Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Ying Huan wakes after two hours of helping Chen Lin suppress the Soul-Devouring Gu. She confirms that his Prison-Suppressing Power is exceptionally effective against both bizarre creatures and hostile souls, and that it let her sense the Gu inside her.
• As promised, Ying Huan gives Chen Lin a lightning-attribute Pseudo-Source Treasure. In exchange for the other two treasures, she obtains a Thunder Emperor Stone and gives him an inheritance for refining Pseudo-Source Treasures.
• Chen Lin tests the purple saber and confirms that his thunder power is pure enough to use it. The Thunder Emperor Stone may let him strengthen and perfect his Dao Art, Five Thunders Smite the Crown, while the inheritance offers a practical way to repair his Dark Red Spearhead.
• Ying Huan reveals that Prison-Suppressing Envoys target unusual beings such as Luo and creatures from the Netherworld and Nightmare Realm, though she does not know why. She urges Chen Lin to investigate his own unusual connection to the power.
• Huangfu Qingrou tells Chen Lin that the people of Snow Eagle have been searching for someone with Prison-Suppressing Power. Chen Lin suspects this is connected to the Submarine Light Gate and possibly an asura sealed beyond it, prompting him to seek out Snow Eagle’s leaders.
• The auctioneer announces Chen Lin’s Drunken God Brew. The Light Envoy privately claims it, and Chen Lin offers to give him several additional pots to build a relationship with him.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin gains valuable treasures and a repair method, but also realizes his inherited technique may connect him to a much larger mystery. He remains practical, using exchanges to obtain what he needs and seizing the chance to cultivate the Light Envoy’s favor.
• Ying Huan acknowledges Chen Lin’s help, rewards him generously, and offers friendship if they meet again. Her knowledge raises questions about the significance of his power without resolving them.
• Huangfu Qingrou contributes crucial information from her grandaunt, linking Prison-Suppressing Power to Snow Eagle’s search.
• The encounter between Chen Lin and Ying Huan combines mutual aid and bargaining: he helps remove her hidden danger, while she supplies the Thunder Emperor Stone and refining knowledge.

Significant themes

• Power and hidden identity: Chen Lin’s inherited ability appears far more consequential than he understood.
• Practical ambition: He turns the Assembly’s opportunities into concrete gains for his weapons, cultivation, and future prospects.
• Unanswered mysteries: The Prison-Suppressing Envoys, Snow Eagle, and the Light Gate suggest a larger conflict whose nature remains unknown.
• Trust and alliances: Chen Lin’s generosity toward the Light Envoy reflects his willingness to invest in relationships that may matter later.

Plot points and events

• Chen Lin contributes three flasks of Drunken God Brew to the Carefree Assembly and receives a one-use miniature Sword of Light in return. The weapon can unleash a strike from the Light Envoy, though its power drains continuously once activated.
• The auction concludes. Chen Lin and Huangfu Qingrou cannot afford the remaining treasures, including a legendary flower said to revive the dead, and they return through the Carefree Token’s teleportation passage to the underwater immortal cave.
• As Chen retrieves a hidden ring, Immortal Superior Xiyue confronts him. She reveals that she was seeking him because he killed Bai Ruxue, a descendant of her servant, and demands Bai’s belongings.
• Chen gives Xiyue Bai’s Round Token. She agrees not to pursue the killing and instead commands Chen to become her servant. He accepts, concealing his hope that the unmentioned key may still offer a way to escape her control.
• Chen emerges from the cave to find Huangfu Qingrou, Huangfu Ying, and a formidable assembly of roughly sixty or seventy Dao Integration experts awaiting him. Three Mahayana practitioners—He Jinlin, Miao Guanhai, and Zhuo Aolian—stand at the front.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin gains a potentially powerful defensive weapon but remains cautious and resourceful. He quickly submits to Xiyue to protect himself and Huangfu Qingrou, while secretly keeping the key she does not know about.
• Huangfu Qingrou sees the Sword of Light as crucial protection for Chen, since he cannot reach Mahayana soon enough to face He Jinlin safely. When Chen signals her to stay back from Xiyue, she understands and obeys.
• Xiyue proves both powerful and unpredictable: she threatens Huangfu Qingrou’s life to compel Chen’s cooperation, then claims him as her servant once he gives up Bai’s token.
• He Jinlin’s presence among the gathered experts renews the danger to Chen, who fears the Mahayana cultivator may kill him for slaying the Leaving Fire Dao Monarch.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Even a valuable divine weapon cannot erase the vast gap between Chen and the strongest cultivators.
• Survival through caution: Chen relies on restraint, concealment, and strategic compliance rather than confrontation.
• Unexpected consequences: His long effort to avoid Xiyue ends not in freedom but in forced servitude.
• Ambition and longing: The auction’s unattainable treasures deepen Chen and Huangfu Qingrou’s yearning for the wider realms and greater power.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Lin accompanies Immortal Superior Xiyue and the gathered cultivators toward the Submarine Light Gate. He remains wary of He Jinlin, but neither man acts while Xiyue is present.
• Chen Lin suspects Xiyue intends to enter the Light Gate again, though he still does not understand why she needed the Round Token or what the Black Key is for.
• At the gate, he finds hundreds of elite cultivators assembled. Xiyue parts the sea and leads them down to the seabed, announcing no purpose beyond ordering them to move out.
• Through a guarded exchange with Yang Qianxing, Chen Lin learns that Xiyue has slain the Asura’s true form and recovered her strength. The group’s objective is to open the Holy Pagoda, apparently within the Light Gate’s “Holy Pagoda Space.”
• Xiyue catches Chen Lin asking Miao Yuwu for a Nightmare Realm item. She explains that such items cannot work inside the Holy Pagoda Space, then orders Miao Yuwu to hand him the Nightmare Realm Salted Fish anyway. Chen Lin accepts it, wary of antagonizing more powerful people.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin stays cautious and politically careful, using his public allegiance to Xiyue to deter He Jinlin. He gathers information indirectly and continues trying to understand the Light Gate, the Holy Pagoda, and Xiyue’s past.
• Huangfu Qingrou understands Chen Lin’s intentions without explanation and stays beside him. Huangfu Ying follows Xiyue but cannot—or will not—tell Chen Lin the group’s purpose.
• Zhen Linyu remains protected by Xiyue. Chen Lin still blames him for the chain of events that led to his current troubles; Zhen feels unjustly saddled with the consequences of his earlier deception.
• Yang Qianxing discreetly thanks Chen Lin for helping his daughter and shares news about the Asura’s destruction. Chen Lin replies that his bond with Zihua made the help natural.
• Miao Yuwu resents being ordered to surrender her item, but the Archaic Scabbard’s influence checks her anger. Miao Guanhai is also prevented from intervening.
• Xiyue’s authority is unmistakable: the cultivators obey her, she controls the sea and can intercept Soul Transmissions, and even powerful figures dare not challenge her openly.

