Chapter Summaries

Li Zhōujūn stopped Sī Qīng from destroying the Dao Realm, revealing power equal to hers, but Lord Liǔ still intended to use him as a chess piece. Sī Qīng withdrew, leaving the Dao Realm safe for now while the threat of Lord Liǔ’s plans remained.

• Sī Qīng unleashed her willow branches against Li Zhōujūn, whose divine radiance protected the Dao Realm and its inhabitants.
• Li Zhōujūn’s strength astonished the Dao Realm’s experts, including Li Menglan, Great Emperor Jíwǔ, and Emperor Nian.
• Sī Qīng withdrew her attack and vanished after telling Li Zhōujūn she hoped he could protect the Dao Realm forever.
• Li Menglan thanked Li Zhōujūn, while the Dao Realm’s inhabitants worried about future attacks.
• Sī Qīng told Lord Liǔ that Li Zhōujūn was powerful, and Lord Liǔ confirmed he was a First-Rank Dao Master with the original aura of a Dao Realm lifeform.
• Lord Liǔ rejected Sī Qīng’s suggestion to nurture Li Zhōujūn and said he would treat him only as a chess piece unless he escaped to the Main World.

Li Zhōujūn met True Man Jiaqian, a fugitive from the Main World who mistook him for a fellow outsider and claimed to know about a divine book. After they shared food and wine, True Man Jiaqian offered to explain the Four Great Divine Books in exchange for World Condensation Drops.

• Lord Liǔ told Sī Qīng he would deal with the Azure Emperor himself and warned her to prepare for the Dao Realm’s future.
• White-Browed King praised Ghost Lord for helping make the Azure Emperor peerless and promised to dote on him.
• Li Zhōujūn matched his cultivation to a shabby old man with Fifty-Fifty, and the man mistook him for someone hunting him for a divine book.
• The old man introduced himself as True Man Jiaqian and claimed he was a cultivator from beyond the Dao Realm who had been chased for millions of years.
• Li Zhōujūn shared roast chicken and wine with True Man Jiaqian, who offered to explain the Four Great Divine Books for payment in Main World currency.

Li Zhōujūn paid True Man Jiaqian for information about the Four Great Divine Books but refused to look at Jiaqian’s own book. As Lord Liǔ approached while concealed, Jiaqian detected and heard him, leaving Lord Liǔ stunned.

• Li Zhōujūn paid True Man Jiaqian five hundred thousand World Condensation Drops for information about the Four Great Divine Books.
• True Man Jiaqian explained that the books each contained part of a fallen Ninth-Rank Dao Master’s world, but Li Zhōujūn refused to examine his book, even for free.
• Lord Liǔ approached Li Zhōujūn and True Man Jiaqian while concealed, assuming neither could detect him.
• True Man Jiaqian sensed Lord Liǔ and dismissed him as an ant when Li Zhōujūn failed to notice him.
• Lord Liǔ continued forward despite True Man Jiaqian’s warnings, then cursed at him in a voice True Man Jiaqian could hear.
• True Man Jiaqian told Li Zhōujūn that the ant had mocked him, and Lord Liǔ stared at him in shock.

True Man Jiaqian sent Lord Liǔ flying after Li Zhōujūn suggested beating him up, then Lord Liǔ returned to discuss how the Dao Realm would be governed. The chapter ended with True Man Jiaqian urging Li Zhōujūn to slap Lord Liǔ away instead of questioning him.

• True Man Jiaqian swept Lord Liǔ into the clouds and sent him crashing to the ground.
• Lord Liǔ decided to approach True Man Jiaqian and Li Zhōujūn rather than ignore the powerful newcomer living in his realm.
• Lord Liǔ returned openly and introduced himself as the Dao Realm’s ruler and a Second-Rank Dao Master.
• True Man Jiaqian pressured Lord Liǔ to greet Li Zhōujūn as Senior Li, and Lord Liǔ reluctantly bowed to the Azure Emperor.
• Lord Liǔ asked True Man Jiaqian to observe without interfering in his governance, and True Man Jiaqian dismissed the request.
• Li Zhōujūn asked Lord Liǔ how he planned to govern the Dao Realm, but True Man Jiaqian urged him to slap Lord Liǔ away instead.

