Summary: "What Use Are All Beings"

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• A massive, prolonged war rages on the sea between the Tide Listening Pavilion and the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, fought over a secret realm. The battlefield is littered with corpses, blood, and wreckage.
• Li Tui walks calmly through the carnage, untouched by blood or battle. He uses a gray "invisible net" to harvest the dying cultivators' karma, obsession, resentment, and vow power, feeding them to a faceless Dao Infant in his dantian.
• It is revealed that the war itself was merely fuel—the lives of ten thousand people were only enough to "pave the road" and pay for the concealment concealing his Dao Infant's shell-breaking.
• Li Tui observes the two faction leaders at their lowest point: the Pavilion Master roars desperately from a shattered flagship, coughing blood, while the Alliance leader frantically directs remnants, refusing to accept defeat.
• The Dao Infant's shell-breaking is completed. Li Tui realizes he no longer needs to harvest lives as cover—"he himself is now the greatest shadow."
• He turns and walks away from the battlefield, seeking the next waypoint in his journey. The sea where he stood slowly returns to its original color.

2. Character Developments

• Li Tui: Reaches a major milestone—his Dao Infant has emerged, breaking its shell. This marks a shift from a phase of reliance on external nourishment/concealment to self-sufficiency. His demeanor is cold, detached, and transactional; he views life and death purely as sources of "power."
• Pavilion Master: Shown broken and raging, an old flood dragon cornered—his leadership and cause are collapsing.
• Alliance Leader: Half-defeated but still madly clinging to hope, described as a gambler staking his final chip; his "unwillingness" burns in his eyes.

3. Significant Themes

• Instrumentality of life: The title question—"what use are all beings?"—is answered: they are karma, concealment, firewood to burn. Lives are a fuel source, not ends in themselves.
• Transcendent indifference: From Li Tui's higher vantage, the war, the deaths, and the leaders' desperate struggles are as insignificant as ants moving house.
• The cost of transcendence: The protagonist's cultivation path is parasitic—it consumes masses of lives for small, incremental gains.
• Passing the threshold: A dramatic turning point where the protagonist outgrows his need for the world's chaos; the war is now meaningless backdrop to his personal progress.

4. Character Interactions

• Li Tui does not interact with anyone—this is thematically deliberate. His only "engagement" is harvesting the dying. He glances at the two leaders with neither sorrow nor joy, merely acknowledging them as approaching "firewood."
• The two faction leaders interact only through combat; both are bent on mutual destruction and unaware of their true use to Li Tui.
• The narrative frames a kind of inverted relationship: all beings strive and die in conflict, unknowingly serving a single transcending individual who walks away while their battle continues behind him.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui leaves the battlefield, having achieved his goal of concealing his Dao resonance.
• He discovers that his newly born Dao Infant has five empty viscera shrines, representing the absence of essential Dao powers.
• Li Tui uses Heavenly Hearing to search for his remnant Dao fruition from his previous life in the north.
• He decides to retrieve his lost powers by revisiting the places where he cultivated his Dao in his previous life.

Character Developments

• Li Tui shows his determination to walk his unique Dao path independently, without relying on others.
• He demonstrates his patience and meticulousness in searching for his lost powers using Heavenly Hearing.

Significant Themes

• The importance of personal effort and will in cultivating one's own Dao path.
• The interconnectedness of all things under Heavenly Hearing, reflecting the complex web of karma and causality.
• The concept of Dao resonance and its significance in Li Tui's cultivation.

Character Interactions

• There are no direct interactions with other characters in this chapter, as Li Tui is alone in his cultivation journey. However, his actions reflect his internal dialogue with his Dao Infant and his past self.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui returns to the wasteland where he died in his previous life, seeking the remnant root of the divine tree.
• The Lin Family has occupied the area for decades, believing the remnant root holds the secret to their clan's revival.
• Li Tui touches the remnant root, absorbing its essence, and the Lin Family patriarch attacks him but fails to harm him.
• Li Tui walks away, leaving the Lin Family ancestor kneeling in the dirt, his cultivation and memories of the remnant root dissolved.