Significant themes

• Power and constrained choice: Chen Lin and the assembled cultivators must follow Xiyue, while even Mahayana figures have little room to resist.
• Secrets and uncertainty: The Round Token, Black Key, Light Gate, Holy Pagoda, and the being that once injured Xiyue remain unexplained.
• Pragmatic survival and political maneuvering: Chen Lin carefully manages what he says, whom he asks, and how he appears to those around him.
• Consequences of past choices: Chen Lin’s resentment toward Zhen Linyu underscores how one deception set off a chain of escalating events.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Lin acquires the Salted Fish Medium, which may let him contact Xiaoyuer and learn about Niuniu. He also asks Xiyue for resources to support his luck-based talent.
• Xiyue gives him an Origin Orb and obtains a Fortune Orb from You Wenda, rewarding the old man with a place among her subordinates. She orders Chen Lin to stay close and obey her.
• Xiyue uses the Round Token to open the Light Gate. Its passage is filled with powerful law energy that injures anyone who probes it with divine sense. She warns the group to protect themselves with rule origin essence.
• Xiyue sends Huangfu Ying and Zhen Linyu to guard the entrance. At Chen Lin’s request, she allows Huangfu Qingrou to remain outside, then takes Chen Lin and You Wenda inside.
• Inside, many cultivators are instantly killed, their bodies apparently used to provide energy for the Holy Pagoda to manifest. Xiyue claims Chen Lin and You Wenda are safe for now because they are her subordinates.
• He Jinlin attacks Xiyue in fury, but his Qilin manifestation is crushed before it can fully form. His body explodes, and a streak of golden light flies deeper into the space.

Character developments

• Chen Lin eagerly accepts valuable items but remains wary, sensing that Xiyue’s generosity will come with a dangerous price. He prepares weapons in case he must fight her.
• His concern for Huangfu Qingrou leads him to persuade Xiyue to leave her outside, showing both affection and practical protectiveness.
• Xiyue’s calm sacrifice of the cultivators reveals her extreme disregard for human life and establishes her as a terrifying, unpredictable force.
• You Wenda willingly trades his Fortune Orb for a place among Xiyue’s subordinates, though he and Chen Lin share unease about her intentions.
• He Jinlin’s defiance ends in immediate destruction, demonstrating the vast gap between him and Xiyue.

Significant themes

• Power and expendable lives: Xiyue treats the gathered cultivators as fuel for her goals.
• Trust and coercion: Chen Lin benefits from Xiyue’s gifts but knows he cannot freely refuse her commands or rely on her promises.
• Protection and attachment: Chen Lin’s effort to keep Huangfu Qingrou out of danger contrasts with Xiyue’s indifference to the other cultivators.
• The cost of ambition: Entering the Light Gate promises rewards, but the group’s deaths reveal the lethal price of pursuing them.

Character interactions

• Chen Lin negotiates with Xiyue for the orbs, then remains under her direct orders.
• You Wenda offers Xiyue his Fortune Orb in exchange for becoming her subordinate.
• Chen Lin advocates for Huangfu Qingrou’s safety; Xiyue teases him about being devoted, then agrees to leave her behind.
• Xiyue warns the cultivators about the gate’s law energy and later reveals that their deaths are helping summon the Holy Pagoda.
• He Jinlin confronts Xiyue, but she effortlessly kills him.

Plot points and events

• Immortal Superior Xiyue’s power keeps cultivators immobilized and causes them to explode, including Great Vehicle practitioners He Jinlin and Zhuo Aolian. She says their lives are meant to nourish the Holy Pagoda.
• Miao Guanhai activates the Archaic Scabbard, revealing its connection to the Primal Thunder Annihilation Sword. His daughter, Miao Yuwu, gives up her life as a Black Light Sword emerges from her body and enters the scabbard, restoring the survivors’ ability to move.
• Miao Guanhai attacks Xiyue. She blocks his first strike with a Jade Coffin, which cracks and appears to injure her. He accuses her of relying on her Upper Primal Domain origins to dominate them; she reveals that the Holy Monarch created their plane and intended its people as offerings.
• Miao Guanhai attacks again and urges the other cultivators to join him. Chen Lin and a yellow-robed elder hold back, while Chen quietly tests the Light Gate and discovers it cannot transport him without a Round Token.
• Miao Guanhai’s next strike splits the Jade Coffin. Xiyue raises a barrier against the gathered attacks, but an inconspicuous speck of starlight pierces it and strikes her head.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin is frightened by the effortless deaths but thinks strategically rather than acting rashly. He weighs helping kill Xiyue against the danger posed by Miao Guanhai and his own Thunder God Sword, and retreats to avoid the clash.
• Miao Guanhai shifts from helpless fury to determined resistance, sacrificing Miao Yuwu’s sword-like essence to counter Xiyue and rallying the survivors.
• Xiyue’s confident contempt is undercut by the damage to her Jade Coffin and her startled reaction. Her childish manner and careless revelation of her origins suggest she is inexperienced despite her overwhelming power.
• Miao Yuwu’s sacrifice enables her father’s counterattack, while the surviving cultivators join forces against Xiyue once Miao Guanhai demonstrates she can be harmed.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Xiyue can casually kill most cultivators, yet the damage to her Jade Coffin suggests her dominance has limits.
• Resistance to oppression: Miao Guanhai challenges Xiyue’s claim that the lower-domain cultivators are merely expendable nourishment.
• Sacrifice and survival: Miao Yuwu’s loss fuels the counterattack, while Chen’s caution reflects the compromises survival demands.
• Birthright versus earned strength: Miao Guanhai condemns Xiyue’s sense of superiority based on where she was born, contrasting it with the hardships cultivators endure.

