Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Death Life”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Chengfeng creates or nurtures a terrifying entity by feeding it black liquid and allowing it to absorb black sand. The entity grows rapidly, expanding and reproducing itself.
• Eternal Death discovers that Liu Chengfeng is creating a potential Death Life—a forbidden being formed from deathly energy. He warns that, if uncontrolled, it could spread across worlds, universes, dimensions, and even higher Sequences.
• Liu Chengfeng remains unconcerned, insisting that the creature is part of his design and that he can destroy it and begin again if necessary. Eternal Death, disturbed by Liu Chengfeng’s increasingly reckless confidence, withdraws rather than interfere.
• After leaving the Dirty Death World, Liu Chengfeng speaks with Mo Fanchen about a coordinate leading to the Land Beyond the Law, one of the Nine Great Death Worlds.
• Mo Fanchen reveals the original purpose of the Vast Sea Treasure Firm: not merely commerce, but exploration and the mapping of every realm in the World Forest. He shows Liu Chengfeng a map containing many unexplored regions.
• The map identifies the Death Black Region, also known as the Death Zone or Dark Empire. Its inhabitants possess intelligence and consciousness despite technically being dead. Outsiders who enter are transformed into the same state, making it a forbidden zone.
• Mo Fanchen also explains that the Land Beyond the Law lies outside the World Forest but is connected to it by routes. The Vast Sea Treasure Firm previously explored it alongside the Divine Emperor Alliance, during an expedition led by the Blade God Sword Sage and ten million True Gods. None of those explorers returned.
• Liu Chengfeng activates the coordinate, opening a rift to the Land Beyond the Law. Mo Fanchen enters alone, accepting the danger and uncertainty of whether he will survive.
• Before departing, Mo Fanchen warns Liu Chengfeng about a mysterious Pure Land associated with Cosmic Power. He suspects it is not a true sacred land but a foreign higher realm invading or descending into the World Forest, potentially threatening the Desolate Sea.
• After Mo Fanchen leaves, Seven Yin Moon asks Liu Chengfeng to retrieve the Peerless Well, fearing that the descending foreign realm may destroy its descendants. Heavenly Dragon exposes Seven Yin Moon’s selfish motive, but Seven Yin Moon admits that it still cares about the world that worships it.
• Liu Chengfeng does not condemn Seven Yin Moon, arguing that protecting one’s descendants and followers is not shameful. He contrasts this with Old Scholar’s ruthless willingness to sacrifice even his own son for a greater objective.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Liu Chengfeng displays growing confidence, ruthlessness, and willingness to manipulate dangerous forces. He treats the creation of Death Life as an experiment under his control and shows little fear of catastrophic consequences.
• Eternal Death becomes increasingly wary of Liu Chengfeng. Although knowledgeable about death, he realizes that Liu Chengfeng may be becoming too powerful and unpredictable to challenge safely.
• Mo Fanchen is portrayed as courageous, idealistic, and devoted to the founding mission of the Vast Sea Treasure Firm. His willingness to enter the Land Beyond the Law reflects both his adventurous spirit and his commitment to exploration.
• Liu Chengfeng respects Mo Fanchen’s purity and wishes him a safe return, suggesting genuine admiration despite their different temperaments.
• Seven Yin Moon reveals emotional attachment to its descendants and followers. Its concern gives it a more sympathetic dimension, while also exposing its guilt over the Peerless Well’s role in connecting its world to the possible invasion.
• Heavenly Dragon acts as an observer who recognizes and calls out Seven Yin Moon’s true motives.
• Liu Chengfeng’s response to Seven Yin Moon shows that, despite his own coldness, he does not consider attachment or responsibility weaknesses.

Significant Themes

• Power and control: The creation of Death Life raises the danger of unchecked experimentation and the belief that immense power can always be controlled.
• Death and existence: The Death Black Region introduces beings who are conscious and active despite being biologically or spiritually dead, challenging the distinction between life and death.
• Exploration versus survival: Mo Fanchen and the Vast Sea Treasure Firm embody the desire to understand and map the unknown, even when exploration carries an overwhelming risk of death.
• Foreign invasion and cosmic danger: The Pure Land may represent a higher realm intruding into the World Forest, suggesting that greater realms are not necessarily benevolent.
• Attachment and sacrifice: The chapter contrasts Seven Yin Moon’s concern for its descendants with Old Scholar’s willingness to sacrifice family for his goals. It suggests that emotional bonds can be both a vulnerability and a sign of humanity.
• Ambition across generations: Captain Tianbao’s dream of mapping all realms continues to motivate the Vast Sea Treasure Firm, emphasizing how grand ideals survive through descendants and institutions.

Chapter Summary: “Establish Rules, Set the Sequence Right”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Heavenly Dragon reminds Seven Yin Moon to thank Liu Chengfeng for sparing or helping their descendants. Both powerful figures reveal that, despite their transcendental status, they remain concerned about their disciples, descendants, and followers.
• Liu Chengfeng questions whether becoming an Unknowable and Unhearable requires abandoning humanity and emotions. The group explains that such beings may become detached because isolation and absolute control can make them view themselves as creator gods.
• Liu Chengfeng teases Abo about whether A Ran is his daughter. Through a verbal trap, he gets Abo to indirectly reveal the truth, provoking Abo’s anger and amusing the others.
• The Faceless Stone Statue explains the dangers of absolute power: an isolated creator god could control life, death, reincarnation, worlds, and universes, potentially turning entire Sequences into eternal hells. No outsider could know what happens inside such a sealed domain.
• Liu Chengfeng concludes that a calamity must eventually arise from such unchecked power and decides that universal rules are necessary.
• He vows to establish laws that would regulate even isolated Unknowable and Unhearable beings, protecting living beings and ensuring that every Sequence has order rather than arbitrary heaven or hell.
• The others warn that this would make him enemies of every supreme existence, but Liu Chengfeng refuses to retreat, confidently declaring that he will defeat anyone who opposes him.
• Liu Chengfeng admits that he has not yet determined the exact rules. He intends to observe the human world and understand the past and present before creating them.
• He leaves the World Array and travels through the dangerous Endless Treasure Land toward Cosmic Power and the Peerless Well.
• Large numbers of True Gods enter the Endless Treasure Land after hearing that a major fortune has appeared. The news attracts forces from many powerful sects and inheritances, most of which have submitted to Sacred Heaven Manor and the Wild Thunder Dao Lineage.
• Liu Chengfeng becomes suspicious that the fortune has been publicized too widely. A passing True God explains that the opportunity supposedly leads to the Great Universe and contains Cosmic Treasure Gourds capable of advancing cultivators several levels and even benefiting entire clans.
• Young Sacred Heaven is said to have discovered the location first and gained a Cosmic Treasure Gourd, while Thunder Mother and others also received extraordinary rewards. Intrigued but doubtful that such effortless fortune is genuine, Liu Chengfeng hurries toward the site to investigate.

Character Developments

• Liu Chengfeng shows increasing moral ambition. Rather than seeking only personal strength, he begins to envision himself as an enforcer of cosmic order who will protect all living beings from the unchecked power of supreme beings.
• His confidence and defiance grow stronger. He is willing to challenge every Unknowable and Unhearable being, even while admitting that he has not yet worked out the practical details of his plan.
• Liu Chengfeng also remains playful and irreverent, using humor and deception to expose Abo’s relationship with A Ran.
• Heavenly Dragon and Seven Yin Moon are shown to retain affection and responsibility toward their descendants, complicating the idea that supreme beings must be emotionless.
• Abo is revealed to care deeply about A Ran and becomes visibly frustrated when Liu Chengfeng tricks him into exposing the relationship.
• The Faceless Stone Statue acts as a thoughtful, experienced commentator, recognizing both the danger of Liu Chengfeng’s ambition and the sincerity behind it.
• Yellow Sand Woman remains skeptical and sarcastic, but Liu Chengfeng’s vow genuinely moves her.

Significant Themes

• Humanity versus transcendence: The chapter questions whether supreme power necessarily destroys compassion and emotional attachment.
• The corrupting effect of absolute power: A being who controls every aspect of existence may become isolated, delusional, or cruel, turning entire universes into experiments or prisons.
• Order versus unchecked freedom: Liu Chengfeng argues that even creator gods should be bound by rules to prevent endless suffering.
• Responsibility of the powerful: The chapter suggests that strength should be used to protect weaker beings rather than merely to dominate.
• Idealism and defiance: Liu Chengfeng embraces an unprecedented mission despite knowing it may provoke every supreme power in existence.
• Suspicion of effortless fortune: The sudden, widely publicized appearance of Cosmic Treasure Gourds raises the possibility that the “great opportunity” may conceal danger or manipulation.

Important Character Interactions

• Heavenly Dragon pressures Seven Yin Moon to express gratitude, revealing their shared concern for their descendants.
• Liu Chengfeng challenges the group’s emotional detachment and provokes Yellow Sand Woman and Abo with blunt remarks.
• His teasing conversation with Abo exposes A Ran’s identity while creating comic tension among the group.
• The Faceless Stone Statue provides the philosophical explanation that inspires Liu Chengfeng’s concern about isolated Sequences.
• Yellow Sand Woman and the Faceless Stone Statue both react strongly to Liu Chengfeng’s vow, with Yellow Sand Woman warning him of the enemies he will create.
• Abo, despite his silence, recognizes that Liu Chengfeng is likely capable of carrying out his grand plan.
• A passing True God informs Liu Chengfeng about the Cosmic Treasure Gourds, giving him the motivation to enter the competition surrounding Cosmic Power.

Chapter Summary: “Cosmic Gourd”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Chengfeng and Seven Yin Moon investigate a strange source of Cosmic Power and discover that it is not genuine Cosmic Power or the discarded Peerless Well.
• The surrounding “continents” are revealed to be enormous withered leaves belonging to a dead Cosmic Bay Leaf Vine. The vine does not belong to the World Forest and may have been connected to a higher plane or a hidden Buddhist Pure Land.
• A gateway inside one of the dead leaves leads to a vast cosmic space where a flourishing Cosmic Bay Leaf Vine grows across millions of worlds.
• Gods from throughout the Desolate Sea flood into the space to search for Cosmic Gourds. These treasures contain immense universal essence and can dramatically raise a cultivator’s strength; a mature gourd can benefit an entire sect.
• Young Sacred Heaven has already obtained several Cosmic Gourds and has become the new strongest figure in the Desolate Sea, surpassing former competitors such as Liu Shisan and apparently Nine-Crown Emperor.
• Liu Chengfeng notices Nine-Crown Emperor’s people searching the dead leaves outside the gateway, suggesting that they may be pursuing a hidden objective rather than merely seeking gourds.
• Inside the cosmic space, Liu Chengfeng searches for the mysterious Pure Land that may explain how the impossible vine is growing there.
• He encounters Thunderwind Saint Emperor and his entire household, including the Li Clan. They kneel to him and explain that they came under his authority.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor has brought his descendants to remove them from the Thunderwind Dynasty, allowing Fairy Ling and the Imperial Gate to assume control without resistance. He fears that rebellious descendants might offend Liu Chengfeng and bring destruction upon the clan.
• Impressed by this submission and political sense, Liu Chengfeng suggests that Thunderwind Saint Emperor may have a chance to become a divine general.

Character Developments

• Liu Chengfeng demonstrates heightened perception and caution. Rather than accepting the Cosmic Power at face value, he identifies the vine’s unnatural origin and suspects a hidden Pure Land or greater scheme.
• Seven Yin Moon becomes increasingly uneasy about the possible connection between the Peerless Well and the cosmic passage. He is defensive when blamed but privately recognizes the danger his actions may have caused.
• Heavenly Dragon continues to mock Seven Yin Moon and Thunderwind Saint Emperor, though he is openly envious of those who may gain positions as divine generals.
• Flayed Resentful Woman displays knowledge of Buddhist-associated Cosmic Bay Leaf Vines and continues her hostile banter with White-Cloth Heavenly Corpse.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor reveals himself to be highly pragmatic and submissive. He willingly abandons political power to protect his family and secure Liu Chengfeng’s favor.
• Young Sacred Heaven rises to prominence after acquiring multiple Cosmic Gourds, becoming the current strongest powerhouse in the Desolate Sea.
• Nine-Crown Emperor suffers a decline in reputation, as rumors claim he has found no Cosmic Gourds and is now the weakest among the major genius figures.