Character Developments

• Li Tui: He is determined to reclaim the remnants of his past lives and regain his power. He shows no mercy towards those who disrespect or hinder his path.
• Lin Family Ancestor: He is a Foundation Establishment True Person who has dedicated his life to understanding the remnant root. After Li Tui's departure, he is left a hollow shell of his former self.

Significant Themes

• Reclamation of the Past: Li Tui seeks to reclaim the remnants of his past lives, symbolizing his journey to regain his lost power and understanding.
• Respect for the Divine: The Lin Family's ancestor shows disrespect towards the divine tree's remnant root, leading to his downfall.
• The Consequences of Greed: The Lin Family's greed for power and revival leads them to occupy the wasteland and ignore the true significance of the remnant root, ultimately resulting in their downfall.

Character Interactions

• Li Tui and the Lin Family Ancestor: Their interaction is brief but impactful. Li Tui's indifference and eventual dismissal of the Lin Family Ancestor highlight the power imbalance and Li Tui's disregard for those who stand in his way.
• Li Tui and the Remnant Root: Their connection is profound, as Li Tui can absorb the remnant root's essence, furthering his journey to regain his power.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Three Foundation Establishment cultivators set up a "Dao Discussion Convention" in a small city, claiming to see through all concealment techniques and deduce karmic causes and effects.
• Li Tui, a mysterious figure in a worn Taoist robe, passes through the crowd unnoticed, reaching the platform without anyone hindering him or acknowledging his presence.
• The three cultivators attempt to use their divine senses to detect Li Tui but fail, causing them to panic and try to confine him with an array. However, Li Tui walks through the array without pause.
• After Li Tui leaves the city, the crowd begins to question his existence, with some even doubting if he was ever there.

Character Developments

• Li Tui: Remains calm and composed throughout, not reacting to the cultivators' attempts to detect or confine him. His presence and actions cause confusion and fear among the crowd and the cultivators.
• The three Foundation Establishment cultivators: Initially boastful and arrogant, they become pale and frightened when they realize they cannot detect or confine Li Tui. They are left speechless and bewildered after Li Tui's departure.

Significant Themes

• Existence and non-existence: The chapter explores the concept of existence, with Li Tui's presence and actions challenging the cultivators' and the crowd's perceptions of reality.
• Power and perception: The three cultivators' boasts about their abilities are exposed as hollow when they fail to detect or confine Li Tui, highlighting the limitations of their power and perception.
• Ignorance and denial: The crowd's initial reaction to Li Tui's presence and their subsequent denial of his existence after he leaves suggest their unwillingness to accept or acknowledge the unknown.

Character Interactions

• Li Tui interacts with no one directly, yet his presence and actions have a profound impact on the three cultivators and the crowd.
• The three cultivators interact with each other, initially in harmony as they boast about their abilities, but later in confusion and fear as they try to deal with Li Tui's presence.
• The crowd interacts with each other, initially focused on the cultivators' claims and the spectacle they are putting on, but later in confusion and disbelief as they try to make sense of Li Tui's presence and their own inability to perceive him.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui leaves the nameless city after the events of the previous chapter.
• He stops at a desolate ridge and uses his Heavenly Hearing to perceive the deepest layer of the void.
• Li Tui finds a speck of dust, a remnant of the Mystic Yellow Realm, which responds to his touch.

Character Developments

• Li Tui demonstrates his ability to perceive the deepest layer of the void, showing growth in his powers.
• The Mystic Yellow Realm is revealed to have a remnant that responds to Li Tui, hinting at their connection.

Significant Themes

• The theme of "remaining" is emphasized, with the Mystic Yellow Realm's remnant still existing despite being at the void's deepest layer.
• The connection between Li Tui and the Mystic Yellow Realm is further explored.

Character Interactions

• There are no character interactions in this chapter, as Li Tui is alone throughout.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui, at the bottom of the void, finds the remnant of the Mystic Yellow Realm, a once-vibrant world now reduced to a speck of dust.
• He absorbs the origin of the Mystic Yellow Realm, causing it to collapse and all its living beings to perish.
• The realm's destruction is shown in detail, from the collapse of mountains and cities to the deaths of its inhabitants.