True Man Jiaqian searched Lord Liǔ’s soul and exposed his plan to use Qin Tianyi as nourishment, prompting Li Zhōujūn to demand Qin’s release. Lord Liǔ discovered Qin Tianyi had left behind a message revealing the imprisonment was a setup, and Li Zhōujūn recognized his old ancestor’s handiwork.

• True Man Jiaqian searched Lord Liǔ’s soul and revealed that he planned to sacrifice five Half-Step Dao Masters to prolong his life and advance his cultivation.
• Li Zhōujūn learned that Lord Liǔ had imprisoned Qin Tianyi and used his life force, then revealed Qin was his senior and demanded an explanation.
• Lord Liǔ offered to use his origin power to help Qin Tianyi reach the Second-Rank Dao Master realm and asked that Sī Qīng be spared; Li Zhōujūn agreed.
• Lord Liǔ found Qin Tianyi’s chains broken and discovered a message on a piece of wood saying Qin’s true body awaited Li Zhōujūn in the Main World.
• True Man Jiaqian recognized the writing as matching that of a mysterious Ninth-Rank Dao Master, while Li Zhōujūn realized his old ancestor had orchestrated the events.

Li Zhōujūn had Lord Liǔ destroy the Evil Spirit Realm, then learned Lord Liǔ was dying and planned to leave for the Main World. After Li Menglan summoned him, he confirmed the destruction was tied to him, leaving Great Emperor Jíwǔ and the others baffled about Lord Liǔ’s obedience.

• Li Zhōujūn told Lord Liǔ that he disliked the Evil Spirit Realm, and Lord Liǔ agreed to act.
• An ancient hand crushed the Evil Spirit Realm, killing the Three Ancestors of Greed, Anger, and Ignorance and its other inhabitants.
• Lord Liǔ returned to the origin space, told Sī Qīng that a Seventh-Rank Dao Master would protect the Dao Realm, and dissolved into the willow tree.
• Li Zhōujūn spoke with True Man Jiaqian about leaving for the Main World, but admitted he did not know how to get there.
• Li Menglan summoned Li Zhōujūn, who confirmed Lord Liǔ had destroyed the Evil Spirit Realm because he disliked it.
• Great Emperor Jíwǔ questioned why Lord Liǔ would obey Li Zhōujūn.

Li Zhōujūn broke through to the First-Rank Dao Lord realm, then slept for nearly a hundred thousand years before emerging into a changed Dao Realm. After learning that Li Menglan, Emperor Nian, and Great Emperor Jíwǔ had ascended, he met two of the Seven Great Supremes and faced three more who arrived seeking treasure.

• Li Zhōujūn left Li Menglan, Emperor Nian, and Great Emperor Jíwǔ to cultivate in a mountain cave, and he broke through to the First-Rank Dao Lord realm within a hundred years.
• The System told Li Zhōujūn that he had slept through the remaining ninety-nine thousand nine hundred years.
• Great Emperor Hei Ming and Great Emperor Hong Yu bombarded Li Zhōujūn's cave entrance, hoping to find treasures that could help them ascend to the Main World.
• Li Zhōujūn emerged, learned that the three people he knew had ascended, and introduced himself as the Azure Emperor.
• Great Emperor Hei Ming and Great Emperor Hong Yu bowed to Li Zhōujūn, but Great Emperor Fo Jin, Great Emperor Gou Shan, and Great Emperor You Yin arrived and threatened to kill them all for the cave's treasures.

Li Zhōujūn destroyed Great Emperor Gou Shan, Great Emperor You Yin, and Great Emperor Fo Jin, then traveled to the Main World with True Man Jiaqian. True Man Jiaqian asked him to deliver a hairpin and cultivation resources to his granddaughter, and Li Zhōujūn agreed but asked where to find her.

• Li Zhōujūn immobilized Great Emperor Gou Shan, Great Emperor You Yin, and Great Emperor Fo Jin, who then exploded under his power.
• Great Emperor Hei Ming and Great Emperor Hong Yu left after Li Zhōujūn told them the Dao Realm belonged to them.
• True Man Jiaqian told Li Zhōujūn he had learned of the other divine books and planned to seek them in the Main World.
• True Man Jiaqian opened a portal, and he and Li Zhōujūn traveled to a city in the Main World before sharing a meal.
• True Man Jiaqian asked Li Zhōujūn to visit his granddaughter and deliver her a wooden hairpin and cultivation resources, and Li Zhōujūn agreed.

