Chapter Summaries

Zhang Qingyuan faced growing hostility as Yin Tianjun tried to incite the gathered cultivators into killing him. Zhang Qingyuan killed Yin Tianjun instantly, leaving the others frightened and readying their trump cards as he warned them that he was informing them, not negotiating.

• Yin Tianjun stirred the crowd's hostility toward Zhang Qingyuan, hoping to win favor with Old Ancestor Lu by having Zhang killed.
• As Yin Tianjun prepared to provoke a fight, Zhang Qingyuan appeared behind him and crushed him to dust with a single palm.
• The surrounding cultivators retreated in terror and prepared to use their trump cards against Zhang Qingyuan.
• Zhang Qingyuan told the gathered cultivators that he was informing them, not discussing the matter with them.

Zhang Qingyuan claimed the Five Elements Dao Foundation after intimidating the cultivators gathered around the Divine Mountain, then departed with it. As he examined the treasure and considered completing his Five Elements cultivation, the Yuantian Realm began to collapse.

• Zhang Qingyuan warned the surrounding cultivators that the first person to attack him would die, keeping them from making a move.
• The Five Elements Dao Foundation emerged from the space vortex, and Zhang Qingyuan drew it into his body.
• Zhang Qingyuan flew toward the Divine Mountain’s passage exit while the other cultivators watched him leave and then turned to a new battle.
• Zhang Qingyuan inspected the Five Elements Dao Foundation and resolved to complete his Five Elements Power and form his own Five Elements Divine Ability.
• The Yuantian Realm shook violently and began to collapse around Zhang Qingyuan.

A seed emerged within the Mysterious Mountain, triggering a battle among True Essence Realm Cultivators and the intervention of Cave True-level powers that accelerated the Yuantian Realm’s collapse. Zhang Qingyuan fled toward the exit after glimpsing the seed and gaining insight into Cave True Dao techniques, while other cultivators were torn apart by Space Rifts.

• True Essence Realm Cultivators fought over the newly emerged seed, and someone activated a backup plan left by a Cave True Great Power.
• The resulting Cave True-level clash destroyed the space within the Divine Mountain and accelerated the Yuantian Realm’s collapse.
• Zhang Qingyuan sensed the danger and raced toward the exit, avoiding Space Rifts with his divine sense.
• Zhang Qingyuan glimpsed the seed amid the battle and gained insight that could help him advance toward Cave True.
• Zhang Qingyuan resolved to perfect the Five Elements Great Dao and flee rather than join the battle.
• Other True Essence Realm Cultivators fled toward the exit, and many were caught in Space Rifts and torn apart.

Zhang Qingyuan escaped the collapsing Yuantian Realm after gathering numerous powerful inheritances and treasures, confident he could soon contend with Cave True Law Domain experts. The moment he emerged, however, a Cave True Law Domain powerhouse ambushed him, leaving him trapped beneath an overwhelming attack.

• Zhang Qingyuan sped through the collapsing Yuantian Realm as other cultivators fled, and many were killed by spatial rifts and the battle's destructive aftershocks.
• Zhang Qingyuan reached the vortex exit and reflected on his gains, including the Five Elements inheritance, the Divine Mountain's Five Elements Dao Foundation, and new techniques and treasures.
• Zhang Qingyuan resolved to spend the next few years absorbing his gains so he could contend with Cave True Law Domain experts.
• As Zhang Qingyuan emerged from the Yuantian Realm, a Cave True Law Domain powerhouse launched a sudden ambush that left him seemingly with nowhere to escape.

Old Ancestor Lu ambushed Zhang Qingyuan with a Cave True attack, and Zhang Qingyuan survived the first blow by detonating his Dharma Treasures, countering with Buddha Kingdom in Palm, and escaping the remaining force. He was severely injured but gained insight into the Dao as Lu's attack carved a vast chasm through the mountains.

• Old Ancestor Lu launched a sudden killing blow at Zhang Qingyuan, who sensed the ambush and threw out more than twenty Dharma Treasures.
• Zhang Qingyuan detonated the Dharma Treasures, disrupting Lu's attack long enough to unleash Buddha Kingdom in Palm.
• Lu's Sky-Covering Hand crushed Zhang Qingyuan's counterattack and left him severely injured.
• Zhang Qingyuan gained insight into the Dao, then used Mayfly Between Heaven and Earth to evade the remaining attack.
• Lu's giant hand struck the earth, blasting a thousand-zhang abyss and splitting mountain ranges for dozens of miles.

Lu Tianxu was stunned when Zhang Qingyuan survived his attack, but Daoist Ming Shui intervened and forced Lu Tianxu to flee with injuries. Lu Tianxu left vowing to kill Zhang Qingyuan after Ming Shui died.