Character Developments

• Li Tui shows no remorse or pity for the destruction of the Mystic Yellow Realm and its inhabitants, viewing them as obstacles to his goal of reclaiming what is his.

Significant Themes

• The ruthlessness of Li Tui in pursuing his goals, regardless of the consequences.
• The fragility and impermanence of worlds and lives in the face of greater powers.

Character Interactions

• None in this chapter; Li Tui interacts only with the remnants of the Mystic Yellow Realm.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui returns to the Central Lands and approaches the boundary wall between the Central Lands and Wild Province.
• The boundary wall, which normally repels Golden Core cultivators, does not react to Li Tui due to the unique nature of his Dao Infant.
• Li Tui passes through the boundary wall without incident, marking the first time a Golden Core cultivator has done so.
• True Lord Yi Zhong, a Golden Core cultivator studying the boundary wall, senses Li Tui's passage but is confused by the lack of rejection reaction.

Character Developments

• Li Tui demonstrates his unique existence and disregard for the laws governing the boundary wall.
• True Lord Yi Zhong shows his dedication to studying the boundary wall and his ability to sense its fluctuations.

Significant Themes

• The theme of transcending boundaries and laws is reinforced as Li Tui passes through the boundary wall.
• The theme of the unknown and the unclassified is explored through the boundary wall's inability to identify Li Tui's Dao Infant.

Character Interactions

• There are no direct interactions between Li Tui and True Lord Yi Zhong in this chapter, but their actions and reactions to the boundary wall create a subtle connection.
• Li Tui's passage through the boundary wall is indirectly noticed by True Lord Yi Zhong, setting the stage for potential future interactions.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui, a cultivator, travels to Wild Province, where he stops at Vajra Temple but does not enter.
• The next morning, the monks discover that the Vajra statue's right hand has changed its mudra, suggesting the presence of a "Venerable One."
• The abbot confirms that a Venerable One visited the temple, but no one knows when or how.

Character Developments

• Li Tui: He is introduced as a calm and observant cultivator who respects the boundaries of others.
• The Abbot: He is wise, reverent, and perceptive, able to recognize the signs of a Venerable One's visit.
• The Monks: They are devoted to their duties and show reverence for the Vajra statue and the Venerable One.

Significant Themes

• Respect for boundaries and the divine.
• The power of faith and devotion in the face of harsh conditions.
• The mysterious and unknowable nature of divine beings.

Character Interactions

• Li Tui interacts with no one in this chapter, merely observing the temple from afar.
• The monks interact with each other, sharing their observations and seeking the abbot's guidance.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui enters Still Illumination Temple, where a stone Buddha (Mahakasyapa) is worshipped.
• The temple is filled with worshippers, but time seems to have stopped, and the incense smoke is frozen.
• Li Tui passes through the temple without being noticed by the worshippers.
• When Li Tui stands beneath the stone Buddha, the Buddha's "divine light" goes out, and the worshippers look up and see Li Tui, mistaking him for the living Buddha.
• Li Tui leaves the temple, and the worshippers continue to worship, unaware of his departure.

Character Developments

• Li Tui demonstrates his extraordinary presence, passing unnoticed through the temple and being mistaken for the living Buddha.
• The worshippers are shown to be deeply devoted but also deluded, worshipping an empty shell and an illusion.

Significant Themes

• Delusion and Reality: The worshippers are deluded, worshipping a stone statue and an illusion, while Li Tui represents the reality they cannot see.
• Worship and Desire: The worshippers' prayers reveal their desires, fears, and greed, highlighting the selfish nature of their worship.
• The Living Buddha: Li Tui is mistaken for the living Buddha, suggesting that the true Buddha is not an object of worship but a living being.

Character Interactions

• Li Tui interacts with the worshippers indirectly, as they mistake him for the living Buddha and worship him.
• The worshippers interact with each other through their shared devotion and prayers.

