Chapter Summaries

Summary: “Subduing the Rift-Devouring Beast”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A massive Void-Rending Glutton Beast emerges from the Abyss Mist. Resembling a streamlined qilin covered in obsidian scales, it possesses powerful spatial abilities and devastating spiritual attacks.
• Zhao Ke identifies it as a legendary Truth-Breaking Realm beast responsible for killing the Dao Selves of Jin Yang and Withered Wood Venerables. Chen Xian notices that it is seriously wounded.
• The beast attacks both men with silver beams aimed directly at their Dao Selves. Zhao Ke is badly affected, but Chen Xian’s Myriad Dao Pact protects him almost completely.
• Chen Xian engages the beast in close combat. His physical strength and vitality overwhelm the surrounding Abyss Mist, which cannot suppress him as it does others.
• Their first clash injures the beast further. It retaliates with spatial blades formed from cracks in space, but Chen Xian destroys them with hundreds of spatially empowered punches.
• Chen Xian strikes the beast’s horns and knocks it down, though its tail severely wounds his shoulder. Realizing it cannot win while injured, the beast creates an Abyssal Rift and flees.
• Chen Xian uses the Void-Fixing Orb to keep the rift open and pursues it with Zhao Ke.
• On the other side, they discover a vast, collapsing Beast Realm filled with more than a million mutated demon beasts. Chen Xian realizes this realm is the source of the endless Abyss Beast tides: the beasts are corrupted by Abyss Mist and pour through spatial rifts into the Myriad Beast Abyss.
• Before the surrounding beast tide can overwhelm them, Chen Xian captures the severely weakened Void-Rending Glutton Beast inside the Void-Fixing Orb and returns with Zhao Ke.
• The captured beast shrinks into a tiny black cat. It submits to Chen Xian and points toward the Abyss Ruins when asked about a silver Flying Shuttle.
• Zhao Ke explains that the Abyss Ruins were once the retreat of a powerful expert who supposedly surpassed the Truth-Breaking Realm and left behind an inheritance capable of leading to the Dao Integration Realm.
• Intrigued by both the missing shuttle and the possible inheritance, Chen Xian decides to enter the ruins. The cat warns him that a powerful human is inside, raising the possibility that Zhang Huai—or even the legendary expert—may still be alive.

Character Developments

• Chen Xian: Demonstrates exceptional Dao Consciousness defenses, physical strength, spatial mastery, and combat confidence. He discovers that the Myriad Dao Pact can defend against spiritual attacks. His willingness to pursue the beast into an unknown realm shows his boldness and decisiveness. His interest in the Dao Integration inheritance also reveals his ambition.
• Zhao Ke: Provides crucial knowledge about the beast and the Abyss Ruins. Though initially overwhelmed by the beast’s spiritual attack, he recovers and remains beside Chen Xian, albeit with understandable fear of the foreign Beast Realm.
• Void-Rending Glutton Beast: Initially appears as a terrifying, dominant predator, but its injuries and inability to defeat Chen Xian force it to flee. After capture, it is revealed to have a harmless-looking cat form and becomes submissive, displaying intelligence and fear.
• Chen Xian and the beast: Their relationship shifts from hostile combatants to captor and reluctant guide, with the beast compelled to help Chen Xian locate the Abyss Ruins.

Significant Themes

• Power versus apparent danger: The beast’s terrifying reputation is challenged by Chen Xian’s unique defenses and physical power.
• The hidden origin of catastrophe: The endless beast tides are revealed to result from a collapsing Beast Realm and Abyss Mist corruption rather than a naturally endless source.
• Courage and risk-taking: Chen Xian repeatedly advances into danger instead of retreating, pursuing both knowledge and opportunity.
• Control and submission: The once-feared beast is reduced to a tiny cat and forced to cooperate, emphasizing the reversal of power.
• Mystery and inheritance: The Abyss Ruins introduce the possibility of a legendary Dao Integration inheritance and a potentially surviving powerful expert.

Character Interactions

• Zhao Ke warns Chen Xian about the beast’s history and abilities while Chen Xian protects him from further danger.
• Chen Xian sends Zhao Ke away during the initial attack, later carries him through the Abyssal Rift, and rescues him from the million-beast tide.
• The Void-Rending Glutton Beast attacks both men but focuses on Chen Xian after its spiritual assault fails.
• After being captured, the beast becomes obedient, rubs against Chen Xian, and points toward the Abyss Ruins when questioned.
• Zhao Ke reacts with astonishment and caution to the beast’s cat form and warns Chen Xian about the dangers and legends surrounding the ruins.

