Chapter Summaries

Xu Yunfan concealed the dark golden pill he had refined from Blood Old Demon before Celestial Evolution True Person and Lu Chuan arrived at Divine Firmament Peak. Celestial Evolution accused him of violating the sect’s prohibition against killing fellow disciples, while Lu Chuan’s presence silently showed Clear Source True Monarch’s lineage supported him.

• Xu Yunfan’s battle with Blood Old Demon greatly increased his cultivation arts and formation proficiency, and he examined the dark golden pill containing a thread of Immortal Golden Nature.
• Xu Yunfan sensed two Foundation Establishment Perfection Great True Persons approaching and hid the pill in his Xumi Mustard Seed Pouch.
• Celestial Evolution True Person and Lu Chuan appeared at Divine Firmament Peak, and Xu Yunfan greeted them respectfully.
• Lu Chuan admired Xu Yunfan’s formation skill and the way he had defeated Blood Old Demon, while considering the value of befriending him.
• Celestial Evolution told Xu Yunfan that killing a fellow disciple violated a grave sect taboo, and Lu Chuan remained silent in support of him.

After Xu Yunfan was cleared of the gravest charge for killing Blood River, the sect assigned him to lead its vanguard into the newly discovered Heaven Realm and compete for its resources. He accepted the mission, aware that Myriad Chariots Sword Sect cultivators would also be rivals, and Lu Chuan urged him to put survival first.

• Celestial Evolution True Person ruled that killing Blood River had eliminated a threat to the sect and offset Xu Yunfan’s fault, but made him responsible for Blood River’s unfinished mission.
• Celestial Evolution True Person told Xu Yunfan that the Heaven Realm contained a developing Dao Fruit and that the sect’s True Monarchs would handle any native Golden Core True Monarchs.
• Lu Chuan explained that establishing a foothold and helping draw the Heaven Realm’s world-root qi into Taihua Spirit Ruins could earn Xu Yunfan great merit and advance his Golden Core path.
• Xu Yunfan agreed to lead the vanguard, and Celestial Evolution True Person promised him the realm’s gains apart from items reserved by the sect’s True Monarchs.
• Lu Chuan warned Xu Yunfan that the Myriad Chariots Sword Sect had also discovered the realm and that its Foundation Establishment sword cultivators could be his greatest opponents.
• Lu Chuan told Xu Yunfan to withdraw if necessary and prioritize staying alive because the True Monarchs stood behind him.

After the Primal Beginning Sect assigned Xu Yunfan to lead its vanguard into the Heaven Realm, he met privately with Lu Chuan to discuss his formation skills and the burden they brought. Lu Chuan began to explain the responsibility Xu Yunfan would have to shoulder.

• Celestial Evolution True Person ordered Xu Yunfan to lead the vanguard into the Heaven Realm in three days, using the secret key and spatial coordinates taken from Blood River.
• Xu Yunfan invited Lu Chuan to his courtyard on Divine Firmament Peak for tea and a private discussion.
• Lu Chuan praised Xu Yunfan for using a formation to kill Blood Old Demon and said his formation talent was exceptional.
• Xu Yunfan modestly credited his formation knowledge to past guidance and incomplete manuals, while acknowledging that his victory had depended on favorable circumstances.
• Lu Chuan told Xu Yunfan that, having revealed his formation skills, he would have to shoulder the responsibility that came with them.

Lu Chuan briefed Xu Yunfan on the Heaven Realm invasion, the rival sects, and the Bodhi Zen Pure Land’s coming Buddhist ritual. Three days later, Xu Yunfan led nearly ten thousand Primal Beginning Sect disciples to a weak node in Fleeting Light and Shadow, ready to enter the Heaven Realm.

• Lu Chuan explained that the Primal Beginning Sect had spent decades preparing to invade the Heaven Realm, but the Myriad Chariots Sword Sect had learned of the plan and might compete for its treasures.
• Xu Yunfan asked about the Heaven Realm’s Heavenly Dao and inhabitants, and Lu Chuan said the True Monarchs would suppress the Heavenly Dao while Xu Yunfan guided its primal essence with formations.
• Lu Chuan warned that the Bodhi Zen Pure Land’s King Buddha Ritual would soon be completed and turn the Eastern Wasteland into a Buddhist kingdom.
• Lu Chuan said the Primal Beginning Sect and Myriad Chariots Sword Sect planned to bring heavenly demons down upon the Buddhists during the ritual’s Human Tribulation.
• Three days later, Xu Yunfan stood at the front of the sect’s floating platform before nearly ten thousand Qi Refining disciples and seven stronger cultivators.