Significant Themes

• Power and opportunity: Cosmic Gourds can transform the fortunes of individuals, sects, and entire lineages, intensifying competition among the gods.
• Political submission and survival: Thunderwind Saint Emperor chooses to surrender authority rather than risk conflict with Liu Chengfeng, showing how powerful figures adapt to preserve their clans.
• Hidden cosmic mysteries: The impossible existence of the Cosmic Bay Leaf Vine suggests interference from a higher realm, a concealed Pure Land, or an unknown ancient power.
• Changing hierarchy: The chapter emphasizes how quickly reputations and rankings shift when powerful treasures appear.
• Loyalty versus ambition: Characters seek strength and status, but survival often depends on recognizing superior power and submitting at the right moment.

Character Interactions

• Liu Chengfeng, Seven Yin Moon, and Heavenly Dragon debate the origin of the Cosmic Bay Leaf Vine and whether the Peerless Well created the passage.
• Liu Chengfeng questions Nine-Crown Emperor’s followers, but they conceal their true purpose.
• Flayed Resentful Woman and White-Cloth Heavenly Corpse exchange insults while discussing the vine’s Buddhist origins.
• Heavenly Dragon repeatedly mocks Seven Yin Moon for possibly causing the cosmic disturbance, provoking Seven Yin Moon’s anger.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor publicly submits to Liu Chengfeng and explains his decision to remove the Li Clan from power.
• Liu Chengfeng rewards this loyalty with the possibility of divine-general status, while Seven Yin Moon and Heavenly Dragon argue humorously over whose descendants have better prospects.

Chapter Summary

Plot and Key Events

• The Thunderwind Saint Emperor offers Liu Chengfeng an unripe Cosmic Gourd, which he picked despite its immaturity. Liu refuses it, while Li Haodong mocks his father for “plundering every last scrap.”
• The Thunderwind Saint Emperor eagerly tries to curry favor with Liu, promising that all future Cosmic Gourds will belong to him and asking only to benefit indirectly from Liu’s discoveries.
• Liu surveys the vast Palm-Leaf Vine-covered worlds with his Heaven-Patrolling World-Viewing Eye. Countless True Gods from major sects and inheritances are searching for Cosmic Gourds, which are highly valuable because they can strengthen both individuals and entire sects.
• Competition over even unripe Cosmic Gourds has already caused brutal battles, with many forces fighting to the death.
• Yang Yanxuan and several other powerful figures have obtained ripe Cosmic Gourds and advanced rapidly in cultivation. Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan have also benefited, while the Thunderwind Dynasty found only one green, immature gourd.
• Liu examines the remaining gourd and confirms that it contains a powerful, chaotic energy originating from Buddhism, though he remains suspicious of the treasures and their effects.
• The group learns that the Nine-Crown Emperor has not obtained any Cosmic Gourds. Instead of searching among living Palm-Leaf Vines, he and his followers are examining withered branches and fallen leaves.
• Recalling the Nine-Crown Emperor’s past references to “fallen leaves,” “Skanda,” and “Zen,” the Thunderwind Saint Emperor speculates that he has been searching for a hidden entrance or deeper secret connected to the vines.
• New information suggests that Yang Yanxuan and the Nine-Crown Emperor are both looking for a cosmic entrance near the roots of the Palm-Leaf Vines. The entrance may lead to the vines’ “Old Root,” where many Cosmic Gourds could grow, though Liu dismisses the idea that it truly leads directly into the cosmos.
• Liu, Heavenly Dragon, Seven Yin Moon, and the others begin searching for the Old Root, suspecting that the Palm-Leaf Vines may have been deliberately cultivated or manipulated by a hidden power.
• Before they find it, the Nine-Crown Emperor approaches Liu’s group. He apologizes politely, restrains his powerful aura, and keeps his followers at a distance. Liu recognizes that this excessive courtesy conceals a deeper motive.

Character Development

• Liu Chengfeng remains skeptical and perceptive. He is uninterested in blindly pursuing the Cosmic Gourds and suspects that their sudden appearance and immense benefits may be part of a larger scheme.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor is shown as shamelessly opportunistic and eager to attach himself to Liu. Although extremely powerful and very old, he behaves obsequiously, hoping Liu will secure benefits for his dynasty. He also reveals that he often acts strategically, allowing others into dangerous places so he can later seize their gains.
• Li Haodong becomes increasingly embarrassed by his father’s behavior. Unlike the Thunderwind Saint Emperor, he is less obsessed with external treasures and feels more secure because of the divine abilities he has inherited.
• The Nine-Crown Emperor is portrayed as mysterious and calculating. Despite being considered weaker because he has found no Cosmic Gourds, his unusual search pattern suggests that he understands a secret others do not. His extreme politeness toward Liu further implies hidden intentions.
• Yang Yanxuan is established as one of the greatest beneficiaries of the Cosmic Gourds, advancing multiple levels and becoming extraordinarily powerful.

Significant Themes

• Greed and competition: The Cosmic Gourds trigger widespread violence, showing how quickly powerful factions abandon restraint when rare opportunities arise.
• Superficial rewards versus hidden truths: While most forces chase visible Cosmic Gourds, the Nine-Crown Emperor searches for withered leaves, implying that the true opportunity may lie beneath or beyond the obvious treasure.
• Suspicion and manipulation: Liu and his companions question whether the Palm-Leaf Vines appeared naturally or were placed as part of a larger plan by an unseen force.
• Power and opportunism: The Thunderwind Saint Emperor’s willingness to let others take risks so he can profit later contrasts with Liu’s more cautious and investigative approach.
• Courtesy masking danger: The Nine-Crown Emperor’s humility and restraint create tension because his behavior appears deliberately controlled rather than genuinely submissive.

Character Interactions

• Liu repeatedly rejects the Thunderwind Saint Emperor’s attempts to flatter and serve him, though he tolerates them because the Saint Emperor is sincere.
• Li Haodong openly criticizes and feels embarrassed by his father’s clingy, flattering behavior.
• The Thunderwind Saint Emperor shares his observations and theories with Liu, trying to compensate for his earlier lack of insight and earn Liu’s favor.
• Liu chastises the Thunderwind Saint Emperor for his shortsighted schemes regarding Yang Yanxuan and the Endless Treasure Land.
• When the Nine-Crown Emperor arrives, the Thunderwind Saint Emperor reacts defensively, while Liu remains calm and orders his companions to stand down.
• The chapter ends with Liu directly questioning the Nine-Crown Emperor’s purpose, setting up a tense confrontation or revelation.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Nine-Crown Emperor visits Liu Chengfeng, respectfully seeking help deciphering a fragmentary stone tablet found long ago in the Endless Treasure Land.
• He presents himself as humble and incapable, repeatedly praising Liu Chengfeng’s wisdom and status. Liu Chengfeng recognizes that this modesty conceals considerable intelligence and deep schemes.
• Liu Chengfeng examines the tablet and instantly deduces its meaning, discovering that it records a Buddhist decree: Grand Zen commanded Skanda to hold a sacred order and guard something unspecified. He also reconstructs the missing portions of the incomplete inscription.
• Impressed and inwardly shocked by Liu Chengfeng’s ability, the Nine-Crown Emperor offers valuable information in return. He reveals that an ancient gourd may grow from a withered branch among the old roots of the Palm-Leaf Vine, and that obtaining it could allow Liu Chengfeng to surpass Yao Shu.
• He also provides the likely direction of the root before departing. The Thunderwind Saint Emperor suspects that the Nine-Crown Emperor concealed additional discoveries and suggests killing and robbing him, but Liu Chengfeng rejects the idea and instead decides to investigate the old root.
• While traveling, Liu Chengfeng and his companions discuss the Grand Zen Pure Land and its founder, the Grand Zen Sacred Buddha. They learn that the Pure Land was an ancient inheritance, older than most of them, which was eventually annihilated.
• According to rumors, the Grand Zen Sacred Buddha’s extraordinarily beautiful female disciple killed him and drained or destroyed the entire inheritance. The group debates whether this was caused by betrayal, humiliation, or the unusual nature of the Buddha’s cultivation.
• Ghost Shadow explains that the Grand Zen Sacred Buddha’s divine vow was Great Bliss, a form of dual cultivation capable of producing Buddhist incarnations and involving both men and women. Liu Chengfeng’s literal questions about how male-male “harvesting and replenishing” would work make the others uncomfortable and provoke comic reactions.
• Liu Chengfeng ultimately wonders whether the female disciple used a special reverse-harvesting method to drain the entire Grand Zen Pure Land, since destroying countless worlds and universes would otherwise be nearly impossible.

Character Developments

• Liu Chengfeng demonstrates exceptional intellect and confidence. He immediately understands and completes the ancient Buddhist decree, confirming that his Heaven-Patrolling World-Viewing Eye and deductive abilities are extraordinary. Despite recognizing the Nine-Crown Emperor’s manipulation, he remains fair-minded and refuses to exploit him.
• The Nine-Crown Emperor is revealed as highly calculating, politically skilled, and strategically humble. He flatters Liu Chengfeng, offers information rather than openly demanding a favor, and uses honesty to make his concealed motives harder to detect. His willingness to surrender the tablet if Liu Chengfeng wants it shows both boldness and confidence.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor remains suspicious and aggressive toward the Nine-Crown Emperor. He assumes the emperor is concealing something and even suggests murder and robbery, though he admits he cannot defeat him.
• Ghost Shadow provides obscure historical information and gossip about the Grand Zen Pure Land. His constant habit of hiding behind others becomes a source of comic embarrassment and irritation.
• The Pimp fiercely rejects the idea that women should be blamed as destructive “beauties who bring disaster,” defending women against the White-Cloth Heavenly Corpse’s speculation.
• Liu Chengfeng’s companions react with varying degrees of arrogance, discomfort, amusement, and disgust during the discussion of the Grand Zen Sacred Buddha’s unusual cultivation method.

Significant Themes

• Hidden motives beneath humility: The Nine-Crown Emperor’s politeness and self-deprecation function as strategic tools rather than signs of weakness.
• Reciprocity and balanced exchanges: Liu Chengfeng provides knowledge, while the Nine-Crown Emperor repays him with information about the ancient gourd and Palm-Leaf Vine. Their interaction is structured around mutual benefit rather than simple trust.
• Ancient inheritances and lost civilizations: The Grand Zen Pure Land represents a powerful but vanished tradition whose surviving fragments may still contain enormous secrets.
• The danger of legendary narratives: The group questions simplistic stories that blame a beautiful woman for the destruction of an entire inheritance, suggesting that the truth may involve more complicated motives or cultivation techniques.
• Power, exploitation, and dual cultivation: The Grand Zen Sacred Buddha’s “Great Bliss” raises questions about the use of others as sources of power, the boundaries of Buddhist practice, and the destructive consequences of unchecked desire.
• Cosmic beings and casual destruction: The characters’ discussion reveals that beings at their level have already destroyed countless worlds, making the annihilation of the Grand Zen Pure Land horrifying but not entirely unprecedented.
• Humor amid serious lore: Comedic arguments about Ghost Shadow’s hiding habits and the mechanics of male-male dual cultivation relieve the otherwise ominous discussion of betrayal and cosmic destruction.