• Lu Tianxu sensed that Zhang Qingyuan had survived his strike and prepared to attack him again.
• Daoist Ming Shui arrived and unleashed a sword attack, forcing Lu Tianxu to defend himself with his golden Law Domain.
• Ming Shui's attack shattered Lu Tianxu's Law Domain, and Lu Tianxu escaped while the ensuing power destroyed the mountain and killed the Golden Extremity Sect disciples there.
• Lu Tianxu reappeared far away, injured, and realized that Ming Shui was far stronger than he had expected.
• Lu Tianxu blamed Zhang Qingyuan for his predicament, vowed to kill him after Ming Shui died, and departed to recover from his wounds.

Daoist Ming Shui rescued Zhang Qingyuan from Lu Tianxu’s attack and revealed that his own lifespan was nearly exhausted. He learned that Zhang Qingyuan was close to completing his Five Elements Power and preparing to pursue the Five Elements Great Dao.

• Lu Tianxu blamed Zhang Qingyuan for the losses in the Yuantian Realm and planned to have others seek revenge on him.
• Daoist Ming Shui drew Zhang Qingyuan into his Law Domain and rescued him from the space vortex.
• Zhang Qingyuan saw how aged and near death Daoist Ming Shui had become.
• Daoist Ming Shui recognized that Zhang Qingyuan’s Five Elements Power was nearly complete.
• Zhang Qingyuan said he had gained what he needed to complete the Gold Element and begin the Evolution Method.
• Daoist Ming Shui reflected that Zhang Qingyuan might truly succeed where no one had for thousands of years.

Zhang Qingyuan received the Water Element Lineage’s inheritance and its token from Daoist Ming Shui, learning more about the Cloud Water Sect’s history and his own ties to the lineage. After telling Daoist Ming Shui about a Teleportation Array that might lead to his homeland, Zhang Qingyuan flew onward, burdened by the old cultivator’s fate.

• Zhang Qingyuan reviewed the Water Element Lineage’s jade-slip inheritance and the Divine Water Seal that Daoist Ming Shui had passed to him.
• Zhang Qingyuan learned that the Water Element Lineage had joined the Cloud Water Sect after the upheaval a thousand years ago and that its mark had influenced his place in the Sect.
• Daoist Ming Shui told Zhang Qingyuan that he had come from the Nine Continents Continent after crossing the Absolute Heaven Abyss centuries earlier.
• Zhang Qingyuan recalled that Daoist Ming Shui’s longing to return home had become an obsession and that he had told him about a Teleportation Array in the South Sea.
• Zhang Qingyuan sighed, shook his head, and accelerated toward the horizon.

After returning quietly to the Moon Liên Islands, Zhang Qingyuan reflected on his growth and his attachment to the place he had made his home. A day-and-night meditation gave him new insight into the hearts of Heaven and humanity, and Yang Yuyan came to ask about his encounter with Medicine King Valley in the Yuantian Realm.

• Zhang Qingyuan decided to remain in the Yuantian Realm’s aftermath and digest his gains until he could break through into Cave True.
• Zhang Qingyuan returned discreetly to the Moon Liên Islands, where only Elder Zhang Changyang and Yang Yuyan knew he was back.
• Zhang Qingyuan surveyed the islands’ growth and reflected on how they had become his home, resolving to defend them if anyone threatened them.
• Zhang Qingyuan stood on the Main Peak for a day and night, sensing the islands’ emotions and gaining insight into the heart of Heaven and the heart of man.
• Yang Yuyan visited Zhang Qingyuan and asked for details about the people from Medicine King Valley he had encountered in the Yuantian Realm.

News of the Yuantian Realm’s destruction and clashes among Cave True Great Powers shook the Yuzhou Cultivation World. Zhang Qingyuan’s feat of killing Qi Mengzhang and surviving Lu Tianxu’s attack made him the first great rising star of a new era, as cultivators watched to see which genius would dominate it.

• Reports spread that the Yuantian Realm had been destroyed, the Realm Seed was missing, and Cave True Great Powers had clashed.
• Cultivators learned that Zhang Qingyuan had slain the Half-step Cave True Qi Mengzhang and the other cultivators who entered the realm, including Lu Longcheng.
• Lu Tianxu attacked Zhang Qingyuan, who survived and was protected by Daoist Ming Shui; Lu Tianxu fled after exchanging a blow with him.
• People across Yuzhou confirmed the reports and marveled that Zhang Qingyuan had defeated a Half-step Cave True cultivator while still in the True Essence Realm.
• Cultivators named Zhang Qingyuan alongside Xuan Tianji, Dong Mingyang, Gongsun Lan, Ye Han, and Jin Basheng as stars of an emerging great age, and awaited its contest for supremacy.

