Chapter Summaries

Xu Yunfan watched the Bodhi Zen Pure Land’s Great Arhat interrupt Chu Chengnan’s attempt to attain the Immovable Profound Mountain Dao Fruit, leaving Chu gravely injured. Seeing the Arhat weakened by the backlash, Xu Yunfan feigned fury and unleashed his Thunder Prison technique against him.

• Xu Yunfan suspected a hidden True Monarch had arranged for Chu Chengnan to receive the Dao Fruit as the Three Sects fought over the chance to create a new Golden Core True Monarch.
• A Great Arhat from the Bodhi Zen Pure Land struck Chu Chengnan’s Dao Fruit with a Bodhisattva-made Demon Subduing Pestle just as it was merging with him.
• The Dao Fruit collapsed and vanished into the earth fiend qi, while the backlash shattered part of Chu Chengnan’s grotto-heaven foundation and sent him falling from the sky.
• The Great Arhat suffered severe backlash from wielding the spiritual treasure, and Xu Yunfan seized the opening after erasing the remaining sword qi.
• Xu Yunfan shouted at the Arhat and unleashed Eight Sceneries Cloud Qi: Thunder Prison, bringing a ten-mile sea of lightning down on him.

The Great Arhat escaped Cold Crow Pass after being badly wounded by the Divine Vault Thunder, while Chu Chengnan’s failure to claim the Dao Fruit ruined Clear Source True Monarch’s plans. The Bodhi Zen Pure Land withdrew from the Eastern Wasteland battlefield, and Clear Source True Monarch departed without confronting Wukong and his disciples.

• The Great Arhat endured the Divine Vault Thunder, suffered severe injuries, and fled Cold Crow Pass before the Primal Beginning Sect’s True Persons could trap him.
• Clear Source True Monarch realized Chu Chengnan had failed to attain the Dao Fruit, and Great Awakening Bodhisattva mocked his setback while claiming his disciple had acted without permission.
• Pudu True Monarch restored the shattered Heavenly Fiend and Earthly Fiend Immortal Peach Tree and vanished from the battlefield.
• Nine Abyss True Monarch taunted Clear Source True Monarch over his failed scheme before departing.
• The Bodhisattvas gathered their followers and fled the Eastern Wasteland as the Myriad Chariots Sword Sect’s Unreturning Sword Intent threatened them.
• Clear Source True Monarch suppressed his anger and left without attacking Wukong and his three disciples.

Xu Yunfan witnessed the Great Arhat cripple Chu Chengnan and concluded that the Three Sects’ Golden Core True Monarchs had made ascension nearly impossible for outsiders. He left with the memory of Chu Chengnan’s failed breakthrough as a lesson and resolved to grow stronger and find a way through the deadlock.

• The Great Arhat struck down Chu Chengnan during his Golden Core breakthrough, leaving him crippled and nearly reduced to Foundation Establishment.
• Xu Yunfan reflected on how the Three Sects and their True Monarchs had coordinated to prevent Chu Chengnan from attaining the Golden Core Dao Fruit.
• Xu Yunfan recognized that Chu Chengnan’s failure and the True Monarchs’ attacks had given him valuable lessons for his own future path.
• Xu Yunfan resolved to become stronger, faster, and more ruthless so he could break the deadlock around Golden Core ascension.

After Chu Chengnan’s failed attempt to attain the Golden Core, Xu Yunfan comforted him and promised to help him cultivate again through reincarnation. Chu Chengnan urged Xu Yunfan to rely only on himself, then revealed that despite his shattered Dao foundation, he was not yet dying.

• Xu Yunfan found Chu Chengnan gravely injured after his failed tribulation, with his meridians severed and cultivation nearly destroyed.
• Chu Chengnan accepted that five lifetimes at Foundation Establishment had exhausted his chances, and Xu Yunfan promised to guide him if he reincarnated.
• Chu Chengnan said Clear Source True Monarch had abandoned him and warned Xu Yunfan that people must rely on themselves.
• Xu Yunfan vowed to remember Chu Chengnan’s warning, expecting him to prepare for reincarnation.
• Chu Chengnan struggled into a seated position and told Xu Yunfan that his destroyed Dao foundation did not mean he was close to death.