Character Interactions

• The Nine-Crown Emperor repeatedly praises and respectfully addresses Liu Chengfeng, creating a dynamic in which he appears subordinate while subtly guiding the conversation.
• Liu Chengfeng tests the emperor’s motives but ultimately answers him honestly, establishing a relationship based on cautious mutual respect.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor distrusts the Nine-Crown Emperor and proposes eliminating him, while Liu Chengfeng rebukes this violent approach.
• The group teases Ghost Shadow for hiding behind the Black Emperor and others; even the normally quiet Black Emperor orders him to stop.
• The White-Cloth Heavenly Corpse speculates that the Grand Zen Sacred Buddha’s disciple destroyed him out of romantic humiliation, prompting the Pimp to angrily condemn misogynistic “beauty brings disaster” explanations.
• Ghost Shadow’s explanation of Great Bliss shocks the group, especially when Liu Chengfeng innocently presses him for clarification. The others refuse to answer, becoming embarrassed or disgusted.
• The chapter ends with Liu Chengfeng shifting the conversation back to the central mystery: how the female disciple could have drained an entire ancient inheritance.

Chapter Summary: A Ghost Who Loved Gossip

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Chengfeng and the others investigate the strange disappearance of beings across countless worlds. They debate whether the phenomenon resulted from “swallowing” or some form of cultivation involving harvesting and replenishment.
• Ghost Shadow explains that the Sacred Buddhas and Vajras were found as dried corpses, but his intense interest in the matter makes everyone suspect his motives. He insists that he is not pursuing dual cultivation or Great Bliss—he simply loves gossip.
• The group identifies a mysterious female disciple from the Grand Zen Pure Land as Chan Su-Nü, also known as the White-Bone Rakshasa.
• Black Charcoal, later revealed to be Tian Mo, timidly emerges and identifies himself as Liu Chengfeng’s former Profound Yin Ten Ghosts Sword. Liu barely remembers him, highlighting how insignificant Tian Mo now feels within the enormous Heavenly Charter Divine Kingdom.
• Tian Mo reveals a crucial secret: Chan Su-Nü entered the Green Meng Realm voluntarily, rather than falling into it as the others did. She appeared to be searching for something supreme.
• This revelation alarms Liu Chengfeng and the others. Since the Green Meng Realm is connected to Liu’s Sequence Source Number, Chan Su-Nü’s presence suggests a possible threat. Liu wonders whether she might be seeking the Faceless Stone Statue or Yellow Sand Woman, though he doubts Chan Su-Nü should even know about them.
• The group debates how Chan Su-Nü could have remained in the Green Meng Realm without being destroyed by its rules. Heavenly Dragon estimates that even he could survive only around one hundred thousand years, while Seven Yin Moon argues that ten thousand years would be the true limit. Black Emperor suggests that Chan Su-Nü could only have accomplished this if she were an Unknowable and Unhearable existence.
• Liu warns the Faceless Stone Statue and Yellow Sand Woman that someone may be targeting them. The two women trade sharp, mocking remarks about whether their enemies are pursuing one or the other, revealing old rivalries and the possibility that powerful enemies want to exploit their weakened or “dead” states.
• Liu then resumes his search for the ancient root of the Cosmic Bay Leaf Vine. Using the Heaven-Patrolling World-Viewing Eye, he locates the entrance beneath a massive bay leaf.
• Liu, Thunderwind Saint Emperor, and others enter the root system and discover a vast realm filled with overwhelming vitality, green rivers of light, ancient roots, and enormous scripture-covered leaves. This is apparently where the Divine Vine took root, and finding its source may allow them to enter the cosmos.
• Other factions—including Eight Treasures Pillar Heaven, Clear Creek Institute, and Skyfloating Divine Domain—arrive soon afterward. Thunderwind Saint Emperor insists that the roots belong to Liu because Liu’s group discovered them first.
• A confrontation nearly erupts when a Skyfloating expert mocks Liu for being only a First-Rank True God. Thunderwind aggressively defends Liu, boasting that Liu does not fear the Wild Thunder Dao Lineage. The scene ends when a cold voice calls out, questioning when Thunderwind became so boastful.

Character Developments

• Liu Chengfeng becomes increasingly suspicious of Chan Su-Nü and recognizes that her presence in the Green Meng Realm may represent a serious hidden threat. He also continues to act as the central authority over the powerful beings within his kingdom.
• Ghost Shadow is established as a shameless but entertaining gossip-lover. His curiosity makes others suspicious, but he repeatedly insists that his motives are harmless.
• Tian Mo/Black Charcoal is introduced as a forgotten former weapon and ancient acquaintance of Liu. Despite his past power, he now feels overlooked and insignificant, making him timid and eager to please Liu.
• Heavenly Dragon, Seven Yin Moon, and Black Emperor contribute different assessments of the Green Meng Realm’s laws, displaying both their confidence and uncertainty.
• The Faceless Stone Statue and Yellow Sand Woman reveal a combative, teasing relationship. Their banter suggests a long history of conflict, rivalry, and mutual awareness of the enemies surrounding them.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor demonstrates fierce loyalty to Liu. Although his aggressive defense is genuine, his exaggerated boasts also make him appear comical and reckless.

Significant Themes

• Hidden threats and incomplete knowledge: Chan Su-Nü’s unexplained ability to enter and survive in the Green Meng Realm creates an atmosphere of danger and mystery.
• Power and insignificance: Tian Mo’s forgotten status shows how even former peerless beings can become unnoticed when surrounded by stronger figures.
• Loyalty and hierarchy: Thunderwind’s defense of Liu illustrates the strict loyalties and power structures within Liu’s faction.
• Gossip and suspicion: Ghost Shadow’s love of gossip provides comic relief while also driving the investigation into Chan Su-Nü’s motives.
• Ancient rivalries and buried history: The exchanges between the Faceless Stone Statue and Yellow Sand Woman hint at old conflicts and enemies seeking revenge or treasure.
• Competition over opportunities: Once the Cosmic Bay Leaf Vine’s roots are discovered, rival factions immediately contest ownership, showing how valuable ancient inheritances remain.

Important Character Interactions

• The group humorously accuses Ghost Shadow of wanting dual cultivation; he protests that he only enjoys gossip.
• Tian Mo nervously explains his identity and his connection to Liu, while Liu struggles to remember him.
• Liu and the others interrogate Tian Mo about Chan Su-Nü, making him increasingly frightened that he will be mistaken for a spy.
• The Faceless Stone Statue and Yellow Sand Woman exchange sarcastic threats about which of them their enemies truly want to kill or exploit.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor confronts the Skyfloating Divine Domain over its disrespect toward Liu, escalating the tension between the factions.
• The chapter closes with an unknown figure interrupting Thunderwind’s boastful confrontation, setting up the next conflict.

Chapter Summary: Who Has the Final Say

Key Plot Points and Events

• Thunder Mother arrives with the Wild Thunder Dao Lineage, accompanied by countless powerful demons. Her overwhelming aura forces even Ninth-Rank True Gods to retreat or bow.
• The various divine inheritances that have submitted to her approach in worship, demonstrating the Wild Thunder Dao Lineage’s enormous rise in power after obtaining the Cosmic Divine Gourd.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor insists that his master, Li Qing, should receive all the Old Roots because he arrived first. Thunder Mother rejects his claim and effortlessly defeats him and the Thunderwind Dynasty without killing them.
• Liu Chengfeng argues that the Old Roots are too vast for one person to monopolize. Thunder Mother proposes distributing the territory according to strength, with weaker cultivators receiving little or nothing.
• Nine-Crown Emperor arrives and suggests dividing the Old Roots according to their individual roots. Although many gods consider this reasonable, Thunder Mother openly dismisses his authority.
• Thunder Mother attacks Nine-Crown Emperor and forces him back, proving that she has surpassed him since obtaining the Cosmic Divine Gourd. She declares that only the strong have the right to decide how the treasure is divided.
• Nine-Crown Emperor endures the humiliation without fully retaliating, leading Liu Chengfeng to suspect that he is deliberately concealing his true strength or pursuing another plan.
• Young Sacred Heaven, Yang Yanxuan, suddenly arrives with an even more terrifying force. He has become the strongest figure in the Desolate Sea, having obtained the greatest number of Cosmic Gourds and strengthened the Sacred Heaven Manor.
• Dai Fairy, Li Yuenan, recognizes Liu Chengfeng and demands that he be captured and executed, seeking revenge for the humiliation she suffered at Imperial Gate. Most of the gathered gods believe Liu Chengfeng is doomed because he is only a First-Rank True God.

Character Developments

• Thunder Mother: Becomes increasingly domineering and confident after her power surge. She openly challenges both Thunderwind Saint Emperor and Nine-Crown Emperor, establishing herself as a superior heavenly powerhouse.
• Liu Chengfeng: Remains calm and mocking despite Thunder Mother’s intimidation and the arrival of overwhelming enemies. He demonstrates sharp insight by recognizing that Nine-Crown Emperor may be hiding his true intentions.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor: Shows absolute loyalty to his master, risking himself against Thunder Mother even though he knows she vastly outmatches him. He later considers striking first to secure the Old Roots.
• Nine-Crown Emperor: Suffers a major loss of prestige after being overpowered by Thunder Mother. However, his unusual restraint suggests that he may be concealing strength or following a deeper strategy.
• Young Sacred Heaven/Yang Yanxuan: Emerges as the strongest figure in the Desolate Sea. His power now surpasses Thunder Mother’s, forcing even her and the Wild Thunder Dao Lineage to give ground.
• Dai Fairy/Li Yuenan: Her hatred for Liu Chengfeng remains intense. Emboldened by Yang Yanxuan’s power and Sacred Heaven Manor’s dominance, she openly seeks his death.

Significant Themes

• Might determines authority: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes that power, rather than fairness, seniority, or moral right, determines who controls the Old Roots and Cosmic Gourds.
• Shifting political hierarchy: Thunder Mother’s rise overturns Nine-Crown Emperor’s former supremacy, while Yang Yanxuan’s arrival establishes an even higher level of power.
• Loyalty and submission: Numerous inheritances quickly submit to whoever appears strongest, while figures such as Thunderwind Saint Emperor remain loyal even in the face of overwhelming danger.
• Hidden strength and strategy: Nine-Crown Emperor’s refusal to fully resist Thunder Mother suggests that visible defeat may not reflect his actual plans or capabilities.
• Revenge and personal grudges: Li Yuenan’s demand for Liu Chengfeng’s execution shows how personal hatred intersects with the larger struggle for power.

Important Character Interactions

• Thunder Mother and Thunderwind Saint Emperor: He defends his master’s claim, but she defeats him with a single attack and warns him not to overestimate himself.
• Thunder Mother and Liu Chengfeng: Their exchange is a tense contest of authority. She attempts to exclude him because of his low cultivation, while he responds with calm defiance.
• Thunder Mother and Nine-Crown Emperor: Their confrontation is the chapter’s central power struggle. She physically and verbally suppresses him, declaring that he is not entitled to decide the division.
• Liu Chengfeng and Nine-Crown Emperor: Liu Chengfeng observes Nine-Crown Emperor’s restraint and suspects that he is hiding his real strength, showing Liu’s perceptiveness.
• Young Sacred Heaven and the gathered gods: His arrival silences and intimidates nearly everyone, establishing his supremacy over the other factions.
• Dai Fairy and Liu Chengfeng: Their past conflict resurfaces when she publicly demands his execution, setting up a likely confrontation.

