Chapter Summaries

Plot points

• Kunlun’s vanished ruins have drawn fading attention, though cultivators continue to visit the mountain. Gu Chen knows the ruins will not return: his main body has already taken their Origin Points.
• The Heavenly Court’s Thirty-Six Heavens prototype has been created. Gu Chen expects its rules and Immortals to take shape over the coming months, while Blue Star’s cultivators grow stronger.
• In the Starfall Empire, the Starfall Viscount reports to the Starfall Count, leader of the Peace Faction, and presents a peace treaty from Blue Star’s top Golden Immortal-level powerhouse.
• The treaty’s immense power overwhelms the Count’s attempt to inspect it, confirming the strength of the figure behind it. The Count and Viscount conclude that war with Blue Star would be dangerous.
• With the governor defeated and unable to recover for centuries, the War Faction has lost influence. The Count meets the Starfall Great Emperor, who soon invites Blue Star’s powerhouse to discuss peace and diplomatic relations.
• The Empire sends a diplomatic envoy and the Viscount aboard a warship fleet toward Blue Star.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Chen remains patient and confident in his long-term plans for the Heavenly Court. He also senses when the treaty bearing his power is activated.
• The Starfall Viscount returns with crucial intelligence and earns the Count’s approval. Though initially worried the War Faction might block peace, he is reassured by its weakened position.
• The Starfall Count is impressed by the treaty’s power and becomes a firm advocate for avoiding conflict. He praises the Viscount and takes the proposal to the Emperor.
• The Starfall Great Emperor signals a strategic shift by authorizing diplomatic talks, while the weakened governor and War Faction can no longer dominate policy.

Significant themes

• Power as deterrence: The treaty’s force demonstrates Blue Star’s strength and helps prevent war.
• Diplomacy over expansion: The Starfall Empire chooses negotiation after recognizing the risks of conflict.
• Strategic patience: Gu Chen and the Peace Faction both wait for circumstances to develop in their favor.

Plot and events

• The Starfall Empire sends a diplomatic fleet toward Blue Star Continent for the first time in nearly five hundred years. The move surprises the wider galaxy because the Empire had recently suffered a crushing defeat while invading the continent alongside the Evil God.
• Other Level Seven Civilizations and major powers closely investigate the fleet’s destination and motives. The Starfall Empire offers no explanation, while its declared wish for peace seems at odds with its reputation for aggression.
• Several factions hostile to Blue Star—especially the Tatu Civilization, Aorong Star Hall, and Mother Church of All Things—still resent their failed attempt to seize the Investiture of the Gods in Chaoge. They lost many powerful experts. The Red Demon Star Pirate Group also suffered heavy losses, while weaker participants nurse grudges but lack the strength to act.
• Gu Chen, the Mortal Body, leaves the Investiture of the Gods at the Investiture Platform, disguises himself as an ordinary cultivator, and wanders Blue Star Continent. He learns that the Starfall Empire has opened the peace proposal sent by Blue Star’s top Golden Immortal expert and expects it to accept.
• About three months later, the Starfall diplomatic fleet arrives near Blue Star Continent. The local aliens recognize the Empire’s unmistakable emblem.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Chen remains relaxed and detached, unaware of how much attention and resentment Blue Star has attracted. His original self provides him with news about the peace proposal.
• The Starfall Empire’s Imperial Family appears composed and resolute, ignoring outside speculation as its fleet travels.
• The galaxy’s powers watch the Empire’s mission with suspicion and curiosity; hostile factions quietly hope Blue Star will be punished for its past resistance.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: The Empire’s unexpected turn toward diplomacy confounds others who assume it will seek revenge.
• Consequences of conflict: The Chaoge incident continues to shape alliances and grudges long after the fighting ends.
• Uneasy peace: The treaty proposal and arriving fleet suggest a possible reconciliation, but the Empire’s true intentions remain uncertain.

Plot points and events

• Starports across Blue Star Continent detect a large fleet approaching. Its emblem, navigation signal, shields, and energy readings identify it as belonging to the powerful Starfall Empire.
• The news spreads rapidly among alien visitors and Blue Star residents, prompting speculation that another conflict may be imminent.
• Some travelers fear being caught in the fighting and consider leaving, while others argue they can stay neutral or depart if necessary. Several point out that Blue Star’s Golden Immortals defeated previous invaders, and that peace talks with the empire were recently announced.
• News outlets and online forums amplify the story. While some ordinary people grow anxious, many cultivators respond eagerly, expecting another chance to fight the empire and earn battle merits.

