Chapter Summaries

Plot and key events

• Xu Feng ambushes and kills a Domain God in the Underground River, using a psychic blast, his flying blades, and the Mechanical Race corpse’s threat to gain the advantage. He then collects five time crystals: one large and four small.
• Following Cang Jue’s advice, Xu Feng keeps the largest crystal and plans to give the smaller ones to the Blackgold Society, while concealing his strength and explaining the sword sect’s losses.
• He secretly returns to the Blackgold Society’s camp and pretends he has just arrived. At Mist Valley’s entrance, the Azure Sea Sword Sect discovers its missing disciples, dead Domain Gods, and stolen crystals. Its grand elder accuses the Blackgold Society, but neither side can prove who was responsible.
• Xu Feng tells Jun Lin and Hang Yan that a hooded, gray-robed swordsman killed the sword sect’s people and took the largest crystal. They accept that the culprit must be an overwhelmingly powerful outsider and decide not to investigate.
• Xu Feng gives the Blackgold Society four crystals, then trades his own share for a promise of 1,000 origin-opening herbs, to be gathered within three months. He returns to the inn and resumes cultivation, aiming to improve his techniques before eventually returning to Earth.

Character developments

• Xu Feng demonstrates growing combat ability, tactical ingenuity, and composure. He defeats a far stronger opponent, then successfully conceals his role behind a convincing false account.
• Jun Lin proves cautious and pragmatic: despite possible doubts, he avoids provoking a mysterious powerhouse and accepts the Society’s gains.
• Hang Yan is curious about Xu Feng’s success but prioritizes maintaining the deception. He recognizes Xu Feng’s value and intends to keep him close.
• Cang Jue continues guiding Xu Feng’s choices, from managing the crystals to prioritizing cultivation.

Relationships and interactions

• Xu Feng and Cang Jue coordinate privately, while Xu Feng presents a fabricated version of events to Jun Lin and Hang Yan.
• Jun Lin and Hang Yan act in concert to deflect the Azure Sea Sword Sect’s accusations and protect the Blackgold Society.
• Xu Feng’s return reassures Tuhe, who waits for him at the inn and agrees to follow his plans.

Significant themes

• Deception and secrecy: Xu Feng’s survival and rewards depend on hiding his true strength and redirecting suspicion.
• Power and restraint: The Society chooses not to pursue an unknown opponent whose strength could threaten it.
• Ambition and cultivation: Xu Feng turns his gains into resources for his next breakthrough, keeping his focus on long-term advancement.

Chapter Summary: “A Complete Transformation”

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng decides Black Gold Demon City is too dangerous for his family while the Mist Valley deaths draw scrutiny from the Azure Sea Sword Sect and the Iron Order Alliance. He moves Xiao Dan, Tuhe, Ah Kun, and the Sun Church followers into his inner world, where they can remain safe and continue cultivating.
• Xu Feng tells Hang Yan that his family has left. Hang Yan confirms that an Iron Order Alliance investigation is expected and advises Xu Feng to stick to the account they have agreed upon. Xu Feng requests historical records to support his cover story.
• While confined to the city during the investigation, Xu Feng studies those records and trains in the Three Paths of Death, carefully refining his organs and then restoring them with life energy.
• Iron Order inspector Lu Sheng questions Xu Feng about Mist Valley and his background. Xu Feng calmly claims he arrived too late to take part in the fighting and presents himself as an independent cultivator who spent millennia in seclusion. Lu Sheng orders his identity verified and bars him from leaving the city until then.
• Xu Feng completes a round of death refinement across all three bodily “burners,” greatly improving his physical condition. Meanwhile, Hang Yan delivers all one thousand promised Origin-Opening Herbs. Their use further increases Xu Feng’s ability to absorb cosmic energy.
• By the chapter’s end, Xu Feng’s blood and qi have risen substantially, his blade technique has advanced, and his genetic potential has reached the level of an ordinary cosmic race. He plans to check on the investigation and hopes to leave for home soon.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng becomes more cautious about protecting those close to him, but remains composed under questioning and focused on training. His lengthy organ-refinement process demonstrates both discipline and endurance; the combined effects of training and herbs leave him feeling physically rebuilt.
• Xiao Dan trusts her father’s judgment and accepts the move into his inner world without demanding explanations. Their gentle farewell hug reinforces their closeness.
• Tuhe and Ah Kun agree that staying out of danger is wiser than risking another pursuit. Tuhe thanks Xu Feng and urges him to be careful.
• Hang Yan continues to support Xu Feng, providing records and arranging the herbs, while acknowledging the risks posed by the investigation. He resents Lu Sheng’s lack of respect for his family.
• Lu Sheng is a stern, detached investigator whose connection to Black Gold Demon City—he was once trained by Hang Yan’s elder brother—adds tension to his official role. Xu Feng’s calm, detailed cover story gives Lu Sheng little basis for immediate action beyond verification.