Summary: “Yang Yanxuan’s Helplessness”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dai Fairy Li Yuenan orders one of her True Gods to seize Liu Chengfeng, but Yang Yanxuan intervenes and drives them back. He declares Liu Chengfeng his honored guest and forbids anyone from treating him disrespectfully.
• Li Yuenan insists on killing Liu Chengfeng herself, but Yang Yanxuan suppresses her with his overwhelming power. She angrily insults him, claiming he would be nothing without the Star Mansion Clan. Qingshan eventually drags her away.
• Yang Yanxuan apologizes to Liu Chengfeng for the disturbance. Liu remarks that he should have simply killed Li Yuenan, but Yang responds awkwardly, revealing his difficulty in controlling her despite his superior strength.
• Thunder Mother shifts the discussion toward the Bodhi-Leaf Divine Vine’s Old Root and the Cosmic Gourds growing from it. Yang insists that Liu Chengfeng, who discovered the site first, should decide how it is divided.
• Thunder Mother argues that treasure should belong to the strong, but Yang challenges her and demonstrates his superior power, suppressing the surrounding gods through sheer force.
• Nine-Crown Emperor proposes that the Old Root be shared among everyone present. His diplomatic and seemingly fair proposal wins widespread support, even from groups aligned with Sacred Heaven Manor.
• Nine-Crown Emperor reveals that the Old Root may lead to the Grand Zen Pure Land, a mysterious place potentially containing the Path of Immortality and other supreme treasures. This information intensifies the gods’ greed and attracts even more forces.
• While the gods enthusiastically support Nine-Crown Emperor’s call to divide the treasure, Liu Chengfeng and Thunderwind Saint Emperor recognize that Nine-Crown Emperor is likely manipulating the crowd for a hidden purpose.
• The situation escalates when Liu Shisan arrives with hundreds of millions of True Gods. With more than ten million gods gathered, the balance of power changes and the possibility of a massive battle grows.
• Yang Yanxuan remains confident and asks whether Liu Shisan and Thunder Mother intend to attack him together, displaying his willingness to fight both powerful opponents at once.

Character Developments

• Yang Yanxuan: Demonstrates overwhelming strength, authority, and unwavering loyalty to Liu Chengfeng. However, his inability to control Li Yuenan exposes his personal helplessness and damages his dignity. Despite political pressure and the lure of the Cosmic Gourds, he is prepared to let Liu decide everything, emphasizing his trust and integrity.
• Liu Chengfeng: Remains calm and observant throughout the conflict. He allows Yang Yanxuan to defend him and carefully watches Nine-Crown Emperor, suspecting that the latter’s generosity conceals a larger scheme.
• Dai Fairy Li Yuenan: Becomes increasingly irrational and vindictive, prioritizing her hatred of Liu Chengfeng over Yang Yanxuan’s authority. Her tantrum humiliates Yang and reveals the unstable relationship between them.
• Thunder Mother: Acts as a direct challenger to Yang Yanxuan, seeking a share of the Old Root and testing whether his authority can withstand opposition.
• Nine-Crown Emperor: Reveals himself as a skilled political manipulator. By advocating universal sharing and publicizing the possibility of the Pure Land, he gains the support of countless gods and transforms a limited dispute into a massive gathering.
• Liu Shisan: Enters as a major rival with a huge army, restoring confidence to those who oppose Yang Yanxuan and dramatically increasing the likelihood of open conflict.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor: Supports Liu Chengfeng and openly praises Yang Yanxuan’s loyalty, while warning that Nine-Crown Emperor is exploiting the situation.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty versus power: Yang Yanxuan places loyalty to Liu Chengfeng above personal gain, authority, and the opportunity to monopolize immense treasure.
• Political manipulation: Nine-Crown Emperor uses fairness, shared prosperity, and carefully revealed information to rally the gods behind him.
• The burden of authority: Although Yang Yanxuan is the strongest figure present, he struggles to control his own subordinate, Li Yuenan, showing that strength does not guarantee social or political control.
• Greed and collective ambition: The promise of the Pure Land and the Path of Immortality causes the gods to abandon caution and unite around their desire for treasure.
• Public spectacle and humiliation: The gods enjoy watching Yang’s conflict with Li Yuenan and hope to see him embarrassed or defeated, turning personal disputes into political entertainment.
• Strength and legitimacy: The chapter contrasts brute force with persuasion. Yang commands through overwhelming power, while Nine-Crown Emperor gains influence by appealing to fairness and the interests of the masses.

Character Interactions

• Yang Yanxuan and Li Yuenan: Their confrontation shows Li’s defiance and Yang’s frustration. Though he can easily suppress her physically, he does not kill or decisively punish her, allowing her tantrum to humiliate him.
• Yang Yanxuan and Liu Chengfeng: Yang consistently protects and defers to Liu, treating him as an honored guest and granting him final authority over the Old Root.
• Yang Yanxuan and Thunder Mother: They engage in a tense power struggle over ownership of the treasure. Yang’s pressure proves that he remains stronger, but Thunder Mother attempts to counter him through alliances and public opinion.
• Liu Chengfeng and Nine-Crown Emperor: Liu remains suspicious of Nine-Crown Emperor’s apparently generous proposal and waits to see what hidden plan lies behind it.
• Nine-Crown Emperor and the assembled gods: He successfully persuades the gods to support him by presenting himself as fair-minded and by promising access to a universal opportunity.
• Yang Yanxuan, Thunder Mother, and Liu Shisan: Their impending confrontation forms the chapter’s climax, with Yang openly challenging both opponents and asserting his position as the Desolate Sea’s strongest current figure.

Summary

1. Key plot points and events

• After the discovery of the five Divine Vine Old Roots and the Grand Zen Pure Land, the gods argue over who should control the immense providence within them—possibly enough to allow many people to become God Kings.
• Nine-Crown Emperor publicly proposes that the providence be opened to everyone in the Desolate Sea. His proposal wins the support of nearly all the True Gods, who begin calling reinforcements.
• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan recognize that Nine-Crown Emperor’s proposal gives him enormous political leverage. Although they dislike sharing the providence, they cannot openly oppose the collective demand without losing the gods’ support.
• Yang Yanxuan refuses to yield, declaring that the others may attack if they dare. This places Liu Chengfeng and Sacred Heaven Manor against the assembled gods.
• Liu Shisan offers Nine-Crown Emperor a share, but does so arrogantly, treating him as an inferior. Nine-Crown Emperor is humiliated, especially after previously being the strongest figure in the Desolate Sea.
• Nine-Crown Emperor redirects the dispute toward Liu Chengfeng, arguing that Old Root was discovered by him and that he should decide whether the providence is shared.
• Faced with the united pressure of tens of millions of True Gods, Liu Chengfeng unexpectedly agrees to divide the Old Roots. He asks the gods to determine the distribution themselves, exposing that their supposed unity is weakened by competing self-interest.
• The discussion turns into a dispute over the five Old Roots. Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan each claim one, while Yang Yanxuan insists that Liu Chengfeng should receive a share, preferably the largest Old Root.
• Dai Fairy contradicts Yang Yanxuan and argues that the strongest person should receive the largest Old Root. Her intervention creates conflict within Sacred Heaven Manor.
• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan exploit the disagreement, attempting to give Yang Yanxuan the largest root and Liu Chengfeng the smallest, withered root. Their aim is to sow distrust between the two allies and provoke them into fighting.
• Nine-Crown Emperor supports a strength-based distribution, suggesting Yang Yanxuan take the largest root while he takes the second-smallest. Dai Fairy and Sacred Heaven Manor publicly demand the largest share.
• Yang Yanxuan rebukes Dai Fairy and makes clear that he intended the largest root for Liu Chengfeng, not himself.
• Thunder Mother declares that Yang Yanxuan should receive the largest root and Liu Chengfeng the withered one. Thunderwind Saint Emperor objects angrily, but Liu Chengfeng stops him. The chapter ends as Liu Chengfeng prepares to respond.

2. Character developments

• Nine-Crown Emperor reveals himself as a skilled political manipulator. He presents his demand as selfless concern for all living beings, but also uses the crisis to regain influence and turn the gods against Liu Chengfeng and Yang Yanxuan.
• Liu Chengfeng displays composure and strategic intelligence. Rather than resist the gods directly, he agrees to their demand and forces them to confront the practical difficulty of dividing the providence. His calm response undermines their united front.
• Yang Yanxuan remains fiercely loyal to Liu Chengfeng and is willing to fight the entire Desolate Sea on his behalf. However, he is weakened politically when even his own subordinates and divine official favor sharing the providence.
• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan act as opportunists. They dislike Nine-Crown Emperor’s growing influence but exploit the chaos to isolate Liu Chengfeng and Yang Yanxuan. Liu Shisan’s personal resentment toward Nine-Crown Emperor also becomes apparent.
• Dai Fairy is impulsive and self-interested. Her demand for the largest Old Root clashes with Yang Yanxuan’s loyalty to Liu Chengfeng, causing internal friction.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor shows absolute loyalty to Liu Chengfeng and indignation at the others’ attempt to give his master the withered root, but Liu Chengfeng restrains him.

3. Significant themes

• Political manipulation disguised as altruism: Nine-Crown Emperor frames personal and factional ambitions as a plan to benefit everyone.
• The danger of collective greed: The gods unite against Liu Chengfeng in the name of fairness, but immediately quarrel when asked how the rewards should actually be divided.
• Loyalty versus self-interest: Yang Yanxuan prioritizes his bond with Liu Chengfeng, while Dai Fairy and many other gods favor their own advantage.
• Power and legitimacy: Strength alone does not guarantee authority; Nine-Crown Emperor gains support through rhetoric, while Liu Shisan and Thunder Mother rely on their overwhelming cultivation.
• Strategic restraint: Liu Chengfeng avoids an immediate confrontation, recognizing that open resistance could alienate allies and cause Sacred Heaven Manor’s followers to defect.

4. Character interactions

• Nine-Crown Emperor and the gods: He wins their support by advocating universal access to the providence.
• Nine-Crown Emperor and Liu Shisan: Liu Shisan offers him a share in a condescending manner, deepening Nine-Crown Emperor’s humiliation and resentment.
• Nine-Crown Emperor and Liu Chengfeng: Nine-Crown Emperor pressures Liu Chengfeng to accept responsibility for distributing Old Root, turning the crowd’s hostility toward him.
• Yang Yanxuan and Liu Chengfeng: Their mutual loyalty is central. Yang Yanxuan is ready to defend Liu Chengfeng, while Liu Chengfeng gently reminds him to consider the broader responsibilities of leadership.
• Yang Yanxuan and Dai Fairy: They clash openly over who deserves the largest Old Root. Yang Yanxuan’s rebuke shows that he values loyalty over personal gain.
• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan: They cooperate tactically while privately pursuing their own interests, using the distribution dispute to provoke conflict between Yang Yanxuan and Liu Chengfeng.
• Liu Chengfeng and Thunderwind Saint Emperor: Thunderwind wants to defend his master’s interests, but Liu Chengfeng restrains him, signaling that he has a deeper strategy in mind.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Chengfeng challenges the arrangement dividing the Bodhi-Leaf Divine Vine’s five ancient roots, arguing that strength should determine who receives the greatest share.
• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan attempt to provoke a battle between Liu Chengfeng and Yang Yanxuan. They want to test Liu Chengfeng’s strength without the Ancestral Land’s support and gauge Yang Yanxuan’s limits.
• Dai Fairy repeatedly insults and challenges Liu Chengfeng, creating trouble for Yang Yanxuan, who must restrain her and apologize for her behavior.
• Liu Chengfeng agrees that he will take the thickest root and asks whether the others will challenge him one by one. Thunder Mother deliberately nominates Nine-Crown Emperor, calling him the weakest of their group.
• Rather than directly fighting, Nine-Crown Emperor publicly declares that Liu Chengfeng deserves the most precious Withered Root. His humility wins the admiration and loyalty of many gods.
• Liu Chengfeng sees through the performance. He realizes Nine-Crown Emperor knows the Withered Root is actually the most valuable root and is deliberately giving it to him for a larger, hidden purpose.
• When the gods begin considering stealing Liu Chengfeng’s root, Nine-Crown Emperor offers them access to his own root, promising that they may share its resources.
• Yang Yanxuan, Thunder Mother, and Liu Shisan respond by allowing their own allied sects and factions onto their roots, preventing Nine-Crown Emperor from attracting nearly everyone in the Desolate Sea.
• Nine-Crown Emperor leaves while continuing to praise the Withered Root and proclaiming the ideal of “every person a God King,” winning the gods’ enthusiastic support.
• Liu Chengfeng becomes increasingly suspicious and curious about the enormous scheme Nine-Crown Emperor is constructing. Thunderwind Saint Emperor privately warns that Nine-Crown Emperor is not a good person.