Xu Yunfan led the Primal Beginning Sect’s vanguard through a gateway into the Heaven Realm, where they entered despite the traitor’s warning that it was a trap. Xu Yunfan found a richly spiritual land and spotted a vast heavenly army waiting for him above the Sea of Clouds.

• Celestial Evolution True Person used a blood-patterned bone talisman and the Heaven Realm traitor’s origin aura to open a gateway into the realm.
• Xu Yunfan entered first, followed by the seven Foundation Establishment True Persons and nearly ten thousand Qi Refining disciples.
• The traitor declared that the gateway was a trap, but Celestial Evolution True Person killed him before he could explain further.
• Xu Yunfan recovered from the passage’s spatial vertigo and found himself in a forest filled with dense spiritual qi and ancient trees.
• Xu Yunfan spotted countless heavenly soldiers in battle formations above the Sea of Clouds, with a youthful figure at their front staring at him.

Xu Yunfan led the Primal Beginning Sect vanguard into battle against the Heaven Realm, where he faced a divine general resembling Nezha. The two sides’ forces clashed across the Sea of Clouds as their Foundation Establishment fighters engaged.

• Xu Yunfan recognized the divine general’s iconic treasures and suspected he was Nezha, but judged him to be only at Early Foundation Establishment.
• Xu Yunfan ordered the nearly ten thousand Primal Beginning Sect Qi Refinement disciples to attack.
• The seven Foundation Establishment True Persons charged the Heaven Realm’s divine generals to disrupt their command of the Heavenly Soldier formation.
• Primal Beginning Sect disciples and Heavenly Soldiers began a bloody battle across the Sea of Clouds.
• Xu Yunfan and the divine general collided at the center of the battlefield.

Xu Yunfan fought Nezha in the Heavenly Realm, testing the divine general's strength before unleashing the Cosmic Dipper Golden Splitting Fiend Sword Qi. Nezha suffered cuts from the lightning sword qi and countered with the Hun Tian Ling, leaving both fighters facing each other warily.

• Xu Yunfan met Nezha's Fire-Tipped Spear with the True Martial Sword, and their clash sent a shockwave through the battlefield.
• Xu Yunfan recognized Nezha's weapons and wondered whether the Heavenly Realm was connected to the myths from his memories.
• Xu Yunfan invoked the Battle Character Art and drew power from the Myriad Stars Array, intensifying his lightning aura.
• Xu Yunfan unleashed the Cosmic Dipper Golden Splitting Fiend Sword Qi, and Nezha countered with the Heaven Burning Flame Wheel.
• Several strands of Xu Yunfan's sword qi pierced Nezha's flames and scorched his armor, but Nezha used the Hun Tian Ling to dispel the lightning fire.

Xu Yunfan summoned the Nine Heavens Five Thunder Yin-Yang Mind-Disordering Evil-Covering Array to turn the tide against the Heaven Realm forces. Nezha revealed his Three Heads Six Arms form and unleashed six artifacts at Xu Yunfan, who began a powerful counterattack.

• Xu Yunfan assessed the battlefield and decided he needed to end the fight quickly as both sides suffered heavy casualties.
• Xu Yunfan activated his mobile array disk, bringing down oppressive five-colored lightning that slowed everyone within ten li.
• Nezha transformed into his Three Heads Six Arms battle form and revealed the Golden Light File, Primal Chaos Sword, and Demon Subduing Pestle.
• Nezha attacked Xu Yunfan from six directions with all his artifacts, suppressing some of the array's power.
• Xu Yunfan drove his lightning art to its limit and chanted an incantation as he prepared to break Nezha's assault.

