a perilous journey through Immortal Mountain to a direct hunt for Yue Canglan, setting up a conflict with the Chaos Holy Son.

Plot and key events

Fang Chen reaches Furong Street, territory of the Chaos Holy Land, and forces his way past its guards. Aware that his presence in the past is triggering stronger backlash from the Law of Space-Time, he still fights his way through the disciples—but uses the flat of his Floating Immortal Sword, honoring Palace Mistress Lingxin’s warning not to kill anyone. He defeats more than a thousand disciples, while the woman he rescued earlier watches from the shadows.
The commotion reaches Yue Canglan, the Chaos Holy Land’s Holy Son. After learning that an intruder has challenged him, Yue leaves his protected cultivation chamber and confronts Fang Chen. Fang Chen attacks without explaining his purpose, intending to defeat Yue before asking for the release of the Yaochi Holy Land’s Holy Maiden. He fears Yue’s side might move her if they learn why he has come. The chapter ends as Fang Chen and Yue meet in a clash of fists.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen shows overwhelming strength and determination, but restrains himself from killing despite his anger. His urgency is shaped by the danger of altering the past and by his plan to rescue the Holy Maiden.
• Yue Canglan is introduced as a formidable, proud Holy Son. He responds to the challenge with anger and directly engages Fang Chen.
• The Chaos Holy Land disciples first try to stop Fang Chen, then attack him in numbers, but are badly outmatched. Their fear prompts them to summon Yue.
• The rescued woman silently observes Fang Chen’s fight from nearby.

Significant themes

• The consequences of time travel: Fang Chen’s actions in the past intensify the Law of Space-Time’s backlash, making even necessary fights dangerous.
• Restraint amid conflict: Fang Chen’s choice to spare his opponents highlights the importance of controlling violence when the stakes reach beyond the immediate battle.
• Power and inherited legacy: Yue’s inherited Manifestation, Sea of Bitterness Cultivating Green Lotus, represents the strength and prestige of the Chaos Holy Land. Its comparison with the Xuanhuang Holy Land’s Azure Yellow emphasizes the rivalry and uncertainty surrounding legendary powers.

Key events

• Fang Chen and Yue Canglan clash, and Fang Chen’s strength surprises the Chaos Holy Land disciples by matching—and initially overpowering—their Holy Son.
• Their weapon exchange escalates: Fang Chen catches Yue Canglan’s spear barehanded, while Yue Canglan’s protective armor prevents Fang Chen’s sword from piercing his chest. A powerful head-on strike sends both fighters flying, though Yue Canglan is pushed farther back.
• A Stone House behind Yue Canglan begins to shake. He orders his disciples inside to stabilize its Skyfaring Formation, which is meant to gather Spiritual Qi and carry them toward the Immortal Mountain’s summit.
• The chapter explains the mission: Yue Canglan’s group seeks Immortal Flowers, especially a Seven-Colored Immortal Flower for an Elder’s important alchemy work. Stronger flowers grow nearer the summit, where legend places an Immortal Divine Medicine.
• Fang Chen refuses to let Yue Canglan leave without proving himself. Yue Canglan releases his spear’s black flames and activates his Battle Runes; Fang Chen counters with his Glazed Battle Runes.
• They resume their fight at full power, tearing through Furong Street as buildings and trees are destroyed. The battle remains unresolved.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen is confident and provocative, deliberately pressing Yue Canglan rather than explaining his reasons for attacking. His strength and composure unsettle the Holy Land disciples.
• Yue Canglan begins shocked but becomes increasingly combative and recognizes Fang Chen as the strongest opponent he has faced. His responsibility for the mission makes the interruption especially urgent.
• Their interaction shifts from an unexpected contest of strength to a dangerous battle involving both fighters’ special abilities. Yue Canglan warns Fang Chen; Fang Chen challenges him to use his full power.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Fang Chen challenges Yue Canglan’s presumed peerless status.
• Duty versus conflict: Yue Canglan’s mission competes with his need to confront the threat before him.
• Ambition and rare rewards: The Immortal Flowers—and the rumored medicine at the summit—represent valuable, hard-won power and longevity.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Chen and Yue Canglan’s fight spills beyond Furong Street as both grow stronger. Although Fang Chen is constrained by the backlash of traveling through time, he keeps pace with the Chaos Holy Land’s Holy Son.
• Yue Canglan releases another seal on his spear and summons a golden dragon. Fang Chen destroys it with Heaven and Earth Creation, then strikes Yue Canglan hard enough to damage his protective armor and make him bleed.
• Fang Chen presses the attack, but Yue Canglan counters with his Sea of Bitterness Cultivating Green Lotus Manifestation. Its golden pool and eight-petaled lotus weigh Fang Chen down.
• Fang Chen says he has no Manifestation, then activates the second form of his Glazed Golden Body. The resulting power shatters Yue Canglan’s Manifestation and wounds him again.
• Yue Canglan responds with unsettling laughter as his power rises. Dark clouds and lightning gather, a golden mark appears between his brows, and the crowd identifies it as a Heavenly Dao Mark.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen demonstrates that his strength and skill can overcome Yue Canglan’s celebrated techniques, even while he is unable to use his full power. He remains confident and determined to finish the fight.
• Yue Canglan proves far stronger than the spectators expect, but Fang Chen’s attacks damage him and overturn his assumptions about the battle. After his Manifestation is broken, he appears to enter a more dangerous state.
• Their exchange is defined by escalating techniques and mutual testing: Yue Canglan challenges Fang Chen to reveal his Manifestation, while Fang Chen dismisses the need and breaks through the pressure by sheer force. The watching disciples shift from awe of Yue Canglan to astonishment at both fighters.