Chapter Summary: “The Malice of Dao Integration”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Xian, Zhao Ke, and the little black cat enter the Abyss Ruins. Once they cross its boundary, the ruins rearrange themselves, sealing the entrance and trapping them inside.
• Chen Xian remains calm, trusting the cat’s familiarity with the ruins to eventually guide them out.
• The Myriad Dao Pact Wheel inside Chen Xian reacts to the ruins, indicating the presence of another Great Dao.
• The ruins contain carvings of strange beasts bound by chains, suggesting an ancient power or formation designed to imprison and control beasts.
• Chen Xian discovers the remains of a human Dao Sect Realm cultivator and a powerful demon beast that killed each other. He retrieves a valuable Beast Crystal from the beast’s skull but refuses to give it to the injured black cat, despite its obvious desire for the crystal.
• As they descend deeper into the ruins, Chen Xian finds a fresh Mithril fragment bearing inscriptions from the Shadowlike Flying Shuttle. This confirms that the Rift-Devouring Beast’s claim was true: the shuttle crashed somewhere within the ruins.
• The group eventually reaches an Azure Jade corridor leading toward the glowing central hall. Stone statues along the corridor activate, turning their heads toward the intruders and igniting red lights in their eyes.
• When Zhao Ke steps into their line of sight, the statues unleash overwhelming beastly pressure, forcing him to retreat. Chen Xian realizes the statues are connected to a powerful protective formation.
• The malice emanating from the formation reminds Chen Xian of a terrifying blood-colored wasteland filled with demonic beasts. He concludes that the Dao Integration Realm cultivator who created or controlled this place was likely cruel and ruthless.

Character Developments

• Chen Xian: Displays composure, caution, and confidence throughout the dangerous ruins. His connection to the Myriad Dao Pact Wheel deepens as it reacts to another Great Dao. He also shows practical selfishness by keeping the Beast Crystal rather than giving it to the injured cat. His awareness of the ruins’ dangers grows after discovering the deaths of two powerful cultivators and confirming the shuttle’s crash.
• Zhao Ke: Becomes increasingly wary of the ruins and openly acknowledges that he could not have entered them alone. His encounter with the statues demonstrates the gap between his power and the ancient protective formation, though he remains ready to assist Chen Xian.
• Little Black Cat: Remains unusually calm because of its familiarity with the Abyss Ruins. It shows clear desire for the Beast Crystal, likely because it could help restore its injuries, but Chen Xian does not yield to it.
• Ancient Dao Integration cultivator: Though absent, this figure’s character is revealed indirectly through the beast-binding carvings and the formation’s intense, naked hostility. The ruins suggest an obsession with imprisoning beasts and a distinctly malicious nature.

Significant Themes

• Entrapment and danger: The ruins actively seal and rearrange themselves, emphasizing that the expedition is not a normal exploration but a carefully controlled descent into a deadly ancient site.
• Ancient power and lingering influence: Even after thousands of years, the formations, statues, and Dao resonance remain active, showing how powerful the original creator was.
• Malice and cruelty: The bound-beast imagery and oppressive formation reflect the theme of domination. The ruins embody the will and hostility of their long-dead master.
• Pragmatism and self-interest: Chen Xian’s refusal to share the Beast Crystal highlights his cautious, utilitarian approach to survival and resources.
• Mystery and discovery: The reaction of the Myriad Dao Pact Wheel and the confirmation of the Shadowlike Flying Shuttle’s crash hint that the ruins conceal a major secret connected to the Great Daos and the missing shuttle.

