Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Kill Them All While We’re At It”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Yuan decisively defeats Ao Xuan, a powerful figure from the Myriad Nether Palace, by shattering its body with overwhelming Spirit Power.
• Ao Xuan realizes too late that Lu Yuan is a Half-Step Heavenly Realm expert. It attempts to threaten him by claiming it has remembered his aura, but Lu Yuan kills it with his technique, Light Erosion.
• After assessing the ruins, Lu Yuan learns that various cultivators have already entered them to search for treasures. Believing that anyone associated with Ao Xuan is likely untrustworthy, he decides to eliminate them as well and enters the ruins.
• The rogue cultivators outside are terrified after witnessing Lu Yuan effortlessly kill both the Myriad Nether Palace’s Chief Guardian and Supreme Elder. They conclude that his name will soon become famous throughout the Northern Netherworld Domain.
• Inside the enormous ruins, a group of Extreme Realm demon cultivators explores the seemingly endless residence. They speculate that the ruins were once a secret realm expanded and reshaped by a Half-Step Heavenly Realm expert.
• The group detects a powerful aura approaching the Late Extreme Realm and rushes toward it, suspecting that the ruins may contain the legendary Dao Scripture capable of helping someone break into the Heavenly Realm.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Yuan is portrayed as overwhelmingly powerful, ruthless, and pragmatic. He calmly executes Ao Xuan despite its attempt to intimidate him and shows that his moral restraint is flexible when killing serves his interests or peace of mind.
• Ao Xuan experiences fear and despair after realizing the vast gap between its strength and Lu Yuan’s. Its arrogance and threats directly lead to its death.
• You Wujie, a Sixth Layer Extreme Realm Holy Son of the Nine Nether Hall, emerges as the informal leader of the demon group. He is knowledgeable, composed, and confident, though not universally respected.
• Young Master Bone, heir to the Bone Abyss Aristocratic Clan, appears proud and dismissive. His lack of deference toward You Wujie suggests rivalry and strong independence.
• The other demon cultivators are shown to be ambitious and wary of one another, cooperating only while no major treasure is at stake.

3. Significant Themes

• The consequences of arrogance and threats: Ao Xuan’s provocative words and overconfidence lead directly to its destruction.
• Power and survival: Strength determines authority and safety; even prominent figures are helpless before someone at a higher realm.
• Pragmatism and ruthlessness: Lu Yuan treats potential enemies as threats worth eliminating, while the demon cultivators cooperate only temporarily for mutual benefit.
• Competition over opportunity: The possibility of obtaining the Dao Scripture transforms the explorers’ temporary alliance into an impending struggle.
• Reputation and fear: Lu Yuan’s brutal victory immediately establishes his name as one capable of shaking the entire Northern Netherworld Domain.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Yuan confronts and executes Ao Xuan, dismissing its final threat as the deserved result of its behavior.
• The rogue cultivators react collectively to Lu Yuan’s strength, abandoning any intention of entering the ruins.
• You Wujie explains his theory about the ruins’ origins, but Young Master Bone responds with veiled mockery rather than respect.
• The demon cultivators agree that they will compete individually once a valuable treasure appears.
• You Wujie teasingly challenges Young Master Bone to protect his clan’s reputation before racing ahead toward the newly detected aura.

Chapter Summary: “Hand Over Two of the Fortuitous Opportunities”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Demon Race prodigies rush through the passage and arrive in a massive hall filled with ancient formation patterns.
• At the center of the hall are three mysterious lights emitting powerful medicinal auras, revealing them to be extremely valuable treasure medicines—likely treasures of the Extreme Realm.
• You Wujie, the Nine Nether Holy Son and a skilled Formation Dao cultivator, attempts to bypass the formations and claim the treasures.
• The formations activate and violently repel him, injuring him and leaving him humiliated.
• While everyone is distracted, Lu Yuan effortlessly crosses the formation barriers and takes all three mysterious lights.
• The other prodigies immediately demand that Lu Yuan surrender some of the treasures:
  • You Wujie and Gu Zheng, a member of the Bone Abyss Aristocratic Clan, insist that taking all three opportunities is unfair.
  • Purple Spider, Holy Maiden of the Nether Poison Sect, offers to let Lu Yuan leave safely if he hands over two of the treasures.
• You Wujie reveals that his companions have already blocked every exit, making it clear that they intend to force Lu Yuan to surrender the treasures and possibly interrogate him.
• Lu Yuan recognizes that these Demon Race prodigies are arrogant and hostile, especially given their association with Ao Xuan. He stores away all three treasures and prepares to fight.
• The chapter ends as Lu Yuan suddenly disappears, moving so quickly that neither the formations nor the assembled experts can react.

Character Developments

• Lu Yuan: Demonstrates overwhelming speed, confidence, and control. He obtains all three treasures without effort and remains calm despite being surrounded. His contempt for the Demon Race prodigies shows that he no longer considers them serious threats.
• You Wujie: His confidence is damaged after the formations injure him and Lu Yuan claims the treasures he failed to obtain. Nevertheless, his ambition and desire to strengthen his position as Nine Nether Holy Son lead him to join the attempt to seize Lu Yuan’s loot.
• Gu Zheng: Displays a cold, calculating temperament. Though he speaks politely, his words carry an implicit threat, and he clearly intends to use force if Lu Yuan refuses.
• Purple Spider: Presents herself as the negotiator, but her “offer” is effectively an ultimatum. Her calm smile and warning reveal her confidence in the group’s numerical advantage.
• The Demon Race prodigies: Their cooperation quickly shifts into an attempt at intimidation and group coercion. Their status and pride make them unwilling to accept Lu Yuan’s easy victory.

Significant Themes

• Strength over status: Although the Demon Race prodigies come from powerful sects and clans, their backgrounds offer no protection against Lu Yuan’s superior ability.
• Greed and competition: The three treasures immediately turn supposed fellow prodigies into rivals willing to threaten and surround one another.
• Arrogance and humiliation: You Wujie’s failed attempt and Lu Yuan’s effortless success highlight the danger of overestimating one’s own skill.
• Strategic foresight: Lu Yuan’s earlier caution proves justified; the people connected to Ao Xuan reveal themselves to be hostile and untrustworthy.
• The inevitable shift from negotiation to violence: The demand that Lu Yuan hand over two treasures is presented as a compromise, but the sealed exits make clear that force was always intended.