Significant themes

• Hidden limits and concealed power: Fang Chen cannot reveal his full strength, while Yue Canglan has yet to show the significance of his Heavenly Dao Mark.
• Prestige challenged by reality: Yue Canglan’s reputation as the strongest of his generation is tested by an opponent who can match and injure him.
• Escalation and uncertainty: Each powerful technique is answered by a greater display, leaving the outcome—and the meaning of Yue Canglan’s transformation—unresolved.

Key plot points and events

• Yue Canglan reveals his Heavenly Dao Mark, confirming he has achieved Destined Foundation Establishment. He channels its power into the technique Wrath of the Heavenly Dragon, summoning a formidable golden dragon.
• Fang Chen counters with the Imperial Art Hand of the Heavens, a giant red hand that crushes the dragon and captures Yue Canglan. Despite Yue’s power, Fang Chen decisively wins.
• Fang Chen demands that Yue return Li Qingyao, accusing the Chaos Holy Land of abducting her and killing Yaochi disciples.
• Yue insists he knows nothing about the incident. Fang Chen senses he is telling the truth and releases him.
• Once recovered enough to speak, Yue learns that Fang Chen came seeking Li Qingyao. He says someone has misled Fang Chen, revealing privately that he is Li Qingyao’s devoted suitor and would have no reason to abduct her or harm her sect’s disciples.

Character developments

• Fang Chen demonstrates that his strength exceeds even Yue Canglan’s, and shows restraint by releasing him once he believes Yue is innocent.
• Yue Canglan proves powerful enough to invoke his Heavenly Dao Mark, but is badly defeated. His unexpected affection for Li Qingyao complicates Fang Chen’s assumptions about him.

Significant themes

• Power and destiny: Yue’s Heavenly Dao Mark represents extraordinary potential, yet Fang Chen’s Hand of the Heavens overcomes it.
• Appearance versus truth: Fang Chen’s initial certainty about the Chaos Holy Land rests on secondhand testimony; the confrontation suggests someone may be manipulating events.
• Restraint and discernment: Fang Chen chooses to investigate rather than continue punishing Yue once he senses the truth.

Character interactions

• Fang Chen and Yue clash in a dramatic duel, then shift from enemies to uneasy conversational partners.
• Fang Chen interrogates Yue about Li Qingyao; Yue denies involvement and explains his personal feelings for her, leaving Fang Chen surprised.