Character developments and interactions

• No central characters appear; the chapter focuses on collective reactions.
• Alien captains and commanders compare radar readings and discuss whether to prepare to leave.
• Alien visitors debate the danger: some urge caution, while others trust Blue Star’s strength or emphasize neutrality and the possibility of peace.
• Blue Star cultivators turn apprehension into confidence and enthusiasm, boasting of their past victory and calling for another fight.

Significant themes

• Fear versus confidence: The approaching fleet alarms some, but Blue Star’s previous victories bolster many others.
• Public reaction and rumor: News spreads through conversations, posts, and forums, shaping the continent’s mood before the fleet’s intentions are known.
• War and self-interest: Some want to avoid danger; others welcome conflict for prestige, revenge, or the chance to gain cultivation resources.
• Uncertainty: Despite the alarm, the fleet’s purpose remains unclear, and the possibility of peace talks tempers expectations of war.

Plot points and events

• The Starfall Empire’s fleet returns to the Blue Star Continent, renewing fears of war after its previous invasion and alliance with the Evil God.
• Chaoge Imperial Palace gives no public response, leaving ministers, cultivators, and alien visitors confused. Senior officials, including Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, head to the palace to seek an audience.
• While the public wonders what the Central Continent King is planning, Gu Chen is secretly relaxing in an alien massage parlor under the guise of an ordinary cultivator.
• At Fang Xiu’s tea gathering, Ye Zhen and the others ask her to contact Gu Chen for an answer. She messages him, alerting him that the fleet has arrived.
• Gu Chen uses his Heavenly Immortal-level spiritual sense to inspect the fleet. Its heavy weapons and overt show of force convince him that the Starfall Empire is trying to intimidate him, not pursue peaceful talks.
• He decides to respond, masks the senses of those nearby, and teleports directly into Chaoge Imperial Palace.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Chen shifts from carefree vacationer to decisive ruler once he learns the fleet is near. His irritation at the fleet’s display of power suggests he intends to make his position unmistakable.
• Fang Xiu acts as the link between Gu Chen and the worried cultivators. Though she initially resists their request, she agrees to contact him.
• Ye Zhen and the group voice the broader uncertainty and anxiety among the Central Continent’s people.
• The ministers and public are left guessing about the king’s intentions, while rumors about his past power shape expectations of how the Empire will behave.

Significant themes

• Public image versus hidden reality: Everyone imagines the king directing events from the palace, while he is actually on vacation.
• Power and deterrence: The Starfall fleet’s weapons are read as a threat, and Gu Chen prepares to answer its show of force with his own.
• Uncertainty and communication: The palace’s silence fuels rumors and anxiety until Fang Xiu’s message reaches Gu Chen.

Plot points and events

• Gu Chen’s Mortal Body returns to the Chaoge Imperial Palace. After hearing that the Starfall Empire’s fleet is approaching, he tells the ministers the visitors must be taught proper respect and promises to demonstrate the Central Province Divine Dynasty’s authority.
• The Starfall fleet reaches the Blue Star Continent’s Starport in intimidating formation, its advanced weapons aimed outward and its gravity shields active.
• Smaller ships clear the fleet’s path. Some are struck by the shields and sent spinning away, but their crews dare not protest.
• The fleet announces that all unrelated ships must move at least a thousand li away, forcing many vessels to retreat and leaving nearly half without berths.
• Starport cultivators condemn the fleet’s arrogance, suspecting it has come to provoke rather than negotiate.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Chen appears confident and decisive, aligning the court behind a firm response.
• The ministers share his resolve and agree that the dynasty’s authority must be defended.
• Young interstellar travelers object to the fleet’s bullying. Veteran travelers and an old captain counter that, in the Starry Sky, military strength—not morality—determines who can act without consequence. The young travelers are left frustrated and uncertain.
• The Starport cultivators’ anger suggests local resistance may follow the fleet’s show of force.

Significant themes

• Power and justice: The travelers debate whether morality can matter without strength to enforce it.
• Imperial dignity and intimidation: The Starfall Empire uses its military presence to dominate the Starport, while Gu Chen intends to answer with a display of his own dynasty’s authority.
• The cost of unchecked power: The fleet’s coercion harms ordinary ships and turns its arrival into a potential confrontation.