Key plot points and events

• Yang Qianxing’s starlight attack pierces Xiyue’s protective barrier and injures her. The Yellow-Robed Old Man follows with a special yellow-light attack, wounding her again.
• Chen Lin considers using his Soul-Destroying Finger against Xiyue, but when she releases a seal and reveals overwhelming power, he redirects the attack toward the Yellow-Robed Old Man, pretending to defend her.
• Xiyue retaliates by pointing at the crowd, causing cultivators to explode and their rule lines to fly away. Miao Guanhai counters with the Sword Scabbard, whose soul-shaking fluctuations halt the effect and let the survivors flee. Most of the hundreds present are killed.
• Xiyue targets the two who injured her: the Yellow-Robed Old Man dies, while Yang Qianxing survives her attack and escapes as starlight.
• Miao Guanhai releases the Black Longsword from the scabbard, sacrificing his life to send it against Xiyue. She counters with a crescent-moon projection, and both weapons disappear.
• A nine-story black pagoda emerges. Its swaying releases the rule-light particles that had drawn the cultivators there.
• Xiyue, seemingly resigned to fate, offers Chen Lin his life and a great reward if he retrieves a chest from the pagoda’s top and takes it to the Moonlight World in the Upper Primal Domain. She then vanishes.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin remains cautious and opportunistic. He briefly considers killing Xiyue, but changes course when her strength is revealed; he disguises his attack on the Yellow-Robed Old Man as loyalty to her, while hoping to keep the old man useful.
• Xiyue shifts from appearing vulnerable to revealing immense power. She is ruthless toward the crowd and those who wounded her, yet ends by sparing Chen Lin and assigning him a mission.
• Yang Qianxing is shown to possess unusually powerful, law-level abilities: he injures Xiyue and escapes her retaliation.
• Miao Guanhai makes a final stand, using the Sword Scabbard to protect the survivors and then sacrificing himself to unleash the Black Longsword.
• The Yellow-Robed Old Man wounds Xiyue but is killed by her in retaliation.

Significant themes

• Power and survival: The characters’ choices are shaped by stark differences in strength; escape, deception, and sacrifice offer only temporary chances.
• Fate and helplessness: Xiyue’s lament that destiny is close yet impossible to change suggests that even her great power cannot overcome some predetermined outcome.
• Betrayal and self-preservation: Chen Lin’s apparent loyalty conceals his own calculations, while Xiyue’s offer turns survival into a bargain.
• Mystery and revelation: The pagoda’s arrival explains the source of the rule-light particles but introduces a new objective and unanswered questions.

Key plot points and events

• Immortal Superior Xiyue lifts her seal but is forcibly expelled from the space, apparently due to restrictions on beings from the Upper Primal Domain. She takes the Round Token, leaving Chen Lin unable to use the Light Gate to return.
• Chen Lin gathers the scattered treasures and absorbs the rule-light particles streaming from the Black Pagoda. Once the flow ends, the pagoda settles to the ground and becomes an apparently ordinary structure.
• The particles restore a measure of vitality to the Thunder God Sword. Chen Lin can now wield innate thunder more freely and senses Grass’s distinctive sword will within it, confirming she has fused with the sword.
• Yang Qianxing emerges from hiding, badly injured but relieved that Xiyue is gone. Chen Lin tells him that she took the Round Token and that they are trapped.
• Yang says the Snow Eagle Organization has long sought Round Tokens, suggesting others may exist. Still, he doubts anyone will risk entering after this expedition’s disaster.
• Yang urges Chen Lin to investigate the Black Pagoda before it disappears. Chen Lin considers it extremely dangerous and notes that it has no visible entrance, leaving them at odds over what to do next.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin shifts from alarm at losing his route home to cautious hope. Revitalizing the Thunder God Sword strengthens his resolve to restore Grass, whom he imagines reassuring him that she will protect him.
• Yang Qianxing is gravely wounded and primarily concerned with whether Xiyue is gone, since she could punish him for his earlier attack. He later presses Chen Lin to act rather than wait.
• Chen Lin carefully conceals that he collected the scattered treasures, anticipating possible greed, but Yang shows little interest in them. Chen also explains that he lacked the power to help fight Xiyue; Yang accepts this, recognizing how overwhelming her power was.

Significant themes

• Survival and uncertainty: The lost Round Token leaves the two men stranded, with no reliable rescue in sight.
• Power and its limits: Even formidable outsiders such as Xiyue face restrictions, while the expedition’s opponents prove hopelessly outmatched.
• Loyalty and hope: The Thunder God Sword’s connection to Grass gives Chen Lin renewed determination to bring her back.
• Risk versus patience: Chen Lin favors caution around the ominous pagoda; Yang argues that delay may cost them their only chance to escape.