Chapter summary

• Fang Chen discovers that the plain-clothed woman he rescued is Li Qingyao, the saintess of Yaochi Holy Land. She had not been captured by Chaos Holy Land; she invented that story to keep a stranger from learning her identity.
• Yue Canglan confirms that Qingyao is powerful enough to escape him, and Fang Chen realizes she had misled him. Qingyao explains that mysterious attackers had pursued her, leaving her badly wounded; Fang Chen found and helped her afterward. She admits she lied because she barely knew him and also wanted to annoy Yue, who she says constantly pesters her.
• Qingyao is amused to see Yue bruised from his fight with Fang Chen. Yue, embarrassed by his defeat, had believed himself nearly unbeatable among his peers. He had held back during their duel and possessed a sealed weapon powerful enough to threaten even much stronger cultivators.
• Fang Chen refuses to reveal his identity or the urgent purpose behind seeking Qingyao. He asks only to stay with her until she forms her Golden Core, but she and Yue distrust his secrecy. Fang Chen apologizes, insisting that he cannot disclose more; he knows the mission is too important to risk.
• Before they can resolve the matter, the ground shakes and an immense pressure descends. The Spiritual Qi tide erupts unexpectedly, revealing a towering Immortal Mountain. Though Qingyao notes that the tide usually comes at the full moon, the visible moon is only a crescent. Crowds rush from Red Stone City toward the mountain on flying treasures.

Character developments and interactions

Fang Chen’s determination to protect his secret puts him at odds with Qingyao, despite having earned some trust by rescuing her. Qingyao is wary and teasing, especially toward Yue, while Yue’s embarrassment and concern for his fellow disciples reveal a more restrained side than his boastful confidence suggests. The three’s uneasy conversation is interrupted by the sudden eruption, shifting their attention toward the mountain.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes trust and deception, as Qingyao’s lie and Fang Chen’s secrecy complicate their alliance. It also explores power and humility through Yue’s defeat, and introduces the tension between urgent personal missions and larger events as the unexpected Spiritual Qi tide draws everyone toward Immortal Mountain.

Key plot points and events

• The Spiritual Qi Tide erupts earlier than expected, prompting major factions in Red Stone City to activate Skyfaring Formations to reach higher levels of Immortal Mountain.
• Yue Canglan leads the Chaos Holy Land disciples to activate their Formation.
• Fang Chen follows Li Qingyao back to the Yaochi Holy Land. Their Formation is unfinished because two disciples made mistakes inscribing its runes and were injured by the backlash.
• Li Qingyao inspects the work and estimates repairs will take at least twenty days—possibly too long, since the Tide may last only five days to a month.
• Fang Chen offers to help with the runes. Li Qingyao agrees to test his skills before assigning him work.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Qingyao is anxious about the early Tide and the risk of her disciples missing their chance to form high-quality Golden Cores. Though she initially refuses to help Fang Chen unless he explains himself, she allows him to accompany her and eventually accepts his offer to assist.
• Fang Chen remains silent about his reasons for following her and stays close despite her objections. He reveals that he knows something about formations, not just combat, and wants to help.
• Yaochi disciples distrust Fang Chen’s presence, but their attitude shifts when Li Qingyao explains that he defeated Yue Canglan. They defer to her judgment and do not challenge him.
• Yue Canglan abandons his exchange with Li Qingyao to carry out his own mission, leading the Chaos Holy Land’s effort to use its Formation.

Significant themes

• Urgency and opportunity: The unexpectedly early Tide forces the factions to race against time.
• Trust and competence: Li Qingyao must decide whether Fang Chen’s claimed skills can be relied upon.
• Collective responsibility: The Formation’s completion affects not only individual disciples but the future strength of the Yaochi Holy Land.