Character Interactions

• You Wujie and Gu Zheng align against Lu Yuan, jointly arguing that he should surrender two of the three opportunities.
• Purple Spider acts as the group’s intermediary, offering Lu Yuan a supposedly safe departure in exchange for the treasures.
• You Wujie identifies himself as the Nine Nether Holy Son, using his status to pressure Lu Yuan while secretly surrounding him with more than a dozen cultivators.
• Lu Yuan responds with measured contempt rather than anger, refusing to negotiate and silently preparing to overwhelm the group.
• The chapter concludes with Lu Yuan initiating the confrontation on his own terms.

Chapter Summary: “Can’t Wait”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Yuan abruptly attacks a group of Demon Race cultivators gathered in the ruins.
• He instantly kills three prominent opponents:
  • You Wujie, the Nine Nether Hall Holy Son, is blasted into the wall.
  • A female prodigy from the Nether Poison Sect is killed with a single palm strike.
  • The Bone Abyss Aristocratic Clan’s young master is crushed, and his defensive bone fan is destroyed.
• The remaining Demon Race cultivators panic and flee through the ruins.
• Several attempt to save themselves by invoking powerful backgrounds, including the Profound Nether Hall and its Creation-realm Demon Venerable Supreme Elder.
• Lu Yuan ignores their threats and pleas, killing them with techniques such as the ancient Divine Mountain projection and the perfected Abyss-Sealing Art.
• After slaughtering the group, Lu Yuan reflects that he has now antagonized several major Northern Netherworld Domain factions: the Nether Poison Sect, Bone Abyss Aristocratic Clan, Nine Nether Hall, Profound Nether Hall, and possibly the Myriad Nether Palace.
• Rather than feeling worried, he becomes eager for their retaliation and openly looks forward to the coming conflict.
• Lu Yuan continues deeper into the ruin, overcoming its defensive formations with ease and collecting numerous heavenly treasures before reaching the core area.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Yuan: Demonstrates a dramatic increase in power after strengthening his divine soul world. Even without using his Bright Moon Dharma Form, his casual attacks can annihilate Extreme Realm opponents. He is calm, decisive, and completely unafraid of the major factions he has offended. His willingness to kill those who harbor hostile intent shows his increasingly ruthless and uncompromising nature.
• The Demon Race cultivators: Their initial confidence and aggression collapse into terror once Lu Yuan reveals his overwhelming strength. Their attempts to flee, threaten him with powerful affiliations, or plead innocence all fail, emphasizing their helplessness.
• The various sect and clan prodigies: Their prestigious identities and defensive treasures prove meaningless against Lu Yuan, reinforcing the gap between ordinary Extreme Realm experts and his current Half-Step Heavenly Realm-level strength.

3. Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power and disparity: Lu Yuan’s strength has advanced so far that elite Extreme Realm cultivators cannot even react to his attacks.
• Consequences of hostile intent: Lu Yuan justifies the massacre because the Demon Race cultivators initially intended to seize his opportunities and possibly kill him. Their aggression becomes the reason for their destruction.
• Fear versus composure: The Demon Race group is consumed by panic, while Lu Yuan remains calm and almost casual throughout the slaughter.
• Defiance of authority: The victims’ famous sects, clans, and powerful elders offer no protection. Lu Yuan refuses to submit to reputation or threats.
• Anticipation of conflict: Instead of avoiding trouble after offending multiple factions, Lu Yuan welcomes the coming retaliation, suggesting his confidence and appetite for further challenges.
• Treasure and hidden legacy: The ruin’s formations and treasures confirm that it belonged to a powerful Half-Step Heavenly Realm expert and hint at the importance of the deeper core area.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Yuan’s first interactions with the Demon Race cultivators are entirely one-sided: he attacks without hesitation, while they react with shock and terror.
• The bone fan youth attempts to defend himself with a powerful treasure, but Lu Yuan’s speed overwhelms it and he destroys both the cultivator and the fan.
• A Profound Nether Hall disciple begs for mercy by invoking his master’s powerful status, but Lu Yuan responds by obliterating him.
• A female demon claims they had no personal grudge against Lu Yuan and asks why he is attacking them. Lu Yuan’s brief, indifferent reply—“Is that so?”—is followed by her execution.
• These exchanges emphasize that Lu Yuan values their prior hostile intent over their later excuses and has no interest in negotiating or showing mercy.

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Lu Yuan breaks through the defensive formation protecting the core-area cave mansion and enters its peaceful main hall.
• Inside, he discovers a stone coffin containing an emerald-green heart radiating Half-Step Heavenly Realm power, along with a white jade slip.
• The heart activates and releases the illusory remnant soul of the cave mansion’s former owner, an elegant and refined cultivator.
• The remnant soul is shocked to discover that Lu Yuan is an Extreme Realm Peak expert—far stronger than the junior cultivators he expected to attract.
• The former owner had planned to lure an explorer into swallowing the heart, allowing him to possess the explorer’s body and achieve a second life.
• Despite Lu Yuan’s overwhelming strength, the remnant soul speculates that Lu Yuan may be weaker in divine-soul cultivation because he focuses on physical refinement. He therefore decides to continue deceiving him.
• The two discuss Lu Yuan’s status as a rogue cultivator and the political situation involving the Three Palaces and Six Halls.
• The remnant soul recounts how he offended a Yao Sovereign of the Azure Jade Palace and was fatally injured at Heavenly Demon Valley after allegedly disturbing the interests of the major factions.
• He theatrically asks Lu Yuan, “Do you think I deserve to die?” hoping Lu Yuan will sympathize with him and accept the emerald heart.
• Lu Yuan immediately sees through the scheme and attacks without hesitation, destroying the remnant soul with a devastating beam of light.
• He answers coldly: “Yes, you deserve to die.”

Character Developments

• Lu Yuan is shown to be confident, perceptive, and ruthless when necessary. He recognizes the remnant soul’s killing intent and refuses to be distracted by its persuasive story or the temptation of powerful energy.
• His status as an exceptionally powerful rogue cultivator is emphasized. He has reached the Extreme Realm Peak without joining any major faction, making him both unusual and potentially threatening.
• The refined remnant soul is revealed to be calculating and deceptive beneath his elegant appearance. He rapidly adjusts his plan after realizing Lu Yuan is far stronger than expected, attempting to exploit a supposed weakness in Lu Yuan’s divine soul.
• The remnant soul’s confidence gradually turns into panic as his possession scheme fails.

