Chapter Summaries

Han Shi killed Huirui Bodhisattva at the cost of his own life, while Xu Yunfan captured both fallen foes’ remnants in the Star Spirit Banner and claimed the Dao Fruit of the Divine Vault. As Xu Yunfan began merging with the Dao Fruit, Clear Source True Monarch struck to stop him.

• Han Shi shattered Huirui’s defenses with his final sword strike, killing the Bodhisattva and destroying his Dao Fruit and sacred tree.
• Great Awakening Bodhisattva tried to rush to Huirui, but Pudu True Monarch stopped him at the border of the Bodhi Zen Pure Land.
• Xu Yunfan trapped Huirui’s scattered soul in the Star Spirit Banner and refined it into a glazed relic.
• Han Shi died after the Myriad Chariots Sword Sect extracted the Return to the Ruins Sword Intent, and Xu Yunfan drew him into the banner.
• The Dao Fruit of the Divine Vault descended to Xu Yunfan, who plunged his Cave Heaven Prototype into it to attain the Dao.
• Clear Source True Monarch reached through space to attack Xu Yunfan’s Thunder World Prototype as it began merging with the Dao Fruit.

Xu Yunfan used the Lin Character Secret and a one-use vessel refined from the Great Yin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit to borrow Golden Core power against Clear Source True Monarch. As his borrowed strength surged toward Mid Golden Core, Lu Chunyang recognized the Lin Character Secret and wondered how Xu Yunfan had obtained it.

• Xu Yunfan entered the Lin Stance and shattered the Moon Wheel Treasure Mirror to unleash the sealed Great Yin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit.
• Xu Yunfan borrowed Golden Core power and gained a new perception of the laws and structure of the world, revealing weaknesses in Clear Source True Monarch’s attacks.
• Clear Source True Monarch reacted with shock and anger as Xu Yunfan’s aura continued to rise.
• Xu Yunfan combined the borrowed power with his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye, Battle Character Art, and Northern Pole Ziwei Suppressing Fiend Profound Qi, pushing toward Mid Golden Core.
• Lu Chunyang recognized the Lin Character Secret and realized Xu Yunfan’s Golden Core power came from borrowing the Lunar Dao Fruit.
• Lu Chunyang denied teaching Xu Yunfan the secret art and suggested it may have come through Yu Congling, a disciple of Tong Xuan True Monarch.

Xu Yunfan invoked the Lin Character Secret to borrow Golden Core-level power and trap Qingyuan True Monarch in a lethal assault. As Qingyuan’s defenses failed, he tried to appeal to their past, but Xu Yunfan continued attacking.

• Heavenly Light True Monarch let the dispute over True Monarch Tongxuan rest, while Nine Abyss Profound Fiend Cave Illuminating True Monarch and Great Awakening Bodhisattva recognized the power and danger of Xu Yunfan’s technique.
• The Myriad Chariots Sword Sect’s elders and disciples sensed Xu Yunfan using the Lin Character Secret, and Lu Chunyang watched in shock.
• Xu Yunfan unleashed eight kinds of Divine Firmament thunder and merged them into the Heavenly Fiend Divine Firmament Evil-Breaking True Thunder.
• Xu Yunfan activated the Star Spirit Banner, and its three Golden Core Banner Spirits helped form a Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Array that suppressed Qingyuan True Monarch.
• As the thunder and array overwhelmed him, Qingyuan True Monarch begged Xu Yunfan to stop and recalled the favors he had done for him, but Xu Yunfan answered with a still more precise barrage.

Xu Yunfan defeated Clear Source True Monarch and chose not to destroy his True Spirit after Pudu True Monarch warned him. He then fused with the Divine Vault Dao Fruit and attained the Golden Core Realm, beginning his path as a new True Monarch.

• Xu Yunfan struck Clear Source True Monarch with the Heavenly Fiend Divine Vault Evil-Smiting Righteous Thunder, leaving only his damaged True Spirit and Dao Fruit remnant.
• Pudu True Monarch warned Xu Yunfan not to extinguish Clear Source True Monarch's True Spirit or seize his Dao Fruit, so Xu Yunfan let him enter reincarnation and vowed to settle their debt later.
• Xu Yunfan's temporary Golden Core power faded, and his Dao Foundation drew in the Divine Vault Dao Fruit.
• Xu Yunfan condensed a Golden Core and became the Divine Vault Ninefold Profound Heavens True Monarch.
• Lu Chunyang welcomed Xu Yunfan's breakthrough, while Pudu True Monarch and Great Awakening Bodhisattva reflected on its consequences.