Chapter Summary: “A Bountiful Harvest”

Key plot points and events

• Yang Qianxing urges Chen Lin to help explore the Holy Pagoda, but Chen insists they first find its entrance and investigate cautiously. He asks Yang to locate other survivors rather than risk scouting himself.
• Chen secretly has a possible escape route: he hopes to master his thunder Dao art, draw out the Thunder God Sword’s main body, and use it to break through the space barrier. Because this would severely drain him, he regards it only as a last resort.
• Chen searches the enclosed space and confirms that its boundaries—including the ground and ceiling—cannot be breached. The Light Gate is the only visible connection to the outside, while the Holy Pagoda may offer another way out.
• After returning to the pagoda and seeing Yang with a group of survivors, Chen withdraws to the Divine Snail Shell and sorts through the belongings of the many practitioners killed in the earlier conflict.
• The loot is immense: treasures, materials, herbs, and hundreds of storage items, especially from the three Great Vehicle Practitioners. Chen organizes the haul and sets aside items he may need.
• Trying Miao Guanhai’s Sword Scabbard causes it to resonate with the Thunder God Sword. The sword nearly consumes Chen’s essence, energy, and spirit, so he cuts off the resonance and concludes he is not yet strong enough to summon it safely.
• Chen uses a newly acquired Origin Orb to replenish the Blind Girl’s withered true body. He then keeps the remaining Origin Orbs and Fortune Orbs for later use.
• Finally, he gathers the Thunder Emperor Stone and lightning-related treasures and begins cultivating, hoping to improve his control over thunder power.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin remains guarded and pragmatic. He conceals his escape plan, avoids taking unnecessary risks, and chooses preparation and cultivation over joining Yang’s search. The Sword Scabbard’s dangerous reaction also forces him to revise his confidence: summoning the Thunder God Sword is not yet within his capabilities.
• Yang Qianxing recognizes Chen’s cautious nature and suspects he may be hiding something. He denies distrusting Chen, citing their long relationship and Chen’s help protecting his daughter, but ultimately leaves to gather survivors.
• Chen’s concern for the Blind Girl shows his continuing sense of responsibility: despite his own predicament, he prioritizes restoring her vitality once he has the means.
• Chen does not approach the survivors he encounters or join Yang’s group, underscoring his preference for secrecy and independence.

Significant themes

• Caution and self-preservation: Chen weighs potential escape options against their costs and refuses to gamble with his life.
• Power has a price: The Thunder God Sword offers a possible way out, but using it prematurely could drain Chen’s vitality.
• Fortune amid confinement: Chen becomes extraordinarily wealthy, yet his riches offer limited comfort while he remains trapped.
• Preparation and responsibility: He turns his gains into practical resources for future cultivation and uses them to help the Blind Girl.

Plot points and events

• Over a month passes with no progress on escaping the enclosed space. More than fifty survivors gather beneath the nine-story Holy Pagoda, but no one can find its entrance or damage it.
• Chen Lin asks Yang Qianxing about the pagoda. Yang confirms that neither its strange reliefs nor any other feature has yielded a way inside.
• Chen checks on Xu Chenxuan, who is studying the pseudo-source treasure-refining method Chen gave him. Xu expects to understand it fully within another month or two and then try repairing Chen’s Dark Red Spearhead. Chen agrees to supply materials, hoping the repaired weapon can help him escape without risking the severe cost of using his Thunder God Sword.
• Bai Tianling tells Chen she sensed a fluctuation from him that matched a sacred relic from her lineage: a snow-white horn said to open the Holy Pagoda. Chen realizes she likely sensed the Snow-White Single Horn he used nearby.
• Bai explains that her family once possessed both the Sacred Horn and a Round Token called the Holy Decree. Their Great Elder disappeared while safeguarding them during a forced relocation a thousand years ago. Bai was later captured in Leaving Fire City while searching for the missing relics.
• Chen infers that Bai’s lineage may be connected to Bai Ruxue and may once have guarded the Light Gate. He also believes the pagoda may contain the valuable treasure Xiyue sought.
• Bai reveals that the Snow Eagle Organization persecuted her family. Chen is surprised, since he had suspected the group might be connected to her lineage. He leaves without explaining his thoughts.
• Bai, unsettled by his reaction, suspects Chen may be withholding the pagoda’s treasures—or may have links to Snow Eagle—and decides to tell Yang Qianxing and the others what she knows.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin remains cautious and pragmatic: he seeks an alternative to using the dangerous Thunder God Sword and investigates how the pagoda, Bai’s relics, and the Light Gate are connected. He shares little of his conclusions with Bai.
• Xu Chenxuan shows impressive skill and enthusiasm for artifact refining, making rapid progress despite his modest cultivation.
• Bai Tianling moves from gratitude and hesitation to suspicion. Though Chen previously rescued her, his evasive departure makes her fear he may conceal information or silence her.
• Chen and Bai exchange crucial information, but their conversation ends with mutual uncertainty: Chen has learned about her lineage and its lost relics, while Bai does not know what he intends.

Significant themes

• Entrapment and uncertainty: The survivors remain trapped despite gathering strength and knowledge.
• Lost inheritance and lineage: Bai’s family’s vanished relics link the present crisis to ancient history.
• Trust and suspicion: Chen’s secrecy and Bai’s fears threaten cooperation among people who need one another.
• Risk and resourcefulness: Chen seeks a safer way out rather than relying on a weapon that could destroy his cultivation—or kill him.

Plot points and events

• Chen Lin reasons that Xiyue lied about Bai Ruxue’s family being mere attendants: their bloodline connection to the horn suggests they may descend from the Holy Pagoda’s master. He concludes Xiyue likely sought the pagoda’s treasures and had been tracking him because she wanted to use one of his abilities.
• Chen Lin decides the Holy Pagoda should still be explored, since it may offer a way out or a route to the Upper Primal Domain, but he does not want to enter first.
• Yang Qianxing arrives with Bai Tianling, who has told him about the horn because she feared Chen Lin might kill her to keep the secret. Chen Lin is displeased but accepts her explanation.
• Chen Lin gives Yang the horn while secretly placing a trace of his power inside it. Bai Tianling offers to handle it, claiming it as an item from her family line.
• At the pagoda, Yang cannot activate the horn. Bai Tianling demonstrates that she can: her inherited spatial talent awakens it, and the pagoda’s relief opens into a doorway.
• Bai Tianling rushes inside. Chen Lin uses the hidden trace to pull the horn back out, causing the entrance to close behind her. He and Yang are left outside, waiting to see what happens.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin remains cautious and strategic. He treats the horn as leverage, conceals his ownership, and prepares for betrayal by secretly tampering with it. Though frustrated by Bai Tianling’s move, he is not eager to risk entering the pagoda himself.
• Bai Tianling acts from self-preservation but also appears to have her own reasons for seeking the pagoda. Her inherited talent allows her to activate the horn, and she seizes the chance to enter before the others can respond.
• Yang Qianxing is wary of being used by Chen Lin and feels humiliated when he realizes he was made a decoy. He nonetheless helps bring the horn to the pagoda.
• Chen Lin’s relationship with Bai Tianling remains tense: he understands why she revealed the secret, but does not trust her. Her bloodline connection to Bai Ruxue is confirmed by the similar spatial power she displays.