Significant Themes

• Deception versus perception: The remnant soul uses sympathy, political grievances, and the promise of treasure to manipulate Lu Yuan, but Lu Yuan sees through him.
• Power and survival: The former owner’s entire plan revolves around using another person’s body to escape death, while Lu Yuan’s overwhelming strength makes such schemes impossible.
• The danger of greed: The emerald heart is presented as a tempting treasure, but it is actually bait for possession.
• Rogue cultivators and factional politics: The conversation highlights the pressure major organizations exert on powerful independent cultivators and the dangers of offending their interests.
• Justice and ruthlessness: The remnant soul portrays himself as a victim of Azure Jade Palace’s tyranny, but Lu Yuan judges him by his present murderous intentions rather than his self-serving account.

Character Interactions

• The remnant soul adopts a polite, scholarly manner toward Lu Yuan while secretly evaluating whether he can be possessed.
• Lu Yuan responds casually and gives little indication that he believes the remnant soul’s story.
• The remnant soul attempts to build rapport by discussing Lu Yuan’s rogue-cultivator status and complaining about the Azure Jade Palace.
• His final question is a deliberate emotional trap, but Lu Yuan rejects the invitation to sympathize and instead attacks decisively, ending the interaction—and the remnant soul’s existence.

Chapter Summary: “Advancing to the Heavenly Realm”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Yuan confronts the refined-looking spiritual remnant inhabiting an emerald-green heart within the ancient ruin.
• The remnant attempts to manipulate Lu Yuan through conversation, but Lu Yuan recognizes his concealed killing intent and refuses to be deceived.
• When Lu Yuan determines that the man deserves death, the remnant launches a spiritual attack against his soul world.
• Lu Yuan effortlessly shatters the attack, cleaves the remnant’s spiritual body and emerald heart in two, and absorbs the heart’s energy.
• The destruction collapses the ruin’s main hall and ends the remnant’s existence.
• Lu Yuan explains that he would not have killed the remnant had its killing intent not resurfaced. Since the remnant was an extremely powerful cultivator, Lu Yuan feels no guilt about eliminating him.
• He refines the heart’s life energy and other heavenly treasures into a pill infused with Abyss-Suppressing Power.
• After consuming the pill, Lu Yuan begins the long-prepared breakthrough from the Half-Step Heavenly Realm to the Heavenly Realm.
• His Dao Seal stabilizes, his Dao Abyss expands and becomes more powerful, and his physical body, blood vessels, soul world, and dharma aspect all undergo profound transformation.
• The breakthrough triggers terrifying natural phenomena over Heavenly Demon Valley: thunder, lightning, storms, and overwhelming pressure.
• Lu Yuan successfully reaches the Heavenly Realm. After adapting to his newfound power, he decides to leave the ruin and confront the hostile factions waiting in the Northern Netherworld Domain.

Character Developments

• Lu Yuan demonstrates exceptional judgment, decisiveness, and caution. He sees through the remnant’s false friendliness and refuses to allow potential danger to remain unchecked.
• His ability to absorb and refine the emerald heart highlights his unusual cultivation advantages and rapid progress.
• Lu Yuan’s breakthrough confirms that he has fully surpassed the Half-Step Heavenly Realm. His power, physical body, soul world, and Dao Abyss all undergo a major qualitative increase.
• He remains emotionally composed after killing the remnant, showing the mentality of a powerful cultivator who understands that experts at this level cannot be treated lightly.
• The refined-looking man is revealed to have relied on the emerald heart as the foundation of his existence. His confidence collapses once he realizes Lu Yuan is willing to destroy it, and his final attempt at resistance fails completely.

Significant Themes

• Deception and discernment: The remnant disguises hostility beneath polite conversation, but Lu Yuan recognizes the danger rather than being manipulated.
• Decisiveness and survival: In the cultivation world, hesitation can be fatal. Lu Yuan chooses to eliminate a dangerous opponent before the threat can grow.
• Accumulation leading to breakthrough: Lu Yuan’s advancement is the result of careful preparation, rare treasures, the refined heart, and his previously established Dao foundation.
• The gulf between realms: The chapter emphasizes that the Heavenly Realm is vastly superior to the Half-Step Heavenly Realm, suggesting a dramatic increase in Lu Yuan’s combat potential.
• Power and responsibility: With his breakthrough, Lu Yuan is no longer merely exploring the ruin; he is preparing to face the collective hostility of the Northern Netherworld Domain.
• Time versus opportunity: Ordinary cultivators may spend countless years perfecting the Dao Scripture and risk missing their chance to advance. Lu Yuan’s unique resources and talents allow him to bypass this limitation.

Character Interactions

• Lu Yuan and the refined-looking man engage in a tense verbal exchange disguised as friendly conversation. The remnant attempts to probe Lu Yuan’s intentions and preserve his life, while Lu Yuan subtly turns the discussion toward whether the remnant deserves death.
• Their interaction shifts abruptly from negotiation to combat when the remnant attacks Lu Yuan’s soul world.
• Lu Yuan responds with overwhelming force, destroying both the remnant and the heart sustaining him.
• After the confrontation, Lu Yuan’s relationship with the ruin changes: he has not only explored and plundered it but also destroyed its former guardian and used its remaining power to achieve his breakthrough.

Key events

• The Azure Mist Sect’s ruins in Sunset Glow Valley are being rebuilt more than a century after Nine Nether Hall destroyed the sect. Someone has also taken down the sect ancestor’s skull, once displayed as a warning.
• Eastern powers are astonished and privately expect the rebuilding to provoke another massacre by the Nine Nether Hall elder responsible for the sect’s destruction.
• Inside the new sect, disciples and elders remain fearful of Nine Nether Hall, despite their confident young sect master.
• The elders distract themselves by reading news about the Rogue Cultivator Lu Yuan, who has killed powerful figures and is now targeted by several major factions.
• Ji Qingtang walks with elder Qingyuan, who presses her to explain who is backing the sect. Ji says he is a newly arrived Rogue Cultivator whom Qingyuan would not know, but Qingyuan insists on hearing his name.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Qingtang is resolute about restoring the sect and trusts that her powerful ally will protect it. She grows exasperated with Qingyuan’s repeated doubts.
• Qingyuan is deeply anxious about provoking Nine Nether Hall. Though Ji has reassured her, she remains unconvinced and becomes visibly unsettled when she hears the ally is a Rogue Cultivator.
• The elders and disciples share the fear of retaliation, highlighting the gap between Ji’s confidence and the rest of the sect’s insecurity.