2. Character Developments

• Liu Chengfeng: Displays confidence, sharp insight, and deliberate provocation. He ignores the obvious threats from Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan because he is more interested in uncovering Nine-Crown Emperor’s motives. He recognizes that Nine-Crown Emperor’s humility is calculated rather than sincere.
• Nine-Crown Emperor: Strengthens his image as a generous, selfless, and magnanimous leader. However, his knowledge of the Withered Root’s value and willingness to distribute resources suggest that he is manipulating events to build influence and execute a larger plan.
• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan: Reveal their political instincts and hostility toward both Liu Chengfeng and Nine-Crown Emperor. They try to use Liu Chengfeng as a test subject but become wary when Nine-Crown Emperor begins attracting popular support.
• Yang Yanxuan: Remains the strongest combatant but is weakened politically by the disorder caused by Dai Fairy. He also begins recognizing Nine-Crown Emperor as a dangerous and unfathomable rival.
• Dai Fairy: Acts impulsively and aggressively toward Liu Chengfeng, embarrassing Yang Yanxuan and forcing him to manage her behavior.
• The gods: Shift their admiration away from raw strength and toward Nine-Crown Emperor’s apparent generosity. Many become willing to follow him after hearing his promise that everyone can become a God King.

3. Significant Themes

• Strength versus influence: Although power initially determines who receives the ancient roots, Nine-Crown Emperor demonstrates that political influence and popular support can be just as important as cultivation.
• Humility as manipulation: Nine-Crown Emperor’s modest and courteous behavior may be a carefully constructed façade designed to gain loyalty and conceal his ambitions.
• The danger of hidden schemes: Liu Chengfeng suspects that Nine-Crown Emperor is not surrendering the most valuable treasure out of kindness but is using it as part of a far-reaching strategy.
• Greed and unequal distribution: The powerful factions monopolize the ancient roots, leaving weaker gods with nothing and making them receptive to Nine-Crown Emperor’s offer of shared resources.
• The promise of universal ascension: “Every person a God King” becomes a rallying cry, symbolizing hope for the masses but also potentially serving as propaganda for Nine-Crown Emperor’s growing power.
• Public image versus true motives: The chapter contrasts how the gods perceive Nine-Crown Emperor—as a noble and generous ruler—with Liu Chengfeng’s suspicion that he is manipulating everyone.

4. Character Interactions

• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan coordinate to provoke Liu Chengfeng into fighting Yang Yanxuan or Nine-Crown Emperor.
• Yang Yanxuan apologizes to Liu Chengfeng after Dai Fairy’s provocations, revealing the strain caused by his troublesome wife and his sense of responsibility.
• Liu Chengfeng repeatedly challenges Nine-Crown Emperor verbally, attempting to expose his true intentions and test his emotional control.
• Nine-Crown Emperor responds with courtesy rather than anger, turning Liu Chengfeng’s provocations into opportunities to appear even more virtuous.
• The major factions divide their followers among Yang Yanxuan, Thunder Mother, Liu Shisan, and Nine-Crown Emperor, creating a political struggle over the allegiance of the Desolate Sea.
• Liu Chengfeng and Thunderwind Saint Emperor stand apart from the general admiration, both suspecting that Nine-Crown Emperor’s generosity conceals dangerous ambitions.

Chapter Summary: Kill Your Wife

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Yanxuan bids farewell to Liu Chengfeng and prepares to lead his followers toward the Grand Zen Pure Land.
• Liu Chengfeng urges him to take more Cosmic Gourds and leave the Endless Treasure Land quickly, warning that the place is dangerous and that greed may lead to disaster.
• Yang Yanxuan explains that many of his followers came from the Star Mansion Clan and still dream of returning home in glory. Because of their expectations, he feels compelled to risk entering the Pure Land.
• He reveals that the ancestor of the Swordblade Sacred Land entered the region first while pursuing a mysterious mass—later recognized by Liu Chengfeng as the Dirty Fate Calamity Seed. The ancestor died, but Yang Yanxuan followed him, climbed the Bodhi-Leaf Divine Vine, and obtained a Cosmic Gourd.
• Liu Chengfeng warns Yang Yanxuan about Dai Fairy, his divine official and wife, whose influence may eventually bring about his downfall. He bluntly advises him to kill her and even offers to do it himself, but Yang Yanxuan refuses out of loyalty and gratitude.
• Before departing, Yang Yanxuan warns Liu Chengfeng to beware of the Nine-Crown Emperor, whose former murderous and domineering nature sharply contrasts with his current claims of equality and generosity.
• Liu Chengfeng leads his own forces onto the Withered Root. He promises Thunderwind Saint Emperor a Cosmic Gourd, but orders him to leave immediately afterward and return to support the Imperial Gate.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor and Liu Chengfeng discuss the Nine-Crown Emperor. They suspect he is manipulating events, gathering popular support, and attempting to unify the Desolate Sea and countless worlds under a powerful inheritance.
• Liu Chengfeng recognizes that the Grand Zen Pure Land, the Divine Vine, and the Dirty Fate Calamity Seed are all part of a larger hidden scheme. He deliberately enters the “game” as a supposed chess piece, implying that he intends to destroy the plans of those controlling events from behind the scenes.
• The various factions begin searching the enormous old root for Cosmic Gourds. Thunder Mother, Liu Shisan, and their allies find many and force subordinate sects to offer their discoveries as tribute.
• In contrast, Liu Chengfeng’s Withered Root appears nearly dead. It produces almost no Cosmic Gourds or Bodhi Leaves, and the regions it touches become barren and lifeless.

Character Developments

• Yang Yanxuan is shown as loyal, responsible, and cautious but also trapped by his obligations. He understands the danger of the Pure Land and plans to withdraw after gaining one more fortune, yet he may be unable to control his followers or Dai Fairy.
• Liu Chengfeng becomes increasingly suspicious and proactive. Rather than merely avoiding danger, he chooses to investigate the hidden conspiracy directly. His confidence suggests that he is willing to let enemies believe they control the situation before overturning their entire plan.
• Dai Fairy is established as a major source of danger to Yang Yanxuan. Her position as both divine official and wife makes her influence difficult for him to resist.
• The Nine-Crown Emperor is presented as deeply suspicious. His transformation from a ruthless conqueror into an apparently benevolent leader suggests either deception, possession, or a hidden agenda.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor continues to act as Liu Chengfeng’s shameless but devoted subordinate. Beneath his flattery, however, he shows perceptiveness in recognizing the Nine-Crown Emperor’s unnatural change.
• Liu Chengfeng’s followers view him as someone who can destroy the schemes of even the most powerful hidden figures. They expect violence once the conspirators reveal themselves.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty versus self-preservation: Yang Yanxuan risks his life because of his loyalty to his followers, the Star Mansion Clan, and Dai Fairy, even when that loyalty threatens him.
• Greed and restraint: Characters repeatedly debate how much fortune to seek. Liu Chengfeng emphasizes taking only what is needed and escaping before the greater danger is revealed.
• Hidden manipulation and conspiracy: The Grand Zen Pure Land, the Dirty Fate Calamity Seed, and the Nine-Crown Emperor’s behavior all imply that powerful forces are arranging events for an unknown purpose.
• The illusion of control: Many characters believe they are players directing the game, but Liu Chengfeng suggests that the true danger lies with whoever controls the entire board.
• Destruction versus vitality: The contrast between the flourishing old roots and the Withered Root reflects the different fortunes and forces surrounding the factions. The Withered Root’s deathly nature may also foreshadow hidden danger rather than simple weakness.
• Power and submission: Thunder Mother and others force lesser sects to surrender their Cosmic Gourds, demonstrating how quickly a search for treasure becomes a struggle for dominance.

Character Interactions

• Liu Chengfeng and Yang Yanxuan: Their exchange is respectful but tense. Liu offers practical advice and even proposes killing Dai Fairy, while Yang Yanxuan refuses because of his sense of gratitude and duty.
• Liu Chengfeng and Thunderwind Saint Emperor: Their relationship is humorous but hierarchical. Thunderwind flatters and clings to Liu, while Liu scolds him and gives him firm orders to take one Cosmic Gourd and leave.
• Liu Chengfeng and his followers: They admire and fear his willingness to confront hidden enemies. Their comments portray him as someone who may allow a conspiracy to unfold only so he can crush it at its climax.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor and Liu Chengfeng: They share suspicions about the Nine-Crown Emperor. Thunderwind’s observations reinforce Liu’s belief that the emperor’s apparent benevolence conceals a larger ambition.
• Thunder Mother, Liu Shisan, and subordinate factions: The powerful leaders demand tribute from the sects that discover Cosmic Gourds, revealing a coercive relationship built on submission rather than cooperation.

Chapter Summary: “Cosmic Gourd Treasure Ground”

Plot and Major Events

• The various groups harvest Cosmic Gourds from the Old Roots. Yang Yanxuan’s root produces the most, allowing him to remain the strongest among the gathered gods.
• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan pressure their subordinate sects for larger shares, while the Nine-Crown Emperor takes only a small portion of his followers’ harvest. His generosity earns their deep loyalty and makes other factions envious.
• Liu Chengfeng’s chosen Withered Root produces no gourds and appears completely dead. Seeing this, Yang Yanxuan sends him some gourds, though Liu Chengfeng refuses them and instead advises Qingshan to help Yang Yanxuan accumulate private resources rather than remain trapped within the Star Mansion Clan.
• The Nine-Crown Emperor continues following Liu Chengfeng instead of focusing on harvesting gourds. Liu Chengfeng realizes that the Emperor suspects the Withered Root conceals a more valuable treasure.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor and his son discuss the Emperor’s motives. Thunderwind believes the Nine-Crown Emperor wants Liu Chengfeng to uncover the treasure so that he can seize it afterward.
• Other gods mock Liu Chengfeng for receiving nothing. Thunderwind nearly attacks them, while Liu Chengfeng calmly suggests they are effectively “dead men,” hinting that he may deal with them later. He rejects Thunderwind’s ruthless suggestion that they slaughter everyone and steal the harvested gourds.
• Liu Chengfeng senses that the Bodhi-Leaf Divine Vine and the Withered Root are connected to the Pure Land. Seven Yin Moon worries that the fluctuations may relate to a corpse fragment of the Grand Zen Sacred Buddha, which could be attempting to revive.
• The group reaches the apparent end of the starry sky, where galaxies and nebulae have been inverted into a massive cliff covered by Bodhi-Leaf Divine Vines. Liu Chengfeng identifies it as the true root of the vines and the entrance to the Pure Land.
• Liu Chengfeng orders his companions to withdraw, but Li Haodong discovers that mature Cosmic Gourds are hidden beneath the leaves of other roots. Before they can act, the Nine-Crown Emperor’s group arrives, followed by Thunder Mother, Yang Yanxuan, Liu Shisan, and the other factions.
• The Nine-Crown Emperor focuses on the Pure Land rather than the gourds. Liu Chengfeng openly confirms that the location is a treasure ground linked to the Immortal Plane or one of its ruins, revealing that the Pure Land is far more valuable than the Cosmic Gourds.
• The chapter ends as the various factions rush toward the hidden nest of mature Cosmic Gourds.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Liu Chengfeng remains calm, perceptive, and confident. He sees through the Nine-Crown Emperor’s hidden agenda, recognizes the Pure Land’s significance, and refuses both charity and needless slaughter.
• Yang Yanxuan demonstrates his superior strength by obtaining the greatest harvest, but also shows unexpected generosity by sending gourds to Liu Chengfeng. Dai Fairy’s furious reaction reveals lingering resentment and dependence on him.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor acts as Liu Chengfeng’s suspicious and ruthless adviser, quickly guessing that the Nine-Crown Emperor intends to exploit Liu Chengfeng. His greed contrasts with his son’s morality.
• Li Haodong remains kindhearted and naïve, questioning the morality of murder and robbery, but also contributes an important discovery by noticing the hidden gourds.
• The Nine-Crown Emperor appears generous toward his followers but is shown to be calculating. He shadows Liu Chengfeng, clearly seeking the Pure Land’s secrets while concealing his prior knowledge and an undisclosed trump card.
• Seven Yin Moon and Heavenly Dragon clash over Seven Yin Moon’s past failure involving a corpse fragment, adding tension and suggesting a dangerous connection between the Pure Land and higher realms.
• Thunder Mother, Liu Shisan, and the other factions are motivated mainly by greed for the Cosmic Gourds and are largely unaware—or unconcerned—that the Pure Land itself may be the true prize.