Xu Yunfan used the Nine Heavens Five Thunder Yin-Yang Chaotic Spirit Suppressing Fiend Formation to kill Nezha and annihilate the Heavenly forces, then began absorbing World Root Qi to strengthen his Cave Heaven Prototype. As the Heavenly Dao locked onto him, a clash of supreme powers erupted in the Heavenly Court, where the Heavenly Emperor appeared.

• Xu Yunfan unleashed the Five Elements Heavenly Lightning and destroyed Nezha’s Golden Body and divine soul.
• Xu Yunfan swept the remaining Heavenly Soldiers and Generals away with the formation, killing the hundred thousand troops while Primal Beginning Sect survivors charged toward the South Heaven Gate.
• Xu Yunfan concealed his aura with two secret arts and absorbed World Root Qi into his Cave Heaven Prototype.
• The Heavenly Dao detected Xu Yunfan stealing World Root Qi and locked onto his location.
• A terrifying clash of power erupted in the Heavenly Court, and Xu Yunfan saw the Heavenly Emperor appear amid the clear qi and killing aura.

Clear Source True Monarch fought the Heavenly Emperor while another True Monarch and a Buddhist power intervened, and Xu Yunfan seized the resulting chaos as a chance to infiltrate the Heavenly Court. Before he could escape, Zhao Moyang, Leng Yuehua, and Sun Qishan trapped him and revealed their hostile intentions.

• Clear Source True Monarch clashed with the Heavenly Emperor, while a Buddhist giant hand attacked the Primal Beginning Sect’s passage back to the Taihua Spiritual Void Realm.
• Clear Source True Monarch threatened Void Insight of the Myriad Chariots Sword Sect, but an unknown sword light shattered the Buddha hand before it could seize the floating platform.
• Xu Yunfan decided to use the chaos around the South Heaven Gate to infiltrate the Heavenly Court’s core region.
• Zhao Moyang, Leng Yuehua, and Sun Qishan ambushed Xu Yunfan with a tricolor barrier that blocked his escape.
• Xu Yunfan recognized the three Foundation Establishment True Persons, warned them against jeopardizing the sect’s plan, and prepared to fight as Zhao Moyang began explaining their intentions.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter begins with the protagonist, Esther Greenwood, waking up to find blood on her sheets, indicating the start of her menstrual period.
• She decides to take the day off from her job at a New York fashion magazine, despite feeling well physically.
• Esther spends the day wandering around New York City, visiting various places like the Plaza Hotel, the zoo, and a movie theater.
• She meets up with a former lover, Marco, and they have lunch together. Marco offers to take her to a party that evening, but Esther declines.

Character Developments

• Esther's decision to take a day off work due to her period suggests a growing awareness of her body and its cycles, marking a step towards self-awareness and independence.
• Her aimless wandering around the city indicates a sense of restlessness and disconnection from her daily routine, hinting at her underlying emotional turmoil.

Significant Themes

• Femininity and the Body: Esther's period serves as a reminder of her female identity and the physical aspects of womanhood that she has been trying to ignore or escape.
• Alienation and Disconnection: Esther's aimless wandering and lack of connection with others highlight her feelings of isolation and detachment from society.

Character Interactions

• Esther's encounter with Marco, an old flame, offers a brief moment of connection and comfort. However, their interaction also underscores Esther's emotional distance, as she declines his invitation to a party, preferring to spend the evening alone.
• Esther's interactions with strangers, such as the hotel doorman and the movie theater usher, are brief and impersonal, further emphasizing her sense of detachment.

Zhao Moyang, Sun Qishan, and Leng Yuehua tried to force Xu Yunfan to surrender the True Scripture of the Unyielding Nine Heavens, but Pudu True Monarch’s arrival interrupted their confrontation. Pudu joined Clear Source True Monarch against the Heavenly Emperor, and the chapter ended as Pudu struck toward the west with his cane.

• Zhao Moyang demanded that Xu Yunfan hand over the Divine Firmament True Scripture, while Sun Qishan and Leng Yuehua prepared to attack him.
• Xu Yunfan refused to give up the scripture and deduced that the others had discovered its origins during his battle with Nezha.
• Pudu True Monarch appeared over the battlefield and used a dark golden ripple to hinder the Heavenly Emperor.
• Pudu True Monarch urged Clear Source True Monarch to join forces and kill the Heavenly Emperor quickly.
• Clear Source True Monarch strengthened his Sword of Judgment and struck at the Heavenly Emperor as Pudu True Monarch pointed his cane westward.