Significant themes

• Fear and defiance: The rebuilding challenges the terror Nine Nether Hall imposed, even as everyone anticipates its response.
• Trust and uncertainty: Ji’s willingness to stake the sect’s future on an unnamed ally contrasts with Qingyuan’s need for proof.
• Power and reputation: The news of Lu Yuan’s deeds shows how quickly one formidable outsider can become both a source of hope and a target of the region’s strongest powers.

Key plot points

• Ji Qingtang reveals that the senior who promised to visit the Azure Mist Sect is Lu Yuan—the infamous rogue cultivator targeted by a Golden Kill Order from many of the Northern Netherworld Domain’s major powers.
• Qingyuan explains that the Nine Nether Hall may use Lu Yuan’s connection to the sect as a pretext to attack it and force him to appear.
• Ji Qingtang learns that nearly 70 percent of the sect’s disciples have already left. She orders the remaining disciples and staff to flee, accepting responsibility for rebuilding the sect.
• Before they can escape, ominous black storm clouds gather over Sunset Glow Valley—the same rare omen that preceded the Azure Mist Sect’s destruction more than a century earlier.
• More than twenty Nine Nether Hall experts arrive, led by a powerful old demon. Their combined presence overwhelms the valley, leaving the sect in despair as they approach.

Character developments

• Ji Qingtang moves from cheerful confidence to grim resolve. Though she recognizes that the danger stems from her choice to rebuild the sect, she prioritizes her people’s survival and prepares to face the enemy as its sect master.
• Qingyuan is shaken by the revelation about Lu Yuan and the approaching threat. She tries to warn and protect Ji Qingtang, but ultimately follows her toward the sect rather than abandoning her.

Significant themes

• Duty and responsibility: Ji Qingtang accepts the consequences of her choices and refuses to hide from her role as sect master.
• Sacrifice and survival: The sect allows its disciples to leave rather than demanding loyalty in the face of likely death.
• The weight of reputation: Lu Yuan’s notoriety endangers the Azure Mist Sect despite his not having forced Ji Qingtang to rebuild it.
• Recurring catastrophe: The storm clouds echo the omen of the sect’s destruction a century earlier, suggesting history may repeat itself.

Character interactions

• Ji Qingtang gently but firmly manages Qingyuan’s alarm, then listens as Qingyuan explains the danger surrounding Lu Yuan.
• Qingyuan urges caution and grieves for the sect, while Ji Qingtang responds with acceptance and orders an evacuation.
• As the enemy closes in, Qingyuan follows Ji Qingtang to the main hall, standing with her as the sect faces its apparent doom.

Key plot points and events

• Ji Qingtang and Qingyuan encounter Lu Yuan in a pavilion. Worried that Nine Nether Hall will target him, Ji urges him to leave.
• Lu Yuan refuses, saying he came as a guest elder and will protect the Azure Mist Sect.
• Nine Nether Hall’s supreme elder leads a powerful force toward the sect, intending to destroy it and capture Lu Yuan. He believes the sect is defenseless and mocks its efforts to rebuild.
• The elder recognizes Lu Yuan’s name and calls him out, expecting to overpower him with his force and artifacts.
• Lu Yuan releases a Heavenly Realm aura. The Nine Nether Hall fighters and everyone in the sect are pinned down by its overwhelming pressure.
• The supreme elder, terrified and unable to move, pleads that it is all a misunderstanding. Lu Yuan appears above him, his skin glowing with golden light.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Qingtang shifts from alarm to relief when she sees Lu Yuan, then worries for his safety. Lu Yuan’s calm refusal to leave establishes his willingness to defend the sect.
• Lu Yuan moves from quietly drinking tea to revealing immense power, transforming the balance of the confrontation without a direct attack.
• The Nine Nether Hall elder begins arrogant and contemptuous, confident in his strength and plans to earn favor by capturing Lu Yuan. His confidence collapses into panic once Lu Yuan’s true realm is revealed.
• The elder’s subordinates reinforce his bravado, but share the shock and helplessness when Lu Yuan’s aura overwhelms them.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and mistaken assumptions: The Nine Nether Hall elder misjudges both the sect and Lu Yuan.
• Power overturns arrogance: The invaders’ confidence becomes helplessness in an instant.
• Protection and loyalty: Lu Yuan chooses to stand by the Azure Mist Sect rather than avoid danger.
• Humiliation and reversal: The man who arrived to crush others ends up begging for mercy.

Plot points

• Lu Yuan arrives at Sunset Glow Valley and reveals two immense Dao Abyss Dharma Aspects. Their pressure crushes the Nine Nether Hall grand elder and kills dozens of his followers, reducing them to blood and sinking part of the valley.
• The Azure Mist Sect’s Qingyuan and Ji Qingtang are stunned by the scale of Lu Yuan’s power. Both realize he had shown restraint when they previously encountered him.
• Lu Yuan asks whether any more enemies remain. Ji Qingtang misunderstands and thinks he is checking on the sect, then assures him they are safe.
• He requests a map of the Northern Netherworld Domain and tells Qingyuan to mark the powers that issued kill orders against him. Ji Qingtang asks whether he intends to confront them one by one; Lu Yuan gives no direct answer.
• Lu Yuan notices that Azure Jade Palace, one of the domain’s Three Palaces, also supported the campaign against him, despite having no apparent reason to do so. He resolves to demand an explanation after defeating the hostile powers.
• With the attackers dead, the dark clouds clear and the shaken Azure Mist Sect members slowly recover.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yuan remains calm and decisive, treating the attackers’ destruction as a practical response to threats against him and a way to honor his promise to help the Azure Mist Sect. His attention shifts immediately from the battle to locating the other hostile powers.
• Qingyuan moves from shock to renewed confidence and eagerness. She supplies the map and embraces the chance that Lu Yuan may overturn the Northern Netherworld Domain’s stagnant balance of power.
• Ji Qingtang is overwhelmed by Lu Yuan’s strength and reconsiders her earlier encounters with him, recognizing that he had held back. She also wonders whether her gamble on him will pay off.
• The Azure Mist Sect’s members go from terror to relief, while Lu Yuan’s composure contrasts sharply with their lingering fear.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Lu Yuan’s immense strength makes clear that his earlier gentleness was deliberate.
• Consequences of political opportunism: The smaller powers that issued kill orders to curry favor with the major factions are now targets themselves.
• Shifting hierarchies: The sect’s hope—and Qingyuan’s expectation—is that Lu Yuan’s intervention may disrupt the Three Palaces and Six Halls’ dominance.
• Unanswered motives: Azure Jade Palace’s involvement raises a mystery that Lu Yuan intends to resolve after dealing with his enemies.