Li Zhōujūn headed for Tianhai Academy after meeting True Man Jiaqian and receiving Qin Tianyi’s message, then sought to become an academy elder. At the academy, Sun Zixiang remained unaware that Qu Lian'ao was hiding inside her, while the elders considered Li Zhōujūn’s request and he asked after the president.

• True Man Jiaqian told Li Zhōujūn to find his granddaughter Sun Zixiang at Tianhai Academy, then left him to pay the tavern bill.
• Qin Tianyi sent Li Zhōujūn a message, confirmed that his friend had founded Tianhai Academy, and asked him to pass on his regards to its president.
• Qu Lian'ao, a Sixth-Rank Dao Master, revealed that she had hidden inside Sun Zixiang to seek revenge on True Man Jiaqian and obtain the divine book.
• Wen Nanting offered Sun Zixiang a tonic pill, but Qu Lian'ao took control and sent him flying away with it.
• Li Zhōujūn asked Tianhai Academy’s elders to make him an elder and proved his connection to Qin Tianyi with the calligraphy he carried.
• The elders privately agreed they could not refuse Qin Tianyi’s descendant, and Li Zhōujūn asked whether the academy president was well.

Li Zhōujūn became an elder of Tianhai Academy and received a residence in the ring nearest the spiritual spring. Chen Yiruo challenged his right to the courtyard, but Zhu Jianbing stopped her and warned her not to provoke the powerful figure backing him.

• Zhu Jianbing and Li Du accepted Li Zhōujūn as an elder, then discussed protecting him because of his connection to Senior Qin.
• Zhu Jianbing assigned Li Zhōujūn a courtyard in Lingquan Garden's innermost ring, beside the spiritual spring and the two elders' residences.
• Chen Yiruo confronted Li Zhōujūn over the courtyard and demanded he ask the Elder Hall to move him.
• Zhu Jianbing arrived, pulled Chen Yiruo away, and urged Li Zhōujūn to rest in his courtyard.
• Zhu Jianbing told Chen Yiruo that Li Zhōujūn's backer was too powerful to offend, but Chen Yiruo remained angry that he had received the courtyard through his background.

Zhu Jianbing arranged for Sun Zixiang to meet Li Zhōujūn, hoping she would speak well of him, while Chen Yiruo was appointed an examiner for the upcoming Inner Court Grand Competition. The chapter ended with Li Zhōujūn seeing through Zhu Jianbing’s attempt to curry favor, sending him hurrying away in embarrassment.

• Zhu Jianbing appointed Chen Yiruo as an examiner for the Inner Court Grand Competition, scheduled to begin in ten days.
• Li Zhōujūn asked Zhu Jianbing to find Sun Zixiang, True Man Jiaqian’s granddaughter.
• Zhu Jianbing summoned Sun Zixiang, gave her an All-Purpose Great Tonic Pill, and encouraged her to praise Tianhai Academy and him to Li Zhōujūn.
• Zhu Jianbing brought Sun Zixiang to Li Zhōujūn, where she awkwardly called him Grandpa Li.
• Li Zhōujūn realized Zhu Jianbing had coached Sun Zixiang, and Zhu Jianbing overheard him and fled back to Elder Hall in embarrassment.

Li Zhōujūn delivered Sun Zixiang’s grandfather’s keepsakes and reached the Third-Rank Dao Master realm after completing his mission. Sun Zixiang entered Tianhai Academy’s Inner Court Grand Competition, unaware that a powerful Evil Beast Old Man was waiting deep in the secret realm.

• Li Zhōujūn gave Sun Zixiang the storage ring and wooden comb from True Man Jiaqian, while Qu Lian'ao cursed Jiaqian and plotted to kill him after he found another divine book.
• Li Zhōujūn completed his mission, advanced to the Third-Rank Dao Master realm, and wondered whether Sun Zixiang was hiding a secret.
• Ten days later, Chen Yiruo led the inner-court disciples into the Tianhai Mountain Range and explained the competition rules, including the warning to stay out of the secret realm’s inner region.
• Chen Yiruo opened the secret realm, and Bai Chengren, Jin Shangyan, Ma Dalei, Sun Zixiang, and the other disciples entered to hunt Evil Beasts.
• Deep in the secret realm, Evil Beast Old Man revealed that his injuries had healed and that he planned to turn the intruders into his masterpiece; his aura reached the Seventh-Rank Dao Master realm.