After Chu Chengnan explained that his Dao cultivation survived the destruction of his Dao foundation, he struggled toward the foul baleful river to recover. Xu Yunfan received a transfer order from Clear Source True Monarch, requiring him to leave Cold Crow Pass and return to True Martial Peak within three days.

• Chu Chengnan explained that his accumulated Dao understanding remained and that he might rebuild his Dao foundation after years of recovery.
• Chu Chengnan refused Xu Yunfan's help and dragged his crippled body toward the foul baleful river.
• Xu Yunfan watched Chu Chengnan disappear into the mist and reflected on his resilience while holding a storage bracelet containing seventy percent of Chu Chengnan's savings.
• Clear Source True Monarch sent Xu Yunfan a command token ordering him to leave Cold Crow Pass within three days and return to True Martial Peak.
• Xu Yunfan realized Clear Source True Monarch had no further use for Cold Crow Pass and regretted leaving before he could gather more resources.

Xu Yunfan left Cold Crow Pass with half of Chu Chengnan's estate promised to him and returned to True Martial Peak. He found the peak's disciples discouraged because the True Martial Demon Subduing Scripture had become a dead end, then met Wu Yan, Chen Tie Zhu, and another cultivator at his cave residence.

• Xu Yunfan reflected that Clear Source True Monarch had permitted Chu Chengnan's promised reward as an advance payment for his continued value as a chess piece.
• Xu Yunfan checked on his avatars and saw Wukong, Sanzang, Wujing, and Wuneng continuing their dangerous journey through the Eastern Wasteland.
• Xu Yunfan decided to leave Cold Crow Pass, absorb Chu Chengnan's resources, and eventually bring Han Shi out of the Divine Martial Realm before flying back to the Primal Beginning Sect.
• Several days later, Xu Yunfan returned to True Martial Peak and learned that its disciples feared the True Martial Demon Subduing Scripture would lead them into the Bodhi Zen Pure Land.
• Xu Yunfan went to his cave residence, where Wu Yan, Chen Tie Zhu, and a sinister cultivator arrived to greet him.

Xu Yunfan returned to True Martial Peak and learned that dwindling resources and the danger surrounding the True Martial Subduing Demon Scripture had unsettled the disciples. He restored their resource allotments, ordered Bi Yuan to oversee the peak, and ended the chapter as Bi Yuan and several others arrived at his cave residence.

• Wu Yan told Xu Yunfan that reduced resource allotments had driven some disciples to leave True Martial Peak without completing withdrawal procedures.
• Xu Yunfan reassured the disciples, promised increased resources for those with enough Contribution Points, and put Bi Yuan in charge of the peak's affairs.
• Yang Ying reported that Hundred Desires Peak was trying to lure away disciples, and Xu Yunfan ordered him to keep watch and capture anyone attempting further seduction.
• Xu Yunfan inspected the vast store of treasures in the storage bracelet Chu Chengnan had given him.
• Bi Yuan led several figures into Xu Yunfan's cave residence.

Xu Yunfan gathered True Martial Peak’s core members and explained how the Human Tribulation and the Bodhi Zen Pure Land had blocked their cultivation path. He decided they would abandon the True Martial Subduing Demon Scripture, inherit the True Scripture of the Unyielding Nine Heavens, and learn foundational artifact-refining methods to help sustain the peak.

• Xu Yunfan summoned Zhang Ziyang and recounted Chu Chengnan’s failed attempt to attain the Dao, the Human Tribulation’s suppression, and the Bodhi Zen Pure Land’s scheme against the True Martial Subduing Demon Scripture.
• Xu Yunfan told the gathered Dao Sect elders that Pure Yang Ancestor Lu Chunyang had appeared at the Myriad Chariots Sword Sect, exciting Bi Yuan, Zhang Ziyang, and the others.
• Xu Yunfan declared that True Martial Peak would abandon the True Martial Subduing Demon Scripture and cultivate the True Scripture of the Unyielding Nine Heavens instead.
• Xu Yunfan passed the new scripture’s inheritance to Bi Yuan, Xue Zhen, Qing Ming, Mud Old Man, the Hemp-Clad Old Daoist, and Zhang Ziyang.
• Xu Yunfan taught the group foundational artifact-refining methods and the technique for condensing Eight Sceneries Cloud Qi, while withholding the secret art’s deeper essentials because of its uncertain karmic risks.