After surviving the Golden Core tribulation, Xu Yunfan consolidated his cultivation and reflected on the schemes and sacrifices that had let him overcome the many obstacles to becoming a True Monarch. He then wondered what path lay beyond the Golden Core, since every scripture he knew ended there and the True Monarchs guarded the answer.

• Xu Yunfan returned to Divine Firmament Peak and delayed visiting the sect’s factions while he consolidated his new Golden Core realm.
• Xu Yunfan considered how the Heavenly Dao’s dwindling Dao Fruit Origin and the True Monarchs’ opposition made attaining the Golden Core perilous.
• Xu Yunfan recalled how Han Shi’s and Wukong’s simultaneous actions distracted the Myriad Chariots Sword Sect and disrupted Bodhi Zen Pure Land, creating an opening for his main body to attain the Divine Vault Dao Fruit.
• Xu Yunfan examined the Divine Vault Golden Core and realized that his current cultivation arts offered no guidance beyond the Golden Core Realm.
• Xu Yunfan wondered how cultivators advanced beyond the Golden Core, while the True Monarchs kept that knowledge secret.

Xu Yunfan accepted Nine Abyss Profound Fiend Cave Illuminating True Monarch’s invitation and traveled to Profound Fiend Mountain, where he saw how her Golden Core imagery shaped her Dao field. He entered her hall and found Cave Bright True Monarch waiting on a couch.

• Mo Du delivered Cave Bright True Monarch’s invitation to Xu Yunfan, who agreed to visit Profound Fiend Mountain.
• Xu Yunfan considered the risks of visiting the Myriad Chariots Sword Sect and resolved to seek other opportunities to learn about cultivation beyond the Golden Core.
• Xu Yunfan traveled with Mo Du to Profound Fiend Mountain and sensed Cave Bright True Monarch’s eerie Dao field resisting his thoughts.
• Xu Yunfan recognized soul-fire lanterns in Cave Bright True Monarch’s hall as rare Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
• Xu Yunfan entered the hall and saw Cave Bright True Monarch reclining on a couch.

Xu Yunfan met Cave Bright True Monarch, who proposed that they cultivate together, and they tested their opposing Dao powers in an intense exchange. Afterward, Xu Yunfan asked why she had invited him, but she teased him for rushing to business.

• Cave Bright True Monarch openly proposed that she and Xu Yunfan cultivate together through the harmony of yin and yang.
• Xu Yunfan accepted the proposal as a mutual verification of their Dao and used the opportunity to draw closer to her.
• Cave Bright True Monarch withdrew her probing divine sense, and the two began a trial of their Golden Core Dao powers.
• Xu Yunfan resisted her Nine Hells Profound Fiend while tempering his Divine Vault power and gaining insight into yin and yang.
• After several hours, Xu Yunfan thanked her for the exchange and asked what else she wanted to discuss.
• Cave Bright True Monarch teased Xu Yunfan for putting his clothes in order and immediately asking about business.

Xu Yunfan met Cave Bright True Monarch, who congratulated him for entering the Golden Core Realm and for killing Qingyuan, then offered to exchange cultivation guidance for information about the Attila Realm. Xu accepted the deal and examined her Jade Slip containing insights into early Golden Core cultivation.

• Cave Bright True Monarch congratulated Xu Yunfan on reaching the Golden Core Realm and praised him for killing Qingyuan, whose fall had avenged her thousand-year grudge.
• Cave Bright True Monarch proposed that she and Xu Yunfan watch out for one another, and Xu asked her to explain the path of cultivation after the Golden Core Realm.
• Cave Bright True Monarch asked Xu for the precise coordinates of the Attila Realm and everything he knew about it in exchange for her cultivation insights.
• Xu Yunfan accepted the deal, and Cave Bright True Monarch handed him a Jade Slip as a deposit before he provided the Attila Realm information.
• Xu Yunfan examined the Jade Slip and found guidance on nourishing and stabilizing the Cave Heaven Prototype and strengthening the Golden Core.

Xu Yunfan traded intelligence about the Attila Realm with Cave Bright True Monarch and received guidance on advancing his Golden Core. Back at Divine Firmament Peak, he concluded that he could nurture his Golden Core by devouring other Dao Fruits.