Significant Themes

• True value versus apparent wealth: The abundant Cosmic Gourds attract everyone’s attention, but Liu Chengfeng recognizes that the Pure Land and its possible Immortal Plane connection are far more important.
• Generosity and loyalty: The Nine-Crown Emperor’s limited demands win sincere devotion, contrasting with the exploitation practiced by Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan.
• Hidden motives and manipulation: The Emperor’s pursuit of Liu Chengfeng reveals a struggle of concealed intentions, with both men testing and observing each other.
• Insight over strength: Liu Chengfeng’s choice of the Withered Root initially appears foolish, yet his perception reveals that its dead appearance may conceal the greatest opportunity.
• Greed and moral restraint: Thunderwind advocates ruthless profit, while Li Haodong objects on moral grounds; Liu Chengfeng occupies a controlled middle position, refusing both weakness and pointless cruelty.
• Ancient cosmic mysteries: The Pure Land, the Bodhi-Leaf Divine Vine, the Peerless Well, and the Grand Zen Sacred Buddha’s corpse fragment suggest a much larger conflict involving Immortal Plane ruins and powerful beings beyond the current world.

Key plot points and events

• A vast “nest” of Cosmic Gourds is discovered. Liu Shisan kills anyone who tries to take them without permission, and the gods are ordered to gather every gourd for later distribution.
• Thunder Mother exterminates an entire inheritance after catching it secretly keeping a gourd. The threat ensures the rest hand everything over.
• As the gods lift the enormous lotus leaves, they uncover a huge harvest of mature Cosmic Gourds, exciting everyone with the prospect of becoming God Kings.
• Liu Chengfeng takes Thunderwind Saint Emperor and his companions to Withered Root. Beneath its leaf is a single ancient, shriveled gourd—the only one their Old Root has produced. The other gods mock them.
• Liu Chengfeng insists the old gourd can contain limitless essence. The powerful figures dispute how much he deserves, and Liu Shisan tries to provoke conflict between him, Yang Yanxuan, and the Nine-Crown Emperor.
• The Nine-Crown Emperor unexpectedly praises Liu Chengfeng and claims he alone can open the Pure Land entrance, which no one else can find. He invokes Liu Chengfeng’s connection to Progenitor Jingjue and repeatedly urges him to act.
• Liu Chengfeng stays silent and composed. The others grow increasingly impatient, while the gods doubt that a First-Rank True God could open the entrance. The chapter ends without Liu Chengfeng demonstrating his ability.

Character developments and interactions

• Liu Chengfeng remains calm amid mockery and political manipulation. His confidence in the shriveled gourd, and his refusal to respond to pressure, leave others uncertain about what he can do.
• The Nine-Crown Emperor shifts from quietly observing to conspicuously flattering Liu Chengfeng. His urgency suggests he needs Liu Chengfeng to open the Pure Land, though his motives remain unclear.
• Liu Shisan is ruthless in enforcing order, then uses the dispute over Withered Root to sow distrust among Liu Chengfeng, Yang Yanxuan, and the emperor.
• Thunder Mother enforces the no-hoarding rule with overwhelming violence and joins the debate over Liu Chengfeng’s share.
• Yang Yanxuan speaks up in Liu Chengfeng’s defense, while noticing that the Nine-Crown Emperor’s behavior is strange.
• Thunderwind Saint Emperor and his group are humiliated by the others’ ridicule, but their loyalty to Liu Chengfeng remains firm.

Significant themes

• Power and coercion: The gourd harvest is governed by force, with dissent punished instantly.
• Greed and ambition: The gods see the gourds as a path to God King status, but the possibility of entering the Pure Land quickly eclipses their material prize.
• Appearance versus hidden value: Withered Root looks worthless, yet Liu Chengfeng claims its gourd contains boundless essence.
• Political manipulation and uncertainty: Liu Shisan’s provocations and the emperor’s sudden praise turn the search for the Pure Land into a contest of trust, influence, and concealed motives.

Chapter Summary: “As Many as You Want”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan offer Liu Chengfeng increasingly large numbers of Cosmic Gourds if he can locate and open the gateway to the Grand Zen Pure Land.
• Liu Chengfeng confirms that the gateway exists and leads to the Immortal Plane, exciting the gods. He also notices that Nine-Crown Emperor already knows the truth and is deliberately staying in the background.
• Instead of accepting a fixed payment, Liu Chengfeng declares that he can take as many gourds as he wants because the withered Old Gourd he carries is the “mother” of all the Cosmic Gourds in the nest.
• Thunder Mother, Liu Shisan, and the other gods challenge him, relying on their overwhelming strength to guard the gourds. They assume a First-Rank True God cannot take anything from them.
• Liu Chengfeng activates the Old Gourd with the help of the World Tree. It releases immense golden power, revives the enormous Divine Vine root, and summons every Cosmic Gourd in the nest.
• The Old Gourd absorbs the essence of all the gourds and even drains the Divine Vine itself. The gourds shrivel, the vine dies, and the gods are forced to retreat to protect the gourds they had already secured.
• The Old Gourd transforms into a powerful treasure filled with golden light, revealing itself as a heaven-shaking “Gourd Mother.” Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan consider attacking Liu Chengfeng to seize it.
• Yang Yanxuan intervenes in Liu Chengfeng’s defense, declaring that he alone is strong enough to defeat Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan. His loyalty prevents an immediate battle.
• The gateway finally manifests above the starry sky as a gigantic cosmic void and waterfall of essence power. The gods attempt to approach it but are repelled by its terrifying pressure.
• Bear Immortal, acting under Nine-Crown Emperor’s instructions, uses scripture-inscribed palm leaves—dead leaves taken from the gateway—to create temporary paths through the Cosmic Waterfall.
• Thunder Mother, Liu Shisan, Yang Yanxuan, and others pursue Bear Immortal upward, hoping to enter the gateway and seize the palm leaves. Nine-Crown Emperor mysteriously disappears during the ascent, while the remaining gods lose their chance to follow.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Liu Chengfeng demonstrates overwhelming confidence and strategic cunning. Rather than bargain for a share of the gourds, he reveals that his Old Gourd can absorb all their essence.
• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan shift from negotiation to hostility after realizing the value of the Gourd Mother. Their greed and suspicion drive them to consider attacking Liu Chengfeng.
• Nine-Crown Emperor remains calm and calculating. He knows the secret of the Grand Zen Pure Land and waits for the conflict to expose an opportunity. He later directs Bear Immortal but vanishes when Bear Immortal needs assistance.
• Yang Yanxuan proves deeply loyal to Liu Chengfeng. He protects him despite the opposition of Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan and openly claims he can defeat them himself.
• Dai Fairy continues antagonizing Liu Chengfeng, repeatedly provoking him and being suppressed or struck away by Yang Yanxuan.
• Bear Immortal becomes crucial to the gateway expedition by using the scripture-bearing palm leaves to construct a route through the Cosmic Waterfall.

Significant Themes

• Greed and competition: The gods are willing to offer enormous wealth and risk conflict for access to the Immortal Plane and the Cosmic Gourds.
• Hidden strength and deception: Liu Chengfeng’s unassuming status contrasts sharply with the Old Gourd’s overwhelming power, while Nine-Crown Emperor conceals his own intentions.
• Loyalty versus opportunism: Yang Yanxuan protects Liu Chengfeng out of gratitude, whereas others immediately seek to seize the Gourd Mother for themselves.
• Power and control: The gods believe their collective strength can secure the gourds, but Liu Chengfeng bypasses them entirely by absorbing their essence rather than physically stealing the objects.
• The gateway as a new struggle: The discovery of the cosmic entrance shifts the conflict from the Cosmic Gourd nest to a dangerous race toward the Grand Zen Pure Land.

Chapter Summary

• Nine-Crown Emperor’s secret escape: After Liu Chengfeng drains the Bodhi-Leaf Divine Vine with Old Gourd, the hidden starry landscape and an abandoned temple beneath the cliff are revealed. Nine-Crown Emperor secretly heads there with his followers, using a Buddhist artifact to open the temple gates. Unlike the cosmic opening everyone else believes to be the entrance to the Pure Land, this temple contains the true entrance to the Grand Zen Pure Land.
• Liu Chengfeng pursues him: Liu Chengfeng notices Nine-Crown Emperor’s movements and follows. He entrusts Old Gourd to Thunderwind Saint Emperor, who immediately retreats. While the other gods focus on climbing toward the apparent cosmic entrance, Liu Chengfeng alone recognizes Nine-Crown Emperor’s plan.
• The Titan Clan intervenes: Nine-Crown Emperor orders someone to stop Liu Chengfeng. High Mountain Female Giant God pledges loyalty to him and leads the enormous Titan Clan to block Liu Chengfeng’s path, giving Nine-Crown Emperor time to enter the temple. The Titans are revealed as planet-sized beings with immense blood qi, powerful bodies, and a savage, violent nature. High Mountain Female Giant God even kills and eats a True God to demonstrate her threat.
• The Titan Clan abandons Jingjue: Liu Chengfeng reminds them of their former connection to Jingjue and Limitless King, but High Mountain Female Giant God declares that the Titans no longer serve under the Imperial Gate. They have chosen to follow Nine-Crown Emperor and leave the Desolate Sea. This betrayal humiliates Seven Yin Moon, whose former followers and descendants have repeatedly turned against him.
• High Mountain Female Giant God’s devotion: Her loyalty to Nine-Crown Emperor is not merely political. She openly adores and loves him, declaring that she is willing to die for him and do anything he asks. Her feelings motivate the entire Titan Clan’s submission to him.
• Liu Chengfeng challenges the Titans: Liu Chengfeng warns that anyone blocking his path will die. High Mountain Female Giant God accepts the challenge despite the huge difference in numbers and rank. The gods doubt that a First-Rank True God can defeat a Ninth-Rank giant and the million-member Titan Clan, but Liu Chengfeng remains dismissive and confident.
• The battle: High Mountain Female Giant God uses her massive stone hammer and unleashes three linked strikes, backed by overwhelming blood qi, a cosmic inheritance, her Origin Mud, and the power of her divine officials and generals. The attacks destroy galaxies and shake the starry sky. Liu Chengfeng counters with Finger Dips Autumn Waters to Paint the Universe, summoning endlessly overlapping small universes, then uses his Immortal Body techniques—Great Light Body, Immovable Vajra Body, and related divine arts.
• Liu Chengfeng overwhelms the Titans: His Vajra fist suppresses High Mountain Female Giant God’s cosmic Divine Dao, breaks through her Origin Mud defenses, and shatters her and her forces. The gods are stunned that a First-Rank True God can defeat a Ninth-Rank opponent so completely. However, the Titan Clan’s extraordinary vitality allows them to regenerate rapidly, rising again despite their bodies being torn apart.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Liu Chengfeng becomes increasingly dominant and ruthless, showing absolute confidence in his strength and refusing to tolerate betrayal or obstruction.
• Nine-Crown Emperor is revealed as calculating and deceptive, using the Titan Clan as a disposable distraction while he enters the true temple entrance.
• High Mountain Female Giant God demonstrates fierce loyalty, directness, courage, and obsessive devotion to Nine-Crown Emperor. She willingly risks both herself and her clan for him.
• Seven Yin Moon suffers another humiliation as the Titan Clan, once linked to Limitless King and Jingjue, abandons that legacy. He remains silent, apparently accepting that Liu Chengfeng will destroy them.
• The gods shift from amusement to fear as Liu Chengfeng’s strength proves far beyond what his First-Rank cultivation should allow.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty versus betrayal: The Titan Clan’s abandonment of Jingjue contrasts with High Mountain Female Giant God’s unwavering loyalty to Nine-Crown Emperor.
• Devotion and sacrifice: Her romantic adoration shows how personal attachment can motivate an entire clan’s political allegiance and willingness to die.
• Appearance versus reality: The supposed cosmic entrance is a decoy, while the abandoned temple contains the true path. Nine-Crown Emperor’s hidden plan contrasts with the gods’ mistaken assumptions.
• Power beyond rank: Liu Chengfeng’s victory emphasizes that cultivation rank does not always determine strength; divine techniques, treasures, and unique abilities can allow a First-Rank True God to crush a Ninth-Rank opponent.
• Overwhelming vitality: The Titan Clan’s regeneration highlights their extraordinary physical endurance and suggests that defeating them may require more than simply shattering their bodies.