Key plot points and events

• Lu Yuan’s defeat of Nine Nether Hall’s forces has transformed the Azure Mist Sect’s outlook. Its members, who had expected disaster, now see him as a powerful protector, and rival factions are unlikely to challenge the sect for some time.
• Ji Qingtang gives Lu Yuan a guest elder’s token, allowing him to enter and leave the sect freely, and offers to help him whenever needed.
• Lu Yuan tells her that after he clears out the Northern Netherworld Domain’s leading factions, the Azure Mist Sect should take over their abandoned territories. He sees the sect as a familiar, practical choice to manage the land.
• Qingyuan completes a detailed map of the region’s factions, their forces, and their leaders. Lu Yuan reviews it and chooses the nearby Bone Abyss Aristocratic Clan as his next target, ahead of Nine Nether Hall.
• Lu Yuan leaves the Azure Mist Sect and appears in Bone Abyss City, a vast, prosperous city protected by the Bone Abyss Clan’s ancestor.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yuan remains calm and purposeful despite the awe he inspires. He has shifted from rescuing the Azure Mist Sect to planning a broader campaign against the region’s powerful factions, while positioning the sect to benefit afterward.
• Ji Qingtang feels deep gratitude and growing, complicated emotion toward Lu Yuan. She suppresses those feelings, focusing on her duty as sect master and accepting his offer of territory for her sect.
• Qingyuan is eager to assist Lu Yuan and treats him with reverence, compiling intelligence that will support his next moves.
• The Azure Mist Sect’s elders and members have gone from despair to exhilaration, viewing Lu Yuan as the reason their sect has been given a new beginning.

Significant themes

• Power and deterrence: Lu Yuan’s overwhelming strength changes the balance of power and protects the Azure Mist Sect without requiring a lasting alliance.
• Gratitude and loyalty: The sect’s survival creates a strong sense of debt toward Lu Yuan, while he repays that trust by giving it the chance to expand.
• Rebuilding and opportunity: The destruction of established factions will leave valuable territory open, turning upheaval into a chance for the Azure Mist Sect to rise.
• Hidden emotion and duty: Ji Qingtang’s feelings remain unspoken as she prioritizes her responsibilities.

Key plot points and events

• Several major Northern Netherworld Domain factions—including Nine Nether Hall, Nether Poison Sect, and Black Wind Sect—send representatives to Bone Abyss City. They gather at the Bone Abyss Aristocratic Clan’s estate to coordinate a hunt for Lu Yuan.
• Guyuan Ancestor, the clan’s strongest figure, confirms that Lu Yuan killed Palace Master Ao of Heavenly Flood Dragon Hall and openly revealed his Abyss Dharma Form. Because Lu Yuan is a powerful Half-Step Heavenly Realm cultivator with no known sect backing him, the leaders see him as both a serious threat and an opportunity to seize his resources.
• Palace Master Ao of Myriad Nether Palace is absent. He has gone to Azure Jade Palace to borrow a divination artifact, after the master of Four Seasons Pavilion refused to help locate Lu Yuan.
• Guyuan reveals that Elder Tianyan of Azure Jade Palace will perform the divination. He also explains why Palace Master Ao may be able to obtain Elder Qingluan’s artifact: Ao Xue’s mother is a senior Azure Jade Palace elder, and her sister is the formidable Wu Qingluan.

Character developments

• Guyuan Ancestor emerges as a measured but calculating organizer, guiding the alliance and sharing sensitive political information.
• The gathered Half-Step leaders are cautious about Lu Yuan’s power, but their fear is mixed with greed for the wealth and treasures he may carry.
• Palace Master Ao is shown to have influential family ties within Azure Jade Palace, despite his strained relationship with Ao Xue’s mother.
• Wu Qingluan is established as a feared, fiercely capable fighter whose history makes even powerful leaders wary.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Even formidable cultivators fear a rival who can threaten their entire sect.
• Greed and self-interest: The hunt is justified as a response to Lu Yuan’s threat, but his resources are also a major incentive.
• Political alliances and hidden ties: Family connections and institutional relationships shape who can secure help—and who feels protected.
• Reputation and deterrence: Wu Qingluan’s past violence and the Bone Abyss Clan’s standing influence how others behave.

Character interactions

• Guyuan addresses the faction leaders as fellow Half-Step experts and steers them toward cooperation.
• The Nine Nether Hall master questions Palace Master Ao’s absence, while the Nether Poison Sect master doubts that the difficult-to-approach Wu Qingluan would lend her artifact.
• Guyuan counters by revealing the family connection between Ao Xue’s mother and Wu Qingluan, explaining why Palace Master Ao has access to Azure Jade Palace despite personal tensions.

Plot points and events

• Leaders of several major Northern Netherworld Domain factions meet in Bone Abyss City to plan the killing of Lu Yuan, a rogue cultivator blamed for the Nine-Tailed Nether Lord’s death.
• They discuss the victim’s ties to powerful figures, including Azure Jade Palace, and agree to avoid rushing into battle lest Lu Yuan damage their sects’ foundations. They expect Palace Master Ao to locate him through divination and plan to begin their encirclement once they receive word.
• The assembled Half-Step Heavenly Realm cultivators also see the campaign as a chance to strengthen their prestige and intimidate rogue cultivators across the region.
• Their meeting is interrupted when Lu Yuan appears above Bone Abyss City. His oppressive presence causes buildings to collapse, and fleeing clansmen find the city seemingly sealed beneath a darkened sky.
• Lu Yuan kills the guards outside the Council Hall with a single invisible shock wave and tears away its roof.
• The leaders recognize him. Though startled, they believe their five Half-Step Heavenly Realm experts give them the advantage. The Guyuan Ancestor warns them that letting Lu Yuan escape would leave their own factions vulnerable.