Plot and events

• The Starfall Empire’s heavily armed fleet occupies much of Blue Star’s Starport in a deliberate show of force, alarming travelers and enraging Blue Star’s cultivators and residents.
• From Chaoge Imperial Palace, Gu Chen senses the provocation. At Grand Tutor Wen Zhong’s urging, he orders Chaoge’s commanders and soldiers to demonstrate the Central Continent Divine Dynasty’s power.
• Fang Xiu receives the order while with friends and promptly prepares for action; Ye Zhen enthusiastically supports the response.
• Chaoge activates its Royal City Formation and gathers Immortal-level commanders, Nascent Soul generals, and their troops into a Giant War Formation. Gu Chen directs the formation toward the Starport.
• The Starfall Empire’s Foreign Minister admits that the fleet’s intimidating arrival is intentional: the empire wants leverage in peace negotiations. Before he can finish, Chaoge’s enormous formation arrives and presses against the fleet’s shields. Starfall’s warships retreat hundreds of miles.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Chen responds to the provocation with confidence and decisive force, asserting that Blue Star is under his authority.
• Wen Zhong advises an uncompromising response, reinforcing Gu Chen’s resolve.
• Fang Xiu shifts from a relaxed gathering to active duty, while Ye Zhen voices his approval. Their companions follow Fang Xiu, largely ignoring Ye Zhen’s boasting.
• The Starfall Foreign Minister is calculating rather than conciliatory: he sees intimidation as a negotiating tactic. The viscount questions the risk, but the minister dismisses his concerns.

Significant themes

• Power and sovereignty: Chaoge insists that Blue Star’s territory and authority cannot be challenged.
• Diplomacy backed by force: Both sides use military displays to shape negotiations, but Chaoge’s response decisively reverses Starfall’s attempt to gain the upper hand.
• Collective resolve and public spectacle: The formation’s arrival turns a political confrontation into a dramatic demonstration witnessed by cultivators and visitors across the Starport.

Plot and key events

• Starfall Empire’s diplomatic fleet uses a show of force at the Starport, but Chaoge Royal City answers by deploying its Giant War Formation. The formation’s presence distorts the fleet’s shields and forces it to retreat hundreds of miles.
• Blue Star cultivators, travelers, and people watching online celebrate the reversal, especially after the fleet had previously bullied and intimidated other ships.
• Starfall’s foreign minister and commanders recognize that their display has backfired: the Central Continent’s army is far more powerful than expected, weakening Starfall’s position ahead of peace talks.
• Gu Chen responds from Chaoge Imperial Palace. Using One Thought Incarnation and Heavenly Law, Earthly Form, he projects a colossal, thousand-mile-tall Emperor above the Starport.
• Speaking directly into the minds of those present, Gu Chen welcomes Starfall’s envoys and tells them he awaits them at the palace. His immense apparition makes the fleet’s earlier intimidation seem insignificant.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Chen shifts from allowing the situation to unfold to making his authority unmistakable. Though he sends only his Mortal Body’s incarnation, he projects confidence and overwhelming power.
• Starfall’s officials move from arrogance to apprehension. They acknowledge the strength of the Central Continent and realize their tactics may have damaged their negotiating position.
• Blue Star’s cultivators and ordinary observers share a surge of pride and satisfaction, seeing Chaoge’s response as vindication for those previously mistreated by Starfall.
• The chapter’s central interaction is a contest of intimidation: Starfall attempts to dominate the Starport, Chaoge’s army forces its fleet back, and Gu Chen’s apparition delivers the final, overwhelming rebuke.

Significant themes

• Power and respect: The chapter presents strength as the force that commands attention in interstellar politics.
• Pride and humiliation: Starfall’s attempt to assert superiority instead exposes its vulnerability, while Blue Star celebrates the reversal.
• Authority and scale: Gu Chen’s godlike appearance visually contrasts his power with the fleet, framing the empire’s earlier bravado as a futile challenge.

Key plot points and events

• Emperor Gu manifests a nearly thousand-li-tall form in space, displaying the mythic Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation ability. His immense size astonishes people across Blue Star, the Starport, and the broadcast audience.
• Blue Star cultivators recognize the technique and speculate that Emperor Gu may be a reincarnated figure from ancient myths—and perhaps the strongest person below the Golden Immortals. Starport travelers compare him to a Star Beast, while ordinary viewers simply marvel at his power.
• The Starfall Empire’s envoys and commanders realize their earlier show of force and political maneuvering have failed. Their ships cannot approach the Starport, which is protected by powerful war formations.
• With no effective alternative, the envoys activate their Constructed Armors and fly toward the Starport, abandoning their former air of superiority.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Xiu is awed by Emperor Gu’s power but also feels the gulf between them widen. She doubts whether she could ever stand beside him or become his Dao Companion.
• Fang Xiu’s fellow Group Chat members and the cultivators around her praise Emperor Gu’s strength and expect his display to curb the aliens’ arrogance.
• The Starfall envoys shift from confidence to alarm and regret. They recognize that they provoked someone they cannot overpower and must now approach on his terms.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Emperor Gu’s supernatural display overwhelms both public opinion and the Starfall delegation.
• Pride and consequences: The envoys’ attempt to gain leverage through provocation backfires, forcing them into a humbler position.
• Distance between individuals: Fang Xiu’s admiration deepens alongside her sense that Emperor Gu may be beyond her reach.
• Different perspectives on the extraordinary: Cultivators identify the ability’s mythic origins, travelers interpret it through familiar spacefaring concepts, and ordinary viewers respond with awe.