Summary of "Buddha's Face Turns to Ash"

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui strips the Buddhist origin from the stone Buddha statue at Still Illumination Temple.
• The statue collapses into a heap of stone dust.
• The worshippers, who had been prostrating themselves, suddenly stand upright and are left bewildered and empty.
• Their illnesses, poverty, grief, and hatred remain unchanged, as Buddha is no longer there to bear their suffering.

Character Developments

• Li Tui: He continues his journey of stripping origins, showing no remorse or attachment to the consequences.
• The Worshippers: They lose their faith and are left to face their suffering without the comfort of their religious beliefs.

Significant Themes

• The emptiness and futility of blind faith.
• The reality of suffering and the need to face it oneself.
• The cyclical nature of life and the impermanence of all things.

Character Interactions

• Li Tui interacts with the stone Buddha, stripping its origin and causing its collapse.
• The worshippers interact with each other and with the now-absent Buddha, expressing their confusion, despair, and disbelief.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui travels from Wild Province to Jingyang in three steps, demonstrating his control over the earth element.
• He finds Jingyang covered by a Gray Tide, which he recognizes as his own Gray Light, inverted and grown sentient.
• The Gray Tide resists Li Tui, attempting to assimilate him instead of returning to him.
• Li Tui walks towards the heart of the Gray Tide, forcing it to retreat and open a path for him.

Character Developments

• Li Tui displays his power and dominance over the Gray Tide, showing no fear or hesitation.
• The Gray Tide, once a tool of Li Tui, now exhibits sentience and fear, recognizing Li Tui as a natural enemy.

Significant Themes

• The theme of creation turning against its creator is explored through the Gray Tide's resistance to Li Tui.
• The power of Li Tui's Dao Infant is highlighted, suppressing the Gray Tide and making it fear him.

Character Interactions

• Li Tui interacts with the Gray Tide, which is both a manifestation of his power and a sentient entity opposing him.
• The Gray Tide interacts with the remnants of the Taste Sect, assimilating them and using them as puppets.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui confronts the Gray Tide and its heart at Bitter Vein Main Peak.
• The heart, fearing Li Tui, begins to convulse and retract the Gray Tide.
• Li Tui absorbs the origin gray light from the heart, causing his Dao Infant to solidify further.
• Li Tui refines the remaining Gray Tide into a single seed, preserving its essence.

Character Developments

• Li Tui demonstrates his power and control over the Gray Tide, absorbing its origin light and refining its essence.
• The Gray Tide's heart shows fear and desperation in the face of Li Tui's power.

Significant Themes

• The power of Li Tui's cultivation and his control over the Gray Tide.
• The fear and desperation of the Gray Tide's heart, highlighting the vulnerability of even powerful entities.

Character Interactions

• Li Tui interacts with the Gray Tide and its heart, demonstrating his dominance and control.
• The Gray Tide's heart and the Gray Tide itself react to Li Tui's actions, showing fear and desperation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Gray Tide completely disperses, and Li Tui hears a faint sound from deep underground.
• A vertical shaft reveals the earth vein of Jingyang, which is nearly exhausted due to the Gray Tide's devouring of spiritual energy.
• A restriction in the shape of a python, woven from the principles of the five flavors, is found coiled around the earth vein's main root. This restriction is breaking, with each link's five-colored patterns crumbling apart.
• The restriction is connected to the Gray Tide and triggered by its disappearance, leading Li Tui to discover Li Wei's contingency.

Character Developments

• Li Tui uses his Heavenly Hearing to detect the faint sound and his Dharma Eye to see through the earth and into the River of Karma.
• Li Wei, sealed within the River of Karma, is released as the restriction breaks. He is now a fusion of the original Li Wei and Li Tui, with the purest Metal Nature of the five flavors and his true self awakened.

Significant Themes

• The consequences of the Gray Tide's reckless consumption of spiritual energy.
• The power of the five flavors and their principles.
• The River of Karma as a realm where karmic connections and secrets can be found.

Character Interactions

• Li Tui and Li Wei's gazes meet across the River of Karma, signifying their impending confrontation.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Wei, sealed in the River of Karma for a thousand years, is released upon the arrival of Li Tui.
• Li Wei lands in Jingyang's ruins, displaying immense power by drawing Five Flavors principles and crushing space with a single grip.
• Li Wei remembers his past, his sealing, and his anticipation for an opponent worthy of his power.