Chapter Summary: “Holding Fast unto Death”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Chengfeng overwhelms the Titan Clan, but High Mountain Female Giant God and her warriors rapidly recover because of their extraordinary vitality and physical resilience.
• Liu Chengfeng offers them a chance to withdraw, but the Titans refuse, declaring that they will never retreat or surrender. They insist on dying in battle for the Nine-Crown Emperor.
• High Mountain Female Giant God activates the Titan Clan’s ultimate technique, the Titan Heaven-Piercing Cauldron Strike, created from the Limitless King’s legacy. The Titans burn their vitality, life force, and eventually their lifespans to form a gigantic cauldron capable of destroying galaxies and suppressing even a Yao Shu-level opponent.
• Despite the attack’s overwhelming power, Liu Chengfeng blocks it with his Vajra techniques. He then uses the Myriad Longevity Body and Life Spring to replenish himself before severing the cauldron with the Supreme Vajra technique.
• The Titans are blasted apart, leaving the watching gods stunned that a First-Rank True God could withstand the entire clan’s combined attack.
• Meanwhile, the Nine-Crown Emperor successfully opens a Buddhist gate. The surrounding gods realize that it may lead to the true entrance of the Grand Zen Pure Land, and the Emperor is nearly inside.
• High Mountain Female Giant God and the surviving Titans block the path, preventing the gods from following the Nine-Crown Emperor.
• In the Cosmic Waterfall, Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan corner Bear Immortal and demand the Buddhist-Text Bodhi Leaf, which is necessary to escape.
• The group realizes that the Cosmic Waterfall was a trap: Bear Immortal and the million True Gods of the Grand Jade Star River Palace had been used as bait while the Nine-Crown Emperor advanced toward the Buddhist gate.
• Betrayed and abandoned, Bear Immortal agrees to surrender the Bodhi Leaf and guide Liu Shisan and the others after the Nine-Crown Emperor, provided that the people of Taiyao are spared.
• Yang Yanxuan agrees to guarantee their safety. At the same time, Liu Chengfeng attempts to pursue the Nine-Crown Emperor, but the Titans once again stand in his way.

Character Developments

• Liu Chengfeng demonstrates overwhelming combat strength, defeating an attack meant to rival a Yao Shu-level powerhouse. His ability to combine the Vajra body with restorative longevity techniques establishes him as an extraordinary First-Rank True God.
• High Mountain Female Giant God is portrayed as fiercely loyal, fearless, and willing to sacrifice herself and her entire clan for the Nine-Crown Emperor. Even after being defeated, she continues protecting his escape.
• The Titan Clan embodies absolute endurance and martial devotion. Their willingness to burn their own bodies and lifespans highlights both their terrifying vitality and their fanatical commitment.
• Bear Immortal suffers a major emotional reversal. Once completely loyal to the Nine-Crown Emperor, he realizes that he and his forces were disposable pawns. His loyalty collapses, and he chooses survival and cooperation with Liu Shisan’s group.
• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan become increasingly furious and ruthless after being delayed by the trap. Their priority shifts to obtaining the Bodhi Leaf and catching the Nine-Crown Emperor before he enters the Buddhist realm.
• The Nine-Crown Emperor is revealed as calculating and unsentimental, sacrificing even loyal subordinates without hesitation to secure his own advance.

Significant Themes

• Loyalty versus betrayal: The Titans willingly die for their ruler, while Bear Immortal discovers that the Nine-Crown Emperor does not value his loyalty in return.
• Sacrifice and fanaticism: The Titan Clan’s ultimate technique transforms their lives and bodies into weapons, presenting devotion as a literal willingness to die.
• Strength beyond conventional limits: Liu Chengfeng’s victory emphasizes the gap between ordinary cultivation ranks and true combat ability.
• The expendability of followers: The Nine-Crown Emperor’s strategy treats millions of allies as bait, contrasting sharply with the Titans’ sincere self-sacrifice.
• Perseverance and refusal to yield: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes the Titans’ creed that they may die, but they will never retreat or surrender.

Character Interactions

• Liu Chengfeng and High Mountain Female Giant God engage in a clash of respect and opposition: he acknowledges their resolve and initially offers mercy, while she refuses and challenges him to overcome the Titan Clan.
• High Mountain Female Giant God rallies the Titans through their shared oath to die for the Nine-Crown Emperor.
• Liu Shisan and Thunder Mother confront Bear Immortal with deadly hostility, but Bear Immortal negotiates by offering the Bodhi Leaf and information about the Emperor’s movements.
• Yang Yanxuan acts as a mediator by guaranteeing the safety of Bear Immortal’s faction.
• The final confrontation is left unresolved as Liu Chengfeng moves to pursue the Nine-Crown Emperor while the Titans regroup and prepare to hold him back again.

Summary of “Not Worth It”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The High Mountain Female Giant God orders the million Titans to activate “Martyrdom to Heaven,” sacrificing their bodies and true blood to form the enormous Titan Heaven-Reaching Cauldron.
• The Titans use this monstrous formation to block Liu Chengfeng and protect the fleeing Nine-Crown Emperor, allowing the latter to escape through a Buddhist gateway.
• Liu Chengfeng repeatedly shatters the Titans’ formation with Vajra Ninefold Tyrant Break, but they continually reform and attack him. The High Mountain Female Giant God further orders them to burn their divine paths and create chains of fire to restrain him.
• After enduring their repeated interference, Liu Chengfeng finally stops holding back. He uses the Thousand Buddha Blood Claw of Hemo to destroy the fiery chains, tear apart the Martyrdom-to-Heaven body, and kill the million Titans.
• The High Mountain Female Giant God fights until her final moment, attempting to delay Liu Chengfeng while watching the Nine-Crown Emperor escape. The Emperor never looks back, and Liu Chengfeng ultimately tears her apart.
• Liu Chengfeng questions whether the Titans’ sacrifice was worthwhile, noting that their loyalty was admirable but misplaced. The Heavenly Dragon also acknowledges their courage rather than mocking them.
• Liu Chengfeng, Liu Shisan, the Thunder Mother, Yang Yanxuan, the Bear Immortal, and other gods enter the Buddhist gateway in pursuit of the Nine-Crown Emperor.
• They arrive in a vast, ruined region identified as a fallen or severed portion of the Grand Zen Pure Land, filled with dead worlds, temples, and dried corpses of monks and Buddhas.
• Liu Chengfeng determines that the inhabitants were not killed through ordinary violence. Their life force, blood energy, and divine power appear to have been drained suddenly and peacefully.
• The group speculates that Chan Su-Nü, who shares the Grand Zen Buddha’s lineage, may have controlled or drained the Grand Zen Buddha, his universe, and its dimensions.
• Liu Chengfeng notices that the ancient corpses are strangely regaining moisture and vitality, suggesting that Buddhist power is returning to the region. The group wonders whether a sacred Buddha, treasure, or other force is restoring them.
• Meanwhile, the Nine-Crown Emperor continues leading the others through the Pure Land. Bear Immortal successfully tracks him, and the pursuing group catches up. The chapter ends as the Thunder Mother throws a massive thunder spear at the fleeing emperor.

Character Developments and Interactions

• High Mountain Female Giant God: Demonstrates absolute loyalty and self-sacrifice. She repeatedly throws herself against Liu Chengfeng to give the Nine-Crown Emperor time to escape, even after the Titans’ formation is destroyed.
• The Titans: Their collective devotion is extreme; they willingly sacrifice their bodies, divine paths, and lives. Their loyalty earns grudging respect from Liu Chengfeng and the Heavenly Dragon, despite their tragic fate.
• Liu Chengfeng: Initially shows restraint, sparing the Titans several times because of their loyalty and willingness to retreat. Their continued attacks eventually exhaust his patience, leading him to annihilate them without mercy. He also displays careful observational ability when examining the dead Pure Land.
• Nine-Crown Emperor: Escapes without showing concern for the Titans who die protecting him. His refusal to look back contrasts sharply with their devotion and makes their sacrifice seem futile.
• Seven Yin Moon: Feels conflicted because the Titans once served as his gatekeepers. He is helpless as they choose to defend the Nine-Crown Emperor instead. His usual sarcasm appears in his exchanges with Black Charcoal.
• Heavenly Dragon: Offers a rare acknowledgment of the Titans’ courage and helps analyze the connection between Chan Su-Nü, the Grand Zen Buddha, and the ruined Pure Land.
• Black Charcoal: Tries to prove his usefulness by explaining the return of Buddhist power in the corpses. His attempts to gain recognition are undercut by the Seven Yin Moon’s teasing.
• Bear Immortal: Proves his value by tracking the Nine-Crown Emperor through the enormous Pure Land, relying on his deep familiarity with the emperor.
• Thunder Mother and the pursuing forces: Their anger at being deceived motivates the renewed chase, culminating in Thunder Mother’s attack.

Significant Themes

• Misplaced loyalty: The title reflects the Titans’ sacrifice for a leader who never acknowledges them. Their devotion is noble, but their chosen master appears indifferent.
• The cost of martyrdom: The Titans willingly exchange their lives for a few moments of delay, raising the question of whether courage and sacrifice have meaning when the cause or person defended does not value them.
• Respect amid conflict: Although Liu Chengfeng kills the Titans, he recognizes their loyalty and regrets that they followed the wrong person.
• Death and unnatural restoration: The ruined Grand Zen Pure Land introduces a mystery involving drained life force, extinct Buddhist power, and corpses that are beginning to recover.
• Pursuit and rivalry: The chapter moves from a brutal confrontation to a race through the Pure Land, emphasizing the continuing struggle to reach the Nine-Crown Emperor first.
• Ancient Buddhist destruction: The dead temples and desiccated Buddhas suggest a catastrophe that affected entire worlds and dimensions, expanding the story’s larger mystery.