A massive, intelligent fiend beast horde attacked the Inner Court Grand Competition secret realm, trapping Chen Yiruo and the disciples inside. Chen Yiruo fought to protect them while the academy elders, unable to reach or enter the realm, began to respond to the crisis.

• Bai Chengren, Jin Shangyan, and Sun Zixiang slaughtered fiend beasts, with Sun Zixiang's unusual strength coming from Qu Lian'ao's hidden assistance.
• A horde of powerful fiend beasts surged from the inner region, led by a human-headed dog-bodied monster that announced they would seize materials for its master.
• Chen Yiruo discovered that the secret realm was sealed against messages and used a clone to hold back the horde while her true body fought the monster.
• The human-headed dog-bodied monster healed from Chen Yiruo's attack and claimed that even a Sixth-Rank Dao Master would struggle to kill it.
• Evil Beast Old Man watched the attack from a cave and called the monster useless, while Zhu Jianbing gathered Tianhai Academy's elders after failing to contact Chen Yiruo or enter the secret realm.

Li Zhōujūn entered the sealed secret realm after the academy elders failed to open it, while the Inner Court disciples faced the Seventh-Rank Dao Master Evil Beast Old Man. Jin Shangyan recognized the enemy who had destroyed her clan and prepared to sacrifice herself to attack him.

• Li Du and Zhu Jianbing failed to open the secret realm, and Qi Cheng berated Li Zhōujūn for not helping.
• Li Zhōujūn accepted the system’s mission and teleported directly into the secret realm, astonishing the elders.
• Chen Yiruo fought the regenerating Human-headed dog-bodied monster while Jin Shangyan protected the disciples from other Evil Beasts.
• The Evil Beast horde fell silent as the Evil Beast Old Man appeared, and the disciples realized his aura belonged to a Seventh-Rank Dao Master.
• Jin Shangyan recognized the Evil Beast Old Man as the one who had wiped out her clan and prepared to use her golden Jade Talisman at the cost of her life.
• Jin Shangyan revealed that she had warned Venerable Tianhai about the Evil Beast Old Man, but he had believed the secret realm was safe because he had found no Sixth-Rank creatures there.

Li Zhōujūn arrived at Tianhai Academy’s secret realm as Evil Beast Old Man threatened to destroy the academy and turned out to be a Seventh-Rank Dao Master. He unleashed a devastating attack on the evil beast horde, leaving Evil Beast Old Man facing him amid the destruction.

• Evil Beast Old Man revealed his plan to sacrifice Tianhai Academy and ordered Baldy Dog to claim Chen Yiruo as his wife.
• Li Zhōujūn appeared and tried to persuade Evil Beast Old Man to spare the academy, but their negotiations failed.
• Li Zhōujūn revealed Seventh-Rank Dao Master cultivation, astonishing Chen Yiruo, Sun Zixiang, and the other disciples.
• Li Zhōujūn summoned enormous chess pieces that crushed countless evil beasts, leaving Evil Beast Old Man grim-faced.

Li Zhōujūn defeated the threat in the secret realm and returned to Tianhai Academy, where Chen Yiruo revealed his role in saving the disciples. Venerable Tianhai learned Li Zhōujūn was Qin Tianyi’s descendant and decided to test his abilities.

• Li Zhōujūn blocked the Evil Beast Old Man’s attacks, but the old man and his human-headed, dog-bodied monster escaped while Li Zhōujūn protected the disciples.
• The system announced that Li Zhōujūn had completed his mission and reached the Fourth-Rank Dao Master realm; he confirmed Sun Zixiang was safe and left the secret realm.
• Li Zhōujūn told the elders the danger had passed, and Chen Yiruo later reported that he had saved everyone from the Seventh-Rank Dao Master Evil Beast Old Man.
• Venerable Tianhai arrived at the Elder Hall, learned Li Zhōujūn was Senior Qin’s descendant, and announced he would test Li Zhōujūn’s capabilities.