Plot points and events

• Li Qingyao asks Fang Chen to help inscribe Formation Runes for the Yaochi Holy Land. He surprises her by carving them with the Floating Immortal Sword rather than a brush, completing in moments what would normally take many disciples days.
• His runes are precise, carry Sword Intent, and channel Spiritual Power efficiently. The impressed disciples praise his skill, while Li Qingyao objects to his calling such ability merely “the basics.”
• Fang Chen agrees to help finish the Fish Leaping Over Dragon Gate Formation. Over the next day, he does most of the work and improves parts of the design.
• Once activated, the Formation’s runes gather into a giant red carp that absorbs Spiritual Qi. When it reaches thirty zhang, Li Qingyao thinks it has reached its limit.
• Fang Chen reveals that his changes allow it to grow further. He strikes its eyes with Sword Qi, prompting it to expand, and instructs the disciples to attack its eyes too. They follow his lead, and the carp continues growing.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Chen demonstrates exceptional Formation and sword control, as well as confidence and generosity in helping the Yaochi disciples. His understated description of his ability contrasts with his impressive performance.
• Li Qingyao shifts from wary skepticism to admiration and gratitude. Though irritated by Fang Chen’s apparent modesty, she trusts his judgment when he explains how to strengthen the Formation.
• The Yaochi disciples, initially absorbed in their work, become astonished spectators and then cooperate under Li Qingyao’s command.

Significant themes

• Skill beyond appearances: Fang Chen’s casual claims conceal extraordinary mastery.
• Innovation and collaboration: His modifications improve the Formation, while the disciples’ coordinated attacks help it grow.
• Trust earned through action: Fang Chen wins the group’s confidence by proving the value of his expertise.

Key plot points and events

• The Yaochi Holy Land’s Fish Leaping Over Dragon Gate Formation grows into a giant carp 150 zhang long—the largest the Formation can sustain. It can carry all 7,000-plus disciples, far beyond the previous limit of 200 Core Disciples.
• Guided by Li Qingyao, the carp breaks through the concealment Formation around Red Stone City and flies toward Immortal Mountain, absorbing the Spiritual Qi pouring from its summit. The disciples inside the carp benefit from the Qi.
• On the way, the carp passes a sea-turtle Formation and sends it tumbling with a sweep of its tail.
• After reaching the First Heaven, Li Qingyao explains that Immortal Mountain has twelve Cloud Sea layers, each called a Heaven, with increasingly precious treasures nearer the summit. The mountain releases pure Spiritual Power rather than lava.
• At the Fifth Heaven, some Yaochi disciples can no longer withstand the pressure. They leave the Formation to explore the slopes and seek opportunities to condense their Golden Cores.
• Three days later, the carp reaches the Sixth Heaven. Only eleven people remain inside, including Fang Chen and Li Qingyao.
• They encounter the Chaos Holy Son’s Dragon Turtle Formation. Though the Chaos Holy Land had been the first to reach the Sixth Heaven, the Yaochi carp surges past it and disappears upward. The Chaos Holy Son urges his group to pursue it toward the Seventh Heaven, where they seek a Seven-Colored Immortal Flower.

Character developments

• Li Qingyao demonstrates strong leadership and control of the Formation, guiding the group upward and deciding when weaker disciples should leave. She also patiently explains Immortal Mountain to Fang Chen.
• Fang Chen admits he knows little about Immortal Mountain because he was assigned the mission at the last minute. His curiosity and attentiveness are evident as he learns about its structure.
• The Chaos Holy Son is surprised by the carp’s unexpected speed and the Yaochi Formation’s new capabilities, but quickly shifts from astonishment to action.

Character interactions

• Fang Chen and Li Qingyao coordinate the carp’s journey; she shares information with him when she realizes he is unfamiliar with the mountain.
• Yaochi’s disciples celebrate their upgraded Formation and laugh when it knocks the sea turtle off course.
• The Chaos Holy Son and his disciples react with disbelief to being overtaken, then work together to push their own Formation toward the Seventh Heaven.

Significant themes

• Ingenuity and unexpected advancement: The Yaochi Formation surpasses its established limits and overturns assumptions about which sects can reach the higher Heavens.
• Endurance and selection: As pressure increases, only those able to withstand it continue upward; others must leave and pursue their own paths.
• Competition and ambition: Rival sects race toward rare treasures, with the Chaos Holy Land’s pursuit of the Seven-Colored Immortal Flower setting up a contest over who can reach the summit first.