Pudu True Monarch and Clear Source True Monarch trapped the Heavenly Emperor in a devastating assault, while Xu Yunfan used the moment to activate a hidden formation disk and isolate himself with Zhao Moyang, Leng Yuehua, and Sun Qishan. The three attacked him inside the thunder formation as Xu Yunfan unleashed the power he had been building.

• Pudu True Monarch froze the Buddha kingdom while Cave Void True Monarch sealed it with sword threads, leaving the Heavenly Emperor under attack from Pudu True Monarch and Clear Source True Monarch.
• The Heavenly Court shook as the two True Monarchs’ assault damaged the South Heaven Gate and threatened the Boundary Heaven’s laws.
• Xu Yunfan activated the Five Thunder Reversal Origin Lock Heaven Formation, blocking much of Pudu True Monarch’s pressure and cutting off the valley from outside detection.
• Zhao Moyang, Leng Yuehua, and Sun Qishan launched coordinated attacks against Xu Yunfan inside the formation.
• Xu Yunfan smiled as the power he had long accumulated burst forth from his sea of consciousness.

Xu Yunfan unleashed the Five Thunder Reversal Origin Lock Heaven Formation’s devastating purple lightning, overwhelming Zhao Moyang and Leng Yuehua and stopping Sun Qishan’s assault. As Sun’s axe aura struck Xu’s lightning shield, the battle remained unresolved.

• Xu Yunfan empowered himself with his battle art and star-derived mana, then used the formation to create a lightning net of three hundred and sixty Heavenly Fiend Lightning Fiend Pearls.
• The lightning net erased Zhao Moyang’s Soul Slaughter Spears, injuring him and leaving him stunned.
• The net slowed Leng Yuehua’s Azure Bamboo Small Sword, and Xu Yunfan’s lightning strike cracked the weapon and injured her divine sense.
• Sun Qishan forced his blood axe through the lightning and attacked Xu Yunfan, who gathered the lightning net into a rotating shield.
• Xu Yunfan’s lightning millstone shield ground apart Sun Qishan’s scarlet axe aura.

Xu Yunfan unleashed the Five Thunder Reversal Origin Lock Heaven Formation’s full power, overwhelming Zhao Moyang, Leng Yuehua, and Sun Qishan with Nine Heavens Purple Tenuity Emperor Lightning. The three attackers were left gravely injured as the lightning storm raged on.

• Sun Qishan’s attack was turned back by Xu Yunfan’s formation, injuring all three attackers and shocking Zhao Moyang with its power.
• Xu Yunfan activated the formation’s final technique, compressing its barrier and fusing the Heavenly Fiend Lightning Fiend Pearls into a vortex of Emperor Lightning.
• Zhao Moyang tried to defend himself with the Profound Yin Overturning Sea Shield, but the lightning storm rapidly dissolved his barriers.
• Leng Yuehua’s ice defenses failed under the lightning, leaving her wounded and her Azure Bamboo Small Sword nearly drained of power.
• Sun Qishan was battered by the storm until his body was covered in severe burns and wounds, and he could barely remain upright.

Xu Yunfan concealed his connection to Zhao Moyang and the others, then revealed his refined Myriad Souls Banner and began drawing them into it. The chapter left their bodies and souls being forcibly pulled toward the banner despite their desperate protests.

• Zhao Moyang threatened Xu Yunfan with Pudu True Monarch, but Xu Yunfan used his secret arts to erase their karmic traces and deny responsibility for their deaths.
• Xu Yunfan reassured the wounded trio that he would not kill them, then summoned his pitch-black Myriad Souls Banner.
• Xu Yunfan corrected Zhao Moyang by calling the artifact the Zhou Tian Star Spirit Banner and claimed its captives would become Star Lords.
• Xu Yunfan activated the banner, which unleashed ghostly cries and an overwhelming suction force against Zhao Moyang, Leng Yuehua, and Sun Qishan.
• The banner began stripping away Zhao Moyang's yin qi, essence blood, mana, flesh, and divine soul as the three cried out in terror.