• Xu Yunfan gave Cave Bright True Monarch detailed information about the Attila Realm, including its gods and Qingyuan True Monarch’s activities there.
• Cave Bright True Monarch explained that Xu Yunfan needed to nurture his Golden Core and transform his grotto-heaven into a true minor world.
• Xu Yunfan left Profound Fiend Mountain wary that Cave Bright True Monarch might be using Qingyuan True Monarch as bait, and returned to Divine Firmament Peak to consolidate his realm.
• Xu Yunfan examined his Attribute Panel and considered how a Golden Core cultivator could pursue immortality through a grotto-heaven.
• Xu Yunfan realized that the realm’s Dao Fruits embodied Heaven and Earth Origin and Great Dao laws, and that devouring other Dao Fruits could nourish his own.

Xu Yunfan considered which Dao Fruits he would need to stabilize his Golden Core, identifying the Great Yin Nether Dragon and Crimson Sun Dao Fruits as possible parts of a cycle despite the dangers of claiming them. He then visited Pudu True Monarch, who welcomed him and dismissed the conflict with Qingyuan as settled, leaving Xu Yunfan wary of the Sect Master's serene manner.

• Xu Yunfan concluded that he needed to refine three mutually reinforcing Dao Fruits, and considered combining the Divine Vault, Great Yin Nether Dragon, and Crimson Sun Dao Fruits into a cycle.
• Xu Yunfan recognized that pursuing the Crimson Sun Dao Fruit would make him a natural enemy of True Monarch Chiyang, while reaching the Great Yin Nether Dragon Dao Fruit would require entering the Sea of Suffering of Reincarnation.
• Xu Yunfan remembered that he had not paid respects to Pudu True Monarch and traveled to Cheng Hua Mountain to visit the Primal Beginning Sect's ruler.
• A Yellow-robed Daoist escorted Xu Yunfan into the Pudu Dharma Propagation Hall, where he sensed that Pudu True Monarch's cultivation surpassed Qingyuan True Monarch's and Cave Bright True Monarch's.
• Pudu True Monarch welcomed Xu Yunfan, praised his Golden Core achievement, and said Qingyuan had deserved his fate for obstructing another's path of the Dao; Xu Yunfan thanked him but felt wary.

Pudu True Monarch explained that his Dao sought to purify the world by saving all living beings, which Xu Yunfan understood meant killing everyone. He offered Xu Yunfan a vacant immortal mountain and urged him to support the sect, leaving Xu Yunfan to ask whether Pudu True Monarch resented him for taking the Great Yin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit.

• Pudu True Monarch told Xu Yunfan that his Dao Imprint, Pudu All Beings, Pure World Glazed, aimed to purify the world by saving all living beings.
• Pudu True Monarch offered Xu Yunfan a choice among five vacant immortal mountains for his dojo and explained that the sect had dwindled to three True Monarchs.
• Pudu True Monarch urged Xu Yunfan to cultivate diligently and consider the Primal Beginning Sect's future, while Xu Yunfan listened cautiously.
• Xu Yunfan raised the Great Yin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit and apologized for taking it, testing whether Pudu True Monarch considered him an enemy.
• Pudu True Monarch's compassionate expression briefly faded before returning.

Pudu True Monarch forgave Xu Yunfan for taking the Great Yin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit and brought him to the Primal Beginning Palace to worship the Primal Beginning Dao Lord. As Xu Yunfan offered heart incense, an overwhelming gaze descended and examined him completely.

• Pudu True Monarch accepted Xu Yunfan's explanation and declared that the dispute over the Great Yin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit was over.
• Pudu True Monarch told Xu Yunfan to choose an immortal mountain, then invited him to behold the Dao Lord's manifestation.
• Pudu True Monarch led Xu Yunfan to the Primal Beginning Palace and instructed him to enter with reverence.
• Xu Yunfan bowed before the Dao Lord's shifting manifestation and offered heart incense containing his divine sense and Dharma power.
• An ancient gaze fell upon Xu Yunfan and saw through his body, soul, and Divine Vault Golden Core, while he suppressed his urge to resist.

After Xu Yunfan's Golden Core breakthrough drew the approval of the Primal Beginning Dao Lord, Pudu True Monarch told him to choose an immortal mountain. Xu Yunfan claimed Divine Firmament Mountain, whose thunderbolt source power began strengthening his Golden Core and transferring the mountain's authority to him.