Significant themes

• Trust and deception: Chen Lin suspects Xiyue’s account is false, while both he and Bai Tianling conceal motives and protect themselves.
• Bloodline and inheritance: Bai Tianling’s ability links her to Bai Ruxue’s lineage and provides access to the Holy Pagoda.
• Risk and self-preservation: Chen Lin prefers to let others test the danger, while Bai Tianling chooses to enter despite the uncertainty.
• Control and contingency: Chen Lin’s hidden trace on the horn lets him regain control at the crucial moment, though Bai Tianling is now trapped inside.

Plot and key events

• After Bai Tianling enters the Holy Pagoda and seals its entrance, Lu Chenxian asks Chen Lin to reopen it. Chen Lin claims he cannot activate the white horn and lets everyone try; none succeed. Privately, he tells Yang Qianxing that he may be able to activate it, but doing so would be costly, and suggests waiting to see what happens inside the pagoda.
• The group watches the pagoda for a day and a half, but it shows no signs of change. Chen Lin leaves, prompting Yang Qianxing to suspect that he has a private plan or a way to escape.
• Back in the Divine Snail Shell, Chen Lin resumes cultivating Five Thunders Smite the Crown with the Thunder Emperor Stone and a lightning array. He brings the Dao art close to mastery but cannot fuse it with the Thunder God Sword’s domineering Innate Thunderbolt.
• Chen Lin discovers that Miao Guanhai’s sword scabbard, through its nirvana aura, resonates with the Thunder God Sword. Using the scabbard to regulate the energies, he finally fuses them and masters the Dao art.
• He tests the new attack against the spatial barrier. It causes a dramatic disturbance but does not break through; its power remains limited because he can control only a small amount of Innate Thunderbolt. Even so, mastering the art clears a path toward correcting his False Dao Integration and becoming a true Dao Integration Practitioner.

Character development and interactions

• Chen Lin stays guarded and strategic: he conceals his real ability with the horn, shares only a carefully worded hint with Yang Qianxing, and prioritizes cultivation over waiting at the pagoda. His persistence and experimental thinking lead him to solve the thunder-fusion problem.
• Yang Qianxing trusts Chen Lin but remains perceptive. He recognizes that Chen Lin’s explanation about the horn may be incomplete and suspects his departure signals a hidden advantage.
• Lu Chenxian and the other practitioners approach Chen Lin cooperatively, then take turns testing the horn. Their repeated failure reinforces their dependence on the pagoda—and their lack of progress.
• Bai Tianling, though absent from the scene, remains a source of tension: her solitary entry and the sealed entrance have left the others waiting anxiously.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and trust: Chen Lin reveals only what is useful, while Yang Qianxing tries to read between the lines.
• Persistence and ingenuity: Chen Lin overcomes a seemingly impossible cultivation bottleneck through observation and an unexpected intermediary.
• Power versus control: The Innate Thunderbolt is potent but difficult to wield; mastery depends not just on strength, but on balancing and directing it.
• Hope amid confinement: The silent pagoda and unbroken barrier keep the group trapped, yet Chen Lin’s breakthrough offers progress even without an immediate escape.

Key events

• Chen Lin has fully mastered his Dao Art but postpones fusing it with the Great Dao, since doing so would trigger a Dao Tribulation.
• Yang Qianxing reports that a monk has arrived through the Light Gate and wants to meet Chen Lin and see the White Horn. The monk is called Nian Qing and claims to be in the Arhat Realm.
• Chen Lin is wary of Buddhist cultivators, but the name Nian Qing recalls a monk who once helped him sever his karmic ties to Nian Kong and wrote a book about demons and monsters.
• At the Holy Pagoda, the old monk recognizes Chen Lin despite his assumed identity as Lin Feiyu. He confirms that he is Nian Qing, explaining that the version Chen Lin knew in the Nightmare Realm was a clone; this projection’s arrival allowed him to escape and reunite with his original body.
• Nian Qing notes that Chen Lin has severed his karmic ties to Nian Kong, but warns that Nian Kong may still pursue him. Chen Lin asks about a Kashaya he was once asked to deliver to a non-demonized clone of Nian Kong; having lost it, he cannot fulfill the request. Nian Qing says he cannot judge whether the request was true and advises Chen Lin to follow his heart.
• Nian Qing then asks Chen Lin to show him the object that opens the Holy Pagoda.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin is excited by the newcomer’s arrival because it may offer a way out, but his past dealings with Buddhist cultivators make him cautious. Recognizing Nian Qing brings back old memories and unresolved concerns about Nian Kong.
• Yang Qianxing is friendly and eager to introduce the newcomer, though he does not understand Chen Lin’s wariness.
• Nian Qing remains enigmatic and measured. He acknowledges his past assistance without claiming credit, warns Chen Lin about Nian Kong, and leaves the Kashaya’s significance deliberately uncertain.
• Their reunion is unexpectedly personal: Nian Qing identifies Chen Lin immediately, while Chen Lin must study him to recognize traces of the monk he remembers.

Significant themes

• Uncertainty and divided identities: Nian Qing’s clone and original body, and his cryptic account of truth and falsehood, blur the line between what is genuine and what is misleading.
• Unfinished karma: Chen Lin has broken his ties to Nian Kong, yet the warning suggests the connection may not be over.
• Caution and trust: Past help does not erase Chen Lin’s suspicion of the Demon-Suppressing Temple, while Nian Qing’s advice leaves Chen Lin responsible for deciding what to believe.
• New possibilities: The newcomer and his Holy Decree may provide Chen Lin a route out, but his request concerning the pagoda introduces fresh uncertainty.