Key plot points and events

• The Big Carp formation reaches the Seventh Heaven, where the crushing pressure forces the nine Yaochi disciples to stop. After taking pills, they leave the formation to search for treasures and attempt to form their Golden Cores.
• Only Fang Chen and Li Qingyao remain. Fang Chen suggests shrinking the formation to make it faster, but a Spiritual Qi Storm sends it tumbling, causing them to collide. Li Qingyao apologizes afterward, and she explains that hidden currents of Spiritual Qi caused the turbulence.
• Three hours later, they enter the Eighth Heaven. The pressure grows severe, Li Qingyao struggles to breathe, and cracks spread across the formation.
• Rather than stop to form her core, Fang Chen proposes reinforcing the formation and pushing on to the Ninth Heaven. Li Qingyao accepts. He strengthens the barrier with sword energy while she controls the carp and guides it upward.

Character developments

• Fang Chen remains composed under both the pressure and the close physical encounter, crediting the Heart Refining Bridge for strengthening his will. He also shows confidence and ambition by proposing the dangerous ascent to the Ninth Heaven.
• Li Qingyao is initially wary of Fang Chen, but recognizes his restraint and apologizes after the accident. Faced with the choice to stop or continue, she shows resolve and trust by joining his gamble.
• The nine disciples gain the chance to reach the Seventh Heaven—far beyond their expected limit—thanks to Fang Chen’s help.

Character interactions

• The disciples praise Fang Chen and call him “Young Master Meng,” then exchange wishes for success with him and Li Qingyao before departing.
• Fang Chen and Li Qingyao negotiate personal space, then are thrown together by the storm. Their awkward encounter leads to an apology and a calmer, more trusting exchange.
• At the Eighth Heaven, Fang Chen and Li Qingyao cooperate directly: he reinforces the formation while she steers it.

Significant themes

• Endurance and ambition: Each higher heaven brings greater danger, but Fang Chen and Li Qingyao choose to press beyond the apparent limit.
• Trust and restraint: Their accidental closeness tests their relationship; Fang Chen’s respectful behavior earns Li Qingyao’s confidence.
• Preparation and resolve: Fang Chen’s earlier spiritual trial helps him maintain self-control, while Li Qingyao’s determination drives her to take the risk.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Chen and Li Qingyao break through to the Ninth Heaven, where the immense pressure destroys their formation. Li Qingyao is badly affected and faints as she falls.
• Fang Chen catches her and carries her to Immortal Mountain. The pressure weakens near the mountain, and a blue disguise peels away from Li Qingyao’s face, revealing her true beauty.
• Li Qingyao explains that Sumeru Grass can dispel the mysterious pressure, potentially allowing them to climb to higher heavens.
• They find a rare Seven-Leaf Sumeru Grass, said to be seventy thousand years old. A natural blue barrier protects it. Li Qingyao cannot find a weakness, so Fang Chen uses the Reincarnation Eye to identify one and prepares to strike.

Character developments

• Fang Chen remains focused on the mission and protects Li Qingyao, then takes the lead in figuring out how to reach the grass.
• Li Qingyao reveals her knowledge of the mountain and its treasures. Her disguise fails under the Ninth Heaven’s pressure, exposing both her true appearance and a secret she had kept from Fang Chen.

Character interactions

• Fang Chen catches and carries the unconscious Li Qingyao, then reassures her when she wakes. She thanks him, but is startled and embarrassed that he has seen through her disguise.
• The two work together to seek Sumeru Grass: Li Qingyao identifies it and warns against attacking its barrier recklessly; Fang Chen defers to her advice before attempting to find a precise opening.

Significant themes

• Trust and vulnerability: Li Qingyao’s hidden identity is exposed while she depends on Fang Chen for rescue.
• Knowledge over force: The grass’s barrier cannot safely be overcome by brute strength; success requires observation and precision.
• Perseverance and discovery: The pair endure the Ninth Heaven’s danger and pursue a rare remedy that may let them ascend farther.