Li Zhōujūn stayed at Tianhai Academy, where Venerable Tianhai tried and failed to bully him, then settled into a quiet routine. When Elder Chu Gecqing returned, Zhai Jianyun described her remarkable reputation and hinted that the academy was involved in complicated matters, leaving Li Zhōujūn asking him to speak plainly.

• Venerable Tianhai tried to squeeze Li Zhōujūn's shoulder, then learned that Li Zhōujūn was also a Seventh-Rank Dao Master and pretended his forehead injury came from practicing an Iron Head Technique.
• Li Zhōujūn returned to the courtyard and continued building a fishpond, while Zhai Jianyun privately worried that staying at the academy could cost him his life.
• After several months of fishing, raising chickens, and strolling around Tianhai Academy, Li Zhōujūn heard that Elder Chu Gecqing had returned.
• Zhai Jianyun told Li Zhōujūn that Chu Gecqing was a celebrated champion with exceptional luck and potential, and that she lived across from him.
• Zhai Jianyun warned Li Zhōujūn that Tianhai Academy was involved in more than he imagined, and Li Zhōujūn asked him to explain directly.

Zhai Jianyun revealed that an underground secret realm beneath Tianhai Academy would open in three years, drawing powerful Eighth-Rank Dao Masters and threatening the academy. Li Zhōujūn declined to pursue the treasure for now, but decided he could not abandon Tianhai Academy if it came under attack.

• Zhai Jianyun told Li Zhōujūn about the Eighth-Rank Dao Master's hidden world beneath Tianhai Academy and warned that the academy might be destroyed when the realm opened in three years.
• Zhai Jianyun explained that he had come to Tianhai Academy to find another entrance and asked Li Zhōujūn to join forces, but Li Zhōujūn declined for the time being.
• Chu Gecqing approached Li Zhōujūn, revealed that her Chu Family intended to claim the secret realm, and nearly disclosed that Venerable Tianhai had been beaten by Li Zhōujūn's grand ancestor.
• Li Zhōujūn told Chu Gecqing that no one could harm Tianhai Academy because its dean was his grand ancestor's friend, then returned to his courtyard to roast chicken.
• Li Zhōujūn wondered whether his grand ancestor had sent him to Tianhai Academy because of the secret realm and resolved to protect the academy if it faced a crisis.

Chu Shengduan ambushed Chu Gecqing in the mountains, seeking to clear the way for his grandson to lead the Chu Family. Li Zhōujūn confronted him after the attack destroyed his roast chicken, demanding that Chu Shengduan cook him another one.

• Chu Shengduan learned that Chu Gecqing had returned to Tianhai Academy and told an ally he intended to make his grandson the Chu Family head.
• Li Zhōujūn roasted a chicken near the lake where Chu Gecqing was cultivating, while Chu Gecqing recognized the smell but let him be.
• Chu Shengduan isolated the area and attacked Chu Gecqing, hoping to kill her and advance his grandson’s claim to leadership.
• Chu Gecqing survived Chu Shengduan’s strike thanks to her Golden Silk Divine Silkworm Robe, but his attack destroyed Li Zhōujūn’s roast chicken.
• Li Zhōujūn demanded that Chu Shengduan roast him a chicken, and Chu Shengduan prepared to kill him as Chu Gecqing watched anxiously.

Li Zhōujūn fought Chu Shengduan after Chu Shengduan made his roast chicken fly away and refused to replace it. He survived Chu Shengduan’s strongest attack unharmed, leaving Chu Shengduan terrified and questioning why he had gone so far over one chicken.

• Li Zhōujūn overwhelmed Chu Shengduan in close combat, leaving Chu Gecqing stunned by his strength.
• Chu Shengduan split into six identical fighters and attacked Li Zhōujūn, but Li Zhōujūn mocked him while remaining unharmed.
• Chu Shengduan and his clones unleashed a powerful fire ability, shook Tianhai Academy and the Tianhai Mountain Range, and dragged Li Zhōujūn and Chu Gecqing into the hidden void.
• Venerable Tianhai and Qu Lian'ao sensed the disturbance and worried about the presence of an Eighth-Rank Dao Master.
• Li Zhōujūn emerged from the flames completely unharmed, and Chu Shengduan asked why he had gone so far over a roast chicken.