Key plot points and events

• Nian Qing asks Chen Lin for the white horn, which can open the Holy Pagoda. Chen Lin agrees only if Nian Qing first opens the Light Gate so he can leave. Nian Qing readily agrees, and most of the cultivators head for the passage.
• The cultivators rush through the Light Gate, hoping to claim territory and resources in the First Pillar Heaven now that its three Mahayana rulers are dead. Chen Lin, who wants only a quiet life with Huangfu Qingrou, waits behind.
• As Chen Lin prepares to hand over the horn, Bai Tianling contacts him telepathically from inside the pagoda. She warns that Nian Qing is a demon and that the Light Gate is false, but her message is cut off by a scream.
• Chen Lin changes course, pretending he has decided to explore the pagoda. Yang Qianxing recognizes that something is wrong and chooses to stay with him. A few others leave; the rest follow.
• Chen Lin opens the pagoda’s entrance himself with the horn and enters first. Nian Qing, Yang Qianxing, and the remaining cultivators follow. Inside, they find an empty chamber with a meditation cushion and stairs leading upward. Yang Qianxing suspects Bai Tianling has already gone farther into the pagoda.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin shifts from prioritizing escape to confronting the danger after Bai Tianling’s warning. He hides his suspicions from Nian Qing and takes the lead into the pagoda to avoid letting the suspected demon go first.
• Bai Tianling reveals that she is inside the pagoda and recognizes the danger, but her warning is interrupted.
• Nian Qing remains outwardly composed and helpful, yet Bai Tianling’s accusation makes him the group’s suspected enemy.
• Yang Qianxing notices Chen Lin’s sudden change of plans and stays close, offering cautious support. He also encourages the others to consider the danger before entering.
• The other cultivators’ choices reflect their priorities: many leave to seize power, while those who remain enter because they fear being stranded if Chen Lin and Nian Qing depart.

Significant themes

• Deception and uncertainty: The apparent route to safety may be a trap, and Nian Qing’s friendly manner conceals a possible threat.
• Prudence versus ambition: Most cultivators risk the unknown for power and resources; Chen Lin prefers a peaceful, secure life.
• Trust and cooperation under danger: Chen Lin relies on Bai Tianling’s warning and Yang Qianxing’s judgment, while the group follows despite misgivings.

• The group finds no exit on the pagoda’s first floor. The horn-opened entrance is a Space Passage, leaving the staircase as their only route forward.
• The Old Monk claims ignorance, saying he entered to investigate a demonic beast imprisoned in the Light Gate’s space and that the pagoda only resembles the Demon-Suppressing Temple’s own pagoda. The cultivators remain suspicious, but his overwhelming presence makes challenging him too dangerous.
• The Old Monk offers to lead the way. Yang Qianxing goes first instead, while Chen Lin refuses to volunteer and lets the Old Monk proceed. When neither man returns, Chen Lin decides the group cannot afford to wait and leads them upstairs.
• Chen Lin asks Xu Chenxuan about repairing his treasure. Xu says it would take at least a month without interruption, so Chen Lin abandons the idea of waiting for the repair and moves on.
• The staircase appears ordinary, but the silence from above suggests something is wrong. Chen Lin’s fate-screen cannot reveal what lies ahead, and his abilities and crafting are partly restricted inside the pagoda. He climbs cautiously, carrying his Purple Thunder Saber and ready to fight. At the top, he reaches a startling sight.
  Character developments and interactions: Chen Lin stays pragmatic but increasingly wary, choosing action over delay when uncertainty makes waiting dangerous. Xu Chenxuan recognizes Chen Lin’s distrust of the Old Monk and aligns himself with him, addressing him more respectfully. Yang Qianxing’s decision to go first—and his failure to return—heightens the group’s anxiety. The Old Monk remains calm and unreadable, deepening Chen Lin’s doubts about whether he is genuine or an impostor.
  Themes: The chapter emphasizes survival amid uncertainty, the danger of misplaced trust, and the limits imposed by unfamiliar powers. It also highlights Chen Lin’s reliance on careful judgment when his usual foresight and resources are unreliable.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Lin enters the tower’s next chamber and finds it filled with wooden monks, all apparently lifeless except for an Old Monk who resembles the long-nosed monk from the Demon-Suppressing Temple.
• The Old Monk calls Chen Lin “Nian Kong” and tries to force him and the others into monkhood. Chen Lin resists with his innate power, while Yang Qianxing and the rest are briefly transformed.
• Chen Lin attacks with the Soul-Destroying Finger, which proves exceptionally effective against the Old Monk. He follows up with Five Thunders Smite the Crown, wiping out the attacking monks.
• The defeated monks vanish, leaving Buddhist Prayer Beads marked with patterns. Chen Lin gathers them, then uses another Soul-Destroying Finger on Yang Qianxing to check for lingering demonic influence. Yang survives, though the attack frightens him.
• With no stairs or exit visible, the group discovers 108 indentations in the wall, matching the number of beads. Xu Chenxuan arranges the beads correctly, revealing a moving relief and opening the way to the second trial.
• Yang, still injured, assigns Elder Xun to enter first, saying the group should take turns leading the way.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin demonstrates resistance to the chamber’s transformation, strong combat ability, and caution about conserving his powers for the remaining floors. Being called “Nian Kong” unsettles him, though he reasons that he cannot truly be connected to the monk.
• Yang Qianxing is humbled by how easily the chamber overcame him and by Chen Lin’s effectiveness. He thanks Chen Lin for saving him, but remains wary and curious about Chen Lin’s techniques. Chen Lin jokes that he saved him because he is his grandfather-in-law.
• Xu Chenxuan contributes his formation expertise, solving the bead puzzle after Chen Lin gives him the beads.
• Elder Xun is compelled by Yang to take the risk of entering the next trial first.
• Chen Lin and the survivors cooperate, though Chen Lin keeps the details of his abilities to himself.