Character Developments

• Li Wei: Initially confused and disoriented, Li Wei quickly regains his composure and displays his immense power. He reveals his eagerness for a challenge after a thousand years of waiting.
• Li Tui: Though not present in this chapter, Li Tui's arrival is the catalyst for Li Wei's release. His unique cultivation and lineage pique Li Wei's interest.

Significant Themes

• Anticipation of Challenge: Li Wei's anticipation for a worthy opponent highlights the theme of seeking challenges to grow stronger.
• Invincibility and Stagnation: Li Wei's thousand years of invincibility have led to stagnation, emphasizing the idea that true growth comes from facing adversity.
• New Paths and Lineages: Li Tui's unique cultivation and lineage represent the exploration of new paths in cultivation, contrasting with Li Wei's well-trodden Five Flavors as One.

Character Interactions

• Li Wei's interaction with Li Tui is primarily through his monologue, expressing his curiosity and anticipation for a fight. Their dynamic is one of potential rivals, with Li Wei eager to test Li Tui's strength.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Wei, after a thousand years of imprisonment, faces Li Tui, his captor.
• Li Wei initially attacks with the Five-Flavors Principle, but Li Tui withstands it.
• Li Wei then draws upon the Five-Flavors Principle across a thousand miles, significantly increasing his power.
• He attempts to strike Li Tui with a powerful attack, but Li Tui casually deflects it.
• Li Wei then creates a black, bitterness-based sphere that devours space, intending to consume Li Tui.

Character Developments

• Li Wei: Shows immense power and fighting spirit after being released. His attacks become increasingly powerful, and he expresses gratitude and loneliness after facing a strong opponent.
• Li Tui: Remains calm and composed throughout Li Wei's attacks, showcasing his strength and resilience.

Significant Themes

• Power and Strength: Both characters exhibit immense power, with Li Wei's strength growing throughout the chapter.
• Loneliness: Li Wei expresses feelings of loneliness after facing a strong opponent, hinting at his isolation.
• Gratitude: Li Wei feels grateful for facing a strong opponent who can challenge him.

Character Interactions

• Li Wei and Li Tui: Their interaction is a battle of strength and will, with Li Wei growing increasingly impressed by Li Tui's resilience.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui easily dispels the sphere of principles containing the five flavors, shattering them with his five origins.
• Li Wei attempts to fight but instead tries to escape, splitting his body into five fragments of law, each fleeing in a different direction.

Character Developments

• Li Tui demonstrates his immense power and calm demeanor, showing no signs of exertion or emotion.
• Li Wei reveals his strategic thinking and desperation, attempting to escape rather than face certain defeat.

Significant Themes

• The power of Li Tui's origins and his indifference to the laws of the five flavors.
• Li Wei's cunning and resourcefulness in trying to escape and preserve himself.

Character Interactions

• Li Tui and Li Wei face off, with Li Tui displaying overwhelming power and Li Wei trying to outsmart him.
• Li Wei's attempt to escape shows his fear of Li Tui and his desire to survive.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Wei attempts to escape using void rifts and hidden retreats, but Gray Light intercepts and dissolves all his escape routes.
• Li Wei is forcibly dragged out of the void and crashes into the basin, severely injured and weakened.
• Gray Light begins to devour Li Wei, starting from a fine line around his neck that slowly closes.
• Li Wei asks Li Tui for reconciliation, but Li Tui remains indifferent.
• Li Wei's body collapses and turns into gray motes of light, which are then swallowed by Gray Light, leaving no trace behind.

Character Developments

• Li Wei: Realizes the extent of Li Tui's power and accepts his fate, expressing regret and resignation.
• Li Tui: Remains emotionless and indifferent towards Li Wei, showing no signs of mercy or satisfaction in victory.

Significant Themes

• Obsession and its consequences: Li Wei's thousand-year obsession with revenge leads to his ultimate downfall.
• The power of Gray Light: Its ability to dissolve principles, erase memories, and devour origin blood highlights its terrifying nature.
• Indifference and detachment: Li Tui's lack of emotional response to Li Wei's fate emphasizes his inhuman nature.