Character Interactions

• Chen Xian reassures Zhao Ke after the entrance is sealed and urges him to continue instead of panicking.
• He relies on the little black cat’s familiarity with the ruins, while the cat silently observes and desires the Beast Crystal.
• Zhao Ke repeatedly scans the surroundings and supports Chen Xian, but his direct encounter with the statues reveals the danger of acting without caution.
• At the end, Chen Xian and Zhao Ke face the activated beast-statue formation together, with Chen Xian interpreting its malice and Zhao Ke recognizing that the corridor may be nearly impossible to cross.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Xian and Zhao Ke reach a corridor guarded by a deadly Beast-Sculpture Formation. Chen Xian realizes the Rift-Devouring Beast has been through the ruins before and may know how to pass.
• The creature reluctantly obeys Chen Xian’s nickname, “Little Black,” then expands into its true beast form and growls at the statues. The statues’ red eyes go dark, and the formation shuts down.
• With the beast guiding them past further mechanisms, Chen Xian and Zhao Ke reach the ruins’ Main Hall without using Dao Power.
• They find Zhang Huai’s wrecked Flying Shuttle and, inside the hall, a bloodied figure seated beneath a colossal half-human, half-serpent statue. Chen Xian assumes it is Zhang Huai and rushes in to rescue him.
• The figure’s head twists around to reveal a tiger’s face. It rises, declares it wants a “new body,” and advances. Chen Xian pulls Zhao Ke back, and Zhao Ke identifies the possession as Body Seizure.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Xian relies on quick thinking, recognizing the beast’s past experience, and treats it with playful authority. His relief at finding Zhang Huai turns instantly to alarm when the figure reveals itself as hostile.
• The Rift-Devouring Beast proves both useful and intelligent: despite resenting its pet-like nickname, it submits to Chen Xian and neutralizes the beast mechanisms. It returns to its small, catlike form, clearly seeking approval.
• Zhao Ke stays alongside Chen Xian and recognizes the danger from knowledge of an Evil Cultivator technique.
• The tiger-faced entity is revealed as a predatory possessor that has taken Zhang Huai’s body and now wants to seize Chen Xian’s.

Significant themes

• Appearances can deceive: the seated figure seems to be Zhang Huai, but its altered face and behavior expose a hidden threat.
• Knowledge and cooperation overcome danger: Chen Xian’s insight and the beast’s familiarity with the ruins let them bypass lethal defenses.
• Bodies and identity: the possession revelation raises the threat of one being’s identity and body being taken over by another.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Huai’s body is taken over by the Tiger Daoist, an ancient being whose power is weakened by the body’s injuries but still exceeds Chen Xian’s.
• The Tiger Daoist attacks Chen Xian and reveals that he wants Chen’s unusually powerful body as a vessel to regain his former Dao Integration strength.
• Chen uses the Void-Fixing Orb to immobilize the Tiger Daoist briefly and nearly lands a counterattack. Zhang Huai’s surviving Dao Soul suddenly seizes control for a moment, interrupting the monster’s strike.
• The Tiger Daoist regains control and overwhelms Chen with his pressure. Chen retreats from the hall, carrying Zhao Ke and Little Black with him.
• An ancient formation activates at the hall’s threshold, binding the Tiger Daoist with chains and preventing him from leaving. Chen realizes the monster is trapped inside—but is left wondering how he can rescue Zhang Huai.

Character developments

• Chen Xian shows quick judgment and resourcefulness, using the Orb to create an opening and retreating once the strength gap becomes clear. Though injured and shaken, he remains concerned about Zhang Huai.
• Zhang Huai is not entirely lost: his Dao Soul continues to resist the possession, briefly regaining control of his body.
• The Tiger Daoist is revealed as arrogant, predatory, and desperate to escape his confinement and claim Chen’s body.
• Zhao Ke is frightened by the possession and depends on Chen to get him to safety.

Themes

• The peril of possession and the struggle to retain one’s identity.
• Courage tempered by pragmatism: Chen recognizes when survival requires retreat rather than continued combat.
• The tension between overwhelming power and clever, limited opportunities.
• Seals and ancient formations offer protection, but also complicate Chen’s attempt to save Zhang Huai.

Character interactions

• Chen and the Tiger Daoist clash physically and verbally; Chen rejects the monster’s demand to surrender his body.
• Zhang Huai’s resistance gives Chen a brief chance to act, though the Tiger Daoist soon suppresses him again.
• Chen protects Zhao Ke and Little Black by taking them out of the hall, then faces the dilemma of leaving Zhang Huai trapped with the possessor.