Significant themes

• Identity and reincarnation: The Old Monk’s insistence that Chen Lin is Nian Kong raises the fear that he may be another person’s reincarnation, threatening his sense of self.
• Power and vulnerability: Even a powerful cultivator like Yang is helpless in the chamber, while Chen Lin’s specialized abilities give him an advantage.
• Caution and shared risk: Chen Lin conserves strength for the tower’s remaining floors, while Yang distributes the danger by requiring others to take turns leading.
• Cooperation and ingenuity: The group survives through Chen Lin’s combat strength and Xu Chenxuan’s skill in interpreting the bead-and-wall puzzle.

Key plot points and events

• After Old Man Xun fails to return, Chen Lin leads the survivors into the only passage out of the previous hall. He recognizes the stairway from a similar pagoda and advises everyone to step only on odd-numbered stairs.
• They emerge in a hall of Buddha statues, where an old monk in Nian Qing’s former clothes demands that “Nian Kong” kneel. The statues exert overwhelming pressure, forcing one cultivator to his knees and instantly turning him to stone.
• Yang Qianxing uses his star-like divine ability to ease the pressure on Chen Lin, giving Chen Lin the chance to attack. Chen Lin kills the monk with ten uses of the Soul-Destroying Finger, more than the three strikes needed on the previous floor. The pressure then disappears, but neither the petrified cultivator nor Old Man Xun returns.
• Chen Lin and Yang Qianxing realize the monks’ faces belong to cultivators who left through the Light Gate. This confirms that the gate transformed those who used it.
• The six survivors—Chen Lin, Yang Qianxing, and four others—share their abilities to improve coordination. Chen Lin also asks about Bai Tianling, the pagoda’s first entrant, but nobody knows her.
• Chen Lin fears the monk will return on the next floor with even greater resistance. With nine floors in the pagoda and his Soul-Destroying Finger potentially becoming ineffective, the group’s prospects look grim.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin continues to lead through caution and experience, but recognizes that his power may not be enough for the floors ahead. He is also increasingly concerned about locating Bai Tianling, who may know the pagoda.
• Yang Qianxing accepts Chen Lin’s authority and proves crucial by shielding him from the statues’ pressure, enabling the decisive attack.
• Zhu Yunyan reveals a mind-related talent focused on sensing; her intuition helped her detect danger before the group used the Light Gate.
• Xu Chenxuan discloses his synthesis ability, which improves treasure-refinement success. Li Haofeng has wind-based power, and Xue Yueyi has ice-based power.
• The survivors’ introductions establish a more cooperative, practical dynamic, though their abilities seem limited against the pagoda’s rules.

Significant themes

• The cost of survival and trust: The group survives by heeding Chen Lin’s warnings and supporting one another, while those who chose the Light Gate appear to have been transformed.
• Power and authority: Yang Qianxing defers to Chen Lin because of the difference in strength, yet the crisis shows that Chen Lin also depends on others.
• Escalating danger: The monk’s growing resistance suggests each floor will be harder, and survival cannot be taken for granted.
• Uncertainty and hard choices: With no safe route forward and little knowledge of the pagoda, the survivors must rely on cautious judgment and cooperation.

Plot points and events

• With his energy depleted and wary of the next floor, Chen Lin rests in the hall and searches for signs of Bai Tianling.
• Xu Chenxuan reveals that he has a Silver-Patterned Soul Leaving Beast, a rare ingredient Chen Lin needs to make a higher-grade Soul-Refining Pill. He also gives Chen Lin a Life Bag, a small pouch that can hold living creatures.
• Xu Chenxuan and Yang Qianxing warn that the beast’s rule force can destroy souls. Chen Lin safely opens its box within an Isolation Array, confirms its identity, then closes it.
• Chen Lin’s fate-screen ability indicates that the pill can be refined, though its predictions are suppressed in this space. It gives no usable result for Wish Noodles or for predicting the dangers above.
• Chen Lin sets up a defensive barrier and begins refining. He also asks Xu Chenxuan to try repairing the Dark Red Spearhead with supplied materials.
• The pill is completed successfully, and Chen Lin swallows it. During the following month, the group searches the hall but finds neither a way forward nor any change in the Buddha statues.
• As the pill takes effect, Chen Lin’s soul undergoes a major transformation: it turns brilliant gold, while his purple and ink-colored soul sources form rings around his fully golden soul seed.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin remains cautious and focused on strengthening himself before advancing. He trusts his talent and preparations, but avoids risking scarce materials on uncertain experiments.
• Xu Chenxuan, anxious about being vulnerable, offers valuable items to secure Chen Lin’s goodwill and continued protection. Chen Lin accepts them without exploiting him.
• Yang Qianxing backs Xu Chenxuan’s warning and remains wary that Chen Lin could use the dangerous beast against the group.
• Chen Lin gives Xu Chenxuan a practical task—repairing the spearhead—while allowing the others to explore the hall at their own risk.