Yan Kuangtu learned that Zhang Qingyuan had grown far stronger and renewed his resolve to defeat him. At Cloud Water Sect, Gongsun Lan reacted to Zhang Qingyuan’s rise while also worrying about Ye Han’s approaching Thirty-Year Pact.

• Yan Kuangtu trained beneath a waterfall using only his body to withstand its force.
• Yan Kuangtu received news of Zhang Qingyuan’s achievements and unleashed his battle aura, sending the waterfall surging backward.
• Yan Kuangtu struggled with how much the gap between him and Zhang Qingyuan had widened, then vowed to defeat him one day.
• Gongsun Lan reviewed the intelligence about Zhang Qingyuan and recalled sending him to the South Sea as a minor disciple.
• Gongsun Lan considered Zhang Qingyuan’s rise and worried about his coming conflict with Ye Han.

Lu Tianxu urged the master of Heaven and Earth Tower to help eliminate Zhang Qingyuan, warning that Zhang was nearing mastery of the Five Elements Great Dao. The Tower Master agreed to contribute only if Cloud Water Sect’s retaliation was contained, while Lu Tianxu planned to provoke Zhang by targeting his loved ones.

• Lu Tianxu’s golden phantom appeared before the master of Heaven and Earth Tower and asked what he thought of Zhang Qingyuan.
• The Tower Master praised Zhang’s extraordinary talent but said he would not act without protection from Cloud Water Sect’s counterattack or suitable payment.
• Lu Tianxu argued that Zhang could surpass Qi Yiming and revealed that he was close to gathering the Five Elements Power and had obtained the Ancient Five Elements Sect’s inheritance.
• The Tower Master agreed to contribute strength on the condition that he would not bear Cloud Water Sect’s hostility alone.
• Lu Tianxu said he had contacted others and planned to make Zhang’s relatives, friends, and lineage suffer so Zhang would challenge them himself.
• Lu Tianxu asked the Tower Master and the others to hold back Cloud Water Sect’s people.

Zhang Qingyuan studied Crimson Gold Daoist's inheritance in seclusion and completed the Gold Element path, filling in the Five Elements Power. His fame spread across Yuzhou while he prepared to use the Great Evolution Technique to advance toward Cave True.

• Zhang Qingyuan entered deep meditation to comprehend the Gold Element inheritance left by Crimson Gold Daoist.
• After half a month, Zhang Qingyuan recognized the inheritance's value and estimated that he could complete the Gold Element path within six months.
• News of Zhang Qingyuan's feats in the Yuantian Realm spread across Yuzhou, prompting admiration, envy, and debate among cultivators.
• After half a year of tireless cultivation, Zhang Qingyuan successfully cultivated the Gold Element path and completed the Way of Five Elements.

Zhang Qingyuan completed the Gold Element Momentum, bringing all five elements to perfection and triggering their convergence in his Sea of Consciousness. After suppressing the resulting turmoil and reaching the Ninth Peak, he left seclusion to rest, then stopped in surprise at the state of the Moon Liên Islands.

• Zhang Qingyuan completed the Gold Element Momentum, perfecting all five elements and causing their powers to merge into a Five Elements Round Wheel in his Sea of Consciousness.
• Zhang Qingyuan followed the Ancient Five Elements Sect's inheritance to control the convergence and stabilize his Sea of Consciousness.
• Over half a month, Zhang Qingyuan absorbed the scattered Dao Law power, deepened his comprehension of the Way of Five Elements, and reached the Ninth Peak.
• Zhang Qingyuan ended his year of seclusion to rest and recuperate after the taxing cultivation.
• Zhang Qingyuan saw the state of the Moon Liên Islands and wondered what had happened.

A merchant and his True Essence escort discussed the growing danger along the route to the Moon Liên Islands, where raiders had begun attacking ships amid a conflict involving powerful forces. They decided to stop traveling the route after completing their current run.

• The square-faced cultivator Hong Zhong reported that the ship was nearing the Moon Liên Islands and said he would not escort future trips.
• Hong Zhong warned the merchant that friends had been attacked by raiders and that the sea route had become perilous amid clashes between powerful figures.
• The merchant recalled how traffic and trade had first surged after news spread of the Moon Liên Islands' famed genius, then collapsed as desperadoes flooded the region.
• The merchant agreed that he would leave the route after this voyage, though he regretted giving up its profits.

Zhang Changyang and Yang Yuyan faced the collapse of the Moon Liên Islands while refusing to interrupt Zhang Qingyuan’s seclusion, fearing the blockade was a trap aimed at him. Zhang Qingyuan emerged at the Ninth Peak, ordered the islands sealed off, and chose to endure the crisis until he could grow strong enough to retaliate.