Character Interactions

• Li Wei and Li Tui: Their final interaction is marked by Li Wei's desperate plea for reconciliation and Li Tui's cold indifference, highlighting the vast difference between them.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Wei's Gray Tide disperses, leaving Jingyang in ruins.
• Li Tui stands alone amidst the devastation, unconcerned about the scattered Five Flavors fragments.
• Li Tui enters his dantian, where his Dao Infant resides, surrounded by five visceral apertures.
• He discovers an iceberg in the kidney aperture, containing suppressed cultivation breakthroughs and karma.
• The iceberg cracks, indicating Li Tui's essence gate is full, and it's time to release his accumulated power.

Character Developments

• Li Tui demonstrates his indifference to worldly treasures and focus on his personal cultivation path.
• His Dao Infant is revealed, showing his advanced cultivation and control over the five visceral apertures.
• Li Tui's hidden strength and accumulated power are hinted at, suggesting a significant increase in his abilities.

Significant Themes

• Suppression and Release: Li Tui's deliberate suppression of his cultivation breakthroughs and karma, and his decision to release them now.
• Cultivation and Growth: Li Tui's journey along the cultivation path, with his focus on accumulating power and understanding his true potential.
• The Power of Hidden Strength: The idea that Li Tui's true power has been hidden and is now ready to be unleashed.

Character Interactions

• This chapter focuses solely on Li Tui's internal journey, with no external interactions.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui's kidney aperture's iceberg explodes, revealing a black water dragon, the true form of the "Storage" origin.
• The water dragon enters the liver aperture, causing the Wither-Prosper Seedling to grow rapidly, representing "Life."
• The power of "Life" surges into the heart aperture, fueling the Flame of Nirvana and causing the Nascent Soul's inner core to grow.
• The crimson stream from the heart aperture transforms into an earthen-yellow stream in the spleen aperture, then into a gray-white pillar in the lung aperture, before returning to the kidney aperture, completing the Five Transformations Cycle.
• The Five Transformations Cycle activates simultaneously, causing unprecedented power and impact within Li Tui's meridians.

Character Developments

• Li Tui's Dao Infant becomes a true "living body" with the completion of the five viscera and meridians.
• Li Tui experiences a sense of completeness he has never known before, different from his previous life's achievements.

Significant Themes

• The cyclical nature of the Five Transformations, representing the interconnectedness and mutual generation of the five elements.
• The price of power: the simultaneous operation of the five transformations causes a violent force that threatens Li Tui's Dao foundation.
• The importance of willpower and self-control in cultivating and managing one's power.

Character Interactions

• The five origins of birth, growth, transformation, harvest, and storage interact and generate each other within Li Tui's body.
• Li Tui's willpower struggles against the violent force caused by the simultaneous operation of the five transformations.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Li Tui's Dao Infant body undergoes transformations, with five-colored light streams circulating and merging.
• A unique, colorless light point forms at the core, expanding rapidly and drawing in the five primordial sources.
• Li Tui's physical body begins to transform, and his face becomes distinct, resembling a "Dao" face.
• Heaven and earth react to the new Dao aura, and the Purple Firmament Heavenly Tribulation locks onto Li Tui.
• At the last moment, Li Tui's kidney aperture's primordial source of "storage" draws back all his karmic threads, hiding him from the tribulation.
• The heavenly tribulation cannot find its target, leading to a stalemate where it cannot strike, despite its increasing power.

Character Developments

• Li Tui's Dao Infant body evolves, with his physical body also transforming and his face becoming distinct.
• The heavenly tribulation exhibits sentience, growing increasingly furious at its inability to locate Li Tui.

Significant Themes

• The merging of the five primordial sources and the five transformations of the Dao.
• The power and sentience of the heavenly tribulation.
• The concept of "storage" as a primordial source, enabling Li Tui to hide from the tribulation.

Character Interactions

• There are no interactions between characters in this chapter, as Li Tui is the only human character present, and the heavenly tribulation is a force of nature.