Key plot points and events

• Starfall Empire envoys arrive at the Blue Star Continent Starport after being made to leave their warships and travel to the port themselves. The public watches, many enjoying their inconvenience.
• Gu Chen, appearing as the thousand-li-tall Central Continent King, greets them with a crushing Heavenly Immortal aura. Several envoys stumble or fall as their protections activate.
• His display alarms onlookers and prompts the Starfall fleet to aim its heavy weapons at him, bringing the peace talks close to open conflict.
• When the lead envoy challenges Gu Chen’s intentions, he warns that visitors must follow Blue Star Continent’s rules or face consequences, even if that damages the negotiations.
• The envoy promptly apologizes and agrees to comply. Gu Chen is surprised by the envoy’s composure and diplomatic skill.
• Gu Chen ends his manifestation. Chaoge Royal City’s forces escort the delegation through the Mysterious Light Grand Formation into the city. Gu Chen then deliberately delays meeting them.

Character developments

• Gu Chen asserts his authority through intimidation, showing little concern for diplomatic appearances. Afterward, he recognizes the lead envoy’s restraint and skill.
• The lead envoy reveals himself as disciplined and politically adept: he withstands Gu Chen’s pressure, challenges him directly, then quickly de-escalates when given a clear warning.
• The other envoys maintain an outwardly dignified bearing, though Gu Chen’s aura visibly overwhelms some of them.

Significant themes

• Power and diplomacy: Gu Chen uses force to establish the terms of negotiation, while the envoy uses composure and concession to prevent escalation.
• Sovereignty and respect: Gu Chen insists that foreign visitors must obey local rules.
• The fragility of peace: A tense exchange and the Starfall fleet’s weapons nearly turn negotiations into war.
• Public spectacle: The confrontation is watched by crowds and broadcast, making diplomacy a highly visible performance.

Character interactions

• Gu Chen and the lead envoy exchange threats and warnings, then reach a temporary understanding when the envoy apologizes and agrees to comply.
• The Starfall fleet’s weapons targeting Gu Chen silently reinforces the threat behind the envoy’s challenge.
• Chaoge’s military escorts the envoys into the city, while Gu Chen keeps them waiting rather than beginning talks immediately.

Key plot points

• After the Starfall Empire fleet’s standoff at the Starport ends without violence, other powers—many hostile to the empire—watch in frustration and speculate about the coming peace talks.
• The Starfall envoys and Chaoge’s Central Continent King appear to ignore diplomacy. The king does not meet them; instead, the envoys spend two days sightseeing around Chaoge Royal City.
• The envoys are impressed by the city’s cultivation-based civilization, especially its formations, Spirit Artifacts, Magic Treasures, and abundance of powerful practitioners.
• During their tour, black-clad attackers launch a suicidal assault, declaring that a Central Continent power wants the envoys dead. Chaoge’s patrols and Royal City Formation contain the attack, but the assailants self-destruct.
• News of the attack spreads rapidly, raising fears that it could derail negotiations or provoke war.

Character developments and interactions

• The envoys shift from diplomatic visitors to intrigued observers, openly acknowledging Blue Star Continent’s unusual strength and the wisdom of seeking peace.
• The Central Continent King remains distant from the envoys, while his city’s general and patrol forces respond swiftly to protect them.
• The attackers’ declaration hints at an undisclosed faction or powerful figure opposed to the Starfall Empire, but their identities remain unknown.

Significant themes

• Uneasy peace: The fleet’s restraint prevents immediate conflict, but longstanding grievances keep tensions high.
• Cultural wonder and misjudgment: The envoys struggle to understand a civilization whose cultivation and magical technology defy their expectations.
• Hidden political currents: The sightseeing tour masks a volatile situation, and the assassination attempt reveals that unseen forces may be trying to disrupt diplomacy.