Character developments

• Lu Yuan makes a bold, unexpected move by attacking the stronghold of the very leaders organizing his execution. His calm appearance contrasts with the destruction caused by his arrival.
• The Guyuan Ancestor shifts from confident planner to furious, wary defender, realizing that even victory may come at a severe cost to his clan.
• The gathered Demon Venerables remain confident in their numbers, but Lu Yuan’s sudden attack forces them to confront the danger directly.

Character interactions

• The Guyuan Ancestor coordinates with the other faction leaders, stressing caution and shared interests.
• The Purple-Haired Woman reinforces their confidence in Palace Master Ao’s ability to find Lu Yuan.
• When Lu Yuan arrives, the Bone Abyss guards confront him but are killed before they can attack. The Guyuan Ancestor then urges the other leaders to join the defense, warning that Lu Yuan’s survival would threaten them all.

Significant themes

• Overconfidence and reversal: The leaders believe Lu Yuan is trapped, only for him to appear at their gathering.
• Power and reputation: The factions hope to use the hunt to assert authority over rogue cultivators.
• The cost of vengeance: Even a successful attack may bring devastating losses to the clan hosting the confrontation.

Plot points and events

• The Guyuan Ancestor and four other sect leaders—including the Nether Poison Sect Master—join forces to confront Lu Yuan, whom they believe is a dangerous Half-Step Heavenly Realm expert. They surround him with towering Dharma Forms.
• Lu Yuan calmly asks whether everyone has gathered, revealing that he regards the confrontation as an opportunity rather than a crisis.
• He suddenly manifests two enormous Dao Abyss Dharma Forms, whose power overwhelms the five leaders and forces them into the ground.
• Lu Yuan attacks the Nether Poison Sect Master first, shattering her Dharma Form with a single strike. He then crushes her beneath a phantom Divine Mountain, killing her.
• The remaining four leaders are left terrified and helpless. The Guyuan Ancestor tries to plead for discussion, but the chapter ends while he is still pinned down.

Character developments

• Lu Yuan is revealed to be far more powerful than the sect leaders expected: he has reached the Heavenly Realm, not merely the Half-Step stage they assumed. His calm confidence contrasts with their panic.
• The Nether Poison Sect Master goes from mocking and self-assured to desperate, attempting to beg for mercy before being killed.
• The Guyuan Ancestor shifts from directing the confrontation to being overwhelmed and pleading for his life.
• The other sect leaders’ confidence collapses as they realize the enormous gap between their power and Lu Yuan’s.

Character interactions

• The five leaders unite against Lu Yuan, with the Guyuan Ancestor urging them to set aside pride and act together.
• The Nether Poison Sect Master taunts Lu Yuan, treating him as a trapped opponent; his question about whether everyone is present unsettles her.
• After Lu Yuan reveals his true power, the balance reverses completely: the hunters become helpless targets, and the Guyuan Ancestor’s plea goes unanswered as the chapter closes.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and mistaken judgment: Lu Yuan’s concealed cultivation leads the leaders to underestimate him.
• The hierarchy of power: The leap from Half-Step to Heavenly Realm proves so vast that even five powerful opponents are powerless together.
• Arrogance and reversal: The leaders’ confidence turns to terror in moments.
• Mercy and consequence: The Nether Poison Sect Master’s earlier contempt is followed by a desperate plea, but Lu Yuan does not spare her.

Key plot points and events

• The leaders of the Bone Abyss Aristocratic Clan and Nine Nether Hall realize that Lu Yuan is a Heavenly Realm expert. They plead for mercy and offer treasures, service, and apologies; the Guyuan Ancestor also tries to summon the Myriad Nether Palace’s master for help.
• Lu Yuan dismisses their pleas and, with his two Dao Abyss Dharma Aspects, crushes the remaining Demon Venerables. The four enormous Dharma Forms disappear, and Bone Abyss City is left in ruins, with no one alive inside it.
• While searching the Bone Abyss Clan, Lu Yuan obtains useful intelligence, including the location of the Azure Jade Palace.
• At dawn, Ji Qingtang and the Azure Mist Sect arrive. They are stunned by the destruction, wrought in less than two hours, and hesitate to approach Lu Yuan.
• Ji Qingtang steadies herself and orders her people to follow Lu Yuan’s instructions and take control of the city. Relieved that the terrifying victor is their ally, the sect members comply.

Character developments and interactions

• The Guyuan Ancestor and Nine Nether Hall Master shift from confidence and ambition to panic and abject remorse. Their offers to serve Lu Yuan come too late.
• Lu Yuan remains calm and decisive, showing no mercy to those who joined the hunt against him. He treats the plea to serve him with bitter irony and continues his purge.
• Ji Qingtang is shaken by Lu Yuan’s power but regains composure enough to lead her sect. Her followers look to her for direction, then approach the ruins cautiously and deferentially.
• Lu Yuan’s power transforms the Azure Mist Sect’s position: they arrive as observers but are ordered to occupy the defeated faction’s territory.

Significant themes

• Misjudging power has catastrophic consequences: the local factions mistook a Heavenly Realm expert for a manageable target.
• Fear and regret cannot undo a choice: the leaders’ pleas and offers of allegiance come only after their defeat is inevitable.
• Power reshapes allegiance and authority: the Azure Mist Sect’s members are terrified of Lu Yuan, yet his being on their side gives them the confidence to act.