Xu Yunfan killed three Foundation Establishment cultivators and absorbed their souls into the Zhou Tian Star Spirit Banner, then surveyed the ruined Heavenly Court. With True Monarchs battling overhead and the South Heaven Gate destroyed, he prepared to sneak inside and plunder its treasures.

• Xu Yunfan absorbed Leng Yuehua, Sun Qishan, and a third cultivator into the Zhou Tian Star Spirit Banner as new Star Lords.
• Xu Yunfan retrieved the damaged formation disc, and Zhang Ziyang advised him on improving the banner before choosing to remain within it.
• Xu Yunfan saw that the South Heaven Gate and much of the Heavenly Court had been devastated by the battle between Clear Source True Monarch, Pudu True Monarch, and the Heavenly Emperor.
• Xu Yunfan decided to enter the Heavenly Court and seize its treasures before other cultivators could reach them.
• Xu Yunfan activated three concealment arts and treasures to hide himself as he prepared to slip through the ruined gate.

Xu Yunfan infiltrated the ruined Heavenly Court and entered the Alchemy Hall, where he collected scattered treasures and sought a giant pill cauldron. A Myriad Chariots Sword Sect cultivator ambushed him, but Xu Yunfan broke the sword lock with his physical strength and closed in for a close-quarters fight.

• Xu Yunfan raced through the ruined Heavenly Court, avoiding a battle between Primal Beginning Sect disciples and heavenly soldiers.
• Xu Yunfan entered the Alchemy Hall and spotted protected jade boxes, treasures, and a purple-gold pill cauldron.
• Xu Yunfan swept the jade boxes, bottles, gourd, pot, crystal, and other items into his Sleeve Universe.
• A Myriad Chariots Sword Sect Foundation Establishment sword cultivator ambushed Xu Yunfan with a Mounting Heaven Sword strike.
• Xu Yunfan activated the True Scripture of the Unyielding Nine Heavens, shattered the floor with a stomp, broke the sword lock, and rushed toward the attacker.

Xu Yunfan killed Fei Lun in close combat and absorbed his essence and sword intent into the Zhou Tian Star Spirit Banner. He hurried toward the Heavenly River as the Heavenly Emperor’s defenses collapsed, where he found a wounded woman lying on the shattered stellar sand.

• Xu Yunfan shattered Fei Lun’s spirit sword and defenses with a single punch, killing the Myriad Chariots Sword Sect cultivator.
• Xu Yunfan drew Fei Lun’s corpse and broken sword into the Zhou Tian Star Spirit Banner, creating a new Banner Spirit.
• Fei Lun explained that his Clear Sword Heart and True Seeing Sword Intent had let him detect Xu Yunfan through his concealment.
• Xu Yunfan saw that the Heavenly Emperor’s Clear Light Barrier was failing under the True Monarchs’ attacks and hurried deeper into the Heavenly Court.
• Xu Yunfan reached the collapsing Heavenly River and spotted a badly wounded woman on a shoal of shattered stellar sand.

Xu Yunfan seized the Immortal Golden Nature sustaining the dying Empress of Heaven and discovered it led to the Great Yin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit. With the Empress weakened and the Heavenly Emperor nearing defeat, Xu Yunfan attacked her mind and demanded to know where the Hidden World Dao Fruit was concealed.

• Xu Yunfan found the wounded Empress of Heaven clutching a strand of Immortal Golden Nature and forcibly took it from her.
• Xu Yunfan learned that the Golden Nature came from the Great Yin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit, and his Dao cultivation increased.
• The Empress of Heaven awoke, identified herself, and offered Xu Yunfan fortune and profound mysteries if he returned her path to the Dao.
• Xu Yunfan recognized the Empress as a deeply cultivated Foundation Establishment Paragon whose strength had been undermined by the Heavenly Emperor's fall and the loss of her Golden Nature.
• Xu Yunfan seized the Empress's wrist, invaded her chaotic sea of consciousness, and demanded the location of the Hidden World Dao Fruit.