• Key events: The Starfall Empire’s diplomatic envoys are attacked in Chaoge Royal City before peace talks can begin. The attacker claims a powerful Central Continent figure ordered the assault, then destroys himself, leaving no proof. Gu Chen recognizes the incident as an attempt by outside forces to provoke war and remains outwardly calm. That night, new attackers strike the city and are killed by patrols; they carry weapons marked with the Starfall Empire’s emblem, fueling rumors that the empire is responsible. Soon afterward, the empire’s fleet at the Starport is apparently attacked as well, prompting its defenses to activate and other ships to flee. As tension and speculation spread, Gu Chen’s patience ends: he releases his Peak Heavenly Immortal aura and sweeps the city with his Spiritual Sense.
• Character developments: Gu Chen shifts from deliberate restraint to a clear readiness to act, concluding that his mercy has emboldened the hidden instigators. The Starfall envoys remain cautious and suspect that enemies of the empire are sabotaging the talks, but they also expect the Central Continent King to protect his guests.
• Significant themes: The chapter explores how false-flag attacks and rumors can destabilize diplomacy, how political enemies exploit uncertainty to provoke war, and how restraint may be mistaken for weakness.
• Character interactions: The envoys discuss the attack and its likely purpose among themselves. Gu Chen’s response contrasts with the public’s anxious speculation: while the city debates who is responsible, he sees a deliberate plot and prepares to confront its hidden organizers.

Key plot points and events

• A terrifying Peak Heavenly Immortal aura erupts from Chaoge Imperial Palace, drawing the attention of cultivators, civilians, diplomats, and alien visitors. Most assume the Central Continent King is preparing to punish the hidden forces behind the recent unrest.
• The Starfall Empire’s envoys suspect a covert faction is trying to sabotage their peace talks with the Blue Star Continent. They hope the King can uncover the culprits.
• The apparent residents of an ordinary house are revealed as Shadow Hall operatives, members of a shapeshifting Starry Sky race renowned for infiltration. Hired by a powerful faction, they have carried out the recent attacks to provoke conflict between the Starfall Empire and the Central Continent King.
• Shadow Hall’s members are confident their disguises and concealment are beyond detection. But in the Imperial Palace, Gu Chen recognizes that ordinary searches will fail and plans to use the Investiture of the Gods to locate them through the Heavenly Dao, which no outsider to Blue Star can evade.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Chen shifts from relying on conventional searches to a more decisive, supernatural method. His calm confidence suggests he has identified a way around Shadow Hall’s signature strength.
• Shadow Hall’s operatives display pride in their abilities and dismiss the danger posed by the King, believing their cover is secure.
• The public, diplomats, and alien visitors react differently to the same display of power: Blue Star’s people celebrate it, the envoys see a possible solution to the political crisis, and the aliens watch expectantly.
• Shadow Hall’s members discuss the King’s strength among themselves, revealing both their fear of confronting him directly and their faith in their organization’s secrecy.

Significant themes

• Concealment versus higher knowledge: Shadow Hall can fool observers, but not the Heavenly Dao.
• Power and authority: Gu Chen’s aura reinforces his dominance, while his control of Chaoge makes the city’s security a personal responsibility.
• Political manipulation: The attacks are engineered to turn peace talks into war, showing how covert violence can threaten diplomacy.
• Overconfidence: Shadow Hall’s belief that it is undetectable sets up a clash between its specialized skills and Gu Chen’s unconventional countermeasure.

Key plot points and events

• Gu Chen appears above the Imperial Palace holding the Investiture of the Gods. Its power creates auspicious heavenly signs across Chaoge Royal City.
• He channels his Heavenly Immortal power through the treasure to draw on part of the Blue Star Heavenly Dao, spreading its influence across a vast area around the city.
• The power reveals the karmic connections of everyone within its reach. Gu Chen spots several apparently ordinary citizens whose threads lead to the locations of the recent attacks.
• Gu Chen identifies the hidden attackers and prepares to strike, declaring that their concealment has failed. The chapter ends as he launches his attack.

Character developments

• Gu Chen demonstrates the Investiture’s formidable abilities beyond its known association with restoring the dead. With Heavenly Dao power behind him, his reach and perception approach a Golden Immortal’s.
• The Shadow Hall Leader tries to reassure his frightened subordinates, insisting that the Shapeshifter Clan’s disguises cannot be penetrated. His confidence is about to be disproved.

Character interactions

• Modern cultivators and citizens react in awe to the heavenly signs, recognizing the Investiture and believing the hidden faction can no longer escape.
• A Starfall Viscount explains the treasure’s history and role in the failed attempt to seize it to his diplomatic companions. They wonder whether it can also locate the attackers.
• The Shadow Hall members panic at a sudden sense of danger; their leader calms them, dismissing the possibility that they have been discovered.