Plot points and events

• Ji Qingtang arrives after Lu Yuan has destroyed the Bone Abyss Aristocratic Clan. He hands her a map and orders the Azure Mist Sect to seize every site marked on it, explaining that the sect’s forces should be able to handle factions left without Demon Venerables.
• Ji realizes Lu Yuan has likely defeated multiple powerful enemies, not just the Guyuan Ancestor. His presence also gives the Azure Mist Sect political cover to take control of Bone Abyss City.
• Ji warns Lu Yuan that the Three Palaces and Six Halls include formidable figures, especially Shen Chong of the Azure Jade Palace and the Heavenly Realm expert Qingluan. Lu Yuan accepts the warning but remains confident and sets off for the Nine Nether Hall.
• The scene shifts to the Azure Jade Palace, where Ao Changsheng listens to a woman grieve over his son Ming’er’s death. Ao Changsheng admits that Ming’er was reckless, but says his identity and his father’s power had always protected him from serious consequences.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yuan remains calm, pragmatic, and impatient. He delegates the expansion campaign to the Azure Mist Sect rather than handling every target himself, while staying alert to uncertain threats such as Shen Chong.
• Ji Qingtang is both awed by Lu Yuan’s strength and concerned for his safety. Though she fears she is overstepping, she gives him strategic advice based on her experience.
• Ao Changsheng is revealed as a powerful father confronting the death of his son. He recognizes Ming’er’s flaws, yet his long-standing confidence in the protection offered by his status helped leave him complacent.

Significant themes

• Power and political legitimacy: Lu Yuan’s presence makes the Azure Mist Sect’s takeover safer by discouraging resistance.
• The limits of privilege: Ao Ming’s rank and his father’s reputation had shielded his reckless behavior—until they failed.
• Caution amid overwhelming strength: Lu Yuan is formidable, but Ji reminds him that other powerful figures may pose real risks.
• Delegation and consolidation: Rather than personally conquering every territory, Lu Yuan uses the Azure Mist Sect to extend his influence.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Wu confronts Ao Changsheng over the death of her son, Ao Ming, accusing him of failing to protect the boy. Ao Changsheng says he warned Ming not to provoke trouble, gave him a powerful protective artifact, and allowed him access to the palace treasury—but admits those precautions were not enough.
• Shen Wu has arranged for Elder Tianyan to use a borrowed treasure to divine the killer’s whereabouts. She orders Ao Changsheng to go after him as soon as the divination is complete.
• Ao Changsheng vows to kill the Rogue Cultivator, blaming him not only for Ao Ming’s death but also for the Grand Protector’s death. He promises to leave immediately once the target is located.
• Shen Wu warns that failure will mean Ao Changsheng must take his own life. She doubts anyone at the Half-Step Heavenly Realm can be relied upon against a true Heavenly Realm powerhouse.
• While Ao Changsheng waits outside, he senses something may have gone wrong inside the divination chamber.
• Elder Tianyan’s instrument is cracked and bloodied from a severe backlash. She reports seeing a blazing sun and warns that something about the Rogue Cultivator is deeply abnormal. The passage ends before she can explain further.
• The black-clad Elder Shen Chong is present during the divination, quietly assisting by lending his energy.

Character developments

• Shen Wu is consumed by grief and anger over Ao Ming’s death. She rejects Ao Changsheng’s explanations and demands immediate vengeance, showing both her ruthlessness and her distrust.
• Ao Changsheng is shaken but determined. He accepts responsibility for failing to protect Ming and turns that guilt into a personal vow of revenge.
• Elder Tianyan is frightened by the backlash and the vision, suggesting the Rogue Cultivator’s nature or power exceeds what she expected.
• Elder Shen Chong is introduced as a formidable, composed figure. His enormous Heavenly Realm power is described through his immense Dao Abyss Dharma Aspect.

Significant themes

• Grief and vengeance: Shen Wu’s loss drives her to demand retribution, while Ao Changsheng’s own losses deepen his resolve.
• Power and hierarchy: The chapter emphasizes the vast gulf between Half-Step Heavenly Realm cultivators and true Heavenly Realm powerhouses.
• The limits of knowledge: Divination itself can be dangerous when it reaches toward something too powerful or mysterious.
• Responsibility and failure: Ao Changsheng’s resources and warnings did not prevent tragedy, leaving him accountable in Shen Wu’s eyes.

Character interactions

• Shen Wu and Ao Changsheng argue over Ao Ming’s death: she sees his protection as inadequate, while he explains what he did and accepts that it failed.
• Shen Wu imposes a harsh ultimatum, tying Ao Changsheng’s life to his success.
• Ao Changsheng waits outside the divination chamber rather than interrupting, uncertain whether Tianyan is in danger.
• Tianyan reports her alarming vision to Shen Chong, whose presence and assistance underscore the danger of the divination.

Key plot points and events

• Elder Tianyan’s attempted divination of Lu Yuan causes a severe backlash. He cannot tell whether Lu Yuan’s location is hidden by unusual techniques or by an artifact that counters divination, and refuses to risk another attempt.
• Shen Chong concludes that Lu Yuan may be concealing his true strength, but rejects caution. He decides to make Lu Yuan reveal himself by targeting the Great Qian Dynasty, Lu Yuan’s homeland.
• Tianyan performs a second divination and successfully calculates the dynasty’s coordinates. He passes the information to Ao Changsheng, the Myriad Nether Palace’s master.
• Ao Changsheng asks what they will do if slaughtering the dynasty fails to draw Lu Yuan out. Shen Chong says they will simply find another approach; they have time.
• Ao Changsheng accepts the plan despite its brutality, reasoning that the Myriad Nether Palace has already suffered catastrophic losses and can eventually be rebuilt if he survives.

Character developments

• Shen Chong is revealed as proud, domineering, and committed to a path of supremacy. He treats mass violence as a practical tool and sees no reason to spare innocents.
• Elder Tianyan is physically weakened and increasingly reluctant to participate, but Shen Chong’s authority and reputation leave him little room to refuse.
• Ao Changsheng remains outwardly deferential to Shen Chong, while showing cold pragmatism. His concern is less the morality of the plan than whether it will work.

Significant themes

• Power and arrogance: Shen Chong believes strength entitles him to impose his will without hesitation.
• Collateral violence: The Great Qian Dynasty’s people are treated as leverage in a conflict with Lu Yuan.
• Pragmatism amid ruin: Ao Changsheng sees further losses as acceptable because his organization is already devastated and could be rebuilt.
• Limits of knowledge: Divination cannot directly locate Lu Yuan, forcing his pursuers to target what they believe he cares about.

Character interactions

• Tianyan warns Shen Chong that Lu Yuan’s defenses may make divination impossible, but Shen Chong dismisses the need for caution and directs him to calculate the dynasty’s location instead.
• Shen Chong gives Ao Changsheng the means to act against Lu Yuan’s homeland; Ao Changsheng accepts, then challenges the assumption that the threat will succeed.
• Shen Chong’s indifferent response—“Then nothing”—underscores the gulf between his confidence and Ao Changsheng’s practical concern.