• Zhang Changyang lamented that the blockade had emptied the Moon Liên Islands and devastated its population and trade.
• Yang Yuyan offered to lead the island’s guards against the surrounding desperadoes, but Zhang Changyang refused because she was injured and the enemy was too strong.
• Zhang Changyang and Yang Yuyan chose not to disturb Zhang Qingyuan, believing the hidden enemy was trying to lure him out of seclusion.
• Zhang Qingyuan emerged from seclusion, astonishing Zhang Changyang and Yang Yuyan with his powerful Dao presence.
• Zhang Qingyuan explained that he had reached the Ninth Peak, then ordered the Moon Liên Islands to seal themselves off and endure the blockade for now.

Zhang Qingyuan sealed off the Moon Liên Islands to protect them and focus their people on cultivating, then began seeking a way to wield power capable of challenging Cave True experts. He opened the Five Elements Dao Law and stepped onto the path toward Cave True.

• Zhang Qingyuan told Zhang Changyang to use the island's isolation to strengthen its cultivation and build a stronger foundation.
• Zhang Qingyuan healed Yang Yuyan with the Wood Element and, ten days later, the Moon Liên Islands raised its protective array and cut off contact with the outside world.
• Zhang Qingyuan began seclusion, reflecting on the island's decline and resolving to grow strong enough to defend himself and the Moon Liên Islands.
• Zhang Qingyuan concluded that he needed a Five Elements Killing Divine Ability to contend with Cave True experts and planned to forge a path toward Cave True using the Five Elements Dao Law.
• Zhang Qingyuan opened the Five Elements Dao Law, saw a path into darkness before him, and stepped onto it.

Zhang Qingyuan entered the great gate and began comprehending the Five Elements Dao Law in seclusion on the Moon Liên Islands. Lu Tianxu abandoned his attempt to assassinate him inside Cloud Water Sect territory, while Daoist Ming Xin watched over the border and revealed that Zhang Qingyuan’s ties to Daoist Ming Shui’s plans to leave the Sect complicated his position.

• Zhang Qingyuan focused his Spiritual Sense in the dark void, and the power of the Five Elements descended in radiant stellar rivers.
• Lu Tianxu considered crossing the Boundary Stele to kill Zhang Qingyuan but turned back, unwilling to provoke Cloud Water Sect into war.
• Lu Tianxu vowed to target Zhang Qingyuan’s kin, friends, and elders to force him to emerge, then departed.
• Daoist Ming Xin sensed Lu Tianxu leave and withdrew the aura he had used to oppose him across the South Sea.
• A Core Disciple asked why Cloud Water Sect had not recalled Zhang Qingyuan to its homeland, and Daoist Ming Xin explained that Zhang’s connection to Daoist Ming Shui’s plans to leave the Sect complicated matters.

Daoist Ming Xin reflected on the Water Element Lineage’s uncertain future and the Cloud Water Sect’s reluctance to let it split away. After Lu Tianxu’s malice faded from Zhang Qingyuan’s seclusion chamber, Zhang Qingyuan resolved to kill the Lu Family elder.

• Daoist Ming Xin considered the old agreement that gave the Water Element Lineage independence and noted that the Sect opposed its departure.
• Daoist Ming Xin reasoned that Daoist Ming Shui needed a Cave True cultivator to anchor the lineage, but feared he might not live long enough to see Zhang Qingyuan fulfill that role.
• Daoist Ming Xin recognized that Sect rivals might resist Zhang Qingyuan’s return because they competed for limited breakthrough opportunities in a blessed grotto-heaven.
• Zhang Qingyuan emerged from his interrupted cultivation after an elder from the Sect forced Lu Tianxu’s enveloping malice to dissipate.
• Zhang Qingyuan recalled the attacks and blockade tied to the Lu Family and swore to find a way to kill the old man.

Zhang Qingyuan planned to kill the Lu Family Old Dog by exploiting his opponent’s underestimation of a True Essence Realm cultivator, rather than waiting decades to reach Cave True. After months of preparation and cultivation, he mastered the Five Elements Dao Law and began working toward a Five Elements Killing Divine Ability.

• Zhang Qingyuan rejected an immediate attack and chose to plan carefully for revenge against the Lu Family Old Dog.
• He decided to feign weakness and strike from the True Essence Realm, relying on his improved defenses and a Killing Divine Ability to break the Cave True Law Domain.
• Zhang Qingyuan spent three days using the Great Evolution Technique to refine a detailed plan and identify what he needed to improve.
• Over the next two months, Zhang Qingyuan completed the Five Elements Evolution Method and became strong enough to block the Lu Family Old Dog's earlier attack head-on.
• After two more months of refining his strength and addressing his weaknesses, Zhang Qingyuan began comprehending a Five Elements Killing Divine Ability.