Significant themes

• Heavenly authority and fate: The Investiture lets Gu Chen draw on the Heavenly Dao and perceive karmic ties across the city.
• Exposure versus concealment: The attackers’ shapeshifting and hiding fail against a power that can trace their connections to earlier crimes.
• Escalating power: A treasure previously associated with resurrection proves to have broader, potentially overwhelming uses.

Plot points and events

• Immortal Light reveals a Heavenly Immortal-level attack over Chaoge Royal City. A colossal jade-like finger descends toward a modest residence in the eastern district, triggering the city’s protective formation.
• The residence is pulverized, exposing nine people who appear to be ordinary, powerless citizens. Onlookers wonder whether Gu Chen has mistaken his target.
• Gu Chen presses the attack, certain that the Investiture of the Gods and the Blue Star Heavenly Dao have exposed the nine’s links to the recent attacks.
• Facing imminent death, the targets reveal themselves as members of the Shadow Hall and the rare Shapeshifter Race. They transform into various powerful creatures and flee, but the chapter ends with their escape attempts dwarfed by the Heavenly Immortal Peak’s overwhelming power.

Character developments

• Gu Chen is unwavering in his judgment, trusting cause-and-effect evidence even when appearances and others’ doubts suggest he may be wrong.
• The Shadow Hall leader and his subordinates move from concealment to panic, revealing their shapeshifting abilities only when their cover is destroyed.
• The observers shift from confusion about the apparently ordinary targets to recognition and alarm once the Shapeshifters transform.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus truth: The attackers look like ordinary citizens, but hidden causal connections reveal their guilt.
• Overwhelming power: The Shapeshifters’ transformations and resistance are futile against Gu Chen’s immense strength.
• Exposure and consequence: Their disguise buys them secrecy, not safety; once discovered, they face the consequences of their actions.

Character interactions

• Gu Chen’s attack prompts the Shadow Hall members to expose themselves and flee.
• Blue Star cultivators, aliens, and Starfall Empire envoys watch and question whether Gu Chen has targeted the right people.
• The envoys identify the transformed attackers as Shadow Hall members of the Shapeshifter Race, clarifying the mystery for the crowd.

Key plot points and events

• Mortal Body Gu Chen kills eight of the ten Shadow Hall attackers with a single finger strike. Their leader and one subordinate survive by transforming into a Void Shadow Clan member and an Aurora Bird.
• Revealing the overwhelming pressure of a Peak Heavenly Immortal, Gu Chen condemns them for attacking foreign envoys and disrupting Chaoge Royal City, where Shang Tang law applies to all visitors.
• Rather than killing them immediately, he offers a challenge: survive five breaths and he will spare their lives; last ten and they may leave the city.
• Gu Chen is interested in their shapeshifting ability, which resembles the legendary Seventy-Two Transformations, and hopes to study it.
• Onlookers judge the offer extraordinarily generous. The two attackers eagerly confirm the terms, while cultivators mock their apparent confidence, doubting they can endure even five breaths against Gu Chen.

Character developments

• Gu Chen demonstrates godlike strength and authority, but also curiosity and strategic restraint: he spares the survivors temporarily to investigate their transformations.
• The Shadow Hall leader and subordinate shift from terror and regret to hopeful eagerness once offered a chance to survive, underestimating how impossible the trial may be.

Significant themes

• The gulf in power: A Heavenly Immortal’s presence and words can overwhelm those beneath that realm.
• Law and sovereignty: Gu Chen asserts that all who enter Chaoge must obey its laws, regardless of origin.
• Mercy versus punishment: Onlookers consider Gu Chen lenient toward would-be instigators, while he balances punishment with a practical motive.
• Power and hubris: The survivors’ confidence contrasts with the observers’ understanding of how dangerous Gu Chen is.

Character interactions

• Gu Chen confronts the survivors and lays out the conditions of their survival.
• The leader appeals to Gu Chen as the Central Continent King, but Gu Chen cuts him off with overwhelming pressure and a formal accusation.
• Cultivators, envoys, and other observers react to the challenge, debating Gu Chen’s leniency and ridiculing the attackers’ optimism.