Xu Yunfan renamed True Martial Peak Divine Firmament Peak and oversaw its conversion to the True Scripture of the Unyielding Nine Heavens while awaiting Clear Source True Monarch’s orders. After three months, he was summoned to Clear Source Mountain’s Purple Bamboo Temple, where he arrived beneath a star-map skylight.

• Xu Yunfan renamed the peak Divine Firmament Peak and assigned Bi Yuan and the others to teach the True Scripture’s introductory volume.
• Over the next three months, the disciples began converting their cultivation methods, while Xu Yunfan stayed in seclusion to stabilize his Dao foundation and await instructions.
• Xu Yunfan noted that his Divine Firmament Dao foundation had reached perfection and lamented that the Hundred Desires Peak disciples had left before he could speak with True Person Hundred Flowers.
• Clear Source True Monarch summoned Xu Yunfan to Purple Bamboo Temple, and he traveled to Clear Source Mountain.
• Xu Yunfan entered the austere temple and saw a flowing star map above its open ceiling, drawing down starlight and Dao essence.

Xu Yunfan met Clear Source True Monarch, who accepted his change of cultivation technique and promised him future guidance and two secret arts. As Xu Yunfan left with Lu Chuan, Clear Source True Monarch considered using him as another candidate for his ambitions.

• Xu Yunfan met Clear Source True Monarch, who praised his performance at Cold Crow Pass and examined his cultivation.
• Clear Source True Monarch told Xu Yunfan to cultivate diligently and promised him a great opportunity when he reached Late Foundation Establishment.
• Clear Source True Monarch assigned Lu Chuan to arrange Xu Yunfan's cultivation and authorized Xu Yunfan to choose two secret arts from the Scripture Repository Tower.
• Clear Source True Monarch reflected on his plans to advance to the middle Golden Core stage, considering Lu Chuan and then Xu Yunfan as possible replacements for Chu Chengnan.
• Xu Yunfan left Clear Source Hall with Lu Yunchuan, who suggested they grow closer as fellow disciples serving True Monarch.

Lu Chuan urged Xu Yunfan to stabilize his new Dao foundation and promised a future opportunity, but Xu Yunfan distrusted the Clear Source True Monarch’s motives. Back in his cave residence, Xu Yunfan planned to hasten his cultivation by seeking the thunderbolt root qi needed to form a Divine Firmament Cave Heaven.

• Lu Chuan spoke with Xu Yunfan about Chu Chengnan’s failure and praised his courage, then advised Xu Yunfan to cultivate diligently and condense a Divine Firmament Cave Heaven.
• Lu Chuan promised that the Clear Source True Monarch had arranged a great opportunity for Xu Yunfan and that he would personally lead him into the game when the time came.
• Xu Yunfan concealed his distrust, recalling how Chu Chengnan had been used and abandoned, and resolved that relying on his own strength was essential.
• Xu Yunfan returned to Divine Firmament Peak, dismissed those around him, and considered how to advance his Mid Foundation Establishment cultivation.
• Xu Yunfan reviewed the True Scripture of the Unyielding Nine Heavens and its Dao Fruit, recognizing that he needed thunderbolt root qi to build his cave heaven.
• Xu Yunfan began cultivating the Divine Firmament True Scripture and concluded that he needed to find an ancient place where thunder had rumbled without cease.

Xu Yunfan chose to remain secluded in Divine Firmament Peak rather than pursue Clear Source True Monarch’s dangerous opportunity, hoping to strengthen his Dao foundation through the Attribute Panel. He discovered that progress in the True Scripture of the Unyielding Nine Heavens was painfully slow, but decided to use his time in seclusion to cultivate multiple techniques and arts while avoiding the Three Sects’ growing turmoil.