Plot points and events

• Ao Changsheng and the Myriad Nether Palace elders conclude that Lu Yuan cannot be tracked by divination, so they will draw him out another way: attack his homeland in a distant star domain.
• Ao Changsheng gives Shen Wu the coordinates. She eagerly sets out, intent on making Lu Yuan suffer the loss of a son as she has. Ao Changsheng initially urges caution, then decides to follow quickly.
• The Azure Jade Palace’s protective formation prevents them from entering the starry void directly, so they fly beyond its territory. As they depart, the sky darkens ominously.
• Meanwhile, Shen Chong meets a white-robed Heavenly Realm steward from his sect. He reports that Lu Yuan’s unusual methods may come from a hidden inheritance and says they must pursue another plan.
• The steward offers to help, intrigued by Lu Yuan’s abilities, but Shen Chong declines and asks why he has been summoned. The steward says his master gave no clear reason; he mentions unrest, new opportunities, rising prodigies, and rumors that the Myriad Dao Great Age has begun in the Taiqing Star Domain.

Character developments and interactions

• Ao Changsheng remains measured and pragmatic, viewing Lu Yuan’s homeland mainly as bait, though he ultimately supports acting quickly.
• Shen Wu is driven by vengeance and eagerly embraces the plan to attack Lu Yuan’s homeland.
• Shen Chong is controlled and strategic. He recognizes Lu Yuan’s exceptional abilities but is reluctant to involve the steward.
• The white-robed steward shows curiosity and ambition regarding Lu Yuan’s methods, while hinting that larger events may be unfolding across the star domains.

Significant themes

• Survival and power: Heavenly Realm experts operate on a vastly different scale from ordinary martial artists.
• Vengeance and collateral harm: Shen Wu’s personal grief motivates a plan that threatens an entire homeland.
• Adaptation when direct methods fail: Unable to locate Lu Yuan, his enemies resort to attacking what they believe he values.
• A changing wider world: Rumors of a great age, emerging opportunities, and new prodigies suggest broader upheaval beyond the immediate conflict.

Key plot points and events

• Lu Yuan arrives openly at the Azure Jade Palace after killing the master of the Nine Nether Hall and the leaders of the other factions that placed a bounty on him.
• Shen Wu recognizes him and attacks in fury, summoning demonic power, a vast moon, and twin sword-formed pythons.
• Lu Yuan effortlessly shatters her attack with his aura, injuring her. Ao Changsheng intervenes, but Lu Yuan’s pressure sends both him and Shen Wu crashing through mountains.
• Lu Yuan reveals the other bounty issuers are dead and demands to know whether the Azure Jade Palace has allies. Ao Changsheng tries to offer an explanation, but Lu Yuan is unconvinced.
• The scene shifts inside the palace: Shen Chong speaks with a white-robed man, who is eager to learn about the opportunity Shen Chong has pursued and offers to help him as a fellow disciple.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yuan appears calm and overwhelmingly powerful, treating the confrontation as a matter of finishing off his enemies. He questions the survivors rather than explaining himself.
• Shen Wu shifts from vindictive confidence to terror when her strongest attack proves useless. Her fury also reflects a personal fixation on Lu Yuan.
• Ao Changsheng goes from indignant protector to frightened negotiator, realizing Lu Yuan may surpass even Shen Chong.
• The white-robed man presents himself as a helpful fellow disciple, but his eagerness suggests self-interest in Shen Chong’s opportunity.

Significant themes

• Power overturns assumptions: Lu Yuan’s strength far exceeds what his opponents expect from a supposedly obscure rogue cultivator.
• Arrogance and misjudgment: Shen Wu and Ao Changsheng underestimate him, with disastrous results.
• Opportunity and competition: The palace scene hints at the high stakes of pursuing rare opportunities in a world crowded with ambitious prodigies.
• Threat and negotiation: Lu Yuan’s demand for information leaves little room for excuses, while the white-robed man’s polite offer may conceal a calculated motive.

Key plot points and events

• Lu Yuan arrives at the Azure Jade Palace after two badly injured figures crash into its grounds. He demands that Shen Chong come out, and his overwhelming aura shakes the sect and pins its disciples down.
• Though Lu Yuan has only just entered the Heavenly Realm, his accumulated advantages give him a foundation and pressure comparable to the domain’s greatest Heavenly Realm experts.
• Shen Chong confirms Lu Yuan’s identity and remains composed. He sees Lu Yuan’s strength not as a reason to retreat, but as a chance to gain resources and advance his cultivation by killing him.
• Shen Chong believes the Palace’s protective formation and the presence of four Heavenly Realm experts can break Lu Yuan’s enormous Dharma Forms and trap him.
• A white-robed fellow disciple, initially frightened, agrees to help Shen Chong, partly hoping to earn a claim to an opportunity in the Nether Domain.
• Two more Azure Jade Palace experts arrive. A gray-haired elder, enraged by the deaths of the Palace’s elders, attacks Lu Yuan with a cloud-dragon technique. Lu Yuan spots the approaching swordsman he identifies as Shen Chong.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Yuan appears openly hostile and radiates unusual power, announcing his challenge directly. His presence frightens the sect’s inhabitants and unsettles even powerful opponents.
• Shen Chong reveals confidence, ambition, and a willingness to turn a dangerous confrontation into an opportunity for personal advancement.
• The white-robed man shifts from fear and reluctance to cooperation after weighing the risks against the potential reward.
• The gray-haired elder responds to the slain elders with fury and immediately attacks Lu Yuan, despite another expert trying to restrain her.
• The encounter quickly becomes a coordinated confrontation: Shen Chong and the white-robed man prepare to face Lu Yuan, while the Palace’s arriving elders join the conflict.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Lu Yuan’s aura demonstrates how overwhelming strength can dominate an entire battlefield before a fight begins.
• Ambition amid danger: Shen Chong and the white-robed man treat a life-threatening clash as a chance to gain status, resources, or cultivation breakthroughs.
• Confidence versus misjudgment: Shen Chong’s plan rests on the Palace’s numbers and formation, even as Lu Yuan’s strength appears to defy ordinary expectations.
• Loyalty and retaliation: The gray-haired elder’s attack is driven by outrage over the deaths of the Palace’s members.