Chapter Summary: The Nine-Crown Emperor’s Strength

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Nine-Crown Emperor flees with his followers while Thunder Mother launches a devastating lightning spear capable of killing True Gods and destroying countless worlds.
• His accompanying True Gods form a “heavenly abyss” to block the attack, but Thunder Mother’s empowered strike shatters their defense.
• Forced to turn back, the Nine-Crown Emperor uses the Immortal-Life Rank Sky-Swinging Banner to restrain the lightning spear.
• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan pursue him because they believe he possesses the Skanda Dharma Edict, a Buddhist treasure that could grant the Pure Land inheritance and the mantle of the Zen Lord.
• Bear Immortal reveals the treasure’s nature and exposes the Nine-Crown Emperor’s secret. His betrayal is motivated by resentment after the Emperor abandoned him and others.
• The revelation shocks and tempts the watching gods, who realize that inheriting the Pure Land could allow someone to command countless worlds and approach unrivaled power.
• Thunder Mother eventually catches up and demands the Buddhist treasure. The Nine-Crown Emperor unexpectedly turns and launches a carefully prepared surprise attack.
• Thunder Mother counters with her self-created True-Self Path, the Myriad-Thunder Pacifying-Heaven Divine Art, and the Cosmic-Class Myriad Thunder Spear.
• The Emperor uses Immortal-Life Rank Origin Mud defensively but deliberately accepts Thunder Mother’s attack in order to unleash his own killing move.
• Thunder Mother’s spear breaks through his defenses and wounds him, but his Dark-Heaven Sky-Sweeping Formula, an Immortal-Life Rank divine art combined with the Sky-Swinging Banner, severely injures and sends her flying.
• Liu Shisan then attacks with black flames from his Cosmic-Class divine art, but the distance weakens the strike. The Nine-Crown Emperor survives, though badly wounded, and escapes.
• Yang Yanxuan refuses to attack the injured Emperor, considering it dishonorable to gang up on a weaker opponent. Dai Fairy angrily criticizes him for this decision.
• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan continue pursuing the Emperor, though Thunder Mother’s movement technique is temporarily on cooldown.
• While the others chase, Liu Chengfeng calmly investigates the ruined worlds and Buddhist remains, beginning to uncover clues about the collapsed Pure Land.

Character Developments

• Nine-Crown Emperor: Revealed to be extraordinarily resilient, calculating, and ruthless when necessary. He combines patience with sudden lethal aggression, possesses powerful Immortal-Life Rank treasures and techniques, and proves capable of surviving attacks from stronger opponents.
• Thunder Mother: Demonstrates immense power through her self-created True-Self Path and superior Yao Shu. Though she wounds the Emperor, she is shocked by his hidden Immortal-Life Rank abilities and suffers a heavy counterattack.
• Liu Shisan: Acts as Thunder Mother’s ally and pursuer, contributing blood energy and space-time power. His superior cultivation makes him a major threat, but he fails to finish the wounded Emperor.
• Bear Immortal: Turns against the Emperor and reveals his greatest secret, choosing revenge after feeling abandoned.
• Yang Yanxuan: Shows pride and a strict sense of honor by refusing to attack someone already weakened and outnumbered.
• Dai Fairy: Displays a more pragmatic and aggressive attitude, prioritizing the Buddhist treasure over notions of honorable combat.
• Liu Chengfeng: Remains detached from the treasure hunt, viewing the Pure Land as merely a ruined Immortal Plane and focusing instead on deciphering historical clues.

Significant Themes

• Hidden strength and strategic endurance: The Emperor’s apparent weakness conceals powerful resources and carefully planned counterattacks.
• Betrayal and revenge: Bear Immortal’s disclosure shows how abandonment and resentment can destroy former loyalty.
• Honor versus pragmatism: Yang Yanxuan’s refusal to attack contrasts sharply with Dai Fairy’s willingness to exploit any opportunity.
• Power and inheritance: The Pure Land treasure represents not only immense strength but also authority over countless worlds, making it a source of universal temptation.
• The legacy of past greatness: The Emperor’s Immortal-Life Rank techniques revive the reputation of his former identity as Nine Victories and Nine Sweeps.
• Observation versus ambition: While most characters pursue power directly, Liu Chengfeng studies the ruins, suggesting that understanding the past may be more important than seizing the inheritance.

Character Interactions

• Thunder Mother and Liu Shisan cooperate closely, combining their divine officials, blood energy, and space-time power to pursue the Emperor.
• The Nine-Crown Emperor relies on his loyal gods as both shield and support, coordinating them effectively during retreat and combat.
• Bear Immortal publicly exposes the Emperor’s treasure, turning the entire observing crowd against him and intensifying the pursuit.
• The Emperor and Thunder Mother engage in a high-level exchange where both deliberately risk injury to defeat the other.
• Liu Shisan follows Thunder Mother’s assault, attempting to capitalize on the Emperor’s injuries.
• Yang Yanxuan’s refusal to join the attack creates conflict with Dai Fairy and highlights their opposing moral outlooks.
• Liu Chengfeng’s detached commentary and investigation contrast with the greed, admiration, and desperation of the other gods.

Chapter Summary: “What Is Public Outrage?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Chengfeng investigates the strange Buddhist resonance permeating the abandoned worlds. He realizes that the dead holy monks had faced a particular direction before dying—not in worship, but in rejection and resistance—suggesting they had opposed a powerful being.
• The Nine-Crown Emperor escapes with several True Gods by boarding a Buddha Boat protected by the shadow of the holy Buddha Skanda. They sail into the Sea of Suffering toward the Pure Land.
• The pursuing gods are stopped by the Sea of Suffering, a vast ocean formed from countless abandoned worlds filled with endless resentment and suffering. Attempts to cross it by force result in True Gods being overwhelmed and killed.
• The gods discover Buddha Boats along the shore, but the dead monks serving as boatmen will not move. Efforts involving divine power, blood, vitality, treasures, and divine arts all fail.
• Ghost Shadow explains that the Sea of Suffering originated from the Grand Zen Sacred Buddha’s practice of rescuing suffering worlds and incorporating them into his sequence. Liu Chengfeng further discovers that the Buddha also used some beings as cultivation furnaces, complicating his image as either benevolent or evil.
• The group concludes that some profound Buddhist method must be needed to command the dead monks to row the boats.
• When Yang Yanxuan asks Liu Chengfeng for help, Liu confidently claims that the solution requires only “a lift of the hand.” His arrogance provokes the other gods, especially Liu Shisan and Thunder Mother.
• Liu Shisan challenges Liu Chengfeng after being mocked. Yang Yanxuan intervenes on Liu Chengfeng’s behalf, preventing a fight because Liu Shisan is not his equal.
• Thunder Mother ultimately suppresses her pride and asks Liu Chengfeng to demonstrate his ability, promising to submit in admiration if he succeeds.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Liu Chengfeng demonstrates his exceptional insight by interpreting the Buddhist traces and identifying the true nature of the Sea of Suffering. He remains dismissive and fearless despite being surrounded by powerful Yao Shu and True Gods.
• The Nine-Crown Emperor is shown to be resourceful and prepared. While everyone else is stranded, he uses Skanda’s protection and the Buddha Boat to escape toward the Pure Land.
• Yang Yanxuan remains Liu Chengfeng’s supporter and treats him respectfully. He also loses patience with Dai Fairy, striking her after she repeatedly insults Liu Chengfeng.
• Dai Fairy continues acting arrogant, childish, and disruptive. Her tantrums embarrass Yang Yanxuan, who is unable to punish her severely because she is both his wife and a member of the influential Star Mansion Clan.
• Thunder Mother shifts from hostility and pride to calculated humility. She flatters Liu Chengfeng when she needs his assistance, though she is visibly angered when he calls her and the others foolish.
• Liu Shisan reacts violently to Liu Chengfeng’s insults and attempts to assert his former status as a terrifying villain. However, Yang Yanxuan’s presence forces him to restrain himself.
• Ghost Shadow provides historical knowledge about the Grand Zen Sacred Buddha and his unusual Buddhist philosophy.

Significant Themes

• The limits of brute force: Even the strongest gods cannot cross the Sea of Suffering through power alone. The obstacle requires understanding, method, or spiritual compatibility.
• Ambiguity between salvation and exploitation: The Grand Zen Sacred Buddha saved suffering worlds but also harvested beings for cultivation, raising questions about whether his actions were compassionate, selfish, or both.
• Pride versus necessity: Powerful figures who normally command fear are forced to seek Liu Chengfeng’s help, despite resenting his arrogance.
• True wisdom versus superficial power: Liu Chengfeng suggests that the solution is obvious once properly understood, while the other gods waste enormous strength on ineffective methods.
• Public outrage and authority: Liu Shisan threatens Liu Chengfeng with the anger of the assembled gods, but Liu Chengfeng dismisses their outrage as insignificant, challenging their collective authority.

Overall Significance

The chapter establishes the Sea of Suffering as the final barrier between the pursuing gods and the Pure Land. While the others exhaust themselves through force and ritual, Liu Chengfeng confidently claims to know the answer, setting up a confrontation in which he must prove whether his insight is genuine or merely another act of provocation.

Chapter Summary: “Foot-Washing Water Would Do”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The gods beg Liu Chengfeng to prove that the Monk Corpse can steer the boat across the Sea of Suffering and lead them to the Pure Land.
• Liu demands an enormous payment of a million billion. None of the gods can produce the money immediately.
• When Thunder Mother offers collateral, Liu humiliates her by demanding that she wash his feet. She accepts, willing to endure the disgrace for a chance at immortality.
• Liu then tells the other gods that, since they are unworthy of washing his feet, they must drink the water used to wash them.
• Many gods refuse and withdraw, but most stay because they cannot abandon the possibility of entering the Pure Land and becoming God Kings.
• Thunder Mother threatens to kill anyone who refuses. Liu Shisan also agrees to pay, pledging the Dark Market as collateral because he cannot bear the shame of drinking the water and disgracing his father.
• Thunder Mother washes Liu Chengfeng’s feet. The remaining gods are then forced to drink the water, with Thunder Mother killing those who resist.
• Afterward, Thunder Mother demands that Liu Chengfeng fulfill his promise and demonstrate his supposed divine ability.

Character Developments

• Liu Chengfeng remains arrogant, calculating, and completely confident. He uses humiliation and financial demands to test the gods’ desperation and willingness to pursue immortality at any cost.
• Thunder Mother reveals her ability to endure disgrace and suppress her pride for a greater goal. Though she submits outwardly, she openly retains her murderous intent toward Liu Chengfeng and proves that she can be both ruthless and adaptable.
• Liu Shisan shows his pride and concern for his family’s reputation. Rather than drink the foot-washing water, he mortgages the Dark Market, accepting an enormous financial loss to avoid disgracing himself and his father.
• The gods are divided between those who cannot endure the humiliation and those whose desire for the Pure Land outweighs their dignity. Their desperation and susceptibility to temptation become clear.
• Yang Yanxuan effectively acts as Liu Chengfeng’s enforcer, suppressing the gods whenever their anger threatens to erupt.

Significant Themes

• The price of immortality: The gods are willing to pay unimaginable wealth and endure extreme humiliation for access to the Pure Land.
• Humiliation versus ambition: The chapter repeatedly asks whether dignity matters more than power and immortality. Most gods ultimately choose ambition.
• Pride and adaptability: Thunder Mother’s willingness to bow temporarily demonstrates that survival and advancement sometimes require abandoning pride.
• Manipulation and power: Liu Chengfeng controls the situation through impossible demands, psychological pressure, and the threat of violence.
• Temptation and self-destruction: Although Liu gives the gods a chance to leave, most remain despite the obvious risks, suggesting that greed and hope may lead them to ruin.

Character Interactions

• Liu Chengfeng mocks Thunder Mother and the gods, demanding payment and treating their prostrations as worthless.
• Thunder Mother bargains with Liu, accepts his humiliating terms, and later enforces them on the other gods.
• Yang Yanxuan intimidates the assembled gods on Liu’s behalf, preventing them from attacking.
• Liu Shisan negotiates with Liu Chengfeng and pledges the Dark Market as collateral.
• Thunder Mother washes Liu Chengfeng’s feet while the gods watch, then forces them to drink the water.
• The chapter ends with Thunder Mother confronting Liu Chengfeng and demanding that he now prove his abilities, placing the burden of fulfilling the bargain squarely on him.