• Xu Yunfan rejected relying on ordinary foundational qi or trusting Clear Source True Monarch’s opportunity, resolving to build his Dao foundation through careful cultivation.
• With the Three Sects’ tensions rising over Bodhi Zen Pure Land’s ritual in the Eastern Wasteland, Xu Yunfan shut himself away in his Divine Firmament Peak cave residence.
• Xu Yunfan cultivated the True Scripture of the Unyielding Nine Heavens with the Lightning Summoning Array, but its proficiency increased by only one point every ten to fifteen days.
• Xu Yunfan calculated that reaching major accomplishment could take decades and that completing the scripture might take a century or more.
• Remembering the dangers posed by Clear Source True Monarch and Golden Core True Monarchs, Xu Yunfan decided that secluded cultivation was safer than pursuing rapid advancement.
• Xu Yunfan recognized that he could cultivate multiple techniques and arts simultaneously while remaining in seclusion.

Xu Yunfan spent years in secluded cultivation, advancing his Array Dao and Myriad Chariots Sword Incantation while steadily refining the Divine Firmament True Scripture. His scripture proficiency reached 999, leaving him one step from Major Accomplishment and a Cave Heaven Prototype.

• Xu Yunfan studied Array Dao with Zhang Ziyang’s guidance and increased his proficiency.
• Xu Yunfan practiced the Myriad Chariots Sword Incantation, combining sword qi with the lightning power of the Divine Firmament True Scripture.
• Xu Yunfan kept to secluded cultivation for years until fellow disciples stopped visiting and he became known as a reclusive cultivator.
• Xu Yunfan raised the Divine Firmament True Scripture’s proficiency to 999, one step from Major Accomplishment.
• Xu Yunfan circulated the scripture as spiritual power flowed through his meridians and into his Dao Foundation.

Xu Yunfan’s True Scripture of the Unyielding Nine Heavens reached major mastery, causing his Dao foundation to collapse and condense into a Divine Firmament Cave Heaven Seed. He began nurturing the seed with spiritual qi drawn to Divine Firmament Peak, as its lightning patterns started to evolve.

• Xu Yunfan’s True Scripture of the Unyielding Nine Heavens reached major mastery, triggering a violent collapse within his Dao foundation.
• The mana in Xu Yunfan’s body converged into the core of his Dantian Sea of Qi and transformed into the Divine Firmament Cave Heaven Seed.
• Xu Yunfan realized the seed marked true Mid Foundation Establishment and confirmed that the Attribute Panel had helped him form it through cultivation alone.
• The seed expanded a domain that shattered the boundaries of Xu Yunfan’s Dao foundation space and opened a chaotic void around it.
• Xu Yunfan activated the concealment formation around Divine Firmament Peak to hide the seed’s emergence.
• Spiritual qi and thunderous energy gathered from hundreds of miles around and flowed into the seed, whose lightning patterns began evolving into three-dimensional forms.

Xu Yunfan stabilized his Cave Heaven Prototype and emerged from seclusion after more than twenty years, concealing his true cultivation as he explored the flourishing marketplace at Divine Firmament Peak. He found the peak’s artifact trade thriving, though its disciples had misunderstood the refinement methods he had once provided.

• Xu Yunfan completed the formation of his Cave Heaven Prototype, which refined the mana poured into it and put advancement to Late Foundation Establishment within reach.
• Xu Yunfan decided not to risk an immediate breakthrough toward Golden Core and resolved to prepare for interference from the hostile cultivators of the Taihua Spiritual Void Realm.
• After more than twenty years of seclusion, Xu Yunfan concealed his identity and cultivation before visiting the bustling marketplace at the foot of Divine Firmament Peak.
• Xu Yunfan observed the peak’s disciplined patrols and thriving artifact shops, then recognized that the disciples had misunderstood the techniques in the Eight Sceneries of Xuan Capital Cloud Canon.

Xu Yunfan discovered a damaged ancient sword that resonated with his sword Dao and recognized the seductive stall owner as a cultivator using a Charm Technique. He pretended to be captivated but withdrew safely, leaving the woman surprised by his resistance.

• Xu Yunfan noticed the Sinking Star Ancient Sword and sensed that it resonated with the sword Dao origin he had gained from the Myriad Chariots Sword Incantation.
• The beautiful stall owner from Hundred Desires Peak described the sword as a damaged unfinished magic treasure and said she needed resources to break through to Foundation Establishment.
• Xu Yunfan detected her Charm Technique and realized she was using the sword as bait.
• Xu Yunfan feigned interest and embarrassment about his poverty, then politely left the stall.
• The woman watched Xu Yunfan leave and was surprised that he had resisted her charm.