Key events

• After his injuries leave him weakened, Chen Xian pauses to recover. Zhao Ke suspects the Tiger Daoist’s possession of Zhang Huai’s body is incomplete: Zhang Huai’s Dao Soul may still be trapped inside.
• Zhao Ke proposes using a Soul-Summoning Grand Formation to awaken Zhang Huai and help him reclaim his body. He explains that the Medical Saint Hall developed soul-healing methods as part of its medical tradition, so the formation is not an evil art.
• As Zhao Ke inscribes the formation with his Healer’s Discipline Ruler and essence blood, the Tiger Daoist realizes what they are doing and awakens nearly a thousand stone-beast puppets.
• Chen Xian interrupts his recovery to defend Zhao Ke. He destroys many puppets, but their numbers keep growing. He brings out the injured Void-Rending Glutton Beast, promising to free it once they escape the Myriad Beast Abyss. The beast joins the fight, but both defenders are soon close to exhaustion.
• Zhao Ke completes the formation. Its power freezes the stone puppets and turns them back into statues. Inside the hall, Zhang Huai begins fighting the Tiger Daoist for control of his body and, briefly regaining clarity, calls on Chen Xian to help kill the intruder.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Xian shows loyalty and resolve, guarding Zhao Ke despite his injuries and accepting the Glutton Beast’s demand for freedom to secure its help.
• Zhao Ke reveals specialized knowledge of Dao Soul treatment and proves his courage and skill by completing the formation under attack.
• Zhang Huai emerges as an active participant rather than a helpless possession victim, briefly regaining control and asking Chen Xian for aid.
• The Void-Rending Glutton Beast reluctantly fights alongside Chen Xian, motivated by the promise of eventual freedom.
• Chen Xian and Zhao Ke coordinate closely: Chen protects Zhao while Zhao works. Chen and the Glutton Beast also form a temporary alliance under pressure.

Significant themes

• Cooperation under danger: Each character’s distinct ability is necessary to survive.
• Healing beyond the physical: Zhao Ke’s medical tradition extends to damaged or suppressed souls.
• Freedom and agency: The Glutton Beast bargains for release, while Zhang Huai struggles to reclaim control of his own body.
• Endurance and sacrifice: Chen and the beast keep fighting despite injuries until Zhao can finish the formation.

Chen Xian and Zhao Ke subdued Tiger Daoist with Seal-Soul Thirteen Needles, saving Zhang Huai but leaving him unable to use his Dao Power. Zhang Huai woke to find the remnant soul sealed in his dantian, while Zhao Ke reacted with surprise when Chen Xian mentioned traveling to the Central Province.

• Zhao Ke told Chen Xian that Seal-Soul Thirteen Needles could seal Tiger Daoist, but Chen Xian first had to immobilize Zhang Huai and seal his qi acupoints.
• Zhang Huai briefly regained control and sacrificed his Dao foundation to help Chen Xian pin Tiger Daoist down.
• Chen Xian held Zhang Huai in place while Zhao Ke used the first two needles, and Tiger Daoist’s soul attack failed against Chen Xian’s Dao shield.
• Zhao Ke completed all thirteen needles, sealing Tiger Daoist’s remnant soul in Zhang Huai’s dantian as the binding chains broke.
• Zhang Huai woke and discovered he could not mobilize his Dao Power, and Zhao Ke was surprised to hear Chen Xian was heading to the Central Province.

Chen Xian, Zhang Huai, and Zhao Ke escaped the Beast Ruins through a hidden teleportation passage after Blackie revealed it. Though Chen Xian initially freed the Void-Rending Glutton Beast, Blackie returned and agreed to become his contracted guardian as they continued toward Glory City and Central Province.

• Zhao Ke revealed that his sect had fled Central Province after an upheaval among the Saints, and Zhang Huai offered to take him to the Saint Hall.
• The group found the Shadowlike Flying Shuttle wrecked and discovered that stone beasts had gathered outside the hall.
• Blackie showed Chen Xian a hidden passage behind a statue, and the group used its teleportation array to leave the core of the Myriad Beast Abyss.
• After learning they were about a hundred li from Glory City, Chen Xian released Blackie, which returned to its true form and vanished into the mist.
• Blackie soon came back and asked Chen Xian to take it into the outside world, agreeing to contract with him and serve as his guardian until they reached Central Province.
• Chen Xian accepted Blackie's origin blood essence to seal the contract, then set off with Zhang Huai and Zhao Ke toward Glory City.