Key events

• Gu Chen gives the two surviving Shadow Hall members a chance to endure ten breaths against him before he lets them leave. They prepare their treasures, believing they may escape.
• When Gu Chen attacks, the Shadow Hall leader slips into the Void, while his subordinate transforms into an Aurora Bird and tries to flee through the Royal City, using the crowd as cover.
• Cultivators and Alien visitors refuse to serve as shields and ready their defenses. Gu Chen’s immense Immortal Light engulfs nearly half the city, but his precise control kills only the fleeing subordinate, leaving everyone else unharmed.
• The leader tries to evade Gu Chen by leaping through the Void. A second overwhelming strike leaves him unable to resist, and he throws out his protective items before shouting that he surrenders—well before ten breaths have passed.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Chen remains calm and confident, treating the Shadow Hall members’ escape tactics as futile. His attack demonstrates not only overwhelming strength but extraordinary precision.
• The Shadow Hall subordinate relies on his speed and a crowd-shielding tactic, but his desperation ends in his swift death.
• The Shadow Hall leader shifts from hopeful preparation to panic as he witnesses his companion die; faced with Gu Chen’s next attack, he abandons resistance and surrenders.
• The crowd reacts with anger to the Aurora Bird’s attempt to endanger them, while the Starfall Empire envoys watch in awe at Gu Chen’s power and control.

Significant themes

• Strength over cleverness: Evasion and tricks are ineffective against a vastly superior opponent.
• Mercy and intimidation: Gu Chen offers terms, but the disparity in power makes the promised challenge effectively impossible.
• Control as a mark of mastery: Gu Chen’s ability to devastate a large area without harming bystanders impresses even experienced observers.
• Self-preservation under pressure: The leader’s surrender shows how quickly confidence collapses when survival is at stake.

Key plot points and events

• The Shadow Hall leader, Guqido, surrenders to Gu Chen’s Mortal Body rather than die. Gu Chen spares him but orders him to remain on Blue Star and answer for his crimes.
• Guqido publicly swears eternal loyalty. Starfall Empire envoys conclude that the Shadow Hall’s plot to provoke conflict between the empire and Blue Star has been exposed, opening the possibility of peace talks with Gu Chen.
• Gu Chen brings Guqido to the palace, where the ministers expect an interrogation. Instead, Gu Chen explains that he wants to study the Shapeshifter’s innate ability.
• After sealing Guqido’s powers, Gu Chen examines him and discovers a Star Crystal within his body. Its patterned structure enables shapeshifting and imitation.
• Gu Chen studies the crystal’s patterns and combines his findings with cultivation techniques, beginning to develop a version of the legendary Seventy-Two Transformations without spending millions of Origin Points.

Character developments and interactions

• Guqido shifts rapidly from defiant enemy to frightened survivor, then to eager and cooperative captive. He even misunderstands Gu Chen’s intentions, comically fearing an embarrassing sort of “research” before learning that Gu Chen only wants to examine his ability.
• Gu Chen demonstrates both overwhelming authority and practical curiosity: he spares a useful enemy, secures his loyalty, and turns the encounter into an opportunity to advance his cultivation knowledge.
• The ministers recognize that Guqido’s confession—and what may follow from it—could expose hostile factions, but leave the room when Gu Chen begins his examination.
• The Starfall envoys view Guqido’s surrender as a diplomatic complication but also see the Shadow Hall’s defeat as a chance to negotiate peace.

Significant themes

• Survival and submission: Guqido chooses loyalty when faced with death, illustrating how quickly allegiance can change under pressure.
• Power as deterrence: Gu Chen’s victory warns other alien factions against provoking him.
• Knowledge gained through study: Gu Chen turns a captured enemy’s unusual biology into an opportunity for discovery.
• Pragmatism and economy: By researching the ability himself, Gu Chen may avoid the enormous cost of manifesting it through the system.

Key plot points and events

• Gu Chen’s Mortal Body delays responding to the Starfall Empire’s request for peace talks because he is absorbed in studying Guqido’s shapeshifting. After Grand Tutor Wen Zhong reminds him, he finally releases Guqido—though he hints that he may want to resume the experiments later.
• The Starfall Empire’s Foreign Minister and noble envoys meet Gu Chen in the imperial hall. Gu Chen says that an amicable agreement will depend on the empire’s attitude and sincerity.
• Shang Rong and Wen Zhong argue that the Starfall Empire began the war by invading alongside an Evil God and must offer compensation and pay a meaningful price for peace.
• The envoys counter that the empire has already suffered severe losses, including the incapacitation of its governor and the deaths of many nobles, and argue that further compensation would be unfair.
• Neither side yields. Negotiations turn into a prolonged exchange of arguments, with no quick agreement in sight.