Significant themes

• Preparation in the face of danger: Chen Lin prioritizes recovery, research, and strengthening his soul before proceeding.
• Trust and self-preservation: Xu Chenxuan’s generosity is partly strategic, while Chen Lin’s restraint helps keep the group together.
• Limits of knowledge and power: Chen Lin’s fate-screen ability is hindered by the surrounding space, and the group cannot find the hidden passage despite searching.
• Transformation and growth: The pill’s powerful effect marks a significant advancement in Chen Lin’s soul, potentially increasing the power of his Soul-Destroying Finger.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Chenxuan completes repairs to Chen Lin’s Dark Red Spearhead, using high-purity star powder and the Thousand-Face Denomination Carefree Coins. The restored weapon works smoothly and is named Void-Breaking.
• A brief test reveals that the spear channels a powerful spatial rule. Chen Lin believes it could threaten ordinary spatial barriers, but not the exceptionally powerful space of the Holy Pagoda; forcing an escape might provoke a lethal backlash.
• With no obvious exit, Yang Qianxing suggests breaking the Buddha statues as a last resort. Chen Lin instead recalls a similar stage in a Nightmare Realm temple.
• Remembering the statues’ order—and the rotation directions for the first twenty-four—Chen Lin organizes the group to turn all thirty-six statues. The others test the remaining directions.
• After Xu Chenxuan completes the rotations, every statue turns toward one wall, whose sections rise into a relief. The group has uncovered a new clue, though its meaning is not yet revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin gains a significant weapon upgrade and shows confidence in his increased strength, while remaining cautious about the pagoda’s power. His past experience with the Nightmare Realm proves more useful than brute force.
• Xu Chenxuan demonstrates his skill as a craftsman, completing the repair to Chen Lin’s satisfaction.
• Yang Qianxing congratulates Chen Lin, recognizes the spear’s spatial nature, and voices the group’s hope that it might open a way out. He accepts Chen Lin’s explanation and helps pursue the statue puzzle.
• The five cultivators cooperate efficiently, trusting Chen Lin’s directions even before they understand his reasoning.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: The spear is formidable, but Chen Lin understands that using it recklessly against the pagoda could be disastrous.
• Experience as a resource: Memories from Chen Lin’s Nightmare Realm visit provide a practical solution to the puzzle.
• Changing status and trust: Chen Lin notices that others’ attitudes shift as his strength and possessions improve, yet the group still relies on his judgment.
• Cooperation and persistence: Rather than resorting immediately to destruction, the group methodically tests the statues’ rotations.

Plot and key events

• Chen Lin leads the group up the third trial’s staircase, choosing the odd-numbered steps despite uncertainty about whether the tower follows the same rules as a similar structure he explored before.
• In the next hall, he finds an old monk in Nian Qing’s robes seated with five other monks around a Black Lotus Platform. Chen Lin immediately attacks them with his Soul-Destroying Finger, destroying the six figures and striking the platform.
• The platform’s black surface gradually clears to reveal a white lotus. Suspecting it may conceal Nian Kong’s clone or activate the next passage, Chen Lin investigates. When he threatens it with innate thunder, Nian Kong’s phantom appears and asks him to show mercy.
• Nian Kong reveals that he knew Chen Lin had captured one of his clones in the Nightmare Realm. He claims their repeated encounters are caused by shared affinity with the Buddha and hints that Chen Lin’s inheritance and destiny talent are tied to his own attempt to escape an ordained fate. Chen Lin rejects his claims and strikes him, after which the phantom vanishes.
• The Lotus Platform then disintegrates into energy and forms a Light Gate, while a relief sculpture opens the route to the next level. The group debates whether to risk the Light Gate or continue upward.
• Chen Lin warns that he knows nothing about the levels ahead and tells everyone to decide for themselves. He enters the passage with Zhu Yunyan, Yang Qianxing, and others. Xue Yueyi chooses the Light Gate and disappears into it; Li Haofeng ultimately follows Chen Lin instead.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin acts decisively and demonstrates greatly increased power, especially by combining different kinds of soul energy to destroy the monks. His encounter with Nian Kong frustrates and unsettles him, but he resolves to face their connection rather than hide from it. He remains suspicious of the monk and refuses to accept that he has a Buddhist destiny.
• Nian Kong appears to have planned Chen Lin’s earlier acquisition of his inheritance, hoping to use Chen Lin’s destiny talent to alter his own fate. His cryptic remarks deepen the mystery around their connection.
• Yang Qianxing continues to treat Chen Lin as an equal and asks direct questions, but he is tempted by the apparently safer exit. He ultimately chooses to stay with the group.
• Zhu Yunyan remains quietly loyal to Chen Lin and follows him without hesitation.
• Xue Yueyi breaks from the group, deciding that the Light Gate is worth the risk because the dangers ahead seem greater.
• Li Haofeng is tempted to leave but, after wavering, chooses to continue with Chen Lin.

Significant themes

• Fate versus choice: Nian Kong frames their encounters as karma and destiny, while Chen Lin rejects the idea that his path is ordained.
• Trust and uncertainty: The group must decide whether to trust Nian Kong’s apparent escape route or face the unknown levels ahead.
• Power and independence: Chen Lin’s strength lets him confront Nian Kong directly, but it does not remove the uncertainty surrounding the monk’s plans or the tower’s challenges.

Plot and events

• Chen Lin reaches the tower’s final step and finds himself in a vast, black-qi-filled space rather than another temple hall. A colossal, chained creature—the Thousand-Faced Giant—greets the group and offers eternal life in exchange for release.
• Its laughter alone overwhelms the group, revealing its extraordinary strength. Zhu Yunyan recognizes it from the Creation Tome as one of the Four Great Guardians, a being of celestial or deity-level power.
• Chen Lin reconsiders the tower’s earlier floors. He suspects Nian Kong fabricated the monks, Buddha statue, Nian Qing, and Light Gate as illusions to lure him deeper and ultimately steal his destiny talent. This space, he concludes, is the tower’s true interior.
• With the chained giant too dangerous to confront, Chen Lin proposes splitting up to search for another passage. The group divides: Chen Lin travels with Zhu Yunyan, while Yang Qianxing takes Li Haofeng. They set out on opposite sides of the pillar, keeping their distance from the giant.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Lin stays cautious and analytical, piecing together Nian Kong’s deception and prioritizing escape over fighting the giant. He also weighs how useful each companion may be in the dangerous space.
• Zhu Yunyan shows initiative by asking to accompany Chen Lin. Though her divine power cannot attack or defend, she can sense certain special dangers, making her potentially useful.
• Yang Qianxing is visibly frightened by the giant but accepts Chen Lin’s plan. He agrees to take Li Haofeng after Zhu Yunyan chooses Chen Lin.
• Li Haofeng is badly injured by the giant’s roar and regrets not leaving earlier; he has little say in the group’s decisions.

Significant themes

• Illusion and manipulation: The apparent temple experience may have been an elaborate trap devised by Nian Kong.
• Trust and survival: The group must make difficult choices about whom to travel with and how to manage danger.
• Power and vulnerability: Even capable cultivators are helpless before a being of near-divine strength, making caution and special abilities more valuable than rank alone.