• The Primal Beginning Dao Lord examined Xu Yunfan's heart incense and approved of his Divine Vault and Unyielding Profound Heavens path.
• Pudu True Monarch explained that Golden Core cultivators could enter the Dao Lord's sight and suggested Xu Yunfan choose one of the Nine Immortal Mountains.
• Xu Yunfan sensed the mountains' laws and selected Divine Firmament Mountain, which resonated with his Divine Vault Golden Core.
• Xu Yunfan touched the mountain's stele, and its thunderclouds struck him with its source essence and transferred its knowledge and authority to him.
• Xu Yunfan circulated the True Scripture of the Unyielding Nine Heavens as Divine Firmament Mountain recognized him as its new master, the Divine Vault True Monarch.

Xu Yunfan used Divine Firmament Mountain’s accumulated thunderbolt power and Cave Bright True Monarch’s insights to stabilize his Golden Core and advance his Cave Heaven Prototype. After strengthening the mountain’s defenses, he welcomed Bi Yuan and the others to become disciples under his command.

• Xu Yunfan corrected errors in Cave Bright True Monarch’s nurturing-core guidance and rapidly stabilized his Divine Vault Golden Core with the Attribute Panel and Divine Firmament Mountain’s power.
• Xu Yunfan drew upon the Dao Fruit of the Divine Vault to weave purple-gold lightning and began developing the laws within his Cave Heaven Prototype.
• Xu Yunfan linked the Myriad Stars Array to Divine Firmament Mountain, creating a powerful defensive formation.
• Xu Yunfan summoned Bi Yuan, Xue Zhen, Qing Ming, Mud Old Man, Hemp-Clad Old Daoist, and several former Divine Firmament Peak disciples to Divine Firmament Mountain.
• Xu Yunfan accepted the arrivals as disciples under his command and assigned them cultivation cave abodes.

After stabilizing Divine Firmament Mountain and his Golden Core, Xu Yunfan considered how to strengthen his Cave Heaven Dao Fruit by acquiring other Dao Fruits. He weighed the dangers of targeting True Monarch Chiyang and possible ways to exploit his rivalries, then sensed that Cave Bright True Monarch had vanished from Profound Fiend Mountain.

• Xu Yunfan settled the sect disciples, refined Divine Firmament Mountain's origin, stabilized his Golden Core, and completed the initial deployment of the Mountain Protection Array.
• Xu Yunfan identified True Monarch Chiyang's Li Guangran Yan Chi Yang Dao Fruit as a powerful but dangerous target for balancing and strengthening his Cave Heaven Dao Fruit.
• Xu Yunfan investigated True Monarch Chiyang's combat abilities, grudges, and ties to the Myriad Chariots Sword Sect and Bodhi Zen Pure Land.
• Xu Yunfan tried to sense the Great Yin Nether Dragon Dao Fruit in the Sea of Suffering of Reincarnation but failed to reach it.
• Xu Yunfan considered using Bodhi Zen Pure Land, the North Pole True Monarch, or the Pure Yang Ancestor to weaken Chiyang, while resolving to strengthen himself and wait for an opening.
• Xu Yunfan sensed that Cave Bright True Monarch's immense aura had disappeared from Profound Fiend Mountain.

After thirty years of cultivation, Xu Yunfan stabilized his Divine Vault Golden Core and advanced his Cave Heaven Support, while True Monarch Chiyang and True Monarch Tongxuan plotted to ambush him in the Realm Sea. Cave Bright True Monarch returned from the Attila Realm badly injured and summoned Xu Yunfan to Profound Fiend Mountain.

• Xu Yunfan judged that Cave Bright True Monarch would struggle against the three chief deities in the Attila Realm and hoped her setback would make her value his cooperation.
• Xu Yunfan spent thirty years cultivating, stabilized his Divine Vault Golden Core, and raised Cave Heaven Support to 37%.
• True Monarch Chiyang revealed to True Monarch Tongxuan that he had placed an agent in the Primal Devil Sect to warn him when Xu Yunfan entered the Realm Sea, where they planned to seize his Divine Vault Dao Fruit.
• Cave Bright True Monarch returned to Profound Fiend Mountain weakened and summoned Xu Yunfan to speak with her.
• Xu Yunfan arrived at the bone-jade hall and saw Cave Bright True Monarch injured and visibly agitated.