Xu Yunfan recognized the purple-clad cultivator selling the “Sinking Star” Ancient Sword as a hook aimed at him and secretly followed her out of the Marketplace. He confronted her in a secluded woodland, where she tried to mask her alarm and asked whether he wanted to buy the sword.

• Xu Yunfan suspected that the female cultivator and her sword stall had been arranged to lure him out, and he decided to uncover who was behind her.
• Xu Yunfan tracked the woman through the Marketplace, using his spiritual perception to see through her efforts to hide her route.
• Xu Yunfan tried to follow the karmic threads around her but found them vanishing into the void, suggesting someone had concealed them or she carried a Heavenly Machine Supreme Treasure.
• The female cultivator left the Marketplace and prepared to activate a jade talisman in a secluded woodland near Divine Firmament Peak.
• Xu Yunfan appeared behind the woman and confronted her; she raised the Sinking Star Ancient Sword and asked if he had followed her to buy it.

Xu Yunfan exposed Pu Yu as a concealed trap and froze her with his Foundation Establishment power. True Person Hundred Flowers then appeared and revealed that Pu Yu was her prized disciple, chosen as a Cauldron for her own breakthrough.

• Xu Yunfan crudely propositioned the purple-robed cultivator, but her disgust and rage showed that he had misjudged her intentions.
• Pu Yu attacked Xu Yunfan with the gray radiance of the Ancient Sword "Sinking Star," revealing hidden power and demonic patterns.
• Xu Yunfan said "Freeze" and immobilized Pu Yu and her attack with his Foundation Establishment power.
• True Person Hundred Flowers appeared and blocked Xu Yunfan, asking him not to make things difficult for her disciple.
• True Person Hundred Flowers identified the frozen cultivator as Pu Yu, said she possessed the Innate Passion Dao Body, and revealed she had nurtured her as a Cauldron for a breakthrough.

Xu Yunfan faced True Person Hundred Flowers, who tried to enchant and exploit him, but he revealed that he had been in Foundation Establishment for nearly fifty years and resisted her technique with ease. He began to unleash his power, leaving Liu Yunhua confronted by a descending world projection centered on a mysterious thunder-marked seed.

• True Person Hundred Flowers offered to instruct Xu Yunfan in dual cultivation while preparing to steal the foundation of his Divine Vault True Scripture.
• Liu Yunhua attacked Xu Yunfan with her Myriad Desires Enchantment, but the seductive spiritual force vanished without affecting him.
• Xu Yunfan calmly invited Liu Yunhua to Divine Firmament Peak and mentioned his experience with the Hundred Desires Devouring Origin Great Method.
• Xu Yunfan revealed that he had entered Foundation Establishment nearly fifty years earlier, shocking Liu Yunhua and making her realize Chu Chengnan had misled her.
• Xu Yunfan stepped forward, and a tiny world projection descended around him, centered on a black seed covered in silver thunder patterns.

Xu Yunfan used his Cave Heaven Prototype to overpower Liu Yunhua, who had planned to harvest his essence, and left her helpless before him. With Liu Yunhua and Liu Hanyan subdued, he prepared to question them about the Sinking Star Ancient Sword and their supposed opportunity.

• Xu Yunfan revealed his Cave Heaven Prototype and suppressed Liu Yunhua's spiritual power, divine sense, and escape attempt.
• Xu Yunfan pressed Liu Yunhua to her knees with a controlled palm strike, while Pu Yu felt the edge of his overwhelming pressure.
• Xu Yunfan privately felt relieved that his display of force had succeeded and noted that he would conceal his Cave Heaven Prototype from opponents of equal strength.
• Xu Yunfan told Liu Yunhua and Liu Hanyan that they could now talk peacefully about the Sinking Star Ancient Sword and Liu Yunhua's plan to obtain an opportunity from him.
• Xu Yunfan mocked Liu Yunhua and suggested that they discuss how to strip and purify a Cauldron's marks.