Significant themes

• Protection through sacrifice and trust: Xu Feng separates from his family to keep them safe, while their willingness to follow his decision shows mutual trust.
• Preparation amid uncertainty: Although no specific threat has emerged, Xu Feng acts on instinct and trains while political and legal scrutiny grows around him.
• Transformation through hardship: The painful death-and-revival process, paired with the herbs, turns physical suffering into measurable growth.
• Identity and concealment: Xu Feng must construct a believable past while facing an investigation into his role in a major incident.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Feng leaves his residence to meet Hang Yan, intending to depart Black Gold Demon City the next day. Cang Jue warns him that Lu Sheng, three other Domain Gods, and Blackgold Society elder Jun Lin are approaching Hang Yan’s estate in secret.
• Hang Yan intercepts Xu Feng and silently urges him to run. Before Xu Feng can escape through the city gate, a golden formation seals Black Gold Demon City. The five Domain Gods surround him.
• Lu Sheng accuses Xu Feng of being a remnant of the ancient Sun Church, citing his unverifiable identity, the Azure Fall City explosion, and the deaths in Mist Valley. He also suggests Xu Feng may possess the Azure Sea Sword Sect’s largest Time Crystal. Jun Lin briefly argues for giving Xu Feng a chance to defend himself, but Lu Sheng invokes the Iron Order Alliance’s rules, and Jun Lin withdraws.
• Xu Feng bluffs that Black Gold’s elders might join him against the four outsiders, unsettling the pursuers. He then uses the Mechanical Race corpse to punch through the city formation and escape. Jun Lin orders the formation lowered but refuses to join the chase.
• Jun Lin’s elders debate whether Xu Feng killed the Domain Gods in Mist Valley with the mechanical weapon. Jun Lin concludes it must have limited uses, advises them not to antagonize Xu Feng, and declares that Black Gold has no connection to him. The elders also acknowledge Xu Feng’s past help in obtaining four Time Crystals.
• Outside the city, Lu Sheng, Cang Yan, Qingxuan, and Zhao Wuji pursue Xu Feng. Their different movement abilities prevent him from outrunning them. Following Cang Jue’s advice, Xu Feng uses the hilly terrain to set a trap: he throws an Origin Crystal coated with powder from a time plant, creating a slowing mist. While Lu Sheng is trapped, Xu Feng’s mechanical weapon blasts through his head. The other three stop in shock as Xu Feng escapes.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Feng remains composed under pressure, quickly recognizing the danger and using deception and preparation rather than confronting five Domain Gods directly. His escape reveals his willingness to exploit both psychological tactics and his unusual weapon.
• Hang Yan risks warning Xu Feng but cannot openly defend him because of his limited strength and obligations. He is relieved when Jun Lin chooses to distance Black Gold from the affair rather than pursue Xu Feng.
• Jun Lin initially stays neutral under alliance pressure, then protects Black Gold’s interests by refusing to chase. He recognizes Xu Feng as too dangerous to make an enemy of and tells the elders to avoid provoking him.
• Lu Sheng leads the accusation and pursuit, treating suspicion as justification for force. His confidence collapses when Xu Feng kills him with the time-stopping mist and mechanical weapon.
• Cang Jue serves as Xu Feng’s tactical adviser, identifying the pursuers’ abilities and suggesting both the escape route and the plan to target Lu Sheng.
• The three remaining pursuers—Cang Yan, Qingxuan, and Zhao Wuji—show how formidable and varied the Domain Gods’ abilities are, but are left stunned by Lu Sheng’s sudden death.