Cave Bright True Monarch asked Xu Yunfan to help her return to the Attila Realm and defeat its three main gods, offering cultivation insights, dual cultivation, and a share of their Dao Fruits. Xu Yunfan accepted after securing her Golden Core teachings, and they agreed to set out in three days.

• Cave Bright True Monarch recounted how the three Attila main gods trapped and injured her, forcing her to retreat.
• Cave Bright True Monarch appealed to Xu Yunfan for help, but he initially refused because his Golden Core foundation was not stable.
• Cave Bright True Monarch offered Xu Yunfan her Golden Core cultivation insights, her primal yin through dual cultivation, and a share of the Attila gods' Dao Fruits.
• Xu Yunfan agreed to help, revealing that he knew the main gods' weaknesses and had an insider in Attila.
• Cave Bright True Monarch gave Xu Yunfan a Jade Slip of her cultivation insights, and they agreed to enter Attila again in three days.

Xu Yunfan journeyed with Cave Bright True Monarch toward the Attila Realm, intending to use its resources to advance his cultivation. Two True Monarchs ambushed them in the Realm Sea, and Cave Bright abandoned Xu Yunfan to flee for help.

• Xu Yunfan combined Cave Bright True Monarch’s insights with his own and advanced his Cave Heaven Support, while deciding not to refine an Outer Realm Dao Fruit Position into himself.
• After three days of Yin-Yang dual cultivation, Xu Yunfan and Cave Bright True Monarch departed for the Attila Realm through the Realm Sea.
• Xu Yunfan used his Divine Vault Dao Fruit to fend off the Chaos Birth and Death Profound Light as they traveled toward Attila.
• True Monarch Chiyang and True Monarch Tongxuan intercepted them, demanding Xu Yunfan’s Dao Fruit of the Divine Vault.
• Cave Bright True Monarch fled toward the Taihua Spiritual Void Realm, leaving Xu Yunfan to face the two attackers alone.

Xu Yunfan confronted True Monarch Chiyang and True Monarch Tongxuan in the Realm Sea after they joined forces to seize his Dao Fruit. He fought them with his Divine Vault Thunder and newly forged Zhou Tian Star Spirit Banner, then fled toward Attila as the two True Monarchs pursued him.

• Xu Yunfan revealed that he had anticipated Chiyang and Tongxuan’s ambush and challenged them to settle their struggle for Dao in the Realm Sea.
• Xu Yunfan used his Divine Vault Thunder to break Chiyang’s lava shield and his Zhou Tian Star Spirit Banner to trap Tongxuan’s sword and block their combined attacks.
• Xu Yunfan invoked the Lin Character Secret, allowing him to perceive the weaknesses in both opponents’ Dao techniques and forcing them to recognize his strength.
• Chiyang and Tongxuan launched their combined sword arrays, but Xu Yunfan’s Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Array swallowed the attack and revealed his banner as a Natal Spiritual Treasure.
• Xu Yunfan, Chiyang, and Tongxuan exchanged injuries in a fierce battle, with Xu Yunfan unable to finish Chiyang while Tongxuan guarded him.
• Xu Yunfan fled toward Attila, and Chiyang and Tongxuan pursued him into the Attila Realm.

Xu Yunfan’s Karma Secret Technique left True Monarch Chiyang and True Monarch Tongxuan exposed to the Attila Realm’s Heavenly Dao and its three Main Gods. The two True Monarchs fought back under the realm’s suppression, but the battle was still underway.

• True Monarch Chiyang and True Monarch Tongxuan entered the Attila Realm with their Golden Core auras exposed, and the Heavenly Dao summoned the three Main Gods to confront them.
• Xu Yunfan mocked the two True Monarchs and vanished into the realm before Chiyang could strike him.
• The Heavenly Dao suppressed Chiyang and Tongxuan as the Lord of the Firmament Orion, the Light Main God Orion, and the Dark Main God Ymir launched a coordinated attack.
• True Monarch Chiyang used the Fensui Sword to unleash a Lava Tsunami against the Lord of the Firmament Orion and the Light Main God Orion, but the Heavenly Dao’s suppression hindered him.
• True Monarch Tongxuan used his Sword Soul Dao Fruit to strike the core of Ymir’s claw, and the clash rang out like ice striking divine iron.