Character developments and interactions

• Gu Chen is shown as both intensely curious—pushing Guqido through exhausting tests—and politically self-assured, leaving the negotiations to his experienced ministers.
• Guqido is relieved to be freed after days of repeated testing, but Gu Chen’s promise of more research leaves him uneasy.
• Wen Zhong, Shang Rong, and Bi Gan act as skilled, tireless negotiators. Shang Rong and Wen Zhong lead the charge by emphasizing the empire’s responsibility for starting the war.
• The Starfall envoys remain composed enough to defend their position, presenting their military losses as grounds for lenient terms.
• The main interaction is a clash between Shang Tang’s ministers, who demand accountability and compensation, and the Starfall delegation, which seeks concessions and a swift peace.

Significant themes

• Peace versus accountability: Ending a war does not settle the question of who must pay for starting it.
• Negotiation as combat: The talks become a “war of words,” with each side trying to weaken the other’s position.
• Power and exhaustion: Gu Chen’s authority shapes both Guqido’s ordeal and the political proceedings, while the envoys must endure the ministers’ relentless arguments.
• Cultural contrast: The image of traditionally robed ministers debating futuristic-armored envoys underscores the unusual meeting of worlds.

Key plot points and events

• For nearly ten days, the Starfall Empire’s envoys remain inside Chaoge Imperial Palace while people across Blue Star speculate about the negotiations.
• Inside, Shang Tang’s ministers overwhelm the envoys with relentless verbal attacks and pressure. Exhausted and low on Mental Power, the envoys finally accept the demands and sign the treaty.
• The envoys leave in a visibly haggard state, prompting astonishment among the crowds outside.
• Gu Chen reviews the treaty and spots a catch: the Starfall Empire agrees to compensate Blue Star, but Shang Tang must travel to the empire’s distant star region to collect it. He sends the treaty through a Space Rift to his true self for further attention.

Character developments

• Shang Rong, Wen Zhong, Bi Gan, and the other ministers demonstrate their endurance and skill at negotiation, remaining composed while wearing down the envoys.
• The Starfall envoys begin stubborn but are ultimately exhausted into accepting the terms.
• Gu Chen shifts from distracted observer to alert authority, quickly identifying that the apparent agreement may conceal a trap.

Significant themes

• Negotiation as a contest of endurance: The treaty is won through prolonged pressure as much as diplomacy.
• Victory with hidden costs: The compensation sounds favorable, but the requirement to claim it in enemy territory raises suspicion.
• Perception versus reality: Outsiders see only an ordinary peace negotiation; those inside understand it as an exhausting confrontation.

Character interactions

• The Shang Tang ministers confront the Starfall envoys with sustained verbal pressure, while the envoys try to resist using their Mental Power.
• After the signing, the ministers report their success to Gu Chen, who thanks them and examines the treaty.
• Gu Chen’s discovery of the collection condition turns the apparent diplomatic victory into a possible setup for the next conflict.

Key plot points and events

• The Starfall Empire and Shang Tang Divine Dynasty publish a peace treaty requiring the Empire to compensate the Blue Star Continent for its century-long invasion.
• The treaty’s final clause requires Shang Tang to collect the compensation in the Starfall Empire’s own territory. Cultivators recognize this as a dangerous trap, fearing the visiting delegation could be attacked by a powerful Level Seven civilization.
• Public anger spreads across the continent and online, with many accusing the Empire of trying to evade payment.
• Main Body Gu Chen destroys the treaty and dismisses the scheme. Confident in the power of his newly refined Spiritual Treasure, Heavenly Tribulation, he is willing to visit the Empire and confront its ruler if necessary.
• Acting on his main body’s instructions, Mortal Body Gu Chen announces that a top Golden Immortal-level expert of Shang Tang will visit the Starfall Empire.

Character developments and interactions

• Main Body Gu Chen responds to the threat with contempt rather than caution, displaying confidence in his strength and readiness to use force.
• Mortal Body Gu Chen calmly carries out his main body’s decision and turns it into a public challenge.
• Shang Tang’s ministers had negotiated a large compensation package, while ordinary citizens and cultivators react first with celebration, then outrage when they notice the collection clause.
• The announcement makes the planned visit a high-stakes encounter between Shang Tang and the Starfall Empire, though the visitor’s identity is not yet revealed.

Significant themes

• Diplomacy versus coercion: A peace agreement becomes another arena for power plays.
• Public opinion and national pride: Citizens’ celebration quickly turns to anger when they perceive the treaty as deceptive.
• Strength and deterrence: Gu Chen’s answer to a suspected trap is not retreat but a show of confidence and force.