Significant themes

• Power and political expediency: Lu Sheng uses an unproven accusation to justify attacking Xu Feng, while Jun Lin weighs alliance pressure against the danger of provoking him.
• Identity and uncertainty: The Sun Church accusation is based on incomplete records, and Xu Feng himself is puzzled by the claimed connection between the ancient Kesa Star church and the Sun Church he knows.
• Strategy over strength: Xu Feng survives not by overpowering his enemies, but by reading the situation, bluffing, exploiting terrain, and combining time-altering powder with his mechanical weapon.
• Risk, loyalty, and self-preservation: Hang Yan helps as far as he can, while Jun Lin and the elders prioritize protecting their city and themselves—though Jun Lin still cautions them against making Xu Feng an enemy.

After Cang Yan, Qingxuan, and Zhao Wuji fled in different directions, Xu Feng pursued Zhao Wuji to learn about his connection to the Sun Church. He took a spatial jade token from Lu Sheng’s corpse and used it to catch up, ending the chapter as his blade shot toward Zhao Wuji’s back.

• Cang Yan, Qingxuan, and Zhao Wuji fled in three different directions after realizing Xu Feng’s puppet might still have another shot.
• Xu Feng turned back to pursue Zhao Wuji, while Cang Jue explained that Lu Sheng’s death had broken apart their alliance.
• Xu Feng searched Lu Sheng’s corpse and found a jade token that enabled short-distance spatial jumps.
• Xu Feng used the token to catch up with Zhao Wuji, who tried to escape with his light technique.
• After pursuing Zhao Wuji for about twenty minutes, Xu Feng exploited his fading strength and sent the Ten Thousand Greens Blade toward his back.

Xu Feng settled in the Star Whisperers' outpost and used the Time Crystal to cultivate in a domain where time flowed ten times faster. After three years inside, he emerged with the Three Paths of Life and the Three Paths of Death advanced toward mastery.

• Xu Feng returned to the limestone cave outpost and carved out a private cultivation cave for himself.
• Cang Jue estimated that the Time Crystal made time flow ten times faster within twenty meters and speculated that Xu Feng's homeland had once been powerful.
• Xu Feng gave Tuhe the Great Radiance Star Scripture and told the Sun Church members they could cultivate it while they waited.
• Xu Feng set warning formations, entered the Time Crystal's domain, and began cultivating several secret arts, prioritizing the Three Paths of Life and the Three Paths of Death.
• After three and a half months outside and three years inside, Xu Feng opened his eyes with abundant vital energy and strikingly pure black-and-white eyes.

Xu Feng evaded the Azure Sea Sword Master, Qianyu Shoucheng, and Ji Dong as they tried to kill him, then stopped and proposed a deal. He showed them a Mechanical Race corpse, leaving the three wary but willing to hear his offer from a distance.

• The Azure Sea Sword Master, Qianyu Shoucheng, and Ji Dong surrounded Xu Feng and attacked him together.
• Xu Feng repeatedly used One Cut to evade their coordinated attacks and escape attempts.
• Xu Feng stopped in midair and explained that his past killings had been desperate measures.
• Xu Feng proposed a deal and showed the three a Mechanical Race corpse, causing them to retreat in alarm.
• Qianyu Shoucheng asked Xu Feng what deal he wanted to make.